Content Warning: Sexual intercourse
Then again, when one thought about it, Shen Lian was already able to be the Master of Ceremony at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, so what was asking for a “gift” in the grand scheme of things? He just needed to find a good reason to go into the palace and coax the Chunde Emperor, who would probably just agree to whatever he said with one eye closed.
Things panned out exactly as Lou Jing had predicted. This “entrance fee” to the Capital that Shen Lian made these officials pay was a booming business for the noblemen based in the Capital, and they lent out the money readily. The Chunde Emperor didn’t say a word about this whole business. During this time, there was much jubilation in the Capital at this opportunity to make more money, though the officials who had to borrow the money certainly weren’t part of this gleeful crowd.
In spite of all this excitement, Lou Jing chose to stay out of this affair. He didn’t lend any money to any of the officials, but he did instruct Yun Ba to look into and record down which officials borrowed money, particularly the ones who borrowed money from the Anguo Gong.
In a flash, it was the thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month. By this time, Shen Lian had received all the “gifts” that he was due. The visiting officials whose homes were near the Capital made haste to return in time for the New Year, and those who lived further away could only spend the New Year in the Capital. With their work done, they finally started preparing new year goods with a light heart.
“Why didn’t you participate in the moneylending business?” Xiao Chengjun asked Lou Jing. Knowing his character, he would usually have been all too eager to get a finger in any pie that could turn a profit.
“I’ve no money,” Lou Jing mumbled. He buried his face in Min Wang Dianxia’s chest.
No money?
“Didn’t you make a whole lot from Shen Lian that time? How is it you don’t have money now?” Xiao Chengjun asked in surprise.
Snowflakes fell thickly outside the window, and it was too cold to just sit around. The two of them snuggled into their blankets after finishing their dinner. Xiao Chengjun leaned against the bedhead, reading a book, and Lou Jing squirmed into Xiao Chengjun’s arms in a very natural manner.
“I’ve changed most of it into warehouse notes,” Lou Jing said, reaching out to trace the faint patterns on Xiao Chengjun’s underclothes.
Warehouse notes were given to rich people to incentivise them to store their grain in the official warehouses. They were known colloquially as “White Bars”, and were also used in the salt trade. The official exchange rate was two banknotes for one yin of salt, and one yin of salt was worth half a tael of silver.
Xiao Chengjun frowned. “You’re intending to go into the salt trade?” he asked.
“There’s no carriage of salt in winter, and everyone’s busy with preparing for the New Year, so the warehouse notes are very cheap now – they’re going at just a qian of silver per banknote,” Lou Jing said, nuzzling against Xiao Chengjun’s dragon-patterned underclothes. In his heart, he thought that it would be even more interesting to trace Xiao Chengjun’s underclothes in future, when they were the bright yellow colour and had the embroidered five-coloured dragon that was worn exclusively by the Emperor.
In other words, Lou Jing had used a qian of silver to buy a warehouse note that was ordinarily worth five qian of silver!
“How can it be so cheap?” Xiao Chengjun said, stunned. Because the salt trade was very profitable, the rich had always been willing to pay in grain to obtain warehouse notes. If the warehouse notes fell in value to this extent, no one would be willing to put their grain in the government warehouses – they would just sell it directly and pay the taxes associated with the sale instead. In that situation, the government would have to use Imperial silver to buy grain. Both sides would suffer, wasting a lot of money and grain.
“The supply of White Bars is high, but the supply of salt is low. These two years have been difficult for the salt trade,” Lou Jing said, smiling faintly. “On top of that, Jiangnan has a lot of people who exchanged their grain for warehouse notes, but salt can’t be manufactured in winter. The salt warehouse was basically having an emergency situation.”
There were many salt warehouses in the North, but few people there exchanged grain for salt. To the South, in Jiangnan, the situation was completely the opposite; but because the merchants needed to bribe the officials in the South to exchange White Bars for salt, the Southern merchants had no access to the government officials in the North. All this resulted in the Jiangnan White Bars dropping drastically in value in winter.
“The Salt Commission is in such a mess now?” Xiao Chengjun said, sighing deeply as he put down the book in his hand.
“I wouldn’t say it’s in a complete mess,” Lou Jing said, raising a hand and massaging the knot between Xiao Chengjun’s brows. “This is a good opportunity for me. If I hold on to the White Bars until spring, they’ll probably double or triple their value.”
He was anxious to do this business not only because of the drastic drop in price, but more importantly, because the Jinzhou shopkeepers who had come to give an account of their profits to him had told him that they had bought out the newly promoted official of the Jinzhou Salt Commission. Jinzhou had a large store of salt, and he could exchange his White Bars for the salt at the official exchange rate.
Xiao Chengjun heaved a sigh of relief on hearing this, then caught the hand that was now idly caressing his face. “Then when are you going to exchange the White Bars for salt?” he asked.
“Kbwbggbk…” Obe Alcu kjr rlifca obg j wbwfca. “P’w wjxlcu j aglq ab Alcsjcu abwbggbk.” Ktlr wjaafg kjr teuf, jcv kjrc’a rbwfatlcu atja mbeiv yf rfaaifv ys bcf bo tlr rtbqxffqfgr. Lf tjv ab qfgrbcjiis wffa atf Vjia Jbwwlrrlbcfg.
He was going to Jinzhou… tomorrow? Jinzhou wasn’t considered far from the Capital – three days on a fast horse would see you to Jinyang City, the largest city in Jinzhou. However, the New Year was fast approaching, and Xiao Chengjun didn’t want to spend it without Lou Jing.
“Qtfc klii sbe yf yjmx?” Wljb Jtfcupec jrxfv. Ktf kbgvr kfgf bea bo tlr wbeat yfobgf tf mbeiv rabq tlwrfio, jcv tf tlwrfio kjr raeccfv atja tf tjv jmaejiis jrxfv atlr defralbc.
Lou Jing looked up at him and saw reluctance in Min Wang Dianxia’s dark eyes. His eyes couldn’t help curving into smiling half-moons, and he scooted over to plant a light kiss on his lips. “I’ll be back in ten days for sure,” he said.
“Nn,” Xiao Chengjun acknowledged. They had always been together ever since their wedding day, and now that they suddenly had to part, he felt rather at a loss. He didn’t really know how to react to his feeling this way either, so he just picked up the book on his blanket and started reading it again.
Lou Jing blinked a few times, then reached out and pulled the book out of Xiao Chengjun’s hands. “What’s so interesting about ‘The Book of Songs’? Let’s read this instead,” Lou Jing said, leaning against Min Wang’s chest and opening another book. He pointed to one of the pages in the book.
Xiao Chengjun put his chin on Lou Jing’s head and looked at what Lou Jing was pointing at. For the second time that night, didn’t know how to react. The page Lou Jing had flipped open to had a traditional ink drawing, and in the drawing, a man was lying prone on the bed, with another man invading him from behind…
“Yuanlang, I’ll be gone for ten days, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to stand it… I might run back to you halfway…” Lou Jing said. He flipped over, put the book right in front of Xiao Chengjun’s face, then used his knee to slowly massage the place in between Xiao Chengjun’s legs.
“Nn…” Xiao Chengjun’s breath hitched, and his body couldn’t help feeling hotter.
Lou Jing grinned, then tossed aside the book in his hand and put his lips right next to Xiao Chengjun’s ear. “Did you see the position clearly just now?” he whispered.
Xiao Chengjun was very flustered by Lou Jing’s actions, and he pushed him away. “No,” he said.
“No problem,” Lou Jing said, reaching a hand into the faintly patterned undershirt that Xiao Chengjun wore. “I saw it clearly, and that’s enough.”
“Mmph…” Xiao Chengjun was going to say something, but Lou Jing pressed his lips onto his, and by the time he collected himself again, his clothes had all but disappeared from his body.
In this cold, wintry weather, the coal braziers were burning bright in the room, and the red curtains glowed warmly in the firelight. Wouldn’t they be doing this lovely ambience an injustice if they didn’t do something interesting?
“Slow… slow down… mmph…” Xiao Chengjun moaned, lying prone on the pillow. The person behind was pounding him mercilessly, and his body rubbed lightly against the bedsheets with every thrust. The stimulation was too much for Xiao Chengjun to bear.
Lou Jing leaned down and bit Xiao Chengjun’s pale-skinned neck gently. He slowed down as requested, slowly pulling out, then suddenly pushing inward, burying his whole member in Xiao Chengjun’s body, going in deeper than he had ever gone before.
“Ahh…” Xiao Chengjun arched his back involuntarily.
Lou Jing didn’t stop. He held Xiao Chengjun’s body in his arms as he arched up, then let his hand wander wantonly over his husband’s chest, continuing to impale his body again and again as he did so.
“It’s too deep… mm…” Xiao Chengjun gripped the side of his pillow tightly, and his voice trembled uncontrollably.
After “torturing” the person below him this way for a while, Lou Jing took a breather, kissed Xiao Chengjun’s sweaty temples, then started thrusting quickly again.
With their parting so close at hand, Lou Jing couldn’t help wanting to do it a few more times, and when he finally stopped, Xiao Chengjun was already so worn out that he was practically a puddle on the bed.
Xiao Chengjun’s whole body was trembling uncontrollably by this point. Lou Jing gathered him into his arms and gently caressed his body.
“Take it out,” Xiao Chengjun said, squirming uncomfortably.
“In a while,” Lou Jing said, nuzzling slowly at the back of his neck. “Sleep if you’re tired. I’ll wash you up in a bit.”
Xiao Chengjun’s body was tired out, but mentally, he didn’t feel like sleeping at all. “Actually, you don’t need to be in such a hurry to make money. I…”
“Only an idiot would pass up an opportunity to make money,” Lou Jing said, turning the person in his arms over. He was still buried deep in Xiao Chengjun’s body, and a small moan escaped Xiao Chengjun’s lips. “I know what I’m doing. You just focus on doing what you want to do.”
The snow fell relentlessly for a few days. It was even colder in Jinzhou than it was in the Capital, and in order to get to Jinzhou and back in ten days, Lou Jing had to travel on horseback. Xiao Chengjun got Chang En to bring out the foxfur greatcloak that he had made the year before and give it to Lou Jing.
Lou Jing accepted that thick, fluffy greatcloak, then bent over and kissed the person lying on the bed on his face. “The Capital is a dangerous place; be on your guard in all things. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said.
On the fourteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the issue of appointing a new Crown Prince was suddenly raised in the Imperial Court.
“The New Year will be upon us soon, and it would be good to have a new Crown Prince appointed next spring. This should be decided before the New Year,” the person who raised this issue said.
The Chunde Emperor’s brows knitted together. “Out of all the princes, who do you all think can assume this heavy responsibility?” he asked. As he spoke, his eyes turned to Xiao Chengjun, who was standing with his eyes lowered. When he saw that Xiao Chengjun had no reaction to this issue, he looked away, focusing on the Imperial Court officials instead.
The Imperial Court went silent. Imperial succession was not a laughing matter. One wrong word and your head would be rolling on the ground before you knew it. Even the seasoned old officials didn’t dare to speak lightly.
The Chunde Emperor’s expression became icy. These people had all been burning with ardour just moments ago, and now they had all turned mute?
Everyone couldn’t help looking in Zhao Duan’s direction. Ever since the Minister of the Left had got a one up over the Minister of the Right in the forced labour issue, the Minister of the Left’s influence had increased by leaps and bounds.
Zhao Duan, however, continued to look down diffidently, as if the matter at hand didn’t concern him at all.
“Minister Zhao, what are your thoughts on this?” the Chunde Emperor asked. He had naturally taken into account the reactions of the officials, and therefore picked Zhao Duan to give his views.
Zhao Duan had no choice but to step forward. “According to the rules set by the Imperial ancestors, we must appoint a prince who was raised by the Empress. Jing Wang is in frail health, and may not be able to bear this burden. Chen is of the view that perhaps the Fourth Prince may be appointed to the position,” he said, after pausing for a moment in thought.
“The Fourth Prince’s character is much too straightforward. I’m afraid he…”
Just as Zhao Duan finished speaking, a minister voiced his objections immediately.
“The Crown Prince was deposed because he was dull-witted, and the Fourth Prince isn’t much better – he has no achievements to speak of. If we suddenly appoint him as the Crown Prince, how are we to explain this to the people?” the Minister of Justice said.
Actually, there would ordinarily have been no issue with appointing the Fourth Prince as the Crown Prince. It was only that the edict deposing the Crown Prince had said that he had been deposed because he was slow-witted and could not assume the heavy responsibility that came with the position. As such, if they were to appoint a new Crown Prince, logically, they had to appoint someone who was smarter and more accomplished than Xiao Chengjun. At the very least, he had to have some noteworthy achievements. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain his appointment to the people of the Empire.
Then again, who were they going to appoint if not the Fourth Prince? The eldest Imperial prince had just been deposed, so he certainly couldn’t be re-appointed. The Second Prince had never appeared in public, and everyone knew the rumour that he had a frail body and was often plagued by illnesses. The Third Prince had never been raised by the Empress, and thus didn’t have the right to be appointed as the Crown Prince.
“Chen is of the view that the Third Prince would be a good choice. It’s a pity that he was not raised by the Empress,” one of the ministers who was loyal to the Third Prince said.
“Since time immemorial, the person who is most qualified for the position has been chosen as the Crown Prince.”
“The rules of our ancestors cannot be broken. Chen is of the view that the Fourth Prince is the more appropriate choice.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Chen is of the view…”
The Imperial Court started debating this issue fervently. Xiao Chengjun looked at the silent Chunde Emperor. It was meaningless to argue about this issue. His Father Emperor’s inaction clearly indicated that he wished to appoint the Third Prince as his successor, but he couldn’t find a good reason to, so he was waiting for his officials to give him one.
Xiao Chengjun lowered his gaze. He didn’t intend to participate in this debacle. The situation within the Imperial Court was still within his control. He wouldn’t let Chen Guifei get her way, and it certainly would not be so easy for the Third Prince to get into the Eastern Palace.
The Imperial Court debated voraciously about the issue of succession for many days thereafter, but was unable to reach a conclusion. Submissions rained down on the Emperor’s desk in the Imperial Study like the snow falling thickly outside, and the Emperor felt a migraine coming on as he looked at them. The Imperial Court was always particularly busy at the end of the year to begin with, and with this issue muddying up the waters on top of that, he was irritated beyond words.
Yang Youting, in particular, really irritated him. That Minister of Personnel had always been a strait-laced person, and when the other ministers suggested appointing the Third Prince as his successor, it had really rubbed that old fuddy-duddy the wrong way. He sent in two submissions daily, each containing more than a few thousand words, and at every Court session, he stepped forward to give a two-hour long lecture on respecting the rules set by the Imperial ancestors. This old fellow also just so happened to be the Chunde Emperor’s personal tutor when he had been the Crown Prince, and the Emperor couldn’t explode at him in frustration even when he really, really wanted to.
This carried on for a few more days, until finally the Chunde Emperor reached the end of his patience. “There is no need to reach a decision on the issue of succession now! We will discuss this further after the New Year!” he snapped. His pronouncement finally stopped the heated debates between the Imperial officials, and the Chunde Emperor had a few days of peace at long last.
However, as a result of this episode, the Third Prince suddenly rose in prominence in the fight for the throne. He had originally been someone that everyone dismissed as an impossibility, but now, he had become a hot favourite. Moreover, his mother, Chen Guifei, was currently favoured by the Emperor. The Minister of the Right’s influence grew again, and quite a number of people went to try and curry favour with Xiao Chengduo.
Xiao Chengjun turned a blind eye and a deaf ear in respect of the succession issue. Every day, he attended Court punctually, remained silent throughout the whole session, and returned to his residence the moment Court was adjourned, reading books and practicing his calligraphy quietly in his study. The Min Wang residence became very quiet, and by the end of the year, one could have easily mistaken it for a deserted house.
The snow fell intermittently, and the north winds gusted in strongly. The winter nights felt cold and lonely no matter how much coal was heaped in the brazier.
Xiao Chengjun lay alone in his huge bed. He turned to look at the empty pillow next to him. A pair of mandarin ducks played in the water on that pillow, embroidered in golden thread. He reached out and slowly stroked that cold, empty spot. The person that should have occupied it had already been gone for eight days. There was quite a distance to travel between Jinyang and the Capital, and it had snowed so heavily in the past few days. Was Lou Jing safe and sound?
Xiao Chengjun’s exposed arm quickly became freezing cold. He was only wearing thin underclothes in bed. He quickly pulled his arm back into the blankets and continued staring blankly at that empty space. He sighed deeply, then closed his eyes, listening to the cold winds howl outside the window.
To traverse a thousand li of roads covered in ice and snow, one would need six days on a fast horse, but if one was riding a Ferghana stallion, one could save about half a day. Lou Jing met with the Salt Commissioner in Jinzhou, made sure everything was in order, then made haste to leave on his Ferghana horse, not caring that it was already past noon when he left. He saved another half day this way.
Lou Jing was freezing and covered in snow when he arrived back in the Capital. He headed straight for the Min Wang residence, and after pulling off his ice-covered greatcloak, he warmed his frozen body by the copper furnace and drank the hot soup that Le Xian brought in for him. He then entered the bedroom on light feet.
When he saw the person in bed sleeping peacefully, the tension that had built up in Lou Jing’s muscles on the way back relaxed immediately. He had never thought that enduring a few days apart from Xiao Chengjun would be so difficult. The past few days had been a real torture; he had found it difficult to eat or sleep, and all he wanted to do was see Xiao Chengjun as quickly as he could.
Lou Jing lay down next to the warm person in the bed, then kissed his peacefully sleeping face. He thought about how Min Wang Dianxia would react when he saw him sleeping right next to him. It would probably be very entertaining! Thinking this, he slowly pulled the blankets open and was about to snuggle in when he suddenly stopped and stared. Under the blankets, a long, slender arm was slowly caressing the spot where he usually slept, even though the person that arm belonged to was deep in dreamland.
Lou Jing was touched. His heart felt like it was full to the brim, and it ached sweetly. He held that outstretched hand, then slipped under the covers and pulled that person into his arms. The great efforts he’d made in rushing back had really been worth it!
Content Warning: Sexual intercourse
Then again, when one thought about it, Shen Lian was already able to be the Master of Ceremony at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, so what was asking for a “gift” in the grand scheme of things? He just needed to find a good reason to go into the palace and coax the Chunde Emperor, who would probably just agree to whatever he said with one eye closed.
Things panned out exactly as Lou Jing had predicted. This “entrance fee” to the Capital that Shen Lian made these officials pay was a booming business for the noblemen based in the Capital, and they lent out the money readily. The Chunde Emperor didn’t say a word about this whole business. During this time, there was much jubilation in the Capital at this opportunity to make more money, though the officials who had to borrow the money certainly weren’t part of this gleeful crowd.
In spite of all this excitement, Lou Jing chose to stay out of this affair. He didn’t lend any money to any of the officials, but he did instruct Yun Ba to look into and record down which officials borrowed money, particularly the ones who borrowed money from the Anguo Gong.
In a flash, it was the thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month. By this time, Shen Lian had received all the “gifts” that he was due. The visiting officials whose homes were near the Capital made haste to return in time for the New Year, and those who lived further away could only spend the New Year in the Capital. With their work done, they finally started preparing new year goods with a light heart.
“Why didn’t you participate in the moneylending business?” Xiao Chengjun asked Lou Jing. Knowing his character, he would usually have been all too eager to get a finger in any pie that could turn a profit.
“I’ve no money,” Lou Jing mumbled. He buried his face in Min Wang Dianxia’s chest.
No money?
“Didn’t you make a whole lot from Shen Lian that time? How is it you don’t have money now?” Xiao Chengjun asked in surprise.
Snowflakes fell thickly outside the window, and it was too cold to just sit around. The two of them snuggled into their blankets after finishing their dinner. Xiao Chengjun leaned against the bedhead, reading a book, and Lou Jing squirmed into Xiao Chengjun’s arms in a very natural manner.
“I’ve changed most of it into warehouse notes,” Lou Jing said, reaching out to trace the faint patterns on Xiao Chengjun’s underclothes.
Warehouse notes were given to rich people to incentivise them to store their grain in the official warehouses. They were known colloquially as “White Bars”, and were also used in the salt trade. The official exchange rate was two banknotes for one yin of salt, and one yin of salt was worth half a tael of silver.
Xiao Chengjun frowned. “You’re intending to go into the salt trade?” he asked.
“There’s no carriage of salt in winter, and everyone’s busy with preparing for the New Year, so the warehouse notes are very cheap now – they’re going at just a qian of silver per banknote,” Lou Jing said, nuzzling against Xiao Chengjun’s dragon-patterned underclothes. In his heart, he thought that it would be even more interesting to trace Xiao Chengjun’s underclothes in future, when they were the bright yellow colour and had the embroidered five-coloured dragon that was worn exclusively by the Emperor.
In other words, Lou Jing had used a qian of silver to buy a warehouse note that was ordinarily worth five qian of silver!
“How can it be so cheap?” Xiao Chengjun said, stunned. Because the salt trade was very profitable, the rich had always been willing to pay in grain to obtain warehouse notes. If the warehouse notes fell in value to this extent, no one would be willing to put their grain in the government warehouses – they would just sell it directly and pay the taxes associated with the sale instead. In that situation, the government would have to use Imperial silver to buy grain. Both sides would suffer, wasting a lot of money and grain.
“The supply of White Bars is high, but the supply of salt is low. These two years have been difficult for the salt trade,” Lou Jing said, smiling faintly. “On top of that, Jiangnan has a lot of people who exchanged their grain for warehouse notes, but salt can’t be manufactured in winter. The salt warehouse was basically having an emergency situation.”
There were many salt warehouses in the North, but few people there exchanged grain for salt. To the South, in Jiangnan, the situation was completely the opposite; but because the merchants needed to bribe the officials in the South to exchange White Bars for salt, the Southern merchants had no access to the government officials in the North. All this resulted in the Jiangnan White Bars dropping drastically in value in winter.
“The Salt Commission is in such a mess now?” Xiao Chengjun said, sighing deeply as he put down the book in his hand.
“I wouldn’t say it’s in a complete mess,” Lou Jing said, raising a hand and massaging the knot between Xiao Chengjun’s brows. “This is a good opportunity for me. If I hold on to the White Bars until spring, they’ll probably double or triple their value.”
He was anxious to do this business not only because of the drastic drop in price, but more importantly, because the Jinzhou shopkeepers who had come to give an account of their profits to him had told him that they had bought out the newly promoted official of the Jinzhou Salt Commission. Jinzhou had a large store of salt, and he could exchange his White Bars for the salt at the official exchange rate.
Xiao Chengjun heaved a sigh of relief on hearing this, then caught the hand that was now idly caressing his face. “Then when are you going to exchange the White Bars for salt?” he asked.
“Kbwbggbk…” Obe Alcu kjr rlifca obg j wbwfca. “P’w wjxlcu j aglq ab Alcsjcu abwbggbk.” Ktlr wjaafg kjr teuf, jcv kjrc’a rbwfatlcu atja mbeiv yf rfaaifv ys bcf bo tlr rtbqxffqfgr. Lf tjv ab qfgrbcjiis wffa atf Vjia Jbwwlrrlbcfg.
He was going to Jinzhou… tomorrow? Jinzhou wasn’t considered far from the Capital – three days on a fast horse would see you to Jinyang City, the largest city in Jinzhou. However, the New Year was fast approaching, and Xiao Chengjun didn’t want to spend it without Lou Jing.
“Qtfc klii sbe yf yjmx?” Wljb Jtfcupec jrxfv. Ktf kbgvr kfgf bea bo tlr wbeat yfobgf tf mbeiv rabq tlwrfio, jcv tf tlwrfio kjr raeccfv atja tf tjv jmaejiis jrxfv atlr defralbc.
Lou Jing looked up at him and saw reluctance in Min Wang Dianxia’s dark eyes. His eyes couldn’t help curving into smiling half-moons, and he scooted over to plant a light kiss on his lips. “I’ll be back in ten days for sure,” he said.
“Nn,” Xiao Chengjun acknowledged. They had always been together ever since their wedding day, and now that they suddenly had to part, he felt rather at a loss. He didn’t really know how to react to his feeling this way either, so he just picked up the book on his blanket and started reading it again.
Lou Jing blinked a few times, then reached out and pulled the book out of Xiao Chengjun’s hands. “What’s so interesting about ‘The Book of Songs’? Let’s read this instead,” Lou Jing said, leaning against Min Wang’s chest and opening another book. He pointed to one of the pages in the book.
Xiao Chengjun put his chin on Lou Jing’s head and looked at what Lou Jing was pointing at. For the second time that night, didn’t know how to react. The page Lou Jing had flipped open to had a traditional ink drawing, and in the drawing, a man was lying prone on the bed, with another man invading him from behind…
“Yuanlang, I’ll be gone for ten days, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to stand it… I might run back to you halfway…” Lou Jing said. He flipped over, put the book right in front of Xiao Chengjun’s face, then used his knee to slowly massage the place in between Xiao Chengjun’s legs.
“Nn…” Xiao Chengjun’s breath hitched, and his body couldn’t help feeling hotter.
Lou Jing grinned, then tossed aside the book in his hand and put his lips right next to Xiao Chengjun’s ear. “Did you see the position clearly just now?” he whispered.
Xiao Chengjun was very flustered by Lou Jing’s actions, and he pushed him away. “No,” he said.
“No problem,” Lou Jing said, reaching a hand into the faintly patterned undershirt that Xiao Chengjun wore. “I saw it clearly, and that’s enough.”
“Mmph…” Xiao Chengjun was going to say something, but Lou Jing pressed his lips onto his, and by the time he collected himself again, his clothes had all but disappeared from his body.
In this cold, wintry weather, the coal braziers were burning bright in the room, and the red curtains glowed warmly in the firelight. Wouldn’t they be doing this lovely ambience an injustice if they didn’t do something interesting?
“Slow… slow down… mmph…” Xiao Chengjun moaned, lying prone on the pillow. The person behind was pounding him mercilessly, and his body rubbed lightly against the bedsheets with every thrust. The stimulation was too much for Xiao Chengjun to bear.
Lou Jing leaned down and bit Xiao Chengjun’s pale-skinned neck gently. He slowed down as requested, slowly pulling out, then suddenly pushing inward, burying his whole member in Xiao Chengjun’s body, going in deeper than he had ever gone before.
“Ahh…” Xiao Chengjun arched his back involuntarily.
Lou Jing didn’t stop. He held Xiao Chengjun’s body in his arms as he arched up, then let his hand wander wantonly over his husband’s chest, continuing to impale his body again and again as he did so.
“It’s too deep… mm…” Xiao Chengjun gripped the side of his pillow tightly, and his voice trembled uncontrollably.
After “torturing” the person below him this way for a while, Lou Jing took a breather, kissed Xiao Chengjun’s sweaty temples, then started thrusting quickly again.
With their parting so close at hand, Lou Jing couldn’t help wanting to do it a few more times, and when he finally stopped, Xiao Chengjun was already so worn out that he was practically a puddle on the bed.
Xiao Chengjun’s whole body was trembling uncontrollably by this point. Lou Jing gathered him into his arms and gently caressed his body.
“Take it out,” Xiao Chengjun said, squirming uncomfortably.
“In a while,” Lou Jing said, nuzzling slowly at the back of his neck. “Sleep if you’re tired. I’ll wash you up in a bit.”
Xiao Chengjun’s body was tired out, but mentally, he didn’t feel like sleeping at all. “Actually, you don’t need to be in such a hurry to make money. I…”
“Only an idiot would pass up an opportunity to make money,” Lou Jing said, turning the person in his arms over. He was still buried deep in Xiao Chengjun’s body, and a small moan escaped Xiao Chengjun’s lips. “I know what I’m doing. You just focus on doing what you want to do.”
The snow fell relentlessly for a few days. It was even colder in Jinzhou than it was in the Capital, and in order to get to Jinzhou and back in ten days, Lou Jing had to travel on horseback. Xiao Chengjun got Chang En to bring out the foxfur greatcloak that he had made the year before and give it to Lou Jing.
Lou Jing accepted that thick, fluffy greatcloak, then bent over and kissed the person lying on the bed on his face. “The Capital is a dangerous place; be on your guard in all things. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said.
On the fourteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the issue of appointing a new Crown Prince was suddenly raised in the Imperial Court.
“The New Year will be upon us soon, and it would be good to have a new Crown Prince appointed next spring. This should be decided before the New Year,” the person who raised this issue said.
The Chunde Emperor’s brows knitted together. “Out of all the princes, who do you all think can assume this heavy responsibility?” he asked. As he spoke, his eyes turned to Xiao Chengjun, who was standing with his eyes lowered. When he saw that Xiao Chengjun had no reaction to this issue, he looked away, focusing on the Imperial Court officials instead.
The Imperial Court went silent. Imperial succession was not a laughing matter. One wrong word and your head would be rolling on the ground before you knew it. Even the seasoned old officials didn’t dare to speak lightly.
The Chunde Emperor’s expression became icy. These people had all been burning with ardour just moments ago, and now they had all turned mute?
Everyone couldn’t help looking in Zhao Duan’s direction. Ever since the Minister of the Left had got a one up over the Minister of the Right in the forced labour issue, the Minister of the Left’s influence had increased by leaps and bounds.
Zhao Duan, however, continued to look down diffidently, as if the matter at hand didn’t concern him at all.
“Minister Zhao, what are your thoughts on this?” the Chunde Emperor asked. He had naturally taken into account the reactions of the officials, and therefore picked Zhao Duan to give his views.
Zhao Duan had no choice but to step forward. “According to the rules set by the Imperial ancestors, we must appoint a prince who was raised by the Empress. Jing Wang is in frail health, and may not be able to bear this burden. Chen is of the view that perhaps the Fourth Prince may be appointed to the position,” he said, after pausing for a moment in thought.
“The Fourth Prince’s character is much too straightforward. I’m afraid he…”
Just as Zhao Duan finished speaking, a minister voiced his objections immediately.
“The Crown Prince was deposed because he was dull-witted, and the Fourth Prince isn’t much better – he has no achievements to speak of. If we suddenly appoint him as the Crown Prince, how are we to explain this to the people?” the Minister of Justice said.
Actually, there would ordinarily have been no issue with appointing the Fourth Prince as the Crown Prince. It was only that the edict deposing the Crown Prince had said that he had been deposed because he was slow-witted and could not assume the heavy responsibility that came with the position. As such, if they were to appoint a new Crown Prince, logically, they had to appoint someone who was smarter and more accomplished than Xiao Chengjun. At the very least, he had to have some noteworthy achievements. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain his appointment to the people of the Empire.
Then again, who were they going to appoint if not the Fourth Prince? The eldest Imperial prince had just been deposed, so he certainly couldn’t be re-appointed. The Second Prince had never appeared in public, and everyone knew the rumour that he had a frail body and was often plagued by illnesses. The Third Prince had never been raised by the Empress, and thus didn’t have the right to be appointed as the Crown Prince.
“Chen is of the view that the Third Prince would be a good choice. It’s a pity that he was not raised by the Empress,” one of the ministers who was loyal to the Third Prince said.
“Since time immemorial, the person who is most qualified for the position has been chosen as the Crown Prince.”
“The rules of our ancestors cannot be broken. Chen is of the view that the Fourth Prince is the more appropriate choice.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Chen is of the view…”
The Imperial Court started debating this issue fervently. Xiao Chengjun looked at the silent Chunde Emperor. It was meaningless to argue about this issue. His Father Emperor’s inaction clearly indicated that he wished to appoint the Third Prince as his successor, but he couldn’t find a good reason to, so he was waiting for his officials to give him one.
Xiao Chengjun lowered his gaze. He didn’t intend to participate in this debacle. The situation within the Imperial Court was still within his control. He wouldn’t let Chen Guifei get her way, and it certainly would not be so easy for the Third Prince to get into the Eastern Palace.
The Imperial Court debated voraciously about the issue of succession for many days thereafter, but was unable to reach a conclusion. Submissions rained down on the Emperor’s desk in the Imperial Study like the snow falling thickly outside, and the Emperor felt a migraine coming on as he looked at them. The Imperial Court was always particularly busy at the end of the year to begin with, and with this issue muddying up the waters on top of that, he was irritated beyond words.
Yang Youting, in particular, really irritated him. That Minister of Personnel had always been a strait-laced person, and when the other ministers suggested appointing the Third Prince as his successor, it had really rubbed that old fuddy-duddy the wrong way. He sent in two submissions daily, each containing more than a few thousand words, and at every Court session, he stepped forward to give a two-hour long lecture on respecting the rules set by the Imperial ancestors. This old fellow also just so happened to be the Chunde Emperor’s personal tutor when he had been the Crown Prince, and the Emperor couldn’t explode at him in frustration even when he really, really wanted to.
This carried on for a few more days, until finally the Chunde Emperor reached the end of his patience. “There is no need to reach a decision on the issue of succession now! We will discuss this further after the New Year!” he snapped. His pronouncement finally stopped the heated debates between the Imperial officials, and the Chunde Emperor had a few days of peace at long last.
However, as a result of this episode, the Third Prince suddenly rose in prominence in the fight for the throne. He had originally been someone that everyone dismissed as an impossibility, but now, he had become a hot favourite. Moreover, his mother, Chen Guifei, was currently favoured by the Emperor. The Minister of the Right’s influence grew again, and quite a number of people went to try and curry favour with Xiao Chengduo.
Xiao Chengjun turned a blind eye and a deaf ear in respect of the succession issue. Every day, he attended Court punctually, remained silent throughout the whole session, and returned to his residence the moment Court was adjourned, reading books and practicing his calligraphy quietly in his study. The Min Wang residence became very quiet, and by the end of the year, one could have easily mistaken it for a deserted house.
The snow fell intermittently, and the north winds gusted in strongly. The winter nights felt cold and lonely no matter how much coal was heaped in the brazier.
Xiao Chengjun lay alone in his huge bed. He turned to look at the empty pillow next to him. A pair of mandarin ducks played in the water on that pillow, embroidered in golden thread. He reached out and slowly stroked that cold, empty spot. The person that should have occupied it had already been gone for eight days. There was quite a distance to travel between Jinyang and the Capital, and it had snowed so heavily in the past few days. Was Lou Jing safe and sound?
Xiao Chengjun’s exposed arm quickly became freezing cold. He was only wearing thin underclothes in bed. He quickly pulled his arm back into the blankets and continued staring blankly at that empty space. He sighed deeply, then closed his eyes, listening to the cold winds howl outside the window.
To traverse a thousand li of roads covered in ice and snow, one would need six days on a fast horse, but if one was riding a Ferghana stallion, one could save about half a day. Lou Jing met with the Salt Commissioner in Jinzhou, made sure everything was in order, then made haste to leave on his Ferghana horse, not caring that it was already past noon when he left. He saved another half day this way.
Lou Jing was freezing and covered in snow when he arrived back in the Capital. He headed straight for the Min Wang residence, and after pulling off his ice-covered greatcloak, he warmed his frozen body by the copper furnace and drank the hot soup that Le Xian brought in for him. He then entered the bedroom on light feet.
When he saw the person in bed sleeping peacefully, the tension that had built up in Lou Jing’s muscles on the way back relaxed immediately. He had never thought that enduring a few days apart from Xiao Chengjun would be so difficult. The past few days had been a real torture; he had found it difficult to eat or sleep, and all he wanted to do was see Xiao Chengjun as quickly as he could.
Lou Jing lay down next to the warm person in the bed, then kissed his peacefully sleeping face. He thought about how Min Wang Dianxia would react when he saw him sleeping right next to him. It would probably be very entertaining! Thinking this, he slowly pulled the blankets open and was about to snuggle in when he suddenly stopped and stared. Under the blankets, a long, slender arm was slowly caressing the spot where he usually slept, even though the person that arm belonged to was deep in dreamland.
Lou Jing was touched. His heart felt like it was full to the brim, and it ached sweetly. He held that outstretched hand, then slipped under the covers and pulled that person into his arms. The great efforts he’d made in rushing back had really been worth it!
