Huo Wujiu got back very late that night.

Even if he didn’t want to face everything, the trivial matters that were sent to him still needed to be dealt with.

In Lin’an alone, a lot of things could happen in one day, let alone the entire Southern Jing. Even if Huo Wujiu was perfunctory, by the time all the documents on his desk were cleaned up, the moon was already hanging amidst the branches.

When he stood up, he felt like he was about to fall apart.

He rarely felt this way. Even after days of marching, he had never been this tired.

But he didn’t expect that sitting motionless for a whole day would also be fatal.

He stood in place with some chagrin and moved his aching shoulders and neck a few times before turning around and leaving the imperial study.

The night outside was very cool.

However, a palanquin had long been parked outside the palace. The palace was vast, and every corner was quite distant. If people were just to rely on their legs, an ordinary pampered master would probably be incapable of walking.

Despite that, Huo Wujiu merely gave the palanquin a passing glance, then passed by it, walking back on his own.

He sat all day; his back was quite sore. Now he felt nauseated at the mere sight of a chair. If he really let them carry him back, he was afraid that his bones would break into pieces.

Huo Wujiu walked with huge strides.

The people behind couldn’t keep up with him, so they all trotted along. By the time Huo Wujiu was finally back to the palace where he was staying, the people who followed him were panting.

Huo Wujiu walked all the way to Jiang Suizhou’s door and stopped, but did not go inside.

Wei Kai, behind him, hurried forward and asked, “General?”

Huo Wujiu frowned: “What time is it?”

Wei Kai replied, “There are still two quarters left before the third watch.”

Huo Wujiu gave a chagrined tsk, turned around and left.

Wei Kai quickly followed him: “General, where are you going?”

Huo Wujiu didn’t even turn his head: “Back to bed.”

His voice betrayed clenched teeth in bitter hatred.

Wei Kai promptly sighed: “Didn’t you say this morning that you would come to see His Highness Jingwang in the evening?”

Huo Wujiu gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly: This kid really knows how to touch a sore spot.

Of course he wanted to go see Jiang Suizhou. He suffered a day of exhaustion in the imperial study room for nothing. The memorials were teeming with words, and reading them made him dizzy and his back sore. He had endured this kind pain, which was akin to a dull knife cutting his flesh. Wasn’t it in an attempt to quickly see Jiang Suizhou quicker?

But it was now deep into the night. He was afraid to disturb Jiang Suizhou’s  rest.

He was already weak, plus he hadn’t fully recovered from his previous illness. Now that he was injured again, the mere thought of the torture he had suffered all day prevented Huo Wujiu from sitting still.

At this moment, he would rather go back and toss and turn all night than wake Jiang Suizhou.

Hearing Wei Kai’s thoughtless words, he was a little annoyed. He turned around and was about to say something when he saw Meng Qianshan pushing the door out of the palace room.

Meng Qianshan was carrying a basin and was about to come out to work, but he unexpectedly bumped into Huo Wujiu who was standing at the bottom of the stairs and was about to leave. This really startled him.

“General Huo?” Meng Qianshan quickly called him to a stop. “Why don’t you go in?”

Huo Wujiu turned around and looked up at Meng Qianshan: “I’m not going. Serve your Prince and let him sleep well.”

Meng Qianshan was a little confused.

“The Prince is still awake, waiting for you!” he said.

Wei Kai was stunned upon hearing this. He turned his head and was about to call for the General, but he felt a gust of wind blowing in front of him. The coolness carried two points of sharpness.

He followed the wind and discovered that the General was already heading into the room.

The General’s stature was still stable, and from behind, he looked majestic and reliable. There wasn’t a hint of anxiousness at all.

…However, if he walked up the stairs slower, instead of almost sprinting at full speed, he would have successfully shown a more stable aura.

——

Huo Wujiu strode toward the palace and turned to the bedroom. He saw Jiang Suizhou leaning on his bed to read, letting out yawns one after another.

He was still holding a volume of book loosely in his hand, but the book was already tilted to one side. At first glance, he was all in all drowsy.

Huo Wujiu took a few steps forward and jerked the book out of his hand.

“Why are you reading when you’re this sleepy?” He appeared a bit upset, but his tone was soft.

When the book in Jiang Suizhou’s hand was suddenly jerked away by Huo Wujiu, he was startled. He glanced up to the culprit, then saw Huo Wujiu, who was exuding the cool air of the night.

He gently smiled.

“Come on, wasn’t it you who said this morning that you were coming back in the evening?”

He slowly and methodically reached out and took the book in Huo Wujiu’s hand. He sorted it out and put it aside. “Why did you come back so late? Did you just finish working?”

The candle in the room was burning brightly, giving off a nice and warm feeling. Jiang Suizhou was so sleepy that his voice was a bit mute. His tone also turned softer than usual.

However, these few simple words gave rise to a wonderful feeling deep in Huo Wujiu’s heart. This feeling was something he had never felt before. After all, he had been out on the battlefield for many years, and had never experienced the feeling of being waited for back home.

It was as if the fatigue and irritation he had suffered all day vanished into thin air.

He sat down at the edge of the bed and reached out to seek Jiang Suizhou’s hand.

“A bit too much is going on, so I came back late.”He brought Jiang Suizhou’s hand to his chest and rubbed it. “I only said I’ll come, not to let you stay awake. What is there to wait for?”

His tone was serious, but Jiang Suizhou heard something not quite right.