Chapter 7
The clouds in the sky gathered together, but did not fulfill Shen Yi's wish. They just looked down gloomily at the crowds of people still coming and going in the streets.
When Shen Yi returned to the mansion, he met Shen Qian who was leaving for a court meeting. He quickly glanced at the crown on his head and saw him walking sideways on his horse, swallowing the resentment in his chest.
He lay down on the couch with his clothes on, not inviting anyone to stay in his room. He closed his eyes to his own exhaustion, and had to admit that everything that was blocking his mind was mixed together, making it so tangled that he had no idea where to start. He could only stand far away and stare intently.
Shen Yi felt that he was still sober now, remembering how happy Shen Qian was laughing yesterday. At least in the past few months, he had never seen her laugh so happily.
He should feel sorry for Shen Qian, but suddenly he felt that he was being hypocritical. Since it was already a done deal, none of them would have the chance to go back and do it again.
Even if they had to start over, they would only have one path to take - a path that no one would be willing to take.
There is no difference between the days, and there is only half a year left before the day when we can make a difference.
His elder sister couldn't wait for him for half a year.
The autumn wind blew away the clouds that obscured the sky, and the sun shone into the courtyard, bringing a summer heat. A faint noise echoed outside the door again, and Shen Yi finally let himself fall asleep amidst the sounds.
He was trapped in a brief rest, enduring the day, letting the dripping water take away some of the pain on the surface, and bury some distant hopes.
Wait for him for some time, wait until he is crowned and enters the court, wait until he sees the ghost in skin with his own eyes, wait until he takes on the hardships that his elder sister and his grandfather should not have to endure, and then make plans.
At least he still has a long time to live, at least he will not allow himself to become a person like Chen Qian. Things in the world are wasted in many ways, he just wants everything to go as he wishes, even if it takes his whole life.
The moon over Chang'an City became full again for a few days, and Shen Yi felt that his mood had finally eased a little. He no longer thought about the piercing pain all the time, and began to secretly think about these things in his mind, one after another, day after day, reminding himself over and over again.
He changed into the new outer robe that Huo had ordered made this month. Although he hadn't formally practiced martial arts like his grandfather, the late autumn chill wouldn't be a problem. Shen Yi begged Huo and finally got her to stop worrying about him and put on the cloak.
I finally had some free time, so I grabbed a handful of rice and scattered it at my feet, waiting for the pigeons to land in the yard to grab the food.
Chen Yi squatted down, touching the furry heads with his fingertips, counting them one by one. Even when the anxious white dove pecked his finger, he didn't get angry. He grabbed half of the wing and ran his hand over it, symbolically plucking off the tail feathers that were about to fall off and holding them in his palm.
When he was halfway through the order, a few more birds came down from the treetops and rushed to his side. Shen Yi laughed out loud, reached out and picked up the yellow leaves and the few white feathers that had just fallen from the birds and put them together.
He rolled up his sleeves and raised his fingers to count again from the ones at the edge. After counting twice to make sure there were neither too many nor too few, he scattered another handful of rice.
The pigeons were crowded together, occasionally flapping their wings to drive away their companions. The few colorful pigeons squeezed in the middle were particularly conspicuous.
"Young Marquis—" Shen Yi heard someone calling him, stood up and stepped out from the flock of pigeons, "What's the matter?"
The servant seemed to have just walked in from the front door, holding a visiting card in his hand. "It was sent from the clan. It only said that it should be delivered to the young marquis personally. I don't know what it is about."
He took out the visiting card and read the words on it carefully, then waved his hand and said it was nothing, and asked the servant to leave first.
It was just an invitation to a banquet. It was only two or three blocks away, so Liu Qianshan didn't even want to make the trip in person. Shen Yi thought about this person's personality. Compared to coming in person in a gorgeously decorated carriage, a visiting card was the most low-key thing.
Chen Qian hasn't returned from the palace yet. I wonder if he's still bending over to do something that's inconvenient for others to know about. At least he doesn't have time to take care of himself, so he can come and go freely.
Chen Yi picked a white horse, sat astride it, tightened the reins, and galloped out. His new moon-white clothes set off his handsome features. He recalled the place he had marked on the invitation. He had been drowsy for half a month and hadn't realized that a new restaurant had recently opened in Chang'an City.
Although I couldn't think of any urgent matter that Liu Qianshan might have encountered, it was good to be able to go out for a walk. Some fallen leaves were carried to the street by the bleak autumn wind, and the horses galloped.
As it passed by, it made a slight crisp sound and crushed the dry leaves.
The servant who had received instructions earlier was already waiting for the distinguished guest at the door. As soon as Shen Yi got off the horse, he took the reins and let another companion take him upstairs.
"Young Master Liu is waiting for you in the side room." Shen Yi nodded slightly, his eyes sweeping over the furnishings in the restaurant. There were more exotic items in the restaurant than in other restaurants, which inevitably looked a bit novel when placed next to the wooden tables and chairs.
"I've finally waited for you, young marquis, today," the waiter opened the door for him. The moment Shen Yi stepped into the room, he saw Liu Qianshan holding a jar of wine and yelling at him.
He pulled up a soft chair and sat down. After looking Liu Qianshan up and down and finding that he was not seriously injured, he retorted, "Really? I thought that Master Liu had forgotten about us because he was enjoying himself with beautiful women."
After Shen Yi finished speaking, he glanced at the people around Liu Qianshan. They were all from wealthy families whom he had met before but had no impression of. He took a deep breath and let the people around him compliment him and fill his glass with wine.
“I haven’t forgotten…I haven’t forgotten. I’m counting on the young marquis to save me.” Liu Qianshan poured himself another glass of wine and quickly changed the subject, moving closer to Shen Yi.
"What could be so difficult for Master Liu?" Shen Yi folded his arms and looked at the person sitting over calmly, then casually asked, "Why is Wei Qianyu always late since he entered the court as an official?"
Liu Qianshan shook his head before speaking, "I didn't call him today. Whether he is willing to save me or not is entirely up to the young marquis."
Hearing this, Shen Yi felt a little confused, but he didn't show it on his face. Seeing them start to eat and drink, he also picked up his chopsticks to try the food in the new restaurant.
The smoked meat was much saltier than usual, and he drank half a glass of wine before the aftertaste subsided. The murky liquor sloshed in the cup, and naturally it wasn't as good as the clear wine. It took several sips with the smoked meat before he got used to the taste.
It didn't taste like the food in Chang'an City. If anything, Shen Yi thought, it was more like what the old chef at his grandfather's house made - it had the smell of Longxi's wind and sand, and a faint fishy smell. Without strong liquor, it would not taste good.
He couldn't guess what Liu Qianshan was going to say, or what important events he had recently mentioned. Although his birthday was half a month earlier than his, according to the divination results and the preparations that needed to be made at the mansion, Liu Qianshan's coming-of-age date should be around the same time as his.
Besides, Liu Zongzhen only has this one legitimate son, and he allows him to wear gold and jade and strut around the city every day. Only a blind person can see how favored Liu Qianshan is.
Liu Qianshan seemed to have only howled those few words before, saying only that he wanted to save him, and then he picked up the jar of wine and tasted it, not caring about what the other people at the table were doing.
Occasionally he looked up at Chen Yi, his lips moving for a long time but no words came out.
Shen Yi was originally waiting for him, but later he got used to his silence and let people come over to toast him. He tore off the meat with his chopsticks and ate it to his heart's content.
They were oblivious to the noisy voices of the people around them. They sat comfortably in the upper seats, listening to the small talk. If they found it interesting, they would laugh a few times and drink the wine offered by others.
Chen Yi glanced at the wine jar that Liu Qianshan was holding, most of the wine in it had been drunk, and then glanced at his slightly red face, and was about to move away from him.
He looks like he's drunk. If the alcohol takes effect, even though I can completely control him, the most he'll do is smash some wine glasses and tea cups. It's better to let him calm down.
The people around had more or less heard about Liu Qianshan's deeds, and some had seen them with their own eyes. Those who were not familiar with him almost all found excuses to leave the room.
Liu Qianshan first supported his head, and when he was about to drink again with the wine cup, he found that there was no wine. He stood up shakily, and when he saw that there were not many people in the room, he seemed to be more relaxed.
Shen Yi saw him staggering towards him and was about to reach out to help him, but unexpectedly he was hugged tightly by him, and he started talking nonsense while leaning against him.
At least at first it sounded like drunken nonsense. He could only hear a few words clearly, such as "save me" or "I don't want to go".
Shen Yi also stood up. Even though he had spent a lot of effort, he finally helped Liu Qianshan to sit in his seat. He just thought that the other party had suddenly had hysterics because he drank too much today.
Liu Qianshan hugged Shen Yi's arm again, not ready to let go, but the words in his mouth gradually became sentences, even if he said something like "Brother Shen" that confused the generation, he could still say it, "The west... the war has started again in the west."
Shen Yi was unable to break free immediately and had to lower his body to listen to Liu Qianshan continue to speak, "My father said that if the fight continues until next year, the person above will send us away."
As he spoke, Liu Qianshan even squeezed out some tears under the influence of alcohol, which fell on his clothes. "I don't want to go. I don't want to be an official anymore." Then he seemed to remember something and shook his head violently. "But if I don't go, my father will beat me."
Shen Yi didn't react to what he said for a moment, and just continued to listen to his unclear words, "Fortunately... Fortunately, the young marquis is with me. If it's convenient--"
Liu Qianshan wiped his face with his sleeve, wiped away the tears, and began to sob, "I don't want to go, I don't want to die yet, you must save me, Brother Shen!"
He repeated, "You have to save me, young marquis."
Chen Yi first pushed away the hand that was pulling at his sleeve, stood up straight and sobered up from the alcohol that had not yet taken over.
West...West?! —Why is there another fight?
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