The words of the Second Prince undoubtedly stabbed another knife into Yan Dong’s heart. Distracted and unable to taste his food, he only had half a bowl of rice soup for dinner before washing up and crawling into bed.
He Bao and Chang Qingqing were left staring at each other in the outer room.
“It’s all the fault of that fox spirit!” He Bao angrily clenched his fist. “I should go teach him a lesson and vent the young master’s anger!”
“Don’t act recklessly. The young master himself hasn’t even taught him a lesson. If you go showing off, you’ll just be stepping on our master’s face,” Chang Qingqing sighed. “Besides, what the young master cares about isn’t that person, but the matter itself. Or rather, what he truly cares about is the heir apparent.”
He Bao seemed to understand but not fully. “Then what should we do?”
Chang Qingqing felt helpless too. The debts between brothers are not something outsiders can meddle in.
Dang Wu stood not far away, listening to their murmurs, feeling puzzled as well, not knowing what the heir apparent was thinking.
Hearing that the young master didn’t eat much for dinner, Nong Sheng came over at night to inquire. The main room was pitch black, so the two of them went around to the back corridor to talk.
“He’s been worse since coming out of the palace. I asked around, and it seems the Second Prince said something,” Dang Wu said. “I don’t understand why the master doesn’t want to explain a word. Although it involves secrets, when has the master ever guarded against the young master? The young master may not be deeply scheming, but he’s smart and knows his limits. He wouldn’t recklessly leak anything.”
“Actually,” Nong Sheng said thoughtfully, “I didn’t quite understand it this time either.”
“…” Dang Wu stared at him expressionlessly.
Nong Sheng coughed, spreading his hands. “Although the young master made a big fuss, the heir apparent could always coax him back. But this time, the heir apparent didn’t explain a word, letting the young master imagine things. It’s really strange.”
They were all Yan Song’s trusted aides. Although they couldn’t fully understand this master even after all these years, Yan Song’s love for Yan Dong was something he never hid or changed. Why was it different this time?
“Perhaps,” Dang Wu pondered, “the young master relies too much on the master, and the master fears that over time, the young master won’t be able to distinguish the boundaries between brothers, so he uses this opportunity to give him a little lesson?”
Nong Sheng shook his head. “It doesn’t seem like it. The heir apparent doesn’t like the young master getting too close to Miss Wang either.”
The young master relies too much on the heir apparent, and the heir apparent’s desire to control the young master is also quite strong.
“Because of Wang Zhi,” Dang Wu said.
“Wang Zhi is estranged from his family. How sincere can he be to his cousin? Even if the young master gets along well with Miss Wang, it won’t affect anything,” Nong Sheng mused. “The heir apparent seems to dislike Miss Wang as a person.”
But there’s nothing about Wang Jiaxi’s appearance or character that can be criticized. It’s really strange. Could it be a natural dislike?
The two of them discussed for a while, but unfortunately, the heir apparent’s mind was like a needle at the bottom of the sea. In the end, they couldn’t come to any reliable conclusion, so Nong Sheng had to return to Xunfeng Courtyard to report.
Xunfeng Courtyard was brightly lit. Chang Chun Chun entered the study with a cup of strong tea. Yan Song wasn’t reviewing official documents but was staring blankly at the pouch in his hand.
To say he was staring blankly wasn’t quite right. The things in those dark eyes were obscure and hard to understand, suppressing too many emotions, which inexplicably made Chang Chun Chun’s heart race with fear.
The light blue pouch, with a pearl tassel, had been in Yan Song’s possession for four years. He had always treasured it in a box, rarely using it, so it looked brand new.
Chang Chun Chun placed the tea cup on the desk and inadvertently glanced at the pouch. It had a pattern of two swallows flying together, but the embroidery was clumsy, making the two affectionate swallows look chubby. Not wanting to disturb Yan Song, he turned to leave, but his steps suddenly froze.
Two swallows flying together.
Two swallows… flying together.
“What is it?” Yan Song’s voice rang out.
It was as if a cat had witnessed a terrifying scene while leaping over rooftops at night. Chang Chun Chun’s hair stood on end, and he suddenly turned and knelt down. His whole body was tense, not daring to lift his head.
Could it be that the heir apparent…?!
Yan Song looked at the person kneeling on the snow plum brocade carpet, quite pleased. “Your mind does turn a bit faster than theirs.”
“…Heir apparent,” Chang Chun Chun’s voice was dry, “I will never reveal a word.”
Yan Song was puzzled. “Do you think I shouldn’t?”
Shouldn’t what, the taboo between brothers? Chang Chun Chun said with difficulty, “Whatever the heir apparent wants to do, he has never failed to achieve.”
Yan Song leisurely said, “Achieving it but shouldn’t do it, is that it?”
Chang Chun Chun didn’t answer, only saying, “You and the young master are blood brothers.”
Yan Song gently placed the pouch back into the box, staring at the two plump swallows for a moment before closing the lid, locking it, and putting it back in the desk cabinet. He gestured for Chang Chun Chun to rise. “He and I are not blood brothers.”
“But the young master considers you his blood brother…” Chang Chun Chun paused, suddenly understanding why the heir apparent didn’t explain things clearly to the young master.
—Boiling a frog in warm water.
The heir apparent was truly “sinister” in his intentions.
Chang Chun Chun sighed inwardly and said, “But the young master is innocent and doesn’t understand love. He might not catch on.”
“Doesn’t understand love?” Yan Song said. “Isn’t he close to Miss Wang?”
No wonder the heir apparent seemed to dislike Wang Jiaxi. So that’s why! Chang Chun Chun suddenly understood everything. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, “The young master only treats her as a classmate.”
“But Miss Wang is different,” Yan Song recalled the girl’s gaze, filled with undisguised joy, and said lightly, “A young girl’s heart can’t be hidden.”
Chang Chun Chun reassured, “Falling flowers have intentions, but flowing water is heartless. It’s useless.”
Yan Song looked at Chang Chun Chun. “Are you implying something about me?”
Heaven help him, Chang Chun Chun hurriedly said, “I wouldn’t dare, I didn’t mean that!”
Yan Dong stared at him, and Chang Chun Chun felt a chill at the back of his neck. After a few breaths, Yan Song finally said expressionlessly, “Leave.”
“Yes!” Chang Chun Chun didn’t dare linger and quickly retreated.
Nong Sheng stepped onto the corridor and bumped into the startled Chang Chun Chun, laughing, “Did you see a ghost?”
“Pretty much.” Chang Chun Chun rolled away quickly.
Strange, Nong Sheng scratched his head and stepped inside to report.
*
Yan Dong couldn’t eat well, and after tossing and turning, he finally fell into a restless sleep—only to dream of Yan Song in wedding attire.
His appearance was dignified, noble, and elegant, looking intently at the person on the other end of the colorful knot, his smile gentle, his gaze indulgent—this was nothing short of a magnificent nightmare!
The more pleasing Yan Song was to the eye, the more this dream shattered his heart and soul!
Yan Dong woke up in fright, not daring to recall it, hurriedly asking He Bao to give him a sleeping potion, forcing himself to fall back into a daze.
However, it wasn’t long before he had another dream. The dream was dark, with only a dim yellow light in the corner, where a sound came from—the rustling of fabric and the panting of a young man, deep and hoarse, as if separated by a veil, indistinct and unclear.
“Dong Dong…”
The man called his name, so intimately, as if looking at him through a veil, dreamy and lingering, yet also insatiable, wanting to swallow him whole, to merge into one.
Yan Dong woke up in fright again!
He held his head, his palms pressed tightly against his ears, as if trying to block out the man’s shadowy, indistinct, ambiguous panting.
Who is this, who is this!
Why are they coming into his dream to be lustful!
How could he have such a lewd dream!
“Young master!” He Bao was lying in bed reading a storybook, and upon hearing the noise, he immediately got up and rushed into the inner room. By the light of the night lamp, he saw Yan Dong’s flushed face and was startled, quickly feeling his forehead. “Are you feverish? You’re so hot!”
It wasn’t just his face that was hot; Yan Dong’s mind was hot, his internal organs were hot, even his thighs warm under the covers were shivering with heat.
“…He Bao,” he clutched the blanket, his legs clamped together, murmuring, “Can you find me a doctor?”
“Third Miss isn’t in the residence. Should I call Doctor Hu?” He Bao asked for instructions.
Yan Dong instinctively nodded, then immediately realized and quickly stopped him. “We can’t call the family doctor!”
Seeing He Bao’s confused expression, Yan Dong found it hard to speak, so he gestured for him to come closer and helplessly said, “I think I’ve been… possessed.”
“Possessed… huh?!”
Yan Dong stammered, asking He Bao to fetch a cloak to wrap himself in, then got out of bed and left the inner room. He gently pushed open a window in the outer room, intending to clear his mind with the wind. But the cold night was eerie, the moon didn’t dare to peek out, and all living things seemed to be bent under the weight of the dark night, silent and prostrate. He felt a sense of oppression, and the fear, sadness, and unnamed emotions in his heart quickly poured out uncontrollably.
Why did he suddenly dream of his elder brother getting married? Yan Dong clutched the collar of his cloak, his teeth biting down on his lower lip.
“Young master, did you have a nightmare?” He Bao came to the window, looking at Yan Dong with concern. That face was the most bright and beautiful, and once it turned sorrowful, it revealed a very endearing quality. He anxiously scratched his head, imitating Chang Qingqing’s manner, gently patting Yan Dong’s shoulder like a caring big brother. “Dreams are the opposite of reality! Don’t be afraid, young master.”
Yan Dong was amused by his old-fashioned demeanor and said, “I dreamed of my elder brother… wearing wedding attire.”
He Bao was about to say: Isn’t that a normal thing? They say you dream about what you think about during the day, and young master, you’re always thinking about your elder brother. It’s not surprising to dream about him. But hearing the latter part, he immediately said without thinking, “Impossible!”
Yan Dong looked at him, his gaze filled with naked anticipation. “How is it impossible?”
He Bao said, “The Duke and the Princess have no intention of arranging a marriage for the heir apparent, and His Majesty has no intention of bestowing a marriage either. The heir apparent himself has no desire to start a family!”
“There’s no intention now, but who can say for sure in the future?” Yan Dong lowered his eyes.
“This…” He Bao couldn’t refute.
“So wedding attire is really that red,” Yan Dong wrinkled his nose, a bit disdainful. “It’s not as nice as the crimson official robes my elder brother used to wear… but he does look very handsome as a groom.”
Handsome to the point of being a bit dazzling.
His hands unconsciously clenched tightly together, something cold and hard pressing into his flesh. Yan Dong’s eyelashes trembled, and he suddenly raised his hand. The red jade ring, under the night lamp, looked like a hibernating agate snake, blood-red. “A jade ring can also serve as a token of love. Do you think,” he raised his hand higher, looking up at it with confusion, “my elder brother will make one for someone else in the future and personally put it on them?”
“Of course not!” He Bao looked at Yan Dong’s slightly moist lower lashes and said with a firm and powerful tone, “For so many years, the heir apparent has only made one for you. How can outsiders compare to you! You are the heir apparent’s treasure! No one else can compare or compete!”
“Right,” Yan Dong tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I think so too.”
But now it seems what he wants is more than that.
Looking to the left, the path was deep, the corridor winding, with grass laid in front, and behind the wisteria trellis, the eaves were deep. That was Yan Song’s sleeping quarters, where they had spent day and night together for over a decade.
“You’ve grown up.”
When they were assigned separate courtyards, Yan Song had said this from above. At that time, he cried and fussed, and now he was still unwilling. At that time, he had to accept that growing up meant living in separate courtyards. Now and in the future, does he also have to accept that after Yan Song starts a family, they might live in separate residences? He suddenly remembered that back then, even their parents didn’t have this intention. It was Yan Song who suggested it himself, Yan Song who was driving him away.
Yan Dong stared at those eaves, suddenly feeling a bit of “hatred” towards Yan Song.