[BL] Eternal Spring

第三十三章

A/N  The second part is here~

The Night Before

"Aiyo~ what a coincidence, guard Liu."

"Noble Consort Xiu." Xiu Ying swayed closer, a slightly heavy bamboo basket in her hands and a strange, coy smile on her face. LiuQingyuan made as if to pass her but Xiu Ying blocked his way.

"Don't be in such a rush." Liu Qingyuan glanced at her coldly. Previously, she'd been so hostile. Her nice attitude could only mean that she was up to something.

"Apologies. I have duties to attend to." In fact, Jiang Zhilan had already retired to his chambers, so technically, he was off duty. But Liu Qingyuan did indeed still have something to discuss with him. Xiu Ying didn't need to know that it was after hours and unofficial.

"Wait-" Liu Qingyuan stepped slightly to the side, avoiding the hand that was reaching for his arm. After a moment of observing her furious expression, he looked away.

"Sorry to offend, but I really have to go." A hint of annoyance appeared between his brows. What was she up to? Xiu Ying smiled. Liu Qingyuan stared at her with uncertainty, finding that beautiful smile to be unsettling. Something was definitely up.

"Then...could I trouble you to bring these small snacks to his majesty?" Xiu Ying lowered her head as if shy and embarrassed. "It's just a small gesture of my goodwill."

"Sorry, but the king's meal time has long ended." The ruler often faced strict schedules regarding food, from a combination of traditions and palace rules, including the type, amount and times they could consume food. Of course, as the king, Jiang Zhilan didn't really care, often weaseling away snacks. After all, who could tell him no? Liu Qingyuan gazed down at Xiu Ying. She didn't need to know that either of course...

Xiu Ying grabbed Liu Qingyuan's hand. "Please, guard Liu. Just delivering it will make my heart feel better." Liu Qingyuan shook off her hand.

"Noble consort Xiu, I have things to attend to. If you really want your heart to...'feel better', you can deliver the food yourself." Xiu Ying's face went black. You dare? It's not like I want to suck up to you! But Liu Qingyuan didn't notice. Inside his sleeve, he curled his hand into a fist. Just now, a sharp prickling pain had made his fingers go momentarily numb. Perhaps it was his imagination, after all, there was no lingering effect. "Now, if you'll excuse me-"

"Guard Liu!" A sudden weight was thrown into his arms and his numb hand trembled, nearly dropping the box of food. Xiu Ying's sleeves flapped up with the motion, an intense fragrance rushing out. Liu Qingyuan turned his head and sneezed, feeling like women's perfumes were becoming stronger and stronger. "Oh, are you alright?" Liu Qingyuan glanced down at that white face, feeling like she was particularly exaggerating.

"Noble consort Xiu, be careful of distance between men and women."

"..."

"If you really want to deliver this, I advise you to do it yourself. It is much more sincere." Liu Qingyuan said coldly. Xiu Ying grit her teeth.

"I just remembered I have another appointment to attend to!" Before he could speak, she was gone, leaving him with a frosty face and an armful of someone else' food. Whatever. He could just drop it off with Eunuch Shuang.

Halfway to the king's chambers, Liu Qingyuan raised his hand, rubbing at his eyes. He swallowed the rising yawn, feeling his vision blur. The night was still relatively young, but perhaps it was an accumulation of several nights of poor sleep. Twenty paces later, he stumbled. Liu Qingyuan stopped in his tracks, breaths coming a little faster than normal. Something was wrong. He dropped the food box on the cobblestones, reaching up to seal several of his acupressure points. However, before he got far, his head spiked with pain.