Will you come back?
The flames raged skyward. Lu Hexu emerged from the Imperial Temple, feeling an intense heat on his body. He hated the heat, so he plunged headfirst into the nearby river channel, soaking for a long time until the scorching sensation faded, then slowly climbed out.
The icy river water temporarily soothed his restless mood and violent temper.
Originally, Lu Hexu intended to go straight to Su Zhenzhen, but he glanced down at the emperor's informal robes he was wearing. After a moment's thought, he went back, changed into eunuch's attire, and, too lazy to comb his hair, came out just like that.
The autumn weather was dry; with a gust of wind, his hair was half-dry.
Lu Hexu walked all the way, finding Su Zhenzhen's tent.
She had hung an ugly sachet in front of it—easy to recognize.
He lifted the tent flap and entered, finding only a mass of darkness inside.
Lu Hexu raised the crystal lamp in his hand, illuminating the tent.
A messy tent.
Treading on the empty patches of floor, Lu Hexu came to the woman's side and saw her sleeping face.
He reached out his hand, his fingertips still carrying the cool, damp chill of the river water, and gently covered her face.
The woman struggled to open her eyes. Seeing it was him, her furrowed brow softened, and she even fell into a deeper sleep than before.
Lu Hexu's hand resting on the woman's face paused.
He stood quietly by the bedside. Moonlight seeped in through the not-fully-closed tent seam. Moments later, the moonlight was swallowed by dark clouds, and the sound of fine rain pattered on the tent, "pitter-patter" like jade beads falling on a plate, washing the lingering heat in the air down into the mud.
Disturbed by the rain, Lu Hexu tilted his head slightly to look outside the tent. The pale tent fabric was soaked by the rain, water gathering into streams that rolled downward.
The rough tents where the palace maids lived had no ground mats added; rainwater gradually accumulated, and the dirt underfoot slowly grew damp.
Actually, Su Zhenzhen's small tent was considered relatively good. Other palace maids didn't have the privilege of a single room; several were crammed into one tiny tent.
The woman slept so peacefully. Lu Hexu listened to her low, even breathing—calm and soft.
He suddenly grew calm as well.
Lu Hexu took off his shoes, tossed aside the crystal lamp, and then climbed onto the bed.
Sushan jumped down from the pillow, as there truly was no room left for it. It circled on the ground, its paws gradually dampened by the seeping rainwater, and finally chose to leap onto a nearby chest. After licking its paws, it curled up again to sleep.
However, being in an unfamiliar environment, Sushan remained alert.
If there was even the slightest movement from the bed, it would instinctively open its eyes, ears twitching, listening carefully for any sound.
In the dark little tent, only Sushan's pair of eyes emitted an eerie green glow.
Lu Hexu successfully squeezed onto the small bed. Su Zhenzhen, half-asleep, thought it was Sushan getting on the bed, so she squeezed her own body closer to the wall.
This was a habit from before she transmigrated into the book.
Her lame cat slept with her.
It didn't like sleeping under the covers, preferring the very edge of the bed.
And it couldn't be just a sliver of edge; she had to give up more than half, otherwise it would feel the territory wasn't enough and refuse to sleep together. Of course, it was more likely afraid that if she rolled over, it wouldn't have time to dodge and would be crushed beneath her, losing its cat life.
Therefore, to foster sleeping camaraderie with the lame cat, Su Zhenzhen, even when asleep, would give up a small half of her space if she vaguely sensed movement near her arm in the middle of the night.
Lu Hexu's half-dry, tangled wet hair clustered together. He lay on his side beside the woman, his breath falling on her neck. A faint herbal scent emanated from Su Zhenzhen, carrying notes of mint and mugwort.
Not enough.
Lu Hexu tugged at the quilt, uncovering her. His icy fingertips touched the collar of her garment.
He slid his hand down along the woman's collar.
Through a layer of fabric, he touched her heart.
A quiet, peaceful, beating heart.
Lu Hexu finally settled into stillness.
He curled up beside Su Zhenzhen, their breathing gradually falling into sync.
Outside the tent, the rain poured down; inside, the little cat flicked its long tail, content and at ease.
-
Before dawn, voices could already be heard outside. Su Zhenzhen turned over.
Hmm?
After autumn began, the temperature difference between day and night grew. Now, Su Zhenzhen needed a thin quilt to sleep at night.
She looked at the mysteriously raised lump in the quilt beside her, extended two fingertips, and carefully pinched it open.
A young man slept on her bed, his body curled up, revealing the slender lines of his back. Black hair spilled across his face, obscuring his expression. Only through the gaps in the disheveled hair could one see a single eye lazily open, like a little cat that had been disturbed.
Sushan had gotten back on the bed at some point, obediently squeezed into the gap between Su Zhenzhen's neck and the pillow. Seeing her awake, it merely opened its eyes lazily before closing them again. Only its tail tapped impatiently against the young man's head, clearly resentful that he had stolen its spot.
For a moment, Su Zhenzhen was dazed.
Memories of the previous night gradually returned.
Last night... Mu Dan seemed to have come to find her? Wasn't that a dream?
These past few days, traveling with the large procession from Qingliang Mountain to the Imperial Temple, she had been utterly exhausted, unable to wake up properly.
She had thought he would have left directly, never expecting that he actually... stayed to sleep?
The tent wasn't big, and this bed was naturally not big either.
Although they had been married for nearly half a year, they hadn't truly shared a bed yet.
Partly because the weather had been too hot, and partly because she was too shy.
The bed was probably only about four feet wide. Su Zhenzhen only needed to shift slightly to touch Mu Dan at the edge of the bed.
[Such a thin back.]
[Like butterfly wings.]
[I really want to touch it.]
-
The Serving Quarters were generally located in the most remote corner of the palace. Here gathered the dirtiest and most exhausting work in the palace, endless and perpetual.
Low, narrow corridor-rooms connected to miscellaneous courtyards. The courtyards weren't divided into sections; the duty rooms for palace maids and eunuchs were mixed together, and there was also an extremely cramped Serving Quarters prison.
Those sent to the Serving Quarters were either family members of convicted officials or the lowest of the low among eunuchs and palace maids. They bore the heaviest manual labor, rising at cockcrow and resting only in the dead of night. Because of the ceaseless daily toil, their faces were steeped in numbness, and they also suffered beatings and scoldings from the supervising matrons and head eunuchs.
In the Serving Quarters, if you had no one to rely on, you could only sink to the very bottom of the lowest layer.
A young boy, not yet developed, looking no more than seven or eight years old, wearing a faded, washed-out eunuch's uniform, squatted inside the Serving Quarters prison.
Within his sight, only that one small window.
All around was dark, cramped, crawling with snakes, insects, rats, and ants; even the thin moonlight couldn't penetrate.
The young boy's black pupils held a numbness that didn't belong to his age.
Suddenly, a beautiful crystal lamp appeared before his eyes.
The light was too bright. He instinctively closed his eyes, then opened them again.
Before him stood a young boy dressed in splendid robes. He raised the crystal lamp in his hand, illuminating his face.
Hate it.
Hate this recurring dream.
Don't let it continue.
Lu Hexu gasped rapidly, his grip tightening on the sheets beneath him, his heart emitting a sharp, mournful cry as if it were about to burst from his chest.
【What beautiful shoulder blades.】
A soft voice accompanied by strands of dark hair fell upon his neck. Lu Hexu was abruptly jerked out of this recurring dream.
He caught the faint scent of perfume from the woman.
The woman's voice sounded again, carrying a playful lilt.
【I want to touch them.】
Lu Hexu rolled over and pulled her into his embrace.
The woman's waist was slender, seemingly no wider than a handful. His fingers hooked onto her belt and gently pulled it open a slit. His hand slipped through the short, narrow gap in her top, tracing up to the soft, prominent curve of her shoulder blades. They felt like warm jade, with a smooth, creamy texture.
The young man's knuckles caressed her spine, like a carver at work, intent on studying every inch of her skin's texture and bone structure.
Su Zhenzhen couldn't help but curl her body. The next moment, she heard a thud.
Because the bed was too narrow, the young man sleeping on the outer side had fallen straight onto the floor.
Lu Hexu: …
Su Zhenzhen: …Are you coming back?
Su Zhenzhen lay prone on the bed, the thin quilt covering her flushed face. She cautiously peeked out from under it, meeting the young man's gaze as he looked up from the floor.
The young man's long hair was uncombed, sticking messily to his face, his expression uncharacteristically dazed.
Outside, the sky was not yet light. It seemed to have rained during the night, but Su Zhenzhen had slept so soundly she hadn't heard it clearly. She faintly caught the scent of fresh grass carried on the air from outside.
That was the smell after rain.
The maid's tent had no padding; the ground was damp with rainwater that had seeped in.
Lu Hexu stood up and saw his wet clothes.
He raised a hand to push back his hair, his fingertips also stained with mud.
Wait, this isn't mud, is it?
Su Zhenzhen's eyes instantly widened.
"What happened to your hand?"
Drawing on her professional knowledge, Su Zhenzhen quickly deduced it was a burn.
She immediately got out of bed to search for ointment.
They had only moved here yesterday, and her things weren't fully unpacked yet. Fortunately, she preferred to keep all her medicines in one box.
Su Zhenzhen found the box, retrieved the ointment she had made from charred sanguisorba root and Chinese angelica, and then flustered, she made Mu Dan sit down.
"Doesn't it hurt? Why didn't you say anything last night? Did you come looking for me because of the burn? How did this happen?"
Su Zhenzhen's hands kept moving, and so did her mouth.
Lu Hexu sat there, staring at his hand for a moment before shifting his gaze to Su Zhenzhen's face.
He thought for a while, then spoke. "It hurts."
"Of course it hurts, burned like this! Did you soak it in cold spring water last night?"
"I did."
Su Zhenzhen let out a sigh of relief. She rolled up the young man's sleeve and saw the burn extending up his forearm.
It might scar.
Remembering Mu Dan's fear of needles, Su Zhenzhen didn't use any. Instead, she used a bamboo spatula to scoop up a bit of the milky-white ointment and carefully applied it to his skin, gently blowing on it as she spread it.
"Don't move yet."
Su Zhenzhen turned to fetch some mulberry bark paper, cut it into palm-sized pieces, and soaked them in coptis root juice before setting them aside to dry.
"Wait a bit. I'll apply it for you once the coptis juice dries."
Lu Hexu sat at the table, arm raised, tilting his head back to look at her.
"Let me comb your hair."
The young man's hair was a mess, the ends stained with dampness from the ground.
Su Zhenzhen took a cloth, dampened it, and wiped the dirt from his hair.
The young man's previously steady arm suddenly twitched.
Su Zhenzhen paused her movements, carefully lifting the hair behind his ear. She saw a flush spreading from the young man's neck.
She had thought it was just her imagination, but it turned out to be real.
So it was true that someone's sensitive spot could be… their hair.
Su Zhenzhen's fingers involuntarily trailed up from the ends of the young man's hair.
The higher she went, the more pronounced his reaction became.
Just as he was about to reach up and grab Su Zhenzhen's wrist, she chided him softly, "Don't move your hands."
Lu Hexu's hand froze mid-air.
He sat there, his back to Su Zhenzhen, his lowered eyes glistening with a misty dampness.
Mu Dan was a eunuch.
Do eunuchs still have sensation?
Although Su Zhenzhen was a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, her expertise lay more in internal medicine; she wasn't very clear about this aspect.
Would she harm his body by doing this?
Thinking this, Su Zhenzhen didn't dare to mess around anymore. She hastily tied up Mu Dan's hair into a very simple ponytail, securing it with a random pink ribbon.
The mulberry bark paper was about dry. After washing her hands, Su Zhenzhen fetched it, pressed it onto Mu Dan's skin, and loosely wrapped it a couple of times with clean cotton strips.
"There, done. Don't scratch it, don't get it wet, and try not to use your hand." After these instructions, Su Zhenzhen washed her hands again and then dug out some previously dried coptis root. "I'll brew you some Coptis Detoxification Decoction."
Su Zhenzhen went outside to borrow a small clay pot and a portable stove. She unceremoniously tossed the coptis root in, added water, and started brewing it.
The bitter smell of coptis began to fill the tent. Su Zhenzhen couldn't help chattering on, "Were you fighting a fire yesterday? How could you be so careless? Thankfully, the weather's cooler now, otherwise who knows how long this injury would take to heal."
As punishment for not taking better care of himself, Su Zhenzhen made Lu Hexu squat by the stove himself to watch the fire.
Lu Hexu squatted in front of the stove. Unable to rest his hands naturally, he let them hang by his sides, occasionally lifting one to move it slightly.
After finishing her lecture, Su Zhenzhen felt parched. She took a sip of tea but found it tasteless.
Earlier, when she went to borrow the stove, she had seen something unusual.
A pineapple.
It was the first time she had seen such a modern fruit in this world.
That pineapple was placed in a separate tent, guarded by a dedicated eunuch. The eunuch's eyes were red-rimmed, clearly having stayed up all night, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
Given the current circumstances, a pineapple was as precious as gold and jade. Only members of the royal family, high-ranking officials, or wealthy merchants had the chance to see or taste one. It was a fruit completely beyond the reach of common folk.
Su Zhenzhen recalled the pre-cut pineapple she used to buy at a certain warehouse store. Who would have thought that back then, she was living like an emperor.
"Hey, have you ever eaten pineapple?"
Su Zhenzhen walked over, using a spoon to stir the coptis brew while squatting next to Mu Dan to talk to him.
The steaming heat wafted towards her face. Even without drinking it, Su Zhenzhen already felt the bitterness of the coptis water.
So bitter.
Even the air had turned bitter.
Su Zhenzhen tilted her head and leaned it against Mu Dan's shoulder.
【I really want to eat some pineapple to cut through this bitterness.】
-
Wei Heng had thought that after yesterday's commotion, he wouldn't get to see His Majesty today.
Unexpectedly, upon lifting the curtain embroidered with dragon patterns, he saw someone lying within the lavishly appointed imperial sleeping tent.
As it was already autumn, a thin white felt rug had been spread over the wooden boards beneath the tent.
There was a soft couch inside the tent, but the young man wasn't using it. Instead, he lay on the thin rug, still dressed in his simple eunuch's robes, his gaze fixed on a blue-and-white octagonal porcelain candlestick with fretwork patterns on the desk.
"Wei Heng, why haven't you lit the lamps?"
Wei Heng's hands, hanging before him, instinctively clenched. He bent forward, his fingertips trembling as he fetched the fire starter.
It had rained last night, making today considerably cooler, as if the traces of summer had been washed away overnight.
The pain in Wei Heng's shoulder hadn't yet faded. Last night, when he returned to his own tent and removed his clothes, he saw a large bruise on his shoulder, the imprint of a few slender fingers particularly distinct.
Both thunderous wrath and gentle dew are manifestations of the sovereign's grace.
Wei Heng understood this principle deeply.
He was the emperor's servant.
Without His Majesty, he would still be doing the dirtiest, hardest labor in the palace servitude quarters.
Wei Heng knew the strength of His Majesty; if he truly wished to shatter his bones, he could certainly do it.
If it were in the past... Wei Heng dared not imagine he would still be alive.
Lighting the lamps tugged at the injury on his shoulder. He paused, his movements slowing for a moment before continuing.
The flame, as small as a bean sprout, slowly ignited, illuminating a corner of the dim tent.
Wei Heng extinguished the fire starter in his hand. As he turned, he finally saw clearly what was wrapped around the young man's palm and forearm.
It appeared to be mulberry bark paper, meticulously wound with cotton thread from the palm down to the forearm, completely covering the burned areas.
It seemed someone had already treated His Majesty's burns, and done a rather good job of it.
Meticulous and attentive, as if handling a cherished treasure.
"Wei Heng."
"Your Majesty." Wei Heng snapped back to attention.
Remembering the young man's frenzied mood yesterday, Wei Heng tensed up instinctively.
"Fetch a pineapple."
Huh?
-
The tents arrayed before the Imperial Temple stretched on endlessly. As the Chief Grand Secretary, Shen Yanci's tent was naturally not of poor quality.
Situated beside the imperial tent adorned with brocade, silk, and painted dragon-phoenix patterns, Shen Yanci's own silken tent was among the finest.
Liu Jingxing lifted the tent flap and entered. Seeing Shen Yanci seated behind the desk reading, he cupped his hands in salute and said, "Sir, I have a matter to discuss with you."
Shen Yanci gave a slight nod, set down the scroll, and stood up. As he stepped out of the tent, he glanced sideways at the eerily quiet imperial tent beside his.
The tent was surrounded by Imperial Guards, sealed off on all sides, not a sliver of light escaping.
Even during the fire at the Imperial Temple yesterday, this emperor hadn't emerged to take a look; it was all handled by that Director of the Ceremonial Directorate.
Shen Yanci followed Liu Jingxing to his tent.
Liu Jingxing's tent was situated rather far from Shen Yanci's, and its specifications were naturally much inferior.
Liu Jingxing's tent wasn't fully tidied yet; many chests were piled inside, most closed, with only a clothing chest and one filled with scrolls left half-open.
Shen Yanci spotted the tortoise shell and copper coins placed on the table.
Although Shen Yanci didn't understand divination, after listening to Liu Jingxing speak of it for so many years, he had picked up a thing or two.
This particular divination result, however, was extremely favorable.
"Was the fire in the main hall of the Imperial Temple your doing, Master?"
Liu Jingxing looked left and right, ensuring no one was around, before shaking his head and replying, "This is the wrath of heaven, Master. Even the heavens deem that tyrant unfit to remain emperor. Look at the divination; this autumn sacrifice at the Imperial Temple is precisely our best opportunity."
Because Liu Jingxing's strategies had repeatedly met with setbacks, Shen Yanci's trust in him had diminished considerably.
"Master, your meaning is..." Shen Yanci fiddled with the copper coins while running his fingers over the somewhat worn tortoise shell.
Liu Jingxing moved closer to Shen Yanci, lowering his voice. "Since the heavens are helping us, we naturally must also help ourselves."
"The fire in the main hall could be called an accident, or it could be called divine punishment. We must create an act of divine punishment that leaves no room for argument, to prove the fire was no accident."
Shen Yanci flipped the copper coins in his hand and nodded. "Make the arrangements, Master."
Liu Jingxing's eyes gleamed.
He had a feeling; this time it would surely succeed.
Shen Yanci turned and left Liu Jingxing's tent.
Returning to his own tent, he looked at the space enclosed by silk and brocade, lifted the hem of his robe, and sat down.
A maid entered with tea. On the red-lacquered wooden tray sat a white porcelain teacup and a plate of mung bean cakes.
The maid bowed as she set down the tea, speaking softly, "Master, the Old Master asks how things are progressing here?"
Shen Yanci was silent for a moment, then picked up the teacup and took a small sip. "The divination this time is favorable."
The maid frowned. "Liu Jingxing's plans over the years have generally been sound, but he has suffered repeated failures in the past half-year. The Old Master truly has little faith in him now."
Shen Yanci lowered his gaze, masking the expression in his eyes. "Mm. If this matter still fails, then have him replaced."
The maid nodded and left the tent with the lacquered tray.
The tent fell silent in an instant. Shen Yanci sat there, looking down at the desk before him.
Everything was a tool.
Tools were either useful or useless.
Including himself, the former crown prince.
Sitting inside the tent, Shen Yanci's gaze drifted sideways, catching sight of the sachet tucked beneath the pillow, its fine tassels peeking out.
A thread of warmth flowed through his slightly chilled heart.
-
Because it had rained yesterday, Su Zhenzhen's small tent had some accumulated water.
She went outside to gather some dry straw and spread it on the ground.
Sushan, its tail held high, burrowed happily through the straw pile.
After tidying the ground, Su Zhenzhen had to organize the chests piled on the floor.
Originally, these chests didn't need unpacking, but since the main hall of the Imperial Temple was burned down, they would need to stay here longer.
Su Zhenzhen took off her dirtied outer garment and tossed it into a wooden basin, then buried her head in a chest searching for a clean one.
The temperature had dropped sharply; she didn't have many thick clothes in her chest. This outer garment was the thickest one, buried at the very bottom. Su Zhenzhen used all her strength to pull it out from the pile of clothes.
So tired. Tired enough that she wished she could get drunk and let her industrious, drunken self clean the entire tent.
She heard some people relieve stress by frantically doing housework. Was her own way of acting out when drunk frantically doing housework? That really was a good habit.
Su Zhenzhen raised her arms and put on the outer garment, then opened the tent flap. An autumn breeze blew in, carrying with it a hint of fine, dense rain.
Raining again? It seemed this autumn would be a rainy one.
The sky gradually darkened. Standing at the tent entrance, Su Zhenzhen saw a figure in the distance.
Not holding an umbrella, just walking through the rain, carrying that broken lantern as he approached.
Su Zhenzhen took a deep breath, turned around inside the tent, but couldn't find where she had put her oil-paper umbrella.
Over there, the young man had already reached the tent entrance.
"Didn't I tell you not to get caught in the rain? And you're carrying the glass lamp with your hand."
Lu Hexu quietly looked at the woman before him.
Ever since his mad killing spree, no one had dared point a finger at his nose and speak to him like this.
"I'll kill you." The young man leaned down, his damp lips touching Su Zhenzhen's fingertip, licking the mole there. His dark pupils fixed on her face, the corners of his eyes lifting like delicate fans.
Su Zhenzhen's earlobes flushed red instantly, a rosy hue even spreading beneath her eyes.
The young man's behavior was just like a wary, unfamiliar cat suddenly showing her its soft tongue and belly.
And those terrifying three words, held in the young man's mouth with a hint of a tender, lingering tone, paired with such an intimate gesture, seemed less like a threat and more like... sweet nothings.
Su Zhenzhen's anger instantly deflated.
With a beautiful young man like this acting coquettishly with that face of his, she really couldn't stay mad.
"Forget it, it's time to change your bandages anyway. Come in quickly, I'll change them for you."
Su Zhenzhen lifted the curtain to let him in, then suddenly noticed Mu Dan seemed to be holding something in his arms.
"Your hand is injured, why are you still carrying something?"
She helped him out of his outer robe, dampened by the drizzle, and saw the object the young man was cradling.
"A pineapple? Where did you get a pineapple?"
"Last night, the main hall of the imperial temple caught fire. I rescued several ancestral tablets of the emperors and asked my godfather for this as a reward."
Zhenzhen's fantasy of having a cat-like companion was fully realized.
Thank you.
Thank you, my darlings. Let Zhenzhen give each of you a kiss.
