Chapter 42

Song Garden is like a paradise, far away from the prosperity and chaos of the capital. Enveloped in the embrace of poetry, some may find themselves transported to a realm of dreamy abstraction, detached from the clamour of everyday life.

The theme of the flower-picking festival changes every day, with ‘peony’ on the first day, ‘gardenia’ on the second day, and ‘peach’ on the third day. It was not until the sixth day that Sheng Chengxing decided on ‘tree peony’ for the theme.

Lu Jiaxi brought the notice to the courtyard early in the morning. Rong Tang laughed sarcastically when he heard the news.

On one side, Su Huaijing peeled a bowl of round, yellow loquats, stabbed a small fork into one, and handed them to Rong Tang: “Would you like one?”

Rong Tang hesitated for a second, turned his head, and took a bite of a loquat, causing a small bulge in his cheek to appear instantly.

Su Huaijing wanted to poke it, but he held himself back and asked Lu Jiaxi, “There’s no head or tail; why is it today?”

Lu Jiaxi replied with two words: “The finale.”

Ke Hongxue was originally encouraging Mu Jingxu to play Chinese chess with him. Upon hearing this, his hands stopped, and he laughed until his eyes squinted. He placed a chess piece to form a line, then withdrew them one by one, very slowly and suggestively capturing one of Mu Jingxu’s pieces, saying, “Should Sheng Chengxing’s courage make him worthy to be Marshal Xia’s descendent and Concubine Hui’s son?”

In opera, a finale marks the culmination of the performance.Rong Tang observes this from a contemporary standpoint. The opera instructor, a former artist, advocates for traditional culture and commands reverence.

However, in the feudal era of Dayu, opera singers were labelled as actors. Comparing these humble actors to palace ladies—even the Empress, who wields supreme authority—if Sheng Chengxing were not a prince, he would lack sufficient heads for the executioner’s blade.

Ke Hongxue remarked, “During events like the flower-picking festival, the attendees consist of students still in their schooling years, civil servants masquerading as culture enthusiasts, or officials’ offspring with little intellect, solely indulging in revelry. Upon hearing Sheng Chengxing’s justifications, they might actually laud him for genuinely honouring the Empress as his rightful mother, even granting the tree peony poetry event a ‘finale’ treatment. Thus, the ‘peony’ on the first day becomes the brick that attracts jade*. It’s not merely a lack of respect, but precisely due to his reverence that he even presents his biological mother as a backdrop to elevate the Empress.”

(*TN: Idiom meaning to offer a few ordinary remarks by way of introduction in the hope that others will make valuable suggestions.)

Ke Hongxue smiled, not knowing whether it was a reminder or watching a show. He glanced at Rong Tang and said, “Even if someone truly understands the intrigue behind it and wants to join the fray, there’s no guarantee it won’t play into his hands. Prince, even if the Empress doesn’t want to swallow this bitter pill, she may have to.”

Rong Tang’s face darkened slightly. He was exactly aware of this point, which is why he felt so unhappy.

He spat out the loquat seed in his mouth and asked, “How old is Sheng Chengxing this year?”

He is full of bad ideas at such a young age! Among the sons of Emperor Renshou, how many of them are good?

Even if Su Huaijing doesn’t take revenge and seize the throne, the throne of Dayu will be passed on to the sons of Emperor Renshou. How many generations could it be passed on to?

Once again, Rong Tang feels that the author’s worldview setting is extremely bizarre.

Su Huaijing replied: “The Prince left the palace when he was sixteen-years-old, and His Highness the Third Prince is seventeen-years-old this year.” He paused, chuckled, and added, “The same age as me.”

Ke Hongxue was playing chess with a subtle smile. When he heard the title ‘His Highness the Third Prince’, he subtly pressed his lips without showing any expression. He lifted his gaze and glanced at Mu Jingxu, who was sitting opposite him. The latter is quite calm and unperturbed, appearing motionless in every way, without even so much as shifting his eyes.

Ke Hongxue sighed inwardly, shaking his head with a slight sense of desolation as he put down a black chess piece. He watched with resignation as Mu Jingxu’s white stones formed a line and then captured his piece in the process.

Rong Tang angled his head and saw the smile on Su Huaijing’s lips, as if nothing bothered him. He knew then that he had resolved the issue and that there was no need for further concern.

He has been very lazy of late, and he trusts Su Huaijing more and more. If Su Huaijing can help with some brain-racking matters, Rong Tang preferred not to exert himself and not put in the effort.

It just happened that Lu Jiaxi endeavoured to extend an invitation: “Do you want to go to Lanyue Pavilion? The Purple Jade Troupe has arranged a new play, which is said to be performed for the first time today and is specially dedicated to His Highness the Third Prince.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ke Hongxue, who would typically be the most eager, remained unmoved, playing Chinese chess, which even a three-year-old child could manage, without so much as lifting his gaze: “The weather’s hot; I’m too lazy to move. You all go ahead; if you can recount the performance when you come back, that’ll be splendid.”

Rong Tang was a little taken aback. Based on his impression, Ke Hongxue thrived on liveliness the most. Occasionally, theatre troupes from other places would stay in the capital. He would then drag a few friends to watch the opera, even if it meant skipping meals.

The first choice is naturally Mu Jingxu, but if he couldn’t persuade his senior to come, he would seek out Rong Tang at Duke Ningxuan’s Palace. Rong Tang himself couldn’t even recall how many theatres they had visited together or how many spring and autumn scenes they had listened to.

Now that a new play is being staged, could Third Scholar Ke actually bear not to go?

Rong Tang felt surprised, but before leaving, he noticed Ke Hongxue tilting his head, giving Su Huaijing a somewhat inquiring look, and suddenly asked, “Young Master Su is seventeen this year? Which month is your birthday?”

Rong Tang’s feet stopped moving, he turned around, stared intently at the main villain, and suddenly realised something:

He doesn’t know Boyboy’s birthday!

The novel doesn’t mention the main villain’s birthday. Rong Tang and Su Huaijing had a relationship in the previous two lives, but neither of them had the temperament to drag the other to attend their birthday party. So when Ke Hongxue asked, Rong Tang instantly realised that he always hadn’t known his wife’s birthday!

This is actually very unreasonable. When presenting betrothal gifts for a wedding, customs dictate that both birth dates and times be provided. It is something that can be remembered at a glance. However, Rong Tang’s time flow during that period was extremely simple: go to Yong’an Lane to find Boyboy, go to the outskirts of the city to find Chen Feiyi, accompany Wang Xiuyu to the temple, and try every means to get more betrothal gifts for Su Huaijing……

He truly never considered taking a look at the main villain’s birth date.

Maybe it was because his gaze was too hot, or maybe because Su Huaijing would subconsciously pay attention to Rong Tang’s condition. Seeing his expression, he was stunned for a second, then asked with a smile, “Doesn’t Tangtang know my birth date too?”

Rong Tang felt a little guilty, and Su Huaijing said softly, “It’s so upsetting……”

Rong Tang immediately apologised: “I’m sorry……”

He almost didn’t dare to look at Su Huaijing, but the latter laughed brightly, answered Ke Hongxue’s words while looking at Rong Tang, and said, “My birthday is in spring, the eighth day of the first lunar month. Tangtang, have you remembered it?”

“Pakk—” There was a soft knock—the sound had come from the chessboard.

Before Rong Tang could reply to Su Huaijing’s words, he heard the noise and subconsciously turned to look. He saw Ke Hongxue leaning forward to pick up a white piece from the chessboard and then restoring the chess game that had been disrupted by the white pieces, one by one. Finally, he moved the piece into Mu Jingxu’s chess cup and joked with a smile: “I just said don’t worry about it when you come out to play. One day you will clean up others’ affairs, and at other times, you will deal with official business. Senior, you won’t be able to handle it even if you are an iron man.”

He suggested softly, “Would you like to take a rest later?”

Rong Tang scrutinised Mu Jingxu, wondering if it was an illusion, but indeed, Lil’ Bro Mu’s face, which was always as frosty as snow, had a hint of…… a scarcely discernible expression that might barely be labelled ‘unsettled’?

Rong Tang was on the verge of taking a closer look, but he saw that Mu Jingxu had regained his composure. He then threw a swift glance at Su Huaijing before redirecting his attention to the chessboard again. He then emitted a soft “ng” and considered it as having answered Ke Hongxue’s suggestion.

Rong Tang felt something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.

After the two days of heavy rain, Mu Jingxu and Ke Hongxue were obviously much more relaxed, and they rarely mentioned Sheng Chengli in front of them, intentionally or otherwise. This was the first time in his life that Rong Tang detected some uncontrollable emotions on Mu Jingxu’s face.

And the reason……

He thought about it, and it seemed to be due to Su Huaijing’s birthday?

A thread of suspicion tugged at his mind, and Rong Tang instinctively detected something amiss. He yearned to inquire further but caught sight of Su Huaijing narrowing his eyes, directing his gaze towards Ke Hongxue, and inquiring, “What prompted Tutor Ke to suddenly inquire about my birthday?”

Ke Hongxue was clad entirely in pink attire today, and the fan in his hand wasn’t crafted from jade but rather a paper fan adorned with gold outlines. The opulent display exuded both refinement and ostentation, yet curiously, it struck a harmonious balance.

He replied leisurely, “It just so happened that I reached this point in our conversation and asked on a whim. Suddenly, it dawned on me that I have a didi who must be seventeen this year. I wanted to compare ages between the two of you to see who is older.”

Upstairs, the breeze and morning sunlight drifted lazily, while clouds sauntered by. Ke Hongxue and Su Huaijing both smile, one seated and the other standing. Su Huaijing inquired, “And what did you find?”

Tutor Ke narrowed his eyes slightly, fixing his gaze on Su Huaijing. It was unclear whether those fox-like eyes were peering through him in reminiscence of someone or attempting to unravel clues. He chuckled softly before parting his lips to say, “Same year, same month, same day.” 

Rong Tang’s heart tightened, his brows furrowing slightly as his feet instinctively moved to stand beside Su Huaijing, bracing himself for whatever dangerous topics Ke Hongxue might pose next.

But he saw Ke Hongxue’s eyes flashing, swish open his fan, and speak candidly: “I should then have asked you the specific hour and moment you were born, but my didi…… he was indeed unfortunate not to live to your age and died early. So if too many questions are asked, I fear it will arouse painful memories, so it’s better to refrain.”

Su Huaijing watched him for a moment and said slowly, “My condolences.”

Ke Hongxue: “It happened many years ago. If you don’t follow the change, you’d have already changed.” He raised his hand and dropped a chess piece, connecting it again to defeat Mu Jingxu’s piece, then reminding Rong Tang: “The play in Lanyue Pavilion waits for no one. If Prince wishes to see it, it’s best to arrive early.”

The clouds gathered and dispersed. Once the three of them left the moon gate of the small courtyard, Ke Hongxue averted his gaze and nonchalantly remarked, “Senior, is there nothing you want to ask me?”

Mu Jingxu looked at him: “What to ask you?”

Ke Hongxue: “For example, my family has only had one son for three generations. Where did I get a didi from?”

Mu Jingxu pursed his lips without saying a word, but the cold snow that had been condensed all year round in his eyes showed signs of cracking.

Ke Hongxue looked satisfyingly for a while and smiled: “You’re only interesting when you’re like this. You don’t laugh, you don’t get angry, you don’t cry, and you don’t kick up a fuss. My grandfather isn’t as old-fashioned as you. Sometimes I wonder if you are an iceman.”

Mu Jingxu didn’t say anything. Ke Hongxue smiled again and said, “Although someone once called me ‘iceman’. Senior, do you know who it is?” 

Mu Jingxu looked into his eyes, remained silent for a long time, and then said, “Ke Hanying, what exactly do you want to say?”

Ke Hongxue felt happy, and his eyebrows curved more and more.

Ordinary people would call nicknames to show affection, but when it came to his senior, he calls when he’s angry, when he’s annoyed, when he wants to distance himself……

The two most intimate words, when spoken by him, reveal nothing but indifference and estrangement, yet paradoxically, they make it hard for one to stay indifferent and distant. It’s even a bit addictive, and one might even want to provoke him a bit more, just to hear him pronounce their name slowly, with a touch of wintry chill.

Ke Hongxue smiled: “I’m just a little curious.”

He fiddled with a chess piece and didn’t place it for a long time. “It has been calm in the capital for so many years, but these days, the son of the Left Vanguard of imperial guards’ general was executed, and a rare white tiger was presented to His Majesty the Emperor as an auspicious sign. There’s also a Shudao Pavilion that has opened next to Fengyue House, and even my ever-naive and immature junior has the courage to sue an official——”

He paused, as if he had just recalled: “Ah, that’s right. I also heard that on the night when Ding Laibao was executed, the Second Prince led people in advance to capture a person and had him sent to the Imperial Court of Justice. Senior, did you see who it was?”

Song Garden is full of people; some are going to banquets, some are watching plays, some are convalescing, some are scheming……

And the two of them are sitting in the loft, facing the sky, playing a game of chess that even a child could follow.

Mu Jingxu didn’t respond, so Ke Hongxue asked and answered, “I haven’t seen him, but I heard that the man’s name is ‘Chen Fei’.”

Only then did Lil’ Bro Mu finally say, “A very common name.”

Ke Hongxue nodded. “It’s indeed common—” He raised his eyes and added, “But it might well be a guise.”

He had something to say: “It’s a pity that I didn’t see what he looks like. Whether he is similar to my old friend?”

Mu Jingxu’s hand holding the chess piece abruptly tightened.

Ke Hongxue listed them one by one: “More than three months ago, His Majesty ordered Li Changfu to return to the capital to serve as Minister of War. Two months ago, Excellency Li came to the capital with minimal luggage, along with his children, and took office…… What’s the coincidence? Not long after that, our reckless Second Highness began to make frequent political achievements. Our Prince, who had been a dimwit for nine years, suddenly married a male wife.” 

With the black chess piece twirling on his fingers, Ke Hongxue smiled casually: “There is another more coincidental matter. Senior, you must be too lazy to guess, so I’ll say it directly.”

He smiled and spoke: “Before coming to Song Garden, I asked someone to check. They told me that after Li Changfu took office, the female members and elders of the family travelled by carriage all the way from Sichuan to the capital along the main road. However, they encountered a group of bandits at the junction of Sichuan and Qin. The bandits didn’t hurt anyone, but they robbed them of all their belongings. Excellency Li, who had toiled for most of his life to accumulate his wealth, lost it all in an instant. As such, he had no choice but to send his legitimate daughter to the Earl Wukang’s Manor to be Qin Pengxuan’s concubine.”

Mu Jingxu’s face twitched slightly, and his voice was hoarse when he asked, “What is it that you want to say?”

Ke Hongxue shook his head. “I don’t want to say anything; I just find it interesting.”

“Senior, tell me, when all the coincidences in the world are unravelled and gathered on one person, can they still be considered coincidences?”

Ke Hongxue placed the chess piece that he had been toying with on the chessboard. He happily eyed the black spots connecting into a caterpillar-like black line. He did not try to capture pieces nor take another chess piece; instead, he propped up his chin with one hand and said with a smile, “And this person told me that he was born on the eighth day of the first lunar month in the eighteenth year of Yuanxing. Do you think if I continue to ask, will he tell me that he was born during the Chen period*?”

(*TN: 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.)

On the eighth day of the first lunar month in the eighteenth year of Yuanxing, during the Chen period, dawn. The rising sun cast its rays upon the snow-covered red bricks and green tiles that were the imperial palace walls, reflecting bursts of bright and shining light. A baby’s cry came from Fengqi Palace.

The most favoured Seventh Prince in the Dayu Palace was born at that time, and then thousands of favours descended on him like the rays of dawn, akin to morning stars streaking by and descending into the world.

The birth date and time of the prince are a secret of the imperial family, and commoners should not be aware of them.

Mu Jingxu pursed his lips and said nothing. Ke Hongxue let out a sigh: “There are so many coincidences, but they are not hidden before me. They are either deliberately disguised or…”

He paused and looked straight at Mu Jingxu: “Senior, do you believe there is resurrection from the dead in this world?”

Mu Jingxu didn’t answer. However, Ke Hongxue stretched out his hand—which was extremely rare—and pressed the back of Mu Jingxu’s hand. A hint of perseverance flashed in his eyes, and he said seriously, “I believe. I also believe in the cycle of karma and retribution; I believe in ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’. I believe that there is divine justice. There should not be so many snowfall-in-the-sixth-month-type* injustices in this world. How about you, Senior?”

(*TN: idiom, meaning a situation that defies normal expectations or conventions.)

Do you want to believe it with me?

The wind blew through the small building. Mu Jingxu sat in silence for a long time, then slowly withdrew his hand. “I don’t believe it.”

Ke Hongxue suddenly became anxious: “Senior——”

“Ah Xue…” Mu Jingxu interrupted him, lifted his gaze, looked deep into his eyes, and repeated in a cold voice, “I don’t believe it.”

Don’t give me hope.

Don’t let me hope and then let it amount to nothing again.

I’d rather rot in the ground than be touched by dawn’s rays.

Being alive is already exhausting.

For me, the light and shadow in this world have long been an unattainable fantasy, which will shatter at the slightest contact.

Then…… there is no need expect anything.

I can’t bear it.