SGSHE131

Grand Tutor Yi stood before the carriage, his face etched with misery.

Yesterday should have been a joyous occasion, his daughter’s wedding day. Yet, unable to reconcile herself to the match, she had secretly attempted to hang herself.

He had barely managed to see her off when, early this morning, news arrived that she had been cast out of the imperial brother-in-law manor. Grand Tutor Yi was furious and distraught.

He scrambled up, intending to beg for leniency, only to find the imperial brother-in-law household staff already at his doorstep, demanding the return of the betrothal gifts.

Could it be that he was truly destined to lose both the person and the fortune? His future patron was gone, and that massive dowry, or rather, the betrothal gifts, would be lost as well.

Seeing the carriage come to a halt, Grand Tutor Yi wiped the corners of his eyes, and tears of old age began to stream down his face.

“Lord imperial brother-in-law, didn’t you take Qingxue away just yesterday? She is merely stubborn and headstrong. Once she spends a few days in your company, she will surely put the past entirely out of her mind!”

His look of misery was now tinged with a measure of contrition, every word he spoke was steeped in tearful pleading.

Yet, the man inside the carriage remained unmoved, his heart as unyielding as iron.

Without even lifting the curtain, a voice, cool and indifferent, drifted out through the window.

“Grand Tutor Yi, a force melon is never sweet. If your daughter wishes to marry that other man, let her have her way.”

“If she is unwilling, there are others who would gladly marry me.” The voice grew even colder at these words.

Grand Tutor Yi’s heart sank.

The attendant driving the carriage added, “The Emperor and Empress seem quite fond of our Master’s new wife, they even instructed us to drive carefully so as not to jostle him.”

That was it, his hopes were utterly dashed.

With the Emperor and Empress invoked, and knowing Jing Heguang was hardly a benevolent man, Grand Tutor Yi wiped away his tears and stepped aside.

As the carriage began to move, Grand Tutor Yi cursed silently to himself:

— A man’s words… truly not to be trusted!

Just a few days ago, Jing Heguang had been addressing him as ‘father-in-law’ at every turn. Today, he didn’t even offer a greeting.

Just as he was cursing inwardly, another sentence reached his ears.

“I’ll have my men send back the dowry gifts, you can keep them as your own private funds.”

Grand Tutor Yi’s heart, already frozen solid, was now ruthlessly shattered into dust.

His gold, silver, jewels, antiques, and paintings — they were truly gone!

***

He left the task of reclaiming the betrothal gifts to his subordinates, after all, he still had ten days of wedding leave remaining.

He had spent the previous night pondering how to spend their honeymoon.

The original owner was twenty-two, while Xing Qi was three years his junior, only nineteen.

In those nineteen years, Xing Qi had done only one thing: trained to be a shadow guard and protect Jing Heguang.

Since his beloved had never experienced anything else, Jing Heguang wanted to take him out to try it all.

First, they would observe the world, then broaden their understanding of it.

Of course, Jing Heguang hadn’t really seen the world either. In the original owner’s memories, he too had been disconnected from ordinary life.

It was a plan that served both their interests perfectly.

After returning to the manor at noon to delegate tasks to his strategists, Jing Heguang took Xing Qi out once more.

When the carriage reached the entrance to the market, Jing Heguang ordered a halt and stepped out first.

He was dressed simply today, in a robe with green bamboo embroidered along the hem. He stood waiting by the carriage and extended a hand toward Xing Qi.

“Give me your hand,” Jing Heguang said calmly.

Perhaps it was his natural, easy expression, or perhaps it was the way he stood there — radiating an elegant, captivating charm — but Xing Qi didn’t overthink it. He simply placed his hand in Jing Heguang’s.

As their hands clasped, Jing Heguang pursed his lips to hide his delight.

“I have some free time today,” Jing Heguang said with a composed air. “I’ll take you around for a look.”

“Mm.”

Xing Qi gave a faint, indifferent response and tried to pull his hand away. But Jing Heguang was well-prepared.

—Xing Qi was so shy, he would certainly feel awkward about holding hands.

Therefore, Jing Heguang held his hand firmly, even applying a bit more pressure at just the right moment.

When Xing Qi tried to pull his hand away, Jing Heguang turned slightly and said, “You weren’t like this when you woke up this morning…Planning to deny it all after having slept together?”

Upon waking that morning, Xing Qi had rolled right into Jing Heguang’s arms.

Even though he hadn’t been conscious of it, the sight made it look as though he was seeking intimacy with Jing Heguang.

And now Jing Heguang was talking about having ‘slept together’?!

Recalling how they had embraced that morning, Xing Qi felt his face heat up uncontrollably.

Jing Heguang glanced at his flushed cheeks and said magnanimously, “Oh, never mind. I know you aren’t used to it, so I won’t hold it against you this time.”

Squeezing his hand tightly again, Jing Heguang added gently, “But you aren’t allowed to do that again in the future.”

At first, Xing Qi was entirely passive.

He let Jing Heguang lead the way, tasting whatever food caught their eye and trying out whatever games they came across, so much so that the street vendors all realized they had encountered a big spender that day!

The capital was bustling with activity, one street led right into the next.

By the time the sun began to dip and hang low in the treetops, both of them had eaten their fill and were strolling leisurely to let their food settle.

People followed at a discreet distance, some helping to carry their purchases, others keeping a watchful eye out for potential dangers.

As Jing Heguang held his hand, Xing Qi’s gaze fell upon the man’s strikingly handsome profile, and he pondered the peculiar details he had noticed that afternoon.

First: throughout the afternoon, Jing Heguang had been just as enthusiastic about the fun as he was.

It didn’t feel like he was merely accompanying Xing Qi, it felt like they were enjoying it together.

Second: whenever Jing Heguang bought something to eat, he often bought a single portion to share.

He claimed it was to save money. But would a distinguished imperial brother-in-law really need to pinch coins?

That was simply laughable. After all, Jing Heguang was in a very good mood that afternoon, even when Xing Qi tried to pull his hand away, Jing Heguang didn’t mind at all.

Someone who usually had a bad temper had suddenly turned so amiable!

Xing Qi mused to himself: It was highly likely that Jing Heguang had truly lost his head and taken a fancy to him.

But what exactly was there to like? His looks? Or the fact that his cheeks felt nice to poke?

Wait, Jing Heguang had even put an arm around his waist…

As this thought crossed his mind, Xing Qi pinched his own waist.

His belly was slightly rounded, but his waist was still slender.

King Chu loved slender waists, did the imperial brother-in-law have the same taste?

As for Jing Heguang…

The little shadow guard was stealing glances at him again!

Still stealing glances!

Even if he liked him, he shouldn’t stare so often. If he kept looking like that, Jing Heguang felt he might lose his composure.

Then again, he only had himself to blame. He had taken Xing Qi out to see the world today, so Xing Qi was surely deeply moved.

Perhaps tonight he could…take a small step forward and secretly put an arm around that waist?

They arrived at the entrance of the manor.

Jing Heguang couldn’t help himself. He cast a playful, teasing glance at Xing Qi, who was stealing a look at him.

Their eyes met.

The curve of Jing Heguang’s lips deepened, and his eyes brimmed with amusement.

Xing Qi blinked in surprise, sensing that something wasn’t quite right.

That expression on Jing Heguang’s face, why did it seem to hold a hint of childish smugness?

Could it be that Jing Heguang thought he was stealing glances?

If Jing Heguang misunderstood and thought he was stealing glances, he might also misunderstand…and think he had taken a fancy to him.

That would certainly explain that hint of childish smugness.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Xing Qi pursed his lips and offered Jing Heguang a faint smile.

Jing Heguang felt his heart racing wildly, but knowing how shy Xing Qi was, and fearing he might scare him off, he managed to suppress his excitement, merely giving Xing Qi’s palm a secret, gentle brush.

Receiving this ‘feedback’, Xing Qi knew exactly where things stood.

To think Jing Heguang was foolish enough to set his sights on him, well, he had only himself to blame…

That said, he was still flustered. Jing Heguang had actually traced patterns on his palm!

What on earth was he supposed to do when night fell?

Was he really going to sleep with Jing Heguang?

Xing Qi clutched the hem of his new robe with his other hand, torn by indecision.

Upon stepping into the imperial brother-in-law manor, however, Xing Qi steeled himself and made a decision.

If he was going to sleep with Jing Heguang, then so be it. He would sleep with him, and then, later he would ruthlessly cast him aside, that would surely cause Jing Heguang even more pain!

This time, Xing Qi was truly prepared to sleep with Jing Heguang.

It was just that things didn’t quite turn out the way he had imagined.

During their wedding leave, Jing Heguang and Xing Qi explored the markets, bookstores, the Confucius Temple, and the flower groves on the city outskirts. They even visited painted pleasure boats, brothels, and gambling dens.

They slept in the same bed every night. It wasn’t that Jing Heguang felt nothing, he would occasionally twitch a finger or, at most, offer a hug or an embrace…

To put it in a way that might infuriate both gods and men, he was a gentleman on par with the legendary Liu Xiahui, the paragon of chastity.

On the final day of their leave, the couple stayed at a mountain villa outside the city.

During the day, they went horseback riding and hunting.

Among the game Xing Qi caught were a few rabbits. Jing Heguang managed to burn the meat while roasting it, though he made sure to keep the pelts.

The villa featured several hot spring pools.

After soaking in the pool, Xing Qi lay in bed, feeling drowsy.

Jing Heguang was still awake, writing and sketching at the table.

Noticing Xing Qi watching him, Jing Heguang tossed aside his brush and paper. “I’m done drawing, let’s get some rest.”

As he deftly undressed, Jing Heguang said, “I’ll be leaving early tomorrow to make it to the morning court session.”

His wedding leave was over, it was time to return to work.

Xing Qi glanced at him. “I can get up early too.”

The implication was that they could leave together.

In the lamplight, Jing Heguang’s expression softened further. “Why not sleep a little longer if you can? Get some extra rest for my sake.”

Everyone, from the servants to Xing Qi, had grown accustomed to the shift from his initial, twisted behavior to his current normalcy, or even excessive gentleness. They all knew that Jing Heguang adored his new wife so much that his very temperament had changed.

Since Jing Heguang suggested sleeping in, Xing Qi simply nodded and agreed, looking entirely docile.

Stripping down to his undergarments, Jing Heguang blew out the candle and climbed into bed.

Tonight, Xing Qi had gotten into bed first but was still lying on the outer edge. Jing Heguang climbed in and lay down, smiling deliberately as he said, “It’s actually pretty nice sleeping on the inside.”

Xing Qi had slept on the inside for two nights, only to end up climbing over Jing Heguang in the middle of the night, insisting on moving to the outer edge for some inexplicable reason. When they swapped spots the next morning, Jing Heguang had teased him about it.

Seeing Jing Heguang laughing again, Xing Qi turned away, refusing to engage.

After the laughter subsided, Jing Heguang wrapped his arms around Xing Qi’s waist and pressed close. “Are you mad? I was wrong, I really was.”

Xing Qi rolled his eyes, thinking: Always quick to apologize, but never actually changes his ways.

When he continued to ignore him, Jing Heguang had another trick up his sleeve: he reached out and started tickling him.

Xing Qi was ticklish around the waist. The sensation made him laugh until tears sprang to his eyes, though he stubbornly tried to tickle Jing Heguang back.

“If you tickle me again, I’m tickling you back!”

“Hahaha, that tickles!”

The two of them lay on the bed, twisting and tangling together like a pretzel as they horsed around.

In the midst of the playful scuffle, Jing Heguang’s ‘little brother’ began to misbehave, stealthily rising to attention.

Since they were pressed so close together, it was impossible not to notice.

Upon realizing what was happening, Xing Qi instantly froze, his hands stopping mid-motion.

Jing Heguang sucked in his stomach and gave a couple of clear-the-throat coughs, his breathing growing ragged.

Xing Qi told himself: Stay cool, Jing Heguang, don’t panic!

Unexpectedly, Jing Heguang finally summoned the courage to ask, “Can I kiss you?”