Chapter 43

Shen Mei was settled in the medicine room at the Xie Family Clinic. Every day, a physician came to give him some antidote, testing it a little at a time in an attempt to neutralize the poison.

Shen Ling rummaged through their bags, turning everything inside out, until he found the jar of antidote from the day they had rinsed the poison away. He handed it to the physician to study the residue.

As expected of physicians, they truly had compassionate hearts. They arranged a secluded courtyard for the brothers, with plenty of sunshine, where Shen Ling could sit on the steps and bask in the sun. 

The doctors at the clinic weren’t exactly as warm and welcoming as a spring breeze, but they certainly treated them with pleasant smiles. Some even brought them local specialties from Qingzhou.

Shen Ling was flattered, then learned that Xie Zhen had ordered the gifts to be sent. 

“The eldest young master is far away beyond the frontier at present, and I’m afraid he won’t be able to return anytime soon. Young Master Shen, please don’t take offense. These gifts are the eldest young master’s way of apologizing.” 

The steward in charge waved a hand, and several people carried in boxes, setting them down heavily on the floor. 

“They’re all little trinkets to cheer you up. If you’re bored, you can use them to pass the time. The Eldest Young Master Shen is ill, so it would be best to have someone specifically assigned to look after him. These attendants are all quick and capable. If you need anything, just tell them what to do.”

“The food in Qingzhou is mostly light. I’m not sure if it will suit your taste, but the main branch of Baiweiju is here. If there’s anything you’d like to eat, Young Master, you can ask someone to place an order. A server will bring it over, and I guarantee the ingredients will be the freshest.”

People filed in one after another, and before Shen Ling knew it, he had been loaded down with a huge pile of gifts. Standing in the room and staring at the enormous boxes, he was utterly dumbfounded.

Wasn’t this a little too generous? What a fellow countryman! 

Xie Zhen was practically a domineering CEO!

He waved his hands repeatedly, insisting that he had money and couldn’t possibly accept so much. 

The steward smiled kindly. 

“Young Master, there’s no need to feel uneasy. This is all as it should be. You’re the person the eldest young master has waited eight years for. No amount of ceremony would be too much.”

Shen Ling’s heart gave a little pang. 

“Eight years?” 

Had it been eight years since Xie Zhen transmigrated?

The steward only smiled and said nothing. 

“The eldest young master has his hands full at present, constantly traveling from place to place. He very much wants to come back and meet you, Young Master Shen, but he truly can’t get away. Please stay here for now. If you’re not comfortable at the clinic, there are plenty of residences in Qingzhou City for you to choose from.”

“Although the eldest young master can’t return, he has written you a letter and sent it by urgent courier. It should already be on its way.”

…

On the twelfth day of their stay at the clinic, the poison in Shen Mei’s body had finally been contained, and he had narrowly escaped death. However, the accumulated toxins meant that it would take careful and prolonged recuperation for his body to fully recover. There was no telling how long that would take.

Shen Ling thought the doctors here were miracle workers. Seeing Shen Mei’s lips gradually regain their normal color, he bowed deeply to the physician. 

“I have no way to repay you for saving his life. If there is anything I can do to help, please do not hesitate to ask!”

The physician couldn’t bring himself to say that the eldest young master had someone bring the antidote from the Capital, and that they were still studying how to fully neutralize it. 

He accepted Shen Ling’s bow with some trepidation, then hurriedly helped him up. 

“Saving lives and healing the sick is our duty as physicians. There’s no need for such formalities, Young Master. Besides, the poison hasn’t been completely removed, and we’ll need to monitor him carefully for another six months.”

“Six months, huh?” 

Shen Ling sighed. 

Then again, after all Shen Mei had suffered, it made sense that he’d need such a long time to recover. Even a broken bone took a hundred days to heal, and Shen Mei had been bleeding from all seven orifices that day—six months was nothing. Even if he needed three years to recover, Shen Ling wouldn’t mind.

Of course, the most important thing was that the court had withdrawn the warrant for their arrest.

A batch of Prince Jing’s rebels had been captured. 

At the start of the new month, the wanted notices were updated. Prince Jing’s name was still at the top, but Shen Ling’s and Shen Mei’s names, which had been listed at the very bottom, had quietly disappeared.

Perhaps the emperor had forgotten all about him. Or perhaps the emperor had found a new favorite. Either way, Shen Ling no longer had to be so cautious whenever he went out.

The sword hanging over his head had finally disappeared. Every now and then Shen Ling felt a little bereft, but it was quickly dispelled by the joy of receiving a letter from Xie Zhen.

On the day spring began, he received a little sandalwood box. It had no carvings or jade ornaments and looked quite plain. Inside was a neatly folded sheet of paper.

Shen Ling stared at the pristine white sheet of folded paper, his heart pounding so hard he could hardly bear it. He almost didn’t dare touch it. After hesitating for a long while, he carried the box into his room and rubbed his hands on his clothes for ages before carefully opening it—

The handwriting was exceptionally neat, all in Simplified Chinese. The lines were tightly spaced, the characters neatly arranged, and all in uniform size; if not for a few faint ink smudges here and there, the letter would have looked as if it had been printed.

“Hello, fellow countryman! We’ve finally met—or rather, we’ve finally made contact.”

“Let me introduce myself. My name is Xie Zhen. I’m from City A in China, and I’m (classified) years old. Congratulations on solving the easter egg I left in the Capital! Memorizing all sixty-six poems in one go must have been exhausting, huh? But those are my carefully selected must-haves for the exam ╰(*??︶`*)╯. Pretty impressive, right? Originally, I was planning to include questions from all sorts of subjects, like calculus, Newton’s laws, and chemical formulas, but solving math problems at the Mid-Autumn lantern festival just didn’t feel right, so I went with classical poetry instead.”

“Isn’t it romantic?”

Shen Ling: “…” 

He couldn’t help thinking of that Mid-Autumn night. If he’d been sitting at a table, hunched over a difficult science problem… 

He shuddered.

“I’ve waited and waited for you for so long. I thought I might be the only transmigrator in Da Yu for the rest of my life. Thank goodness you came. As the ancients say, there are four great joys in life: rain after a long drought, a wedding night, passing the imperial examinations, and meeting an old friend in a foreign land.”

“After drifting for so many years, meeting you in this utterly unfamiliar era is a blessing beyond measure.”

“Unfortunately, I still have some important business to handle and can’t get away just yet. I only wish I had wings on my back—and, even more, that there were no airplanes or high-speed trains. Otherwise, I’d rush straight back to Qingzhou so we could walk arm in arm, celebrate our reunion, and pour our hearts out to each other.”

“Modern society really is the best.”

“(╥﹏╥)”

“I’m out here beyond the frontier, bored out of my mind on a cosmic level, so I’ve opened a special communication line just for you, so remember to write back often＾3＾”

Shen Ling: “…”

The letter wasn’t particularly formal in its format, and its casual, carefree style made it seem as though he’d simply jotted down his thoughts on a whim. Looking at the emoticon at the end, Shen Ling wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

Unlike the people of this era, who all seemed to be putting on an act, this was a real letter, carrying the scent of home. Written by another person, it told him plainly and undeniably that there was truly someone in this world who came from the same place as he did. Even if they were both adrift in another world, he wasn’t alone anymore.

How incredibly fortunate.

Shen Ling placed the letter back in the box and read those lines again and again. At last, he buried his face in his pillow and cried.

After he’d cried, he fetched paper and brush, sat at his desk, and began to write a reply.

“Hello, fellow countryman. I’m so happy to receive your letter. My name is Shen Ling, I’m from City C in China, and I’m eighteen years old…”

As the candlelight flickered, Shen Ling held his brush and wrote a long reply in very neat, careful handwriting. 

He was amazed by Xie Zhen’s warmth and cheerfulness, and couldn’t help wondering: 

What kind of incredible person was this, to be the person Li Sui had been unable to forget for so many years, yet had never managed to keep by his side; to build such an enormous business empire as the Xie Trading House; and now to travel beyond the frontier and thrive there? And yet, for all his capabilities, he also had such a bright and easygoing personality. 

He must be full of energy and genuinely loves life.

He made sure to thank Xie Zhen for helping him and Shen Mei. He could never repay such kindness and didn’t know how to thank him properly. 

He had some assets of his own, enough to cover the treatment at the clinic and his and Shen Mei’s daily living expenses. 

Xie Zhen didn’t need to keep supporting them. 

If there was ever anything he could do to help, Xie Zhen should feel free to ask.

His grades in all his subjects had been decent, but he was still just a student. He had no real-world experience, and his head was full of little more than theoretical knowledge…

As he wrote, Shen Ling’s spirits drooped again.

Xie Zhen was simply too impressive. 

By comparison, Shen Ling didn’t seem to know much at all. At Li Sui’s side, he could at least serve as a human body pillow. But with Xie Zhen… what could he do?

He sprawled over the desk, waiting for the ink to dry, and gazed at the scattered lamplights as he seriously considered his career path, only to feel a little lost about his future.

That uncertainty made it onto the page too, and twelve days later, landed on the emperor’s desk in the palace.

Li Sui sat expressionlessly as he read the memorials.

He had only offered Li Zhen a little prompting, and Li Zhen had immediately wept and handed over the antidote for Shen Mei. 

But since his tongue had been cut out, it was difficult to get any further information out of him. Li Sui had someone treat his wounds, then tossed him into the imperial prison. He planned to leave him half alive as a bargaining chip against Prince Jing later on.

Though, judging from the situation, Prince Jing might not have much affection for this only son of his anyway. Still, something was better than nothing.

He had thoroughly purged the imperial court several times, leaving it severely short-staffed. The spring imperial examination was about to begin, and he was busy again. Fortunately, Ruan Zanxue could help him review memorials.

Because of his speech impediment, he did not want to appear at court and invite ridicule. 

Li Sui had originally intended to dismiss the imperial harem, but Ruan Zanxue refused to go to the outer court, and Zhuang Xinan wouldn’t leave either, insisting on staying with him.

The two of them were occupying two of his large palaces for no reason. 

During the day, one reviewed memorials in the study, while the other claimed that Meng Fan wasn’t there and he had to protect His Majesty, so he stood guard outside. 

In truth, they exchanged flirtatious glances every day and were constantly coming and going together, much to his annoyance.

Li Sui pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling utterly vexed.

One of his subordinates brought in Shen Ling’s reply. He set down the memorial in his hand, unfolded the letter, and read it carefully.

After a long while, Li Sui changed brushes and, with a blank expression, replied in an exceptionally cheerful and warm tone: 

“How could that be? I think you’re very amazing! In life, everyone has things they’re good at and things they’re not. You’re not stupid at all.”

“On the contrary, escaping from Li Sui without a scratch was really clever of you.”

Li Sui pressed a little too hard when writing the word “escape,” smudging the ink. He took a deep breath, changed the paper, and copied it out again.

He continued in the same warm tone: 

“I’ve known Li Sui for a long time. I actually think he’s a decent person. Has he ever hurt you in any way?”

“Are you afraid of him?”

Author’s Note:

Li Sui: Am I not cute? (Cheerfully amusing himself alone)
Shen Ling: