Chapter 28: Caught in the Act

Jiang Luan finally realized he had been thinking about this all wrong.

Perhaps the kid didn’t hide his night-traveler clothes after taking them off. He could easily have been wearing them underneath another layer of clothing!

The more Jiang Luan thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He resorted to both threats and cajolery, forcing Qi Shaolin to strip so he could see for himself.

Backed into a corner, Qi Shaolin looked as aggrieved as a young bride and asked, "What are you doing, my wife?"

"Didn't you used to like sleeping shirtless?" Jiang Luan asked suspiciously. "Why do you insist on wearing clothes today?"

"I... I..." Qi Shaolin’s expression was flustered. After stammering for a long time, he couldn't come up with a reason.

Jiang Luan became even more convinced that this kid was the man in black. He pressed him aggressively, "Are you going to take them off or not?"

"Wife, don't be fierce to Lin'er." Qi Shaolin sniffled.

"Hey, if you won't take them off, I'll do it for you!"

Jiang Luan was determined to expose Qi Shaolin tonight, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. But just as he pounced, the door was pushed open from the outside.

When Zuo Lang entered, he saw Jiang Luan in the act of "a hungry wolf pouncing on its prey."

Jiang Luan: "!!"
Zuo Lang: "..."

Zuo Lang looked at the two of them, utterly bewildered. A slender, small-statured youth had a giant of a man cornered against the wall and was even getting handsy—this was clearly not according to common sense...

So, this must be lovers flirting after all!

Zuo Lang felt very annoyed. Why did he always barge in during the couple’s "boudoir intimacy"? He immediately took a step back. "Excuse me, I'll go."

"Little Zuo, wait a moment," Jiang Luan called him back. "What's the matter?"

Usually, Zuo Lang wouldn't enter without knocking; his hurried appearance meant something must have happened.

Zuo Lang looked at the couple hesitantly. "Is it convenient to talk now?"

"Yes," Jiang Luan said.

He guessed that if something had happened, it must be related to Prince Suping. Qi Shaolin was right here and couldn't fly away, so he might as well deal with the Prince's business first.

"Dou Kou is staying in Huazhao's room tonight," Zuo Lang said.

Jiang Luan’s mouth twitched upon hearing this. "They’re having an affair?"

When he was boiling the duck soup, Jiang Luan had intended to "give them a taste of their own medicine," so he had added extra ginseng and angelica to "stimulate" the Prince. He hadn't expected it to actually work. But he never imagined the person with the Prince would be Huazhao.

Wait, wasn't Huazhao a *ge'er*? Did he swing that way with women too?

"Huazhao is keeping watch at the door, but there is someone else inside," Zuo Lang said. "It's a man."

Jiang Luan nodded. That made sense... wait, it made no sense at all!

Damn it, why did he think it was reasonable for two men to be together? Had he truly been assimilated by this world? Jiang Luan felt a bit complicated.

He couldn't be bothered to ask who the man was. He beckoned Zuo Lang over and whispered in his ear, "Do this..."

After listening, Zuo Lang looked at Jiang Luan thoughtfully. "Is this what you call 'using their own strategy against them'?"

"No, I call this taking the initiative," Jiang Luan said with a slight smile.

Prince Suping was malicious; he didn't know what grudge the man held against him, but he was determined to ruin his reputation. So, Jiang Luan decided to follow the same path, playing the Prince’s game until the Prince had nowhere left to turn.

***

Zuo Lang nodded, closed the door, and retreated.

After dealing with Prince Suping, Jiang Luan turned his attention back to Qi Shaolin.

Qi Shaolin was sitting upright on the bed, asking aggrievedly, "Wife, do you really have to look?"

Oh my, the way he phrased that.

"Don't make it sound like I'm molesting some innocent maiden," Jiang Luan said, stepping forward. "I'm just confirming... haven't I seen enough before?"

Qi Shaolin sighed. Without waiting for Jiang Luan to get closer, he took the initiative to untie his inner robe. He pulled the lapels aside, revealing his beautiful chest and abdominal muscles.

Qi Shaolin wasn't wearing any night-traveler suit underneath at all. Instead, his waist and abdomen were wrapped in bandages, which wound up to his shoulder in a messy fashion. Furthermore, the bandages on his left shoulder were stained with splotches of blood, clearly showing that the wound had reopened.

Jiang Luan: "..."

Qi Shaolin watched Jiang Luan's expression. "Lin'er didn't want to make my wife worry, so..."

"How did you get this?"

Jiang Luan frowned. He walked up to Qi Shaolin and brushed his slender fingers over his shoulder.

Qi Shaolin’s body stiffened at the touch. He whispered, "It tore when I was shooting arrows."

"No, I'm asking where you got injured." Jiang Luan’s voice sank.

He had been fine just a few days ago when they borrowed hot water to bathe at the auntie's house. And looking at the wound, it seemed quite serious. This kid was such a stubborn mule; he had just endured it in silence without saying a word.

"The day before yesterday, when I went to the back mountain," Qi Shaolin answered. "I don't know when a few wolves appeared on the mountain—they weren't there before... I wasn't careful and got hurt."

"You were attacked by a pack of wolves?" Jiang Luan was stunned.

"Lin'er is tall, so the wolves didn't dare to provoke me," Qi Shaolin said, seeing Jiang Luan's worried expression and trying to comfort him. "I was just scratched a bit..."

Qi Shaolin spoke as if it were nothing, but Jiang Luan's expression was complicated. He tugged at the mess of bandages on Qi Shaolin. "You tied these yourself?"

"Mm."

"Take them off; I'll change your dressing," Jiang Luan said.

There were no first-aid kits in this era, so Jiang Luan had to search around outside and brought back some mugwort leaves and locust flowers. The mugwort grew in the east courtyard for decoration, and the locust flowers were taken from the kitchen, likely dried from the previous year for making buns. Both plants could be used to stop bleeding.

Jiang Luan used a garlic mortar and pestle to grind the plants into a paste and placed it on a white handkerchief.

Qi Shaolin had already removed the old bandages and was sitting cross-legged on the bed, waiting obediently. The wound on his shoulder had initially scabbed over, but due to strenuous activity, it had burst open, and fresh, bright red blood was trickling down his smooth skin.

Jiang Luan first used a clean towel soaked in hot water and alcohol to briefly clean the wound.

"Does it hurt?" Jiang Luan asked.

He had intended to lecture the kid about not holding it in when injured, but the kid turned out to be quite tough, shaking his head to indicate it didn't hurt.

Jiang Luan clicked his tongue, pressed the handkerchief smeared with herbal paste onto the wound, and wrapped it with a bandage. Throughout the process, Qi Shaolin remained as steady as a rock, which made Jiang Luan feel somewhat frustrated.

Seeing Jiang Luan's displeasure, Qi Shaolin asked in a low voice, "Wife, do you want Lin'er to act like it hurts more?"

"What kind of talk is that?" Jiang Luan wasn't happy.

"If you want Lin'er to rely on you," Qi Shaolin said, leaning close to Jiang Luan, who was standing by the bed, and wrapping his arms around Jiang Luan's waist. Like a wolf cub seeking its mother, he pressed his face against Jiang Luan's chest and said softly, "Lin'er hurts so much..."

"..." Jiang Luan's heart softened. He reached out and stroked the head of the big guy in his arms. "I just don't like... that you always keep everything bottled up inside."

"But if I say it, my wife will be hurt," Qi Shaolin’s voice was muffled. "Lin'er wants to protect my wife, too."

Jiang Luan thought Qi Shaolin was referring to the wolf attack and shook his head with a smile. "Am I really that fragile in your heart?"

Qi Shaolin didn't answer. The waist he held was very slender. His wife was truly too thin; if he didn't hold on tight, it felt like he might disappear the next second.

Jiang Luan didn't know what Qi Shaolin was thinking. He patted the "spoiled" big child in his arms, but a different doubt lingered in his mind.

Qi Shaolin went to the mountain every day, but this time he encountered a wolf pack. Was it just a coincidence?

At this moment, a commotion suddenly broke out outside. Someone shouted, "Oh no, there's a fire! Come quickly to the South Courtyard to put it out!"

The South Courtyard was where Prince Suping stayed, and the fire was actually near Huazhao’s residence.

Just as the old, weathered wood piled near the granary spontaneously sparked, Prince Suping and Liu Deng were inside the room engaged in their tryst, while Huazhao was dozing off in the corridor.

"Miss Huazhao, are you awake? Miss Huazhao!"

Someone was anxiously banging on Huazhao’s courtyard gate.

Huazhao jolted awake, walked to the gate, and asked cautiously, "Who is it? What's the matter at this late hour?"

"Miss Huazhao, it's me, Xiao Si! The granary is on fire, and yours is the only place nearby with a well, so we’ve come to fetch water!"

Peering through the gap in the door, Huazhao saw a crowd gathered outside holding lanterns and torches—a large number of people. A rare panic flickered in her heart.

There was only this one exit leading outside. With so many eyes, if it were discovered that Prince Suping was staying here with a man, there would be no explaining it. But if she didn't let them in to fetch water, it would be impossible to justify.

"Wait a moment, let me put on my clothes!" Huazhao called to those outside.

"Please hurry, Miss Huazhao!" the people outside urged.

Huazhao hurried back and knocked on the door of the inner room. Prince Suping was in the middle of his fun and opened the door impatiently. "What is it?"

"My Lord, there's a fire in the courtyard, and the people outside want to come in to use the well," Huazhao said in a low voice. "Liu Deng must leave immediately."

"A fire?" Prince Suping was bewildered. "Can't we just hide inside?"

"No, I feel there's something suspicious about this. You absolutely cannot be seen in the same room with Liu Deng," Huazhao said. "You hide here; let Liu Deng come out. I have a way to cover his departure."

"Fine." Prince Suping nodded with a grave expression and shouted back, "You useless thing, why are you still staying there? Get out quickly!"

Liu Deng didn't even have time to put on his shoes or pants; he scrambled out, clutching a pile of clothes to cover his private parts.

Huazhao ordered Liu Deng to squat and hide behind the door, then opened the courtyard gate.

"Come in quickly and fetch water! Where is the fire?" Huazhao asked, pretending not to know.

The people outside swarmed in. Among them were servants of the mansion as well as guests who had come to help. Some carried wooden buckets, some held washbasins, and some even held spittoons.

It was pitch black and everyone was in a rush; no one noticed the naked man squatting behind the door. He slipped into the crowd while staying low and then fled in the opposite direction.

Seeing Liu Deng leave the courtyard, Huazhao finally let out a sigh of relief and directed everyone to fetch water.

"Miss Huazhao, we came in such a hurry we didn't bring anything. May we borrow a vessel from your room?"

Zuo Lang appeared at the door of the inner room before anyone noticed and raised his hand to push it open.