UCTOOT CH20

Shi Shu: “Speak clearly, what do you mean by ‘shipping’?”

Xie Wuchi said calmly, “You and Pei Wenqing, being friendly with each other, it’s very pleasing to the eye.”

Shi Shu, chewing on a piece of goose: “I understand friendly, but what do you mean by pleasing to the eye?”

Xie Wuchi: “You are good to everyone, so others naturally want to be close to you. Pei Wenqing is frail and sickly, and he needs a lively person like you to cheer him up. In the long run, you could become close friends.”

Shi Shu: “Hehe, that’s how making friends works.”

Then, sensing something was off, he asked, “So what are you shipping?”

“Shipping the two of you. You’re a good match.”

Xie Wuchi gave a brief, knowing smile. Aside from that fleeting moment of instability earlier, he had already returned to his usual composed state.

Shi Shu blinked. This was precisely what he found puzzling. He always felt that Xie Wuchi’s words were left unsaid, holding a hidden meaning, as if implying something.

Shi Shu often couldn’t understand these aspects of Xie Wuchi. “What’s wrong? You don’t think he’s a good person?”

Xie Wuchi: “Whether he’s good or not is unimportant.”

Xie Wuchi placed the cup back on the table. “You are good to everyone.”

His voice was very low, and he seemed calm again.

Shi Shu scratched his head. “I should be, I should be.”

Xie Wuchi’s gaze left him, and he nonchalantly changed the subject. “This roasted goose is a famous specialty from Chen’s stall at the Zhouqiao night market. It’s fatty, tender, fresh, and savory. Eat more. We might not be able to come back after going to the Ming Feng Si this afternoon, and it’ll go bad if we leave it.”

Shi Shu: “Huh, what? Roasted goose?”

Xie Wuchi’s thin lips were pursed. “I’m talking about the Ming Feng Si—”

Only then did Shi Shu listen carefully to what he was saying. “The Ming Feng Si?!! We’re going to the Ming Feng Si this afternoon?”

No emotion could be read on Xie Wuchi’s face. He just repeated himself in a flat, mechanical tone, “Last night, the Ming Feng Si issued a warrant for your arrest. Regardless of whether you were involved, running away makes you a fugitive and gives them an excuse. We need to go to the Ming Feng Si to have this document rescinded.”

Shi Shu: “They’re falsely accusing me of something I didn’t do, and I still have to go?”

“Yes. The Ming Feng Si can investigate you whenever they want. They have special imperial permission to execute first and report later. But don’t worry. The Heir Apparent went to court this morning and openly told His Majesty about the matter at Xiangnan Temple. In front of Feng Lu, His Majesty awarded me a hundred pieces of gold. This was a warning to him, telling him not to act so recklessly again.”

“You will be safe,” Xie Wuchi said as he stood up. “This afternoon, we’ll settle this matter.”

Shi Shu breathed a sigh of relief. “But I already made plans to meet them this afternoon.”

Xie Wuchi’s dark eyes looked over, his tone devoid of any ripples. “Cancel them.”

“…” His expression didn’t look like he was joking, so Shi Shu nodded. “Alright, I’ll go find them tomorrow then.”

“I’ll go with you to the Ming Feng Si. First, I’ll take a short nap. You eat,” Xie Wuchi said, rising and returning to the west wing.

Everything seemed normal, but Shi Shu felt that Xie Wuchi was unhappy, though he couldn’t tell at all from his face. He lowered his head and picked up another piece of fatty roasted goose, putting it in his mouth. The thought of the Ming Feng Si made his heart race with nervousness. At the same time, he wondered, what did Xie Wuchi mean just now?

Usually, when Xie Wuchi said something to startle him, Shi Shu felt he was being normal. But now that Xie Wuchi was acting more normal, Shi Shu felt something was off.

Forget it, I’ll see what’s up later.

Shi Shu took a sip of warm water and ate the braised pork he had brought back.

The medicine simmering in the tabletop pot was ready, and Shi Shu poured it into a bowl.

Remembering he had to remind Xie Wuchi to take his Baohe pills, he entered the room. “Are you asleep…?”

Xie Wuchi was lying on his side on the couch. On the table were his books. Shi Shu had always noticed a habit of Xie Wuchi’s: every day he would sit quietly for half an hour or write in his journal for half an hour, recording daily matters.

“Have you taken your medicine? Never mind, I’ll ask when you wake up.”

Seeing that Xie Wuchi was asleep, and that his blanket had fallen off the couch, Shi Shu walked over to pull it back onto the bed.

Just then, however, Shi Shu noticed Xie Wuchi’s face was pale, and an unsettled air seemed to linger between his brows. Shi Shu stopped and stood by the bed, looking at him.

Xie Wuchi’s sleeping posture was very proper. His eyes were tightly closed, and a shadow from his eyelashes fell beneath them. His nose was sharp and straight, and his lips were pursed. His entire face had the reserved quality of a sheathed sword—unapproachable and coldly intimidating.

“No, but really, why are you unhappy? I really can’t figure it out.”

“What does ‘shipping’ mean? I only know about shipping CPs. Are you shipping me and Pei Wenqing as a CP? Do I seem like I’m gay? Or does he?”

“Xie Wuchi, you’re such a riddle.”

Shi Shu muttered to himself in his head and reached out to tuck in the corner of the blanket for him.

As he sat there, Shi Shu began to think about going to the Ming Feng Si and how he would answer if he were really interrogated. Unconsciously, Shi Shu’s hand remained by the blanket.

Suddenly, his wrist was seized. A scorching heat instantly reached him. Shi Shu, stunned, turned his head. Xie Wuchi had opened his eyes.

Xie Wuchi’s gaze was a little muddled, still hazy from his short nap, as he held Shi Shu’s wrist.

The calloused pads of his fingers naturally caressed his smooth wrist, stroking it like a piece of jade, enveloping everything from the back of his hand to his fingers.

His hand was very large, and the stroking motion was extremely natural, as intimate as breathing or drinking water. Friends could be like this, too.

To be honest, sometimes Shi Shu’s mother would touch his hand like this. It was just that Xie Wuchi’s temperature was higher, so Shi Shu noticed it immediately.

“Why, Xie Wuchi, you…”

Pulling away directly would seem like I’m disgusted with him, right? After all, it’s just an insignificant little gesture. I’ll just endure it.

As Shi Shu endured it for two seconds, clarity returned to Xie Wuchi’s eyes.

The next moment, as if realizing what he was doing, Xie Wuchi let go without any transition, as if dropping something contagious.

Shi Shu: “…”

“?”

This suddenly made Shi Shu sensitive. “Hm?”

Xie Wuchi: “Have you finished eating?”

Shi Shu: “What do you mean by that? Explain what that gesture meant. Is there something wrong with my hand?”

Xie Wuchi met his gaze, then looked away without speaking. He stood up to head for the door but was blocked by Shi Shu.

Shi Shu: “You just threw my hand away? I didn’t even pull away from you just now. I get what you mean by shipping CPs now. You’re shipping me and Pei Wenqing, you think I’m gay with him? Do you think I’m a gay man?”

For Shi Shu, this was a completely unacceptable accusation.

Without answering, Xie Wuchi straightened his hair until not a single strand was out of place, then tidied his clothes.

Seeing him not answer, Shi Shu said, “You’re disgusted with me?”

“You’re actually disgusted with me?”

“What haven’t we done together? If we’re talking about shipping, what’s between us is way more extreme, isn’t it? We’ve slept in the same bed, hugged, kissed…”

Xie Wuchi stepped over the threshold and walked out, with Shi Shu following behind him. Shi Shu was also handsome, his eyes shaped like peach blossoms, giving him a sentimental look, but he was actually as dense as a block of wood. His lips were a light red, moist and full, and when he spoke, he had a hint of a smile, like falling flower petals.

“Xie Wuchi, make yourself clear.”

Xie Wuchi: “Do you think that hugging, kissing, and even French kissing can all be mentioned without any psychological burden as long as you call it a joke between friends?”

Shi Shu: “What else? Can’t friends joke about it?”

Xie Wuchi lowered his eyes, and the oppressive feeling from their height difference instantly descended. His eyes were shrouded in shadow. “I really want to shut that mouth of yours.”

Shi Shu: “…”

Why?

—

In the southeast corner of the imperial city stood a dark, damp, and cool government office. Outside the gate were several eunuchs and a large, leafy banyan tree whose green canopy reached for the sky.

The Ming Feng Si, also known as the Cage House, was so named because its offices had no courtyards, the buildings blocked out the sun, and the prisons were all connected, resembling a cage covering all four directions.

Standing outside the Ming Feng Si office, Shi Shu looked around.

The autumn wind swept fallen leaves. The government office was gloomy and grim, located a good distance from the residential streets, without a single person in sight.

“It’s so deserted? It feels like the hall of Yama, King of Hell.”

“There used to be people, but during the Gengwu Incident ten years ago, a large number of officials and their families were brought to the Ming Feng Si for torture. In the middle of summer, bodies were carried out. The residents of this street always smelled a foul stench and heard miserable screams late at night. It was horrifying, so they all gradually moved away,” Xie Wuchi said.

Shi Shu: “…So I really have to go in?”

Xie Wuchi: “You do.”

Shi Shu stepped forward. A eunuch spoke in a shrill voice, “Who are you looking for?”

Shi Shu: “I am Xie Shishu, the one the authorities were searching for yesterday. I have come to prove my innocence.”

The eunuch squinted at him, waved his hand, and after a few men exchanged glances, one of them hurried inside to report. “You wait here.”

Shi Shu: “So eunuchs really don’t have beards, huh?”

Xie Wuchi: “Keep your voice down.”

Shi Shu: “Uhh… They really because not a real man then ……so sensitive?”

Xie Wuchi paused his steps. His gaze, which had been scanning the surroundings, returned to Shi Shu. He stared down at him without moving, not saying a word. In the darkness, his gaze fell, and he seemed to be breathing slowly.

“…” Shi Shu said, “Alright, say no more.”

The eunuch returned. “Go on in!”

An institution for punishment and imprisonment was truly an institution for killing. The moment they stepped from the sun into the shadows, a chilling cold instantly enveloped their backs. The deeper they went, the stronger the frigid aura became, slowly climbing from their ankles to their backs, the cold air clinging to their skin.

The ground was wet and sticky. His shoes would stick to the soles with each step; he didn’t know if it was from layers of blood. There were many marks on the walls, as if scratched by fingernails, and Shi Shu could smell the faint scent of blood.

“Ah!!! Aaaahhhh!!!”

“Aaaahhh!…”

A miserable scream suddenly came from the left. It was the physiological wail of someone undergoing brutal torture, a scream squeezed from the throat that was utterly horrifying.

Shi Shu turned to look at Xie Wuchi.

Xie Wuchi: “Don’t be afraid.”

“…”

It feels like he’s still angry.

On the dais sat a eunuch official in blue robes, holding a document and reading it. He asked, “Are you that Xie Shishu who ran away yesterday?”

“That’s me. I didn’t understand the situation yesterday and didn’t dare to go with them, so I came today.”

The interrogating eunuch flipped through the papers again and again. “Why can’t I find your household registration?”

Xie Wuchi said, “This commoner and his brother were originally monks at Puji Temple in Shou County. However, due to the chaos of war, all the monks at Puji Temple were burned, killed, or plundered. This commoner was also separated from his younger brother, and we were only recently reunited at Xiangnan Temple. Our household registration was destroyed in the fire, so we don’t have one.”

If these people were smart, they would go to Shou County to investigate Puji Temple. Coincidentally, such a temple did exist and had indeed been wiped out by war. Xie Wuchi had once heard this from a fugitive monk and committed it to memory. The whereabouts of that monk were now unknown.

Shi Shu: “That’s right, that’s exactly what happened.”

The interrogating eunuch: “Hmph. A neighbor testified that after Yuan Guan killed someone and fled, they saw you leaving the city with his daughter. Were you involved in the plot! Confess the truth.”

“No. I had only met his daughter three times. That day, I saw her crying alone and just helped her out.”

The interrogating eunuch: “You say you just helped her, and that’s that?”

Shi Shu had already memorized his lines on the way. “I haven’t been in the eastern capital for long, only seven or eight days before Yuan He committed the murder. You can investigate where I went during that time. What connection could I have with his family? When I sent his daughter out of the city, I didn’t know about the murder. Besides, his daughter didn’t kill anyone. I sent her to her relatives’ home, which has nothing to do with Yuan He. I ask for a clear investigation.”

After a few rounds of debate with the eunuch, the man slammed his gavel.

“We will naturally confirm whether what you said is true. For now, take him to the prison and lock him up.”

“…”

Shi Shu: “What? I still have to be locked up?”

Shi Shu had thought that he could just leave after proving his innocence here. He hadn’t expected to be imprisoned. Once inside a prison cell, the potential for manipulation would increase, and the danger level would rise rapidly.

Shi Shu: “I have stated everything. Why do I still need to be detained?”

The interrogating eunuch: “To verify if what you said is true? Doesn’t that take time?”

“You—”

“Take him away! Lock him in the main prison!”

Bailiffs immediately came forward to seize him, about to grab Shi Shu’s shoulders, when Xie Wuchi took a step forward. “I have failed to discipline my younger brother. I ask that you lock me up as well to await the results.”

The eunuch: “This has nothing to do with you. Go.”

“If you won’t allow this commoner to be locked up with him, then I won’t leave.”

“Heh! You! Truly walking into hell when the gates aren’t even open for you!” The interrogating eunuch raised his hand and threw down an order token, intending to have Shi Shu forcibly taken away without any more nonsense.

Unexpectedly, when a man approached Shi Shu and tried to push Xie Wuchi away, Xie Wuchi actually lifted his leg and kicked him so hard that the man clutched his waist, curled up on the ground, and let out cries of pain.

The eunuch was suddenly enraged. “Rebellion! I knew you were here to cause trouble! I can’t be bothered to interrogate you!”

In the ensuing uproar, the eunuchs in the office all came forward to confront them, holding various weapons. Just as the situation was about to explode, a eunuch hurriedly rushed up and whispered something cautiously in his ear.

“Supervising Duke, Godfather sent word. His Majesty…”

The eunuch’s expression changed instantly. He sat back in his chair, forced a peacemaker’s smile, and waved for everyone to back down. “First time I’ve seen someone actively ask to be jailed. Your love for your brother is touching, so I’ll grant your wish. Arrest them both.”

…

The hall was lined with instruments of torture on both sides: cangues, shackles, finger presses, and a blood-stained guillotine.

Walking from the interrogation hall to the prison, the miserable screams from the torture chambers rose and fell, making one’s back crawl.

The cells were separated left and right. Inside sat disheveled people in prison clothes. Some seemed to have lost their minds, acting crazed, while others lay on their sides with their eyes closed, staring at the newcomers in the prison.

“I’ve been wronged, Your Excellency, I’ve been wronged! I want to see the Grand Secretary, I beg you, let me see the Grand Secretary!”

“I’m begging you! Kowtows—”

“…”

The shrill voices pierced their eardrums.

“Get in!”

A force slammed into Shi Shu’s back, pushing him inside with a sudden, sharp pain. “I can walk, you don’t have to push me!—”

Clang. The eunuch locked the gate with a chain, turned, and strode away.

“This bunch of eunuchs twists right and wrong, spouting nonsense. It’s a good thing you live in a feudal era. They all talk about continuing the family line and having many children for many blessings, but you people have none of what others have…”

After Shi Shu finished speaking, he turned around and, with his vision going dark, bumped into Xie Wuchi.

His forehead was a little dizzy, but the body was very warm. Shi Shu rubbed his head. “Xie Wuchi, you didn’t have to come with me. I can go to jail by myself.”

Xie Wuchi: “Coming with you will get us out sooner. If you were left alone, who knows how long it would take. That eunuch intends to wear people down.”

Shi Shu: “Sigh.”

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