Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Tonghua Lane Chestnut Cake Shop.

A pot of clear wine, two cups of flower tea, a plate of chestnut cakes.

By the window sat a young man whose hair was disheveled and unevenly tied and whose robe sashes were tied in front but not behind. His illness was apparent, and from afar he looked pale and delicate.

Before entering, Yunzheng glanced at that person, paused a few seconds, shook his head and smiled. He vaguely remembered that this young emperor was rumored among the people to be legendary, as if there was nothing he couldn't accomplish—who would have thought that this person couldn't take care of himself in daily life?

Yunzheng walked to the window, bowed to that person in greeting, and saw that person's fingers as slender as scallions tapping lightly on the table. He bent down and sat opposite him.

Fang Zhihe slid the plate toward him a little and said softly, "Try some."

The chestnut cakes were fragrant, soft, and sweet. Yunzheng, as told, picked up a piece and took a bite. It melted in his mouth, and the flavor spread. His eyes widened involuntarily.

Fang Zhihe chuckled at the sight, "Delicious, right? Back then, Xiaoyuan loved this shop. I see you're not that different from Xiaoyuan, so you must like it too."

Yunzheng choked and coughed so hard he nearly rolled his eyes. He grabbed the teacup on the table and gulped it down. After a while, he said resentfully, "Young master, I'm a full twelve-year zodiac cycle and three years older than the young master."

Fang Zhihe looked at him, delighted. Yunzheng and Lu Yuan were sometimes very alike—their behavior had nothing to do with age. He just missed Xiaoyuan a little, so he teased Yunzheng.

Yunzheng pouted. Fang Zhihe knew he was displeased, so he said, "Alright. Did you come up with anything last night?"

A few birds chirped outside the window.

Fang Zhihe peeked out the window at the street below. Lu Wuyou was walking with the woman who fell into the river in front of a shop. They seemed to be talking about something, and Lu Wuyou reached out to adjust the woman's hairpin.

Before leaving, he had gotten into a big fight with Lu Wuyou over that woman, leaving him with disheveled clothes and messy hair when he came to the appointment.

Yunzheng glanced around and said in a low voice, "Lin Biqing can provide the ledgers from past years."

Fang Zhihe withdrew his gaze. "The magistrate of Luoying County?"

Yunzheng fiddled with the lid of the wine pot and said with a half-smile, "It's rare for you to be aware of this person."

Fang Zhihe thought for a moment, having a vague impression. "I don't quite remember. Following your train of thought, I recall the Prefect of Fuzhou, Chen Bingquan, and Gu Zhining. If there were anyone else who could access the ledgers, there are only a few, so I randomly said one."

Yunzheng said, "Let's set this aside for now. It's already mid-April. The flood control matter is urgent, and we should prepare the logistics early."

Fang Zhihe took out a memorial from his bosom and handed it to Yunzheng, saying softly, "Find some reliable people to handle these matters." After a pause, he added, "Never mind, put up a reward and recruit farmers to do it."

Yunzheng took it and casually flipped through it. "Digging waterways, diverting water... it's feasible, but Fuzhou's terrain is low-lying. If we do this, where should the people take refuge?"

Fang Zhihe chuckled. "The mountain. There's a huge mountain right here."

"Have you forgotten the mountain collapse a few years ago?" Yunzheng frowned.

Fang Zhihe shook his head. "I mean the foot of the mountain. The day before yesterday, I surveyed the mountain range near the people's dwellings. The terrain there is flat and backed by mountain ranges. If we build a shelter there... I think it's feasible."

Lu Wuyou bought a packet of osmanthus sugar at the sugar cake shop. Aning teased him with a smile, "Brother Lu, you still enjoy such childish treats?"

Lu Wuyou held the sugar and inexplicably turned to glance at the chestnut cake shop across the street. Two people were sitting by the window on the second floor—familiar faces. He stared for a long time, then casually tossed the packet of sugar into Aning's hands and said coldly, "It's for you." With that, he walked out.

He had originally bought it to apologize to that person—having promised to do his hair but ended up fighting with him and driving him away.

It seemed that person wasn't too upset after all, still able to smile so brightly with his lover.

Fang Zhihe laughed. "Why are you talking about my clothes?"

Yunzheng reached out to tie the sash behind him and shook his head. "Young master, you're really too ignorant of worldly affairs."

Fang Zhihe knew what he meant, so he shrugged and muttered, "This is harder than writing essays."

"But you still need to learn to dress yourself, right?" Yunzheng adjusted his collar. "Let's skip the hair combing."

Fang Zhihe caught a glimpse of someone throwing a packet of osmanthus sugar to the girl behind him. He was stunned for half a second, then lowered his eyes and smiled. "If I stay in that position forever, would it matter or not?"

Once these words were spoken, Yunzheng dared not respond.

If he were to say—what if you're not in that position?

Then tomorrow, the imperial commissioner sent to manage flood control would probably throw himself into the river.

"Song Ya, do you have someone you like?" The current emperor suddenly asked.

Yunzheng shivered, glanced at him, and whispered, "I do have someone, but... that person is too pedantic and probably unwilling to entertain me."

Fang Zhihe raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, poured him some tea, and handed it over. "Let me see them another day. I vaguely recall that before coming here, you were adamant that no one could win your heart."

Yunzheng thought to himself, Oh no, this fox is setting a trap for me!

He took a sip of tea and said bitterly, "Young master, I will definitely help Brother Lu."

Fang Zhihe blew on the floating tea leaves and said leisurely, "He's always been able to handle things himself; he doesn't actually need help from others. It's just about giving him a way out, convenient for both sides."

"Alright." Yunzheng blew on his tea.

Fang Zhihe looked at him. "You know me, Song Ya."

Seeing him say this with a calm expression, Yunzheng suddenly felt a lump in his throat. For a long time, he couldn't speak and could only nod.

Fang Zhihe smiled. "I'll leave the river affairs to you. In about two days, I'll go to Fuzhou Prefecture in person. You handle things here." With that, he stood up, patted his clothes, touched the crown that had just been straightened on his head, picked up another piece of pastry, and ate it.

Yunzheng nodded.

Fang Zhihe then patted his head and said softly, "He will like you."

An inexplicable sentence, and then he left.

Yunzheng stood there dumbfounded. On the table were still a plate of pastries, two teacups, and a pot of wine.

That person walked down the street, went to the sugar cake shop across the way, and bought a packet of sugar. On the oilpaper wrapper under the sunlight were three words. Yunzheng watched from afar and silently read them out.

—Osmanthus sugar.

"Author's Note"

I've thought of the official title. Let's call it "When I Came, the Mountains Had Snow."