"Let's pay the Xi shrine a visit shall we? They had an explanation to give us" this was what Xiao Lan had said almost a day ago but he had yet to make good on his words. Mainly because life had too many problems to allow someone to do as they wished.
In this particular case, it came down to various paperwork that had been collected as a result of Xiao Lan procrastinating and the recent changes that had taken place. A noble dying was already a big deal, but such a public death was a cause of concern.
Besides, it had caused quite a panic among nobles when its rumour mill had started to do its job. Within a few hours, everyone knew that it had not been a suicide but a likely murder.
Everyone now had a fear in their mind - would they be the next victim? Even if it was unlikely to happen, the fear still lingered in their minds.
"This pile really is urgent, your highness. Please have your cousin look this over as well" Xiao Lan reminded himself that he had to smile and bear with these things since he had been the one to land himself in this situation.
It had seemed like such a good idea at the moment but now he regretted doing it. Mainly because everyone thought they could use him to get things out of his 'cousin.'
The worst part of all? He could not talk back against these nobles or it would look back. Even without having looked at the pile in his arms, he knew it was anything but urgent.
"I'll have him look at this over the first second I meet him. Thank you for your time" Xiao Lan felt himself gag when he bowed to the noble who gave him a small giggle that irritated him.
'Why did this walk sound like a good idea again?' Xiao Lan complained to himself as he made his way back to his room with his arms full of paperwork. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw another noble move toward him with more papers and he picked up speed.
He could not handle anything more.
He barged into his corridor and saw the noble stop short with a frown on his face. Xiao Lan was safe once again and he could finally relax.
"More paperwork? Why have you allowed so much to accumulate? Are those financial reports? Why do they have so many mistakes? Which fool filled them up?" Fu Hua complained as he picked up the sheets he had just put down.
The central work desk was filled with various papers. The tree outside his window was in full bloom today but the inside mood did not reflect the same peace and beauty as outside.
"If the paper irritates you so much then why don't you help me finish it properly?" Xiao Lan realised how foolish his words were only once they were out and Fu Hua raised his eyebrow in surprise.
"You want me, a well-known traitor, to help you with 'important paperwork? You do know I can cause much more harm this way than I ever did during my deflection" Xiao Lan coloured a bit.
The scene inside his room was so reminiscent of his old days that he had forgotten just how much the situation had changed between them. There was a time where Fu Hua had been in charge of almost 90% of the official paperwork and even now seemed to be better at it than Xiao Lan.
But then again, if Fu Hua wanted to sabotage the paperwork there had been ample chances to do so till now. At this point, there was almost no harm in trusting the other this much. Besides, Fu Hua had handled even more essential papers before.
"Alright, give the none important one here and I'll help you out. I don't want you to collapse in exhaustion before you can clear out my name" the last part was said in an almost jest and Xiao Lan could not stop the comment before it exploded.
"What clear your name. Did you not confess your crimes already?" and the surroundings went quiet before Fu Hua looked outside at the window. Yes, that was true and it had happened.
"Fine, here is the non-essential paperwork for you. Even if you mess it up nothing would be affected or cause any harm" Xiao Lan passed more than half of the paperwork toward the other who had a pained expression on his face but started on it nonetheless.
Fu Hua did feel bad for teasing the other but he had not been fully playing around either at those words. He did want to tell Xiao Lan the truth but the knowledge of the impending doom stopped him cold.
The time for sorry and apologies had long passed and this was a dark stain on their history together which could not be erased.
The other's words only solidified his reason for keeping the truth away from him. Fu Hua was a traitor and he was responsible. No amount of wishing for forgiveness should actually allow him any forgiveness.
At this point, they both were in agreement that they would finish this paperwork and start their journey to the Xi temple. Preferable before the festive occasions would start and the barely populated town would start seeing some heavy traffic.
The paperwork was mind-numbing boring and familiar. It allowed Fu Hua to forget everything bad that had happened at that moment. The familiar lull of the pen and ink was a welcoming distraction.
"Hey, did you ever regret your actions? Even a little?" The voice was barely above a whisper and Fu Hua wanted to tell the other that he did but he could not. That reassurance would not leave his mouth.
In the end, he could only say the same thing he had convinced himself to believe this far.
"I have no regrets. Everything I did, everything that happened - I regret nothing at all" because admitting having regret would be like regretting his relationship with Xiao Lan.
That was not something he could come to regret at all. And so the silence once again descended till all the paperwork was finished and the atmosphere had settled down back to the one before the talk.
There was a mutual agreement between both of them to not bring this fact up again in any conversation at all. They would put it all past them and work on a better future for everyone. Once the paperwork was done, they finally relaxed a little.
"What excuse would you give for your absence for almost a week?" It was not till Fu Hua said this that Xiao Lan even realised that this was a problem they would have to face. Apparently, he should have thought it through better.
"I will ask them to clear my schedule for a week. I will just tell them I decided to go visit Xi shrine with my cousin Xiao Ran and his company" there were far too many flaws in this plan. Xiao Lan had not really given this much thought.
"How about you take a week off for seclusion and meditation? Won't your absence at the Xi shrine cause an uproar" Xiao Lan's tired brain did not register all the dangers but Fu Hua had taken various things into account?
That did sound like a better plan to Xiao Lan but he did not want to admit it yet. It would hurt his pride if he admitted it out loud but they both knew that he had accepted it as the plan they would be following.
"I'll make preparations then. Commander Yuhan and Detective Song should be informed as well to be ready by tomorrow and -" there was a knock at the door and Xiao Lan almost knocked Fu Hua out when he pushed him under the table.
It was a weird position to be in but it was not 'unfamiliar' to the pair. The thought brought a blush on both of their faces before Xiao Lan took deep breaths to control himself.
"Come in" the door opened to a very familiar face which looked disappointed at seeing Xiao Lan.
"Ah, I was looking for b-brother Xiao Lan. Do you know where he is?" The female stuttered at the brother's part, clearly not used to it and her face gained a blush when she said Xiao Lan's name.
Both Xiao Lan and Fu Hua recognised her well enough but none were in the mood to welcome her inside. At the female's side, her maid gave Xiao Lan an impatient look that screamed - 'don't you realise who she is? You better invite her inside'
But how could Xiao Lan do that when he had a very familiar guest hiding in such a vulnerable palace. But he could also not allow the female to stand outside the whole time because Lu Lian was his brother's wife.
"Please come inside and have a seat."