AEOGA CH55

The fire star sank in July, and August was yet unfinished. As midsummer passed and mid-autumn arrived, the weather gradually turned cool.

After two months in Jiangnan, the imperial procession finally returned to Yujing.

The imperial guard entered the palace with grand momentum. The entire inner court gathered at the palace gates to welcome the imperial carriage, kneeling in unison: “We respectfully welcome Your Majesty back to the palace! We respectfully welcome His Highness the Empress back to the palace!”

Xie Chongjin held Lu Xuechao’s hand as they stepped down from the imperial carriage and said, “Rise.”

Another wave of echoing thanks resounded across the square.

Xie Chongjin did not linger at the palace gates: “Set imperial carriage for Chongxue Palace.”

The journey back was another long and exhausting trip, so he needed to get Qingshu back to his bedchambers quickly to rest.

As soon as they entered Chongxue Palace, Shuangjiang came forward to greet them: “Greetings to Your Majesty and His Highness the Empress.”

“Your Highness, hot tea has been prepared.” Shuangjiang took the cloak Lu Xuechao unfastened. “Drink a cup of tea to warm yourself.”

Autumn in Changli was already bitterly cold, and winter was freezing to the bone. Lu Xuechao possessed a frail constitution sensitive to the cold, so hot water was kept ready in his rooms at all times. As his personal attendant, Shuangjiang naturally made preparations early.

“This servant has never been away from Your Highness’s side for so long,” Shuangjiang said longingly. “Without this servant to wait on you, I didn’t know if others could take good care of Your Highness.”

Shuangjiang was a servant born into the Prime Minister’s household, raised alongside Lu Xuechao since childhood to serve him closely, and was later brought into the palace by Lu Xuechao. During the three years in the Cold Palace, he had stayed by Lu Xuechao’s side as well.

When traveling south, he as a personal attendant should have accompanied Lu Xuechao. But Xie Chongjin was dead set on spending time as a couple, leaving even Yun Luo behind, so Shuangjiang was left behind too. For these two months in the palace, he had been filled with worry, fearing the servants at the imperial villa would be clumsy and fail to attend to the Empress properly.

Before Lu Xuechao could speak, Xie Chongjin said, “What? Are you accusing Us of not taking proper care of your master?”

Shuangjiang: “…”

Shuangjiang hurriedly knelt down: “Shuangjiang would not dare!”

“Enough, why are you frightening him?” Lu Xuechao glanced at Xie Chongjin and said to Shuangjiang, “Get up.”

Lu Xuechao held the hot tea and took a sip. The flavor was crisp and refreshing, its tea aroma overflowing, yet it was not the familiar flavor: “This isn’t the June Snow I usually drink?”

“Your Highness can tell with a single sip,” Shuangjiang said. “Young Master Lin planted tea trees, and this is the newly harvested Cloud Dew. The first batch was sent straight to the palace. Hearing that Your Highness enjoys drinking tea, the largest share of tea leaves was sent to Chongxue Palace.”

Lu Xuechao thought to himself that compared to drinking tea, he actually preferred drinking wine.

It was just that Xie Huaiyun never permitted him to touch it.

Just as he was thinking, another palace attendant entered to report that Noble Consort Liu and the others were waiting outside.

Holding his tea cup, Lu Xuechao said, “Let them in.”

Before long, Liu Yansheng and the others all walked in. Every one of them had changed into autumn attire of novel styles, clad in fine silks and satins, filling the room with vibrant colors.

Lu Xuechao praised, “These outfits look quite lovely. Did the Imperial Embroidery Bureau receive new embroiderers?”

The designs of palace attire changed every year, but rarely managed to produce new concepts; this time, however, it was truly bright and eye-catching.

Changli’s weather was polarized—extremely hot in spring and summer, and bitterly cold in autumn and winter. People could wear light and pretty clothes during spring and summer, but once autumn and winter arrived, they had to change into thick padded jackets, making them look bloated and unattractive. Not everyone possessed a face like Lu Xuechao’s, which could project a slender, fragile elegance even wrapped in thick fur cloaks; most people looked like a barrel in autumn and winter gear. To keep warm, one had to sacrifice grace.

“They look good, right!” Hua Yan took credit enthusiastically. “I drew the design patterns! Fine silks and satins on the outside, and padded cotton jackets on the inside—both beautiful and warm. After spreading out from the palace, it’s currently all the rage across all of Yujing!”

Wang Yiming beamed with delight: “Following Your Highness’s instructions, we bought a few more shops on Yuhua Street and opened a place called Jinxiu Workshop dedicated to tailored clothing. It’s immensely popular among the noble families. We also have Little Lin to thank for that—the silkworms and cotton he raised and grew are superior to anything from any fabric shop!”

Lin Chanzhi was so thoroughly praised that he felt too embarrassed to speak.

“You two settle down a bit,” Liu Yansheng said with a headache. “Report one by one.”

Hua Yan and Wang Yiming seemed to possess an endless social energy, their two mouths chattering nonstop all day. His Highness the Empress had truly picked the right people to send into business. Doing business required a sharp tongue, and the two of them were matchless in that regard.

By contrast, Lin Chanzhi was grounded, burying his head in hard work, unused to extravagant speech.

The merchants and the farmer had starkly distinct personalities.

Hua Yan: “Oh.”

Their arrival today was to deliver work reports.

Xie Chongjin and Lu Xuechao’s journey down south did not mean the others had been idle in Yujing. Before leaving, the two had assigned tasks to everyone.

Fu Xinian, Liu Yansheng, and Shen Hezhou were working for the imperial court. Fu Xinian reviewed old cases in the Ministry of Justice, Liu Yansheng thoroughly investigated tax loopholes across various regions, and Shen Hezhou was responsible for selecting suitable candidates to send to Jiangnan as officials.

Hua Yan and Wang Yiming had been tasked with buying more shops besides managing Huaman Pavilion, preparing to branch into other industries. Following Huaman Pavilion, Jinxiu Workshop achieved massive success, becoming widely sought after by the people of Yujing. The cosmetics and spice shops received a mediocre response, likely because the people of Changli were not fond of rouge, powder, or incense.

There was also an unexpected pleasant surprise: the storybook written collaboratively by Hua Yan and Fu Xinian became a hit, its romantic tale modeled after Xie Chongjin and Lu Xuechao moving countless people. Although people felt such beautiful love existed only in storybooks, it did not stop them from wanting to listen.

Huaman Pavilion was packed to capacity every day. Aside from those coming for meals, many brought stools just to sit and listen to the storytellers.

Lin Chanzhi had done even more. Lu Xuechao had only instructed him to plant more rice and cotton—rice to satisfy hunger and cotton to ward off the cold, both helping the common folk survive the upcoming harsh winter. With a full thousand mu of land on the outskirts of the capital and plenty of helping hands, Lin Chanzhi had also planted many fruit trees, paving the way for a bountiful harvest come next autumn.

Qin Yulong still went to the military camp daily to train elite troops. After several months of brutal training, the entire army’s demeanor was completely transformed, ready for inspection by the Emperor and Empress at any time.

Helian Xi had not been assigned any tasks, but he had offered Hua Yan plenty of pointers regarding clothing designs, incense, and jewelry. The two had now become the closest friends in the palace, leaving even Fu Xinian sidelined.

“Your Highness, you have no idea how incredible Helian is!” Hua Yan praised his friend wildly. “When they competed in the Six Arts of a Gentleman in the palace, Helian took first place in archery, leaving even Young General Qin in second place!”

They could not work twenty-four hours a day either; they were all youths in their teens. In their spare time, they would gather together to play and make merry. Especially with the Emperor and Empress absent—when the tiger is away, the monkeys rule the mountain—they had nearly gone wild playing.

Not only did they play cuju, pitch-pot, and cockfighting, but they had also held a competition in the Six Arts.

The Six Arts of a Gentleman were rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics—compulsory subjects for scholars and noble scions. Being a scholar did not mean one had to be weak; they still had to learn riding and archery, though less strictly than military men.

Lu Xuechao did not know martial arts, but he was a true scion of a noble family who had trained in the Six Arts, able to ride horses and shoot arrows. Though he could not manage overly fierce horses or pull overly heavy bows, his accuracy was one in a ten-thousand, capable of piercing a willow leaf from a hundred paces.

The master who had taught him riding and archery could not help but sigh with regret: if only the young master of the Lu family had a stronger constitution, he might well have galloped across the battlefield.

When the youths competed in the Six Arts during their playtime, Wang Yiming, Lin Chanzhi, and Hua Yan—having never learned them—were responsible for sitting to the side to cheer and shout. Because men in Xifeng Kingdom did not need to learn the Six Arts, reading only books like Virtues for Men and Precepts for Men, nor did they show their faces in public to wield weapons, ride horses, or shoot arrows, everyone had assumed Helian Xi would not know them either. Hua Yan had dragged Helian Xi along to eat snacks and watch the competition.

Shen Hezhou and Liu Yansheng won first place in rites and music respectively, while Fu Xinian swept the top spots in calligraphy and mathematics alone. As for archery and charioteering, everyone assumed Qin Yulong would win them.

After all, no matter how proficient scholars were at riding and archery, they could never surpass Qin Yulong, a general who had actually been on the battlefield.

Sure enough, while others shooting targets could only stand ten paces away to score eights and nines, Qin Yulong stood directly a hundred paces away and struck the exact center of the bullseye—a total dimensional strike.

Cheers and laughter erupted afterward. Hua Yan served as the referee, and just as he was about to announce Qin Yulong as the champion of ‘archery’, Helian Xi beside him suddenly stood up, took a bow and arrow, stood a hundred and one paces away, and shot—striking the exact center of the bullseye just the same.

Under the brilliant sunlight, the red-robed youth with a high ponytail drew his bow and notched an arrow, looking heroic and valiant.

He had intended to bide his time quietly in the Changli Imperial Palace. Yet perhaps because the atmosphere of a group of youths playing and gaming was too relaxed, or perhaps because he was unwilling to be suppressed by Qin Yulong in his own area of expertise, he had been unable to resist shedding his disguise in that moment to show off his skill.

Complete silence fell.

Qin Yulong was astonished, his opinion of this delicate little prince shifting.

Yet he refused to accept defeat. Taking a step back, he fired again, hitting the red center once more.

Helian Xi was equally unwilling to show weakness, taking a step even further back than Qin Yulong and scoring a bullseye as well.

The two retreated step by step, locked in a stubborn clash, retreating until they reached the absolute limit of the bow’s range. The final step was taken by Helian Xi.

Qin Yulong stared at Helian Xi for a long moment, concealing the scrutiny deep within his eyes, before finally saying, “I concede.”

This feeling of meeting a worthy opponent, of mutual appreciation… felt subtly familiar.

Especially the youth’s sharp, piercing eyes filled with edge when drawing the bow—more dazzling than the sunlight itself.

…It looked remarkably like a pair of eyes he had once seen.

Beneath the forehead flower, above the armor.

It made him suddenly lose the desire to keep competing for victory.

The crowd watching the clash of titans was already dumbfounded.

Qin Yulong’s archery was good—that was common knowledge. But what was going on with Helian Xi?

Hua Yan could hardly believe that his good brother, who shared clothes, incense, rouge, and powder with him every day, was actually a hidden master.

Now, as Hua Yan praised him, Helian Xi’s back stiffened slightly, a wave of nervousness hitting him.

He feared His Majesty and the Empress might think he had ulterior motives, assuming he was a spy or assassin sent by Xifeng.

He did not hide his love for martial arts, weapons, riding, and archery; if he could not touch a weapon, he truly felt miserable.

Yet he had always presented himself as a mere beginner acting out of curiosity; he could not afford the consequences of showing his true edge.

In the game’s storyline, Helian Xi was like a spoiled prince who loved to play despite lacking skill, needing the Emperor to teach him hand-in-hand to draw a bow, never revealing his superb archery up until his death.

Yet on such a bright afternoon, amidst the playful bantering of a group of youths, he had exposed his hidden hand.

He had truly begun to regard these people as friends.

Still, he was a little afraid.

Lu Xuechao said, “Is that so?”

“It seems that while We and His Majesty were away from the palace, you were all quite comfortable?”

Everyone: “…”

Helian Xi suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

Excellent, now he was no longer the only one who was afraid.

He felt quite comforted.