Lou Jing flipped the book open to the first page. There was a foreword from the author, stating that this book was illustrated by a renowned artist, and that its contents were only for the Imperial family’s use, not to be circulated for public consumption.
Lou Jing rubbed his chin. This book had likely been placed in the little cupboard at the same time as the little black boxes containing that magic balm. He wondered if the Crown Prince had already read this book.
He flipped to the next page. The first picture depicted two men embracing each other in bed. The facial features of the men were not clear, likely because the artist had deliberately chosen to keep it that way. Other than their faces, everything else was drawn with great attention to detail. The exact positions of their bodies could be seen clearly, drawn in a lifelike manner with clean, flowing lines.
Lou Jing continued to turn the pages slowly. The contents were mostly pictures, with the occasional instructional text written in the white parts of the page where there were no drawings. For example, one of them read: The party on the receiving end will feel a lot of pain the first time. Enter gradually; do not force entry…
The red bedcurtains fluttered in the afternoon breeze. The breeze brought in some of the sun’s heat, but also the slight chill of early autumn. Lou Jing slept chest-down on the bed, hugging a big pillow and “The Palace of the Sun”, having a warm, delicious dream.
The Crown Prince’s official robes were a set of very fine, elaborate robes. The eunuch from the Ministry of Rites had specifically taught him to start by removing the belt, then the waistband. As Lou Jing expertly removed the clothing items one by one, the person below him watched silently. There was no expression on that handsome, stoic face, but his half-hidden ears were slowly turning red, giving away his feelings of embarrassment and helplessness. He couldn’t resist bending over and kissing that beautiful chest, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t seem to see that chest properly…
Lou Jing woke up from the dream with a start. He found that he was still lying chest-down on the bed with the book open in front of him. In the book, the receiving party was arching his body, the veins on his neck standing out. He looked to be in the throes of both pain and pleasure. Lou Jing was shocked by what he had just dreamt, but at the same time, couldn’t resist looking back on it with pleasure. If the person pressed down beneath him was the Crown Prince…
Lou Jing’s body heated up at the thought. He closed the book and raised a hand to wipe the sweat off his face, staring blankly into space for a while. Then, he sat up slowly, covering his face with one of his hands. Bright sunlight streamed in through the spaces between his fingers. He could still feel that alluring body in his dream in his hand.
He and Xiao Chengjun had started out as allies who would benefit from helping each other. He had originally thought to use his good looks to get a few more benefits from the Crown Prince, but in the past two days, he’d realised that he was losing control of his own feelings.
He wanted to beguile the Crown Prince, but ended up being the one being beguiled instead…
Lou Jing suddenly slid down onto the bed. He buried his face in the blankets, thinking that he had never been such an embarrassment to himself before in all the years of his life.
When Xiao Chengjun came back, what he saw was his Consort hiding his head in the blankets, squirming around in them like a huge worm. He couldn’t help chuckling, and his frustrations seemed to disappear into thin air. The Crown Prince sat down on the bed and patted the huge, fluffy worm. “Didn’t you want to take an afternoon nap? What on earth are you doing?” he asked. He caught sight of the book beside the bed, and picked it up to have a look. “What is this you’re…”
The word “reading” got stuck in the Crown Prince’s throat when he saw the title of the book.
Lou Jing crawled out of the blankets and saw the Crown Prince’s expression. A knowing look crossed his own face. “Dianxia, you’ve read this book?” he asked.
“Before the wedding… yes…” Xiao Chengjun said. The hand holding the book wavered uncertainly, not knowing whether to put it down or not. Ordinarily, the palace staff would have arranged for someone to teach him what to do on his wedding night, but the wedding had been done in such a hurry that the staff had no time to attend to this little detail, so he had just flipped through the book on his own. He hadn’t thought that a copy of this book would have been placed in Bafeng Hall.
Lou Jing saw the Crown Prince’s ears first turn pink, then a deep carnelian red after answering his question. His heart started beating faster, and he felt a strong urge to lean forward and bite those red little ears. He moved forward to do so, but just as he was about to bite down on his target, the Crown Prince suddenly stood up. “It’s time to greet my Father Empress,” he said.
Lou Jing’s mouth was still half-open. He looked up and saw the Crown Prince looking at him with his usual serious expression. He had no choice but to snap his mouth shut, climb out of bed and get dressed, pretending that he’d never seen those blushing ears.
Lou Jing reached for the Scarlet Cloud, intending to bring it along to give to the Empress. It was hanging from the wall, gleaming prettily in the afternoon sun. Xiao Chengjun stopped him. “You’ve only just managed to start walking. Don’t push it. You can always have a friendly duel with him later, after you’ve fully recovered,” Xiao Chengjun said. If Lou Jing brought it along today, the Empress would definitely want to try it out.
Lou Jing saw the wisdom of Xiao Chengjun’s words, and left the sword hanging on the wall. His recovery should be first priority, and he had plenty of time to get on the Empress’ good side. He therefore went to Fengyi Palace empty-handed.
Empress Ji was as regal and stately as Lou Jing remembered. He never showed any signs of frustration even though the life he led in this lonely palace was probably far from stimulating.
“You went to Luanyi Palace last night?” Ji Zhuo asked, his handsome face taking on some sternness.
“Yes,” Xiao Chengjun replied respectfully. “Yesterday, I was very worried when I heard that the Imperial Censor was thrown into the Imperial Prison, so I requested an audience with the Emperor. He summoned me to Luanyi Palace.”
The Empress was silent for a few seconds. “During the auspicious wedding period, the Crown Prince is forbidden from participating in affairs of state. Don’t you know the rules?” he said.
Xiao Chengjun froze for a moment, then hurriedly got off the chair and knelt before the Empress. “Erchen was too reckless,” he said.
Lou Jing felt his chest tighten. The Crown Prince was supposed to be excused from the Imperial Court for ten days after the wedding as a kindness to the newly married couple; he was not forbidden from participating in affairs of state. In fact, the Crown Princes that had come before Xiao Chengjun had never taken the full ten days off. Why was it that when it came to Xiao Chengjun, this benefit became a prohibition instead?
“These few days, things in the Imperial Court are going to be increasingly chaotic. Even if the Ministers of the Left and Right all end up in the Imperial Prison, you are not to go and beg for clemency from the Emperor,” Ji Zhuo said. He directed his piercing gaze straight at the kneeling Crown Prince. “Do I make myself clear?”
Xiao Chengjun raised his head, and looked at the Empress’ fierce, eagle-like eyes. “Erchen understands,” he said, enunciating every syllable clearly and slowly.
“Get up,” Ji Zhuo said with a sigh. “Remember always that in front of your Father Emperor, you have to appear weak. Don’t show any signs of strength.”
“Understood,” Xiao Chengjun said. He didn’t sit down, so Lou Jing had to get up as well.
The Empress saw that Lou Jing had stood up to accompany the Crown Prince, and his expression softened. “Zhuoyu, you should also remember that the consorts and concubines in this palace are all inferior in status to you. When you see them, you should wait for them to greet you, then return a half-greeting. The same applies even if the person you meet is the Guifei. Don’t give in to her just because she is the Guifei,” he said to Lou Jing in tones much warmer than those he had used with Xiao Chengjun.
“Yes, erchen will conscientiously remember what Father Empress has taught,” Lou Jing replied respectfully. Inwardly, he silently admired the Empress’ tactics.
On one hand, the Crown Prince presented himself as a weak prince who allowed the Guifei to get away with treating him disrespectfully, and on the other hand, the Crown Prince Consort, who came from an aristocratic family, made all the consorts and concubines greet him with the respect he was due. This contrast served two purposes. The first was to remind the Emperor of the injustice the Crown Prince suffered on a daily basis. The second was to remind the people in the palace that the Eastern Palace was not to be trifled with.
The Chunde Emperor had the habit of going to the hougong early, so for the past two years, he had waived the requirement for the Imperial princes and princesses to greet him at sunset. As such, Xiao Chengjun and Lou Jing went straight back to the Eastern Palace after they left Fengyi Palace.
At night, Lou Jing lay on the bed, thinking back on what had transpired at the Fengyi Palace.
How did being excused from the Imperial Court for ten days after the wedding become a prohibition on attending to matters of state? Did the Emperor distrust the Crown Prince so much that he twisted these unwritten customs and turned them into hard law? And if the Crown Prince didn’t follow these rules, then would the Emperor see it as a threat to his power?
Lou Jing rolled over onto his side to look at Xiao Chengjun, who was sleeping on the inner part of the bed as usual. He discovered that Xiao Chengjun was still awake. Lou Jing then realised that Xiao Chengjun had been unusually quiet since they left Fengyi Palace. “Can’t sleep?” Lou Jing asked.
Xiao Chengjun turned to look at him. He was silent for a very long time. Lou Jing had given up on getting any reply from him when he finally spoke up in a small voice. “Zhuoyu, do you think that I’m useless as a Crown Prince?” he asked.
He’d hidden his abilities and bided his time all this while. Everyone thought he was just a mediocre, incompetent person. However, he didn’t want his own Consort to think of him that way.
Lou Jing stared at Xiao Chengjun in surprise. This was the first time the Crown Prince had called him by his courtesy name. He felt a strange ache in his heart as he looked at those dark eyes in the pale light of the moon. “If you practice forbearance, it’s for the benefit of the country, and if you don’t, it’s also to the benefit of the country,” he said.
Xiao Chengjun looked a little overcome with emotion on hearing this. He slowly nodded his head. His Consort did understand him. “That year when Wang Jian died, it was exactly the same. The Emperor had promised to release him, but the very next day, he was sentenced to death by beheading.”
Wang Jian was the Prefectural Governor of Jinzhou a few years ago. He was in charge of building a part of the Great Wall. One day, a huge storm caused a part of the Great Wall that had yet to be fixed with mortar to fall apart. Someone impeached him, accusing him of embezzling the money that was meant to be used for the construction of the Great Wall. Before investigations had completed, he was thrown into the Imperial Prison, and eventually beheaded. After his death, a search and seizure was ordered on his property to return Wang Jian’s ill-gotten gains to the Imperial Treasury. However, the only things the officials conducting the search and seizure found was evidence of the frugal life Wang Jian had led, and the anguished cries of the Jinzhou populace.
His Father Empress wanted him to practice forbearance; this he understood, but when he saw loyal officials being put to death for no good reason, his heart cried a river.
Lou Jing sighed. He pulled Xiao Chengjun into a tight hug. “The ones who care deeply about the world are always the most exhausted people in the world. Dianxia, just do your best, and don’t beat yourself up when things don’t work out as planned,” he said comfortingly.
The Crown Prince’s body stiffened at first, then slowly relaxed in Lou Jing’s arms. They were a wedded couple now, and there was nothing strange about being intimate with each other. He stretched out his own arms and wrapped them around his Consort’s waist.
That warm, solid chest gave off a light, woody scent, and it soothed the pain in Xiao Chengjun’s heart. He smiled faintly. “Zhuoyu, can I call you by this name in future?” he asked.
“That’d be nice,” Lou Jing said, reaching behind Xiao Chengjun to pull the blankets over him. “What shall I call Dianxia then?”
“In private, you can call me by name.”
“Isn’t that disrespectful?”
“I don’t mind.”
… …
The two didn’t talk about anything important as they snuggled in each other’s arms. They just talked about random, trivial things, and slowly drifted off into a warm, peaceful sleep in each others’ arms.
To avoid arousing the Emperor’s suspicion, the Crown Prince really didn’t bother with Imperial Court affairs any more, and spent his time on leisurely pursuits instead.
The next day, the two got on a carriage and headed westward to Lou Jing’s country estate after breakfast.
“What fruits did you plant personally in the estate?” Xiao Chengjun asked He hadn’t forgotten what Lou Jing said the other day.
“You’ll know when we get there,” Lou Jing said, smiling enigmatically.
The area to the west of the Capital was all farmlands and country estates owned by the nobility. Lou Jing’s country estate was quite a sizeable plot, but it wasn’t the largest in the area. It was situated at the foot of a small hill, with many fruit trees planted on the hill itself. Many fruits came into season in autumn, but no one picked them in Lou Jing’s estate, and the ripe ones just fell off the trees naturally.
“This servant greets the Shizi.” A strapping young man stepped forward to bow the moment the carriage stopped.
“Gao Yi?” Xiao Chengjun said, surprised. He’d seen Lou Jing’s personal guard Gao Yi back in the Anguo Gong residence. The man standing in front of them looked exactly like Gao Yi, but there was something different about him.
“This is Gao Yi’s older brother, Gao Yun. They’re twins,” Lou Jing explained, smiling. “Gao Yun, call everyone over to meet the Crown Prince.”
Gao Yun raised his head, his eyes full of surprise. He then looked at Xiao Chengjun, who was standing next to Lou Jing, and knelt hurriedly. “This peasant greets the Crown Prince,” he said.
“You may rise,” Xiao Chengjun said. He had not missed the look of surprise in Gao Yun’s eyes. Why was he so shocked that Lou Jing had asked the servants of this place to come and greet him?
Lou Jing flipped the book open to the first page. There was a foreword from the author, stating that this book was illustrated by a renowned artist, and that its contents were only for the Imperial family’s use, not to be circulated for public consumption.
Lou Jing rubbed his chin. This book had likely been placed in the little cupboard at the same time as the little black boxes containing that magic balm. He wondered if the Crown Prince had already read this book.
He flipped to the next page. The first picture depicted two men embracing each other in bed. The facial features of the men were not clear, likely because the artist had deliberately chosen to keep it that way. Other than their faces, everything else was drawn with great attention to detail. The exact positions of their bodies could be seen clearly, drawn in a lifelike manner with clean, flowing lines.
Lou Jing continued to turn the pages slowly. The contents were mostly pictures, with the occasional instructional text written in the white parts of the page where there were no drawings. For example, one of them read: The party on the receiving end will feel a lot of pain the first time. Enter gradually; do not force entry…
The red bedcurtains fluttered in the afternoon breeze. The breeze brought in some of the sun’s heat, but also the slight chill of early autumn. Lou Jing slept chest-down on the bed, hugging a big pillow and “The Palace of the Sun”, having a warm, delicious dream.
The Crown Prince’s official robes were a set of very fine, elaborate robes. The eunuch from the Ministry of Rites had specifically taught him to start by removing the belt, then the waistband. As Lou Jing expertly removed the clothing items one by one, the person below him watched silently. There was no expression on that handsome, stoic face, but his half-hidden ears were slowly turning red, giving away his feelings of embarrassment and helplessness. He couldn’t resist bending over and kissing that beautiful chest, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t seem to see that chest properly…
Lou Jing woke up from the dream with a start. He found that he was still lying chest-down on the bed with the book open in front of him. In the book, the receiving party was arching his body, the veins on his neck standing out. He looked to be in the throes of both pain and pleasure. Lou Jing was shocked by what he had just dreamt, but at the same time, couldn’t resist looking back on it with pleasure. If the person pressed down beneath him was the Crown Prince…
Lou Jing’s body heated up at the thought. He closed the book and raised a hand to wipe the sweat off his face, staring blankly into space for a while. Then, he sat up slowly, covering his face with one of his hands. Bright sunlight streamed in through the spaces between his fingers. He could still feel that alluring body in his dream in his hand.
He and Xiao Chengjun had started out as allies who would benefit from helping each other. He had originally thought to use his good looks to get a few more benefits from the Crown Prince, but in the past two days, he’d realised that he was losing control of his own feelings.
He wanted to beguile the Crown Prince, but ended up being the one being beguiled instead…
Lou Jing suddenly slid down onto the bed. He buried his face in the blankets, thinking that he had never been such an embarrassment to himself before in all the years of his life.
When Xiao Chengjun came back, what he saw was his Consort hiding his head in the blankets, squirming around in them like a huge worm. He couldn’t help chuckling, and his frustrations seemed to disappear into thin air. The Crown Prince sat down on the bed and patted the huge, fluffy worm. “Didn’t you want to take an afternoon nap? What on earth are you doing?” he asked. He caught sight of the book beside the bed, and picked it up to have a look. “What is this you’re…”
The word “reading” got stuck in the Crown Prince’s throat when he saw the title of the book.
Lou Jing crawled out of the blankets and saw the Crown Prince’s expression. A knowing look crossed his own face. “Dianxia, you’ve read this book?” he asked.
“Before the wedding… yes…” Xiao Chengjun said. The hand holding the book wavered uncertainly, not knowing whether to put it down or not. Ordinarily, the palace staff would have arranged for someone to teach him what to do on his wedding night, but the wedding had been done in such a hurry that the staff had no time to attend to this little detail, so he had just flipped through the book on his own. He hadn’t thought that a copy of this book would have been placed in Bafeng Hall.
Lou Jing saw the Crown Prince’s ears first turn pink, then a deep carnelian red after answering his question. His heart started beating faster, and he felt a strong urge to lean forward and bite those red little ears. He moved forward to do so, but just as he was about to bite down on his target, the Crown Prince suddenly stood up. “It’s time to greet my Father Empress,” he said.
Lou Jing’s mouth was still half-open. He looked up and saw the Crown Prince looking at him with his usual serious expression. He had no choice but to snap his mouth shut, climb out of bed and get dressed, pretending that he’d never seen those blushing ears.
Lou Jing reached for the Scarlet Cloud, intending to bring it along to give to the Empress. It was hanging from the wall, gleaming prettily in the afternoon sun. Xiao Chengjun stopped him. “You’ve only just managed to start walking. Don’t push it. You can always have a friendly duel with him later, after you’ve fully recovered,” Xiao Chengjun said. If Lou Jing brought it along today, the Empress would definitely want to try it out.
Lou Jing saw the wisdom of Xiao Chengjun’s words, and left the sword hanging on the wall. His recovery should be first priority, and he had plenty of time to get on the Empress’ good side. He therefore went to Fengyi Palace empty-handed.
Empress Ji was as regal and stately as Lou Jing remembered. He never showed any signs of frustration even though the life he led in this lonely palace was probably far from stimulating.
“You went to Luanyi Palace last night?” Ji Zhuo asked, his handsome face taking on some sternness.
“Yes,” Xiao Chengjun replied respectfully. “Yesterday, I was very worried when I heard that the Imperial Censor was thrown into the Imperial Prison, so I requested an audience with the Emperor. He summoned me to Luanyi Palace.”
The Empress was silent for a few seconds. “During the auspicious wedding period, the Crown Prince is forbidden from participating in affairs of state. Don’t you know the rules?” he said.
Xiao Chengjun froze for a moment, then hurriedly got off the chair and knelt before the Empress. “Erchen was too reckless,” he said.
Lou Jing felt his chest tighten. The Crown Prince was supposed to be excused from the Imperial Court for ten days after the wedding as a kindness to the newly married couple; he was not forbidden from participating in affairs of state. In fact, the Crown Princes that had come before Xiao Chengjun had never taken the full ten days off. Why was it that when it came to Xiao Chengjun, this benefit became a prohibition instead?
“These few days, things in the Imperial Court are going to be increasingly chaotic. Even if the Ministers of the Left and Right all end up in the Imperial Prison, you are not to go and beg for clemency from the Emperor,” Ji Zhuo said. He directed his piercing gaze straight at the kneeling Crown Prince. “Do I make myself clear?”
Xiao Chengjun raised his head, and looked at the Empress’ fierce, eagle-like eyes. “Erchen understands,” he said, enunciating every syllable clearly and slowly.
“Get up,” Ji Zhuo said with a sigh. “Remember always that in front of your Father Emperor, you have to appear weak. Don’t show any signs of strength.”
“Understood,” Xiao Chengjun said. He didn’t sit down, so Lou Jing had to get up as well.
The Empress saw that Lou Jing had stood up to accompany the Crown Prince, and his expression softened. “Zhuoyu, you should also remember that the consorts and concubines in this palace are all inferior in status to you. When you see them, you should wait for them to greet you, then return a half-greeting. The same applies even if the person you meet is the Guifei. Don’t give in to her just because she is the Guifei,” he said to Lou Jing in tones much warmer than those he had used with Xiao Chengjun.
“Yes, erchen will conscientiously remember what Father Empress has taught,” Lou Jing replied respectfully. Inwardly, he silently admired the Empress’ tactics.
On one hand, the Crown Prince presented himself as a weak prince who allowed the Guifei to get away with treating him disrespectfully, and on the other hand, the Crown Prince Consort, who came from an aristocratic family, made all the consorts and concubines greet him with the respect he was due. This contrast served two purposes. The first was to remind the Emperor of the injustice the Crown Prince suffered on a daily basis. The second was to remind the people in the palace that the Eastern Palace was not to be trifled with.
The Chunde Emperor had the habit of going to the hougong early, so for the past two years, he had waived the requirement for the Imperial princes and princesses to greet him at sunset. As such, Xiao Chengjun and Lou Jing went straight back to the Eastern Palace after they left Fengyi Palace.
At night, Lou Jing lay on the bed, thinking back on what had transpired at the Fengyi Palace.
How did being excused from the Imperial Court for ten days after the wedding become a prohibition on attending to matters of state? Did the Emperor distrust the Crown Prince so much that he twisted these unwritten customs and turned them into hard law? And if the Crown Prince didn’t follow these rules, then would the Emperor see it as a threat to his power?
Lou Jing rolled over onto his side to look at Xiao Chengjun, who was sleeping on the inner part of the bed as usual. He discovered that Xiao Chengjun was still awake. Lou Jing then realised that Xiao Chengjun had been unusually quiet since they left Fengyi Palace. “Can’t sleep?” Lou Jing asked.
Xiao Chengjun turned to look at him. He was silent for a very long time. Lou Jing had given up on getting any reply from him when he finally spoke up in a small voice. “Zhuoyu, do you think that I’m useless as a Crown Prince?” he asked.
He’d hidden his abilities and bided his time all this while. Everyone thought he was just a mediocre, incompetent person. However, he didn’t want his own Consort to think of him that way.
Lou Jing stared at Xiao Chengjun in surprise. This was the first time the Crown Prince had called him by his courtesy name. He felt a strange ache in his heart as he looked at those dark eyes in the pale light of the moon. “If you practice forbearance, it’s for the benefit of the country, and if you don’t, it’s also to the benefit of the country,” he said.
Xiao Chengjun looked a little overcome with emotion on hearing this. He slowly nodded his head. His Consort did understand him. “That year when Wang Jian died, it was exactly the same. The Emperor had promised to release him, but the very next day, he was sentenced to death by beheading.”
Wang Jian was the Prefectural Governor of Jinzhou a few years ago. He was in charge of building a part of the Great Wall. One day, a huge storm caused a part of the Great Wall that had yet to be fixed with mortar to fall apart. Someone impeached him, accusing him of embezzling the money that was meant to be used for the construction of the Great Wall. Before investigations had completed, he was thrown into the Imperial Prison, and eventually beheaded. After his death, a search and seizure was ordered on his property to return Wang Jian’s ill-gotten gains to the Imperial Treasury. However, the only things the officials conducting the search and seizure found was evidence of the frugal life Wang Jian had led, and the anguished cries of the Jinzhou populace.
His Father Empress wanted him to practice forbearance; this he understood, but when he saw loyal officials being put to death for no good reason, his heart cried a river.
Lou Jing sighed. He pulled Xiao Chengjun into a tight hug. “The ones who care deeply about the world are always the most exhausted people in the world. Dianxia, just do your best, and don’t beat yourself up when things don’t work out as planned,” he said comfortingly.
The Crown Prince’s body stiffened at first, then slowly relaxed in Lou Jing’s arms. They were a wedded couple now, and there was nothing strange about being intimate with each other. He stretched out his own arms and wrapped them around his Consort’s waist.
That warm, solid chest gave off a light, woody scent, and it soothed the pain in Xiao Chengjun’s heart. He smiled faintly. “Zhuoyu, can I call you by this name in future?” he asked.
“That’d be nice,” Lou Jing said, reaching behind Xiao Chengjun to pull the blankets over him. “What shall I call Dianxia then?”
“In private, you can call me by name.”
“Isn’t that disrespectful?”
“I don’t mind.”
… …
The two didn’t talk about anything important as they snuggled in each other’s arms. They just talked about random, trivial things, and slowly drifted off into a warm, peaceful sleep in each others’ arms.
To avoid arousing the Emperor’s suspicion, the Crown Prince really didn’t bother with Imperial Court affairs any more, and spent his time on leisurely pursuits instead.
The next day, the two got on a carriage and headed westward to Lou Jing’s country estate after breakfast.
“What fruits did you plant personally in the estate?” Xiao Chengjun asked He hadn’t forgotten what Lou Jing said the other day.
“You’ll know when we get there,” Lou Jing said, smiling enigmatically.
The area to the west of the Capital was all farmlands and country estates owned by the nobility. Lou Jing’s country estate was quite a sizeable plot, but it wasn’t the largest in the area. It was situated at the foot of a small hill, with many fruit trees planted on the hill itself. Many fruits came into season in autumn, but no one picked them in Lou Jing’s estate, and the ripe ones just fell off the trees naturally.
“This servant greets the Shizi.” A strapping young man stepped forward to bow the moment the carriage stopped.
“Gao Yi?” Xiao Chengjun said, surprised. He’d seen Lou Jing’s personal guard Gao Yi back in the Anguo Gong residence. The man standing in front of them looked exactly like Gao Yi, but there was something different about him.
“This is Gao Yi’s older brother, Gao Yun. They’re twins,” Lou Jing explained, smiling. “Gao Yun, call everyone over to meet the Crown Prince.”
Gao Yun raised his head, his eyes full of surprise. He then looked at Xiao Chengjun, who was standing next to Lou Jing, and knelt hurriedly. “This peasant greets the Crown Prince,” he said.
“You may rise,” Xiao Chengjun said. He had not missed the look of surprise in Gao Yun’s eyes. Why was he so shocked that Lou Jing had asked the servants of this place to come and greet him?
