Here Comes the Squeak
The weather was pleasant today. The daylight stretched longer, and even as dusk approached, the slanted sky remained bright with clear clouds. The glazed tiles on the palace walls glimmered with layers of golden light, casting soft arcs of shadows on the stone-paved ground as people hurried by. Min Xuefei strode into the *Palace Directorate Building*, a place he found filthy even to mention, but now he had no choice but to come. At the entrance stood a young eunuch, Fu Sheng, who was just about to go out for some errands. Seeing Min Xuefei, he immediately stepped up to stop him.
“Lord Min, Lord Min, why are you here again? The curfew is about to start. If you don’t leave the palace now, you’ll be stuck here!”
Min Xuefei, held back, had to stop and asked coldly, “Where is Eunuch Lian?”
Fu Sheng lowered his head, looking at his toes. “Eunuch Lian is in the dark room, serving punishment, of course.”
Seeing Min Xuefei lift his leg to leave, Fu Sheng immediately chased after him. “Lord Min, this is against the rules! Eunuch Lian is being punished in the dark room, and according to the rules, no one is allowed to see him. If our head eunuch finds out…”
Min Xuefei suddenly stopped, turned to look at him, and said, “Against the rules? Spare me the lecture. Who doesn’t know that the rules in the *Palace Directorate Building* are dictated by the Lian family? Does he even know who saved him? Even foxes know to repay kindness when they come down the mountain. Does he? Does he have any conscience left?”
He was furious—angry at himself for defying everyone to save a petty eunuch who lorded over others. Angry at his own foolishness because Lian Zhi clearly wasn’t grateful, and yet here he was, repeatedly visiting *Palace Directorate Building* to see him, enduring rejection and earning himself the title of “eunuch party sympathizer.”
Brushing Fu Sheng aside, he headed straight for the dark room, leaving behind the words that no matter what, he would see Lian Zhi today. Otherwise, he would sleep in the dark room.
Fu Sheng was utterly distressed but couldn’t stop him, so he had no choice but to follow him into the dark room. The *Palace Directorate Building* dark room was essentially a prison for eunuchs and palace maids who had erred. The conditions were crude—thick dirt and stone walls enclosed each room, each only a few steps across. Inside, everything was done in the same confined space, leading to an unavoidable stench. There was only a small plate-sized hole in the ceiling for light, and sunlight only reached in briefly at the hour of *Si*; after that, the day slanted, and the rest of the day remained dark.
Eunuchs and palace maids were an ever-cautious group who served the royal family. They feared mistakes most of all and avoided words like “prison,” instead calling it the “dark room” as a euphemism.
Min Xuefei had visited *Palace Directorate Building* several times before, but each time he was blocked. Today, he finally made it into the dark room. He didn’t bother searching each cell but picked one that looked relatively clean and walked in himself. Kicking aside the moldy straw on the ground, he sat cross-legged in his robe.
Fu Sheng was alarmed and tried to pull him up. “Lord Min, what are you doing?”
Min Xuefei knew well that Lian Zhi was not in the dark room.
That day, the always meticulous Eunuch Lian had somehow lost focus, made a mistake that offended the emperor, and nearly caused a catastrophe. Had it been anyone else, they would have already been dragged out and executed, but Lian Zhi only received thirty strikes. The eunuchs here were experts at reading faces—everyone knew that Lian Zhi had survived unscathed because half of *Palace Directorate Building* still owed its power to the Lian family.
While he had suffered the punishment, the confinement was likely half-hearted at best. No one dared to truly imprison Lord Lian.
Min Xuefei, therefore, didn’t waste time searching. Instead, he decided to sit and wait. Pressing his back to the wall, he folded his arms, closed his eyes calmly, and said, “Eunuch Fu, kindly shut the door when you leave.”
Fu Sheng didn’t dare truly lock him in. He tried every plea and persuasion, but Min Xuefei ignored him. Finally frustrated, Min Xuefei stood up, shoved Fu Sheng out, slammed the heavy wooden door shut, and locked himself inside with the iron chains. From behind the door, he said, “Go. Tell all this nonsense to your master.”
He sat back down and listened to the fading sound of footsteps before closing his eyes again.
Fu Sheng sprinted all the way to the residence, banging on the door urgently. Before Lian Zhi could come to open it, he barged in himself, running to the bedside and saying in panic, “Eunuch Lian, Young Master Min is here again!”
The bed curtains remained silent for a while before a clear but faint voice refused, “Just say I am being punished.”
Fu Sheng groaned, “I did say that, but we couldn’t stop him. Young Master Min is already in the dark room. He also said… said…”
Lian Zhi lifted the curtain. Lying in bed in undergarments, his face was slightly pale as he asked, “Said what?”
“…He said that even a fox knows to repay a favor and asked if you have any conscience.” Fu Sheng hesitated, clearly troubled, and added, “Young Master Min has locked himself in the dark room. He said if you don’t go to see him, he’ll sleep there.”
Lian Zhi was stunned for a moment, then let out an exasperated laugh. However, he showed no signs of moving. Still lying on his pillow, he quietly flipped through a book. After a while, he instructed, “Leave him be. He’s delicate and pampered, never having suffered much. A place like the dark room will break him in less than half an hour. He’ll leave on his own. Stay nearby and keep an eye on him. If he decides to leave, let him go. Off you go.”
Hearing this, Fu Sheng had no choice but to withdraw quietly.
Lian Zhi continued to flip through his book, though he wasn’t truly comprehending anything on the pages. The wounds on his back from the beating had yet to heal, and the lingering pain made it hard to focus. After some time, he couldn’t hold on any longer and turned to rest his face on the pillow, falling asleep for a good hour or two.
When he woke, the sky was completely dark. The palace gates had long been locked, and through the half-open window, the twinkle of stars could be seen.
Struggling to sit up, he called for Fu Sheng a few times, but no one responded. After a while, a young eunuch who heard his call hurried in, helping him dress and get out of bed. Supported by the boy, Lian Zhi paced the room to shake off the stiffness from his sleep before asking where Fu Sheng was.
The young eunuch replied softly, “Eunuch Fu is still at the dark room.”
Lian Zhi stopped and frowned. “What time is it? Why is he still there?”
“It’s past the second quarter of *Hai* hour,” the eunuch answered. “Young Master Min refuses to leave or open the door. He insists on waiting for you. It’s getting hot now, and the dark room is already full of mosquitoes…”
Before the boy could finish, Lian Zhi pulled away abruptly, grabbed a random garment to drape over his shoulders, and headed out. As he stepped through the door, the movement tugged at the wounds on his back, making him wince. He endured the pain, quickening his pace toward the dark room.
Inside, Min Xuefei sat stiffly, surrounded by various insects, rats, and mosquitoes. He felt as though bugs were crawling through his hair, and as he sat with his eyes closed, another wave of mosquito bites struck him. Suddenly, the wooden cell door was knocked again. Frustrated and furious, Min Xuefei yelled, “Get lost.”
“It’s me.”
Hearing the slow, soft voice, Min Xuefei’s eyes snapped open. Brushing away the bugs around him, he tried to stand, but having sat cross-legged for so long, his lower half was completely numb. He pushed too hard and a sharp, tingling pain shot up from his waist, causing him to stagger and collapse with a loud thud.
“What happened?” The voice outside shifted from calm to urgent, and Lian Zhi scolded the nearby eunuch, “Why aren’t you opening the door?”
Fu Sheng hesitated. “The lock chain… Young Master Min took it inside…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I just fell.” Min Xuefei wobbled as he got up, rubbing his numb legs. Hobbling to the door, he fumbled in the darkness with the heavy chain, muttering bitterly after a click sounded. “Great. I really locked myself in this time.”
Lian Zhi, halfway annoyed and amused, instructed the eunuch to slide a spare key under the door through a small gap. He then held up a candle to help guide Min Xuefei as he worked to unlock the door.
After much fumbling, the chain clattered to the ground, and the door finally opened.
Everyone else withdrew, leaving only Lian Zhi holding the lamp as he entered. Min Xuefei dropped heavily back onto the ground, deciding not to care about his filthy clothes anymore. Irritated, he snapped, “What are you even here for?”
The candlelight flickered in the cramped, oppressive space as Lian Zhi stood there, looking down at him with a resigned expression. “Didn’t you call me here to repay a favor?”
Min Xuefei dusted off his clothes and sat upright. “Then repay it.”
“…” Lian Zhi stood silently, staring at him through the warm orange glow of the lamp. Noticing a swollen mosquito bite on Min Xuefei’s brow, he eventually reached out to pull him up. But Lian Zhi had yet to recover from his punishment, making him no match for Min Xuefei. After a few tugs, his shoulder garment slipped down instead.
With a sigh, he withdrew his hand, realizing that Min Xuefei was deliberately picking a fight with him. Giving up, he stood firm and asked tiredly, “What exactly do you want?”
Min Xuefei froze and said nothing. He didn’t know what he wanted either.
“Fine then.” Seeing that Min Xuefei wasn’t speaking, Lian Zhi assumed he didn’t want to. He bent down, picked up the chain, and threw it out the door before stepping outside himself. “The door is open. Stay here as long as you like. There are plenty of mosquitoes here, though. If your face gets bitten and ruined, you won’t be able to attend court tomorrow—”
“I’m not leaving.” After being silent for so long, Min Xuefei finally spoke decisively.
Halfway out the door, Lian Zhi was cut off by the response. A burst of frustration surged up, and he turned sharply to speak, but seeing the stubborn expression on Min Xuefei’s face, his anger quickly faded into exhaustion. His voice softened. “Min Xuefei, can you stop making a scene?”
Min Xuefei sprang to his feet, glaring at him. “How am *I* making a scene? Who pleaded for you in the Imperial Study? Who saved your life? All I wanted was to see you, and your people have rejected me time and again. What’s with this grand airs of yours, Eunuch Lian? Why is it so hard to see you even once?!”
“Who asked you to plead for me? Who asked you to save me?” Lian Zhi snapped back instantly. “That was merely Feng Jian giving me a lesson. Even if you hadn’t stepped in, I wouldn’t have been in danger. Besides, what does it matter to you whether I live or die? Who told you to stick your neck out? You deserved to be scolded as part of the eunuch faction!”
Min Xuefei nearly choked with rage. “So I saved you for nothing, did I? Lian Zhi, has your conscience been eaten by something?!”
Their argument rang loudly in the cramped room. Outside, the eunuchs exchanged glances but didn’t dare intervene. Fortunately, the dark room was under Lian Zhi’s control, and the guards were all his trusted subordinates. No matter how fiercely the two argued, nothing would spread beyond those walls. Fu Sheng coughed lightly, trying to remind them to lower their voices.
Lian Zhi collected himself, took a deep breath, and said coldly, “You’re right. You saved me for nothing. I don’t have much of a conscience.”
His body swayed slightly. Min Xuefei instinctively grabbed him by the waist, and just as he had often dreamed, he felt how frail Lian Zhi was—so thin that he could feel the ribs beneath his palm.
Lian Zhi trembled slightly, jolted back to his senses. He broke free in haste, stumbling as he took too big a step backward and crashed into the door. The impact made him let out a small pained noise as he slipped weakly to the ground. The candle in his hand wavered dangerously, nearly tipping over and burning his clothes.
Min Xuefei instinctively grabbed for it, not minding the hot wax splattering on his hand. Holding the candle, he inexplicably turned and held it up to Lian Zhi’s face.
“I just want to ask one thing. Once I get an answer, I’ll leave.”
Lian Zhi slowly stood up, permitting him to ask.
Min Xuefei looked at the face that had appeared countless times in his dreams: pale cheeks, dark brows resembling green ink, flickering in and out of the candle’s dim glow. It was a face that had a beauty beyond men and a refinement surpassing women. He couldn’t help but remember what he once thought in *Huanfu Palace*: *If someone like him weren’t a eunuch, if he didn’t engage in treacherous schemes, what a stunning young master he would be.*
But that’s who he was. Min Xuefei felt a lingering sense of regret. After hesitating for a long time, he finally opened his mouth and asked, “That day in the carriage outside the Xiang Mansion… why did you…?” He couldn’t bring himself to say the words, but the meaning was clear. This question had troubled him for days, and now he could finally demand an answer face-to-face.
Lian Zhi’s heart turned cold, a deeper despair than when he had waited for an execution order in the Imperial Study. Execution would be quick, a single stroke and a scar the size of a bowl. But Min Xuefei’s words cut straight into his heart. Lowering his head, he let out a bitter laugh and replied, “What does it matter? I saw that you were handsome and simply wanted to taste what someone as precious as you was like. Afterward, I realized there was nothing special about you. You’re no different from anyone else. If Lord Min keeps visiting over this and can’t let it go, then I’m sorry for troubling you. Here, I’ll slap myself a few times—”
“Lian Zhi!” Min Xuefei grabbed his arm fiercely. “Did I say anything like that? I only asked you a question. Last time, too—you kissed me and then ran off. Do you always act so recklessly in the palace?”
Lian Zhi’s pale face turned even whiter, his back burning with pain, and the wrist in Min Xuefei’s grasp trembled faintly. “Then what do you want to hear? I’m here to repay a favor. Whatever Lord Min wants, I will give.”
Min Xuefei couldn’t even figure out what he wanted to hear himself. So, driven by a vague sense of grievance, he said, “The palace gates are locked. I want to sleep here tonight.”
Lian Zhi paused briefly, then said, “Fine.”
He immediately ordered his subordinates to prepare. In Lian Zhi’s room, they brought in a soft couch and set up an embroidered screen to separate the bed from the couch, sparing Min Xuefei any discomfort. Just as Lian Zhi was about to suggest resting early, he turned and saw Min Xuefei at the table, irritably scratching his back where he couldn’t reach. The dark room was full of mosquitoes, particularly drawn to his tender skin.
Lian Zhi sighed and called Fu Sheng back, instructing him to prepare a bucket of hot water so that “Lord Min” could bathe.
Min Xuefei scratched himself while taking in the furnishings of the room. The space remained decorated with delicate flowers and plants, but there was little in the way of gold or silver. Instead, it was adorned with simple white porcelain cups and green-glazed bowls. The air was faintly sweet, carrying the lingering scent of honeyed incense, which drifted from a crane-shaped hanging incense burner. On the blank sections of the walls hung a few paintings of the four seasons, drawn with a rather unrefined hand—simple and soft, more like a scholar’s study than the quarters of a powerful eunuch. The most extravagant item in the room was the large carved *babubu* bed deep within, adorned with intricate camellia and peony motifs.
Spotting a brocade box on the table, Min Xuefei opened it for a look, only to catch a glimpse of broken shards. Lian Zhi appeared behind him with a sudden *bang* as he shut the box lid firmly. Without a word, Lian Zhi reached out a hand to scratch the itch on Min Xuefei’s back that he couldn’t reach. Min Xuefei drew back, glanced up at the paintings on the wall, and asked, “Did you draw these?”
Lian Zhi replied with a soft “Mm.”
“Just scribbling to pass the time. If you don’t like them, I can have them taken down.”
Min Xuefei said casually, “Someday, I’ll have Shulan teach you a few strokes. He’s an all-rounder in calligraphy and painting.” Realizing what he’d just said, Min Xuefei fell silent, suddenly aware of the disparity between their statuses. What right did he have to suggest that a duke’s heir teach a eunuch anything? He shut his mouth, deflated.
The room grew awkwardly quiet. Soon after, Fu Sheng arrived with a bathing tub, filling it with steaming hot water. Instantly, the whole room was shrouded in rising mist, which clung to the chairs and tables with a faint damp sheen. Min Xuefei ran a finger across the condensation and frowned. “This won’t do. In a while, all your papers and paintings will crinkle.”
Fu Sheng tossed a handful of fragrant bath beans into the water and explained, “Our Eunuch Lian usually bathes in the cleansing room, but that place isn’t as clean as a lord’s estate, so he instructed us to bring the tub here.”
Lian Zhi waved Fu Sheng away, then personally began to undress Min Xuefei and push him toward the tub. Once the final piece of clothing was removed, the man’s muscular body stood before him, still steaming from the heat. The sharp lines of his waist narrowed dramatically at his hips, vanishing into a dense, ink-black thicket. Lian Zhi froze, staring for a moment too long before snapping his gaze away, barely restraining himself from reaching out.
Min Xuefei sank into the water, watching the steam rise and cling to the seasonal paintings on the wall. The ink orchids, crimson plums, golden chrysanthemums, and green lotuses all blurred faintly, as if melting. Feeling a pang of pity, he said, “Take those paintings down and give them to me.”
Lian Zhi, sitting by the tub with a towel in hand, glanced at the paintings in question and nodded. “All right.”
Min Xuefei added, “That thin porcelain tea set on the table is nice, too.”
Lian Zhi didn’t object and agreed to give it to him. Before long, nearly half of the flowers, vases, books, and decorations in the room had been claimed by Min Xuefei, as though he’d never seen such things before. Lian Zhi, however, didn’t bat an eye. He simply nodded at each request. Just as he was spreading ointment over Min Xuefei’s back, Min Xuefei suddenly turned his head, startling him.
“That box,” Min Xuefei said, referring to the brocade box. “It holds fragments of the *Liuli Tree*, doesn’t it? I heard it’s your treasure.” Seeing Lian Zhi remain silent, he pressed further. “Didn’t you say you’d give me whatever I wanted?”
Lian Zhi, with downcast eyes, scooped more ointment onto his fingers and spread it gently over the mosquito bites on Min Xuefei’s neck. “It’s not worth anything. If Lord Min likes it, then it’s the shards’ good fortune.”
“…” Min Xuefei hadn’t been fishing for flattery and now found the conversation tedious. He slipped further into the water, washing away the freshly applied ointment. Lian Zhi frowned, clearly displeased, but Min Xuefei ignored him. “Check my sleeve,” he said. “There’s a small gourd bottle in my pocket.”
Lian Zhi reached in and found the item, handing it over.
“It’s for you. It’s a healing balm left to me by Ji Hong’s family. Works wonders. Take it.” Min Xuefei sniffed the bottle to confirm it was the right one before tossing it to Lian Zhi. “Do you know how hard it is to see you? Am I a wolf or a tiger? What are you so afraid of?”
Lian Zhi, forced to accept the bottle, stared at it dumbly in his hand.
Min Xuefei hadn’t drunk much earlier, but between the candlelight and the sound of water, a light haze settled over him. He studied Lian Zhi closely, trying to figure out what the young eunuch wanted from him. It wasn’t plausible that Feng Jian would send a eunuch to seduce him into making mistakes. Nor did Min Xuefei believe his looks were so extraordinary—otherwise, Lian Zhi would have stolen a kiss from Ji Shulan, the famed beauty of the capital.
He wasn’t stupid. He’d considered every possible scheme, but none made sense. Only one possibility remained.
Yet over the years, he had never spoken a kind word to this man. He had openly insulted him, calling him a eunuch and worse. Such a possibility seemed absurd. But on that day in the Imperial Study, when Lian Zhi had been dragged away, his last glance had fallen unmistakably on Min Xuefei. It wasn’t a look of pleading but one of relief, as if in his final moments, he wanted to imprint the most treasured thing into his mind.
Min Xuefei had been startled then, so much so that he’d spoken out to plead for him.
Leaning against the edge of the tub, he turned his head and caught sight of a small, silk-yellow umbrella hanging behind the *babubu* bed screen. The green tassels and carved handle seemed oddly familiar. Min Xuefei stared at it for a few moments before saying, “That umbrella…”
Lian Zhi immediately said, “That one is not for you!”
Min Xuefei: “……”
Lian Zhi’s face showed a rare expression of pleading. “It’s just an old umbrella. It doesn’t even keep the rain out anymore. There’s no use in taking it.”
Min Xuefei had never seen him so protective of anything before. Even the *Liuli Tree*—said to be a keepsake from his parents—had been smashed into pieces, yet here he was treasuring an old umbrella. Though curious, Min Xuefei had no intention of truly being the kind of scoundrel who would rob someone of what they held dear. After taking a few more glances at it, he dropped the subject, sinking back into the tub and staring up at the ceiling beam.
He hadn’t eaten all day, having drunk an entire pot of fiery *shaodaozi* liquor on an empty stomach. After his argument with Lian Zhi in the dark room, and now sitting in the steaming hot water, a sharp pain coiled in his stomach. His head began to throb, a dizzying pressure spreading up along his spine.
Suddenly, his vision blurred. It was as though a drop of ink had splattered across his sight, scattering into countless dark specks.
Amid the spinning vertigo, he thought he heard Lian Zhi’s panicked voice calling out to him—first “Lord Min,” then “Min Xuefei,” and finally, repeatedly, a frantic “Xuefei.” He could hear it clearly, but his body felt impossibly heavy, as if his limbs weighed a thousand pounds.
Somewhere in the haze, he thought he could hear the sound of water. It was as though his memories had opened up into a scene of steady, drizzling rain.