In truth, RongCheng had no need to come here in person either; he could have simply commanded someone to come and call him.
Seeing Yan Si intending to leave the dining table, RongCheng instantly pulled his hand and shook his head, "Eat your rice quickly, and after it is finished, then you may go."
Yan Si complied and once more sat down; just as he picked up his chopsticks, he suddenly remembered a matter and spoke, "That is right, eldest brother, next time can you please not permit palace maids to come here?"
Palace maids here did not refer solely to the person from earlier but to all of them; Yan Si truly did not wish for the situation just now to occur again. Understanding his meaning, RongCheng nodded, "Very well, rest your mind and eat your rice."
Amidst this time, perhaps RongCheng's heart was on the verge of being scorched by fire, burning with impatience, yet he did not wish to urge Yan Si to eat quickly, merely remaining silent, intently observing him.
Looking at the bowl of rice before his eyes, initially Yan Si indeed possessed a bit of a craving; nonetheless, he did not know what intention RongCheng had to pick up such an entire heap of food to fill it so completely; even though it was only a little bit of each item, it made him full to the point of nearly being unable to stand up...
In the end, Yan Si had only just eaten nearly all of the portion RongCheng had placed into the bowl when he already wished to lay down his chopsticks. Seeing that he showed signs of merely picking at his food, the man asked, "What is the matter, does the food not suit your palate? Is it not delicious?"
This was also not the case; the food in the palace was naturally superior to those things in the forest, the flavor... he did not know how it should be put, but it truly was far too much... Yan Si shook his head, laid down his chopsticks, and said, "I... I am full, I will not eat further."
Ultimately, an entire table of food and rice all remained exactly as they were; RongCheng instantly knitted his brows, "Having only eaten a tiny bit like that and you are already full? This will not do, quickly finish all your rice."
Thinking to himself that his stomach had no more room to contain it, he shook his head vigorously in refusal, "But... but I genuinely cannot eat any further."
Hearing this, RongCheng appeared even more stern, saying, "No buts, it is enough as long as you finish all the rice."
Yan Si was truly on the verge of crying; just a moment ago he had missed the man to such an extent, yet now he wished only for him to depart quickly... He stole a glance across at RongCheng, only to be glared at by him, causing him to turn his face back in fright.
At times the man caused Yan Si to be truly terrified; knowing he could not evade, he had to pick up his chopsticks again to continue eating his rice.
Yan Si experienced a sensation that his belly was stretched full, imagining that if he ate a bit more, it would burst instantly like a water bubble; the time spent looking at a table completely full of food left him sick of it... He forced himself to take a few more mouthfuls, then looked at RongCheng, calling, "Eld... eldest brother..."
Knowing what he wished to say, RongCheng instantly shook his head to show disapproval; in the end, he could only let out a sigh, striving to shovel it down to finish the meal. Truly, that much refined, intensely fragrant food was not nearly as delicious as imagined.
The haunting meal having passed, the moment Yan Si laid down his chopsticks, he clutched his belly while simultaneously slumping his head upon the table, silently lamenting, "So horrific!!!"
Yan Si was beginning to feel afraid of RongCheng; seeing him like that, the man actually laughed and said, "You did very well, being able to finish it all is..."
Yet before he could even finish his words, the boy instantly stood up and ran outside, vomiting completely everything he had just eaten.
Now RongCheng was truly left speechless; in the end, his effort in sitting and waiting for over an hour had been wasted.
He let out a sigh, stepped over to stroke Yan Si's back, and asked anxiously, "What is the matter with you?"
Yan Si appeared uncomfortable and shook his head, "My belly genuinely cannot contain this much."
"It is no matter, now there is nothing left in your belly anyway, go back inside and continue eating."
"Huh!? Eat further!?" Having just heard this, Yan Si wished to faint on the spot: "Please... please spare me!"
The food within the imperial palace consisted entirely of expensive delicacies, yet he...
Amidst not knowing what to do with RongCheng, Yan Si suddenly remembered a matter and spoke, "Quickly, quickly come see how the Imperial Consort is... It... it may be that he has already awakened, do you truly not feel worried?"
Hearing this, RongCheng indeed possessed no more patience and nodded, "That will do then."
Indeed, what if during the time he was here, that person had already awakened? RongCheng felt that he needed to return immediately.
However, when RongCheng arrived back, Shang Yuan still lay entirely motionless; seeing this, his heart abruptly twisted with a sharp ache, a sensation of genuine disappointment... He hurried over to the bed, caught hold of the person's hand, and tried calling, "A Yuan... A Yuan..."
Yan Si stood beside him, shook his head, and said, "Step aside and let me see how he is."
RongCheng nodded, stepping to one side to yield his spot for Yan Si to conduct the examination. After a period of thorough observation, he spoke, "Eldest brother should not worry, at present the Imperial Consort is out of danger, he will soon awaken."
"If it can be so, then it is well..." Only upon hearing Yan Si speak these words did RongCheng feel at ease, "We truly thank you immensely."
Indeed, had it not been for Yan Si, surely by now the two of them would have been separated by life and death; from the depths of his heart, RongCheng experienced a sense of being indebted to him a great deal... a great deal...
Hearing RongCheng speak in such a manner, Yan Si's countenance drooped a bit; he let out a sigh and murmured in a low voice with a hint of resentment, "Eldest brother has no need to speak those words to me."
Muttering a few words, he immediately stood up, "I... I am going back."
Those words from just now, it seemed RongCheng did not hear them at all; the moment Yan Si stood up, the man sat right down on the bed to look at Shang Yuan, speaking again, "Let me have someone escort you back."
Yan Si shook his head in refusal, "There is no need, I can return on my own."
"How can that be permitted, the sky is already dark..." Fearing that Yan Si would lose his way and encounter an untoward matter, RongCheng looked at Shang Yuan once more before finally being willing to stand up and command someone to come convey him back.
The lantern in hand swayed gently with each footstep, reflecting a shadow that cast long across the corridor.
One person silent, one person confused as he departed. The night wind quietly brushed the silk curtains, sounding like the low, soft sigh of someone out there.