Scent Of Time

Chapter 58

“Miss, remember to look for me quickly, or I’ll return for you.”

Hua Rongzhou left these words, rolled onto his horse, turned his back, and smiled. Initially, he was unwilling to leave Hua Qian, but after hearing her say those words, he changed his mind. She said that we will live in that place in the future.

We– live —
What a beautiful word! Just thinking about it made him raise his mouth corners. He had worked so hard for so long, and finally, he could stay by her side. In the prison, he provoked the jailer to get whips. After all, his past was unpleasant. Fearing of her blame, he wanted to win her heart soft. It turned out Hua Qian was willing to protect him. When she reached out to him at the prison door and said, ‘I’ll take you back,’ it was the best scene in his life.

With this anticipation, Hua Rongzhou traveled day and night for eight days before arriving at the small town on the Yangtze River south that Hua Qian mentioned. Indeed, the scenery here was pleasant. It was an excellent place to seclusion. After randomly finding an inn, he hurriedly inquired about the local housing.

After looking at many houses in a row, none were acceptable. This house was not good. She always liked quiet, and the surrounding neighbors were too noisy. This mansion, too. She liked to fiddle with flowers and plants, and this courtyard was too remote; it would be hard for the flowers and plants to live. That mansion also wasn’t good; she liked to eat fruits but disliked the unfreshness, so it would be best to find a mansion with a backyard where she could plant some of her favorite fruit trees. After looking at one mansion after another, he felt she wouldn’t like them.

After spending four or five days looking at mansions, Hua Rongzhou saw a high tree in the backyard of a mansion and leaped up, cozying up on the branch. This tree was good for shade and coolness. She always liked to sit under the eaves of the house on a chaise lounge and laze around. He could tie a swing under the tree for her when the time comes. It would be more comfortable than a chaise lounge. Then, this is it.

Hua Rongzhou opened his brown eyes, shining like a fox. It was time to return and send her a letter saying that he had found a good house and asking her to come quickly. On his way back to the inn, he saw a roadside seller of fried chestnuts. Remembering that day when Hua Qian asked if he wanted to eat them, he couldn’t help but walk over and say, “Give me a bag.”

The chestnut seller was loading the chestnuts with his hands while stealing glances at the person in front of him from time to time. This person seemed to have never seen someone this good-looking. Noticing the seller’s undisguised sight, Hua Rongzhou frowned and let out some murderous aura from his eyes. He had received countless unsuspecting gazes since he was a child because of his looks, so he was the most sensitive to such gazes and was exceptionally hostile to other people’s measuring gazes. Besides Hua Qian, he felt uncomfortable when anyone looked at him more than once. The seller’s hands trembled in fear and shivered as he handed over the chestnuts.

Hua Rongzhou dropped a piece of silver and left. He couldn’t take action because she had always disliked people who made a fuss over nothing. When he arrived at the inn where he lived, he heard idle chatter in the lobby, and that name made him unable to resist stopping in his tracks.

“Has Brother Wang heard about the matter of Hua Xiang in the capital?” A few scholarly-looking people sat around a table chatting idly. A long-faced scholar immediately answered the conversation, “How could I not have heard about it? A good prime minister’s residence collapsed just like that.”

“It is rumored that his daughter exposed him, that Miss Hua is ruthless. He was her father, but she doesn’t show a bit of mercy.” The first scholar sighed.

“What do you know? Miss Hua was righteous. How can an ordinary daughter do this? I heard that she begged for a decree to suffer on behalf of her father ……” The third scholar interjected.

“Really? In that case, Miss Hua can really make us all feel inferior!”

……

The sound of the scholar’s discussion didn’t stop, altogether not noticing that a handsome young man had halted in the stairwell. He squeezed the paper bag in his hand, exposing the chestnuts, which rolled down to the ground. It turned out that Hua Qian had lied to him, but he still believed it and looked around the house with joy.

Hua Rongzhou quickly descended the stairs, entered the room, picked up his luggage, and set off. Jiangnan was too far away; the news from the capital was about ten days away. He wondered how she was now. Without him, she would have been isolated and had no helper. As soon as he opened the door, there was a person outside. This figure was familiar, and they also ever exchanged hands.

Wu Shuomo slowly raised his head, his thin lips slightly speaking, “I’m sorry. Someone entrusted me to do this. I can’t let you leave now.”

Outside the imperial study, an eunuch ran over in a hurry. He stumbled due to nervousness. With a disgusted look, Gao Yu helped him up and lectured, “Little brat, how many times have I told you to be more steady in matters.”

The eunuch who fell was Song An, a new disciple of Gao Yu. Seeing that he was relatively honest and quick, he intended to train him and take him under his wing. But in the end, he was young and inexperienced. Last time, he panicked and fell in the hall, and now he fell in front of the door.

Song An stammered, “Master…master, the Emperor…the Emperor…he…he ……”

Gao Yu slapped Song An’s head, “Speak properly.”

“Is the Emperor inside?” Song An finally spoke fluently.

Gao Yu glanced at him before speaking: “His Majesty drank some wine yesterday. Just now, he got off the court with a headache. Now, he’s still resting. If there’s something to be said, wait until His Majesty wakes up.”

Song An did not stutter this time, “But master, I just saw that Empress Dowager went to …… that palace.”

Gao Yu’s face paled, and he turned around and walked toward the room. Unsure whether it was due to panic, he also slipped on his feet. Fortunately, Song An supported him before he fell to the ground.

You just said that I was unsteady. Song An said silently in his heart, and the next thing he saw was an even more unsteady figure.

Gao Yu only went in briefly before a bright yellow figure flashed in front of Song An. The figure disappeared before Song An had time to kneel and salute. He only saw his master holding boots and stumbling to follow him out.

The flames from the southwest palace burned half the sky red. Zhong Xiwu only saw the broken walls under the blazing fire, which reflected in his eyes. As if he didn’t know, he continued to walk inside. Gao Yu, who was right behind him, saw this and hurriedly pulled the corner of his coat. He knelt on the ground to speak: “Your Majesty, the fire is too big. It’s impossible to enter!”

Zhong Xiwu acted as if he didn’t hear him, and Gao Yu had to pull on his coat to stop him. Zhong Xiwu turned around and kicked Gao Yu in the shoulder, which hurt Gao Yu and made him grimace, but he didn’t dare to let go.

Lin Jiang, who had been in the dark, appeared when he saw this. He intercepted Zhong Xiwu and knelt: “Emperor, I have checked; this house has no living person.”

There was only silence and a wood-burning sound. Zhong Xiwu stood stiffly in the door, unable to break inside. His gauzed hand slowly turned red. After a long time, he spoke with a depressing tone that made people breathless: “Where’s Chen Yuan? Where did your assistant go?”

Lin Jiang’s head leaned on the ground and answered but not straightforwardly, “Empress Dowager just left.”

If the Empress Dowager wanted a person’s life, naturally, it was easy; after all, Zhong Xiwu had never prevented her. He thought Empress Dowager was as fond of Hua Qian as he was, so she would not take action against her. However, he was wrong. He was the only one who wanted Hua Qian to be safe in this harem. Seeing that Zhong Xiwu did not move, Gao Yu carefully loosened his hand, took the boots, and put them on for Zhong Xiwu before he turned around and left.

In the Empress Dowager’s Palace, the maids and eunuchs were kneeling on the ground. “What are all you doing? How can you let His Majesty run out of the palace unclothed? Any more laziness and I’ll have your heads.” The Empress Dowager slapped the table and angrily rebuked.

The sound of begging for forgiveness failed to suppress Zhong Xiwu’s cold voice: “Why is Mother doing this?”

The Empress Dowager’s face did not change: “I can’t reprimand the slaves when they served improperly?”

The redness in Zhong Xiwu’s eyes has not yet faded, “Empress Mother knows that this is not what I am talking about.”

These past few days, he had gone to great lengths to protect Hua Qian, blocking the Qi family’s pressure for her and, at the same time, not allowing any concubines in the harem to bother her. Yet the only one he trusted, the only one he had no defense against, had given him a stab in the back. The two stood in a stalemate for a long time, scaring a room of servants who didn’t dare to utter a single breath. Finally, the Empress Dowager raised her hand, and only then did they flee the palace.

The Empress Dowager spoke, “I am doing this for you.”

This familiar phrase pierced into Zhong Xiwu’s ears, and he suddenly realized how powerless Hua Qian would be when he acted for this reason countless times.

I am doing this for you. This saying makes a rebuttal seem pale, and powerlessness could drive a person crazy.

“Haha…” Zhong Xiwu suddenly laughed so hard that he couldn’t even stand up. Finally, he lifted his head and turned to walk out. The voice of the Empress Dowager sounded again: “Your Majesty…” The tone carried a painful urging.

Zhong Xiwu’s footsteps did not stop. While walking, he spoke as if he were talking to himself, his voice so light that it was almost inaudible: “Empress Mother, I just want someone; why can’t it be as I wish?”

“Because you are the Emperor.” The Empress Dowager’s voice drifted over, and her tone carried tremors.

Thus, there was no liberty to be impulsive.