Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Under the Ninth Prince’s gaze, Gao Zhen always felt as if those eyes were about to draw him in.

He quickly lowered his head, his ears ringing with the sound of his own heartbeat.

He asked, "Low-lying areas collect water. Is water-soaked wood easier to burn?"

"Waterlogged wood doesn’t produce good charcoal easily. We’ll likely freeze in winter," the Ninth Prince’s voice was calm and unhurried, his gaze never leaving Gao Zhen.

"Where did you usually collect wood before, Your Highness?"

Gao Zhen suddenly tilted his head to look at him, his expression utterly adorable. The Ninth Prince raised a hand, wanting to pinch his cheek, but pulled back midway, letting it fall to his side. He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, the roughness of his fingertips making him sigh inwardly.

"Near the southern wall. Shall we go?" he asked.

Gao Zhen nodded, and the two of them headed south together.

Just beyond the southern wall was the Imperial Kitchen. The eunuchs would discard small and broken pieces of wood here, making it convenient for the kitchen staff to select firewood. Of course, it also worked for the Ninth Prince.

Gathering these pieces of wood required no particular skill. The two of them focused on picking small pieces, ideally no taller than the height of a fire pit. In about half an hour, they had stacked a pile of small wooden strips waist-high against the wall in the open space beside the ladder.

"That should be enough," the Ninth Prince said. "You hop over. I’ll hand them to you. Let’s store these in the empty courtyard first."

Gao Zhen acknowledged and nimbly hopped over the wall. Standing on the ladder, he suddenly wanted confirmation of his performance that night and asked in a hushed voice, "Your Highness, am I very capable?"

"Very capable," the Ninth Prince handed him the wooden strips and added, "Put them on the other side. Don’t touch those quilts."

"Alright."

Thrilled by the Ninth Prince’s praise, Gao Zhen felt even more motivated. He ended up hauling all the wood from the other side in one go. After stacking the last bundle, he quickly climbed the ladder again and reached out his hand, calling softly, "Your Highness, come."

His glove was suddenly pulled off, replaced by the grasp of a pair of rough, large hands.

Gao Zhen was momentarily stunned, then smiled bashfully. But he didn’t pull away, allowing the Ninth Prince to hold his hand. He asked softly, "Your Highness, are you tired?"

"Not tired. You?"

"I’m not tired either. I can keep going for a while longer." As Gao Zhen spoke, he noticed the slight upward curve of the Ninth Prince’s lips.

Standing atop the ladder, looking down, he realized that from this angle, the stars in the Ninth Prince’s eyes seemed even brighter and more captivating.

Gao Zhen stared blankly at the Ninth Prince, no longer afraid of the scarred half of his face.

"Wait for me," the Ninth Prince said before picking up a bundle of rope from the ground and heading south.

Gao Zhen acknowledged and obediently sat on the ladder to wait. Resting his chin in his hands, he gazed at the stars and moon in the sky, his thoughts drifting to the Ninth Prince. The image of those starry eyes immediately surfaced in his mind. Gao Zhen gradually became entranced. Unbeknownst to him, the Ninth Prince had his eye on the pile of fruitwood stacked outside the Imperial Kitchen’s wall.

If it weren’t for the abundance of meat in the large food container and Gao Zhen’s presence, Zhou Yunning might not have considered snagging the fruitwood. But now things were different—he wanted Gao Zhen to eat well, and he knew that fruitwood-roasted meat would taste even better.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Zhou Yunning had already reached the pile of wood.

A faint light shone from beyond the wall, accompanied by the aroma of cooking.

Is someone there?

Zhou Yunning held his breath and stopped moving. Highly alert, he sensed danger and immediately crouched down, remaining perfectly still.

The surroundings fell into utter silence.

Zhou Yunning could even hear the sound of something boiling softly beyond the wall.

The night enveloped him like dark water, submerging everything. The silence weighed down on him. After waiting for a while, Zhou Yunning heard no movement beyond the wall except for the continued sound of boiling. He slowly inched closer to the pile of fruitwood. When he was near enough to reach out and tug the wood, he spread the rope on the ground and began placing the fruitwood onto it one piece at a time. He was certain he hadn’t made a single sound, yet suddenly, someone on the other side of the wall coughed heavily, as if clearly a warning.

His hand, holding the fruitwood, froze mid-air.

Zhou Yunning heard a raspy voice from beyond the wall: "Oh, Uncle Xu? You’re back already?"

There really was someone?!

He immediately held his breath.

"Ah, don’t get me started. The Spring Festival ceremony is in two days, and envoys from the Southern Barbarians are coming. The supervisor said the higher authorities want Southern Barbarian dishes added to the menu. The timeline is tight, and we’re understaffed. All of us on break were called back."

The hoarse man chuckled and said, "It’s been nearly twenty years since the Southern Barbarians and our Great Zhou had any contact, right? Why the sudden reconnection this year?"

"Who knows?" Uncle Xu sighed. "Back then, the Southern Barbarians’ tribute circus plotted a rebellion, and the late emperor issued an edict to ‘sever ties permanently.’ Yet this year, they’re reconnecting. I don’t know the reason, but I’ve heard the Southern Barbarians have secret methods to treat dragon injuries."

The hoarse man replied, "There does seem to be such a rumor. But whether it’s a secret method or black magic remains to be seen."

"If His Majesty’s dragon injury can be healed, it would be a blessing for Great Zhou. I just fear the Southern Barbarians have scheming motives—using treatment as a pretext to stir up trouble again. Ah, with these barbarians here, the Imperial Kitchen will be busy for who knows how long. I doubt I’ll be able to leave the palace anytime soon."

"Isn’t that a good thing? We can have each other," the hoarse man said gently.

"Imperial Physician He, you’re too kind. How could I compare to you? You spend at least seven or eight hours a day on this, right? All this effort just for a bit of medicinal food—if the Empress Dowager knew how hard you worked, she’d surely reward you well."

Imperial Physician He sighed and said, "With Master Liu here, any rewards would go to him first. But if this medicinal food can give Great Zhou an imperial prince, all my efforts will be worth it."

Hearing this, Zhou Yunning frowned deeply, as if guessing at a certain possibility.

Sure enough, Uncle Xu looked around to ensure no one was listening and asked in a low voice, "I heard this medicinal food is being delivered to the cold palace?"

"How did you know?" Imperial Physician He asked in surprise.

Uncle Xu said, "Someone saw you personally handing the medicinal food to Eunuch Zhu and Eunuch Dan. Aren’t those two responsible for delivering meals to the cold palace?"

"Oh." Imperial Physician He didn’t deny it, only saying, "This matter concerning the cold palace involves the foundation of the royal family. Even if you know, Uncle Xu, you must not speak of it to anyone else."

"Of course, I understand. If it weren’t for my relationship with your father, I wouldn’t dare ask you about this." Uncle Xu sighed. "But that young man—wasn’t he previously engaged to you? Given the current situation… how can you bear to prepare medicinal food for him with your own hands? Isn’t this outright humiliation?"

Zhou Yunning: !

There was something like this? A Zhen was once engaged?

"Uncle, be careful with your words," Imperial Physician He’s tone turned stern. "I am merely following orders to prepare the medicinal food. That is all."

"Even if you don’t say it, I understand," Uncle Xu sighed again. "I heard from your father before that this engagement was arranged by your teacher. Now that young man has been sent to the cold palace as a menial servant due to his family’s affairs, even if he were to get pregnant… I’m afraid he wouldn’t survive…"

Unconsciously, a light sweat formed on Zhou Yunning’s forehead.

The voices from beyond the wall continued intermittently. He faintly heard Uncle Xu say, "What a pity for the one in the cold palace. If this child is born, I’m afraid—"

"Uncle, be careful with your words. Don’t say another word."

……

Gao Zhen sat on the ladder for a long time before the Ninth Prince finally returned. He carried a large bundle of chunky logs on his back. Curious, Gao Zhen reached out to take them, but the Ninth Prince grasped his hand and said, "Go down first."

Gao Zhen obediently climbed down. The Ninth Prince nimbly climbed the wall, first setting down the bundle of fruitwood, then pulling the ladder over. Throughout, he didn’t say a word, as if lost in thought.

"Your Highness, are you not feeling well? Or tired?" Gao Zhen noticed Zhou Yunning’s unusual state but didn’t know the reason.