Gu Fuzhou returned home; before he even opened his mouth, Yuan Yin told him, “The lady should be in the study right now.”
Gu Fuzhou tossed his hat to Yuan Yin and headed straight for the study. The door was open, and when he swept aside the curtain that blocked the wind, he saw Lin Qingyu sitting by the window, dressed in white. He seemed to be playing a game of weiqi17 against himself, holding a weiqi manual while turning a black piece between the tips of his fingers absentmindedly. His face was striking, but his aura was as cold as the moon, almost divine and otherworldly. Beside him, Huantong silently added more charcoal to the stove.
Fuck—let my romantic bonds confine me here until I die, please! What did “a man’s ambitions” have to do with him? He just wanted to sleep until he woke up naturally, then look at this great beauty in the comfort of his own home.
Engrossed in the weiqi manual, Lin Qingyu didn’t notice that anyone had entered the room until he heard a familiar voice.
“Lin Qingyu—”
Lin Qingyu raised his head. “What happened?”
“What do you mean, ‘What happened?’”
“You never call me Lin Qingyu.”
“Then what do I usually call you?” Gu Fuzhou asked pointedly.
“Qingyu, or Physician Lin.” Lin Qingyu frowned slightly. “Did something happen?”
“Nope.” Gu Fuzhou smiled, looking slightly mischievous. “The thing is, Huantong is still here, so I didn’t think I should act too lovey-dovey. After all, he still hasn’t married, and he’ll be jealous if he sees us too in love.”
“Will not!” Huantong yelled, feeling wronged.
Lin Qingyu was displeased as well. “Don’t call me by my full name next time. I’m not used to that.”
Gu Fuzhou coughed, trying to hide his satisfaction. “I’ll try my best not to.” Lying down across from Lin Qingyu, he took a white weiqi piece, tossing it up and down. “Qingyu,” he said casually, “your wedding leave ends soon too.”
Lin Qingyu had mentioned to Gu Fuzhou that the medication used to treat the emperor’s migraines contained the wings of golden silkworm gu. Golden silkworm gu looked different during each of the four seasons, so the medication had to change accordingly. Not even his father was aware of this secret ingredient, so when the weather turned cold soon and the previous prescription failed, the emperor would have to summon Lin Qingyu if he didn’t want to suffer from migraines.
Thus, Lin Qingyu wasn’t surprised at all that his leave was ending. “Really?”
Soon, Hualu came to call them for dinner. After the meal, Gu Fuzhou went to the training ground to lift weights in agony, and Lin Qingyu continued his unfinished solo weiqi game. When night fell, the two finally returned to their bunk bed.
In the middle of the night, Lin Qingyu woke up thirsty and saw a light in the room. Gu Fuzhou had lit a candle and seemed to be deep in thought, writing something down with a brush.
Lin Qingyu was used to seeing Gu Fuzhou act silly, and only in the rare instances when he acted more seriously did Lin Qingyu remember that this young man was just as cunning as himself. Gu Fuzhou was usually just too lazy to think about such schemes.
Lin Qingyu sat up; Gu Fuzhou heard the noise and looked over. “Did I wake you?”
“I was thinking about that new general from Western Xia and his tactics.” Gu Fuzhou looked down at the enemy marching routes that he’d drawn from memory and from Zhao Mingwei’s description in his memorial to the emperor. “They’re quite interesting.”
“Why don’t you think about them during the day?”
“Because I want to kick back during the day,” Gu Fuzhou said without hesitation.
Lin Qingyu left the bed, put on his cloak, and poured himself a cup of tea. “So you’re worried about the war in the northwest?”
“No. I’m just letting my thoughts wander.” Gu Fuzhou held the brush horizontally. “That general’s strong, yes, but let him be. I choose to be a lazy homebody.”
Lin Qingyu backed away, cautiously eyeing the brush in Gu Fuzhou’s fingers. As long as Gu Fuzhou was thinking hard, Lin Qingyu ran the risk of getting splattered with ink.
Gu Fuzhou stopped moving. “What?”
“Do you want to get me dirty again?” Lin Qingyu demanded.
Gu Fuzhou blinked. After confirming his intentions, he smiled. “Oh no. I think I sort of do.”