After the Corrupt Official Was Coveted by the New Emperor - Chapter 20

The following day, Ji Rong was awakened at the hour of Mao.

Having lived a leisurely, slow paced life for so long, he found it difficult to adjust to such an early start. He sat up in a daze, his eyes only half open.

Even though he was not fully awake, he had not forgotten that he was still angry. He did not say a word to Qi Zhaoxuan, nor did he even spare him a glance.

Once inside the carriage, Ji Rong leaned his head against the far side and closed his eyes to feign sleep, maintaining a vast distance between the two of them.

It was early morning; the sky was just breaking into dawn, the blue green canopy tinged with fragments of golden light. A cool breeze drifted through the air, devoid of the summer’s usual sweltering heat.

Ji Rong hid his wrists within his sleeves, quietly rotating them several times.

After a whole night, his wrists were still slightly sore. At the thought of this, Ji Rong grew even angrier.

He was so furious his expression remained stoic, and he refused to speak. Even as he felt the person beside him slowly leaning in, he made no move to react.

Suddenly, his wrist was gently lifted and then set down. Ji Rong opened his eyes.

Qi Zhaoxuan had scooped some ointment from the porcelain jar used yesterday. He rubbed it between his palms, warming the cold cream before gently applying it to Ji Rong’s wrist.

The red marks were not as severe as the day before, yet they still looked strikingly prominent against his pale skin.

Watching this scene, Qi Zhaoxuan felt an inexplicable, restless heat rise within him.

However, Ji Rong quickly withdrew his wrist from his grasp, leaving only the cool breeze to pass through the Emperor’s empty palms.

“Father Chancellor, I was wrong.”

Ji Rong remained expressionless. “Oh? And when did I say I was angry?”

Qi Zhaoxuan was choked into silence. Just as he was about to speak again, Ji Rong had already closed his eyes.

The journey to Yongxing Temple was long. Ji Rong took the opportunity to sleep again on the carriage. When he woke up, the day was bright. Though the curtains blocked the harshest sunlight, a soft, warm glow still filtered through, falling perfectly on Ji Rong’s face. It was not too hot, not too cold, just comfortably warm.

The carriage had stopped. Outside, there were bustling noises, but they were not loud; instead, they added a touch of lively atmosphere.

The wind brought not only the scent of grass and earth but also the pervasive aroma of incense that lingered around temples year round.

Ji Rong sat up. Beside him, Qi Zhaoxuan immediately noticed he was awake and whispered, “Father Chancellor is awake?”

Ji Rong ignored him. He straightened his clothes and lifted the curtain.

The moment he pulled the curtain back, a blinding flash of sunlight threatened to hit his eyes. However, Qi Zhaoxuan moved faster, his large hand shielding Ji Rong’s eyes to block the glare.

Then, the veiled hat was properly placed on his head.

Ji Rong had been a bit groggy from sleep and had forgotten that Yongxing Temple would be crowded; he had left the veiled hat in the carriage. Because of this, he did not resist. Once the hat was secured, he jumped down from the carriage.

Ji Rong did not particularly believe in gods or Buddhas. On the contrary, he had assumed Qi Zhaoxuan would not believe in such things either. Yet, standing beside him, he watched the sincerity in Qi Zhaoxuan’s expression as he lit the incense. It was not casual at all.

Curls of light smoke drifted around them. The Emperor’s back was straight, his eyelids lightly closed. The usual shadow of gloom was gone from his brow, replaced by a quiet, reverent piety.

What kind of wish is he making, Ji Rong wondered, to be so sincere?

After lighting the incense, Qi Zhaoxuan went to discuss donation matters with the abbot. Ji Rong had no desire to tour the temple. Seeing the throngs of people, he headed toward a secluded path to avoid the crowds.

He walked quite far, likely reaching the area where the monks resided. Various fruits and vegetables were planted along the sides of the path.

From a distance, Ji Rong spotted a golden yellow tuft of fur huddled by a bluestone.

Ji Rong lightened his footsteps, slowly approaching the furball.

The warm sun spilled onto the ground, making the orange fur of the creature look fluffy and bright, glowing with a soft warmth.

The furball seemed to be taking a midday nap; its eyes were half closed, and through the slits, its amber colored pupils could be seen.

Ji Rong crouched beside it.

Its pink nose twitched slightly with its shallow breathing, and a faint purring could be heard. Half of its face was buried in its fluffy fur, and its tiny paws, only just visible, were clutching a radish.

The light, herbal scent of radish leaves mingled with the smell of sunlight in the air. The tip of its tail lay limp on the ground, accompanied by the surrounding sound of cicadas.

Ji Rong poked its nose tip.

The furball opened its eyes, its crystal clear amber pupils sparkling with golden light. It raised a paw, lazily licked its paw pad twice, rolled over on the ground, then stood up, walked to Ji Rong’s feet, and jumped into his arms.

“Meow!”

Ji Rong raised an eyebrow, his fingers stroking the furball’s back.

The sun had warmed its fur, and he could feel the distinct heat beneath his fingertips.

Ji Rong stood up holding the furball.

The cat was a bit thin, curled into a small tuft in his arms. Its soft orange fur was smooth and shiny, its ears were perked up, and its round amber eyes stared at him while its tail wrapped around Ji Rong’s wrist.

Soft, mopey, and cute.

Behind him, April was afraid the stray cat might scratch Ji Rong. She stepped forward and said, “Young Master, let me hold it.”

“No need.”

Ji Rong scratched the cat’s soft chin. “Go find a monk and ask: is this cat a permanent resident or just a stray that comes for food?”

This little furball surprisingly caught his eye. If it was a permanent resident of the temple, it would not be right to take it away. But if it was just a stray, he could donate some incense money and bring it home.

As Ji Rong prepared to continue walking, the furball in his arms squirmed, and its tiny cry caught his attention.

Seeing him look down, the cat’s tail flicked, pointing toward the radish that had fallen to the ground when it jumped into his arms.

Ji Rong teased it: “You want the radish?”

The cat meowed a few times, its amber eyes looking at him.

Ji Rong laughed and had April pick up the radish.

They had not walked far when they reached a corner and saw Qi Zhaoxuan and the abbot walking toward them.

Qi Zhaoxuan clearly had not expected to run into Ji Rong here and was momentarily stunned. Then, he saw the tuft of fur in Ji Rong’s arms that simply could not be ignored.

Qi Zhaoxuan strode to Ji Rong’s side and asked, “Where did this cat come from?”

The cat stretched its head out, its tongue reaching to lick Qi Zhaoxuan.

Qi Zhaoxuan stepped back a pace in slight disgust.

The cat retreated a little, looking dejected, which caused Ji Rong to immediately frown. He comfortingly scratched the cat’s small head.

The cat’s pink, soft tongue licked Ji Rong’s fingertip.

Qi Zhaoxuan sneered inwardly, feeling a surge of jealousy toward the cat.

April was observant. Seeing that the Emperor did not particularly like the cat, she did not dare ask the abbot about it.

Ji Rong nudged Qi Zhaoxuan with his elbow and lifted a corner of his veiled hat, giving Qi Zhaoxuan a meaningful look through the gap.

Suppressing his prejudice against the animal and seeing that Ji Rong liked it, Qi Zhaoxuan spoke up on his behalf. “Is this cat a permanent resident of Yongxing Temple?”

In his heart, he desperately hoped for an affirmative answer, but the abbot gave a negative one.

Seeing the Emperor ask the first question, April finally had the courage to continue: “The Imperial Concubine has taken a liking to this little cat. Since it has no fixed home, could the Master grant permission for the Lady to bring it back to the palace?”

Having provoked Ji Rong’s anger yesterday, Qi Zhaoxuan had to agree, even if he was unwilling.

The abbot naturally gave face to the Emperor, and thus, Ji Rong took the furball with him.

After boarding the carriage, the cat struggled in his arms, seemingly trying to pounce toward April.

Seeing this, April handed over the radish she was holding.

She had guessed correctly. As soon as the radish was within the cat’s sight, it stopped fussing and lay peacefully in Ji Rong’s arms.

“You like this radish so much, shall I call you Radish?”

Ji Rong teased the kitten.

“Radish?”

“Meow.”

Radish lifted its head, its furry face nuzzling against Ji Rong’s hand.

“Father Chancellor, we set off for the capital in five days.”

Ji Rong did not even look up, his attention entirely on the kitten. He merely gave a faint “Oh.”

Qi Zhaoxuan endured it as long as he could. Seeing Ji Rong lavish so much care on the cat while remaining so cold to him, he eventually gave in. He gently rested his head on Ji Rong’s shoulder, forcefully claiming a spot from Radish, and placed his rough palm over the back of Ji Rong’s hand.

“Father Chancellor, I truly was wrong. I will not lock you up again, alright? Please, acknowledge me.”

Ji Rong asked, “What about Fan Qing?”

Qi Zhaoxuan had been so angry yesterday that Ji Rong did not know what he might have done in his crazed state, or if he had any rationality left.

Qi Zhaoxuan said gloomily, “I ordered the Marquis of Ning’an to take him back to the capital ahead of us.”

“I told him to reflect behind closed doors. Other than that, nothing else was done.”

He did not dare punish the man too harshly; otherwise, Ji Rong would only be angrier. But he also did not want to see any contact between his Father Chancellor and Fan Qing. Even as the Crown Prince, it had annoyed him to see Ji Rong constantly protecting the troublemaking Fan Qing. Now that he was Emperor, he still could not punish the man severely, which felt suffocating. He could only come up with this closed door reflection to prevent them from meeting.

Ji Rong’s expression softened slightly.

The kitten in his arms whimpered, seemingly wanting to go to the radish placed in the corner. Ji Rong let go, and the kitten pounced over.

Having picked up a kitten, his mood was much better.

Ji Rong had also come to terms with it and did not want to stay angry anymore. Qi Zhaoxuan had gone crazy before, after all. At the end of the day, Ji Rong’s anger stemmed from the feeling that being forcibly shackled to the bed was a bit ambiguous.

A bit ambiguous.

But without proper status, everything was unjustifiable.

Why should they be so ambiguous?

Simply because of a fabricated title of Imperial Concubine?

Ji Rong thought absently; he only wanted a definitive answer.