Chapter 7: Private Meeting in the Villa, the Foolish Male Protagonist

Yue Guanyi saw the surprised look in Qiu Shuzhi’s eyes.

His muddled and stuffy mind suddenly felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. The dull and reckless thoughts receded like the tide, and a piercing clarity washed over him. He realized what foolish words he had just spoken, so presumptuously uttering something that sounded like fighting for favor.

Yue Guanyi felt extremely stupid and wished he could tear out that inch of cheap tongue from his mouth and chop it into mincemeat.

She must think he is disgusting.

He felt as if he had fallen into an icy winter abyss, his whole body cold. He lowered his head, not daring to look at Qiu Shuzhi’s eyes. His hands clenched tightly, and the bandaged hand slowly seeped with a glaring trace of fresh blood.

“Your Highness, your hand…” Qiu Shuzhi looked at the crimson blood oozing from Yue Guanyi’s palm, like a piece of fine white jade adorned with a splotch of bloody haze.

Chang’an quickly dismounted and untied the bandage on Yue Guanyi’s hand. The wound that had barely scabbed over ruptured open again, revealing the tender red flesh inside, a shocking sight.

“Your Highness, your wound has reopened. Let Chang’an rebandage it for you.”

Yue Guanyi was still immersed in the nightmare of being despised by Qiu Shuzhi, paying no heed to Chang’an’s words. His face turned even more deathly pale.

Watching the bloody wound continuously seep blood, meandering from his palm all the way to his fingertips, then dripping from his fingertips to form a pool of blood on the ground, attracting sideways glances from passersby.

Many people recognized his identity. To avoid drawing attention, Qiu Shuzhi whispered in his ear, “This subordinate has offended you.”

With that, she directly pulled him into the carriage. The heavy curtains fell, blocking out all outside gazes.

Chang’an immediately understood and drove the carriage away from the bustling marketplace.

Inside the swaying carriage, the finest aloeswood incense burned, white smoke curling within the enclosed space. He was dressed in snow-white clothes, his long hair falling over his shoulders, his downcast eyes lonely and desolate.

Qiu Shuzhi picked up the gauze on the low table and silently bandaged his wound for him.

Yue Guanyi’s eyelashes trembled. He abruptly withdrew his hand and said with trepidation, “I can do it myself. No need to trouble you, Officer Qiu.”

Qiu Shuzhi sighed, seeing the bloodstains splattered on his snow-white clothes, like a red plum blossom blooming in the vast snowy expanse.

“How can you bandage it yourself? Let this subordinate do it. Does Your Highness disdain me?”

“How could that be…” Yue Guanyi shook his head vehemently.

How could he disdain her?

He would be overjoyed if Qiu Shuzhi was willing to touch him, let alone disdain. He only feared that his lowly self would sully her hands.

He wanted to keep a distance from Qiu Shuzhi. A man’s tainted blood should not enter the eyes of a noble woman.

But he shamelessly harbored a hint of bold delusion. He also yearned for Qiu Shuzhi’s favor!

“Give me your hand,” she said.

Yue Guanyi obediently held out his hand, his trembling eyes cautiously watching her.

For a moment, Qiu Shuzhi felt like she was disciplining a large dog. Although it looked fierce and intimidating to others, it was docile and tame before its master, its eyes fixed only on its master.

She brushed aside those wild thoughts and carefully bandaged the wound with gauze, instructing as she went, “Your Highness, the wound is very deep and difficult to heal in the first place. Remember, you mustn’t keep tearing it open again and again, understand?”

Yue Guanyi nodded, utterly obedient.

In the tranquil space with just the two of them, Qiu Shuzhi’s attention was solely focused on him. This feeling of being valued made him feel as if he was on cloud nine, the insecure heart also filled with this bliss.

After the wound was bandaged, some of his blood had gotten on Qiu Shuzhi’s hands.

He instantly felt immensely guilty. His tainted blood had dirtied the hands of the noble one. Those slender, pure white hands now had stains. He wished he could kneel before her and lick away the filth bit by bit with his tongue, yet feared his unruly self would frighten her.

The closer he got to her, the deeper the sense of inferiority etched in his bones became. It was as if it was carved into his very being. Qiu Shuzhi was the moon in the sky, while he was just a lowly insect. Under the moonlight, he suppressed his wanton thoughts, and the more he did, the more distant that luminous moonlight became from him.

“Officer, please cleanse your hands!” Yue Guanyi took out a damp towel from the side and respectfully handed it to her, his demeanor and tone more like a humble servant than a prince.

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Qiu Shuzhi took the towel and gently wiped her hands with it.

“I…I have learned dance before, but I dance poorly.” He tried to explain his earlier absurd, fawning words.

But some words only become more confusing the more one tries to explain. Language could only make his expression seem more feeble.

His voice grew softer and softer, more and more apprehensive. He even wanted to remorsefully tug at his own hair, despising his own stupidity.

“How can a lowly street dancer’s moves compare to Your Highness’s noble grace?” Qiu Shuzhi gave a faint smile, her gentle voice dispelling all his unease.

Yue Guanyi’s face flushed crimson, his ears so red they almost dripped blood, like a ripe, soft berry that made her want to pinch them.

“Your Highness, we’ve arrived at the villa,” Chang’an’s voice came from outside as the carriage stopped.

Qiu Shuzhi’s eyes instantly cleared, discarding all her thoughts. No matter how soft and tame this person before her looked, he was still the current Crown Prince, the head of the Imperial Guards, a living Yama who wielded great power and was ruthless.

If she dared to touch him, her head would probably be displayed atop the city gates tomorrow.

Qiu Shuzhi lifted the curtain and exited the carriage.

What greeted her eyes was an imposing and elegant villa. The villa was located right at the foot of the Imperial City. Inside the high walls and spacious courtyard, green bamboo groves cast cool bamboo shadows extending from within the walls, forming a bamboo screen.

Yue Guanyi followed behind her. Just as he was about to get off the carriage, Qiu Shuzhi naturally extended her hand to support him.

Yue Guanyi’s eyes quivered. He nearly went weak in the knees and tumbled off the carriage again like that night. He clenched his fingers, avoiding her hand as he got off the carriage.

Assisting someone off a horse was something servants typically did. How could he let Qiu Shuzhi do such a thing? She was the eternally cool and luminous moonlight in his heart. Even if dust fell at her feet, he wished he could kneel before her and brush away every speck. She was the bodhisattva in his heart, and he was willing to be the mount beneath her.

“Since Your Highness has arrived at the residence, this subordinate will not intrude any further. I take my leave!” Qiu Shuzhi cupped her hands in salute, preparing to go.

“Officer Qiu, please wait. Since you’re already at my residence, why not come in and have a seat?” Yue Guanyi spoke up to make her stay, his slender fingers curling into fists.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he inwardly cursed himself for being insatiable, greedy again and again. He reviled himself for being like a gluttonous beast, never satisfied, greedily yearning for Qiu Shuzhi to be with him at all times.

Qiu Shuzhi’s steps paused. She saw the fine beads of sweat on his forehead dampening his hair. She was a bit puzzled. Why did this person look so nervous, yet still insisted on making her stay?

Although she didn’t understand what was so frightening about herself, wasn’t his forceful attempt to make her stay a form of self-torment?

“Your Highness, it seems inappropriate for this subordinate, as a woman, to enter your elegant villa,” she tactfully declined.

Yue Guanyi’s face flushed pink. Enduring his highly tense nerves, he said, “It’s just to discuss official matters. Officer Qiu need not mind those worldly etiquette rules.”

Official matters?

She couldn’t refuse that reason. “Alright then.”

Yue Guanyi let out a sigh of relief, like a drowning person finally getting a chance to breathe.

They entered the villa together. As expected of the imperial family’s style, even a villa had its own world within. Inside the capital city, the scenery changed with each step. Floral shadows cast on the walls, mountains and water, buildings and pavilions exuded elegance and leisure everywhere, as if an entire Jiangnan villa had been transplanted here.

Qiu Shuzhi sat on a red sandalwood chair in the inner courtyard. In the vast courtyard, there were only the two of them. Chang’an stood guard far away in the outer courtyard.

“Officer, please have some tea.” Yue Guanyi personally poured her a cup of tea and offered it to her with a flushed face.

Qiu Shuzhi took it in a daze and asked, looking at the tea leaves floating up and down in the cup, “Your Highness, what exactly did you call me here for?”

Yue Guanyi sat on the chair next to her. Perhaps because he was too nervous, his entire body was perched on the very edge of the chair, sitting upright like a student left alone to face the teacher’s detention.

“I asked you to come because of Her Majesty.”

“What matter regarding Her Majesty?” Qiu Shuzhi instantly became tense.

Seeing her so anxious about that puppet emperor, Yue Guanyi felt a bit jealous, but still pretended to be calm, “Your previous proposal made the Empress Dowager pay extra attention to you. Qin Shu will be exiled to Baiyue in a few days. The Empress Dowager now highly favors you and surely wants to win you over as her disciple. Her Majesty’s intention is for you to—”

“This subordinate understands. I will remember the imperial grace and definitely won’t side with the Empress Dowager, letting down Her Majesty’s good intentions.” As soon as Yue Guanyi spoke, she understood what the young empress wanted to say.

She could understand. After all, no empress could tolerate someone who was disloyal.

“No!” Yue Guanyi unprecedentedly interrupted her, “That’s just Her Majesty’s intention.”

Qiu Shuzhi looked at him in puzzlement.

Yue Guanyi’s gaze was burning as he carefully analyzed the situation, “The forces behind the Empress Dowager are very powerful. If she knows she can’t win you over, she will surely make a deadly move against you.”

Qiu Shuzhi nodded. Of course she understood this point.

“There aren’t that many things in this world that can have the best of both worlds,” she said mildly.

The path of an official was difficult to tread. Since she had already chosen this perilous path and chosen her master, she had to be absolutely loyal. Otherwise, swaying like a weathervane, her end would be miserable sooner or later.

As Qiu Shuzhi’s tone became slightly desolate, Yue Guanyi’s heartbeat followed and faltered.

“You can comply with the Empress Dowager’s wishes and join the Qin family,” he said.

Qiu Shuzhi was a bit dazed, blankly looking at him.

There were two major factions in the palace, one was the Qin family and the other was the imperial power.

She had always thought that Yue Guanyi, as Yue Shen’s biological brother, should be on the side of imperial power, but she had forgotten that Yue Guanyi’s birth father was also from the Qin family. He had half of the Qin family’s blood in him.

Seeing Qiu Shuzhi’s eyes gradually change, Yue Guanyi panicked, “Don’t misunderstand, I’m not asking you to betray Her Majesty.”

Qiu Shuzhi raised her eyebrows slightly.

Yue Guanyi slowly said, “The Empress Dowager’s methods and schemes are extraordinary. You don’t need to go against her at this time. I know you have ambitions to become a famous official. A famous official naturally needs to endure… You don’t need to worry about Her Majesty’s side, I will handle it for you.”

The air stagnated for a moment, the atmosphere eerie. Even the sound of breathing could be heard clearly. Yue Guanyi nervously awaited her answer.

After a long silence, Qiu Shuzhi said, “Why are you so good to this subordinate?”

Qiu Shuzhi was full of doubts, truly not understanding the reason why Yue Guanyi was so attentive to her.

Yue Guanyi lowered his head, his curled fingers tightening again and again, “You are a capable official. I want to keep you, a capable official, for Great Qi.”

He shamelessly spoke words that went against his heart. He just wanted her to be well. If she wanted to pursue an official career, he would spare no effort, even if he had to be a stepping stone under her feet, he would send her to a high position.

The Great Qi nation was rotten from the inside out, even the roots were decaying. The entire country exuded a foul stench. He didn’t care about the country, the world, or the grand righteousness of the Spring and Autumn period. Even if Qiu Shuzhi wanted to usurp the throne and become the empress, he would willingly open the city gates and offer up the imperial jade seal.

“This subordinate thanks Your Highness!” Qiu Shuzhi knelt on one knee.

Yue Guanyi was so startled his heart nearly stopped. Without thinking, he also knelt on both knees before her, his fingers supporting her were frighteningly cold, “Please get up quickly. What virtue or ability do I, a mere man, have to receive this bow from you?”

This one kneel from Qiu Shuzhi nearly scared Yue Guanyi to death. His arms supporting her were trembling, wishing he could kneel at her feet and kowtow heavily to alleviate a bit of the guilt in his heart.

Qiu Shuzhi held his hands in return and said earnestly, “This subordinate comes from a humble background. To be valued by Her Majesty and Your Highness, I will do my utmost for Her Majesty in the future.”

Yue Guanyi’s hands were held by her. The warmth of her palms tightly covered his cold fingertips, as if he was in a warm spring.

He pursed his lips and said with private intentions, “The most important thing is for you to take good care of yourself.”

After the conversation ended, he reluctantly saw Qiu Shuzhi off.

Chang’an came in at the right time and asked, “Your Highness, are you returning to the palace today?”

Yue Guanyi turned his back to him, “No, close the door.”

Chang’an didn’t understand but obediently closed the door.

The carved wooden door blocked out the light from outside. The window’s shadows weaved light and dark on the floor of the inner courtyard.

Yue Guanyi slowly collapsed to the ground, his flawless face tightly pressed against the spot where Qiu Shuzhi had knelt. The hand wrapped in gauze was placed by his lips as he reverently and carefully kissed the bandage.

His Shuzhi, his Qiu Niang, she had bandaged him today, she had held his hands. He was so excited he could barely contain himself.

His thin figure curled up like a young beast, like an infant in the womb. He prostrated on the ground with his entire being, as if absorbing the warmth she had left behind.