Ch 60 “I want a promise.”
The weather grew even hotter as June came, and Emperor Qianming was still away from the palace, enjoying his summer vacation and hunting. Taking advantage of the recent peace in court, Xie Chaoling also left the palace and went to his estate outside the city.
It was Xie Chaoyuan’s estate.
He had disguised himself and only brought a few trusted men with him. He arrived before noon, parked his carriage outside the gate, and Xie Chaoyuan himself came out to greet him.
“Is the Crown Prince only bringing so few people with him?” Xie Chaoyuan looked back and then reached out his hand to help him out of the carriage, smiling at him. “Aren’t you afraid that I will detain you and not let you leave?”
“If you dare to do that, then do it. As long as you have the ability.”
Xie Chaoling stepped inside.
Xie Chaoyuan followed: “I thought the Crown Prince wouldn’t agree to come.”
A few days ago, Xie Chaoyuan had sent an invitation to the Eastern Palace, but Xie Chaoling had not responded until yesterday when he suddenly said he would come.
Xie Chaoling also smiled: “Sixth Brother, how could I refuse your kind invitation?”
They walked into the mountain villa together. The place was different from a few months ago when Xie Chaoling had last stayed here. At that time, it was winter, and it snowed frequently. Now, it was a hot summer, and the bamboo swayed in the clear shadow, while flowers and trees were lush, creating a beautiful scene.
“In summer, this estate is indeed more beautiful. However, these flowers seem a bit messy, as if they haven’t been pruned for a long time. Has sixth brother not been here for a long time? It’s a pity that these flowers grow so well, yet no one appreciates them,” Xie Chaoling commented while admiring the scenery.
“Without Crown Prince Brother, what’s the point of me being here alone, admiring these flowers by myself?” Xie Chaoyuan said.
Xie Chaoling’s smile froze for a moment, and he shut his mouth.
This little brat is still so unlikeable.
They wandered around for a while, and it was getting too hot. Sweat started to bead on Xie Chaoling’s forehead, so Xie Chaoyuan took him back to the house.
Lunch was already on the table, mostly cold dishes, wild game from the estate, and alcohol.
Xie Chaoyuan picked up the wine jug and poured wine for Xie Chaoling, asking casually, “How many days can Crown Prince Brother be out of the palace?”
“Going back the day after tomorrow,” Xie Chaoling replied.
Xie Chaoyuan looked at him and smiled. “So, it’s only two days?”
“I’m very busy. I only have these two days,” Xie Chaoling said, pouring wine into his mouth.
“Crown Prince Brother is indeed a busy man. You don’t even have time to spend more than two days out of the palace to escape the summer heat, even though you haven’t become emperor yet. What will you do in the future? His Majesty still has you as the Crown Prince to share his worries, so he can go out and enjoy himself. But what about you?” Xie Chaoyuan asked.
“Can sixth brother share my worries?” Xie Chaoling asked in return.
Xie Chaoyuan picked up his cup and said, “Help the Crown Prince by letting him go out with his wife and enjoy himself?”
Xie Chaoling shook his head, continued drinking, and didn’t want to talk about it.
Later, he got drunk and fell asleep on the couch with his head and clothes resting on Xie Chaoyuan’s leg.
Xie Chaoyuan listened to Xie Chaoling’s steady breathing and stared at the person in his arms without blinking.
Xie Chaoling was always easy to get drunk in front of him. Although he still liked to act like a crown prince, most of the time he was pretending. Unfortunately, his identity as the Crown Prince restrained him. In the past, he did not dare to reveal his preferences in the slightest, even pretending to be another personality. Now, it’s the same. He didn’t dare to ask for what he wanted. Xie Chaoling said that many people would die because of him if he didn’t become the Crown Prince. Xie Chaoyuan sneered at this. It had nothing to do with them whether those people died or not. Everyone has to die in life.
Wang Rang came in and saw Xie Chaoyuan holding Xie Chaoling with his eyes closed. After hesitating for a while, he wanted to leave, but was stopped by Xie Chaoyuan, “What’s going on outside?”
“I had someone investigate. The Crown Prince did not only bring a few people with him.” Wang Rang replied in a low voice.
Xie Chaoyuan nodded casually and let him go. Xie Chaoling was still wary of him. He had to leave a way out when he came out of the palace and came to him.
Xie Chaoling slept until after Shen Shi, and opened his eyes to see Xie Chaoyuan sitting on the couch eating a bowl of ice. He reached out to grab it.
“It’s hot outside, don’t eat such cold things. Are you feeling better?” Xie Chaoling frowned and asked.
Xie Chaoyuan took a spoonful and fed it into his mouth: “Crown Prince Brother, if you want to eat, just say so, why grab it from me.”
The cold sweetness slipped from his lips and tongue into his throat, Xie Chaoling swallowed the food in his mouth, and looked at him: “Have you seen the imperial physician recently?”
“I saw him, it’s nothing serious. The imperial physician didn’t say to avoid food.” Xie Chaoyuan said indifferently.
The corners of his lips smiled again: “Crown Prince Brother, are you concerned about me?”
Xie Chaoling was still lying on him, and there were glistening ice crystals at the corner of Xie Chaoyuan’s mouth as he spoke. Xie Chaoling seemed as if he hadn’t woken up yet. After looking at him for a while, he leaned in and licked the corner of his mouth.
Xie Chaoyuan was still smiling: “Brother, you want to steal from my mouth?”
Xie Chaoling ignored him, focused on kissing him for a moment, and then backed away.
“Don’t eat any more.” Xie Chaoling insisted on grabbing the ice bowl, and ate the remaining half bowl.
Afterwards, they went outside for a walk. After the sun had shifted west, it was no longer as hot as it was at noon. Xie Chaoyuan’s villa was located in the mountains, so it was naturally cooler than the palace.
Putting aside the bothersome political affairs of the court, a calm heart naturally brings a cool breeze.
Xie Chaoling picked some flowers and said he would use them to decorate Xie Chaoyuan’s house. Xie Chaoyuan took them and looked at them. “You’re leaving the day after tomorrow, why bother decorating the house?”
“These flowers will only last a few days anyway, why not use them to decorate the house?” Xie Chaoling patted his face. “Be happy.”
“If you like these flowers, you can transplant some to the Eastern Palace.”
Xie Chaoling didn’t agree. “No, let’s forget it. These flowers are too bright and not suitable for the Eastern Palace.”
He continued walking ahead, and after a while, he realized that Xie Chaoyuan wasn’t following him. He turned around and saw Xie Chaoyuan still standing in the same place, looking at the flowers in his hand, lost in thought.
Xie Chaoling called him: “Sixth Brother?”
Xie Chaoyuan raised his eyes, and the two of them looked at each other a few steps away. .
Xie Chaoling’s heart moved slightly, he walked back, and took his hand: “Let’s go.”
He suddenly remembered that when Xie Chaoyuan first returned to the palace when he was a child, he also held him like this, and that was the first time Xie Chaoyuan called him brother.
Thinking about it now, it was really nostalgic.
After dinner and bathing together, Xie Chaoling sat cross-legged on the bed after nightfall, watching Xie Chaoyuan turn off the lanterns one by one like he did many times before.
Finally he said: “Let’s keep one.” Xie Chaoyuan paused
Xie Chaoyuan’s hand paused for a moment and his gaze shifted towards Xie Chaoling, who reached out to him, “Come here.”
Xie Chaoyuan pulled down the bed curtain and reached up to stroke Xie Chaoling’s long hair that was casually draped over his body. Xie Chaoling helped him pull down the loose shirt and knelt up straight, lightly kissing him on the heart.
Xie Chaoyuan’s eyelashes flickered as he asked in a deep voice, “What does the Crown Prince mean by this?”
“That’s exactly what I mean.” Xie Chaoling looked up at him with a smile, his eyebrows filled with a captivating look.
After a moment, he pulled him down and kissed his lips.
After the night fell completely, Xie Chaoling’s arm stretched out from behind the bed curtain, lifting up the clothes on the ground. Xie Chaoyuan came to him and asked in a low voice, “What do you want to do?”
“I can’t sleep, I want to go out for a walk. Will you accompany me, Sixth Brother?” Xie Chaoling whispered in his ear, proposing with a smile.
“Do you still have the energy, Brother?”
Xie Chaoling had already sat up and urged him, “Hurry up and move.”
They went out after midnight. The Milky Way hung low, the moonlight was like a stream, and the night tide came like water, wrapping the entire earth in a soft, warm blanket. Occasionally, the sound of sparse cicadas could be heard, and fireflies flew through the flower paths, creating points of light.
Xie Chaoling held Xie Chaoyuan’s hand and went to the place where he had set off fireworks before. Rows of boxes of fireworks were neatly arranged, and they seemed to go on forever.
“I had someone bring all the fireworks that weren’t used during the New Year in the palace here. Play with them if you like.” Xie Chaoling handed him a lighter while laughing.
Xie Chaoyuan didn’t answer, just looked at him.
“Crown Prince Brother wants to play this?”
Xie Chaoling blinked: “You don’t want to play?”
“Brother, show me.” Xie Chaoyuan said.
Xie Chaoling scolded him with a laugh and said “spoiled and arrogant”, then walked over and personally lit up the rows of firecracker boxes. The fireworks exploded, illuminating the dark night and Xie Chaoling’s eyes as he smiled at Xie Chaoyuan.
“Why are you in such a good mood today?” Xie Chaoyuan stepped forward and asked him.
“Guess.”
Xie Chaoyuan raised his eyebrows, Xie Chaoling smiled again, and continued to ignite the next round.
Finally he came back and handed over the fire stick again: “You go and light some too.”
Xie Chaoyuan still didn’t answer: “I can’t guess, Crown Prince Brother is very happy today.”
Xie Chaoyuan still didn’t take it, “I can’t guess. The Crown Prince seems to be in a very good mood today.”
“Really can’t guess?”
“Can’t guess.”
Xie Chaoling said helplessly, “Isn’t today your birthday?”
He even came out of the palace specially.
“I forgot,” Xie Chaoyuan said, “Sorry for troubling you to remember, Crown Prince.”
Xie Chaoling patted his chest and said, “You’ve grown another year older, don’t be so stubborn in the future.”
Xie Chaoyuan looked at him for a while, finally took the lighter and went to light up the remaining firework boxes.
Behind them was a vast sea of flames. Xie Chaoyuan lit the last fuse, turned around, and hugged Xie Chaoling.
Xie Chaoling closed his eyes and hugged him back.
After returning, Xie Chaoling ordered his people to make a bowl of longevity noodles, pulled Xie Chaoyuan to sit down, and watched him eat.
Xie Chaoyuan picked at the noodles absentmindedly and asked him, “Do you want to eat, brother?”
“You can have it, it’s just one bowl, not much.” Xie Chaoling said.
Xie Chaoyuan looked up and said, “I asked you before, do you know the meaning of sharing longevity noodles with someone in the Bailing Country? At that time, you didn’t understand, but now do you know?”
Xie Chaoling murmured, “Mm.”
Xie Chaoyuan self-mockingly said, “So the crown prince won’t eat with me, is that it?”
“That Gu,” Xie Chaoling hesitated. “I’ve ordered someone to search for other methods to cure it. If you know of any, please just cure it.”
“Why should I cure it? So it’s convenient for you to marry and have children?” Xie Chaoyuan’s voice turned cold.
“Don’t be unreasonable. That Gu is hurting your own body,” Xie Chaoling frowned.
“I’ve already said that I don’t care. If the Crown Prince really cares, just take good care of the Gu. It’s good for both you and me.”
Every time they talked about this, no one was happy in the end.
Xie Chaoling closed his mouth. “Let’s not talk about it. Eat.”
Xie Chaoyuan put down his chopsticks. “I’m not hungry.”
The little brat was obviously throwing a tantrum again. Xie Chaoling shook his head and called for another set of bowls and chopsticks, picking out some food from Xie Chaoyuan’s bowl. “I’ll eat with you.”
“If we share the longevity noodles, we must abide by the agreement,” Xie Chaoyuan reminded him.
Xie Chaoling absentmindedly answered, “Okay,” lowered his head, and ate quietly. But he was not a Bailing person, Xie Chaoling thought, so this agreement couldn’t be considered for him.
When the noodles were almost finished, Xie Chaoyuan suddenly said: “Actually, this is the first time I have celebrated my birthday.”
He was just an ordinary prince, still young, it would be considered unlucky to make a big fuss about his birthday. But every year on this day, he didn’t even have a bowl of longevity noodles. The emperor didn’t remember, his stepmother didn’t care, and he didn’t mind either.
Xie Chaoling was about to say something, but Xie Chaoyuan laughed and said, “I heard that you can ask for gifts on your birthday. I’ve never asked before, but can I ask the Crown Prince Brother for a promise this time?”
“What do you want?” Xie Chaoling asked.
“I want a promise that if I do something to make the Crown Prince angry again, you won’t ignore me,” Xie Chaoyuan said slowly, staring into his eyes.
Xie Chaoling felt that the request was somewhat strange, “What bad thing are you planning to do?”
“Will you promise me?” Xie Chaoyuan asked.
When Xie Chaoling didn’t respond, Xie Chaoyuan looked disappointed, “If the Crown Prince Brother doesn’t want to promise, then forget it.”
As Xie Chaoyuan stood up, Xie Chaoling grabbed his hand and looked up at him, “I’ll do my best.”
Xie Chaoyuan smirked, “Do your best?”
Xie Chaoling also stood up and approached him to warn him: “Don’t push it too far.”
“It’s my birthday today, shouldn’t Crown Prince Brother satisfy me?” Xie Chaoyuan was still smiling, as if he was sure that Xie Chaoling would soften his heart.
After staring at each other in silence for a while, Xie Chaoling finally pulled him down and kissed him: “Okay.”
