“Ah Zhui, um…” After hesitating several times, Su Yan asked Jinghong Zhui, who was meditating under the old peach tree, “Back then… when you disguised yourself for missions, what did it feel like? Didn’t you… feel embarrassed?”
Early summer was approaching. The peach blossoms on the branches had long since fallen, replaced by many small green fruits covered in fine fuzz.
His long sword lay across his knees. Jinghong Zhui slowly opened his eyes, their light clear and focused. As the last trace of true qi returned to his dantian, the brilliance faded, and in that state of returning to simplicity, he looked like nothing more than a young wandering swordsman in coarse gray clothing with a high ponytail, yet there was an unmistakable presence about him, as though every movement carried a rhythm that resonated with the breathing of heaven and earth, mountains and forests.
“My lord is asking whether, when this subordinate once wore women’s clothing, I felt shame?” Jinghong Zhui said calmly. “Not at all.”
“Why?”
“Hairpins and skirts, cosmetics and powders, they are all merely tools to assist in assassination, no different from a dagger or a vial of poison.”
Su Yan considered it from that perspective: then things like gauze garments could also be viewed with a normal mindset, as merely tools to assist in treatment. Besides, if he remembered correctly, toward the end of this dynasty in history, it had once been fashionable in the palace to wear semi-transparent gauze in the height of summer, both for men and women, emphasizing a faintly visible, ethereal elegance… He could just consider it as leading the fashion trend in advance… As for the dudou… that was impossible, absolutely impossible!
“Even if I were to feel shame, it would be because of the innocent people implicated by ‘assassination’… My lord? My lord, are you alright?” After finishing, Jinghong Zhui noticed Su Yan staring blankly at the tree trunk, his eyes already unfocused.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Su Yan came back to himself, smiled at him, and changed the subject. “After tomorrow’s court assembly, I’ll go handle affairs at the Grand Secretariat. If it’s too late to return, I’ll stay overnight in the office quarters. Have the carriage not wait for me.”
It was common for Grand Secretaries to stay overnight at the Wenyuan Pavilion when busy, or to discuss matters with the emperor late into the night in the front halls. Jinghong Zhui nodded, indicating he understood.
Su Yan hesitated, then asked, “Where’s Qilang?”
“He followed the list obtained from confessions in prison to arrest the remaining suspects in the demon-book case. He’ll probably be busy for several days. My lord, you told me this yourself this morning.”
“Oh, right, I forgot.” Su Yan patted Jinghong Zhui’s shoulder. “I can already smell the food, come, let’s go eat dinner.”
Jinghong Zhui stood up and followed him toward the dining hall. Watching Su Yan’s back, he felt that his lord seemed to have something on his mind, or perhaps… a guilty conscience?
“My lord.”
Su Yan stopped and turned his head slightly to look at him.
Jinghong Zhui said, “If my lord encounters any difficulty, please just command this subordinate. I will certainly do my utmost…”
His words abruptly stopped. Under Su Yan’s gentle gaze, a sudden heat rose within Jinghong Zhui, driving him forward two steps, pressing Lord Su against the corridor pillar.
“A-A Zhui?”
“That sentence just now wasn’t said well. I want to say it again.”
“There’s no need to do this, what if someone sees…”
“My lord can rest assured. There isn’t a single person within twenty zhang.”
Su Yan knew Jinghong Zhui’s martial arts had reached a supreme level, so he relaxed and said, “I thought you were the type whose word is as good as a nail, this kind of repetition is rare. Fine, retract your previous words and say it again.”
Their noses nearly touched. Jinghong Zhui took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “If you have worries, tell me. Leave the troublesome matters to me. Don’t forget, I am your man.”
Abandoning his usual submissive demeanor, this matter-of-fact tone made Su Yan freeze for a moment. After a while, he smiled: “Mm, I know. It’s not anything troublesome, it’s just a responsibility I ought to bear. I’ll find a chance to tell you all later. Just don’t laugh at me.”
Jinghong Zhui lightly touched the tip of his nose to Su Yan’s, then slowly released him and stepped back, returning to the posture of a guard: “Dinner has been prepared in the dining hall. My lord, please.”
***
“‘The debauched prince, thrilled by the hunt, while the frail scholar cannot escape calamity’… why does this feel like Fourth Imperial Uncle? No, no!” Zhu Helin sat on the bed, tossing aside the storybook in his hand, quickly picking up another and flipping through it. “‘A hunter plants a good deed on a whim, a white fox repays the kindness from a thousand miles away’, so cliché!”
He casually threw it aside and grabbed another: “‘A demon-slaying warrior lodges at a mountain temple; a vengeful ghost knocks at midnight’, hey, this one’s quite interesting… how about this?”
After finishing this erotic tale disguised as a revenge story where one encounter wipes away all grudges, Zhu Helin flushed red and stuffed the booklet under his pillow. Excited yet a bit nervous, he thought: why isn’t it ready yet?
Su Yan had come to Fengxian Hall after nightfall. Zhu Helin had already prepared everything and, fearing he might feel embarrassed, had dismissed all the palace attendants in advance. Yet it was just changing clothes, and half an hour had passed with no sign of him.
Could it be he ran away at the last moment… Zhu Helin jumped off the bed, slipped on his shoes, and was about to rush out of the sleeping chamber when two knocks suddenly sounded at the door.
The knocking was light and hesitant. After a moment, there came two more, slightly louder, carrying a hint of resolute determination.
Candlelight flickered in the hall. For a moment, Zhu Helin felt dazed, as if he were truly in a remote mountain temple, the warrior who disdained demons and ghosts finally awaiting his destined encounter and trial of passion.
In that daze, the knocking stopped. Zhu Helin snapped back to himself and suddenly pulled open the door,
Su Yan stood outside, dressed in a bright red gauze robe, his long hair loose, expressionless.
He had originally picked a plain white gauze robe, but upon putting it on, he realized it was thin, sheer, and revealing, through the cicada-wing-like fabric, even small moles on the skin could be faintly seen. Absolutely outrageous!
Aside from the white one, only the red one remained. Though the color was bold, at least it wasn’t as transparent, so he reluctantly put it on. The only saving grace was that it was a long robe, not something outrageous like a skirt.
“Does it look good?” Su Yan asked with a stern face, facing the stunned Zhu Helin.
“Go-good…” Zhu Helin stammered. When his gaze landed on him, it was like being scorched, he immediately looked away, but after looking away, couldn’t help glancing back repeatedly.
“Move aside. Don’t block the door.” Su Yan brushed past him and stepped into the hall.
He was barefoot, with a fine gold chain tied around his ankle. The small bells on it made a crisp sound as he walked.
Except for not wearing a dudou, everything had been recreated according to the dream, but Zhu Helin felt something was off… The Qinghe in his dream had been tender, lingering, even alluring, his movements carrying a dancer-like rhythm, each step like a cat’s paw scratching at his heart.
But the real Qinghe, despite the gauze robe, wore a stern expression like a strict schoolmaster, hands clasped behind his back. The distance from the door to the bed felt like a teacher inspecting his classroom. With that imposing presence, even the ankle bells that should have been enticing now sounded like a signal bell before a lecture.
Zhu Helin felt a sudden pang in his chest and covered his face with his hand.
Su Yan paced to the bed, turned to look at him, his gaze lingering meaningfully at his lower body, and said regretfully, “Doesn’t seem to be working. Should I walk back and forth a few more times?”
“No need, no need!” Zhu Helin quickly said. “Sit, sit down.”
Su Yan sat on the bed, supporting himself with both hands on the edge, naturally crossing his legs: “So, young master, are you sure this actually works?”
Zhu Helin had been sure before, but now, caught in this strange atmosphere, he suddenly wasn’t. With a conflicted expression, he stepped forward and sat beside him, glancing sideways at the patch of pale skin revealed between the red gauze folds, swallowing. “Qinghe, you… try lying down?”
“How should I lie?”
“Well… however is comfortable.”
Su Yan was straightforward, he lay down at once, first sprawled out, then resting both arms behind his head, bending his right knee and placing his left leg over it, even starting to casually shake it.
Zhu Helin: …
Where was the languid spring-sleep pose from the dream? Shouldn’t he be reclining on his side, lazily propping his face with one hand, the other brushing his waist and thigh, exuding charm?
Zhu Helin: “Qinghe, could you… maybe adjust your posture to be a bit more refined?”
Su Yan: “Didn’t you just say I should lie however comfortable? This is the most comfortable. Not allowed?”
Zhu Helin: “I-it’s allowed. But…”
Su Yan turned his head and stared straight at his crotch. Zhu Helin felt a chill in his lower abdomen, almost pierced by the bluntly utilitarian urgency in that gaze.
“Young master, look, you’re still completely unresponsive. That shows the dream isn’t the key, and I’m not the key either. The key lies in your own mind.” Su Yan sat up, crossed his legs, and earnestly advised, “First, you need confidence. Then summon a few consorts to properly awaken your function. After that, follow the prescription I gave you, take tribulus powder continuously for a while, and it will be cured.”
Zhu Helin slowly grasped the underlying meaning.
Seeing him dazed, Su Yan got off the bed: “I’ve done everything you asked. One could say I’ve done my utmost. Unfortunately, it still didn’t work. It seems the root of the issue really isn’t with me. You need to completely let go of this idea to truly recover.” As he spoke, he walked toward the door.
“Stop!” Zhu Helin suddenly shouted from behind him.
“I’ve figured it out, you’re scheming something.” Zhu Helin’s expression darkened, a hint of anger appearing in his eyes. “Do you dislike me that much, trying every way to put me off?”
Su Yan, having his small scheme exposed, wasn’t embarrassed. Instead, he sneered lightly: “If I truly disliked you, would I have agreed to tonight’s performance? It’s just that this outfit is too awkward. I need to go change and come back to talk with you.”
Seeing him about to slip away again, Zhu Helin could no longer endure it. He grabbed Su Yan’s wrist and yanked him back toward the bed: “Fine, you love acting so much. I’ve got a script here. You’ll act it out exactly!”
Su Yan was dragged back onto the bed, and a storybook was slapped onto his face with a “smack.” He picked it up and glanced at it, just as it opened to a page describing the seductive ghost exhausting every trick to lure the warrior, trying to force him to lose his virgin yang, then devour him alive.
The seductive ghost transformed into a handsome scholar caught in the rain while traveling at night, groaning about stomach pain as he collapsed into the warrior’s arms.
The warrior, seemingly upright and proper, asked whether the young gentleman wanted some hot water.
The ghost, with ulterior motives, replied that this ailment had been left from childhood, and that only by pressing his stomach against another person’s warm abdomen could the pain gradually ease. In the past, his elder brother had helped him, but now, alone in the wilderness, he begged the warrior to act as that brother for once and help him press against him.
Su Yan read this with an awkward expression when Zhu Helin glared and said, “Act it out exactly like this! If you keep trying to brush me off, I’ll… I’ll force it!”
With a snort, Su Yan couldn’t help but laugh, then quickly suppressed it. It wasn’t that he wanted to hurt Zhu Helin’s pride, it was just that, in his current weakened state, how exactly was he going to “force it”?
Zhu Helin’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot, his fists clenched with cracking sounds: “Are you going to have a stomachache or not? If not, I’ll make you have one!”
Seeing his stubborn temper rising, Su Yan hurriedly said, “Yes, yes… ah, my stomach hurts unbearably right now, it’s killing me! Brave sir, please save my life!”
Zhu Helin’s brows relaxed in satisfaction, then he put on a stern and upright expression: “I am no physician. How can I save your life?”
“This illness of mine is a chronic condition from childhood, ”
Zhu Helin interrupted him: “Don’t just say the lines, there are actions too. You need to burrow into my arms. Come, come.”
Su Yan sighed in irritation and resignation, leaning his body and collapsing into the emperor’s chest. Zhu Helin, delighted, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, scolding, “You scholar, have you no shame, throwing yourself into my arms like this?”
“Please calm your anger, sir. This humble scholar suffers from a chronic ailment and must press against another’s warm abdomen, drawing heat to ease the pain. Otherwise, I will die from the pain.” Su Yan gritted his teeth, truly looking like he was enduring it with difficulty. “At home, my elder brother could help me, but now in this desolate temple, you are the only living person. If you refuse to help, I can only die in your arms!”
Zhu Helin was overjoyed, forget lending a hand, he’d gladly offer his whole body, but the script had to continue. So he maintained an unmoved expression, though his brows softened slightly, and his voice lost some of its sharpness: “If you need warmth, I can boil water for you. Why must it be skin to skin? This method is absurd.”
The seductive ghost refused to give up, shifting between soft pleas and choked sobs. His rain-soaked clothes clung to his body, outlining an alluring figure, his expression pitiful. He grabbed the warrior’s rough hand and pressed it against his smooth skin, guiding it downward along his half-open robe…
How long the warrior could endure was unknown, but Zhu Helin knew he himself was about to explode.
He pushed Su Yan down onto the bed, pulling open the ties at his waist and pressing his firm, burning abdomen tightly against him.
Su Yan was first startled, then delighted, exclaiming, “Young master, you’re better? That’s good, I’ve finally fulfilled my duty.” He tried to break free from being pinned, struggling with his limbs, but was held down firmly.
Zhu Helin panted, “If we’re pressing stomachs, then stay still. Why are you touching everywhere? Have some decency, stop!”
Who exactly is the one not stopping! Su Yan wanted to roll his eyes, but the next moment Zhu Helin tore open the gauze robe on him.
Su Yan was first shocked, then angry: “I only agreed to help cure your condition, not anything else. Trying to fish in troubled waters? Get off!”
Zhu Helin knew that if he missed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he might never get another chance. So he ignored him and began untying the sash at his waist. In his nervousness, it wouldn’t come undone and instead tightened into a knot. Cursing under his breath, he simply pulled off his trousers.
Su Yan struggled fiercely.
Zhu Helin’s breathing grew ragged, his insides burning: “Now that the illness has reached this stage, you are my only cure. If you refuse to help, I can only die in your arms!”
Su Yan: “Then die!”
Zhu Helin: “You said you’d help me recover my vigor, this hasn’t even been tested yet. Who knows if it works? Maybe it’ll only rise once and then fail again. You have to help me confirm it.”
