Chapter 82

Chapter 82: The Eighty-Second Chapter

Lian Cheng scrambled away at lightning speed, rolling and crawling all the way.

Back in his room, the several sets of clothes Tong Xue had carefully prepared for him were neatly arranged in the wardrobe, yet no matter how he turned things over and searched again and again, he could not find his volumes of storybooks.

Once bitten, twice shy—Lian Cheng never wallowed in his mistakes. He figured that if he wanted to carry valuables again, he would have to stuff them into his sock tops.

After moping by the table for a bit, Lian Cheng quickly pulled himself together. He got up and wandered about the room, poking around here and there, peering up and down. There was hardly any gold, silver, or pearl—all such worldly trinkets were absent; everything was crafted from bamboo and wood, adorned with exquisite carvings. As the saying goes, better plain than clever, better frugal than vulgar. Lian Cheng had never felt this so keenly even in that fellow Lian Xiusheng's courtyard; no wonder the imperial family had taken a liking to it and claimed it for their own use.

What Lian Cheng loved most was a screen made of ironwood (Mesua ferrea) in the bedroom. It had no paint or lacquer applied to it, only a carving of a pear tree in full bloom. The trunk and branches, on closer look, were formed by the wood's own twisted grain, with flowers carved onto them by hand—the blossoms crowded and piled in layers, as if a hidden fragrance were wafting through the air.

But as he stood spellbound, admiring it for a long while, Lian Cheng inexplicably recalled the scene a month ago when Lian Xiusheng had been doing *that* behind the screen in his own room. It dawned on him belatedly, and he jumped up, crying out, "So that's how it is! So that's how it is!"

"It seems I'm still too gullible and quick to trust others," Lian Cheng thought. He had been so focused on the political intrigue plotline that he had forgotten that people are not insentient beings—whether in official histories or unofficial records, when had the romance plotline ever disappeared?

Lian Cheng drank a few sips of the tea prepared in advance in his room, scratching his ears and cheeks in frustration, trying to figure out Lian Xiusheng's romantic plotline.

But no matter how hard he racked his brains, Lian Xiusheng in the book had never been involved with anyone—neither emotionally nor physically. Of course, it was also possible that the author himself had a tendency not to record his romantic affairs, but if there was no record, then how was he to know?

If only the book had included a few more mentions of events related to Lian Xiusheng's private life, Lian Cheng continued drinking his tea, sighing and groaning. He glanced at the bronze mirror and felt that although his body was eighteen with a face as fair as a maiden's, his heart was eighty-eight and decrepit.

He also thought, if only Lian Xiusheng were after nothing but his good looks—there were countless beauties in the world, and surely he could find a few that would catch his eye. But he had to go and say, "I'm smitten"?

This reminded Lian Cheng of two top students from ultra-prestigious, mega-wealthy families in his high school days, who also had a Romeo-and-Juliet-style entanglement, and they were both men.

When their teenage romance was discovered, those two people, who were usually so, so, so brilliant, stood one on the roof of Building A and the other on the roof of Building B. One shouted, "How cruel are those who love us! All our blood flows for them. The most loved are the most unfortunate!" The other countered, "My love is like a beautiful phoenix—if it dies at night, it will be reborn at dawn!" Lian Cheng's jaw had dropped to the floor at the time.

If love truly has the power to turn a person into a madman, then if it descends upon an eighteen-year-old, that person would become the maddest of madmen. Lian Cheng thought, just tough it out—youthful love always has an expiration date.

Footsteps sounded in the courtyard beyond the door. Lian Cheng assumed it was Lian Xiusheng, so he dodged left and right, finally managing to hide behind the bed curtain.

"Vice Commander Lian?" The young servant who entered looked at the person crouching behind the bed curtain with puzzlement.

"..."

Lian Cheng stepped out with an expression of utter embarrassment, claiming he was inspecting the fabric of the bed curtain and would have a set made when he got home.

The servant, fair-skinned, gave a gentle smile. "You flatter me, sir. There's nothing valuable in Lotus Garden. This curtain is made of rattan paper—it's nothing special. If it pleases you, sir, I'll find a few sets and load them onto your carriage when you leave."

"Made of paper?" Lian Cheng had only said it casually, off the top of his head, not expecting the servant to actually take him up on it. He didn't stand on ceremony, accepted the servant's goodwill, and handed him a tip, asking what business had brought him here.

The servant asked whether he should have the evening meal brought in, as the kitchen had everything prepared.

Lian Cheng wanted to find out where Lian Xiusheng was, since he didn't want to dine at the same table with him—he wanted to avoid him. So he told the servant he would eat after Young Lord Lian had finished.

The servant smiled and said, "I already asked Young Lord Lian earlier. He told me it's up to you, but he insists on having the evening meal with you."

Seeing no way to refuse, Lian Cheng reluctantly followed the servant to the main hall for dinner. Two food boxes sat on the table, and the servant began laying out the tea and dishes. While he was arranging things, Lian Cheng asked his name. The servant said he had no surname and was called Zhen Zhen.

"Peach blossoms in bloom, leaves lush and green—not bad," Lian Cheng praised offhandedly, earning a deep bow of thanks.

Once the tea and dishes were all set, Zhen Zhen went to fetch Lian Xiusheng. The moment Lian Cheng saw him, every pore on his body seemed to spark, but with outsiders present, he couldn't show his feelings and simply buried his head in his rice.

Lian Xiusheng noticed his third brother eating only plain rice and picked up some seasonal stir-fried vegetables for him. "Third Brother, try this lotus root—it was just harvested a while ago, crisp and tender."

Lian Cheng would avoid hardship if he could. He shot a glance at Lian Xiusheng and stuffed the entire piece of lotus root into his mouth, crunching away.

Lian Xiusheng had little interest in food himself but kept picking various dishes for his third brother two or three times each, until the rice bowl was piled into a peak. Just as he was about to speak, Lian Cheng muttered, "One should not talk while eating or sleeping."

After the meal, everyone rinsed their mouths, and Zhen Zhen cleared the table. He was about to return to attend to them when Lian Xiusheng dismissed him, saying he and Vice Commander Lian could manage on their own and he should go rest. Zhen Zhen was glad for the leisure and walked away with a lighter step.

Having given his instructions to Zhen Zhen, Lian Xiusheng turned around—and the main hall was empty.

-

Lian Cheng felt lost. He changed his clothes, called for Ji Xing and Qiao Yuer, asked two of the estate's servants for directions, and found a secluded, deserted pond to bathe in.

It was scorching hot, and with no air conditioning in the room, Lian Cheng had no desire to stay in the courtyard with Lian Xiusheng feeding mosquitoes.

But perhaps they were unlucky, or perhaps this spot was simply too secluded and elegant—bright moon overhead, clear spring below, wind rustling the lotus leaves, fragrance drifting along the shore. Halfway through their soak in the pond, they suddenly heard whispers. Qiao Yuer, the most nimble, crawled ashore and slithered through the grass like an eel, then quickly slithered back, telling Lian Cheng that some people were having a secret rendezvous there.

Lian Cheng wanted to see too, so he put on his clothes, lay flat on the ground, and gently parted the grass before him. He saw brocade robes and silk garments spread across the ground, grass and flowers crushed over half a field—one stiff as a spear, one soft as dough, one up one down like fish in water, one fast one slow from shallow to deep.

This was no mere rendezvous! Lian Cheng couldn't believe it. He turned back to look at Qiao Yuer, who had already dressed, unable to trust his own eyes. He stole another glance at the couple, and this time he saw clearly—they were both men!

Curiosity piqued, Lian Cheng widened his wet, cat-like eyes, trying to see exactly how the two fit together, but Ji Xing came to drag him away.

"Sir, have you no shame? Let's go quickly—what if it's some old master you can't afford to offend, and he makes trouble for you?"

The three of them returned to their lodgings looking like drowned rats.

In the middle of the night, Lian Cheng had another dream—but this time it wasn't the tree-faced dream from the Lian estate. Instead, he dreamed of doing *that* with Lian Xiusheng, and not in a bedroom. In the dream, the night stretched long, with a bright moon and sparse stars overhead, and he and Lian Xiusheng were tangled together, inseparable, right by the pond where he had bathed the night before.

Lian Cheng woke with a start, feeling his whole body burning like fire. Fortunately, Lian Xiusheng hadn't offered to share his bed these past two days, or he would surely say Lian Cheng was thinking of it by day and dreaming of it by night.

Without lighting a lamp, Lian Cheng got up and drank several bowls of cold water. Only after the cool water had quenched the heat in his heart did he notice that his undergarments were damp and cold.

Oh, oh, oh, you...

If Lian Cheng were truly an ancient man, he would have tossed his undergarments to the maids to wash. But he was a modern man, so he slipped out of the courtyard in the dark, found a small pond, and scrubbed them himself.

In the dead of night, Vice Commander Lian crept in and out, fancying himself as stealthy as a ghost. When he returned to his room, he hung his undergarments up to dry, planning to toss them into the dirty laundry pile at dawn, unnoticed by anyone.

He thought he had everything perfectly arranged, but who would have guessed that the next morning, his room was half-empty—where were his undergarments?!

Lian Cheng held it in until breakfast before he had a chance to ask Zhen Zhen if anyone had taken clothes to be washed. Zhen Zhen said the laundress wouldn't come until noon.

Then where had his undergarments gone?!

After breakfast, Lian Cheng searched the room frantically. Could it be that he had never secretly washed his undergarments last night at all?

In his confusion, Lian Xiusheng came by to remind him that today all the officials were to go boating and picking lotus in the lotus pond. "Third Brother, where did you go last night? You only returned under the stars."

Lian Cheng opened the door and said he had gone to bathe in the pond with Ji Xing and Qiao Yuer. Lian Xiusheng's brow furrowed involuntarily at this. Lian Cheng knew without thinking what he was about to say, and blushing furiously, he jumped up. "What? Are you saying I could have something going on with the two of them?!"

Lian Xiusheng said it wasn't allowed even if there wasn't.

"It's not that day yet—stay out of my business," Lian Cheng said as he walked forward, muttering, "Besides, I'll just go find a couple of male entertainers and battle them eight hundred rounds... Mm! Stop..."

The reckless Lian Cheng was dragged back by the waist. In broad daylight, under the clear sky, he was pressed against the door, surrounded by the chirping of cicadas and barking of dogs. He blinked in panic and whispered pleadingly, "Three hundred rounds, then..."

"...Third Brother," Lian Xiusheng sighed helplessly, "you always do this—saying things that stir up resentment while looking utterly pitiful."

"Those who admire me in the capital can't all fit in a carriage—every one of them resentful. Am I supposed to care about each one?"

"Third Brother compares them to me?" Lian Xiusheng showed no anger on his face, but he had originally not wanted to startle his third brother. Yet this time, he was provoked into lowering his head and biting the corner of Lian Cheng's lip, until the taste of blood spread.

-

Afterward, they drifted on the lake—golden oars and magnolia boats, playfully gathering lotus in the south of the river.

Few were truly focused on picking lotus; most used the estate's pleasure boats, brewing tea and drinking wine aboard, composing poetry and matching verses. From time to time, a singing girl would perform a lotus-picking song or pluck a tune on the pipa—naturally, the lotus pond was free of summer's heat.

Lian Cheng and his companions, however, rolled up their sleeves and trouser legs, plunging half their bodies into the lotus pond—pulling lotus root fibers, digging up lotus root segments, prying out clam shells, and catching fish, having an absolute blast.

They got themselves a small boat, not as fine as those of the ministers, but it could still seat five or six people—just enough for the four brothers of the Lian, Li, Zhang, and Lu families. They rowed beneath the enormous lotus leaves, taking in a pond blanketed with duckweed. Li Wan had initially been put off by it, but when Lian Cheng plopped into the water with a splash, he followed suit.

"Pick some lotus seeds, and we can boil lotus seed soup when we get back," said Lu Zhen.

Li Wan scooped up a handful of slippery mud, quickly tossed it back into the water, and said, "If you want lotus seed soup, just have the kitchen whip up a couple of pots—why go to all the trouble of picking them yourself?"

Zhang Xian stood in the water, saying, "If you've never tilled the soil, how can you understand the common folk's struggles? Little Prince, you ought to be on one of those fancy boats, drinking with the Old Master and talking about matters of state."

Li Wan's face flushed. "Don't you dare slander me."

Lu Zhen said, "Then let's have a contest—see who hauls in the most today. Lotus seeds, lotus fibers—everything counts."

"You're on!" Li Wan shed his outer robe, but first looked around for Lian Cheng. He searched high and low before spotting him floating on his back in a clear spot not far off, three or four lotus leaves stacked on his head to shield him from the scorching sun.

Li Wan crept over, got a good look at Lian Cheng, and suddenly asked, "Minzi, where did you get that wound on your lip?"

Lian Cheng had his excuse ready. "A mosquito bite, of course."

"The scenery here is gorgeous, but the mosquitoes are a real nuisance. Later, I'll have a servant drop off some sachets at your place—my mother got the recipe for this mosquito repellent straight from the imperial physician. I don't hand this out to just anybody." After saying this, Li Wan mentioned that Lu Zhen and the others were competing in lotus picking, and Lian Cheng immediately agreed. The bet was on: the winner could claim any one thing from the loser.

The four of them suddenly had a new fire in their bellies, kicking up splashes and sending the gulls and herons scattering.

"I've had my eye on Ruozhu's godfather's Ferghana horse for ages!"

"Siqi's old man has an original Wu Daozi!"

"Du Heng has a piece of Hetian jade stashed away!"

"Minzi's stash!"

Those at the finest spot on the other side heard the commotion but couldn't see who was making it. They sent a servant to check whether there was trouble, and the servant returned to report that Vice Commander Lian, the Little Prince, Centurion Zhang, and Lord Lu's boy were having a lotus-picking contest.

Lu Qingyan, a military man who usually got the short end of the stick in verbal sparring with civil officials, was the first to slam the table and jump to his feet, saying Lu Zhen was making a racket and ruining the vibe.

Eunuch Cui, sitting at the head of the table, fanned himself and talked things down for Lu Zhen, pulling rank as godfather to tell his godson Lu Qingyan to sit back down. Then he asked Minister Zhang what he thought. Zhang Shijie let out a cold laugh, said, "That's not my son," and turned to ask Lian Xiusheng instead. Lian Xiusheng rose, offered a bow, and replied, "Vice Commander Lian is this junior's elder brother—how would this junior dare to comment on my brother's thoughts and deeds?"

Eunuch Cui shot Lian Xiusheng a blatant roll of his eyes.

Everyone present clearly saw the eunuch's eye-roll, but they dismissed it as a castrated man's resentment toward a whole, proper man, and paid it no mind. They returned to drinking wine amid the gorgeous lotus blossoms and chatting idly about court affairs.

Then, perhaps it was Lian Cheng's voice, distant yet clear, that carried over.

"Haha, Ruozhu my boy, doesn't this clam shell look just like your butt?"

Several of the older gentlemen burst into laughter, while the more reserved ones hid their faces behind their sleeves, pretending to raise their cups for a drink.

"Thinking back to my youth, I was just as wild and unrestrained. Now—old!"

"Come to think of it, my mother was a lotus picker in her day. I often sat by her side reading as a child..."

Most of those present were past thirty, and many were older still. Seeing the young men, they couldn't help but utter a few wistful remarks. Zhang Shijie, however, smiled and spoke to Lian Xiusheng with meaningful intent: "Vice Commander Lian may navigate the court with ease, but his manners leave something to be desired."

No sooner had Minister of Rites Zhang Shijie finished speaking than his son Zhang Xian shouted out.

"Minzi, now that's more like your butt!"

Lian Xiusheng raised his wine cup, gesturing slightly toward Zhang Shijie. "Centurion Zhang may be useless in the yamen, but his manners are hardly better than this junior's elder brother's."

Eunuch Cui leaned back in his grand armchair and said slowly, "How many in the capital could match Ruozhu's cleverness and obedience? I daresay none."

The other officials took this as their cue to praise their own children, each dragging out their offspring for a round of admonishment. Though they understood the deeper rivalry beneath the comparisons, they had no wish to join in, nor any intention of throwing their own children into the fray.

Only Prince Hui, Li Po, up above, snapped open his fan, flapped it twice, and laughed heartily, saying with utter nonchalance, "Gentlemen, stop your bickering—my son knows best."

As luck would have it, no sooner had Prince Hui spoken than the Little Prince came to undermine him, shouting loudly, "Minzi, that scab on your lip—has it soaked open and started bleeding again? Come here, I'll wet it with my spit to stop the bleeding!"

Lian Cheng muttered something about being crazy, then said no, and licked it himself. He tasted a hint of metallic sweetness and inwardly cursed Lian Xiusheng for not being able to take a joke.

Still fuming inwardly, he heard Lu Zhen call out "Young Lord Lian" from nearby. Lian Cheng turned around, squinting at Lian Xiusheng standing on the shore in a pristine white round-collar robe embroidered with gold patterns and assorted treasures.

Lian Xiusheng saw that the four had turned into mud-slicked catfish, yet still spotted his third brother at once. He fixed his gaze on the "catfish" farthest from him and said, "Lian Cheng, the lake water is cold. Soaking too long will harm your health—come out now."