Chapter 40: Meeting the Chivalrous Lady Again, Affection Lingers

Chapter 40: Meeting the Chivalrous Lady Again, Full of Affection

"It's not just about swapping fates—he wants to live forever too."

Ruan Ciyu took the jade cicada from Lan Suzhou's hand and clenched it tightly, squeezing hard in silence.

The cicada was the same size as a real one, its legs carved extremely fine. Yet because of the quality of the jade, even when gripped like this, there was no sign of it breaking. Instead, it left several imprints on Ruan Ciyu's palm, stinging him with pain.

"This thing holds everything my royal brother could ever want. The old body turns into a lifeless husk, the fate is pulled out and given new life, and it also hints at immortality."

Lan Suzhou couldn't help but place his hand on Ruan Ciyu's shoulder, as if afraid he'd shed his skin like a cicada and fly off into the unknown.

His hand was heavy, pressing the heart that had just risen back down into place.

Ruan Ciyu: "Remember what I told you?"

Lan Suzhou: "You said... if you died, Dazhao would face a disaster that would bring down the whole nation."

"Mm." Ruan Ciyu looked up at him, as calm as ever whenever he mentioned his fate. "This fate is a curse on my short-lived body. If I could gain immortality, that would indeed break it."

"Then we should find a way to make you immortal, not swap fates and ditch you." Lan Suzhou was about to keep talking when he heard a "click" and followed the sound to see Ruan Ciyu just releasing his grip.

"Did I just crush it?"

In his open palm, the jade cicada's tail had split open slightly, and a slip of paper slid out from inside.

Lan Suzhou unfolded it and read aloud: "Immortality's hard to come by. Sticking gold needles through the skull risks damaging the brain. Not one of the thousand-plus test subjects in Ganzhou survived. Better to take care of your health with herbal medicine—a hundred years is plenty. Don't be greedy. Remember that, remember that..."

As he read, Lan Suzhou slowly went blank.

Ruan Ciyu softly roused him: "This is exactly what General Lan needs."

"Right, Zhuo!" Lan Suzhou placed the note into Shen Quzhuo's hands.

"Take this note to Old Lan yourself. The stiff sickness isn't man-made. After the initial gold needle treatment to the head, there might be a chance he'll recover."

Shen Quzhuo's face turned serious, and he stood up straight.

"And then what? The Lan family's already under suspicion. Stealing the jade cicada and the note—this isn't just poking the snake anymore."

This was basically feeding themselves to the snake.

Lan Suzhou patted Shen Quzhuo's arm. "Trust Old Lan. Once he knows the whole story, he'll figure it out. I'm still in the capital—whatever happens, I'll take the hit first."

Taking the emperor's stuff and dragging his family into it—he shouldn't have done that.

But he couldn't keep quiet about things that hurt the people.

Lan Suzhou knew he got his nature from his parents, and they'd never blame him.

A cold, crisp voice cut him off.

"No, you can't stay in the capital."

Ruan Ciyu's tone was firm, and his grip on Lan Suzhou's sleeve was just as stubborn. He'd tossed the jade cicada aside, and it rolled to the floor with a clatter.

Lan Suzhou grabbed his arm, sat on the edge of the bed, and kissed the middle of his forehead, his eyes burning.

"Then come with me."

Ruan Ciyu had to admit, for at least a second, he was tempted.

"Where to?"

"Once we get out of Shengjing, the sky's the limit—we can go anywhere."

"But," Lan Suzhou even had the nerve to chuckle, "then you wouldn't be a prince anymore, and I wouldn't be a general either. We couldn't even afford Xiao Die's pay, and I'd have to take care of all your food, clothes, and lodging."

At that thought, Lan Suzhou even started daydreaming about becoming a carefree wanderer of the jianghu.

"Oh, right." Ruan Ciyu, realizing he should've said no right away, grabbed the chance to back out.

"That won't work. If you waited on me, this prince couldn't stand it. Besides, with all the hassle on the road... I'd rather stay."

Lan Suzhou shamelessly insisted, "Then I'm not going either."

Ruan Ciyu bit a small mark into his lower lip. "You're like a kid, so clingy."

"I don't have to be a kid to be clingy! And I can still marry you." Lan Suzhou was totally clear-headed, his face full of sulk. "The Thousand Autumn Festival's coming up—I have to celebrate your birthday with you."

"Fine, since I've already promised you and we've come this far." Ruan Ciyu said a lot, as if trying to console himself.

"Bring San Jiu along too. As for Xiao Die... ask if they're willing to come with us."

Shen Quzhuo, quick to catch on, took this as confirmation that the itinerary was set. Grabbing his blade, he headed off to pack.

At the door, he remembered something.

"Do we still need to bring Xiao Die? When it comes to serving people, San Jiu, me, and Lan Suzhou should be more than enough."

"Qing Ping will travel with us normally; I'll arrange Xiao Die separately." What Ruan Ciyu said in a commanding tone left no room for argument.

"The other servants in the manor also need to be settled properly. Otherwise, if we leave, they'll be the ones to pay the price."

"I'll follow your arrangements." Lan Suzhou only cared about whether Ruan Ciyu would be by his side; everything else was trivial, and he would cooperate fully.

There was no need to pick an auspicious day to leave—they could set out as soon as Ruan Ciyu was well enough to travel. The shadow guards of the Xuanji Camp in the manor would cover their retreat and rendezvous with them after they left Shengjing. The other servants, unaware of anything, had all received silver and were told to leave gradually over the next three days.

Lan Suzhou counted the luggage for what felt like the hundredth time. He had nothing much to bring himself besides a few clothes, but Ruan Ciyu's frequently used jewelry, tableware, cups, incense, his comb, pillow, and soft bedding—Lan Suzhou had checked them all back and forth.

He even wished he could stuff a few more of the tea-scented soap bars Ruan Ciyu used for bathing into the bag.

"Enough, enough, stop fussing over it. How many times have you taken those soap bars out and put them back? Anyone would think you're going on a spring outing, not fleeing for your life. You're going to rub them into nothing—there aren't many left, and they're all tributes."

"They're not melting, I've wrapped them in a handkerchief. If they melt on the road, I'll freeze them again when we get back to Ganzhou." Even as he said this, Lan Suzhou couldn't help but pull the soap bars out again to check if they had melted.

Seeing they were still intact, four square bars, he let out a soft breath and put them back, arranging them neatly in the bundle.

"It's not so bad—we don't have to see this as fleeing." Lan Suzhou gave a light smile. Despite having just caused a huge mess, his eyes were full of ease, curved like crescent moons in the sky.

Ruan Ciyu realized that Lan Suzhou often smiled, but it had been a long time since he'd smiled so freely.

"We're going back to Ganzhou—that's home."

Leaving Prince Cheng'an's manor with all their belongings was difficult, so they had to break everything down into small pieces, moving people and goods out of the city bit by bit like ants. These tasks were left to Shen Quzhuo and the shadow guards, while Lan Suzhou dutifully stayed by Ruan Ciyu's side, with Xiao Die, living ordinary days in the manor, waiting for the emperor's judgment.

Strangely enough, such serious matters as the theft of the jade cicada and the assassination attempt at Tianhe Hall had not leaked a single word. The emperor also didn't rush to settle scores with the two of them, as if he truly hadn't guessed they'd escaped through the secret passage. The days were so peaceful that Lan Suzhou almost felt uneasy.

But this sword was bound to fall eventually, and the longer it lingered, the greater the damage it might inflict.

Lan Suzhou dared not delay. On a fine, clear day, he took Ruan Ciyu and left.

This time, it was just the two of them plus Xiao Die. Shen Quzhuo, as agreed, should already be waiting with He Sanjiu and the packed carriage on the outskirts of the city.

A carriage leaving the manor would draw too much attention, so Lan Suzhou led Ruan Ciyu to Tianbao Inn before switching to a carriage.

"Sir, you're bringing your lady on business again? And now with a maid in tow this time."

Lan Suzhou's face darkened. He couldn't believe that despite all three of them being disguised, this damn innkeeper's boy had recognized them at a glance.

But the kid seemed a little slow—Ruan Ciyu was just a bit thin, with a slender waist, and hair that fell prettily from under the veil. How was any of that supposed to make him look like a lady?

And Xiao Die had grown taller over these past months—how did that make him look like a maid?

"I'm taking my lady out of the city to enjoy the scenery. Please pick out a low-key carriage for us."

"Ah," the boy replied, "are you in a hurry, sir? They say the city is tightening restrictions these days—carriages leaving must be registered. This inn sees the most comings and goings, so if you're not in a rush, I'll take care of it for you first."

"No rush, exactly. I just worry that too late would waste today's fine weather."

Lan Suzhou politely produced the travel permit he had prepared in advance and showed it to the boy.

The boy still remembered how frantic this swordsman had been when he first entered the inn, and how when soldiers came to search later, everyone else had scrambled out half-dressed, while he and this lady couldn't have cared less about the commotion outside.

Though this trip was only supposed to be an autumn outing, if they could reach the maple grove by afternoon, basking in the warm autumn sun and resting on the thick bed of red leaves—who knows, maybe they'd get in the mood again!

The kid couldn't live such a fancy life himself, so he was always eager to help guests with their affairs, even if it was all in his head—it still made him happy.

After confirming the seal on the document, he happily went off to take care of it.

And that seal—Ruan Ciyu had watched Lan Suzhou carve it himself the night before.

"You've got quite a few tricks up your sleeve."

Ruan Ciyu had no idea what stories the boy was spinning about him and Lan Suzhou in his head. He took the tea Xiao Die handed him, didn't complain about the plain cup or the cheap leaves, and just drank it.

"I'm pretty curious where you learned that. I've met General Lan—he's way more straight-laced than you. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy to teach you that."

"Cough, cough." Lan Suzhou shot Ruan Ciyu a quick "don't you dare" look.

"You're the lady now. There are eyes everywhere—we need to be careful with what we say."

Ruan Ciyu fell silent, sipping the tea with its stray leaves, taking one sip after another.

"Alright, alright—too much water isn't good either, and we've still got a long way to go." Lan Suzhou snatched the cup from him, then gave in and told him: "Old Lan didn't teach me. When I was a mischievous kid, any cabinet or chest at home with a lock, I'd find a way to open it."

"Later, when I was sent to school, I'd write policy essays I thought were excellent, but the tutor would give me awful feedback. If I didn't want to get my ass kicked by Shen Yanqing, I had no choice but to carve the tutor's seal myself, imitate his handwriting, and rewrite myself a decent evaluation."

Ruan Ciyu listened with real curiosity. "And then? Your parents—they bought it just like that?"

"Yeah, right!" Lan Suzhou finally let all his pent-up frustrations pour out. Who knew how badly he got scolded every day, especially with that overachiever Shen Quzhuo around to compare against.

"Old Lan was easy to fool, but Shen Yanqing would know who wrote those words the second she glanced at the paper. Then she'd get furious, Old Lan would soothe her, and then I'd get the beating of a lifetime."

"Hmph." Ruan Ciyu seemed amused, letting out a soft laugh. "Sounds like you had a rough time."

"Rough doesn't even begin to cover it!"

"Well, that's something else." Ruan Ciyu reached out with his long arm to grab the teapot. His fingertips accidentally brushed the spout, and he pressed two fingers together and rubbed them lightly.

"So rough—have some tea. You've talked so much in one breath."

Ruan Ciyu's expression was softened by the sheer veil hanging from his hat, with only the tip of his chin exposed. He seemed nervous, his jaw clenched.

Lan Suzhou watched him without making it obvious, lowering his head to sniff the tea. Ruan Ciyu seemed to get even more nervous.

"Ah, what's there to be nervous about? Just treat it like a fun trip—you'll see plenty of fine scenery along the way."

With that, Lan Suzhou chugged the tea in one gulp, the cup clattering sharply as it hit the table.

"Bitter and bland. Terrible."

"Author's Note"

The inn boy: Working is tough—the only way to get by is shipping my OTP to keep myself happy.