Whether flower branches can be reborn, Rong Mu didn't know. But he knew that he had been visiting a royal garden, inexplicably drowned by an ancient lotus pond, and came to this ancient dynasty—which, rounding up, counted as being reborn.
Shang Cizhou stared at him tightly. Rong Mu discovered that when this person calculated and looked at him, he wasn't panicked. Rather, it was when his gaze was deep and profound, with candlelight from who-knows-where flowing in his pupils, that he was most panicked.
Because the tyrant at such times would give him a feeling that both body and mind had nowhere to escape.
Rong Mu clenched the ornament in his hand and gently placed it beside Shang Cizhou.
"I... uh... I actually, probably am not the person you're imagining."
Shang Cizhou made an "oh" sound: "Why?"
Rong Mu gave up and said: "I only like eating and sleeping. My greatest ideal is to lie flat and enjoy life—far from that person's great righteousness."
Shang Cizhou looked at him. The youth's face was distressed, his two slender brows clustered together, making one want to reach out and smooth them for him, to stop him from being troubled anymore.
Before tonight, he had lived in a muddle. After tonight, Shang Cizhou could almost be certain that every three months when he sought out Min Kong, the other hadn't been chanting calming sutras for him, but confusion sutras.
His memory of searching for that person from back then was probably also fabricated by Min Kong.
The person was gone—where could he go to search?
He looked at Rong Mu, carving his appearance bit by bit into his heart. Though he didn't wish to admit it, this person had indeed made him break numerous rules.
Shang Cizhou even had a feeling of "so what, we haven't broken through to the bottom yet".
Did he have any bottom line when it came to Rong Mu?
Looking at the furnishings of Tingzhi Que, one could see how much he had loved that lost person back then—so luxurious, also without bottom line.
And coincidentally it was lotus flowers—Rong Mu's favorite lotus flowers.
Could there truly be such coincidences in the world? If it really was him... if it really was him.
What should he do?
An almost imperceptible tightness appeared in Shang Cizhou's heart. A scene flashed through his mind—a small hand tapping on his head.
"So stupid, so stupid! The Great Shang Crown Prince is so stupid!" That voice was tender and pleasant, like pearls falling on a jade plate. "You should hold me like this—Use two hands, both up, Otherwise it hurts so much! Do you even know how to cherish someone!"
Shang Cizhou's internal organs suddenly throbbed with pain once more. When he returned to his senses, he saw the beautiful youth leaning before his eyes. Movement stirred a fragrant breeze:
"What, is Your Majesty frightened by my laziness? Really, lying flat is truly happy. I just like being cherished and raised by others."
Shang Cizhou was strangely quiet, yet for the first time felt his heart beating slowly.
Slow, but alive. Along with the surrounding gorgeous colors, they entered his eyes together—no longer the grayish-white of before.
The lingering notes of "A Single Lotus in the Water" still echoed in his ears. That pure, transcendent tone drilled straight into one's brain. And the flower fragrance surrounding Rong Mu... smelled wonderful, much richer than in Ziyuan Hall.
"Hollow in the center, straight outside; no vines, no branches. The fragrance travels far and becomes clearer; standing tall and pure... standing tall... pure."(1) Shang Cizhou suddenly said in a low voice.
He suddenly remembered how the name Tingzhi Que had come about.
But Rong Mu was still outside the situation. He clicked his tongue: "What is Your Majesty spacing out for? Don't randomly imagine things that aren't there. I'm really not the person you're looking for. I'm not that self-sacrificing—if there's trouble, I'll definitely be the first to run—"
Shang Cizhou's Adam's apple rolled: "No."
Rong Mu: "What?"
Shang Cizhou said: "I won't let you run away."
Rong Mu's eyes widened: "Your Majesty!"
Shang Cizhou was silent for another long while, as if reorganizing a real life.
Rong Mu saw himself about to be detained and hurriedly said: "Don't really make me your favored attendant! We agreed to put on a show without entangling with each other. Though I have nothing, I absolutely won't take over from a predecessor. I'll get angry, and the consequences will be severe."
Shang Cizhou narrowed his eyes. Something flickered in his peripheral vision. He raised his eyes to look up and saw that at some unknown time, a dragonfly had landed on the youth's head. The little creature fluttered its four fragile wings, wanting to fly yet reluctant to leave.
He watched, his fingertips unconsciously moving, and reached out to pick the dragonfly from the top of Rong Mu's head.
Rong Mu quickly called out: "Hey, hey—we can argue, but don't take it out on other things. Give it to me, let me release it."
Shang Cizhou looked at him and said in a deep voice: "You not only attract people's affection, but always attract these little creatures as well. Wuzhui's eyes went straight looking at you today. Now even such small insects love to circle around you."
Rong Mu pouted his lips, muttering softly: "You won't let me leave, yet you also love to circle around me."
Shang Cizhou: "What did you say?"
Rong Mu snatched the dragonfly from his hand and ran to the window to release it.
When he turned back, he saw Shang Cizhou had completely occupied his small redwood bed.
Rong Mu: "..."
"Your Majesty isn't clamoring to burn Tingzhi Que, isn't getting up to interrogate Uncle Dong about the secrets of those years, isn't going to catch the little assassin—what are you doing occupying this bed? Could it be that Your Majesty also wants to lie flat with me?"
Shang Cizhou didn't look at him, only staring at the lotus relief on the bed canopy: "No. It's just that I suddenly understood something just now."
Rong Mu was dumbfounded: "What?"
Shang Cizhou turned his eyes to look at him, his gaze deep: "I understood that whether people or things, all love to revolve around you. Where you appear, there's trouble. If I follow you, I can take advantage of the situation to resolve all troubles. Don't you also like lotus flowers? Following you, perhaps I can understand why I also loved lotus flowers back then. Killing many birds with one stone—why not?"
Rong Mu was simply dumbstruck. He had no idea this tyrant had such a shamelessly clingy side!
"You! I've told Your Majesty I don't know anything. Those people revolve around me purely because I, because I—"
Shang Cizhou looked at him, waiting for his explanation.
But Rong Mu didn't know how to say it.
These people stared at him because he wasn't human at all! The Bijiang Xue had some unknown magic that always helped him absorb others' affection. Now even this tyrant had started noticing the strangeness around him and wanted to investigate—
"Fine, Your Majesty wants to sleep here, right? You're sick now. I won't argue with you. You rest first. I'll go downstairs to accompany my big clumsy vat."
Rong Mu said this and turned to leave, but before he could take a few steps, something wrapped around his waist. In the next moment, his whole body tightened and he was instantly pulled back.
Rong Mu: "..."
Who exactly was the male goblin eating people in the cave dwelling!
Shang Cizhou casually tossed the gauze curtain aside and, embracing Rong Mu's waist, dragged his whole person to the inner side of the redwood bed.
From just now, he had spoken very little and was no longer harsh in speech. Even the anger from discovering this shocking secret upon entering the Eastern Palace had been suppressed.
A pair of black pupils only took in that panicking youth.
"Does Your Majesty know, your hugging technique is really terrible—it hurts my flesh and skin." Rong Mu complained, twisting his body.
How familiar these words were.
Shang Cizhou narrowed his eyes slightly, slowly leaned close to Rong Mu, sniffed him once, then said in a low voice: "I didn't know before. Now I know."
Tingzhi Que couldn't compare to the dragon bed in spaciousness. Two men lying there could be described as extremely crowded. Therefore, Rong Mu was almost entirely enveloped by the Emperor.
Shang Cizhou's black robes were wide and large, with gorgeous and intricate gold thread running through them. Those robes covered the white quilt, inexplicably adding a hint of bizarre, decadent, taboo feeling.
Rong Mu held his breath. The lotus fragrance surrounding him was suppressed by the heavy dragon saliva sandalwood. He swallowed, somewhat panicked: "Then why don't you quickly let go of me?"
Shang Cizhou didn't move.
Rong Mu said slowly: "Your Majesty probably loves without knowing it. Now I can understand what Uncle Dong said—forgotten memories of many years, yet still able to stir hidden feelings in the heart. One can see how deep and righteous the affection was back then. But have you considered, if you mistake the person, what an awkward scene it would be for you and me?"
Shang Cizhou glanced at Rong Mu. The candle flames were hazy, small wind blew outside the window, and the thin mist dispersed. His voice was low and deep:
"Though I am of imperial descent, I am truly unfortunate. But I see you have deep blessings and fortune. If it really is you, at the very least I would know that there was once a time when I was favored by heaven, because someone protected me like that, only for me—unlike now..."
Unlike now—a solitary man.
The air was filled with Shang Cizhou's profound scent. Rong Mu's struggling movements gradually slowed. For some reason, he suddenly felt his heart being fiercely struck.
This strike surpassed the previous superficial dismissiveness—it was an unprecedented thick and heavy colors, both sore and astringent, with an indescribable thread of pity mixed in.
Rong Mu turned his head, looking at Shang Cizhou's profound brow and eye contours. His status, position, temperament, and cultivation far exceeded ordinary people.
But how many knew that being above ten thousand people was the peak of solitude? Shang Cizhou had once been fortunate enough to meet someone who walked shoulder-to-shoulder with him, but then lost them.
Not only lost them—now it seemed he was also forced to forget. If it were him, his mentality would probably have collapsed long ago by now.
This tyrant, when all was said and done, was only twenty-three years old this year. In the current situation, who knew how much of his behavior was just putting on a brave face.
"Your Majesty?" Rong Mu carefully moved his injured arm.
Shang Cizhou made a heavy sound of acknowledgment.
"You stare at me—if I'm not him, will you be angry?"
Shang Cizhou: "No."
Rong Mu asked again: "If I am?"
Shang Cizhou suddenly said: "Whether you are or not, I won't be angry with you. If you truly don't wish to stay in Great Shang, I will make a three-clause agreement with you. If you are not him, I will personally return you and the Bijiang Xue to the King of Southern Dai, and pursue the matter no further."
Rong Mu—a pure and innocent white lotus—couldn't play against a true, scheming, deep black lotus. He didn't know at all that Shang Cizhou had never made concessions in his entire life.
Once such a decision was spoken, it meant he had six or seven parts guess in his heart. Only those two or three parts were his remaining caution, left as final room for maneuver for himself.
Shang Cizhou was gambling. He gambled that his life's luck was exhausted and no one loved him, all to wait for that unknown turning point where willows darkened and flowers brightened.
The two people's breaths intertwined. Rong Mu didn't notice that the hand encircling his waist behind him quietly shifted positions several times, finally stopping when he felt comfortable and his brows relaxed.
Green-white light points slowly emanated from the flower bud downstairs, like fireflies. In a quiet corner, the Bijiang Xue sensing safety slightly bloomed open a crack, revealing the tender yellow stamens inside.
Purple-tipped tips, absolutely beautiful in appearance.
It joyfully swayed its flower branches. Auspicious purple qi jumped out from the stamens, circling and nuzzling it like an old friend reunited after a long separation.
Muffled thunder suddenly sounded outside the window. Rain threads floated on the Jade Lake. The green-white light points circled Tingzhi Que a few times, then bounced out the window, carrying along the purple qi and heading straight for the Jade Lake.
***
Inside Tingzhi Que.
Rong Mu looked at the Emperor's handsome and heroic face. A vague, tall young figure suddenly flashed through his mind.
That back figure extremely resembled Shang Cizhou, but the other was kneeling prostrate before countless gods and Buddhas, motionless, as if breaking all the pride in his bones, only begging for a trace of divine mercy and favor.
Rong Mu didn't know if this blurry vision was again the Bijiang Xue's empathy with Shang Cizhou. He lightly sighed, thinking that he was truly born with a hardworking fate.
Who could he blame? He could only blame himself for always feeling a sense of pity toward this tyrant.
"Your Majesty, can you fall asleep?"
Shang Cizhou was weirdly honest: "I have difficulty sleeping."
Rong Mu thought about it. This person had indeed received a great shock today. Otherwise, tonight he should increase the dosage a bit—first let this tyrant faint and calm down, instead of always clinging to him and hugging him, speaking confused nonsense.
Rong Mu coughed lightly. His nose tip pressed against Shang Cizhou's shoulder, somewhat itchy. The two were extremely close, and he could faintly hear the other's heartbeat.
One beat after another, slightly noisy.
The youth's voice was gentle and soft, carrying a nasal tone: "Your Majesty, perhaps... would you like to smell true flower fragrance?"
_____________
Author's Note:
(1) From Zhou Dunyi's "On the Love of the Lotus" (*愛蓮說*)
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