Chapter Twenty-two, Gift

“Your Highness, the duke returned to the residence in the morning. Your Highness was not here at that time, so this servant asked Li gong’gong, and Li gong’gong allowed him to go back first.” Ling Xiang held up tea, and spoke to He Xuan. He Xuan nodded his head, “Bring me clothes, I will be going out.”

He Xuan already had dinner at the palace, and it so happened that Xu Yu Hang invited him to go to the Xin Lanpleasing orchid Alley to drink. He took the outer robe that Ling Xiang prepared, then hurriedly draped it on and went out.

The Xin Lan Alley was in an alley at the corner behind the imperial college in the inner main street, once it went to nighttime, it was the most bustling and flourishing place.

Now that it was winter, the skies darkened quickly, so it was already lit with lanterns all around. The bright and dim candles swayed to and fro prettily, while gorgeous and beautiful colours congested the entire alleyway. The sounds of laughter and urges to drink were unceasing, then, with soft musical sounds, dancing accompanying the instruments, the corners of the hall burning with pastille, winding with white fog, the entirety of it all was like a scene of a deity’s palace or a paradise.

Once He Xuan came down from the carriage at the alleyway entrance, a few small servants naturally recognized him, and led him into a compartment inside.

The main reception outside was all used to receive typical guests, performing some normal dances, things to help bring the mood, and those serving were also those small girls who just came, while those who had tablets hung did not reveal their faces in the reception. He Xuan familiarly went up to the second floor of the inner area, and even heard an ensemble of zithers and lutes from the door.

Xu Yu Hang was dressed in a blue robe, with two ladies sitting to the left and right pouring wine, wearing hanging horse hairstyles[1]. The one on the left had gold flower petals stuck on the forehead, and hung down her eyes while holding a nut and sending it into Xu Yu Hang’s mouth. Xu Yu Hang used his mouth to grab it and swallow it down, then the one on the right seemed to be currying favour, and picked up the cup of wine and placed it to the side of his mouth. Xu Yu Hang let out a great big laughter and drank all the wine, then lifted his head up to look at He Xuan who came in through the door.

“Why so excited today?” He Xuan sat by his side, and soon, a green-clothed lady came in- she wore a gold pearl bracelet on her hand that would ring and tinkle when walking, bearing an unique kind of amour.

“Your Highness had not come for such a long time.”The green-clothed lady curved her shallow autumn water-like eyes, and crooked her pinky and poured He Xuan a cup of wine, then pointed to the lady to Xu Yu Hang’s left and laughed, “Hua Nongflower concentrate has been missing you very much.”

They were all people who crawled and rolled in the place of debauchery, once that Hua Nong heard, she flirtatiously gave her a hit, then said merrily, “Sister Ou Chulotus root firstshouldn’t pin it on this one, the one doesn’t even have the time to yearn for Lord Xu every day, clearly, it is Sister Ou Chu who misses [him] very much, and yet you just had to say it was this one.”

Ou Chu also laughed. Seeing He Xuan take the wine, she said, “The new musician Han Gong Yue plays great, shall this one have them play?”

He Xuan casually agreed to it, then turned to ask Xu Yu Hang, “Hasn’t the old man arranged a marriage for you? When are you getting married?”

“Aye, why must you mention that when I have this beauty in my embrace?” Xu Yu Hang swayed his hand, “After marrying, I can no longer come here, aren’t I having fun while I can?”

He Xuan drank a mouthful of wine, “What? Worried that that one at home would manage you?”

“The one being married off is Minister Li’s daughter. You also know, those from the Pine Wind Faction are concerned about reputation the most, if I were to come out here to play around again, I will definitely get beaten to death by the old man. Now that you mention it, you are not that much younger than me either, is there anything coming for marriage?” Xu Yu Hang spoke halfway through, then, like he thought of something, he stopped and sighed “Aye, my bad, my bad, I forgot about that master above for a moment……”

He Xuan seemed like he did not care and laughed, then changed the topic, “Yesterday Xiao Zuo came to my residence, I had him feed me wine, and yet he even got mad, saying I took him as a catamite……” He Xuan sneered, “Is he not a catamite, could it be that he even thought I was deeply in love with him, and loved him so much that I would seek death?”

Xu Yu Hang sneered, and narrowed his eyes and said to Hua Nong, “Come, feed me some wine.” Hua Nong nodded her head, then held in a mouth full of wine in her mouth, then got close to the side of Xu Yu Hang’s lips, “Do you feel that I am bullying you?”

“How could you say this, don’t tease this one. To be able to serve the duke is this one’s fortune.” Hua Nong weighed the jar of wine, “There is no more wine, this one will go out and get another.”

“Aye, they are of a noble status after all, being a bit unreasonable is a must.” Xu Yu Hang swayed the remaining half cup of wine, “I hear that you haven’t even gone to Sir Song’s lately? Then again, when your Highness the Crown Prince yearns inside, the entire capital probably cannot find a person more gentle and faithful as you.”

He Xuan raised his eyebrows, “What? Am I more fiendish looking normally?”

“Hoh, with just that bad temper of yours, Ou Chu you say something too……”

Ou Chu was peeling fruit peel, she patted the crumbs from her hands, then smiled, “Please don’t take this one for entertainment, you two, this one does not dare say.”

“But one cannot be certain, it might be that he likes it a lot inside, but is playing hard to get[2] on the surface.”

He Xuan froze, his thoughts wrapped around that pair of reddened eyes of Xiao Zuo’s, and his heart suddenly rose with a sliver of impatience. He irritatedly pushed away Ou Chu beside him bending over to pour wine, and hummed a bit in neither agreement nor denial.

This night, Xu Yu Hang drank many jars of wine. When he went out the doors, he was not steadily walking, and tottered and leaned on He Xuan’s body. He Xuan was disgusted with his air of alcohol, and had a few servant boys lift him up the carriage, and instructed the driver to go more steadily, then returned to the residence.

Over on the other side, Xiao Zuo already returned to the residence. Once he had dinner, he then pulled De Qing and Zi Wan into the bedchambers.

“You guys go busy in other places, it will be enough with Zi Wan here.” Xiao Zuo sent off the maids by the door, closed the windows on all four sides of the bedchamber tight, then sat down, and asked quietly, “Is the imperial jade seal still there?”

“Yes.” De Qing nodded his head, his brow ridge slightly wrinkled, hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, “Has the duke considered it carefully?”

After the dynasty of Xing fell, the country was split in four, with the north being the country of Jin, the south Nan Liang and Nan Shu, and another country of Lu to the east. Among them, Jin had military might, their commerce was flourishing, and was the wealthiest and strongest of them. Ever since Emperor Guang De’s[3] time, Jin had sent troops to fight the south. They first ruined Nan Shu and Nan Liang, and since then, only Lu to the east was left on their last breath. Lu’s current emperor was an ignorant youth, thus left up to the empress dowager to listen in on governmental affairs through a hanging curtain. The aristocratic families, in the ineffective leadership, controlled the courts, while the commoners poured out endless grievances, and was already an arrow at the end of its flight.

The imperial jade seal that Xiao Zuo spoke of, was the national heirloom of the previous dynasty of Xing.

That year when Xing was perished by the wandering nomadic tribes in the north, in the final generation, the emperor escaped in a panic with the imperial jade seal, thus, the whereabouts of the imperial seal were unknown, and instead found its way into Nan Liang’s forefather’s hands. After the country fell, the Jin army had left Xiao Zuo some face, and did not flip through the small box of jewels he brought along with him. He mixed the imperial jade seal within it, so it was never noticed.

There was a proverb that goes, that which separates for long will gather, that which gathers for long will separate. Now that three-fourths of the country were set, it was only missing one step, and could return to one. Jin typically worships martial arts, and was slightly lacking in literature, so if one were to use Xing’s heirloom imperial jade seal as a decree, there would be more of a destiny of accepting Heaven’s fate, the popular sentiment would move toward it, and could be taken with one’s hands down.

Xiao Zuo hung his eyes, and fell to the right hand on the knee that slightly formed into a fist. He went silent for a while, then opened his mouth, “Now that Nan Liang is in this state, I cannot sit and not care for it. But right now, I am jailed, unable to fend even myself, I truthfully have no other way. If this imperial jade seal can allow his Highness to remember my good side, he might look upon this and help us, I……” Xiao Zuo paused, he lifted his head, and looked outside through the closed flowery windows, while the lifted neck was slender and frail, like a newborn crane, “Nan Liang might be saved from damage.”

“Duke.” De Qing’s expression was all gloomy, “In the final year of Xing, they had already lost popularity, this imperial jade seal of Xing…… his Highness might not look up to it.”

“I know.” Xiao Zuo pursed his lips, “But that year, the founding father of Xing received an oracle from a higher being. One who receives the imperial jade seal can decree the country. That pitiful emperor merely lost the imperial jade seal, and then the country fell soon, no?”

“Jin is unlike Nan Liang, this oracle……” De Qing sighed. At this time, he could not think of a better way, and could only treat a dead horse as one did a living one, and try it for now, “Duke, don’t fault this old servant for being straight, it’s enough for the duke to just try, do not be too hurried about this matter.”

Xiao Zuo nodded his head, he took back his gaze, and beckoned Zi Wan over, “Bring some water here, it is time to rest.”

Zi Wan then got up, except, she did not move immediately, and slightly worriedly looked at him. Xiao Zuo knew what she was thinking and sighed, saying, “It is of no matter, I…… I know deep inside.”

“Yes.” Zi Wan then fixed her dress, and went out the door.

❀

On the next day, Xiao Zuo had Zi Wan wrap the imperial jade seal, placed it in a bamboo-weaved food box with the top placed with a layer of cakes that He Xuan liked eating, and then went to the crown prince residence.

He Xuan was having breakfast, and when he heard someone report that Xiao Zuo came, the hand holding up the chopsticks paused, then he lowered his eyes and lightly laughed- this fellow Xu Yu Hang was unreliable in other things, but this time, he was right, he probably really was playing hard to get.

He was originally not a passionate person, there was a limit to his patience. If this was in the past, after a few days, it would exhaust all his patience, but this time, Xiao Zuo was considered an exception. He Xuan picked up a piece of salted tofu and placed it in the bowl, and, like he had intentions to ignore Xiao Zuo, continued eating unhurriedly, while the servant reporting only stood to one side in a tremble and lowered his head in wait.

Once He Xuan finished eating porridge, he took up a handkerchief and wiped his mouth, and like he just noticed that person, he then nonchalantly waved his hand at him, “Have him come in.”

Xiao Zuo waited futilely outside for a long while, trembling in fear inside, and felt like the box of food in his arms got hot along with it.

“Duke, his Highness has let you come in.”

Xiao Zuo shuttered up, and slightly took a breath of relief, then followed behind the servant in imitation, and entered the inner courtyard.

He Xuan leaned against a chair, while a maid to the side was handing a cup of tea to him. When he heard the sound of footsteps, he lifted his eyes to look at Xiao Zuo, and slightly revealed a slight smile, “Why have you come now? Did you eat yet?”

“Yes.” Xiao Zuo nodded his head, He Xuan looked to be in a good mood, and waved his hand at him, “What are doing standing there, sit over here.”

He Xuan lifted his chin towards a seat to the side, then Xiao Zuo carried the food box over. Today, he was wearing a crescent moon-white wool-lined jacket, wrapped with a fox cloak outside- the inside of the room was flourishing with burning charcoal, making his face bloom with peach blossoms, while the inside of his eyes melted with dew, like a plum blossom growing in the icy snow. He Xuan’s expression slightly moved, he was still hesitantly holding onto the chess piece inside, yet the body already made the move for him, and he reached out and lightly stroked over Xiao Zuo’s fair cheeks, “Why are you this cold?”

Xiao Zuo slightly froze, but smiled shortly. He saw that He Xuan did not sulk because of the matter a few days ago, and immediately relaxed inside, and even strangely rubbed on He Xuan’s warm palm, obedient like a cat laying on a wool rug in the winter, “It was cold outside just now, it’s fine now that I am inside.”

He Xuan narrowed his eyes, then took back his hand in a proper manner, yet inside, he was still savouring the silky sensation that was like white jade beneath the hands, and absentmindedly answered, “To think they didn’t even come notify after seeing Li Nu arrive, what utmost indolence. Next time, Ig will properly teach a lesson to these dawdlers.”

As though he did not know that the person who clearly ignored Xiao Zuo was him at all, he spoke with a strong sense of righteousness. Xiao Zuo did not find it good to go along with his words, and only barely responded, and diverged the topic.

He Xuan put the teacup to one side, then got up to prepare to go to the study. His gaze swept by the food box in Xiao Zuo’s that did not leave him, and like it was a whim, he asked, “What is that in Li Nu’s hands?”