Chapter 78 [VIP]

Looking at the boy's face, Lu Xuejin couldn't tell the difference; he was clearly unaware that she had fainted the day before.

His mind was in turmoil when Tengluo knocked on the door and said from outside, "Young master, there's a theatrical troupe setting up downstairs. They're putting on a free performance today. Shall we go and take a look?"

"A theatrical troupe?" Murong Yue asked, his eyes turning to the side. "Brother, let's go out and take a look."

As she spoke, Murong Yue leaned closer to look at him, smiling broadly, and said, "Brother Changyou, don't worry, I'm fine. Feel me, I'm perfectly alright."

The boy's eyes and brows showed innocence, as if he were worried that the boy was troubled by this, and he leaned closer to look at him carefully. The sickly appearance disappeared, and his body, tanned by the sunlight, exuded a warm aura.

He touched the prince's head and saw that he had indeed recovered.

“If it’s a nightmare, it’s a nightmare. What’s wrong with having a dream?” Murong Yue said, and went to open the door for Tengluo. Tengluo poked her head in.

There's nothing wrong with a dream, he thought. Looking at the prince, the prince seemed quite nonchalant about his condition, even somewhat oblivious. But as he observed the boy's expression, a dark cloud settled over him. That cloud grew thicker with the rising and falling music from below.

On the first floor, the opera troupe was bustling about, having accepted a job from Song Fangting, and was performing for free at the inn today. Many people had gathered around, creating a lively atmosphere. They were safe hiding among the crowd. The stage was quickly erected, and a red silk cloth was lowered in the center.

The musicians playing drums and gongs, and the male actors dressed as women, their vibrant red and green colors blending together like flowers and leaves merging into one in a flower garden. The various masks on stage, clashing in rich colors, were dazzling to the eye.

Lu Xuejin stood beside Murong Yue. Just as the actor opened his mouth, he began to wail softly, his weak sobs sounding like whimpers. The boy's face was reflected in his eyes, and for some reason, upon hearing the cries, the boy's face paled slightly.

A bead of sweat clung to the boy's distinct temples, dripping down as if he were trapped in an indescribable nightmare. His innocent eyes still reflected the stage, but he was forcing himself to remain calm, frozen in place, as if he might be crushed at any moment by the actor's pitiful display of weakness.

“…Brother?” Noticing his gaze, Murong Yue looked over at him.

Lu Xuejin paused slightly, looked at the stage, and asked, "Your Highness, is this play to your liking?"

Murong Yue glanced at the stage and said to him, "Very good. If Brother Changyou likes it, we can go back to Lidu and watch a few performances."

He didn't speak, but reached out to touch Murong Yue's palm, feeling a damp bead of sweat. The cold sweat enveloped him, suddenly pulling his memory back to the day His Highness was injured. He could only vaguely guess, not confirm it. His Highness was so strong-willed; how could he show him a vulnerable side? He was willing to show him all the facades, but unwilling to reveal the true shadows of his heart.

He didn't listen to the performance on stage; he only watched the prince's expression. After it ended, he and the prince returned to their room one after the other. Murong Yue had received a mask from Tengluo and was examining it from all angles.

“Brother, look at the colors on it. You rarely see them. They look like the colors of rock paintings from northern China,” Murong Yue said.

“Your Highness knows a great deal. I have never seen rock paintings before,” Lu Xuejin glanced at them and then asked, “About what happened the other day…Your Highness is no longer angry?”

Murong Yue stopped upon hearing this and looked at him, saying, "Of course I'm still angry. What I said is true. If you leave, we don't need to see each other again. What happens to you in the future is none of my business."

"After I return to Lidu, I'll find a wife to settle down with as soon as possible. What happens to you in the capital is none of my business. We'll be arriving in Lidu soon, so you should cherish this time, Changyou. Once we get there, it will be time for us to part ways."

Listen to that! He's so sharp-tongued and relentless, determined to hurt him. Seeing the boy's behavior, Lu Xuejin had other concerns. He stepped forward and touched the boy's cheek, causing Murong Yue to meet his gaze.

"Let's not talk about that for now. Today I remembered the day Your Highness was injured. Your Highness never told me the details. Does Your Highness still remember the specifics... Could you tell me about them?" he asked.

Murong Yue's hand touched Murong Yue's skin, and Murong Yue's cheek brushed against the edge of his hand. Murong Yue looked at him thoughtfully, and said without moving, "I didn't say it before because I was worried about making things difficult for you, brother. Now that you've asked, I can tell you. It's just that I was no match for that sickly fellow, and he got his way. That's all, nothing else."

Seeing that the child was still concerned about this matter, Lu Xuejin couldn't help but say, "How can we say we are no match? How old is His Majesty? How old is Your Highness now? Even the greatest emperors of all time make mistakes. There is no need to hold a grudge over past errors. In my opinion, Your Highness's talent is unmatched."

After he finished speaking, the boy whose face he had touched looked at him, clearly annoyed. That annoyance stemmed from the shyness brought on by his words, and also seemed to be fueled by his constant praise.

“Brother, you must have said these words to others as well. If you are no match for someone, you are no match for someone. Why make so many excuses? I didn’t care about it afterward. Brother, you like me, and that’s enough to erase my gloom.” Murong Yue said, then paused slightly, leaving the rest of his sentence unsaid.

In the end, they still didn't want him to leave. But the young man understood the importance of not bothering others. After the argument, they stopped bringing it up, leaving it to him to decide.

Lu Xuejin: "Really nothing else? Did you see or hear anything else that day?"

He asked. As soon as he finished speaking, Murong Yue's eyes reflected him, the thick, dark ink surging forth, silent like a shadow spreading from the sunlight. His figure, which had been bathed in sunlight, was now gradually swallowed by the shadow.

"What do you mean, brother?" Murong Yue glanced at him slightly and smiled. "Although I may seem narrow-minded at times, I am not always like that. If I were to marry a wife, even if she had been violated before, I wouldn't care. To me, I would only feel powerless. If I could go back in time, I should kill my wife's ex-husband."

"..." As for who this defiled wife was, His Highness remained silent, but the answer was already reflected in his eyes.

Lu Xuejin sighed inwardly. He now understood; perhaps His Highness had misunderstood. There might be a close connection between why His Highness would turn pale and fall into nightmares upon hearing an actor's trembling voice. He wondered what His Highness had seen that day.

He understood the reason behind it all, and seeing the young man's feigned magnanimity while his eyes were blazing with anger, he couldn't help but find it amusing. He remained calm and pretended to agree, saying, "In that case, Your Highness is indeed very generous. The ancients said that a prime minister's belly can hold a boat, and judging from this, Your Highness's mind is far more than that. Building a Wei Palace wouldn't be out of the question."

As soon as he finished speaking, His Highness recognized his tone, his expression shifted, and he leaned in unhappily to bite him. A tooth mark appeared on his cheek.

Murong Yue: "I've always been magnanimous. If my wife has only had a previous relationship, I think it's acceptable. She can like someone else, or she can like me. Although I may be jealous, as long as she's happy, it's not a big deal. I'm just worried that my wife might dislike someone but be forced into it, falling into some kind of shadow. This shadow is irreversible, and it's also a kind of pain for me. I've been to the battlefield before, and the sounds and expressions people make when they're afraid and when they're happy are the same; both are extreme emotions. If I hear such sounds and expressions, I'd rather it's caused by happiness, so at least my wife isn't suffering, and I'm willing to bear the pain of watching her suffer."

Lu Xuejin paused slightly upon hearing this. He looked at the boy's expression; his handsome, cold face was crystal clear, his eyes firm and powerful, yet that warm, sun-like warmth reappeared. Touching the boy was like touching the sun. The scorching light burned his skin, turning it to ashes, and extinguished it along with his heart.

Your Highness... Your Highness always surprises him.

His Highness always manages to find the real and warm aspects of humanity in the smallest details, to discover the ancient glow amidst desolate ruins. Like the protagonist in a story, they shine brightly in his eyes.

He remained silent, but once he touched the prince's cheek, he couldn't let go. Murong Yue let him pinch his cheek, enduring the pinch while looking at him, "Brother Changyou, why do you keep touching my face? I'm not a child anymore."

"Your Highness seems like a child to me. You just said your wife was happy, so what if I pinch your cheek now?" he asked deliberately.

Murong Yue realized what was happening and his face immediately turned red. He looked at him incredulously, his canine teeth sticking out, his gaze gradually deepening. His pupils, which seemed to point towards an abyss, stared at him with unspeakable emotions, like a fire surrounding him, threatening to burn him dry.

“I also have something to tell Your Highness. Your Highness always keeps things from me, and even if Your Highness doesn’t want to know, I should still tell Your Highness. One day, actors came to Fangze Palace, and my brother and I watched a play together. At the time, I didn’t want to watch the actors because they were embarrassing, but after watching that play today, I remembered it.”

Lu Xuejin: "I saw the actress being violated by the guards, but Your Highness did not. Your Highness was outside the palace corridor and thought it was your wife being violated. I could not tell whether the voice was weak or fearful. Today, Your Highness should listen for yourself and see what the tone of pleasure is."

He leaned closer, gazing gently at the young man. Murong Yue was slightly taken aback by his gaze. Their conversation, seemingly about trivial matters, was nonetheless intricately connected to the issue.

Murong Yue stared at him, his gaze piercing through him. The inn became a death palace, with only his face remaining vividly alive in the prince's eyes. He transformed into a butterfly about to flutter away, landing in the boy's eyes and becoming fixed there, turning into ink that clung to the boy's palm.

The window transformed into a paper window, becoming their silhouettes. A dark aura emanated from his side, giving him the illusion of being in the center of a chessboard. When a person loses the ability to think, they are no different from a chess piece. Chess pieces are always influenced by others, their thoughts are pulled, and they are manipulated.

He had never been so close to anyone before, and now he had promised His Highness that when he touched the boy's body, that scalding heat would melt him. He turned into melting fat, beads of sweat appearing on his temples, which Murong Yue licked away. It wasn't to prove his innocence, but seeing His Highness trapped in a nightmare because of this, if he wanted to make amends, he would offer himself up, letting the boy cleanse those dark memories.

Memories are like a dark cloud, dense and thick, but not indelible. He wanted to melt that cloud, so that His Highness would be free from this suffering and have a happy memory.

Love is ultimately a reflection of human desire. Consciousness must distance itself from it. When bodies touch each other, the primal instincts brought about by reproduction intertwine with the instincts of desire and life, blending together to form indelible marks.

He was in Murong Yue's arms, watching the prince's slender fingers curl up. He closed his eyes and felt a light kiss on his eyelids, the touch making him open them. He was reluctant to speak because of the unusual sensation, his throat felt blocked, and his soft whispers blended with the sound of rain outside the window.

“Changyou is my wife.” Murong Yue looked at his fingers, inexplicably drawn to them, and repeatedly looked down at him before leaning over and kissing his ear.

He managed to remain calm, lifting his eyelids to look at the boy, his ears turning warm red from the prince's scent. The mischievous boy, noticing his unsteady breathing, became incredibly patient, leaning in to gently nibble at his earlobe.

"Brother Changyou is worried I'll have nightmares. Brother Changyou is so good. I like Brother Changyou, Brother Changyou makes me feel close to you, Brother Changyou is the best. I like Brother Changyou the most, I want to shrink him down and keep him by my side at all times, and in my next life I want to be a god. Then I'll cast a spell so that Brother Changyou can only follow me and can't go anywhere else. I want to love him forever, in this life, in the next life, and forever."

The boy's voice came from Lu Xuejin's shoulder. The boy was pressed against him, unable to express his indescribable joy, so he could only hug him and kiss and rub against him. Even his eyelashes were kissed several times, becoming damp and stained with the prince's scent, with a blush of pink, making their bodies sticky and inseparable.

"I like my brother the most."

The boy in his arms was burning hot, as if he had turned into a scorching iron block, glowing and radiating heat. His eyes were bright and dazzling, and the kisses left marks on his skin like burn marks, difficult to dissipate, lingering like scars etched on his side.

Something that is hard to part with.

He watched as his parents and brothers, figures from his memories, gradually receded into the distance, severing their ties with him, leaving only the boy before him. His Highness occupied his entire being; the emotions of the present moment reshaped his past memories, blurring those faces. Only a few slender figures remained, the only tangible reality at this moment.

Still alive, between reality and illusion, between memory and reality, he has left the chessboard he wove and come to the human world. He has left behind his unwavering ambition and come to the dust of the world. He has left the candlesticks before the Buddha and come to the courtyard. He has left behind the clamor of fame and fortune; his name has become a reality on the lips of the young man.

No longer the top scholar yearning for lasting fame, no longer a renowned minister by the emperor's side, no longer a censor devoted to the people. His heart left his body, went into nothingness, and now, gradually becoming clearer in that nothingness, it returns to his body, allowing him to keenly feel his heart beating.

His body was separating; his younger self was leaving his body. His gaze was fixed on the distance, where the people were suffering terribly. The boy in red listened intently to the people's cries, without glancing at him, and walked towards them, disappearing into the sounds and sights of their suffering.