Chapter 178: The Wind Sweeping Through The Tower Heralds A Rising Storm In The Mountains

When Xiao YuAn found Xie Chungui in the Xie Mansion, Xie Chungui was kneeling on the ground, pulling the weeds with his bare hands. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was messy, and his hands were covered with blood due to the roughness of the ground. But he refused to stop.

Xiao YuAn took a deep breath, half knelt down beside Xie Chungui, grabbed his wrist and blocked his movements: “Chungui….”

Xie Chungui’s movements stopped, but he didn’t make a sound.

Xiao YuAn’s eyes were slightly turning red as he said with a soft tone of voice: “Chungui, let’s go back, alright?”

Xie Chungui asked: “Where to? Where can we go back?”

Xiao YuAn replied: “We’ll go back to the Palace.”

Xie Chungui: “The Palace? Is that home?”

Xiao YuAn’s throat seemed to have been suddenly grabbed, and he couldn’t utter a single sound.

No. That’s not Xie Chungui’s home. Even Taoyuan Village isn’t Xie Chungui’s home.

The Northern Kingdom is Xie Chungui’s home. However, the Northern Kingdom no longer exists.

Xiao YuAn wasn’t sure how to reply. Xie Chungui pulled up the last weed on his own, and then respectfully kowtowed three times towards the funeral hall. With his head still lowered, making it impossible for other people to see his expression, he said to Xiao YuAn: “Let’s go… back to… the Palace.”

After sending Xie Chungui back to his bedchamber, and instructing the maidservants to take good care of him, Xiao YuAn went to his own bedchamber.

After such a crazy day finally quieted down, Xiao YuAn summoned his maidservant and slowly walked towards his bedchamber. The sky was already dim, the wind was whistling, the snow was falling down, and the cold was piercing. Xiao YuAn walked slowly, allowing his body temperature to be taken away.

As he approached his bedchamber, Xiao YuAn suddenly stopped, and looked straight ahead.

There was a person standing at the entrance of the bedchamber. That person should have been waiting for a while, looking a little bit anxious. However, after that man saw Xiao YuAn, his eyes flashed with joy. As he hurriedly walked a few steps towards Xiao YuAn, he patted the snow away from Xiao YuAn’s soulders and head. Then he took off his robe to tightly wrap Xiao YuAn’s body. As the warmth seeped into Xiao YuAn’s body, that man soothed his frozen limbs.

Xiao YuAn suddenly choked up, and shouted softly: “Yan-ge….”

“Yes, I’m here.” Yan HeQing lowered his head, gently kissed Xiao YuAn’s cheek and lips: “Are you tired?”

Xiao YuAn replied: “Hug me quickly.”

After hearing this, Yan HeQing didn’t hesitate and placed his arms around Xiao YuAn, tightly hugging him.

Xiao YuAn buried himself in Yan HeQing’s arms, took a deep breath, and said: “I’m not tired.”

Yan HeQing calmly stroked his hair soothingly. When suddenly, Xiao YuAn raised his head, and said: “Yan-ge, let’s go out of the Palace and walk around. Just you and me.”

“Alright.”

It was still early, and the Imperial City was as lively as ever. The Gongzis and young Ladies passed by wearing fur coats, there were children chasing each other in the alleyways, and there were vendors shouting everywhere.

Yan HeQing and Xiao YuAn walked side by side. Xiao YuAn was curious about the gadgets on the side of the road, so from time to time he would point at something, shouting ‘Yan-ge look at this’ and ‘Yan-ge look at that’.

While looking at these things, Xiao YuAn ran ahead. Yan HeQing, who was a few steps behind, reached out to hold his hand. When Xiao YuAn’s body was pulled towards Yan HeQing, he turned his head, and looked at Yan HeQing’s hand, raising his eyes all the way to his face. As Xiao YuAn curved his eyes and laughed wantonly, he held Yan HeQing’s hand, interlocking their fingers together.

Suddenly, the sound of a noisy suona could be heard in the distance, playing the tune with great joy. Some idle shopkeepers poked their heads out and stretched their necks to watch.

Yan HeQing and Xiao YuAn both retreated to the side of the road, only to see a wedding procession coming from afar. Ten li of red wedding dress2 accompanied with several drums rumbling. It looked so lively!

Xiao YuAn laughed: “Oh, a wealthy family, it’s so ostentatious. Hey, Yan-ge look. The bridegroom on horseback is wearing beautiful wedding clothes, they look really good on him.” Yan HeQing followed Xiao YuAn’s gaze and saw the red sedan carried by eight people. In front of the red sedan chair, the high spirited bridegroom rode a horse with a red ribbon tied on its head. The bridegroom’s face was full of joy as he bowed his hands, thanking the people who were celebrating around him. His red wedding clothes decorated with gold embroidery, seemed to have exquisite workmanship.

Yan HeQing withdrew his eyes and looked at Xiao YuAn, as a thought faintly surged from the bottom of his heart.

YHQ and XYA going out in a date is all I needed right now (　；∀；)💞

Footnotes

山雨欲来风满楼 shān yǔ yù lái fēng mǎn lóu; It’s a metaphor for the signs and the atmosphere on the eve of a major change in a situation. Now it’s mostly used to describe the tense atmosphere before a conflict or war breaks out. It can also be translated as “Coming events cast their shadows before them”. This sentence comes from the poem《咸阳城东楼》(xián yáng chéng dōng lóu),”The East Tower of Xianyang City”, by (许浑 xǔ hún) Xu Hun [791-858], a poet from the Tang Dynasty [618-907].

十里红妆 shí lǐ hóng zhuāng; Is an ancient traditional folk custom when a couple is getting married. People often use the phrase: “A thousand acres of good land, ten li of red wedding dress” to describe the richness of the dowry. It looks like THIS. Ten li = 5 km.