Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Getting into a gay relationship is easier said than done.

Wang Ying, in his previous life, had never even dated, let alone been in a relationship with a man. The mere thought made him uncomfortable.

But to secure permanent use of the experimental field, he had no choice but to go through with it!

The next day, after breakfast, Chen Qingyan, as usual, began his exercises. Days spent in bed had weakened his legs; he used to be able to walk a full lap around the courtyard, but now even half a lap was a struggle.

Seeing Wang Ying sitting under a tree sorting seeds, Chen Qingyan hesitated for a moment before pulling a small booklet from his robe and tossing it over.

"What's this?" Wang Ying flipped through a couple of pages.

There weren't many words, just simple illustrations resembling acupuncture charts, with various points marked.

Chen Qingyan mumbled awkwardly, "You'll understand once you look."

Wang Ying examined it carefully and realized the red dots weren't acupuncture points but markings indicating the "fate marks" of a *Ge'er*. Vermilion was considered the best, followed by bright red, with pink being the lowest.

A *Ge'er*, also known as a child-bearing male, possesses a womb, unlike most men, granting them the ability to conceive and bear children, though they cannot impregnate women or other *Ge'er*.

The shade of the fate mark's color also indicated a *Ge'er*'s fertility. The deeper the color, the easier it was to conceive and bear children; the lighter the color, the harder it was. Some *Ge'er* could even remain childless for life.

Wang Ying gasped in surprise. He did seem to have a red mark on his body, right next to his neck. "Hey, Chen Qingyan, come here."

"What is it?"

Wang Ying tugged his collar open. "Is my mark red?"

"Cough, cough, cough..." Chen Qingyan was so startled he burst into a coughing fit, muttering under his breath, "Such shamelessness in broad daylight! How indecent!"

"Fine, go back to your workout."

Wang Ying grew increasingly uncomfortable as he read on. The book detailed the process of male pregnancy and childbirth in vivid illustrations, almost like a horror comic.

On the last page was even a mating illustration. The artist's skill was evident—the two figures were lifelike.

The *Ge'er* below was half-undressed, eyes glazed over, mouth open with tongue out, drool dripping from the corner of his lips. The figure above was only shown from behind, but his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and the bulging veins on his hands gripping the *Ge'er*'s hips were clearly depicted.

Even the private parts of their union were shown in explicit detail...

Wang Ying snapped the book shut as if electrocuted, a strange tingling sensation shooting up his tailbone. His mind raced with a thousand "what the hells."

His gaze shifted to Chen Qingyan, who was walking slowly around the courtyard. Usually so preachy about morals, who would have thought he'd read such porn?

You really can't judge a book by its cover~

"Qingyan." Chen Jing's voice suddenly came from outside the gate.

Startled, Wang Ying quickly hid the book in his sleeve.

"Fourth Uncle is here."

Chen Jing walked into the courtyard with his hands behind his back. "Last Dragon Boat Festival, you wrote saying you'd failed the civil service exams and contracted a serious illness. I had just been transferred to Laizhou and was too swamped with work to visit. Now that I have the chance, I wanted to ask if you'd like to come to Laizhou with me?"

"Laizhou Prefectural School is full of talent. If you go, I can secure you a place. Once you've completed your studies, you can return to take the county exam."

Chen Qingyan bit his lip, then after a long pause, shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, Fourth Uncle, but I'm not cut out for it. I wouldn't want to be a burden."

"Is there some difficulty you're not mentioning?"

"No..."

Chen Jing sighed in disappointment. "I thought you could follow the imperial examination path like I did. Since you're not interested, forget it."

Wang Ying anxiously stepped on Chen Qingyan's foot. Why wasn't this guy telling the truth? His fourth uncle was a high-ranking official—maybe he could help!

Chen Qingyan gripped his hand and shook his head. After Chen Jing left, he slumped exhaustedly into his wheelchair, his spirit completely drained.

"Why didn't you tell Fourth Uncle earlier?"

Chen Qingyan said, "The Wu Dynasty has never had a precedent allowing someone who was disqualified to retake the exams. Even if I told Fourth Uncle, he wouldn't be able to help. Let's just drop it."

"Too proud for your own good!"

"None of your business."

"Who wants to meddle? Suit yourself!" Wang Ying pulled the book from his sleeve, threw it at him, and turned to leave.

Pissed, Chen Qingyan punched the wheelchair, then after a moment, stood up and continued his exercises.

Uncle Chen, standing in the corner, chuckled. Since Young Master arrived, the young master has become so much more lively~

*

Chen Qingyan, constrained by pride, didn't want Chen Jing's help, but Wang Ying had no such reservations. He quickly chased after Chen Jing.

"Fourth Uncle, please wait."

Chen Jing paused. "What is it, nephew-in-law?"

"Well, I plan to open a fruit and vegetable shop in town. I'm worried about future trouble, so I wondered if I could use your name for protection?"

"As long as it's not illegal, of course."

"Thank you, Fourth Uncle!"

As he walked, Chen Jing said, "I came in a hurry and will be returning soon. I hope you'll take good care of this household from now on."

"Fourth Uncle, you flatter me. I'm just a rural *Ge'er*—I don't have such capabilities."

"To dare to fake his death as a strategy—such courage and cunning, I'm not sure even I could have thought of it."

Wang Ying's heart skipped a beat. Chen Jing, as a high official, was indeed sharp-minded and had seen right through it.

Chen Jing waved his hand to ease Wang Ying's alarm. "I watched Qingyan grow up. He's clever but stubborn like his father. My sister-in-law is indecisive and wouldn't have conceived such a plan. Aside from them, only you could have done it."

"Having cunning isn't a bad thing—as long as it's used rightly, it's far better than being foolish. Tell me, what really happened with Qingyan's exam cheating accusation?"

"You know about it?"

Of course—with so few scholars in the family, how could he not know?

Wang Ying recounted the entire story of Chen Qingyan being framed. "It was all a misunderstanding. Qingyan never cheated. Is there any way to restore his exam eligibility?"

Chen Jing stroked his beard and shook his head. "The imperial exam path may be closed to him now, but there are other ways. If he makes a significant contribution to the court, he could still be recommended for an official post."

Wang Ying's hope faded. As commoners, how could they make such a contribution? It seemed Chen Qingyan was really destined to become a teacher.

*

Chen Jing's visit was rushed. He hadn't brought his family, only a few attendants. As a sixth-rank Prefect, his official duties were heavy, and staying away too long risked reprimand from superiors. So, after just three days in his hometown, he left.

Prior to their exile, Chen Biao was sentenced to eighty strokes to the buttocks, and his entire family was exiled to Cangzhou—a journey from which they would likely never return.

Taking into account his advanced age, those eighty strokes would likely have killed him. In the end, his two sons took the punishment on his behalf, each receiving forty strokes.

This outcome was what Wang Ying had expected. After all, Chen Biao was his own older brother—if Chen Jing had actually beaten him to death, he would have been haunted by guilt.

Apart from Chen Biao's family, Old Lady Tian's family was also sentenced.

Though they were not the masterminds, they had aided the wrongdoing and were sentenced to sixty strokes.

Given Old Lady Tian's age, she could not withstand such punishment. She lost consciousness after just ten strokes and was already dead by the time the sixty strokes were completed.

Tian Xiaoliu and Old Man Tian, though not dead, were clinging to life. Without the support of the Chen family and with no means of income, their deaths were only a matter of time.

For the first time, Wang Ying felt how terrifying ancient feudal society was. Compared to modern laws, the severity of the punishments was truly chilling.

Still, the matter had finally come to a close.

After learning of Old Lady Tian's death, Li Shi could not eat for several days and visibly lost weight.

Wang Ying knew his mother-in-law was troubled. She was gentle and kind by nature, known for treating even servants well, especially after spending so many years with Tian Mama.

Fortunately, Third Aunt was there to console her. "Sister-in-law, someone like that isn't worth your grief. You must think of the children—if you fall ill, what will become of your three children?"

"I know, but my heart aches... Sometimes I wonder if I did something wrong, causing her to betray us despite our kindness."

"It's not that you were lacking—it's that you were too good to them. People are inherently greedy: they desire gold hairpins, then jade hairpins; they want a thousand coins, then ten thousand. They brought this upon themselves. Don't harm yourself over others' mistakes."

Li Shi wiped her tears. "Now that she's gone, I'll only remember the good in her. Let's not speak of it anymore."

"You're just too idle. Once you have grandchildren to keep you busy, you won't have time for such thoughts."

At this, Li Shi perked up. "Speaking of which, it's been over two months since Qingyan got married, and there's still no news. Before, his health was poor, but now that he's getting stronger day by day, perhaps it won't be long before I become a grandmother."

Third Aunt patted her hand. "Exactly! I truly adore Wang Ying—handsome, impeccable in speech and action, even better than the young masters raised in prominent families in the county. Where did you find such a fine son-in-law?"

Li Shi smiled. "I had no idea the child would be so capable. When I asked someone to arrange a match, I only requested a girl or a young man born under the Water element, with decent looks. You know how ill Qingyan was at the time—he couldn't even get out of bed. We thought he was a lost cause and didn't have the luxury of being picky.

It was Third Uncle Chen Biao's wife who introduced him. She said he was a pitiable young man, exceptionally good-looking but from a poor family. I paid ten strings of coins, half for the bride price and half to secure the match, to bring him home. Who would have thought he'd turn out to be such a clever child?"

Chen Rong clapped her hands. "Truly, it's a wonderful match."

Meanwhile, the two they were discussing were sitting awkwardly on the bed.

Ever since Wang Ying read that book, the image was burned into his mind, making him feel uneasy whenever he was alone with Chen Qingyan.

When Chen Qingyan began undressing to sleep, Wang Ying bolted up, startled.

"Aren't you going to sleep?"

"N-No, I'm not tired yet. I'll head to the test field first!"

Chen Qingyan thought he was still upset about not telling the truth to Fourth Uncle that day. "Go ahead. We can talk when you come back."

Wang Ying sat on the ridge of the field, chewing on a stalk of grass, his face red as a monkey's butt. This whole "gay" thing really takes some getting used to, after all!

In the past, his grandparents had always worried that without parents, he would never find a wife. Well, now they didn't have to worry—he had ended up as someone else's wife instead.

Author's Note: