Ch10 - Peach Blossom Wine

“Chen, is still not sleepy.” Hearing the words “go back to the bedroom”, Mu Hanzhang’s ears turned even more red.

Jing Shao felt that his appearance was extremely cute. He raised his hand and closed the boring law book. He pulled him up and said: “I am also not too sleepy, let’s go, I will take you to a place.”

“Wang Ye…” Mu Hanzhang was pulled up by him and stood up. Seeing his eagerness, he could only follow him outside, comforting himself that perhaps he would forget about the gift of thanks in a little while.

When they left the study, they wandered and circled around before unexpectedly going into the garden. 

“Wait for me.” Stopping under the rock garden, Jing Shao squeezed into the cave, and shortly after brought out a small basket with a lid.

“What is this?” Mu Hanzhang was a little curious. There was actually something hidden in the garden of the prince’s palace, Jing Shao’s appearance seemed like that of a child secretly hiding toys.

Jing Shao laughed mischievously and did not answer, just took him to climb the highest rock formations in the garden, on which was built a delicate octagonal pavilion.

“You hold this.” Jing Shao handed the small basket to the person next to him. After he handed it over, he reached out and took the man into his arms.

“Wang Ye!” Mu Hanzhang cried out in surprise, but before he reacted, he was already on top of the pavilion.

“This is the highest place in the palace,” Jing Shao smiled and sat down between the tiles, and patting the position next to him. “Come and sit.”

Mu Hanzhang could only slowly sit beside him. The top of the pavilion was inclined and he always felt like he would slide down at any time.

When Jing Shao saw that he was very cautious and solemn, he felt it amusing, so he reached out and grabbed his waist: “I am here, you won’t be able to fall.” 

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Seeing that there were no objections from the person next to him, Jing Shao confidently continued to hold him: “This Star-Picking Pavilion is my favorite place in the palace. On a clear day’s night time, I can see a sky full of stars.”

Mu Hanzhang complied with his embrace, and raised his head to look, sure enough the sky was full of starlight, without any eaves to block them, all around them seemed like a blue dome of heaven, as if they were placed in the middle of a of river of stars. The corner of his mouth could not help but reveal a smiling expression: “It’s beautiful, Chen has never seen such a vast canopy of stars.”

As a bastard, he wasn’t able to act as willfully as Mu Lingbao. Ever since he was a child in the Marquis’ residence, he had to abide by the proper etiquette everywhere. There was always someone watching to mock him for making one wrong step. Nevermind doing something like climbing onto the roof of a pavilion, if he was caught, he guessed he would be gifted a beating by his father. 

“Have you never climbed a tree when you were young?” Jing Shao was a little surprised. When boys were young, they should have all been very naughty. When he was a child, he often climbed the trees in the imperial gardens to grab birds’ nests. He would also climb to the top of trees to see the stars in the middle of the night. When the people in the palace found out, he would be spanked by his Mother Empress, but his Mother Empress hated to use a heavy hand, so the next day he would leap and frisk about and continue to do bad things.

When he heard about Jing Shao’s “great achievements” when he was young, Mu Hanzhang couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He didn’t expect the majestic prince was unexpectedly naughty and mischievous like this when he was a child, but he couldn’t help but be envious. When he was young, no one educated him. His mother did not read much, and could only teach him how to compute things on the abacus, and how to take care of the accounts. And afterwards when his father found out, he also became very angry, saying his mother misguided him, and sent him to the family’s tutors to study in advance, not allowing him to speak to his mother much anymore.

“Learning to read so early, no wonder you are just like an old man at such a young age.” Jing Shao could not help but laugh at him.

Mu Hanzhang glared at him: “Wang Ye’s age still falls short of Chen’s.” 

“Eh…” Jing Shao had accidentally blurted that out, in his past life, he lived into his thirties. Naturally, he felt that the current Jun Qing was still young, and he couldn’t help but awkwardly rub his nose. He took the small basket by the side and diverted the topic. “This is the peach blossom wine I saved. Every year there is only one small jar, you taste it.”

In the basket is a small white porcelain bottle and two small cups of the same color. Jing Shao lifted open the bottle stoppers and poured out two cups, the clear liquor in the lustrous white porcelain cup exhibited a light pink color.

“Wang Ye has already drunk so much in the afternoon, shouldn’t drink again.” Mu Hanzhang took the cup and pressed down the hand that Jing Shao wanted to use to drink.

“Haha, I’ve already gotten sober from that little bit of wine. What strong liquors have I not drunk in the army barracks,” Jing Shao was unconcerned, “This wine is very light, you won’t get drunk even after drinking ten cups.” 

Mu Hanzhang listened, raised his hand and delicately tasted a mouthful of the cup of wine. The sweet taste with a touch of floral fragrance, was swallowed and his lips and teeth filled with the fragrance of peach blossoms. He could not help but drink the contents of the whole cup.

Seeing him enjoying it, Jing Shao handed the bottle to him. After all, one of his hands was still placed on the waist of the other, not convenient: “The North Marquis have all been fierce generals generation after generation, why didn’t your father teach you to practice martial arts?”

On this point Jing Shao has always been very curious, in the North Marquis’ household, irrespective of whether someone was a legitimate wife’s or a concubines’ son, all of them must learn some martial arts, yet Jun Qing did not know any.

Mu Hanzhang listened to him ask about this and the he brilliance in his eyes instantly darkened.  He silently added wine to his cup: “My veins were frozen badly when Chen was a child, and the doctor said that Chen could not practice martial arts.” 

“What?” Jing Shao looked at him with horror. “How were you frozen badly?” He was the son of the great North Marquis household, even if his position was lower than the heir’s, it was unlikely for there to be people that would mistreat him right?

“Twenty-seven days after the Winter Solstice, Chen fell into the pond…” Mu Hanzhang drank the wine in his cup and added another cup. His lips evoked a self-deprecating smile. Not being able to practice martial arts, was a deep sorrow in his heart. When he was a child, his father said that his roots and bones were good. He had even wanted to teach him the marksmanship methods that were passed down through the generations. Later, after the doctor said that he could not practice martial arts, his father rarely showed interest in him. Only when he saw him calculating things on the abacus in the house would he get angry and throw and break his small abacus, throwing the four year old him to the family’s tutors.

Jing Shao frowned, watched him drink cup after cup of wine, and reached out to grab his cup: “This peach blossom is to be tasted delicately, who would just drink it like this?”

“Let Wang Ye see something worth ridiculing.” Mu Hanzhang smiled with difficulty, and packed the cup into the small basket. “It’s getting late now… wu…” His body was suddenly pulled over and thrown into Jing Shao’s arms. 

“Who pushed you in?” Jing Shao’s eyes had the rare gloomy look in them, as if there was a storm brewing in them. Normally at rich families’ houses, around the edges of the pond would be laid a bricks border. Besides, a young master running to go play by the pond, he does not believe that there was no one following, how could they just unfeelingly watch him fall into the pond in the winter!

“Chen fell in myself.” Mu Hanzhang lowered his eyes and was unwilling to say more. The lotus pond of that time appeared in front of his eyes, he was young then and couldn’t remember anything else clearly. He only remembered that his grandmother had made him a new white rabbit fur cloak, and could only remember that little fatty who was taller than him by two heads with hands filled with pastries, and then it was the icy pond water, and the snowy gray sky.

Jing Shao looked at the person in his arms and only felt that his heart was hurting. He slowly lowered his head and dropped a gentle kiss on his lowered eyes. When he opened his eyes in surprise, he did not stop; between his eyebrows, on his forehead, kissing each of his cheeks one by one, seeming as if he could save him from that ice cold nightmare.

“Wang Ye…” Mu Hanzhang’s body stiffened, when Jing Shao kissed his mouth, he couldn’t help but make a sound. 

Jing Shao lifted him up, seeing the sky full of starlight that all shined in the eyes of the person in  his arms, he could not help but hold him tightly to the chest: “I will take revenge for you!” Such a beautiful person, even hugging him in his arms, he was afraid to hurt him, yet there was actually some person who dared to harm him! Imagining a little Junqing being pushed into the water on the 27th day of the Winter Solstice, how scared, how cold and how painful it must have been!

Feeling the strength hugging him tightly behind his back, Mu Hanzhang slowly reached out and returned the embrace, It would be fine to just let him be a little weak, just a little sad, just a little… reluctant to part with this warmth…

The next day, after eating breakfast Jing Shao changed into a casual outfit to go out: “I have to go out for a day, estimating that I won’t be back in time for lunch.”

“En.” Mu Hanzhang helped him hand his jade pendant on his waist and didn’t ask where he was going. After they had gotten married, the emperor relieved Cheng Wang of attending the morning court for nine days. This time, he was definitely not going to the court, as for other matters, it was not good for him to get involved. 

“I will come back before dinner, if you feel bored, take two Imperials guards and go out for a walk.” Jing Shao seeing that he didn’t ask where he was going, couldn’t help but say a few more words. “I heard that in a garden in the south of the city, some male wives often get together, later you can also go there and play.”

“Is there? This is the first time Chen has heard about it.” Seeing him with an expression of “If you don’t answer me earnestly, I will keep on talking”, Mu Hanzhang couldn’t help but smile so he finally responded with a long sentence.

Jing Shao left perfectly contented and went to the outer courtyard and called the Steward, Mr. Yun over: “Go investigate about how exactly back then the North Marquis’ bastard son fell into the pond.”

“Yes, this subordinate will immediately go arrange for this.” Mr. Yun kept a long beard and from his manner down to his bones he seemed like some sort of deity. “Will Wang Ye be riding a horse or carriage?” 

“Riding a horse.” After that, Jing Shao’s little boy servant Yun Si led over a black horse and walked over.

Jing Shao rubbed its glossy and gleaming mane, saying: “Xiao Hei, long time no see.”

“Neigh~” The black horse snorted and intimately rubbed against Jing Shao. Xiao Hei was a wild horse from the grasslands that he had tamed. His temper was resolute and upright, but although he wasn’t some purebred, famed horse but he could compare to even those prized colts of those high-ranking generals. Because it was much smarter than the average horse, it would avoid obstacles by itself. During that year, if Xiao Hei was there, he and Jun Qing would not have had to jump off the cliff.

However, in that case, he would not have the opportunity to start over again. The so-called disasters and blessings relying on each other’s existence, whether it was good fortune or calamity, who would be able to discern? 

“Official Li visited yesterday, but said that it was nothing important. After hearing Wang Ye was not here, he left.” Mr. Yun reported on what had happened yesterday.

“Li Yanqing?” Seeing Steward Yun nod, Jing Shao frowned, this person was the last person recorded in the dark blue accounting book. “If he comes again, then you tell him to wait until tomorrow and then to go to the Immortal Gathering Pavilion in the afternoon.”

“Yes.” Mr. Yun agreed, and watched Jing Shao depart on the horse.