BLHO Chapter 110

Chapter 110: A Good Sister-in-Law

Chapter 110: A Good Sister-in-Law

On the Mid-Autumn Festival night, Fengdu City was ablaze with lanterns, a scene of bustling crowds.

Gold-lacquered, red-painted lanterns hung high on both sides of the market streets, casting a warm glow upon the bluestone pavement.

Beneath the swaying lantern light, acrobats performed shirtless, swallowing knives and spitting fire. Before the lantern riddle stalls, scholars held fans, gently swaying as they pondered over the riddles written on colored silk.

Hawkers’ shouts rose and fell, the sweet fragrance of candied hawthorns, osmanthus cakes, and ghee pastries mingled with the aroma of wine wafting from the taverns, brewing a hint of intoxication in the night breeze.

In the distance, on the riverbank, lotus lanterns drifted with the current, the shimmering light like a cascade of stars. Young girls covered their mouths, giggling as they tied slips of paper filled with prayers onto the lanterns, letting them float away with the waves.

Outside, it was a grand festival, a world of earthly pleasures.

Inside the General’s Manor, the promised family banquet was yet to begin.

Before dawn, the steward had led the servants, bustling about. The manor was swept and cleaned from top to bottom. In the kitchen, steamers were piled high. Crab roe lion’s head meatballs, eight-treasure duck, steamed Reeves shad—one delicious dish after another was brought to the table like flowing water. The wine jar was unsealed, and the rich aroma of wine filled the courtyard.

But as night fell, the guests still hadn’t arrived.

Lin Shuangxu sat upright at the table, his expression indifferent, revealing no emotion.

He Yuncheng tapped the table lightly with his fingertip, sighed, and said, “It seems that Lord Song won’t be coming tonight.”

The bright moon hung high, plating the courtyard with a layer of silver frost. Lin Shuangxu lowered his eyelashes, not refuting He Yuncheng’s words.

Li Yuliang had been publicly executed by slow slicing yesterday. On this night, who knew how Song Jiting was spending it? How could he be in the mood to come out and curry favor with others?

“It doesn’t matter.” Lin Shuangxu picked up the celadon wine pot, the amber liquid shimmering with a warm light in the moonlight.

“On such a beautiful night, if Lord Song doesn’t come, we’ll just have to enjoy this fine wine and delicacies ourselves.”

He filled two cups, pushing one towards He Yuncheng. The jade wine cup touched the mahogany table, making a pleasant sound.

“To you,” he said, his eyes reflecting the flickering candlelight, as if they held starlight.

He Yuncheng raised an eyebrow and smiled, his slender fingers tracing the rim of the cup: “You’re becoming more fond of drinking now.”

Lin Shuangxu tilted his head slightly, the moonlight flowing through his hair, “Am I?”

“Yes,” He Yuncheng leaned forward, lowering his voice, and said with a straight face, “After drinking, you become unruly and quite terrifying.”

“What do I do when I’m unruly?”

“Unruly…” He Yuncheng crossed his arms, striking a deliberately shy pose, “You defile me.”

“When did I?”

“You’re actually not admitting it?” He Yuncheng flicked his sleeve, feigning anger, “I don’t care, you have to take responsibility for me.”

“How should I take responsibility?”

“Marry me.”

“Alright,” Lin Shuangxu agreed readily, but the tone sounded extremely perfunctory, “Drink this cup first.”

“If I drink it, you’ll marry me?”

“I’ll consider it.”

He Yuncheng glared again, “Still considering? You’re clearly just stalling me.”

“So much nonsense, are you drinking or not?”

“Good for you, you’re already complaining about my nonsense before we’re even married. Won’t you quickly tire of me in the future?”

“I’m tired of you now.”

Lin Shuangxu ignored him, tilting his head back and drinking the wine in his cup in one gulp.

The moonlight slid down his Adam’s apple, casting a shallow shadow on his neck.

He Yuncheng curled his lips and also drank the wine in his cup.

The full moon hung high, its bright light showering the courtyard. The shadow of the osmanthus tree swayed, painting mottled silhouettes on the ground.

On this night of family reunion, the vast courtyard felt somewhat desolate with only the two of them.

He Yuncheng looked at his profile in the moonlight and asked him, “If our parents were still here, would you never be with me, no matter what?”

Lin Shuangxu turned to look at him, his gaze clear and direct: “I would.”

He Yuncheng was a little surprised. He thought he had understood Lin Shuangxu thoroughly and didn’t think that would be his answer.

“Aren’t you afraid they’d be angry?”

“I am,” Lin Shuangxu looked up at the moon again, as if speaking to himself, he said softly, “But I really, really like you.”

In the moonlight, Lin Shuangxu’s eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, filled with gentleness and determination.

“Lin Shuangxu…” He Yuncheng murmured, “You’re more crazy than I am.”

Lin Shuangxu smiled lightly, the smile like a spring breeze passing over a frozen lake, stirring one’s heart.

He leaned forward, getting close to He Yuncheng, “Don’t you like it?”

He Yuncheng’s breath hitched slightly, “I like it to death.”

The two men’s breaths mingled in the close space, the air filled with an intoxicating fragrance.

The ambiguous atmosphere rapidly heated up.

But there was really no need to be so hasty.

This beautiful spring night had only just begun.

“Drink,” Lin Shuangxu gently pushed away He Yuncheng, who was about to kiss him.

The teasing game of playing hard to get was extremely enticing, and He Yuncheng reveled in it.

He patiently built up the pleasure, raising his wine cup to clink against Lin Shuangxu’s.

“To you.”

Before the wine could enter their mouths, a burst of footsteps suddenly broke the silence.

The steward hurriedly ran into the courtyard, panting, “General, Young Master, Your…Your…”

He stammered for a long time without finishing the sentence, and a figure in bright yellow robes had already arrived gracefully.

Princess Meng Ning was dressed in plain clothes, her hair tied up with a jade hairpin, shimmering in the moonlight.

Shen Tan followed her like a shadow, the embroidered spring knife at her waist concealed its sharpness tonight.

“Your Majesty?”

Lin Shuangxu rose to greet her, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

“Why have you come?”

Gu Meng Ning looked around, her gaze lingering on the table full of delicacies, “On this Mid-Autumn Festival reunion night, I naturally want to spend it with my family.”

She sat down on her own accord, crossing her arms, and said familiarly, “What, don’t my elder brother and sister-in-law welcome me?”

Lin Shuangxu didn’t react for a moment, and He Yuncheng also looked at him in confusion, asking, “Who is she calling?”

Gu Meng Ning smiled, “Of course, I’m calling you, General He. Did you think he was going to marry someone else?”

He Yuncheng pondered for a moment and couldn’t help but laugh, nodding and taking the initiative to pour wine for Gu Meng Ning, “Your Majesty is right. Come, try this newly opened osmanthus wine, specially prepared for Your Majesty.”

Gu Meng Ning took the wine cup and teased him, “Specially prepared for me, yet you didn’t invite me. You spout nonsense so easily, do you usually deceive my brother like this?”

“How dare I?”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t dare.” Seeing that He Yuncheng was about to bicker, Gu Meng Ning turned to Lin Shuangxu, her expression obedient, “Brother.”

Lin Shuangxu took a breath, preparing to speak.

But Gu Meng Ning guessed what he was going to say and said before him, “I’m calling you that, even if you don’t acknowledge it, I’m still calling you that.”

Lin Shuangxu didn’t want to argue with her, so he didn’t speak.

But Gu Meng Ning was determined not to let him off. She stretched out her hand, her palm open towards him, “On this Mid-Autumn Festival, what gift have you prepared for me?”

“I didn’t prepare anything.”

Gu Meng Ning frowned, dissatisfied, “Why are you like this!”

Lin Shuangxu was helpless, “Your Majesty didn’t tell me in advance to present a gift.”

“I’m your only younger sister, do I need to say it?” Gu Meng Ning glared at He Yuncheng resentfully and asked Lin Shuangxu, “You definitely prepared something for him, right?”

“Cough,” He Yuncheng touched his nose, subconsciously protecting the new jade pendant at his waist.

Gu Meng Ning said to Lin Shuangxu, “I don’t care, if you didn’t prepare anything, give me silver. Anyway, you have to show something.”

So Lin Shuangxu took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and placed it in her hand.

Gu Meng Ning weighed the heavy silver ingot and was still unhappy, but felt somewhat appeased, handing the silver to Shen Tan, “Keep it safe for me.”

He Yuncheng couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “For the dignified Emperor to come to an official’s residence to rob and loot, isn’t that too much?”

Gu Meng Ning stuck her neck out, “What, do you have a problem with that?”

He Yuncheng shrugged, “No, Your Majesty can take anything you like in this courtyard, just leave me the person.”

“This courtyard…” Gu Meng Ning stood up, surveying the area with her hands behind her back, sighing as she looked around, “It’s too old and too small. It’s really treating the He family too poorly.”

She turned to look at He Yuncheng, her expression a little more serious, “Good sister-in-law, how about I bestow a new residence upon you?”

He Yuncheng smiled calmly, “Unusually attentive, you must be up to something…”

Gu Meng Ning stretched out a finger, glaring at him threateningly.

He Yuncheng naturally wouldn’t say the unpleasant half of the sentence out loud.

He said, “What grand ambitions does Your Majesty have that require my humble service? Tell me about it.”