◎”How about I just hold you and carry you over like this?”◎

After Wu Qingchuan and the Duke Songguo’s household were exiled and their property confiscated, Luoyang became quite lively—with the positions of Grand Secretary and Minister of Revenue vacant, someone inevitably had to fill them.

Whose people would fill them became the key issue. But regardless of whose people filled them, there had to be争 争ing and quarreling—otherwise the court would be too quiet, and the Emperor wouldn’t be pleased.

The Crown Prince and Yu Qingwu were playing chess together. Distracted, he asked: “Do you think His Majesty will drag Prince Wei back out to continue fighting with me?”

Prince Qi had been disfavored by the Emperor due to the Ni Tao and Wu Qingchuan case, so this time when filling positions, the Emperor was clearly selecting from his and Prince Wei’s camps, not wanting Prince Qi’s people.

Currently, only the Prince Qi’s heir was maintaining some dignity before the Emperor in the Prince Qi household.

Hearing this, Yu Qingwu shook his head. He captured one of the Crown Prince’s pieces, holding the game piece and rubbing it between his fingers, saying in a low voice: “No, His Majesty already seems to dislike Prince Wei.”

The Crown Prince’s expression was complex: “His Majesty’s thoughts are really…”

Yu Qingwu smiled: “He favored Prince Wei before because Prince Wei could fight with Prince Qi. But after Your Highness entered the court, Prince Wei wanted to hide and watch two tigers fight, hoping to profit from their conflict as the fisherman—unfortunately, while his thinking was good, he didn’t anticipate that His Majesty would look down on his intention to avoid competing and take advantage, already disliking him in his heart.”

The Emperor’s expectations for his offspring were quite high. The way Prince Wei behaved made him feel disgraced.

Especially Prince Wei’s single-minded focus on having children made him even more dissatisfied.

Yu Qingwu said softly: “Shanjun once said that many elderly people in the countryside actually don’t want to see descendants born when they’re old. They believe that each additional descendant steals away their lifespan.”

The Crown Prince found this both laughable and lamentable, yet he felt the Emperor truly was like this. Perhaps this was the real reason the Emperor detested Prince Wei.

He thought for a moment, then said: “If that’s the case, then in the end he’ll still have Abai fight with me?”

Yu Qingwu nodded: “That’s my estimation.”

The Crown Prince’s mind wasn’t on the chessboard. He simply stopped playing, stretched lazily: “Uncle Prince Qi has suffered such a huge loss this time, he won’t let it go. It just depends on whether he can restrain himself, and for how long.”

He had to remain vigilant the whole time.

“Moreover, while Prince Qi is willing to let Abai come forward for a time, he won’t let him stay forward for long. Who would be willing to give their power to others? Even if it’s their son, it won’t do.”

He tossed the chess pieces one by one back onto the board: “These are the imperial family’s rules.”

Then he paused and smiled: “But Abai doesn’t know this rule… Abai has always been quite naive.”

Yu Qingwu understood his meaning. He nodded: “I’ll act according to circumstances.”

The Crown Prince stood up and opened the window to air out the room. Suddenly the topic turned back to the Wu Qingchuan case, as if reminiscing: “If only Old Madam Shou had told you more.”

Yu Qingwu fell silent.

At the time, he and Shanjun could explain to the Empress and the Crown Prince couple about using Su Xingzhou to frame Wu Qingchuan and Duan Boyan as associates, could explain that Shanjun’s childhood calligraphy imitation happened to resemble Song Zhiwei’s, so they fabricated lies, but they couldn’t explain the framing of Duke Songguo and Wu Qingchuan’s conversation about the Emperor’s poetry composition.

Fortunately, there was still Old Madam Shou to use as an excuse.

The two of them used “His Majesty once drunkenly told Old Madam Shou about this matter” as their explanation.

This could be smoothed over—it just depended on whether the Crown Prince believed it or not.

Looking at it now, he was “willing to believe” it.

But after Yu Qingwu left, the Crown Prince said to the Crown Princess: “This young couple must be hiding quite a few things from us.”

The Crown Princess had just finished setting out the dishes. Hearing this, she slapped him: “Everyone has secrets. They have them, you have them too. Have they ever pried into yours? They used their secrets to save so many people, especially you. Quickly thank heaven!”

The Crown Prince laughed helplessly: “Yuanniang, I only said one sentence.”

But…

He looked at the Crown Princess and asked: “Don’t you find it strange?”

The more he interacted with them, the stranger it became.

He thought for a moment and said softly: “That time you were poisoned… what Shanjun did before and after was quite strange.”

The Crown Princess sneered coldly: “No matter how strange it is, I was saved because of her. Ahu, rein in your thoughts, or else don’t blame me for being impolite.”

The Crown Prince surrendered: “I really haven’t done anything, I’m just curious.”

He stood up and embraced the Crown Princess, fawning: “Let me tell you something.”

The Crown Princess frowned: “What is it?”

The Crown Prince said in a low voice: “Yu Qingwu is still a virgin!”

The Crown Princess froze: “What?”

The Crown Prince was proud: “You couldn’t tell, could you?”

The Crown Princess was amazed: “How did you tell? Did he tell you?”

The Crown Prince: “Men looking at men naturally see it at a glance. But I notice between his brows there’s already the appearance of drought meeting sweet rain—I estimate very soon he won’t be one anymore.”

The Crown Princess rolled her eyes. Then she mentioned Yu Qingwu’s upcoming birthday: “This time we really owe it all to him and Shanjun. I must send him a generous gift.”

The Crown Prince: “I’ll send one too.”

The Crown Princess smiled: “Then according to propriety, yours should be several degrees more generous.”

The Crown Prince: “Why?”

“As a junior, naturally one must send substantial gifts to elders.”

The Crown Princess said matter-of-factly: “Before His Majesty and others, they all say Shanjun is Great Uncle’s adopted daughter. Speaking of it this way, Yu Qingwu is Shanjun’s husband, a generation older than you.”

She said: “You should call him Uncle-in-law.”

The Crown Prince was dumbstruck. He touched his nose and said with amusement: “Fine, then I’ll send Uncle-in-law something good.”

The Crown Prince sent a deer.

Yu Qingwu received it baffled: “Why suddenly send this?”

Nanny Qian didn’t understand the implication either, but this old woman knew how to prepare deer!

She quickly had someone kill it for a bowl of blood for Yu Qingwu: “This is nourishing!”

Yu Qingwu finally understood the meaning. He looked at Nanny Qian, his thoughts wandering, and bashfully accepted it: “Should I drink it?”

Nanny Qian hesitated: “You can’t drink it?”

Hadn’t he moved back into the room? These past days, seeing the two of them clinging together, their words carrying the sweet flavor of honeydew melon, she thought it had happened.

Turns out it hadn’t happened yet.

Nanny Qian moved the bowl away—then better not drink it. She placed the deer blood on the stove and shooed Yu Qingwu out: “I’ll make you longevity noodles. Later Shanjun will make you buns too. Now that we have deer meat, I’ll roast deer meat for you tonight—perfect! Oh my, so fragrant. But young lads can’t eat too much, eating too much causes nosebleeds.”

But Yu Qingwu couldn’t hear her words, only turning back every three steps, his eyes fixed intently on the deer blood.

Nanny Qian shooed him like a fly: “Really can’t drink it!”

Yu Qingwu left dejectedly. Lan Shanjun happened to be outside airing books. With the great drama having concluded, she could finally catch her breath and had some leisurely interest. She turned and aired the books one by one, enjoying the rare tranquility.

Then she looked up and saw Yu Qingwu standing not far away… his nose seemed to be bleeding.

She was alarmed and hurried over calling out: “What happened to you?”

Yu Qingwu looked up awkwardly: “It’s nothing, nothing.”

Lan Shanjun pulled out a handkerchief to cover his nose: “Really nothing? Did you bump your nose?”

Yu Qingwu shook his head.

Hearing the commotion, Nanny Qian came out and shouted: “Heavens, did you secretly drink the deer blood?”

Yu Qingwu hastily waved his hands: “No, no.”

Nanny Qian quickly ran to the kitchen to check. The deer blood was still there, not a drop missing.

She ran back out shouting: “Then why is your nose bleeding?”

Yu Qingwu wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Nanny Qian left laughing heartily.

Lan Shanjun had already understood the meaning behind his and Nanny Qian’s words. She said with amusement: “You want to drink deer blood?”

Yu Qingwu covered his nose, too embarrassed to face anyone: “Can I drink it?”

Lan Shanjun looked at him quietly: “Why couldn’t you?”

Yu Qingwu’s legs went soft. He hurriedly lowered his head and grabbed her hand: “Shanjun, quickly support me. My ears can’t hear, and my eyes are a bit blurry too.”

Lan Shanjun said with amusement: “But your mouth hasn’t been idle.”

What kind of person was he?

She looked up at him, feeling that with his appearance—upright and gentlemanly—he should have a staid temperament.

Like a block of wood, impassive and still, settling with a hundred years of accumulated charm.

But he was precisely like a ball of fire. When wood ignited into fire, how extraordinary! He merely leaned against her, yet she felt she too was about to catch fire.

Burning hot.

She raised her head and suddenly said: “Yu Qingwu, you’re like fire this way. Leaning by your side, I should have noticed your intentions long ago.”

This was Yu Qingwu’s first time relying on her body.

He couldn’t help but take a breath, smiling: “Shanjun, you’re also fire.”

Because she had always been burning, brighter than his affection, so he hadn’t been noticed.

But it didn’t matter—he’d finally gotten his wish.

“Even if I’m a eunuch for life, I’m willing.”

Eunuch Yu willingly went to the kitchen to find the deer blood.

That evening he first took a bath, scrubbing himself clean. When he entered the room, he discovered there were still bedding on his own sleeping platform.

He became someone full of anxious thoughts.

Did Shanjun not want to? Was tonight not the night?

He hesitated, trembled, and went to sleep aggrieved on the platform.

He turned over. His body was unbearably uncomfortable.

Lan Shanjun had been lying down. Seeing he hadn’t come in for a long time, she carried a lamp to search for him. Her Zhong Kui demon-repelling lamp had long been replaced by him—tonight a lotus paired-stem celadon lamp was lit.

She walked before him and saw him wrapped in the quilt, his forehead covered in sweat.

She bent down, bringing the lamp close to examine him. She saw his face was terribly flushed, but the eyes looking at her weren’t pitifully moist like usual days, but rather—

Like a tiger or wolf, staring until her hair stood on end.

It seemed he’d been pretending all along.

She asked: “Why aren’t you sleeping?”

Yu Qingwu extended one hand from within the quilt: “Shanjun, my clothes are soaked through. Can I take them off?”

Lan Shanjun: “Yes.”

Viewing a beauty by lamplight indeed added several measures of romantic charm. Lan Shanjun was also stirred to some heat by him. Seeing his hands somewhat trembling, unable to undo his garment fastenings, she reached over to help him unfasten them.

How could Yu Qingwu still endure? He eagerly wrapped around her, burying his head forcefully between her neck, taking another forceful breath.

At first it was a light taste, but later his true nature was exposed. His own clothes half-removed and half-hanging, while Lan Shanjun’s clothes were torn away completely.

He was also unwilling to create further complications. He forcefully crashed forward.

Unfortunately, this inexperienced young lad had no experience. It was still Lan Shanjun who turned to take charge, and only then was he satisfied.

Once he gained experience, the sleeping platform wasn’t enough. He held her, still unwilling to create complications, unwilling to move: “How about I just hold you and carry you over like this?”

Lan Shanjun tilted her head back, letting out a muffled grunt: “Where did you learn this from?”

Yu Qingwu: “From books, books have everything, I learned quite a bit…”

Lan Shanjun could only accompany him in his learning.

When he regained clarity, she closed her eyes to recover her composure. When she opened them, she saw he’d shed his earlier fierceness, lying on top of her: “Shanjun… I’m sorry. I tried to restrain myself.”