Jun Huailang’s daily routine had always been remarkably regular.
The next morning, when he opened his eyes, the faint light of dawn happened to filter through the bed curtains and fall across his hand.
Jun Huailang felt something hard and small in his palm and couldn’t help but pause. He opened his hand to look.
There, lying in his palm, was a piece of green jade roughly half the size of his palm.
The memories of the previous night immediately came flooding back.
He remembered that Xue Yan had personally handed him this piece of jade the night before.
At the time, Xue Yan had said those things to him, leaving him unable to recover for a long while. He hadn’t responded at all. Instead, Xue Yan had pulled him to his feet and placed the jade in his hand.
“After I leave, take this with you. You can use it to command the Imperial Guards I’m leaving behind,” he had said. “And there’s Duan Shisi. I’ll have him continue protecting you from the shadows. If you need anything done, just call for him.”
Jun Huailang hadn’t shown anything on his face at the time, but inside, he had long since been thrown into chaos. His heart pounded violently, as though a fire had been lit inside his chest, leaving him with barely enough composure to maintain a calm exterior.
He had agreed and taken the jade, gripping it tightly as though forcing himself to calm down.
And he had kept holding it the entire journey.
By now, the hard piece of jade had absorbed his body heat, becoming smooth and warm. Xue Yan’s name was carved into its surface.
They were clearly nothing more than two cold characters, yet before Jun Huailang’s eyes appeared the image of Xue Yan seriously looking at him the night before.
Jun Huailang instinctively closed his hand around the jade again.
Xue Yan hadn’t forced him to do anything—not even with a single word—yet the impulse in his heart had only grown more active and more unruly, crashing wildly against the walls of his chest.
Like a wild horse about to break free of its reins.
Just then, Fuyi’s voice came from outside the curtains.
“Young Master, are you awake?” His voice sounded somewhat anxious.
Jun Huailang sat up and hurriedly stuffed the piece of jade beneath his pillow, as though trying to conceal something.
“I just woke up,” he said calmly. “What happened?”
Fuyi quickly pulled open the bed curtains for him.
“I noticed everyone outside was rushing about just now, so I went to take a look,” he said. “I heard that an imperial envoy from Chang’an has arrived with an imperial edict. Your father and His Highness the Prince have both gone outside the residence to receive it.”
Jun Huailang paused.
He remembered what Xue Yan had told him the night before.
Xue Yan had said that once the imperial edict arrived, he would immediately set off for Shandong.
——
Jun Huailang hurriedly washed and dressed. Before the sky had even fully brightened, he went straight out of the courtyard.
Fuyi didn’t know why he was in such a hurry, but he didn’t dare ask. He simply followed behind him, quickening his pace until they reached the entrance of the Provincial Governor’s Residence.
Sure enough, from a distance, Jun Huailang saw the Imperial Guards mounted on tall horses outside the gate.
He quickened his steps, practically jogging the rest of the way to the entrance.
Xue Yan was sitting on horseback, his head lowered as he spoke with the Duke of Yongning standing beside the horse. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and immediately saw Jun Huailang.
His black hair was tied behind his head, and he wore a sky-blue changshan. The fine silk fluttered lightly behind him as he walked.
He had always been strikingly refined and cold-looking. At this moment, with little expression on his face, he seemed almost like an immortal descended from the heavens, untouched by even the slightest trace of mortal dust.
But Xue Yan had sharp eyes and immediately noticed that Jun Huailang’s steps were not entirely steady. He seemed somewhat hurried.
As though he had been rushing to see him.
The corners of Xue Yan’s lips lifted involuntarily. His expression barely changed, but those cold, severe features immediately softened by several degrees.
It was like a spring breeze brushing across an icy iron sword, leaving behind a trace of warmth along its blade.
The Duke of Yongning, who had been speaking with Xue Yan, also noticed the change in his expression.
Just moments ago, Guangling Prince had still been looking down and speaking coldly in a low voice. Yet suddenly, he seemed to have noticed something. He stopped halfway through his sentence and simply looked in that direction.
They had worked together for more than a month, and this was the first time the Duke of Yongning had ever seen Xue Yan wear such an expression.
The Duke of Yongning was somewhat slow when it came to matters of romance. He only found Xue Yan’s expression vastly different from usual, completely failing to see that the reason was the almost overflowing affection in Xue Yan’s eyes.
He turned back in surprise and saw that his own son had actually come outside.
“Huailang?” the Duke of Yongning asked in surprise. “Why did you come out?”
Jun Huailang paused, only then realizing that his father was there as well.
He had seen the Imperial Guards outside and had become anxious, afraid that he might not make it in time.
The moment he stepped over the threshold, his eyes immediately met those amber-colored eyes.
For a moment… he found himself unable to look away.
When he turned back toward his father, an inexplicable hint of panic rose in Jun Huailang’s heart.
“Ah, Fuyi told me that an imperial edict had arrived.” He paused, then stiffly came up with a lie. “I thought I’d come take a look, in case there was something important.”
Sitting atop his horse, Xue Yan let out a quiet laugh upon hearing this.
The sound made the tips of Jun Huailang’s ears burn.
The Duke of Yongning, however, seemed completely oblivious. He nodded.
“There’s nothing else of great importance. The Emperor has sent supplies to Jiangnan. His Highness received an imperial edict and will be heading north to provide support. Since you’re here, you may as well say farewell to His Highness before he leaves.”
Although the Duke of Yongning never involved himself in matters concerning the Crown Prince and never associated with the imperial princes, Xue Yan was someone he couldn’t help but admire.
After spending some time with him, the Duke of Yongning could also see that Xue Yan was completely different from the other princes at court who were busy gathering supporters. Even though Xue Yan respected him, he showed not the slightest intention of winning him over or making any sort of political exchange.
The Duke of Yongning simply regarded him as an upright person. While admiring him even more, he also hoped his son would spend more time around Xue Yan. He could learn quite a lot from him while also avoiding any suspicion of taking sides in the factional struggle.
Hearing his father’s words, Jun Huailang looked up at Xue Yan.
He was sitting on his horse in a neat black riding outfit, looking down at him with a smile that held a hint of mischief.
Jun Huailang’s gaze instinctively darted away.
The Duke of Yongning had already said everything he needed to say to Xue Yan. He now stepped aside and gestured for Jun Huailang to approach and pay his respects.
The moment Jun Huailang drew near, he heard Xue Yan’s amused voice.
“There’s no one else here, so there’s no need for the Heir to be so formal. Just treat me as an equal.”
There was a hint of teasing hidden in his tone—something only Jun Huailang could hear.
The tips of his ears warmed.
…This man was becoming bolder by the day, and increasingly shameless.
Jun Huailang pressed his lips together and, where his father couldn’t see, raised his eyes and glared at him.
Xue Yan responded with several more quiet laughs.
Then he lowered his head and asked Jun Huailang softly, “It’s still so early. How did you get up this early? You still have to go to the embankment later. How will you manage? Have Jinbao keep an eye on you and make sure you sleep for another half an hour at noon.”
Naturally, Jun Huailang couldn’t answer.
He couldn’t possibly say that he had simply thought of Xue Yan leaving immediately and felt an overwhelming urge to see him one more time before he departed.
It wasn’t because he had anything to say or anything important to do.
He simply wanted to see him.
That was all.
Seeing that Jun Huailang remained silent, Xue Yan didn’t ask again.
Instead, the smile in his eyes deepened.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about anything.” He leaned down slightly, drawing closer to Jun Huailang.
Jun Huailang merely raised his head and looked into those clear, translucent eyes.
“Wait for me to come back.”
Xue Yan looked at him as he spoke.
——
Jun Huailang continued going to the embankment every day.
By now, apart from the continuing shortages of money and grain, everything else in Jinling had more or less returned to the proper track of recovery.
The refugee camp in the southern part of the city had been almost completely rebuilt. Jun Huailang and Magistrate Shen were also doing everything they could to find work for the refugees so that they could earn money to buy food and medicine.
As for everything else, the Jinling government currently only had enough resources to provide one meal of porridge a day in the southern part of the city. Even after mobilizing the wealthy merchants in the city to make several rounds of donations, it was still a drop in the bucket.
At present, the most important matter was the damaged embankment in the north of the city.
Repairing the embankment was certainly not something that could be accomplished in a month or two. The damaged sections first had to be temporarily sealed, after which the river water had to be diverted elsewhere. Once the area had been cleared and the layout properly planned, sufficient manpower and materials would still be needed before repairs and reconstruction could begin.
All of this was proceeding in an orderly manner under Jun Huailang’s arrangements.
Now, they only needed to wait for the supplies allocated by Chang’an to be transported back. Once they arrived, most of Jinling’s disaster situation could finally be considered under control.
And from the day Xue Yan left, Jinbao had remained at Jun Huailang’s side.
As befitted a eunuch who served in the palace, he was meticulous with even the smallest matters and had a smooth, persuasive tongue.
He also strictly followed the schedule Xue Yan had arranged for Jun Huailang, carrying it out without the slightest deviation.
What time Jun Huailang should set out, when he should rest, when he should eat and take his midday nap—Jinbao arranged everything according to how Xue Yan had managed his routine when he was there.
At night, no matter whether the work had been completely finished or not, Jinbao would always persuade Jun Huailang to return early and rest. He would take care of everything else himself.
For a while, whenever he became busy, Jun Huailang sometimes even had the illusion that Xue Yan had never left.
Until this particular day.
That morning, there were some problems with the blueprints for repairing the embankment. From the moment the foreman came to find Jun Huailang, he threw himself wholeheartedly into revising the plans.
After all, the timing of the embankment collapse had differed by more than a month between his previous life and this one. In his previous life, many complications had arisen, and by the time they began repairing the embankment, autumn had already arrived.
The soil conditions and the volume of water were quite different then compared to now, so the repairs also needed to be adjusted accordingly.
Once he began revising the plans, he worked straight through until noon.
Jun Huailang hurriedly ate lunch and then brought the blueprints back out again.
When Jinbao saw that he had absolutely no intention of resting, his face immediately scrunched up in distress.
Good heavens. For this master, skipping a single midday nap might not seem like much.
But if his master found out, whether Jinbao could keep his head attached to his neck would depend entirely on what day his master returned.
However, Jinbao also knew that the blueprints in Jun Huailang’s hands were indeed important.
He had heard that while the river channel was being repaired that morning, the soil had been too soft, and because the supervisor had been careless, a minor accident had occurred on the embankment, injuring several people.
So Jinbao didn’t dare disturb him either.
After weighing the matter repeatedly, Jinbao still chose not to say anything. He silently refilled Jun Huailang’s tea and stood beside him, accompanying him as he worked while secretly planning to find a way to persuade him to rest once the blueprints had been revised.
Just then, faint sounds of commotion came from outside.
Jun Huailang looked up and frowned toward the door.
“Eunuch Jinbao, could you please go outside and see what’s happening?”
Jinbao hurriedly agreed and was about to leave.
Just then, a black figure suddenly leaped through the window like a falcon.
Jinbao jumped in fright.
The newcomer was Duan Shisi.
He wore no expression. After only a few steps forward, he stood before Jun Huailang, holding his saber and saluting.
The thirteen-year-old boy was only about as tall as Jun Huailang’s shoulder.
“Please come with me, Heir,” he said.
“What happened?” Jun Huailang asked.
Duan Shisi answered in his usual emotionless voice,
“Someone is causing trouble. I’ll get you out first.”