Bai Qingyu X Lu Rongshen (2)
“Deceive me?”
Lu Rongshen turned those two words over in his mouth. He could not understand what there was about himself worth deceiving. “Though I am a prince, all I do is eat, drink, and amuse myself. I hold not the slightest bit of power. If Qingyu wishes to deceive me, then deceive me.”
In any case, he possessed nothing. Even if he were deceived, he would not suffer any great loss.
Bai Qingyu was taken aback. “Your Highness... does not mind if I deceive you?”
“Mm, I do not mind.” Lu Rongshen waved his hand magnanimously. He picked up a plate of pastries and passed it to Bai Qingyu, though his expression suddenly turned somewhat nervous. “My Third Brother said that everyone has their own secrets. Since Qingyu does not wish to tell me, then I shall act as though I do not know. So long as it does not affect our marriage, that is enough.”
Bai Qingyu lowered his gaze to the pastries. Beneath his downcast lashes lay a trace of gloom.
“If... in the future, Your Highness were to discover that this entire marriage, from beginning to end, was deception?”
“Ah?” Crumbs clung to the corner of Lu Rongshen’s mouth. He widened his eyes in astonishment and stared unblinkingly at him. “Why would Qingyu say such a thing? Could it be... you are not willing to marry me?”
Having spoken, bitterness welled up in his heart. The pastries in his mouth no longer tasted sweet, and even his head drooped in dejection.
“Qingyu does not like me, is that so?”
The more Lu Rongshen thought, the more sorrowful he became. His eyes reddened at once. “It must be so. Father Emperor bestowed this marriage, and you had no way to refuse. We... we did not know one another before. It is only natural that you would not like me.”
Bai Qingyu clenched both hands, his tone strained. “It is not so.”
Sniffling, Lu Rongshen said, “Qingyu need not comfort me. You are so gentle and considerate. Aside from this, I truly cannot think of anything else that would make you deceive me.”
Bai Qingyu rose at once.
The boat swayed lightly upon the river as he moved. Circling past the low table, he came to Lu Rongshen’s side, then crouched down and lifted his chin with one hand.
“W-what are you doing?” Lu Rongshen’s eyes were red, and his cheeks were even redder, the latter from embarrassment.
It was too mortifying. Before the young lady he loved, he had actually cried. There was not a trace of manly bearing at all.
At this moment, he did not notice how intimate their posture was, nor did he realize how out of place Bai Qingyu’s actions would seem coming from a young lady.
“Does Your Highness like me?” Bai Qingyu fixed his gaze upon him. When those blue eyes focused intently upon someone, it was enough to make one sink and drown within them.
Lu Rongshen fell into a daze. Staring blankly at him, he said, “I do.”
The corners of Bai Qingyu’s lips lifted faintly, the smile fleeting. Never before had his expression been so serious. “I too like Your Highness.”
Since childhood, Bai Qingyu had seen far too many strange gazes, mocking, disdainful, malicious, hypocritical...
After returning to the capital, whenever others saw him, there was always scrutiny and probing within their eyes. Only the person before him, upon their very first meeting, had shown without concealment the astonishment and admiration in his gaze. Never before had Bai Qingyu seen such a pure and fervent look fall upon him, as though, in all the world, he alone mattered most.
Lu Rongshen remained dazed. It was only after he realized what Bai Qingyu had said that an astonishing brilliance burst forth within his eyes.
He swept away all the sorrow from before, his entire being radiant with renewed spirit. “I-is that so? Qingyu also likes me? Ha, Qingyu likes me, ha ha ha!”
Lu Rongshen was beside himself with joy. Had they not been upon a boat, he might have leapt up and begun to dance with his hands and feet.
Bai Qingyu released his hand and rose, walking to the stern to speak with the boatman.
Once Lu Rongshen calmed his excitement, he lifted his head and asked, “What is it?”
Bai Qingyu said, “I spoke with the boatman and asked him to dock at the shore.”
“We have only gone halfway. Does Qingyu wish to return?” Lu Rongshen turned to look outside. When they boarded, the evening shine still lingered. Now it was already night, and the river lanterns had grown ever more numerous, as had the crowds upon the banks.
“No. We are going to a clothing shop.” Bai Qingyu returned to sit at his side, his hoarse voice carrying a different kind of gentleness. “Was Your Highness not curious what I deceived you about? You shall know shortly.”
Lu Rongshen nodded obediently. “Oh, very well.”
After going ashore, the two walked hand in hand. Many people passed them along the way. Quite a number, upon seeing Bai Qingyu’s appearance, especially those unusual blue eyes, would whisper among themselves, casting glances at him from time to time.
Lu Rongshen snapped back at them directly, “What are you staring at!”
The clothing the two wore was clearly not something ordinary people could afford. Even if some did not know their identities, seeing such noble attire made them quickly move aside.
Bai Qingyu watched him with a faint smile.
He liked to see the way Lu Rongshen defended him.
“Come.” Tightening his grip on Lu Rongshen’s hand, he led him across two streets to a long-established men’s clothing shop with a century of history.
“Honored guests, please come in. Our shop has many garments, all in the newest styles. If you see something you like, you may try it on.” The shopkeeper came forward with a smiling face, his attitude warm and welcoming.
Lu Rongshen looked toward Bai Qingyu. He had thought Bai Qingyu meant to go to a women’s clothing shop.
The shop interior was spacious, with even a tea table set aside for rest. Bai Qingyu asked Lu Rongshen to sit and wait, then beckoned the shopkeeper over.
The two spoke in low voices for a time. The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly and invited Bai Qingyu to the back room.
Soon after, the shopkeeper came out again, smiling. “Young Master, please wait a moment. The honored guest is trying on garments in the back.”
Lu Rongshen was bewildered. “Trying on garments?”
Bai Qingyu had been perfectly fine. Why had he suddenly come here to try on men’s clothing? Full of confusion, Lu Rongshen waited there.
Two more men entered the shop. Fearing they might disturb Bai Qingyu, Lu Rongshen deliberately went to stand by the curtain leading to the inner room, guarding the entrance so that no one else might go in.
After a short while, he heard Bai Qingyu call his name.
“Qingyu, what is it?” Without turning around, he raised his voice to ask.
Bai Qingyu called again, telling him to come in.
Lu Rongshen wondered if he had misheard. His face flushed red as he slowly moved toward the curtain.
“Qingyu, I... I am coming in.” With a face as red as fire, he lifted the curtain and quickly slipped inside, then immediately let it fall again behind him.
“What...” As Lu Rongshen lifted his head, his expression froze at once. The smile at his lips hung half-raised, and his entire person stood rooted in place.
It was no wonder he was stunned. The Bai Qingyu before him was dressed in dark men’s attire.
More than that, he felt that Bai Qingyu looked even better in men’s clothing than he had in women’s dress. His bearing was unmatched, striking to the extreme.
He stared wide-eyed, utterly entranced.
Bai Qingyu took in his expression completely. There was a resolute decisiveness in his gaze, as though breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats. “Your Highness, this is my secret.”
Hearing his low, husky voice, magnetic and stirring, Lu Rongshen’s throat moved up and down. His mind turned hazy, and he did not even truly hear what had been said.
“Ah? Oh... I-I understand.” he stammered.
Bai Qingyu’s expression grew solemn. “I did not intend to deceive you. This matter implicates my entire family. I had no choice but to conceal it... Will Your Highness resent me?”
“I will not.” His answer came without hesitation.
Light gathered once more in Bai Qingyu’s eyes, and the look with which he regarded Lu Rongshen carried a trace of barely contained emotion.
Lu Rongshen stepped forward two paces until he stood beside him. The flush on his face had yet to fade. Covering his lips with one hand, he leaned close and whispered, “A fondness for cross-dressing is merely a personal preference. I... I respect you. I will not speak of it to others.”
“?”
Bai Qingyu: “...”
Having spoken, Lu Rongshen himself felt somewhat shy. “If you like wearing men’s clothing, then once we are married, you may wear it every day within the residence.”
Bai Qingyu raised a hand to cover his eyes, pressing down the helplessness within him. “Your Highness, it is not a fondness for cross-dressing. I am, in truth, a man.”
Lu Rongshen burst into laughter. Looking at Bai Qingyu’s face, he laughed, yet in the next instant something flashed through his mind. Recalling a certain possibility, he abruptly restrained his laughter and adopted a serious expression. “Mm. Yes. You are a man.”
Bai Qingyu’s hands hung at his sides. He clenched and released them, his fingertips turning pale. “Then Your Highness is not angry?”
Lu Rongshen waved his hand carelessly and said with earnestness, “I am not. Rest assured. No matter what form you are, I will like you.”
Looking at his bright and radiant smile, Bai Qingyu felt, in that moment, that the dark clouds that had long weighed upon his heart had vanished all at once, leaving only ten thousand li of rosy glow, a clear breeze, and a bright moon.
“Very well.”
After ending their pleasant outing, Lu Rongshen returned to the palace and went straight to the Imperial Medical Bureau.
That night, it was Physician Li who was on duty. When Lu Rongshen rushed in, Physician Li was reading through a medical text.
“Physician Li, I have something to ask you.”
Physician Li hastily rose. “This subject pays respects to Eighth Highness.”
“No need for formalities, no one is watching.” Lu Rongshen helped him up and pressed him back into his seat, asking anxiously, “Physician Li, today when I went out, I encountered a strange matter. I do not understand it, so I have come to seek your explanation.”
Physician Li said respectfully, “Your Highness may ask as you wish. This subject will answer all he knows.”
“It is like this. At a clothing shop, I met a... a young lady.” He cleverly turned his words and altered Bai Qingyu’s situation. “She wore men’s clothing and insisted repeatedly that she was a man. How would such behavior be explained in medical texts?”
Physician Li stroked his beard and pondered. “Your Highness, this should be what is described in texts as a fondness for cross-dressing. In her thoughts, she identifies herself as a man, and thus her behavior will also incline toward that. Beyond clothing, she may imitate men in other aspects as well.”
Lu Rongshen began to recall.
Come to think of it, in their daily interactions, Bai Qingyu did at times make gestures that men would make.
For instance, when eating, it should have been he who cared for Bai Qingyu, yet every time it was Bai Qingyu caring for him, wiping his mouth, handing him a handkerchief, rolling up his sleeves... Moreover, he had never acted coquettishly. When other young ladies received rouge and powder, they would be delighted, yet when he gave such things to Bai Qingyu, the latter always accepted them with a faint smile, calm and composed, without the slightest sign of excitement.
Previously, he had only thought Bai Qingyu’s temperament reserved, disinclined to show emotion before others. Only now did he realize that, in her subconscious, she regarded herself as a man.
Thinking of how Bai Qingyu had lived all these years in the western borderlands alongside Bai Yi, Lu Rongshen’s brows drew together tightly.
The life at the frontier must have been too harsh. Living in mutual reliance with Bai Yi, in order not to be bullied, she had forced her own temperament and behavior into that of a man.
Lu Rongshen felt great heartache. Grasping the physician’s sleeve, he asked earnestly, “Then if one encounters such a situation, and she firmly believes herself to be a man, should one avoid contradicting her?”
The physician replied, “This subject has not encountered such a patient before. However, in this subject’s view, it must depend on her specific condition. If the inclination is severe, it is best to go along with her, lest she be provoked and act in an extreme manner.”
Lu Rongshen deeply agreed. Today, he had followed along with Bai Qingyu’s words, and indeed, after he had ‘acknowledged’ Bai Qingyu as a man, Bai Qingyu had visibly become more relaxed and happy.
Lu Rongshen now had a rough understanding. Releasing the physician’s sleeve, he thought for a moment and asked one more question, “Then for this condition, is there any way to treat it?”
Physician Li said, “This condition lies in the mind, not the body. To treat it, one may attempt more companionship and guidance. Over time, there may be some improvement.”
“Very well, I understand. Physician Li, regarding today’s matter, treat it as though you know nothing. Do not speak of it to others.”
Physician Li assured him, “Your Highness may rest at ease. This subject will not utter even half a word.”
After that night, Bai Qingyu gradually discovered that Lu Rongshen treated him better and better, to the point that he yielded to him in everything, indulged him in all things, and showed care in every detail.
Whenever he asked about it, Lu Rongshen would hold his hand with deep feeling and say, “Qingyu, in the future we shall be one family. If I do not treat you well, then whom should I treat well? Whatever you do, I will support you and accompany you. Whatever you like or dislike, you may tell me directly, all right?”
Not only this, he even brought Bai Qingyu to have men’s outer robes tailored, bought hairpins and jade crowns for binding up the hair. Anything belonging to men, he almost bought all for Bai Qingyu.
Bai Qingyu, in turn, mistakenly believed that Lu Rongshen had fully accepted his identity. Seeing that the wedding approached, when Bai Yi asked about it, Bai Qingyu told him truthfully, putting his father’s mind at ease, and the wedding proceeded as planned.
Thus the two of them, by a series of misunderstandings, continued to get along, until in the blink of an eye, the day of the wedding arrived.
The marriage of the Eighth Prince, and moreover to a young lady of a marquis household, was a matter of great attention in Ye Jing. Early in the morning, many common folk had already gathered before the gates of the marquis residence to watch the excitement.
When the auspicious hour arrived, Lu Rongshen, mounted upon a tall horse, appeared before the residence in high spirits.
Today he wore a great red wedding robe. His hair was arranged without a single strand out of place, and the smile upon his lips never faded. Brimming with energy, his eyes shone brightly as he led Bai Qingyu onto the wedding carriage.
Thereafter, the grand procession began to circle the city, with many adults and children following behind.
He had people scatter celebratory coins and sweets. Those who snatched them would speak auspicious blessings. Hearing those words one after another, Lu Rongshen felt that never in his life had he been so happy.
Upon arriving at Prince Jing’s residence, they bowed to Heaven and Earth and entered the bridal chamber. He was surrounded by a noisy crowd of noble youths, each pressing a cup of wine upon him. His face and neck grew flushed from drink, until finally Lu Ronghuai could bear it no longer and kicked those troublesome fellows away one by one.
Lu Rongshen was somewhat drunk. Supported by servants, he was escorted back to the bridal chamber.
The room was quiet yet festive, filled with red paper cutouts of double happiness. On the table, red candles adorned with dragons and phoenixes burned, their flames flickering softly. With blurred, drunken eyes, he stared at Bai Qingyu beneath the red bridal veil, letting out foolish, infatuated laughter.
“Q-Qingyu, I have finally m-married you and brought you home.” His speech slurred, his brows lifted in joy as he staggered forward, one hand reaching out to lift the veil.
Yet halfway there, he tripped over himself. Before even touching the edge of the veil, he pitched forward, about to fall flat to the ground.
A pair of warm hands slipped beneath his arms and steadied him.
In the next instant, the world spun, and he was gently laid upon the large bed strewn with fruits. The red bridal veil drifted down lightly onto his chest.
“Aiyo, what is this pressing against my waist?” Lu Rongshen twisted about on the bed.
Bai Qingyu cleared away the items upon the bed. Lu Rongshen’s cheeks were flushed with drunkenness. Smiling foolishly, he grasped Bai Qingyu’s hand and praised him, “My Qingyu is truly virtuous.”
Seeing that wine had stained his clothing at the chest, Bai Qingyu asked softly, “Does Your Highness wish to wash?”
Lu Rongshen felt as though the wedding canopy above his head were dancing. Dizzily, he nodded. “Y-yes, yes, let us wash.”
He tried to climb up by himself, yet after much effort, he had scarcely moved an inch. Bai Qingyu sighed, bent down, and lifted him in his arms, carrying him into the bathing room.
Once Bai Qingyu had stripped him clean and placed him into the bath, his own wedding garments had also become half soaked. He simply removed them as well, tossing them together with Lu Rongshen’s garments, and returned with a cloth.
Lu Rongshen leaned against the side of the bath, his drunken gaze falling upon Bai Qingyu. He could not help but ask in confusion, “Eh, why are you wearing men’s underclothes beneath?”
Bai Qingyu soaked the cloth and wiped his shoulder, lowering his head as he said, “I am a man. Naturally, I wear men’s underclothes.”
Lu Rongshen pouted. “Hmph, always saying you are a man. Then take off your clothes and let me see.”
The movement at Bai Qingyu’s hands stilled. His voice came out rougher than usual, threaded through with a quality of suppressed intent.
“Does Your Highness truly wish to see?”
“Of course! Hurry and take them off!”
Bai Qingyu let out a soft laugh. He reached out and flicked water across upon Lu Rongshen’s pale shoulder. Then he leaned close, bringing his lips to his ear, his voice low and gentle.
“As Your Highness commands.”
✧ A Word from the Author ✧
Thank you very much for everyone’s support. I will continue to work hard!
IsitRo: I AM SQUEALING AT THE SAME TIME GETTING SECOND HAND EMBARASSMENT!!!
Btw, will be releasing the last 3 chapters tomorrow. Just in time for 4th of July!
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