Early the next morning, a household servant brought in a simple breakfast. Upon entering the study and seeing Tan Yuanshang, he gave a visible start.
"Oh, master..."
The brothers serving as guards, who had kept watch at his side throughout the night, looked at the servant carrying the porridge and other food. The eldest gave him a slight shake of the head.
By now, however, Tan Yuanshang seemed to have recovered. Though he had aged considerably overnight, his spirits were not in an appallingly poor state. He looked at the servant and pointed to the low table beside the couch.
"Set it here."
"Yes!"
Breakfast was simple: a bowl of porridge and a few small dishes. Whenever Tan Yuanshang stayed up all night, a light meal was usually brought to him first, before he washed or rested.
Tan Yuanshang picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. Yet as he stirred and slurped his porridge, he occasionally fell into a daze, plainly preoccupied.
"Make preparations. It's time we left."
Tan Yuanshang swallowed his porridge and said this to those beside him between picking up morsels of food.
One of the guards asked instinctively.
"Master, aren't you going into the palace to tell His Majesty about Lingdong Circuit and Hexi Circuit, and about Chancellor Chu?"
Tan Yuanshang shook his head.
"No. Let him wait for his officials' memorials to be submitted, or for the eunuch who delivered the decree to return to the capital and report to him. I won't involve myself."
As he spoke, Tan Yuanshang placed a morsel atop his porridge, scooped up a layer of the steaming grains along with it, and brought it to his mouth.
"What about the Cinnabar Iron Writ?"
One guard asked this, but his brother beside him shook his head and answered directly.