Chapter 69 The Substitute Chapter: Taking Off Clothes
The next day, Xie Changyu got up early, which was unusual for him.
In the early morning at the Xie residence, all the servants were busy preparing food and clothing for their master, who was about to go to court.
In the quiet room, Xie Changyu got out of bed with a flushed face. His feet felt weak as soon as they touched the ground, and he almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, he managed to steady himself by holding onto the bed.
After standing still, he walked step by step to another part of his room, the bathing area, which was hidden by a screen.
Fortunately, no one came in at that moment, otherwise someone would have noticed that their young master was walking with his legs tucked together. If an experienced old lady had seen this, she would have definitely recognized that her young master had a wet dream.
A splashing sound rang out.
Xie Changyu took off his clothes and threw them directly into the basin. He then quickly changed into new clothes hanging nearby. Once he was dressed warmly, he squatted down, looking at his pants, which were now completely soaked, in the basin with a conflicted expression.
After hesitating for a short while, he reached up and started rubbing his pants. Because he had never done this before, his movements were very clumsy.
The weather is getting colder and colder, and Xie Changyu doesn't want anyone to know his current condition, so he doesn't call anyone in to change the hot water.
He looked at the large, clearly visible blob of liquid on his trousers with obvious disgust, and then, remembering the protagonist of his dream yesterday, his face turned even uglier.
He rubbed it in frustration, muttering, "Damn Xiaohe, he actually bought me this kind of vulgar book. I'll give him a piece of my mind later!"
A gentle breeze drifted in through the window, ruffling Xie Changyu's bangs. Her eyes were bright and clear, her lips slightly moist, with a few teeth marks on them.
After finally managing to scrub away all the filth, Xie Changyu put his pants back into the basin. He stood up and shook his hands, feeling that they were ice-cold and completely devoid of warmth.
It's so cold.
He began to hold a grudge against Xiaohe.
Only after making sure no one would notice did Xie Changyu call someone in to help him wash up.
This time it was finally hot water. Xie Changyu put his hands into the hot water, looking comfortable, and his hands gradually warmed up.
Ah, that feels so good.
After washing up, he asked the servant to wash the clothes he had left there. He didn't explain anything else, as long as no one would notice. He didn't really intend to wash all the clothes; he just wanted to get rid of the stains.
The rest can be left to the servants.
Because he got up early today, Xie Changyu had to take an extra bowl of medicine. He knew that no matter how much he resisted, it would be useless, and with the old woman watching him, he finally drank the whole bowl with a bitter face.
After he finished drinking, the maidservant next to him promptly handed him a piece of candy. The bitterness was overpowered by the sweetness, and Xie Changyu, with the candy in his mouth, didn't want to say anything.
"Young master, have some."
Xiao He, who arrived late, squeezed in with a bowl of tofu pudding. He looked at Xie Changyu expectantly and handed the bowl directly to him.
He added, "This stuff is sweet, much more effective than sugar!"
Xie Changyu was familiar with this thing; he had eaten it at the market before, and that one time left a deep impression on him.
It's very sweet and melts in your mouth.
With her long, curled eyelashes trembling slightly, Xie Changyu took the spoon and scooped up a mouthful of the tender, white tofu pudding, putting it directly into her mouth.
The lingering bitterness was immediately suppressed.
His eyes lit up; it worked!
Xie Changyu smiled and said, "Not bad, the things you bought this time are quite useful."
"Hehe." Xiaohe scratched her head shyly. "I'm glad the young master is satisfied."
"You may leave."
Xie Changyu began to clear the people out of the house, telling them not to take up space, as he was starting to feel dizzy from being in the house for too long.
The servants were all aware of this, and they began to leave the room one by one.
"As for you—" Xie Changyu tossed the finished tofu pudding to Xiaohe, pointed at him, and began to calculate the accounts from last night, "Where are the comic books I asked you to buy last time?"
"Huh?" Xiaohe took the bowl, looking confused. "Young Master, didn't I already give you the comic book?"
A book was thrown at him and hit him directly on the head.
"You damned lackey!" Xie Changyu threw the comic book at him, and even after it hit his face, he remained cold. "Look at the kind of book you bought!"
Seeing the young master so angry, Xiaohe had a bad feeling. He opened the comic book with trembling hands, but was shocked by the contents of the book as soon as he turned the page. His eyes widened and his breathing became difficult.
"How is this possible..."
"Did you see it clearly?" Xie Changyu's eyes still stung a little when he thought of what he had seen last night. As soon as he closed his eyes, the contents of the book flooded his mind.
Xiaohe knew he had done wrong, and he immediately knelt down to confess, "This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die, I have offended the young master's eyes!"
His kneeling body trembled, filled with lingering fear. He clearly remembered buying a very popular comic book; how could it have turned into a fire-avoidance picture book?
Where exactly did things go wrong?
Xie Changyu snorted, "Considering that you served me so well, I'll deduct half a month's salary this time to teach you a lesson."
"Yes, yes, this servant will obey the young master."
Xiaohe kowtowed several more times before Xie Changyu let him go. As he walked out of the room with the comic book that had been thrown to him, he slowly began to recall the circumstances of buying the book.
He clearly opened and looked at the comic book when he bought it that day, so how did it turn into a fire-avoidance picture?
Recalling what she had just seen, Xiaohe's eyes widened in disgust. It was a pregnant man, and he had actually let the young master see such things. This time, the young master was only lenient by deducting half a month's wages.
inside the house.
Xie Changyu lay there alone, his clothes neat, his face fair and tender, his bright black eyes fixed on the ceiling, lost in thought.
The person he dreamed about last night was...
Fu Shuqing.
Could it be because Fu Shuqing left such a deep impression on him last night? Well, it makes sense; it's quite a surprise to suddenly see someone you haven't seen for two years.
He was surprised to find that the usually gentle and aloof guy was so persistent in his dream that he couldn't handle it.
Xie Changyu suddenly closed his eyes, his complexion, which had improved somewhat, turned red again, and his chest heaved. If anyone were present, they would have seen that he was very agitated.
Damn it.
Stop thinking about it.
He doesn't like that guy, so why would he dream about him?
It's all Xiaohe's fault. Xie Changyu suddenly felt that deducting only half a month's salary was too lenient on him.
He took it for granted.
General's Mansion.
Fu Shuqing, who always gets up very early, didn't wake up until noon this time. When she woke up, she was overwhelmed by the smell of alcohol on her body.
The handsome young man frowned. He got up and called someone in to prepare a bath for him. Only after he stripped naked and sat in the bathtub did his expression relax.
The hazy screen obscured the view of the bathroom.
Recalling his recklessness last night, Fu Shuqing couldn't help but rub his temples to relieve the slight pain. He sighed inwardly, realizing he had drunk too much in the palace last night.
After his bath, the smell of alcohol had completely disappeared. He was tall and slender, and when he lowered his eyes, his expression was cold and aloof.
He simply put on a blue robe, its hem fluttering in the wind.
"Someone come here." His voice was deep and cold.
Soon someone came in to clean up the mess in the bathroom.
Fu Shuqing remained calm and composed until he had tidied his clothes before stepping out of the room.
It was late autumn, and the leaves were slowly falling.
The boots made a soft sound as they stepped on the ground. Fu Shuqing, dressed in a simple blue robe, remained expressionless despite the constant cold wind.
A man in blue robes was passing by in the intricately carved corridor when a loud shout rang out.
"Stop right there!"
The voice was as clear and melodious as a bell, carrying a distinct anger.
It was the voice of a young boy.
Fu Shuqing slowly stopped and looked up slightly. He saw two men of similar age running in the corridor.
One person was chasing another; the one in front looked relaxed and handsome, while the one behind had clear eyes but a face full of anger.
However, it was obvious that the person in front wasn't running very fast; they were deliberately controlling their speed, as if they were teasing the people behind them.
"Fu Jing, you still dare to run!" Xie Changyu was really too tired to run anymore. He was still recovering from a serious illness and his body was very weak. After running for a while, he had no strength left.
He slowed his pace, and suddenly, his eyes lit up when he saw a figure. He waved and shouted, "Brother Fu, please help me block Fu Jing!"
What?
Fu Jing, who had been watching closely behind and was feeling smug, was stunned when he heard this. Before he could even stop, his neck was tightly gripped.
Immediately afterwards, he was knocked to the ground, face down, looking utterly pathetic.
Fu Jing, who had always acted recklessly, was caught just like that.
His cheeks were covered in dust, and his hair was disheveled. When he realized what was happening, his eyes widened instantly, filled with anger. He looked up to see who dared to stop him, but when he saw that it was Fu Shuqing, his anger vanished instantly.
"Brother?" His expression was complicated.
Fu Shuqing glanced at him but didn't say anything. Instead, she looked up at Xie Changyu, who had caught up from behind, and said, "I've caught him for you. Let's see how you handle it."
"Brother!" Fu Jing heard his words and began to struggle, trying to stand up, but the force was immediately dissipated.
Xie Changyu had walked over; he was completely exhausted and was now panting heavily. His face was pale, but his eyes were bright and he was extremely agitated. "I told you not to run!"
He patted Fu Jing on the back, then, feeling too tired, simply sat down on him and pressed down on him. He smirked smugly, "Now you can't run away, can you?"
The frail young master finally regained his footing, while Fu Jing stopped struggling because of his actions. His handsome face gradually calmed down. He felt the soft touch on his back and lowered his eyes, saying, "Alright, alright, I admit defeat."
"It's no use admitting defeat now." Xie Changyu sat steadily, arms crossed, and snorted lightly. "You acted like you didn't hear me when I told you to stop."
After saying that, he looked at Fu Shuqing, who had been watching them without saying a word, the face that had appeared in his dream last night and was now suddenly in front of him.
Today, for the first time since arriving at the General's Mansion, he didn't immediately go to find Fu Shuqing. The dream had haunted him, making him reluctant to see that face.
He was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of him and only called his name in a moment of panic.
Seeing that he was avoiding his gaze, Fu Shuqing thought he had been implicated by Fu Jing, so he asked, "What's wrong? Aren't you happy that we caught him?"
His voice was soft, a tone he only spoke in front of Xie Changyu.
Fu Jing, who was beneath him, pouted and said defiantly, "Are you still my brother? You're actually helping him catch me."
Although he said that, he knew in his heart that his status with his brother was probably not as good as Xie Changyu's. He was always unfriendly and not good with words when he was with his brother, but he treated Xie Changyu like a baby.
Fu Jing, who refused to admit that he was like that, immediately expressed his dissatisfaction.
As a result, Xie Changyu sat down hard again, saying, "You stay still and don't move until I tell you to get up."
Fu Shuqing smiled and ignored him, looking at Xie Changyu with concern, "Are you feeling any better?"
Xie Changyu nodded and said smugly, "Alright, that's about it. The snow lotus you gave me last night was quite useful."
As he spoke, he rubbed his face as if to show off, and his complexion quickly became rosy.
Fu Shuqing reached out and touched Xie Changyu's forehead to make sure he was alright before he felt relieved. He ignored Xie Changyu beneath him, who stiffened slightly because of his movements, and continued, "It's good that you're alright."
He changed the subject, asking about the two of them, "What's going on between you two? Is A-Jing causing you trouble?"
Otherwise, he couldn't think of any other reason that could make this usually inactive young master so angry that he would chase after someone.
Fu Jing, indignant at these blatantly biased words, exclaimed, "Brother, you're being too biased! What do you mean I caused him trouble? He's the one who told me to do it!"
Upon hearing this, Xie Changyu immediately covered his mouth with his hand. He didn't want Fu Shuqing to know what had happened between them, so he quickly covered it up, saying, "It's nothing, we were just joking around, just joking around."
The boy, as white as jade, had curved eyebrows and a slightly guilty smile.
Fu Shuqing didn't expose him. He hummed in response and stood up, a smile appearing on his face. "It's lunchtime. Get up and eat."
The young man with a refined appearance smiled gently at him, but Xie Changyu couldn't help but think of the dream he had last night. His face suddenly turned red, and he felt ashamed.
How could he be so vulgar?
But he doesn't like men.
It's all that comic book's fault; now he's starting to think about all sorts of random things for no reason.
Because his attention suddenly wandered, he became a little unsteady on his feet. Fu Jing, who was beneath him, seized the opportunity and flipped over, causing Xie Changyu, who was on top of him, to fall onto his chest due to the instability.
"hiss."
Xie Changyu touched his nose, which had bumped directly into the hard chest. Realizing his current situation, he became furious. He gritted his teeth and said, "Fu Jing!"
What was Fu Jing thinking, having caused this trouble? He held the soft body in his arms, feeling a surge of satisfaction. The jealousy he had felt from being ignored earlier dissipated. His phoenix eyes curved into crescents as he feigned ignorance and asked, "What's wrong?"
Both of them were lifted up by Fu Shuqing, who was a military officer and was not as weak as he appeared.
After standing up, Xie Changyu immediately moved far away from Fu Jing, hands on his hips, glaring angrily, and said, "How dare you throw me!"
Fu Shuqing, who was standing next to him, frowned and said in a reproachful tone, "Changyu has just recovered and you keep bothering him."
After saying that, he pulled Xie Changyu aside and said firmly, "I'll have someone check on his health. It's so cold outside, it wouldn't be good if he got sick again."
Xie Changyu froze when he was pulled. Looking at that familiar face, he didn't know why his strength went slack, and he just let himself be pulled away.
Before leaving, she rolled her eyes at Fu Jing.
Fu Jing felt inexplicably irritated as he looked at their clasped hands. He attributed this to his dislike of being ignored and abandoned by Xie Changyu. Another inexplicable thought flashed through his mind: after all, his elder brother only treated Xie Changyu as a younger brother.
Feeling much better, Fu Jing composed himself, put on a carefree smile again, and followed after them.
"Wait for me!"
The three of them arrived one after another at the front hall, where they were to eat.
As soon as Xie Changyu came in, he let go of her hand. His face turned a little red, whether from the wind or something else, no one knew.
Fu Jing's hand was empty, but his expression remained unchanged. He turned around and ordered a servant to find a doctor. Only after he finished speaking did he take his seat.
The table was already full of food, but Xie Changyu didn't look at it much. He had already eaten before coming and had digested a lot of it after his recent trip.
Recalling what had just happened, he couldn't help but glare at Fu Jing, who had sat down next to him. This guy, he had only asked him to run around for a while because his mother had told him before they came that he should exercise more with them so that he wouldn't get sick easily.
Although he didn't like exercising, he listened to Fu Jing's advice this time and asked Fu Jing to train him as soon as he arrived.
Fu Jing didn't believe him at first, but later he believed him and agreed to take him for a run to exercise.
As a result, the two got into a competition while running. Xie Changyu felt that Fu Jing was slower than him. Fu Jing got carried away and made a bet. Xie Changyu also agreed on a whim.
But after realizing what had happened, he changed his mind, but Fu Jing wouldn't listen, and what happened next turned out to be what Fu Shuqing saw.
"You win."
Fu Jing told him that there was no resentment on his face, but rather a very sincere one.
Upon hearing this, Xie Changyu raised his chin smugly and chuckled, "I knew I could win!"
"You're smart to know what's good for you."
The boy had soft black hair and clear, light eyes. Layers of sunlight shone through and fell on his profile, making it appear as pure and clean as jade.
Fu Jing's gaze flickered, but he didn't react.
"Alright, let's stop talking and eat."
Sitting on Xie Changyu's other side, Fu Shuqing interrupted his thoughts. The gentle young man's voice was pleasant, but it also sounded like a warning.
After regaining his senses, Fu Jing realized what he had been thinking and looked annoyed. He must have been completely lost in thought!
"You guys eat, I'll wait until you're finished."
Xie Changyu didn't move after he finished speaking. He just sat there, ready to watch the two of them finish their meal, and then have Fu Jing fulfill the bet he lost.
Thinking about that bet, he wasn't happy at all. The situation had come suddenly, and he had just said it casually, saying that if he lost, he would let Fu Jing do whatever he wanted with him, and if he won, Fu Jing would do whatever he wanted with him.
However, before the bet, Fu Jing let him do whatever he wanted, so now that he had lost, he couldn't remember what he wanted him to do.
I already have enough to do on a daily basis.
He looked conflicted, while the Fu brothers next to him ate their meal in the same manner, not speaking while eating or sleeping. Although they had no elders to teach them, the two brothers followed the rules very well.
After finishing their meal, Fu Shuqing watched the two people trying to slip away and said, "His Majesty will be here later, so you should stay away from him."
He looked at the figure that suddenly stopped, recalling the scene of the two people's previous contact, and felt a hidden unease in his heart. He said, "Especially Changyu, Ajing, you take him and keep him away, so as not to offend His Majesty."
"Okay, I understand."
Fu Jing's expression turned serious when he heard his brother say this. He had heard Xie Changyu mention His Majesty's matter before, so he naturally knew the seriousness of the situation.
As for Xie Changyu, his mind was a complete mess. The moment he heard those words, the scenes of his previous encounters with the tyrant and the gossip he had overheard in the teahouse flashed through his mind.
Fu Shuqing and that tyrant.
He and the tyrant.
hiss.
This is so troublesome.
Xie Changyu was pulled by Fu Jing to his room. As soon as they entered, the door was closed tightly. The two of them sat on the bed without any manners.
"Did you hear what my brother said? You'd better behave yourself today, or you'll run into His Majesty later."
Fu Jing looked at him and gave him careful instructions.
Xie Changyu lay down and lazily turned over. He said, "Oh, we really should hide. That tyrant is too scary."
tyrant.
Although this was a consensus in the court and among the common people, few dared to call that person that, and they were all very afraid of it behind his back, because everyone knew that this tyrant possessed the most powerful and skilled secret guard in the world.
There was a rumor that a high-ranking official, after being scolded in court, kept verbally abusing the person at home until he died in his bed.
This matter was also publicized, but Fu Jing guessed that it must have been the one who allowed it to be spread, just to give everyone a warning.
Since then, everyone has kept silent.
After Fu Jing told Xie Changyu about it, the guy still didn't believe it. "I didn't say it to his face, what's there to be afraid of? He doesn't have super hearing."
"Besides, what else is he but a tyrant?"
tyrant.
Naturally, they employed many ruthless methods that were unbearable to witness, and their actions were despised by both ministers and common people.
Xie Changyu heard about the tyrant's behavior in the teahouse. He was described as having a violent and cruel personality, being decisive in killing, and slaughtering all the royal family members who opposed him, leaving only his brothers who were willing to obey him, such as the Cang King.
This is also why Pei Zilie is so arrogant. With a dictatorial emperor backing him up, who else would be arrogant if not him?
Xie Changyu pursed his lips.
Fu Jing nodded and smiled, "I didn't expect you to be so bold at a time like this."
He turned his head away, nonchalantly saying, "Don't worry, this is the General's Mansion. Even if His Majesty has the means, he can't send anyone in to monitor us."
"So I can say whatever I want?"
Xie Changyu's eyes lit up. "Then your General's Mansion is quite impressive."
This confident tone was so assertive that even a tyrant couldn't interfere in the affairs of this mansion.
“Hmm.” Fu Jing stood up, his handsome and refined demeanor revealing a wicked and charming profile. He said, “Let’s not talk about this anymore.”
He looked at Xie Changyu lying on the bed and said, "I just lost. What do you want me to do?"
When the topic of the winning bet came up, Xie Changyu turned his body to the side, propped his head up with one hand, and said thoughtfully, "Let me think about it."
Memories of yesterday suddenly flooded his mind, and Xie Changyu unconsciously swallowed, saying with a hint of curiosity, "I do have something I need you to do..."
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Author's Note: -.-
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