019—This Sudden Embrace

The faint, bitter smell of medicine emanated from the robes. Xuan Cheng felt the tears that he had been suppressing spill out.

As he silently wept, he forgot how to push away the person in front of him. Suddenly, he seemed to grow very weary. Even standing became a struggle. His knees buckled, and he found himself leaning heavily on the person in front of him.

This embrace, was so warm.

This person, was too soft hearted.

The other person sighed. “You don’t know about other people’s suffering. You blame Ah Fa’s death on Mother. However, by treating her so coldly, you have brought Mother a great deal of grief. Younger Brother, I know that you aren’t someone without feeling. That’s why, you must forgive her. You must visit her in the Inner Palace, just like those years.” He paused. “Like those years, when we were all together.”

His voice cracked, and then returned to normal.

Xuan Cheng finally gained the courage to look up. He was met with Fu Jian looking at him, an unfathomable expression inside his eyes.

Xuan Cheng’s heart sank.

Fu Jian leaned closer. Xuan Cheng felt his heart beating quickly in his chest.

He wanted…

He slowly inhaled, and then felt his body erupt into tremors.

He closed his eyes. His long eyelashes fluttered closed.

Fu Jian suddenly spoke. “Forget it. Why don’t you return.”

Ha?

Xuan Cheng opened his eyes. “What did you say?”

Xuan Cheng’s eyes suddenly sprung open. “What did you say?”

Fu Jian released his shoulders. He gave a flat smile, then turned to leave.

“Fu Jian.”

The person froze, but didn’t look back.”

Xuan Cheng didn’t know what he wanted to say. All that came out were the two words of the other person’s name. Afterwards, his throat seemed to close in on itself.

He leaned against a pillar, stretching out his neck to face the sky. He watched the other person walk away, an absentminded cloud obscuring his thoughts.

He returned to his residence by himself. Although he had long forgotten the memories of long ago, returning to the residence seemed to bring a faint reminiscence of those so-called years.

He instructed the servants not to disturb him, then laid in the bed in his room. It was hard to sleep. The bed seemed to be incredibly soft. He felt as if he could lie here forever and not leave.

Outside, the light changed from daylight to evening. People talked in hushed voices outside.

Apparently, Fu Jian had visited.

He could hear a faint voice call out, “Younger Brother, Younger Brother.”

Afterwards, another voice said, “Your Majesty, the Yanping Duke said that he doesn’t feel well. These days, he’s been too tired to visit. He instructed us to send you away if you arrived.”

The people in his residence spoke to Fu Jian so audaciously, without any respect.

Fu Jian’s gentle voice replied: “Oh, so it’s like this. Then, I suppose I’ll return.”

Xuan Cheng sighed to himself. “Fu Jian, ah, Fu Jian, why did you personally come to find me? You are the Emperor. To send yourself out like a commoner, there’s really no need.”

What Xuan Cheng didn’t know was that Fu Jian had come to find him more than once.

Fu Jian wanted to accompany him to tour the Jianzhang Palace or go hunting on horseback in the Shanglin forest. With Wang Meng out of town, his only thoughts were of that younger brother of his.

But Xuan Cheng did not know.

As a result, he spent his time staring blankly at the ceiling, unwilling to rise.

“Yanping Duke, His Majesty visited today again. He said that the Prime Minister will return in the next few days, and to be prepared to visit the palace soon,” a servant informed him.

“Wang Meng has returned this quickly? Did they really finish the negotiation at Luoyang that quickly?” Suddenly, Xuan Cheng sat up. Without even wearing any shoes, he absentmindedly stepped outside.

The servants wore shocked expressions when they saw him.

“Yanping Duke, you…”

Xuan Cheng stared blankly, then looked down. He was barefoot, his hair tangled, his robes wrinkled, his appearance a complete mess.

No wonder the servants were terrified.

Xuan Cheng put up an act of straightening himself out. “Don’t worry. I’ve just slept too much. Right, slept too much. Let’s go.”

He walked a few steps before he suddenly seemed to realize something. Looking back, he stiffly said, “Send for some people to help me look presentable.”

Fu Jian had visited the Yanping Duke’s residence over ten times, and had been rebuffed every time. He hadn’t expected that Wang Meng’s return would galvanize his younger brother into coming to the palace.

Xuan Cheng seemed to be extremely focused on the matter at Luoyang.