UCTOOT CH57

The hour had arrived. At the Eastern Capital’s city gate, the prisoner was being escorted into exile.

The morning light at the city gate was dim. The common people did not know that the promoter of the New Policies was being exiled.

But under the awnings of the tea stalls, people dressed in rich silks and satins were sitting: “You’ve come?” “You’ve come too?”

“How can one miss the joke of the ‘number one man of the New Policies’ being exiled for three thousand li?”

The crowd sipped tea, looking relaxed.

The wooden cangue was marked with the characters “Ministry of Justice, Xie Wuchi.” It was very heavy. The bailiff placed the wooden cangue and chains on Xie Wuchi, holding a club in his hand: “Lord Xie, if you please.”

Xie Wuchi’s nose was tinged with some frost. He closed his eyes, his thoughts unreadable, as the cangue was locked. At this moment, “Woof woof woof!” A few barks, and from not far away, a young man with a lively dog ran over quickly.

In the morning wind, Shi Shu carried a bundle on his back, his figure extremely handsome and refined. He ran over, a smile on his face: “Xie Wuchi, I’m here, I’m here! Am I late? Are you about to leave?”

Xie Wuchi froze. “You, why must you do this?”

Shi Shu: “I’m worried about you. I heard many people die on the road to exile or in their assigned territories. I’m afraid you’ll die.”

Shi Shu looked away. “Besides, there’s nothing in the Eastern Capital for me to miss. It’s too cold and indifferent. If you’re not in the Eastern Capital, I don’t want to stay either.”

Xie Wuchi pursed his lips.

Shi Shu said: “Don’t send me back. I sold your house, so now I have nowhere to live. If we have the chance, we can come back together in the future.”

Silence.

Xie Wuchi said: “I hope you can be considerate of my self-esteem.”

“…This.”

Shi Shu rubbed the tip of his nose. In fact, from the first glance at Xie Wuchi, it was a shocking sight. A prisoner, not only in prison clothes but also with chains on his legs and a cangue on his body. Given his family background and personality, he was originally someone too proud to bear any humiliation.

Shi Shu sighed. “Let’s not talk about this. We two brothers—”

“Shi Shu.”

He said his name, a touch between his lips and teeth, like a burning karmic fire.

Failure is one thing, humiliation is another. It’s like asking Shi Shu to lose a race and then have to use his ID card to publicly admit he’s not as good as XXX; if it were him, he’d break down too.

“I know, I know.”

Shi Shu’s feelings were very complicated. A person like Xie Wuchi, who, when infected with the plague in Shukang Prefecture, could cut his wrist with a smile, has an extremely high tolerance for pain and a strong ability to accept failure. Even if many of his actions didn’t bring immediate rewards, he understood that everything was paving the way and building momentum for himself. He chases power, but not for quick success, instead taking it step by steady step.

But for such a person, it is the humiliation of his self-esteem that is the most difficult to accept.

Shi Shu patted his shoulder: “I know you’ve suffered. It’s okay, don’t mind me. Just think of me as a wisp of air.” As he spoke, he supported the cangue. “How heavy is this? Is it heavy to wear? I’ll help you lift it.”

The bailiff said: “It’s a lighter travel cangue, eighteen jin heavy.”

Shi Shu: “Eighteen jin?”

The bailiff said no more, looking back. Shi Shu thought it was just these few people on the road, but unexpectedly, a column of eunuchs and official soldiers followed from afar, ready to report to the court at any time.

Shi Shu noticed this group: “Hahaha, so funny. So many people are here to see you made a joke of? So what? Even in exile, you’re grand and magnificent, stronger than all of them.”

Xie Wuchi’s trouser leg got caught in the chains. Shi Shu bent down to fix it, took out gauze from his bundle, and wrapped it around his ankle, circle by circle. “The raw iron will chafe your skin, which is very uncomfortable. Last night, I asked my neighbor who was exiled before for some tips. First, use cloth to separate it.”

Shi Shu squatted, wrapped the gauze around his ankle, then fixed his trouser leg. When he looked up, Xie Wuchi was looking at him.

Shi Shu smiled: “I know I’m very thoughtful, no need to say thank you.”

Xie Wuchi was silent. It seemed there were words in his eyes. His eyes moved, and he looked away.

From the Eastern Capital to Taiyin Prefecture, a full three thousand li.

The autumn wind blew, and the weather turned from cool to cold. The four bailiffs were initially impartial, but after leaving the Eastern Capital, they gradually started to talk more. When it was time for lunch, Shi Shu asked, “Can this be taken off? Otherwise, how is he supposed to eat?”

The bailiff unlocked the travel cangue: “Eat.”

Xie Wuchi’s wrists and ankles were locked with iron chains. He ate two bites of a steamed bun and said, “I need to relieve myself.”

“My lord, don’t go too far.”

Xie Wuchi went to the back courtyard of the tavern and returned a moment later, standing by the stream and bending down.

Xie Wuchi’s range of movement was extremely limited, though he could occasionally walk away a little. Shi Shu was playing with Laifu when he saw him standing by the river, watching the flowing water. He ran over. “—Xie.”

He stopped before finishing the sentence. Xie Wuchi stood there, facing the murmuring stream, his eyelids closed.

In extreme silence, he listened to the sound of the wind.

Along this road, Shi Shu had barely spoken a few words to him. Firstly, he was afraid of revealing too much information. Secondly, Xie Wuchi seemed to be in a very bad mood. When someone is in a bad mood, forcing them to chat is a form of cruelty.

The trees wish for calm, but the wind will not subside. The autumn wind rustled, and the leaves fluttered.

Xie Wuchi said nothing, his eyes closed, feeling the wind brush past him, the movement of the flowing water. The bridge of his nose was very high on his side profile, showing his clear arrogance.

Shi Shu plucked all the wild flowers nearby, thinking, “Xie Wuchi must be in a very bad mood… But a person like him wouldn’t say it, and it would be hard to even see it on his face.”

“If it were someone else, how could they bear the injustice of getting three thousand li for thirty million taels? Wouldn’t they go mad with anger? But he can even endure this… why did he get angry and leave on his own that day?”

Xie Wuchi, your life has really had its ups and downs.

As Shi Shu was thinking, Xie Wuchi opened his eyes. He had also gathered a handful of small flowers and handed them over. “For you.”

After he spoke, Shi Shu and Xie Wuchi’s eyes met.

“…”

For some reason, after not seeing each other for three months, it felt like they weren’t very familiar anymore; they had become strangers.

Shi Shu pulled back. “Uh, I knew you wouldn’t want it. I’ll throw it away.” After saying that, he threw them all into the water, watching them spin and disappear.

Xie Wuchi didn’t seem to have much to say and returned to the group. The lunch break ended, and the bailiff put the travel cangue back on him. “Lord Xie, if you please. Today’s resting place is still dozens of li away at Niujiao Station. It’s a long road ahead.”

Shi Shu, not wearing a cangue, felt his feet go soft after walking for a long time. Not to mention Xie Wuchi, whose hands and feet were shackled by chains and a wooden cangue. As they walked, Shi Shu looked at him worriedly and asked, “Are your feet tired?”

Xie Wuchi: “It’s alright.”

Shi Shu pulled up his trouser leg and saw that even with the gauze, the skin was broken, swollen, and red. Needless to say, the suffering on this journey was predictable.

He couldn’t help but sigh. “I’m impressed.”

Great ups and downs, floating and sinking, and he also made a lot of money.

A person like Xie Wuchi was really capable of stirring things up.

The autumn weather was different from usual. The mountains were full of yellow leaves. Laifu walked in front, and Shi Shu, who at first had been following Xie Wuchi step by step, soon started running around on his own.

He came across a few wild pear trees on the road. Shi Shu picked a full pouch, gave some to the bailiffs to eat, then washed one and brought it to Xie Wuchi’s mouth. “Here, take a bite, it’ll quench your thirst.”

Xie Wuchi: “I’m not eating.”

“Still not in a good mood?”

Shi Shu took it back and ate it himself, giving the rest to Laifu.

Because of Shi Shu, this dull journey seemed to have gained some vitality, and the bailiffs would occasionally joke with him.

Yellow leaves flew from the mountains, the autumn grass withered in the cold. By evening, they finally arrived at Niujiao Station. This was only the first day of exile. The bailiffs entered the door, and the station master naturally cooked for them, but not for the prisoner. It was only then that Shi Shu remembered some unwritten rules. He quietly took out a silver note and handed it to a bailiff. “Brother, don’t be polite, take it!”

Bailiff: “Don’t be like this.”

Shi Shu: “Take it. This journey is two months long, I’m relying on you all to take care of him. Take it and split it, all four of you.”

Bailiff: “You… this puts me in a difficult position.” Just as he was hesitating, staring at the money, someone at the door coughed loudly.

The bailiff quickly left. Shi Shu turned around. The “tail” of eunuchs and guards had entered the door. Clearly, with this group monitoring them, the journey would not be too easy for Xie Wuchi.

After the eunuchs and guards entered, the station master hurried to receive them, and the group sat in the main hall.

Shi Shu looked at the group, not knowing what to say. He put the silver back in his sleeve and went to the kitchen to start a fire and cook.

No longer on the road, Shi Shu turned and saw Xie Wuchi was still wearing the travel cangue, so he asked, “Can this be removed?”

The bailiffs looked at each other. They knew this was no ordinary person they were escorting and didn’t dare to make a decision. They had to go ask the eunuch. A moment later, they returned and said, “Take it off. Put it back on when we leave tomorrow morning.”

After it was unlocked with a key, Shi Shu circled around Xie Wuchi. Xie Wuchi’s expression was as usual. His prisoner’s uniform was simple but clean, and his expression was very calm. But when Shi Shu got closer, he saw that the back of his neck, hidden by his hair, was red, and his wrists and ankles were chafed raw.

“It’s bleeding on the first day?”

Shi Shu stuffed a handful of firewood into the stove and took out a medicine bottle. “Xie Wuchi, don’t be afraid. I expected this and brought medicine for you. I’ll boil some water for you to wipe your body, clean the skin first, then I’ll apply it.”

The chains were cumbersome. Shi Shu turned his head and asked the eunuch, “Can the chains on his hands and feet be unlocked?”

The eunuch sitting at the door watching them shook his head.

“Alright.” Shi Shu boiled water in one pot and cooked rice in another. “I’ll help you.”

Xie Wuchi didn’t speak, just stood there as Shi Shu directed.

Shi Shu fetched a basin of hot water, preparing to wipe the sweat off Xie Wuchi’s body first. But seeing the eunuch sitting at the door without moving, he asked, “Are you going to watch him bathe? You’re not even leaving for a private moment like this?”

The eunuch didn’t speak, clearly on official business.

Xie Wuchi was already a major criminal of the court. This group had to record his every word and action to report back to His Majesty.

Shi Shu: “Fine, then you can watch. It’s not like he can run away.”

Shi Shu reached out to undo Xie Wuchi’s clothes. The moment his hand touched the collar, although they hadn’t seen each other for three months, a mix of awkwardness and familiarity washed over him. He suddenly remembered those experiences of Xie Wuchi taking off his clothes and paused. “Xie Wuchi, don’t get any funny ideas. I know you like to be clean. The situation is special right now, let’s cooperate. I’ll help you wipe the wounded areas first, you don’t…”

—Don’t get horny just because your clothes are off.

So many people were watching.

Shi Shu couldn’t say it in detail; the eunuchs were also listening.

After Shi Shu said this, Xie Wuchi didn’t speak either, just lowered his eyes and stared at Shi Shu’s hand, as quiet as a piece of cold jade. Shi Shu stripped off Xie Wuchi’s clothes layer by layer. In the dim light and firelight, his upper body was revealed, lean and well-proportioned, his shoulders strong and firm, his chest muscles and abdomen exposed and very prominent.

Shi Shu half-closed his eyes. “Look not at what is contrary to propriety. I won’t peek at you.”

But vaguely, Xie Wuchi’s figure was still reflected in his eyes, exactly as he remembered.

Shi Shu looked away, only to find that the eunuchs hadn’t blinked. It was said that these castrated eunuchs, although their tools were cut off, their glands still secreted hormones, and due to their physical condition, some of their romantic inclinations would be more distorted and perverted. There were quite a few who were into men.

“…Xie Wuchi, turn around, face me.”

Xie Wuchi did as he said, turned around, and faced away from the group of eunuchs.

Someone’s eyes were fixed, staring inside.

Even Shi Shu couldn’t stand it. “Xie Wuchi, such a fiery gaze, you don’t mind, do you?”

Xie Wuchi: “It’s nothing.”

For Xie Wuchi, who had often bathed on beaches abroad, where the extension and natural beauty of the body were also valued, the shame of showing one’s body was much less.

“Tsk, as expected…” No wonder… Shi Shu muttered as he wiped the skin around the wounds. The cloth was thin, and he inevitably touched Xie Wuchi’s face and neck.

The skin was very hot. In the dim kitchen, the two of them were close together, under the gaze of a group of people. It lacked the natural ease of when they used to live together day and night. After wiping, Shi Shu quickly handed the cloth to him. “The areas around the wounds are clean. You do the rest yourself. It’s not convenient for me to touch you.”

“Clank, clank—” The chains rattled. Xie Wuchi slowly took the cloth, wrung it out, and lowered his head to wipe the sweat from his body. He had just taken off his pants. It was hard to see clearly in the darkness, but his skin tone and body shape were very distinct. It was still that very eye-catching body.

But with his pants also off, one might accidentally see certain things. Shi Shu was so scared by the glance that his soul nearly flew out, and he immediately looked away.

He met the eyes of several eunuchs, who surprisingly still didn’t look away.

“Damn, isn’t this just pure sexual harassment?”

Shi Shu stood behind Xie Wuchi to block the view. A moment later, he heard the clean clothes on the rack being taken down. Xie Wuchi seemed to have a hard time getting dressed again. He turned back. “Alright, my turn.”

Shi Shu scooped out a large spoonful of ointment from a dark brown jar, had Xie Wuchi sit down, and applied it to the wound on his neck.

Touching the wound should have been painful, but Xie Wuchi lowered his eyes and said nothing.

Shi Shu comforted him. “Hey, look at you suffering like this. Alright, alright, alright, cheer up a bit. It’s okay, I’ll be with you this whole journey. I’ll accompany you.”

His fingers brushed past his earlobe. Shi Shu looked back. Under Xie Wuchi’s eyes were dark shadows. He didn’t know when, but his gaze had settled on him.

Being looked at by him, Shi Shu’s hand also paused. “It’s so strange, it’s only been three months. How have you changed, or have we just become unfamiliar? With the New Policies, you see so many people every day, do so many things, you don’t recognize me anymore? You don’t even want to talk to me?”

Xie Wuchi didn’t answer.

“Awesome, you do so many things to me, then turn around and forget about it.” After saying that, Shi Shu also felt he had gone too far.

Xie Wuchi remained silent.

Shi Shu knew he had to take care of him on this journey and was mentally prepared before they set out. He cooked white congee, then peeled an egg, put it in, and mashed it. He stirred it with a spoon, and only when it had cooled a bit did he bring it to Xie Wuchi. “Eat your baby food.”

Xie Wuchi: “Hmm?”

“When I was little, my parents fed me this kind of food. Mashed white egg in white congee. See, just like this, eat.”

The spoon was brought to his mouth. Xie Wuchi opened his lips and ate a spoonful, his tongue touching the spoon. It was just a simple act of eating, but in an instant, a tremor seemed to travel to Shi Shu’s hand. Shi Shu’s heart thumped, and memories resurfaced.

Xie Wuchi’s tongue licked the concave part of the wooden spoon, his eyes half-closed. When the next spoonful was offered, he opened his mouth and ate again.

“You…”

…Physical contact would inevitably produce strange thoughts, this was natural. Shi Shu stopped the explosion in his heart, his expression very calm.

Xie Wuchi looked up. Some liquid had gotten on the side of his lips, and he licked it off.

Shi Shu couldn’t stand it anymore. “What are you licking?”

Xie Wuchi: “Hmm?”

“…I’ll wipe it for you. I brought a handkerchief.” Fearing he would think crooked thoughts, Shi Shu pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the corner of his mouth. The more he tried not to think crookedly, the more crooked his mind became. Scenes flooded his mind, all of him deep kissing, embracing, and caressing him; the gazes, the temperature, and the impacts. But the current Xie Wuchi was so quiet.

However, as a prisoner, he showed not the slightest bit of humility. Especially when he lowered his eyelids, he still looked at people and things as if he were looking at a dog, with such dignity and calm.

Shi Shu stirred the congee in the bowl. “It’s a good thing I came! Otherwise, with you in such a bad mood, you’d have to cook and do everything yourself. How miserable.”

He shook off the distracting thoughts again, fed him spoonful by spoonful, and wiped his face clean. Shi Shu then hurried out with the clothes to wash them. “Just for these two months, never again in this lifetime, I will never wash your clothes for you again.”

Xie Wuchi was inconvenienced in many ways, he certainly couldn’t take care of himself. Just walking with him was simple, but taking care of him on the journey was the main task. Who could blame Shi Shu for always considering him his best friend in this world.

Shi Shu washed the clothes, and as he washed, he emphasized, “Just these two months. When we get to Taiyin, you have to call me ‘Dad’ until I get tired of it.”

“Wash clothes, cook, serve me.”

“Is this underwear? I even have to wash your underwear.”

So what is our relationship now?

Shi Shu scrubbed and scrubbed. Laifu wagged its tail beside him, so he tapped its nose. “Sleep outside tonight, help watch the door.”

Laifu: “Mmm, mmm, mmm!”

“Good boy.”

It was a very quiet night. He hadn’t expected that after not seeing his good friend for so long, their first day together would be a scene like this. No fine wine, banquets, or ecstatic joy, only Shi Shu coolly helping him bathe and wash clothes at the station, cleaning up this mess.

Shi Shu didn’t like to chase fame and fortune, but Xie Wuchi happened to love it. Since he loved it, Shi Shu wouldn’t blame him. It was just that the center of the storm could bring benefits, but the danger and the fall were also more severe. The only thing Shi Shu could do was to catch him when he fell.

Anyway, they were both alive, and he was willing to live with Xie Wuchi.

After Shi Shu finished washing and hanging the clothes on the rack, he turned around. Xie Wuchi was leaning against the door, the bridge of his nose tinged with the dim moonlight, his expression as dark as a ghost. The eunuchs and bailiffs were eating and preparing to sleep. He was standing like a door god, watching him.

Shi Shu pointed at him and said, “In that diary of yours, write these things down too. What I do for you every day. Remember to pay me back in the future.”

Shi Shu was handsome and sunny. He smiled, revealing clean white teeth.

Xie Wuchi pursed his lips. Shi Shu stretched.

“Let’s go! Time for bed. I’m so sleepy after walking all day.”

Shi Shu went ahead, and Xie Wuchi followed behind, the chains clanking, “clank, clank.”

Finally inside the room, Shi Shu laid out the bedding and turned to look at Xie Wuchi. “You rarely fail, don’t you? Is that why you’re in such a bad mood this time? Not talking, not talking, right? Come here, get in bed.”

Shi Shu muttered, “The last time we slept together was when we were treating the miasma in Shukang Prefecture? Later we had a three-part pact and always slept in separate rooms. With the New Policies, there were so many people and prying eyes, you barely closed your eyes. I’m a little unused to it now.”

How long had it been? It was like a dream.

Shi Shu slept on the inside, and Xie Wuchi sat on the edge of the bed before lying on the outside. The bed was narrow, the quilt was narrow. Lying down, he could smell the scent of soap bean and fragrance from his hair. Shi Shu propped himself up on his forearm to give him more space. He accidentally pressed on Xie Wuchi’s hair. Shi Shu made a “hmm?” sound, his hand slipped, and half his body pressed on Xie Wuchi’s right arm.

Just as Shi Shu was about to move back, Xie Wuchi spoke. “Come on top.”

Shi Shu hadn’t been harassed by him for so long, his guard was temporarily down. “What come on top?”

Xie Wuchi: “Get on me.”

It was a dark room, with no lights. Shi Shu didn’t move, slowly feeling an approaching presence, a weight covering his body.

Shi Shu smelled the coolness at the tip of his nose and was stunned for a moment. “What’s wrong? Xie Wuchi, is your problem acting up again—”

Xie Wuchi: “I remember now. My body still remembers.”

Shi Shu heard the faint sound of chains in his ears, and a shiver went down his spine. Xie Wuchi said, “Come here.”

Of course, Shi Shu wouldn’t go over. He just turned onto his side. A hand touched his hair and was gently scooped into his embrace. Shi Shu subconsciously thought he was going to kiss him and was on high alert, but the tip of his nose just gently brushed past his ear.

Xie Wuchi was just holding him. The cotton and linen fabric pressed inch by inch, the sensation received by his skin. His collar was messily rubbed open. Shi Shu didn’t dare to move, his body pressed against Xie Wuchi’s hot chest.

Shi Shu stammered, “This is fine, this level is fine.”

Actually, Shi Shu was mentally prepared to accept his problem, he just didn’t know to what extent he would act up.

In the dark room, on the hard brick bed, amidst the dilapidated doors and windows, two young bodies, out of place with all this decay, were entangled. Shi Shu kept his eyes open. He was fine, but it was hard to say about Xie Wuchi. His breath fell on his earlobe, the heat slowly turning into mist.

Xie Wuchi rubbed against his body, a gentle movement from his neck to his legs. By the time Shi Shu reacted, one of his legs was draped over Xie Wuchi’s waist, their bodies still tightly embraced.

But these movements could be completely understood as an embrace.

He and Xie Wuchi were just hugging. It was just that on Xie Wuchi’s side, every inch of his skin was being seductive.

His exterior was as calm as water, enveloping a boiling torrent.

Shi Shu: “Is-is it okay now? Have you hugged enough? I don’t even know where to put my hands.”

Such an intimate posture, the two of them were practically flush against each other. Shi Shu felt like he was hugging a giant doll, the base of his thigh rubbing against Xie Wuchi’s flat abs. This position…

Shi Shu: “…Hmm?”

Xie Wuchi was like someone drowning, holding onto him and not letting go. Since there were no overly aggressive actions, Shi Shu wasn’t sure what he was doing and could only let him hold him and smell him. “You.”

Xie Wuchi wanted to crush him.

A person’s skin is very warm. The autumn night was just turning cool. At first, Shi Shu’s attention was on Xie Wuchi’s hands. Slowly, he felt his body was so warm, a dry scent like it had been basked in the sun, very sleep-inducing.

Shi Shu’s mind started to get drowsy. His arm draped over his waist, and he actually fell asleep.

The author has something to say:
Xie Wuchi: My dick is about to explode.

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