Chapter 13
He had a flush on his face, his gaze flitting about, and a faint scent of alcohol enveloped him. Upon seeing this, Geng Yue immediately ordered someone to bring in hot water.
Not long after, a commotion sounded outside the tent. Geng Yan said, “That was quick,” as he got up to fetch it, but then he heard De Quan’s voice from outside:
Lifting the curtain, Ning Rushen poked his head out from inside, saw him, and seemed a bit confused, slowly saying, “Your servant… pays respects to Your Majesty.”
Li Wuting looked at him for a moment, then turned and said, “Come with me.”
Though unclear of the reason, Ning Rushen obediently followed.
Li Wuting glanced sideways, and the phrase that suddenly popped into his mind was precisely and headache-inducingly accurate:
Indeed, he was drunk enough to be at anyone’s mercy.
The group made their way around the camp to the riverside behind the tents.
It was a quiet, secluded spot, with the river flowing gently.
Ning Rushen stood with Li Wuting by the riverside, glistening with waves, after the latter had sent all attendants, including De Quan, away to a distance of ten steps. Only then did he turn to face him.
“Do you know why I summoned you here.”
Ning Rushen blurted out without thinking, “To watch the snow, the stars, the moon, and to talk everything from poetry and literature to life’s aspirations.”
“…”
Li Wuting’s forehead twitched, “Do you think I have that much leisure time?”
Ning Rushen pursed his lips, looking at him.
What else, to leave him here as a corpse?
After his initial annoyance, Li Wuting’s expression calmed down again, examining the face in front of him that seemed purely straightforward, “After Ning Qing hit his head, his actions and speech have been vastly different from before.”
Ning Rushen continued to zone out, “Your servant… doesn’t remember the past.”
“Don’t remember the past, but still remember meat buns?”
“Some things are carved into the soul.”
“…” Li Wuting moved his lips, “No need for that.”
Ning Rushen had already had a long day of travel, was startled by a horse, and had some drink. Now, the alcohol mixed with fatigue was rising, gradually filtering out Li Wuting’s voice.
He only vaguely heard a few “Do you still remember?” and “You don’t know either?”… To all of which he shook his head.
In the end, as he was fighting off sleep, he couldn’t hold back, “Your Majesty.”
Li Wuting stopped his questioning.
Ning Rushen, with a pair of red eyes, said pitifully, “Your servant is tired…”
Such words sounded extremely disrespectful.
What servant speaks to the Emperor in such a manner?
But Li Wuting seemed not to mind. He stared at Ning Rushen for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out to pull him closer—
Under the moonlight, the emotions in Ning Rushen’s eyes were completely exposed to Li Wuting, even the tremble of his lashes was clearly visible.
Li Wuting stared unblinkingly, asking in a low voice, “One last question for you. The twelve imperial guards in front of the Golden Hall… does Ning Qing also not remember?”
If this person had also been reborn like him.
Then hearing about the heart-piercing event in the fifteenth year of Cheng Hua, he couldn’t possibly have no reaction at all.
Ning Rushen, exhausted to death, said, “Regardless of the twelve or eighteen prohibitions, your servant hasn’t seen them… your servant wants to sleep now…”
Li Wuting said nothing.
In a final, desperate attempt, he asked, “Who is Shiyi?”
Ning Rushen replied, “The thief you sent.”
…It seemed that all the responses were honest.
Li Wuting pondered for a few seconds, then released him, “It was my overthinking. You may leave.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Ning Rushen, lacking the energy even to perform a courtesy, drooped his eyelashes and stepped forward to leave. He had just taken a step when he suddenly tripped over an uneven clump of earth, his body lurching forward.
His hand grabbed at the air, catching hold of an arm.
Through the layer of fabric, he could feel the firm, heated muscles beneath his palm.
The heat caused his drunkenness to surge, his cheeks instantly flushing red, and the red mole on his earlobe spread like cinnabar.
Ning Rushen, clinging to Li Wuting’s arm, looked up.
Their eyes met.
The hand on his arm seemed to move slightly.
Ning Rushen watched as Li Wuting’s thin lips parted as if to say something. A sudden sharp scold from not far away exploded:
“Who’s there!”
A line of cold light cut through the night, Yin Zhao held a knife aimed towards the back of the tent.
Ning Rushen immediately felt a third of his drowsiness dissipate!
He turned his head along with Li Wuting.
They saw Li Jingyu “plop” out from behind the tent, also tripping over Li Yingtang who was peering out.
Both exclaimed, “Ouch!”
Li Wuting, “……”
In a daze, Ning Rushen looked towards Yin Zhao: When it comes to embarrassing the royal family, you’re a professional.
·
In the end, it was unclear how the situation was resolved.
The next day, Ning Rushen woke up when it was already three poles into the day.[^1]
His head ached faintly, vaguely remembering that last night Li Wuting had called him out to reminisce about the past, and they also talked about something called “Twelve prohibitions.”
[^1]: “Three poles into the day” is an idiom meaning late morning, around 9 to 10 AM, indicating the sun is high in the sky.
What is the “Twelve Prohibitions”? And it seems Li Wuting also drank too much…
Ning Rushen, dizzy and disoriented from waking, finished washing up and changing his clothes. When he stepped out of the tent, the sky was just brightening, and most of the officials had gone to the hunt.
He slowly walked towards the outskirts of the hunting grounds and saw Li Jingyu there as well.
Li Jingyu was surrounded by a group of palace attendants and guards. Upon seeing Ning, Li Jingyu waved his hand, “Lord Ning, come with me!”
Ning Rushen initially didn’t want to go, but the sight of the lush, dense forest sparked his interest, “Yes, Your Highness.”
The guards brought two horses, one larger than the other.
Seeing Ning Rushen’s larger horse, Li Jingyu didn’t want to ride the smaller one and insisted on riding together by pulling on someone’s clothes.
Ning Rushen, “Your Highness, I am not skilled in riding.”
Li Jingyu, “Let the guards lead the horses for us.”
Ning Rushen thought for a moment, “Alright.”
Both of them mounted the horse, led by the guards towards the hunting ground. As they approached, they encountered Yin Zhao sharpening his knife at the entrance.
Ning Rushen greeted, “Commander Yin isn’t accompanying His Majesty?”
Yin Zhao’s cold face reflected the bright knife light, “His Majesty asked me to stay here, saying guarding the entrance is the most important task.”
“…” Ning Rushen felt a wave of mixed emotions.
You were sent away too, huh?
He kindly advised, “Commander Yin, guard the entrance well,” and then proceeded with Li Jingyu into the forest: “You, Imperial Guards, better keep your mouths shut.”
After bidding farewell to Yin Zhao, they entered the forest.
Ning Rushen, reminded of last night’s drama by seeing Yin Zhao, asked Li Jingyu in front of him, “Your Highness, how did you and Prince Xuan end up coming here last night?”
Li Jingyu said, “Oh, my second brother wanted to see how the elder brother manipulates you.”
Ning Rushen: ……
Do you hear yourself?
Li Jingyu, “Elder brother hasn’t taken a wife yet.”
“?” Though he didn’t see the connection between the two statements, Ning Rushen was still intrigued, “Why?”
“Before…” Li Jingyu whispered in his arms, “Elder brother was in a tough situation, had to protect me, second brother, and the Empress Dowager. He also had to be wary of those around him and never took a wife.”
Ning Rushen listened intently, “Oh.”
Li Jingyu sneakily observed his expression and said, “Elder brother is very chaste.”
Ning Rushen nodded in agreement, “His Majesty indeed is a gentleman of self-restraint.”
But he couldn’t help thinking:
With such self-restraint, wouldn’t it be frustrating?
Abstinent till now, can future consorts handle it?
Oh, no wonder he brought up the “Twelve Prohibitions” last night. It must have been the truth revealed by alcohol…
While he was concerned for others, the head in his lap suddenly popped up.
Li Jingyu looked into his eyes, “Lord Ning, what are you thinking about? It seems from your eyes that I am peering into a world I should not enter.”
“…” Ning Rushen pushed his head back, “Then, Your Highness, stop right there.”
The periphery of the mountain forest was filled with docile wild birds.
As they ventured deeper, what they saw were mostly rabbits, pheasants, and sparrows.
The group gradually relaxed.
Ning Rushen was holding Li Jingyu to allow someone to shoot a pheasant with a crossbow when suddenly, a rustling sound came from the treetops above. Looking up, he saw a snake falling down—
Ning Rushen exclaimed, “Damn!”
Immediately, guards around them swung their swords, striking the snake down in a flash.
Just as the crisis was averted and Ning Rushen was about to ease his guard, he heard another guard shout, “Watch out!” Turning his head, he saw a vibrant green snake slithering rapidly through the grass behind them, heading straight towards them—
Ning Rushen tensed up and instinctively hugged Li Jingyu closer.
The guards readied their bows.
However, an arrow flew faster than any of them could react.
Ning Rushen felt a loosening near his hair, followed by the sound of the arrow piercing flesh and then the ground: a dull thud. At the same time, his hair scattered behind him.
Surprised voices arose around, “…Your Majesty!?”
Ning Rushen lifted his head.
Ten steps away, Li Wuting was mounted on a tall horse, his expression stern and forbidding, with one hand on his bow, glaring coldly.
Behind him, in the grass, an arrow had precisely struck a green snake, its tail feather trembling slightly, having pierced through a ruby-red hairband.
Their gazes met in mid-air.
Li Wuting saw Ning Rushen clutching Li Jingyu tightly to his chest, his frail shoulders visibly trembling with fear, yet he did not let go.
He pursed his lips.
From atop the horse, Li Jingyu nudged, “Lord Ning, you’re holding me too tightly.”
Ning Rushen apologized, loosening his grip, “Sorry, I was too scared.”
Li Jingyu responded, “Then hold me again to calm down.”
Li Wuting was speechless…
The surrounding guards knelt down in unison, “We failed to protect you, Your Majesty, please punish us!”
“Brother!” Li Jingyu hurriedly dismounted and ran to plead.
“Enough,” Li Wuting raised his hand, “You all…”
He had just started speaking when another set of hooves came galloping from the forest behind. Prince Xuan, Li Yingtang, came charging with a deer, “What has His Majesty hunted! Look at what I have caught—”
He stopped abruptly.
Li Yingtang glanced at Li Wuting’s bow, then at Ning Rushen with his hair down, and finally at the hairband pierced by the arrow, “So it turns out Lord Ning was the catch…”
He slowly backed away, “I’ve made a fool of myself.”
Li Wuting retorted, “…Get back here!”
Fifteen minutes later.
Several people rode their horses back together.
Li Jingyu sat on Li Yingtang’s horse, and Ning Rushen looked at the two brothers with mixed feelings:
Since he woke up today, he started saying outrageous things.
Look how he annoyed Li Wuting.
The two brothers, annoyed by Li Wuting, dared not walk by others, forcing Ning Rushen to walk between them.
Li Yingtang spoke in a compensatory manner, “It was my impudence… Mr. Ning, you have done a great service in protecting Jingyu. You shall be richly rewarded!”
After saying that, he took a piece of jade from his person, “This is my gift to you.”
Li Jingyu also took out a pearl from his person, “This is my gift to you.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Ning Rushen accepted the gifts.
Both of them then turned their gaze towards Li Wuting.
Li Wuting, “……”
Ning Rushen hurriedly waved his hands, “There’s no need, this is all part of my duty.”
As he said this, his gaze began to drift over Li Wuting’s body, as if searching for a desired thank-you gift.
Li Wuting’s vein twitched, “…… Ning Chen!”
