Spring Remains the Same - Chapter 115

That Puyang could ask such a question meant she already had her suspicions. For a moment, Wei Xiu did not know how to answer. Hesitation flickered in her eyes, and the expression on her face froze.

Puyang slowly sat up, took a shallow breath, and lowered her head to look at Wei Xiu’s legs. They lay stretched out on the couch, concealed by silk trousers, appearing no different from a normal person’s. Puyang reached out, intending to roll up the trouser legs.

Wei Xiu frowned. “Seventh Lady!”

Puyang’s movement halted. She turned to look at Wei Xiu, who was also looking at her. The hesitation in Wei Xiu’s eyes had turned to resolution, but her tone softened. “Don’t look.”

Puyang was silent for a moment before withdrawing her hands and turning to look elsewhere.

Wei Xiu did not speak either. She subconsciously raised a hand to cover her knees. There was no sensation in them, but the act of covering them felt like a concealment, giving her a sense of security in her heart.

With one hand on her knee, the other fumbled about aimlessly. Her fingertips touched the corner of the quilt, and she clutched it in her palm. Her gaze, however, remained on Puyang, ready to respond to whatever she might say next.

After staring into the distance for a while, Puyang turned back. Seeing the guardedness in Wei Xiu’s eyes, Puyang’s breath caught. She managed a smile and said, “It’s getting late. Let’s rest.”

Wei Xiu nodded, pulled the quilt over, and lifted a corner for Puyang to get in.

Puyang lay down beside her, still silent. Wei Xiu did not know what to say either.

The feud between the Xiao and Zhong clans was irresolvable. Even if she remained in the palace, even if she bared her heart, the hatred for Xiao Yi having slaughtered her entire family would remain. And the fact that Puyang was Xiao Yi’s daughter was also unchangeable.

She just tried not to think about it.

Seventh Lady’s sudden question about how her legs were injured had brought back old memories.

Wei Xiu closed her eyes as if she were asleep, but her heart could not find peace. The way she had just acted had probably hurt Seventh Lady’s feelings. But her legs were like a scar left from that night many years ago; she could not stand, and the scar would never heal. That was why she had never been willing to let anyone see them, nor let anyone ask.

Her reaction just now had been almost instinctual. She had forgotten that pushing someone away so completely would surely sadden Seventh Lady.

“A Xiu…” Puyang called in a low voice.

Wei Xiu opened her eyes and turned to look at her. Puyang smiled and said, “Hold me.”

Wei Xiu reached out and gathered her into an embrace.

Due to the medicine she had taken for so long, her body was imbued with a medicinal fragrance. Leaning against her, enveloped by the familiar scent, Puyang finally felt a little more at ease. She called out softly again, “A Xiu…”

Wei Xiu answered with a hum, waiting for her to continue, but a long silence followed. Wei Xiu looked down and saw Puyang looking up at her. When their eyes met, Puyang simply gazed back at her quietly. After a while, Puyang’s lips curved. “A Xiu, you should take back the surname Zhong.” She paused for a moment, then added, “Zhongmeng… that also sounds very nice.”

Wei Xiu said nothing. She felt neither happy nor resistant, as if it were a matter of no consequence.

Puyang lowered her gaze, as if not daring to look at her. “There is very little I can do for you. I’ll repay what I can, one thing at a time.”

That word, “repay,” pierced Wei Xiu’s heart like an awl. She called out, “Seventh Lady.”

Puyang looked up, and Wei Xiu took the chance to lower her head and capture her lips in a kiss.

“Mm…” Before Puyang could react, her hands, which had been resting on Wei Xiu’s waist, suddenly clenched her robes. A hint of a smile flashed in Wei Xiu’s eyes as her tongue pressed against Puyang’s lower lip, sucking gently.

Puyang parted her lips in response, and Wei Xiu grew more relentless. She bit her lower lip, her tongue slipping into Puyang’s mouth. Puyang passively received it all, letting their lips and tongues entwine, letting her stir up passion until she was kissed into a pool of spring water, melting limply in Wei Xiu’s arms.

But Wei Xiu was not done with her. She left her lips and captured her earlobe, licking it gently. A tingling numbness instantly swept through Puyang’s entire body. She bit her lower lip and let out a low moan. Wei Xiu lifted the hem of her inner garment, her palm tracing a path up the skin of her back, inch by inch. Her palm felt as if it were on fire, bringing a shiver with every place it passed, making Puyang want to escape. But where could she escape to? When Wei Xiu’s hand reached her shoulder, it suddenly changed direction, circling around to her front and covering the peak of her br3ast. Puyang gasped and tried to pull back, but Wei Xiu mischievously pinched that shy, tender tip, kneading it with the pad of her finger.

Puyang was overcome with passion. “A Xiu…” Her voice was delicate and soft, both helpless and alluring.

Wei Xiu’s gaze softened. She whispered in her ear, “Seventh Lady, do you remember that you were going to compensate me properly?”

Puyang opened her eyes, which were glistening with moisture, and looked at Wei Xiu. She opened her mouth to say something, but Wei Xiu’s hand slid down her body, touching that most private place.

“Ah…” All words dissolved into a single, alluring moan. Puyang clung to Wei Xiu’s shoulders, burying her face in the crook of her neck, her sensitive body still trembling lightly.

The next day, Puyang woke up a little late, almost missing the morning court session. As the palace attendants helped her dress and groom, Wei Xiu had also risen and was fully dressed. Puyang turned to look at her and met Wei Xiu’s smiling eyes, her face immediately turning red. In front of the attendants, she managed to say with composure, “Zhen will go to the morning court first.”

Wei Xiu nodded.

Puyang glanced at her again, a smile touching her eyes. Realizing she could delay no longer, she departed in a hurry, naturally having no time for breakfast.

Today’s morning court dragged on for an exceptionally long time, entirely focused on the matter of Li Shou’s rebellion. Every minister had something to say, passionately denouncing Li Shou’s crimes and unanimously calling for troops to be dispatched to quell the revolt.

The Prince of Han, holding only a title, was not normally required to attend court. But as she was currently at the center of the storm, Puyang did not feel at ease and had ordered her to participate in political affairs, which also made it easier to observe her true intentions.

Listening to the ministers clamoring for war, the Prince of Han kept her head bowed. The court robes looked a bit large on her, and with her head lowered, she appeared utterly listless.

Puyang frowned slightly but said nothing.

By the time court was dismissed, the sun was already scorching. Puyang had been sitting on an empty stomach for a long time and was ravenous. However, after the grand court session, there was a smaller one. She still had to discuss matters with the Chancellor and others that had not been settled the day before.

She hurried back to the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue, a retinue of ministers following behind her. The ceremonial robes were heavy, so Puyang bade them wait for a moment while she went to the rear hall to change.

Upon entering the rear hall, she saw Wei Xiu sitting there.

Puyang paused in surprise. Wei Xiu smiled at her and beckoned for her to come over.

Puyang smiled, pursing her lips, and walked over with a cheerful gait. “Why are you here?” she asked.

Wei Xiu shifted aside, revealing the tea table behind her. On it were plates of sumptuous dishes, all light, delicious, and easy-to-eat foods to fill one’s stomach.

“Have some, fill your stomach,” Wei Xiu said.

With the Li Shou affair, the court was naturally in a whirlwind of activity. As the Emperor, Puyang was only busier, with no time to even think about breakfast. Although the palace attendants were diligent, they did not dare to take matters into their own hands before the Emperor, especially at a time like this. How could they dare to approach and bother her?

Puyang smiled and sat down, showing no sign of haste. She picked up her bowl and began her breakfast.

Watching her, the smile in Wei Xiu’s eyes deepened. She walked around behind Puyang and removed her heavy crown, allowing her to be more comfortable.

Puyang ate until she was about seventy or eighty percent full, then set down her jade chopsticks. Seeing that she had not touched the bowl of soup on the table, Wei Xiu picked it up, brought it to her, and said, “Drink a little.”

Puyang obediently took a few sips before handing it back.

Wei Xiu took the soup bowl and said with a smile, “Go on, don’t keep the ministers waiting too long.”

She had been delayed for quite some time; the ministers must be getting impatient. Puyang had no time for further conversation and hurried away.

The matter of quelling the rebellion was decided that same day, and a group of generals was dispatched.

Chancellor Wang Gun was well-versed in military affairs, and the strategies he drafted were brilliant. The few shortcomings were filled in by other ministers.

This time, with Li Shou’s rebellion, the court was busy but not particularly panicked. Even Puyang was more angry than anything else. An army of one hundred thousand sounded intimidating, but to oppose the imperial court, it was merely an egg striking a rock.

That man, Li Shou, held the office of prefect, so he was certainly no mediocrity. But among the nearly twenty prefects in the realm, he could not be called one of the best. Moreover, Puyang had never heard of him leading troops in battle.

Dispatching the grand army, ordering various regions to allocate grain and fodder, instructing the Capital Commandant and the Gold Guard to watch for spies in the capital, and urging the Ministry of Justice to properly interrogate the Vice Minister of Rites who had tried to persuade the Prince of Han to die to prove her innocence—Puyang had almost no moment of leisure.

Seeing how truly busy she was, Wei Xiu took her memorials, read through them, and wrote draft responses on slips of paper, which she then clipped inside the documents.

Memorials that had been reviewed once and came with draft responses were much easier to handle.

With her help, Puyang was spared the hardship of sleepless nights.

However, Puyang did not dare to let Wei Xiu overexert herself. She set a limit on the number of memorials, dictating how many could be read each day and forbidding any more. The memorials she had the eunuchs move to Wei Xiu’s quarters were chosen at random, with no distinction between major and minor affairs. The palace thus knew of the profound trust Her Majesty placed in the Prince Consort, holding back nothing at all.

However, the matter of the Prince Consort reviewing memorials on her behalf was kept secret by Puyang’s order, not to be leaked in the slightest. Therefore, only a few of the Emperor’s most trusted eunuchs were aware of it.

That night, they were once again handling state affairs by candlelight. Wei Xiu sat beside Puyang, each of them with a stack of memorials.

The imperial army had won a great victory; Li Shou’s forces had been routed in the first battle. The court was greatly reassured, and the ministers were once again harping on the Prince of Han. Out of ten memorials, half demanded that the Prince of Han be brought to justice. The commanderies and prefectures were also restless. The prefects, likely frightened by Li Shou, were afraid the court would become wary of them because of this incident and were doing their utmost to push the blame onto the Prince of Han.

Puyang knitted her brows and said, “If I truly punish the Prince of Han, they will be the same ones to call me unkind in the future.”

But since Li Shou could raise an army in the Prince of Han’s name this time, others could use her as a figurehead in the future. Her status was a string of calamities that could not be avoided.

Wei Xiu pondered this for a moment. Seeing Puyang set aside yet another memorial, she did not speak.

By the time they finished with state affairs, it was nearly the third watch. Puyang pushed Wei Xiu back to the bedchamber.

The palace attendants had long since been dismissed, with only two carrying lanterns walking ahead. A cool breeze blew, and Wei Xiu shivered. Puyang quickly took off her own cloak and draped it over her.

Wei Xiu smiled, accepting her kindness. But Puyang was still not at ease and touched her hands to see if she was cold. There was still some distance to the bedchamber; if she was cold, Puyang would likely send an attendant to fetch a robe at once.

Puyang’s hands were very warm, and the cloak she had draped over her still held the warmth of her body. A thought suddenly stirred in Wei Xiu’s heart. She said softly, “My legs… have been like this since birth.”

Puyang’s hand trembled. It was as if a warm spring had poured into her heart, the warmth spreading from her chest all the way to her eyes.

Wei Xiu smiled and said, “Let’s go.”

Puyang nodded quickly, resumed pushing the wheelchair, and returned with her.

She had already resolved to forget.

A feud that could not be resolved was mostly impossible to let go of. She could only choose to forget, letting the past be sealed away by the dust of time.

Author’s Notes:

One more chapter until the end.

The Prince of Han’s side story wasn’t in the original plan, so I posted it on Weibo. She’s a young girl. Some readers might not have seen it, so I’m just mentioning it.

After finishing this story, I’ll update “Gui Tu.” After “Gui Tu,” I’ll start the new story about Chancellor Xie.

The new Chancellor Xie story is about a master and disciple. Cough, you know I love the “raising/nurturing” trope. It will probably start updating in late February or early March. Just giving everyone a heads-up.