Chapter 43 [VIP]

The golden lotus outside the window appeared and disappeared, swaying gently with the crimson blood flowing inside the palace.

The sound around Lu Xuejin disappeared. He saw Qiu Fuzhe holding the person in the blood blister, pointing at him with a fierce expression and saying something. He couldn't hear clearly. He saw Xue Yi walk up to him, lower his eyes and say something to Qiu Fuzhe, and then his wrist was gently grasped.

The blood seeped through the fabric, and he slowly began to feel the dizziness from excessive blood loss.

Xue Yi said to him in a low voice, "Thank you for your hard work, Changyou... Let's go back to the palace first."

He couldn't return to the palace now; His Highness was still waiting outside, something he hadn't told His Highness. Before him, Xue Yi's figure overlapped, becoming several in number. The emotions overflowing from Xue Yi's slender eyebrows and eyes were heavy with worry, like a thousand-pound leaf pressing down on a person.

Before he fainted, he saw a figure in front of the hall. The black figure was in the crowd. The boy looked at him through the mask, his eyes were hard to see, and he was far away from him.

...

"Fortunately, His Majesty sent it in time... otherwise, his hand would have been ruined. The cut was too deep, and I found traces of deceptive incense in Lord Lu's body. He inhaled too much, which caused his delirium," said Imperial Physician Jia.

As he spoke, Physician Jia carefully examined Lu Xuejin's wounds, cold sweat beading on his forehead and a look of worry appearing on his face.

The young man on the soft couch was pale, rarely showing his vulnerable side. Now that he had fainted, it was as if he had left everyone behind, becoming a pure lotus flower before the Buddha. His lowered gaze stirred up unsettling emotions.

"What does Your Majesty intend to do?" Song Zhao asked from the side.

Qiu Fuzhe specifically chose Li Guiqing this time, his intentions were obvious. He looked at the sleeping face of the young man on the soft couch, a bloody scar visible on the man's withered wrist. He was actually glad that it was Lu Xuejin in that hall. Only Lu Xuejin, this person would rather destroy herself than harm anyone else in the slightest.

"Changyou has already made the decision for me. The young are dead, so the old ones naturally cannot be spared... You may go and take care of it," Xue Yi said.

Xue Yi stood guard beside Lu Xuejin. The candlestick flickered by, and a guard came to change the water. He caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye. The guard was masked and not visible to the public, but for some reason, he felt uncomfortable whenever the person approached.

The dark shadow seemed to have transformed into a dead fish, now swimming around the Golden Palace. His gaze paused slightly, fixed on the movements of the guard before him.

The guards simply followed Physician Jia's instructions to change the water and took away the basin of bloody water without even glancing at the person on the bed.

Xue Yi asked quietly, "Imperial Physician Jia, which palace is he from?"

These words drew Song Zhao's attention, and the guards, without pausing their work, finished cleaning up the water and went downstairs.

Immersed in grief, Imperial Physician Jia, seeing Lu Xuejin injured for the first time, sighed by the soft couch. Not noticing the guards, he casually replied, "They are from our Imperial Hospital. Your Majesty, Lord Lu has been unable to lift heavy objects or write in his wrist lately. You must keep a close eye on him. His hand must not be harmed... How could a top scholar in the imperial examination injure his wrist?"

These words had been mentioned several times, and Song Zhao stared at Lu Xuejin's wrist for a moment before slowly looking away.

"Perhaps I've been too stressed lately," Xue Yi said. "Imperial Physician Jia, rest assured, I will not let anything happen to Changyou."

She kept watch all afternoon, and Lu Xuejin woke up in the evening.

He was drenched in sweat from the long dream. When he opened his eyes, he saw Xue Yi reviewing memorials. Xue Yi moved his desk next to him and put down the memorials after seeing that he was awake.

"Changyou...you're awake? Are your injuries still hurting?"

The warm glow of the candlelight made the palace feel cozy at night, a soft light enveloping Xue Yi's features and even softening the pallor on his face. Xue Yi wanted to touch him, about to brush against his forehead, but then stopped.

Lu Xuejin: "...Brother?"

"I am here. Changyou, are you feeling unwell? Is it too hot in the palace? I see you are covered in sweat. I will order someone to bring some ice," Xue Yi said.

Lu Xuejin's ears were ringing. Upon hearing this, she said, "I'm not cold. I just broke out in a sweat while dreaming. Qiu Fuze...?"

Xue Yi: "That case has been resolved, you don't need to worry about it anymore. I handed it over to Song Zhao. Qiu Xiongcai's death was due to violating the law, and according to the law, he should be beheaded."

As he listened, his consciousness gradually cleared. He stared at his palms and felt nothing but weakness.

Thinking this, he noticed that Xue Yi's expression was not what he had imagined, so he pressed on, "Brother, now that you know the evidence of his crimes, why didn't you read the memorial I wrote earlier?"

“This is my fault,” Xue Yi explained to him in a low voice. “I thought you left me a letter about leaving the palace, and I read it a few days late. I had my own selfish reasons. I did not respond when Song Zhao brought up this case. Since you have interfered… I could not see Changyou in the palace, so I hoped that Changyou would come back on his own.”

"My only selfish wish was for Changyou to come to me and discuss this matter with me personally. Now that I see you injured, I realize that I was wrong."

"What does Changyou think I should do?" Xue Yi said. "If I go to find Changyou, he might change his residence again and hide somewhere I can't see."

Xue Yi touched his wrist, and upon seeing the injury, Xue Yi frowned, his slender eyebrows turning dark, revealing a thick, sinister glint. That warm, moist gaze made him instinctively try to pull his hand away. The slightest movement sent a sharp pain through him as his knuckles were pressed down.

"Changyou, don't move anymore. You should take good care of your injuries."

Lu Xuejin's fingers slipped through Xue Yi's knuckles, and their fingers intertwined. Their tender words brought their skin to touch, and as they stood by his bedside, they truly resembled a loving couple. As he thought this, something suddenly caught his eye.

The figure guarding outside Xiyuan Palace, one of the guards, the one closest to him... that is, the Ninth Prince?

His mind suddenly became chaotic. He wondered how the Ninth Prince had managed to sneak in here, and what if Xue Yi had discovered him… His eyes churned with emotions that fluctuated with his weakened expression. He then thought of the boy who had risked coming here out of concern for him, even though he had already faced two life-or-death situations.

"What's wrong... Changyou, you seem troubled." Xue Yi noticed his expression and touched his cheek.

His fingers brushed against the side of Xue Yi's face. Seeing the boy staring intently at them, he suppressed his unease and said, "I'm tired. How about we get some rest early tonight?"

"You should rest. I will stay by your side. If these memorials are not dealt with today, they will pile up until tomorrow."

He was wearing Xue Yi's outer robe, and naturally he couldn't go back today. However, the young man guarding outside the door bothered him. He couldn't let Xue Yi notice anything amiss, and his thoughts were in turmoil, so he naturally couldn't sleep.

He and Xue Yi locked eyes several times, prompting Xue Yi to put down his folded document and come over to watch over him. Xue Yi touched the side of his palm, his lips landing on the back of his hand, kissing his fingertips.

The sharp gaze outside the door seemed to pierce through the beams. Lu Xuejin withdrew his hand and said, "It's getting late, brother, you should rest early too. We can look at the memorials tomorrow."

He said it casually, but a bright color appeared on Xue Yi's pale face, and he stared at him with his eyes, "Changyou... are you concerned about me?"

"..." Lu Xuejin did not respond. He thought for a while before speaking, "Of course, elder brother has just recovered from a long illness, so please take care of yourself."

His words softened Xue Yi's expression. Xue Yi replied, "I understand."

The two of them spent a peaceful night. Xue Yi lay down beside him, but he didn't fall asleep. In the middle of the night, he noticed Xue Yi waking up. Xue Yi examined the injury on his wrist, turning it over and looking at it for a long time before lowering his head to kiss the scar on his wrist. Every time he thought about how his prince might get hurt if he were close to Xue Yi, the thought made him uneasy.

The next day, he asked to leave the palace and promised to return in a few days, and Xue Yi then let him go.

"The palace is filthy, Changyou should just focus on recovering. If anything happens, just send a message to the guards," Xue Yi said to him.

He bid farewell to Xue Yi, but did not see the Ninth Prince. His thoughts were in turmoil the whole way until he arrived at the small courtyard outside the palace and saw him. Murong Yue appeared unharmed outside their courtyard, and only then did he feel relieved.

“Your Highness, it is dangerous in the palace. You must not go there,” he said to Murong Yue.

"If you go, you must discuss it with me next time."

Before he could finish speaking, Murong Yue immediately embraced him. He was enveloped by the boy's aura and could sense the boy's unease through his restless energy. Seeing this, he couldn't help but let the boy hold him. Recently, the boy had grown much taller, and the way he was being held was becoming increasingly unbearable, pressing down on him as if trying to push him into the gap between their bodies and become one.

"I'm worried about Changyou."

Murong Yue whispered in his ear, looking at him intently, as if he couldn't get enough of looking at him. His eyes still held an innocent emotion, but that innocence was mixed with restlessness and fear, which together tore out a dark and gloomy atmosphere.

"He's in the palace. My own brother."

"Brother doesn't dislike... like?" Murong Yue asked, mimicking his delirious self. His dark eyes reflected the young man's face, suppressing all his emotions as he quietly awaited the young man's reply.

"..." Lu Xuejin found it difficult to answer. For some reason, he felt that the boy's question was even more tricky. He naturally couldn't say that he liked it, especially since he didn't like it in the first place. But if he said that he didn't like it, it would seem that he had become someone who could be easily swayed by others in the boy's eyes.

He pondered the question seriously, and saw a familiar emotion appear in the boy's eyes. If he didn't answer well, the boy might be burned to pieces in front of him.

“I grew up with him, and we often had physical contact when we were young… perhaps I’ve gradually gotten used to it. If Your Highness is not pleased, I will keep my distance from him in the future.” He carefully chose his words, and as soon as he spoke, it felt like a wife who had been unfaithful was agreeing to her husband’s request.

Upon hearing this, Murong Yue immediately nodded, "Keep your distance."

"Brother, do you like him, or do you like me?" Murong Yue pressed.

Lu Xuejin: "He is my elder brother, and Your Highness is Your Highness. What kind of 'like' are you referring to, Your Highness?"

“All the likes combined,” Murong Yue said, “He’s the elder brother. I’m the younger brother. Which one does the elder brother like more?”

"I like younger brothers, they're younger," Murong Yue answered himself.

Lu Xuejin stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the person. He almost bumped into Murong Yue, who immediately made a move to catch him. Looking at the boy's actions, he couldn't help but think.

In just a few days, he has become so eloquent.

Seeing him lost in thought, Murong Yue followed behind him like a little tail, taking his hand.

"Brother Changyou." Murong Yue held his hand, clinging to him like a stringy candy. She snuggled closer, looking at him with an innocent expression, and whispered in his ear, "Brother, you want to kiss me too."

“Your Highness has many questions today, and I need to think about them one by one. Your Highness can play with the doll.” Lu Xuejin said.

Even after he said that, Murong Yue still didn't let go of him, still holding his wrist. Worried about hurting him, he pulled him almost into his arms, making him unable to move. He looked at the blush on the boy's ear, which immediately turned shy when touched, a stark contrast to the dark eyes.

Her eyebrows and eyes were like exquisite gemstones, innocent and pure, with occasional hints of darker colors, like dazzling stars that flash by in an instant.

He couldn't help but feel helpless, unable to fathom the boy's thoughts. He felt the boy had become more difficult to understand than before, and he would have to see a doctor again. Thinking this, he leaned over and gave the boy a perfunctory kiss on the forehead.

The moment they touched, it was as if some kind of taboo had been broken. He was held in someone's arms, Murong Yue's breath on his neck, and then he bit down. He gasped. The boy's touch didn't exude innocence; it was as if he was deliberately trying to make him cry out, reminding him of the time the two of them were in the closet.

Murong Yue would touch wherever he felt sensitive.

The kiss quickly turned rough and uncontrollable. He made no sound, simply letting the boy take his breath, making the air feel thin. He met Murong Yue's gaze.

His innocent expression held a hint of a smile, a blush fluttering past his ear, spreading down to his cheeks and neck. The gloomy look vanished completely; the moment he touched her, it was as if his angry and uneasy soul dissipated, turning him into a complete fool.

"Brother Changyou likes me. I will do better."

The boy whispered in his ear, pressing down on him and holding his hand, his lips slick with kisses, tracing every bone in his knuckles. His mind was in turmoil with the boy's kisses, and it took him a long time to regain his composure. This was completely different from before; the previous kisses were haphazard, but now it seemed as if the boy knew his preferences intimately.

"Your Highness—" He was lifted up and couldn't help but want to facepalm. What would he do if Ziyan and Tengluo saw this? He said to them, "Put me down."

Murong Yue ignored him, determined to reenact everything he had witnessed, replacing his memory with shame. He was held by the boy and placed on the bed, alongside the dolls, the big and small lying together on the boy's bed. Murong Yue leaned in and kissed the wound on his wrist several times.

"..." Lu Xuejin raised his wrist and touched Murong Yue's cheek. The boy's skin was burning hot, and the temperature seemed to penetrate the depths of his memory, making him tremble so much that he could not ignore it. His finger bones were then pierced, and the boy intertwined his fingers with his, just like Xue Yi, guarding him by his side.

Xue Yi's way of doing things had already made him accustomed to it. Now, as Murong Yue was learning from him, for some reason, when their fingers were intertwined, his fingertips were also infected with warmth, and his withered and weak areas emitted an extremely faint layer of pink, as if someone had carefully applied rouge several times.

"Your Highness, please stop fooling around," he said in a low voice.

Murong Yue kissed the reddened spot on his face, his eyes gazing at him intently, observing his expression. He wanted to make sure he saw it clearly, so that every time he encountered Xue Yi in the future, he would recall this scene.

This wasn't just a loss of mind; it was more like a demon ascending to immortality, stirring up his emotions.

A note from the author: