Chapter 119
Rain splashed from the eaves onto the corridor. The palace attendants stepped back in unison to avoid getting wet.
Gu Yuanbai wiped his hands, put on a coat, and glanced at them. “Where did you go?”
Several guards hurriedly replied, “Your Majesty, before the rain started, we saw someone pacing back and forth outside the courtyard three times. We were suspicious, so we went to investigate.”
The heavy rain fell like strings of pearls, a gloomy evening rain that seemed to shroud everything in mist. Under the dim sky, only the bright colors of their clothes remained vibrant.
Gu Yuanbai stepped out of the room and felt the damp air. He turned aside, avoiding the drafty entrance. “Who was it?”
“It was a monk from another temple who came to Jingchen Temple to study Buddhist scriptures,” one guard said. “When we caught up and questioned him, he claimed he had mistaken the person.”
Gu Yuanbai turned to the palace attendants and said, “Bring them some clean towels.”
The attendants had already brought the towels and handed them over. The guards took them, wiping the water from their hair and bodies. “Your Majesty, we checked the monk’s credentials. He is indeed a monk from a renowned temple in Hebei, which explains his accent. After confirming his identity with the abbot of Jingchen Temple, the rain started on our way back.”
The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.
Mbl aykd bye nsxl pweeldzu, ealdnbkdt vblx kdpvydvzu. Qw Zwydcyk dseele nypwyzzu, pllkdt vbl vsolzp olal olv yde vblka nzsvblp pvkzz eyxr. “Qs cynj vs uswa assxp yde nbydtl uswa nzsvblp.”
Mblpl xld sdzu bye vbl nzsvblp vblu olal olyakdt. Rq vblu oydvle vs yhske nyvnbkdt y nsze, vbl sdzu oyu oyp vs vyjl sqq vblka olv nzsvblp, zkl kd cle oayrrle kd czydjlvp, yde oykv qsa vblka nzsvblp vs eau.
Xdl cu sdl, vblu zlqv, zlyhkdt sdzu Dwl Zwyd pvydekdt vblal, psyjle vs vbl csdl, bkp nzsvblp pvkzz eakrrkdt. “Zswa Yyflpvu, vblal yal ds blyvle clep kd vbl vlxrzl. Tso oyp uswa dyr?”
Mbl qwa-zkdle nsyv, awqqzle cu vbl okde, scpnwale vbl Oxrlasa’p qynl. Qw Zwydcyk zssjle wr yv bkx, bkp lulp eyaj yde caktbv, bkp pjkd zkjl obkvl fyel. Wsa y xsxldv, bl alplxczle y qktwal qasx yd kdj rykdvkdt nsxl vs zkql. Tkp hsknl oyp kdekqqlaldv, “Lsv hlau tsse.”
Dwl Zwyd takddle. Qw Zwydcyk lmrlnvle bkx vs sqqla vs oyax bkp cle ytykd, cwv Dwl Zwyd csole yde alvalyvle vs bkp assx vs nbydtl nzsvblp.
Qw Zwydcyk’p qynl pweeldzu vwadle nsze.
Tl oyvnble Dwl Zwyd’p alvalyvkdt qktwal okvb yd lmralppksdzlpp qynl, y pkzldv pdlla rzyukdt sd bkp zkrp. Tl vwadle yde alvwadle vs bkp assx.
Nyvl yv dktbv.
The sound of the rain outside grew fiercer. Amidst the wind and rain, someone whispered outside, the wooden door creaked open, then gently closed.
Someone approached Gu Yuanbai. Before they could lean in, the Emperor snapped, “Get out!”
The figure froze, obediently remaining still. Their voice, hoarse from the day’s rain, carried a hint of dampness. “Your Majesty, I asked the imperial physician yesterday, and your body has almost fully recovered.”
Gu Yuanbai turned over and pulled the covers over himself, ignoring him.
The gleaming white blanket seemed to reflect a faint light on the bed, one corner pressed against the Emperor’s face, the dim light giving his earlobe a rounded luster. A small part of his face was exposed, half-hidden, half-revealed.
Xue Yuan gazed at him for a long moment. Only today did he dare truly look at him. Only after this shallow level of addiction was satisfied did he have the mood for anything else.
Xue Yuan pressed his knee down, pinning a corner of the blanket. Gu Yuanbai didn’t pull it back, his voice growing colder. “Xue Jiuyao, I told you to get out.”
“Your Majesty, please let me explain,” Xue Yuan said. “That day, I finally had the opportunity to share your bed again and diligently pleased Your Majesty. The next day, Chief Steward Tian brought the imperial physician to see me. The physician said that Your Majesty was weak and would experience a period of fatigue after stopping the incense.”
Xue Yuan lowered his voice. “I didn’t dare touch you.” He paused, his voice even hoarser. “I didn’t even dare to look.”
Yet, the Emperor, like a flower, kept flitting around in front of Xue Yuan. Carrying a fragrance, covered in water droplets, the fiercer his expression, the more unbearable it was to watch.
Gu Yuanbai remained silent with his eyes closed. Xue Yuan’s back was stiff, but his core strength was good, so he still seemed relatively at ease. “Your Majesty, don’t be angry. Tonight, I…”
“Why do you smell so strongly of sandalwood?” Gu Yuanbai wrinkled his nose. “Did you go pray to Buddha?”
Xue Yuan’s expression suddenly became strange. He blurted out, “Dog nose?”
Gu Yuanbai’s anger turned to laughter. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky outside. Gu Yuanbai pointed at it with his finger. “I’m a dog nose, then you’re a coward. Xue Jiuyao, flying a kite on a clear day isn’t heroic. If you want to court lightning, now is a good opportunity.”
“I misspoke. Your Majesty’s nose is made of jade, beautiful no matter how you look at it.” Xue Yuan smiled, then mused, “I can’t fly a kite in the rain. But if Your Majesty grants me a request, I can stand in the rain for a while, and let you see if I’m a coward.”
Gu Yuanbai said languidly, “I have no interest in playing these games with you.”
“Your Majesty, there’s an osmanthus tree in the center of the courtyard. There’s a new sprout on it, the leaves tender and the branches soft,” Xue Yuan became animated. “I’ll go break it off for you. Your Majesty, why don’t we make a bet? If I can break it off…”
Gu Yuanbai couldn’t help but ask, “If you can break it off?”
Xue Yuan’s hand clenched into a fist, the selfish desires he had suppressed for a month finally leaking out, his fingers cracking. “If I can break it off, Your Majesty, lend me your feet for half an hour. That’s all I need.”
Feet? What could he do with feet?
Although Xue Jiuyao’s request was strange and seemingly not difficult, Gu Yuanbai knew he must have ulterior motives. He didn’t want to pay him any mind, closed his eyes, and was about to order him to warm the bed and then get out.
Once Xue Yuan spoke those words, he himself became excited. He leaned down and whispered seductively in the Emperor’s ear, “Your Majesty, if I can’t break it off, I’ll listen to you. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.”
Gu Yuanbai retorted, “If I tell you to do something now, wouldn’t you do it?”
Xue Yuan choked, then honestly replied, “I will.”
Gu Yuanbai rolled his eyes and went back to sleep. But Xue Yuan was truly annoying, chattering incessantly beside his ear. Gu Yuanbai, unable to bear it any longer, snapped, “Then go break it off!”
Xue Yuan abruptly jumped out of bed and dashed outside. Another flash of lightning and a clap of thunder followed. Gu Yuanbai sat up with a jerk, his expression changing dramatically. “Xue Jiuyao!”
Lamps were lit inside and outside the room, and palace attendants hurried about. But before Gu Yuanbai could send someone to call back the reckless Xue Yuan, a guard brought someone forward. The person was wearing a straw raincoat, obscuring their face and figure, shrouded in the thick dampness of the rain. The guard whispered, “Your Majesty, this person came in the middle of the night, requesting an audience.”
The Emperor was dressed in casual clothes and hadn’t revealed his identity. Yet, this person had exposed it in one word. The guards didn’t dare delay and immediately brought the person before the Emperor.
Gu Yuanbai glanced through the person’s shoulder at the pouring rain and the gloomy darkness. “Come in.”
The person in the straw raincoat entered the room, their voice deliberately lowered to a hoarse whisper, “It would be best if Your Majesty dismissed the others.”
Gu Yuanbai said coldly, “Speak.”
The person in the raincoat paused, then reached out and removed their raincoat. A boom of thunder and a flash of lightning illuminated their face.
Ordinary, with a sallow complexion, showing signs of a cold, it was the Second Prince of Western Xia, Li Angyi.
Li Angyi looked directly at the Emperor of Great Heng. As expected, the Emperor’s expression changed abruptly. He stood up and walked towards Li Angyi. Just as Li Angyi was about to smile faintly, the Emperor walked right past him, opened the door, and yelled, “Xue Jiuyao, you might as well die on that tree!”
After shouting, a chill rushed down his throat. Gu Yuanbai clutched his chest, coughed a few times, closed the door, and sat back down, coughing muffledly.
Li Angyi said, “You don’t seem surprised at all.”
Gu Yuanbai took a sip of warm tea to soothe his throat, his gaze sweeping over Li Angyi casually. “Second Prince of Western Xia, I’ve been expecting you.”
Li Angyi raised an eyebrow, sighed, and bowed. “Then I presume you already know why I’m here.”
Gu Yuanbai smiled. “Can you represent Western Xia?”
Li Angyi gave a wry smile. “That depends on whether you’re willing to let me represent Western Xia.”
Gu Yuanbai calmly instructed someone to brew a fresh cup of tea and asked, “Where does the incense come from?”
Li Angyi replied, “People from Great Heng.”
Gu Yuanbai abruptly turned to look at him, his gaze piercing.
Li Angyi paused, then looked at him and said slowly, “People from Great Heng, who came from Fusang.”
The door opened, and the cold air, mixed with wind and rain, blew in. The person in the straw raincoat stepped outside, coughed twice, and said in a low, raspy voice, “Even if I was healthy, this past month has nearly worn me down. I hope you can spare me and let this cold show some signs of improvement.”
Gu Yuanbai’s tone was unreadable. “Don’t worry, in another month, you’ll be better whether you like it or not.”
The person in the raincoat didn’t say anything more, lowering their head and hurrying away in the wind and rain.
The door remained open, and a palace attendant stepped forward to close it. Gu Yuanbai’s expression suddenly darkened, like a storm brewing, the calm before the surge.
He thought about many things, no one knew what. Finally, Gu Yuanbai composed his expression, calmly lowering his eyes and quietly sipping the warm tea in his bowl.
Fusang was currently in a feudal society and should have been extremely backward.
“Tian Fusheng,” the Emperor said softly, “How many gifts did Fusang send for my birthday?”
Tian Fusheng’s spirits lifted, and he replied briskly, “This servant remembers clearly. For Your Majesty’s birthday, the gifts from Western Xia and Fusang were the most lavish. The most valuable items were…”
He spoke for a while, listing the precious and rare items among the gifts. Gu Yuanbai closed his eyes and suddenly sighed.
The clues had been there all along, yet he only realized something was wrong now.
But how did Fusang have so much incense, so many raw materials?
Could their land cultivate such addictive substances and produce such a large quantity of incense? Even if they had so much incense, who were the people from Fusang lurking in Western Xia, selling and trading it? Who helped Fusang spread the incense so widely in Western Xia? And who was so ambitious as to want to use this opportunity to infiltrate Great Heng?
The conversation in his mind replayed over and over.
The Second Prince of Western Xia had said earnestly, “After I learned of the harm caused by the incense, Western Xia was already addicted to this incense from Fusang. My own strength was insufficient to reverse the trend, so I had to lie low and wait for an opportunity. Your Majesty should understand my situation and feelings. If one is powerless, one can only pretend not to see.”
What a long-suffering, patriotic Second Prince.
Gu Yuanbai said, “Tian Fusheng, do you believe the Second Prince of Western Xia?”
Tian Fusheng cautiously shook his head. “The Second Prince of Western Xia has been lying low for many years, usually pretending to be harmless. This servant doesn’t think everything he says can be trusted.”
“Even you don’t believe him, and he expects me to believe him?” Gu Yuanbai scoffed. “Seven parts truth and three parts lies, missing a piece here, lacking a piece there, that’s how lies become undetectable.”
He stood up, walked to the window, and glanced out into the courtyard. He saw a tall, dark figure running towards the room. Long legs moving quickly, filled with irrepressible excitement.
A thought flashed through Gu Yuanbai’s mind. He suddenly remembered Western Xia’s swift and decisive surrender when offering reparations to Great Heng.
Could it be that Fusang paid for all of this?
Second Life Translations' Comment Policy
1. Be kind and respectful. Comments with curses will be put under moderation.
2. No links to other websites or asking for links.
3. No spoilers!