Chapter 39#
The rain wasn’t heavy, and the drifting mist and fine rain wouldn’t soak someone to the bone. Instead, it added a touch of coolness to Jiangnan’s heat.
Halfway there, Lin Huaiyu looked at Jing Fei: “Our paths diverge here; let’s part ways.”
Jing Fei blinked and said: “There’s only one umbrella; I’ll see you back.”
Lin Huaiyu shook his head and insisted: “No need. You have a fan; use it to block the rain.”
Ji Wuyou: “?”
So Lin Huaiyu had no intention of returning the umbrella to him?
Jing Fei could only smile helplessly at Lin Huaiyu: “Then… remember to call me for the birthday banquet.”
Lin Huaiyu smiled and agreed: “Of course.”
Jing Fei parted ways with Lin Huaiyu at the intersection, opening the fan in his hand to block the rain, returning very obediently.
Lin Huaiyu strolled through the rain with an umbrella, his pace neither hurried nor slow, as he walked slowly toward the Lin residence.
Su Yang followed behind him step by step, neither approaching nor falling behind. The distance between them was just a tiny bit, yet Su Yang didn’t dare take even two more steps forward.
When that stretch of road ended, Lin Huaiyu had reached the entrance of the Lin residence. He closed the umbrella, and Lin Fei came out to meet him: “Master, you’re back.”
Lin Huaiyu nodded and glanced back at Su Yang, who had followed him all the way. He didn’t speak, and Su Yang didn’t speak either.
Lin Huaiyu then went inside. Lin Fei closed the heavy gate of the Lin residence, following behind Lin Huaiyu and shutting Su Yang outside.
Lin Fei said behind Lin Huaiyu: “Master, His Majesty came to look for you earlier.”
Lin Huaiyu’s pace didn’t stop; he only asked: “Did he say what it was about?”
Lin Fei shook his head: “No, he only said he had something very important to say to you. I told him you went lake boating. I hope it didn’t disturb you and the Seventh Prince?”
Lin Huaiyu glanced at Lin Fei but said nothing.
If Su Yang really had something very important to tell him, he wouldn’t have followed him all the way without saying a single word.
Either the matter wasn’t that important to Su Yang, or it wasn’t that important to him.
Since it wasn’t important, Lin Huaiyu didn’t bother to investigate further. He entered the courtyard, where He Qingli was waiting at the door of his room. Since it was raining, He Qingli could only stand under the corridor; otherwise, he would probably be drinking tea in the courtyard while waiting for Lin Huaiyu.
Looking at Lin Huaiyu, he said crossly: “Gone since early morning—do you not plan to cure this poison?”
Lin Huaiyu smiled and said calmly: “It’s just dragging on anyway; it can’t be cured. Drag it as long as I can; if not, then let me die.”
He Qingli’s expression changed: “Why do you always speak so discouragingly!”
Lin Huaiyu said indifferently: “It is time, it is fate.”
He was waiting for that person, but he had never come—the person who could cure this poison. There was no news from the Abbot either, who said they were short one medicine. After all these years of searching, he really wasn’t afraid that he wouldn’t be able to hold on and would die.
He Qingli followed Lin Huaiyu into the room, saying: “You’re not someone who believes in fate.”
Lin Huaiyu looked at him: “Do you know me that well?”
He Qingli laughed: “I can’t say I know you well, but after knowing your great achievements, I know you’re not that kind of person. How could someone who believes in fate strive so hard to shake Great Yong’s winds and clouds, leading His Majesty to change his destiny?”
Lin Huaiyu smiled: “You have such a high opinion of me; why didn’t you choose me back then?”
He Qingli shut his mouth and took things out of his medicine box: “Oh right, His Majesty is ill and has fire attacking his heart. Last time I didn’t give him a prescription, and I didn’t know where he was staying. When will Lord Fang come?”
Lin Huaiyu immediately looked at He Qingli: “His Majesty is ill?”
He Qingli nodded: “It’s not a big deal, just caught some rain and developed a cold, along with spitting some blood from fire attacking his heart. After drinking medicine to dispel the cold and lower the fire, he’ll be fine. Maybe he’s already found a doctor.”
Lin Huaiyu frowned, looked at the fine rain drifting outside the window, thought for a moment, and said to Lin Fei: “Go open the gate.”
Lin Fei blinked: “Yes.”
He ran to the main gate of the Lin residence and opened it to see Su Yang still standing there, staring straight at him. Seeing the gate open, a faint light sparkled in Su Yang’s dark eyes.
Lin Fei scratched his head, and he and Su Yang stared at each other.
Su Yang asked: “Did Teacher let me in?”
Lin Fei shook his head and said, as Su Yang’s eyes dimmed again: “Master didn’t say anything, just told me to open the gate. I don’t know what it means either…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Su Yang had already entered the courtyard.
It was fine if Lin Fei didn’t understand; he understood.
Su Yang walked through the corridor to Lin Huaiyu’s room. Seeing Lin Huaiyu bloodletting and neutralizing the poison again, his heart trembled.
Every time he saw the countless knife scars on Lin Huaiyu’s arm, his heart ached.
If it weren’t for him, Lin Huaiyu wouldn’t have had to endure such pain.
He stood at the door, not daring to enter. After He Qingli finished treating Lin Huaiyu, Lin Huaiyu’s senses had not yet recovered, and he lay in the light with half-closed eyes, unable to see anything.
Su Yang had never seen Lin Huaiyu so fragile. Just as he was about to walk over, He Qingli stopped him: “Lord Lin asked me to treat Your Majesty.”
Su Yang was stunned and was pushed to sit down by He Qingli. As the other’s hand was placed on his pulse, Su Yang looked at Lin Huaiyu with a soft gaze.
Lin Huaiyu… still cared about him, right?
Su Yang curled his lips slightly. He Qingli had already withdrawn his hand: “Why didn’t Your Majesty find a doctor? This cold has lasted for two days and hasn’t gotten better.”
Su Yang, however, said: “It’s no matter.”
He Qingli wouldn’t listen to him: “I’ll go brew the medicine; Your Majesty, please look after Lord Lin.”
Saying this, he left the room.
Only Lin Huaiyu and Su Yang remained in the room.
Su Yang walked toward the couch, looking at the silent Lin Huaiyu, knowing that his senses were currently temporarily sealed and hadn’t recovered yet.
He knelt down, looked up at Lin Huaiyu, and said: “Why are you so good to me?”
Lin Huaiyu couldn’t hear his words and naturally didn’t answer him.
Su Yang just watched Lin Huaiyu like that until his senses recovered.
Lin Huaiyu’s gaze slowly focused, seeing the person before him kneeling like a small puppy. He asked: “Where is He Qingli?”
Su Yang told the truth: “He went to brew medicine.”
Lin Huaiyu nodded and looked away, not looking at Su Yang.
Su Yang didn’t say anything either, just watching Lin Huaiyu in that position as if he could never see enough.
“Medicine’s ready!” He Qingli came in from the door and placed the medicine on the table. He glanced at the kneeling Su Yang and gave a light cough: “Your Majesty, drink the medicine.”
Only then did Su Yang rise. He looked at the particularly dark medicine, frowned, and asked Lin Huaiyu: “Teacher, this medicine smells so bitter; can you feed me?”
Knowing that Lin Huaiyu had softened his heart toward him, Su Yang began to push his luck.
Lin Huaiyu glanced at him with a cold expression: “If you don’t want to drink, you can leave now.”
Su Yang quickly said: “I’ll drink.”
He walked to the table and drank the medicine spoon by spoon.
He Qingli brought another bowl to Lin Huaiyu: “You drink too.”
Lin Huaiyu glanced at him. He Qingli didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving, as if he wanted to watch Lin Huaiyu drink the medicine on the spot.
One had to admit, He Qingli did indeed understand him quite well sometimes.
Lin Huaiyu sighed. Since he had nothing sweet here anyway, he could only drink down that bowl of bitter medicine.
He Qingli then said: “Isn’t that better? Always eating sweet things reduces the medicine’s effectiveness. You still have to drink several more bowls; you might as well not eat that sugar.”
He Qingli continued to mutter as he took the bowls out. Passing by Su Yang, he glanced at Su Yang’s medicine and found more than half still remained.
He shook his head and walked out.
The room was very quiet. Neither of them made a sound, except for Su Yang slowly drinking the medicine, one spoon at a time.
Lin Huaiyu finally couldn’t stand it and said: “If you keep drinking like that, the medicine will get cold.”
Su Yang pursed his lips and took the opportunity to take a packet of sugar cubes from his robes, placing them by Lin Huaiyu’s hand: “Eat them secretly; don’t let He Qingli find out.”
Looking at the sugar, Lin Huaiyu laughed: “You, an Emperor of Great Yong—why are you afraid of He Qingli?”
Seeing him smile, Su Yang also smiled: “I’m not afraid of him, but you need him to cure your poison.”
Lin Huaiyu picked a small sugar cube and put it in his mouth, then wrapped the rest and put it under his pillow: “After drinking the medicine and getting better, return to the capital.”
Su Yang’s movement in drinking the medicine paused: “I don’t want to go back.”
He knew Lin Huaiyu would drive him away. He deliberately drank the medicine slowly just because he didn’t want this rare time spent with Lin Huaiyu to pass by so quickly.
Lin Huaiyu looked at him and asked: “If the Emperor of Great Yong isn’t presiding over the court, what will happen to the capital?”
Su Yang said: “I handed it to Zhao Xiangyi. Didn’t you praise him for being formidable? I let him oversee the country and handle state affairs.”
Lin Huaiyu’s brow furrowed immediately: “Nonsense!”
Seeing him angry, Su Yang stopped drinking the medicine and just looked at Lin Huaiyu.
Lin Huaiyu barked: “Overseeing the country is of great importance. Are you planning to hand Great Yong over to Zhao Xiangyi in the future?”
Su Yang smiled: “Anyway, I won’t have any descendants in the future; Great Yong has long been without a successor. Let the capable one take it. If Zhao Xiangyi truly has the ability to convince the masses, it’s not impossible to hand it to him.”
Lin Huaiyu’s brow was tightly furrowed; he could tell Su Yang wasn’t joking.
Feeling he hadn’t been precise enough, Su Yang added: “Of course, I will surely protect Great Yong during my lifetime. After all, this is the empire Teacher won for me.”
Lin Huaiyu said crossly: “It wasn’t all for you.”
Su Yang’s smile paused slightly, and then he said: “It’s no matter; Teacher’s vision is my vision.”
Lin Huaiyu lowered his eyes: “I will not return to the capital with you. As early as a year ago, when I erased everything about myself in the capital, I didn’t intend to return. If you need someone to assist you, Zhao Xiangyi will do, and Fang Zhixu will do—you’re not short of me.”
Su Yang’s heart panicked, and he said quickly: “I’m not short of people to assist me. If I must choose one, that person can only be you. Teacher is unwilling to go back because you resent me—I know.”
Lin Huaiyu didn’t say yes or no, just drove him away: “After finishing the medicine, get lost.”
Su Yang didn’t dare to talk back to Lin Huaiyu again, but his speed in drinking the medicine was still very slow, until the bowl of medicine actually turned cold.
How could Lin Huaiyu not see through Su Yang’s thoughts? He said crossly: “Do you not want to cure your illness?”
Su Yang said: “If my illness heals more slowly, would you talk to me more?”
Lin Huaiyu glanced at him: “No. From now on, I won’t say a single word to you.”
Su Yang responded dryly and said with some grievance: “If Zhao Xiangyi came to find you, would you be willing to return to the capital with him?”
Lin Huaiyu was suddenly so angry that he laughed.