AYM Chapter 56

Yan Yihuan’s mind went blank. Of all things, he never would’ve thought he’d “run into” the Emperor right here, in the middle of a busy street!

 

And now he had to introduce them to each other? How was he supposed to introduce them?!

 

The street was bustling and full of people, yet the air around the three of them seemed frozen solid, everyone was speechless.

 

Of course, except Li Xuanming.

 

He withdrew his cold gaze and turned to Yan Yihuan instead, his expression softening. He naturally reached out and drew Yan Yihuan a little closer to his side.

 

Under Xu Xinyao’s astonished gaze, Yan Yihuan shifted half a step towards him. It was just a small movement, but the change in atmosphere was immediate, instantly making clear who he was closer to.

 

A strange feeling stirred in Xu Xinyao’s chest. This was completely different from the Ming Zhang from earlier. Yan Yihuan was clearly tense beside this man, yet the tips of his ears were visibly turning red.

 

“This is Xu Xinyao, a good friend of my elder brother’s. He came from Linjing,” Yan Yihuan said nervously, glancing up at Li Xuanming beside him, “And this… this is…”

 

He glanced around helplessly, searching for Ming Zhang, who had been by his side just moments ago, but no matter where he looked, he couldn’t find him.

 

“Zhao Chufeng, from the Censorate.”

 

The voice that came from above spared him the need to answer. Yan Yihuan let out a quiet breath of relief, “Yes, that’s right.”

 

As he spoke, he gave an awkward smile and, taking advantage of his wide sleeves, discreetly jabbed Li Xuanming in the side, as if silently asking what on earth he was trying to do.

 

But Li Xuanming acted as though he hadn’t felt a thing, exchanging a few polite words with the inquisitive Xu Xinyao before suddenly turning back to Yan Yihuan. His tone was gentle and close,

 

“You said you were craving the honey milk custard[mfn]酪酥 (Lào sū) – milk custard. Lao su is an ancient dairy product made from cow or goat milk, refined through a four-stage process—milk → 酪 (curd) → 酥 (refined curd) → 醍醐 (clarified essence). It was first introduced to the Central Plains via Yizhou (modern-day Sichuan). Mildly cooling in nature, it was valued for its medicinal properties, believed to nourish the five viscera and moisten the intestines. During the Song dynasty, the imperial court established a dedicated Dairy Bureau (乳酪院) to produce lao su exclusively for royal consumption. Source: https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%85%AA%E9%85%A5/10545770
t/n: I found an image of some mongolian lao su, but since Baidu says it’s an ancient dairy product, so just take the picture reference with a grain of salt.
[/mfn] from Xipingzhai a few days ago. I made a special trip to buy some today. Let’s have it together when we get home.”

 

“You two live together?” Xu Xinyao was taken aback but forced himself to stay calm, “Yihuan, why didn’t you mention that just now?”

 

“We don’t…” Yan Yihuan started to deny it instinctively. Knowing the Emperor’s temperament, if he really did something he shouldn’t and Big Brother Xu happened to find out, it would be a disaster.

 

“We do live together.” Catching his intent to object, Li Xuanming cut him off smoothly and asked in a gentle voice, “Yihuan, isn’t that right?”

 

In an instant, Yan Yihuan’s fists clenched tight, unease rising in his chest. He couldn’t figure out what the Emperor was trying to do, but since the words were already out, all he could do was give an awkward smile and hurriedly explained,

 

“You know how it is, Big Brother Xu. I’m just a fifth-rank official with a modest salary. There’s no way I could afford a house of my own in the capital, so sharing a place with Lord Zhao helps save some money.”

 

Save money?

 

Who in Linjing didn’t know how pampered Third Young Master Yan was? Everything he ate, wore, and used was of the finest quality. Since when did he ever need to think about saving money? That shouldn’t have been something he would ever say!

 

Xu Xinyao looked at Yan Yihuan in shock. Everything that had just happened in the span of a few moments was simply too much for him to take in. Frowning slightly as he looked at the two before him, he noticed that when Zhao Chufeng heard Yihuan’s words just now, his eyes instantly darkened, and a faint trace of displeasure crossed his face. He seemed clearly unhappy.

 

Although Xu Xinyao wasn’t in government service, he had spent many years in the business world and was no stranger to reading people. Zhao Chufeng before him wasn’t hiding his intentions in the slightest, his improper thoughts were plain to see. Only someone as pure-hearted as Yan Yihuan would fail to notice.

 

Seeing the two of them standing closer and closer together, Xu Xinyao began to regret not making things clear with Yan Yihuan earlier. He took half a step forward, intending to pull Yan Yihuan to his side, but he was a moment too late. He watched as Yan Yihuan turn towards him with an apologetic smile, then grabbed Zhao Chufeng’s arm and tugged him a few steps aside, forcing him to bend down, then whispered,

 

“What are you doing?” Yan Yihuan was both anxious and angry but didn’t dare to raise his voice. “Aren’t you supposed to attend morning court tomorrow?”

 

“What, you don’t want to play the demon consort anymore and want to be a virtuous empress instead?” Li Xuanming deliberately didn’t lower his voice, scaring Yan Yihuan so much that he nearly reached out to cover his mouth.

 

In truth, with hawkers shouting, people chatting, and drums occasionally sounding nearby, even if the two spoke at a normal volume, it wouldn’t have mattered.

 

Yan Yihuan, feeling guilty, had no idea that the way he was tiptoeing and tugging at Zhao Chufeng to whisper in his ear only made the scene look even more intimate.

 

“Keep your voice down!” Yan Yihuan’s face flushed with embarrassment at the words “demon consort,” anger surged painfully in his chest and he glared at him fiercely.

 

Yan Yihuan’s peach blossom eyes held a trace of charm even when he was spacing out, let alone when he glared in that mix of shyness and annoyance. To Xu Xinyao, it looked completely like he was acting coy.

 

Back in Linjing, he had already known that Yan Yihuan liked to be close to beautiful people. But the noble young men who befriended him would never dare to actually bring the treasured darling of the Residence of King Yan to any indecent places. At most, they humored him under the guise of appreciating the arts.

 

But now that he was in the capital, who would still treat him like a treasure? Setting aside the hardships, without anyone to keep him in check, he didn’t even realize he was being tricked by those slick and cunning people of the city.

 

Xu Xinyao grew anxious. He lifted his hand several times, wanting to interrupt the two of them, but couldn’t find a way to speak. There was simply no opening.

 

Ming Zhang and Han Zhen, who had long since hidden in the shadows, watched the scene unfold. Though it had nothing to do with them, they still found it so awkward they could hardly bear to look.

 

“Lord Ming.” Han Zhen turned uneasily to look at Ming Zhang. “Since His Majesty is here, you should head back first. I’ll follow along.”

 

Ming Zhang gave a quiet “mm,” then glanced in that direction again,

 

“He’s the one who’s anxious.”

 

Following his gaze, Han Zhen saw the flustered Xu Xinyao. But he had the feeling that Ming Zhang wasn’t talking about him at all, but rather the emperor, who had seized Yan Yihuan by the arm and was forcibly pulling him away despite his subtle struggle.

 

Han Zhen remained silent, and Ming Zhang, not expecting a response, smiled faintly at Han Zhen in farewell, then turned and disappeared into the crowd. After a pause, Han Zhen also took a few steps forward, following after the awkward trio.

 

Although he had followed Yan Yihuan home, there was none of the heart-to-heart conversation that Xu Xinyao had imagined. Somehow, Zhao Chufeng ended up arranging a guest room for him instead, shutting the door and telling him to rest well.

 

Sitting alone in the room, Xu Xinyao thought it over and felt something was off. His family might have been a prominent clan in Linjing, but merchants were of low status, after all. Back then, his great-grandfather had fallen under the emperor’s suspicion, and if he hadn’t decisively resigned all official posts and sworn that the entire Xu family would never again enter government service, the whole family would surely have been executed.

 

But that turmoil had long since settled. Decades had passed, and the stars had shifted. They no longer had to worry about their lives or livelihood. Yet the vow of that year was known to all, and although they were unwilling, they had no way to break it.

 

After all, no matter how successful a merchant became, they would still not be a part of the upper ranks.

 

Yet a month ago, King Yan had personally visited their residence to propose a marriage alliance, leaving the entire Xu family both surprised and secretly delighted. By now, marriages between men were no longer unheard of. Besides, it was King Yan himself who had made the proposal!

 

Confident in his own learning and ability, Xu Xinyao thought that after the marriage, if King Yan could recommend him for an official post, the Xu family would finally rise to prominence.

 

With that thought, Xu Xinyao could no longer sit still. He put on his robe and went to Yan Yihuan’s door, knocking lightly a few times.

 

“Yihuan, it’s been so long since we last met. Why don’t we talk a little more?”

 

It was still early and the window paper glowed faintly with warm light, so Yan Yihuan was probably still awake. Yet, there was no response from inside the room.

 

Xu Xinyao felt puzzled and knocked a bit harder, raising his voice slightly as well,

 

“Yihuan, are you asleep?”

 

“Mmm… mm!” came a muffled, slightly strained voice from inside. “Big Brother Xu, I— I’m going to sleep!”