Chapter 38: Jinling City (15)
The Prince Regent wanted a bath. Though Liang Hong Gonggong hadn’t slept all night, he quickly went to make arrangements. That night, not a single person in the inner palace slept. The silence was absolute, heavy with a sense of death.
When he saw the lavish white jade bath big enough for dozens of people that Yuwen Duo used, Xiao Fu shook his head and said, “A tub is fine for me. Leave this kind of grand pool for the new emperor.”
He never had a taste for excessive luxury, and besides, he disliked the idea of using something Yuwen Duo had soaked in. It felt unclean. So he asked for a simple tub, dismissed the palace maids, and washed himself thoroughly from head to toe, scrubbing away every trace of blood.
He hadn’t slept all night, and now, soaking in the warm water, he finally let down his guard. He almost drifted off to sleep.
But he couldn’t afford to. His eyes had only been closed for a short while before he got up, bathed again, and burned incense. Still not entirely reassured, Xiao Fu asked Liang Gonggong to check. “Do I smell nice now?”
“…Huh?” Liang Gonggong was stunned. He recalled the Fourth Prince calling the Regent handsome and had been pleased by it. Now he hurriedly nodded. “Yes! You smell wonderful!”
Xiao Fu frowned and sniffed his robes. He couldn’t smell anything. “Is it really that fragrant? Is there still any blood smell?”
Liang Gonggong replied, “No more. It smells like sandalwood now.”
In truth, Xiao Fu didn’t even know what sandalwood smelled like. A stick of incense held right up to his nose might give him a faint idea at best.
“What about the princes?”
“They’re all waiting outside,” said Liang Gonggong. “Royal Father, this is a private excursion, so they’ve all been dressed in simple clothing.”
Xiao Fu stepped out of the palace. Along the covered walkway stood four young princes. Upon seeing him, they all bowed respectfully—even the Fourth Prince tried to mimic the posture earnestly.
They likely all understood now: the Prince Regent held power over their lives and futures. Only by pleasing him and showing filial respect could they hope to survive or thrive.
Liang Gonggong was not to be trusted. After the carriage left the palace, Xiao Fu ordered the driver to head straight for the Marquis Dingbei’s residence. Once there, he had the princes get off, change into even simpler clothing, and board a different carriage. He sent Yuanwu to distract the Brocade Uniform Guards tracking them, then led the princes out through a side door of the residence.
For most of them, this was their first time outside the palace. Everything felt new and exciting, but they didn’t dare lift the curtains to peek out, mindful of proper conduct.
Xiao Fu noticed and reached out a long, slender finger to lift the curtain. “None of you have been outside the palace before?”
The First Prince nodded and looked out. It was just after dawn, and the streets were beginning to bustle with vendors and passersby. “To answer Royal Father, I’ve only been out once before, during the ancestral rites.”
“What about the rest of you?”
The Second and Third Princes shook their heads. The Fourth Prince sucked on his fingers and said, “Mother said there’s tasty food outside the palace.”
“Yun’er,” Xiao Fu said, pulling his hand away from his mouth. “If I remember correctly, your mother was a commoner before she entered the palace. She must’ve told you lots of stories about life outside, right?”
“She did! She told Yun’er that every grain of rice is hard-earned and that I must never waste food.” For a two-year-old to speak so clearly was quite impressive.
Sensing that Xiao Fu might be testing them, the First Prince quickly said, “Royal Father, although I’ve never been outside the palace and my mother isn’t from a common background, the attendants and eunuchs around me are all commoners. They often talk about life outside, and I’ve listened to them.”
“What did they say?” Xiao Fu looked at him. The First Prince’s eyes showed a nervous tension but were still bright—he was, after all, just a child.
“I remember once when a maid said… that for the past three years, Zhou Prefecture had poor harvests. I took the initiative to gather a thousand taels of silver from my own stores and my mother’s to request Imperial Father send it for disaster relief.”
Xiao Fu thought maybe he did have a heart for the people. At least he knew how to speak properly and wasn’t as brainless as his father. That counted for something.
Xiao Fu: “And do you know how that disaster relief silver actually reaches the people?”
The First Prince froze, his mind wandering. He noticed that Xiao Fu had called the Fourth Prince “Yun’er” but not referred to him as “Yu’er.” Maybe that meant Xiao Fu didn’t like him… He stammered, “Imperial Father appointed the Governor of Shanxi. The silver would be managed by the provincial governor and then distributed to the prefectures and counties, eventually reaching the people.”
Xiao Fu said nothing.
Then the Second Prince suddenly spoke up. “To answer Royal Father, I believe the disaster in Shanxi was due to flooding. The rivers overflowed and people were left homeless. The relief funds should be used to build shelters and water infrastructure. The court should open its granaries to feed the hungry. Grain is the foundation of the people’s survival.”
Xiao Fu was slightly surprised. This Second Prince, who usually kept his head down, had grasped the essence of governance at the age of seven.
“Who taught you that? A scholar from the Hanlin Academy?”
“Answering Royal Father, it’s….”
The Second Prince hesitated visibly. Xiao Fu’s gaze pinned him in place, and sweat gathered on his forehead. He didn’t dare lie. “It was… my maternal grandfather.”
Silence fell over the cramped carriage.
The Second Prince’s grandfather was the now-dead, condemned traitor Xu Hui—killed by Xiao Fu’s blade just the night before.
And yet this child, knowing full well it might provoke Xiao Fu, still chose to tell the truth.
Maybe it was fear that made him too scared to lie. Or maybe he was just honest by nature and didn’t know how to lie.
“I acknowledge my wrongdoing!” the Second Prince said, trying to kneel, but Xiao Fu held him back with one hand, his tone calm. “Forget it.”
Xiao Fu turned to the Third Prince. “And what does the Third Prince think?”
The Third Prince, who had been fiddling with his belt, looked completely clueless. “I think… since Second Brother’s grandfather was a criminal, normally he’d be punished to nine generations. But Second Brother is of the royal family, so it shouldn’t affect him…”
The Second Prince kept his head down and didn’t speak.
Xiao Fu’s expression stayed indifferent. “I didn’t ask that. I asked about the flooding in Fenzhou.”
“Oh, oh.” The Third Prince exhaled in relief and clumsily repeated the ideas the other princes had said, then recited the poem the Fourth Prince mentioned: “Who knows that each grain on our plate, is the fruit of bitter toil. Royal Father, only by easing the people’s suffering can they farm diligently, support themselves, and live without hunger or hardship.”
He wasn’t completely dim. He knew how to borrow answers and repackage them in his own words. At least he understood opportunism.
Xiao Fu now had a rough measure of each of them. His expression turned serious as he said, “Now that we’re outside the palace, remember three rules. First, forget your identities. Don’t call yourselves ‘This Prince.’ You’re just young masters from a normal family now. If anyone breaks this rule, don’t blame me for turning ruthless. Second, don’t call me Royal Father or Prince Regent. Just call me… ‘Elder Brother.’”
The First Prince hesitated. “But Great-Uncle… why call you Elder Brother?”
Xiao Fu smirked faintly. “Look at my face. Do I look like your great-uncle?”
The First Prince shook his head.
By right, he should call him Great-Uncle—after all, Xiao Fu was Yuwen Duo’s maternal uncle and thus the princes’ great-uncle. But that title always made Xiao Fu feel old.
“Third,” Xiao Fu said, his gaze sweeping over the four princes. “I’m taking you to meet someone today—a teacher. You must show respect, treat him as an elder, and address him as ‘Sir.’ You will each have to answer the questions he asks.”
There were still spies for Prince Zhao outside the city, so Xiao Fu wasn’t planning to leave Jinling with them just yet. He certainly wouldn’t bring the Brocade Uniform Guards to the Xingzhi Temple and disturb Taoist Master Ze Wu’s peaceful life of reclusion.
At the banks of the Qinhuai River, Xiao Fu brought the four boys aboard a boat. The Fourth Prince had short legs and hesitated at the gap between the dock and the boat. Xiao Fu reached out with one arm and easily lifted him aboard.
“Thank you, Royal Father,” the Fourth Prince said sweetly.
Xiao Fu frowned and set him down. “What did I say about names? Forgot already?”
“Call you… elder brother,” the Fourth Prince finally remembered. “Elder brother.”
Xiao Fu nodded. “Mm, that’s right. Don’t forget again, or elder brother will have to spank you.”
For convenience, he started referring to the little princes as “Eldest,” “Second,” “Third,” and “Fourth.”
The reason was simple—Xiao Fu still hadn’t remembered the actual names of the four princes.
All those Xuan, Huan, Yu… he couldn’t match the names to the right people and couldn’t be bothered to figure it out. After all this time, the only name he had managed to recall was that the Fourth Prince was called Yuwen Yun.
The boat rocked slightly as they walked across. The three older princes couldn’t help but think the same thing—whoever the Regent was taking them to meet must be a very important person. They had heard their imperial grandfather was still alive. Could it be him?
The Eldest Prince had seen the former Emperor once, when he was about one or two years old.
But by now, he couldn’t remember it at all.
Xie Laosan had left the palace the night before. When he saw Xiao Fu arrive, the first thing Xiao Fu asked about was Lin Zikui.
Xie Laosan shook his head. “Last night Jinzun insisted on playing chess with him, so he slept really late. In the middle of the night, he had a terrible itching fit and was scratching himself like crazy. I heard it and gave him a new ointment. He’s still sleeping now.”
As he spoke, Xie Laosan finally noticed the four children and was utterly shocked. “Xiao Zhaoling, why on earth did you bring these little ancestors here?”
Xiao Fu replied, “Last time, I misjudged Yuwen Duo. This time, if I see for myself, I won’t make the same mistake, right?”
“You brought them… for Xiao Lin to see?” Xie Laosan shook his head even more violently. “You’ve gone mad. Lin Zikui can’t even see.”
“His eyes don’t work, but his heart isn’t blind.” Besides, he just wanted to hear Lin Zikui’s opinion. The matter of choosing a crown prince concerned the fate of the entire nation—it couldn’t be decided hastily. Xiao Fu would make the final call himself, but he still needed to consult Empress Dowager Xiao and the old Taoist.
Anyway, there was room for trial and error. If the eldest turned out a failure, there was still the second. If the second didn’t work, then the third. If the third wasn’t suitable either, well, there was still the youngest—clueless and innocent enough to mold from the start.
The three older princes kept their gazes lowered, not daring to look up. Only the Fourth Prince was still glancing around curiously, full of childish innocence.
When Xiao Fu heard that Lin Zikui was still asleep, he remembered how the boy had scratched himself bloody from the itching last night, and felt a sharp pang of heartache.
Xu Zhuojun deserved to die a hundred thousand times over.
Xiao Fu stood quietly at the door and peeked inside. He only caught a glimpse of Lin Zikui sleeping soundly and couldn’t make out his face.
Then he turned around and dragged Jinzun away, jabbing a finger at his nose. “You were fine on your own—what were you doing dragging someone to play chess with you in the middle of the night?! Didn’t let him sleep at all!”
Jinzun looked guilty. “Marquis, it was fun playing chess with Young Master Lin…”
“Fun? Don’t you know how to stop? How old are you already, still acting like a child.” Xiao Fu’s finger poked his forehead. “If you dare ask him to play chess at night again, I’ll deal with you myself.”
Jinzun kept his head down. “Oh.”
Xiao Fu knew he hadn’t taken it seriously and would probably do it again. “Stubborn mule.”
Jinzun: “Oh.”
“You dare ‘oh’ me one more time?”
“…Oh…”
“…” Xiao Fu gave up on him and ordered someone to take the four princes aside for breakfast. He couldn’t help himself and pushed open Lin Zikui’s door.
He had only planned to take a quick look at the boy sleeping—to see if he was dreaming or talking in his sleep.
But the moment he stepped in and saw him, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. His eyes were fixed; his heart felt soft in a way that was almost painfully clear.
Lin Zikui truly was something else. Even though he had been exhausted, he still stayed up late playing chess with Jinzun.
Xiao Fu lifted the bed curtain and sat at the edge of the bed. Lin Zikui was lying on his side, his eyes covered with a layer of white cloth. The moment Xiao Fu sat down, he stirred awake, turned his face away, and mumbled in his groggy morning voice, “Mo Liu… what time is it?”
“Not even the fourth hour yet,” Xiao Fu replied softly. “Go back to sleep, Lin Lang.”
“…Fourth hour…” Lin Zikui couldn’t see anyway. He didn’t know that the sun was already up and that if he slept any longer, it would be nearly midday.
His voice was sleepy, but then he realized something. “Zhao Ling? You’re back?”
“Mm. I came back just shortly after you fell asleep.”
Lin Zikui tried to push himself up, but the cold made him shrink back down again like a hibernating animal. The lower half of his face was tinged with the pink warmth of just having woken up.
He reached one hand out from under the covers, feeling around toward Xiao Fu’s voice. “I waited for you a long time last night. Even Jinzun couldn’t stay up anymore. He didn’t know when you were coming back either.”
Xiao Fu froze for a second, then reached out and caught his hand. Lin Zikui’s hand was soft, still warm from the blankets. Xiao Fu enclosed it entirely in his own, fingers and heart all melting together. “So it wasn’t him dragging you into a chess match?”
“No, it wasn’t. I was waiting for you, so I stayed up.” He couldn’t fall asleep, worrying that Xiao Fu might’ve been retaliated against by Minister Pang’s son. He had wanted to go find him, but Jinzun had stopped him and said Xiao Zhaoling was just at a family banquet.
So Lin Zikui had lain there thinking all sorts of wild things. When would Xiao Zhaoling take him to one of those banquets? What kind of banquet was it? Maybe it was with relatives who were officials in Jinling? But it would be better if he didn’t go until he earned a proper title. Thinking of that, he’d even continued memorizing his books with his eyes shut.
Now that he was awake, he remembered something. “Before dusk today, I need to go to the Imperial Academy to report in—it’s almost time for the exam.”
He had barely lifted his torso before Xiao Fu pushed him back down. “Sleep until noon. I’ll take you this afternoon. I didn’t sleep well last night either. I need a bit of rest.”
Lin Zikui asked, “You didn’t sleep well either? Did you drink?”
“Had a cup or two. But I couldn’t sleep because I missed you, Lin Lang. I can’t sleep without you—I can only rest in your bed, beside you. That’s why I came back so soon.” Xiao Fu lay down as he spoke, reaching out and wrapping Lin Zikui completely in his arms. He inhaled his scent—not that he could really smell anything—but he could feel it. He buried his face close. “Didn’t Lin Lang miss me as much as I missed you?”
Lin Zikui, now wrapped up in his arms, struggled perfunctorily for a moment before going still.
After all, he didn’t have the strength to resist Xiao Fu.
“Why won’t you say anything?” Xiao Fu’s chin nudged his cheek like a clingy cat. It tickled a bit.
He had bathed, but forgotten to shave. After all the stress from the night before, stubble had started to grow.
Lin Zikui noticed the prickle right away and suddenly had a bad feeling. His lips tightened slightly, but he couldn’t get a single word out.
Xiao Fu’s nose pressed against his, and in his eyes shimmered a quiet, tender affection. “If Lin Lang won’t talk, then you must be sleepy too. Fine, I won’t talk either. Let’s sleep.”
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