It took him a month to get there. But two months when he came back, and the time needed was doubled.
Although they had hastened on with their journey, Wen Chan was very comfortable along the way. He rode a horse when he wanted to, and he took a carriage when he wanted to. He could also stop at any place or scenery he liked.
Liang Yanbei was not in a hurry at all. He agreed to everything Wen Chan asked. Even if he didn’t ask, he could keenly make them out and would make proper arrangements for them.
Liang Shuhong was also not in a hurry to report back. In addition, he rarely travelled far. So he was happy to play along too.
Qiao Yanci was the only person who was uncomfortable. Since she was rejected by Liang Yanbei with an unclear attitude that night, she became extremely awkward with Liang Yanbei.
Although she didn’t give up, she didn’t have the courage to move forward for the time being.
In early October, the group finally returned to the capital at a leisurely pace.
In May, the capital was still the same as it was in their memory, and there were no changes. It was just that when they left, it was spring and flowers were blooming, and when they returned, they brought a gust of cold air with them, and the whole capital entered late autumn.
Wen Chan was going to go back to the palace, while Liang Yanbei was going to go back to the Liang family. When they parted, Liang Yanbei looked at Wen Chan with a profound look, as if he wanted to say something but was hesitating.
Even Liang Shuhong noticed that something was wrong, “Tangdi, what’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.” Liang Yanbei said, “After today’s separation, I don’t know when I will be able to see you again. I hope Your Ninth Royal Highness takes care of himself.”
Liang Yanbei was not even a court councillor, and he was not allowed to enter the palace at will. If he wanted to see Wen Chan, he would have to wait for him to come out of the palace by himself.
However, the emperor must be feeling quite angry because Wen Chan had sneaked out of the palace for a few months, and he will be punished. It was still unknown how he would deal with him. But what was certain was that he would not be given freedom in the short term.
Thinking of this, Liang Yanbei felt very reluctant.
However, Wen Chan did not show any reluctance to leave and nodded calmly to Liang Yanbei, “Thank you, you too.”
This little heartless guy.
After saying goodbye to everyone, Wen Chan went back to the palace. Seeing that it was getting late, he quietly went back to his bedroom, thinking of asking for forgiveness from the emperor the next morning.
Liang Yanbei, who had already prepared himself for the thought that he would not be able to see Wen Chan for a long time, did not expect to see him again the next morning after just one night.
He was invited to the palace first thing in the morning to debrief.
There was heavy frost and dew in the late autumn morning, and the cold air was pressing. Liang Yanbei wore a thicker black gown with red sleeves and walked to the emperor’s meeting hall in the cold wind.
From a distance, he saw two people kneeling at the stone steps of the meeting hall, one in front and one behind, with their backs straight.
The air was filled with a white mist. So Liang Yanbei had to squint his eyes slightly, and his heart skipped a beat before he could even see the person clearly.
After walking in, he saw the familiar silhouette.
Hearing the footsteps, Wen Chan temporarily ignored his aching knees and turned his head to take a look. His dark eyes were dimly lit, and Liang Yanbei’s handsome figure was clearly reflected.
His expression was as plain as ever. And his eyes only stayed for a moment before he lowered them again, maintained his composure, and kneeled down obediently.
He requested to see the emperor this morning but was refused. So he kneeled in front of the hall on his own initiative.
Wen Chan knew that the emperor would not punish him severely. After all, he had a special status, and he would at most give some small punishments as a mere formality.
The emperor dealt with matters decisively and was clear about punishments. But this was not the case with Wen Chan. The reason for this started more than a decade ago.
It was said that Wen Chan’s Concubine Mother died as soon as he was born. He was frail and sickly when he was young. Once he was seriously ill, they encountered a natural disaster like “drought in the east and flooding in the south”. Everyone speculated that the ninth prince was the reincarnation of a Daoist immortal. If the ninth prince died this time, countless people in Xi Liang would also die and be buried with him.
Oddly enough, little Wen Chan’s illness dragged on for several months, and the disaster situation also did not improve at all.
Due to public opinion, the emperor, who was not fond of Wen Chan, reluctantly released an imperial notice seeking medical treatment and offering a fortune.
Just two days after the imperial notice was released, an old monk entered the palace to meet him. He didn’t talk much nonsense and directly proposed to see the ninth prince. So the emperor sent someone to carry over the dying Wen Chan.
The old monk said, “This child is plagued by many diseases. His fate is tied to Xi Liang only because of his name. If his name is changed, it will ease his bond with Xi Liang.”
After that, he waved his hand and wrote the word ”Chan1dhyana (Sanskrit) / meditation (Buddhism)“. This was the origin of Wen Chan’s name. When the old monk left, he also took away Wen Chan’s younger brother by blood and specifically told him not to crown Wen Chan, otherwise he would follow in the tracks of an overturned cart2follow a path that led to failure in the past / to repeat a disastrous mistake.
Since that day, Wen Chan’s illness has actually really gradually improved, and the natural disasters in Xi Liang have also stopped. The emperor was grateful to the old monk and allocated funds to repair all the temples in the capital. And in each temple, there was the word “Chan”.
Wen Chan could live a calm and stable life in the palace. And like a crown prince, he had a palace to himself too. Even though he had no maternal family to rely on, he was free and at ease. No matter what mistakes he made, the emperor always gave him a light punishment. It was all thanks to the blessings of the old monk.
Wen Chan, whose life was tied to Xi Liang, had a special existence in the palace.
Sneaking out of the palace was a serious crime for anyone. But for Wen Chan, maybe if he just kneeled down, the matter would be over.
But no one else knew this.
Liang Yanbei stood there and watched for a while, then suddenly walked forward and stopped beside Wen Chan. Without saying anything, he took off his outer robe and easily put it on Wen Chan.
Wen Chan didn’t expect him to do this suddenly. He was startled and raised his hand to take it off, “What are you doing?”
Liang Yanbei held it down gently and whispered, “The cold dew is heavy in the morning. So you should wear thicker clothes and be careful not to catch a cold.”
Wen Chan didn’t want to be linked together with Liang Yanbei, “I’m dressed thick enough. I don’t need yours.”
He held Wen Chan’s wrist, and because he was close, his beautiful eyes looked straight at him, and there seemed to be indescribable emotions hidden in them.
Liang Yanbei said, “Put it on well.”
For some reason, Wen Chan suddenly couldn’t say no. Because Liang Yanbei seemed more determined than him.
After saying that, Liang Yanbei stood up, and before leaving, he didn’t forget to gently pinch Wen Chan’s cheek. His hands were very warm, and it left a throbbing sensation on Wen Chan’s cold face.
Liang Yanbei didn’t stay in the meeting hall for long, and when he came out, he brought the emperor’s personal steward, Li.
Chief Steward Li came running over and bent down to help Wen Chan up, “Aiyo, Your Ninth Royal Highness, how could your precious body bear this? Wouldn’t His Majesty be distressed if he sees you? Get up quickly!”
Ah Fu was delighted and lent an arm to support him.
When Wen Chan got up, he glanced at Liang Yanbei and saw that he was smiling. He knew that he had said something in front of the emperor. So he sighed and said, “It’s nothing. I came here to apologise.”
He didn’t expect Liang Yanbei to be so hot-headed and was afraid that the emperor would implicate Liang Yanbei, who had just made a contribution, and ignore him.
“Don’t say that, His Majesty invites you in.” Chief Steward Li said with a smile.
After kneeling for a while, Wen Chan’s knees were hurting badly. He smiled and was about to answer, but heard Liang Yanbei say, “Chief Steward Li, has His Majesty been in good health during the months I have been away from the capital?”
No one expected that he would suddenly care about the emperor’s health. Chief Steward Li was taken aback and then said, “His Majesty is in good health. Except for a few days of cold during the season change a few days ago, everything is fine.”
“Oh — —” Liang Yanbei looked worried, “The cold snap during the season change does need more attention. I was away from the capital for a few months, and I was very anxious about His Majesty’s holy body. On the way back, I passed by a city. There was a mountain full of wild ginseng next to the city. People in the city lived by selling ginseng.”
“It is said that this kind of wild ginseng has much more spiritual influence3of the mountain than ordinary ginseng. It can strengthen the body and cure minor diseases after more than ten years. It can also cure dubious or hard-to-treat diseases even more than fifty years after it has begun. It can cleanse the essence, cut the marrow4Well, it can also mean to ‘become a better person from inside out’. and regenerate a bone after more than a hundred years.”
“I just happened to get a fifty-year-old root. I’ll send it to His Majesty some other day as a token of my appreciation.” Liang Yanbei said.
He saw him lying with his eyes open and didn’t bat an eyelid. He felt it to be inexplicably funny. How could there be any wild ginseng? It was obvious that he was just talking nonsense with Chief Steward Li to buy some time.
Sure enough, Chief Steward Li was really stunned. When he heard that Liang Yanbei wanted to give the ginseng, he showed a look of understanding on his face.
He had been by the emperor’s side for decades and had long been used to seeing officials sending things to the emperor through his hands in various ways. So he was well accustomed to it and said, “Young Master Liang is really thoughtful. I will convey your intentions to His Majesty honestly.”
“Thank you, Chief Steward Li.” Liang Yanbei responded and turned his gaze to Wen Chan, “His Ninth Royal Highness looks weak. So I will send one to His Royal Highness another day.”
“Many thanks to you, Young Master Liang.” Wen Chan did not say no this time and accepted it generously.
“In that case, this servant will retire first.” Liang Yanbei bowed to Wen Chan, bid farewell to Chief Steward Li, and then turned to leave.
After watching Liang Yanbei walk away, Chief Steward Li reminded Wen Chan again.
After Liang Yanbei’s delay, Wen Chan’s leg didn’t hurt as much anymore. As soon as he walked, the robe on him slipped down. And when he hurriedly supported it, he remembered that Liang Yanbei’s robe hadn’t been returned to him.
There was warmth and Liang Yanbei’s smell on the robe, and it encircled Wen Chan, making him feel extremely warm.
I’ll return it next time we meet. He thought.
After entering the council hall, although it was not as cold as outside, it was still a bit freezing. Late autumn was an awkward time of year. If you burn the heater, you will feel hot. But if you don’t burn it, the empty hall will be filled with cold air.
Wen Chan took off his outer robe and walked into the inner hall. When he saw the emperor reviewing memorials on the desk, he knelt down and saluted, “Your son greets you, Emperor Father.”
As soon as the emperor saw him, he felt quite a headache. He felt that the one in front of him was not his son but rather a god living in their midst who had to be worshipped every day.
“Get up.” The emperor’s calm voice came, “Have you encountered anything interesting in the past few months you have been away?”
Wen Chan thought that there was no need to hide these little things in front of his father, so he said honestly, “It was really much more interesting than in the palace.”
The emperor remained silent, thinking to himself for a while, and then said, “Old Nine, ah, you neither want to study nor want to practice martial arts, and there is no one in the palace to accompany you too. So it is really and truly boring for you. Why don’t I find an imperial concubine for you? It would be better than you living alone.”
Wen Chan was simply a little horrified by such sudden thoughtfulness and hurriedly said, “Emperor Father, this humble one has no intention of looking for an imperial concubine.”
“You are not young anymore. It’s time to start a family.” The emperor said, “After you have an imperial concubine, I will bestow on you the title of a prince and grant you a residence in the capital. It’s better than being alone in the palace.”
Not young anymore? He was only sixteen! In his previous life also, he had taken an imperial concubine at the age of 27. How come it should be eleven years earlier in this life?
“The crown prince has not taken an imperial concubine yet, and how dare I cross the line?” Wen Chan pulled the crown prince out to block the arrow.
Unexpectedly, the emperor said, “Yes, then how about I also give him an imperial concubine? Then two happy events can come, one after the other.”
When Wen Chan heard that he had dragged the prince into the water5to involve sb in a messy business / to get sb into trouble too, he knelt down in panic, “This humble son is not worthy of the Emperor Father’s gift.”
The emperor seemed to expect that he would refuse, and then said, “Since you don’t want to take an imperial concubine and start a family, then I will send you to the Ningxing Academy6academy of classical learning (Tang Dynasty – Qing Dynasty) in the capital to study. Are you willing to?”
Wen Chan knew as soon as he heard it that he had to make a choice between the two. He chose the lesser of the two evils and decisively chose the latter.
He hurriedly said, “Thank you, Emperor Father. I will definitely turn over a new leaf7to reform and start afresh and study hard.”
Translator’s corner
Our third volume has started.
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