Extra Story: The Purple Robe
The scorching heat of midsummer was unusually intense. Within the palace grounds of the Brocade Dynasty, clusters of palace servants tiptoed cautiously among the flowers and trees, using gauze nets to capture the incessantly chirping cicadas, lest they disturb the Emperor’s afternoon rest in the inner court.
“Returned again?” Xiao Weiran remarked with an amused smile as he casually sifted through the items piled on the table. “He refuses the Emperor’s rewards and even declines Yixiao’s gifts—Your Majesty, should we summon him to the palace?”
Xia Jingshi, reclining on a cool chair, frowned slightly. His gaze drifted through the half-open window, fixed on some distant point in the void. After a long pause, he finally lowered his lashes and said, “Weiran, if there’s nothing urgent, accompany me to the Imperial Guard Barracks.”
It was the height of the afternoon rest period. In the Imperial Guard Barracks stationed in the suburbs, soldiers lounged in the shade, their uniforms open to catch the breeze. Amid the laughter, a middle-aged soldier happened to glance up and spotted a figure passing by in the distance. He spat on the ground, then strode out of the shade to intercept him.
“Well, look who it is,” he called out loudly, deliberately placing a hand on the man’s shoulder while eyeing the heavy laundry basin in his grasp with malice. “I heard someone turned down the Emperor’s generous rewards and even sent back gifts from Queen Su Sha. Why do I get the feeling he just thought the offerings weren’t enough?”
The man nodded silently in acknowledgment and tried to step around him, but the soldier refused to let it go. He quickly caught up and knocked the wooden basin from the man’s hands, spilling the damp clothes into the dirt. Finally, the man snapped, “I’ve tolerated you again and again—don’t push it too far!”
“Me, push it?” The middle-aged soldier spat viciously. “You’re nothing but a worthless upstart. Who do you think you are?”
The man stared at him for a long moment before bending down to pick up the soiled clothes. Ignoring the furious insults hurled at his back, he slowly made his way toward the stream behind the barracks.
He was the young soldier who had once saved Fu Yixiao.
Perhaps because of Fu Yixiao’s influence, Xia Jingshi had not punished him. On the second day after his return to the Imperial Guard Barracks, an edict arrived from the Holy City, detailing his mistakes and merits during the turmoil. His merits and faults balanced out, leaving him neither promoted nor demoted. He hadn’t cared much, but the new Emperor’s attitude and the lavish rewards brought by the envoy had stirred envy among his peers—especially the comrade he had knocked unconscious, who now harbored deep resentment toward him.
As he rinsed the dust-covered clothes in the stream, his expression was serene, as if nothing had happened earlier.
“So this is where you are,” a gentle voice spoke. He looked up instinctively, then bowed hastily upon recognizing the speaker. “Prime Minister Xiao.”
“Come with me. His Majesty wishes to see you,” Xiao Weiran said simply before turning and walking away from the stream. Glancing down at the unfinished laundry in the basin, the man sighed and followed slowly behind."Sit," Xia Jingshi, who had been idly seated by the clearing, gestured to a patch of grass not far from him, signaling him to sit down. Casually, he asked, "Your name is Lin Yuan?" "Replying to Your Majesty—" Before he could finish, Xia Jingshi interrupted, "No need for formalities. Just a casual chat."
"Yes," he responded, hesitantly raising his eyes to look at the slender man in plain clothes before him. With gentle features and an indifferent expression, this was the new master of the Imperial Guard Barracks, the new ruler of the Brocade Dynasty—Xia Jingshi.
"If Yixiao finds out you returned those things, she’ll surely be furious," Xia Jingshi spoke softly after a moment of silence. Like a pebble dropped into a still lake, his expressionless face suddenly rippled with something that could be called tenderness, fleeting as it appeared. "She specifically sent a letter, emphasizing that those were gifts for you," Xia Jingshi continued, glancing at him, "not royal bestowments—why did you refuse them?"
"One should not accept rewards without merit..." Lin Yuan lowered his head slightly, carefully choosing his words. Noticing his hesitation, Xia Jingshi suddenly said, "Rumors in the military claim you’re an opportunist seeking fame, but I believe you saved her purely out of instinct. Otherwise, given your conduct over the years, you’d likely have kept your distance from her. In truth, if you’re still troubled, I can issue an edict to remove your slave status—or are you truly worried others might say you have ulterior motives?"
Xiao Weiran, standing quietly nearby, raised an eyebrow in confusion. "About this—" Before he could ask further, Lin Yuan firmly interjected, "Your subject believes it was no act of merit, merely that the person saved happened to be Princess Xingping. This has nothing to do with past matters."
Seeing the indignation in Lin Yuan’s expression, Xia Jingshi couldn’t help but smile and changed the subject. "Commander Shang is reorganizing the city defenses soon. Would you be willing to serve as his deputy?" Glancing at him, Xia Jingshi added, "This was Commander Shang’s suggestion. Think it over."
With that, Xia Jingshi stood up and strode toward the carriage waiting nearby.
As the wheels rumbled and the carriage neared the Royal City, Xia Jingshi suddenly spoke again. "Weiran, do you remember Lin Feiyin, the old minister from the previous dynasty?" Xiao Weiran nodded. "Yes. After his daughter fell ill with hysteria, he retired to his hometown... Could he be related to Lin Yuan?"
"Lin Yuan didn’t originally bear the surname Lin. If I recall correctly, his surname was Yin—Yin Xingyuan," Xia Jingshi said calmly. "He was originally a servant in the Lin household but later married into the family and changed his name."
"Married in?" Xiao Weiran pondered for a moment before realizing. "Minister Lin was quite progressive. A noblewoman marrying her family’s guard—yes, it caused quite a stir years ago."
Xia Jingshi gave a slight nod. "Lin Yuan is an upright man, and his love for the Lin family’s daughter was genuine. It should have been a fine match, but some twisted it into something sordid. Coincidentally, around that time, Minister Lin pulled strings to secure him a military post in the Imperial Guard Barracks, leading others to call him a pretty-faced freeloader...""So, at that time, he refused to take back the deed of sale that Lord Lin had returned and moved out of the Lin residence alone, wanting to earn military merits through his own efforts to redeem the contract. The young lady of the Lin family happened to become pregnant right after their wedding, yet he was wholly devoted to the military, with no time to care for his pregnant wife. Lady Lin, understanding his situation, would visit him in the military camp every dozen or so days." Xia Jingshi glanced at Xiao Weiran, who seemed to have realized something, and continued, "Later, Lady Lin encountered bandits on the road. She was rescued only after several days, but... she lost the child and went mad."
"No wonder," Xiao Weiran sighed. "Yixiao once mentioned that after she fainted, he suddenly changed his mind and sent her back to the courtyard. I could never figure out why—now it makes sense... Has Lady Lin not recovered yet?"
"I heard she still has her ups and downs, but she no longer flees in fear when her parents or Lin Yuan approach her." Xia Jingshi turned his gaze to a patrol of city guards passing outside the carriage. "If he has learned from his past mistakes, he will agree this time—this way, he can return daily to care for his ailing wife. Perhaps it might even help Lady Lin's condition."
Xiao Weiran followed his gaze as the guards moved away. After a long silence, he finally said in a joking tone, "Your Majesty remains as considerate as ever, always thinking of others. I wonder when you will start thinking more of yourself..."
Xia Jingshi only responded with a faint, humorless smile.
As the carriage approached, the inner city gate creaked open and then shut with a dry, grating sound, ending in a dull, heavy thud. Xiao Weiran opened his mouth several times as if to speak but ultimately pressed his lips together and said nothing more. Raising his head, he saw the setting sun casting its golden-orange light through the window, bathing Xia Jingshi’s previously desolate profile in warmth. The man suddenly seemed more vibrant, even the faint trace of a smile at the corners of his lips deepening.
Perhaps after that missed opportunity, he was destined to endure a long wait for another encounter in his life.
Perhaps...
Tomorrow will be a good day, won’t it?
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