SIDE STORY 1: Yan-ge Is Sick.
When the first snowflakes fell one after the other, the sudden cold dew startled the wild geese.
This year, the cold winter seemed to have arrived earlier than ever.
When the sun was about to rise in the East, Yan HeQing got up to go to the morning Court. Xiao YuAn, on the other hand, was still wrapped in the blankets, sound asleep.
Snowflakes fluttered onto the window, while the earth was covered with eye-catching white snow.
It was a sudden winter chill, and the quilt on the bed wasn’t thick. When Yan HeQing left the bed, Xiao YuAn, who had no one to cuddle with, felt a chill on his body as he uneasily pulled the quilt and curled up.
Yan HeQing quickly ordered someone to bring a charcoal stove.
But because the cold came out of nowhere, the Palace wasn’t prepared for such an event, and it took some time for the charcoal to heat up while in the fire. Even when Yan HeQing was already dressed in his Court attire, the stove hadn’t been delivered yet.
Then, a servant brought over a thick cloak made with gold silk, decorated with a dragon pattern for Yan HeQing to wear. “Your Majesty, it suddenly snowed last night. Today is a very cold day, so His Majesty should quickly put this on.”
Yan HeQing ‘hm-mmed’, took the cloak, and turned around to look at the inner bedroom. Since Xiao YuAn was restless in his sleep as he rolled around the bed, Yan HeQing wrapped him with the thick cloak.
Seeing this, the servant hurried to say: “This servant will go and get another cloak.”
However, when Yan HeQing saw the time, he was worried about arriving late for the morning Court. He simply said that there was no need to bring anything, got up, and left the Imperial Bedchamber.
The green bamboo branches were covered with snow, as white as white jade, and as his feet squeaked in the snow, Yan HeQing was only wearing his Royal clothes. As the cold wind blew by, Yan HeQing felt chilled to the bones, but since he’s a person who doesn’t want to show his emotions in the open, the servants around him couldn’t see that he felt cold.
After going to Court, Yan HeQing devoted himself to the government affairs without any distractions. So much that he even forgot whether he was cold or not. Only after Court, did he notice that his hands and feet were icy cold. Fortunately, the servant brought a new cloak for him. After putting on the cloak, Yan HeQing felt a bit more warm.
When Yan HeQing returned to his bedchamber, he found that Xiao YuAn was already up.
Since Xiao YuAn hadn’t stepped outside the bedchamber, his beautiful hair was scattered and it wasn’t tied up. Xiao YuAn was afraid of the cold, so he wrapped himself in a thick fur coat, sitting on a couch decorated with vermilion and gold carvings1 in the outer room. He was holding his head with one hand, as he read some letters.
Tian Xiang was stirring the charcoal in the stove to burn more vigorously. In her left hand, she was holding an octagonal furnace, decorated with magpies surrounding plums2.
The octagonal furnace was exquisitely crafted, and couldn’t be used by the maids of the Palace. However, this particular one was given to Tian Xiang by Xiao YuAn.
Tian Xiang poked the charcoal twice, making the charcoal ash roll up in the air from the stove, which made her cough. When Xiao YuAn saw this, he brought her some tea and asked her to rest. Then, he took the fire poker and began to stir the charcoal stove by himself.
After a while, the charcoal in the stove burned brightly, and Xiao YuAn clapped his hands triumphantly, with a face that said ‘I’m worthy of praise’. When Xiao YuAn turned around, he saw Yan HeQing, who had just returned from the Court.
At that moment, Xiao YuAn’s eyes instantly lit up as he shouted: “Yan-ge! You’re back!”
Yan HeQing nodded and walked towards him.
Xiao YuAn stepped forward to pull him close to the stove: “It’s so cold today, I wonder why the temperature had dropped all of a sudden. Quick, come here and warm up.”
Tian Xiang covered her lips and smiled. After bowing to Yan HeQing and Xiao YuAn, she leaned over, preparing to leave. When she tried to give the octagonal furnace back to Xiao YuAn, this one was pushed back by Xiao YuAn himself: “You can take it and use it.”
Tian Xiang quickly thanked and bowed her head to Xiao YuAn, then she withdrew from the bedchamber.
Only Yan HeQing and Xiao YuAn were left behind in the bedchamber.
When Yan HeQing set his eyes on the letter in Xiao YuAn’s hand, Xiao YuAn noticed. As he waved the letter on his hand, he said with a smile: “This morning, Tian Xiang brought this letter to me. It was written by Baizhu, saying that my godson’s first birthday test3 was already held. He said that the child caught medicinal herbs, so it could be said that he will become a physician in the future. Baizhu also mentioned that Shifu, LiuAn, Fengyue and Auntie are all well.”
Yan HeQing listened to Xiao YuAn’s ramblings as he hummed softly.
No one in Taoyuan Village knew that something had happened to Xiao YuAn, and even after his rebirth, Xiao YuAn would often exchange letters with them.
However, when they heard that the Southern Yan Kingdom would take over the Western Shu Kingdom through marriage, Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue thought that Yan HeQing had lost interest in Xiao YuAn. Three letters were sent through fast horses, every word in the letters were filled with worry and anxiety. They even wanted to come to the Capital to look for Xiao YuAn.
Xiao YuAn wrote back a long letter to appease them, telling them that the alliance through marriage was false, and that he had changed his own appearance. Only then did Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue give up on the idea of rescuing him.
Xiao YuAn carefully and lovingly put the letter into the wooden box. Then he sighed with emotion and said to Yan HeQing: “This letter was sent all the way from their hometown. I even think that it was written in early autumn, but it’s snowing now.”
Yan HeQing could see Xiao YuAn’s frustration, so he tried to comfort him: “If you want, you can go see them.”
Xiao YuAn rubbed his chin and said: “Well, yeah. But they will be very surprised when they see my current appearance. Besides, I don’t know whether my Shifu will be deceived by the excuse of ‘disguise’.”
Yan HeQing said softly: “You are you, and they know you well. There’s no such thing as deceiving them.”
Xiao YuAn smiled: “Well, that too! Ah, Yan-ge, how could your body still be so cold when you’ve stayed close to the stove for so long? Come here, give me your hands, I’ll warm them up for you!” Then Xiao YuAn grabbed Yan HeQing’s hand, pulling them to his face: “When I woke up this morning, I found a cloak on the bed. Did you go out only wearing your Royal robes? Don’t you feel cold?”
""
In fact, Yan HeQing had actually felt some kind of cold feeling in his chest for a long time now. But in the end, he said: “I don’t feel cold.”
Xiao YuAn said: “I don’t want you to ‘feel’ whether you’re cold or not, I’ll do it for you. Listen to me, just listen to me. If I say that you’re cold, then you’re cold. Your mouth is feeling especially cold right now, isn’t it? Now that your hands are warm, it’s time to warm your lips.”
Yan HeQing: “…..”
Yan HeQing couldn’t even have the chance to reply, when he was suddenly kissed by Xiao YuAn, who had a smile on his face.
But soon, Yan HeQing responded to the kiss by pressing the back of Xiao YuAn’s neck, turning from being on the receiving end to the one taking the initiative.
Yan HeQing’s lips and tongue were slightly cool, which made Xiao YuAn feel as if he was kissing snow, but the careful licking of their tongues shared a trace of sweetness.
Xiao YuAn thought: ‘Why is it so cold? Ah, forget it, Yan-ge’s physical quality won’t allow him to fall sick!’
However, the next day, Yan HeQing woke up with a cold.
SIDE STORY 1: Yan-ge Is Sick.
When the first snowflakes fell one after the other, the sudden cold dew startled the wild geese.
This year, the cold winter seemed to have arrived earlier than ever.
When the sun was about to rise in the East, Yan HeQing got up to go to the morning Court. Xiao YuAn, on the other hand, was still wrapped in the blankets, sound asleep.
Snowflakes fluttered onto the window, while the earth was covered with eye-catching white snow.
It was a sudden winter chill, and the quilt on the bed wasn’t thick. When Yan HeQing left the bed, Xiao YuAn, who had no one to cuddle with, felt a chill on his body as he uneasily pulled the quilt and curled up.
Yan HeQing quickly ordered someone to bring a charcoal stove.
But because the cold came out of nowhere, the Palace wasn’t prepared for such an event, and it took some time for the charcoal to heat up while in the fire. Even when Yan HeQing was already dressed in his Court attire, the stove hadn’t been delivered yet.
Then, a servant brought over a thick cloak made with gold silk, decorated with a dragon pattern for Yan HeQing to wear. “Your Majesty, it suddenly snowed last night. Today is a very cold day, so His Majesty should quickly put this on.”
Yan HeQing ‘hm-mmed’, took the cloak, and turned around to look at the inner bedroom. Since Xiao YuAn was restless in his sleep as he rolled around the bed, Yan HeQing wrapped him with the thick cloak.
Seeing this, the servant hurried to say: “This servant will go and get another cloak.”
However, when Yan HeQing saw the time, he was worried about arriving late for the morning Court. He simply said that there was no need to bring anything, got up, and left the Imperial Bedchamber.
The green bamboo branches were covered with snow, as white as white jade, and as his feet squeaked in the snow, Yan HeQing was only wearing his Royal clothes. As the cold wind blew by, Yan HeQing felt chilled to the bones, but since he’s a person who doesn’t want to show his emotions in the open, the servants around him couldn’t see that he felt cold.
After going to Court, Yan HeQing devoted himself to the government affairs without any distractions. So much that he even forgot whether he was cold or not. Only after Court, did he notice that his hands and feet were icy cold. Fortunately, the servant brought a new cloak for him. After putting on the cloak, Yan HeQing felt a bit more warm.
When Yan HeQing returned to his bedchamber, he found that Xiao YuAn was already up.
Since Xiao YuAn hadn’t stepped outside the bedchamber, his beautiful hair was scattered and it wasn’t tied up. Xiao YuAn was afraid of the cold, so he wrapped himself in a thick fur coat, sitting on a couch decorated with vermilion and gold carvings1 in the outer room. He was holding his head with one hand, as he read some letters.
Tian Xiang was stirring the charcoal in the stove to burn more vigorously. In her left hand, she was holding an octagonal furnace, decorated with magpies surrounding plums2.
The octagonal furnace was exquisitely crafted, and couldn’t be used by the maids of the Palace. However, this particular one was given to Tian Xiang by Xiao YuAn.
Tian Xiang poked the charcoal twice, making the charcoal ash roll up in the air from the stove, which made her cough. When Xiao YuAn saw this, he brought her some tea and asked her to rest. Then, he took the fire poker and began to stir the charcoal stove by himself.
After a while, the charcoal in the stove burned brightly, and Xiao YuAn clapped his hands triumphantly, with a face that said ‘I’m worthy of praise’. When Xiao YuAn turned around, he saw Yan HeQing, who had just returned from the Court.
At that moment, Xiao YuAn’s eyes instantly lit up as he shouted: “Yan-ge! You’re back!”
Yan HeQing nodded and walked towards him.
Xiao YuAn stepped forward to pull him close to the stove: “It’s so cold today, I wonder why the temperature had dropped all of a sudden. Quick, come here and warm up.”
Tian Xiang covered her lips and smiled. After bowing to Yan HeQing and Xiao YuAn, she leaned over, preparing to leave. When she tried to give the octagonal furnace back to Xiao YuAn, this one was pushed back by Xiao YuAn himself: “You can take it and use it.”
Tian Xiang quickly thanked and bowed her head to Xiao YuAn, then she withdrew from the bedchamber.
Only Yan HeQing and Xiao YuAn were left behind in the bedchamber.
When Yan HeQing set his eyes on the letter in Xiao YuAn’s hand, Xiao YuAn noticed. As he waved the letter on his hand, he said with a smile: “This morning, Tian Xiang brought this letter to me. It was written by Baizhu, saying that my godson’s first birthday test3 was already held. He said that the child caught medicinal herbs, so it could be said that he will become a physician in the future. Baizhu also mentioned that Shifu, LiuAn, Fengyue and Auntie are all well.”
Yan HeQing listened to Xiao YuAn’s ramblings as he hummed softly.
No one in Taoyuan Village knew that something had happened to Xiao YuAn, and even after his rebirth, Xiao YuAn would often exchange letters with them.
However, when they heard that the Southern Yan Kingdom would take over the Western Shu Kingdom through marriage, Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue thought that Yan HeQing had lost interest in Xiao YuAn. Three letters were sent through fast horses, every word in the letters were filled with worry and anxiety. They even wanted to come to the Capital to look for Xiao YuAn.
Xiao YuAn wrote back a long letter to appease them, telling them that the alliance through marriage was false, and that he had changed his own appearance. Only then did Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue give up on the idea of rescuing him.
Xiao YuAn carefully and lovingly put the letter into the wooden box. Then he sighed with emotion and said to Yan HeQing: “This letter was sent all the way from their hometown. I even think that it was written in early autumn, but it’s snowing now.”
Yan HeQing could see Xiao YuAn’s frustration, so he tried to comfort him: “If you want, you can go see them.”
Xiao YuAn rubbed his chin and said: “Well, yeah. But they will be very surprised when they see my current appearance. Besides, I don’t know whether my Shifu will be deceived by the excuse of ‘disguise’.”
Yan HeQing said softly: “You are you, and they know you well. There’s no such thing as deceiving them.”
Xiao YuAn smiled: “Well, that too! Ah, Yan-ge, how could your body still be so cold when you’ve stayed close to the stove for so long? Come here, give me your hands, I’ll warm them up for you!” Then Xiao YuAn grabbed Yan HeQing’s hand, pulling them to his face: “When I woke up this morning, I found a cloak on the bed. Did you go out only wearing your Royal robes? Don’t you feel cold?”
""
In fact, Yan HeQing had actually felt some kind of cold feeling in his chest for a long time now. But in the end, he said: “I don’t feel cold.”
Xiao YuAn said: “I don’t want you to ‘feel’ whether you’re cold or not, I’ll do it for you. Listen to me, just listen to me. If I say that you’re cold, then you’re cold. Your mouth is feeling especially cold right now, isn’t it? Now that your hands are warm, it’s time to warm your lips.”
Yan HeQing: “…..”
Yan HeQing couldn’t even have the chance to reply, when he was suddenly kissed by Xiao YuAn, who had a smile on his face.
But soon, Yan HeQing responded to the kiss by pressing the back of Xiao YuAn’s neck, turning from being on the receiving end to the one taking the initiative.
Yan HeQing’s lips and tongue were slightly cool, which made Xiao YuAn feel as if he was kissing snow, but the careful licking of their tongues shared a trace of sweetness.
Xiao YuAn thought: ‘Why is it so cold? Ah, forget it, Yan-ge’s physical quality won’t allow him to fall sick!’
However, the next day, Yan HeQing woke up with a cold.
