BEGW C113

Chapter 113

The mist inside the room gradually thickened.

Before long, the scene before Jiang Yuxun’s eyes once again became hazy and indistinct.

The fingers that had been stirring trouble along his back stopped at some unknown moment.

In the sudden quiet, unease was infinitely amplified.

Just as Jiang Yuxun was about to turn around, a loud splash sounded beside his ear, and water flew everywhere in an instant.

Steam dampened the candlelight on the stand.

The room abruptly dimmed.

The bathing tub at the estate was quite large. By the time Jiang Yuxun reacted, he had already fallen back into Ying Changchuan’s arms once more.

Today, Ying Changchuan seemed particularly fond of the role of “Lord Jiang’s lover.”

…

The original owner of this body had grown up in Lanzé Commandery and only moved back to Zhaodu a few years ago.

All things considered, Jiang Yuxun had not lived here for even a full month.

Yet this place—stamped everywhere with the imprint of “Jiang Yuxun”—seemed to hold a special attraction for Ying Changchuan.

Water splashed noisily around the room.

Heat seeped out through the cracks of the windows, melting a wide stretch of snow outside.

Fortunately, no one else lived near Jiang Yuxun’s room.

Otherwise, just tonight’s commotion alone would have been enough to make him never dare return home again.

The night deepened bit by bit.

At some point, the moon climbed to the very center of the sky.

Jiang Yuxun and Ying Changchuan kept at it until well past midnight, only then being groggily carried back to the bedroom by the other.

The snow tonight was especially heavy, the world outside the window glowing as bright as day under its reflection.

“Does your throat still hurt?” Ying Changchuan asked as he spoke, handing Jiang Yuxun a teacup filled with warm water.

His movements were natural, utterly devoid of imperial airs.

The question sounded casual, yet in an instant it awakened the chaotic memories from earlier…

So much so that the hand Jiang Yuxun used to hold the cup began to tremble unconsciously.

He drained the water in one breath, then shook his head, forcing calm.

“It’s better now.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jiang Yuxun immediately wrapped himself tightly in the quilt, leaving only his eyes exposed.

Turning to glance outside, he made idle conversation.

“…The snow hasn’t stopped yet?”

His voice was thick with fatigue, his eyes nearly unable to stay open.

Ying Changchuan lowered his head and kissed Jiang Yuxun’s lightly trembling eyelashes.

While gently combing through his long hair, he replied softly, “No, it’s still falling.”

Jiang Yuxun’s hair was simply too long, and in winter it took especially long to dry.

Usually, he would towel it until half-dry, then stay somewhere warm and let it air-dry naturally.

Since being with Ying Changchuan, however, the Son of Heaven had taken it upon himself to handle these tedious, troublesome tasks.

At this moment, Jiang Yuxun didn’t even have the strength to lift his arms. He could only rest his head on Ying Changchuan’s thigh, letting him slowly comb through his hair.

Although the Jiang family estate was well-equipped, it could not compare to even a fraction of Yuyang Palace.

Jiang Yuxun usually lived alone, so his bedroom was only slightly larger than the duty room he once occupied in Xianyou Palace.

Through the silk gauze covering the window, he could vaguely see goose-feather snowflakes falling outside.

He even began to imagine that he could hear the soft rustling of snow.

Around this same time last year, Taoyan Commandery had been thrown into chaos by a blizzard.

The chain of events that followed had completely overturned the balance of the realm.

As he watched, exhaustion gave rise to drowsiness.

Seeing Jiang Yuxun’s eyelids droop, Ying Changchuan slowed his movements and murmured, “Sleep. By morning, the snow on the ground will be thick.”

With those words, Jiang Yuxun finally closed his eyes in a deep sleep.

At that very moment, the candle not far away burned out.

Moonlight tinged with cold and the pale glow of snow filtered through the window, falling across Jiang Yuxun’s face.

After the bath, his previously pale complexion carried a hint of color.

The moonlight resting on his lashes looked like a thin layer of frost.

If one looked closely, faint teeth marks could even be found on his lips…

After some time passed, Jiang Yuxun’s hair was completely dry, and Ying Changchuan’s hands finally stilled.

Carefully setting the comb aside, he gathered Jiang Yuxun into his arms and slowly lay down.

The quilt covered the red marks on the sleeper’s shoulders.

The single bed in the estate bedroom was quite narrow, yet at this moment Ying Changchuan felt it was just right.

The bed curtains had fallen at some point.

Darkness enveloped everything.

The Son of Heaven lowered his gaze to the person sleeping in his arms.

A faint itch suddenly stirred in his heart.

After an unknown length of time, Ying Changchuan finally couldn’t resist leaning down to steal a kiss at the corner of Jiang Yuxun’s lips…

After autumn turned to winter, the Yi River also entered its dry season.

The diversion canal along the Zhaodu stretch of the Yi River was finally completed, and after the heavy snow of the winter solstice ceased, it was opened through in one sweep.

In the span of barely ten days, more than ten explosions echoed across the Zhaodu plains.

The river channel—once twisting like a serpent—was reshaped by those blasts.

Unlike the first time the dike was blown, the court no longer organized public viewing.

Yet the common people still found ways to learn the timing from the river workers. On the night before, whole families waited along the Yi River to witness the awe-inspiring scene.

Some even stationed themselves early on the mountains, hoping to take in the full length of the river.

Even they held telescopes in hand, ready to raise them at any moment to carefully observe both banks.

The northern wars had been extinguished.

But gunpowder had taken root in their hearts like a seed.

Why did explosives wield such terrifying power?

Why could the glass lenses in their hands see so far?

The image of a roaring yellow dragon imprinted itself in countless minds, stirring a yearning for the unknown among people who had once only faced the earth with their backs to the sky.

Some even lifted their telescopes toward the heavens while watching the dike blasting below.

Winter water levels in the Yi River were low. Even once fully connected, there was a period when it could not yet support full navigation.

Cargo ships with deeper drafts were unable to pass at this time.

Yet after the blasting ended, countless small boats appeared overnight on the Yi River—once used only for irrigation.

Upstream on the Yi River, at Jiayang Ferry—

Before the morning mist had fully dispersed, a small boat drifted downstream from there.

Following the current, it slowly headed toward Zhaodu.

The weather was good today, sunlight spilling freely from the horizon.

In moments, it chased away the chill, making one squint like a cat basking in warmth.

Jiang Yuxun stepped out of the cabin and stretched lazily.

“At this speed, who knows when we’ll reach Zhaodu?”

After the final stretch of the diversion canal on the Zhaodu plains was completed, Jiang Yuxun and Ying Changchuan took the opportunity to travel upstream along the Yi River, inspecting the channel together with Yin Songquan, the chief engineer.

By the time the inspection ended, it was already late, so they stayed temporarily at Xianyou Palace upstream.

That morning, seeing the river full of small boats, the Son of Heaven suddenly suggested returning to Zhaodu by boat.

Jiang Yuxun—who also wanted to experience travel on the Yi River—immediately agreed.

Ying Changchuan followed him out of the cabin and gently draped a fox-fur cloak over his shoulders.

“We’ll arrive by evening.”

Jiang Yuxun instinctively grasped the collar and turned to shake his head.

“The weather’s nice today, and it’s not too cold on the river. Let’s not dress so conspicuously.”

Though it was still early, many small boats already dotted the Yi River.

Unlike Jiang Yuxun’s vessel, the others were either packed with people or loaded to the brim with vegetables.

The upper reaches of the Yi River were rich in farmland. In winter, besides wheat, many vegetables were also grown.

At this time, many villagers rode small boats—once used for harvesting lotus roots—downstream, hoping to reach Zhaodu before nightfall and sell their produce.

Others wanted to take advantage of the time before the New Year to shop in the city.

The Yi River had only recently opened to navigation, and all of this was still novel to the people.

Though it was deep winter, they showed no desire to retreat into their cabins for warmth. Instead, they clustered on deck, curiously looking around.

Unlike Jiang Yuxun and Ying Changchuan, who sat leisurely waiting for their boat to move forward,

Some villagers in a hurry paddled hard as they drifted downstream, trying to gain speed.

Ying Changchuan frowned slightly. After glancing up at the warm sun, he finally relented, allowing Jiang Yuxun to stow the fox fur back in the cabin.

Without it, their clothes were no longer quite so ostentatious—but still clearly different from those of the surrounding villagers.

Their padded brocade shimmered softly in the sunlight, and the jade crown atop their heads was obviously no ordinary item.

On a nearby small boat, villagers curiously rowed closer.

Noticing their covert scrutiny, Jiang Yuxun wasn’t annoyed at all. Instead, he took the opportunity to strike up a conversation.

“Auntie, what are you carrying on your boat?”

Startled that Jiang Yuxun addressed her, the woman on the opposite boat froze for a moment before answering nervously,

“In reply to young master, this humble woman’s boat carries spinach. I’m planning to take it to Zhaodu today to sell at a stall.”

In recent years, Jiang Yuxun had mostly lived in Xianyou Palace and seldom returned to Zhaodu.

Yet in his memory, around this time in past years, there hadn’t been so many villagers heading to the city to sell vegetables.

He slowly sat down at the edge of the boat.

“You didn’t go in previous years?”

His tone was relaxed, without the slightest trace of aristocratic condescension.

“Previous years…” Seeing how easygoing he was, the woman relaxed as well. She sat down at the edge of her boat too, chatting with Jiang Yuxun across several zhang of water.

“Boat travel is not only much faster than ox carts—the most important thing is that it doesn’t require animals at all. It’s not that we didn’t want to go to Zhaodu before. It’s just that taking an ox cart there and back cost almost as much as we could earn. It simply wasn’t worth it!”

Water transport had always been the cheapest means of transportation.

It wasn’t that the common people had never considered rowing to Zhaodu before—but prior to the straightening of the Yi River, its course had been long and winding. Not only was it difficult to navigate, the journey alone took far too much time.

Hearing this, Jiang Yuxun couldn’t help but nod lightly.

When he had first proposed cutting the bends and straightening the river, what he had thought of immediately was easing flood discharge and transporting soldiers.

By a twist of fate, from the very first day it was opened, this riverway brought the people an unexpected convenience.

The youth rowing the boat seemed to be the woman’s son.

Seeing the two chatting intermittently, he paddled closer and asked curiously,

“Young master, would you like to buy some vegetables to take home?”

“You silly child!” The woman turned to him, a little embarrassed.

“This young master is clearly here to enjoy a boat ride and admire the scenery—why would he buy vegetables here?”

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yuxun’s eyes lit up.

“It’s fine. I was just about to buy some for home anyway. I’ve heard vegetables harvested at dawn are at their freshest and sweetest.”

Since he had said so, the woman returned to the cabin to pack them up.

“Of course! These were picked from the fields before dawn today—there’s still soil on them.”

At that moment, the boy slowly rowed closer to Jiang Yuxun’s boat.

The woman’s movements were swift. In just a few motions, she bundled the vegetables and lifted them up toward Jiang Yuxun.

Winter currents on the Yi River were not fast, but for safety’s sake, the two boats still kept about a foot of distance between them.

Seeing her hand the vegetables over, Jiang Yuxun—who had been sitting at the edge—immediately stood up.

Just as he braced one hand against the cabin wall and raised the other, a sudden warmth pressed against his back.

Jiang Yuxun instinctively turned his head—

Ying Changchuan, who had been seated on the other side, was now standing close behind him without him noticing.

Ying Changchuan was considerably taller, with a longer reach.

He simply lifted his arm and easily took the bundle of vegetables.

At the same moment, their bodies pressed tightly together.

From afar, Jiang Yuxun looked as though he were being held firmly in Ying Changchuan’s arms.

It was… undeniably intimate.

Perhaps not expecting Ying Changchuan to appear so suddenly, the woman on the opposite boat froze for a moment.

Accustomed to maintaining the ruler–minister façade with Ying Changchuan in Yuyang Palace, Jiang Yuxun instinctively explained,

“Please don’t misunderstand—”

“Oh! Young master, don’t worry!” The woman had already come back to herself. She waved her hand.

“I’m from Zhaodu too—it’s not like I’ve never seen the world.”

Jiang Yuxun: “……”

Right. Great Zhou’s social customs were far more open than those of later ages.

The culture of male–male relationships was widespread throughout court and society alike.

Seeing that Ying Changchuan had already taken the vegetables, the boy on the other boat was about to swing his oar and adjust direction.

But the woman seemed to have caught the gossip bug. Not only did she not hurry to leave, she even lowered her voice and whispered conspiratorially to Jiang Yuxun,

“…I’ve heard people say that His Majesty and Lord Jiang might also be in this kind of relationship.”

Jiang Yuxun and Ying Changchuan had never made their relationship public.

But that couldn’t stop the people from gossiping.

What happened at Lanchi Hall that day had long since spread across the realm and become a famous tale.

“Cough, cough…”

Being named directly, Jiang Yuxun coughed awkwardly and shifted his gaze aside.

Behind him, Ying Changchuan chuckled softly at that very moment.

He sounded… exceptionally pleased.

Seeing Jiang Yuxun refuse to answer—and convinced he was a noble young man from Zhaodu—the woman couldn’t help asking,

“Does young master perhaps know some rumors?”

The rowing youth also leaned in, hoping to fish out a bit of information from him.

At a moment like this, Jiang Yuxun could only play dumb.

He laughed lightly and waved his hands.

“Uh, I—”

Before he could finish, Ying Changchuan suddenly placed a hand on Jiang Yuxun’s shoulder and lowered his gaze, pretending to be just as curious as he asked,

“Do you think Lord Jiang likes His Majesty?”

…Ying Changchuan!

Go on. Keep asking.

Jiang Yuxun silently stomped on his foot—and answered without thinking:

“…Naturally, he does.”

His voice wasn’t loud, yet it instantly carried across both boats.

The woman’s previously tense expression immediately relaxed.

“I knew it!”

Refusing to let him off, Ying Changchuan leaned down again and whispered by his ear,

“How much does he like him?”

Though it was a sunny day, winter mornings were never warm.

Yet the moment Ying Changchuan finished speaking, Jiang Yuxun’s ears began to burn uncontrollably.

“His Majesty is… the person Lord Jiang loves most in this world.”

Although Jiang Yuxun had once told Ying Changchuan that he could simply ask if he wanted sweet words—

Saying something like this in front of two complete strangers still made him shy.

Jiang Yuxun turned toward the river wind.

Letting the cool northern breeze brush his cheeks.

A few breaths later, after being “interrogated” by Ying Changchuan, a trace of unwillingness rose in Jiang Yuxun’s heart.

As the boat rocked gently with the Yi River’s waves, Jiang Yuxun suddenly turned and looked deeply at Ying Changchuan, asking as casually as possible,

“Then what do you think? How much does His Majesty like Lord Jiang?”

The fingers that had been lightly brushing his shoulder stilled.

At first listen, Ying Changchuan’s tone remained as unhurried as ever—but every word carried an indescribable seriousness.

“As much as I love this world, so too do I love Lord Jiang.”

Since when had Ying Changchuan become this shamelessly sentimental?

Jiang Yuxun abruptly looked up at the sky, then lowered the hand resting on his shoulder.

“It’s a bit cold. I’ll go back into the cabin first.”

And with that, he fled—almost as if escaping—out of their sight.

“Uh… this…” The woman on the opposite boat blinked in confusion.

Weren’t they talking about His Majesty and Lord Jiang just now?

Then why was this young master suddenly embarrassed?

Before she could figure it out—

Ying Changchuan had already placed the vegetables back into the cabin and followed Jiang Yuxun inside, disappearing from the pair’s view.

Only the ripples beneath the boats remained, spreading out in gentle circles.

As they neared Zhaodu, more people appeared patrolling the riverbanks.

Markets gathered along both sides of the river; besides vegetables, some even sold cooked food.

The north wind carried cooking smoke across the water, and the liveliness could be felt from afar.

The boat was stocked with food, so Jiang Yuxun and Ying Changchuan didn’t disembark midway.

By the time they reached Zhaodu, dusk had fallen.

The small boat slowly docked, and the Xuan Seal Guards—who had been waiting there early—stepped forward to greet them.

The sun sank lower and lower, and the temperature dropped with it.

As Jiang Yuxun rose to leave the cabin, he casually draped the fox-fur cloak over himself.

The dock where they landed was meant for future troop transport.

Since the Yi River had not yet officially opened to navigation, the dock was not open to the public.

Only Jiang Yuxun’s boat occupied the surrounding waters.

Seeing them arrive, the Xuan Seal Guards immediately saluted.

“Greetings to Your Majesty, Lord Jiang—”

Before Jiang Yuxun—still inside the cabin—could return the salute, a sudden warmth wrapped around his wrist.

For some reason, Ying Changchuan had tightly grasped it.

“…Your Majesty?” Jiang Yuxun paused, turning toward him in mild confusion.

Ying Changchuan lowered his eyes and smiled at him.

“Come with me.”

“Where are we going?” Jiang Yuxun was startled by the movement. Realizing Ying Changchuan seemed to have planned this, he asked instinctively,

“Don’t we still have things to do tomorrow?”

With the year’s end approaching, court affairs were still piling up.

He didn’t know why Ying Changchuan was pulling something like this today.

The Son of Heaven didn’t answer. Holding Jiang Yuxun’s wrist, he led him past the Xuan Seal Guards toward a jet-black warhorse nearby.

By the time Jiang Yuxun realized what was happening, Ying Changchuan had already lifted him onto the saddle.

The north wind roared past.

The snow-cleared evening glow burned across the entire Yi River.

The warhorse—one that had gone to battle alongside Ying Changchuan—was keenly perceptive.

Once its master had settled in place, it reared and galloped toward the official road ahead, leaving the Xuan Seal Guards far behind—clearly prearranged.

Everything happened far too suddenly.

The confusion in Jiang Yuxun’s eyes hadn’t even had time to fade.

Only then did Ying Changchuan lower his gaze to him.

“Care to guess, my beloved minister—where do you think we’re going?”

“I can’t guess,” the wind was loud, forcing Jiang Yuxun to raise his voice. He turned slightly toward Ying Changchuan.

“It looks… almost like we’re eloping.”

Riding off and leaving the Xuan Seal Guards and Zhaodu far behind—if that wasn’t elopement, what was?

Ying Changchuan laughed. Leaning close to Jiang Yuxun’s ear, he spoke plainly amid the howling wind,

“I want to elope with you. Are you afraid?”

His words were thick with laughter.

Even knowing it was a joke, Jiang Yuxun’s heart still began to pound wildly—

As if they truly were about to cast everything Zhaodu represented behind them,

And roam the world together from this day on.

“Not afraid—”

The rushing wind carried Jiang Yuxun’s words to Ying Changchuan’s ears.

He instinctively tightened his grip on the horse’s mane—and at that very moment, turned and pressed a light kiss to Ying Changchuan’s lips beneath the glowing sunset.

Like a snowflake,

Gently falling right there.