CH 8

The cracks in the stone wall spread out bit by bit, falling apart after a few dull thuds, pieces of debris littered the ground as a narrow tunnel was revealed.. Su Shiyu withdraws his hand, there is a flash of something sharp between his fingers, slipping back into his sleeve in a blink of an eye. Yet, it was enough for Chu Mingyun to see clearly that it was a dagger hidden inside his sleeve.

It’s no wonder he didn’t hesitate breaking the fan just now, because he had brought weapons himself.

Su Shiyu takes the candle stand from the wall, and turning around, he calls for Chu Mingyun to stand up.

Chu Mingyun tries to move his shoulder and stands up. He couldn’t help but to be impressed by the excellent skill Su Shiyu exhibited in wrapping his wound. His gaze falls to Su Shiyu’s sleeve and he suddenly says, “With Your Excellency Su’s foundation of strength, it would be impossible for you not to sense that guard hiding at the corner.”

Su Shiyu smiles and honestly says, “Yes.”

“Then what were you scheming for since you did not expose him earlier?”

Su Shiyu shakes his head. “Whatever I was scheming would just be empty talk now. There’s no use in bringing it up.”

He rarely strikesso Chu Mingyun cannot tell the extent of his martial arts. Even in words, he is skilled in the art of deflection, it’s hard to elicit any information from him. This person truly is a difficult opponent. Chu Mingyun mulls over it and says, “It’s boring on the journey. Would Your Excellency Su like to banter with me?”

Su Shiyu lends the light of the candle to survey the tunnel and doesn’t pay attention to what he said.

Chu Mingyun presses onto his shoulder and leans back against the stone wall. “Ah…… My wounds hurt.”

Su Shiyu turns his head around, taking all his time to examine Chu Mingyun from head to toe, only saying, “Is Your Excellency Chu…… hinting to me to go over and carry you?”

“Not to that extent.” Chu Mingyun says, “But you can chat with me.” Before Su Shiyu can open his mouth, he adds, “At least distract me, so it doesn’t hurt so much.”

Su Shiyu looks at him. “What does Your Excellency Chu think we could talk about?”

Chu Mingyun smiles, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “How about this: you and I can take turns to ask each other some questions.”

“……” Su Shiyu sighs., “If the other refuses to speak the truth, then what use is there?”

“As I said, it’s just to pass time.” Chu Mingyun walks next to him and slowly says, “Whether one could tell the truth from lies would depend on oneself. Additionally, if one is to lie, then wouldn’t it prove that they are avoiding the question?” His gaze flickers with ambivalent humour, as he looks at Su Shiyu.

Su Shiyu helplessly sighs. He steps into the corridor. “Then ask what you please.”

Chu Mingyun follows him and says, “Your Excellency Su looks refined on the surface; I couldn’t have guessed that you would be someone so secretive. Since you carry a sleeve-dagger everywhere you go, why has no one spoken about you knowing martial arts?”

The flame is the size of  a bean, illuminating only a small piece of ground beneath their feet. There is only the sounds of their low voices in the narrow tunnel. They were walking side by side; Su Shiyu could practically feel the warm breath of the one behind. He shifts his head away uncomfortably, then says, “It’s not as complicated as you thought. It’s just a habit made over the years.”

“I once went to a war campaign with my father when I was fifteen,” Su Shiyu says. 

Chu Mingyun stares at the side of his face in astonishment. There is a glimmer of nostalgia on Su Shiyu’s face, but more than that are complicated feelings that are difficult to put into words. The corridor is extremely dark and his expression is gone in an instant. Too little time to see the truth behind it.

Su Shiyu lightly continues, “After that, he was even more strict about me fighting with others and wanted me to be a literary official. During that time, Chang’an was not the same as it is now. Occasionally, it would be a bit chaotic. I was young and arrogant at that time, so it was difficult to keep me away from fights. Thus, Father ordered me to wear white, as it would be easier to restrain me. Every time I was discovered, I would have to kneel in front of the Ancestral Hall. Over a long period of time, I’ve learned how to hide the dagger in my sleeve and conceal traces to avoid being discovered by him, hence escaping from punishment many times.”

“This is certainly a surprise.” Chu Mingyun glances at Su Shiyu’s face, lit by candlelight. “You were cuter when you were little compared to now.”

Su Shiyu smiles but does not comment on this remark.

“Why did your father forbid you to fight anymore?” he asks.

Su Shiyu gives him a look and chuckles. “This is the second question.”

Chu Mingyun raises his hand nonchalantly to make a gesture of invitation. Su Shiyu expressionlessly withdraws his gaze and opens his mouth to say, “I have always felt curious about one thing. With Your Excellency Chu’s present wealth and position, why didn’t you retrieve your family to live with you?”

Chu Mingyun’s expression changes, his eyes sweeping past Su Shiyu’s face like sharp knives. Seeing Su Shiyu’s indifferent expression, he looks away and lightly says, “I am an orphan found by my Master. From where would I have family?”

Su Shiyu nods his head and only says, “I’m sorry.”

He still remembers the first time he saw Chu Mingyun. It was already a widespread chatter in the capital that when Daxia and Xiongnu were at war, there had been a youth of unknown origin who won every war he fought, triumphant as he walked. The three provinces were returned, and the barbarians retreated over a hundred lis. In the great hall, this youth walked in with a proud posture, allowing the curious looks of all the various officials to fall upon him. He carried a languid smile, yet gave off a cold, scheming look when people weren’t watching.

During that time Su Shiyu’s father was still alive. The great general Su Jue had looked at Chu Mingyun for a long time, then told Su Shiyu, “This is not a common person.”

Su Shiyu agreed. After the court was dismissed, he had ordered people to investigate Chu Mingyun’s background. Only after several years did he manage to find out: 

The Chu family of Liangzhou was also a wealthy and distinguished family who knew many outstanding talents in the Jianghu. When the Xiongnu plundered southwards, they massacred countless cities. The Chu family naturally could not escape that fate, yet it was unknown how Chu Mingyun had survived. Some people said that once, during a freezing winter’s night, they saw a youth drenched in blood kneeling before the doors of the secluded Sword Saint. His eyebrows looked as proud, as wild, and as unbridled as the Grand Marshal Chu’s.

It seems like Chu Mingyun truly disliked this question.

“My turn. Still the same question as before: Why didn’t your father approve of you fighting?” Chu Mingyun asks.

Su Shiyu drags his focus back, raising the lamp so his face could be seen clearly, then smiles as he says, “Something along the lines of…… he doesn’t like the way I kill.”

Chu Mingyun is surprised. Before he could grasp the meaning of his words, he heard Su Shiyu saying, “We’ve arrived.”

They stop walking. Su Shiyu turns around to give Chu Mingyun a look, handing the lamp over to him, both his hands pressing onto the stone door as he pried it open. There is a dull sound of grating rocks before a glint of light seeps in. Then, as the fissure starts to grow, they couldn’t help shutting their eyes momentarily to adjust to the brightness.

When they open their eyes again, everything is clear. A house of primitive simplicity, a bookcase made from fortune paulownia wood, yellowish scrolls and green lanterns—it’s the study. Chu Mingyun and Su Shiyu walk out, turning around only to realize that the back of the stone wall is disguised as a bookcase. Once it closes, not a single trace would be left.

“……It certainly is easy to come out.” Chu Mingyun takes his time surveying the surroundings before looking over his shoulder with a smile at Su Shiyu. “Let us go find Song Heng and have a little chat.”

From the study, the atrium is at the end of a long alley. The moon is already hanging in the sky and the songs have quelled; they were inside the underground prison for so long that all the guests above have already been dismissed. Maidservants are collecting used plates with their heads hung low, rushing to and fro.

Su Shiyu stops one of them and asks with a smile, “Miss, pray tell where is your master at this moment?”

The maidservant is young. She shivers and steals a glance at him before shaking her head quickly, “This humble servant doesn’t know.”

“When were the guests dismissed?”

The maidservant trembles even more. “A period of one cup of tea ago.” She practically begs, “This humble servant is just a worker. I beg Your Excellency to stop asking.”

Su Shiyu withdraws his gaze and lets her go. He then turns around to look at Chu Mingyun. The latter nudges his head to his right. “I heard some noise coming from this way.”

On the right is a small forest; the flowers and trees are evenly spaced, their shadows intertwined as the moon shines over the snow-like gardenia flowers. Someone is indeed there.

“This branch? Or this other branch?” Tan Jing taps on the gardenia flowers as he turns around; a woman wearing a skirt made from thin silk giggles as she looks at him without answering. Yet, he nods his head as if he hears something. “Everything will be as you say.” He breaks a branch and hands it over to the woman,

The Minister of Works, Tan Jing, pats the dust on his clothes, looks up and is taken by surprise when two people walk over to him. He immediately bows and says, “Your Excellency Chu, Your Excellency Su.”

Chu Mingyun and Su Shiyu are still some distance away, yet the woman quickly retreats behind Tan Jing, only half an elegant face peeking out to look timidly at them. Tan Jing turns around to hold her hand and gently says, “A-Xiu, don’t be scared.”

A-Xiu holds Tan Jing’s hand tightly, lowering her head, refusing to meet their visitors’ eyes.

Tan Jing apologizes to them. “My wife is afraid of outsiders. Please take no offense to it.”

“There is no harm.” Su Shiyu smiles. 

“Where is Song Heng?” Chu Mingyun gets straight to the point.

“This lowly official doesn’t know.” Tan Jing shakes his head. “Perhaps an urgent matter happened. Just now a servant came to report something to Zhuangyuan Song. He looked a little panicked. After excusing himself to us, he ended the banquet. My wife doesn’t go out often, and since she finds this place strange and interesting, I asked for permission to walk around. He agreed and then left in a hurry.” He ponders for a moment, then raises his hand to point somewhere. “He went in that direction. If Your Excellencies have need for him, you could take a look there.”

Tan Jing is pointing to the location of the study, but when Chu Mingyun and Su Shiyu came, not a soul was present.

Chu Mingyun curls up the corner of his lips in a smiles. “There is no need. We just want to offer him a greeting. It’s nothing urgent.” He turns around to look at Su Shiyu and says, “Such a pity. It seems like we won’t be meeting tonight.”

Su Shiyu smiles, but says nothing.

Since Song Heng has left, they bid farewell to Tan Jing and leave as well. The night is dark outside of the residence, with only faint candlelight. All that is left are a few waiting horse carriages .

“Chu Mingyun,” Su Shiyu suddenly speaks from behind.

Chu Mingyun stops s. He looks over his shoulders, the corner of his eyes lit by the light. With a low voice, he says, “Hm?”

Su Shiyu hesitates in a way that is rarely seen. His glance falls upon his side, his tone even and steady. “In the end, you still saved me once…… In the future, don’t act like that again. My humble person hasn’t gone to the extent that I cannot care for myself.”

Chu Mingyun gives a long “Oh”, his emotions incomprehensible. With a knowing smirk, he says “It seems like thanking a person like me is truly too difficult for a man of good-standing like Your Excellency Su.”

Su Shiyu remains silent for a moment. “I am humbly grateful. In the future, if you have any needs outside of country affairs, I will naturally try my best to help.”

Hidden in the shadows, his eyes look cold. Chu Mingyun presses a hand onto the wound on his shoulder, then suddenly turns around and smiles. “The time is just right. There’s no need for me to wait for the future.”

He taps his own face, showing a grin that is going too far. “Kiss me, and we owe each other nothing therein.”

“……” Su Shiyu furrows his brows as he looks at him, but he refuses to move.

Chu Mingyun inhales a cold breath, holding his shoulder, his gaze low as he makes a pitiful face. “Tsk—how my wounds hurt.”

“…… Your Excellency Chu.”

“I think even my bones are injured, sighs, this really is……”

“……Chu Mingyun,” Su Shiyu interrupts.

Chu Mingyun steals a look at him, but he could not control his expression any longer and laughs out loud. He restrains the tremble of his shoulders, waving a hand. “Fine, I’ll stop playing.” He pauses for a moment, laugher ebbing. “Give me a smile and all your debt is repaid. But I do not want that fake smile you hang on your lips all the time,  just like……” He ponders over how to describe it for some time. “Just like how you laughed at Du Yue a while ago. A real laugh. That shouldn’t be difficult, I wager?”

“……I have never laughed at him for being silly before.” Su Shiyu corrected. He stares at Chu Mingyun, surprised to find that the other is serious about it.

Su Shiyu gazes at Chu Mingyun from a few steps away, the soft curves of his eyes and the look of helplessness making him appear extremely mild. He slowly curls the corner of his lips and a pool of gentle warmth spreads from his irises.

For a moment, Chu Mingyun falls into a trance. As the light from the residence flows behind his opponent, the colour of the night falls into his hands, as if he could reach out to grab a sliver of warmth.

“It seems you’re unlike how I knew you before,” Su Shiyu says.

Chu Mingyun raises his eyebrow slighttly when he hears this. “Those words don’t sound much like a compliment.”

“Aren’t they?” Su Shiyu smiles. He looks at the horse carriage next to him. “It’s deep into the night. This humble person will excuse himself.”

……

Qin Zhao stands and waits by the carriage for a long time. Once he sees Chu Mingyun, he immediately goes up to him. “What happened?”

Chu Mingyun tells him about the night’s adventure briefly. Qin Zhao remains silent for a long time, his usual expressionless face trying its best not to show any complicated emotions on it. Qin Zhao only asks, “Shige, are you injured on your shoulder or your head?”

Chu Mingyun leans against the soft cushions, rolling his eyes at him.

“Are you serious about what you felt for him?” Qin Zhao insists.

“Would that be possible?” Chu Mingyun snickers, adjusting his position to look up at him. “What kind of a person do you think Su Shiyu is? The talk about granting me a favour is more or less a test. I had to take an arrow for him in order for him to let his guard down. We must not waste it just like that.”

“Then what conclusion have you drawn from this request?” Qin Zhao asks.

Chu Mingyun looks at the night outside the carriage’s window, and after half a beat he slowly says, “I realize he is quite good-looking when he smiles.”

“……”

Author’s Notes:

Su Shiyu: Don’t wanna pay you attention= =

Chu Mingyun: Heh →_→