Xue Yan was almost thrown out of the room by Jun Huailang on the spot.
Seeing that he had taken the joke too far and made the tips of Jun Huailang’s ears turn bright red, Xue Yan hurriedly pulled him back into his arms when Jun Huailang pushed him away and was about to get off the bed, holding him down so he could not run.
“I was just teasing you, just teasing you. Why are you getting so worked up?”
Jun Huailang raised his head and looked at him.
He had never noticed before that this man could be so shameless, like a bandit without the slightest sense of shame.
They were both men to begin with, so what was he talking about having children for…
The tips of Jun Huailang’s ears were burning.
Xue Yan coaxed him for quite a while before finally getting Jun Huailang to settle back down.
However, the privilege of staying in Jun Huailang’s bedchamber that he had originally obtained by virtue of being covered in injuries and illness was still taken away.
“There are only one or two shichen until dawn,” Jun Huailang said. “You should go back too.”
Xue Yan’s face fell.
“You’re kicking me out?” His voice dropped as well. For a moment, he looked like a large dog that had been frolicking happily just moments ago but had now been disciplined and was hanging its head in dejection.
…Of course I’m kicking you out. If I don’t get you to leave now, who knows what else you’ll say or what you’ll do.
Jun Huailang retorted inwardly and looked at him rather helplessly.
He was already sick today, and there was nothing inappropriate about Xue Yan coming to visit him in the eyes of outsiders. But once dawn came tomorrow, there would be many people in the residence, and his father might or might not return to change his clothes. If Xue Yan left his room early in the morning, it would be difficult to explain.
Jun Huailang had never experienced this kind of feeling before.
If there were nothing between the two of them, and they simply spent the night together innocently, he himself would not think anything of it. But now, they clearly had this kind of relationship… Even if other people did not think anything of it, he himself would feel uneasy.
Jun Huailang finally understood why thieves felt guilty.
“I’m not kicking you out,” he said. “It’s almost dawn, and there will be more people around the residence.”
Seeing his attitude, Xue Yan knew there was no room for negotiation.
He was also a little annoyed with himself.
Everything had been going perfectly well just now. Why had he made that joke with him?
…But Jun Huailang was so thin-skinned, and he simply could not resist teasing him.
Xue Yan raked a hand through his hair, sat up from the bed, and casually pulled the outer robe beside him over his shoulders.
Jun Huailang could see a trace of suppressed grievance in him.
“Tomorrow morning, I was thinking of going to the government office,” Jun Huailang said, as if making up for it, voluntarily telling Xue Yan about his plans for tomorrow. “Those bandits are still being held in the prison. I want to retrieve their case files and investigate what they had been doing over the past few years.”
After all, the bandits from Jiangnan who had been incited locally and the bandits who had infiltrated Jiangnan from Lingnan were two completely different matters in the eyes of Qingping Emperor.
“Then I’ll go with you tomorrow,” Xue Yan said as he stood and put on his robe.
Jun Huailang did not refuse.
When it came time to fasten the belt of his outer robe, Xue Yan could clearly have done it himself, yet he was too lazy to bother and deliberately came over to Jun Huailang, insisting that Jun Huailang fasten it for him.
Jun Huailang could not get the better of him and had no choice but to take the waist sash Xue Yan stuffed into his hands and reach around Xue Yan’s waist.
He had never done this sort of thing for someone else either. Even when he dressed himself, there had always been someone to help him. Thus, although he knew how to tie it, his hands were very unskilled at it, fumbling awkwardly and failing to tie it very neatly.
Xue Yan, however, only stared at him.
After Jun Huailang finished fastening his waist sash and was about to withdraw his hands, Xue Yan grabbed his arm and pulled him into his embrace.
Jun Huailang’s arms remained wrapped around his waist as he plunged headfirst into Xue Yan’s chest.
Xue Yan took the opportunity to hold him.
“Then I’m leaving?” He lowered his head and spoke softly to Jun Huailang.
Jun Huailang gave a low hum.
“Don’t forget to think of me.” Xue Yan lowered his head and dropped a kiss at Jun Huailang’s hairline.
Jun Huailang laughed softly. “It’s only two shichen at most.”
But Xue Yan said earnestly, “I’m going to miss you.”
The tips of Jun Huailang’s ears began burning again, completely against his will.
People with thick skin always seemed to know how to speak sweet words without needing anyone to teach them.
He wanted to reply to Xue Yan with, “I’ll miss you too,” but he simply could not bring himself to say it, and the back of his neck turned faintly red from holding it in.
In the end, he gave a low hum. Before pushing Xue Yan away, he kissed him lightly at the corner of his lips.
Consider it a response to those words.
The kiss was light and rather clumsy, yet it immediately tightened Xue Yan’s breathing.
…Suddenly, he did not want to leave anymore.
He took two deep breaths, raised a hand, and pressed it against the back of Jun Huailang’s neck, gently rubbing it twice.
“You really are determined to take my life,” he gritted out softly.
——
The two of them truly were separated for only two shichen.
A little over one shichen later, dawn broke, and immediately afterward, Fuyi entered the room to attend to Jun Huailang as he changed and washed up.
He had barely slept at all that night, and indeed… he had thought about Xue Yan.
Come to think of it, it was rather interesting. Clearly, they had only just parted, yet the moment they separated, he could not help having the other person fill his thoughts.
Now that the worries in his heart were gone, whenever he thought of Xue Yan, he no longer felt guilty because of those matters. With the burdens gone, all that remained was wave after wave of sweetness rising within him.
He had read storybooks aloud to Linghuan before, and he had also read the romantic tales sold among the common people.
But in his eyes, those things were merely fanciful stories written for entertainment.
Only now did he clearly understand that the intricate and sweet feelings written about in those storybooks were not simply fabricated out of thin air. One truly had to meet such a person before one could understand all those twists and turns of the heart.
These two shichen passed extremely slowly for him.
It was not until Fuyi entered the room and helped him get ready that he seemed to recover from his daze. It was only when Fuyi secretly glanced at him with a smile that he came back to his senses.
“What is it?” He looked at Fuyi.
Fuyi smiled as he arranged the dishes for him.
“Young Master has been ill, and although you’ve lost quite a bit of weight, you look positively radiant,” he said. “I suppose that divine physician’s medicine really is incredibly effective.”
Jun Huailang could not help guiltily averting his gaze.
There was no doubt that the divine physician’s medicine was effective, but whether his current state was because of the divine physician or because of something else was another matter entirely.
By the time Jun Huailang stepped out of his room, the sky was already fully bright.
The moment he stepped outside, he saw Jinbao waiting at the door, smiling broadly and cheerfully bowing to him.
“Good morning, Your Highness, the Heir!” he said with a grin.
Jun Huailang nodded. “Eunuch Jinbao.”
Jinbao came forward and deliberately raised his voice, speaking with exaggerated rhythm and emphasis.
“His Highness the Prince heard that you’re going to the government office first thing this morning, so he thought he might as well travel there with you. The carriage has already been prepared, and His Highness is waiting for you at the gate.”
Jun Huailang withdrew his gaze and nodded.
The two of them had a tacit understanding that required no words, but Fuyi, who knew nothing about it, was somewhat surprised.
When one’s master’s master was not present, matters of thanks were always left to the servants. Fuyi hurried forward and thanked Jinbao on Jun Huailang’s behalf.
“Thank you, Eunuch. This is really too much trouble for His Highness! And now you’ve even made His Highness wait at the gate.”
Jinbao smiled as he led him along, following beside Jun Huailang.
“What trouble is there? Our prince and the Heir have a good relationship. It’s only natural,” he said with a smile. “There’s no need to thank us. We’re family—why speak as though we’re two separate households?”
Fuyi repeatedly agreed, but inwardly he found it somewhat strange.
Was this eunuch being a little too careless with his words?
Although his own young master did indeed have a good relationship with His Highness the Prince of Guangling, to say that they were family…
Wasn’t this eunuch being far too presumptuous?
——
By the time they reached the gate, the Prince of Guangling’s carriage was already waiting there.
Normally, the entrance of the Provincial Governor’s residence was bustling with carriages and horses, with visitors constantly coming and going. Today, however, it was much quieter.
After all, Xue Yan had only brought the divine physician back yesterday. There were now many patients in Jinling City, along with many common people who needed to take precautions against the epidemic. On top of that, there were post-disaster matters such as repairing the embankments. All the officials, large and small, in Jinling City were so busy at the government offices that their feet barely touched the ground.
Fortunately, the Embroidered Uniform Guard under Xue Yan moved quickly. During the night yesterday, they had already delivered all the grain, silver, and other supplies allocated from Chang’an to Jinling.
According to the usual rules, these matters would all be handed directly to Guo Rongwen.
Unexpectedly, yesterday evening, Guo Rongwen had already been waiting at the West City Gate to receive the convoy transporting the grain, only for a group of Embroidered Uniform Guards to arrive and seal the West City Gate tightly.
No officials or common people were allowed to pass. Even Guo Rongwen was stopped inside the city.
Guo Rongwen had no choice but to step forward and negotiate.
The leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a young boy of around ten years old. He looked handsome and refined and seemed easy to talk to.
Yet who would have thought that this boy seemed unable to understand human speech? No matter how Guo Rongwen explained or persuaded him, he paid no attention.
Later, Guo Rongwen grew anxious and took two steps forward, only to see that boy suddenly draw his saber and hold it across his path.
There was not the slightest hint that he was merely trying to intimidate him. The blade was held extremely close, even slicing through Guo Rongwen’s robe.
It was only a hair’s breadth away from drawing blood.
At that point, Guo Rongwen did not dare move recklessly. He could only watch helplessly as one squad of Embroidered Uniform Guards escorted the grain and supplies to meet another squad, then transported everything back to the Jinling government office under tight guard.
After the leader of the squad escorting the supplies handed them over to the young boy, he leisurely strolled over to Guo Rongwen’s side with a smile.
“Lord Guo, you’re here too?” he said.
Guo Rongwen’s expression was somewhat ugly.
“This… I wasn’t aware that the government office had been handed over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard?” he said. “Normally, the Duke has entrusted this matter to me. I wonder why this time…”
He stopped there.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard leader knew that the man was invoking Duke Yong to pressure him, implying that they had overstepped their authority.
The leader smiled meaningfully, like a fox.
What did it matter whether they had overstepped their authority or not? In front of their master, there was no such thing as rules.
This corrupt official had simply made the wrong calculation.
He smiled and patted Guo Rongwen on the shoulder.
“I know we’re overstepping our authority, but the order came from our prince. There’s nothing I can do about it either,” he said slowly, smiling. “His Highness said that, to prevent what happened in Shandong from happening again, starting today, all of Jinling’s treasury stores will be managed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”
Guo Rongwen shuddered in fright.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard continued, “Ah, right. His Highness also said that he’s afraid those incidents of officials lining their own pockets and taking every last bit they could, like geese plucking feathers as they pass through, will happen again, so the account books for Jinling City from the moment the disaster began are to be thoroughly investigated. Tell me, we’re merely a bunch of rough fellows who can barely recognize a few characters. Isn’t His Highness making things difficult for us?”
Others might not know, but Guo Rongwen did. The Embroidered Uniform Guard had always had eyes and ears everywhere and could accomplish anything. They were certainly not truly “rough fellows who could barely recognize a few characters.”
But at this moment, he no longer had the mind to concern himself with that.
The leader’s few words had already chilled him from head to toe, leaving his mind completely blank.
A thorough investigation?
At the time, Young Master Xu had been urgently demanding money. He had hastily scraped together enough to exchange for the required amount, and he had certainly not handled the matter cleanly…
Just then, the leader leaned a little closer, lowered his voice, and said with a smile,
“Although it’s troublesome, it’s a good thing. After all, we can use this opportunity to clean out the parasites. Don’t you agree, Lord Guo?”