“He’s not as bad as you make it sound,” Xie Lian said. “The Royal Holy Temple had never lost anything before, meaning this was the first time he took something, and at the end of the day, it was for his mother… Well, anyway, he already swore that he would never do it again, so giving him another chance wasn’t wrong. And he kept his word. Besides, when that little kid fell today, if Mu Qing hadn’t cooperated with me, the parade wouldn’t have ended so smoothly.”
Feng Xin clicked his tongue. “You’re already going down in history for only making it three rounds around the capital, so of course he won’t vex you further. Your Highness, I’m telling you, I don’t believe a word he said at the Palace of Divine Might. Who here in the Royal Holy Temple doesn’t know that when the State Preceptor plays cards, he hears and sees no one? He had to pick that time to pass on the message and stubbornly refused to clarify under whose orders he was sent. It’s like he was purposely trying to screw things up.”
Xie Lian shook his head and said gravely, “To be honest, I may have been thoughtless in regard to this. I know Mu Qing is disliked, so I originally wanted him to run more errands for me—I thought that if I let people know he’s my personal attendant, they’d be nicer to him. But I didn’t realize they were already so nasty. Not only did nothing get done, he got bullied too. If you think about it from another angle, you’ll find his moodiness understandable.”
Feng Xin disagreed wholeheartedly. “Why are you blaming yourself for his moodiness? You’re the crown prince! How did you end up owing anyone anything for showing them favor? Your Highness, I really don’t understand why you think so highly of him.”
Xie Lian grinned. “Feng Xin, did you know—there are so many people in this world that are nothing but rocks in my eyes.”
Feng Xin didn’t understand. Xie Lian walked with his hands clasped behind his back.
“There are rocks everywhere, but precious jades are hard to come by. When it comes to martial arts, I’ve only ever seen two people who could be called jades. One is you. The other is him.” He suddenly stopped and turned his head, eyes bright. “I genuinely think that Mu Qing is extremely gifted. How could I let such a precious jade be left to collect dust, denied from showing its beauty simply because of its background and temper?” Xie Lian looked determined. “No! I think that’s wrong. You ask why I think so highly of him? It’s the same reason I think so highly of you. Those who are destined to shine, I must let them shine. Besides, I don’t believe that goodwill brings bad returns.”
Feng Xin stopped too. After listening to Xie Lian’s speech, he scratched his head.
“As long as you know what you want, how you go about it is your business.”
“Right. So. Where did Mu Qing run off to?” Xie Lian asked.
Just then, another couple of young trainees approached them, baskets in their hands, horsing around. When they saw Xie Lian, they called out to him in chorus, their voices happy.
“Your Highness!”
Xie Lian responded with a smile too. The trainees came up to them and thrust their baskets before the pair, saying happily, “Will Your Highness have some cherries? They’ve already been washed in the springs, very clean and very sweet!”
The baskets were full of small, round cherries, vivid red and looking quite adorable. Xie Lian and Feng Xin picked out a few to eat, and they were indeed juicy and sweet.
One of the young trainees asked, “When we walked over, we faintly heard Your Highness asking about Mu Qing. Are you looking for him? I think we saw him when we were passing through the cherry wood.”
“Is that right? Thanks for letting me know,” Xie Lian said.
Thus, the two hurried to the cherry wood. Atop Mount Taicang, other than the abundant wild maples, there were also numerous fruit trees: peaches, pears, oranges, and many others, including cherries. The fruit trees were nourished by springs, bathed in the mountain’s mist and sunny dew, and bore fruits filled with spiritual energy. After offering a portion as tribute to the palace, the rest were reserved for the disciples in the temple, who could munch on them after a hard day’s work. But outside the Royal Holy Temple, it would be hard to buy even a single one with a hundred gold pieces.
The cherry trees stood in many neat rows, and within the fresh, new leaves drooped dozens of cherries like red coral beads, looking delightfully enticing. Xie Lian and Feng Xin walked for a while searching for Mu Qing in the woods, but soon after, they heard quarreling voices coming from just ahead of where they were, and they automatically slowed to a stop.