The new title was fine, really. With so many ears around, and Hong Fu’s men at the door, it was better to avoid gossip that might reach the wrong ears and stir up trouble.
Still, with Gu Lianzhao so late, Liu Yuanxun grew concerned. “I’m not hungry—waiting’s no trouble. But you two, eat if you’re hungry. Send a servant to the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commandant Office to check. Nothing’s happened, has it?”
“Right away, I…”
“No need,” Ling Ting said, glancing toward the screen. “He’s here.”
Ling Qing’s senses weren’t quite as sharp as her brother’s; it took her two breaths longer to hear Gu Lianzhao’s footsteps. “He is! Master, I’ll fetch the meal then.”
Liu Yuanxun nodded, watching her skirt around the screen. Then his gaze shifted to Gu Lianzhao entering from the door.
He was cloaked in a layer of frost, his face stern and brooding. He had likely just come from the Imperial Prison, carrying with him a chilling aura of menace. This look was much like the one he had worn at their first meeting.
Liu Yuanxun personally poured him a cup of water and slid it forward, his voice laced with worry. “What happened?”
Gu Lianzhao took the cup. Following Liu Yuanxun’s gaze, he glanced down at his own clothes, puzzled. “Why do you say that?”
“Your face doesn’t look good. I thought…”
Gu Lianzhao paused, then realization dawned. He rubbed his brow with a knuckle. “Nothing happened. It’s just…”
For a moment, he didn’t know how to explain it to Liu Yuanxun. After all, this was his true expression—the one he had always worn.
He knew how to put on an act and when to do it. Back when he had nothing, he couldn’t afford to offend anyone, so he had climbed his way up with a fawning smile. But once he entered the Imperial Prison, the need to read others’ faces diminished.
Liu Xun judged solely by results, and the prison was his domain. No one there required him to wear a constant sycophantic grin.
Besides, the place was pitch black; faces blurred beyond half a step away. He had grown accustomed to a blank expression.
Moreover, he had just finished interrogating a prisoner with particularly ruthless methods. Even after reining it in on the way to the prince’s residence, Liu Yuanxun had still sensed something amiss.
Such an explanation was hard to voice, so Gu Lianzhao offered an excuse instead. “I’m a bit tired.”
“If you’re tired, then rest early.” Liu Yuanxun nudged his hand. “Have some tea first.”
Gu Lianzhao tilted his head back and drained the cup, moistening his throat before turning to the matter of Xiao Jinye. “When he heard that the Bone-Drop Kinship Test could unravel everything, he lost control and nearly fainted. Once he recovered, though, he said nothing. Even when he heard about the ledger, he stayed silent—neither asking to reopen the case nor requesting to see you.”
The Bone-Drop Kinship Test was the key evidence that had condemned Xiao Jinye. If it could be disproved sooner, the entire Xiao family might not have met such a tragic end. It was only natural for Xiao Jinye’s emotions to crumble upon hearing it could be undone.
But if he wasn’t ready to meet, then the time hadn’t come yet. A single ledger probably wasn’t the most important thing he wanted revealed.
Liu Yuanxun asked, “Did you mention to him that I’m heading to Jiangnan after the new year?”
Gu Lianzhao replied, “I did. He urged the Prince to stay safe.”
“Stay safe?” Liu Yuanxun murmured to himself. “That’s odd. Does he mean someone in Jiangnan will come after me?”
Gu Lianzhao analyzed it. “If the root of this case lies in Jiangnan, then the journey there would be the perfect opportunity for them to strike.”
Ling Ting listened to their back-and-forth, his heart sour with jealousy. He managed to hold it in, but when he heard Liu Yuanxun was going to Jiangnan, the words burst out unbidden. “Master, you’re going to Jiangnan? When?”
“I forgot to tell you.” Liu Yuanxun turned to Ling Ting and explained, “A few days ago in the palace, Imperial Brother ordered me to head there after the new year. I’ll need you and Ling Qing to make the preparations.”
Ling Ting’s face paled sharply. He blurted out in urgency, “Master, it’s the dead of winter right now. Jiangnan is far away—it’ll take at least seven or eight days on the road. How can your body handle that? Please think it over, Master! Even waiting until winter passes would be better.”
Liu Yuanxun sighed inwardly and explained gently, “Your concern isn’t unfounded, but I know my own condition. I can manage. Besides, though it’s winter, the weather warms the farther south you go. The road is long, but it won’t be frozen the whole way.”
Ling Ting set aside his jealousy for the moment, consumed only by worry for Liu Yuanxun’s health. He always put his master’s needs first, but on this, he stubbornly persisted. “Master, please reconsider. I know you’re focused on Xiao Jinye’s case, but it won’t be resolved in a month or two. Even delaying by one month would make it much warmer…”
“Ling Ting.” Liu Yuanxun cut him off. His voice was soft but firm, leaving no room for argument. “I’ve made up my mind.”
“Coming through! Dinner’s here! Master, guess what we have tonight…”
Ling Qing bustled in with the food box and immediately sensed the tension. Her brother had his head down, and the prince’s gaze was fixed on him. She knew Ling Ting had said something wrong.
She set the box on the table, then hurried to Liu Yuanxun’s side and hugged his arm, giving it a gentle shake. “Master, did my brother upset you?”
“No.” Liu Yuanxun smiled faintly and explained, “I told him I’m going to Jiangnan soon. He was worried about my health and tried to talk me out of it.”
Ling Qing knew full well that if even her brother couldn’t sway him, her own words would be futile. So she said, “Going to Jiangnan? Sure, why not? I’ve never been. Winter there ought to be interesting.”
With that, she nudged Ling Ting’s arm lightly. “Right, brother? You’ve never been to Jiangnan either, have you?”
Ling Ting understood she was trying to lighten the mood. He forced out a single word with difficulty. “Right.”
Liu Yuanxun looked at Ling Ting, his heart softening. He offered a bit more reassurance. “I know you’re worried. If it were just for the case, delaying by half a month would be fine. But like Ling Qing said, I want to see Jiangnan in winter for myself—to see if it’s really as the books describe. That’s why I’m rushing it.”
If that was the case, why not wait until next year or the year after? Jiangnan wouldn’t grow old; what difference would a year or two make?
But Ling Ting didn’t voice the question.
He knew Liu Yuanxun’s repeated explanations had already given him more than enough face. He couldn’t defy him further.
“Alright.” Liu Yuanxun tugged gently at his sleeve. “Sit down and eat. Everyone’s hungry.”
The prince had handed him a way to save face—few masters would go that far. Ling Ting pulled out a chair and sat, blinking rapidly as he bowed his head to hide the moisture in his eyes.
The mood before the meal had been strained, but Ling Qing’s lively chatter soon warmed it up. They began discussing what to prepare for the journey to Jiangnan.
“I want to ride Black Cloud!”
“Black Cloud?” Liu Yuanxun asked. “That Mongolian horse?”
“Yep!” Ling Qing nodded eagerly, grinning. “Its mother is doing much better now too! Master, should we bring her along?”
“We can,” Liu Yuanxun said. “But Ling Ting already has White Snow. What about the extra horse?” He glanced at Gu Lianzhao. “Do you have a favored mount?”
Gu Lianzhao shook his head. “The Embroidered Uniform Guard’s horses all belong to the court.”
“What a coincidence.” Liu Yuanxun smiled. “After dinner, why don’t you and Ling Qing check the stables? If it’s meant to be, give it a name, and it’s yours.”
“Yay!” Ling Qing cheered. “Brother’s horse is white, so White Snow; mine is black, so Black Cloud. If the big one takes to Attendant Consort Gu, what should we name it?”
Gu Lianzhao had been eating with his head down. At the words “Attendant Consort Gu,” his chopsticks paused. He swallowed his bite and looked at Liu Yuanxun. “What do you think? What should it be called?”
Liu Yuanxun considered. “It’s a black horse, swift above all. How about Black Thunder?”
“Black Thunder! Perfect!” Ling Qing exclaimed impatiently. “Let’s go see it now! I bet Lord Gu will love Black Thunder—it’s even more obedient than Black Cloud!”
Liu Yuanxun shook his head with a smile. “No, dinner first.”
Ling Qing’s interruption shifted the conversation away from Liu Yuanxun’s health and onto the horses instead.
Halfway through the meal, Ling Qing smacked her forehead. “Oh no, I have to brew medicine! Brother, why don’t you take Attendant Consort Gu to see the horse? You’re going to groom White Snow anyway—you can go together.”
Ling Ting’s movements stilled. After a long silence, he said slowly, “Alright.”
After dinner, before Ling Qing could clear the plates, she was already urging Ling Ting toward the stables. Liu Yuanxun chimed in, and Gu Lianzhao followed Ling Ting out.
The stables were in the back courtyard, a good distance from Liu Yuanxun’s bedchamber.
The two walked side by side at an unhurried pace, the silence between them heavy.
At the stables, Ling Ting first stroked the white horse, which whinnied softly in greeting. Then he pointed to the far end, separated by a railing. “Black Cloud and Black Thunder are both here.”
Gu Lianzhao nodded. “Thank you.”
As Ling Qing had said, Black Thunder was an exceptionally docile mare. Fully recovered, its frame was robust and powerful, living up to the reputation of a Mongolian horse.
Ling Ting brushed its coat a couple of times before he couldn’t hold back any longer. “Lord Gu, since you’ve stayed by Master’s side, could you… could you watch over his health more closely? Don’t let…”
The words were presumptuous, but remembering the earlier exchange, he couldn’t help speaking up. Now that Gu Lianzhao was the prince’s bedmate, he ought to care for his health. He knew about the trip to Jiangnan—why hadn’t he tried to dissuade him? As the master’s man, his words should carry weight.
Gu Lianzhao stroked Black Thunder’s forehead, quietly waiting for Ling Ting to finish. But Ling Ting trailed off there, with nothing more to say.
Gu Lianzhao neither looked at him nor answered. Instead, he posed a question of his own. “If the one who married into the prince’s residence back then had been some pure and noble lady, would Lord Ling still feel jealous at every turn, still offer reminders everywhere?”
Ling Ting froze. “What do you mean by that?”
Gu Lianzhao looked up at him, lips curving into a smile that held a touch of ice. “I mean, if the person the prince had married wasn’t me, would Lord Ling still act this way?”
Ling Ting didn’t understand—and didn’t want to. “I’m the prince’s guard. It’s my duty to think of everything for him. If Lord Gu finds it offensive, I won’t mention it again.”
He clasped his fists in salute. “The prince needs someone by his side. Black Thunder is right here—help yourself, Lord Gu.”
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and hurried away, a hint of disarray in his retreating steps.
