Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight

Chapter 141: Making a Decision

Chang'an, Eastern Palace.

In the scorching summer heat, melons floated while plums submerged in icy cold water. The low-lying Taiji Palace was particularly humid and sultry this year. Traces of moss was mottled on the corridor steps, and a thin layer of moisture was on the Capricorn-patterned tiles, wetly reflecting the light.

*Melons floated and plums submerged in water (沉李浮瓜): an idiom used to refer to summertime.

As the cicadas chirped noisily, a chamberlain led a travel-worn young man dressed in green official robes through the twists and turns of the corridors to the front of a pavilion.

There were eunuchs waiting in front of the threshold. When they heard the footsteps, they greeted him, smiling ear to ear.

"Du Sheren, His Highness the Crown Prince has been waiting for a long time."

Du Sinan didn't even look at the eunuch. He nodded and stepped inside with an arrogant attitude.

The smile on the eunuch's face remained unchanged.

For more than a year, Du Sinan, a scholar from a poor family in Southern Chu, had made many great achievements. He defended Jin City, killed the Northern Rong spies, and traveled as an envoy to Southern Chu and Western Shu. His understanding of the political situation of these various countries and his eloquence and rhetoric compelled Southern Chu to form an alliance with Great Wei, eliminating Great Wei's future worries. Thus, he had been summoned by Li De time and time again. Each time he was summoned, he could answer his questions readily. Li De's imperial face was greatly pleased. He repeatedly made exceptions, promoting him on a meteoric rise. In the blink of an eye, he was continuously promoted from a white-robed scholar to a Drafter Secretariat. In charge of advising the memorial presented to the Emperor and drawing up imperial edicts, he had become Emperor Li De's most trusted confidant.

Hearing that Du Sinan had not yet married, the influential families and large clans in the capital competed in sending engagement matchmakers to ask for marriage, wanting to take this upstart as a son-in-law. Even one of the prime ministers, Lord Zheng, also revealed the intention to personally matchmake for him. Everyone in the court was moved or envious, but Du Sinan flatly rejected all the marriage proposals, saying that he was from a humble family and did not dare to climb the influential families.

Eunuchs did not understand the surging currents in the court, but after all, they had followed Li Xuanzhen for many years. From the father and son's usual words and actions, they obviously relied more on officials of humble origins. Du Sinan was practically in the emperor's heart lately, often responsible for important tasks. No matter how arrogant and aloof he was, the eunuchs would not offend him.

For these lowly eunuchs, who they should flatter, who they should treat coldly, only depended on the attitude of the Emperor and the Crown Prince. The rest was unrelated to them.

Several lush pomegranate trees stood in front of the window. The open canopy covered half of the courtyard in shade. Appearing a serene green through the window curtains, the light entering the room was dark and dim.

Du Sinan walked inside without being invited, through the maze of a few mica-embedded screens on the floor, arriving in front of the zither room.

A tea aroma drifted, the steam dense. A young attendant kneeled at one side to stoke the fire. The fire in the furnace grew and shrank, flickering with scarlet red tongues of flame.

Li Xuanzhen leaned on a couch on the opposite side, his expression calm, eyes dark and distant. In the proper Crown Prince attire—a wide round-necked robe circled by a brocade belt—it outlined his strong, lean contours. His figure was many times slimmer than it was the last time Du Sinan saw him.