Cry of the Midnight Jackdaw

Chapter Fifty-one,
Lotus Seed

Bao Pu opened the door, said something to the person outside, then that person lightly laughed and came inside.

Xiao Zuo was a bit curious, so he stood beside Fu Zhan Chuan, and secretly peeked at the incoming person. That person was big and tall, had wide shoulders and a narrow waist, dressed sturdy, and looked to be a member of a military aristocratic background with one look. Xiao Zuo inconspicuously moved his gaze to his face, the person was handsome, the light wheat-coloured skin bathed by the strong sun in the borders rolled with a few beads of sweat, adding some bits of wildness to him.

Qing Shuang handed him a handkerchief, “Wipe your sweat.”

Liu Wen Xun’s features were originally handsome, at this time when he saw Qing Shuang, that murderous air grown from the battlefields immediately turned into a pool of spring water, the stirred water ripples were gentle and intense, filled with brimming affection that had nowhere to go.

“Alright.” Liu Wen Xun took it, then folded that handkerchief and put in his pockets, without any intent of wiping his sweat. Qing Shuang’s gaze swept by his hand, only slightly knitted his eyebrows, yet did not say anything as though he was already accustomed with this kind of behaviour from him.

“Are you still angry at me?” Liu Wen Xun very carefully observed Qing Shuang’s face with a look of a grieved little wife, “I’m sorry, I was too much in a hurry that day, it’s all my fault, don’t be mad, alright?”

Xiao Zuo knew he heard something he should not have heard, and consciously took a few steps back, and paid attention to himself in embarrassment, don’t listen to what is impolite, don’t listen to what is impolite.

Qing Shuang did not follow up with his words, he only took the water in Bao Pu’s hands and put it in front of him, “It is hot outside, drink some water.”

“Alright.” Whatever Qing Shuang said, Liu Wen Xun would do- he extremely obediently held up the cup and drank the water, with his every move seeping with an air of extremely mismatched silliness.

Qing Shuang lifted his eyes and glanced at Xiao Zuo and Fu Zhan Chuan on the side acting as background props, and opened his mouth, “It’s not too convenient here today, I won’t be having you two stay.”

“No problem, no problem, have a good talk with Lord Liu, we will come back another day, just come back another day.” Fu Zhan Chuan readily accepted it and clasped his hands together, then pulled Xiao Zuo out the door.

That Liu Wen Xun seemed to then realize there were two other living people in this room, and nodded his head in acknowledgement at them after a slow realization, without any intent of getting them to stay.

Qing Shuang silently watched Fu Zhan Chuan close the door, he washed the tea ware on his own, and ignored Liu Wen Xun on the side. The water in Liu Wen Xun’s hand was long already finished, he did not know how to open up either, and only scratched his ears and cheeks in a hurry like he was sitting on a needle carpet, his eyes stuck to Qing Shuang, and blankly watched him.

“I wasn’t angry.” Qing Shuang suddenly opened his mouth, he placed the cleaned teacups on the table, then stood up, “For a small prostitute like me, you do not to be like this.”

“Qing Shuang!” Liu Wen Xun knitted his eyebrows, he seemed to be a bit panicked, his voice even rose up a bit, “You know I don’t think of you like that, and don’t talk about yourself like this either.”

Qing Shuang was still of an indifferent expression, he got up and started organizing his bookshelf, and did not look at the panicked Liu Wen Xun on the side, “What are you here for today?”

“I……” Liu Wen Xun’s voice paused, and his face turned a bit red. He hesitated for a while, then intermittently spoke, “I…… I miss you a lot.”

“Then come tonight.” Qing Shuang hung his eyes down, and carefully flipped through the page in his hands, his fingers were slender, his bones and joints distinct, the look of him picking up a book pleased the eyes.

Liu Wen Xun vacantly looked at him, after not hearing Liu Wen Xun’s response for a moment, Qing Shuang then tore his gaze away from the book, and turned his head to look at him, “You don’t want to come?”

“I do!”

Just as Liu Wen Xun spoke, he felt like he was overly hurried, and shamefully scratched his head, and coughed in an attempt to hide it, “I will definitely be careful this time, I won’t hurt you.”

“En.” Qing Shuang paused flipping the page, his lashes slightly shook, then closed the book.

Outside, Xiao Zuo and Fu Zhan Chuan squeezed into the carriage, and heard Fu Zhan Chuan mutter on the side.

“Unbelievable, unbelievable. This Liu Wen Xun looks to be all prim and proper, yet is a love-struck type.” Fu Zhan Chuan crossed his leg, with a face of great pain, “What a tragedy of the human realm.”

Xiao Zuo couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to him, he moved to the side, and got close to the window to get some wind.

“Why aren’t you asking me about their matters?” Fu Zhan Chuan glared at him dissatisfaction like it was because he did not receive Xiao Zuo’s response, and said, eager to share.

Xiao Zuo sat back in his seat, and asked apathetically, “What matter?”

Fu Zhan Chuan immediately got excited, and opened up with a red face, “Aiya, the first glance that Liu Wen Xun had of Qing Shuang, that can only be affections of the deep with deeper roots, to die than regret. He cried and shouted how he was going to redeem Qing Shuang, but where had Qing Shuang met with this kind of situation. After once or twice, he tacitly promised [him] his heart, and the two since then went from lovers to family in the end, broke through the fences of the secular, and became a happily married pair……”

“Are you telling a story?” Xiao Zuo could not hold it in, and interrupted Fu Zhan Chuan’s performance, making Fu Zhan Chuan extremely shockingly ask him, “How did you know?”

Xiao Zuo helplessly propped his forehead, he knew this fellow Fu Zhan Chuan did not have a moment he was ever reliable, however, he recalled the gaze Liu Wen Xuan watched Qing Shuang with, to say it was of deep affection was not far from the truth.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of the crown prince residence, Xiao Zuo bid his farewell with Fu Zhan Chuan, and went to the kitchen to see if the silver fungus and lotus seed soup was ready yet.

“Duke, the soup is already done, would you like this servant to scoop a bowl for you?” The servant girl in the kitchen saw Xiao Zuo come in, and very considerately asked.

“Yes.” Xiao Zuo nodded his head, that servant girl filled the bowl, then placed it on a tray. Xiao Zuo took over it, he originally wanted to ask if He Xuan returned yet, but the servant of the kitchen would probably not know either, so he swallowed the words back, and held the tray and headed towards He Xuan’s study.

The light in the study was vague, delineating He Xuan’s side figure. Xiao Zuo pushed the door open, then placed the tray on a table to the side. He Xuan was lowering his head flipping over memorials in deep concentration, and did not even lift his head up, “Just put it there, you can go first.”

Xiao Zuo peeked at the He Xuan knitting his eyebrows seriously marking the memorial, the candlelight gave his deep eyes a sliver of warmth, making his cold and stiff profile carry a lukewarm human emotion.

Xiao Zuo’s heart beat once, he lightly circled to He Xuan’s back, and quickly pecked He Xuan’s left cheek. He Xuan’s body froze, then raised his eyes to meet with Xiao Zuo’s crafty light smile. His eyes slightly moved, and pulled Xiao Zuo’s hand into his embrace in one move, wrapped over Xiao Zuo’s head and bent down to deepen this kiss. He Xuan’s lips were fire-hot, and familiarly pried open Xiao Zuo’s teeth, and carefully licked over his oral cavity, savoured Xiao Zuo’s sensitive tongue, and kissed him until Xiao Zuo was red in the face and panting. He Xuan then nonchalantly lightly pecked a corner of Xiao Zuo’s lips, like savouring some worldly treasure.

“I had the kitchen make the soup, have a taste.”

He Xuan wrapped around Xiao Zuo’s waist, and placed his head in the dip of Xiao Zuo’s neck, occasionally kneading Xiao Zuo’s waist, using a lax voice, “Feed it to me.”

Xiao Zuo pulled that bowl of soup to the front of him, took up the spoon and scooped one spoon, and moved it He Xuan’s lips. He Xuan slightly unhappily swallowed it, and his hands pinched Xiao Zuo’s waist like it was punishing him, making Xiao Zuo suck in a breath of cold air, and rub over his leg.

“Don’t move.” He Xuan’s eyes went dark, his voice was so hoarse it carried an unspeakable pressure. Xiao Zuo felt the change beneath him, his heart jumped, and immediately properly sat up straight in He Xuan’s arms, and cleared his throat, “I…… I have business to speak to you with.”

When He Xuan heard this, he slightly strangely raised his eyebrows, “What is it?”

“Put me down first.”

He Xuan extremely cooperatively loosened his hands, Xiao Zuo couldn’t wait to dig out from his arms, and stood still in front of him, with his expression all bright, “Do you still remember the matter of me drowning at He Yang’s residence?”

He Xuan knitted his eyebrows, as though not wiling to recall it, he indifferently said, “Yes.”

“That time, after falling into the water, I got a fever, and after using a drug named White Ears, there was then a miraculous effect.”

“White Ears?” He Xuan said, “I heard that afterwards, He Yang even expanded the growth of White Ears in his territory to make Father happy.”

Xiao Zuo lightly laughed, “It is precisely that both success and failure is attributed to one person. He Yang is of an impatient nature, and only whole-heartedly wanted to take the favours of the emperor, yet never carefully studied White Ears.”

“Oh?”

“White Ears likes a humid climate. In the long period of growth, it needs to be watered with a large amount of water, and can very easily draw in a man-made drought. Especially if the local area originally did not store much water, it would create a severe drought.” Xiao Zuo paused, “Since He Yang grew White Ears in his territory, now is the season when White Ears needs water the most, Tong Province doesn’t have any large lakes or rivers, yet I haven’t heard of any drought, there must be something strange here.”

Up to here, He Xuan finally turned serious, his fingers randomly knocked on the table lightly, and silently contemplated. Xiao Zuo did not bother him either, and after a moment, He Xuan lifted his head up, with his gaze stern, “I understand, I will send someone to investigate Tong Province, if there really is a large drought that hasn’t been reported……”

He Xuan’s eyes gathered with a violent colour, he lightly sneered, and swallowed the other half of the words, then got up and went out.

Xiao Zuo looked at that remaining half bowl of soup, hesitated for while, then went over to take one scoop, then in the next instant, he knitted his eyebrows, the core of the lotus was too bitter, Xiao Zuo’s entire face crumpled together, forced himself to swallow it, then placed the spoon down and no longer touched it.