As soon as Chu Xunsheng walked over, the beauty slowly lifted his head to look at him. His long eyelashes fluttered, and the moment they met Chu Xunsheng’s eyes, he lowered his head again.
Chu Xunsheng placed the radish on the side table and wrapped his arms around the man’s shoulders, pulling him toward himself.
His warm palms squeezed the man’s lean, powerful waist. The beauty looked up with a dazed expression, though inwardly, he arched an eyebrow, even feeling a hint of anticipation.
Chu Xunsheng asked seriously, “A-Yan, how come you seem to have lost weight again?”
He pointed outside the door and said, “You haven’t really touched the vegetables at the door. You need to eat more.”
A-Yan looked at him silently for a moment, feeling somewhat stifled, and pecked at his lips like a little bird.
Hmm, sweet.
Chu Xunsheng shamelessly asked, “Are you hurt?”
A-Yan was a pure and beautiful man, but unfortunately, he was a mute.
The day he met him was a rainy night. The sky was as dark as a monster ready to swallow everything, the rain poured down in torrents, and the streets were empty of pedestrians.
Normally, at such a time, Chu Xunsheng should have been sitting in a warm, bright mansion, teasing his little imperial nephew, comfortably listening to the pitter-patter of the rain outside.
Instead, he had no choice but to grab an umbrella and head out.
As a malicious cannon fodder character, he was supposed to have robbed a beauty on the street in broad daylight these past few days to perfect his image as a villain.
However, the life of a corrupt official was far too comfortable compared to his previous life. He had completely forgotten about it and only remembered at the very last minute, forcing him to rush onto the streets.
But on a rainy night, where was he supposed to find a beauty to rob?
Dejected, Chu Xunsheng walked down the street when he saw the small hut he had bought a few days ago, intending to grow some flowers and plants. Since he couldn’t find anyone anyway, he decided to go and repair the roof.
Just as he was about to open the door, he tripped over something. Chu Xunsheng shone his oil lamp forward to reveal a man wearing black martial attire. His clothes and hair were soaked through, sticking to his body. He kept his eyes tightly shut, his complexion pale, and dried blood stained the corners of his lips.
Chu Xunsheng picked him up and brought him into the house.
He had originally just wanted to do a good deed, but while wiping the man’s face, he discovered that he was incredibly handsome, and his tightly furrowed brows made him look even more pitiable.
Since he hadn’t woken up yet, Chu Xunsheng decided to steal a small kiss to fulfill his mission. He assumed it would be fine.
Chu Xunsheng made up his mind and slowly leaned in. Just as their lips touched, the beauty’s long eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.
Chu Xunsheng was so frightened he nearly fell over. Looking into the beauty’s somewhat cold eyes, he didn’t know which wire got crossed in his head, and he said very earnestly:
“This heals wounds.”
Not knowing which remote mountain he had come from, the beauty actually believed him. Chu Xunsheng felt very guilty and diligently nursed the beauty back to health.
Coincidentally, the Emperor had called off the morning court the next day for the first time in ages, leaving Chu Xunsheng plenty of time to spend with the beauty named A-Yan.
A-Yan was a mute, but he seemed to love wandering around. Sometimes Chu Xunsheng wouldn’t see him and wouldn’t mind, just tending to his flowers and plants or repairing the small cabin.
The beauty was perfect in every way, except for being too naive. He seemed to believe the healing lie implicitly, often returning with a face full of agitation, only to embrace him and start kissing him fiercely.
Chu Xunsheng touched his somewhat numb lips, secretly sighing that one truly suffers from the seeds one sows.
He gently pecked him back, rubbed his head against A-Yan’s, put the radish on the stove to boil, and stood up to head outside.
A few days ago, he had built a trellis behind the house and wrapped vines around it, intending to grow luffas. He wondered how they were doing now.
Chu Xunsheng carefully lifted a vine and searched for them.
“A-Yan!”
A-Yan, inside the house, heard the anxious call and immediately ran out. He saw the youth in white clothes and black hair, eyes sparkling, his slender fingers stained with soil. Upon seeing him come out, the youth waved at him repeatedly.
A-Yan didn’t walk over immediately. He stood in place for a moment, watching the youth squat down and tinker with something with great seriousness.
He looked and looked, and he couldn’t help but adore it.
Chu Xunsheng hadn’t heard A-Yan respond for a long time. He looked up, and seeing him in a daze again, simply plucked the first luffa they had grown together, walked up, and planted a peck on him.
“What are you thinking about again?”
A-Yan snapped out of it, shook his head, and wrote on his palm, “Nothing.”
The sensation of the fingertips gliding across his palm was ticklish. Chu Xunsheng rubbed his hand, lifted the luffa, and showed it to A-Yan.
“Our first luffa has grown successfully! Look at its shape, it’s so pretty; it’s a heart shape!”
A-Yan leaned in to look. It was round, plump, and pleasing to the eye, with a slight indentation in the middle.
What was a heart shape? He looked at Chu Xunsheng in confusion.
Chu Xunsheng explained, “A heart shape means love. This is for you.”
Love?
A-Yan’s face felt warm. He took the little heart and planted a light peck on the youth’s lips.
In the dead of night, the imperial palace was shrouded in gloom. Occasionally, one could hear the sound of birds flapping their wings in flight; otherwise, there was dead silence, as if so many people existed without a sound.
Warm fragrance permeated the imperial study. Although it was much warmer inside than outside, the man within shivered several times.
Fang Ming, the Minister of Justice, looked up at the dais with trepidation. On the golden throne, the Son of Heaven was reading a memorial. A golden mask obscured his expression, adding to his inscrutable aura, and the fierce aura surrounding him was almost palpable.
Although the current Emperor had not been on the throne for long, he was decisive in his killing, iron-fisted, ruthless, and moody, making people shudder with fear.
The Emperor had been looking at this memorial for a long time. Fang Ming didn’t dare make a sound, holding even his breath.
The Minister of Justice waited and waited, until finally, he couldn’t hold back anymore. With a trembling voice, he asked, “Your Majesty, is there a problem with this memorial?”
The Emperor on the dais did not answer immediately. After an unknown amount of time, just when Fang Ming had finished mentally composing his last will and testament, the Emperor’s deep voice finally came:
“Nothing.”
Fang Ming wiped the sweat from his forehead and said cautiously, “Then, Your Subject shall take his leave?”
The layers of curtains rustled. The Emperor pushed out an exquisitely crafted box.
Fang Ming examined it. The wooden treasure box was carved with intricate patterns, gold veins, and studded with gemstones.
“Take a look.” The Emperor’s voice betrayed no emotion, yet Fang Ming inexplicably felt a sense of showing off in that cold, biting tone.
Fang Ming rubbed his hands, feeling a surge of excitement. It must be some important treasure inside!
A tiger tally that required him to secretly deliver it? A secret imperial decree containing some massive mystery? Or perhaps some vital instructions?
With a fluttering heart and trembling hands, Fang Ming slowly opened the treasure box. What met his eyes was something emerald green, resembling jade:
A luffa?
Fang Ming looked again and again, confirming it really was a luffa. He couldn’t help but reproach himself for his own stupidity; this luffa must hold some deep meaning.
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
The corners of the lips beneath the Emperor’s golden mask curled slightly as he spoke.