BLHO Chapter 11
by VolareLin Shuangxu’s ears grew increasingly red. He Yuncheng’s chest was as thick as a city wall; he couldn’t push him away. Being blocked in front of him, even air seemed hard to come by.
The space between the bed curtains was hot. Lin Shuangxu said fiercely, “What do you want to say? Say it quickly.”
He Yuncheng mysteriously leaned closer, “Guess who I saw at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion?”
Only then did Lin Shuangxu look at him properly. “Who?”
He Yuncheng said slowly, “Li Yuliang.”
“Him?”
“Unexpected, right?” He Yuncheng smiled. “I didn’t expect it either. Who knew a eunuch would have such amorous thoughts? There’s a *xiaoguan* named Song at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion, specially kept to serve him. It’s said that Li Yuliang dotes on him especially, visiting him for favors every three to five days.”
Eunuchs keeping male favorites was a common occurrence throughout history. Human nature was such that the more powerless one was, the more one craved what was unattainable. However, Li Yuliang had always been stern and ruthless. He had thought he was only interested in manipulating power, but he didn’t expect him to have such interests behind the scenes.
However, there were rules in the palace; eunuchs couldn’t travel freely. For him to visit the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion every three to five days, he really didn’t put the Emperor in his eyes.
He Yuncheng naturally took Lin Shuangxu’s calf in his arms, using his body heat to warm it. He said to him, “We might as well buy off that *xiaoguan*. He’ll definitely be useful in the future.”
Lin Shuangxu wanted to pull his leg back, but he exerted force to no avail. He wriggled awkwardly and said, “It’s not as simple as you think. In terms of wealth and influence, your power as the Defender General in Fengdu City is far inferior to the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial. Would a *xiaoguan* have the audacity to conspire with others to frame Li Yuliang?”
He Yuncheng exerted force with his arm, but his face was serious as he continued, “You’re right, but that’s easy to solve. First, we try the soft approach. If that doesn’t work, we’ll go with the hard one. He’s afraid Li Yuliang will find out and kill him, but if he doesn’t listen to me, I’ll kill him right now. Let him choose when he wants to die.”
As he spoke, Lin Shuangxu struggled until his face was completely red. Unable to break free, he mustered all his strength and kicked him in the chest.
“He Yuncheng, you need some shame!”
He Yuncheng smiled after being scolded. “How am I being shameless?”
Lin Shuangxu angrily said, “What did you say yourself just now? That you have no designs on me…”
He Yuncheng looked innocent. “I didn’t do anything. You took the punishment for me, so what’s wrong with me warming your legs? Does that count as being unruly?”
He was right. He hadn’t done anything excessive, so why was he scolding him?
Lin Shuangxu realized he was overreacting and stopped talking.
He Yuncheng also didn’t cling to him any further, behaving properly as he said, “Then will you come with me to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion tomorrow to investigate the *xiaoguan*’s situation?”
“Mm,” Lin Shuangxu said without looking at him.
“Anything else?” The impatient tone was no different from telling him to get lost.
He Yuncheng hesitated, and after a moment of deliberation, he chose not to speak.
“Nothing, rest well.”
Sigh.
–
The next day, the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion.
The last time he came was specifically to ruin his reputation, so He Yuncheng hadn’t avoided attention at all. This time, he had another purpose, so he tried his best not to disturb anyone.
He didn’t bring any followers in, only himself and Lin Shuangxu. Their eye-catching appearances were partially concealed by folding fans. The two wore plain clothes, one black and one white, making them difficult to spot among the colorful crowd.
Passing through the pleasure-seeking crowd, He Yuncheng led Lin Shuangxu upstairs. As before, the dimly lit corridor was empty. The door at the end of the corridor was still tightly closed. He Yuncheng stopped and turned to Lin Shuangxu, “This is the room. That *xiaoguan* named Song only receives Li Yuliang and doesn’t allow anyone else to see him.”
He observed the surroundings. It was the time of night for seeking pleasure, and the downstairs was chaotic. No one was watching this area.
“I’ll knock on the door and check the situation.”
As He Yuncheng was about to step forward, they suddenly heard footsteps coming from the stairs behind them, followed by the madam’s ingratiating voice, “I told you you were coming today, I would have let Song Jiting bathe and prepare in advance. Please be careful.”
It was Li Yuliang.
The two exchanged a glance. He Yuncheng grabbed Lin Shuangxu’s shoulder and dodged behind a pillar.
The madam bowed and led Li Yuliang upstairs. The deep red, gold-embroidered python robe flashed past in the corner of their eyes.
The madam reached the door of the room and directly opened it from the outside with a key. “Your Excellency, please.”
The two hadn’t noticed before, but was that person locked inside?
Li Yuliang entered the room, leaving only his subordinates to guard outside. The madam hurriedly led the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion’s servants downstairs.
This was getting interesting.
He Yuncheng pointed in a certain direction, and Lin Shuangxu nodded in understanding. The two bypassed Li Yuliang’s subordinates and went downstairs.
Passing through the crowd, they went straight out the door of the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion. He Yuncheng quickly observed the structure of the building and reached out his hand to Lin Shuangxu. “Hold on tight.”
Lin Shuangxu placed his hand in his palm. He Yuncheng held his hand with one hand and wrapped his other arm around his waist. With a neat movement, he leaped up and stepped on the eaves of the first floor, reaching the window of the room on the second floor.
He Yuncheng pressed his ear against the window of the building and listened carefully. He could only hear faint voices, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying.
He took out a dagger from behind him and used the tip of the blade to cut through the silk on the window. Soft light shone through, directly onto the position of the bed.
In the room, Li Yuliang was holding Song Jiting in his arms.
With a swish, the folding fan opened. He Yuncheng used the fan to cover his eyes. “I didn’t see anything. I didn’t see anything at all.”
Lin Shuangxu ignored him and looked through the crack in the window, observing the two people inside.
Song Jiting had his back to them, and his appearance couldn’t be seen clearly. The exposed shoulder was flushed red, particularly noticeable, and had a regular, swirling cloud-like pattern, adorning the skin in a unique and charming way.
He was being tightly restrained by Li Yuliang. The other’s voice wasn’t as treacherous as the usual eunuch’s, but low and threatening, as he forced him, “Call me ‘Brother Yu.'”
He Yuncheng shook his head and said to Lin Shuangxu with admiration, “Don’t worry, I would never be so barbaric.”