The Aloof Noble Son Feeds His Body to a Wandering Soul - Chapter 8

Ever since the parting at Bibo Lake, it had rained continuously in the capital for several days.

The drizzle was unending, and the ground was damp and wet. Dry wood rotted and stank; birds pecked and chirped; people were kept indoors until they felt as though they were moldering away.

Xidezhe stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the table in a carefree manner, a stalk of dogtail grass dangling from his mouth. He looked proud and smug.

“If you don’t want to go to the Crown Prince’s banquet, then don’t go.” Xidezhe propped himself up on the table and snatched away the landscape painting Shu Fuyan had just finished copying. “Tsk, the Crown Prince has backed you into a corner, and you still have the leisure and elegance to paint landscapes!”

Shu Fuyan set down his painting brush and cast a calm glance at him. “Go why wouldn’t I go?”

When the Crown Prince holds a banquet, who would dare not give him face?

Shu Fuyan walked to the side and pushed open the window. A damp, moist chill rushed in, and droplets of rain soon splashed in, dampening the space before the window.

Shu Fuyan reached out to catch the cold rain from outside; the rainwater kissed his palm with attachment, releasing its moisturizing touch.

Outside the courtyard, the green bamboo swayed, the wind blowing fallen flowers from the trees, perfectly complementing Shu Fuyan as he stood there in his blue robes.

The excessively humid room was sultry; pushing open the window to get some air had, in fact, cleared his mind.

Xidezhe had no heart to admire the scroll. He rolled it up into a cylinder and tapped it against the table as he urged: “The Crown Prince is a sinister and treacherous man; if they discover you are a man of Prince Ji’s estate, don’t expect to come back alive.”

Shu Fuyan smiled faintly. Since he dared to go, he had already made preparations for a full retreat. Besides, the Crown Prince didn’t know his true identity yet.

“The Crown Prince is eager to seize the throne; he cannot wait any longer,” Shu Fuyan said. “Spread the news that the Crown Prince is forming cliques for personal gain and recruiting soldiers and horses the louder, the better; it would be best if it reached the Emperor’s ears.”

Shu Fuyan took a missive down from a secret niche in the wall and handed it to Xidezhe. “Remember, act in secret.”

Xidezhe pouted, crossing his arms in complaint. “It’s me going again.”

Shu Fuyan opened his mouth to speak, but his throat suddenly constricted, and he began to cough violently.

Xidezhe panicked, hurriedly pulling away a round stool to support Shu Fuyan as he sat down. “Lord Shu, you’ve opened the window again! If you aren’t recovered, stop letting the wind blow on you. You’re a grown man why don’t you know how to take care of your body?”

As he spoke, Xidezhe busied himself with closing the window, complaining all the while.

Shu Fuyan’s face was pale, and cold sweat continued to bead on his forehead. His heart felt as though it were being wrung, and his clothes were creased into dense wrinkles from his grip.

Xidezhe sighed, beginning to grumble: “I should let you suffer for a bit, so you can recognize who the real master of that body is.”

Shu Fuyan bit his lower lip, the veins on his temples bulging, his brows knitted tightly together. Once he finally managed to catch his breath, he didn’t forget to refute him: “Fallacious reasoning.”

Xidezhe let out a laugh, poking his back in defiance. “Just look at who is the one taking care of you.”

Shu Fuyan, finding strength from somewhere, pushed Xidezhe away and growled: “I don’t need anyone’s care; you don’t need to pity me.”

Xidezhe laughed in anger pity? He was clearly acting out of kindness.

“If it weren’t for… never mind, can you still stand?” Xidezhe reached out to pull Shu Fuyan up.

Shu Fuyan lowered his head, breathing heavily, his face appearing weak. “I won’t trouble Lord Xidezhe to concern himself.”

Xidezhe clapped his hands, looking indifferent. “Fine, you love to put on a brave front; nobody can stop you.”

Shu Fuyan endured the pain, moving slowly to the writing desk, and wielding his brush, his hand danced across the paper.

“Deliver this letter to the Censorate,” Shu Fuyan said.

“What letter? Let me see.”

Xidezhe scanned it once; there were only a few strokes on the paper. The phrasing was disconnected it looked like code, or perhaps a regional dialect; he couldn’t make sense of it.

Xidezhe’s simple mind spun rapidly; suddenly, he slapped the table and jumped to his feet. “Alright! Lord Shu, you are truly something; you’ve been colluding with the Censorate behind the Prince’s back.”

“Are you planning to abandon me and the Prince to cling to the Censorate’s thigh?”

Shu Fuyan’s coughing had just subsided; he was nearly blown away by Xidezhe’s foolishness.

“Stop messing around. The Crown Prince has always been at odds with the Censorate. With this letter as proof, those old men in the Censorate will surely grow suspicious and secretly begin to hunt for evidence of the Crown Prince’s crimes. With them dealing with the Crown Prince, you and I can just sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.”

Xidezhe was dumbstruck, staring at Shu Fuyan in shock. “If you ask me, when it comes to heartlessness, no one can compare to you, Lord Shu.”

Shu Fuyan let out a cold laugh, the tail of his voice lifting upward. “Is that so?”

Xidezhe nodded. “Except for the Prince, you are the most ruthless person I have ever met.”

Xidezhe smacked his lips, bringing up old times with Shu Fuyan.

When Shu Fuyan had first arrived in the capital, in order to gain Prince Ji’s complete trust, he had risked his life alone to infiltrate the residence of the Left Vice Minister to steal secret orders.

One had to know that the man behind the Left Vice Minister was the Crown Prince; once caught by the Left Vice Minister, Shu Fuyan would have been left without a place to be buried. Yet he had escaped unscathed, and the Crown Prince had never even suspected him.

Xidezhe couldn’t help but admire him: Shu Fuyan was ruthless to others, but even more so to himself.

A worthless life just go for it!

The rain began to weaken, and Xidezhe, not wishing to disturb him further, urged Shu Fuyan to take his medicine on time before departing.

Not long after, a man’s voice reached him from outside.

Shu Fuyan assumed it was Xidezhe coming back and had no intention of moving to open the door. It wasn’t until the man said that General Xiao had an invitation that Shu Fuyan immediately grabbed his umbrella and hurried out to the door.

“Lord Shu, so you were home.”

The person who arrived was the butler of the Marquis of Zhenbei estate, Xiao Lao.

Shu Fuyan was not familiar with Xiao Lao; he cared only about that one person.

“What are General Xiao’s instructions?” Shu Fuyan’s voice trembled, filled with trepidation.

It had been several days, and Xiao Yi had not come to seek him out.

Shu Fuyan couldn’t help but wonder if Xiao Yi had forgotten him.

“The General says: in three days’ time, he invites you to visit the Marquis of Zhenbei estate; he says there is an important matter he wishes to confide in you.” The butler recounted the words exactly as they were given.

Shu Fuyan was momentarily stunned. In three days’ time, a matter to confide.

Why had Xiao Yi not come personally? Had he developed a grudge against him?

Shu Fuyan’s thoughts ran wild. He lowered his head, his face filled with gloom, and gripped the wooden door tightly.

“Lord Shu, your complexion is not good; are you ill?” the butler’s large head leaned in, asking with concern.

Shu Fuyan’s heart churned with bitterness; he forced a smile. “It is nothing, taking two doses of medicine will be enough.”

The butler helped Shu Fuyan back into the room and said earnestly: “Medicine is three parts poison; Lord Shu should find a day to see a physician. In your later years, you may end up with a lingering root of illness.”

Shu Fuyan gave a self-mocking laugh, his five fingers pressing and curling slightly on the desktop. “I won’t live to see that day.”

At thirty one establishes oneself, at forty one has no doubts, at fifty one knows the mandate of heaven…

He had been able to drag out a wretched existence until the age of twenty; how could he dare to hope that his failed body would endure the remaining years?

The butler was shocked by Shu Fuyan’s words. He scanned Shu Fuyan with a strange look and said: “Lord Shu does not look very old; how could you not live long? What illness could you have to be so serious?”

Shu Fuyan gave a cold, mocking smile. “Just a common cold.”

With proper care, I can at least live a few more years.

The butler’s heart was filled with a mix of complex emotions, casting a look of pity toward Shu Fuyan.

A cold was easily cured; timely medication and acupuncture could eradicate it. But for someone as young as Shu Fuyan to be so serious he feared the root of the illness had been planted in his childhood.

The message had been conveyed, and thinking it time to depart, the butler sidestepped the issue and said: “Lord Shu, do not be discouraged. Good fortune and misfortune are intertwined; perhaps Lord Shu’s good fortune is yet to come.”

Shu Fuyan nodded, his gloomy complexion recovering a glimmer of brightness. “May I rely on the butler’s auspicious words.”

The butler opened his umbrella and left.

The bamboo leaves in the courtyard were emerald and dripping with water, the leaves dangling as they dripped onto the ground—drip, drip, drip.

Shu Fuyan’s gaze was deep, fixed firmly on the direction the butler had gone.

I hope that this time, I will receive what I desire.

Upon returning to the estate, the butler immediately told Xiao Yi about Shu Fuyan’s severe illness.

At that moment, Xiao Yi was practicing calligraphy.

He froze upon hearing that Shu Fuyan was ill.

The tip of his brush rested on the xuan paper, causing a large splash of black ink to bloom the ink was heavy and damp, piercing through the white paper to stain the desk.

The butler hesitated for a moment, opened his mouth, then stopped he had something to say, but he was unsure whether to say it.

Xiao Yi set down his brush and said in a deep voice: “Speak your mind.”

The butler sighed, his tone filled with regret: “I observed that Lord Shu’s state was not right; he was completely lifeless, as if…” The butler glanced cautiously at Xiao Yi, not daring to continue.

Xiao Yi felt stifled and pressed: “As if what? Continue.”

The butler clenched his fists and gathered his courage: “As if he didn’t want to live anymore; could something have happened to him?”

Upon hearing the words “didn’t want to live,” Xiao Yi suddenly felt his mind go completely blank; he was utterly lost and bewildered.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Yi reached for the outer coat hanging on the rack and hurried out of the study.

The butler chased after him: “General, where are you going?”

“The Imperial Palace.”

The butler was surprised was it not past the time for the morning audience? Why go to the palace again?

“General, take your umbrella!” The butler intercepted Xiao Yi with an umbrella.

“It is unnecessary; I shall return as soon as I am done.” Xiao Yi didn’t even glance at the umbrella. Heartburning with anxiety, he wanted to rush to the palace immediately to request the Emperor’s permission to borrow the head of the Imperial Hospital, Shen Chong.

The butler did not know the purpose of Xiao Yi’s trip to the palace, but it was far too late to go now.

Not only would the journey take time, but once night fell, it would likely rain.

The drizzling rain continued to fall without end; traveling on the road was bound to be troublesome.

“General, go to the palace tomorrow; it is almost nightfall now, and it is not safe to return to the estate in the dark.” The butler urged with earnestness.

Xiao Yi was just about to blurt out that he feared no danger, but then he reconsidered: once night fell, Shu Fuyan would likely be asleep.

If he went to Shu Fuyan’s home late at night…

It seemed… inappropriate.

Xiao Yi sat back down with a bitter taste in his mouth, slamming his fist against the desk. The white paper on the desk shook, fluttering in the air, revealing Xiao Yi’s lack of peace.

The butler wanted to say something more, but looked up and met Xiao Yi’s crimson eyes; he shut his mouth tightly and lowered his head in shame.

“You may withdraw.” Xiao Yi covered his eyes in weariness, feeling stifled inside.

He should have gone to see the Emperor sooner; Shu Fuyan was so ill, yet he had avoided him because of the begonia flower.

Xiao Yi cursed himself for being a bastard.

The butler slipped away, closing the study door.

Soon, the wind blew, the trees swayed, and the leaves rustled.

The rain that the butler had spoken of began to fall.

Xiao Yi clutched his hair in agony. If he were not a wandering soul, if he were still alive, if Shu Fuyan liked men…

Alas, there were no “ifs.”

Suddenly, a cold wind blew through the room. The paper rustled; a few sheets of white paper were about to be blown away.

Xiao Yi pressed his hand down, holding the thin paper.

He rummaged through the chaotic pile of white, and at the very bottom, he found the sheet of jade-leaf paper that was covered in the name “Shu.”

Xiao Yi watched it, mesmerized; his lips curved slightly, and he whispered tenderly: “You are…”

…mine.

Though a man and a ghost are destined to walk different paths, Xiao Yi simply did not want Shu Fuyan to meet the same fate as he had.

A person with heart can change the ending.

The rain outside was still falling, the wind swirling through the fallen leaves, sounding a rhythmic pat-pat.

Xiao Yi stepped out of the study, vanishing into the gloomy, rainy weather.