The journey unfolded during the peak of summer.
Unlike the palace, the carriage lacked cooling amenities. Yu Zhi lay drenched, his jet-black hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. His breath came out hot and labored as he slumped weakly on the bamboo mat. Luo Tingshi, feeling sorry for him, fanned him from the side.
As late summer approached, the entourage finally reached the capital of Sheng Kingdom.
Knowing Yu Zhi dreaded the heat, Luo Tingshi specially arranged for him to stay in a water pavilion. He ordered palace attendants to place melons and fruits in the pavilion’s ice-filled jars for Yu Zhi’s enjoyment.
“Rest in the water pavilion first. I must attend to the officials.” Luo Tingshi’s fingertip traced the soft curve of Yu Zhi’s cheek. The delicate, pale skin flushed with a faint blush beneath his touch. He bent his head, gently taking the rosy mark between his lips to kiss it.
The person in his arms nestled obediently against him, urging softly, “Go quickly. After months away, surely a mountain of affairs awaits you. We needn’t delay this moment of joy.”
Luo Tingshi reluctantly left Yu Zhi, his voice slightly hoarse: “Wait for me.”
Yu Zhi watched Luo Tingshi depart, glancing back every few steps, unable to suppress a faint smile. Only after the man’s figure vanished did he reach into the ice chest and retrieve a grape.
A thread of coolness seeped into his fingertips as Yu Zhi pinched the grape and popped it into his mouth. Its icy sweetness and refreshing chill instantly dispelled much of the heat in his heart.
Yu Zhi sighed softly and lay back on the bed.
After months of jostling in carriages, he could finally rest properly.
The chamber was refreshingly cool. Lulled by the breeze skimming the water’s surface, Yu Zhi drifted into a deep sleep.
–
Over these past months, a considerable backlog of affairs had accumulated at court.
Upon his return to Sheng Kingdom, Luo Tingshi was as busy as a spinning top, working nonstop day and night with no chance to catch his breath.
Yu Zhi felt for him. Carrying the medicinal meal prescribed by Physician Zhang, he entered Yinglin Hall and placed it on the imperial desk.
Luo Tingshi didn’t even lift his head. “Withdraw.”
“No, I want to watch you eat it.”
The familiar voice reached Luo Tingshi’s ears. He lifted his eyes with delight, leaned forward to grasp Yu Zhi’s hand, pulling him into his embrace. He asked with a smile, “Xiao Yu, why have you come to bring me a meal?”
Yu Zhi placed his hand over the dark circles beneath Luo Tingshi’s eyes and sighed softly, “You’ve been working day and night these past few days, exhausting yourself. I worry about you, so I specially consulted Physician Zhang and had the imperial kitchen prepare some nourishing dishes for you.”
“If Xiao Yu brought it, how could I refuse?” Luo Tingshi’s tone shifted, growing bolder. “But I want Xiao Yu to feed me.”
Yu Zhi shot him a glance, picked up the porcelain bowl from the table, scooped a spoonful of soup, and brought it to Luo Tingshi’s lips. “Drink.”
Luo Tingshi’s gaze swept over the porcelain bowl before him, climbing up Yu Zhi’s fair hand to rest on his pale pink lips, his eyes deepening. “I want you to feed me with this.”
Yu Zhi: “…”
“Luo Tingshi, stop this nonsense. Drink up.”
He pressed the ladle against Luo Tingshi’s lips. Luo Tingshi parted his lips to drink, murmuring with a smile, “Your Majesty, be gentler.”
Yu Zhi glared at him. “Is it that I don’t wish to treat you gently? You brought this upon yourself.”
Luo Tingshi finished the entire bowl of medicinal soup with a smile.
When the bowl was empty, Yu Zhi tried to dismount from Luo Tingshi’s lap, but a pair of iron-like arms clamped around his waist, pinning him in place.
“Xiao Yu, don’t leave. Stay with me.”
Yu Zhi glanced back at him with disdain. “How can you be clingier than the two babies?” ”
“Xiao Yu…” Luo Tingshi’s eyes burned with longing.
Having been together so long, Yu Zhi understood his gaze. Resigned yet compliant, he lowered his head and kissed Luo Tingshi.
After a long while, they parted, both breathing unevenly.
Yu Zhi asked him, “Has the new policy encountered any obstacles?”
Luo Tingshi retrieved a volume from a stack of memorials, opened it, and handed it to Yu Zhi. “Read it, Xiao Yu.”
The very first sentence that met his eyes was a scathing rebuke directed at Luo Tingshi. Yu Zhi’s expression darkened. Skimming through it at a glance, he snorted coldly, “It sounds noble—every word and sentence supposedly for the sake of the state and its people. But in reality, it’s nothing but self-serving. If I recall correctly, this man is the official colluding with your brother.”
“Xiao Yu has a sharp memory,” Luo Tingshi chuckled softly.
Upon learning of this, Luo Tingshi chose not to stir the pot prematurely. He intended to use this opportunity to root out all those harboring dissenting thoughts within the court. As for that brother in the Cold Palace? He had long been imprisoned in the dungeons.
Yu Zhi lifted his chin. “With so much leverage in your hands, he dared to insult you like that? Show him what you’re made of.”
Luo Tingshi’s eyes softened as he smiled. “Very well. I’ll do as Xiao Yu suggests.”
–
The unification of the two nations must not be rushed; it should be pursued gradually.
First, standardize the currencies of both countries. This would greatly facilitate trade and commerce.
Second, fully open trade between Yuzhou and Shengzhou, abolishing tariffs. Construct a canal connecting the two nations to streamline the movement of goods.
Third, permit citizens of both nations to freely intermarry and relocate….
During their time in Yu, they had discussed these matters repeatedly with Yu Heng, finalizing each provision. Upon Luo Ting’s return to Sheng the very next day, he issued orders to implement them all, with Yu simultaneously enacting the same policies.
With rulers of both Yù and Shèng now having children together, Shèng’s officials recognized the alliance as irreversible and ceased interference. Yet the emperor’s edict revealed deeper implications to astute observers, prompting numerous ministers to oppose it.
Even the confined He Buwei submitted a memorial to Luo Tingshi.
Despite their strained relationship over the Yu Zhi affair, Luo Tingshi still held deep respect for He Buwei. Without the elder statesman’s support, ascending the throne would have been far more difficult.
After reviewing the memorial, Luo Tingshi left the palace for the He residence. Arriving at the study, he pushed open the door.
The fading sunlight poured through the window, bathing the armchair by the window. A white-haired old man sat hunched over in the dusty glow, his entire being resembling the setting sun on the horizon, about to sink heavily below the horizon.
After several months apart, He Buwei had suddenly become a truly aged man.
Luo Tingshi paused and bowed deeply to He Bu Wei. “Master He, how have you been?”
“Your Majesty, you flatter an old servant. It is I who should be bowing to you.”
He Buwei gripped the wooden chair’s armrest, attempting to rise. Luo Tingshi strode forward, pressed down on He Buwei’s arm to help him sit back down, and sighed, “Master He is my imperial tutor. How could I possibly allow you to bow to me?”
He Buwei lifted his wrinkled eyelids, revealing eyes tinged with a faint haze. Clasping his hands, he said, “This old servant congratulates Your Majesty on fulfilling your heart’s desire. May you and that person walk hand in hand until your days are done.”
Luo Tingshi: “May I borrow your auspicious words, Elder He.”
He turned, fetched a wooden chair from the study’s corner, placed it before He Buwei, and sat upright.
He Buwei: “Does Your Majesty intend to have a long talk with this old servant?”
Luo Tingshi: “Old He, I have seen your memorial.”
He Buwei gave a bitter smile, staring at his withered hands. A hoarse voice squeezed from his throat: “I never imagined the Great Sheng would fall by my hand.”
Luo Tingshi: “You once said this realm ought to be united under one rule. Now that this grand vision is about to be realized, why speak thus?”
He Buwei seized the deer-headed walking stick beside him and slammed it hard onto the ground, demanding sharply, “If the Great Sheng no longer exists in this world henceforth, how is that any different from the nation’s demise?”
Luo Tingshi remained impassive: “By your own logic, then the Yu Kingdom too has perished.”
He Buwei: “But…”
Luo Tingshi: “Dasheng and Yu were once one family. Only centuries ago, when the Great Zhao Kingdom fell, did they split apart, each founding their own empire. Now, without a single soldier or drop of blood, the realm can be reunited. This is an opportunity unseen since ancient times. Why, Elder He, are you bound by the narrow perspective of one kingdom?
“When rivers and lands become battlefields, how can common folk find joy in gathering firewood and tending fields? Would you, Elder He, wish to see endless warfare, rivers of blood, and people deprived of even a day of peace?”
He Buwei fell silent. He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Luo Tingshi from head to toe, his gaze as though observing a stranger.
“Your Majesty, surely these words are not your own?”
Luo Tingshi chuckled softly, his voice brimming with unabashed admiration. “They come from my Xiao Yu. He is a benevolent ruler, unable to bear witness to his subjects’ deaths. To halt the fighting, he journeyed to the frontier while carrying a child within him—choosing personal hardship over the suffering of his people.”
He Buwei grew even more perplexed: “How could Your Majesty admire someone so utterly opposite to you?”
He Buwei believed he understood the emperor before him.
Luo Tingshi was an utterly cold-hearted man. He cared nothing for anyone’s life; to him, people were no more than weeds or trees. As long as he achieved his goals, he wouldn’t bat an eye even if thousands died.
Every action he took served some ulterior motive.
When the floods struck Dengzhou, his personal visit to the disaster zone was merely a ploy to win the people’s favor.
What kind of extraordinary man was that young emperor of Yu Kingdom? How could he make Luo Tingshi willingly sheathe his fangs, burying that cold, dark ruthlessness deep within?
Luo Tingshi heard He Buwei’s question and chuckled softly: “Perhaps it is precisely because he is utterly different from this emperor.”
The golden sun had sunk behind the mountains, leaving only a faint glow lingering on the horizon.
Luo Tingshi bid farewell to Elder He. Just as his hands touched the door, the old man’s voice suddenly reached him from behind.
“Your Majesty, I hear that the young emperor of Yu has given birth to a son and a daughter for you. This old servant would like to see the Crown Prince and the eldest princess.”
Luo Tingshi turned back, offering a gentle smile to the old man silhouetted against the dusk.
“Old He, you may enter the palace at any time.”
–
The bright moon hung high in the sky.
Luo Tingshi walked back to the sleeping quarters under the watery glow of moonlight. He gently pushed open the palace doors to find the room still and quiet.
Moonlight streamed through the lattice windows, pooling before the dragon bed.
A slender, pale hand hung down from the bed, bathed in moonlight, radiating a cold, jade-like whiteness.
Luo Tingshi gazed at the hand, stepping slowly toward the bed.
The figure on the bed slept soundly. Luo Tingshi lifted the gauze canopy and slipped beneath the bed curtains….
Yu Zhi awoke to a familiar tingling ache.
“Luo… Hmph…”
Before Yu Zhi could utter the other’s name, his voice cracked. It twisted through seven or eight sharp turns, shattering into the darkness.