Fortunately, the closer they drew to the capital, the shorter Prince Ping's fangs grew. By the time they reached the outskirts, he had resumed his old demeanor—the elegant, carefree nobleman.
When Qi Junzhuo set foot in the capital, he felt the sunlight dazzle his eyes.
When he had left, the capital was still cold. Now he was back in light spring clothes.
Da Qi's reign era had changed. Emperor Jing's era had come to an end—permanently, in the past year. For a moment, he felt a strange sense of disorientation.
The capital was a place he knew well, yet suddenly it seemed unfamiliar.
But when he heard that the emperor was waiting ahead at the Farewell Pavilion, all the thoughts swirling in Qi Junzhuo's mind vanished in an instant.
He spurred his horse forward, dust rising with the hoofbeats. Qi Junyou, who had received the same news, lifted his carriage curtain and watched Qi Junzhuo's retreating, urgent figure, letting out two cold snorts through his nose.
At the Farewell Pavilion, Qi Junmu was speaking with Shen Nian.
Of everyone present, Shen Nian alone remained perfectly calm. Prince Rui, Vice Minister of Works Xing Yi, and Cheng Jin sat nearby, visibly restless.
When they learned that the emperor had come personally to see them out of the capital, all of them were filled with unease.
Prince Rui, Qi Junyan in particular felt as if the emperor wasn't seeing them off—but rather sending them on their final journey. Especially him.
After drinking the farewell tea, the emperor still wouldn't let them leave, only telling them to wait—he had a surprise for them, especially for Qi Junyan.
This was quite a headache, especially for Qi Junyan, who could do nothing but give a simple, foolish smile.
They waited two full shichen (4 hours). The emperor and Shen Nian chatted of everyday matters, so neither found the time passing slowly.
Cheng Jin, bored, had counted the sealed chests of silver and even mentally tallied how much silver the emperor had allocated to the West Frontier.
After crunching the numbers carefully, it was clear the emperor placed great importance on western border defense.
Cheng Jin was pleased. Only those who had experienced war at the frontier could truly grasp what it meant for an emperor to value the border so highly.
This was also why, no matter how cruel and ruthless people said Emperor Jing was, the frontier armies had nothing to say against him.
They didn't know how Emperor Jing treated others—but they knew that while he ruled, the border never lacked silver or supplies.
Soldiers never had to fight on empty stomachs. Merit was rewarded; desertion was punished.
The only one who suffered injustice was Shen Yi. The emperor was generous to everyone else, but toward Shen Yi he was rather sparing—even the title of marquis was only granted posthumously.
The North Frontier Army felt indignant on Shen Yi's behalf. Shen Yi himself, however, never felt that way at all.
He often said that as long as he could protect the North Frontier and guard Da Qi's realm, it was all worth it.
Even in his final moments, dying in the North Frontier, he had no regrets. That was also why, after Shen Nian returned to the capital, though grieving, he never lost his spirit.
As someone reported that Prince Jin and Prince Ping were about to arrive, Qi Junmu and Shen Nian finally stopped their conversation. The three who had been restless about their upcoming journey to the West Frontier finally understood the emperor's intentions, and Qi Junyan let out an audible sigh of relief.
Shen Nian rose from beside the emperor and stood to the side.
Strictly speaking, this farewell was attended only by the emperor himself—far less grand than the last time, when the emperor had led all civil and military officials out to welcome Qi Junyan back to the capital through wind and snow.
Yet the details revealed the emperor's care. He had brought tea that Shen Nian had never seen before, and the cup was the very one Qi Junzhuo was accustomed to using.
Even the cushion had been brought from Qi Junzhuo's own residence…
It was the thought that counted.
Qi Junzhuo had been riding at the front of the group, but when he spotted the Farewell Pavilion in the distance, he slowed to wait for Qi Junyou's carriage.
In the eyes of outsiders, regardless of who was closer to the emperor, Qi Junyou was still the elder brother. Qi Junzhuo would not leave such an obvious opening for gossip against the emperor.
Qi Junyou's carriage approached at a leisurely pace. Spotting Qi Junzhuo waiting, Qi Junyou poked his head through the carriage curtain and rolled his eyes at him. Unfortunately for him, no one saw it—Qi Junzhou's gaze remained fixed on the Farewell Pavilion.
Rage surged in Qi Junyou's chest. He let the curtain fall with a sharp slap and sneered to himself. Qi Junzhuo actually believes that just because the emperor plays the loving brother today, he'll stay that way forever. He'd do well to remember what happened to our late father's own brothers.
No matter how much churned inside him, they soon arrived at the Farewell Pavilion.
At the sight of Qi Junmu, Qi Junzhuo broke into a smile. Qi Junmu looked exactly as he always had—his expression toward him was just the same, unchanged as ever.
Both Qi Junyou and Qi Junzhuo stepped forward to pay their respects to the emperor, their faces perfectly composed. But when they spotted Qi Junyan, the many large chests, and the Imperial Guards, confusion flickered across their faces—they couldn't quite keep their emotions in check.
Qi Junmu stepped forward and personally helped Qi Junzhuo to his feet, saying, "We are all brothers here. No need for such formalities."
Qi Junyou rose on his own, sneering inwardly. "All brothers"—easy to say. He was clearly the elder brother, yet the emperor hadn't bothered to help him up.
Even among brothers, there were degrees of closeness—and the emperor had made that distinction all too clear. Anyone standing here, even a blind man, could see who truly counted as "brother" in his eyes.
Qi Junmu studied Qi Junzhuo carefully. "You've thinned out a bit, and gotten darker. Did you suffer any hardship in Qingzhou?"
The words were warm and ordinary, yet they stirred something tender in Qi Junzhuo's heart. He shook his head and muttered, "Your subject has been well, with no real hardship, and I haven't lost weight. And you, Imperial Brother—are you well?"
"Fourth Brother asks a strange question," Qi Junyou cut in, the harmonious scene of ruler and brother grating on him until he could no longer hold back. "The emperor is in the palace—of course he is even better."
Qi Junmu didn't spare him so much as a glance. He took Qi Junzhuo's arm and said, "It's good that you and Second Brother have returned in time. Eldest Brother is about to leave for the West Frontier—you can see him off as well."
The emperor had deliberately chosen this timing, but in Qi Junyou's mouth, it became something else entirely. Everyone knew the truth, but no one dared contradict the emperor.
Seeing that the moment was right, Shen Nian stepped forward with a smile. "Your Majesty, Prince Rui is about to depart. Prince Ping and Prince Jin must have much to say to him. This humble subject and the others will take our leave."
Qi Junmu shot him an approving glance. "Marquis Shen speaks well."
Shen Nian's name had spread across Da Qi in recent days, and even Qi Junyou and Qi Junzhuo, far away in Qingzhou, had heard of him.
Qi Junyou eyed Shen Nian with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Lord Shen certainly has a way with words—no wonder His Majesty favors you. Even I find it most pleasing to hear."
At this, Shen Nian showed no reaction, but Cheng Jin's brow twitched, and his impression of Prince Ping plummeted straight into the gutter. Qi Junyou was clearly insinuating that Shen Nian was a sycophant who won favor through smooth talk.
The smile on Qi Junmu's face cooled slightly. "Second Brother, Marquis Shen crawled out of piles of the dead. At the North Frontier, talking well doesn't stop men from dying—and here in the capital, it's not smooth words that help me govern. Though on one point you are correct: Marquis Shen's character and his work both please me greatly."
"But never mind. The capital is prosperous, and life here is comfortable and indulgent. You probably can't imagine what border warfare and death look like. There's no point discussing it—lest Marquis Zhenbei laugh at us behind our backs."
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