Read Online Song of the Spring Moon Waning by E. E. Ottoman - Free Book Online
Authors: E. E. Ottoman
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in age from about seven to fourteen sat together on the benches, wearing fine silk dresses with liuqins in their hands.
Liu Yi turned back to the gate from where he'd been facing them, and girls began whispering excitedly among themselves.
"Wen Yu." Liu Yi stood, putting aside his liuqin and gripping Wen Yu by the arm, ushering him quickly into Liu Yi's rooms. "Why are you here? Not that I'm not pleased to see you, but I'm in the middle of a lesson, and I'm not really allowed to have visitors when the ladies are here."
"I've decided to translate the poems." Wen Yu hadn't realized he had really done so until he said it out loud.
Liu Yi blinked and then smiled. "That's wonderful. You can use my desk, but you'll have to wait until the moon comes out this evening."
Wen Yu felt slightly foolish again, since he'd completely forgotten the poems could only been read under the light of the moon. "I'll come back this evening, then."
Liu Yi nodded. "I'm going to finish my lesson." He turned and led the way back out into the courtyard, and Wen Yu headed for the gate, followed by the giggles of the girls.
"I don't understand it," one guard whispered to the other as they let Wen Yu back out onto the street. "Who would have the poor taste to take a bob-tailed dog to bed?"
The other guard snickered, and Wen Yu pretended not to hear, but his cheeks stung as headed back to his room.
*~*~*
Wen Yu made his way through the streets back towards the palace once the sky had begun to darken. Shops and houses alike had hung lanterns outside their doors, lighting the streets where carts and people still passed back and forth almost as plentifully as they had during the day. There was a new guard at the smaller gate, Wen Yu was relieved to see, and he let Wen Yu in without comment.
Liu Yi opened the door when Wen Yu knocked. His hair loose about his shoulders, the yellow light from the lamps inside the room outlined him. Wen Yu was caught by the slimness of his wrist and the curve of his neck. He wondered how anyone could not want to sleep with someone like Liu Yi, eunuch or no.
"Come in." Liu Yi stepped back. "I made us tea."
The box of poems was next to Liu Yi's writing desk, which had been moved over by the window and cleared off, save for some blank sheets of paper, a brush, and an ink stone. After a moment's hesitation, Wen Yu moved to the table and settled in front of it. The shutters were open; soon they would let in moonlight for Wen Yu to read by.
"Here." Liu Yi knelt beside the table and put a steaming cup of tea beside Wen Yu. "Please tell me if there is anything else I can get you."
"I'm fine." Wen Yu smiled at him. Turning to the box, he lifted the lid. He took one of the books from the box and opened it so the pages lay across the table.
Outside, the moon rose, casting a pale light through the window and onto the pages. As they had before, the words began to appear as if floating up through the page. Wen Yu still could not read them, but he began jotting down notes, looking for repeated words and sounds, trying to make out the structure of the sentences. The characters were similar enough that it must have been a related language, Wen Yu reasoned, with variations on sentence construction and maybe a slight amount of character meaning.
The small noises Liu Yi made as he moved around the room faded into the distance, and Wen Yu sank into the job at hand where nothing existed except for the page in front of him and the words he could not yet read.
The cup of tea went cold at his elbow, and the page of notes became a stack. The moon rose into the sky as the hours passed, and when she stopped casting light through the window, Wen Yu stood and stretched.
"Do you need something?" Liu Yi stood from where he'd been dozing among a pile of silk pillows.
"Help me move the desk out into the courtyard," Wen Yu said, and Liu Yi went to fetch a lantern so they would have light to work by. Together, they moved the desk and papers out
Liu Yi turned back to the gate from where he'd been facing them, and girls began whispering excitedly among themselves.
"Wen Yu." Liu Yi stood, putting aside his liuqin and gripping Wen Yu by the arm, ushering him quickly into Liu Yi's rooms. "Why are you here? Not that I'm not pleased to see you, but I'm in the middle of a lesson, and I'm not really allowed to have visitors when the ladies are here."
"I've decided to translate the poems." Wen Yu hadn't realized he had really done so until he said it out loud.
Liu Yi blinked and then smiled. "That's wonderful. You can use my desk, but you'll have to wait until the moon comes out this evening."
Wen Yu felt slightly foolish again, since he'd completely forgotten the poems could only been read under the light of the moon. "I'll come back this evening, then."
Liu Yi nodded. "I'm going to finish my lesson." He turned and led the way back out into the courtyard, and Wen Yu headed for the gate, followed by the giggles of the girls.
"I don't understand it," one guard whispered to the other as they let Wen Yu back out onto the street. "Who would have the poor taste to take a bob-tailed dog to bed?"
The other guard snickered, and Wen Yu pretended not to hear, but his cheeks stung as headed back to his room.
*~*~*
Wen Yu made his way through the streets back towards the palace once the sky had begun to darken. Shops and houses alike had hung lanterns outside their doors, lighting the streets where carts and people still passed back and forth almost as plentifully as they had during the day. There was a new guard at the smaller gate, Wen Yu was relieved to see, and he let Wen Yu in without comment.
Liu Yi opened the door when Wen Yu knocked. His hair loose about his shoulders, the yellow light from the lamps inside the room outlined him. Wen Yu was caught by the slimness of his wrist and the curve of his neck. He wondered how anyone could not want to sleep with someone like Liu Yi, eunuch or no.
"Come in." Liu Yi stepped back. "I made us tea."
The box of poems was next to Liu Yi's writing desk, which had been moved over by the window and cleared off, save for some blank sheets of paper, a brush, and an ink stone. After a moment's hesitation, Wen Yu moved to the table and settled in front of it. The shutters were open; soon they would let in moonlight for Wen Yu to read by.
"Here." Liu Yi knelt beside the table and put a steaming cup of tea beside Wen Yu. "Please tell me if there is anything else I can get you."
"I'm fine." Wen Yu smiled at him. Turning to the box, he lifted the lid. He took one of the books from the box and opened it so the pages lay across the table.
Outside, the moon rose, casting a pale light through the window and onto the pages. As they had before, the words began to appear as if floating up through the page. Wen Yu still could not read them, but he began jotting down notes, looking for repeated words and sounds, trying to make out the structure of the sentences. The characters were similar enough that it must have been a related language, Wen Yu reasoned, with variations on sentence construction and maybe a slight amount of character meaning.
The small noises Liu Yi made as he moved around the room faded into the distance, and Wen Yu sank into the job at hand where nothing existed except for the page in front of him and the words he could not yet read.
The cup of tea went cold at his elbow, and the page of notes became a stack. The moon rose into the sky as the hours passed, and when she stopped casting light through the window, Wen Yu stood and stretched.
"Do you need something?" Liu Yi stood from where he'd been dozing among a pile of silk pillows.
"Help me move the desk out into the courtyard," Wen Yu said, and Liu Yi went to fetch a lantern so they would have light to work by. Together, they moved the desk and papers out
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