In the south of the imperial palace, there are several low and flat houses. This place is very quiet, with only one or two guards occasionally entering and exiting.
Wen Han had just put on his 'guard' uniform and hung up his precious sword when he suddenly felt a chill wind blowing from behind him. He quickly dodged to the side, his hand on the hilt of his sword, and growled in a low voice: "Who's there?"
In the darkness. A cold and icy voice came from beside the coffee table: "I."
He turned around and walked a few steps forward, then saw a patch of silvery white color. He was startled and looked around, hastily kneeling down on both knees. "Master, how did you come?" he exclaimed in surprise.
He thought to himself: 'Could it be that Master has come to ask about that matter?'
Chu Cheng Mo directly ignored the surprise in his eyes and said in a bad mood: "Han, accompany me to drink tonight."
It's cold and dark, it's a miserable life. Master, your body is too weak. What wine can you drink? Besides, he has something to do tonight and can't get away from his duties.
Time is pressing. He's about to go on a mission. Who has time to drink with him?
"You don't want to."
A simple sentence, yet it made him feel cold all over, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He shook his head and explained: "Master, it's not that I don't want to drink with you, but I have a task at hand tonight, and it's my turn to patrol."
"Where are you going on patrol?"
"De Yang Palace."
As soon as he heard the name of this palace, Chu Cheng Ming was suddenly stimulated and jumped up. He furiously swept all the teapots and porcelain on the table to the ground, shattering them into pieces.
Wen Han looked at his suddenly out-of-control master with a puzzled expression. He really couldn't understand what was wrong with his master tonight, what had triggered this reaction.
The noise in the room doesn't know if it can wake up others. If others are called over, it will be troublesome.
"It's him again. How can every one of you be for him?" Chu Cheng Ming shouted in a low voice.
"Huh." Wen Han looked at his master strangely. What's this about everyone doing it for him? Is that 'him' referring to the Dog Emperor?
Although Wen Han found Master's actions tonight to be strange, he still answered honestly: "Isn't it because Master sent you to follow me into the palace and monitor my every move?"
Chu Cheng sat silently in that chair, possibly feeling a bit guilty about what he had done. Tonight's actions even surprised himself.
"The warm 'attendant' guard leader. We can set off now." A respectful shout came from outside the gate, it was the 'attendant' guards who would be patrolling together tonight.
Wēn Hán turned his gaze towards Chǔ Chéng Míng. As long as the master didn't give orders, he wouldn't dare to make a move on his own.
"You go ahead." Chu Cheng Ming waved his hand wearily at him, then leaned back against the chair. "I'll rest here for a bit."
Only after warming up and feeling no longer cold did he finally feel at ease and walk out.
Forbidden City
Gu Qingyao slept very sweetly on the 'bed'. Because she had a beautiful dream. In her dream, she was sleeping beside her always admired master.
Staring at the master's handsome face, high and straight nose, smooth skin, pink lips, she was about to lean in for a kiss when suddenly a loud noise startled her awake.
The sound came from an unsealed window. Outside, it had started raining at some unknown time.
"Rong'er, Rong'er." Gu Qingrou called out twice in a row but didn't see the palace maid come over. She had no choice but to get out of bed herself and close the window.
Another loud crash, and another window was blown open. The sudden noise made her jump in fright. But just as she had closed one of the windows, she unexpectedly saw a person with disheveled hair and wearing white clothes standing outside the window.
"Ahh, ghost!" Because she had just woken up, Gu Qingyue's eyes were not fully open yet. She was startled so badly that she didn't even bother to close the window and directly flew back onto her bed.
"What's all the noise about? What... ghost." The person whom Gu Qingyu called a ghost had an impatient look on his face and flew in through the window.
As soon as she heard that voice, Gu Qingyu joyfully jumped up from the bed. "Master, is it you?"
Thinking of the scene in her dream, Gu Qingyu didn't even bother to put on her shoes and rushed over barefoot.
The man in white clothes stumbled and fell to the ground, his whole body drenched from the rain. His white robe was stained with mud and filth. His hair was also soaked with rainwater. He reeked of alcohol and held an empty wine jug, repeatedly lifting it to his mouth as if pouring a drink.
"Wine! I want wine." The man in white clothes slammed the empty jug to the ground, his eyes blazing with a bloodshot red as he glared at Gu Qingyu.
Gu Qingyu gazed at the pair of beautiful eyes, feeling a pang in her heart. He was indeed the master. But when had the master ever been so disheveled? Always high and above, elegant and refined, he had never fallen to such a state before tonight.
"Wine... wine... wine." Chu Cheng Ming loudly commanded, staring at the young woman in front of him. Although her eyes were blurry, she still had a hint of consciousness in her heart. Suddenly, he felt that she looked familiar, as if she was one of his subordinates.
"Alright, alright. I'll go get the wine." Gu Qingyu reluctantly went to fetch a small jug of wine. Although she knew that her master's body couldn't handle too much wine, there was no other way at this moment.
If he doesn't get a drink, he'll make a scene and won't stop. This will inevitably attract the attention of the imperial guards.
Chu Cheng Ming hugged the wine and gulped it down fiercely. The small jar of wine was soon emptied by him.
His mind began to be blurred by the wine, he lay weakly on the ground, his mouth still muttering: "Wine...wine...I want wine..."
Gu Qingyu fetched a large soft towel and squatted down to gently wipe the water marks on her master's face and hair.
She wiped very carefully and gently, as if she was wiping a precious work of art. When she wiped the master's cold red "lips", she couldn't help but lightly touch them.
The white robe on his body had already started dripping water and was hanging wetly on his tall, straight and upright body.
"Master, get up for a moment. I'll help you change your clothes." The man didn't have any spare clothes, so Gu Qingyu found a woolen blanket to prepare for changing the master's wet clothes.
"Master." Her hands trembled slightly as she pulled up the belt on his clothes, then gave a strong tug to remove the waistband. Soon, she helped him take off his white outer robe.
The master still wore a moon-colored undergarment. The undergarment was also soaked through and clung to his slender, even physique.
Facing her master's body, Gu Qing's face flushed red. She wasn't a stranger to men's bodies, but as for her master's body, it was the first time she had seen it.
Staring at the master she had been thinking about day and night, Gu Qing's face turned red as she swallowed hard and continued with her work, stripping off all his wet clothes.
After helping him dry his body, she wrapped him in a woolen blanket and with great difficulty, she managed to move him onto her own bed.
He lay there with a dazed look in his eyes, still calling out someone else's name.
If she hadn't misheard, the name the master called was Xī Jūn.
At first, she was puzzled who called Xi Jun, but later thought of Yan Xi Jun, the fourth sister of Empress Yan, now the De Fei in the palace.
"Alas, why must you wrong me? Didn't you say you loved me?"
The master's murmurs made Gu Qingyu's good-looking face twisted, and her slender eyebrows also furrowed deeply.
Love. Master and Yan Xixun. Have they fallen in love with each other?
The master's downfall tonight was actually caused by her.
At this moment, Gu Qingyu deeply envied Yan Xijun. Why did the master fall in love with her when they were both pawns?
Looking at her master who was sleeping lightly, Gu Qingyu made a bold move. She wanted to seize the opportunity and do something that she wouldn't regret.