Futile Devices Scans

That remark sounded partly like dredging up an old grievance and partly like a warning of things to come, leaving Yugong Zhaoye—whose confidence was shaky enough already—even more unsettled. For the rest of the ride back, he obediently kept his mouth shut and played the part of a lump of rice cake, letting himself be kneaded and flattened however Wei Fu pleased.

Elio’s Notes: The chapter title 相逢犹恐是梦中 reworks Yan Jidao’s famous line 犹恐相逢是梦中, “still fearing this reunion is only a dream,” from his ci poem Partridge Sky (《鹧鸪天·彩袖殷勤捧玉钟》).

When they reached the gate of the Wei family’s old residence, the elderly servant Wei Rong came out in his outer robe, carrying a lantern to welcome them. The sight of Wei Fu personally leading the horse with an unfamiliar man seated upon it made his dim old eyes widen. “Young Master, what brings you here so suddenly tonight? And this gentleman is…?”

Wei Fu made a gesture for silence and instructed, “Light the lamps in the west wing, heat some water, and have someone bring in some light, hot soup and food from outside.”

Wei Rong murmured his assent and hurried off to make the arrangements. Wei Fu supported Yugong Zhaoye at the waist as he turned to dismount, then smoothly swept him down sideways and held him securely in his arms.

“Wait…!” Yugong Zhaoye grabbed his shoulder in confusion and said helplessly, “I just can’t see. I can still manage a few steps. At worst, you could carry me on your back. Do you really have to carry me like this?”

“If I carry you on my back and you lose your grip and fall, what then? Besides, Your Highness has a precious noble body. Surely you wouldn’t rather be slung over my shoulder like a sack.” Wei Fu carried him into the courtyard as he spoke with perfect seriousness. “There’s no one else here, so there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Yugong Zhaoye sighed. “I’d rather you carried me like a sack. I never noticed before—you’re quite strong.”

Wei Fu had strikingly handsome features, a gentle disposition, and a tall, slender build. He gave people the impression of a refined young noble who spent his days on poetry and wine, knew nothing of manual labor, and might occasionally clutch his chest and fall mysteriously ill.

“Our ancestor, the Duke Who Stabilizes the Nation, originally earned his title through military merit, but few of his descendants went into the army. Grandfather always regretted that, so he hired martial instructors to teach us riding and archery. Not so we’d become masters, but at least so we’d be fit and healthy,” Wei Fu explained modestly. “I naturally can’t compare with Your Highness, but if I hadn’t entered official service, perhaps I could have scraped together a position as some minor leader in the Egret Guard.”

Without the biting night wind from their earlier ride, the faint, bitter fragrance of gentian on Wei Fu was even more noticeable. Resting against his shoulder, Yugong Zhaoye felt as though he were holding on to an enormous ginseng that had cultivated into a spirit.

The old residence was quiet and dim. Strangely, the darkness made him feel safer than brilliant lamplight. Yugong Zhaoye was not the sort to struggle simply for the sake of struggling, so he quickly accepted the situation and even tilted his head slightly toward Wei Fu. “Are you smiling?”

Wei Fu replied innocently, “No.”

Yugong Zhaoye located him by sound and accurately reached out to pinch his cheek. “You’re smiling very brazenly.”

Wei Fu: “…”

Now that the man couldn’t see, he had somehow become even more uninhibited. Why had he started putting his hands on people?

Wei Fu’s unrestrained smile immediately froze, yet the spot on his face Yugong Zhaoye had touched burned as though it had caught fire. He could only be grateful that this reckless blockhead could not see him right now, or the two of them might have frightened each other into fleeing on the spot.

Suppressing his wandering thoughts, Wei Fu answered steadily, “Your Highness is suffering. I’m too busy worrying about you. How could I possibly take pleasure in your misfortune?”

Yugong Zhaoye said, “So that’s what this kind of smile is called. I’ve learned something.”

Wei Fu: “…Does that medicine really have no other side effects?”

Yugong Zhaoye: “Such as?”

Wei Fu: “Speaking sarcastically, perhaps.”

Both of them had guilty consciences in their own ways, yet neither would yield an inch verbally. They sparred all the way to the west wing. Wei Fu settled Yugong Zhaoye on the bed and placed a cushion behind him so he could sit half-reclined against the headboard. “Your Highness will have to put up with staying in my humble residence tonight. This is a guest room kept for the occasions when I stay here. It’s cleaned regularly, and all the furnishings are in order, so please rest easy.”

“I’m the one imposing on you. How could I call it putting up with anything? I should be thanking you for taking me in.” Yugong Zhaoye sighed. “I’ve troubled you over and over. You must be tired of hearing polite formalities by now. Let’s both dispense with them.”

As he spoke, his gaze remained unfocused, drifting without any point of rest. Wei Fu noticed and asked, “The lamps are lit now. Can Your Highness see any more clearly? Is this condition caused by the medicine, or is it an old injury? Should I call a physician?”

The deliberate or accidental probing was like someone using a foxtail grass to tickle a sore spot—not painful, but extremely irritating. Yugong Zhaoye paused faintly, then replied as concisely as possible, “I can perceive light. Everything else is blurred. It doesn’t matter. Once the medicine wears off, I’ll be fine.”

“Then we’ll observe it tonight.” Wei Fu touched the corner of his eye lightly, concern plain in the gesture. “Other than the poisoning, are you injured anywhere?”

Yugong Zhaoye relaxed against the soft cushion, appearing almost lazy. Neither his expression nor his bearing showed the least trace of someone in distress. “I’m not made of paper. Don’t be so nervous.”

Wei Fu said, “But every time I meet Your Highness, you’re either injured, running for your life, or running for your life while injured. It’s difficult not to be nervous.”

Yugong Zhaoye: “…What a pleasant way of putting it, Young Master Wei.”

“I’m merely stating the facts.” Wei Fu looked as impartial as an incorruptible magistrate. “You changed the subject and slipped past me earlier. Now can Your Highness finally be honest? What exactly happened today?”

Yugong Zhaoye had little patience for lengthy explanations. The enormous amount of talking he had already done while dealing with Gu Pingchuan had exhausted his acting ability for the day, so he answered casually, “The Ten Aspects Sect set a trap to frame us. We turned the trap back on them. That’s all.”

Wei Fu made no comment. He simply waited patiently for him to continue.

Very few people could make silence feel so oppressive, but under the weight of Wei Fu’s steady attention, Yugong Zhaoye had no choice but to correct his attitude. He selected the important points and gave him a summary of what had happened, believing it more than detailed enough. When he finished, Wei Fu patted his sleeve reassuringly. “I’ll pour you some tea. Your storytelling is rather dry.”

Yugong Zhaoye nearly laughed from irritation. “…Do I need to write you an entire tale called The Ten Aspects Sect Brought to Justice?”

Wei Fu poured a cup of tea at exactly the right temperature, guided Yugong Zhaoye’s hand around it, and gently brought it toward his lips. “Just listening to Your Highness recite it so plainly makes my heart tighten. The situation itself must have been far more dangerous. The Ten Aspects Sect ran rampant in the streets last time, and this time they plotted to assassinate a member of the royal family. Yet in the end, Your Highness subdued them all at once. If all those dangerous twists and turns were written into a story, it would surely spread throughout the realm.”

Yugong Zhaoye’s throat moved as he gave a faint chuckle, unconcerned. “If it truly spread throughout the realm, I can’t say what the common people would think, but by tomorrow the armies of every country would be outside Bihan City demanding that the king hand over my head.”

“It’s a pity the world will never know of Your Highness’s great achievements. I’ll simply remember them for you.” Wei Fu spoke lightly, half joking. “In that case, Your Highness had better keep a close eye on me. Don’t let someone with ulterior motives carry me off.”

Yugong Zhaoye’s heart gave another sudden jump. At this rate, he thought he might genuinely need a physician. He concealed the reaction by raising his teacup and taking another sip.

“Careful.” Wei Fu steadied his hand so he would not pour the tea into his nose. “If Gu Pingchuan truly belongs to the Yanyuan royal clan and is also an Elder of the Ten Aspects Sect, will Yanyuan send someone to negotiate for him?”

“‘Gu Pingchuan’ sounds like a false name chosen to imitate Xiling customs. Since he deliberately concealed his real identity, he probably has quite a background.” Seeing that Wei Fu had changed the subject, Yugong Zhaoye seized it eagerly and spoke more than usual. “My guess is that Yanyuan ordered him to muddy the waters, make Xiling and Longsha distrust one another, and sit safely on the sidelines watching the tigers fight. But this time he’s poked a hole straight through the sky. Yanyuan may not be willing to protect him.”

“If he hadn’t been greedy and had withdrawn immediately after the first assassination failed, he probably could have escaped unharmed.” Although this affair had given Wei Fu the chance to draw closer to Yugong Zhaoye, merely thinking about those people irritated him. “Honestly, this whole attempt to turn their own scheme against them was fairly crude. If all the Ten Aspects Sect’s Elders are at this level, I doubt the sect has many days left.”

“If the Egret Guard can force out his true identity, that will become an enormous weakness to exploit, and Gu Pingchuan understands that better than anyone,” Yugong Zhaoye reminded him. “So you need to guard not only against assassination, but also against him taking his own life.”

Wei Fu gave a thoughtful “mm.” After a stretch of silence, Yugong Zhaoye sighed. “What bad idea are you brewing now?”

Wei Fu said hesitantly, “Suppose I had someone disguise themselves as a Yanyuan assassin and frighten him a little…”

Yugong Zhaoye choked briefly and understood the unfinished suggestion at once. Gu Pingchuan fancied himself clever, yet after arriving in Xiling he had been treated like a fool over and over again. Evidently he was simply fated to suffer this disaster. When Wei Fu saw him ignore the suggestion, he reached over and tugged at his sleeve. “Why isn’t Your Highness saying anything? Do you think I’m too vicious?”

Yugong Zhaoye had already become proficient in soothing him. “You didn’t break his limbs, nor did you harm his entire family. How could that be called vicious? To attack the city is the lesser strategy; to attack the heart is the higher. I’m secretly very impressed with Young Master Wei.”

Completely unaware that he possessed the remarkable ability to make every compliment sound sarcastic, Yugong Zhaoye left the rest of Wei Fu’s playful complaints stuck in his throat. Wei Fu stared at the faint curve of his lips for three breaths before finally persuading himself that a good man did not quarrel with a sick cat.

Just then, Wei Rong brought in hot water and towels. Once he had set them down and left, Wei Fu rolled up his sleeves. “There aren’t any extra servants here, so I’ll have to overstep and help Your Highness change and wash. If my care is inadequate, please forgive me.”

That struck directly at Yugong Zhaoye’s weak point. Every hair on his body nearly stood on end. Despite his weakened limbs, he immediately caught Wei Fu’s hand. “Absolutely not. How could I let you do that? I’ll simply lie down for a while. There’s no need.”

Wei Fu patiently said, “Your Highness saved my life. It’s only right that I repay you. This hardly counts as anything. Besides, didn’t you just say we should dispense with formalities?”

“You’ve already repaid me.” Yugong Zhaoye felt that every sentence seemed to contain another meaning, yet he hesitated to pierce the thin layer between them. Instead, he vaguely tried to fend him off. “Moreover, you are an official of the Xiling court and the future Minister-Regent of Longsha. I shouldn’t treat you lightly. I appreciate the thought. Go and rest.”

The fact that he had resorted to such formal language showed how determinedly he meant to refuse. Wei Fu fell silent and tactfully withdrew his hand. The room became so quiet that one might have heard a needle fall, apart from the faint crackling of the candle flame.

“So in Your Highness’s eyes, sharing life and death, fighting side by side, even climbing walls to meet in the middle of the night—all of that is merely official business, without a shred of personal feeling.”

Those words ought to have sounded sharp, yet in Wei Fu’s mouth there was no sarcasm, only self-mockery and disappointment. “A gentleman’s friendship is as light as water. I was presumptuous. My earlier words and actions were inappropriate. Please forgive me.”

He gently drew his hand away. Yugong Zhaoye’s palm suddenly felt empty, and his fingers unconsciously closed on nothing.

He could not see Wei Fu’s expression and therefore could not tell whether this was another probe or whether he had genuinely hurt him.

Yet if Yugong Zhaoye were honest with himself, if he had regarded Wei Fu as nothing more than an envoy, he would never have been here tonight. He certainly would not have let Wei Fu see him in such a condition.

He rarely reflected on his own behavior for another person’s sake. In his profession, softness and excessive hesitation could both be fatal. But everything about Wei Fu defied the usual rules. For the first time in his life, Yugong Zhaoye had encountered someone whose connection to him was tangled like thread, like dew, like weeds, like an impossible knot. There was no past experience he could rely upon. He could only feel his way forward—testing, drawing closer, adjusting, and repeatedly searching for the right distance between them.

He had been so preoccupied with wrestling with his own awkward emotions that he had never properly considered what answer Wei Fu wanted from him. Yet there was hardly any need to guess. Looking back at Wei Fu’s words and actions, both obvious and subtle, the message might as well have been written across his face: Why haven’t you recognized me yet?

When Yugong Zhaoye still did not stop him, Wei Fu sighed softly and stepped away from the bedside.

Maintaining his consideration to the very end, he stopped one pace away and said, his voice inexplicably softer, “Then… I’ll ask Wei Rong to attend Your Highness. This place may be humble, but it is quiet and safe. Please concentrate on recovering. If you need anything, just tell him… I won’t disturb you any further.”

The final words sounded particularly bleak. Yugong Zhaoye could not see Wei Fu’s face—whether he looked embarrassed or something else—but he could hear the faint rustle of his clothes as he stepped away, while the gentian fragrance around him gradually faded with him, almost as though his expectations were fading too.

Was Yugong Zhaoye really going to let him leave like this, pretend not to understand, and return later after he had figured everything out, acting as though nothing had happened?

By then… what would still be left?

While Yugong Zhaoye thought, very little showed on his face. The corners of his lips were merely lowered slightly, his eyes cast down, his features cold and striking with an untouchable severity. Wei Fu traced his outline almost greedily with his gaze, restraining himself from staring too openly. His eyes finally settled on the faintly luminous ends of Yugong Zhaoye’s hair. He silently counted to three and turned to leave.

He had barely taken one step when his sleeve suddenly pulled taut. Wei Fu stopped breathing.

It took every bit of restraint he possessed not to wrench his neck turning around too fast.

“Xiao Guan.”

Yugong Zhaoye held his sleeve, apparently recognizing his blurred outline. Beneath the candlelight, his pale eyes fixed steadily upon Wei Fu with almost predatory concentration.

Still wearing that cold expression, he spoke in a voice that was nearly gentle. “I’m sorry.”

Those three words seemed to raise an invisible barrier around them, shrinking the entire world to a single point. Everything went quiet.

Without sight, one’s sense of time became uncertain as well. To Yugong Zhaoye, it felt as though half a year had passed before the sleeve in his hand shifted. A long, strong hand turned over, slipped between his fingers, pushed the fabric aside, and clasped his hand firmly—so tightly that it almost hurt.

“I thought… you’d forgotten me.”

There was more grievance than happiness in his voice. A faint ache rose in Yugong Zhaoye’s chest, and he smiled bitterly. “How could I forget?”

Wei Fu took a deep breath and stubbornly lodged his complaint. “When we first met here, you didn’t recognize me. You even threatened me and treated me like a hostage.”

Yugong Zhaoye asked in genuine surprise, “Then why didn’t you tell me?”

Wei Fu: “…”

Whoever wanted this blockhead could take him.

After a moment, Wei Fu gave a displeased snort. Yugong Zhaoye tugged him slightly closer. The force was weak, but Wei Fu moved like a fish caught on a hook and sat down beside him.

The scent of gentian became clear again. That ancestor immediately pressed his advantage. “Then why are you only saying it now?”

“I only confirmed it was you a few days ago. I hadn’t figured out how to acknowledge it.” Yugong Zhaoye was rarely this candid. “But just now, if I still said nothing, I was afraid you’d burst into tears, run outside, and flood Liuzhi Alley.”

Wei Fu: “…”

He retaliated by pinching Yugong Zhaoye’s palm. “Actually, it isn’t your fault. I never told you my real identity, and you didn’t know what I looked like or what my voice sounded like. Of course you wouldn’t recognize me. I only wanted to see how long it would take before you became suspicious.”

“All these years, I wanted to see you again. When I heard Bihua had been disbanded, I didn’t know whether you were still in Longsha. I could only seize this opportunity to join the diplomatic mission and look for you myself. I never expected you to suddenly fall off the roof that day…”

In the dim light, Wei Fu could clearly see Yugong Zhaoye’s pale, jade-like profile. The youthful immaturity was gone, and his bearing was even steadier than before. Yet the quiet tolerance, the subtle attentiveness when he listened, even the way his lashes lowered—none of it had changed.

Wei Fu’s voice softened almost to a murmur, as though speaking too loudly might shatter the moment.

“Like a dream.”

He had dreamed of seeing him again countless times, yet now that they had truly reunited, he was afraid this too was only a fleeting dream.

Unfortunately, Yugong Zhaoye seemed to have been born without a sentimental streak. From that heartfelt confession, he picked out the least important detail. “Was it necessary to emphasize the roof?”

Snap.

The atmosphere shattered.

Wei Fu: “…”

“No one three hundred years before or after us will ever understand Your Highness’s sense of humor. I’m honored to have witnessed it, but frankly, it’s exhausting.” He sighed and gently pushed Yugong Zhaoye’s shoulder. “Lie down while we talk. We’ve already slept together in a cave. Surely we don’t need to worry about formalities now?”

Now that everything had finally been said, the awkwardness should naturally have faded. This time Yugong Zhaoye did not refuse. Though unused to being cared for, he allowed Wei Fu to help remove his outer robe, loosen his hair, and settle him beneath the warm bedding.

Under the dim candlelight, his naturally pale hair gleamed like silk. Wei Fu sat beside the bed, leaning against the frame as he gathered the loose strands as carefully as though stroking the fur of some formidable beast. His other hand remained firmly interlaced with Yugong Zhaoye’s, as if Yugong Zhaoye might otherwise fail to hear him.

Half-lidded, Yugong Zhaoye looked close to sleep. “I used to think… the next time I saw you would only be in a dream.”

Wei Fu’s grip tightened. Even an iron tree can bloom, he thought. This blockhead has finally produced a genuinely tender sentence. Then Yugong Zhaoye continued calmly, “That day in the study, and later in the carriage, I could tell you were hinting at something. But I didn’t dare think in that direction.”

He was a ruthless man capable of going anywhere beneath Heaven and taking lives with a smile, yet Wei Fu had never expected to hear the words didn’t dare from him. “Why didn’t you dare?”

“Because six years ago, the last news I received about you…” Yugong Zhaoye paused almost imperceptibly, as though rapidly choosing the right words. “…was that you were already dead.”

Wei Fu: “…What?”

Wei Fu: “What do you mean, dead? Who died? That’s outrageous! Who was spreading a rumor like that?”