Chapter 7 He's just being delusional again.
Zhan Yunmei spoke too casually, yet with an underlying ambiguity. Hua Lang couldn't tell whether she was deliberately teasing him or being sincere. He pondered this repeatedly and felt uneasy, unable to sleep all night.
The next day, Zhan Yunmei got up and dressed as usual. She left quietly every day to avoid waking Hua Lang.
Hua Lang turned his back, pretending that he was still asleep.
Actually, I didn't sleep at all.
He only slowly sat up after Zhan Yunmei left the main house.
And now I finally understand what Zhan Yunmei meant when she said she didn't need him.
Every time a dynasty changed, a group of eunuchs would leave the palace, whether voluntarily or not. Most of them ended up in prostitution, working as sex workers like some women, commonly known as male prostitutes.
In Hua Lang's mind, this was illogical and contrary to worldly norms, but he only hesitated for a short while on this issue. More importantly, he was about to become that kind of person himself.
"Eunuch Hua Lang, did I hurt you?" Yao Shuniang asked carefully, easing her movements as she applied the medicine.
"I don't need you to serve me, get out of here," Hua Lang said, shooing Yao Shuniang away, and then applied the medicine to her finger herself.
Under Zhan Yunmei's instructions, Hua Lang's hands were no longer covered in wounds. The skin and flesh gradually healed, and the nails also grew back to normal. The skin on her hands was even more delicate than before.
Hua Lang stared at his hands, unable to concentrate, his mind completely preoccupied with Zhan Yunmei.
Is she serious?
How should he clean it? He doesn't know how.
I can't imagine what it's like beneath her, and I can't even imagine him washing himself; it's utterly shameful.
What will happen if he fails to clean it properly?
I don't dare to think about it too much.
Hua Lang searched for a rope, intending to hang himself.
.
The drill ground was fully prepared, and the emperor sat on the highest seat. Under the command and orders of Zhan Yunmei, the inspection proceeded as scheduled.
Geng Qi stood behind Zhan Yunmei, observing where she was injured.
Last night, Zhan Yunmei had an accident in the carriage. Although she was not seriously injured, it was still an avalanche. She jumped off the carriage, and at the very least, she must have sprained her ankle. However, on the surface, she seemed to be no different from before.
"General?" Geng Qi asked tentatively, "How are your injuries? Do you need to rest for a while?"
Zhan Yunmei slowly looked at him. His face was full of curiosity and expectation, but there was no gloating. She shook her head: "It's just a minor injury, don't worry about it."
Geng Qi was somewhat disappointed. "Is that so? General, you should be more careful in the future."
The proofreading went smoothly without any unexpected incidents.
In the afternoon, after the inspection was over, the emperor did not ask much about Zhan Yunmei's accident. He only sent someone to convey his condolences before rushing back to the palace to attend to state affairs.
Zhan Yunmei began arranging for people to investigate the itinerary of everyone in the Beijing garrison yesterday, as well as their movements in the suburbs of Beijing.
Deputy General Chen quickly reported: "So far, we have found no suspicious persons in the outskirts of Beijing. We can only start the investigation from the Beijing garrison. A group of military officers were not in the Beijing garrison at the time. As for who exactly they are, we need to investigate further."
Zhan Yunmei listened quietly, nodding occasionally.
Princess Rongning was even more agitated than Zhan Yunmei. "How could there be no suspicious individuals? What's the point of the people in the capital garrison retaliating against the general now?"
Deputy General Chen explained to Princess Rongning that when a new dynasty is established, there will always be soldiers who do not recognize the general's achievements; it's just jealousy at play.
Princess Rongning still disagreed with what Deputy General Chen said, and the two started arguing.
“Jealousy? Who’s jealous of the general? How could anyone in the capital garrison question the general, unless he was originally a military officer in the previous dynasty and his rank was lower than the general’s…” At this point, Princess Rongning suddenly widened her eyes and realized, “Geng Qi!”
Just then, Geng Qi returned after consolidating the troops. Upon hearing Princess Rongning's voice, he was not pleased. "What is it, Princess?"
He was completely unaware of the tension in the room. Princess Rongning was about to jump up and point at him at any moment, and Deputy General Chen seemed to agree with Princess Rongning's idea, and stopped speaking the moment she mentioned Geng Qi's name.
Princess Rongning got down from her chair and was about to speak when Zhan Yunmei suddenly said, "It's getting late, let's go back first, we can talk about this tomorrow."
This was a veiled way of telling Princess Rongning not to speak. Princess Rongning quickly understood that although she didn't understand what the general was planning, she had already spoken, so she wouldn't insist anymore.
As dusk approached, Zhan Yunmei saw off Princess Rongning and returned home in the same carriage with Vice General Chen.
As the carriage left the capital camp, Zhan Yunmei lifted the curtain to let in some fresh air. Unexpectedly, she saw Geng Qi, who was also getting into the carriage. He stepped onto a low stool, and his movements seemed somewhat labored, as if he were injured.
"General?" Deputy General Chen noticed that Zhan Yunmei had been looking out the car window and couldn't help but call out to her, "What are you looking at?"
Zhan Yunmei pointed to Geng Qi outside the car and said, "What's wrong with Deputy Geng? He looks like he's been punished and is moving around with such difficulty."
"Didn't he offend the princess? The princess's maidservant punished him in private," Deputy General Chen said naturally.
"Oh, really?" Zhan Yunmei looked at Deputy General Chen thoughtfully.
He nodded with a smile, "No manners or pomp, and disrespecting royalty, they should naturally be punished." He wasn't very interested in this topic. "General, shall we go to a restaurant today? His Majesty was very satisfied with the inspection, and the generals held a banquet at a restaurant in the city."
At this time, it didn't matter much whether she went or not. If she went, she could use the opportunity to distribute some small change and stabilize the situation in the army. However, compared to these harmless interpersonal relationships, she would rather return to her residence as soon as possible.
I wonder how Hua Lang is reacting now, after saying such easily misunderstood things yesterday.
Hua Lang didn't sleep all night. Zhan Yunmei knew perfectly well that he was still pretending to be asleep when she left, afraid that she would find out that he had been panicking all night.
"No, please give everyone a few words of praise for me," Zhan Yunmei said, handing a heavy bag of silver to Deputy General Chen. "You can decide how to distribute it. The rest is for you. Thank you for your hard work."
Lieutenant General Chen beamed and chuckled, "Thank you, General!"
Zhan Yunmei silently stared at his retreating figure, watching him gradually disappear into the distance, then summoned someone, "Go and investigate Vice General Chen's whereabouts yesterday."
...
It snowed and rained today, so it got dark early. Zhan Yunmei was busy with her investigation and came back late, missing her usual dinner time.
The mansion was very quiet.
Zhan Yunmei went to the lobby. The food on the table hadn't been touched, and there was no one behind the table.
Yao Shuniang asked softly, "General, have you had dinner yet? Would you like me to heat it up for you?"
“No need,” Zhan Yunmei said, looking around. Hua Lang wasn’t there, so she asked, “Has Hua Lang eaten?”
"No, this morning Eunuch Hua Lang wouldn't let me apply the medicine to him. He took the medicine bowl back to the main house and hasn't come out since. I don't know why, but he seems to be in a bad mood today."
"Okay, you don't need to trouble yourself. Go back and rest."
"yes."
Hua Lang was not in the main house. Zhan Yunmei went to the bathhouse, where there were still water stains that had not dried, but Hua Lang was still not there.
A slight displeasure rose in Zhan Yunmei's heart.
She wasn't particularly magnanimous; she simply didn't like to be too demanding of Hua Lang. She allowed him to be stubborn occasionally and to have self-respect.
But she wouldn't allow him to disappear so easily.
To say he's playing hard to get? He's not that kind of romantic.
Does he really hate her? Not really.
Zhan Yunmei went to the flower hall to look for Hua Lang, but still couldn't find him.
Just as I was about to ask Yao Shuniang for help, a faint light suddenly appeared in my field of vision.
Following the light source, Zhan Yunmei arrived at the side room where she had previously lived. Pushing open the door, she found a person curled up on the couch—the person she had been searching for.
She closed the door and went to the edge of the bed. As her dark shadow fell upon the bed, she noticed that Hua Lang was visibly trembling.
It was as if he was afraid.
"I asked you to wait for me to have dinner, why didn't you wait for me?" Zhan Yunmei took off her cloak and sat down on the edge of the couch.
The couch was small and not big enough for two people. When she sat on it, her buttocks and back were almost touching Hua Lang's waist.
The room fell silent for a moment.
When Zhan Yunmei was losing all patience, Hua Lang finally spoke up: "It was you who broke your promise, not that I didn't want to wait for you. I was just sleepy and wanted to go to sleep, is that not allowed?"
Although he was asking a question, his tone was weak, and to her, he was showing weakness.
Zhan Yunmei wanted to laugh. Was he really that scared?
Are you so afraid because of something she said that you didn't understand?
Zhan Yunmei chuckled, her tone laced with sarcasm, "Of course you can, turn around."
Hua Lang remained silent, gritting his teeth and swallowing repeatedly. He closed his eyes resignedly; what he had expected had come to pass, and he had no way to resist.
He turned around slowly, covering most of his face with the blanket, carefully observing Zhan Yunmei's expression to discern whether she was truly angry.
His sharp face was devoid of smiles, quite unlike his usual gentle demeanor, which made Hua Lang nervously shrink further under the covers.
He wasn't sure whether he should obey or vent his anger, because he also wasn't sure if venting would work. She must have exchanged her military merits and the emperor's favor for rescuing him, a remnant of a heinous crime, or something even more precious.
Therefore, Hua Lang's life belongs to Zhan Yunmei, who has absolute power over his life and death.
"Do you understand what I meant yesterday?" Zhan Yunmei took in all of Hua Lang's expressions and subtle movements.
So cautious, yet so arrogant.
"What if I didn't know?" Hua Lang said fiercely, as if trying to cover his ears. He slowly sat up, moved to the edge of the bed, and blew out the lamp.
There was no light between them anymore, and they had just fallen into darkness. They had not yet adapted and could not see anything clearly.
Before Zhan Yunmei could react, a rich fragrance, similar to rum, suddenly wafted towards her. She opened her arms and easily pulled Hua Lang into her embrace.
My first impression was that Hua Lang was very hot, as if he had just been boiled in boiling water.
Next comes the scent of soapberry, a symbol that he has thoroughly cleaned himself.
Zhan Yunmei was unaware that Hua Lang had gone through a life-or-death decision in such a short time. She only found it strange that he was so easy to approach today.
That's not important anymore; what's important is that he expressed his willingness.
Zhan Yunmei gently kissed Hua Lang, using her tender touch to soothe his tension and unease. He gripped the fabric behind her waist tightly.
After sensing that Hua Lang was trembling uncontrollably as before, Zhan Yunmei deepened the kiss, gently placed him on the couch, opened her eyes to see his face, but was blocked by darkness.
All that could be heard were Hua Lang's faint, restrained panting breaths, light and short, lurking in her ear and bursting forth between each kiss. Zhan Yunmei unconsciously leaned down, getting closer.
Hua Lang was in a daze until his hands were clasped together with Zhan Yunmei's, the calluses rubbing against his palms. Only then did he gradually regain his senses and hear his own hoarse voice. He doubted that this was his own voice.
"Go back to the main room to sleep, this place is too small," Zhan Yunmei moved her lips to the side of his neck, her teeth gently nibbling at his soft skin.
Hua Lang's mind was foggy, and all he could manage were shameful moans; he was unable to answer.
Long after Zhan Yunmei let go of him, she had already gone to take a shower, but he still couldn't regain his senses.
She didn't treat him the way he imagined.
He was deluding himself, and for a few moments, he even shamelessly and deliberately tried to please her.
Even a fleeting, unresolved emptiness crossed his mind.
A note from the author:
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