TRM Chapter 8

Since the royal inspection tour concluded, the weather grew increasingly warmer day by day. Summer arrived early this year, and by May, people could already wear light garments.

The Astrology Tower courtyard flourished with lush greenery, particularly the patch of mint planted by Qiao Guanxing near the wall. Every breeze carried its refreshing fragrance.

Zhou Mingse, who hadn’t visited for some time, circled the mint plants upon entering the garden and remarked with a smile, “No wonder I detected mint fragrance on Elder brother recently. It must have lingered from here.”

“Indeed,” Qiao Guanxing replied with slight resignation. “His Highness… spends rather excessive time here.”

Crown Prince Zhou Jingyuan arrived daily after morning court sessions, shared lunch meals, then treated the Astrology Tower as his personal study until lanterns were lit for his return to the Eastern Palace.

As a diligent office worker sharing constant proximity with his superior, Qiao Guanxing found the situation mildly unnerving. It felt improper to snack on pastries while watching the crown prince labor over state affairs. So he attempted to assist – preparing paper, grinding ink. Yet Zhou Jingyuan never used his prepared ink for official documents, instead carefully setting it aside and requesting fresh inkstone.

“Why won’t Your Highness use the ink I grinded?” Qiao Guanxing inquired.

“Wasteful,” came the curt reply from the prince immersed in memorials. It would indeed be a waste to use ink ground by his little trickster on the mundane matters of state.

Oh, okay,” Qiao Guanxing said, feeling a little down. His ink wasn’t the best, so it made sense that it would be seen as wasteful on official documents. Knowing that his skills didn’t meet his superior’s standards, he hesitated but decided not to bother Zhou Jingyuan further. He went back to sitting on the window seat, eating his snacks.

The only sounds in the room were the soft sounds of chewing.

Zhou Jingyuan set down his documents, gaze drifting to the window. On pristine paper, he began painting delicate features using Qiao Guanxing’s rejected ink – a subject he’d secretly drawn countless times.

Curious about the prince’s sudden artistic focus, Qiao Guanxing approached. “What are you painting, Your Highness?”

A startled brushstroke left ink blooming across the paper’s edge. Zhou Jingyuan swiftly hid the artwork, ears flushing crimson despite his stern tone, “Return to your seat! No peeking!”

“…Understood, Your Highness.”

It couldn’t be some confidential document that would lead to execution if seen, could it?

Obediently, Qiao Guanxing returned to his seat, shivering a little.

Zhou Jingyuan, seeing that he had returned to his seat, let out a breath of relief. Fearing that someone might come over before he finished his drawing, he grabbed another brush and handed a piece of paper to Qiao Guanxing.

He also placed the Book of Songs from the bookshelf on the small desk in front of Qiao Guanxing, his face stern as he assigned work. “Copy the first five chapters. I’ll check them later.”

Qiao Guanxing: …Huh?

Though unsure why his superior suddenly assigned this task, the real problem was that he didn’t know how to use a brush.

Qiao Guanxing looked at the book, then at the paper and the brush.

Determined, he rolled up his sleeves and decided to give it a try. It didn’t matter whether he could do it; His Highness gave him so many bonuses, so following his orders was the right thing to do!

While Zhou Jingyuan calmly finished his drawing at his desk, Qiao Guanxing awkwardly gripped the brush and tried his best to write neatly.

He dipped the ink unevenly, splattering it everywhere. The paper became a mess.

Unconsciously, he used his handkerchief to wipe, only to end up with ink all over his hands, and before he knew it, there were streaks of ink on his face.

Oh no, he thought sadly, frowning at his paper. The unpredictable Zhou Jingyuan was definitely going to scold him now.

Just as he was thinking this, his paper was pulled away. Zhou Jingyuan, who had silently stood by his desk, was staring at his work for quite a while.

After a moment of silence, Qiao Guanxing swallowed hard, preparing to admit his mistake. “Y-Your Highness…”

“Hmm?”

Zhou Jingyuan set down the paper and reached out to brush his fingers against Qiao Guanxing’s cheek before speaking. “Even Lord Ning writes better than you.”

Though the words should have been a reprimand, there was an unusual hint of amusement in his eyes.

Zhou Jingyuan had a striking appearance, and when he smiled, even Qiao Guanxing, a fellow man, was momentarily stunned. He silently savored the moment.

Suddenly, the Crown Prince reached out and enveloped Qiao Guanxing’s hand, which was holding the brush. “Let me teach you how to write my name.”

In this position, the two were extremely close—so close that Qiao Guanxing could clearly hear the heartbeat coming from Zhou Jingyuan’s chest behind him.

So fast.

For some reason, Qiao Guanxing felt his face grow warm. He distractedly wondered if his superior’s rapid heartbeat was due to low blood pressure.

But soon, his attention was drawn back to their intertwined hands. Zhou Jingyuan’s palm pressed against the back of his hand, warm and firm.

The brush, dipped in rich ink, touched the paper, forming the characters for “Zhou Jingyuan.”

“Your Highness…”

As soon as he spoke, Qiao Guanxing noticed a slight tremble in his voice. He steadied himself and added, “Isn’t this… inappropriate?”

In a feudal dynasty, writing the name of the heir to the throne could easily lead to execution.

Zhou Jingyuan seemed to chuckle softly. “I pardon you.”

After finishing the characters for “Zhou Jingyuan,” the Crown Prince didn’t let go. Instead, he added “Qiao Guanxing” next to it before releasing his hand.

With a faint blush, Zhou Jingyuan looked down and asked, “How is it?”

Qiao Guanxing, still processing what had happened, nodded slowly. “Good.”

Strange. Qiao Guanxing couldn’t help but touch his own cheek. It was burning, and his heartbeat was racing.

Is this contagious? Could I have low blood pressure too?

He glanced discreetly at his superior beside him but said nothing, feeling his heartbeat quicken even more.

The warm breeze from outside carried a strong scent of mint. Suddenly, Qiao Guanxing had a strange intuition: no matter what, the Crown Prince wouldn’t kill him now.

But…

He still had to leave. He couldn’t stay in the palace forever.

For now, it was fine. He had the Astrology Tower as a refuge. But once Zhou Jingyuan ascended the throne, the Immortal Garden would surely be burned to the ground, and his fellow residents would likely be executed or imprisoned.

What would he do then? Without his identity as the Imperial Astrologer, would he really have to become a eunuch?

No, absolutely not!

Qiao Guanxing took a deep breath and decided to move his escape plan up the schedule.

He had actually been preparing for this for a while, but Zhou Jingyuan had been visiting the Astrology Tower too frequently, leaving him no good opportunity.

It seemed he would have to hint at it subtly.

After some thought, he carefully spoke, “Your Highness, perhaps you don’t need to come to the Astrology Tower so often in the future.”

Zhou Jingyuan, who had been tucking the ink-stained paper into his sleeve, paused. His expression darkened. “Why?”

Wasn’t this little liar the one who wanted to see me every day? Or has he grown tired of me so quickly?

“…You attend court so early every morning and have so many official duties. It must be exhausting,” Qiao Guanxing said sincerely. “The Astrology Tower isn’t like the Eastern Palace. There’s no one here to attend to you. What if you don’t get proper rest?”

So that’s it.

Zhou Jingyuan’s expression softened. So the little liar is worried about me being overworked.

Thinking about it, even though Qiao Guanxing clearly wanted to see him, he still prioritized his health. He must really care for me.

Pleased with this conclusion, Zhou Jingyuan’s fingers twitched at his side.

Tentatively, he reached out and awkwardly but gently ruffled Qiao Guanxing’s hair.

“If I don’t come, won’t you cry in secret?”

Qiao Guanxing looked up, confused. He had no idea why his superior would think that. Hesitantly, he asked, “…Would I?”

The Crown Prince, fully convinced, nodded.

“You would.”