Chapter 63 Attendants at the Chen Family Villa (Twenty-Eighths)
Chen Family Villa.
Among the confiscated property of General Chen was this villa located on the outskirts of Yuncheng. It not only boasted luxurious decorations comparable to an imperial palace, with carved beams and painted rafters, and exquisite pavilions, but also a large medicinal herb garden, orchards covering the mountains, several sizable hot springs, and a huge underground bank.
When the King of Zhen was seriously injured and unconscious, needing to rest, and the main force did not know where to rest in Yuncheng, Zhen Su consulted the Silver Scorpion Guards. From the several locations suggested by the guards, he chose the Chen Family Villa and led the entire group to stay there.
Initially, everything within the villa had to be approved by the eunuch; without his consent, nothing could be carried out. This sudden and strict control gradually caused discontent among the subordinates, especially among General Yan's trusted confidants, who felt this was an overreach by the eunuch, intended to suppress General Wei and steal his credit.
However, they only dared to complain in private and did not dare to speak to General Yan, because General Yan was the one who supported the true master's affairs the most.
On that day, General Yan did not lead his troops to pursue Zhen Su, who had deserted the group without permission. It was not until an hour later that he received a message from the Silver Scorpion Guard that he learned that Zhen Su had single-handedly rescued the Poison King from the underground of the Taoist temple.
At that time, although the King's heart was intact, his other internal organs were critically injured. The military doctors' treatment was not timely and the conditions were limited, and the King was once on the verge of death. General Yan looked at the dying King's face on the bed and was tormented, feeling as if his liver and gallbladder were about to break.
Fortunately, despite such injuries, the Poison King miraculously survived, though he remained unconscious for a long time.
He was spared the death penalty, but he could not escape punishment. His failure to protect the King of Poison was a huge dereliction of duty. If it weren't for Yuki's presence, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Therefore, he had no doubts about Shinju's decision.
After the King of Poison woke up, Shinjuku became a hands-off manager. The people below were still dissatisfied, but this time their dissatisfaction was the opposite of their previous over-management. They couldn't stand that Shinjuku suddenly abandoned the affairs of the villa, even the King of Poison's matter, and went to soak in the hot springs, weed the herb garden, or wander around the orchard.
"General, please do something about him!" one of the subordinates said, unable to bear it any longer.
"...How can I interfere? Eunuch Qing is a close attendant of the Emperor, and he only obeys His Majesty's orders." Even the Prince of Zhen did not blame him, so how could others have the right to interfere?
Yan Shang was understanding of Zhen Su. Although the boy had grown into a man overnight, his heart remained as pure as before. Who could have foreseen that, after painstakingly caring for His Majesty, he would wake up to find His Majesty wary of him, preventing him from getting close to serve him?
If it were him, he would probably be heartbroken too.
Masaya only throws a little tantrum; he's actually quite good-natured.
He had witnessed the interactions between the King of Poison and Shinju throughout their journey. He absolutely refused to believe that the King of Poison truly distrusted Shinju and intended to discard him after he had served his purpose.
Although he wasn't allowed to serve Shinjuku, upon waking, King Zhen would order his servants to inquire about every aspect of Shinjuku's life, personally arranging everything for him. For example, King Zhen could only eat bland food, and everyone consciously kept to a simple diet, rarely touching meat, not daring to overstep their bounds. However, the meals King Zhen ordered his royal chefs to prepare for Shinjuku were always of the highest quality, abundant and exquisite, completely disregarding extravagance. Thus, Shinjuku ate better than everyone else, just as he had in the camp. Furthermore, as autumn approached and the weather turned cold, he ordered the embroiderers to quickly make several sets of soft cloaks with rabbit fur trim, silk and down-feather garments, and thick down boots, all clearly tailor-made for Shinjuku based on their dimensions.
By this time, the King of Poison had been awake for most of the day, and Yan Shang took the initiative to plead guilty, kneeling before the King of Poison's bed.
"Thirty-eight people died beneath the Fujing Taoist Temple. Among them were thirty-three guards with swords, one abbot of the temple, and four members of the Silver Scorpion Guards," Yan Shang reported with a sorrowful expression.
"..." The King of Zhen leaned against the headboard, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the silk quilt around his waist, his eyes lowered as he pondered something. After a moment, he murmured, "Is there no one else?"
The Silver Scorpion Guard appeared just in time and replied, "We have not found any trace of any other unknown persons, Your Majesty."
The Prince of Zhen narrowed his phoenix eyes, hatred surging within them. After a long silence, he finally said, "I understand."
A moment later, after the Poison King had his guards serve him the medicine, he suddenly asked Yan Shang, "Where is Xiao Qingzi?"
Yan Shang was still kneeling on the ground, agonizing over how His Majesty would punish him. When suddenly asked this question, his mind went blank for a moment before he hurriedly replied, "I should be picking pomegranates on the mountain."
The King of Poison clutched his aching chest and abdomen, muttering breathlessly, "Night is falling, why aren't you back yet..."
Yan Shang had no intention of seeking credit, so he did not take the initiative to bring Zhen Su back. He thought that Zhen Wang's words were an implication, but unexpectedly, the next moment, Zhen Wang got out of bed with the help of the secret guards.
"Lead the way, I'm going to see him," said the Prince of Zhen.
"Huh?" Yan Shang was stunned, thinking to himself, "Why are you going in person? Are you even feeling well?!" But he still subconsciously obeyed the order, stood up honestly, and let the King of Zhen support his shoulder.
At this moment, he could no longer bring himself to tell the King of Poison to go back to bed and rest.
orchard.
The afterglow of the sunset was gradually swallowed by violet, the night was sprinkled with starlight, the leaves rustled, and beneath the green leaves swept up by the wind, heavy, bright fruits were scattered.
The King of Zhen, leaning on his gilded cane, walked slowly along the mountain path, while Yan Shang searched ahead for Zhen Su's figure but to no avail.
As they passed under a towering persimmon tree, the King of Zhen suddenly stopped and said to Yan Shang, who was not far away, "Minister Yan, you should go back now."
Yan Shang glanced at the treetops above, seemingly noticing something, and bowed his head in response, "If Your Majesty has summoned me, I will await your orders at the foot of the mountain."
The King of Poison didn't say anything, nor did he look at him. He just leaned on his cane and looked up at the tree.
Long after Yan Shang left, the red figure leaning against the tree trunk above, holding a bamboo basket of pomegranates, finally couldn't hold back and spoke.
"Even after you've recovered, you're already running around everywhere. Even an iron body can't withstand this kind of abuse."
Upon hearing this, the King of Zhen's lips curled up in a smile, but he didn't reply. Instead, he asked, "Are the pomegranates sweet?"
"Spitting out the seeds is too much trouble."
"Shall I remove the seeds for you?" The King of Zhen's voice grew even softer, as if coaxing a child.
"...Then all the juice will be gone, no way."
"How about we have the winemaker make it into a drink, adding ice and plum powder?" Despite his aching neck and shoulders, the King of Zhen still stubbornly looked up at the handsome young man in the tree.
Zhen Su didn't want to pay any attention to the Poison King. He had finally come to terms with some things, and after bidding farewell to Xi Luo, he had anticipated he wouldn't be able to stay long. Little did he know that he would now be trapped in this world, having exhausted his last bit of true energy for someone. The best choice he had made then was to leave this world directly, because the Poison King seemed lifeless. The risk of expending true energy to reach that person was far greater than immediately using his true energy to escape this realm. Otherwise, if the Child of Heaven were destroyed, causing the entire world to return to chaos, he would truly have no chance of leaving forever.
However, he still chose to rush to the side of the Poison King without much consideration or hesitation.
If he said that his feelings for that person were merely those of a subject and ruler, without any romantic feelings that crossed the line, he could have said it outright before this incident. But now... to say that would only be self-deception.
He has never been the kind of person who is afraid to face his own inner self.
So he meticulously managed the villa for the Prince of Zhen, eliminating any possibility of the enemy taking advantage of the situation. He was on tenterhooks for many days, but when the other party woke up, he only found that the other party was distant.
Teach him how not to get angry.
The more Shinjuku thought about it, the worse his expression became. His cheeks puffed out, and he resisted the urge to throw the pomegranate at someone's face. He simply kept quiet and didn't reply.
The Poison King beneath the tree wasn't in much better shape. The pain in his internal organs was nothing compared to the agony he felt in his chest, as if several evil energies were violently churning, tearing his wounds open. He had thought that getting even slightly closer to the True Monk would be enough to shake his Purple Mansion, but he hadn't expected that only after leaving the True Monk would he understand what true turmoil, even upheaval, meant. It was as if he had encountered a mudslide; his Purple Mansion was not only teetering on the brink of collapse but also deeply mired in quagmire, clinging to evil energies and unable to escape. Even the brief time the True Monk was out of his sight had been accompanied by the twisted, dark dragon shadow deep within his Purple Mansion constantly urging and whispering, demanding that he quickly bring the True Monk back to his lair, using any means necessary.
Not distancing himself was not an option, but distancing himself was even worse. Seeing Shinju's disappointed and aggrieved expression, the King of Poison felt his guilt grow stronger with each passing day, and his heart ached. Shinju's words and actions did indeed affect him, but he couldn't distance himself from Shinju. Since he couldn't do that, he could only seek other ways to consolidate the increasingly precarious Purple Mansion that had been growing stronger over the years.
Right now, the priority is to calm people down.
The King of Poison gripped the dragon-headed cane, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. He suddenly threw the cane aside, opened his arms, and continued to coax, "Get down."
Shinju's eyes flickered slightly. He didn't understand why the King of Zhen, despite his illness, would try to catch him. If he really jumped, even if the King of Zhen wasn't so weak now, he would definitely be injured. But the night deepened the shadows of the King of Zhen's silhouette, and his phoenix eyes, as black as lacquer, looked particularly focused. Shinju felt that he was serious.
After a brief standoff, Shinju noticed the fine sweat beading on the King of Poison's forehead and his chaotic breathing. Ultimately, he couldn't withstand the King's persistence. He slipped his wrist through the handle of the small bamboo basket and leaped down, while his other free hand gripped a branch, landing gracefully in front of the King of Poison.
The King of Zhen did not lower his hand. Zhenju glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, then took a step forward and gently bumped into the King of Zhen's arms.
The King of Poison gasped sharply, unable to suppress the trembling of his hands, and could only loosely gather them around Shinju's waist.
Smelling the sweet scent of persimmons lingering in Mayu's hair, even though it was already night, it felt as if one were enveloped by the warm autumn sun. The King of Poison looked at Mayu's forehead, which was just inches away from his lips, and couldn't help but gently press it against his.
Shinjuku felt the softness on his forehead and naturally raised his head. He saw that in the eyes of the King of the Poison King, who was looking down at him, there was a restrained and unfathomable meaning. Shinjuku could not see through it and only felt that he was still being rejected. He couldn't help but take a step back, wanting to restore the original distance.
However, the King of Poison did not let him back off. He suddenly grabbed the belt around Shinju's waist, and with a flick of his fingertips, tied a sachet to Shinju's waist.
Shinju initially thought that the King of Poison had given him the sachet that served as a talisman, but he was surprised to find that the colors were different; the one on his waist was a crimson one embroidered with gold thread. He habitually scanned it with his divine sense and saw that there was also a tuft of black hair inside the sachet.
Shinju lowered his eyes slightly and said, "The sachet didn't work."
The King of Zhen understood what Zhen Su meant; he was referring to the water-colored sachet at his waist. He took the sachet into his palm and said, "How could it be useless? Without this, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stand before Qing'er right now."
It was only then that Shinju noticed the sachets in their hands, the patterns of which were all twin lotus flowers.
The gift of the green silk sachet didn't understand, but he knew the meaning of twin lotus blossoms. Suddenly, he felt the sachet was burning hot, and even his cheeks felt hot. So he quickly took a few steps forward and asked, "Aren't we going back?"
Suddenly finding his arms empty, King Zhen glanced at the cane on the ground, but did not pick it up. He slowed his pace and followed behind Shinjuku away.
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Author's note: Sorry, I got too engrossed in the game and haven't been able to take a break for a while. I'll update every other day from now on.
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