Chao Ge rode his horse directly into the king’s tent. It wasn't until they entered the royal grounds that Yan Guan, who was riding with him, realised something was wrong and tried to dismount.
“Sir, sir, please don’t go any further. This is the king’s palace!” Yan Guan warned, twisting his body to get off the horse.
Chao Ge glanced down at him and thought to himself, given Yan Guan's current status, if someone with malicious intent were to witness this, it could bring trouble upon him. With that, Chao Ge pulled on the reins to stop.
Yan Guan dismounted quickly, trembling, and stammering in thanks. “Thank you, sir. I am just a lowly servant. If you ever need anything from me in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“There’s no need for that. You can leave now,” Chao Ge responded casually, knowing that it was his horse that startled the young man in the first place.
Chao Ge was aware of how many people perish on the road to exile, whether from illness or from being beaten and tortured. He guessed that less than half of them made it to Liangzhou alive, and he hadn’t expected to ever see this boy again.
Recognizing Yan Guan, Chao Ge found it hard to believe.
He lowered his head to glance at Yan Guan, who was shivering in the cold, and frowned. “Haven’t this year’s thick robes been issued yet?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that. I left mine in the house,” Yan Guan lied, terrified that if he admitted the robes weren’t distributed, Chao Ge might take out his anger on the person in charge, which would only result in Yan Guan suffering in the end.
Chao Ge tugged at the corner of his mouth. How could he not understand what Yan Guan was worried about? This man really was... oh well, being a bit cautious is good.
Listening to the sound of the horses' hooves gradually fading away, Yan Guan hurried back to his room to change clothes. His body was dry, and after drinking some hot water, he slowly regained his strength.
It was pouring rain today, so there was no need to go to the Medical Bureau for duty. Yan Guan brewed some ginger tea to ward off the dampness and, by the faint candlelight, started reading a book in his room.
The next few days passed uneventfully. The rain continued to pour for several days, leaving people feeling sluggish due to the constant gloomy weather. The only thing that stirred a bit of excitement was hearing that King Wugan had returned to the city.
Maji was a colleague who worked shifts with Yan Guan, and he always got excited when talking about court gossip. From him, Yan Guan learned almost everything there was to know about the Wugan royal family.
"You think King Wugan governs his people well? Do you think he might kill people at will?" Compared to gossip, Yan Guan was more concerned about his own safety.
"The lord has been on the throne for five years and treats his subordinates quite generously," hearing this from Maji, Yan Guan was relieved.
Ten days later, Yan Guan returned to the Medical Bureau for duty. Two days earlier, the Office of Internal Affairs had delivered winter clothes, so now Yan Guan felt warm and in good spirits as he went about his work.
Sorting through the damp medicinal herbs in the storage room, and drying and washing them took all day. By night, dragging his sore arms, Yan Guan returned to his room to sleep.
The nights in Liangzhou were different from those in Yangzhou. The moon was so high, it lit the road brightly. Yan Guan didn’t bother lighting a lamp and walked leisurely down the corridor. Looking up, he saw the sky no wider than three fingers—the palace walls were too tall.
Yan Guan gazed at it for a while, feeling inexplicably stifled. Dragging himself to Liangzhou half-alive, when would these dark days ever end?
Just a turn ahead and he would arrive. Yan Guan collected his thoughts and quickened his pace.
As soon as his foot stepped past the corner, a shadow darted out from behind and suddenly covered Yan Guan's mouth and nose.
Yan Guan was shocked. He grabbed the person’s hand and bit down hard. Caught off guard, the assailant let out a low gasp of pain. The pressure on his face loosened a bit. Yan Guan elbowed backward, not knowing where he hit, and took off running.
Chao Lun was furious to the point of exploding!
His older brother's constant oversight after returning was already annoying, and just as he was about to sneak out of the palace under the cover of a servant, someone had attacked him!
In a fit of anger, he shouted on the spot, “If you dare leave, I’ll kill you right now!”
Yan Guan’s legs gave out, but he took a deep breath and ran forward like mad.
Chao Lun had been wild since he was a child—how could Yan Guan outrun him? After just a few steps, Chao Lun grabbed him by the back of the neck.
“Trying to run again? I’m not even a bad guy,” Chao Lun said, sounding somewhat aggrieved.
Yan Guan fell backward and, under the moonlight, recognized the person. It was the Second Prince, the same one who had told him to go to the hunting grounds but never showed up himself.
“Y-your Highness, why are you looking for me so late at night?” Yan Guan got up and saluted.
“Oh? You recognize me?”
Well, well, well, how forgetful the nobility can be. The Second Prince had completely forgotten him. Yan Guan forced a smile.
Chao Lun stood with his hands on his hips, acting important, and commanded, “I want to leave the palace. You take me.”
“Huh?” Yan Guan shook his head like a rattle-drum. “I’m just a servant. How could I possibly take someone out of the palace?”
“You find me some clothes, and then just tell the guards I’m an official off duty. Simple.”
Yan Guan glanced at Chao Lun with a look of difficulty.
"Hey, are you up for this or not? If my brother hadn’t been keeping me locked up, I would’ve already downed three jugs of wine by now..."
"Your Highness, maybe you should find someone else. I’m a convict slave, I don’t even have a waist badge," Yan Guan pointed to the branded character on his forehead.
When Chao Lun saw this, his heart sank halfway. He realised that the person he had grabbed was useless. Tonight, it seemed he was destined to stay in the palace.
With a sigh, he glanced at Yan Guan a few more times, unwilling to give up. Then it suddenly struck him, "Wait, haven’t I seen you somewhere before?"
Yan Guan forced a smile, "Yes, Your Highness had asked me to serve at the hunting grounds before."
"Oh~" Chao Lun remembered. He lingered on Yan Guan’s face for a few seconds, and a mischievous thought crept up. He thought, well, since tonight was bound to be boring, stuck in the palace...
"Hey, last time I had something come up and couldn’t make it. Since we can’t leave tonight, let’s do something else. Come with me!"
Yan Guan stood still, but Chao Lun yanked him along toward the palace hall.
Stumbling to catch up, Yan Guan heard him say, "It’s nothing bad, just looking for someone to hang out with."
Yan Guan thought to himself, you’d better not be up to anything shady.
They ended up behind the wall of the royal sleeping chambers. Yan Guan hesitated, but Chao Lun urged him, "Stop staring, hurry up."
Saying that, Chao Lun leaped up and grabbed Yan Guan to pull him up with him.
"Tonight there’s a banquet in the inner palace, and Chao Ge actually locked me in the palace to catch up on my studies! Isn’t that infuriating?"
So the Second Prince had sneaked out by climbing over the wall. Yan Guan was still feeling a bit dazed when he climbed down after him.
The two of them then climbed through a window into the room. Yan Guan stood stiffly in the centre of the chamber. Although Chao Lun’s sleeping quarters weren’t large, there were all sorts of things scattered everywhere—strange and curious little trinkets. It was clear that the Second Prince’s playful nature hadn’t faded.
Chao Lun rummaged through a few large chests and pulled out a piece of cloth. "Here, put this on."
Yan Guan took it and shook it open, freezing in place. It was a dancer’s skirt.
Chao Lun, however, was quite pleased with himself. "I’ve seen plenty of people, but their figures were all too broad, tsk," he said with disdain, "You can definitely wear this!"
Yan Guan didn’t know what to say. Was he supposed to express his gratitude for this “great favour”?
"Your Highness, this… this really isn’t proper…"
Chao Lun twisted his arm in annoyance and said, "It’s just a dancer’s skirt! What’s all this fuss about rules?"
"Alright, alright, just put it on. We’ll disguise ourselves as musicians and sneak into the banquet for some good food! What a lavish feast! It’s so fancy even I’m not allowed to eat!"
Yan Guan was left speechless.
Judging from the tone of his voice, it was clear that the Second Prince had a good relationship with the ruler. If he truly wanted to attend, all it would take is a simple request. But from the looks of it, he must have been caught doing something wrong and now couldn’t bring himself to ask for permission.
Yan Guan squeezed the fabric in his hands, thinking to himself that, if they were discovered, the Second Prince wouldn’t face much trouble, but as for him—a mere slave—he could end up accused of corrupting a royal prince, and that would be the end of him.
Seeing Yan Guan’s hesitation, Chao Lun’s expression darkened. After all, he was the Second Prince, raised with indulgence and privilege from a young age.
"Do you dare disobey me?" His tone carried an obvious threat.
Yan Guan sighed, thinking to himself that today was truly unlucky. If only he hadn’t gone out, he wouldn’t have run into someone so difficult to deal with. He could only try to placate him.
"Your Highness, as a convict slave, I’ve never entered the inner palace before. If I offend anyone, I hope Your Highness will guide me."
Chao Lun nodded with satisfaction. "Alright, since you’ve agreed, I won’t leave you behind. If you handle this well, you can come work by my side from now on."
What else could Yan Guan do? He could only nod submissively, murmuring his agreement as he turned to go behind the curtain and change.
So be it, he thought helplessly. He had no idea what kind of strange pleasure the Second Prince got from this. There were so many ways to sneak in, yet he insisted on making Yan Guan dress up as a dancer, clearly just to mess with him.
After changing into his outfit, Yan Guan came out to find that Chao Lun had also changed into the attire of a musician.
The moment Chao Lun saw Yan Guan, he uncharacteristically fell silent for a moment.
The dancer’s skirt was a raven black, a colour rarely worn by the women of Wugan, who were typically tall and voluptuous, favouring bright colours like red to accentuate their figures. Hardly anyone wore this shade.
But Yan Guan’s frame was slender, and his skin pale. His features were cool and delicate, and surprisingly, he pulled off the look. With the headscarf and veil on, it would be impossible to tell in a crowd that he was a man.
Feeling uncomfortable, Yan Guan tugged at his sleeves, silently cursing the outfit for being too short. If he stood up straight, his waist would be exposed!
Chao Lun circled around him, "How old are you this year? Why are you so short?"
"...I'll be seventeen after the New Year."
Chao Lun blinked in surprise, not expecting Yan Guan to be older than him. "Tsk, does your family not feed you?"
Yan Guan took a deep breath. "Your Highness, can we go and return quickly?"
Chao Lun dropped the topic, now excited, and led Yan Guan towards the inner palace.
No comments:
Post a Comment