Cry of the Midnight Jackdaw

Chapter Ninety-six,
Undercurrent

“We are going back so soon?” Xiao Zuo’s hand held a silver scissors while trimming a flower branch, when he heard, he slightly unwillingly brushed away a drop of dew on a petal, and lightly sighed.

He Xuan pushed open the window, what came into view were swaying green leaves, the morning sun blocked by the dense tree tops, only leaving a few randomly strewn smears, dripping onto the window edge, blooming into yellowy glows.

“Zi Wan and De Qing must miss you a lot.” He Xuan paused, and added, “And Mr. Yin Su too.”

Xiao Zuo pouted, ‘Mr. Yin Su must not recognize me anymore.“

The ones over at the palace side were urging rather quickly, so tomorrow, they would be setting off back to Jin. Xiao Zuo’s heart faintly echoed with a melancholy that couldn’t be waved off, since He Xuan told him, he had been sitting in front of the window, vacantly looking at the dancing trees outside the room.

“My Lord.” Tao Jin pushed open the door, “It’s time for lunch.”

“I know.” Xiao Zuo rubbed the stiff neck, “I will go in a while.”

Tao Jin glanced at him, then bit on her bottom lip, as though she had something to say. After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Zuo heard Tao Jin say, “Will my Lord be heading to Jin tomorrow?”

Xiao Zuo nodded his head. Tao Jin hung her eyes down and took out a perfume sachet from her sleeves, and stuttered, “My…… my Lord, this is a perfume sachet this servant sewed, the inside contains aromatics us in Nan Liang use often……”

Xiao Zuo slightly froze, and reached out to receive it.

“This half a year has been all thanks to my Lord and his Highness, Qing Ling now…… has gotten better, this servant has nothing much to give for gratitude, my Lord, [I] hope you won’t dislike it.”

“How could I.” Xiao Zuo’s thumb stroked over the embroidered lotus flower, “Is this embroidery of the Jin Minggold clear Pool?”

“Ye…… yes.” Tao Jin nodded her head constantly, and reddened her face, “It’s not embroidered that well, yet my Lord can recognize it.”

Xiao Zuo smiled, and his voice softened, muttering, “Jin Ming Pool’s lotus flowers…… it’s been a very long since I saw them.”

After finishing, he put away the perfume sachet, “I will bring it with me.”

The next day, the carriage already waited outside the residence, it really was time to leave now.

Xiao Zuo leaned on the corridor, and distantly watched Qing Ling’s clear rivers stretching for hundreds of miles. The winds brushing past brought a warmth, and occasionally, one could smell the fragrance of flowers mixed within, making people intoxicated.

After leaving this time, with it being so distant, who knows when he would come back.

Xiao Zuo hung his eyes down, his heart was aching so much it swelled, the feelings of separation surged up wave after wave like tidal waters, about to make him faint on the piers.

“Get on.” After He Xuan finished speaking with the steward in the residence, he came down from the steps.

On the way, Xiao Zuo was all weary, and shrunk in the seat pretending to sleep. For He Xuan, it was returning home, but to him, it probably was an eternal farewell. He Xuan did not want to bother him, and only quietly sat by his side, occasionally pouring a cup of water for him.

“The city gates are just up front.” The guard following them said on the side. He Xuan nodded his head, then turned to glance at Xiao Zuo absentmindedly holding a book, “We’re arriving soon.”

“How are Zi Wan and the rest……” Xiao Zuo played with the jade thumb rest on his hand, this was something He Xuan bought him at Qing Ling a few days ago, “Has Mr. Yin Su gotten fat……”

“You’ll know when you see them.” He Xuan lightly smiled, and reached out and pulled him into his arms. Xiao Zuo mumbled something, then found a comfortable position in his arms, then closed his eyes again.

Zi Wan and Ling Xiang long already waited for them at the entrance of the residence, once Xiao Zuo got down from the carriage, Zi Wan carried Mr. Yin Su who already fattened into a whole ball and walked forward, “Duke, you’re finally back……”

Zi Wan did not have much change to her, her face was rosy and smooth, the tied hair was pierced with a dangling ornament, swaying left and right as she walked, sprinkling a floor with bits of gold.

As she said this, Zi Wan handed Mr. Yin Su in her arms over, “Mr. Yin Su has missed Duke much so, hold it, Duke.”

Just as the words fell, Mr. Yin Su disinterestedly turned its head, and buried into Zi Wan’s arms, only exposing a meaty butt towards Xiao Zuo. Zi Wan turned speechless instantly, and grabbed Mr. Yin Su’s neck and pretended to scold it. Xiao Zuo slightly curved his eyes, “Let’s go, into the residence.”

Dinner was very luxurious, He Xuan opened a gifted wine bestowed by the emperor, making Xiao Zuo drink so much he was all tipsy, softly laid onto the chair, tilting his head napping.

“Your Highness, this servant shall……”

“Shhh……” He Xuan held up his forefinger, Zi Wan understood, then pulled Ling Xiang and retreated. He Xuan carried the drunk Xiao Zuo up, then instructed the maids to go prepare hot water along the way.

“Mm……” Xiao Zuo hazily half-opened his eyes, seeing him barren soaking in a wooden tub, he abruptly got startled awake, and the drunkenness immediately dispersed completely.

“The towel is by your hands, it’s about time, don’t soak for too long while drunk.”

He Xuan’s voice passed by the partition drawn with orchids, Xiao Zuo patted his scorching cheeks, and grabbed the towel by his hand.

“Zi Wan told me, De Qing is ill again.” Xiao Zuo loosely put on his underclothes, the dripping-wet long hair casually draped on the shoulder, wetting them, and then he slowly put on his shoes and walked beside He Xuan.

He Xuan put down the brush, and habitually took the towel and helped Xiao Zuo dry his hair, “De Qing is old now, it’s inevitable, I already found the best doctor, he will be alright.”

“En.” Xiao Zuo hung his eyes down, and reached out to wrap around He Xuan’s waist, with his voice all muffled, “Are you entering the palace tomorrow?”

“En, I won’t be back to eat lunch.”

“Oh.” Xiao Zuo went silent for a moment. His forefinger hooked onto the band tied on He Xuan’s waist and circled around it, the neck revealed [in the process] was still left with specks of red, “I want to talk to Fu Zhan Chuan tomorrow.”

He Xuan’s hand froze, his gaze moved away from his neck, yet there was not a sliver of fluctuation in his voice, “I already spoke with him, whatever you ask him, he will tell you truthfully.”

Xiao Zuo pouted, “It should be like that in the first place.”

“En, yes.” He Xuan lightly laughed, then extended his hand and pinched the back of his neck, then bent over and kissed his forehead, “Sleep early.”

❀

When He Xuan saw He Yang in the Qian Xiangheavenly, auspicious Hall, he did not recognize him at first glance.

Actually, when he was small, there was once a time he admired He Yang a lot. At that time, Empress Liu already took hold of the palace, and each time they got off from class, Empress Liu would personally bring snacks to pick up He Yang. He Xuan would distantly watch from behind the pillar, fantasizing that there would be one day that snack would also have some for him too. But as the years turned long, the naive wishes from young also went off like the rivers to the east……

Except, occasionally, he could still remember the figure of He Yang pouncing into Empress Liu’s embrace acting spoiled. Though it could be said their relationship was not that good since young, He Yang typically was much more obviously haughty, for a child soaked big in a honey jar, their arrogance would be clear on the surface, making people able to see clearly with one look.

But the gaze He Yang looked at him with just now, was seven-parts malicious, three-parts resenting, making him subconsciously knit his eyebrows, like he had been stared by a venomous snake’s icy pupils, with some unspeakable discomfort all over the body.

In the end, he had been spoiled too much, He Xuan hung his eyes down and sneered, and did not give He Yang another look, and lifted his legs and walked into the hall.

“Come come come, Xuan’er, sit here.” He Heng waved towards him, and signalled he sit to his right. When Empress Liu saw him come in, her expression stiffened for an instant, then quickly propped up an unbreakable fake smile, “Your Father here has been missing you everyday, you’re finally back.”

“Thank you, Father.”

He Heng brushed his beard, and reached out to pat He Xuan’s back, “The assignment this time, is done very well, as expected of Father’s good son.”

He Xuan’s expression did not change, “It is merely this son’s duties, Father has overpraised.”

“Not bad, not bad.” He Heng nodded his head continuously, then lifted his chin at a maid behind, “Come, pour wine for the crown prince.”

During the feast, He Heng casually asked some trifling matters in Nan Liang, He Xuan answered them all, then Empress Liu would sometimes interject with a few words, He Yang instead was acting to the contrary, always burying his head in eating and drinking, not making a single sound.

“The Nan Hun Duke……” He Xuan’s hand picking up a dish paused, and controlled his emotions. He Heng seemingly unintentionally glanced at him, and said, “It’s heard that the Nan Hun Duke was kidnapped by the rebellion to the south, and got saved by you?”

“Precisely, this time is thanks to Xiao Zuo as well, that Nan Liang was able to recover in such brief time.” He Xuan picked some good things to say, “Not to worry, Father, it’s all under this son’s eyes, Nan Liang has been pacified now, and cannot create any splashes.”

“En, the matter of the ministers submitting a memorial a few days ago, you must know about it by now.”

He Xuan nodded, then He Heng spoke again, “It is not like what they are saying is illogical, the revolt of Nan Liang this time, might be because the monarch is still present, to leave him any more……”

Before He Heng finished his words, he picked up a cup of wine and sipped it, then asked with some profounder meaning, “What does Xuan’er think?”

He Xuan long already predicted there would be this question, so he restrained his expression and hung his head down, then respectfully bowed, saying in a low voice, “The heavens have a virtue of sparing [animal] lives, ever since Father has ascended, [you] have broadly carried out a benevolent governance, the rebellion party has already been pacified, wouldn’t leaving Xiao Zuo make it clear of my country’s graces, of Father’s benevolence? Furthermore, Father’s fiftieth birthday is soon to come, it is not suitable to see blood.”

“Xuan’er is correct, since it is like this, we will leave this matter for another time.” He Heng seemed to only casually mention it, then turned his head and changed the topic, “It is about the age for Xuan’er to take in a wife too, old Fourth already has an engagement, so you, as the older brother, must not lag behind too.”

“Your Majesty is right.” Empress Liu was on the side grabbing dishes for He Heng, and smiled, “This one these days is already looking around.”

“En, Lan’er has passed away early, as Mother, you must take care [of him] in her place more.”

“That is of course.” Empress Liu said, “In a few days, this one shall bring the paintings of each young miss from various residences for the crown prince, it must be one he likes himself too.”

He Xuan coldly watched, and curled his lips like it didn’t concern him at all, with not even a sliver of a smile in his eyes, “It will be all up to Father and Mother.”

“How is old Fourth’s marriage going?”

He Yang who was onthe side burying his head eating wiped his mouth, then lifted his eyes up to look towards Empress Liu. Empress Liu received his message, then took over, “It’s been set for the tenth of the next month, the Board of Astronomy has already calculated, it is a good day.”

“Good, Iz have also seen that daughter from the Zhao family, she is a good child. Yang’er, do not let them down.”

He Xuan silently looked over, and coincidentally saw a sliver of annoyance flash by He Yang’s eyes, immediately get pressed down, then saw He Yang smile as he lifted up the cup of wine, and toast to He Heng, “This son long heard of Lady Zhao’s fame, and will definitely cultivate good morals and character, and not make Father disappointed.”

“What use is it telling that to mezh, you save these words and say it to the child of Zhao family.” Though He Heng said this, his face obviously eased up, and said with earnesty, “Those things of the past is merely the frivolity of youth, after marrying and making a family, you must remove these thoughts, understood?”

“This son understands.” He Yang hung his head down, unable to see his expression.

He Xuan spuriously smiled as he played with the cup of wine, and took all the undercurrents during the meal all in his eyes.