Cry of the Midnight Jackdaw

Chapter Fifty,
A Bitter Summer[1]

Liu Fang Rui sighed, she deeply knew this big brother of hers was typically of an one-tracked mind, and no longer forced him. She let go and sat back onto her seat, and nodded her head, “It’s Yang’er.”

She paused, like she did not how she should start, and only chose some important parts and simply explained, “Because there was a great drought in Tong Province previously, the harvest right now isn’t very good. Originally, we would need to immediately report it to the Ministry of Revenue, but this time, it’s the first time Yang’er is hosting the ancestral rite, his Majesty typically regards this matter with utmost importance, should his Majesty know, he would definitely be unsatisfied with Yang’er.”

Liu Guang Yi knitted his eyebrows, he was typically mature and prudent, and did things with great attention, so everyone would call him just and stern. An area’s drought relief aid and warehouse opening for handouts, all must be first reported to the Ministry of Revenue, he saw that Liu Fang Rui wanted him to hide the drought in Tong Province- according to his nature, if another person were to beg him, even if they gave him tens of thousands of gold, he would immediately reject it, but Liu Fang Rui was his only little sister, connected through blood, and grew up together with great emotion, how could he say that?

Liu Guang Yi went silent for a while, Liu Fang Rui secretly glanced at him, her facial features slightly wrinkled, and her eyes held in tears. She seemed to have made some resolution, and suddenly stood up and bowed in front of him, “Big Brother! Think of it as your little sister begging you! It’s the most critical time in taking position of the legal son right now, his Majesty handing the matters of the ancestral rite this time is a test for him, if there is a mistake for this first time, how will we fight with that wolf cub in the future?”

Liu Guang Yi’s gaze had clear signs of loosening up, Liu Fang Rui was secretly relief, and continued to add fire to it, “Big Brother, even if you don’t do it on my sake, you must think about our Liu family’s long-standing estate! If we let that wolf cub smoothly inherit the throne, the days of our Liu family won’t go on smoothly! Big Brother……”

“Fine.” Liu Guang Yi lifted up his little sister hanging her head down with falling tears in front of him. As a member of the Liu family, for the family’s honour, even if he were to sacrifice his life, he would not hesitate to do it, “I understand, don’t worry, there won’t be any problems.”

Liu Fang Rui immediately was very happy inside, but her face was unmoved, she only silently wiped the tears on the corners of her eyes, then weakly smiled, “Thank you, Big Brother!”

“My Lady…… this road is hard to journey, please take care of yourself more.”

Liu Fang Rui nodded her head, “I know, I understand it all.”

Liu Guang Yi looked at his little sister, wanting to say something, but in the end, did not say anything, and only patted Liu Fang Rui’s fair and slender, well-tended hand.

❀

Once He Xuan went to court, Xiao Zuo then slowly finished the porridge in the bowl. Last year when he just came up north, he was unaccustomed with the area, and always had stomachaches, and had a neither big or small stomach illness, thus, He Xuan would always have the kitchen make an appetite-healing pumpkin porridge for him in the morning, sweet and soft, and also the flavour Xiao Zuo liked.

Today’s pumpkin porridge was particularly sweet, after Xiao Zuo finished one bowl, he felt like his entire body was so sweet it was sickening, then mulled about going to Qing Shuang’s place to level it out. Coincidentally, just as he went out the door, he saw Fu Zhan Chuan cross his arms at the main doors stumbling around, with a very suspicious look.

“What are you doing here?”

Fu Zhan Chuan turned his head with a shocked face, once he saw it was Xiao Zuo, he then let out a long sigh of relief, then merrily said, “Eh, I’m just afraid of his Highness coming back to the residence, then shooing me away once he sees me.”

“He needs to have a meal in the palace today, and will be back after the noon.”

“That’s good, that’s good, then we’re going out to play today.” Fu Zhan Chuan’s eyes lit up, and smiled with pride, “Qing Shuang’s come across a good brush lately, he will definitely write a few words.”

Recalling those elegant and graceful little strokes filled in that book, Xiao Zuo also turned restless too, and wanted to watch Qing Shuang hold up a wolfbrush dipped full with pitch-black ink, making good strokes[2] on top-rate rice paper.

Seeing Xiao Zuo a bit in a daze, Fu Zhan Chuan pushed him, and urged him to hurry into the carriage, “Go go go, let’s go now.”

The carriage was narrow and cramped, in this stuffy hot summer day, one could pretty much see the two’s bodies steaming with the naked eye, there was also a part of the road from the crown prince residence to the southern mansion making renovations, practically making people jolt to death and back.

Once Xiao Zuo and Fu Zhan Chuan pushed the door to go in, the two already was filled with sweat on the head, the thin and cool sleeves on them already were soaked by the sweat, just like two grapes just brought up from the water.

As a clear comparison with the two’s states, Qing Shuang seemed like flesh made of ice and snow, still nobly sitting in front of the table steeping tea in this kind of scorching hot summer day, the wide and big sleeves rose and fell along with his actions, the fragrance of tea wound up and enshrouded his cold features, if the two of them were not here, this could practically be considered a celestial’s residence.

When Qing Shuang saw them come in, he only indifferently lifted his eyes up, without stopping his hands, and said, “Have a seat, the tea will be ready soon.”

At this time, hot air ran amok around Xiao Zuo’s limbs and bones, he urgently needed to bring up cold water from the well and pour it all over his body from the top of his head to then suppress the fire in his heart. When he saw the similarly hot tea in front of Qing Shuang, his face froze, and felt like in the next moment, he was going to succumb to evil and die to explosion.

“We just came from the outside, it is hot beyond belief, do you not have iced water?”

Xiao Zuo silently clapped his hands for Fu Zhan Chuan inside.

“Fine, I’ll have Bao Pu go get it.”

Fu Zhan Chuan immediately happily rolled his sleeves and sat across from Qing Shuang, and propped his head to watch him steep tea.

“Next month will be the ancestral rite.” Qing Shuang poured out the tea in a cup, he knelt on the rush cushion, with his posture like a standing straight green bamboo.

Xiao Zuo originally was on the side reading the book Qing Shuang gave him last time, when he heard this, his heart jumped, then calculated the time, the seedling the White Ears planted last time should have some effect now.

He put down the book, and seemingly inadvertently asked, “Have you heard of any droughts anywhere lately?”

Qing Shuang shook his head, “No. This spring’s rains have been well, Jin rarely has droughts.”

Xiao Zuo saw him deny it, and was a bit curious immediately, however, now that he thought about it, right now, the ancestral rite was at a crucial moment, even if there was a drought, Empress Liu would definitely not allow this news to spread out, it would be better to go back and have He Xuan privately check it.

“Aye, hurry up and bring out that wolfbrush of yours and write a few words, grant our eyes a look.” Fu Zhan Chan finished the water Bao Pu brought over in one gulp, then wiped his mouth with his sleeves, and hurriedly spoke.

Qing Shuang leisurely sat there drinking tea, and only indifferently glanced at him, “Second drawer in the cabinet on that side, you go get it for me.”

“Alrighty.” Fu Zhan Chuan responded then got up, and merrily brought the brush over to him, Qing Shuang leisurely placed the teacup down, then walked to the front of the table on the side.

That table was spread with a piece of rice paper pressed by a paperweight, Qing Shuang took the brush in Fu Zhan Chuan’s hands, then Fu Zhan Chuan extremely consciously ground the ink in front for him, Qing Shuang satisfactorily curved the corners of his eyes, then asked with his wrist raised, “Sir Xiao, what kind of line do you like?”

Xiao Zuo was originally on the side silently observing, seeing Qing Shuang suddenly ask him, he slightly froze, his mind emerged with that scene that day when they were all at Yan Xian boating, then answered, “Sceneries are unable to pay for the debts of poems and wine, yet the landscapes shoulder the sorrows from the past to present[3].”

Qing Shuang lightly nodded his head, “A good poem.”

His handwriting matched this line from the poem, majestic and stately, the strength seeped to the back of the paper, yet brought a viscous listlessness and unwillingness outside of the strokes, revealing the concerns beneath the heart of the person writing it.

Xiao Zuo’s gaze went dark, pressed down the sliver of unhappiness in the bottom of his heart, and smiled, “Good writing.”

“All good, all good.” Fu Zhan Chuan merrily turned his head to look from the side, about to continue speaking, then heard Bao Pu’s steps come close, Bao Pu politely bowed, then said, “Sir, Lord Liu has come.”

“Liu Wen Xun?” Fu Zhan Chuan lifted his eyebrows.

Qing Shuang unmoved, placed the brush down, “Let him come in then.”