Jiang Wu didn’t want to see Yin Wuzhi at the moment, but he was too lazy to turn over again, so he closed his eyes.
A hand gently patted his head.
Yin Wuzhi’s hand, still wrapped in bandages, hadn’t healed yet. Whenever he touched Jiang Wu with it, Jiang Wu couldn’t help but think back to the day in the hot springs when Yin Wuzhi retaliated against him. Even though his own body was in such a state, with each breath his lungs whistled, Yin Wuzhi still forced him to endure more.
At first, Jiang Wu thought Yin Wuzhi was simply exacting revenge on him, but gradually, he realized it wasn’t just that.
“Your Majesty,” Yin Wuzhi’s voice echoed in his ear, “how exactly did I anger you?”
Jiang Wu remained silent.
“Shall I apologize?”
Whether or not Yin Wuzhi apologized was his concern; whether or not Jiang Wu accepted it was his own. He cracked open one eye. Yin Wuzhi’s face was serious. “I was wrong, Your Majesty. I shouldn’t have made you upset. Please, forgive this humble servant. Hmm?”
Jiang Wu decided not to forgive him.
He closed his eye again.
“Your Majesty? Your Majesty?” Yin Wuzhi gently nudged him, making him sway slightly. “Please forgive me, Your Majesty. At least, tell me what I did wrong so I can avoid doing it again in the future. What if I upset you by accident again?”
He had a point.
Jiang Wu didn’t want to once again reach for a peach in a dream, only to bite into empty air.
He simply said, “In the dream, Yin Wuzhi wouldn’t give me a peach to eat.”
Qi Hanmiao suddenly perked up, “Your Majesty wants to eat a peach?”
“Yes.”
“His Majesty wants a peach!” Qi Hanmiao exclaimed. “The south is warmer than here, so some trees might already be bearing fruit. I’ll go inform the Great Empress Dowager immediately and have them send a batch of peaches as quickly as possible!”
He was overjoyed, acting quickly, and was about to dash out the door. Yin Wuzhi rushed over and blocked his path. “No need to hurry. The peaches here will ripen soon enough.”
“But the peach blossoms just started blooming. It’ll be at least until July or August before they bear fruit.”
“That’s quite a while.”
“Exactly,” Qi Hanmiao said anxiously. “What if His Majesty no longer wants peaches by then?”
“Please, wait…”
Ignoring Yin Wuzhi’s attempts to stop him, Qi Hanmiao hurriedly ran out, bumping into Marquis Zuowu along the way. “What’s the rush, Eunuch Qi?”
“I need to find peaches for His Majesty.”
“Peaches?”
“Yes,” Qi Hanmiao’s face was glowing with excitement. “It’s the first time His Majesty has ever asked for anything to eat.”
Marquis Zuowu clapped his thigh. “That’s wonderful! As it happens, peaches from my hometown should be ripe by now. Let’s leave it to Zuo Haoqing. I’ll have him ride swiftly and bring them back.”
Qi Hanmiao, worried about where to find the fruit, agreed, “Great, I’ll go report this to the Great Empress Dowager and make sure she’s happy too.”
“Zuo Haoqing is an excellent rider! He’ll be quick.”
“Thank you!” Qi Hanmiao shouted from a distance as he ran off.
Seeing that he couldn’t stop them, Yin Wuzhi returned to Jiang Wu’s side and said, “Your Majesty, you haven’t eaten peaches before, so you might not know this, but the best ones are from Shengguo Temple.”
“I want to eat one now.”
Yin Wuzhi seemed to think of something and said, “Right now?”
“Yes.” Jiang Wu was dying of curiosity. What did peaches taste like? Would they taste like what he smelled from Yin Wuzhi earlier? And how would it feel to have the juice flood his mouth?
Yin Wuzhi said, “Wait a moment.”
He stepped away from Jiang Wu’s sight and moved in front of the bronze mirror, lowering his gaze as he took out the box of lip balm.
When he returned earlier, he had hidden the box for fear his father would discover it. Now, facing the mirror with his back to the light, he suddenly noticed that the color of this lip balm looked somewhat familiar.
Of course, he hadn’t seen what it looked like on his own lips, but he distinctly remembered, on that day in the hot spring cave, seeing that the jade-scaled mermaid in the pool bore two marks strikingly similar in color.
Yin Wuzhi’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
He quickly returned to Jiang Wu’s side, reaching out to help him up from the hammock.
Jiang Wu’s gaze fell on his lips.
Yin Wuzhi was naturally quite handsome—his pale skin and striking features would be praised even in the language of a millennia later. The color of this lip balm did not seem out of place on him; in fact, it looked exceptionally beautiful.
“This lip balm must have been made with peach juice from Shengguo Temple.” Supporting Jiang Wu by the shoulders, his hand slipped from his arm down to his waist as he leaned in closer and closer. “Your Majesty, why don’t you give it a taste?”
Jiang Wu caught the familiar scent of peach. He didn’t move, so Yin Wuzhi had no choice but to close the distance himself, pressing his lips against his.
Jiang Wu wasn’t sure if this counted as tasting the peaches from Shengguo Temple; his chin was lifted involuntarily, and he thought about the peach he hadn’t had the chance to eat in his dream. His mouth started to water.
The saliva formed, only to be quickly swallowed by Yin Wuzhi.
Jiang Wu began to feel a bit short of breath.
“Yin Shu.” The voice of King Dingnan suddenly sounded. He called, “Don’t keep staying in that room…”
“Got it!”
King Dingnan happened to walk to the window and leaned in for a look.
Yin Wuzhi stood with his back to him in front of the hammock, and it seemed the Emperor was lying there asleep. He said, “Just because His Majesty favors you, don’t linger here every day. The Empress Dowager just ordered Zuo Haoqing to return to his hometown overnight to select a batch of fine peaches to bring to the palace. You’ll need to guard the temple gates as well.”
“Got it.”
“What are you standing there for?”
Yin Wuzhi looked at the emperor lying expressionless in the hammock, reached out and massaged his arm. “I’m giving His Majesty a massage.”
“… Good-for-nothing.” King Dingnan grumbled and added, “Hurry up and put on your armor and guard the gate.”
“Yes.”
King Dingnan’s head disappeared from the window.
Yin Wuzhi slowly crouched down in front of the hammock and gently touched the corner of Jiang Wu’s mouth.
Jiang Wu’s lips were pink from all the kissing, which, on his delicate and jade-like face, gave him a slightly pitiful and vulnerable look, as though he had been bullied.
Yin Wuzhi couldn’t help but smile and gave him another kiss on the corner of his mouth. “Your Majesty, I have to go guard the mountain now.”
Jiang Wu: “…”
Yin Wuzhi stood up again. “Or perhaps I’ll wait until after you’ve had dinner.”
Tonight’s dinner was sweet tofu pudding. Yin Wuzhi himself preferred the salty kind, adding cilantro, crushed peanuts, and other toppings, but Jiang Wu liked it simple and easy to swallow.
Yin Wuzhi intentionally didn’t wipe away the pink marks around Jiang Wu’s lips. As he fed Jiang Wu, he couldn’t help thinking it felt like feeding a baby. He couldn’t resist leaning over to kiss Jiang Wu’s cheek again.
The lip balm had worn off, so this kiss left no mark on Jiang Wu’s face.
Jiang Wu remained expressionless, and Yin Wuzhi asked him, “How did the peach taste, Your Majesty?”
Jiang Wu wasn’t sure if it counted as eating a peach.
Maybe it did.
After all, when Yin Wuzhi had kissed his upper or lower lip, Yin Wuzhi’s lips were also in his mouth.
“Yin Shu.” King Dingnan came urging again. “Go to the temple gate quickly. Zuo Haoqing is waiting for you to take over.”
“Yes,” Yin Wuzhi said, “But first, let me feed His Majesty.”
King Dingnan was about to lose his temper, but then, remembering the emperor’s pitiful circumstances, he relented with sympathy. “Your Majesty, should this old servant feed you instead?”
Before Jiang Wu could answer, Yin Wuzhi quickly said, “No need!”
Afraid King Dingnan would really come in, Yin Wuzhi hurriedly wiped the pink “mustache” from Jiang Wu’s lips with a cloth. However, King Dingnan did enter, saying, “I was asking His Majesty, not you.”
Then, taking a few steps forward, he respectfully said to Jiang Wu, “Your Majesty, this old servant often feeds my wife at home. I even raised this brat myself by hand. If Your Majesty would allow, let this old servant handle it.”
Jiang Wu didn’t mind. “Hmm.”
Yin Wuzhi’s face darkened as King Dingnan snatched the bowl from his hands. “Go, put on your armor and guard the temple gate.”
Though King Dingnan looked rough, he was actually quite meticulous. As he prepared to feed Jiang Wu, he suddenly noticed something off. “Your Majesty, why are your lips so red? Did you eat something wrong?”
Although the pink had been mostly wiped away, Jiang Wu’s skin was so fair that a faint trace of redness remained, like a thin veil, still visible.
He leaned in for a closer look, but Jiang Wu stayed completely still.
Suddenly, Yin Wuzhi grabbed his father’s shoulder, forcefully pulling him back. “Father, I just remembered, there’s something I haven’t reported to His Majesty.”
“What is it?”
“Well, it’s, uh…” Not able to think of anything on the spot, he turned to Jiang Wu and said, “Your Majesty, please dismiss those present. I have something important to report.”
King Dingnan glanced around. Without a doubt, “those present” referred to him.
He sneered, “What could you possibly say that even I can’t hear?”
With a pleading look, Yin Wuzhi glanced at Jiang Wu, who gave him a brief look and said indifferently, “Leave.”
King Dingnan, stunned, said, “Did you hear that? His Majesty said you should—” He realized the emperor’s gaze was on him. Begrudgingly, he placed the bowl on the table and respectfully said, “This old servant takes his leave.”
As he exited, he shot a fierce glare at Yin Wuzhi.
Once he left, Yin Wuzhi immediately resumed feeding Jiang Wu. As he fed him, he said, “Your Majesty, I don’t want to guard the temple gate.”
Jiang Wu looked at him.
Yin Wuzhi pursed his lips and coughed lightly, “When I fell off the cliff last time, I was severely injured. I’m still not fully recovered.”
Jiang Wu glanced at his lips. Without the lip balm, they had returned to their usual pale color. He said, “Do you have a replacement in mind?”
Fifteen minutes later, a young eunuch hurried to the courtyard gate, where Marquis Zuowu, was playing chess with King Dingnan. Seeing the eunuch, Marquis Zuowu asked, “What’s the matter?”
“By His Majesty’s decree, Yin Shu’s injuries are too severe for him to properly guard the temple.”
King Dingnan frowned, “That little injury of his? He can’t even stand guard?”
Marquis Zuowu was puzzled. “Did His Majesty appoint anyone else?”
“His Majesty said King Dingnan should guard the temple.”
King of Dingnan: “???”
Marquis Zuowu stifled a laugh, but the eunuch continued, “And His Majesty requests the Marquis join him.”
The stifled laugh quickly vanished.
That spring night, the mountain winds howled.
King Dingnan was patrolling outside the temple for the third time when he ran into a visibly frustrated Marquis Zuowu. Unable to hold it in any longer, King Dingnan cursed, “That ungrateful son of mine!”
Marquis Zuowu, having found an outlet for his anger, shouted, “Your brilliant parenting! Now your son is bullying us in the official ranks!”
King Dingnan asked, “What do you mean by ‘bullying’?”
“Let me rephrase. He’s abusing his favor and power! Not only that, he’s even bullying his own father.”
“You old scoundrel! Watch your words!”
“I’m no scoundrel, but your son is cozying up to the emperor. What sort of pillow talk is he whispering now? I, Marquis Zuowu, and you, the hero of Dingnan, should be the ones standing by His Majesty’s side! After all our struggles to get here, and we’ve been sent to guard a temple by some upstart kid! Doesn’t that just make your blood boil?”
King Dingnan: “…”
He asked, “What if it were Zuo Haoqing…?”
“I’d break his legs!”
Meanwhile, Zuo Haoqing, who was riding through the night on a mission, sneezed several times. Remembering the look on the Great Empress Dowager’s face when she gave him his task, he took a deep breath and adjusted his hat.
“Find peaches for His Majesty—delicious ones, with no sourness at all. The shape must be perfect, with no unevenness at the top, and the color must be pure white with a hint of pink, absolutely no green.”
This was the first fruit the emperor had shown any desire to eat since falling ill.
Zuo Haoqing, you must not disappoint His Majesty.
“Hyah!” The sound of horse hooves faded into the distance.
In the small courtyard of the temple, Jiang Wu, freshly bathed, was sound asleep. He had been moved from the hammock to the bed, with an extra two layers of bedding underneath, making it extremely soft.
Naturally, this was Yin Wuzhi’s doing.
With his long hair draped over his shoulders, he sat at the bedside, taking out a fragrant balm from Qiu Wuchen. He applied a small amount to his wrist.
He was sure that the night he smelled the familiar scent, he had a dream. Although he couldn’t remember it when he woke, the feeling of happiness lingered in his heart, even now, bringing a deep sense of contentment.
After completing this, he moved in front of the bronze mirror, staring at his own reflection.
Changing one’s appearance—could that really be a way to make someone stay forever?
“Yin Wuzhi, what are you thinking?” he thought, chiding himself. “Such tricks are nonsense, yet you believe them.”
In the quiet of the night, he carefully picked up a fine brush, hesitating as he dotted a small spot at the corner of his left eye.
The flickering candlelight caused the face in the mirror to shift between light and shadow, but that small red mark stood out vividly.
Hearing a noise outside, the man in front of the mirror leaped up in panic and quickly climbed into bed, hiding the small red mole at the corner of his eye under the bed canopy.
If anyone found out, they’d surely think he’d gone mad.
He covered his eye and cautiously looked at the sleeping figure beside him. His hand, scented with the balm, brushed against Jiang Wu’s cheek, while the latter continued breathing softly and steadily.
After a moment, Yin Wuzhi reached out again and pulled him into his arms, pressing a firm kiss on his lips.
This time, in his dream, Jiang Wu tasted the peach Yin Wuzhi had given him.
It was sweet, filling his mouth with juice.
Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get up to 5 more chapters of The Daily Life of a Depressed Salted Fish right away ! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
I love this so much(ToT) thank you(*＾3＾)/～☆o(^o^)o