That night, Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an stayed at the prefect's mansion.
Although the northern frontier is barren and the prefectural governor's mansion is not luxurious at all, it is spacious and has many empty rooms.
Ye Jingchen no longer has to share a bed with Xie Chang'an.
But before going to bed that night, Xie Chang'an insisted on applying the medicine for him and massaging his legs.
Ye Jingchen was soaking his feet in hot water when Xie Chang'an moved a low stool next to him and sat down to massage his calves.
He was a martial artist and was familiar with the meridians of the human body. The force he used to knead the area was just right, and the places he kneaded felt tingly and numb, which was very comfortable.
"Xie Chang'an, I've already boasted to Wu Zemin, you shouldn't disappoint me, right?" Ye Jingchen asked with a sense of ease.
"Don't you consider this when you're making grand pronouncements?" Xie Chang'an asked with amusement.
He thought Ye Jingchen was really that confident in him?
"Of course I trust you, but I'm a rather greedy person and want to achieve my goal with the least sacrifice. Before I left, my father gave me this, so our plan can be more secure." Ye Jingchen said, taking out the half of the military tally that could mobilize the border troops.
When the emperor gave it to him, he repeatedly instructed that the existence of this half of the military tally must never be known to any third person other than him and Marquis Wu'an, especially not to anyone from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. But what could he do when Xie Chang'an was his ally?
As an ally, he naturally needed to let Xie Chang'an know about this trump card.
Xie Chang'an only glanced at it before recognizing what it was.
"The Emperor really dotes on you!" Xie Chang'an exclaimed.
The tiger tally for 200,000 border guards was given away so easily?
If we add the 200,000 Divine Might Army and the 200,000 guards outside the imperial city, then 80% of the Great Abyss's military strength is concentrated in Ye Jingchen's hands. If Ye Jingchen has any rebellious intentions, overthrowing the emperor's rule would be a piece of cake.
"That's right! All those years of building up goodwill weren't for nothing!" Ye Jingchen said proudly.
"Boosting favorability" was a completely new term that Xie Chang'an had never heard before, but just from the literal meaning, he could roughly understand what the term meant.
"So, while you were increasing the Emperor's favorability, you were also increasing my favorability with Ye Jinghe?"
"Perhaps we should also add your personal bodyguard."
"And everyone in the Wenhua Hall." Xie Chang'an stopped rubbing his legs, looked up at Ye Jingchen, and asked with a subtle expression.
Ye Jingchen's heart skipped a beat; he had gotten carried away. Could Xie Chang'an, such a clever person, have noticed something from those words?
"I can't I earn my favorability through my own efforts?" Ye Jingchen wouldn't show his insecurity the more he felt, but instead asked confidently.
Xie Chang'an immediately saw through Ye Jingchen's guilty conscience. He stood up and approached Ye Jingchen, "Fine! Why not? Then why don't you try to win me over more? I feel like our rapport isn't strong enough!"
Both he and Ye Jingchen have high nose bridges, and when they get too close, it feels like their noses are about to kiss.
"I think the level of affection between us is already high enough; there's no need to add more," Ye Jingchen said, trying to appear calm.
If this favorability rating keeps rising, Ye Jingchen worries that Xie Chang'an's brain won't be able to keep up.
"Is it because you have a higher level of affection for me, or for the little madwoman? Or perhaps for Chenxi?" Xie Chang'an stared into Ye Jingchen's eyes and asked another question that Ye Jingchen couldn't answer.
"Favorability ratings can't be measured by numbers. You don't have favorability ratings above your heads, so how am I supposed to know who has a higher favorability rating?" Ye Jingchen deliberately misinterpreted his meaning.
He felt the topic was somewhat dangerous, and Xie Chang'an's distance from him was also dangerous. "Don't get too close to me. This is the prefect's residence. Wu Zemin could come looking for me at any time."
“It’s so late, Wu Zemin couldn’t possibly be looking for you. You’re changing the subject; you know that’s not what I’m asking.” Xie Chang’an reached out and held Ye Jingchen’s head still, preventing him from leaning back.
"You know it's late, I should rest. Chenxi, see the guest out!" Ye Jingchen called out.
Chenxi appeared in response, looking at Xie Chang'an.
Xie Chang'an glanced at Chen Xi, but didn't let go. Instead, he moved even closer to Ye Jingchen, their noses almost touching. He mocked, "Your Highness is truly benevolent!"
Since leaving the capital, Ye Jingchen hadn't spoken to Xie Chang'an in this tone for a long time because of his poor condition. Hearing it suddenly, Ye Jingchen felt a little uncomfortable.
"This isn't about universal love. There are many kinds of feelings; familial love, friendship, and romantic love are all different," Ye Jingchen said.
"Then I wonder, is Your Highness's affection for me the kind I desire?" Since he was in front of Chenxi, Xie Chang'an did not ask directly.
Ye Jingchen realized that this question was more dangerous than the previous one, and he shouldn't have answered Xie Chang'an's question in the same way.
But Xie Chang'an is now clearly determined to get to the bottom of this, so he has to give Xie Chang'an an answer.
Ye Jingchen looked at the frostbite on his hands and feet that was almost healed, and then at the basin of foot bath water. He really felt that it shouldn't be wasted.
He thought for a moment and answered with a single word, "Yes."
But that one word was enough to make Xie Chang'an lose his composure. He pressed down hard on the back of Ye Jingchen's head, and their foreheads collided. Their noses were the hardest hit areas, and the force was so great that Ye Jingchen cried out in pain.
Xie Chang'an wasn't much better off.
He quickly let go of her hand and tilted his head back three centimeters.
"Sorry, I got too excited!" Xie Chang'an said.
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