A wave of astonished glances, carrying a mixture of scrutiny and jealousy, fell upon Wei Qi.
Wei Qi remained utterly oblivious. Like someone in a dream, he watched Lord Chu accept his invitation; like someone in a dream, he watched that fold of fabric vanish like a cloud through the palace doors; like someone in a dream, he watched officials who usually would not spare him a fraction of a glance come up to ask him for invitations; like someone in a dream, he returned home; and like someone in a dream, he was summoned by the emperor.
Until he knelt inside the imperial study, pressing his forehead against the cold, smooth gold bricks and feeling the emperor’s bone-chillingly oppressive aura, did he finally snap back to reality as if waking from a slumber.
Right now, if he were not in the imperial study, if he were not under the emperor’s emotionless, icy gaze, he would probably want to leap up and cheer, shouting and jumping with all his might.
Yet, as a member of the imperial court, he was deeply aware of the emperor’s foul mood over the past few days. Once, when he accidentally raised his head, the terrifying pressure contained within those ink-black pupils beneath the emperor’s golden mask had practically left him unable to breathe.
His own mood these past few days had been one of wild elation, whereas the emperor sitting mere meters away was entirely the opposite.
Ji Yan’s gaze drifted aimlessly toward a certain spot, his thoughts having long since drifted to the highest reaches of the nine heavens.
Chu Xunsheng had not visited the small wooden cabin for several days.
Perhaps he had pressing matters to attend to, as he had simply left a note before vanishing for days on end.
As a dignified sovereign and supreme emperor, in order to present a harmless, innocent white-lotus persona whenever the man returned, he had gone out of his way to play-act by the cabin, chopping firewood, planting flowers, pulling weeds, and enduring a few days until he finally snapped. Leaving everything else to his subordinates with instructions to report Lord Chu’s movements immediately, he simply could not bear it any longer.
Activities that felt so warm and beautiful when that person was present, activities like harvesting and picking flowers that brought Emperor Ji Yan such immense joy under that gentle gaze, turned out to be so dry, dull, and utterly loathsome when someone was missing.
A day apart feels like three autumns. How he used to scoff at such sentiments, only to now feel the acute, biting pain of lovesickness in his very bones.
The emperor finally understood: Lord Chu was truly a divine physician, and kissing could indeed heal wounds. Otherwise, why would he have bumped his head on the dragon throne this morning, only to spend the entire morning court session staring at those pale lips, wishing he could cast aside all idle bystanders and rush forward to lick and suck at them until that light shade of color bloomed into something vivid and striking?
Since no one dared to look directly upon the dragon’s countenance, he could brazenly use his eyes to devour Lord Chu’s thin lips, imagining how he would coax that pale mouth into the fiery blush of a peach blossom.
Yet this fantasy did nothing to quench his desire; instead, it left his throat even drier and more parched.
An emperor had to be solitary, standing high above with an iron-fisted demeanor. He firmly believed this, as his turbulent upbringing made him unwilling to share emotional dependence with anyone. Even for someone as wonderful as Ah Chu, he was reluctant to interact with him purely under his identity as an emperor.
A-Yan could be a quiet, mute beauty, sweet and gentle with Ah Chu, growing flowers and vegetables, or even blushing and yielding to his lover’s touch, but the emperor could not.
And yet, there were times when what A-Yan could not do, the emperor could.
“I will attend the banquet.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose amidst a whirlwind of thoughts, he finally tossed out those words before turning on his heel and walking away.
Regardless of what others thought, the day of the banquet arrived swiftly.
The original host in the plot had also attended a banquet once, and the system instructed Chu Xunsheng to carry out this event according to his actions.
First, dress up like a flashy peacock.
That was easy enough. Find the brightest clothes available. Huh? Why are they either official robes or plain-colored garments?
Chu Xunsheng rummaged back and forth until he finally unearthed a set of the original host’s pre-appointment wardrobe from a dark corner.
It was indeed garish: a crimson robe embellished with gilded embroidery, a deep purple belt, and long, drooping tassels that gleamed with a honeyed sheen under the lights.
Matching it was a purple jade crown inset with an oversized, luminous night pearl.
Chu Xunsheng pulled out the original novel and flipped through a few pages.
Everyone present wore plain-colored robes, looking exceptionally solemn. The civil officials fancied themselves incorruptible and pure, as though such white attire reflected their noble souls, making their styles as minimalist as possible.
At that moment, the door swung open, and snowflakes mixed with a fine drizzle drifted into the room on the wind. Everyone instinctively looked up.
At a single glance, their eyes filled with contempt and mockery.
It turned out to be Chu Xunsheng, the newly appointed imperial relative who had shamelessly wormed his way in.
He was dressed differently from everyone else. His crimson robes stood out glaringly among the sea of plainness, giving off a clownish, attention-seeking vibe. A self-satisfied smile hung on his face, and the oversized night pearl on his crown flashed with an oily, gaudy brilliance.
Someone chuckled mockingly, “Lord Chu is dressed so luxuriously!”
Chu Xunsheng smiled so hard the wrinkles on his face bunched up, acting as though he completely missed the mockery as he simply chimed in with continuous nods of agreement.
Red robes, oversized night pearl. It seemed this was indeed the correct outfit.
Next, strike up a conversation with Grand Academician Su.
When no one paid attention to him, Chu Xunsheng wandered around the venue, his eyes rolling about as he rubbed his hands together with a fawning smile.
Grand Academician Su stepped inside, clad in white robes.
Chu Xunsheng immediately bounded forward, elbowing his way through a crowd and trotting up to him, “Grand Academician Su, you truly look…”
The plain robes likely offended his aesthetic sense, causing him to choke for a moment before finishing, “…truly radiant today!”
Grand Academician Su cast a cold glance at him and ignored him completely. Yet Chu Xunsheng merely stood there grinning and rubbing his hands, acting utterly shameless.
That sounded simple enough. Judging by Grand Academician Su’s usual aloofness, this should be an absolute breeze.
Chu Xunsheng nodded inwardly to himself and read further.
Then, drink heavily while everyone else was composing poetry, until he was so slurringly drunk he could not form a sentence, becoming the laughingstock of the crowd.
“Lord Chu, it is your turn!”
Chu Xunsheng raised his head drunkenly, realizing all eyes were focused on him, and instantly grew excited. He rocked unsteadily to an upright posture and scanned his surroundings.
He opened his mouth to deliver a grand speech, but his mind was completely blank, leaving him staring stupidly at the crowd.
“Lord Chu, are you drunk?” A voice dripping with sarcasm rang out, prompting uproarious laughter from everyone.
Easy, just stay speechless.
Then, feeling his pride wounded, he would slur that he needed to step out for some fresh air, only to harass a passing beauty and get beaten up severely, resulting in bloodshed.
Chu Xunsheng flirtatiously hooked the person’s chin. It was difficult to make out the face in the moonlight, save for a tightly cinched, slender waist. As he reached out to wrap an arm around that waistline, he was sent flying to the ground by a ferocious burst of force.
“Whose gall gives you this right?”
The displeasure in that voice was laced with a bone-chilling frost that made one’s skin crawl, causing Chu Xunsheng to involuntarily tremble with fear.
Resulting in bloodshed was even specifically highlighted.
Chu Xunsheng let out a helpless sigh. No wonder he fell from grace so fast, he was out here making enemies everywhere.
Lastly, nursing a grudge over the beating, he would be determined to hunt down his assailant and test all suspects.
That was also simple: just pay attention to who actually struck him when the time came.
Chu Xunsheng nodded solemnly, satisfied before finally drifting off to dreamland.
Meanwhile, at the Wei residence.
Wei Qi had been too nervous to sleep all night, flipping through his various outfits over and over again.
This white one is too plain, blending into the background, no good. That purple one is no good either; Lord Chu has never worn that color. That cyan one is decent, but tailored a bit too loosely. Although Lord Chu probably will not notice, Xiao Wei is quite proud of his figure; I really ought to wear something form-fitting.
After all, anything is possible! Since Lord Chu accepted his invitation a few days ago, who knows, maybe tomorrow he could spend a romantic night together! He had to showcase his own style!
After much deliberation, he settled on a blue outfit. He remembered someone praising him in the past for looking refined and gentle like jade, so maybe Lord Chu had a soft spot for that type.
Only, the fabric of this garment was of such high quality that it would probably take multiple attempts to rip open. It was even waterproof; Wei Qi had once used the exact same fabric to patch a leaky spot in his house perfectly.
His mind wandered, and as his imagination ran wild, his face flushed red, a thrilling shiver creeping all the way up to his toes. Abruptly, he slapped himself hard across the face. Such shameless thoughts! How dare I fantasize about Lord Chu like that!
Having chosen his outfit, he began picking out a hair crown, inserting a night pearl before staring at it for a long time, only to shake his head because it did not match his gentle persona, ultimately pulling it back out.
Belt. After searching for a long time, he dug out a medium-length cyan belt, wrapping it tightly around himself to ensure his waist looked exceptionally slender.
He finally finished preparing his attire, lying flat on his back in bed, yet utterly unable to fall asleep. His mind began replaying the scene from that day on a loop:
“I will come.”
He could hear that gentle, soft-spoken voice of the lord.
Ah. He rolled over, curling up into a ball and burying his head deep inside the quilt.
Night passed quickly, and Wei Qi was waiting eagerly at the estate bright and early.
He craned his neck, carefully observing each arriving guest. When his elders urged him to go up and welcome them, he cast reluctant glances toward the distant entrance, making sure that particular lord had not yet arrived before leisurely stepping forward to greet the visitors.
As he approached, the corners of his eyes twitched.
This looked entirely unlike any banquet he had ever attended. Usually, those people wore immaculate, spotless white garments as though they were about to float off to immortality the next second. Today, however, they were draped in vibrant colors, adorned with glittering accessories, and all dressed up with extreme flashiness.
Gritting his teeth, Wei Qi invited them inside.
The more he looked, the more he felt he was woefully underprepared. Apparently, clothes could be embroidered with gold threads, belts could feature dangling jade pendants, and one could even apply a touch of rouge to make the lips pop with vibrant color.
Guiding a group to their seats, Wei Qi cleared his throat and announced loudly, “Thank you all for coming to grace us with your presence today. We shall…”
Even as he spoke, his peripheral vision kept darting toward the door, waiting for that familiar, infinitely traced figure to appear.
With a sharp click, the door swung open.
A chilling wind rushed inside, carrying a flurry of snowflakes and fine drizzle.
A crimson figure stepped slowly through the falling snow, as though commanding the very wind and frost itself.