The corridor in the courtyard was lit with lamps, and since it had snowed during the day, the moonlight at night was exceptionally clear. Under the moonlight, a shadow leaped onto the wall. The person paused slightly, and the next moment, a dark guard holding a long knife appeared beside him.
“It’s me,” Zang Liujiang glanced at the blade pressed against his neck, thinking that the prince’s bodyguards were really impressive, floating around like ghosts.
“I know,” the dark guard said expressionlessly, sheathing the long knife and gesturing in a certain direction. “The prince is waiting.”
The two of them jumped down from the wall one after the other, and Zang Liujiang was led by the dark guard to the side courtyard. It was already late at night, but a certain room was still lit with candlelight.
“Your Highness, he’s here,” the dark guard stepped aside to let Zang Liujiang into the room. The prince was sitting at the desk, looking at a folded letter in his hand, his brows furrowed as if in a bad mood.
The prince gestured for the dark guard to leave and guard the door, then nodded towards the chair in front of the desk. “Sit.”
“What, are you going to interrogate me?” Zang Liujiang sat down on the stool with a bold and defiant demeanor.
But the person opposite knew that although he seemed nonchalant, he was actually tense inside.
“Are you injured?” The prince’s gaze fell coolly on Zang Liujiang’s abdomen, and he slapped the folded letter onto the table. “Someone’s got their eye on you.”
“Who doesn’t?” Zang Liujiang glanced at the letter on the table, realizing he had been investigated secretly. This thought annoyed him, and he bared his teeth in a fierce smile. “You’re getting involved too?”
“…That’s more like you.” The prince looked at the fierce-eyed Zang Liujiang, no different from when they first met, and couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s hard for you to pretend to be a good dog.”
“Same to you.”
After exchanging barbs, the two still had to discuss serious matters.
“…Are you going to do it this way?” The prince leaned back in the grand chair, rubbing his temples with a headache. “If you’re going to take risks, don’t drag Zang Yuan down with you.”
He paused and added, “And your newlywed.”
“He’s a scholar. At worst, I can stick my neck out and take a hit, but he can’t.” Zang Liujiang tapped the solid armrest of the chair with his fingers, making a thumping sound.
“If I die, send him to the capital for me.”
The prince looked him up and down, a mocking expression on his face. “You think I’m your coachman? If you want to send him, do it yourself.”
“Working for you really doesn’t pay off.” Zang Liujiang knew the prince was just being contrary, and continued to nag, making the prince’s head ache.
“You’ve only known him for a month, why are you so concerned about his safety?” The prince raised his hand to interrupt Zang Liujiang’s chatter, looking at him suspiciously.
Indeed, after decades in the deep palace, the prince couldn’t understand why Zang Liujiang would be so concerned about someone he hadn’t known for long. If it were him, he wouldn’t bother with others.
Thinking back to the brief glance at Yu Huishui today, it didn’t seem worth it for either beauty or profit.
“You…” Zang Liujiang looked more puzzled than the prince. “You should stay away from my fourth brother, you blockhead.”
“In the end, I’m more capable than you. You haven’t even held hands, have you?”
The prince shot him a sideways glance and called in the dark guard to take Zang Liujiang away to treat his wound.
“Use the strongest medicine on him,” the prince gritted his teeth. “The more it hurts, the faster it heals.”
In Yu Huishui’s room, the candle finally went out. Zang Yuan didn’t say anything else, and Yu Huishui knew he was lying beside him, not asleep. But after a bumpy day, Yu Huishui soon fell asleep.
When he opened his eyes again, the person lying next to him had become Zang Liujiang. The bedding was warm, indicating Zang Liujiang had been there for a while. He was still bare-chested, with half an arm under Yu Huishui’s head, the two of them intimately snuggled together.
Yu Huishui recalled Zang Yuan’s words from last night: “Why are you willing?”
And how was Zang Liujiang willing?
Zang Liujiang slept soundly, his features softened, showing the youthful innocence of a young man, with no trace of the bandit king’s fierceness. Instead, there was a faint look of worry between his brows.
Yu Huishui couldn’t help but reach out to smooth his furrowed brow.
In their brief time together, Zang Liujiang had always been that blazing sun, never leaving Yu Huishui, whether he was distant or close. Such an expression had never appeared on Zang Liujiang’s face.
Zang Liujiang’s eyelashes fluttered twice, and Yu Huishui quickly withdrew his hand, but upon closer inspection, Zang Liujiang hadn’t opened his eyes.
Yu Huishui breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly the blanket was lifted, enveloping them both. Startled, Yu Huishui reached out in the dark, his hand landing on Zang Liujiang’s warm chest, followed by a loud smack on his face, as he was kissed hard.
“Zang Liujiang!”
Yu Huishui’s angry shout came from under the blanket. Knowing he couldn’t push his luck, Zang Liujiang quickly pulled the blanket away, letting Yu Huishui see the light of day again.
“You!” Yu Huishui was about to scold him, but then noticed that Zang Liujiang’s waist and abdomen were no longer wrapped in rough cloth but in new soft silk, indicating he had been treated.
“Are you okay…?”
Seeing Yu Huishui’s anger subside, Zang Liujiang felt smug about his foresight in stripping off his clothes as soon as he entered the room. He gestured towards his wound with a smile. “Of course.”
“Where’s your fourth brother?” Yu Huishui looked around the room, puzzled by Zang Yuan’s absence, wondering if Zang Liujiang had barged in and chased him away.
“He doesn’t sleep much. He left before dawn.” Zang Liujiang dressed himself, discreetly touching his waist wound.
The palace medicine was good; it didn’t hurt after a night, though applying it was excruciating, making him feel like he’d died once.
Outside, servants were already waiting. Once the two were ready, they entered to serve breakfast. The leading maid was the same one who opened the door yesterday, apparently assigned to serve Zang Yuan.
“Sir, our prince and Fourth Young Master are not in the mansion right now. Fourth Young Master instructed that if you wish to stay a few more days, you may come and go as you please. If you’re not comfortable, you’re not obliged to stay.”
The maid spoke carefully, not revealing Zang Yuan’s words, “Stay if you want, if not, let Zang Liujiang get lost.”
Zang Liujiang served Yu Huishui a bowl of fragrant eight-treasure rice porridge, seeing his eyes light up with delight. He thought it might be nice to stay a few more days so Yu Huishui could enjoy more fine food.
“No need.”
Yu Huishui spoke first, gently tugging Zang Liujiang’s clothes, his face full of longing for the books at home.
What to do when your wife loves reading too much? Zang Liujiang covered his face, declining the maid’s polite invitation.
After breakfast, the two followed the maid to the stable to retrieve Da Hei and head back to the mountain. From a distance, they saw a group of servants gathered in front of the stable, surrounding Da Hei tightly.
“Wow, still eating?”
“It hasn’t stopped since it arrived yesterday, eating nearly forty pounds of fine grass.”
“Oh my, it’s rare, so sturdy, truly a good horse…”
The stable was filled with servants who tended to the horses, naturally recognizing a good horse. If it were an ordinary horse, it would have been stuffed to death with so much grass.
“Ahem!” The maid cleared her throat heavily, and the gathered servants scattered, seemingly afraid of Zang Liujiang.
Da Hei snorted and shook its head, ignoring the surroundings, contentedly munching on grass with squinted eyes.
“Once you’ve taken the horse, you can leave through the back gate. I’ll take my leave now.”
The maid also ran off like the servants, but not out of fear. It seemed she was eager to meet her sisters waiting outside the courtyard.
Yu Huishui, helped onto the horse by Zang Liujiang, looked back curiously at the chattering girls.
Life in the prince’s mansion seemed more relaxed and free than he had imagined.
Yu Huishui counted on his fingers, realizing he had met four brothers but had never heard Zang Liujiang mention his fifth brother, sparking his curiosity.
“Zang Liujiang,” Yu Huishui turned back.
“Your fifth brother… What are you doing?”
Zang Liujiang was picking out a few fine horses from the stable, marveling at the royal-bred horses, sleek and shiny, thinking of taking one back to make the grumpy prince pay.
“Let’s go quickly.” Zang Liujiang pulled out a chestnut horse, mounted it, and with a flick of the whip, the horse trotted out.
Seeing this, Da Hei didn’t need Yu Huishui to urge it, immediately following with its head low, looking sly and nimble.
“… ” Yu Huishui chuckled, giving Da Hei’s neck a firm pat. “You two really are alike.”
Riding onto the street, Zang Liujiang felt exhilarated, laughing heartily. Then he pulled the reins, bringing his horse alongside Yu Huishui’s.
“You just asked about my fifth brother?” Zang Liujiang recalled Yu Huishui’s question before they left the courtyard and resumed the topic. “He went to the capital a few years ago and hasn’t returned, but he did send letters, saying he did well in the exams and is now some… some official in the capital.”
“An official?”
Yu Huishui was surprised. He had thought Zang Liujiang’s fifth brother went to the capital to avoid inheriting the bandit stronghold, not expecting a bandit den to produce an official.
Is this considered a commoner background or colluding with bandits?
Regardless, Yu Huishui’s desire for the old books in the study grew stronger. These were firsthand literary treasures, rare and precious.
“Do you remember what position your brother holds?”
Yu Huishui was genuinely curious about the fifth brother’s career, pressing Zang Liujiang for details.
Zang Liujiang scratched his chin for a while, recalling the letter, which seemed to mention…
“Guozijian!” Zang Liujiang clapped his hands, finally remembering his brother’s official title.
“Da Hei! Let’s go home!”
Hearing the title, Yu Huishui immediately spurred his horse, and Da Hei responded, shooting forward like an arrow, leaving Zang Liujiang far behind.
The chestnut horse widened its eyes in shock.
Heavens, the glutton that arrived at the stable yesterday could run so fast?
“Wife!?” Zang Liujiang was left in a cloud of dust, and when he looked up, he could only see a small dot in the distance.
“Da Hei, you traitorous thing! Where are you taking my wife?” Zang Liujiang had never been left behind by Da Hei before, cursing as he urged his horse to catch up.
The royal-bred horse was beautiful but lacked endurance and speed. By the time Zang Liujiang returned to the stronghold, Yu Huishui had already buried himself in the study, pulling out all the old books.
Seeing his wife grinning maniacally with his head buried in books, Zang Liujiang felt it necessary to ask Zang Yuan for two talismans to ward off evil.