After the Right Prime Minister left, there was no one blocking the way, and the wind in the pavilion blew more freely.
Rong Juan enjoyed the clean breeze for a while, but eventually had to get up and leave due to his coughing.
The System must be in sleep mode, as it hadn’t fully suppressed his body’s adverse reactions.
Rong Juan coughed as he walked. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when his shoulders suddenly felt heavy.
He glanced sideways; a thin cloak had landed on him.
Ahead, Xie Yanzhou was surprisingly still there. He didn’t look as good-natured as when they left together in the morning. “Trying to catch a chill until you’re half-dead, urgently call an imperial physician, and show your face in front of His Majesty again?”
What heavy sarcasm!
Rong Juan didn’t display the perverseness he showed in front of Rong Chenglin. The other party waited here specifically; it couldn’t just be to give him a cloak.
Something palm-sized, not even half as thick as a thumb, was casually handed over.
Curious, Rong Juan tried to twist the catch on it, but was stopped.
“Tao Wen and Tao Yong aren’t here today. Only twist it open in an emergency; it sends a distress signal.”
The Imperial Garden was heavily guarded; those without special status couldn’t enter without authorization.
Usually, there wouldn’t be any danger, but with the diplomatic mission here today, there were uncertainties.
“Thank you.” The moment their skin touched, Rong Juan instinctively withdrew his arm.
Realizing this was a bit rude, he explained, “Your hand is so hot.”
No matter how good-looking the hands of someone who fought year-round were, the palms would be a bit rough, and the friction from the fingertips would be heavy.
He was telling the truth, but when Xie Yanzhou heard it, he felt an inexplicable itch for some reason.
After tying the cloak, Rong Juan was in a good mood.
Proactively caring about his safety meant that the hope of relying on Xie Yanzhou to make it to the final circle and witness the dynasty change was growing.
He had to strike while the iron was hot and solidify the relationship of sworn brothers!
“Since the General and I share a father, why don’t you call me ‘Virtuous Brother’ (Xian Di) from now on?”
Xie Yanzhou forcibly suppressed the uncontrollable itch from earlier, attributing it to lack of rest over the past two days.
Hearing these two words now, he raised his eyebrows high: “Virtuous Brother?”
Rong Juan, who relied on sick leave to wake up when the sun was high every day, smiled sheepishly: “Homophonous with ‘Idle’ (Xian), the ‘Xian’ in leisure.”
Gongs sounded ahead, interrupting their conversation. This was a reminder that the officials’ sign-in time was almost up. Officials chatting nearby all headed in the same direction upon hearing the sound.
Rong Juan stopped his spontaneous “brotherhood” and joined the army of clock-in punchers.
He walked quite fast now, forcing unfamiliar officials to give up trying to strike up a conversation.
Hearing of Rong Juan’s previous heroic deed, some people had specifically wanted to chat with him.
Young people’s blood boiled easily. Having been suppressed for too long, that slash made them feel incredibly relieved. Many quietly became his little fans.
Rong Juan didn’t notice the strange looks from the officials behind him at all, but the System sensed it.
[I’ve heard of sexual repression, interest repression, etc. Little Rong, I found that people here all have ‘killing envoy repression’.]
Rong Juan ignored it, his mind full of getting off work.
The benefits of the Emperor’s cowardice rarely showed. Just as Xie Yanzhou expected, as soon as the sign-in ended, he was sent to do odd jobs on the periphery.
Before leaving, Xie Yanzhou thought for a moment and said, “Try not to run around, and don’t cause trouble.”
Rong Juan patted his chest: “Don’t worry, am I that kind of person?”
Thinking of his daily laziness, Xie Yanzhou felt reasonably assured.
Rong Juan stretched on the spot: “Clocking in means getting off work today. Awesome.”
Due to his weak health, the coordinating official assigned him very few tasks. His colleagues in the workplace were also quite tolerant of him now. Before long, he was free to move around.
The entire morning was very leisurely.
Cheers and shouts came from the east racecourse from time to time; the polo match was in full swing.
Rong Juan gazed over there, wondering if Xie Yanzhou had beaten the Wurong mission to tears. Compared to the liveliness in the east, the overly quiet west racecourse seemed very desolate… perfect for slacking off and sleeping.
On the way back to the pavilion, Rong Juan passed a training ground, and a horse trainer bowed to him.
Rong Juan waved his hand casually. Just as he was about to walk straight ahead without looking sideways, he suddenly retreated.
Among a group of abstract, wild, and messy horses, there was one clean horse with smooth fur and a not-too-large build. Anyone who saw it would stop.
“Really nice.”
Though not as handsome as Silver Whinny, this docile feeling made people like it at first sight.
Seeing this, the trainer introduced, “This horse is named Ruo Shui. It’s a rare breed and has a very gentle temperament. Would my Lord like to try it?”
While Rong Juan hesitated, the trainer proactively led the horse out alone.
He was confident the other party couldn’t refuse. Who in the capital didn’t know this person loved horsemanship and often rode horses through the streets in the past?
This horse was one in a million; horse lovers would definitely be itching to try it.
Rong Juan stroked the horse’s mane, intrigued: “Wait for me a moment.”
After speaking, he went back the way he came.
Before long, Rong Juan reappeared, followed by Hou Shen, whom he had temporarily called over.
Racing with a colleague?
This was unexpectedly good news. Accidents during horse racing were perfectly normal.
The trainer came to Hou Shen’s side with a smile: “My Lord, let me hold your things for you.”
Hou Shen was still holding paper and a brush.
“No need.” Rong Juan declined for him, turning his head to the trainer: “You stand further away first.”
The trainer cooperated and stepped aside, waiting for the horse to run.
“Further.”
Step by step, the trainer was asked to retreat eight hundred meters.
Half a lap away, Rong Juan mounted the horse and raised the whip.
Standing in the distance, the trainer couldn’t hide the smile in his lowered eyes. Although they were far apart, his gaze seemed glued to the horse. However, for some reason, the whip didn’t fall for a long time.
The trainer’s smile gradually faded, replaced by a frown.
If it didn’t run, the drug in the horse’s body wouldn’t take effect quickly. Just then, Rong Juan adjusted his posture slightly, leaning forward and holding the reins, finally seeming ready to gallop.
The next moment, he stopped abruptly.
When Rong Juan moved again, he did eight poses in three seconds, everything except riding the horse.
Move a bit, stop a bit, move again, stop again, back and forth.
The trainer couldn’t hold back anymore, unable to figure out what went wrong.
Did he discover a problem with the horse?
No, if that were the case, he would have called the Imperial Guards long ago.
Just then, the sun appeared, shining on his profile.
Rong Juan looked back and smiled.
“…”
“Which one is good?” On the fine horse, Rong Juan consulted the System at a 45-degree angle.
[Any is fine; the last one is the best. If you’re not satisfied, I have a Quantum Camera here. Open a membership to enjoy the top 100 photo poses.]
Rong Juan chose a high-profile one and nodded: “Brother Hou, that’s good.”
Hou Shen moved to a suitable angle and began sketching the outline on paper with a brush.
Not long ago, Rong Juan found him and asked him to draw, requiring only to capture the spirit, summarizing it with the word “sketch.”
The dandy who was once criticized for loving to ride horses through the market now had no strength to ride and could only satisfy his craving through painting.
Hou Shen couldn’t help feeling a bit of pity. Thinking that such a person still drew his sword to slash Wurong, he felt a few more points of admiration.
Rong Juan had no idea what this person was imagining; he just sat waiting to receive the painting.
Every year-end, the History-Lack Unit organized a group trip. Lazy as he was, Rong Juan never rejected travel.
People are born into this world to experience it, but it’s not good to be too exhausted. So he had a unique way of traveling: sleep until he wakes up naturally, enjoy local food, take a taxi to important scenic spots, and then take photos.
A complete process that never went wrong.
Taking photos was the most important link.
Seeing such a beautiful horse today, he definitely had to take a photo as a souvenir!
Hou Shen and Rong Juan were each immersed in their own sentiments.
Only the trainer couldn’t wait any longer under the many neurotic movements.
How can someone come to the racecourse just to let someone else draw a picture?!
Is there something wrong with his brain?
Veins bulged slightly on the trainer’s hand. He wanted to risk everything, looking for a stone to forcibly startle the horse.
When he finally found a small stone and looked up again, Rong Juan had already dismounted.
Holding a pose for two minutes was the limit.
Meeting the so-called sketch requirement, Hou Shen quickly determined the composition ratio and posture of several drafts, then drew from impression.
Rong Juan’s crotch hurt a bit after dismounting. He started walking to the outer circle, looking for a place to rest.
He didn’t notice the trainer’s darkened face, his brow full of confidence in his previous poses.
“Hey, was I handsome just now?”
“…”
The trainer opened his mouth but couldn’t squeeze out a word. He managed to say with difficulty: “Doesn’t my Lord want to gallop a bit? Just mounting and…”
He almost swore.
What’s the difference between this and occupying the latrine without shitting?
Rong Juan looked deep: “You don’t understand.”
Having the photo is enough.
“??”
Hou Shen still needed some time to draw.
Rong Juan prepared to go back to the pavilion for a nap.
His unchanging life motto: Steal half a day of leisure from a floating life.
The mountain wind blew in the West Garden. It was a bit sunny when the sun first came out, but now it was raining in the distant mountains, and the temperature dropped a few degrees immediately.
Rong Juan instructed the System: “Keep a good lookout.”
Don’t be like last time, where the killer died in the room, and we didn’t know what happened.
The System displayed its Schrodinger’s cultural level: [It’s standing guard.]
“Keeping lookout” wasn’t a good term; it made them look too much like villains.
Because it woke up later than the host and slept earlier than the host every day, it didn’t say anything now and obediently stood guard.
Rong Juan wrapped the cloak forward, curling up on the bench like a cat with his thin body.
Nowadays, it was popular for somewhat prominent nobles to scent their clothes. Fortunately, Xie Yanzhou didn’t have that mainstream hobby of alluring scents; the cloak only smelled of refreshing soap locusts.
The scene of being scalded by the other party’s palm this morning flashed through his mind for some reason.
Xie Yanzhou’s hands were large, with calluses where he held the knife year-round. When that hand inadvertently scraped over the skin, it left red marks and a trembling sensation.
“What am I thinking?”
Rong Juan shook his head hurriedly.
Single for too long, could I be suffering from the sexual repression the System mentioned?
He slept without knowing what time it was. Until a cry of alarm rose, the distant commotion was deafening, and the ground trembled faintly, as if from an earthquake.
Rong Juan woke with a start, only to discover it was almost past noon.
“Seems something big happened?”
Saying it was big, Rong Juan didn’t move his butt at all.
When big things happen, stay away naturally. Only fools get close proactively.
“Virtuous Brother!” Someone waved under a big tree in the distance. It was Hou Shen.
Since accidentally calling him “Virtuous Brother” that day, he hadn’t changed it back: “Finally found you. Something big happened. Let’s go over quickly!”
“…”
By the time Rong Juan was forcibly taken over, the entire West Garden was surrounded by layers of Imperial Guards.
A racecourse he passed earlier had fresh blood on the ground. The person being carried away was screaming in pain. Most officials stood trembling on the spot, and the Emperor, with an ashen face, was surrounded by the crowd.
Rong Juan took advantage of the chaos to get to Xie Yanzhou’s side, poking his head out like a chipmunk: “What happened?”
Seeing the person pop out unexpectedly, Xie Yanzhou briefly blocked him with his iron-like arm, shielding half of Rong Juan’s body to prevent him from being seen by the Wurong envoys.
“Crown Prince fell from a horse.”
The fewer words, the bigger the matter; the principle applies here, too. Rong Juan first recalled which one the Crown Prince was.
Five princes appeared at the palace banquet.
The Crown Prince stood by Xie Yanzhou’s side to speak; the Third Prince agreed, while the Second and Fourth Princes stood with the civil officials led by the Right Prime Minister.
Among them, the Second Prince and the Crown Prince were obviously in a tit-for-tat relationship.
The current court didn’t have that many factions. It was basically civil officials and generals who disliked each other, and everyone backed different sides.
Since Rong Chenglin was close to No. 2 and No. 4, the Superintendent Bureau should be closer to the Crown Prince’s faction.
Now that the Crown Prince fell from a horse… it should be a blow to the Superintendent Bureau.
Involving his forced godfather and sworn brother, Rong Juan perked up a bit, observing Xie Yanzhou carefully. But he saw no frustration, just staring at the route of the Crown Prince’s fall, looking like he didn’t care if the Crown Prince lived or died.
Xie Yanzhou’s posture was a bit unnatural to block him.
Now the person behind him was poking his head around, almost half his body pressed against him.
Unlike the hard muscles of a martial artist, Rong Juan’s bones were ridiculously soft.
Too light.
Xie Yanzhou frowned. Feeding him tonics every day, yet no meat is grown.
Before long, the commander of the Imperial Guards brought news of the horse trainer’s suicide.
The Emperor was furious.
“The Crown Prince is skilled in riding and archery. How could he fall from a horse for no reason?”
The voice echoed over the racecourse.
The officials’ faces were uglier than one another.
The whole thing was indeed outrageous.
At the polo match, Xie Yanzhou beat the Wurong mission badly, angering the envoys into leaving. Shortly after, the Crown Prince left temporarily under the pretext of using the toilet, and then came the fall.
There were four training grounds in the West Garden. The largest and flattest was used for the polo match. No one could be sure which racecourse the Crown Prince would pass through at what time.
Looking at any single link, it was a coincidence.
But it was too coincidental; no one believed it was a coincidence.
Now that the trainer committed suicide, the matter seemed even less simple.
Officials from the Court of Judicial Review were forced to step forward, questioning the mission based on the situation at the time of the incident: “I wonder why you were with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?”
When the Crown Prince fell, the Wurong mission was there too, and an envoy shot the crazy horse dead.
Having the blame dumped on them in public, the Wurong envoy cursed in broken language: “He came to speak nice words to us, saying it was just a polo match and not to take it to heart.”
The official from the Court of Judicial Review froze, instinctively wanting to refute, but couldn’t prove that the other party’s claim was false.
The scene instantly became awkward.
If true, wasn’t the Crown Prince two-faced? Getting close to the army to win over the Superintendent Bureau and the Ministry of War on one hand, while worrying about offending Wurong too much on the other.
This conduct was quite like His Majesty’s style.
Of course, everyone only dared to think this in their hearts.
With a group of people gathered, the air wasn’t great. The smell of blood mixed with soil evaporated, stinging the brain.
Rong Juan held his breath and looked at the sun.
The Crown Prince messed up trying to appease the mission; hope it didn’t affect his lunch.
As soon as the accident happened, all horses in the west racecourse were cleared away. Not knowing exactly which one the Crown Prince rode, Rong Juan suddenly thought of something, his gaze darkening.
When the Crown Prince passed by, or if he would pass by, were all uncontrollable variables. So what was the constant?
He slowly looked toward a place, at the Right Prime Minister standing solemnly to the side, remembering the conversation this morning that seemed like an ultimatum.
Could it be related to Cheap Dad?
Originally, Rong Juan’s attention was on Rong Chenglin, but soon he noticed someone else.
The man close to the Right Prime Minister wasn’t wearing an official uniform, just tight-fitting clothes. Judging by his temperament, he was different from the old foxes in officialdom.
The man was very young, with an affable temperament. His wide sleeves were stuffed with books and a small golden abacus, as if they would fall out at any moment.
Currently, this person lowered his head slightly, saying something unknown.
The Right Prime Minister listened patiently.
Just then, the System was also talking to Rong Juan.
[Tsk tsk, Little Rong, every time you sleep outside, a murder happens. Fortunately, you’re not a suspect this time.]
Shut up!
The next second, a strange official suddenly stepped out: “Your Majesty, this humble official has something to report.”