BLHO Chapter 10
by VolareChapter 10: What Are You Hiding From?
The two finished their conversation and emerged from the study. From afar, they saw Lin Shuangxu still kneeling on the ice. Princess Meng Ning glanced at He Yuncheng’s face, leaned in close to him, and teased, “The young master truly dotes on you. My original plan was to send someone to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion to drag you back and punish you by making you kneel on the ice, so you would know better than to disrespect my royal face!”
He Yuncheng turned his head and saw that Princess Meng Ning had a pure and pretty face, but her bright eyes were full of a spirit that said she was not to be trifled with.
With a roll of her eyes, she continued, “But he said that your licentious behavior was entirely due to his lax discipline, and if there was to be punishment, he was willing to bear it in your stead. I thought about it, and you are thick-skinned, so punishing you would be like scratching an itch, while he is delicate and pampered, so punishing him would be more satisfying.”
As she spoke, she observed He Yuncheng’s expression, seeing his distress and guilt, yet unable to vent his anger. She found it even more amusing than watching a theatrical performance.
He Yuncheng only felt that this young woman was ruthless, cruel, and unsympathetic. But then he thought, this time it was his own fault, so he had no grounds to criticize her. Therefore, he said nothing, quickly walked up to Lin Shuangxu, bent down to help him up, and said, “Let’s go, let’s go back.”
Lin Shuangxu still refused to get up, ignoring He Yuncheng, and only looked at Princess Meng Ning behind him.
Princess Meng Ning maintained her smiling face throughout, even when punishing people, making it difficult to discern what she was really thinking.
But presumably, He Yuncheng, with his outrageous temperament, would not have said anything pleasant, and might even have argued with her inside.
Lin Shuangxu lowered his head and said to Princess Meng Ning, “Yuncheng is impetuous. If he has offended the princess, please forgive him.”
Princess Meng Ning saw that he did not hold a grudge against her for the punishment. His expression was sincere, as if he truly regarded her as one of his own family.
It even made her feel a little embarrassed.
“He didn’t offend me. He’s very good,” she said to Lin Shuangxu in a soft voice. “I was impulsive just now, and made the young master suffer. From now on, we are family. Meng Ning apologizes to Brother Shuangxu here.”
She turned to the guards beside her and said, “Why aren’t you helping the young master up?”
“Yes.”
The guards stepped forward to assist, but He Yuncheng stopped them, half-supporting, half-carrying Lin Shuangxu up.
In front of the princess, Lin Shuangxu did not want to be too intimate with him, and struggled subtly, but He Yuncheng held him even tighter.
Princess Meng Ning watched the show with amusement, saying nothing. Having completed her business, she did not linger and bid farewell to the two, “If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave.”
Her crimson cloak fluttered in the cold frost. She smiled with her eyes, like a delicate flower, blooming freely in the harsh winter.
With no outsiders present, He Yuncheng no longer avoided suspicion and directly picked up Lin Shuangxu in a waist hold.
He hurried back to the room, instructing the servants as he walked, “Go boil ginger soup!”
The fire in the room was burning brightly. He Yuncheng placed Lin Shuangxu on the bed, pulled open the quilt and wrapped it around his entire body. His feet, now without shoes and socks, were ice-cold. Without a word, He Yuncheng directly held his feet and stuffed them into his own embrace, lowering his head to breathe warm air onto the icy toes, rubbing his palms to warm them as he massaged his feet.
It was an action deserving of scolding, yet Lin Shuangxu obediently allowed him to do as he pleased. It wasn’t compliance or habit, but rather that he was lost in thought, his gaze unfocused as he pondered other things, unaware of what the person before him was doing.
“Feeling better?” He Yuncheng’s warm palms covered his knees. His temper had subsided, and his tone softened. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have gone to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion. When you told me to get back here, I should have come back immediately. Don’t be angry with me. I won’t dare do it again.”
“I won’t dare do it again”… “I’ll listen to you from now on”… Lin Shuangxu had heard him make such promises countless times.
Seeing that he did not react, He Yuncheng leaned closer to his face, scrutinizing him.
Lin Shuangxu’s mind kept replaying Princess Meng Ning’s words.
“From now on, we are family.”
He raised his eyes to meet He Yuncheng’s gaze and asked him, “What did you say to the princess in the study just now? Are you willing to marry her?”
Lin Shuangxu’s willingness to kneel in punishment was indeed a self-inflicted ploy, aimed at forcing He Yuncheng to agree to the marriage.
But upon truly hearing him agree, his emotions were not settled, but rather indescribable.
People become muddled when drunk, but can they also become muddled when sober?
He Yuncheng handed him the scroll from his sleeve.
Lin Shuangxu took it and carefully read the writing on it.
As he read the letter, He Yuncheng tightened the quilt around him again.
The more Lin Shuangxu read, the more solemn his expression became.
“The Emperor’s letter?” he asked He Yuncheng.
Their reactions were the same. Neither of them had expected that the Emperor, who spent his days hiding in his bedchamber, indifferent to court affairs and afraid to restrain his ministers, actually harbored a desire to govern the country.
However, having the will was not enough; the situation in the palace was more severe than they had imagined. Now, even the Grand Secretariat was controlled by the Directorate of Ceremonial, making it impossible for the Emperor to do anything he set his mind to.
He Yuncheng spoke with rare seriousness, telling Lin Shuangxu, “I was too simplistic before. I didn’t realize that the court situation was so dire, and even the Emperor cannot protect the He family. If I confront them head-on, it will inevitably cause unrest. At present, the Yan and Zhao barbarians are watching us like tigers, and the longer we remain dormant, the more likely they are to pounce on us and take a bite at any moment. We can only stabilize the court for now and protect the He family army. As for the eunuch party’s rebellion, we can discuss it at length.”
Someone knocked on the door. It was the housekeeper, who said through the door, “General, the ginger soup is ready.”
“Bring it in.”
He Yuncheng took the warm bowl of ginger soup and personally fed it to Lin Shuangxu. He offered the spoon, but Lin Shuangxu did not open his mouth.
He had been staring at the few lines of words on the scroll for a long time, his delicate Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. Then, he raised his head and asked He Yuncheng, “So you agreed to the marriage?”
Although his tone was calm and his face showed no emotion, He Yuncheng vaguely sensed his… disappointment.
Dismissing it as a severe case of paranoia, this perception made him secretly delighted. He brought the spoon closer to Lin Shuangxu’s lips, “Have a sip first, warm up your body.”
Lin Shuangxu still did not drink, urgently confirming with him, “Did you agree?”
It seemed… no, it wasn’t just seeming, this expression, this attitude, he was clearly unhappy.
What was going on? He was the one who forced him to get married, but now that he agreed, why was he acting like this?
He wasn’t happy, but He Yuncheng wickedly found it very amusing.
He nodded, truthfully answering, “Yes, I’ll marry her.”
With these simple words, He Yuncheng saw Lin Shuangxu’s body collapse like melting snow.
He pretended to casually turn his head away, hiding the emotions on his face.
He thought He Yuncheng couldn’t see it, but every fleeting change in his expression was caught in his eyes, crystal clear.
“What’s wrong?” He Yuncheng asked, smiling, wanting to hear Lin Shuangxu say it.
Lin Shuangxu steadied himself slightly and resumed the demeanor of the head of the family. “It’s best that you can consider the big picture. You are sacrificing yourself for the sake of the He family and the stability of Bei Sheng’s realm.”
His tone was similar, but his stiff fingertips betrayed his true feelings at this moment.
“What am I sacrificing?” He Yuncheng laughed. “I was too arrogant before, thinking of the women in the deep palace as worthless. Today, seeing Meng Ning, I realized that she is very different from ordinary women. She is frank in nature, intelligent, and no less capable than men. You’re right, I am indeed reaching above my station to be matched with her.”
As he spoke, he observed Lin Shuangxu’s expression, wanting to see him worried about him, wanting to hear him say that he shouldn’t marry someone else.
But the young master was truly resilient, not showing the slightest sign of unease.
“If I had known this earlier, I should have arranged for you to meet sooner. Why…”
Why did you have to entangle in ambiguity, experiencing that night.
He Yuncheng didn’t want to hear him say these things about considering the big picture, and decided to add more fuel to the fire, saying, “Indeed, I regret not meeting her sooner. Today, seeing her, I finally understand that my feelings for you are not romantic love at all, but just habit and dependence. I shouldn’t have taken your drunken joke that night seriously, and I shouldn’t have used it to threaten you, making you engage in transgressive behavior with me. That night in my room… I shouldn’t have been so rude and offensive. It won’t happen again in the future. Young Master… can you forgive my mischievous behavior?”
Lin Shuangxu considered himself composed, but when He Yuncheng said these words, Lin Shuangxu wanted to interrupt him at almost every pause.
He Yuncheng tilted his head to look at him, “Why are you spacing out? Do you want to say something to me?”
Lin Shuangxu couldn’t say anything. He realized that his feet were still being held in He Yuncheng’s embrace. He quickly pulled them back and adjusted his breathing. “It’s good that you can see reason. I can finally give an account to our teacher’s spirit in heaven. Since you’ve decided to get married, then don’t delay. I will arrange the wedding for you as soon as possible.”
“…”
He knew it, he shouldn’t have indulged in that daydream, expecting Lin Shuangxu to reveal his feelings to him.
He Yuncheng originally intended to tell the truth and inform him of the agreement to feign marriage with Princess Meng Ning, but seeing his pretentious attitude, he feared that telling him the truth would only result in a lecture. He could already imagine what he would say—you’re not allowed to mess around, you can’t treat the princess’s reputation as a child’s play.
Unable to voice his grievances, He Yuncheng took a deep breath and said helplessly, “Then I’ll have to trouble the young master to worry about it.”
Lin Shuangxu said, “If there’s nothing else, you can go back. I want to rest.”
“There is something.” He Yuncheng supported himself on the bed surface with both hands, embracing Lin Shuangxu, but not touching his body. It was hard to say if this action was ambiguous.
Lin Shuangxu looked warily at his approaching face, cautiously asking, “What is it?”
His heart was pounding like a drum. Didn’t he just say he liked Princess Meng Ning? What was he doing now?
Doing nothing, it was just that what he was about to say was of great importance, so He Yuncheng had to get closer and say it in a low voice.
Lin Shuangxu’s ears were red, having been frozen for too long and not yet recovered. He Yuncheng reached out and pinched his earlobe.
The frozen cartilage didn’t really feel much, but Lin Shuangxu still avoided it, “What are you doing…”
“I have something to say to you, what are you hiding from.”
“What are you saying… don’t stick so close to me, just say it like that.”