As April transitioned into summer, the sun grew brighter day by day. In the last ten days, Yin Hui noticed a distinct line on Wei Luo’s neck. The lower part of his neck was as white as jade, while the upper part was tanned.
Curious, she touched his neck and inquired, “You’re in the guardhouse during the day, so you must not be getting a lot of sun exposure, right?”
Wei Luo explained, “This year, for the Dragon Boat Festival, my father has ordered the Three Guards to organize a dragon boat race. I’ve been taking the guards to the river to practice, so I’ve been exposed to the sun a lot.”
Yin Hui was surprised by this revelation. In her previous life, King Yan had never held any dragon boat races. Pingcheng, as a northern fortress, was frequently embroiled in battles. In her earlier days, there had been a war, and the situation remained tense, which was why King Yan had sought her grandfather’s financial support. The past two years had been relatively calm, but next year was another anticipated conflict. The usual pattern was one year of rest followed by a year of warfare. The enemy country was finally calming down, and the court was focused on the impending military campaign. Everything weighed heavily on King Yan’s mind, leaving him with little time for leisure activities like dragon boat races.
However, in her current life, King Yan had already recovered by April, and his outlook on life was vastly different. His mood and priorities had shifted, making it possible for him to consider such recreational events.
Yin Hui asked, “Will you participate in the dragon boat race?”
Wei Luo confirmed, “Yes, there will be a total of five teams. Father will select ten people from the palace guards. I’ll be in charge of the Northwest Guard, and the fourth brother will also lead a team.”
Yin Hui thought it was a great idea. With a curious tone, she rested her head on her hand and asked, “Which team will the fourth brother lead?”
Since all three guards would send a team to participate, it was evident that the fourth brother would also have to select participants from among the palace guards. After all, the royal residence guards were essentially under King Yan’s command.
Wei Luo said “Father asked the fourth younger brother to go to Guo’s house to find someone.”
Yin Hui understood the situation. General Guo had three sons, all of whom were around twenty years old. By selecting a few individuals from the guards of the General’s Mansion, they could easily gather enough manpower for the dragon boat team.
Curious, Yin Hui asked, “Where will the race take place?”
Wei Luo replied, “It will be held in the inner city river.”
Pingcheng had two moats, one encircling the outer city and the other surrounding King Yan’s Mansion. The inner city river was the one within King Yan’s Mansion. It was five feet wide and three feet deep, allowing five dragon boats to move side by side.
Yin Hui’s family caravans had traveled extensively, and she had heard stories about the palaces of the three vassals. The designs were modeled after the Jinling Palace, although the specifications differed. The King Qin’s Mansion in the northwest, in particular, was grander than King Yan’s Mansion but had not been completed.
In her previous life, Yin Hui had even visited the Jinling Imperial City with Wei Luo, staying at the Shu Palace. While the Jinling Palace might have been grander than Yan Palace, the Shu Palace they stayed in was nothing compared to Yan Palace.
Considering the dragon boat race was within their mansion, Yin Hui asked, “Can female relatives attend and watch the race?”
Wei Luo responded, “It depends on my father’s decision. We know he’s organizing the dragon boat race, but he hasn’t mentioned whether female relatives can attend.”
Yin Hui glanced at Wei Luo, her mind possibly preoccupied with thoughts of the dragon boat race. Wei Luo, however, was clearly tired. After a full day of exercise and their earlier intimate encounter, he was ready to sleep.
“Go to sleep,” he suggested, turning his back to her.
His words reminded Yin Hui of their old routines. She looked at Wei Luo’s back with complicated emotions. Regardless of whether she wanted to talk, he would often save conversations for the next morning. Whether it was the dragon boat race or the major event of Wei Ruyue becoming a concubine, the pattern was the same. Yet, in the mornings, with the rush to wash, change clothes, eat, and depart for his duties, there was hardly ever time to discuss these matters.
Wei Luo’s indifference toward conversation made her stop asking. The Dragon Boat Festival quickly approached, and news of the event spread throughout the palace.
They both laid down, and Yin Hui soon fell asleep with her back against Wei Luo’s back.
At the end of April, Yin Hui took Xiao Heng to visit Princess Xu. Since Concubine Xu hadn’t arrived yet, and Xiao Heng was eager to play with San Lang, Yin Hui allowed the little boy to join in. The hot weather meant fewer clothes for Xiao Heng, but he moved with agility. He walked skillfully and didn’t stumble often when he ran, resembling a wobbly, adorable goose.
In the past, Xiao Heng had a strong liking for Si Lang, but Si Lang was quiet and often avoided Xiao Heng. On the other hand, San Lang was fond of him, so Xiao Heng and San Lang became good playmates.
San Lang led Xiao Heng to the southeast corner of the hall, where it seemed like the adults couldn’t see, and took out a small bamboo tube from his sleeve, revealing it to Xiao Heng.
Xu Qingwan looked at San Lang’s wet nurse, who was sweating on her forehead, as San Lang was mischievous. Every time she came to pay her respects, she would remind her countless times. Lately, San Lang had taken a liking to playing with crickets and carried one with him everywhere. When he came that day, she had checked it out, but the cricket was still hidden by San Lang.
The wet nurse wanted to apologize, but she knew it was not the right time, so she could only bow her head deeply.