Mu Zhan froze, then the pheromones suddenly surged and became restless, as if they could not be restrained. Startled, Wen Mingyu hurriedly caught his hand, releasing his own fruity scent to calm him, murmuring to him, “This is the street.”
Mu Zhan’s dark eyes fixed on Wen Mingyu, seemingly trying to lock the person in his gaze. He knew that they were on the street and couldn’t do a lot of things, so he was even more impatient.
He held that lantern in one hand and Wen Mingyu’s hand in the other; his voice was hoarse and low as he said, “Let’s go back?”
In fact, they had been strolling around for some time. Wen Mingyu nodded, and even under the candlelight of so many lanterns, they couldn’t hide the redness of his ears.
Only when Mu Zhan and Wen Mingyu walked away did the others exhale in relief. They had no idea what was going on, but just now there was a horrible feeling, and they almost lost their breath. They were at a loss. Was it possible that they grew quite envious after witnessing someone else solve riddles and give a lantern to their lover, and the amount of dog food made their heads spin?
Holding Wen Mingyu’s hands, Mu Zhan retreated completely against the crowd’s flow, creating a stark contrast. A number of people soon noticed them.
The tall man was exceptionally good-looking, holding a magnificent dragon-painting palace lantern in his left hand, while the other hand was firmly holding a handsome teenager. Two people with similar clothing styles—the only distinguishing feature was the embroidery—and with outstanding auras stood out like a luminous body in the crowd.
They looked like someone who came out of a painting.
People walking past were drawn to them and inadvertently slowed down, causing traffic.
Mu Zhan’s heart was in a hurry, so his face sank inch by inch, and while he didn’t say anything, the onlookers sensed the clear release of pressure and instinctively moved and made a way for them to leave through the middle.
In this way, the image became very peculiar.
Wherever Mu Zhan and Wen Mingyu went, people would voluntarily move aside, as if ceremonially welcoming them.
Wen Mingyu was originally not afraid of the crowd, but being stared at made his scalp tingle, and he couldn’t help bowing his head.
This time, too, some passers-by could be heard in the background.
“Are they a couple? And holding hands!”
“How bold, but I like it.”
“That little guy in the back has been keeping his head down. He’s shy, isn’t he? Heheh.”
Everyday vernacular language was not like those written in classical Chinese, it was more direct, unobtrusive, and more impossible for people to pretend they didn’t understand.
“Little guy’s ears are red!” A girl excitedly whispered. She only reluctantly pulled back her gaze as she saw the men walk away, their backs disappearing from view.
And Wen Mingyu, who walked out of the crows, heard the words, and his ears instantly heated up.
The carriage was parked close to the entrance of Yingxian House, waiting for them.
Mu Zhan told Wen Mingyu to board the carriage first. He was eager to leave as well, so he obediently stepped on the carriage step and got in. Mu Zhan naturally supported his waist behind him. If it weren’t for his thick clothing, Wen Mingyu would have felt the hot temperature of his palm.
Mu Zhan came in as soon as Wen Mingyu took a seat. The door of the carriage shut behind him, and the inside became pitch-black. Only the lantern candles outside the window poured on the drapes, filtering warm light.
He couldn’t see Mu Zhan’s face clearly. Half-bright and half-dark, he was hidden in the ambiguous and quiet darkness, but he could feel the frantic rush of pheromones and the strong scent of wine that was like a ferocious wave nearing in, engulfing him at once.
The scent of wine approached, then a dark shadow shrouded down. Wen Mingyu did not dodge; instead, he reached out and wrapped his arms around Mu Zhan’s neck. He kissed him back when his kiss fell. Heads brushed against each other, hot breaths slowly moistening between lips and teeth. The kiss grew hotter and hotter, and the temperature in the carriage was also climbing.
The carriage had traveled forward at some point, rattling and making people a little dizzy.
At this moment, coincidentally, the night sky bloomed with large, incredibly beautiful fireworks, and the bright light reflected on My Zhan’s face.
Wen Mingyu opened his eyes in a daze and saw Mu Zhan’s face close at hand. After strolling outside for so long, the makeup that covered his face had faded a bit, and he could clearly see his straight nose, dark eyebrows, and long lashes that hung down. His eyes reflected the tiny fireworks and himself, as if hundreds of stars fell into them.
At the end, Wen Mingyu nearly melted in this kiss, becoming a sweet and mushy puddle of water. Mu Zhan held him in his arms. He could only gasp sharply, lying limply on Mu Zhan’s shoulders, allowing Mu Zhan to gently peck at the corner of his face and mouth. Every now and again there was a slight itching, and instead of hiding away, he leaned in and kissed Mu Zhan’s chin as well.
His gaze strayed past Mu Zhan’s shoulder unconsciously and landed on the dragon-painting palace lantern in the corner. Candlelight was transmitted through the thin silk gauze, which then fell on the carpet to form a soft circle of light, warm and hazy. With the rocking of the carriage, the shadow of the dragon in the center swayed, and in a trance, the little golden dragon on the painting appeared to come to life as it soared through the clouds.
As Wen Mingyu leaned over Mu Zhan’s shoulder and watched idly, a smile uncontrollably crossed his face.
“So beautiful.”
Mu Zhan followed his gaze and saw the palace lantern. He nodded, then his eyes quickly retracted again and landed on Wen Mingyu. His voice was low, but with a hint of a gentle smile. “Well, it’s beautiful.”
Wen Mingyu grinned even more happily because Mu Zhan liked the gift he gave him. After a while, he thought of something and felt a bit nervous. “It’s shaking so much, will the lantern burn?”
Mu Zhan saw what he was thinking and, with a small smile, replied, “It won’t.”
He extended his hand, lifted the lantern, and gave it to Wen Mingyu for him to take a look at.
When Wen Mingyu picked it up and peered through the hollow in the palace lantern, he saw a U-shaped wooden block that resembled a cradle beneath the flame inside. To prevent the lantern from burning and the candle from going out, the lantern’s joints shook flexibly together as it swayed.
The seemingly simple design, yet with a subtle thought behind it, made Wen Mingyu a little awestruck. He had only seen these antiques through the glass before when the school organized a museum trip. The sense of amazement he felt at that time is still vivid in his memory. He did not think that one day he would come to this era and hold them with his own hands.
Looking at the vibrant and prosperous capital, he suddenly felt that this era was actually quite good, even without those advanced technological things.
He shifted, hugging Mu Zhan’s neck and sat in his arms, gazing out the window at the street scene together.
It was also possible that Mu Zhan’s presence at this place and time was the reason.
Wen Mingyu rested his chin on Mu Zhan’s shoulder, tilted his head, rubbed against it, and smiled silently. Mu Zhan hugged his waist, placed his hand on his back, picked up a strand of his hair and played with it. After feeling the side of his face rubbed against him and a tickle swept over him, he naturally rubbed back.
When passing through the Yanfu Gate, the candlelight was particularly dazzling.
It was a giant wheel of lights, standing twenty feet high, all beautifully adorned with gold and jade and various delicate silks, but also hanging tens of thousands of lanterns, colorful and shocking. If the wheel were to be struck by a breeze, the gold and jade articles handing on it would produce a crisp clashing sound, which was exceptionally pleasing to the ears.
Because Wen Mingyu was curious, Mu Zhan ordered for the carriage to stop and stay nearby so he could admire it for a long time.
Wen Mingyu looked at the wheel with a face of amazement. He just quietly looked at Wen Mingyu, silent.
As Wen Mingyuu smiled and said something to him, he answered each one of them, his face pale but with a trace of a smile in his eyes. Like a regular young man caught in love, not like a tyrant.
The carriage drove all the way into the palace. They went back to the Taiji Hall.
The palace servants quickly saluted to welcome the emperor, waited for him to bathe and go to bed, and then they retired one by one.
The bed curtains fell, the candle flame swayed, and a distinct bell sound rang for nearly a whole night.
The exquisite dragon-painting palace lantern was placed on the table, and candlelight streamed through the screen. The shadow extended and stretched, revealing a huge golden dragon prancing in the clouds with a strong, nimble stance and pointed claws.
The painting of the palace lantern was skillfully done and very lifelike, as if the dragon really came to life. With every gentle swaying of the flame, it wandered to the ground, radiating an unmistakable sensation of aggression. In terms of preciousness and luxury, there were countless lanterns in the treasury far better than this palace lantern, but this lantern was the only one whose status was unexpectedly higher than any of the rare treasures within the treasury.
Perhaps hundreds of years from now, archaeologists will unearth this palace lantern from the royal tomb and study it. Not knowing the reason for it, people could only dig out a few credible words that may or may not be true from unofficial history and get a glimpse of them.
It’s only because, this lantern was brought to the palace by the Emperor and Empress when they went out to play at the Lantern Festival. It was specially presented to the Emperor by the Empress during the lantern riddle game.
And at this moment, none of the palace members in the Taiji Hall knew about it.
ChiFu: …I-I’m back from the grave…! Have they done the deed? I don’t know! haha