MLIAM Chapter 76
by VolareChapter 76 The Flower Inlay Festival: Why don’t we make a pair? …
Chapter 76 The Flower Inlay Festival: Why don’t we make a pair? …
Tianyuan year eleven, the Palace’s Flower Inlay Festival.
The palace gates were wide open, the Imperial Palace both inside and out was enveloped in a flurry of colorful silk, and under the colorful silk hung colorful trinkets made of sachets, all of which were hung up by the little palace maids in a bustling and lively manner.
The Flower Inlay Festival is a traditional Da Liang festival, so it is full of hustle, bustle and joy. All kinds of precious flowers and plants are transported to the palace like flowing water, radiating a different kind of brilliance.
Lanterns were hung on the high walls and green trees, one after another, with concentric knots painted on the lanterns. The tied ribbons swayed gently in the breeze, romantic and gorgeous.
On both sides of the palace road, flower farmers were working diligently, and the branches and leaves that had been pruned early were swept away, leaving only the blooming flowers competing for beauty.
Persian chrysanthemums from afar were maverick, and exquisite and fragrant peonies were heavenly and national beauty. The fragrance of flowers filled the air, intoxicating people.
The sun was at its peak, so there were also small eunuchs walking back and forth, watering and shading those more delicate flowers and plants.
Yu Shuli pulled Wei Yan, carefully and cautiously bypassed the palace servants, and while walking, broke off a fiery red wintersweet branch and handed it to him: “This suits you.”
The branches and flowers that were not available in summer, fell at his fingertips with extremely bright colors.
Wei Yan took it with a smile, carefully examining the intensely colored flower branch, and asked, “Are you… stealing flowers to offer to Buddha?”
Yu Shuli glared at him: “What do you mean stealing? Didn’t you see that these flowers are going to be thrown away soon because they are not suitable for the Flower Inlay Festival? I just took the flowers that were going to be thrown away, how can it be considered stealing? It’s a pity that these flower farmers spent a lot of effort to cultivate out-of-season flowers. Look at this color, isn’t it good-looking? Why throw it away? What a pity.”
“It’s good-looking, and it’s indeed a pity,” Wei Yan’s well-defined hand slowly stroked the stamen, “but, after all, it’s not something you gave me yourself.”
Yu Shuli was stunned for a moment, then he smiled slyly: “What’s wrong? Our Young Master Wei doesn’t like cheap flowers?” He reached out: “If you don’t like it, then return it to me, anyway, someone will want it.”
Wei Yan’s eyes moved, and he stuffed the wintersweet flower into his chest like this, kept it close to his body, and said with a faint smile: “Is that so? Then you can take it back yourself.”
Yu Shuli glanced at Wei Yan’s fair neck, and his ears turned red unconsciously. He “hmph”ed: “Don’t think I don’t dare… anyway, we are all men…” His hand stretched out halfway, but after meeting Wei Yan’s meaningful gaze, he could no longer reach forward.
“Forget it… I’m generous, I won’t bother with you.”
He took two quick steps and looked behind him, and said fiercely in a low voice: “Why aren’t you following quickly? If others see you, just wait to lose your head!”
Wei Yan smiled and followed his steps: “I’m not afraid of losing my head, anyway, our Young Master Yu is accompanying me, it’s good to have a companion on the road to the underworld.”
Yu Shuli “pooh pooh”ed twice: “How unlucky!” He grabbed Wei Yan and strode through the Imperial City, walking through various small paths, as if entering an uninhabited place.
“Stay close to me, don’t get lost.”
Wei Yan was holding his hand, and the corners of his lips curled into a shallow arc. “Okay.”
He turned his head to look at Yu Shuli’s face and asked, “How are you so familiar with the Imperial Palace?”
Yu Shuli lowered his voice and said stealthily: “Didn’t I say a few days ago that I would bring you here? I came to survey the route midway, and I know the patrol time of the guards like the back of my hand.” He patted his chest: “Don’t worry, I know it very well, I guarantee to safely send you to Consort Xian’s Courtyard.”
Wei Yan stared at him intently, revealing a sudden bright smile: “Thank you for your hard work, Ji’an.”
Yu Shuli waved his hand proudly: “You’re welcome, you’re welcome,” he stretched his neck and smiled: “I just like you worshiping me like this… it makes me look great… hahaha. Although Xianqing, you look like you are more knowledgeable than me, smarter than me, but there will also be a day when you need me.”
“Yes, great.” Wei Yan’s fingers gently rubbed the place where Yu Shuli was holding him.
Very needed. Needed to the point of wanting to hide this person, to belong to himself alone forever.
Yu Shuli was completely unaware, his whole person was still immersed in the praise from Wei Yan.
“Wei Yan…”
“Yes?”
“You are going to take the imperial examination to become Rank One Scholar in the future, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then you go take the literary examination, and I will go take the military examination, why don’t we make a pair?”
Wei Yan was stunned for a moment, then pursed his lips and smiled: “Take the examination then, why do we need to make a pair? You and I are both men.”
Yu Shuli scratched his head and said annoyedly: “Oh, I don’t mean that…”
Wei Yan nodded, leaned over, and looked at him teasingly: “I understand… you want a backer?”
Yu Shuli pushed his face, then smiled shyly: “Since you know, why ask!” He explained: “Look, my father is restricted now, our whole family can’t leave the Capital City, although my second sister often helps me to speak to my second uncle, but it seems that my second uncle doesn’t really want to help our family. That’s right, after all, everyone is just sweeping the snow in front of their own doors.”
He kicked a pebble and said in a low voice: “Actually, I don’t want much. I just hope that our freedom will no longer be restricted, and that my father can come out of the shadow of the defeat at the time… that’s all.”
“It will.” Wei Yan replied: “It will all be realized.”
He grabbed Yu Shuli and said with a serious expression: “I will help you realize all your wishes. I will take care of you for the rest of my life.”
Seeing him so sincere, Yu Shuli shrank his hand embarrassedly: “It doesn’t need to be for the rest of my life… that’s too much pressure for you. Actually, as long as you have power and influence in the future, so that my parents can normally return to the Northwest, that’s fine.”
“Then call me older brother and let me hear it.”
“I’ll call you, then.” The teenager muttered: “It won’t cost me a piece of flesh.”
The summer breeze carried some dryness, and carried the extremely light “older brother” away.
Wei Yan looked back, and the world was in his eyes: “Since you have called me this older brother, then it is my prayer to let you be smooth and safe, and always free. So, you don’t have to mind, this is what I want to do myself.”
“Wei Yan…” Yu Shuli murmured in a low voice: “The words you say… all sound so good. If you marry a wife in the future, you will definitely be able to make her happy.”
Wei Yan was slightly lost in thought: “Get married?”
“Yes, when you reach the age, the family will arrange blind dates.”
Wei Yan closed his eyes, and opened them after a long time. He stared at Yu Shuli with a bright gaze: “Can’t you… not get married?”
Yu Shuli “ah”ed: “But everyone has to get married.”
“Can’t you and I be the exception?” Wei Yan pursed his lips and said with difficulty: “Can’t we just… always be like this?”
“Of course not!” Yu Shuli said with an exaggerated expression: “Marrying a wife and having children, major events in life, not a single one can be missing.”
Wei Yan suddenly fell silent, and after a long time he said: “That’s right…”
Walking along the way, Yu Shuli’s back was sweating profusely from the heat, while Wei Yan’s body was cool and dry.
Without time to take care of other things, Yu Shuli could only wipe the sweat from his forehead and said, “I’ll take you to the Imperial Library first, there shouldn’t be many people there today. You can rest there for a while, I’m too conspicuous like this now, I have to find a way to change my clothes.”
The sunlight was too hot in summer, and his fire was strong, and his inner and outer shirts were soaked with sweat all at once. That was secondary, the main thing was that the hair at his temples and his makeup were smudged. Without the embellishment of those feminine colors, his face would definitely be noticed along the way.
Wei Yan grabbed his hand in return: “I’ll take you to Clear Water Pavilion, there’s no one there. You rest in the shady place behind the pavilion, and I’ll find you a change of clothes.”
Yu Shuli frowned: “No, that’s too dangerous for you.”
“Not dangerous, wait for me.” Wei Yan’s attitude was unusually firm at this time. He took him all the way to Clear Water Pavilion. After arriving, seeing Yu Shuli starting to take off his clothes carelessly, he turned around and left, almost fleeing.
Yu Shuli followed Wei Yan’s intention, went to the pavilion by himself, and spread out the sweaty outer shirt he took off in the shady corner, and put it on a stone with sunshine next to it to dry.
A letter suddenly fell out of the outer shirt pocket.
Yu Shuli then remembered that he had been busy arranging Wei Yan’s affairs these days, and he had not had time to open the letter that Wanyan Jun gave him earlier!
He quickly opened the letter paper that was almost soaked in sweat.
The handwriting on the paper was already a bit hazy, but fortunately it could still be seen clearly.
The letter was an invitation from Wanyan Jun to Yu Shuli to come to the palace to participate in the Flower Inlay Festival, and also gave Yu Shuli an invitation card.
Coincidentally, the place where the two agreed to meet was in this Clear Water Pavilion.
In fact, Wanyan Jun’s life in the Da Liang Imperial City as a hostage is not good. Yu Shuli guessed that this invitation card should also have been obtained by him with great effort.
Over the years, Wanyan Jun has been away from his hometown, bearing humiliation and carrying heavy burdens in Da Liang. It sounds good to be a hostage, but to put it bluntly, he is just a hostage.
Losing freedom also makes it easy to lose happiness.
However, Wanyan Jun is generous and open-minded, cheerful and righteous, and is not at all affected by the affairs of the two countries. The two previously studied together in the study room. After getting along for a long time, Yu Shuli has always had a feeling of sympathy for him.
After all, the two have the same situation, both are pitiful people who cannot return home. Over time, the relationship between the two became closer.
Yu Shuli thought that he hadn’t seen Wanyan Jun much these days. Fortunately, the place he invited him to was in the Clear Water Pavilion, even if he missed the letter, at least he didn’t miss the invitation by mistake.
Before long, Wei Yan came back in a hurry, bringing a new set of clothes for Yu Shuli. “Put it on quickly.”
Yu Shuli unfolded the palace maid’s uniform and glanced at it.
A long skirt embroidered with a light red plum blossom pattern was draped with thin silk tassels, and a pair of entangled mandarin ducks were embroidered on the collar.
Yu Shuli frowned: “These clothes, don’t tell me you stole them?”
Wei Yan spread his arms to spread the clothes out for him: “Don’t worry, no one has worn them, they are new.”
“Where did you get them from?” Yu Shuli scanned Wei Yan up and down, seeing that his outfit matched Wei Yan’s, which was just right. He asked carefully: “This wouldn’t be… your good friend in the palace, right?”
Wei Yan’s face darkened and he flicked his nose: “Nonsense.”
“Stop talking nonsense, put it on first. When I came here just now, I vaguely saw a ceremonial guard walking this way. Put it on quickly, and we’ll leave quickly.”
Yu Shuli “oh”ed and changed obediently. While tidying up his collar, he suddenly heard the voice of a little eunuch outside, followed by the rustling of people.
After a moment, there was a loud “Empress is here!”
Yu Shuli raised his eyes in panic, and even buttoned the top button wrong.
A pair of hands stretched out so skillfully and slowly helped him re-button it.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
Meeting Wei Yan’s calm and reassuring gaze, Yu Shuli strangely calmed down.
After Wei Yan buttoned his buttons, Yu Shuli looked at him and asked in a low voice: “What to do? Why did the Empress come here suddenly? When she comes, the ceremonial guard will be set up, and the guards will be strict. How can we get out?”
He also looked outside through the bamboo forest, and his face changed at this time, and he murmured: “It can’t be Wanyan Jun…”
Wei Yan frowned and looked at him, following Yu Shuli’s line of sight and seeing Wanyan Jun walking behind the Empress. “What’s wrong with him?”
Yu Shuli then told him about Wanyan Jun’s invitation.
“You said, he wouldn’t be deliberately inviting me here to plot against me, right?” Yu Shuli scratched his head annoyedly and anxiously: “But we are good friends… with his personality, he shouldn’t plot against friends like this, right?”
Wei Yan’s gaze fell on Wanyan Jun, who was tall and handsome outside. At this time, the young man was standing behind the Empress. As a hostage, he was holding a parasol of blue gauze for the Empress to shield her from the sun. He lowered his eyebrows and lowered his eyes, looking extremely well-behaved.
The Empress was holding a blooming pink peony in her hand, looking at it carefully, a faint smile was drawn on her lips, and then she suddenly smashed the flower on the ground, changing her face.
“What kind of dirty thing are you? You dare to offer this kind of flower that can be seen everywhere to dirty my hands?!”
Wanyan Jun’s gaze, which paused for a moment in the distance, suddenly retracted. Yu Shuli and his eyes only met for a glance, and he was a little flustered and worried that Wanyan Jun would betray him.
However, he pretended not to see it, turned around, and used his body to shield the bamboo forest here, and then lowered his eyes and apologized to the Empress: “I have offended you, Your Majesty, please calm down.”