Chu Mingyun and Su Shiyu were invited upstairs.
The room was luxuriously decorated, with pearl lanterns and shining bead curtains. A charming maid served tea and snacks, and the manager bowed, greeting: “If the two masters wait a moment, the younger ones will go and notify the master.”
Chu Mingyun poured a cup by himself, walked to Su Shiyu and looked at the night of the distant mountains outside the window together with him. “What’s the matter?”
Su Shiyu looked back at him, then looked at the maid who was standing not far away, then leaned his head closer to Chu Mingyun and said in a lowered voice, “I’ve now recognized where this is.”
Chu Mingyun hugged him and pulled him closer, causing his long crow-colored hair to slide down his shoulder and sweep across the side of Su Shiyu’s ear, looking as if they were cuddling ear-to-ear from a distance. “Huh?”
Su Shiyu frowned slightly, and continued: “West a few miles from the gravehills in the wilderness outside Chang’an. No wonder no one discovered it, this valley is actually a burial mound.” Chu Mingyun looked at the other’s eyebrows and raised his hand to press the cup of tea to his lips, whispering: “The owner of the gambling house happens to be here, do you want to notify the Ministry of Justice?”
”If you want to, just drink it yourself.” Su Shiyu pushed back his hand and said, “From what you say, am I to understand there is a way of sending out the notice?”
Chu Mingyun drank the tea in his cup and suddenly laughed, “You won’t drink tea when I pour it for you, and you still say that you don’t hold any grudges?” He sighed helplessly. “I told you that it was a joke. Are you really jealous?” Su Shiyu silently pulled away Chu Mingyun’s hand that was holding onto him, not knowing how to answer.
Chu Mingyun flipped back his hand to hold the other man’s hand, and looked him down with a grin: “Don’t worry, even if there were thousands of Su Shiyus, Baobei’er, you are the one I love the most.”
With complicated feelings and a flat tone, Su Shiyu went along with him: “…Really?” Chu Mingyun pretended to sigh again, “If you don’t believe me, then how about I write you a guarantee?” Turning around, he said to the maid who was staring with wide eyes, “Is there any brush and ink here?”
The maids hurriedly nodded their heads, and ran out to take brushes, inks, papers and inkstones, and spread them out on the table, awaiting Chu Mingyun’s instructions.
But all Chu Mingyun said was: “He is thin-skinned, you all go out and wait, if the manager comes over with your boss, remember to announce them first.”
The maids bowed their heads , filed out, but as the younger maid who was walking last in the row turned around to close the door, she couldn’t help but glance at Su Shiyu, her face flushing instantly.
After confirming that there was no one left in the room, Su Shiyu smiled and said
quietly : ” Master Chu is really brilliant .” Chu Mingyun laid out a piece of white paper for him, “Why do I feel that you are not complimenting me?”
”Naturally, if there was a way that didn’t make you and I so uncomfortable, that would be better.”
Chu Mingyun raised his eyes to look at him, spread his hands, and tilted his head saying: “Come on, feel free to touch.”
Su Shiyu turned around and dipped the ink, drawing back his sleeve to write a letter.
Chu Mingyun chuckled lightly, stood aside for a moment, and then took a small, transparent whistle from his sleeve and placed it on his lips. It blew without sound. Not long after, there was a chip from a bird outside the window. A shadowy lump flew into the house. A black-feathered bird landed steadily on his shoulders, and seemed to call at Chu Mingyun twice with great joy, then twisted its head to peck at its wings.
When the ink on the letterhead had dried, Chu Mingyun rolled it up and stuffed it into the bamboo tube on the bird’s leg. He watched the black feather bird’s wings tremble, flying faraway in the blink of an eye, and sighed: “I hope that stubborn old goat Lu Shi, doesn’t drive Qin Zhao out as soon as he sees that it’s one of my men.”
”Secretary Lu still knows how to have a measured hand in important matters.” After a pause, Su Shiyu asked: “This correspondence is… …”
Chu Mingyun raised his hand to interrupt Su Shiyu’s words, as knocking from the door came suddenly, and the manager’s voice inquiring outside the door.
”It’s a secret technique left by my teacher.” After he said so, he turned and called out, “Come on in.”
The carved wooden door was pushed open, and the manager followed a young man in. The other party smiled at them, and introduced himself: “This one’s surname is Mu, the owner of Eternal Joy Casino. Young Master Lin, it’s my fortune to meet you.”
“My fortune to meet you as well.” Chu Mingyun nodded, and said with a smile, “Boss Mu is in charge of such a large gambling house at such a young age, it’s really amazing.”
Boss Mu made a few courteous remarks then looked at them and said, “There is no one else here, so can I request that you take off your masks to discuss?”
Chu Mingyun was still hesitant, but Su Shiyu had already taken off the mask and smiled directly at him. He said, “Boss Mu, may I ask you something?” Boss Mu was stunned as soon as he saw Su Shiyu’s face. When Chu Mingyun took off his mask, Boss Mu’s eyes hovered on their two faces for a moment. He lowered his eyes and smiled hurriedly: “I didn’t expect that the two younger masters would have such celestial countenances… pardon my rudeness.”
”No problem,” Chu Mingyun said.
”Don’t worry about it,” Su Shiyu looked at him, and said, “Daring to ask Mr. Mu if has ever met me before?”
”I’ve never met you before.”
”Really,” Su Shiyu smiled gently, “Then why do I rather find you familiar?”
Boss Mu smiled: “There are so many similar people in the world. My appearance is so common, maybe it resembles one of young master’s friends.”
Su Shiyu retracted his gaze and said clearly: “Thinking about it carefully, it is indeed just a very similar-looking acquaintance. It seems that I was mistaken, sorry.” Chu Mingyun glanced over and asked Su Shiyu: “Who does he resemble?”
Su Shiyu narrowed his eyes and let out a slow laugh: “According to their age, that person should call me elder brother. Young master must have recognized it too.”
His voice fell, Boss Mu’s pupils shrank suddenly, his expression on his face remained flat and calm, and he opened the topic: “Seeing as the two young masters are so elegant, then we can’t offer you games as vulgar as the ones upstairs. How
about a different gambling method?” “What gambling method?” Chu Mingyun asked.
Boss Mu smiled, “Young master, wait a moment and I’ll make arrangements.” After saying this, the maidservants came in to wait on them personally, and Boss Mu ordered the chief to leave with him.
Only after leaving the house, Boss Mu’s expression instantly became unpleasant, and he whispered, “What did you do? You actually brought these two people over to me?” The manager said in a panic: “The subordinates just acted according to the rules……”
”Rules?” Boss Mu looked at him coldly, “When did I make a rule to not even check clearly who the person is?” The manager recalled that he had helped Chu Mingyun to cheat secretly, and his heart chilled. He hurriedly said: “Then order people to hold them back first, and move faster within the building. We should be able to evacuate in time…”
Boss Mu clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it on the porch with an enraged smirk, “Chu Mingyun and Su Shiyu are both here, you think we can retreat with bodies still whole? What’s more, Su Shiyu has probably already recognized me!”
”How, how could it be…” The manager glanced at the clever mask on the boss’s face, “… this subordinate think he is likely bluffing you on purpose.”
”That guy just smiling like that means he already understands everything in his heart but just doesn’t want to tell you bluntly, he has been like this since he was a child, can he be faking it?!”
”Then Young Master, you see…”
Boss Mu stared at Void gradually, gritted his teeth and said: “Since things have reached the end of the rope, I have to take a gamble.” He turned around abruptly, and said: “Send someone to inform the Red Sleeve House, don’t care about anybody else, just let Jing Shu leave Chang’an as soon as possible.”
While Chu Mingyun and Su Shiyu were about to finish their cups of tea leisurely, Boss Mu brought some people back, and the house was immediately filled with fragrance. Red gauze wrapped around snow-white skin, seemingly visible and yet not, a few dancer maidens stood in a row behind him, all with enchanting postures and delicate eyebrows.
Boss Mu said: “If young master Lin will blindfold his eyes and let them dance around you for a round; one of them has something in their hand, and if you guess who it is you win, how about that?”
Chu Mingyun casually put a hand on Su Shiyu’s shoulders, looked at the women indifferently, and smiled, “Boss Mu, I just made a promise with my Baobei’er, and now you want me to indulge in this sensuous pleasure, I am afraid that someone will not let me go to bed for a few days.”
Su Shiyu didn’t avoid his hand, and just drank tea silently, seeming to have no intention to participate in the conversation.
”If it is inconvenient for Young Master Lin, you can go back first, and wait for me to think of something else interesting before gambling.” “There is no inconvenience, why is Boss Mu in a hurry to push people out?” Chu Mingyun smiled, “Come on.”
With a look from Boss Mu’s eyes, a dancer approached with a red ribbon. Su Shiyu raised his hand and stopped her, politely smiling: “No need to trouble you Miss, just leave it to me.” He took the ribbon and after a rough touch to assess it, it was soft and delicate. It was indeed just an ordinary ribbon. He then he looked toward Chu Mingyun.
Chu Mingyun turned his head and looked at Su Shiyu with a smile, and when he saw him, he calmly closed his eyes, looking like he was entrusting himself to him. Redness obscured what was before his eyes and the ribbon was tied behind his head. The force of his touch was gentle, and a faint scent brushed across Chu Mingyun’s cheeks with the movement of his sleeves. Chu Mingyun thought leisurely, the feeling of being served by the Grand Secretary is really good.
Su Shiyu pulled Chu Mingyun to stand still in the room before returning to his original position and watching calmly.
Boss Mu couldn’t help but glance back at Su Shiyu, but didn’t want to make eye contact with him. He smiled hurriedly, turned his face back and said with a clap of his hands, “Let’s start.”
The music sounded with a lingering but loud tune, in time with the figure of the dancer maiden stretching softly, as light as a wave, and shocking vivacity in swaying. The red gauze rose with their movements, making an interlace of hazy red, with only a spot of dark blue standing idle, as if enveloped in an indulgent embrace1 and isolated from afar, looking rather surreal from a distance.
It was indeed just a dance, and there was no attempt to murder. Su Shiyu frowned slightly unconsciously, for an unexplainable reason.
The music gradually reached its climax, and the overlapping of the dancers’ figures became faster and faster. From time to time, a slender hand touched Chu Mingyun’s robe, passing by, almost imperceivable. It was a vision filled with red gauze and snow skin, light and shadow intertwined, as if entering the enchanted cave, seducing the ignorant to have a dream with them.
A dancer maiden slumped back a few steps and slammed into the wall. The dream was broken, and the music was muted abruptly.
The dancers who were still clinging to Chu Mingyun suddenly drew away by one foot, all of them with well-trained skills. The dancer who was leaning against the wall lowered her head in disbelief, and saw a sandalwood fan inserted into her belly. Blood spurted out of her mouth, and red blood stained her red dress, adding a bit to her beauty. The knife fell to the ground with a clang.
Chu Mingyun raised his hand and hooked half of the belt covering his eyes, only revealing a single eye, and he turned to looked back. His eye was long and curved into a narrow corner, and the reflection of the crimson gauge made it seem smudged with rouge. He showed a broad smile:
”I guessed it correctly, does this mean I won?”
- The phrase used here is 温柔乡 which can have several meanings, it’s almost a term on its own to refer to the embrace of a lover, or referring to someone getting enchanted in lust. It’s a bit hard to translate.
If it’s not quite clear, what happens is this: Chu-chu acts all coy with Shiyu as an act to disguise their whispered conversation since the maidservants are still in the back of the room with them. Chu-chu held up a cup of tea to Shiyu’s lips as if helping him to drink. When Shiyu pushes his naughty arm away, he gets his hand held instead. The maids must be thinking, what a jealous male lover he has lmaooo.