Chapter 13

Li Kuan held Li Lizhi's small hand, gently rubbing it, hoping to give her a little warmth. Looking at her little face, which was red from the cold, Li Kuan felt a pang of guilt. During the time since he had come to this era, this little girl lying in bed was the one who had brought him all the warmth.

During this period, his brothers had all, intentionally or unintentionally, distanced themselves from him because he had offended the sons of the Crown Prince, fearing they would be implicated. Changsun suspected him because of his maturity that didn't match his age, wanting to uncover his secrets. Li Yuan might have a bit of resentment towards him because he had brought the secret rivalry between his two sons into the open, forcing him to make a decision at this time.

Only this innocent little girl treated him sincerely, respecting and relying on him as an older brother. She would snuggle in his arms, listen to his stories, talk to him, and share her simple joys. But now, this person who had given him so much warmth was lying sick in bed beside him. Li Kuan could feel her small hand trembling and her young heart beating.

At this moment, he hated himself for not thinking of her after exchanging for the quilt yesterday, for being so selfish and only thinking of his own warmth!

"Someone, quickly find the imperial physician! And go to my courtyard, bring the quilt from my bed!" Li Kuan shouted at the trembling servants and maids.

"Second Brother, don't be so loud, you're scaring Lizhi!" The little girl's voice was soft and a bit hoarse, a typical symptom of a cold. Just saying that much, she frowned slightly, her throat uncomfortable, and she coughed lightly.

Li Kuan quickly patted her back to make her more comfortable.

"It's okay, Lizhi will be fine, Second Brother promises! Second Brother will have someone find the imperial physician, and there's a treasure at Second Brother's place, very warm, and I've already sent someone to get it. Soon, Lizhi won't be cold anymore!" Li Kuan pressed his forehead against the little girl's and whispered softly.

As soon as he touched her forehead, Li Kuan felt how hot it was, his heart sinking: she had a high fever! In this era, lacking medicine, a severe cold could be fatal. He hoped the imperial physician coming soon was a good doctor; otherwise...

At this moment, he hoped history was true, at least that Li Lizhi wouldn't have an accident now. As for the future, with his golden leg, Li Kuan was very confident he could change something. He knew this little girl who was always at odds with him would later marry her cousin, Changsun Chong, who was neither scholarly nor martial. She would die young, recorded in history as dying of a lung disease.

At this moment, he hoped history was real, at least that Li Lizhi wouldn't have an accident now. As for the future, with his golden leg, Li Kuan was very confident he could change something.

The person sent to fetch the quilt returned quickly, bringing two quilts. Unlike the thin silk quilts, these cotton quilts were thick and soft. So, a servant carrying two quilts was almost completely hidden by them.

The two cotton quilts Li Kuan had exchanged for had exquisite floral prints, featuring peonies, the national flower, which were abundant in Luoyang at this time. But as the capital of the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an was a hub for many things. So, the little girl saw a large cluster of peonies floating towards her and exclaimed excitedly to Li Kuan, "Second Brother, so many peonies are flying over!"

"Really? Does Lizhi like them?" Li Kuan was very happy that his little sister liked the gift he had brought and asked with a smile.

"Lizhi likes them very much! These flowers are so beautiful, even more beautiful than the paintings in the palace!" The little girl giggled in response.

Of course, this was understandable. These prints were made using modern technology, almost indistinguishable from real peonies. Compared to the artists of this era, they were far superior. In this era, when painting people, to highlight someone, they would paint them larger and others smaller. Sometimes, to particularly highlight someone, they would paint their head as large as their body. From a modern perspective, this would look deformed and unbearable. However, because of the spirit the artists put into their work, these paintings had a unique charm and were more thought-provoking.

But these subtleties could only be appreciated by those with a high level of connoisseurship. Li Kuan, a modern man, and Li Lizhi, an innocent little girl, wouldn't understand the so-called masterpieces, so both thought the peonies on the quilt were very beautiful.

"These are the treasures Second Brother has brought for Lizhi! They will make Lizhi warm up quickly." Li Kuan took the cotton quilt from the servant's hands, wanting to cover the little girl himself.

When Li Kuan covered the silk quilt on Li Lizhi's bed with the cotton quilt, it didn't take long for Li Lizhi to feel the warmth: "Second Brother, it's so warm now, and there's a special, fresh, and comfortable scent in the quilt, just like Second Brother's scent, so fragrant and comfortable!"

Li Lizhi's words made Li Kuan feel even more guilty. He didn't know why, but after coming to this era, he had this scent, very pleasant and easily transferred to other things, lasting for a long time. He didn't expect Li Lizhi to remember it so clearly. It was from last night when he slept with it.

Because of this scent, Li Kuan had been depressed for two months. Damn, he had only heard of the Fragrant Concubine who had a natural fragrance and was studied by Emperor Qianlong. He never thought he would have it too. If he hadn't died young in history, historians might have recorded: The second son of Emperor Taizong had a natural fragrance, and all who smelled it were enchanted.

Thinking of this, Li Kuan shuddered. This was not what he wanted. Li Kuan now had a golden leg, was destined for great things, and aimed to lead the feudal Tang Dynasty to conquer the world, with the stars and the sea as his goals. How could he leave a stain on his record for such a reason? So, he hated it when others said he smelled good, but now it was Li Lizhi, who was sick, and Li Kuan couldn't be angry.

"Lizhi, how can you say Second Brother smells good? Fragrance is used to describe girls, Second Brother is a boy!" Li Kuan tried to guide the little girl, hoping she wouldn't mention this embarrassing thing again.

"Then how should boys be described?" The little girl, now warm, felt better and tilted her head out of the quilt, looking at Li Kuan with a curious expression.

"Boys should be described as smelly!" Li Kuan didn't know how to answer, so he just used the opposite word. Many women called men smelly, and although it wasn't a nice term, he preferred being called smelly to being called fragrant.

"But Second Brother isn't smelly, Second Brother is fragrant, a special boy!" Li Lizhi's eyes squinted into a line, looking like a contented little cat, incredibly cute.

"Really? But Second Brother doesn't want to be called fragrant! Lizhi saying this will make Second Brother very, very sad, just like when Lizhi's dog went missing last time!" Li Kuan remembered the last time the little girl's dog went missing, and she cried, asking him to help find it.

"Is that so!" The little girl suddenly understood: "Second Brother, don't go missing like a dog! Otherwise, Lizhi will be very, very sad, and Lizhi will cry and ask Mother to borrow Uncle's big black dog to find Second Brother by following Second Brother's fragrant scent! Don't be sad, Second Brother!" The little girl reached out and stroked Li Kuan's face, as if really comforting him.

Li Kuan was about to break down. This little girl must have a tail on her bottom! She was a little devil, an angel when she was obedient, doing everything to please him, but when she was naughty, she would be so unreasonable, causing him a lot of trouble. Her words had no logic, like this time, when Li Kuan said he was as sad as when the little girl's dog went missing. The little girl immediately imagined him missing and wanted to borrow the big black dog to find him by his fragrant scent. Wasn't this rubbing salt in his wound? And not just salt, but also cumin, and then roasting him over charcoal.

"Li Lizhi, you naughty thing, Second Brother will punish you! I will destroy you in the name of the moon!" Li Kuan reached out and tickled Li Lizhi's armpits.

The little girl's face was still flushed, but now she let out a tinkling laugh, a clear and crisp sound echoing in the small attic, like a cheerful children's song, spreading the joy between the siblings!

Outside the attic, a small pavilion was built beside a rockery, by a small pond. Changsun, wearing a fox fur coat, listened to the pure laughter and sighed deeply: "Pass the order, stop investigating Second Brother's affairs. As for the others, try to block them if possible!" He turned and walked towards the main hall, leaving a faint shadow that slowly disappeared into the depths of the mansion, illuminated by the surrounding snow.

Changsun returned to the hall, looked at the thick stack of documents on the desk, picked them up, and placed them in the brazier. The red-hot charcoal devoured the paper, gradually turning it into ashes. A look of fatigue appeared on Changsun's face: "Second Brother, why haven't you returned yet? Do you know your Guanyin maid is almost at her limit!"

Deep in the Qinling Mountains, on the ancient Jinniu Road, a group was galloping towards Chang'an. Despite the snow-covered Chang'an, the area here was still lush and green, as the Qinling Mountains blocked the cold air from the north, keeping the southern slopes warm. The trees on the mountain, though beginning to turn yellow, still retained a few green leaves.

"Wuji, how many more days until we reach Chang'an?" A handsome young man sat on a horse with white hooves and a black body, asking a refined man riding another horse.