Chapter 9 – My peach blossom was thrown away.
Rong Tang didn’t pay much attention to the peach blossom, only asking a nearby palace maid to take some water to keep the flower alive. To his surprise, the next day, a new peach blossom appeared outside his window.
The palace maid, Jin Ning, also found it odd. “Young Master, do you have any idea who sent these peach blossoms?”
Holding a book, Rong Tang didn’t even look up. “I don’t know.”
Jin Ning carefully changed the water for the wilted branch and suddenly said, “Could it be the Emperor?”
Since Rong Tang was forced into the palace, the Emperor had frequently sent gifts to the Drunken Scholar’s Studio—mostly gold, silver, and jade artifacts, antiques, and precious items, including some famous calligraphy and paintings, as well as rare books from the previous dynasty. Each gift was quite valuable. However, while the peach blossoms were lovely, they were worthless, unlike something the Emperor would typically send.
Rong Tang replied indifferently, “It’s not.”
“Then it might be one of the palace maids from another palace,” Jin Ning said with a smile, “Young Master, since you’re so handsome, there are often some curious young palace maids who come to the Drunken Scholar’s Studio to take a peek at you!”
Rong Tang didn’t say anything more. After nightfall, he stayed in the study, reading instead of returning to his room. The study faced his bedroom, and by opening the window, he could see any movement outside his bedroom.
At the lights-out time, when all the palace maids and eunuchs had gone to bed, a figure sneaked in through the side door of the Drunken Scholar’s Studio, holding something and heading straight for his bedroom.
Rong Tang: “…”
Zhao Qi, as an Emperor, found it quite challenging to sneak into his lover’s quarters like a thief, his heart racing at 180 beats per minute. Fortunately, everything went smoothly. He placed the peach blossoms in front of the window and had just turned around when a voice came from behind him: “Ahem—”
“!!!”
Startled, Zhao Qi jumped towards the wall like a rabbit, grabbing a “weapon” in his hand and turning swiftly to point the peach blossom branch at the intruder. “Who is it?!”
Rong Tang looked at the tips of the flower petals and frowned slightly. “It’s really you.”
Seeing who it was, Zhao Qi felt even more tense and did not relax. He maintained a stern face and tried to stay calm. “I was just passing by. I didn’t intend to visit you. Don’t think too much about it.”
Rong Tang asked, “Was the peach blossom from a couple of days ago also from you?”
Zhao Qi lowered the peach blossom branch. “…Yes.” Although the previous blossoms had been delivered by a eunuch, Zhao Qi himself had brought these after having supper at the Cian Palace with Empress Dowager Wen. On his way back to his own quarters, he had stopped by the Drunken Scholar’s Studio to personally deliver the flowers as a gesture of sincerity.
Rong Tang’s eyes grew somber. Was the Emperor really sneaking around to deliver a peach blossom so late at night? Or was there another motive?
“Why?”
Zhao Qi asked, “Huh?”
Rong Tang’s expression remained indifferent. “Why did you send me the peach blossoms?”
Zhao Qi scratched his head. “Just… hoping you get better soon, like these blooming peach blossoms, full of vitality.”
“Vitality…” Rong Tang’s eyes were cold and lifeless. His vitality had dissipated the day he entered the harem, leaving behind only a shell. Born into a scholarly family and having achieved high honors, he should have been serving on the court. Yet now, he was trapped behind the high red walls, reduced to serving the Emperor in name. His family was unable to hold their head high in the capital because of him, and his father and uncles were mocked by their peers. All of this was thanks to the person before him.
Zhao Qi looked at Rong Tang anxiously. The moonlight was beautiful but cold tonight, and Rong Tang was even colder.
“I appreciate your kindness, Your Majesty,” Rong Tang said. “You may leave now.”
Zhao Qi could see the despair in Rong Tang’s eyes and felt despair himself. This was all due to the original owner’s actions—what could he do?
“Well, do you still want the peach blossoms?” Zhao Qi asked.
Rong Tang did not answer, turning and walking into his room, closing the door and window in front of Zhao Qi.
Holding the discarded peach blossoms, Zhao Qi comforted himself: It’s fine if you don’t want them; I’ll keep them for making peach blossom wine.
Rong Tang caught a chill from the evening breeze and started developing a fever and cough the next day. Jin Ning prepared some medicine and brought it to him. “Young Master, should we call a physician to check on you?”
“No need.” Rong Tang coughed lightly. “Throw away the peach blossoms.”
Jin Ning thought she might have heard wrong. “Young Master?”
“Just throw away all the peach blossoms we’ve received these days.”
The day before setting off for Muliang Mountain, Zhao Qi decided to indulge in some meat. He asked Jiang Dehai to bring a full set of barbecue tools and had the Imperial Kitchen send over chicken, duck, fish, and meat. He skewered the items and roasted them over charcoal.
Jiang Dehai watched nervously from the side. “Your Majesty, let us do it. Be careful not to burn yourself.”
“Meat that isn’t grilled by yourself lacks soul,” Zhao Qi said, brushing oil on the chicken wings with a calligraphy brush. “This brush isn’t good for writing but works well for barbecue.”
Jiang Dehai forced a smile. “Your Majesty, these are tributes from Luozhou.”
“No wonder. I’ll make sure to give Luozhou’s governor a good review.”
As the delicious aroma of roasting meat filled the air, Zhao Qi hummed a tune while grilling. “Braised chicken wings, I like to eat them. The more I want to ascend, the more I should eat. If I don’t eat now, I won’t have another chance…”
A little eunuch came in to report, “Your Majesty, General He requests an audience.”
“Oh? Please, have him come in!”
He Changzhou, dressed in military uniform and still full of energy, entered the Yonghua Palace. Seeing Zhao Qi sitting by the charcoal fire with his sleeves rolled up, exposing his white and slender wrists, one hand holding skewers of chicken wings and the other holding a calligraphy brush, he smiled and said, “General He has arrived.”
He Changzhou laughed and replied, “Your Majesty, just call me by my name.”
Zhao Qi wasn’t being polite either, “Changzhou, do you like eating chicken wings?”
He Changzhou replied, “Yes, I do. When I was stationed in the northwest, I often caught wild chickens and roasted them.”
“Wild game isn’t as good as farmed ones. Aren’t they more delicious?” Zhao Qi handed the freshly roasted chicken wings to He Changzhou, “Here, try my cooking.”
He Changzhou took them, had a bite, and exclaimed, “Hot—”
Zhao Qi laughed, “Of course, it’s hot right after being roasted.”
He Changzhou held the chicken wing up to Zhao Qi, “Your Majesty, could you blow on it for me?”
Zhao Qi puffed out his cheeks and blew on the fragrant chicken wings a few times, “Try it again.”
He Changzhou ate the chicken wings one by one. After chewing for a while, he spat out the clean bones, with not a trace of meat left on them. Zhao Qi looked at him with an expression as if he had swallowed an egg whole.
He Changzhou laughed at Zhao Qi’s comical expression and stuffed a chicken wing into his mouth, “Your Majesty should have some too.”
Zhao Qi tried to mimic He Changzhou but after a lot of effort, his bones were left incomplete and the meat wasn’t cleaned off properly. He couldn’t help but sigh, “Your skills with your mouth are really impressive.”
After finishing the chicken wings, Zhao Qi and He Changzhou sat together roasting duck legs. Zhao Qi suddenly felt a bit of an itch in his nose, turned his head, and sneezed loudly. He pinched the tip of his nose and muttered, “Who’s cursing me…”
Jiang Dehai came over with a cloak and urged him to put it on, “Your Majesty, take care of your health. This cloak…”
“No need, no need,” Zhao Qi said, “Wearing the dragon robe is already very inconvenient. The sleeves are so wide and big. How can I roast duck with a cloak on?”
He Changzhou glanced at Zhao Qi’s exposed wrist, “Let me have a look.”
Zhao Qi felt a warmth as He Changzhou gently held his wrist, “It is a bit cold. Your Majesty should lower your sleeves.”
Due to his years spent outside, He Changzhou’s skin was not as fair as Zhao Qi’s, and their hands together showed a stark contrast. Zhao Qi envied, “Your skin is really nice.”
He Changzhou snorted, “Your Majesty is the one with the fair and tender skin.”
Zhao Qi shook his finger, “A grown man doesn’t need to be so fair and tender. It’s quite girly.”
He Changzhou’s hand moved up to Zhao Qi’s elbow, pulling his rolled-up sleeve down, “I’ll help Your Majesty roast the duck.”
Zhao Qi didn’t insist further and sat aside watching He Changzhou roast. Jiang Dehai dr4p3d the cloak over him and asked, “Your Majesty, are you still sending the peach blossoms from the Drunken Scholar’s Study today?”
Without thinking, Zhao Qi said, “If he doesn’t want them, why send them?”
Jiang Dehai hesitated, “Yes.”
Zhao Qi glanced at him, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
“Your Majesty, I heard from the palace maid at the Drunken Scholar’s Study that this morning, Young Master Rong threw away all the peach blossoms you sent him these past few days.”
Zhao Qi showed no reaction, “So he threw them away. It’s not like I can retrieve them.”
Jiang Dehai said, “Your Majesty, it’s not appropriate to casually dispose of imperial gifts. Even death could be considered an appropriate punishment.”
Zhao Qi blinked, “What’s the use of saying this? I can’t bring myself to kill him.”
Jiang Dehai sighed, “Yes.”
He Changzhou, overhearing, laughed, “This is probably what people in the palace refer to as ‘arrogant due to favor’?”
That night, at the Xiang residence.
Xiao Shiqing was drinking alone in the courtyard, under the moonlight. Hearing footsteps behind him, he said, “You’re here.”
The newcomer didn’t offer any formal greetings, simply sitting across from him and pouring himself a cup of wine, which he drank in one gulp. “The wine at the Xiang residence is indeed better than that in the palace.”
Xiao Shiqing chuckled, “General He, are you implying that I am overstepping my bounds?”
“Does the Prime Minister fear such words?”
Xiao Shiqing did not respond directly, “What about Zhao Qi?”
He Changzhou pondered for a moment and said, “The chicken wings he cooked were very tasty.”
Xiao Shiqing put down his wine cup and said slowly, “I didn’t ask you to indulge in food and drink in the palace.”
“I know, but that doesn’t conflict with it,” He Changzhou replied. “To be honest, I can’t imagine that Zhao Qi now is the same person as the debauched emperor he used to be.”
Xiao Shiqing nodded slightly, “I feel the same.”
“What could cause such a sudden change in a person’s nature?”
Xiao Shiqing smiled, “Could it really be about the dragon veins?”
He Changzhou asked curiously, “What dragon veins?”
Xiao Shiqing did not answer the question, “The old Zhao Qi was outrageous, but he was easy to handle. The current Zhao Qi, I truly cannot fathom what he is thinking.”
He Changzhou recalled the image of Zhao Qi brushing oil on chicken wings with a calligraphy brush and said, “In my opinion, the current Zhao Qi seems to be even more straightforward than before.”
“Not necessarily,” Xiao Shiqing mused for a moment. “Continue staying by his side. Report any discoveries immediately.”
He Changzhou nodded and yawned, “Got it.”
Xiao Shiqing glanced at him, “You seemed reluctant before, but this time you agreed quite readily.”
He Changzhou smiled, “Doesn’t the Prime Minister find the current Zhao Qi rather charming?”
Xiao Shiqing inexplicably recalled the scene of the young emperor, drunk and clinging to his arm, tearfully saying he didn’t want to die. He took a sip of his drink and said, “Not really.”
T/N: There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
If you like my translations, feel free to donate to my ko-fi!
I really, really appreciate all the support from my readers <3 It goes a long way and motivates me lots!
Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
Leave a Reply