TL: Hua
The salted fish young master was nestled in a reclining chair under the grape trellis, holding a storybook. This was another one the Taoist Master had brought him recently, a “peerless sweet romance” mixed in with several proper storybooks.
But at this moment, Xu Yanqing, hugging his “peerless sweet romance,” found himself unable to read. His gaze was fixed entirely on Wen Jing, who was kneeling by the water vat washing clothes.
Wen Jing and Mu Yu had a clear division of labor: Mu Yu specialized in washing his clothes, and Wen Jing specialized in washing the Taoist Master’s clothes. Cough, cough, speaking of which, Xu Yanqing was a bit embarrassed to have the famous Head Eunuch of the capital wash his clothes, so he had given Mu Yu strict orders to lead the “Young Master’s Clothes Defense Battle.”
However, at present, it was quite difficult for the salted fish young master to secretly get some of the Taoist Master’s “original-scented clothes” right under Wen Jing’s nose.
The Taoist Master changed his clothes daily, but unfortunately, Wen Jing also diligently washed clothes every day, so… Xu Yanqing stared at the clothes hanging on the bamboo pole, dejectedly feeling his hair fall out.
The dejected salted fish slumped in the reclining chair. The weather was hot and muggy, and he felt like he couldn’t muster any strength. Touching his still-restless neck, Xu Yanqing began to ponder other feasible methods.
In the evening, the dejected salted fish saw the Taoist Master sitting in the courtyard writing scriptures, with Wen Jing kneeling beside him grinding ink for his master.
So, the young master’s little mischievous thoughts began to stir again. The weather had been muggy recently, so the Taoist Master would move outside for his evening lessons. If he could sneak into the Taoist Master’s room unnoticed at that time, he could “smuggle out” the Taoist Master’s clothes.
To be honest, the salted fish was tired; he no longer perversely pursued the Taoist Master’s “original-scented clothes.” Now, as long as he could get hold of the Taoist Master’s clothes, the salted fish could retire successfully.
But the most important thing now was, how could he “smuggle” himself into the Taoist Master’s room without anyone noticing? This was a big problem, especially in his current state, where everyone seemed to have their eyes on him constantly.
The salted fish was distressed; the salted fish didn’t want to live anymore.
Mu Yu came closer to his young master, a bit puzzled: “What’s wrong, young master?”
What’s wrong with this young master? This young master is annoyed to death!
Xu Yanqing suddenly sat up from the reclining chair. His eyes sparkled as they landed on the bewildered Mu Yu, and then his lips curved into a smile, his exquisite face full of schemes.
When the young master smiled, Mu Yu also chuckled foolishly, though he didn’t understand why the dejected young master suddenly became happy.
“Mu Yu, come here.” Waving at Mu Yu, the salted fish young master’s eyes were full of joy.
Mu Yu obediently came closer, and then Xu Yanqing whispered something in his ear.
“Young master?” Halfway through, Mu Yu stared at his young master, dumbfounded, shaking his head repeatedly: “No, no, young master, you are still… This definitely won’t do.”
“Shhh.” The dejected salted fish secretly glanced at the Taoist Master’s side, then pulled Mu Yu and continued to coax him: “Good Mu Yu, just obey. If anything goes wrong, your young master will take responsibility.”
Mu Yu was still hesitating, but his young master had already made up his mind and closed his eyes contentedly.
Mu Yu looked eagerly at his young master and hesitated for a long time but couldn’t say a word of refusal to his cheerful face.
Xu Yanqing covered his face with the book and soon fell asleep drowsily. Mu Yu turned to look at Taoist Master Xuanchen and Taoist Master Wen Jing in the courtyard, then, feeling a little guilty like a thief, ran into the kitchen to help Aunt Zhao and Aunt Li.
Aunt Li was gossiping with Aunt Zhao: “I only found out later that Li Dahei, that filthy old man, came to our courtyard to cause trouble, but after he was sent to see the authorities, he never came out again.”
“He was indeed a scoundrel! He even scratched Taoist Master Xuanchen’s face several times!” Mu Yu chimed in, gritting his teeth slightly: “If it weren’t for Taoist Master Xuanchen protecting him, the young master might have been in trouble.”
Aunt Li was only responsible for serving in the kitchen, so she didn’t know about Xu Yanqing’s pregnancy. Eldest Young Master Xu only hired her for three months, and someone would replace her after a while. She only knew that Young Master Xu’s health was relatively weak, and hearing this, she sighed with emotion: “I have to say, Taoist Master Xuanchen is really good to our young master.”
Mu Yu nodded repeatedly, deeply feeling that Taoist Master Xuanchen was truly thoughtful and gentle towards his young master. Sometimes, he was so good that Mu Yu couldn’t help but suspect that the child in the young master’s belly belonged to Taoist Master Xuanchen, but upon remembering Taoist Master Xuanchen’s identity as a monk, he couldn’t help but shake his head, indicating that he had blasphemed an immortal.
Aunt Zhao glanced at the innocent Mu Yu, chuckled, and continued to talk to Aunt Li about Li Dahei: “I heard that he sold his daughter to a widower as a concubine?”
“Alas!” Aunt Li sighed, “Speaking of which, Yueyao is indeed unfortunate. She was born into such a family and now encountered such a thing.”
“How is Miss Yueyao now?” Mu Yu suddenly realized he hadn’t seen Li Yueyao for a long time.
Aunt Li sighed with emotion: “Li Dahei himself was thrown into prison, but he had already collected money from the other party prior to this. Now that something has happened, they came to ask for the wife. Yueyao somehow cut her hair and became a nun.”
“Ah!” Mu Yu’s mouth widened, not knowing what to say. Miss Yueyao was indeed pitiful to be born into such a family, but if anything had truly happened to his young master that day, he felt like he would have had the heart to kill, so he could only say that it was Li Yueyao’s own misfortune.
In the evening, Xu Yanqing dutifully strolled with Taoist Master Xuanchen, and the moment they finished, he instantly collapsed into a chair in the main hall.
Yin Yanjun held a handkerchief and carefully wiped the sweat from the young master’s forehead: “How do you feel?”
“The salted fish is dead. If you need anything, please burn paper at his grave.” Xu Yanqing wished he could flatten himself and lie on the ground.
Yin Yanjun pinched the young master’s chubby cheek with one hand, his expression somewhat solemn: “Don’t talk nonsense at such a young age.”
The salted fish young master surrendered immediately: “Alright, this is the generation gap between a young master and an older Taoist master!” As the saying goes, there is a generation gap between two people when they are three years old. It seemed that there was more than one gap between him and the Taoist Master.
Yin Yanjun’s face showed a slight hint of embarrassment at having his age exposed. Then he leaned slightly towards the young master, his voice hesitating: “Is Young Master disliking me for being old and decrepit!”
“Old and decrepit?” Xu Yanqing blinked confusedly, not knowing why the other party suddenly brought this up. Looking at the Taoist Master’s serious and earnest expression, the young master smiled as if enlightened: “It’s wrong for the Taoist Master to think that way. You are a typical example of mature elegance, stability, and geniality. Besides, you haven’t even reached your prime yet, which is a great time for a man. Please don’t have any despondent thoughts.”
Despondency was exclusive to the salted fish.
It was now deep summer, and the room was stuffy, but it was very cool outside at night, so in recent days, Yin Yanjun had directly placed his desk in the courtyard.
The dejected salted fish slumped in the reclining chair, watching the Taoist Master write scriptures. After a short while, he began to feel drowsy. His pair of watery eyes blinked and blinked, and finally, unable to stay awake, he fell asleep in the reclining chair.
Yin Yanjun was not as focused as he appeared on the surface; part of his attention was on the young master. Seeing the young master drowsy, he had a faint smile on his lips. He got up and slowly knelt beside the young master, unable to resist raising a finger and gently tracing it across the young master’s eyebrows.
The young master smacked his lips. Perhaps feeling an itch on his face, he drowsily raised a hand and swatted at his face, and then his flowing sleeve fell onto his exquisite and beautiful face.
Yin Yanjun gazed at the young master, lost in thought for a moment, before gently pinching the young master’s earlobe again, his tone gentle and doting: “Young master, wake up. If you’re sleepy, go back to your room to sleep.”
Being disturbed, Xu Yanqing opened a pair of misty eyes, still deeply asleep. He pulled the Taoist Master’s warm hand from his ear and tucked it into his embrace: “Taoist Master, don’t fuss, I’m so sleepy!”
The young master’s body temperature was a bit warmer than that of ordinary people. When Yin Yanjun suddenly touched the young master’s smooth skin, his ears instantly turned red. He could even feel the young master’s heart beating.
Mu Yu and Qi Chen hid to the side, craning their necks to stare at the two people in the courtyard, occasionally huddling together to whisper. Wen Jing’s gaze fell on the emperor, and he contentedly raised his hand to drag away the two who were watching the show.
“Hey, hey, hey, I haven’t watched enough yet!” Qi Chen was engrossed in watching, and when he was pulled away by his collar, his face was full of unhappiness.
Wen Jing gave a meaningful look, and Mu Yu, understanding, immediately went up and covered Qi Chen’s mouth, lest this loudmouth disturb the two masters in the courtyard. But as he walked, he thought to himself that he seemed to have forgotten something important, but Qi Chen was making such a fuss that he only focused on “covering his mouth,” and all important matters were thrown to the back of his mind.
—
Yin Yanjun slowly pulled his hand out of the young master’s embrace, blushing. He whispered a few more calls, but unfortunately, the young master was sleeping soundly and completely ignored him.
Finally, Yin Yanjun sighed helplessly and picked up the young master horizontally. The young master carried a faint scent of peach. He lowered his head and stared at the young master’s exquisite face, feeling a tremor in his heart. After placing him on the bed, Yin Yanjun knelt by the bedside and gently caressed the young master’s face.
The young master had a thin layer of sweat on his body. Yin Yanjun got up to fetch some hot water from the kitchen and carefully wiped the young master’s cheeks and upper body before standing up to look for clean underclothes in the wardrobe.
The young master’s clothes were neatly arranged, with only a small bundle casually stuffed among a pile of clothes, looking somewhat out of place.
Yin Yanjun casually pulled out a nightgown, which inadvertently also pulled out the small bundle. The bundle fell to the floor with a thud.
The ash-gray cloak lay scattered, and on top of it was a wooden hairpin. Both the clothes and the wooden hairpin were incredibly familiar to Yin Yanjun. He paused slightly, his ear tips turning slightly red again. After a moment, he knelt down, picked up the bundle, and placed it temporarily on the headboard.
The salted fish young master’s upper body was still exposed. Yin Yanjun’s heart softened completely, and he sighed helplessly, putting the soft nightgown on the young master.
That day, the young master climbed over the wall, soft moonlight scattered on him, like an alluring mountain spirit from a storybook.
When he sent this mountain spirit back to Yunshui Courtyard, the young master tightly held onto his clothes. Yin Yanjun was utterly helpless and finally took off his outermost cloak, leaving it in Yunshui Courtyard.
As for that hairpin… At once, Yin Yanjun recalled many things, his heart a flurry of thoughts.
Yin Yanjun was already handsome and ethereal; in this state, he was even more like a deity whose heart had been moved by mortals. If the young master were awake, he would surely tease him again.
Affectionately raising his hand to stroke the young master’s dark hair, Yin Yanjun got up and hesitated for a moment before re-tying the bundle and putting it back into the wardrobe. Finally, he prepared hot tea for the young master before quietly leaving.
Returning to his room, Yin Yanjun sat down at his desk. Soon, Wen Jing entered: “Your Majesty, everything has been clarified.”
“Mm.” Yin Yanjun looked up and sighed softly: “What did the young master want Mu Yu to do for him?”
Yin Yanjun naturally saw the young master’s strange behavior today. The young master probably wanted Mu Yu to do some mischief tonight, but unexpectedly, he himself fell asleep first, which was truly adorable.
“Mu Yu said the young master asked him to guard the door and, by the way, help him prepare a stool to climb through your window,” Wen Jing said calmly, though he found it quite amusing: the emperor was right here; what did the young master need to climb the emperor’s window for?
Yin Yanjun’s expression was as usual, but there was a faint smile in his eyes. Recalling the bundle in the young master’s room, he already had a guess.
“Invite Young Doctor Qi over. Just say I have something to discuss,” Yin Yanjun said lightly, slowly picking up the chess manual on his desk.
Qi Chen was still in the room “sternly” criticizing Mu Yu, who had just covered his mouth and dragged him away: “Didn’t I meet you before, Taoist Master Wen Jing?”
Mu Yu nodded; naturally, yes.
“Then have I been good to you normally?”
Mu Yu nodded; naturally, yes.
Seeing Mu Yu, who was as silly as the fool, Qi Chen was furious: “Then why did you listen to Taoist Master Wen Jing? Not only did you pull me, but you also covered my mouth!”
Not having seen that sweet scene, Qi Chen clutched his chest; he was in so much pain.
Mu Yu: “Taoist Master Wen Jing was also worried that Young Doctor Qi’s movements would be too loud and wake up the young master.” Without a doubt, in Mu Yu’s heart, the world revolves around the young master—the young master is the most important.
“Clearly, you were fooled by Taoist Master Wen Jing. In my opinion, Taoist Master Wen Jing looks honest on the outside, but he’s actually an old fox, very cunning!” And that old fox is as protective of his master as the foolish Mu Yu. It’s likely that Taoist Master Xuanchen has already devoured Young Master Xu, and Mu Yu still foolishly thinks those two masters are genuinely good people.
Mu Yu: “Not really; at least Taoist Master Wen Jing is very good to the young master.”
Of course, those two, master and servant, have ulterior motives for being so good to the young master. Qi Chen sighed and then heard a knock at the door from outside.
“You go open the door.” Qi Chen unceremoniously ordered the foolish Mu Yu, who had angered him.
Mu Yu didn’t think much of it and walked directly to open the door, only to see Wen Jing standing outside.
“Taoist Master Wen Jing?”
Wen Jing, with a gentle and soft smile on his face, quietly said, “Is Young Doctor Qi in? My Taoist master has something to discuss with Young Doctor Qi.”
“Yes, he is,” Mu Yu nodded.
Qi Chen glared angrily at Mu Yu, then turned his head and glared at Wen Jing, finally dejectedly following Wen Jing out.
Wen Jing gently knocked on the door. Taoist Master Xuanchen’s clear and solemn voice rang from inside the room. With a creak, the door opened, and Wen Jing gestured to Qi Chen: “Young Doctor Qi, please go in.”
Qi Chen felt that Taoist Master Wen Jing was acting a bit strange today. He glanced at him and hesitantly stepped into the room under his urging. Then the door was closed by Wen Jing from the outside. Qi Chen was puzzled. What the hell were these two Taoists doing?
“Young Doctor Qi, please sit!” Yin Yanjun pushed a cup of tea across the table to him, looking at Qi Chen with deep and authoritative eyes.
Qi Chen’s heart jolted. He once again felt that inexplicable pressure from Taoist Master Xuanchen. He obediently sat down in front of Taoist Master Xuanchen and hesitantly began, “Taoist Master Xuanchen, why are you looking for me?”
Having asked a foolish question, Qi Chen awkwardly wanted to slap himself, but the inexplicable tension made him truly unsure of what to say, so he impulsively picked up the teacup and drank it all at once, just to calm his nerves.
“Young Doctor Qi, have you ever wanted to enter the palace to be an imperial physician?” Yin Yanjun flipped through the chess manual in his hand, his expression deep and unreadable.
Qi Chen coughed: “Of course, I’ve thought about it. They say that all the top doctors in the world gather at the Imperial Academy of Medicine, but unfortunately, I don’t yet have the qualifications to enter the Imperial Academy of Medicine.” He had a very clear and accurate understanding of himself.
“What if I give you this opportunity?” Yin Yanjun put down the chess manual, then took a letter from the desk and pushed it in front of Qi Chen: “This is a letter of recommendation from the director of the Imperial Academy of Medicine. With this, you can legitimately enter the Imperial Academy of Medicine.”
A letter of recommendation from the director of the Imperial Academy of Medicine was not something just anyone could obtain. Qi Chen flipped through it a couple of times and then suddenly closed the letter: “Who exactly are you, Taoist Master Xuanchen, and what is your purpose in giving me this letter of recommendation?”
Qi Chen’s gaze towards Yin Yanjun was again filled with vigilance and scrutiny. Even though he was wary of the pressure emanating from Taoist Master Xuanchen, he still stubbornly refused to back down. He naturally wanted to enter the Imperial Academy of Medicine, but he shouldn’t just accept benefits from others so vaguely.
Yin Yanjun asked calmly, “What do you think I am plotting, Young Doctor Qi?”
Taoist Master Xuanchen’s gaze remained as cold, even indifferent, as before. Qi Chen couldn’t help but nervously clench his fists: “Are you doing this for the child in the young master’s belly?”
At this moment, Qi Chen regretted it—regretted taking in Taoist Master Xuanchen on that rainy night, regretted letting Taoist Master Xuanchen examine the young master’s pulse on an impulse. Now, he had brought such a deep-minded, inscrutable person before the young master.
Noticing Qi Chen’s vigilance, Yin Yanjun unhurriedly picked up his teacup and took a sip: “Although you are still young, you are perceptive and adept at handling affairs. However, you still need more experience. The matter at hand is urgent. I’ll just ask you one question: are you willing to enter the palace as a medical official to care for and accompany the young master?”
Taoist Master Xuanchen’s words turned too quickly, and Qi Chen was a bit confused, but he still grasped a slight key point: “What do you mean entering the palace?”
“In another month and a half, it will be the quinquennial New Year festival. All the surrounding vassal states will go to the capital to pay homage to the monarch. At that time, I must return to the palace to take charge of the overall situation, and the young master naturally cannot remain here.” Yin Yanjun’s brow furrowed slightly, seemingly a bit troubled and embarrassed: “It’s just that the young master is unwilling to return to the capital with me. Does Young Doctor Qi have any ideas?”
“You, you are…” Qi Chen knelt down in a panic: “This humble commoner kowtows to Your Majesty. This humble commoner did not intentionally offend Your Majesty just now…”
Qi Chen obediently knelt properly in front of Yin Yanjun: “Did the young master already know Your Majesty’s identity?”
“The young master is extraordinarily intelligent. Although he hadn’t been to the palace to meet the emperor before, he was able to guess.” Yin Yanjun’s expression was as calm and serene as ever, but Qi Chen inexplicably heard a hint of joy in his few words and couldn’t help but feel a little emotional. Has the emperor truly fallen for the young master?
However, regarding the young master’s choice, Qi Chen could help Yin Yanjun analyze a bit: “The young master’s personality is lazy; usually, he’s most impatient with social interactions. After attracting Miss Yueyao at Xu Lin’s wedding banquet, he became even lazier to step out. The palace is full of nobles, and it probably doesn’t suit the young master’s temperament.”
“You are quite audacious.” Yin Yanjun’s tone was light, but his eyes were as deep as an icy abyss.
Although Qi Chen’s heart was pounding, he bravely insisted on his opinion at the risk of his life: “Although the young master usually seems overly lazy, he is not the kind of person who covets power and wealth.”
“What you can think of, I can naturally see clearly.” Yin Yanjun’s eyes were filled with tenderness as he mentioned the young master: “The young master is transparent and beautiful; how could I humiliate him like that? As long as the young master is free from worries, I will be happy.”
An emperor never makes vows lightly; verbal vows are like light feathers that can flutter away with a gust of wind, truly useless.
If he didn’t feel affection, then fine, but once he did, it became intense and profound. It’s just that Qi Chen’s heart felt complicated, unsure how long this deep affection would last: “What does Your Majesty want this humble commoner to do?”
“I want to ask you, what is the young master’s physical condition?” The young master, with such a personality, kept his clothes and hairpin by his side, and today he wanted to climb through the window. Now it seemed it was to steal his clothes, but the reason behind it he couldn’t understand.
Qi Chen: “In ancient texts, male pregnancy is not without precedent, but those examples are vastly different from the young master’s.”
Qi Chen had a small notebook, recording many small details since he followed the young master to Xu Family Village. Through these subtle changes, combined with the young master’s special omega physique, Qi Chen had discovered a lot: “If Your Majesty is returning to the capital, it’s best to take the young master along; otherwise, the young master might have difficulty getting through the rest of his pregnancy.”
Yin Yanjun frowned: “Why is it so serious?”
“During his pregnancy, the young master needs Your Majesty’s comfort, and as the due date approaches, the young master will become increasingly attached to Your Majesty. I’m afraid that if he’s away from Your Majesty, the young master will not only be uncomfortable himself, but the fetus in his womb will also be affected.” Qi Chen has been worried about this. He didn’t know the identity of Taoist Xuanchen before, but he saw that the young master was quite close to Taoist Xuanchen. Now it seems that this might be a hurdle for the young master.
Yin Yanjun sat upright, his mind in turmoil. It truly echoed Qi Chen’s words: if he hadn’t gone south in disguise back then, how much pain would the young master have had to endure during his pregnancy? If he had never known that the young master was pregnant, would the young master have ended up… with two lives lost?
Thinking of this, Yin Yanjun dared not continue to think anymore.
“You may withdraw for now; I need to think about this matter further.” Yin Yanjun’s deep, composed eyes were somewhat lost in thought. He hadn’t considered many things before, only hoping to bring the young master into the imperial capital. Now, he needed to plan carefully and thoroughly.
Qi Chen kowtowed and bowed, slowly retreating from the room. The moonlight in the courtyard was bright and clear.
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