Gu Yun’s heart gave a sudden lurch. Having spent these past days with Chao Yan, he had more or less worked him out. Once Chao Yan started questioning him in return, it meant he did not believe him at all. Worse still, it usually meant he already knew the truth.
Gu Yun decided to test the waters.
“Husband, since you already know, why ask me?” he said, tilting his head up to look at him.
It was very dark around them. He could not make out Chao Yan’s expression, nor could he even see his eyes clearly. He simply looked at him, trying to project the image of someone who had already seen through the other’s thoughts.
Chao Yan let out a laugh.
This time there was none of that sarcastic edge to it, but it was full of teasing amusement. He asked Gu Yun, “Then tell me. What is it that I know?”
Gu Yun was forced to take hold of this scalding-hot potato. His lips moved, and after a long pause he managed to force out a single word.
“You…”
He could not continue. If he knew, why would he need to probe?
Just as the stalemate continued, someone came looking for them.
It was the two palace maids he had shaken off earlier. Wiping the sweat from their brows, they bowed to Chao Yan and called softly, “Young Madam Gu.”
Gu Yun was filled with heartfelt gratitude. They were simply Guanyin, the Bodhisattva who delivered people from suffering and disaster.
He answered them and apologised for the trouble he had caused. The two palace maids were startled and hurriedly shook their heads.
“This is our duty,” they said repeatedly.
Gu Yun added, “I’ve caused trouble for everyone else as well.”
His gaze flicked towards the Crown Prince. “Especially Your Highness.”
Whether Chao Yan’s anger had subsided or not, he remained standing where he was, quietly watching him while he spoke with the maids.
Gu Yun slowly reached out and caught hold of his sleeve. “Your Highness?” he called softly.
The back of his hand brushed against something rough and warm. Chao Yan had taken hold of his hand.
“Let’s go back,” Chao Yan said.
They first returned to Consort Shu’s quarters and apologised for the incident. Afterwards, the two of them boarded a carriage and returned to the Eastern Palace.
There would be an early court session the following morning, and Chao Yan would need to attend.
Along the way, Gu Yun held a book in his hands, wondering whether Chao Yan simply did not believe him or whether he already knew.
If it was the latter, why had he not punished him? After all, he had given both the rose dew and the jade ornament to Xu Jingzhou.
As far as he knew, qilin jade pendants were not reserved exclusively for members of the imperial family. Nobles and high-ranking officials could wear them as well.
Since the Crown Prince had already said it was his and that he could deal with it however he pleased, then no matter what he did with the jade ornament, Chao Yan should not object.
What worried him was the rose dew.
Although the Crown Prince had given it to him as a token of thanks, he had also specifically said it was for his use.
Now that he had dealt with it in this manner, would Chao Yan be displeased if he found out?
Then again, displeased or not, Gu Yun was never going to use it.
At the time, he had even considered selling it together with the jade ornament. In his eyes, the rose dew was nothing particularly special, and Chao Yan would never be able to tell whether he had used it or sold it.
In the days after returning from Cining Temple, he had not wanted to apply it externally, so he had deliberately told Chao Yan that it tasted good when mixed with water and left no lingering scent. He claimed he intended to dilute all of it and drink it.
Chao Yan had not restricted how he used it. He had merely said that once it was finished, he would give him a few more bottles.
As Gu Yun thought about these matters, his thoughts wandered again to the possibility that this world really was a novel.
If that were true, how was he supposed to turn fate around?
There were too many things on his mind and too many problems he wanted to solve.
The carriage rocked and swayed. Suddenly, a wave of nausea surged through him. He dropped the book, flung aside the carriage curtain in a panic, lowered his head and covered his mouth.
“Stop! Stop the carriage!”
“What’s wrong?”
Holding a scroll in one hand, Chao Yan grasped his arm and bent down to look at him. Gu Yun shoved him aside and rushed towards the carriage door.
“Stop,” Chao Yan ordered.
The carriage slowed and came to a halt.
Gu Yun hurriedly pushed open the door, leapt down in a single step, and rushed to the roadside. Squatting down, he began vomiting uncontrollably.
Only after he had brought up all of his dinner and the burning sensation in his stomach gradually eased did he begin to feel better.
Li Lan, one of Chao Yan’s personal guards, was as silent as a shadow. He uncapped a water flask, dampened a handkerchief, and respectfully handed it to Chao Yan. Chao Yan crouched beside Gu Yun and gently patted his back.
He had spent so many days recuperating, yet he still had not put on any weight. His back was so thin it seemed no more substantial than a sheet of paper.
A trace of irritation flickered across Chao Yan’s brows. His gaze remained fixed on him.
Once Gu Yun had recovered somewhat, Chao Yan pinched one corner of the damp handkerchief and wiped the grime from the corner of his mouth.
“Do you want to rinse your mouth?” he asked quietly.
Clutching his stomach, Gu Yun nodded lightly. Chao Yan signalled for Li Lan to fetch the tea from the carriage.
Holding the teacup for him, Chao Yan watched as Gu Yun took several mouthfuls of tea to rinse his mouth. Afterwards, he rinsed again with the clear water that was passed over, making certain there was no lingering taste left behind.
Supporting himself on Chao Yan’s arm, he tried to stand. Chao Yan steadied him. “I’ll carry you back.”
At that moment, Li Lan fulfilled the role of a perfect utility man.
He accepted the teacup that Chao Yan had no free hand to put down and instructed the others, “Turn around.”
Having spoken, he turned around first. Gu Yun watched them all with his own eyes. The words of refusal rolled around in his mouth several times, but in the end he felt he had no reason to say them.
He agreed.
And after being swept up into a bridal carry, he even took the initiative to lean against Chao Yan’s chest and wrap his arms around his neck.
If you can’t beat them, join them.
Chao Yan lowered his eyes and looked at him. His eyelids were thin and deeply creased. When his gaze dropped, his long, dense lashes resembled finely curved blades.
Gu Yun felt as though two strips of flesh had been scraped from him. His neck shrank back instinctively.
When he found another opportunity to look again, however, Chao Yan’s gaze appeared perfectly calm.
Reassured, he relaxed. His reaction had been subtle. Yet anyone who had been watching him closely could have noticed it almost immediately.
Chao Yan was nearly angered into laughter. Was he going to eat him or something?
With that monk, Gu Yun could laugh and fool around without the slightest restraint. Yet with him, he was cautious and tense at every turn.
Where had all that courage gone? Was it merely because of his status? What exactly did he have to do to enter Gu Yun’s heart? Was he still not good enough?
At that moment, Chao Yan had no choice but to admit that an invisible barrier existed between himself and his secondary consort. He keenly sensed that he could not break through it.
Even if one day Gu Yun willingly chose to remain in the Eastern Palace because of the kindness he had shown him, or even fell in love with him.
The barrier came from the difference in the worlds they had grown up in.
Separated by a distance that was not particularly far, he had clearly overheard Gu Yun’s conversation with that monk.
The voice had sounded pleasant enough, but it was neither the official language of the Xuan Dynasty nor any language Chao Yan recognised.
Combined with Gu Yun’s previous odd behaviour, he could be certain that Gu Yun was not from the Xuan Dynasty. Perhaps his background was no less distinguished than Chao Yan’s own. Judging by where he had appeared, he might have come from some country in the north.
Quietly, Chao Yan reflected that he was reluctant to classify Gu Yun as a spy. Perhaps he was merely the young master of some noble northern family. Perhaps his household had committed a grave offence, received punishment, and fled south to seek refuge.
As for the monk…
He was merely an uncivilised savage with no understanding of propriety, one who happened to hold some weight in Gu Yun’s heart.
Gently, Chao Yan settled him onto the seat cushioned with brocade padding. He sat down beside him, pressed a hand against the back of his head, and tilted it so that it rested on his own shoulder.
“Sleep for a while,” he said. “We’ll be at the Eastern Palace soon.”
Gu Yun answered softly. Chao Yan reached up and touched his forehead.
It was somewhat hot. As expected, he had caught a chill. He had probably become cold while sitting in that pavilion.
Gu Yun might not know any better, but did that monk not know any better either?
Even from a distance, Chao Yan had felt a trace of the chill. It had simply been inconvenient for him to step out and interrupt them. Gu Yun looked utterly wilted.
Watching him like this, all the irritation Chao Yan had gradually accumulated over the past several days finally dissipated.
Missing his homeland and family. Secretly going to see the monk. Those things were perfectly normal. After all, they came from the same place.
Giving the monk the things Chao Yan had gifted him was normal too. Once he had given them away, Gu Yun was free to deal with them however he wished.
Gu Yun had done nothing wrong. So what exactly had Chao Yan been angry about? If he continued being angry, would that not simply prove that he had lost completely?
He was the Crown Prince. One day he would become emperor. One moment of losing his composure had been enough. There could not be a second.
And what if there was still a barrier between them?
No matter what, he had already obtained what he wanted. Yet should he not possess the very best?
Chao Yan’s tongue swept across the edge of a sharp canine tooth.
The sting of pain unexpectedly carried a flavour reminiscent of the sap that seeped from a snapped maple-poplar branch.
The first taste was faintly sweet. The lingering aftertaste, however, was bitter indeed.
He laid a damp handkerchief across Gu Yun’s forehead, wrapped an arm around him, and pulled him into a more comfortable position.
Gu Yun kept his eyes tightly shut and tried to sleep. Apart from that, there was nothing else he could do to ease his discomfort.
Before they reached the Eastern Palace, he drifted in and out of consciousness, half asleep and half awake, until almost half of his body had ended up nestled in Chao Yan’s embrace.
Chao Yan removed the handkerchief and touched his forehead again. It seemed even hotter than before.
He replaced it with a freshly dampened handkerchief, then knocked lightly on the carriage wall beside the curtain, signalling for them to move faster.
The sound irritated Gu Yun. He reached out and grabbed Chao Yan’s sleeve.
“Don’t make so much noise,” he mumbled indistinctly.
“Alright,” Chao Yan replied.
Gu Yun immediately felt more at ease. Yet he still did not release Chao Yan’s sleeve.
About half the time it took to drink a cup of tea later, the swaying ceased.
They had probably arrived at the Eastern Palace. However, he lacked the energy to open his eyes and check. He remained leaning weakly against Chao Yan.
Some time later, through his haze, he felt himself being placed somewhere soft. Probably a bed.
He attempted to turn over. Sure enough, it was.
Burying his head in the soft bedding, he felt the damp warmth of his own breath brush against his face.
His mind cleared slightly. Only for the haze to return moments later.
An elderly voice sounded beside him, repeatedly remarking that his constitution was too weak and that he was prone to catching chills…
A physician from the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Gu Yun thought about it vaguely. After thinking for a while, his brain simply stopped functioning altogether.
Finally, amid a sour, bitter taste, he fell asleep.
…
Chao Yan set down the now-empty bowl of medicine and ordered someone to escort the imperial physician away.
Walking to the bedside, he tucked the blankets securely around the sleeping figure. Then he sat at the head of the bed and quietly watched the person lying on his side.
A faint crease remained between Gu Yun’s brows. Even asleep, what was he worrying about?
Chao Yan lowered a hand. His fingertip pressed lightly against Gu Yun’s brow and gently smoothed it flat. Then he bent down, kissed his cheek, and stepped out of the warm chamber.
“Li Lan.”
“Your Highness.”
Li Lan silently emerged from the entrance to the side hall.
Chao Yan said, “There is a teaching monk at Cining Temple. Tomorrow night, I want him brought to the Eastern Palace.”
“Yes,” Li Lan replied.
“Be polite,” Chao Yan said. “But if he refuses, then handle it as you see fit. He’s nothing more than a savage.”
It was the first time Li Lan had heard His Highness evaluate someone so sharply. He cast a sidelong glance towards the warm chamber, lowered his head, and replied: “This subordinate understands.”
