Chapter 41

Chapter 41: The Forty-First Return

Penglai Pavilion lit lamps all night long, and Lian Xiusheng came over several times, standing in the distance, watching the figure behind the window bent over a desk writing.

What was he writing? A letter severing ties?

Jin Cai continued to advise from behind, his voice even lower, "Young master should not have told the third brother about life and death matters. If the third brother later uses this to threaten you, what will you do?"

Lian Xiusheng said, "I am only afraid that third brother will ignore me. If it’s just a threat, what is there to fear?"

"Young master may not fear it, but I do. The great endeavor is not yet accomplished, yet you are entangled in love and desire—how can this be?"

"If one does not love one’s kin, how can one benevolently love the world?"

Lian Xiusheng said calmly, "The world thinks that to take revenge one must drag oneself into an endless hell and cut ties with family and friends. But I disagree. Even if I am in that endless hell, I want third brother to accompany me."

Jin Cai asked, "Your servant doesn’t understand this strange love of yours. Just don’t scare third brother to death."

"If third brother loves me and knows my suffering, he should cherish me."

"...Young master seems to have forgotten that just last night third brother struck you with a chess box. Where is the cherishing?"

"Naturally, the pain is on my body, but the ache is in my brother’s heart."

The master and servant bickered for a while when, with a creak, the bright window not far away suddenly pushed open. The two could not avoid it; Lian Xiusheng hid behind a plum tree, leaving Jin Cai standing alone under the tree.

Lian Cheng saw Jin Cai and was equally startled. He leaned over the windowsill and asked Jin Cai why he was not resting at this late hour, standing in the courtyard of Penglai Pavilion.

Jin Cai made a bow and said he was admiring the plum blossoms.

"The pears and plums in Penglai Pavilion, the bamboos in the hill—if you want to admire plum blossoms, you should go to father’s garden. There are the most precious green calyx plum and dragon swim plum. The plum trees here are at most mediocre compared to those in the mansion."

Jin Cai knew nothing of this. Aren’t they all just flowers? It was hard to tell the valuable from the ordinary, so he said, "Your servant cherishes them, regardless of their value."

Lian Cheng was writing and feeling restless. When he pushed open the window and caught Jin Cai, he wished he could talk a little longer. He didn’t want to let him go, but Jin Cai was about to leave. After making a bow, he left the courtyard. Lian Cheng had no choice but to close the window and continue writing about the tragic fate of those who disrupt the three cardinal guides and five constant virtues—though on the surface, it was a story of brothers committing incest and swearing eternal vows.

He even selflessly made the "elder brother" character die an untimely death, letting his younger brother surpass all under heaven and take control of the realm, but forever losing his love and ruling alone for a thousand years.

However, writing in the ancient style was too troublesome, and Lian Cheng’s practice of characters was still too brief. After writing two pages and praising the elder brother for two pages, he grew exhausted and lay down on the couch.

Later, Huqiu went in, blew out several oil lamps, and after coming out, Lian Xiusheng silently slipped away.

Two days later, the festive atmosphere in the household faded, and fewer guests came and went. Fu Guang brought the official uniform from the Southern Yamen for Lian Cheng to try on. Everything—headpiece, hat, clothes, shoes—was all prepared. The uniform was very different from the civil officials' attire Lian Xiusheng wore. Their robes were longer and wider, more scholarly, while what was sent for Lian Cheng, probably because of his low rank, had no embroidered beast badges, nor even a crown to wear, just a futou—very ugly.

Fu Guang and Huqiu helped Lian Cheng put on the clothes. They fit well. Fu Guang was both surprised and delighted. "The Southern Yamen sent the clothes. I thought they’d be fit for a butcher, but young master looks good in them, like a young knight-errant."

Lian Cheng didn’t quite believe it. "Really?"

"How would your servant dare deceive you?"

After trying on the clothes, Fu Guang took a letter from his sleeve. "Inside is the master’s personal record of the personnel in the Southern and Northern Yamen. If young master is interested, you may take a look."

"The master also told your servant to tell you that although the Southern Yamen is a leisurely post with no major affairs, it is inextricably linked to the Northern Yamen, and civil and military are not entirely separate. The two yamen of the Embroidered Uniform Guard are intertwined with many court officials, and even more closely connected to the Imperial Inner Court. The master advises you to act cautiously, avoid overreaching, and keep yourself safe. That is a good strategy."

Lian Cheng asked Fu Guang to convey his thanks to his father and personally saw him to the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a figure that seemed to be Lian Xiusheng. He quickly fled in panic, running to the Orchid Garden to avoid that little villain. Lady Zhang was surprised, saying he had already paid his respects that morning, so why come again? Lian Cheng sweet-talked her, saying he missed his mother. Zhang Ailian nodded approvingly and told Lian Cheng to change into a set of fitted short clothes and stand in the courtyard.

Though he didn’t understand, Lian Cheng obeyed. He stood in the cold weather and saw two servants carrying a chair out. Qing Zhu padded it with a soft cushion, and then Zhang Ailian came out, smiling. "Minzi asked me last month to teach you swordsmanship. Better to seize the day before it slips away—how about today?"

Whether he wanted to or not, it didn’t matter now; he had already put on the clothes!

Lian Cheng had no choice but to bow. "Your son is willing to receive Mother’s instruction."

But Zhang Ailian did not get up. Instead, Qiu Fang came out from behind, wearing clothes of the same style as Lian Cheng, and said with a grin, "No need for Madam yet. I can teach the young master."

Lian Cheng turned to Qiu Fang, inwardly cursing, but his face betrayed nothing. He greeted Qiu Fang with the etiquette of a student. "Old Master’s instruction."

Lian Cheng thought he would get a very cool sword, but in reality, he just stood in place for an hour, rotating his wrist, unable to slack off while Zhang Ailian watched from above. Then he followed Qiu Fang to learn walking steps. Usually, Qiu Fang seemed no different from other maidservants, but today, in front of Lian Cheng, she walked swiftly and silently. Lian Cheng only blinked and lost track of her. Unable to keep up, he asked playfully if his sister was also skilled in light-footed techniques. Qiu Fang shook her head, saying she had just followed the madam in sword practice since childhood, so her body was light, while the young master had been pampered and his body was stiff. With diligent practice, he would improve.

Lian Cheng was filled with envy. Gritting his teeth, he trained all day in the Orchid Garden. As evening fell, he wolfed down dinner there and declared that he would come again tomorrow.

Having made the vow, Lian Cheng wanted Huqiu to carry him back to Penglai Pavilion. Huqiu refused, and the master and servant made a fuss in the courtyard before finally leaving.

Qing Zhu heard the outside grow quiet and said, "The young master is quite talented. Sister Qiu Fang gave him a little guidance, and he immediately grasped the key points. Was Madam the same when she was young?"

"I am not like him. He is not like me."

-

Lian Cheng practiced swordsmanship without realizing it, but Tong Xue and Qiong Hua were distressed. Qiong Hua even suggested killing the two large roosters, Qingtian and Huangdi, to nourish the young master. Lian Cheng quickly declined, telling them to take good care of the roosters. After bathing and changing clothes, he bent over his desk and continued writing.

He stuffed the two pages of useless appearance descriptions from yesterday into a drawer and only wrote about the first meeting of the brothers. The younger brother, who had been wandering outside for years, was brought home. Seeing his elder brother’s immortal bearing, he was captivated, swallowing saliva and drooling.

Lian Cheng titled this chapter: "Ill-Fated Love."

He also made a simple illustration for this chapter. He stirred the brush in the ink pool and imitated the style of other storybooks, and surprisingly, he managed to draw two naturally moving immortals. The first chapter was done, and the painting was complete. Lian Cheng stroked his chin—these two figures somehow looked suspiciously like himself and Lian Xiusheng.

Wrong, wrong! He was using the story to warn Lian Xiusheng, not to write any fan fiction!

Lian Cheng panicked, crumpled the painting in his hand, and threw it out the window—just like the ancient scholars did.

"Hey, what’s this? Third brother doesn’t want it?"

"It’s a painting! Did third brother make it?"

"Why did third brother only paint himself and the sixth brother? He should have painted all the brothers and sisters in the family."

"..." The premise for ancient scholars doing this should be that they didn’t have annoying younger brothers.

Lian Cheng dropped his brush, flung his robe, and walked out of the study. With a stern face, he demanded the discarded work back. "Your elder brother still wants it. Give it back to me quickly."

Lian Tao said, "Third brother clearly didn’t want it. Since Xiao Ge’er and I picked it up, it’s ours now."

Lian Cheng saw it was the same little brother who had learned a lesson last time, and said, "Your elder brother sees you remember the beating but not the lesson."

Lian Tao saw that the third brother looked fierce and was no longer pleasant. He felt unhappy himself, swallowed his saliva, but still refused to give in. "It’s mine! Third brother is unreasonable!"

Lian Xiao, being more timid, held back his hands and advised his brother in a low voice, "Eighth brother, you must not be disrespectful to your elder brother. Return the thing to third brother quickly. If you really want one, you can beg third brother to make another one for you..."

Lian Tao slapped Lian Xiao on the head, calling him a mason’s son—always trying to smooth things over. Lian Xiao, being more gentle, started to cry, but he did not soften in his hands. He immediately began wrestling with Lian Tao, one grabbing the other’s hair, the other pinching the throat, both crying. Lian Cheng took the chance to grab his painting, but in the chaos, Lian Xiao scratched his face—just as Lian Xiusheng and Qiu Mama arrived and saw the scene.

Qiu Mama sternly scolded all three but didn’t say they would be punished. She only took Lian Cheng, who was "reluctant to part" from his two younger brothers, away to apply some medicine for the wound.

"Please bring the two young masters to the study." Lian Xiusheng chose Lian Cheng’s study nearby. He didn’t go to the desk but took a ruler from the wall.

Lian Tao and Lian Xiao knew they were caught by the sixth brother and couldn’t escape, so they racked their brains to shift as much blame as possible onto someone else to reduce their own faults. Who else but the third brother?

So the two little ones, one after the other, sang a duet, putting all the blame on Lian Cheng. They said they had come to play in the courtyard of Penglai Pavilion. The study window faced the back courtyard, which was less crowded. They had deliberately chosen a quiet place so as not to disturb the family. Unexpectedly, the third brother threw something out. They hurriedly picked it up, fearing it might be something valuable, and were about to return it. But the third brother, without a word, ran out and gave them a thorough beating, which truly saddened the younger brothers.

Lian Xiusheng had been dragged there by Qiu Mama and hadn’t even had time to straighten his clothes. He listened quietly to their clamor and then asked, "What did the third brother throw out?"

Lian Tao initially refused to hand it over. Lian Xiao tugged at him a few times before he took a crumpled paper ball from his sleeve and presented it with both hands to Lian Xiusheng. Lian Xiusheng took it without looking at it, told Lian Tao not to withdraw his hand, and also had Lian Xiao put out his hand.

Knowing they were about to be punished, they couldn't hold back their tears, pleading for mercy in every way possible. The ruler still came down hard, and they squealed like stuck pigs, calling for their mom and dad. After receiving over a dozen strikes, they tried to run, but Jin Cai had already closed the door. Then they begged Sixth Brother to spare them, confessing they would never again fight with their brothers.

Each of them received more than thirty strikes before Lian Xiusheng stopped, ordering Jin Cai to hang the ruler back in its place. He spoke calmly, "Let this be a lesson; don't let it happen again."

Jin Cai saw the two young masters off. Lian Xiusheng knew that Third Brother didn’t want to see him right then, so he didn’t linger and left directly, taking the crumpled paper ball with him in his sleeve.

-

Lian Cheng was thoroughly scolded by Qiu Mama and, too angry to let it go, went to find those two little rascals to settle the score. On the way, Huqiu told him that Sixth Brother had severely punished them by smacking their palms.

"Did Jin Cai do it, or Lian Xiusheng himself?"

"Sixth Brother did it. I sneaked a look—both little brothers' palms were swollen like steamed buns. When they saw Sixth Miss, all three of them cried their hearts out, it was a pitiful sight."

Knowing they had already been punished, Lian Cheng decided not to pursue the matter further. He turned back and headed to his study, searching high and low for something. Huqiu asked what he was looking for. Lian Cheng didn’t want to say, and replied grimly, "Art." Upon hearing it was art, Huqiu eagerly joined the search, but they found nothing. "If it’s something important, I could go to Yiqiu; Sixth Brother was just there in the study."

Good heavens! Lian Cheng didn’t let Huqiu go; he went himself.

This was the umpteenth time Lian Cheng had snuck into Yiqiu. Dusk had fallen, and the shadows of the sal tree branches swayed unevenly. Lian Cheng hurried through the corridor, following a familiar path, and reached Lian Xiusheng’s study. Hearing the clink of cups and plates inside, he decided not to enter through the door but instead crouched by the window, peering in through a crack.

What he saw nearly scared the wits out of him and made him turn bright red.

His "art" had already been hung on the wall by Lian Xiusheng!

Lian Cheng lay there in despair, motionless, pondering: even a ruler who rules by inaction can bring about a golden age; shouldn't he, a mere mortal, just let nature take its course?

To this day, none of his schemes had worked; instead, they had all backfired. Heaven did not favor him—alas, alas!

Lian Cheng gritted his teeth in anger. How on earth did those predecessors manage to be so infallible in their strategies?

After a long while and some mental preparation, Lian Cheng cleared his throat, avoiding the other’s gaze, intending to grab his own belongings and leave. But the other stepped in front of the wall, blocking him.

"Third Brother, what do you intend to do?"

What did he intend to do? Lian Cheng looked up angrily, "You took my personal possession, and I’ve come to retrieve it."

Lian Xiusheng glanced back at the immature painting on the wall and said, "The person in the painting is me. I originally thought it was mine."

"...How could you not know whether you drew it yourself? Don’t twist things around, or I'll make you regret it!"

"Third Brother, why did you paint this suggestive erotic painting?"

Lian Cheng’s ears turned red, and he became incoherent, "What... nonsense are you spouting? This is about fraternal love and respect! Sixth Brother, I’m deeply disappointed in you. I never thought your mind would be filled with such dirty thoughts. The figures in the painting are fully clothed—what does it have to do with erotic paintings?"

Lian Xiusheng didn’t argue. He simply turned around, pointed to one of the figures in the painting, and said, "I see this one with loving eyes; he looks just like me. I thought Third Brother was confessing his feelings to me. Am I wrong?"

"No." Lian Cheng puffed out his cheeks, which were red from both embarrassment and anger. Regardless of blood relations, he had already regarded Lian Xiusheng as his younger brother. Now every word and action of the other, no matter how trivial, made him blush, tremble, and sent his hair standing on end.

"Very well then," Lian Xiusheng lowered his eyes, but there was still lingering joy on his face. "It's just that I didn’t realize Third Brother isn’t averse to homosexuality."

"Even if I were, it wouldn’t be with you, engaging in romantic poetry." Lian Cheng didn’t want to argue any longer. He muttered, "I’m just your brother, and I only want to be your brother," then moved with lightning speed to tear the painting off the wall.

Before his fingertips could reach the target, the other stretched out an arm to block. Lian Cheng’s wrist felt as if it had struck an iron rod, and he quickly withdrew it in pain. Lian Xiusheng caught his aching hand in his own, lowered his head to kiss his brother’s frost-white wrist, and replied, "Third Brother, but I no longer want you to be only my third brother."