Feudal Dregs - Chapter 44

The next morning, as Lan Yu stirred awake, Yin Huan informed him that Li Mingzheng and the old master had left the estate. Half-dead from last night's torment, he had only managed to drift off near dawn. Now, every inch of his body ached. Propped up by Yin Huan, he sat at the edge of the bed, taking a long moment to process her words. No wonder he went so hard last night—he knew he wouldn't have to tend to his father today. What a filial son.

Since Yin Huan had repeatedly stumbled upon his affairs with both Li Mingzheng and Li Yuqing, Lan Yu no longer bothered hiding from her. Fortunately, the girl was young, kind-hearted, and, under his guidance, had grown steadier, no longer easily startled.

Lan Yu inhaled sharply, responding softly. As he dressed, the silver anklet on his ankle chimed. Yin Huan blinked. "Master, why are you wearing a bracelet on your foot?"

She frowned. "Only children wear—" Then it dawned on her. Even she wasn't so dense as to not realize who had put it there. Her face flushed with sudden embarrassment. "Should I... take it off for you?"

Lan Yu flexed his foot, making the anklet jingle, and gave a faint smirk. "Leave it."

The old master and Li Mingzheng returned only after nightfall. When Lan Yu went to them, the old man was reclining on a carved daybed, smoking opium.

His eyes were half-lidded, wisps of white smoke curling around him. The air was thick with the cloying sweetness of opium, drowning everything in a haze of intoxicated oblivion.

Lan Yu took off his shoes and climbed onto the daybed, gently massaging Old Master Li's paralyzed legs with his hands. The physician had instructed that a servant skilled in massage should knead the muscles of his legs to prevent atrophy. Lan Yu had learned a few techniques from the physician, and whenever he was present, Old Master Li always preferred him to do the massaging.

Old Master Li exhaled a slow stream of white smoke and said, "You're here."

Lan Yu lifted his eyes with a smile and replied, "What major event happened today that required your personal attention?"

Old Master Li chuckled, reaching out to stroke Lan Yu's cheek. After taking a long drag from his opium pipe, his voice was languid as he said, "As long as one lives, there will always be mundane matters to attend to. After all—"

"No matter how strong my eldest son's wings grow, as long as I'm alive, some matters in the Li family still require my decision, don't they?"

Lan Yu smiled obediently. "All the young masters of our household are your children, each outstanding in their own right. But they are still young, naturally needing your guidance and instruction."

Old Master Li laughed heartily at his words and pulled Lan Yu closer, saying, "Come here."

He drew Lan Yu into his embrace, and the bells on Lan Yu's ankle jingled softly. Old Master Li asked, "What's that sound?"

Lan Yu bent his leg. He had bathed before coming and was wearing a long robe, but underneath, his legs were bare, revealing pale, slender limbs. Old Master Li immediately noticed the anklet around his delicate ankle. Lan Yu's fair skin contrasted with the silver threaded with red string, accentuating the sensuality of his slender ankle. Lan Yu playfully shook his foot, making the bells chime, and asked with a coy smile, "Do you like it?"

His tone was soft and ingratiating, like a lovestruck youth eager to show off a rare treasure or new clothes to his beloved. Hearing it, Old Master Li seemed to grow younger himself and said, "I do."

Then, he grasped Lan Yu's ankle, his rough fingers tracing the bone. "When did you get this?"

Lan Yu curled his toes slightly. "I had a silversmith make it a few days ago, thinking of showing it to you." He leaned closer to Old Master Li's ear and whispered, "Back on the pleasure boats, some of the girls wore anklets too, but they were all women..." His voice grew quieter, tinged with embarrassment. "As a man, doesn't it seem strange for me to wear one?"

Old Master Li flicked the bell on the anklet and said, "On others, it might be strange. But you—“ His gaze lingered on Lan Yu's legs as he chuckled. "Not at all."

Lan Yu asked, "Really?"

Old Master Li replied, "Not at all."

Lan Yu smiled brightly at that.

Seeing his delight, Old Master Li felt a surge of fondness. "Do you know that on a woman, an anklet is considered an erotic ornament for the bedchamber?"

Lan Yu blinked in surprise. Old Master Li still held his opium pipe, though the tobacco had burned out, leaving it slightly warm. He pressed the pipe against Lan Yu's waist, making him gasp as the bells on his ankle jingled again.

"There are also waist chains," Old Master Li murmured, sliding the pipe upward. Lan Yu stiffened, not daring to move. "And collars for the neck—" His voice was low, his eyes appraising Lan Yu as if imagining how he might look adorned in such things.

Lan Yu muttered, "You're humiliating me."

Old Master Li chuckled, "How am I humiliating you?"

Kneeling on his own legs, Lan Yu straightened up and lifted his chin, saying, "Only dogs are leashed by the neck—you just want me to, to..." He couldn't finish, turning his face away. Old Master Li pinched his ear and asked, "You don't want to?"

Lan Yu's ears gradually grew warm, his fox-like eyes shimmering as he shot Old Master Li a half-hearted glare and whispered, "You're too wicked."

Old Master Li laughed. "Just teasing you." He leaned close to Lan Yu's ear and murmured, "You're my darling, my little bodhisattva. How could I bear to make you into a dog?"

Lan Yu lowered his gaze, shaking the bell on his ankle. "Then... can I keep wearing this?"

Old Master Li said, "Wear it if you like."

Lan Yu glanced at him hesitantly. "But... I'm afraid the madam won't approve."

Old Master Li frowned. "Just wear it. It's just a bracelet—nothing worth fussing over."

Having aged and exhausted from a full day of social engagements, the effects of the opium had worn off, leaving him drowsy. Seeing this, Lan Yu immediately called for help to support Old Master Li back to bed and settled him in for the night.

The next day, Lan Yu indeed wore the anklet as he moved about the Li household. With every step, the small bell on his ankle jingled crisply At the time, Old Madam Li and Li Mingzheng were present. The moment she heard the sound, her expression darkened. She slammed the table and scolded, "You're part of the Li family now, not some pleasure boat! Stop flaunting those vulgar, disgraceful things!"

Lan Yu pressed his lips together and lowered his eyes.

Old Master Li said, "Enough. It's just an anklet—no need for such harsh words."

Old Madam Li retorted coldly, "That low-class trinket is an affront to decency. Are you trying to remind everyone where you dragged him from?"

Old Master Li's brows furrowed. Old Madam Li's gaze was sharp as she ordered, "Go take it off!"

Old Master Li snapped, "I told Lan Yu to wear it. If you can't stand it, go back to your quarters and stop ruining the mood!"

Old Madam Li's eyes widened in outrage. "What kind of bewitching potion has this man fed you, to make you defend him so blindly?"

Old Master Li glared at her. Their marriage had been arranged by their families, and though decades had passed, he had never liked her haughty airs, her pride in her official lineage. Though Old Madam Li resented her husband's philandering, she had never dared openly criticize him, growing only stricter in managing the household.

Thirty years had passed in the blink of an eye.

Old Master Li had always turned a blind eye—after all, she was his first wife. But now, paralyzed and infirm, he could no longer tolerate defiance. He said coldly, "Lan Yu is mine, and part of the Li family. Whatever he does is by my will. You have no right to interfere."

Even as they argued, Li Mingzheng remained an outsider, his expression calm, his deep gaze fixed on the bowed head of Lan Yu. He said nothing, but when Old Madam Li trembled with rage, he reached out to steady her.

Old Master Li commanded, "Mingzheng, take your mother back."

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