cold war
The noise at the polo field was like a lump of melted sugar, so sticky it was suffocating.
Wan Zhen'er kicked her embroidered shoes, and the sand that got into the toes made her frown.
She had no interest in the stench of sweat to begin with, and now she couldn't stand it any longer, so she lifted her skirt and slipped out of the fence.
The bluestone slabs beside the flower bed were scorching hot from the sun. Wan Zhen'er stood on tiptoe, dangling one foot in the air and swinging it, trying to empty the sand from her shoe.
She thought the soil in the flower bed was dirty and refused to hold it up. She swayed and almost fell into the flower bushes.
"careful!"
A warm, large hand promptly wrapped around her waist.
Sun Wei's palms were calloused, and through her long skirt, a rough warmth emanated from her lower back.
Wan Zhen'er suddenly looked up, meeting his panicked eyes. Their breaths mingled, and a blush crept up her neck and up to her ears.
"Thank you." Wan Zhen'er pulled her hand away from his, turned her back to put on her shoes, and spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.
In fact, the two hadn't seen each other for three years.
On the third day after she married into the Zhu family, she went back to visit her relatives. After searching for him for a while, she couldn't find him. Only after inquiring did she learn that he had gone to join the army.
"When I grow up and achieve great things, I'll buy a big house, bring your aunt here, and you can live with me and never be separated again, how about that?" Wan Zhen'er recalled the time when Sun Wei carried her, who had fallen and injured herself, as they walked through the mountains and chatted idly.
The night was so dark, like ink, and mosquitoes left many small bites on Wan Zhen'er's delicate skin. She clung tightly to the little boy's back, yet felt no fear.
When did that happen?
She was about five years old when she and her aunt were forgotten in a farmhouse in the countryside of Wanjia. Life was poor, and there were only a few small farmers in the whole house. One day, Wan Zhen'er was hit by a fruit falling from a tree. She looked up with tears in her eyes and saw a dark-skinned boy grinning at her.
She instantly lost her temper and kicked the tree trunk. The tree swayed, and the little boy clung tightly to the tall branches, looking quite comical.
Wan Zhen'er couldn't help but sneer.
One was a stay-at-home slave, and the other was an illegitimate daughter. The two leaned on each other and became each other's only playmates and comforts during their unnoticed youth.
Sun Wei scratched his head, his gaze falling on Wan Zhen'er's ears, which were flushed red from the heat: "Where's Siyu? She didn't come along even though she's so hot?"
“Siyu, she…” Wan Zhen’er paused in putting on her shoes, “I was sick a while ago, and she took care of me all night and caught a cold. Now she’s resting.”
"Sick? Yes, Ah Shou?" Sun Wei had learned about Wan Zhen'er's recent ordeal from Zhiwei and Shao Zhao's casual conversation.
Ah Shou was a tortoise that he gave to Wan Zhen'er as a source of amusement. After all, life in the deep confines of the mansion was boring, and Ah Shou could also be used as a small pet for testing for poisons when necessary. Unexpectedly, Wan Zhen'er took great care of it, and after Ah Shou died, she became seriously ill.
"It's my fault. I've raised it for so long, and I couldn't even tell that it was sick."
“I am such an incompetent master, and Siyu is always making me worry about things…” Wan Zhen’er kept her head down, and from Sun Wei’s angle, he could just see the reflective liquid flowing down her face.
Sun Wei felt a sharp pain in his heart.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly reached out and gently patted the top of her head: "Silly girl, you do know how to care for others."
Sun Wei's voice was deep, gentle yet earnest: "From now on, I'll be here for you. You don't have to carry everything on your own all the time."
Wan Zhen'er's heart skipped a beat.
Just as she was about to look up, she suddenly felt a heavy weight on her head as Sun Wei's large hand pressed down on her head, rubbing and kneading it.
"Hey, are you looking for death?!" Wan Zhen'er stomped on his foot hard.
"I feel much more energetic now." Sun Wei laughed heartily, looking up at the sky.
Under the willow tree not far away, Wan Qi stood with his hands behind his back.
His figure blended into the shadows of the trees, only his eyes remained fixed on the spot where their bodies had touched.
——
Zhu Mingyu lay in bed. The imperial physician diagnosed him with a minor bone fracture and said he needed to rest on the bed for a month. Zhu Mingyu's left leg was bandaged and he could not move at all.
Whenever she had a spare moment, Zhiwei would go to Zhu Mingyu's house.
She brought a celadon dish to the edge of his bed, picked up a preserved plum, and held it to his lips: "Try it? I just pickled it."
The preserved plums were so sour they made my tongue tingle. Zhu Mingyu grimaced and dodged away, saying, "You're trying to kill me with sourness."
"I hope you die of jealousy." Zhiwei raised an eyebrow, glancing down with her eyelashes, "So you won't risk breaking your leg to save someone else next time."
"That's not someone else!"
Zhu Mingyu took Zhiwei's hand and stroked her palm with his fingertips: "That's my brother."
Zhu Mingyu's voice lowered: "When I was little, my parents always said that my brother suffered a lot as a hostage in the capital."
“My parents told me to be nicer to him, to be more tolerant of his eccentric temper, and to protect him more when he is in danger.”
“I think they’re right. Kyoto is a dangerous place. Over the years, he has faced so many open and hidden attacks for us all by himself. I still owe him something,” Zhu Mingyu said.
Zhiwei chuckled.
"Owe?" Zhiwei pulled her hand back. "What kind of person is Zhu Liji? In terms of scheming and cunning, ten of you couldn't match him. But you, charging into battle for him, do you really think you're made of iron?"
"If I were you, I would think carefully about my own situation. You're lucky this time; with proper rest, you won't have any lasting effects. But if you were unlucky, and your leg became crippled, or you lost your life, had you thought about the consequences? Had you thought about the people who care about you?"
Have you ever thought about how worried I am about you?
Zhiwei didn't say those words aloud.
Zhu Mingyu put his arm around Zhiwei's forearm: "It's because I thought of you that I have to go save my brother. Didn't he protect you in Shu County too?"
“That’s different!” Zhiwei shook off Zhu Mingyu’s hand. “He took me with him to escape, and I repaid his kindness by taking care of him and getting him out of danger.”
“It wasn’t for me; I don’t owe him anything.”
Zhiwei grabbed Zhu Mingyu's inner garment, angrily saying, "In short, you can't even live your own life properly, so I don't want you to be so heartbroken over other people's affairs, even if he's your brother!"
Zhu Mingyu's face darkened: "You look down on me that much? You think I'm brainless and can't make my own judgments?"
That's not what I meant...
“You are!” Zhu Mingyu turned his face away, his chest heaving. “In your eyes, you can’t see the true feelings between us brothers, you only don’t understand my actions. As long as I don’t meet your expectations, you will never be satisfied with me.”
"Yan Zhiwei, I'm not a fool who only knows how to act recklessly. Besides, what do you know about me? You're meddling way too much!"
Zhu Mingyu was clearly furious. His shout was so loud that Shao Zhao, who was guarding outside, trembled and his sleepiness vanished.
Zhiwei was taken aback by his shout, and her anger flared up as well: "Incomprehensible!"
"I'm not going to care about you anymore."
She slammed the door shut and stormed out, causing the lanterns in the hallway to shake violently.
"Let's just ignore him and not say anything?" Shao Zhao lifted her skirt and followed Zhi Wei.
"Let him fend for himself."
"Oh, oh." Shao Zhao nodded, then stepped back to the door of Zhu Mingyu's room and said to Zhu Mingyu, whose eyes were red, "Your sister wants you to die."
"She will never bow down to you."
Shao Zhao was surrounded by excitement.
——
The Cold War was like a continuous rain, lasting for half a month at a time.
Zhiwei devoted all her attention to the imperial kitchen.
She reorganized the food flow, separating the steaming and grilling areas, and improved the marinating process. She even categorized the cutting boards for meat and vegetables.
The servant who committed the crime in the A Shou case should have been beaten to death, but Zhiwei valued his talent and spared his life. Now, she has found the eunuch named A Fu and made him an apprentice in the kitchen.
“From now on, you will follow me and learn well. I will train you.” Zhiwei tossed him a kitchen knife. “What you did before was too simple. From today onwards, focus on the basics. Start by practicing cutting carrot cubes. Remember, they should be the size of dice.”
"Yes, Master!"
Upon hearing this, Afu kowtowed deeply.
The first bowl of diced radish that Afu cut was served on the table of the distinguished guests.
Zhu Mingyu raised his chopsticks and carefully examined the neatly cut cubes under the candlelight, sighing repeatedly.
Shen Danxi saw this and gave a wink to the eunuch beside her.
Today is a family banquet. Besides the Emperor and Empress, the Crown Prince's family is also present. Zhu Hua was very friendly with her actors and left the banquet early.
Zhu Mingyu was still rummaging through the rice in his bowl, his chopsticks making a clanging sound as he poked at the rim.
"Uncle, how old are you this year?" Zhu Sheng asked, pulling away from Cheng Yuzhi's embrace as he heard Zhu Mingyu's voice. "Sheng'er stopped banging on the bowl when he was four years old."
Zhu Mingyu looked at the little boy's large eyes, which were quite different from his older brother's long, narrow eyes that always seemed to be in deep thought.
Very cute.
He put down his chopsticks and pulled Zhu Sheng into his arms: "Yes, Uncle is not as good as you."
Zhu Mingyu leaned close to Zhu Sheng's ear and said, "But I stopped needing to be fed when I was four years old. Unlike some other kids who still need their mothers to feed them even when they're six."
"How embarrassing."
Zhu Sheng puffed up his cheeks instantly and thrashed about, shouting, "Put me down, Mother! Uncle is bullying me!"
"I bullied you? Who's been causing trouble instead of eating?" Zhu Mingyu pressed down Zhu Sheng's hands and feet, and tickled his armpit. "Do you know what you did wrong?"
"Mother, save me!" Zhu Sheng stretched out his short arm and struggled, but Cheng Yuzhi wouldn't take it. Taking advantage of the moment when Zhu Sheng's hand was away, she picked up some food.
Zhu Liji, who was discussing state affairs with the emperor, finally couldn't stand it any longer. He narrowed his eyes and patted Zhu Sheng's hand: "You're so grown up, yet you still have your mother to worry about you. What kind of behavior is this!"
Zhu Sheng was frightened by Zhu Liji and dared not speak. He stopped swaying and huddled in Zhu Mingyu's arms.
“Brother…” Zhu Mingyu couldn’t bear to see the little person in his arms pouting, and was interrupted by Zhu Liji as soon as he opened his mouth.
"I have my own methods of education," Zhu Liji scoffed.
"But Sheng'er is still just..."
"I already told you not to interfere," Zhu Liji said firmly.
"Is this ever going to end?!" A chopstick fell to the ground, and the emperor, who had been silent all along, finally couldn't sit still any longer. Zhu Qing, dressed in a yellow robe, had a livid face.
"Your Majesty, the person has arrived." A second after the emperor finished speaking, the eunuch pulled back the curtain, and a pair of phoenix eyes peered in.
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