UCTOOT CH120

Seated at the dining table, Shi Shu chatted with Zihan: “Everything in the past is behind us. From now on, the three of us are going to live well together.”

Du Zihan: “That sounds kind of weird.”

Curling his lips into a smile, Shi Shu said, “Hey, Brother Xie even set aside a courtyard just for you. We’re settling down in Yanzhou long-term.”

Du Zihan: “Holy crap! That generous? Xiao Shu-bao, you really married into wealth.”

Who could possibly understand this feeling? Moving into an ancient luxury estate at the ripe age of twenty-seven—not by his own efforts, but entirely riding the coattails of his best friend’s boyfriend.

While Xie Wuchi hadn’t arrived yet, Shi Shu recounted the story of how they had finally confessed their feelings deep in the mountains: “You have no idea, I bawled my eyes out back then.”

Du Zihan: “With Brother Xie’s caliber, crying for an entire month would’ve been worth it—as long as you cried him back.”

“…”

Shi Shu chattered away with him. Moments later, clad in simple civilian robes, tall and poised as jade, Xie Wuchi entered through the doorway. Du Zihan tactfully rose to his feet, only to hear him say, “No need. Sit and eat.”

Shi Shu and Du Zihan chatted about the past—whether drifting along the road, their time in Qin Village, or these three months at Bai Family Settlement. Shi Shu laughed as he listened, while Xie Wuchi’s gaze remained fixed entirely upon Shi Shu.

When Xie Wuchi reached under to hold his hand, Shi Shu pulled back self-consciously, only for his hand to be clasped again. Just as Shi Shu gave in, he looked up and caught sight of a squirming, intensely uncomfortable Du Zihan.

Shi Shu: “…”

Du Zihan: “…”

Du Zihan scrambled to change the subject: “Remember that big black dog? It didn’t just bite, it rallied a whole pack of village hounds, scaring the two of us straight up into a tree! We waited forever until a villager passed by to get us down and guide us away.”

“And another time, during that torrential downpour, we had nowhere to take shelter, soaked completely to the skin…”

The atmosphere was delightfully awkward, but the meal was finished at last. Shi Shu led Du Zihan to his courtyard: “This is your two-entry courtyard. No dogs, and no more getting drenched in the rain. Don’t worry, we’re settled down now. No more wandering from place to place.”

Du Zihan had always been timid and felt rather touched. Shi Shu patted his shoulder, turned, and stepped out of the courtyard.

Xie Wuchi stood beneath a scholar tree, the autumn breeze catching the hem of his robes. Shi Shu bounded over in swift strides: “Rare that you’re done so early today. Hurry back to sleep; you’ve barely had any rest.”

In the gathering gloom, Shi Shu led him by the hand back to their courtyard. After bathing, without a second word, Shi Shu shoved him onto the bed: “Time to sleep.”

Xie Wuchi: “Stay with me.”

Suppressing a chuckle, Shi Shu climbed onto the bed: “I never said I was leaving.”

Propping himself on the bed, Shi Shu undid his clothes piece by piece, exposing the broad expanse of his firm chest: “You want to sleep naked?”

“Mm.”

Shi Shu stripped Xie Wuchi bare. As he undressed him, Xie Wuchi watched him with lowered eyes. Lying on his side on the bed, Shi Shu was gathered straight into his arms. Shi Shu caught the faint scent of deep exhaustion clinging to him.

Held in his embrace, Xie Wuchi was truly exhausted, his breath brushing against the back of Shi Shu’s ear, gradually settling into a quiet rhythm. Shi Shu listened to the silence outside the window; the servants had all been dismissed. Simply sleeping together like this was wonderful too. Xie Wuchi ran hot, his skin almost constantly feverish, feeling warm enough to ignite a person.

Knowing he was weary, seeing Xie Wuchi sound asleep with closed eyes, Shi Shu grew idle and gently twirled a lock of Xie Wuchi’s hair around his fingers. Gradually, drowsiness crept over him as well.

The bed inside the Yanzhou estate was far softer than the large brick kang in that rustic cottage. Shi Shu noticed a few of Xie Wuchi’s sleeping habits: he loved wrapping his arms around his waist from behind, one arm crossing his chest, the other encircling his waist, legs intertwined.

Or holding him face-to-face, hooking Shi Shu’s leg over his hip, maximizing surface contact as they slept. In either posture, certain parts were pressed flush together.

With some effort, Shi Shu freed a hand to brush aside Xie Wuchi’s hair, revealing his handsome temple: “Xie Wuchi, do you even have to sleep like this?”

Xie Wuchi was sleeping deeply. Far too many duties, trivial affairs, and crushing burdens had piled upon his shoulders. Shi Shu planted a gentle peck on his jaw, only to be pulled tighter at once, unconsciously rubbing against his lower abdomen.

“…” Shi Shu: “Sleep, sleep, sleep. Won’t mess with you.”

The temperature had dropped today; as night settled, Yanzhou turned chilly. Shi Shu pulled the light quilt up, tucking it over his taut, muscled back. He had never imagined in the past that watching someone sleep could keep him occupied for hours.

Shi Shu finally drifted off, slipping into another dream.

He dreamed of a sunny day, bringing Xie Wuchi back home. His parents were bustling in the kitchen in a frantic fluster washing vegetables and cooking, sneaking peeks at Xie Wuchi from the doorway. Xie Wuchi simply strolled into the kitchen, chatting with his parents and helping prep the food.

Shi Shu sprawled on the couch watching a game, the sun warming his skin, lazily listening to their banter.

“What’s your name, your family name, and how old are you?”

“I was wandering outside, and Xiao Shu took me home to keep me fed.”

“Mom, look! Not only can I feed myself, I even feed others!”

Shi Shu actually laughed himself awake from the dream with a snort, rubbing his aching cheeks.

Checking the moonlit shadows, it was already one or two in the morning.

Just as Shi Shu was about to go back to sleep, he sensed a feverish heat radiating around him. Xie Wuchi had awakened at some unknown moment, his arm circling Shi Shu’s back, tracing from his pale nape all the way down the line of his spine and lower still.

Held in his embrace, Shi Shu lifted his face: “Day and night without stopping, really?”

Xie Wuchi: “The honeymoon phase.”

Endless waves of desire seemed to wash through Shi Shu. Within the narrow bedding, enveloped in a deep embrace, every inch of skin was pressed flush. Sweat gradually broke across his skin as Xie Wuchi, the absolute master of it all, observed him at leisurely ease, bestowing or withholding ecstasy at whim.

Dark hair clung damply to Shi Shu’s earlobe as he breathed, trying to steady his emotions. Xie Wuchi murmured softly beside his ear, “A treasure trove sits right beside you, free for you to take as you please, yet you fail to discover it.”

Shi Shu supported himself against him: “What more do you want from me…”

…

After a deep kiss, Shi Shu lay in his arms, the two held tight together. Unable to fall back asleep, Shi Shu was lifted up by Xie Wuchi to sit in the courtyard and look at the stars and the moon.

Xie Wuchi’s clothes were disheveled, his inner robes loosely draped, entirely unlike his usual dignified appearance when working at the yamen. When Shi Shu reached to pull his lapels closed, he was gathered into another kiss.

Hooking an arm around his shoulder, Shi Shu said, “I’ve heard that a young man shouldn’t touch romance too early; otherwise, it easily softens his willpower, keeping him from achieving great ambitions and leaving him languishing his whole life in the tender trap of domestic bliss.”

Xie Wuchi smiled faintly: “A tender trap? Me?”

Shi Shu: “Yeah.”

Barely had Shi Shu spoken when a large hand hooked behind his knee, lifting his leg as he felt something slip inside. Brushing aside his hair, Xie Wuchi murmured, “Am I tender?”

Shi Shu’s face instantly flared crimson, fingers clutching his shoulders tight.

The night mist condensed into dew, reflecting crystalline moonlight. The sounds of summer faded in the grass; within the manor gates, absolute quiet reigned, broken only by wet, slick sounds.

Cradling his spine, moving steadily, Xie Wuchi said, “I received word today.”

Sprawled against his chest, Shi Shu had felt antsy at first, but cocooned in such intimacy, he answered with burning ears: “W-What happened?”

“Remember that March when we first arrived? Back then, someone in the Huainan Circuit rebelled and declared himself emperor, only to be crushed by Zhao Shirui’s army. It turned out that the salt tax had been extorted too aggressively, sparking rebellion among local merchants and salt smugglers. After the suppression, the military suffered tens of thousands of casualties and wasted tens of millions of taels of silver.”

A civilian uprising in any region not only shook the people’s faith, but was tantamount to tearing an open wound into the colossal beast of Dajing. The hemorrhaging silver was its gushing blood; recovery required time, and multiple wounds risked bleeding the dynasty to death.

Clamping tight, Shi Shu nodded awkwardly.

The pad of Xie Wuchi’s thumb gently caressed the corner of his lips, unhurried, letting that intimate heat swallow him at its own pace: “I received a letter. In the battle of Yunzhou, requisitions for money and grain from Qian’an and Zhongchu Prefectures were pressed far too ruthlessly. Unable to bear the extortion, local commoners took advantage of the military host converging on Yunzhou to stage rebellions across both prefectures.”

Shi Shu tried to straighten his back, but bent right back down. Agitated, he moved to pull away, but Xie Wuchi indulged him only so far as to gather him securely onto his lap. Shi Shu could no longer care about the position: “Qian—someone rebelled in Qian’an?!”

“It has been several months, but local officials covered it up until the rebels fought past administrative borders. Now that leader flies his own banners, styling himself king, marching straight toward the Eastern Capital.”

“Such a thing happened?!”

Memories from the past instantly rushed back.

It was that snowy night during the reclamation of Dasheng Prefecture, when Zhao Shirui butchered the city. Shi Shu had fled from Xie Wuchi, walking alongside commoners amid the flames of war, witnessing the harrowing devastation of refugees along the road.

In ancient times, virtually no army fought with righteousness—whether imperial soldiers or peasant rebels. Burning, killing, and looting were the only swift paths to amass wealth, and among those commanding tens of thousands of troops, how many truly possessed the heart of a Bodhisattva?

When commoners rose in arms, their march was equally paved with slaughter: raiding grand manors, then plundering lesser households, shouting “Time to get rich!” as they cut down anyone in their way, while other innocents could only flee in terror for their lives.

Shi Shu foresaw the devastation across both prefectures: “Back then, the north fell into turmoil, and you kept cultivating military colonies in Xingu Prefecture, settling and recruiting displaced refugees to keep the common folk from stirring up trouble…”

“Now, Dajing’s southwest is in chaos, and the central heartland is on the brink of falling into turmoil as well.”

It was equivalent to stabbing two more blades into Dajing’s torso, blood pouring freely.

Shi Shu couldn’t help feeling tense, nestled securely in Xie Wuchi’s embrace.

“Peasant rebellions introduce far greater variables into the future. We shall wait and see how it unfolds; there is no rush.”

Xie Wuchi governed only the Northern Army. The southwest was beyond his jurisdiction, so the peasant uprisings there naturally had nothing to do with him; aside from weighing costs and benefits, he was merely watching the fire burn across the river.

“A human lifespan rarely reaches a hundred years, yet perpetually harbors the anxieties of a thousand. If one were to fret over every sorrow of this world, sleep would never come at night.”

Shi Shu looked up.

Xie Wuchi said, “Tend well to the matters before us.”

Shi Shu nodded. Leaning against Xie Wuchi’s shoulder, he understood as well: “The peace within the Northern Army’s borders, where the people live and work in contentment—that was bought with your tireless labor day and night.”

Xie Wuchi: “You know as well that my ultimate purpose is not benevolence for the common folk. Biding time, building strongholds, and marching upon the Eastern Capital—that is my true aim.”

Shi Shu: “Mm… but the outcome is the same.”

Xie Wuchi gathered him onto his lap once more: “Keep me pleased, and I will accomplish even more things that please you.”

“…”

Don’t say things that make me sound completely useless.

In the dead of night, beneath a hipped-and-gabled roof, beside murmuring water, inside an octagonal pavilion. Shi Shu ran his fingers through Xie Wuchi’s hair. During the day, people would inevitably pass by this pavilion, but with the servants dismissed tonight, it felt scarcely different from being out in the open.

Moonlight bathed their skin. Xie Wuchi buried his head to move for a while before leaning up to kiss Shi Shu again. Sweat dripped along his jawline, mist beading upon his dark eyelashes. Truly unable to take it anymore, Shi Shu groaned, “Xie Wuchi, I feel like I’m gonna get pregnant.”

Xie Wuchi: “Give birth then. I will raise it.”

Shi Shu: “In your dreams. I’m only twenty-one—even if I could get pregnant, I wouldn’t carry for you.”

Xie Wuchi paused, raising a hand to push back his dark hair, the sheen of sweat lending everything a different, charged nuance.

He dipped his head and kissed Shi Shu’s earlobe once more.