Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

The news spread faster than Lin Yanzhou had anticipated.

He had only been back in his study for half an hour when the palace's rewards arrived. The chief eunuch personally led people to carry in two chests of gold and silver. When the lids were opened, sunlight fell on the gold and silver ingots, reflecting a shimmering halo on the blue brick floor.

The accompanying eunuch handed over Zhao Yan's handwritten letter. The ink wasn't completely dry yet, and the wording was concise. The gist was that the master was going into seclusion again, and the necessary supplies should be used in advance. Lin Yanzhou folded the letter and put it in the desk drawer. He glanced at the two boxes of gold and silver, then waved his hand and put them into his spatial ring without saying anything more.

Zhao Lingxi arrived in the evening.

She changed into a moon-white dress, and her hair was styled lower than during the day, held in place only by a plain silver hairpin. She entered the Imperial Preceptor's residence alone, without any attendants, carrying a small bundle containing a few changes of clothes.

She didn't knock, but walked straight through the corridor to the study door and stopped on the outside of the threshold: "I'll stay here tonight."

Lin Yanzhou looked up from his desk. "Is the room ready?"

"Xiaolan showed me around," Zhao Lingxi said. "The east wing, near the backyard, is quiet." She stood by the threshold, the sunlight sliding past her side, clearly illuminating the lines of her profile.

"I'll be moving in tonight. Just give me your approval. I'll take care of the rest."

At night, the lights in the east wing stayed on longer than elsewhere.

Lin Yanzhou pushed open the door to the east wing, candlelight seeping through the crack and falling on the edge of his robe. Zhao Lingxi sat on the edge of the bed, her hair loose and falling over her shoulders. She looked up when she heard the door open: "You've come."

She didn't stand up, nor did she let him close the door; she simply sat there waiting for him to cross that final threshold and sit down on the edge of the bed.

"During the day, I had the east wing cleaned up." She looked down at her fingers resting on her knees. "Have you finished all your work?"

"I'm done with work."

She glanced at him sideways. "Then you won't be leaving tonight. I've had hot water boiled in the side hall. If you want to go back to the study to read documents, I won't stop you." She paused. "But if you go to the study, I'll wait here."

Lin Yanzhou sat down on the edge of the bed. She didn't move back or get closer, but simply maintained the same position, as if leaving all the decision-making power to him, waiting for him to make the first move. He reached out and touched the back of her hand that was resting on her knee, then turned it over and took her hand into his palm.

Zhao Lingxi looked down at the hand he was holding, let out a long breath, as if she had finally let go of the long-held question, "You've come," and then turned to lean on his shoulder: "Then I won't ask anymore."

The candlelight flickered, and the shadows of the two people on the wall were drawn together and then separated into two angles, but the overlapping part did not disperse.

When Zhao Lingxi later recalled what happened in the latter half of the night, she felt as if the candlelight had never gone out.

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She couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong. The bed was spacious, the quilt thick, the wind outside the window swept in from the eaves and then moved away, the copper bell rang and then stopped—everything was within normal limits.

But she could feel that Lin Yanzhou's breathing remained at a steady rhythm, neither faster nor more rapid, and even the thin layer of sweat on his back dried up after he adjusted himself for a moment.

As she turned over, she touched his side with the back of her hand and felt that his muscles were still relaxed, as if the more than an hour of tossing and turning had not exhausted his energy at all.

"Aren't you tired?" she asked, her voice still hoarse from just calming down.

"Tired? Your husband is an immortal, how could I be tired?"

Zhao Lingxi propped herself up and glanced at him. The candlelight was still on, and her voice was even lower than before: "I might not be able to handle you by myself."

She spoke slowly, without looking away, as if she were stating a decision she had seriously considered: "If you feel it's not enough, you can let Xiaolan and Xiaoyu in. I saw them tonight; they prepared hot water and haven't gone far."

Lin Yanzhou turned his head to look at her. She turned her face to the other side, neither dodging nor avoiding, and continued, "I know I can't keep you here. You're leaving tomorrow, and I don't know how long you'll be gone."

There's not much I can do, but at least I can make sure you don't feel like something's missing when you leave." She paused, "My body really can't take it anymore. Let them take over for you, and I'll rest for a bit."

When she said her last sentence, her tone had returned to its characteristic calm.

Lin Yanzhou leaned back against the headboard, neither speaking nor shaking his head. Having already tried the two women's techniques, he was no longer as excited.

Zhao Lingxi turned her head and glanced towards the door. "Have you two heard enough outside? If you have, come in and serve the Imperial Preceptor together."

A short while later, the door opened. Xiaolan came in first, carrying a copper basin that had been refilled with hot water, with two folded dry cotton towels draped over its rim. Xiaoyu followed behind, carrying folded, clean undergarments. The two stood on the inside of the threshold, neither moving forward, as if waiting for a clear signal.

Zhao Lingxi didn't turn around, her voice coming from the direction of the bed: "Don't be shy, come here, my body can't take it anymore."

Lin Yanzhou leaned against the headboard, feeling that his heartbeat was still steady and his muscles showed no signs of soreness. The effects of that mineral crystal lasted longer than he had expected, and his physical strength recovered at an astonishing speed. His energy seemed inexhaustible, a state he had maintained since his first transmigration, as if his body's underlying systems had been recalibrated.

The wind outside the window blew through the corridor again, the copper bell rang a few times and then stopped, as if someone was counting the time for him in the distance. He turned his head and glanced at the two figures standing side by side on the outer edge of the bed. Xiaolan's hand was already on the tie on the side of her coat, and Xiaoyu was bending down to bring the basin of hot water closer.

That night, the candle in the east wing was not turned a third time.

As dawn broke, Lin Yanzhou woke up first. Zhao Lingxi was still asleep, turned to face him, her breathing steady and long, one hand resting on the edge of his robe. Xiaolan sat leaning against the foot of the bed, not wearing an outer garment, the thin blanket draped over her body having slipped down to its lowest point. Xiaoyu was curled up on a low couch beside the bed, turned to face the door.

The three people each occupied different positions on the bed, maintaining a posture of not disturbing each other. Their breathing overlapped, forming a polyphonic texture with different rhythms, gradually converging in the same direction as the daylight changed, as if someone was secretly and slowly adjusting the time difference between them.

Lin Yanzhou got up very quietly, but Zhao Lingxi woke up the moment he sat on the edge of the bed. She opened her eyes, her gaze first falling on his back, then sat up and pulled the blanket up to her: "Leaving today?"

"I'll leave today."

"Be careful on your way back." After saying that, she lay back down, pulled the blanket up to her shoulder, and turned to face away from the door. "I'll still be staying here when you come back."

After settling into his study, he mentally reviewed the gifts he would give Xiaoya and Xiaozhou. For Xiaozhou, he would give a set of Xuanshuo's specialty desserts and clothing for little girls from Xuanshuo. For Xiaoya, he would give a small packet of dried tea leaves from Xuanshuo, sealed with wax in a delicate porcelain jar; and a hand-woven, moon-white shawl, its soft material perfect for draping over her shoulders in late autumn. For Haozi, the gift would be the most direct: local glutinous rice wine. Although not as delicious as modern wine, it was something unavailable in modern times.

When he arrived at the palace, Zhao Yan was reviewing memorials. Seeing him enter, Zhao Yan put down his pen and asked, "When do you plan to depart, sir?"

"We'll leave this afternoon. We'll be out of town before dark."

"I don't know where you're going, but I know you'll bring back something Xuan Shuo needs when you return. That's enough. Take care on your journey."

"I'll be back as soon as I finish my business. Things should be much more stable in the court these days."