The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 126: Broken

Chapter 126: Broken

Du Yunse returned home under the starlight. The gatekeeper opened the door for him; the driver led the carriage to the back courtyard; the servants were bustling busily about in the outer court.

Wang Yinzhi greeted him and, together with Deng Die who had come to welcome him, went off to the side rooms of the outer courtyard.

Du Yunse stepped through the hanging-flower gate, crossed the passage hall into the inner courtyard. The yard was quiet, with only a few magnolia trees blooming in the night.

From the paper-covered windows of the main room, candlelight faintly glowed.

Du Yunse’s steps paused, then quickened slightly.

He first knocked on the door, then pushed it open. It was not barred from the inside; within, there was no one.

On the long table below the central hall, a pair of thick red candles burned — each as wide as a baby’s arm — painted with dragons and phoenixes in gold paste; the flickering light wavered through the room.

Du Yunse raised his brows slightly and stepped further inside.

Dang-dang—

Suddenly, the door behind him closed, and Qiu Huanian’s light, bright voice came from back there.

He suddenly jumped out from somewhere and leapt onto Du Yunse’s back, covering Du Yunse’s eyes with his hands.

Du Yunse gave a slight sway, but with one hand supported the attacker’s hips, holding Qiu Huanian steadily on his back.

Qiu Huanian buried his face in Du Yunse’s neck and breathed in; there was a faint scent of wine about him, not strong, softly intoxicating.

“Drinking? Will it affect your performance tonight, hm?”

Du Yunse’s voice was calm. “My husband told me to be ready tonight. How would I dare drink too much and delay business?”

Qiu Huanian gave him a loud smacking kiss on the cheek.

“Guess what color clothes I’m wearing. If you guess right, I’ll reward you by letting you carry me to bed.”

Du Yunse’s eyes were still covered by Qiu Huanian’s hand; he curved his lips faintly.

“Hua Ge’er is wearing red.”

Qiu Huanian chuckled. Indeed, he had changed into red robes, matching Du Yunse’s champion’s attire.

“Though we already had our wedding night,” Qiu Huanian said, “it’d be a pity not to have another on such an important day of your success in the imperial exams.”

He swung his legs and urged meaningfully, “Husband, the spring night is short.”

Following memory, Du Yunse carried Qiu Huanian into the inner room and to the bed, setting him down exactly on the couch. At last, the hands over his eyes fell away.

The inner room also had red dragon-and-phoenix candles lit. The canopy bed had been remade with red bedding; fine silk glimmered in the candlelight. A brazier of fine longan charcoal gave off ceaseless warmth.

Qiu Huanian lay there, his robe half open, the fiery red blending into the bedcloth beneath him. Pale, lustrous skin peeked out, making him like a blossom wantonly in bloom.

Du Yunse lifted his hands to his own collar — but Qiu Huanian stopped him.

On the bed, the young man’s face was flushed, his bright and beautiful eyes shimmering.

“Don’t take it off,” he said. “Wear it — I want you in your champion’s robe…”

Du Yunse’s breath grew rough at once.

And so he did, still in the red robe he had worn to ride the imperial street and attend the banquet, even crown and hairpiece with its inlaid flower unremoved, leaning over to catch Qiu Huanian’s wrists, covering him entirely beneath him.

The carved posts of the sturdy canopy bed gave low, solid knocks as they shook; the red candlelight was shattered in fragments by the restless shadows.

Qiu Huanian curled up, unable to endure, slender hands grasping at the bed curtains around him, trying to draw back, only to be pulled forward again without mercy.

Du Yunse was more aroused than ever before; Qiu Huanian lifted his head and through mingled sweat and tears looked hazily at his champion, feeling he might be pierced clean through at any moment by such fierce force.

He bit his lip, forcing himself to relax more, matching Du Yunse’s rhythm with greater cooperation.

…

It was well into the night before the candlesticks were thick with cascades of congealed wax like red tears, when Du Yunse finally rose from the bed.

Shrugging off the rumpled outer robe and tossing it on the stand, he picked up the crown and flower at some point removed, placing them carefully aside, then went out in white silk under-robe to call for hot water.

Qiu Huanian hid himself under the quilt, only his face showing; when the room was quiet again, Du Yunse came to carry him to the bath tub to wash.

After yet another round of activity, they were finally clean. Du Yunse laid Qiu Huanian back on the bed, then bent to pick things up from the floor.

“What is it?” Qiu Huanian asked, noticing Du Yunse’s movement pause.

He stuck his head out from the canopy bed; Du Yunse, fearing he would get chilled, promptly tucked him back in.

“It’s broken.”

Qiu Huanian froze — then understood, murmuring, “Surely it can’t be just from this once…”

Du Yunse pressed his lips together, a touch of guilt and vexation in his expression.

Qiu Huanian cleared his throat, choosing his words.

“Grandmaster Gu said it was hard for me to have children; if it happens just like that, then it’s fate from Heaven.”

“These past two years I’ve kept my health well; and we’re not in the village now, where I had to labor every day. Even if it did happen, it’d be fine.”

Truly, it was no one’s fault — if there was a reason, it was only that he had, unable to resist, decided to play a uniform roleplay and provoked Du Yunse into such intensity.

Having been in this world two or three years now, having found a soulmate in true love, and after witnessing Su Xinbai give birth to his little “cat slave” child, Qiu Huanian was mentally prepared for the possibility.

He reached out pale arms and smiled. “Stop standing there overthinking — come warm the bed, Great Champion Du.”

Du Yunse got into bed and pulled him tightly into his arms.

Hoarsely, he said, “Huanian, I really don’t know how else to love you more.”

Qiu Huanian didn’t answer, only returning the embrace and patting his back gently, again and again.

…

The next day was Du Yunse’s day of rest — though it wasn’t entirely free of duties.

The champion’s robe, disheveled from last night’s antics, had been carefully washed and ironed, ready to be worn again tomorrow for presenting the memorial.

The main courtyard was fully in preparation for the shaowei yan¹, while Du Yunse went to the Cun Jin Court to write the memorial for the Emperor.

Two days after the proclamation ceremony, the new champion must lead the three hundred graduates to present thanks; the memorial must, of course, be written by the zhuangyuan himself.

For one who had consecutively taken first in the provincial, metropolitan, and palace exams, composing an elegant essay in praise of the Emperor was an easy matter. By midday, Du Yunse had drafted and fair-copied it.

With the house busy all over, Qiu Huanian had the kitchen prepare a simple two dishes, which they enjoyed together on the second floor of Cun Jin Court, admiring the apricot blossoms.

Once the servants had withdrawn, Qiu Huanian, eating, asked about the previous day’s Banquet of Imperial Grace and Honor.

“Yesterday, with the three princes together, nothing happened?”

Du Yunse shook his head. “The Crown Prince never openly throws his weight around; with him present, the Second Prince and Prince of Jin wouldn’t dare create trouble.”

Qiu Huanian pictured it: the two younger princes chattering away, the Crown Prince just smiling and nodding, occasionally dispatching some light comment that left them fuming helplessly.

“And you? Did they give you any trouble?”

As champion, Du Yunse was the most prominent figure at the banquet, and being openly in the Crown Prince’s camp, he was certain to draw the attention of the other two factions.

“Only a few sour words. Hua Ge’er needn’t worry.”

Seeing him so unconcerned, Qiu Huanian relaxed and smiled. “Well, who told you to set an unprecedented record of Six Consecutive Firsts? If I were another scholar who’d worked so hard, I might want to be sour too.”

“If Hua Ge’er truly wanted to compete, he might succeed.”

Qiu Huanian shook his head quickly. “If you told me I could work hard and make the jinshi rank, maybe I’d try. But champion? Being first every single time from start to finish? No chance.”

Du Yunse picked out a piece of fish free of bones and placed it in his bowl. “I think Hua Ge’er simply doesn’t want to write scholarly essays.”

“Right, I don’t,” Qiu Huanian said bluntly. “It’s enough that you’ve borne the hardships of exams. I don’t plan to.”

They bantered a few lines, then Qiu Huanian spoke of the coming banquet.

“This time in the capital, I brought two thousand taels in case we needed to buy a house. With the Crown Prince and Sixteen helping, we got this fine house for fifteen hundred. The shops and farm cost over six hundred; after daily expenses, I still have about a thousand taels left.”

“A grand banquet — food, drink, pastries, hiring chefs, plus paying the troupe — should be around three hundred taels. Money goes fast.”

Prices in the capital were over twice those in Xiangping, and Qiu Huanian’s feelings had gone from pained at spending to numb as he worked out the costs.

“By the way, tomorrow when you present the memorial, will you also speak for Master Wen?”

“Yes — I’m prepared.”

A prodigy of unprecedented Six Consecutive Firsts was considered an auspicious sign; Emperor Yuanhua was not truly hostile to Wen Huiyang and would not refuse a champion’s plea, nor would others be able to fault it.

“In that case, Master Wen can make it to your banquet. Knowing you’ve won as champion — and with Six Consecutive Firsts — he’ll be glad.”

“Where are Master Wen’s family now?” Qiu Huanian asked.

“My teacher’s parents died early. He has only distant kin, never married, no children. Likely, only a young servant called Rushi is with him now.”

“Never married?” Qiu Huanian was surprised.

Wen Huiyang was over forty, had taken the champion title in his twenties, and was now a renowned scholar. Not marrying was most rare in these times.

“That’s his reverse scale² — I only know a little. When he was young, traveling, he met a general’s daughter; something happened later, she disappeared, and he never married thereafter.”

“Where was she from? What was her name? How did she vanish?” Qiu Huanian asked, curiosity roused.

“My teacher never said. I’ve only pieced together this much from fragments when he was drunk.”

Qiu Huanian sighed. “More than twenty years — Master Wen truly is a man of deep feeling. Is that why people gather with their like?”

“Is Hua Ge’er praising me?” Du Yunse said with a soft laugh.

“You’re getting shameless,” Qiu Huanian said, but without denying it.

“Master Wen has no close family; we should look after him more. After over two years in detention, I don’t know if he’s lacking in clothing or other essentials — the household goods may need replacing. I’ll check, and we can send what’s missing or worn.”

Du Yunse put down his chopsticks, gazing gently at Qiu Huanian sitting beneath the apricot blossoms leaning in the window.

“By the way,” Qiu Huanian said, “as this is my first meeting with him, shouldn’t I prepare a gift for Master Wen?”

Du Yunse smiled. “As a senior, he should prepare a greeting gift for Hua Ge’er instead.”

Then Du Yunse hesitated slightly — what kind of gift could his teacher prepare?

notes:

1. 1. Shaowei Yan (燒尾宴) – A “completion banquet” held by new officials or graduates to celebrate and entertain peers and superiors.

1. 1. Reverse Scale (逆鱗) – A metaphor for a sensitive or untouchable subject; drawn from the saying that a dragon’s reverse scale, if touched, provokes rage.