Xie Zhengming tidied his robes and, seeing Qin Duan walking out, quickly followed after him.
“Where is A’duan going?”
Qin Duan replied in a soft voice:
“…Naturally, to wash my hands.”
Why is A’duan acting so clingy all of a sudden? he wondered to himself.
As Qin Duan thought this, he failed to notice that a smile had unconsciously spread across his face.
Xie Zhengming accompanied Qin Duan to wash his hands and changed into a fresh set of robes himself. At that moment, he noticed Qin Duan’s personal page, Yun’er, standing nearby with a downcast expression and a hesitant, words-ready-to-be-spoken look. Looking at Yun’er, Xie Zhengming remembered: in his past life, this entire estate had been filled with Yanning’s people, and Yun’er was the only one by Qin Duan’s side who had truly and loyally protected his master. Yet in the end, on that day when his anger was at its peak, he had ordered Yun’er to be beaten to death with heavy rods.
Seeing the living, breathing Yun’er before him now, Xie Zhengming felt a deep pang of guilt. Ah, the sins I brought upon myself in my past life.
Therefore, he asked with a softened, gentle attitude:
“Yun’er, is there something you wish to say?”
Yun’er looked over at Xie Zhengming in absolute astonishment. Outside, the Prince possessed a formidable reputation, enveloped in a chilling, murderous aura forged on the battlefields. He rarely smiled in front of the servants, and everyone in the estate was terrified of him; it was practically unheard of to hear him speak in such a tender tone. (Flustered and deeply flattered), Yun’er replied:
“Reporting to Your Highness… yes, this servant wished to remind His Lordship… His Lordship has been busy all morning, and after returning to speak with Your Highness, he still hasn’t eaten lunch.”
Hearing this, Xie Zhengming instantly felt a wave of self-reproach. Of course—he had woken up and immediately rushed over to drag Qin Duan into conversation, and now the afternoon had already passed.
“Ah, it was my carelessness. Hurry, have meals served at once.”
Just then, Steward Liu of the estate heard that the Prince had emerged and hurried over to invite him back for his meal.
This estate had been granted by imperial decree just a few days prior, and ever since they moved in, Xie Zhengming had assigned the western courtyard to Qin Duan. At the time, Qin Duan had frozen for a moment before silently obeying and moving into the western courtyard without a word of complaint.
Now living it over again, Xie Zhengming realized how thoughtless that action had been: his move back then was equivalent to telling Qin Duan that only his future principal wife was qualified to live in the main courtyard!
Though he was busy with military affairs at the time and frequently failed to return for the night, and when he did return, he mostly stayed with Qin Duan in the western courtyard, Qin Duan had never set foot in the main courtyard—the symbolic domain of the head of the household—even for a single day.
As Xie Zhengming was lost in these thoughts, Qin Duan spoke up:
“Your Highness, I’m actually not very hungry. You go ahead and eat. I still have a lot of things to sort out and arrange over here, so I’ll be busy for a while yet.”
Xie Zhengming took his hand instead, saying:
“A’duan, it was my foolishness the other day. You ought to be living with me in the main courtyard. You and I are fundamentally one how could we be separated? Come, let’s go back and eat together.”
“Steward Liu, you can take charge of arranging and settling the western courtyard. As for the main courtyard, the head of the household will handle it. Tell the people below to mind their manners; if they tire out the head of the household, I’ll hold you accountable first.”
Steward Liu hung his jaw open, his mind spinning at lightning speed. Amidst his astonishment, he repeatedly acknowledged the order:
“Yes, yes, this old servant has noted it down. I will certainly make sure the… the head of the household does not need to worry.”
Xie Zhengming pulled Qin Duan along to dine, leaving Steward Liu standing in the courtyard feeling thoroughly scrambled. Scratching his head, the steward muttered to himself:
“Head of the household? Lord Qin is the head of the household of the Prince’s Estate, then what is the Prince? And when a Princess Consort marries in later, what will she be? Ordinary households only ever have one head of the master and one mistress, but our Prince’s Estate well isn’t this nice, we’ve got two heads of the household?”
Xie Zhengming was currently unsure of what Qin Duan was truly thinking. He had kept his distance from Qin Duan for far too long, and he honestly had no idea whether the man’s heart remained as steadfast as a rock toward him. Furthermore, he was terrified that if he asked directly once more, it would land them both in an awkward predicament. Consequently, Xie Zhengming tried to sound him out with veiled hints, though the outcome unfortunately left him disappointed.
Throughout the entire meal, Qin Duan’s words continually betrayed a quiet hope that Xie Zhengming would take a principal wife of equal social standing. By the time they finished eating, Xie Zhengming was weighed down with heavy thoughts, finding the meal completely tasteless.
After lunch, Steward Liu came to report that the newly purchased opera troupe had arrived at the estate.
“Your Highness, the troupe has arrived and is already settled in the Luxiang Pavilion. Would Your Highness care to have them stage a few excerpts for our listening pleasure today?”
Seeing that Qin Duan looked somewhat drowsy after his meal, Xie Zhengming worried that taking a nap right after eating would be bad for his health, so he instructed:
“Very well, go make the arrangements.”
“Understood.”
Steward Liu withdrew. Xie Zhengming pulled Qin Duan close and gently coaxed him:
“You must not have eaten breakfast properly, and lunch came past its proper time, so you were overly hungry and ate quite a bit just now. If you go straight to sleep right now, firstly, it’s harmful to your internal organs, and secondly, if you sleep at this hour, won’t you suffer from insomnia tonight? Come with me to listen to some opera instead; who knows, perhaps you’ll find it amusing and perk right up.”
Qin Duan smiled faintly and nodded, obediently following Xie Zhengming’s suggestion. In truth, he was indeed sleepy just now, but he had no intention of taking an afternoon nap. He had wanted to ask Xie Zhengming why, with most of the day already gone, he still hadn’t gone to the study to handle official business; yet, deep down, he was truly reluctant to part with him. After all, it had been a very long time since the two of them had shared a quiet conversation and a meal like this. Being doted on wholeheartedly by Xie Zhengming for even a short while had long since become an extravagant dream for him, so how could he bear to end it so soon?
Together, the two arrived at the Luxiang Pavilion and seated themselves in the private boxes below the stage. The troupe leader promptly led his cast of performers forward to pay their respects.
“Greetings to Your Highness, Head of the Household.”
That sycophantic Steward Liu had already briefed the opera troupe on the proper forms of address beforehand. Hearing the troupe leader address Qin Duan as “Head of the Household,” Xie Zhengming instantly felt a deep sense of satisfaction settle in his chest.
“Mn, reward them.”
A servant froze for a moment, then hastily retrieved a large ingot of silver—prepared in advance for the Prince’s casual rewards—and brought it forward, placing it before the troupe leader.
The troupe leader never expected that simply paying a courtesy call would net him a massive ingot of silver under the notoriously particular Prince Ding, and he hurriedly dropped to his knees to express his profound gratitude.
Xie Zhengming then inquired:
“What are the star performers’ most proficient plays, and what new pieces have you rehearsed recently? Let’s hear them.”
The troupe leader respectfully answered:
“We have two lead actors in our troupe; their most celebrated masterpieces are Farewell My Concubine and Injustice to Dou E. Recently, we have also been rehearsing A Dream of Jiangnan.”
Xie Zhengming nodded. “Start with those two pieces you excel at.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Costumed performers took the stage and began to sing in soaring, melodious voices. True to Steward Liu’s meticulous selection, the troupe was indeed extraordinary; their singing resonated against the beams like drifting clouds, winding and lingering endlessly. When the scene reached the point where the Hegemon-King of Chu committed suicide by the Wujiang River, the King’s voice was desolate and sorrowful as he clasped Yu Ji’s hand and sang: “O Yu, O Yu, what shall I do with thee…”
Down in the audience, both Xie Zhengming and Qin Duan felt a sharp pang in their hearts. Inevitably, both recalled that battle at Fanshui. At the time, they had been at a distinct disadvantage; their boats were small and dilapidated, whereas the enemy possessed massive fleets of interlocking warships stretching over tens of miles, presenting an overwhelming and terrifying aura.
Back then, Xie Zhengming had felt absolute despair in his heart, thinking that dying in battle as a general was a fitting end. Yet when he looked at Qin Duan beside him, a wave of sorrow surged through him. He had asked a question nearly identical to what the Hegemon-King of Chu once asked Yu Ji by the Wujiang River:
“A’duan, my A’duan, I do not fear life or death, but you… what will become of you?”
And back then, Qin Duan had simply smiled and replied:
“Across heaven and earth, naturally it means living and dying together with Your Lordship.”