Nine Nights Owl Song

July, the eighteenth year of Yong'an.

Luoyang, the residence of the Fourth Prince.

The fourth prince, Xiao Run, has not attended court for a long time.

He wasn't faking it; he was genuinely sick.

It's not a physical illness, it's just a lack of motivation.

Since the beginning of summer, Luoyang has been as hot as a steamer, with cicadas chirping from morning till night, which is very annoying.

He lay on the bamboo couch, holding a scroll in his hand, but couldn't concentrate on reading a single word.

The ice mirror in the mansion emitted a cool breeze, but he still felt dry.

The chief of staff stood outside the door, holding a stack of official gazettes, and dared not come in.

The fourth prince knew he was there, but did not call him.

He had previously considered fighting for power, having formed cliques and pursued personal gain.

His mother was a palace maid, and he had no maternal family support or power base in the court. What could he possibly compete with? He couldn't compete with the Crown Prince, he couldn't compete with the Second Prince, and he couldn't even compete with that seemingly useless Sixth Prince—at least the Sixth Prince married Su Jiuge.

At least the sixth prince has the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion, the Dark Pavilion, and the Thousand Machine Tower. What does he have? Nothing.

Since we have nothing to offer, we might as well not fight for it.

"Come in." The fourth prince put down his book.

The chief of staff pushed open the door and placed the official gazette on the table.

"Your Highness, this is today's official gazette. His Highness the Crown Prince has made another step forward in court, and two of the Second Prince's men have been dismissed." The Fourth Prince picked it up and flipped through it.

The Crown Prince was riding high on success.

The second prince struggled desperately.

The sixth brother, as usual, kept his head down, looking at his toes.

Su Jiuge declined the title of Marquis of Zhenxi by not attending court.

The Fourth Prince put down the official gazette. "What did the Sixth Prince say in court today?"

The chief of staff thought for a moment. "The Sixth Prince... didn't say anything. He stood in the ranks, head down, and didn't utter a single word from beginning to end."

The fourth prince remained silent.

Saying nothing is more powerful than saying anything.

His mind wasn't on the court, and nobody below knew that.

"Su Jiuge came to see me before she went to the Western Territory."

The chief of staff was taken aback.

The fourth prince did not continue speaking.

That day, Su Jiuge was dressed in a close-fitting outfit, with a sword hanging at her waist, looking travel-worn, and had come directly from the Prince Zhao's residence.

She said she was going to the western frontier and came to tell him.

He said, "When you go to war, what do you say to me?"

Su Jiuge said, "You are the fourth brother."

The fourth prince was stunned. He had never called him "fourth brother" before, and always addressed him respectfully as "Your Highness the Fourth Prince."

Su Jiuge said, "Fourth Brother, I'm going to the Western Border. After I leave, please take care of things at home."

The "home" she referred to was not the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence, but Xiao Yan's.

"I'm worried about him being all alone in the court, facing both open and covert attacks."

The fourth prince looked at her.

"If you don't trust him, talk to him yourself. What's the point of telling me?"

Su Jiuge looked at him.

"You are his brother."

The fourth prince remained silent for a long time, then laughed. It wasn't a laugh, but a mixed feeling of "How could you be like this?" that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"I understand. You may leave."

Su Jiuge is gone.

The fourth prince sat alone in his study all night.

Today marks the tenth day since Su Jiuge returned from the Western Border. She hasn't come to see him, and he hasn't gone to see her either.

Some things don't need to be said anymore.

Those retainers ran away from the Second Prince and went to the Crown Prince.

Like a swarm of flies drawn to a fishy smell, they buzzed in and buzzed away.

The fourth prince looked at the greeting cards and ordered his chief of staff to burn them.

The next day, the fourth prince went to the palace to pay his respects.

Emperor Yong'an was reviewing memorials in his study when he saw his son enter. He put down his vermilion brush and looked the son up and down. The fourth prince, who had been claiming illness and not attending court, had arrived. He had lost some weight but was in good spirits.

"Are you cured?" Emperor Yong'an asked in a nonchalant tone.

The fourth prince knelt before the dragon throne.

"Father, I am cured. I have come today to tell you something."

"explain."

"Your subject wishes to leave the capital and go to his fiefdom."

Emperor Yong'an narrowed his eyes slightly.

The fourth prince's fiefdom was in Jiangnan, a prosperous region that had always been a coveted destination for princes.

But to volunteer for a fiefdom would be tantamount to relinquishing everything in the court. Emperor Yong'an looked at his face.

"Have you thought it through?"

"I've made up my mind."

"No regrets?"

"Your subject has no regrets."

Emperor Yong'an remained silent for a moment.

"Fourth Prince, tell me the truth. Why?"

The fourth prince raised his head and looked at his father, the emperor.

"Father, I used to want to compete. I wanted to compete for the position of Crown Prince, for your favor, and for a voice in the court. But then I realized I couldn't win. The Crown Prince has the title of the eldest son, the Second Prince has military merits, and the Sixth Prince has Su Jiuge. I have nothing. I don't want to compete anymore, not because I admit defeat, but because I don't want to ruin myself."

Emperor Yong'an leaned back in his chair.

This son was the one he worried about the least—he didn't cause trouble, didn't create trouble, and never got into any trouble.

He also values ​​it the least because he doesn't compete.

Now that he's stopped arguing, Emperor Yong'an feels a pang of heartache.

"Sixth Brother has Su Jiuge. Who do you have?"

The fourth prince smiled.

"Your subject has his own will."

You can live a good life on your own.

Go to Jiangnan to plant flowers, drink tea, and read books; you don't have to watch those people fighting and arguing in the imperial court.

After his father's death, no matter who becomes emperor, he will always be a carefree prince.

Emperor Yong'an nodded.

"Go, and live a good life in your fiefdom."

The fourth prince kowtowed and took his leave.

Emperor Yong'an called him back as he reached the door.

"Fourth child. What did you pick when you were seven years old during your first birthday celebration?"

The fourth prince thought for a moment.

"He grabbed a book."

Emperor Yong'an nodded.

"I remember. I was very pleased that you picked up a book. I thought this son of yours would be a scholar. And you certainly are. Go to Jiangnan and study hard."

The fourth prince turned to look at his father, his eyes stinging with tears. He bowed deeply, then turned and left.

After leaving the palace, the fourth prince did not return to his residence but went to the residence of Prince Zhao.

Xiao Yan was brewing tea in his study when he saw him come in and paused for a moment.

The fourth brother never visits him all year round.

The fourth prince sat down opposite Xiao Yan, who poured him a cup of tea and pushed it in front of him.

The fourth prince picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"You didn't say a word in court today."

Xiao Yan smiled.

"There's not much to say."

The fourth prince put down his teacup.

"Sixth Brother, I've never understood you since you were a child. When the Imperial Tutor was teaching you to read, you were sleeping. When your master was instructing you in martial arts, you sneaked off to the Imperial Garden to catch crickets. I thought you were truly a good-for-nothing. But later I learned that you weren't."

Xiao Yan refilled his tea.

"Fourth Brother didn't come here today just to talk about this, did he?"

The fourth prince looked at him.

"I'm going to my fiefdom. Jiangnan. I spoke with my father today, and he agreed. From now on, matters of the court will have nothing to do with me."

Xiao Yan's finger paused on the teacup for a moment.

"Fourth Brother, you..."

"I won't help you." The fourth prince looked at him.

"I will not help the Crown Prince, I will not help the Second Prince, I will not help you. I will not help anyone. I only want to live, to live well."

He stood up and walked towards the door. He stopped at the door without looking back.

"Sixth Prince, your princess came to see me before she went on her last campaign. She said you were her husband and asked me to look after you. An assassin saying such a thing—I found it laughable at the time." The Fourth Prince's voice was deep.

"Thinking about it now, she was better than you."

Xiao Yan held his teacup without moving.

The fourth prince has left.

Xiao Yan sat alone in his study.

Su Jiuge went to see the fourth brother before she went to war, asking him to look after him.

She never mentioned it to him.

Xiao Yan picked up his teacup and took a sip; the tea had already gone cold.

He laughed, and as he laughed, his eyes welled up with tears.

In early July, the fourth prince left the capital for Jiangnan.

There was no honor guard, no officials to see them off, only a carriage, a few attendants, and a few boxes of books.

Emperor Yong'an did not come to see them off, nor did the Crown Prince or the Second Prince.

The sixth prince, Xiao Yan, arrived, and I stood at the city gate to see him off.

The fourth prince lifted the carriage curtain.

"Sixth Brother, you can go back now."

Xiao Yan asked his fourth brother if he had anything else to say.

The fourth prince thought for a moment. "Be nicer to your princess; she's had a tough time."

Xiao Yan nodded.

The fourth prince lowered the carriage curtain.

The carriage slowly drove out of the city gate; Jiangnan was a thousand miles away.

The fourth prince leaned against the carriage with his eyes closed.

When he was seven years old, he picked up a book during his first birthday celebration. His father said that this son would be a scholar in the future.

He is indeed a natural scholar.

I have read many books, can write many words, and know many principles in my life.

But he didn't learn one thing—how to survive in the imperial court.

No need to learn it, Jiangnan doesn't need these things.

The corners of his mouth curved slightly.