Two years later, it was another cold winter.
The dragon lanterns in the Jiuyue Pavilion were burning brightly, and the warm room in the bedroom was filled with hot steam. Through the hazy mist, one could vaguely see a graceful figure in the center of the bathing pool.
After a long time, the sound of water was heard. Xiao Dezi, who was waiting on the side, quickly pulled out the white bath towel hanging on the rack and walked forward.
The skin, as white as mutton-fat jade, was smoked pink like peach petals by the hot water. Crystal-clear water droplets quietly slid down the skin, so beautiful that people dared not look directly at it.
Xiao Dezi subconsciously avoided the sight and skillfully helped his young master put on his undergarment. Then he went straight through the side door of the warm room and returned to the warm couch in the bedroom.
“It’s getting colder and colder these days.” Xiao Dezi put the beautifully carved hand warmer into his young master’s hand, muttering, “Young Master, please pay attention to keeping warm. Don’t get sick again.”
In the dead of winter last year, his young master accidentally caught a cold. Even while he was ill, he still insisted on handling the official business of the Beizhen Fushi himself. He became weaker and weaker, and it was not until the beginning of spring this year when the weather became warmer that he was able to recover.
But since then, his young master has become more afraid of the cold. After winter came, all the palace attendants in Jiuyue Pavilion became nervous. They took sufficient measures to keep warm and prepare for the cold.
“Got it.” Shen Qingzhuo, wearing a fox fur coat, took the case file and said with a smile, “How old are you? Why are you becoming more and more wordy?”
Xiao Dezi blurted out, “I’m not nagging. Before leaving, His Highness the Seventh Prince told me to take good care of Young Master. Otherwise, he would never let me go when he comes back!”
When the Seventh Prince was mentioned, the smile on Shen Qingzhuo’s lips faded.
“No matter how cold Shengjing is, it’s not as cold as Suixi.” He looked out the dark window and sighed softly, “Winter has arrived. This war has lasted too long.”
“Don’t worry, Young Master. His Highness the Seventh Prince will definitely win!” Xiao Dezi hurriedly comforted him, “Maybe… maybe he can come back to celebrate the New Year this year!”
Shen Qingzhuo smiled faintly: “I hope so.”
***
The next morning, Shen Qingzhuo went to the Zichen Palace to meet the emperor.
As soon as he enters the inner hall, the smell of agarwood burning in every corner wafts into his nose, and Emperor Guangxi lies lifeless in the mist.
In the past two years, Emperor Guangxi’s health has been gradually deteriorating. He used to attend morning court twice a month, but now he lies on his bed all day, waiting for a Taoist master to make an elixir of immortality to prolong his life.
But it would be wrong to say that he did not care about state affairs at all. He seemed to be obsessed with cultivating immortals and refining elixirs all day long, but in fact he secretly stabilized the situation in the court and the harem, creating a delicate balance among the various parties and factions.
Of course, this is just his ideal state, the reality is not like this.
Shen Qingzhuo collected his thoughts and bowed: “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“You’re here…” Emperor Guangxi’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Just sit down and talk.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Shen Qingzhuo did not refuse. He brushed aside the thick fox fur and sat down as he was told.
Ever since he recovered from a serious illness, Emperor Guangxi would specially give him a seat whenever he summoned him to show his favor.
The king and his minister asked and answered questions, sorting out the important cases that had occurred recently in the Beizhen Fushi.
After a short rest, Emperor Guangxi suddenly said, “Early in the morning, Suixi sent a battle report over.”
Shen Qingzhuo’s heart tensed up, and he asked calmly, “Is it good news?”
“Yes.” Emperor Guangxi looked at him. “A great victory. Xirong were forced to retreat west of the Suiling River and voluntarily submitted a letter of surrender.”
Shen Qingzhuo immediately stood up, bowed, and said, “Congratulations, Your Majesty.”
But there was no trace of joy on Emperor Guangxi’s face. “There is another bad news.”
The heart that had just been put at ease rose to his throat again. Lord Shen frowned and said, “Could it be…”
Emperor Guangxi said slowly, “King Jin is seriously injured. The medical conditions in the army are poor. Zhen is afraid his life is in danger.”
In an instant, Shen Qingzhuo felt everything go dark before his eyes.
A fishy-sweet taste surged in his throat. He pinched his hands hidden under his sleeves tightly and tried his best to steady his body so as not to faint on the spot.
Seeing that he did not respond, Emperor Guangxi seemed to be talking to himself and said, “Aiqing ah, what do you think? Should Zhen call him back?”
“This…” Shen Qingzhuo replied indifferently as his vision gradually recovered, “According to common sense, Xirong has surrendered, Suixi has been settled, and King Jin has completed his mission. Your Majesty can summon him back to the capital.”
“It’s not that Zhen is cruel ah, Qingzhuo.” Emperor Guangxi sighed, “Shen Qing, you know what I’m worried about.”
Shen Qingzhuo pondered for a moment and replied cautiously: “The humble minister has a suggestion.”
Emperor Guangxi became interested. “Oh? Say it?”
“The great victory at Suiling River is celebrated by the whole nation. However, King Jin was seriously injured. Your Majesty can summon him back to the capital, give him rewards on the one hand, and let King Jin recover well on the other hand to show Your Majesty’s great grace.” Shen Qingzhuo paused and said the rest of the words bravely, “Wait until King Jin recovers in a year, and then send him back to his fiefdom. If King Jin is unfortunate…”
Emperor Guangxi stared at him for a few mysterious moments, then smiled with satisfaction, “Shen qing and Zhen have the same idea. Lord Shen is indeed worthy of being Zhen’s loyal minister ah.”
“It is the minister’s duty to relieve Your Majesty’s worries.” Shen Qingzhuo replied calmly.
“You retreat first.” Emperor Guangxi waved his hand and then seemed to remember something and called Eunuch Su, “Take out the box of Ganoderma lucidum that King Chu presented as a tribute, and give it to Lord Shen to take back to replenish his body.”
Shen Qingzhuo bowed and said, “Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. The minister will take his leave now.”
The moment he turned around, all the expressions on his face disappeared, leaving only endless coldness and silence.
He walked out of the Zichen Palace and went straight towards the Jiuyue Pavilion, walking faster and faster, until he finally pushed open the palace door at a trot.
“Young Master?” Xiao Dezi was walking out. Seeing his young master leaning against the door and gasping for breath, he couldn’t help but ask in surprise, “Why are you running so fast?”
“I…” Shen Qingzhuo tried to calm his breathing. “Let’s go in first.”
After entering the inner hall, he took off his white fox fur coat, walked quickly to the desk, and grabbed paper and a brush to write a letter, only to find that his hand holding the brush was shaking badly.
Xiao Dezi hurried forward to grind the ink. “Young Master, what happened?”
Shen Qingzhuo supported the desk with one hand and explained concisely: “His Highness is injured.”
“What?” Xiao Dezi was surprised. “In the past two years, His Highness the Seventh Prince has never been injured in dozens of battles, but this time—”
“Silly!” Shen Qingzhuo slammed his palm on the table. “That was a war, a life-and-death war! How could he have never been injured?”
In the first year, when his little disciple left, he was very uncomfortable. When he returned to Jiuyue Pavilion, there was no enthusiastic youth rushing to him like a puppy. When he was sick, no one coaxed him to drink medicine or stuffed him with sweet preserved fruits. And in the long and cold winter, there was no human heater to warm his hands, feet, and quilt.
No one clung to him and hugged him anymore, no one called him “master” incessantly, and no one always looked at him with such warm and burning eyes.
He had to fill his daily life with busy official duties, trying to leave himself no time to think about other things.
But one day, he began to have frequent nightmares.
In his dream, there were flames of war, drums of battle, rivers of blood, and mountains of corpses. He looked around blankly, calling out his little disciple’s name, and suddenly turned around to find a face he was most familiar with buried in the sea of blood.
Every time he woke up from a dream, he felt like he had died. After waking up, he was glad that it was just a nightmare but also worried that the dream would become reality one day.
He even felt regretful countless times. He should not have let his little disciple go to Suixi. Even if it would arouse Emperor Guangxi’s suspicion and disrupt his plans, he should have strived to let his little disciple go to a safer fiefdom.
Xiao Shen, who was thousands of miles away, seemed to sense the panic and regret in his master’s heart day after day, and only good news was sent to Shengjing every time.
He wrote a letter to his master every month, even when the war was at its most intense. The letter recorded every detail of his life in Suixi, except for the war, with vivid descriptions and details, making the reader feel as if he were there.
The youth who once rolled around in Shen Qingzhuo’s arms seemed to have grown up overnight. He only reported good news and not bad news, happiness and not sorrow. However, his unconcealable longing for Shen Qingzhuo still leaks between the lines.
Shen Qingzhuo closed his eyes and tried hard to suppress the fear and anxiety surging in his heart.
Xiao Dezi opened his mouth in astonishment: “Young, Young Master…”
“I’m sorry, I lost my temper.” Shen Qingzhuo opened his eyelids again, his tone tired. “It’s not your fault, I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you.”
“It’s, it’s fine…” Xiao Dezi lowered his head in panic. “I’m sorry, Young Master, I have strong limbs but a simple mind…”
“Continue grinding the ink.” Shen Qingzhuo concentrated and held his breath. “I want to write a letter to Pei Yanqi and ask them to prepare to return to the capital.”
Two years ago, he found ways to release Junior Preceptor Pei from prison and joined King Jin in fighting against Xirong, thus making amends for his crime.
He himself could not accompany his little disciple to Suixi, but the place was unfamiliar to him, and it was the first time for his little disciple to leave home. If there was no one who could help him, the road ahead would become more difficult.
Fortunately, Junior Preceptor Pei did not disappoint his expectations and became the military strategist of the Fuxi Army and King Jin’s right-hand man.
Now that the news has reached Emperor Guangxi’s ears, at least his little disciple is safe for now, and he must be allowed to return to Shengjing as soon as possible to recuperate.
***
At the end of the 28th year of Guangxi, a great victory was won in the Battle of Suiling River. Xirong asked for peace, Suixi was pacified, and King Jin, who had been away from the capital for two years, returned to the court.
However, because King Jin was seriously injured, he had to return to Shengjing ahead of time, escorted by dozens of elite cavalrymen, while the main force followed behind.
The day before King Jin returned to the capital, Shen Qingzhuo did not sleep all night.
He wore a cloak and stood at the desk copying scriptures for the whole night, until the sun rose at Maoshi15-7am, and then he wearily put on his clothes and rested for a moment.
He wished he could see his little disciple as soon as possible, but he couldn’t.
When Prince Jin returned to the capital, the first person he had to see was Emperor Guangxi, the second was the Empress Dowager, and there might be other people too. He had to control himself.
It was not until sunset that news came from Changle Palace that King Jin had returned to the palace to rest.
Without saying a word, Shen Qingzhuo didn’t even have time to put on the fox fur coat, lifted his skirt, and ran towards Changle Palace.
Xiao Dezi followed behind him and called out, “Young Master! Young Master, please put on the fox fur coat first! Young Master, the air is strong!”
There was a sound of cold wind blowing in his ears, cutting his tender face like a knife, but he could not feel any pain at all. There was only one thought in his heart: he wanted to see his youth right now!
At this time, Changle Palace was in a hustle and bustle because the master had returned. Shen Qingzhuo stopped at the door of the palace, holding his waist and gasping for breath to calm down.
His health was really getting worse. After running for a while, his breathing was so rapid that he seemed to be dying, and his throat was dry and sore.
“Young Master!” The eunuch guarding the gate had sharp eyes. He stepped forward and saluted when he saw him. “Are you here to see His Highness?”
Shen Qing thought for a moment and nodded, “How is His Highness?”
The eunuch hesitated for a moment, then answered truthfully: “His Highness’s face was pale, and he was carried in by people.”
Shen Qingzhuo raised his hand, “I understand.”
“Please come in, Young Master!” The eunuch stepped aside to make way for him. “His Highness must have been looking forward to your arrival!”
Shen Qingzhuo took another deep breath, stepped over the threshold, and slowly walked towards the inner hall.
Just now he wanted to fly over in a flash, but when he really got there, he became inexplicably hesitant.
More than two years had passed. Perhaps it was because he was homesick, or perhaps it was because he was afraid to see his little disciple seriously injured, his steps became heavier and slower, and finally he stopped.
The door to the inner hall was slightly open, and low voices could be heard from inside. Shen Qingzhuo’s heartbeat was deafening, and he couldn’t tell who was who for a moment.
“Young Master!” The young eunuch waiting at the door spotted him and immediately shouted, “Young Master is here!”
In Changle Palace, the title of “Young Master” always represents only one person.
The hall suddenly fell silent. The next moment, a strange voice with a deep and magnetic voice rang out: “Master?”
The author has something to say:
After two (one) years (chapter), Xiao Qi has grown up and is back!
