Chapter Forty-Five: Good Night

The Seventh Prince naturally knew that Yu Hualiang, who usually avoided him, could not possibly have come to his chambers of his own accord—he must want something. It was likely related to the medicine chamber he had shown him the other day, but why would Yu Hualiang be interested in those poisonous concoctions…

Complying with the Seventh Prince’s request, Yu Hualiang removed his clothes until only a white inner robe remained, then lay on the bed with the air of a man resigned to his fate. The prince, already reclining, gestured for him to come closer. With a guilty conscience, Yu Hualiang obeyed for once, inching nearer.

“Is this close enough?” Yu Hualiang asked.

“Closer still…” the prince teased.

Yu Hualiang edged over again, and the prince pulled him into a tight embrace, their faces nearly touching. Feeling repulsed, Yu Hualiang tried to shift away, but the prince opened his eyes and said, “Ziliang, if you lack anything, just tell me. There’s no need to sneak around here.”

Yu Hualiang’s heart skipped a beat. After a moment’s hesitation, he muttered, “Um… actually, my quilt is uncomfortable. I wanted to borrow yours for a night.”

The prince only held him tighter. “No need to borrow, Ziliang. Do you just want to sleep here?”

Finding his excuse had led right back to sharing a bed with the prince, Yu Hualiang felt as if ten thousand wild horses were galloping through his mind. He realized every pretext he tried was easily seen through, so he simply gave up and closed his eyes, deciding to sleep. He was certain the prince would not touch him tonight; if the prince tried anything, he had his own countermeasure ready.

Indeed, he held the prince’s wrist tightly in his hand.

The prince, believing their relationship had progressed, paid little mind to this. He fell asleep with Yu Hualiang in his arms, planning to steal away and inspect the medicine chamber once Yu Hualiang was sound asleep.

Half-asleep, Yu Hualiang thought he was in his own bed. When the prince began to rise, he mumbled, “Big brother… what are you doing up in the middle of the night?”

The prince assumed Yu Hualiang didn’t want him to leave, so he lay back down, turning on his side to gaze at Yu Hualiang’s sleeping face. Gently, he smoothed the hair from Yu Hualiang’s cheek, then pressed a light kiss to his forehead as he had done before, whispering, “Good night…”

Yu Hualiang slept in a daze that night. The prince rose early, but Yu Hualiang was a light sleeper and woke at the slightest sound. Hair in disarray, he blinked groggily around the unfamiliar room.

Suddenly, he remembered: last night, he and Cao Zhileng had been stealing medicine when the prince unexpectedly returned…

He pulled himself together and looked at the prince, who was dressing. Lifting the covers, Yu Hualiang checked himself—his clothing was perfectly intact. Clearly, nothing untoward had happened during the night.

The prince, now dressed, sat back on the bed, startling Yu Hualiang. But he merely tucked the covers around him and said gently, “It’s still early, Ziliang. Sleep a bit longer.”

“Uh… alright.” Yu Hualiang thought to himself that he couldn’t leave yet; Cao Zhileng was still hidden somewhere in the room.

The prince waited until Yu Hualiang lay back down before leaving. Yu Hualiang had intended only to feign sleep, but ended up dozing off for real—after all, the prince had left so early, the sky had not yet lightened.

Yu Hualiang was awakened by a shaft of sunlight piercing the room. Hastily, he opened the door to the medicine chamber. Before he could make out who was inside, a cold blade pressed against his throat. Arms raised in surrender, Yu Hualiang cried out, “Big brother, it’s me!”

Cao Zhileng, recognizing him, lowered the weapon. Noticing Yu Hualiang’s disheveled appearance, his eyes suddenly blazed with anger. “What did he do to you?!”

Seeing Cao Zhileng ready to fight to the death, Yu Hualiang hurried to explain, “Nothing, nothing. Your… poison, is it cured?”

Cao Zhileng nodded—he had indeed found the antidote during the night. But now, with daylight pouring in, sneaking out of the room would be much more difficult.

They began to brainstorm. Yu Hualiang suggested, “Why don’t you put on my clothes and sneak out?”

Cao Zhileng gave him a look that clearly rejected the idea.

Yu Hualiang instantly understood—was he saying he was too short?

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he protested.

“Let’s think of another way,” Cao Zhileng replied.

“Then we’ll just have to wait until nightfall,” Yu Hualiang huffed.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, startling Yu Hualiang. Cao Zhileng, experienced in such matters, swiftly hid himself atop the beams.

A maid’s sweet voice called out softly, “Master Yu, are you awake? The prince has sent me to attend to you.”

Yu Hualiang straightened his clothes. “Ah, come in.”

As soon as the maid entered, Yu Hualiang felt a pang of awkwardness—wasn’t this the same girl he’d rescued last night from her tryst with Qingzhang?

“Master Yu…” The maid blushed under his gaze.

He quickly reassured her, “It’s alright, just do what you need to do.”

Her hands shook as she carried the basin, cold sweat beading on her brow. Yu Hualiang assumed she was frightened by memories of last night. He tried to comfort her, “Don’t worry, I know nothing about what happened…”

But before he finished, the maid burst into tears and screamed, “I’m sorry, Master Yu!”

By the time Yu Hualiang realized what was happening, she had already drawn a blade hidden beneath the basin and lunged at him. Thankfully, his reflexes were swift—he seized the blade before it could reach his vitals.

Cao Zhileng saw the danger and quickly subdued her. Blood streamed from Yu Hualiang’s hand, but more than anger, he was bewildered—why would even the maid he had saved try to kill him?

Cao Zhileng, seeing the maid nearly strangled, was about to finish her off when Yu Hualiang stopped him.

“Why do you want to kill me?” Yu Hualiang demanded, furious.

The maid broke down in sobs. “Master Yu, please forgive me! I was forced into it!”

Cao Zhileng, having secured the doors and windows, tore a strip from his own clothing to bandage Yu Hualiang’s hand. Yu Hualiang asked coldly, “Forced?”

“Yes, yes! Master Yu, it’s Qingzhang… He threatened to expose my affair with him if I didn’t kill you!”

“Qingzhang again!” Yu Hualiang slammed the table in anger. “Clearly, it’s time to teach him a lesson!”

The maid, realizing her crime, tried to throw herself against a wall in atonement—if she died in the prince’s chambers, how would Yu Hualiang explain it? He was already bleeding all over the floor.

Learning she had been coerced by Qingzhang, Yu Hualiang’s anger faded. He pulled her back and said, “You came to kill me, and now you want to die yourself? Enough—I don’t blame you.”

He could see she was just an unfortunate girl, no doubt with something incriminating in Qingzhang’s hands, hence his nightly summons. Pitying her, Yu Hualiang asked, “What’s your name?”

“Kinho, Master Yu.”

“Kinho, I won’t tell anyone about you and Qingzhang, but you must pretend you saw nothing this morning. Otherwise, you know what your fate will be.”

It was the first time Yu Hualiang had threatened someone; Kinho trembled in fright. Satisfied, he stopped intimidating her, and Cao Zhileng, now dressed as a male servant, followed Yu Hualiang quietly.

All seemed to be going smoothly—until fate intervened.

“Yu Hualiang! Stop right there!”

He turned to see Princess Xuan approaching with a retinue of maids, striding toward him with the presence of a gangster boss.

Yu Hualiang shuddered and greeted her politely, “Good morning, Princess Xuan.”

She was not one to be trifled with, and Yu Hualiang knew it. He hoped courtesy might prompt her to let him pass.

“Don’t bother with the pleasantries! I heard you slept with the Seventh Prince again last night, didn’t you?”

So this was it—come to scold him for rumors. Embarrassed, Yu Hualiang replied, “Since you already know, Princess, why ask me again?”

“How dare you! Who are you to speak to our princess like that?” one of her maids protested.

Princess Xuan, her indignation flaring, declared, “Yu Hualiang! Even if you and the prince do as you will, I will always be his princess! Your illicit relationship is a disgrace—don’t you realize you’re making him a laughingstock before the world?”

Is that so? Wonderful, Yu Hualiang thought. Why not say all this to the Seventh Prince himself? If only the prince would understand and leave him alone.

Was she trying to make him leave the prince? He would, if only he could.

“Why are you silent?” she pressed.

“Tsk… I think the princess is absolutely right.”

His unexpectedly agreeable tone left Princess Xuan bewildered. She demanded, “If you know, why haven’t you left him yet? Why keep clinging to him?”

“If I could leave, I would!” Yu Hualiang complained bitterly.

She pointed to the main gate. “The door is right there! Why don’t you go?”

Yu Hualiang could barely restrain himself from calling her a fool. “The prince won’t let me leave. Wherever I go, he’ll bring me back!”

“Nonsense! It’s you who’s clinging to him!”

He was done talking. Turning away, he snapped, “Believe what you like!”

Princess Xuan rushed to block his path. “What will it take for you to leave him?”

“Don’t you get it? Unless the prince lets me go, it’s all in vain.”

“Shameless! A disgrace to all gentlemen!”

Yu Hualiang was numb to her insults, his ears calloused from hearing them so often. He finally confessed, “Princess, if you can get me out of this residence without alerting the prince or having him come after me, I’d be grateful!”

She swept him with a piercing gaze. “Do you mean it?”

“Absolutely. Truer than gold.”