CH 72

November 6, 2022Merchie

Pei Zheng’s gaze flickered.

Li Yu trailed inside behind Jiang Yubai, and cupped his hands toward Pei Zheng, “Lord Pei, Imperial Physician Jiang, he…”

Pei Zheng waved his hand, but Li Yu didn’t say anything more.

“What rumors?”

Jiang Yubai glanced at the small man lying on the bed, “You’re asking me, my Lord? You should know better than anyone, right?”

Pei Zheng’s eyes darkened slightly.

“Come with me.”

With those words, he got up and walked out the door.

The little prince beneath the blanket suddenly peeked out. Upon seeing Jiang Yubai, the corners of his eyes curved into crescents, as if he were greeting him.

Jiang Yubai forced a smile onto his lips, and nodded lightly toward Qi Changyi, before walking out the door as well.

Li Yu quickly shuffled to the side of the bed and picked up the pieces of clothing scattered over the floor.

Qi Changyi blinked twice, “Xiao Yuzi, where are Brother Pei and Imperial Physician Jiang going?”

Li Yu shook his head.

“Your Highness, this servant doesn’t know either. Imperial Physician Jiang ran over here, saying that he was going to take your pulse, but then he left just like that.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Your Highness, you should get dressed now, you’ll get cold. It’s almost dinnertime too.”

They waited until even after the evening meal was served, yet Pei Zheng still hadn’t returned.

It was getting dark, so the candles in the little pavilion were all lit.

When Jiang Yubai pushed the door open again, Qi Changyi still hadn’t gone to bed yet.

“Your Highness, it’s this late, but you haven’t slept yet?”

“Imperial Physician Jiang, what are you doing here?”

“I was busy with work all afternoon, so I’ve come by to visit you.”

As he spoke, Jiang Yubai walked to the side of the bed and took Qi Changyi’s pulse.

“You’re recovering well, but that doesn’t mean you can slack off in caring for yourself. You’re not allowed to stay up this late anymore, and you can’t skip a single bowl of your morning medicine.” Qi Changyi shrank his neck back and nodded obediently.

“Imperial Physician Jiang, I got it. In the future, I’ll definitely sleep early and rise early, and I’ll take all my medicine at the right times. This way, I’ll get better faster. Right?”

Jiang Yubai patted the small man’s forehead, “As long as you understand that.”

“Imperial Physician Jiang, can I ask you a question?”

“Ask away, Your Highness.”

Qi Changyi hesitated for a moment, lowered his head, and tugged at the robe covering his knees.

“Today, in the afternoon…Where did you and Brother Pei go?”

The smile at the corner of Jiang Yubai’s mouth suddenly froze.

“Uh…we just went to Lord Pei’s study and talked about some other matters. You’re just a kid, so you don’t need to worry so much. The only thing you need to focus on is taking care of your body, you hear me?”

“I got it.”

Qi Changyi bowed his head, obviously in low spirits.

Jiang Yubai didn’t know how to comfort him either, “Lord Pei had something he had to take care of. It seems like he was summoned by His Majesty, so he went to the palace.”

Qi Changyi didn’t speak. Instead, his head dropped even lower.

Jiang Yubai fell silent for a long while before he turned to Li Yu and said, “In a little bit, have him drink his medicine before going to sleep. Also, lately, the weather has been extremely cold; you absolutely cannot let him go outside.”

Li Yu affirmed each instruction.

“Your Highness, you should rest early tonight. I’ll be going back now. I will visit you again tomorrow.”

“Mm!”

A smile finally bloomed on Qi Changyi’s little face.

Jiang Yubai turned and walked out.

During the next few days, Jiang Yubai would visit the little pavilion daily. With his and Li Yu’s company, although Qi Changyi couldn’t go outside, and was confined to the little pavilion, he didn’t find being stuck inside to be completely insufferable.

Pei Zheng had been incredibly busy lately, so he hadn’t been able to even enter the garden during this period; it seemed that every time he went to the palace, he would have to stay there for the entire day. Once he returned to the Prime Minister’s Manor, the candlelight of the little pavilion had long since been extinguished.

He glanced at the building from a distance before he turned and left.

Although he didn’t visit Qi Changyi very often, the entire Prime Minister’s Manor would receive Pei Zheng’s orders. The person living in the little pavilion in the garden must be attended to with care, his food and clothing must all be of the highest quality, and the servants assigned to him would have to be the brightest and most intelligent of the bunch.

With Jiang Yubai looking after him every day, Qi Changyi was quickly nursed back to health. After just a few days, he was able to walk again.

It was already freezing cold outside, but Qi Changyi had been trapped inside for a long time now. Every limb of his body was itching from disuse, and all he wanted was to go out for a little walk.

He pleaded with Jiang Yubai several times until Jiang Yubai finally relented, and allowed Li Yu to take him out to the back garden for a stroll.

The moment he walked out of the little pavilion, a stream of fresh, ice-cold wind flowed into his lungs. Qi Changyi took two deep breaths. He was suddenly choked by the freezing air, and coughed a few times.

Li Yu hurriedly retrieved a fluffy white robe and placed it over the small man’s shoulders.

“Your Highness, it’s very cold outside, why don’t we go back inside for the time being? Let’s wait until the weather clears up a bit, or when you’ve recovered a little more strength, and we can come out for another stroll. Maybe you will even be able to leave the Prime Minister’s Manor.”

“Xiao Yuzi, I really don’t want to lie back down on the bed, I’ve already laid there for so long…don’t worry about me, I’m fine, really.”

Li Yu couldn’t argue with him anymore, and said, “All right, then we can walk slower. If you feel uncomfortable at any time, tell me immediately, and we’ll go back inside to take a break.”

“Okay.”

Li Yu supported Qi Changyi by the arm as they slowly walked outside.

This back garden was quite expansive. There was a bamboo forest next to the little pavilion, as well as a lotus pond, on which a richly ornamented gazebo floated.

Not too far away were a few rockeries and trees, but the branches were bare and the leaves had long since fallen, looking deserted and desolate.

“Your Highness, I’ve heard that this garden is where Lord Pei lived before he became an official. At that time, Lord Pei’s father had not yet passed away, that is, the former Prime Minister Pei.”

The two walked along a cobblestone path as they talked. Suddenly they looked up and spotted a small courtyard. The sign had two words written on it, “Plum Garden”.

It was freezing cold outside, but the first snow still hadn’t fallen yet. The plum blossoms of Plum Garden hadn’t bloomed yet either. The huge, round buds looked as though they were about to explode from trying to keep the bright red hue wrapped inside, but they simply refused to open up.

This plum garden was very similar to the one in Qi Changyi’s memory.

Qi Changyi stopped in front of the gate to the courtyard and stared it at for a long while.

Li Yu asked in a confused voice, “Your Highness, do you want to admire the plum blossoms?”

Every winter, the plum garden in the palace would bloom; it was extremely beautiful. Li Yu had seen it once. Thick, white snow reflected the garden’s field of bloody red; a single glimpse of the scene would be enough to remember it for a lifetime.

“Speaking of which, what is Your Highness’s favorite flower? Is it the plum blossom?”

Qi Changyi thought for a bit, before lightly shaking his head, “It’s not, my favorite flower…is the red lotus.”

“Red lotus, huh?” Li Yu nodded.

The pair turned around and walked out of the plum garden. But they were suddenly met with the sight of a figure standing at the end of the little path.

Once Qi Changyi could tell who it was, he couldn’t stop himself from calling out in surprised delight.

“Fourth Brother!”

Li Yu also bowed hurriedly, “Greetings to Fourth Royal Highness.”

Qi Changfeng turned and walked toward them.

“Fourth Brother, why are you here? Did you come just to visit me?”

Qi Changyi ran excitedly to Qi Changfeng’s side, before gently tugging at his sleeve.

“Yes. We haven’t seen each other in such a long time, so I’ve come to visit you.”

Qi Changfeng’s expression remained calm and composed as he pulled his sleeve out of the small man’s grasp, then said, “It looks like you’re doing fine, so I’m not worried anymore. I’ll be leaving now.”

He immediately turned around, ready to leave.

“Fourth Brother!” Qi Changyi shouted, “Are you really going to leave so fast? I still have so many things to say to you…”

As he spoke, crystal tears floated up to the corners of Qi Changyi’s eyes, and the tip of his nose reddened slightly.

Qi Changfeng finally couldn’t take it anymore and swiveled back around. He looked at him and said, “All right, don’t cry, I won’t leave. Whatever you have to say, just say it.”

“Fourth Brother, I haven’t seen you in so long, I missed you…”

The tears at the corners of Qi Changyi’s eyes rolled down, warm tears trailed down his cheeks, leaving two thin, watery trails in their wake.

Qi Changfeng looked at the teary little prince; it was impossible to say that there wasn’t a trace of softness in his heart.

“Don’t cry. I’ve also come to visit you under Royal Father’s orders. Looking back, it’s my fault. I didn’t have any evidence, yet I overestimated myself and told Royal Father about what had happened in the past, which made Royal Father furious.”

Qi Changyi asked in a worried voice, “Did Royal Father scold you? Fourth Brother, don’t be said, Royal Father definitely didn’t do it purpose.”

“Heh.” Qi Changfeng sneered, “He didn’t mean it? Royal Father gave me a new residence, and told me I had to move out of the palace. You think he didn’t do it on purpose? He’s clearly trying to put this matter out of sight, out of mind!”

“You’re moving out of the palace…Fourth Brother, where will you live now?”

“Some secluded place in the Imperial City. Naturally, it can’t compare to the Prime Minister’s Manor. It looks like you’re quite happy living here, how is your relationship with our mortal enemy?”

Qi Changyi immediately shook his head, “Fourth Brother, I also don’t want to be here. I want to move back to the palace, but Brother Pei won’t let me leave…”

“I think you don’t really want to leave either, haven’t you liked him since you were young? Isn’t this what you want?”

“No, no, it’s not like that…”

Qi Changyi shook his head while crying. He didn’t have a smart mouth; when Qi Changfeng questioned him in such an accusatory manner, he could even find the words to explain himself.

Qi Changfeng had also repressed the feelings in his heart. Recently, the Emperor had been neglecting him. It wasn’t just because he mentioned the past; it was moreso due to the fact that he had played a few underhanded tricks in the Imperial Court.

While Pei Zheng wasn’t present, Qi Changfeng was secretly trying to win over the Empress’s family’s power, in order to trip Pei Zheng up once he returned. But he didn’t expect that only a few days after Pei Zheng came back, the alliance that he had spent so much effort to build would collapse.

Qi Changfeng wasn’t satisfied with his current standing; he never wanted to be just another little prince. What he truly desired was the title of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, and later, the golden throne. So he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes, or take a single step out of line.

But now, Pei Zheng was suppressing his power from all sides, and he couldn’t find a way out. It was too difficult for him to carry out his next move.

He purposely chose a day that Pei Zheng wasn’t around to come to the Prime Minister’s Manor. He wasn’t just here to visit his little brother. His true aim was to use Qi Changyi as a mediator between himself and Pei Zheng, to see if the small man could convince Pei Zheng to stop pursuing him, and give himself a chance to regain his footing.

But as he looked at the small man who had missed him so much, he couldn’t bring himself to say those words.

“All right, whatever your relationship with him is like, it’s none of my business. Just do whatever you want.” Qi Changfeng said, “Are you done talking? If you are, I’m leaving.”

Qi Changyi furiously wiped his tears away, and looked up Qi Changfeng’s tired face, “Fourth Brother…you’ve been really unhappy lately, am I right?”

Qi Changfeng froze, and his eyes suddenly became slightly warm.

You’ve been really unhappy lately?

Who had ever cared about how he was feeling?

Except for this little fool, it seemed that no one else had ever asked him this simple question before.

Notes

Where’s the actual Crown Prince at, is he still in Jiangnan or wherever he was like 20 chapters ago, at this point I’m half-convinced that he doesn’t even exist

Thanks for reading~~