Near noon, the stewards of the four families sat together once more and finalized the four candidates who would travel to the Northern Territory.
In the end, Fu Jingxuan was included among them. After all, victory or defeat concerned the dignity of the country; they could not forcibly swap him for someone else out of personal bias.
The logic was sound, yet Fang Zesheng remained quite reluctant. He had been frowning ever since the matter was settled, frightening Tao Xianzhi so much that he hardly dared to breathe. “Is… is Second Master Fu not up yet?”
The group had been talking in the flower hall for almost an hour, yet Fu Jingxuan still had not shown up. Fang Zesheng offered a brief nod of acknowledgement and then continued assisting them in choosing a departure date. Lord Zhang had already arranged the traveling escort; as this was a mission commissioned by the emperor, they could not allow the group to face any risks on the long journey.
Tao Xianzhi had not expected Fang Zesheng to grant him a spot. An indescribable joy was written all over his face with nowhere to vent. He had wanted to pull Fu Jingxuan aside to chat about it, but the man was nowhere to be seen despite the long wait. He couldn’t get along with Hu Ruosong and was even less willing to communicate with Second Madam Liu. As for acting “happy-go-lucky” in front of Fang Zesheng, that was simply impossible. Unable to hold his tongue any longer, he looked at a red mark on Fang Zesheng’s neck just to find something to say. “Did the Head Merchant get bitten by an insect there? It looks nearly purple; maybe you should put some medicine on it?”
Fang Zesheng froze while flipping through the almanac. He felt his neck where Tao Xianzhi was staring and suddenly remembered how Fu Jingxuan had spent a long-time last night clinging to that spot, sucking and licking at it. His face flushed. He let out a sudden cough and lowered his gaze.
Tao Xianzhi had never seen Fang Zesheng like this. He blinked, intending to ask Hu Ruosong which of his words had been wrong, only to see the master of the Hu family give him a meaningful smile. Hu Ruosong then stood up with his own accord and left the flower hall to find Hu Yunshan and speak with him regarding the journey to the Northern Territory.
Hu Yunshan had not expected such a massive responsibility to fall on his shoulders. He was both nervous and excited. For once, he listened to his brother obediently. Amidst those heartfelt words, he actually came to realize the truth that “an elder brother is like a father” and felt that his brother was no longer so irritating.
As night fell.
Fu Jingxuan opened his eyes.
Fang Zesheng was leaning against the bed, flipping through a book. Seeing him wake up, he asked if he was hungry.
Fu Jingxuan shook his head and rubbed his aching lower back before hazily draping himself over Fang Zesheng. Having slept the entire day, he was unaware of the outcome of their discussions and asked, “Has the departure time been set?”
Fang Zesheng replied, “The day after tomorrow, at Chenshi[mfn]7-9AM.[/mfn].”
Even though Fu Jingxuan said he wasn’t hungry, Fang Zesheng still picked up a bowl of white porridge from the bedside, blew on a spoonful, and fed it to him to settle his empty stomach.
Fu Jingxuan swallowed slowly, then squinted and let out a yawn. “Then for these next two days, we won’t do anything at all.”
“Mm?”
“Just hold me like this. Don’t go anywhere.”
Fang Zesheng set down the porridge bowl and stroked his hair; he had been thinking the exact same thing. He had put aside many of his tasks for the day, intending to spend the time accompanying him.
Fu Jingxuan said, “By the time I return, the tea shops should all be reopened, right?”
Fang Zesheng: “Yes. Many of the previous shop stewards have been found and brought back. We are waiting for next spring to begin operations all at once.”
Fu Jingxuan said, “Will the carved-lotus and tea cake-making techniques need new adjustments?”
Fang Zesheng said, “I have already discussed this with Ma Long. After you leave, we will begin making some new attempts.”
Fu Jingxuan said with regret, “Then will I not be able to have the first taste of the new tea?”
Fang Zesheng replied, “Rest assured, I will save the very first pressed tea cake for you.”
Fu Jingxuan let out a couple of soft giggles, but his laughter soon faded. “Back when I married into the Fang family in Shuang’er’s place, I thought to myself that I would never be separated from you again. If you had tried to push me away with a cold expression, I would have just been stubborn and refused to go. Since you can’t defeat me in a fight right now, even if I lingered here, there would be nothing you could do to stop me either.”
Fang Zesheng’s expression softened. “From now on, there will only be times when you wish to leave; there will never be a time when I wish to drive you away.”
Fu Jingxuan arched an eyebrow and turned to sit on his lap while meeting his gaze. “When would I ever wish to leave you? In this mortal world, no one else longs as fiercely as I do to remain by your side.”
Finding it difficult to withstand the intensity of those sincere eyes, Fang Zesheng started to turn his head away, but Fu Jingxuan caught his chin. “Fang Zesheng, will you smile for me again? Just like the first time I saw you as a child, when you stood in the mountain breeze and smiled at me the whole time.”
Fang Zesheng hesitated for a long while, then allowed his eyes to crinkle with doting affection.
This smile differed from the one he had as a child; it no longer carried that innocent purity, yet it was tempered by time and filled with affection.
Fu Jingxuan kissed him and asked playfully, just as he had as a child, “What is your name?”
“Fang Zesheng.”
“And why are you smiling at me?”
Fang Zesheng cooperated, saying, “I smile when I wish to smile. I do not when I do not.”
Fu Jingxuan said, “The Eldest Young Master of the Fang family is always upright and proper; always wearing a stern, handsome face and never smiling. For you to smile at me like this today, you must have some intention. Tell me; what is it you wish to do?”
Fang Zesheng smiled and pulled him into his arms, his eyes seemingly harboring a scattering of stars. “If I say it, will you agree?”
“Of course.”
“Then I wish to be with you for all eternity, holding your hand through every lifetime. Will that be alright?”
“It is.”
Two days later.
The imperial escort arrived at the gates of the Fang residence.
Tao Xianzhi had no way to return to the Tao household, so he could only send a messenger on a fast horse to deliver a letter to Old Master Tao reporting his whereabouts. Hu Yunshan was incredibly nervous; last time, he had won against the head of the Lin family entirely through Fang Zesheng’s tea-whisking techniques. With no one to help him this time, he had to take the field using his own skills. It was only after he took the initiative to let Hu Ruosong give him some pointers that he truly felt at ease. Though Pu Ling was young, he was a member of the Fu family and familiar with Fu Jingxuan, so there was no fear of him being bullied by others. Second Madam Liu busied herself helping out; though she was both envious and jealous, she still made a set of new clothes for each of the four, wishing them a triumphant start and ultimate success.
Chenshi[mfn]7-9am.[/mfn] had arrived.
Wearing a jade-rabbit hairpin and a long robe adorned with emerald accents, Fu Jingxuan stepped out of the Fang residence one step at a time.
He did not let Fang Zesheng see him off, fearing that if they spoke their farewells, he would be unable to part with him and the long journey would never begin.
The leader of the escort saw that the group had all arrived and ordered his subordinates to draw back the carriage curtains.
Today was clear and bright with the sun hanging high in the sky.
Once they had boarded the carriage, the leader flipped himself onto his horse and let out a loud cry: “Depart—!”
The carriage moved northward, the “clatter-clatter” of hooves echoing as it approached the gates of Chuzhou City.
Sitting in the carriage, Fu Jingxuan listened to Tao Xianzhi’s grandiloquent talk while casually lifting the curtain to watch the streets of Chuzhou this morning. Though the weather was growing colder, the number of street vendors had increased rather than diminished. Steam rose from wonton stalls, and a faint, sweet fragrance wafted from pastry shops. Ahead, a man bearing a medicine chest was running at full speed, accelerating so much that he ended up knocking over a bench at a wonton stall, earning a barrage of curses from the stall owner!
Fu Jingxuan fixed his gaze and saw that the man was actually Physician Chen; Chen Fu, who had previously treated Fang Zesheng’s legs.
Since Wang Xiuhe’s death, Physician Chen had also vanished. It was said that after learning about the misdeeds he had committed over the years from the mute uncle, he had closed the doors of his medical hall and returned to the countryside in a fit of self-reproach.
Why had he returned now?
As the carriage passed by Physician Chen, Fu Jingxuan lowered his gaze behind the curtain and heard him muttering as if possessed, “There is a cure! There is a cure! This time, there really is a cure!”
