Rong Tang has been eating since he got up in the morning. He took a few sips of soup at lunch before setting the bowl aside. Su Huaijing watched, a somewhat regretful frown creasing his brow.
The sense of accomplishment from feeding small creatures was so strong that he even forgot about propriety.
Fortunately, he hadn’t eaten much, so he didn’t suffer from indigestion. After guiding Rong Tang back to his room to rest, Su Huaijing stood there for a moment and mulled, then silently stuffed all the snacks he had brought to the bottom of the trunk.
The moment he closed the lid, he hesitated once more, then extracted and packed half of them away, locking the other half.
He couldn’t cut all the snacks at once; otherwise, Tangtang might feel aggrieved.
After Su Huaijing completed this task, the courtyard regained its tranquility. While Rong Tang took a lunchtime nap and Ke Hongxue and Mu Jingxu remained on the island in the middle of the lake, Su Huaijing sits at the table and hears two kingfishers chirping outside the window. Frowning unhappily, he stepped out.
Before leaving, he called Shuang Shou and instructed, “If Tangtang wakes up before I return, inform him that I’ve gone to find the Second Young Master.”
Shuang Shou was momentarily dazed, then his expression immediately became alert and flustered. “If Sir needs to inform the Second Young Master of something, let this subordinate deliver the message. There’s really no need for you to make the trip personally.”
The night before coming to Song Garden, although Rong Zheng had sent many things to Tanghua Courtyard, everyone in the palace knew too well that the Second and Third Young Masters weren’t as respectful to the Prince as they appeared. Now that Sir was going alone to find the Second Young Master, Shuang Shou was extremely worried.
Su Huaijing wanted to laugh upon hearing this. It was fine that he appeared as a pure and white little flower in front of Rong Tang; indeed, even this lad of a servant thought that he might be bullied by others.
After careful consideration, Su Huaijing also felt happy.
Precisely because he was so carefully protected and there were those who cared about everything he drank and ate, in the eyes of others, Ningxuan Shizi Fei was seen as a climbing creeper clinging onto Rong Tang to survive.
It’s hard to determine how good it is, but it’s definitely not bad either.
Su Huaijing had no intention of changing this perception for the time being. From a selfish standpoint, he enjoyed the feeling of clinging to and being protected by Tangtang.
As far as official matters were concerned, ‘Ningxuan Shizi Fei’ was his most natural and unassailable disguise. Since the day Rong Tang personally gave it to him, Su Huaijing had been considering how to make the most of it.
As for other so-called reputations or opinions, Su Huaijing didn’t care. He was happy to have the most inextricable connection with Rong Tang through this title.
Su Huaijing smiled and said to Shuang Shou, “Don’t worry, the Second Young Master now respects Tangtang very much and will not slight me.”
Shuang Shou remained doubtful, but Rong Tang had previously ordered everyone in Tanghua Courtyard that all Su Huaijing’s orders were equivalent to his own. So, if he insisted on going alone, Shuang Shou couldn’t do anything to stop him, but he left a little room for caution. He made sure to remember that if someone spread the news that Sir was being bullied by the Second Young Master, he would immediately wake the Young Master to help Sir vent his anger.
Su Huaijing stepped out of the courtyard and admired the blossoming flowers. As he strolled through different sections, a young attendant dressed in grey approaches him. The attendant leads Su Huaijing to a slightly rundown and sparsely populated courtyard.
The courtyard is even larger than his current residence. Upon entering, Su Huaijing’s gaze is drawn to a dark red stage.
Some years ago, the stage was adorned with gold embroidery, and pear trees dotted the area. Now, it is the season when the flowers fall and the leaves bloom, casting shade over the courtyard. It’s easy to imagine that this place was once bustling with activity many years ago.
Su Huaijing, not particularly interested in admiring the scenery, crosses the stage and heads straight to the door of the main house without a sideways glance.
The wooden door appears freshly wiped, with barely visible traces of dust, and faint sounds of movement emanating from inside. Su Huaijing pushes open the door and addresses the occupant in a deep voice, “Your Highness’ actions may be considered too reckless.”
Inside the room, pacing back and forth, is none other than Sheng Chengming. He wears an apricot-yellow robe, his impatience evident as he circles around eagerly.
Su Huaijing lowers his gaze and inspects the wooden boards beneath his feet, momentarily pondering if they had been wiped clean by the Second Prince.
Sheng Chengming regains his senses, and he suddenly stops in place. He turns around and locks eyes with Su Huaijing. He leans forward, as if wanting to move ahead, but he ultimately remembers a bit of the dignity of being an imperial heir, so he remains where he is and says, “Young Master.”
“Ng.” Su Huaijing responds, turning around and closing the door as he enters.
To Su Huaijing’s surprise, Sheng Chengming is the only occupant in the wing room, contrary to his expectations.
He initially assumed that with Sheng Chengming’s impetuous and reckless character, after discovering his relationship with Duke Ningxuan’s Palace, even if he could refrain from coming over immediately to hold him accountable, he would definitely not be able to resist asking Rong Zheng for some information.
Su Huaijing asks, “Has anyone seen Your Highness coming here?”
Sheng Chengming is fatigued from a sleepless night, his eyes were bloodshot. Hearing this, he responds promptly, “The flower-picking festival began today, and most are either on the island or enjoying themselves on the estate. This area is dilapidated, and Ol’ San has ordered it sealed off. I walked all the way, avoiding eyes and ears, and no one noticed me. Please rest assured, Young Master.”
Su Huaijing’s lips curl into a smile as he remarks, “Then, Your Highness seeks me out so eagerly; is it because you have urgent matters to discuss?”
Despite his youth, Sheng Chengming exudes a composed demeanour beyond his years. Growing up in the imperial family, his maternal grandfather had thought more than once about arranging a few counsellors around him to win the favour of Emperor Renshou or to suppress the other princes.
But in Sheng Chengming’s view, those were all pedantic bunches who would only show off their erudition, their mouths filled with literary phrases, carrying themselves with a self-satisfied air, but were overly cautious and indecisive when doing things. Sheng Chengming’s head hurts when he hears them talking.
When he met Su Huaijing, he was in a critical period.
Imperial Father had permitted him to join the court and handle state affairs, but it was unclear whether it was to assert dominance over him or if it was part of the political manoeuvring against the third prince by the ministers. He would always make a muddle of the few cases that he’d taken over, even the simplest ones, which drew his Imperial Father’s displeasure.
For a while, Sheng Chengming fretted over the possibility of His Majesty throwing him back to the Imperial College to attend lectures alongside his si di and wu di*.
(*TN: si = fourth, wu = fifth)
At that juncture, Su Huaijing happened to appear and pledged allegiance. Originally, Sheng Chengming harboured vigilance and suspicion towards him, but he was able to locate an auspicious beast like the white tiger, offering it to him without reservation as a bargaining chip to please his Imperial Father. Once again, he cautiously offered advice when he was on the verge of arrogance and complacency, thus averting future accountability from the Emperor and mitigating risks.
Sheng Chengming now harbours unwavering trust in this Young Master.
Precisely because of this, when Sheng Chengming realised the marriage Su Huaijing was talking about was his marriage to Prince Ningxuan as his Shizi Fei, he was left reeling in shock.
He couldn’t find his voice for a long time, then he finally said, “Last month I was dealing with the Case of the Remnant Rebels, so I never had time to pay attention to the major events happening in the capital. But I heard…… Prince Ningxuan’s marriage was originally a warding off. If Young Master—”
Su Huaijing didn’t say anything. He raised his eyes to look at him, with a faint smile on his lips. At a glance, he appeared to be silently encouraging him.
So Sheng Chengming became a little more emboldened, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and said, “Young Master, if you’re not doing this willingly, I’ll help you persuade Imperial Father to annul this marriage. In the first place, a man marrying another man is unconventional. Young Master is greatly talented; how can you be forced to accept a position in the back house and made to cater to a chronic invalid every day?”
Sheng Chengming was absolutely under the impression that Su Huaijing had been coerced into marrying Rong Tang, and he felt his initial words were insufficient. His brow twitched as he exclaimed: “Truly, Rong biao ge can outrageously follow his own inclinations. He’s well aware that he can’t live for more than a few years with the kind of health he has. How can he still marry a male wife? After he’s gone, won’t Young Master still have to observe a mourning period for him? A recently widowed husband isn’t permitted to take part in the imperial examination for three years. If he passes away early, so be it. If he scrapes along with that broken body of his, suffering for three to five years, Young Master, won’t you have to waste nearly a decade on him!?”
The more Sheng Chengming thought about it, the more alarmed he grew. His eyebrows were furrowed the entire time he spoke, and his face contorted with utter indignation. After speaking for a long time, he still didn’t hear Su Huaijing’s reply. He lifted his gaze and looked over keenly, as if all he needed was Su Huaijing’s order, and he would immediately ride back to the imperial palace from Song Garden to ask Emperor Renshou to cancel this marriage, which he considered exceedingly preposterous.
Yet, the moment their eyes met, Sheng Chengming instantly felt as if he’d plummeted into an icy chasm, and an overwhelming sense of unease rushed in!
Those are the eyes of a beast in the wilderness before venturing out to hunt before daybreak, blood-red pupils locked onto the throat of the prey that will swoop in anytime to snap it off with a single bite, putting everything to an end in the darkness of night.
The instantaneous physical sensation is exceptionally clear. The hairs all over Sheng Chengming’s body stand on end, as if a gust of wind has blown past, making him feel like he is on the coldest days of the year despite being under the warm sun of the fourth month.
Sheng Chengming is dumbstruck with astonishment as he stares at Su Huaijing again in disbelief, but abruptly realises that his perception at that moment seemed to have been misconstrued.
Su Huaijing retained his kind smile while he patiently listened to all the words he said that can be regarded as vilifying and abusive. Then he turned his head and softly uttered, “Thank you, Your Highness.”
Sheng Chengming became unusually cautious and refrained from responding immediately.
Su Huaijing stated, “Rong Tang and I are in love with each other. I am someone who lacks ambition. For the rest of my life, I just hope to enjoy flowers, read books, and listen to operas and music with Tangtang. I wish that Tangtang can live a long life. If the heavens don’t pity me and I’m not blessed with such good fortune, I just hope to be able to accompany him for as long as possible.”
Sheng Chengming stared blankly at Su Huaijing and observed that the expression of the young master that he respects appeared to be glazed with tenderness.
“If this marriage can truly help Tangtang in overcoming his illness, then I’ll consider it as my blessing. I hope His Highness refrains from making such remarks in the future.” He raised his eyes to look at Sheng Chengming and cups his hands in a profound salute. “If Your Highness believes that I am so lovestruck and won’t amount to any success, it will be due to my lack of fortune to assist Your Highness in conquering the world. But if you’re asking me to leave Rong Tang, it’s entirely impossible.”
Su Huaijing said solemnly, “I wish for Your Highness to be continually blessed, to be acquainted with many advisers, to secure a lifetime of peace for Dayu in the future, and reign as an emperor throughout the ages. This Su’s abilities are limited and I cannot assist Your Highness; therefore——”
“Young Master, there’s no need for you to say that!”
Sheng Chengming finally comes to his senses, and his eyes widen in disbelief. The reserved and dignified demeanour that he barely maintained earlier has vanished completely. He hurriedly stepped forward, reached out to grab Su Huaijing’s hand, and then took half a step back as if cognisant of being rude, then directly apologised with a roll of the sleeves: “I am pedantic, ignorant, and unable to distinguish matters. I urge Young Master not to pay me any mind and don’t take offence. Biao ge will surely receive heaven’s blessings. Having survived a disaster, one is bound to have good fortune in the future. Young Master and biao ge are sure to……”
He choked for a moment and said with difficulty, “You will surely grow old together and be together forever.”
The corner of Su Huaijing’s lips curled into an ambiguous smile, and Sheng Chengming spoke in one breath: “Rong biao ge is so incredibly intelligent that he’s even earned praise from my imperial mother, and Young Master is a rare talent in the world. You two are an ideal match made in heaven. It’s my own poor judgement.”
Su Huaijing lowered his eyes and inquired quietly, “Really?”
Sheng Chengming immediately responded, “Most definitely! Talented men have always been paired with beautiful women since time immemorial. Even in our Dayu, there was an era when emperors and empresses co-governed a hundred years ago. That’s a story that is known far and wide. It’s my shallow knowledge and lack of experience that led me to say such a shameful thing as ‘a man marrying another man isn’t orthodox’. If Young Master didn’t remind me, I would have been ashamed to face my ancestors in the future! I implore Young Master’s magnanimity, and forgive me for talking irresponsibly!”
Su Huaijing scanned the room but couldn’t find a place to sit, and he was also too lazy to talk further with Sheng Chengming. After hearing it, he remained silent for a while before bowing again, avoiding all mention of what was said earlier about very nearly parting ways.
Sheng Chengming was a little apprehensive. He is full of questions but can’t make himself ask them. He’d almost lost one of his most capable aides. At that moment, he was so nervous that he didn’t dare say a word.
It was Su Huaijing who reminded him: “Why did Your Highness summon me here?”
Sheng Chengming appeared somewhat hesitant, and Su Huaijing said, “Your Highness, please speak candidly.”
Sheng Chengming then broached the main issue, asking, “Why did Young Master form a team with Tutor Ke?”
Su Huaijing’s eyes narrowed and his expression turned slightly cold: “Did Your Highness risk meeting here just to ask this?”
Sheng Chengming was startled and didn’t react for a moment.
Su Huaijing said: “Duke Ningxuan is a close minister of the Emperor, and he has three sons. The eldest son, Rong Tang, is the direct nephew of the current Empress; the second son, Rong Zheng, is a good friend of Your Highness; and the youngest son, Rong Yuan, has a close relationship with Third Prince. Duke Ningxuan and his sons; four people with four different standpoints. Your Highness not only recognises me as an aide but also knows that Rong Tang and I are a married couple who’ve worshipped before heaven and earth. Now, you’ve taken the risk of calling me here at the flower-picking festival just to ask me the reason I formed a team with Tutor Ke?”
Su Huaijing’s gaze fell on Sheng Chengming, with a little bit of indiscernible disappointment.
He said, “Even if Your Highness doubts my standpoint, you should never doubt Ke Hongxue’s.”
Sheng Chengming hurriedly interjected: “I haven’t—”
Su Huaijing interrupted him, asserting, “Your Highness ought to be suspicious.” He said, “When I first pledged allegiance to you, I didn’t tell the whole story, so you weren’t aware of my association with Ningxuan Palace until yesterday. In this case, not only should you be suspicious, you should carefully recall every meeting and conversation we’ve had from the beginning when we met, right up to the present, to determine whether I’m deceitful and if you are in danger.”
“I mentioned earlier that Your Highness’s behaviour somewhat lacks caution,” Su Huaijing said.
Sheng Chengming gaped and said dazedly, “But everything Young Master has done so far has genuinely been for my benefit.”
Su Huaijing said, “That’s because I bear no disloyal intentions.”
Sheng Chengming is puzzled: “If that’s the case, why does Young Master make me suspicious of you?”
“What if there are others like me?” Su Huaijing asks, “What if there are others who, like me, appear when Your Highness is in a deep predicament, gives counsel to Your Highness, gains Your Highness’s trust, but then wait for an opportunity to betray you?”
Sheng Chengming senses a slight chill running down his spine, but Su Huaijing continued, “Your Highness has a pure heart and is always less wary of those close to you. This is something I have reminded you of before. It is my greatest honour as a counsellor that you are willing to trust me. But as a ruler, this is not a good thing, and Your Highness needs to address that.”
Su Huaijing selected Sheng Chengming due to his ease of accessibility, with connections spanning various social circles, from royalty to commoners. Sheng Chengming himself is an arrogant and decadent person, so it is very easy to meet him.
Secondly, it’s because he is incredibly dull-witted, lacks subtlety, and can easily be led astray by others’ manipulations. Give him a little incentive, then he will feel that the other person is thoroughly devoted to him and can’t wait to treat him as an honoured guest.
Such people are easy to control, but they can also exhaust you.
Su Huaijing doesn’t want to constantly deal with Sheng Chengming’s failures, so he still has to remind him of certain things.
After saying this, he answers Sheng Chengming’s previous question: “The reason Your Highness inquires about my teaming up with Tutor Ke is simply because our group includes Fifth Highness, and Your Highness is worried that I’ll choose him.”
“However, consider carefully, Your Highness, whether it is Imperial Concubine Fang and her son who are under the Empress’ protection, or the host of this flower-picking festival, His Highness the Third Prince. If I’m going to betray someone, which one of them wouldn’t be a more suitable target than Fifth Highness?”
Sheng Chengli is the most unremarkable of Emperor Renshou’s sons. He resides in the cold palace and has no relatives. He isn’t favoured by the Emperor, and in terms of power, he does not have as much as Rong Tang.
To a certain extent, Sheng Chengli might be easier to control than Sheng Chengming. Su Huaijing suspects that Mu Jingxu chose him because of this.
He asks, “Since Your Highness is aware of the circumstances surrounding my team’s formation, shouldn’t you also know who is in my team?”
But this has nothing to do with him. Su Huaijing has no intention of getting close to Sheng Chengli. The reason he talked to Ke Hongxue before entering Song Garden was ultimately for the final prize of the flower-picking festival.
Sheng Chengming said, “Wu di, biao ge, Tutor Ke, Lil’ Bro Mu, Young Master, you…” He paused and frowned slightly. “And there’s also a student from Linyuan Academy.”
Su Huaijing felt a twinge of disappointment in his heart, but it disappeared in an instant.
The irony lies in his expectations for Sheng Chengming. Su Huaijing clarified, “The student’s name is Lu Jiaxi. He hails from the capital and Ke Hongxue’s junior. He will be participating in the imperial examination next year.”
Sheng Chengming seemed to find the name ‘Lu Jiaxi’ very familiar and repeated it in a low voice, “Lu Jiaxi…”
Su Huaijing elaborated, “He’s the one who reported the Ding Laibao incident to the authorities.”
Sheng Chengming’s eyes widened instantly, “It’s him?!”
Su Huaijing nodded, adding, “Lu Jiaxi’s academic prowess isn’t top-notch. Even if he sits for the imperial examination, there’s no assurance that he may get good results. The best thing for him is to enter the Hanlin Imperial Academy as a shujishi and be transferred to the Six Ministries after gaining a year of experience.”
Sheng Chengming asked, “What are your plans, Young Master?”
“I believe it’s too late.” Su Huaijing said, “His Highness the Third Prince is aligning himself with talented individuals and civil servants. When the course starts next year, the students who participated in this flower-picking festival can all claim to be disciples of the Third Prince if they become court officials in the future. His Highness the Third Prince has not yet entered the court to handle politics, but he already holds many advantages over you.”
Concubine Hui is a terribly ambitious person. While she bestowed the Heavenly Star destiny upon her younger son, but that does not mean she allowed her eldest son to grow up unruly.
On the contrary, there have been obvious efforts to refine Sheng Chengxing’s upbringing.
His maternal grandfather was a general, so he followed the literary path. When the time is right and one looks back, there will be half of the court’s civil and military officials standing behind the Third Prince.
There’s utterly no way Sheng Chengming has the ability to compete with him.
But this situation takes time to implement. Su Huaijing is happy to watch the sons of Emperor Renshou fighting among themselves, but he isn’t so kind as to caution Sheng Chengming.
He merely states his current plan: “Lil’ Bro Mu’s knowledge is known all over the world. I’ve teamed up with them to win the prize for this flower-picking festival and facilitate Lu Jiaxi’s admission to the Hanlin Academy. As for whether to recruit him openly or to secretly use him as a pawn, I’ll defer to Your Highness’s judgement.”
Su Huaijing glanced at the sky outside the house and frowned slightly. He is too lazy to dawdle with him anymore and says, “If Your Highness still doesn’t understand, simply write a letter and have someone deliver it to me like before. By all means, don’t meet in private again, as it might draw people’s suspicion.”
Sheng Chengming remained standing there in a daze. He listened to Su Huaijing’s reiteration of a few warnings before the latter left. He lingered in the room for a long time before calling out, “Go find Rong Zheng and bring him over.”
_
Rong Tang awoke up from his nap and slowly regained his senses as he lay in bed. He heard some noises outside the room.
In his groggy state, he dressed, opened the door, and caught sight of Shuang Fu and Shuang Shou standing stunned by the moon gate. Rong Zheng entered the courtyard and instructed the servants to bring in numerous gift boxes.
Seeing that he was awake, Rong Zheng immediately hastened over and stood at the foot of the steps to offer his greetings: “Good afternoon, xiong zhang, did you sleep well?”
Rong Tang nodded, and his gaze falling upon the boxes behind him. “These are?”
Rong Zheng looked back and said with a smile, “Some time ago, Second Highness received a generous reward of precious medicinal ingredients from His Majesty. His Highness kindly gave them all to me. But as for me—your didi—I’m utterly useless, with the only advantage of having a good physique; I really have no use for these treasures, and it would be a waste instead. Having thought of this, I simply had them all sent over to xiong zhang as a token of my respect. Please definitely accept them, xiong zhang.”
Rong Tang: “…?”
Medicinal ingredients? Respect?
He just fell asleep for a spell, and what had transpired?
Had Su Huaijing recognised and adopted a son on his behalf?!
