Chapter 60: The Precious Young Master

Chapter 60: The Precious Young Master

Liu Qingci was still somewhat disoriented as he was hurried onto the carriage.

The driver had been summoned in a rush, and the interior of the carriage had only just been prepared.

All of this reeked of haste, clearly a trip that Xiao Yan had decided on a whim.

Xiao Yan whispered a few words to the driver outside before climbing in and sitting down across from him.

"Your Highness, where are we going?" Liu Qingci asked.

Xiao Yan didn't answer right away. Instead, he checked the charcoal fire in the copper brazier in the corner, ensuring the warmth would spread evenly.

Only after doing that did he look at Liu Qingci, with a steady gaze, he spoke each word clearly:

"Your father set out from the Ministry of Justice at three in the afternoon today. Based on the pace, he should still be within thirty li (about ten miles) of the capital's outskirts."

Liu Qingci's heart skipped a beat, then began pounding wildly, nearly bursting from his chest.

His eyes flew open wide as he stared at Xiao Yan in disbelief, his mind went completely blank.

He gripped the hem of his robes tightly, searching Xiao Yan's face for any trace of a joke or uncertainty, but Xiao Yan's expression was exceptionally calm.

"This road leads to 'Changting Relay Station,' the first major relay station to the north—it's the route the exiles must take," Xiao Yan continued. "If we leave now, we might catch up before dark."

Hearing this, the reality finally sank in.

"You're taking me to see my father?"

He looked at Xiao Yan as if the whole world had faded to gray, leaving only the outline of the man before him.

Liu Qingci's eyes, naturally clear and moist, gleamed like black jade immersed in a cold pool—translucent, yet unfathomably deep, churning with a tremor even he found unfamiliar.

"Mm." Xiao Yan's face was taut, seemingly a little uncomfortable under Liu Qingci's gaze. Without either noticing, the tips of his ears flushed red. He said, "...Don't cry. Don't let your father see you like that..."

At his words, Liu Qingci indeed held back his tears, but his eyes gleamed so brightly in the dim carriage that they were crystalline.

He stared unblinkingly at Xiao Yan, making Xiao Yan's heart soften.

The carriage raced along the official road for nearly an hour. The sky had turned completely dark, with only two storm lanterns hanging from the shafts illuminating a small, swaying patch of road ahead.

Suddenly, the driver reported through the curtain, his voice troubled: "Your Highness, the road is rough. At this speed, I'm afraid... I'm afraid we won't make it."

At the driver's words, Liu Qingci frantically lifted the carriage curtain to look outside.

To catch up with the exile procession traveling on the main road, they had taken a shortcut. It was shorter, but the road was bad for the carriage, getting slower and slower.

Seeing this, disappointment flickered in Liu Qingci's eyes.

But he knew the driver had done his best, and there was nothing more to be done...

Just then, Xiao Yan abruptly pushed aside the carriage curtain, letting in a blast of biting wind.

He gave the driver a curt order: "Stop. Unharness the horse."

The driver was taken aback: "Your Highness?"

As soon as the carriage stopped, Xiao Yan had already jumped down nimbly.

Through the lifted curtain, Liu Qingci saw Xiao Yan standing in the night, personally untying the traces of the horse pulling the carriage.

The dim lamplight picked out his tall, focused silhouette, his dark cloak flapping loudly in the cold wind.

Soon, the chestnut draft horse was freed. Xiao Yan led it to the side of the carriage and reached out a hand.

"Get down," he said to Liu Qingci.

Liu Qingci stared blankly at the hand extended toward him—his knuckles clearly defined, slightly reddened in the cold air.

His heart gave a heavy thump as he vaguely understood what Xiao Yan intended to do.

"We might still make it if we ride," Xiao Yan said, looking steadily into Liu Qingci's eyes through the darkness, his hand stretching forward. "Want to try?"

Liu Qingci didn't hesitate. He placed his hand in Xiao Yan's.

Xiao Yan's hand was warm, firmly guiding him down from the carriage.

The next moment, Xiao Yan had already mounted the horse, then leaned down to Liu Qingci, extending his hand again: "Up."

Liu Qingci took Xiao Yan's hand, used it to step onto the stirrup, and at the same instant, Xiao Yan's arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him up to sit in front of him.

Liu Qingci was completely encircled in Xiao Yan's arms, the broad, warm chest pressing against his back, Xiao Yan's presence enveloping him entirely.

"Not afraid I'll ride poorly and drop you?" Xiao Yan's voice, tinged with a hint of a smile, whispered in his ear.

Liu Qingci turned his head, surprised: "Your riding isn't good?"

"..." Xiao Yan was taken aback for a moment, then wrapped his arms around the person in front of him even tighter, with an air of indignant confidence. "You just found out? Too late to regret it now!"

He had only been learning to ride for about a month—a short time, but his progress was decent.

He had never carried a passenger before, but he was confident he wouldn't let Liu Qingci fall.

"No regrets. I trust you."

Just when Xiao Yan thought Liu Qingci wouldn't answer, he heard those words, muffled by the wind, carried back to him.

Xiao Yan's throat tightened, and he nearly lost his composure.

Holding someone in his arms like this, and hearing such sweet, obedient words...

That's just unfair.

"Sit tight. We're off."

Before Liu Qingci could react, Xiao Yan had already flicked the reins and spurred the horse, and it shot forward like an arrow from a string.

Liu Qingci gasped, his body involuntarily leaning back, pressing even more tightly into Xiao Yan's embrace.

In his panic, he instinctively reached out and grabbed hold of Xiao Yan's arm around his waist.

After another half hour or so of galloping, a few faint glimmers of firelight appeared in the distance ahead, moving slowly along the dark official road.

"Ahead!" Liu Qingci's voice trembled with barely suppressed emotion as he pointed at the flickering lights.

The lights grew closer, gradually revealing the outline of the procession.

Four constables walked at the front and back with lanterns, and in the middle was a stooped figure wearing a heavy wooden cangue.

"Don't worry, we've already caught up to them." Xiao Yan comforted the trembling figure in his arms.

He flicked the reins, and the horse beneath him let out a long neigh, charging straight down the earthen slope like a bolt of black lightning, cutting across the path of the slow-moving procession of exiles!

"Whoa—!"

The guards were startled by the sudden appearance and hastily reined in their steps, lanterns swinging wildly.

When they saw the rider's luxurious attire, especially his face—still exuding nobility and coldness even in the dim lamplight—the leading guard's expression changed instantly. He hurriedly bowed and said, "We... we pay our respects to His Highness Prince Yu! We didn't know Your Highness was here late at night. Please forgive us for any offense!"

The other guards also fell to their knees in a panic, and even the elderly physician accompanying them knelt tremblingly.

Only the figure bearing a heavy wooden cangue, after the initial shock, fixed his gaze directly on the familiar form in the moon-white cloak held securely in Prince Yu's arms.

Liu Wenyuan's pupils contracted sharply. The haggard muscles on his face twitched violently, his lips moving but producing no sound.

Xiao Yan remained mounted, one arm steadily around Liu Qingci in front of him, while casually lifting the other hand to reveal the jet-black iron token.

"I wish to speak a few words with this criminal." Xiao Yan's voice was not loud but clearly cut through the howling wind, with the commanding authority of a lifelong ruler. "All of you, step back twenty paces."

"But Your Highness..." The lead guard broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead, kneeling without daring to raise his head, his voice trembling. "According to the law... while escorting a serious criminal into exile, it is strictly forbidden to..."

"According to the law?" Xiao Yan lightly repeated the two words, the end of his tone slightly rising. "My words here are the law."

Some here may never have seen Prince Yu, but everyone had heard of His Highness Prince Yu's great reputation.

The guard shuddered all over and dared not say another word. He quickly kowtowed: "Yes! Yes! This servant obeys! Retreat! Quickly move back!"

He scrambled to his feet, waving frantically for the other guards and the physician to retreat to a distance by the official road, turning their backs and remaining as silent as winter cicadas.

On the official road, only the two on horseback and the aged, chained figure standing alone in the wind and snow remained.

Xiao Yan released his hold, dismounted neatly, then reached out and steadily helped Liu Qingci dismount.

Once his feet touched the ground, Liu Qingci felt his legs give way.

He first looked up at Xiao Yan beside him.

Xiao Yan said nothing, just led his horse back a few steps, leaving the space entirely to father and son.

Liu Qingci then staggered toward the old, stooped figure a few steps away.

"Father!"

Liu Wenyuan dragged his heavy chains forward a few steps, his eyes full of tears as he gazed at his son, whom he hadn't seen for so long.

"Qingci, you... are you all right? How are your mother and sister?"

After many days in prison, Liu Wenyuan knew nothing of the outside world.

But he had once overheard a jailer chatting, saying that his son Qingci had been taken into Prince Yu's residence.

Liu Wenyuan had met Prince Yu, and even had a few brief exchanges. He knew what a reckless and tyrannical man this Prince was.

At that moment, he felt the world spin, more so than when he himself was falsely accused and sentenced.

Qingci, with his proud and fragile nature, falling into Prince Yu's hands... He dared not imagine it. Day and night he was tormented by that gnawing fear, with no way to ask for news.

Now, seeing his son alive and standing before him, a thousand thoughts churned in Liu Wenyuan's heart.

He looked over his child, who had been pampered and cherished.

He was wearing a moon-white silver fox fur cloak, the collar lined with soft, fluffy silver fox fur, framing his face, which seemed a little fuller. A few strands of jet-black hair escaped from under the hood. His complexion was far better than Liu Wenyuan had dared to imagine.

Now, Liu Qingci was like a rare orchid suddenly transplanted into a warm greenhouse, carefully nurtured. Though not yet in full bloom, he already displayed the delicate grace of someone being gently cared for and quietly recovering.

He looked even more like a pampered young master than when he was in the Liu residence.

The words "Son, you've lost weight" stuck in Liu Wenyuan's throat, unspeakable.