Chapter 40

That night, Rong Tang was drifting between sleep and wakefulness when he heard a faint conversation outside in the courtyard. The door opened and closed as wind gusted suddenly, blowing the trees in the courtyard, and heavy rain began pouring down.

His sleep wasn’t particularly sound, and the instant thunder boomed outside the window, his eyes flew open.

There were no lit candles in the room; it was pitch black. Lightning flashed outside the window from time to time, illuminating the entire sky before dissipating. Crashing thunder erupted randomly, one after another, making an awful racket.

Rong Tang frowned, but he was still terribly sleepy. He hauled the quilt upwards to cover his ears and continued to doze.

Someone knocked on the door; the sound mixing with the din from the thunderstorm. Rong Tang didn’t react immediately.

But then the door was pushed open from the outside. Rong Tang poked half of his head out from the quilt, his eyes opening hazily to peer, and he saw a weak light source moving about in the room.

The goldfish-painted lantern swayed steadily as Su Huaijing made his way to the side of the bed in silence. He was stunned for a moment when he noticed the scene on the bed. Then his eyes curved and the corners of his lips rose as he asked softly: “The noise woke you up?”

Outside in the courtyard, thunder is getting louder and louder. Thunderstorms in early summer are always unpredictable and annoying. The rain falls pitter-patter, breaking up the restless molecules in the atmosphere.

Rong Tang only exposed the upper half of his face; his nose and mouth are still hidden under the quilt. He appeared a little sleepy, and he blinked, as if he hadn’t come to his senses yet.

Su Huaijing placed the lantern on the ground a little further away, so that the room would not be in complete darkness, and it would not be too bright to blind Rong Tang’s eyes, dispelling what little remained of his sleepiness.

“Tangtang, move in a bit.” Su Huaijing spoke in an almost breathy and incredibly shallow voice. Rong Tang instinctively wrapped himself in the quilt and shifted inside.

Su Huaijing sat on the edge of the bed and tucked Rong Tang into the quilt.

He was lying on his side with his face facing out. Su Huaijing raised his hand and covered his left ear. “The thunder is rather loud. I was worried that you’d be startled awake, so I wanted to come and see. Did my opening the door wake you up?”

His voice carried an additional layer of constraint, evoking an ethereal and almost surreal quality. Rong Tang reacted after a while and shook his head: “No, I was awake before you came.”

He raised his eyes and glanced in the direction of the window. His voice was muffled by the quilt, sounding a little grumpy as he muttered in a low voice, “It’s so noisy.”

Su Huaijing smiled quietly. Thunder continued to rumble, and lightning instantly flashed outside the window, but it only outlined the gentleness of his side profile. It resembled a perfectly polished jade, radiating its glow in the dark night.

“Just sleep; I’m here.” Su Huaijing coaxed him softly.

Rong Tang was indeed very sleepy. Due to his physicality, he is fonder of sleeping than the average person. He’d also walked for such a long time during the day. If it hadn’t been for the sudden thunderstorm, he would probably have slept through until dawn.

When Su Huaijing said this, it seemed that a hidden switch somewhere in Rong Tang’s body had been lightly pressed, and an almost irrepressible lethargy surged into his head.

But the last remnant of clear rationality tugged at him, and he asked vaguely: “Did Mu Jingxu and company come back just now?”

Su Huaijing said, “Ng.”

Rong Tang is so drowsy that he can hardly open his eyes. Hearing this, he still managed to muster some energy to probe, “What was said? Was anything dug out from the pond?”

Su Huaijing gave a light laugh and said, “It’s been dug out, but Excellency Mu is a little tired. Third Scholar Ke sent him back to his room to rest and said that anything else would be discussed tomorrow. Tangtang doesn’t have to worry.”

Rong Tang frowned. “Yimu……”

“It has nothing to do with Her Majesty the Empress.” Su Huaijing interrupted him, his eyebrows firm yet gentle. The thunder and lightning outside the window were unexpectedly somewhat well-behaved, being quiet all this time. Only the sound of wind and rain could be heard in the courtyard. Su Huaijing lowered his eyes and repeated to him, “It has nothing to do with yimu; Tangtang should go to sleep.”

It was late, and he’d exhausted himself all day. Walking and contemplating exerted a great deal of effort. If it weren’t for the fear that Rong Tang might be awoken by the thunderstorm, Su Huaijing originally didn’t want to disturb his rest, let alone for him to be annoyed by those troubles stirred up by Sheng Chengli.

Rong Tang blinked and looked at his Boyboy.

By some strange coincidence, he didn’t bother to think about it anymore. Su Huaijing was here, and as long as he stood by his side, it seemed like he didn’t have to worry about any problems at all.

——Subconsciously, Rong Tang inexplicably came to this conclusion.

After being quiet for a while, Rong Tang obediently closed his eyes. He neither let Su Huaijing leave nor took his hand away from his ear. He just lay on his side on the bed facing him, falling asleep as usual and saying most naturally, “Good night.”

The wind in the courtyard was turbulent, but it was all blocked out by the thickness of a hand. Occasionally, thunder would crash, but the person would sense it in advance and pat the quilt to comfort him.

For the rest of the night, Rong Tang wasn’t awoken by the thunderstorm. It wasn’t until the thunderstorm passed and the candle in the lantern was about to burn out that Su Huaijing sat on the edge of the bed and stared at Rong Tang. After a long time, he carefully pulled down the quilt covering his mouth and nose for fear that he would not be able to breathe smoothly.

Moreover, he really couldn’t restrain himself, looking at that docile, amenable sleeping face. Su Huaijing tapped his hand on the quilt. Finally, he couldn’t resist moving his hand upwards to touch his superficial husband’s cheek.

The movements were very gentle, moving from the chin to the cheek. The lively dimples when he smiled were now flat. Su Huaijing gently pressed it with a smile gathering at his brows until his fingertips stopped at the corners of Rong Tang’s lips.

The Prince’s skin reveals a pale colour that hasn’t seen sunlight all year round. His lips are also a very light hue, so much so that they’re rather thin.

Su Huaijing once heard someone say that people with light and thin lips are usually fickle in love. He originally thought this was nonsense, but when it happened that Rong Tang fit this characteristic, Su Huaijing felt that he didn’t like this opinion.

His Tangtang is more gentle and patient than anyone in the world. How could he be fickle in love?

Su Huaijing’s eyes darkened. The sound of rain outside the window gradually faded. His slender fingers remained on Rong Tang’s cheek for a long time, and he eventually tapped his lips.

A voice so soft that it seemed like sleep talking sounded in the room. If you didn’t listen carefully, you might even think it was just a gust of wind blustering by, leaving behind minute traces that would soon dissipate.

“You’ve got to be good, Tangtang.” Su Huaijing said faintly, “Good night.”

–

After a night’s worth of rain, many flowers in Song Garden had fallen away. The ones that were still in full bloom appeared more colourful following the drenching from the rain.

Rong Tang woke up in the morning and stretched on the bed, feeling that he’d slept especially well.

He subconsciously glanced at the bedside and recalled that Su Huaijing had come last night, but he’d been so sleepy that he’d lost the ability to think independently and was too lazy to use his brain. It was at this time, when he’d slept very well, that he suddenly felt somewhat bewildered. Why did the main villain come to his room in the middle of the night? And when had he left?

Uncertain, Rong Tang put on his clothes and went out. He caught sight of Ke Hongxue and Mu Jingxu sitting in the dark red loft. After washing up and heading upstairs, Ke Hongxue said with a smile, “Prince has woken up? How did you sleep? Your wife has gone to prepare breakfast for you.”

On one side, Mu Jingxu was eating a bowl of thick fish fillet porridge. When he heard it, his eyebrows raised, and he narrowed his eyes at Ke Hongxue in displeasure.

There were times when he didn’t quite understand. Although Ke Hongxue seemed to be dissipated, unrestrained, and didn’t really have a sense of propriety, a truly unprofessional person wouldn’t be able to win the honour of being a Third-rank Scholar from the Emperor with a smile during the imperial examination, nor could he walk around the imperial college and associate with a prince every day without being criticised by anyone.

Although he is inappropriate, he has a greater sense of propriety than most people. Yet it seems that when he meets Rong Tang, he is unable to control his loose tongue and especially resembles a disobedient cat. From time to time, he will stretch out his paw and tackle your leg. The less Rong Tang wants to respond to him, the more energetic he is when tackling.

Mu Jingxu lowered his gaze, glanced at his bowl, and asked coldly, “Have you eaten yet?”

Ke Hongxue was still looking at Rong Tang and appeared stunned for a moment when he heard this: “Ng? Not yet. Senior, you’re done eating?”

Rong Tang is clearly observing from the side and said with a smile, “Excellency Mu is asking you to shut your mouth and eat in peace since you haven’t finished eating.”

After a pause, he asked most uncertainly: “Tutor, why are you always so concerned about Huaijing? Each time you open and close your mouth, it is about my wife. If you do this again, I will suspect that you want to snatch my wife away.”

Once Mu Jingxu had spoken, he’d lowered his gaze and continued to eat without making a sound. However, when he heard Rong Tang’s obviously teasing words, he subconsciously frowned, and his hand holding the spoon unknowingly tightened a bit.

It was a rarity that Ke Hongxue became a little stunned: “Aaa?”

Before he could react, there was a sound of footsteps on the stairs. Prior to Su Huaijing’s approach, his smiling voice could be heard: “Thank you, Tutor Ke, for your kindness, but this Su and Tangtang have already worshipped before heaven and earth and have married. I was born to be Tangtang’s man, and once I die, I’ll be buried in the same place as Tangtang. I truly can’t shoulder Tutor Ke’s concern and regard, so I beg for Third Scholar’s forgiveness. Please seek another spouse.”

The early morning air is refreshing. Having rained all night, the wind at this time was filled with the fragrance of grass and trees. Even birds are singing on the branches. Rong Tang was just joking with Ke Hongxue in Su Huaijing’s absence. Right now, the person involved has heard the joke, and his ears feel a little warm for no reason. He avoids looking for a moment, and then he instinctively raises his eyes to gaze obediently at his wife, as if the impudent words that had been uttered earlier weren’t his.

Su Huaijing wanted to laugh when he saw him like this. He glanced down at him, walked closer without saying a word, and laid out the meal for him. He even handed the chopsticks and bowl to Rong Tang, then ate breakfast together.

Both of them are acting lovey-dovey with each other as if no one else was around. Ke Hongxue sat there and couldn’t react for a long time. Finally, he came to his senses, gaped at Rong Tang in disbelief, and accused loudly, “You slandered me?!”

Rong Tang threw him a look and snorted in his heart, but said to Mu Jingxu, “Excellency Mu, please take some time to discipline your junior. His eyes always fall on my Huaijing, yet he isn’t afraid of being laughed at.”

When Su Huaijing heard the words “my Huaijing,”  his eyebrows lifted automatically in joy. He picked an egg custard bun for Rong Tang and then added obediently, “But I only like Tangtang.”

Ke Hongxue was a little confused at first, but the instant he caught a glimpse of his senior’s expression that could very well freeze someone to death, he panicked and quickly explained: “Senior, I just asked casually. How could I covet someone else’s wife?! You know me, right?”

Ke Hongxue blinked his pitiful eyes at Mu Jingxu, but he still had the look of the capital-wide famous playboy. But Mu Jingxu didn’t glance at him and said coldly, “Eat.”

Ke Hongxue was so aggrieved that he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to drag Rong Tang down with him, but Su Huaijing was there, obstinately guarding him. Don’t even mention dragging him down; he would be admonished just for looking at him too long.

He secretly gritted his teeth and swallowed his grievances. After having breakfast, he pestered Senior Mu Jingxu with all sorts of flattering remarks and coaxed him briefly for a while. Only then did he discern that he was no longer so angry, and he suppressed it back in his stomach.

Rong Tang watched the whole process on the side, drinking the tea that Su Huaijing poured for him. In his astonishment, he asked in a low voice, “It was obvious that Excellency Mu’s expression didn’t even change a bit. How do you think Ke Hongxue deduced his mood?”

Su Huaijing’s gaze fell on Rong Tang’s lips that had been stained with tea, and he raised his hand to help him dab it without batting an eyelid. Rong Tang blinked cluelessly, as if he were already very used to it. Su Huaijing smiled and said, “I can tell what Tangtang is thinking from just a look; I’m much more impressive compared to him.”

Rong Tang: “?”

What kind of inexplicable competitive spirit is this? Does the main villain need to engage in comparison with everything he sees? Right then, Rong Tang no longer dared to speak frivolously.

After the few of them finished eating, they finally got down to business.

Mu Jingxu took out a wet, red sachet with colourful embroidery and said, “This was fished out from the pond.”

Rong Tang originally wanted to casually take it, but Su Huaijing moved quicker than him. He took out the plant leaves inside the sachet and spread out the embroidered side before placing it on the table. “Let’s examine it like this.”

Su Huaijing watched Rong Tang finish soaking his feet and didn’t leave even after he climbed into bed. It seemed like he wanted to wait until Rong Tang fell asleep before leaving.

It was filthy. Even if it had been cleaned from being soaked in the pond for so long, it was still something from a dead person. He didn’t want Tangtang touching it.

Rong Tang didn’t know what he was thinking, but he thought this way would be more convenient.

He first observed the leaves, then moved to the sachet, and his face abruptly turned cold.

Fengqi Palace’s seal is clearly stamped on it.

Ke Hongxue had earlier been teased by Rong Tang, so this time, he used his fan instead of his hand, nudging it twice atop the table to push the sachet before Rong Tang. He swept the huanli grass in front of himself and said with a smile, “It rained heavily last night. The pond water was half pumped out before it got flooded again. We couldn’t find anything. We searched Yuerong’s room again and found huanli grass hidden in her pillow. As for this sachet, my senior and I have never set eyes on it before.”

Rong Tang understood the meaning of his words and was slightly shocked. He subconsciously looked at Mu Jingxu, but noticed that his expression was calm and showed no sign of refuting Ke Hongxue’s remarks. Inwardly, Rong Tang felt warm and said, “Thank you very much.”

“Don’t mention it, Prince,” Ke Hongxue said. “My senior and I owe you a favour, and we should repay it.”

Rong Tang didn’t say any more. Although he inwardly knew that this was not a matter of favour. Allowing Mu Jingxu to personally destroy the evidence was actually very inconsistent with his character setting. But his willingness to do so probably had something to do with Ke Hongxue, and Rong Tang could only agree.

Su Huaijing asked, “How will both Excellencies make use of this huanli grass?”

Ke Hongxue smiled and said, “No need. Let this matter develop as it should.”

Rong Tang was stunned for a moment and then immediately understood.

Ke Hongxue is too lazy to get involved. The only reason he’d dragged it to this state was to let his senior see Sheng Chengli’s true face.

It is difficult to change Emperor Renshou’s impression of the Empress or Sheng Chengli with a mere sachet or a handful of herbs. These things need to be closely linked to one another in order to achieve a maximum effect. Whatever initiatives they take will be too obvious. Might as well make no moves and allow the situation to develop.

The only thing they could do was omit the part about themselves.

Rong Tang doesn’t need to worry about Empress Wang being framed by Sheng Chengli, and Ke Hongxue can also use this to persuade Mu Jingxu to keep away from Sheng Chengli.

Su Huaijing’s purpose was just this. He wanted his little Buddha to befriend those he wanted without any psychological burden.

As for the imperial disputes and the upheaval they cause, how do those concern them? The turmoil might turn heaven and earth upside down, but they will continue living their lives as usual.

And the more chaotic it becomes, the more it aligns with their intentions.

–

On the third day of the flower-picking festival, a batch of flowers were damaged in Song Garden. The four of them chatted and dispersed. Rong Tang felt that a big stone had been lifted from his heart as he and Su Huaijing strolled around the gardens again.

He’s actually a little curious about what choice Mu Jingxu would make in the end, but it seemed that no matter what choice he made, it would not be worse than the previous two lives.

If he’s lucky and puts in less effort, at least he won’t die alone during a snowy, cold night.

Because of this, Rong Tang felt happy.

When he’s happy, Su Huaijing’s mood will also improve. The two of them went strolling around for a day, even attending a banquet to listen to a poem contest between talented scholars. It wasn’t until the heavens darkened with clouds gathering in the western sky and another bout of heat surged in the atmosphere, signalling that a heavy rain was approaching, did the two of them hurry back to the small courtyard.

As usual, Su Huaijing cooked a bowl of terribly bitter medicine for Rong Tang, but once Rong Tang finished drinking it, he handed him a piece of candied fruit with a smile.

Rong Tang doesn’t like eating sweets, but at this time he feels that this is a life-saving medicine. He hastily stuffed it into his mouth and kept it inside for a long time to suppress the bitter taste.

Outside the window, the sky is gloomy, turning from day to night in an instant. The wind rose and fell, and the muffled thunder sounded from somewhere yonder in the heavens.

But Rong Tang didn’t feel tired, so he leaned against the headboard and read a storybook. Su Huaijing moved a stool over to accompany him and sat on the side, reading “Chronicles of Mountains and Rivers.”

The doors and windows were all tightly shut, and many lanterns were lit, illuminating the room especially brightly. Rong Tang observed that almost every time lightning flashed outside the window, Su Huaijing would automatically lift his head. And the moment the thunder boomed, they would likely glance at each other.

The main villain’s hold on the book would suddenly tighten, as if…… he were a little scared.

Rong Tang blinked, not too sure of his conjecture.

But he secretly watched for a while and found that without exception, Su Huaijing’s gaze would lift every time there was lightning. He pursed his lips the moment thunder sounded, leaned slightly, and clenched his fingers, as if suppressing his urge to dive somewhere and hide.

Rong Tang was stumped for a moment, and then again, before he instantly realised!

No wonder he’d come to his room last night!

He’s afraid!!!

Rong Tang wanted to comprehend this, and his entire body was suddenly enveloped by an overwhelming sense of guilt.

The main villain has been residing in a foreign place and relying on someone’s charity since he was a child. He has long been accustomed to enduring and concealing everything. After getting married to him, it was a rare occasion when he revealed his true nature. He was so scared that he’d run to his room to seek protection last night, but Rong Tang only focused on his own sleep!

Rong Tang felt so remorseful that he wanted to die. He increasingly perceived that Boyboy was a poor, pitiful little tyke, and he himself had been too much.

Rong Tang moved slightly, shifting towards the inside of the bed.

When Su Huaijing heard the noise, he raised his gaze and eyed him doubtfully. As it happens, there was a crack of thunder outside the window, accompanied by the noise of rustling leaves. Su Huaijing couldn’t help but reach out and place his hand on Rong Tang’s bed.

Rong Tang couldn’t hold back anymore and asked directly, “Are you scared?”

Su Huaijing: “?”

Rong Tang felt a little conflicted. On the one hand, he wanted to take care of Su Huaijing’s ego, but on the other hand, he felt that it wasn’t shameful to be afraid of thunder. He’d been afraid of thunder when he was a child, but when he actually asked the main villain, he was still a little hesitant: “……Are you scared of thunder?”

Su Huaijing was stunned and didn’t respond right away.

Rong Tang asked tentatively, “Did you seek me out last night because you were frightened by the thunder? You don’t want to go back today because you don’t want to be alone?”

Su Huaijing was silent for a century. Hearing the thunderstorm outside the window and seeing Rong Tang, who had obviously shifted inward, he suddenly felt blessed, and an uncontrollable sense of joy surged in his heart.

He really wanted to smile, but he held it back. His gaze dropped, and when he raised it again, he had a pitiful and innocent appearance. His fingers nervously tugged at the corner of the quilt, and he spoke in a very, very soft voice, “Ng.”

“When I was a child, I lived at my uncle’s house. Thunder would often sound during summer nights. The roof of the room I lived in was damaged and wasn’t repaired for a long time. Water would leak in when it rained heavily, pitter-pattering into the house little by little. There were also rats squeaking in the corners, and the noise was terrifying.”

His voice was very soft, and he seemed a little embarrassed when mentioning past events. Rong Tang’s heart immediately softened.

Su Huaijing lifted his gaze and looked pitifully at him. He pursed his lips, as if he were a little uneasy. It was as if he’d exhausted all his energy to just get the words out of his mouth. He asked softly, “Can I sleep with you tonight, Tangtang?”

The author has something to say:

Tsk tsk, I don’t blame you for getting eaten (looks at Tangtang with loving eyes).