Xi Chen and Ah Lin talked for a while after Ah Lin voiced his suspicions about the foreign prince. It didn't take long until Ah Lin started yawning and headed to bed. When Ah Lin was sound asleep, Xi Chen stepped out of his room and stood by his door to process the information that he had gleaned. Even with his suspicion, Ah Lin also mentioned that he didn't sense any malice from the foreign prince. Therefore, Xi Chen knew that he needed to take that into account before planning his move.
As he was ruminating, Xi Chen began to ponder if Ye An was already in the Forbidden Garden. Sure enough, faint music started playing in the brisk air at the thought. Xi Chen wondered if Ye An had enough layers on her to keep herself warm. He crossed his arms as he leaned on the wall and closed his eyes. Even though the music was faint, Xi Chen could discern that this was a tune that he had never heard before. In contrast to the southern plains, the trees in the capital had all but lost their leaves. Even the ground had no traces of dried leaves left. Without the usual rustles of leaves and the chorus of insects and animals, the night breeze only carried the delicate sounds of Ye An's guqin.
As he listened to the music, Xi Chen could picture Ye An seated quietly at the stone table as her graceful fingers ran through the chords. Picturing this scene brought back memories of their first meeting. Xi Chen knew now that he had fallen for Ye An the moment he laid eyes on her and that brought a small smile on his lips.
Too soon, the music ended. Xi Chen straightened up from the wall and waited for Ye An to return. After a while, she entered the courtyard and they locked eyes for a brief moment. Ye An then primly nodded at Xi Chen before entering her own residence.
*******
The next morning, Ye An's routine continued as usual and she had her morning meal with Xi Chen and Prince Adlai after her morning reading session.
Their meal was filled with silence as all three of them were entrenched in their own thoughts. Xi Chen had always sat across Prince Adlai since the foreign prince started joining them for their meals. But he had never observed him as closely as he was right now.
Now that Xi Chen looked at him closely, Prince Adlai did seem to have something on his mind and the foreign prince could barely conceal his agitation. Xi Chen's thumb brushed over the mouth of his teacup thoughtfully.
Suddenly, there was an urgent knock at the door which snapped the three of them back into reality.
"Come in." Ye An ordered.
The grand eunuch entered in a hurry and informed. "Your Imperial Majesty, Prince Adlai.. Chieftain Burat was assassinated late last night."
"What?!" Prince Adlai stood up abruptly at the news and accidentally flipped his table and its contents over.
*******
Ye An quickened her footsteps as she arrived at the Empress Mother's residence with Xi Chen following closely behind her.
The Empress Mother's servants who were stationed outside barely had time to announce Ye An's arrival before she knocked at the door and entered the room. "Your Majesty, have you heard about Chieftain Burat?"
The Empress Mother who was still bed-ridden propped herself up. "Why? What happened to him?"
Looking at how genuinely surprised the Empress Mother was, Ye An decided on the spot that the Empress Mother had no hand in this. "He was assassinated late last night."
"My goodness!"
This was the first time Ye An saw the Empress Mother expressed any emotions towards a Northerner. "Yes, it's shocking. I'll head to the North immediately to personally offer my condolences."
The Empress Mother furrowed her eyebrows. "Wouldn't a letter suffice?"
"We had only forged a friendship with the North after years of animosity. You and I both know that I have to personally be there to quell any rumors or suspicions."
The Empress Mother hesitated before she replied. "Alright. Go ahead then. I'll hold the fort here."
Ye An was about to leave but stopped herself. "To be honest, I don't fully trust General Shao. But you should ask him for assistance if you need any help. Don't try to do everything alone."
"Is that concern I hear?"
Ye An ignored the Empress Mother. "I'll just be gone for approximately three days with all the travel time considered. I'll try to return as soon as possible."
"Alright."
"I should head off now." Ye An left without a word of farewell to the Empress Mother.
*******
Ye An was back in her room when Sze Chang arrived.
"Your Imperial Majesty! I rushed here after hearing the news!" Sze Chang exclaimed from the small space in between the door and the screen. Behind which, Ye An was dressing.
"Yes. I'll be heading to Chieftain Burat's funeral and I'll need you to accompany me as the Minister of Foreign Affairs." Ye An said from behind the screen. "Due to the urgency of this matter, we will be traveling to the North in an hour with the royal chariot. Prince Adlai's servants will follow after they've packed everything else. We'll return in three days. Once we've paid our respects, we'll come straight back. Make any arrangements that you need to and return at least ten minutes before our departure."
"Yes, of course, Your Imperial Majesty." Sze Chang nodded and left the room.
*******
The atmosphere in the royal chariot was grim as they traveled towards the northern border. It was just Ye An, Prince Adlai, and Sze Chang in the coach. Xi Chen and Ah Lin both opted to be on horseback to join the guards protecting the lone chariot. Xi Chen was at the head of the convoy while Ah Lin guarded the back.
In the chariot, Prince Adlai's anxiety was louder than the racket the wooden wheels were making as they hit the pebbles on the road. He lowered his face and propped an elbow over his knees as he covered his eyes with his hand. "I can't believe this."
Ye An's eyes softened as she gave out a small sigh of her own. She scooted over to pat Prince Adlai's back in consolation wordlessly.
Without looking up, Prince Adlai started to speak. Ye An wasn't sure who he was speaking to. "I never had a chance to reconcile with him. I know that he was harsh on me because I'm the only successor that he has. I know he was just looking out for me so that I'll have an easier time than he had when I finally succeed him. But I couldn't let go of my grudge while he's still alive and now I won't be able to do so anymore."
Prince Adlai covered another hand over his eyes. Even though she couldn't see it, Ye An could hear his sobs as she continued to pat the foreign prince's back.
Sze Chang only watched both of them quietly.
*******
By the time they reached the northern border, dusk had fallen and they had entered a winter scene out of a storybook. When Ye An pushed the curtain aside, she could see the snow-covered grounds as Xi Chen and Ah Lin made arrangements for their party to rest at the military barracks for the night.
"I know that it's not the best, but my quarter is one of the only rooms that are empty right now." Xi Chen said apologetically, especially towards the two royals, as he opened the rickety door to the rest of the group. He quickly lit a fire in the small fireplace at the corner of the room to heat the space up.
"Yes, but it's the largest in the barracks." Ah Lin chipped in chirpily, to make up for the fact that the five of them would be sharing the room.
It was a sudden visit, so arrangements were made haphazardly. Since their plan was to enter into the North the next morning, Ye An thought it was best to rest near the border instead of an inn. However, there were only a few empty rooms at the military barracks and there were a lot of royal guards due to it being the first time Ye An traveled over the border.
"It's alright, it's just for the night." Ye An said, nonplussed; while Prince Adlai quietly laid his personal items out and started to undress. Ye An turned away in response.
"Hey, Xi Chen. Where's your bed?" Ah Lin asked.
"I have no idea. Maybe one of the juniors took it away after I was assigned to the capital." Xi Chen replied, his eyes on Ye An.
"But that means His Imperial Majesty and Prince Adlai would need to sleep on the floor." Ah Lin came close and whispered urgently.
Sze Chang finally spoke up. "Aren't those goose feather mattresses? Are they for us?"
"Oh. I've only heard about them. I've always wanted to try sleeping on one of these." Ye An said as she sifted through the mattresses.
"Uh.. What about you, Prince Adlai? Are you alright with the goose feather mattresses?" Ah Lin said anxiously. He had never seen Prince Adlai in a foul mood since he arrived at the capital, which contributed to his apprehension now due to the foreign prince's dark expression that he had been wearing since he learned of his great-grandfather's passing.
"Doesn't matter." Prince Adlai replied, his voice void of any emotion, as he took a mattress and its blankets and laid them at the far side of the room, under the large window.
"Well, that settles it then." Xi Chen said as he took two mattresses and laid them neatly on the other end of the room before speaking to Ye An while pointing at the mattress against the wall. "Your Imperial Majesty, you can sleep here later."
*******
Since there was still a bit of light, Ye An decided to take a walk outside. As usual, Xi Chen followed quietly behind her, their boots crunching against the snow on the ground.
While Xi Chen was debating whether he should make small talk with Ye An, she spoke first. "Prince Adlai was crying in the chariot just now."
Xi Chen took longer steps to catch up to Ye An. "Understandable. His great-grandfather just passed away. He must have needed to grieve."
"Rather than grief, I have a feeling that they were tears of regret." Ye An said softly. "He mentioned that he wasn't able to reconcile with Chieftain Burat while he was still alive and now he can't do so anymore."
Xi Chen had a feeling that there was more to what Ye An was saying so he quietly waited for her next sentence.
"Maybe I should make amends with the Empress Mother while I still have the chance."
"Do you want to?"
"Maybe. I don't know."
"Like I said before, I trust your judgment on what's best for you, and I'll support any decision no matter what."
Ye An smiled at Xi Chen. "Thanks."
As she looked up at him, Xi Chen couldn't help but be endeared by the way Ye An was bundled up in layers of thick clothing. But judging by her flushed nose and watery eyes, he could see that she was probably still affected by the biting cold. Xi Chen took off the fur scarf that he was wearing and carefully wrapped it around Ye An's neck. Once he tucked the scarf properly, Xi Chen gently swept away some wisps of Ye An's hair that got caught in the wind and cupped her face.
"Please don't misunderstand me, I'm just trying to warm you up." Xi Chen explained.
Ye An smiled despite herself. "I didn't ask for an explanation."
Xi Chen's eyes looked away as he coughed awkwardly, but his hands were still on Ye An's face.
All of a sudden, Ye An gasped and tilted her head up. "It's snowing! It really is winter here or nothing huh."
Xi Chen turned to look back at Ye An and saw the way her eyes illuminated with wonder as she looked up into the sky. He couldn't hold it in any longer and kissed her before the snow even had the chance to touch the ground.
Ah Lin was trying to prepare some snacks in the kitchen when he saw snow falling through the window. "Looks like there's going to be a snowstorm later. I should go get His Imperial Majesty and Xi Chen indoors."
With that said, he went out searching for both of them. And accidentally witnessed them kissing under the falling snow. "What in the world-"
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