Yao Yi had just received a thick letter from Miao Shiba, which gave a minute account of what Childe Ling’s life had been in the manor during the past few days, so he hurriedly made towards the Marshal’s chambers to deliver it, but unexpectedly, he chanced upon a drama.
“…Nanny Zhong has been serving this family for many years and is more experienced than you. I sent her here to help you make preparations for Tong’s wedding, not to let you suppress her. Sister-in-law, the previous disagreements between Tong and the second branch of the family were just some misunderstandings. Now that we’ve cleared the air, as the mistress in charge of domestic matters of the Yuwen family, I should’ve taken over the preparatory work for Tong’s wedding. Tong is just too embarrassed to have you go back, because he was the one who invited you here in the first place and doesn’t want to hurt your feelings, but it doesn’t meant that you have the final say in these matters. If you keep sidelining Nanny Zhong, I’ll have no choice but to talk with Tong, and in that case, he might cast aside the consideration of face and have you leave.”
Zheng shi’s voice was quite loud and it was not easy for Yao Yi not to overhear her. He walked up and said, “May I ask why you’re standing here, Mistresses? First Mistress, the Marshal would like a word. Second Mistress, if you have no other business here, please go back home.”
The forms of address, “First Mistress” and “Second Mistress”, struck Zheng shi as extremely unpleasant. As Second Mistress of the Yuwen family, she was of much higher status than Fang shi who was First Mistress of another branch, but Yao Yi had addressed them in such an ambiguous fashion that people unaware of the truth might get the misconception that Fang shi was a notch above her!
Zheng shi was very displeased at the words, but Yao Yi hadn’t really made any mistakes by addressing them this way, so she said sulkily, “Guard Yao, do you by any chance still have difficulty distinguishing your Marshal’s family members from outsiders? Do I need to teach you how?”
“My apologies. It’s just that the Marshal has something to consult with First Mistress about and requests her immediate presence. If Second Mistress has any business of urgency, you may tell me and I’ll make sure the Marshal is informed of it,” said Yao Yi.
Fang shi was a smart woman and knew Yao Yi had specially come here to help her out, so she immediately said, “Now that Tong wants to talk with me about something, I’ll go there right now.”
After saying this, she left with her handmaids without further ado, leaving Zheng shi and Yao Yi staring at each other where they stood.
Zheng shi was consumed with anger, but she also knew that if she really went to talk to Yuwen Tong, he might not necessarily side with her in this matter, for in Yuwen Tong’s eyes, Fang shi was a closer family member than her!
“Let’s go back.” Zheng shi, even more unwilling to stay in this place where she could do nothing but stare at Yao Yi, stormed off, followed by her handmaids.
Nanny Zhong was left on the scene, face to face with Yao Yi, her face full of embarrassment.
Yao Yi threw a glance at her. “Nanny Zhong, you’ve been in this family for many years, so I think you’re more acquainted with the rules than most. Do what you’re supposed to do, and don’t make trouble for the Marshal. If you feel these assignments degrade you, you may return straight away.”
Nanny Zhong hurriedly said, “Don’t misunderstand me, Guard Yao. I make no pretence to being overqualified. I’m going back to help First Mistress right now.”
With some servants in her wake, Nanny Zhong also hurried off, knowing that Zheng shi wouldn’t be able to offer her help any time soon, that she was now on her own.
After these people who had tried to make mischief cleared off, Yao Yi looked at the thick letter in his hand and almost jumped, his grim expression instantly vanishing. With that he hastily headed for the Marshal’s chambers. If he was late, the Marshal would definitely be angry with him.
However, Yuwen Tong didn’t blame Yao Yi after receiving the letter. “Did you dismiss Zheng shi?”
“Yes. I think she won’t come back any time soon,” replied Yao Yi.
Yuwen Tong said, “Her servants wouldn’t be able to find a chance to make their move if you watch them too closely. Go consult with my elder aunt and figure out a way to allow Nanny Zhong an opportunity.”
“Yes, Marshal,” Yao Yi answered and quickly left for fear that Yuwen Tong might blame him for not having delivered the letter quicker.
When Yao Yi had left, Yuwen Tong hurriedly opened the envelope and started to carefully burrow in it. As expected, he found another, thinner envelope in it. After opening it, he began reading the letter word by word with rapt attention, as if trying to engrave these words in his mind. As his eyes moved along the lines, a smile curled the corners of his mouth. When he’d finished it, a regretful sigh escaped his lips, as though he wished he’d read it slower.
He’d read it too quick, and his longing was on the verge of overwhelming him.
Had there not been so much unfinished business to deal with, he would go back to the manor immediately. For him, the only place he would call home was where his darling was. And he was now terribly homesick.
Ling Zhang missed him as well. During the past few days when Yuwen Tong had been absent, he had neither slept well nor eaten well, and had lost a lot of weight for greatly missing Yuwen Tong. If it weren’t for the fact that the Yuwen family had delivered dowry to Tanyang, which had made it inconvenient for him to go to the Yuwen family, he would have returned to the capital city to see Yuwen Tong already.
He gave it some thought and still failed to refrain. “Brother Wang, find me an unobtrusive carriage. You and Brother Liu are to disguise yourselves and accompany me back to the capital city.”
Wang Dashan was totally unsurprised at this sudden decision of Ling Zhang’s and immediately went to make preparations without asking any questions.
After hearing about it, Miao Shiba requested permission to go with them on the spot.
Miao Shiba had orders to stay with Ling Zhang, so Ling Zhang gave his consent in the knowledge that it was inappropriate to leave him behind.
The four of them, Ling Zhang, Wang Dashan and Miao Shiba sitting in the carriage, Liu Yi who had seldom appeared on public occasions acting as the driver, covertly entered the city and then returned to the Ling Mansion.
Yuwen Tong’s eyes, in an instant, became scarily bright at the message that Ling Zhang was in the Ling Mansion. He put Yao Yi in charge of everything and then quickly left.
Reading the various lists in his hands, Yao Yi began to have headaches, which were worsened by the thought that he also had to keep a weather eye on the moles that had been allowed entry. “I’d rather go back to the north-west to fight another war!”
Yao Yi’s complaints would never reach Yuwen Tong’s ears. He had rapidly returned to the Ling Mansion unseen by any spies of any side. At the sight of Ling Zhang sitting in the chamber, he hurried up, swept him into his embrace and inhaled deeply. “I miss you so much.”
The next moment, he perceived that something was not quite right, immediately let go of Ling Zhang and gawked at him with a frown. “What happened? Why are you so much thinner?”
Ling Zhang was speechless. Though he did feel that he probably had lost some weight, it was actually almost impossible to tell the difference owing to his robes. How had Yuwen Tong come to notice it instantly?
“Some of your meat is gone.” Yuwen Tong’s heart ached badly for Ling Zhang. During the brief hug he’d just given him, he’d felt that the figure in his arms was considerably slimmer than before. It’d been merely a couple of days since they’d last seen each other, but Ling Zhang had become thinner. How could his heart not ache for him?
“You haven’t been eating well in the manor? What have your security guards and Miao Shiba been doing? Are they all dead? How could they let you become so thin?” Yuwen Tong’s temper began to fray. He was just about to leave to punish them when suddenly he felt Ling Zhang grab a handful of his waist.
Ling Zhang gave the part of his waist a little squeeze, stroked his chest and back and finally said, “How could you blame my men when you yourself are thinner as well? Have people of the Yuwen family been denying you food?”
Yuwen Tong’s burning anger was replaced by another kind of intense feeling when Ling Zhang was stroking him. He said, “No. It’s just that I miss you so much that I couldn’t sleep well or eat well, which is really torturous.”
“I miss you just as much.” Ling Zhang’s heart ached for him as well, but he had to intercede for Wang Dashan and the others. “So it’s not their fault. They’ve been doing their best to have me eat more.”
Yuwen Tong immediately came to understand, put his arms around Ling Zhang again and scooped him up, intending to go to the bed.
Ling Zhang held his arm. “Wait a moment.”
Yuwen Tong lowered his head to look at him. “I can’t.”
Ling Zhang’s breathing had changed somewhat. It’d been quite some time since the last time he’d had physical contact with Yuwen Tong, and now their bodies were tightly against each other once again, so naturally he was also anxious. Even if he himself were not anxious, his body was. However…
He still had to make an effort for himself.
“Put me down first.” Ling Zhang patted his arm.
Yuwen Tong, who had distinctly sensed the change in Ling Zhang’s breathing, wondered how Ling Zhang could still insist on being put down, but he didn’t have the heart to decline, so he managed to subdue his urge and let Ling Zhang stand on his feet.
Ling Zhang gripped Yuwen Tong’s wrist and drew him towards the bed. Yuwen Tong was bemused. Hadn’t he tried to carry Ling Zhang to the bed? Why did Ling Zhang want to walk there? Before he could figure out what Ling Zhang was thinking, he was suddenly pushed down onto the bed. Lying there, Yuwen Tong quizzically watched Ling Zhang standing at the bedside, bewildered by the manifest excitement gleaming in his eyes. Although he was very happy to see his darling making the first move so willingly, but why did the gleam of excitement in his eyes strike him as a little weird?
Unsurprisingly, the next moment, he saw Ling Zhang slightly raise his chin and look askance at him. “This time around, I want you to be a good boy and stay still.”
Yuwen Tong was excited, expectant but also had an inkling that something was not quite right. After thinking for a fleeting moment, he still gave a nod of agreement. “I won’t move.”
The corners of Ling Zhang’s mouth curled at this reply, and then he raised his hands, undid his buttons and unfastened his belt, maintaining his haughty bearing, the movement of his hands so slow and graceful that it was extremely tempting. Yuwen Tong swallowed hard several times in a row.
Ling Zhang, who could tell a mile off what he was thinking, inwardly gave a snort and kept undressing himself. When he had stripped down to his snow-white underwear the top few buttons of which had also been undone, he suddenly bent over Yuwen Tong, hands on the bed on Yuwen Tong’s sides, looking down at him. “Am I attractive?”
“Yeah!” blurted Yuwen Tong, almost choking on his own saliva.
Ling Zhang, eyes glinting, gazing at him with a beam on his face, gently pressed a finger to Yuwen Tong’s Adam’s apple, lightly slid his well-trimmed fingernail all the way down, causing Yuwen Tong’s eyes to redden, and then abruptly ripped open Yuwen Tong’s collar to reveal his muscular chest dripping with masculine charm. Ling Zhang stared hungrily at it and couldn’t tear his eyes away for quite a while. Though the two of them had made out many times, he was still deeply attracted to Yuwen Tong’s figure.
Yuwen Tong’s Adam’s apple was moving restlessly, his lower abdomen feeling so tight that it was hurting, but he had promised Ling Zhang that he wouldn’t move. Besides, he was eager to know what Ling Zhang was going to do, so he exercised all his self-restraint and lay still, sweating buckets from the effort.
It was quite some time before Ling Zhang seemed to come to himself. And then, his hand, which was caressing Yuwen Tong chest in a half-intentional manner, slid to Yuwen Tong’s belt, nimbly unbuckled it, stripped him naked swiftly and then said to him with a smile, “Today all you have to do is lie still. I’ll make sure you enjoy it.”
At first Yuwen Tong was perplexed, and when he finally came to realize what Ling Zhang intended to do, he was sent into a brief moment’s stupefaction. Was his darling trying to swap roles with him?
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