Hot flashes

For the first two days, Zhou Heng felt like he had been reborn.

Although the low couch was hard and the pillows weren't very soft, it was absolutely safe and quiet.

Without the nightmares of the night, he could fall into a deep sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and sleep soundly until dawn, with very few dreams.

He was energetic during the day, quick and sharp when handling documents, and his thinking was much clearer when discussing matters. Even Xiao Jue's cold face seemed particularly endearing to him.

He even started to think that this "night shift" was a great job. It was close to the leaders, offered many opportunities to perform, and even included accommodation. It was practically tailor-made for ambitious young people like him who were eager to "make a name for themselves and speed up their work."

He was exceptionally diligent when on night duty. When Xiao Jue occasionally needed tea or water to process official documents late at night, he would react quickly and without error. He would also immediately be alert and investigate any disturbance outside.

Xiao Jue didn't say anything special about it, only occasionally glancing at his face, which had regained some color, when he handed him hot tea, and saying lightly, "You put your heart into it."

Zhou Heng was even more motivated, treating this place as his second home. He even secretly brought over a few of his frequently read old books and his old inkstone, arranging them neatly on the small table next to the low couch.

The change occurred on the evening of the third day.

After discussing matters with Mr. Du and others that day, Xiao Jue kept two generals in charge of the eastern supply route behind to inquire about the details, which did not end until late at night.

After the generals took their leave, Xiao Jue did not immediately return to his inner room to rest, but continued to review several urgent military reports. Zhou Heng naturally had to stay with him in the outer room, grinding ink and adding lamplight, not daring to go to sleep first.

As night deepened, all was quiet outside the camp, except for the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire and the rustling of Xiao Jue's pen as it glided across the paper.

Zhou Heng initially stood ramrod straight, but later, overcome by drowsiness, he couldn't help but secretly cover his mouth and yawn.

"Tired?" Xiao Jue didn't even look up, his voice exceptionally clear in the silence.

Zhou Heng jolted awake and quickly replied, "Not at all! My lord, please continue with your work; I'm perfectly fine!"

Xiao Jue didn't say anything more and continued reading his military report. About fifteen minutes later, he put down his pen, rubbed his temples, and seemed to show a hint of weariness.

He looked up at Zhou Heng, who stood with his hands hanging down in the lamplight. The young man was thin and his eyes were wide open, but his eyelashes were fluttering, clearly he was trying to hold on.

"It's late," Xiao Jue stood up, his tone as usual. "The charcoal fire outside is about to go out, and it's getting chilly at night. You should come in and sleep tonight. The inner room still has some warmth from the underfloor heating. How will you be able to work tomorrow if you spend the night in the cold outside?"

Zhou Heng was taken aback. Come in? Enter the inner room? Is this...appropriate? He instinctively wanted to decline: "My lord, this...is against the rules. I'll stay in the outer room..."

"It's alright." Xiao Jue interrupted him, turning to walk towards the inner room door. "Turn off the light in the outer room and close the door."

Zhou Heng watched Xiao Jue's figure disappear through the door, then looked at the nearly extinguished charcoal brazier outside and the chilly crack in the door, and hesitated for a moment.

The inner room... seems warmer? Besides, the Marquis has given the order; disobeying it would be even worse, wouldn't it?

He made excuses for himself, mainly because the "residual warmth of the earth dragon" was too tempting, and it was indeed freezing cold outside in the middle of the night.

So he obediently turned off most of the lights and candles in the outer room, leaving only a small lamp, and quietly pushed open the half-closed door of the inner room and went inside.

The inner room was more spacious than the outer room, and the furnishings remained simple, but the cool fragrance of pine and cypress was stronger, and the air was indeed filled with the comforting warmth brought by the earthen floor.

Xiao Jue was already sitting on the short couch by the window, having removed his outer robe and wearing only a plain inner garment. His dark hair was loose, and he was holding a book in his hand, reading it by the light of the lamp on the small table beside the couch.

Hearing Zhou Heng enter, he didn't even lift his eyelids, but simply pointed to a folding chair against the wall on the other side of the room: "There's a folding chair there, and there are spare bedding and pillows in the cabinet. Help yourself."

Zhou Heng looked in the direction he was pointing and indeed saw a narrow folding bed by the wall, big enough for one person to lie down, but it was empty.

He swallowed hard, thanked her in a low voice, and quietly opened the small cabinet next to him. Sure enough, there were clean, thin blankets and pillows folded inside.

He carried it out and laid it on the folding chair, his movements a little clumsy, as if afraid of making too much noise.

He made the bed and stood there, somewhat at a loss. Should he lie down immediately? The Marquis was still reading! Should he stand and wait? That seemed even more foolish.

"What are you standing there for? Take a rest." Xiao Jue turned a page of his book, his tone still indifferent.

"...Yes." Zhou Heng then reluctantly took off his outer robe, shoes, and socks, carefully climbed onto the folding chair, and pulled the quilt over himself.

The folding chair was indeed more comfortable than the low couch in the outer room, and the bedding had a clean and refreshing feel. Most importantly, the room was really warm!

He lay on his side, facing the wall, with his back to Xiao Jue, trying to shrink into a ball and minimize his presence.

He could hear the faint sound of Xiao Jue occasionally turning the pages of his book, and the crackling of the lamp wick occasionally popping.

His tense nerves gradually relaxed, and as the warmth enveloped him, drowsiness surged up like a tide.

His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, his consciousness gradually blurred, and he finally fell into a deep sleep, not even noticing when Xiao Jue turned off the light and got into bed.

That night, Zhou Heng slept even more soundly and deeply than the previous two days, barely turning over even a few times.

The next morning, he was awakened by the faint sounds of his personal guards changing shifts outside and the morning drums from the distant camp.

He opened his eyes, and it took him a few seconds to realize where he was. The room was still dimly lit. Xiao Jue seemed to have gotten up. There was no one on the bed, and the sound of water could be heard from behind the screen.

Zhou Heng scrambled to his feet, hurriedly put on his outer robe and boots, quickly folded the bedding on the folding bed and stuffed it back into the cabinet, then stood respectfully at the junction of the outer and inner rooms, waiting to be served.

Xiao Jue emerged from behind the screen, already dressed in black casual clothes, his hair tied up with a jade hairpin, once again displaying the cold and dignified demeanor of the Marquis of Zhenbei.

He glanced at Zhou Heng, who was standing properly, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment. He nodded almost imperceptibly before heading straight to the desk in the outer room to begin handling the day's military affairs.

It was as if letting subordinates rest in the inner room last night was just a trivial matter.

Zhou Heng breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and the slight awkwardness in his heart dissipated.

In the following days, similar situations occurred two or three more times. Whenever Xiao Jue was handling official business until late at night, he would ask Zhou Heng to come into the inner room to rest on a couch, citing reasons such as "it's cold outside" or "there are important matters tomorrow that require your energy."

Zhou Heng went from initial apprehension to gradually getting used to it, and even starting to look forward to it—the bed in the inner room was indeed more comfortable, and the underfloor heating was warmer! Moreover, he felt refreshed every time he woke up, and his work efficiency increased exponentially.

He was completely unaware that as he entered and exited the inner room more often, the area he could move around in Xiao Jue's tent was also expanding invisibly.

At first, it was just the outer room for night watch, then it was the doorway to the inner room, and later it was the folding chair against the wall in the inner room. Occasionally, when Xiao Jue got up, he would need to go in to tidy up the folding chair and bedding, or deliver some documents that were not particularly important to the desk in the inner room.