Water Containing The Moon

The vicinity of the river was very crowded with people buying and selling things here and there, as well as lovers giving each other flowers. There were a number of fast food stalls with tents set up around them. After ordering a cheap drink, the diners looked at the moon and recited poems.

The sky’s a river of stars, and the earth’s a river of the moon. Near the riverside with unknown flowers, there were people who whispered their words. Flowers were covered in darkness, their presence only made known by their smell, and weeds were sticking out of the worn-out stones with many traces of it. On top of that, the melody of the geomungo, which was played by an unknown musician, rang loudly.

(geomungo)

Under the twinkling starry sky, warm willow cotton swayed with wild flowers. Excitement rose and died with the wailing moon. Romance was flowing in the pavilion built on the shore. People stumbled wildly, drunk by the mellow scenery. Whenever that happened, Wei Jeokmyung lifted up his sleeve and hid Hyun in his arms. As always, his embrace was firm and comfortable.

Hyun moved his head wildly and looked around. The scenery of the lanterns hanging from the trees, moving in the sky in the gentle spring breeze is a very beautiful sight, but it became such a wonderful sight when miscellaneous things such as various ornaments and toys made of porcelain and silks were added together.

Suddenly, Hyun’s gaze rested on a group of women. Dressed in fine skirts, colorful lanterns, which bloomed like flowers, were tightly held in their arms.

“You are looking at the flower lantern (花燈). It is said that if you light a lamp and make a wish by floating it in the river, it will come true.”

At the same time, several lanterns floated along the river. A pure white lantern, reminiscent of a magnolia, was filled with warm light, illuminating the dark river. Then, beautiful flower lanterns of pink, yellow, and red flowed one after another. There were also women running wildly, blowing their own lantern, fearing that it might get caught on a rock or the bridge. The river embroidered with lanterns was another heaven on earth. 

—… It’s beautiful.

“Would you like to make a wish too?”

Hyun, who had unintentionally mumbled in his mother tongue, was asked by Wei Jeokmyung. Hyun hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

There is always a price to pay as an equivalent exchange of good fortune. When he lived in Seoul, his life always paid a harsh price for happiness, which eventually became more miserable and cruel than before. So he didn’t want to break the current serenity by making a frivolous wish.

At that moment, a passerby bumped into Hyun. The man was so large in stature that Hyun’s body was bounced.

“Ah!”

A long hand grabbed his waist and pulled him lightly before he fell forward. Hyun opened his mouth and took a deep breath.

“That could’ve been dangerous.”

Wei Jeokmyung whispered in Hyun’s ear. It happened so quickly that he didn’t even have time to react. Had it not been for Wei Jeokmyung’s wits, he might have fallen straight into the river.

As Hyun put his hand above his startled heart, Wei Jeokmyung suddenly knelt down on one of his knees and met his gaze. Wei Jeokmyung opened his mouth while lightly patting Hyun’s back, who was breathing heavily.

“I think you slip more easily because your health hasn’t recovered yet. Do you want to go back now if it’s too hard for you?”

Hyun shook his head. He wasn’t seriously sick, and he only almost slipped once. It would be a pity if the outing was canceled because of this.

“Then we will go like this.”

“Waaa!”

Wei Jeokmyung gently hugged Hyun’s body as if he was holding a child. With a short scream, Hyun grabbed his hard neck as blushed appeared on his cheeks.

Wei Jeokmyung often hugged Hyun even in the Wei estate, and each time he did, Hyun felt a strange feeling. Although he looks like a boy of about 11 years old, he is originally a young man of 25. It couldn’t have been easier for a grown man to be held in the arms of another man.

Wei Jeokmyung’s arms were very wide and large without doubt, it was strong enough to feel good when leaning on it. But even that depends on the time and place. It was very embarrassing to be treated like a child in such a crowded place.

—Uwah… To be seen by other people…

Hyun murmured in shame and bowed his head over Wei Jeokmyung’s broad shoulders. His cheeks were lightly pressed against his hard body, and his characteristic soft scent and body odor permeated his nostrils. His hand supporting his hip was strong, and the body temperature transmitted through his collar was warm.

After coming to the Wei family, he no longer had to worry about what to eat and what to wear. Hyun still felt uncomfortable with Danguk’s culture, but he no longer had to walk a long way to make money, or worry about utility bills. Parting with the wallpaper where mold was growing in the semi-basement room was also a nice thing.

Still, there were times when he felt empty. Is it because he is an orphan? Hyun was always hungry for emotions. Sometimes the emptiness of his heart was more bitter than an empty stomach. During those moments, he could only deceive himself as if he was living well because he was busy making a living.

However, it was said that when the human heart tricked itself, as the body became more comfortable, useless emotions would be raised to their heads instead. It was only when he came here that Hyun realized that he had been lonely to death. This is all because of the kind and compassionate Wei Jeokmyung. He awakened his loneliness. If there was any real truth to Wei Jeokmyung’s kindness, Hyun would have taken a big bite, like trying to fill in the gaps.

Even during this peaceful time, people kept bumping into them. Even the subordinates who secretly blocked passers-by so as not to obstruct Wei Jeokmyung and the Hyun’s way couldn’t fully restrain them.

“Isn’t this General Wei? To think that you out of all people showing up at this kind of place.”

At this sharp, mocking voice, Wei Jeokmyung quickly hid Hyun into his arms. Then, he patted him on the back to calm him, who was bewildered by this sudden action.

“Quiet. Stay like this for a moment.”

Still holding Hyun, Wei Jeokmyung slightly bowed his body.

“King Ya.”

The man’s, who was called “King Ya”, forehead twitched wildly at his dry manner of greeting.

King (王) Shangguan Zhanya (常款衍).

[Please read the Translator’s note at the end of this chapter for a more detailed explanation.]

The current empress’s nephew and the emperor’s favourite. The feudal king was narrow-minded, ferocious, insidious, and very ambitious. He often had a confrontation with his half-brother, the Crown Prince, by repeatedly provoking the prince in the hopes of becoming the next emperor. So, as the Crown Prince’s right hand, Wei Jeokmyung had a very bad relationship with this man.

[I am not sure how the empress’ nephew can be the crown prince’s half-brother at the moment, unless the empress’ sister was one of the emperor’s concubines.]

“If the emperor sees you now, he must be very happy. General Wei, who is reluctant to meet people, suddenly casually walks through the crowd. If the emperor asks when did you get better, I’ll explain it to him in your place.”

The feudal king stared at the small body in Wei Jeokmyung’s arms and blatantly sarcastically sneered at him.

Wei Jeokmyung was famous in Danguk for his eccentric character. He could not stand the presence of people. Neither his parents nor the Crown Prince had ever seen him in close proximity. However, the emperor closed his eyes, and the prince and other vassals came forward and defended him, so it’s not a big deal.

But how can someone with such an inclination be walking casually on a street where there are a lot of people while hugging someone?

The feudal king, who had been drinking leisurely in the high pavilion, couldn’t believe his eyes at first.

‘Huh, is that Wei Jeokmyung? The one who is smiling softly at someone?’

So, he wanted to know who is the one who made that cold-blooded person called the demon of Danguk, as gentle as spring. Hopefully this person would be Wei Jeokmyung’s weakness, so he could trouble him.

“That is more than I deserve, but this general doesn’t need that kind of help.”

“Ay, don’t be like that, General Wei. We don’t need that kind of courtesy between us.”

Since the emperor’s sister, Princess Kiryo, was the mother of Wei Jeokmyung, the feudal king and he could be said to be relatives. Of course none of them admit it, though.

“To remember this only at this moment, this general can’t help but admire King Ya’s brilliance.”

‘Haha. This motherfucker.’ The feudal king laughed in a low voice. While others admired Wei Jeokmyung’s ability, the feudal king was wary of Wei Jeokmyung’s sharp tongue, as it was as bitter as the sword he wielded. In particular, his sarcasm towards his opponent was excellent.

“Are you going to turn my offer down? You don’t have to. Isn’t this something the emperor will know someday?”

“…”

At the mention of the emperor, Wei Jeokmyung’s eyebrows moved slightly. The emperor was a distrustful person, and he would definitely try to confirm if Wei Jeokmyung’s eccentricity didn’t work only on certain people. Maybe he’d even doubted his intentions. Knowing this, the king smiled in triumph.

“There are no perfectly hidden secrets in the world, General Wei. This king will help you. So stay still.”

The king gave a glance to those who were guarding him. Then, his sturdy escorts approached Wei Jeokmyung.

In an instant, Wei Jeokmyung’s body moved backwards and he swung his sleeves in a wide arc. The hem of his robe immediately slapped hard on the cheeks of the king’s escorts, and they were all thrown around. It happened so quickly that there was no time for a counterattack.

Shangguan Zhanya raised the corners of his mouth and shouted as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“Oh my, are you rebelling? You dare attack this king’s subordinates.”

“I was startled and just defended myself because they suddenly came and tried to touch me. I hope you can understand.”

“Of course I understand, but that is no reason to disobey this king’s order.”

However, the feudal king’s spare time was shattered once the jade hanging from Wei Jeokmyung’s waist was shown. It was a token personally given by the emperor to promise that no one other than himself could touch Wei Jeokmyung’s body.

“The Emperor has also given me his blessing. Under Danguk’s sky, no one doesn’t know about the order that no one can meddle with Wei Jeokmyung’s body.”

As his order was no higher than the emperor’s, the feudal king kept his mouth shut. His power came from the emperor’s favour, so he did not dare to act in vain.

The king looked at Wei Jeokmyung with his cold eyes. Wei Jeokmyung did not avoid his gaze either. A sharp tension flowed between them.

After a moment, the king burst out laughing out loud. He took a step back and barked out as if he had seen something absurd.

“Hahaha! General Wei, why are you making such a fuss? Who doesn’t know that I’m merely saying that. As a son, how can I ignore my father’s jade tally (牌)?”

The king forced himself to calm his anger and spread his fan. He was annoyed at the jade hanging from Wei Jeokmyung’s waist, but there was nothing he could do. The emperor cherishes the feudal king, but he also cherishes Wei Jeokmyung very much.

He used to close his eyes for all but a few things. It was because Wei Jeokmyung was the son of the emperor’s most beloved sister, the late princess.

However, if he retreated just like this, his pride would be hurt, so the feudal king narrowed his eyes and stared at Wei Jeokmyung. He sneered and said sarcastically,

“Right, who would dare to touch General Wei’s body? Even I, this prince (親王), can’t do it right now.”

“Then let’s get rid of these people.”

“However, General Wei. Don’t you think the jade tally entrusted to you by the emperor is not applicable to the one you hold in your arms?”

T/N:

As I have repeatedly said. The setting of this novel is a made-up Korea/Chinese era, more inclined to the Chinese side, so I will explain who King Ya is, for those of you who are not used to Chinese novels.

A king, in ancient Chinese where an emperor is the absolute monarch, is treated more like a duke (this novel uses the term feudal king or feudal lord), who rules only a certain area. Usually, when the emperor’s son reaches a certain age, unless they are the crown prince, they will be given a land to govern and a ‘King (王 wang)’ title. 

Translators from C-drama or C-novel sometimes translate this directly into Duke, as the concept of king in Chinese culture can be confusing for westerners.

Then we have a new term, which is Prince (親王 jin wang), as how King Ya addresses himself. If King  (王 wang) is a given title, then Prince (親王 jin wang) is his born identity. This term is used for sons of the emperor.

So, basically.

King = Duke = Prince (親王 jin wang)

Shangguan Zhanya, King Ya, is a biological son of the emperor, the half-brother of the Crown Prince.

He is Wei Jeokmyung’s cousin, as Wei Jeokmyung’s mother is the emperor’s sister, the late Princess Kiryo.