Get Sick
When Fang Xianye entered the room and turned on the light, he immediately saw a figure dressed in black sitting on a chair, looking at him. He paused for a moment and then moved the lamp farther away, preventing the shadow of the newcomer from falling on the window.
“Why aren’t you surprised at all?” Duan Xu, dressed in lightweight night clothes with black hair, leaned forward and asked.
Fang Xianye sat down on a nearby chair, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, “Today, the guards said there seemed to be a thief in the mansion. They searched several times but found nothing, so I guessed it was you.”
“Your newly hired guards are quite alert.”
“They may be alert, but they’re no match for the assassins of the Hall of Whispering Sounds. It was your mistake.”
Duan Xu’s hand paused as he fiddled with the teacup. He chuckled lightly and said, “I’ve been a bit slow to react these past few days, but I’ll recover soon. How’s the Marquis Pei’s arrangement at the Ministry of War?”
“Sun Zian was beheaded, Qin Huanda lost his real power, and the incident with Princess Yu involving witchcraft has dealt them a heavy blow. Du Xiang is also keeping a close eye on things. Marquis Pei hopes the position of Minister of War will be temporarily vacant and filled by the assistant minister until the situation calms down. As for Du Xiang, will it be you or Meng Qiaoyan?” Fang Xianye asked.
Meng Qiaoyan was Meng Wan’s father, who had contributed to the suppression of rebellion in the southwest and led the Forbidden Army in the Southern Capital. Before Duan Xu took military office, he was the strongest force in the military under Du Xiang.
“It should be Meng Qiaoyan. My father means Du Xiang will let me stay in the military to replace Qin Huanda’s position. But if Meng Qiaoyan becomes the Minister of War, Du Xiang and Meng Qiaoyan will definitely try to insert their people into the military through me. By then, it’s unclear whether the army will be mine or Du Xiang’s.”
Fang Xianye nodded and said, “Meng Qiaoyan is cautious, but his sons are not very successful. They’re just idling in the military. His third son is particularly hot-tempered. If his son causes a big trouble in the military, Meng Qiaoyan’s promotion path won’t be so easy. However, if the position of Minister of War becomes vacant, Marquis Pei will eventually be able to arrange for his own person. You will also face more constraints in the military.”
“For Marquis Pei, as long as the position is not filled by Du Xiang’s person, it’s a win. In that case, it’s a good choice to push for someone with no obvious stance. I think Cao Ruolin is a good candidate. He also participated in suppressing the rebellion in the southwest, and he’s doing well in the Ministry of Justice now. He doesn’t have much background but is quite capable and has a strong personality. I heard he admires your poetry and articles very much. If others recommend him, he may not be grateful, but if it’s you, he will be. He’ll be grateful to you, and since you’re Marquis Pei’s retainer, from Marquis Pei’s perspective, he’ll be your person. As long as you’re careful, you can quietly turn him into your own person.”
Fang Xianye and Duan Xu exchanged a knowing smile after a moment of eye contact.
“Recently, the Emperor intends to build a large horse ranch in Yuzhou and appoint a border patrol commissioner for Yunluo, overseeing military and political affairs in the region. I want to take on this task,” Fang Xianye said.
Having spent some time in the Ministry of Revenue, he deeply felt the financial strain of war. It wasn’t just about food and supplies; the consumption of military equipment and horses was also enormous. The horse ranch and mine in Yunluo were crucial sources of materials for future recapture of lost territories, and he couldn’t trust anyone else to manage them.
After all, those were the lands Duan Xu had risked his life to conquer.
Moreover, this was an extremely important task. Achieving success in this role would lead to promotion upon his return to the capital.
During wartime, the Emperor had sent Zheng An to the front lines. It was highly likely that this border patrol commissioner position would fall to Zheng An. With his seniority and deep roots, Zheng An would certainly choose his trusted aides to accompany him, leaving Fang Xianye out of the picture.
Duan Xu pondered for a moment before snapping his fingers and saying, “In a while, there will be the grand sacrificial ceremony to the heavens, where elegant verses will be recited. The Emperor values these verses greatly. It was because of his skill in composing elegant verses that Du Xiang gained the Emperor’s favour back then. If you can prepare a set of verses that will amaze the Emperor, your chances of getting appointed should be high.”
Elegant verses were ceremonial texts offered to the heavens, focusing on formal structure and ornate language. They tested one’s literary skills and few in the court were capable of composing them. Duan Xu leaned closer to Fang Xianye and whispered, “Actually, Du Xiang can’t write elegant verses either. Every year, my father writes them for him.”
Fang Xianye raised an eyebrow.
Despite being retired due to illness for so long, Duan Chengzhang still held a place within Du Xiang’s faction, precisely because of his relationship with the Hall of Whispering Sounds and his skilful writing.
“I know he’s already written them. I’ll sneak a peek and quietly transcribe them for you later,” Duan Xu said.
“You want me to copy his?” Fang Xianye asked.
“Of course not. A talented scholar like you doesn’t need to copy his. But take a look at how he writes them first, so you have an idea. It’s always good to know your opponent,” Duan Xu said with a smile.
After a moment of silence, Fang Xianye observed Duan Xu’s expression and said slowly, “People outside say that the third young master of the Duan family’s wedding suffered a sudden mishap, and now he’s spending a lot of money searching for a new bride. He’s withdrawn from public view due to physical and mental exhaustion. But the third young master Duan seems very happy.”
From the beginning, Duan Xu had been smiling, even though he was already quite cheerful normally. However, today, he seemed especially pleased.
Duan Xu touched the corner of his lips and smiled even brighter, saying, “It’s too suffocating to pretend to be gloomy outside. I don’t want to pretend anymore in front of you. Speaking of which, I should leave earlier. The lady of our house washed her hair yesterday, and while she was sitting in the yard with wet hair, she caught a cold. I need to go back and take care of her.”
Fang Xianye was greatly surprised by this revelation, his hand holding the teacup frozen in mid-air. “You don’t mean… the one from last time…”
“It’s her, the Ghost King.”
“Ghosts get sick too?”
“She’s quite special.” Duan Xu stood up and stretched lazily. “I’ve added another lifelong wish. After reclaiming the seventeen states north of the Guan River, I want to become the son-in-law of the He family.”
Fang Xianye looked at Duan Xu, unable to say a word. Duan Xu patted his shoulder and smiled. “We agreed from the beginning: I wield the sword and conquer the world as the general, while you hold the ivory tablet and govern the world as the prime minister. I don’t mind retiring with my bow and arrows. When the time comes, you can govern the world properly.”
With that, Duan Xu put on his face mask and swiftly jumped out of the window. This time, he moved more agilely than before, not alerting the guards in the mansion. After Duan Xu left, Fang Xianye sat for a while before picking up his tea cup and finishing the tea. Shaking his head, he muttered, “Is this person really a lunatic?”
When Duan Xu returned to his Moonlight Residence with medicine, He Simu was leaning against the bed, looking drowsy. Her long black hair scattered on the bed, shining brightly. The most vibrant thing about her was the red gown she wore, much like the painting she made on him.
Black branches, red plum blossoms, white snow — He Simu.
Chenying sat on the bed, looking at He Simu with a worried expression. When she saw Duan Xu, she eagerly went to shake He Simu’s shoulder. “Miss, the medicine is here. Drink it.”
Duan Xu sat beside He Simu. She opened her eyes, rubbed them sleepily, and reached out to grab the medicine bowl, ready to drink it all. Duan Xu immediately moved the bowl away and said, “No, it’s too hot.”
He Simu finally woke up a bit. She rubbed her eyes and looked at Duan Xu angrily, her voice hoarse. “Being human is too troublesome. I catch a cold from just a little breeze.”
Every time she swapped senses with Duan Xu, she always encountered some bad luck, like being imprisoned and stabbed into a sieve, being attacked by the lord of the demons, or catching a cold. She felt dizzy and breathless now, just miserable. It was clearly her fault for catching a cold from her own carelessness, but she blamed Duan Xu for it.
Duan Xu scooped up a spoonful of medicine, blew on it, and offered it to her. “Opportunities like this are rare. Experiencing being sick can also be considered fulfilling, right?”
He Simu turned her head and sneezed, rubbing her nose before drinking the medicine Duan Xu fed her. She said, “It’s better to experience less of this kind of thing.”
After drinking the medicine, she was fed a preserved fruit by Duan Xu. He Simu mumbled, “I can’t taste anything anyway, and I don’t mind bitterness. Why are you giving me preserved fruit? It’s more suitable for Chenying.”
Duan Xu also gave Chenying a preserved fruit, then leaned close to He Simu’s ear and whispered softly, “But I’m afraid of bitterness.”
“So what?”
“I’m going to kiss you in a moment.”
He Simu stole a glance at Chenying, who was blinking his big eyes beside her, and pushed Duan Xu away. “You should hold back a bit. Do you want to get sick too?”
Although she said that, He Simu still ate the preserved fruit Duan Xu gave her. She drank the entire bowl of medicine with one fruit after another. Considering that this was Duan Xu’s usual way of taking medicine, she couldn’t imagine how sensitive he was to bitterness.
Chenying wasn’t neglected either. With a preserved fruit in his mouth, he reached out to touch He Simu’s forehead, seriously feeling it for a while before reporting to Duan Xu, “Miss’s forehead isn’t hot anymore.”
Duan Xu smiled. “That’s good. Her fever has gone down.”
Chenying’s gaze shifted between He Simu and Duan Xu excitedly as he ventured, “Third Brother, are you and Miss… engaged in a private agreement?”
He Simu thought that this little guy had improved a lot in idioms in the few months she hadn’t seen him. Before she could answer, Chenying continued, “Miss, Third Brother really likes you. Do you like him?”
With Chenying’s big eyes looking at her and Duan Xu’s eyes on her too, He Simu remained quiet for a moment before affectionately patting his head. “It’s been a long time. Sister is here to test your homework.”
Chenying’s smile quickly disappeared, replaced by a pitiful look.
Recently, he had been studying martial arts with Duan Xu. Duan Xu had started learning earlier, and despite being around the same age, he was better than him in everything. When the teacher asked questions, he was often at a loss, while Duan Xu could answer immediately. He felt frustrated and dreaded Duan Xu asking about his studies.
Now that Miss had come, the teacher knew that his sister had come to give him a few days off. He didn’t expect Miss to ask about his studies too.
Chenying drooped his head and mumbled, and Duan Xu answered for him about his recent studies. He Simu shook her head and said softly, “I entrusted Chenying to you. You can’t just hand him over to the teacher. At the very least, you should teach him martial arts, right?”
Duan Xu thought for a moment, then turned to Chenying. “Learning martial arts with me is extremely difficult. It’s a hundred times harder than what your teacher is teaching you now. Do you still want to learn from me?”
Chenying looked at Duan Xu, then at He Simu, nodded helplessly, and said, “Yes, I do.”
Everyone in the room, except for Chenying, smiled with relief. Chenying wondered why he ended up in such a miserable situation just for asking a question.
After Chenying left the room to rest in the guest room of Haoyue Residence, Duan Xu slung an arm around the drowsy He Simu’s shoulder and gently patted her, smiling, “When do you think you’ll get better?”
“What for?” He Simu asked groggily.
“You’ve been cooped up for many days, it’s time to get out and about. There’s a polo match in a couple of days. Do you want to watch me play polo?”
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