Chapter 55 Following the development of the novel, they...

Lin Yan was awakened by the heat.

It wasn't the dry heat of an overly burning charcoal fire, but rather a gentle warmth that felt so intense that there was nowhere to escape from the warmth of being completely enveloped.

The dull ache of a hangover was still throbbing in his temples, but what was clearer was the agarwood scent that surrounded him, and the warm chest pressed tightly against his back.

Lin Yan opened his eyes groggily, and the first thing he saw was the familiar blue curtains of Qingyi Pavilion.

Ah, when did he get into bed...?

etc!

Why is this bed a bit cramped?

Lin Yan's sleepiness vanished instantly. Turning her head, she saw long, dark hair lying messily beside her pillow, and that hair belonged to—Xiao Che.

My goodness!

Lin Yan looked closely and realized that Xiao Che was encircling him from behind, his back pressed against Xiao Che's chest, and an arm across his waist, holding him tightly in his arms.

Isn't this Qingyi Pavilion? Why is Xiao Che here? They're even lying in the same bed!

And in such an intimate pose!

Memories of last night flooded his mind. Lin Yan remembered that Xiao Yu had asked him to drink. Even though it was fruit wine, Lin Yan was still a heavy drinker and quickly got drunk. As for what happened after he got drunk, he had no idea.

Lin Yan's face instantly turned bright red, her embarrassment and panic impossible to hide.

He, a man who had just realized he was gay, Xiao Che, a man who had no intention of having a harem, lay there on a bed, looking so fresh and clean.

According to the development of the novel, they should...

Stop! Stop! Stop it!

Lin Yan shook his head, trying to shake the water out of his head.

This is terrible! He slept with the emperor and discovered that deep inside him, besides panic, there was something else.

He shamefully craved the warmth and comfort of that embrace.

Oh no! How could he have such disrespectful thoughts towards His Majesty?

While Xiao Che was still asleep, Lin Yan's brain, under extreme embarrassment, unleashed unprecedented potential.

Escape! We must escape immediately!

He simply couldn't face this scene, couldn't face any look Xiao Che might give him after he woke up, and couldn't face the thoughts that he couldn't contain in his heart.

Lin Yan held her breath and used the lightest and slowest movements she had ever made to try to lift the arm that was across her waist.

The arm felt heavy and powerful, and Lin Yan's palms were sweaty with nervousness, his heart pounding like a drum.

Fortunately, Xiao Che seemed to be sleeping soundly and was not disturbed by his slight movements.

Lin Yan silently chanted "Amitabha Buddha, may you have boundless blessings, Heavenly Venerable Amen" over and over again, and little by little, he finally managed to move the arm away.

As soon as he was free, Lin Yan practically tumbled off the bed, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

Ignoring her aching body and dizzy head, Lin Yan hurriedly grabbed her clothes and haphazardly put them on, her shoes and socks crookedly undone.

He didn't even dare to look at the dragon bed again. He tiptoed and, with lightning speed, staggered out of Qingyi Pavilion, escaping the space that made him feel like he was about to ascend to heaven.

The palace path was quiet and deserted, the morning mist still lingering.

Lin Yan stumbled and staggered out of the palace gate almost on instinct, and even the guards who usually had to check his waist tag were stunned by his absent-minded appearance.

Lin Yan wandered aimlessly through the streets for quite a while, like a lost soul, before the cold wind slightly awakened him from his sweltering heat. He flagged down a passing old donkey cart that was picking up individual passengers, gave it his address, and then huddled in a corner like a mushroom.

Back home, Lin Yan sneaked back to his room like a thief, bolted the door shut, slid down to the floor with his back against the door, covered his face with his hands, feeling as if his cheeks were hot enough to fry an egg.

Oh no, oh no, oh no, I'm so embarrassed...

He actually shared a bed with His Majesty! And he even woke up being held in His Majesty's arms like that!

Although the specific details are a blank, the posture, the warmth of the embrace, and the lingering fragrance of agarwood...

Lin Yan buried her burning face in her knees and let out a silent wail.

How can he ever look His Majesty in the eye again? How can he serve before the Emperor?

The thought of possibly facing Xiao Che made her so embarrassed that she wanted to carve out a Taiyi Palace for him.

Moreover, besides feeling embarrassed, he also felt a strange sense of loss; he didn't even want to leave that embrace.

Stop!

Lin Yan, wake up!

That's the emperor!

What are you thinking about?!

Do you still want the head on your neck?

Do we still want to keep our nine generations of relatives?

Just as he was wrestling with his head in his hands, engaged in a fierce internal struggle, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Yan'er? Are you inside? Weren't you supposed to be at court today? Why are you back at this hour?" Wen Yun's concerned voice came from outside the door.

Lin Yan was jolted awake. He couldn't go to court, absolutely not. How could he face Xiao Che?

Just imagining the scene of staring into Xiao Che's eyes made Lin Yan wish he could drill a hole in the floor of Taiyi Palace with his head so he could hide inside.

Lin Yan hurriedly straightened his clothes and hair, trying to make his expression look normal, before taking a deep breath and opening the door.

Wen Yun stood outside the door, her face filled with doubt and worry: "Mother heard from the servants that you rushed back early this morning and locked yourself in your room. Are you feeling unwell? Or has something happened at the Hanlin Academy?"

Looking at his mother's concerned eyes, Lin Yan opened his mouth, the words "I slept with the emperor" rolling on his tongue again and again, but in the end he didn't dare to say them.

This was so shocking that he was afraid his mother would faint from fright.

Lin Yan's eyes flickered, and he stammered, "Mother, it's...it's nothing serious. It's just that last night in the palace, I accidentally offended His Majesty..."

His voice grew softer and softer as he spoke, and his head drooped lower and lower.

Upon hearing "offended His Majesty," Wen Yun's heart immediately jumped: "Offended? How so? Is it serious? Has His Majesty been angered?"

"Your Majesty..." Lin Yan had gotten up and fled before Xiao Che woke up, and he didn't know if Xiao Che would be angry, "but that kind of offense is very serious..."

Lin Yan looked embarrassed, which made Wen Yun extremely anxious.

"Yan'er, how exactly did you offend His Majesty? Tell me, and I'll help you think of a solution." Wen Yun pulled Lin Yan into the house, closed the door, and asked in a low voice.

Lin Yan's face turned red from holding back his anger. Finally, he steeled himself, closed his eyes, and said quickly in an extremely weak and indistinct voice, "I drank too much yesterday and accidentally fell asleep in His Majesty's arms."

After saying that, Lin Yan immediately closed his eyes tightly, not daring to look at his mother's face.

Wen Yun was stunned, not reacting for a moment: "She fell asleep in His Majesty's arms?"

This... this is also a breach of etiquette before the Emperor, but it doesn't seem so unforgivable? After all, if His Majesty were to truly punish him, I'm afraid even his own son wouldn't be able to leave the palace.

Just as Wen Yun was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she saw her son's desperate expression, as if he were saying, "I'm doomed." She immediately realized that things might not be that simple.

She cautiously inquired, "Just asleep? Didn't you do anything else?"

Lin Yan suddenly opened her eyes, her face flushed red, and she waved her hands frantically, her expression turning pale: "No! Absolutely not! Mother, what are you thinking! It's just... it's just that I'm a restless sleeper, maybe... maybe I was clinging to His Majesty..."

Although he omitted the crucial detail of "sharing a bed," the phrase "clinging to His Majesty and refusing to let go" was impactful enough.

Upon hearing this, Wen Yun felt a wave of dizziness wash over her; her son was truly remarkable.

She fell asleep in the emperor's arms, but kept clinging to him.

What's the difference between this and plucking a tiger's hair from its mouth?

Although she knew her son was deeply favored by the emperor, serving the emperor was like walking on thin ice, and this level of "offense" was beyond Wen Yun's comprehension.

"You should rest at home for now. If His Majesty really pursues you, you won't be able to escape either." Wen Yun rubbed Lin Yan's head. "Mother has instructed someone to keep an eye on things and see if anyone from the palace comes."

What else could Lin Yan say? He could only listen to his mother.

He doesn't even have the courage to go to work now, so he just claims to be sick and takes leave. No matter what happens to him later, he just wants to be an ostrich burying its head in the sand and hide for as long as possible.

Wen Yun was filled with anxiety and couldn't sit still all day. She would send people to the door from time to time to inquire whether anyone from the palace had come with an imperial edict.

Lin Chengji returned home in the evening.

As soon as I entered the house, I sensed that something was wrong.

His wife, Wen Yun, looked worried and sighed repeatedly.

"Madam, what's wrong?" Lin Chengji asked in confusion.

When Wen Yun saw her husband, it was as if she had found her pillar of support. She quickly pulled him into the inner room, lowered her voice, and with a sob in her voice, recounted the “shocking” words her son had said during the day in a broken and embellished manner.

Upon hearing this, Lin Chengji, despite having seen many storms in the Ministry of Works, was so shocked that he gasped and almost dropped his official hat.

"Wh-what?! She fell asleep in His Majesty's arms? And she's still clinging to him!" Lin Chengji's voice changed, he simply couldn't believe his ears.

That brat! He's incredibly audacious!

Lin Chengji's first reaction was that it was all over; the Lin family was probably in deep trouble.

But having served as an official for many years, he was more composed than Wen Yun, forcibly suppressing his shock and pondering the matter carefully.

"Don't panic." Lin Chengji helped his wife sit down, but he couldn't help pacing around the room.

"His Majesty seemed quite calm at court today, without mentioning Yan'er or showing any signs of anger," Lin Chengji thought, growing increasingly puzzled. "If His Majesty were truly enraged by this, he wouldn't have reacted this way. Given His Majesty's temperament, if he had truly felt offended, he probably would have..."

He didn't say what came next, but the meaning was clear.

Xiao Che was not the kind of emperor who would swallow his pride and endure humiliation.

Wen Yun calmed down a bit after hearing her husband's words, but she was still worried: "But Yan'er has indeed offended the Emperor's authority."

"Sigh!" Lin Chengji sighed heavily, both annoyed and helpless. "That bastard! He's always causing trouble!"

He thought for a moment and said, "I'll go see him."

Lin Chengji arrived at Lin Yan's courtyard, pushed open the door, and saw his son slumped in a chair, looking utterly dejected.

Upon seeing his father enter, Lin Yan jumped up as if pricked by a needle, his face filled with guilt: "Father."

Seeing him like this, Lin Chengji felt both angry and heartbroken, and in the end, all his emotions turned into a long sigh.

"You, how could you..." Lin Chengji pointed at him, but in the end couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh. "Forget it, it's too late to panic now."

He walked up to Lin Yan and asked with a serious expression, "Tell me honestly, besides falling asleep yesterday, did you do anything else... outrageous?"

Lin Yan shook her head vigorously: "No! Really no!"

His buttocks are fine, and his legs don't hurt either!

Lin Chengji carefully observed his son's expression and, seeing that he did not seem to be faking it, felt somewhat relieved.

"Judging from His Majesty's expression today, he showed no displeasure. I suppose His Majesty may not have been truly angry," Lin Chengji pondered. "His Majesty treats you differently after all. Perhaps His Majesty is magnanimous and will not hold a grudge against a drunkard like you."

This statement was less of an analysis and more of a way of comforting himself and his son.

Lin Yan was on the verge of tears: "Father, I know His Majesty may not be angry yet, but I dare not go to see His Majesty."

His legs went weak at the mere thought of facing Xiao Che.

That embarrassment, fear, and inexplicable sense of shame... he might as well carry the cart back to his hometown that very night!

Looking at his son's spineless state, Lin Chengji sighed helplessly: "You can run away from the first day of the month, but you can't hide from the fifteenth. You can't keep feigning illness to avoid court and the palace, can you? That's the crime of deceiving the emperor."

Lin Yan understood the logic, but he was just a coward.

"Let's wait and see," Lin Chengji finally said. "If His Majesty truly has no intention of pursuing the matter, you can go before the Emperor to plead guilty after the storm has passed in a few days."

That's what he said, but Lin Chengji was actually holding onto a bit of hope.

After all, His Majesty's favoritism towards Yan'er is evident to all the officials in the court.

Perhaps it's possible to turn a big problem into a small one, and a small problem into nothing?

That night, the Lin family of three couldn't sleep a wink.

Lin Yan tossed and turned in bed, her mind filled with the scene from when she woke up that morning, unable to fall asleep at all.

Lin Chengji and Wen Yun, meanwhile, tossed and turned in their sleep, filled with worry and a sliver of hope.

Within the palace walls, all was quiet.

Xiao Che sat by the window, holding a book in his hand, but hadn't turned a single page for a long time.

Li Defu entered quietly and reported in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Lord Lin has requested leave today and has sent someone to the Hanlin Academy to request sick leave."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Che lightly tapped the page with his fingertips, a barely perceptible smile flashing across his eyes.

Did they run away in fright?

You were quite bold, weren't you? You even dared to call him by his name in your dream and touch him. How come you're such a coward when you wake up?

Xiao Che put down his book and looked out the window, as if he could see through the palace walls and see the person hiding at home like a quail.

Fine, let him hide away for a few days to have some peace and quiet.

Anyway, there's plenty of time in the future.

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Author's Note: [doge]