Chapter 264: Internal Affairs (II)

Beneath the scattered stars, Le Wuya looked down at the two of them.

The night wind filled the black hood he wore for concealment, making him look like he might just ride off on the wind.

Though Pei Mingqi was slow-witted, the bond from their childhood days of climbing walls together quickly clued him in on why Le Wuya was scaling the wall at midnight.

If they weren't here for a tryst, were they here to play cat's cradle?!

Pei Mingqi was furious and frantic, his face going pale as he pointed a trembling finger at Le Wuya: "You two, you two—"

"I haven't even asked anything yet, and you're already getting worked up." Le Wuya lowered his head, tapping the wall with his foot, which was shod in socks Xiang Zhijie had made. "Shouldn't I be the one asking? What are you two doing here?"

Xiang Zhijie's initial delight at seeing Le Wuya faded a bit at his reaction, his lips pressing into a thin line: "Teacher, you misunderstand! We're here to talk things over!"

Le Wuya squinted. "Here?"

He looked around, then gave an approving nod: "Bamboo grove under moonlight, elegant and refined—not a bad spot at all."

Pei Mingqi's mind was stuck on the fact that Le Wuya would climb someone else's wall but not his own Pei family's wall—a sorrow that wouldn't quit—and he totally missed what Le Wuya was implying. He said, all mournful: "I climbed over the wall too! This is the easiest spot on his property to get over!"

Le Wuya: "..."

He had always thought Pei Mingqi looked like some kind of bird-man.

But today, looking at him—slim waist, long legs, tall stature—he actually had a bit of a sly fox vibe about him.

Le Wuya said "Oh" knowingly: "I see. So it's not the first time."

Pei Mingqi was so aggrieved he wished he could punch the wall: "I'm the one who told him to plant these bamboos!" Little did he know they'd make it so easy for Le Wuya to climb his wall!

Le Wuya smiled: "Oh, you suggested it, and he planted them. How nice."

Xiang Zhijie: "..."

Though seeing his teacher jealous was novel and amusing, he still worried about him, afraid he might be upset inside.

Even the slightest discomfort for Le Wuya was like a hundred little claws scratching at Xiang Zhijie's heart.

So Xiang Zhijie spread his arms as if to catch him: "My lord, it's not what you think. Come down, let's talk. It's windy up there, and staying up late in the wind will give you a headache."

Pei Mingqi grabbed his arm, snapping: "No need! He can jump down himself!"

Xiang Zhijie: "..." He wished Pei Mingqi would do him a favor and stop making things worse.

Seeing the two of them bickering right in front of him, Le Wuya's smile grew even brighter: "Then I won't disturb you two spending time together. I'll be off, then?"

Just then, Jiang He suddenly popped his head out from the edge of the bamboo grove: "My lord, it's not just two people—there's also me."

Le Wuya: "..."

Jiang He innocently raised his left hand and reported: "My lord, I was the one who noticed someone climbing the wall and alerted the Sixth Prince and General Pei. I was planning to shoot you out of the sky, but I didn't expect it to be you."

In his left hand was a slingshot, loaded with a fist-sized iron pellet.

One could imagine—if that slingshot had actually been fired with real force, Le Wuya wouldn't have been able to show his face for a while.

Le Wuya pulled back the leg he'd already swung over the wall, thought for a moment, then grabbed the tip of a nearby bamboo pole with one hand, pushed off the wall with his foot, and jumped down smoothly.

He landed right in Xiang Zhijie's arms.

Xiang Zhijie had practiced Tai Chi Sword for years, giving him a rock-solid stance—he didn't step back even half a pace when catching this sudden weight.

Le Wuya let go, and the slender bamboo sprang back into place, scattering a thin layer of night dew.

The green bamboos stood lush and the phoenix-tail leaves rustled softly.

Le Wuya wrapped his arms around Xiang Zhijie, leaning close to his ear, and whispered: "I misjudged you, didn't I?"

Xiang Zhijie's heart ached and softened all at once. Not knowing how to show his love enough, he simply stroked the back of his head: "...Mm."

Le Wuya said, all magnanimous: "Then you should apologize to me. You never told me you two had a thing going on—it's only natural I'd misunderstand, isn't it?"

Xiang Zhijie lowered his voice to barely a whisper, meekly: "...Yes. Teacher, I'm sorry."

Le Wuya draped his arm over Xiang Zhijie's shoulder, gazing at him steadily for a moment, then, as if they were alone, pecked him on the cheek: "Then teacher will say sorry too."

With that, he turned to Pei Mingqi, whose eyes were blazing with fury, and flashed a triumphant smile: "Little Phoenix, I'm here for a tryst—what are you here for?"

Pei Mingqi had completely forgotten why he'd come.

All he knew was that he wanted to rip the teacher-student pair apart—toss one over the wall and throw the other into the moat.

The watching Jiang He wasn't surprised; he just tilted his head.

He recalled the time he'd gone to see Qin Xingyue and Wang Cheng, when the three of them had made bets.

...

Qin Xingyue bet that the lord was gay.

Wang Cheng, more straightforward in his thinking, believed Le Wuya was skilled at attracting admirers—able to win the hearts of countless men and women alike—a natural playboy who drifted through life and refused to settle down.

Jiang He thought for a moment, then said something shocking: "The lord must be in love with our Sixth Prince!"

Qin Xingyue and Wang Cheng: "..." Where did that come from?

Wang Cheng assumed he must know some inside information to be so certain, so he carefully asked: "What makes you say that?"

Jiang He reasoned: "Back in Tongzhou, the lord promised me he'd ask the Sixth Prince to have me transferred to his side. But to this day, the lord still hasn't made a move."

He turned to Wang Cheng, saying dead serious: "Like with Wang Cheng—when the lord wanted him, he brought him to his side."

Seeing him speak of this with such a cold expression, Wang Cheng—worldly and still unfamiliar with him—assumed he harbored resentment toward the lord, and in the blink of an eye, had already devised three or four sets of comforting words.

But Qin Xingyue, who knew Jiang He well, had already begun rubbing his forehead in advance.

Sure enough, the next moment, Jiang He said confidently: "...So he must think that I'm already family with him, and thus no need to bother transferring me over. Therefore, the lord must have been together with the Sixth Prince long ago!"

Wang Cheng: "..."

He looked at Qin Xingyue: Is he for real?

Qin Xingyue shot him a look: Get used to it—his brain works differently from us normal folks.

In the end, the three of them bet a meal.

In the past, Le Wuya had promised to bring the Tianlang Camp to the capital to see the sights, to treat them to good food and drink.

Later, Jiang He carved his way through to the capital all by himself and became colleagues with a group of strangers.

The salary and bonuses he received were substantial, always seeming to be a bit more than what the average Imperial Guard got.

So Jiang He would often splurge on his own meals, blowing all his money on food, frequenting fine restaurants and ordering the priciest signature dishes.

Yet, faced with table after table of delicacies and cup after cup of fine wine, he couldn't taste anything good.

Sometimes, Jiang He, staring at a table of excellent dishes, would catch himself wistfully thinking that it couldn't hold a candle to a hot flatbread he'd happened to buy while disguised as a merchant caravan with the young general at the frontier.

Over time, Jiang He became convinced he just wasn't cut out for the good life, so he went back to eating his commoner's fare, no longer wasting his money on things he couldn't get.

Now that Lord Wenren has arrived in the capital, he's not alone anymore.

Maybe now he could finally enjoy the good stuff?

Jiang He thought to himself, contentedly slipping into the bamboo grove to continue his watch duty, leaving the other three by the wall, all staring at each other, each lost in their own head.

Author's note:

Xiaoliu: As long as you love the right person, every day is Valentine's Day.

Little Phoenix: ...Then I truly wish you joy.