Chapter 117
When Shen Huaishi and others arrived at the General’s Mansion, they were just in time to see a sedan chair stop at its gate. They didn’t know which court official had the same idea and decided to come visiting on the anniversary of General Gu’s death.
A middle-aged man with a big belly came out of the sedan chair, wearing the official uniform of a third-rank civil official. Wu Zhan and Wu Guogong were both yearlong residents in the capital but they have never seen this person. Li Chan introduced them, “This is the governor of Liang Zhou, Qian Xiyuan. He was ordered by the prime minister to come to the capital to report on his duties. He had just arrived two days ago.”
When Qian Xiyuan saw them, a smile appeared on his face. “If it isn’t Master Li and these esteemed generals! Have you also come to offer your greetings to the Lord Prime Minister?”
While they were exchanging pleasantries, Shen Huaishi couldn’t help being taken aback when he saw a tall man with a tough face behind Qian Xiyuan. No one else seemed to have noticed the man. Not long after, Yuan Yin, having gotten Lin Qingyu’s consent, invited their group, along with Qian Xiyuan, into the mansion.
When the man made to follow after Qian Xiyuan into the mansion, he was stopped by Yuan Yin, “The Prime Minister only invited these gentlemen in. The rest will have to wait outside.”
Qian Xiyuan hurried forward and whispered something in Yuan Yin’s ear. Yuan Yin’s expression froze. He looked at Qian Xiyuan with a pitying expression in his eyes. “Master Qian, please wait a moment. I’ll have someone report to the Prime Minister.”
Wu Zhan noticed the man’s face and exclaimed, “This man…why, doesn’t he look like the General?”
Qian Xiyuan laughed. “A coincidence, I assure you. Nothing but a coincidence.”
Wu Zhan circled around the man. “He does look a bit similar, but the temperament is completely different.”
Wu Zhan couldn’t see Qian Xiyuan’s intention but Li Chan knew it well and his face changed slightly. When the servant of the General’s Mansion came back and said that the prime minister had allowed the man to enter, Li Chan couldn’t bear it. And muttered under his breath, “How utterly ridiculous.”
In the Dayu, it was not unheard of for people to send beauties to high ranking officials to curry favor with them. Unexpectedly, Qian Xiyuan was so bold as to offer such a person to Prime Minister Lin. He didn’t know whether to call him ‘ingenious’ or ‘seeking his own doom’.
Wu Zhan asked, “Master Li, what’s the matter with you?”
Shen Huaishi explained, “Master Qian had deliberately found a man who looked somewhat similar to the General with the intention of presenting him to Prime Minister Lin as a male favorite.”
Li Chan said angrily, “How could he even think that this kind of person would be worthy of Prime Minister Lin? Presenting the Prime Minister with a male favorite, it is simply an insult to Prime Minister Lin.”
Wu Zhan was never one to think much before he speaks. “Then who would be worthy?”
Li Chan froze and said after a long pause. “No one…no one is worthy.” He smiled wryly and his voice gradually weakened, “One who could stand beside Prime Minister Lin, even if it’s not one as good as General Gu, at least can not… can not be as good as just me.”
To him, Lin Qingyu was like a snow-capped mountain. He knew that he was not worthy to walk side by side with Lin Qingyu and his only wish was that whoever stands beside Lin Qingyu could be someone he could accept. Otherwise, how could he be willing?
Wu Zhan didn’t hear the bitterness in Li Chan’s words and said, “If that’s the way Master Li sees things, just how many people in the capital could possibly be better than you?”
As soon as these words fell, a voice sounded behind them,
“And what might my beloved ministers be talking about?” the young emperor said with a smile on his face, “Won’t you let me listen in as well?”
No one thought that the emperor would be in the General’s Mansion at this time. After their initial surprise, they all knelt down and said, “Greetings to Your Majesty.”
Li Chan lowered his eyes and only the emperor’s ebony clothes were in view. The dragon, embroidered with extremely fine gold thread, was exquisite and noble.
“You may all rise.”
Li Chan stood up and only then saw that Lin Qingyu was standing behind the emperor. One was radiating splendor and the other was pure like an immortal who had brushed the dust of the mortal world from his feet. The impact of the beauty of these two people was too great. The scene of them standing together made Li Chan a little dazed.
——Golden wind and jade dew
Jiang Xing glanced one by one at the gathered people and said, “Qian Xiyuan.”
Qian Xiyuan hastily stepped forward. “This humble minister is here.”
“I heard that you’ve prepared a gift for Prime Minister Lin?”
Qian Xiyuan quickly threw a look at Lin Qingyu, as if expecting him to say something for him, “Thi-this minister…”
Jiang Xing said with great interest, “I’m quite curious, show me.”
Qian Xiyuan knelt down with a thud. Cold sweat broke out throughout his body. Toughening his scalp, he said, “I simply didn’t want to see the Prime Minister become sick from longing, depressed and unhappy. I then made to be so bold as to find someone to bring comfort to the Prime Minister… …”
“Someone to bring comfort.” Jiang Xing laughed but there was no smile on his face, “Prime Minister, do you need someone to comfort you?”
Li Chan suddenly realized that, at some point since, the emperor’s childlike manner had gradually diminished. His words and deeds were getting closer and closer to his actual age. The emperor was no longer a mentally handicapped boy, he was a grown man and a true son of heaven. At this time, the emperor didn’t seem to be in a very good mood, and the coldness emanating from his body made him dare not look directly at His Majesty.
But Lin Qingyu wasn’t the least bit afraid. Lin Qingyu said to the man brought by Qian Xiyuan. “Raise your head.”
The man raised his head, feeling anxious. In Lin Qingyu’s eyes, there was nothing resembling Gu Fuzhou in his face. Lin Qingyu ordered, “Smile.”
The man was just a butcher. Qian Xiyuan took a fancy to him because his appearance resembled Gu Fuzhou a little bit. He had been brought from Liang Zhou straight to the capital. He had never seen anything of the world. He forcefully forced a smile, showing his white teeth.
Lin Qingyu only took one look and then looked away. “What did you do before?”
“I-I was a butcher.”
“Master Qian is so considerate.” Lin Qingyu said, “Yuan Yin, ask if we have an opening for a butcher in the kitchens.”
Jiang Xing raised his eyebrows.
Wu Zhan grinned and remembered what they’d come here for. “Your Majesty, Lord Prime Minister, we came here to visit the sick. We heard that the prime minister was laid up in bed. Why do you seem to be completely fine?”
Lin Qingyu said, “I am mostly recovered.”
“With Zhen by the Lord Prime Minister’s side, it is only natural that he would get better.” Jiang Xing said, “But you gentlemen, have you nothing to do? Are the barracks and the Ministry of War so idle?”
They all looked at each other and said in unison, “We will be taking our leave.”
When he was about to round the corridor, Li Chan couldn’t help looking back – the emperor and the prime minister were still standing together. The emperor seemed to say something which made Prime Minister Lin smile. This smile was tender and full of affection, with a charm and elegance that he had never seen before. Calling it radiant would not be an exaggeration.
It was as though Li Chan had woken from a dream.
In this entire world, apart from Lu Wancheng and Gu Fuzhou, the only one who was worthy of Lin Qingyu was the son of heaven.
Lin Qingyu was unaware that his smile was “tender and full of affection” in Li Chan’s eyes. He though he was sneering. “What kind of expression is that on your face?”
Jiang Xing was upset and felt justified at being so. “Why did you keep that person?”
Lin Qingyu said calmly, “I’m investigating Qian Xiyuan’s suspected corruption case. This person may be a clue.”
“Come on.” Jiang Xing pretended to be resentful, “Just tell me, are you missing Gu Fuzhou’s face?”
“As I said before, I have no feelings for Gu Fuzhou’s face. I loved the house and it's crow because you were in that body.”
Jiang Xing asked again, “Then if we give no consideration for who’s inside, what kind of face do you prefer?”
Lin Qingyu quickly picked up on what Jiang Xing wanted to hear, “I prefer Jiang Gongzi’s.”
Jiang Xing was satisfied. “You sure are a sweet talker. In view of the Prime Minister’s words, I will definitely turn over the Prime Minister’s tablet tonight.”
It was night and Jiang Xing was staying over in the General’s Mansion. Taking advantage of the dark night and high wind, with Xiao Songzi as cover, he snuck into Lin Qingyu’s bedroom. With the brocade quilt between them, he hugged Lin Qingyu, “Qingyu, how about we carry on a clandestine affair?”
Lin Qingyu was lying on the bed, holding a medical book and reading it. He absent-mindedly, “We will after I finish reading.”
“Okay, call me when you’re done.” Jiang Xing usually wouldn’t disturb Lin Qingyu while he was reading. He sat down at the table, took out pen and paper and found something for himself to do.
After Lin Qingyu finished reading his book, he saw that Jiang Xing was drawing something. Walking over to see, he saw it was two rings, somewhat similar to the ones Gu Fuzhou had given him before but with some patterns on the inside. One of the rings was engraved with a phoenix feather and the other echoed it with a sleeping dragon.
Jiang Xing asked, “Does it look good?”
Lin Qingyu nodded. “It does.”
Jiang Xing smiled and said, “Then I’ll use this as an engagement ring. Is that alright?”
Lin Qingyu remembered that giving rings when proposing was a tradition in Jiang Xing’s hometown. “Alright.” He said, “When will it be cast?”
“It will probably take about half a month.” Jiang Xing yawned, “Let’s sleep, let’s sleep.”
Jiang Xing, in Gu Fuzhou’s body, had slept on this bed with Lin Qingyu for half a year. Except for going the last step, they had done everything on this bed. Lying here again, now in his own body again, with this beautiful widow who has maintained his widowhood for a whole year, it would be a pity if they didn’t do a little something.
The more Jiang Xing thought about it, the more excited he got. He licked the corner of his lips and asked, “Qingyu, do you still remember what you and Gu Fuzhou did on this bed?”
Lin Qingyu smiled lightly, “We’ve done a lot.”
“Then… have you ever done this before?”
“We have.”
“How about this?”
Lin Qingyu’s voice trembled slightly, “…Yes.”
Jiang Xing sighed comfortably, “And this?”
“Don’t, I-I can’t bear it.”
Jiang Xing raised his eyebrows and deliberately said, “You can bear Gu Fuzhou’s, why can’t you bear mine?”
Lin Qingyu said without hesitation, “I’ve also never taken in his.”
Jiang Xing found Lin Qingyu’s reaction so cute. After staring at him for a while, he laughed out loud and collapsed on Lin Qingyu.
Lin Qingyu: “…?”
It seemed he had hit Jiang Xing’s funny bone and Jiang Xing couldn’t stop laughing. “I’m sorry, sorry, I shouldn’t have laughed.”
Lin Qingyu pushed him away expressionlessly, “Well, perfect timing. Today is your death anniversary. Let’s go to bed early.”
Jiang Xing once again propped himself up and hugged Lin Qingyu’s around his waist. He pulled him to face him and said with a smile, “That won’t do.”
Lin Qingyu then lost all energy to think about Gu Fuzhou’s death anniversary. He even woke up later than Jiang Xing the next day. After Jiang Xing finished dressing, he sat on the edge of the bed and still terribly sleepy, said, “Baobei, I’m going back to the palace to get ready for morning court.”
Lin Qingyu gave a weak “en”.
“This is for you, thank you for agreeing to marry me.” Lin Qingyu felt something cold slip onto his finger. Jiang Xing kissed his forehead, “I love you, I’m going.”
After saying so, it seemed he felt it wasn’t enough, so he kissed his cheeks and the corners of his lips twice more. he then pushed aside the bed curtain and strode out.
Running after sleeping with him —— ah, what a slag man.
Lin Qingyu raised his hand and saw something extra on his left ring finger. It was the ring that Jiang Xing drew for him yesterday.
