Autumn sun is burning bright overhead as Li Yanqiu brings the horse to a halt outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony. An evening breeze has set the banners to either side of him fluttering.
“Long Live Your Majesty!” The Black Armours army salutes, falling on one knee in front of him in an earth-shattering display.
Xie You and Cai Yan have slowly made their way to the palace, but Li Yanqiu has stopped there before the steps, his mind wandering for a little while. Earlier, there was that one moment where it felt as though he … sensed something.
“Good work,” Li Yanqiu says.
The Black Armours part like the tides, leaving a path open. Li Yanqiu steps into the main palace. The Jiangzhou Imperial Palace has seen its share of trials and tribulations, but after some repair and renovation it has become even more extravagant than the one in Xichuan. A eunuch steps forward to untie Li Yanqiu’s cape for him, after which Li Yanqiu keeps walking through the corridor.
Both Zheng Yan and Lang Junxia have already arrived. As Li Yanqiu walks by the Eastern Palace, he glances inside to find Lang Junxia sitting in the corridor playing his flute. He doesn’t get up to bow even as Li Yanqiu passes by.
“It has been a wearisome journey.” Li Yanqiu pays no mind to Lang Junxia, and simply says to Cai Yan, “Go get some rest.”
Cai Yan trails him from behind. “The auspicious hour where we must offer sacrifices to the heavens is at dawn tomorrow. You should try to sleep earlier as well, uncle.”
“We may have a new home, but I’ll be taking my medicine as always. Don’t worry.”
And so along with the other servants of the Eastern Palace, Cai Yan bows as Li Yanqiu departs.
In the Palace of Eternal Autumn,2 Mu Jinzhi is painting her eyebrows in front of the mirror. Her clothes, accessories and makeup have also been delivered, and her maids are opening and checking each box over one by one.
“Who got on your nerves this time, Your Majesty?” Mu Jinzhi says with a smile, her reflection looking at Li Yanqiu in the mirror, one eyebrow raised.
“No one in particular got on my nerves,” Li Yanqiu replies, standing behind Mu Jinzhi. “No matter how sharp your eyes may be, there are times when you can be mistaken.”
Mu Jinzhi puts down her hairpin and says, “A request to recruit retainers for the crown prince’s palace has been issued. We should get a list of candidates after the civil exams and let him take as long as he likes to choose.”
Li Yanqiu replies courteously, “Thank you for keeping this in mind and taking the trouble, Empress.”
They hardly have anything to say to each other, and so as soon as Li Yanqiu finishes saying this, he leaves the room. In the mirror, Mu Jinzhi rolls her eyes at his back.
Li Yanqiu returns to his bedroom and looks out at the clear skies outside.
Zheng Yan happens to be sitting beneath the veranda, asking a servant to open up a case for him to search for his wine.
“Zheng Yan.” Li Yanqiu is wearing a slight frown. “Why are you still here?”
“The crown prince despises me, Your Majesty.” Zheng Yan says courteously, “With Wuluohou Mu around, I no longer have a need to see him roll his eyes at me. Don’t you think he and I would both be happier if we don’t see each other?”
“The sight of Wuluohou Mu makes my blood boil.” Li Yanqiu gives his reply to Zheng Yan just as amicably, “All four of you great assassins are warped — from what I can see now, it actually seems like Wu Du, the least accomplished amongst you, is more upright than you lot. I keep wondering if Wu Du’s poisoned you people, and that’s why you three have become this way.”
Now those words have essentially insulted Zheng Yan along with the rest. One brother Li used to be sharp as a blade, while the other is brocade with hidden needles. Zheng Yan sussed out Li Yanqiu’s disposition long ago, and knows he’s furious.
Zheng Yan says at once, “Forgive me, Your Majesty. I’ll head over to the Eastern Palace right away.”
Only once Zheng Yan is gone does Li Yanqiu heave a long, long sigh.
“Your Majesty, it’s time for your medicine.” A palace maid brings him his medicine. Li Yanqiu takes it without looking, drinks it, and casually tosses it into the courtyard. The coloured glaze bowl shatters into a million pieces with a quiet crash.
“Wow —!” Duan Ling has finally arrived in his new home.
The chancellor’s estate has given Wu Du and Duan Ling a courtyard house only an alley away from the main house. Compared to their old house on the outskirts of the estate in Xichuan, their new home is a lot bigger, with four buildings, two gates, a spirit screen, and a back courtyard where they can keep horses. They’ve even been assigned a steward and two servants to have at their beck and call.
The courtyard has a rockery and a pond; the land behind the pond is a bamboo grove. Peach trees are planted at the edges, while a gentle stream is led into the pond, flowing back out through a zigzagging water duct. The bamboo pipes are set on top of the wall, and the water itself is drawn from the chancellor’s main estate.
“The Lord Chancellor said you should rest for now,” says the steward. “Have a bath and wash off the dust of the road. There will be a banquet in honour of your return tonight.”
“You may go. We don’t need anyone to wait on us,” Wu Du tells the steward in the front courtyard. Duan Ling is inside looking this way and that; their new home is outfitted with silk brocade blankets and screens; carved windows cast ornate shadows on the walls, reminding him of the Viburnum. Even the decorative items are made of celadon. There’s also a study provided for him to study in.
The steward carefully helps Wu Du into the room.
“Certainly.” The steward seems to have predicted as much from Wu Du, so he merely stands out in the courtyard — but he isn’t leaving.
Duan Ling stops to think, then he tells the steward, “Master Wu’s house contains secret information of the martial arts societies, and too many poisonous things are kept here. He’s worried that it may unintentionally injure you and the other servants, so you don’t need to stay here in the courtyard house. If we should need anything I’ll go ask for help at the Chancellor’s estate. You may go.”
The steward nods then, and after giving both Duan Ling and Wu Du a bow, takes his leave.
The only way Wu Du and Duan Ling can have a conversation is to not have any outsiders around — otherwise they may drop dead before finding out how or why.
“There’s money here too!” Duan Ling says in the next room over, “Two hundred taels of gold!”
Duan Ling had already written a report of the treasure from Tongguan. Now that Mu Kuangda has a mountain of gold, Duan Ling doesn’t even know what the chancellor is going to do with it. If it’s for spending though, it’s enough to buy an entire city. This bit of reward isn’t really all that much money.
But Duan Ling is still pretty glad to have it. At least they won’t have to eat flatbread at every meal anymore.
Sitting in the room, Wu Du says, “If there’s anything you want to eat I’ll go out and buy it for you.”
“You stay put. Stop moving.”
Duan Ling comes in with bedding in his arms, and after telling Wu Du to scoot over, he puts another pillow on his bed.
Wu Du stares at Duan Ling and says, “If you sleep in this room, I’ll sleep on the floor. Right there, just off the bed. That way I can keep you safe.”
“You’re not worried I’ll stomp you to death when I get up to get water at night?” Duan Ling says smilingly.
Wu Du recalls that this was precisely what he said himself several months ago, and suddenly finds it really funny. Both of them laugh.
Wu Du says, “Let me do this.”
“Can’t you just listen to me?” Duan Ling says seriously.
“Alright alright.” Wu Du replies, “But you’ve got to give me something to do. I’m injured, but I’m not a cripple.”
Wu Du really doesn’t feel right having Duan Ling wait on him this way, but it’s not due to Duan Ling’s identity — it’s because for all his years he’s never had anyone take care of him like this before.
“Then take a bath,” Duan Ling says to Wu Du.
Wu Du raises a hand and sniffs his sleeve, upon which his face goes bright red. Duan Ling leaves the room to summon a servant to bring them water.
The young servants carry in a huge tub and set it down in the corner room. Then they add bucket after bucket of hot water, then some cold water to cool it down.
“I can wash myself,” Wu Du says hurriedly.
“Strip already,” Duan Ling says to him, then he carries Wu Du’s dirty clothes off to the back courtyard where he tosses them into a basin. He draws some water and soaks the clothes in them before he heads back to the house to search for clean clothes. Mu Kuangda has found the right person this time; the steward they met earlier is extremely considerate, and Duan Ling has somehow forgotten to give him a little bonus.
Soon, Duan Ling comes in with a bundle of fresh clothes, and he rolls up his sleeves to scrub down Wu Du. Wu Du still has bandages wrapped around his hand that mustn’t get wet, and he’s trying to scrub himself with one hand. When he sees Duan Ling come in, the blush on his handsome face spreads all the way down to his collarbones.
Duan Ling holds Wu Du down and scrubs him clean all over. Ever since the night he sustained those injuries, Wu Du hasn’t had a bath. And now with his left hand resting at the edge of the tub, his wide and strong shoulders and back are above the water, letting Duan Ling scrub him as he wishes.
“Don’t fall in now. Hey don’t—don’t—don’t—don’t reach any lower!”
The bathtub is huge, and Duan Ling has leaned halfway into the tub. Wu Du can feel that Duan Ling really is seriously trying to scrub him down, but alas Duan Ling’s hands keep moving all around his body touching him and Wu Du can’t take much more of this.
Duan Ling says, “Raise your leg a little.”
Wu Du finds Duan Ling quite amusing all of a sudden, and in a bout of playfulness he wraps one arm over him and pulls him in. With a splash, the ground all around the bathtub is covered in water.
Duan Ling says angrily, “Why you!”
Duan Ling is soaked through, while Wu Du’s cheeks are suffused with a blush. He laughs. “You go ahead and bathe. I’m done.”
Duan Ling says, “You’re too dirty. Stop moving.”
Duan Ling unties his robe, removes his wet clothes and pants, and climbs onto Wu Du to straddle his thigh naked. When he does, an unbidden and indescribable sensation rises to the surface of his heart. He’s never felt this way before, not in any instance where he’s touched Wu Du skin on skin.
Duan Ling’s face also starts to take on a blush; it’s almost like he’s returned to that night when he was still a child, that night when he saw Lang Junxia’s body through the window panes. Yet when he faces Wu Du now his heart is beating even faster, as though there’s an exceedingly novel and exciting sensation just hiding behind a layer of gauzy silk, waiting for him to reach out for it.
“Why’ve you stopped talking?” On the contrary, Wu Du has come back to himself. With one arm languidly resting on the edge of the tub, he uses the other hand to give Duan Ling’s pale back a pat, staring at him with a questioning look in his eyes.
“No—no reason,” Duan Ling says nervously.
In that instant Wu Du seems to have realised something as well; his eyes are smiling.
Duan Ling hums something quiet, and without looking up to meet his eyes, he keeps scrubbing at Wu Du’s chest with a cloth.
Outside the room, footsteps approach, and both Wu Du and Duan Ling stop moving.
“Hey buddy, don’t you still owe me a cup of wine?” Zheng Yan’s voice says indolently.
Duan Ling is quite startled — he’s never met Zheng Yan before, so he’s assuming it’s someone from the chancellor’s estate barging into their house. But Wu Du is wrapping one arm around Duan Ling’s waist and pulling him closer.
Without a pause, Zheng Yan keeps walking towards them and opens the door to the corner room. Right as the door opens, Wu Du is holding the fully naked Duan Ling in his arms, making him drape himself on his chest, burying Duan Ling’s head against his shoulder.
When Zheng Yan comes in it’s to a view of Wu Du holding a young man, the two of them taking a bath together.
“Zheng Yan! Can you take a hint or what?!” Wu Du says impatiently, “Get outta here!”
Zheng Yan bursts out laughing uncontrollably. He hurriedly closes the door and says, “Continue, don’t get mad at me please. I truly never expected that.”
Wu Du replies, “Wait outside. That’s enough out of you.”
Duan Ling only looks up again once Zheng Yan’s footsteps have grown distant, and before that he was pressed up against Wu Du, both of them naked. He had felt their hearts both beating out of their chests, as well as that thing between their legs swelling up so much they’ve gone stiff.
They face each other, a little out of breath. Wu Du puts a finger in front of his lips to pantomime shh, and that they should continue washing up. Duan Ling swallows, and scrubs Wu Du’s hair for him.
“All done now,” Duan Ling says quietly, and steps out so quickly that he nearly slips on the floor.
“Careful.” Wu Du reaches out to wrap an arm around Duan Ling’s waist, making him stand upright.
Duan Ling quickly wipes himself down and puts on a pair of pants. The blush has faded from his cheeks. He helps Wu Du out of the bath to dry him with a cloth, but when he gets between Wu Du’s legs, the dry cloth bumps into the erect, powerful thing standing there, and they’re both blushing crimson again.
Wu Du throws a robe around himself. His injuries are almost all healed, and he can already walk with a little bit of a limp. He puts on a pair of wooden sandals and limps his way across the veranda, dragging his feet, passing by Zheng Yan as he heads to the main house to look for things.
“So fast?” Zheng Yan says, “I didn’t scare it out of there, did I?”
Wu Du spits profanity at Zheng Yan, startling Duan Ling who’s still in the corner room, as it’s the first time he’s ever heard Wu Du say something so foul. Soon enough, the sound of wooden sandals are approaching him again as Wu Du slowly clacks all the way back to hand Duan Ling clean clothes for him to change into.
Once they’ve dressed properly, the servants come back to get the bathtub. Wu Du’s hair is still dripping wet as he leans against the daybed, barefoot and dressed in nothing but a bathrobe. He raises his left hand so that Duan Ling can change his bandages for him, before he starts engaging in an intermittent conversation with Zheng Yan.
I do not monetise my hobby translations, but if you’d like to support my work generally or support my light novel habit, you can either buy me a coffee or commission me. This is also to note that if you see this message anywhere else than on tumblr, do come to my tumblr. It’s ad-free. ↩︎
The Palace of Eternal Autumn is the imperial empress’s palace, and sometimes the phrase stands for the empress, just as “Eastern Palace” stands for the crown prince. ↩︎
Autumn sun is burning bright overhead as Li Yanqiu brings the horse to a halt outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony. An evening breeze has set the banners to either side of him fluttering.
“Long Live Your Majesty!” The Black Armours army salutes, falling on one knee in front of him in an earth-shattering display.
Xie You and Cai Yan have slowly made their way to the palace, but Li Yanqiu has stopped there before the steps, his mind wandering for a little while. Earlier, there was that one moment where it felt as though he … sensed something.
“Good work,” Li Yanqiu says.
The Black Armours part like the tides, leaving a path open. Li Yanqiu steps into the main palace. The Jiangzhou Imperial Palace has seen its share of trials and tribulations, but after some repair and renovation it has become even more extravagant than the one in Xichuan. A eunuch steps forward to untie Li Yanqiu’s cape for him, after which Li Yanqiu keeps walking through the corridor.
Both Zheng Yan and Lang Junxia have already arrived. As Li Yanqiu walks by the Eastern Palace, he glances inside to find Lang Junxia sitting in the corridor playing his flute. He doesn’t get up to bow even as Li Yanqiu passes by.
“It has been a wearisome journey.” Li Yanqiu pays no mind to Lang Junxia, and simply says to Cai Yan, “Go get some rest.”
Cai Yan trails him from behind. “The auspicious hour where we must offer sacrifices to the heavens is at dawn tomorrow. You should try to sleep earlier as well, uncle.”
“We may have a new home, but I’ll be taking my medicine as always. Don’t worry.”
And so along with the other servants of the Eastern Palace, Cai Yan bows as Li Yanqiu departs.
In the Palace of Eternal Autumn,2 Mu Jinzhi is painting her eyebrows in front of the mirror. Her clothes, accessories and makeup have also been delivered, and her maids are opening and checking each box over one by one.
“Who got on your nerves this time, Your Majesty?” Mu Jinzhi says with a smile, her reflection looking at Li Yanqiu in the mirror, one eyebrow raised.
“No one in particular got on my nerves,” Li Yanqiu replies, standing behind Mu Jinzhi. “No matter how sharp your eyes may be, there are times when you can be mistaken.”
Mu Jinzhi puts down her hairpin and says, “A request to recruit retainers for the crown prince’s palace has been issued. We should get a list of candidates after the civil exams and let him take as long as he likes to choose.”
Li Yanqiu replies courteously, “Thank you for keeping this in mind and taking the trouble, Empress.”
They hardly have anything to say to each other, and so as soon as Li Yanqiu finishes saying this, he leaves the room. In the mirror, Mu Jinzhi rolls her eyes at his back.
Li Yanqiu returns to his bedroom and looks out at the clear skies outside.
Zheng Yan happens to be sitting beneath the veranda, asking a servant to open up a case for him to search for his wine.
“Zheng Yan.” Li Yanqiu is wearing a slight frown. “Why are you still here?”
“The crown prince despises me, Your Majesty.” Zheng Yan says courteously, “With Wuluohou Mu around, I no longer have a need to see him roll his eyes at me. Don’t you think he and I would both be happier if we don’t see each other?”
“The sight of Wuluohou Mu makes my blood boil.” Li Yanqiu gives his reply to Zheng Yan just as amicably, “All four of you great assassins are warped — from what I can see now, it actually seems like Wu Du, the least accomplished amongst you, is more upright than you lot. I keep wondering if Wu Du’s poisoned you people, and that’s why you three have become this way.”
Now those words have essentially insulted Zheng Yan along with the rest. One brother Li used to be sharp as a blade, while the other is brocade with hidden needles. Zheng Yan sussed out Li Yanqiu’s disposition long ago, and knows he’s furious.
Zheng Yan says at once, “Forgive me, Your Majesty. I’ll head over to the Eastern Palace right away.”
Only once Zheng Yan is gone does Li Yanqiu heave a long, long sigh.
“Your Majesty, it’s time for your medicine.” A palace maid brings him his medicine. Li Yanqiu takes it without looking, drinks it, and casually tosses it into the courtyard. The coloured glaze bowl shatters into a million pieces with a quiet crash.
“Wow —!” Duan Ling has finally arrived in his new home.
The chancellor’s estate has given Wu Du and Duan Ling a courtyard house only an alley away from the main house. Compared to their old house on the outskirts of the estate in Xichuan, their new home is a lot bigger, with four buildings, two gates, a spirit screen, and a back courtyard where they can keep horses. They’ve even been assigned a steward and two servants to have at their beck and call.
The courtyard has a rockery and a pond; the land behind the pond is a bamboo grove. Peach trees are planted at the edges, while a gentle stream is led into the pond, flowing back out through a zigzagging water duct. The bamboo pipes are set on top of the wall, and the water itself is drawn from the chancellor’s main estate.
“The Lord Chancellor said you should rest for now,” says the steward. “Have a bath and wash off the dust of the road. There will be a banquet in honour of your return tonight.”
“You may go. We don’t need anyone to wait on us,” Wu Du tells the steward in the front courtyard. Duan Ling is inside looking this way and that; their new home is outfitted with silk brocade blankets and screens; carved windows cast ornate shadows on the walls, reminding him of the Viburnum. Even the decorative items are made of celadon. There’s also a study provided for him to study in.
The steward carefully helps Wu Du into the room.
“Certainly.” The steward seems to have predicted as much from Wu Du, so he merely stands out in the courtyard — but he isn’t leaving.
Duan Ling stops to think, then he tells the steward, “Master Wu’s house contains secret information of the martial arts societies, and too many poisonous things are kept here. He’s worried that it may unintentionally injure you and the other servants, so you don’t need to stay here in the courtyard house. If we should need anything I’ll go ask for help at the Chancellor’s estate. You may go.”
The steward nods then, and after giving both Duan Ling and Wu Du a bow, takes his leave.
The only way Wu Du and Duan Ling can have a conversation is to not have any outsiders around — otherwise they may drop dead before finding out how or why.
“There’s money here too!” Duan Ling says in the next room over, “Two hundred taels of gold!”
Duan Ling had already written a report of the treasure from Tongguan. Now that Mu Kuangda has a mountain of gold, Duan Ling doesn’t even know what the chancellor is going to do with it. If it’s for spending though, it’s enough to buy an entire city. This bit of reward isn’t really all that much money.
But Duan Ling is still pretty glad to have it. At least they won’t have to eat flatbread at every meal anymore.
Sitting in the room, Wu Du says, “If there’s anything you want to eat I’ll go out and buy it for you.”
“You stay put. Stop moving.”
Duan Ling comes in with bedding in his arms, and after telling Wu Du to scoot over, he puts another pillow on his bed.
Wu Du stares at Duan Ling and says, “If you sleep in this room, I’ll sleep on the floor. Right there, just off the bed. That way I can keep you safe.”
“You’re not worried I’ll stomp you to death when I get up to get water at night?” Duan Ling says smilingly.
Wu Du recalls that this was precisely what he said himself several months ago, and suddenly finds it really funny. Both of them laugh.
Wu Du says, “Let me do this.”
“Can’t you just listen to me?” Duan Ling says seriously.
“Alright alright.” Wu Du replies, “But you’ve got to give me something to do. I’m injured, but I’m not a cripple.”
Wu Du really doesn’t feel right having Duan Ling wait on him this way, but it’s not due to Duan Ling’s identity — it’s because for all his years he’s never had anyone take care of him like this before.
“Then take a bath,” Duan Ling says to Wu Du.
Wu Du raises a hand and sniffs his sleeve, upon which his face goes bright red. Duan Ling leaves the room to summon a servant to bring them water.
The young servants carry in a huge tub and set it down in the corner room. Then they add bucket after bucket of hot water, then some cold water to cool it down.
“I can wash myself,” Wu Du says hurriedly.
“Strip already,” Duan Ling says to him, then he carries Wu Du’s dirty clothes off to the back courtyard where he tosses them into a basin. He draws some water and soaks the clothes in them before he heads back to the house to search for clean clothes. Mu Kuangda has found the right person this time; the steward they met earlier is extremely considerate, and Duan Ling has somehow forgotten to give him a little bonus.
Soon, Duan Ling comes in with a bundle of fresh clothes, and he rolls up his sleeves to scrub down Wu Du. Wu Du still has bandages wrapped around his hand that mustn’t get wet, and he’s trying to scrub himself with one hand. When he sees Duan Ling come in, the blush on his handsome face spreads all the way down to his collarbones.
Duan Ling holds Wu Du down and scrubs him clean all over. Ever since the night he sustained those injuries, Wu Du hasn’t had a bath. And now with his left hand resting at the edge of the tub, his wide and strong shoulders and back are above the water, letting Duan Ling scrub him as he wishes.
“Don’t fall in now. Hey don’t—don’t—don’t—don’t reach any lower!”
The bathtub is huge, and Duan Ling has leaned halfway into the tub. Wu Du can feel that Duan Ling really is seriously trying to scrub him down, but alas Duan Ling’s hands keep moving all around his body touching him and Wu Du can’t take much more of this.
Duan Ling says, “Raise your leg a little.”
Wu Du finds Duan Ling quite amusing all of a sudden, and in a bout of playfulness he wraps one arm over him and pulls him in. With a splash, the ground all around the bathtub is covered in water.
Duan Ling says angrily, “Why you!”
Duan Ling is soaked through, while Wu Du’s cheeks are suffused with a blush. He laughs. “You go ahead and bathe. I’m done.”
Duan Ling says, “You’re too dirty. Stop moving.”
Duan Ling unties his robe, removes his wet clothes and pants, and climbs onto Wu Du to straddle his thigh naked. When he does, an unbidden and indescribable sensation rises to the surface of his heart. He’s never felt this way before, not in any instance where he’s touched Wu Du skin on skin.
Duan Ling’s face also starts to take on a blush; it’s almost like he’s returned to that night when he was still a child, that night when he saw Lang Junxia’s body through the window panes. Yet when he faces Wu Du now his heart is beating even faster, as though there’s an exceedingly novel and exciting sensation just hiding behind a layer of gauzy silk, waiting for him to reach out for it.
“Why’ve you stopped talking?” On the contrary, Wu Du has come back to himself. With one arm languidly resting on the edge of the tub, he uses the other hand to give Duan Ling’s pale back a pat, staring at him with a questioning look in his eyes.
“No—no reason,” Duan Ling says nervously.
In that instant Wu Du seems to have realised something as well; his eyes are smiling.
Duan Ling hums something quiet, and without looking up to meet his eyes, he keeps scrubbing at Wu Du’s chest with a cloth.
Outside the room, footsteps approach, and both Wu Du and Duan Ling stop moving.
“Hey buddy, don’t you still owe me a cup of wine?” Zheng Yan’s voice says indolently.
Duan Ling is quite startled — he’s never met Zheng Yan before, so he’s assuming it’s someone from the chancellor’s estate barging into their house. But Wu Du is wrapping one arm around Duan Ling’s waist and pulling him closer.
Without a pause, Zheng Yan keeps walking towards them and opens the door to the corner room. Right as the door opens, Wu Du is holding the fully naked Duan Ling in his arms, making him drape himself on his chest, burying Duan Ling’s head against his shoulder.
When Zheng Yan comes in it’s to a view of Wu Du holding a young man, the two of them taking a bath together.
“Zheng Yan! Can you take a hint or what?!” Wu Du says impatiently, “Get outta here!”
Zheng Yan bursts out laughing uncontrollably. He hurriedly closes the door and says, “Continue, don’t get mad at me please. I truly never expected that.”
Wu Du replies, “Wait outside. That’s enough out of you.”
Duan Ling only looks up again once Zheng Yan’s footsteps have grown distant, and before that he was pressed up against Wu Du, both of them naked. He had felt their hearts both beating out of their chests, as well as that thing between their legs swelling up so much they’ve gone stiff.
They face each other, a little out of breath. Wu Du puts a finger in front of his lips to pantomime shh, and that they should continue washing up. Duan Ling swallows, and scrubs Wu Du’s hair for him.
“All done now,” Duan Ling says quietly, and steps out so quickly that he nearly slips on the floor.
“Careful.” Wu Du reaches out to wrap an arm around Duan Ling’s waist, making him stand upright.
Duan Ling quickly wipes himself down and puts on a pair of pants. The blush has faded from his cheeks. He helps Wu Du out of the bath to dry him with a cloth, but when he gets between Wu Du’s legs, the dry cloth bumps into the erect, powerful thing standing there, and they’re both blushing crimson again.
Wu Du throws a robe around himself. His injuries are almost all healed, and he can already walk with a little bit of a limp. He puts on a pair of wooden sandals and limps his way across the veranda, dragging his feet, passing by Zheng Yan as he heads to the main house to look for things.
“So fast?” Zheng Yan says, “I didn’t scare it out of there, did I?”
Wu Du spits profanity at Zheng Yan, startling Duan Ling who’s still in the corner room, as it’s the first time he’s ever heard Wu Du say something so foul. Soon enough, the sound of wooden sandals are approaching him again as Wu Du slowly clacks all the way back to hand Duan Ling clean clothes for him to change into.
Once they’ve dressed properly, the servants come back to get the bathtub. Wu Du’s hair is still dripping wet as he leans against the daybed, barefoot and dressed in nothing but a bathrobe. He raises his left hand so that Duan Ling can change his bandages for him, before he starts engaging in an intermittent conversation with Zheng Yan.
I do not monetise my hobby translations, but if you’d like to support my work generally or support my light novel habit, you can either buy me a coffee or commission me. This is also to note that if you see this message anywhere else than on tumblr, do come to my tumblr. It’s ad-free. ↩︎
The Palace of Eternal Autumn is the imperial empress’s palace, and sometimes the phrase stands for the empress, just as “Eastern Palace” stands for the crown prince. ↩︎
