Chapter Seven, Starvation

He Xuan sat to the side coldly looking at the two play a scene of a good father and filial son, felt he was very superfluous, and stiffly drank the tea the maid brought up in one whole gulp.

That tea was the sweet tea He Heng liked drinking- He Yang’s tastes followed his, and also liked sweet tea, but He Xuan instead liked the cool bitterness of tea, and seemed like he was going against the tides [of history]. After finishing the sweet tea in one gulp, He Xuan felt like his mouth was filled with a sweet, scent of debauchery. He knitted his eyebrows and swallowed the tea whole, and came with the thought of wanting to immediately leave.

“Xuan’er, it is not Father making things big from small matters, but that Nan Liang’s literature-leaning airs fill to the brim, with talent coming out every generation. Jin typically leans towards military, so civil officials appear with a bit more with difficult circumstances[1]. Father let you watch Xiao Zuo, for one, is to make it convenient to control [him], and secondly, is to also let those Nan Liang’s civil officials see, and pave the way in the future. Do not let down myzhen great pains.”

He Xuan glanced at He Yang lowering his head to drink tea, then nodded his head, “This son will do his all.”

“I hear that two days ago, Brother went to the Ministry of Penalty?” He Yang fixed his sleeves, and caught up to He Xuan’s side with a few steps, “And even went to the alleyway in the east of the city?”

He Xuan pursed his lips, and sneered, “Fourth Brother is so remarkable, nothing can be hidden from Fourth Brother’s eyes.”

“Putting down the three big alleyways, just to go to that corner in the east, when has Brother’s tastes change so deplorably?”

“None of your business.”

“Aye, you and I are as close as relatives, if Big Brother likes it, Fourth Brother here will gather some here for Brother, wouldn’t that be great?”

With a blink of an eye, the two already walked to the entrance of the palace. He Xuan stopped in his steps, and was still of that look of being unfazed, “No need for Fourth Brother to do this. Ig still have some matters, and will first take my leave.”

As he said this, he stepped into the carriage, and when he turned back, he saw He Yang folding his arms standing at the palace doors, smiling very smugly, unsure what kind of big present Father planned on giving this precious son of his. He Xuan immediately broiled with fire, and kicked the door plank in an irritated manner, then called out, “To the Nan Hun ducal residence.”

❀

Ever since Xiao Zuo returned to the residence, he rejected the appetizing porridge Qing Xing said that the kitchen had especially made for him, and held in the waves of grumbles of the stomach. He laid on the embroidered couch in the bedchambers, and felt he was so hungry his head got dizzy and could see stars. He licked his cracked lips, and could not help but think of the time Mother made a cured meat porridge that was so fragrant to the nose, it made people’s appetites grow.

Just hold it a bit more, a few more days, and then he can reunite with Mother.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince.” Just as he swallowed down his saliva, he heard Qing Xing at the door greeting. Xiao Zuo hazily thought he had misheard, and once he carefully heard movement, and struggled when coming up from the couch. Who knew that because of not eating for a long time, the legs would go soft, and just he propped up to sit, the hands lost strength, and he fell back down. After struggling like this for a while, He Xuan already entered the bedchambers, and coldly stared at him, with the entire body covered with a dark feeling like rains coming down on the mountains.

“Xiao Zuo?” He Xuan walked to the front of the couch in a few steps, and grabbed at his emaciated face, with his eyes brewing with a boiling anger.

“Ow……” He Xuan’s grip was very strong. Xiao Zuo thought his face must be bruised now- growing up from young, who did not prop him up with respect. Normally, the maids who would wash his face for him would be all soft, afraid of hurting his thin skin and tender flesh, and at this time, when being seized by He Xuan this fiercely, Xiao Zuo slightly lifted his eyes up to look at him with some slight grievance, lowly calling out.

He. Xuan stared at that that smear of red at the corner of his eyes, perhaps it really was painful, so He Xuan knitted his eyebrows and let go, and squeezed out a few words from the gaps of his teeth, “How long has [he] not eaten?”

“I……”

“I didn’t ask you.” He Xuan summoned the trembling Qing Xing who was standing at the door, “How long as the Nan Hun Duke not eaten?”

Qing Xing opened her mouth, and looked at Xiao Zuo while trembling. He Xuan saw that hesitant look from her, got irritated, and took up a teacup from the table and smashed it at the floor. Afterwards, as though he hadn’t dispersed his temper yet, used a leg to kick over the entire tea table, and the broken fragments of porcelain and tea spilled all over the floor. He Xuan completely did not mind it and stepped on the pool of water, and asked again, “Are your ears deaf? Do you want megu to treat it for you?”

“Mercy, your Highness, mercy.” Qing Xing then was like she was startled awake from a dream, and knelt on the ground in a panic. The few fragments of porcelain pierced into her knees, and they faintly seeped out with a bit of blood, but, like she did not feel it at all, she kowtowed her head while answering with a tremble, “About a few days, the duke would always say he did not have an appetite, this servant did not have any other way either……”

He Xuan sneered, “Get out, close the door.”

The crown prince might be pampered and spoiled and did things his own way, and typically did not care for others’ situations, but he also knew that when scolding someone, one must take care of others’ faces. He first removed all the servants, then slowly strolled back to the front of the couch, and looked at Xiao Zuo who had his head down, and got so angry he instead laughed.

“The Nan Hun Duke has such bravery. This life of one wearing dragon robes, tossed as easily as the words come.” As he spoke, he took out a small porcelain jar from the sleeves, and said, “But a method of dying like starvation, not even the daughters of big families that do not even take one step out the doors would use it in my country of Jin. Ig cannot see the duke’s resolve like this.”

“Ig have here rat [poison] Ig just got from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. One pill is enough to be lethal, Duke, why don’t you try? It would be much more effective than starvation.”

Xiao Zuo originally hung his eyes down and did not make a noise, but at this time, provoked by He Xuan, he felt that his cheeks on both sides were burned into a complete red, unknown if it was out of embarrassment or anger. He stiffened his neck and grabbed the jar in his hands, then said hoarsely, “Then I really must thank your Highness for the concern.”

“Go ahead.” He Xuan did not follow up with his words, and folded his arms and narrowed his eyes, then lightly said by his ears, “Nan Liang’s soldiers who died in battle are all waiting for your Majesty underground.”

Xiao Zuo’s heart shook abruptly. He widened his eyes and looked towards He Xuan, and met with the corners of his mouth curling up full of cynicism. Those faces full of bloodstains in his dreams, at this time, had wide-open mouths, and floated in the air like giant skeletons, wailing and scraping with gusts of cold wind.

He was so cold in the bedchambers that was as warm as spring that he shivered, and the hands uncontrollably trembled. He grabbed the porcelain bottle in a panic, and poured out a bright red medicinal pill out from inside, so bright it was like the colour of blood.

He Xuan coldly watched him as he shook while holding one pill, then slowly place it in the mouth, close his eyes like a ritual, then prostrated on the ground, making a prayer pose, lowly muttering something, when suddenly, the door was slammed open by someone from the outside. A young woman in pink clothes staggered and rushed to Xiao Zuo’s side, and clutched up his sleeves while crying, “Your Majesty! Your Majesty, your servant has come back! Your servant has come back!”

Zi Wan’s face still had some bruises, but the hair was no longer messy, and was probably taken care of not too badly.

Xiao Zuo looked at her in shock, and did not come to after a while, and shook his hand while touching her cheeks, and was in disbelief, “Zi Wan?” “It’s me, this servant has been well.” Zi Wan used her sleeves to wipe her eyes, and glanced at the scattered pills on the floor and the porcelain bottle in Xiao Zuo’s hands.

She opened her mouth, and turned her head back to look at He Xuan who did not have much expression, “His Maj… what happened with the duke?”

Xiao Zuo then came to, and felt the channels in his entire body already started hurting. He knitted his brows tightly, and inside, the remorse and anguish all intermingled. He lifted his head up and met with the reddened corners of Zi Wan’s eyes, not knowing what he should say to pass it over, but was also worried if Zi Wan would commit suicide when the poison diffused and he died, truly, he was at a loss at what to do.

He Xuan looked from the side for a long time, and admired that dishevelled expression of his once, then leisurely walked over, revealing a composed smile with a bit of interest, “Duke, no need to worry, just now, what Ig gave the duke was merely an energy-balancing pill for daily consumption, how could Ig casually carry rat poison?”

“Your Highness!”

“Duke!”

Xiao Zuo and Zi Wan fiercely spoke up at the same time, and just as he spoke, Xiao Zuo was aware he was the unreasonable one, and did not dare to meet eyes with Zi Wan. He only awkwardly coughed lightly, and stiffly changed the topic, “You’ve been inconvenienced these few days, from now on, you will be in my residence, rest up for a few days.”

Zi Wan wiped her tears, and spoke, “Duke, we must thank his Highness the Crown Prince. When he took this servant out from the alleyway, he used quite some effort, and even brought this servant to the residence.” As she said this, she turned her head to give He Xuan a big bow, “There is nothing I can repay for your Highness’ great favours with. As this life has already been given to the duke, I will repay this kindness in my next life[2] to your Highness.”

He Xuan lifted his eyebrow up, “Take a gander at this, you’re quite clever, yet your master is instead like a saw-mouthed hawthorn.”

When Xiao Zuo heard this, his face turned red. He originally long sat upon the high seat- he was able to reward and punish people for certain matters, but giving gratitude, he could not do. He knew that Zi Wan being able to come out completely relied on He Xuan’s aid, only, his face in the end could not be put down, turned bashful inside for a while, then bent down and bowed.

“We were fortunate to have your Highness’ assistance this time. In the future if your Highness has anything you need from me, I will do my utmost to help.”

“Hm.” He Xuan nodded his head, and nonchalantly accepted it. Like he suddenly thought of something, he took out a jade pendant from his sleeves, and put it in front of Xiao Zuo, “Is this yours?”

It was that jade pendant that Xiao Zuo gave the procuress.

Zi Wan turned to look at He Xuan, lightly stepped towards the side, then pushed the doors and went out.

Xiao Zuo absentmindedly looked at that jade pendant, and the past once again inappropriately surged up.

That was at his tenth birthday, the present that Queen Mother gave him. He remembered at that time, Mother smiled as she hung that jade pendant on his waist and stroked his still immature cheeks, while Father to the side looked at him with a pampered look, and said while smiling.

“Li Nu is born good-looking, this jade sets him off.”

Just what did Mother say then.

“This child Li Nu, has been pampered from young, and has never seen any waves. I do hope that he will be like this jade in the future, even if he meets with any trouble, he could be a bit more firm, and temper oneself as one does a jade……”

“What are you crying for?”

Xiao Zuo slightly came to from the reminiscence, and saw He Xuan knit his eyebrows, with his gaze with a bit of unclear intent, while his thumb slightly crudely wiped away the single tear falling from the corner of his eye.

Xiao Zuo sniffled, and under the guidance of his feelings, actually spat out his true feelings to this crown prince of an enemy country he only saw a few times. But if a person normally stuffed themselves with concerns for too long and accumulated it by the layer, by the end, if not going crazy from being unable to bear the heavy burden, they would easily, like the doing of ghosts and gods, find a passerby and start talking without being able to stop themselves.

“That is, the birthday present my Queen Mother gave me.”

He Xuan seemed to not anticipate that Xiao Zuo would say these things to him. He seldom froze for an instant, then lowered his eyes. Those eyes did not have the typical irritation and ruthlessness it normally had, only a deep, black, sunken patch, like the deep seas that accepted everything, taking in all of Xiao Zuo’s feelings without separating it from good or bad.

“My Queen Mother wanted me to be able to be like this jade in the future……” Halfway through speaking, Xiao Zuo abruptly stopped. He seemed to have come to, and took back his own tumbling feelings with an abrupt stop. He paused and slightly dejectedly said, “Why would you listen to me say these, it was I who was rash.”

Before He Xuan could say anything, Xiao Zuo once again wearily smiled at him on his own, “I won’t end myself anymore, your Highness, please go back.”

“You……” He Xuan only felt like this Xiao Zuo in front of him who once again returned to that distant and restrained look was very sore to the eyes. He did not know what kind of anger was boiling around, but his temper was typically not good. This person in front of him was not He Yang either, so he had no need to hold it in and yield, and thus frankly let his anger go on, and pulled Xiao Zuo’s hand. Xiao Zuo did not immediately realize it, and added with how he did not eat or drink for consecutive days, he was originally very weak, and was actually brought into his arms immediately.

He Xuan’s eyes and words all carried a hint of cold like crumbs of ice, and yet his pair of hands were very hot, so scorching like it was going to make a hole in Xiao Zuo’s arm.

“You think Ig care for this life of yours?” He Xuan’s hands slid over Xiao Zuo’s waist that couldn’t even bear a single grab, and revelled in the gathered chaos and helplessness in Xiao Zuo’s eyes. He very easily pushed Xiao Zuo to the wall at his back, and the hot air breathed out seemed like the searing magma in hell, “The next time you want to die, don’t stain Jin’s soils.”