Chapter 37: Leaving
Wan Yunliu went back and didn’t come looking for Li Jianyu again, which made Zhao Linxu very satisfied. Li Jianyu glanced at him with disdain, saying that Zhao Linxu had probably caused Wan Yunliu psychological trauma and a shadow, which was really something. A dignified emperor, couldn’t be more than three years old.
Two days later, Zhao Linxu received two letters. One was from the imperial capital, and the other was from the border.
The one from the imperial capital was a private letter from the Imperial Preceptor, Dan Xi, to Zhao Linxu. He said he didn’t know any demonic cult leader, nor did he know Xing Huan, and asked him not to mention it to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Zhao Linxu could sense that Dan Xi was not telling the truth, but he was unwilling to interfere further. Since Dan Xi had asked him not to speak of it, he wouldn’t.
The other letter from the border said that several cities on the border were now in dire straits. Terrifying man-eating monsters had appeared in the cities since the day before yesterday, harming many people, and there was a widespread panic.
The North-South army stationed on the border, who had not come to the imperial capital with Zhao Zhanqi, had fought desperately to drive out and kill the monsters. They had thought it was over, but the ones in the cities were just a few stragglers. After that, these monsters had attacked their military camps in droves, causing many casualties.
Zhao Linxu frowned slightly, his forefinger curled, tapping gently on the desk.
“Your Majesty,” a servant boy said, bowing outside. “Her Highness the Princess has arrived.”
Winter had now arrived. A light snow was falling outside, covering the ground with a thin layer of snowflakes.
It would probably be colder outside at night. Before going out, Zhao Linxu casually took a cloak and put it on.
“Imperial Brother, it’s ready outside.”
Zhao Jiangxue was also wearing a woolen cloak.
“Let’s go.”
A sacrificial table was set up in the courtyard, with a bronze basin underneath.
Zhao Linxu and Zhao Jiangxue first offered incense, then squatted down to burn joss paper.
“Burn more,” Zhao Jiangxue said. “Let’s burn until dawn tomorrow.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Zhao Linxu said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
“I’m not being ridiculous,” Zhao Jiangxue said, pouting. “What if brother doesn’t have enough and gets bullied there… I just want to make sure that brother doesn’t get bullied even after he goes there.”
Zhao Linxu was stunned.
The two of them didn’t speak anymore, just lowered their heads and burned the paper.
Fine snow was falling outside, but with the brazier, the two of them didn’t feel cold.
After midnight, the incense had burned out, and the joss paper was also finished. Zhao Linxu had Zhao Jiangxue go back to rest.
Zhao Linxu took a pot of wine and went to the courtyard where Li Jianyu was staying, not far away.
The courtyard was quiet. Li Jianyu was probably already asleep. Zhao Linxu didn’t mind. He leaped onto the roof of the main courtyard and lay down, drinking and looking at the moon.
The disk in the night sky was bright and flawless. As Zhao Linxu watched, he began to feel sleepy.
“…Linxu?”
Zhao Linxu was stunned. He shook his head and looked down, only to see Li Jianyu standing in the courtyard below, staring at him blankly.
Zhao Linxu smiled. “You’re still awake?”
Li Jianyu said, “The shadow guard told me you were here, so I came out to have a look.”
“I told them not to announce it,” Zhao Linxu said, shaking his head.
“It’s no matter. I was reading a book and wasn’t asleep yet.”
Li Jianyu looked up and saw the tall man holding a pot of wine, sitting on the roof with his knees bent in a magnanimous posture. With the night sky and the moon behind him, he looked a few degrees more handsome.
“I want to go up too.” Li Jianyu saw a wooden ladder leaning against the side and wanted to climb up.
“Little Carp, don’t move!”
Now, whenever Zhao Linxu saw Li Jianyu trying to do anything, his heart trembled. He tucked the wine flask into his belt, stood up, and leaped down.
Seeing Zhao Linxu walking towards him, Li Jianyu clarified, “Hey, don’t come down. I want to go up with you.”
“I know.” Zhao Linxu lifted Li Jianyu in a princess carry.
Li Jianyu’s eyes widened.
Why was he carrying him again?!
“I’ll take you up.”
Zhao Linxu’s movements were very gentle, but he held Li Jianyu tightly in his arms, and with a light touch of his toes, he leaped onto the roof with his lightness skill.
This was the first time Li Jianyu had experienced this lightness skill. He wrapped his arms around Zhao Linxu’s neck, feeling as if he were flying.
There was still some snow on the roof, and the roof tiles were very cold, so Zhao Linxu took off his cloak and spread it on top for Li Jianyu to sit on.
“First time sitting on a roof?”
Li Jianyu nodded.
He had only seen the protagonists in TV dramas do this before, looking handsome and dashing. Today, he finally tried it.
After sitting for a while, Li Jianyu glanced at Zhao Linxu from the corner of his eye and asked, “Are you in a bad mood?”
Zhao Linxu raised an eyebrow.
Li Jianyu turned his head away from Zhao Linxu.
“Today is the anniversary of my brother’s death,” Zhao Linxu said with a smile. “Zhao Linqing. He was a few years older than me, a very gentle person.”
Li Jianyu was stunned.
“In the past, I, Jiangxue, and my brother relied on each other in the Cold Palace. After we got out, I had originally intended to help my brother ascend the throne. Later, one day, I was sent away from the imperial palace. When I came back, I saw that the courtyard where we lived had been burned to ruins. Jiangxue was barely rescued, but my brother’s body was burned to nothing.”
Li Jianyu just listened quietly.
“Jiangxue said that my brother had held her tightly in his arms, even when his body was being burned by the fire, he kept screaming in pain.” Zhao Linxu shook his head. “It’s all in the past.”
That day, when he saw the City Lord’s manor burned to ashes and Li Jianyu nowhere to be seen, Zhao Linxu had felt as if his whole world had collapsed. The scene before him had overlapped with the one from that year, as if mocking his incompetence and inability to change things.
Fortunately, Li Jianyu had returned.
Li Jianyu looked at Zhao Linxu and said hesitantly, “Do you need me to leave for a while?”
“…Ah?”
“When a man is hurt, he needs to lick his wounds alone. I’m hurting your pride by being here.” Li Jianyu had a “bro, I get it” look on his face.
Zhao Linxu was annoyed. He pinched Li Jianyu’s nose. “Leave, my foot. Of course you should comfort me at a time like this.”
“How do I comfort you?” Li Jianyu’s nose was being pinched, and his voice was nasal.
Giving someone space to be alone was what brothers did. What a wife did was…
Zhao Linxu smiled, pulled Li Jianyu into his arms, and nuzzled him.
“Like this.”
Li Jianyu’s ears felt a little hot.
Zhao Linxu felt that the person in his arms was warm and soft, and it was especially comfortable to hold him. He wanted to hold him for a lifetime.
“Little Carp, I’m leaving tomorrow.”
Li Jianyu was stunned.
“I will take the North-South army and leave for the border. The Taotie are already causing trouble on the border. It’s probably a probe from the Great Xi.” Zhao Linxu smiled. “This trip is very dangerous. It’s good that you’re not going. I will come back to find you after this battle is over.”
Heaven knows how much strength Zhao Linxu had used to suppress himself and not force Li Jianyu to go with him.
He wanted so much to tell Li Jianyu that he already knew he was the person he was looking for, and also the person he liked. But he was afraid that if he broke this layer of window paper, Li Jianyu would run away again, just like how he had hidden from his all-encompassing search before.
“Oh…” Li Jianyu leaned against Zhao Linxu’s chest, his mind a complete blank.
