Jiang Yun ordered plum blossom cake and pine cone wine and sat by the window, sipping while leisurely enjoying the scenery.
He rarely had the opportunity to go out like this, and even if he had the chance to return to the Jiang Empire in the future, he’s afraid that time like this is rare. Therefore, he looked at the noisy streets, the crowds walking, the exquisitely decorated carriages, and the colorful, bright clothes, very seriously.
The shop’s servant stood outside, stunned, unable to believe that there was such a beautiful and elegant young gentleman in the world.
Ji An tentatively asked, “How about the old servant call His Highness over?”
Jiang Yun shook his head and gently said to him, “No need, let’s play by ourselves. Don’t disturb your Highness’s pleasure.”
After finishing the pastry and tasting the wine, Jiang Yun instructed Ji An to lead the way and bought a small box of plums from the plum shop. He strolled around with great interest until noon before returning to the mansion.
Not long after, Sui Heng also returned.
Sui Heng called Ji An over with his hands behind his back. After asking about the situation, he immediately lowered his face and couldn’t believe it: “He really didn’t react at all?”
Ji An pondered and said, “When he first saw it, he stopped for a while.”
“Gu knows how to speak.”
Sui Heng’s mood suddenly became joyful again, and he waved away Ji An and entered the room alone.
Jiang Yun has sat on the couch reading a book, with a newly bought plum beside him.
Sui Heng sat down on the other side, glanced at Jiang Yun, and suddenly sneered, “What? Are you not happy now?”
Jiang Yun looked up and said, “Where did Your Highness see that I was unhappy?”
“Is it even worth looking at?”
Sui Heng lightly exclaimed, “When you see Gu come in, you didn’t look up, you didn’t speak, you didn’t even greet, is it just a disguised temper tantrum with Gu?”
Jiang Yun then put down the book and said, “I saw Your Highness when I went out today.”
Sui Heng’s heart skipped a beat, pretending to be calm and asking, “Is that so? Where is it? Why didn’t I see you?”
“In the private room on the second floor of Taibai shop. Is Your Highness there to discuss matters?”
Jiang Yun propped up his chin and leaned closer.
Sui Heng pretended to “En” and nodded comfortably. “The wine there is good. Gu often goes there when Gu is deliberating with people on weekdays.”
“Aren’t the performers good too?”
Jiang Yun continued.
Sui Heng couldn’t help but want to raise the corner of his mouth, but he tried his best to hold it back and raised his eyebrows, saying, “What’s wrong? Are you jealous?”
Jiang Yun shook his head.
“I was thinking, since Your Highness loves them so much, why not just take them to the mansion? It’s tiring to go back and forth, it’s so far.”
Sui Heng felt that there was something wrong with his focus, so he said coldly, “This is Gu’s matter. Is it your turn to worry?”
Jiang Yun then said, “It’s really sad to be separated from your beloved. Why don’t I pick them up for Your Highness tomorrow?”
Sui Heng frowned and said, “Aren’t you afraid that Gu will only spoil them and ignore you?”
Jiang Yun shook his head.
“I’m not afraid.”
He only said these two words before continuing to read.
Sui Heng felt inexplicably frustrated in his heart. He couldn’t really have misunderstood that there was something between him and those performers, right? God knows how much disgust he had endured to let them get close.
“En.”
He crossed the small table and deliberately snatched the plum that Jiang Yun had just obtained. He asked, “Are you really not afraid?”
Jiang Yun gave a perfunctory “En.”
He retrieved the plum from his hand and put it in his mouth.
This became a disguise in Sui Heng’s eyes.
The more he thought about it, the more regretful he felt. He felt that he shouldn’t have played this boring game hastily today. He got up and hugged the person, saying, “Gu doesn’t want you to think like that.”
Jiang Yun looked at him and said, “Think like what?”
Sui Heng said angrily, “Gu doesn’t like them, Gu doesn’t even know them. Gu just deliberately let you see that scene just to make you jealous.”
Jiang Yun looked at Sui Heng quietly.
“Doggy Sui.”
Jiang Yun let out a cry in his heart.
What a silly little dog.
He naturally believed in his sincerity and knew the purpose behind his childish play today.
It’s just that their identities and their positions doomed them to not last long.
The more he gave his heart, the more he was ashamed.
He can forgive Chu Yan for his stunning performance at the Spring Banquet, and he can forgive Chu Yan for accidentally entering the Qingque Terrace due to outings. However, he can never forgive an enemy Crown Prince who deliberately conceals his identity and deceives his feelings.
Jiang Yun sometimes even thinks affectedly, if he doesn’t treat him so well, it would be great. In the future, when they meet in battle, he will feel less guilty.
“Why don’t you speak?”
“Still blaming Gu?”
Sui Heng felt uneasy.
Jiang Yun still wrapped his arms around his neck and lay softly on his shoulders, saying, “I don’t want to talk, I just want to stay like this.”
They weren’t really soulmates and lovers after all. There were too many things in his life, too many secrets to be told, and he could never know his true background and past.
Time can dilute everything.
This is just a small episode in their respective lives.
That night, Jiang Yun had a slight cough again.
Sui Heng asked Ji An, and only then did he know that Jiang Yun had been sitting in the shop drinking a lot of wine and even receiving the cold wind blowing from outside for over half an hour in order to watch those performers’ performances.
Sui Heng became more and more remorseful.
Seeing Jiang Yun drinking medicine and leaning against the bedside, still coughing occasionally, he squatted by the bed and asked in a muffled voice, “Are you still misunderstanding and thinking that Gu has something to do with those performers?”
If not, how could one drown their sorrows alone with alcohol?
He’s such a big jerk, even though he knows that he is not in good health, he stimulates him in such a way.
Sui Heng almost wanted to slap himself hard.
Jiang Yun couldn’t help but want to tease him when he saw the situation.
He said, “My fortune and fate are thin. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to accompany Your Highness for long. Your Highness should find more new partners as soon as possible. Those few from today are quite good.”
There was a moment of silence.
Sui Heng’s expression suddenly became gloomy and terrifying.
He stood up and suddenly hugged Jiang Yun tightly, whispering, “Gu doesn’t want you to say that. Gu has already given you the best fortune in the world. You will live a long life of a hundred years, without illness or disaster.”
“No one can take you away from Gu.”
“Even if you’re broken, Gu can sew you up stitch by stitch. In the future, don’t say such silly things.”
He exerted too much force, and Jiang Yun felt a little pain from being held by him.
Jiang Yun was stunned for a moment and whispered in his ear, “I know. Can you let go first?”
Sui Heng refused.
“You promise Gu that you won’t say such foolish things again in the future first.”
“En.”
Jiang Yun nodded and let out a lazy nasal sound.
Then he reached out and pinched his ear, saying, “I promise.”
Sui Heng slowly let go and asked, “Are you still feeling uncomfortable?”
Jiang Yun said it’s much better.
But after walking a lot today, Jiang Yun’s feet hurt a bit, and he said, “I want to soak my feet.”
This is not a difficult task. Sui Heng immediately asked Ji An to bring in a copper basin and hot water.
He helped Jiang Yun sit by the bed and personally took off the socks for his little lover, saying, “Gu will give you a good massage.”
Jiang Yun had a pair of beautiful snowy feet but he felt a bit embarrassed and said, “Forget it, I’ll do it myself.”
“What’s so embarrassing?”
Sui Heng raised his eyebrows and said, “Is there anywhere in your body that Gu hasn’t seen?”
Jiang Yun’s ears were hot.
He said, “You are the Crown Prince. How could I trouble you to do such a thing?”
Sui Heng snorted lightly. “Do you think you’ve instructed Gu to do fewer things? When we were in the cave, Gu even dressed you every day.”
Jiang Yun was afraid that he would mention something even more shameless, so he immediately pursed his lips and remained silent.
Sui Heng’s massage was very patient and comfortable, and Jiang Yun unconsciously leaned on the pillow and fell asleep. He was wearing a plain silk sleeping robe, with black hair spread out like silk on the pillow. His chin is pointed, revealing skin as pale as jade, stunningly beautiful by candlelight.
What a little lazy cat!
Sui Heng smiled and gently picked him up and placed him on the bed, wrapped him tightly in a quilt, then gently picked up a copper basin and sent it out.
The next morning, Sui Heng was summoned into the palace by Emperor Sui.
Last night, officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau returned to the capital of Sui overnight and reported in detail the situation of the auspicious stone to Emperor Sui. After investigation, it was confirmed that the auspicious stone was indeed a genuine one, and the inscriptions on the stone surface were also written in special gold inscriptions, with no signs of forgery.
Not every dynasty and emperor can encounter the auspicious event of heavenly descent, and it is likely to become a major event in history in the future. Emperor Sui was so pleased that he decided to send Crown Prince Sui Heng on a personal trip to Mount Li to transport the auspicious stone back to the Sui capital in a grand gesture.
Originally, it didn’t take much time, but due to a grand worship ceremony before the stone ceremony, he had to stay for a few more days.
Sui Heng never believed in these strange and chaotic theories, so the officials who were named to accompany him, including the ceremonial officials and the imperial censors, were all trembling, afraid that one of them might accidentally touch his scales.
The departure time is set for the afternoon.
Sui Heng returned to his mansion at noon and had lunch with Jiang Yun. He called Ji An and Gao Gong and instructed them on some matters. He especially left Shi Fang and Fan Qi behind to protect Jiang Yun’s safety. Although Fan Qi was also working in the Jiuda Battalions, but he was not selected to be sent to Mount Li this time.
Jiang Yun escorted Sui Heng to the entrance of the mansion, and as he watched him mount his horse, Sui Heng suddenly lowered his head and showed a side face.
His black hair was tied high, and he dressed in black armor. He is handsome and agile, and his every move is even more dazzling than the sunlight.
Jiang Yun had no choice but to shyly kiss him in front of the soldiers.
Sui Heng was very satisfied and said, “When Gu comes back, Gu will pick more plums for you.”
Like last time, Sui Heng also demands that Jiang Yun must write him a love letter every day. He will send his soldiers back to collect it, along with his own love letter.
Jiang Yun has become accustomed to his shameless demands.
With an “En”, he nodded and agreed.
Jiang Yun was relatively idle in the private courtyard, spending most of his day reading books under the window or in the pavilion. Occasionally, he goes for a walk in the garden and then replies to someone’s shameless love letters one after another.
Sitting behind the desk writing a letter this day, Jiang Yun suddenly felt a strange, warm current flowing through his abdomen. This was not the first time, but it was the first time Jiang Yun had clearly captured it.
Jiang Yun finds it a bit strange. After a long silence, he put down the brush, reached out his hand, and slowly covered his upper abdomen.
That warm current flashed once again.
This was unlike the fine warmth in the meridians when the internal energy was restored, with a flow similar to… an air of cheerfulness, and even a little mischievousness.
Jiang Yun tried to feel it again, but it seemed like the strange aura was hiding, it didn’t appear again.
Jiang Yun gave up, he picked up the brush to continue writing the unfinished letters.
