Zhang Zhangshe was not even as tall as Gu Yun. Even standing in front of Chao Yao, she could not block his line of sight. As for her words, he ignored them completely.
Chao Yao remained where he stood, his gaze fixed on Gu Yun.
He was certainly attractive. However, he was dressed far too warmly, making it impossible to appreciate much elegance or charm.
The people in Chao Yao’s own residence knew exactly whom they should be pleasing and therefore behaved very differently. This was not the first time Gu Yun had encountered someone like him.
He performed a salute and spoke coldly. “Does Your Highness no longer care about his reputation?”
Chao Yao let out a laugh. “I’ve come to see the Crown Prince.”
“Our Crown Prince is not here. You will not find him here. Zhang Zhangshe already told you so.”
Chao Yao picked at his ear. “I didn’t hear her. The female official’s voice was too quiet.”
Gu Yun said, “Now you’ve heard her. Does Your Highness still intend to remain here?”
Chao Yao replied, “You’re nothing more than a concubine, yet you dare speak to me like this? Has the Crown Prince spoiled you rotten?”
Gu Yun descended the steps and stopped several paces away from him.
With a faint smile, he said, “I have indeed been spoiled, but I have not forgotten my position or committed any impropriety. What about Your Highness?”
Chao Yao’s expression changed instantly. He lashed out with a kick aimed at Zhang Zhangshe. Had Gu Yun not reacted swiftly enough to pull her aside, the blow would have landed squarely in her abdomen.
“Your Highness,” Gu Yun said, “this is the Eastern Palace.”
“The Eastern Palace?” Chao Yao snapped. “And what of it?!”
Gu Yun met his gaze steadily. Chao Yao glared back viciously.
Just as the atmosphere reached breaking point, Sun Yunbo, Grand Academician of the Left Spring Workshop, arrived. He had been summoned by Ziteng after she sensed that the situation was taking a dangerous turn.
Most of the Eastern Palace officials had been sent elsewhere on business. Only a handful of elderly or highly respected officials remained behind. Sun Yunbo qualified on both counts.
The moment he arrived, his expression darkened.
He first reproached Gu Yun and instructed him to return to his chambers. Then he turned towards Chao Yao, cupped his hands, and said, “Does Your Highness wish for me to submit a memorial impeaching you? If so, I would not be unable to oblige.”
Chao Yao immediately turned and left with a sweep of his sleeve.
His attendants had not dared enter the side courtyard and had remained outside. The moment they saw him emerge, they hurried after him.
Lowering his voice, Sun Yunbo said to Zhang Zhangshe, “Please convey my apologies to Secondary Consort Gu. The circumstances left me no choice.”
Having said this, he also hurried after Chao Yao.
The creature was in the midst of a temper tantrum. If no one kept an eye on him, he might well gouge a hole straight through the Eastern Palace.
Zhang Zhangshe relayed Sun Yunbo’s words to Gu Yun exactly as they had been spoken. Gu Yun nodded.
In truth, even if Sun Yunbo had not asked her to pass on the message, he would never have misunderstood him.
Ever since entering the Eastern Palace, everyone there, regardless of whether they belonged to Chao Yan’s faction or not, had treated him with respect. There had never been any contempt. Still less any reprimands.
Gu Yun knew perfectly well that this was due to Chao Yan’s attitude towards him.
Through the bright window, he watched the two figures disappear one after the other. Folding his arms, he began preparing the complaint he intended to lodge with Chao Yan upon his return.
He was not asking for immediate revenge. He merely hoped for revenge at some point in the future.
Gu Yun readily admitted that he was not especially magnanimous.
Every debt was recorded.
Every single one.
…
Winter days were short and winter nights long. Darkness fell quickly.
Yet Chao Yan still had not returned. Chao Yao had long since become furious from waiting. The Eastern Palace had already sent word to Chao Yan, and the reply had been that he would return shortly.
Shortly? Several hours had passed, and he was still nowhere to be seen. It was obvious that he was deliberately being left to stew.
His expression darkened. Furious, he finally stormed off.
Watching Chao Yao leave, Sun Yunbo felt as though he had become ten years younger.
When one of the attendants from Gu Yun’s residence happened to pass by Sun Yunbo, he overheard the grand academician quoting classical texts while delivering a highly cultured stream of insults under his breath. The attendant later reported the matter to Gu Yun.
Gu Yun laughed first. Afterwards, he instructed everyone not to spread the story around. Once they had assured him they would not, he stepped outside.
The snow had stopped falling.
Everything around him felt bleak and silent to an almost oppressive degree.
Gu Yun returned to his chambers, tidied up a little, read a few more pages of his book, thought briefly about his seeds that still had no prospects, and then went to bed.
…
After leaving the Ministry of Justice, the only illumination left in the world came from the lanterns they carried.
Ever since the Emperor had announced the winter relief measures, many lamps throughout the Imperial City had been extinguished.
The night was deep. The air was bitterly cold.
Without the comfort of bright firelight, everything felt all the more lonely and desolate. The road beneath their feet was damp. Each step left a distinct footprint. In the lantern light, faint reflections flickered across the wet ground.
Zhao He walked on Chao Yan’s left.
He discreetly glanced at Hua Que, the Assistant Commander, and the group of guards following behind them, then at the Eastern Palace guards positioned between the two groups. Only then did he feel completely at ease.
He turned back and, lowering his voice, said to Chao Yan, “Your Highness, during this investigation into old cases, didn’t we uncover evidence that the Eighth Prince committed an offence? Why not bring it up and teach him a lesson? Save him from constantly jumping about and acting as though you don’t matter.”
Upon hearing this, Chao Yan asked softly, “And then?”
Zhao He blinked in confusion. “What do you mean, and then?”
He lowered his head. “This servant is slow-witted. Please speak plainly, Your Highness.”
Chao Yan said, “When dealing with fleas, if you don’t apply enough force, you won’t kill them.”
Zhao He pondered the remark, still unable to make sense of it, when he heard Chao Yan ask, “The clever and loyal eunuchs I told you to select earlier. Have you done it?”
Zhao He gave a start.
He thought to himself: I’ve been so busy running around accomplishing great things with Your Highness that I completely forgot about that.
“Your Highness, please give me another two days.”
Chao Yan smiled. “I’ll give you ten days if you like. But if you fail to do it properly, I’ll have your head.”
Zhao He hurriedly replied, “Please rest assured, Your Highness. The matter will definitely be handled properly. Even if I had ten times the courage, I wouldn’t dare be careless.”
The group arrived at the Eastern Palace. Assistant Commander Hua Que and the accompanying guards returned to rest.
Chao Yan instructed Zhao He and the others to sort out the Eastern Palace documents that had been processed by the palace officials over the past few days and continue working in the rear hall of Wenhua Hall.
By the time all the documents had been reviewed, it was already the third watch of the night.
He had originally intended to examine the accounts of his private estates as well, but upon noticing the hour, he could only abandon the idea with regret.
“Nothing else. Go and rest.” Chao Yan spoke to Zhao He, who was standing by his side.
Zhao He revealed a weary smile.
At last. He had finally heard those words.
By now he had already finished an entire pot of strong tea.
Chao Yan added, “After the fifth watch, we’re going back to the Ministry of Justice. You’ll still be able to sleep for roughly two hours. Make the most of it.”
Zhao He: “…”
Zhao He suddenly felt that his heart was not in a particularly healthy condition.
On the one hand, he deeply suspected that he and the Crown Prince were not actually the same species. On the other hand, he envied Li Lan and the others. They had already gone off to rest because their shifts had ended.
His Highness had asked him to select several clever and loyal eunuchs. Surely that was because he was worried Zhao He might suddenly work himself to death and needed people for shift rotations.
Right? It had to be that. Surely.
At this point, Zhao He no longer wished to be both the Chief Eunuch of the Eastern Palace and the Crown Prince’s foremost attendant.
In the past, the Crown Prince had possessed very few people he could truly rely on within the Eastern Palace. It was common for one person to do the work of several. Fortunately, there had not been much to do, so it had never been particularly exhausting.
Back then, Zhao He had been delighted. Being worked hard had made him feel valued. Now… Now he genuinely could not endure it. The tip of Zhao He’s tongue tasted bitter.
This was no longer a question of being valued or not. This was a question of whether he got to keep his life.
Chao Yan, however, felt that things were still manageable.
After arriving at the side hall, he bathed and changed his clothes. Then he sat beside the bed and still found himself in the mood to take advantage of Gu Yun.
Calling it taking advantage was perhaps somewhat unfair. All he did was embrace the person he loved through the blankets.
The warmth could not pass through. Yet the bedding was soft. So soft that even the person beneath it seemed impossibly soft as well.
After holding him for a while, Chao Yan propped himself up and looked towards Gu Yun. All he could see was a mass of jet-black hair.
Still burying himself beneath the covers as much as ever.
Chao Yan lowered his fingers. The edge of the blanket shifted downward. A bloom like a spring flower flushed with rosy colour abruptly entered his sight.
Looking further, he discovered that Gu Yun’s ears were burning hot.
His expression shifted slightly. A smile appeared in his eyes.
He bent down closer. His figure leaned over from above, enveloping the other man. His nose brushed against the warmth of Gu Yun’s cheek. The breath he exhaled intertwined with the other’s like water mingling with water.
Beneath the blankets, the dark teal bedsheet near Gu Yun’s hand developed a slight crease. Chao Yan’s nose brushed the area just above his lips. The dark teal bedsheet gained even more creases.
“Sweet dreams.”
Chao Yan’s voice was low, carrying with it the damp tranquillity of the day’s snowfall. He rose, took a quilt from the cabinet, spread it over the couch, and lay down to rest.
Everything gradually quietened.
Not long afterwards, the final trace of light in the warm chamber disappeared. The candle deliberately left burning overnight had finally burnt itself out.
A rustling sound suddenly broke the silence. Gu Yun opened his eyes.
Supporting himself upright, he lifted the bed curtains and looked towards the couch. He had never fallen asleep.
It was so dark. He could not see anything at all. Slowly, he lay back down.
Carefully, he touched his own cheek. The sensation of the other’s skin still seemed to linger there.
Inside his chest, his heart was beating desperately fast.
He thought: At this rate, I’m done for.
…
After the capital’s first snowfall came the second. Then the snow settled over the land and continued falling without pause.
Before long, the entire world had become a vast expanse of white.
Gu Yun trudged through the thick snow covering the streets, accompanied by Zhou Er and Zhou Wei, heading towards Huishui Pool.
It was still early. The residents living on either side of the street had yet to rise, and so the snow remained piled thick upon the road. Step by step, dragging one foot after the other through the snow, they eventually arrived.
Gu Yun was sweating heavily.
Removing his thick silk cloak lined with sable fur, he stood at Huishui Pool and looked towards the bustling crowd beside the Wutong River.
Huishui Pool served as the principal transport wharf of the canal system. Connected to the Wutong River, it received tribute grain and other goods shipped into the capital from across the empire. As one of the canal waterways, the Wutong River was now covered by thick ice.
Numerous vessels sat waiting in the Grand Canal, unable to enter this stretch of waterway. The people hard at work before him were attempting to break the ice covering the river.
Chao Yan was among them.
He had specifically made time to oversee the ice-breaking operation.
If the thick ice on the Wutong River could be successfully broken, then the same method could be applied to the other canal routes as well. The problem of frozen canal waterways would effectively be solved.
All the methods Gu Yun had proposed for the prevention stage and the thin-ice stage had proven feasible.
Now that the thick-ice stage had arrived, Chao Yan intended to proceed according to Gu Yun’s recommendations once again.
During the thick-ice period, the primary methods consisted of the Grass Dragon Ice-Burning Formation and manual labour.
If those failed, contingency measures would be activated.
Having heard about the operation the previous evening, Gu Yun considered it a critical moment that required particular attention.
As a result, he had risen early and arrived here shortly after Chao Yan.
The position Gu Yun selected was excellent. From there, he could clearly observe everyone’s movements. Under Chao Yan’s direction, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Some people spread reed mats across the ice. Others poured pine resin over them. Once that was done, several men ran to the downwind side and threw fire onto the reed mats.
The combination of reed mats and pine resin ignited instantly. The flames spread continuously. One-third of the treated section of the Wutong River vanished into a sea of fire. Viewed from above, it resembled a twisted fire dragon.
The blaze burned for a long time before finally dying out.
The waiting workers immediately poured all the well water they had prepared onto the scorched ice. Several faint cracking sounds rang out. The thick ice, which had previously appeared intact, suddenly became covered in countless fractures. A light jab with a shovel was enough to break off entire sections of ice.
It had worked.
Amidst a chorus of cheers, the anxiety Gu Yun had been carrying finally eased.
He withdrew his gaze from the river. Then, as he casually looked up, he unexpectedly met Chao Yan’s eyes. Standing beside the Wutong River, Chao Yan did not know how long he had been looking in his direction.
Slowly, Chao Yan smiled.
From the movement of his lips, Gu Yun saw him say: “Darling.”
Lunatic.
Gu Yun immediately turned his head away. His ears felt strangely ticklish.
A moment later, the tips had turned faintly red.
