Chapter 18
JIANG SUIZHOU’S GAZE transformed from astonishment to rage.
He was so furious, so mortified, that as the blood rushed to his head even the roots of his ears flushed red. His jaw clenched and unclenched a few times before he could find his voice.
“Meng Qianshan!”
The eunuch froze. Only now did he realize that there had been a grave misunderstanding on his part.
Meng Qianshan should be grateful that he isn’t dealing with the original owner of this body, Jiang Suizhou thought. Otherwise, the walls would already be coated in his blood as he prayed for a swift death.
“Your servant…n-noticed that His Highness rejected the s-services of all of your subordinates,” he stammered in abject terror. “So I assumed…since the bath is fairly large, a-and it might be more convenient… So I…I…”
He couldn’t even finish his own excuse.
Jiang Suizhou realized suddenly how chilly the air felt against his exposed skin and swiftly pulled his inner robe snug around himself. He took a deep breath.
“Did you forget? The physician changed his bandages only two days ago, with instructions that they remain dry,” he said, trying his best to keep his voice steady. “If your brain continues to prove itself so useless, Meng Qianshan, I’ll have someone remove it for you.”
Jiang Suizhou’s body was frail. Just this spate of anger made his voice tremble.
Still, it was enough to scare Meng Qianshan witless. Gripping the wheelchair, he cast everything else aside and fled back to the bedroom. Despite his panic, he dared not jostle Huo Wujiu a fraction, though he stumbled over himself the entire way.
Jiang Suizhou sighed in relief and disrobed again. The entire infuriating ordeal had left his thoughts in disarray, but he wasn’t about to let a hot bath go to waste. It had been meticulously prepared just for him, after all.
The moment he stepped in, it proved to be an intensely wonderful experience. Jiang Suizhou shed every thought in his head to focus on simply soaking in the blissful warm bath.
Eventually, he grew a bit tired and finished up. After changing into new sleepwear, he returned to the bedroom to find that Meng Qianshan had already run off in fear, along with the other servants Jiang Suizhou had already dismissed. The only other person in the room was Huo Wujiu, who was currently sitting in his wheelchair and quietly reading a book.
Jiang Suizhou felt a bit awkward.
What had that fool Meng Qianshan been thinking, pushing Huo Wujiu into the room while he was bathing?!
As he dried his hair, he made his way to the daybed and took a seat. Perhaps it was just due to the unexpected, relatively friendly interaction they’d had at dinner, but Jiang Suizhou felt compelled to speak to him now in a much more relaxed and open manner.
“Meng Qianshan was being foolish,” he said.
✦ ✦ ✦
Huo Wujiu put down the book.
“It’s fine,” he responded indifferently.
Then he wheeled himself to the back to wash up, and Jiang Suizhou secretly sighed in relief.
It wasn’t his imagination, then. Although Huo Wujiu’s attitude toward him was still cold, he was now willing to talk to him.
…Even if it was just to reject him.
But still, this proved that his efforts hadn’t been in vain. It seemed Huo Wujiu had begun to notice his intentions.
Jiang Suizhou watched him disappear behind the screen, then looked away. He picked up the book he’d been reading earlier and moved to resume reading on the daybed.
But the moment he lay down on it, something felt different. Pressing lightly on the cushion, he realized that it was an entire layer thicker than before. Someone had also swapped the pillow for a softer one and laid out a very cozy-looking blanket.
It seemed Meng Qianshan really had swallowed the nonsense he’d fed him this morning and had diligently prepared all this to alleviate his suffering.
Crawling into the plush bed, Jiang Suizhou granted Meng Qianshan a swift and complete pardon for his earlier blunder.
Was there anything in the world more blissful than enjoying a restful night’s sleep?
For now, nothing.
✦ ✦ ✦
The moment Huo Wujiu rolled into the bathroom, out of view, he brought the wheelchair to a halt.
His hand slipped almost imperceptibly.
The room was still warm and humid, and steam wafted toward his face. Petals swayed gently in the ripples of the vacant bath pool, shrouded in hazy white mist, with traces of water on the floor nearby. Next to the bath, the robes that man had removed remained draped over a copper rack.
The scene was still so evocative that Huo Wujiu couldn’t help but recall certain details of the incident he’d just witnessed.
For instance, the way the prince’s long black hair hung loose and disheveled as his inner robe began to slip, and the way he inadvertently exposed the smooth skin of his chest and waist when he turned to look at Huo Wujiu in shock.
Huo Wujiu had been in the army for years and had seen more than his share of male bodies. During the summer, the entire group of men would even head to the river and bathe together.
But…for some reason, the Prince of Jing stood out from among them.
Huo Wujiu had never seen a man quite like him before. He struggled to think of any suitable, nonerotic words with which to describe him.
What exactly was it that made the prince so—
Huo Wujiu could only spare him a brief glance before hastily averting his eyes. Was it simply the fact he’d been grown up sheltered, never weathering the sun or rain, or that his appearance was naturally far too striking?
Or perhaps it was partially due to the prince’s reaction to being observed? That made sense. It was completely normal for soldiers to be naked in front of one another, and the men he’d seen never behaved as if they felt anything amiss. None were like the Prince of Jing, who hurriedly wrapped himself up without a word and blushed to his ears in embarrassment.
…Much like a very large maiden.
That mischievous notion floated to the surface of Huo Wujiu’s mind, unbidden. While he had little to no experience with any sort of maiden, thinking of Jiang Suizhou in this way unexpectedly made his heart beat a little faster.