Cry of the Midnight Jackdaw

Chapter Eighty-eight,
New Years Eve

“Your Highness, your Highness, people from the palace have come.” He Xuan was tying the clasps of his under robe, Xiao Zuo was in the blankets rubbing on his leg, with one hand wrapped around his waist, his eyes were half-closed, and because he just woke up, his voice seemed lax and sticky, and the end tone subconsciously rose up, making it seem a bit childish, “Mm, so early?”

He Xuan grabbed his hand and stuffed it back into the blankets, then stroked his soft hair, “En, Shang An’jing’s imperial messenger has arrived, I will go look.”

“You go sleep some more, it is still early.” He Xuan finished putting on his trousers, then kissed his forehead, and fixed the corner of the blanket for him, Xiao Zuo foggily responded, sunk his body down, only leaving half a fluffy head.

Tao Jin waiting outside saw He Xuan draped with a fox fur coat pushing the door out, just as she opened her mouth, He Xuan’s forefinger was placed on his lips and made a shush, and walked for a bit to the side with his long boots, “Father’s people?”

Tao Jin copied him and pressed her voice down, and nodded, “Yes, just waiting at the outer reception.”

“En, Ig understand.”

The one waiting in the outer reception was an unfamiliar messenger, he was originally sitting down with tea slowly drinking it, but when he heard He Xuan’s footsteps, he hurriedly placed the tea in his hands back onto the table, and bowed towards He Xuan in courtesy, “Greetings to your Highness.”

“No need for much courtesy.” He Xuan lightly helped him up, the messenger brought a letter written by He Heng, and said some courtesy words over and over again, he came here this time to pass on a reward, bringing New Years Eve gifts in He Heng’s stead. Yet right now, he was leisurely chatting with He Xuan for a bit, When He Xuan saw this person was still hanging around without intent of leaving, his patience was all worn, and truthfully couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to him anymore, and interrupted him with wrinkled brows, “Ig still have some important matters in a moment, if the items granted by the emperor the messenger brought……”

“Oh oh, delaying your Highness’ important matters is an offence.” That messenger patted his head, and highly lifted up the tray on the table above his head. He Xuan removed the red fabric covering the top, it was a deep purple satin round pouch for the waist, with the surface embroidered with a word of luck.

Once that messenger again verbosely said a few auspicious words, and got him sent away with some difficulty, He Xuan wearily pressed the bridge of his nose, pulled open the strings of the pouch, and dropped out a five silver into his palm.

He Xuan expressionlessly stuffed the silver back into it, randomly put it into his sleeve, and pushed open the door and wound over to the corridor.

Inside, Xiao Zuo was still sleeping, the charcoal made his cheeks all rosy, and his lips seem like a drop of red ink. He Xuan put his hands into the blankets to warm it up, then pinched his nose, and mischievously laughed, “Hurry and get up, breakfast will get cold.”

Xiao Zuo pulled the blanket up to cover his head, and used his action to reject the enticement of breakfast. He Xuan raised his eyebrows, immediately used drastic measures, and carried the person along with the blanket into his arms, and repeated without any room for refusal, “Hurry and get up.”

“I know I know……” Xiao Zuo pouted his lips, and slowly sat up to put his clothes on, mumbling, “Torturing [me] that late last night, then not even letting me sleep a while more today, ungrateful……”

The ungrateful He Xuan was grabbing the outer robe he hung on the rack on the crook of his arm, seeing Xiao Zuo put on his inner robe, he went over and shook [the outer one robe] open, “Yes yes yes, it’s all my fault, then I shall help Li Nu change clothes as atonement.”

Xiao Zuo immediately perked his nose up, and extremely naturally extended his arms and waited for He Xuan to dress him, “We’ve eaten plain porridge and vegetables for a long time now, is there finally something good to eat today?”

“Yes, whatever Li Nu says will be there.”

He Xuan hung his eyes down and helped Xiao Zuo tie the clasps, with such a close distance, Xiao Zuo was able to see his cicada-wing-like eyelashes lightly shaking and slightly raised corners on the lips. A lock of loose hang hung on the side of his face, Xiao Zuo subconsciously reached out wanting to place it behind his ears, He Xuan raised his eyes like he perceived it, Xiao Zuo then met right into the deep pool in his eyes, at this time, the pool water turned into azure waves, billowing with circle after circle of deep and shallow ripples.

Xiao Zuo seemed like he got scorched by fire, and suddenly moved his gaze away.

After having breakfast, He Xuan went out to take care of public affairs. Xiao Zuo spread open the names of the temples he wrote that day, and lifted up a brush and circled and drew around on the surface. These days, he ran all over the big and small temples close by Qing Ling, especially within Feng Province’s jurisdiction, and finally found news of Big Sister. He secretly searched a few times, and knew Sister was in Feng Province’s Jing Xing Temple right now, and was safe and sound. A few days ago, he sent someone to get in contact with Xiao You Ci, and even brought back a jade hairpin Xiao You Ci carried personally.

Xiao Zuo took out the jade hairpin from his chest, and stroked the cottonrose engraved on the surface, and revealed a faint smile.

“Your Highness, my Lord is still resting inside.” He Xuan glanced in through the gap of the door, and waved his hand at Tao Jin, “Then you can leave.”

Tao Jin bowed and was about to leave, then suddenly heard He Xuan open up to call her, she paused, then He Xuan took out a few silvers from his sleeve, and the corners of his mouth faintly raised up, “You’ve worked hard these days taking care of him.”

Tao Jin’s face turned happy, she pursed her lips, and pressed down the smile in the corner of her mouth, then reached out to take it, “Thank you, your Highness, thank you your Highness.” As she said this, He Xuan then pushed the door in, Tao Jin standing outside saw a flash of a corner of dark red clothes, she forcefully held in her thumping heartbeat, rubbed her reddened cheeks, and secretly scolded, his Highness’s heart is completely on that Lord Xiao, don’t be so foolish. After finishing, she took in a deep breath, and lightly wound across the corridor and left.

The inside of the room was burning with a faint fragrance, mixed with the scents of wild ginger, wormwood, and bay leaf, like the spring mountain soaked in morning dew after a big rainstorm. Xiao Zuo was still sleeping, having some kind of dream, the long and curled lashes lightly shook, his mouth slightly open, opening and closing along with his breathing. He Xuan walked to the bedside, then bent down and quietly looked at him, afterwards, he reached out and moved the loose hairs covering his forehead, and his fingers played with his fair cheeks from time to time.

Xiao Zuo did not sleep that deeply either, so when stirred and bothered by He Xuan with ulterior motives, he humphed two times, then knitted his eyebrows and opened his eyes.

Because it was going to be the new year, He Xuan seldom wore a purple outer robe, Xiao Zuo narrowed his eyes and looked at it, then commented, “Your Highness should wear some more purple next time, it looks good.”

He Xuan lowered his head and pulled on the sleeves, and teased him on purpose, “What? Do I not look good when I wear others?”

“It all looks good, your Highness looks good in anything you wear.” Xiao Zuo did not think he was this immature, he reached out to prop his body and sat up, waking from his nap while randomly going through the motions.

“Li Nu also……”

“What?” Xiao Zuo did not hear clearly, but He Xuan did not continue on either. He brought Xiao Zuo’s outer robe over, and urged him, “The skies outside are already dark, the kitchen has already prepared dinner, since today is New Years Eve, let’s start early.”

Xiao Zuo did not think he slept an entire afternoon, he slightly blushed, and quickened his hands, “I got it, what is there to eat?”

He Xuan saw him hurriedly tie his clasps, and very naturally reached out to help, and said, “All the things you like to eat, they especially made quite a few steamed dishes, be careful to not eat too full.”

Xiao Zuo’s eyes brightened up, and casually agreed, “I won’t, I won’t.” He Xuan draped on a fur coat for him, stuffed a handstove into his hands, and suddenly found it hard to think this furry, soft Li Nu right now was the same as the Xiao Zuo a few days ago fluently speaking about discourse, and could not help but curl his lips.

“It’s raining.” Xiao Zuo pushed the door open, and saw the corridor drifting with slivers of rain, washing the leaves on the row of shrubs planted with a deep colour, sinking into the melting colours of the night.

He Xuan opened an umbrella, and held Xiao Zuo’s hand and kneaded it in his palm by the way, “The path is slippery on rainy days, be careful.”

“If it rains on New Years Eve, the next year shouldn’t have a drought, right.” Xiao Zuo lifted his head up, he reached out and caught a droplet of rain, and muttered.

“No, next year……” He Xuan raised his eyes, the pitch-black skies seemed like they were smeared from dipped ink, “Will definitely be a favourable[1] year.”

“En!” Xiao Zuo spread his hand out, and crossed fingers with He Xuan, “It definitely will be.”