Chapter 3 Part 2

The pain in his knees sluggishly registered in his brain. Gu Xiaodeng shivered, stammering as he obeyed: “R-Royal Father, may you be well; Mother Consort, may you be h-healthy.”

“Xiaodeng, you are too old.” An Ruoyi’s faint sigh sounded from above.

Gu Xiaodeng couldn’t lift his head, and stuttered in protest: “Mother… Mother Consort, I’m only twelve.”

“At the same age of twelve, Jinyu is already an Imperial Study Companion. You, however, must quickly learn the rules of this mansion.”

Gu Yan was still pressing down on the back of his neck. Gu Xiaodeng could only kneel prostrate on the ground, trembling. The dawn of the Ghost Festival came especially late. The yin energy of the ghost festival seeped prematurely from the earth, staining him with a pervasive chill.

“The matter of your identity swap with Jinyu must not be leaked. Otherwise, the Gu family will be guilty of the Crime of Deceiving the Monarch. Your Royal Father and I have decided to first grant you the right to live here under the identity of a distant relative of the Gu family. East Forest Garden is a place to receive guests and also a place to study the Six Arts. We will first give you ample time to learn from the very beginning. When your studies are accomplished and you have obtained scholarly honor, then will we write your name into the Gu Family Genealogy.”

“I have already arranged a steward for you. Today is busy with the Ghost Festival, so we took time out to explain everything to you. We hope you will hold the Gu clan’s reputation in awe, never slack in your lessons, and learn proper bearing as soon as possible.”

Gu Xiaodeng understood the sound of every single word, but strung together, he didn’t quite grasp them.

He didn’t even know when the Prince Zhenbei and his wife left. It was only when a cold voice recalled his soul: “Cousin Young Master, the Prince and Princess Consort have departed. You may rise.”

Gu Xiaodeng looked up blankly and saw a familiar, calm face. It was the young steward who had previously led him and Zhang Dengqing to the guest room.

He slowly propped himself up by his knees and stood. “I remember you. Your name is Zhu Mi.”

“The Cousin Young Master has a good memory.” Zhu Mi was expressionless. “Under the orders of the Prince and Princess Consort, henceforth, except when the Fourth Young Master returns to the mansion, I shall be at your side at all times, tending to your daily needs, instructing in etiquette, and supervising your lessons.”

“Cousin Young Master, Fourth Young Master…” Gu Xiaodeng murmured these two titles, pondered them for a moment, and then stopped thinking about it. “Zhu Mi, why do you say ‘except when the Fourth Young Master returns to the mansion’?”

Zhu Mi’s face became even more deadpan. “I was originally the Fourth Young Master’s steward.”

“Oh…” Gu Xiaodeng let out a long “oh,” tears welling up in his eyes. He said quietly, “I want to see my brother, Brother Dengqing.”

“He cannot come until tomorrow. If he wants to stay in the Gu family, he needs to learn the rules he must learn.” Zhu Mi was like a large puppet, speaking in a rigid monotone. “Does the Cousin Young Master want breakfast?”

Gu Xiaodeng stood blankly for a moment, then shook his head, shaking loose two trails of tears. “I want to go out for a walk.”

Zhu Mi said coldly, “Very well. But I must remind you, today is your last day of freedom. Starting tomorrow, every moment of your day will have a clear schedule, detailed down to meal times and bathing allowances. Today, you may wander East Forest Garden as you please, and you may also abstain from food and drink. From tomorrow onward, that will no longer be possible.”

Gu Xiaodeng looked up at him with tear-blurred eyes. “Zhu Mi, you’re like the Iron Door God statues I used to hawk when selling goods. The villagers bought them to protect the peace within their doorways. As for you, you don’t protect anything. You’re like a lump of iron. If I don’t obey, you’ll raise your fist and hit me, just like an Iron Door God beating ghosts.”

Zhu Mi: “…”

He rarely felt the urge to laugh, inexplicably finding it comical. He was silent for a moment before suppressing the twitch of his lips. “The Cousin Young Master jests. You are the Master. I would never lay a hand on your noble person.”

Gu Xiaodeng wiped his eyes and turned around. His thin shoulders shook as he walked, choking with sobs. “Iron Door God, I want to go out for a walk. Do you have to follow too?”

“Naturally, I will not leave your side.” Zhu Mi followed, the corners of his mouth trembling as he forcibly shook off the smile.

Gu Xiaodeng walked out with his head hung low, so miserable that tears fell the whole way. The servants and mansion guards of the small courtyard had been at their duties since early morning, and now they fell in line behind him, forming a long tail.

Gu Xiaodeng walked for half a day, crying silently. Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore. He turned his head and pleaded with Zhu Mi: “Make them all withdraw! Don’t follow me like this. I’m not a kite; I don’t need these people acting as strings to tie me down.”

Zhu Mi looked at the reddened, teary eyes of this True Young Master who spouted proverbs like pearls, responded with “Only for today,” and with a wave of his hand, caused the kite strings to temporarily break.

Only then did Gu Xiaodeng’s tears lessen somewhat. He wandered aimlessly, following the sound of the wind, and walked to a long corridor and pavilion built in the style of a water-town garden. In the distance, he heard the sound of water.

Water was a gentle haven, and also a drowning dream. He suddenly longed to soak in the water, just as his adoptive father had told him about his past—soaking in a water vat, medicinal herbs drifting around him, sleeping without knowing life or death in a cradle made of water.

Gu Xiaodeng’s tears stopped. He turned back and asked Zhu Mi: “I want to be alone for a while, to go ahead by myself to look at the water. Just wait for me here, is that alright?”

Zhu Mi looked down at him, remembering a sentence the Prince Zhenbei had spoken to him the previous night:

[Should Gu Xiaodeng show any intention of taking his own life, do not stop him.]

Zhu Mi was quiet for only a moment before nodding. “Very well. As you please.”

Gu Xiaodeng thanked him, turned, and walked toward the long corridor and pavilion. As he lifted his leg to step onto the shaded corridor, he looked back. Zhu Mi gave him an elegant bow and then stood perfectly still.

Gu Xiaodeng had no more misgivings. He quickly walked up the corridor, turned a corner, and ran until he was in a spot where Zhu Mi could no longer see him before stopping. The corridor twisted and turned in loops. At this moment, looking ahead and behind, up at the sky and down at the ground, there was no one else around.

As he followed the sound of the water, he took off the fine clothes the servants had dressed him in. He wasn’t thinking much of anything. He simply wanted to soak in the water and become a swaying medicinal herb.

Gu Xiaodeng rounded another corner and saw a pool glittering with ripples. Red carp swam energetically within, the splashing water exceptionally loud. Those red tails slapped against the water’s surface like satin ribbons, blending with black aquatic plants into an unbearably beautiful painting…

Taking two steps closer, Gu Xiaodeng was stunned to discover that the black wasn’t water plants, but human hair!

The sparkling ripples on the pool’s surface were not just from the fish moving. There was a person drowning underwater!

Gu Xiaodeng instinctively shouted, “Help!” Then his body moved faster than his brain. He swiftly threw off his outer clothes, climbed onto the edge of the corridor, and dove headfirst into the pool.

Splash—

The pool water was clear. The red carp scattered in alarm. Gu Xiaodeng paddled furiously in a doggy paddle toward the drowning person in the center of the pool, tiny waves rolling, fish tails thrashing wildly.

Whoosh—

He took a deep breath and dove underwater. When his breath was held to the point his lungs felt like they were about to burst, he barely managed to swim to the side of the drowning person. He scooped them up, pushing and dragging, hugging them as he struggled to the surface.

The moment he burst through the water’s surface, fresh air flooded his mouth and nose. Water droplets, like tiny knives, streamed from his head down his neck, painful yet exhilarating.

Gu Xiaodeng opened his eyes, sore from the water, and the first thing he saw was the sky. Not a cloud for miles, the autumn air crisp and refreshing.

Even though it was the Ghost Festival—this autumn day was truly beautiful.

Gu Xiaodeng gasped violently, dragging the person in his arms to a shallow area. Unable to climb back onto the corridor, he decided to directly attempt to resuscitate the barely breathing, drowning person right there in the shallows.

As soon as he lowered his head and saw clearly who was in his arms, he froze.

Gu Jinyu, with his picturesque features, lay against his shoulder and neck, his face pale as gold leaf. He was stunningly beautiful to an indescribable degree, but was on the verge of becoming a lifeless painting.

Gu Xiaodeng’s mind and heart quaked violently. His heartbeat was deafening, almost jumping out of his ears.

He was stunned for an instant, but without time to think further, he took a deep breath, lowered his head, and gave him air.

The water rippled and shimmered. He didn’t know how many times he transferred breath, but the red carp settled down, lips were broken and kissed, before Gu Jinyu finally coughed and choked out sound.

Gu Xiaodeng wept with joy. He held him, patting his back, tears streaming down his face. “Gu Jinyu! Are you back alive? You’re so frightening, and so heavy!”

Gu Jinyu coughed. Hearing the call through a watery haze, he forced open his blurred, sore, and swollen eyes and saw a pair of bright, reddened, tearful eyes.

The water burbled gently, the autumn breeze blew softly.

Gu Jinyu felt cold. Gu Xiaodeng lowered his head, pressing against his forehead, crying as he hugged him tight.

—And then, he felt warm.