Chapter 52 The temperature at the fingertips was hotter than in the palm…
Jin Jiu braced himself and recounted the earth-shattering scene in the main hall of the Lin family mansion, how the Marquis of Yongjia and his wife fled in panic, how Lin Chengji almost smashed the teacup, how Wen Yun was in tears, and how Lin Yan knelt down to confess and was eventually "invited" back to the courtyard to reflect on his mistakes... He tried his best to avoid any personal bias and recounted the whole story in a dry and straightforward manner.
A deathly silence fell over the Imperial Study.
After finishing his report, Kim Gu lowered his head even further, trying to minimize his presence, wishing he could learn the art of invisibility on the spot.
Xiao Che sat on the dragon throne, motionless, as if he had become a jade sculpture.
Only the hand resting on the armrest, with its knuckles slightly white from excessive force, betrayed the fact that his inner peace was far from superficial.
Homosexuality?
Is Lin Yan gay?
He doesn't like women?
Does he like men?
The news Jin Jiu brought back exploded in Xiao Che's mind, as dazzling as the fireworks on his birthday.
So, Lin Yan won't get married?
He will not form a family with a woman and have children.
Overjoyed, Xiao Che was almost overwhelmed.
Xiao Che felt as if his heart had been suddenly clenched and then released, and began to beat wildly, pounding against his chest with a drum-like sound that made his eardrums buzz.
My blood seemed to boil instantly, and a surge of heat rushed uncontrollably to my cheeks; I could even feel my ears burning.
Xiao Che suddenly stood up from the dragon throne, his movement so fast that it created a gust of wind.
He wanted to laugh out loud, completely abandoning any semblance of imperial decorum; he wanted to rush to Qingyi Pavilion immediately; he wanted to look into Lin Yan's eyes and tell him, word by word…
What should we tell him?
Tell him, "I love you"?
Tell him, "It just so happens that I also like men, we are a match made in heaven."
no.
The thought had barely crossed my mind when reason firmly suppressed it.
It will scare Lin Yan.
Xiao Che could almost imagine Lin Yan's reaction to such words. Most likely, it wouldn't be surprise, but horror, shock, thinking the emperor had gone mad, or that he was not far from the end of his family.
The surging passion was forcibly suppressed, but it thrashed about in his chest, unable to find an outlet, forcing Xiao Che to pace back and forth a couple of steps, his fingers unconsciously stretching.
Xiao Che took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to calm his chest which felt like it was about to explode, but to little avail.
The corners of my mouth turned up uncontrollably, no matter how hard I tried to suppress it.
Fortunately, he was facing away from Kim Gu at the moment, so Kim Gu didn't get to see the usually dignified and profound emperor with such an almost silly smile on his face.
Xiao Che's voice rang out, slightly hoarse despite his efforts to suppress it: "You may leave. If you divulge even a single word of what you have heard today..."
"Your subordinate understands! Your subordinate did not come today!" Jin Jiu assured him firmly, then his figure flashed and disappeared without a trace, as if staying even a second longer would affect him with the abnormal state of his emperor.
Xiao Che was left alone in the hall again.
He sat back on the dragon throne, but he couldn't calm down at all.
Those few words kept replaying in my mind: Lin Yan is gay, Lin Yan is gay, Lin Yan is gay...
Each time I think about it, that secret joy grows a little bigger.
Xiao Che even began to feel fortunate that the Yongjia Marquis's foolish actions had forced Lin Yan to be honest with his parents.
Otherwise, when would he have known that Lin Yan was actually gay?
Now it's all right.
The dark clouds dispersed, revealing a bright moon and sparse stars.
The future is bright.
Xiao Che was so happy he felt like he could fly.
What is Lin Yan doing at Qingyi Pavilion right now? Is he still hanging his head?
Xiao Che almost had an impulse to go to Qingyi Pavilion and see for himself, even if it was just to catch a glimpse of that guy's dejected appearance through the window, it would seem quite interesting.
But he ultimately managed to restrain himself.
Don't rush.
Don't scare him.
We have to take it slowly.
Just like training a hawk, you have to treat it like the most precious porcelain; you need patience and meticulousness.
As an emperor, patience is the one thing he has no shortage of.
After all, Lin Yan is gay, which means that the biggest obstacle on the road to his side, called "marriage," no longer exists.
This realization made Xiao Che feel completely at ease.
Lin Yan moved into Qingyi Pavilion after a long absence.
As soon as you enter, a wave of warmth washes over you, dispelling the chill from your body.
Lin Yan looked up and saw two burning silver charcoal braziers in the corner of the room. The charcoal was glowing red, but there was little smoke; it only emitted a warm glow.
A cool, refreshing fragrance filled the air; it was a familiar scent, yet it seemed warmer than usual.
His gaze swept across the room, and the furnishings were just as he remembered them, simple yet elegant. Only the cushions on the soft couch by the window seemed to have been replaced with thicker and warmer brocade rugs, making one want to roll around on them.
On the flower stand by the window, a few newly picked green plum blossoms have been placed in the vase. The tender green buds adorn the gnarled branches, emitting a faint, cool fragrance, adding a touch of fresh vitality to this winter dwelling.
Everything was arranged just right—comfortable, warm, and not overly luxurious.
Lin Yan's heart, which had been somewhat uneasy because of confessing that she liked men, was immediately soothed by this meticulous care.
Your Majesty, this place is nice.
It's practically a haven for overworked office workers.
Just as Lin Yan was filled with emotion, a soft meow came from the inner room.
Immediately afterwards, a furry figure, with elegant cat-like steps, strolled out from the inner room.
Ah Man!
Ah Man had clearly made Qingyi Pavilion another big cat den for herself. She lazily glanced at Lin Yan, her cat eyes carrying a hint of "two-legged beast, you're here to freeload again" in her languid and arrogant manner. Then she lightly jumped onto the soft couch covered with thick brocade, put her paws in her pocket, curled up into a perfect cat ball, and began to doze off.
The tip of its fluffy tail would occasionally twitch leisurely.
Lin Yan's eyes lit up instantly, and he rushed towards Aman in three steps, like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey. He pounced on the soft couch, carefully pulled the warm, fluffy cat bundle into his arms, buried his face deep in Aman's soft, fluffy fur, and took a deep breath.
"Ah Man! I missed you so much!" Lin Yan sighed contentedly.
"Meow!"
Aman was startled by the sudden "attack," let out a disgruntled cry, and slapped Lin Yan with her paw. How many times had this happened? She was still so unsteady.
Two-legged creatures are indeed no match for Lord Meow Meow.
However, Lin Yan completely ignored Aman's insignificant resistance, instead hugging her even tighter, and muttering indistinctly while petting the cat, "Let me have a sniff, Aman, give me a kiss."
Aman struggled in vain, and finally probably resigned herself to her fate. Or perhaps she was indeed quite comfortable being petted, because she made a gurgling sound in her throat. However, her pair of emerald green cat eyes were still half-closed, glancing at Lin Yan with a look full of disdain and helplessness that seemed to say, "Seeing how devout you are, I will reluctantly let you serve me for a while."
Lin Yancai didn't care about Aman's disdain. He hugged the cat, lay down on the soft and thick brocade quilt, and rolled around.
Indeed, furry things heal everything!
He played with Aman on the soft couch for a while until Aman got completely impatient, slapped his hand away with a paw, jumped off the couch, and strode off to survey her territory with haughty steps. Only then did Lin Yan sit up, still feeling unsatisfied.
A palace servant quietly entered, bringing him warm water and a clean towel, and then asked if he needed a meal.
Lin Yan then realized he was a little hungry and nodded.
Dinner was served quickly, prepared by the imperial kitchen as always—exquisite, delicious, and perfectly portioned, all to his liking.
Lin Yan finished her dinner with great enjoyment and then took a relaxing hot bath to wash away her fatigue.
After changing into the soft undergarments prepared for him by the palace, Lin Yan slipped on his shoes and walked to the familiar large bed in the inner room.
The bed had already been made neatly by the palace servants. The brocade quilt was thick and soft, and when you touched it, you could feel that it was stuffed with freshly fluffed cotton. It was fluffy and warm, and had a faint, calming fragrance.
Lin Yan blew out the bedside lamp, leaving only a small, ever-burning lamp in the corner emitting a dim light.
He threw back the covers and crawled inside, burying himself deep in the soft, warm bedding.
The bedding was dry and fluffy, carrying the warm scent of sunshine and a hint of cool incense, which greatly soothed his nerves.
The familiar and reassuring scent lingered around my nose, and I could hear the faint sound of the wind outside the window and Ah Man's soft snoring on the soft couch in the outer room.
Although escaping is shameful, it is indeed useful.
Let him face his parents later.
Lin Yan let out a long sigh of relief, as drowsiness surged up like a tide, engulfing him.
When I drifted back into the dream, the familiar peach blossom forest appeared as expected.
The warm breeze still carries the sweet fragrance of flowers, and the pink and white petals fall like snow that never stops. The stream murmurs, and the outline of the distant green mountains is soft.
His "lover" was still there, but this time, the veil of the dream seemed to have become a little thinner.
Lin Yan still couldn't see the other person's face clearly; the features seemed to be shrouded in a flowing halo. However, the blurry outline seemed to be more specific than before. He could vaguely catch the corners of the other person's lips, which always seemed to be slightly upturned, and feel the focus and gentleness in that gaze, even though it was blurry.
They still sat side by side on the big rock by the stream, sharing a fishing rod.
The stream was shallow and clear, and a few fish could be seen leisurely swishing their tails, showing no interest in the bait.
Lin Yan's attention was still not on the fishing float. He tilted his head, trying to see through the layer of light and mist. This time, he seemed to be able to glimpse the straight lines of the other person's nose and the subtle shadows cast by the long and thick eyelashes when they blinked occasionally.
The other person seemed to notice his focused "gaze" and turned their head. Even though the face was blurry, Lin Yan could feel the smile in that gaze deepen, carrying an indescribable sense of familiarity.
Warm, dry hands covered his hands, which were resting on his knees, and gently held them.
Lin Yan could even feel the tiny calluses on the other person's fingertips, rubbing against his skin and bringing a strange sensation.
Lin Yan didn't pull away; instead, she subconsciously curled her fingers, as if trying to squeeze back.
In his dreams, he seemed bolder, or rather, more instinctive, than in reality.
Neither of them spoke; only the sounds of the wind, the water, the soft rustling of falling petals, and the ever-thickening, ambiguous atmosphere flowing silently between them.
The other person's fingers slowly slipped between Lin Yan's fingers, forming an interlocking shape.
Peach petals kept falling, landing in their hair and on their clasped hands.
The other person raised their other hand and very naturally brushed away a petal from Lin Yan's shoulder. The fingertips slowly moved up Lin Yan's shoulder, across Lin Yan's neck, and finally stopped next to Lin Yan's cheek.
The temperature of the fingertips was slightly hotter than that of the palms, making one tremble as they caressed them.
Lin Yan held her breath, feeling as if the air in the dream had become thick.
The light and shadow became increasingly ambiguous, and the fragrance of peach blossoms was so rich that it was almost intoxicating.
The other person slowly, very slowly leaned closer.
The blurry face magnified before his eyes, and warm breath brushed against his nose and lips...
Lin Yan could feel his eyelashes trembling violently, and his heart was about to leap out of his chest.
Just as that warm, soft touch was about to land—
"Meow!"
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Author's Note: Recommended to be enjoyed with Winky's poem "Peach Blossom Feifei" [Loud-eared Rabbit Head].
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