Hua Hua You Long - Volume 2 - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Lu Cang understood the meaning behind those eyes, it was saying : hmph, His Majesty won’t be always favoring you this way.

But Lu Cang could do nothing about it. He could just gracefully back to sit and elegantly continue to dawn his wine in order to drown his sorrow.

This also wasn’t the very first time that Zhang Zi Dong openly offended Lu Cang. It was just because Jing as the emperor had clearly divided between his personal matters and the public affairs. ---  He would depose or dethrone the royal concubines who offended Lu Cang, as well as, If the royal courtiers, regarding Lu Cang’s issue, ridiculed and mocked Lu Cang with their sarcasm speech, Jing would either admonished them or just conveniently solved the issue with a win-win solution.

 Although he wanted the both of them to be happy together, after all, since young Jing had received the education to be an emperor. There was no way for him, because of his affection and sentiment for his male lover, clouded and affected his overall judgement. ---  All and all, it was his predicament as the supreme ruler.

Lu Cang understood that it was the privilege of Jing’s status. Deep in his heart he felt that the status of his lover was in the way, made him unable to recklessly protect himself. Thus he couldn’t help but suffer the unspeakable loneliness.

Perhaps, for other people, the honorable status of their lover would make them happy, proud and arrogant. But in Lu Cang’s heart, he would rather like if Jing was only a commoner.

His expectation about his love life was two people lived happily together by merely relying on one another, there wasn’t any need to fight for Jing’s attention, between his duty and his lover, and he wouldn’t be troubled by their future.

“Lord Lu, what do you usually do to pass your time?” Beyond all expectations, even after witnessing all of this commotion, Liu Zhong Tang still willingly came to talk with him. Lu Cang who had suffered many of the officials supercilious look, simply felt overwhelmed by this extremely flattered unexpected favor.

Without caring for the astonished look from the official beside him, Liu Zhong Tang as if had bond a very good relationship with Lu Cang, all through the banquet, would frequently talk with Lu Cang. By accompanying him, he had brightened up Lu Cang’s pride whose self-esteem was decreased by the insult just now.    

The unpleasant banquet finally over. Lu Cang and Liu Zhong Tang made a promise to pay a visit to each other next time. Dragging his tired and sleepy body back to his mansion, Lu Cang was surprised to see Jing unexpectedly already sitting in his bedroom.

“What’s the matter?” Lu Cang carelessly took off his outer robe as he asked.

He wasn’t the least bit angry at Jing. It was because he fully aware the handicaps of their relationship and he couldn’t voice out his disappointment so he behaved this way. It was also to be obvious about his rather unwell condition.

“Today, I didn’t dispose that Zhang Zi Dong, do you feel that I have wronged you?” Jing fixed his brilliant shining eyes on Lu Cang.

“How’s that possible? I am not a girl. As if I would get angry if a man didn’t come to my rescue.”

As he took off his formal attire which he wore to enter the imperial palace, Lu Cang put his sleeping robe on his shoulder. He went to sit on the chair in front of Jing.

“Cang…. I know you weren’t happy. But I also have my difficulties….” Jing walked over, he put his hands on Lu Cang’s shoulder.

“I know.”

Lu Cang’s tone was as gentle as a sigh, but in Jing’s ear, it felt more like a sulking tone.

“No, I know you are being angry….” Jing gently caressed and stroke Lu Cang’s neck with his hand. His leg also lightly rubbed against Lu Cang’s
buttock. He would put on this kind of attitude every time he had this guilty conscience towards Lu Cang.

“I really am not.” 

Lu Cang brushed off Jing’s hand : “And also, getting on the bed won’t solved the problems. Today we had already done it too many times. It was way too much for my body and my body won’t be able to stand it. Today, you go back to sleep at the palace.”

“See, You are indeed angry. Do I not understand you enough? Look at you enthusiastically chatted with that Liu Zhong Tang, I just know that you are angry. You looked like intentionally wanted to make me jealous.”

Jing was wearing a coaxing smile. Lu Cang who initially wasn’t angry, because of his teasing words, almost explode from anger.

“I warn you, Xuan Yuan Jing! You as the emperor is your own business. But please do not apply those royal concubines harem manner and logic on me. Who do you think I am? You don’t protect me, so I would just have another man to make you jealous? You bastard, what kind of rubbish are you uttering!”

He was like a dog whose tail got burnt. He charged and shouted at Jing. He was extremely furious. --- Confined in this mansion the whole day had depressed him enough to drive him crazy. And now Jing was taking him as a man who would sulk and squabble like a woman. He couldn’t hardly believe that his value had decreased to the extreme.

Upon hearing his angry bark, Jing immediately realized that he had wrongly accused him. He hurriedly hugged Lu Cang to calm him down.

“I am sorry, I am sorry, I was truly had been pestered by those royal concubines in the back court for too long. Unconsciously, I have mistaken our big hearted broad minded Xiao Cang Cang as one of those people. I am really sorry, Cang Cang, please forgive me.”

Jing actually was an arrogant person who held the highest self-esteem thus adopted this high and mighty attitude. In this half year, since he was in relationship with Lu Cang, he would occasionally tear down his noble façade and apologize to Lu Cang. Made Lu Cang unable to keep on being angry. He could only secretly laugh up to his sleeve behind Jing’s back because of Jing’s sudden change of behaviour.

 “Even the good husband and wife will quarrel occasionally. It is because you are too adorable so I want to tease you.”

Seeing Lu Cang’s had calmed down a bit, Jing jeered to ridicule him. It was as if he had completely forgotten the guilt he had for wrongly accused Lu Cang.

“Forget it, I’m not in the mood to fight with you. Next time, you mustn’t regard me as your back court royal concubines. Today was a tiring day. I want to turn in earlier.”

Lu Cang got in the bed and lied down. He put on a tired and sleepy face. In no time, Jing had have him pressed down under his body.

“I really don’t want to… today I’m… Today I really feel unwell!” Lu Cang struggled, he gripped Jing’s hand that had been groping all over the place of his body.

“Unwell? Which part feels unwell?” Jing thought that Lu Cang was still angry because of his previous accusation. While questioning him, his hand was forcefully tantalizing the lower part of Lu Cang’s body.

Lu Cang tried hard to evade Jing’s pressing near lips.  : “….Stomach… My stomach hurts….Today I really don’t want to… “  “How come?”

Upon seeing Lu Cang’s pale face, as if there was really a problem, Jing was forced to stop his aggression and take a look at him carefully.

“Last night…. Last night without washing up, I fell asleep….” Lu Cang’s voice was so soft, his face blushed and turning red.

“AH…. That thing was still remain inside so that your stomach hurt?” Jing suddenly hit by realization. Look at the shy Lu Cang nodded his head in his bosom, he realized what had happened.

“Alright, Today just sleep earlier!” Jing was a little bit disappointed. He got up and took off his outer garment. He climbed back to the bed and hugged Lu Cang. Just like that, both of them just cuddled together and went to sleep.

This matter originally had been settled, however, people couldn’t imagine what will happen tomorrow. The next day, their relationship would be faced with a severe hardship that would truly put their feeling on a trial.

It was peaceful like usual. When Lu Cang woke up, Jing had already left to attend the morning court. After the breakfast, he had to thought of a way to pull through this entire day.

He recalled that he hadn’t been able to meet Cao Xin and the brothers for a long time. Lu Cang ordered Xiao Sang to prepare them horses. Together they hurried went out from the inner city, to the mansion where Cao Xin and the rest resided.

Jing was really a scheming person. He assigned Lu Cang’s olden days brothers on the capital garrison duty. Furthermore, he arranged them to be at the same post and rank, let them lived together in the courtyard that close to the city gate. Not only it made them easier to be managed, it was also to keep them maintain a considerably distance from Lu Cang.

Even though in warring period, performing garrison duty on the capital was considered as an elite job, but during this peaceful time, they had to handle many trivial matters, such as deal with the scuffles, renovate and fix the surrounding, for the whole full day until they returned to the quarter, they would be busied with load of works. Even to the point they didn’t have the time to present themselves in front of Lu Cang and nagged on Jing’s ears.

It was almost noon when Lu Cang arrived at Cao Xin and the brothers place.

Since they resided in the back side of Yamen gate, Lu Cang’s olden days brother were gathering at the backyard to have their lunch.

Following the direction shown by the young doorkeeper, from the rather poetic lotus hall, Lu Cang already could see his brothers having meal in the circular table. They were very lively and bustling with noise and excitement.

“Ai ya! Long time no see, my brothers have become so refine, they even have meal in the outstanding lotus pavilion.”

Meet with his long separated brothers, Lu Cang was unable to hold in his jolly and delighted feeling. From still quite a distance, he shouted to greet them in a loud voice.

“Good Heaven!! Is that really Big Brother?” Cao Xin was the first to find out Lu Cang’s arrival. He sped out of the pavilion, raising a gust of wind.
He also didn’t care for his greasy mouth and hugged Lu Cang tightly.

All the brothers simultaneously pouring out, they hugged and laughed together. Making noise. They were at it for quite sometimes before calming down.

“Have you eaten yet, Big Brother? Come here quickly, let’s eat together. Everybody also, sit down. Let’s have a great time with our Big Brother.”

The strategist, Liu Cuo, was rather cool and quiet compared to the rest of the brothers. He reminded everyone to behave from their excitement and calmed the situation.

Everyone was taking their seat. Somebody was getting Lu Cang a bowl and chopsticks. They all eating and talking all the while when serving each other to have the meals.

“All of you have been living well?” Admits the greatly disorder talk about their daily life, Lu Cang pulled a topic to ask while they were at it.
Basically, he thought everybody would laugh out loud and said they had been well, but all of them suddenly fell silent. The atmosphere felt cold it almost dreadful.

“What?” Lu Cang couldn’t help but feel nervous. “Don’t tell me that you haven’t been well?” The youngest of the brothers, the seventh in command, Ge Qing looked as if he couldn’t contain his feeling anymore : “Big Brother, you didn’t know….”

From the side, Liu Cuo pulled him to promptly stop him for telling Lu Cang. “Brother Qing, Big Brother already having enough trouble, don’t you….” Lu Cang stretched out his hand to prevent Liu Cuo from talking. He eagerly stared at Ge Qing : “Brother Qing, tell me, what happened to you guys?”

Stay by Jing’s side was his own decision. Hence he was deserved all the hardship and had to bear with all the unpleasant things. Such thing was his own doing. --- But if because of his decision he caused his brothers unhappiness, Lu Cang absolutely wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

“Exactly what has happened, you all hurry and tell me! You just told me the conclusion without telling me the cause, this way you make me worry to death! “ Lu Cang grabbed Cao Xin. His eyes had become red out of worry.

“It was that newly appointed Capital Governor!” Ge Qing resolutely said the sentence.

“True, true.. He didn’t see us as human being. Every day he forces us brothers to work 12 hours a day, going on night patrol. If there are any casualties in the capital, even the smallest trivial matter, he would forfeit our salaries. Just a little yawn, he would abusively curse us. He frequently punishes us by beating us up. We still can bear with this all, but he had to go so far as bad mouthing Big Brother in front of us at any given time. We really have enough of it!” One by one of the brothers were pouring out their already piling up grievances for the longest time.

If there were people insulting him, he could let them off, but given Lu Cang’s bad temper, how the hell would he let the people who bullied his brothers off.

“Two days ago, he said that brother Cao had failed his job, he hit brother Cao with a plank 20 times!” Ge Qing’s making a face that he was about to cry.

“What!!” Lu Cang jumped up from his chair. He grabbed Cao Xin : “There was actually someone who braved enough to beat you!? Let me see the wound, it was a serious one or not?”

“Don’t be so tense up, don’t be so tensed up, Big Brother. I have the toughest skin and the thickest flesh…”

“Ai you…” Even if Cao Xin had been an obstinate person, when Lu Cang stubbornly rolled up his trousers and accidentally came in contact with the wound, he still couldn’t suppress his cry out of pain.

On those sturdy big leg, the obvious stripe lined bruised spread all over his leg. There were also area with the torn skin, blackish red with trace of fresh blood. It delivered the pain straight to Lu Cang’s heart and made his eyes red like it was gushing out blood.

“Bastard! Who did this! Quick, Xiao Qing, take me to this whatever capital governor!”

To see the wound on his brothers body, compare to his own wounds, it was more excruciating. The air of the fierce mountain bandit had returned to him. His whole person as if had regained the fierceness of the olden days, when he was a man who made a living out of fighting and spilling blood.

“Big Brother. Please calm down first. That Capital governor ….. that capital governor is Zhang Zi Dong! Big Brother, if you go, you would only invite trouble upon yourself!” Liu Cuo grabbed Lu Cang to hinder him acting out on impulse.

His heart was also hurt to see his brothers suffered this kind of torment, but he clearly could comprehend Lu Cang’s sensitive status. He wouldn’t be willing to let their Big Brother suffered the humiliation from that deserve to die Zhang Zi Dong.

“What!?” To heard that 3 words, Lu Cang shocked and fell down to his chair.

His intention was to ask this capital governor about the way he treating his subordinates, but now everything had come to light. ---- The brothers suffered this kind of distress was because of his personal affairs. They were suffering in his place. Zhang Zi Dong unmistakably vented out his resentment on his brothers.

Everything was his fault.

End of chapter 13