"So, you always go out for fun every month, and you always go out on the
street to buy paper and pens, but I never let you report it?"
Xu Du smiled and nodded: "Your Lordship is indeed wise."
Jiang Suizhou quietly read the account book, while Xu Du waited on the
side without rushing him. After a long time, Jiang Suizhou put down the
account book. He took out the money he had prepared and gave it to Xu Du
according to the amount in the account book.
This was to tell Xu Du through his actions that he trusted him.
Xu Du smiled and reached his hand out, taking the silver bills.
"You have done extremely well," Jiang Suizhou commended. "There are
still many places where you can be used in the future."
Xu Du smiled lightly. "Master, just give me the order."
After a moment, Jiang Suizhou looked up at him: "But, have you ever
thought about the future?"
Xu Du did not say a word and tilted his head, indicating him to continue.
Jiang Suizhou spoke unhurriedly.
"Rise and fall is a natural law," he began, "If a dynasty's days are
numbered, and another rising sun gradually ascends, how can you obtain
the fame and fortune you want?"
When Xu Du heard this, he did not say anything for a long time.
After a spell, he laughed, clear and crisp.
"Everyone is convinced that the division of the two dynasties into the north
and the south of the river is a foregone conclusion and will last for hundreds
of years —— Under these circumstances, even if Northern Liang still has
Huo Wujiu, it will not change. Why do you think that the Southern Jing's
days are numbered?"
Jiang Suizhou asked, "Why was Huo Wujiu captured?"
Xu Du replied, "He faced the enemy alone, and his reinforcements were cut
off."
Jiang Suizhou continued, "Then, what about the Southern Jing's court
now?"
Xu Du faltered and then laughed, "Master is saying that Huo's defeat is
because his horse tripped, and Jing's defeat is because its foundation is
rotten?"
Jiang Suizhou's silence was his tacit approval.
Xu Du was rendered speechless for a while. Then he stood up and gave a
deep salute to Jiang Suizhou. "In this dire straits, I originally didn't have
much hope, but I'd like to wait and see. Every step is a last resort," he said.
"But now, it is my good fortune to have met a wise master. I'm sure my
Lord already has plans for what the future holds. I will follow your orders
and be your right arm."
Jiang Suizhou paused and was momentarily tongue-tied. Xu Du had spoken
to him and was willing to believe in him, which was naturally good. But the
hat that Xu Du put on him was too high, which made him vacillate for a
while.
What about the future? What were his plans?
He just knew that in the near future, they would be wiped out by Huo Wujiu
in one go.
——
Silence reigned in Anyin Hall.
Dinner time had passed, but their Master had not returned.
Meng Qianshan was so anxious that he paced around, and at every turn, he
sneaked a glance at Huo Wujiu.
Meng Qianshan saw Huo Wujiu sitting at the table quietly reading a book.
He didn't know if it was his illusion, but he felt that even after half an hour,
Madam Huo still hadn't turned a page of the book in his hand.
Meng Qianshan sent someone to ask.
A few moments later, a young servant sprinted back all the way into the
main house and ran to Meng Qianshan, panting.
"Eunuch Qianshan, His Highness has gone to Madam Xu's room," he
reported, "A maid in Madam Xu's courtyard just came to report, saying that
His Highness hadn't left instructions in advance. As soon as he returned to
the house, he headed straight there."
Aigoo! How can this be!
This servant reported in the room while Madam Huo was sitting nearby,
hearing everything clearly. Now, even if Meng Qianshan wanted to contrive
a lie to coax Madam Huo, it was impossible.
Meng Qianshan waved his hand quickly and drove the servant out.
When the servant retreated, Meng Qianshan mustered up a flattering smile
on his face. He went to Huo Wujiu's side and told the maid beside him:
"Why are you so thoughtless? The dishes are all cool, so why don't you go
heat them up…" He swallowed the rest of the words in his belly.
Madam Huo, who was sitting there, put down his book without looking up.
He picked up his chopsticks and used them to take food from the cold
dishes.
He ate the meal alone.
Meng Qianshan felt an indescribable feeling for a moment.
…It wasn't just the roomful of servants who were waiting for His
Highness's return for the meal. Madam Huo, who usually ignored His
Highness, was actually also waiting to eat with him.
Moreover, Madam Huo was obviously…totally unhappy at the moment.
If so, Meng Qianshan knew that only the mischief maker could undo his
mischief. Madam Huo's spirit was a little low at the moment, and this was
something that servants like them couldn't handle. They could only wait for
His Highness's return from the dinner, and then personally coax this
ancestor.
With this in mind, Meng Qianshan warily served Huo Wujiu until he
finished his meal. He, however, never imagined that after dinner, His
Highness still didn't return.
Until a long time later…a maid from Madam Xu's place arrived.
"Eunuch Qianshan, His Highness will rest at Madam Xu's place today,"
said the maid.
Jiang Suizhou rested at Xu Du's place purely because he was bone-tired for
the day.
He had been very busy at the Ministry of Rites. After he returned home, he
had a showdown with Xu Du, so he ate merely a few bites of the dinner.
When the dinner was cleared, and he was ready to leave, he had a dizzy
spell when he stood up, making him almost plunge to the ground.
Xu Du held him up.
"Your Highness is weak, so you mustn't overwork," Xu Du advised.
Jiang Suizhou steadied himself and took a few breaths before he regained
his strength. He propped himself up on the table with one hand and waved
his hand feebly. "Because of His Majesty's birthday banquet, the Ministry
of Rites is busy day in and day out."
Xu Du helped him sit on a couch. He then turned around and lit up the
soothing incense. He said, "Yes, at this time every year, the court is very
busy. Should I send someone to ask the mansion doctor to come and check
you out?"
Jiang Suizhou shook his head.
"No need," he declined. "A troubling round trip will only tire unnecessary
people."
Xu Du nodded. "Indeed. Then I'll ask someone to brew a calming soup for
Your Highness —— Why don't you rest here today?"
His proposal was reasonable. After all, the back courtyard was far away
from Anyin Hall, and there was a vast garden in between. Wherever Jiang
Suizhou went, he had to ride in a palanquin. It was inconvenient to walk
around the garden in a palanquin, so he had to take a detour.
Enduring a bumpy ride while the wind blew was too tiring.
Jiang Suizhou was moved, but then suddenly thought of something and
hesitantly asked, "Do you have an extra bed in your room?"
Xu Du smiled: "Don't worry, Your Highness. There is a Bisha cupboard1
in
the room. Changyun usually comes to stay here and sleeps there."
Hearing that both of them had beds to sleep on, Jiang Suizhou nodded in
relief.
So long as there was a bed to lie in, why should he care where he slept?
So, that night, he rested in Xu Du's room.
——
Jiang Suizhou did not sleep well that night.
He didn't know if the ink fragrance in the room was too light, or if the bed
Xu Du used to sleep on was a bit hard. In short, Jiang Suizhou felt like
something was missing in the room.
He tried to sleep, but kept waking up all night long. When he got up in the
morning, the soles of his feet were like stepping on cotton, and underneath
his eyes were a little blue.
There was also a Grand Court Assembly today.
The moment Jiang Suizhou rose from the bed early in the morning, his head
felt heavy and his feet light. He was also groggy.
He was a bit chagrined. If only he hadn't been lazy last night and gone back
to sleep in his own courtyard.
Meng Qianshan was waiting outside the courtyard early in the morning.
Meng Qianshan didn't deliver him his court uniform because he had to go
through the front courtyard to get out of the house from here anyway. Jiang
Suizhou had a casual breakfast at Xu Du's place and went back to Anyin
Hall.
When he entered the door, he found a tall and straight figure sitting at the
table in the main hall.
The bright daylight elongated his shadow until it touched the ink bamboo
painting hanging in front of the hall. He was akin to a sharp blade chopping
into the depths of the bamboo forest.
It was Huo Wujiu, having his breakfast.
Jiang Suizhou crossed the threshold and saw Huo Wujiu eating by himself,
sitting straight and upright, with no intention of paying attention to him.
This kind of cold treatment was all too familiar to Jiang Suizhou. It was so
familiar that it felt a little homely, which dissipated a bit of his irritation for
having a troubled sleep all night.
He didn't fuss about Huo Wujiu, nor rush to greet him. He only acted as if
he didn't see this man, and then let Meng Qianshan support him as he
bypassed Huo Wujiu to change his robes in the inner room.
While walking, Meng Qianshan also rambled and complained, "Master, did
Madam Xu serve you well yesterday? I find Your Highness's complexion
terrible…"
Jiang Suizhou immediately interrupted him when he heard this. "Shut it,"
he ordered.
Meng Qianshan repeatedly nodded.
Jiang Suizhou paused and said, "The window paper in Xu Du's room is a
bit old, so ask someone to go there later and see if there are any items that
need to be changed. Replace them with new ones."
The window papers were indeed in disrepair. Whistling wind blew in all
night. Although other people could not feel it, Jiang Suizhou suffered from
it. When he got up early in the morning, his nose felt clogged.
Meng Qianshan again repeatedly nodded.
The two talked while heading to the inner room.
Jiang Suizhou did not see that the moment he walked around the screen,
Huo Wujiu raised his head and frowned at his back.
His footsteps were unstable, and his eye bags were blue. He looked
exhausted at a glance.
Usually, even if Jiang Suizhou slept all night on the couch, Huo Wujiu had
never seen him in such a tired state.
If he got this exhausted overnight, what else could have caused it?
Huo Wujiu inexplicably felt that the chopsticks in his hand were
unmanageable. He could hardly use them to pick at a dish, and the force on
his hand inevitably rose a few degrees heavier.
He tried hard to focus on the food on his plate, but it didn't work.
Jiang Suizhou's appearance just now kept popping up in his mind. He
obviously only took one glance, but it got deeply imprinted in his mind. It
hooked him so hard into guessing what Jiang Suizhou had done last night.
The chopsticks in Huo Wujiu's hand seemed to have grown a blade,
because he shredded the sauced beef in sauce in a couple of strokes.
Footnote:
1
Bisha cupboard – first used as a shelter from the summer heat.