Chapter 105 — Wrapping Up

Edited by DancingDolphinsYo

The case of Yan Wenxin conspiring to betray the country created a storm in court. At first, there were still his allies who wanted to speak up for him, to exonerate him. However, they did not expect that the Emperor had such irrefutable proof in his hand, the evidence concrete. There were even letters Yan Wenxin personally wrote to the confidants of the southern barbarian king. In an instant, all the voices fell silent.

Having been a court official for twenty years, Yan Wenxin’s power in court was like the roots of a towering tree, deep and complicated. However, this tree still could not escape lightning, and in one breath, from crown to root, it was split in two.

His allies cautiously shrunk into themselves. Afraid to be dragged in to face the might of the Emperor, around a dozen people called in sick at once and another dozen sent up appeals for their own retirement. Their replacements this time were all people with no strong family backgrounds, and they were a bunch of young talents who were mindful about the rules and regulations.

Amongst the people in court, which one of them was not clever? Previously, the Emperor held great trust in Yan Wenxin, favouring him in particular, and rumours had spread both in court and in the country about how the Emperor and his official shared a homosexual relationship. After all, not too long ago, when that thing with Yan Wenxin’s adopted son happened, the Yan family had completely escaped unscathed from it and great sympathy was even shown to Yan Wenxin.

Now, looking back at it, the Emperor was actually leading him to destruction by lauding him to the skies! There was no need to mention how his actions were so swift and resolute, the trap had definitely been in place for a long time already. Just look at how quickly the Lord Protector had recovered from his illness, and how his son had been reinstated as the Great Southern Garrison General. The ones who should be rewarded and favoured, none of them had been missed out, and there was no need to name who were the ones who were truly trusted by the Emperor.

As such, in less than seven days, all the voices that were ready to start trouble, planning on probing into the matter, fell silent. Yan Wenxin had been crippled, and more than half of the alliance had been eradicated without even a drop of blood being spilled. Despite the storm in the court, things were completely unruffled, and the storm subsided silently.

Yan Wenxin had relied on the Yue family for the foundation of his base and he did not have any other relatives. Once this matter happened, before Yan Wenxin had even been sentenced, Madam Yan had her divorce papers notarised, then brought her daughter along with her to a Guanyin Temple that was a day’s journey away in a carriage from the capital to seal herself shut in meditation, removing her ties completely from the incident. As for their sons, Madam Yan’s abilities fell short of her desires, and she could only watch as her two sons had all their achievements stripped off and were locked in jail. She did not know if in the end, they would be able to even keep their lives.

The Emperor did show the Yan family a last shred of benevolence. The lives of the two Yan sons were kept, but they were then designated as untouchables, and were sent to the northwest borders as slaves, leaving once winter ended. As for what exactly would happen to Yan Wenxin, the Emperor still did not mention a word, and no one dared to ask. After some time passed, it seemed as though the entire court had forgotten that there was once the existence of a powerful minister like Yan Wenxin.

These days, Wu Xingzi had long finished planting his vegetables. Hugging a hot water bottle, he was currently chatting away with the Lord Protector’s wife over daily matters.

Once Guan Shanjin had been released from jail, he had taken Wu Xingzi home with him, and the two enjoyed their days of honeyed sweetness. Wu Xingzi had originally been worried that the Lord Protector and his wife would be unhappy with his age. Although he had met the Lord Protector’s wife before, and the other party seemed to be quite satisfied with him, there was no way that Wu Xingzi would feel at ease. When he thought about the Lord Protector, more shivers ran through him.

However, who would have thought that Lord Protector completely could not be bothered with whom his son liked? In any case, that person was not his wife, so what did it have to do with him? Furthermore, Guan Shanjin was not a person he could manage anyway.

As for the Lord Protector’s wife and Wu Xingzi, they were very close. There was no disagreement between the in-laws at all, and when the two of them had nothing to do, they would come together, chatting as they drank tea. From her, Wu Xingzi heard quite a number of anecdotes about his father in the capital.

The steward came over at this moment, cupping his hands together, saying, “Young furen, Bai Shaochang-gongzi has requested an audience. May I ask if you’re willing to meet him?”

The address “young furen” made Wu Xingzi shrink into himself, shuddering, and a blush flourished on both his nose and cheeks.

“The child from the Bai family?” The Lord Protector’s wife was startled.

“Yes.”

“Why is he looking for Xingzi?” The Lord Protector’s wife knew that there was an entanglement between Bai Shaochang and Yan Wenxin. Furthermore, the Lord Protector’s estate had even made use of him, and according to this, he should want to avoid them by being as far away from them as possible, right? Why did he come up to their door?

“Bai-gongzi did not mention anything.” The steward was also a little puzzled. “Would Young furen like to meet him?”

“I will, I will.” Wu Xingzi nodded firmly, worried as he looked out into the snow-covered courtyard. “It’s so cold now, quickly let Bai-gongzi in to warm himself up.”

The steward left with his instructions, while the Lord Protector’s wife contemplated the situation. The young master of the Bai family was prideful and sensitive, and she was not sure what he wanted to speak to Wu Xingzi about. However, with her, an outsider, around, he would definitely refuse to say anything even if he were to choke on his words. Seeing how pitiful this child was, the Lord Protector’s wife bade farewell in thoughtfulness.

Bai Shaochang was led in by Man Yue. Although he was still dressed in his usual, pure white outfit, he no longer had his previous aura of elegance and ethereality. It was as though a snowflake had fallen into the dust, losing its once clarity in greyness.

Without thinking, Wu Xingzi stood up to welcome him, but Bai Shaochang cupped his hands together, greeting him with due respect in aloofness.

A little awkward, Wu Xingzi returned the greeting. Feeling ill at ease, he called him to take a seat.

When Bai Shaochang sat down, the two people were temporarily at a loss for words. Man Yue did not leave too, instead lazily standing by the side and watching Bai Shaochang. His eyes made the young man embarrassed, his face switching between red and white.

“The reason for Bai-gongzi’s visit is?” Wu Xingzi hurriedly spoke up to reduce his embarrassment. He knew that Man Yue disliked Bai Shaochang, and Bai Shaochang too held Man Yue in fear and disgust. It seemed as though he would rush out at any moment.

“Uhh… umm…” Bai Shaochang straightened up, ill at ease. He shot a swift glance at Wu Xingzi, his white teeth nibbling on his red lip, exuding a stubborn yet fragile air.

Wu Xingzi loved admiring beauties the most. Naturally, he was unwilling for a beauty to reveal such an expression. Feeling a little panicky, he looked towards Man Yue.

Of course, Man Yue stood up to bat, smiling as he took a couple of steps forward.

“Bai-gongzi, furen is kindhearted and cannot bear to see people cry in front of him. Why don’t I take you to find somewhere else, and you can cry to your delight first before returning?” He seemed to have no intention of leaving Bai Shaochang with his dignity. After all, this person in front of him had fabricated a charge against his boss, and not throwing him out was only because Man Yue was giving face to the Emperor.

Bai Shaochang choked, glaring at Man Yue in embarrassed indignance. Gritting his teeth, he asked quietly, “I would like to speak to Mr. Wu alone. May I ask if Vice General Man can step away for a bit?”

“Of course not.” Man Yue smiled cheekily. With his round and honest appearance, he looked like the Laughing Buddha, and only people who had once been tripped up by him knew of the malice behind his smile. “I have completely no interest in what you’re about to say, but the General has commanded me to take good care of furen and not let any random people take the opportunity to incite anything. As such, I have no other choice. If you don’t wish to say it, then I’ll send you out.”

Now that the situation was already like this, despite Bai Shaochang’s face having turned red from anger, and his lip nearly bleeding from him biting on it, there was nothing he could do about Man Yue. Wu Xingzi, in front of him, appeared to be easy to manipulate, but that was only an appearance. Right now, he would definitely not send Man Yue away in consideration for his dignity. As expected, Wu Xingzi looked apologetic, but he did not say anything. With no other options, Bai Shaochang could only open his mouth. “Mr. Wu, why… why were you so sure that Zaizong-gege would use the perfume sachet again?”

That day, after separating from Yan Wenxin, Bai Shaochang had been continuously troubled by this thought. In embarrassment, he had pleaded for an audience with the Emperor, and after finding out about that incident where Wu Xingzi had helped the merchant who sold the perfume sachets and gained a promise in return, he was extremely astonished. This middle-aged man in front of him, who looked so ordinary and shy, had actually made this move so many years ago, causing him to foolishly fall into this trap and testify against Yan Wenxin. Had he been made use of?

He tossed and turned restlessly, unable to settle himself down. After all, having loved Yan Wenxin for so many years, he truly could not bear to see him tumble from his peak in just a day.

Bai Shaochang could not put into words why there was so much pain and hesitance in his heart. He thought, perhaps Yan Wenxin had not lied to him at all. Instead, he was too big a fool and had turned into a tool to be made use of by others.

All sorts of ideas appeared one after another, causing him a suffering that turned him into skin and bones. After a bout of illness, it took him about a month to recover before he regained some life in him. No longer able to just sit around, he insisted on seeking Wu Xingzi out to clarify his doubts.

Hearing this, Wu Xingzi was stunned. He was a little troubled, then came to a sudden realisation.

“Does Bai-gongzi think that I’m framing Zaizong-xiong?”

With such a direct counter question, Bai Shaochang flushed red, then turned green, nearly losing his breath. He had been living amongst the nobility of the capital, well sheltered since he was young. Everyone always beat around the bush, speaking cautiously and ambiguously. Even if they disliked someone, they would always leave them a path out of the situation. Who would be like Wu Xingzi?

“No, I…” Bai Shaochang gritted his teeth. He paused for a moment, thinking about how miserable Yan Wenxin was right now. His heart aching, he came to a decision and nodded. “Yes. After all, it’s a matter of 20 years ago already. How could things be so coincidental and t-that perfume sachet could still be available for sale?”

Wu Xingzi gazed at Bai Shaochang with sympathy. Beads of sweat had gathered on the young man’s forehead, his fists tightly clenched, and he was so tensed as though he was a string that could break at any moment. Wu Xingzi sighed. “At first, I did hold some resentment. 20 years ago, Zaizong-xiong asked me for 23 taels as travelling expenses and that was more than my entire fortune. I even borrowed money from the magistrate’s office. This was something I gave willingly, and I could not resent Zaizong-xiong for it… Bai-gongzi, do you know how much 10 taels is?”

The unexpected question jolted Bai Shaochang. Blankly, he shook his head, while behind him, Man Yue burst into mocking laughter. His cheeks rising in colour, he nodded in ashamed resentment, “I know, it’s not a lot.”

And what did it have to do with all this?

Wu Xingzi tightened his arms around the hot water bottle in his embrace, speaking placidly, “I’ve been working as an adviser my entire life in the magistrate’s office of my hometown, and my monthly salary is 400 coins. I’m also allocated some rice and cloth, and living alone, I can still survive. Still, I’m incapable, and at this age, I’ve only amassed a fortune of 10 taels.”

Bai Shaochang looked at him in astoundment, not understanding why they were talking about this. Wu Xingzi clearly did not think that he would understand as well, as so, he continued with his usual imperturbable air, “When I just received the news, hearing that Zaizong-xiong had gained the Top Scholar position, that he would be marrying a wife and becoming an official in the capital, with no intentions of returning to his hometown, I could not help but feel resentful. You’re right, when I discovered the source of the perfume sachets, I was a little upset over it. However, at the end of the day, it was me who did not understand that person enough, and I had to find a way to continue living. Helping Xia Dageng fight his case, I did it without any motives, and never had I once thought that I would ever make use of this promise.”

When Wu Xingzi spoke Mandarin, his accent was soft and flowing, as gentle as water that could never boil. Some of his syllables would be drawled together, further emphasising his agreeable and non-competitive nature. However, Bai Shaochang inexplicably shrunk into himself, shivering, and his face smarted vaguely in pain.

He finally understood. Right now, Wu Xingzi was telling him that Yan Wenxin was originally an ungrateful person. During his most impoverished time, he would still want to take everything he could from someone he was close to and never had any intentions of repaying it. However, Wu Xingzi had ended up paying with his entire fortune and half his life, just because Yan Wenxin had given him a few sweet, honeyed words. He truly had no energy to hate Yan Wenxin for it, and he could only just try to get by with his life.

“But…” Bai Shaochang still wanted to struggle on. A few days ago, after pleading with his father, he had finally managed to visit Yan Wenxin in jail. The once gentle and warm man, whose elegance made one feel admiration towards him, was like a pearl encased in dust in the dim and cramped cell. Despite the man looking so unyielding as though he would never break, the image still made Bai Shaochang’s heart ache.

Yan Wenxin did not say a word. While silently staring through the wooden slatted door at Bai Shaochang, as though the young man was a world away from him, Yan Wenxin gave a faint smile. Bai Shaochang fled the jail in misery, returning to his home in a daze, and then had a crying fit in his room.

He thought, perhaps he might be able to find something out from Wu Xingzi that could help Yan Wenxin.

“Bai-gongzi, there’s only one question I have for you. If you can give me a reply, I’m willing to go to Haiwang and mention a couple of words to protect Zaizong-xiong.”

This was equivalent to good news. Bai Shaochang gathered his spirits, staring at Wu Xingzi fixedly, silently urging him to continue.

Wu Xingzi lowered his head slightly, gently asking, “That year, the assertions that Zaizong-xiong gave me, why would he tell you the exact same thing, and not even a word was different?”

Bai Shaochang’s eyes widened. His pink lips parted, but he was unable to make a sound. Instead, it was Man Yue, standing behind, who burst again into laughter.

“I-I don’t know…” After some time, Bai Shaochang finally managed to force a response out, and it seemed as though his soul had left him. Certainly, no matter how much he wanted to help exonerate Yan Wenxin, no matter how much he wanted to blame Wu Xingzi for making use of him, he was not able to answer this question.

That perfume sachet, had been given to him by Yan Wenxin. Those words of affection, had also been personally said by Yan Wenxin to him.

“Bai-gongzi, please return.” Wu Xingzi sighed internally. It was not his place to say anymore. The shoulders of the man in front of him had already sunk deeply, and his shaky and unsteady appearance was truly too pitiful.

“Then, you say it. Tell me, why would he say the exact same thing?” Bai Shaochang refused to leave. His eyes were reddened and bloodshot, looking a little crazed.

Wu Xingzi shivered from his stare and shot a glance towards Man Yue, seeking aid. He was soft-hearted, and when he knew very well that the other party was already teetering on the edge, he was really unwilling to state things so clearly. Bai Shaochang was still young, and once he had a few more years, he would be able to see how treacherous Yan Wenxin was, and he would slowly recover from this pain.

Who would have guessed that Man Yue would pretend not to see anything? He looked out of the window, paying great attention to the snowy landscape, and he was almost about to be able to see a blooming flower amongst the snow.

With no other choice, Wu Xingzi had to send the guest off by himself. There was no way he could tell Bai Shaochang that the reason why Yan Wenxin could say the exact same thing was that in his heart, whether it was Bai Shaochang, or the young Wu Xingzi, they were the same to him. At that point, they were worth something to Yan Wenxin, and once he achieved what he needed, he could just turn away and abandon them, to leave them behind forever.

If not for the Emperor needing Bai Shaochang to expose Yan Wenxin, if the Emperor had actually been deceived by Yan Wenxin right from the start, or if the Emperor truly favoured and trusted Yan Wenxin, then after it was discovered that Bai Shaochang had hidden the letters showing the collusion with the enemies, and with the revenge from the Lord Protector’s estate, he would have faced the same fate as Yan Huaixiu, dying in vain.

Towards a man who was going to die, how could Yan Wenxin spend the extra effort to think of any words of affection? The lines he used twenty years ago to enchant Wu Xingzi had been rather useful. As for Bai Shaochang, who was completely not astute and had been so sheltered to the point of naivety, it was the easiest to appeal to his feelings. With only a perfume sachet as a love token, it was enough for Yan Wenxin to grasp a tight hold on Bai Shaochang’s heart.

Despite things having been concluded in this manner, did Bai Shaochang still not hold a shred of hope within him? And did he still not wish that Yan Wenxin held true affection towards him?

“Y-you really can’t…” Gritting his teeth, Bai Shaochang’s eyes shone with tears, throwing out a last ditch effort in vain.

“Bai-gongzi, I understand your intentions. It’s only human nature for you to seek a way out for Zaizong-xiong, but…” Wu Xingzi’s brows were tightly creased. “Why did you not plead with the Emperor directly, but come seek help from Haiwang instead? Colluding with the enemy is a great sin, and in the whole court, neither the martial nor literary officials dare say a word for Zaizong-xiong. I’m afraid the Emperor too is waiting for some stupid people to barge in, so that he can make a clean sweep of the court. What you want to do is show that Haiwang is unloyal to the country.”

Bai Shaochang jerked violently. His face first turned pale, before a flush rushed up his cheeks. Opening his mouth, he stammered away, but was unable to form any words.

“You wish to protect Zaizong-xiong, while I only wish to protect Haiwang… You… You should head back.” Wu Xingzi stood up to send off his guest, his uncompromising attitude was one that was rarely seen in him. Even Man Yue looked startled by his behaviour.

“I’m not doing that… Help him! He too shared a relationship with you in the past, do you not think about old time’s sake? Being an official in the capital, he needed to marry a wife and have children, so, why can’t you make an allowance for him, and be considerate towards him? He didn’t go back to find you, it was only because he was unwilling for you to be sad! Why do you have to hate him? And even hate him to the point where you dragged me on to harm him as well? You…” Bai Shaochang wailed as though he was crazy, completely losing his usual elegant demeanour, looking both wretched and pitiful.

Wu Xingzi gazed sympathetically at Bai Shaochang who had tears and snot smeared all over his face, turning a deaf ear to his wails. Instead, it was Man Yue who no longer looked on by the side, and deftly tapped at Bai Shaochang’s acupoint that would render him temporarily mute. As though he was carrying a little chick, he dragged the man away, so as to prevent him from disturbing the tranquility around them.

When Guan Shanjin returned, what he saw was Wu Xingzi sitting alone in a chair, hugging his already-cooled hot water bottle as he stared into space.

“What happened?” Guan Shanjin hurriedly made his way forward and took the hot water bottle away. Holding onto Wu Xingzi’s frozen, reddened hands, he carefully warmed them up with his inner qi.

“Ai, it’s nothing…” Wu Xingzi shook his head. Wrinkling his nose, he sneezed abruptly. Despite having dressed warmly, as well as having a fire burning in the furnace to heat up the room, it was too cold in the north. Wu Xingzi’s hands were always so icy that he needed to keep them warm with a hot water bottle, and if he were to breathe just a little bit harder than usual, his nose would start itching. Pitifully, he sneezed continuously for a while, and it seemed as though he was wilting.

“Hmm?” Guan Shanjin snorted a laugh, tugging the older man into his arms and they both nestled into the chair as he kneaded at the fingers in his hands. “I’ve heard it from Man Yue. Bai Shaochang came to look for you, wanting you to plead mercy on Yan Wenxin’s behalf in front of me?”

Ever since they confirmed their feelings for each other, Guan Shanjin would rarely conceal any matters from Wu Xingzi, and he no longer beat around the bush as well.

“Ai…” Wu Xingzi nodded, unconsciously shrinking into Guan Shanjin’s embrace. “He’s young, and it’s inevitable that he’s unable to see things clearly for now. I was only thinking about returning to Bastion City, as well as the matter of making offerings to my ancestors during the New Year…”

“I know that you wish to return. It’s cold and boring in the capital, and who knows the state of that garden in your courtyard in Bastion City too. That time, when you left, you even remembered to harvest everything that you could eat. Only you, this old fellow, could think about things like this.” Guan Shanjin could not help but make fun of him.

“Ai, they grew so well, so it would be such a pity to not harvest them for eating. At that time, you must have been furious to know that I was gone. If you were to see that those plants were still there, would you not have stomped on them all in a fury?” Wu Xingzi licked his lips, grazing his fingers along Guan Shanjin’s palm intimately.

Guan Shanjin snorted, “It’s good that you know that.” It clearly had been an incident that happened only about half a year ago, but it felt as though a lifetime had passed since then. Guan Shanjin could still remember the pain and confusion he had felt when he saw the empty room after Wu Xingzi left. He was so angry that his head hurt, and he had clenched his jaw so hard that his teeth even creaked. How he had wished he could immediately catch Wu Xingzi and drag him back to him, but he was also worried that he would end up scaring him.

The two were intertwined intimately. Guan Shanjin bowed his head, kissing Wu Xingzi. His tongue nimbly twisted and teased its way into his mouth, causing the older man to lose his breath before parting. Wu Xingzi had only sucked in some air before he was kissed again, and the continuous intimacy left him weak, his vision hazy. Guan Shanjin’s hand had even slipped into his clothes, and left with the barrier of his inner clothes, he rubbed and caressed the older man to his delight. Wu Xingzi completely melted at his touch, falling limply into the younger man’s arms as he gasped for air.

“Come, touch it, this huge treasure has been missing you a lot.” Guan Shanjin pulled the hand that had been warmed up by him towards his crotch. The tent there had been present for some time already, and when the hand came in contact, it jerked in excitement.

Wu Xingzi cried out quietly, but could not bear to pull his hand away. Too many things had happened these few days, and he had been missing Guan Shanjin’s pengornis too much. The huge object under his palm clearly missed him a lot too. Before he could even start stroking it, it had already twitched violently a few times. Its weight and girthiness knocked against his palm, leaving a trail of scorching heat.

“You’re not going to see it?” Sucking on Wu Xingzi’s earlobe, Guan Shanjin chuckled. His heated breath surrounded Wu Xingzi’s ear, the warmth causing a tingle to run through his entire body, and his breaths became irregular.

“I want to see it…” How could Wu Xingzi resist such an undisguised temptation? He gulped, but his throat still felt dry. With trembling hands, he undid Guan Shanjin’s pants. Just as he was about to reach inside, a wave of timidness suddenly crashed over him when he was near his target. Through the pants, he carefully wrapped his hand around the big pengornis, another hand shyly coming around and pressing against Guan Shanjin’s muscular abdomen and caressing it. His face was red, and he gazed at Guan Shanjin with teary eyes, stammering and stuttering, not daring to slide his hands into the pants.

“My lewd darling, are you feeling shy, or are you deliberately teasing your husband?”

Wu Xingzi glared at him tamely. He slid the hand against Guan Shanjin’s abdomen down by half an inch, only to stop again, right where the root of the shaft was. Guan Shanjin could not help but pant heavily, his hungry eyes fixed on the man who seemed shy but was actually rather daring.

“You’ve got guts now.” The ominous threat was filled with doting. At this moment, even the tips of Wu Xingzi’s ears were blushing, but he still continued trailing the tips of his fingers through the patch of pubic hair, scratching lightly. With how Wu Xingzi was stoking the flames of his desire, Guan Shanjin wanted nothing more than to push the older man down and be done with the teasing.

However, just as he was about to make his move, a knock resounded on their door. Man Yue’s voice could be heard. “General, furen. As the saying goes, don’t kill the messenger. It’s not that I don’t know how to tell that I shouldn’t be interrupting, but I have no choice… hai, Mr. Lu wishes to see the General, and he’s kicking up a fuss.”