Chapter 24: 第二十三章

A/N  updated on mobile so the format might be weird, praying that it's not 😫🤞, it's a longer chapter too 😛

"You're back?"

"En." Liu Qingyuan stepped up to the pavilion where the king was sitting at the round stone table, peeling lychees with his fingers in the early morning sun. His face was bright and content after a much needed rest following their harrowing time in the hunting grounds. Unfortunately, kings were never really free; at most, half a day or so of rest. In contrast, Liu Qingyuan's face was a bit tired. His master's words had run through his head the entire night.

"Sit." Jiang Zhilan saw Liu Qingyuan was spaced out and deliberately asked him to sit. Unconsciously Liu Qingyuan sat and the king smiled in satisfaction. Eunuch Shuang cleared his throat lightly. It was just the beginning of the morning...so early...

The king shot him a glare and Eunuch Shuang hastily looked away.

Liu Qingyuan was still in a daze when he felt something cold and wet push against his lips. A plump lychee was stuffed into his mouth, sticky fingers sliding against the corner of his mouth. Liu Qingyuan grabbed that hand, gaze jumping to the king's.

"Is it tasty?" Jiang Zhilan asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Liu Qingyuan had started to nod his head before he realized what had just happened. He quickly let go of Jiang Zhilan's hand, making to get up. "Nuh-uh." A hand grabbed his collar and tugged him back down, the sides of their faces colliding for a moment. Eunuch Shuang glanced away.

"Your majesty..." Jiang Zhilan glanced over momentarily, his face flushing red at the realization of his actions. He quickly looked around to make sure no one was around and cleared his throat. "Have...have some tea!" He poured Liu Qingyuan a cup.

"Your majesty..."

"What? Why aren't you eating? Is it not good?" Flustered, Jiang Zhilan turned to Eunuch Shuang who was still pretending he was blind. "Change it out."

Liu Qingyuan hastily picked up a peeled lychee from the small pile on the dish amid pieces of husk on the table. "No need." He rolled the fruit between his fingers, getting them sticky with juice. Jiang Zhilan glanced back at him. Their gazes clashed and Liu Qingyuan finally stuffed it in his mouth. The sweet juice burst in his mouth, coating his tongue in freshness.

Eunuch Shuang had just finished clearing the peels off the table when a maid walked up the steps, carrying a small plate of light pastries. The pile was stacked precariously, enough so that a larger plate was probably recommended.

"Your majesty," Liu Qingyuan wanted to object but Jiang Zhilan waved away his protest. He picked one up, turning it this way and that to appreciate it's cute design. His hand darted towards Liu Qingyuan's mouth. "Try one." Liu Qingyuan caught his wrist again, gaze boring deep into the others. Stopped mid-action, a faint sense of embarrassment showed on the King's face. "Try it," he prompted.

Liu Qingyuan kept his gaze trained on Jiang Zhilan's, and with sudden impulse, slowly moved his head down and ate the pastry straight from his hands. Jiang Zhilan went into a daze, staring at his own fingers like they contained the mysteries of the universe. Eunuch Shuang nearly turned all the way around. One was bad enough, but two! It made the space suffocating!

A beat passed. Then two. Jiang Zhilan snatched his hand back, hurriedly pushing a cup of tea in front of Liu Qingyuan. "Have some tea!"

"..."

This king seemed to have forgotten this cup of tea was his own. Slender jade fingers picked up the cup, stagnant eyes staring into the amber depths contemplatively. All kinds of thoughts churned in Liu Qingyuan's head but still, he raised the cup to his lips, hot liquid spilling over his tongue and bringing with it, the fragrance of fine brewed tea. Jiang Zhilan watched him unblinkingly, his expression carrying the barest trace of expectation.

"En." This one syllable prompted a pleased expression on the king's face. He turned away slightly, pretending to fix the small pile of pastries on the plate.

"See? Isn't it good. This tea is brewed from the mountain snow lily. They only grow in northern region and have to be transported over thousands of miles as fast as possible to preserve the freshness. They're definitely not easy to get..."

Liu Qingyuan listened to his ramble, watching the clumsy movement of his fingers. A small imperceptible smile graced his lips. This person was the ruler of a kingdom and yet he could still get lost in the little things. Few rulers had such the luxury of such carefreeness.

"Try some of these too." Jiang Zhilan began moving a small pile of pastries in front of Liu Qingyuan. He turned away as if indifferent and reached for his tea cup, only to grasp air. The king froze, his gaze floating over to the cup in Liu Qingyuan's hand. He watched those lips touch, drink and swallow and a flush spread across his cheeks. He actually...gave his cup to him!? Embarrassed and pretending nothing was wrong, Jiang Zhilan poured himself another cup, unable to look in his direction. He gestured slightly. "Have some...have some more."

"...en." Liu Qingyuan quietly ate another while the king composed himself. He glanced up for a moment, meeting the inquiring gaze of Eunuch Shuang. Quietly, Liu Qingyuan closed his hand and sat up a bit straighter. The blank look came back onto his face.

At this moment, Jiang Zhilan looked over and found Liu Qingyuan sitting stiffly like a statue and staring off to the side. The plate of pastries in front of him lay relatively untouched. "You...don't you like the food?" He asked, puzzled. The imperial palace employed the best cooks across the kingdom. Even if every person had a different taste, they'd still be able to enjoy all creations 70-80%.

"It is...very good, your majesty."

"Have some more then! The assistant cook was rather adorable; he kept asking me about you. He was so worried he didn't even notice the murderous gaze of the head cook behind him." The king's lips rose up in a laugh, eyes sparkling in mirth. "By the way, do you know each other? He kept calling you Yuan ge...," Jiang Zhilan frowned slightly.

"En. He was in the same training cohort as me." This assistant cook...it must be Xiao Bo.

The king raised a brow. "Hmm. I wonder how he became a kitchen assistant..." Jiang Zhilan laughed a little, imagining a million possible scenarios. The energetic boy left nothing but good impressions on the king.

Liu Qingyuan glanced over, hesitating. Usually his words would be straight-forward and concise but he suddenly felt like he didn't know what to say. "Your majesty..."

"Mm?" Liu Qingyuan got up and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for your kindness," He said, indicating the tea and food that he'd consumed. He stepped away from the table and to the corner; the place a guard should stand. Definitely not sitting at the same table and eating and chatting with the king. Liu Qingyuan realized that it was slightly too late to completely reverse their...understanding of each other. But it was better to start now than to fall deeper into that hole. After all...he'd still promised his master.

Jiang Zhilan watched him get up with a little confusion, his expression changing slightly as Liu Qingyuan moved away. He looked down contemplatively. In a way, he understood. They came from different walks of life and resided in different positions. But somehow the action still made him feel...something.

"Why are you...why are you so far away?"

"This servant dares not invade his majesty's space."

"Yuan-ge..."

"This servant doesn't dare accept such a close name." Eunuch Shuang watched this drama expressionlessly, but his eyes flickered back and forth. Who knew what sort of words might fly out of his mouth when he retired back to the servant's quarters?

"You-" Jiang Zhilan was a little frustrated. He'd thought that they were getting a little closer, that they were...friends, or whatever the relationship could be between a king and a servant. But suddenly, Liu Qingyuan starting acting like this; if you told him nothing had happened, he wouldn't believe it. "What's going on with you? Yuan-ge," he added as an afterthought.

"This servant dares not bother your majesty with such trivial things. And," Liu Qingyuan hesitated slightly. "This servant...asks his majesty not to call this servant Yuan-ge."

"This servant this! This servant that! I'll call you Yuan-ge if I want to!" Jiang Zhilan exploded.

"Your majesty-"

"Are you the king or am I?" He interrupted coldly. Jiang Zhilan turned away, looking sullenly at the small pile of peeled lychees on the table. He wiped his sticky fingers on a silk handkerchief and threw it on the table. "Forget it! If...if you can't finish all those, forget about living!" Both Eunuch Shuang and Liu Qingyuan looked up, a little surprised. Unexpectedly, the king wasn't truly mad. And, the pile of lychees wasn't even that big. Hand-peeled by the king, most would think of it as a reward...

Eunuch Shuang, "..."

Liu Qingyuan, "..." Wasn't this basically forcing him? He couldn't really believe that Jiang Zhilan would kill him over this, but then again, a king's power meant every possibility. The frosty look in his eyes was not 'Jiang Zhilan' but 'King of Qiangda'. Liu Qingyuan could only walk over and sit down. The first lychee was rolled uncertainly between his fingers and accompanied with a burning gaze. With a slight sigh, he shoved it into his mouth. The fruit was innocently fragrant and soft, his teeth sinking in until they collided with the black pit in the middle and juices spilling across his tongue. Liu Qingyuan found himself eating slowly, despite his initial wish to 'get it over with'.

Despite his anger, Jiang Zhilan watched him subtly. This expression...the lychee was sweet right? After Liu Qingyuan swallowed the last one, their gaze incidentally collided and Jiang Zhilan almost blurted out his question of, 'Was it good?'. Hurriedly, he turned away, lips pulling into a frown. Liu Qingyuan watched him, even hesitatingly daring to entertain the thought that when he was angry he was quite...cute.

"You...why are you looking at me like that?!" Oftentimes, when one is guilty, ordinary stares can seem incriminating. The king became a little flustered, cheeks flushing as the other looked at him with an indifferent gaze. Jiang Zhilan shot up from his seat, eyes darting everywhere. "Not eating anymore," he mumbled as a profunctionary excuse and fled from the pavilion. Eunuch Shunag was flustered, signalling a maid to clean up the table before running after the king howling,

"Your majesty, slow down!" Liu Qingyuan leisurely got up, gently wiping the corner of his mouth and following the chaotic pair. After all, his job was still to protect the king...even if he needed to kill him in the end. At that thought, Liu Qingyuan paused for half a second, widening their usual distance by half a step. It was...better this way.

The king walked randomly, his hurried and embarrassed pace slowly falling back into a more natural rhythm. Eunuch Shuang and Liu Qingyuan followed closely, the rest of the entourage following them like the snaking body of a dragon. The pavilion he had been relaxing at was near the back of the palace; around the area of the imperial garden. It was quieter and thus, more peaceful. However, the king didn't enter the imperial gardens, instead travelling further from the heart of the palace and towards the back mountain. This space was untainted by human presence even more so, offering the burdened king a moment of true peace.

Jiang Zhilan didn't go down though. With so many attendants, he wasn't willing to interrupt the calm of this place. Thus, he stayed at the top, looking down into the small valley and catching a hint of the pool below through the dense bamboo leaves. His lips curved up suddenly, eyes a little distant as if remembering a pleasant memory.

"You..." His voice was quiet and low but Liu Qingyuan still instinctively looked towards him. "You still remember how we met?" Eunuch Shuang looked up, opened his mouth, looked between the quiet pair and tactfully retreated.

Liu Qingyuan looked over a little confusedly and glanced down to that hidden pool below. He suddenly remembered a handsome young man's startled look as he backed away in the water, droplets clinging to his fair skin and the steam flushing his face delicately red. "...my apologies."

"You're lucky you didn't end up in the imperial prison," Jiang Zhilan teased.

"...It was your majesty's mercy."

"I...I thought you were a pervert," The king confessed. Liu Qingyuan frowned. "Don't look at me like that! You're the one who invaded my private space!" Liu Qingyuan pressed his lips into a straight line. He had a point. A benevolent king really was a mercy. Liu Qingyuan shuddered to think of what would happen if that same situation had happened in Gongzhuan. Even his status as Mo Wu's disciple wouldn't have saved him from punishment. Liu Qingyuan looked silently over. This bright youth looked far too kind and gentle to be the ruler of a kingdom, especially one who'd been recently involved in a war. Although the tension of his shoulders sometimes alluded to the weight of his position, this king always readily offered up smiles to him; like they weren't ruler and spy, but two common wanderers living out the rest of their lives together.

Liu Qingyuan hastily looked away, a little flustered. Where did this line of thought come from? He tightened his grip around his sword sheath and buried all stray emotions in his heart. He...he couldn't afford these...this...whatever this was.

Jiang Zhilan was still happily rambling away, a state in which not many saw him in. "And you started to come over and you looked-" He stopped. Looked what? He couldn't say that for a moment, his heart had thundered at the sight. A strong young man, dark hair up in a ponytail with the ends wet. His lips were pursed and his eyes unreadable as he advanced, water splashing around his thighs. His damp skin beaded with water and stretched over hard-won muscles; a product of strict training. "A-anyway." Jiang Zhilan glanced over and found himself imagining that envious body underneath his silver-streaked black uniform. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Liu Qingyuan looked over silently, inclining his head in respect. He didn't raise his eyes; not in submission but because in that moment, he felt a little exposed. Like the armour he'd spent so long building was beginning to crack. He didn't know what this feeling was, only that it was a little comforting but also a little uncomfortable.

Staring out into the quiet valley, the king could almost imagine that it was a paradise. That the palace wasn't looming behind him (a physical reminder of his responsibilities), nor was there an entourage of servants just beyond the path. Only that it was quiet and peaceful and...a man named Liu Qingyuan was standing beside him.

"Thank you," He said suddenly.

"Your majesty, what are you thanking me for?"

"Just...I'm glad that I know you. In a world with thousands of people and hundreds of years of history, in my lifetime I managed to run into some like you...I'm glad." Liu Qingyuan didn't know what to say and Jiang Zhilan let him be. "You...you can tell me anything. I'll help you." Jiang Zhilan really wanted to say that he didn't need to treat him like the king, only as a friend. But with Liu Qingyuan's recent hot and cold attitude, he was afraid of scaring him off. After all, it really wasn't easy when the king wanted to be best buddies with you. Anyone would be scared off. "How about it? Have anything to say?"

Liu Qingyuan copied his posture and leaned against the stone railing. "No."

"Don't bottle it all inside. Should I order you then?" Liu Qingyuan squinted his eyes at him. Didn't this count as abusing his power as king?Jiang Zhilan sent him a bright smile in return, invigorated by the familiar fire in Liu Qingyuan's eyes; one he hadn't seen since their early meeting days.

"How can a king know nothing about his subjects? What if you're an assassin?" Liu Qingyuan couldn't hide the dark expression on his face at those words. Heslowly straightened, preparing to iron out the twisted rules between them; the tangled web of feelings and compromises. Jiang Zhilan saw that his expression was off and quickly grabbed him before he could run off again. "I didn't...mean it like that. I'm sorry." Liu Qingyuan was a little startled by the apology, instinctively looking around like he'd just committed a crime by cohercing an apology out of this nation's ruler.

Liu Qingyuan looked down at that fair and slender hand clinging to his sleeve. "..." Unwittingly, his lips opened and a few words spilled out. "There's this person..."

"Do you like them? But is it difficult to marry them?" The king felt a small flash of disappointment but he pushed it away. The sort of lady that could soften this ice man's hard exterior; she had to be extraordinary, right?

"It's not like that."

"Oh. My bad. Continue."

"I..." Liu Qingyuan regretted his decision to speak in the first place, but the king's eyes were unyielding. He could only continue. "I've disappointed them." He only spoke this simple sentence but Jiang Zhilan could derive the rest from it. This person was someone that his bodyguard cared about. He had disappointed them and thus was scared of their view on him now. Disappointment...it was a crushing emotion, sometimes more hurtful than anger or hate. For a while, Jiang Zhilan didn't say anything. It was hard to gauge the entire situation with just a general sentence. After all, it varied case by case.

Jiang Zhilan's thoughts were in turmoil before he finally reached out and hugged him for two seconds. It was over in a flash but the feeling of another human body warmly embracing you was something everybody needed at least a couple times in their life. To Liu Qingyuan, he would remember for the long time the feeling of those arms wrapping around him and the brief warmth of his body, even through the layers of silk.

His face was still indifferent but his ears were red. "Don't care about their opinion so much!" Jiang Zhilan continued. "I...I can be your forever, but you have to protect me forever too." In a sense, the duty of a bodyguard was to protect his client until the end (or until he got fired but that wasn't the point). The king had said these words in passing but it was unknown what Liu Qingyuan thought about for such a long time. Finally, a single word passed his lips, tone profound, and carrying the weight of a hundred promises.

"Okay."