Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Oh, he's in the Purple Extreme Palace, in Xiao...
When Lin Yan slowly woke up, he felt as if his whole body had been disassembled and reassembled, or as if he had hiked over ten mountains overnight. Every bone in his body was screaming with soreness and exhaustion.
He groggily opened his eyes, and what came into view was the bright yellow canopy, with the familiar scent of agarwood lingering around his nose.
Oh, he's in the Purple Palace, on Xiao Che's dragon bed.
This realization instantly sobered Lin Yan up considerably, and the chaotic and shameful scenes from last night flooded into his mind like a tide.
He taught Xiao Che not to say "do not do to others what you would not have them do to you" when they were in love, and then... then Xiao Che seemed to have suddenly turned on some incredible switch.
Xiao Che would trap him in his strong arms or beneath him, and then ask him all sorts of questions, such as whether he wanted more or if it was enough.
If asked, Xiao Che would continue, whether it was a kiss or something else, gentle yet forceful, leaving no room for refusal.
If Lin Yan said no, Xiao Che would use all his power to provoke him in various ways, forcing him to break down completely and eventually change his mind in a hoarse voice, completely ignoring Lin Yan's weak protests.
This is a perfect example of reaping what you sow.
Lin Yan moved his neck with difficulty and turned his head to look at his side.
The space beside her was empty, with only a small indentation and lingering body heat, indicating that someone had embraced her tightly last night.
It seems that Xiao Che has already gotten up and gone to the morning court.
Lin Yan tried to sit up, but a sudden soreness in his lower back made him gasp, and he fell heavily back into the soft quilt.
Forget it, let's just destroy it.
Lin Yansheng lay there listlessly, staring blankly at the top of the tent.
It's past midnight and I still haven't been able to sleep. I'm exhausted from Xiao Che's efforts.
This is only... before even reaching home base, and Xiao Che is already this good at playing around. What will happen on their wedding night?
Lin Yan simply couldn't imagine what a horrific scene it would be. Would Xiao Che really kill him?
Just as his mind began to uncontrollably play out some restricted future visions, a very light footstep came from outside the palace door, followed by Aman's signature "meow".
Immediately afterwards, a fluffy little head peeked in through the slightly lifted curtain; it was Aman.
Since Lin Yan stopped returning to Qingyi Pavilion to stay often, Aman moved to Ziji Palace as well.
However, on ordinary days, when Lin Yan was not around, Aman would never be allowed to jump onto the dragon bed that symbolized supreme imperial power; if the palace servants saw her, they would carry her away.
When Lin Yan was around, he was always close to Xiao Che, making it inconvenient for the kitten to witness certain scenes that were not suitable for children. Therefore, A Man didn't have many opportunities to sneak in and play with Lin Yan when Xiao Che wasn't around.
Seeing that Lin Yan was awake, Aman immediately meowed and lightly jumped onto the dragon bed. She walked gracefully to Lin Yan's pillow and affectionately licked his cheek with her barbed little tongue.
Lin Yan felt ticklish from being licked, and reached out to stroke A Man's smooth, warm back fur intermittently.
Aman lay down comfortably beside him, making "gurgling" sounds, and the tip of her tail swayed happily.
The man and the cat enjoyed a quiet and cozy time on this huge dragon bed.
Lin Yan lay there lazily, his chin resting on his crossed arms, watching Aman roll around beside him, revealing her soft belly. He felt that life was peaceful and serene, and it would be even better if he could ignore his physical discomfort.
When Xiao Che returned from court, this was exactly what he saw.
His beloved young man, dressed in soft nightgown, lay languidly on the dragon bed, his dark hair flowing freely, making the skin on his neck and a small section of his collarbone appear even whiter, still bearing traces of the ambiguous feelings he had left behind during their passionate encounter the previous night.
The pure white cat lay unguarded beside the young man, enjoying the gentle caresses.
Upon witnessing this scene, Xiao Che felt as if something had gently touched the softest part of his heart, filling him with an indescribable sense of satisfaction and joy.
The youth is his, and the cat... well, it can be considered his too, by some extent.
Rounding up, he's enjoying the blessing of having multiple wives.
Hearing footsteps, Lin Yan lazily glanced at him, gave a weak hum as a greeting, and then continued to tease Aman, expressing her "dissatisfaction" with the culprit who had caused her to be bedridden.
Ah Man was quite clever. When she saw Xiao Che come in, she immediately sat up, tilted her head and meowed, as if to greet him. She knew very well who her benefactors were.
Xiao Che smiled slightly, walked to the edge of the couch and sat down. He naturally reached out to ruffle Lin Yan's slightly messy hair from sleeping.
Lin Yan, however, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He turned his head to the side, dodging Xiao Che's hand, and muttered, "Get out of the way, I'm annoyed."
Her voice was hoarse, tinged with obvious weariness and a hint of coquettish complaint.
Xiao Che's hand paused in mid-air, but he wasn't annoyed. Instead, he chuckled and readily withdrew his hand, his gaze falling on Lin Yan's lazy profile: "Still tired?"
Lin Yan rolled her eyes at him: "What do you think?"
Xiao Che's smile deepened, tinged with a satisfied pleasure. He looked at Aman, who was tilting her head to the side, as if seeking approval: "Aman, do you think he brought this on himself?"
Aman: "Meow?"
Lin Yan was shocked and speechless. How could this person have the nerve to say such a thing to a kitten?
She grabbed a soft pillow from the side and threw it at Xiao Che: "How dare you say that!"
Xiao Che easily caught the soft pillow, placed it aside, leaned close to Lin Yan, and whispered in his ear, his breath warm: "Han Zhang's instruction yesterday was excellent, and I benefited greatly from it. Naturally, I must... practice diligently."
Lin Yan's ears turned bright red instantly, and she wished she could give him another pillow.
How annoying this person is!
"Practice my ass!" Lin Yan buried her burning face in the blanket and complained in a muffled voice, "If you keep practicing like this, I'll die young sooner or later."
Seeing his ostrich-like appearance, Xiao Che was in a great mood, and even the slight annoyance he had felt from dealing with those troublesome members of the imperial clan during the morning court session vanished.
Recalling what had happened that morning, he said to Lin Yan in a casual tone, "At the morning court session this day, I issued an edict to punish a group of members of the imperial family."
Lin Yan peeked out from under the covers with one eye: "Oh? Which families were unlucky... no, which families were thoroughly investigated by His Majesty?"
Xiao Che named several people who had been found to have serious problems during the previous audit of accounts, and who were stubborn and even tried to organize resistance.
Lin Yan nodded after listening, not surprised.
With such conclusive evidence against these people, it was only a matter of time before Xiao Che took action.
but……
"I just handed you the last part of the files I checked the day before yesterday, and you've already issued the decree today?" Lin Yan calculated the time. "So efficient? Everyone must think I worked through the night to organize all of this for you."
After all, he was now the Vice Minister of Revenue, in charge of financial auditing, and a favorite of the emperor. To outsiders, the emperor's swift and decisive handling of the imperial clan naturally provided him, his capable assistant, with a precise target.
Xiao Che smiled noncommittally, tacitly agreeing with this statement.
He did, intentionally or unintentionally, lead his courtiers to believe that.
This would both highlight Lin Yan's competence and the emperor's favor, and also protect Lin Yan to some extent, allowing those who were dissatisfied with the purge of the imperial clan to direct their resentment towards him, the emperor.
However, Lin Yan was quick-witted. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Xiao Che: "That's not right. Although I only submitted the case files for the companies you dealt with today two days ago, the core evidence and conclusions were reviewed and approved several days ago, weren't they? Why did you keep them hanging on until today to issue the decree?"
Xiao Che picked up a delicate pastry from the small table, held it to Lin Yan's lips, and watched him subconsciously open his mouth and bite it before slowly saying, "Isn't it good to keep them on tenterhooks for a few more days?"
Lin Yan chewed on a snack and mumbled a comment: "Disgusting taste."
He realized that Xiao Che sometimes really enjoyed the process of "entrapment," finding pleasure in watching those with guilty consciences live in constant fear.
However, since Lin Yan could think of this, Chu Ye, who was also in charge of part of the auditing work and had a clear understanding of the progress, could naturally think of it as well.
During the morning court session, upon hearing Xiao Che's decree to deal with those members of the imperial clan, Chu Ye stood among the officials, his face expressionless, but his mind was perfectly clear.
The evidence against those members of the royal family was thoroughly investigated several days ago and could have been dealt with immediately, but His Majesty deliberately delayed until today.
Considering that Lin Yan had unusually missed the morning court session this morning... Chu Ye understood.
It wasn't working through the night; it was clearly just that they couldn't get out of bed.
Why can't you get out of bed?
Of course, only His Majesty the Emperor, who shared a bed with Lin Yan, knew the details.
Chu Ye could even picture Lin Yan slumped and powerless on the dragon bed in the Ziji Palace, and the seemingly dignified yet actually satiated gait of His Majesty as he left court.
Wow, that's really... well done.
It seems that Lin Yan has studied the art books he found for her carefully and listened to what he said. He should ask Helian Feng to find some more art books for Lin Yan, since they are colleagues and it is only right to help each other.
Xiao Che watched Lin Yan eat the snacks he fed him, taking small bites, like a cat being stroked, his eyes softening.
He did indeed intend to keep those members of the imperial family hanging, but choosing to issue the decree today, besides the opportune moment, was not without a little personal motive—he wanted everyone to know how "devoted" his Vice Minister Lin was to the affairs of the court, even to the point of being "exhausted" to the point of being unable to attend court.
In this way, they won't speculate in other directions.
In any case, only a few people know how efficient Lin Yan is, and they all keep their mouths shut.
"Rest well today. I have already asked Li Defu to inform the Ministry of Revenue that you have been working tirelessly day and night and are feeling unwell, so you are requesting a day off." Xiao Che then handed over a cup of warm water.
Lin Yan took a sip from Xiao Che's hand and sighed, "Then won't I be sick all the time in the future?"
Xiao Che raised an eyebrow: "If Han Zhang has the strength, he can also make me feel unwell."
Lin Yan: "..." Get lost.
He angrily snatched the cup and drank from it himself.
Looking at his puffed-up profile, Xiao Che couldn't help but find him incredibly cute.
He reached out and this time successfully touched Lin Yan's hair, gently rubbing it: "Don't worry, no one dares to make wild guesses."
Even if people speculate, they can only speculate in the direction of "His Majesty's great favor and Vice Minister Lin's hard work." As for the specifics of how he "worked hard," who would dare to ask?
Lin Yan snorted, which meant he accepted the explanation.
He lay back down on the couch, and Aman immediately came over and rubbed her head against his hand.
Xiao Che also took off his boots, got onto the couch, leaned against Lin Yan, and casually picked up a book that Lin Yan had left there to read.
The sun shines warmly, and on the tatami mat are your beloved and your adorable pet. This is the epitome of peaceful bliss.
As Xiao Che read his book, he would occasionally glance at Lin Yan, who was playing with the cat beside him, and felt his heart filled with an unprecedented sense of peace and contentment.
He was alone, yet his entourage was far more lively than his father's harem of three thousand beauties.
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Author's Note: [Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head]
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