Chapter 129

Chapter 129

As long as Rong Tang was ill, Su Huaijing took leave from work.

It was only after Zhou Gang and Ke Hongxue, who were about to resign, visited Yong'an Lane to inquire about his plans, that Su Huaijing returned to the Censorate and resumed his daily duties at court.

Bi Xin was called back from the outskirts of the capital to take care of Rong Tang's daily needs and check his pulse. Su Huaijing returned home after noon, attending to Censorate duties and his private plans during Rong Tang's restless sleep.

Rong Tang occasionally opened his eyes to see the dim light in the room and Su Huaijing's increasingly haggard face, worrying that he might break down first, ruining his eyesight.

But when he suggested lighting more candles to brighten the room, Su Huaijing refused.

He feared disturbing Rong Tang's already restless sleep.

One morning, after court, Su Huaijing walked down the steps in front of Taihe Hall. Ahead, someone in the high-ranking official's crane-feathered court dress was surrounded by people. Catching a glimpse of Su Huaijing, he gestured for others to step back and waited a bit longer.

Su Huaijing approached and respectfully greeted: "Your Highness."

"Hmm," Ning Xuan Wang nodded indifferently, walking with him towards the palace gate, casually asking as if it was an afterthought, "Is Rong Tang ill?"

Su Huaijing found it ironic.

Rong Tang had been ill for over ten days, with even the Empress sending people to inquire. Yet, Rong Mingyu, his biological father, only asked about his son's condition upon seeing him at court.

Su Huaijing bowed his head: "Yes, Your Highness, he is."

Rong Mingyu glanced at him and asked indifferently, "How's the situation?"

For a moment, Su Huaijing was somewhat bewildered, unsure of what kind of response Ningxuan Prince Rong Mingyu, the second-most powerful man in the Great Yu, expected regarding the illness of his only legitimate son.

He paused briefly before responding, "The physician said he needs a good rest."

Rong Mingyu's steady pace slowed, and he turned to scrutinize Su Huaijing. His sharp gaze roved over him, trying to discern the underlying meaning behind those words:

That there was nothing further to report.

Whether it was good or bad, whether he would live or die, his son-in-law hadn't told him a thing.

Rong Mingyu scrutinized him for a few moments, then shifted his gaze nonchalantly and said sternly, "If you need to recuperate properly, let the physician take care of you daily. The servants and maids can handle your daily needs and medication. As an official appointed by the court and a key figure in the Censorate, how can you abandon your duties to tend to your husband every day?"

Su Huai Jing bowed his head, observing the red light reflected on the snow along the palace path, and chuckled softly. He stood still, bowed respectfully yet humbly to his father-in-law, saying, "Your teachings are correct, Lord. I shall remember them."

That night, the wailing of a child in the western courtyard of Ning Xuan Wang's mansion woke the entire household. Ning Xuan Wang's concubine and her young son both had high fevers, their lives hanging by a thread.

The next day, Ning Xuan Wang, who never missed the morning court, exceptionally asked for leave.

Standing among the ranks, Su Huai Jing's eyes were downcast, his lips curved slightly, revealing a playful smile.

It turned out it wasn’t national affairs that mattered most, but rather, in Lord Wang’s heart, Tang Tang wasn't significant enough.

Su Huai Jing's mood greatly improved, feeling like a compressed spring that had suddenly rebounded. All the suppressed and unspoken bad emotions found an outlet, unleashing irrationally.

The day the young child's fever subsided, Ning Xuan Wang's third son, Rong Yuan, began to run a fever. The day Rong Yuan’s fever broke, the eldest son of the second room, Rong Zhe, caught a cold. The day Rong Zhe recovered, Concubine Qian Shi died in her sleep, her body covered with large dark sores.

The news of her death reached Wang Xiu Yu. As the head of the family, she needed to return home to handle the funeral rites. Eventually, the message reached Rong Tang’s ears.

He woke up in the middle of the night feeling warm and was held in someone's embrace. Su Huai Jing, with his eyes closed, seemed to be in a sweet dream, his lips slightly curled upward.

Rong Tang watched for a while, the curve of his lips growing, and Su Huai Jing lazily said, "Tang Tang, if you want to kiss, just kiss."

Rong Tang was silent for two seconds, unsure how to comment on this confidence, but eventually leaned up and pressed his lips to Su Huai Jing’s.

The initiative was soon exchanged, and Rong Tang, overwhelmed by being pressed and kissed on the bed by him, began to cough in a muffled voice, and Su Huai Jing finally let him go.

Rong Tang breathed deeply for a long time, his eyes misty with tears as he looked towards the big villain.

Su Huaijing gently wiped the tears from his eyes, smiling as he asked, "What does Tangtang want to ask me?"

Rong Tang hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Qian Shi?"

Su Huaijing candidly admitted, "I did it."

Rong Tang immediately became nervous, unsure of how to express himself clearly. After a moment of hesitation, Su Huaijing spoke up to reassure him, "The child is fine."

The eyes of Little Prince Rong instantly brightened, shining like stars in the sky despite his illness, prompting Su Huaijing to lean down and gently kiss him again.

"The child is innocent, and besides, that wasn’t Rong Mingyu's child. The fever was due to Qian Shi's negligence, exposing him to the cold; it had nothing to do with me."

If there was any connection, it was probably when he had administered the drug to Qian Shi and found the child ill. Worried about being misunderstood by Rong Tang, Su Huaijing had asked Bi Xin to secretly enter the palace and heal the child.

But there was no need to tell Rong Tang this; he wasn't exactly a saint himself.

He simply told Rong Tang, "Last autumn, Qian Shi drugged my mother, and I found out."

Rong Tang's pupils constricted, instantly tense. Su Huaijing rubbed his hand and softly reassured him, "I stopped it in time. Don't worry, Tangtang; mother is fine."

He said, "I'm not a good person, but I believe in karma and cause and effect. It's just a matter of sooner or later. When I'm in a good mood, I let her live a few more days; when I'm not, I let her pay sooner for her evil deeds. It was her own medicine; I just returned it to her. Tangtang doesn’t need to worry too much."

For a moment, Rong Tang was unsure whether his concern was about Wang Xiuyu almost being poisoned by Qian Shi or whether Su Huaijing himself was guilty of committing a grave sin.

Rong Tang simply looked up at him and asked in a low voice, "Why are you in a bad mood?"

Moonlight penetrated the window lattice, casting a dim light, their intimate closeness beside the pillow, tender and passionate.

Su Huai Jing chuckled softly, half-seriously sighing, "Tang Tang promised me such a sweet candy, but you’ve been delaying in fulfilling it. Asking me why I'm in a bad mood, aren't you just bullying me?"

“……”

Rong Tang was instantly speechless, rolled on the bed, turned his back to Su Huai Jing, and buried his head in the quilt, until his breathing made his earlobes flush red.

Su Huai Jing let him 'ostrich' for a few seconds, then turned to embrace him, his chin gently rubbing against Rong Tang's hair whorl, whispering softly, "Goodnight, Tang Tang."

"Half of the winter has passed, when will you get better?"

"The one who deserves revenge the most, Rong Mingyu, you should see his end with your own eyes, right?"

-

"On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, all officials take a day off."

The weather was clear and fine, and Rong Tang's complexion looked much better. He dressed and got out of bed.

Shuang Fu and Shuang Shou had already packed the luggage, and the two boarded the carriage to leave the city.

Su Huai Jing was somewhat unhappy, but he still went along with Rong Tang without saying much, only the frequency of his frowning eyebrows slightly increased.

Ever since the day Rong Tang discovered Su Huai Jing administering acupuncture in a nightmare, Su Huai Jing stopped hiding it and occasionally took Rong Tang's wrist to check his pulse, not concealing anything.

Instead, it made the patient himself start to worry.

Su Huaijing asked him what he was nervous about, and Rong Tang, smiling, said: "The healer suffers himself. I'm worried that you're upset."

Su Huaijing then had nothing to say.

How could Rong Tang seem like someone whose life was hanging by a thread? He even had the leisure to worry about the doctor’s mental health.

Su Huaijing was at a loss for words, feeling somewhat powerless.

In the cold twelfth lunar month, Rong Tang insisted on visiting a temple to pray, and despite Su Huaijing’s reluctance, they went, with the carriage moving slowly until they finally entered the gates of Tuolan Temple at midday.

In the Buddhist sanctuary, amidst sparse mist and incense, countless officials, commoners, and people from all walks of life sought blessings from the gods and Buddhas. Many also visited the monastery, hoping to meet the widely renowned monk, Hui Mian.

Upon entering the temple, before Rong Tang and Su Huaijing could explain their purpose, a young novice monk approached, joined his hands, and recited a Buddhist chant, "Please follow me."

Rong Tang was slightly surprised and said nothing. Su Huaijing narrowed his eyes and asked in a deep voice, "May I ask, little master, where you are taking us?"

The novice monk replied, "The master only invited Rong Tang alone. Please wait outside."

As soon as these words fell, Su Huaijing’s face darkened, and he stepped forward to stand in front of Rong Tang: "Who is your master, and how does he know we were coming?"

"The master said the sky is clear and the snow is pure, it's time for an old friend to return."

The eternal chanting of Buddhist sutras in the temple cleansed the soul.

Su Huaijing, unwilling to let Rong Tang out of his sight, resisted for a moment before Rong Tang gently patted his arm.

Su Huaijing turned his head, and Rong Tang said, "It's Master Hui Mian."

Su Huaijing paused, his gaze flickered, his resolve momentarily wavering, probably having heard of Master Hui Mian before.

Rong Tang said, "I once had a brief encounter with him and received a treasure from the master. Today, I’ve come to return it."

Shuangfu followed behind, holding a brocade box containing the Buddha statue that Rong Tang had taken from Tuolan Temple.

Their visit wasn't announced in advance, and even before being stopped by the novice monk, Rong Tang wasn't sure if he would be able to meet Hui Mian.

But when he heard the word "old friend," he knew whom he was about to meet.

Rong Tang asked Su Huaijing to wait for him in a side room of the monastery, then followed the novice monk alone to the Zen hall.

In the chanting hall, monks and worshippers knelt side by side on cushions, softly chanting sutras for redemption, prayer, and the myriad desires of this world.

Beneath the compassionate gaze of the Buddha statue, there was no desire, no aversion.

Rong Tang walked along a path and was led by the novice into a courtyard with plum trees, facing a room. A monk in grey robes with white hair knelt on a cushion, lighting incense and warming tea, looking up to invite Rong Tang inside to sit.

The aroma of tea mingled with the sandalwood scent of the temple. Rong Tang's eyes fell on Hui Mian's snow-like hair, but the monk was looking into his eyes, suddenly smiling.

His voice as gentle as an ancient Buddha's prophecy, he said with a smile, "There is desire in your eyes now, donor."