Chapter 100 – Personal Reading

The moment Xie Yi stepped into the courtyard, he saw a group of eunuchs and guards standing nervously under a tree, looking up. Su Huaibei was trying to persuade from the ground, “Young Master, let them climb up and catch it. Your body is precious, hurry down.”

He paused, then looked up and saw Xu Chun climbing the tree, holding the back of his Siamese long-haired lion cat by the neck, and smiling down at him. “Brother Jiu!” The lion cat bared its teeth at him. “Meow!”

Four round eyes, bright as gemstones, stared at him.

Xie Yi couldn’t help but laugh. He spread out his arms, and Xu Chun, holding the lion cat, jumped down without hesitation. The guards and Su Huaibei were frightened, reaching out to catch him, but Xie Yi caught Xu Chun steadily, along with the lion cat that snarled and yowled as soon as it hit the ground.

Xie Yi asked, “Why did you bring the cat in?”

The lion cat’s long fur had been ruffled by Xu Chun, but he still presented it proudly to Xie Yi. Xie Yi looked at the black claws, somewhat disgusted, but seeing Xu Chun’s clear eyes staring at him as if offering a rare treasure, he reluctantly took it over. The lion cat seemed to instinctively know that this person was not to be trifled with; as soon as Xie Yi pinched the skin at the back of its head, it obediently lay flat on his arm.

Xie Yi held it in his arms and asked, “What’s its name?”

Xie Chun said, “Qianqian gave it a name, calling it Empress Snow.”

Xie Yi smiled. “Are you sending an empress into the palace to serve the emperor?”

Xu Chun only reached out to continue stroking the long hair. “It’s for Brother Jiu to play with.”

Xie Yi: “…” He understood the sentiment. However, he didn’t particularly like this little pet. Despite its snow-white fur, who knew what kind of parasites it might have? And those claws—where had they been? Fortunately, Su Huaibei, who had served him for a long time, knew his fastidious nature and reached out to take the cat. “This old slave will carry the Empress down and tell someone to wipe her clean. She has just entered the palace, so she may not be accustomed to new surroundings. Let this old slave find a few people to attend to her.”

Sidinge hurried forward to carry the cat away, and someone else brought a golden basin to serve him while he washed his hands. Xie Yi and Xu Chun washed their hands and had dinner. Xu Chun kept talking, unlike his previous restraint after entering the palace. He talked about how he had spoken to his family, and then about meeting He Zhiqiu and the old Taoist priest.

Xie Yi listened more than he spoke, sometimes asking a question or two, not requiring silence during meals. After dinner, they went for a walk in the imperial garden to help digestion. After washing in the Jade Pear Pool, Xu Chun reached out to hold his arm, interlocking their fingers, and just looked at Xie Yi and smiled.

As Xu Chun clung to him, Xie Yi straightened his clothes, half hugged him, comforted him with a kiss on the forehead, and said, “We’ll set out for the hunting palace tomorrow. Riding a horse will make you uncomfortable, so you should get a good night’s sleep early.”

Xu Chun clung to him. “When we were at the Bai Xi villa, didn’t I hunt with you too? My horsemanship isn’t bad. I’ll hunt a few pheasants for you then.”

Xie Yi smiled, lowered his head, and kissed him slowly for a while before saying, “The hunting palace is far away, and it will be a long ride on horseback. We also have to get up very early. Listen to me, rest well, and conserve your strength.”

Xu Chun was a little disappointed but still climbed into bed, pulling the covers up. His eyes remained bright as he stared at Xie Yi.

Xie Yi personally pulled the canopy over him. “Rest first. I’ll finish a few documents and come back.”

Xu Chun knew that Brother Jiu really cared for him and was determined not to let him tire himself out tomorrow. The long journey would be inconvenient on horseback, but couldn’t they just take a carriage? He grumbled inwardly, but then thought about the fact that they would be alone for most of the month at the hunting palace! Thinking of this, he felt satisfied and rolled over, falling asleep almost immediately.

Xie Yi put on a robe, came over to lift the bed canopy, and saw that he was already asleep, hugging the corner of the quilt in his arms. His side face was peaceful, his eyelashes hanging down thickly, and he slept soundly. One leg was relaxed outside the covers, straddling his side of the bed.

Xie Yi couldn’t help but smile. Clearly, going out during the day had tired him out. He fell asleep in less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea. How could he even think of serving the emperor?

He still put down the bed canopy, ordered the young eunuchs to watch him carefully, and then walked out to see if there were any documents left to review. He saw Su Huaibei approaching with a document. “This was sent in by Fan Tanhua in the evening. He said he will set out for his post tomorrow and is bidding farewell to the emperor.”

Xie Yi picked up the box and opened it casually. “He has too many thoughts. If he leaves, does he have to write another poem for me?” He paused. Fan Mukun’s letter was surprisingly concise, no poetry, just plain speech, as if they were back in the days when they were young scholars, studying together with no reservations.

“Your subject, Fan Mukun, bows to Your Majesty: I am reflecting on myself according to Your Majesty’s decree. Thinking of past mistakes, I realize today’s truth. I have not strayed too far from the right path. I will proceed to Shuo Prefecture and assist Your Majesty in realizing the aspirations of our youth. I congratulate Your Majesty on finding a companion. In addition, Prince Xu will soon undergo the coming-of-age ceremony. I have hastily failed to prepare a gift. Coincidentally, Xu Chun and He Zhiqiu came to see me off. They asked about Your Majesty’s calligraphy from your youth. I recalled that Your Majesty once drew a kitten, full of spirit and nature, similar to Young Master. Therefore, I boldly offer Your Majesty’s artwork as a gift for Young Master’s coming-of-age ceremony. Please forgive me.”

Xie Yi: “…” Fan Mukun seemed to have been corrupted. This unbridled act of rebellion was quite unexpected.

So that was why Xu Chun had brought a cat in tonight to please him?

Xie Yi was amused and melancholic at the same time. He seemed to have been pitied and sympathized with by the young master, but… it was as if the twelve-year-old boy, who had just assumed power, trapped in a cage with unfulfilled ambitions, wings drooping, and unable to vent his frustration, was now being comforted.

==

The next day, before dawn, when the sky was still pitch black, Xu Chun was gently woken up by Xie Yi.

Xu Chun got up groggily and accepted the service of Liushun and others to change his clothes. He felt something strange and tight on his feet, looked down, and saw Wufu putting socks on him. Instead of the gauze socks he usually wore in summer, these were rather thick woolen socks. He complained, “I don’t want these socks. Get me a cloth pair.”

Xie Yi was washing his face nearby, turned to look at him, and explained gently, “You’ll be wearing boots and riding a horse later. Cloth, linen, gauze, and hemp won’t do. They’ll rub your feet raw, and you’ll hurt. Listen to Brother Jiu. Woolen socks are the safest bet. The clothes are all silk close to the skin. You must bind your legs with protective leggings and line them with soft leather, or your legs will ache at night.”

Hearing Xie Yi speak, Xu Chun did not object. He washed his face and changed into narrow-sleeved riding clothes, put on long boots, carried a short sword, tied a scarf around his head, put on a hat, and had a little bird’s nest and dim sum breakfast with Xie Yi. Then, they rode in a carriage out of the city, with officials seeing them off at the city gate.

After traveling several miles in the carriage to the outskirts, they dismounted and mounted horses, galloping for a whole day. They changed horses twice in between, and by the time the sun was setting, they arrived at the West Garden Hunting Palace.

The wilderness was bleak, the palace majestic, the autumn wind sweeping through. Xu Chun followed Xie Yi on horseback to a gate, where he saw soldiers on both sides holding long spears, chests puffed out, heads held high, and flags fluttering in the wind.

Suddenly, a cannon sounded, followed by three more booms, then a long horn sounded, low and deep.

Xu Chun was startled, but when he looked up, he saw that all the horses were unperturbed and continued galloping, closely following Xie Yi in front.

At this moment, he realized belatedly that Xie Yi was wearing soft armor and a leather helmet today, carrying a long sword on his waist and a bow on his back. The sunlight shone, illuminating the shoulder armor and dragon-scale-like soft armor on his body, making him look extremely imposing.

Even Su Huaibei was dressed in military attire and sitting on a horse. The spine that was usually slightly hunched and submissive in front of Brother Jiu was now straight, transforming him into a man who resembled a sword, riding on a horse without showing any signs of fatigue.

They were like a tiger devouring everything in their path, unstoppable. The sound of hooves was like thunder, pounding heavily on the ground. After a day of long-distance galloping, his body was originally tired, but now he suddenly felt exhilarated, his heart pounding.

In just a few breaths, the horse galloped to the gate, where countless soldiers stood densely packed, all clad in soft armor, with a solemn military appearance.

Xie Yi dismounted, took large strides, and moved forward with his sword, his cloak billowing. A general led a group of people forward from afar, bowed, and saluted, “Commander Wei Guolin of the Imperial Guard pays homage to Your Majesty. May you live ten thousand years! Please allow the emperor to inspect the Twelve Imperial Guards!”

The horn sounded again, and the soldiers shouted, “Long live the emperor! May you live ten thousand years! May you live ten thousand, ten thousand, ten thousand years!”

Their voices echoed through the mountains and valleys like rolling thunder, or like waves crashing against the sky for thousands of miles, vast and boundless.

Xu Chun’s blood boiled. He hadn’t expected such a grand scene!