Chapter 109
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Seeing that His Majesty and Lord Xue were so interested, the others sensibly stood in the corner of the courtyard to avoid getting in their way.
Gu Yuanbai had just sat on the swing when Xue Yuan, who was carving wood, looked up at him. After glancing at him, Xue Yuan suddenly stood up, walked away quickly, and disappeared into the bedroom.
What was he going to do? Gu Yuanbai looked towards the bedroom, yet to figure out the reason, when Xue Yuan walked out again, holding a pillow and a thick cloak in his hand, and approached, “Your Majesty, get up for a moment.”
Gu Yuanbai asked, “Why?”
“The seat is cold,” Xue Yuan frowned, “Even though it’s made of wood, it’s better to have something padded.”
Gu Yuanbai sighed, “I’m wearing plenty of clothes.”
“Even with plenty of clothes, it’s not enough,” Xue Yuan stood straight, softening his tone, “You may not feel cold, but your buttocks do.”
Gu Yuanbai didn’t want to discuss the matter of “buttocks” with him. He stood up and let him pad the swing. But the cushion Xue Yuan held in his hand wasn’t really a cushion. Gu Yuanbai couldn’t help but ask, “Isn’t this the pillow from your bedroom?”
“Just to catch a whiff of Your Majesty’s scent,” Xue Yuan’s lips curled up slightly, with a profound meaning, “Your Majesty actually knows it’s a pillow from my bedroom.”
His smile was profound, and the corner of his eye glanced at Gu Yuanbai, making Gu Yuanbai think, here it comes, the first step of seduction.
The vile thoughts under the Emperor’s nature began to stir, thinking of Xue Jiuyao’s dumbfounded expression last time, so he raised his eyebrows and said leisurely, “I won’t sit on your pillow.”
“Your Majesty, just sit for a moment,” Xue Yuan coaxed in a low voice, “I’ll sleep better with it tonight.”
Sleeping on the pillow where he had sat… Gu Yuanbai was at a loss for words. He glanced at Tian Fusheng and saw him coming over, placing a soft cushion prepared in advance on the swing, politely saying to Xue Yuan, “Lord Xue, the servants have already prepared everything. There’s no need for Lord Xue to worry.”
Xue Yuan had to take back the pillow. After Gu Yuanbai sat down, he covered him with a cloak and carefully tucked it around his neck. With a cloak in front and a big cape behind, a hand warmer in his hand, and a warm basin of water sending warmth, the cold wind could only blow on his face. Gu Yuanbai breathed out comfortably, “I’ll sunbathe for a while, you can carve, and when the wind comes up, let’s go inside.”
Xue Yuan tucked Gu Yuanbai’s hair behind his ear and smiled, “Yes.”
The piece of wood was a long piece of wood, and Xue Yuan began to carve with a blade. Occasionally, he glanced up at the Emperor, then bowed his head to work on the dagger.
Gu Yuanbai basked in the sun on the swing, half asleep. When he woke up, he found himself already taken into the house by someone and lying on the bed, covered with a blanket.
He turned his head and saw Xue Yuan sitting at the table inside, carefully polishing a curved blade.
The curved blade looked magnificent and exquisite, not an ordinary item. Gu Yuanbai lifted the blanket and was about to get out of bed. Looking down, he asked hoarsely, “Where are my shoes and socks?”
Xue Yuan heard the sound and turned back, only to see him almost falling barefoot to the ground. His face changed, he stood up abruptly, and the curved blade on the table rang as it was bumped.
Seeing his menacing appearance, Gu Yuanbai retracted his feet before Xue Yuan’s hands reached out, and coldly crawled into the kang bed, “Where is Tian Fusheng?”
Xue Yuan groped empty-handed, paused for a moment, and then said, “He’s outside.”
“Call him in,” Gu Yuanbai frowned, looked around, and saw his white socks on the table where Xue Yuan was sitting, “Where did my shoes and socks go?”
Xue Yuan’s expression remained unchanged, “I don’t know either.”
Tian Fusheng obediently entered the room and helped the Emperor put on his shoes and socks. After dressing, he asked someone to come forward and tidy up the Emperor’s messy black hair, making him look handsome and spirited.
After tidying himself up, Gu Yuanbai took a walk in the courtyard to refresh his mind. He asked Tian Fusheng, “How did I fall asleep?”
Tian Fusheng whispered, “Your Majesty, I don’t know either. I only saw that you hadn’t been on the swing for long before Lord Xue put down the wood and dagger, and then carried you into the house.”
“And my shoes and socks,” Gu Yuanbai asked, “Did he take them off?”
Tian Fusheng lowered his head even more, “We servants didn’t touch Your Majesty’s shoes and socks.”
The chief guard followed behind Gu Yuanbai, hesitating to speak.
Gu Yuanbai rubbed his forehead and walked back with his entourage. As soon as he returned, he saw the palace servants standing in Xue Yuan’s courtyard, waiting, with the bedroom door closed. Gu Yuanbai glanced at the bedroom and asked, “Why are you all standing here?”
The palace servant replied cautiously, “Reporting to Your Majesty, Lord Xue asked us to wait outside. He has some private matters to attend to.”
Gu Yuanbai’s eyelids twitched. Private matters?
He thought of his socks crumpled on the stone table, raised his hand to signal not to inform anyone, glanced at the people behind him, and said lightly, “Tian Fusheng will accompany me, the rest will wait here.”
Gu Yuanbai silently walked to the window and pushed it open a crack. Peering inside, he saw Xue Yuan kneeling on one knee on the bed, sniffing the place where Gu Yuanbai had lain from top to bottom.
The quilt was loosely piled on the side of the bed, with one hand supporting the side of the bed, his back tense. His expression couldn’t be seen, but he seemed deeply absorbed.
—Not even the sound of the window being pushed open was heard.
Gu Yuanbai suddenly felt a little feverish. He turned his head and blew the cold wind. After a while, he turned back and tapped the window with his fingers. The crisp sound of wood knocking three times came, and Xue Yuan, who was smelling Gu Yuanbai’s residual warmth on the bed, paused for a moment, then slowly got out of bed and looked towards the window.
The Emperor’s face showed a slight anger, his eyebrows suppressed, containing the coldness of snow in early bloom. His five fingers curled, indicating that the three knocks were a reminder.
Xue Yuan straightened his robe gracefully, then walked briskly to the window, bowed, and said, “Why is Your Majesty here?”
Gu Yuanbai’s voice was cold, “What are you doing?”
Xue Yuan pondered for a moment, “I didn’t rest in the bedroom the last two days. It was too hot, and I couldn’t sleep well. Today, seeing Your Majesty sleeping so soundly, I became curious and wanted to see how this kang bed was made.”
“Wanted to see how the kang bed was made, so you went to smell it?” Gu Yuanbai mocked.
Xue Yuan actually nodded seriously, “I really didn’t smell the burnt smell of the bedding.”
Gu Yuanbai looked at him for a while, curled his lips, “Lord Xue, instead of pondering over the kang bed, shouldn’t you finish the woodcarving you promised me?”
Xue Yuan remained composed, “The woodcarving won’t be finished so soon. Your Majesty, please wait for me for two more days. When it’s done, I will personally deliver it to the palace.”
The heat in the air dissipated, and Gu Yuanbai glanced at the bed. The clean and tidy bed was now covered with folds like mountains and valleys, some deep and some shallow, with no one on them, yet it seemed as if someone was still lying there.
The Emperor stared at the bed straight, and Xue Yuan turned his head to follow his gaze, his Adam’s apple rolling.
“Does the kang bed smell good?” The Emperor suddenly asked softly.
Xue Yuan’s nose and throat itched, as if ants were crawling all over his back and chest. After a long time, he said, “It smells extremely fragrant.”
Only after speaking did he realize that his voice had become hoarse as if it were filled with sand.
His voice was so low that it was frightening, and his expression was like that of a fierce beast about to break free from its restraints. Tian Fusheng was frightened and wanted to pull the Emperor away. But the Emperor remained extremely calm, meeting Xue Yuan’s eyes that were glowing like a beast in the night, and smiled slightly, “Lord Xue, I also find it extremely fragrant.”
After Gu Yuanbai finished speaking, he smiled lightly again.
Xue Yuan stared at him blankly, unable to come back to his senses for a while.
Tian Fusheng exclaimed, “Lord Xue, you—you—you’re bleeding from your nose!”
***
A chaotic scene ensued.
Xue Yuan was pressed by the doctor to check his pulse. He had been away from home for five months, and the elderly Old Madam Xue and Madam Xue were worried about him. Even though it seemed that he only had a nosebleed due to excessive anger, the two elders still didn’t feel at ease without the doctor’s reassurance.
Gu Yuanbai sat by the stone table, leisurely sipping tea. But as he sipped, he couldn’t help but smile when he saw Xue Yuan plugging his nose and tilting his head back. He couldn’t stop laughing.
Interesting, really fun.
The doctor on the side couldn’t help but chatter incessantly, “It’s not even the beginning of spring yet, and the weather is still cold. How could Young Master Xue’s liver fire be so strong and his virtual fire so impulsive?”
The imperial physician who accompanied His Majesty from the palace was also there, stroking his beard with a cheerful smile and joining in the fun. “Just by looking at Lord Xue’s complexion, one can tell how much internal heat he has. Now with the cold air entering from outside, the clash of hot and cold must make it uncomfortable to sleep at night, doesn’t it?”
Despite being asked two questions, Xue Yuan didn’t bat an eye. He thought to himself, indeed, it’s uncomfortable to sleep, which is why I want to hold someone who is cold both in hands and feet.
Xue Yuan’s internal heat was a common issue. In the military, he could usually dissipate it through regular training, but with Gu Yuanbai nearby, it was impossible to get rid of it.
The doctor prescribed a detoxifying Chinese medicine. After everyone left, Gu Yuanbai stood up and smirked, “Tian Fusheng, have the pot I had the blacksmith make ready?”
Tian Fusheng hurriedly replied, “It’s ready,” and had someone bring the iron pot up. Xue Yuan stepped forward to take a look. The iron pot was divided into two halves, like a Tai Chi diagram. “Your Majesty, what is this?”
Gu Yuanbai smiled kindly, “We’ll see it at dinner tonight. It’s a pity that although this new item is here, Lord Xue won’t be able to enjoy it.”
A few days ago, Gu Yuanbai wanted to have a hotpot to work up a sweat, but today, with time finally available, he looked up at the sky. The sun was still high, and making the soup now meant that by the time it got dark, it would have a rich flavor.
Xue Yuan squinted, “Your Majesty, why can’t I eat it?”
“I’m afraid if you eat it, you’ll end up bleeding a bowl of blood,” Gu Yuanbai glanced at him, stretched out his hand from his robe, and flicked the iron pot with his fingers. The pot trembled slightly, emitting a crisp sound from top to bottom. “This thing is too fiery.”
The Emperor smiled, “So Lord Xue, just have a look and don’t eat it.”
The people from the imperial kitchen came forward to take the iron pot. They had heard half a month ago that the Emperor wanted to eat something called “hotpot.” After inquiring about the taste of this “hotpot,” they finally made some progress after half a month of deliberation. Now that the Emperor couldn’t wait any longer, he brought it with him during his break.
Xue Yuan smiled indifferently, unconcerned. But as the evening approached and the simmering soup in the pot emitted a strange fragrance, he couldn’t help but feel his stomach rumble. With saliva in his mouth, who cared about getting fiery? He sat down directly, his back straight, unmoved by any wind or rain.
The thick soup in the pot was divided into two parts: one was as mellow as goat’s milk, and the other was as red as if dyed with flower juice. Xue Yuan sniffed and seemed to smell spiciness in the fragrance, as well as a strange flavor that was sour, sweet, and extremely appetizing.
He couldn’t help asking, “Your Majesty, what is this red one?”
He could smell the aroma of mutton soup from the part that resembled goat’s milk.
Gu Yuanbai was busy having the meat sliced paper-thin as if it were paper. He didn’t even lift his eyelids, seemingly not hearing Xue Yuan’s question.
Xue Yuan raised an eyebrow and looked at the cook who was cutting the meat with a puzzled expression. He chuckled, got up, took the meat, and rotated the blade in his hand, casting the firelight on the fresh meat. “Your Majesty, as thin as paper, only I can do it.”
Only then did Gu Yuanbai look at him.
The side profile of the Emperor glowed faintly in the firelight, reflecting a warm yellow light. Xue Yuan teased, “I’m slicing meat for you, an extra glance or two from you is enough.”
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