Chapter 0297: Karma Strikes Too Fast, Can You Two Just Sleep

He was indeed convinced, after all, Xie Chengze’s skill at painting enticing visions was top-notch.

In the umpteenth Xian Ju residence, Zhu Xiaobiao finished heating water and carried a bronze basin into the bedchamber, intending to help the Second Prince wash up. But when he approached the bed with a warm towel, he noticed the Second Prince’s cheeks were unnaturally flushed in his sleep. Reaching out to touch them, he found them burning hot.

Startled, he dropped the towel and rushed out the door shouting, “San Niang! San Niang! It’s bad! His Highness has a fever!”

Within moments, San Niang was dragged over by Wuji. She hurried into the room and checked Xie Chengze’s pulse.

Xie Zimiao, staying in the adjacent room, heard the commotion and quickly rose, not even bothering to put on his outer robe before rushing out anxiously to check on Xie Chengze.

“He was exposed to the wind for too long during the day, combined with his drug addiction acting up last night, he caught a chill,” San Niang diagnosed. “I’ll have the pharmacy prepare some medicine. For the next few days and during his addiction episodes, find two warm men to heat his bed.”

Zhu Xiaobiao gasped, “Two?”

Da Dangjia and Er Dangjia were definitely not suitable—they were too burly. Even one of them would overcrowd the bed.

That left only himself, the Fourth Prince, Wuhen, and Wuji.

Hu Lai wouldn’t do—he was old and not warm enough.

Hmm, better to worry about uneven distribution than scarcity. Two per day would be just perfect.

Zhu Xiaobiao thought to himself earnestly.

The next moment, Hu Lai came running in, shouting, “Your Highness! Your Highness! The Crown Prince is here!”

Zhu Xiaobiao: ???

Zhu Xiaobiao angrily flung the bronze basin.

Damn it! Just because he secretly criticized Hu Lai in his mind, did karma have to strike so fast? He wanted to hug His Highness and sleep in the warm bedding too! Waaah!

That first night, naturally, the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince warmed the bed.

Xie Shoujun was unlike Xie Zimiao. As a younger imperial brother, Xie Zimiao only knew how to obey the Second Prince’s words and never contradicted Xie Chengze. But Xie Shoujun, being the elder brother, was clearly not so soft-hearted. Whatever he said was law, strictly forbidding Xie Chengze from anything that might worsen his condition. Even if Xie Chengze sweated profusely, he could only wipe himself with a towel—no bathing allowed.

Being a military commander who had slain countless Xiongnu, just one stern glance from him made Xie Chengze shrink back like a timid turtle, obediently following orders.

He used to be so gentle and indulgent before.

Xie Chengze grumbled inwardly: It was all an act.

Xie Shoujun tucked him in properly and, catching his expression from the corner of his eye, remarked, “Don’t speak ill of me.”

Xie Chengze hurriedly covered his mouth.

Had he accidentally spoken his thoughts aloud?

Xie Zimiao, who had already stripped naked and slipped into the inner side of the bed, said seriously, “No, Second Brother, it’s just that your eyes are too easy to read.”

Xie Chengze: …

You all are really annoying.

The candle was extinguished, plunging the bedchamber into darkness and silence. Xie Shoujun lifted the quilt and lay down beside Xie Chengze. The intense warmth from both sides enveloped him, and Xie Chengze drifted into a drowsy sleep, soon breathing steadily.

After some time, Xie Zimiao suddenly stirred.

He whispered softly, “Elder Brother, are you asleep?”

There was no response from the outer side of the bed, only the sound of even breathing.

After a while, Xie Zimiao quietly reached out an arm to wrap around Xie Chengze’s waist. Just as he lifted his head slightly, Xie Shoujun’s low warning voice came from the outer side of the bed, “Xie Zimiao, he’s sick. Don’t mess around.”

Xie Zimiao startled, his head thumping back onto the pillow.

“E-Eldest Imperial Brother, you’re not asleep!” Xie Zimiao’s voice trembled slightly, like a child caught misbehaving.

Xie Shoujun wasn’t just awake—he had deliberately stayed awake to see if this audacious fourth imperial brother would try his old tricks again.

“P-Please don’t tell Second Brother, I-I won’t dare do it again,” Xie Zimiao whispered pleadingly.

Xie Shoujun didn’t believe him. Seeing how recklessly he was behaving, it was clear he had never slept alone with Xie Chengze before. That’s why he couldn’t control himself even when Chengze was sick and his eldest brother was right beside them.

“Don’t be so willful.” Xie Shoujun frowned, recalling the sinister and terrifying expression Xie Jinyu had worn while standing by the bed, staring at Xie Chengze’s neck. “You can get away with it outside, but you must never act like this in the palace again.”

The old Xie Jinyu, no matter how obsessive his thoughts, was still just a nineteen-year-old youth whose methods were relatively mild and wouldn’t lead to loss of life.

But the current Xie Jinyu—Xie Shoujun could clearly sense—exuded the oppressive aura of a grown man, as if he had already experienced a life-and-death catastrophe, cast aside filthy fame and fortune, and retained only an extreme attitude toward his favored obsessions.

If he discovered that something he coveted had been taken by someone else, it was hard to imagine what horrifying things he might do.

Even harder to imagine was how Xie Chengze would collapse.

After all, the young man preferred peace and didn’t want to see brothers killing each other.

Xie Zimiao seemed to understand, giving a soft “mm” before falling silent. After a long while, he whispered an explanation, “Eldest Imperial Brother, I just think Second Brother is really good-looking, and his skin is so fair. I was curious whether it would turn red if I sucked on it.”

“Any person would turn red if you sucked on their neck,” Xie Shoujun said flatly.

“Eldest Brother, how do you know that! Who have you sucked on?” Xie Zimiao enthusiastically pursued the topic, even his address for Xie Shoujun becoming more intimate.

Xie Shoujun: “…” He couldn’t very well say he’d seen it many times in the military.

He said, “You should go to sleep, Xie Zimiao.”

“Eldest Brother~ Eldest Brother, tell me!”Xie Zimiao tried to awaken his elder brother’s conscience by acting cute.”

“Can the two of you shut up and sleep?” From the rafters came Wuji’s faint, cold laugh. “Do you think Wuhen and I are deaf?”

Xie Shoujun, Xie Zimiao: …

Sleep it is.

——

Xie Chengze reduced the frequency of his blessings. With large numbers of common people leading the migration as examples, the subsequent prefectures and counties heard the news and joined the migration teams. Later, when the court issued the Heavenly Decree from the Directorate of Celestial Observation, the migration plan proceeded even more smoothly.

Xie Chengze was quite surprised to learn that the Directorate of Celestial Observation had issued a Heavenly Decree. After all, in the original work, no Heavenly Decree regarding the earthquake had been issued—otherwise, it wouldn’t have led to over 200,000 people affected by the disaster, 50,000 deaths, and left the court in such a frantic state.

Could it be that Shen Yuan and Xie Jinyu had done something?

Never mind, no use thinking about it. It was a good thing anyway.

Xie Chengze had been leisurely “swindling his way” along the journey. By now, most of the migrating commoners either knew or had heard of his reputation, respectfully addressing him as the Virtuous Fish Immortal Master or the Virtuous Fish Cult Leader. He even took the opportunity to acquaint himself with villagers from other settlements along the way, attempting to recruit them into the Virtuous Fish Sect.

When boredom struck, Xie Chengze began teaching Zhu Xiaobiao some hygiene principles, framing them as the sect’s teachings. He appointed Zhu Xiaobiao as the capable Guardian under the Virtuous Fish Immortal Master, tasking him with widely disseminating these practices among followers for implementation.

For instance, as devotees of the Virtuous Fish Sect, they must wash hands and pray before meals. This ritual cleansing required exclusive gestures and incantations:

The incantation went: “Palms, backs, fingers, knuckles, thumbs, nails, wrists!”

As for the gestures…

In modern terms, it is known as: the Seven-Step Hand Washing Method.