Cry of the Midnight Jackdaw

Warning: This chapter may contain content unsuitable for younger audiences. Viewer’s discretion advised.

Chapter Thirty-four,
Trance

He Xuan went into a daze from listening, or seemed like he was drunk, and once Xu Yu Hang leisurely came back to this side after toasting in a whole circle, He Xuan felt like he was even more drunk than Xu Yu Hang.

“Is your Highness going back now?” Xu Yu Hang staggered over, and slurred his question, He Xuan helped him up, “If not, when the new groom consummates the marriage, should Ig still stay around?”

“Then take care, your Highness, I will not be sending you off.”

He Xuan nodded his head, he signalled a servant boy on the side to help Xu Yu Hang up, spoke for a while with Xu Yu Hang’s father, then bid his farewell.

Silver-threaded charcoal burned inside the bedchambers warmly, He Xuan shook off the cold air, then breathed into his hands and brought up the pot on the table, and poured a cup of tea to drink.

But after He Xuan finished it in one gulp, he then realized after the fact that the pot contained wine that someone gifted a few days ago, he abruptly down a cup, and added with the brewing drunkenness from before, he actually felt a bit dizzy.

“Your Highness, do you need someone to serve you?” Li Fu Hai opened the door to ask. He Xuan glanced at him, he suddenly recalled that delicate and tactful little actor on the stage, then opened his mouth, “Have Song Ying come over.”

“Yes.” Li Fu Hai nodded his head, then bent his waist and withdrew.

❀

“Is his Highness at the residence?” Xiao Zuo was wrapped in a big cloak, with two hands shrunk in the sleeves, and once he saw a servant boy come open the door, he peeked in and asked.

“The duke has come at the right time, his Highness just returned.” The servant boy guarding the door bent his waist in respect, and led him inside. Today, Xiao Zuo heard that He Yang instructed the local executive, and encouraged the farmers at his territory to grow White Ears, each plant can lower taxes, and would all be purchased by the local Crop Ministry. Probably not too long after, most of the farmers in He Yang’s territory would uproot their own grains and rice, and grow White Ears.

He wanted to discuss this matter with He Xuan, and so happened to have not much during the night, sat idly in the residence, then stiffly ran to the crown prince residence.

“His Highness is in his bedchambers, is the duke going inside?” Ling Xiang was holding some sobering soup from the kitchen, on the way back, she encountered a Xiao Zuo bundled in a whole ball. She paused, then heard Xiao Zuo say, “Yes.”

“Perfect, this servant just got sobering soup from the kitchen, please bring this to his Highness, Duke, this servant still needs to go prepare midnight snacks.”

“Alright.” Xiao Zuo did not think much, and nodded his head quickly, then received it, and crossed through the corridor to the bedchambers.

He Xuan found the inside of the room too hot, and long already removed his outer robe, and leaned on the head of the bed with a single robe. Right now, the alcohol surged up to the point it made his brain all muddled, so he nonchalantly used his fingertips to stroke the patterns on the blanket. He then heard someone knocking on the door, he slightly impatiently called out, “Come in.”

The knocking paused, then he saw a figure push the door open, they were even wearing a cold-warding big cloak. He Xuan narrowed his eyes to look, then felt like his eyes went white, and the overlapping of lights turned him dizzy.

“Your Highness.” That person seemed to be holding a porcelain bowl. At this time, they placed the bowl on the table, and used a soft voice to speak, “What’s wrong, your Highness?”

Each time he was drunk, the kitchen would prepare a bowl of sobering soup, and normally used that porcelain bowl to hold it. He Xuan froze, this Song Ying was quite smart, he even knew to prepare a bowl of sobering soup for him.

“Remove your clothes.” He Xuan massaged his brows. Seeing that person pause for a moment, the bit of gentleness he gathered dispersed into thin air by this cluelessness of his. He normally looked quite smart, why is he still wearing a cloak when he is coming here to serve him.

“This room is so hot, what are you wearing that much for.”

That person seemed to be convinced by him, they paused, then followed his idea and removed that big cloak. Underneath was a sky-blue silk robe, while the waist was tied with a jade belt, making the waist appear more slender. He Xuan glanced at it, constantly felt it was a bit odd, but at this time, his brain was all a mess, and did not perceive what about it was wrong for the time being, so he did not think about it anymore, then beckoned with his hand, “Come here.”

That person also brought that sobering soup over, and said, “Is your Highness drunk? Have some sobering soup.”

“Aye.” He Xuan shook his head. He placed that sobering soup to the side, then hooked over that person’s neck, and buried his head into the indent of his neck to take a deep whiff, and smelled not the fragrance Song Ying normally used, it was something much more elegant. He Xuan felt that person’s body freeze, he then carefully curled his lips and lightly laughed, then moved close and held his ears in his mouth and sucked on it a bit, then lowered his voice, “What? Still embarrassed?”

He Xuan pulled his waist over, and used strength to stroke his back, and just as he was going to lift his head up to tease him, he suddenly saw that person pull his hand out and give him a push, all disjointed, carrying a slight nervousness and shocked tone, “Your Highness…… please reconsider.”