Chapter 105 [VIP]

"Song Zhao, you've come so late at night, is there something urgent?" Xue Yi asked.

Upon hearing this, Song Zhao paused slightly. He didn't have anything urgent, but he had heard that Lu Xuejin had come to Xiyuan Palace and had forgotten the time when she left. It didn't seem like the right time to offer advice; if there was anything to discuss, it would be better to wait until tomorrow.

"Your Majesty, I was confused. I went out in the middle of the night and forgot the time."

Xue Yi: "I haven't gone to sleep yet either. If you don't mind, you can stay here overnight."

Song Zhao: "No need, Your Majesty. I will come to see you again tomorrow."

He went out with a heavy heart, and couldn't help but glance at Lu Xuejin's pale face several times. For some reason, a mixture of emotions suddenly welled up in his heart. Although he didn't want his lord to be bewitched, he should be happy that his lord had finally gotten his wish and was recovering.

But seeing Lu Xuejin's expression, I always felt... I always felt that those helpless things in the world could not ultimately be done according to people's wishes, but rather in a way that was more cruel than imagined.

He recalled seeing Lu Xuejin's back as a child, either outside the window of Zhizhang Hall or in the library, someone he felt he had to surpass. Now, that thought had vanished from his heart, leaving him feeling empty, as if the person ahead of him had suddenly disappeared, leaving him alone in the wilderness.

"Lord Song!" He had just stepped out when he saw Lu Xuejin's maid.

I don't know the girl's name, but I've run into her several times outside the library. She's incredibly cute, and every time she stares at me with wide eyes, it's as if she's never seen a man before.

He stopped and looked at the girl who had spoken to him.

Wisteria: "Have you seen my young master? Is he inside now?"

"Yes," he replied.

"You...you've come to the palace in the middle of the night, is there something urgent?" the girl opposite asked again.

He could remain silent, though. He frowned and glanced at the girl, wondering if she was deliberately trying to extract information from him. He coldly walked past her, brushing against her, his gaze lingering on the perfectly applied rouge at the corner of her lips as he left.

As he boarded the carriage, the wheels rolled and he saw the first light of dawn appearing on the horizon, which reminded him of the Hu people's prophecy.

—The dynasties on this land collapsed and were rebuilt, until they completely disappeared two thousand years later.

...

"Changyou, are you angry with me?" Xue Yi asked.

Lu Xuejin realized that at this moment, his body no longer seemed to be his own, but rather a dense tangled mess of thoughts. His consciousness briefly detached, entering a blurred state, his whole being in a daze, a fog of confusion floating in his mind.

“…Never,” he said.

He gazed at Xue Yi's profile, the shadows cast by the dim candlelight on that face. The humiliation he had suffered seemed to transform into some kind of energy that restored Xue Yi's vitality. The more vulnerable he saw in him, the stronger his brother seemed to grow, like a plant clinging to him for support.

"It was my fault, don't be angry with me. I'll take you back," Xue Yi said to him.

They didn't apologize when they did something wrong, but now they know to apologize after they've done it.

He was unable to move because of the rosary beads, his body was still tense, cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and his whole body was heated by the charcoal fire burning in the hall, and the heat could not be dissipated no matter what he did.

Xue Yi lowered his head to hug him again, but he closed his eyes and saw that the sky outside was sometimes bright and sometimes dark, with the sun faintly visible at the end of the road. He let Xue Yi pick him up.

On the way from Xiyuan Palace to the carriage, Xue Yi carried him. When he opened his eyes, he could see Xue Yi's eyebrows and eyes, and the small mole under his slender eyes was faintly visible. When their eyes met, Xue Yi lowered his head and touched his cheek with the corner of his lips.

“Look at this road, doesn’t it look like the road we used to take home together?”

He naturally had no mind to look. Affected by the foreign object, every touch and closeness made his body react sluggish. The damp heat in the hall did not subside, but instead burned more and more intensely, blurring his eyebrows and eyes, and causing him to be covered in cold sweat.

Once in the carriage, Xue Yi was still holding him.

He looked at the scenery outside. In winter, the entire city of Shengjing was transformed into a traditional Chinese ink painting. The azure sky turned into a vast expanse of blank space, while the cold palace walls were painted in vermilion. The palace path paved with blue bricks stretched endlessly until it turned into a dot of ink at the end.

“Brother…it’s almost time for the morning court session,” he said.

Originally intended as a reminder, Xue Yi was quite oblivious to this, unaware of what was growing on his face, and kept looking down at him the whole way.

Xue Yi replied, "After seeing Changyou off, I will go to court."

He had never seen Xue Yi so lively before. Xue Yi was always sickly, but now that his vitality had been drained, dealing with state affairs all night seemed much easier. He didn't want to think about the reasons behind it.

He didn't say a word. Xue Yi touched the sweat on his forehead, held him tightly in his arms, pressed his lips to his forehead, and had a deep, almost imperceptible smile in his eyes.

"...Changyou can't bear to part with me?"

"..." He closed one eye, and lifted the eyelid of the other, "I can't bear to part with you, so you won't go, brother?"

Xue Yi: "It's not impossible not to go. If Changyou says something nice, then I won't go."

Xue Yi's light, airy voice reached his ears, causing him to pause. He naturally wouldn't say anything nice. He glanced at the road outside every now and then; it usually didn't feel like much, but today the road seemed incredibly long.

He had become like a cloth doll the whole way, sitting in Xue Yi's arms. Xue Yi stared at him the whole time, touching and stroking him as if he had received his favorite toy, and would often lean in to kiss his cheeks and lips, their noses touching, and a sickly pity would appear in his dark, ink-like eyes.

It was as if he would shatter at the slightest touch; he neither let go nor stopped touching him.

"Young Master—"

He heard the sound of wisteria outside, and knew he had arrived at his destination.

Xue Yi carried him down, and Tengluo saw the two of them, her eyes widening instinctively. After returning, Xue Yi never blamed Tengluo or Ziyan; they both knew what had happened.

Wisteria: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

Xue Yi: "Teng Luo, look at your face. Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd seen a ghost."

This is no different from seeing a ghost. Tengluo subconsciously took two steps back. "Your Majesty, you can leave the young master to me... You may go to court."

As Lu Xuejin listened to their conversation, he was carried into Fangze Palace. Upon entering, Xue Yi noticed the flower bed in his courtyard. The red plum branches that he had cut last year, which had been overturned by Song Zhao, now had several branches that had taken root and sprouted new shoots.

Xue Yi noticed this and lowered his gaze to him, saying, "Changyou, look at those plum blossoms. We broke them together... and now they've grown back. Aren't they our children?"

He understood Xue Yi's meaning; such a crude joke didn't stir any emotion within him. He remained calm, too lazy to reply, but when he glanced to the side, he saw Xue Yi's eyes and brows; Xue Yi seemed to be smiling because of his expression.

Xue Yi originally had a sickly appearance, but when he smiled, his pale face flushed, his eyebrows and eyes became incredibly vivid, and his beautiful features drew people down to earth, as if they had glimpsed the life force in a corner of a dead land.

“Brother… this is enough.” he said.

He felt as if the person beside him had turned back into an aquatic plant. The plant suddenly burst into life, breaking free from the damp place and secreting a sticky venom that corroded him. His internal organs were filled with the venom, making it difficult to breathe. The more he was restrained, the more vibrant the plant became, stickily clinging to him, trying to merge with him.

In Fangze Palace, Tengluo and Ziyan had prepared the stove in advance, and there were many of his books on the table. Xue Yi carried him to the desk. By this time, the sky was already bright, and it was about time for court.

His taut nerves only relaxed slightly after returning to Fangze Palace. The suffocating tension he had felt earlier was now eased. He saw his own reflection in Xue Yi's eyes, his cheeks flushed from the heat, and his brown pupils widened as if letting in a cold wind.

“...Brother.”

He had barely opened his mouth when he wondered how the person beside him would perceive him. He had no interest in attending court whatsoever; the arms around him tightened, and Xue Yi's nose brushed against his ear as he leaned in to kiss him again.

The moist breath fell on his ear, and his previously relieved mood was stirred up again. He couldn't help but avoid Xue Yi's kiss. His forehead twitched, and he said to Xue Yi, "If you don't want to go, then don't go, okay?"

He glanced at the man and said, “Brother, you only need to stay in Fangze Palace. Let the officials wait in Jinluan Palace. When they have all waited, ask why His Majesty is not holding court in the morning. The guards will then say that Brother is unwilling to attend court in the morning. If you are absent for one day, the history books will record that Brother is a foolish emperor who does not hold court in the morning every day.”

Xue Yi seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this, and looked at him, saying, "I have been unwell for many years, and it is common for me to miss court for one or two days. The historians should not be as harsh as Changyou."

"I think Changyou is suitable to be a historian. He can follow me around every day and record my physical condition, my diet, my mood... So, what do you think of Changyou as a historian?"

He couldn't help but say, "If I were to become a historian, I'm afraid my brother would have difficulty leaving his mark on history. I am extremely demanding of the monarch."

Xue Yi: "How many emperors have left their mark in history? It's just a matter of who reigned for the longest time, who could control people's hearts better, and who plundered more territory. Sometimes I think these things are meaningless... What do you think, Changyou?"

He said to Xue Yi, "These are left for future generations to debate. No matter how you look at it... it is definitely not a good thing for a monarch to always think about matters of love."

He needed to take out the prayer beads before he could argue with Xue Yi, and couldn't help but ask again, "Xue Yanli...aren't you leaving?"

As the incense stick was about to burn out, he frowned and looked at Xue Yi, his neck damp with sweat. He rarely showed his emotions, but now Xue Yi was relentlessly tormenting him, determined to exhaust his patience.

Upon noticing his outward expression of emotion, Xue Yi seemed to have grasped something interesting, his slender eyebrows and eyes fixed on him, releasing his own emotions. He sensed that Xue Yi was in a very good mood, and the light kiss landed on his lips again, causing him to close one eye.

"I wish to bring Changyou to court with me... but after only half a day apart, I am reluctant to part with him. What should I do?"

He watched Xue Yi feign concern, as if he wanted to transform into a giant dog, determined to stay by his side. The emotion in his eyes became clearer, his longing for him growing ever more intense.

If someone willingly falls into a trap, no amount of persuasion from others can stop them.

He closed his eyes and touched Xue Yi's lips, saying, "Brother, you can go to court. It's not too late to come back after court. I'll wait for you here."

His light kiss stunned Xue Yi. He touched his own lips, and emotions surged in his eyes. The change in emotion caused the surrounding atmosphere to ripple. The emotions in Xue Yi's eyes seemed tangible, consuming him completely, leaving him unwilling to leave even his bones to be buried in the peony pond.

"..." Xue Yi chuckled, very satisfied with his compromise. He leaned closer and kissed him on the corner of his eyebrow and lips, saying, "Changyou, wait for me to come back and get some rest."

As he spoke, he glanced at the spot beneath him and whispered in his ear, "Keep the thing in your mouth, I'll take it out for you when I get back."

Even after saying she was leaving, she still didn't want to let him go and kissed him on the tip of his nose several more times.

The wisteria, who had been watching from the outside, waited for a while before Xue Yi came out. She had never heard of anyone recovering from illness and being reborn because of a change in mindset. Now, looking at Xue Yi, she finally understood. If she could write, she could write a book about it.

Love can truly save those who are terminally ill, enabling them to completely abandon their former despondent selves and radiate new vitality.

Xue Yi was so obsessed with the young master.

It must be hard on her young master, tending to a plant that is about to wither, who knows how much of his life force he will have to be drained from it.

"Young master, are you inside? I can't sleep. I heard you go out tonight... I made some porridge for you. Are you sleepy now? If not, why don't you finish it before you go to sleep?"

“...No need.” She heard a weak voice in the room.

"If you need anything, young master, please summon me at any time," she said.

She waited outside for another hour, guessing that Lu Xuejin might have fallen asleep. Every time the Emperor tormented him, the young master would return and sleep for a long time. She suspected that the Emperor's true identity was a vengeful ghost who drained people's yang energy, stealing it from the young master. This would also explain why the young master's illness always subsided after she tormented him.

With nothing else to do, she remembered seeing someone that morning; Song Zhao had said something to her earlier that day.

Coming to the Golden Palace in the middle of the night... could it be because of you, young master?

Thinking this, she paced back and forth at the door, wondering how His Highness was doing. With Miss Wei there, they didn't need to worry. Perhaps she could go to the library to take a look… Although she couldn't understand it, she had read many books and knew a thing or two about various historical allusions.

"Ziyan, I'm going out for a bit. If you need anything, just have the guards call me." After saying this to Ziyan, she ran off in a flash.

Upon arriving at the library, she stayed there for an hour. Just as the court session was about to end, she spotted Song Zhao in the distance.

Among the men of this world… there are those as aloof and ethereal as the young master, those as handsome and charismatic as the emperor, and those as domineering yet lively as His Highness. Song Zhao is different from all of them.

She couldn't quite put her finger on how they differed. Song Zhao was more handsome and refined, with a more austere demeanor. He was serious and focused on everything he did, unlike the young master and the emperor, who were always so casual and attracted attention. Nor did he possess the prince's wicked nature.

If she followed His Highness every day, he would surely ask her, with a barbed tone, why she was spying.

Song Zhao already knew about this, but he never expressed his opinion, only coldly thanking her when she brought him the gifts. The more coldly and politely he treated her, the more unaware she became... thinking she could take the initiative to get closer to him.

A note from the author: