Chapter 62: Your Majesty, Where’s Your Sense Of Shame

Not long after Shen Yu stepped out of the tent, Fang Rui heard a familiar set of footsteps, though he couldn’t immediately place whose. But when he heard the line “Lord Shen, long time no see,” Fang Rui instantly knew who it was.

Prince Zhan, three years his junior, only nineteen this year, was Fang Zhan who had served as a soldier for four years.

Members of the royal family were never really that ugly. Fang Rui was already more handsome than most, and Fang Zhan, his brother by the same parents, naturally wasn’t far behind. There was a resemblance in their brows and eyes, but the only difference was that Prince Zhan was taller and more robust than Fang Rui.

“My younger brother, you’re back,” Fang Rui practically ground out the words, and his gaze shot at Prince Zhan like a cold arrow, wishing he could pierce a hundred holes in him.

When Shen Yu heard Fang Rui’s voice, she nervously pushed off Prince Zhan’s bear hug, and guiltily looked up at Fang Rui, whose expression bore some anger. But after glancing at him, she wondered why she felt guilty at all?!

She automatically stepped aside, ignoring Fang Rui’s frigid stare.

If this stare bothered her, she didn’t know how many times that ice-chipped gaze would have frozen her to death. If she didn’t want it to bother her, she could only choose to ignore it.

To be honest, she had been startled when Prince Zhan suddenly hugged her just now. She had originally met Fang Zhan because of Fang Rui.

On that year’s Lantern Festival night, Fang Rui, whose identity as Crown Prince had not yet been revealed, had invited her to the lantern fair, and by chance they met Fang Zhan there. At the time Fang Rui merely said he was his younger brother, and they chatted at the fair, later both serving in the court. But when she entered the court, Fang Zhan had gone to the frontier, so they rarely met. This sudden hug made them seem like they were oddly familiar, yet at most they could only be considered colleagues.

When Fang Zhan heard his elder brother’s voice, he immediately lifted his gaze and, tense all over, looked toward Fang Rui with eyes full of excitement and a bit of surprise.

After looking for a long moment, Fang Zhan, as if filled with longing, called out “My older brother,” took several quick steps forward, and before Fang Rui could react, hugged him.

Fang Rui was caught off guard by the embrace. After all, since Fang Zhan was fifteen he had drifted away from him, and Fang Zhan mostly served at the frontier. Each time he returned it was a hurried visit before he went back. They scarcely exchanged a few words all year round.

Fang Rui used some force to push Fang Zhan away, shot Prince Zhan a displeased glance, then looked at Shen Yu and with his eyes told her: Ah Yu, you go back and rest first.

Meeting Fang Rui’s gaze… Shen Yu truly could read his meaning, and after glancing once more at Fang Zhan she nodded slightly and stepped back.

Having withdrawn his gaze from Shen Yu, Fang Rui turned and walked into the tent, saying to Fang Zhan behind him, “Come in with me.” The tone was anything but friendly.

Entering the tent, Fang Rui took the upper seat, squinted slightly and asked Fang Zhan, “I don’t recall summoning you back to the capital. Now that you’re back, aren’t you afraid I will charge you with dereliction of duty?”

Fang Zhan, upon hearing this, showed not an iota of nervousness and instead said, “When I returned to the capital earlier this year, didn’t you say that your humble younger brother could return to the capital every six months to see Mother? Does your word no longer count?”

Fang Rui thought for a moment, but because it had been long ago he couldn’t at all recall saying such a thing. Even if he hadn’t, he had no intention of punishing Fang Zhan now. Destroying the last vestiges of brotherhood between them from the outset wasn’t worth it, and besides, he was still waiting for Fang Zhan to abandon the dark side and come over to his.

“I’ve been so busy with work, how can I remember so many things? Since I did say that and you’re back, what else can I do?” Fang Rui displayed a rather helpless expression, then glanced at Fang Zhan’s travel-worn attire and asked, “How did you end up here?”

Fang Zhan did not look like someone who had already returned to the capital. Moreover, given the timing, the hunting party had only just arrived an hour ago, so even if Fang Zhan was heading back to the capital, he would still run into Fang Rui first.

“On my way back to the capital, I heard that you would be hunting at Xili Mountain, so before returning to the palace I dropped by Xili Mountain,” he said.

“Does the Empress Dowager know that you’ve returned?”

At this, Fang Zhan was slightly taken aback and answered truthfully, “It was the Empress Dowager who called me back.”

Fang Rui’s brows slowly knitted. Hearing this he understood the Empress Dowager’s intent, but since Fang Zhan had only just returned and many things were taken on her word, he found it inconvenient to say more and let the matter drop.

“Just now, before you hugged me you hugged my beloved aide Shen. Since when have you grown so close to my aide Shen?” Remembering Fang Zhan hugging Shen Yu, Fang Rui felt the urge to kick him back to the frontier.

This brat really had some nerve! He even dared to hug his future sister-in-law!

Fang Zhan turned his eyes away, looking at the long landscape painting on the screen, and replied, “I haven’t returned to the capital in so long, so seeing Lord Shen in an instant I got excited.”

Fang Rui was speechless. So you got excited and hugged Shen Yu, and then got excited and hugged me?

“Didn’t you just return to the capital earlier this year?” After eight months apart, Fang Zhan made it sound as if they hadn’t seen each other in eight years.

Fang Zhan lowered his eyes from the screen and met Fang Rui’s gaze, answering with absolute justification, “When I’m away, without anyone close to my heart around me, a month feels like a year. Calculated that way, it’s been eight years since I last returned to the capital.”

Right, his younger brother was thinking the same thing as himself. What was this about equating a month to a year? He might as well have said that each day was as long as a year.

It seemed the Fang family’s thick skin was hereditary.

“How long do you intend to stay this time in the capital?”

Fang Zhan looked at Fang Rui and said, “Brother, this time I wish to stay a bit longer. I ask for your approval.”

Fang Rui thought carefully. The longest Fang Zhan had ever stayed in the capital was during the time Fang Rui was gravely ill, which almost a year. Otherwise the longest stretch was about three months.

Fang Rui leaned slightly toward the table, squinted and asked, “Then how long do you want to stay?”

Fang Zhan thought for a moment, held up three fingers. “Three months.”

Fang Rui was momentarily stunned by that answer. When Fang Zhan had previously proposed returning for three months, it had been two years later, when the Empress Dowager was on the brink of tearing things open with him. Two years…

Now it had come two years early.

After a moment’s daze, Fang Rui came to and slightly curled his lips, revealing an inscrutable smile. After a while he teased, “Staying in the capital so long…are you perhaps going to speak of taking a consort?”

A man in his teens would usually be shy when others spoke of arranging a marriage for him, but there was no bashfulness on Fang Zhan’s face. He replied bluntly, “I’d like to speak of it, but perhaps any consort for me would not have even come of age yet.”

At that, Fang Rui’s mouth twitched. According to the Empress Dowager’s match for Fang Zhan, the bride would be around thirteen now, so truly not yet of age. But he thought perhaps in this life he should find Fang Zhan a better match. The one from his previous life had been too shrewd, too greedy.

“Your Majesty, General Lei has arrived.” Fang Rui had wanted to tease a little more, but upon hearing the attendant’s announcement and seeing Fang Zhan worn from travelling, he said to him, “You’ve traveled so long and must be tired. Go wash up, change your clothes, and tonight keep me company for a few cups.”

Fang Zhan replied, “Very well,” then cupped his hands, “Then your humble brother will take his leave first.”

Fang Zhan stepped out of the tent. Lei Shengda saw him but, not yet pressing forward, exclaimed in delight, “Your Highness Prince Zhan, when did you return?!”

Hearing Lei Shengda’s voice, Fang Rui felt even more heavy at heart. People from his past entanglements were meeting one after another, and with Fang Zhan’s return it seemed many things had been brought forward, so he should prepare himself.

…

At dawn, the first ray of light spilled over the mountain. From afar the trees seemed hung with silver flakes, glittering. In the autumn mountains the chill was heavier than usual, and everyone had put on thicker clothing.

Bugle calls sounded in waves, frightening flocks of birds in the woods into flight again and again.

Most had changed into riding gear and looked full of spirit. Shen Yu felt she was the least motivated among these many people about to enter the mountain to hunt.

When Fang Rui emerged, he too wore black riding clothes over a lighter black armor, his hair tied in a topknot, the black cap matching the armor. This military attire, paired with the smile at the corner of his mouth that had curled when he saw Shen Yu that was tinged with a hint of mischief, had Consort Li and Consort He staring without blinking.

Even with her head bowed, Shen Yu could feel a gaze that seemed casual but felt burning landing on her.

Shen Yu’s lowered eyes glanced at her own chest that was flattened even more than a man’s, and she breathed a secret sigh of relief that she hadn’t even exposed her neck.

Each of Fang Rui’s gazes was as if he had caught her in disarray, and each time Shen Yu found herself doubting whether her clothes were properly worn.

Fang Rui now and then teased Shen Yu with his eyes, but soon realized another gaze, which was different from Consort Li’s and the others’, was fixed on him. Turning his head, he met Fang Zhan’s neutral smiling look.

Fang Rui turned back, suspicion in his eyes. This younger brother seemed different. Not only more mature and steady, but his gaze had changed.

“Your Majesty, it’s time to enter the mountain to hunt,” Rong Tai called from the side as a reminder.

Fang Rui glanced at the sky and nodded.

Earlier, while Fang Rui had not yet arrived, Lei Shengda had announced a new rule for this year’s hunting contest.

Last night they had released a group of prey with black bands tied to their legs, saying that whoever hunted the most marked prey would win. They would pair up in twos.

As Shen Yu was swinging up onto the horse, a pair of hands suddenly steadied her waist. She snapped around on guard to see Fang Rui holding her waist solemnly say, “I’m holding you to make sure you don’t fall.”

Shen Yu just stared at him. Your Majesty, could you have some shame?

She had been riding since her teens and had never once fallen!