In the winter of Shengqi Year 26, the deposed Crown Prince rebelled. Jiang Ye, the top scholar of the imperial examinations, knelt for hours outside a covered corridor in Prince Qi's manor, begging Prince Qi Zhong Qian, the Emperor's younger brother and the deposed Crown Prince's uncle, to enter the palace and plead for the Crown Prince.
Prince Qi kept his doors shut and refused to see him. Jiang Ye knelt there all night.
In the middle of the night, Prince Qi turned over and asked, "Is he still out there?"
The pageboy: "...He's nearly frozen unconscious."
Prince Qi let out a long sigh and turned back over.
The rebellion failed, but the court was on the verge of chaos. Knowing that staying in the capital would eventually drag him into the mire, Prince Qi found an excuse to leave for the northern frontier to oversee disaster relief.
Before he departed, the pageboy said, "Your Highness, Jiang Ye left you a note."
Prince Qi: "Oh? What did it say?"
The pageboy: "He drew a turtle."
Prince Qi: "..."
Four years passed in the blink of an eye. The Emperor died, the Crown Prince was still young, and the court fell into turmoil. Prince Qi returned to the capital and was summoned to Huayang Hall on the very day he arrived.
The ministers: "Have you come back to usurp the throne?!"
Zhong Qian: "I want to become a monk."
The ministers: "..."
The ministers: "What?"
He said he wanted to become a monk, and he meant it. The next day, Prince Qi took his pageboy to a large temple outside the capital. They bowed and offered incense, and the abbot led the two of them to the guest quarters to put away their luggage. As they passed a courtyard, the fragrance of flowers drifted out. It sounded as if women were playing inside, amid a chorus of laughter.
Zhong Qian asked, "...I have neighbors?"
The abbot replied, "The spring days are still cold. The Crown Prince's tutor is recuperating here."
The pageboy asked, "Recovering from what?"
The abbot smiled without answering, but a gentle voice behind them replied, "A chill."
Prince Qi turned around. The newcomer wore blue robes and was surrounded by lovely attendants. He had long brows, almond-shaped eyes, dark eyes, and a gentle expression. Though the early spring breeze was warm, he still clutched a hand warmer, his fingertips so pale they were almost translucent.
Zhong Qian asked guiltily, "...How did you catch a chill?"
Jiang Ye smiled. "By kneeling all night outside someone's manor."
Zhong Qian: "...I really can explain."
Jiang Ye: "Too late ^ ^."
[Beautiful, sickly bottom: ruthless, calculating, and as lovely as a flower x Top: carefree, pretending to be a fool to hide his cunning, and acting like a scoundrel]
Theme: Never forget a grudge
