[168.] Mindless infatuation.

                                    

                                          

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Jiang Cheng was oblivious of the burning face of his new right-hand man, whenever he was bowing to him; of his trembling fingers in the cases when he needed help with getting dressed, or getting out of the bath. To some extent, he trusted his father's judgment too  –  despite all, the previous Jiang Clan Leader had been an excellent strategist. He soon relaxed fully in the presence of the young man, who was too eager to please him whenever he could. He was mostly tired, and grumpy, and upset that on most days he only saw Zewu-Jun at dinner, so someone who was always patient with his mood swings was nice. He now spent most of his time in the company of the Young Master Lin.
Lin Shou-Yi was quite quick to learn and understand the routine and internal rules of the House. He soon realized that being polite and sympathizing to the housekeeper was crucial, as it gave him access to the servants, to the kitchen, to the master bedroom, and to gossip and secrets.  
He used all his charm to win her over as an ally, and most of the time he didn't have to play a part, as his concern for his Master was sincere. She seemed to care more about Master Lan, but anything he did was with his Master Jiang in mind. Hiding this was hard at times, as the lady was not stupid at all; he admired her organizational skills  –  the Gusu Lan estate was huge, but run as a giant well-greased machine.
Gradually, he took most of the first night shifts in terms of patrols, the ones right after dinner. No one thought too much of it, but Lin Shou-Yi had to admit to himself, quite ashamed, that he wanted these shifts because this was the time when the Masters usually made love. 
It was a pull he could not comprehend, but it was real, and it was eating him alive. Sometimes the love noises could be heard far and wide, but he would often try to be as close to the master bedroom as possible. 
The windows of the Hánshì  were now to the sunny backside of the house, and sometimes...rarely... just on occasion  –  he would look around, careful not to be seen, and sneak to the back, peeking through the window, hiding, biting his lip with the realization that if something bad was to happen at this particular moment  –  there would be no one to alarm the guards. 
But it was a pull that was stronger than him, stronger than all his willpower and loyalty and determination and self-control. He would watch, listen, fascinated, helpless, lost, aroused.
Twice he almost got caught, as  –   hypnotized by the view, he paid close to no attention to anything else  -  Master Lan would turn sharply and stare directly at the window he was behind, stopping whatever they were doing, squinting his eyes and glaring, too certain that they were being watched. For once in his life, the young soldier was grateful that he hadn't been blessed with magic; he was too sure that the Lan Clan Leader would somehow sense him, supernaturally, the monstrously strong cultivator that Lan Xichen was. He was sensing him even now.
Both times Lin Shou-Yi had managed to move quickly and noiselessly from the spot, terrified. If he got caught  –  it meant certain death, on the spot. He had listened to all the stories the servants were telling all the time, bragging, of how insanely jealous and protective Zewu-Jun was towards his beloved husband, towards his unborn son.
Trembling, he would change his schedule for patrols and keeping guard for a couple of days, but then things would go back to the night shifts, the way they were  –  it was a drug that had its grip on him too severely. Jiang Wanyin would wonder about the sudden changes in his mood, as Lin Shou-Yi was too distracted and careless on those days, but he would explain it with the boy still adjusting to the new place and the new routine. 
Sandu Shengshou dismissed it all, too preoccupied with thoughts of his baby and his husband.