Chapter 77: The Snobbish Black Moonlight (26)
Jinming Lake lay outside the Shuntian Gate of the capital. It had been excavated in the previous dynasty as a large man-made lake for naval training. However, except for the threat posed by the nomadic northern state of Shuo San, Darong had enjoyed peace on all other fronts for a long time. As such, naval training had gradually become more of a sport-like contest for trophies than serious drills.
The landscape around Jinming Lake was picturesque. Three Immortal Bridges spanned the lake like soaring rainbows. The banks were lined with willows and smokey reeds, and on the southern shore stood a grand lakeside pavilion with carved beams and painted rafters—built especially for the Emperor to observe naval drills.
On holidays or market days, Jinming Lake was opened to both scholars and commoners for sightseeing.
Colorful canopies and tents lined the opposite shore, where visitors sat to watch the naval officers compete for victory.
The bridges, pavilions, and corridors teemed with people, shoulder to shoulder—gambling, performing, and making the place buzz with excitement.
That was how Shui Que had so easily snuck in to explore the place.
His attendant, Qiaoshan, followed along in utter misery. After bribing someone with some loose silver to help park their carriage, he rushed after Shui Que as fast as he could, afraid of losing him in the crowd.
“My lord, my lord…” Qiaoshan called out while chasing, drenched in sweat, “The heir will be off duty soon and will come looking for you so you both can visit the recluse of Songshan together. There are so many people here—you might get jostled! And this sun is so strong—what if you get heatstroke!”
As for heatstroke, that was clearly an exaggeration. It was autumn now. Even under the bright sun, the warmth wasn’t harsh or scorching.
Of course, Shui Que knew that Wei Yan would come to find him after finishing his duty to visit the Songshan recluse together on Huyi Street.
That was exactly why he had come to Wei Yan’s place of duty—to wait for him on purpose.
Colorful banners hung around the tents. The officers who had just finished their boat race were tying their dragon boats to the shore.
Tall and broad-shouldered, these men wore robes adorned with gold coins and tied silk sashes at the waist. They trained with gilded spears and bejeweled bows to enhance the visual spectacle during imperial inspections.
Gold-trimmed flags embroidered with dragons and phoenixes fluttered at the bow of the boats.
The commanding officer had just called an end to duty. The soldiers cheered in unison, voices like thunder.
“Wei Yan!”
Even though his ears rang from the soldiers’ shouting, Wei Yan still heard Shui Que’s voice.
Was he hearing things?
Wei Yan turned around.
Bathed in the golden autumn sunlight stood a Xiao Langjun in a pale blue robe, waving at him.
Wei Yan hurried over and shielded him from the sun with his hand. “You—you had time to come out today?”
The nearby soldiers widened their eyes in disbelief. Someone had just called the Deputy Commander by name—so casually!
And it was… someone like that…
A fair-skinned, red-lipped Langjun…
Whispers spread.
Was this Wei Yan’s younger brother?
Couldn’t be.
They were all locals in the capital. Everyone knew that the Little Marquis’ little brother was a total wastrel.
So who was this?
Someone who could make the usually stern, expressionless Commander Wei act like a different person?
Wei Yan cleared his throat. If he had a tail, it would probably be wagging uncontrollably by now.
But since he was still in public, he had to maintain his dignity as Commander. He straightened his face and said, “Why are you so clingy? Didn’t I say I’d ride back and pick you up as soon as I got off duty?”
Shui Que looked at him suspiciously.
Who exactly was being clingy?
Who was the one circling around him all the time?
He frowned, displeased. “Weren’t you supposed to be off duty by 9 a.m.? It’s already noon. If I hadn’t come looking for you, were you going to forget to return for me?”
Wei Yan saw that he was upset and scratched his head in panic, instantly softening. “There was a slight mishap during the inspection today, so I got delayed. I really was going to ride back and pick you up the moment I was done!”
Shui Que’s face was still tight, clearly not appeased.
Wei Yan grew more anxious, nearly pacing in circles.
Qiaoshan hadn’t managed to stop Shui Que and now stood to the side like a quail, too afraid to speak.
The soldiers by the lakeside peeked curiously at the scene.
Shui Que, sensing the time was ripe, pretended to be magnanimous and said, “How about this—carry me on your back, and I’ll forgive you. How’s that?”
That meant Wei Yan would have to stoop and carry him in front of all his subordinates—basically like being his personal servant.
Surely Wei Yan wouldn’t go for it!
System 77 had said that those dramatic, over-the-top characters in romantic stories were especially annoying.
To push the story along, Shui Que had decided to give all those outrageous antics a try.
As expected, Wei Yan’s pupils dilated.
“We… could we wait until we’re outside Jinming Lake?” he whispered, concerned about preserving his authority in front of his men.
Shui Que pursed his lips and shook his head.
When he got angry, his lips flushed a deep, vibrant red.
A man had to keep his word!
How could he—
Wei Yan turned around, knelt slightly, and muttered, “Th-then get on.”
Shui Que blinked.
Wait, what? Why didn’t he scold me? Why didn’t he go cold on me from here on out?
This turn of events was quite different from what he’d expected.
That thought suddenly crossed Shui Que’s mind as he lay on Wei Yan’s back.
How did it end up feeling like he was the one stuck in a tiger’s jaws, unable to dismount…
Behind them, the soldiers still watching the show all inhaled sharply in unison.
A familiar sweet fragrance lingered near his nose as Wei Yan slipped his hands under Shui Que’s knees to lift him.
It was late autumn, but their robes weren’t yet that thick.
Wei Yan could seemingly still feel the soft flesh of Shui Que’s thighs pressed tightly against his waist and back.
His ears burned red, and suddenly his pace picked up with purpose.
There was a delicate Xiao Langjun at home—if he asked to be carried, then he’d carry him!
Now this was what it meant to be a real man!
Wei Yan no longer cared about the stares of his subordinate soldiers.
They were all single men without sweethearts anyway—he was already winning by miles.
In that moment, he completely forgot that Shui Que had never once given a clear response to his pursuit, not even the faintest nod toward marriage.
People came and went at Jinming Pond. If you weren’t careful, it was indeed easy to bump into Shui Que.
Wei Yan moved swiftly through the crowd, his tall figure soon disappearing from sight.
On the southern bank, a large hall stood by the water, covered with canopies and high pavilions, offering a perfect view of the spirited competition among the officials and soldiers rowing their boats for glory.
Outside the hall, the atmosphere was solemn—completely different from the lively scene on the western bank of Jinming Pond. Imperial guards of the Yulong Guards stood guard outside.
Inside, the seats were draped in layers of imperial curtains.
Deeper within, the inner chamber featured a vermilion-lacquered bed adorned with golden dragon carvings and a decorative screen embroidered with dragons amidst clouds and waves.
A man in a bright yellow brocade robe sat with his sleeves forming creases as his arms moved. He placed a teacup on the table beside him.
He appeared to be in his early thirties, with sword-like brows and star-like eyes. His expression gave nothing away, yet his presence radiated the quiet authority of a sovereign.
“Who is that?”
He asked in a low voice, slightly lifting his chin as his gaze fell across the distant bank—on the person slung over Commander Wei’s back.
The Jinming Pond naval drills had soldiers dressed in uniforms according to their divisions, so the Emperor could instantly distinguish which of the four imperial military units they belonged to and their respective ranks.
But the person who had suddenly appeared among the soldiers was different.
Even amid the dispersing crowd on the shore, that figure still stood out.
Though he was too far to see clearly, one could make out his clothing and slim build.
From a distance, it was clear he had fair skin—
Like a little lamb that had wandered into a pack of wolves.
The thought came to Duan Zhang unbidden.
Captain Liang was on duty today as one of the palace guards assigned to protect the Emperor’s outing.
Trying to guess the Emperor’s thoughts, he offered, “Your Majesty, it seems to be a Xiao Langjun whom Commander Wei met in Changzhou County.”
Duan Zhang seemed disinterested.
“Is that so.” He sipped his tea and half-closed his eyes. “The Su family cloth merchant I asked you to investigate in Suwu Prefecture—was it truly a case of all three family members being murdered by bandits?”
“Yes,” Captain Liang reported. “A husband, wife, and a son who had not yet come of age. We found their remains—they are indeed dead.”
Suddenly, the tea spilled from the cup.
The attending eunuch hurried forward in a panic to clean it up.
Duan Zhang’s voice turned hoarse. “Not a family of four? Did you find the longevity lock I drew?”
Captain Liang didn’t understand why the Emperor insisted it was a family of four. The Su family had been officially registered as a family of three. People in Suwu Prefecture confirmed this. They did say the merchant’s son was frail and rarely seen outside, and when he did go out, he always wore a conical hat. But he was indeed referred to as the only child.
Captain Liang bowed. “I was incompetent. We didn’t find the longevity lock among the recovered stolen goods. The mountain bandits may have pawned it in town. We are still investigating.”
Duan Zhang said nothing.
…..
In the end, Shui Que didn’t let Wei Yan carry him all the way from Jinming Pond outside the Shuntian Gate in the west of the city to Huyi Street in the south.
Once they left Jinming Pond, he refused to be carried any further. Wei Yan reluctantly put him down.
Shui Que lifted the carriage curtain and climbed inside.
But once they arrived at Huyi Street, which was a residential area with narrow alleys, the large carriage drawn by five horses from the Marquis’s estate couldn’t pass through.
Shui Que kept changing his mind—sometimes he asked to be carried, other times he didn’t.
He was clearly doing it on purpose to mess with Wei Yan.
Yet… this man didn’t even get angry.
It was completely unlike how such scenarios played out in literature and drama.
Wei Yan carried him out of the carriage, still unsure what he had done to make Shui Que upset.
As they walked down the alley, they saw a household servant politely seeing guests out and closing the lacquered door with courtesy.
A young attendant behind them pushed a wooden wheelchair. “Lord, shall we return to the residence now?”
Nie Xiuyuan looked up, sensing something, and gazed down the alley toward the approaching pair.
Wei Yan thought, What a coincidence.
Shui Que, lying on Wei Yan’s back, cautiously peeked out with his big, watery eyes. “S-Sir?”
Nie Xiuyuan’s brows knit together.
On his lap was the latest manuscript of Traveling the Rivers and Mountains on a Donkey by the Recluse of Songshan—
It was the reason for his visit today.
It had been quite a while since he’d received a letter from Shui Que. The last one had asked him not to send any more letters to Qinghe Village.
Nie Xiuyuan asked,
“So this is what you meant by—”
“Reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles?”
Shui Que’s last letter had been sent in August.
He’d written that he realized he wasn’t cut out for the imperial exams, so he asked his teacher not to hold any more expectations. Instead of burying himself in books, he’d decided to travel across the great land like the Recluse of Songshan—riding a donkey to explore the mountains and rivers.
So there was no need to write to Qinghe Village anymore, because he wouldn’t receive it.
And now, seeing him again—being pampered and carried by Wei Yan without even touching the ground—
This was his idea of “traveling across the great land on a donkey”?
Nie Xiuyuan furrowed his brow.
Huge shoutout to @candycorns2 on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
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