Nie Siran X Su Ruhe (2)
The people from the Chang’an Marquis residence did not look very pleased when they left.
Jiang Ni drew his gaze back and looked at his son with amused eyes. “How was it that I did not know you were of the cut sleeve?”
Nie Siran gave a faint laugh. “Now Ah-Die knows, does he not?”
Nie Xuxing said, “Today you offended Madam Pang. In less than two days, all of Ye Jing will know that you are of the cut sleeve.”
Jiang Ni said, “More than that. From now on, those who come to propose marriage will begin introducing men to you. When that time comes, whom do you mean to look over?”
Nie Siran drank his tea in complete calm. “If they introduce men to me, I shall say that I prefer delicate young ladies. In matters of preference, change comes in the space of an instant. Who can truly say for certain?”
Jiang Ni: “...”
Nie Xuxing was astonished. “So it turns out that you like neither men nor women?”
Jiang Ni shook his head and, half smiling and half sighing, said, “With your son’s temperament, can you truly not know him? It is only that he has not yet met someone he likes. If he truly were to fall for someone, even were it a eunuch, he would still marry the person home.”
Nie Xuxing: “... Ahem.”
Nie Siran helplessly supported his forehead. Though those words were somewhat too blunt, it truly was the sort of thing he could do.
Nie Xuxing waved a hand. “Enough. You may see to your own marriage affairs yourself. Your Ah-Die and I will not interfere.”
As he spoke, however, worry stirred again within him. Covering his mouth with one hand, he leaned to Jiang Ni’s ear and whispered in a low voice, “With standards this exacting, I feel he will not be able to find a wife even at forty.”
“...” Jiang Ni reached out and patted his shoulder. Everything was within silence.
Nie Siran listened to the not particularly quiet whispering between the two of them and, caught between laughter and tears, directly changed the subject. “Where is Grandfather?”
“Your grandfather has only just resigned from office. He still has a heap of matters in hand not yet dealt with. Before dawn, he had already entered the palace.”
Nie Siran nodded. As for Grandfather’s resignation, he very much approved of it. “The sooner these trifling affairs are dealt with, the sooner we may return to Ping Cheng.”
Jiang Ni said, “These next few days, your father and I intend to go look around outside the city. We may stay at the estate for two days.”
Nie Siran teased, “You have only been back for two days, yet you already do not mean to stay at home. Grandfather is going to be heartbroken.”
The instant he said this, Nie Xuxing and Jiang Ni both turned to look at him.
Nie Siran smiled without the slightest ripple. “Why are you looking at me?”
Nie Xuxing said, “We had originally meant to stay at home.”
Jiang Ni said, “But the moment we returned, people began arriving to discuss marriage matches for you.”
Nie Xuxing said, “Your Ah-Die and I are thoroughly worn out by it.”
Jiang Ni said, “If anyone comes again, you are to say that the two of us have not yet returned.”
Nie Xuxing said, “Precisely.”
Nie Siran: “???”
Watching the backs of the two of them as they went off hand in hand, he smiled and ground his teeth softly.
Very good. They were indeed his birth parents.
Nie Xuxing and Jiang Ni left the moment they said they would. By the time Nie Chouwen returned to the residence, he found only Nie Siran alone in the pavilion, reading a book.
After the steward had finished reporting the day’s affairs at the residence, Nie Chouwen inclined his head and said, “Let us have supper in the pavilion tonight. Go fetch that jar of wine of mine.”
Once the steward had left, Nie Siran set down his book and came over to help Nie Chouwen sit down. “Grandfather is in a fine mood today.”
Nie Chouwen acknowledged it. “The matters at court have nearly all been handed over. Now I am free from office and light in body. In a while, you are to drink two cups with me.”
Nie Siran smiled. “As you wish.”
“Oh, yes. I heard His Majesty mention a few words today. It seems Prince Li and the others will be returning soon as well. When the time comes, go to the city gate and see to it.” After the evening meal had been set out, Nie Chouwen took a small sip of wine.
Nie Siran was just lifting his sleeve to pour wine for himself. Hearing this, he raised his eyes. “Grandfather has matters with him?”
Nie Chouwen said, “If I remember correctly, the birthday of that child, Prince Li’s Consort, is approaching soon. Go and ask. If Prince Li means to hold a capping ceremony for the Prince Consort, this old man would like to place the cap upon that child myself.”
“Very well.”
“I have arranged to go to the teahouse tomorrow with someone to listen to the opera. Do you have any interest in accompanying me?” Since he had nothing pressing to do, Nie Chouwen thought he might as well come along and appreciate the performance with him.
Nie Siran said, “I still have matters tomorrow, so I will not go with you.”
“There have been no poetry gatherings in the city of late, and you have no interest in such things. Could it be that you have made a new friend?”
Nie Siran lowered his eyes to the porcelain-white wine cup before him. Lifting it, he offered it toward Nie Chouwen with a smiling gesture, laughter blooming faintly at the ends of his brows. “To call the person a friend is still too early. However... the person is rather interesting.”
The rather interesting person of whom he spoke had, of late, grown busier and busier.
Su Ruhe lifted his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow. Standing beneath the blazing sun, with noise all around him, he tilted his head and looked up at the Daoist temple before him, which was nearly complete. His fair face had been reddened somewhat by the heat.
“Vice Minister Su, Minister Chen seeks you for a matter.” A subordinate official came running over, panting, and pointed toward a winehouse not far away. “The Minister waits for Vice Minister Su in a private room on the second floor. This subordinate will lead you there at once.”
“Many thanks.”
Su Ruhe’s gaze swept over in that direction. Unmoved in expression, he narrowed his eyes slightly and lifted his steps toward the winehouse.
The moment the private room door was pushed open, Su Ruhe saw Chen Youwei’s face, smiling in a manner difficult to fathom.
“This subordinate pays his respects.” He stood in the doorway, his washed-faded water-blue robe shifting in the breeze, his figure slight and lean, like green bamboo growing along a cliff face.
“Xiao Su has come. Quickly, come in and sit.” The smile on Chen Youwei’s face was exceedingly warm. Then he turned his face and at once withdrew the smile. “Someone, quickly serve the dishes. Vice Minister Su has been so busy with the Daoist temple that he has not had a proper meal. You must not neglect Vice Minister Su in the slightest.”
Su Ruhe stood at the threshold in silence for an instant, his fingers beneath his sleeve gently rubbing together. Then, step by step, he entered the room.
Nie Siran waited until the moonlight had gathered on all sides before he finally saw a figure swaying unsteadily into the mouth of the alley.
Su Ruhe was walking with lowered head. As he walked, he suddenly bumped into something. His steps staggered backward several paces, and only then did he slowly raise his head.
Beneath the moonlight, Nie Siran’s face was striking and unworldly. Su Ruhe looked at him for quite some time before his blurred vision at last made out who it was.
“Oh, it is you.” His steps floated, and even his voice seemed to drift in midair.
Seeing that he was about to lose his footing, Nie Siran reached out to steady him by the arm. The heavy smell of wine coming from him made Nie Siran frown. “How did you drink so much?”
“Hic~ mm... I had to drink... if I did not, they...” Su Ruhe’s face was flushed. He reached out and pushed at Nie Siran’s hand. “If I did not drink, they would not let me leave... you, let go of me...”
Seeing the discomfort in his expression, Nie Siran released him.
Su Ruhe immediately dropped down into a crouch, pressing a hand to his stomach, his face cycling through shades of white.
“Are you all right?” Nie Siran crouched down beside him as well.
Su Ruhe’s face was white. “I... want to vomit.”
Nie Siran looked around, guided him over to the drainage channel beside the road, and said. “Then vomit. Who is the one who would not let you leave?”
Su Ruhe crouched there by the drainage channel. His eyes, soaked through with the fumes of wine, blinked several times. The overturning sensation in his stomach came and went in waves, and little by little a watery sheen appeared in his eyes.
“Chen... Youwei.” After speaking, the drainage channel before his eyes seemed to grow and shrink at random. He buried his head into the crook of his arm, his voice weak. “It will not come out. My head is so dizzy.”
Nie Siran said, “Can you stand? I will take you to the medical hall.”
Su Ruhe felt miserable all over, yet his mind remained fairly clear. Hearing the words “medical hall,” he buried his head even deeper. “I am not going... not going.”
“You cannot see me.”
“I have disappeared.”
“...” Nie Siran looked down at the mushroom on the ground pretending to be foolish. “If you will not go, then return home and drink a sober-up soup now.”
“Oh.” Su Ruhe braced himself against the wall and slowly stood. His head was spinning terribly. Leaning to the wall, he paused there for quite some time, then narrowed his eyes and began searching in all directions for the way home.
He was so drunk he could scarcely even find his home, yet he was still putting on this brave front. Nie Siran truly did not know what to say of him. Supporting him bit by bit, he moved him to the courtyard gate. Hearing the noise, the bookboy inside at once came carrying a lantern to open the door.
“Su gongzi?!” The bookboy was also startled when he saw the drunken Su Ruhe and hurried forward to support his other arm. “Gongzi, what is the matter? Why do you smell of wine all over?”
Nie Siran said, “Go brew a sobering soup for your gongzi. Otherwise when he wakes tomorrow, his head will ache.”
“Yes.” Together the two of them helped Su Ruhe inside to sit down. The bookboy was just about to go to the kitchen when, upon turning around, he saw that Nie Siran had sat down as well. He froze. “Young Master Nie, my young master may be left to me. The night is already late. You should hurry back.”
Nie Siran stared at Su Ruhe. Hearing this, he lifted his eyes to the bookboy. “There is no hurry. Go first and brew the soup. He is far too drunk. If no one keeps watch, something may happen.”
The look in his eyes startled the bookboy. He gave a hurried reply and rushed toward the kitchen for help.
The room was very quiet. Su Ruhe, in his drunken state, made neither fuss nor noise. His unfocused eyes merely stared straight at the leaping candle flame.
“Su Ruhe.” Within that stillness, Nie Siran suddenly called his name.
Su Ruhe blinked. Little by little, his head turned over. Between his brows and eyes was all confusion, as though he did not understand why Nie Siran had called him.
Nie Siran looked at him. “Why did they force you to drink?”
He had just discovered that after becoming drunk, Su Ruhe would answer whatever was asked of him. He was even more obedient and well-behaved than when sober.
Su Ruhe took a while to react, then honestly said, “Because I would not do as they said, so they... grew angry.”
“Would not do as they said?”
“Mm.” Su Ruhe nodded heavily. Tilting his head back against the chair, he stared vacantly at the ceiling. “They wanted me... to make false accounts for the Daoist temple, and harm Prince Li. I did not agree...”
The more Nie Siran listened, the tighter his brows drew together. Suddenly he thought of those shadow guards protecting Su Ruhe in secret during the Wanchao Hui. Now it seemed highly likely that those people had indeed been sent by Lu Ronghuai to protect Su Ruhe.
He simply had not expected that this aloof little vice minister, who disliked entangling himself in factional struggles, would secretly be working for Prince Li.
Nie Siran said, “Su Ruhe, why are you helping Prince Li?”
“Helping... Prince Li?” Su Ruhe’s brain, numbed by alcohol, turned and turned. Only after quite a long time did he shake his head. “I am not... helping him.”
Nie Siran said, “Chen Youwei is one of the Crown Prince faction. By refusing him, in their eyes you have already been marked down into Prince Li’s camp.”
Hearing Nie Siran’s calm and even voice, Su Ruhe suddenly wrinkled his nose. On his delicate face there appeared a trace of grievance.
“Not helping him... he, he threatened me.”
Nie Siran’s expression turned cold. “He threatened you?”
“Mm, threatened me.” Su Ruhe picked at his own fingers, unfolding the long slender joints one section at a time. “He found out about my, hic... my identity. I wrote more than ten storybooks about him and the Prince Consort... mm. If I would not help him, he would not help me keep it secret.”
Nie Siran: “???”
Su Ruhe said, “He also wanted me to write... mm... storybooks about the Crown Prince and you. I do not want to write about the Crown Prince at all.”
Nie Siran: “...”
For a time, Nie Siran did not know whether he ought to be angry or laugh. He had assumed it was something momentous. He had not expected it to be Lu Ronghuai discovering Su Ruhe’s authorial identity and leveraging it to secure his cooperation.
As an official of the court, privately writing storybooks for profit truly was improper. If those censors at court were ever to learn of it, they would surely not let him off lightly. No wonder Su Ruhe was so afraid of his identity becoming known.
And yet, for reasons unknown even to himself, the focus of his thoughts also slipped askew. “If you do not wish to write the Crown Prince, then do you wish to write about me?”
The candle flame leapt bright and dim. Su Ruhe turned his face. The corners of his eyes had been reddened by the fumes of wine. His gaze searched for quite some time before it found that face, fine as carved jade.
After a long while, he lowered his head and in a very small voice said, “I do.”
Nie Siran’s dark eyes deepened. “Why?”
“Because of your fine appearance.”
“... Is that the only reason?” Nie Siran was unwilling to give up and added another line, his tone softened into something almost coaxing. “Is it not that you saw many admirable inward qualities upon me?”
Su Ruhe parted his lips, and for an instant confusion crossed his face.
“Do you have any?”
“............ Do I... not have any?” The composure for which Young Master Nie was so well known came close to giving way altogether.
“You do not.” Su Ruhe shook his head with solemn earnestness.
“Hah.”
✧ A Word from the Author ✧
Nie Siran: Family, does anyone understand that I am a man of five virtues?
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