Gu Yun turned to look at him, but the angle prevented him from seeing his face or expression. He inhaled the faint scent of white grass from his hair, considered it briefly, and thought: how absurd.
“Your Highness, please do not joke. Let us return quickly so I can pack.”
Chao Yan said, “Why do you not believe me? I am not lying.”
Gu Yun tilted his head. “Your Highness, don’t speak into my ear. It itches.”
His voice rose suddenly.
That damned prince had actually kissed his ear.
It felt as though tiny insects were crawling across it, leaving behind a warm, damp sensation. Gu Yun felt as though struck by lightning, shuddering uncontrollably. He covered his ear.
The wind rushed through his fingers, chilling it again.
Behind him, Chao Yan let out a low laugh, the sound drifting into the wilderness.
Gu Yun: “……”
“What should you call me?” the voice asked.
After a pause, Gu Yun said, “Husband.”
“Are you afraid of being kissed there?”
Gu Yun realised this himself. He had never encountered anything like this before. Naturally, he would not admit it.
“Your Highness… Husband just surprised me. I did not react in time.”
Chao Yan said meaningfully, “I will tell you next time.”
Gu Yun did not respond. He feared saying anything would make him accidentally call him something like “insane.”
Chao Yan straightened and said, “Meng and Ning told me I am the crown prince. Whether or not it is true, I will accept this identity. I am uneasy about returning to the capital. Even though you admitted deceiving me, I still trust you. With you beside me, I feel at ease.”
Gu Yun rubbed his ear.
“Remember, this secret must not be spoken of.” Chao Yan released his waist and pulled his hand from his ear. “Did you hear me, my wife?”
“I heard you,” Gu Yun said. “I only covered one ear.”
He then took Chao Yan’s hand and placed it back on his waist. “Don’t let go. What if I fall?”
Chao Yan asked, “Can you do that?”
Gu Yun did not believe it, but still agreed. In this situation, what choice did he have? Would anything change if he refused?
His eyes flickered.
Though morally questionable, he sincerely hoped it was true. Preferably, that he would never recover his memories.
Twenty years of memories must contain something important. If he could not piece them together, dealing with him later would be far more difficult.
He would hold onto this secret and use it.
Even if Chao Yan regretted telling him, it would already be too late. During this time, he could strengthen his own position and gain leverage over his fate.
His long-standing concern about identity would also be resolved. He could continue pretending to be weak. The other could not force him. And if he tried, this secret would restrain him.
What did it matter whether he was happy or not? If things turned truly bad, he would simply pack up and run. But then he returned to reality and sighed.
What nonsense was he imagining?
…
Late at night, they returned to the rented room.
It was lit, though slightly empty. The books Chao Yan had borrowed and Bi Laosan’s book chest were gone.
Gu Yun thought they must have been returned. If the owners knew how they had been used, they might have had them framed.
The rest of the belongings remained untouched.
He drank the warm medicine left in the kitchen, opened his bundle, and took out a set of clothes.
He planned to bathe, rest briefly, and then pack.
After stepping inside the bamboo curtain and removing his clothes, he saw blood on the back of his undergarment. Only then did he remember his wound had reopened. He had endured the pain earlier and then forgotten about it.
Turning his head slightly, he checked his back.
The gauze was half soaked red. When he pressed lightly at the edge, the wound felt like ants biting… painful and itchy.
“Is everything all right?”
Gu Yun frowned, looked for a while, then turned his head back, wrung out a wet towel, and wiped his body.
After washing, he put on a full set of clothes, applied ointment to his knees, and used the hot water to wash his hair with soap. Then he applied sesame oil scented with white grass to his hair. Still carrying a body of warmth, he held his clothes and walked outside.
Chao Yan was sitting outside practising calligraphy. Hearing the movement, he looked over.
Gu Yun bundled his blood-stained undergarment into the rest of his clothes and walked out of the room, leaving the undergarment inside, and handed the remaining clothes to the woman waiting outside.
Chao Yan had hired a woman to manage household matters, so Gu Yun had not been doing any chores these past few days.
He went to the back of the house, washed the inner garments clean and hung them up, then returned to the room empty-handed.
Chao Yan was not in the room. He climbed onto the bed, about to sleep, when Chao Yan came in carrying two bowls of white crucian carp soup.
“Want some?” Chao Yan asked.
Gu Yun smelled the aroma and immediately felt hungry. He had been running for several hours and had not eaten dinner. He quickly washed his hands, picked up a spoon, and obediently sat at the table.
Chao Yan placed a bowl in front of him. He scooped up some soup and drank it.
Light in taste, thick in broth, very fresh.
Gu Yun’s eyes lit up. He put down the spoon, lifted the porcelain bowl, and quickly finished it. Then he looked at Chao Yan and said, “Husband, is there more?”
Chao Yan calmly pointed towards the kitchen.
Gu Yun went to the kitchen holding the bowl, and the cook filled it to the brim. After finishing the second bowl, he finally felt satisfied. At the same time, he became extremely sleepy. He quickly washed up, climbed into bed, removed his outer robe, turned towards the wall, curled up, and fell into a deep sleep.
Chao Yan watched him in silence.
“Master,” came a knock a moment later.
Chao Yan put down the almost untouched fish soup, opened the door, and went out.
The attendant said, “The doctor has been summoned.” He stepped aside to reveal the doctor and his apprentice.
Both had been pulled from bed by the attendant and were still not fully awake. Chao Yan said to the attendant, “Bring two basins of cold water.”
The doctor and apprentice washed their faces with cold water and finally woke up properly. They followed Chao Yan into the room. Chao Yan said to the doctor, “The wound has split again. Please take a look. In this entire county, I trust only your medical skill, which is why I have troubled you repeatedly.”
The doctor smiled and said, “You are too kind, sir.”
Chao Yan sat by the bed, lifted the deeply sleeping Gu Yun, removed his inner garment, and the doctor reapplied medicine to the wound on his back, bandaging it neatly.
“It is not serious, but you must be careful in future, otherwise it will leave a scar,” the doctor said.
Chao Yan gave a low acknowledgement. He pulled up the quilt and wrapped the person in his arms, then called in the attendant.
The attendant produced a gold ingot as payment. The doctor inhaled sharply, reached out, then withdrew his hand. “Sir, this is too much…”
Chao Yan said, “Your skill deserves it. As for what I asked you before…”
The doctor thought inwardly that a man bold enough to take a male spouse was still afraid of others knowing. Truly timid. Yet he maintained a serious expression and said, “Rest assured, sir. I am not one to gossip, nor is my apprentice.”
Chao Yan smiled. “Good. Then I am reassured.” He said to the attendant, “It is late. See the doctor out properly.”
“Please,” the attendant said.
They left and closed the door.
Chao Yan pulled back the quilt. Large areas of pale skin were exposed. He looked at it for a moment, then averted his gaze, picked up a nearby inner garment, straightened it, and dressed him.
…
When Gu Yun woke, it was just dawn.
He had slept very deeply, without dreams, but for some reason felt slightly dizzy upon waking. After sitting for a while, the dizziness faded. He glanced at the Crown Prince on the outer side of the bed, moved quietly past him, and got down.
His outer clothes were on a stool by the bed. In the morning light, he dressed, washed, and opened the door.
Cold morning air rushed in and he sneezed. Looking outside, he saw no attendants. His thoughts immediately became active.
He reached for his bundle, and just as he touched it, a faint sound came from the bed.
Chao Yan had woken.
“What are you doing?” Chao Yan asked. He was in his inner robe, hair loose, sitting on the bed with one leg raised, his expression tired and indifferent.
Gu Yun: “…”
He grabbed his bundle and put it into the red lacquered wooden chest he had bought earlier for storage. “I am packing.”
Chao Yan said, “I thought you were running away again.”
Gu Yun said, “No.”
He crouched down, opened the bundle, and the contents spilled out. He folded his clothes one by one, then realised something was missing. Where was his sleeping drug? Where was his twenty taels? He shook the clothes again and searched carefully, but still could not find them.
Given that only he and Chao Yan had been in the room, the conclusion was obvious. Gu Yun looked silently towards Chao Yan.
Chao Yan walked over, shoes loosely on, half crouching as he asked curiously, “What are you looking for?”
Gu Yun held out his hand. “Give it back.”
Chao Yan said, “Hmm? What thing?”
“The sleeping drug.”
Chao Yan stood up while washing himself and replied, “Lost it. Probably taken by a stray cat and swallowed.”
Gu Yun frowned and looked at him with an expression that was neither pleased nor displeased. Since it was not something he had bought with his own money, he could not demand compensation. He withdrew his hand and silently continued folding clothes.
Chao Yan wiped his face, tied his hair, and walked over to the wooden chest. He pulled Gu Yun up, pinched his cheek, and said, “You are unhappy?”
Gu Yun looked up and said muffledly, “No.”
Chao Yan smiled and pulled him into his arms. “Open your mouth.”
Gu Yun kept his mouth shut. The other kissed his ear. His body trembled and he quickly pushed him away. But he could not push him off. The other bit his earlobe and gently ground against it. Tears welled in Gu Yun’s eyes as he said repeatedly, “Husband, I will open my mouth, I will open my mouth.”
The young man finally released his ear.
Just before sunrise, the two were kissing in the room, inseparable.
Gu Yun was left gasping for breath. The other finally let go and said, “What else needs packing? Tell me, I will do it.”
Gu Yun cursed him inwardly, but immediately refused. The other insisted on helping. There was not much to pack anyway, since Chao Yan had not brought much, and Gu Yun had not accumulated much either. Yet seeing him insist, a petty revenge rose up. His eyes turned, and he said, “This needs to be taken, this too… and this…”
Let him be busy.
In the end, they dug up all the garlic, spring onions and coriander from the water vat, packed them into a small wooden bucket, and placed it in the corner of the carriage.
Only then did Gu Yun stop. He took Chao Yan’s hand and boarded the carriage.
The carriage was spacious. He sat on the left, lifted the curtain, and looked outside. Meng Xuan and Ning Fu rode horses, escorting the carriage front and rear.
Beyond them, Gu Yun saw a servant handing the landlord a pouch of silver, compensation for the trouble caused in recent days.
He felt a little heavy-hearted and lowered the curtain. The carriage swayed forward. At the north gate, he heard Magistrate Gu and others speaking.
Chao Yan lifted the curtain and spoke with Magistrate Gu, as well as the county registrar and clerk.
Through the curtain, Gu Yun saw the magistrate’s wife. She greeted him and had a maid present a small box. Inside was a pair of finely crafted gold-inlaid jade earrings.
Gu Yun looked at Chao Yan.
Chao Yan said, “Take them. The Madam said it is to thank you for saving their lives.”
Only then did Gu Yun accept them.
The magistrate and the others, not daring to delay the Crown Prince, offered a few polite words and local gifts before stepping back.
Chao Yan lowered the curtain. As it fell, Gu Yun glimpsed Bi Laosan in the crowd, watching with a stunned expression. He let out a soft laugh, then grew quiet again. He thought that this time, he probably would not come back.”
