Behind the Imperial Garden lay a vast lotus pond, where the blossoms and leaves nestled closely, floating upon the water's surface in a spectacle of beauty.
Yan Si's eyes lit up at the sight, and he yearned to strip off his robes, leap into the water to bathe, and pluck lotus pods to eat. Yet, he unintentionally witnessed a scene...
At this moment, both Yan Si and Xiao Yi were rendered almost motionless.
Far off in the center of the lake was a small boat. RongCheng lay with his head resting upon Shan Yuan's lap, while the latter gently peeled the shells from lotus seeds. The two were smiling and conversing, appearing exceedingly joyful.
Suddenly, RongCheng pulled Shan Yuan close, their lips meeting in an intimate, difficult-to-discern act. Yet, for some unknown reason, it made Yan Si's heart pound incessantly.
After a brief moment, RongCheng began to move, his hand slipping beneath Shan Yuan's garments, gently stroking and kneading. He then swiftly pushed the other man to lie down beneath him.
Following the tremor, the boat rocked slightly but remained steady. RongCheng smiled, tilted his head toward the chest of the one beneath him, and began to gnaw and suckle at the rosy nipple. The restless hand once again slid down to the private region, pulling that object out to rhythmically stroke and knead...
"What... what are they doing?" Yan Si felt his head grow dizzy, his heart hammering in his chest.
With every motion from RongCheng, the other man writhed his body, his chest heaving with continuous, ragged breaths.
He did not understand... truly did not understand...
At that moment, the vision before Yan Si suddenly went dark.
A hand had abruptly covered his eyes, saying, "Mas... Master... you truly should not look upon this scene."
The strange, sudden emotion was abruptly cut short. Yan Si clenched his teeth, a profound sense of indignation welling up within him.
Xiao Yi slowly turned Yan Si to face away, saying, "Do not look any longer... do not look any longer... Let us return... let us return!"
In the following days...
Those images haunted Yan Si for the entire day. He could not close his eyes even late into the night. When he finally drifted off to sleep, he was unexpectedly drawn into a bizarre dream.
In the vague haze of his slumber, Yan Si found himself by the lotus pond, sitting on the boat. Beside him was a handsome man, and upon closer inspection, it was none other than RongCheng. But the man was not as proper as he usually was; his hands were roaming and caressing Yan Si's body.
These were the very things Yan Si had witnessed that afternoon, now vividly re-enacted upon his own person. Even the sensations felt utterly real. Unaware that he was dreaming, he was completely immersed in these forbidden pleasures, secretly finding a profound enjoyment in it...
A 'spring dream' comes to all youths; no one is exempt. Unfortunately, the heedless RongCheng had allowed Yan Si to witness such 'deviant' behavior far too early. For a person of such pure and simple mind, who did not understand the ways of the world and was unsure if the act was right or wrong, merely seeing two people in a state of raw, passionate abandon subconsciously rooted itself deep in his heart, evolving from curious confusion into a disturbing dream that haunted him for many nights.
One night... two nights... three nights... Yan Si would bolt awake in the middle of the night, startled by these depraved dreams.
Gazing at the cloudy white fluid upon his undergarment, Yan Si was momentarily lost in a daze.
"How could you do this?" How could he harbor such fantasies about his Elder Brother and dream of such shameful matters?
Unforgivable...
Truly unforgivable...
"You utter fool! You are insane... you truly are insane..." Yan Si immediately leaped to his feet and rushed toward the lotus pond, plunging himself into the water.
The pond water at night was icy cold. Though not as harsh as the mountain stream of yesteryear, at least in this moment, it could cool his feverish head.
Yan Si tried to submerge himself deep beneath the water, but after a moment, the pond pushed him back up.
In the middle of the night, he lay soaking amidst the lotus pond, his face upturned toward the distant, endless night sky, occasionally reaching up toward the stars above.
RongCheng's image suddenly appeared before his eyes, yet no matter how hard Yan Si reached, he could not touch him, just as his love for the man would always be hopeless.
A very long time passed, yet Yan Si still had no intention of returning to the shore. Suddenly, the sound of loud shouts and commotion broke out. Imperial guards carrying torches were searching everywhere, and amidst the noise, he could hear the voices of RongCheng and Xiao Yi...
Hearing the faint calls, Yan Si instantly panicked, unsure of what to do, or how to explain himself.
If he said he had jumped into the pond himself late at night, he would surely be severely scolded by RongCheng, perhaps even incurring his wrath. Yan Si silently contemplated for a long moment, then decided to swallow a great deal of water, pretending that he truly was about to drown...
At that moment, someone on the shore seemed to have discovered his location and shouted loudly: "His... His Highness, over there! The lotus leaves are thrashing violently!"
Upon seeing this, RongCheng's face immediately turned pale. Without a second thought, he hastily stripped off some of his outer garments and immediately leapt into the pond.
Seeing this, the people on the shore cried out in panic: "His... His Highness!"
At that moment, everyone's complexion was ashen, filled with nervous dread.
A short while later, RongCheng emerged from the water, pulling a figure along as he slowly moved toward the shore. That person was indeed Yan Si!
RongCheng quickly laid Yan Si straight upon the ground. Seeing him, Xiao Yi's face was utterly drained of color, and he softly called out, "Mas... Master..."
Sensing Yan Si's weakening breath, RongCheng's own body trembled... In that instant, without even time to think, he decided to personally administer resuscitation to help expel the water.
Unexpectedly, the situation had progressed to this. Yan Si panicked and wanted to jump up, but dared not; since he had pretended, he had to see it through.
Whether it was luck or misfortune, his desperate wish for his lips to meet RongCheng's had now come true, and a feeling of immense joy suddenly surged through his heart.
After a period of resuscitation, Yan Si began to cough violently and continuously vomit water. Seeing this, RongCheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.