Chapter 14: Fasting (Part 1)

In the afternoon, Zhao Cheng bathed and changed into a plain-colored robe, then moved into the Taoist temple. He planned to fast for three days to pray for the Emperor's well-being. As people often say, "If you don't want others to forget you, don't forget them." To ensure the Emperor still remembered him, a son living hundreds of miles away, he needed to find a way to stay in the Emperor's mind. Perhaps the Emperor would be pleased and allow him to return to the capital; he certainly didn't want to spend his entire life in the countryside.

Although the temple had been cleaned, it felt unusually cold and lacked the warmth of human presence. In the hall, Zhao Cheng placed three plates of pastries and three plates of fruit on the offering table, lit two thick red candles in front of the statue of Zhenwu, and received the incense from Jianxi, who had lit it on the candles. He "devoutly" knelt on the prayer mat, bowed twice, and inserted the incense into the incense burner in front of the offering table, completing the ritual. The task of replacing the incense and candles was left to the two young eunuchs who had come with him.

The abbot's living quarters were in the east hall. The temple was not large, and the "hall" was just a suite of rooms. The outer room was where Qingyun received guests and read books, while the inner room was for sleeping. Now, it had become Zhao Cheng's temporary residence. A painting of Laozi riding a cow out of the pass hung on the wall, and a soft mat was laid on the floor, resembling a Japanese tatami. A long, low table was set with writing materials, and an incense burner filled with sandalwood emitted a faint, refreshing aroma, invigorating the spirit.

"Are these things all used by Qingyun, that old guy?" Zhao Cheng took off his shoes and sat on the soft mat, leaning back lazily. Two fire basins were lit with high-quality silver charcoal, which produced no smoke and kept the room warm.

"Second Master, yes!" Jianxi, who was boiling water on the low table, poured a cup of tea for Zhao Cheng and said, "Qingyun was so scared that he ran away without even taking his clothes!"

"Even without any silver?"

"Damn, I searched for a long time but didn't find a single copper coin. I guess he took it all," Jianxi couldn't help but curse, but quickly realized his mistake. He looked up at the prince's teasing smile and quickly explained, "Second Master, I really didn't hide anything this time. He really took all the silver!"

"Alright, you look scared. I was just saying it casually. He only worked in the mansion to earn a living and make elixirs. We didn't give him much money anyway!" Zhao Cheng kicked Jianxi with his foot and said.

"Second Master, you scared me so much!" Jianxi let out a long breath. Since Zhao Cheng had exposed his embezzlement, he had been afraid of being held accountable. His current position was hard-won, and he didn't want to go back to sweeping floors and emptying chamber pots.

"Hehe, I quite like it when you curse. It makes you look more like a man!" Zhao Cheng tickled Jianxi's armpit with his foot and said.

"Second Master, don't make fun of me!" Jianxi's face turned gloomy. He had entered the palace as a child and had no testicles, so he was most afraid of people mentioning this.

"Jianxi, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" Zhao Cheng regretted his words. He knew he had spoken out of turn, which was like mocking a dwarf for being short.

Jianxi was taken aback. As a servant, his job was to please his master. Even if the master mocked him, no one would apologize to him. "Second Master," his eyes welled up, and he, who was usually quick-witted, didn't know what to say. In his heart, he was happy, as it showed that the prince regarded him as a person, not just a dispensable servant.

"Jianxi, how should we write the congratulatory letter to Father Emperor?" Zhao Cheng sat up straight, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"Second Master, you're making it hard for me. I don't even know a basket full of characters, how can I write a congratulatory letter!" Jianxi put on a face as if his father had died.

"What can we do? I can't write it, and you can't either!" Zhao Cheng tapped the low table with his finger and said softly, "That scholar should know how to write it, but he ran away. We can't just find anyone to write it, as that would show disrespect to Father Emperor!" He was truly at a loss. Writing a congratulatory letter in classical Chinese was harder for him than doing squats. Of course, he wouldn't hang himself just because he couldn't write it, but he racked his brain, trying to remember if he had learned this in school, from elementary to university. He realized he had never learned it, and there was nothing to copy from memory.

Jianxi quietly refilled the prince's water and stepped back. If he hadn't seen the prince's fingers moving, he would have thought the prince was already asleep. He had seen Huang Jingchen think in the same way, but he didn't understand why a child would have such a serious demeanor.

"I've got it!" Zhao Cheng suddenly sat up and said, "Jianxi, prepare the writing materials, Second Master is going to start writing the congratulatory letter!" Hearing the prince's order, Jianxi quickly summoned a young eunuch to fetch the materials from the storeroom. The paper used for writing to the Emperor was specially made, and Qingyun didn't have any.

It was already pitch dark, and more than ten lanterns had been lit in the courtyard. Jianxi blew on his hands and rubbed his ears. The prince had been writing the congratulatory letter all afternoon and hadn't eaten dinner. He wasn't allowed to disturb him, so he couldn't go far, and he had to endure the cold!

"Jianxi, come in!" The prince's voice finally came from inside. Jianxi quickly picked up the food box and entered the room.

"Finally finished. Writing this is more tiring than doing squats!" Zhao Cheng stood up, stretched, and complained.

"Your Highness, you must be tired and hungry!" Jianxi quickly added more charcoal to the nearly extinguished fire basin, removed the lampshade, and replaced the candle.

"Seal the congratulatory letter and send it off early tomorrow morning!" Zhao Cheng opened the food box, took a piece of pastry, and took a bite.

"Yes, Your Highness, wash your hands first!" Jianxi put the finished letter in a small box, melted a piece of sealing wax in the fire basin, and stamped it while the prince was eating.

"Clean or not, eating won't make you sick. I'm starving!" Zhao Cheng stuffed the pastry into his mouth and washed his hands in the water basin.

While Zhao Cheng was washing his hands, Jianxi had already cleaned the low table and arranged the dishes from the food box. "Second Master, aren't we fasting? Why are there fish and meat?" He pointed to the dishes on the table.

"Second Master, the chef who came with us is quite skilled. He learned vegetarian cooking at Xiangguo Temple. This is fake steamed lamb, three fresh flavors chicken, soft-shelled turtle, and fake roasted duck, sliced mutton, and pan-fried fake soft-shelled turtle. The main dish is three fresh flavors noodles, and there are a few small pastries. They sound like meat, but they're all vegetarian!" Jianxi listed the dishes one by one.

"Never mind, whether it's meat or vegetables, let's eat first!" Zhao Cheng picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. "Jianxi, you haven't eaten either, right?" He suddenly noticed Jianxi swallowing hard.

"Second Master, I'll eat after serving you!" Jianxi smiled.

"Sit down and eat with me. There's too much food for me to finish alone!" Zhao Cheng pointed to the spot next to him.

"Second Master, I'm a servant, how can I eat with you? You eat first, I'm not hungry!" Jianxi said nervously.

"Nonsense, there's no one else here. You've been busy all day and must be hungry!" Zhao Cheng pulled Jianxi down and gave him a pair of chopsticks.

"Master!" Jianxi called out, suddenly kneeling down, tears streaming down his face.

"Jianxi, what are you doing? Get up quickly!" Zhao Cheng was startled and quickly pulled him up, sitting down next to him. "Jianxi, since I left the palace, you've been the only one with me. On the day of the assassination attempt, you were terrified, but you still stood in front of me. I consider you family, my brother!"

"Second Master, do you really consider me a brother?"

"Of course, don't you consider me a brother?"

"I lost my family long ago. Second Master, if you consider me family, Jianxi..." Jianxi bowed again, his parents having died early, leaving him alone and destitute. His only uncle, greedy for money, had him castrated and sent to the palace. He had long given up on family, and Zhao Cheng's words deeply touched his long-dormant heart.

"Alright, if you keep crying, you'll flood the room, and we won't be able to eat!" Zhao Cheng wiped his tears with his sleeve and pushed a bowl of noodles towards him, teasing him.

Both of them were hungry and quickly finished the meal. Jianxi cleared the dishes and poured a cup of tea for Zhao Cheng. "Second Master, I heard two thunderclaps that day, and the assassin died. Was it really like a heavenly thunder from the gods?" Jianxi sat next to Zhao Cheng and asked, a question that had been on his mind for a long time.

"Hehe, if I had that power, it would be great. The thing that killed the assassin is something you've seen!" Zhao Cheng smiled.

"I've seen it? No!" Jianxi thought hard but couldn't remember, shaking his head in confusion.

"It's this!" Zhao Cheng took out a revolver from his robe and placed it on the low table.

"This?!" Jianxi reached out to touch it but quickly pulled back, looking scared.

"Don't be afraid. You helped me find the materials and put it together, didn't you?"

"Oh, I see why it looks familiar. So, Second Master, this is what you had me make! But how can such a small thing be so powerful?" Jianxi examined it carefully but still didn't dare to touch it, scratching his head.

"Come, try it and you'll see!" Zhao Cheng demonstrated how to hold the gun, handed it to Jianxi, helped him pull back the hammer, and pointed the muzzle at the bronze incense burner under the painting, gesturing for him to pull the trigger.

A loud "bang" echoed in the room, and a cloud of smoke rose. Jianxi closed his eyes in fright, his hand shook, and the gun fell to the floor with a "clunk." After a while, he opened his eyes. "Go and see!" Zhao Cheng laughed and pointed to the fallen incense burner. Jianxi walked over, picked it up, and saw a thumb-sized hole through it.

"Amazing, human bones aren't as hard as this!" Jianxi shook the incense burner and stuck out his tongue.

"Jianxi, this is a life-saving tool and a secret between us two. Don't tell anyone, not even Huang Dagu!" Zhao Cheng picked up the gun and said.

"Second Master, rest assured, I won't tell anyone!" Jianxi nodded vigorously, thinking that the prince trusted him so much that he would never reveal the secret, even if it cost him his life. He was curious about how the prince could think of making such a weapon, but he didn't dare to ask.

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End of Chapter 14: Fasting (Part 1)