Xie Jing’s birthday is on the third day of the third lunar month, the Shangsi Festival. Besides the traditional activities like spring outings, bathing in the river, and the winding-stream party, the most important thing is that the imperial court has a holiday, and there is no need to enter the palace.
He almost realized the instant he woke up that he had overslept. He had been drinking last night, and that troublesome person, Lu Lingcong, had annoyed him again. After returning to the mansion, he practically fell asleep immediately and slept soundly without dreams until now.
Suddenly sitting up in bed, his heart pounding for a moment, Xie Jing abruptly came to his senses, remembering that he didn’t have to work today and could sleep in as long as he wanted.
So, he slowly and weakly tumbled back onto the bed like a broken-string puppet. He subconsciously glanced at the silk quilt on the other side; it had the shape of someone having slept there, so at least he hadn’t stayed out all night. He reached his hand in to feel it, but the mattress was already cold, suggesting the person had gotten up a long time ago.
Xie Jing rarely had the chance to be lazy and not get out of bed, so he casually pulled Lu Lingcong’s pillow, propped it up, and hugged it. He didn’t have a habit of hugging things to sleep, but lying alone on the empty bed was very boring, and without holding something in his hand, he always felt restless.
He moved his face forward a little and sniffed the scent on the pillow; it was no different from the scent on Lu Lingcong himself, and he didn’t know how to describe it, but it was probably a bit like clear spikenard’s incense.
Xie Jing’s nose was lightly resting on one end of the pillow when he suddenly saw the bed curtain tremble, and then it slowly parted just a crack. Lu Lingcong poked his head in before making eye contact with him.
Xie Jing: “……”
In an instant, his hand moved faster than his mind, and he flung the pillow at Lu Lingcong, aiming straight for his face. The space was limited, and Lu Lingcong was caught off guard and couldn’t dodge, so he was hit directly on the footrest before letting out a muffled groan.
Immediately, Xie Jing kicked off the quilt, swept the bed curtains fully aside with a “whoosh,” and perched on the edge of the bed, glaring at Lu Lingcong, who was leaning to one side with his legs bent: “What kind of crazy fit are you having first thing in the morning?”
Lu Lingcong rubbed his nose bridge: “I was checking if you were awake! What do you mean by ‘morning’? It’s almost noon!”
“What does whether I’m awake or not have to do with you? Am I not allowed to sleep in the Prince’s Mansion’s bed? Should I pack up and go home now then?”
Lu Lingcong frowned, somewhat confused: “I never thought you had such a bad temper when waking up before?”
His gaze fell on the unlucky pillow on the floor, and after observing it for a while, he said thoughtfully, “Why does this pillow look so familiar?”
Then he raised an eyebrow: “So you were just hugging my pillow…”
Xie Jing turned around to grab his own pillow to throw at him, but this time Lu Lingcong was prepared. He sprang up instantly, hooked his arm under Xie Jing’s ribs, lifted him by the waist, and carried him straight onto the floor.
“I thought you had left already.” Xie Jing stopped being angry with him, walked over to the screen, and, without avoiding him, merely turned his back to Lu Lingcong and changed into his inner garment and outer robe.
“I wasn’t in bed, but I swear I’ve been in the room all morning waiting for you to wake up—except for a trip to the kitchen in the middle.”
“Didn’t you say the day before yesterday that you had an appointment today? Are you not going anymore?” Xie Jing remembered Lu Lingcong asking him earlier if he had plans for the Shangsi Festival, and if not, he was going out for an appointment. At the time, he showed no sign of knowing that this day was Xie Jing’s birthday, so Xie Jing didn’t say anything more, just giving an “en” to acknowledge it.
“I’m not going, I postponed it.”
Xie Jing lowered his head to fasten his waist belt: “Why stand someone up? You shouldn’t agree to things you can’t follow through on.”
“Other things can be done tomorrow; there is something more important today.”
Up to this point, Xie Jing had actually understood Lu Lingcong’s implied meaning, but if he compromised too quickly and easily revealed his joy that the other party had stayed specifically to celebrate his birthday, it would make him seem too passive and too easy to handle.
So he simply chuckled, fastened his waist pendant, turned around, and gracefully walked up to Lu Lingcong before straightening the front of his round-collared robe and fastening the topmost button for him, “What is this more important matter that could make Your Highness wait in this room for an entire morning?”
Lu Lingcong stared at him fixedly, and after a moment, he shifted his gaze: “My little Princess Consort turns seventeen today, that is the most important matter of all.”
Xie Jing hadn’t expected him to say something like that. He opened his mouth and said dryly, “Oh.”
Lu Lingcong couldn’t help but turn his gaze back: “What does ‘Oh’ mean?”
“You know it’s today?”
Lu Lingcong thought for a moment and decided not to lie: “Someone at the banquet last night knew and told me.”
Telling the truth could curb his uneasy conscience, but it would inevitably make Xie Jing’s expression sour, and indeed, “Everyone, and even the most random nobodies, know it, yet only Your Highness doesn’t. Is this what Your Highness calls ‘mine’?”
Lu Lingcong: “After all, it’s such a long string of characters; you don’t necessarily remember my entire birth date either…”
It would have been better if he hadn’t tried to excuse himself; this particular excuse was a serious blunder.
“The ninth day of the fifth month of the second year of Jianning, at the second quarter of Maoshi[mfn]5-7AM.[/mfn], I remember it all!”
Lu Lingcong was speechless.
A light knock came at the outer door, and Steward Zhou quietly asked for instructions: “Your Highness, the broth is ready. Should the noodles be cooked now, or left to simmer on low heat for the time being?”
Lu Lingcong did not answer immediately but merely looked at Xie Jing, who was standing quietly in front of him. He took two steps back, said, “Prepare the meal,” and turned to push the door and leave.
At this calm and uneventful hour, the meal served as both breakfast and lunch, and a few light, appetizing side dishes were also laid out on the table. Xie Jing sat down and ate a few bites but didn’t see Lu Lingcong. He looked up, pretending to search unintentionally, only to see Steward Zhou approaching from the veranda while carrying a tray. He walked into the flower hall with his eyes downcast and placed the porcelain bowl from the tray steadily in front of Xie Jing with a soft “tap.”
“Chicken broth longevity noodles with silver shreds, happy birthday to the Princess Consort. May all your wishes come true.”
Xie Jing paused and stood up to offer thanks, but before he could fully rise, Steward Zhou motioned him back to his seat. The old man just smiled and quietly added, “His Highness woke up early and went into the kitchen. The noodles were only cooked after the broth and meat had been simmered for a full hour. Princess Consort, please eat them while they are hot.”
This bowl was different from the one Lu Lingcong had cooked for him at Mount Tang Manor that day. Clearly, twelve times the effort had been put into it. The noodles were firm but not raw, the meat tender but not mushy, and the umami and fragrance filled the flower hall.
Xie Jing lowered his head and scooped up a spoonful of soup to swallow. It was warm but not hot, having been cooled before being served.
He pursed his lips and asked, “Where is His Highness?”
Steward Zhou, however, said no more, only stating, “His Highness has eaten and has gone to the front courtyard now.”
Xie Jing could only nod and silently finish that bowl of longevity noodles.
Although he had lived in the Prince’s Mansion for nearly two months, Xie Jing rarely set foot in places other than the inner courtyard and the garden. One reason was that he spent most of his days in the palace or the Hanlin Academy and went straight to the inner courtyard upon returning to the mansion. The second reason was that his own study was indeed bright and comfortable enough to meet all his needs.
Therefore, at this moment, he couldn’t even accurately determine which “front courtyard” Steward Zhou was referring to. Along the way, he ran into several servants and maids, but they all claimed ignorance when asked, saying, “His Highness’s schedule is never fixed, so we don’t know where he has gone at this hour.”
He walked all the way to the outside of Lu Lingcong’s own study in the central hall, where he met Lu Ai again. After half a month of continuous rain, the weather had finally cleared up in the last few days. Washed bedding and clothes were hung up in the inner courtyard to quickly dry in the sun. To prevent Lu Ai from causing damage, dirtying, or pecking holes in the fabric, she had to be temporarily moved here.
Xie Jing stroked the parrot belly feathers to show friendliness and tried to tease it with a couple of phrases, but the parrot was unwilling to speak. Finding himself unentertained, he decided that if the mountain won’t come to me, I must go to the mountain; if you won’t talk, I’ll talk instead. So, he sat down on the veranda, staring at Lu Ai, and murmured:
“Listen to me, would this work—Your Highness, this minister does have a bit of a temper upon waking up, but it was absolutely wrong of this minister to take it out on you—”
“Or—I shouldn’t have made a fuss. Your Highness’s regard for me is not determined by such minor details.
“Forget it, I won’t call him ‘Your Highness,’ it makes it seem like I’m deliberately sulking.
“Then—what I said just now was inappropriate, I made a mountain out of a molehill, and I won’t do it again in the future.
“Which one do you think is acceptable?”
Lu Ai tilted her head the entire time, just staring blankly at Xie Jing.
Xie Jing let out a ‘tsk’: “Why aren’t you saying anything? As a secondary consort, aren’t you supposed to be attuned to your husband’s feelings? Where is your usefulness?”
Before she could offer any constructive advice, Xie Jing suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind his ear:
“None of them will do.”
He was startled and abruptly turned his head. Lu Lingcong leaped down from the eaves, grasping the edge tile with one hand, and landed nimbly behind him.
Xie Jing: “Why are you even climbing your own roof?!”
Lu Lingcong’s expression was as usual, and he said casually, “The weather is hood, I’m airing myself out.”
Seeing his appearance, Xie Jing knew there was no point in agonizing over what to say; since it had all been overheard anyway, he simply said, “Why will none of them do?”
“I don’t like to hear you list your mistakes, because you made no mistakes.”
Xie Jing did not understand Lu Lingcong’s arbitrary logic of blind affirmation towards him. He truly was not speaking angrily to manipulate or being sarcastic and hypocritical; what he said were his honest thoughts, just the genuine feelings he was expressing himself.
“Fine, what do you like to hear then?”
Lu Lingcong used his hand to pick up a lock of his hair and twirled it: “Think again.”
Xie Jing pondered for a moment and said suspiciously, “…The longevity noodles tasted good?”
Lu Lingcong instantly broke into a smile: “Ah, I was waiting for that sentence.”
Xie Jing was rendered speechless: “I knew you were more interested in being a cook than being a prince.”
Lu Lingcong shook his head: “You are wrong. I didn’t get to choose to be a prince, but being a cook depends on who I’m cooking for. For example, it would be a pipe dream for Li Qi to want to eat my cooking.”
Xie Jing leaned sideways against the veranda railing, his peripheral vision catching Lu Lingcong’s fingers deftly weaving that small lock of his hair into a three-strand braid. The skill and fluidity suggested that he had practiced it countless times on Lu Lingzhen’s head.
“Then what about cooking for me?” He asked.
Lu Lingcong quickly replied, “Of course, the idea is to find a way to make you a little plumper. Don’t be so paper-thin like you were when you married me, and then still be that way when you return—”
He suddenly came back to his senses when his words reached this point, and he stopped speaking.
Xie Jing, however, acted as if he hadn’t heard anything, only slightly tilting his neck, and that wisp of black hair easily slipped from the other party’s hand.
After a long silence, he lightly asked Lu Lingcong, who had been standing motionlessly behind him for a while, “When can the pair of live geese used during the marriage ceremony be released?”
Lu Lingcong answered almost immediately: “The weather is mild, and spring has returned to the north as well. They can be released at any time.”
Xie Jing stood up and turned to face Lu Lingcong: “Then, why choose a day when you can just seize the day? Let’s do it today.”
“They can’t be released directly within the mansion, or they’ll be shot down before they can even fly out of Jinling.”
Xie Jing glanced at the clear sky and the dazzling sunlight, then withdrew his gaze: “Where can we release them then? I’ll go with you.”
Half an hour later, two riders, one on a black horse and one on a white, galloped out of the back gate of Prince Zhao’s Mansion. Suspended from the saddle of the black horse were two wooden cages, holding a pair of wild geese.
Lu Lingcong gave Yi Yun to Xie Jing and chose a different good horse for himself. Their destination was Yanzi Ji on the riverbank north of the city. Coinciding with this festival day, people going out of the city to the river for spring outings and picnics were constantly coming and going. Taking outer streets meant the horses couldn’t run fast, and it would easily attract attention. Although they weren’t going to do anything shady, Prince Zhao and his Princess Consort galloping on horseback with two wild geese wouldn’t make for a good story.
So, Lu Lingcong raced ahead past the sentry post outside the North City Gate, threw his waist token to the Imperial Guards, and ordered them to open the inner street reserved for officers and soldiers. He didn’t ask for the token back, waited for Xie Jing, and only left a single instruction: “I will retrieve it when I return.” Then, the two of them instantly vanished without a trace while taking the shortcut.
Xie Jing was not a semi-idle person like Lu Lingcong, who wandered around the city when he had nothing to do. Due to official business coupled with continuous rain, he hadn’t traveled a distance greater than the one between the Prince’s Mansion and the Taichu Palace for who knows how long. Now that he finally had the chance to ride freely according to his mood, he naturally let loose and was unrestrained. Yi Yun also indulged him, leaving Lu Lingcong far behind.
It wasn’t until he vaguely saw the silhouette where the river met the sky that he reined in his horse and slowed down. Taking a deep breath, he finally felt the gloom that had been trapped in his chest for over a month dissipated somewhat.
Lu Lingcong was clearly very familiar with this area. He led him past the dangerous, strangely shaped rocks and the playful boys and girls, taking a secluded small path to a low, richly vegetated hill by the beach. He stopped and tethered the horses between the re-greening pond cypress and a few nearly spent peach trees.
Xie Jing asked him, “Do you come here often?”
Lu Lingcong said, “The riverbank is a natural training ground for troops. I have been here a few times while I was in Northern Garrison.”
He also set down the cages holding the geese, unfastened his thin cloak, spread it on the ground, and lay down on it, folding his arms beneath his head. “Alright, just wait.”
Xie Jing asked again, “Can’t we release them now?”
Lu Lingcong raised his chin towards the figures on the distant riverbank: “It’ll be the same if we release them now. You can’t guarantee that there aren’t several people there who want to show off their skills and prowess in front of their beloved, and then, ai, your cherished geese will be shot down again.”
Xie Jing frowned: “Then how long do we have to wait?”
“When the sun sets it will be fine. They have a curfew and have to rush back to the city, but we don’t. Wouldn’t it be quiet if we waited for everyone to leave before releasing them?”
Lu Lingcong glanced at him and patted the empty half of the cloak beside him: “You insisted on coming out with me yourself, and now you can’t wait anymore? Just settle down for a bit; consider it sightseeing.”
Xie Jing had no choice but to walk over, unfasten his own cloak, roll it up into a small bundle, and tuck it under Lu Lingcong’s neck for him to use as a pillow. Then, he shifted one of Lu Lingcong’s arms, spread it out, lay down on it himself, curled his knees, and buried his face near Lu Lingcong’s shoulder.
Lu Lingcong was a little helpless and also a little amused, “What can you see besides me when lying like that?”
Xie Jing mumbled a response and remained completely still.
Lu Lingcong wouldn’t let him rest, so he started narrating what he saw: “There’s a couple over there having a spat. The man wants to give the woman something, but she refuses to take it.”
“What is he giving her?”
“How could I see clearly? It’s probably just a sachet or hairpins and bracelets.”
“When she refuses, is she just trying to dodge backwards, or is she turning her back and ignoring him?”
“The latter. She looks very angry, standing there with her arms crossed without saying a word.”
“She’s so angry and still being bothered, but instead of running off, she’s standing there?”
“She took a couple of steps and was caught up to again, so she probably decided not to walk anymore.”
“She isn’t moving or making a fuss, so why is the man just standing there instead of walking around to face her?”
This question finally struck a blind spot in Lu Lingcong’s knowledge, and for a moment, he couldn’t come up with an appropriate explanation. However, Xie Jing continued in an even tone:
“I guess they aren’t a couple, and it’s not the girl throwing a fit and refusing the boy’s gift. It’s that she gave the boy something of hers to hint at her feelings. The boy couldn’t politely decline, so he had to spell it out in person. The girl, though knowing that not all good things come to pass, was unwilling to accept the rejection, so she told him to keep the item, saying she wouldn’t force anything else. The boy didn’t want to embarrass her but also didn’t want the ambiguous entanglement, so he insisted on returning it.”
Lu Lingcong was dumbfounded as he listened: “Are you sure this isn’t a play?”
Xie Jing continued faintly: “The boy’s patience is limited. Before long, he will put the item down and walk away by himself. The girl will neither turn to look at him, nor ask him to stay, and certainly will not accept the item. If others are present, she will even act as if nothing happened, pretending exactly as you thought—that she has ridden herself of the boy’s annoyance. In any case, she will look indifferent, perhaps even relieved, and will only leave much, much later.”
After saying all this, Lu Lingcong was silent for a long time. After a moment, probably after confirming Xie Jing’s guess, he slowly said: “You didn’t even look!”
Xie Jing let out a muffled groan: “No need to look. It’s just a common ailment of unrequited love such as self-respect, self-pity, and self-deception. The taste of it is all the same.”
He pushed Lu Lingcong: “Don’t look anymore. What’s the point of watching someone’s unrequited love?”
So, Lu Lingcong withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes, and looked at Xie Jing lying in his arms: “They are exchanging gifts over there. Yet the birthday person didn’t properly answer me yesterday. What do you want me to give you?”
Xie Jing thought for a moment: “Give me a child.”
Lu Lingcong: “You’re not even a river god or a water monster; do you need young boys and girls as offerings too?”
Xie Jing laughed upon hearing this, his shoulders shaking with uncontrollable merriment for quite a while. Lu Lingcong initially laughed along with him but gradually sensed something abnormal in the exaggerated laughter. He was stunned, his expression became serious as he watched as Xie Jing eventually laughed until tears came out. The warmth completely gone from his smile, which was now coldly frozen on his lips. His eyes were utterly cold.
Immediately, Xie Jing leaned closer, whispering intimately to him as if their cheeks were rubbing: “Lu Zifeng, pretending to be dense and foolish is not funny at all.”
