Pulling the blanket over them, Xu Zang hugged Yi Mu tightly, whispering in his ear about the first time he felt his heart flutter.

The transition from boy to man often only requires a single catalyst.

The trigger was when my heart was pounding, I was at a loss, and I secretly vented my impulsive emotions under the covers.

Young Xu Zang and his second senior brother were soaking in a hot spring on the back mountain. In the hazy white mist, he saw his senior brother sitting there with his upper body exposed, his eyes closed, looking like an immortal.

Xu Zang didn't understand why he had such an ugly impulse towards his senior brother. When he realized something was wrong, he had already wrapped himself in his clothes in a disheveled state, returned to his room, and locked the doors and windows.

I know it's wrong, but it's like an addiction; I can't stop the urge from growing.

Every year, every day, just seeing that person fills me with immense joy.

Xu Zang carried this shameful love for many years.

He thought it would take many more years for this relationship to see the light of day again.

It was Yi Mu himself who lifted the veil, which is fine, since Xu Zang will soon be able to make Yi Mu's identity public.

"Mumu, I will treat you very, very well."

Yi Mu closed his eyes and squeezed out two words: "Go!"

Xu Zang didn't want to leave, but it seemed as if fate had decreed it.

A hurried, loud voice rang out from outside the door: "Your Majesty, the border has been victorious! All the rebels have been captured! The Grand Master will soon be returning to the capital!"

Knowing he was the messenger, Xu Zang didn't have time to whisper sweet nothings to Yi Mu. He rolled out of bed, dressed, and headed for the door.

His hair was still a little disheveled, and his face was flushed with a look of contentment.

The guard was a man of strong emotions, and upon seeing his appearance, he knew what had happened not long ago.

He was especially grateful that he had come to deliver good news; otherwise, his head would probably be gone by now.

Xu Zang told the guards to get up, and the two of them walked towards the study.

Shortly after they left, the door that Xu Zang had carefully closed was pushed open from the outside.

A figure completely wrapped in black cloth flashed into the room.

Yi Mu was lying in bed, half asleep, when he felt someone approaching his bedside.

He thought Xu Zang had returned, and slowly frowned, about to speak, when a piece of cotton cloth wrapped in medicine was quickly pressed to his lips.

Yi Mu struggled immediately, trying to pry the hand off his mouth, but it was all in vain.

His struggles lessened, and he eventually closed his eyes and lost consciousness.

The man in black easily carried him, carefully avoiding the palace servants' sight, scaling walls and rooftops, and finally landed in Consort Wen's bedroom.

After the battle, the army rushed to its assigned locations.

The remaining small elite force escorted the rebels back to Kyoto at breakneck speed.

When the people learned that the Third Prince had joined forces with the Western Liang and Southern Barbarians to launch a coup for the throne, disregarding the lives of his own people, they were furious and took to the streets, carrying rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs, throwing them at the former prince and the powerful ministers in the iron cage.

In just a few days, the government of Xu Kingdom underwent a major reshuffle.

The ministers who participated in the defection had their homes confiscated, some were imprisoned, and their family members, though not implicated, were all confined to their homes and not allowed to leave.

From the moment Li Shouhai learned that Xu Zang's army had ambushed them, he knew that he had absolutely no chance of turning the tide in this game.

Xu Zang is no fool; he's a thousand-year-old fox spirit who has cultivated himself into a master.

What new emperor's ascension to the throne? He has no real power; all his fierceness is just a bluff.

He was clearly playing dumb to catch the tiger; he had already laid the net, just waiting for his prey to walk right into it so he could catch them all and eliminate any future trouble.

He had been navigating the officialdom for over a decade, only to be outmaneuvered by a mere upstart!