In the hall, only Chu Mingyun and Su Shiyu were left. The charcoal fire crackled softly, and outside the hall, the north wind howled. The heavy snow fell thick and fast, piling up in the courtyard. In the deep silence of the night, the accumulated snow reflected the bright moonlight, making the entire Grand Commandant's residence so quiet that not even a whisper could be heard.
"I originally thought my residence was already desolate enough, but I didn't expect yours to be this empty as well," Su Shiyu suddenly said.
"I've never been one to celebrate any festivals," Chu Mingyun replied with a low chuckle. "If there's no need for servants, I let them all go. I have no family of my own, so why should I disrupt the reunions of those who do?"
Su Shiyu nodded without a word and handed over a peeled kumquat.
Chu Mingyun raised an eyebrow with a smile, not reaching out to take it, and said to Su Shiyu, "Do you take me for a three-year-old child, thinking a single kumquat can make me happy?"
Su Shiyu looked down at another half-peeled kumquat in his other hand and handed it over as well.
Chu Mingyun's smile deepened, and he frowned, "So two is enough?"
"If you don't want to eat, then forget it," Su Shiyu withdrew his hand.
"Who said I didn't want to eat?" Chu Mingyun grabbed his hand. Su Shiyu chuckled softly, unusually not pulling away.
The wind outside the hall gradually died down, and the falling snow was silent. The sound of the eaves' flower-protecting bells tinkled, mixed with the crisp sound of icicles suddenly falling.
Chu Mingyun tore off a segment of the kumquat and suddenly remembered, "Right, what was that matter you and His Majesty mentioned about the Crown Prince being confined to the Eastern Palace on New Year's Eve?"
"It's not something worth mentioning," Su Shiyu sighed lightly.
"The way you say it makes me even more curious," Chu Mingyun insisted.
Su Shiyu glanced at him and said, "His Majesty has always been too trusting of others. When he was the Crown Prince, he carelessly misspoke in front of his attendants and gave someone a handle against him. The late Emperor punished him by confining him to the Eastern Palace on New Year's Eve, not allowing him to join the feast. As his tutor, I copied books for him all night long. That's all."
Chu Mingyun couldn't help but return a kumquat to him, as a gesture of sympathy.
Su Shiyu looked at him with a smile, paused, and then said, "Speaking of which, there's something I've been meaning to tell you but haven't found the right moment."
"Oh?"
"Have you read the verdict regarding your uncle's case?"
"Are you referring to the matter concerning the Prince of Huainan that's been kept under wraps?" Chu Mingyun said, "I can almost guess what you're planning to do."
Su Shiyu turned his head in surprise, "You can guess?"
"Mr. Su," Chu Mingyun sighed leisurely, "after all, I've been pursuing you for half a year now, am I not allowed to understand you a little better?"
"Understand a bit?" Chu Mingyun propped himself up with one hand, leaning in slightly closer, his pale fingertips resting on the white robe. He lightly tapped Su Shiyu's chest and said softly, "What you're thinking here, I can't guess."
Su Shiyu's form stiffened slightly, but he did not dodge, looking down at him and asking, "What does Lord Chu wish to guess?"
Chu Mingyun smiled faintly and spoke slowly, "There's much I'd like to guess, such as how you regard me, and also," he slowly lifted his gaze to meet Su Shiyu's eyes, "why you came here tonight?"
YOU ARE READING
Jun You Ji Fou
Romance"Shiyu, my heart does not lie." With these words of deep passion, Chu Mingyun inserts his hand back into his sleeve and pinches himself. Su Shiyu's smile deepens all of a sudden. He squints his eyes and gently parts his mouth to say, "Are you sick?"...
