It Turns out that I am Beautiful, Strong and Miserable [Quick Wear] - 87

 

ITOTIABSAM | Young General | 87

As expected, Xie Ye nodded.

But contrary to what he had imagined, the alcohol didn't seem to affect him at all. He stood steady, with clear eyes, staring at the cup of unfinished wine in Gu Cong's hand.

Gu Cong found it difficult to determine whether Xie Ye was urging him to complete the ritual or inviting him to take another sip.

Curiosity about something beyond the chessboard arose in Gu Cong after a long absence. He tentatively extended his own cup towards the young man's lips.

With a hint of confusion, Xie Ye looked up and blinked in incomprehension. Before Gu Cong could say anything, he followed the example of Gu Cong from earlier, lowered his head, and took a small sip from the cup offered by the man's hand.

Then, he reached out and pushed the cup back.

There was a hint of apology and embarrassment in his expression.

Gu Cong was momentarily stunned.

Although Xie Ye remained silent throughout, unable to communicate like ordinary people, he seemed to understand the young man's intentions. Perhaps Xie Ye had misunderstood something, thinking that they were supposed to drink from the cup together as part of the marriage ritual in the General's residence.

But at this point, further explanation would only make things more awkward. Gu Cong decided to just go along with it. He quickly drank the rest of the fiery liquid in the cup, without even twitching his eyebrows.

It wasn't until he noticed a small, moist mark on the other side of the cup, where Xie Ye had taken a sip, that Gu Cong realized what had happened.

Despite the modest conditions common in the military, communal meals were a regular occurrence. Yet, inexplicably, Gu Cong felt uncomfortable this time. The alcohol, which should have been ignored, now burned fiercely in his chest.

Seeing Xie Ye about to refill the cup that had been emptied by Gu Cong's gulp, presumably to complete the "ritual," Gu Cong quickly pressed down on the wine jug, cleared his throat, and shook his head.

"That's enough," he said.

Xie Ye cooperated and stopped his hand.

The condition of being unable to speak was initially a result of psychological trauma from sudden and extreme changes. Over the years of silence, Xie Ye's throat had become as dry as an unused machine. Even with Gu Cong's consciousness taking over, he could only manage to produce a few words with great difficulty.

Just like the migraines from the previous world, being unable to speak was an inherent plot device for Xie Ye. Unless he passed a critical point of death, there was little hope for recovery, no matter how much he struggled.

So, Xie Ye decided not to struggle.

Although he knew very well how to drink the symbolic wedding wine, sometimes pretending to be innocent and teasing Gu Cong was more important than following the correct procedure.

Just like now, with no pen and paper in the bedroom, Xie Ye took Gu Cong's hand and wrote in his palm, one word at a time: ‘Does the General have something to say?’

Gu Cong did have a lot to say.

However, after drinking the symbolic wine together and with Xie Ye initiating the conversation, he felt that saying anything about setting boundaries and separating rooms would seem like going back on his word and disowning him.

As he remained silent for a brief moment, Xie Ye's hand moved again. His touch was soft, like feathers brushing across the palm, as he wrote: ‘The General doesn't need to force it.’

[I will go to the guest room.]

Mingyue Tower.

Gu Cong belatedly realized what he had overlooked.

The decline of the Xie family and Xie Ye's survival through the marriage agreement had sent him to the pleasure quarters, cutting off his path to the imperial examinations due to various conflicts of interest. Despite Mingyue Tower being partly operated by the imperial family and Xie Ye being a Qingguan, in the eyes of others, it was still seen as a place for indulgence and entertainment.

His hesitation just now must have been seen as disdain in Xie Ye's eyes.

Before his mind could fully process this, his hand had instinctively grasped the fingertips that Xie Ye was about to withdraw. Seeing a hint of surprise in Xie Ye's eyes, Gu Cong calmly said, "You've been busy all day. Rest now."

They were both men, sharing a bed was nothing to fuss over, and it could help dispel any suspicions the old emperor might have.

The bridal chamber in the General's Residence had been arranged by the steward who had watched him grow up. It lacked the usual items found in a household, such as red dates, dried longans, and peanuts, and only contained the symbolic wedding wine and a pair of dragon and phoenix candles that needed to be burned until dawn.

To prevent Xie Ye from misunderstanding the intention behind the wine, Gu Cong took the initiative to explain, "Qian Bo, the steward of the household, meant no offense. 'Burning liquor' was a favorite of my father and grandfather."

That's why it had been prepared for him as well.

When Xie Ye was young, he often visited the General's Residence due to his close relationship with the two mothers. However, by the time Gu Cong had left for the border city with his father, he had never met Xie Ye. Instead, he had become friends with the old General.

Later, after Gu Cong's father died in battle and news reached the capital shortly before his mother's passing, the old General fell ill. Although Xie Ye had wanted to visit several times, he had been stopped by his father.

Gradually, the two families lost contact with each other.

This is also why no one thought Gu Cong would save Xie Ye back then.

Now thinking back, it seems that Master Xie had seen through the suspicion of the one on the dragon throne early on. With both literary and martial talents, as Master Xie rose in ranks, avoiding suspicion was the way to reduce doubts and benefit both families.

But who would have thought that, in the end, the younger generations of the two families would still be bound together by what seemed like a joke of a marriage contract.

【Is it the old water bag with only knife scars?】Digging out memories from his alter self's childhood, Xie Ye wrote in Gu Cong's palm, "No wonder he never let me touch it."

Clearly, it was a past event that the original Gu Cong could completely empathize with, perhaps even more so than the confused alter self manipulated by the plot. Yet Xie Ye's face showed no signs of negativity, but instead curved into a gentle smile, as if everything that had happened later had not occurred, tinged with nostalgia.

So Gu Cong also smiled, "Of course, children shouldn't drink recklessly."

"But I secretly tried it while he was asleep, and it was so spicy that I stuck out my tongue."

At that moment, he suddenly felt fortunate that he hadn't uttered any harsh words to the youth based on external opinions, such as saying anything about using money to keep him in line.

Otherwise, who else could he chat with about these people and events that were gradually fading from the world, side by side with him?

"I want to take a bath," the atmosphere suddenly became more relaxed, and there was no awkwardness in the silence. After a while, Xie Ye added, "Is it convenient?"

"Before, at the Xie Residence," he corrected himself, scratching out the previous words, "at the house where you picked me up, there was only cold water."

Gu Cong couldn't help but frown, "What about the maidservants?"

The handwriting stopped.

However, regardless of whether the other party said it or not, he could guess what was going on. They were clearly both human, coming out of the palace, yet they still had that kind of arrogant attitude.

The bedroom was spacious enough, and behind the screen was the bathtub. Without further questioning, he got up and called for a servant to come and fill the water. The guards outside the courtyard looked at each other with strange expressions:

"Did the General... do it so quickly?"

When they saw the other party asking Qian Bo and walking towards the temporary accommodation for the old woman and two maids, they felt like they had realized something: those two maids given by the emperor were quite beautiful.

But they were still no match for that Master Xie, right?

Although they didn't have much fondness for the latter either, the wedding night was still special. Choosing this time to assert dominance... It seemed that the various things during the welcoming ceremony were indeed illusions. Their own general was still as unyielding as ever.

The old woman who was being served and massaged by the two maids also didn't expect Gu Cong to come at this time.

As expected, if the General had a concubine and that can’t conceive a child, that insolent Xie Ye would surely be tormented to death in the inner courtyard.

However, to her surprise, Gu Cong completely ignored her. He didn't even spare a glance at the two maids. With Qian Bo following behind him, he ordered, "The ceremony is over. Send someone to escort the three of them out of the mansion."

"Out of the mansion?"

Upon hearing this, the old woman reflexively brought up her identity: "General Gu, this old slave was personally appointed by the noble concubine, and these two maids were also bestowed by the emperor..."

"Bestowed by the emperor?" Gu Cong's patience wore thin. "Do you have an imperial decree?"

The old woman was instantly silenced.

In the palace, many things were often done based on mutual understanding, and she certainly didn't have an imperial decree on her, not even a verbal command. The steward of the General's Mansion, though old, was surprisingly naive. With a few swift actions, the luggage was packed and placed in front of him. "Madam, please."

The two maids were even more useless. They came in with high spirits, but when they were coldly stared at by Gu Cong and saw the guards brandishing their swords, they forgot their master's instructions and cowered behind the old woman like quails.

Accustomed to exerting authority in the palace, the old woman's face turned red. "General, what do you mean? Are you threatening this old slave?"

With a kindly smile on his face, Qian Bo, acting on behalf of Gu Cong, replied, "Just escorting the three of them out of the mansion."

"Someone, escort the guests out."

Inside the palace's planted eyes, of course, could not be left behind.

The guards who were lurking on the walls and crouching in the trees all craned their necks, watching with their own eyes as the ordinary guards of the Wang Mansion escorted the old woman and the two delicate beauties out of the mansion.

=—They said "escorted," but in reality, it was more like driving them away. It was late at night, and the palace gates had long been locked. Although the public security in the capital was good and there wouldn't be any trouble, they couldn't avoid experiencing some hardship.

The young man with a baby face who was closest to the front was directly called out: "Lu Jin, follow them."

"Report back once they enter the palace gate."

Joining in the commotion to take on a tedious task, Lu Jin, the named guard, immediately furrowed his brows, obediently moved his legs, and the others swiftly followed suit, jumping down from the walls and returning to their original positions obediently.

They thought that with the moon high in the sky, tonight's chaotic wedding night would be over. Unexpectedly, their general lifted his foot again and circled back, re-entering the room of that Xie Ye's.

Clearly, they had even specifically asked Qian Bo to tidy up the study so that it could accommodate guests.

Gu Cong also felt inexplicable.

But judging from the expression of the old woman, abandoning Xie Ye alone on their wedding night, even if it was for official business, would still easily attract gossip. He might even inadvertently make Xie Ye overthink things.

In the military, washing up took at most half a cup of tea's time. When in a hurry, one could simply pour cold water over their head and be done with it. Therefore, when Gu Cong pushed open the door and heard the sound of water behind the screen, he visibly paused.

Then, without hesitation, he decided to close the door behind him.

Habituated by the battlefield, Gu Cong moved silently, whether walking, sitting, or lying down, but the sound of water inside suddenly ceased.

—The red candles burned brightly, casting his shadow onto the screen.

"Hua."

Before he could speak, Xie Ye in the bathtub raised his arm, elongated it, as if to confirm something, and rhythmically sketched it out twice.

Then, feeling reassured, he relaxed his back and leaned back into the water.

—Husband, Lord.

In a daze, Gu Cong recalled the unexpected term of address the other had used during the day. He should have looked away, but as if under a spell, he rudely stared at the screen.

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