Beloved.
Although Gu Yuanbai didn’t speak, his eyes and brows revealed his happiness. The ruler of Great Heng liked this declaration, and Xue Yuan, encouraged, whispered more endearments into Gu Yuanbai’s ear.
With a fiery, passionate tone, he expressed his love, leaning closer with each word.
Outside, Chang Yuyan, noticing the prolonged silence, called out again, “Your Majesty?”
“Wait outside,” Gu Yuanbai frowned, “Without my orders, no one is to come in.”
Chang Yuyan instinctively saluted, “Yes.”
He stepped back, feeling uneasy, thinking the emperor’s tone seemed somewhat impatient, making him too scared to say another word.
As people moved away from the door, Xue Yuan couldn’t help but kiss Gu Yuanbai’s eyelids several times, finding joy in each kiss, murmuring, “Your Majesty is so domineering.”
Suppressing a smile, Gu Yuanbai said, “Flattering me won’t help. How did you get that scar on your face?”
“This?” Xue Yuan touched the scar, casually replying, “Scratched by a branch.”
Xue Yuan had traveled day and night but stopped before meeting the emperor. He climbed the mountain, borrowed a house to sleep well, and after regaining his spirit, he got up before dawn to shave, bathe, and wash thoroughly. He dressed in a refined scholar’s robe, wanting to show Gu Yuanbai he had returned with composure.
Every letter reported only good news, hiding the hardships, to show Gu Yuanbai his best side, to let him know he had become mature and reliable.
He wanted to hide all his struggles and dishevelment from his beloved.
Naturally, Gu Yuanbai didn’t believe him. He directly tore open Xue Yuan’s collar, revealing a deep scar on his chest, obviously not an old scar from three years ago but a new wound repeatedly torn open over time.
Xue Yuan, baring his chest, didn’t notice his own eagerness as his hands roamed over Gu Yuanbai’s body, “Your Majesty, let me see my treasure again.”
His hands moved too quickly, and once he saw it, he couldn’t look away, “Still the way I like it.”
Xue Yuan lovingly caressed his treasure, then couldn’t help but kiss Gu Yuanbai passionately. The clothes and hair Gu Yuanbai had just fixed were messy again. Fine sweat beads formed from his scalp to his nose, the kiss full of longing, the entangled tongues expressing their yearning. Gu Yuanbai, holding Xue Yuan’s face, responded passionately, biting Xue Yuan’s lips, competing with him.
Restlessness turned to affection, three years of longing fully revealed. Gu Yuanbai’s fingers traced the scar forming the character “Bai,” becoming so proactive that Xue Yuan couldn’t resist.
“Your Majesty,” Tian Fusheng’s trembling voice came from outside, “The imperial carriage is still waiting at the foot of the mountain.”
Gu Yuanbai suddenly pulled away from Xue Yuan’s lips. Xue Yuan’s hand had already slipped inside his clothes. Sweat trickled down, both of them breathing heavily. Gu Yuanbai wiped the sweat from Xue Yuan’s forehead, his voice hoarse, “I’ll deal with you tonight.”
With that, he stepped back, picked up a cool jug from the bedside, and drank from it.
Xue Yuan sniffed, his lips covered in Gu Yuanbai’s scent. He wrapped himself in that scent and smiled, stepping forward to steal a sip of cool water from the emperor’s lips.
Once they were tidied up and ready to leave, Tian Fusheng whispered, “Your Majesty, the officials are waiting outside.”
Gu Yuanbai nodded casually, took a couple of steps forward, then suddenly stopped and turned back, staring at Xue Yuan, “Stay close to me.”
“I will,” Xue Yuan murmured, “I won’t leave you again.”
The bamboo house Xue Yuan had stayed in was exactly where the group was headed. Outside, Chu Wei had just finished talking with the scholar. Seeing the emperor approach, he smiled and said, “Your Majesty, the painting you wanted, ‘A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains’…”
He stopped abruptly upon seeing Xue Yuan, then continued, “The remaining parts of the original should be here with the scholar.”
The scholar, named Xin, wore rough cloth clothes and muddy straw sandals. He greeted everyone with a cheerful smile, appearing neither humble nor arrogant. However, he was quite excited to see Gu Yuanbai, launching into a lengthy praise.
Learning of Gu Yuanbai’s interest in the painting, Xin was delighted and eagerly offered to present the remaining part to the emperor, reuniting the two halves.
Most recluses were proud, and with the introduction of punctuation, their feelings towards Gu Yuanbai were complex. While some praised him, others criticized him indirectly by condemning Li Bao for disrespecting ancestral traditions.
These old-fashioned scholars would rather their descendants never enter officialdom than accept punctuation. They firmly expressed their hostility towards it. But Gu Yuanbai didn’t care. He wouldn’t pamper these scholars and recluses. If they didn’t want to serve, it was their loss, not his.
Gu Yuanbai ignored these dissenting voices, his indifference nearly causing the proud scholars to choke with anger. Many lay in bed, trembling and lamenting, “Oh, heavens! Is this the end of Great Heng? The end of our sage’s way!”
Gu Yuanbai just laughed it off and instructed that the “The Great Heng Daily” no longer accept articles without punctuation.
The introduction of punctuation initially strained relations between Gu Yuanbai and some scholars. However, over the past five years, its widespread use in civil exams had made students accustomed to it. Scholars could copy pre-punctuated texts from government offices, saving them significant effort and giving them more time to study. Humanity always evolves towards simplicity; once they experienced the benefits, most scholars sided with Gu Yuanbai.
Gu Yuanbai never lacked admiration from renowned scholars. Smiling calmly, he followed Scholar Xin to see the painting.
After viewing the second half of “A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains,” he remembered Chu Wei being deceived into buying a fake and teased, “Minister Chu, does seeing this painting upset you?”
Chu Wei sighed, “I once visited the scholar during my travels, and he showed me his collection. If I had been more attentive then, knowing the original was here, I wouldn’t have been deceived.”
Scholar Xin, surprised by the story, exclaimed, “You were fooled by a fake?”
Chu Wei didn’t deny it, “It was merely a source of amusement for the emperor.”
“What’s the big deal?” Gu Yuanbai laughed, “Whether original or fake, they’re all wonderful works.”
Chu Wei, glancing at the emperor’s comforting demeanor, lowered his head, feeling both ashamed and secretly pleased, “The emperor is right.”
After leaving the bamboo house, as they descended the mountain, Xue Yuan boldly squatted in front of Gu Yuanbai. Gu Yuanbai laughed and leaned forward, while Xue Yuan softly said, “Master Bai, hold on tight!”
He securely held Gu Yuanbai’s legs and steadily carried him down the gentle mountain path.
Officials followed, discussing the recent artwork, without finding anything amiss.
“There’s still the wind Bell to retrieve,” Gu Yuanbai reminded.
“Alright, let’s get the wind Bell,” Xue Yuan jostled him gently. The serene landscape and faint bell sounds awaited them. “I didn’t notice earlier, but this place is truly beautiful.”
Gu Yuanbai replied, “The landscapes of Liangzhe are no less magnificent.”
Xue Yuan smiled and then said what Gu Yuanbai wanted to hear, “I’ve never seen them, so I’ll need Your Majesty to take me along.”
Gu Yuanbai’s mouth curved up, “Granted.”
Gu Yuanbai had many questions, about others, how Xue Yuan ended up in Jiangnan, and how he knew where he would be. But the peaceful atmosphere made him reluctant to ask.
Xue Yuan carried him through the trees, occasionally lifting him to retrieve a bell. Gu Yuanbai reached out, untying each one.
It felt like they were in a different world from the others. Both the carrier and the carried were smiling, the bells in their hands lightly clinking like jade.
The others, watching silently, lowered their eyes.
Xue Yuan occasionally whispered in the emperor’s ear, making him laugh. The harsh sunlight softened, and the wind blew gently. Gu Yuanbai, confident he wouldn’t get hurt, relaxed on Xue Yuan’s back, sometimes letting go and sometimes resting his hands on Xue Yuan’s shoulders. He… seemed to trust Xue Yuan deeply.
No one else compared.
Wherever Gu Yuanbai pointed, Xue Yuan followed. They played joyfully, Gu Yuanbai’s whimsical directions leading them to another path. A deep stream blocked their way, with a thin wooden bridge crossing it, looking unstable. Tian Fusheng, panting, advised, “Your Majesty, let’s circle back!”
“Steward Tian, it’s not worth taking a detour,” Xue Yuan said. “Once we cross the stream, we should be close to the foot of the mountain.”
Tian Fusheng replied with difficulty, “Lord Xue, it’s not that I’m being fussy, but this single-log bridge looks truly dangerous.”
“Your Majesty, would you prefer to take the detour or cross the river?” Xue Yuan asked, turning his head slightly.
Gu Yuanbai lazily replied, “Cross the river.”
Xue Yuan smiled as if he had expected this. He lifted his robe and tucked it into his chest. He patted Gu Yuanbai’s leg, “Hold tight, don’t fall into the water.”
Gu Yuanbai instinctively tightened his legs, and the next moment, Xue Yuan leapt into the water amidst the palace servants’ gasps. He was tall, and the stream barely reached his waist. The water splashed up as he swiftly waded through, and in no time, they reached the other side.
Tian Fusheng, looking distressed, said, “Your Majesty, what about us?”
“Either take the detour or cross the river,” the emperor said strangely, “What else can you do?”
The guards swiftly crossed the single-log bridge, following closely behind the emperor. Tian Fusheng sighed repeatedly and led the officials who couldn’t cross the bridge back the way they came.
Before leaving, he glanced back one last time. The emperor was laughing heartily, looking extremely happy. Tian Fusheng turned back and suppressed his smile, politely saying, “Let’s go, gentlemen. Please follow me.”
***
On the way to Liangzhe, Xue Yuan finally explained everything.
When they returned to the Xizhou Kingdom, their remaining goods had been looted. Xue Yuan rushed back to the capital and happened to meet the officials sent by the Grand Council in Henan. Jiang Jin, seeing his urgency, inquired with the leading official and learned that the emperor had already headed south.
Xue Yuan remained silent but that night, he set off alone with three days’ worth of rations, riding swiftly towards Jiangnan. He was only informed of the emperor’s whereabouts by the officials from the Supervision Bureau at a relay station along the way.
He stayed at the scholar’s house, initially just wanting a nearby place to tidy himself up before seeing the emperor. Unexpectedly, the emperor’s carriage arrived from ten miles away. Xue Yuan, inspired, took out the wind bell he had carved and used it to welcome the emperor up the mountain.
Gu Yuanbai scolded him harshly, but after the reprimand, he took Xue Yuan’s hand, “I guessed you would be anxious after three years.”
Xue Yuan shook his head, leaned against the carriage wall, and smiled, “Your Majesty, it’s not just three years; it’s three years, six months, and three days.”
Gu Yuanbai fell silent.
Xue Yuan hooked his finger and leaned forward to kiss his ear, closing the carriage window, “My Majesty.”
Their clothes intertwined, and their long hair tangled together. Xue Yuan placed Gu Yuanbai’s hand on his chest, where his heart beat steadily. Each beat represented a day, and Gu Yuanbai quietly and intently felt the heart beating beneath his hand, spanning three years, six months, and three days.
From the day they parted to today, the void was suddenly filled.
