Work Text:
The last vestiges of winter slowly crept in the warm and relaxing opening of spring.
The increase of activity amongst the common people coming out of their hibernation, the lengthening of days, the blooming of the trees along the wide, straight streets of Daxing City. All of this called to the changing of seasons and the whole city took a deep breath of fresh air that brought a new life to them all.
However, behind closed gates and deep within the depths of the Zuoyue Bureau centrally located inside of Daxing City, Cui Buqu was enjoying precisely none of it. Atop his desk sat several scrolls in a pile over three cun high, all awaiting his administrative review and approval. Typically, Zhangzun Bodhi would handle trifling matters such as staff transfers or salary changes, but as Cui Buqu had already sent the man to Qiemo for another matter, he was unable to do so.
Even Guan Shanhai, who had taken on additional responsibilities in the last year since his appointment by Empress Dugu, was not available, leaving Cui Buqu to bear the burden alone.
As a man of intellect, if Cui Buqu were to be provided with a case, a vigorous match of chess, or even a children’s riddle, perhaps he would be more stimulated that signing paperwork allowing the kitchen staff to hire an extra hand. Despite his misgivings, he worked diligently through the scrolls, signing and sealing and adding addendums or changing verbiage as needed, until the sun was high in the sky.
Since his nearly fatal final meeting with Xiao Lu, Cui Buqu’s stamina had increased substantially. He slept the normal amount at night, stayed up the normal amount during the day, and didn’t fall ill just standing in a chilly wind for a few minutes anymore. While this increase in physical resilience didn’t fully match with his mental willpower, it would be a lie to admit that he didn’t benefit greatly from Xiao Lu’s double-edged act of not-quite benevolence.
Though this assisted substantially with his work for his first true love of the Zuoyue Bureau, his finicky and maddening second wife also insisted on taking a slice of the cake as often as he was able.
Thinking of that wretched Feng-er, Cui Buqu’s concentration waned substantially, his brush hovering over the scroll just a hairsbreadth away. His eyes narrowed slightly, ignoring the little flip his heart did when the man’s face—as beautiful and refreshing as the spring day outside—flitted through his mind, unwarranted and unwelcome.
Sure, Commander Feng had limitless power within the Jiejian Bureau and sure, there were endless subordinates to assist with any manner of task or mission. But even with this being the case, Feng Xiao was a man of unparalleled martial prowess and a first-rate mind; occasionally, his duty would call him away from Daxing City for days or weeks or months at a time, just as was the case for Commander Cui.
While Cui Buqu was intimately aware of the details surrounding Feng-er’s responsibilities, the last several weeks had left him somewhat morose. Nothing was enough to untangle the string around his heart that tightened with each day separated.
Pursing his lips a little at the unbecoming thought, Cui Buqu placed his brush down in its holder, before shuffling through the scrolls. He checked their contents ten lines at a time, until he reached the very last one at the bottom of his pile. With a frown, he realized that underneath it all was a kraft paper envelope that seemed a little different than the usual administrative work that had piled up in Zhangzun’s notable absence.
With his deft, beautiful hands, Cui Buqu tugged it out.
There was no seal, nothing indicating who had sent it or where it came from. In one fluid motion, Cui Buqu tore it open, and scanned it before nodding to himself with some degree of self-satisfaction. The handwriting was easily recognized, confirming Cui Buqu’s own information.
He burned the paper, watching it dissolve into ashes with an amused gaze.
Ask for Lady Li.
◈◈◈
The main thoroughfare of Daxing City was a bit crowded leading towards the eastern market. Even with the warm weather and the crowd of people bustling along the street, Cui Buqu’s usual fur lined cloak was still wrapped firmly around his shoulders. From his belt hung a jade pendant, one that he would never admit to having bought under torture or threat of death.
Even among the beauties and elegant heroes in the imperial city, Cui Buqu cut a rather dashing figure, garnering a curious look or two as he made his way to a bustling pavilion just outside of the market.
The pavilion was decorated with a rainbow of gauze and silks, hanging in delicate arcs from the ceiling and tied on the poles around the perimeter of the wall. Each was decorated with a bouquet of flowers wrapped in ribbons of matching colors. Little bells and chimes rang in the easy breeze, giving the entire event a whimsical and carefree atmosphere.
Along the walls of the pavilion, scrolls were hung side by side, neatly covering several zhang in length on either side. Each scroll was accompanied by a little basket placed beneath it. Some had many flowers, some had few, and even one, at the far end of the pavilion, hadn’t a single flower placed in its basket.
A clean-cut young man in a uniform greeted the people passing by the pavilion, handing out bunches of flowers to everyone that agreed to enter.
Cui Buqu watched the festivities for a moment, allowing a group of people to walk past him on the road before approaching the caller at the door.
“Hello, my Lord!” the young man greeted with a toothy, wide smile, waving Cui Buqu over with an energetic motion. “Welcome, welcome to our humble pavilion.”
Smiling, Cui Buqu motioned to the whispering people inside. “Seems you’re holding an event?”
The young man bobbed his head like a chicken picking at grain. “Yes indeed! We are just a humble pavilion of scholars, nothing noteworthy. But we have invited some unknown writers to compose poetry.” He motioned to the examples of beautiful calligraphy nearest to the entrance of the pavilion. “Each guest will be provided with five flowers and can place as many as they like in the preferred poem of their choosing. At the end of the event, the poem with the most flowers will be the winner.”
Nodding earnestly, Cui Buqu accepted his fistful of vivid purple orchids from the basket in the man’s arms but kept his distance for a moment. “Is it true that Lady Liu owns this pavilion?” he asked casually, dusting off one of the petals of the orchids as if the question meant nothing to him. The man at the door froze momentarily, and then smiled at him with a little less gusto than before.
“I apologize, my Lord, I’m just a simple worker. I am unsure who the owner of the pavilion is.” Cui Buqu nodded nonchalantly as if his understanding was confirmed, entering the pavilion with all the time in the world.
There were many people inside, but the atmosphere was quiet as poems were read silently and discussed in whispers. There were perhaps a hundred entries hanging on the walls, some with flowers overflowing in their baskets and others with only a handful.
Cui Buqu took his time wandering around. Though, as he had no eye for the objective talent behind poetry, he kept all his flowers until he made one round through the pavilion. When he reached the back, he noted that one rather short poem hadn’t a single flower it its basket. A large vase separated it from the rest of the entries, perhaps causing the lack of interest. Somewhat intrigued, Cui Buqu leaned in close to read what was rather openly titled ‘Osmanthus Cake.’
Though only three lines, each line change the color of Cui Buqu’s face into a different shade; from white to green and finally to red. Only one man could have written a poem of this magnitude of audacious, and yet there was no guarantee he would know that Cui Buqu would have even stopped by this damned place during the poetry contest, would he?
Before he could turn around and examine his surroundings, all of Cui Buqu’s suspicions were confirmed the moment someone behind him spoke.
“Ah, I see that my darling QuQu has finally arrived!” The voice was low and easy, as if the individual who spoke had complete confidence in the outcome of events that he had orchestrated. Cui Buqu’s mind instantly filtered through the memories regarding this place, from the alleged tip provided by Pei Jingzhe since it applied to the jianghu and not under the jurisdiction of the Jiejian Bureau.
Every single piece fell into place instantly.
He spun around in annoyance but was easily caught in someone’s arms and hidden in the same manner as that frivolous poetry. “Feng Xiao,” Cui Buqu hissed under his breath without bothering to struggle. Even though their relationship had quite changed in the last two years since their initial meeting, Cui Buqu was never any less exasperated by Second Commander Feng’s bombastic behavior than in the past.
But by this point, he would be a fool not to know Feng Xiao’s nefarious intentions.
However, as Cui Buqu was no fool, he remained compliant.
Without any real force behind it, Feng Xiao pressed Cui Buqu against the wall with his body, capturing his lips ferociously. “QuQu, please don’t look at me like that,” Feng Xiao sighed after several minutes, pecking the corner of mouth once more before letting Cui Buqu go.
He shook out his sleeves and straightened his clothes. “Pei Jingzhe wrote that this was for work,” Cui Buqu said flatly.
Feng Xiao grinned broadly, revealing a fan hidden in his sleeve and flicking it open. “He did,” he agreed. “How else could I lure the recluse leader of the Zuoyue Bureau out to play?” Though Cui Buqu was picturing smashing Feng-er’s smug and uncomely expression into the dirt, he couldn’t help but take a moment to give him a quick look over.
He’d been gone for quite a while this time and Cui Buqu was rather horrified to discover that the tugging string wreaking havoc in his chest had disappeared nearly instantaneously the moment he saw this face. Even letters never fully eradicated the feeling, never truly untied this knot no matter how many times he’d read the elegant handwriting of Second Commander Feng.
Feng Xiao’s looks, as usual, were unparalleled. In the golden afternoon light, his fair and pale skin obtained an ethereal glaze, like a patron god of scholars walking amongst the common people. Even paired with a coquettish smile and the unnecessary ministrations with his fan, he cut an alarmingly charming figure amongst the poetry readings throughout the pavilion.
In the last year since his hair’s unfortunate fate, it’d grown long enough to brush his shoulders and was tied up in much the same manner as he had once worn it. Absentmindedly, Cui Buqu reached up to brush Feng Xiao’s fringe away from his face, his thumb gently caressing the Second Commander’s cheek.
In a flash, Feng Xiao covered Cui Buqu’s hand with his own.
“Look all you like, Cui Buqu,” Feng Xiao laughed, squeezing Cui Buqu’s fingers between his own. “You’re the only one who can.” Leaning down until their foreheads touched, Feng Xiao nuzzled his nose against Cui Buqu’s. “What do you think?”
“I suppose it’s satisfactory,” Cui Buqu replied heartlessly, tugging his hand free and placing it against Feng Xiao’s chest to distance him. “Was this circus necessary? Why not simply stop by the Zuoyue Bureau to let me know you’ve returned?” Neither the agents of the Jiejian Bureau nor the Zuoyue Bureau were strangers to the commanders of the opposing organization showing their face at all times of the day or night, usually without any prior announcement.
And, with no need to explicitly say so, their mouths were all tightly sealed.
Feng Xiao rolled his eyes. “QuQu, ah, QuQu! You make it sound so easy, as if I could simply walk in and request to see the famed Commander of the Zuoyue Bureau!” With a long-suffering sigh, Feng Xiao continued to spout nonsense as if he could not stop, gesticulating with his fan as he spoke. “What if the Commander turned me away after I traveled day and night without sleep for three days to see him? What if, after hurrying the whole way, Commander Cui was too busy, or too tired, or not at home!”
Cui Buqu hesitated to respond. Three days and nights without sleep?
“Perhaps the Commander of the Zuoyue Bureau would be dissatisfied with this Feng-er’s behavior,” he finally said, getting pulled into Commander Feng’s rubbish easily. “Without sleep, even top tier martial artists could become easy targets.”
Unexpectedly, Feng Xiao laughed heartily. “You are cute when you worry about me.”
Expression becoming rather stiff, Cui Buqu stepped back out from behind the large decorative vase they’d been hiding behind since Feng Xiao’s arrival.
Feng Xiao seemed surprised. “Ah, Commander Cui!” He followed suit, trailing after Cui Buqu through the gathered crowd and down the stairs of the pavilion before heading out onto the main street. He easily caught up, but Cui Buqu’s rigid movements left no opening for conversation as the two headed in the direction of the Zuoyue Bureau without stopping.
“You appear to have washed and dressed well for someone who spent three days nonstop on the road,” Cui Buqu mentioned conversationally when they finally paused before the gate to the Bureau.
“Naturally, I would do so before presenting myself before my lover,” Feng Xiao said impishly, low enough that the guards by the gate wouldn’t hear. Grimacing, Cui Buqu attempted to enter the gate and close the door behind only himself. Despite his best efforts, he was thwarted as Feng Xiao easily slid through before the gate closed.
The bustling noise of the street instantly became quieter as they entered the exterior garden of the Zuoyue Bureau. Even the guards that were usually posted throughout the courtyard were few, giving the area a feeling of quiet solitude. Feng Xiao examined their surroundings but was easily distracted by Cui Buqu continuing along towards his own personal courtyard.
As a man with little else to interest him outside of his own work, Cui Buqu rarely stayed at the residence that he owned within the walls of Daxing City. Instead, he set up his own work and residential area within the Bureau, allowing him to be prepared at a moment’s notice should he be needed. Feng Xiao often found it ridiculous, but in retrospect, their frequent ‘work meetings’ more than likely would have garnered some unwanted attention if they were going to each other’s primary residences.
So, he didn’t complain too much.
“Do you still have business with me, Second Commander Feng?”
Cui Buqu stopped walking, facing away from Feng Xiao, hands tucked into his sleeves.
My QuQu is too cute, Feng Xiao thought while suppressing a smile.
“Can’t you just say you missed me, Cui Buqu?” Feng Xiao asked serenely, using a little qinggong to move quickly in front of Commander Cui and cut off any escape. He gripped Cui Buqu’s chin with his fingers, tilting his head up so their eyes would meet. “If you wanted me to come home with you, Feng-er would have agreed wholeheartedly. You are the only person in this world I cannot say no to.”
A bit of a shock shot up Cui Buqu’s spine at Feng Xiao’s earnest words. When coupled with the warm breath on his cheek, it gave the entire situation a hot and ambiguous atmosphere.
Cui Buqu kept his expression schooled into one of indifference.
“Why would Second Commander Feng assume such a thing?”
Ignoring Cui Buqu’s nonsense, Feng Xiao wrapped his arms around the man’s waist and lifted him easily off the ground. In several steps, Cui Buqu’s back was pressed against the door to his private quarters, and Feng Xiao was pressed against him, chest to chest, mouth to mouth. Startled, Cui Buqu slung his arms around Feng Xiao’s neck to avoid being dropped.
Feng Xiao proved that, as usual, his talkative mouth was good for more than just saying whatever came to mind. He kissed Cui Buqu breathless and panting, finally causing a bit of red to dust the edges of his ears. One hand twined into Feng Xiao’s short hair, the other grasped at his robes, fingers digging in. Feng Xiao’s teeth nipped down his neck, burrowing and sucking the the soft white skin like a starving man. Cui Buqu barely had a moment to breathe before Feng Xiao sealed their mouths again.
Without warning, Cui Buqu felt something shift behind him and he nearly choked as Feng Xiao opened the door with his foot, crossed the threshold and slid it back shut behind him with stunning dexterity.
“Feng Xiao!”
Laughing, Feng Xiao ignored Cui Buqu’s outburst and dropped him unceremoniously onto the perfectly made bed.
Before joining him, Feng Xiao took a step back to admire his handiwork.
Cui Buqu panted gently as he laid back on the bed with his hair strewn messily about his head due to the removal of his hairpin. The collars of his robes were tugged open, accompanied by blossoming bruises and bites across his fair skin. Despite this pitiful appearance of being bullied, Cui Buqu’s dark eyes were glimmering in the candlelight, showing the equal parts vulnerability and ferocity that Feng Xiao deeply admired.
With a contented sigh, Feng Xiao climbed over him, leaning down to kiss Cui Buqu again before pausing just above his lips.
Something clicked in his mind.
He sat back suddenly, tucked between Cui Buqu’s thighs, a roguish grin on his face. “Cui Buqu! You accuse me of a circus when you do this?”
Cui Buqu did not reply, instead choosing to tilt his head away from the candlelight. He heard Feng Xiao using his dog nose to sniff the mattress, the sheets, the pillow. He then grasped Cui Buqu’s waist with hands that nearly spanned the length of it. “Fresh sheets, fresh mattress, even brand-new teacups waiting for me! QuQu, you planned this!”
Feng Xiao was incredibly thrilled by this turn of events. He toppled down on top of Cui Buqu and dotted kisses all over his face before settling firmly on his mouth.
“It was time for them to be changed,” Cui Buqu pointed out a while later, once his mouth was free.
“Liar!” Feng Xiao accused in delight. “You knew I’d be back today. You knew that message was just to lead you to the pavilion so I would find you there as soon as I returned!”
Between breathless gasps, Cui Buqu managed to reply, “How could I have?”
“You even wore the pendant, Cui Buqu!” Feng Xiao’s voice was lilting as if he was singing his words, and Cui Buqu finally gave up trying to convince him otherwise. Instead, he watched as Feng Xiao stripped them both in record time, his mouth and hands unwilling to be parted from Cui Buqu’s body for a single moment. Not even tearing his eyes away, Feng Xiao tossed all their clothes into a pile at the edge of the mattress and did what he pleased.
By design, there was no one around to hear Cui Buqu’s sighs and cries as they lasted deep into the night.
◈◈◈
At the other end of Daxing City, just as the moon was rising, the poetry festival was long over. The caller gathered up the baskets of flowers that had been left behind and removed the poems that did not win the top five prizes. He sighed a little, remembering the stern gaze of the Lord that stopped by before, and, after taking a surreptitious glance around.
A folded piece of paper was hidden in his palm, and he read it carefully for a moment before blanching. “The Lord said Lady Li, right?” he thought to himself, before shaking his head. He must have. The man sighed; he wasn’t much for this kind of secretive type work. If the handsome gentleman hadn’t given him so much money, he wouldn’t have agreed to assist to begin with.
He started to clean up once again.
Behind a large ceremonial vase, hidden in the furthest and darkest corner of the pavilion, one poem was unequivocally in dead last. In the basket below, sat five vibrant purple orchids where one person had long left all their votes.