Even the inner garments of the Wei Dynasty royal family were made of silk.
The white inner garment flowed like moonlight, clearly outlining the young man’s muscular contours.
Wen Qingci instinctively averted his gaze: “Your Highness, it’s cold outside. Let’s go in and talk.”
“Alright.”
After speaking, Xie Bufeng led Wen Qingci into the house.
Though he hadn’t been in the palace long, as an imperial physician, Wen Qingci had visited countless mansions of high officials and nobles.
In his view, the Prince of Suzhou’s Residence wasn’t large, and Xie Bufeng’s quarters were rather small.
The room was simply furnished with a table, chairs, and a bed, separated by a folding screen.
“Please sit,” Xie Bufeng said.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
With soldiers all around, Wen Qingci hesitated for a moment, but ultimately used the somewhat formal address of “Your Highness.”
Xie Bufeng suddenly smiled, shaking his head and saying to him: “No need to be so formal. Everyone here is trustworthy. Just call me ‘Xie Bufeng’ or as you did before.”
Finally, he turned and instructed those around him: “You may withdraw.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The silver-armored soldiers knelt on one knee, bowed, and then disappeared from Wen Qingci’s sight.
Unlike the palace where one had to be cautious everywhere, the Prince of Suzhou’s Residence was Xie Bufeng’s domain.
Everything before him once again made Wen Qingci clearly realize… Xie Bufeng was no ordinary young man.
Growing up in Taishu Palace, he possessed a maturity and power far beyond his peers.
Xie Bufeng had just been out, and the folding screen was half-folded.
Thus, upon entering, Wen Qingci could see Xie Bufeng’s bed and the quilt that hadn’t yet been folded.
Wei Dynasty had a tradition of burning incense, and the royal family was particularly fond of this practice.
In Wen Qingci’s impression, Xie Bufeng often carried a scent similar to ambergris.
He saw an incense burner beside the young man’s bed, currently emitting wisps of smoke.
And suddenly, Wen Qingci was enveloped in the familiar scent that often surrounded Xie Bufeng.
The feeling of intruding into another’s territory became intensely strong at this moment.
Xie Bufeng’s room had floor heating, and feeling the warmth, Wen Qingci immediately took off the outer robe and handed it back to the young man: “Be careful not to catch cold.”
After speaking, he involuntarily glanced toward the corner of the room.
-There were several wooden chests there, filled with clothing for all seasons.
Wen Qingci immediately set aside these random thoughts and focused on the matter at hand.
“Are you going to the northern regions soon?”
Perhaps because the room wasn’t cold, Xie Bufeng didn’t rush to put on the outer robe, but held it lightly in his hand.
The young man didn’t seem surprised that Wen Qingci already knew about his movements.
“Yes,” Xie Bufeng nodded slightly, “After the new year.”
“When will you return?” Wen Qingci instinctively asked.
Xie Bufeng suddenly smiled and said: “If the Emperor doesn’t summon me, a prince can never enter the capital.”
A prince entering the capital without permission was tantamount to treason and rebellion.
Though he was an imperial physician, Wen Qingci wasn’t completely ignorant of history.
He knew that the current dynasty followed the old system of the previous one. Though the previous dynasty also had princes with fiefs, many princes with average fiefs never visited them once in their lifetime, living in Yongdu from beginning to end.
…The Emperor was being excessively harsh to Xie Bufeng.
Wen Qingci remained silent.
The young man slowly fixed his gaze on him and suddenly said: “Don’t worry.”
“What do you mean ‘don’t worry’?” Wen Qingci was stunned, not understanding what Xie Bufeng meant.
“After I go to the northern regions, my mother will continue to take good care of you and your family. If you don’t want to stay in the palace, you can also open a clinic in Yongdu as we discussed before,” from Xie Bufeng’s words, it seemed he had already thought this through carefully, “Other imperial physicians have done this before, and business was very good.”
The young man’s voice was very calm.
“No,” Wen Qingci immediately shook his head and said, “I didn’t come to you today for this.”
He took a deep breath, bit his lip, and looked at Xie Bufeng with utmost seriousness: “I don’t know if Your Highness will find this amusing, or think I’m overstepping… but you are indeed my best friend.”
Best friend?
The young man’s gaze darkened.
Under the cover of his wide sleeves, Wen Qingci unconsciously clenched his fists: “I cannot stand by and watch you go to the northern regions like this.”
At this moment, Xie Bufeng’s expression also became extremely serious. He looked at Wen Qingci and murmured: “So Qingci came here today to…”
Xie Bufeng’s heart was beating wildly with nervousness, and his breathing rhythm became irregular.
“I’ve already decided to go to the fief with you.”
Wen Qingci’s words were like an arrow, instantly piercing Xie Bufeng’s ears.
“…Do you know what the northern regions are like?” The young man’s voice became somewhat hoarse.
“Of course I know. It’s precisely because I know that I want to go with you.” His tone was exceptionally resolute.
Wen Qingci stood up and slowly walked to the wooden chest, then turned and looked at Xie Bufeng seriously: “The northern regions are harsh and cold. Even a small cold there can be a life-threatening illness. I can’t stop worrying about you.”
They both knew that if other imperial physicians reluctantly followed Xie Bufeng to the northern regions, they wouldn’t settle down to work there, but would only focus on finding ways to return to Yongdu.
Some might even go to extremes… perhaps hoping that Xie Bufeng would fall ill or have an accident there, making it easier for them to return to Yongdu.
After speaking, Wen Qingci’s gaze fell back into the wooden chest.
The next moment, he suddenly heard footsteps.
Before Wen Qingci could turn to look, he abruptly found himself in a warm embrace.
-Xie Bufeng had tightly embraced Wen Qingci from behind.
The young man’s body was trembling slightly.
“Don’t worry,” Xie Bufeng’s voice came from beside Wen Qingci’s ear, his warm breath wrapping around his neck like silk, “I will protect you well, even at the cost of my life, I will protect you…”
His voice was very soft, like sleep-talking.
Wen Qingci smiled and shook his head: “Don’t say such inauspicious things.”
“Alright, I won’t say more.” Xie Bufeng tightened his embrace bit by bit, as if wanting to embed Wen Qingci into his arms.
Wen Qingci felt this embrace was somewhat strange, but then told himself that this might just be the young man’s instinctive reaction when overly emotional.
He paused, then gently patted Xie Bufeng’s arm as if to comfort him.
At this moment, he didn’t yet know how much weight the young man’s promise carried.
In the season when magnolias bloomed, Wen Qingci and Xie Bufeng rode horses out of Yongdu together.
That day, fierce winds carried white snow, covering half the city.
Common people kept their doors tightly shut, fearing the storm would enter their homes.
Prince Xie Bufeng of Suzhou’s procession thus crossed the silent long street at dawn, leaving a long trail of hoofprints.
The next moment, they were buried again by the wind and snow.
Only the overwhelming fragrance of magnolias remained, scattered throughout the imperial capital.
At the farewell, the Imperial Noble Consort saw, for the first time in Xie Bufeng’s eyes, an immense ambition without disguise or decoration.
She knew that Xie Bufeng would definitely return.
He would definitely bring iron cavalry and fight his way back to Yongdu.
That day would not be far off.
…
Xie Bufeng’s princely residence was built in Changyuan Town.
This was the closest of Wei Dynasty’s “Nine Northern Towns” to the Di territory, and also the farthest from Yongdu.
After arriving there, Wen Qingci finally understood what “heaven is high and the emperor is far away” meant.
The princely residence in Changyuan was more than three times larger than the one in Yongdu, with two bedrooms in the innermost courtyard.
One of them naturally belonged to Xie Bufeng.
And the other was given to Wen Qingci.
Outside the small courtyard, Xie Bufeng was the prince governing the region, extremely dignified.
But back in the small courtyard, he reverted to the “Young Master Su” who couldn’t afford medical fees.
Before coming to the northern regions, Wen Qingci’s horsemanship could barely be considered average.
But in the first spring after arriving here, Xie Bufeng taught him how to ride a warhorse, and even some basic qinggong.
Afterward, they rode swift horses across half the grassland.
During this time, they witnessed countless sunrises and sunsets over long rivers.
They picked wildflowers by streams and gathered wild fruits from bushes.
They even watched the night sky over the Gobi Desert and rescued a lamb that had accidentally become trapped in a marsh…
This was a life Wen Qingci had never even imagined before.
-Beyond Songxiu Prefecture, there was an incredibly vast world.
It was evening again, and the two rode out of the city. After wandering about, they sat on a grassy slope outside Changyuan, looking at the distant stream that cut through the land like a ribbon.
Xie Bufeng took a water pouch from his horse’s back, unscrewed it, and brought it to his lips.
The mouth of the pouch had just touched his lips, and before he could take a sip, Wen Qingci, sitting nearby, leaned over: “What good thing is Your Highness hiding from me?”
By now, Wen Qingci was accustomed to calling Xie Bufeng by his name, and he only used “Your Highness” when joking with him.
“It’s nothing special,” Xie Bufeng slowly moved the item in his hand away to show Wen Qingci, “This is inferior wine from the army, with a strong taste.”
He thought Wen Qingci wouldn’t like such a thing.
But Wen Qingci, as if not catching Xie Bufeng’s implied meaning, said: “I want to try it too.”
He wasn’t particularly interested in alcohol, but at that moment, a breeze happened to blow the wine’s aroma to his nose.
The two had been out for several hours, and Wen Qingci had long since finished the water in his pouch, so he couldn’t help but become curious-what did the wine in Xie Bufeng’s hand taste like?
“…”
The young man clearly hesitated for a moment.
Normally, if Wen Qingci wanted something, he would immediately hand it over.
But what he held, besides being “inferior wine,” was also “strong liquor.”
Xie Bufeng wasn’t sure if Wen Qingci could handle it.
As if guessing what the young man was thinking, Wen Qingci smiled and said: “Has Your Highness forgotten? I’m several years older than you; there’s no need to treat me like a child.”
Xie Bufeng paused, then slowly handed over the water pouch.
The next moment, Wen Qingci very naturally put it to his lips.
Xie Bufeng’s fingers trembled slightly.
…The mouth of the water pouch was small, and the spot now touching Wen Qingci’s lips was where he had just been drinking.
Wen Qingci considered the young man a good friend and saw no issue with sharing a flask of wine with him.
But this scene, in Xie Bufeng’s eyes, was like a pebble dropping into a lake of the heart.
Instantly creating ripples, one circle after another.
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