Three Steps: From Assassin to Empress - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: The Qiang People’s Visit

Less than a month after Wang Shouzheng left, the four-province canal was fully completed. From then on, the four directions—east, west, north, and south—were connected, and a small boat could cross ten thousand mountains.

Rumors were circulating that the Qiang people, who occupied the Central Plains, had sent envoys to establish trade relations with the Southern Dynasty. Over the past few days, a few scattered Qiang people had appeared on the streets. With their eight-foot-tall stature and wheat-colored skin, they were clearly foreigners from the grasslands.

Ying Xiu was unaware of this. He had barely left the house lately, consumed by the thought of how to ask Xie Zhou about the Jianzhang Xie clan. Usually, he would speak his mind and ask questions directly without bottling them up. However, this was a major matter involving political stances, and Ying Xiu found it difficult to speak up directly.

He returned from the library with this matter still on his mind. After washing up, he changed into his undergarment, walked barefoot on the floor, blew out the lamp, and slipped into bed. Xie Zhou had not returned yet. The youth tossed and turned in bed, deliberating on how to begin the conversation. How should I say it? The emperor is preparing to act against the gentry. How is your Prime Minister going to react?

No, that’s not right. I should be more tactful. The gentry of Jiangzhou have all been raided. What do you think about that?

That’s too tactful. Would Xie Zhou even understand?

Ying Xiu racked his brains, turning over and over, then suddenly sat up. His black hair fell over his shoulders, almost covering half of his face. The floor was covered with a soft mat, so he didn’t hear Xie Zhou’s footsteps as he entered. He was lowering his head in distress when he suddenly heard a gentle, cool voice nearby. “What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?”

Ying Xiu looked up. In the moonlight, through the layers of white bed curtains, he could vaguely see the white-robed youth walking past the screen and slowly entering. He watched Xie Zhou walk to the bed. Ying Xiu reached out from the bed curtains, pulled him down, and asked casually, “…What do you think of the current emperor?”

Xie Zhou’s face was shrouded in shadow. The moonlight shone on his dark hair and clean hair ribbon from behind, but his expression was not visible. “Why are you suddenly asking that?”

Ying Xiu stopped beating around the bush and asked directly, “You are the Prime Minister’s client. If the emperor wants to kill the Prime Minister, what would you do?”

Xie Zhou suddenly understood the purpose of his question. “I am a client, not someone who sells my life.” He lowered his head and looked at Ying Xiu. “What about you? What would you do?”

Caught off guard by the question, Ying Xiu was stunned for a moment. If the Wang clan of Langya were to fall, where would he, as the Wang family’s assassin, go? He muttered, “I don’t know…”

“Ying Xiu,” the client rarely called him by his full name. This made Ying Xiu a little dazed. He looked up at the handsome white-robed youth, who said in a calm tone, “You shouldn’t live for others. If I find out that you are disregarding yourself for their sake—”

Xie Zhou didn’t continue, but Ying Xiu’s intuition told him that if Xie Zhou found out, the consequences would not be good. He was a little afraid, but he also really liked Xie Zhou’s face. He hesitated, then gently leaned closer, his slender neck raised with a slight curve, showing a graceful, clean line. Ying Xiu looked up and kissed Xie Zhou’s neck. The other man was completely cold. Even his neck, where the veins were bulging, seemed to have cold bl00d with not a hint of warmth.

Together with his handsome and beautiful face, it often gave Ying Xiu the illusion that he was not kissing a living person but a cold, snow-white glazed statue. Even so, Ying Xiu still loved to kiss him. Every time he was close to Xie Zhou, his heart felt soft, as if it were filled with melted cream, sweet and indescribably gentle.

At these times, Xie Zhou would just sit quietly, letting him peck and nibble, his eyes as dark as pitch, filled with a silent calm. After Ying Xiu was done pecking like a little chick, Xie Zhou would press his head or clamp his jaw and respond with a deep kiss. This time was no exception. Xie Zhou held Ying Xiu in his arms, his large hand gripping his slender jaw. His fingers left two red marks as he leaned in.

Ying Xiu could barely breathe. He pushed Xie Zhou’s waist with both hands, trying to push him away, but he couldn’t. He tried to press on Xie Zhou’s pressure points, but they were unyielding. His fingertips felt like they were pressing against a cold steel plate, and the other person didn’t react at all. His fingers hurt instead. Thank goodness Xie Zhou is not his assassination target, otherwise, he would be too difficult to kill.

After two full breaths, Ying Xiu was finally released. His face was flushed, his eyes glistening with water. He suddenly turned to the side, bent over the quilt, and gasped, his soft black hair covering half of his body. He then angrily raised his hand and lightly pushed Xie Zhou.

…So what if he’s good-looking? Can’t he learn to breathe?

Xie Zhou let him push, his body unmoving. After sitting quietly for a moment, he suddenly got up and walked out. Just as he was about to step out the door, Ying Xiu called out to him, “…Where are you going?” His voice contained a hint of grievance, sounding wet and sad.

“I thought you wanted to rest alone,” the client said in a low voice, standing by the door.

Ying Xiu was speechless. He said awkwardly, “Come back.” He was the one who was bullied, so why did he feel like Xie Zhou was the one who was more wronged?

Ying Xiu puffed up his cheeks and lay in bed, listening to the sound of the person next to him changing clothes. He couldn’t help but look at him. Xie Zhou was tall and slender, seemingly even taller than his father, who was eight feet tall. He seemed gentle at first, but his body was shockingly muscular under his clothes. He’s wasted as a client. He should be a warrior or a bodyguard.

He grumbled in his heart for a long time. Xie Zhou had already changed his clothes and lay down beside him with his clothes on. This was not their first night sleeping together. Ying Xiu prided himself on being a very obedient sleeper. He would lie straight and proper every night, but this night he found it hard to fall asleep. He inexplicably thought of that book, Forbidden Talk of Passion.

“Xie Zhou, Xie Zhou,” the person next to him was completely still after lying down. Ying Xiu whispered his name twice. Finally, he heard Xie Zhou’s voice. “Hmm?”

“Where did you put my booklet?” Ying Xiu said. “Get it out for me. I should practice my skills so I don’t get—” Ying Xiu didn’t finish the rest of his sentence. He had wanted to say, “so I don’t get restricted by Xie Zhou again.” He figured Xie Zhou wouldn’t be happy if he said that.

Xie Zhou was silent for a moment. Ying Xiu became impatient. His hand, hidden under the quilt, quietly reached out and lightly hooked Xie Zhou’s little finger. Xie Zhou seemed to not notice his little action and didn’t respond at all. Ying Xiu was a little embarrassed. He whispered the truth. “You’re already stronger than me. Why should you practice martial arts again…” He always felt that since he was the one with powerful martial arts, he should be the one to protect Xie Zhou. So he had never considered the possibility of being restrained by Xie Zhou.

“This is not martial arts,” Xie Zhou said.

Ying Xiu was curious. “Then what is it?”

After a moment of waiting, Xie Zhou did not explain what was written in the book. He only said, “We can talk about it when you’re ready to try.” Ying Xiu had a feeling it was nothing good. He let out a small “oh” and fell into a deep sleep, holding the soft quilt.

The youth’s breathing became steady. Xie Zhou waited silently with his eyes closed. As expected, not long after, Ying Xiu had rolled over to his side. He wrapped his arms around Xie Zhou’s waist and buried his head in his chest, almost trying to burrow into his embrace.

Ying Xiu was not a good sleeper. Xie Zhou had learned this on their first night together. When he fell asleep, he would roll over and cling to Xie Zhou with both hands and feet, unwilling to let go. Xie Zhou did not push him away and let him hold on tightly. The youth’s body temperature was high, and his hands and feet were warm. As he slept, he would often kick the quilt away. At these times, Xie Zhou had to get up and cover his abdomen again and again to keep him from getting cold.

At this moment, the hot temperature and soft touch were pressed tightly against him, as if trying to draw some coolness from him. Xie Zhou was used to it. He reached out his hands, turned to his side, and embraced him, pulling him into his arms. In the moonlight, he looked at the youth’s face. His eyes were closed, his slender, soft eyelashes casting shadows on his eyelids, making him look delicate and beautiful. His eyes were lovely, and under his thin eyelids were a pair of clear eyes, a clear light in a muddy world.

Xie Zhou closed his eyes and stopped looking at Ying Xiu. He thought the child was still too young. He would wait a few more years.

Ying Xiu slept very well. When he woke up, his sleeping posture was still correct, and the quilt was still properly covering him, just as it was before he fell asleep. He was very satisfied. If Xie Zhou left him, he would probably never find someone who slept so well.

…

He heard that the Qiang delegation would be passing through Jiangzhou via the Grand Canal. Ying Xiu was a little curious and wanted to see what the Qiang people who occupied the Central Plains looked like. He arrived at the weir in advance. Because the canal was open, the area was bustling. Shops lined the banks, and he could often see large ships moored at the shore, with all kinds of people disembarking.

People with different accents were shopping at various stores. Foreign merchants traded new and exotic goods with local fishermen. Fishermen carried their loads of fish, and street vendors sold candied hawthorns on sticks. It was at least ten times more lively than before.

Ying Xiu wandered around, finding everything new. The weir seemed endless. A series of whistles sounded in the distance. Soldiers pushed people back, clearing a path. Ying Xiu stood on the side with the other people. Soon, a procession of Qiang envoys’ carriages appeared on the path. One of the carriages was hollow on all four sides, with four pillars supporting a canopy, allowing a clear view of the person inside. The Qiang prince was sitting in it.

The men of the grasslands were mostly tall and strong, and the Qiang prince was no exception. He was nearly nine feet tall, with a broad chest and well-defined muscles, a sight that could make anyone fearful. Not only were the people outside discussing the Qiang carriages, but the Qiang people inside the procession were also talking about the people of the Southern Dynasty.

Ying Xiu was surprised to find that he seemed to understand what these people were saying.