Perchance to Dream

19: If Possible, Never

Ling Fengxiao had a few friends in the capital, but only one of them would call out his courtesy name so casually while knocking on his door.

"Shuyang," he replied. "Come in."

The third imperial son Chu Yexuan unceremoniously slid open the door and stepped inside. Today, he was dressed in simple robes and a thick, dark-blue cloak lined with fox fur. A single ribbon kept part of his hair in a bun above his head, giving him a scholarly air. His youthful looks and bright eyes added to the impression, but the illusion shattered as soon as he started walking. His steps were filled with military precision and absolutely silent against the ground, a testament to his lightness techniques in martial arts. His bearing exuded a mix of confidence and languid ease, but none of the refined grace that defined Chu Yeci or the imperial swagger that enveloped crown prince Chu Yeguang like a shroud.

Chu Yexuan was a straightforward man with capable physical prowess, and his gait and posture reflected that perfectly.

"I feel like a servant that was just summoned in by his master," Chu Yexuan grinned as he stopped just short of Ling Fengxiao's zither table and crossed his arms. "Anyways, shouldn't you be calling me 'Your Highness?'"

"Will Your Highness stop sneaking into my estate unannounced if I do?" Ling Fengxiao rebutted.

Chu Yexuan's grin widened. "Your guards are among the finest in the capital. How could I pass up the chance to test them out?"

"Not as fine as they should be, apparently, if you were able to slip this far into the grounds," Ling Fengxiao remarked drolly.

"Oh, they caught me well enough," Chu Yexuan nodded to himself. "I simply used my status as an imperial prince to make them keep quiet."

Ling Fengxiao creased his brows slightly before plucking the strings of his zither. "Chang Yin!"

His personal guard immediately materialized by his side. "Yes, master?"

"Inform the head guard that the next time His Highness sneaks into the quarters, our men are to find a way to muffle his mouth before the prince gives any orders."

Over Chu Yexuan's protests, Chang Yin assented and whisked away to relay the instructions.

"That's playing dirty! You know the head guard's much faster than me!" Chu Yexuan grimaced.

"I could simply have them throw you out instead," Ling Fengxiao remarked.

"You'd leave this prince to freeze outside your gates in the frozen mountains?"

"We're only a short distance from the city."

The good-natured prince threw his hands up in mock surrender before settling into a cross-legged seat on the ground. "But really, Moxiao, what have you been up to today? You missed the time for our weekly weiqi matches so I came to find you myself."

Ling Fengxiao stilled briefly before he uttered, "I apologize."

"...you really forgot about it?" Chu Yexuan blinked in surprise. "And here I was thinking this was all some elaborate test of patience against me. Heaven knows how long I made you wait for one of my moves last time."

"I don't need something so complicated to test you," Ling Fengxiao said drily as he polished off his tea.

"You're preoccupied with something," Chu Yexuan observed as he ignored the slight. "What is it?"

"How goes things in the palace?" Ling Fengxiao asked instead.

"Ah? It's more or less the same," Chu Yexuan replied. "Imperial father keeps to his chambers for rest while imperial grandmother manages most of the affairs in his place. Second imperial brother is working on a large scroll painting over this winter, while eldest imperial brother has been out and about more than usual."

"Buying trees," Ling Fengxiao muttered.

"Buying what now?" Chu Yexuan echoed.

"Trees. Plum blossom trees, at least a hundred or more. Didn't you notice them being planted all over the city today?"

"I took to the rooftops so it'd be faster," Chu Yexuan blinked before he shrugged. "What now, is he wooing yet another beauty with his flashy antics?"

Ling Fengxiao leveled a look at him and tried, "Mei Yanran?"

Chu Yexuan was quick to dismiss the idea. "She's not his type at all!"

"So you think so too..." Ling Fengxiao trailed off.

"Of course! He was all about Li Siyan during the banquet. Though he did ask you and I were friends once Miss Mei made her wish," Chu Yexuan paused to cough. "I don't think he thinks much of your trees, either."

"And did you tell him?" Ling Fengxiao asked next. "That we were friends?"

"It wouldn't have mattered much, I'm friends with everyone," Chu Yexuan began, but soon caved before Ling Fengxiao's stern expression. "Alright, alright. I said we were only weiqi partners."

"What kind of weiqi partner is enthusiastic enough to run over to his opponent's house when he doesn't show for a match? You don't enjoy the game that much, Shuyang."

"I'm always running off to somewhere or another," Chu Yexuan muttered back. When Ling Fengxiao's stare intensified, he was quick to add, "It's fine, I lost the palace scouts long before I left the city. Nobody can track me unless I let them, you know."

"You're still too careless," Ling Fengxiao sighed.

"And you're too uptight!" Chu Yexuan retorted. "I still don't understand---why all the care? The plots? One would think the dynasty's tottering on its last legs with all the precautions you have in place."

"Are we not close enough?" Ling Fengxiao's tone grew hard. "His Majesty has been ailing while our enemies constantly watch our borders. Although the recent marriage treaty secured us an ally in the west, our rivals in the east and south have formed alliances of their own. Things are moving whether we like it or not, and it isn't in our favor."

Chu Yexuan looked at him seriously before shaking his head. "That's a normal part of any country. Allies move forward and enemies move to catch up---we're all balancing each other out. Besides---" He leaned forward and plucked a pastry from the untouched pile next to Ling Fengxiao's tea, plopping it into his mouth whole.

"---aren't there ministers in charge of these things? You don't have to take on the job as well, Moxiao."

Ling Fengxiao simply stared wordlessly at his friend. Finally, he shook his head. "I'll explain it all in time."

"This again?" Chu Yexuan huffed. "When will it ever be time?"

"If possible," Ling Fengxiao replied, "Never."

Chu Yexuan gave him a slightly incredulous look, but Ling Fengxiao simply shook his head and went to put out his stick of incense.

"I've never smelled this incense before, is it new?" Chu Yexuan asked as he watched the last tendrils float to the ceiling.

"South Heaven Fragrance," Ling Fengxiao. "It's more popular in the southern regions of our country, that's all."

Chu Yexuan tried another experimental sniff. "It's very..." Girly. Flowers and stuff.

"I'm looking into something," Ling Fengxiao explained, before his expression turned considering. "Shuyang, you say that nobody can ever track you..."

"That's right!"

"...but what about the other way around?"

Chu Yexuan's eyes lit up in anticipation. "Oh? Has someone been giving you the slip?"

Ling Fengxiao launched into a brief explanation of the sentry half-hidden outside his house before Chu Yexuan snapped his fingers and leaned in close. "Consider it done! When does he change shifts again?"

"Once a day, and he never keeps watch overnight," Ling Fengxiao replied.

"Ah? That sounds like shoddy spy work."

"He may simply be more interested in our daylight activities," Ling Fengxiao observed.

"You can handle all the guesswork," Chu Yexuan waved them off. "I'll settle the question of his origins tonight!"