“When Heaven has killing intent, it can easily move the stars to attack. When the Earth has killing intent, it calls dragons and snakes* to attack,” Xiao Chengjin said. His pale hand reached out from under the rug to tug at the Crown Prince’s sleeve. “The dragons and snakes of the Imperial Court are attacking right now. Brother, can you see their killing intent?”
*T/N: “Dragons and snakes” also refers to eminent people.
Xiao Chengjun was silent for a moment. He then sighed. “There’s killing intent everywhere. Right now, the more pressing problem is Father Emperor’s suspicion. I need to reduce his suspicion towards me,” he said.
“Unless you become an invalid or an idiot, you know that’s…” Xiao Chengjin sighed defeatedly. He leaned back on a large cushion and closed his eyes.
Xiao Chengjun tucked his younger brother’s hand back into the rug silently.
Lou Jing felt his heart ache strangely as he watched the two brothers. If the Second Prince was healthy, he would be a great help to the Crown Prince.
Suddenly, an infant’s cry broke the heavy atmosphere in the water pavilion. Xiao Chengjin opened his eyes and looked in the direction of his Consort, Mdm Zhang, who was carrying a little child in her arms.
The maid from earlier had gone to report to Mdm Zhang that the Second Prince had asked to see the child, so Mdm Zhang carried him out personally.
“You have good timing. He’s awake now, and has just had his milk,” Consort Jing* said, smiling warmly. She held the baby out in front of Xiao Chengjun and Lou Jing.
*T/N: This is the Second Prince’s Consort, Mdm Zhang. The name of the Consort’s title follows that of the Prince they are married to. The Second Prince is Prince Jing, so his Consort is Consort Jing.
The adorable baby was three months old. He no longer had the pink blush of a newborn, and his skin was fair and baby soft. He was a little unhappy right now at having been brought out of his comfortable house – he was crying nonstop with his face all puckered up.
Lou Jing sidled over curiously to look at the child. He extended a long, slender finger, and gently poked a chubby cheek.
“Uwahh! Uwahh… Wah… Mm… mmph…” After being teased by Lou Jing, the child grabbed hold of the offending finger and stopped crying. He gripped Lou Jing’s finger tightly and waved it around, gazing straight at Lou Jing with huge, watery eyes.
“Rui’er seems to like his Saosao,” Mdm Zhang said softly.
Lou Jing couldn’t hold back a smile. He removed a jade pendant with a bat carved on it and gave it to Mdm Zhang. “We came in a hurry and I didn’t have time to prepare any gifts. Take this as my present to Rui’er,” he said.
Mdm Zhang accepted the Yangzhi jade pendant and bowed in thanks with Rui’er in her arms. The jade pendant had a very auspicious meaning – the bat carved on the pendant symbolized fortune falling from the skies*.
*T/N: A bat is called a bian fu (蝙蝠) in Chinese. The fu in bian fu sounds like “fortune”, which is also fu (福). A bat flies in the sky, so when it descends, the fu (fortune/bat) falls from the sky (福从天降). Quite cute eh?
Mdm Zhang’s bowing movement caused the child’s hand to move further away from Lou Jing, but the child didn’t let go, continuing to hold tightly on to his finger. Lou Jing was amused by this but at the same time was worried the child would be hurt, so he extended his arm to compensate for the increased distance.
“It’s getting late. We should get going,” Xiao Chengjun said, rising to his feet. He looked at his pale-faced brother. “I’ll be back to visit another day.”
Xiao Chengjin nodded slightly. “If you are really intending to court danger, you must make him feel guilty… cough cough…” He started coughing midway through the sentence, a hand pressed weakly to his chest. Just that bit of exertion made the green veins on his hand stand out starkly against his pale skin.
Lou Jing narrowed his eyes as he looked at the brothers.
“Rest well,” Xiao Chengjun said. He didn’t want to discuss the matter any more, and after nodding politely in Mdm Zhang’s direction, started walking toward the stone bridge.
Lou Jing had no choice but to pry his finger out of Rui’er’s hand. He clasped his hands together in greeting, bowing to Mdm Zhang. “I’ll be going first,” he said politely in farewell. He then made haste to catch up with his Crown Prince, and they left Changchun Manor together.
The great goose had already been picked up and placed in their guards’ care. The butler walked them to the main gate and kowtowed respectfully as they left.
Lou Jing was a few steps behind Xiao Chengjun in the bamboo forest when the latter suddenly stopped, gripped a thick bamboo stem in one hand, closed his eyes and sighed deeply. A pair of warm hands supported his shoulders from behind. Xiao Chengjun didn’t even need to think, he knew it was Lou Jing. He looked at the thick bamboo forest in front of him, and his voice was lower than Lou Jing had ever heard before. “Chengjin was incredibly bright as a child – he could read at three, was writing poems at five, and he had a photographic memory for books, paintings and people…” he said, his voice thick and raspy with emotion.
Lou Jing could hear the suppressed sorrow in the Crown Prince’s voice, and his heart ached. He turned Xiao Chengjun around forcefully to face him, then wrapped his arms tightly around him. “What illness does the Second Prince have?” he asked.
“When he was born, he was already rather weak. Father Emperor tried all sorts of things, and finally managed to get him to a reasonable state of health after much difficulty. However, he was poisoned when he was six, and even though we managed to save him, he was never the same again. He was always sick, and couldn’t stand even a bit of cold…” Xiao Chengjun leaned his head on his Consort’s shoulder. That the normally reserved Xiao Chengjun accepted Lou Jing’s affectionate actions even though it was still broad daylight spoke volumes about how painful this topic was for him. “The poisoned cakes were meant for me. I shouldn’t have let Xiao Chengjin eat them first…”
Lou Jing froze for a moment, then tightened his arms around Xiao Chengjun. “Chengjun, the fault lies not with you, but with the one who poisoned the cakes,” he said.
Back at the Mountain Palace, Lou Jing asked the Ganquan Palace servants to light a fire and set up a roasting spit. The kitchen staff had already plucked and cleaned the goose. Lou Jing mounted it on the spit and roasted it personally.
The Mountain Palace chefs stood by the side, ready to plate the goose properly once it was done.
Lou Jing took the big plate from them and dismissed all the servants. He pulled the Crown Prince over to the big maple tree, and they both sat under it. “Wild game tastes best when you eat it outdoors,” he said.
Lou Jing set the plate down on the ground, and produced a jar of wine from goodness-knows-where. Xiao Chengjun watched him and couldn’t help smiling in amusement.
“Dianxia, try it, quick. It won’t be as good when it’s cold,” Lou Jing said, pointing at the meat in the plate. He had originally planned for him and the Crown Prince to just tear the meat directly from the whole goose with their hands, but he realised that this might be a bit too uncouth for the refined Crown Prince, and so had ended up carving the meat off the goose.
Xiao Chengjun picked up a pair of silver chopsticks and took a piece of meat. It was crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and seasoned to perfection. “You even know how to cook?” he asked. Usually, gentlemen wouldn’t go near the kitchen with a ten-foot pole, and Lou Jing had grown up as the privileged Shizi of an aristocratic family. It was even less likely that he would ever have to even boil a kettle of water.
“This is all I know,” Lou Jing laughed. He broke the mud seal on the wine jar, and poured out two bowls. “When I was in the Great Desert, we only got dry rations, and to satisfy my craving for fresh meat, I’d sometimes hunt for game.”
“Can’t you get your men to hunt for you?” Xiao Chengjun asked, accepting the wine bowl from his Consort and clinking bowls with him.
“No way!” Lou Jing said. He downed a bowl in one gulp, then leaned on the tree trunk, looking at the mountains in the distance. “We weren’t allowed to hunt, so I had to do it secretly. If my Grandfather found out about it…”
“Would he punish you?” Xiao Chengjun asked. There was nobody around, and he leaned back casually against the tree. He hadn’t felt this carefree in a long time.
“He’d steal my meat,” Lou Jing said, pursing his lips. He picked up a hunk of meat and bit into it ferociously.
“Hahaha!” Xiao Chengjun couldn’t help laughing out loud.
Lou Jing turned and saw his Crown Prince laughing with his head thrown back. Even though the Crown Prince was laughing more freely now than he had ever seen before, he could still tell that Xiao Chengjun was holding back a little, that he hadn’t really let go completely. He raised the wine jar and refilled their wine bowls. “We’re not in the palace today, so let’s take the chance to drink our fill,” he said.
“Okay!” Xiao Chengjun agreed, his eyes glowing with amusement. He raised the bowl to his lips and slowly drank it all.
The two drank bowl after bowl, and before long, that full jar of wine became a half-jar of wine.
Lou Jing didn’t drink wine in as refined a manner as the Crown Prince did. He always threw his head back and downed the bowl in one shot. When he did that, some of the clear wine would flow down the sides of his mouth and down the beautiful lines of his chin before trickling down his neck.
Xiao Chengjun stared at Lou Jing with his dark eyes. He slowly extended a hand and brushed a drop of liquid from his neck.
When that sensitive, vulnerable part of Lou Jing’s body was touched by Xiao Chengjun’s warm hand, his body tensed up. He looked quietly at Xiao Chengjun, who had moved closer to him in order to be able to touch his neck, and couldn’t resist pressing closer to him as well.
Their lips touched first, then their tongues. They could each smell the faint, sweet aroma of wine that became stronger as their tongues intertwined.
Somehow, their bodies tangled together as well. Lou Jing pulled the Crown Prince into his arms as he explored the Crown Prince’s lips.
Xiao Chengjun also didn’t know what had come over him today. Perhaps it was because he was in a melancholy mood after seeing his brother, and he got drunk more quickly than usual because of it. Perhaps it was because his Consort looked even more exquisite in the light of the moon and the stars, that made him want to get closer to him. Perhaps it was a combination of both.
A long while later, they slowly pulled apart. They were both panting slightly. Xiao Chengjun suddenly realised that he was lying in his Consort’s arms, and felt that something was off about that. “Zhuoyu… Mmph…”
The Crown Prince’s eyes were slightly flushed at the corners because he’d drunk a little too much. He looked a little dazed as he looked at Lou Jing. Before the Crown Prince could finish his sentence, Lou Jing couldn’t resist leaning down and kissing him again. No matter how he sucked and licked those lips, it didn’t seem to be enough. Suddenly, the images from that book in the secret compartment came to mind, and he pushed his tongue deep into Xiao Chengjun’s mouth.
“Mmph!” Xiao Chengjun’s eyes widened into saucers. His Consort was actually…
The cool night breeze blew past the big maple tree, making the big red leaves rustle and flutter down. Xiao Chengjun opened his eyes wide and took in this beautiful scene. The night sky was filled with stars, peeking out from the little gaps between the red leaves. He stretched out an arm and wrapped it around Lou Jing’s waist. He wanted this, this intimacy, just for now, just for a little while.
“Zhuoyu, the Imperial Physician said that Chengjin might not survive this winter…”
Lou Jing hugged the Crown Prince tightly. He was sleeping soundly in his arms. Lou Jing gently caressed his cheek, then sighed quietly.
In the entire Mountain Palace, there were only two members of the Imperial family present. Xiao Chengjun didn’t need to attend the Imperial Court, and they both didn’t need to do the customary greetings to the Emperor and Empress, so they lazed the days away.
All sorts of drama was happening in the Imperial Court, but the two of them ignored it all, spending their time wandering around the beautiful mountain together. The Mountain Palace really felt like a calm oasis in the middle of a sandstorm.
Time passed quickly when they were having fun, and before they knew it, the Zhongyang Festival was upon them. Things were lively in Jingyi Mountain even in the early morning of the ninth day of the ninth month. Many people were out to hike the mountains and attend the temple festivities. The festival stall operators also came early to prepare so as to secure a good location to sell their food or set up their games stall.
Not all the men went to climb the mountain. Xiao Chengjun was hauled off by his Consort to walk around the temple festival, and when he saw that there were a lot of men there to join in the fun as well, he heaved a sigh of relief.
Before long, many palanquins and horse carriages of wealthy families pulled up at the festival grounds. Every one of them had their curtains tightly drawn, blocking the interior from view. Many of the persons in the palanquins and carriages were high officials, the nobility or their womenfolk.
“How is this appropriate?” Xiao Chengjun asked, looking at the green-tiled wall in front of him. He frowned. He couldn’t believe that his Consort was asking him to flip over the wall of the nunnery! Men weren’t allowed inside, and there were many respectable women from good families making offerings there today. If they were found, wouldn’t people think they were peeping toms? Lou Jing had managed to throw off all their guards, and if some wealthy family’s guards caught them, they would definitely have to suffer a beating. Worse still if someone recognised him as the Crown Prince – he would really lose every last bit of face that he had.
“Shh!” Lou Jing made a gesture for him to keep quiet. He gestured to Xiao Chengjun to get on his back. When Xiao Chengjun refused, Lou Jing caught hold of his waist with one hand and leapt upwards, his other hand catching hold of the branch of a jujube tree. He landed squarely on the top of the wall, and saw a few nuns leading a group of ladies in their direction. Xiao Chengjun was so worried they’d be found that he didn’t even dare to breathe.
Lou Jing wasn’t in the least bit concerned. He squinted at the group of ladies carefully. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and a strange smile appeared on his face. He gripped the Crown Prince’s waist firmly once more, then leapt onto a nearby rooftop.
“What on earth are you here to do?” Xiao Chengjun asked, frowning. The tiles beneath his feet were green with moss, and it was very slippery. He found it difficult to stand properly. His Consort, however, was staring intently at the same group of women.
“I’ll let you see something fun today,” Lou Jing whispered into his ear. He followed the women’s path on the rooftops.
“Zhao furen, please wait a moment, the Priestess Ningxin will be with you shortly,” a grey-robed young nun said respectfully to the expensively-clad furen in front of her.
“Thank you for your trouble. Please accept this – you can eat it later,” Zhao furen said, giving the young nun a bag of pine nut candy.
“Thank you, furen,” the young nun smiled happily. She looked at the young girl next to Zhao furen, who was staring at her like he would a curious creature in a zoo. The young nun was a little scared by this, and she hurriedly bowed and left.
The young girl originally looked bored after the nun left, but then, she suddenly felt a small stone hit her back.
“Second Aunt, I’m going to use the washroom,” the young girl said quickly, smiling innocently at Zhao furen.
“Ji Ming, don’t forget what you promised me when we came out today,” Zhao furen said, furrowing her brows.
“I know, I know. I’ll be back before you know it, and I won’t make any trouble at all,” the young girl said glibly. She raised her skirts and ran out the door. Some of the nuns looked askance at the girl and whispered that this young miss from the Zhao family didn’t seem to have been brought up very well.
“When Heaven has killing intent, it can easily move the stars to attack. When the Earth has killing intent, it calls dragons and snakes* to attack,” Xiao Chengjin said. His pale hand reached out from under the rug to tug at the Crown Prince’s sleeve. “The dragons and snakes of the Imperial Court are attacking right now. Brother, can you see their killing intent?”
*T/N: “Dragons and snakes” also refers to eminent people.
Xiao Chengjun was silent for a moment. He then sighed. “There’s killing intent everywhere. Right now, the more pressing problem is Father Emperor’s suspicion. I need to reduce his suspicion towards me,” he said.
“Unless you become an invalid or an idiot, you know that’s…” Xiao Chengjin sighed defeatedly. He leaned back on a large cushion and closed his eyes.
Xiao Chengjun tucked his younger brother’s hand back into the rug silently.
Lou Jing felt his heart ache strangely as he watched the two brothers. If the Second Prince was healthy, he would be a great help to the Crown Prince.
Suddenly, an infant’s cry broke the heavy atmosphere in the water pavilion. Xiao Chengjin opened his eyes and looked in the direction of his Consort, Mdm Zhang, who was carrying a little child in her arms.
The maid from earlier had gone to report to Mdm Zhang that the Second Prince had asked to see the child, so Mdm Zhang carried him out personally.
“You have good timing. He’s awake now, and has just had his milk,” Consort Jing* said, smiling warmly. She held the baby out in front of Xiao Chengjun and Lou Jing.
*T/N: This is the Second Prince’s Consort, Mdm Zhang. The name of the Consort’s title follows that of the Prince they are married to. The Second Prince is Prince Jing, so his Consort is Consort Jing.
The adorable baby was three months old. He no longer had the pink blush of a newborn, and his skin was fair and baby soft. He was a little unhappy right now at having been brought out of his comfortable house – he was crying nonstop with his face all puckered up.
Lou Jing sidled over curiously to look at the child. He extended a long, slender finger, and gently poked a chubby cheek.
“Uwahh! Uwahh… Wah… Mm… mmph…” After being teased by Lou Jing, the child grabbed hold of the offending finger and stopped crying. He gripped Lou Jing’s finger tightly and waved it around, gazing straight at Lou Jing with huge, watery eyes.
“Rui’er seems to like his Saosao,” Mdm Zhang said softly.
Lou Jing couldn’t hold back a smile. He removed a jade pendant with a bat carved on it and gave it to Mdm Zhang. “We came in a hurry and I didn’t have time to prepare any gifts. Take this as my present to Rui’er,” he said.
Mdm Zhang accepted the Yangzhi jade pendant and bowed in thanks with Rui’er in her arms. The jade pendant had a very auspicious meaning – the bat carved on the pendant symbolized fortune falling from the skies*.
*T/N: A bat is called a bian fu (蝙蝠) in Chinese. The fu in bian fu sounds like “fortune”, which is also fu (福). A bat flies in the sky, so when it descends, the fu (fortune/bat) falls from the sky (福从天降). Quite cute eh?
Mdm Zhang’s bowing movement caused the child’s hand to move further away from Lou Jing, but the child didn’t let go, continuing to hold tightly on to his finger. Lou Jing was amused by this but at the same time was worried the child would be hurt, so he extended his arm to compensate for the increased distance.
“It’s getting late. We should get going,” Xiao Chengjun said, rising to his feet. He looked at his pale-faced brother. “I’ll be back to visit another day.”
Xiao Chengjin nodded slightly. “If you are really intending to court danger, you must make him feel guilty… cough cough…” He started coughing midway through the sentence, a hand pressed weakly to his chest. Just that bit of exertion made the green veins on his hand stand out starkly against his pale skin.
Lou Jing narrowed his eyes as he looked at the brothers.
“Rest well,” Xiao Chengjun said. He didn’t want to discuss the matter any more, and after nodding politely in Mdm Zhang’s direction, started walking toward the stone bridge.
Lou Jing had no choice but to pry his finger out of Rui’er’s hand. He clasped his hands together in greeting, bowing to Mdm Zhang. “I’ll be going first,” he said politely in farewell. He then made haste to catch up with his Crown Prince, and they left Changchun Manor together.
The great goose had already been picked up and placed in their guards’ care. The butler walked them to the main gate and kowtowed respectfully as they left.
Lou Jing was a few steps behind Xiao Chengjun in the bamboo forest when the latter suddenly stopped, gripped a thick bamboo stem in one hand, closed his eyes and sighed deeply. A pair of warm hands supported his shoulders from behind. Xiao Chengjun didn’t even need to think, he knew it was Lou Jing. He looked at the thick bamboo forest in front of him, and his voice was lower than Lou Jing had ever heard before. “Chengjin was incredibly bright as a child – he could read at three, was writing poems at five, and he had a photographic memory for books, paintings and people…” he said, his voice thick and raspy with emotion.
Lou Jing could hear the suppressed sorrow in the Crown Prince’s voice, and his heart ached. He turned Xiao Chengjun around forcefully to face him, then wrapped his arms tightly around him. “What illness does the Second Prince have?” he asked.
“When he was born, he was already rather weak. Father Emperor tried all sorts of things, and finally managed to get him to a reasonable state of health after much difficulty. However, he was poisoned when he was six, and even though we managed to save him, he was never the same again. He was always sick, and couldn’t stand even a bit of cold…” Xiao Chengjun leaned his head on his Consort’s shoulder. That the normally reserved Xiao Chengjun accepted Lou Jing’s affectionate actions even though it was still broad daylight spoke volumes about how painful this topic was for him. “The poisoned cakes were meant for me. I shouldn’t have let Xiao Chengjin eat them first…”
Lou Jing froze for a moment, then tightened his arms around Xiao Chengjun. “Chengjun, the fault lies not with you, but with the one who poisoned the cakes,” he said.
Back at the Mountain Palace, Lou Jing asked the Ganquan Palace servants to light a fire and set up a roasting spit. The kitchen staff had already plucked and cleaned the goose. Lou Jing mounted it on the spit and roasted it personally.
The Mountain Palace chefs stood by the side, ready to plate the goose properly once it was done.
Lou Jing took the big plate from them and dismissed all the servants. He pulled the Crown Prince over to the big maple tree, and they both sat under it. “Wild game tastes best when you eat it outdoors,” he said.
Lou Jing set the plate down on the ground, and produced a jar of wine from goodness-knows-where. Xiao Chengjun watched him and couldn’t help smiling in amusement.
“Dianxia, try it, quick. It won’t be as good when it’s cold,” Lou Jing said, pointing at the meat in the plate. He had originally planned for him and the Crown Prince to just tear the meat directly from the whole goose with their hands, but he realised that this might be a bit too uncouth for the refined Crown Prince, and so had ended up carving the meat off the goose.
Xiao Chengjun picked up a pair of silver chopsticks and took a piece of meat. It was crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and seasoned to perfection. “You even know how to cook?” he asked. Usually, gentlemen wouldn’t go near the kitchen with a ten-foot pole, and Lou Jing had grown up as the privileged Shizi of an aristocratic family. It was even less likely that he would ever have to even boil a kettle of water.
“This is all I know,” Lou Jing laughed. He broke the mud seal on the wine jar, and poured out two bowls. “When I was in the Great Desert, we only got dry rations, and to satisfy my craving for fresh meat, I’d sometimes hunt for game.”
“Can’t you get your men to hunt for you?” Xiao Chengjun asked, accepting the wine bowl from his Consort and clinking bowls with him.
“No way!” Lou Jing said. He downed a bowl in one gulp, then leaned on the tree trunk, looking at the mountains in the distance. “We weren’t allowed to hunt, so I had to do it secretly. If my Grandfather found out about it…”
“Would he punish you?” Xiao Chengjun asked. There was nobody around, and he leaned back casually against the tree. He hadn’t felt this carefree in a long time.
“He’d steal my meat,” Lou Jing said, pursing his lips. He picked up a hunk of meat and bit into it ferociously.
“Hahaha!” Xiao Chengjun couldn’t help laughing out loud.
Lou Jing turned and saw his Crown Prince laughing with his head thrown back. Even though the Crown Prince was laughing more freely now than he had ever seen before, he could still tell that Xiao Chengjun was holding back a little, that he hadn’t really let go completely. He raised the wine jar and refilled their wine bowls. “We’re not in the palace today, so let’s take the chance to drink our fill,” he said.
“Okay!” Xiao Chengjun agreed, his eyes glowing with amusement. He raised the bowl to his lips and slowly drank it all.
The two drank bowl after bowl, and before long, that full jar of wine became a half-jar of wine.
Lou Jing didn’t drink wine in as refined a manner as the Crown Prince did. He always threw his head back and downed the bowl in one shot. When he did that, some of the clear wine would flow down the sides of his mouth and down the beautiful lines of his chin before trickling down his neck.
Xiao Chengjun stared at Lou Jing with his dark eyes. He slowly extended a hand and brushed a drop of liquid from his neck.
When that sensitive, vulnerable part of Lou Jing’s body was touched by Xiao Chengjun’s warm hand, his body tensed up. He looked quietly at Xiao Chengjun, who had moved closer to him in order to be able to touch his neck, and couldn’t resist pressing closer to him as well.
Their lips touched first, then their tongues. They could each smell the faint, sweet aroma of wine that became stronger as their tongues intertwined.
Somehow, their bodies tangled together as well. Lou Jing pulled the Crown Prince into his arms as he explored the Crown Prince’s lips.
Xiao Chengjun also didn’t know what had come over him today. Perhaps it was because he was in a melancholy mood after seeing his brother, and he got drunk more quickly than usual because of it. Perhaps it was because his Consort looked even more exquisite in the light of the moon and the stars, that made him want to get closer to him. Perhaps it was a combination of both.
A long while later, they slowly pulled apart. They were both panting slightly. Xiao Chengjun suddenly realised that he was lying in his Consort’s arms, and felt that something was off about that. “Zhuoyu… Mmph…”
The Crown Prince’s eyes were slightly flushed at the corners because he’d drunk a little too much. He looked a little dazed as he looked at Lou Jing. Before the Crown Prince could finish his sentence, Lou Jing couldn’t resist leaning down and kissing him again. No matter how he sucked and licked those lips, it didn’t seem to be enough. Suddenly, the images from that book in the secret compartment came to mind, and he pushed his tongue deep into Xiao Chengjun’s mouth.
“Mmph!” Xiao Chengjun’s eyes widened into saucers. His Consort was actually…
The cool night breeze blew past the big maple tree, making the big red leaves rustle and flutter down. Xiao Chengjun opened his eyes wide and took in this beautiful scene. The night sky was filled with stars, peeking out from the little gaps between the red leaves. He stretched out an arm and wrapped it around Lou Jing’s waist. He wanted this, this intimacy, just for now, just for a little while.
“Zhuoyu, the Imperial Physician said that Chengjin might not survive this winter…”
Lou Jing hugged the Crown Prince tightly. He was sleeping soundly in his arms. Lou Jing gently caressed his cheek, then sighed quietly.
In the entire Mountain Palace, there were only two members of the Imperial family present. Xiao Chengjun didn’t need to attend the Imperial Court, and they both didn’t need to do the customary greetings to the Emperor and Empress, so they lazed the days away.
All sorts of drama was happening in the Imperial Court, but the two of them ignored it all, spending their time wandering around the beautiful mountain together. The Mountain Palace really felt like a calm oasis in the middle of a sandstorm.
Time passed quickly when they were having fun, and before they knew it, the Zhongyang Festival was upon them. Things were lively in Jingyi Mountain even in the early morning of the ninth day of the ninth month. Many people were out to hike the mountains and attend the temple festivities. The festival stall operators also came early to prepare so as to secure a good location to sell their food or set up their games stall.
Not all the men went to climb the mountain. Xiao Chengjun was hauled off by his Consort to walk around the temple festival, and when he saw that there were a lot of men there to join in the fun as well, he heaved a sigh of relief.
Before long, many palanquins and horse carriages of wealthy families pulled up at the festival grounds. Every one of them had their curtains tightly drawn, blocking the interior from view. Many of the persons in the palanquins and carriages were high officials, the nobility or their womenfolk.
“How is this appropriate?” Xiao Chengjun asked, looking at the green-tiled wall in front of him. He frowned. He couldn’t believe that his Consort was asking him to flip over the wall of the nunnery! Men weren’t allowed inside, and there were many respectable women from good families making offerings there today. If they were found, wouldn’t people think they were peeping toms? Lou Jing had managed to throw off all their guards, and if some wealthy family’s guards caught them, they would definitely have to suffer a beating. Worse still if someone recognised him as the Crown Prince – he would really lose every last bit of face that he had.
“Shh!” Lou Jing made a gesture for him to keep quiet. He gestured to Xiao Chengjun to get on his back. When Xiao Chengjun refused, Lou Jing caught hold of his waist with one hand and leapt upwards, his other hand catching hold of the branch of a jujube tree. He landed squarely on the top of the wall, and saw a few nuns leading a group of ladies in their direction. Xiao Chengjun was so worried they’d be found that he didn’t even dare to breathe.
Lou Jing wasn’t in the least bit concerned. He squinted at the group of ladies carefully. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and a strange smile appeared on his face. He gripped the Crown Prince’s waist firmly once more, then leapt onto a nearby rooftop.
“What on earth are you here to do?” Xiao Chengjun asked, frowning. The tiles beneath his feet were green with moss, and it was very slippery. He found it difficult to stand properly. His Consort, however, was staring intently at the same group of women.
“I’ll let you see something fun today,” Lou Jing whispered into his ear. He followed the women’s path on the rooftops.
“Zhao furen, please wait a moment, the Priestess Ningxin will be with you shortly,” a grey-robed young nun said respectfully to the expensively-clad furen in front of her.
“Thank you for your trouble. Please accept this – you can eat it later,” Zhao furen said, giving the young nun a bag of pine nut candy.
“Thank you, furen,” the young nun smiled happily. She looked at the young girl next to Zhao furen, who was staring at her like he would a curious creature in a zoo. The young nun was a little scared by this, and she hurriedly bowed and left.
The young girl originally looked bored after the nun left, but then, she suddenly felt a small stone hit her back.
“Second Aunt, I’m going to use the washroom,” the young girl said quickly, smiling innocently at Zhao furen.
“Ji Ming, don’t forget what you promised me when we came out today,” Zhao furen said, furrowing her brows.
“I know, I know. I’ll be back before you know it, and I won’t make any trouble at all,” the young girl said glibly. She raised her skirts and ran out the door. Some of the nuns looked askance at the girl and whispered that this young miss from the Zhao family didn’t seem to have been brought up very well.
