Chapter 2
Ziyan: "Young Master. Grand Tutor Li... he's gone."
After receiving no reply for a while, Ziyan looked up. The young man by the window was pale, and although he stood tall, he looked as if he had turned into a crumpled piece of paper, which would scatter in the wind and snow.
"..." Lu Xuejin remained silent for a long time, then closed her eyes and asked, "What did Xue Yi say?"
"His Majesty is unwilling to retract his decree. Yesterday, Grand Tutor Li and his ministers remonstrated in the palace, but His Majesty seemed to be angry. Grand Tutor Li even offered his life as a warning... In the end, His Majesty did not relent, but only ordered a grand funeral for Grand Tutor Li." Ziyan truthfully recounted the situation.
"Young Master... don't be sad," Ziyan said softly. Since the new policy was implemented, they have seen too many people leave, and the old friends have scattered like light clouds.
“Don’t worry about me,” Lu Xuejin shook his head. He could no longer remember what Grand Tutor Li looked like when he smiled. If he lost his composure now, how could he clear Grand Tutor Li’s name in the future?
"How is the Ninth Prince doing?"
Ziyan: "As you instructed, I have already sent some things over with Tengluo and found a doctor. The doctor said that it was fortunate that you brought him back in time. After the cold was removed, he is fine. However, he must not be exposed to wind and cold for the next few days. Please rest assured, young master, with Tengluo there to watch over him, no one will make things difficult for him."
Suddenly, a noise came from outside the door, and Ziyan immediately stopped talking. A faint whisper could be heard from outside the door.
"When did Changyou return?"
"Your Majesty...Young Master Lu returned yesterday."
As the door opened, the man stood sideways. He favored dark and somber colors, a habit he maintained even after ascending the throne, the only change being the addition of a nine-clawed dragon pattern to his black robes. Before his ascension, he and Lu Xuejin had shared the Prime Minister's residence. Their personalities were contrasting: Lu Xuejin possessed a cold, beautiful face, while he had a handsome, gentle countenance, with long, slender eyes that naturally held a smile, easily gaining people's trust.
"Why didn't you send someone to inform me of your return?" Xue Yi asked casually. His eyelids drooped, and the beauty mark under his eye always looked particularly dark when he lowered his gaze. His voice was gentle, as if he were talking to his wife.
Xue Yi's entrance blocked out the light from outside, instantly darkening the hall.
Lu Xuejin withdrew his gaze from outside the door. He did not mention the matter of Grand Tutor Li, and treated Xue Yi as before, as if they were still brothers from the same school. He quietly replied to Xue Yi, "I was exhausted from the journey yesterday and did not have time."
"...When you came back before, you always came to see me first," Xue Yi said, pausing for a moment before adding, "You look much thinner than I have in half a month."
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed a subtle gaze falling on him, as if checking that an item was intact, from his body to his profile.
"...Perhaps I'm worrying too much," he replied casually. The two of them were no longer able to share their true feelings. Xue Yi clearly knew the truth, yet she kept asking him about his worries. Since it didn't solve the fundamental problem, why ask anymore?
Upon hearing this, Xue Yi asked him, "What is troubling Changyou? May I hear it... If I could share some of Changyou's burden, that would be wonderful... If you don't tell me, I will never know what you are thinking."
As he spoke, Xue Yi's gaze suddenly fell on his ear, and the atmosphere in the hall changed abruptly. The man's dark eyes narrowed.
"Which bastard bit me?" A heavy, pungent scent wafted over, and a dark shadow loomed down. Xue Yi felt a chill on his ear as he gently touched the teeth marks.
He felt a faint touch on his skin, so close. He casually looked up and met Xue Yi's gaze, seeing his own calm reflection in Xue Yi's eyes. He was the one who had been bitten, Xue Yi thought. The man's previously composed expression suddenly shattered, a terrifying darkness spreading across his eyes.
“I ran into a child yesterday. He fainted in the snow, and he bit me when I helped him up,” Lu Xuejin said, frowning, pretending not to notice Xue Yi’s unusual behavior. “Speaking of which, I don’t know who made him kneel outside the palace in the snow. He’s not even twenty yet… I heard it was my elder brother who gave the order.”
He addressed Xue Yi as "elder brother," as if they were still in the prime minister's mansion... or in the military camp.
"..." Two words touched a nerve with Xue Yi, and his breathing calmed down a little.
“It was my order. Changyou pities him, so I will not punish him in the future…” Xue Yi turned his head slightly and tapped his fingertip, “but these teeth marks are really an eyesore. He was disrespectful to you, and I really want to pull out his sharp teeth.”
"He was only eighteen years old. When you and I met him, he was still a baby. If I remember correctly... it should have been many years ago, when we met him together at a palace banquet," Lu Xuejin said, a few images flashing through his mind as he recalled Murong Yue when he was still a baby, about seven or eight years old. He mentioned these things only to remind Xue Yi of something.
However, the person in front of him did not seem to listen to what he said, and his mind was focused on something else.
"..." Xue Yi's fingertips touched something soft, and he saw Lu Xuejin's lips moving, but his words were unintelligible. That one word, "brother," made him forget his own identity, and his eyes were only on the young man before him. The other man was merely sitting in a chair, his cold eyes calmly looking at him, reflecting his almost uncontrollable posture. His eyes grew even darker, like ink trying to stain the young man before him.
Changyou... Changyou... Changyou.
Although he was extremely restrained in his emotional changes, the person in front of him still noticed them. His obsession transformed into strands of desire, which almost couldn't be concealed and emerged from the gaps in his body, as if he wanted to tear the person in front of him apart.
"Xue Yi." Lu Xuejin called his name, her eyes devoid of any expression, as if the other party was hardly moved by him.
Treat him like a dog in heat on the street.
"It's time to go back," Lu Xuejin said.
...
Murong Yue opened his eyes; his head felt heavy.
He'd woken up from the cold almost every winter, except today; he wondered if he was delirious from a fever. He'd also had a strange dream the day before. The dream… until he touched the soft blankets, and his vision returned to his little side hall, but this blanket… was no longer a thin layer.
There were also mattresses... originally there weren't any. The room was also very warm.
Is this really something conjured up by a deity?
Murong Yue's face quickly darkened. He must have lost his mind; he couldn't possibly be a deity conjuring up a miracle. He instantly realized that what happened the previous day wasn't a dream; someone had truly saved him. He only vaguely remembered the person's face.
"You're awake! Ninth Prince!?" A cheerful female voice rang out.
Murong Yue was startled by the sudden sound. The veins on his head bulged. The wisteria vines by the bed came over, looked at him curiously, and smiled at him.
"You're finally awake! I've tidied up this hall for you. Get up and see if you're satisfied. I was so worried about you while you were still asleep. My young master was really concerned about you... Now that you're awake, I can go back and report to him!" Tengluo said in a string of words.
Murong Yue grasped a few key words... Young Master, the person who saved him the day before, was this person sending someone to take care of him? Also, his palace suddenly had a lot of furniture added, and the charcoal fire in the middle was burning brightly.
"And another thing! The doctor just came to dispel the cold from your knee. Your knee injury is quite serious, and you mustn't be exposed to the cold these next few days! You don't have any clothes that fit... I noticed that earlier, so I got a few old clothes from my young master. Ninth Prince, please don't find them unsuitable; you'll definitely be able to wear my young master's clothes... Oh, right, I haven't told the young master about this yet." Tengluo slapped her forehead, blurting out everything she could remember, except for the rest. She'd have to ask her master again when she got back.
Murong Yue's ears were ringing. He saw the cloak hanging next to the wardrobe. He had never worn other people's old clothes before. Now... now someone was willing to give him clothes, which was like sending charcoal in snowy weather.
"Your young master...who is your young master?" he asked.
“Ah! I just remembered, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Tengluo, Ninth Prince, you can just call me Tengluo. I will be coming here often during this time, I am here on your orders to take care of you,” Tengluo said.
“My young master…my young master carried you back yesterday. Even if you haven’t met my young master…you must have heard of his reputation. My young master is Lu Xuejin, the son of Prime Minister Lu, who was personally appointed as the top scholar in the imperial examinations. Back then, he was known as one of the three crowns in the capital, along with the current emperor and the eldest daughter of the Wei family. My young master was the top of the three crowns.”
Murong Yue had spent most of his time in the capital, always with his mother, and knew very little about court affairs. The current top scholar… that meant he must be on duty in the court. So, it was understandable that the other party saved him… but it was unclear whether Xue Yi would implicate the other party because of this.
"Is your young master... in the palace now?" Murong Yue asked.
The palace was near the Sutra Repository. Following the secluded path, one would find a side hall called Fangze. As Murong Yue walked along the path, he overheard palace servants whispering among themselves.
"I have heard that His Majesty is determined to do so... If a male empress is established, that person will become the master of the palace in the future."
"This...this is truly unheard of."
"Ten years of hard study... only to end up like this. It's both joyful and lamentable. It's both tragic and lamentable. Even with unparalleled talent, one cannot escape the wrath of fate."
Murong Yue overheard the rumor but didn't know if it was true or false. If Xue Yi really wanted to establish a male empress... he almost sneered. He would be delighted to witness such self-destructive behavior firsthand.
He arrived outside Fangze Palace, the scene from the previous day still vivid in his mind. It was still snowing, and he was wearing the clothes the other party had given him. His knees still ached slightly, reminding him of everything that had happened yesterday. He had miraculously survived and was now outside the Hall of His Benefactor.
It was said that this was the garment the other person wore when they were seventeen; presumably, they favored bright colors in their youth, the red cloak contrasting against the palace walls. He lowered his head, slightly troubled, clutching a bunch of plum blossoms he had picked outside the Cold Palace. He had come to see his benefactor… He now possessed nothing but these plum blossoms; how could he convey that he remembered them forever?
Lu Xuejin pushed open the door and this was the scene that greeted her.
The boy wore the crane-feather cloak he wore in his youth, his face as white as a peach blossom, his lips as red as cinnabar, making his entire face even more beautiful. However, he was troubled at the moment, holding plum blossoms with a gloomy expression. Suddenly, the boy noticed something and looked over, their eyes meeting.
"..." When he met his gaze, Murong Yue's expression changed instantly. He almost dropped the plum blossom in his arms, his face turned red, and his two tiger teeth reappeared.
Lu Xuejin stared at the child's canine teeth and suddenly felt a pain in her ear.
“…Come in,” Lu Xuejin said.
The child followed him in, and the air was filled with the delicate fragrance of plum blossoms.
"I heard you saved me." Murong Yue hesitated as he followed behind, pausing slightly as he entered the room. The atmosphere in this room was the same as what he had smelled yesterday, perhaps even stronger. He had a strange feeling that he was closer to the other person.
...What happened the day before was indeed not a dream; the person holding the umbrella was right in front of him. His eyes suddenly caught something, and his gaze lingered on Lu Xuejin's profile as he remembered what he had done earlier.
"Hmm... It was nothing." Lu Xuejin had no idea what the child was thinking, but he noticed the child suddenly staring at him, his face turning even redder. He suppressed the faint doubt in his heart, thinking that the plum blossoms must have been picked for him; few people knew that he liked plum blossoms.
"Is it for me?" Lu Xuejin asked, glancing at the object in the boy's arms, unaware of the faint joy in his tone. He also noticed Murong Yue's injured fingers, presumably from scraping his hands on a branch while picking flowers.
Having just returned from the brink of death yesterday, the child is injured again today. As Lu Xuejin pondered, she touched the boy's wound.
...The hall smelled wonderful. Murong Yue felt a sensation on the back of his hand, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. He seemed to have a fever.
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