Chapter 34#

Bodhisattva or poison mushroom, either way, he was his treasure. Chapter ID: 726366y#

After Gu Yuezhe’s hair was shaved off, he was both shocked and furious. His first act was to suppress the news—the maidservant who discovered it was immediately beaten to death.

However, some blind fool of a servant seemed determined to work against him, and the matter still got out.

Within half a day, nearly the entire upper echelons of the capital knew that Gu Yuezhe had become bald.

The people of Zhou placed immense importance on hair. As the saying goes, “One’s body, hair, and skin are received from one’s parents.” Hair represented dignity, represented benevolence and filial piety—it was even more important than life itself.

To lose one’s hair was to lose one’s head. Gu Yuezhe, a dignified seven-foot man, having had his head shaved bald, could almost be said to have “died.”

Not only did he become the laughingstock of the entire capital, but the emperor himself personally reprimanded General Zhenyuan in court, rebuking him for failing to discipline his son and for showing disrespect to his father.

“I hear the General’s face was black as coal when he left court. The moment he returned to the manor, he gave Gu Yuezhe twenty strokes of the military cane, nearly breaking his legs.”

Mo Shu laughed as he combed Rong Yu’s hair.

Rong Yu’s hair fell through his hands—black and lustrous, smooth as satin with a glossy sheen. One glance told you it belonged to someone raised in luxury and nobility.

Ancient people’s hair carried the same meaning. If one’s hair quality was good, one knew the person was wealthy and noble. If the hair was poor, one knew the person hadn’t been living well.

Of course, someone like Gu Yuezhe with his big bald head—nothing could be discerned from that now.

Mo Shu couldn’t hold back his laughter at the thought, his eyes curving into crescent moons.

Rong Yu’s lips curved slightly. He had slept late last night and risen late as well. Waking up to such news had brightened his mood considerably.

“This Gu Yuezhe is arrogant and domineering. He must do evil deeds every day. Some righteous hero couldn’t stand to watch any longer, shaved his head bald, and gave him a good scare. Even if he doesn’t die of fright, he’ll die of shame. Let’s see if he still dares to leave his house!” Mo Shu was both delighted and indignant on Rong Yu’s behalf.

Rong Yu pressed his lips together. If he guessed correctly, this “righteous hero” was none other than the “vile scoundrel” Mo Shu was always talking about…

Just then, Chu Tan entered from outside. Every morning at dawn, he would practice horse stance and shadowboxing in the courtyard.

Now that one of his hands was broken, he had switched to practicing with a spear in a single hand. Having just finished his training, he was full of energy, his thin garments faintly revealing powerful muscle lines, his whole body radiating heat and steam.

The moment Mo Shu saw him, he glared coldly and scolded, “Look at you, covered in stinking sweat. What are you coming into the inner room for? Aren’t you afraid of polluting the air around the young master? Get out quickly!”

Chu Tan said, “Aunt Qin called us for a meal.”

“Eat, eat, eat—all you know is eating. Even if it’s mealtime, you need to wash your hands and face first before coming in, so the young master doesn’t lose his appetite looking at you!”

Chu Tan frowned. He had already wiped his hands and face. He lowered his head to sniff himself and didn’t detect any odor. But he glanced at Rong Yu, thought for a moment, and went to the outer room to wash again anyway.

Seeing him leave, Mo Shu turned and seized the opportunity to speak ill of him to Rong Yu. “Young master, look at him—crude and gluttonous. I bet back in Jiangning Prefecture, he was the most neglected illegitimate son in his family. He doesn’t have a trace of a noble young master’s bearing.”

“And you didn’t see how he showed off his might this morning! The little maids in the courtyard were all sneaking glances at him as they passed by, completely forgetting their work. He wasn’t practicing martial arts—he was clearly seducing people!”

Rong Yu smiled ambiguously. “Why are you so angry? Could it be there’s a little maid in the courtyard you fancy?”

“Impossible! My loyalty to you, young master, is witnessed by heaven and earth!” Mo Shu protested his innocence, nearly raising his hand to swear an oath.

“I’m just upset on your behalf. This shameless scoundrel is fickle, flashy, and doesn’t uphold masculine virtue.” Mo Shu muttered, his face full of dissatisfaction with Chu Tan.

Rong Yu couldn’t help but smile, his eyes curving. He could actually feel that Mo Shu’s affection for him wasn’t that kind of feeling—it was just the bond of brothers who had grown up together, combined with Yang-shi’s earnest entrustments before her death, that made him mistake this closeness for adoration.

Mo Shu probably hadn’t realized it yet. Once he found someone he truly loved in the future, he would come to understand the difference.

Rong Yu said, “Alright, let’s go eat.”

They were only halfway through the meal when the palace messenger arrived. Everyone in the Rong household, from top to bottom, came out to kneel and receive the imperial edict.

The eunuch’s shrill voice read out the decree. In essence, it conferred upon Rong Yu the title of Champion of the Spring Hunt, bestowed upon him the Golden Archery Bow, and expressed consolation for his recent fall from the cliff.

Additionally, an imperial physician was dispatched specifically to treat Rong Yue, along with a large chest of ginseng, lingzhi, and other medicinal herbs.

The palace envoy had barely left when Grand Princess Jia Yang arrived on horseback, still in her dashing red attire. She tossed a bundle in front of Rong Yu and said flatly, “Returning this to its rightful owner.”

Then she hurried over to Madam Bai. “Auntie, I’ve come to see Rong Yue. How is he?”

While Madam Bai exchanged pleasantries with Grand Princess Jia Yang, her eyes drifted toward Rong Yu. She watched Mo Shu open the bundle and shake out a magnificent tiger pelt.

Then she looked at the gleaming golden archery bow. A ridiculous sense of reversal washed over Madam Bai.

These honors, symbols of bravery and strength that ordinary men could only dream of, had now fallen upon a sickly invalid with crippled legs.

Meanwhile, her son—the most elegant and talented young man in the capital—lay in bed, unconscious, with an imperial physician and a chest of herbs awaiting him.

Where exactly had things gone wrong?

Biying Pavilion.

Mo Shu hung the tiger pelt out to dry in the courtyard. Even though the pelt had been roughly processed, the blood aura emanating from it was still extremely thick. The ferocious tiger stripes radiated a chilling murderous intent—one glance seemed to conjure the tiger’s terrifying roar in one’s mind.

The servants in the courtyard wanted to go closer for a look, but hesitated. The timid maidservants turned pale with fright, huddling together and whispering among themselves.

“What a massive tiger pelt! How fierce must that tiger have been?!”

“I heard that Young General Gu and Grand Princess Jia Yang—more than a dozen people in all—couldn’t catch that tiger. In the end, Chu Tan was the one who killed it.”

“He’s really something!”

“And he’s very handsome too,” one maidservant said. From there, the topic shifted in another direction.

“I think Second Young Master is better looking.”

“What are you talking about? Someone like Chu Tan is what a real man is. Did you all see him practicing with the spear this morning?”

“We saw it, we saw it! So mighty and imposing. No wonder he could kill a tiger.”

“But I still think Second Young Master is better. He’s gentle, kind, and well-read.”

“Look at you, all love-struck. Second Young Master is lying in bed unconscious right now—why don’t you go tend to him?”

The maidservant who kept praising the Second Young Master pouted and fell silent. Whether the Second Young Master would even wake up was still up in the air—she wasn’t going.

Just then, a little maidservant hiding in the back who hadn’t spoken until now blushed and said softly, “I think our Third Young Master is better looking.”

At these words, everyone turned to look at her. This little maidservant was new, only twelve years old, with her hair tied up in a bud-shaped bun.

The girl didn’t understand why they were staring. She blinked her big eyes and said, “In my village, every year during the temple fair for prayers, they choose the most handsome young man to play the role of Guanyin Bodhisattva. I think our Third Young Master is even more handsome than the Bodhisattva!”

When she finished, she noticed everyone looking at her with complex expressions—as if they had much to say but swallowed it all back down.

“What’s wrong?” the little girl asked.

Everyone sighed and turned away. One maidservant patted the girl’s shoulder. “Do you know about poisonous mushrooms?”

“Of course. The more brightly colored and beautiful they are, the more poisonous.”

The maidservant nodded with deep agreement. “People are the same.”

When people are discussing which mushroom tastes better, who would include a poisonous mushroom in the comparison?

Chu Tan’s hearing was sharp, and he caught every word of the courtyard gossip. He gazed at Rong Yu, who sat by the window with his head bowed, reading the account books. A light, gentle smile rippled through his eyes, then vanished in an instant, reined in completely.

Bodhisattva or poison mushroom—either way, he was his treasure.

Rong Yu sensed Chu Tan’s gaze, looked up and glanced at him, then lowered his head to continue reading.

The account books had been delivered by the managers of the braised food shop and the Xile Tower. In the first half of the month, in their competition against the Third Prince, all braised goods had been sold at half price, cutting profits by ninety percent. But the customer traffic had doubled, and with small profits and quick turnover, they had still made a little money.

Rong Yu, however, didn’t care whether he made money or not. He only wanted to know whether he had managed to make things difficult for the Third Prince.

The manager of Juewei Braised Shop rubbed his hands together, his face wreathed in smiles. “Reporting to the young master, I send someone to check on Shixuan Zhai’s doorstep every day. Over the past few months, Shixuan Zhai has lost more than half its customers—they’ve all come running to our shop instead. Especially in the last half month, those customers would rather queue up and wait here than buy braised goods from Shixuan Zhai. Their business can only be described as dismal.”

Before Juewei Braised Shop had changed its name, it had been crushed by Shixuan Zhai to the point of barely staying afloat. Manager Wang couldn’t have hated them more. Now the tables had turned completely, and Manager Wang felt an immense satisfaction, as if a weight had been lifted. He even seemed to have aged a few years younger.

The manager of Xile Tower felt the same way.

Rong Yu lowered his eyes, his expression revealing neither pleasure nor displeasure. He waved his hand to dismiss the two managers.

Clearly, what they had said wasn’t what Rong Yu wanted to hear. And the only person who could tell him what he wanted to know absolutely would never say it.

Rong Yu turned his head to look at Chu Tan.

The tall young man stood in silence, his pitch-black pupils as calm as a deep pool, revealing nothing of what lay hidden beneath.

Rong Yu desperately wanted to crack open Chu Tan’s head and see exactly what stage his revenge plan had reached.

The rice had been delivered right to his lips. Surely the child of destiny would notice?

Chu Tan looked up at Rong Yu. “What’s wrong, young master?”

Rong Yu said, “What about my dagger? Did you remember to retrieve it?”

“I brought it back.” Chu Tan pulled the dagger from his chest, looking somewhat reluctant to return it. This was, after all, the token of affection between him and Rong Yu.

“Does the young master want it?”

Rong Yu took it. The blade had already become somewhat warped from being driven into the stone wall. But not a single gem on the hilt had fallen off; they still gleamed brightly.

Rong Yu caressed the large pigeon’s blood ruby, turning it slightly in the sunlight, its vivid red brilliance dazzling to the eye.

He remembered the first time he had used this knife to threaten Chu Tan. The Chu Tan of then and the Chu Tan of now were two completely different faces. And his own state of mind—hadn’t it also changed?

But whether this change was for better or for worse, Rong Yu couldn’t tell.

Rong Yu toyed with it for a while, then handed the dagger to Chu Tan. “It’s yours.”

Chu Tan was a little surprised.

“This is your reward. Keep it safe.”

Chu Tan immediately understood. He took the dagger and tucked it into his chest, raising an eyebrow. “How did you know it was me, young master?”

“Who else but you could enter the General’s estate silently, shave Gu Yuezhe’s head bald, and still escape unscathed?”

Chu Tan bent down, a smirk curling at his lips. “Is the young master praising me?”

Rong Yu lowered his eyes and chuckled softly. “You can think of it that way.”

Mo Shu thought the two of them were standing too close. He had been about to pull Chu Tan aside when he suddenly heard this news. His eyes went wide as he said to Chu Tan, “You did it?”

Chu Tan nodded.

Mo Shu blurted out, “Well done!”

But after the praise came the awkwardness, since he had spent the morning praising the person who shaved Gu Yuezhe’s head as a righteous hero, only to discover that this righteous hero was the person he hated most.

The feeling was extremely complicated.

Rong Yu said, “Not a word of this to anyone.”

“Rest assured, young master, I know.” Mo Shu couldn’t suppress his smile. “Such good news deserves a celebration. I’ll go to the kitchen and make you some milk tea.”

As soon as Mo Shu left, Chu Tan knelt down beside Rong Yu’s soft couch, bringing himself very, very close.

Rong Yu glanced at him lazily. “What is it?”

Chu Tan’s expression was serious. “I haven’t forgotten what I promised you.”

Rong Yu raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll torment him slowly, let him crumble in fear.” Chu Tan lifted a lock of Rong Yu’s hair, bringing it to his nose and inhaling its scent, his words cold as a blade’s edge between his teeth. “Until I kill him.”

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Rong Yu used his index finger to tilt up Chu Tan’s chin, scratching under his jaw like one might tease a puppy. “And I promise you this—every time you do something that pleases me, I’ll give you a reward.”

“When you complete the final step, I’ll give you a great gift.”

“What great gift?” Chu Tan narrowed his eyes, looking at the red lips so close at hand, unable to stop himself from leaning in for a kiss.

Rong Yu abruptly withdrew his hand, leaning back to dodge, a meaningful smile blooming at the corner of his lips. “You’ll definitely like it.”

[Author’s note:]

Rong Yu: Teasing the puppy

Chu Tan: A rabid dog lunging for food