Chapter 42
Upon learning that the emperor of Yu Sheng wanted to arrange a marriage, the officials of Yu State petitioned Yu Zhi to revoke his decision.
The Minister of Works, holding a tablet in hand, spoke passionately, "Since ancient times, there has never been a precedent for the emperors of two countries to marry. This is because there are many hidden dangers! Your Majesty, there are three inappropriate things about your marriage to Emperor Sheng.
"First, the two monarchs each govern their own affairs, but if a conflict arises, how will you respond? Mixing emotions with state affairs is a taboo. If selfish motives harm the people of your own country, I'm afraid it will chill the people.
"Secondly, how do you know the person beside you won't have ulterior motives? Even if you're on guard day and night, it's hard to prevent a thief from stealing your secrets. Even if he's sincere to you now, there's no guarantee he won't have second thoughts in the future. By then, it'll be too late to regret!"
"Third, our Dayu royal family has always had a declining bloodline. If you only give birth to one son, which country's throne will he inherit? Your Majesty, please think twice!"
"Pah pah pah—" Yu Zhi clapped his hands and laughed after hearing this. "My dear, what you said is very true."
The Minister of Works' eyes blazed: "Are you willing to revoke your order?"
Yu Zhi smiled and said, "I don't want to."
Minister of Works: "Your Majesty..."
"Minister Zhao, you're wrong!" Lu Jing interrupted the Minister of Works, stepped out of the group, and bowed to Yu Zhi. He then said, "Your Majesty has initiated unprecedented reforms with the world in mind, which will greatly benefit the people. Minister Zhao, please don't just focus on the road ahead."
Minister of Works: "Lu Jing, you..."
"The wedding date between me and Emperor Sheng has been set. Let's not discuss this matter anymore. Let's adjourn the court!" Seeing that he looked like he was determined to debate with Lu Jing to the end, Yu Zhi left the Zichen Hall quickly after saying this.
The ministers filed out in twos and threes.
The Minister of Works quickly stepped out of the palace gate, stopped in front of Lu Jing, pointed at his nose and angrily scolded: "Lu Jing, you are so good! You can even find a reason for His Majesty to do such a ridiculous thing. No wonder His Majesty trusts you so much."
Lu Jing remained unmoved: "Minister Zhao, are you saying that Your Majesty trusts treacherous people?"
"You..." The Minister of Works' hands trembled and he quickly waved them away, "I didn't mean that. Stop talking nonsense."
Lu Jing said with a forced smile, "Since there's nothing else to do, Minister Zhao, please don't block my way. Your Majesty's wedding is imminent, and the neighboring nations will surely come to congratulate you. My Ministry of Rites also has to receive the envoys and draft the regulations for Your Majesty's review. We're busy."
The Minister of Works blushed, flicked his sleeves and left angrily.
An inquisitive official came forward and whispered to Lu Jing, "What Minister Lu said in court seems to have a profound meaning. Could you reveal a few words?"
Lu Jing bowed towards the emperor's bedroom and replied, "This is a matter concerning two countries. I dare not speak rashly. You will know the truth in the future."
-
Yu Zhi left the court to deal with state affairs, but his imperial carriage was stopped on the way.
He looked up and saw a pair of smiling eyes and the warm spring scenery.
His eyes caught sight of a mass of white. He looked closely and saw three white cats circling around Luo Tingshi's feet. Startled, he quickly shouted, "Come up!"
Luo Tingshi picked up the three cats and stepped onto the imperial chariot.
"Meow~" As soon as they saw Yu Zhi, the two little kittens excitedly jumped into his arms and acted affectionately towards him.
Xiaobai has now grown into a big cat, sitting dignifiedly in the imperial carriage and watching the father and son play.
A moment later, the group arrived at the East Pavilion.
Luo Tingshi and Yu Zhi walked in together. The attendants in the pavilion were sent away one after another, and the palace door slowly closed.
Not far away, a pair of cold eyes stared at the door and let out a sinister laugh.
Yu Zhi carried the two kittens into the side room of the East Pavilion, leaned over and placed them on the soft couch, then turned to scold Luo Tingshi: "Why did you bring the babies out? They are still young, what will they do in the wind?"
Luo Tingshi held Yu Zhi's fingertip that was pointing at him, bent down and kissed it.
Yu Zhi felt a slight itch on his fingertips and glared at Luo Tingshi: "You're in the wrong. Are you trying to seduce me into forgiveness?"
Luo Tingshi shook his head: "It's not that I'm doing anything wrong, I just want to kiss you."
Yu Zhi pulled his finger away: "Rogue."
"Meow meow!" Yu Zhi heard a series of cat meows behind him. He turned around quickly. The two little kittens cried out anxiously when they saw that their fathers ignored them.
Each of them held a cat and sat on the couch to play with them.
Luo Tingshi fiddled with his son's kitten paws and explained to Yu Zhi, "The children are almost five months old. They're strong, can climb up and down, and walk steadily. It's time to bring them out for a look. You didn't know that these two little guys almost sneaked out today, but luckily I caught them and brought them back."
"What?!" Yu Zhi was shocked.
Luo Tingshi put his arm around Yu Zhi's shoulders and said gently, "We can't keep them in the palace forever. It's spring now, and the weather is warm. It's better to bring them out for a look than to let them sneak out on their own. If others see them, just say they're Xiaobai's children. Besides, there's no such thing as an impenetrable wall. Many people in the palace know you have three white cats, so why hide them all this time?"
Yu Zhi pondered for a moment, then looked up at Luo Tingshi and said, "You're right. Father also asked me to bring the baby out for a walk before. The baby is grown up now, and I can't let them stay bored in the palace."
Luo Tingshi smiled softly, lowered his head and kissed Yu Zhi's lips.
"Oh, what's wrong with you..." Yu Zhi immediately raised his hand to cover his daughter's eyes in his arms, and reached his other hand into Luo Tingshi's arms and fumbled around.
Luo Tingshi groaned, a hoarse voice spilling from their pressed lips: "Where are you touching?"
Yu Zhi quickly withdrew his hand, his cheeks slightly red, and bit the man's thin lips lightly, complaining: "It's all your fault, quickly cover Tuantuan's eyes."
"Cover it up." The man's voice was a little moist.
Little White, left alone, sat on the ground, tilting his head and looking at the two of them, his round eyes filled with confusion. He had seen this situation many times before, even seeing that mountain-like man pinning his master Miao Miao down on the bed. When Miao Miao Miao couldn't bear it anymore, he would let out some charming meows that were difficult for cats to express.
Once, it even attracted a tabby cat.
Xiaobai puffed out his chest with a somewhat proud look on his face.
It chased the cat away.
Although it was the only cat who knew about this.
The two people in the room were kissing each other passionately. Looking at the situation in front of him, Xiaobai didn't understand but did as he was told and raised his cat paws to cover his eyes.
"Meow~"
The two babies thought their father was playing a game with them, and they excitedly dug themselves into his palms.
Yu Zhi's palms felt itchy from being rubbed. He smiled as he left Luo Ting's lips, his breath a little unsteady: "Let's continue back in the palace."
Luo Tingshi's eyes lit up slightly: "Tonight I can..."
Yu Zhi: "I allow you to sleep with me."
Yu Zhi turned his head and looked at the food box on the small table beside him: "By the way, what is this? I wanted to ask just now."
Luo Tingshi gave Yu Zhi a deep look, then stood up, opened the food box, took out the contents, and placed them on the table one by one. He introduced them to Yu Zhi, "This is called the Spring Dew Cup."
"This is..." Yu Zhi looked at the snacks on the table in surprise. The light pink paste reflected the white porcelain cups, which looked moist and clear, making people's appetites grow.
Luo Tingshi smiled and said, "This time when I was traveling through Guyue, I brought along the best chef who makes the Autumn Dew Cup. A few days ago, I asked him to try to make the Spring Dew Cup. I didn't expect him to actually succeed. He replaced the autumn pears with wild berries and other ingredients. Try it and see if you like it."
Yu Zhi picked up a piece with chopsticks and tasted a sweet flavor. It was a bit sweeter than the Qiu Lu Zhan, but not greasy. It was just right.
Yu Zhi narrowed his eyes and said, "It's delicious. Thank you."
Luo Tingshi: "Why would you and I even bother to talk about thanking each other? Pleasing Your Majesty is what a husband should do."
Yu Zhi paused and glanced at him: "You only know how to talk."
Luo Tingshi raised his eyebrows: "I am not just talking nonsense, as a husband in bed, isn't it the same..."
"Stop, stop, stop!" Yu Zhi turned his wrist and stuffed a piece of snack into Luo Tingshi's mouth. "Don't say those things in front of the baby."
"Meow!" The kitten in Yu Zhi's arms shouted.
She smelled a delicious smell, but her fathers only cared about eating by themselves and didn't give her a single bite. She scratched Yu Zhi's arm unhappily and tried to escape from his arms.
Yu Zhi held the kitten down and said earnestly, "You are still too young to eat these."
The kitten showed off its not-so-sharp little claws and bared its teeth at Yu Zhi: "Meow!"
Yu Zhi immediately looked up and complained to Luo Tingshi: "Your daughter is mean to me."
Luo Tingshi immediately lifted his daughter by the scruff of the neck and placed her on a small table beside him. He sternly instructed her, "You must not be mean to your father. He suffered so much when he was pregnant with you. You must love and protect him as I do."
The kitten didn't understand and just meowed loudly, causing his brother to call out softly as well. Xiaobai jumped onto the table and looked at Yu Zhi eagerly, begging him for food in a coquettish manner.
The cats' meows were heard one after another, and the whole East Pavilion was in chaos.
Yu Zhi held his forehead, thinking that children are really difficult to raise!
-
Amidst the hustle and bustle, Yu Zhi welcomed his wedding.
The day before his wedding, Luo Tingshi was forced to move back to Sifang Pavilion. At night, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his heart agitated and restless.
His long-cherished wish came true, and he felt a very unreal feeling in his heart.
Suddenly, there was a sound of the window opening, and almost inaudible footsteps approached him quietly.
It's the sound of a cat walking.
Luo Tingshi's heart moved, and he drew aside the curtains. A white cat suddenly jumped onto the bed. In the dark night, its round eyes glowed with a shimmering green light.
"Xiaoyu, do you miss me too?"
The white cat hummed softly.
Luo Tingshi was overjoyed. He grabbed the white cat's paw and pulled it into his arms, kissing it again and again. The white cat rested its paw on the man's chest and let him kiss it obediently.
Luo Tingshi said with a smile: "I thought I was the only one who couldn't sleep all night."
The white cat looked at him and spoke slowly, its soft voice drawn out: "You sleep with me every night. I'm used to having someone by my side. Without you, I can't sleep."
Luo Tingshi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, don't you have a little bear?"
During these days, Yu Zhi told Luo Tingshi everything about himself, and went to the East Palace with him to take him to see his past with his own eyes.
When Luo Tingshi learned that Yu Zhi always slept with the plush bear in his arms when he was young, he became extremely jealous.
"You sleep with it close to you, and every part of your body is touched by it."
Yu Zhi was completely baffled. "According to you, the quilt I cover myself with and the bed I sleep on have also touched me. Are you jealous of them too?"
"I don't care! I just don't like it." Luo Tingshi's face was full of anger.
In desperation, Yu Zhi agreed to Luo Tingshi's many excessive demands, and he was unable to get out of bed the next day. When his father found out, he gave them both a severe scolding.
Yu Zhi angrily said, "How dare you mention Little Bear?"
He suspected that Luo Tingshi had done it on purpose that day, pretending to be jealous and hurting him...
Thinking of that night, Yu Zhimao couldn't help but curl up his claws. Those postures he had never seen before, those obscene words.
It's really shameful.
A man's muffled laughter was heard in the dark night: "Are you shy, Xiaoyu?"
"...I'm going to ignore you. I'm leaving." Yu Zhi said angrily.
"Why are you leaving right after you got here?" Luo Tingshi grabbed the white cat by the neck and brought it back, apologizing gently, "It's all my fault. I was wrong. Don't be angry, Xiaoyu."
Yu Zhi glared at him angrily, his green eyes wide open. Luo Tingshi couldn't help but bent down and kissed him again.
Yu Zhi stretched out his claws and patted Luo Tingshi's arm, his face full of displeasure: "Kiss, kiss, kiss, all you do all day long is kiss me."
"Being close to the one you love is the most comforting thing in the world. Your Majesty, don't you want to be close to me?"
Spring clouds obscured the moon, and the room was utterly dark.
But for Yu Zhi, it was as bright as day at this moment. He looked into the sincere eyes of the person in front of him and could not utter the words of denial.
The love between children and parents should not be tainted.
He had always disliked being in heat, believing it would hinder his ability to govern the country, and he wanted to focus solely on government affairs. But after meeting the person he loved, he discovered that being in heat was even more torturous than being in heat.
He wished he could stick with Luo Tingshi for twelve hours.
Closeness...that's what I want, of course.
He finally understood that humans could be in heat all day long, which was much more terrifying than the once-a-month heat period of his people.
Yu Zhi lowered his head and didn't speak for a long time.
Luo Tingshi said, "Your Majesty, why are you so silent? Don't you want to?"
"Of course not!" The handsome face in front of him was full of loss, his eyebrows drooped, and he looked miserable. Yu Zhi got hot-headed and poured out everything in his heart.
"Luo Tingshi, I like you. I want to kiss you, hug you, and make love with you..."
Seeing the man's smiling eyes slowly rise, Yu Zhi froze, unable to continue. He turned his head away sheepishly, his claws clutching at Luo Tingshi's collar opening and closing.
Luo Tingshi turned the cat's head over, looked into his eyes, and said sternly, "I will never let Xiaoyu down in this life. If there is an afterlife, I will love and pamper you in the next life and the next life, for all eternity."
Yu Zhi's heart was shaken, and he was overwhelmed by the deep affection that surrounded him like the sea. He replied softly, "I am the same."
"Little Fish, can you turn into a human and let me hug you?"
Yu Zhi hesitated: "It's not that I don't want to, but seeing me naked, can you control yourself?"
Luo Tingshi said with a smile, "Don't worry, Xiaoyu. Tomorrow's wedding agenda is very complicated. I won't let you get tired tonight."
After a moment of silence, the white cat in Luo Tingshi's arms disappeared without a trace, and was replaced by a slender, naked beauty.
Luo Tingshi's throat moved, and his eyes instantly became deeper.
Even though his heart was filled with many desires, his body remained very still. He held the beauty in his arms loosely without any movement.
The two of them hugged each other quietly for a moment, and Yu Zhi said softly: "Luo Tingshi, I don't know why, but my right eyelid has been twitching today. I always feel like something bad is going to happen."
Luo Tingshi raised his fingers and rubbed Yu Zhi's knitted brows, loosening the knot. He said gently, "The wedding is tomorrow. Perhaps you're too nervous. Relax, don't be afraid. We'll send more people tomorrow, and everything will be fine."
Yu Zhi leaned on Luo Tingshi's chest, and his steady and strong heartbeat reached his ears. The heavy stone in his heart seemed to be wiped away by an invisible hand, and he suddenly felt much more relaxed.
"Maybe I'm just too nervous."
He raised his head and kissed Luo Tingshi's jaw, his eyes curved with a smile: "From now on, you and I will be husband and wife in the name of honor. I will no longer have to sneak into your room like this."
Luo Tingshi smiled and kissed Yu Zhi, and an unclear sound was heard.
"Your Majesty, don't you think that having an affair has its own unique flavor?"
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