8.
Yang Qinyu had been in the imperial palace for over half a month. He spent most of his time either in the Imperial Study or the Imperial Garden. Though he missed out on some amusements, the winter’s tranquility allowed him to focus on studying without distractions.
One day, he calculated the timing and waited at a spot along Xiao Buhuan’s usual route back to his mansion.
As he waited, bored, Yang Qinyu crouched in a corner. He rested his chin on one hand while poking at the snow with a small stick in the other, occasionally sighing as he recalled the way Xiao Buhuan looked at him.
“Sigh…”
He couldn’t fathom why there would be any grudge between them. Could it be that his father’s position as Prime Minister threatened Xiao Buhuan’s status?
After a moment’s contemplation, Yang Qinyu nodded to himself. It was quite possible, he thought.
He failed to notice that his cloak had become thoroughly soaked by the snow beneath him.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed behind him, accompanied by a stern voice. “What are you doing here? Is it fun playing in the heavy snow?”
Yang Qinyu hastily tossed the stick aside and jumped to his feet. The abrupt movement, however, darkened his vision and overwhelmed him with a sense of vertigo.
Xiao Buhuan steadied him, the grip on his arm distinctly clear.
As his vision cleared, Yang Qinyu offered an embarrassed smile and gestured at Xiao Buhuan’s hand, indicating he could let go.
However, Xiao Buhuan’s actions were always unpredictable.
He did release his grip, only to frown disapprovingly at the hem of Yang Qinyu’s cloak before reaching to untie it.
Yang Qinyu swiftly grabbed Xiao Buhuan’s hand, his eyes widening like those of a startled deer.
“…?”
Yang Qinyu stammered, “Your Excellency, we’re in public… Isn’t this inappropriate?”
Xiao Buhuan’s frown deepened as he scolded him, “What nonsense goes through your mind all day?” With that, he forcefully removed Yang Qinyu’s cloak.
“Hold this.”
Yang Qinyu stood dazed, mechanically following Xiao Buhuan’s instruction and clutching his own cloak to his chest.
As warmth enveloped him, he heard Xiao Buhuan sigh before a hand covered his eyes.
“Yang Qinyu, stop staring at me.”
Yang Qinyu blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden darkness. Upon hearing those words, he froze, unconsciously tightening his grip on the cloak.
Indeed, that was inappropriate!
Xiao Buhuan turned his back to him, wearing only two or three thin layers.
“You’re so stupid,” Xiao Buhuan muttered.
With his back turned, Yang Qinyu couldn’t see the expression on his face when he said those words.
In the next moment, Yang Qinyu jogged to catch up, just close enough to punch Xiao Buhuan’s back with one fist.
“Don’t think I didn’t hear that!”
Since arriving at the palace, Xiao Buhuan’s assessment of him had evolved from reckless and glib-tongued to now include stupid.
Yang Qinyu counted on his fingers, inwardly sighing. But then he thought, it’s fine. He believed their relationship could still be salvaged.
After all, the Regent was so handsome. Yang Qinyu genuinely wanted to befriend him.
9.
Yang Qinyu shouldn’t have assumed his health had improved enough to withstand prolonged exposure to the snow.
The following day, as his head felt weighed down by a thousand-pound pot, he realized the palace’s comfort had lulled him into complacency.
He requested leave from the young Emperor and quietly retired to his small room, sniffling.
One sniffle wasn’t enough, so he sniffled several more times.
His page boy’s sighs nearly matched the frequency of his sniffles.
“Young Master’s delicate constitution clearly can’t handle this! And we can’t even call for the imperial physicians… It was so much more comfortable at the Prime Minister’s residence…”
As Yang Qinyu was drifting off, miserable and groggy, he heard urgent knocking.
“Yang Qinyu, open the door.”
The voice sounded familiar, particularly like that expressionless man’s…
In his haze, he thought it might be a fever-induced hallucination, so he ignored it, only tightening his blanket and rolling over.
Vaguely, Yang Qinyu heard the sound of the door being kicked in. Then someone sat beside him, pressing something cool against his forehead.
The sensation was unexpectedly pleasant.
Like a desert wanderer finding an oasis, he nuzzled against it.
In his stupor, Yang Qinyu wasn’t aware of what was happening.
The Empress Dowager strode in, her expression grave. She dismissed the palace attendants with a wave, her tone commanding without raising her voice, “Does the Regent intend to openly oppose me?”
“The Emperor is young and naive, but surely the Empress Dowager isn’t,” Xiao Buhuan raised his eyes, gazing at her with a hint of hostility.
“Do you intend to oppose me?”
Xiao Buhuan replied, “I will certainly honor our previous agreement, but using the Imperial Physicians as pawns seems rather childish of you, Empress Dowager.”
The conversation disturbed Yang Qinyu’s uneasy sleep.
In his feverish state, he might have forgotten he was in the palace, where every action required careful consideration.
He opened his mouth and bit down on the cool object, refusing to let go.
10.
When Yang Qinyu woke up, he felt particularly refreshed, and the discomfort of his illness had disappeared.
Opening his eyes, he instinctively surveyed his surroundings. Realizing he was neither in the palace nor the Prime Minister’s residence, he nearly rolled off the bed, thinking he’d ascended to heaven.
“Young Master! You’re awake!”
Seeing his page boy burst through the door, they stared at each other for a long moment before Yang Qinyu slowly spoke, “Xiao Ya, have you also accompanied me to heaven?”
The page boy’s expression shifted from pale to green and back again before he finally frowned and felt Yang Qinyu’s forehead.
“Young Master, has the fever addled your mind?”
After listening to his page boy’s explanation, Yang Qinyu finally understood his situation.
It was, to say the least, quite dire.
“The Regent brought me here?!”
The page boy nodded, diligently combing Yang Qinyu’s hair.
“Yes, apparently the Empress Dowager had barred the Imperial Physicians. Oh, and Young Master, the Emperor is also here at the Regent’s mansion, waiting for you.” He said this as casually as if discussing the weather.
Yang Qinyu froze for a moment, then snatched the comb, hastily ran it through his hair, secured it with a wooden hairpin, threw on a cloak, and dashed out.
Keeping the Emperor waiting! How presumptuous!
“Young Master! Don’t run off! Do you even know where to go?!”
When he arrived with his page boy’s guidance, Yang Qinyu’s breath caught in his throat. Not only was the Emperor there, but his own father as well.
For a moment, his vision darkened. It’s over, it’s over, it’s over… These words echoed endlessly in his mind.
Before Yang Qinyu left for the palace, his father had warned him to stay away from Xiao Buhuan.
Now, it felt as if the sky was about to fall.
Who could have guessed that “staying away” would lead him straight to Xiao Buhuan’s home…
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