As soon as Chu Zhao sat down, Shen Ziqin served him some food: “How are the bandit suppression plans going?”
Shen Ziqin didn’t plan to settle accounts at the dinner table either, or they wouldn’t be able to enjoy the meal.
He noticed that Chu Zhao had changed his clothes and was wearing the dragon and phoenix pendant at his waist.
Shen Ziqin fingered the jade pendant in his sleeve pocket. He had been debating whether to wear it or not.
The bowl was filled with Chu Zhao’s favorite dishes. Chu Zhao picked up his chopsticks: “They’re complacent in their pleasures. The place where they’ve set up camp is perfect for getting themselves killed. It’s an easy target. Tonight we’ll surround the mountain and spread word offering amnesty. If that so-called king doesn’t surrender, we’ll attack tomorrow.”
Even if Knife King didn’t surrender, some of his underlings and followers would surely be afraid and want to flee. Though the enemy was a disorganized rabble, it was always better to face fewer people in battle.
They discussed official matters as if nothing else had happened, peacefully finishing their meal until dinner ended and they put down their chopsticks.
The chopsticks made a crisp sound against the plates. Chu Zhao said: “I think we need to talk.”
Shen Ziqin strongly agreed: “We do need to talk.”
The attendants cleared away the bowls, plates, and dishes, leaving just the two of them in the courtyard.
There was no wind tonight, and the courtyard suddenly became quiet. The flowers and plants had no mouths and stood silently. In the grass, two crickets moved their antennae, facing off, poised to strike.
After a moment of standoff, the crickets pounced.
Shen Ziqin struck first, opening his mouth: “You-”
Chu Zhao overtook him, playing the fact card with thunderous force: “Going alone into a bandit den, working day and night until you caught a cold-how do you explain that?”
Caught off guard by the change of subject, Shen Ziqin instinctively retorted: “Who went alone? I brought people with me.”
Chu Zhao: “Oh, so the rest is true.”
Shen Ziqin choked.
At the first exchange, he was already at a disadvantage, being led by Chu Zhao. This wouldn’t do.
Shen Ziqin rallied: “These are all minor matters. Besides, I know the plot. The Flying Tiger Gang is good-hearted, and my staying there helped make the whole thing more convincing.”
“That’s precisely the problem.” Chu Zhao sat up straight, looking earnestly into Shen Ziqin’s eyes. “You trust the original story too much.”
Shen Ziqin was taken aback.
Chu Zhao: “There could have been dangers in the Flying Tiger Gang. Even if the leader is good-hearted, are all his men necessarily united? What if someone wanted to capture you for merit, or if there were people who deeply hated the imperial family and officials? You’re clever and knew this, which is why you didn’t keep Dongning with you but hid him elsewhere.”
“But you yourself dared to risk your life,” Chu Zhao said deliberately. “I wasn’t precise just now. It’s not that you trust the original story too much, but that you truly don’t care about yourself.”
Shen Ziqin opened his mouth to argue, but then pressed his lips together and fell silent.
He once firmly believed he was especially good at valuing himself-“if one doesn’t look out for oneself, heaven and earth will destroy them.” He wasn’t without self-interest, but everything Chu Zhao said was true.
If he had been bold enough to completely trust the original story and recklessly charge ahead, why hadn’t he brought Dongning into the Flying Tiger Gang? It was because he knew deep down that nothing is absolute, and he couldn’t let Dongning take risks with him.
But why did he enter the bandit den himself without a second thought?
Now that Chu Zhao had suddenly exposed this contradiction, Shen Ziqin realized that perhaps he wasn’t as selfish as he thought, and maybe… he truly didn’t value himself that much.
Shen Ziqin had thought he knew himself well, that he couldn’t learn to love others, but in the end, he hadn’t even managed to love himself properly.
Not just his lips, but Shen Ziqin’s entire body tensed. His hand gripped the jade pendant in his sleeve pocket tightly, the smooth jade painfully pressing into his fingers.
Seeing Shen Ziqin’s expression, Chu Zhao’s stern attitude immediately softened-not just softened, but turned to concern.
His tone hadn’t been harsh to begin with, and now he couldn’t maintain any sternness at all. Chu Zhao’s tightly composed face relaxed, his voice gentling: “I’m not trying to blame you, I just… hope you’ll care about yourself a little more.”
Shen Ziqin’s fingers tightened once more around the jade pendant, then slowly released it.
…Chu Zhao truly did care for him. Looking at it this way, Chu Zhao actually valued him more than he valued himself.
While waiting for Chu Zhao to return, Shen Ziqin’s thoughts had been chaotic-his heart racing one moment, his cheeks warming with a blush the next, his mind filled with a jumble of thoughts that wouldn’t settle.
But now, strangely, he began to feel calm.
The tangled lines in his mind were gradually erased, until only a single string remained, gently plucked, its lingering sound echoing with the beating of his heart.
Shen Ziqin looked gently at Chu Zhao, who cleared his throat and said: “Remember our agreement? If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll be punished. We put it in writing.”
When Shen Ziqin had earlier thought about settling accounts with Chu Zhao, he hadn’t expected his voice would be so calm now: “I should copy books, but what about you? In the carriage, you kissed me and left. How do we account for that?”
Chu Zhao paused, then reached into his robe and pulled out three letters.
“I actually wrote letters to you, but since you gave me the jade pendant and ran, I felt that, ahem, anyway, I didn’t send them right away.”
Revealing his childish desire to compete seemed too immature, so Chu Zhao coughed vaguely, his gaze darting around as he nervously pushed the three letters forward.
Shen Ziqin opened the first one.
[“Green, green, your collar; anxious, anxious, my heart. Though I do not go to you, will you not send me word?”]
A line from the Book of Songs, fitting both the occasion and the emotion, even containing Shen Ziqin’s name. Shen Ziqin’s heart was gently touched. He controlled his emotions, steadied himself, and opened the second letter.
The second letter contained no writing, only a few dried flowers.
The petals were pressed flat, their colors well preserved. The letter retained their fragrance, which wafted out when the envelope was opened-delicate and sweet.
“During the days you were away, several flowers in the prince’s residence were in full bloom,” Chu Zhao said, pressing his knuckles nervously. “I wanted you to see them too.”
Shen Ziqin opened the letter, feeling the fragrance lingering on his fingertips. He gently sniffed them, with one letter still remaining.
From the corner of his eye, Shen Ziqin noticed that Chu Zhao had tensed up completely, like a fully drawn bow. He hadn’t been this nervous about the first two letters-what could be in the third?
Shen Ziqin’s heart skipped a beat, affected by Chu Zhao’s tension.
The first two letters had been quite elegant, culturally appropriate, and refined. Following this pattern, Shen Ziqin wondered if the last letter would be in the same style. He slowly opened the final letter-
The entire page contained just one sentence. No more literary flourishes or bookish phrases, just a simple, straightforward question:
“Little Marquis, will you be in a relationship with me?”
Shen Ziqin’s hand froze.
He stood there, stunned and unresponsive. Beside him, Chu Zhao couldn’t sit still any longer. He moved closer to Shen Ziqin and cupped his face in his hands.
Chu Zhao’s voice was hoarse with nervousness: “Last time I didn’t say anything, just kissed you and left. So this time, let me ask first-”
“Little Marquis, may I kiss you?”
Like a fierce wind sweeping over the hills, like waves crashing against the shore-after the tempest raged through his heart, what remained wasn’t devastation but birdsong and fragrant flowers, a bright spring day.
Shen Ziqin’s jade-white face instantly flushed crimson, incomparably beautiful. He opened his mouth, and though he still couldn’t utter a single word, his state of mind was completely different from before.
Seeing his expression, Chu Zhao relaxed his tense bowstring. They say the eyes can convey feelings-with Shen Ziqin looking at him with such eyes, what was there not to understand?
Chu Zhao smiled: “If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as consent.”
With that, Chu Zhao leaned in and gently kissed him.
Compared to the previous hasty, reckless kiss, this one was like a gentle breeze, extremely tender. Perhaps the only similarity was their innocence. Both slowly closed their eyes, pecking softly.
The letter had somehow drifted onto the table. Shen Ziqin’s hand rested on Chu Zhao’s shoulder. Their last kiss had been completely without technique; this time, at least the atmosphere was better, currently very tender.
Chu Zhao placed one hand on Shen Ziqin’s waist, gently pulling him closer. His heart was filled with tenderness, but deeper desires were also raging, unwilling to stop at just a light taste. So, following descriptions from storybooks, he tentatively opened his mouth.
This action startled Shen Ziqin, who had been lost in the tenderness. He opened his eyes and pushed Chu Zhao slightly: “Wait, uh, wait!”
They separated, both with heated faces. Chu Zhao’s voice was now hoarse not from nervousness but with a magnetic quality: “…What’s wrong?”
Shen Ziqin, red-faced, said: “…I almost forgot my cold isn’t completely better. I shouldn’t infect you.”
Chu Zhao: “…”
Never mind that his body was strong and he rarely caught colds-even in the worst case-
“I don’t care if I catch it!”
How could he possibly stop now?
Shen Ziqin: “Hey, don’t-mmph!”
He was pulled completely into Chu Zhao’s embrace, and it was no longer just a pressing of lips. More nimble weapons were employed, leaving him dazed and dizzy from the kiss. By the end, concerns about infection were completely forgotten.
In the end, both were breathing heavily, panting, as the fierce storm turned back into a gentle drizzle, with soft pecks to calm their breathing.
Shen Ziqin’s eyes were rippling with waves, all broken up. Chu Zhao picked him up and carried him inside, setting him down at the edge of the bed, then leaned in to kiss his eyes.
Shen Ziqin’s hands tightened against Chu Zhao’s chest, his voice muffled: “…We’re not doing anything else tonight.”
“Don’t worry,” Chu Zhao chuckled, the vibration in his chest traveling through his hands into Shen Ziqin’s heart. “I’m not that impatient… Besides, your cold isn’t completely better, and I’m not a beast.”
Chu Zhao nuzzled his nose: “Shouldn’t we have your medicine brought up now?”
Shen Ziqin’s gaze shifted away guiltily: “I’ve already taken it.”
Chu Zhao realized that Shen Ziqin had tried to hide even his cold, which instantly made his teeth itch with frustration. He pressed against Shen Ziqin, using the culprit to grind his teeth, leaving his crimson lips like plum blossoms blooming in snow, extraordinarily beautiful.
Shen Ziqin rarely lowered his stance, admitting his mistake: “Weren’t you going to punish me by making me copy books? It’s not bedtime yet. Bring me brush and ink, I’ll accept my punishment.”
Having gotten a taste of sweetness, Chu Zhao was easily appeased. Even though Shen Ziqin hadn’t directly answered the question on the letter, it didn’t matter anymore-they had kissed, which was as good as consent. What else could it be? It’s not like he could run away now.
Shen Ziqin was shy when it came to matters of the heart. He had secretly liked Chu Zhao for so long without daring to speak up, expressing his feelings through the gift of a jade pendant. Anyway, their relationship was now established-they were definitely dating.
If he put in enough effort, someday Shen Ziqin would speak words of love.
Chu Zhao, beaming with joy, brought over brush and ink, and laid out paper for Shen Ziqin, only to realize something was missing: “What book are you going to copy?”
The purpose wasn’t really copying books, just making Shen Ziqin understand not to exhaust himself, to remember this lesson.
Shen Ziqin glanced at him, finding it amusing. Chu Zhao had solemnly vowed to punish him, yet he could choose what book to copy-what kind of punishment was that?
But… this worked out well.
Shen Ziqin picked up the brush: “It’s fine, I’ll write from memory.”
Chu Zhao: “All right.”
He sat across the desk, staring at Shen Ziqin’s face, liking what he saw more and more. His heart bubbled, with little pink flowers blooming chaotically.
Shen Ziqin was writing something with serious concentration, but Chu Zhao paid no attention to it, just staring at his face.
So when Shen Ziqin pushed the paper over, he was momentarily stunned.
Chu Zhao looked down and saw what Shen Ziqin had just copied.
Just one sentence:
“Your Highness, will you be in a relationship with me?”
Chu Zhao: “…”
Shen Ziqin’s ears turned red, his thick eyelashes trembling lightly. Chu Zhao held the paper, turning it over several times before taking a deep breath.
Chu Zhao, with a serious face: “Maybe I should call the doctor to check if your cold is completely gone.”
Not being able to do anything tonight-how torturous!
#
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
