Gu Fu took Fu Yan’s hand out of the cold water and gently dried it with a cloth. Only then did she open the porcelain jar containing the ointment for burns and carefully applied the cool ointment to Fu Yan’s fingertips.
Fu Yan’s fingertips were originally reddened by his own pinching, and after soaking them in ice water, they were even more red from the cold. So Gu Fu didn’t suspect anything, and after applying the ointment, she blew on it twice. Gu Fu’s lips were very close to Fu Yan’s fingertipsâso close that if Fu Yan moved his fingers even slightly, the wet ointment would touch Gu Fu’s lips.
But Fu Yan held back and didn’t move. After Gu Fu let go of his hand, she looked at the desk in front of them and asked, “Don’t pick up the pen. If you need to write something, I’ll help you.”
Fu Yan withdrew his hand into his sleeve and responded, “Okay.”
However, after agreeing, he didn’t leave the desk to make space for Gu Fu. Instead, he scooted back a little, indicating for Gu Fu to sit between his legs.
In truth, Fu Yan wanted Gu Fu to sit on his lap, but unfortunately, the desk was low. He usually sat on a cushion, and having Gu Fu sit on his lap to write would be uncomfortable due to the awkward posture, so he had to settle for the next best option.
On the surface, Fu Yan remained calm, but inside, he was regretting it and was already planning to have Yi Ye and Yi Hua move in a regular table and chairs tomorrow. He also thought to remind them that only one chair would be needed.
Fu Yan’s little schemes were running through his mind.
Gu Fu sat down in front of Fu Yan, feeling the warmth of the body behind her and the arms wrapped around her waist. She couldn’t help but set aside her worries, her thoughts beginning to wander and her heart starting to race. But she was afraid of interrupting Fu Yan’s work, so she had to hold back and, under Fu Yan’s dictation, began to write notes on the report.
Gu Fu’s handwriting wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t particularly good either. It wasn’t delicate or elegant, but her hand was steady, and when writing in the official script, it was neat and precise.
While Gu Fu was writing, Fu Yan could multitask by reading the next document at the same time. He was incredibly fast; often, by the time Gu Fu finished writing based on his dictation, Fu Yan had already read through three documents. This made Gu Fu start to worry, fearing that Fu Yan might be too distracted and make a mistake.
However, when Gu Fu picked up the next document, Fu Yan only needed to glance at it to confirm the content. He then provided Gu Fu with a well-prepared annotation, his words flowing smoothly and succinctly, leaving Gu Fu amazed and impressed.
The two continued like this, with one reading the reports and the other writing annotations. Before the Hai hour ( 9-11 PM), they had cleared the pile of reports that had been stacking up like a small mountain. Afterward, Fu Yan even asked Gu Fu to help him write a letter, which began with “To my dear brother.”
Judging by the content of the letter, it didn’t seem to be addressed to the emperor, which piqued Gu Fu’s curiosity. She asked Fu Yan about it.
Fu Yan explained, “I have a senior apprentice brother who is currently wandering the world. He’s particularly skilled at swindling and deceiving people. Perhaps his return could be useful.”
After the letter was finished, Yi Ye came in to take the reports and the letter downstairs.
Gu Fu put down the pen and rubbed her wrist. She waited until she could no longer hear Yi Ye’s footsteps before she suggested to Fu Yan, “Since everything is done, why don’t we… go to bed early?”
Though Gu Fu’s words sounded casual, it was as if she had thrown a torch onto a pile of dry grass in the silent night.
The flame on the torch was first startled by the wind as it hit the ground, shrinking slightly before gradually spreading, catching on the dry grass, and burning into a blazing fire.
The fire burned deep within Fu Yan’s heart, making both of them feel a bit overheated, as if they desperately needed a downpour or something else to cool down and feel comfortable again.
“Alright,” Fu Yan’s voice rang out.
Was that really his voice?
Gu Fu wondered, as it sounded a bit different from usual.
Oh well, who cares?
Gu Fu braced herself on the desk, ready to stand up, but before she could, Fu Yan scooped her up in his arms.
The last time Gu Fu had experienced the sensation of being suddenly lifted off the ground was when she first joined the army and was thrown around by the veteran soldiers. Reliving it now, she almost reflexively used her combat skills on Fu Yan, but fortunately, she restrained herself.
However, she couldn’t hold back a gasp of surprise. Unfortunately, her gasp didn’t sound like that of a delicate lady being suddenly carried away, but rather like the sound soldiers make in the barracks when they wrestle and see someone get slammed to the ground.
It completely ruined the mood.
But Fu Yan just smiled, while Gu Fu remained oblivious, putting her arms around his shoulders and asking, “Am I heavy?”
“Not too bad,” Fu Yan replied as he carried her toward the stairs, showing no signs of struggling.
Gu Fu added, “If this were right after I returned, you definitely wouldn’t have been able to lift me.”
Since returning, Gu Fu had never stopped practicing martial arts, but for some reason, she was eating less than before, and as a result, she had lost a lot of weight.
As Fu Yan carried her down the stairs, Gu Fu, perhaps feeling idle from not having to move her legs, kept chatting away, bringing up a topic that was best left untouched: “By the way, I carried you once too. The last time I mentioned it, you got mad and kicked me out of the carriage.”
Fu Yan’s steps hesitated slightly, then he quickened his pace. Once inside the room, he kicked the door shut and, without giving Gu Fu a chance to question him, pressed her against the door.
The door latch pressed into Gu Fu’s lower back. She reached behind her to lock the door, then rubbed her nose against Fu Yan’s as he leaned in, like two animals cautiously probing each other. Their breaths mingled, and their lips went from a light touch to a more intense pressure, rubbing together as they gradually increased the intensity, like two armies clashing, each trying to conquer the other with lips and tongues.
By the time they reached the bed, neither of them had held back, and their combined weight made the bed creak under the strain.
But who cared about that?
As usual, Gu Fu pinned Fu Yan down, only for Fu Yan to flip her over and pin her beneath him.
But this time, Gu Fu didn’t let him win. She twisted around during their struggle and flipped him back underneath her.
Fu Yan seemed to accept his fate and stopped worrying about who was on top or bottom. Gu Fu slowly relaxed, using her advantage of being on top to explore and undo Fu Yan’s disheveled clothesâŚ
The bed creaked again as Fu Yan, taking advantage of Gu Fu’s momentary distraction, suddenly flipped her back underneath him.
Gu Fu: “…”
They couldn’t keep flipping over; the bed was only so big, and if they kept going, both of them would end up falling off.
Besides, they were supposed to be engaging in an intimate moment, not competing to see who could pin the other down. If they kept at it, the romantic and tender atmosphere would be completely lost.
Faced with the choice between “yielding” and “letting the cooked duck fly away for a second time,” Gu Fu resolutely chose the former.
With the unnecessary struggle out of the way, everything naturally fell into place.
In the midst of the chaos, Gu Fu felt as if she had downed two full carts of hot sand, burning her insides, while simultaneously feeling like a peach that had been bitten into, its sweet, sticky juice dripping down her hand, leaving a soft splat as it hit the slightly cool mat, spreading into a dark, wet stainâŚ
The night had never felt so long. When they finally paused, they grabbed the water that had cooled by the bedside to drink, but after only a few sips, the rest ended up spilled all over the bed. Despite that, they didnât have time to worry about whether the bed could still be slept in. Over an hour later, they finally emerged from the room and headed to another room across from the bedroom.
Only then did Gu Fu realize that the sixth floor not only housed Fu Yan’s bedroom but also had another room opposite it with a bed. However, the opposite room was so lavishly decorated that Fu Yan didn’t like it, so he had never slept there before. Now, though, it served a purpose, allowing them to avoid the problem of how to sleep on the disarrayed bed and simply move to another spot to rest.
The next day, during the Chen hour (7-9 AM), Yi Ye, who had been on night duty on the fifth floor, blushed as he nervously explained to Yi Hua, who was coming to take over, “I’ve already tidied up the master’s bedroom. I’ve also asked the kitchen to prepare a mixed congee that can be kept warm on the stove without spoiling. Hot water and clothes are ready as well. But you need to watch the staffâdon’t let anyone upstairs unless it’s an urgent summons from His Majesty. Even if Lord Li (Li Yuming) comes, you can’t let him up, or else the master will definitely be angry… And since it’s your first time meeting the Marquis, there’s no need to be scared. She’s actually quite easy to talk to.”
Yi Hua, who was even taller than Yi Ye, also wore a Daoist robe but stood respectfully before Yi Ye, listening carefully to everything Yi Ye needed to pass on before seeing him off downstairs.
In the room opposite Fu Yan’s bedroom, where he was sleeping with Gu Fu in his arms, Fu Yan was the first to wake. He got out of bed, put on an outer robe, and went to check on the bedroom. He found that it had already been tidied up, and the bath behind the screen was filled with hot water. So, he went back to the other room, picked up Gu Fu, and carried her to the bedroom to bathe and change clothes.
Not long after Fu Yan woke up, Gu Fu also woke up, allowing him to carry her. However, she let out a hiss of pain when Fu Yan kneaded her waist.
When their celestial being got fierce, he could be really fierceâalmost breaking her waist in the process.
After bathing and getting dressed, Gu Fu stopped pretending to be asleep and sat at the vanity to figure out how to style her hair. Yi Ye had prepared a set of skirts for her so she couldnât just tie her hair in a casual ponytail as she did when wearing menâs clothing.
However, Gu Fu, who couldn’t even manage a simple braid, was destined to fail at this task. Fu Yan noticed and came up behind her, taking the comb to give her a simple hairstyle.
Gu Fu, surprised, asked, “When did you learn this?”
Fu Yan replied, “I never learned it. I just saw someone with this hairstyle when I was out once, and it seemed simple. Today is my first time doing it, and it turns out it’s not difficult.”
Gu Fu: “…”
Maybe this is just fate.
Fu Yan then placed a hairpin in her hair, and as Gu Fu looked at it, she suddenly remembered how their hair had gotten tangled together last night. They had been too preoccupied to care and ended up yanking it apart.
Gu Fu thought it might be better not to undo their hair in bed next time. Otherwise, if their hair tangled and broke every time, they’d eventually end up bald.
Once they were ready, Yi Hua appeared at the door and asked whether they would like to have breakfast in the room or upstairs.
Fu Yan answered, “Bring it upstairs.”
Yi Hua replied, “Yes, sir.”
Fu Yan then turned and took Gu Fu’s hand, leading her out of the room and upstairs for breakfast.
A slight discomfort made Gu Fu’s walking less natural than usual. Fu Yan offered to carry her up, but Gu Fu laughed and teased, “My legs aren’t broken.”
What Gu Fu didnât realize was that it wasnât about whether she could walk; Fu Yan just wanted to carry her to distract her from remembering that she had carried him five years ago.
Before breakfast, Gu Fu wrote a note and asked someone from the Secret Pavilion to deliver it to Gu Qizheng so he wouldnât worry when he realized she hadnât returned all night.
“Do you have anything to do today?” Fu Yan asked her during breakfast.
Gu Fu shook her head, so Fu Yan suggested, “Then stay and keep me company today.”
“Okay,” Gu Fu replied, then added, “But I might be a bit late tomorrow night. My uncle is coming back, and my cousin asked me to accompany her to the Mu family’s old residence tomorrow afternoon. When I get home, Iâll need to help her sort out some deeds and accounts, which will take some time.”
Fu Yan naturally had no objections, but when Mu Qingyao was mentioned, he remembered something. “Your uncle remarried in the northwest and had a daughter, but he never mentioned it in the letters he sent back.”
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