But what could truly bind Gu Xuexian?
Just like his current state—soft and pliant, unable to even resist—it was essentially because he was willing at this moment. He saw Kuang Xuexian’s ears flushed red. The cold wind blew in, the carriage curtain brushed against his neck, letting in a faint glimmer of light.
That newlywed-like face, with its slender and graceful neck, was both delicate and elegant. Kuang Xuexian turned his head to look out the window again, leaving only the cold wind rushing in.
His silence stemmed from shyness. His overly thin profile, bathed in the light from the window, revealed a natural blush, yet its lines were too sharp, giving it a resilient and stubborn appearance, like emerald bamboo that even storms and blizzards could not bend.
At this moment, Fu Yi felt a premonition: as the emperor, he appeared to be in control of everything, but in reality, he had long been deeply entangled. Kuang Xuexian seemed fragile and easy to manipulate, the one being controlled, yet he was the one who truly reveled in this novel experience, as if he could withdraw at any moment.
The carriage slowly came to a halt. Kuang Xuexian looked at the shops outside and said, “We’re here.”
It wouldn’t be proper to visit Wang Baobao empty-handed, so before heading to the Su residence, they needed to buy something first. As soon as the carriage stopped, Kuang Xuexian was the first to lift the curtain and jump down.
The red jade pendant hanging from his waist swayed conspicuously. Li Qing, seeing this, bowed slightly and stepped forward to assist Fu Yi, only to find Kuang Xuexian already extending his hand. He immediately took a step back.
Fu Yi took Kuang Xuexian’s hand and stepped down from the carriage.
In public, he always carried himself with composure, exuding an air of refined elegance, a stark contrast to his demeanor inside the carriage.
This husband truly was presentable. It wasn’t just Kuang Xuexian seeing him through rose-tinted glasses. As the saying goes: This husband is fit for the hall and the bedroom.
Although they hadn’t officially entered the bridal chamber yet, it was likely to be just as impressive! The area was close to the government offices. After alighting from the carriage, they noticed a crowd gathered at the shop entrance. The shopkeeper and his assistants were all watching the commotion outside. Seeing customers arrive, they hurriedly ushered them inside.
Kuang Xuexian asked, “What are all these people outside looking at?”
The shopkeeper shook his head and sighed, “The emperor has started arresting people.”
An elderly pastry chef nearby chimed in, “I said it all along. The city has been quiet these past few days, but the emperor was just biding his time. With his temperament, how could he let things slide so easily?”
Li Qing was no longer surprised by such remarks. Sometimes, he even felt that His Majesty rather enjoyed this situation. He watched the shopkeeper and the others with a faint, ambiguous smile, as if deriving a perverse pleasure from it.
However, whenever Kuang Xuexian joined the conversation, Li Qing would tense up slightly.
Kuang Xuexian asked, “Who are they arresting?”
“Seems like they’re all officials. Two batches have already passed by. I heard even people sent by the prime minister from the capital have been arrested,” the shopkeeper said. “Shuangluan City is about to change!”
Kuang Xuexian weighed some jujube flower cakes and flaky pastries when he suddenly heard a commotion outside: “Another cart is coming.”
Li Qing walked to the shop entrance and glanced outside. Kuang Xuexian paid for the items, and Fu Yi took them. Together with the shopkeeper, they stepped out of the shop. Through the crowd at the entrance, they saw a prison cart carrying several officials in various-colored uniforms entering the government office.
Someone gossiped, “I heard the interrogations started last night—they were put on the cold bench!”
“Not just a cold bench—I hear there’s even the ‘beauty stake’!”
As they discussed these tortures known only by name, everyone wore expressions and tones that were both fearful and fascinated, bringing up punishments like the “flower monkey holding a peach” and flogging the back.
Ancient people often gave tortures elegant-sounding names, as if discussing a cruel art. These tortures all stemmed from rumors from the capital, and people in Xijing said these were punishments the current emperor was particularly fond of.
Kuang Xuexian boarded the carriage and urged Li Qing to hurry.
He said to Fu Yi, “I feel Xijing is about to descend into chaos.”
Fu Yi replied, “Their superiors are killing people, but it has little to do with ordinary folks.”
“The current emperor is renowned and formidable. Officials in Xijing serve him with trembling fear. With the explosion case now, no one is more eager to close it quickly than they are. For such a treasonous case, they must give the emperor an explanation—even if they have to fabricate a culprit. Yet, days have passed with no results, and now they’ve suddenly started interrogating officials. First, this shows the emperor is watching closely—they can’t deceive him, and he has no intention of letting it go. Second, an assassination attempt on the emperor has implicated local officials, which means the waters run deep. Now that even the prime minister’s people are involved, this is no longer just a matter for Xijing. It might be a power struggle at the top.”
Kuang Xuexian analyzed it all logically, then suddenly noticed Fu YI staring at him with a rather serious expression. But by now, he no longer regarded Fu Yi as an outsider, so he continued his analysis: “Looking at it now, the explosion case is truly suspicious. Who knows how far this will escalate? No wonder Bao Bao was so terrified. I wonder if his brother-in-law, Deputy Garrison Commander Su, will be implicated.”
He grew momentarily worried for Wang Baobao when he heard someone outside say, “I heard Wang Wu and his gang of ruffians have been arrested too!”
“Is that true?! Could they have been involved in the assassination attempt?”
“Those small-time thugs wouldn’t have the guts. I heard they were arrested on the mountain road that day!”
As the carriage gradually moved away, Kuang Xuexian recalled that outside the Phoenix Temple, Fu Yi had mentioned that the ruffians who harassed him had been arrested by the authorities. It turned out to be true.
He wondered who they had offended. Those petty troublemakers were both foolish and malicious. With so many officials around that day, they still hadn’t behaved.
Lost in thought, he suddenly heard Fu Yi remark, “I didn’t expect you to be quite knowledgeable about politics.”
Kuang Xuexian replied, “People in Xijing love discussing these things the most.”
He was telling the truth. People in Xijing were passionate about discussing current affairs and politics. With a plate of melon seeds and a pot of wine, they could launch into grand debates. Perhaps because the emperor was far away, speech was relatively free. He hadn’t deliberately sought out this information—it had all come to him gradually. Now, sharing his analysis with Fu Yi was also to prepare him mentally.
It was hard to say what would happen next. They couldn’t possibly remain unaffected. Fu Yi began playing with his fingers, as if taking in his words and pondering deeply.
Afraid Fu Yi might be frightened, Kuang Xuexian quickly comforted him: “But what you said makes sense too. If it’s a power struggle at the top, maybe it’ll just mean a change of emperor—nothing to do with us common folks!”
Li Qing: “…”
He hurriedly called out, “Young master, we’ve arrived at the Su residence.”
Kuang Xuexian quickly lifted the curtain and stepped out, indeed seeing the gates of the Su residence tightly shut. Meanwhile, Li Qing, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, was already craning his neck to peer inside the Su residence.
This Lord Wang is truly pitiful. He had just been scared to tears, and who knows if he’s even recovered from that, when the imperial carriage quietly and suddenly arrived.
Wang Baobao had been lying on the couch drinking wine. Upon hearing that Kuang Xuexian and Fu Yi had come, he was so frightened that he scrambled out of bed, hastily put on his shoes, and first asked where his sister and brother-in-law were. Coincidentally, Su Hui had just returned from the temporary palace for lunch. Wang immediately rushed to his sister’s room, but halfway there, he turned back: “First, invite them to sit in the main hall and entertain them well! Under no circumstances show any neglect!”
Seeing him in such a fluster, the servant quickly ran out to escort Kuang Xuexian and the others to the main hall. When Wang Baobao told Su Hui the news of their arrival, Su Hui was so shocked that he froze for a long moment.
“Brother-in-law!” Wang Baobao said, “Prepare to receive the imperial visit!”
Su Hui hurriedly stood up, supporting himself on the dining table. Wang’s sister still didn’t quite understand: “What emperor? And what does this have to do with Kuang Xuexian? Are you saying that the gentleman beside him, Zhang, is… the emperor?!”
Wang Baobao thought to himself, indeed, it’s the emperor who’s not normal.
There isn’t a single normal person in this world who wouldn’t be shocked upon hearing this news. Even outsiders like them were so taken aback—who knows how Kuang Xuexian would react when he found out. Oh, his dear Xuexian… brother!
Receiving the imperial visit at home would be an honor that the Su family hadn’t seen for generations. But receiving an emperor like Fu Yi, who had come incognito—how to properly receive him was truly a headache!
The Su family was a prominent clan in the Western Capital, and Su Hui was extremely wealthy, with a large estate. Led by a male servant, Kuang Xuexian and the others walked inward, passing through two ceremonial gates before entering the reception hall. Before they could even take their seats, he heard hurried footsteps from outside, thumping on the wooden floor.
He turned his head and saw Wang Baobao panting heavily as he burst into view.
Kuang Xuexian smiled gently and said, “It seems you’re already full of life again.”
Immediately after, another set of hurried footsteps followed. When Kuang Xuexian looked again, he saw Su Hui also panting heavily as he entered alongside Wang.
He was even wearing his formal official robes.
Kuang Xuexian immediately straightened his expression and bowed respectfully, saying, “Greetings, Lord Su.”
Fu Yi followed suit with a cupped-hand salute. Su Hui was so startled that he momentarily didn’t know how to respond, instinctively returning the bow. After doing so, he felt it was improper and hurriedly straightened up, forcing a smile:
“We didn’t know the two of you were coming, it’s truly… truly…”
“My brother-in-law just returned from the yamen and was still eating,” Wang Baobao quickly explained. “He hasn’t been back for a long time and has been busy outside!”
Su Hui: “Yes, yes… very busy, dare not neglect my duties…”
Li Qing said with a smile, “Lord Su, you’ve worked hard. My two masters are only here to see Lord Wang. Since parting last time, my lord has been very concerned about him.”
Fu Yi said, “Since Lord Su is occupied with official duties, please feel free to attend to them.”
Su Hui: “Alright… alright…” He nodded with a dry laugh, then suddenly realized something: “Please, sit, sit… Why hasn’t anyone served tea yet?”
As soon as he finished speaking, servants hurried in with the most exquisite teacups from the household. Since the tea leaves inside were the prized Silver Thread Sprouts, which even the master rarely indulged in, they were flustered and couldn’t help but glance at the distinguished guests in the hall while serving. They saw their master and Wang Baobao standing awkwardly in the main hall. Wang Baobao’s brother-in-law said, somewhat at a loss, “Baobao, take good care of them. I’ll take my leave now.”
Wang Baobao replied, “…Yes.”
Su Hui forced a dry laugh. “Please, have a seat.”
With that, he hastily exited the main hall.
Kuang Xuexian noticed that Su Hui’s back was soaked with sweat, likely from days of travel without even changing his clothes. He turned to Wang Baobao and said, “Your brother-in-law looks so worn out. On our way here, we heard many officials have been arrested. Is he doing alright?”
Wang Baobao replied, “For now… he’s fine.”
He then gestured to Fu Yi and Li Qing. “Please, sit.”
Fu Yi sat down without hesitation, while Li Qing chose to stand behind him. Kuang Xuexian and Wang Baobao took their seats together, though Kuang Xuexian felt somewhat uneasy with such formal treatment. He sensed a growing awkwardness between himself and Wang Baobao.
Wang Baobao, usually the most lively and talkative person, now sat with his hands nervously rubbing his knees, looking quite tense. Maids from the Su household kept entering, bringing trays of fruits, tea, and pastries until the table was fully laden.
The entire Su residence seemed oddly chaotic, as if the host had lost his composure and was unsure how to properly entertain them.
Overwhelmed by the hospitality, Kuang Xuexian said, “We’ll just sit for a while and then head back. There’s no need for such formality. We mainly came to see you.”
Wang Baobao replied, “I’m doing fine.”
Today, many officials had been arrested, including Liu Wenyuan. His brother-in-law was one of the few who remained safe for now, but no one knew how long that would last. It seemed the emperor, after days of silence, was finally unleashing his wrath. In such circumstances, the emperor’s terrifying nature felt magnified, and his guise as a benevolent ruler was even more chilling. Wang Baobao couldn’t help but wonder why the emperor had suddenly visited the Su residence today.
Was it to savor the fear and struggle of his prey before the kill?
Terrifying, truly terrifying!
He gripped his knees tightly, trying his best not to look up at Fu Yi.
Seeing his distress, Li Qing felt both sympathy and concern that he might break down. To offer comfort, he spoke up, “Official Wang, there’s no need to worry too much. Although things are unsettled in Xijing, everyone knows that Lord Su is an upright and cautious official. I’m sure he’ll be safe.”
This was, in a way, giving him reassurance on behalf of the emperor.
What he said was true—they were well aware of the allegiances and backgrounds of Xijing’s officials. Su Hui had always been careful and never aligned himself with any faction, so there was little to fault him for. The Su family was a prominent local clan, and officials like him were precisely the type they sought to win over. The emperor likely wouldn’t target him, and with Wang Baobao’s connection to Kuang Xuexian, he might even be promoted in the future. Was this… a form of imperial in-law privilege?
Sure enough, Wang Baobao’s eyes lit up at Li Qing’s words. “Really?”
Li Qing reassured him, “Even if you don’t trust yourself, you should trust Lord Su.”
Wang Baobao looked at Li Qing as if he had found a savior, desperately needing such comfort at that moment. But this only made Kuang Xuexian’s heart ache even more.
Wang Baobao was treating Li Qing’s words like imperial edicts! It showed just how much he needed reassurance. To be honest, if it were any ordinary emperor, Li Qing’s words would have made sense. But they all knew that the current emperor was a capricious tyrant—how could he possibly act according to reason?
Yet at this point, they could only try to look on the bright side. He followed up with a few comforting words. They didn’t stay long at the Su residence either. After sitting for just the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they prepared to take their leave. Wang Baobao personally came out to see them off. As Kuang Xuexian stepped out of the main hall, he noticed that the curtains along the surrounding corridors had all been lowered.
In wealthy households, curtains were often hung along long corridors, especially in areas where female family members might pass through. Usually, bamboo curtains were used in summer, and silk or cloth ones in winter. These curtains were completely airtight and densely woven. He noticed that one side of the corridor was crowded with people, and he could faintly catch glimpses of the maids’ brightly colored skirts—clearly, they were peeking.
He guessed they were probably members of the Su household coming to watch the spectacle. But what was so interesting about them? After pondering for a while, he figured that everyone in the Su residence must have heard the gossip about him, Kuang Xuexian, finding a husband. Since there were women present, it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to show themselves directly in front of guests, so they lowered the curtains to sneak a look.
Although he could think of many reasons, he still felt an odd unease, sensing that everything about the Su family was strangely peculiar. The sky seemed to darken further, and a light drizzle began to fall, fine as ox hair.
As they walked out of the front courtyard, they saw a sedan chair parked outside the ceremonial gate of the Su residence. An old man wearing a black gauze hat hurriedly asked, “Where is Lord Su?”
They couldn’t make out what the servant replied. Coincidentally, Su Hui was standing nearby under the corridor and rushed over to ask, “What’s the matter?”
After asking, he hastily turned to them and said, “Are you… leaving already?”
Kuang Xuexian quickly clasped his hands in a respectful bow.
Just then, two middle-aged officials, also wearing black gauze hats, stumbled through the ceremonial gate. Suddenly encountering so many officials, Kuang Xuexian grew nervous and grabbed Fu Yi’s hand, saying, “Please attend to your matters, my lord. We’ll take our leave now.”
Upon hearing this, the old man in the black gauze hat turned his gaze toward Kuang Xuexian and his companions. Kuang Xuexian noticed the old man’s momentary pause, followed by a narrowing of his eyes, as if sizing them up.
Su Hui said to Wang Baobao, “Baobao, see the guests off properly.”
Seeing that several of his subordinates had rushed over, it was clear something significant had happened. For a moment, he didn’t know whether he should attend to them first or see the emperor off. The old man, his vision blurry with age, pointed at Fu Yi’s retreating figure and said, “Hey, that one…”
To be honest, he looked very much like the emperor! But his attire was much more refined and understated than the emperor’s. He truly wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him!
As Kuang Xuexian and the others passed through the inner ceremonial gate, they saw three small sedan chairs parked between the outer and inner gates. Beside these red silk sedan chairs stood several young male servants holding umbrellas and a few sword-bearing guards, nearly filling the small courtyard between the two gates.
They stopped under the corridor, where servants from the Su residence had already gone to fetch their horses. The people there noticed them and all turned to look. The servants gathered around the officials created an atmosphere of tense vigilance, as if expecting trouble at any moment, making anyone who saw it feel uneasy.
By now, the sky had completely darkened, and the wind grew colder. Suddenly, Kuang Xuexian felt the wind blowing against him lessen significantly. Turning his head, he saw that Fu Yi had moved to stand upwind, shielding him from the gusts.
A warmth blossomed in his heart, instantly giving rise to a surge of tender affection. He thought how fortunate he was to have found such a good person amidst the gathering storm. Yet, precisely because of this, he felt that ever since he met Fu Yi, the city had begun to fall into turmoil, as if all of this was destined to be a fleeting dream, one that would collapse with the wind and rain in an instant.
So, in the gloomy, cold wind, he drew closer to Fu Yi, grasped his fingers, and said, “No matter how the world changes, let’s never part.”
Fu Yi was taken aback, lowering his gaze to look at Kuang Xuexian. Perhaps it was because Kuang Xuexian’s nose was slightly reddened by the cold wind, his lips red and teeth white, his eyes filled with emotion—truly too alluring—that he suddenly felt tempted by the meaning behind those words. It was as if, in the cold wind that had blown for over twenty years of his life, he had unexpectedly received a promise of a lifetime.
He, a person so gloomy and suspicious, had actually fallen into the lie he himself had woven, forgetting that dreams would eventually awaken. Thus, a faint warmth and crimson hue stirred within his pitch-black heart, and relying on his last shred of rationality, he found himself unable to respond.
“Remember what you just said,” he said.
His words carried a hint of threat, but as soon as they left his lips, a chill seemed to emanate from deep within him, spreading outward, and he shivered involuntarily. Kuang Xuexian appeared somewhat embarrassed and had already turned his gaze elsewhere.
A strand of his hair, tousled by the wind, danced atop his neat and fragrant bun before brushing against Fu Yi’s cheek. In that moment, Fu Yi seemed to transform from a scheming, calculating emperor into that trembling, lonely youth who once stood in the cold wind of Shuocao Island, awaiting the judgment of fate.