47 Plum

The Winter Solstice was the shortest day of the year but also a time of the year when families would gather together. The city Yan Zheyun was originally born in, SH City, was in the southern part of his country, where the custom was to eat brightly coloured tangyuan (1). Although his mother was a taitai who didn't have to do a day's of housework in her life, she always insisted on being the one to prepare the tangyuan herself, filling up the little balls of glutinous rice with sesame paste, which was the irrevocable favourite of their entire family.

[Somewhere out there,]Yan Zheyun thought with a hint of wistfulness, [are they also celebrating the solstice?] No doubt his noticeable absence at their table would only make them miss him more.

He closed his eyes and sighed. Perhaps it was pathetic fallacy, where his low mood reflected the gloomy winter evening sky, or perhaps it was the other way around and the uncomfortable heaviness in his chest was the result of the depressing cold. He'd been cooped up in Zheshan Palace for nearly a month now and this invoked a stirring restlessness that was like an itch that he couldn't scratch. Its presence drove him crazy but no matter how much he tried to alleviate him, it was like the sensation was just beneath his skin, out of reach.

"In response to Little Master, we don't eat tangyuan during the solstice? We only have dumplings." Xiao De's reply sounded confused. Yan Zheyun didn't blame him for finding the question weird. As far as anyone knew, the old Yan Family had its roots in the capital, which was situated in the north. Yan Yun had grown up a northerner all his life and would not have had the habit of eating tangyuan. But Yan Zheyun had held the small hope that the setting in 'Hurt Me in a Million Ways' would be enough of an alternate universe that tangyuan would be available today too. Perhaps the author of that stupid novel had an irrational preference for it?

But to have his hopes dashed just like that made him wilt over the table. This unflappable CEO, who had faced countless adversities since transmigrating in, was now succumbing to a bad bout of homesickness.

"Little Master…" Xiao De's mumble was filled with worry. "What's wrong?"

Yan Zheyun didn't know where to begin. As Yan Yun, it was taboo for him to even mention his family as they were executed state convicts. Even though the parents and siblings Yan Zheyun wanted to talk about weren't the same people as Yan Yun's relatives, he couldn't exactly tell Xiao De that either.

And saying too much was dangerous, as much for Xiao De as it was for him.

Shaking his head, Yan Zheyun pressed his cheek against the wooden surface he was using as a makeshift pillow, flinching a little at its icy touch.

"Are we completely out of coal?" he asked, shivering slightly as he cocooned himself deeper inside his blankets. Next to him, Xiao De wasn't wearing nearly half as much but he didn't seem that affected by the terrible chill. Yan Zheyun blamed this both on his innate dislike for the cold and on Yan Yun's poor constitution. He didn't get it. Why couldn't Yan Yun be as healthy as a horse? Wouldn't that be all the better for interesting sex? Why did he have to be a frail, wispy protagonist with an almost sickly sort of beauty? Where was the sexiness in that?

"We still have some, but…" Xiao De chewed on the inside of his cheek in anxiety. "This servant is worried it won't last the rest of winter. This servant's godbrother has already asked our godfather for help, though…why haven't the departments sent more supplies?"

Yan Zheyun could hazard a guess but he didn't want to sow discord between Xiao De and his only support in the imperial city. Although Yan Zheyun wasn't above manipulating others, he still drew a line at hurting innocents without good cause. There was nothing to be gained from making Xiao De believe that his godfather had chosen to withhold assistance and even if this was true, the news shouldn't come from Yan Zheyun.

"No," Xiao De said suddenly, with renewed determination. He rose abruptly from his seat, its legs scraping harshly against the floor. "I'm going to go confront Godfather myself, I'm sure he won't refuse to help—"

"Sit down." Yan Zheyun reached out a lazy hand and tugged him back. "Perhaps your godfather's hands are tied too—" This was a definite possibility. Chances were that the people making Yan Zheyun's life difficult were in power positions in the inner palace too.

"No way! Godfather is very influential—"

"Then he has his reasons and you going once more will not improve matters," was Yan Zheyun's smooth interjection. To distract Xiao De, he shoved the measly bowl of dumplings over. "Here, share this with me." He was surprised that the Imperial Buttery remembered to send a share over. A part of him suspected that they were poisoned but it didn't make sense to commit such an obvious crime. Besides, it wasn't like Yan Zheyun had any choice but to eat the paltry meals they catered to him every day. They'd had plenty of opportunities to poison him before and there was no way to prevent it because it wasn't like he could start growing fruits and vegetables in all this snow.

Perhaps if he was still alive in spring.

Xiao De might be young and rash but he was also obedient. He sat down after Yan Zheyun commanded him to and ate the dumplings because Yan Zheyun offered them in a tone that brooked no refusal.

But ironically, it was Yan Zheyun who struggled to keep still. There was an intense urge to fidget, which was as unfamiliar as it was uncomfortable. In the past, he'd never had any issue holing up in his office for days on end to work towards the completion of yet another project. But now, a sense of purposelessness permeated his existence and he felt like if he didn't seek out a change in environment, he would soon lose his will to survive.

It was his turn to scrape his chair legs against the floor.

Xiao De choked in fright from the suddenness of Yan Zheyun's actions. He thumped on his chest with one fist as he stumbled to his feet because it was rude to remain sitting in front of his master.

"Little Master," he coughed out. "What's the matter?"

Yan Zheyun studied him critically. A sudden idea occurred to him. It would be risky but…the sun had already set and the imperial city was humongous.

Coming from the modern world, Yan Zheyun was used to living in an overpopulated city. Humans were adaptable creatures and had soon started building smaller rooms in high-rise apartments to cope with the increasing housing demand.

Yan Zheyun had been more fortunate than most in the sense that his family was wealthy enough to afford a large mansion. It had even come with a swimming pool, garden, tennis court, and a luxurious long driveway past the main gate that added even more bonus B points to the place.

But the home that he had been so proud of was nothing compared to the size of the imperial city. There was bound to be a quiet corner or two where two young eunuchs taking a break would go unnoticed.

A gleam of excitement shone in his eyes but he kept it contained under a veneer of calm, to not scare his poor servant away.

"Xiao De," he said levelly. "How many sets of eunuch's tunics do you own?"

"…?" Xiao De scratched the back of his head. "Three? Why?"

Three was more than good enough. A small smile spread across Yan Zheyun's face.

"Fantastic. Bring me one."

——————————

"Little—mmph!"

Xiao De's despairing whisper was smothered under the weight of Yan Zheyun's palm. Yan Zheyun shot him a dirty look. He wasn't sure how he managed it with Yan Yun's harmless face but the admonishment in his glare must have been fierce enough because it quailed Xiao De at once.

"If you want to blow my cover straight away, go ahead and call me that at the top of your voice," Yan Zheyun said icily. "But I'm going to be very upset with you."

Xiao De shook his head, blinking piteously. With one last warning glance, Yan Zheyun released him.

"Then how should this ser—this…this me address you?"

"…" If someone had told Yan Zheyun just last solstice that he was going to be randomly generating eunuch nicknames for himself, he would have snorted and told them there was too much rice wine in the broth that their tangyuan was served in.

"Little…you?" Xiao De nearly chewed his tongue off trying to stop that title from escaping his lips.

Yan Zheyun sighed for the nth time since scaling the walls of Zheshan Palace. The barren osmanthus tree in the back courtyard was just the right height to use as a ladder.

"…I'm Xiao Zhe for the duration of this evening, got it?" It was the only character in his name that no one in this world knew about.

Xiao De nodded. "Got it."

Now that he was out of Zheshan Palace, some of the tension that had plagued Yan Zheyun since he'd woken up this morning realising it was the winter solstice dissipated. It felt insanely irresponsible to put his life on the line just to escape his cage for a short while and catch a breather out here but he needed it. The cabin fever had become unbearable.

Still, he wasn't foolish enough to start wandering the main paths. That was just asking to be stopped by a passing patrol.

"Is there an unobtrusive corner where I can relax for a while?" he asked. Despite remaining on the small side roads that only the servants used, they were walking side by side briskly to feign a busy energy. Pairs of eunuchs rushing to complete tasks for their masters were such a common sight that none of the other servants gave them so much as a second glance. Yan Zheyun was grateful for this because he didn't need anyone catching sight of Yan Yun's flawless face.

Ages ago, he'd read a translation of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe before. In it, there was a line describing Helen of Troy as the owner of the 'face that launched a thousand ships'. He'd always thought of it as a ridiculous hyperbole but now that he'd seen Yan Yun's reflection, he had to buy into it. Armies would fight for Yan Yun, there was no doubt about it.

It just sucked that this troublesome face was his now.

Xiao De ended up leading him to a secluded garden that was very out of the way. It was situated near the actual imperial city's walls. Tonight felt darker than all other nights before. The sky was overcast and the moon was hidden behind an ominous veil of grey clouds. In the garden was a smattering of skeletal trees. Yan Zheyun couldn't tell what they were until he came across one that was right next to the red walls.

It was an early bloomer, the only tree he'd seen that had already begun forming small green offshoots.

Only plum blossoms would form buds in the cold. Suddenly, the tree, the snow, and the wall became glaringly familiar. This location, this setting, this scene. It was a ghost that paled in comparison to that sight in Meiyue Tower—

A painting flashed across his eyes, words of a poem flowing from ink dripping from the end of a wolf brush (2) tip.

Yan Zheyun took a step back and forcibly removed himself from the flood of memories with a gasp.

"Little—Zhe—" He could hear Xiao De calling him but his words sounded far away like he was shouting to Yan Zheyun from across a mountain ridge.

Yan Zheyun squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, the disorientation had disappeared and he was fully back in the moment. A loud yelp caught his attention.

"Please slow down, Your Highness! You'll trip!"

Yan Zheyun's heart leapt into his throat. Your Highness? A member of the imperial family had shown up? Why here? This area was so desolate, it made no sense—

He heard childish laughter and saw a procession of lanterns chase frantically after a small figure bundled together in layers of robes like a small ball of fluff.

"Oh no," Xiao De said in a strangled voice. "We need to get out of here, we're not supposed to be loitering—"

But it was too late.

"Who goes there! Stand still!"

A frantic wet nurse bundled the young figure up into her arms while the accompanying eunuchs strode forward to seize at Yan Zheyun and Xiao De, effectively cutting off their escape.

A middle-aged woman stepped out of the crowd to regard them severely. Her hairstyle and attire were slightly more ornate than that of the other younger maids Yan Zheyun had seen around and he suspected that this must be the chief maid in charge of the young royal's household affairs.

"Lurking around suspiciously after nightfall," she accused in a harsh tone. "Do you think the imperial city is your garden? Report your names and your stations."

Next to Yan Zheyun, Xiao De was trembling. They'd both been forced onto their knees in front of her and Yan Zheyun kept his chin tucked in a last desperate bid to conceal his identity but he realised that it was in his best interests to disclose it now. It was bad for a lowly concubine to roam around on his own especially when he had no permission to leave Zheshan Palace. But it could be fatal for a servant to do the same.

He opened his mouth to announce his title but the expression on the chief maid's face suddenly changed and she fell into a deep curtsy.

"Royal Brother!"

A firm hand seized Yan Zheyun's arm suddenly from behind, yanking him unceremoniously to his feet as the eunuch's around him took his place on the ground.

"This servant pays his respects to His Majesty!"

Oh.