Chapter 19: Liu Fengnian

Chapter 19 Liu Fengnian

He'd been granted the honor of hand-copying the Diamond Sutra.

What doesn't kill me might as well have killed me.

Chen Shuoan sat in his seat, eyes vacant like a man possessed by a wandering ghost.

Yuan Rang walked over and stood beside him, waving a hand in front of his face a few times with no reaction. He couldn't help but laugh.

Chen Shuoan let out a mournful wail and slumped forward, his left cheek pressed flat against the smooth desk, his cheek squishing up in little folds—utterly adorable.

The man beside him pulled his hand back, clenching it behind his back, barely suppressing the urge to reach out and pinch that face.

"What're you doin'?" Chen Shuoan asked sulkily.

Yuan Rang chuckled softly, bending down to pick up the notepad lying at the edge of Chen Shuoan's desk. His left hand brushed against Chen Shuoan's smooth neck, giving it a brief squeeze before letting go. He straightened up, leaving a tall, elegant figure in his wake.

The message was clear enough: he'd take care of the Diamond Sutra copying for him.

Chen Shuoan caught a whiff of the familiar cool sandalwood scent wafting from Yuan Rang's robes as he turned, and found the Sixth Prince's silhouette remarkably imposing.

His earlier gloom vanished in an instant, and he shot up from his seat to chase after him, yelling as he ran: "Your Highness, wait for me!"

In the nearly empty study, Zhang Chenggong and Li Wei exchanged bewildered glances, muttering: "Is Chen Shuoan really that disrespectful?"

Zheng Yuanzhi, long past being surprised by this, lounged back in his chair: "The Sixth Prince has been indulging him for quite some time now. Shuo'an's got it good."

Standing beside him, Qin Zhonglian crossed his arms, sharp eyes fixed on the two figures outside—heads close together, shoulders brushing—and a knowing smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

The palace corridors crisscrossed in intricate patterns. Redwood railings bore the carvings of master craftsmen, and fine Yunjin silk hung from the beams, soft and lustrous.

A gentle breeze swept through, making the tassels on the Yunjin sway lazily. Shadows cast by the sunlight danced across the little blue-brick path.

Walking with Yuan Rang through the corridor's alternating light and shadow, Chen Shuoan noticed his companion's shadow stretched longer than his.

Unwilling to accept that Yuan Rang was taller than him now, he sneakily sped up to get ahead of Yuan Rang.

Seeing his own shadow stretch just past the Sixth Prince's, Chen Shuoan felt pleased with himself.

Suddenly, he heard a soft chuckle from behind. The tall, graceful figure came to a stop.

Chen Shuoan turned, confused, the sunlight hitting his face and making him squint.

Yuan Rang stood against the light, head tilted slightly downward, dark eyes holding an unreadable smile. He leaned close to Chen Shuoan's ear and whispered: "Shuo'an is always taller than me."

He ducked his head, raising those deep, sharp eyes to the jade-pale figure before him.

Chen Shuoan looked down at him, watching his hair gleam golden and fluffy in the sunlight—looking more and more like a big golden retriever.

The earlier feeling of being watched by a hawk vanished completely. Chen Shuoan reverted to his usual carefree self, continuing forward shoulder-to-shoulder with Yuan Rang like old buddies.

An elderly man waited at the entrance to the chambers.

Chen Shuoan recognized him—it was Yuan Rang's maternal grandfather, Minister of Personnel Liu Fengnian.

"Your Highness." Liu Fengnian bowed, his cloudy eyes shifting to Chen Shuoan behind Yuan Rang. "And this young man is..."

"Chen Shuoan, son of Grand Tutor Chen, greets Minister Liu." Chen Shuoan quickly announced himself when he realized he was being addressed.

Yuan Rang smiled slightly, gesturing invitingly: "Minister Liu, please, let's speak inside."

As they entered the chambers, Liu Fengnian chatted while walking: "No need for formality among family. I've come today simply to visit the Noble Consort."

Chen Shuoan pricked up his ears, eavesdropping from the side.

"Reader Chen, please stay." Liu Fengnian paused mid-step, turning to look at Chen Shuoan with eyes full of amusement. "This is the path to visit Her Ladyship. You're neither a court official nor family—why are you tagging along?"

Chen Shuoan's face flushed crimson, realizing he had overstepped his place. Amid Yuan Rang's teasing laughter, he bolted in a panic.

Liu Fengnian gestured for the surrounding maids and attendants to withdraw, then pulled a letter from his robes and handed it to Yuan Rang, speaking in a low voice: "News from He Sui, the county magistrate of Bozhou. Time was short and arrangements hasty—the matter of the accounts may be difficult to resolve."

Yuan Rang extended his slender fingers to take the letter, expressionless: "Third Brother has traveled far and is quite impatient. Let him rest on the road for a few more days."

A calculating glint slowly rose in Liu Fengnian's cloudy eyes. He smiled, with a respectful bow: "I will make arrangements immediately."

Then, recalling something, he asked: "Has His Majesty's reward come down?"

Yuan Rang raised an eyebrow, casually tearing open the letter and scanning it in a single glance before speaking slowly: "Nothing remarkable."

"I heard from the Ministry of Revenue that His Highness the Third Prince took care of it himself." Liu Fengnian took the letter paper Yuan Rang handed back to him.

Yuan Rang let out a scoff: "His Majesty's wishes."

"Excellent." Liu Fengnian smiled a crafty, satisfied smile.

Grandfather and grandson pushed open the door redolent of aged wood, and through the thin dark-green gauze, they saw a woman reclining on the soft couch.

She was as delicate as a willow, her skin like congealed cream, dressed in extraordinary luxury.

It was Noble Consort Liu—Liu Shuxian.

————

It was already deep into the night. Summer insects sang desperately in the grass.

Yuan Rang knocked on Chen Shuoan's still-lit door, holding a scroll of calligraphy.

"Why aren't you asleep?"

Chen Shuoan's rosy lips parted slightly in surprise as he looked at the finished copy of the Diamond Sutra Yuan Rang was offering.

The Sixth Prince bent down, as if casually wrapping an arm around Chen Shuoan from behind, his slender fingers picking up several sheets of paper from the desk before straightening up.

He went quiet, staring at the chicken scratch before him.

The creator of said chicken scratch was crestfallen: "With my talent, this is already my limit."

Yuan Rang, cold-natured by disposition yet endlessly patient with Chen Shuoan, managed a reluctant consolation: "It's fine. At least your improvement is significant."

Chen Shuoan gave a sleepy smile at that, then suddenly sneezed several times in a row.

Yuan Rang's heart softened. Taking advantage of his drowsiness, he slowly leaned closer, speaking gently: "What's the matter? Is someone thinking of you?"

Chen Shuoan laughed, slumping against his shoulder like a languid cat.

"Your Highness remembers that saying. People who miss me are everywhere—they'd stretch all the way to the northern frontier!"

He said it so shamelessly, as if it were really true.

The candlelight was dim and warm, their shadows, magnified several times over, cast onto the screen in front of them.

Yuan Rang's pitch-black eyes held a glint of madness, the dim light making his cold, stern profile look almost pathologically obsessed.

"Is that so?" he asked softly.

Chen Shuoan mumbled a noncommittal "Mm."

Yuan Rang reached out with a hand of well-defined fingers, covering Chen Shuoan's lips and gently stroking them, savoring the exquisite sensation against his palm.

He smiled nonchalantly and said, "Then I'll be first in line."

So no one else can take you away.