Chapter 114
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Before the Xixia people left Great Heng, their every move would be closely monitored by the Supervision Bureau and the Donglingwei.
Gu Yuanbai also inquired from the envoys who delivered the ransom letter to Xixia about the Emperor’s reaction upon receiving it.
After a long pause, the envoys replied, “After the Xixia Emperor had the letter read to him, he was furious. He ordered the guards to restrain us, but fortunately, the ministers intervened. We were deeply worried, but within a few days, the Emperor summoned us again. Although his demeanor was still hostile, he was prepared to negotiate the compensation.”
However, when asked where Xixia had prepared these things from, they had no answer. Because what’s in their own national treasury is best known only to them.
Gu Yuanbai was certain that Xixia had issues, so covert surveillance and scrutiny were indispensable. In this regard, humanitarian concerns need not be a consideration. If necessary, Gu Yuanbai was even prepared to detain all the Xixia people without adhering to moral principles.
Of course, unless absolutely necessary, Gu Yuanbai did not want to tarnish Great Heng’s credibility and reputation in diplomacy.
February 25th, Lantern Festival.
On this day, lanterns were hung and festivities abounded, with no curfew at night. Early in the morning, Xue Jiuyao wanted to request an audience with the Emperor, but Gu Yuanbai did not grant it. It wasn’t until near noon, when the lingering heat of the setting sun still warmed the earth, that the Emperor changed into his dark blue court attire. He draped himself in a silver-haired mantle sent just the day before, arranged his hair outside the mantle, and leisurely strolled out of the palace.
As soon as he stepped out of the palace gate, he saw Xue Jiuyao standing not far away.
His hands were behind his back, standing tall and straight in his crimson purple robe. Xue Jiuyao’s demeanor lit up as soon as he saw Gu Yuanbai, his eyes bright and fixed, unable to look away.
Approaching him, Gu Yuanbai glanced at him and chuckled, “Come back to your senses. What’s with that expression? Have you seen some celestial being?”
Xue Yuan struggled to avert his gaze but eventually gave in, murmuring, “I saw the Emperor.”
Gu Yuanbai paused, feeling goosebumps rise all over his body.
During the lively Lantern Festival, carriages couldn’t enter the bustling market and had to stay on the sides of the streets. To simplify matters, Gu Yuanbai chose to walk instead, pacing himself when he grew tired.
Xue Yuan remembered his previous words, “Does the Emperor still feel weak walking now?”
Gu Yuanbai replied, “Not right now.”
Before Xue Yuan could ask further, Gu Yuanbai reminded him, “Keep a low profile. Don’t say the wrong thing during this incognito inspection.”
Xue Jiuyao corrected himself, “Yuanbai.”
Gu Yuanbai: “…”
You really know how to seize an opportunity.
After walking for a short while, the group reached the Lantern Street, illuminated by countless lanterns of all shapes and sizes. The street was bustling with people, laughter and noise erupting like oil hitting hot water. Gu Yuanbai led his people into the crowd, and soon they were swallowed up by the throngs of citizens.
Beside Lantern Street, a gentle stream flowed, with floating lotus lanterns bobbing on its surface. Young men and women stood on opposite sides of the river, speaking shyly to each other from a distance.
While Gu Yuanbai was admiring a lantern shaped like an old ox, someone suddenly grabbed his hand, interlacing their fingers with his. Gu Yuanbai looked down at their hands, then up to see Xue Yuan’s nonchalant expression.
“Let go,” Gu Yuanbai demanded.
Xue Yuan stiffened. “No.”
Gu Yuanbai narrowed his eyes. Xue Yuan, seeing his expression, felt a chill run down his spine and quickly added, “There are many people here. I’m afraid you might get lost.”
Despite holding hands for only a short time, Xue Yuan’s palm was already sweaty, the dampness sticky as their hands pressed together, their pulses almost in sync.
Gu Yuanbai chuckled. “I might get lost?”
Xue Yuan corrected himself, “I misspoke. It’s me who might get lost. You need to keep an eye on me.”
After that, no matter what Gu Yuanbai said, Xue Yuan refused to let go. His grip was as firm as iron. Their pace quickened, and those following them were left behind, squeezed out by the crowd, shouting, “Master, wait for us!”
Xue Yuan pretended not to hear and dragged Gu Yuanbai swiftly through the crowd, quickly leaving everyone ten steps behind.
It wasn’t until they saw a stall selling sugar figurines that Xue Yuan abruptly stopped.
Gu Yuanbai nearly bumped into him and angrily said, “Xue Jiuyou!”
Xue Yuan pointed at the sugar figurines, “Do you want to eat one?”
Gu Yuanbai looked over and was intrigued by the sight. He approached and asked, “Old man, what kind of sugar figurines can you make?”
The white-haired old man, feeling quite proud, replied, “Young master, I can make many kinds. If you asked me to list them all, I’d run out of fingers.”
Gu Yuanbai laughed and pointed at Xue Yuan, “Can you make one of him?”
The old man scrutinized Xue Yuan from head to toe and confidently nodded, “Yes!”
“Then make one of him,” Gu Yuanbai handed over a few copper coins and said mischievously, “Give him pig ears.”
Xue Yuan was taken aback and couldn’t help but laugh.
The old man took the money, spun the golden sugar around a bamboo stick, and in no time, a figure of a tall man with pig ears appeared on the stick.
Gu Yuanbai took the sugar figurine, gave Xue Yuan a sinister smile, and then bit off its head with a crunch, “Not bad.”
Xue Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.
As they left the sugar figurine stall, Xue Yuan listened to the crunching sounds of Gu Yuanbai eating the figurine bit by bit, feeling colder with each bite. “Your Majesty, please stop eating, it’s too sweet.”
Gu Yuanbai asked, “What did you call me?”
Xue Yuan was at a loss for words and corrected himself, “Yuan—”
Gu Yuanbai smiled at him.
Xue Yuan swallowed his words, then leaned closer to his ear and whispered, “Master Yuan, Master Bai, please listen to me and stop eating.”
Gu Yuanbai didn’t really want to eat more. He looked at the half-eaten figurine and said, “Half of it is still left.”
Without hesitation, Xue Yuan took the remaining figurine and quickly ate it himself, discarding the stick afterwards. He then took Gu Yuanbai’s hand, “Why is your hand so cold?”
Gu Yuanbai tried to pull his hand away but failed, so he resigned himself to using Xue Yuan’s hand as a warmer, “Your hand is too hot.”
Xue Yuan chuckled foolishly, “I’ll keep warming it for you.”
After finishing the sugar figurine, they indulged in fried goose meat, scallion tea, and sesame cakes in soup, each snack more enticing than the last. This was Gu Yuanbai’s first real experience of an ancient night market, and his appetite grew as he went from spring rolls to Grandma Li’s meat pies and soup dumplings. He carefully ate the thin-skinned, juicy soup dumplings, savoring every bite, and managed to eat two of them.
He only took a few bites of each dish, cautious not to fill up too quickly. Luckily, Xue Yuan had an enormous appetite and finished about eighty percent of the food without showing any signs of being full.
After eating a tiny, palm-sized four-color bun, Gu Yuanbai admitted defeat, “One more glutinous rice cake and I’ll be done. I can’t eat anything else.”
Xue Yuan looked a bit disappointed, as this meant he wouldn’t get to taste the dishes Gu Yuanbai sampled anymore.
They went to buy the glutinous rice cakes and stood at the stall. Looking down the street, Gu Yuanbai was amazed that they had only covered about a third of it despite walking for half an hour.
Xue Yuan received two glutinous rice cakes, each about the size of a finger and as soft as mochi, with a red date in the middle. The cakes had a light, sweet flavor that helped cut through the richness of the previous snacks.
As Gu Yuanbai slowly ate, he finally took his eyes off the food and looked at the trinkets along the street.
But in the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw Chu Yi not far ahead. The little boy was being carried on someone’s back, his face flushed and smiling excitedly with a small gap in his teeth. He was looking around until he spotted Gu Yuanbai, his eyes widening in surprise as their gazes met.
***
“Nephew,” Chu Yi tugged on the sleeve of the person beside him, “Nephew!”
Chu Wei turned to look at him, his eyes gentle, “What is it?”
Chu Yi whispered incredulously, “I saw the Emperor! Right behind us!”
Chu Wei’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively turned to look.
But with so many people coming and going and lanterns hanging everywhere, he couldn’t spot the Emperor’s figure.
***
In a dark alley, the scent of glutinous rice cakes lingered in the air.
Outside, the street was noisy, and occasionally, they could hear people from the palace cursing Xue Yuan. But in the alley just a few steps away, it was quiet and dark, with only the sound of breathing and the trickling of water.
Gu Yuanbai felt like he was pulled into the alley in an instant by Xue Yuan, who was now in front of him, whispering, “Your Majesty, don’t go looking for Lord Chu.”
Gu Yuanbai’s voice was full of anger, “When did I say I was going to look for him?!”
“Please don’t be angry,” Xue Yuan bent his head, instinctively leaning closer to Gu Yuanbai’s neck, whispering soothingly, “Getting angry after eating is bad for your health.”
Gu Yuanbai turned his neck away, feeling a warm touch in the darkness. A hand was on his right ear, and Gu Yuanbai knew he was feeling the red mark there.
Anger flared up again, and Gu Yuanbai kicked him, sneering, “It’s long gone.”
Xue Yuan paused after taking the kick, “Your Majesty knew it was me?”
Gu Yuanbai’s eyelid twitched, “Now I do.”
Xue Yuan didn’t doubt him and didn’t have time to think about it. His mind was full of Gu Yuanbai, unable to focus on anything else since he saw him today.
“The mark is gone; should I give you a new one?” His breath grew heavier, hot air brushing against Gu Yuanbai’s neck, bringing a tingling sensation, “No one’s here, it’s quiet.”
Gu Yuanbai raised his neck, as if his repressed desire and breath were being provoked, his breathing becoming heated.
The stars in the sky formed a continuous expanse, making it difficult to distinguish which ones were brighter. Such a starry sky was rarely seen in modern times. Gu Yuanbai had once witnessed a similar night sky on his way to the Arctic, lying on the deck as the waves rolled beneath him, watching the stars that seemed so large they could fall on him.
Reaching for the stars was a feeling one could never forget after seeing such a sky.
“…” Gu Yuanbai’s eyes suddenly widened.
His earlobe was gently sucked, and someone huskily pleaded next to his ear, “Your Majesty, I want to kiss you.”
The deck had been cold, and even his heavy jacket couldn’t keep out the chill. Gu Yuanbai still remembered that night, feeling as if the waves below lifted his body, making him feel weightless, rising and falling, with the stars seeming both near and far, and the air thick with moisture, like a dream from a fairy tale.
Hot lips landed kiss after kiss on his neck and ear, mixing with the sweet scent of the glutinous rice cake. Gu Yuanbai’s throat moved, and he spat out a short, harsh word: “Get lost!”
Xue Yuan found his lips in the dark, whispering, “Gu Lian, Yuanbai, Master Bai.”
Though he was pinning Gu Yuanbai’s wrists, trapping him between the wall and his chest, he still pitifully begged, “Master Bai.”
Master Bai glanced at the bright stars above, a cold smile on his face, “Just do it, why so much useless talk.”
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