Just after the pact was finalized and Yan Yixuan sat down again, knocking sounded on the door.

“Come in,” the young man called.

The door opened and a servant entered with a tray holding some papers, a bowl of fruit, and a small leather bag. With a glance, Ning Wei determined that this servant was the same one he had met before, the one who had replaced his driver during his and Yan Yixuan’s disastrous first meeting.

The servant shot a slightly dissatisfied look at Ning Wei, but didn’t say anything. He directly headed over to place the tray full of things in front of his master. “A new batch of the concoction has been prepared, so Master need not worry about it being unsafe now.”

Yan Yixuan sighed at the leather bag and nodded. He lifted up the papers and started perusing them while absentmindedly introducing, “General Ning, this man is my assistant and steward of the household, Ruan Shu. You didn’t meet under the best of circumstances, but know that he is very trustworthy. In my absence, you may use him in case of any emergencies.”

The man called Ruan Shu gave Ning Wei a short bow. “General Ning, while I do not have a good impression of you for the way you treated my master, I am willing to look past it if you promise to take better care of him from now on.”

The sound of papers being flipped paused as Yan Yixuan cautioned, “Brother Ruan.”

Ruan Shu, however, continued looking at Ning Wei for his reply while still bowing.

Ning Wei gave him a small, amused smile. “How loyal. I and the duke have already sorted the matter out between ourselves, and I have indeed already promised to look out for your master. You have no need to worry. Please, rise.”

The assistant straightened and gave a short nod. “Thank you.”

Yan Yixuan shook his head, but did not scold Ruan Shu for being presumptuous or speaking out of turn as any other master of a household would have. “Since you’re done saying what you wanted to, you may leave.”

Ruan Shu bowed to the young man with affectionate warmth tingeing his smile. “Yes, Master. But first, I would like to see you drink some of the medicine to recover at least a bit of your energy. You’ve had a trying day.”

Yan Yixuan grimaced, but nodded. He put aside the papers for now and opened the leather bag on the tray to take out a waterskin from within. When the waterskin was unstoppered, the bitter smell of herbs wafted out.

Ning Wei took a discreet sniff and realized that it was a stronger, more astringent version of the scent he had smelled on Yan Yixuan back in the carriage.

The young man steeled his expression and lifted the waterskin to his lips before gulping a few quick mouthfuls. When he was done, he stoppered it again and put it away into the leather bag with obvious relief.

Ruan Shu rewarded his master with an approving look. “Then I will take my leave now,” he said and promptly made for the door.

Yan Yixuan tried his best not to scrunch up his face at the disgusting aftertaste left behind on his tongue. He reached for one of the fruits his assistant had brought and peeled half of it with quick yet careful fingers. Then using a pair of chopsticks, he scooped up the flesh of the fruit and deposited it into his mouth. As the pleasant taste washed away the bitterness on his tongue, Yan Yixuan let out a breath in relief.

Ning Wei looked at the fruit contemplatively. Its scent was the same as what he’d smelled from the fruiting trees his carriage had passed by just before Yan Yixuan waylaid him. Were these the fruits borne by those trees? He felt a hint of familiarity with them. Why couldn’t he remember where he’d eaten them before?

Shaking his head to disperse these unimportant thoughts, Ning Wei turned to Yan Yixuan and asked, “What was all that with the medicine about?”

Yan Yixuan had quickly finished the fruit by now and wore a content expression. Leaning back into his chair and relaxing against the backrest, he answered, “General Ning might have heard this already, but my body has been weak since birth and the circumstances as I grew up in the mountains didn’t help it either. And so, under several learned physicians’ guidance, a special herbal concoction was made for me to regularly drink. It is supposed to strengthen my body and provide necessary supplements in a gradual process. I carry it with me in a waterskin at all times and drink from it regularly. It especially helps reduce my fatigue whenever I’ve done something strenuous.”

Ning Wei frowned with concern. “I didn’t realize it was that bad. Just how weak is your body?”

Yan Yixuan waved aside his worry with a smile. “Please don’t be troubled on my behalf. I’m not that frail. Even though my constitution is somewhat weak, I exercise regularly and train my swordsmanship with different methods to keep it sharp, so my physical strength is not that much below average. There is nothing to worry about in that regard.” Then chuckling helplessly, he said in a quiet voice, “And yet my servants fuss over me and treat me like a veritable invalid. I hate to cause them worry, so I take especially good care of my health. I do not see it worsening in the foreseeable future.”

“That’s good,” Ning Wei said with a sigh of relief. And speaking of servants… “May I ask Duke Yan what that servant from before―your assistant Ruan Shu, I believe―meant by specifically saying that the waterskin he brought you was safe? Did something happen to make the one before that unsafe?”

Yan Yixuan sighed. His Ah-Ning was so astute. Now, just how much of it could he reveal to him at this junction?

The young man rested an elbow on the armrest and supported his chin with his palm. “It was just another small attempt at targeting me by one of the prominent people in the faction opposing the empress’s. The person in question is named Song Hai and he is particularly fixated on doing me harm. He styles himself my nemesis, but, well…he’s not much of a threat to me, so I humor him.” Yan Yixuan shrugged uncaringly.

“Recently, Song Hai bribed a large section of my household’s guards. I did know of it soon enough, but I chose to wait and see rather than alert the enemy prematurely. After all, if Song Hai decided to move on to another plan and carried it out more stealthily, I might have to spend considerably more effort to keep track of it.”

Ning Wei nodded to show that he understood his reasoning.

Yan Yixuan went on, “Today morning, when my empty waterskin was being refilled with the medicinal concoction again, a few of the traitorous guards added in some disorienting drug. Its effects manifested when I drank from it while on my way home this afternoon from an ally’s house. I suppose the traitorous guards thought they were large enough in numbers that they wouldn’t have any problems subduing the loyal people accompanying me during the journey. Unfortunately for them, I had more or less anticipated this and had made sure to take people who were especially skilled so that they could hold their own even against the significantly large numbers of the traitors.

“While my people bought me time, I escaped with Ruan Shu and a few others in the carriage. I and Ruan Shu switched partway to another carriage to throw off our pursuers, and the carriage we chose just so happened to be yours. In the meanwhile, the carriage from the Yan household that we had left behind led our pursuers on a merry chase before luring them into a trap. It was something I had set in place long ago by borrowing a few imperial guards from the empress. The traitors were thus defeated, captured, and must be detained in prison by now.

“While all that was happening, the remaining traitors who had stayed back at the residence were also dealt with. They had been aiming to bide their time and wait for another opportunity in case something went wrong with their comrades’ plan, but they were not given the chance. I’d already instructed the servants to plant bottles of poison and other tools of assassination along with forged letters that connected these traitors who hadn’t yet acted with the ones who actively participated in the plan to drug and kill me. As soon as we’d set off, the traitors in the residence were also rounded up and handed over to the bailiffs. After all the planted evidence they found just minutes into investigating, the rest of the traitors were hauled off into prison even before we returned home. Thus, the matter was concluded with all the traitors taken care of.”

Ning Wei could only stare at him for a moment, then he chuckled quietly. “How impressive and efficient. But thinking of the rumors I’ve heard of Duke Yan’s cunning, I feel like there might be more to this.”

Yan Yixuan laughed softly. “How astute you are, General Ning. Very well, I will tell you. I had instructed my people to promise those traitorous guards on my behalf that I would help reduce their sentence if they gave up information on the one behind them.” Lifting up the papers Ruan Shu had brought, the young man continued, “This report informs me that my people were able to extract some useful information against the servant that Song Hai had used to bribe my guards. Using that information, I will blackmail that servant and promise him some favors, using the carrot and stick method, as it were, to turn him to my side. With this, I will gain another mole in Song Hai’s household to make use of.”

Ning Wei laughed and shook his head. “Now this seems more like the Duke Yan I’ve heard about.”

Yan Yixuan smiled in a calm and collected manner on the outside, but a pleased and giddy warmth suffused his chest on the inside at hearing his beloved’s praise. In all honesty, the truth of this matter was far more convoluted than what he’d explained. But with hooded eyes, Yan Yixuan decided that his dear general didn’t need to know about that just yet.

An amicable silence filled the space as the first stirrings of closeness formed between them.

In this quiet, Yan Yixuan took another fruit from the tray to eat. Ning Wei’s gaze landed on the fruit. It was round and oval, with a green skin and blush of dark red on one side. He curiously tried to once again remember where he ate it before. It certainly wasn’t during wartime. Their rations weren’t that luxurious.

“Does the general like this fruit?” Yan Yixuan suddenly prodded.

Ning Wei met the young man’s eyes. “Hmm? Why do you ask?”

“You were staring at it so intently,” Yan Yixuan explained. His gaze turned subtly probing as he studied the other man’s expression and questioned, “Have you eaten it before?”

Ning Wei shrugged. “I might have eaten it once, but I’m not sure. It must have been long ago.” He reached out to take one of the fruits and studied it carefully, then began peeling it messily. “What is this fruit called?”

“Guavasteen,” Yan Yixuan replied. He watched Ning Wei contemplatively, then began eating the fruit he’d peeled while thoughts spun in his head.

It seemed that his Ah-Ning didn’t remember him after all.

In a way, Yan Yixuan felt relieved.

Time thus passed companionably and Ning Wei soon realized that he’d spent more of the day with the young duke than he had expected.

“I should be heading back,” Ning Wei stated and picked up the case with his seal and the formalized pact documents.

Yan Yixuan simply nodded with a smile and escorted him to the doorstep, with Ruan Shu joining him partway.

“It has been delightful spending time with you today, General Ning,” Yan Yixuan expressed honestly. “I will be awaiting your return.”

Ning Wei nodded even as he felt that elusive sensation once more, as if he was missing some subtle, hidden meaning behind the young man’s words. But he disregarded it again as usual. “I will be looking forward to our next meeting as well,” he replied, and it wasn’t just polite pleasantries. Strangely enough, this Yan Yixuan had begun to fascinate him.

“If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me immediately,” Yan Yixuan spoke solemnly.

Ning Wei smiled. “Thank you, I will. Though I have to say, I had expected us to celebrate the pact between our households with a round of drinks.” His voice sounded playful rather than disappointed.

Yan Yixuan frowned and spoke in all seriousness, “Unfortunately, I don’t have wine readily available, since I am after all not supposed to imbibe alcohol due to my health. But if General Ning likes, I can have some brought over.”

Shaking his head, Ning Wei refused, “No, that’s fine. I should have realized it would be inadvisable for you to have alcohol. But in return, I would instead like to have something of what you can drink, if Duke Yan doesn’t mind.”

Yan Yixuan tilted his head in thought, then asked with surprise, “Do you mean the concoction?”

Ning Wei nodded. “I’ve been curious to see how it tastes.” Smelling the concentrated version of Yan Yixuan’s scent from the medicinal concoction had left Ning Wei intrigued. How would something like that taste on his tongue? Would his thoughts as he drank it be similar to this puzzling young man’s while he drank it as well? Would he be able to understand him more if he did this?

Despite feeling confused at Ning Wei’s request, Yan Yixuan still sent Ruan Shu to fetch a small bottle with the concoction before presenting it to the general. “Here it is. Please don’t force yourself to drink any more of it than you can,” he warned with slight worry.

Assuring him that he wouldn’t, Ning Wei took the bottle of medicine and thanked Yan Yixuan before getting into his carriage. Their meeting thus finally ended.

On the way back home, Ning Wei opened the bottle and took a small mouthful of the concoction inquisitively. He promptly began to splutter and spat it right back out.

“The fuck is this vile thing?!” he cursed between coughs. How could this scent feel so fragrant and pleasing on Yan Yixuan but taste like the devil’s own piss in his mouth?!

Ning Wei looked at the open bottle for a moment, then let out a string of blistering curses before he downed all its contents in one chug.

This was the day Ning Wei would mark as the day his taste buds gave up on him and died.

When Ning Wei visited the Yan household the next time, Yan Yixuan curiously asked, “General Ning, did you taste that medicine? How was it?”

Ning Wei shuddered. “It had the wonderful flavor of sludge from a sewer that had been congested with rotting vegetables for decades.”

Yan Yixuan burst out laughing and admitted, “Yes, I suppose that’s an appropriate way to put it.”

Ning Wei smiled. He couldn’t help but feel infected with cheer when he heard his laughter.

In this way, the two heads of households grew ever closer.

↢∘●∘↣

Ning Wei religiously visited Yan Yixuan three times a week as per the pact. Doing his part, Yan Yixuan taught the older man about the ins and outs of the imperial court along with who to trust and who to be wary of. Meanwhile, Yan Yixuan also used his extensive connections in the background to warn off those who targeted the Ning household. In addition, he sent letters upon letters and visited his allies extensively to solicit their help on Ning Wei’s behalf.

Not content with just that, Yan Yixuan closely aided Ning Wei in developing a safety net of sorts for himself and his household by pointing out the right people for him to befriend or socialize without appearing to do so. This helped Ning Wei stay out of the direct limelight while simultaneously strengthening and stabilizing his household’s position.

Weeks passed by, and sensing the increase in Ning Wei’s political power and his level of comprehension of court matters, most of the people who had been trying their luck persistently finally stopped bothering the Ning household. They knew not to annoy a rising power and risk getting on their bad side. If anything, they attempted to be mindful and much more subtle in their ways now.

But of course, Yan Yixuan foresaw even that and helped Ning Wei put various little safeguards in place against any discreet scheming. The young man easily let Ning Wei use the abundant information he’d painstakingly gathered till now and taught the general how he could utilize it to frighten away any of the looming threats into silence.

Yan Yixuan thus carefully yet unreservedly gave Ning Wei every resource at his disposal to help him manage his household while under the eyes of those predators from court.

Watching all this, Ning Wei quietly marveled at the intricacy of Yan Yixuan’s thoughts, his political acumen, and his accurate grasp of human nature that he used to manipulate people. Ning Wei couldn’t help but look forward to each meeting with Yan Yixuan, not just to learn better ways of navigating the imperial court, but to also spend time with this clever and intriguing young man who knew so much despite his young age.

Today was yet another time when Ning Wei came to the Yan household.

Yan Yixuan sat behind his desk at the study and quietly worked. Lounging comfortably on a chair at the side, Ning Wei had temporarily put aside the book on the history of the dynasty that Yan Yixuan had advised him to read today, instead looking at Yan Yixuan’s focused profile.

Every now and then, Ning Wei’s hand absentmindedly reached out to stroke his sword where it leaned against the table, reassuring himself that it was still there. Despite the war being over, Ning Wei had realized that he felt anxious and antsy if he left home without a weapon. His first day without his sword during his meeting with Yan Yixuan only underscored this point, so he carried it with him everywhere now.

As the peaceful atmosphere in the study sunk into him, it drew a long yawn out of Ning Wei. Slumping down in his chair, the general asked, “Duke Yan, I’ve noticed that you don’t attend the imperial court like the other court officials. Is it not a problem?”

Yan Yixuan lifted his head to look at him while massaging the back of his sore neck. “General Ning need not worry. The empress has already given me leave to carry out my duties from the residence due to concerns about my frail health.”

Ning Wei straightened with surprise. “Is that even possible? Wouldn’t the imperial censor and others accuse her of favoring you too blatantly?”

Yan Yixuan’s smile was small and smug as he explained, “When I first entered the court, the other officials were the ones who suggested that I be granted leave to not come every day. They thought me a child and wanted me to stay at home rather than come and ‘display my incompetence in front of the empress’, in their words, and inadvertently bungle up their carefully constructed political webs. To their surprise, I also requested it of the empress citing my weak constitution as the reason. The empress hence gave me permission to work from home.

“By the time the courtiers realized that I wasn’t that useless and could actually be put to work, it was too late. I had already comfortably settled in my home. The imperial court is always overworked, so there would often be someone or the other asking me to stop lazing in my house and come to court regularly so that they could saddle me with all kinds of work that they themselves didn’t wish to do. At such times, I simply throw back the words they themselves used when they tried to chase me away from attending court. It’s quite entertaining to watch as they turn different colors after being slapped in the face with their own words. By now, they know better than to try and convince me to come to court. Thus I spend my life in the blissful comfort of my home and away from all the fuss,” Yan Yixuan looked gleeful as he finished narrating his tale.

Ning Wei laughed and shook his head.

Then sighing ruefully, Yan Yixuan said, “Well, that still leaves me with work to do at home, which I suppose I should be getting to now.” So saying, he bent back down over his desk to continue where he left off.

Ning Wei leaned back in his chair, amusement giving way to wandering thoughts.

The Yan Yixuan he knew was just as clever and calculating as rumored, but not as eccentric and vicious as he’d expected. However, the fact that such stories existed and that they were confirmed to have happened meant that Yan Yixuan must have such a streak in him too. Which was his true face? The quietly intelligent one he saw or the ruthless one he heard of? Or were both a part of him?

As Ning Wei pondered in a daze, Yan Yixuan paused his work again and leaned back in his chair, massaging his temples. Staring at the papers for so long strained his eyes too much. Yan Yixuan took a few quick swallows from the waterskin containing the concoction and let out a long sigh.

When he glanced at Ning Wei, Yan Yixuan realized that the other man was staring at him with a deep and contemplative gaze. “General Ning, is something the matter?” he prodded.

Ning Wei roused out of his thoughts and focused his gaze on the young man. After a moment, he hesitantly said, “Duke Yan, I have a question I wish to ask, but I’m not sure if I’d be stepping over my bounds.”

Tilting his head, Yan Yixuan urged him, “Go ahead, we’ll see if it’s something I want to answer.”

“Why did you kill the empress’s uncle, the grand duke?”

Yan Yixuan’s eyes darkened with surprise mixed with other unreadable emotions. He looked away and remained silent as if collecting his thoughts, then began, “I incidentally came to know that that old bastard molested children. After hearing about all the young ones he’d targeted and gotten away with violating, I merely avenged them as any respectable human would.”

Ning Wei frowned. “Why not just publicize that information or let the empress take care of it?”

Yan Yixuan shook his head. “That wouldn’t have worked. After all these years in the imperial court, the grand duke was not without means. He could have easily stifled the flow of information or claim that it was just a rumor spread by some malicious party to defame him. After all, who in the court would openly stand up to someone so powerful?

“On top of that, the former emperor was the grand duke’s elder brother. He doted on the grand duke a lot, to the point of making sure that no one from the imperial family could directly touch his younger brother even after his death. But I am not related to the imperial family in any way except being on good terms with the empress. I could get away with it even if she could not. So I simply got the empress to look the other way while I made the grand duke pay. I didn’t expect the empress to go so far as to cover for me afterward as well. I suppose that was her way of showing that she approved of my actions.”

Yan Yixuan lifted up his hands and stared at them with an unfathomable gaze. His voice was soft as he confessed, “I’d never fought for my life against a person or killed anyone before that. My arms ached for days after that fight—it was that strenuous for me. But I don’t regret what I did in the least.”

The young man lowered his hands and leaned back in his seat. He closed his eyes and sighed. “Why did General Ning ask me about it?”

Ning Wei pressed his lips together. He supposed it would be unfair of him to withhold anything after dragging all that out of the young man. Running a hand over his nape, he looked away and answered, “I was one of those children the grand duke targeted. Thankfully, my father got to me before it could get far.”

Yan Yixuan opened his eyes and offered his full attention to Ning Wei.

The general went on, “The grand duke got one of his arms broken for what he tried to do to me. In return, he gave me and my father plenty of trouble whenever he could. However, he was forced to restrain himself and behave whenever my father and I were in the battlefield, since his reach didn’t extend that long. He instead moved onto to harassing our household, which was a big bother to deal with for us. After my father died, the grand duke behaved even more obnoxiously, so it was a relief to hear that you’d gotten rid of him.”

Leveling the young man with a solemn and earnest gaze, Ning Wei expressed, “Thank you, Duke Yan.”

It was all Yan Yixuan could do to suppress the emotions bubbling within him. Smiling warmly, he replied, “I’m glad I ended up helping General Ning with my actions.”

Ning Wei smiled back at him. But inwardly, he couldn’t help but think that something didn’t add up.

The way Yan Yixuan had killed the grand duke by challenging him to a duel in front of so many significant members of the court spoke of a more…personal grudge than he’d let on. The way rumors said he murmured something into the grand duke’s ears after piercing his heart only lent more credence to that. With his ability, Yan Yixuan didn’t have to make such a bold statement and risk drawing unwanted attention to him just to kill someone off, especially when he had the empress’s support. And yet, the way Yan Yixuan went through it almost seemed like he was angered into seeking vengeance and punishing the grand duke.

However, considering how he was never brought out to attend anything fancy as a child due to his family’s lack of regard for him, Yan Yixuan himself should not have had a chance to meet the grand duke and be taken advantage of by him. So where did that much anger and hatred towards him come from? Was he that disgusted with pedophilia? Though that wasn’t impossible, Ning Wei still felt that it must have been a much stronger and more personal reason that made the young man use such a method of execution on the grand duke.

However, though Ning Wei was extremely curious about what had angered this composed young man enough to do such a thing, considering how Yan Yixuan himself hadn’t spoken about it when asked, Ning Wei decided to let it go.

“Is there anything else General Ning wishes to ask me?” Yan Yixuan inquired with a knowing smile.

Ning Wei hesitated, then said, “I’ve heard that just before the grand duke died, you whispered something into his ear. What did you tell him?”

Yan Yixuan chuckled. “Now that is something I can’t reveal.”

Ning Wei shrugged and smiled wryly. “Then there’s nothing else I can think of to ask. I suppose I should stop stalling and get back to the reading Duke Yan has tasked me with.” Lifting up the book he’d set aside, Ning Wei thus continued to read about the long and tedious history of the current dynasty again.

Yan Yixuan’s gaze remained on the general, but his thoughts had already drifted back to the day of the duel.

He recalled how it had felt when his sword had plunged into the grand duke’s heart, the vibration of the frantically pumping sack of muscle traveling up the blade, the coppery scent of blood, the deep and heavy fatigue in his own limbs, and the horrified silence pervading the hall as the other guests present at the imperial palace watched with uncomprehending expressions.

He remembered bending down and whispering softly, gently into the dying man’s ear, “This is your punishment for the way you once dared to touch my Ah-Ning with filthy intent. For that, you are going to pay with your wretched life.”

The grand duke’s mouth had fallen agape and his eyes peeled wide open with dawning realization even as his gaze turned duller by the second, until his body finally slumped down with death.

That was not the first time Yan Yixuan had killed someone, but that was the first time he’d killed someone directly, bloodying his own hands. He did not feel sadness or remorse, only a cold sense of relief that his beloved had been avenged. Other than that, nothing else mattered.

As Ning Wei read on cluelessly, Yan Yixuan smiled at him with tenderness and a sharp, protective light in his eyes.