Three Steps: From Assassin to Empress - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: With You (First Update)

Xie Zhou asked him to continue, but Ying Xiu stopped speaking. The clear, bright eyes mirrored Xie Zhou’s reflection, and he was a little lost in thought.

“The things written in the book, we’ve done them all: eating, living, and practicing together…” Ying Xiu mustered up the courage to ask the question that had been bothering him for a long time. “Am I, are we a couple?”

—A couple?

Xie Zhou lowered his eyes, scanning the contents of the scroll, and indeed saw the word “couple” on it.

The young man waited anxiously. His throat was dry from nervousness, and he couldn’t say more. He could only wait silently for the other person’s response.

His intuition told him that he and Xie Zhou were different from the young men in the book. It was he who had asked Xie Zhou to take him in, and it was he who insisted on going out with Xie Zhou…

He suddenly remembered a term a storyteller in the small Qinhuai River district had mentioned when talking about romance: unrequited love.

What was unrequited love? Was it a person sitting alone in a room, with an endless amount of affection and desires in their heart?

Ying Xiu was lost in thought, his mind already picturing that person walking out of their room, going to another person’s room, and confessing their love and desires.

The little person in his mind was talking about unrequited love, when a low, husky voice suddenly sounded in his ear: “Mm.”

Ying Xiu’s eyes widened as he looked at Xie Zhou, wondering what “mm” meant. The sound was too short and fleeting. He was a little suspicious that he had misheard.

After waiting for a long time without a second word, he dejectedly sat back down, deciding to move out of Lushan Guesthouse as soon as he returned.

His wrist was suddenly seized. Ying Xiu’s eyes showed surprise. He looked up and found that Xie Zhou was looking down at him. His slender, cold eyelashes were slightly lowered, and his long, narrow eyes clearly reflected his face.

Ying Xiu could see his own face clearly in Xie Zhou’s eyes. The young man’s face was flushed, his eyes were wide open, and he was flustered and helpless.

Ying Xiu: “…”

He watched his own face turn even redder.

Xie Zhou’s gaze was like the cold light on a sword’s edge, slicing across his cheek inch by inch. Was it scrutiny, hesitation, or something else? Ying Xiu didn’t know.

“According to the book,” thank goodness, Xie Zhou finally spoke. He still held Ying Xiu’s wrist, not allowing the young man to look away from him. His voice was gentle and cool, with a hint of huskiness more than usual. “We are indeed a couple.”

The boat’s cabin was cramped and dim, enveloped in the damp air. Even breathing felt sticky.

Ying Xiu almost forgot how to breathe. Xie Zhou’s words kept echoing in his ears—

We are indeed a couple.

Indeed a couple.

A couple.

His whole body was hot, feverish. A fire, he didn’t know where it came from, burned him until he was dizzy, as if he had been soaked in a jar of warm, strong wine.

Ying Xiu suddenly remembered a question. He carefully asked Xie Zhou, “But, I also ate and lived with Jiànxīn. Am I and he…”

Before he could finish the sentence “Am I and he a couple too?”, his mouth was suddenly covered. The other person’s long, cold fingers enveloped his face. The pads of his fingers rubbed against his cheeks, and his palm pressed firmly against his lips.

He couldn’t say a single word and could only tremble under that person’s palm.

Ignoring the forceful nature of the action, the other person kindly explained to him, “You and he are not.” The young man’s voice was cold and gentle. “Only you and I are a couple.”

He had never thought that one day he would agree to be a couple with an assassin.

Even if it was absurd, so what?

The retainer held the assassin’s hand, almost pinning him against the boat’s canopy. Under his palm, the young man was like a golden crane, trapped in his arms. His pale, delicate cheeks were flushed, and the hair by his temples was damp. He breathed in small, quick breaths.

It was dark all around, but the young man’s eyes were bright. His fine eyelashes did not blink. With an almost pious posture, he looked at him with joy.

“Xie Zhou,” Ying Xiu said out of the blue. “I’m so happy.”

He was so happy that he wished he could run around outside, cross the Yuan River back and forth, and sing a song.

Xie Zhou “mm”-ed again. Ying Xiu really liked this person’s appearance. He knew it from the first time they met.

He felt a weight on his waist. He looked down and saw that the young man’s free hand had quietly wrapped around his waist. It was a loose embrace, and it quickly pulled back after a slight touch. He didn’t dare to get close, as if he wanted to hug him but was afraid of profaning him.

“…You can hug me.” Xie Zhou reminded him.

Unexpectedly, Ying Xiu’s cautious touch and tentative approach were not disgusting to him. On the contrary, they were very novel.

The last person who dared to touch him like this had died, twelve years ago.

But Ying Xiu was an exception. For now, he was reluctant to let him die.

Ying Xiu hesitated, then extended his fingertips and carefully touched the dièxiè belt at Xie Zhou’s waist.

The dièxiè belt was made of jade, snow-white and smooth. There were nine connected rings. Ying Xiu gently fiddled with it, hearing a faint, clear clinking sound.

He was told to hug him, so why was he playing with his belt instead?

Xie Zhou was quite helpless. He had no choice but to let go of his hand, allowing Ying Xiu to use both hands to play with his belt.

After fiddling with it a couple of times, Ying Xiu seemed to lose interest. He boldly hugged Xie Zhou’s waist and abdomen. The touch under his hands was cold and firm. Through the thin white robe, he could vaguely feel the muscular lines underneath, distinct and well-defined, yet lean.

Ying Xiu had never hugged anyone’s waist before. He held on carefully, his head resting loosely against Xie Zhou’s chest, curiously listening to his heartbeat.

Inside the narrow, cramped boat canopy, two heartbeats overlapped.

Ying Xiu felt dizzy, as if a lot of bubbles were popping up in his heart. He suspected he was about to get drunk and wanted to just fall into Xie Zhou’s arms and never wake up.

Outside the boat, the wind and rain were gloomy. Inside, the two were in an embrace, close but not too close.

At shù hour (around 7-9 PM), dusk was approaching, and the wind and rain had stopped.

The boatman rowed the boat to shore. A bamboo pole was inserted horizontally in the river. He watched the young benefactor and the white-robed gentleman leave in the twilight.

One tall, one short. The golden figure was particularly lively, hopping and dancing in circles around the white one. The white one would occasionally lower his head and glance at him.

The old problem was solved, and a new one arose in Ying Xiu’s mind.

Now that they were a couple, shouldn’t things be a little different from before?

With this thought, Ying Xiu quietly took hold of Xie Zhou’s wide sleeve, followed it to the other’s fingertips, touched them lightly, and quickly withdrew his hand before the other could look over. He put his hands behind his back as if nothing had happened, and even gave Xie Zhou a questioning look.

Xie Zhou: “…”

He pulled Ying Xiu’s hand without question. His cool fingers intertwined with his, and their hands slowly clasped together.

A cool temperature was transmitted to Ying Xiu’s palm, and it suddenly spread throughout his limbs and bones. His eyes widened. He looked at Xie Zhou, who had a calm expression, then at their clasped hands below. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly tightened his grip on the other’s hand.

Xie Zhou had initiated the hand-holding.

The young assassin quietly moved closer to the retainer, taking half a step, one step, two steps, until the distance between them became shorter and shorter.

Xie Zhou pretended not to see it. When the young man stopped, he subtly moved a little closer to him.

At that moment, the clouds cleared and the rain stopped. The red glow of the sunset was just right, spreading like gold on the ground. The river sparkled with the light of the sunset. The two walked side by side in the twilight.

Ying Xiu’s golden hair ribbon occasionally brushed against Xie Zhou’s shoulder, rising and falling in the wind.

Xie Zhou stopped and bent down, picking the golden ribbon that had gotten tangled in Ying Xiu’s hair and gently placing it behind his back.

Their hands were still clasped together and had not let go.

This day was the twenty-first of the ninth month of the twelfth year of Yongning. Ying Xiu remembered it with perfect clarity.

The assassin was only seventeen years old that year. He was completely unaware of what kind of terrifying person he had attracted, and he was still immersed in a heart full of joy.

The happiness and excitement on the young man’s face were unconcealed. Everyone saw it, including the fifteen scholars from the small Qinhuai River district.

“Are you saying you have a… couple?”

Inside the small tavern, a group of people sat together, surrounding Ying Xiu. Xue Hao was the first to ask.

“Yes,” Ying Xiu looked at them strangely, completely confused as to why they were acting as if they were facing a great enemy.

An elderly scholar stroked his beard and said knowingly, “I have some insight into the word ‘love.’ In my opinion, what a young lady cares about most is—”

He paused for effect and indeed saw everyone lean in, looking eager to hear more.

But Ying Xiu, who was sitting in the middle, was somehow a little distracted.

“Ahem,” the old scholar cleared his throat, satisfied to see Ying Xiu looking at him. “What a lady in Jiangzuo cares about most is her gentleman’s heart. The gentleman must have her in his heart, think of her all the time, and buy her anything good he sees.”

Ying Xiu rested his cheek on his hand, listening intently.

Although Xie Zhou wasn’t a woman, it should be similar for a man.

“May I ask you,” the scholar questioned Ying Xiu with a serious face. “Where is this lady, how old is she, what is her background, what is her personality, and where and when did you meet her?”

Ying Xiu answered one by one: “He is from Jiankang. He is…” He got stuck on the age. After a pause, he continued, “His background… his background is also excellent.” Being a retainer for the current prime minister was indeed something to be proud of.

As for his personality, when it came to this, Ying Xiu became animated: “He is an excellent person, gentle and kind. He never refuses me.”

The scholars did not miss the pauses in Ying Xiu’s speech. They looked at each other and saw suspicion in each other’s eyes.

He didn’t know the lady’s age, her background, or where they met.

Could it be…

“Ying Xiu, why don’t you invite that lady out? We can help you check her out,” the scholar said.

Ying Xiu hesitated. Xie Zhou wasn’t a lady. Although the Southern Dynasty didn’t forbid relationships between men, if Xie Zhou were to be looked at strangely… he firmly shook his head.

Seeing this, the fifteen scholars thought to themselves, “Could it be a secret lover?” They didn’t expect Ying Xiu, at such a young age, to know about such things.

Xue Hao gently patted Ying Xiu and whispered, “Your couple, it’s that man, right?”

He had already noticed that something was off with Ying Xiu. Ever since he brought Ying Xiu to the Yuan River gathering, and the servant invited Ying Xiu to the second floor, and he didn’t return that night, he had subtly figured some things out.

Ying Xiu’s couple was a man, and a powerful man at that.

Ying Xiu was so surprised that he turned his head to look at him and gave a slight nod.

The Southern Dynasty valued men having relationships with other men. Many powerful families raised young male companions. It was nothing for Ying Xiu to have a relationship with a man.

The most important thing was that the other party’s power was probably far greater than Ying Xiu’s. Ying Xiu was naively saying that the other person was a good person, not knowing that in the eyes of the powerful aristocratic families, commoners were merely playthings.

When they were in the mood, they would tease them. When they were not, they would throw them aside.

“…Is he good to you? Has he ever offered you an official position?” Xue Hao whispered, pressing for more information. Gold, silver, and other material things were external. True love was about supporting and promoting Ying Xiu, giving him a foothold among the aristocratic families.

“Yes,” Ying Xiu said. “But I didn’t agree.”

He knew that becoming an official was a long-cherished wish for countless people in the Southern Dynasty. It was a rare opportunity to be recommended and appointed, and he should have eagerly accepted.

But he was an assassin, most skilled at hiding in the shadows and killing with his sword.

Becoming an official meant he had to come out into the open, which could easily expose his identity. Furthermore, even if he agreed, the Langya Wang family would not.

He was a registered servant and assassin under the eldest son of the Langya Wang family.

Ying Xiu had never thought of getting rid of this identity before, but now he was wavering. The identity of an assassin meant danger. If he were alone, this danger would be nothing. But now, he had Xie Zhou by his side.

What if an enemy came seeking revenge and found Xie Zhou instead? He was just an ordinary retainer with few guards. What if he encountered danger because of him…

Ying Xiu’s expression suddenly became serious.

If he had to choose between the Langya Wang family and Xie Zhou, he would—

Choose Xie Zhou.

The eldest son had many servants and secret guards. Without Ying Xiu, he could find many other assassins. But Xie Zhou only had one Ying Xiu.

He had to find a way to retire.

Xue Hao watched in surprise as Ying Xiu’s expression changed, from hesitation to seriousness to relief. He then suddenly stood up and said goodbye to them.

Looking at Ying Xiu’s back, the scholars smiled. A young man in love was different. He was probably in a hurry to go home to his partner.

…

“You want to leave the Langya Wang family?”

Wang Shouzhen looked at Ying Xiu with surprise. Just now, his servant had told him that Ying Xiu had rushed to the door. He thought Ying Xiu was here to see him and was a little happy. He immediately ordered tea to be prepared.

Now, a steaming pot of Luyangchun tea sat on the sandalwood table. The rising white mist blurred his vision. Looking through the mist, the young man’s face was delicate and fresh, and his expression was one of determination he had never seen before.

For the first time, Wang Shouzhen felt that he couldn’t quite see Ying Xiu clearly.

Was it because of that Xie family retainer?

The last time he went to the retainer’s private residence to ask for him, he was refused entry. He originally wanted to force his way in, but unexpectedly, less than half an hour later, Wang Yu was ordered by Wang Daokui to bring him back. To put it nicely, it was an invitation. To put it bluntly, it was a threat.

Even his father, the Minister of Personnel of the Southern Dynasty and the head of the Langya Wang family, was a little afraid of him. Who exactly was that Xie Zhou?

…Was he really just a mere retainer?

Ying Xiu was now so infatuated that he was willing to leave the Langya Wang family for him.

Without their backing in the future, wouldn’t he easily become a mere plaything in the retainer’s hands…

“Ying Xiu,” Wang Shouzhen said calmly. “If you insist on this, why don’t you stay here today until you have thought it through?”