Chapter 32 Unexpectedly, I was outmaneuvered by Hua Lang...
The side room holds a unique and terrifying memory; it is a quaint cage that imprisons Hua Lang's fears, and returning here brings those fears back with it.
He doesn't blame anyone, because it was his own fault for being so awkward and hiding here, so he has no right to blame anyone else.
The oil lamp went out.
The window was once covered with paper, leaving a small gap, but on a heavy snowy night, it was completely dark.
Hua Lang rolled over, tearing at the wound on his side. He clutched his abdomen, swallowing back the groans of pain that had been forced out of his throat.
Zhan Yunmei went to the bathhouse and didn't come back for a long time.
He might have gone to keep the princess company, or perhaps he guessed correctly—she was angry. Although he knew Zhan Yunmei wasn't that petty and wouldn't get upset over trivial matters so easily.
The truly petty one was himself; he was so anxious that he couldn't help but think she would blame him, which was utterly despicable.
I closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep.
I couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
He longed for Zhan Yunmei, for her to be with him, for her warm embrace, for her to kiss him with a smile, for her to sting him, for her to coax him while simultaneously being rough with him.
Hua Lang touched the back of his ear; it was burning hot, and the blankets were warm too. He threw them off, exposing himself to the cold room where there was no charcoal.
He should have gone to bed at this time, but because of the princess's arrival, he was busy all night. As a result, the busyness made him sleepy.
When Zhan Yunmei returned, Hua Lang was already asleep.
Light the oil lamp and hold it under Hua Lang's eyes to observe his sleeping features.
When awake, it is extremely gloomy and occasionally shows dependence; when asleep, it is gentle and obedient, just like... a stray cat that has been taken in and is now at ease, yet not daring to let its guard down completely.
Zhan Yunmei slowly raised her hand and stroked the restless stray cat.
Even though it was very light, Hua Lang still felt it and opened her eyes.
Zhan Yunmei smiled, her eyes crinkling, "Would you like to go back to the main house?"
When she first woke up, she was still not fully conscious. As usual, Hua Lang sat up, snuggled into her arms, hooked his arm around her neck, and drooped his eyelids listlessly.
He blinked, then pulled away from the embrace, sat for a while, his eyes brightening slightly, "General?"
“Yes, I’m here,” Zhan Yunmei put down the oil lamp, not revealing his cat-like expression. He couldn’t remember what he had just done, and probably hadn’t heard her, so she repeated, “Do you want to go back to the main house?”
She was very patient, and he didn't notice anything amiss.
Zhan Yunmei wasn't angry...
He's so annoying, always trying to figure her out.
"...Is that alright?" Hua Lang asked softly.
"Why not?"
He trailed off, then exclaimed, "Ah," and added, "Okay."
“However…” Zhan Yunmei did not act immediately. She pointed to the small crumpled paper on the table and looked at Hua Lang, “Tell me first, why are you keeping these things from me? It’s not a big deal.”
Hua Lang looked over in surprise.
He forgot to put it away.
Why did he have to hide it from her? He was afraid of causing her trouble, afraid that she would resent him for not being able to do anything for her.
He's so useless.
"I'm sorry," Hua Lang's first thought was to apologize. He clutched her nightgown sleeve and kept repeating the sentence with his head down.
“I don’t blame you,” Zhan Yunmei said, reaching out to support herself.
They drew closer and closer, their faces growing ever smaller.
Her possessiveness was so strong that she exerted pressure invisibly, as if she would dismantle, chew, and devour a person at any moment.
Hua Lang subconsciously placed his hands on either side of his back and slowly, slowly retreated until he was inside the couch, his back against the wall.
Her eyelashes trembled rapidly, just like everyone else's.
The small couch was too cramped, so Zhan Yunmei didn't want to get on it and reached out her hand.
He grabbed his ankle and pulled him in front of him.
A tearing sensation ran down his side, and Hua Lang gasped for breath, his lips parted in pain. Zhan Yunmei stared at him, unconsciously pressing down on his uninjured side.
She watched as his cheeks flushed, and as he turned his head, the muscles in his neck became visible, each one delicate and captivating.
Hua Lang seemed to have developed a habit from her; whenever this happened, without her reminding him, he would obediently spread his legs.
Waiting, anticipating, and fearing.
"The way you're acting is making me so angry I feel suffocated."
They were met with Zhan Yunmei's calm rebuke.
He was stunned.
She was about to leave when he immediately got up, ignoring the pain in his side, and tried to grab her hand to make her stay.
She shook him off, opened the door, and disappeared into the corridor.
The world was filled with wind and snow, the icy snow water seeped into the bones, and the whole body became stiff. Hua Lang was frozen in the snow and ice, unable to recover for a long time.
There was little commotion in the side room, but Yao Shuniang was waiting outside the door and knew everything.
Carrying a lantern, she followed Zhan Yunmei into the corridor, secretly observing Zhan Yunmei, only to be caught red-handed.
A short, light laugh reached her ears first. Yao Shuniang looked up in surprise and saw the general's gentle smile. "General? This servant thought you were angry."
“Ah, how can she be so easily angered?” Zhan Yunmei took the lantern, hung it on the shelf outside the main house, and took a lighter one for Yao Shuniang. “Go back and rest, it’s getting late.”
Yao Shuniang smiled and said, "Yes."
Opening the window, I looked into the dark side room and then back at the main house. There was still nothing there, except for essential clothing. There was still no trace of Hua Lang's presence.
The next morning, Zhan Yunmei took Princess Rongning back to the capital camp without even having breakfast.
Yao Shuniang only relayed one sentence to Hua Lang: "The general and the princess have returned to the capital camp for breakfast. You don't need to bother."
"Oh... okay," Hua Lang nodded absentmindedly, sitting behind the dining table in the main hall. He didn't want to eat a single bite of the half-eaten dishes.
At that moment, he suddenly remembered the wolf fang on his chest.
Take it out and place it in your palm.
Once separated from the body that had been clinging to it, the wolf fang quickly lost its warmth. But it wasn't jade, so even without its warm body temperature, it wouldn't feel cold.
Sometimes it hurt his skin, but he couldn't bear to take it off because it was given to him by Zhan Yunmei.
Thinking of Zhan Yunmei made him even more depressed.
He displeased her again.
How could someone be like him? He's so annoying.
Hua Lang sat in the flower hall all day, not even bothering to sweep the snow off her shoulders, which eventually melted into water and soaked through her clothes.
It returned to its original state, lifeless and gloomy. In the flower hall overgrown with flowers and plants, it was the only withered plant, exuding a putrid smell everywhere.
He was sulking with his own dullness.
As the gamble dragged on, his resolve wavered, and he had the thought of finding Zhan Yunmei and speaking to her.
She's always been letting him speak, so does that mean she'll respond to him once he starts talking?
A thought sprouted in my mind, and despite my fear, I wanted to try it.
That night, Hua Lang forced himself not to sleep, vowing to speak up when Zhan Yunmei returned.
Zhan Yunmei did not return that night.
Yao Shuniang's voice remained calm and even throughout, without any biased emotion. "Father-in-law, please rest early. The general's messenger has returned and said that he is busy with official business tonight and will not be coming back. Do not wait for him."
Hua Lang froze, blinked in confusion, and said, "...Okay."
He still didn't return the second night.
For the next two weeks, Zhan Yunmei did not return home.
He really wanted to ask Zhan Yunmei if military affairs were really that busy. If she didn't like him, he could just stay in the side room and not get in her way.
He even considered going to the Beijing garrison to find her, ask her, and explain the crumpled paper to her, but that would only cause her trouble.
Whether she was angry at herself for being so useless or something else, Hua Lang, with a sullen face, found a pair of scissors and cut off the wildflowers around the flower hall one by one.
.
Under his personal supervision for more than half a month, the disaster relief went smoothly without any further mishaps, and the veiled criticisms in the memorials gradually disappeared.
The emperor put down the memorial, stretched comfortably, and finally relaxed a little, a smile appearing on his face.
He An dared not disturb the emperor's mood, and waited for a long time before speaking from behind the folding fan: "Your Majesty, Minister Zhang requests an audience."
"I won't see you," the emperor said decisively without hesitation. "I'm too busy."
Without even offering a perfunctory reply, his impatience was already overflowing. He An hurriedly said yes and stepped back, almost bumping into the person who came.
"Be careful," Zhan Yunmei said, offering a helping hand to He An.
He An flaunted his power in front of Hua Lang, but became guilty when he saw Zhan Yunmei, saying, "Thank you, General. Thank you, General."
Upon hearing the commotion from inside the palace, the emperor exclaimed, "Minister Zhan has arrived? Come in quickly!"
The emperor worked day and night on official business. The princess took a small share, and Zhan Yunmei and the other two shared the disaster relief work. On this day, the day with the heaviest snow, the emperor actually finished approving all the official business.
"I'm in a good mood today, come and have a few drinks with me," the emperor beckoned, and the female official brought out wine and braised dishes.
The emperor found the appetizers bland and tasteless, and despite the female officials' advice, ordered pickled vegetables, preserved meats, fried fish, and stir-fried vegetables to be served.
They were not native Beijingers; these preferences were habits left over from their ancestral homeland, and they tended to have strong tastes.
"Zhang Quansu has gone senile; he dared to tamper with the relief grain," the emperor said, downing cup after cup, until he stopped eating any other food and just kept drinking.
Zhan Yunmei tried to persuade her a few times, but then stopped.
The emperor used to be like that too; when he was drunk, he would take advantage of the situation to act crazy.
With a loud "bang!", the emperor slammed his hand on the table, his eyes somewhat glazed over, already intoxicated.
The emperor sneered, "What kind of skill is it to be cunning and sly?" She stood up, grabbed a wine cup, and smashed it, "Despicable behavior!"
Wine was spilled all over the floor.
"Minister Zhan, a new dynasty is established, and the old dynasty is overthrown. How can there be no bloodshed?"
The emperor left his seat and walked straight to the high chair in the hall. He stepped on it and placed the dragon body wrapped around the armrest under his feet.
Zhan Yunmei could only see the emperor's dim eyes under the lamplight. She was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, I am your subject and support all your decisions."
Hearing her speak, the emperor suddenly laughed, sat down in his high chair, and yawned. "It was my fault for keeping you occupied and wasting your time again today. You should go back now!"
After saying this, he ordered the female official to come to me.
Zhan Yunmei deliberately didn't return to the General's Mansion for half a month.
Military affairs are indeed busy, but not so busy that there is no time to even return home.
I wasn't planning to go back to the manor tonight, but Yao Shuniang sent someone to say that Hua Lang hadn't left the main house all day. They saw him lying on the ground through the window, just like before, as if he was about to do something. Like, commit suicide.
Zhan Yunmei had no choice but to go back.
Hua Lang lay on the floor of the main house, red marks remaining on his neck, his lips and hands turned purple from the cold wind that had blown in, and his face was deathly pale.
Zhan Yunmei closed the doors and windows, added charcoal to the stove, and the warmth slowly spread, restoring some of Hua Lang's complexion.
"Hua Lang, are you courting death again?" Zhan Yunmei's face darkened, her anger mixed with drunkenness burning through her skull.
She smelled alcohol; it must be from her.
Hua Lang propped himself up and sat up. He heard her anger and felt a little flustered, but he quickly calmed down and reached out to grab the hem of her robe at her feet. "I didn't."
Zhan Yunmei narrowed her eyes, squatted down, pinched Hua Lang's cheek, and dragged him in front of her. "I'll give you a chance. Come on, try to argue your way out of it."
"I really didn't!"
Being misunderstood is very unpleasant, and he has experienced it many times, but he has never remained calm like this.
He had been waiting for this moment for half a month.
Hua Lang lowered her eyes slightly, leaned forward, and nestled into Zhan Yunmei's arms, "General...I..."
He hesitated, words welling up in his throat, about to burst forth.
“If you’re not going to argue, then get out of here,” Zhan Yunmei said, shoving him away.
He took off his official robes, grabbed his nightgown, and went to the bathhouse, ignoring Hua Lang kneeling on the ground until he came out.
Drinking with the emperor gave her a headache, and Zhan Yunmei lost a little patience, but not by much.
Staring at Hua Lang's trembling back, she was perfectly conscious.
Zhan Yunmei couldn't bear it, but she had no other choice. The alcohol didn't make her lose her mind; instead, it made her even calmer, so calm that she clearly knew that she not only liked Hua Lang's arrogance, his crying and trembling, but also his vulnerability and sensitivity.
Taking away a majestic stray cat and treating it like a pet, watching a fierce cat lower its guard and depend on its owner, is enough to make one fascinated.
Moreover, Hua Lang is a single person.
Zhan Yunmei leaned against the couch, waiting quietly for Hua Lang's move.
When pushed to the limit, one dares to do something. He had had this idea for a long time, but had not had the opportunity to put it into practice.
She watched as he removed his thin nightgown, stripping completely bare, revealing his withered, decaying body.
The oil lamp flickered, revealing glimpses of delicate skin and firm, thin muscles, appearing both pink and pale.
“General, I really didn’t want to die,” Hua Lang said fluently, not daring to look at Zhan Yunmei. “I just drank some wine, choked, and touched my neck, which made it red…”
"Oh," Zhan Yunmei realized that the smell of alcohol she had just smelled was not her own, but Hua Lang's.
"Is this how you pinch someone?"
Hua Lang tilted her head back slightly, a little out of breath, her eyes filled with ambiguous moisture, "I didn't use that much force."
"Hmm, is that so?" Zhan Yunmei asked gently.
“…almost,” Hua Lang leaned almost entirely into her arms, straddling her and kneeling on the couch.
He fumbled around in her other hand, seemingly in a hurry.
“Take it slow, you’ll get hurt if you do that,” Zhan Yunmei said. Instead of letting him find her other hand, she placed it on the back of his neck, gently pinching it and pressing his head down. “First, explain to me why you kept the autumn hunt a secret.”
"Besides, if you want it, you have to kiss it yourself."
As she said this, she unexpectedly caught a glimpse of the items already arranged beside the bed and felt the blanket that had been laid out in advance beneath her.
Zhan Yunmei suddenly laughed in anger.
Surprisingly, Hua Lang outsmarted him.
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