The two of them shared a carriage on their way to Lovesickness Lake. Of course, this was also an order from King Xia Jie. Originally, Lu Yan planned to take a leisurely stroll there with Shen Qingfeng, as the lake was not far away. But just as they were walking side by side, they saw Eunuch Zhang from the Bian Palace riding a carriage towards them from afar.
The moment Shen Qingfeng saw Eunuch Zhang, he instantly shook off Lu Yan's hand that was holding his, then took a few steps back and quietly followed behind Lu Yan.
Actually, Lu Yan had noticed Shen Qingfeng's odd behavior in the palace. It seemed that he was extremely reluctant to let the people around King Xia Jie see their true relationship.
Lu Yan was a smart man. This marriage had come so suddenly. As the ruler of Li Xia, King Xia Jie's bestowal of the marriage surely couldn't be as simple as the reason he had given Lu Yan at that time, "I know you like Shen Qingfeng." So Lu Yan cooperated with Shen Qingfeng. With gloomy faces, the two of them got into the carriage.
The interior of the small carriage was quite cramped. Eunuch Zhang was driving the carriage in the front and had no time to pay attention to the two inside. Lu Yan looked at Shen Qingfeng sitting across from him, who was staring blankly at his fingers with his head down. A thought flashed through his mind. He slowly got up and moved closer to Shen Qingfeng, saying, "Make some room."
Shen Qingfeng kept his eyes downcast and didn't move.
"I'll sit back across from you before the carriage stops," Lu Yan bent down and whispered into Shen Qingfeng's ear.
Only after hearing this did Shen Qingfeng look up at him and then move a bit to the side.
Lu Yan plopped down beside him, naturally putting his arm around Shen Qingfeng's waist and pulling him into his embrace. He said in a voice only audible to the two of them, "You're afraid the king will find out about our relationship, aren't you?"
Leaning in Lu Yan's embrace, Shen Qingfeng gently nodded.
It was quite strange. He had only known Lu Yan for a few days, yet why was he so accustomed to Lu Yan's touch?
"Why?" To prevent Eunuch Zhang from hearing, Lu Yan's voice was very soft. His hand was on Shen Qingfeng's waist, but Shen Qingfeng didn't resist.
"King Xia Jie had other motives for bestowing this marriage," Shen Qingfeng said.
Lu Yan thought for a moment and said, "Is it because of the Shen family's network in the court and my military power?"
Shen Qingfeng didn't expect Lu Yan to pinpoint the key issue so quickly. He was stunned for a moment and then gently nodded, saying, "I think so too... My lord, please let go of me first. We'll talk about the details when we get back."
Lu Yan tightened his arm around Shen Qingfeng and said, "Call me by my name."
Shen Qingfeng: "..."
"Call me."
"…Lu Yan, let go of me," Shen Qingfeng gritted his teeth.
"You're afraid he'll find out our true relationship? So what exactly is our relationship now?" Lu Yan's hand began to roam on Shen Qingfeng's waist.
Biting his lower lip, Shen Qingfeng grabbed Lu Yan's wrist with one hand and hissed, "Lu Yan!"
"Shh," Lu Yan let out a low laugh. His voice was very pleasant, and this laugh actually made Shen Qingfeng's heart flutter. Then he said, "Qingfeng, I'll cooperate with you, but I want a little reward, okay?"
In his previous life with Xia Chuli, Shen Qingfeng had always been the proactive one, so he had never experienced being treated like this. Now, nestled in Lu Yan's embrace, he felt his ears burning.
"Let me kiss you," Lu Yan whispered into Shen Qingfeng's ear. His voice was deep and hoarse, full of irresistible temptation and sensuality.
"Lu Yan, don't..."
Lu Yan bent down. He wanted to kiss Shen Qingfeng, but in the end, he just lightly brushed his lips against Shen Qingfeng's face and said, "Qingfeng, I've said before that you'll fall in love with me. I'll wait for you."
Lovesickness Lake was located in the northern part of Lige City. It was a vast lake. In summer, if one wanted to cross it by boat, it would take at least half a day. So when the lake froze in winter, its vast expanse of white ice could actually accommodate a large number of people.
Eunuch Zhang stopped the carriage by the lake. Seeing that both of them looked unhappy, he felt relieved and went back to report to the king.
Only after the eunuch left did Lu Yan pull Shen Qingfeng's hand and walk towards a peddler selling studded shoes by the lake. He said to the peddler, "Boss, two pairs of studded shoes, please."
The lake surface was very slippery, and one had to wear studded shoes to walk on it. It was the Winter Solstice Festival today. Although it was still early, there were already quite a few people on the lake. The peddler had made a lot of money. Seeing that the customers were kind - looking and both handsome young men, he smiled and said, "Two pairs, right? I'll give you a discount. It'll be ten copper coins."
Lu Yan laughed heartily and said, "Thank you, boss. May your business thrive."
The peddler handed the studded shoes to Lu Yan and said, "Sir, judging from your height, you don't seem to be a local. Although the king has organized a grand sacrifice for the peace and prosperity of the country during this Winter Solstice Festival, this festival is actually meant to be celebrated with your beloved. Sir, you're so good - looking. When you go on the lake later, remember to look for your sweetheart."
Lu Yan took the studded shoes, grabbed Shen Qingfeng's hand, and waved their clasped hands in front of the peddler, saying, "No need to look. Here he is."
Shen Qingfeng was caught off guard by this sudden pull and immediately blushed. He scolded, "Lu Yan!"
"Hahaha..." Lu Yan laughed merrily. He waved goodbye to the wide - eyed peddler and pulled Shen Qingfeng forward.
Although King Xia Jie was going to preside over the sacrifice to heaven and celebrate Lu Yan's pacification of the seven northern states during this Winter Solstice Festival, the royal family usually arrived late. The schedule of the Bu Si Hall was also arranged for the afternoon. So in the morning, there were mostly ordinary people here, and even the aristocratic families rarely came.
So for now, they didn't need to pretend anything.
Lu Yan held a skewer of steaming fried yellow croakers in front of Shen Qingfeng's mouth and said with a smile, "Try it?"
Shen Qingfeng glanced at him and took a small bite.
"Is it delicious?"
"Yeah," Shen Qingfeng nodded.
"Then I'll have a taste too," Lu Yan said. Then he deliberately took a bite from the place where Shen Qingfeng had just bitten. Shen Qingfeng's face burned, and he turned his head away.
"Why are you turning away?" Lu Yan playfully moved in front of Shen Qingfeng and said, "The king told you to show me around during this Winter Solstice Festival. You're not going to renege on your promise, are you?"
Shen Qingfeng coughed lightly and said, "My lord, how would you like to play?"
Hearing this, Lu Yan quickly planted a kiss on Shen Qingfeng's face. Although there weren't many people on the ice at the moment, it still startled Shen Qingfeng. He quickly tried to take a step back but was pulled back by Lu Yan. "I've said before, call me by my name. Every time you call me wrong, I'll kiss you once."
"You—!"
"Show me around," Lu Yan said playfully, completely ignoring Shen Qingfeng's angry glare. "This is the king's order for you."
Shen Qingfeng: "..."
There were many small stalls on the ice. Shen Qingfeng showed Lu Yan around a lot. They guessed riddles on lanterns and skated on the ice. Shen Qingfeng was sweating profusely, while Lu Yan was full of enthusiasm. Seeing that Shen Qingfeng was so tired that he didn't even want to talk, Lu Yan took him to a small pavilion by the lake to sit down. He bought some hot tea and handed it to Shen Qingfeng, saying, "Qingfeng, your physical fitness is really poor."
Shen Qingfeng said irritably, "Of course I can't compare to you who are always practicing with swords and guns."
Lu Yan sat beside him and said, "But it doesn't matter. You're in poor health. I'll take good care of you."
Shen Qingfeng: "..." He wondered why he hadn't noticed before that Lu Yan could be so good at saying sweet words. Was this still the cold - looking Lu Yan he knew?
What Shen Qingfeng didn't know was that Lu Yan was indeed still the same Lu Yan as before. But now he was seriously pursuing Shen Qingfeng. He had waited for Shen Qingfeng for so many years, and now he just wished he could pour out all the sweet words to him.
When the sun was high in the sky, the sound of the sacrificial bells from the officials of the Bu Si Hall came from afar.
The two of them turned their heads in unison and saw, on the other side of the ice, a grand procession of royal nobles and ceremonial guards approaching in an orderly manner.