It was not one person, but a group.
The leader was an older man with half-white hair and beard, wearing a stone-blue robe and ornate accessories. He looked unremarkable, with dull, bagged eyes full of wrinkles.
Beside him stood a middle-aged man in grey, and behind them were several attendants carrying gifts.
Gu Yun stared at the leader.
The leader also saw him. He appeared momentarily surprised. After meeting Gu Yun’s gaze for a moment, his lips twitched as if he wanted to speak, but then he swallowed the words back down.
Lin Yue’s gaze shifted between them. After a moment, he asked, “Do you know them?”
Gu Yun stiffened his fingers slightly. “No.”
Lin Yue said, “Is that so?”
“Yes,” Gu Yun forced a smile. His knees felt as though they were being pierced by cold blades; he could no longer stand there. “Husband, I’ll go back first.”
Lin Yue turned slightly aside, watching his retreating figure for a long time.
With a creak, the door closed.
Lin Yue withdrew his gaze and examined the leader.
The man in grey said, “Young Master Lin, this is Magistrate Wang of Yanlin County. I am surnamed Bi, an advisor at the Yanlin county yamen.”
Lin Yue smiled appropriately, cupped his hands and bowed. “Magistrate Wang, Brother Bi, I am honoured.”
Magistrate Wang supported his arm, pulling him upright. “Nephew, there is no need for such formalities before me. Not long ago I saw your portrait and was greatly astonished. Now seeing you in person, I find that even the painter captured less than half your spirit. You are truly extraordinary.”
Lin Yue said, “Magistrate Wang flatters me.”
Magistrate Wang said, “There is no need for modesty.”
He looked around. “Nephew, you are living in such a place? This is entirely unworthy of your status.”
“I have a villa in Yanlin County. If you do not mind, please stay there. Servants are already prepared; you need not worry about anything.”
“Do not refuse. When those who came to receive you see how modest your residence is, once you reach the capital and report to Chancellor Meng, he will be even more worried.”
“You may not know this, but Chancellor Meng has gone to great lengths to find you. Those who have witnessed it have been deeply moved. He has devoted himself entirely to the state of Great Xuan; you should understand his difficulties!”
These words were sincere and morally weighty. Anyone hearing them would be expected to agree.
But Lin Yue did not.
He said, “I promised my father I would pass the imperial examinations, so I cannot accept the magistrate’s kindness. When one is well-fed and clothed, lust follows.”
Magistrate Wang said, “Nephew, you are being too harsh on yourself. Many are born into wealth and still achieve success in the examinations.”
Lin Yue said, “I am not like those young gentlemen, born with both talent and fortune. I can only put effort into these small matters. Please forgive me, Magistrate.”
Magistrate Wang sighed. “Truly a formidable young man! In that case, I will not press further. Please accept these gifts as a token of my regard as an elder. Do not refuse again, or I will be displeased!”
He raised his hand, and the attendants stepped forward with the gifts. The clerk handed over a gift list.
Lin Yue glanced over it: one piece of rare local medicinal herb, four bolts of silk, and a set of writing implements. Not many items, but each was valuable, easily worth over a hundred taels.
Lin Yue said, “These gifts are too valuable. Please take them back, Magistrate.”
As he spoke, he returned the list to the clerk.
Magistrate Wang’s expression darkened. “What did I say earlier? You are not to refuse again.” His tone cooled slightly. “Or is it that you think these are not good enough? A county magistrate cannot simply squeeze the common people.”
Lin Yue gave a helpless smile. “Then I shall accept them.”
Magistrate Wang’s expression eased. “That is better. Last night I already sent someone to inform the prefect of this good news. Just wait for him to send people to take you and your family to the capital.”
Last night, he had already informed the prefect? It seemed Magistrate Gu had been pushed aside.
Lin Yue lowered his gaze, his expression dim, yet he still smiled in response.
Unexpectedly, after a few more casual words, Magistrate Wang changed the subject. “Who was that young man just now?”
“Young man?” Lin Yue confirmed inwardly that Magistrate Wang clearly knew Gu Yun. He replied calmly, “There is no young man here. That was my wife.”
“Your wife? How long have you been married? If it is recent, I should prepare a gift.”
Lin Yue smiled. “Thank you for your concern, Magistrate. It has been over a year.”
Magistrate Wang’s expression shifted repeatedly.
After speaking with Lin Yue a while longer, he finally took his leave. As he departed, he glanced back deeply at the room Gu Yun had entered.
“Are you or are you not a remnant of the White Python Army!”
“If you refuse to speak, beat him!”
“Speak the location of the White Python Army’s base, and I will release you. I will even grant you land and a house.”
“Still shaking your head? You claim you are not? Then why are your actions so strange, your clothing so odd? Why is your hair cut so short? So unorthodox! Clearly a remnant of the White Python Army. Who among ordinary people would look like you, even well-fed and healthy like this? How much grain have you wasted? Clerk, interrogate him tomorrow. You must extract the location…”
“What do you mean he is not good at speaking? Was he mute before?”
“His Majesty has decreed that the Crown Prince must suppress the White Python Army of Fengyun Mountain within ten days…”
“Though I cannot personally claim the merit of eradicating rebels, providing intelligence on their stronghold will still earn me credit…”
“…”
“Finally, you are willing to speak. Good.”
Gu Yun buried his face in a basin of water. The icy water covered his mouth and nose, his eyes stinging as if filled with it as well. Terror rose and fell within the suffocating sensation.
He waited for the fear to pass. Otherwise, he could not maintain his disguise in front of Lin Yue and continue living. His thoughts were in chaos.
At that moment, someone grabbed his shoulder. Before he could react, there was a splash, and he was pulled back, his head yanked out of the basin.
“What are you doing? Practising swimming? Planning to catch fish this afternoon?”
A cutting voice sounded in his ear. It was Lin Yue.
He had closed the door, yet the other had slipped in like a thief, opening the latch.
Gu Yun felt a flash of irritation at the words, but also fear that his behaviour might be exposed. He lowered his head and steadied himself.
With a threat beside him, the chaos in his mind gradually dispersed. The fear also subsided, and he quickly calmed down.
He looked up and said, “I’m washing my face.”
Lin Yue gave a short laugh.
“I just realised I didn’t wash the mud off properly.”
Cold water soaked his forehead and cheeks, droplets sliding down like rain. The mud-stained ground beneath blurred into uneven marks.
He could not see it; his wet hair hung over his eyes.
Since arriving in this world, his hair had grown longer. The front strands now reached his eyes. Normally he parted it, but now soaked, it fell straight down and blocked his vision.
Lin Yue stood over him, looking down. Truly a sorry sight, like a mushroom drenched in a dark corner.
He reached out and brushed the hair from his forehead. Bending slightly, he looked at his clean features and said, “Magistrate Wang asked me what you are to me, this young man.”
Gu Yun’s breath caught.
“I told him you were mistaken. This is my wife, a woman.”
Gu Yun let out a breath of relief. “His eyesight must be poor.”
“But he is certain you are a young man. He said he has seen you before,” Lin Yue said softly, looking directly into his eyes. “Have you met him?”
“I…” Gu Yun began to deny.
“You have met him, haven’t you?”
“I…”
“You have lived with me for so long. Do you think I can’t see anything?”
The other party’s words were too sharp, too abrupt, pressing in step by step. Gu Yun did not even have time to think of how to respond. He sat there blankly, his mouth opening and closing, his eyes turning bright and clear. Then he lowered his gaze and large tears began falling, one after another.
Lin Yue paused. “Why are you crying?”
“You already know, so why are you asking me?” Gu Yun shook off his hand, sat down at the table, and buried his face as he quietly wept.
Lin Yue stood there for a moment, then walked behind Gu Yun and grasped the back of his neck.
A person this timid, even if they committed wrongdoing, likely had their reasons.
“You’re mad!” Gu Yun slapped his hand away and looked up to scold him.
Lin Yue said, “Magistrate Wang is old, his memory is failing, and it is normal for him to mistake people. Since we are husband and wife, how could I not know your sex? In your eyes, am I the sort of person who listens blindly to others’ nonsense?”
Gu Yun blinked. “Then why did you question me?”
Lin Yue said, “Still crying.”
Gu Yun wiped away his tears, though his eyes remained red, stubbornly waiting for his answer.
Lin Yue reached out. Just as his fingertips were about to touch the other’s head, he raised his eyes, withdrew his hand, and turned to leave, saying, “The county magistrate sent some things, and they are in the courtyard. I will go and fetch them, so that people do not neglect their proper work and gather around watching.”
Gu Yun understood that he had passed this hurdle. A sly glimmer flashed in his eyes. He chased after him and asked, “Husband, why did Magistrate Wang send you gifts?”
“Is the answer important to you?” Lin Yue asked.
Gu Yun said, “Can’t I know?”
Lin Yue stopped. Beneath his thin eyelids, his gaze was calm and still.
Gu Yun’s first lesson after arriving in Great Xuan was that anything one wanted had to be paid for. He rose onto his tiptoes and pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips. “Thank you, husband.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the other man frown. His fingers curled slightly, knuckles brushing his own lips. For a moment, Gu Yun thought he was going to wipe it away, but then the hand lowered again. The man looked at him with a complicated expression, said nothing, and stepped over the threshold.
Gu Yun: “?”
