Holding the Emperor Hostage : Chapter 71: Reunion

From Xuzhou by boat to Qinhuangdao in Youzhou, then from the naval base at Qinhuangdao back to Ji County  if the hundred-thousand-strong army moved together, the fastest it would take was a month. But Shentu Yang could not wait.

He had lingered in Jiangnan far too long, so long that he had lost all patience. When the flying-flower letter granting him permission to return to court appeared in Shentu Yang’s bosom, he wished he could be one of those carrier pigeons flying back and forth between the capital and Jiangnan, wished he could grow wings and fly back to Ji County.

Fortunately, although Shentu Yang had no wings, the warhorse beneath him had four legs. So when the tower ships carrying the hundred-thousand-strong army set out from Xuzhou and arrived at Qinhuangdao in grand procession, the homesick Shentu Yang immediately decided to leave the army behind. Leading twenty-eight bodyguards, one man with two horses each, he raced back to Ji County with light gear and a small party.

Flying dust and rapid hoofbeats echoed along the official road. Shentu Yang crossed over green mountains, crossed through dense forests, crossed over murmuring streams, crossed over golden wheat fields, crossed over bustling markets and wisps of rising cooking smoke, and finally saw the long-missed walls of Ji County.

When the twenty-nine riders, bathed in moonlight, called for the city gates to be opened, it was already the evening of the fifteenth day of the eighth month.

Shentu Yang, covered in dust and exhausted from the journey, forced his weary body to ride to the palace gates.

In the night, the all-powerful Duke of Yan was filthy from head to toe. Only his pitch-black eyes shone with a blazing light, filled with joy as he gazed at the palace sleeping in the moonlight. He had finally made it back to the capital on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, to reunite with His Majesty.

Forbidding the palace guards and eunuchs from tipping off the Emperor, Shentu Yang carried a food box carefully wrapped in blue cloth and quietly slipped into the rear hall of Chongde Palace.

At this time, the moon was at its zenith, nearly midnight. The moon was white as frost, tree shadows swayed. The gauze curtains in the bedchamber fluttered in the clear breeze, like rippling waves of light.

Yin Shuhuai, sleeping in the bedchamber, suddenly smelled a pungent earthy odor. Opening his eyes, he saw a massive black shadow crouching silently before the couch.

Yin Shuhuai’s heart skipped a beat. The next second, he recognized the wild man who had completely blended into the darkness: “Shentu Yang?”

“Your Majesty has good eyes.” Shentu Yang grinned in the darkness, revealing a dazzling set of white teeth, and said proudly: “You recognized this humble minister at a single glance.”

Yin Shuhuai said irritably: “Apart from you, no one dares enter my bedchamber without being announced.”

Shentu Yang’s smile grew even broader: “Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. This humble minister’s courage is indeed great enough to pierce the heavens.”

Unexpectedly, Yin Shuhuai did not catch Shentu Yang’s double meaning and called for the eunuchs waiting outside the hall to come in and light the lamps.

“Your Majesty, wait.” Shentu Yang stopped the eunuchs and palace maids pushing open the door, and said sheepishly: “This humble minister is very dirty right now, and very ugly. I do not wish for Your Majesty to see me in such a sorry state.”

“You are indeed dirty and smelly.” Yin Shuhuai was not polite in the least: “You even woke me up with the stench”

Before he could finish, Shentu Yang suddenly lifted a small, exquisite bamboo-woven food box from the ground. Opening it, inside was a plate of exquisitely translucent mooncakes.

Shentu Yang quietly placed the plate of mooncakes beside the Emperor’s pillow: “These are mooncakes made from rice flour ground from the grain I personally planted while farming in Jiangnan, with red bean paste as filling. Would Your Majesty care to try them?”

As he spoke, Shentu Yang could not help but look out the window at the bright moon hanging high. The Mid-Autumn Festival was not yet over; he could still reunite with His Majesty to admire the moon. He just did not know whether His Majesty would like the mooncakes he had made.

Yin Shuhuai picked up the mooncake by his pillow with some surprise — the rice-flour pastry was delicately translucent, wrapped around a fine, sweet red bean filling. It looked small and exquisite, quite adorable.

Yin Shuhuai could hardly believe it: “You made these yourself?”

Shentu Yang nodded. “I do not know if they suit Your Majesty’s taste.”

“They’re all right, not too sweet.” Yin Shuhuai smiled and teased: “I truly never imagined that the Duke of Yan, renowned for his martial prowess, could also be so domestic.”

Shentu Yang said with utter seriousness: “I am only domestic toward Your Majesty.”

As he spoke, Shentu Yang could not help but rub his bloodshot eyes. In order to return to the capital to reunite with His Majesty on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Shentu Yang and his twenty-eight personal guards had traveled day and night to get back. Several horses had been ridden to death, to say nothing of the men?

It was only Shentu Yang’s abundant martial virtue and astonishing willpower that kept him going. Anyone else would have collapsed long ago.

Yin Shuhuai looked at Shentu Yang, so exhausted he could barely keep his eyes open, and his heart softened for a moment: “Go bathe at once.”

Shentu Yang’s eyes shone brightly as he looked at Yin Shuhuai, pushing his luck: “And after that?”

Yin Shuhuai looked helplessly at Shentu Yang, who was shamelessly playing the rascal: “…After that, come to bed.”

Yin Shuhuai was not a man of coy temperament. Back in Luoyang, he had already grown accustomed to sharing a bed with a certain someone. Since he could not drive the man away, why struggle?

Finally receiving the Emperor’s permission, Shentu Yang smiled with satisfaction and stood up. But he did not expect his vision to go black. Shentu Yang stumbled, nearly losing his footing.

“Careful—” Yin Shuhuai instinctively sat up and reached out. Shentu Yang had already steadied himself.

“What a pity I am too dirty…” Shentu Yang looked regretfully at the arm the Son of Heaven had instinctively stretched out. If he were not so dirty, he would have thrown himself into Yin Shuhuai’s embrace without hesitation.

Looking at Shentu Yang, still swaying on his feet yet thinking of nothing but his regrets, Yin Shuhuai shook his head and helplessly ordered the eunuchs to help Shentu Yang to the side hall to bathe and change: “Go bathe. Really, you were going to come back sooner or later. What was the rush?”

“I wanted to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with Your Majesty.” Shentu Yang yawned involuntarily, looking at the moon that had already moved to the center of the sky, and smiled brilliantly: “Fortunately, I made it back in time. Fortunately, Your Majesty likes the mooncakes I made.”

Hearing this, Yin Shuhuai was slightly taken aback.

Shortly after, the freshly washed Shentu Yang changed into a set of moon-white inner garments and floated lightly back into the bedchamber, diving headfirst into His Majesty’s embrace.

Yin Shuhuai ran a hand through Shentu Yang’s wet hair and frowned: “Why didn’t you dry your hair?”

Shentu Yang played the rascal: “It won’t dry.”

Yin Shuhuai: “You still have to dry it. Otherwise you’ll have a headache when you wake up.”

“Why doesn’t Your Majesty help me dry it?” The Duke of Yan, whose martial achievements overshadowed the ruler, stirred restlessly, narrowing his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Yin Shuhuai’s lean waist. In the moonlight, Yin Shuhuai’s skin was startlingly white, his facial contours even more deep and alluring than in daylight, like a bewitching spirit hidden in the night. Shentu Yang’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, utterly captivated: “I have won countless merits on this Jiangnan campaign. How does Your Majesty plan to reward me?”

Now he was no longer “this humble minister”…

Yin Shuhuai complained inwardly: “Thunder and rain are both the grace of the sovereign. Does the Duke of Yan not understand this?”

Shentu Yang’s eyes flew open, his gaze blazing in the darkness. His hands were not behaving either, tracing up and down Yin Shuhuai’s back: “Is Your Majesty going to reward me with thunder, or reward me with rain?”

Feeling that Shentu Yang was up to no good, Yin Shuhuai gripped Shentu Yang’s restless arm hard, feeling the smooth muscle lines and firm, warm skin beneath his palm. The Son of Heaven smiled a smile that was not quite a smile: “Does my dear minister still wish to choose for himself?”

Shentu Yang rolled over, finding a more comfortable position to lie in Yin Shuhuai’s embrace, his head resting on Yin Shuhuai’s thighs. Yin Shuhuai happened to lower his head, somewhat helplessly feeling his inner garments growing damp from Shentu Yang’s hair.

The ruler and minister locked eyes. Shentu Yang suddenly let out a wicked laugh, turned his head, and gave a hard lick.

“Hiss—” Caught off guard, Yin Shuhuai felt a faint electric current shoot from his lower abdomen straight into his limbs and bones.

Sensing the Emperor’s reaction, Shentu Yang chuckled softly, lowering his voice: “It seems Your Majesty is going to reward me with rain.”

Yin Shuhuai let out a muffled groan, his hands plunging into Shentu Yang’s wet hair, trying to use this method to control his increasingly outrageous behavior, then sternly rebuked: “Shentu Yang, do not go too far!”

Shentu Yang smiled smugly, burying his head under the pressure of Yin Shuhuai’s hands: “This is going too far? This humble minister still has even more offensive acts he has yet to commit against Your Majesty…”

“You— mmph—”

The fragmented sounds were blocked back into his mouth by an even greater shock. Yin Shuhuai was furious yet amused. After Shentu Yang finished his frenzy, he kicked the man off the dragon bed: “Shentu Yang, what kind of madness are you throwing at me?”

“It seems you are still not tired,” Yin Shuhuai somewhat regretted his moment of softness, and could not help but curse: “Get back to your Duke of Yan residence!”

Shentu Yang let out a series of muffled laughs, climbing back onto the bed: “Your Majesty said it yourself, that you would reward me with rain. A golden mouth and jade words how can you go back on your word in anger?”

Yin Shuhuai harrumphed. How could he have known that Shentu Yang would be so shameless, taking a casual remark of his as a royal command?

“How can this be called shameless?” Seeing that Yin Shuhuai was truly somewhat embarrassed into anger, Shentu Yang said with utmost seriousness: “This humble minister is loyal to Your Majesty through and through. Even a casual word from Your Majesty, this humble minister will take completely seriously.”

Yin Shuhuai was unconvinced: “I told you to get out of the palace. Why didn’t you go?”

Shentu Yang lay pitifully beside the Emperor’s pillow: “This humble minister rode hard from the Qinhuangdao tower-ship army camp all the way back to Ji County, taking only seven days and seven nights. For those seven days and seven nights, this humble minister rode day and night with two horses per man, never once closing my eyes, even eating my meals in the saddle… This humble minister is truly so tired~”

As he spoke, Shentu Yang turned over and wrapped his arms around Yin Shuhuai, burying his head in the crook of Yin Shuhuai’s neck. His hot breath fanned against Yin Shuhuai’s ear, and in an instant it grew long and calm… He had actually fallen fast asleep.

Yin Shuhuai turned his head to look at Shentu Yang, who had fallen asleep the moment he said so, and for a moment he was actually amused into laughter.

“I told you not to sleep with wet hair…” Yin Shuhuai thought about it, and could not be bothered to call for a eunuch to bring a towel. He simply took off the inner garments that had already been soaked by Shentu Yang’s hair and used them to rub Shentu Yang’s hair dry in a rough manner.

Outside the window, a thin layer of clouds quietly veiled the bright moon hanging high in the sky.

The night was still long.