Luminous Pearl 4

Xiao Congzhi never expected that their reunion would be like this.

Liuyuan Pavilion is known for its elegance; it has no scent of rouge or face powder, and the decorations of the pavilion are quite tasteful.

But he was still a male prostitute.

Xie Mowen, dressed in a thin gauze dress, was dancing to music on the stage.

The thin veil concealed his face, but it only accentuated the brightness of his eyes. His waist was incredibly flexible and supple, and the exposed skin was snow-white, translucent, smooth, and firm.

Xiao Congzhi unfolded his folding fan and fanned himself vigorously twice, finding it somewhat stimulating.

He grabbed someone nearby and asked, "This person...this person..." but for a moment he didn't know what to ask.

"Oh! You mean him? He's a real gem. He just arrived yesterday. He's got a graceful figure and a stunning face. But I advise you to forget about it. They're auctioning off his virginity today, and all the wealthy people in Yidu have come."

Xiao Congzhi stared in disbelief, muttering under his breath, "Auctioning...their virginity?"

"Yes, look at who's sitting over there, the son of the richest man in Yidu, over there is the only son of the rice merchant, and over there..."

"Okay, okay, I understand."

"It's true, I scoffed when they said a top-notch talent was coming yesterday, but after he appeared, he immediately dominated the entire scene. The news has been spreading like wildfire throughout Yidu since last night, and I heard that people from neighboring counties are also on their way."

Xiao Congzhi: ...

After the auction began, Xie Mowen sat on the stage wearing that outfit and a veil, while the madam stood to the side, laughing so hard her eyes were almost invisible.

The price quickly reached a thousand taels of silver, which shows that all the wealthy people in Yidu have come, and this is no exaggeration.

"Five thousand taels!" The son of the richest man in Yidu generously raised the price several levels in an instant.

Buying a male prostitute's virginity for five thousand taels of silver is unheard of.

Xiao Congzhi had absolutely no idea what Xie Mowen wanted!

"Five thousand five hundred taels!" the rice shop owner's only son continued to shout.

The two of them, one supporting the other, quickly amassed ten thousand taels of silver.

Xiao Congzhi had originally intended to wait for the two men to stop before bidding, but upon hearing that it cost ten thousand taels of silver, and considering the empty national treasury, he considered whether to simply ignore it. After all, Xie Mowen wouldn't let him suffer a loss...

"Ten thousand eleven thousand taels!"

"I'm not kidding, but would your dad really give you that much money?"

"Mind your own business!"

"Eleven thousand taels once, ten thousand thousand taels twice..."

"Fifteen thousand taels," Xiao Congzhi shouted, holding up the plaque in one hand and using a fan in the other to cover half of his face.

Xie Mowen smiled in Xiao Congzhi's direction, and with that smile, his eyes curved, making him even more handsome.

"Twenty thousand taels!" The son of the richest man was furious; he was determined to get it!

Xiao Congzhi really didn't have the courage to shout it out, but he said, "Twenty-five thousand taels."

"Brother, what's your background? You're willing to spend 25,000 taels of silver to buy a male prostitute's virginity?" The son of the richest man was shocked and questioned him rudely.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion arose outside the door. In the blink of an eye, a group of officials in their robes rushed in, led by none other than Sun Rang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

Xiao Congzhi: ...He really didn't know what expression to make.

Xiao Congzhi turned his head to look at Xie Mowen, only to see the instigator of all this looking at Sun Rangxiao with great interest.

According to the laws of the Shengchao Dynasty, auctioning intangible cultural heritage is illegal, and all participants must be fined, while organizers will be punished with caning.

Normally, it's an open secret that male prostitutes sell their virginity, but unfortunately, with the recent crackdown and the incident in the palace, the Ministry of Justice needs some opportunities to make a contribution.

After collecting fines of three hundred taels of silver each from the son of the richest man, the only son of the rice shop owner, and other participants, Sun Rang stormed straight toward Xiao Congzhi.

Xiao Congzhi could no longer use the fan to block it, otherwise he was afraid that Sun Rang would break the fan that Xie Mowen had given him with his bare hands.

The surrounding crowd was also eager to see what this person who had spent so much money looked like, so everyone craned their necks, and even the son of the richest man squeezed forward.

The young man deftly closed his fan, and the next moment, the official from the Ministry of Justice knelt down on the ground, bowing and kowtowing with such smooth, effortless grace.

"Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

Xiao Congzhi: ...

Jumping into the Chuan River was useless now. Xiao Congzhi glanced at Xie Mowen without leaving a trace, then raised his fan to Sun Rang and said calmly, "Rise, my dear minister, there is no need for such formalities."

Sun Rang stood up as instructed, but he was still in a daze, and everyone around him was completely oblivious to what was going on.

Xiao Congzhi naturally wanted to leave before everyone could react. He turned around and left without looking back, leaving behind the words, "Minister Sun, bring that male prostitute to the palace for me."

After speaking, he had already disappeared without a trace.

The crowd belatedly realized what was happening, and then began to chatter excitedly...

"Was that the current emperor just now?!"

"His Majesty?"

"This is what His Majesty looks like!?"

"His Majesty just summoned Bai Yin..."

"Twenty-five thousand taels!"

"My God, the Emperor is spending ten thousand taels of silver to buy a male prostitute's virginity?"

"A good man today?"

"No wonder the imperial harem has produced no offspring for so many years."

Sun Rang pressed his twitching eyelids, belatedly realizing that he had just made a terrible mistake. In less than half a day, everyone in Yidu would know that the current emperor was going to spend ten thousand taels of silver to buy a male prostitute's virginity, and Sun Rang thought desperately that he was the one who had brought all of this to fruition.

Sun Rang kept calculating whether his relationship with Prince Rong could help him avoid imprisonment...

"Lord Sun, did His Majesty just ask you to bring me into the palace?" Xie Mowen took advantage of the crowd's shock and moved to Sun Rang's side, asking in a low voice like a ghost.

Sun Rang: !!!

Sun Rang then remembered this detail and turned to say something when he saw that the person in front of him looked extremely familiar. Wasn't this the one who had been by the emperor's side during Guo Shaoyu's trial?

So… Sun Rang’s mind was in complete chaos, and he was unable to think at all, so he simply stopped thinking and led his men to see Prince Rong.

As a vice minister of the Ministry of Justice, he couldn't bring a male prostitute into the palace, since the imperial palace wasn't ruled by the emperor.

After hearing the details, Prince Rong's comprehension was severely impaired, and he could only repeat the story blankly.

"His Majesty went to a male prostitute?"

"Yes."

"You want to spend ten thousand taels of silver... to buy this male prostitute's virginity?"

"yes."

"You revealed His Majesty's identity in public?"

"yes."

"Tomorrow... no, now everyone in Yidu knows?"

"yes."

"His Majesty ordered you to bring this person into the palace?"

"yes."

"You...you've seen him in Haining?"

"yes."

Lin Shuo clutched his head and collapsed onto the couch, looking at Xie Mowen, who was standing to the side dressed in revealing clothes, his head throbbing with pain.

"Alright, you go back first and pack your things."

"Your Highness!"

"Given my relationship with His Majesty, I can't protect you." With that, Lin Shuo waved his hand wearily.

In the end, Lin Shuo still brought Xie Mowen into the palace, but he changed into normal clothes before bringing him in.

Throughout the entire process, Xie Mowen remained quiet. Lin Shuo wanted to ask something, but before he could, they had already arrived at the entrance of the Emperor's Palace.

Ge Yun jogged out and invited the person inside. He looked surprised when he saw who it was, but didn't say anything.

Lin Shuo noticed Ge Yun's expression and subtly sized up Xie Mowen for a while. Although she was very beautiful, her temperament was definitely not that of a male prostitute.

Xiao Congzhi was trying to mentally prepare himself. Xie Mowen's outburst meant he had to explain himself to the Empress Dowager, the Prime Minister, the Prince, and the General...

"Your Majesty~" Xie Mowen called out sweetly.

Xiao Congzhi frowned, turned around to scold, but saw that Ge Yun and Lin Shuo were also there.

"Uncle, what brings you here?" Xiao Congzhi asked, trying his best to remain calm.

"Sun Rang couldn't send someone of unknown identity into the palace. He heard that His Majesty is going to spend ten thousand taels of silver to buy this male prostitute?"

Xiao Congzhi: ...

Ge Yun: ? ? ?

With so many people around, Lin Shuo didn't dare say much, and simply said, "The person has been brought here, so I'll be leaving now."

After saying this, he bowed and left.

Xiao Congzhi also sent Ge Yun away.

After things quieted down, Xie Mowen spoke first: "I didn't expect to see him again. I suppose he's gone to speak with the Empress Dowager now?"

"Xie Mowen, you've gone too far!" Xiao Congzhi stood up, walked up to Xie Mowen, and reprimanded him.

They were so close that Xie Mowen reached out and hugged Xiao Congzhi tightly. He rested his head against Xiao Congzhi's neck and said in a muffled voice, "Xiao Congzhi, I missed you so much."

Xiao Congzhi had thought the same thing, and upon hearing this, his anger subsided considerably. He let himself lean into Xie Mowen's arms, murmuring, "Xie Mowen, you really are..."

"I heard a lot of rumors about you in Yidu, so I thought I'd make things even more chaotic in this pool." Xie Mowen tightened his grip on her arm and added, "Did I really hold you back?"

Xiao Congzhi stepped out of Xie Mowen's arms and asked, "Do I know what I'm doing?"

Xie Mowen shook his head: "It's not that bad."

Xiao Congzhi gestured for Xie Mowen to sit down: "I really don't know where to begin."

“I don’t know anything, you can start from the beginning.”

"That's far too much."

"We can stay together until Mid-Autumn Festival."

Xiao Congzhi smiled, looked up and thought for a moment, intending to start with recent events: "The palace banquet the other day ended very late. Someone sneaked into the palace at night, stole the luminous pearl, and killed a palace concubine."

"Are you sure it was done by one person?"

"It's uncertain, but if there are two opposing forces, this palace is far too unsafe."

Have you found any leads yet?

"We haven't even started investigating yet. The Jin and Xiongnu people have been causing trouble at the embassy. We only decided on the investigation plan this morning. The Imperial Guard Right Army is responsible for guarding the capital. Everyone in the Right Army is loyal to the emperor. Over the years, the Empress Dowager and the Prime Minister have been trying to place people in the Imperial Guard, but they can't touch the Right Army."

"Then they will probably be able to make a move based on this incident."

"I guess so, they planted Shen Zhuo in there."

“Deliberation is…”

"On the surface, he's the Left Commander of the Imperial Guard, the Prime Minister's man, but in reality, he's mine. The Prime Minister felt that directly planting someone in the Right Army wouldn't work, so he planned to have the Left Commander infiltrate. As for how they investigate in the next few days, I don't care." Xiao Congzhi changed the subject and teased, "As a foolish emperor who has just acquired a beauty and has no interest in state affairs, I should be indulging in nightly revelry with you from now on."

Xie Mowen: "It seems I really did help you?"

"It was a good opportunity to turn the tables on them, but my reputation is ruined. Fortunately, my reputation among the people has never been good."

"The common people don't care about the emperor's reputation. If they live in peace and contentment, they will not hesitate to praise him."

"Now you can say a few nice things. You'll stay by my side for the next few days, and I'll introduce you to some people."

It was just a rumor in the capital, but the emperor actually skipped court for several days. When his ministers came to pay their respects, they could always see a handsome man sitting next to the emperor.

Who would have thought that their conversation was anything but romantic?

"This is the General of the West? I've heard of him in the martial arts world."

"how?"

"A bit too straightforward."

Xiao Congzhi nodded in agreement: "The entire Qi family are military officers, and their lifelong wish is to drive out the Xiongnu. For this reason, he will be a great help on my path to ruling personally."

How can he help you?

"His military power alone is enough to intimidate the Jiang family."

"Then what are you worried about?"

Xiao Congzhi was taken aback. "You figured it out?"

Xie Mowen rubbed Xiao Congzhi's wrist.

"The Qi family has no intention of disobeying me, but they are not necessarily loyal to me. The Zhao family is no different to them. In earlier years, Qi Ming's attitude was ambiguous. This year, the Xiongnu have pushed him too far, so he is in a hurry to make a statement."

"Not very stable," Xie Mowen commented.

Xiao Congzhi nodded.

Xie Mowen: "Was that Sun Rang just now?"

"Um."

"You didn't punish him."

"...The Minister of Justice is quite old. The Ministry of Justice has long relied on him as its backbone. He is young and promising, so how could we possibly punish him?"

"Oh, then should I listen to Prince Rong and ask him to pack his luggage?"

"The Imperial Uncle is also a man of unconventional ways."

"From your perspective, I always feel that you two have a good relationship, but from his perspective, it seems a bit different."

“We grew up together. When we were kids, he was mischievous and bullied me. He also always showed off in front of me because he was four or five years older than me. After the late emperor passed away, he became much more mature and put those childhood memories behind him. For a few years, he was persuaded by the clan to come to me to test me frequently. Although he gave up on that idea later, I guess he has been a little scared these past few years.”

"Prince Rong has the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice?"

"He concurrently served as Minister of Rites, and his appointment to the Ministry of Justice was solely due to his good relationship with Sun Rang."

"Although they don't wield as much real power as the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel, if we could get their help..."

Xiao Congzhi said helplessly, "But I haven't found a starting point for dealing with the two of them yet."

In just a few days, Xie Mowen had gotten to know all the officials, big and small, of the Sheng Dynasty. Although Prime Minister Jiang and Empress Dowager Jiang hadn't come these past few days, Xiao Congzhi took the opportunity to recount the grudges and affections that had spanned over twenty years.

Xiao Congzhi's situation was not so much isolated and helpless as it was like he was missing a few threads to string together the scattered blades into a knife.

Three days after Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen had been fooling around, Empress Dowager Jiang finally appeared. The timing of her appearance was not very good, as Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen were still lying in bed at the time.

Ge Yun trotted to the curtains of the dragon bed, not daring to speak loudly: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has arrived."

Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen were sleeping in the same bed, embracing each other, in the midst of their tender moment. Upon hearing this, Xiao Congzhi slowly stretched out a hand from behind the curtain and waved it, his voice slightly hoarse from the early morning: "Go out and serve the Empress Dowager. I will get up in a little while."

After Ge Yun left, Xie Mowen hugged Xiao Congzhi from behind, nuzzled closer, and asked, "Really starting now?"

Xiao Congzhi turned over in Xie Mowen's arms and said softly, "It would be too much to not get up."

"Then what about me?" Xie Mowen hugged the person tightly and put his legs on top of them as well.

"Just listen from behind." Xiao Congzhi said, stroking Xie Mowen's chin and giving him a quick kiss.

Xiao Congzhi casually wore a white robe with a subtle dragon pattern embroidered on it.

"Greetings to the Empress Dowager." Xiao Congzhi bowed respectfully.

Empress Dowager Jiang's eyes were sharp. She wouldn't let anyone get up and said in a low voice, "The Emperor has been enjoying himself these past few days." As she spoke, she glanced into the room.

"I wouldn't dare."

"I think the Prime Minister has taught me nothing about propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame."

"I wouldn't dare."

"You dare not? As the supreme ruler, the emperor of the world, how could you keep a male prostitute sleeping in the Zichen Palace every night? Does the emperor know what's going on in Yidu these days?"

"Your subject does not care about those empty titles."

"That's the dignity of the royal family!"

"Your subject knows his mistake."

Empress Dowager Jiang took two deep breaths and slowly asked, "Who is that person inside the room?"

"The people I met in the martial world got along very well."

"Fine, you are the emperor. It's no big deal for you to keep a concubine in the palace, as long as it doesn't affect the continuation of the royal family."

"Your subject understands."

"Alright, get up."

Ge Yun hurriedly helped Xiao Congzhi to his feet.

"People in the inner palace cannot stay in the Zichen Palace. Move them to the inner palace."

"yes."

Empress Dowager Jiang, having vented her anger and achieved her goal, softened her tone: "These past few days, everyone in the palace has been busy with the congratulatory gifts from the Jin and Xiongnu. The emperor must not indulge in sensual pleasures day and night. He still needs to attend court starting tomorrow."

"Your subject has remembered."

Seeing Xiao Congzhi's appearance, Empress Dowager Jiang sighed and said wearily, "Your Majesty, I know that this year is the year you should assume personal rule, and the people also wish for this, but I am truly worried. We are currently facing internal and external troubles..."

Xiao Congzhi lowered his head and said gently, "Your subject understands."

"It's good that the Emperor understands."

Empress Dowager Jiang pulled Xiao Congzhi aside for a few more meaningless private words before setting off to leave, her eyes sweeping fiercely over the inner room before she departed.

Xie Mowen came out wearing Xiao Congzhi's outer robe. The palace maids and eunuchs who were serving him had long been dismissed by Xiao Congzhi, and the man was sitting alone at the table making tea.

"Drinking tea without even having breakfast?"

"Ge Yun has gone to serve the meal."

Xie Mowen could tell that there was a hint of resentment in Xiao Congzhi's words. He sat down next to Xiao Congzhi, took the teacup that was handed to him, took a small sip, and asked, "Have you always acted that way when you're with the Empress Dowager?"

"Of course not, it's just that I want them to think I'm unhappy about taking over the reins of power."

Xiao Congzhi put down the teapot and rested his head on Xie Mowen's shoulder. Xie Mowen took the opportunity to hug him, gently massaging Xiao Congzhi's neck with his fingertips.

"Shouldn't you let them think you have no intention of ruling personally?"

Do you know why I've never hidden my talents?

Xie Mowen shook his head. Xiao Congzhi had indeed never hidden his martial arts skills.

"Because you can't completely hide from those two foxes. It's only natural that I should read some books, practice some martial arts, and show some intelligence."

Xie Mowen understood: "If you let them think you admire the martial arts world, then it's only natural for you to learn martial arts."

"Well, nowadays, the whole world is talking about whether I'm truly in power or not. If I'm completely uninterested, it would be too fake. I have no intention of doing this, but if someone tries to persuade me, I'm not entirely unwilling."

"So your current state is that although you have no interest in politics, you also don't want to be powerless at the age of twenty, so you've accumulated resentment and are looking to make up for it in bed."

Xiao Congzhi pressed his head against Xie Mowen's palm, and Xie Mowen quickly hugged him tighter.

"Thank you, Mowen." Xiao Congzhi's resentment had almost dissipated, and he even seemed somewhat pleased. "Neither Prince Rong nor General Zhenxi could possibly assist someone who is completely heartless. This act is not entirely for the Empress Dowager and the Prime Minister's benefit."

“In that case, Xiao will comply.”

"Um?"

Xie Mowen suddenly used force to pick up Xiao Congzhi horizontally and walked towards the inner room, saying lightly, "Then why don't we really make our bedroom affairs real?"

"You... Xie Mowen?"

"There was ointment in the bedside table; I've already seen it."

"No, Xie Mowen." Xiao Congzhi struggled to get down, stopping him, "I haven't read the book yet, I'm afraid it will hurt you."

Xie Mowen slammed Xiao Congzhi onto the bed, leaned closer, and said with a smile, "What are you thinking? Of course, I want you."

Xiao Congzhi immediately sat up, stared at Xie Mowen with wide eyes, and said decisively, "Absolutely impossible."

Xie Mowen reached out his other hand and cupped Xiao Congzhi's face, looking at him intently with a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes. His words were deep and serious: "Xiao Congzhi, I want you."

Xiao Congzhi, panting, quietly looked at Xie Mowen for a long while before finally relaxing his body and leaning his head closer.

...

The two lay quietly for a long time before Xiao Congzhi said in a hoarse voice, "I need to take a bath."

Are you feeling unwell?

"Um."

Xie Mowen stood up and drew back the curtain: "I'll go and have Ge Yun prepare hot water."

"No!" Xiao Congzhi hurriedly got up to stop Xie Mowen, but he moved too quickly and was in pain, so he lay back down.

"how?"

"There's a hot spring behind here, carry me there. We can't let them all know that I, the ruler of a nation, have submitted to you."

Xie Mowen smiled and kissed Xiao Congzhi, then bent down and picked him up.

Xiao Congzhi rarely used the hot spring behind the Zichen Palace, but it was quite suitable for him now.

Xie Mowen put Xiao Congzhi into the water and massaged his waist to relieve the pain, feeling rather embarrassed: "Did I use the wrong position? It hurts so much."

Actually, it's alright. He just got up in a hurry. But right now, Xiao Congzhi just glanced at Xie Mowen and didn't say anything.

Xie Mowen put his arm around Xiao Congzhi, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "You care about me a lot?"

Xiao Congzhi looked at Xie Mowen without saying a word.

"I just wanted you so badly."

"What nonsense!" Xiao Congzhi scoffed. "And what about later?"

Xie Mowen hesitated and struggled, mentally preparing himself before reluctantly uttering, "How about we take turns next time?"

Xiao Congzhi could tell from that look that the other person wasn't sincere, so he turned his head away and didn't say a word.

Xie Mowen felt a little flustered. He hugged Xiao Congzhi and shook him, then leaned in and kissed him for a while.

Xiao Congzhi glanced at Xie Mowen a few times, but finally softened and said indifferently, "I don't care."

Xie Mowen blinked, as if he didn't understand.

"But the Empress Dowager cannot know."

Xie Mowen felt his mind was a complete mess, and it took him a while to understand what Xiao Congzhi was saying. He then hugged Xiao Congzhi tightly, stunned.

Xiao Congzhi pushed Xie Mowen's head away with a look of disgust and emphasized again, "The Empress Dowager can't know."

It's not a big deal for Xiao Congzhi to bring someone he likes back to the palace for a few days if he has her in his heart, but if she is willing to give herself to him, it's likely that she has fallen in love with him. In that case, the Empress Dowager will try every means to get rid of Xie Mowen.

Xie Mowen nodded.

Xiao Congzhi was a little tired and leaned on Xie Mowen's shoulder.

Xie Mowen patted Xiao Congzhi's back casually, laughing a little silly. After a while, he finally regained some rationality and calmness.

"You... really don't care?"

This question was asked much more seriously than before; Xie Mowen didn't actually want Xiao Congzhi to compromise for him.

Xiao Congzhi genuinely didn't care, but how could he possibly emphasize those words a second time!

But when he met Xie Mowen's deep and serious eyes, Xiao Congzhi softened and softly hummed in agreement.

Xie Mowen immediately pressed his advantage: "I read in a book that if I'm powerful, I can make you directly... How about we try it next time?"

Xiao Congzhi: ………