Chapter 53 - Becoming An Adult

Their cold war lasted through the afternoon. Yu Tang didn’t come down after going upstairs. 

Song Xiao walked barefoot on the long, wooden bridge, all the way to the sea. He gazed at where the sea and sky met, one hand behind his back.

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As a nobleman, he had to know of fate, etiquette, and speech.

Fate was determined by the relationship between poverty and understanding. Now, he was poor. A gentleman had to know what his current fate was, and make the right call according to the present situation; he couldn’t demand everything with complete disregard.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

From what he gathered from the students in his class, some families lived frugally and were willing to sacrifice everything to send their child overseas to study. In the end, what they studied wasn’t any better than what they could have done in a top-tier domestic university. In Song Xiao’s opinion, this was extremely unfilial behaviour.

…To say nothing of the fact that his purpose for going abroad was just because he didn’t want to be apart from Yu Tang.

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They wasted ten years in their last life. A thousand years passed by in a flash, and they met once more. In truth, Song Xiao cherished every single day he could be with Yu Tang. When he heard that Yu Tang wanted to study abroad, he had secretly gone through a lot of information and thought of a way to solve the problem. It was just that this overbearing guy didn’t even give him a chance and immediately decided everything for him.

Yu Tang stood at the window and looked at the person standing by the sea. Wearing a soft and white shirt, Song Xiao stood with one hand behind his back. The soft material fluttered in the sea breeze. For a moment, Yu Tang thought that he was seeing the little assistant minister in the past, standing on the Jiuqu bridge.

 

Heavy snow swirled in the air, and Yu Jintang had insisted that Song Xiao go with him to the lake pavilion in the outskirts to enjoy the snow. As a minister, Song Xiao couldn’t be late, and so had foolishly gone ahead beforehand.

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Without a cloak or handwarmer, the little assistant minister, who only wore a flimsy cotton gown, stood freezing on the Jiuqu bridge, to the point that his nose turned red.

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“Why are you standing here?” Emperor Jingyuan went over with quick steps and took off his black, fox fur coat to drape it over Song Xiao’s shoulders. There were lit coals in the lake pavilion, but this person was standing outside in the cold wind.

“This servant is used to standing on the bridge and thinking. Because of a moment’s distraction, this servant forgot to go in.” The cloak was nice and cosy from the emperor’s body warmth, and Song Xiao’s already frozen body felt very comfortable. His eyes couldn’t help curving.

Song Xiao back then had looked just like a small, furry animal. Yu Jintang endured it once, and then twice, before he finally just stretched out one hand to touch Song Xiao’s face. He then turned around and went into the lake pavilion first.

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“What was this beloved subject thinking about?” Yu Jintang took the pot of wine off the coals and poured a cup for Song Xiao. Cao Gonggong, who had initially wanted to come forward and perform the task, immediately withdrew his hand.

“Ktlr rfgnjca kjr atlcxlcu… atja ktfc atf lmf bc atf ijxf atjkr, la klii fcvjcufg qjrrfgr-ys.”

Qtfc atf lmf bc atf ijxf yfujc ab atjk, la kbeiv yf vjcufgber obg atf qfbqif ktb kjixfv bnfg la – jmaejiis, Vbcu Wljb tjv yffc ajixlcu jybea tlwrfio. Lf tjv jigfjvs qfgmflnfv atf fwqfgbg’r ibnf obg tlw. Mbg j wlclrafg, la kjr ilxf tf kjr kjixlcu bc lmf. Ycmf atf wjaafg mjwf ab iluta, tf kbeiv yf mbcrlucfv ab fafgcji vjwcjalbc.

The young emperor quietly looked at the assistant minister for a moment, then slowly said, “No matter, there’s a bridge here.”

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Their cold war still hadn’t ended at dinner. The two of them didn’t speak at the dining table and ate silently.

Dugu An sat at the other end of the table and did his best to mask his existence as much as possible, so much so that the auntie who came to refill the dishes nearly missed him.

After digesting dinner, they went upstairs to sleep. Song Xiao silently went to the guest room.

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Every room in the villa was cleaned daily, and everything was provided. When the maid saw Song Xiao pick a guest room, she didn’t stop him, and turned to go and get Song Xiao’s luggage.

“Eldest young master.” When the maid turned around, she bumped into Yu Tang, who was walking toward the master bedroom. She lowered her head to greet him. “Young Master Song’s luggage…”

However, Yu Tang didn’t have any attention to spare her, as he rushed into the guest room in two to three steps. He then grabbed Song Xiao, who hadn’t even sat down, and turned around to drag him to the master bedroom. 

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Song Xiao was dragged along until he nearly fell over as he staggered after Yu Tang to the master bedroom.

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“Where do you think you’re going?” Not attending him in bed at night, falling out with him, and actually trying to live apart from him – he truly couldn’t tolerate it!

Yu Tang took a deep breath and raised the glass next to the bed for a drink. He forced himself to calm down, but after just half a mouthful, he couldn’t help throwing the cup. The clear glass cup hit the wall and shattered into pieces.

“I’ve already signed you up for the exam; you have to go even if you don’t want to!” University was four years of study; he definitely wouldn’t be able to bear being apart for that long!

Song Xiao was also a little angry. This person was always like this, deciding everything without ever discussing it. “The emperor should also consider this servant’s situation –”

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Before he could finish speaking, Yu Tang’s eyes turned red. He lunged forward and pushed Song Xiao down. “What situation?! You’re just finding an excuse to leave my side – don’t forget the contract we signed!” As he spoke, he bit Song Xiao’s shoulder fiercely

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“Ah…” Song Xiao was hurt, and couldn’t help struggling. The more he struggled, the more forcefully Yu Tang pressed him down. When he felt like the bones in his wrists were about to be crushed, he simply gave up struggling, relaxed his body, and closed his eyes.

Feeling the person in his arms stop moving, Yu Tang’s rationality returned a little. Propping himself up and seeing Song Xiao’s appearance, he closed his eyes, sighed, then let him go.

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Song Xiao opened his eyes. When he saw the loss in Yu Tang’s eyes, he couldn’t help feeling a little sorry. In the past, they had been impeded by the formalities between a monarch and a subject, and so could never be candid with each other. After being reborn in another era, they shouldn’t repeat their mistakes. Biting his lips for a long time, Song Xiao tugged on his torn shirt and softly said, “I heard that the Imperial University has American study exchange programs. When the time comes, I’ll go and find you.”

Yu Tang was blank, and it took a long while for him to respond. “You… Why do you have to study at the Imperial University?” Why do it in such a roundabout manner?

Song Xiao’s grip tightened around the shirt buttons he had collected from where they were scattered on the bed. “My family… might not be able to afford to send me abroad.”

“Huh?” Yu Tang was thoroughly flabbergasted. After all this, did his family’s empress think that Song Zicheng was so broke that he couldn’t provide for him? After choking for a while, His Majesty the emperor didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he hugged his empress and rubbed him in his embrace. “It’s fine. According to the contract, if I want to bring you somewhere, I’ll provide the money.”

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“En?” Song Xiao raised his head to look at him, and his nose touched Yu Tang’s jaw. “Why don’t I remember this clause?”

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“This is a hidden clause,” Yu Tang said seriously. He used his jaw to rub that raised nose, then lowered his head to rub his own nose against Song Xiao’s. “You didn’t look properly.”

Song Xiao didn’t believe him, so Yu Tang had no choice but to explain to him how much it cost to stay abroad for a year, and how much his family’s theatrical troupe earned in a year. Even if the company made a financial loss, Song Zicheng could still pay out this small amount of money.

Gaining a new understanding of his family’s business, Song Xiao was a little taken aback. He seemed to have misunderstood modern commodity prices, and he quickly reevaluated his family’s assets and his father’s status in society. When he came back to his senses, Yu Tang had completely peeled off his clothes.

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“Your – Your Majesty…” Song Xiao hurriedly squeezed under the quilt and stared at Yu Tang.

Yu Tang expressionlessly stripped as well, and squeezed in after him. “We’re on vacation, you should relax, relax.” As he spoke, he stretched out his long legs and encased Song Xiao between them.

Having never heard of such a relaxation method, Song Xiao rolled his eyes. He wanted to push aside this octopus spirit called the emperor, but was held even tighter. Yu Tang even used his mouth and lightly licked the spot where he had bitten Song Xiao. “Junzhu, I can see through the intentions of all the court ministers, but I just can’t see through you. If you have any grievances, just say it… I… I’ll always listen to you…”

Song Xiao suddenly felt his eyes burn. This wise and farsighted eternal emperor was always dim-witted and impulsive in front of him. In the end, it was just because he cared too much. Slowly nodding his head, Song Xiao reached out and returned his embrace.

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In the future, if there were any grievances, he would tell Yu Tang so that they would never be like in the past, and would always endure.

They fell asleep in a daze. In Song Xiao’s dream, he returned to the cold Jiahe palace hall, where a palace maid adviser gave him guidance on the eve of the wedding.

 

“As the receiver, you will certainly feel pain. Bear with it and it will pass, since what’s most important for a wife is to serve your husband well.” The palace maid adviser’s words were deeply imprinted in his mind, and impossible to forget on the wedding night.

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“Are you afraid?” Holding the nuptial wine, the emperor looked at him with a smile on his face.

“How can this servant be afraid on the wedding night?” With a smile, he drank the wine after they exchanged cups.

The emperor’s embrace was gentle and soft, as well as terrifying, since it really was unbearably painful later.

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Song Xiao opened his eyes and looked at the decor above the bed before slowly shifting his attention. He swallowed back the words on the tip of his tongue and stubbornly bit down on his lower lip. Thinking about how it would pass after he endured it, he endured for the entire night.

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The remnants of the red candles, the red muslin veil… what was meant to be a beautiful wedding night was just a disaster to Song Xiao.

 

Opening his eyes, Song Xiao frowned imperceptibly. When he came back fully to his senses, he finally realized what had just happened. He had actually thought of that wedding night, which hadn’t been beautiful at all… why was that…

As his lips twitched, he heard a delighted chuckle. “This really is the best birthday present.”

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