Chapter 28: Foreshadowing

Chapter 28 Foreshadowing

Chen Shuoan nodded and murmured an assent.

Then Yuan Rang stepped in close, his injured hand easily catching both of Chen Shuoan's wrists and holding them up in the air, while his other hand took a cloth and soaked it in the water.

Chen Shuoan, his hands held above his head, watched helplessly as the skin submerged in the water flushed a faint red.

His body was being wiped.

The man gently rubbed the cloth over his skin, lingering for a long while, as if unwilling to part.

A sheen of moisture welled up in Chen Shuoan's eyes, and a blush spread across his face.

Something felt off.

He thought.

Yuan Rang's fingers traced over his abdomen through the thin cloth, caressing the bruise there with a pained tenderness, staring at the guy who'd turned red as a tomato. "We'll apply medicine in a bit."

Chen Shuoan nodded hastily, struggling to break free from this hold.

Yuan Rang pinched him in dissatisfaction and said coldly, "What are you dodging for?"

Dazed from being snapped at, Chen Shuoan was too worn out by the physical pain to process much of anything.

His face full of hurt, he lifted a long leg out of the water and kicked a splash toward Yuan Rang, his cheeks flushed with distress: "Don't be like this."

Yuan Rang caught a flash of pale skin, dropped his gaze to veil the murky darkness that sank into his eyes, and hummed in acknowledgment.

Seeing him agree, Chen Shuoan gave a satisfied little hum and obediently stopped struggling.

Yuan Rang let out a low, husky chuckle: "What a good boy."

That voice overlapped with the bizarre dream in his memory.

Chen Shuoan, wrapped in the swirling steam and Yuan Rang's gentle care, sank into a deep sleep.

————

Autumn had set in, and it was already getting chilly.

Chen Shuoan threw on an extra layer and lay sprawled across the desk, dead to the world.

Half-asleep, he sensed someone come over, shut the open window, and the room warmed up.

As the sleeves fluttered, he caught the familiar cold scent of sandalwood.

The Sixth Prince must be cold too—when he asked him this morning, he still refused to admit it.

Chen Shuoan let out a knowing snicker, feeling like an absolute genius.

He didn't expect that laugh to get his face in trouble.

Yuan Rang pinched Chen Shuoan's cheek, tugging it in little circles, and laughed: "Awake and still not hurrying to catch up on your homework?"

Chen Shuoan half-heartedly swatted his hand away and muttered, "It's fine. Just managing to open my eyes is already a win."

Zhang Chenggong burst in from outside like a maniac, ready to grab Chen Shuoan and shake him, but spotted Yuan Rang beside him first. His legs moved before his brain could catch up, veering to head back to his seat.

Then he tripped over his own feet and went sprawling.

Yuan Rang remained expressionless.

Chen Shuoan half-closed his eyes and huffed through his nose.

Still, he was his bro. He dusted himself off, stood up lazily, helped the guy up, and said, "Don't come to me if there's nothing, and definitely don't come if there's something."

Zhang Chenggong furiously yanked his hand away, first greeting Yuan Rang, then throwing an arm around Chen Shuoan's neck.

He hissed viciously into Chen Shuoan's ear: "You've been living the good life these past ten days. Do you know how I've been getting by?"

With backup behind him, Chen Shuoan went full shameless: "You're grounded, I'm just chilling."

Zhang Chenggong's face scrunched up in jealousy, and he shoved his face in close so Chen Shuoan could see the bags under his eyes.

Yuan Rang stepped in, pried Zhang Chenggong's hand off with force, and smiled all innocent and harmless: "What are you talking about?"

Zhang Chenggong hissed through his teeth in pain, wishing he could chop off his arm to prove he was innocent.

Li Wei was just walking in, saw the scene, and immediately turned to leave, scared of getting caught in the crossfire.

But Zheng Yuanzhi, coming up from behind, caught him by the shoulder and hauled him into the study: "What are you standing at the door for? Is there a ghost inside?"

The next second, Zheng Yuanzhi was walking him back: "Let's go wait for Zhonglian at the door."

Once the five of them were together, Li Wei latched onto Zhang Chenggong and started bawling his eyes out.

"My dad always thinks copying ten copies is too few, and insisted on adding it up to fifteen. I've copied more characters than you've all eaten grains of rice..."

The corners of Zhang Chenggong's eyes looked a little wet, and he pulled Li Wei into a hug, thumping him hard on the back to comfort him.

Li Wei wriggled like crazy under the thumping, wailing nonstop.

Seeing him cry like that, Zheng Yuanzhi felt a pang of empathy and let out a long sigh.

Chen Shuoan sat in the middle of them, sticking out like a sore thumb.

Next to his friends' dark circles and haggard faces, he looked like a carefully tended flower—vibrant and glowing.

He picked at the scab on his hand that hadn't fallen off yet and tried to console them: "I've got some good news. Stop crying, come on, let's have a laugh together."

Zhang Chenggong, like he was already scarred for life, asked nervously: "Can we really have a laugh too?"

Chen Shuoan: "..."

Was he really that unreliable?

"In three days, it's His Majesty's birthday, and there's going to be a banquet at Rongqian Palace."

The other four looked at each other, dead silent.

"Come on, guys, give me something." Chen Shuoan wasn't giving up, trying to liven up the dead mood.

They were sixteen or seventeen, the age to be bold and flashy, but they all had this vibe of "just live however, and if it doesn't work, whatever."

"We already knew. Zhang Chenggong twirled a strand of hair in front of his eyes, bored.

"Really, how are you so behind on the news? This has been in the works for months now, and you're only bringing it up." Li Wei looked up at the ceiling, scoffing dismissively.

What?!

Chen Shuoan was stunned—was he really on a 2G network in this story he's living in?!

Zhang Chenggong patted Chen Shuoan on the shoulder, unconcerned. "Shuo'an, I remember the Emperor's birthday better than my own ancestors' death anniversaries. You're really dropping the ball here."

Chen Shuoan hung his head in shame, accepting the group's scolding.

Qin Zhonglian, who had been silent, spoke up in a low voice. "Then let me tell you guys a few things you don't know."

Four pairs of eyes turned to him instantly, gleaming with hunger for gossip, and they said in unison, "Spill it, bro."

Qin Zhonglian felt like the group had big expectations riding on him. He cleared his throat and began, "In all the years of the Emperor's birthday celebrations, no prince or princess has ever missed it."

Zheng Yuanzhi nodded in agreement.

"The Crown Prince set off a few days ago and should be back in the capital by tomorrow, barring any hiccups." Qin Zhonglian was a master at building suspense, keeping everyone on edge. "But the Third Prince, stationed out in Bozhou, hasn't set a date for his return."

"With only three days to go, there's no way he makes it back in time."

"I heard there's been a mess with the Bozhou Administrative Commissioner's books—several accounts don't add up. The Third Prince is swamped right now and doesn't have a second to think about returning to the capital for the celebration." Qin Zhonglian smiled and continued, "It's no wonder he's in such a rush; after over half a month, there's still no progress. Smuggling salt and iron is a crime punishable by death. As the local iron official, if he can't recover those accounts, he might escape the death penalty, but he won't get off easy."

After hearing this, Zhang Chenggong quickly muttered, "What a sin, what a sin," then asked in confusion, "But why take it out on the Third Prince? Blame should go where blame is due."

A cryptic smile curled at the corner of Qin Zhonglian's mouth. "Wouldn't you know it, the entire family of that Administrative Commissioner died on the very night the Prince took office, leaving a pile of mess for some poor sucker to clean up."

Zheng Yuanzhi's breath caught, and he said with difficulty, "Anyone with eyes can see it's a deliberate setup."

Qin Zhonglian chuckled. "Isn't the Emperor a man with eyes?"

He paused, then drawled slowly, "Who do you think did it?"

Yuan Qi led his men to the edge of the outer city. He looked up at the sun, signaling his men to halt and rest.

It was already autumn, and the air was dry and scorching. Yuan Qi gazed at the hazy, distant inner city and coughed a few times before saying, "Rest here. We'll enter the capital in exactly half an hour."

This autumn felt unusually oppressive. The sky, clear just a moment ago, now seemed ready to rain.

Yuan Rang's slender fingers drummed absently as he mulled it over, deciding it was time to speed things up.