Seeing the look on Gu Yun’s face, Xu Jingzhou immediately had a bad feeling. Moving closer, he stared at Gu Yun’s ear before suddenly asking, “What did you do? Did you…?”
Gu Yun clapped a hand over his mouth. “This is the Eastern Palace. Don’t talk nonsense.”
Xu Jingzhou made a few muffled noises and quickly nodded.
Only then did Gu Yun release him. “Come with me.”
Xu Jingzhou glanced around and spotted Li Lan standing not far away with his arms folded. Frowning, he withdrew his gaze and lowered his voice until it was scarcely louder than a mosquito’s buzz.
“The Crown Prince agreed to let us see each other? If not, we’d better both go back now. You don’t know…” He stopped himself. There was no point saying more. “Find an opportunity and come with me. It’s too dangerous here.”
“We’ll discuss that later.” Gu Yun grabbed him and started walking.
Xu Jingzhou jumped in fright and immediately tried to shake off his hand. He had no doubt whatsoever that if that jealous husband of Gu Yun’s found out, he would chop his hand off.
Gu Yun reacted even faster. His grip shifted slightly upwards, settling on Xu Jingzhou’s forearm. It was a carefully measured gesture, avoiding direct contact between “man and woman” while not appearing overly guilty or evasive.
Xu Jingzhou calmed down.
Gu Yun led him to a pavilion near Chunhe Hall. Opposite stood the flower culturing building.
Zhao He and the others followed at a respectful distance. Once they reached the pavilion, Gu Yun forbade them from coming any closer. There was no cover around the pavilion. Everything the two did inside could be seen clearly from outside. Zhao He and the others acknowledged the order and retreated several paces.
Gu Yun and Xu Jingzhou sat facing one another.
Xu Jingzhou asked, “Do you have something you want to tell me?”
On the way over, he had sensed a trace of urgency in Gu Yun’s actions. His guess was correct.
Gu Yun did indeed have something to say. More precisely, he had something he wanted to ask.
This matter was currently the one he cared about most. In his view, if the answer turned out to be the one he most hoped for, he would finally be able to rest easy.
To him, it would mean securing years of happiness and peace.
“What other characteristics does Guo Yangquan have?” he asked. “We left in such a hurry that day I didn’t have time to learn more.”
Even now, they kept their voices low, remaining vigilant despite the distance between themselves and Zhang Zhangshe’s group.
Xu Jingzhou had thought it was something important. So it was only this. “Let me think.”
The cool breeze of late autumn carried the fragrance of flowers towards them.
Gu Yun lifted his teacup and took a sip.
Perhaps the scented breeze had muddled his thoughts. A faint sweetness spread through his mouth, and before he knew it, his mind drifted back to the absurd events of the previous night.
…
The night wind had been different from the wind now. Colder.
It slipped through the gap in the loosely drawn carriage curtain, brushing against exposed skin and leaving behind waves of tingling sensation.
Gu Yun discovered that the muscles beneath his palm were hard as iron. No matter how hard he pinched, they refused to yield.
A trace of fear arose within him. His body instinctively tried to retreat, but Chao Yan’s hand pressed against his back, leaving him nowhere to go. All he could do was tilt his head back and kiss him.
His hand could barely maintain its grip. Warm, damp skin. Living, pulsing veins beat against his palm, like fish freshly hauled from the water, struggling for air.
Although he had already made up his mind, experiencing it so clearly still left him feeling uncomfortable.
Had someone told him a few months ago that he would one day use hands steeped in the scent of ink to do such things, he would never have believed it.
Yet there was no avoiding it. If one wished to obtain something, one had to pay the corresponding price.
Wasn’t that how it worked? What was this, really? What was it? Nothing more than flesh pressed against flesh.
From one perspective, there was little difference. Both were organs essential to the continuation of the human race. Yet viewed more closely, the distinction was enormous.
One existed for daily convenience. The other for reproduction.
Gu Yun managed to convince himself. But his thoughts remained hopelessly tangled, as though a ball of yarn had unravelled inside his head and scattered in every direction. Even subconsciously, he could not sort through the mess. He could only continue, almost numbly.
Drawing a breath, he remained close to Chao Yan’s lips and exhaled softly. Chao Yan was breathing hard as well. Everything seemed to sway before his eyes, blurring the other’s features.
“Husband, remember to keep your promise.”
The warmth of their mingling breaths left their damp lips faintly heated. Gu Yun took the opportunity to remind him.
The moment the words left his mouth, Chao Yan bit his lip. A sharp sting shot through him. Instinctively, his hand tightened. A muffled groan followed.
Chao Yan released him, brushing his tongue lightly over his lips.
“Let go.” His voice was astonishingly hoarse, and somehow more pleasing than any sound Gu Yun had ever heard.
Momentarily dazed, Gu Yun asked, “What?”
A hand reached from behind and enclosed his own. Long, powerful fingers gently but firmly prised his grip loose.
Startled, Gu Yun looked up.
Chao Yan had straightened, gazing down at him in silence. Soft strands of hair had fallen across his eyes. Lifting a hand, he brushed them aside, revealing eyes bright with moisture and faintly reddened at the corners.
After watching him for a moment, Chao Yan lifted him onto his lap.
“A promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold,” he said. “You needn’t do this to please me. I don’t like it.”
Gu Yun opened his mouth. His fingers curled slightly, grasping at empty air.
Chao Yan tightened his hold on his hand and pressed a kiss to his smooth forehead. “Don’t do this sort of thing again.”
Gu Yun nodded blankly.
You don’t like it? I don’t want to do it either. It’s not as though I enjoy this.
Even as he thought so, damp kisses trailed from his forehead to the tip of his nose.
Chao Yan’s voice was very soft. “These things should only happen when you’re willing. I’m only twenty-one. I can wait.”
Gu Yun swallowed. “Husband… you are in my heart.”
“Good.” Chao Yan’s gaze softened.
“You are in mine as well. It has nothing to do with who you are. What I love is the soul within this body. Even if one day you become ugly, grow old, or suddenly change from woman to man, my feelings will not change.”
For a brief moment, Gu Yun almost believed Chao Yan already knew the truth. He merely gave a perfunctory hum.
When emotions ran high, what sweet words could men and women not say? Perhaps one day he himself would be capable of saying such things.
But when the truth came to light, it would be like a bucket of cold water poured over one’s head.
At that point, none of those words would count for anything. They would become a joke.
The matters of Chao Yan’s memory loss and Xu Jingzhou had convinced Gu Yun that Chao Yan was indeed an honest man who kept his promises.
Yet people changed. Especially those in positions of power. Temptations came endlessly. Because of that, Gu Yun would never trust him completely.
If possible, he hoped Chao Yan would quickly fall in love with someone else. Then he could fade into the background, do whatever he pleased, and eventually leave the Eastern Palace without difficulty.
Admittedly, life in the Eastern Palace was comfortable.
The food was excellent. The treatment was excellent. He could do whatever he wanted and never had to work. No one dared show him a sour face. He spent his days like a pampered parasite.
But still…
Serving a ruler was like living beside a tiger. He had no desire to die young. Gu Yun understood this perfectly. Having dispelled his anxiety, he now found the situation rather awkward.
Earlier, he had gritted his teeth and pushed forward because Xu Jingzhou was at stake. Then halfway through, he had already achieved his objective. And Chao Yan no longer wanted him to continue.
Sneaking a glance, he saw matters had not settled down in the slightest. His embarrassment only deepened. He wished a crack would open in the ground and swallow him whole.
Turning away, he wiped his hands, poured a cup of warm tea, and offered it over. His face was burning red. “Husband, have some tea. Cool down a little.”
Chao Yan stared at him for several moments before accepting it and draining the cup in one swallow.
Gu Yun took back the empty cup. As he rose to pour another, Chao Yan suddenly pulled him into his arms, gripped his chin, and kissed him.
Gu Yun froze. Hadn’t he just said he would wait until Gu Yun was willing?
The considerable trust he had only recently built towards the blasted Crown Prince shattered instantly.
Still, his temperament was remarkably resilient.
He quickly recovered and reached down coldly. His fingertips brushed the back of Chao Yan’s hand.
“A man must keep his word.”
The blasted Crown Prince lifted his eyes and ended the kiss. Their noses touched.
“I am keeping it. I’ll handle it myself. Just don’t move.”
Gu Yun: “…”
He immediately withdrew his hand and fixed his gaze firmly upon the dark carriage wall.
The carriage rolled along the broad road, occasionally jolting over stones. Yet amid the creaking of the wheels, he could still hear every faint sound Chao Yan made.
Suddenly, the carriage took a sharp turn.
Caught off guard, Gu Yun grabbed Chao Yan’s arm for support. Instinctively, he glanced down. And saw everything.
Chao Yan had been watching him all along and immediately noticed where his gaze had fallen.
Sweat traced a path down the bridge of his nose. Leaning close, he gently nipped Gu Yun’s ear.
“Have there been others before?”
“What others?”
Gu Yun shuddered and shoved his head away. Seeing his reaction, Chao Yan understood at once. With a satisfied sigh, he smiled.
“A-Yun is very well behaved.”
Only then did Gu Yun realise what he meant by “others”. His face instantly flushed. He buried it in Chao Yan’s shoulder and bit him on the neck.
I’ve never even dated anyone, and you think I’ve done that?
Then again, people his age in this era were generally already married. Some even had children running around. Since Chao Yan knew nothing about his previous life, it was hardly strange that he would ask.
Gu Yun eventually released him.
He had not bitten hard, merely enough to leave a neat, shallow row of teeth marks.
Lowering his gaze afterwards, he discovered that the pale moon-white hem of his skirt had been stained.
…
Gu Yun immediately decided he would never wear that outfit again.
Back in the pavilion, Xu Jingzhou thought for a moment before answering.
“Guo Yangquan is a young man now, one year older than me. According to the novel, his entire family was slaughtered by bandits who had drifted into the area.”
Gu Yun did not respond.
Xu Jingzhou looked over and found his gaze unfocused. Clearly, he was miles away.
He tapped the table. “Are you even listening?”
Gu Yun snapped back to himself as though waking from a dream. Rubbing his ear, he replied with admirable composure, “Say it again.”
Xu Jingzhou could only repeat himself.
After listening, Gu Yun asked, “Exactly when did it happen? I mean when his family met with disaster.”
After calculating the timeline, Xu Jingzhou replied, “It seems to have happened sometime within the last two years.”
