CH 25

Liao Jixiang was standing by the window, his face stern and solemn. About a step or two away from him stood Xie Yilu. The two of them were in a rather large chamber, yet only two white candles were lit, casting a dim, yellowish hazy glow over the Phoebe Zhennan wood1 canopy bed2, bringing out its antique beauty.

Xie Yilu said timidly with his head drooped in frustration, “I didn’t think it through…”

Liao Jixiang ignored him. He was cradling a large tabby cat in his arms, carefully and gently massaging it. The cat was named “Lord Zhang3“, Xie Yilu had heard Liao Jixiang calling it so when entering the chamber, and he seemed to like it very much. “I won’t do it next time…” Xie Yilu pleaded.

“You still want a ‘next time’?” Judging by Liao Jixiang’s tone, he was rather displeased. “I told them to bring you to my room and wait for me, but you just have to run out halfway, making a laughing stock of yourself!”

“As soon as I saw you, I…” now that Xie Yilu had recalled what he had done, he also became aware of his own impulsiveness. “I became a fool, and all I knew was to run towards you.”

Liao Jixiang fell silent. The atmosphere surrounding them became somewhat sticky and ambiguous. Xie Yilu shifted closer as he stole glances at Liao Jixiang. He had never been this close to Liao Jixiang when he wore a Yesa4. The silk threads of the embroideries shimmered and shone under the candlelight. The pleats of the skirt folded neatly, extending on both sides5. The radiant colours wrapped perfectly about Liao Jixiang’s slender waist. Just one glance was enough to make Xie Yilu enervated in the bones.

“I’m not going back.” As he said so, he reached out to grab Liao Jixiang’s waist. Lord Zhang seemed to be startled by his movements, so it jumped to the floor with a “meow” and disappeared from his sight. The fabric in Xie Yilu’s palm was luxurious and heavy. Once he had grabbed hold of it, Xie Yilu was alarmed by a sense of hesitance and fear, so he became cautious about making any more reckless moves.

Liao Jixiang should have pushed him away, but he didn’t. Instead, he turned his head to the side, evading Xie Yilu. The more he evaded, the bolder Xie Yilu became. He crumpled the folds of the skirt in his hand, just so he could pinch the flesh beneath it.

“Grandpa6.” Someone outside announced. Like a needle piercing through a swollen abscess, like a sudden gust of wind startling an erotic dream in broad daylight, Xie Yilu abruptly let go, stumbled as he retreated to the side.

The eunuch on night duty entered, bowed and curiously examined the two of them. “Grandpa, Lord Mei is asking…” He wanted to move closer, but Liao Jixiang stopped him, so he spoke directly, “Lord Mei is asking, shall we see the guest off or prepare the guest room?”

Just as Liao Jixiang was about to speak, Xie Yilu bluntly interjected, “Well, Yangchun7… I have something to discuss with you tonight…” He lowered his head perturbed, fidgeting with the objects on the desk, pretending to study the books. “About Li Mu8‘s poem, let’s discuss it more.”

Both Liao Jixiang and the young eunuch were taken aback – Liao Jixiang stunned by how Xie Yilu was full of nonsense, the young eunuch appalled by his audacity. Stubbornly and apprehensively, Xie Yilu stood his ground, until Liao Jixiang finally spoke up for him, “Bring in a large couch,” he instructed with impressive composure, “and use the bedding from the west chamber9.”

Xie Yilu closed the book he had been flipping through in his hands, the corners of his mouth lifted unknowingly.

“Then, come and assist Grandpa with his garments.” The eunuch on night duty gestured towards the outside, and two junior eunuchs entered. They brought a basin of water and a copper kettle into the chamber, and began to get busy around Liao Jixiang.

Xie Yilu widened his eyes, which were full of hidden motives. He wanted to look, but dared not to, so he could only grow more and more restless as he stood near the desk alone. The hat, the hairnet10, the jade belt, and the brocade robe, all were removed one by one and placed aside. At last, it was that pair of date-red satin boots’ turn. It was polished until it shone under the light, and rested neatly on the footstool.

Xie Yilu’s mouth was getting dry, and he had lost count of how much saliva he swallowed. Suddenly, Liao Jixiang asked him, “What incense do you burn before sleep?” A drowsy laziness and an unguarded, vulnerable intimacy spoke in his voice.

“Ah?” Xie Yilu blinked obtusely, “Ah… s-sandalwood, I suppose.”

So Liao Jixiang raised his hand, and immediately someone went to attend to it. In the face of his wealth and power, Xie Yilu appeared quite uneasy. He remarked rather foolishly, “Your bed over there is unusually large…”

The two young eunuchs turned their heads to glance at him one after another, probably mocking him innerly for being ignorant of the noble life. Noticing the disrespect in their eyes, Liao Jixiang’s eyebrows lifted immediately and reproached them. After the eunuch on night duty led them to withdraw from the bedchamber, Xie Yilu finally dared to openly look at Liao Jixiang – he was now sitting on the edge of the bed, his slender feet resting in the large copper basin gilded with gold. There were only the two of them remaining in the room now. Couldn’t wait any longer, Xie Yilu impatiently and eagerly approached Liao Jixiang.

The candlelight remained just as dim and yellowish. When stripped of all embellishments, Liao Jixiang became extremely slim, so slim that he looked almost frail and tiny. The collar of his undergarments loosely covered his chest, and his pants were casually rolled up, hugging his snow-white calves. Unable to control himself, Xie Yilu’s eyes fixated on that pair of feet. Out of nervousness or something else, those toes curled timidly in the water basin, and on the tilted right ankle was a small mole.

Xie Yilu must have borrowed immense courage from a bear or a leopard, as he even dared to suddenly reach out and remove Liao Jixiang’s hairpin. The lustrous, black hair was set free from the hair bun; it swirled twice on top of Liao Jixiang’s head, and then poured down like a waterfall, draping over his shoulders and covering the side of his cheeks – it was so pretty, that it evoked a sense of astonishment in Xie Yilu as he faced the breathtaking gorgeousness of this perturbed beauty, Liao Jixiang.

Liao Jixiang was truly taken aback and genuinely enraged. The scolding words were right on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t get to say them as he watched Xie Yilu hopping on one foot and taking off his boots. The boots were carelessly tossed away on the floor. Following which, Xie Yilu proceeded to remove his socks.

“You… What are you doing?” Liao Jixiang asked. Perhaps he was feeling a bit scared, Liao Jixiang unknowingly leaned slightly backward. As for what exactly he was afraid of, he couldn’t quite articulate.

Xie Yilu didn’t answer. He sat down impudently, his body pressing next to Liao Jixiang. Their hips were touching, and their arms were bumping against each other too. “I also… want to wash my feet,” he said.

Splash – it was the sound of water as Xie Yilu’s feet entered the water basin. Liao Jixiang shivered. The basin was large enough for the two of them, yet Xie Yilu insisted on resting his feet on Liao Jixiang’s. They were now flesh against flesh, the only thing separating them in between was the slippery, glistening ripples of water.

The scent of sandalwood rose and pervaded in the air, making Xie Yilu panted somewhat indecently. Being surrounded by Liao Jixiang’s scent, Xie Yilu was enchanted and emboldened with a wild passion, “You’ve never washed your feet with someone else like this, have you?”

Naturally, Liao Jixiang didn’t answer. So Xie Yilu crossed the line even more by gently lifting a lock of his hair on the side and carefully tucking it behind his ear. “All that you haven’t tasted, I want you to try,” he said.

Which was a statement from the bottom of his heart. Xie Yilu was anguished for Liao Jixiang’s sacrifices and sufferings, so was he pitying Liao Jixiang’s innocence and inexperience in the matters of love and passion at the age of thirty11. And above it all, he was completely bedazzled, adoring Liao Jixiang as he was someone who should only exist in the heavens.

Liao Jixiang remained silent, his expression not betraying his attitude, and he appeared like he had a constant desire to flee. Xie Yilu stared at him intently, like he couldn’t bear to part his gaze from Liao Jixiang’s figure. Then he bent down and slowly extended both of his hands into the water, abruptly grabbing hold of Liao Jixiang’s feet.

Liao Jixiang was truly trembling all over. Not because his feet were being touched, but because of the man committing it: “Let… let go!”

No response came from Xie Yilu, who was meticulously washing Liao Jixiang’s feet – the soles, the arches, and the sensitive gaps between his toes. He kneaded them and caressed them, clearly, he loved them so much that he didn’t want to let go.

“Alright… that’s enough…” Liao Jixiang anxiously tugged at Xie Yilu’s sleeve. It had indeed been too long, and Xie Yilu had no choice but to let go. By then, they finally realised there was no towel nearby.

“Thanks to all your fuss, now I don’t even have someone to bring me a towel,” Liao Jixiang complained unhappily.

Hastily, Xie Yilu picked up his socks from the floor and wiped himself off carelessly. Next to him were a pair of sandals, which he only fitted half of his feet in. Then, he stood up and began undressing in front of Liao Jixiang.

Liao Jixiang stared at him, his mind completely devoid of thoughts. He watched as Xie Yilu took off his outer robe and squatted down, neatly folding the robe on his knee, and slowly lifted one of Liao Jixiang’s feet from the basin and began to dry it patiently. Although it wasn’t Xie Yilu’s official attire, it was still part of his outfit and demeanour. Liao Jixiang silently observed this man in front of him, and his heartstrings were faintly plucked.

Xie Yilu held Liao Jixiang’s ankle in an extremely precious manner, as if he was cradling the foot in his arms. As he wiped it, his gaze lingered and clinged on Liao Jixiang’s foot — it was pure and white, the soft skin glistening with water as it rested vividly in his hands with warmth. The toenails were trimmed to perfection, the arch of the foot was tall, and the heel was delicate and round. Xie Yilu must have lost his mind. Swiftly, his lips gently touched the arch of Liao Jixiang’s foot.

Liao Jixiang saw it, and his toes suddenly curled up. Yet, probably due to the dim lighting, he couldn’t be sure of what had happened. “What did you do?” he asked apprehensively, withdrawing his feet as he spoke.

“What?” Xie Yilu feigned innocence. Going along with Liao Jixiang’s force, Xie Yilu obediently cradled the foot upwards and gently pushed them towards the bed. He turned around and stammered, “It’s late, let’s sleep.”

Liao Jixiang stared at him in suspicion, wanting to reproach him for his audacious, unconventional behaviour, but some words were too embarrassing for him to utter. Xie Yilu struggled as he shuffled in his tiny sandals to the desk to blow out the candles. He went past the neatly arranged large couch on his way back, yet he didn’t climb into it. Instead, all he did was to reach into the bedding and take a pillow.

Liao Jixiang noticed and immediately questioned, “Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I’m not used to sleeping on a couch.”

What nonsense. Liao Jixiang was finally becoming stern. “If you refuse to sleep on the couch, go outside!”

Xie Yilu pretended not to hear. He shifted back and sat on the edge of the bed, imploring shyly, “Can’t we share the same blanket, with our heads at opposite ends?”

With Xie Yilu’s suggestion, Liao Jixiang could find no more excuse. It was, in fact, a matter that could have been easily resolved by summoning a servant, yet he compromised and spoiled this man. “Pass me the wine tray,” he said.

Xie Yilu turned around, and saw a small silver tray placed on the side board of the carved bed frame. Sitting on the tray was a small flagon of wine and a silver cup,which was turned upside down. “You drink at night?” Xie Yilu asked.

“’Tis a must to have milk in the morning and wine at night,” as Liao Jixiang replied, he crossed his good leg in a rather unruly way. He took the tray and placed it on the bed. “An old habit from Gansu12.”

Xie Yilu watched as Liao Jixiang leisurely poured and drank the wine all by himself, his neck gracefully tilted when the wine entered his mouth and flowed through his troubled heart. The angle formed by Liao Jixiang’s jaw and neck was incredibly stunning. His long hair swayed with the movements of his arms and shoulders, light as a dream.

Unable to resist his urge, Xie Yilu stroked his hair. Probably due to the effects of alcohol, Liao Jixiang straightforwardly pushed him away. “Watch where your hand is going!”

For some reasons unknown to Xie Yilu, these vivacious protests intoxicated Xie Yilu even more than Liao Jixiang’s shy evasion from before. Out of cravings and thirst, his eyes fixated on Liao Jixiang and the cup of wine in his hand, yearning for it like a stray dog, begging for his attention.

“Would you like a cup?” Liao Jixiang asked, his pupil dilated and his gaze without focus. Xie Yilu had always detested drinking, yet now he nodded eagerly.

And so Liao Jixiang poured him a cup, chuckling as he did, as if he was waiting to see Xie Yilu make a fool of himself.

Only when Xie Yilu lifted the cup did he realise that his wrist was trembling, which could either be out of excitement or nervousness. He gulped down the wine in one go, and in the next instant, he was covering his mouth and coughing violently. While coughing, he arched his back in agony – that cup of drink Liao Jixiang had given him was not some fine flavourful wine, but a strong liquor cutting through his throat like a dagger!

Liao Jixiang burst into laughter, a rare, hearty, open laughter. When he was done laughing, he held Xie Yilu by the shoulder. Like treating a child or a younger brother, Liao Jixiang wiped away the remaining liquor from the corner of Xie Yilu’s mouth using his thumb.

Xie Yilu half-curled on the bed, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked up at the blurry silhouette against the candlelight. “You’d ruin your health drinking this,” he said.

The laughter stopped. A moment of silence followed. Then, Liao Jixiang whispered, his voice couldn’t be even softer, “I’d ruin my heart if I don’t.”

Like a fierce beast suddenly breaking free from its chains, roaring as it charged out of his chest, Xie Yilu grabbed Liao Jixiang’s hand impulsively. He wanted to say something intimate, such as “I’ll warm your heart” or “Don’t drink the wine anymore, I’ll stay with you,” yet suddenly, there was a loud “meow” from the large couch – it was Lord Zhang.

“The cat is here,” Xie Yilu was actually somewhat afraid of cats. He tugged at Liao Jixiang’s hand, “Ask someone to take it out.”

“It’s fine,” probably slightly tipsy, Liao Jixiang allowed himself to rub against Xie Yilu’s body without any hesitation or restraint. “It’s just upset that you’re occupying its bed. I’ll pamper it tomorrow with some treats.”

“It has never occurred to me that…” Xie Yilu leaned closer to Liao Jixiang, greedily sniffing the scent of alcohol near his sideburns, “you’d also keep a cat.”

“One is not a eunuch if he doesn’t have a cat,” Liao Jixiang sneered again, this time in self-deprecation. Halfway through his sneer, Liao Jixiang unexpectedly blurted out a cruel statement, “At night, the bed feels too cold and lonesome if I don’t have a cat by my side…”

Xie Yilu snatched away his wine flagon and cup, hiding them under the bed. “No more drinking,” he said, blowing out the only remaining candle by the bed and letting the room sink into darkness. “Sleep,” He said, and pulled the thin blanket over both of them.

They were truly sleeping with their heads at opposite ends of the bed, yet, try as they may, who could fall asleep in this situation, especially Xie Yilu? “Yangchun,” Xie Yilu called as soon as he lay down, “why didn’t you ask me why I came?”

Liao Jixiang didn’t respond.

Thinking that Liao Jixiang was getting sluggish from the alcohol, Xie Yilu lifted the blanket and strained his eyes in the darkness to look for Liao Jixiang’s feet. He was just about to grab them stealthily when Liao Jixiang spoke up, “You’ve heard something from someone, is that correct?” His voice was steady, and more sober than ever. “You people. You’d like something simply because someone complimented it, and you’d also dislike something because someone condemned it.”

Xie Yilu felt like he could comprehend this statement, but after pondering over it, he felt somewhat confused too. “I’ll come to stay with you every night from now on. Can I?”

Liao Jixiang turned over in bed without reply. Xie Yilu, having been extremely audacious tonight, grabbed Liao Jixiang’s feet underneath the blankets. Not only did he do so, but he also pulled them towards his own embrace.

Liao Jixiang struggled strenuously. He managed to wrench free his right foot, but his left foot was too frail to break free. “Don’t you do this!” Judging by his tone, Liao Jixiang sounded scared. At the peak of his fear, Liao Jixiang pleaded earnestly, “Take a concubine, please. I can prepare and send the betrothal money and gifts13 on your behalf…”

“I have no need for a concubine.” Out of a whim, Xie Yilu unfastened his garments around the collar. The rustling sound of fabric came to Liao Jixiang’s ears, alarming him and causing him to prop himself up on the pillow and look at Xie Yilu in horror. “No… No, you can’t!”

He was convinced that Xie Yilu was about to do something shameful and obscene. As for what kind of shameless or obscene act Xie Yilu was about to commit, his imagination was too limited to formulate. Purely out of ignorance about matters of intimacy, he cried in stutter and tried to hide himself in confusion and apprehension, only to find that what awaited him was nothing more than a warm embrace — all Xie Yilu intended to do was to warm his bad leg, which even the strong liquor failed to warm up, with his own bare chest.

Liao Jixiang shuddered violently. For the very first time in his life, he had felt his flesh pressed against someone else’s, and only after feeling the warmth of someone else, did he realise how terribly cold he had been all along. “Chunchu, you…”

“Hush…” Xie Yilu pampered him, gently patting Liao Jixiang’s foot. “Let’s leave all the troubles till tomorrow.”

Mei Azha hardly slept throughout the night. Before dawn, he got out of bed and toyed his long knife for a while. By the Hour of Mao14, he got dressed and headed to Liao Jixiang’s courtyard for breakfast. The door to Liao Jixiang’s bedchamber was closed, with the eunuch on night duty and all the errand eunuchs standing in a row outside.

“He hasn’t woken up yet?” Mei Azha frowned.

The eunuchs on night duty shook his head.

“When did they sleep last night?”

“I couldn’t tell,” the eunuch on night duty reported truthfully. “It sounded like they were… whispering to each other the whole time.”

“Open the door.” Mei Azha walked straight ahead, so the eunuch on night duty hurriedly pushed the door open for him. As soon as he entered the room, Mei Azha saw Xie Yilu standing in front of Liao Jixiang’s bookshelf. He was neatly dressed and reading voraciously. Seeing him coming in, Xie Yilu respectfully nodded.

Mei Azha didn’t bother to acknowledge him. He didn’t understand much about Liao Jixiang’s priceless collection, although he was roughly aware that there were some very precious items, such as the work from the previous dynasty15, Zhao Mengfu16‘s The Calligraphy of the Grand Tang Dynasty17, Cai Xiang18‘s Poetry and Essay19, and the calligrapher of their time, Wen Zhengming20‘s imitation of Huaisu21‘s Autobiography22, Li Xiya23‘s calligraphy, Zhu Zhishan24‘s regular and cursive script25, and so on.

His disdainful gaze shifted from the desk to the canopy bed. He knew Liao Jixiang was in bed – he always loved to sleep in, so it was impossible for him to get up at this hour. Mei Azha’s glance scanned over the large couch in the corner of the bedchamber, went in another direction, and then quickly returned. To his surprise, the blanket was neatly folded on the large couch, not even a corner was turned.

His face froze, his eye sockets turning blue from shock. The servant eunuch were now streaming in, laying down cups and dishes on the table. Upon hearing the sound of the servants, Liao Jixiang sat up groggily, so Mei Azha looked in his direction in haste. He saw Liao Jixiang’s waist long black hair pouring over his back like dark ink — Liao Jixiang had never slept with his hair scattered! Mei Azha sensed his lips trembling as he clenched his fist.

“Qige26,” Liao Jixiang saw him, he lazily rubbed his eyes with weariness. “I won’t have breakfast with you today.”

Which was implicitly telling Mei Azha to leave. Mei Azha was a proud man, so without another word, he turned around right away and left. Coming out of the bedchamber seething with anger, he strode a dozen steps before he finally paused and thought to himself, if Liao Jixiang won’t have breakfast with him, who will he have it with? That shabby sixth-rank official? Feeling reluctant to give in, Mei Azha turned around again. At that instant, someone called out from behind, “Chief.”

It was Jin Tang, wearing a newly designed robe with lotus patterns. He was smiling and bowing to Mei Azha, and just as Jin Tang was about to greet him with a word or two, a sudden quarrel broke out from Liao Jixiang’s chamber.

The eunuch on night duty and the servant eunuchs came out one by one, whereas Mei Azha and Jin Tang squeezed past them to enter the chamber. In the centre of the room, Xie Yilu was yelling fiercely, “… making people look down on you. I’ve misjudged you!”

Liao Jixiang didn’t retort. His shoulders were slouched, as if avoiding Xie Yilu’s aggressiveness. However, Mei Azha couldn’t bear to see Liao Jixiang upset for even just the tiniest extent. In his rage, he kicked over a chair and snarled, “Xie Yilu!”

Xie Yilu understood, that he had absolutely no right to throw a tantrum in this chamber. As he had finished what he intended to say, he walked away with his head drooped. In the chamber, Mei Azha was hurrying towards Liao Jixiang, so Jin Tang looked down on the floor – two iron treasure chest placed under the bookshelf had been opened, revealing the gold and silver ingots with official’s stamps27; they were fresh gifts from the Imperial Inspector Chen28 of the Censorate29, who sent them in only last month.

Jin Tang chased after Xie Yilu to the garden, shouting as he ran, “Those yellow and white rice were accepted by us. Dugong30 was unaware!”

“Go ahead and make more excuses for him,” Xie Yilu suddenly turned around, glaring at him with crimson eyes, as if he was the one being castigated. “He has admitted it!”

Jin Tang could tell that Xie Yilu was genuinely placing Liao Jixiang in his heart. “That’s merely a few Gan of yellow rice and a few Fang of white rice, which is nothing for someone in Dugong’s position.”

What Jin Tang said was the eunuchs’ secret language. “Gan” meant “a thousand”, and “Fang” meant “ten thousand”31. Xie Yilu was aware of that. “He’s not that kind of man,” Xie Yilu argued, his face turned glistening red, evidently frustrated as he stomped his feet repeatedly on the ground. “He shouldn’t be that kind of man!”

“He is not that kind of man,” Jin Tang nodded in agreement. “But even if he doesn’t want it, the higher-up is demanding it.”

Xie Yilu was stunned. “The higher-up?” he asked, “The Elder Master?”

This person in front of him had saved Qu Feng’s life, so Jin Tang didn’t beat around the bush. “The Elder Master wouldn’t even ask for a single strand of hair from our Dugong.”

Xie Yilu couldn’t think of any other men who could possibly order Liao Jixiang around. “Then who is it?”

“Not to mention our Dugong, even the Elder Master himself has to pay his respects on specific dates.”

Could it be…? Xie Yilu waved his sleeve dismissively. “That’s absurd, I don’t believe it!”

Yet Jin Tang laughed. “It’s better if your lordship doesn’t believe it.”

But in fact, Xie Yilu believed it. He cautiously approached Jin Tang and whispered, “He owns everything in this world. Why would he still covet ‘the money of filial piety32’ of the eunuchs?”

“He is just another human being. He also wants to build grand mansions, marry pretty concubines, and collect treasures,” Jin Tang shouldn’t have said any of these words, but he still did, “What else would you have him do? Should we tell him to ask the Ministry of Revenue, and unrightfully use the common folk’s tax money? This is known by all eunuchs. Do you think the money robbed by Qi Wan33 and the like belong to them alone?” He shook his head, “Anyone who dares to claim it all for themselves will be accused of misappropriation and be executed.”

Xie Yilu was so appalled that he took a step back, whereas Jin Tang pressed forward. “In the palace, obtaining the position of the chief of the Weaving and Sewing Bureau is also known as ‘ascending to immortality’. Lord Xie, do you think this immortality came free?” He gestured a “please” to indicate that Xie Yilu should leave. “Dugong is already living a difficult life. Don’t push him further.”

I hope this has been a cute chapter overall. Yes, it’s probably more like bittersweet, but it’s still wonderful to see Xie Yilu and Liao Jixiang FINALLY sharing the same bed. I’m soooo happy:D Also, I mentioned in an earlier chapter there’re other reasons regarding why Qi Wan was so greedy about money. I hope it’s clear now that the emperor is behind all this. Due to his desire for a lavish lifestyle, he is either knowingly or unknowingly (I guess he sort of knows, but he probably have no idea that people may actually die when he *only* wants some extra income) causing a natioinal problem of corruption.

And it’s simply adorable that Liao Jixiang’s cat is named Lord Zhang!

Although I’ve already added it in the footnotes, I just want to show it here again in case you missed it, because I truly think this is worth a look. Regarding the Jinsi Nanmu, 金丝楠木, literally “wood woven with golden thread”, it is known for its unique golden glow when polished. It is one of the most expensive types of wood in China and it’s now sold in grams. I’ve found some videos of a Phoebe Zhennan wood bed from the Qing Dynasty (it’s estimated to cost about $14 million in USD when the video was posted), and this is a modern replica of the traditional canopy bed, using Phoebe Zhennan wood on some parts. And if you want to get a closer look of how this type of wood glows, you can check out this video. Honestly speaking, I’ve heard of this wood but I had no idea that it’s so stunning. Just imagine Liao Jixiang and Xie Yilu making out in this bed. WOW.

Lastly, just some information about what’s happening next. I will be going on a three-week trip to Tibet, starting from this weekend, so I’ll probably have limited access to the Internet. Have no worries though! Because I’m working on another two to three chapters that can be scheduled for release while I’m away. I suppose I will need to rest for a week and will only be able to translate more chapters in mid August, so, my apologies if there’s no update for a week or two after my trip.

I’ll share more information about my translations via my Discord or Twitter, and probably share some of my photos and encounters during the trip through Discord or Twitter too. So if you’re curious, feel free to connect with me through those platforms! Thanks for reading!!

In Chinese, this wood is known as Jinsi Nanmu, 金丝楠木, literally “wood woven with golden thread”, which is known for its unique golden glow when polished. It is one of the most expensive types of wood in China and it’s now sold in grams. I’ve found some videos of a Phoebe Zhennan wood bed from the Qing Dynasty (it’s estimated to cost about $14 million now), and this is a modern replica of the traditional canopy bed, using Phoebe Zhennan wood on some parts. And if you want to get a closer look of how this type of wood glows, you can check out this video.  

The canopy bed, or Alcove bed, is known as Babu Chuang, 拔步床 in Chinese. It looks like this.  

Lord Zhang, or Zhang Daren, 张大人, is the cat’s name. This is so adorable:)) 

Yesa, 曳撒, is a type of Hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing) in Ming dynasty. Often worn by men as uniforms at work. It is a word derived from Mongolian, so the pronunciation in some texts is Yisan. See a picture of Yesa here. 

If you’re curious about how the folds look, you can check the pictures here. 

Grandpa is not literal here. It is a title used by junior eunuchs towards their close superiors. 

Yangchun, 养春, Liao Jixiang’s courtesy name. It means “to nurture spring”. Xie Yilu’s courtesy name, Chunchu, 春锄, means “a hoe in spring” or “farming in spring”. 

Li Mu, 李牧, a poet in the Song Dynasty. 

A traditional Chinese courtyard, Siheyuan, will be in the shape of a rectangle. Chambers will be built on each of the four sides, with the main gate to the courtyard located on the south wall. The main chamber, used by the most respected people of the house, sits with its back to the north and its door to the south. On each side of the main chamber, there will be east and west side chambers, which could be housing the owner’s offspring.  

The original term here is Wangjin, 网巾. Wangjin was very common in the Ming Dynasty, as this hair net keeps the men’s hair tidy. See an example here. 

The original text here is Erli years (而立之年), implying that Liao Jixiang is about 30 years old. 

Gansu, 甘肃, a province in north-central China, known for its deserts, as well as its cold and dry climate. Gansu was an area of military significance in ancient China as it was the northern border of the country. 

In Chinese, this is known as Xiapin, 下聘, which is one of the steps in a traditional Chinese marriage, where the groom’s family prepare and present betrothal money and gifts to the bride’s family. Hehe, does Liao Jixiang consider Xie Yilu as his family now? 

The original term here is Maoshi, 卯时. In ancient China, a day was divided into twelve internals. Each interval is two hours and has a special name. The Hour of Mao is 0500 – 0700.  

The dynasty before the Ming Dynasty is the Yuan Dynasty.  

Zhao Mengfu, 赵孟頫, was a Chinese calligrapher, painter, and scholar during the Yuan dynasty. 

The Calligraphy of the Grand Tang Dynasty, Shengtang Moji Tie, 盛唐墨迹帖 is a compilation of Zhao Mengfu’s accumulated works, reflecting his studies and exploration of Tang Dynasty calligraphy, as well as his own creative style. See his calligraphy work here.  

Cai Xiang, 蔡襄, was a Chinese calligrapher, politician, structural engineer, and poet of the Song Dynasty.  

Poetry and Essay, or Shi Biao Tie, 诗表帖, is a calligraphy work by Cai Xiang. The full name I found online is 谢赐御书诗表, which means “The Essay and Poem to Express Gratitude Towards Your Majesty for Granting the Royal Calligraphy”. Basically, the Emperor Renzong of Song wrote down 君谟, Junmo, which is Cai Xiang’s courtesy name, and gifted the calligraphy to him. Cai Xiang was so happy that he wrote an essay and a poem to the emperor. See his calligraphy work here.  

Wen Zhengming, 文征明, was a Chinese painter, calligrapher, and poet during the Ming dynasty. He was regarded as one of the Four Masters of Ming painting. 

Huaisu, 怀素, courtesy name Zangzhen (藏真), was a Buddhist monk and calligrapher of the Tang dynasty, famous for his cursive calligraphy. His secular surname may have been Qian, 钱. 

Huaisu’s Autobiography, 怀素自叙帖, is a representative Chinese calligraphy work written by the renowned Tang dynasty Chinese calligrapher Huaisu in 777 AD. It is often considered today to be one of the best written cursive script works in Chinese calligraphy. 

Li Dongyang, 李东阳, was a Chinese historian, poet, and politician during the Ming dynasty. His courtesy name is Li Xiya, 李西涯. 

Zhu Yunming, 祝允明, courtesy name Zhu Zhishan, 祝枝山, was a Chinese calligrapher, poet, writer, and scholar-official of the Ming dynasty, known as one of the “Four Talents of Wu”. Most admired for his accomplishment in calligraphy, he is also a popular cultural figure for his uninhibited lifestyle and iconoclastic thinking. 

Zhu Zhishan Zhen Cao Tie, 祝枝山真草帖. 真书, aka 楷书, Kaishu, is known as the Regular script. Caoshu, 草书, is known as the cursive script. This is Zhu Zhishan’s cursive script.  

Qige, 七哥, the seventh brother. Mei Azha was the seventh eldest among the Elder Master’s adopted eunuchs, and Liao Jixiang was the eighth.  

This is known as Guanyin, 官银. Guanyin is used for governmental storage. These ingots with official markings represent the tax and fiscal revenue of each province in ancient China. Civilians or officials, individuals or organisations are not allowed to use official silver privately. Units or individuals who obtain official silver must melt the official silver again to refine new silver ingots or silver nuggets. This is the main source of Suiyin, 碎银, or literally “broken silver pieces from the official silver ingot”. So by gifting silver with official stamps, this official is committing serious crime to bribe Liao Jixiang. 

Imperial Inspector Chen, Chen Yushi, 陈御史. Yushi are the officials who hold the responsibility of monitoring the conduct and behaviour of other government officials, including the emperor.  

The Censorate is Duchayuan, 都察院, in Chinese. This department receives direct orders from the emperor and it gathers intelligence and sensitive information for the royalty, therefore reinforcing the autocratic reign of the emperor.  

Dugong, 督公, a reverent title for powerful eunuchs such as Liao Jixiang or Zheng Xian. 

In Chinese characters, Gan is 干, whereas “a thousand” is Qian, 千. 干 and 千 are really similar, so Gan was used as a euphemism for a thousand taels of silver or gold.

Fang is 方, and “ten thousand” is 万. 方 and 万 only differ by one stroke, so Fang was used to imply ten thousand taels.  

In Chinese, this is known as Xiaoshun Qian, 孝顺钱, which literally means to pay someone as a way to show one’s filial piety towards the recipient.  

Qi Wan, a very powerful eunuch who mainly works and resides in the capital, Beijing. He came to visit Nanjing around Chapter 9. Check the character sheet for more information. 

Photo credit: https://www.sohu.com/a/346607203_658180