Chapter 615: Chapter 213: Birthday
Time passed swiftly.
Upon entering August, the rains were incessant, and in a blink, the Mid-Autumn Festival had come and gone.
The Palace Marshal’s Mansion was bustling with activity.
The ceremony was imminent. The various squads of imperial guards were kept busy with training, preparing for the Emperor’s personal inspection of the ceremony ten days later. Even on Mid-Autumn Day, the number of guards stationed at each gate within the palace grounds was doubled.
The palace was even more strictly guarded than usual, leading some courtiers to speculate that this was related to Noble Consort Chen’s internal sabotage.
Add to that the fact that the Crown Prince had claimed illness and had not been seen in court for several days, and rumors began to swirl.
Inside the Palace Marshal’s Mansion, coinciding with the rain, the Martial Arts Field was wet, so the imperial guards had the day off from training.
The courtyard was littered with rain-fallen sweetgum leaves as Duan Xiaoyan, carrying a bamboo basket on his back, hurried through the door, shook off the rain from his body, set down the umbrella, and flung off the oilcloth covering the basket—
"Woosh!" Suddenly, the resting guards all crowded around.
The basket was filled with triangular red talismans, mixed in with some peach blossom branches made from cloth scraps and strings of beads. Duan Xiaoyan wiped the sweat from his brow and said with hands on his hips, "Line up, line up, one at a time." He then swatted away a reaching hand of one guard and said displeased, "They’re all the same, what’s there to pick?"
Peach Blossom Talismans and spell bead strings, personally blessed by the Fox Fairy from West Street Blind Man He, were cheaper the more you bought. Duan Xiaoyan volunteered to buy on behalf of his fellow guards and managed to negotiate a satisfactory price.
The clamor of voices, mixed with the sound of the rain, drifted inside the house. Pei Yunmeng glanced outside and slightly furrowed his brow.
"They are becoming increasingly undisciplined," he said coldly. "You’re not going to do anything about it?"
Xiao Zhufeng, seated at the table warming his hands with a cup of hot tea, replied, "What is there to manage? You bought one yourself."
His gaze skimmed over Pei Yunmeng’s desk.
Below the stack of military documents, a corner of red was barely visible.
Pei Yunmeng snorted in response, "Didn’t you also buy one?"
Xiao Zhufeng, "..."
He silently pushed the wooden tea tray further inward.
Both fell silent for a moment.
"She hasn’t come to the Palace Marshal’s Mansion for over half a month," Xiao Zhufeng said, lowering his head for another sip of tea. "Did you two have a fight?"
"No," was the reply.
"Then you’ve run out of chances," he surmised.
Pei Yunmeng responded irritably, "Are you sick or something?"
Since the rainy day before, he hadn’t seen Lu Tong for half a month.
With affairs inside the Palace keeping everyone busy and Emperor Liang Ming seemingly resolute in punishing the Crown Prince to establish a new heir, it was clear to all courtiers that there was deep animosity between the Crown Prince’s faction and the Duke of Chen’s faction. The Emperor had dispatched troops a few days earlier to journey towards Qi Shui, and whether by design or coincidence, Emperor Liang Ming often summoned him for late-night talks.
It was very late when he left the Palace. Sometimes he thought of visiting West Street, but feared that the late hour would disturb the rest of the others. After hearing from the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion’s spies that Lu Tong was doing well and that Qi Yutai was relatively disciplined, he decided not to meet with her for the time being.
After several consecutive nights of rushing work, he finally managed to finish a chunk of it and squeezed out two days’ break from the busy period.
"I’m just worried for you," Xiao Zhufeng stood up and walked to the window, looking at the rain falling from the eaves. "After all, there’s still her former fiancé, Ji Xun."
"That’s just your speculation."
"The man is a gentleman, with a praiseworthy character," he pointed out.
Pei Yunmeng laughed derisively, "What of it? In her eyes, he’s no different from dead pig meat buried under a tree."
Xiao Zhufeng asked, "You’re that confident?"
"Of course. I’m not like you. You’re content with silently wishing her well, but for me, liking someone means possessing them," said the young man, the smile fading from his face. "Never mind that there’s nothing between her and Ji Xun, even if there was, if she truly liked Ji Xun, I would..."
Xiao Zhufeng interjected, "You would what?"
"...I would break them apart," came the reply.
Xiao Zhufeng was speechless for a moment and then said, "So, you deliberately avoided going home for your birthday today just so you could see her?"
Pei Yunmeng gave him a sideways glance, "If you want to see my sister, just go yourself. Using me as an excuse, is that okay?"
Xiao Zhufeng ignored him, "Are you planning to confess your feelings to her?"
"Now’s not the time," he said.
Pei Yunmeng’s gaze flickered slightly and he spoke softly. "She’s focused on revenge, no room for distractions, it’s better to play it slowly."
Xiao Zhufeng stared at him a long while, then set down the tea cup in his hand and spoke contemptuously.
"You think you can?"
...
The rain outside intensified.
Lu Tong stepped out of the house, picking up an umbrella from the corner.
Upon seeing this, Du Changqing lazily waved his hand at her, "Go and come back soon." His gaze then caught sight of Yin Zheng behind Lu Tong, his expression stiffened for a moment before he quickly lowered his head to fiddle with his abacus, avoiding her gaze.
Several dismal days later, Du Changqing, still nursing his emotional wounds, returned to his dispensary. He appeared nonchalant, cursing people as usual, but there were moments when he couldn’t help but reveal a tinge of melancholy.
As if he were truly heartbroken.
In contrast, Yin Zheng seemed much more open and at ease.
Yin Zheng saw Lu Tong out the door and noticed that she had, as usual, worn the Hibiscus Flower Hairpin. She let out a "Huh" and curiously asked, "Why haven’t I seen the lady wear that hair comb lately?"