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Ch43 - Double-Cross
Xiao Chengjun wasn’t attending Court, but he had to keep abreast of what was happening there, so updates were constantly sent to his residence. There were numerous letters waiting for him to read when he got back after a day away from home.
“Wang ye, the Shizi ye went to Shen Lian’s mansion,” a messenger said quietly to Xiao Chengjun, reporting to him in his study.
“Let him do as he will,” Xiao Chengjun said. He stopped writing with his brush for a very brief moment, then continued as if nothing had happened. He didn’t raise his head even once.
The messenger understood and left. He now had a better handle on the degree of specificity Xiao Chengjun wanted when it came to reporting on Lou Jing’s movements.
Before long, Lou Jing himself popped in and sidled up next to Xiao Chengjun at his desk. He said he was here to help, but in truth, he was more of a hindrance.
“Stop messing around,” Xiao Chengjun said, smacking the fellow who was nuzzling him like an overzealous puppy. “Don’t you need to deal with your family matters tomorrow? Why are you still here tonight?”
“I just did something awesome. I want Dianxia to reward me before I go back home,” Lou Jing said, grinning widely at Xiao Chengjun.
Xiao Chengjun looked at him and smiled faintly. “Well, that will depend on whether what you’ve done is worthy of a reward,” he said.
In order to get a reward from his husband, Lou Jing proudly recounted his achievements earlier that evening.
“Hahaha, you’re really…” Xiao Chengjun couldn’t help laughing out loud. Only Lou Jing would have thought to make Shen Lian to one to stop the conscription of labour.
A messenger came in hurriedly as they were speaking. “Reporting to Wang ye, Shen Lian has gone into the palace,” he said.
The two exchanged a look and couldn’t help chuckling at the thought of the corrupt Shen Lian acting like a good patriotic minister. It was too bad they couldn’t see the Chunde Emperor’s reaction to this hilarious sight.
Lou Jing dismissed the messenger, then proceeded to pull Xiao Chengjun into his arms and bite his ear gently. “Would you say this is deserving of a reward?” he purred.
“Of course. What reward would you like?” Xiao Chengjun said, feigning ignorance. The brush he had been writing with was still in his hand.
Lou Jing extended a hand into his husband’s pale blue Qinwang robes, gently massaging a little bean on Xiao Chengjun’s chest through the thin undershirt he wore. “Chen wants Dianxia…”
“Certainly,” Xiao Chengjun said, grabbing hold of Lou Jing’s great paw and pulling it out of his clothes. He wrote the word ‘Jun’ on Lou Jing’s palm with his brush. “Here you go.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The brush was still wet, and the cool sensation of it gliding over Lou Jing’s skin was ticklish. Lou Jing raised his hand and looked at him. The calligraphy was beautiful and full of character – absolutely worthy of an Emperor’s hand! “Dianxia, you’ve written your name on my body – are you trying to tell me that you want us two to become one as my reward?” he said cheekily.
“P…” Wljb Jtfcupec kjr gfcvfgfv rqffmtifrr ys atlr rajafwfca.
“Chen thanks Dianxia for his reward,” Lou Jing grinned, picking Xiao Chengjun up in his arms to enjoy his “reward” to the fullest.
“Qtja? Uea wf vbkc!” Wljb Jtfcupec fzmijlwfv. Lf rageuuifv lc Obe Alcu’r jgwr, agslcu ab ufa vbkc. Qtja kbeiv atf rfgnjcar rjs lo atfs rjk tlw ilxf atlr?!
Obe Alcu byfvlfcais rfa tlr teryjcv vbkc bc atf rboa vjsyfv lc atf raevs, atfc qgfrrfv Wljb Jtfcupec vbkc jcv xlrrfv atf ilqr atja kfgf jybea ab rajga rmbivlcu tlw.
“Wang ye, this servant is here with tea,” An Shun said from outside the door, holding a tray with a teapot and cups in his hands. Ever since Lou Jing had started making regular nightly “excursions” to Min Wang’s residence, the servants had all prudently started announcing their presence before entering anywhere the couple was, especially if they were alone.
“Nn…” Xiao Chenjung’s body shook slightly. He then caught hold of Lou Jing’s hand, which had been making free with his body. His robes had been pulled open at the chest, and he sat up hurriedly in a state of dishevelment. “Stop messing around.”
Lou Jing grinned wickedly. He let Xiao Chengjun continue holding his wrists and leaned forward to suck on a little pink bean, pulling on it gently with his teeth.
“Mm…” Xiao Chengjun couldn’t help moaning softly.
The foot An Shun had been about to set across the threshold retracted abruptly. He quickly closed the door and stood outside, looking as natural as could be.
“No one’s going to come in any more,” Lou Jing said, smirking as he moved forward to nuzzle Min Wang Dianxia. “You can give me my reward now.”
Xiao Chengjun glared at him. His onyx-dark eyes were filled with desire from Lou Jing’s steamy actions earlier, and this glare had the opposite effect of turning Lou Jing on even more. Lou Jing’s abdomen tightened abruptly with need. He pulled his wrists out of Min Wang’s grasp and locked them down above his head.
Some pain was inevitable during entry. Xiao Chengjun was afraid An Shun would hear him cry out, and he could only bite down on his lower lip to try and stop himself from doing so. Lou Jing noticed this, and he rescued Xiao Chengjun’s pitiful little lower lip, sealing his lips with his own and swallowing the little groan of pain Xiao Chengjun emitted before moving to kiss his eyes gently. When Xiao Chengjun had become accustomed to the sensation, he wrapped his arms around Xiao Chengjun’s shoulders and started thrusting energetically.
Le Xian wanted to go into the study and serve some snacks, but was stopped by An Shun, who was still standing outside the door. An Shun thus gained a companion in guarding the study door for the frisky couple.
The study was largely silent, save that every now and then, they could hear impassioned gasps coming from inside the room. They couldn’t tell who the sounds came from, but it was enough to make both young eunuchs’ ears turn a bright red. They both took a step away from the study in embarrassment.
Le Xian looked up at the sky. Ah. The moon was quite lovely tonight.
An Shun saw that Le Xian was looking up at the sky with great interest, and so looked up as well. The sky was overcast. Not even a star could be seen…
The next day, the Minister of the Right, Chen Shichang raised the issue of repairing the canals again during the morning Court session. He offered the proposal prepared by the Ministry of Works to the Emperor with both hands. “Chen has worked tirelessly over many sleepless nights to rush out this proposal. For your perusal, your Majesty,” he said.
The Chunde Emperor took the proposal and gave it a cursory read. “You’re recommending that Shen Lian be the overseer of this project?” he said.
“Yes, your Majesty,” Chen Shichang said, bowing as he spoke. “Shen gong gong has outstanding abilities and is meticulous in his work. He is the best man for the job.”
“Shen Lian can indeed do this task well, but…” the Chunde Emperor folded the proposal, then tossed it carelessly onto his desk. “I have concerns that the conscription of forced labour will cause a lot of unhappiness amongst the people.”
“Since time immemorial, conscripted labour and conscripted soldiers have been a necessary part of the empire’s functioning. One could say that the people have a responsibility to do this when it is required of them. Now that we are living in a prosperous, peaceful time, very few of them have been drafted into the army. The commoners should be grateful for this time of prosperity and demonstrate this to the throne by serving as conscripted labourers,” Chen Shichang said, articulating every word clearly in a crisp voice as he stood in the centre of the main hall.
Shen Lian looked at Chen Shichang on his high moral horse and cursed him silently. This old fraudster was talking as if this were some glorious task. If it were so great, why didn’t he just do it himself?! He obviously wanted him to be his scapegoat!
“Your Majesty, Chen is of the view that the conscription of forced labour should not proceed!” Shen Lian said in an ominous tone, stepping forward suddenly.
Chen Shichang froze. He turned stiffly to look at Shen Lian, who had unexpectedly double-crossed him.
Shen Lian didn’t pay any notice to the Minister of the Right’s shell-shocked expression. He lifted his robes lightly, then knelt before the Emperor. “Chen was born to a poor family, and I understand the suffering of conscripted labourers all too well. Qingzhou has just gone through a flood disaster, and the people are already in great distress. If we force them to work as conscripted labourers on top of this, I fear that your Majesty’s good name will be sullied in the history books,” he said.
The Minister of the Left looked askance at this unfamiliar Shen Lian. Since when did he have a heart for the common people? He couldn’t help looking out the great doors of the main hall to check if the sun had risen in the west.
The Minister of the Left was not alone; in fact, practically all the officials gathered in the Imperial Court that morning were staring at each other in disbelief and wondering if this was all a dream.
Zhao Duan was the first to recover his senses. He stepped forward and stood next to Shen Lian. “Chen agrees with Shen gong gong. History has shown that conscripting forced labour has caused greater damage to the empire’s stability than any natural disasters. Moreover, Qingzhou is densely populated, and if their discontentment comes to a boil, the consequences will be extremely dire,” Zhao Duan said.
“Your Majesty, peace is priceless. I submit that it is better to spend a bit more silver to preserve peace in the empire. The taxes collected from around the empire will reach the Capital next month, so your Majesty need not worry about affordability,” the Minister of Revenue said, stepping forward as well.
“Hiring labourers will only require an extra twenty thousand taels of silver. The Imperial treasury is full now, and the empire is prosperous. A small sum like this is nothing,” Shen Lian said, lowering his head to hide the smile on his face. “Your Majesty is a wise ruler, and naturally will not consider doing something like conscripting refugees as forced labourers.”
The Minister of the Right’s face darkened considerably when he heard this last sentence. Even though the plan was indeed to conscript refugees as forced labourers, one could not present it in that manner. The Ministry of Works had proposed that they would conscript refugees as labourers so as to stabilise the unrest there. His proposal, which had originally been couched in the best interests of the empire, now looked like it was one that was out to harm the empire and its citizens instead!
“In the circumstances, I appoint Shen Lian to oversee the canal repairs. The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue are to provide the necessary. As to the matter of conscripting labourers – I never want to hear of it again. The Qingzhou relief efforts will be managed by the Shangshu’s office,” the Chunde Emperor said, waving a hand to put an end to the discussion. He left the Imperial Court with a flourish of his sleeves.
Chen Shichang’s face was red with rage as he walked over to Shen Lian. “Shen gong gong, what’s the meaning of this?” he asked in a low voice.
Shen Lian gave him a sinister sideways glance. “Yours truly just doesn’t want to be cursed by the history books, that’s all,” he said with a smile.
The Minister of the Right was not appeased in the slightest, and his expression in fact became even more furious. “What are you playing at?” he grated.
“Minister, please be serious,” Shen Lian said, flicking some dust off his sleeves nonchalantly. His voice darkened with sarcasm as he continued speaking. “We’re both in the same boat, aren’t we? What are you afraid of?”
Lou Jing woke up from his sweet dreams feeling very satisfied. He kissed the person in his arms on the cheek.
“Nn… what time is it?” Xiao Chengjun asked groggily, not opening his eyes.
“Early. You don’t have to go to Court, so sleep in a little more,” Lou Jing cajoled in a soft voice.
Xiao Chengjun’s brows knitted together, and he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Lou Jing’s face giving him a most brilliant smile. He recalled the events of the previous night in the study and was a little annoyed. He pushed Lou Jing’s head aside, then flipped over and went back to sleep.
“I need to return to the Anguo Gong mansion for a bit. Today’s the day I told Madam Wei to leave for the country estate, and I think I had better go back to make sure everything goes as planned,” Lou Jing said, spooning Min Wang with his body as he spoke.
“Nn.” Xiao Chengjun acknowledged. He didn’t say anything more. He was thinking hard about how he could discipline his future Empress. It wouldn’t do to let him continue in this fashion.
“Chengjun, don’t be angry with me,” Lou Jing said, burying his head in the curve of Xiao Chengjun’s neck.. He was not going to allow Min Wang to continue thinking such thoughts. “When I’m close to you, I can’t help myself, I just like you too much. If you’re not willing, I… I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to…” Lou Jing sounded like a wounded puppy when he said the last sentence.
Xiao Chengjun’s heart couldn’t help aching a little when he heard Lou Jing speak like this. He sighed softly. He couldn’t blame this entirely on Lou Jing. He himself had allowed it, after all. He secretly felt a little happy about it, actually; wasn’t Lou Jing’s infatuation with him proof of just how much he liked him?
“Will you be back for lunch?” Xiao Chengjun asked.
Lou Jing’s eyes lit up immediately, and his lips curved into a triumphant smile. Xiao Chengjun couldn’t see it because his face was right behind the back of Xiao Chengjun’s head. “I don’t think so. I need to buy drinks for the Qingyang Bo today at noon, so I’ll probably be here in the evening.”
Lou Jing said he was going to leave, but he dallied on Xiao Chengjun’s bed for a very long time, spooning and nuzzling his husband affectionately until the latter really couldn’t take it any more. It was only then that he reluctantly left the warm bed and headed out.
He first went to the Northern Barracks to mark his attendance, then ate two baskets of dumplings and a bowl of glutinous rice porridge at a streetside stall before heading unhurriedly to the Anguo Gong residence.
Madam Wei had actually wanted to spend the New Year’s at home, and go to the country estate after the celebrations. She was in charge of managing the family’s finances after all, and the leadup to New Year was the busiest time of the year for her. She thought she could just avoid meeting guests during this time, but Lou Jing suddenly returned home and completely upset all her well-laid plans. To add insult to injury, he was making her go to a county that was very far away!