Chao Yan: “…”
…
The following morning.
Wrapped in his quilt, Gu Yun sat cross-legged on the bed, staring blankly into space.
As a drunk whose behaviour was generally manageable, he remembered most of what had happened after he became intoxicated. His own words echoed relentlessly through his mind.
I can’t give you a baby.
I can’t give you a baby.
I can’t… give you a baby.
I… baby.
In utter despair, Gu Yun collapsed onto the bed and buried his head beneath a pillow.
Just kill me.
He would never be able to face anyone again. He kept himself buried beneath the pillow until he was nearly suffocating. At that moment, a rhythmic knock sounded at the door.
Lifting one corner of the pillow, he looked towards the entrance.
Chao Yan stood there, already fully dressed. His long, slender fingers were still slightly curved from knocking. They lingered close to the door, just about to withdraw.
Though Gu Yun frequently cursed him in his heart as a bastard, Chao Yan’s nature resembled a snake far more than a dog.
When he stood still and quietly observed someone, those dark eyes seemed bottomless. A gloomy, oppressive aura surrounded him like a towering mountain bearing down upon its prey, creating the horrifying sensation of being swallowed whole, muscles crushed bone by bone, flesh slowly dissolved by stomach acid.
Gu Yun: “…”
The victim of his drunken antics had arrived.
Was he here to settle accounts? But hadn’t he already done that?
Gu Yun remembered clearly. After he’d blurted out those words, Chao Yan had not reacted immediately. Presumably because other people were present, and he did not wish for anyone to repeat what had been said. Only after carrying him back to the warm pavilion and placing him on the bed had Chao Yan finally spoken.
“Not now. Later. After all, I do enjoy forcing the unwilling.”
His voice had been cool, and the irritation beneath it unmistakable. Even in his drunken state, Gu Yun had sensed the threat.
He had immediately tried burrowing deeper beneath the blankets. Unfortunately, he was nowhere near fast enough.
His ankle had been seized and he had been dragged straight back out. Then Chao Yan had proceeded to rub his entire back from neck to waist as though stroking a cat.
At first, it had merely tickled.
Gu Yun had laughed and squirmed, trying to escape. Unable to get away, he had eventually laughed hard enough for tears to form.
He kicked. He flailed.
Then, little by little, his entire body had gone limp, as soft as water. Tilting his head, he had looked up at Chao Yan through misty eyes, the corners flushed red.
Chao Yan had finally stopped. Standing beside the bed, he had looked down at him.
As for what that strange feeling had been, Gu Yun couldn’t say. He only remembered that all the strength seemed to drain from his body. Everything after that was a complete blank.
Still.
If Chao Yan had already taken his revenge, then coming back for another round would be absurdly petty.
Gu Yun’s eyes darted about. Looking down at his arm, he found only a thin layer of underclothing. His scalp immediately prickled.
Caught between the comfort of his surroundings and the mortifying memories, he suddenly realised something important he had overlooked.
Moving his legs beneath the quilt, he discovered that he was wearing only thin sleeping trousers as well. Someone had removed his outer garments last night.
Who?
His gaze landed on Chao Yan.
Chao Yan walked into the room, bent down, and extended a hand towards him. Gu Yun immediately grabbed it.
Chao Yan said, “Looks like there aren’t any after-effects from the drink.” His expression was perfectly normal.
Apparently he wasn’t the one who had changed Gu Yun’s clothes. Then who was? Zhang Zhangshe?
Releasing Chao Yan’s hand, Gu Yun slowly buried his face in the bedsheets. The sheets had been freshly changed.
Warm. Soft. Faintly fragrant.
As he slowly breathed in the scent and mulled things over, he discovered that Chao Yan had, in fact, been correct. There were after-effects.
His head was beginning to ache.
…
After getting up, Gu Yun bathed, dried himself, and reached for his clothes.
The bronze mirror reflected a tall, elegantly proportioned figure.
Across his pale back, from the nape of his neck all the way down to his tailbone, spread a broad patch of redness, as though someone had vigorously scraped his skin. Even his shoulder blades and the tops of his thighs were tinged red.
But he never noticed.
After dressing, he wandered into the courtyard. Curling up in a bamboo reclining chair, he basked in the sunlight and slowly sipped sweet honey water. Standing behind him, Zhang Zhangshe used a thick towel to dry his still-damp hair.
Once he’d finished the honey water, Gu Yun felt somewhat better.
He asked whether she had been the one to remove his outer garments the previous night. Zhang Zhangshe denied it immediately.
“We wanted to help, but His Highness didn’t give us the opportunity. Oh, and His Highness personally wiped your face and washed your hands and feet as well.”
Gu Yun: “…”
Setting his cup into Zhang Zhangshe’s hands, Gu Yun snatched the towel from her and marched off in search of Chao Yan.
Chao Yan was still within the Eastern Palace. For some reason, he had yet to leave. Ordinarily, by this hour, even on days without court, he would already be at work.
When Gu Yun found him, Chao Yan was holding a meeting with Eastern Palace officials inside Wenhua Hall.
Approaching quietly, Gu Yun could hear their discussion clearly. Zhao He and the others standing outside the hall noticed him but tactfully pretended not to.
Inside, Chao Yan and the officials were discussing measures to prevent the transport canal from freezing. This was one of the three major issues currently facing them. Frozen waterways.
Gu Yun heard someone say that if temperatures dropped for just a few more days, a thin layer of ice would begin forming on the canal.
Several preventative measures had already been devised. However, implementation costs were proving rather high.
Perhaps it would be better to abandon those measures altogether and simply wait until the canal froze before using manpower to break the ice. By then, the refugees would have arrived. The newly settled refugees could be assigned the work and paid in grain on a daily basis. That would solve both the labour shortage and the risk of unrest.
Idle refugees were prone to causing trouble.
…
By the time the meeting concluded, it was almost noon.
Massaging his temples, Chao Yan stepped out of Wenhua Hall. At first glance, he spotted Gu Yun leaning against a wall, on the verge of falling asleep.
The sunlight seemed unusually fond of him. Warm golden light rested upon his skin, making it appear almost translucent. He seemed to glow.
Chao Yan deliberately positioned himself so as to block the view of the Eastern Palace officials emerging behind him before walking over.
A shadow fell. The sunlight disappeared.
Feeling the sudden coolness, Gu Yun instantly lost all traces of drowsiness. Opening his eyes, he found the culprit responsible for his current predicament standing before him.
Chao Yan asked, “What are you doing standing here? Is something the matter?”
Gu Yun looked at him. “Can we talk somewhere else?”
Chao Yan nodded. The two returned to the study in Chunhe Palace.
Pulling out a chair, Chao Yan gestured for him to sit. Gu Yun cast him a discreet glance. Then he stepped forward.
When he reached the chair, he suddenly threw himself forward. His body collided with Chao Yan’s. His lips brushed lightly against the side of Chao Yan’s neck. Immediately afterwards, he carefully observed Chao Yan’s reaction.
The younger man froze.
Then, slowly—
Gu Yun heard the sound of a swallow. Looking up, he saw Chao Yan’s Adam’s apple move.
Gu Yun: “…” Right.
So he really hadn’t realised Gu Yun was a man.
The man’s blind as a bat.
Satisfied with his conclusion, Gu Yun retreated and prepared to sit down.
Before he could reach the chair, however, someone grabbed him. The next moment he was pulled into an embrace and firmly kissed.
Gu Yun: “…”
Gu Yun froze. His mind went completely blank. When his senses finally returned, he immediately raised a hand to hit Chao Yan.
His wrist was caught.
He tried lifting a leg instead. This time he was simply lifted bodily off the ground.
Then he found himself pressed against the writing desk. The kiss deepened.
Thorough. Impossible to escape.
By the time Chao Yan finally released him, Gu Yun no longer knew east from west. He could only gasp quietly for breath. Even then, Chao Yan seemed reluctant to stop. He lingered close, pressing light kisses to the corner of Gu Yun’s mouth.
At last, Gu Yun shoved him away. Then he slapped him.
The strike landed squarely on Chao Yan’s left cheek. The sharp crack echoed throughout the study.
Gu Yun froze.
Immediately withdrawing his hand, he stammered, “I… that was… Your Highness…”
A few loose strands of hair had fallen across Chao Yan’s forehead, casting shadows over his face. He looked down at Gu Yun for a long moment.
Then he took hold of Gu Yun’s hand.
Slowly.
Gently.
He rubbed the palm that had struck him and asked with remarkable tenderness, “Did your hand hurt when you hit me?”
