Chapter 24
JIANG SUIZHOU WAS SIMPLY too fatigued to make his way home that night.
After running himself ragged at the Ministry of Rites earlier, he’d barely had the energy for that minefield of a conversation with Xu Du. On top of that, he’d only managed to eat a few bites of dinner before the servants returned to clear the table.
When Jiang Suizhou stood up to leave, a sudden wave of dizziness overcame him and he almost collapsed.
Xu Du hurried forward to support him.
“Your Highness is of frail health. You must not overwork yourself.”
Jiang Suizhou steadied himself and took a few breaths to pull himself together. He leaned on the table with one hand and feebly waved Xu Du off.
“The emperor’s birthday banquet is coming. The Ministry of Rites has been busy every single day.”
Xu Du helped him over to a nearby daybed.
“Yes, the court is always extremely busy this time of the year,” he said as he lit some incense. “Should I send for the physician?”
Jiang Suizhou shook his head.
“No need,” he said. “It’s too much trouble.”
“Then I’ll have someone prepare a calming soup for Your Highness,” Xu Du replied, nodding. “Why don’t you stay here tonight?”
The suggestion made sense. After all, the rear courtyard was far from Anyin Hall and separated by a large garden. Jiang Suizhou had to take a palanquin everywhere, but it couldn’t go through the garden and required a detour.
Just enduring the bumpy ride in the chilly nighttime breeze would be exhausting for him in this condition.
It was a tempting offer, but…
“Do you have an extra bed in your quarters?” he asked doubtfully.
“Rest assured, Your Highness. There’s a veiled partition in the inner room,” Xu Du answered lightly. “Changyun sleeps behind it when he stays over.”
Jiang Suizhou nodded in relief and finally allowed himself to give in. As long as he had his own bed to lie on, did it really matter where it was?
So, that night, he stayed in Xu Du’s quarters.
✦ ✦ ✦
However, Jiang Suizhou didn’t sleep well that night.
Perhaps it was the muted but persistent scent of ink that pervaded the room, or perhaps Xu Du’s bed was a little too hard. In any case, Jiang Suizhou felt like something was missing.
He drifted in and out of sleep all night. When he woke up early the next morning, his mind was foggy and slow, and his eyes were ringed with dark circles. As he stepped out of bed, his legs felt soft and heavy.
There would be another Grand Assembly that day.
He couldn’t help but regret his decision. If only he hadn’t taken the lazy way out last night and returned to his own room to sleep, things would have been so much better.
Meng Qianshan was already waiting in the courtyard of Anyin Hall early in the morning. He had not sent over Jiang Suizhou’s court robes, seeing as he would have to pass by Anyin Hall on his way from Xu Du’s quarters anyway.
Jiang Suizhou had a quick breakfast at Xu Du’s place before heading straight back home to get ready for the assembly.
As he crossed the threshold of Anyin Hall, he saw a tall, straight figure sitting at the table, bathed in soft morning light. His elongated shadow stretched across the room to intersect the ink bamboo painting that hung on the opposite wall, as if it were a sharp blade slicing deep into the heart of the bamboo grove.
It was Huo Wujiu eating breakfast alone.
He completely ignored Jiang Suizhou and kept his back pencil-straight as he sat in silence. This cold shoulder was all too familiar, enough to even feel somewhat comforting. Some of the frustration borne from his sleepless night dissipated.
Jiang Suizhou didn’t rebuke Huo Wujiu, nor did he go out of his way to greet him. Instead, he acted as if he didn’t see the man. With Meng Qianshan’s support, he walked around Huo Wujiu, heading to the inner chamber to change his robes.
Meng Qianshan grumbled the entire time.
“Your Highness, did Madam Xu take good care of you last night? Your servant noticed that Your Highness doesn’t look well…”
Jiang Suizhou interrupted him.
“Enough,” he said.
Meng Qianshan fell silent. Jiang Suizhou hesitated, then put forth a request.
“The window paper in Xu Du’s room looks a bit worn. Have someone inspect it later, and replace anything else that needs refreshing as well.”
The window paper was indeed in poor condition, allowing drafts to seep in all night. While others might not have noticed, Jiang Suizhou had suffered greatly and woken up with a stuffy nose.
Meng Qianshan responded with a flurry of affirmations.
As they spoke, they went into the inner chamber. Jiang Suizhou didn’t notice that the moment he walked around the screen, Huo Wujiu looked up and frowned at his retreating figure.
The prince’s steps were unsteady, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He was clearly exhausted.
Huo Wujiu had never seen him look so tired, even after sleeping on the daybed.
What could have drained so much of his energy in a single night?
For some reason, Huo Wujiu found the chopsticks in his hand awkward, and he struggled to pick up his food.
He tried to focus his attention on the simple act of eating, but it was futile.
Huo Wujiu tightened his grip on the chopsticks and tried again, applying more force, but Jiang Suizhou’s appearance from a moment earlier continued to haunt him. Though he’d only caught a brief glimpse, it was etched vividly in his memory. It took hold of his mind’s eye and forced him to speculate on what Jiang Suizhou had been up to the previous night.
Looking down at the table, Huo Wujiu realized that the braised beef shank had been pulverized into mush, gristle and all, after only a few attempts. It was as if the edges of his chopsticks had been sharpened.
He tried one more time, but he still couldn’t manage to pick it up.
Annoyed, he placed the chopsticks down on the table.
It must have been because he hadn’t slept well last night, putting him in a foul mood and leaving him prone to nonsensical thoughts.
After all, he’d never suffered from insomnia before, even out in the howling sandstorms of Yangguan or the bone-chilling cold of the northern frontier.
But here in these lavish quarters, he’d struggled to fall asleep last night, just because a certain person had been missing.
Seriously, how could someone that frail have the energy to fool around in his concubine’s quarters instead of returning to his own to rest? He was left panting after taking a few steps, let alone…anything else.
And yet he still had the nerve to claim he cared for Huo Wujiu so deeply that he couldn’t bring himself to do anything to him? But he had no qualms about brazenly and openly spending the night with the others in the rear courtyard. He was even considerate enough to replace their window paper afterward.
This was all his fault. He had a silver tongue that spouted only nonsense!
Truly, the Prince of Jing was not a virtuous man.