Chapter 6
It was not until sunset that Shen Yi led the horse back from the city. After running all day, the horse was tired and unwilling to go back, but it still wanted to break free from the bridle and return to the suburbs.
He was in no mood to coax the grumpy horse, so he just tightened the reins and pulled it across the street.
The lights in the shops in the city have been turned on, illuminating the deep twilight, and bustling crowds of people are coming out of their homes or making appointments to go home.
Shen Yi walked through the crowd. Fortunately, the horse behind him cleared the way for him, and ordinary people would not actively push this young man who looked like a noble family.
The singing houses and taverns were once again filled with the aroma of cosmetics and wine, beckoning passersby to enter for a sweet dream of drunkenness and sobriety. He ignored the brothel owner who greeted him, as well as the singing girl upstairs, and simply walked along this long street, not wanting to return to the marquis's mansion too quickly.
He had always known the prosperity of Chang'an, but now he was more or less troubled by it. Shen Yi felt that he could not find a place where he could be alone.
If he returned to the Marquis' Mansion now, he would inevitably run into Mrs. Huo and Shen Qian. Shen Qian had already entered the palace today, and there was no news from his elder sister at that moment. No one knew when they would get some news from the palace again.
He no longer had to pretend nothing was wrong and happily send his elder sister off to the palace. These past few days of whitewashing had exhausted him, and if he went back now, he would probably blame everyone, including his own grandfather.
But he couldn't blame his mother for this, and it didn't matter if he had another argument with Shen Qian. In fact, the most important thing he should do was to blame himself.
Of course, this was just a form of self-persuasion, to suppress the real thoughts in his heart. Shen Yi knew very well that the person who should be held responsible for this was not his innocent elder sister, nor his mother.
It stems from the factional struggles within the court, power struggles, and even invisible weapons. A stable empire merely relocates the conflicts between individuals to a new location. The one high above may have strings tied to each finger, watching the officials' every move, staging one spectacle after another, day after day, year after year.
He laughed inexplicably, not knowing whether his sister could see the moon in the sky clearly on her first night in the deep palace, the most prosperous place in the world, or whether she could stay alone in the courtyard and see the moon in the sky.
Thinking this, Shen Yi stopped and looked up at the high night sky. The capital city, which was flooded with lights, must have caused trouble. He walked in Chang'an City tonight, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not see the moon.
As he lowered his head to look ahead, he raised his sleeve to wipe his sore eyes. It was just a moonless night, and it was probably going to rain again tomorrow.
He calculated the days, and it was no more than six months until his coming-of-age ceremony. Since people loved to see him perform, he would simply go on stage again and again. All he wanted now was for his old friends to remain, and for the seasons to change.
Seeing the horse behind him grow tired, Shen Yi reached out to loosen its bridle and continued walking. He had no choice in the path before him. Whether it was party strife, power, or weapons, if he could walk faster, wouldn't he have seized more—those people he could have protected, those things that didn't have to happen.
He began to have this expectation, and everything just had to wait until after he was crowned. Those days were only half an autumn moon and three months of cold winter away from him.
The sound of horse hooves clattered down the long street, creating a regular rhythmic thud in the nearly deserted alleys. Shen Yi wanted to stop and rest for a while, but hesitated, not knowing where to go.
He could only continue walking, bypassing this alley and continuing to visit places he rarely visited. Now he realized that Chang'an City was much larger than he had imagined, but not every long street was bustling with people, nor was every place brightly lit.
Those places that borrowed lights from other places were filled with an unconcealable darkness, quietly dormant in the night, dormant in the peace.
The clatter of horse hooves echoed, and it took Shen Yi a moment to realize it wasn't the horse he was leading. The wheels of the car churned through fallen leaves, making a subtle, crisp sound. He glanced back and happened to see the other person lifting a curtain. The wide, dark sleeves were edged in bright red—the official robes of the Later Shang Dynasty.
Slender fingers rolled up the curtain, as if they had heard the other noises just like him, so they decided to take a look.
Shen Yi saw the other person's face clearly. Speaking of which, they had just met for the first time not long ago. He couldn't quite remember what happened that day. Apart from Xue Congzhi's self-proclaimed drunken rant, he only remembered that this man had been able to drink with him to the end, so he must have been able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk.
He paused, preparing to wait for the carriage to pass by and greet Xue Congzhi, but Xue Heng stopped the carriage first, stepped down from the carriage, bowed, and called him, "Young Marquis."
Shen Yi first took a look at his official robe, which was the same style as Shen Qian and Wei Qianyu's, except for the patterns or gold threads that distinguished the rank of the officials.
Xue
Heng was slightly taller than Wei Qianyu, and the official robe made him look quite formal, yet lacked the air of being from a royal family - just like the carefree way he had loosened his collar earlier, he looked much more pleasing to the eye than the other two.
He looked a bit scholarly, and the smile in his tone didn't contain any obvious compliments. Shen Yi felt quite comfortable with the fact that he just treated the encounter as a chance encounter.
"I'm just taking a walk. Does anyone have any recommendations for good places to go?" Shen Yi was so used to people calling him that he didn't quite realize that this was not polite.
"That depends on what the young marquis wants to do?" Xue Heng waved his hand to let the driver go first, then stood up and looked at Shen Yi and asked.
"No drinking, no pleasure." Shen Yi squeezed the reins in his hand, and the dried blood stuck to his palm made him feel a little uncomfortable. There was someone in front of him who didn't know him very well, so he didn't have to worry too much. He could casually say something insignificant, and it probably wouldn't be remembered by others.
"Then the young marquis has unexpectedly found a quiet place here," Xue Heng replied, letting the wind ruffle his sleeves, creating new wrinkles. "It's late at night, and the dew is heavy. I wonder if the young marquis would like to come sit in my house for a while."
He chuckled and finished the last sentence, "Xue has just moved to the humble residence. There is no wine, only tea. I am afraid that the young marquis will not be used to it."
Chen Yi curled up his fingertips and picked at the dried blood. He was naturally not used to eating simple meals, but he didn't want to wander around the city all night. As for returning to the Marquis' Mansion, that was even more impossible.
He replied calmly, "Then I'll trouble you to lead the way." Xue Heng walked side by side with him on the street, occasionally raising his hand to point the way towards his mansion.
Xue Heng's words just now didn't seem to be a humble remark. Shen Yi led the horse and turned a few alleys with him before entering the gate. However, the old fellow who was in charge of guarding the gate lit an oil lamp and waited for his master to return in the mansion.
Shen Yi let Xue Heng take the reins and go settle the horse while he stood in the courtyard and looked around. The weeds in the corners hadn't been completely cleared away, and there were only a few scattered trees in the courtyard, and even though it was almost late autumn, they had barely retained a single leaf.
Not counting the Marquis' Mansion, it was even much smaller than the usually upright Tingwei Mansion. Shen Yi didn't see anyone else, and only after Xue Congzhi came back did he figure it out. He probably only hired a gatekeeper.
Entering someone else's house was an invitation, and he had no intention of seeking pleasure or drinking, so he naturally stood in the courtyard waiting for Xue Heng to make arrangements for the next matter. "Young Marquis, I've been waiting for a long time." Xue Heng led him into the house and personally brewed a pot of hot tea for him. Shen Yi only glanced at the furnishings in the house. They were all plain, some of them so worn that they looked like they hadn't been lived in for a long time. He thought Xue Heng must have moved in not long ago. Just because he was an old friend of the Wei Tingwei, he wouldn't have fallen to such a state.
He was a little uncomfortable, but he still reached out and took the teacup and placed it in front of him. The ceramic cup conveyed scalding heat, and Shen Yi almost lost his grip. After he put it down, he realized that he must have touched his wound.
He waited until the tea had cooled slightly before taking a sip. He smiled through the mist in the room, looking at the person sitting across from him. "Congzhi knows me. When the new tribute of fine tea arrives in the spring, I'll send some over. Congzhi must try it."
Xue Heng nodded, not in a hurry to add more tea, and sat at the table with Shen Yi. "Then I would like to thank the young marquis for his concern."
Shen Yi enjoyed the quietness of the moment and felt that Xue Heng was a tactful person. The only sound he could hear in the room was the occasional sound of him adding tea.
He also knew that he and Xue Heng had no real relationship, and this silence seemed just right for them. As for the fact that Xue Heng was reading a book and not talking anymore, he didn't take it to heart.
Even though it was the other party who took the initiative to invite him, going to someone else's house late at night was inevitably considered an intrusion. In the end, he could no longer sit still and asked Xue Heng for a book.
Although he said he was asking for it, Xue Heng actually handed it to him. Shen Yi lowered his head and glanced at the words on it. Gradually, he could read a few sentences. They were not all pedantic, and there were occasional small comments next to them.
He guessed that it should be the other person's handwriting, which was even more unrestrained than his own, and so free and easy that it almost went off the page.
Shen Yi preferred this state of mind and was familiar with this unruly spirit, as if he could glimpse some of his past self in it. He immediately laughed at this thought. Perhaps he was overthinking it. Xue Heng had only just arrived in Chang'an this year. It was impossible for him to be born into a comfortable life like them, having seen everything, so he didn't want much.
It could also be that he was new to the scene, so he wasn't too exposed to the officialdom's factional strife. Finally, when he stood up to say goodbye, he only gave a perfunctory greeting. Shen Yi led his horse back and, taking advantage of the already bright daylight, stepped out the door.
"I'm afraid I've delayed the court meeting." Shen Yi also bowed, with a rare hint of apology. "Young Marquis, if you can be relieved, I'm happy to treat you. It can't be considered a delay if it's something you both agree on."
Shen Yi said yes several times and decided to reveal some of his true feelings for him. The next time such a situation came up, he would buy some wine and food and take them to Xue Heng's house to spend a quiet day. This would be more comfortable than being drunk and sober again.
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