The Spring Chrysanthemum pavilion is as terrifyingly suggestive as its name. No matter where Xi Zirui looks there is furniture draped in decadent bolts of silk, cushions stuffed in a way that makes it obvious what activities the extra padding is meant for, and of course, there's all the exquisitely rendered paintings of men having sex with each other.
"Does Host think this is the pavilion where the Emperor houses his favorite male concubine?" Ni Ni asks.
Xi Zirui, currently examining the frankly worrying dimensions of the penis being stuffed inside what looks like a flustered court musician, says, "I don't know Ni Ni, why don't you tell me?"
"Is Host being sarcastic? Host should know that as a simple system Ni Ni can't detect nuanced vocal patterns."
Xi Zirui snorts. "I have my doubts about what exactly you are, but I wouldn't call you simple."
"Thank you Host," Ni Ni says, pleased with the compliment.
"It's not a compliment," Xi Zirui says, laying down on a divan with a sigh.
Su Xueyi couldn't have made his intentions clearer back in the throne room. Xi Zirui is not getting out of having to consummate the damn marriage.
But he doesn't want to! Why should he have to sleep with some forty-something guy, when his much hotter and younger son is available?
"Ni Ni thinks Su Xueyi is a very handsome man," she suggests in a meek voice.
"What do you know? Aren't you a simple system?"
Ni Ni lets out an exasperated sigh or a robotic approximation of one. "Ni Ni knows Host is frustrated, how about Ni Ni shows him the shop items he unlocked by raising the Emperor's favor?"
She doesn't wait for Xi Zirui's answer before making the holo screen popup above the silver bracelet.
It shows a makeshift game shop, where the prices of items show up as experience points. Xi Zirui has a total of 500.
He drags his fingers through the items on offer distractedly, until his eyes land on something.
"What the hell is this? Raven's wing black hair, and midnight black hair? And both of these cost 150 exp points? Isn't it basically the same color?"
If there's something Xi Zirui hates it's dishonest business practices. Another thing he hates is useless cosmetic items in video games.
"What am I going to do with a change of hair color anyway? What is that going to help me with?"
"If Host looks carefully he'll be able to tell that raven's wing has a slight blue tint, compared to midnight," Ni Ni says.
Xi Zirui can't tell the different from the two photos of generic male hair.
"Whatever, is there anything useful here?"
He continues scrolling, going through equally ridiculous items such as, permanent lip tint, lash extensions, butt implants, breast implants...a nose job.
"You know, the Transmigrator 4000 is playing right into really damaging beauty standards," he says, shaking his head at the holo screen.
"We offer our customers the opportunity to fulfill their dreams! Maybe they can try out the changes here and discover they don't want or need them anyway, they won't be there once they return to their worlds!"
Ni Ni continues her impassioned speech about dreams and hopes, and hopes and dreams, but Xi Zirui is no longer listening.
He's mostly scrolling through the items to have more things to bitch at Ni Ni for, when he spots an item up with a glimmering golden border, and the tag "unlocked item!"
This must be one of the items he unlocked by reaching Su Xueyi's reputation bottlenecks.
The picture shows a slender porcelain bottle with a cork stopper, and a painted label where he can read "one thousand uses pleasure oil".
"Ni Ni," Xi Zirui says slowly, waiting for her answering 'en' before proceeding. "Is this a bottle of lube that never runs out?"
"Oh it is! And even better, it will always be at Host's reach!"
After a few moments of deliberation, Xi Zirui taps the 'buy' button. Automatically 220 experience points are deducted from his balance.
"Well, there's at least one useful thing in your shop," he says, smiling to himself at the memory of that time he and Han Yu didn't have lube and had to go back to his room.
That will never be a problem again.
Now, if only he could have sex with Han Yu...
He's almost turning off the holo screen when a new item shows up replacing the lube he's just bought.
'Sleep haze - a sound night of sleep with a dream of your choosing - More real than reality!.'
Xi Zirui's eyes widen as he reads the item's description.
"Ni Ni you colossal idiot! Why didn't you tell me you had something like this?" he's almost vibrating with glee! This is the solution to all his problems.
It takes Ni Ni a moment to get what he's saying. "Oh! Host is going to take the sleeping drought after sleeping with the Emperor so he can dream about having sex with the Crown Prince instead!"
Sighing deeply, Xi Zirui massages the bridge of his nose. "No, Ni Ni, not quite."
He doesn't elaborate further and spends the 250 experience points to buy it, the corners of his lips curling up in glee.
---
When Su Xueyi arrives, Xi Zirui already has plum wine ready to welcome him. He's also ready himself, wearing just his sheerest red inner robe and nothing else. His hair hangs loose down his black, the smooth ends swaying provocatively above the dip of his spine with each step.
Su Xueyi's eyes are immediately drawn to the high relief of his nipples, clearly visible through the sheer fabric of his billowy inner robe.
Xi Zirui smiles and sits down at the table, pouring the wine into two porcelain cups. "This concubine is happy His Majesty was able to make time to visit him."
Su Xueyi sits down in front of him and takes the cup from his hands, downing it all in one swallow. "This Emperor always has time for his Xi-fei."
Xi Zirui continues to smile demurely and drinks from his own cup from behind the cover of his sleeve.
As Xi Zirui expected, Su Xueyi is far too impatient to continue to play at courtship.
It's not long before he's getting up from his cushion and picking up Xi Zirui under the knees, who lets out an appropriate yelp of delight, and depositing him on the bed.
Xi Zirui averts his eyes and covers his face with his billowy sleeve, playing at being flustered under Su Xueyi's flaming attentions.
Without preamble, Su Xueyi pulls his arm away and pins it to the bed. "Xi-fei must not hide from me, Xi-fei is mine to admire."
"Yours, Your Majesty," Xi Zirui agrees with a breathless sigh. "His Majesty's to do as he pleases."
Su Xueyi lets out a growl and starts tearing at Xi Zirui's robe, incensed by his own desire. "Mine, mine, mine to...mine to..."
The Emperor starts slurring his words, his eyelids trembling frantically, until eventually he can't fight any longer and collapses over Xi Zirui like a house of cards.
Xi Zirui rolls him off himself with a displeased huff.
"Lumbering oaf," he says, righting the remnants of the robe Su Xueyi tore through.
He inspects his sleeping face with a smirk, and slaps his slack jaw to test out the depth of his unconsciousness. "Yours. Yours to see and not touch."
Predictably, Su Xueyi doesn't answer him.
Xi Zirui slinks off the bed and then lowers his mouth to Su Xueyi's ear, whispering softly. "Dream of all the things you want to do to me. Fuck me until my voice is raw from screaming and I pass out, and then fuck me awake. Fuck me in whichever way you want and when you wake up, believe that you did it all."
The instructions for the Sleep Haze mentioned that the person should drink it with a very clear idea of what they wanted to dream about. Xi Zirui doesn't doubt there's only one thing on Su Xueyi's mind, right now, and he hopes his words will further sway him in that direction.
He won't know if his plan worked until morning, and even then, there are still things he must do to make sure Su Xueyi really believes they consummated their wedding.
If the worse happens, he'll have the wine as excuse.
"Host is really impressive..." Ni Ni says, her voice sounding half appreciative, half scared.
Xi Zirui ignores her and shifts through his wardrobe for an outer robe to wear over the tattered remains of the inner robe.
He goes outside into the deck overlooking the pond running through the back of the Spring Chrysanthemum pavilion and sits down, one leg hanging over the edge, his toes almost touching the still surface of the water.
He's lonely, he came all this way to be with Han Yu again, but found himself in this ridiculous situation instead.
He's indulging his morose thoughts when the distant sound of a dizi(1) reaches his ears.
Who could be playing the flute at his hour, outside?
In his courtyard of all places?
Staying close the wall, Xi Zirui walks the extension of the deck, and into the lateral awning, where he happens upon Han Yu sitting on a moon window(2) holding the flute to his lips, his eyes closed as he lets himself be carried away by the melody.
The moon is pregnant with light high up on the sky, and her glow limns Han Yu and the fig tree behind the moon window in silver.
It's a scene out of a painting, and Xi Zirui barely notices when he starts walking towards him, as if pulled by an invisible thread he's powerless to resist.
Han Yu startles with the sound of his approaching footsteps.
"Xi-fei?" he asks, disbelieving. "What is Xi-fei doing outside?"
"The sound of First Prince's beautiful song drew this one here," he says, sitting down next to Han Yu on the moon window, glad for the privacy that this being his own courtyard affords them.
He casts one look back at the pavilion, and is glad to see that all lights are out, except for the trembling flicker of his own rooms.
"But it should be this concubine asking First Prince what he's doing here."
Han Yu averts his eyes, tightening the jade flute in his fist. "This Prince heard Imperial father's words, and Xi-fei must know, this Prince was filled with jealousy."
Xi Zirui cups Han Yu's smooth cheek in his palms and looks into his limpid eyes, shinning under the moon's glow. "Then His Highness must know that the Emperor is currently slumbering in my rooms, because the idea of laying with one I don't love is despicable to me."
Han Yu gasps and pulls Xi Zirui towards him, almost into his lap. "Then, is Xi-fei saying?"
Xi Zirui lets himself be manhandled, because he loves it when Han Yu does it, always so eager and artless, as if he thinks Xi Zirui is going to slip through his fingers if he doesn't hold on tight.
"Before I say anything, His Highness must call me Zirui," he says, running his fingers over Han Yu's sharp cheek.
Han Yu nuzzles into his palm, breathing in deeply. "Then Zirui must call me Han Yu."
He feels a shiver go down his spine under that intense, possessive look. "Han Yu must know that ever since we met, my mind and heart are filled up with him."
"Zirui must know that ever since we met, my nights haven't known peace. Every night I dream I touch Zirui, and every morning I wake up to the cold reality."
Xi Zirui loops both arms around Han Yu's neck, and looking up into his humid eyes, says, "Han Yu can touch Zirui now."
Han Yu's lips descend on his with a kind of starving hunger that Xi Zirui is powerless to stop, nor wants to.
He lets himself melt in Han Yu's arms, and with the moon as their witness, they drink from each other's lips like men who have crossed a desert looking for this fountain.
---
(1) - horizontal flute
(2) - those circular windows common in Chinese gardens, this is what they're called, if it's a doorway instead of a window, it's a moon gate.