Jinling, thousands of miles away, sent two letters. Du Yue eagerly opened his own, staring at the letter in his hand, reading it like an illiterate child, then, with a face of despair, took the other letter to find his cousin, Su Shiyu.
Su Shiyu had just finished dealing with the daily affairs of the Imperial Censorate and was in the study of the Su Mansion, reviewing documents. Despite the well-known relationship between him and Chu Mingyun in the court, Su Shiyu occasionally returned home as he still had Su family matters to attend to, and the study still held books and records to be used. Chu Mingyun had suggested several times for him to move everything to the palace and permanently reside there, but Su Shiyu always shook his head, deeming it inappropriate. Every time Chu Mingyun came to the mansion to find him, he would stand at the door for a moment, as Su Bai would say, "His Majesty looks like he wants to seal off our Su Mansion."
Du Yue handed over the letter, watching as Su Shiyu, after reading it, just smiled. Unable to contain himself, Du Yue asked, "Cousin, what did my mother write to you? Did she mention your situation with someone surnamed Chu... you know, that matter between you two?"
Su Shiyu neatly kept the letter, raised his eyes to see Du Yue's troubled expression, and instead of answering, he asked, "What did your mother write to you?"
"Well..." Du Yue scratched his head, "My mother wants me to go back, get married, and then properly explain what happened between you and that Chu guy."
Su Shiyu nodded, "Understandable. Your mother probably thinks she couldn't take care of me properly, leading to my misbehavior. Naturally, she wants to settle you down quickly."
"My mother said that about you? What are you going to do? You two have finally gotten together. If something happens again, I can't imagine what that Chu guy would do."
"No need to worry. When you return to Jinling, just send a reply to your mother on my behalf." Su Shiyu looked at Du Yue's conflicted expression and couldn't help but laugh. "What's wrong? Don't want to go back?"
"I... It's not that I don't want to go home, but..." Du Yue frowned, "I just don't want to get married when I'm so young."
Su Shiyu smiled at him, lifting the teacup nearby. "Why don't you want to get married?"
"I'm still young. Getting married so early seems too soon."
"You've already reached adulthood, getting married is natural. Compared to others, it's not considered early."
"But cousin, you've been delaying it all this time."
Su Shiyu leisurely sipped his tea. "That's why Aunt is now urging you to come back."
"..." Du Yue was speechless for a moment, then struggled to say, "Well, that's true, but I still don't want to get married."
"Is there a reason?"
Du Yue scratched his head again. "I don't know, my mind is all messed up."
"If you can't figure out your own thoughts, I can't help you." Su Shiyu looked at him thoughtfully. "Or perhaps, you can ask someone else for advice?"
Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted them. Qin Zhao, puzzled, put down the half-polished sword and opened the door. Outside, Du Yue nervously touched his nose and chuckled, "Qin Zhao, you... haven't slept yet?"
Qin Zhao glanced at the still bright sky outside, "...Hmm." He let Du Yue in, "What's up?"
"Nothing much," Du Yue, unusually honest, sat down, "My mother wrote a letter asking me to go back."
"Hmm." Qin Zhao nodded, "Go back for a few days?"
"No, my mother wants me to go back and get married."
"Hmm." Qin Zhao nodded again, "To get married for a few days?"
"No, my mother wants me to go back and get married."
"Hmm." Qin Zhao nodded once more, "To get married for a few days?"
"No!" Du Yue looked at him, then lowered his head, muttering, "My mother wants me to get married."
Qin Zhao was suddenly stunned, unable to speak.
"My mother has spoken, and there's no escaping going back, but about this marriage... What do you think?" Du Yue finished speaking and felt awkward, adding hastily, "I don't mean anything else; I just want to ask someone casually since I've never been married..."
The more he spoke, the quieter his voice became, but there was no movement from the opposite side. Du Yue couldn't help but raise his head to look. Qin Zhao's face still showed nothing, just tightly pursed lips, not saying a word.
"Qin Zhao, you don't have to be like this. It's fine. I'm just asking you casually; you can just say a few words to accompany me..." He couldn't continue speaking. Standing outside the door, for some reason, he suddenly felt inexplicably nervous and uneasy, like freezing ice particles accumulating in his chest. Du Yue closed his mouth, sitting in silence for a while, suddenly pulled up the corners of his mouth and laughed, "Hey, it's strange. Why am I telling you this? It's weird. Whether I get married or not... What does it have to do with you?"
He stood up and walked out. "You go to sleep. I'll go back and pack my things."
Qin Zhao's hand at his side clenched tightly, staring fixedly at Du Yue leaving. Just as he reached the door, it suddenly closed forcefully. Du Yue hadn't reacted yet when he was tightly embraced from behind. His head was pressed against the other's chest, unable to turn, only hearing the heartbeat, and then the voice above his head, "I don't want to."
"Huh?" Du Yue was bewildered.
"I don't want to see you get married," the tone remained flat, but the speed of speech was obviously faster. "I don't want to be your good brother either."
Du Yue wanted to turn his head, but his shoulder was held down, and Qin Zhao lowered his head against his neck, speaking as if he had made up his mind, "I don't want you always looking at others. I don't want you always mentioning Su Shiyu. It was like this on Cangwu Mountain; it has always been like this. I want you to know, but I'm afraid you'll know..."
"Qin Zhao..."
Duyue stood dazed, his mind blank and slow to recover. The icy residue in his heart quietly melted into warmth, a silent joy emerging. The reasons for not wanting to marry flooded his thoughts, but it boiled down to this one - the person who silently stood by him for so long, so familiar that distinguishing the type of affection became blurred.
Qin Zhao, noticing Duyue's prolonged silence, saw his gaze darken. He gently released his grip and stepped back, "I spoke out of turn. You should go back."
Duyue's figure trembled, and Qin Zhao faintly heard a laugh. Then, Duyue turned and asked, "Go back for what? Didn't you say you wanted to be with me? You can't change your mind right after saying that, can you?"
Qin Zhao hesitated, "Are you afraid I'm dull and boring?"
Duyue furrowed his brow, "Sometimes, you are unbearable, but I've gotten used to it over the years."
Qin Zhao looked at him, a smile struggling to form on his face, his eyes softening, "Well, I've gotten used to it too."
Duyue rubbed his face, unable to suppress a smile. He took a few steps, pulled a chair, and sat directly across from Qin Zhao, saying, "Alright, let's make a deal. If you regret later, be prepared!"
Qin Zhao grabbed Duyue's hand instinctively, paused, then tightened his grip without letting go.
"Qin Zhao, my mother is from the Su family, skilled in martial arts. If you go back to Jinling with me, aren't you afraid she might strike you?" Duyue asked.
Qin Zhao shook his head, "That's why I should accompany you."
Duyue couldn't hold back a smile, "Well, but you don't have to worry. I was just scaring you earlier. My mother is fine; she never really hit me despite threatening so many times. Seeing how good you are to me, she'll probably let us off. If not, just follow what I say when we meet..."
Qin Zhao listened to him chattering, looked at their intertwined hands, and closed his fingers, feeling the warmth of the other hand. From the snowstorm of their youth to today, they could finally hold on tight.
In the night, when Chu Mingyun entered the sleeping palace, Su Shiyu was writing something, sealing it with a private seal. Just bathed, with damp raven hair hanging over his shoulders, he casually glanced at Chu Mingyun, "What's that?"
"My aunt sent a family letter. I wrote a reply for Ah Yue to take when he goes back," Su Shiyu said, placing the letter in an envelope.
Chu Mingyun's expression subtly changed. Getting a letter at this time meant something. "She disagrees with us?"
Su Shiyu looked up, smiled softly, "Aunt is just worried about me, nothing more."
"What did you write in the reply?" Chu Mingyun asked, looking at him.
Su Shiyu, perceiving a hint of tension in his expression, smiled even more, casually saying, "Nothing much."
Chu Mingyun raised an eyebrow, "Siyu."
But Su Shiyu continued smiling, "It's nothing."
Chu Mingyun, leaning closer, whispered in his ear, "Sulove?"
Su Shiyu's body stiffened for a moment. Just as he was about to hold down the hand that was sticking to his waist, he felt the cool touch of Chu Mingyun's wet hair brushing past. Then came the warm breath, "Master Su?"
"Brother Su."
"Darling..."
"Don't be silly." Su Shiyu took a deep breath, holding down the hand wandering around his waist, looking at Chu Mingyun who was becoming increasingly skilled at acting cute. Helplessly, he said, "I mentioned in the letter to my aunt that since the Su family jade pendant has been given, there is no reason to take it back. She'll understand, and there won't be any more objections."
Chu Mingyun froze for a moment. Even if Su Shiyu openly confessed his feelings, he never thought about when this "never" began. How it quietly hid in his heart, and the subsequent entanglements, sincere or feigned, were just a puzzle for the involved parties.
Meeting Su Shiyu's gaze, Chu Mingyun suppressed his intense breathing, paused, and curved his lips, "Since you've taken advantage of me for so long, when does Mr. Su plan to make up for the wedding?"
Su Shiyu laughed, gently shaking his head, "You and I getting married will face opposition and criticism. Does His Majesty really plan to eliminate all dissenters and spark turmoil?"
Chu Mingyun did not respond, his raised eyebrows showing discontent.
"Being able to be together is enough," Su Shiyu said.
"Seiyu," Chu Mingyun sighed, "I wish I could give you everything, but you never seem to want anything."
After a moment of contemplation, Su Shiyu suddenly said, "Give me your hand."
Chu Mingyun, puzzled, extended his hand, which Su Shiyu lightly held. Taking the private seal from the table, Su Shiyu imprinted it on the back of Chu Mingyun's hand. The vermilion color against the fair skin made Su Shiyu smile faintly, lifting Chu Mingyun's hand, and kissing his name.
The back of the hand felt warm and moist. Chu Mingyun saw the vermilion color spreading from Su Shiyu's lips, then took the initiative to hold Su Shiyu's chin and kissed him on the lips.
Su Shiyu, embracing his shoulder, lips entangled, eyes met in the gap. Chu Mingyun smiled and kissed his face, "I just want this."
Su Shiyu, with their foreheads touching, gazed deeply into his eyes, suppressing his rapid breath. His voice slightly husky, "Good. I remember tomorrow is a day of rest?"
Chu Mingyun remained silent. Su Shiyu continued, "I didn't mean that... but it seems you do."
Chu Mingyun straightened up, "Since you've taken advantage of me for so long, when does Mr. Su plan to make up for the wedding?"
Su Shiyu laughed, "You and I getting married will face opposition and criticism. Does His Majesty really plan to eliminate all dissenters and spark turmoil?"
Chu Mingyun did not respond, his raised eyebrows showing discontent.
"Being able to be together is enough," Su Shiyu said.
"Seiyu," Chu Mingyun sighed, "I wish I could give you everything, but you never seem to want anything."
After a moment of contemplation, Su Shiyu suddenly said, "Give me your hand."
Chu Mingyun, puzzled, extended his hand, which Su Shiyu lightly held. Taking the private seal from the table, Su Shiyu imprinted it on the back of Chu Mingyun's hand. The vermilion color against the fair skin made Su Shiyu smile faintly, lifting Chu Mingyun's hand, and kissing his name.
The back of the hand felt warm and moist. Chu Mingyun saw the vermilion color spreading from Su Shiyu's lips, then took the initiative to hold Su Shiyu's chin and kissed him on the lips.
Su Shiyu, embracing his shoulder, lips entangled, eyes met in the gap. Chu Mingyun smiled and kissed his face, "I just want this."
Su Shiyu, with their foreheads touching, gazed deeply into his eyes, suppressing his rapid breath. His voice slightly husky, "Good. I remember tomorrow is a day of rest?"
Chu Mingyun remained silent. Su Shiyu continued, "I didn't mean that... but it seems you do."