Chapter 39

"Ah Qiu, look at you. Anyone who didn't know better would think your Imperial Elder Brother's Grand Secretariat is full of tigers!" The Empress Dowager pointed at Ji Weiqiu and laughed. "How did you get so tired?"

Ji Weiqiu's soul was about to float away. He sat there listlessly, but ultimately didn't dare to slump onto the table—for no other reason than Ji Su was sitting beside him. If he dared to slump onto the table today, Ji Su would dare to make sure he couldn't get up tomorrow.

"Mother Empress, you don't know," Ji Weiqiu lamented. "Those few in the Grand Secretariat, they're not tigers, but they're worse than tigers... Why don't you plead with Imperial Elder Brother for me? Can I not go tomorrow?"

The Empress Dowager's phoenix eyes shifted slightly as she asked gently, "I heard Ah Qiu is leaving the palace today?"

Ji Su nodded, and the Empress Dowager continued, speaking to Ji Weiqiu, "Ah Qiu, go to sleep early today."

Without thinking, Ji Weiqiu said, "I'm dead tired. I'll definitely fall asleep the moment I get back..."

"That's good then," the Empress Dowager said with a smile. "Now that your Imperial Elder Brother is placing great importance on you, you can no longer act spoiled and throw tantrums like before. Today, Yun Yin will go back with you and make sure you attend the morning court tomorrow. Don't be late."

Ji Weiqiu suddenly realized something. He looked at the kindly-gazing Empress Dowager with a shocked expression, then turned to the unmoving, mountain-like Ji Su. "Morning court...?!"

He counted on his fingers. The Prince of Rui's Manor was relatively close to the imperial palace; a horse ride of one cup of tea's time would get him to the palace gate. But from the palace gate to Taihe Hall, where court was held, was at least two cups of tea's time. Getting up and washing up, no matter how fast, would take another cup of tea's time, and that wasn't even counting breakfast... He did indeed still have to get up at three, but this meant having to get up right at three o'clock. He couldn't cut it close to the exact time, could he?

...This was going to kill him.

Sorrow welled up in Ji Weiqiu, and he muttered to himself, "...Can I not attend morning court?"

Ji Su said calmly and composedly, "No."

The Empress Dowager: "Your Imperial Elder Brother is right. Now that you've entered the Grand Secretariat, how can you not attend morning court? Ah Qiu, don't be ridiculous."

On this point, the Empress Dowager stood firmly on the same side as Ji Su.

It wasn't that she couldn't stand Ji Weiqiu being absurd and fooling around his whole life. As the saying goes, 'I only wish my child to be foolish and dull, to reach the rank of minister without disaster or difficulty'. Ji Weiqiu was already born a high minister; not meddling in court affairs was already excellent. But for him to be given important responsibilities by Ji Su, wasn't that even better?

Ji Su and Ji Weiqiu were both her sons. She doted on her younger son, but she also loved her eldest. It is said that an emperor is a lonely man. If his younger brother could be by his side, the two brothers working together with one heart, helping each other when things arose, she would feel some comfort in her heart.

So now that Ji Su had relented and let Ji Weiqiu enter the Grand Secretariat, it was for Ji Weiqiu's own good. How could she, as a mother, blindly dote on her younger son? Even if she had to beat him, she would beat him into attending morning court.

Ji Weiqiu said pitifully, "I can wait for Imperial Elder Brother in Qingning Hall... it's the same..."

The Empress Dowager was so angry she laughed. A Grand Secretary who doesn't attend morning court or enter Wenyuan Pavilion, wouldn't that just be a pretty ornament? She glanced at Ji Su, whose expression was completely composed, as if he hadn't heard a thing. He was clearly too lazy to deal with Ji Weiqiu's whining and playing dumb. The Empress Dowager made the final decision: "Forget it. You are not allowed to leave the palace today. You'll stay in your Imperial Elder Brother's side hall. Qingxi! Tomorrow, you will watch him and make sure he goes to morning court! Drag him there if you have to!"

Eunuch Qingxi chimed in playfully, "This servant obeys the decree~ Your Majesty, His Highness is just saying it. He will surely attend morning court on time tomorrow. Your Majesty can rest assured!"

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager's anger gradually subsided. She huffed lightly and shot Ji Weiqiu a sideways glance, her expression so very similar to Ji Su's.

Ji Weiqiu wanted to struggle a little more, but then he heard Xiao Zhuo comforting him in a low voice, "Your Highness, if you stay in the palace, you can sleep a little longer tomorrow... Waking up at the third quarter of the Yin hour will still be in time."

Ji Weiqiu was no longer a true youth. He didn't have that unyielding spirit. Hearing this, he felt it made sense. What was the difference where he slept? What was the difference between the side hall and the Prince of Rui's Manor? If he went home after dinner, there wouldn't even be enough time to take a bath.

Between sleeping for an extra half hour and sleeping at home, he unhesitatingly chose to sleep for an extra half hour. Going home was not important.

Seeing him choose to stay in the palace without hesitation, Ji Su suddenly found it a little amusing. He said languidly, "I told him before that I would allocate Changchen Palace for him to stay in, but he stubbornly refused."

The Empress Dowager said, "Although Changchen Palace is where you two are used to living, it's not quite right for Ah Qiu to live there now. There's a distinction between ruler and subject. It's better to have him stay with you, his Imperial Elder Brother. If you find him too noisy, finding an empty hall for him in Taiji Palace would also be fine. In my opinion, just have him live in Wenyuan Pavilion. It would be convenient for morning court tomorrow."

Ji Weiqiu: "...???"

Wenyuan Pavilion already had side halls for the Grand Secretaries to stay in. After all, the Grand Secretaries had to attend court early in the morning, and after court, they had to read official documents. Moreover, the Grand Secretaries were getting on in years; how could they manage without a place to rest? But in the end, these rooms were for occasional naps and were not spacious—in Ji Weiqiu's words, they were about the size of the Green Gauze Alcove in Qingning Hall. Just one room, so small you could see the other end at a glance.

Besides, the other three Grand Secretaries already had their own accustomed side halls. The remaining one had only been hastily cleaned out today, and his own mother actually wanted him to live there? Was he her biological son?!

Ji Su said, "There's no need. Qingning Hall is fine."

Eunuch Qingxi said at the opportune moment, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this servant dares to say, besides Wenyuan Pavilion, only Yinghua Hall is vacant. However, Yinghua Hall has been empty for a long time. It's cold and desolate, and was originally for outer court officials to use. How could His Highness possibly live in a place like that?"

Palace Attendant Yun chimed in from the side, "That's right, Your Majesty. This servant was ordered to renovate Yinghua Hall today. It's one thing for His Highness to take a short rest there, but to have His Highness stay the night would inevitably be a grievance."

The Empress Dowager had never been to Wenyuan Pavilion. Hearing this, she became somewhat absorbed in thought. Since both Qingxi and Yun Yin said Yinghua Hall was small and desolate, she no longer had any doubts. She frowned and said, "Is that so? Forget it... Since your Imperial Elder Brother doesn't mind you being noisy, just stay with your Imperial Elder Brother!"

In the Empress Dowager's heart, there was no need to suffer unnecessary hardships. Her son was an imperial relative of noble birth. His mother resided in Ci'an Palace, and his own elder brother resided in Taiji Palace. Why should he put on some lofty, detached act! He was inherently more precious and revered than others!

Ji Weiqiu agreed listlessly. He didn't want to live in a pigeon coop either. "Thank you, Mother Empress. Thank you, Imperial Elder Brother."

The meal was finally over. The Empress Dowager readily let them go, even telling them not to come and pay their respects if there was nothing important, to avoid needless trouble. Ji Weiqiu followed Ji Su back to his palace. On the way, Ji Weiqiu didn't try to make things unpleasant for himself, only picking up topics like whether the food today was delicious. Ji Su listened, responding intermittently, and it was pleasant enough.

Soon, they arrived at Qingning Hall. Ji Su was going to bathe. Between a large pool and a bathtub, Ji Weiqiu directly chose the large pool. Once both brothers were soaking, neither of them spoke.

For no other reason than they were tired.

Ji Weiqiu leaned against the edge of the pool, the slightly hot spring water enveloping him, making him sigh repeatedly. He had walked at least twenty thousand steps today and had only slept for a little while at noon in the Green Gauze Alcove. Strictly speaking, he hadn't rested much at all.

After all, he usually did nothing and still took a nap at noon.

After soaking for about a quarter of an hour, he finally caught his breath. He turned his head and saw Ji Su was actually leaning in the spring, slowly drinking wine. He instantly felt a little jealous—when it came to enjoyment, Ji Su really knew how!

He wanted to drink too!

Ji Su also seemed to notice his gaze. When their eyes met, Ji Weiqiu subconsciously found a topic. "Imperial Elder Brother, are you like this every day?"

"Mm," Ji Su responded.

Ji Weiqiu didn't have the nerve to ask 'are you tired'. He figured if he asked, he'd earn a few sideways glares from Ji Su. What was the use in asking if he was tired? If Ji Su said he was tired, how would he reply? If he said he wasn't tired, how would he reply?

So, he shamelessly said, "Imperial Elder Brother, is this wine good? Share a cup with me..."

Ji Su reminded him lightly, "It's a bit strong."

As he spoke, a palace attendant had already brought a new cup. The amber-colored liquid fell into the jade cup, its fragrance swirling alluringly. Ji Weiqiu raised his hand to take it and lowered his head to sniff. He found the aroma light and pleasant. With a health-conscious person like Ji Su, how could he possibly drink very strong wine while bathing?

"It's quite fragrant..." After saying this, Ji Weiqiu lifted his head and drained the cup in one gulp. He immediately began to cough violently, feeling as if something was on fire, a burning pain searing from his throat all the way to his stomach. The alcoholic fumes rushed upwards, making his mind go fuzzy for a moment, and he couldn't even open his eyes.

The palace attendants were alarmed and hurriedly supported him. Ji Weiqiu waved his hand to signal he was fine while still coughing. He didn't suppress the feeling until the attendants brought water and he had drunk half a pot. He felt as if his eyes were full of water; everything he looked at shimmered with a hazy light.

He squinted at Ji Su. "Imperial Elder Brother, why is this wine so strong?!"

"I told you." Ji Su took a small sip, a faint blush appearing on his handsome, otherworldly face. Ji Weiqiu pouted and submerged himself back into the water, but after a short while, he couldn't help looking at Ji Su again... He was starting to crave that taste from just now.

Although drinking it felt like being scraped by a knife, he now inexplicably missed that feeling.

Besides, everything Ji Su ate and used was the best in the world. For a wine this strong to be something he would drink at this time, it obviously had its own merits. Just now, he had been like Zhu Bajie eating a ginseng fruit, swallowing it whole without savoring any of the taste.

He moved to Ji Su's side. "Imperial Elder Brother, give me another cup?"

Ji Su said, "No."

Ji Weiqiu: "...?!"

He had never imagined Ji Su could be so stingy! Wasn't it just a cup of wine?! He wouldn't even give him that?!

Seeing him so angry his eyes had gone wide, Ji Su said, "One more cup, and you'll be drunk."

"Imperial Elder Brother, you underestimate me too much!" Ji Weiqiu was unconvinced. What was his alcohol tolerance? He could down half a jin of 52-proof baijiu! Even if this wine was stronger than usual, how could he get drunk on a mere two cups? What a joke!

Ji Su remained unmoved, seemingly having made up his mind not to let him drink. Seeing this, Ji Weiqiu got a bit worked up. The more he was denied, the more his heart itched and his lungs scratched to have another taste. He grabbed Ji Su's arm with one hand. "Imperial Elder Brother, just one more cup! I just want to taste it, I didn't get the flavor just now! Just one cup! I won't drink it all, I'll just have a taste!"

"No."

"I won't, I really won't!" Ji Weiqiu said with utmost sincerity. "Imperial Elder Brother, you know me. If I got drunk that easily, how could I have fought my way through Yanjing undefeated?"

Ji Su couldn't be bothered with him. Ji Weiqiu still refused to give up, nearly swearing to the heavens, "Really, I'll just lick it, that's okay, right?!"

Ji Su lowered his eyes, then suddenly pressed his own half-drunk cup against Ji Weiqiu's lips.

Ji Weiqiu's face broke into a wide grin as he licked it.