CH 20

The room was full of fragrance, rich and potent.

Zhao Yelan lit a dozen or so incense sticks in one go, and Yan Mingting was smoked so thoroughly that physical tears began to form in his eyes, so he had to beg for mercy: “I’m sorry, I was wrong, Zhao-daren, achoo……Zhao-daren, you let me go, ba!”

Zhao Yelan leaned in front of him, staring at his wet, red eyes, and felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction: “The great General was actually made to cry because of a little incense?”

Yan Mingting: “Achoo! Yes, yes, let me go, wuwuwuwuwuwu, I beg you!”

“……” So spineless.

Seeing that he never broke free of the rope and was willing to be tossed to such an extent, Zhao Yelan undid the rope and let him go.

Yan Mingting, who had regained his freedom, ran to the courtyard and opened his mouth, taking a big gulp of fresh air.

“Someone come and get some hot water ready,” Zhao Yelan stood at the door and shouted.

As soon as these words fell, Housekeeper Qin brought some servants to deliver the water.

Zhao Yelan looked at the old housekeeper suspiciously: “You’ve been quite vigilant lately.”

“I ought to, I ought to. After all, I have experience,” Housekeeper Qin said with a smile.

After delivering the water, Housekeeper Qin approached Yan Mingting and saw him wiping tears from the corners of his red eyes. He said worriedly: “General, what is wrong with you?”

“I was bullied by Zhao Yelan,” Yan Mingting complained.

“Then he……bullied pretty hard, ah.” Housekeeper Qin was very surprised, and patted him on the back reassuringly, “However, this may be my lord showing favor to you.”

Yan Mingting was stunned: “Ah? This is a show of favor?”

“Yes, ah. Otherwise, has he done this to any other people?” 

“I don’t know……” Yan Mingting wasn’t sure if Zhao Yelan would burn incense for others if they made a mistake.

It happened that Gao Tan was passing by, so he grabbed him and asked: “If someone speaks taboo words, how will your family’s lord deal with it?”

“Kill them,” Gao Tan said innocently.

Housekeeper Qin was inwardly taken aback, but he saw Yan Mingting’s expression relax slightly: “You’re right, he really treats me differently.”

After breathing the fresh air in the courtyard for a long time, Yan Mingting felt that his nose and throat were much more comfortable. Pushing open the door lightly, a faint fragrance could still be smelled in the room. He heard a rustling sound and turned his head to see Zhao Yelan stretching out a wet hand from behind the screen. He tried to grab the clothes hanging on the side, but it seemed that he couldn’t reach them. The man stood up with the sound of splashing water, and his slender fingers touched the air a few times.

“Do you need help?” Yan Mingting asked loudly, walking up to the screen.

Perhaps because he didn’t expect him to enter the room without permission, Zhao Yelan exclaimed in surprise.

Yan Mingting heard his voice and went over, and was stupefied. He had just wanted to come help, but that white upper body was presented in front of his eyes, and his heart beat noticeably faster.

Something wasn’t right.

Not only was his heartbeat wrong, but the scars on Zhao Yelan’s body were also wrong. There were two short scars beneath the beautiful collarbones, and one on his waist and abdomen that sloped around to his back.

These were not things that should be present on a pampered body. Yan Mingting finally understood why Zhao Yelan was so angry when he asked about the past.

“Who told you to come in!” Zhao Yelan immediately sat back in the basin. Water splashed onto his hair, and there was animosity in his eyes.

“Sorry, I just thought you needed someone to lend a hand.” Yan Mingting immediately turned his back, thought for a moment, and then picked up the clothes behind him, passing them over without looking back.

“Put on your clothes first, the water is cold and you might catch an illness.”

After a long time, Zhao Yelan grabbed the clothes.

Yan Mingting heard the sound of lapping water and the sound of a towel being rubbed. Holding his breath, he didn’t dare to look back at all, until he heard the sound of a sharp sword piercing the air. A long sword pressed against his back.

“What did you see?” Zhao Yelan asked coldly.

“I saw……a beauty who fell into the water?” Yan Mingting said cautiously.

The sword poked in again.

Yan Mingting raised his hands and surrendered: “I admit it, I saw the scars.”

Zhao Yelan’s eyes went cold, and he was about to poke in again, but Yan Mingting dodged and turned to look at him.

The two confronted each other for a short while, and Yan Mingting suddenly and outrageously pulled open the lapel of his clothes, saying righteously, “Isn’t it just a few scars? Come, let me show you mine.”

Zhao Yelan paused. His eyes fell to the scars on his chest, which were much more serious than his own.

“This is only the chest. Do you want to see? There’s more on the back, ba.” Yan Mingting turned around and was about to take off his clothes.

“Enough.” Zhao Yelan threw the sword on the floor indifferently, took a deep breath, and walked to the side to dry his hair with a towel.

Yan Mingting sighed, straightened his clothes, and called someone to carry the basin out. Then he looked at the person sitting on the bed and said: “Don’t be flustered, scars are the symbol of  a man!”

“From your point of view, it is indeed symbolic.” Zhao Yelan sneered. “For others, it is only shameful.”

“I don’t think so. Perhaps it is because of these scars that you are who you are today?”

“Who I am today?” Zhao Yelan raised his head with a false smile on his face. His voice was cold. “A courtier whom everyone detests, a colleague hated by the court, a pawn feared by the Emperor, a man who married into the back house, which identity can be worthy of my rejoicing and gratitude?”

Yan Mingting watched him in silence, then sat down beside him and said, “Have you ever thought about changing your path and becoming a good official praised by everyone?”

Zhao Yelan scoffed and said: “I only know that there are two roads in the world, toward life and toward death. There is no middle road for me to take.”

“There is,” Yan Mingting said softly. “It’s just that you dare not.”

Zhao Yelan threw the wet towel at him, then turned over on the bed to go to sleep.

“Your hair isn’t completely dry yet, if you fall asleep, you might get a headache,” Yan Mingting reminded him.

However, the other party turned his back to him, remained motionless, and didn’t intend to speak to him.

Yan Mingting took a dry towel and continued to wipe his wet hair for him, saying: “Forget it, let’s not talk about this. Let’s talk about something interesting……en, do you still want to hear bedtime stories?”

“Get lost,” Zhao Yelan said without looking back.

“Then I could tell you how the soldiers’ drills went?” Yan Mingting remembered another thing. “By the way, I have been going to morning court these days and haven’t had time to supervise your horse stance. How about we set a new time and practice hard?”

“Get lost.”

“Don’t you want to live a long life? Having a good foundation is better than taking too many medicines and eating delicacies. You know He Cuizhang, when he first joined the army, he was as thin as a monkey, and like you, he could have been blown away by the wind. Look at his appearance now, isn’t he very……”

“Ugly.”

“……” Yan Mingting coughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him that.”

In this way, Yan Mingting continued talking to him in a low voice and Zhao Yelan occasionally responded, relaxing his vigilance.

Dazed, he was a little at a loss, aware that his anger seemed to inexplicably disappear at some point.

Maybe it was because his scalp felt slightly relaxed when his hair was wiped, or maybe because Yan Mingting had never expressed strong hostility toward him, making him forgive the other’s lack of propriety again and again.

But too many things had happened today, and he couldn’t be bothered to waste his thoughts anymore. He closed his eyes, even forgetting to cover himself with a blanket.

Waking up the next day, Zhao Yelan found that he was tightly wrapped in a blanket. He sat up slowly and looked at the bedding and pillows on the floor, which were neatly folded.

The corners of his mouth curved slightly, and after breakfast, he went to the Imperial Academy. The gazes of his colleagues were extremely strange. Because the news of him snatching the beauty at the brothel had been publicized last night, everyone had remarkable expressions on their faces when they saw him.

Zhao Yelan even wanted to make a painting of each of them in order to study the changes of human expressions.

Ruan Xian didn’t show any extra sentiments, and after greeting him familiarly, he went to attend to his own business.

In the afternoon, the Emperor came to the Imperial Academy to play chess again and got straight to the point: “It was very lively outside. Did you really go to a brothel last night?”

Zhao Yelan nodded: “Yes, I had a conflict with Yan Mingting on the street and rushed in impulsively.”

Zhao Xuan didn’t expect such an answer, and laughed out loud: “So that is the case. I didn’t expect you to display such a temper and catch Liu-daren from the Ministry of Rites in the courtesan’s room.”

“This official didn’t know that Liu-daren was there.” Zhao Yelan looked slightly embarrassed. “If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have said anything.”

“It doesn’t matter. If you hadn’t inadvertently barged in, I wouldn’t have known that Liu-daren, who has always kept himself clean, would go to the red-light district in private.” Zhao Xuan said coldly, “It seems that we need to change out the Chief Examiner.”

The Imperial exams were just around the corner, and in the Xuan Dynasty, people from the Ministry of Rights were in charge of this matter every year. If there was a problem with the examiner’s conduct, he would likely be criticized, making people doubt whether he could take up the position. What’s more, Zhao Xuan had only been on the throne for one year, and was thirsty for talents. He urgently needed a large number of talents to fill his decaying Imperial court.

“Do you have any recommendations for the position of Chief Examiner?”

Zhao Yelan looked up from playing chess: “This official has no intentions of going to court, and can only hope that this person will be fair and upright, without unhealthy tendencies, and be an example for students.”

“En, I think so too,” Zhao Xuan said with satisfaction.

Seeing that he looked confident, Zhao Yelan knew that he had someone he favored, so he didn’t ask any further questions and just smiled lightly for show.

After returning to the mansion, he saw servants rushing in and out, and went to the inner courtyard. Seeing that Yan Mingting was discussing with Housekeeper Qin, he casually asked in passing: “What are you talking about?”

“Answering Furen, tomorrow is the anniversary of the death of the old general. We are discussing what preparations need to be done. Furen, will you go together?” Housekeeper Qin asked.

In previous years, Housekeeper Qin took all his servants to the grave to pay homage on the anniversary of his death. The General was back this year and married a new wife, so he still needed to confirm it.

Yan Mingting originally thought that Zhao Yelan would refuse, but who knew that Zhao Yelan would consider it for a moment, his thoughts obscure, and then readily agree.

Housekeeper Qin beamed with joy, and then immediately retreated to start making purchases. When he passed a balm shop, he suddenly stopped, thinking that the General and his wife were often noisy at night. Furen was already in poor health, and if he was a little careless, he could easily encounter trouble.

He asked the others to bring some things home first, then walked into the shop and whispered to the shopkeeper: “Is there any ointment for the boudoir?”

The shopkeeper was about to fetch it, but was stopped by Housekeeper Qin again: “Ei, that is……the kind for men.”

The shopkeeper looked at Housekeeper Qin’s old appearance in surprise, smirked suggestively, then went to a dark case on the other side to rummage through it.

Knowing that he was misunderstood, Housekeeper Qin waved his hands again and again: “No, it’s not for me.”

“I understand, you have a friend?” The shopkeeper gave him a meaningful glance.

“Aiya, you don’t care who it is, just get me some boxes!”

After dinner in the evening, Yan Mingting saw Zhao Yelan go to the study to lie down and read a book again, and stopped him: “Don’t read, come and exercise with me.”

“Won’t go. Leave.”

“How about a walk to aid digestion? Take a walk after dinner and live to ninety-nine.”

Zhao Yelan refused again, but was forced to take a walk in the back courtyard. Yan Mingting persuaded him persistently: “It’s such an auspicious time, a dark and windy night[1]……”

Zhao Yelan gave him a sidelong glance.

Yan Mingting coughed twice and reorganized his language: “It is an auspicious time, the moon is bright and the wind is quiet, which makes you look elegant and refined. If you could make a few horse stances under this bright moonlight, Chang’e[2] will be put to shame when she sees you.”

“Get lost.”

To prevent Yan Mingting from dragging him forcefully again, Zhao Yelan decided to run away first.

He turned around and started to run, but couldn’t see clearly in the dark. Accidentally stepping on an uneven stone, he fell hard on the cobblestone path.

“……”

Zhao Yelan lay on the ground, made a fist in slight annoyance, and thumped the ground.

What extraordinary shame and humiliation!

In the next moment, he was carried into Yan Mingting’s arms. “See, when you don’t exercise when you are told to exercise, you fall after running only a few steps. Will your left foot trip over your right foot when you are walking another day?” Yan Mingting laughed happily and wantonly.

Zhao Yelan continuously beat his chest in anger: “It’s none of your business, let me down!”

“You are the one who said it, ba.” Yan Mingting put him down. “Come on, take two steps.”

Zhao Yelan took two unwilling steps and looked back at him angrily.

“Not bad. Let’s not go for a walk tonight, and make an appointment for another day.” Yan Mingting walked to his side, and then kept going. As soon as he took another step, his sleeve was grabbed by someone.

He looked back to see Zhao Yelan staring at the ground, gritting his teeth as he said: “……Bring me back.”

“You’ll stop showing off?”

Zhao Yelan was quiet for a moment, and then nodded, enduring the humiliation.

The corners of Yan Mingting’s mouth curved up silently, and then he lifted him horizontally into his arms.

When Housekeeper Qin was cleaning the corridor, he saw General Yan carrying Zhao-daren back to the room and couldn’t help but blush, quickly lowering his head and pretending not to see. He only inwardly hoped that the General would quietly figure out what he had done.

When Yan Mingting brought him back to the room and lifted his trouser leg to check the wound, Zhao Yelan frowned tightly.

He moved as gingerly as possible and rolled it up above his knee. It was visibly scraped and bruised, with a little blood oozing out.

It was so late, too late to find a doctor. Yan Mingting rummaged through the boxes and cabinets, looking for medicine, but found several bottles of new ointment in the cabinet next to the bed. As soon as he opened one, he smelled a faint fragrance, which Zhao Yelan should like.

While cleaning all the way to the side room, Housekeeper Qin saw that the door to the masters’ bedroom was open. Suspiciously looking inside, he saw Yan Mingting taking the ointment he had specially prepared and rubbing it on Zhao Yelan’s knee.

Housekeeper Qin said in horror: “General Yan, that stuff is not used there!”

[1] A dark and windy night (月黑风高) is a metaphor for a dangerous environment. ⮐

[2] Cháng’e: The lady in the moon in Chinese mythology. ⮐