CH 35

Every plant and tree in the Three Thousand Worlds were personally selected and planted by the master of the worlds, and similarly, guests must obtain the master’s permission before they could step in. Now that His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was here, it meant that deep in Second Young Master Liu’s heart, there was actually such a thing as, “with a long sword in hand, no army dares to disobey.” The image of an invincible general could not only command the entire Dayan army, but could also command forty-eight thousand-year-old sages.

In the vast and boundless spiritual realm, Liu Xian’an sat on a white crane and traveled back and forth unhurriedly and leisurely. The toppled and rebuilt world was still chaotic, and he felt that it may take a long time in the future for him to restore it – only then could he realize the dao of heaven little by little and turn this place back into an orderly paradise. However, his head no longer hurt as much as when he was rescued from the cave. Perhaps this was due to the good-smelling sandalwood fragrance that pervaded the surrounding fields, or maybe it was because His Royal Highness Xiao Wang who was holding a sword looked extremely safe and reliable. Thus, he let himself think about the world slowly in a relaxed state.

Then, thinking and thinking, he slowly fell asleep.

It couldn’t be helped, was his spirit too relaxed?

Liu Xian’an’s head tilted forward a little. Liang Shu’s eyes were sharp, and he reached out to catch him by the back of his collar. Second Young Master Liu remained calm, drifting with the clouds in his dream, his whole body floating. He found a soft place and continued to sleep, not even opening his eyes.

This was also the first time in Liang Shu’s life that someone had thrown themselves into his arms. He hugged the other person’s waist with one hand and frowned slightly. For a moment, it seemed as if that absurd spring dream had moved into reality, and many forgotten details were awakened along the way. The beauty was silent, with a graceful, distant presence. 

He found that he was indeed more despicable than his second sister. Second Sister liked beauties because she appreciated them purely, and was satisfied to the extreme just to place them in the harem. But his own desire for beauty was wrapped in all kinds of unspeakable worldly desires.

Liang Shu put the man on the bed, got up, and left the carriage.

After a while, Liu Xian’an also followed him out with sleepy eyes. This was mainly because he fell asleep, and the scent of sandalwood in the wilderness suddenly faded. After waking up with difficulty, he saw that he was the only one left in the carriage, so in a daze, he went outside to look for that person. Unexpectedly, he first hit his head, and then accidentally stepped on air and fell forward.

“Young Master!” A-Ning was so frightened that he rushed over to catch him. It was naturally impossible to catch him, but Liu Xian’an was not thrown out. Liang Shu lifted him up in the air and placed him firmly on Xuan Jiao’s back.

“Sleepwalking?”

“No.”

Liu Xian’an was still half asleep just now, and when he fell, he acted as if he was still riding a crane and soaring through the clouds, without the slightest bit of panic. Now, being put on a horse, he didn’t rejoice in his fortune. His mind was still in a muddled state, and he yawned, adding a sentence after a long time: “Not sleepwalking, I came out specifically to find the prince.”

The corners of Liang Shu’s mouth rose: “Why were you looking for me?”

“I just woke up,” Liu Xian’an answered in a nonchalant manner, clearly too lazy to think. Liang Shu didn’t urge him anymore, but only slowed down the horse. The autumn scenery in the mountains was truly beautiful, with trees under the setting sun, geese tilting amongst the lonely clouds, and red leaves flowing all over the streams.

Liu Xian’an’s attention was gradually drawn to the forest scenery. He planned to transplant a similar autumn forest into his spiritual world, so he turned his head to look to the side from time to time. After a while, he asked again: “Does the prince like red leaves?”

Liang Shu replied: “I like them.”

Liu Xian’an thought, then I will plant one for you too.

Or be more generous and simply plant a whole mountain of them.

Liang Shu saw that he was presently in high spirits, as if he had completely woken up, so he asked: “Are those white-bearded old men bothering you again?”

Liu Xian’an first corrected him that, they are all my friends, not all of them are old, and there are some beauties. Then he remembered the dream just now and turned around: “This time the prince was there.”

Liang Shu remained calm: “Was I also discussing the dao?”

This sounded so ridiculous that even he himself didn’t believe it.

Liu Xian’an shook his head, his face creased with a smile: “No, the prince was helping me maintain order.”

Liang Shu patted his head: “Presumptuous. Who allowed you to drag this lord to work?”

Liu Xian’an said perfunctorily, “En, en, yes, yes,” but thought to himself, in any case, if I don’t speak of it in the future, you’ll never know.

He turned back around and continued to enjoy the breeze with his eyes closed. Liang Shu also smiled. The mountain was filled with the sweet fragrance of berries after they fell to the ground. However, he preferred the scent of the other party’s collar, which was a mixture of very light herbs and bamboo leaves, gladdening the heart and refreshing the mind.

Gao Lin squeezed into the seat next to the coachman and set about looking at the two with a benevolent expression on his face, like a happy old mother. The relationship between the prince and Second Young Master Liu was truly getting better and better.

A-Ning also thought the same way, because he could be lazy and lie down next to the young master before, but now he could only sit outside the carriage almost all day long. If he wanted to lie down, he had to go to another carriage to do so. He was also curious about what his young master was doing when he stayed with the prince all day long, so he secretly lifted the carriage curtain twice —

The first time, the young master was sleeping, and the prince was also sleeping

The second time, the young master was sleeping, and the prince was watching him sleep.

In any case, he couldn’t escape sleep.

It was not uncommon for the young master to sleep, but it was strange that the prince was willing to sleep with him. This was very different from the rumors. A-Ning asked Lieutenant General Gao, what was it like in the northwest?

“The northwest, ah.” Gao Lin held a blade of grass in his mouth. “If there was no war, just staying at Xiao Wang Palace in Yueya City would not be too busy. But the prince is restless. He can lie down for a day at most without finding something to do…..wrong, he will pay attention to trade at the border or simply lead troops to fight wolves in the desert.”

Yes, that was what the rumors said.

Then why did the prince become so quiet and composed when he was with the young master?

Gao Lin also didn’t understand this matter.

A-Ning analyzed: “Could it be that the prince understands the young master’s Three Thousand Ways?”

Gao Lin put forward another hypothesis: “He may also be possessed.”

The latter was obviously more likely.

After all, compared to the Three Thousand Ways, the prince would definitely be more willing to give someone three thousand knives.

A-Ning: “…..”

Impossible!

The group of people traveled for more than ten days. On the afternoon of the current day, the team rested under the trees. Liu Xian’an lazily dozed off, and A-Ning was reclining to the side, eating wild yellow fruits with a medical book spread out on his lap. If there was something he didn’t understand, he would place a bookmark in it, and he prepared a lot to ask the young master about later. The guards were very familiar with the master and servant, so they joked: “It really looks like a painting.”

Liang Shu did not refute this statement. It was indeed like a painting, but had little to do with whether it was beautiful or not. Rather, the tranquility and remoteness of the people in the painting relying on each other was really precious, suitable for spectators to enjoy quietly. Only, before the quiet could last very long, a cloud of dust rolled up along with the sound of horseshoes on the mountain road.

Everyone followed the sound and looked over. Liu Xian’an also opened his eyes, and A-Ning closed the medical book and stood up: “It seems to be someone from the government.”

Skid – The horse had excellent legs, and galloped to the front in no time. The person on the horse nearly rolled over to kneel down: “Your Highness.”

“It’s you?” Liang Shu said, “Get up.”

His name was Hua Pingye, and he was once a vanguard officer in the Northwest Military Camp. Later, because of a leg injury, he was transferred to Cuiqiu City as an official. When he married a wife a year ago, he had someone send a cart of wine and wedding candy to Yueya City.

“A-Ping.” Gao Lin helped him stand. “Slow down, what happened?”

Hua Pingye panted: “Your Highness, there are rebels in the Gaoliang Mountain area.”

Ah? A-Ning looked at his young master in shock. How could there be rebels in these peaceful times?

Liu Xian’an patted him on the shoulder. You and I are at peace, and Baihe City is at peace, but that doesn’t mean the whole world is peaceful. Didn’t you hear Lieutenant General Gao talking about the Bai River flood a while ago? Even if it only destroyed one mu of farmland, for the owner of that farmland, this year is definitely not peaceful. What’s more, the flood caused more than one farm and one mu of farmland to suffer.

Hua Pingye had received the news of the rebels near Gaoliang Mountain and the news that His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was about to arrive at Cuiqiu City almost simultaneously, so he promptly came here in person without stopping. According to the secret report, the leader of the rebels at Gaoliang Mountain was named Huang Wangxiang, a man from Xiaohuang Village who was in the prime of his thirties or forties. Because the fields at home were all washed away and his parents, wife, and children all died in the torrential flood, he saw that there was no way out, so he dragged a group of brothers who were also suffering to be kings on Gaoliang Mountain.

This sort of rebel sounded hard for people to hate, but rebellion was a capital crime, after all, and the local garrison should have sent troops to suppress it as soon as the signs appeared. Now that Huang Wangxiang was flourishing, it was either because the garrison had neglected its duties, or it deliberately did not try to take care of it.

If they deliberately ignored it and let it develop, they could use this as an excuse to ask the court for more money. Wasn’t it just a farmer leading a group of refugees who couldn’t get enough to eat? How much trouble could they cause? Or to take another step back, even if there was a genuine rebellion, the Imperial court would transfer troops from other places, and they wouldn’t have to worry themselves. Taking advantage of this situation to make money was a serious matter.

Liang Shu and Gao Lin had seen many silverfish like this, and Hua Pingye also knew the routine, so he didn’t need to say more. He only said: “If they knew that the prince had come to Cuiqiu City, they would have restrained themselves a little.”

Liang Shu handed the confidential letter to Liu Xian’an: “Go back to the carriage. First follow me to Cuiqiu City. If you have free time on the road, take a look at the activities of Huang Wangxiang.” 

It was only then that Hua Pingye noticed that there were two people standing under the tree. He glanced at them and asked Lieutenant General Gao in a low voice: “Is this the rumored Second Young Master Liu?”

Gao Lin was surprised, yes, ah, you can tell at a glance?

Hua Pingye said: “It’s not difficult.” After all, the whole world had been speculating that the princess would marry Second Young Master Liu a while ago, and there were not many people who bore such an appearance.

He continued to speculate: “The prince is going to invite Second Young Master Liu back to the royal city so that he can meet the princess?”

Liang Shu turned his head and glanced at him coldly.

Hua Pingye shuddered and wisely shut up.

Liu Xian’an sat in the carriage and read the confidential letter carefully. Perhaps to cover up the deliberate negligence of the local garrison, Huang Wangxiang was described in the letter as an invincible monster who could confuse people’s hearts, standing nine feet tall. There were several pages of such eloquence, but not a single word of it was useful.

Even A-Ning couldn’t stand it anymore and complained: “Why are these people so useless! When it comes to leading an army, they can’t even compare to a hair on the prince’s head. I could do better than them.”

“You and the prince want the world to be stable, but they wish for constant chaos.” Liu Xian’an said, “Their purpose is different, and their means are naturally different as a result. It doesn’t mean that one is smarter or more stupid than the other.”

He folded the letter neatly and put it back in the envelope. A-Ning continued to ask: “Since they are refugees, they must need medicinal materials. Should we prepare some in advance?”

“I’m afraid they are not easy to buy anymore.” Liu Xian’an thought for a moment. “Okay, you should go discuss it with Lieutenant General Gao first.”

A-Ning agreed and bent down to disembark the carriage. The carriage curtain swung again a moment later, and it was Liang Shu who sat inside.

“How about it?”

“It’s better not to read it.”

Liang Shu smiled: “I think so too. You just take it as a spectacle and see how shameless the world can be in order to satisfy their selfish desires.”

Liu Xian’an returned the confidential letter: “However, there is definitely something special about Huang Wangxiang’s ability to gather a large number of people in a short period of time. The prince should be careful.”

“Unnecessary.” Liang Shu looked at him, saying in a nonchalant manner, “Anyway, someone will heal me if I’m injured.”