BLHO Chapter 24
by VolareChapter 24: This Time, I Was the One Who Initiated It
Shen Tan retracted her hand, took two steps back, and assessed the body’s length.
The air solidified. After a long silence, Shen Tan spoke, “Someone!”
A member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard entered from outside the door. “My Lady.”
“Prepare a horse. I’m entering the palace to report to the Empress Dowager.”
“Yes.”
–
Outside the Cishou Palace, He Yuncheng had been kneeling from before sunrise until noon.
Just now, seeing Shen Tan enter, he thought he would soon be taken in for interrogation.
Unexpectedly, after waiting for a while, he saw the imperial physician hurrying over with a medicine chest, following a palace maid through the door.
Another half-hour passed before someone finally came to summon him.
When he entered, Shen Tan had just finished reporting the results of the Northern Garrison’s investigation. She rose to take her leave, brushing past him without a glance, as if he were a stranger.
He Yuncheng was left alone, and he saw the Empress Dowager lying in bed, unable to sit up.
She had heard the autopsy results earlier, and the anger had risen, causing her to faint.
The imperial physician had given her acupuncture to help her recover.
The curtains were drawn, and she did not face He Yuncheng directly. After He Yuncheng knelt and greeted her, she didn’t speak to him but threw a teacup out, smashing it at his feet.
Porcelain shards scattered, a sharp piece grazing He Yuncheng’s cheek, leaving a thin blood streak.
He Yuncheng didn’t dodge, kneeling upright.
“This Palace had high hopes for the He family, marrying the princess to you. Is this how you repay this Palace?”
The Empress Dowager needed the He family army. The He family army guarded the imperial power. Once the court was stabilized, then she could find an opportunity to eliminate the eunuch party. Originally, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement, but now, with Princess Meng Ning’s death, the situation had become rigid.
“Empress Dowager, please calm your anger.” He Yuncheng kowtowed, explaining, “This matter was not done by this subject. I was framed by a villain. Please, Empress Dowager, investigate thoroughly.”
“Ning’er was humiliated in the new room on her wedding night. If it wasn’t you, did she share the bridal chamber with someone else?!”
He Yuncheng lowered his head, not speaking. He couldn’t tell the Empress Dowager that he hadn’t returned to the new room that night, because if she pressed the issue, Lin Shuangxu would inevitably be implicated.
The Empress Dowager said in pain, “He Yuncheng, you are arrogant because of your achievements, and your character is immoral. Your private behavior is shameful. This Palace didn’t expect you to be so bold as to dare to bully even the princess!”
He Yuncheng knelt on the ground, neither humble nor arrogant. “It was this subject’s lack of consideration, negligence, and failure to protect the princess, allowing a villain to take advantage.”
“Still arguing!” The Empress Dowager trembled with anger. “Yes, you were inconsiderate. You thought that after Ning’er was bullied, she would endure and obey you like ordinary women. You didn’t expect her to be so strong, preferring death to humiliation!”
Back then, at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion, He Yuncheng had sought to distance himself from Princess Meng Ning, and partly to tease Lin Shuangxu, never expecting it to cause such a disaster.
Now the Empress Dowager had decided that he was a shameless person, and no amount of explanation would be of any use.
He continued to explain, “Failing to protect the princess is this subject’s responsibility, but this subject did not do even a fraction of the act of harming the princess. Please, Empress Dowager, allow a few days. This subject will definitely find out the truth and give the princess an explanation.”
“Do you think this Palace will believe your sweet talk?”
He Yuncheng steadied his breathing. “Empress Dowager, this subject deeply regrets the pain of losing a daughter. But in the affairs of the court, everything must first be weighed for its advantages and disadvantages. Do not rush to a conclusion on impulse. Otherwise, I fear you will put yourself in an unfavorable position.”
The Empress Dowager coughed a few times. “What do you mean? Are you threatening this Palace?”
“This subject dares not.”
“Do you think that because you hold heavy troops in your hands, this Palace must be wary of you? The Bei Sheng dynasty is not the only one with the He family troops. You are nothing. I’m telling you, He Yuncheng, even without the He family army, the imperial power cannot be shaken!”
Indeed, the Bei Sheng dynasty was not the only one with troops. The Great Qi outside Bei Sheng had hundreds of thousands of soldiers to support the Empress Dowager.
But distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. All the forces at the foot of the imperial city—the Imperial Guards, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Feathered Forest Guard—were now under the control of the Directorate of Ceremonial.
The only force that could check and balance them was the He family army.
If there was no He family to deter them, the eunuch party would become even more rampant.
If the Empress Dowager executed him in a fit of anger, this game of chess in Bei Sheng would be completely lost.
He Yuncheng had no evidence now, and he couldn’t accuse Li Yuliang with empty words. If he wanted to get some time from the Empress Dowager, he could only use this to threaten her.
“Naturally, the Empress Dowager doesn’t need to be wary of me…” He raised his head, meeting the Empress Dowager’s gaze through the curtains. “You must believe me in your heart. Otherwise, just now when Commander Shen accused me of crimes, you could have had her execute me directly. Why give me a chance to come in and explain?”
“Seven days!” The Empress Dowager suppressed her anger. “This Palace will give you only seven days. If you cannot find out the truth, you will apologize with your death, hand over the He family’s military power, and this Palace will hand it over to someone else to take over!”
He Yuncheng kowtowed to receive the order. “This subject obeys.”
–
In just one day, the General’s Manor was in chaos.
The servants were pale, some timidly hiding in corners to wipe their tears, thinking that with the princess’s death, the Empress Dowager would definitely vent her anger on the general. Would she execute him in a fit of anger? Would he not come back?
Only one person in the entire manor remained calm.
Lin Shuangxu sat in the main hall, quietly gazing at the sky.
It had been a gloomy day, but the snow hadn’t fallen yet.
When it grew darker, he finally heard someone outside the courtyard shout, “The General is back! The General is back!”
The servant who brought the news ran from the manor gate to the main hall. Lin Shuangxu heard the commotion and stood up, putting down his hand warmer and heading outside. His calm expression began to waver from that moment.
As He Yuncheng entered the manor gate, he saw the snow-white figure rushing anxiously toward him. Without thinking, he opened his arms to welcome him. Lin Shuangxu, completely disregarding the gazes of the servants in the courtyard, threw himself into his arms, embracing him tightly.
He Yuncheng patted his back reassuringly and took his cold hand. “It’s cold outside. Let’s go inside and talk.”
“Okay.”
In the hall, the butler quickly poured hot tea for He Yuncheng to warm himself, and after asking if they had any other instructions, he tactfully withdrew.
It was good that he was back, good that he was safe.
Lin Shuangxu stared intently at He Yuncheng’s cheek. There was a small cut, and the blood had been wiped clean. It was barely visible unless you looked closely.
“How did it go?” he asked.
He Yuncheng said, “The Empress Dowager has given me seven days to find out the truth. Time is short, but fortunately, the clues are clear.”
He spoke while drinking tea, completely unconcerned.
Lin Shuangxu said, “I’ve inquired about the origin of that love potion. It’s unheard of in the market, so it must be a secret concoction from the palace. Li Yuliang used it on Song Jiting. If we can get Song Jiting to identify him, we might be able to expose Li Yuliang’s crimes. I’ve already dispatched men outside the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion, ready to act at any time.”
He Yuncheng put the empty teacup back on the table, his expression unusually serious. “I’ve troubled you to worry about me.”
He interlocked his fingers, leaning forward slightly, his gaze filled with guilt as he looked at Lin Shuangxu. “I’m sorry.”
Lin Shuangxu looked away. “That’s what I should be saying.”
“I shouldn’t have forced you to marry, hurting you and Meng Ning, and even more so, I shouldn’t have, on your wedding night, done that to you…”
The torment in his heart grew stronger, making it difficult for Lin Shuangxu to breathe.
He Yuncheng came up to him, slowly crouching down, and gently stroked his face. “Didn’t sleep last night? Your eyes are so red.”
Lin Shuangxu lowered his head, not speaking, not looking at him.
“Go and rest for a while,” He Yuncheng urged.
Lin Shuangxu shook his head. “You go to sleep for a while. This trip to the palace must have been exhausting.”
“Okay, I’ll go rest.” He Yuncheng held his cold fingertips. “You come with me.”
–
Now, with dangers lurking on all sides, it was not the time for intimacy.
The two warm bodies snuggled together, like two stranded fish, able to survive only by supporting each other.
Lin Shuangxu lay on his side, his head on the pillow, allowing He Yuncheng to move closer and press his face against his chest.
Apart from that, he was as well-behaved as could be, no longer acting so presumptuous and rude as before.
With his taut nerves briefly relaxed, both were too tired to speak.
Neither fell asleep. Lin Shuangxu’s red-streaked eyes stared unblinkingly at the cut on He Yuncheng’s cheek.
Finally, he couldn’t help but ask, “How did you get that?”
He Yuncheng, a military general leading troops, wouldn’t feel even the slightest pain from such a small wound.
He smiled gently, shook his head, and closed his eyes. “I’m sleepy.”
Lin Shuangxu reached out, cupping his face.
At such close range, He Yuncheng let him lift his face, not opening his eyes, his breathing very light.
He felt the warmth coming closer.
Lin Shuangxu, half-drunk and half-awake, with heavy eyes, wanted to touch He Yuncheng’s wound, but instead, he sent his lips over as if possessed.
He Yuncheng could feel his temperature rising, and he could feel his nervous heartbeat.
And, the hesitation he could never overcome.
Again and again, he found various far-fetched reasons to be close to He Yuncheng, then self-deceptively comforting himself that it wasn’t his true intention.
And now, unable to find a reason to use as a shield, Lin Shuangxu was afraid of a kiss that was both conscious and born from true desire.
Those lips were almost touching He Yuncheng’s face, but they hesitated to land.
He Yuncheng waited patiently, not daring to urge him, afraid of scaring him away.
The air in the bedchamber was thin, and he was on the verge of losing consciousness.
In the end, it was a kiss that wasn’t really a kiss at all.
Hot lips brushed against He Yuncheng’s cheek and then fled, as if running away, unable to feel anything, leaving only traces of itchiness on the wound.
Lin Shuangxu buried his head in He Yuncheng’s shoulder in a panic.
Without hesitation, He Yuncheng held him tight, gently comforting him along his spine.
“This time, I was the one who initiated it, it has nothing to do with Young Master Shuangxu.”
He Yuncheng excused him, and after saying that, he decisively kissed him.