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?"
As he spoke, his finger traced a circle on the garment over the heart, the pressure neither light nor heavy, the gesture slow and almost flirtatious. Su Shiyu held his hand and said with a light laugh, "Does the reason matter that much?"
"Of course, it matters," Chu Mingyun smiled with arched brows. "Qin Zhao thinks you came for Du Yue, but I tend to think not. If not for that, could it be for me?"
"I thought you, Lord Chu, would directly assume the latter," Su Shiyu replied.
Chu Mingyun grasped his hand firmly, looking deep into his eyes, "Answer me."
But he did not know how to answer, for even he was not clear why he had suddenly decided to come alone. After all, not everything in this world has a reason; often, it's a sudden tide of the heart. But saying so, Chu Mingyun would probably not believe.
After a moment of thought, Su Shiyu withdrew his hand and smiled faintly, "It's because of you."
Caught off guard by the response, Chu Mingyun was momentarily stunned.
The warm light of the charcoal fire reflected the smile in his eyes, and Su Shiyu asked in return, "Lord Chu, have you forgotten? Wasn't it you who invited me in front of His Majesty?"
Chu Mingyun came back to his senses and raised his eyebrows slightly, "Of course, I remember. So you mean to say—Mr. Su, you felt lonely in the deep of night and came looking for me?"
The words seemed to carry a double meaning, and Su Shiyu averted his gaze, steering the conversation back on track, "In any case, I've discussed it with His Majesty. After the court session resumes, we'll arrest the Prince of Huainan during the inspection of the feudal states and bring up his case again."
"That's close to what I guessed, but what does it have to do with me?"
"The conclusion of your uncle's case was only to lower the Prince of Huainan's guard, inevitably a bit hasty, and to others, it's full of doubts. The evidence that falsely accused you misled many, and the rumors from Fufeng County have also spread here these days. I'm afraid that in private, everyone now believes you're the real culprit."
Chu Mingyun said indifferently, "So what?"
"Therefore, you'll have to endure the slander for a while, but rest assured, after the Prince of Huainan confesses his crimes, I will certainly proclaim the truth to the world and clear your name."
"You needn't bother; I don't care how others see me," Chu Mingyun said with a carefree smile. "Besides, the most ignorant in the world are these commoners; why bother explaining to them?"
"Even if Lord Chu doesn't care, clearing your name is my responsibility, and I certainly should do it," Su Shiyu said with a light smile.
Chu Mingyun watched him for a moment, then suddenly lowered his head and chuckled softly, no longer speaking.
The snowstorm outside the hall had stopped without notice, and suddenly, a deep bell sound surged over like a tide, one after another, signaling midnight. Firecrackers sounded all at once, filling the sky with red fragments flying about, countless fireworks soared into the ink-black night sky, bursting open with thousands of brilliant star-like sparks, the noise waking up the deep night.
"Hey," Chu Mingyun looked straight outside and suddenly spoke, "Do you want to go out and play with fireworks?"
"Did Lord Chu also prepare fireworks?" Su Shiyu asked.
"I didn't, but Du Yue bought some, and I know where he hid them."
"Aren't you afraid that Du Yue will come looking for you when he wakes up tomorrow?"
"That's easy," Chu Mingyun looked at him and blinked, "Just say we don't know, haven't seen it. Du Yue might not believe me, but he will definitely believe you."
"Why should I help Lord Chu hide it?" Su Shiyu laughed.
Chu Mingyun directly pulled Su Shiyu and headed outside the hall, "Because now you're an accomplice."
The pile of fireworks was hidden in the corner, and they took them to the courtyard to set up in sequence, only then realizing that Du Yue had bought a really diverse assortment.
Chu Mingyun lit two matches, and turning his head, he saw Su Shiyu studying a lotus-shaped firework, "That one burns quickly, light it last."
"Hmm, anything else to be careful of?"
Chu Mingyun thought for a moment, "After lighting it, remember to run over and hug me."
"..." Su Shiyu thought about it, "Why?"
"I'm worried that you'll be scared when it gets too loud later."
"..." Lord Chu is indeed considerate.
The red fire traced along the fuse in a flash, accompanied by a thunderous boom, streaks of light shot up into the sky, and then large blossoms of fireworks opened up, their radiant light falling like stars and rain, a sight too beautiful for words. As their area dimmed slightly, another part of the night sky lit up brilliantly, the sound of fireworks near and far connected, continuous and unending.
Children laughed and ran along the alley, a faint song passed through the vermilion walls, through the thin smoke of gunpowder, singing about the crescent moon shining over the land, some households joyful, some sorrowful.
Some households joyful, some sorrowful, Su Shiyu silently repeated in his mind, couldn't help but smile lightly, during this festive season, naturally, only the lonely shadows would feel more resentment. He turned his head and saw another lonely figure who had at some point crouched under the courtyard's red plum tree, intently rolling snow.
Su Shiyu walked over and crouched down too, quietly watching his clearly defined hands roll two snowballs, then suddenly laughed, "Let me make something else for you."
As he said this, he indeed scooped up a handful of snow, shaped a flat round body, pressed on a round head, and carefully carved out two pointed ears with his fingertips. Su Shiyu was looking for suitable fallen petals to use as eyes on the ground, when Chu Mingyun, who had been tilting his head to watch, suddenly reached over. Su Shiyu, not understanding, watched as his hand paused next to the head, and with a slight flick, suddenly sent one ear flying.
Certainly! Here's the corrected formatting for the passage:
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"..." Su Shiyu looked deeply at Chu Mingyun, who was smiling with his eyes curved and lips upturned, gleefully destroying another ear of the snow sculpture, so symmetrically that even Su Shiyu didn't know what to say.
So, without a word, Su Shiyu grabbed a handful of soft, translucent snow from beside him, gave it a brief look, and stuffed it down the unsuspecting Chu Mingyun's collar.
Chu Mingyun reacted quickly, bouncing back several feet at the touch, but still shivered from the ice on his neck. He squinted his eyes, not bothering to brush off the snow, and quickly grabbed Su Shiyu, who was about to get up and leave. Su Shiyu hadn't steadied himself when he was caught off guard and slipped, and in that instant, his mind shifted, and instead of steadying himself, he grabbed Chu Mingyun's arm and pulled him down with him.
They both fell flat on the thick snow, disregarding their image. In the chaos of falling, Chu Mingyun managed to prop himself up with his hands to avoid landing on Su Shiyu. He had just breathed a sigh of relief, his emotions complex, about to say something, when he looked down and met Su Shiyu's deeply smiling eyes, sensing trouble.
The next moment, Su Shiyu slapped the plum tree beside him, causing it to tremble, and the snow piled on its branches, along with the crimson petals, fell down like a blanket, covering Chu Mingyun with snow and petals, instantly chilling him to the bone.
Chu Mingyun propped himself up with one hand beside Su Shiyu's head, brushed off the snow from behind his head, then looked at the melting snow in his hand, "Su Shiyu," he said, "if it were anyone else, they would have been buried alive in the snow by me."
As the snow fell, petals of red plum brushed past Chu Mingyun's temples and floated down, landing gently on Su Shiyu's eyes. He smelled the cold fragrance of the plum mixed with a hint of sandalwood, his vision tinged with a corner of crimson, and Chu Mingyun's face was very close, his raven hair frosted white by the frost, blown by the wind, blurring the fireworks in the night sky.
Su Shiyu removed the fallen plum, lying in the snow, leisurely smiling, "If any random person could make you so disheveled, Lord Chu, you'd probably be too ashamed to meet anyone." He then raised his hand again, carefully wiping the snowflakes from Chu Mingyun's hair.
The fingertips were cool to the touch at the forehead, warming slightly as they moved through the hair, the gentle and light movements causing a slight tingling on the scalp.
Without waiting for Chu Mingyun to think, Su Shiyu withdrew his hand, "Alright, get up."
"You think you can just get up?" Chu Mingyun laughed, squinting his eyes, "Say something nice."
Su Shiyu pondered for a moment, then said, "Thank you, Lord Chu, for taking all the snow for me."
Chu Mingyun pinched his chin, their eyes meeting, "Good, you won't be getting up tonight."
Su Shiyu smiled helplessly, pondering how to resolve the current situation, and for a moment, did not reply.
Under the red corridor, the lanterns swayed, casting a flickering light that made the shadows in the courtyard dance. Chu Mingyun held Su Shiyu's chin, his gaze unintentionally falling on his lips. His lips were usually pale, but now, whether from the cold or the reflection of the white snow beneath, they seemed to have gained a hint of color, a faint crimson visible between them.
Chu Mingyun suddenly leaned down as if possessed.
"...Lord Chu?" A smooth voice rose abruptly, slightly astonished.
Chu Mingyun stopped abruptly, his eyes meeting Su Shiyu's at close range, realizing he was almost kissing Su Shiyu, just a hair's breadth away, their breaths mingling.
He rose abruptly, stepping back and pressing a hand to his forehead, then pulled Su Shiyu up as well.
Su Shiyu looked at him, puzzled, then smiled nonchalantly.
After their tumble, both of their robes were soaked with snow, and they returned to the hall to sit opposite each other and slowly dry off. Chu Mingyun watched as Su Shiyu casually removed his outer robe, sighing inwardly at his own foolishness, and decided not to dwell on what had just happened. He propped himself up lazily and suddenly said, "By the way."
"What?" Su Shiyu responded, looking at his soaked robe.
"Actually, the mouse you made earlier was quite cute," Chu Mingyun said.
"You flatter me," Su Shiyu glanced at him, "I was making a rabbit."
"...Alright."