The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 069 Sharing The Same Bed
They walked from the plum blossom forest along the pond for several dozen steps, and the path suddenly opened up. The two of them arrived at the courtyard where Wang Zhen lived. Wang Zhen lived in the most secluded part of the Wang estate, on the west side. To the west was a silent bamboo forest, and beyond that was the quiet and ethereal Qinhuai River. As they walked, the snowfall grew heavier, and by the time they reached Wang Zhen’s courtyard, a layer of snow had fallen on both of their shoulders.
The umbrella couldn't shield them from the snow falling in all directions. Tang Shen's hair was covered in snow, and so was Wang Zhen's. The two young men, their heads now white with snow, shared the umbrella as they entered the house, where it instantly felt warmer. In the center of the room, a basin of hot coals burned, driving away the cold from Tang Shen’s body. It was already late at night, and the water in the teapot had gone cold. Wang Zhen placed the kettle on the brazier, separating it from the fire with a thin wire mesh to heat it.
"The servants are already asleep for the night, little Junior Brother. You'll have to make do with some warm tea," Wang Zhen said.
Tang Shen thought to himself: The servants are all asleep, but why haven't you gone to bed?
He didn't voice this thought, however, and obediently accepted the warm water Wang Zhen handed him. After taking a sip, warmth spread through his whole body.
Tang Shen sat on a soft cushion, holding the teacup carefully as he looked around the room. This was Wang Zhen's bedroom. In the afternoon, when Tang Shen had visited the courtyard, he had only been to Wang Zhen's study, not his bedroom. Now that he was here, he saw the room was sparsely furnished, with only a luohan couch, a few pots of unnamed wildflowers on the shelves, and three paintings hanging on the walls. The paintings depicted the "Three Friends of Winter"—pine, bamboo, and plum—and in the corner of one painting was the signature of Wang Zifeng. (TN: the luohan couch is a traditional Chinese piece of furniture, often found in classical Chinese interiors. It is a type of daybed or couch, typically made of wood, with a simple yet elegant design. It usually features a rectangular platform with low wooden railings on three sides and is often used for sitting or reclining.)
The bedroom was elegant and simple. Tang Shen wondered if Wang Zhen’s bedroom at the Minister Residence in Shengjing was also arranged so minimally. But then he thought, Wang Zifeng is a man with deep thoughts, always hard to read. His study was always luxurious and filled with antiques and calligraphy, so it wasn’t impossible that the place where he slept would be simpler.
While Tang Shen stole several glances, Wang Zhen suddenly spoke, "Why have you come to Jinling today?"
Tang Shen hesitated and didn’t mention that he came to avoid a matchmaking meeting. "I returned to Gusu for the New Year. You know that, Senior Brother. I happened to have some free time and thought I'd come to Jinling for a visit. I’ve always had business dealings with the Zheng family here, so I stopped by Jinxiu Pavilion. There, I saw your calligraphy. 'Mist envelops the cold water, and moonlight shrouds the sand'... I didn’t expect that it was written by you, Senior Brother."
The more Tang Shen spoke, the more sentimental he became. He hadn’t expected that he and Wang Zhen shared this connection.
But Wang Zhen replied, "I actually knew a long time ago that you wrote that line of poetry."
Tang Shen was stunned.
Wang Zhen explained, "Have you forgotten? When Sir formally introduced us, I asked you what the next line was after 'Mist envelops the cold water, and moonlight shrouds the sand.'"
Tang Shen suddenly realized, "I had only thought you were familiar with Jinxiu Pavilion because you're from Jinling. I didn’t expect it to be like this!"
Wang Zhen lifted his sleeve and picked up the kettle. "Your teacup."
Without thinking, Tang Shen obediently handed his cup over for Wang Zhen to refill.
Tang Shen asked, "Do you often return to Jinling for the New Year? I remember you didn’t come back last year."
Wang Zhen lightly sipped his tea. "Not often. I return occasionally."
"When will you head back to Shengjing?"
"Tomorrow."
Tang Shen exclaimed, "So soon?"
Wang Zhen smiled slightly. "If you had come a day later, I wouldn’t be in Jinling. The Ministry of Revenue is busy with work. Although officials are on leave until the 17th of the first lunar month, I must return early."
"That’s really fortunate timing, then."
Tang Shen pushed open the window and looked outside at the snow. The snowfall had grown even heavier, with large flakes floating down from the sky, and all he could see was white. Unable to return to his guest quarters, he went back inside to continue waiting. He sighed and said, "If I had known, I wouldn’t have wandered out in the middle of the night, only to be caught by you."
Wang Zhen suddenly asked, "Little Junior Brother, are you in a good mood?"
Tang Shen looked up.
Wang Zhen smiled. "You’ve said more tonight than usual."
Tang Shen frowned, thinking carefully about Wang Zhen’s words, and only then did he realize something was different tonight.
Earlier that evening, Tang Shen had had a nightmare. He couldn’t remember exactly what he dreamed of when he woke up, but he knew it must have been something deeply sorrowful. Looking out the window, he had seen the snow falling, reminding him of three years ago—the day Liang Song left. It had snowed just as heavily that day. Feeling empty and unable to sleep, he went for a walk in the garden, where he encountered Wang Zhen.
At first, he had truly been feeling down, but as he and Wang Zhen came back to this room and drank tea and chatted, he had gradually shaken off his sadness.
Could it be that Wang Zhen had noticed he was in a bad mood and had deliberately brought him here to lift his spirits?
Tang Shen's emotions were complicated. He looked at Wang Zhen with new eyes and earnestly said, "Thank you, Senior Brother."
Wang Zhen: "…?"
For the first time, Wang Zhen couldn’t quite grasp what his junior brother was thinking. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "I’m not sure what misunderstanding you’ve had, but, Jing Ze, it seems the snow outside won’t stop anytime soon."
The two of them went to the window and opened it. Sure enough, the snow had already piled up thickly on the ground, almost ankle-deep. Tang Shen wanted to leave, but he didn’t recognize the way back, so he would need Wang Zhen to personally escort him. However, with the snow falling so heavily, while Tang Shen could walk through it, he was reluctant to trouble Wang Zhen to accompany him the way.
Wang Zhen suggested, "Why not stay the night and rest here?"
There was no other choice. Tang Shen replied, "I’ll have to impose on you, Senior Brother."
Hearing this, Wang Zhen glanced meaningfully at Tang Shen but said nothing.
It was already midnight, and the two of them undressed, leaving on only thin under robes, before getting into bed to rest. The room was warm, but the quilt wasn't hot. Back at his own home, Aunt Yao would have prepared a warm handheld heater for Tang Shen, placing it in the bed before he slept to warm it up. Fortunately, although there was no heater here, the room wasn’t cold, and after a short while, Tang Shen started to warm up.
The bed was large, spacious enough that even with two grown men sleeping on it, they wouldn’t feel cramped or bump into each other.
Tang Shen closed his eyes, but after a quarter of an hour, he still wasn’t sleepy. He could hear Wang Zhen’s steady breathing and knew that Wang Zhen had fallen asleep, but Tang Shen just couldn’t drift off. After tossing and turning for a while, a calm voice suddenly spoke, "Little Junior Brother, can’t sleep?"
Tang Shen was surprised. "Senior Brother, you’re still awake?"
"En."
"I thought you were already asleep."
Since neither of them could sleep, they resumed their conversation.
Tang Shen talked about his experiences helping Zhao Fu organize memorials in Qinzheng Hall and some of the frustrations he encountered. Strictly speaking, officials weren’t allowed to leak the contents of memorials, but in this room were two officials who knew each other well and were both favored by the emperor.
Tang Shen picked a harmless story to tell—how, two months ago, for Zhao Fu’s birthday, a local official had written memorials for three consecutive months, requesting permission to personally travel to Shengjing to celebrate Zhao Fu’s birthday. Zhao Fu had grown so tired of this that by the end, when he replied, he almost cursed the man, telling him to stay where he was. But the official, apparently unable to understand human speech, continued writing memorials to express his loyalty.
Wang Zhen asked, "In Qinzheng Hall, do you have any colleagues you’re close to?"
Tang Shen was silent for a moment before replying, "Who could be closer to me than you, Senior Brother?"
The highest form of flattery is delivered with subtlety and finesse. Tang Shen was well-versed in this, far more skilled than the Governor Jia of Gusu, who could only look on in envy.
Wang Zhen was silent for a while, and then he suddenly let out a low chuckle.
Tang Shen: "???" Did I not flatter him successfully? Impossible!
Suddenly, Tang Shen's foot accidentally bumped into something warm. Wang Zhen’s laughter abruptly stopped, and Tang Shen froze as well. Instinctively, he wanted to pull his foot back, knowing he had touched Wang Zhen’s foot. But Wang Zhen said, “At this moment, I think of a phrase.”
Tang Shen asked, “What?”
“‘To sleep with feet touching.’ Little Junior Brother, your foot is touching mine, and we are sleeping together. Isn’t that ‘to sleep with feet touching?”
Tang Shen was both amused and exasperated. After a moment of thought, he bent his knee and lightly bumped it against Wang Zhen’s knee. Wang Zhen was slightly startled, and Tang Shen imitated his tone, saying, “At this moment, I think of a phrase: ‘to chat with knees touching.’ Senior Brother and I are touching knees, talking late into the night. Isn’t that ‘to chat with knees touching’?”
Wang Zhen chuckled, “At this moment, I think of another phrase: ‘Same bed, different dreams.’ You and I may share a bed, but we are destined to dream different dreams. Isn’t that ‘same bed, different dreams’?”
Tang Shen thought to himself: Are you saying that we are not of the same mind, trying to subtly warn me?
Tang Shen couldn't let his strongest support say such things about him. He blurted out, “Senior Brother, you are mistaken. I see it as ‘sharing a quilt and a pillow.’ You and I are sleeping under the same quilt, sharing the same pillow. Isn't that ‘sharing a quilt and a pillow’?”
After he finished speaking, the room fell into silence, and Wang Zhen didn’t reply.
Tang Shen paused. He realized he had said something wrong, but for a moment, he couldn’t figure out what it was. The conversation had been so pleasant just moments ago—how had it suddenly turned so awkward?
Tang Shen raised his head and cautiously glanced at Wang Zhen.
Perhaps his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, for as the moonlight reflected off the snow and streamed through the thin paper window, Tang Shen saw Wang Zhen’s pitch-black eyes quietly watching him. Their eyes suddenly met, and Tang Shen’s lips moved slightly as an inexplicable dryness rose in his throat.
After a long pause, he heard Wang Zhen sigh softly and say, “You used ‘sharing a quilt and a pillow’ incorrectly. In the Taiping Guangji, it says that Pan Zhang and Wang Zhongxian fell in love at first sight, their relationship as close as that of a married couple. They shared a quilt and a pillow, and their friendship deepened without end.”
Tang Shen’s mind buzzed, and he was left completely dumbfounded, his mouth opening but no words coming out.
Wang Zhen’s tone grew long and thoughtful, “As close as a married couple. Is that what we are, little Junior Brother? Pan Zhang and Wang Zhongxian were both men. That was the love between men. The love between men… So, Jing Ze, do you want to be in a homosexual relationship with me?”
Tang Shen: “…”
A thousand thoughts flooded Tang Shen’s mind, and he was filled with both embarrassment and frustration. He hated himself for having an eidetic memory yet still spouting off such a phrase! There were so many idioms he could have used—why did he have to choose “sharing a quilt and a pillow”? Now he was utterly tongue-tied, with no idea what to say.
After a long while, Tang Shen pulled the quilt over his head and, with a muffled voice, said, “I haven’t come of age yet; I’m still a child. I haven’t read deeply enough. Senior Brother, please don’t always tease me.”
“A child?” Wang Zhen let out a soft, melodious laugh.
Tang Shen: “…”
Wang Zhen said nothing more.
And in the midst of his embarrassment and frustration, Tang Shen actually fell asleep.
The next morning, when Tang Shen opened his eyes, he found Wang Zhen still asleep.
It was truly a rare sight—he had woken up earlier than Wang Zifeng, and he had witnessed Wang Zifeng sleeping in!
Tang Shen quietly got out of bed and quickly dressed. The snow had already stopped, and the day had brightened. Even without Wang Zhen to guide him, he could now find his way back to his guest room. Without further delay, Tang Shen lightly pushed the door open and left, but as soon as he stepped out of the bedroom door, he turned his head and saw a young servant holding a basin of water.
The servant stood at the entrance to the courtyard, eyes wide with shock as he saw Tang Shen emerge from the room. He looked around to make sure he hadn’t entered the wrong place—this was indeed the courtyard where the eldest gongzi resided.
Seeing the servant’s startled expression, Tang Shen frowned slightly, sensing that something was off. He stepped forward and asked, “Could you tell me the way to my courtyard?”
The servant hastily gave him directions.
Tang Shen nodded his thanks and followed the path back to his own courtyard.
The servant, still holding the water basin, was left in a dilemma, unsure whether he should enter the room or run back to inform the third laoye, who managed the household, about what had happened. However, he then noticed something odd. As Tang Shen left the room, his movements were agile, and his steps were light. It didn’t seem like… anything had happened between him and the young master.
Could it be that his young master…
The servant grew even more alarmed.
At that moment, the door to the room opened from the inside, and Wang Zhen, dressed in black, said, “Come in.”
The servant replied, “Yes.”
After Wang Zhen rinsed his mouth and washed his face, he carefully washed his hands with warm water and asked the servant, “Did you see anything this morning?”
The servant answered respectfully, “In response to the eldest gongzi, I saw…”
Wang Zhen’s eyes sparkled with a gentle smile as he looked at him.
The servant’s body stiffened, and slowly, he said, “I didn’t see anything, nor do I know what the eldest gongzi is referring to…”
Wang Zhen sighed softly, “Let’s go to the front hall.”
After breakfast, Tang Shen bid farewell to Wang Zhen and, along with his page boy, left the Wang family of Langya. He insisted on leaving, as Wang Zhen was set to return to Shengjing in the afternoon, and it would be inappropriate for him to stay any longer. As Tang Shen departed, Wang Hui, the fourth laoye of the Wang family, pointed to his retreating figure and said, “Doesn’t that look like someone fleeing in haste?”
Wang Zhen glanced indifferently, “What makes you say that, Fourth Uncle?”
Wang Hui replied, “I heard that this morning, when the servant went to the side courtyard to deliver something to Tang gongzi, he found the room empty, and even Tang gongzi’s page boy didn’t know where he had gone. Zi Feng, do you know where he went?”
Wang Zhen chuckled softly and shook his head, as if amused by the rare occasion of being caught in the act.
Wang Hui’s expression grew serious, his tone somber as he asked, “Could it be him?”
Wang Zhen paused and raised an eyebrow in surprise, “What are you referring to?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Then, Fourth Uncle, you should also know that ten years ago, I said I never expected to meet that person. I have long since prepared myself for a solitary life. There are thousands of people in this world, countless good ones, but I only want one. Yet that person may not want me. Whether it’s him or not, what does it matter? He is not of the same path as me, and I am not a good match for him.”
With those words, Wang Zifeng elegantly brushed his sleeve and left, leaving the fourth laoye of the Wang family standing in shock, speechless.
However, after a while, Wang Hui came back to his senses and, with a smile, said, “Oh, do speak nonsense. From childhood to now, has there ever been something you wanted but couldn’t get?”
That afternoon, Wang Zhen took a boat north, returning to Shengjing.
A few days later, Tang Shen said goodbye to friends and family in Gusu and also headed north to the capital. Upon arriving in Shengjing, he immediately sought out Yao San and asked, “How is the preparation for the glass workshop coming along?”