“I Went to Drink Flower Wine.”
Night had fallen.
Clad in black from head to toe, Lu Ronghuai moved with nimble ease as he vaulted in through the window.
Xue Yingying stood within the room, clutching her handkerchief tightly in nervousness. The instant Lu Ronghuai appeared before her, her breathing caught for a moment.
“Y, Your Highness...” she called in a trembling voice, lowering her head and not daring to look at him.
“Please come this way.” Xue Yingying pointed toward the inner room. “They will be coming shortly. There is nowhere outside for Your Highness to hide.”
Lu Ronghuai stepped into the inner room and caught a whiff of fragrance.
“What is burning in the incense burner?”
Xue Yingying lifted the lid. “It is white plum incense, which this servant often uses.”
“Put it out.”
Xue Yingying hurriedly extinguished the incense in the burner. Fragrance still lingered throughout the room, and fearing that Lu Ronghuai might grow angry, she went to open the window as well so the scent would disperse more quickly.
Before long, Dong Tianwen and Cheng Dawei arrived.
Xue Yingying touched up the rouge on her lips and rose to greet them. “Merchant Dong, Merchant Cheng, it has been quite a few days since your last visit.”
Dong Tianwen cast her a sidelong glance. “After Prince Li took Yingying away that night, even if we wished to come see you, we could not.”
Xue Yingying’s smile stiffened. She lifted a handkerchief to cover her mouth and nose, her voice catching with emotion. “You do not know, Prince Li was truly cold and merciless. He locked this servant in a pitch-dark room and frightened me half to death.”
Cheng Dawei sat down and lifted the hot tea already prepared on the table. “He merely locked you up?”
“How could he have let this servant off so lightly? There are still wounds on my back from the beating. After coming back, this servant has been unable to sleep for several nights. The moment my eyes close, I see that dreadful place again.”
With a smiling face, Cheng Dawei set down the teacup. His words were loose and wanton. “Words alone prove nothing. Why not let us have a look at those wounds?”
Xue Yingying cast him a coquettish glance but paid no heed to his frivolity. She walked to one side and sat down. “This servant’s injuries have not yet healed. Today it would not be convenient to dance for the two of you. Would playing a pipa tune do instead?”
Dong Tianwen nodded. “Go and close the window.”
Xue Yingying closed the window, then slowly seated herself behind the gauze curtain. Her fingertips brushed across the strings, and a smooth melody flowed forth at once.
The two men closed their eyes and listened quietly for a while.
“Has Zhang Ze been looking for you recently?” Cheng Dawei opened his eyes and asked in a lowered voice.
“Not once. I have sought him out several times, yet each time he found an excuse to decline. In my view, he has simply been bought over by Prince Li.”
“We hold leverage over him. Could it be that he has grown tired of living?”
Dong Tianwen gave a cold laugh. “I suspect he must also hold leverage over us. That is why he dares be so arrogant.”
“Do you think he may already have handed the evidence over to Prince Li?”
“Should we not summon him here and ask him to his face?”
After thinking for a while, Cheng Dawei shook his head. “Prince Li has gone outside the city many times recently. I was taken in by his misdirection and found those bandits. At present he has living witnesses, but he likely has not yet obtained physical evidence.”
If both witness and material evidence were already complete, they would surely have begun arresting people long ago. Zhang Ze ought not be foolish enough to have handed the evidence over.
Dong Tianwen said anxiously, “Then what are we to do? Sit here and wait for death?”
Cheng Dawei’s tone grew heavy. “I sent word to the capital yesterday. There should be a reply within these two days. But for now, there is one matter we need to carry out.”
“What matter?”
Cheng Dawei glanced toward Xue Yingying. She still sat with lowered head, concentrating on the pipa. Cheng Dawei called out to her, “Miss Yingying, the tea has gone cold. I shall trouble you to change it.”
Xue Yingying said, “Very well. Please wait a moment, the two of you.”
She set down the pipa, crossed the room with light steps and a smile, lifted the teapot, and turned to go out the door.
“Brother Cheng, why be on guard even against her?”
When the two had been speaking just now, their voices had been kept low, and Xue Yingying had been playing the pipa besides. There was no way she could have heard the contents of their conversation.
Cheng Dawei’s face turned cold. “She is nothing but a sing-song girl. Her bones are light and cheap. She cannot bear the weight of matters. Later, find an opportunity and make your move cleanly.”
“Very well.”
Outside the room, Xue Yingying clapped a hand tightly over her own mouth. Her eyes widened in terror, and her pupils shaking violently.
“Those bandits, I do not know where they have been hidden. The men I sent to follow Prince Li found nothing. We must not let those people remain alive.”
“How do we go about it?”
Cheng Dawei said, “We will go strike a bargain with Prince Li. Come closer.”
Dong Tianwen moved over to Cheng Dawei’s side and bent his ear toward him. The two exchanged a long stretch of whispers.
“Proceed as I have described first. Tomorrow night I will go and have a word with Zhang Ze,” Cheng Dawei said.
After finishing their scheming, the two did not linger. As they rose to leave, they happened to meet Xue Yingying returning.
Xue Yingying looked surprised. “You are leaving already?”
Dong Tianwen said with a smile, “The tune has already been heard. Brother Cheng and I have also arranged to meet someone for drinks. We will come support your establishment another day.”
Xue Yingying covered her lips and laughed coquettishly. “Very well then, walk safely.”
Standing in the corridor on the second floor, she watched Cheng Dawei and the others descend with a smile. Then she turned and went back into the room, shut the door, and instantly went limp.
Meanwhile, Cheng Dawei had just stepped out of the first floor when he suddenly halted.
“Something is amiss.”
“What is it?” Dong Tianwen asked, not understanding.
Cheng Dawei turned back, strode quickly up to the second floor, and shoved open Xue Yingying’s door with one push.
Xue Yingying gave a start and hurriedly rose from her stool. “What is it?”
Cheng Dawei swept his gaze around the room, then changed direction and went straight into the inner chamber.
Xue Yingying had no time to stop him and could only watch helplessly as he went inside.
Her face drained white as she took a step backward, her heart climbing into her throat. When she turned around, she met Dong Tianwen’s gaze. He was watching her with a grave face.
Xue Yingying’s heart trembled. In panic, she lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes.
Very soon, Cheng Dawei came back out of the inner chamber.
“Just now I dropped a round gemstone. It rolled into Miss Yingying’s inner chamber.” Cheng Dawei raised his hand and gave the gem in his fingers a little shake.
Xue Yingying forced herself not to look toward the inner chamber. “It-it is good that you found it.”
Cheng Dawei said, “Why has Miss Yingying not lit incense today?”
“This servant is not feeling well. The smell brings on a headache. These two days I have not lit any.”
“Oh, so that is how it is.”
The two said no more and soon left once again. Xue Yingying hurried into the inner chamber, only to find it empty.
At once she collapsed weakly to the floor.
Lu Ronghuai returned to the residence in the dead of night.
Xian Feng strode over quickly. “My lord, a letter was sent to Zhang Ze from the capital. This subordinate intercepted it.”
Lu Ronghuai took the letter, then lifted his eyes and saw that the lamp in the main courtyard room was still lit.
“The Prince Consort has not yet gone to rest?”
Xian Feng replied, “No. The Prince Consort said he was not sleepy. He is likely still reading.”
Lu Ronghuai strode toward the main courtyard. “Have two buckets of water brought in.”
He pushed the door open and entered. Chu Yuan was seated cross-legged on the daybed, with a low table before him. A book lay atop it, already more than half turned through. It was precisely from the set Lu Ronghuai had bought for him.
“Your Highness.” Chu Yuan looked up at him and made as if to step down from the daybed.
“Do not get down. Sit there obediently.” Seeing that Chu Yuan had already washed and changed, Lu Ronghuai strode over, took away the book he was reading, and set the letter upon the table.
“What is this?” Chu Yuan looked toward the letter.
“Open it and have a look.” Lu Ronghuai raised his wrist, loosened the wrist guard, and began taking off his shoes.
Chu Yuan broke the wax seal and drew out a sheet of paper. After reading two lines, his pupils suddenly shrank.
“Your Highness, where did this letter come from?” Chu Yuan asked urgently.
Hearing the tremor in his voice, Lu Ronghuai took the letter back.
“...if any unforeseen change arises, kill Prince Li at any cost.” Lu Ronghuai read out the final line from the letter, even lifting a brow indifferently.
“Your Highness, this letter came from the capital?” Chu Yuan asked with wide eyes, his worry plain.
“Clever. The handwriting on the letter is unfamiliar. We will keep it and investigate after returning to the capital.”
Chu Yuan still did not feel at ease. “Into whose hands was this letter originally meant to pass?”
“Zhang Ze’s.”
“Now that Your Highness has intercepted it, Zhang Ze’s side will certainly grow suspicious.”
“Quite so. Therefore, I must trouble my dear Prince Consort to imitate this person’s hand and write another copy.” Lu Ronghuai leaned over and kissed him once on the lips.
“Very well,” Chu Yuan said. Then his fine nose twitched, and he gently pushed him away. “Your Highness should go bathe. The powder scent on you is too heavy.”
Lu Ronghuai raised his sleeve and sniffed at it, yet smelled nothing in particular. The moment he had noticed the incense, he had already made Xue Yingying deal with the burner. He had not expected Ah-Yuan’s nose to be so keen.
Lu Ronghuai laughed. He leaned back with a thoroughly casual air, one leg crooked, posture lazy, and pulled his outer robe loose.
“I went to drink flower wine.”
“I also listened to a little tune.”
“The girl playing the instrument was rather pretty too.”
The room fell quiet for a while. Chu Yuan picked up his book again, turned back to the page where he had left off, and continued reading.
Lu Ronghuai waited a long while, but no reaction came from him. Unable to hold back, he raised his voice and said it once more.
“I went to drink flower wine!”
Chu Yuan moved his gaze away from the book, his expression calm. “This subject heard it.”
Lu Ronghuai stalled. “Then why do you have no reaction at all?”
“What reaction ought this subject to have? Celebrate that Your Highness went to drink flower wine? Congratulate Your Highness on hearing a tune and looking upon a pretty girl?”
Lu Ronghuai complained, “You would not even eat a little vinegar for me.”
“Your Highness, the water is ready.” Xian Feng spoke from the doorway.
“Your Highness should go bathe.” Chu Yuan lowered his eyes to the page once more.
Lu Ronghuai bathed while in a decidedly foul mood.
Ah-Yuan had plainly admitted with his own lips that he liked him, so how could he feel no jealousy at all?
That should not be so.
Could it be that Ah-Yuan only liked him a little, not yet deep enough to warrant jealousy over him?
The last attempt at testing him had failed, and this one had failed as well.
The more Lu Ronghuai thought on it, the more stifled he felt. At last he picked up a bucket of cold water and poured it over his own head.
Water splashed loudly through the bath room. Chu Yuan’s eyes remained fixed on the page for a very long while. In the end, he simply set the book down and went to the study with the sheet of letter paper.
Very soon, he rewrote another copy. He slipped the letter back into the envelope, sealed it with wax once more, and set it upon the curio cabinet by the bed.
By the time Lu Ronghuai finished bathing and came out, Chu Yuan had already fallen asleep.
Lu Ronghuai lightened his steps as he approached the bed. Seeing the letter there, he handed it over to Xian Feng, who stood guard outside. Then he closed the door, returned to the bedside, and stood there for a long time in the darkness looking at Chu Yuan.
Chu Yuan rarely stayed up late at night. The time he slept was fixed. The few times he had gone to sleep late were all because he had been waiting for him.
Suddenly, a soft, low laugh escaped him.
He climbed carefully onto the bed, lifted the quilt, and lay down. Then he gathered Chu Yuan into his arms and kissed the top of his hair.
“If Ah-Yuan can stay up late waiting for me to come back, how could he not care for me? I truly have been fretting over the sky falling.”
He closed his eyes in contentment and went to sleep holding Chu Yuan.
The next day, Lu Ronghuai rose very early and went out to the outskirts with Xian Feng.
By now, Fang Xinhai had nearly turned Niuqun Mountain upside down and still had not dug up Prince Qi’s corpse. He had also searched around the surrounding area for a long time.
In the end, he still wrote a memorial to Emperor Hongjia, sorrowfully stating in it that Prince Qi had perished.
Almost as soon as Fang Xinhai’s memorial reached the capital, Lu Ronghuai went into the mountains with his men and woke the still-unconscious Prince Qi, who had slept for over a month.
After he had finished deceiving Prince Qi and left Xian Feng behind to deal with the aftermath, he himself returned to the city first.
When he came back to the residence, his scheming mind stirred again. On purpose, he made a slash in the hem of his own robe.
Yet after searching through the room, he could not find Chu Yuan anywhere.
Not only that, Xian Yu and the others were nowhere to be seen either.
“Where is the Prince Consort?” Lu Ronghuai rushed to the courtyard gate and glared at the guard there with a look that could curdle milk.
“Replying to Your Highness, the Prince Consort left a message for this subordinate to pass on to you.”
“What message?”
“The Prince Consort said...”
“He went to drink flower wine.”
✧ A Word from the Author ✧
Yuanyuan: Propriety prizes reciprocity, so I shall go and have a taste as well.
Lu Dog: You truly do understand manners T_T
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