Chapter Twenty-eight, A Good Omen

“Since this is considered the first year I am in Jin, and everyone has usually worked hard, I prepared some small toys for everyone, add some good omens.”

Xiao Zuo took out pouches he prepared some time already, and handed one to everyone in the room. Other than Zi Wan and De Qing staying, it was late from the looks of it, so he urged the others to return to their own homes. On the day of the new year, one must always stay up with family.

“This is for you guys.” Xiao Zuo took out the final two, inside were wrapped silver ingots when celebrating the new year in Nan Liang, with the surface still stamped with the previous emperor’s reigning title.

“Your Majesty……” Zi Wan looked at those few silver ingots with reddened eyes, and shook her hand while receiving it, and unbearably started quietly sobbing first, “Your Majesty…… next year……” She paused, then said, “It will get better in the next year.”

“Silly girl, the new year is a joyous occasion, what are you crying for.” De Qing happily put the pouch into his bag, Zi Wan nodded her head in agreement, and lifted her hand and used her sleeves to wipe away the tears. She stopped crying and smiled, “It’s this servant’s fault, there isn’t anything to be crying about, everyone is still here, this servant is just happy.”

Xiao Zuo forcefully held the aching in his eyes, and squeezed out a smile like he was about to cry, “We haven’t eaten the dumplings, have we? Go see if the kitchen has prepared the dumplings yet, alright?”

“Aye.” Zi Wan nodded her head, and not long after, brought in a plate of dumplings, and placed it on the table with a smile, “The chef said the inside has two good omens as is custom, if one eats the dumpling with a good omen, then the next year would be smooth sailing and peaceful.”

As Zi Wan said this, she lightly touched Xiao Zuo’s elbow, and said, “Choose first, Duke.”

“Mm.” Xiao Zuo randomly took three from the side, then placed it in his bowl, “You guys choose too.”

When Xiao Zuo finished eating one, he saw Zi Wan and De Qing not have any reaction, and could not help but smile, “No good omens at all?”

“There are still two left.” Zi Wan picked another one up and said, “This one just might have it.”

Xiao Zuo ate a lot during dinner, and was full at this time too. He simply placed his chopsticks down, and lifted his eyes and waited for her. Seeing her finish eating the remaining two, it was still normal white cabbage and pork filling, not even mixed with a single salted vegetable, he then blinked and joked, “Looks like next year, De Qing’s going to strike it rich.”

“Duke must be joking, this old servant does not have it either.” De Qing drooped his eyes and shook his head. Xiao Zuo froze, then Zi Wan took the chance to make a commotion, “Looks like the duke is going to hit two jackpots this year?”

Xiao Zuo smiled, and picked one dumpling and placed it into the mouth, and as expected, bit into a hard piece, a copper coin the chef put in. He also ate the last one as well, and was was a copper coin again.

“It really is! Congratulations, Duke, great fortunes at the start of the year, the next year must have two joyous things coming!” Zi Wan looked to be even happier than if she herself ate the copper coin, and her face was filled with smiles.

“Then, we’ll hope you’re right.”

Xiao Zuo’s features were shrouded in the warm-yellow candlelight, gentle like water about to melt into the silver river.

Tonight, the reception hall’s candles were lit brightly, and the outside had continuous and unceasing thousands of stars and flowing colours. The hazy and lonely night moon seemed to burn up for this annual human realm bustle, and held up the tens of thousands of households into the surge of heat made from their blessings.

No matter how many disasters and hardships there were in the past year, hope was eternally in the front, like the Morning Star[1] that did not change since the ancient times- even if the long nights were slow, daybreak would always come.

Zi Wan got up and cleaned up the plates and chopsticks, Xiao Zuo fiddled with the pan of charcoal for a while, poured some hot water into a cup, then sat back to the couch on the side, covered with a blanket, and watched the night while roasting by the fire along with Zi Wan and De Qing.

“Duke.” The page knocked on the door, and poked his head in, “The crown prince residence has sent some items.”

“Quickly send it in.” Xiao Zuo lifted the blanket up, then put on his shoes and walked to the side of the door. It was a familiar face often seen in the crown prince residence, that small servant boy was holding up a box, and when he saw him, he bowed, and very respectfully said, “Duke, his Highness especially instructed this servant to deliver it to the duke’s hands.”

“You’ve worked hard.” Xiao Zuo gave that small servant boy a pouch, the small servant boy went away very thankfully, then he brought the box into the hall, and carefully opened it.

The inside was a red paper, written with a character for fortune, with the handwriting vigorous and sharp. Xiao Zuo looked at that word, and could imagine that sharp-featured profile of He Xuan tightly pursing his lips when using that top-rate rabbit hair brush of his to dip it in ink. Xiao Zuo could not help but smile, and immediately felt the heart was very snug, and immediately had the servants prepare some glue, and was going to stick that character outside his own bedchambers.

As though it gave Xiao Zuo a kind of meaning of [He Xuan] protecting him secretly.

The next day was the first day of the new year, Xiao Zuo did not have any relatives in Jin, nor did he have any colleagues or friends he needed to maintain friendships with, so compared to He Xuan who was so busy his feet did not touch the ground, he directly openly made up for the sleep missed from last night, and slept all the way until the sun was high.

“Has the duke woken up?” Zi Wan knew Xiao Zuo definitely cannot get up today, and long prepared some weak porridge and a plate of sugar cakes and sauced gourds, then placed them into a food box and went inside.

Xiao Zuo sleepily leaned on the cushion, Zi Wan placed a small table in front of him, and he sat on the bed, and yawned while waiting for Zi Wan to place the porridge.

“I heard a bustle at the door in the morning, has something happened?”

Zi Wan considerately placed a towel by his collar, and could not help but laugh, “It was the runners from Shang An’jing’s government office passing by. I heard that late last night, Liu residence’s third young lord suddenly had an emergency, the Liu residence restricted the flower lady[2] from the Shi Huagrow flowers Mansion and did not let her leave, this servant hears the outside say……”

Zi Wan secretively lowered her voice, so Xiao Zuo glanced at her in doubt, and Zi Wan then lightly coughed, like she thought it was embarrassing. Once the words got the side of the mouth, she hummed and hawed and did not say it clearly, “They say that Liu’s third lord, that……”

Xiao Zuo did not wake up fully yet, so at this time, he did not understand the meaning in Zi Wan’s words, and asked in ignorance, “What?”

“Aiya.” Zi Wan stamped her feet. Seeing Xiao Zuo really did not understand, she then bit down, and said, “They say that perhaps that Liu’s third lord’s got winds in the horses[3]!”

Xiao Zuo had porridge in his mouth, so when he heard these words, that mouthful of porridge got stuck in the throat unable to go up or down, making him choke. Zi Wan aiya aiya’d while helping him get it down, while her mouth still could not help but mutter, faintly seeping with an air of finding fortune in the misery, “This servant saw that Liu’s third lord normally was accustomed with staying in the piles of powder, to think there would be a day he would flip the ship in shallow waters, what a great joke, really, bad people have their own bad people to torment!”

Though it was said Zi Wan did not know the things about him afterwards, however, that day, after being bullied by Liu Wen Yao in Western Lake, she did not forget- now that she heard this Liu Wen Yao had this kind of thing happen to him, it could only be said to be a great joy to the human heart.

Xiao Zuo also could not help but curve his eyes and smile, he grabbed the spoon and scooped up a mouthful of porridge, and absentmindedly put it by the mouth to blow on it, and imagined the look of He Xuan listening to this news, would he be like him?

Of course he would not.

When Yin Xing relayed this news to He Xuan, He Xuan was just at the door receiving a bunch of relatives and court officials who rushed here to make New Years greetings. In any case, he wearily dealt with them until they left, then turned around and used the hands wearing leather gloves to blow the face that got stiffened by the wind, and expressionlessly headed inside the room.

“Your Highness, that prostitute from the Shi Hua Mansion has already made their move accordingly.”

He Xuan paused in his steps, his gaze turned dark, and roughly pulled the gloves off, “That mongrel got off lightly, to keep his life intact.”

After finishing, He Xuan randomly tossed the gloves to the study table on the side, like a general undefeated in a hundred battles, without any heart of seeking credit, and extremely calmly bent over the table and continued scheming the next battle in war.

❀

“Your Highness.” Li Fu Hai knocked on the door, “The palace has sent people from the imperial kitchen.”

Each year on the first month’s fifth or sixth day, after the ritual for ancestors and the banquet, the busiest time was considered over. Afterwards, would be He Heng granting meals for each of the imperial relatives, usually a bowl of preserved meat porridge, because the emperor who started the country that year loved eating preserved meat porridge the most. This traditional was continued as is to signify the eternity of the country’s blessings, and the country at peace.

He Xuan did not like the preserved meat porridge the palace’s imperial kitchen made, it would always have a strange taste of pickled vegetables. When he was young, the previous empress would personally make it for him, but after that, he no longer ate a bowl of preserved meat porridge that suited his tastes.

“Ig know.” He Xuan put the brush down with disinterest, he originally only loosely draped on an outer robe, but to receive a messenger from the palace like this was a bit impolite, so he changed into a slightly more respectful long robe, tied the waistband, then walked out.

“You’ve worked hard.” He Xuan took the food box the messenger held up, and used a red pouch to hold some silvers for him. Once that messenger got the silvers, he nodded his head and bent his waist and happily gave his thanks, then returned to the palace.

Just as he was going to open the box, he heard a servant boy come over to report, “Your Highness, the duke has come.”

He Xuan paused, and through half the courtyard, he saw Xiao Zuo wrapped in a cloak paired with a white furry collar. His cheeks turned red from the wind, and every time he spoke, a cloud of white would come out, dispersing in the winter’s clear skies, “Your Highness.”

“Perfect timing.” He Xuan smiled and opened the box, “Do you like eating preserved meat porridge?”

“Yes.” Xiao Zuo narrowed his eyes, and made a small run over to take a look. He Xuan called for a servant to get another small porcelain bowl, and scooped a few spoons for him, “The imperial kitchen made it, eat it while it’s hot.”

Xiao Zuo accepted it and took the spoon, then blew on it and had one bite.

“How is it?”

“Mm.” Xiao Zuo slightly knitted his eyebrows, like he was searching for some genteel explanation, and before he could think of it, He Xuan laughed, and took it and tasted it, “Doesn’t it have a strange taste of pickled vegetables?”

Xiao Zuo froze, his eyes stuck onto the spoon He Xuan was holding, and for a moment, like he was deceiving himself, thought maybe He Xuan forgot, and in another moment, could not help but have some strange thoughts even he himself could not explain clearly. He actually could not tell just what kind of feeling he had towards He Xuan, and only felt the brain turned into a complete mess, he futilely firmly grasped onto a thread in panic, yet no matter what, could not understand it.

“En?”

He Xuan saw him go blank, so he asked again. Xiao Zuo then came to, he actually forgot what He Xuan said just now, and only lowered his head and did not know how to answer.

“Isn’t there a strange taste of pickled vegetables?” He Xuan sat down, and scooped another spoon to eat, and nodded his head like he confirmed it, “Ig feel like there certainly is a strange taste.”

“Yes.” Xiao Zuo also nodded his head, “The way they took care of the preserved meat was not right, so there would be a bit of this taste. In the past when the palace……” Xiao Zuo accidentally let it slip, he lifted his head and glanced at He Xuan’s expression, and seeing him lift his chin to signal him to continue on, he then said, “Made it, there would also be this strange taste, I wasn’t willing to eat it, but Quee…. I’m not sure where my mother found the recipe, but she had the imperial kitchen change it, and then it was much better. At that time I was curious, and even especially asked for the recipe.”

“Oh?” He Xuan spoke up with interest, “How about you tell megu, then Ig instruct the kitchen to make one according to your recipe?”

“Alright.”