CH 16

Soon, Ye Mao brought warm water and rose dew. Jing Ye took a spoon and mixed a small bowl, personally feeding the little guy spoon by spoon.

Little Jing Yun was obviously very fond of this sweet water with a fragrant scent, and he quickly drank it all.

Seeing his younger brother finally sleeping peacefully, Jing Le also couldn’t help but reveal his tiredness. He wiped his face with a towel and got in the bed, holding little Jing Yun in his arms before quickly falling asleep.

The imperial physician had already retired. Jing Ye walked out of the room, closed the door, then turned to look at the handsome swordsman standing in the courtyard and said:

“Lin Gongzi. I want to take these two children with me and let them inherit the throne in the future. Zhen hope you will fulfill this request.”

“I don’t allow it.” The Sword Sage’s answer was succinct and powerful.

Jing Ye curved up the corner of his mouth: “What if the prince really had a fever? Do you know how to take care of a child?”

The man was silent for a while, and then a single word popped out, “Hungry.”

“What?”

The man frowned slightly, seemingly a little uncertain about his decision: “Hunger. When I got sick when I was young, I relied on that to get better.”

Jing Ye: “…..”

Little Jing Yun was very happy today.

When he opened his eyes in the morning, he saw Susu who he hadn’t seen for two days, and Susu smiled and fed him sweet red water.

Yiyah! Gotta get sick more often in the future!

The little guy sat on the bed, clapping his chubby paws with excitement. Jing Ye couldn’t help smiling when he saw it.

Although it was only teething, he still stayed in the small courtyard all night to avoid missing any sudden changes. After all, Jing Le was only a child, and as for that swordsman…..hehe, let us not mention him.

Speaking of which, this should be the last time the little guy will experience teething, and then he could start learning to speak.

Thinking of this, Jing Ye couldn’t help reaching out and hugging the little baby to his lap, rubbed the tip of his nose and smiled, “Uncle didn’t sleep all night because of you, come, say uncle.”

Little Jing Yun looked at him with wide eyes, opened his mouth and spit out a bubble.

“…..” En, perhaps he was too impatient. Jing Ye held the little guy with both hands to let him stand up, little Jing Yun immediately put his little arms around his neck, and the uncle and nephew pair just hugged together, “Ai, even if you can call out to people, it won’t be Zhen you’ll call out to first.”

Little Jing Yun let out a “woo” sound.

“…..But you are not allowed to call your shifu first.” Jing Ye stroked his back, “With his way of raising children, baby, it’s a miracle that you survived until now.”

“Haha.” The little guy opened his mouth and laughed in a silly manner.

Outside the room, Ye Gonggong called tremblingly, “Your Majesty…..Your Majesty, it’s time to attend morning assembly…..” He glanced at Lin Hangyu, who was standing like a statue outside the door, and after resisting it for a long time, he eventually lifted his sleeves and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Fine, your uncle has to go to court.” Jing Ye put his precious nephew back on the bed, “Be good, en?”

“Ah woo.” Little Jing Yun clenched his small fist, his grape-like black eyes watched Jing Ye get up and walk out, so he raised his chubby arms and kept “yiyah” non-stop.

Jing Ye turned around and looked at him.

So this…..was what it’s like to be a father.

Jing Ye opened the door, and when he looked up, he saw Lin Hangyu holding a sword and standing in front of him, dressed in all white robes like a sculpture made of ice and snow, cold and expressionless.

“I promise you.”

“What?” Jing Ye was startled at first, then chuckled, and couldn’t help turning his head to look at the little baby in the room who was still peering his way, “Lin Gongzi, it is rumored that your word is worth nine sacred tripods.” (TN: expression for one’s word having enormous weight)

“It’s not a rumor.” Lin Hangyu’s eyes were as still as water, “You take Yun’er to take care of, and when he reaches six years old, he will still come back here to become my disciple.”

“…..”

Jing Ye looked him over carefully, black eyes, black hair, white robes, and suddenly felt that time seemed to stand still on this person, like the snow on the highest point of an icy mountain, which had remained unchanged for thousands of years.

“Gongzi was entrusted by your best friend to raise his two children, but now you entrust Jing Yun to me…..Lin Gongzi, do you know the rumors about me?”

The man glanced at him and said slowly, “Seeing is believing.” His tone was firm.

And so arrogant that it was endearing.

Feng Manor.

The servant girl who received the words from Madam Feng stood outside the room, knocked on the door and said, “Young master, are you awake? Madam sent this slave to invite you over.”

There was a sound of footsteps in the room, and soon, Feng Ling came to open the door in person: “You all wait a minute.”

The servant girl looked into the room and said with a smile, “How come the young master is alone and didn’t call Song Yan and the others to come and serve you.”

“I have something to do, and so I told them to wait outside.” Feng Ling waved his hand and gestured that he was about to close the door.

The servant girl had sharp eyes, and saw the color on his hands at a glance: “Young master, it’s so early in the morning, but you’re not preparing to go to morning assembly, are you painting something in the room?”

Feng Ling suddenly stiffened: “No, I didn’t paint anything…..”

Knowing that he was shy, the servant girls all backed away with a smile.

Feng Ling closed the door, turned around, walked to the desk, and gently lifted the gauze veil covering the painting.

The painting was suffused with hazy morning light, and there was a young man with a gentle and warm appearance, who was resting on a soft couch.

The sunlight by the window shone down softly on the young man looking at the painting, as if the years were quiet and the world was stable.

………..

Northwest Khotan, Zhenbei General’s Manor.

The weather was perfect that day, and the Yang family invited a few officials and their wives whom they were on good terms with to drink tea in their garden. The conversation between women was nothing more than rouge, jewelry, in-laws, husbands, and occasionally also those concubines kept by their husbands back at home.

“Huiyin, that concubine surnamed Bai had been living in your manor for three years now, right? How can you be so magnanimous and let her run wild in your General’s Manor.”

Huiyin was Yang shi’s boudoir name.

Yang shi’s hand holding the tea cup paused, she gritted her teeth and said, “The general dotes on her, what can I do? How many times have I persuaded him in the past three years, don’t let those shameful things get too complacent, but was it of any use?”

“Ai, you have to say it softly, don’t speak accusingly.” Chen shi, her best friend, said, “Don’t think you are not in a hurry now, if you wait until she gives birth to a child in the future, then who knows if the family’s inheritance will be snatched by that mother and son pair!”

This remark could be said to be a direct hit on the head. Yang shi no longer had interest in drinking tea, she put the tea cup on the table: “Tell me, do you have any useful solutions?”

The several women exchanged looks and all of them shook their fans and began talking about the way they used to deal with those concubines.

………….

Dong Ling was wearing only the inner layer of robes and was adjusting the clothes for the man in front of her who was around forty years old.

She was born with a beautiful face like a hibiscus, and her figure was also perfectly curved and exquisite. What was even more rare was her knowledge or etiquette and courtesy that ordinary concubines did not possess. Xu Ming was hooked at first sight. In the past three years, Yang shi had complained a lot about her, but how could he be willing to let go of such a rare beauty.

Thinking of this, Xu Ming couldn’t help but pull the beauty in front of him into his arms only for Dong Ling to put up a hand in resistance and say, “General.”

Xu Ming secretly swallowed his saliva and let go of his hands: “Fine, fine.” Then he turned around and strode out.

The little servant girl took this opportunity to walk in with a copper basin: “Madam, please wash up.”

Dong Ling stood there silently for a while, and then nodded: “Bring it over.”

“Ai.” The little servant girl came over with the basin of water and a face towel, and whispered while serving her mistress, “It’s all according to your wishes, all secretly done, the guards in Hongqin House are now replaced with ours.”

Dong Ling raised her head: “All done?”

The little servant girl smiled and said, “Yes.”

She couldn’t help smiling too, but as he smiled, tears began welling up in her eyes.

“Madam…..”

“It’s nothing.” Dong Ling wiped the corners of her eyes and covered her face with the wet face towel, “I’m just…..happy.”

“Is the Thousand Autumn Festival coming soon?”

“Yes, Madam, the day after tomorrow.”

“En, good, really good.”

……………

Taihe Hall.

Jing Ye sat on the dragon throne and said slowly: “The day after tomorrow will be imperial grandmother’s Thousand Autumn Festival. In previous years, it was celebrated extravagantly, but now with the devastation left by the severe drought in the southwest still not having passed, it is not appropriate to hold an extravagant palace banquet. What do you all think of spending the festival with your wife and children instead?”

The officials all knelt down one after another: “Your Majesty is wise, this official respectfully follows the imperial word.”

Jing Ye didn’t sleep all night last night, and didn’t want to force himself any longer. He yawned secretly and said, “Are there still memorials?”

There was silence below.

“No? Then you are all dismissed.”

After Jing Ye left the Taihe Hall, he did not return to his palace residence, but went straight to Qingyu Pavilion.

When he arrived at the lake, Gu Hong had already prepared a boat and was waiting on the shore. Jing Ye leaned over and stepped onto the boat, sat down in the cabin, raised his head and asked Gu Hong, who followed him, “The Jiang family’s only daughter?”

“Yes.” Gu Hong helped him smooth the folds on his sleeves, “She is now a concubine living in the Zhenbei General’s Manor, her surname is Bai, and she is very favored by Xu Ming.”

Bai Dongling, formerly known as Jiang Zhitao, was the daughter of a sixth-rank civil official in the northwest.

Four years ago, Qi Lan, the eldest son of the Qi family in the northwest, was snatched into the Xu family by Xu Huang, the son of Xu Ming. Qi Lan was handsome in appearance and possessed brilliant literary talent. Although he was not a noble son of an aristocratic family, his appearance, demeanor and character was at the same level as Gu and Li. He was engaged since young, and his fiancee was the daughter of the Jiang family who grew up with him as his childhood sweetheart.

Qi Lan was originally a withdrawn person and also had little affluent background. After being targeted by a local tyrant like Xu Huang, even if he used his death yo resist, he was still snatched into the Xu residence in the end.

After entering the Xu residence, he refused to submit to Xu Huang, and was fed all kinds of unspeakable strange medicines. After two months, he was driven insane.

The Jiang family was also implicated, and Jiang Zhitao disappeared from the Jiang family after confirming that Qi Lan had gone insane, and was never seen since.

Looking at the narration on the dossier in the pavilion, every word literally dripped blood and tears.

Gu Hong said: “She is the spy that my father put at Xu Ming’s side, so the information she sent are all kept in a more hidden place in the pavilion. This subject will go to find them for Your Majesty later.”

Jing Ye was silent for a while and asked him, “What about Qi Lan?”

Gu Hong let out a light laugh: “Just a lunatic now, but he’s still alive.”

Jing Ye fell silent.

On the night of the Thousand Autumn Festival every year, the lantern market in the capital would set off various lanterns all night, sometimes even more than 10,000. Looking out from the bedroom of Ping An Palace, he could see that the lights lit up the night sky in red for most of the night, and could also vaguely hear the lively celebrations and laughter of the people.

Jing Ye sat at a small table by the window looking through the memorials, and Ye Mao stood quietly behind him.

A bright light suddenly appeared in the distance, lighting Jing Ye’s profile. Ye Mao thought about it and said, “Your Majesty, why don’t we…..also light some candles?”

Jing Ye stopped writing, looked at the red dotted sky in the distance, and shook his head: “What’s the point, it’s cold and quiet, and it’s not like Zhen is one of the common people, the whole family lively and together.”

Ye Mao fell silent.

Feng Manor.

The Feng family sat in the waterside pavilion in the manor, enjoying the coolness and company. As they chatted, Madam Feng somehow began talking about the first time she met old Lord Feng when she was a young lady.

“Your father and I, the first time we met was during the Thousand Autumn Festival.” Madam Feng took Feng Ling’s hand and smiled, “There were so many lanterns that year, it was rare for me to be allowed to go out once by your grandfather, and I was so happy that I ran around everywhere and ended up getting lost. Later, I ran into your father. He and his sisters who were also out to play sent me back to the manor. At that time he was silent and did not say anything. But after a month, the matchmaker came knocking at our door. Say, don’t you think your father is quite impatient…..”

Feng Ling was stunned, and thought of Jing Ye.

Did he have someone to accompany him in the palace? Come to think of it…..he did.

Not mentioning others, but Gu Gongzi would definitely accompany him.

Thinking about this, he suddenly no longer had any interest in the festivities. Feng Ling got up and said, “Father, mother, this son plans to step out the manor for awhile.”

Madam Feng: “Ai? Are you tired of listening?”

Old Lord Feng also looked at him and said, “Where are you going?”

Feng Ling lowered his head: “This son…..this son remembered borrowing an ancient book from the son of the Yang family. Yesterday he asked me for it. As this son is free today, this son decided to return it to him now.”

There was some hesitation and stuttering in his words. A gleam of light flashed in old Lord Feng’s eyes, but he still nodded and said, “Fine, go.”

Madam Feng: “Come home early, don’t play too much.”

“Yes.” Feng Ling bowed and stepped back. Immediately, he asked the little servant boy to wrap the ancient book in cloth and took it with him out of the manor.

Ping An Palace.

The unfinished memorials were put aside, and the master and servant were surrounded by a five-colored lamp that had just been brought in.

Ye Mao looked at the lantern and sighed: “Your Majesty, just now Lu Gongzi came to accompany you, why did you refute it?”

And then accompany him to the bed? As if. Jing Ye snorted coldly, “He didn’t bring Lu Huihui.”

Ye Mao: “?”

Jing Ye pouted and drew an outline on the lantern.

“…..” Ye Gonggong blinked, “Your Majesty, what are you drawing?”

“Mickey Mouse.”

“?” Ye Mao’s eyes widened, “How could this be a mouse?”

“How isn’t this a mouse?” Jing Ye switched to a red pen and added a cool pair of little red pants to Mickey Mouse. “Look, how cute, my painting skills are better than Gu Gongzi, don’t you think?”

“…..”

Speaking of Gu Hong, Jing Ye also stopped writing. If he wasn’t so busy with Qingyu Pavilion, he could come and have a chat with him.

Suddenly, the other man’s deep pool-like eyes appeared in his mind.

“Your Majesty doesn’t need to say any more, this subject just asks Your Majesty to understand, Gu Hong is not the kind of person who is willing to do things against his heart.”

What was this man thinking, he wondered.

Some people’s thoughts could not be expressed with their words, but their actions could reveal it clearly. When Jing Ye came back to his senses, he saw the smiling Mickey Mouse on the palace lantern with his hands behind his back and a little cinnabar red beauty mark on his forehead that was painted by a certain someone.

Ye Gonggong looked over and said, “Ai, isn’t this Gu Gongzi? He looks quite playful now…..”

Jing Ye: “Go go go go! What Gu Gongzi, this is a female!” After speaking, he drew a huge bow on Mickey Mouse’s ear.

Ye Mao: “…..”

Then why does he wear pants?

The master and servant pair whittled the time by chatting with each other. Suddenly a little eunuch slipped into the hall and said, “Your Majesty, Lord Feng asks to see you.”

“Feng Ling?” Jing Ye and Ye Mao looked at each other, “On such a big holiday, yet he is not accompanying his parents at home. What is he doing here in the palace?”

Jing Ye couldn’t help but smile and said, “Invite him in quickly.”

“Yes.”

After a while, the handsome young man with an aura of an orchid entered the hall with the little eunuch and bowed down.

“Paying respect to Your Majesty.”

“Qing, please rise quickly.” Jing Ye put down his red pen and stepped forward to help him with a smile, “Zhen hasn’t seen you for a few days, how is qing?”

“This official is very well, thanking Your Majesty.” Feng Ling raised his head slightly and looked at the rather deserted palace, “Why aren’t the few Gongzis accompanying Your Majesty during such a lively holiday?”

Jing Ye smiled: “You also called it a festival, why isn’t qing accompanying your parents, wife and children at home?”

“This official hasn’t married yet.”

This sentence was answered so quickly that both of them were taken aback.

Jing Ye was stunned for a while, then chuckled: “Qing answered so quickly, you wouldn’t happen to want Zhen to be a matchmaker for qing?”

“No. This official, doesn’t mean that.” Feng Ling blushed and turned away. And just happened to see the fireworks igniting instantaneously outside the window, and hurriedly looked for another topic.

Jing Ye pulled him to sit on both sides of the small table, and had Ye Mao serve tea. It was already improper for the ruler and the official to sit face to face.

Feng Ling wanted to get down and sit below the emperor, but when he looked up and saw Jing Ye’s smile, he also couldn’t bear giving up the intimacy. After struggling with himself for a while, he lowered his head slightly and only clenched the corner of the small table.