Gu Yun was not in a hurry.
Since the person in question was a monk here, he would surely encounter him again somewhere in the temple. He asked Zhao Xun to take him around for a walk.
Zhao Xun had a very good impression of him. She looped her arm through his and readily agreed, not the least bit worried about the strain of walking.
She was only twelve years old this year, precisely at the age of boundless energy.
…
Consort Shu sat by the bedside, waiting until the Emperor had fallen asleep before stepping out and returning to the area beneath the flower trellis.
Chao Yan smiled and said, “Mother.”
Consort Shu’s gaze softened. She studied Chao Yan carefully and said, “I heard long ago that you had returned. Only now, seeing you in person, do I feel at ease.”
Chao Yan replied, “I have worried you, Mother.”
Consort Shu shook her head. While instructing her personal maids to send tea and pastries to the eunuchs and guards standing at the entrance of the main hall, and to distribute some silver as reward, she spoke to Chao Yan in a soft voice, “Is your injury serious?”
Chao Yan said, “Your son is strong and healthy. It is only a minor injury and will heal quickly.”
Consort Shu smiled gently. She reached out and touched Chao Yan’s face. “You’ve lost weight. And you’ve darkened.”
Chao Yan said, “Life outside is somewhat harsh; it cannot be helped.” He paused, glanced at the inner attendants and guards surrounded by palace maids, then lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear. “Mother, life outside is even harsher than I had previously imagined.”
Consort Shu replied softly, “Those who know where the roof leaks are those beneath the eaves; those who know where governance fails are those among the common people. It is good that you understand this. I often worry that you stand too high and can no longer see clearly.”
Her gaze dimmed slightly as she lowered her hand. “Go and call Miss Gu out. I have not yet spoken properly with her.”
Chao Yan smiled. “She could not sit still and went out with Zhao Xun.”
Consort Shu smiled. “Miss Gu seems quite young. Young people rarely sit still. I was the same when I was young. If one could sit still, perhaps I would not have…” entered the palace after meeting the Emperor. She stopped herself in time.
Consort Shu then asked, “What is Miss Gu called?”
Chao Yan replied, “Gu Yun.”
“Which ‘Yun’?”
“The ‘yun’ from ‘The startled sparrow’s broken wings, unable to be carried in its bamboo cage.’”
Consort Shu repeated it twice, then nodded slightly. “Not bad.”
Chao Yan said, “Mother, will you be angry?”
Consort Shu said, “Angry about what? Angry that you did not observe mourning for your elders? No. You are the Crown Prince; you were never required to observe mourning in the first place.
“Earlier, I asked you not to take wives or concubines, claiming it was so you could focus on your studies and assist His Majesty in the future.
“But you understand that it was actually to better secure His Majesty’s trust. A man without attachments is easier to rely upon, because he has no burdens and only His Majesty to depend on. His Majesty is the foremost person in the Xuan Dynasty; no power can rival him.
“Now that you have brought Gu Yun back, both publicly and privately, I believe she will not affect our plan. You have always acted with propriety.”
Chao Yan replied, “I can assure Mother that Gu Yun will not affect our plan.
“To be honest, I brought Gu Yun back for both private and public reasons. On the private side, it is affection. On the public side, it is also to better secure His Majesty’s trust. It would not be good for me, as Crown Prince, to appear entirely flawless. I need some flaw that is not enough to unseat me, but still noticeable… such as being too devoted to one person.
“Besides her, I will not take anyone else. If anyone is forced upon me, I will use this flaw to reject them.
“If His Majesty reprimands me, I will simply say I will marry a principal wife. But without a principal wife and instead many concubines, what would that look like? If there were children as well, it would be even more improper. At worst, I would be made to choose daughters of officials or wealthy merchants. How could such people be fit as concubines of the Crown Prince? In that case, I would have to trouble Mother to clean things up. I intend to break and then rebuild; I do not wish to embarrass His Majesty or create further complications.”
Consort Shu said, “Very well. But it must be after I return to the palace; otherwise, I will not be able to come in time to handle matters without exposing our arrangements or strength.”
Chao Yan agreed.
Consort Shu said, “I have heard that His Majesty has appointed you to oversee the construction of the Ascension Tower. This is a troublesome assignment. Most ministers oppose its construction. My people report that Chancellor Meng went early this morning to request an audience to dissuade His Majesty, but His Majesty ignored him and came directly to Cining Temple.”
In the next two days, there would be no court assembly.
Chao Yan said slowly, “Mother, you need not worry. This tower will not be built.”
Consort Shu looked into Chao Yan’s eyes, calm as still water, then steadied herself and said, “I have only one instruction: if you truly have feelings for Miss Gu, you must ensure she has the ability to protect herself. Whatever happens in the future, I do not wish to see a woman lose her vitality because of you.”
“I understand. Once everything is settled, I have something I wish to tell you, Mother.”
At that moment, a porcelain plate shattered outside the main hall, followed by a palace maid’s startled cry. There was no time to linger further.
Consort Shu rose and raised her voice normally. “What is going on?”
A maid knelt at once, tearful. “Your Highness, I accidentally broke a porcelain plate.”
Consort Shu said gently, “It is nothing serious. Rise.” She turned to Chao Yan. “I will go prepare lotus seed and lily bulb soup for your father. He likes it.”
Chao Yan followed. “I will help Mother.” His voice had also returned to normal.
Consort Shu smiled. “You are already the Crown Prince.”
Chao Yan smiled back. “I have helped Mother since childhood. That does not change because of my status. Besides, this soup is for Father.”
…
Chao Yan’s birth mother was Consort Qin, Qin Yi, originally a palace maid in the imperial palace.
Years ago, the Emperor visited the palace retreat for summer rest, took a liking to her, and summoned her for service, after which she was brought into the palace and granted the title of consort.
Not long after entering the palace, she became pregnant with Chao Yan. During childbirth, the Emperor was away on campaign and did not return in time. She died from a severe illness.
Before dying, she entrusted Chao Yan to the Empress.
The Empress raised him with the intention of strengthening the former Crown Prince.
Later, the Emperor was defeated and captured. The former Crown Prince, supported by ministers, acted as regent and refused to agree to the enemy’s demand of seventeen cities in exchange for the Emperor, instead engaging in prolonged negotiation until the demand was reduced.
A year later, the Emperor returned, but he harboured deep resentment toward the former Crown Prince and his supporting ministers, believing they had sought to harm him. He punished and suppressed them, and also came to dislike Chao Yan intensely.
Chao Yan had been born on the very day the Emperor was defeated and taken captive. The Empress, overwhelmed, sent him to the imperial retreat.
After the former Crown Prince died, the Emperor eventually regretted his actions and let go of his resentment.
By the fourth year after Consort Shu entered the palace, she was the Emperor’s favoured consort. During a summer trip to the retreat with the Emperor, she encountered six-year-old Chao Yan being mistreated by palace servants. Feeling pity for him, and after repeatedly gauging the Emperor’s attitude, she requested the Empress to adopt him.
The Empress agreed and reported it to the Emperor.
The Emperor hesitated, but under persuasion from the Empress Dowager, who had been convinced by Consort Shu, he finally agreed.
Several years later, Consort Shu was implicated by her family and demoted to the rank of consort. After her family’s deaths, she spoke out against the Emperor in grief and was confined to the remote Bamboo Pavilion.
Chao Yan was sent to Cining Temple, where the Empress Dowager was in retreat, to be raised there.
Two years later, after the Empress Dowager passed away, Chao Yan remained at Cining Temple without further decree, until Consort Shu regained favour and he was brought back to the palace.
The Yun family’s rehabilitation was never natural or accidental; it was the result of years of effort by mother and son.
But even so, it was not enough.
Consort Shu—Yun Qingzhi—lifted the lid of the clay pot and stirred it. “It has opened. Remove some of the charcoal and let it simmer on low heat.”
Chao Yan acknowledged her instruction.
Yun Qingzhi said, “Should Miss Gu and the others not be returning by now?”
Chao Yan removed the excess charcoal and listened for a moment. Soon, a deep ancient bell rang through the air. He set down his tools, his expression calm.
“I will go and find them.”
…
The sky was pale blue, the clouds thin and light. The sunlight was bright but not scorching. Trees stretched in every direction, green interwoven with patches of colour. A breeze drifted in from afar, but it could not ease the fatigue of prolonged walking.
Zhao Xun fanned herself with her hand, leading several similarly exhausted palace maids. She looked at the tall, graceful “young lady” ahead and said, “Miss Gu, let’s go back. I can’t walk any further.”
Didn’t His Highness say Miss Gu was injured? She felt like the one who was injured instead.
Gu Yun drew a deep breath and looked into the distance. Majestic buildings rose one after another, but the monk he was searching for was nowhere to be seen.
Had he seen wrongly earlier?
Sweat had already soaked the strands of hair falling across his forehead, trailing down the bridge of his straight nose.
He wiped it away casually, brushing his hair back behind his ear. The wound on his back, soaked in sweat, felt slightly itchy.
He shifted his knee, which was already recovering quickly thanks to his youth and now only mildly painful, and prepared to return.
They had been out too long; staying longer would arouse suspicion.
He had only just stepped forward when he saw, ahead beneath the trees, a monk in jade-coloured robes carrying a broom pass by. It was the young monk he had been searching for.
Gu Yun restrained himself from rushing forward immediately and called out. “Master, please wait.”
The monk stopped, turned back, pressed his palms together in greeting, and chanted a Buddhist invocation before lifting his gaze.
Across the distance, one above and one below, before any further thought could arise, both recognised each other in an instant.
The surrounding silence was broken by the wind; the rustling sounds faded away.
Gu Yun heard the unmistakably clear sound of his own heartbeat, and the monk’s face was reflected in his eyes.
He was tall and upright, strikingly handsome, his eyes bright and clear. In an instant, beneath that composed exterior, a familiar unrestrained and overly lively energy surfaced.
With his shaved head and ordination scars, he looked slightly absurd, almost like he was deliberately putting on an act.
Gu Yun’s throat tightened. He nearly spoke the name he had called countless times. He stared at the monk and let out a faint, cold smile.
The monk instantly reined in his expression and said politely, “Esteemed benefactor, may I ask what you require of this humble monk?”
Gu Yun held back his breath. “Master, we are all tired from walking. Could you fetch us some water?”
The monk smiled. “Of course.” He soon brought tea with two other monks. One of them poured a cup and handed it to Gu Yun. “Benefactor, please.”
Gu Yun took it. While Zhao Xun and the others drank eagerly to cool themselves, he lowered his voice through clenched teeth.
“Xu Jingzhou, you bastard. I am cutting ties with you. You go off to become a monk and enjoy yourself without me.”
Xu Jingzhou lowered his voice in return. “Bro, why are you dressed as a woman? Are you even being reasonable? I didn’t see you when I arrived. I thought you were still back home.”
Just from a brief exchange, both felt equally wronged. With so many people present, they dared not continue speaking. They exchanged a look, then each returned to acting their role, already thinking about how to meet alone and talk properly.
“Your Highness…”
Behind a stretch of gilded bamboo, the personal guard secretly following Gu Yun reported what he had seen. Before he could finish, the Crown Prince raised a hand, signalling him to stop.
He had already seen it.
So they were indeed acquaintances. There was no need for further investigation.
But they did not resemble each other. Were they close friends? Yet they seemed unusually in sync, as though a single glance was enough to understand each other’s thoughts.
Chao Yan watched for a moment, then slowly walked forward. Several guards followed silently like shadows.
Gu Yun spotted him approaching from afar and stood up. “Your Highness.”
Xu Jingzhou: “?”
Before Xu Jingzhou could even react, he was already following the others in bowing.
“Why have you exhausted yourself like this?” Chao Yan said, taking out a handkerchief and wiping the sweat from Gu Yun’s face. His palm rested against Gu Yun’s flushed cheek. “Can you still walk? I’ll carry you back.”
