Cry of the Midnight Jackdaw

Chapter Fifty-seven,
Wang Tong

“I saw He Yang and Empress Liu go back already.” Xiao Zuo leaned on the window sill, and narrowed his eyes and carefully observed through the crowd.

He Xuan lifted his eyebrows with some astonishment, “Letting them go back this fast?” He slightly knitted his eyebrows, then leaned on the cushion toward the back, with his voice all low, “Just watch, the play has just started.”

Not long after journeying, He Heng and the group arrived at Wang Tong Hill. Wang Tong Hill was merely a small city before the west capital, but because its was in an advantageous location, travellers all around would often gather at this place, and develop the local trading port into a fertile land. Xiao Zuo mingled by He Xuan’s side, and saw lanterns and colourful strips all around the flourishing streets, even the trees were tied with good colourful strips, it appears that this Wang Tong Hill was quite prosperous, where the commoners lived plentifully.

Wang Tong Hill’s magistrate led them into a residence to stay in. That residence was located in the outskirts of the city, the surroundings were shrouded with a circle of leafy green big trees, where the continuous crowns of the trees formed to block out the skies, and the scorching sunlight screened through the thick and dense leaves, only seeping with mottles of fragments, falling onto the ground, allowing the people who had travelled a long ways to this northwest land find a rare sliver of shade.

However, this residence was only provided for the imperial family to use, the other officials coming along were all arranged in the inns inside the city- Xiao Zuo benefited from He Xuan’s association, and also got a small courtyard in this big residence, and very much rejoiced in sitting on a stone stool underneath the shade in the residence, and leaned on the tree trunk without moving.

“Your Highness, his Majesty has called for you.” He Xuan leaned against the corridor, and distantly watched Xiao Zuo, with a sliver of a smile leaking out. Li Fu Hai bent his waist and entered the residence, then spoke up. He Xuan nodded his head, with such a big mistake during the ancestral rite, He Heng will definitely discuss this with him, as he took one step to the door, he turned back to instruct Li Fu Hai, “In a moment, make some snacks for Xiao Zuo, he did not eat much in the carriage, he must be hungry by now.”

❀

When He Xuan entered through the door, He Heng was played with a lazuli cup. That lazuli cup was glistening, shining with a streaming light, and from the style, looked to be a tribute from the west region. Seeing him come in, He Heng placed that cup in the display cabinet in front, and opened his mouth, “Considering it now, you and Old Fourth are about four years apart.”

He Xuan indifferently made an en sound, He Heng did not pay mind to it, and continued on, “Iz still remember when you were young, you guys got along very well, and would often play with each other, and when Old Fourth’s words were not written well, it was you who taught him hand by hand.”

He Xuan did not want to reminisce the love and respect between brothers with him here, and spoke out to interrupt him, “Father has asked for this son, to speak about these things?”

He Heng turned around from that cabinet, then sighed, with his voice firm, “You have a grudge in your heart, I(z) know very well too. Lan’er was of an ill fate, and had gone too early, you were that young, yet lost……”

“Father.” He Xuan’s eyebrows wrinkled with an unshakable gloominess, he half-taunting and half-vengefully curled his lips, and his tone even carried a joy to it, “Thankfully Mother had went away early, otherwise, if she saw you being so deeply affectionate with Empress Liu now, I’m afraid she would be more upset.”

“Xuan’er.” He Heng’s voice was low, He Xuan stopped speaking, and stared at him, then turned his head around. He Heng sighed, then said, “Don’t blame Fang Rui, she……”

He Heng seemed to have recalled something, then did not speak any longer. He took a few steps forward, sat on a chair, then lightly coughed, “[I] forgot to speak of business, you must have seen the famine victims who stopped the caravan today, right?”

He Xuan hung his eyes down and nodded, He Heng proceeded to speak, “The ancestral rite is about to come, this matter must be solved immediately. Once you go back, find a person to settle them, the matter of concealing Tong Province’s drought, Iz will also leave to you, you must investigate this until everything comes out.”

After finishing, He Heng wearily kneaded his brow ridge and sighed, “Matters regarding people’s livelihoods cannot be underestimated, the four seas have yet to be united as of now, there cannot be a single mistake.”

He Xuan pursed his lips, he looked at the bruising beneath He Heng’s eyes, the words of concern took a spin at the side of his mouth, but in the end, he dryly spat them out, “This son will take care of this matter properly, please…… prioritize the dragon body, Father.”

“Iz understand.” He Heng gratefully nodded his head, “You are typically stable, Iz am at ease.”

❀

Xiao Zuo had a long nap underneath the big tree, and when he woke up, the sun had already sunk towards the west. The glistening gold crow fell on the mountains, and cast the clouds on the horizon into a flowing golden yellow, paving a road on the skies.

While Xiao Zuo’s brain was a bit muddled, Zi Wan brought in a food box, and softly said, “This is what his Highness ordered to leave for Duke, would the duke like to try?”

Xiao Zuo blankly watched Zi Wan bring out one plate of golden cake and one plate of deep-fried spring roll from the food box, all golden and crispy, and looked to be very enticing.

“Where is his Highness?”

“His Highness just came back, seeing the duke nap, he went out again.”

“Oh.” Xiao Zuo was a bit disappointed for no reason, he swallowed the two snacks in the food box, but did not savour anything out of them, and hazily went inside the room, “I’m going in to read some books, if his Highness comes back, let me know.”

“This servant understands.”

He Xuan went out to instruct a few things regarding Tong Province’s refugees, and when he came back, it was already past the time for dinner. He did not pay heed to eating outside either, so at this time, a loud grumbling came from his stomach, and once he went in the doors, he planned on finding someone to bring something to eat.

“Your Highness is back?” Once He Xuan opened the door, he saw Xiao Zuo flipping through an old book, he lifted his head up from the thick spine, with some excitement of [him] finally arriving, and smiled, “I was afraid you didn’t eat, so I had the kitchen warm up some soup for you, I’ll have Zi Wan bring it in.”

The bean-like flame swayed with red, and fell into Xiao Zuo’s eyes one after another, bubbling with bright-red ripples. He Xuan lightly laughed, and slightly bent down to look at Xiao Zuo’s book, with such a close distance, he could smell the barely present wild ginger fragrance on Xiao Zuo’s body.

He Xuan’s fingers stroked over the page, yet did not understand a single word off of it, “We will arrive at the west capital tomorrow, I will have to prepare for the ancestral rite, you can take a walk around the west capital.”

“Are there any good places to go in the west capital?”

“There is a grassland close by the north of the west capital, there is a good race ground, the horses raised there are of excellent quality too. In the past, each time I go back to the west capital, I would have to go……” Up to here, He Xuan’s gaze slightly dimmed down, he paused, then continued, “I would go there to ride horses, especially during the spring, it is a good season to ride horses.”

Steeds chasing after the wind and stepping onto fallen petals, with a meaning of youth.

Xiao Zuo’s right hand propped on the chin, and very naturally imagined a younger He Xuan in full attire, on a silver saddle upon a white horse stepping through the spring winds, drawing the bow and putting on an arrow occasionally, with the curved bow round like the moon, travelling like a falling star.

As that arrow whistled through the air, his imagination came to a stop, Xiao Zuo helplessly turned his head, as though guiltily admitting, “But…… I don’t know how to ride horses.”

“You……” He Xuan was sipping on the soup Zi Wan brought in, and when he heard this, a mouthful of soup got stuck in his throat, and only came to after coughing for a long time, then looked at Xiao Zuo in slight disbelief, “How do you not know how to ride horses?”

“Our south has a lot of paddies and mountains, it would not be convenient to ride horses, many people don’t know how to ride horses either, it’s not just me.” Xiao Zuo unwillingly added another line, “You don’t know how to swim either.”

He was correct, He Xuan was choked by these words of his, he clutched the spoon and absentmindedly stirred the soup, then suddenly lifted his head up and said, “It’s no issue if you don’t, I can teach you.”

“Really?” Which young boy had never imagined himself successfully riding a horse with high spirits, or riding against a slanting bridge, with buildings full of women beckoning out to them, Xiao Zuo was no exception either.

When He Xuan heard this, he slightly lifted up his eyebrows, and teasingly looked at him, “When have I ever lied to you?”

Xiao Zuo’s eyes were all emitting light, at this time, he moved beside He Xuan like he was trying to fawn over him, and narrowed his eyes and smiled, “Then it’s a promise!”

“En, promise.”