HCT – Chapter 48 A Gift from Lin Xiangru

Zhu Xiang awoke amidst suffocation.

As he opened his eyes, he saw his increasingly mischievous chubby nephew pinching his nose and grinning wickedly.

The moment Ying Zheng saw Zhu Xiang wake up, he released his hand and shouted, “Auntie!” Just as Zhu Xiang was about to grab Ying Zheng to tickle him, Xue picked the boy up at the critical moment.

“Lord Ying and Lord Wu’an have already had breakfast and are practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard. If you don’t get up soon, Lord Ying might come call you himself,” Xue said helplessly.

She had wanted Zhu Xiang to sleep a bit longer, but the angry expression on Lord Ying’s face reminded her of Lord Lian.

Lord Lin had always doted on Zhu Xiang. Even if Zhu Xiang slept in occasionally, he wouldn’t say a word. Although Xunzi disapproved of Zhu Xiang’s laziness, he would only lecture him after he got up. Lord Lian, however, was different—he would storm over to Zhu Xiang’s bedside and drag him out of bed as if he were one of his soldiers.

On the first day Fan Ju and Bai Qi stayed at Zhu Xiang’s home, the military man Bai Qi didn’t comment on Zhu Xiang’s sleeping habits—but Fan Ju was quick to lose his temper.

After listening to Xue’s explanation, Zhu Xiang wondered if Fan Ju might have some sort of obsessive compulsion: “I just can’t stand anything that isn’t done my way.jpg”.

While uncle and aunt were speaking, Ying Zheng assumed the coast was clear and jumped down from Xue’s arms.

The moment he landed, Zhu Xiang scooped him up.

Ying Zheng blinked and said, “Uncle…”

“Uncle is here.” Zhu Xiang pressed him onto his lap and launched a fierce round of tickling. Ying Zheng laughed so hard that tears streamed from his eyes, flailing like a little turtle flipped onto its back.

Xue watched from the side and only stepped in to rescue the pitiful chubby nephew when his laughter turned hoarse.

“Alright, time to get up,” Xue said with a smile. “I’ll get ready—we should head to the Crown Prince’s residence.”

“Don’t worry,” Zhu Xiang said, “Lady Huayang is more scared than you are.”

Xue was momentarily stunned, then covered her mouth and laughed. “Alright.”

Though she appeared calm, her heart was so anxious that her chest ached. But after hearing Zhu Xiang’s half-joking reassurance, her nerves settled in an instant.

While Xue changed her clothes and prepared to leave, Zhu Xiang washed up and got out of bed.

Ying Zheng scampered off to play with Bai Qi and Fan Ju, showing no signs of shyness.

By the time Zhu Xiang had quickly finished his breakfast and escorted Xue to the door, Ying Zheng was already calling Bai Qi “Grandpa Bai” and Fan Ju “Grandpa Fan” with great familiarity—so much so that Zichu, standing nearby, looked visibly contorted with jealousy.

“What’s wrong? Jealous?” Zhu Xiang teased. “If you were ten years younger, you could throw yourself into their arms and act spoiled too.”

Zichu replied, “Some people, though over ten years older than Zheng’er, still love to act spoiled before their elders just like him. I truly can’t compare.”

Cai Ze stood off to the side, hands behind his back, clearly enjoying the drama.

When Fan Ju saw Zhu Xiang approaching, he spoke tactfully, “Lord Changping, have you perhaps been overworking yourself these past few days? Should we have the imperial physician examine you?”

Zhu Xiang understood Fan Ju’s subtext—Lord Lian often mocked him the same way. He gave a bitter smile. “I have indeed been a bit tired, but I’ve rested well today. I promise to rise early tomorrow.”

Ying Zheng tugged at Bai Qi’s robe and peeked out from behind him. “Last night, Uncle kept laughing in his sleep. He must’ve had a really sweet dream—that’s why he didn’t want to wake up.”

Zhu Xiang retorted with a jab of his own: “Last night Zheng’er kicked me several times in his sleep. Must’ve been having some overbearing dream?”

Ying Zheng suddenly recalled how, in his dream the night before, he’d been kicking himself around in a room. No wonder it had felt so real—he had actually been kicking his uncle!

Zichu cleared his throat and said, “Zheng’er, show proper respect to your uncle.” He was worried that his son, who often fixated on petty things, would end up bickering with Zhu Xiang in front of the formidable Lord Ying, which might offend him.

“Uncle mocked my father, so Zheng’er is defending his father’s honor,” Ying Zheng responded smoothly without missing a beat.

The corners of Bai Qi’s mouth couldn’t help but curl up, though he immediately straightened his face.

Fan Ju chuckled. “Zheng’er is truly a filial child.”

Zichu: “…” It works like that now? He suddenly realized how incredibly tolerant the elderly could be toward chubby little kids.

After a few more exchanges, Xue was finally ready to leave.

Zichu had initially intended to accompany her back to the Crown Prince’s residence, but Cai Ze stopped him.

“Lady Huayang already harbors resentment toward you. If you go with Lady Xue, she might throw another tantrum. Letting the women talk alone might actually lead to more agreement than if we were to step in,” Cai Ze explained. “If you’re bored, why not pay Lu Buwei a visit and see what he’s thinking?”

Zichu gave it some thought and replied, “Right now, it’s Lu Buwei who’s anxious, not me. Let him come find me at Zhu Xiang’s place instead.”

Though he had initially intended to pull Zhu Xiang up with him, it had somehow turned into being pulled up by Zhu Xiang. Zichu felt a little awkward about it—but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t use the advantage.

Now that he was fully feathered with influence, it was time for him to shift into the dominant position in negotiations with Lu Buwei.

As Xue took her leave of Zhu Xiang, the ever-candid Fan Ju offered a few words of advice: he suggested she use Chu State as leverage to pressure Lady Huayang—even if Zichu was present, she shouldn’t give Lady Huayang any face.

Bai Qi was equally blunt, saying she could even invoke his name to intimidate Lady Huayang.

Zhu Xiang suddenly had a vision of two recently retired old men.

When he used to visit retired professors, he often saw this kind of behavior. Retired elders, used to being busy all the time, grew agitated when suddenly idle. They would eagerly jump in to advise on whatever the people around them were doing.

If the retirees had previously held official posts, this tendency was even worse.

One of his colleagues once complained that their father, a retired high-ranking official, returned home and began bossing the entire family around like they were subordinates. It was incredibly annoying.

Zhu Xiang felt that Fan Ju and Bai Qi were starting to show signs of this kind of behavior—especially Fan Ju, whose symptoms were quite severe.

Luckily, the two were only resting temporarily and hadn’t retired permanently. Otherwise, Zhu Xiang feared he’d be tormented like he had been under Lord Lian’s command all over again.

Lord Lin was better, after all.

Once Xue had left, Zhu Xiang closed the door, preparing to check on the “card draws” he had accumulated during this time.

On the road from Zhao to Qin, there had always been watchful eyes around him. He hadn’t dared to pull out seeds from thin air, let alone draw cards.

If, while drawing cards, his facial expression slipped or he made some strange movement, it would surely raise suspicion. Zhu Xiang didn’t trust his own acting skills that much.

Now, although there were still Qin King’s spies in the residence, Zhu Xiang could at least shut himself inside a room and gain a bit of privacy.

Using the excuse of organizing the scrolls he’d brought, he headed toward the study while pulling up the system interface, checking how many card draws he’d accumulated.

Then he saw a system notification he had previously overlooked:

[Your friend Lin Xiangru has sent you a farewell gift. Please click to receive it.]

Zhu Xiang came to a sudden stop.

Trailing behind him like a little tail, Ying Zheng bumped into his leg.

“Uncle, what’s wrong?” Ying Zheng rubbed his forehead.

“…It’s nothing…” Zhu Xiang suddenly realized something.

He looked down and forced a smile at Ying Zheng. “Uncle has something to do. Go play with your father.”

Ying Zheng turned his head away with a sulk.

Zhu Xiang patted his head. “I know you hold some resentment toward him, but it’s rare to have the chance to be together. A good relationship with your father will make you happier than a bad one.”

“Uncle, you nag too much.” Ying Zheng shook off his hand and bumped him with his head before walking off slowly.

He’d been found out by his uncle—he really did feel awkward around his father, always wanting to irritate him.

Seeing his little nephew’s petulant yet adorable reaction eased Zhu Xiang’s heart a little.

Now, when he looked at Zheng’er, he rarely thought of the title “Little Emperor of Qin.” And even if he did, it was only in jest.

After raising him for so many years, to Zhu Xiang, Zheng’er was simply his beloved little nephew.

Once Ying Zheng had left, Zhu Xiang resumed his walk toward the study with a kick of his foot.

But the moment he lifted his leg, he realized his body had gone limp—he couldn’t even walk steadily.

He unclenched his fist, which had been tightly balled up inside his sleeve. His palm was drenched in sweat.

He swayed and staggered to the steps at the door of the study, where he turned and sat down heavily.

Zhu Xiang took a few deep breaths. He didn’t dare click on the gift right away. Instead, he first opened the favorability list.

In the system, the favorability list was made up of pixelated avatars—extremely low resolution. Yet even with such low resolution, he could clearly see that the avatar ranked second—Lin Xiangru’s—was veiled in a layer of gray shadow, one tone darker than everyone else’s.

Zhu Xiang reached out, his finger trembling, trying to wipe away the shadow.

His fingertip passed through the air—there was nothing there.

He waved his finger again, but still, he touched nothing.

He rubbed his eyes. The gray shadow remained.

It wasn’t dust. It wasn’t a trick of the eye.

[Your friend has gone offline.]

Zhu Xiang clenched his fists again. He lifted his arms then dropped them, planted his fists on the ground then moved them to his knees. He wanted to stand but didn’t know why or what to do. He opened his mouth and let out a wheezing sound like an old bellows, unable to speak, unable to cry.

In his vision, whirlpools began to appear one after another, twisting the scenery into fragments. The world spun around him like a roller coaster, making him lose all balance. It felt like the bottom dropped out in an elevator, and he was in a free fall.

“Father! Uncle Cai! Hurry! Uncle’s really not okay!”

Zhu Xiang heard Ying Zheng’s anxious voice, high-pitched and tight. He looked up, but his eyes couldn’t focus.

Zichu and Cai Ze rushed to his sides, each supporting one of his arms. Ying Zheng clung to his knee, shouting with panic.

Zhu Xiang couldn’t see the face of his friend. He couldn’t hear what his beloved nephew was saying.

His mind was still spinning, plummeting. Even his organs seemed to be tossed around with it—he felt nauseous and unwell, but more than that, he felt lost. So lost that even the feeling of pain or sadness couldn’t surface.

“Zhu Xiang?!” Bai Qi’s thunderous roar shattered the swirling illusions in Zhu Xiang’s vision, snapping everything back into clarity.

It turned out Bai Qi and Fan Ju had heard the shouting and rushed over as well.

“What happened? Are you feeling unwell? Get the imperial physician now!” Fan Ju said in alarm.

What was going on? Zhu Xiang had just arrived in Qin—had he suddenly fallen gravely ill due to water and soil incompatibility?

If Zhu Xiang died, the six states would certainly accuse His Majesty, saying he’d poisoned Zhu Xiang!

“I… I’m fine… No…” Zhu Xiang struggled to recover his voice, broken and halting.

He gathered Ying Zheng into his arms, rubbing his face against the child’s tear-streaked cheek.

Only then did he realize—he thought he hadn’t cried, but his face was already soaked.

“…Elder Lin… is gone.” Zhu Xiang held Ying Zheng tightly.

His mind was blank. He didn’t even think about how to explain how he knew. He only woodenly, numbly, stated the fact.

“Elder Lin… has passed away.”

The moment those words left his mouth, something inside him snapped.

Zhu Xiang fainted.