Chapter 59: Awakening Part 1

Yan Xinfeng regained consciousness and realized he was truly beyond saving.

Yesterday’s actions, viewed through today’s eyes, seemed as if he had been possessed, utterly absurd and bizarre.

As he recalled the bold declarations he had made, a strong sense of shame seized him, burning his ears until they turned scarlet. He wished he could find a rope and hang himself right then and there.

How could he have acted so rudely, so impatiently, so…

The butler’s shocked face appeared before him, but even more impactful were Yan Xinfeng’s own thoughts at the time.

He had truly believed that marriage could solve the problem. It might not fix everything, but locking Wei Tingxia firmly by his side meant the rest could be resolved with a lifetime of memories.

Yesterday… he had genuinely wanted to marry Wei Tingxia.

A flush spread from his ears to his cheeks and even reached his eyes. Yan Xinfeng couldn’t help clenching the bedding beneath his hands, filled with ten thousand regrets.

He shouldn’t have stayed by Wei Tingxia’s side waiting for him to wake yesterday. If they hadn’t had that argument, things might not have been pushed to this irreversible point.

Now, the butler had probably already gone to prepare the three letters and six etiquettes. Everyone in the estate knew the marquis was going to propose. How was Yan Xinfeng supposed to explain?

“…”

A sharp pain stabbed at his temples like needles. Yan Xinfeng irritably sat up, gazing at the bright sunlight outside the window, his heart like dead ashes.

It seemed his condition was growing more dangerous by the day, deeply rooted and incurable.

The most appropriate course now was to find a good time to end it all, preserving the Yan family’s honor and preventing a madman with a unclear mind from destroying the family’s century-old foundation.

But if he ended it all, who would clean up the mess he left behind?

Da Zhao had no shortage of generals who could fight wars, but who would take care of Wei Tingxia?

If no one cared for him, what if that heartless bastard ran back to the Shuo Kingdom?

Yan Xinfeng’s teeth itched with anger just thinking about that scene.

It wasn’t time for him to die yet. He had to settle everything before and after his death, leaving no loose ends before seeking that final path.

Yan Xinfeng let out a heavy sigh.

His head still ached a bit, but it wasn’t as intense as yesterday—just a vague, dull throb.

From outside the window came the sound of footsteps deliberately lightened as someone passed by. Yan Xinfeng left the bed, and his gaze involuntarily drifted to the table beside him, where a nearly withered tree branch lay.

“…”

Seeing the branch, Yan Xinfeng’s heart beat a few beats faster.

Wei Tingxia spotted several unfamiliar faces.

“Are you the new ones?”

He leaned obliquely against the bed and grabbed the sleeve of a young maidservant who was about to leave after setting down the bowl and dishes.

The young maidservant nodded, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum. “General Pei sent us over.”

General Pei—Pei Zhou.

It seemed Yan Xinfeng knew his own residence was too shabby, so he had hurriedly borrowed people to make up the numbers.

Wei Tingxia smiled and still held her back from leaving.

“Are there many people in your estate?”

The young maidservant nodded and then shook her head. “Not that many, but more than here.”

“Oh,” Wei Tingxia nodded. “Pei Zhou is a bit boastful.”

His tone when speaking of the third-rank general made it seem like Pei Zhou was nothing special, as if they had known each other for years and skipped all the formalities.

The young maidservant was young after all and was taken in. She felt this sick nobleman had a good temper and unconsciously grew fond of him.

Seeing his goal achieved, Wei Tingxia got straight to the point. “Where’s the butler here? Can you call him over for me?”

At his words, the young maidservant shook her head.

Wei Tingxia raised a brow. “Not willing?”

“No,” the young maidservant quickly denied, her face reddening further as she lowered her head. “It’s just… the estate has important matters lately, and the butler is very busy.”

Important matters?

Wei Tingxia thought to himself that something was wrong. Could Yan Xinfeng have passed out from anger and still not woken up?

He asked, “Is the marquis unwell?”

The young maidservant shook her head again. “No, the marquis is fine. It’s something else.”

“What could it be?” Wei Tingxia didn’t understand. “We just finished the war; this should be a time for everyone to rest. Your marquis isn’t one to stir up trouble…”

He rambled on listing possibilities, then looked down to find the young maidservant smiling, her cheeks flushed pink.

“Sir, don’t ask anymore. This servant doesn’t know,” she said softly. “Anyway, it’s a joyous event.”

What joyous event could Yan Xinfeng have?

Wei Tingxia let go of her hand, allowing the young maidservant to go about her business. He then flopped back onto the bed without even glancing at the food nearby.

“I’m not hungry,” he said to 0188.

[Is this another way for you to express worry about the protagonist?]

Wei Tingxia rolled his eyes. “No, I just simply aren’t hungry.”

[You should be,] 0188 said. [You should be hungry.]

After four days in a coma without a drop of water, Wei Tingxia should have been at his weakest, most in need of replenishing energy. Yet his mental state was excellent, as if he were a demon who had absorbed human essence.

0188 sensed something off. [Let me scan you. Don’t move.]

Wei Tingxia lay straight and still, pretending to be a wooden log.

A quarter-hour later, 0188 spoke again. [Preliminary scan shows no issues.]

“Meaning I’m not sick?” Wei Tingxia rolled his eyes. “I really don’t think not eating for half a month is something worth bragging about.”

0188 didn’t think so either. It was a bit worried Wei Tingxia might drop dead any moment.

[I extracted a sample and sent it back for higher-level testing. Results in about 72 hours. Wait a bit.]

There was no other way anyway.

Wei Tingxia put on his shoes and got out of bed. He sniffed the delivered food.

For someone ill, the diet shouldn’t be too heavy, so it was all clear porridge and light dishes—vibrant greens and snowy whites. The taste was fine; it wouldn’t make him nauseous, but he just had no appetite.

“Too strange,” he muttered to himself.

0188 didn’t respond, probably off reporting.

Wei Tingxia set down his chopsticks, stretched lazily, found some clothes to change into, and as he pushed open the door, he came face-to-face with a gloomy, miserable old face.

“Whoa,” he startled back a step. “What’s this about?”

He recognized Yan Xinfeng’s butler. The little old man was usually cheerful; it was rare to see him so worried, like a Shar-Pei dog baked under the sun.

Wei Tingxia asked, “Something wrong?”

The butler said nothing, just slowly raised his head and stared seriously at Wei Tingxia. Moments later, he stepped back two paces and clapped his hands forcefully. Two rows of people appeared at the courtyard gate.

Each of these people held something in their hands—silks and satins, rare treasures. Some wooden boxes were tied with red flowers, and a fragrant scent wafted over, making the whole scene exceptionally festive.

Wei Tingxia stood stunned at the door as they lined up before him and simultaneously raised their hands to present the gifts.

“Mr. Wei, this is the Treasure Pearl from the Border River Kingdom’s tribute. His Majesty, considering the general’s merits in protecting the nation, granted one bushel, all here… This is ginseng and lingzhi from the southern Long Mountains… This is Shu Embroidery, bestowed by the Empress Dowager six years ago…”

The butler rambled on with introductions, and Wei Tingxia grew more shocked with each word.

What was going on? Were they handing over the family fortune to him?

Could it be that he had gone too far with his words yesterday, and Yan Xinfeng felt life was meaningless, so he was preparing to settle his affairs before leaving?

“Butler!”

Wei Tingxia hurriedly reached out to stop the endless old man. “This is for me?”

The butler bowed properly. “Of course.”

“Then why?”

Because the marquis wants to propose to you.

“Because the marquis is in a good mood.”

Wei Tingxia: “…”

He never imagined that answer. Glancing again at the rare treasures held by the servants, Wei Tingxia nodded dazedly. “Then it seems he’s in a very good mood.”

Good enough to be out of his mind.

“Then put it in the room,” he stepped back, making way. “Anywhere’s fine; just give me a place to stand.”

The room he was in wasn’t large, and the side rooms hadn’t been cleaned yet. The only space was the one where Wei Tingxia slept.

So the group filed in, set down the items, and quickly left. When Wei Tingxia reentered the room, he felt like the glittering jewels could blind him.

In a border town’s ordinary little courtyard, it was more luxurious than a noble consort’s palace.

Wei Tingxia glanced over a chest of Shu Embroidery and casually picked up a pearl to toy with in his hand.

The originally spacious room was now crammed, leaving only a narrow path for one person. Even beside the bed, someone had stuffed two night-luminescent pearls.

Wei Tingxia carefully sat down between two large chests, facing the equally stiff butler.

“Your marquis is dying soon, so he’s handing the family business to me?”

The butler glared. “What kind of talk is that!”

“Then how do you explain this?” Wei Tingxia gestured around. “Does a noble consort’s palace have all this?”

This one didn’t.

Not to mention anything else, the Border River Kingdom’s tribute of Treasure Pearls totaled three bushels. One bushel the emperor had embroidered into his own dragon robe, another was enshrined in the ancestral temple, and the last was granted to Yan Xinfeng in praise of the Yan family’s century of loyal service in protecting the nation.

The butler remembered and cautioned, “The Treasure Pearl is precious. I hope Mr. Wei won’t publicize it too much, lest it harm the marquis.”

“Harm?” Wei Tingxia toyed with the pearl, feeling its smooth, cool warmth under his fingertip, and raised a brow. “Such a rare treasure—why doesn’t the marquis keep it to guard the house and give it to me instead?”

Even with ten thousand brains, he couldn’t guess what bizarre things Yan Xinfeng had pondered while out of his mind yesterday.

The butler: “…”

He saw little joy or delight in Wei Tingxia’s expression and probed, “You don’t like it?”

“I like it,” Wei Tingxia answered straightforwardly, then added lazily, “but not that much.”

These were all external possessions, things he couldn’t take with him—just something to look at for fun now and then.

The butler seemed to understand but not quite, and he scanned the surroundings like Wei Tingxia, noting the room was too small and the items piled too densely and high.

“No trouble at all. Just keep them to play with. This old servant has other matters…”

“A maidservant just told me the marquis’s estate has a joyous event lately, and you’re too busy to meet me.” He paused, his gaze falling on the butler’s slightly tense face. “But she just left, and here you are…”

“…Doesn’t that mean the joyous event you’ve been busy with lately has something to do with me?”

At those words, cold sweat beaded on the butler’s forehead. This man was too sharp—thinking and speaking whatever came to mind, leaving no room for others.

“This old servant is just following orders. Whether it’s a joyous event or whose it is, I truly don’t know.” He bowed. “The marquis has further instructions. I’ll take my leave first.”

With that, without waiting for Wei Tingxia to respond, the butler hiked up his robe hem and ran off with surprising speed for his old bones, vanishing in a flash.

…

Yan Xinfeng hadn’t left the study all day. Only when the butler knocked to request an audience did he relax his rigid back, set down the book, and take a sip of water.

“How did it go?”

The butler stood before the desk and immediately said, “He doesn’t seem to like it much.”

Yan Xinfeng frowned. “What happened?”

“Uh… Mr. Wei was very surprised at first, then asked if your health had failed and you were handing over the family property to him. Then he said he only liked it somewhat.”

The butler awkwardly recounted their conversation. “He also asked if there was a joyous event in the estate and if it concerned him.”