"Emperor…Gaifu?" asked Tao Hua. "Who?"
"You…" Shan Si's eyes widened in surprise before his brows furrowed. "Do you not know the current emperor's reigning title? What about the era?"
Tao Hua just shook his head.
"The isolation…" Shan Si looked somewhat bothered, and a small spark of concern twinged in Tao Hua as Shan Si tightly gripped his shoulder. He merely muttered to himself, unaware of his actions. "Why…?"
Was Tao Hua supposed to know? Most of that stuff he assumed was book-based, and not at all used.
So, he shamefully tilted his head away and said, "No one in the village used those terms. It was either a new week, summer, or whatever. What does this have to do with my questions?"
Shan Si looked away, stalling and ignoring Tao Hua's request. It seemed he was in the middle of figuring something out when he finally replied.
"Emperor Gaifu sits at the head of the Imperial Palace, marking the twentieth year of Gaifu, in the Guo Dynasty," Shan Si explained. "Guo Yun established the new era under the idea of 'Reformed Restoration,' declaring a golden era for Zhonglai. Think of it like my title: Shengkai, which means to fully bloom. I came up with in with the idea of escaping winter, and all. Whatever, that's Gaifu to the Emperor."
At the thought of Shan Si's title, Tao Hua became slightly dazed, his cheeks a light shade of pink, before shaking his head back to reality. Now wasn't the time!
"What…does he want to restore exactly? Father always cheered that this was a time of great peace."
"Bullshitter…but he's not wrong. Thing is, Tao Hua, for someone to see something as broken, it doesn't actually have to be broken. If Emperor Gaifu hates the colour blue, then he can demand it be fixed and painted the colour red. Such is the law under the Son of Heaven's command," Shan Si mockingly laughed. "A power move, aimed at crushing a certain dynasty out of existence, if you will."
Tao Hua nodded; however, he couldn't help but feel slightly impatient. "I don't see how any of these answer my—"
"I know, and I'll get to that, I promise. But…I'd rather you understand a few things," Shan Si said, a slight guilt coating his tone. "It's better that way. I need you to trust me on this one, all right?"
After a moment, Tao Hua offered Shan Si a small, understanding smile, even though he was apprehensive himself. However, such earned him one in return, with a pat and a "Good" in response.
It was like kryptonite for someone like Tao Hua.
"You have me slightly confused, though. You're aware Lord Tao works for Emperor Gaifu, right? No, of course you do. I told you this back by the forest a few weeks ago," Shan Si said, honestly confused. "Has he not ever introduced you to him? Do you really mean to tell me you don't know who I'm talking about at all or any of this?"
"I knew there was an emperor; I just didn't know his--" Tao Hua paused before it finally hit him. "Wait! I did and meant to tell you! But…but I never got the chance! I swear I wasn't trying to withhold it from you!"
But even in the middle of Tao Hua's racing thoughts, trying to pour everything out at once, he only noticed a fraction of Shan Si's now soured expression.
"Back at the banquet, a week before you kidnapped—took me."
The elephant was in the room, and both were purposefully ignoring it for the other, more obnoxious elephant, which was Shan Si's now horrific and dark expression, as if mulling over something.
"Um…well, we already kinda, maybe resolved that. Oops—"
"The emperor. Are you sure it was him? What was he like and what did he do?"
"Um…he was just weird and flighty. Looked like he was in another world half the time," Tao Hua mumbled, slightly wincing as Shan Si's hand tightened around his shoulder. "He also scared me, but I learnt at a young age it's easier to accept it than fight against it."
"My question…I need you to answer it." asked Shan Si. Tao Hua couldn't comprehend why this was necessary, and the audacity for not answering his right away! He just reached for his hand to try to loosen it, as Shan Si repeated, "Are we alike?"
"No, I don't think you're like him at all," Tao Hua huffed, using both his hands to hold Shan Si from his shoulder. Whatever his issue with the emperor, it was deep. "You're both terrifying in your own ways, and kinda mean, but your energy feels warmer. He's scary, hollow, and cruel. The only comparison I can make is in the eyes. P-Please let go, Shan Si."
"…" Shan Si's eyes narrowed mirthlessly, just as he looked down and softened his grip, offering Tao Hua a bit of relief. "The eyes?"
"White, like yours. I assumed it was some royal person's status…thing. Are you okay?"
"Hah, if only," Shan Si laughed darkly. From his expression, it wasn't hard to tell he wasn't at all pleased with the information. Tao Hua had always assumed he'd known this key detail, but Shan Si was treating it as if it were breaking news.
"Is that a bad thing? To have white eyes?" Tao Hua asked bashfully. "I kinda like them…they're pretty."
"Now? Yes. Two hundred years ago? No."
"…Huh?"
"All things in our Mortal World is connected in sixes."
Twisted with bewilderment, Tao Hua made a confused noise. "Sorry?"
"To every six people, there is someone you've met. For every six towns ventured, there are remnants of your ancestors. So on and so forth. What I'm saying, Tao Hua, is: to understand now, you need to find out what came before, the same way you need to understand the villain's backstory to stop his plan of overtaking a kingdom."
"That…does…make…sense?" But Tao Hua still somehow failed to understand. "I think? Is this still related to my question?"
"So impatient. Do you get like this reading, too?" Shan Si chuckled, but it was a hollow chuckle compared to the earlier ones. "You are your father's son, just as my eyes are as white as the Emperor's. It's not entirely bad as it sounds, and I can see from your expression that you think it's an awful comparison. But let me challenge that fractured mind of yours."
Shan Si moved in closer, moving aside some of the messy strands of hair on Tao Hua's pouty complexion.
"All of those awful things had to happen for the two of us to be sharing this bed," he explained easily. "So, if I just tell you what the curse is, or why I need the relics, wouldn't that just confuse you? What if you don't like what you hear, without understanding why?"
The soured expression faded entirely, and Tao Hua didn't know what came over him, but every part of his body vibrated impatiently, and his chest sped at a pace faster than his mind. His mind wandered back to two specific conversations. The first was his conversation about poetry back int he bathhouse with Suo Han.
The second was his conversation with Qian Jue a week ago.
The always then, and the always now…Shan Si and Lord Shengkai.
In the wake of this realization, he immediately asked, "Are avoiding my questions because you think I'll hate you or something? Shan Si?"
Shan Si froze, and it was as if Tao Hua had hit the mark straight on the nail. He just looked down at Tao Hua, his smile twitching, and his mind stuck.
"Am I right?"
"Very daring today…" he exasperated, looking away.
But Tao Hua didn't want Shan Si to pull back this time. Irrationally, he ungracefully shuffled around under sitting on his knees, and looked up at the man who struggled to return the stare.
Holding up both hands, Tao Hua did something he never thought he would. He tapped them against Shan Si's chest in an attempt to garner his attention, and it worked.
The look on Tao Hua's face was utterly pitiful—like looking into the eyes of a pleading dog. Shan Si couldn't ignore it even if he tried.
"Some people don't regret the things they do, and flaunt it proudly," Tao Hua frowned, his experience speaking mildly through trembling words. "They put it on display and hope for praise. The fact that you're hiding whatever has you locked up, that makes you different from all those people, and Emperor Gaifu. I…I won't hate you. I promise, Shan Si."
It was the few times Tao Hua saw even a dash of red on this man's face. He immediately turned his head away and rolled his eyes with a grimacing smile.
"Right, my bad," he muttered, clearing his throat. After regaining his composure a bit, he continued. Pointing to his eyes, he asked, "Do you have any idea what these symbolize, Tao Hua?"
Once more, Tao Hua shook his head innocently, although slightly worried. This was mostly due to how difficult it was for Shan Si to maintain the composure he'd been trying to uphold since being called out.
But even so, he was still worlds better at it than Tao Hua.
"I figured," Shan Si murmured, stopping to think. "What about the Curse of Shendi?Have you ever heard tell of it anywhere? In a book? Around the estate?"
"I…don't even know what a Shendi is," Tao Hua admitted shamefully. "I really wasn't taught much, Shan Si, especially in cultivation—"
"That's fine, worth a shot. I doubt you would have been taught it regardless of the circumstances."
Shan Si leaned inward toward Tao Hua. He spared no space to make himself comfortable, fully taking advantage of Tao Hua's generous position.
"Shendi was once a sacred country neighbouring Zhonglai. It's people were devout, establishing many temples in the name of a single god and producing some of the best spells known to mortal man."
He wrapped his arms around Tao Hua's waist, hands lazily flat against his shoulder blades, and planted his legs on either side of Tao Hua. To anyone else, it looked as if Shan Si could have swallowed Tao Hua up whole, but it was nothing of the sort.
This side of Shan Si was different, almost vulnerable. He pressed his head against Tao Hua's chest, his temple grazing the blue fabric and wrinkling it.
In a way, Tao Hua could understand such a lonely stance. He hesitantly held up his hands, and after grappling between whether he'd console him, Tao Hua finally decided.
He placed his hands on Shan Si's head and began to pat it. For once, he felt like what he said to soothe this man was finally the right thing, and there was softness to his pained smile when glancing down at the crown of Shan Si's head.
To think this was the same man who didn't want to be protected, and named Tao Hua things like "Lonely Peach."
This was enough to egg Tao Hua on to implore further, even if the answer was likely not what he'd want to hear; he somehow knew it was only a step closer to understanding Shan Si's predicament.
"Are these people also known for curses, too?"
Shan Si nodded, his voice rattling against Tao Hua's ribcage.
"And what about the Curse of Shendi…?" Tao Hua asked.
"Marked by white eyes."
Chapter end.