DCPRT Chapter 69

After a long silence, Huo Xiling finally said “Yes, Your Highness,” indicating his agreement.

As for Cui Yan, he looked at You Yusui and said: “Crown Prince, do you think it is becoming for someone like me — a young master of the Qinghe Cui clan — to be greedy for money?”

You Yusui looked at Cui Yan and played dumb. “What Qinghe Cui clan? Is there anyone here besides my imperial physician, Xiao Cui?”

That Cui Yan had chosen not to pursue an official career and instead gone to serve as an imperial physician at the Imperial Medical Courtyard was already something people found baffling. The Cui family generally preferred not to bring it up, and anyone outside of Chang’an would have no way of knowing that the imperial physician Cui of the Imperial Medical Courtyard came from a distinguished aristocratic clan.

Cui Yan heard this and laughed, then pointed to himself and said, “Your Highness, you would have one of the Twin Corrupt Officials of the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace ride in such a tiny carriage and make do with such poor provisions?”

You Yusui understood — Cui Yan was asking for benefits.

“Fine, I’ll have your carriage changed tomorrow, and all your provisions will be set to one grade below this prince’s standard.” You Yusui said carelessly. In any case, his maternal grandfather had prepared plenty of things, and sending Cui Yan a few sets was perfectly acceptable.

At the same time, You Yusui turned to look at Huo Xiling and said, “You are one of the Twin Corrupt Officials of the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace, and also the person closest to this prince — so tomorrow you will ride as companion, sharing this prince’s carriage.”

When those words fell, Cui Yan, standing to the side, began to suspect whether You Yusui had deliberately concocted the business of the “Twin Corrupt Officials” so that he would be the one doing all the work while that lad Huo Xiling got to share a carriage with the Crown Prince and enjoy a sweet, cozy ride together.

In that moment, as Cui Yan watched You Yusui’s fingers curling around Huo Xiling’s hand, he felt certain he had guessed the truth.

“Alright, now — how do we deal with this signature dish?” You Yusui looked toward the large pot of mixed stew on the table and said to Cui Yan, “Imperial Physician Cui, you are this prince’s most trusted physician. This dish is hereby bestowed upon you — no need to be modest.”

Cui Yan: ……

Immediately after, Huo Xiling personally shoved the pot of mixed stew into Cui Yan’s arms, leaving him no way to refuse.

“Very well, this prince needs to rest. Imperial Physician Cui had better give some serious thought to how to go about being greedy and accepting bribes.” With that, You Yusui made ready to send him on his way.

Cui Yan, clutching the pot of mixed stew, looked at You Yusui and said, “Your Highness, what is the cut?”

You Yusui replied as a matter of course. “Naturally, it all goes to this prince. A son of the Cui family has lofty principles — he would naturally look down on such a small sum.”

Cui Yan: …… He had never said that.

And furthermore, His Highness the Crown Prince was truly the sort to repay every grievance in kind.

After Cui Yan had left, Huo Xiling brought over a basin of hot water and, with his own hands, removed You Yusui’s shoes and socks, then carefully began washing You Yusui’s feet.

“The post station is simple and crude — please bear with it, Your Highness,” Huo Xiling said softly.

You Yusui looked around. He had stayed in places even more crude than this — he had even, in order to gather evidence while concealing his tracks, lived among a crowd of refugees for more than half a month. Besides, this place was far more comfortable than where he had ended up after his death.

“Come here,” You Yusui beckoned to Huo Xiling.

Huo Xiling could only raise his head to look at You Yusui. You Yusui reached out and touched Huo Xiling’s strikingly handsome face, his fingers gliding lightly across Huo Xiling’s brow, the tips of his fingers carrying a faint chill that sent Huo Xiling’s breath into an involuntary flutter.

“This prince has something good to give you,” You Yusui said with a smile.

When those words fell, You Yusui’s fingers slipped inside through the collar of Huo Xiling’s inner robe, and the icy fingertips brushed across his chest, making Huo Xiling wish he could rise up and pin down the person before him who was deliberately teasing him.

However, Huo Xiling did not dare move. Without the Crown Prince’s command, he did not dare move.

Just then, something cold slipped from You Yusui’s hand and landed on Huo Xiling’s abdomen. The sudden chill that arrived in an instant cleared Huo Xiling’s head somewhat.

In the candlelight, You Yusui looked at him with a smile, swinging his feet and saying, “Take it out and have a look.”

Huo Xiling could only undo his sash, then retrieve the tiger tally that had fallen onto him.

“This is the tiger tally for Shangdang Commandery?” Huo Xiling held the tiger tally, a look of astonishment crossing his face, then looked up at the Crown Prince before him.

“Your Highness asked His Majesty for the tiger tally?” Huo Xiling said.

“That’s right.” You Yusui lowered his head and pressed his hand to Huo Xiling’s shoulder, saying, “Once we arrive at Hedong Commandery, you and I will split into two routes — you will go to Shangdang Commandery to muster troops, while I go to keep those people in check.”

“Your Highness, that is far too dangerous,” Huo Xiling said, looking at You Yusui in protest.

If His Highness were alone in the enemy’s camp, and something were to happen — what was he supposed to do?

“Rest assured, they would not dare,” You Yusui said, reassuring Huo Xiling. “This prince trusts you — you will be able to save this prince.”

“Your Highness.” Huo Xiling looked at You Yusui, reluctance written in his eyes.

“Be good. Have you not been training the Eastern Palace guards all this time? Do you still not trust them?” You Yusui said with a smile. Those Eastern Palace guards who had been trained by Huo Xiling could already be counted among capable soldiers — not yet able to take on ten men single-handedly, but already possessing the skill to hold their own against two.

Yet Huo Xiling said, “They are no match for me.” He knew exactly what those men were worth — they had not even been able to beat him in a rotating battle, let alone protect the Crown Prince.

You Yusui’s expression turned serious. “Xiling, if you do not do as I say, I fear I truly will die there. Powerful magnates fighting back in their death throes will stop at nothing.”

Huo Xiling looked at You Yusui and said nothing for a long while. Only after a prolonged silence did he finally speak. “Whatever Your Highness asks of me, I will see it done.”

“Good.” You Yusui broke into a smile.

Then Huo Xiling tidied up the foot-washing basin and busied himself making up You Yusui’s bed.

You Yusui settled contentedly onto the bed, which had been layered with several quilts, and feeling thoroughly satisfied, he turned over to look at Huo Xiling, who was still tidying up, and said, “Why aren’t you getting in?”

“Your Highness should sleep alone. I fear sleeping here would harm Your Highness’s reputation.” With that, Huo Xiling left without a backward glance.

You Yusui looked at the closed door and murmured, “He’s angry?”

“And he won’t even sleep beside me when he has nightmares?”

When he finished speaking, You Yusui lay back down on the bed, unable to help himself from reaching out and plucking at the fur of the bolster pillow lying beside him.

That bolster pillow had been given to him by Huo Xiling. The fur on its surface had been made from several rabbits Huo Xiling had hunted himself. A seamstress had stuffed it with cotton inside, making it soft and fluffy — You Yusui had been taking it with him everywhere, even to morning court sessions to sleep on.

This time, the bolster pillow was having its fur plucked entirely because You Yusui was treating it as a stand-in for Huo Xiling.

“Insufferable — this prince refuses to bother with him.”

With that, You Yusui tossed the bolster pillow off the bed.

But before long, You Yusui padded barefoot off the bed, picked the bolster pillow back up, carefully dusted it off, then looked at the patch of fur he had plucked bare, thinking to himself whether or not he should go back and have a seamstress re-fur it.

Meanwhile, in the room next door, Huo Xiling also closed his eyes. The tiger tally was gripped tightly in his hand. He was still too weak — if he were not, why would the Crown Prince have to put himself in danger?

To the side, Cui Yan looked at his bed, which had been commandeered, then looked at the small cot beneath him, and let out an involuntary sigh. As a son of the Cui family, when had he ever been reduced to such a sorry state?

All of it was the fault of that pair of wretched men.

The night deepened. Huo Xiling had already drifted into sleep. His soul arrived in a strange place. It was not the Eastern Palace, but he could distinctly feel that it was the imperial palace — only that this place was exceedingly secluded, and even he could not make out exactly where it was.

The autumn wind sent leaves falling. The desolation was enough to make one’s heart ache. Huo Xiling heard a sharp, thin voice coming from inside a room.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince — choose one.”

Hearing those words, Huo Xiling shoved the door open with a sudden lurch. He saw his Crown Prince — usually so pampered and proud — dressed in white, kneeling quietly on the floor. You Yusui looked at the eunuch before him and said, word by word, “I want to see Father Emperor.”

The eunuch, holding a cup of poisoned wine and a white silk cord, looked at You Yusui before him and said, “Your Highness the Crown Prince — I still address you by that title, but you have already been deposed and reduced to a commoner. You cannot see His Majesty.”

Hearing this, You Yusui lowered his head, as though he had already accepted reality: his Father Emperor would not see him again.

“Choose one. Do not force this servant to act personally.” The eunuch sighed as he spoke.

The Crown Prince before him was a prisoner, yet his bearing remained — radiant as a peony, yet proud as a winter plum. Even one as lowly as himself did not wish to personally carry out the act of extinguishing that life.

You Yusui looked at the eunuch before him and was silent for a moment, then reached out and closed his fingers around the cup holding the poisoned wine.

“No!” Huo Xiling wanted to reach out and snatch the wine cup from You Yusui’s hand.

Yet in truth, there was nothing he could do. He could only watch as You Yusui drained the poisoned wine in one gulp.

With a soft clatter, the wine cup fell from You Yusui’s hand and rolled to one side, and he himself collapsed onto the floor.

In moments, Huo Xiling watched blood seep from the corner of You Yusui’s mouth.

Just then, You Yusui raised his head. Their gazes met at some point in the empty air, and he heard him say: “I… did not commit treason. Did not…”

When those words fell, You Yusui closed his eyes for the last time. Huo Xiling stood rooted to the spot. He watched the wind blow in through the doorway outside, scattering red maple leaves across the Crown Prince’s body, while the light sash of his robe was lifted gently by the breeze. Even the eunuch who had brought the poisoned wine and white silk could not help but cover his face and sigh.

Facing You Yusui’s death directly for the first time, Huo Xiling stood beside You Yusui, wanting to ask — why?

The Crown Prince could never have committed treason. Why did they have to kill him?

In that moment, Huo Xiling wished he could become the Ghost-Faced General and send every last person in the imperial city to accompany him in death. And yet now, Huo Xiling could not even hold You Yusui once — he could only watch helplessly as You Yusui was carelessly carried away by others to be buried without ceremony wherever it was convenient.

In that moment, Huo Xiling felt he finally understood why Lord Xie had been so insistent on taking the Crown Prince’s body away: it was because he did not want him to wander far from home — a fallen leaf returning to its roots.

“Your Highness…”

The lamp in the room had already been lit. His Highness was leaning over the side of the bed, wiping away his tears.

“How is it that the more you wipe, the more tears there are?” You Yusui said, looking at the now-wakened Huo Xiling.

“Your Highness.” Huo Xiling called out.

“Mm?” You Yusui looked at Huo Xiling. “I knew you were going to have nightmares.”

“From now on, sleep with me. No more throwing little tantrums,” You Yusui said.

“Alright.”

With that, You Yusui climbed into Huo Xiling’s bedding.

As for Cui Yan — he sneezed in the corridor.