Chapter 135
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Lin Qingyang only remembered going out for drinks with Qi Yan last night. After educating Qi Yan, he wouldn’t take him to such places anymore. They just ate, drank, chatted about gossip in the palace, and got a bit tipsy. They hurried back when he started feeling a bit light-headed.
He slept until dawn, thinking it should have been a peaceful night.
But waking up surrounded by a crowd was already strange enough, and to his astonishment, he wasn’t alone in his bed.
His shirt was open, and there was a blanket covering him from the waist down. The soft object he had felt pressed against him was actually another person’s body.
He had risen with his upper body draped over someone.
And that someone happened to be the male lead, Chu Lishu.
Chu Lishu was dressed in a thin inner garment, the shirt partially open, revealing a large expanse of skin. One of his shoulders was mostly exposed, and he slept in a blurry state.
Perhaps disturbed by the recent commotion, Chu Lishu shifted uncomfortably. He turned his head to face away, and the collective gasps from those outside became even more pronounced.
Lin Qingyang was already trembling with shock. He quickly raised his fingers to signal the crowd to be quiet and instructed Shuncai to take them out.
The old craftsman and his apprentice, who had barged in, were already stupefied. This was not what they had expected, and their momentum had dissipated.
Before they could react, Shuncai had exerted all his strength to push them out.
The household guards were stationed outside, and as soon as the intruders were pushed out, they were immediately apprehended.
Earlier, Nanny Ding and Shuncai had tried to stop the old craftsman from making a scene, but he insisted that the young master forcibly took Changjun and demanded to come in to find him.
Seeing that they couldn’t stop the situation, Nanny Ding didn’t dare let too many people in. In case they witnessed a distressing scene, where would the young master’s face go? She could only come in with Shuncai to intercept them and let the guards stay outside.
In their hearts, they had already assumed that Changjun was inside the room.
After all, during this period, the young master and Changjun had become excessively intimate. They thought it was just a matter of time. The old craftsman had hurriedly come to look for them in the morning, saying that Changjun, who was supposed to come back last night, hadn’t returned. They urgently needed to find Changjun. So Shuncai went to look for him, but there was no one in the workshop. Nanny Ding felt that something was amiss and searched the entire residence with her people, but still couldn’t find him. The old craftsman started crying out, expressing his suspicions, and Shuncai and Nanny Ding had no choice but to come to the young master with their people.
Taking advantage of the situation, they tried to forcefully enter, catching everyone off guard.
The door to the inner room was open. A glance inside revealed disheveled clothes, indicating that there was more than one person.
At this moment, everyone assumed that the young master, in a drunken state, was indeed favoring Changjun.
However, what they never expected was that there was indeed someone on the bed, but it was the young master’s cousin, Chu Lishu!
In fact, Shuncai had seen Chu Lishu and Lin Qingyang sharing a bed before, but that had been his own little secret. Now, that little secret had become an open and public one. Even if the people outside didn’t see it with their own eyes, they must have some idea of what was going on.
The scene just now was beyond imagination. Shuncai couldn’t dare to think about it.
Now that it had been so blatantly seen by everyone, the relationship between these two young masters would be hard to explain.
Nanny Ding’s face was full of defeat, and she was so angry that she had the unruly craftsmen tied up and beaten. After all, they had intruded into the young master’s residence without permission, and there was no one inside as they claimed.
Not only did they wrongly accuse the young master, but they also uncovered another secret that shouldn’t have come to light. This was a mess.
At this moment, Lin Qinglan also arrived upon hearing the news. She saw the scene of the guards dragging the craftsmen out to be beaten and quickly asked what was going on.
Nanny Ding knew she couldn’t stop it anymore and sighed, narrating what she had just seen and heard.
Lin Qinglan, feeling dizzy, almost fainted. After being slapped on the acupoint between her eyebrows to wake her up, she quickly pressed for more details about what had happened.
Nanny Ding could only express her longstanding suspicions and then tried to console, “Actually… Young Master Chu might not necessarily be coerced. He seems like a determined person. Perhaps… Shuncai, it’s your master so you speak!”
“Speak!” Lin Qinglan urged anxiously.
Shuncai knelt on the ground, feeling helpless, “This servant… this servant only knows that the young master has always been quite fond of Young Master Chu. He even stopped going to the Secluded Courtyard Pavilion for him. It’s… it might be a good thing.” It’s over. With the way things have unfolded today, he was sure to receive a severe beating later.
But the one feeling most doomed was the unfortunate scapegoat inside the room.
Lin Qingyang sent the people away and, feeling shaky, tried to move away from Chu Lishu. He desperately tried to recall—surely, nothing happened? He just pressed down on him.
But the terrifying thing now was that they were being watched. The way those people who had just barged in were looking at them made Lin Qingyang feel like he had stepped into hell. The male lead’s reputation was probably ruined.
Lin Qingyang was just about to move when he lowered his head and met a pair of clearly defined black-and-white eyes.
Lin Qingyang almost didn’t catch his breath. “M-morning.”
“Morning,” Chu Lishu gave a slight yawn.
His eyes had a captivating allure, and… wait, was it really the time to be thinking about this?
Lin Qingyang briskly jumped off the bed, quickly adjusting his clothes, resembling the appearance of a flower thief.
Chu Lishu stretched lazily and sat up, casually putting on his clothes.
Chu Lishu’s nonchalant demeanor reassured Lin Qingyang that he hadn’t done anything inappropriate. Clearing his throat, he asked, “How come you’re in…”
“I came back last night, and heard you had been drinking, so I came to check on you. But then cousin decided to act crazy and wouldn’t let me leave, so we ended up sleeping here,” Chu Lishu explained.
Lin Qingyang couldn’t remember anything at all. It seemed like Chu Lishu had mentioned before that he could get wild when drunk. It looked like he really needed to quit drinking; not a drop should pass his lips.
“Um, there’s something I need to tell you. Don’t get mad, okay?” Lin Qingyang awkwardly began. He thought it would be better to give Chu Lishu a heads-up.
“What happened? I heard some commotion just now,” Chu Lishu said as he continued to dress, looking curious.
Lin Qingyang, feeling a bit embarrassed, recounted the situation that had just occurred. He reassured Chu Lishu, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they won’t say anything. Nothing really happened.”
“Cousin, there’s no need to worry. It’s just a small matter. It might affect cousin’s reputation a bit, though,” Chu Lishu said.
Lin Qingyang thought about it and agreed. Considering how others perceived them, they might think he was taking advantage of Chu Lishu, especially with his reputation. Lin Qingyang smiled nonchalantly and said, “I’m fine with it. What matters is your reputation.”
Chu Lishu’s smile suddenly took on a deeper meaning. “Is that so? Then I can rest easy. By the way, I noticed quite a unique transformation this time I came back.”
Chu Lishu’s nonchalant attitude made Lin Qingyang think it wasn’t a big deal. After all, he had been misunderstood many times, and he had become somewhat numb to it. Lin Qingyang then shifted the conversation to tell Chu Lishu about an interesting person he had met, someone who seemed to match the description of the young friend mentioned in Chief Steward Ning’s letter. Since the fragmented information from the letter and Changjun’s own statements could be connected, it wouldn’t raise suspicions about Lin Qingyang.
Chu Lishu nodded, indicating he understood.
“Later, I’ll have that person come to meet you,” Lin Qingyang said.
Chu Lishu smiled slightly. “Sure, I’ll head back to my courtyard first.”
Lin Qingyang nodded, letting Chu Lishu leave. However, when he turned to look at the bedding, he felt like something was off. Since his bedding was mostly in a similar color scheme with slight variations in patterns, Lin Qingyang didn’t notice that his bedding had been swapped.
Chu Lishu emerged with a smile, but as soon as he stepped out, his expression changed. Suppressing his brows, lowering his head, he appeared somewhat displeased. Upon hearing Lin Qinglan calling him from outside, Chu Lishu immediately adjusted his demeanor. “Cousin, sorry, I’ll head back… and freshen up a bit.”
After saying that, Chu Lishu hastily left.
His hurried departure left an impression on everyone as if confirming the fact that someone had exerted force.
Lin Qinglan felt like fainting again.
While they were waiting for Lin Qingyang to come out, Qiu Qing arrived. In a solemn tone, he announced that County Princess Yawen had requested their presence.
It wasn’t good news that they were specifically sought out at this time. Could the news have spread so quickly?
Originally, Nanny Ding and Lin Qinglan planned to keep it from Yawen, but they forgot about Qiu Qing, an honest girl.
Yawen heard about the incident outside and intended to have Nanny Ding take a look. However, Qiu Qing arrived first, so Yawen had to ask Qiu Qing for information. Unfortunately, Qiu Qing, being an honest girl, hadn’t learned her godmother’s cunning ways and just blurted out everything she saw. As a result, Yawen found out about the morning’s events.
After Lin Qingyang came out, there was no one around. A servant informed him to visit the main hostess County Princess Yawen.
Upon arriving there, he discovered that Chu Lishu had also been invited.
Lin Qingyang frowned slightly, already anticipating what might happen. At this point, Nanny Ding’s displeasure was evident, and she gestured for Lin Qingyang to enter first.
Upon entering, Lin Qingyang was immediately reprimanded by County Princess Yawen: “Kneel!”
Lin Qingyang immediately knelt down and said, “Mother, I know you must have misunderstood something. I can explain.”
“What’s there to explain? So many people saw the two of you sleeping together. What else is there to explain?” County Princess Yawen rarely getting up, sat on the couch with a commanding posture.
“We often sleep together.”
“What!”
“No, what I mean is, we are just good brothers who sleep together. Mother, I really haven’t done anything.”
“Do you think I would believe that? Even occasionally bumping into each other is too much. Normally, you guys… Son, I know you like men, I can pretend not to see even if you keep a male pet casually. But you can’t touch Chu Lishu! He is your cousin, not someone you can casually arrange and dismiss, someone kept in the inner courtyard, and he’s such an outstanding child. He wasn’t originally inclined this way. How can you treat him like this? Even if you like him, you can’t force him. Don’t think he doesn’t have elders to support him, and you can just bully him! I thought you had changed for the better. Have you now changed your strategy to fishing with a long line for big fish? Look at that child, he doesn’t even resist. Has he been worn down by you already?”
Lin Qingyang opened his mouth but didn’t know how to refute. He felt that he was even more wronged than Dou E. It seemed that even though he had whitewashed himself a lot, deep-rooted impressions would still affect a person’s judgment.
“I’m really… innocent. I haven’t touched him. As you said, he’s my cousin. How could I dare? I don’t want to ruin his future either,” Lin Qingyang knew that saying he liked women at this moment would probably be considered a lie. “Moreover, everyone who saw us only saw us lying together. It’s not some indecent scene. You all have misunderstood. If you don’t believe me, let Chu Lishu come and clarify.”
“Of course, I will ask him,” responded County Princess Yawen.
Upon hearing the displeasure in the tone of County Princess Yawen, Lin Qingyang thought it was like a melodramatic TV series at 8 PM. While he was being reprimanded here, they were going to question Chu Lishu about why he seduced him on the other side. This wasn’t good at all. “Mother, asking is seeking the truth. Don’t think he’s some indecent person. He is currently the most outstanding among all our fellow study companions in the palace.”
With an unfriendly tone, County Princess Yawen responded, “Do you think I would believe that he seduced you? When he first arrived, he knew the rules well. Such a person would only be oppressed by you and wouldn’t do something disgraceful like that.”
Lin Qingyang’s mouth twitched; indeed, this was his biological mother.
Soon, Chu Lishu walked in, bowing respectfully with a calm expression.
County Princess Yawen spoke, “Lishu, I’m sorry for the inconvenience. If you have any grievances, you can tell your aunt. Even though I’m unwell, I can still manage your cousin.”
“Mother…”
“Shut up!”
Lin Qingyang could only look at Chu Lishu helplessly.
Chu Lishu glanced at Lin Qingyang and then looked at County Princess Yawen with an expression of uncertainty on how to address the situation.
In a moment of suspicion, Lin Qingyang was chased out by County Princess Yawen.
Until only County Princess Yawen and Nanny Ding remained in the room facing Chu Lishu.
“Lishu, you can speak freely now,” County Princess Yawen said.
Chu Lishu then spoke, “Since Aunt already knows everything, further questioning would only embarrass the younger generation. I admit that what happened was inappropriate, but at this point, I hope Aunt won’t pursue it any further.”
With these words, County Princess Yawen and Nanny Ding were left stunned. Chu Lishu’s account contradicted their own judgments and the victim’s statement entirely.
“But you… you…”
“Aunt, for the sake of family harmony, I won’t admit this matter publicly with cousin. Yesterday, Uncle and Grandmother wanted to arrange a marriage for me, but I declined. I’ve decided to assist cousin wholeheartedly. If you wish him to marry and have children, I won’t object. However, cousin might not be willing. Regarding your marriage arrangement to cousin, do you think forcing someone into marriage is fair to the girl? I have no intention of marrying now, so as long as I have a place in this family, I’ll do my best to protect it. I’ve said what I needed to say, and I’m a bit tired. I’ll take my leave now.”
County Princess Yawen and Nanny Ding were once again dumbfounded. They watched as Chu Lishu bowed and turned to leave.
Without much thought, County Princess Yawen hurriedly inquired, “The Marquis actually arranged a marriage for you. Don’t you want to return to a normal life?”
Chu Lishu smiled, “After all, my cousin treats me sincerely, so I don’t ask for much. Besides, Uncle wants me to marry either Lin Qingyao or Lin Qingwei.”
This statement instantly darkened the expressions of both County Princess Yawen and Nanny Ding.
“And, if Aunt decides not to interfere with us, it’s better to keep some things in our hearts. Don’t bring them up face-to-face. Let’s continue as if nothing happened. This way, there will be fewer rumors outside, which is better for our careers.” Chu Lishu said and then walked out.
As soon as he stepped out, he saw Lin Qingyang looking anxious, asking, “How did it go? Did you explain everything?”
Chu Lishu nodded, “I explained, but it depends on how Aunt interprets it. However, even if we are misunderstood, it doesn’t matter much. After all, we are very busy in the short term, and I don’t think we can consider marriage.”
Lin Qingyang felt a bit troubled, “I never wanted to consider marriage in the first place.”
Chu Lishu smiled slightly, “That’s good. Just go with the flow for everything else.”
Chu Lishu’s attitude made Lin Qingyang reluctant to say anything. Strictly speaking, as long as the male lead didn’t mind, nothing else mattered.
When Yawen called Lin Qingyang in, she just said, “In the future, be more discreet, don’t create another incident like today.”
Lin Qingyang nodded quickly.
Yawen couldn’t help but ask one more question, “Son, are you really not considering marriage anymore?”
Lin Qingyang recalled Chu Lishu’s words earlier and nodded. He thought it would be better to focus on surviving for now. If he expressed a desire for marriage, they would likely keep their hopes up and try to arrange something. Moreover, as a soul from the modern world, he didn’t really like the traditional arranged marriage system. It wasn’t guaranteed that he would even like the girls they might suggest. He preferred to handle his love life on his own in the future.
Seeing him nod, Yawen sighed and waved her hand, allowing him to leave.
Not long after, Lin Qinglan rushed in anxiously, asking about the situation.
Yawen could only sigh and was on the verge of worsening her condition. Fortunately, Nanny Ding comforted her. She mentioned that the young master was originally homosexual, and as long as he didn’t harm any girls, it was considered good moral character. If he truly sought a male partner, it would be better to choose someone like Chu Lishu – born into a reputable family, handsome, talented, and with a clear background. Such a well-rounded candidate could manage the young master’s life without causing major troubles. Though unable to bear children, it was still a better option than anyone else.
Nanny Ding’s intention was to comfort her mistress, but as she continued, it seemed to align more with the idea that Lin Qingyang and Chu Lishu would make a good couple. Towards the end of her words, both Yawen and Lin Qinglan suddenly felt that if Lin Qingyang couldn’t change, perhaps he was right to pursue Chu Lishu. After all, where else could they find such a suitable partner? It seemed like their Yang Yang had a vision for the future, taking the initiative early on.
After all the commotion, and upon learning that Marquis An Nan intended to arrange a marriage for Chu Lishu, Lin Qingyang and Lin Qinglan were determined to hold onto this potential “daughter-in-law.” They were determined not to let Chu Lishu slip away, fearing that if he did, Lin Qingyang might bring back a male companion that would drive them insane.
At the same time, they emphasized the need to educate the servants and ensure they kept quiet about the relationship between the “cousins.” Such matters were to be kept private, even if they were close relatives. They didn’t want outsiders meddling in their affairs.
In the future, they decided to use the incompatibility of personalities as an excuse to reject any proposed marriages. As for what others might speculate, without evidence, there was little they could do.
When Marquis An Nan came to discuss the marriage proposal, he was promptly turned away by Yawen.
In this way, without Lin Qingyang’s knowledge, Marquis An Nan’s residence and the owners of the other courtyard were all aware that he had a discreet male partner. Lin Qingyang and Chu Lishu kept their relationship a secret.
Chu Lishu felt relieved; only a few key individuals knew about their relationship, and they dared not disclose a word to the outside world. This effectively put an end to any thoughts of arranging a marriage for them and prevented any wild individuals from climbing into their master’s bed. The situation became peaceful.
Chu Lishu acted like he had set up an invisible barrier, enclosing Lin Qingyang, slowly tightening it. It was an intangible way of trapping him until the threat disappeared. Only then would Chu Lishu openly embrace him.
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Poor Qinglan fainted everyday.
And heyy what a sly vixen we have here.