Chapter 126: A Night to Remember

Chapter 126: A Night to Remember

Du Yunse walked home under the stars. Gatekeeper opened the door, the coachman went to the backyard to park the carriage, and the servants were busy at work in the outer courtyard.

Wang Yinzhi greeted them and returned to the outer courtyard's wing with Deng Die, who had come out to welcome them.

Du Yunse stepped through the hanging flower gate, walked through the hallway, and arrived at the inner courtyard. The courtyard lay quiet, with only a few magnolia trees blooming in the night.

The silk-covered windows of the main room softly glowed with candlelight.

Du Yunse hesitated briefly, then quickened his pace.

He first knocked on the door, then pushed it open. The door was not bolted from the inside, and the room was empty.

On the long table under central hall, a pair of red candles, each as thick as a baby's arm, were burning. The candle bodies were painted with golden dragons and phoenixes, and the flickering candlelight filled the room.

Du Yunse arched an eyebrow and walked a few steps into the room.

"Click—"

The door behind him suddenly closed, and Qiu Huanian's cheerful voice called from behind.

He suddenly jumped out from somewhere, leaped onto Du Yunse's back, and covered Du Yunse's eyes with his hands.

Du Yunse staggered slightly, supporting the prankster's bottom with one hand, steadying Qiu Huanian on his back.

Qiu Huanian nuzzled into Du Yunse's neck and sniffed. Du Yunse's body carried a hint of alcohol, not strong, but slightly intoxicating.

"Had some wine? Will it affect tonight's performance, huh?"

Du Yunse's voice was calm, "My husband told me to wait for tonight, how dare I drink too much and ruin things."

Qiu Huanian pecked his cheek.

"Guess the color of my outfit. If you guess right, I'll reward you by letting you carry me to bed."

Du Yunse's eyes were still covered by Qiu Huanian. He gently curled his lips.

"Brother Hua, you're wearing red."

Qiu Huanian giggled. He had indeed changed into red clothes, matching Du Yunse's Number One Scholar robe like a pair.

"Although our wedding night is long past, it would be a pity not to do it again on such an important occasion of achieving the top rank."

Qiu Huanian swung his legs, hinting with a sense of urgency, "Husband, the night is fleeting."

Du Yunse, from memory, carried Qiu Huanian towards the bed in the inner room, accurately placing him on the bed. The hands over his eyes finally dropped.

The inner room was also lit with dragon and phoenix red candles. The canopy bed was covered with red bedding, and the precious silk shimmered in the candlelight. The brazier burning high-quality longan charcoal tirelessly radiated warmth.

Qiu Huanian lay on the bed, his clothes half-open, the fiery red lapel blending with the bedding beneath him. A small patch of his fair, glowing skin was revealed, making him look like a flower in full bloom.

Du Yunse raised his hand to his collar, but Qiu Huanian stopped him.

The young man on the bed was flushed, his beautiful eyes sparkling.

"Don't take it off, keep it on. I want you to wear the Number One Scholar robe..."

Du Yunse's breathing instantly became heavy.

He stayed dressed in the red robe from the imperial street parade and the banquet of honor, with his official hat and floral hairpin still in place. He leaned down, grasping Qiu Huanian's wrists, completely covering his little husband.

The sturdy bedposts of the canopy bed made dull thuds, and the flickering candlelight was broken up by the moving shadows.

Qiu Huanian squirmed uncomfortably, his slender hands clutching at the bed curtains, trying to escape, only to be pulled back.

Du Yunse was more excited than ever. Qiu Huanian tilted his head back, looking through tears and sweat at his Number One Scholar, feeling like he might be overwhelmed at any moment.

He bit his lower lip, trying to relax and cooperate more.

...

It wasn’t until late into the night, when the candlestick was covered in red wax tears, that Du Yunse finally rose from the bed.

He took off his crumpled robe and tossed it on the clothes rack. He picked up the hat and hairpin he’d taken off and set them aside. In his white silk undergarments, he went out to get hot water.

Qiu Huanian buried himself under the quilt, only his face peeking out. When the room quieted, Du Yunse carried him to the bathtub to wash.

After more fuss and finally getting clean, Du Yunse put Qiu Huanian back on the bed and tidied up the floor.

"What’s wrong?" Qiu Huanian noticed Du Yunse had paused.

He peeked out from the bed, and Du Yunse, worried he’d get cold, tucked him back in.

"Something broke."

Qiu Huanian paused, then murmured, "It shouldn’t have happened just this time..."

Du Yunse pursed his lips, full of regret.

Qiu Huanian cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Old Physician Gu said it’s hard for me to have kids. If it happens, it’s a gift from heaven."

"I’ve been healthy these past two years, not like in the village where I worked every day. If it happens, it’ll be fine."

This wasn’t anyone’s fault. If anything, it was because he couldn’t resist the role-play, which got Du Yunse too worked up.

After two or three years here, finding a soulmate and seeing Su Xinbai give birth to Little Raccoon, Qiu Huanian was ready for the possibility of having a child.

Qiu Huanian extended his snow-white arms and smiled, saying, "Stop overthinking. Come in and warm the bed, Du, my great Number One Scholar."

Du Yunse bent down onto the bed, holding Qiu Huanian tightly in his arms.

He spoke hoarsely, "Huanian, I really don’t know how else to love you."

Qiu Huanian didn’t respond, only hugged Du Yunse back, gently patting his back.

...

The next day was Du Yunse’s day off, but it wasn’t entirely without tasks.

The Number One Scholar robe from last night’s antics had been carefully washed and ironed, looking as good as new, ready to be worn for the memorial presentation the next day.

The main courtyard was busy preparing for the celebratory banquet. Du Yunse went to the Cunjin Courtyard to prepare the memorial he would present to the emperor the following day.

Two days after the imperial proclamation ceremony, the new Number One Scholar was to lead three hundred imperial examination graduates in presenting a memorial of gratitude. Naturally, this memorial had to be written by the Number One Scholar himself.

For Du Yunse, who had topped the provincial, metropolitan, and Palace Examinations, composing a brilliantly written and laudatory memorial was second nature. By noon, he had already drafted and transcribed it.

The whole house was a hive of activity. Qiu Huanian had the kitchen prepare a couple of dishes and set them up on the second floor of Cun Jin Courtyard, where he and Du Yunse enjoyed the meal while admiring the apricot blossoms.

Once the servants were gone, Qiu Huanian asked Du Yunse about the events of the previous day's Enrong Banquet as they ate.

"Yesterday, the three princes gathered together. Anything happen?"

Du Yunse shook his head, "The Crown Prince never flaunts his authority. With him present, the Second Prince and Prince Jin couldn’t stir up trouble."

Qiu Huanian recalled the image of the Crown Prince and imagined the Second Prince and Prince Jin going on and on, while the Crown Prince simply nodded and smiled, occasionally dropping a subtle jab that infuriated the other two.

"What about you? Did they hassle you?"

As the Number One Scholar, Du Yunse was naturally the most conspicuous figure at the Enrong Banquet, and being openly aligned with the Crown Prince, he was sure to be targeted by the other two factions.

"Just some jealous comments, Brother Hua, don’t sweat it."

Seeing his calm demeanor, Qiu Huanian relaxed and laughed, "Who told you to pull off an unprecedented six straight wins? If I were a student grinding for the exams, I'd want to make a few jealous comments too."

"If Brother Hua really wanted to take the exams, you might not fail."

Qiu Huanian immediately shook his head like a rattle-drum, "If you said I could pass the imperial examination with some effort, I might believe that, but the Number One Scholar? I wouldn’t even dream of it, let alone being first from start to finish."

Du Yunse picked out the bones from a piece of fish and placed it in Qiu Huanian's bowl, "I see Brother Hua is clearly unwilling to dive into classical studies."

Qiu Huanian replied confidently, "Exactly, I just don't want to. The exam grind is enough for you, I don't want to endure it."

After a few more jokes and casual talk, Qiu Huanian brought up the matter of the Shaowei Banquet.

"When I came to the capital this time, I brought two thousand taels to buy a house. Who knew, with the help of the Crown Prince and sixteen, I scored a great deal and bought such a well-located mansion for just fifteen hundred taels."

"The shops and estates in the capital have brought in over six hundred taels, and after various expenses these days, I've spent over a hundred taels. I currently have a thousand taels left."

"Hosting a grand Shaowei Banquet, the cost for ingredients, drinks, snacks, hiring chefs, and inviting a troupe, it's estimated to be around three hundred taels. Money really flies."

The prices in the capital were almost double those in Xiangping Prefecture. As Qiu Huanian tallied the bills, he had gone from heartache to numbness.

"By the way, are you going to vouch for Mr. Wen when you present your memorial tomorrow?"

"Yes, I've already prepared."

A genius like Du Yunse, who achieved six consecutive firsts, was already considered an auspicious sign in this dynasty. The Yuanhua Emperor wasn't truly averse to Wen Huiyang and wouldn’t snub the Number One Scholar. Others would find it hard to pick faults.

"In that case, Mr. Wen will be able to attend your Shaowei Banquet. Knowing you’re the Number One Scholar, and with six consecutive firsts, Mr. Wen must be very pleased."

Qiu Huanian inquired, "Where is Mr. Wen's family now?"

"The teacher's parents passed away early, and he only has distant kin. He never married and has no children. Now, he should only have a servant named Ru Shi taking care of him."

"Never married?" Qiu Huanian was puzzled.

Wen Huiyang was already in his forties. He had become the Number One Scholar in his twenties and was now a renowned great scholar. How could he have never married? This was unheard of in ancient times.

"This matter is a touchy subject for the teacher. I only know a little about it."

"When the teacher was young, he traveled extensively and once had a relationship with a woman from a military family. Later, something happened, and the woman disappeared. Since then, the teacher has never married."

"Where was the woman from? What was her name? How could she suddenly disappear?" Qiu Huanian's curiosity was piqued.

"The teacher never mentioned it. I only gathered bits of the truth from his drunken fragments."

Qiu Huanian sighed, "Over twenty years, Mr. Wen is truly a man of deep affection. Is this what they call 'like attracts like'?"

"Brother Hua, are you complimenting me?" Du Yunse chuckled softly.

"You're getting bolder," Qiu Huanian didn't deny it.

"Mr. Wen has no close relatives, we should take more care of him. He's been detained for over two years, I wonder if he was short on clothing or food. The household items in his house probably need replacing. I'll go and check, buy whatever is missing or old, and send it over to replace them."

Du Yunse put down his chopsticks and looked warmly at Qiu Huanian sitting under the apricot blossoms that reached into the window.

"By the way," Qiu Huanian remembered something, "For our first meeting, should I prepare a gift for Mr. Wen?"

Du Yunse laughed, "The teacher is the elder, it should be him preparing a welcoming gift for Brother Hua."

Du Yunse suddenly hesitated, what could the teacher possibly prepare?