Chapter 22: Yang Xuanse's Temper
The rain that fell between late autumn and early winter could chill a person straight to the bone. Even though Le Wu diligently fulfilled his duties and escorted Yang Xuanse to the clinic every day, it still took several days for him to recover.
It couldn't even be considered a full recovery. His fever had broken, but the other minor ailments lingered. The doctor explained that these were aftereffects with no immediate cure; he simply needed time to rest and recuperate.
After realizing there was no way to get rid of Le Wu, Yang Xuanse resigned himself to being woken up every day and escorted to the clinic in the city.
He would finish his daily dose of medicine there before heading home, as he didn't have a medicine pot in his kitchen. It was much more convenient this way.
During this time, Le Wu was remarkably well-behaved and completely avoided mentioning the Crown Prince. It seemed he was well aware that his master was just as obnoxious and unlikable as he was.
However, when the local gossip shifted from "how beautiful the southern flowers are" to "how beautiful the flower demon is," Yang Xuanse subconsciously glanced at Le Wu. Le Wu showed no reaction, looking as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
Yang Xuanse figured it wasn't a major issue. No matter how terrifying the rumors became, once the banquet took place and the flowers didn't magically transform into a demon, the gossip would naturally dissipate.
On his final day of treatment, Yang Xuanse received a health regimen prescription from the doctor. Standing at the clinic's entrance, he turned to Le Wu.
"I'm fully recovered now, so you don't need to watch over me anymore. Go back and tell the Crown Prince that I don't need protection. Also, I’m going for a stroll. Don't follow me. Haven't you noticed everyone avoids you?"
With that, Yang Xuanse opened his umbrella and walked off on his own. It was still raining today, leaving everything damp and soggy.
The street vendors who usually bustled about had stayed home, leaving the typically lively imperial capital unusually quiet for days.
Passing by a teahouse, Yang Xuanse craved some pastries. He stepped inside, ordered a pot of hot tea, and snacked while eavesdropping on the local gossip.
Entertainment in ancient times was painfully limited. As an introverted homebody who loved reading web novels, Yang Xuanse was basically restricted to listening to storytellers since arriving in the Great Yu Dynasty.
Books and paintings were exorbitant. Scholars who wanted to read had to borrow and hand-copy the texts themselves. He lacked both the time and the money to even consider borrowing them.
Otherwise, he would have loved to borrow some supernatural or suspense novels just to appreciate Great Yu's popular literature.
Having stayed in Great Yu for a while now, Yang Xuanse could understand the local dialect as long as people spoke slowly, so listening to storytellers wasn't a problem.
The storyteller narrated two ancient romance stories. To a modern man like Yang Xuanse, they sounded like the wishful fantasies of impoverished scholars, but in this era, simply having something to listen to was a luxury.
Taking a sip of water and snapping his folding fan open, the storyteller shifted to the tale of the flower demon.
According to the storyteller, the flower demon was a spirit who had cultivated for many years. Like most demons, she needed to ask for a "verbal seal" from a human—just like in folklore, where a spirit asks, "Do I look like a human?"
If you answered that she did, she would successfully transform into human form. If you said she didn't, the demon would be forced to return and cultivate all over again.
If denied their verbal seal, some demons would fly into a rage. Feeling their cultivation had been ruined and severely set back, they would simply murder the person they had asked.
Among the flowers sent to the imperial capital, one pot happened to be the true body of the flower demon. She had come to the capital because the Emperor, in his past life, had granted her a verbal seal.
As everyone knew, the Emperor was the true Son of Heaven, meaning he had been a ruler in his past life as well. The promise of an Emperor could turn stone to gold, allowing the flower demon to attain human form.
In this life, she had come to repay her debt of gratitude to His Majesty. However, the flower demon was deeply jealous. Having failed to grow old with the Emperor in her past life, the sight of his three palaces and six courtyards full of concubines filled her with insane envy. She might just start eliminating anyone competing for her husband.
It was a short tale, but the storyteller wove it into a deeply touching and gripping narrative, dripping with intense romantic tension. In modern internet slang, it was basically bordering on the risqué.
But clearly, the crowd loved it.
Finding it amusing, Yang Xuanse ordered a plate of peanuts and melon seeds, cracking them open as he listened.
Just as he was getting completely absorbed, a voice murmured near his ear, "You enjoy listening to this?"
The voice was faintly familiar and far too close. Startled, Yang Xuanse turned his head, only to see the Crown Prince. Behind him stood Le Wu and Le Jiu in disguise. He had no idea when they had arrived.
Out in public, Yang Xuanse knew the rules and wouldn't directly call out his title. He coughed lightly. "Yeah. Books are too expensive to read, so listening to this is just right."
The Crown Prince chuckled softly, picking up the teacup in front of him. "You can mention it to Le Wu. He'll help deliver whatever you want to read. Consider it my thanks."
"I'll pass. Books are precious, not something a person of my social class can possess. If I lose them, I wouldn't be able to afford the compensation," Yang Xuanse replied, keeping his voice low while keeping an eye on his surroundings.
Saying such things killed the mood, and the Crown Prince was displeased. But since Yang Xuanse was telling the truth, he simply pretended he hadn't heard it.
"Le Wu reported that you fell ill. If your health is poor, you shouldn't wander around. The mountains are freezing—why must you always run up there to look at the scenery?"
It was clearly stalking, yet he made it sound so casual. Now Yang Xuanse was annoyed too. He dropped the melon seeds in his hand, opening his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by a fit of violent coughing.
Frowning, the Crown Prince raised a hand to pat his back. "Eat less of this junk. It's bad for your health."
Yang Xuanse took a sip of tea to suppress the itch in his throat. The coughing had brought some color to his pale face, making him look surprisingly more energetic.
"I'm fine. I just come here occasionally for a taste. Young Master, you are busy with myriad affairs every day, so you should head back early. You shouldn't waste your time on an idler like me."
"Are you referring to the flower demon?" the Crown Prince asked softly.
He hadn't been referring only to that, but Yang Xuanse silently acquiesced.
The Crown Prince gently shook his head. "I am not in charge of this matter. The October rains destroyed a swath of flowers. My original intention was to discuss it with my mother. Since the weather is freezing and the ground is muddy, likely no one would want to come out to play, so I planned to postpone the banquet to the Winter Solstice."
Since the Crown Prince's faction chose not to host it, someone else naturally would just to compete with the Empress—and they'd make sure to host it gorgeously. However, whether the flower demon rumor was part of their arrangement remained unknown.
Understanding the Crown Prince's underlying meaning, Yang Xuanse stopped trying to chase him away. The Crown Prince was so busy anyway; he was probably just stealing a half-day of leisure during the winter. He would likely have to leave on his own shortly.
Having finished the flower demon story and seeing the great response, the storyteller moved on to a fox demon tale.
Yang Xuanse had arrived at the capital early in the morning, and it was only noon by the time he finished listening to the storytelling.
He didn't plan on leaving and decided to eat directly at the teahouse. But the Crown Prince was displeased—he rarely ate such outside food—so he offered to treat him to a meal.
Refusing a thank-you gift he couldn't afford was one thing, but being treated to a meal was another. Yang Xuanse hadn't eaten at any particularly nice places since arriving in Great Yu.
However, he looked up at the rain outside and shook his head. "I don't want to go. It's too cold out there. Going out will be uncomfortable."
The teahouse was packed, and there were small stoves continuously boiling water to drive away the dampness, keeping the temperature perfectly warm. Going outside would definitely be freezing.
After leaving the clinic, Yang Xuanse had finally managed to warm up in the teahouse and had absolutely no desire to move.
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