TRM Chapter 6

The 81 days of prayers quickly passed, and on the day it ended, the people from the Eastern Palace arrived early at the Astrology Tower to welcome the Crown Prince back. Qiao Guanxing felt dejected.

He felt like he hadn’t had the chance to prove his loyal adherence to materialism to the Crown Prince yet, nor had he managed to improve their workplace relationship. He didn’t even know if he could save up enough money before the Crown Prince ascended the throne to escape.

Now that the Crown Prince was leaving, they probably wouldn’t have another chance to meet again. Once the Emperor passed away, and the Crown Prince took the throne, would he not just have him and his fellow immortal colleagues executed on a whim?

The guillotine seemed so near. The more Qiao Guanxing thought about it, the more upset he became, his head drooping, nearly bursting into tears.

But suddenly, the beaded curtain shifted, and he heard footsteps behind him. He felt someone lift his face by pinching it.

Zhou Jingyuan’s fingers were slightly cool as they gently pinched his soft cheek. Qiao Guanxing felt like his skin was as soft as the snow outside, and the touch seemed to linger like the snowflakes melting into his skin.

“Why are you crying?”

Just now, he had sensed something off with the little liar. Now, looking closely, he saw that his eyes were red-rimmed, his long lashes damp, clinging together in clumps, and his dark pupils glistened with tears, making him look pitiful and heartbreaking.

Zhou Jingyuan didn’t realize his voice had softened a little, still staring at him with an expression of casual inquiry.

“Did something upset you? Tell me, perhaps I can back you up.”

“No,” Qiao Guanxing rubbed his eyes, feeling a bit hopeless. He started thinking that being the Crown Prince’s subordinate wasn’t too bad. Unlike the Emperor, who was difficult and petty, always threatening to execute someone, the Crown Prince was different.

Being the Emperor’s subordinate was one thing, but if he could always stay with the Crown Prince, that wouldn’t be so bad.

With these thoughts, he looked up at Zhou Jingyuan, his voice still nasally.

“I’m just afraid I won’t see you again.”

His wet lashes lowered, “I want to always stay with you, to see you every day.”

If possible, Qiao Guanxing wanted to transform from just an ordinary worker of the Great Zhou into Zhou Jingyuan’s exclusive worker, build up good rapport, avoid getting killed, and stay loyal until his chance to escape arrived.

Zhou Jingyuan didn’t expect him to say that. He froze for a moment, then replied after a while.

“Is that so?”

So the little trickster had already admired him to this extent? Even before he left, he wanted to cry just thinking about it and said he wanted to follow him for life.

Really…

Zhou Jingyuan’s earlobes turned red again, and he coughed a few times, as if trying to hide something. He ruffled Qiao Guanxing’s hair.

“Is crying over such a small thing necessary? The Eastern Palace is far and dull, but I can come over every day after court and stay for a few hours. Whatever I do, you can come along.”

The guillotine he had been imagining slowly disappeared with Zhou Jingyuan’s words. Qiao Guanxing’s eyes widened in undisguised joy.

“Really?”

He grabbed Zhou Jingyuan’s hand and pressed it to his chest, “You’re so kind, Your Highness!”

The Crown Prince looked unmoved by the praise. He slightly moved his fingers, which were still being held by Qiao Guanxing, but didn’t pull his hand away. Instead, he looked down from his taller height, pursing his lips.

“Good, now you know.”

Zhou Jingyuan kept his word, and the opportunity for him to fulfill his promise came very quickly.

According to the palace tradition, after the New Year, the Emperor would usually leave the capital in disguise to experience the lives of the common people. However, over the years, the Emperor had become more obsessed with immortality and his health had deteriorated, so he no longer had the energy for such trips. He had passed the responsibility onto the Crown Prince, who would leave the capital after the first month.

Qiao Guanxing had often helped his boss pack for business trips during his previous part-times, so he was quite experienced. He had gathered everything into a large pile, and when Zhou Jingyuan returned to the Astrology Tower after court, Qiao Guanxing excitedly showed him the preparations.

“This cup, Your Highness, you can use it to drink tea!”

“This hand warmer is very warm, take it with you!”

“And this cloak and…”

Before he could finish, Zhou Jingyuan took the things from his hands. The Crown Prince placed the cup back on the table.

“The people from the Eastern Palace are ready. You just need to follow me.”

The next morning, a nondescript carriage left the palace’s back gate, heading south.

They were leaving the capital, so the carriage didn’t stop all day. It wasn’t until evening that they arrived at a rural area near Hezhou.

The cold winter wind, mixed with the fine snowflakes blown from the treetops, seeped into their collars, waking Qiao Guanxing’s drowsy mind after the long Qiaourney.

The guards and palace servants busied themselves unloading the luggage into the guest house, while Qiao Guanxing, having been in the carriage all day, decided to stretch his legs by walking around the courtyard. But to his surprise, he saw a ladder leaning against the corner, leading up to the rooftop terrace.

He instinctively looked up. The weather was clear and beautiful that night, with a starry sky and every star gleaming brightly.

Blinking, an idea came to him. He immediately ran over to tug on Zhou Jingyuan’s sleeve.

“Your Highness, since the room isn’t ready yet, why don’t we go up to the terrace and look at the stars together?”

Maybe he could take this opportunity to talk about weather phenomena and prove that he wasn’t just a lazy immortal living in the palace!

If Zhou Jingyuan found out that he, too, belonged to the great camp of materialism, maybe he wouldn’t kill him.

Qiao Guanxing felt more and more that this was a great opportunity. When he saw Zhou Jingyuan not saying anything, he grew anxious, moving closer to him, softening his voice, “Your Highness, please, let’s go—”

Zhou Jingyuan looked down at him for a moment, seeming somewhat reluctant. But in the end, he said, “Since you’re begging me so much, I’ll reluctantly agree.”

On the terrace, the bright moonlight poured down, bathing everything in silvery white light, reflecting off the snow.

There were no railings, and just a few feet in front of them was the edge of the roof. Qiao Guanxing felt a bit afraid of falling and instinctively moved closer to Zhou Jingyuan. He started thinking about which star to point out to initiate the conversation.

“Your Highness, do you see that star? That’s Beta Orionis, it’s a pale red and really beautiful. You can only see it on clear nights.”

Zhou Jingyuan glanced in the direction he pointed, giving a perfunctory nod, “Mm.”

“Your Highness, it’s going to be really cold tomorrow because tonight there are no clouds, so…”

Qiao Guanxing continued speaking, trying to figure out how to explain the concept of atmospheric radiation using language the ancient people would understand. But Zhou Jingyuan wasn’t really paying attention to his words. Instead, he slightly tilted his head, looking thoughtfully at Qiao Guanxing’s profile for a long time.

The Crown Prince was thinking that this little trickster’s admiration for him was a bit too obvious. On the first day after leaving the palace, he was already so eager to invite gu to watch the stars and the moon together.

In the Great Zhou, only young boys and girls with budding feelings would use stargazing as an excuse to confess their hearts under the night sky and deepen their bond.

Thinking of this, Zhou Jingyuan’s brow suddenly furrowed, and his expression froze.

This little trickster had been sticking to him every day, secretly crying when he couldn’t see him, and now inviting him to look at the stars…

Could it be that he wasn’t just admiring gu, but… falling in love with gu?

The Great Zhou was relatively open-minded. Zhou Jingyuan had heard stories about two men becoming a couple, or two women marrying through the ancient customs of the Qin-Jin alliance. So, did this mean the little trickster had such feelings for him?

No wonder Qiao Guanxing always looked at him with those bright, shimmering eyes, and followed him around all day, constantly calling him “Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness.”

…

“Your Highness, Your Highness?”

Qiao Guanxing noticed that Zhou Jingyuan wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying. A little displeased, he tugged at his sleeve but found that Zhou Jingyuan, for some reason, had turned red from his ears to the neck under his collar.

He became a little worried, furrowing his brows and reaching up to gently touch Zhou Jingyuan’s cheek with the back of his hand. “Why is it so hot? Could it be that you’ve caught a cold from the cold wind?”

“No!”

The Crown Prince’s tone was stiff, pulling Qiao Guanxing’s hand away from his face.

So the little trickster wanted to get closer to him? As expected, he was in love with me!

Zhou Jingyuan took a deep breath, but the cool night wind couldn’t dispel the heat on his face. His heartbeat was growing faster.

Qiao Guanxing was still murmuring about stars and clouds, cloudy weather and clear skies, but Zhou Jingyuan wasn’t listening at all. He just lowered his gaze slightly, staring at Qiao Guanxing’s trembling eyelashes and the occasional dimple at the corner of his lips.

This person had feelings for him, Zhou Jingyuan was about 80-90% sure, but he still wanted to ask. So, he casually started a conversation.

“Ahem, if I were to grant you one wish right now…”

The Crown Prince made eye contact with him. “What would you wish for?”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Guanxing immediately became more awake, blinking with excitement. “Anything?”

“Mm.”

Getting a positive answer, Qiao Guanxing didn’t hesitate. “Then I want a lot, a lot of gold and silver treasures.”

It was just a humble wish every worker had for a salary raise.

Zhou Jingyuan furrowed his brow, feeling that things weren’t going quite as he imagined.

So, the Crown Prince added sternly, “This wish has to be related to me.”

“Oh, I see.”

Qiao Guanxing nodded thoughtfully, “Then I want Your Highness to reward me with a lot, a lot of gold and silver treasures.”

“…”

Zhou Jingyuan’s chest tightened, his expression turned cold, and after staring at him for a while, he scolded, “Ambitionless!”

Could it be that he was wrong? This little trickster didn’t have feelings for him?

But as soon as that thought appeared, it was immediately shattered by Qiao Guanxing himself.

A meteor streaked across the clear night sky, and Qiao Guanxing stood up to look at it. He turned around, took Zhou Jingyuan’s hand, and pointed in the direction where the meteor fell.

Today’s materialist weather observation study group didn’t quite go as planned. Qiao Guanxing, the group leader, felt that the goal hadn’t been met. It was clear that his member, Zhou Jingyuan, still didn’t fully believe in the leader’s true expertise. So, he decided to find more opportunities to continue learning with him.

Then Zhou Jingyuan heard the little trickster say, “If we make a wish right now, I wish I could keep watching the stars with Your Highness.”

His heartbeat, which had just slowed down, began to race again. Zhou Jingyuan lowered his gaze. “…Maybe it will come true.”

A blade of grass grew by the edge of the terrace, swaying in the wind. Zhou Jingyuan, distracted, absentmindedly began pulling the leaves off, counting to himself. “He likes me, he doesn’t like me, he likes me…”

By the time he had nearly plucked all the leaves, Qiao Guanxing, who had been sitting beside him, had unknowingly fallen asleep in the chair. His head gradually tilted down until it rested on Zhou Jingyuan’s shoulder.

Zhou Jingyuan immediately forgot where he had left off with his counting. His face, which had finally cooled, began to turn red again.

He whispered softly, “Little trickster, Qiao Guanxing.”

It seemed like he wanted to wake him up but hesitated to do so.

They stayed like this for a while in quiet peace. Then, as if he had made a significant decision, the Crown Prince took a deep breath. He gently picked up Qiao Guanxing, carrying him in his arms, and laid him down on the bed inside the room.

“I know you like me, so I’ll reluctantly hold you for a while.”