Even though they were traveling in disguise, the patterns and fabrics of their clothes were still far beyond what common folk could afford.
The shopkeeper, sharp-eyed, rushed over to greet them personally. “What would you gentlemen like to choose?”
Jiang Wu glanced at Yin Wuzhi. Since he had been staring at Qiu Wuchen’s dressing table, he must have some preference.
Yin Wuzhi, however, asked, “Do you have cinnabar?”
It was probably the first time the shopkeeper had seen someone come to a cosmetics shop to buy cinnabar, so she looked a little puzzled. “You might need to go to an apothecary for that.”
Jiang Wu was also confused but said, “We need the finest rouge and face powder.”
“Certainly, please come inside and have a seat. I’ll bring them right out for you.”
The shopkeeper seated Jiang Wu inside and served them tea, then asked, “May I ask how old your wife is?”
Jiang Wu replied, “Just turned twenty.”
The shopkeeper asked, “Does the lady prefer lighter or deeper shades of rouge?”
Jiang Wu answered, “Leans towards pink.”
Yin Wuzhi: “…”
“She must be an exquisite beauty,” the shopkeeper laughed. “Please wait a moment, I’ll fetch something for you to see.”
After the shopkeeper left, Jiang Wu turned to Yin Wuzhi and said, “Pick whatever you like. I’ll pay for it.”
Yin Wuzhi glared at him, “I’m not a woman. What would I do with this stuff?”
Jiang Wu looked at him.
Yin Wuzhi: “…”
His face flushed.
Jiang Wu said, “Men can wear rouge too. There’s no need to be embarrassed.”
Embarrassed your head. Yin Wuzhi thought irritably as he turned his face away.
The shopkeeper soon returned with a delicate box, “These are some of our finest rouges and powders. Look at this box. It was specially made by an artisan for the Peach Blossom Festival—there’s only one like it. The edges are adorned with pink peach blossoms, and there’s a hollowed-out pattern of swallows returning. It’s a perfect match for your lady.”
Jiang Wu seemed pleased.
The shopkeeper opened the box, “Inside, you’ll find this lip rouge. Try it. It’s finely crafted, filtered many times without a single air bubble, and has a faint fruity fragrance. When your lady applies it to her lips…” She chuckled softly.
Jiang Wu lifted the box to his nose and inhaled lightly. Indeed, it had a subtle, sweet fruit scent.
The shopkeeper leaned in closer and whispered, “It’s safe to eat.”
Yin Wuzhi: “…”
He pressed his lips tightly together, his ears turning redder by the second.
“Yin Wuzhi,” Jiang Wu called. “You try.”
The shopkeeper hesitated, then realized that the “exquisite beauty” she was referring to was standing right next to her. Before she could react, Yin Wuzhi shot her a glare so sharp it felt like a blade scraping across her face.
Good heavens, this isn’t a beauty, this is a grim reaper!
“P-pardon me young master, take your time. If you need anything, just call for me,” she stammered before hastily retreating.
Jiang Wu called again, “Yin Wuzhi.”
Yin Wuzhi, still with a stern face, said, “What’s there to try? Even if we buy it, I won’t use it.”
Jiang Wu replied, “Come here.”
Yin Wuzhi reluctantly walked over. He was so tall that Jiang Wu had to crane his neck to look up at him.
Luckily, Yin Wuzhi soon crouched down. Maybe because his internal injuries hadn’t healed, his complexion was still quite pale, and his lips had a constant, faint white hue. Jiang Wu held the box in his hand and said, “Try it.”
“I already said I won’t use it.”
Jiang Wu: “…”
Yin Wuzhi glanced at Jiang Wu’s expression and added, “You’re acting suspiciously kind. What’s your ulterior motive?”
Jiang Wu: “?”
“You’re not usually like this. You give me a sweet treat, make me happy, and then hit me with a heavy blow. You like seeing me act like a fool, laughing and crying for you. Does that make you feel accomplished?”
Jiang Wu thought about it seriously for a moment. From Yin Wuzhi’s perspective, it did seem that way. He said, “So, do you want to buy it or not?”
This was the first time Jiang Wu wanted to buy something for him.
Yin Wuzhi’s eyes turned red. “Aren’t you going to explain anything?”
What’s done is done—what’s there to explain?
“So you’re buying me something just to abandon me again later. Is this some kind of early compensation?”
“No,” Jiang Wu said. “If I wanted to abandon you, I wouldn’t compensate you at all.”
Hurting Yin Wuzhi didn’t benefit Jiang Wu in any way.
“Buying you something is just that—buying something. What you’re talking about, abandonment, is simply because I’m not accustomed to this body. I’ve never intended to treat you well just to hurt you later,” Jiang Wu explained. He added, “Except for the incident by the city moat. That was intentional, and I’ve already explained it to you.”
Yin Wuzhi sulked, “So, now, can I take this as you’re trying to make me happy?”
“Yes.”
Yin Wuzhi’s expression softened a little. He held Jiang Wu’s hand and asked, “So you want to make me happy by buying me something? Does that mean you care?”
Perhaps. Jiang Wu said, “Yes.”
Yin Wuzhi hesitated, “Really?”
“Yes.”
“Then I can just be happy, without overthinking it?”
“Yes.”
“And I don’t have to worry that you’ll try to commit suicide again tonight?”
Jiang Wu, full of patience, replied, “Yes.”
“And not tomorrow either?”
“…” I can’t promise that. “I have my own pursuits.”
Yin Wuzhi choked up, “Can you at least promise me that nothing will happen before we return to the palace? I haven’t slept well in a long time, and…”
No wonder he hadn’t looked well recently, and his internal injuries hadn’t healed. Jiang Wu, who valued sleep highly, felt his pain and immediately said, “I promise.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Relieved, Yin Wuzhi’s smile returned. Jiang Wu asked, “Do you still want this?”
Yin Wuzhi was tempted to say no but couldn’t resist. “Let’s buy it.”
“Try it.”
Yin Wuzhi wanted to say no again but finally said, “You do it for me.”
Jiang Wu: “Hold my hand.”
Yin Wuzhi obediently held Jiang Wu’s hand. His fair fingertips dipped into the lip rouge, bringing up a transparent pinkish hue. Yin Wuzhi brought Jiang Wu’s hand to his lips, parted them, and gently bit down.
Jiang Wu: “…Apply it properly.”
Yin Wuzhi pressed his lips against Jiang Wu’s fingertips, his dark lashes fluttering as he murmured, “I can’t see. Is it even?”
It couldn’t be even, just by pressing. The light pink hue was scattered unevenly across his pale lips, but as the shopkeeper had said, it had a good sheen and quickly absorbed into his lips.
Jiang Wu said, “Apply some more.”
Yin Wuzhi dipped his finger into the lip balm again. The light pink color made his lips appear soft and rosy, smoothing his normally sharp demeanor and giving him a youthful look.
Yin Wuzhi let Jiang Wu move his finger back and forth until he finally asked, “Is it done?”
“Yes,” Jiang Wu replied, pulling his hand back. But just then, Yin Wuzhi suddenly straightened up, moving closer from below. His pinkish-red lips came right up to Jiang Wu’s face.
Caught off guard, Jiang Wu’s eyes widened, and he held his breath.
“Your Majesty,” Yin Wuzhi’s lips moved as he spoke, and Jiang Wu instinctively responded, “Mm.”
“This lip balm really does have a fruity scent, like peaches.”
Jiang Wu had never eaten a peach before; he only smelled a faint sweetness, now mixed with Yin Wuzhi’s presence, making him feel slightly dizzy.
“Your Majesty,” Yin Wuzhi said, staring at him, “Would you like to taste it?”
“…” Jiang Wu stared back for a moment before answering, “Mm.”
Yin Wuzhi smiled as he pulled away from Jiang Wu’s lips, taking the peachy scent with him. “In a little while, the peach trees will be full of fruit. I’ll take Your Majesty to try them.”
Jiang Wu’s eyes unconsciously followed his lips. Though he had never eaten one, he had seen peaches before—delicate and pink, hanging from the branches. People said that when you bite into one, the juice would flow out abundantly.
“When will that be?” Jiang Wu asked.
“Your Majesty will surely have the chance to taste them,” Yin Wuzhi replied as he put away the lip balm and went ahead to pay the shopkeeper.
As they were leaving, the shopkeeper couldn’t help but sneak glances at Yin Wuzhi’s lips.
Yin Wuzhi’s mood brightened considerably. He occasionally pressed his lips together to taste the fruity flavor, and asked, “Where are we going next?”
Jiang Wu, absentmindedly rubbing his fingers together, was still thinking about what peaches tasted like. Were they as sweet as grapes?
“Your Majesty?”
“Hmm?”
“Where to now?”
“To buy cinnabar.”
This was something Yin Wuzhi had asked for earlier. His eyes sparkled with joy as he responded, “Alright, let’s buy cinnabar.”
On their way back after buying the cinnabar, Jiang Wu was already feeling drowsy. By the time they reached the temple, he had completely fallen asleep.
He felt himself being lifted and carefully placed on a hammock. Someone was gently pushing the hammock, and he floated dreamily upward into the clouds.
In his dream, he walked through the mist and saw a bamboo forest. Beside the bamboo was a pavilion, and beyond that, an osmanthus tree.
Beneath the tree laid a figure that looked just like him, with a large black dog resting nearby.
Suddenly, the dog jumped up and ran right through Jiang Wu’s body, followed by a familiar, clingy whimpering sound.
“Shh,” Jiang Wu turned to see a boy with soft pink lips patting the black dog’s head. “Keep it quiet.”
The boy passed by Jiang Wu and went to the person lying beneath the osmanthus tree. The tree had not yet bloomed, but its vibrant green leaves provided perfect shade from the sun.
The boy sat down and opened a cloth bag, revealing freshly washed peaches.
A lazy voice drifted over, “The peach trees at Shengguo Temple are full again.”
“How do you know they’re from Shengguo Temple?”
“I can tell by the smell.” The person under the tree opened his eyes and looked gently at the boy beside him. “It’s your first time eating them in so many years since you haven’t come back.”
“There are no peaches this juicy in the southern regions.” Yin Wuzhi handed him a peach. The person sat up, took it, and bit into it. Yin Wuzhi asked eagerly, “How is it?”
“Sweet.” The person squinted and smiled, “Thank you for going out of your way to get them.”
Yin Wuzhi said, “I’d cross mountains and rivers for anything you want to eat.”
Jiang Wu walked over and sat beside them, drooling at the sight of the bitten peach. He wanted to taste it, too.
The person who looked like him took another bite.
Jiang Wu licked his lips and said to Yin Wuzhi, “I want to eat it, too.”
Yin Wuzhi looked at him, then held the peach to his mouth. Just as Jiang Wu opened his mouth to bite, Yin Wuzhi quickly pulled it away, laughing, “Not giving you any.”
He devoured the peach in a few quick bites, leaving nothing.
Jiang Wu: “…”
He decided he would never speak to Yin Wuzhi again.
Yin Wuzhi sat by the hammock, watching Jiang Wu’s mouth open and close, as if he was still hungry in his dream. Hesitating for a moment, Yin Wuzhi took out a handkerchief and wiped the drool from Jiang Wu’s lips. Just as he finished, Jiang Wu opened his eyes.
Yin Wuzhi asked, “You’re awake. Are you hungry?”
Jiang Wu stared at him for a while before starting to turn over in the hammock. He wriggled around, but without any support from the hammock and moving so sluggishly, he couldn’t really turn over.
Yin Wuzhi watched him move.
Jiang Wu commanded, “Turn me over.”
Yin Wuzhi sighed, lifting him out of the hammock and laying him back down on his side. Then he walked around to face him again and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Wu had half of his face buried in the hammock’s fabric, leaving only one eye visible. He said, “Go behind me.”
Yin Wuzhi obeyed, circling to stand behind him and asking again, “Your Majesty, isn’t this uncomfortable?”
It was true that lying sideways wasn’t as comfortable, but Jiang Wu didn’t want to deal with him.
Yin Wuzhi finally realized that the Emperor was angry.
He thought to himself, “?”
Then, “!”
He asked, “Your Majesty, who has dared to anger you?”
Jiang Wu could actually get angry?
Qi Hanmiao took a sharp breath, “Angry? Aside from the young shizi, is there anyone else lucky enough to cause the Emperor such fury?”
Yin Wuzhi’s expression darkened as a murderous glint flickered in his eyes.
After how Yin Wuzhi had treated him the other day, Jiang Wu hadn’t lost his temper. But now, he was angry because of someone else?
“Who could possibly be worthy of making him angry?”
Yin Wuzhi circled back to Jiang Wu and said, “Tell me, Your Majesty, and I’ll teach them a lesson.”
Jiang Wu replied, “Yin Wuzhi.”
“Hmm.” Yin Wuzhi smiled kindly on the surface, though he was already mentally preparing to bury someone. “Please, Your Majesty, go on.”
“It was Yin Wuzhi who made me angry.”
“…” The murderous intent vanished.
Qi Hanmiao sighed, “The life of the young shizi is just too perfect.”
