"I am not talking to you," Shen Qingqiu informed Shang Qinghua stiffly.
Shang Qinghua gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry, sorry, I know I chatter when I get nervous. Not that there's anything to be nervous about, we're gonna be fine! Just fine! Well you will be, I might end up suffering, not like it's entirely undeserved I got us into this, but we'll get out of this!"
Shen Qingqiu shot Shang Qinghua a withering glare. "If you understand, be quiet."
"Shutting up!" Shang Qinghua shut his mouth and started fidgeting in the small space. Unfortunately that meant he was almost constantly bumping into Shen Qingqiu. Shen Qingqiu twitched unhappily. Shang Qinghua gave a nervous laugh and tried to edge away. An impossible task in the small room they were in.
Shang Qinghua could see the stress in the lines of Shen Qingqiu's face. They weren't difficult to see if one knew what to look for. Shen Qingqiu obviously wasn't taking being trapped between the artifacts storage and outside well. Not that he could blame him! This was a pretty uncomfortable space to be in!
It was his fault too. The gem from Mobei Jun was gorgeous, and an excellent source of ice qi that he planned to put in one of the warehouses that needs cooler temperatures to keep things stable, but he had known the demonic qi would set off the array. Which is why he had planned to take it out of his sleeve to work with it later. Only he forgot about actually taking it out.
The stressed look was getting worse. Shang Qinghua nervously tried to think of something to distract Shen Qingqiu from the fact he was trapped in a small space with a man. Shang Qinghua liked to think he wasn't intimidating, he was a well known coward in fact, but some fears knew no logic.
"Have you ever heard of Scheherazade the storyteller?" Shang Qinghua asked nervously as an idea struck him. "Her story is really impressive. I mean, I can't imagine coming up with a thousand different stories to tell to keep my head."
"What?" Shen Qingqiu asked.
"Well, it's a story! Once there was a king who was a good ruler in all ways but one: every woman he married would spend a single wedding night with him, and then be beheaded the next day."
Shen Qingqiu raised a brow. "And he was a good ruler," he said pointedly.
"Not about this," Shang Qinghua repeated nervously. "The king's first wife was framed to look like she had been cheating on him, and his second wife tried to sell him out because she was terrified of him killing her. So the king swore he would trust no women, and would only give every bride a single night before killing him."
"And how long did this go on before his kingdom tired of him killing all their women?" Shen Qingqiu asked pointedly.
Good, Shen Qingqiu was engaging with the story! The distraction was working! "This is where Scheherazade steps in. She was the daughter of one of the king's advisors, who was greatly worried about the king's brides and all the lives being taken. She came to her father and told him to marry her to the king next, and she would ensure that he would never take another bride."
"There had been plenty of women who had been sure they could be the ones to win over the king and stop his actions before, so the advisor was doubtful and worried about Scheherazade. But Scheherazade was deeply wise, and explained her plan to her father. He agreed it was a wise one, and so the next time the king called for a new bride Scheherazade was presented to him."
"The king was surprised by this, and asked his advisor if he was sure. As much as he valued his advisor, his daughter would not be spared from the king's decree. The advisor was nervous, but he trusted his daughter, and said he was sure. So the king took Scheherazade as his bride, and went to her for his wedding night as he had for all the other brides."
"When he arrived however, Scheherazade did not move to seduce the king as so many other brides had. She did not act to please him, or beg for her life, or try to fight him, or any of the many many attempts that had been undertaken to try to survive the night. Instead she simply asked him to sit and talk with her until the night was over."
"The king granted his new bride's request, as he planned to kill her when the morning come. In the hour before dawn however, Scheherazade asked the king if he would like to hear a story. The king again granted his new bride's wish, for the conversation and company had been pleasant. Scheherazade began to tell her story, but halfway through the dawn broke, and she apologized that she would not be able to finish her story, for her execution was due."
"The king could not stand not knowing how the story ended, so he granted Scheherazade a pardon of one day. So Scheherazade was the first bride to live past that first night. And when the second night came, she again entertained the king with her company, and finished her story. When it finished however, she started another, and again stopped before it finished as the dawn rose."
Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes listening to Shang Qinghua's words as they washed through the small room.
"The king once more granted Scheherazade a pardon of one day so she may finish her story. And when night came again Scheherazade finished her last story, only to continue with another that was left unfinished with dawn's break."
"This continued for a thousand and one nights, with Scheherazade telling a new story each night that would be left to be finished the next. The king grew comfortable around Scheherazade, and learned to love her clever mind and wisdom. When the thousand and first story was complete, the king finally decreed that he would no more slay his wife, or have any other wife beside Scheherazade. She would rule beside him, and with her wisdom aid him in his kingdom."
"The kingdom rejoiced, and Scheherazade and the king lived happily in their kingdom for the rest of their days."
Shang Qinghua took a breath and looked at Shen Qingqiu. He looked better, but still not fully relaxed. That was fine. He had a lot of stories. "These are some of those tales Scheherazade told over those years," Shang Qinghua continued.
He told twelve stories before the room was finally opened, a disciple responding to the alarm and letting them out. Shen Qingqiu stepped out quickly. Shang Qinghua's throat was hoarse from talking for so long. He sank down. He'd done it. He'd kept both of them fine through the entire confinement. Shen Qingqiu hadn't snapped and killed him. And maybe he'd helped his scum villain a little.
"And so the dawn broke, and Scheherazade stopped her telling for the night," Shen Qingqiu said quietly. He looked back at Shang Qinghua. "And the king pardoned her for a day, so she could tell him how it ended the next."
Shang Qinghua blinked up at Shen Qingqiu. He'd really been listening to all of that. He had thought Shen Qingqiu might have just tuned him out.
"You will have to come for tea," Shen Qingqiu ordered firmly. "I will hear the rest of the story." He glided away.
Shang Qinghua grinned. It seemed he might have a way to change things after all.
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