Yan Rong was clearly already impatient. How could he keep listening to Yan Yihuan’s complaints? Seeing that he(YR) had already stepped onto the stairs, pulling and tugging would be too unsightly. Yan Yihuan could only follow him through the doors of Fengyue Tower.
The servants were all very perceptive. Or perhaps the incident when he was kidnapped had left too deep an impression. The servant who came forward paused slightly and inwardly cried that things were bad.
Ever since Yan Yihuan’s incident last time, he had already been placed on Fengyue Tower’s blacklist, falling into the category of those who might bring trouble.
But every visitor was a guest. These two young masters clearly did not look like ordinary people, so the servant naturally did not dare neglect them. While giving signals to others around him, he led the two of them straight towards a private room.
Yan Rong had originally thought that since it was just both of them, they would simply find a place on the outside and listen to some music. Who would have thought that before he even spoke, the servant was already leading them deeper inside.
Obviously a regular customer, yet still trying to pretend he(YYH)’s not.[mfn]This sentence is Yan Rong’s inner thought about Yan Yihuan.[/mfn]
Casting a sidelong glance at Yan Yihuan, Yan Rong thought to himself that this younger brother of his had only been away for a few months and was already becoming dishonest, even starting to hide this sort of thing from him.
Yan Yihuan also felt that something was wrong. Why had the servant started leading them toward the back without even asking? He hurried a few steps forward. “Wait, we’re not going to a private room. Just find us a seat in the hall.”
The servant smiled apologetically, “The outside is full. This little one was afraid of neglecting the two young masters.”
As he spoke, he continued leading them inside. Yan Yihuan paused and thought that after all, he had been wandering back and forth in Jinliu Alley for an hour already. His Majesty must certainly know by now.
Come or not, it’s up to him. Later, he would order one, no, three or five young courtesans to accompany him to drink and make merry. To hell with that Grand Historian post. He was still the same unrestrained and romantic Third Young Master Yan!
At this moment, although the candles burned brightly in the cold and solemn imperial study, without Yan Yihuan by his side, it felt much more deserted. Li Xuanming flipped through the memorials and said without even raising his head,
“He went in?”
“Yes. Grand Historian Yan has entered Fengyue Tower.”
“You may withdraw.”
After the shadow guard left, Li Xuanming slowly set down his brush. His lowered eyelashes cast an unyielding shadow beneath his eyes.
“Zhen thought he had been in low spirits lately, so Zhen let him wander outside for a while. Unexpectedly, he would still dare to climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles[mfn]上房揭瓦 – To climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles: basically means to cause trouble.
The complete saying is 三天不打上房揭瓦 Direct translation: Three days without a beating, (and they would) climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles. The complete saying is used to describe a child who is naughty and needs frequent discipline; otherwise, he is likely to cause trouble.[/mfn].”
“Your Majesty.” How could Shen Zhaoquan fail to guess what the emperor was about to do? He pretended to consider and said, “Grand Historian Yan should be fine with Second Young Master Yan there, but…”
“But what?” Li Xuanming looked indifferent and did not even glance at Shen Zhaoquan.
“I hear Second Young Master Yan is not like Grand Historian Yan. He’s a true romantic.”
The memorial in his hand snapped shut with a pa. Shen Zhaoquan’s eyelid twitched, and he immediately said, “This servant will have someone prepare Your Majesty’s clothes.”
At this moment in Fengyue Tower, fine dishes and good wine were served one after another, yet not a single beauty arrived.
Yan Yihuan had no idea that ever since the time he had been kidnapped, everyone in the building had understood that the officials who came that day under the pretext of an inspection were actually there entirely because of him.
Although Liu Qiao, the courtesan who had accompanied him at the time, indeed could not be registered as an official entertainer because of his family’s crime and by law had to be expelled, anyone with clear eyes knew that if he had not been unlucky enough to serve this young master, how could he have ended up like that?
Thus, the courtesans in the building pushed and shoved one another. No one was willing to come serve them. For a moment, although the Yan brothers were clearly inside a brothel, they could only sit facing each other across a table full of wine and dishes.
From the moment he stepped into Jinliu Alley, Yan Yihuan had been absent-minded. It looked as though he was picking and choosing, but in fact he was looking around distractedly and deliberately delaying.
After entering, things became even stranger. Such a large Fengyue Tower, yet there was not a single idle person, leaving the two of them sitting here alone doing nothing.
Yan Rong raised an eyebrow and deliberately set down his wine cup heavily. In a rarely serious tone, he said to the restless person sitting opposite him,
“Yan Yihuan, tell me the truth. Looking so listless like this, who exactly are you waiting for?”
“Ah?” Yan Yihuan, caught off guard by his brother’s sudden question, awkwardly picked up his wine cup, “Who could I be waiting for? I’m just… just tired and want to go back.”
“That doesn’t sound like something that would come out of your mouth. You’ve learned to lie to your second brother now, haven’t you?”
“How could I dare!”
“As if I don’t know you?”
Just as cold sweat was about to break out on Yan Yihuan, the door suddenly opened. At this moment he did not even care who was coming in. Without turning his head, he hurried to explain, but then he saw his brother suddenly freeze. Yan Rong’s eyes lit up with surprise,
“Zhao Chufeng?”
Zhao Chufeng?!
Yan Yihuan snapped his head around. In that instant his blood rushed straight to the top of his head, and his vision swayed. Who else could it be but the Emperor!
Yan Rong’s call of “Zhao Chufeng” also made Li Xuanming pause slightly, and only then did he realize that Yan Rong did not know of his real identity.
How could Yan Rong know the true complexity behind all this? He only felt that everything suddenly became clear in his mind, and all the unusual things today were connected together by Zhao Chufeng’s appearance.
No wonder he was so hesitant about coming out for a drink. Turns out someone’s keeping him in check[mfn]“Keeping him in check” here carries the sense of someone restraining his behavior the way a wife might keep her husband in line, such as not letting him smoke or drink too much.[/mfn]. [mfn]t/n: This whole line is Yan Rong’s inner thoughts btw.[/mfn]
“Not bad. You really managed to get him,” Yan Rong whispered teasingly in his younger brother’s ear, pretending not to notice Yan Yihuan frozen in place with his face flushed red like a boiled shrimp.
Yan Rong noticed that Zhao Chufeng seemed quite different from when he was in Linjing, and quiet respect stirred in him. After scanning the room, Li Xuanming’s cold expression softened considerably, and he gave a slight nod:
“Second Young Master.”
As soon as the words fell, Li Xuanming felt a tug on his sleeve. Yan Yihuan inched closer timidly and whispered, “Why have you come here?”
“Why can you come, but I can’t?”
“I…” Yan Yihuan thought to himself, If only you’d come earlier! Why wait until I’ve entered the brothel? This must’ve been intentional!
Although fearful, Yan Yihuan still secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This meant the emperor hadn’t completely cast him aside. He should still have some hope of speaking up for the Yan family.
Yan Rong, watching from the side, saw everything clearly. The two were exchanging glances with each other, unmistakably already together. Back in Linjing, Yan Yihuan had chased after Zhao Chufeng day after day, showering him with attention, while Zhao Chufeng remained cold and dismissive. Who would have thought his foolish little brother would actually win him over?
After Li Xuanming sat down, he gave Yan Yihuan a single glance, then Yan Yihuan looked at Yan Rong and guiltily sat down beside Li Xuanming, the tips of his ears quietly turning red.
Yan Rong looked the two of them over and thought that although this younger brother-in-law’s official rank was a bit low, he was handsome and had an extraordinary bearing. As for money, with the Residence of King Yan around, they naturally would not need to worry about such things.
But not to belittle his own brother, this Zhao Chufeng clearly looked like a sharp-minded person. Yan Rong wondered whether the simple-minded Yan Yihuan could keep him in line, or whether he(YYH) might end up suffering a loss.
As the elder brother from the bride’s side, Yan Rong naturally could not shirk his responsibility. He asked seriously,
“Zhao Chufeng, are you truly sincere?”
Li Xuanming rather appreciated Yan Rong’s directness. He glanced at Yan Yihuan beside him, then looked steadily at Yan Rong and said slowly yet firmly,
“My heart stands firm as stone, immovable and true.”
The author has something to say:
Li Xuanming: What to do when meeting the elder brother? Naturally, it’s to prove my sincerity!
