Gu Yun had simply come to see him. Hearing this, he shook his head without the slightest burden and said, “I just missed you.”
Chao Yan rarely heard such words, but he knew Gu Yun’s nature well. He never came to the temple unless there was a reason. Bending down, he slipped an arm around his waist. With only a little force, he lifted him by the hips, one hand pressed against the small of his back.
Gu Yun was completely stunned. He had never imagined that Chao Yan would do such a thing in broad daylight and in full view of everyone. Yet, remembering how the man had always been hugging and holding him in the past, he found the behaviour oddly unsurprising.
His legs had already wrapped themselves around the other’s lean waist by instinct.
Feeling awkward, he glanced around and saw everyone lowering their heads. That only made him more embarrassed.
“Your Highness, this isn’t proper. Please put me down. Aren’t you meant to be convening a meeting with the Eastern Palace officials?”
“No hurry,” Chao Yan replied.
As he spoke, he looked towards Zhao He.
As chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace, Zhao He had long since mastered the art of reading expressions. He immediately understood the Crown Prince’s meaning and went to inform the officials that His Highness had business to attend to and that today’s meeting would be postponed by an hour.
It was only the beginning of the Xu hour, yet darkness had already fallen. A handful of stars had been scattered carelessly across the black sky. The bronze lamps lining both sides of the Eastern Palace’s main avenue glowed warmly.
Gu Yun sighed inwardly, then silently cursed himself for having water in his brain. He had come all this way simply to wait for someone. Curling his fingers, he wrapped his arms around the young man’s neck and buried his face in the hollow of it, seeking refuge from worldly judgement.
Chao Yan carried him just like that, walking forward with unhurried steadiness.
After pretending to be dead for a while, Gu Yun lifted his head slightly and looked up at him. The first thing he saw was an expanse of calm black.
All of Chao Yan’s hair had been bound up. Upon his head sat a mountain-shaped crown cap, lower at the front and higher at the back, adorned with jewels and topped with two small upright wings. The blackness Gu Yun saw came from the fine black gauze covering the outside of the cap.
Having read quite a few books by now, he finally knew the name of the headwear he had seen so often in period dramas: a Yishan Crown.
Chao Yan also wore a round-collared brocade robe of the same colour, secured with a leather belt.
Gu Yun had noticed it the moment he returned.
The broad, dignified garments lent him tremendous presence, yet there was nothing aggressive about it. Rather, he felt as steady and substantial as a mountain range.
Tilting his head, Gu Yun studied his profile.
Not an ounce of excess flesh. Skin stretched cleanly over bone, a gift from heaven itself. His features were sharply defined, even the rise of his brow ridge clearly visible.
And, truthfully, he was very handsome.
Gu Yun looked in silence.
The soles of black boots struck the neatly laid stone path with soft, rhythmic sounds.
“Do I look good?” Chao Yan’s voice drifted down from above.
Gu Yun immediately withdrew his gaze and buried his head again.
“Answer me.” Chao Yan refused to let him escape.
Gu Yun thought there must be something wrong with the man. Did he really not know the answer himself? Still, he obediently replied, “You do.”
Surely that would satisfy him.
Chao Yan laughed. Then he stopped. Then he laughed again.
Gu Yun felt the subtle rise and fall of his chest, carrying the slightly elevated warmth of a young man’s body.
“What are you laughing at?” he asked, puzzled.
When they reached Chunhe Hall, Chao Yan finally set him down. Bending slightly, he looked directly into Gu Yun’s eyes with those distinct black-and-white phoenix eyes.
“Then have I inspired feelings of admiration in you?”
Gu Yun froze.
Before he could think of a response, his lips brushed against Chao Yan’s in a fleeting kiss, as light as a dragonfly touching water.
Chao Yan pinched his cheek. “Heartless and ungrateful.”
His lips were squeezed into a pout. Gu Yun widened his eyes and stared at him. Chao Yan’s gaze darkened slightly. His throat felt dry. His Adam’s apple bobbed twice.
At last he released him and walked towards the sleeping chamber within the main hall. As he walked, he said, “I’ve invited a distinguished guest today. Would you like to come and meet them with me?”
Following behind him, Gu Yun glanced over and replied, “No.”
“Not even going to ask who it is? This person is rather interesting.”
“I’m not going. Why would I ask?”
Seeing Chao Yan walk to a wardrobe and take out a set of dark raven-blue casual robes to change into, Gu Yun suddenly had an idea regarding the difficult matter weighing on his mind.
He hurried over and stretched both hands towards the Crown Prince’s headgear.
Chao Yan lowered his gaze. “What are you doing?”
Gu Yun’s eyes wandered. His hands froze awkwardly in mid-air. “Helping you.”
Chao Yan caught both his hands. Starting from the fingertips and working towards the palms, he kneaded them leisurely.
Though Gu Yun’s body had yet to recover fully, his hands had recovered well. Compared to the first time Chao Yan had held them, they were now softer and smoother. Even the thin calluses had softened considerably. Unless one deliberately felt for them, they were practically impossible to notice.
Gu Yun found the handling uncomfortable. Several times he tried to pull away, but Chao Yan refused to release him.
He stared at those long, powerful fingers, watching them knead his hands over and over until the skin turned faintly red. Only then did Chao Yan stop.
Even so, he still did not let go.
“Can you manage it?” he asked.
The words You’re the one who can’t manage it circled once around Gu Yun’s tongue before emerging instead as: “Why wouldn’t I be able to?”
Chao Yan gave him a long look. “Very well.”
He stepped back several paces and lowered his head slightly.
Gu Yun shook out his reddened hands before reaching up to remove the crown. It was unexpectedly heavy.
The Crown Prince straightened and spread his arms, signalling him to continue.
Gu Yun was speechless. I said I was helping you, not dressing you.
After giving him a once-over, he wisely stepped forward, removed the formal garments and picked up the raven-blue robes. The palace maids had already arranged them neatly. Shaking them out, he began dressing Chao Yan.
Having never done such a thing before, the process was clumsy from beginning to end.
This wretched Crown Prince.
This damned dog.
He could clearly see everything, yet stood there like a corpse, refusing to lift a finger himself. Instead, he merely offered calm instructions from above. Gu Yun wanted to bite him.
At last, after completing the task through sheer diligence, he sat down before the dressing table and forced a smile “There. All done, husband.”
Chao Yan glanced downward. Following his gaze, Gu Yun realised the man was still only wearing brocade socks. His black boots remained unworn.
Turning away, he ground his teeth and pasted on another false smile, preparing to rise. Before he could move, Chao Yan picked up the boots himself, found a chair, and calmly put them on.
At least you know your limits, Gu Yun thought.
A palace maid brought over a small basin of water. The two washed their hands. Gu Yun finished first, drying them with a cloth, while Chao Yan continued unhurriedly.
Patiently, Gu Yun waited. Then Chao Yan looked over.
“Go on. What is it you want? You’ve been showering me with attentiveness all day despite having no reason to.”
Gu Yun: “…”
He felt thoroughly wronged. What did he mean by all day? He had only done it once.
Since Chao Yan had already seen through him, there was little point pretending otherwise.
Clasping both hands together in front of him like someone offering New Year greetings, he rocked them back and forth and spoke in a softened voice.
“Your Highness, it’s like this. There really is something I’d like to ask of you.”
“And that is?”
“I’m looking for someone called Guo Yangquan. Guo as in Dongguo, Yang as in yin and yang, Quan as in spring water. He’s a young man. Could you help me find him?”
Chao Yan repeated calmly, “Guo Yangquan. Guo as in Dongguo, Yang as in yin and yang, Quan as in spring water. A young man.”
“That’s right. That’s right.” His eyes sparkled.
Chao Yan’s gaze swept over the clasped hands. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
“And after he’s found? Shall I bring him back to you?”
After thinking carefully, Gu Yun nodded. “Yes.”
“Any other clues? A name alone isn’t much to go on.”
As he dried his hands, Gu Yun answered, “His hometown has a Yangquan.”
“Anything else?”
You lot arrived too quickly that day. How was I supposed to learn anything more?
Thinking this, he said aloud, “That’s all I can remember for now. If I think of anything else later, I’ll add it.”
He would have to find another opportunity to meet Xu Jingzhou. Still, secret meetings were hardly a long-term solution.
How could they meet openly? Perhaps he could claim they were siblings?
No. Xu Jingzhou was now a monk. His identity had already been publicly established. Relatives and acquaintances would all be recorded. One could not simply invent new family members.
Even if it worked on Xu Jingzhou’s side, it would not work on his own. After all, he had already claimed his family had met with disaster and that he would never see them again.
If Xu Jingzhou suddenly became his elder brother, how would he explain Xu Jingzhou’s existence? And how would he explain the monk’s original family?
That plan would not work.
Another idea surfaced. Perhaps he could claim those absent family members had died and invite Xu Jingzhou to conduct memorial rites…
No. Absolutely not. No matter what, he could not curse his own family. What if the curse actually came true?
His interlocked hands tightened unconsciously. Faint red marks already lingered across the backs of them. As he squeezed harder, more appeared. Yet he remained oblivious, entirely occupied by his worries.
Something rough touched his hands. Irritated, he swatted it away. Only afterwards did he realise what he had pushed aside.
It had been Chao Yan’s hand.
Seeing his distress, Chao Yan had merely intended to pry apart his clenched fingers and comfort him.
Gu Yun abruptly looked up. Chao Yan simply gazed back in silence. He did nothing else. Yet Gu Yun somehow felt he was angry.
Carefully, he grabbed hold of Chao Yan’s sleeve. Standing on tiptoe, he pressed a kiss against his chin. “Husband, I didn’t mean to.”
A long sigh answered him.
Gu Yun blinked in confusion. He had apologised. Why did Chao Yan seem more troubled rather than less? Had he done something wrong?
He secretly peeked at him.
The next moment, darkness covered his eyes. Something soft brushed against his lips. Chao Yan’s lips, he realised.
The contact lingered only briefly before retreating. Then Chao Yan spoke softly.“You don’t need to coax me.”
A pause. “I prefer it when you lose your temper.”
Gu Yun: “…” Was the man ill? When treated well, he disliked it. When treated badly, he liked it.
Moments later, Chao Yan released him. “As for finding this person, I’ll send people to look tomorrow.”
Then he asked once more, “Are you truly not going to meet that distinguished guest?”
“I’m not.”
“Very well.”
Smiling, Chao Yan turned and left.
The instant he stepped out of Chunhe Hall, the smile vanished. Looking at Li Lan waiting outside, he asked, “Where is that person now?”
Li Lan stepped closer and quietly reported an address.
…
Some time after Chao Yan left, Gu Yun suddenly recalled that he had mentioned this distinguished guest twice and repeatedly asked whether he wished to go.
Something felt wrong.
Sitting in a chair, he absent-mindedly ate a tea pastry.Then a thought struck him. His eyelids twitched violently.
He jumped to his feet and rushed out, grabbing Zhang Zhangshe. “Where did His Highness go?”
Zhang Zhangshe shook his head. “I don’t know. But I saw His Highness and Li Lan heading east.”
Thanking him, Gu Yun gathered up the excessively long skirts that hindered his movement and ran east.
Zhang Zhangshe froze for a moment before hurriedly chasing after him with several attendants. “Young Lady Gu!”
The formal ceremony welcoming Gu Yun into the Eastern Palace and investing him as Secondary Consort would take place five days later. A Daoist priest had selected the date as an auspicious one.
Thus, for the time being, everyone still addressed him as Young Lady Gu.
