Chapter Twenty-five, Wind Chill

“If you like it, that’s enough.” He Xuan drank it slowly, with still more than half left in the cup. Normally, he was accustomed to drinking strong liquor, this Beauty’s Smile in his mouth was weak as water, and yet, he was not in a hurry to drink it, and said, “In a few days, a theatre group from the south is going to enter the capital, Ig have kept a seat for you.”

“Really? Thank you, your Highness!” Xiao Zuo lifted his head to look at him while the bottom of his eyes was rippling with smiles.

“En, I will go and watch with you.” He Xuan saw him drink a good few cups yet still wanted to drink, then knitted his eyebrows and took the jar of wine, and stopped him, “Still drinking? Be careful of getting drunk.”

“Is it not fruit wine? How could I be drunk?” Xiao Zuo at this time was already all drowsy, half-opening his eyelids while softly pushing He Xuan’s hand, and muttered, “Let me drink one more cup.”

“What fruit wine? This wine’s aftereffects are strong.” He Xuan laughed, and patted away the hand he reached out with, “Ig see that you are already very drunk.”

“No, I’m not drunk.” Xiao Zuo was struggling to snatch the jar of wine, but who knew that once he got up, he would uncontrollably fall to the side, and when He Xuan caught him, he could even smell the alcohol all on him. He Xuan froze briefly, and had a feeling like the two were already drunk.

“Your Highness.” Xiao Zuo slightly disobediently shook his head as though he wanted to struggle out from He Xuan’s arms, but that bit of strength seemed much more like it had a flirtatious intent.

He Xuan was originally not some gentleman either, and naturally would not feel any burden for something like taking advantage of a fire to rob or taking advantage of people while they were down. He followed along his own heart and lowered his head and covered over Xiao Zuo’s bright red lips, the surface was still left with some clear and sweet taste of alcohol, carrying a mellow fragrance, drawing in people to go deeper in.

He Xuan slightly used strength to suck, like he was to savour the fragrance of the wine even deeper in, making Xiao Zuo knit his eyebrows in pain, but right now, he had no power to resist whatsoever- besides, with the hint of alcohol surging up at this time, Xiao Zuo dizzily felt like he tasted something sweet, and hazily extended his tongue out and licked He Xuan, and quickly had his position reversed with He Xuan, hooking his tongue and exploring inwards.

Only when Xiao Zuo got smothered by this long one kiss so much he was panting heavily, He Xuan then finally slowly pecked the corner of his lips, and wiped away the sliver of saliva that flowed down with his hands, then carried him up. He Xuan reached out and undid the curtains on the bed, then narrowed his eyes like he wanted to savour the taste again, and lightly asked by Xiao Zuo’s ears in an attempt to lull him, “Why don’t you stay for the night?”

“Mm.” Xiao Zuo mumbled a bit, the struggle just before made the originally wide and loose inner robe on his body get pulled even more loose, revealing the front chest as smooth as mutton fat from being raised in a comfortable life. He Xuan spread the blanket on the bed, placed him on it, then the fingers nimbly removed the tie on the waist. After being drunk, Xiao Zuo turned even more sensitive, and just as He Xuan’s hands reached in, Xiao Zuo shook his entire body from the stimulation, and grabbed his hand.

“What?” He Xuan buried his head into the dip of his neck, and maliciously blew a breath at his ear, “Ticklish?”

Xiao Zuo trembled a bit, and subconsciously nodded his head, “En, ticklish……”

He Xuan lowly laughed, and kissed his earlobe like he was pacifying him, while the right hand neither lightly nor heavily kneaded his waist, “It won’t be ticklish once you get used to it.”

As he said this, he maliciously increased the strength on the hand, and also removed his underpants. Once Xiao Zuo made contact with some slightly cold air, he closed his legs like he got startled, yet his hands climbed up to He Xuan’s neck in search of a source of heat, and his head lightly rubbed by his ear.

He Xuan lowered his head to look at him, there was a damp rippling light inside Xiao Zuo’s eyes, while the corners of his eyes seemed like it was swimming with red carps. He was quite drunk, and at this time, he ignorantly knitted his eyebrows as a flush red colour emitted from his cheeks, slightly gasping along with He Xuan’s hand movements- a conflicting purity and seduction intermingled on his body, like an innocent cherry blossom waiting to be plucked.

“If you don’t respond, Ig will take it as you silently accepting it.” He Xuan lightly smiled, and lowered his head to hold in Xiao Zuo’s mellow earlobes, biting it with varying strength from time to time, the motions from the hand did not stop either, circled around Xiao Zuo’s barren thighs, and satisfactorily heard Xiao Zuo let out a hurried gasp. He Xuan was afraid Xiao Zuo would go cold, so he pulled a thin blanket from the side and covered it over him, then bent his body to block his lips, while the right hand pulled open a hidden compartment at the top of the bed to find a balm.

“Your Highness, your Highness!”

The door suddenly resounded with an ear-piercing knocking sound, it was Li Fu Hai’s voice.

“Your Highness, your Highness, the palace bears news.”

He Xuan’s movements froze, and took up a porcelain pillow from the bed and smashed it towards the door. If the one standing by the door was not Li Fu Hai, it would not be as easy as tossing a porcelain pillow to the door.

“Your Highness?” Xiao Zuo lightly pulled at the thin tie on his waist, “Is that Li gong’gong’s voice?”

He Xuan knitted his eyebrows, and forcefully held in the urge to take a sword and cut someone, pursed his lips, then suppressed his anger, “En, there is a matter at the palace, Ig need to go for a trip.”

“Go then, your Highness, I am also a bit sleepy.” The drunken Xiao Zuo was particularly easy to coax. He softly smiled, while the corners of the eyes were still smeared with a thin red, evoking the image of a rain-falling cherry-apple tree.

“En, get to sleep early.” He Xuan hung his eyes down, and reached out and familiarly twiddled with Xiao Zuo’s earlobe, then got down from the bed.

“What’s the urgent matter?” He Xuan draped on an outer robe then opened the door, while his voice still carried a grumpiness not yet dispersed.

Li Fu Hai bowed his body, and carefully spoke, “They say his Majesty has gotten a wind chill, his Fourth Highness went into the palace just now to accompany him in his sickness.”

The news came from xiao’Fu’zi who followed the main eunuch, Sun De Lu in the palace. He Xuan made a tone, then leaned on the doorframe and slightly took a breath. Shang An’jing’s winter nights had cold winds that seeped into the bones, it was quiet all around, with only the rustling sounds of the few old trees when the frosty winds blew by the courtyard, sometimes startling the magpies, opening up the faint moonlight over the ground.

“This year after winter came, Father had been sick many times, the wind chills have also been intermittent, never getting better all this time.” He Xuan’s profile was hidden in the darkness while the hanging candlelight on the corridor was dim, barely illuminating his tall and lifted nose bridge, like it cut open a morning and evening on his face.

“Yes, his Majesty has aged, after all.” Li Fu Hai followed up.

“These days, I have been flipping through some medical books, however, there hasn’t been any discoveries yet.” He Xuan paused, “Old Fourth’s residence is raising a bunch of skilled people from the common realm.”

“The Fourth Highness……”

“Prepare the horse, we’ll be entering the palace.” He Xuan did not listen to Li Fu Hai finish, and he silently turned around, then walked along the pitch-black corridor.

❀

“Zi Wan…… Zi Wan…… help me pour a cup of water.” Xiao Zuo drank a lot of wine just before, so in the middle of the night, he felt like his throat was very dry. He knitted his eyebrows and called out a few times, and after not getting a response, he then opened his eyes and prepared to pour it himself.

But just as he lifted the blankets off, he instead discovered that he was not in the bedchambers in the ducal residence. He immediately paused for a moment, then in a trance, recalled that he had consumed wine with He Xuan in the crown prince residence before, and accidentally got drunk. Right now, he only had an inner robe on, so when he sat up, he felt a bit cold.

He put on shoes and went down the bed to pour himself tea, but who knew that the water in winter time would go cold that quick- before sleeping, the water in the pot was still hot, but now, it was completely cold. Xiao Zuo poured half a cup of water down the stomach, and was so cold he trembled, and completely woke up.

The outside of the window seemed to be falling with rain, when hearing the pitter pattering sounds of rain, Xiao Zuo lost his sleepiness, and he randomly put on an overcoat, then walked to the side of the window, and opened half the window.

The cold winds blew slivers of rain over Xiao Zuo’s profile, and he reached out to catch a few drops. The winter’s rain would always be shrill, cold, and gloomy like this, so he could not help but feel sad along with the scenery here.

Xiao Zuo recalled in the part in the palace during winter, the charcoal in the room would always burn very vigorously, Nan Liang’s winters were not as cold as Jin’s too, the winds would always be fine, and when strolling in the flower garden in the palace on a clear day, with the warm sun shining over, it would make people comfortably narrow their eyes.

And then, he recalled Mother again, and recalled all the old things that made people yearn. At this time, the entire room was tranquil, only the sounds of wind brushed by the ears, and made that bit of yearning of his incomparably distinct, to the point he could even recall the pattern of flowers embroidered on the bedchambers’ hanging drapes.

In the end, Xiao Zuo closed the window, then lightly bore back into the blankets. He curled himself up into a small little ball and closed his eyes while listening to the slivers of rain knocking on the window, sound by sound, burying the many grudges into last night’s dreams.

Xiao Zuo got up early on the next day. He did not want to bother the maid, so he only had her get water, while he dressed himself and washed his face, then went out to plan on bidding farewell.

“His Highness stayed in the palace last night. Last time, his Highness had instructed to have the duke come and go to the study to get the Spring couplet, please go after having breakfast, Duke.” Ling Xiang brought breakfast into the room, smiled at Xiao Zuo, and placed it on the table then spoke to him.

“I understand.” Xiao Zuo nodded his head. Breakfast was a few small dishes, spring rolls, and a bowl of porridge, so Xiao Zuo finished it in a few bites, then went to the study to take the Spring couplet.

“Duke.” The outside of the study stood with a small servant boy. Once he saw Xiao Zuo come, he very obediently made way, and said, “Has the duke come to take the Spring couplet?”

“Yes.”

“It is right on the table, this servant will bring the duke in.”

“Aye……” Ling Xiang called to that small servant boy, “The duke knows where it is, there are few matters in the backyard, come with me first.”

That small servant boy responded, then Xiao Zuo nodded his head at him as comfort, then pushed the door open and went in by himself.

That Spring couplet was placed at an eye-catching place on the left side of the table, wrapped up with a silk string with a beautiful tie. Xiao Zuo was about to take it and leave, but just so happen to take a glance at a book placed on the table, he could not help his curiosity, and took a peek.

It was a medical book, the contents recorded some nontraditional methods to cure wind chills, and when Xiao Zuo casually swept a glance, he saw that the very bottom of that page was written with an inconspicuous line of words, White EarsWhite Tremella.

❀

In the blink of an eye, it was New Years Eve. At night, the palace would hold an imperial family banquet, officials rank three or above in the capital as well as the imperial relatives were all invited to participate- they say invited, but who did not dare to come. Each year, the banquet would start from the afternoon, they would draw the curtains with an ice-skating competition, and then, there would be some celebratory and auspicious song and dance performances, everyone would eat while appreciating the song and dance, and probably rest at the ninth hour.

After the imperial family banquet disperses, everyone would return to each of their residences to have another big meal, and hold banquets according to the official rank, from sixteen to eighty-one dishes, and after having a meal, they would light and hold fireworks, and stay up for the year and eat dumplings.

The ice-skating tournament was to be enjoyed with the citizens, thus, the threshold for those who want to see the competition was relatively loosened. Competitors were mostly members of the imperial family as well as lords of aristocratic families, if one got first place, the imperial family would naturally have a prize. He Xuan was a good at this, and took the victory for many years. He especially told Xiao Zuo he must come see the competition by then, Xiao Zuo hurriedly said yes, and looked even more expectant than He Xuan.

Because it was a gathering, as a lady, it was inconvenient for Zi Wan to show her face in public, so Xiao Zuo took a small page. It was also the first time the page saw such a bustling celebration, and excitedly jumped around at the front, smiling so much one could see the teeth but not the eyes. Although Xiao Zuo was quite curious about the ice-skating competition, however, in the end, in front of servants, one must always hold an air of a master- inside, he was as happy as a bird, but on the outside, he still propped up a steady appearance, and slowly followed him.