Strongly Spoiled by the Villainous Tyrant After Climbing into the Dragon’s Bed - Chapter 16

The Spring Orchid Pavilion was extremely famous in the capital, yet it was tucked away in a small alley.

Jun Yushu appeared to be a regular here. He pulled Zhan Yueqing inside with practiced ease, leading him straight to the second floor and pushing open a door.

Next to the door hung the two characters for ‘Shi Hua’ (Poetry-Painting), which seemed to be the name of the person inside.

Not long after the door opened, a frail male voice rang out from within, sounding very much on guard.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me.” Jun Yushu lifted the hanging curtain, revealing the person on the couch. “Shi Hua, give me one of those poison-testing needles of yours.”

Leaning on the couch was a young man. The corners of his eyes were a watery pink, and his lips were coated in red rouge; his appearance was exceptionally flamboyant.

“Young Master Jun…” Shi Hua gave a light chuckle, his gaze drifting until it landed on Zhan Yueqing.

His eyes scanned over Zhan Yueqing’s pale but beautiful face, pausing for a moment.

“And this is…”

Shi Hua stood up, slightly raising an eyebrow.

Zhan Yueqing only felt a flash of pink shadows before his nostrils were flooded with a scent like orchids. The gauze-like fabric brushed against his fingers—

So fragrant…

“What do you want my poison-testing needle for?” Shi Hua leaned against Jun Yushu’s shoulder again, appearing bone-soft as he rested against him, exhaling a light breath against the crook of his neck.

Zhan Yueqing froze, nearly thinking there was something between Jun Yushu and this person. However, in the next second, he saw Jun Yushu shake Shi Hua off with an expression of pure exasperation: “If you’re going to talk, just talk! Stop climbing all over people! I don’t like men!”

Shi Hua laughed upon hearing this. “How dull. Plenty of people would kill for me to climb them—little friend…”

He turned his eyes slightly and put his arm around Zhan Yueqing. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

Shi Hua smelled very sweet. Zhan Yueqing didn’t dislike the scent, so he didn’t pull away, nor did he find the behavior nauseating. He simply asked, “What is a poison-testing needle?”

He realized that Jun Yushu hadn’t brought him here to “visit a brothel.”

“I am the Orchid Head of this pavilion. I have to be constantly on guard against customers drugging me, so I purchased some specially-made silver needles from the Flying Swallow Pavilion. They can detect hundreds of types of poisons or aphrodisiacs… These needles are quite expensive. Is Young Master Jun looking for a free hand-out?” Shi Hua smiled suggestively, nudging Jun Yushu.

Jun Yushu, however, pulled out a coin pouch. “I’ll buy it at the original price.”

Zhan Yueqing was somewhat puzzled.

What was the Flying Swallow Pavilion? And why was Jun Yushu buying this?

Shi Hua burst into a loud laugh, so loud that people passing by outside the room couldn’t help but look in.

“Yushu, you’re still so dense.” After Shi Hua finished laughing, he went to a cabinet by the dressing mirror and took out a small box.

The box was printed with the pattern of a flying bird.

“It’s a gift for you.”

Shi Hua tossed the box into Jun Yushu’s arms. “I didn’t make it to your birthday last time, so consider this a belated gift.”

Jun Yushu didn’t like owing favors and handed the entire coin pouch to Shi Hua. “Count it. Is it enough?”

Shi Hua: “…”

Zhan Yueqing looked suspiciously at Shi Hua and Jun Yushu. A gay man in love with a straight guy?

Not sure, let me look again.

Shi Hua clicked his tongue and tucked the money away. “Fine… what are you using this needle for? Is someone trying to harm you lately?”

Jun Yushu shook his head but handed the needle box to Zhan Yueqing.

Shi Hua’s gaze froze.

In that instant, Zhan Yueqing felt like the box in his hand was a hot potato.

Is Jun Yushu brainless? Has he never been in a relationship?

“I forgot to ask, who is this little friend?” Shi Hua spoke flatly.

Jun Yushu: “My younger brother.”

Shi Hua’s expression at that moment was identical to those examinees. He raised an eyebrow. “Where did you get a younger brother from?”

Jun Yushu repeated the story from the temple once more.

“His destiny is too heavy?” Shi Hua sneered. Suddenly interested, he pulled Zhan Yueqing toward the table and sat down. “Coincidentally, I know how to tell fortunes. Let me see what your birth characters are.”

Zhan Yueqing provided a birth date.

Shi Hua froze. “These characters…” He paused. “It is the destiny of an Emperor. If supported and assisted by others, life will be smooth and successful; if acting willfully and alone, it will lead to eternal damnation.”

Jun Yushu never believed in such things, but for some reason, he became interested this time and leaned in as well.

Shi Hua pulled a fortune-stick container from a drawer and handed it to Zhan Yueqing. “Think of the problem that puzzles you most right now, draw one, and try.”

Back in modern times, Zhan Yueqing had been to temples too, though it was to pray for Old Man Tan. He had drawn sticks and hung prayer plaques before.

The problem that puzzles me most…

Zhan Yueqing pursed his lips and shook the container. Before long, a stick fell out.

“White clouds first clear, secluded birds follow one another,” Shi Hua read in a low voice. “It is an auspicious sign. Do you have someone you like?”

Zhan Yueqing scratched his cheek, taking it as a silent admission.

“What does that mean?” Jun Yushu asked.

Shi Hua smiled, his coldness toward Zhan Yueqing vanishing. Instead, he said, “Then you must remember: never act willfully or alone.”

Zhan Yueqing paused. “This fate requires support and assistance to achieve the desired result?”

“Correct. Going it alone is absolutely out of the question.” Shi Hua gave a faint smile. “However, if you believe it, it exists; if you don’t, it doesn’t. It depends on your own heart.”

The sentence sounded like a disclaimer. Zhan Yueqing chuckled, not paying it much mind. “Thanks.”

Shi Hua laughed and reached out to stroke Zhan Yueqing’s face, winking suggestively. “There will be an Orchid Head Dance later. Does the Second Young Master want to stay and play?”

Zhan Yueqing’s eyes lit up as he nodded. “Sure, sure!”

Jun Yushu couldn’t help but speak up. “Yueqing, there will be many people in the audience then—a real mixed bag. I didn’t bring many guards out. We shouldn’t watch; let’s go back.”

“I have guards,” Shi Hua said with a charming smile, resting his head on Zhan Yueqing’s shoulder and clinging to him like a cunning fox. “If the Second Young Master wants to stay, then stay.”

Zhan Yueqing’s heart skipped a beat. For some reason, the image of Tan Huai surfaced in his mind, replacing Shi Hua’s face with Tan Huai’s.

“…”

Zhan Yueqing’s heartbeat instantly calmed down.

Forget it, leave professional things to professional people.

If Tan Huai’s face were painted with pink eyeshadow, it would probably kill all desire.

“Staying or not?” Shi Hua chuckled, his voice sounding like a seductive demon.

Zhan Yueqing was successfully hooked and hurriedly said, “Staying, staying, staying!”

He needed to ask if there was something wrong with the scent on Shi Hua’s body. Otherwise, why did he feel the patterns on his leg growing hot?

But before he could speak, someone knocked on the door, telling Shi Hua to change his clothes and prepare for the dance.

Zhan Yueqing felt the patterns on his leg. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but once Shi Hua left, the heat in the patterns faded.

“The Orchid Head’s dance is worth a thousand gold,” Jun Yushu looked at Zhan Yueqing, his eyes shifting. “The people coming later will be rich and noble. If you’re going to sit in the audience, you’d better wear a veil.”

Is he afraid I’ll be recognized and someone will impeach the Grand Tutor? Zhan Yueqing snapped back to his senses and agreed: “Okay!”

…

Inside the Spring Orchid Pavilion, there was a jade stage.

As night fell, flower petals fluttered through the small building, and the audience below was packed.

Jun Yushu sat with Zhan Yueqing in the front row, feeling an inexplicable sense of sitting on pins and needles. He looked up at the balconies; several youths were leaning against the railings, laughing as they scattered petals.

The fragrance in the building grew heavier.

The sound of a zither suddenly erupted by the stage—long and lingering at first, then indignant and mournful, finally turning into a sense of relief like a passing breeze.

The windows of the building opened, and a piercing snowy wind blew in.

Shi Hua made his entrance riding that gust of wind, dressed in a dark pink robe with white gauze draped over his shoulders. His dance was as graceful as a white swan. With a supple bend of his body, his fluttering silhouette arrived beside the seated guests.

Everyone standing in the hall was mesmerized, followed by a cheer so loud it seemed ready to blow the roof off—

“Shi Hua!”

“Shi Hua! Shi Hua!”

Zhan Yueqing only felt a flash before his eyes as the scent of flowers rushed into his nose, and a youth’s light laughter fell by his ear.

He suddenly had someone in his arms.

“!!!”

In an instant, countless gazes converged on them.

The Orchid Head Shi Hua never showed favoritism in public—what was he doing now?

Zhan Yueqing looked up. Shi Hua’s face was magnified before him. Through the black veil, this person kissed his cheek.

The flower scent became even stronger, and the poison patterns on his leg grew hotter.

It’s not my imagination, Zhan Yueqing thought. It really is burning, as if blood is surging into the patterns.

“Is the young master dazed?” Shi Hua laughed softly.

Zhan Yueqing suddenly reached out and pinched Shi Hua’s chin.

“What perfume are you using? It’s so fragrant.”

The two youths were close together; one voice was feminine and seductive like a flirtatious painting, while the other was clear as the morning sun.

“A scent from the Flying Swallow Pavilion,” Shi Hua rubbed against his palm, his beautiful eyes blinking on his feminine face. “It is called [Jiaorao – Alluring].”

Zhan Yueqing froze.

“[The Flying Swallow spreads across the four seas, Alluring sends for the bright moon]…” Shi Hua licked Zhan Yueqing’s face through the veil, his voice very low: “If the Young Master likes this scent, you can visit the Treasure Pavilion in the city.”

Shi Hua had already fluttered away, lifting a jade flask and pouring the wine from it into the mouths of the seated guests.

Zhan Yueqing was stunned. He wanted to say something more, but Shi Hua handed over a cup of wine and pressed it against his mouth.

His throat moved. Looking at that face, Zhan Yueqing couldn’t help but swallow it.

As if possessed, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind—

“Shi Hua looks so sweet, if I could just take a bite…”

“Second Young Master… I like you very much,” Shi Hua held his face in his hands, his eyes shimmering. “Will you allow me to taste your fragrance?”

Zhan Yueqing’s pupils shook.

…

When they left the building, the wind and snow outside had stopped, and a full moon hung in the sky.

“It seems to be the hour of the Ox. Are you going back to the palace or the Grand Tutor’s manor tonight?” Jun Yushu’s face was slightly flushed, but his mind was still clear.

Zhan Yueqing was no longer sober after just a few cups. He kept his head down, looking at the moonlight covering the ground.

“So bright…”

He answered irrelevantly. Jun Yushu was about to pull him up to see how drunk he was, but Zhan Yueqing was snatched away by a powerful arm first—

The scent of agarwood hit him square in the face. Zhan Yueqing’s nose hurt as he felt himself collide with something hard.

Jun Yushu instinctively tried to grab him back: “Hey, who are you—”

He looked up, meeting a pair of eyes filled with gloom.

Jun Yushu’s drunkenness was instantly scared away. His nostrils twitched, finally catching that rich ebony fragrance.

When they were young, Prince Tan Huairan always carried this scent.

“Jun Yushu.”

The cold voice rang out abruptly, laced with dark emotions.

Jun Yushu: “…”

Holy crap!

It really is Tan Huairan!!!

“Drinking with courtesans and visiting brothels is strictly forbidden in the capital. As the son of the Grand Tutor, you have knowingly broken the law.”

“I didn’t visit a brothel!” Jun Yushu’s eyes widened. “Your Majes—”

His mouth was covered by a hidden guard.

“Send him back to the Grand Tutor’s manor. Tell the Grand Tutor to confine him for half a month.”

Zhan Yueqing’s alcohol tolerance was poor; he was dazed and instinctively tried to call his companion’s name, “Jun Yushu…”

“If you call his name once more, he will be confined for half a year.”

The gloomy voice sounded above his head. Zhan Yueqing felt the surrounding aura was very warm, and he finally opened his eyes in confusion.

He remembered it being quite cold in the pavilion; why was it suddenly warm?

In the next instant, as if seeing the world’s most effective sobering medicine, Zhan Yueqing’s eyes widened instantly. The terror from the previous night’s overwhelming bloodiness came rushing back—

“Tan… Tan Huairan…” Zhan Yueqing nearly bit his tongue. “Your Majesty?”

Inside the Green Dragon carriage, Tan Huairan sat there, dressed in a black robe with gold embroidery, his long hair tied high, his expression dark.

Like an ogre ready to devour a person.

“Heh.”

A cold laugh echoed in the spacious carriage.

Zhan Yueqing’s knees buckled, and he slumped onto the floor in fright.

Inevitably, he remembered Jun Yushu saying—

“Women run when they see him, and men cry when they see him…”

Zhan Yueqing’s eyelashes fluttered. Whether it was from the alcohol or actual tears, his eyes turned red.

Tan Huairan narrowed his eyes dangerously.

—On Zhan Yueqing’s neck, there was a distinct red lipstick mark.