The two fell into silence again. Yun Biechen continued eating his pastries, while Yan Linyuan sat beside him, watching. The hall was very quiet, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire.
After Yun Biechen finished the third piece, Yan Linyuan suddenly reached out and wiped a small crumb from the corner of his mouth with his thumb.
The movement was natural, yet Yun Biechen paused.
“It was dirty,” Yan Linyuan said, withdrawing his hand and rubbing his fingertips against his sleeve.
Yun Biechen glanced at him but said nothing, lowering his head to finish the last piece of pastry.
“I have to go to the West Suburban Military Camp tomorrow, so I will not be here for lunch,” Yan Linyuan said as he stood up. “If there is anything you want to eat, tell Wang Sheng to inform the Imperial Kitchen in advance.”
“En.”
Yan Linyuan walked to the door and turned back. “Is the plum tree blooming well?”
Yun Biechen looked toward the window. “It is fine.”
“That is good.”
Yan Linyuan left. Wang Sheng saw him out and, upon returning, found Yun Biechen still sitting on the couch, holding the empty oil-paper bag, lost in thought.
“Young Master,” Wang Sheng asked softly, “the Emperor is quite kind to you.” However, he still hoped that the young master could leave the palace.
Yun Biechen folded the oil-paper bag and placed it on the table. “Is he?”
“Yes, he is.” Wang Sheng counted on his fingers. “He sends clothes, books, pastries, and even specifically asks what you want to eat…” Whether this superficial favor was real or false, or whether it was beneficial or harmful to the young master, he could not tell.
Yun Biechen did not respond. He lay back down on the couch and closed his eyes, but this time he did not fall asleep immediately.
He recalled Yan Linyuan’s action of wiping the corner of his mouth. The fingertips had been warm and the touch very light, as if treating something fragile.
There was also a sense of probing.
On the third day, Yan Linyuan indeed did not come.
Yun Biechen did not wake up until the end of the Si hour. After having breakfast, he read for a while on the couch. For lunch, Wang Sheng went to the Imperial Kitchen to order a poached fish, a spicy diced chicken, and two dishes of stir-fried seasonal vegetables.
Yun Biechen pushed the vegetables aside and ate only the meat. Watching this, Wang Sheng could not help but persuade him, “Young Master, the Imperial Physician said you should eat more vegetables, otherwise you will get internal heat.”
“I will not get internal heat,” Yun Biechen said.
Wang Sheng had no choice but to let him be. He had always been unable to refuse the young master.
After lunch, Yun Biechen walked around the room twice to aid digestion and then said, “Let us go out for a walk.”
Wang Sheng hurriedly draped the cloak over him. It was the one Yan Linyuan had sent over the day before, lined with white fox fur and covered in moon-white cloud brocade, making it both light and warm.
The two went to the Imperial Garden again. This time they did not go to the top of the pavilion but walked slowly through the plum grove. Most of the snow had melted, revealing the wet bluestone path beneath.
As they reached a corner, they bumped into two people: the Noble Lady in pink and the Noble Lady in green from that day. Seeing Yun Biechen, their expressions changed, and they hurriedly retreated to the side of the road to bow.
Yun Biechen did not stop and walked past them. A few steps away, he heard a very low murmur behind him: “What is he so proud of…”
Wang Sheng turned and glared at them, and the two Noble Ladies immediately fell silent.
Once they were far away, Wang Sheng whispered, “Young Master, do not mind them; they are just jealous.”
Yun Biechen replied with an “En” and did not pay any mind. He stopped in front of a red plum tree, looked up for a while, and suddenly reached out to break off a branch.
Wang Sheng was startled. “Young Master, this… you cannot just break flowers in the Imperial Garden.”
“Why not?” Yun Biechen asked.
“It is the rule.”
Yun Biechen looked at the plum branch in his hand, then at Wang Sheng’s nervous face, and handed the flower branch to him. “Then you keep it.”
Wang Sheng took it, feeling a mix of amusement and frustration, and hid it in his sleeve.
The two strolled for a while longer, and when Yun Biechen said he was tired, they headed back. Upon returning to Linhua Palace, Wang Sheng placed the red plum branch in a vase and set it on the windowsill.
Looking at that dash of red, Yun Biechen suddenly said, “It is more vibrant than the white plum.”
Wang Sheng smiled. “Does the young master like red ones? Then this servant will go break another branch tomorrow.”
“No need.” Yun Biechen lay back on the couch. “It is enough to just look at it.”
He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.
Yan Linyuan returned at dusk.
He came directly to Linhua Palace from the West Suburban Military Camp. He was still wearing his military armor, the black plating not yet removed, and carried a chill with him. When he entered, Yun Biechen had just woken up and was rubbing his eyes while sitting on the couch.
Seeing him in this attire, Yun Biechen blinked.
“Did I scare you?” Yan Linyuan asked.
Yun Biechen shook his head. “I have never seen you like this.” There was a strong scent of blood.
Yan Linyuan looked down at himself and laughed. “Indeed, I do not look like an Emperor, but rather like a general.”
He walked over to the couch and sat down. The heavy armor made the edge of the couch creak slightly. Wang Sheng hurriedly brought over hot tea, which Yan Linyuan took and drank, letting out a long sigh.
“Are you tired?” Yun Biechen asked.
“A little.” Yan Linyuan rubbed his shoulders. “The West Suburban Military Camp is far from the palace; a round trip takes two hours.”
Yun Biechen looked at him and suddenly reached out to touch the armor plate on his shoulder. It was cold and hard.
“Is it heavy?” he asked.
“Heavy,” Yan Linyuan said. “Eighty jin.”
Yun Biechen withdrew his hand and remained silent.
Yan Linyuan took another sip of tea and then pulled something from his chest. It was a small wooden carved rabbit, palm-sized, carved crudely but appearing charmingly naive.
“Saw it on the way; felt it looked like you,” Yan Linyuan said, placing the little rabbit on the couch. “Looks like you when you are sleeping.”
Yun Biechen picked up the rabbit and looked at it, then looked at Yan Linyuan.
“It does not look like me,” he said.
“Where is it different?”
“Rabbits do not sleep this long.”
Yan Linyuan was stunned, then burst into laughter. The laughter was hearty, making the armor on his chest rattle. Yun Biechen looked at him with furrowed brows, finding his reaction inexplicable.
When he finished laughing, Yan Linyuan stopped, his eyes still shimmering with tears of mirth. “You are right; rabbits do not sleep this long.”
He took the rabbit back and weighed it in his palm. “Then what does it look like? A cat? Cats also love to sleep.”
Yun Biechen thought for a moment. “Like a plum tree.”
“A plum tree?”
“En.” Yun Biechen looked toward the window. “Growing there, blooming, shedding leaves, sleeping.”
He said it earnestly, and Yan Linyuan understood. A plum tree does not concern itself with the affairs of the world; it lives only according to its own seasons. It blooms when it blooms, sheds when it sheds; it waits when there is no snow, and sleeps when it snows.
Like him.
Yan Linyuan placed the rabbit back into his hands. “Then let us treat it as a plum tree.”
Yun Biechen held the small rabbit, his fingertips stroking the rough wood grain. After a while, he said, “Thank you.”
This was the first time Yan Linyuan heard him say thanks. It was very light, but he had indeed said it.
“You are welcome.” Yan Linyuan stood up. “I am leaving; I will come again tomorrow.”
He walked to the door and turned back. “That branch of red plum was broken well.”
Yun Biechen looked up and saw the vase of red plums on the windowsill. The petals were a dark red in the twilight, like congealed blood.
Yan Linyuan left. Wang Sheng saw him out and whispered upon returning, “Young Master, how did the Emperor know that we broke a flower?”
Yun Biechen clutched the rabbit. “He has eyes, Gui-Gui.”
Wang Sheng: “Oh, right.”
There were eyes everywhere in this palace. He broke a flower in the Imperial Garden, and Yan Linyuan knew about it by dusk. Not to mention the flower was displayed in the palace for all to see.
Yun Biechen lowered his head to look at the wooden carving in his hands. The little rabbit had round eyes and ears standing straight, looking quite silly.
Does it look like him?
No.
He placed the rabbit by his pillow, lay down, and closed his eyes. But this time, he did not fall asleep immediately.
The hall gradually grew dim, the light of the charcoal fire dancing on the walls. The red plum blossoms on the windowsill were reduced to a blurry silhouette in the night.
Yun Biechen turned over to face the wall.
He did not know what he was thinking about.
After a long while, he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep. The little rabbit lay quietly by the pillow, the wood emitting a faint scent of pine in the warmth.