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墨書 Inktalez
Uncle Qi would certainly not tie her up with a rope, but the transformation from Dan to Dan was too great for her to accept.
She felt that he must be suffering from delusions to imagine her as someone who no longer existed. She tried to hypnotize herself into believing that she really was Dan, in order to accommodate his delusions, but damn it, it wasn't so easy to act like Crown Prince Yan.
What should she do?
She scratched her head, trying to make her kneeling posture more dignified, but after adjusting for a while, all she managed to do was shake off some dandruff.
At this moment, Uncle Qi was no longer holding onto her, but his eyes never left her side. He smiled, his lips and brows full of joy, his bright eyes sparkling as they focused on her.
It seemed as if he had just mixed in a bit of honey with oil, occasionally uttering some astonishing remarks. Even when she merely touched her nose with a finger, he would nod with a smile, "Ah, Dan likes this too."
She tilted her head slightly, and he admired her while resting his chin on his hand, "Dan enjoys this very much."
She felt a headache coming on and leaned her forehead on her hand. He chuckled softly, "Dan would do the same."
Feeling helpless, she switched to rubbing her temples. A gentle smile appeared at the corners of his lips, "Does your head hurt? Dan also makes me feel headache."
And then... she started to go crazy...
Later on, she couldn't even remember how she managed to send this gentleman away; she only vaguely recalled him saying, "I'll come again tomorrow."
From that point on, Qi frequented Ju Mansion more than he did court, spending more time here than in his own palace. Except for sleeping at night, he even had his meals in her courtyard.
Thanks to him, all the servants in the courtyard enjoyed delicacies; they feasted so much that not only did she gain weight, but even the birds in the trees seemed plumper than before.
In fact, San Chun didn't dislike Qi at all. When he smiled, it was like feathers falling from a crane—sweet as sugar. He would paint on silk with dark blue ink and play many games; he understood fun much better than Zhong Xue. With him around for laughter and play, the days passed without feeling lonely.
It was just that being treated as Yan Dan felt strange to her. He didn't truly see her as a brother; when he looked at her, his eyelids would lift slightly, and the shimmering light in his eyes was filled with affection.
Being looked at like this by him, San Chun suddenly understood that this King of Yan must love his brother very much, not in the way one loves a family member, but in a peculiar way akin to how a man loves a woman.
Regarding this, she felt deeply puzzled, not about why men love men, but about who among the two played the role of the man and who played the role of the woman.
In this matter, she had observed Qi multiple times and found that he did not possess even a hint of femininity; his actions were decisive, and his demeanor was generous, truly unlike the qualities one would expect from a woman.
So could it be that the Crown Prince was more like a woman? That renowned figure in the Seven Kingdoms, known for his bravery on the battlefield, Crown Prince Yan Dan?
Many believed that as long as the Crown Prince lived, he would surely earn the title of God of War. Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world; he died, and the title of God of War fell upon Chengyang Jun. Could such an unparalleled person really be as effeminate as a woman?
It was hard to imagine, so she asked Qi, "Does the Crown Prince resemble a woman?"
Qi smiled faintly, "Not at all."
San Chun nodded; it turned out to be an extraordinary same-sex romance where neither resembled a man or a woman but was simply love between two true men. Of course, if the Crown Prince did not reciprocate his feelings, it could only be considered unrequited love.
Uncle Qi had no idea how many thoughts had crossed her mind in just a short while.
The two sat together for a while before he suddenly said, "Shall I take you out?"
"Yes," San Chun immediately replied. Going out for a stroll was certainly much more comfortable than sitting across from each other indoors.
They changed into commoner clothes and left the residence; Qi insisted she wear men's clothing. They did not take a carriage but walked slowly along the riverside.
All along the way, he held her hand tightly without letting go. His palm was warm; whether from nervousness or excitement, it was sweaty and felt uncomfortable with its dampness.
For some reason, holding his hand made her feel very secure, as if he were protecting her carefully and she felt safe.
As they walked down this path, San Chun soon found herself in front of a tavern. It was precisely where she had first met Qi.
They entered the restaurant and sat in a spot where a cluster of White Plums trembled as it reached through the window, the place he always chose to sit.
The fragrance of the plums was elegant and faint, wafting into his nostrils, seemingly able to stimulate one's appetite.
Qi picked a blossom from the Plum Branch and handed it to her palm. San Chun, unsure of its meaning, pinched it between his fingers and examined it for a moment.
"Try it," he said.
San Chun had that intention and gently bit into it, chewing lightly.
Perhaps due to the winter snow from the night before, there was a slight coolness to the flower's core. As she chewed, the faint fragrance became more intense, accompanied by a hint of sweetness; it was quite delicious.
Qi watched her finish the White Plum and smack her lips, unable to help but smile faintly.
She remembered that the first time they came to this restaurant was also on a Winter Day, several months after Yan Dan returned from the State of Chu. She was about to go to battle, and he was there to see her off. That day, the plum blossoms were even more abundant and radiant than now.
He loved plum blossoms and many verses praising them surged in his mind. Just as he was about to recite one or two, he suddenly heard her say, "Do you know that eating White Plums in the snow is the sweetest delicacy?" She picked another blossom and held it out to him.
He chewed on it; it truly was delightful. Although he felt that drinking wine while eating plums spoiled the mood somewhat, as long as she liked it, he would too.
She smiled again and said, "This flower can be used to brew tea. Would you like me to prepare some for you when I return?"
His heart ached; he didn't want her to leave. He thought of various reasons to keep her there and even wanted to go to battle in her place. She smiled faintly and touched his face, saying, "As your elder sister, I cannot let Qi suffer in this life. On the battlefield, swords have no eyes; I fear for your safety."
She feared for his safety but did not care for her own? He grew anxious and shouted in front of her that he was no longer a child who needed protection. He had trained with a sword, learned horsemanship, and read several books on Military Strategy; he could completely take her place on the battlefield.
But she only smiled and refused to agree. In her eyes, he was always just a younger brother and never someone who could protect her. His heart twisted in pain as he wanted to tell her that he liked her and wanted to protect her, but in the end, he couldn't find the words.
She left on a snowy morning, while he stood in the restaurant seeing her off.
He would never forget that moment when she picked a large branch of White Plum and handed it to him. She wore a smile on her lips, quietly watching him, and then plucked a flower to place in his mouth. Her fingertips were slightly cool, and at that moment, the sweetness of the plum blossom lingered in his memory.
As he gazed at her retreating figure, he noticed the cold fragrance of White Plum growing stronger, weaving into a white veil that gradually rose amidst the cold snow, blurring the air and clouding his heart.
Later on, he became infatuated with this tavern, enchanted by the White Plum here, fantasizing about the day he would return, sitting across from her, brewing a cup of tea made from White Plum Blossom petals.
Unfortunately, this wish ultimately remained unfulfilled. Until the Yan Army retrieved his Warhorse and long sword, all his dreams turned to ruin. She had died on that battlefield engulfed in flames, perishing on an unknown mountain.
Yet even so, he still loved this place because she loved it; therefore, he loved it too. He hoped that perhaps one day she would return and reunite with him here.
Before him, Qi seemed to fall into contemplation again, just like when he first met her. Though her eyes were on him, her thoughts were elsewhere. San Chun focused on the branch of plum blossoms in her hand, plucking one flower after another until the branch reaching through the window was bare before she stopped.
The Second Shop, which had previously asked them questions, looked at them with astonished eyes, probably thinking that one crazy person wasn't enough; now there were two.
After a long while, Qi finally snapped out of her reverie and smiled brightly at her. "Would you like some tea?"
San Chun shook her head. "Let's go drink; today we won't return until we're drunk."
"That's quite a promise." He laughed heartily and raised his hand to call for the best wine to be brought over.
The Second Shop sighed; it didn't matter if they drank themselves to death, but if someone found out she had gotten drunk with a man here, they might just skin him alive.
He casually grabbed half a jar of wine and poured in half a jar of cool water. He didn't care if it upset their stomachs; as long as they didn't die here from drinking, everything else was none of his concern. Passing by a scarred plum tree, he reached out to grab a handful of plum blossoms and tossed them into the wine jar. After shaking it up, he called out loudly: "Here it is! The newly brewed plum wine from our tavern; I guarantee you both will love it."
Qi asked, "I've been here many times; how come I've never heard of plum wine being served here?"
He mumbled in response, "Well, I wasn't here back then."
Both of them thought this wine was brewed by him. They raised their cups to drink and simultaneously grimaced before cursing the tavern for its poor quality as they complained about how weak the plum wine was.
Having wine is better than not having any at all, even if it's weak wine; the two of them still drank with great enthusiasm.
Qi felt that being able to drink together with her was like a dream, leaving her no time to care about the taste of the wine. San Chun loved drinking the most; as long as it was wine, she would drink it without being picky about its quality. Even though it was diluted with water, they quickly finished a barrel and then called for another.
After consuming three or four barrels, filling their stomachs with cold water in the middle of winter, even a tough man would not be able to handle it. When they returned home, they would inevitably have to spend some time in the restroom.
However, San Chun also benefited from this misfortune; Qi had been unable to show her face for several days due to an upset stomach, which actually provided her with some peace and quiet.
*
In the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed. During this month, San Chun had been worried that Zhong Xue would suddenly appear from somewhere, leaning against a wall and gazing at her with longing, saying something chilling like, "Chun, it's time to go home."
Just thinking about this scene made her scalp tingle, and even the best mood could be instantly ruined.
However, as this month went by, she had not seen him at all. She no longer dreamed of him in her nightmares at night, which eased her mind considerably.
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