[BL] Eternal Spring

第十一章

Liu Qingyuan got deja vu as he stood waiting, guarding the imperial bedchamber once again. This time, he was to return the book before there was a possibility of discovery or suspicion. It hadn't helped much except to confirm that the Qiangda flower indeed existed. Though, Liu Qingyuan still had no clue what it looked like.

This particular evening, he wasn't guarding the doors. No, he was keeping watch from a distance; from the adjacent buildings' roof to be precise. Liu Qingyuan was dressed in tight-fitting black robes, nothing distinct about his uniform. He'd left his precious sword back in his own residence, instead, wearing only a few daggers. His hair was up in a ponytail, held in place by a simple metal crown-pin. As the imperial guards below left to change shifts, he dragged up the black cloth tied around his neck, concealing his features. The guards rounded the corner and Liu Qingyuan dropped soundlessly onto the dirt. The ground was soft beneath his feet as he slipped directly through the front. Not a second too late! The next shift of guards rounded the corner, scarcely a minute from the previous shift's departure.

One candle had been left lit in the middle of the low table by the bed. The king had his back facing Liu Qingyuan, but he could hear his soft breaths, indicating he was asleep. He knelt by the bed, glancing around before ducking his head under. Liu Qingyuan cursed his clumsy actions last time. The box had been shoved further underneath. Shuffling over, Liu Qingyuan slid half under the bed, pulling at the box.

The broken lock was no problem to explain. It was old and didn't have any magic seal on it, so Liu Qingyuan didn't bother with trying to hide the break. He replaced the book and closed the creaky lid.

The flash of a shadow caught the corner of his eye and he rose into a crouch, touching the dagger at his side. The moonlight shone in pale strands through the rice paper screen of the window beside the bed and this time, there was no mistaking the figure.

Before Liu Qingyuan could move, the window swung open a fraction and through the gaps, two pairs of eyes met and froze. The figure was distinctly feminine, but their identity was completely concealed. They were dressed similarly to Liu Qingyuan.

With one foot in, but already caught, the female assailant tossed her weapon at Liu Qingyuan with great speed. He dodged it, the blade sinking into the bed post with a dull thud. Liu Qingyuan retaliated, flinging his own dagger with razor-sharp precision through the small gap. She dodged too, but not fast enough, the dagger ending up buried in her shoulder. She cried out as she fell, hand grasping onto the window ledge at the last moment. Unfortunately, her flailing knocked the window table's contents onto the floor, a heavy metal bowl ringing as sharp as a monastery's gong.

"Your majesty?" A guard immediately called out. Liu Qingyuan glanced towards the door. When he looked back the next second, the female figure was already gone, dropping into the darkness. "Your majesty?!" the guard called again. "Pardon me, I'm coming in!"

'Fuck.'

Liu Qingyuan moved towards the bed, following the box under. His body had scarcely disappeared into the darkness when the door slid open and boots were heard. Just then, Liu Qingyuan remembered the woman's knife still buried in the bed post. He begged the guards wouldn't come too close and that it'd be too dark to see.

"Your majesty?" The boots stopped outside the bead curtain.

"What's going on?" Jiang Zhilan's voice was groggy. The man kowtowed.

"Forgive me, your majesty but I heard a loud noise..." both the king and the guard noticed the fallen objects by the open window, the atmosphere getting more serious. "I beg your majesty to disturb your sleep a little longer and let us search your rooms, just in case."