Chapter 75 Twelfth Kiss

“What are you doing?” Father Yan instinctively wanted to help him up, but he forcefully pulled back his hand again.

“Right now you’re His Second Highness’s right hand man. How can you make such a great salute to me?” Father Yan felt complicated.

“Yu Yuan……” Yan Mu reached out to help him, but he gently pushed her hand away.

Yan Mu’s hand froze in the air for a moment, then she slowly retracted it.

She knew that Yu Yuan was actually a very proud person.

But such a talented and proud person was willing to kneel before Father Yan for her.

Yan Mu bit her lip, lost in thought¹思绪万千 (sīxùwànqiān) – a myriad of thoughts well up in one’s mind; be lost in a myriad of thoughts.

“As long as Uncle agrees to my marriage with Ah Mu, I can do anything you want me to.” Yu Yuan looked extremely sincere, “If you have any complaints about me, I can change every one.”

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Wyvbla Zyd oyp pvwxrle cu Zw Zwyd’p osaep.

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Rdelle, kd vbkp lay oblal byhkdt xydu okhlp yde nsdnwckdlp oyp yzz vss nsxxsd, vblal pllxle vs cl ds sdl xsal pwkvyczl vs cl bkp psd-kd-zyo vbyd Zw Zwyd.

Wyvbla Zyd qlzv hlau yttaklhle.

Slypsd vsze bkx vbyv bl pbswze ytall vs vbkp xyaakytl, cwv bkp pldvkxldvyzkvu pbswvle yv bkx vs vwad kv esod.

“Zsw……,” Wyvbla Zyd alxykdle pkzldv qsa y zsdt vkxl clqsal ypjkdt, “Uyd usw rasxkpl dsv vs vyjl nsdnwckdlp?”

Twxyd blyavp olal qknjzl, yde y xsxldvyau kdqyvwyvksd nswzed’v cl y zkqlvkxl twyaydvll qsa Zyd Yw.

Yan Mu was born late, Father Yan was already twenty-four when she was born.

Yan Mu was sixteen this year, while Father Yan was already forty.

In this era, medical care was still underdeveloped, so many people died of old age at the age of fifty. Father Yan didn’t know how many years he had left to live.

Father Yan stared into Yu Yuan’s eyes, not missing the slightest change in his expression.

“I promise,” Yu Yuan answered almost instantly.

“You can’t guarantee it,” Father Yan said solemnly. “You’re now in a high position. If someone wants to draw you to their side and sends you beauties, how can you refuse it?”

“I……” Yu Yuan was at a loss for words.

Indeed, if the Emperor or the Empress wanted to try roping him in by bestowing him with beauties to express their attitude, then his refusal would be defying an imperial decree.

Father Yan added again, “If that time really comes, what will you do?”

Yu Yuan remained silent, unable to answer.

Father Yan’s original intention was for Yu Yuan to promise that Yan Mu would be his only wife for the rest of his life.

But Yu Yuan remained silent for a long time without saying anything, making Father Yan uncertain.

Father Yan felt apprehensive.

After a while, Yu Yuan said, “I won’t let this kind of thing happen.”

“How can you guarantee it?” Father Yan asked.

“……The date of my marriage with Ah Mu is on the Lunar New Year’s Eve, so I’ll give you an answer before the Winter Solstice,” Yu Yuan said firmly.

Father Yan scratched his head.

A peasant like him knew nothing about court politics, but Yu Yuan’s attitude was firm.

Will His Second Highness promote Yu Yuan within the next few days?

Father Yan had a vague premonition, but when he thought about it carefully, he couldn’t figure it out.

“A-alright then,” Father Yan said, a little unnaturally.

He still couldn’t accept the reality of his daughter being bestowed marriage.

But at least she was bestowed marriage with Yu Yuan, whose background he was familiar with.

If the Empress had bestowed marriage to Yan Mu to some unknown noble as a concubine on a whim, then Father Yan would really cry.

Father Yan let out a long sigh. With that thought, he suddenly didn’t find it hard to accept anymore.

*****************

The Empress’s birthday was just around the corner, and during this period, Yu Yuan was extremely busy²脚不沾地 (jiǎobùzhāndì) – feet not touching the ground (idiom); and usually came back late at night.

As Father Yan had returned from his trip to the south to look for flowers, Yu Yuan didn’t sleep with Yan Mu now, but instead slept in the wide bed next door.

Yan Mu’s life hadn’t actually changed all that much before and after the marriage bestowal.

The people around her already seemed accustomed to her relationship with Yu Yuan. After knowing that they’d been bestowed marriage, everyone congratulated them, but weren’t surprised.

Ah Yu was a little jealous when he learned about it, and immediately made a fuss, wanting to duel with Yu Yuan. As a result, Yu Yuan once again picked him up by the back of his collar and threw him into the courtyard.

Yan Mu was both angry and amused, and she coaxed Ah Yu for a long time before he calmed down.

Days flew by in the midst of their bickering.

Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, the Empress’s birthday had arrived.

Because he had to work the night shift, Yu Yuan told Yan Mu in advance that he wouldn’t be coming back tonight.

Yan Mu nodded, but was swept into Yu Yuan’s arms. 

“How I wish I could put you inside my pocket, so that I can always see you.” Yu Yuan’s gaze was scorching, as if he had a rare treasure in his arms.

Yan Mu’s cheeks flushed, and before she could react, passionate kisses rained down on her.

Kisses were planted on her lips, cheeks, ears, and extremely sensitive neck.

Yan Mu’s body turned to jelly, and she almost couldn’t stand upright.

In the end, she held onto the osmanthus tree as she watched Yu Yuan leave.

*************

It was night, and the whole capital was brightly lit, as bright as day.

Fireworks lit up the sky above the palace, and Yan Mu wrapped herself in a coat, eating and drinking with everyone in the bookstore.

The hairy crabs this season were huge, and Yan Mu was considered rich now, so she lavishly bought dozens of baskets of crabs, and ordered dishes from Restaurant Baoyue.

The guards in the bookstore excitedly cheered³欢呼雀跃 (huānhū quèyuè) – idiom; shout and jump for joy, and Father Yan took out his long-prepared yellow wine⁴黄酒 (huángjiǔ) – mulled rice wine, usually served warm.

Yan Mu had originally planned to fulfill her childhood dream—— eating as many hairy crabs as possible.

But Father Yan didn’t know about her lifespan replenishing, and he was afraid of Yan Mu’s stomach getting upset, so she could only helplessly watch the others eat from the side.

When Father Yan wasn’t paying attention, Ah Yu hurriedly gave Yan Mu a piece of crab roe⁵蟹黄 (xièhuáng) – reddish-yellow crab meat (made up of the ovary and digestive glands). 

Ah Yu grinned at Yan Mu, and his fair and clear little face looked even more adorable.

Yan Mu stroked his small face and happily ate the large piece of crab roe.

Yan Mu had just finished eating when a cup of yellow wine appeared before her.

She raised her chopsticks, and was stunned to see that it was Father Yan.

Father Yan sighed somewhat helplessly and said, “Eating too much crab roe is too cooling on your body⁶In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM),  a human body is made up of a balance in yin and yang energy. ‘Heaty’ in TCM suggests an excess of yang energy in the body, whereas ‘cooling’ in TCM suggests an excess of yin energy in the body. For example, eating too many lychees is heaty, which will cause you to suffer from excessive internal heat (with such symptoms as constipation, conjunctivitis, and inflammation of the nasal and oral cavities). Drink a cup of yellow wine to warm up.”

It turned out that Father Yan knew everything.

Yan Mu suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Seeing this, Ah Yu also hurriedly turned his head away and shoveled rice into his mouth⁷扒饭 (páfàn) – to push food into one’s mouth using chopsticks while holding one’s bowl up to one’s mouth.

Yan Mu took the cup and slowly tasted it.

As the wine went through her body, her heart seemed to alight with fire.

I wonder what Yu Yuan is doing.

Yan Mu looked up. The fireworks were too dazzling, making the moon look pale in comparison. 

Yu Yuan was like a gentle moon.

His radiance was clear and bright, cool but with a tenderness that no one could ever replace.

Yan Mu felt a little drunk.

She giggled and reached out her little hand, trying to hold the moon in her palm.

The bright moonlight, blending with the glow of the fireworks, fell onto Yan Mu’s palm.

At this moment, it was like Yan Mu was holding Yu Yuan’s hand.

What should she do?

She’d only been separated from Yu Yuan for a few hours but had already begun to miss him.

Yan Mu leaned forward and rested on the table, her hot cheeks pressed against the cold tabletop. Although the temperature of her skin had dropped, the longing in her heart was getting more and more intense.

I wonder if Yu Yuan has eaten dinner.

Yu Yuan was too dedicated to his work, and Yan Mu was worried that he wouldn’t eat when he was busy, so she’d prepared many dishes in the kitchen in advance.

Will Yu Yuan gently smile when he sees them?

Remembering Yu Yuan’s smile, Yan Mu couldn’t help but smile too.

The fireworks had stopped at some point, and the sky was tranquil again.

The moon hung high, and the moonlight was clear and bright, unveiling a uniquely serene beauty.

The feast gradually came to an end. Except for Ah Yu, who was too young to drink, everyone else was so drunk that they’d collapsed⁸东倒西歪 (dōng dǎo xī wāi) – reel right and left; dilapidated; fall over like ninepins; lying on all sides; rickety; tottering; tumbling; walk unsteadily; waver east and west.

Father Yan and Yan Mu woke them up one by one, asking them to wash up and sleep.

After waking everyone up, Yan Mu also returned to her room.

Seeing that no one was around, Yan Mu then began recalling the plot of the Empress’s birthday.

In the plot, the Eldest Prince attempted to assassinate Chu Cong, but Yu Yuan discovered it before it even began.

The assassination plan ended in vain⁹无疾而终 (wújí’érzhōng) – lit. to die peacefully – an idiom; to come to nothing; to fizzle out.

Fortunately, there weren’t many assassins in the ambush, so no one was injured.

After the incident, Yu Yuan was even promoted and given a raise for his merit in guarding the Second Prince.

After confirming that Yu Yuan would be fine multiple times, Yan Mu sighed in relief.

She didn’t know if it was because she’d eaten too many crabs, but she kept feeling restless.

Yan Mu tossed and turned, unable to sleep, so she simply put on a coat and went to the courtyard to get some air.

The lights in the yard were soft, and she sat on the swing under the Chinese scholar tree.

She had a poor sense of balance, and Yu Yuan was worried that she would fall from the swing, so he’d modified it into a rattan chair.

Yu Yuan had made the rattan chair himself, but he’d accidentally hurt his hand while doing so.

Under the light, Yan Mu looked closely, and sure enough, she saw a small blood stain on one side of the armrest.

She gently stroked the blood stain, and inexplicably felt much calmer inside.

It was like…… Yu Yuan was by her side right now.

Yan Mu wrapped the small quilt tightly around her and sleepily drifted off to sleep.¹⁰Yes, this is abrupt, but the author really didn’t write about Yan Mu returning to her room…

**************

However, the next day, when Yan Mu woke up, Yu Yuan still hadn’t returned.

Yan Mu began to feel like something was wrong.

But she didn’t want to think about the possibility of Yu Yuan being injured, so she subconsciously avoided it.

The dishes left in the kitchen couldn’t be eaten anymore, so Yan Mu had to have someone wastefully throw them away.

The crabs in the baskets were still very active, so Yu Yuan would probably have the chance to eat them.

Perhaps, due to being exposed to the cold wind after drinking wine last night, Yan Mu felt muddle-headed.

But she didn’t really want to see a doctor. After all, no doctor was as good as a kiss from Yu Yuan.

Yan Mu nestled on the rattan swing chair, her two slender legs swaying in the air.

Perhaps people in love were a little silly, Yan Mu didn’t want to get off before Yu Yuan returned.

However, by evening, Yu Yuan still hadn’t returned.

And Yan Mu’s fever was gradually getting worse.

She had to lie in the side room and wait for a doctor to come and treat her.

Initially, Xiao Qing tried to look for Imperial Physician Xu directly, but all of the imperial physicians had entered the palace for some unknown reason.

There wasn’t a single imperial physician outside of the palace.

Xiao Qing intuitively felt like something had happened, but his status was too low to enter the palace, so he could only remain anxious.

 But because of this incident, he also suspected that Yu Yuan might’ve been caught up in something.

Once he returned, Xiao Qing was about to tell Yan Mu the news, but he saw a palace carriage parked right at the bookstore’s entrance.

Stunned, Xiao Qing saw that the person who got out of the carriage was none other than Eunuch Qin.

He hesitated back and forth, but still decided to go forward and inquire.

Eunuch Qin was also contemplating whether to tell Yan Mu about this matter, and when he saw Xiao Qing, it was as if he’d seen his savior. 

“Last night, Bodyguard Yu was poisoned and fell unconscious,” Eunuch Qin said in a low voice.

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Edited by: Gaze