Chapter 41.1
The afternoon wind caused ripples in the center of the lake, the lotus leaves swayed like waves, creating a layer of green ripples. The lotus flowers swayed gracefully among the green leaves, resembling a beautiful woman at the peak of her elegance.
Waterfowl circled in the sky, diving into the water, grabbing a fish from the pond and flying towards the sky, flapping their wings.
The school of fish panicked.
Zhao Heng turned around and saw that Li Wenjian was already lying down, hands under his head, looking up at the sky, perhaps to avoid crushing the lotus flowers she had piled up. One leg stretched out to the side, while the other leg bent to avoid her flower pile.
Watching him, Zhao Heng blinked slowly.
He had been too tense recently, needing this kind of relaxation.
A lotus leaf at the bow was about to hit his face, so she moved the flower towards the stern, gently crawled over the boat, and reached out to push the lotus leaf aside.
Suddenly, Li Wenjian raised his hand, gripping her wrist, and asked, "Are you tired?"
At his question, Zhao Heng yawned lightly and softly murmured, "Mmm."
"If you're tired, take a nap." Li Wenjian's voice carried a hint of fatigue as he shifted to the side, creating some space for her.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Heng eventually lay down leaning against him.
Feeling the warmth of the man beside her, Zhao Heng stiffened for a moment. Soon, she was surprised to find Li Wenjian had fallen asleep.
Feeling a bit dazed, she turned her head to look at him. With his eyes closed and steady breathing, he was fast asleep.
The brilliant sunset hung in the sky, no longer glaring from the midday sun, but still uncomfortably bright. Zhao Heng adjusted her position, placing a lotus leaf on Li Wenjian's face and one on her own.
Soon, she felt drowsiness creeping in, and after a few more yawns, she curled up next to him and fell asleep.
As dusk approached, the magnificent sunset had faded away, the indigo sky stretched low, and the star-studded sky above the lotus pond sparkled.
Li Wenjian was surprised at how long he had slept. Removing the lotus leaf covering his face, he gently shook Zhao Heng and whispered, "It's time to wake up."
Half-asleep, Zhao Heng mumbled a few nonsensical words, feeling the cool night dew. Unable to resist the cold, she snuggled closer to Li Wenjian. The warmth emanating from him was comforting, and she nuzzled her face against his chest.
With his body half-supported in midair, Li Wenjian hesitated to lie down or get up. He lowered his gaze, watching her sweetly asleep, feeling a warm current slowly flow through his heart.
After a moment, Zhao Heng suddenly came to his senses, almost in an instant. She immediately opened his eyes, sat up straight, and looked at Li Wenjian in shock, his face inexplicably blushing. "Your Highness, I fell asleep," she said.
Li Wenjian's lips curved into a smile, sitting up straight and said, "It's time to go back."
Zhao Heng nodded, bending down to the back of the boat to tidy up her lotus flowers.
Li Wenjian rowed the boat slowly, turning the bow of the boat.
Zhao Heng sat on the edge of the boat, feeling the gentle breeze on her face, feeling refreshed. She suddenly noticed a lotus seed hidden under a lotus leaf, and as they passed by, she quickly twisted the lotus seed off.
Once opened, the lotus seed was tender. She placed one in her mouth, enjoying the sweet taste that melted on her tongue. She glanced at Li Wenjian, who was focused on rowing, and saw him looking back at her faintly.
She watched him for a moment and asked, "Your Highness, do you want some lotus seeds?"
Li Wenjian looked down at her condescendingly and said, "Come here."
Zhao Heng peeled the remaining lotus seed, removed the green lotus heart, and carefully split it in half before walking over to Li Wenjian with a handful of lotus seeds.
"Your Highness," Zhao Heng approached, about to hand him the lotus seed, he opened his mouth, indicating for her to feed him.
Her heart pounded as she looked into his eyes for a moment, then looked away and fed him two lotus seeds, her fingertips brushing against his lips, sending a slight chill.
Li Wenjian ate slowly, and she fed herself two more lotus seeds. When he finished, she handed him another two, causing the boat to sway, almost causing him to kiss her fingertips.
Zhao Heng quickly withdrew her hand. "Alright, you have some more," Li Wenjian said, standing up at the bow of the boat.
Zhao Heng nodded, feeling the warmth of his lips still lingering on her fingertips as her ears turned slightly red before she returned to the stern of the boat.
Sitting at opposite ends of the boat, Li Wenjian looked at the starry sky above, occasionally glancing at her profile. Suddenly, he was filled with indescribable happiness, his hand unconsciously slowing down the rowing, hoping the journey could be a bit longer.
Fireflies occasionally flashed through the lotus leaves, their light dancing in the darkness.
After finishing the lotus seeds, Zhao Heng turned and reached out to grab a handful of light, opening her palm to reveal several fireflies. She remembered how her grandmother used to catch fireflies for her in a net, hanging them in the mosquito net, creating a beautiful glow.
If she made a firefly net for Xiao Ba, the little girl would surely be ecstatic.
Feeling her pockets, she realized she had forgotten her purse today. Looking up at Li Wenjian's waist in the starlight, she softly asked, "Your Highness, may I borrow your purse?"
Li Wenjian glanced at her and then tore off his waist purse, tossing it in front of her.
Zhao Heng bent down to pick up the purse, recognizing it as the old purse Li Wenjian had left in Changqiu Hall. It had been worn for quite some time, with the stitches frayed and the fabric faded in places.
"It's been ten years," Li Wenjian glanced at the purse and said softly, "It was made by Hui-niang back at the Duke's residence."
After entering the palace, everyone around him was like the rough men from their homeland, and they didn't pay attention to the details of his old purse. Besides, he had low requirements for everyday items - as long as they were usable, new or old didn't matter.
Zhao Heng pinched the purse in her hand, looking up at Li Wenjian with a smile on her lips and a faint dimple on her cheeks. "I'll make a new one for Your Highness. This one is just too old."
Li Wenjian simply responded with an "Oh" and turned his face back to continue rowing.
Zhao Heng emptied the contents of his purse, finding only a jade ring inside. She thought it would be too much trouble to hand the jade ring to him at the bow of the boat at the moment, so she tucked it into her own waist.
She gathered all the fireflies she had caught into the purse, filling it to the brim. She tied the opening, leaving only a small breathing hole, with the fireflies dancing inside, emitting golden light.
The boat reached the shore, and Li Wenjian moored it before helping Zhao Heng off the boat.
In the distance, the lights twinkled, and here it was so quiet that it felt like an isolated place. Zhao Heng held his hand, taking a big step to the waterside pavilion, where the wooden floor creaked under their feet.
Following Li Wenjian, she walked towards the East Palace. There were hardly any palace lights on this side of the road, just the starlight illuminating their path. She had gathered a bunch of lotus flowers, holding them in her arms, blocking her vision, so she walked slowly.
At the deserted poolside, Li Wenjian could only hear the sound of their footsteps. He turned back and saw her walking slowly, each step taken cautiously. He stood still, waiting for her to approach.
Zhao Heng reached him and looked up, puzzled. "Your Highness, why did you stop?"
"Give it to me," he turned and took the flowers from her. While they were quite a bunch in her arms, they seemed much smaller in his embrace.
Zhao Heng was slightly taken aback. She glanced at him and he continued walking without looking back. She lowered her gaze, ran her hand through her disheveled hair, and quickly caught up with his steps. After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped again, this time leaving a small piece of sleeve for her.
Without looking back, he said, "If you're afraid of the dark, hold onto this."
Zhao Heng hesitated but raised her hand and grabbed his sleeve. The soft and smooth cloud brocade felt extremely pleasant in her palm.
Back at Chengming Hall, Mu Gui was waiting outside for Li Wenjian. Seeing them return, he immediately reported, "Your Highness, Mr. Liang is here, waiting for you in the main hall."
Li Wenjian nodded, handing the lotus flowers in his arms to Zhao Heng and said, "You go back first."
Zhao Heng responded with a "yes" and continued towards the chamber hall.
Lin Mama and Lian Zhou were inside the chamber hall, setting up the beds. They were chatting and laughing, but upon hearing footsteps, they turned to see Zhao Heng. They stopped talking, and Lian Zhou couldn't help but smile.
Zhao Heng was puzzled, "Lian Zhou, why are you laughing?"
"Nothing," Lian Zhou denied, "Lin Mama was telling me jokes!"
Zhao Heng didn't press further, asking Lian Zhou to bring some gauze. Lian Zhou ran off cheerfully and returned shortly with gauze and colored threads.
Zhao Heng held the lamp in front of the desk and began sewing a gauze sachet by its light. Her stitches were fine and meticulous, and soon, a sachet was completed. She then sewed a pair of rabbit ears at the top of the sachet and stuffed them with soft cotton, making the ears irresistibly cute. Finally, she attached a pair of obsidian stones to the front of the sachet, making it look even more like a rabbit.
After finishing her work, she caught fireflies from the purse and put them into the sachet.
A glow-in-the-dark rabbit was created.
She handed the sachet to Lian Zhou and asked her to quickly deliver it to the Chengming Hall.
Lian Zhou rushed out of the Chengming Hall with the sachet in hand.
As she watched Lian Zhou's figure disappear outside the hall, Zhao Heng packed her things and headed to the study to write. She wrote for a long time. When Lian Zhou returned, she reported, "Master, the sachet has been delivered. Eighth Princess was so happy she jumped for joy."
Thinking of the Eighth Princess's joyful expression, Zhao Heng smiled softly as she held the pen.
"Master, you should rest now," Lian Zhou suggested.
Zhao Heng looked at the hourglass, realizing how late it was. She glanced at the empty desk nearby, realizing that His Highness would not be coming tonight. She got up and headed back to the sleeping hall, coincidentally meeting Fei Yu on the way, who informed her, "Zhaoxun, His Highness said he would be back late tonight and advised you to rest early, no need to wait for him."
Zhao Heng nodded and returned to the sleeping hall, where Lin Mama had prepared hot water for her bath. After bathing, she returned to bed. Perhaps from sleeping too long in the afternoon at Lin Anchi, she didn't feel very sleepy. She sat on the bed with a book in her hand for a while. Gradually feeling drowsy, she looked out at the dark window, wondering why His Highness had not returned yet.
*
Li Wenjian stood under the candlelight, a serious expression on his face. Liang Xingyan crossed his arms, his slender fingers resting on the brocade of his sleeve, and smiled. "The Second Prince has been amassing troops in the Northern Region for years. Despite Your Highness's repeated summons, he has defied the orders each time. This time, he bypassed the Hexi Corridor and colluded with the provincial governor of Xuzhou at the Can Yuan meeting. It's clear that he has rebellious intentions."
Li Wenjian sat back in his chair, picked up the tea cup from the table, felt the cool tea, and then lowered the cup back onto the saucer, creating a crisp sound.
"Your Highness, this matter needs to be addressed promptly. The Second Prince has been in the Northern Region for so long that the local people only know him and not the emperor. With the prestige he holds there, if we don't take preemptive action and let him ally with Xuzhou, it will be too late," Shen Jingshan emphasized, pointing at Xuzhou on the map.
Xuzhou was a crucial point connecting the north and south.
Li Wenjian took a sip of the tea, feeling a chill run through his body. Lazily adjusting his sleeve, he said nonchalantly, "Summon Mr. Liu and the others for a council in the palace tomorrow."
The Emperor, was in poor health. At this time, he didn't want to use any harsh methods against Ziren. Both of them, whether one emerged victorious or not, were his descendant.
Raised by Old Duke since childhood, the effort and love he poured into Ziren were no less than that given to Li Wenjian. They were both the Emperor's flesh and blood.
Sibling rivalry wounded them both deeply, regardless of the outcome. Li Wenjian despised being the cause of joy for one and pain for the other.
However, he didn't know when the young boy who had followed him closely from childhood, like a little tail, had developed a grudge against him. Now, that grudge had turned into a sharp sword aimed directly at his heart.
"Your Highness..." Liang Xingyan began to speak.
Li Wenjian set down the tea cup and stood up, asking him, "Xingyan, if your arm develops a festering wound, would you cut off the arm or treat the infection?"
"However, Your Highness!" Shen Jingshan thought to himself, there must be a difference between a person and an arm. But before he could finish speaking, Li Wenjian interjected, "I consider Ziren as my right hand, I trust that he would not conspire against me."
*