The following day, following Qin Duan’s wishes, Xie Zhengming wrote a memorial and submitted it to the palace.
Inside the Daxing Imperial Palace, in the Hall of State Affairs where the Emperor handled government business, Emperor Li Chong sat upright on the dragon throne, a vermilion brush in hand as he reviewed memorials. The Grand Eunuch, Zi Ying, sat on an imperially bestowed seat to the side, occasionally glancing over whenever Li Chong appeared hesitant or frowned.
At this moment, standing by the Emperor’s side and looking at the memorial from Prince Ding, he couldn’t help but nod in praise:
“Prince Ding is truly a master of both civil and military strategy; this memorial is indeed written with great reason. If Your Majesty can dispatch an envoy to visit neighboring countries, it will serve to elevate the prestige of our Daxing and stabilize the public sentiment. Currently, if Your Majesty wishes to secure the throne, this approach is certainly feasible.”
Li Chong pondered for a while, then gave a slight nod:
“It seems Xie Zhengming is indeed a rare talent. Zi Ying, what do you think?”
Zi Ying smiled and said:
“Prince Ding is capable of governing the nation in peace and securing the country in war; he can truly be called a wise minister and a capable general.”
Li Chong rose, walked around the dragon desk, and went to the window. Suddenly, he spoke again:
“Xie Zhengming is indeed a talent. Now that the world is beginning to settle, many factions are eyeing our Daxing covetously. He is a rare military commander, and with him here, I can sleep soundly regarding wartime matters. I appreciate him. However, he is so prominent, and those under his command are so fiercely loyal to him, that there is no guarantee that one day, he won’t become arrogant due to his achievements and harbor ulterior motives.
“However, while others may not know, you and I are both clear that even though Xie Zhengming is a rare talent, it is the Qin Duan by his side who is truly comparable to Zhuge Liang. Over the years, I don’t know how many times Xie Zhengming has achieved those world-shaking feats solely because of him. To have such talent not working for me, but standing beside Xie Zhengming who holds heavy military power, how can I be at ease? It is a pity.”
Zi Ying sighed lightly.
“It is a pity that Qin Duan is wholeheartedly devoted to Xie Zhengming, and his heart is filled entirely with affection; in his mind, the affairs of this world are utterly incomparable to Xie Zhengming. I have probed many times, yet Qin Duan remains as immovable as a rock. Therefore, Your Majesty should perhaps deliberate this at length.”
Li Chong nodded, then suddenly looked toward Zi Ying with gloomy eyes.
“And what about you?”
Zi Ying paused, his eyes darting away in evasion.
“Me? I, I am naturally loyal to Your Majesty and prioritize Your Majesty above all else.”
Li Chong approached Zi Ying, reached out, and pinched his thin cheek, his eyes filled with a trace of complex sorrow.
“But you have changed, Zi Ying. You are still resenting me!”
The smile faded from Zi Ying’s face, and his eyes turned cold and lifeless.
“Zi Ying would not dare.”
“You!”
Li Chong suppressed his anger, closed his eyes, and said:
“You may withdraw.”
Upon hearing this, Zi Ying’s tight shoulders finally relaxed and dropped. Just as he was about to step away, he heard the Emperor behind him add another sentence:
“Tonight, I shall come to your quarters.”
“As you wish.”
A bitter smile played at the corner of Zi Ying’s lips.
Why must you do this? You are already the Son of Heaven; why must you be so entangled? Why will you simply not let me go.
After the morning court, Xie Zhengming returned to the Prince’s estate in high spirits. The moment he stepped inside, his eyes began searching for Qin Duan’s silhouette. A maid brought tea, but Xie Zhengming didn’t bother to drink it or change his clothes; he simply headed straight for the study. Qin Duan was currently reading in his study, completely unaware that his Prince had returned to the estate.
As Xie Zhengming walked to the study, he saw Qin Duan’s young servant, Yun’er, squatting outside the study window, fussing over that thin turtle. Zhou Ji, who was following behind Xie Zhengming, burst into a snicker.
“Hey, you spend every day raising this thing; what is the point? Can it even recognize you?”
Yun’er lifted his head, hurriedly bowed to Xie Zhengming, and then looked at Zhou Ji behind him. Upon hearing his words, his face instantly flushed bright red. Xie Zhengming had already entered the study, and Yun’er stuttered to Zhou Ji:
“L-little General Zhou, it d-does recognize people. Others… touch it, and it won’t stick its head out. Only when I, I touch it, it comes out.”
Zhou Ji was Xie Zhengming’s trusted confidant and favored general. He usually lived in the estate and enjoyed teasing the young servants when he had free time, especially Yun’er, who blushed and stuttered as soon as he spoke.
He playfully poked the little turtle with his finger. Sure enough, the turtle, which had just stretched its neck long under Yun’er’s hand to get food, instantly retracted its head.
Zhou Ji was amazed.
“Yo, this little thing really does recognize people! Ha, the way it looks is actually a bit like you!”
As Zhou Ji spoke, he placed his hand on Yun’er’s head. Sure enough, Yun’er ducked his head, and his face turned even redder.
Inside the study, Qin Duan saw that Xie Zhengming had returned, and he was still wearing the princely court robes he had worn to the morning court. The dark purple silk was embroidered with four-clawed gold pythons. A green jade hair crown held his silken black hair high, making him look exceptionally refined and imposing.
Qin Duan rose from behind the desk and walked out, pulling Xie Zhengming to sit on the short couch by the window.
“Is something wrong?”
Qin Duan thought Xie Zhengming had encountered some thorny issue during the morning court and was rushing to find him, so he asked as such.
Xie Zhengming was stunned. He realized instantly that it had been a very long time since he had spent such intimate time with Qin Duan. Most of the time, when he returned to the estate, he would burrow into his own study, busy with court affairs. Just like when they were at war, he would always leave Qin Duan alone in the tent while he went to the command camp to discuss battle formations with his vice-generals and military advisors, sometimes even sleeping at the command camp and not returning all night.
Xie Zhengming pulled Qin Duan’s hand and kissed it, saying:
“Nothing is wrong. I just returned to the estate after the court session and wanted to see you immediately.”
Qin Duan felt his heart racing at Xie Zhengming’s sudden emotional words. He turned his head away uncomfortably, though a faint crimson flush climbed onto his cheeks.
Qin Duan felt a bit awkward and could only find something dry to say:
“Do, do you want to have some snacks?”
Xie Zhengming noticed his embarrassment. Qin Duan had always been thin-skinned. Even in the past, when he teased him unreservedly, Qin Duan would be shy; now that he had kept his distance for so long, this sudden enthusiasm naturally left Qin Duan at a loss.
So, Xie Zhengming sighed inwardly, shook his head, reached out his long arm, and pulled Qin Duan into his arms. It doesn’t matter; I will be even more enthusiastic. He would use his fervent affection to warm Qin Duan’s heart once again.
“No need. I just want to look at you like this, hold you, and talk to you.”
Qin Duan’s slightly lowered eyelashes fluttered, and his breathing grew slightly faster.
Xie Zhengming held Qin Duan just like this, whispering between them about the imperial decree issued during the morning court, that they would dispatch envoys to neighboring countries and build ships in preparation for expeditions to the Western nations.
Hearing this, Qin Duan was visibly happy. He nodded and said:
“Mhm, His Majesty is indeed a wise ruler.”
Xie Zhengming raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.
“Is His Majesty really that good? When we were fighting in the past, you never missed a chance to say how wise and martial he was. You, really, you only talk about it in our tent; if you actually ran before His Majesty and said it, others would surely think you were a sycophant.”
Qin Duan chuckled softly and said:
“His Majesty is indeed a rarely seen wise and sagacious lord; otherwise, you wouldn’t be so loyal in assisting him.”