Capital City, Chief Eunuch’s Residence.
Even though it was already afternoon, the study was dimly lit, with only a few lamps flickering on either side. The room was filled with swirling smoke and a rich fragrance. A young man lay lazily on a couch draped with gauze, resting with his eyes closed. He had a refined appearance, with delicate eyebrows and narrow eyes, but his lips were an unnaturally bright red, and his face was pale and beardless, giving off a chilling aura. This was none other than Zhao Yi, the current Chief Eunuch of the Eastern Depot.
Kneeling on the floor beside the couch was a handsome man draped in thin gauze, massaging Zhao Yi’s legs. Behind him, another slender man with a charming appearance, also draped in red gauze, carefully placed his hands on Zhao Yi’s shoulders, gently kneading them with a fawning expression.
The incense filled the air, creating a languid atmosphere. After listening to the report from the man kneeling by the couch, Zhao Yi’s finger, which was resting lightly on his chin, twitched. “Escaped?” His voice was devoid of emotion, but the man on the ground shivered, breaking out in a cold sweat. Zhao San dared not lift his head and swallowed hard, saying, “Yes, those few couldn’t keep up…” His voice was weak, but he quickly regained his composure, “But, but I’ve already sent people to confirm that the fake young master didn’t take anything extra with him.”
Zhao Yi raised an eyebrow, slowly opening his eyes, which were as cold as a deep pool. Thinking of that face with bright eyes and white teeth, Zhao Yi felt a twinge of desire and sneered, “Heartless? I think they just don’t want to curry favor with me.” No one dared to respond. He ate a grape that was fed to his lips, squinting like a snake flicking its tongue, “Forget it.”
“After all, the Xie family has to send a son to the palace.” His lips, red without being painted, curved into a strange smile. Zhao San, who had been holding his breath, finally relaxed, “Then, those who failed in their duties…” Zhao Yi gave him a sidelong glance. “I understand,” Zhao San said.
Zhao San left the room, closing the door behind him to keep the fragrance inside. His back was already soaked with sweat. The Chief Eunuch was always unpredictable and ruthless, and reporting to him was a tough job. At best, you’d lose a layer of skin; at worst, you’d be left with nothing but bones. Zhao San had been prepared to lose his life, but he was let off lightly. The Chief Eunuch seemed to be in a good mood today, probably because the project at the Inviting Immortal Residence was making great progress.
Zhao San wiped his sweat with his thick arm and quietly instructed his subordinates to deal with those people, waiting silently outside. It wasn’t long before the laughter inside the room abruptly stopped, followed by the sound of a whip striking flesh. The low whimpers of begging quickly turned into desperate screams, and then there was silence. Bright red blood slowly seeped through the door crack.
…
Hetian Village, Xie Family.
The courtyard walls were made of yellow mud and stones, barely providing any protection or cover when connected to the wooden gate. The houses inside were the same, with yellow earth as the foundation and red clay tiles on the roof, showing the wear and tear of wind and sun.
The wooden gate creaked open, and a man with sword-like eyebrows and cold eyes, with a stern face, carried firewood into the courtyard, stacking it neatly. He was eight feet tall, with a strong build, and the muscles under his coarse cloth clothes were honey-colored and bulging, full of vitality and strength, clearly a man good at physical labor.
Yan Yi glanced at the bedroom, which was still silent. Estimating it was almost noon, he turned and went into the kitchen. The so-called kitchen was just a stove surrounded by yellow earth walls. He skillfully lit a fire, and soon, smoke was rising.
After a short while, he carried two clay bowls and headed straight for the bedroom, pushing the door open. On the wooden bed lay a quiet figure, breathing shallowly, clearly still asleep. The weather was nice today, and sunlight streamed through the half-open wooden window, illuminating the boy’s tender white skin with a hint of pink. The fine hairs on the edge were visible in the light, making his cheeks look like a juicy, sweet peach.
The person had arrived in the middle of the night, and in the darkness, Yan Yi hadn’t seen his face clearly. Now, looking at him, he indeed resembled Xie Zhu more than Xie Uncle. Yan Yi withdrew his gaze, placed the bowls on one of the few pieces of furniture in the room—a wooden table—and walked to the bedside, intending to wake the boy. In the next moment, he saw those long, butterfly-like eyelashes flutter slightly, revealing the clear, amber eyes beneath.
Xie Jinning woke up. Forced to take medicine and cramped in a small carriage, he hadn’t slept well for days. In a daze, he felt himself being picked up and laid flat, and as his body relaxed, his consciousness sank into a deep abyss. He rarely slept so soundly, and his eyes hadn’t yet focused when he saw a figure standing beside him. Instinctively, he called out, “Wang Zhihe?”
His voice was soft and delicate, with a hint of a nasal tone. Yan Yi was taken aback, feeling a slight ripple in his heart as if brushed by a feather. “Who is that? The person who brought you here?” he asked in a deep voice. “He left after bringing you here last night.”
What, he arrived? Now it was Xie Jinning’s turn to be stunned. He sat up abruptly, the thin quilt slipping off, revealing his wrinkled, water-green silk robe. Rising too quickly, his vision darkened, and he almost fell forward, but someone caught his arm, steadying him.
From Yan Yi’s angle, he could clearly see the open collar, where a small, bright red mole nestled in the hollow of his fair collarbone, adding a touch of allure. A sweet scent, like flowers or honey, seemed to waft through the air, and Yan Yi’s Adam’s apple bobbed, momentarily forgetting to let go.
The forced reliance on Wang Zhihe in recent days had made Xie Jinning extremely averse to passive physical contact. He endured the dizziness and immediately pulled away. Looking up, he saw a man with sharp features and deep-set eyes, his black pupils as calm as a deep pool, with a straight nose and thin lips, serious and steady. He looked quite fierce.
Xie Jinning shrank his shoulders and asked, “Who are you?” Before he could answer, Xie Jinning glanced around, noting the simple decor of the room. Besides the wooden bed he was on, there was only a wooden cabinet and a set of wooden tables and chairs. It was practically bare.
Surprise and disgust climbed onto his delicate features, and his lips trembled as he asked, “This isn’t… the Xie family, is it?” On the way here, he had repeatedly prepared himself mentally for the poverty and hardship he would face, but when he actually saw it, Xie Jinning still found it hard to accept. How could there be such a rundown house in the world?! This was even worse than the stables at the Xie residence!
Xie Jinning closed his eyes in disbelief, hoping it was all an illusion. Unfortunately, the man mercilessly shattered his hopes. “Yes,” Yan Yi said, “You arrived suddenly, and Xie Uncle wasn’t prepared. He went to town with someone to work, and his return date is uncertain. You’ll have to stay in Xie Zhu’s room for now.”
His eyes gradually dimmed, and after a series of blows, he was somewhat numb. Even hearing that he was in the room where Xie Zhu had slept for over a decade, lying on his bed, didn’t elicit much reaction, a hint of resignation in his demeanor. But at least he didn’t have to face his… biological parents immediately.
Xie Jinning’s fingertips curled slightly. He didn’t speak, and Yan Yi wasn’t a talkative person, so the room fell into silence. But soon, a “grumble” sound came from the pile of thin quilts. The boy on the bed remained sitting, his abdomen hidden, his belt loose, and his black hair draped, but his thin waist and back were still visible.
Then, as if a floodgate had opened, there were several more sounds, rising and falling. Xie Jinning quickly covered his abdomen, turning his head to the window, biting his lip and cursing his uncooperative stomach. Perhaps people with harmless appearances were more likable, as Yan Yi noticed the red earlobes peeking through his messy black hair and couldn’t help but smile slightly. “The food is on the table. Just bring the bowl out when you’re done eating.”
“I live next door. My name is Yan Yi. If you need anything, just call me.” Xie Jinning still didn’t respond. It wasn’t until the door closed that he rubbed his flushed face, moving his gaze from the window and slowly shifting from the bed to the edge. He put on his shoes, glanced at his wrinkled clothes that hadn’t been changed for days, and then looked at the empty, broken room, struggling to find a single word of praise, feeling a sense of sorrow.
Sniffing, he swallowed the bitterness in his throat and tried to lift his spirits. He was so hungry; he needed to eat something first. During the journey, he couldn’t get used to the dry, hard bread and jerky, so Wang Zhihe had bought some pastries from the villages along the way. But those common snacks were nothing compared to what Xie Jinning was used to. They were overly sweet and greasy, making him nauseous just thinking about them. All he could think about was eating something good to make up for it once he reached his destination.
Even if he planned to run away, he needed to eat his fill first. He slowly walked to the table, only to be greatly disappointed. On the table were two clay bowls, one containing a yellow cornbread and a piece of black, unidentifiable object, and the other with clear porridge and a few pieces of green vegetables. The porridge was so thin it was almost transparent, the cornbread barely edible, and the black thing, which he couldn’t identify even after looking at it for a long time, had a salty smell that hit him like a punch, making him sneeze and turn away in disgust.
What was all this? Even the lowest servants in the Xie family ate better than this. Not willing to compromise, he immediately shouted, “Yan Yi!” Yan Yi was chopping wood in the courtyard. Hearing the call, he pushed open the door, “Finished eating…” The food he had brought was still on the table, while the young master, who had just returned from the capital, sat with an unhappy expression, legs crossed, frowning at the food as if it were something dirty.
“Why are you giving me this to eat? Is the Xie family so poor they can’t even afford food?!” To express his dissatisfaction, he slapped the table, causing the porridge to spill slightly. But Yan Yi’s attention wasn’t on the spilled liquid. Perhaps he hadn’t controlled his strength, but the boy’s eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes filled with a layer of mist. He clenched his hand into a fist, hiding his reddened palm in his sleeve.
A series of small actions, thought to be hidden, were clearly seen by Yan Yi, whose senses were sharp. He approached and asked, “Is there a problem?” “There’s a big problem!” Yan Yi was already tall, and now with one sitting and one standing, the height and size difference created a huge sense of pressure. The light was almost blocked by his broad shoulders, and Xie Jinning, unhappy with having to look up, stood up, hands on hips, “Look at this, is this something people can eat?”
The anger accumulated from being caught and brought back the first time spread like threads, and even Xie Jinning himself didn’t realize that his anger had quietly shifted to the man in front of him. His beautiful features carried a hint of resentment, and his soft voice turned sharp. Yan Yi frowned, “What do you want to eat then?”
“I want steamed eight-treasure pig, glutinous rice duck, assorted seafood soup, raw silk scallops…” Xie Jinning listed several dishes, all of which he often ate, and just thinking about them made his mouth water. He was truly craving them. With each dish he named, his small Adam’s apple bobbed, swallowing the end of his words, making them somewhat unclear.
“What?” Yan Yi leaned in, and Xie Jinning gave him a sidelong glance, repeating with a cold face. Seeing that the man still looked confused, he licked his lips and took out two taels of silver from his bundle at the bedside, placing it on the table and pushing it over. “Hurry up, I’m starving.”
Two taels of silver, a jade pendant, and a silk robe were all Xie Jinning had brought from the Xie family. At this moment, all he could think about was eating something good, not considering how he would escape or reach his friends for help once he spent all his money. Moreover, this was a poor, remote village, and the restaurants he frequented wouldn’t be here, not to mention that two taels of silver wouldn’t be enough.
So when Yan Yi refused in a deep voice, stating that the family only had these to eat, anger surged to his head, and Xie Jinning waved his hand, knocking the clay bowl with cornbread and smoked meat to the ground. “I said I won’t eat this. Are you deaf?!” The clay bowl fell and shattered, the cornbread and smoked meat rolling on the ground, picking up a layer of dust.
“What are you doing?” Yan Yi couldn’t stand seeing food wasted. His eyes turned cold, and his already stern features were filled with anger, like a storm about to break, his muscles tensing, fists seemingly ready to strike. Xie Jinning instinctively took a step back, goosebumps rising all over his body. He rubbed his arms, feeling embarrassed for being scared by a rough countryman.
He raised his chin, looking down at the man picking up the cornbread, his tone arrogant, “It’s just trash that can’t be eaten. What’s wrong with throwing it away?” “…” The cornbread mixed with flour, smoked meat, and fine rice were all things Xie Uncle usually couldn’t bear to eat. Last year, there was a drought, the wells dried up, and the riverbeds were exposed, drastically reducing the harvest. After paying the ever-increasing grain tax, there was little left. At that time, almost everyone in the village tightened their belts, and fine grains and meat were rare.
Xie Uncle sold everything he had to give Xie Zhu money for travel expenses, never expecting Xie Jinning to be sent back. The family’s belongings were almost gone, and he had to urgently exchange for some white flour, leaving before dawn to work and earn money. Before leaving, he left all this for his biological son, but the young master didn’t appreciate it, calling it trash and not fit for human consumption. He must have been a wasteful and extravagant person in his previous home.
Since he had returned, he should change his extravagant habits. With this in mind, Yan Yi took out a piece of coarse cloth from his pocket, wrapped the cornbread and smoked meat, and placed it on the table before striding towards Xie Jinning. “You, you, you… what are you doing?” A chill rose in Xie Jinning’s heart.
The cold-faced man in front of him had a broad back, steady steps, and his tall figure pressed down like a mountain, his cold eyes fixed on him like an eagle locking onto its prey. “Stop right there, don’t come any closer!” Xie Jinning tried to sound authoritative, his voice loud, but the end trembled involuntarily.
His fair skin, slightly reddened by the sun, and those amber almond eyes wide open, exposed the panic in his moist pupils. A look that seemed tough on the outside but was weak inside, just begging to be bullied. As the man approached step by step, Xie Jinning’s heart raced, and he retreated until his thigh hit the bed’s edge, causing him to sit down abruptly.
And the man was already in front of him. “You, ah—” In the next second, the world spun, positions changed, and Xie Jinning was pulled up and flipped over the man’s knee. The man easily restrained him with one arm, ignoring his struggles, lifted his robe, and pulled down his waistband, delivering a slap to the curve wrapped in thin white underpants.
In the village, when children misbehave, they get spanked.