Hua Hua You Long - Volume 2 - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Mei Yun, hurry and go make the bed for your lady."

Seeing that Lu Cang was no longer resolutely rejecting the idea, Cao Xin conveniently took it as he accepted it. Happily watching the little maid cheerfully ran to the bedroom, he crammed Lu Rong Rong’s hand hard into Lu Cang’s and pushed the both of them inside.

Entering the bedroom, Mei Yun had already prepared the mattress accordingly, —-Beneath the bright red silk and satin, a corner of a snow-whited silk scarf exposed. It was meant to be used to test the virginity on the wedding night. Lu Cang’s face couldn’t help but suddenly heated up.

"Big Brother, you take your time and enjoy yourself. I’ll excuse myself!"  Seeing Lu Cang’s red face, Cao Xin of course would know how to be sensible and prepared to leave. He gave Mei Yun a meaningful glance and together they left the brimmed with hidden warmth and ambiguous atmosphere bedroom. He didn’t forget to close the door for them.

The ambiguous atmosphere in the air suddenly reached a boiling point. In the room that overflowed with the thought of intimacy, Luo Rong Rong, with her blushed crimson red face sat on the edge of the bed. Lowered her head, without any words, rather revealing her bashful delicate bride appeal.

Lu Cang was flustered and already at a loss of what to do. Even if he had a very strong feeling for his beloved Jing, he knew that this alluring night would serve as a fatal enticement. ---- After all, as he gradually getting older, he actually  no longer able to pretend that he wasn’t in the least envy of other people satisfactory household.

No matter the case, during any imperial palace grand ceremonies,  he could only be standing among the crowd of Royal Ministers. Even if the place beside Jing which belongs to the Empress was left unoccupied, the crowd of imperial concubines behind him had continuously increased steadily, without decreasing.

Every time he saw the Jing who held the concubines with his both hands and played with the crowd of concubines that surrounded him, Every time he saw the palace maiden either carefully held in their bosom or led by their hands the prince and princess, saying that he never suffered the lonesome desolate feeling was a total big lie.

And in front of his eyes was the greatest opportunity to change his situation. He only needed to spend a few nights with Lu Rong Rong and by the same time next year he would have in this world a child of his own blood. ---- For Lu Cang, a man without no relatives nor family members, by any means, this was the most absolute temptation.

Inwardly, his conscience was at a fight. In his mind, Jing appeared with his smile, yet not a smiling face, the most beautiful unworldly appearance. In a spell, his mind and soul became soft and pliable. But when he was about to step backward, he recalled that Jing coldly told him about the pregnancy of the beauty that came from western region with his rigid and indifferent expression. It made him stably stand on his place and halted his foot step.

"Big Brother Lu, it’s getting late. Let’s have a rest." Lu Rong Rong perhaps saw that Lu Cang’s expression seemed strange so she called out to him in a gentle voice.
Lu Cang gritted his teeth and finally took a big step forward…
_________________

"Big Brother, are you up? It’s already noon! The brothers are waiting for you to treat you to some welcome wine!"

Around noon, Cao Xin appeared in the small courtyard. He called out a few times, but when no one answered, he hesitated before pushed open the bedroom door. Inside, he found only Lu Cang sitting by himself on the bed, as if thinking about something in a daze.

"Ehh? Where are Mei Yun and Miss Lu? What’s going on here…..?" His sharp eyes were drawn to the white silk sheets that were laid out on the bed last night. ----- The white sheet was still as snow white as before, without any hue of  beautiful color.

"That woman….. She actually has the audacity to pretend to be a pure and decent to deceive people!” Cao Xin first reaction was that he had been deceived by Luo Rong Rong. He gripped the white silk cloth firmly and was ready to rush out to search for her.

"What nonsense are you spouting?!" Lu Cang pulled Cao Xin back. "Last night I gave her some travelling expense so that she could take Mei Yun back to her hometown and go live with her relatives. What about pure or not pure! You may not groundlessly make an uproar and ruin a young daughter’s reputation!"

Cao Xin was dumbfounded at once, the white silk cloth in his hand fell onto the ground.
"Big Brother!" He sorrowfully whined in a loud voice.

At the mansion, just like before, on the same stone table by the winding corridor, like usual, Lu Cang was together with his olden days brothers. But the atmosphere was substantially different from the former days. Everybody was wearing a worried look as they looking at the ever calm and unperturbed face of Lu Cang.

"Big Brother!" It was still Cao Xin who was the first one to speak up. "I am not lecturing you! Isn’t it truly because of the lingering effect of the drug from that emperor! He only cares for himself and his imperial harem. Right now, he is in Tongde, unrestrained in spirit and behavior. There is no need for you to guard your chastity like a woman and stay faithful for him!”

Lu Cang lowered his head upon this speech. After a long while, he said : “Third brother, I am sorry for the trouble and pains that I caused you! I really can’t cross over my own barrier. You all can just laugh at me. I…. I only think to be with Jing as long as possible, it is enough for me. If he….. If we ever separate, either a child or a wife that is waiting for me , what’s the point of it! I would rather come back to Hangzhou and be together with all the brothers!”

His words said in a mild and roundabout way, but the meaning was clearly understood. ---- Cao Xin knew, Lu Cang really didn’t consider of his own self, leaving only a way out for his and Jing’s feeling.

Biting his lips, Lu Cang continued in a lowered voice, “If you guys are really worried that I will be neglected after my death, please ask your descendants to bury me beside you. So, at the time when your later generations come to hold a memorial ceremony for you, they can help me to sweep and pluck the little weeds.”

"Big Brother!" Cao Xin could listen no more. He cried to the point that tears came falling from his eyes in a non-stop rush. "Big Brother, Big Brother, how come it’s only you? How is it that it’s only you to have such a bad luck?!"

Cao Xin used his strength to rush over and hugged Lu Cang. He began to loudly weep and wailing. “Why must you to encounter that damn Xuan Yuan Jing?! Why is it you…If only I had known earlier, even if I have to die, I would never let the brothers kidnap beautiful women for you…..”

"Wuu…Wuu…Wuu……..." Having said that, even before completing his words, Cao Xin had unstoppably cried loudly, cried his heart out.

While they were in the state of confusion, the on door duty servant run in and quickly went straight to them in a hurry. His finger pointed towards the outside door with a shocked face. Panting and gasping for breath, he didn’t even have enough time to speak, the uninvited guests already rushed in by himself.

His clothes was white as the snow, the cuffs of the sleeves decorated and stitched with the most exquisite embroidery --- The emperor Jing Zong was just the same as before, with his noble bearing as well as his overwhelming beauty. But beneath the golden crown, the white porcelain face was filled with rage. The brothers from Mount Lu Cang who were initially crying noisily instantly shut up and became all quiet at the moment.  

"Jing…" Among the crowd that Jing scared silly with his powerful aura, Lu Cang was the first one to sober up. He stood up and with a look of disbelief walked over to greet him and got pulled by Jing into his embrace.

There was  a light and warm fragrance spreading out from Jing’s body. The familiar scent of the fragrance stirred up the feeling within the enamoured Lu Cang, made him almost burst into tears. Although he already knew that this man was his lifelong bad luck star, but if he never experienced the ordeal of Luo Rong Rong’s case, Lu Cang would have never realized that his regret at parting from Jing was actually this deep.

“Shouldn’t you be at Tongde right now…… “ Obviously, he shouldn’t feel touched. Obviously, he shouldn’t feel touched just because this man, who already had him but still fooled around with another women, showed a little display of tender feeling. But Lu Cang couldn’t hide nor restrain the happy joyous tone in his voice. He only felt that the whole world as if because of Jing’s appearance had become clear and brightened up.

After all, Jing had come, leaving behind his government affairs, all of his imperial harem concubines, as well as the royal prince and princess, to come to his side. Lu Cang really couldn’t portray the happiness in his heart. He could only obediently snuggle close to his man who intimately hugged him. So much so that when Jing took advantage of this favorable situation and kissed him deeply, he did not reject and push him away.
Cao Xin had stopped his tears. Together with everyone, he dumbfoundedly gazed at the two men in front of them as they wrapped around in a deep kiss.
Although at the brothel there were men and women who improperly played around, but Lu Cang’s mountain bandits never saw a same-sex couple act intimately out in public. In front of them, Jing and Lu Cang didn’t give them any sense of obscenity.

The tall, slender and extremely beautiful Jing with the tall, big and strikingly handsome Lu Cang blended and mingled together as if they were the perfect match created by nature. They made the audience feel that they were born for each other.

After a long while, so long that it felt a good ten thousand years had passed, Jing finally released Lu Cang.

Lu Cang’s face was already red like he was burned by fire. Most likely, he actually was embarrassed by his exhibition of passionate love, so he dropped his head and buried it on Jing’s bosom. But unexpectedly, he was plundered on to the horse’s back by Jing.

“I’ll be borrowing Lu Cang away first!” He faced everyone and bestowed them a devastatingly beautiful smiling countenance, lovely enough to cause a downfall of a state. Jing  did not look back to see the impact of his lethal smile had. Bringing along his beloved one that had been separated for a long period, he urged the horse and left the military governor mansion.

End of Chapter 20