Chapter 1 (1/2)
1
Suddenly, Xie Yilu* burst out of sleep, like being stamped by a malicious foot in the dark, or pressed by a ma.s.sy hand on the chest up to smother. Feeling his throat being burnt by liquor, he opened his eyes, a mess of scattered cups and plates came into sight. The bowl of Moist Glazed Noodle* that ordered before he drank down was still there, he lightly touched it and found it already cooled down. He covered his mouth and retched for a little while. ”Kacha.” A snap came from his right side, ”Kacha.” Again, another snap. There might be someone snapping sunflower seeds*.
”Aya, Mr.Liu,” Diagonally opposite him, a twink was flirting with a pinched, coquettish but also languid voice, fast and slow, quite debauchedly.
Xie Yilu threw his sight to the right, in the dusky dawn, in the moribund candlelight, there was an arm as white and delicate as a lotus root wearing a gold spiral bracelet*, and a lovely face as tender as a pudding, as small as a palm, with a flower plugged in the bun. It was such a big white peony that even dragged the bun crooked.
Since Xie stared at this twink, the twink also turned back to look at him. His eyebrows were truly slender willows, and the spring was rippling in his twinkling eyes. He opened his lips covered with rough and revealed a sense of smile, ”Awake?”
There was not too much respect in his voice, instead, Xie Yilu could feel kind of intimate. Xie Yilu nodded and replied, ”What time is it now?”
”About the fifth watch*?” The teen dressed as a young lady said leisurely, in a not totally southern or northern Nanjing dialect, while still continuously cracking sunflower seeds between his teeth, ” The governor of the ministry has already left.”
Only fourteen or fifteen-year-old? Xie Yilu thought. It should be the most beautiful youth, but he just killed it by covering himself in lady's dresses and teasing and inviting men to drink. ”It's time to end.”
”End?” The twink seemed like hearing a joke and raised his eyebrow quite high, ”I do know these guys in the Ministry of War, if they go back home at this time tomorrow, it could be said as 'Early'.”
Along the direction that the twink pointed at with his c.o.c.ked pinky finger, Xie Yilu looked around the whole banquet. Some were reclining, while some were lying on the floor. The only awake one or two were also holding a darling* in their arms while their clothes were untied. They moved their mouths close to the singers' faces while murmuring ”oh, my sweetheart.”
”Is there any water?” Xie Yilu turned back.
The twink spread out his hand, a handful of black sunflower seeds fell on the table, ”Ha, guys coming here are looking for fun. We have liquor, no water.” He spun to face Xie directly, looked him up and down curiously,”They said you are demoted from Beijing.”
However, Xie Yilu disdained to fall into talk with him,”Liquor is fine.”
”You offended someone?” The twink brought up the flagon, leaned it to pour a little liquor into two porcelain cups, put them a little bit far,” One round, I'll feed you if you win.”
Xie Yilu slightly got angry, so he stood up to fetch that flagon. However the young boy took this favorable situation and snuggled up into his arms which made the whole Xie dropped. That was so-called Romantic Debt, but Xie Yilu couldn't afford it. He was new here thus didn't want to stir up any trouble himself in the demimonde. So he asked in a lukewarm att.i.tude,”What to play?”
” Nanjing-style guessing, you're not familiar,” The twink recognized his displeasure but pretended not, still leaning in his arms softly like there was no bone in his body. Xie Yilu was afraid that he wasn't able to hold him therefore he reversed his hands. As soon as he turned his hands, the boy pillowed on it without any bashfulness and lightly rub his palm using his fluffy bun and soft cheek.” But Beijing-style guessing, I'm not familiar…”
Xie Yilu got embarra.s.sed in his attractive staring,” I am just a rank sixth Zhus.h.i.+*, there is no need for you to….badger with me.”
The boy replied in a gentle voice,” I appreciate your good look, can't I?”
Xie Yilu blushed immediately. When he was still in Beijing, he also came out for banquets like this and they also requested darlings on the banquets. But he had never seen such a bold one in Lianzi Hutong. Saying that he was unbridled, but in reality he is presumptuous, saying that he is presumptuous, but not offensive: “You overstep the customs!”
The boy puffed a laughter, “My sweet buddy,” he said, pressing close along with Xie Yilu's stiff arm, “Nanjing is a spot of gold consumption, no principles, no rules,” he moved even closer, so close that he could even kiss Xie Yilu’s mouth, “Only four words belong to this place,” He paused and said without sound, gently blowing warm breaths through lips, “liquor, beauty, wealth, will.”
This was such a pretty and bright face that wouldn't lose even compared to a lovely girl. Xie Yilu got stunned for a while, then withdrew his arm bluntly and stood up unstably. He stroke away a chair and stepped towards the door. The sculptured door closed tightly. He reached out to give it a hard push.
The chill wind of the early spring kissed his face.
The crescent still hung under the eaves. Birdsong like ”Cuckoo” came from phoenix trees. Xie Yilu pushed the door to be fully closed backhand, then as he turned his head a little bit, he saw a solitary silhouette standing in the left-hand winding corridor, straight and thin. He recognized and spoke out, ”Mr.Qu?”
The figure stood up, the Dashan* with a round collar swung with the breeze: “Yeh*.”
The man was holding a fan, slowly stepped out of the dark corridor. There were moonlight first pouring down on his brand new silver belt, then his fully embroidered rank sixth egret Buzi, and finally a juvenile handsome face.
Qu Feng, also named Qu Simu, also a Rank sixth Zhus.h.i.+ transferred to Nanjing Ministry of War along with Xie Yilu this time, ”Awake just now?”
Actually they were not acquaintance, the conversation happened several hours earlier in the banquet was their first one. Therefore Xie Yilu was quite surprised that Qu Feng began the chat without complex honorifics, but he replied in the same way ”I'm not a good drinker.”
Qu Feng smiled, very brightly, showing up his two canine teeth on both sides, which made him looked so childish, ” Practice it! Being in Nanjing is no more like in Beijing, drinking ability is the first gate to the social world.”
A fit of wind blew from the west, pus.h.i.+ng the dense cloud to cover the moonlight. Pine branches were singing. Maybe because of drinking some liquor, Xie Yilu was so casual, almost presumptuous, ”Why don't you stay in the room?”
But Qu Feng didn't mind his rude, he curled his lips candidly, ”In that room?” He looked up and showed the whites of his eyes, ”I can't stand.”
They seemed to the same kind of young men. Xie Yilu stepped forward and stopped near his side, ”listen to your accent, you are a local?”
”I'm from YingTian Fu*, formerly working in the Ministry of Rites* as the Zhus.h.i.+ in the department of sacrifice. The transfer this time is between the same ranks.”
He had a kind of temperament, Xie Yilu could feel it just after these several words, a natural free and easy temperament belonged to those rich and dignitary young men. ” From the Ministry of Rites to the Ministry of War, you are going up.”
Qu Feng's eyes were very beautiful, long and slender and the ends went up. Through those eyes, he glanced at Xie Yilu, ”From the Court of Censors in Beijing to the Ministry of War in Nanjing, you are going down.”
Xie Yilu stayed mute.
” Saying that you offended one powerful eunuch?”
Xie Yilu stretched out the left forefinger and pointed to the sky, ” I offended the 'Forefather' who is in charge of the Sili Jian*.”
Qu Feng looked quite interested by hearing that, ”Shua——”he opened his fan in this early spring, ” What's the matter?”
” I came from the List of Jiashen*. The 'Forefather' picked for this one in person. All others on the list went to visit him for grat.i.tude, except me.”
Qu Feng raised one of his eyebrows high extremely respectfully, while his eyes sparkling like stars. ”So brave.”
Xie Yilu promptly waved his hands. ” How can I be compared to your Nanjing people? Even the flirting guys are so presumptuous.”
”In this room?” Qu Feng was confused, pointing at the engraved door with his fan, ”Which one?” After thinking for a while, he suddenly was enlightened, ” What you mean, isn't the one wearing a white peony?”
Xie Yilu didn't imagine that he could get it at the first guess, but Qu Feng, not like that unrestrained earlier, became gingerly. ”How could he be regarded as a normal one? Zheng backed him up in the sly!”
Xie Yilu approached him even closer, ”Which Zheng?”
Qu Feng grasped his hand at a stroke, his five fingers were so cold that made Xie Yilu feel like his heart was caught directly, ”The places in which there are the most eunuchs must be Beijing and Nanjing, Beijing is another story, but in Nanjing,” By saying that, he dragged Xie Yilu to a farther place, ”There are two powerful eunuchs. One is the Fourth Rank Commander-in-chief Weaving Eunuch, Liao Jixiang*. The other is the top of the head of Nanjing, Garrison Eunuch, Zheng Xi.”
Xie Yilu felt like there were chill beads of swear emitting on his back immediately but he couldn't tell why.
”The one you talked about, surnaming Guo and named Xiaozhuo, is this to Zheng,” Qu Feng shaked out his hand from the sleeve, only put up a little finger and then shook it with some embedded meaning, ”Still Pampering.”
Eunuchs bred some darlings like pets, there were also the same things in Beijing, but Beijing was on earth right in the sight of the emperor, most of the n.o.ble people wouldn't take the risk to do this. Xie Yilu wondered, ”As he is being pampered by Zheng, why does he still show up…”