Chapter 44
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As he drifted off to sleep, Fu Nian was still pondering the matter of returning to the sect.
In his previous life, since the strange poison was given to him by his Master, the benefactor who planted the gu on his behalf… should logically be seeking clues through the sect.
In this rebirth, he had immediately returned to the palace, primarily because he was curious about the true identity of “that empress who received grace night after night.” Coupled with his intuition that led him to believe a loyal courtier by Chu Zhaoyi’s side had taken the gu on his behalf.
Yet all the clues now pointed toward Fu Zhen. It seemed he had initially been looking in the wrong direction…
Fu Nian laid on his bed, his mind constantly filled with thoughts of returning to the sect.
In the end, he forced himself to rest and temporarily set aside this matter.
As autumn arrived, the weather grew colder day by day.
The nighttime dew hadn’t yet dried, and Fu Nian got up in the dark. With great reluctance, he was in the stable, carrying buckets of water and patiently grooming the horses.
Last time, he had fallen into Chu Zhaoyi’s trap completely, exposing his connection with Fu Zhen. As a punishment, besides transcribing palace regulations and deducting monthly allowance, he also had to spend half a month waking early to clean the horses, sharpen blades and polish swords on the training grounds—tasks that didn’t require much physical exertion but consumed a lot of time.
Initially, Fu Nian had been worried it might be something more severe like house arrest.
The reality was even more grueling than he had imagined. These tasks, combined with his daily duties, left him with fragmented pockets of rest and no substantial free time to leave the palace.
As he finished brushing the last horse, Fu Nian glanced at the sun and estimated the time.
After completing the morning tasks, there was an hour of rest during which he could catch a nap.
These past few days, Fu Niang had also been busy. He had been inquiring about who was assigned the duties of the guard that were originally meant for Rendong at the Imperial Attendant Department. Eventually, he found out that a nephew of a family surnamed Yao, who served as a guest under General Dou, had taken over the position.
During these nights, he had secretly observed the person surnamed Yao. He had discovered that just like most of the guards assigned to idle duties, they were quite lax, indulging in gambling and drinking. He had paid some of their colleagues who had grudges against the person surnamed Yao to intervene when they were drinking, making sure they got into some altercations.
Last night, he had heard that the person surnamed Yao, had taken an extended leave from the palace to recover from a leg injury. Fu Nian had hastily “visited” the guards and officials from the Imperial Attendant Bureau overnight.
After the early morning tasks were done, Fu Nian returned to Chengyuan Hall. Just as he was about to take advantage of his break to rest, he passed by the main hall and his attention was caught by the bustling activity of palace maids and eunuchs going back and forth.
Observing them load things onto the carriage, Fu Nian couldn’t help but become curious.
Approaching closer, he leaned against the wall and listened to their movements.
After listening for a while, he more or less understood that Chu Zhaoyi was planning to leave the palace. It seemed that General Dou, who had been stationed in the northern border, was getting on in years. Originally planning to return to the capital next spring and have his adopted son, General Dou Shen, take over his duties, his health had taken a turn for the worse early in the autumn. He had decided to return to the capital ahead of schedule, but during the journey back, his condition worsened suddenly, and he was stuck in the city of Shuzhou, not far from the capital. Court physicians had been dispatched in advance, and Chu Zhaoyi was now preparing to personally leave the palace to visit him.
After getting a general idea, Fu Nian stepped away.
General Dou had played a crucial role in Chu Zhaoyi’s successful ascension to the throne. Moreover, Chu Zhaoyi had always valued his courtiers, especially loyal ones, and it was only natural for him to visit General Dou in such circumstances.
Back in his room, excitement nearly overwhelmed his sleepiness.
If Chu Zhaoyi was leaving the palace, did that mean… he might also have a chance to leave the palace?
He hadn’t received any letters from Fu Zhen in these past few days.
The torn half of the letter remained an incessant thorn in his mind.
Fu Nian had already made up his mind to visit the sect again, but he was pondering when he’d have the time.
As he laid under the covers, ready to sleep, Fu Nian suddenly heard someone calling him.
“Lian Nian. Lian Nian.”
Repeated several times, Fu Nian finally woke up. Opening his eyes, he saw a man in light armor, dressed like a Forbidden Army soldier, who seemed unfamiliar.
Seeing Fu Nian’s uncertainty, the man took the initiative to show his waist badge and introduced himself, “Captain of the Tiger Camp of the Forbidden Army, Han Qiu. The situation was sudden, so follow me and the others who were called to meet at the West Palace Gate.”
Hastily getting up, Fu Nian said, “May I inquire, Lord Han, is there—?” Before he could finish his question, he saw the man stride away, so he had no choice but to follow.
Inside the courtyard, a few guards similar to him were huddled together, discussing something in hushed tones. Obviously, they had all been called out unexpectedly.
Reaching the West Palace Gate, Fu Nian saw Chu Zhaoyi’s carriage used for official travel. Hurrying to catch up, he asked, “Lord Han, does this mean His Majesty is leaving the palace?”
“Mhm. The Tiger Camp is short of a few men, so His Majesty selected several guards from the Chengyuan Hall, including you,” Han Qiu casually explained, then took the reins from his subordinate and mounted his horse. He rode toward the direction of the carriage, adding, “Go to the rear of the formation. Someone will instruct you on how to march in formation.”
Fu Nian didn’t respond.
Expressionless, Fu Nian joined his colleagues at the back of the formation.
Once mounted, Fu Nian began to reflect on why he hadn’t pretended to be unwell earlier. It was quite a rare occasion for him to have some alone time, and he hadn’t even enjoyed it for an hour.
“Lian Nian, where did you say we were going just now?”
As they left the palace gates, Fu Nian heard his colleagues starting to strike up a conversation with him.
“Shuzhou Palace,” Fu Nian explained briefly.
“Oh, by the way, Lian Nian, ever since you entered the Chengyuan Hall… you seem to hardly talk to anyone?” his colleague continued.
Fu Nian: “Mhm.”
Every day, he was busy with tasks and investigations, stealing moments of rest whenever he could. With twenty hours in a day hardly being enough, how could he find time to chat with his colleagues?
“Ah Qi, come change the horse!”
Just as Fu Nian sensed his colleague was about to say something, they were interrupted by a voice not far away.
“Right away!” Ah Qi responded, then he greeted Fu Nian, “I’ll be going first, they’re calling me over there.”
“Sure.” Fu Nian acknowledged, indicating he had heard.
However, his mind was elsewhere, lost in his thoughts.
General Dou was indeed a renowned loyalist of the current dynasty. But having the Emperor personally leave the palace to welcome him back to the capital and visit him gave Fu Nian an indescribable feeling.
Back then, he had also accompanied Chu Zhaoyi on the journey to the capital, protecting him with his own life…
Once outside the city, the speed of the main formation increased significantly. Fu Nian wound the reins around his prosthetic arm and yawned while leaning against his horse’s back.
At this pace, it seemed the main force intended to reach Shuzhou Palace overnight without stopping. Chu Zhaoyi’s concern for General Dou’s health was evident—he had dispatched the imperial physician in advance and was now personally rushing to visit him during the night. He had even allowed the general to recover at Shuzhou Palace.
Along the way, Fu Nian could only catch a distant glimpse of the luxurious carriage ahead, the lanterns inside flickering. The lights had been kept on the entire time, indicating Chu Zhaoyi was likely dealing with state affairs during the journey.
After several hours of continuous travel, night fell, and without warning, heavy rain began to pour. Unable to light torches, they were forced to halt in a forest clearing.
There were complaints about the weather within the Forbidden Army, but Fu Nian remained silent, sitting on the muddy ground beneath a cliff, sheltering from the rain alone.
The cold rain of the autumn night was chilling, even for someone as resilient to cold as Fu Nian. Staying exposed for too long made him shiver, causing him to wrap the thin fabric around him more tightly.
From this vantage point, he could clearly see the location where Chu Zhaoyi’s carriage was stationed.
Under the shelter of the rocks, a small fire had been lit next to the carriage. Only the shadow guards and eunuchs close to the fire could slightly warm themselves, attempting to dry their soaked clothes.
Judging by the density of Forbidden Army guards stationed around, Chu Zhaoyi was likely still inside the carriage.
When it was Fu Nian’s turn for duty, he took the opportunity to intentionally approach the carriage.
Before he got close, he caught a faint scent of dark mint in the rain.
The scent was reminiscent of the refreshing snuff that Chu Zhaoyi often used.
At this hour, during their rest time, why would anyone need a refreshing scent?
“Who has a flint that can still spark?”
After just a quarter of an hour had passed, Fu Nian heard the familiar voice of Li Gonggong.
“I have one.” Fu Nian answered.
“Come here and use it under this shelter.”
Fu Nian jogged in the direction of Li Gonggong. Upon reaching the small fire, he first warmed his soaked clothes before carefully retrieving the flint from his pocket.
As he helped Li Gonggong ignite the flint, Fu Nian glimpsed at the partially closed sedan.
Chu Zhaoyi was busily writing something.
While writing, the sleeve of his left arm was rolled up, revealing numerous small burn marks on his skin.
After igniting the flint, Fu Nian watched as Li Gonggong lit a small candle and added a longer wick. The candle was placed along the window edge of the carriage, and the wick extended straight towards Chu Zhaoyi’s exposed left arm.
“You can hold onto the flint for now. When we need it again, you’ll have to trouble yourself to come back.”
“May I ask, Gonggong, what is this for?” Fu Nian asked, puzzled. The long wick, when lit, would surely burn the skin of Chu Zhaoyi’s arm, and the scars on his arm testified to this fact.
Seeing his confusion, Li Gonggong nodded slightly and explained, “When the candle flame reaches the wick and touches the skin, even the most exhausted person will instantly become alert.”
Rarely did Fu Nian have the courage to interrupt Li Gonggong, but he asked in a puzzled and anxious tone, “Why go to such lengths?”
“You might not know this. There was once a high-ranking individual by His Majesty’s side who used to calculate his sleeping time by holding onto a candle wick.”
Fu Nian paused for a moment.
Calculating sleep time by holding onto a candle wick to avoid oversleeping and potentially missing important matters… wasn’t that him?
At that time, with dangers lurking around Chu Zhaoyi, the constant threat of assassination, and his vigilance keeping him awake for days on end, he hardly dared to sleep, even during rare moments of rest. This unusual method was his solution to avoid oversleeping.
However, he did it because there was no one to wake him up in time and he needed to stay alert. Besides, the accumulated calluses from years of sword practice on his hands meant that a slight burn from the candle wick was not a big deal. With attendants and shadow guards by Chu Zhaoyi’s side, there was no need for such a measure.
With these thoughts, Fu Nian glanced at the man who was fervently writing.
The candle wick had reached near his skin, and he noticed Chu Zhaoyi, who had been sitting somewhat slouched, immediately sit upright as the wick unexpectedly burned him. This increased the speed of his writing.
“Li Gonggong, change the candle. Why is it taking so long?” Chu Zhaoyi’s voice, exhausted, came from within the carriage. The dark circles under his eyes were heavy, and his eyelids were twitching uncontrollably.
“But…” Fu Nian looked puzzled.
Li Gonggong hesitated for a moment, then sighed. “Since that high-ranking individual passed away, His Majesty has often done this when feeling drowsy or lazy. He says that by burning the wick like that, he can almost hear his voice, as if the motivation to persist in the mortal world is rekindled.”
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