Translator – Xiao He Lian
Chapter 93.1
Xian Sheng didn’t wake up for a long time. At dawn, Zhan Zhen came back from practicing his sword: he was facing him and drinking from a small pot.
When he tilted his head his Adam’s apple rolled while swallowing. Looking at it, Xian Sheng had a burst of satisfaction that suddenly overflowed into my heart.
Zhan Zhen glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw him peel back the bed curtain and stick his head out. So he put the pot down, wiped his mouth and walked over: “Awake?”
Xian Sheng’s long hair was loose, his face was handsome, weak and gentle. He nodded: “Didn’t you sleep last night?”
“Um.” Zhan Zhen said: “It doesn’t matter if you don’t sleep occasionally.”
“The empress dowager’s funeral… You must have something to do today, so you should sleep for a while.”
“I can’t sleep.” Zhan Zhen sat on the bed and stretched out his arms to hug him and Xian Sheng obediently leaned over and cuddled in his arms.
Zhan Zhen liked his docile and well-behaved appearance, liked to hug him in such a domineering posture, and Xian Sheng never rejected him. Maybe it was because of this that he had the illusion that Xian Sheng was actually no different from a delicate boudoir woman.
But when we first met, he was clearly at a loss in Xian Sheng’s hands.
“What’s wrong?” Xian Sheng asked : “Do you have something to say?”
“What you said yesterday, I thought about it for a long time.”
“And?”
“I think what you said is reasonable but I still have to explain, I sat on the crown prince position on my own merit, not with the favor of my father.” He looked serious and said, “I am not as bad as you say.”
“Naturally.” Xian Sheng softened his tone, touched his chin, and said, “I was angry yesterday. Do you think what I said yesterday is a bit too much? At first, I also talked to you good naturedly, and it was you who said that I should be fully dependent on you. You rely on the fact that I married you and treat me as a delicate little lady. Am I a little lady? Even if I don’t say it, it is still a man in the end. Thinking about it, if I treat you as a woman, won’t you be angry too?”
Zhan Zhen frowned: “You are so delicate.”
Xian Sheng’s breath stuck in his chest, he smiled and said, “Yes, what you said is right. Alright, go and do your things.”
He felt that his temper was not quite right lately. Yesterday after all that trouble, he did not want to tangle with this straightforward guy again.
Before his identity was revealed, both of them were flexible. This guy always watched him cry before he could reflect. After his identity was exposed, Xian Sheng didn’t like to cry. Zhan Zhen was also used to this kind of thing. In the way of getting along, Xian Sheng must lose his temper before he realizes that he has said the wrong thing.
But Xian Sheng does not like to lose his temper, especially when it comes to small verbal matters.
“After thinking about it, I still feel that you don’t need to take risks. If I kill someone, it will count on you.”
“This is burying the scourge.” Xian Sheng whispered: “If you count your credit on me, doesn’t it give ground for people to talk? If the word gets out, to put it lightly, you can say that it is probably because you love me and want to earn a reputation for me. To put it more seriously, it can be said that you violated the principle and it is an embarrassment to my identity. Today, my pillow talk1pernicious advice given in bed by a wife to her husband can rob you of your merit, tomorrow I can deceive you and usurp your country.”
Zhan Zhen was silent for a while and said: “It’s not that I don’t believe in you, it’s just that I don’t believe in Qin Yi. You have a child in your womb now, if he goes crazy, who knows what will happen?”
“I know.”
“I’m not small and narrow-minded, but …”
“I know that right now it is not to the point where I have to take risks. You believe in your father, I can also understand, after all, your father does love you very much. If I did not know that he is the son of heaven, just looking at how you two get along, I would have thought you are from an ordinary person’s home.” Xian Sheng pondered and said, “If you tell me that my father will abolish my princess position one day, I will not believe you. After all, how can a son guard against his father?”
“I also know that you are in an awkward position. If I want to protect you, I must tighten the strings myself, but these things can be done by a single person… Do you think that to help your brother return to Liang, I used people from the capital?”
Xian Sheng looked at him: “You are keeping soldiers behind his back?”
“Don’t tell anyone.”
He looked cautious, like a child telling secrets, his voice was low and quiet. Xian Sheng held back his laughter and listened to him: “It’s not that they can count as a soldier, but I’m sure that unless I rebel against the country, the father emperor will not kill me and raising them is just for convenience. When I came back to the capital, the father emperor knew that it was inconvenient for him to know some things.”
Xian Sheng didn’t ask any further and he said, “I underestimate you.”
Zhan Zhen’s expression was a bit sultry and he quickly and solemnly said: “The mother doesn’t know about this, so don’t let anyone know.”
“Why are you so tight-lipped?”
“Let’s just say that I look at the person through the crack in the door2looking down on people.” Zhan Zhen squeezed his face and said, “Can you rest assured to raise our baby? I really don’t want you to take risks.”
Xian Sheng thought for a while and said, “No matter what you are raising soldiers for, but for me, you have to be serious, Zhan Zhen, I don’t want to die, if I can, I will definitely try my best to live.”
Zhan Zhen’s heart trembled slightly and his voice suddenly became hoarse: “Okay.”
For a long time, he thought that Xian Sheng was like an old man with no waves in the ancient well water3impervious to desires and passions: indifferent to joys and sorrows, until this moment, Zhan Zhen realized that he also hoped to grow vigorously, and he also had infinite hopes in his heart, maybe he also had revenge and ambitions.
Zhan Zhen walked out of the door
The red sun hanging high and the rising sun was like fire, as if it was burning fiercely4the general implication is that there will be battles and bloodshed, and a kind of tragic feeling.
He strode out and a servant who was sweeping the floor bowed and saluted him.
*
Although Xian Sheng didn’t go out, occasionally he would sit in front of the door. The death of the Empress Dowager is a national mourning. In the capital, all opera theaters are banned from business. The people under the emperor are highly politically sensitive. Storytellers, entertainers, officials and people who make a lot of money all shrunk their heads and Diners in restaurants no longer talk loudly. Except for the ignorant children who were still happily playing games, most of them consciously did not dare to talk and laugh outside, lest they get on the bad side of the royals.
The whole city is under martial law. Soldiers were patrolling the streets and alleys one team after another at fixed points and time and dare not slack off for a moment
Xian Sheng wore plain white clothes and did not dare seek any privileges. He took the carriage and parked it at the gate of the palace, was supported by Ruyi and dismounted from the horse and walked.
The lanterns in the palace were all replaced with white and the maids and eunuchs were wearing sackcloth5麻衣 [má yī] gunny mourning garments; hemp garment. They were not allowed to wear powder or lip gloss. When the palace people hurried to see Xian Sheng, they immediately knelt aside. The etiquette was obviously much heavier than in the past.
Xian Sheng went to the Empress’s Palace first. Hearing that she was in the mourning hall, he rested for a while and rushed there panting.
Before he arrived, they saw several eunuchs carrying two dead bodies out. Xian Sheng stopped and stepped aside, waiting for them to pass.
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