Although the villa was vast, there was only one master bedroom. That evening, Xin Yi looked at the grand alcove bed with a troubled expression. He turned to Bai Jiu, perplexed. "Is this the only room with a bed?"
"The others haven't been renovated yet; they aren't fit for sleeping." Bai Jiu was removing his outer robe, preparing to bathe in the inner chamber attached to the room. Seeing Xin Yi looking so distressed he was nearly biting his fingertips, Bai Jiu chuckled. "Though I am fair of face, I must ask the young Prince to show some mercy tonight."
Xin Yi’s face flushed crimson. "Decent people do not act recklessly."
"That is true." Bai Jiu unfastened his belt. As he reached the screen leading to the inner chamber, he didn't forget to instruct, "Dry your hair before getting into bed."
Xin Yi murmured an assent. Once his hair was mostly dry, he climbed into the bedding and rolled around once. The alcove bed was essentially a room within a room; with its outer screens and lowered curtains, it became a private, enclosed space. Two pillows lay side-by-side on the mattress. Xin Yi looked at them for a moment, then pulled one into his arms. The mere thought of Bai Jiu sleeping on the other made his face burn.
When Bai Jiu emerged, he heard no movement from behind the curtains and assumed the boy had fallen asleep. But when he lifted the drape and stepped inside, he found Xin Yi rolling back and forth, clutching a pillow. Bai Jiu made a mental note to have the beds in his own manor replaced with alcove beds upon their return, so the boy could roll to his heart's content. He reached out and ruffled Xin Yi’s hair.
Xin Yi showed his dimples. "It’s been dry for a while."
Bai Jiu leaned down and pecked him on the forehead. "A reward."
Blushing, Xin Yi set the pillow back in its place and made room for Bai Jiu. Bai Jiu blew out the lamp at the head of the bed and slid under the covers. Sensing Xin Yi huddled stiffly against the inner wall, afraid to move, Bai Jiu turned on his side toward him. "Come here."
Xin Yi’s heart hammered uncontrollably. He blinked several times in the darkness before finally shifting closer. When Bai Jiu caught his hand, he found it slightly damp with sweat and couldn't help but let out a low laugh. Being held and hearing that laugh made the tips of Xin Yi’s ears turn scorching hot.
"It’s... it’s my first time sleeping with an outsider," Xin Yi stammered. "It’s only natural to sweat a little."
They were close enough that Bai Jiu could feel Xin Yi’s body radiating heat like a small furnace. He squeezed the boy's fingertips and said in a low, gentle voice, "Did you ever share a bed with your brothers before?"
Xin Yi gave a soft "mm." With Bai Jiu’s voice lowered like that, it felt as if they were sharing secrets under the covers. He whispered back, "In the early years, I always slept with my brothers." Then, with a lingering sense of dread, he added, "My third brother loved to kick people in his sleep."
"That’s nice," Bai Jiu said.
"Hmm?"
"I don't kick."
"Mm..." In the darkness, Xin Yi sought out the blurred silhouette of Bai Jiu's face and leaned in a bit closer. "That is nice," he whispered.
Bai Jiu knew exactly what he was doing. He simply pulled the boy into his arms, suddenly feeling as though his own back was breaking into a sweat. To Xin Yi, their thin inner robes felt like nothing at all. Pressed together like this, with the dampness of their skin, there seemed to be no barrier left between them. The thought made his face turn an uncontrollable shade of red.
"It’s hot..." he stammered.
"That is because you are young and full of vigor," Bai Jiu teased. "I am old; I cannot bear the cold."
Before he could finish, Xin Yi had already wrapped his arms around Bai Jiu’s waist, muffling his voice against the man's chest. "I’m hot... if you hold me, you won't be cold."
Bai Jiu, already sweating himself, held him tighter. "I am grateful for your care. I suppose I shall let you keep me warm for the night." He chuckled. "Perhaps."
"Perhaps?"
"One night is too short. I will be cold again next time."
Xin Yi understood the implication and immediately buried his face. Bai Jiu stroked his hair and simply said, "Sleep."
Xin Yi’s tension and shyness gradually dissipated under the rhythmic, gentle patting on his back. It turned into a sense of security and drowsiness, and he was soon lulled to sleep. He fell asleep quickly, but it was much harder for Bai Jiu. Pressed so tightly together, even a man who claimed to be past his "vigorous" years would feel a certain stirring.
He remained awake until the middle of the night, yet his mood remained exceptionally good.
The next morning, when Xin Yi woke up, he felt as if he had been soaked in water. Bai Jiu’s arms had never let go of him. He let out a groggy sigh and said in a raspy voice, "...Nothing but sweat."
Bai Jiu laughed. "Go bathe."
Xin Yi fumbled his way out of bed in a daze. Hot water had already been prepared in the inner chamber, likely on Bai Jiu’s orders. It was still quite hot when Xin Yi stepped in. By the time he finished his bath, he was fully awake. He changed his clothes and came out to find breakfast already on the table. He noticed Bai Jiu also looked freshly washed, likely having bathed in another room.
Though they were on the mountain, government affairs still required attention. Documents were delivered to the villa before they had even risen; Bai Jiu was not granted much leisure. If Xin Yi was tired, he would nap on the daybed beside him; if not, he would take Chichi for a stroll around the mountain. It was always more relaxing here than in the capital.
During one of these strolls, he encountered Xiao Jin again, perched in a tree. Chichi, catching a strange scent, barked incessantly at the base of the trunk. It turned out Xiao Jin was afraid of dogs; he refused to come down, offering Xin Yi a bitter smile.
"Could you please take that fellow a bit further away? It doesn't look good for a third-rank Capital Guard Commander to be hanging from a tree like this, Your Highness."
Xin Yi smiled faintly, letting Chichi look up and whine with excitement.
"No, really," Xiao Jin said, raising a hand innocently. "I only crouched here because I wanted to see you. If I see you, I’ll have something to tell my third sister when I meet her at the end of the year. For the sake of our families' long friendship, could you ask him to move?" He then slapped his forehead as if just remembering. "Say something, Your Highness. I know you can speak."
"You know quite a lot," Xin Yi laughed, calling Chichi back. He asked, "Now that you've seen me, is there anything else?" Would he really be waiting here for nothing?
Xiao Jin slid down the tree like a monkey. He stumbled slightly upon hitting the ground and quickly raised his hands. "I'm fine! My kung fu is excellent; my legs are just a bit numb from crouching so long."
If the late Marquis of Huiyang knew his only young son had this sort of personality, would he leap out of his grave? Xin Yi only smiled and asked again, "What is it?"
"It’s nothing much..." Seeing Xin Yi turn to leave, Xiao Jin hurried to call out, "Third Sister told me to look after you. She said not to let anyone bully you—especially, especially the Prince of Pingding."
"Sister Yan?" Xin Yi stopped and said to him, "Then send word to her for me. I am doing very well, and the Prince of Pingding is also very good."
"That’s not for you to decide." Xiao Jin, having recovered from his numbness, paced around him. He wanted to get closer but was wary of the tail-wagging Chichi, hopping back and forth like a fool.
Xin Yi felt that not only would the Marquis of Huiyang rise from his grave, but the entire Capital Guard might as well. How did this newly appointed commander end up looking like such a simpleton? When he kept his mouth shut, he had the air of a noble scion, but the moment he spoke, he sounded like a naive fool who had just entered the capital. Xin Yi couldn't help but ask, "If it’s not for me to decide, then who decides?"
"Me, of course," Xiao Jin replied naturally. Then he remembered something, his expression shifting through several shades. He swallowed his words repeatedly before leaning in and whispering tentatively, "Did the Prince of Pingding... force you into anything?"
"He really didn't," Xin Yi said, suppressing a laugh.
Xiao Jin grew anxious. "Tell me the truth! I may have just arrived in the capital, but all I heard on the way here was Bai Jiu’s reputation as a living Yama. Seeing you two yesterday... if he’s forcing you, you have to tell me."
"And if I tell you, what then?" Xin Yi asked curiously.
"I’ll beat him up for you." Xiao Jin gestured with his fist. "My kung fu is the only thing I'm truly good at."
"...Farewell."
Xin Yi started to walk away, but Xiao Jin immediately followed, chattering incessantly. "What is really going on between you two? Does he really dare to coerce you?! Please, don't be polite with me. Even though our families didn't end up becoming in-laws, the sentiment is still there. Look at my third sister—she still hasn't married. Well, that’s not right; she still claims she married your third brother, Xin Li, and that she’s a daughter-in-law of the Xin family. Doesn't that make us brothers?"
"Did your Old Madam agree to that?" Hearing about Xiao Yan made Xin Yi feel a pang of sadness. He stopped and asked, "Didn't your family try to find someone else for Sister Yan?"
"She agreed," Xiao Jin said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Third Sister and Xin Li were truly betrothed."
"I know, but they never held the ceremony. There was no need... no need for her to remain a widow for my brother." Saying this was difficult; Xin Yi squeezed his fingertips, suddenly missing Bai Jiu.
"They did hold it," Xiao Jin said, looking shocked that Xin Yi didn't know. "The month after Xin Li’s remains were sent back, Third Sister held a ceremony with his spirit tablet. At first, the Old Madam refused no matter what, but Third Sister was determined to be with your brother. She said that by performing the ceremony and entering the family, they would be husband and wife in name, and your brother wouldn't dare not wait for her in the afterlife."
Xin Yi stood frozen, his heart a whirlwind of emotions.
"It’s not your fault you didn't know." Xiao Jin scratched his head. "You were kept under the Prince of Ping’s thumb, and we were suppressed in the capital. No one had it easy. Now that Third Sister has finally made it through in Qingping, and you’ve returned from the Prince of Ping’s side, we naturally have to back you up. We can’t let the people in this capital bully you." He then let out an "ah" and circled back to Bai Jiu. "I’m not afraid of anything else. I only want to ask you: did the Prince of Pingding use the matter of this villa to force you into something?"
"The matter of the villa?" Xin Yi asked. "What matter?"
"We had no travel expenses when we left the capital." Xiao Jin said this quite frankly. "The Prince of Pingding bought this villa, allowing our family a smooth journey to Qingping."
Xin Yi’s chest tightened. The words he had heard from Old Man Qu yesterday flooded back into his mind. He asked, "Is the Prince an old acquaintance of the Xiao family?"
"Of course not." Xiao Jin snapped a maple branch and toyed with it. His expression turned more serious. "I actually wanted to ask if your family had a history with him. If you did, then it makes sense. If not..." He paused and looked up at Xin Yi. "Do you?"
No... he didn't think so.
Given Bai Jiu’s personality, he would never meddle in others' affairs. Yet, whether it was helping the Xiao family or bringing Xin Yi back to the capital, none of it seemed like a spur-of-the-moment decision. But no matter how he searched his memories, he couldn't recall ever hearing Bai Jiu’s name at home.
"If not," Xiao Jin scratched his hair irritably again, "then why on earth did he do it? I couldn't figure it out at first, but seeing how intimate you two were yesterday, I thought I understood the reason. But the timing doesn't match. Bai Jiu entered the capital in the fifty-first year. How old were you then? He couldn't possibly be that depraved..."
"The fifty-first year?" Xin Yi’s heart began to race. He frowned slightly. That wasn't right. Bai Jiu had clearly said yesterday that it was the forty-seventh year... Why had it become the fifty-first?
"He was the one who uncovered the Great Shanyin Embezzlement Case in the fifty-first year. Back then, no one in the capital knew his name; they only said he was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard close to the Emperor. That case dealt a heavy blow to the Prince of Ping, costing him a major general. Only then did Bai Jiu truly show his face in court." Seeing Xin Yi’s strange expression, Xiao Jin couldn't help but ask, "Could he be an old friend of your elder brothers?"
Xin Yi did not answer.
Xiao Jin pressed on, "You still haven't told me if he forced you!"
"No. Never."
"Then you and him—"
"We’re together." Xin Yi used the phrase he had just learned yesterday, enunciating clearly for Xiao Jin. "We are together."
Xiao Jin’s expression of shock mixed with admiration was even more foolish than Chichi’s. For a moment, he even forgot about the deer. He practically jumped, shouting, "My living ancestor!"
He gave Xin Yi quite a start.
"You really are my ancestor! You—you, of all people, why him?" He began pacing in circles, clutching his head and muttering, "I’m dead, I’m dead. When Third Sister arrives, she’ll skin me alive. Why didn't I come sooner? Why didn't I! Oh, heavens, how am I supposed to explain this? I wouldn't be this worried if you were together with *that*!" Xiao Jin stomped his foot and pointed at Chichi. "Look at this one, isn't he great? Such a sweetheart!"
Xin Yi truly wanted to punch him, though he feared the boy would just keep spinning in circles.
"If he’s such a sweetheart, you’re welcome to take him."
"Your Highness, how can you say he didn't force you!"
Xin Yi sighed. "Fine, I forced him. Is that better?"
"I’m being serious! What’s so good about him?" Xiao Jin slapped his thigh in regret. "This won't be easy to resolve. The Emperor still has his eyes on you, and now you’ve gone and gotten involved with him. He is the Emperor’s official. If the capital becomes like... like it was back then, what will you do?"
"Rest easy." Xin Yi’s dimples appeared as he patted Xiao Jin’s shoulder to comfort him. "Just tell Sister Yan the truth. If it really doesn't work, I will speak to her myself."
Before Xiao Jin could respond, a hem of a robe brushed past. A tall figure emerged from among the red leaves. Bai Jiu pushed aside a branch, his striking features appearing cool and solitary against the backdrop of the crimson maples. Yet, his voice was warm as he spoke.
"Commander Xiao, what a coincidence."
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
拔步床 | Babu bed (Alcove bed) | A large, enclosed bed that forms a small room within a room, common in wealthy households.
京卫使 | Capital Guard Commander | Xiao Jin's official military rank in the capital.
山阴贪响大案 | Shanyin Embezzlement Case | A major corruption case involving military funds that occurred in the Shanyin region.
牌位 | Spirit tablet | A memorial tablet used to designate the seat of a deity or past ancestor.
拜堂 | Marriage ceremony | The formal ritual of bowing to Heaven, Earth, and parents to seal a marriage.
