How much effort and scheming went into it (Part Two)
A few days later, the imperial procession continued.
Knowing that her injury was not fully healed, she silently followed beside Zhu Liji's carriage. Sometimes when Zhu Liji called her to get in the carriage, she would lower her head and look meekly, exuding a heavy sense of weariness.
She no longer looked at the scenery along the way, no longer showed curiosity about anything, and even when Zhu Liji occasionally cast a glance at her with scrutiny and inexplicable displeasure, she simply lowered her head further, like a finely carved but lifeless wooden puppet.
They used to laugh and joke in Zhu Sheng's carriage, but now they are completely silent. Zhu Liji glanced at Zhiwei's lowered head, twirling the mahogany in his hand, and said coldly.
After leaving Shu County, we arrived in southern Hunan.
Hearing that there was an extremely efficacious temple on the southern mountain of Hunan, Zhu Liji stopped his inspection tour, separated from the main group, and took only Zhiwei and Pinghai and a group of palace servants to visit the temple.
Gray clouds loomed overhead, obscuring the bright sun. Zhiwei looked up at the sky and saw dragonflies flying low, a sign that rain was imminent.
Zhiwei followed behind Zhu Liji's carriage, not knowing how heavy the rain was. She thought to herself that things were quite different from when the new emperor first ascended the throne. Now the country was peaceful and the situation was very good, and Zhu Liji was in the mood to travel around.
As Zhiwei pondered this, raindrops dripped onto her body, scattered across her clothes like delicately crafted floral patterns.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier.
Summer rains are always sudden, and the south is a rainy region. Thunder rumbled, wind howled, and torrential rain brought with it waves of mudslides. The mountain roads were difficult to traverse, so the vehicle had to stop and hastily find an abandoned thatched hut to rest.
Although it was a temporary respite, Pinghai still felt uneasy, fearing that the sudden rain might cause a major disaster. After consulting with Zhu Liji, he put up an umbrella, took a few attendants, and went down the mountain to find reinforcements.
The rest of the palace servants stayed in the courtyard of the thatched hut. Zhiwei followed Zhu Liji into the inner room. She was covered in mud, her wet clothes clung to her skin, and her shoes made a squelching sound with every step, which made her very uncomfortable.
Zhu Liji was currently resting with his eyes closed in the main hall, needing no one to serve him. Zhiwei took out a clean plain robe from her bag, casually found a room, and planned to change her clothes.
The inner room had no door, only a tattered cloth curtain hanging above it. Zhiwei turned her back to the curtain and untied the sash of her wet clothes. Her outer garment slipped down, revealing her back, clad only in a lotus-colored undergarment. Zhiwei lowered her eyes and carefully and slowly wiped her body with a small handkerchief.
Just as he was about to pick up the clean undergarment he had brought, the curtain was suddenly pulled open.
"I'm hungry." Zhu Liji clutched his stomach and stood under the tattered curtain, his figure blocking most of the doorway.
The sky outside was gloomy, and the room was even darker, but his eyes were fixed precisely on Zhiwei's bare back, grazing her slightly trembling shoulders, and passing over the scars, some deep, some shallow, some old and some new.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, muffled and heavy. Zhu Liji's eyelashes fluttered slightly, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his ears were stifled by the oppressive summer rain.
"I said I'm hungry." Zhu Liji quickly came to his senses, turned his back and looked away, his voice flat. "What's there to eat?"
Zhiwei stared intently at the flush on Zhu Liji's ears.
"Your Majesty, please wait a moment," she finally replied to Zhu Liji, putting on a dry, plain robe and neatly tying the knot. She picked up the wet outer garment that had fallen to the ground, her tone even more indifferent than Zhu Liji's, "This servant will be done in a moment."
Zhu Liji walked outside with his hands clasped around his neck.
Under the eaves, a spider spins its web, catching the raindrops which then flow onto the smooth surface of the web.
Zhiwei quickly finished dressing, lifted the curtain and came out, her hair still dripping wet. She looked up and met Zhu Liji's gaze.
"Did you see it?" she asked as she approached, her face expressionless.
Zhu Liji turned his head to the side, his jawline taut: "What?"
Zhiwei stared at him for two more seconds, as if trying to find something on his face, but in the end she just looked away and smiled: "Nothing, where's the stove?"
"Why are you looking for a stove?" Zhu Liji frowned.
"Cook."
Zhiwei looked down and glanced at Zhu Liji's hand, which had been covering his lower abdomen: "Isn't Your Majesty hungry?"
The two entered a small, doorless room, long abandoned and covered in dust. Zhiwei picked up a rag and began cleaning the stove, her movements practiced and swift, as if she were born to do it.
Zhu Liji leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed, silently watching the thin figure busy at work.
Once the stove revealed its original wood color, Zhiwei straightened up, took a breath, and felt a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead. She turned to Zhu Liji and said, "Please have someone bring the spatula, Your Majesty."
Zhu Liji raised an eyebrow.
Zhiwei then extended her right hand, the scars on her wrist still clearly visible.
"This servant is clumsy and doesn't have the strength. I'm afraid of wasting the food and burning Your Majesty," Zhiwei said calmly, mimicking Zhu Liji.
Zhu Liji didn't say anything, and instead of calling for a servant, he took the heavy iron shovel himself.
The touch was cold and greasy, and Zhu Liji couldn't help but click his tongue.
"Add water first, and make sure the fire is burning brightly. Once the water boils, pour it out. That counts as washing the pot," Zhiwei instructed lazily from the side.
In fact, Zhu Liji had no need to light a fire at all. Although the rain was heavy, there were some dried fruits and cold foods on the cart, which were enough to fill their stomachs.
Just assuming the emperor wanted something hot, Zhiwei took some rice and continued to direct Zhu Liji.
The fire was still not strong enough, so Zhu Liji bent down and clumsily added firewood. After all, he was a young master and had no experience. Sparks splashed onto the back of his hand several times, but fortunately, he had thick skin and didn't make a sound, only frowning slightly.
Flames licked the bottom of the pot as Zhu Liji leaned against the stove, watching the water gradually rise to a fine bubbling. He was usually decisive and efficient in handling state affairs, but now he was like a child learning his first lesson, his eyes focused intently on the movements in the pot, not even hearing Zhiwei call for rice to be added.
"The water's boiling, add the rice." Zhiwei raised her voice a bit, and Zhu Liji then tore open the bag, pouring the rice grains into the pot with a splash, causing the water to scald his hands again.
"Slow down, it's not like we're at war." Unable to bear watching any longer, Zhiwei pouted. "Watching the rice grains roll in the water, from stiff to plump, from separated to sticky, it will be done soon."
Zhu Liji nodded. The ladle wasn't heavy, but it felt exceptionally heavy in his hands. At first, he didn't know how to stir properly, and the rice grains always stuck to the bottom of the ladle. He could only scrape the stuck rice grains off little by little. Later, he gradually slowed down and found the trick. He only needed to turn his wrist slightly, and the wooden ladle would circle around the edge of the pot. The rice grains would roll in the boiling water and gradually become plump.
Amidst the rising steam, Zhu Liji watched as the white porridge gradually thickened, a faint aroma of rice wafting out. He suddenly stopped stirring, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice softer than usual: "So there's so much to it about cooking a bowl of porridge."
"However, this pot of porridge, once you put your heart into it, will give you a response, good or bad, immediately." It's more interesting than court politics," Zhu Liji said.
"Hmm." Zhiwei finally responded softly, her voice somewhat muffled by the crackling of the stove fire. "It's always been an extremely interesting thing."
Unfortunately... Zhiwei moved her hands, lowered her eyes, and didn't say anything more, just quietly added firewood.
The white porridge was bubbling away, and the hot porridge was ready. Zhu Liji even took the initiative to scoop a spoonful and hand it to Zhiwei: "Try it and see if it's okay."
Zhiwei took the spoon, blew on it before tasting it. The rice was soft and sticky, and the porridge was thick and rich, much better than she had expected. She nodded: "Your Majesty is talented; you managed to cook it like this on your first try."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Liji's lips curved into a smile, and he blushed like a child receiving praise, revealing a joy that was not typical of an emperor.
Zhiwei looked at the rare relaxation in his eyes and smiled genuinely, a rare occurrence for her.
Zhu Liji ladled the porridge into a rough porcelain bowl and then ordered the guards who were standing guard outside to come in: "Come and try this porridge that I cooked."
The guards were flattered and looked at each other, holding their bowls.
"Drink up," Zhu Liji urged.
After taking small sips, the palace servants' eyes darted around, and none dared to speak first.
Seeing this, Zhu Liji scooped up a spoonful himself, and as soon as it entered his mouth, his brows furrowed.
I was so focused on checking the rice grains that I didn't notice the rice kernels were still a bit undercooked.
"Undercooked." He put down the bowl, his face suddenly darkening.
The emperor was furious, and the palace servants all thought it was their fault, so they all knelt down, heads bowed and filled with trepidation. Only Wei knew that Zhu Liji was angry with him, and that she felt she hadn't done enough.
But what in this world can be perfect in one go? If such a thing existed, what need would there be for human effort?
Zhiwei laboriously picked up the water ladle with her left hand and added half a ladle of water to the pot: "Let's boil it again."
His movements were sluggish, the ladle tilted, and it looked like he was about to lose his grip. Almost instinctively, Zhu Liji reached out and firmly supported the bottom of the ladle.
Their fingers inevitably touched.
"The rain seems to have lessened a bit, I'll go check." Zhiwei withdrew her hand and turned to walk towards the door.
Zhu Liji's hand froze in mid-air, his fingertips still lingering on the coolness and softness of that moment. He looked at Zhiwei's retreating figure without saying a word.
The rain gradually subsided, with water droplets falling intermittently from the eaves. Zhiwei stood under the eaves, gazing at the washed-out mountains in the distance, lost in thought.
Zhu Liji came out of the kitchen and stood beside her.
He looked up at the sky: "It stopped pretty quickly."
“It’s Heaven that’s watching, doing the Emperor a favor.” Zhiwei turned to look at him. “We’re just lucky to have benefited from His Majesty’s good fortune.”
Zhu Liji chuckled very lightly, but did not reply.
——
After the rain stopped, the group continued walking towards the temple on the mountain.
The temple was small, but its incense was very strong. Zhu Liji knelt on the prayer mat, his hands clasped together, praying for favorable weather, peace, and prosperity for the country.
Zhiwei stood there in a daze until Zhu Liji got up and walked to her side.
"Is there anything you want to ask for?" Zhu Liji dusted off his clothes.
"Ah?" Zhiwei came back to her senses and subconsciously shook her head. "What Your Majesty desires is what this servant wishes for."
"Clever words and a flattering appearance."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Liji snorted, but reached out and pulled her wrist, leading her to the divination box: "Since you're here, let's ask for a divination."
"This servant has no requests."
"If you have no requests, then just ask for whatever you like." Zhu Liji gave her no room to refuse, and stuffed the lottery tube into her left hand.
Zhiwei had no choice but to go with him.
She closed her eyes and silently recited in her heart.
Without seeking, there is no hope; without hope, there is no further wavering.
She knew all along.
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