Under the watchful eye of Wei Zhenfeng, Zhao Mian explored nearly every corner of the Beiyuan Embassy, save for the rear courtyard and certain classified areas. Though no critical intelligence was gleaned, he gained a deeper understanding of the Beiyuan’s customs and way of life.
Soon after, the banquet commenced.
As Zhao Mian had anticipated, the tables were laden with hearty fish and meat dishes, swimming in an abundance of soy sauce, as if it were free for the taking. One stew pot was even bigger than Zhou Huairang’s face, enough to make Zhao Mian lose his appetite after just a few glances. Yet, these were merely the offerings at the secondary tables. The dishes at the main table were clearly specially arranged for distinguished guests.
There were more than ten dishes in total, including pan-fried fish maw, fish ball soup, and four-treasure fish soul soup, forming a complete fish feast. Even the dumplings were filled with fish. Each portion was modest, crafted with exquisite skill, and meticulously presented, exuding an air of refinement.
As host, Wei Zhenfeng naturally presided at the head of the table. Zhao Mian settled into the seat to his left, still projecting that distant, noble demeanor, yet noticeably less reserved with his words. At times, his sentences even exceeded thirty characters, a truly rare occurrence.
Wei Zhenfeng personally ladled a small bowl of creamy crucian carp soup for his esteemed guest: “Your Highness, please.”
Even at such a moment, Zhao Mian didn’t forget to be picky. He gently pushed the bowl back: “Crucian carp has too many bones.”
Wei Zhenfeng thought for a moment, then said in front of everyone at the table, “Then, shall this prince pick out the bones for Your Highness?”
Everyone: “…?”
At the Young Prince’s utterance, not only the Beiyuan officials but even the Nanjing attendants who accompanied the Crown Prince were somewhat dumbfounded.
Yi Qian, perched at the very end of the table, constantly mindful of his supervisory duty, swiftly shot a reminding glance at the young Prince: Maintain purity of heart, keep away from alluring beauty; keep away from alluring beauty, maintain purity of heart.
Wei Zhenfeng saw it but feigned ignorance, seemingly unconcerned that deboning fish for a neighboring prince was in any way beneath his station. If it were Zhao Mian, had Wei Zhenfeng picked fish bones for him, he would likely, from that day forward, remember it whenever he saw fish. He’d then question what right he still had to eat it.
Zhao Mian, as if it were his due, accepted this “kindness,” a faint smile playing on his lips, and said, “In that case, I shall trouble Your Highness.”
Yi Qian sighed inwardly, finding the sight unbearable.
After the meal, Zhou Huairang seized a moment when others were distracted and whispered to Zhao Mian: “Your Highness, the Young Prince seemed particularly attentive towards you today. Is it because he desires the antidote to the male and female Gu and is trying to please you in every way?”
What even Zhou Huairang could discern, Zhao Mian naturally understood. He gave a cold laugh: “Otherwise? Wei Zhenfeng is hardly a considerate person, nor would he show me kindness without cause. Offering courtesy for no reason is either treachery or theft. Just watch; once he’s curried enough favor, he’ll start talking business with me.”
By the time the fish feast concluded, night had fully descended. With the important business still untouched, Zhao Mian was in no hurry to depart. Wei Zhenfeng, having felt uncomfortably constrained during the feast and constantly preoccupied with entertaining his honored guest, had barely eaten himself. After Zhao Mian was finally attended to, Wei Zhenfeng eagerly joined the adjacent table, seizing an unopened flask of wine and carousing with his colleagues. It seemed the earlier elegant meal had indeed stifled him.
Fortunately, even as the handsome young man ate and drank without concern for his image, his demeanor never appeared crude. Instead, he exuded a natural, unrestrained youthful spirit. The two teardrop moles beneath his eyes became even more captivating and striking as he gradually succumbed to a pleasant tipsiness.
Not far from Wei Zhenfeng, Bai Yu, the sole female guest, surprisingly received star-like adoration. A group of burly military officers surrounded her, their voices a continuous murmur of conversation.
These officers had followed the Young Prince through countless campaigns over the years, accumulating numerous scars, big and small. Some seemed healed, yet their after-effects lingered like shadows, surfacing periodically to assert their presence and cause considerable torment. They had consulted doctors from Beiyuan and Dongling, but with minimal success. Today, having fortuitously encountered a kind and beautiful divine physician, who was moreover from the Nanjing Crown Prince’s retinue, they naturally refused to let such an opportunity slip by.
With the Crown Prince’s permission, Bai Yu gave them a brief examination. These were all old external injuries; a complete cure was unlikely, so the focus was on slow recuperation to alleviate the pain of recurrent flare-ups.
They queued for their ailments, until it was the turn of a young man in his early twenties. Bai Yu glanced at him, then calmly stated: “A darkened nose and a shaky gait. These are signs of excessive indulgence in sexual activity.”
Such blunt words first stunned all the men present, followed by a burst of uproarious laughter.
Wei Zhenfeng, however, showed no surprise. Though his interactions with Bai Yu were limited, he knew she was an extraordinary woman, otherwise, she wouldn’t utter such “famous aphorisms” as “Either get hard, or die.”
“Xiao Chen is newlywed, barely three months! Who among us didn’t fall into worldly pleasures in their youth? It’s excusable, quite excusable!”
“Little Chen, this won’t do! You must abstain from lust, otherwise how can you serve His Highness wholeheartedly?”
The young man scratched his head, extremely embarrassed, “I can’t even give up wine, how could I give up that?”
Wei Zhenfeng, a wine flask in one hand, rested the other on the young man’s shoulder, curiously asking Bai Yu: “Is that harder to give up than wine?”
Bai Yu’s face bore a gentle smile, yet her words were sharp: “No matter. You’ll only be addicted for these few years. When you’re older, you won’t have this trouble; it will be replaced by a different worry.”
Wei Zhenfeng exhaled in relief, chuckling: “Rest assured, rest assured.”
Zhao Mian, while finding their boisterousness irritating, reflected that this was indeed an overly lively winter solstice. He wondered if the Nanjing Imperial Palace was just as festive.
Zhao Mian had been toasted a few times by Wei Zhenfeng and others at the banquet. He felt nothing immediately after drinking, but the wine proved potent. Sensing the warmth on his cheeks and a slight lightness in his body, he ordered Shen Buqi to drape a fox fur cloak over him and accompany him for a walk outside, to catch some fresh air and clear his head.
After a few rounds of drinks, Wei Zhenfeng noticed that Zhao Mian had disappeared at some point. He finally shook off the Marquis Anyuan, who was badgering him for a drinking game, and found Zhao Mian at the side gate of the embassy.
Zhao Mian heard Wei Zhenfeng’s footsteps but didn’t turn his head. He pointed to a three or four-story tall tower before them, with two guards still on duty at the top: “Is that a watchtower?”
“Yes. From up there, the entire embassy is visible.”
Zhao Mian turned his head and asked, “You had it built?”
Wei Zhenfeng saw Zhao Mian’s cheeks, flushed light red from the slight tipsiness, and naturally shifted his gaze. “After all, we’re on Dongling’s territory. Every precaution must be doubled.” Wei Zhenfeng still held two freshly warmed pots of wine in his hand; he handed one to Zhao Mian, “Aren’t you cold? Have some wine to warm up.”
Zhao Mian grew interested: “I want to go up and see.”
Wei Zhenfeng said, “You can. There’s a ladder there.”
Zhao Mian replied, “You take me up.”
Wei Zhenfeng’s eyebrows subtly arched: “How am I to take you up?”
Zhao Mian looked puzzled: “Aren’t you skilled in Qinggong? Naturally, you’d put your arm around my waist and take me up.”
“I refuse,” Wei Zhenfeng said without hesitation. “Climb the ladder yourself.”
Zhao Mian: “…”
What was wrong with Wei Zhenfeng now? So finicky, like an idiot. They had already slept together; was there really a need for this?
Climbing a ladder was out of the question. Scaling a ladder in his lavish attire would be utterly undignified. The Crown Prince of Nanjing could not do anything ungraceful before officials of another nation.
Zhao Mian turned to Shen Buqi: “Take me up.”
Shen Buqi was far more obedient than Wei Zhenfeng: “Yes.”
As he spoke, Shen Buqi’s hand rested on Zhao Mian’s shoulder.
Wei Zhenfeng paused slightly, looking at Zhao Mian, then at Shen Buqi’s hand, on the verge of speaking. However, before he could utter a word, Shen Buqi carried Zhao Mian into the air, landing steadily on the top of the tower.
Zhao Mian looked down at him from above: “Aren’t you coming up?”
Wei Zhenfeng secretly shook his head, suppressing the slight abnormality in his heart, and stepped onto the tower top, landing beside Zhao Mian. He noticed that Shen Buqi’s hand had already left Zhao Mian’s shoulder, and the man himself had consciously retreated into the shadows.
The cold was sharper at this height, each breath exhaling wisps of white mist. From the distant banquet hall, indistinct sounds of revelry drifted. Not only the Beiyuan Embassy but a vast portion of the capital city lay beneath Zhao Mian’s feet.
Above, the river of stars streamed. Below, ten thousand lights twinkled.
As the wine’s influence deepened, Zhao Mian closed his eyes, silently feeling the cold wind caress his slightly warm cheeks.
Finally, the day’s main event arrived.
After a long while, Wei Zhenfeng’s voice resonated beside Zhao Mian: “This Prince has humbled himself throughout the day; is Your Royal Highness satisfied? Speaking about picking fish bones, something I have never done so for anyone else, that’s including my father and mother. Your Highness is the only one.”
Zhao Mian directly told Wei Zhenfeng to give up hope: “Satisfied, but no antidote.”
Wei Zhenfeng couldn’t help but applaud the Crown Prince’s decisiveness: “Excellent, very direct. It seems you truly want to force me to use my trump card.”
Zhao Mian, eyes closed, scoffed: “At this point, you still have a trump card?”
“Yes,” Wei Zhenfeng affirmed, “Does Gu Ruzhang count?”
Zhao Mian’s eyes snapped open, the remnants of his intoxication vanishing instantly.
Seeing Zhao Mian’s reaction, Wei Zhenfeng knew his guess was correct: “Your move, from the very beginning, was aimed at Gu Ruzhang, wasn’t it?”
With the conversation already at this juncture, Zhao Mian saw no need to beat around the bush with Wei Zhenfeng: “Yes, but I’m also truly annoyed that you slept with me twice.”
Wei Zhenfeng’s expression immediately fell, and he said helplessly, “We’re discussing serious matters, Your Royal Highness. Can you perhaps set aside the ‘twice’ issue for a moment?”
Zhao Mian said “Yes,” then immediately continued: “So, Gu Ruzhang is indeed in your hands? He didn’t commit suicide to die for his country?”
Wei Zhenfeng took a sip of wine, staring absently at the pot: “Gu Ruzhang is unwilling to die. He hasn’t personally witnessed the restoration of Western Xia; how could he bear to die?” Wei Zhenfeng smiled, “Even if he endures humiliation, even if life is worse than death, even if every moment is hell on earth for him, Gu Ruzhang will not seek death. He will hold on until… hope is extinguished, and all thoughts turn to ashes.”
Zhao Mian could discern from Wei Zhenfeng’s tone that his feelings toward Gu Ruzhang weren’t solely the teeth-grinding resentment for being outmaneuvered. There was a hint of regret for a wasted talent, as if lamenting that such a worldly genius with a jade-like appearance and an inner resolve like stone was not born in Beiyuan but in the irreparable Western Xia, becoming his adversary instead.
Zhao Mian lowered his gaze, his eyes falling upon his own wrist. That conspicuous red thread had been with him for over a month now.
If Gu Ruzhang truly wasn’t dead, then he was almost certainly in Wei Zhenfeng’s hands. With Wei Zhenfeng’s capabilities, it would be impossible for him not to have discovered the relationship between Gu Ruzhang and Wan Huameng.
Zhao Mian stated gravely: “You’ve always known about Gu Ruzhang and Wan Huameng’s private affair.”
With Zhao Mian’s tone so certain, Wei Zhenfeng had no need to feign ignorance. He readily admitted: “Yes.”
Zhao Mian’s face darkened: “And you acted in front of me for so long, heh.”
He recalled that night when he and Wei Zhenfeng had secretly investigated the Xuyuan Garden together. He had believed he’d hidden the truth from Wei Zhenfeng, only to realize Wei Zhenfeng had known everything from the start.
Zhao Mian couldn’t help but ask, “If that’s the case, why did you still investigate Xuyuan Garden’s gift records with me?”
Wei Zhenfeng explained: “You misunderstand me there. I only knew their relationship was unusual; how unusual, or how deeply unusual, I did not know. But then I saw your unnatural expression, and heard your story of someone killing their mother to create a funeral just to see their beloved. I roughly guessed some things. Wan Huameng… must have been madly in love with Gu Ruzhang,” the young man chuckled, with a cynical expression like someone watching a good show, “Not only did he repeatedly recreate the wedding ceremony where he first met Gu Ruzhang, but he even went so far as to poison himself with a Gu. Who wouldn’t be impressed? Wan Huameng, though a madman, has a weakness, and his weakness is Gu Ruzhang, Grand Tutor Gu.”
Zhao Mian’s hand, hidden within the silken sleeve of his robe, quietly tightened. With each word Wei Zhenfeng uttered, his grip intensified.
This Young Prince of Beiyuan! And here he was, painstakingly trying to conceal things. How infuriating.
Fortunately, if Wei Zhenfeng had a trump card, so did he.
Zhao Mian suppressed the feeling of defeat in his heart and calmly stated, “Hand over Gu Ruzhang, and I’ll give you the antidote.”
Wei Zhenfeng said coolly, “Firstly, Gu Ruzhang might not even be in my hands. Even if he were, I couldn’t give him to you. It was my Beiyuan that destroyed Western Xia. Everything from Western Xia, be it beauties or treasures, belongs to Beiyuan. No other nation is allowed to covet them.”
“Then what are we wasting time here for?” Zhao Mian said coldly, “There’s nothing left to discuss. I advise Your Royal Highness to quickly find the antidote for the Male-Female Gu, lest you cry out to heaven and earth in vain when the Gu flares up in three months.”
With that, he turned to leave.
“Don’t be so hasty. I think we can both take a step back,” Wei Zhenfeng stopped him. “While I can’t give you the person, I can give you an important token of his.”
Zhao Mian asked suspiciously, “What token?”
“A token that might make Wan Huameng speak, or perhaps draw out the remnants of the Imperial City Division. How useful it is depends on your own capabilities,” Wei Zhenfeng said readily. “I wish to exchange it for the antidote to the Male-Female Gu. What do you say?”
Zhao Mian fell into thought.
Once the Male-Female Gu issue was resolved, both he and Wei Zhenfeng would be free to seek the Western Xia treasures. Wei Zhenfeng would also have the additional task of dealing with the Imperial City Division remnants. This was clearly not an issue easily resolved, otherwise Wei Zhenfeng wouldn’t have been searching for two years without success.
The Western Xia treasures were the accumulated wealth of the Western Xia imperial family and nobles over centuries, an immense sum comparable to a small nation’s treasury. Besides the Northern and Southern nations, Dongling had undoubtedly been secretly observing for a long time. How could Wei Zhenfeng be so kind as to offer him a crucial clue to finding the treasures? If the “token” he spoke of could truly draw out the Imperial City Division, why didn’t Wei Zhenfeng use it himself?
But at the same time, Zhao Mian was well aware that among the three nations, Beiyuan was the most likely to find the Western Xia treasures. Beiyuan was the nation that had witnessed Western Xia’s downfall firsthand; the intelligence and clues held by the Fuxue Tower far surpassed those of the other two nations. Only by utilizing Beiyuan’s intelligence could Nanjing even hope for a slim chance of success, and even if they couldn’t claim all the Western Xia treasures, they could at least get a share.
Wei Zhenfeng waited patiently for a moment, then asked, “Have you thought it through?”
Zhao Mian replied, “How do I know what you give me will definitely be useful?”
Wei Zhenfeng chuckled: “You need to have confidence in your own intelligence, Your Royal Highness.”
Unbeknownst to them, both had implicitly begun to use the formal address for themselves.
No matter how confident I am, I can’t stand the Prince playing tricks behind my back,” Zhao Mian mused. “I agree to this transaction, but I have one condition.”
“Your Highness, please speak. This Prince is all ears.”
Zhao Mian stated each word distinctly: “Until the Western Xia treasures are found, I am willing to travel with Your Highness.”
Only in this way could he keep Beiyuan’s every move within his grasp, prevent Wei Zhenfeng from stirring trouble behind his back, and ensure Nanjing would not return empty-handed from the treasure hunt.
Wei Zhenfeng gazed at Zhao Mian for a long time, then smiled: “That is only natural. Both this Prince and Your Highness still have unresolved Gu poison in our bodies. The upcoming fifteenth of November, fifteenth of December, and the fifteenth of January, the Lantern Festival, are all destined to be spent together, aren’t they?”
…The Lantern Festival, you say? This was one of Nanjing’s most significant festivals. To miss reunion with his imperial father and prime minister was one thing, but to also have to share a bed with Wei Zhenfeng…
Truly a sin.
Wei Zhenfeng raised his wine pot towards Zhao Mian: “Deal?”
After weighing the pros and cons, Zhao Mian lifted his own wine pot, clinking it gently with Wei Zhenfeng’s: “Deal.”
At this very moment, Yi Qian, who had witnessed everything from below the tower, was filled with bitter anguish, deeply pained.
Look at these two, chatting privately while admiring the snow, avoiding everyone, not to mention the pulling and tugging at each other. What sort of decorum is this?
Alas, alas, as long as the young prince didn’t let beauty lead him astray from his duties, it would be fine. But after all, he had been straining his eyes all night, and the Young Prince had not stopped glancing at the Crown Prince of Nanjing, even picking fish bones for him.
Yi Qian started to flick his sleeve and leave, but after two steps, he involuntarily turned back for another glance.
He saw the two young men standing face to face, beneath the flowers and the moon, ascending high to drink together, conversing joyfully.
It was the prime of their youth, two figures bathed in faint light, full of frost and snow, with a gentle breeze as their pillow.
Who could have known that they were truly discussing matters of state and the people’s welfare?
Author’s Note:
After others break their abstinence, it’s a nightly revelry.
After the young prince broke his abstinence, it’s once a month. There you go.