Chapter 123 Cascades: Continued

The Heir's fall from the Emperor's good graces were apparent in court, and many of his original supporters have jumped onboard the sailing s.h.i.+p of the Eighth Prince. Despite that, the Heir still remains the official inheritor of the kingdom, a t.i.tle the Emperor did not seem to take away from him just yet. Despite an equal number of officials remaining on his side because of his t.i.tle just yet, the Heir felt threatened by his younger brother and was hard at work meeting officials of the court, something he was not supposed to do as punishment from the Emperor.

“Is the Grand Tutor still bedridden?” The Heir frowned as he took a glance around the room.

An official stepped forward. “Your Highness, the Grand Tutor's condition is not looking good at all. The few of us had tried to pay a visit multiple times, but were rejected on account of his ill health.”

The Heir frowned, obviously irritated. “Why is he sick when I have use for him! Hmph!”

The Minister of the Left shot him a sideward glance. “Have you visited the Grand Tutor, your Highness? Though the Grand Tutor is indeed bedridden, he was one of your earliest supporters and continues to advise you till this day. He continues to think of your political career even on his sickbed; it's just that he is physically too sick to attend our meetings.”

“The supporters of the Eighth Prince grow as we speak! I do not have time for such things!”

The Minister kept mum, but did not partic.i.p.ate in the remainder of the meeting.

In contrast to the sticky political situation his father is in, Gan Qingjia seemed to be doing well in court. He had gained the Emperor's trust with his stellar results on his post, and coupled with his charisma, he had quickly tidied up the mess left by the impeachment of the Imperial Treasurer in the Bureau. In the short span of a month, he quickly rose to the rank of a Rank Three official. Of course, his performance and abilities in court were quickly recognised by other officials, and many of them started proposing to the Minister of the Left on behalf of their daughters.

Unfortunately, that meant many more troubles on the mind of the Minister. I must have owed this son of mine a huge debt in my previous life! I thought I had to worry about his future when he was nothing but a playboy, but it's much worse now that he's an accomplished man! All the political sensitivity of a marriage between the families of court officials are driving me nuts!

Gan Qingjia strolled into the Duke's residence and was surprised to hear the sounds from the clas.h.i.+ng of weapons coming from the Hall of Martial Arts. He quickly headed in that direction and saw Situ clad in armour, sparring against a few of his officers. To be exact, it was a one-sided fight, with Situ beating down on his officers mercilessly. Unfortunately for them, Situ was visibly unsatisfied. He waved to the Covert Guards standing by the side.

“Join in.”

The Covert Guards exchanged a look and grabbed their individual weapons, jumping into the fray. Situ wielded a sabre forged with the specifications of the legendary Hongming Sabre, three feet in length and 7 jin 7 liang 1 in weight. The hefty sabre was nimble and quick in the hands of Situ, arcing through the air in broad strokes and thrusts. His strikes were heavy and aggressive, the movements akin to the roaring of tides. The three officers and four Covert Guards only barely managed to hold their own against Situ.

Watching the spar from a corner of the Hall, Gan Qingjia recalled a story he'd heard about Situ. When Situ had first been a.s.signed the position of the Chief of the army, the Army of the North was rebellious and the enemies dismissive. With just his Hongming Sabre, Situ had fought a path straight into the centre of the opposing army and cut off the head of the opposing General in one fell swoop of his sabre. That was what garnered him the loyalty of the Army. Gan Qingjia smiled and took a big gulp from the vat of wine he'd brought along. Situ is invincible on the battlefield, Jiang Moyin wise in court, Xue Yiqi guards the palace diligently, and now I have stepped out into the light from the shadows. If the four of us are united in our views and work for the same cause, it'll be a very exciting world indeed.

Perhaps drawn to the fragrance of the wine, Situ stopped the sparring session. Tossing his sabre to Two, Situ quickly unclasped his armour and walked over to where Gan Qingjia was standing. Grabbing the vat of wine from his hands, Situ took a few gulps of the refres.h.i.+ng liquid.

“Why are you here today? I'm sure you must be rather busy, with all the people who're wanting to meet you nowadays.”

“That is exactly why I'm here – to take a break from them.” Gan Qingjia winked, s.n.a.t.c.hing the vat of wine from Situ's hands and taking a gulp. “I've only had so many rest days ever since my appointment! I would have had every single day to myself if it was before!”

“Then ask the Emperor to be allowed to resign.” Situ raised a brow and turned to head back to his own room.

“Argh…I guess not. I've already shown my face to the world; that marked the end of my carefree days.” Gan Qingjia followed behind him, the vat of wine cradled in his arms. “Take a quick bath and I'll bring you to somewhere nice.”

“Moonglade again? I'm not going.” Situ rejected immediately.

“Of course not. There's no reason for you to go to Moonglade, now that Miss Feng is back.” Gan Qingjia chuckled. Situ halted, but quickly resumed walking.

Gan Qingjia continued. “Didn't Miss Feng just come into possession of a Guqin? I've sent an invitation to her today morning, hoping that she can play a song for us in honour of the Guqin. We are to meet at noon in the dining room of Manchun Tang; I've sent word to both Yiqi and Jianqiu, but Moyin is too sick to come. They all got a message, but I came personally to get you! Shall we?”

Situ kept mum.

A light shone in Gan Qingjia's eyes. He'd invited Feng Luodi to meet a few days back under the guise of inquiring about Qi Jianqiu's interests, but he'd secretly snuck in a few questions about Situ during their conversation.

“What do you think of Situ, Miss Feng?”

“Very good.”

“In all aspects? Personality wise, birth-wise, and looks wise?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know that he likes you?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did you reject him?”

“I can't tell you.”

“Then, do you like him?”

“I can't.”

That was their conversation that day: direct and effective. It's not that she doesn't like Situ, but that she “can't” like him; as his brother, it's my duty to remove that “can't” from the equation.

“I'll take that as a yes, then.” Gan Qingjia slapped Situ on the shoulder. “If there are too little people at the gathering, Jianqiu will definitely try to weasel her way out of it. I don't want that to happen!”

Situ shrugged off his hand and headed for the bathroom. Gan Qingjia sat idly in Situ's room, confident that Situ will agree to come along. Before long, Situ emerged clean and with a fresh set of clothes.

“You're looking brilliant!” Gan Qingjia gestured to Situ. “Let's get going, shall we? We don't wanna make the ladies wait.” The two quickly mounted their horses, chatting as they made their way towards Manchun Tang.

“Argh! The Heir and the Minister of the Right are hot on my trails these days.” Gan Qingjia complained. “Argh…I'm so tired of hiding everything! ARGHHHH…When can I ever expose my ident.i.ty?”

The three “argh”s finally garnered a response from Situ. He raised an eyebrow. “Just wait.”

“When will all this waiting end?” Gan Qingjia pursed his lips. He's always answering me with such vague sentences!

“When the time is right.”

“I knew it.” Gan Qingjia muttered.

“And yet you still continue asking me about it.”

Gan Qingjia looked to the sky and pouted, his voice soft. “To think that I still go to such ends to create opportunities for you.”

“Are you sure it's for me?” Situ turned to look at him, a teasing smile on his lips. “Do you think that I would not know your true intentions?”

The two of them quickly reached the restaurant, heading up the stairs as they handed the reins of their steeds to the attendants. The music of a zither floated down the hallway on the third floor of Manchun Tang, the song growing clearer the further in they walked.

“It's been a while since I'd heard you play, Miss Feng; your music is as refres.h.i.+ng and enchanting as I remember.” Gan Qingjia remarked as he entered the room.

“The two of you are too late!” Qi Jianqiu complained, staring straight at Gan Qingjia. “All these juices are no longer cold!”

“Juice” Gan Qingjia grinned at her as he moved aside to let Situ into the room. “I've never even heard of that before.”

Feng Luodi looked up just in time to see Situ enter the room, their eyes meeting mid-air. Feng Luodi smiled politely. Situ looked away and sat down in an unoccupied chair. Only then did he see the many crystal bowls laid out on the table, each filled with a liquid that was neither water nor wine. Dainty leaves and petals decorated the juice.

Qi Jianqiu quickly introduced Autumnal Ombre's new product to them. “This is the new drink of Autumnal Ombre, Summer Light. Made from a blend of freshly squeezed fruits and ice, it's both refres.h.i.+ng and beneficial to your health. Try some!”

Gan Qingjia and Situ quickly chose a bowl from the few on the table and downed the liquid inside in a single gulp.

“It's delicious!” Gan Qingjia was genuinely surprised. He looked at Qi Jianqiu. “Did you come up with such an ingenious idea?”

Qi Jianqiu laughed and pointed at Feng Luodi. “I can't possibly come up with something like that; the idea belongs to her.”

“How honest of you.” Gan Qingjia teased. Qi Jianqiu's smile died as she pouted, turning to Feng Luodi.

Feng Luodi clapped her hands together and smiled at Gan Qingjia. “It's her idea to use crystal bowls to serve the juices, and to adorn it with flower petals. The presentation drew in crowds of customers as soon as Summer Light was launched.” She did not look at Situ.

“Both ideas are very well indeed.” Situ placed the bowl on the table and commented lightly.

Gan Qingjia chuckled and looked at Qi Jianqiu. “Your idea sounds really clever as well!” Her face softened.

Xue Yiqi laughed as he steered the conversation away. “We've only ordered a few dishes; you guys can get the rest.” He clapped his hands together and an attendant entered to take their order.

“Go ahead.” Situ motioned to Gan Qingjia as he poured himself a cup of wine.

Gan Qingjia smiled as he recited the names of a few dishes, the attendant leaving with his order. Qi Jianqiu's eyes lit up when she heard the names of the dishes that were ordered, shooting Gan Qingjia a glance. Their eyes met, and she turned bright red at the sight of the light smile upon his lips.

The conversation in the room continued amicably, but Gan Qingjia quickly noticed that neither Situ nor Feng Luodi had spoken to each other directly. He was worried about the situation, but unable to do anything. Before long, the dishes were served and were quickly finished, the atmosphere in the room relaxed and easy-going. Seeing that their meal was almost at an end, Gan Qingjia invited Feng Luodi to perform another song for them on the Guqin, Cascade. Feng Luodi smiled and set her hands to the Guqin.

Before the piece could be completed, a voice sounded at the door of the dining room. “Your Highness, his Majesty requests for your presence in the Palace immediately.”

“Immediately?” Gan Qingjia looked at Situ. “What can be so important at this time of the day?”

“I'll find out.” Situ got to his feet and turned to the room. “Please, excuse me.”

His footsteps stopped for a beat as he pa.s.sed Feng Luodi but he did not speak a word, leaving the dining room in silence.