In the winter of the eleventh year of Qingzheng, Rong Tang fell seriously ill.
This disease had also appeared in his first life, so he didn't feel unfamiliar with it. He just looked at the snow falling outside Tanghua Courtyard and couldn't stop worrying.
He had exchanged life-saving drugs with the system several times, and had gone out wrapped tightly in layers.
The Dali Temple prison was dark and cold, and the clear sunlight seemed like it would never fall on this bitter and cold place. Rong Tang felt pain in his lungs, and he walked to the deepest part of the prison while coughing despite the pain.
It was an interrogation cell. Ke Hongxue stood outside the door, leaning casually against the wall, with a bright red fox fur cloak draped over his arm. His brows were slightly furrowed, and he looked without any sadness or joy at a piece of something that was gnawed by rats in the corner, which he could not tell whether it was rotten meat or a baked bun.
Once the mud is rolled, nothing can be recognized.
Hearing the footsteps, Master Ke raised his head. When he saw Rong Tang, he was slightly surprised and asked in a low voice, "Is the prince feeling better?"
Ke Hongxue's opening remarks to him always seemed to be this one. Rong Tang's life or death had nothing to do with him, but he would always ask Rong Tang "Are you feeling better?" when he saw him for the first time. If he got a positive answer, Master Ke's amorous peach blossom eyes would bend slightly, showing a little joy; if the answer was not satisfactory, he would look a little disappointed.
But these emotions were all fleeting, and the next second Ke Hongxue would remember why they were gathered together and asked, "What do you want, Fifth Prince?"
Rong Tang also lowered his voice, first replied that his body was still the same, then shook his head slightly and said: "Your Highness is fine."
Ke Hongxue was puzzled: "Why did the prince come to the Dali Temple?"
The interrogation room was filled with the cries of prisoners, and there was no other sound. Rong Tang saw a tall figure standing upright through the crack in the door. Sometimes when he looked at Mu Jingxu's back, he would feel that this man should not be in such a dark place with blood on his hands every day.
He is the snow on the high mountains, but he shouldn't be so cold. Snowy mountains should also have gorgeous wild flowers.
Rong Tang didn't know how to keep him warm, and it seemed like no one could keep him warm.
Retracting his gaze, Rong Tang said softly, "It's going to snow."
Ke Hongxue was stunned and puzzled.
Rong Tang: "Li Changfu was executed some time ago, the Ministry of War was overwhelmed, Marshal Xia himself was in a mess, and the Third Prince's party was hit hard. I want to ask if Lord Mu should take a leave to rest for a while?"
Ke Hongxue blinked, digested the meaning of his words, and smiled: "I also want him to rest, do you think he listens to me?"
Rong Tang hung his head in frustration: "If he doesn't even listen to you, who else can he listen to?"
Ke Hongxue raised his eyebrows slightly and jokingly asked, "Why does the prince care so much about my fellow student?"
Rong Tang was silent for a moment, thinking that it was because he was about to die.
Due to system restrictions, Rong Tang cannot tell anyone in this world about their ending, nor can he reveal his identity as a time traveler.
But he still wanted to make some changes.
If his existence was to change the ending of the novel and save Sheng Chengli's life, then why couldn't he save others as well
But it seems that there is no way to save it.
The wailing in the cell gradually faded. Ke Hongxue left the wall and said, "I'll remind him."
Rong Tang's eyes lit up slightly, and he almost wanted to say thank you, but Ke Hongxue whispered again: "The prison is dark, so please don't come here again with your precious body, my Lord."
The sudden kindness and seriousness made Rong Tang once again feel a sense of disconnection from Ke Hongxue.
He was concerned about himself, but Rong Tang inexplicably felt that he was using his concern for himself to comfort a little bit of his true inner thoughts.
Rong Tang's gaze shifted unconsciously as he glanced at the heavy, dark prison door in the Dali Temple.
He nodded and was about to leave: "Give my regards to Mu Shaoqing."
"Of course." Ke Hongxue agreed, but then he asked, "Rong Tang, what kind of person do you think the Chief Censor is?"
Rong Tang was startled, and pretended to be calm and asked back: "You said... Su Huaijing?"
Ke Hongxue smiled slightly: "Who else could it be except him?"
In the Censorate of Dayu, there are two Chief Censors. However, in the officialdom of Dayu today, when the Chief Censor is mentioned, everyone subconsciously thinks of the young man who is only 19 years old.
There was no other reason. First, she had a stunning appearance. Second, she had become the emperor's confidant within less than a year of entering the court.
The Censorate supervises all officials. Now when any official mentions Su Huaijing, everyone feels insecure.
It was a smiling tiger without showing its fangs.
Rong Tang calmed himself down and replied, "He is a very smart, decisive, and courageous person."
"Really?" Ke Hongxue murmured softly, his eyebrows slightly lowered, not knowing what he was thinking. He smiled and said half-seriously, "Master Su treats you very differently."
Rong Tang was surprised: "How is it different?"
"Have you ever been to the grassland?" Ke Hongxue asked, "If a wolf on the grassland catches a rabbit, its first reaction is usually not to eat it immediately."
Rong Tang felt that this man was talking nonsense again. Mu Jingxu was about to finish the interrogation. He frowned and asked, "What could it be?"
Ke Hongxue: "It would hold the rabbit in its mouth and show off to the whole wolf pack. If the rabbit was obedient and sensible, the wolves might even raise it, feed it grass and food, and raise it to be white and fat."
Rong Tang imagined the scene and asked expressionlessly, "And then eat it? Like raising pigs?"
Ke Hongxue was amused by him: "Your Highness is really humorous."
Rong Tang felt that it was not that he was humorous, but that there was only one answer to Ke Hongxue's remarks.
So he stared at him quietly for a while, and Ke Hongxue slowly stopped smiling. There was a hint of color in her eyes that Rong Tang could not understand. It was like a warning or advice. She said to him: "If one day the prince has no one around him, you can try to seek the protection of Lord Su."
Rong Tang frowned, "I have parents above me, and I have His Highness to serve, and you work with Lord Mu, so how can there be no one?"
"Who knows?" Ke Hongxue slowly raised his eyes and looked at the candle lit on the wall. There were few flying insects in the winter night, but there were still white moths that woke up early and flew around the flame. "I just think that maybe we all made the wrong choice at the beginning."
Rong Tang didn't understand what he meant. The howling in the interrogation room stopped completely. Ke Hongxue took a breath and turned into a cynical playboy again in the blink of an eye, holding the fox cloak and was about to turn around.
Rong Tang was anxious and wanted to remind him not to forget the important things. Ke Hongxue smiled and said, "I will remember to remind you, senior brother. But you, my Lord, have a body as fragile as paper, so you really need to take care of yourself."
Rong Tang didn't care too much. After all, he would only use this shell for a few years. Even if he really died of illness in the end, according to his understanding, it would just be scrapped. The most he would experience during this period would be really annoying.
He didn't care much about his own health, and he didn't go in to talk to Mu Jingxu that night.
After returning to Ningxuan Palace, he lay in the yard for a long time, falling into a semi-comatose state from time to time. On the day when the first snow fell, Rong Tang stared blankly out the window, unable to tell whether he was waiting for someone to come and deliver a message, or whether he didn't want anyone to come.
No one came to tell him the bad news. Rong Tang was so happy that his health improved a lot.
The heavy snow fell on and off for five days, and by the fifth day he had recovered as usual.
He wanted to leave the house, and then he received a visiting card from Lu Jiaxi.
Lord Xiao Lu joined the Ministry of Rites at that time and was in charge of all matters related to the celebration. He hung his head, his face full of confusion, and when he saw Rong Tang, he tried hard to force a pale smile.
Rong Tang was suddenly more confused than Lu Jiaxi.
Then he heard Lu Jiaxi say, "My Lord, Brother Mu is gone."
All funeral ceremonies were handled by Ke Hongxue alone. Mu Jingxu's nominal father was old and frail, and was far away in Linyuan Academy. The explanation given to others was that they didn't want the old to see the young off, so they kept it secret from him.
On the day Rong Tang went to pay his respects, Ke Hongxue changed out of the brightly colored brocades she usually wore and put on a plain white mourning dress, wearing hemp and mourning clothes. Her attire clearly exceeded the standards expected of a friend.
Rong Tang had never seen him cry. Even during the condolences and funeral, Ke Hongxue did not cry.
He was adept at dancing with the sleeves and was at ease in the hustle and bustle of the world of fame and fortune. There was rarely any crying at funerals, and the atmosphere was as elegant as the breeze and the bright moon.
It was extremely quiet and elegant. He did not hire any suona or trumpet band, but only invited monks from the Tulan Temple to chant the Amitabha Sutra day and night.
The guests came and went in silence, as if they were afraid that any loud noise would disturb Mu Jingxu's afterlife.
Rong Tang went to burn incense and saw Master Ke, who was over seventy years old, kneeling on the cushion and kowtowed three times in an orderly manner, regardless of hierarchy, and lit three incense sticks; in the corner, monks were chanting obscure Sanskrit, and Rong Tang glanced over and saw that they all had calm, steady and solemn expressions.
One of them was particularly handsome, with a shaved head and scars left from his ordination. He closed his eyes and quietly chanted the mantra for the afterlife, just like the ancient Buddha in the hall whose golden body had been corroded by rust over the years. Rong Tang took another look at him, but when he looked away, he could no longer remember the monk's appearance.
Su Huaijing walked in from the courtyard gate, walked silently to the coffin, and bowed three times in a proper manner, neither overly respectful nor disrespectful, just like paying tribute to an ordinary colleague. After burning incense, he was about to leave. His eyes fell on Rong Tang for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't.
He said hello to Ke Hongxue and was about to leave. Ke Hongxue's smiling expression suddenly darkened, and Rong Tang finally saw the silent sadness on his face.
He asked in a low voice: "Will Lord Su be in the capital in three days?"
Su Huaijing was puzzled: "Of course it is."
"My brother's body needs to be kept for three days. If I want to find you after that, where should I go?" Ke Hongxue asked.
Su Huaijing didn't understand, but still replied: "Master Ke can go to the Censorate to find me."
Ke Hongxue nodded, turned his body to the side, stretched his arm forward, and whispered, "Walk slowly."
Rong Tang thought it was just a minor incident at the funeral and didn't pay too much attention to it. It was not until Mu Jingxu was buried that Sheng Chengli said to him in a light tone: "Master, you went to the Imperial Censorate last night."
It was snowing outside again, as if the heaven and earth were covered in white for Mu Jingxu.
Rong Tang knew that Sheng Chengli had doubts, so he racked his brains to dispel his doubts. Then two days later, he was warming himself by the fire in the courtyard, and Su Huaijing somehow entered the Ningxuan Palace, knocked on his door, and asked with a smile: "My Lord, would you like to drink?"
Rong Tang's body was actually not suited to drinking. He and Su Huaijing had met at Liujinlou several times, and they had drunk fruit and flower wines that were not intoxicating. But that time, Su Huaijing brought the most acrid Shaodaozi.
After one glass of wine, Rong Tang felt dizzy, and after two glasses, he almost lost consciousness.
He sat on the stool in a daze, watching the dim light on the table, the scattered light and shadows, and the shadows of people on the wall constantly jumping around.
Su Huaijing drank cup after cup, not knowing whether it was spicy or astringent. There was always a smile on the corner of his mouth, but his eyes revealed an emotion that Rong Tang had never seen in his two lifetimes.
Dejected, confused, panicked, regretful, afraid, resentful...
That's not the emotion that should appear on a villain's face.
Rong Tang was stunned. He unconsciously reached out his hand to touch his eyes and said under the influence of alcohol: "Are you crying?"
"do not Cry."
"You have beautiful eyes. Smile, don't cry."
The touch of his fingers was warm and delicate, without a trace of wet tears, but Rong Tang felt that he was crying. After comforting him with nonsense for a long time, Su Huaijing finally grabbed his hand.
All the conversations in this life were just to the point. Rong Tang would not overestimate his own abilities and inquire about Su Huaijing's actions, and Su Huaijing would not ask him what Sheng Chengli wanted.
They just walked forward on the paths they had chosen, occasionally intersecting, smiling and saying hello, and then parting again.
Maybe one day when you are tired and stay where you are, you see someone coming from another path, you will smile and shake the wine bottle in your hand, and then ask: "Do you want to stop and look at the moon?"
Moonlight, river lanterns, the rippling waves of the Golden Powder River, and fine wine that is not intoxicating.
This is an unspoken secret between Su Huaijing and Rong Tang.
But that day, the stove, the wing room, the falling snow on a winter night, the burning knife that scratched his heart and pierced his mouth, Su Huaijing held Rong Tang's hand for the first time and looked seriously into his eyes, as if he had been preparing for a long time and had made a great determination, but the words he spoke were so soft that they were almost inaudible.
"Rong Tang, do you want to come with me?"
Don't care about who you want to protect, don't drag your sick body into intrigue, and don't plot and frame someone you don't like.
You stay with me, I will protect you.
Just think of it as, you be my anchor, and I will reward you.
I'm suddenly so tired...
The charcoal fire crackled in the stove, but Rong Tang was drunk and didn't know if he could hear it clearly.
He blinked and asked softly, "What about Your Highness?"
A moment, or maybe just a split second.
Under the fireworks and winter snow, the hands that were held for the first time loosened, and then they never met again in this life.
The person waiting at the intersection embarked on a completely different path.
(End of this chapter)