Chapter 21

"Brother, what are you doing here?" Lu Xuejin had just left the academy when she saw a dark figure in the distance under the eaves.

Because it was hidden deep in his memory, the figure had almost faded. Xue Yi's youthful face was pale, having just recovered from an illness, and his dark eyelashes covered his eyes tightly. Upon seeing him, Xue Yi stared at him for a moment before looking away.

Xue Yi: "My father asked me to come and take you home."

This was obviously a lie. He had traveled the road from the academy to the Prime Minister's residence a hundred times; when had he ever needed someone to ferry him? Even if someone were to come, it should be a guard.

"Does Father know that my elder brother has come?" he couldn't help but ask.

Upon hearing this, Xue Yi fell silent again, staring at him for a long while. A gust of wind blew, and he began to cough, looking frail and weak.

“I know you came by yourself,” he said, gently patting Xue Yi’s back. “Brother, you don’t need to wait for me. I will return to the manor after I finish my studies.”

"..." Xue Yi didn't say anything, but he often saw Xue Yi after class.

Xue Yi preferred dark colors, seemingly intentionally trying to hide himself away, to conceal himself in the shadows, far removed from the crowd. Each time he watched from afar, Xue Yi almost blended into the dark red tiled walls. He wondered how long Xue Yi had been waiting for him outside.

“…Brother?” A low voice came from beside my ear.

Lu Xuejin then woke up. He opened his eyes and met a handsome, cold face. Murong Yue was beside him, having been awake for an unknown amount of time, staring at him silently, his eyes as dark as ink.

"Your Highness?" He had been standing guard beside the person, who seemed to be asleep. Xue Yi's youthful face flashed before his eyes. He composed himself and asked, "When did Your Highness wake up? How are you feeling? Does your injury still hurt?"

He asked several questions in a row. Murong Yue's cheeks were covered in sweat, and he was soaking wet. Hearing this, he looked down at the wound on his chest.

“I’m much better now,” Murong Yue said. “I just woke up and saw you beside me…you’ve been taking care of me all this time?”

Lu Xuejin stood guard in front of everyone for three whole days. During these three days, Murong Yue woke up in the middle of the night, but soon fainted again. Now his complexion looks a little better.

“I’m worried about Your Highness’s injuries, so I’ve been watching over you these past few days. I’ve felt uneasy ever since the day Your Highness had the accident… Did Your Highness see who did it?” he asked tentatively.

Upon hearing this, Murong Yue looked at him. The young man had just recovered from a serious illness, and his sharp eyes seemed to have been cleansed, with his pupils forming a dark background and gleaming with a silent, eerie light.

A moment of silence followed. Murong Yue turned his head slightly and said with lowered eyes, "Brother Changyou... I don't remember much about what happened that day. I only remember seeing the white tiger and fighting it in a moment of panic. I was lucky enough to kill the white tiger... I don't remember anything else."

"I'm sorry to have worried you, Brother Changyou... I owe my life to you, Brother Changyou." Murong Yue said, smiling at him. The smile was genuine, revealing his canine teeth slightly. He stepped forward and hugged him.

Lu Xuejin was held tightly in the arms of the boy, who was wrapped around him. He didn't move for fear of touching the boy's injuries. He smelled a faint scent of blood, and he wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Murong Yue was holding him more gently than before, as if he were handling something precious.

For some reason, Murong Yue's excessive calmness made him feel somewhat strange.

"Your Highness... did you really not see the archer?" he asked quietly.

“No. I did dream about my elder sister. Brother Changyou, have you seen my elder sister? She is dignified and polite. Lately, I keep dreaming about the past, perhaps because my teacher has assigned too much homework. But if it weren't for His Majesty's grace, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to enter the Zhizhang Hall to learn knowledge,” Murong Yue said.

"..." Lu Xuejin stared at the man. The boy was still the same as before, as if the gloom and raging anger he had shown when he was sick were just an illusion. Now, only his eyes had become darker, empty and black. All his sharp emotions had been suppressed, and he appeared docile and lively in front of Lu Xuejin.

I don't know if he really doesn't know who the murderer is, or if he's worried that telling him would implicate him.

“I have met the eldest princess. She was aloof yet polite, which was admirable,” Lu Xuejin recalled.

As he spoke, he looked down at the boy, wanting to touch the boy's cheek.

"Your Highness... have you ever considered leaving the palace?"

“Brother Changyou, you’re the only one in this palace who still calls me Your Highness,” Murong Yue said, then asked, “Where are you going after leaving the palace? Does Brother Changyou want to leave this place?”

“I cannot leave for the time being, but I may leave in the future. However, it is too dangerous for Your Highness to stay in the palace. If Your Highness is willing, I can send you away,” Lu Xuejin said.

He looked serious, the boy smiled, and then turned his gaze elsewhere in the tent.

“The palace is my home, so where else can I go? But if I’m with Brother Changyou… I might consider it in the future.”

Lu Xuejin: "I misspoke, Your Highness, please don't take it to heart."

He said, noticing a heavy gaze falling on him. The boy opposite him seemed to be looking at him with a complex expression. When he looked over, the boy's expression changed, and his fingertips were immediately grasped.

“I know Changyou is worried about me. Don’t worry, I’ll get better soon. If Changyou is always worried about me, I might feel guilty.”

"Thanks to Brother Changyou, my injuries are healing." Murong Yue took his hand and guided his palm to touch his heart.

His snow-white inner shirt was still tinged with red, with a deep scar. He subconsciously curled his fingers, afraid of touching that spot, but the burning body heat carried him to touch the arrow wound. The boy studied him, his long eyelashes pressing down on his eyes, a faint smile on his lips.

"Brother Changyou, feel it, it's fine."

When Lu Xuejin touched the boy's wound, a surge of indescribable emotions welled up inside him. He stared at it for a while, recalling Wei Ning's words and the dream he had just had, and then he closed his eyes.

"I've been thinking about this a lot these past two days. If I could have gone with His Highness that day, perhaps His Highness wouldn't have been injured," he muttered to himself.

“Brother Changyou, let’s not talk about this anymore. I heard some things while I was unconscious. But did His Majesty send someone?” Murong Yue asked.

"I've heard that I'm involved in the case of three court officials. It would be great if I could provide some clues. However, my injuries are currently in my way... I will go to the criminal trial committee in two days."

“This matter is completely unfounded,” Lu Xuejin said. “It has nothing to do with Your Highness. Your Highness should just focus on recovering from your injuries. There is no need for Your Highness to worry about His Majesty.”

Murong Yue: "Brother, since I am innocent, I believe His Majesty will investigate thoroughly."

As he spoke, Murong Yue stared intently at the man. He was almost starting to believe what he was saying himself. If it weren't for the lingering pain in his chest wound… he could faintly taste blood in his throat. Unbeknownst to the young man, he clenched the mattress tightly, the cotton fibers bulging from it.

The boundless hatred surging within his chest subsided completely upon touching the young man before him. He didn't want to see the other man frowning and worried.

“This matter is not as easy as Your Highness thinks,” Lu Xuejin looked at him and couldn’t help but sigh. “Your Highness is so simple-minded, I am worried for you. This may not be a good thing.”

"Never mind... let's not talk about that anymore. Your Highness, please rest well. I'll stay with you and won't let them take you away."

Lu Xuejin placed her hand on his forehead, her warm breath close to him. The young man's amber eyes reflected in his own, his gaze gentle and pitying. A surge of emotion welled up in his heart, causing waves of pain. He clenched his teeth, the veins on his forehead throbbing faintly.

When has he ever been so naive? If this man knew that he had indeed poisoned three court officials... I wonder what he would do.

I wonder if they will still feel pity for him.

Seeing this man was like an ant seeing a pessimistic god or Buddha.

Seeing that his expression was off, Lu Xuejin half-held him in her arms, gently patting his back, coaxing him like a child. He felt the young man's body temperature, and the fragrance calmed him down, temporarily ignoring the pain.

He had a dream where he was in a military camp with his uncle.

He always lost to his uncle when they played chess.

“…I’m not playing anymore,” the other person said, looking at him. “You are easily angered, restless, and impulsive, which are major taboos in a game. I was just giving you a slight advantage, and you immediately became complacent and relaxed, revealing your true colors. How can you become a winner if you act like this?”

"If you are at a disadvantage, you should remain calm and wait to defeat your enemy. Do not act unless you are absolutely certain of success. If you return to Shengjing in the future, even if the Prince of Liang favors you, if your elder brothers and sisters have ambitions to seize the throne, you may not live to see the day you return to the palace."

Whether it was his uncle's words or not, he dreamed of Lu Xuejin again. The day he dreamed of seeing the hickeys on Lu Xuejin's neck, a sudden surge of rage welled up in his heart. In the dream, he was gloomy and unpredictable, his eyes bloodshot and unable to control himself, and he tore down and destroyed the entire palace.

...I don't know who that person is.

In his dream, he saw the young man with kiss marks etched on his face. The image kept replaying in his mind, something he cherished and treasured... He watched coldly from the side until he suddenly saw the person who did it.

Through the window, he saw himself in his dream pressing the young man against the table, his canine teeth brushing against the young man's neck, leaving a faint, bright red mark.

A fleeting glimpse of her snow-white, delicate skin. He saw himself reflected in Lu Xuejin's eyes. It was all his doing. He wanted to remain, so he left those marks. Because of him, Lu Xuejin allowed it. He was a special person to Lu Xuejin.

A god-like person... would only allow him to do that kind of thing.

Dark thoughts surged through his dream, and he suddenly opened his eyes. In the pitch-black environment, outside was the color of night. A layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he realized that in addition to his injuries, something else was aching.

Murong Yue found himself still in the young man's arms. He could vaguely make out Lu Xuejin's silhouette in the darkness. The other man was holding him, and the fragrance emanating from him made him feel hot. He looked at the young man's profile, staring intently at the tip of the other man's snow-white ear, which inexplicably attracted him.

The scene before him overlapped with his dream. He leaned forward, and before he knew it, he had already licked it.

A note from the author:

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, little ones! Here's a little Mid-Autumn Festival skit for you:

Recently, a strange machine has appeared in the capital. It has a square frame with a round hole in the middle, is made of incredibly hard metal, and emits a flash of light.

Murong Yue: "Brother Changyou, come and see! It's said that this big iron block can take pictures. As long as my brother and I stand here, it will draw our likenesses on paper."

Lu Xuejin leaned closer, and his and the young prince's images were reflected on the square metal. Before he could react, a bright light appeared, and the boy beside him took advantage of the chaos to kiss him.

With a "click," the photo fell from the machine, showing him glancing at the prince from the side. The prince's eyes and brows lit up when he kissed him, sparkling brightly in the photograph.