Imperial Weight Chapter 32
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 32
The Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review named Shen Rui had been unconscious for over ten days. Just when everyone thought he was on the verge of death, the Jiangling City Lord's mansion found an elderly gentleman who understood the art of medicine, and there was finally a glimmer of improvement.
This old man claimed to know medicine and understand medical principles. In reality, however, he was famous for using folk remedies, and his methods were often rather mysterious.
Everyone in the prince's mansion treated him as a last resort—trying anything on a dying man. After inviting this old gentleman, they watched as he burned three talismans and brewed them into murky yellowish talisman water to be fed to Shen Rui. Afterward, he wrote another talisman and pasted it at the head of the bed with a simple phrase: "Dispel illness and pain, medicine cures disease."
Xingyi sat by the bed holding Little Phoenix, watching as servants propped Shen Rui up and forced the water down his throat. He frowned and asked, "Will this work?"
The one who had invited the old man was the young strategist of the young city lord. He seemed a bit reserved and spoke in a hushed voice, as if sharing secrets. "This gentleman serves under the Imperial Preceptor of the Ziwei Terrace. He only recently returned from the capital. They say he has quite a talent for saving lives and treating illness, though we don't know how effective he'll be now. In any case, we've searched through all the physicians in Jiangling. At this point, we have no choice but to try anything."
Xingyi said, "Very well."
Little Phoenix sat quietly to the side, listening.
When the old gentleman was writing out the prescription, Little Phoenix took the initiative to grind ink for him. Because the patient's identity was special, they usually kept only one or two servants attending him. Sometimes Little Phoenix would also help with boiling water, adding lamp oil, and such. He didn't understand the taboos and etiquette of the official world, so he could only help Xingyi with these small tasks—doing whatever little he could.
The talisman at the head of the bed was written very simply, without the kind of mysterious symbols and characters Little Phoenix had heard about. Watching the old man write, he asked curiously, "Grandfather, what kind of talisman is this?"
The old man smiled without answering.
This elderly gentleman had quite the air of an immortal sage about him—his beard and hair were white, his spirit vigorous. He lacked the bureaucratic air of those who had served in the Ziwei Terrace at court. One glance revealed him to be a free wandering crane, fit to retire in the mountains and forests. People said this old man hadn't left after the Imperial Preceptor's downfall, but rather had voluntarily departed the royal city due to ideological differences. Through great rises and falls, he showed neither sorrow nor joy, merely leading a small donkey wherever he went. When he encountered unfortunate people, he would enlighten them and help break their curses, earning a few coins for bread.
Seeing he wouldn't answer, Little Phoenix understood this was probably something not meant to be revealed. He took the prescription and went out to have someone prepare the medicine. When he returned, he saw that the men in the room had already gathered together, seriously discussing the current situation.
The young strategist said, "The city lord was summoned back to the capital by an imperial decree to have an audience with His Majesty. A letter came saying that a group of evil Taoists is heading south and has recently become active in Jiangling. His Majesty is quite superstitious about ghosts and spirits. A few days ago, the Imperial Preceptor of the Ziwei Terrace passed away—the current Ziwei Terrace is equivalent to half the court, and the situation in the capital has been completely reshuffled. This is how we were able to find this old gentleman and learn some of the situation. From what we currently know, these evil Taoists are stirring up people's hearts and stealing birth dates. Among the common people, they're practicing raising venomous insects, raising hungry ghosts, refining corpses and zombies, and curse techniques. His Majesty takes this very seriously. This matter needs to be resolved. Your Highness and Young Master Fenghuang will soon be leaving Jiangling. This matter can be left to the city lord and myself—we have our ways."
Xingyi lowered his eyes, staring at the tea in his hand, and said coolly, "I always feel this matter isn't so simple. In the past, His Majesty followed the late emperor in listening to many delusional words from sorcerers and Taoists, believing in immortality through alchemy and seeking divine spirits through sacred verses. Few emperors throughout history haven't done this, but this time, whether it's the Ziwei Terrace or His Majesty's own intentions, both are very difficult to fathom."
"Not difficult to fathom." A weak voice suddenly spoke up, completely unfamiliar.
Everyone froze for a moment, then quickly turned their gazes toward the bed. It truly was "medicine cures disease"—the patient who had been unconscious for so long no longer showed his previous dying state, and even had the strength to speak.
Shen Rui said weakly, "This time, I went to southern Fujian to investigate a case with many connections to ghosts and spirits. But on my way back to the capital, I was hunted down. I barely escaped here with my life."
Xingyi frowned and stood up, dismissing everyone. When he saw Little Phoenix, Little Phoenix stood up on his own to leave, but Xingyi held him back. "You stay here."
So Little Phoenix listened along with them.
Shen Rui's gaze swept over everyone present, his tone quite unfriendly. "I know who you are. One is the emperor's elder brother, one is the most treasured strategist of the Jiangling city lord. Both of you have limitless futures, but by saving me, I'm afraid you've invited trouble upon yourselves."
The young strategist laughed first. "Since we've saved you, we're not afraid of inviting trouble. We'll deal with soldiers and water as they come. Do you take us for ordinary people?"
"Good, then I'll tell you. I don't have much time left myself, and someone must know these things." Shen Rui caught his breath, but his gaze fell on Xingyi. "However, this matter can only be heard by Your Highness."
So Little Phoenix stood up again, pulling the reluctant young strategist out with him.
The young strategist refused to give up and insisted on listening at the door crack. "One more person knowing means one more safeguard."
But inside the room it was completely silent—no one could make out anything.
Inside the room, Shen Rui got out of bed and wrote a few characters for Xingyi to see. Having just awakened from grave illness and nearly lost half his life, he had no strength in his body at all. Even his hands trembled, and the characters he wrote came out crooked.
"Your Highness, do you still remember your eldest imperial brother who died at age three, the late empress's only legitimate son, Lin Zhao?"
Shen Rui wrote to him, "He never actually died. He lived in the imperial city until age twenty-five, then was killed by someone His Majesty hired. The late empress herself didn't die of illness either—she was poisoned to death by your—by you and His Majesty's mother."
Xingyi's eyes widened slightly.
Shen Rui wrote. "Whether you believe it or not, everyone now says that after his death he became a deity, and His Majesty fears he will return for revenge."
————
Flattering words like "wild beauty" and "you're very beautiful" drifted past Xingyi's ears for a while, until finally only Little Phoenix's somewhat shy inquiry remained. "Look, you and I look very similar. I couldn't transform before—can you?"
Xingyi said, "I can."
Little Phoenix thought for a moment, then said with sudden understanding. "Oh, when I was an egg I suffered some damage, so I can't transform and can't grow bigger. Then your growing to this size must not be because you can't grow bigger, but because you're truly very young, right?"
Xingyi said, "Right."
He stared at Little Phoenix. "What are you trying to do?"
Little Phoenix fidgeted for a while, then said in a small voice. "Can you take me back to your home to see?"
Xingyi was completely stunned.
Before he could speak, Little Phoenix added another sentence. "I, I have white feathers. I know everyone dislikes me, but you just saw—I'm actually quite capable. If you're unwilling to take me back, I can also roll in ink and dye myself the same color as you, full of wild beauty. Then your family won't dislike me either."
Xingyi's voice was a bit stiff. "Do you... often ask people to take you home when you first meet them? Why are you so practiced at this?"
Little Phoenix thought about it. "Not very often. I've only asked my husband to take me home before."
Xingyi: "..."
He said quietly, "So everyone who takes you home is your husband?"
Little Phoenix was confused by this strange logic. He pondered. "Only my husband has taken me home, so when you say everyone who takes me home is my husband, there's no problem with that. But why are you asking this?"
He ingratiatingly nuzzled this black furball that seemed like his long-lost brother. "Little Coal Ball, will you take me home to play, please?"
Little Coal Ball: "..."
This pitch-black little coal ball seemed a bit angry. "No. Whoever takes you home next is a fool."
Little Phoenix stared at him blankly, as if he hadn't understood what he said. When he did understand, he opened his mouth, looking somewhat confused.
Xingyi met Little Phoenix's clear, innocent little bean eyes. After a moment, he softened his tone, turned in a circle, and faced away. "I don't have a home, so I won't take you home."
Little Phoenix's eyes dimmed. "I see..."
He felt a bit sad, so he walked to the side and silently squatted down, his little head also drooping.
He had finally found a little round ball that looked exactly like him, thinking there was hope of finding the parents who had laid him as an intact egg. Though he knew that parents who could abandon a freshly laid egg probably wouldn't accept him, this white-feathered, inauspicious child—but what if he dyed his feathers black?
Xingyi's thousand-year ink worked very well. Last time when he used ink to put makeup on himself, it wouldn't wash off. Xingyi had grabbed him and pressed him into the Jade Spring to wash for a whole day, nearly scrubbing him bald, before he finally returned to his original round white appearance. If he went home and dyed himself black, red-gold, or some other color—as long as it wasn't white—perhaps he could receive just a little bit of his father and mother's love.
But now this little coal ball also said he had no home.
Little Phoenix felt somewhat dejected. He first apologized to Xingyi. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up something that makes you sad. I saw you look very similar to me and thought you were my long-lost biological younger brother, so I wanted to go home with you to see."
Xingyi looked at him, slightly startled.
So... was that the reason?
Little Phoenix sighed again. "But when I was an egg I didn't know anything. I don't even know if I have brothers or sisters. Seeing you look so much like me, I thought there was hope. Maybe all the little birds in the world without fathers or mothers look like us—very round... so they look very similar. But being round isn't our fault."
Xingyi opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but held back.
He walked over to squat in the snow with Little Phoenix, using his round bird belly to nudge Little Phoenix.
Little Phoenix looked back at him.
This black little round ball said coolly, "Do you have to have a home to be happy? Don't you have a husband? With him, are you still so concerned about the matter of your parents?"
Little Phoenix thought about it. "That's probably a bit different. My husband and I have only known each other for over a hundred years, but I spent two hundred years working before that. Sometimes I also think, if I had a father and mother to give me pocket money, maybe I would have had more time to look for my husband."
Over a hundred years?
Xingyi thought—it's clearly been less than half a year. This little bird must be confused from sadness.
He patiently coaxed, continuing coolly. "What use is that? Everyone has parents. We don't, which is enough to show we're different, that we're the exceptionally excellent type. Moreover, I've heard from others that your husband seems to be a very powerful emperor?"
Little Phoenix quickly acknowledged. "Yes, it's him. He's very powerful."
Xingyi counseled, "Then isn't that settled? Whatever you want, he'll give it to you. Do you like him very much?"
Little Phoenix nodded vigorously. "Yes, very much." After a while, Little Phoenix murmured again, "But I don't know if he likes me. It seems like he does, but it's just ordinary liking."
Little Phoenix was a bit dejected. "Probably just the kind of liking one has for a small pet."
Xingyi rarely found himself at a loss for words.
He had acknowledged that Little Phoenix could be his future empress, but even he didn't know what kind of liking that was.
Or perhaps it was a bit of every kind of liking, but none of it felt real.
He nudged Little Phoenix again. "Hey."
Little Phoenix was somewhat puzzled. "Huh?"
Xingyi placed his pitch-black little wing on top of Little Phoenix's head and said, "It's alright. As long as you give him a little time, he'll definitely, definitely come to like you very much! And if you don't have a home, don't be afraid. I don't have a home either. We look so much alike—we can just play together."
Little Phoenix's little bean eyes immediately lit up. "Really? You're really willing to play with me, Little Coal Ball?"
Having been called this several times now, Xingyi calculated in his heart and was too lazy to argue with him, so he accepted the nickname "Coal Ball". "Mm."
Little Phoenix, filled with heroic spirit, knocked him over with one claw and affectionately flapped his little wings, rolling and nuzzling with him in the snow. "Then from now on, I'll be your big brother!"
…..
The two birds played in the snow until daybreak. Entertainment activities specifically included learning weight-loss exercises, searching for wild berries, and listening to Little Phoenix boast.
Little Phoenix was very excited, Xingyi was very aloof, but still very cooperative.
Little Phoenix suddenly remembered something. "Wait, it's this time already. I need to go wake my husband. Little Coal Ball, I'll come find you to play again tomorrow."
Xingyi waved his wing at him. "Go ahead."
He had just been thinking he could finally find an opportunity to escape, but unexpectedly, before he'd taken a few steps, Little Phoenix dragged him back. "No wait, you should come back with me! I'll let you meet your sister-in-law."
Xingyi: "...Sister-in-law?"
Little Phoenix nodded confidently. "Yes, sister-in-law. Oh right, I can also transform into human form to show you. Do you want to see?"
Xingyi said, "Either is fine."
Little Phoenix told him mysteriously, "Then wait a moment. If my husband is already awake, I'll sneak in first and then transform to show you, so he won't discover I snuck out in the middle of the night. If he's not awake yet, just come right in—my husband is so handsome!"
Xingyi modestly accepted. "Not bad, I suppose."
So these two furballs, one black and one white, scurried into Fuli Palace.
Little Phoenix had Xingyi wait at the broken hole in the window while he went in first to scout the situation.
After Little Phoenix squeezed inside, he first searched around and didn't see Xingyi anywhere, so he transformed into human form and rushed out to ask the immortal maiden sweeping the palace. "Sister, do you know where Weijian went?"
The senior immortal maiden said, "You mean the emperor? I don't know. We've been looking for him all morning, but couldn't find him anywhere."
Xingyi, squatting outside the window, heard everything clearly. Seeing Little Phoenix growing more and more puzzled, he quickly transformed back to human form and strode into the courtyard, intercepting Little Phoenix who was searching everywhere. "Yesterday I suddenly remembered I'd left a divine weapon diagram at Qisha's place, so I went to retrieve it. I forgot to tell you all."
Little Phoenix grabbed his hand, excitedly discussing. "Weijian, I found a little companion—a little black bird that looks exactly like me. I want to bring you to show him. Can you come to the bedchamber to meet him?"
Xingyi rather disdainfully put his hand down, then patted the top of his head. "Be good, another day. I'm busy with things at hand. You two play first."
Saying this, he walked hurriedly toward the forge. Turning back, he added an instruction: "Later I need to activate the Star Disc. Qisha and Tanlang will come back to guard me. There will be quite a commotion. Don't come see me today, understood, Little Yuanyuan?"
Little Phoenix nodded, a bit disappointed.
He dragged his steps, pattering back to the bedchamber, opened the window and looked around, but couldn't find his little companion.
He stuck his head out and asked, "Coal Ball? Little Coal Ball? Where are you?"
At the same time, on Xingyi's side, having just entered the forge, he turned around and walked out the back door, quickly transformed, turning himself back into a round little black bird, and charged straight toward the bedchamber.
As soon as he appeared, Little Phoenix was somewhat delighted. "I thought you'd left! I'm sorry, Little Coal Ball. My husband has business today and can't come see you, but I promise you, I absolutely wasn't exaggerating—my husband really is very handsome."
Xingyi chirped a few times, then said, "I didn't leave. I just flew to the courtyard and saw. You were right. You're very capable to have found such a good husband."
Little Phoenix was quite pleased with himself. "Yes, he's especially good."
After saying this, he looked down at Xingyi, reached out to pick him up and pat him, then suddenly slapped his thigh. "I can only transform once a day. I was too hasty when I went out to look for someone earlier and transformed without thinking. Now I can't change back and have no way to play with you."
Xingyi, held in his palm, said in a muffled voice, "It's alright. I was just about to go back to my nest to sleep anyway."
Little Phoenix rubbed his eyes, sore from staying up all night, and had a sudden inspiration. "Little Coal Ball, don't go back. Just stay here and sleep with me, okay?"
Xingyi stared at him with his dark little bean eyes.
Little Phoenix was a bit embarrassed. "Usually my husband sleeps with me. When he's not here I have trouble falling asleep. It just so happens there's room for you and me here. Just sleep here for a bit. When you wake up I can even treat you to lianshi fruit, okay?"
Xingyi looked at his bright, shining eyes and sighed, "Alright."
Little Phoenix pulled up the blanket and carefully held the black little fat bird as he lay down to sleep.
In no time, his breathing became even, clearly having fallen asleep.
Xingyi poked his head out from Little Phoenix's hands and hopped out, walking to the side of the pillow.
A bird's perspective of viewing people was indeed different from human form—every detail was magnified infinitely. Xingyi squatted by his pillow and saw Little Phoenix's long, jet-black eyelashes trembling slightly with his breathing. He also saw his fair skin—when morning light shone down, it was as if this person were glowing. His breath was sweet and warm. His cherry-colored lips were slightly parted, that touch of pale red as if traced with vermillion—ruby lips and pearly teeth.
Xingyi thought—truly beautiful.
He silently recited an incantation and transformed himself back to human form. The little black bird by the pillow vanished without a trace. The tall young man lifted a corner of the blanket and lay down, embracing the sleeping youth from behind, resting his chin in the hollow of the youth's shoulder. His lips were extremely close to Little Phoenix's cheek and ear, his breath tickling Little Phoenix. In his sleep, Little Phoenix turned over, and his soft lips bumped against Xingyi's jaw.
Xingyi reached out his hand and carefully pressed against the back of Little Phoenix's head, slowly adjusting their position, contentedly turning it into a kiss.
