Southern Tour
In the still dark night, Di Shaoze opened his eyes and sat up with cold sweat all over his body, breathing unsteadily. His back was dark and decadent, like a giant dragon with its wings cruelly cut off. As soon as he closed his eyes, all he saw was Lin Huai'en——
There was the sixteen-year-old Lin Huai'en, who had just arrived in the capital, carrying the rustic simplicity and vigor of the countryside; the eighteen-year-old Lin Huai'en, who recommended new crops to the villagers in the loess of his fiefdom; and the twenty-year-old Lin Huai'en, who had been promoted to Prime Minister and held great power...
In the end, the only one left was the 26-year-old Lin Huai'en, who presented him with a divorce letter, looking haggard but with a calm heart...
Di Shaoze didn't dare to imagine how much of Lin Huai'en's memory disorder was due to his mental illness.
After consulting historical records, the imperial physician said that this rare disease might be caused by the patient's self-protection, replacing the person who could cause the most harm with the person he trusted the most, in order to create the safest dream.
In this dream, the patient may not be able to "wake up" for a while, or may never "wake up" in his entire life.
Di Shaoze couldn't accept the imperial physician's speculation at all. He would rather admit that it was an unexpected disaster than admit that Lin Huai'en really gave up on him completely based on instinct.
Emperor Shaoze could no longer fall asleep. With faint dark circles under his eyes, he went to the Golden Palace and sat on the lonely dragon throne, spending the entire night there.
After a few birds chirped past the window, the officials entered the Golden Palace and began discussing government affairs as usual. Lin Huai'en stood in front of the civil servants.
Officials tended to stick together. The ones at the front, in particular, had already formed a small group. When Lin Huai'en was discussing matters, the Imperial Physician-General would always follow; when General Luo was discussing matters, the Imperial Censor would always follow.
Today, when Xue Dingchu stepped out, due to the sensitive topic, no officials followed him, leaving him feeling rather lonely. Seeing this, Lin Huai'en immediately stepped out, helped Xue Dingchu take over, and even provided some additional information.
After completing the supplement, Lin Huai'en also praised Xue Dingchu's main point, and a hint of pampering emanated from a place that was invisible to the naked eye.
Di Shaoze felt a little uncomfortable and deliberately sang a different tune, "It's winter now. If we deploy supplies to the border, the manpower and material resources consumed along the way will be a considerable amount."
Lin Huai'en's eyes were sharp as he retorted, "Manpower and material resources are secondary! Soldiers have been stuck on the frontier for years and it's difficult for them to return home. It's also the reunion festival. If the court is willing to allocate supplies and comfort the soldiers and civilians, the morale of the army will surely be stabilized!"
Lin Huai'en faced Di Shaoze as if he were facing a flood or a beast. He used his body to block Xue Dingchu and also prevented Di Shaoze from facing Xue Dingchu directly.
Di Shaoze carefully interpreted Lin Huai'en's hostile eyes and felt very uncomfortable. What did he think of him? A vicious tiger that wanted to eat Xue Xiaobai Rabbit?
This discordant episode ended with Emperor Shaoze's compromise. When the officials separated into two columns and left the Golden Throne Hall, only Lin Huai'en stopped midway, at the steps leading to the outer gate.
Lin Huai'en was a little scared at the height of the stairs, and he didn't dare to step down. After having a child, he was more afraid of falling than usual.
Seeing his helpless figure, Di Shaoze's heart softened. He walked around to the palace entrance, raised his arm beside him, and said, "Take my..."
Unexpectedly, before Di Shaoze could finish his words, Xue Dingchu came back to pick up Lin Huai'en who was still not coming down.
Now, Lin Huai'en's eyes completely lost sight of Di Shaoze, as if he had found a savior from heaven. He smiled at Xue Dingchu with a sense of relief, and while calling him "husband", he obediently took Xue Dingchu's arm and walked down step by step.
Di Shaoze, a living person, was like walking air and was completely ignored by Lin Huai'en.
Di Shaoze sighed deeply, following Lin Huai'en's thin back with his eyes. His chest rose and fell, and a trace of grievance that he was unwilling to admit appeared on his face. He had never been ignored or neglected like this by Lin Huai'en before. This feeling was extremely unfamiliar to him.
It was mid-March, the time for the Spring Southern Tour. In previous years, Emperor Shaoze would lead dozens of ministers on the tour, while Lin Huai'en would stay in the capital, acting as regent.
But this year, Emperor Shaoze specifically requested Lin Huai'en to accompany him, so he changed the position of General Luo to regent.
On the long canal that ran through the counties, a tall, magnificent ship bobbed up and down with the current. The attendants busied themselves loading the piles of supplies brought by the ministers onto the ship.
Lin Huai'en had never been on a cruise before. After he boarded the deck, he felt everything on the ship was new and fresh. He looked around and took a soft seat at the bow, feeling the cool river breeze blowing on his face.
He liked this extra refreshing feeling, even the breath in his chest that expanded and contracted seemed to flow more smoothly.
As night gradually fell, Lin Huai'en reluctantly returned to his room and confided his happiness and excitement to Xue Dingchu, grinning from ear to ear.
Xue Dingchu was stunned when he heard this, and nodded from time to time. He had no feelings about riding a boat, but after hearing what Lin Huai'en said, he seemed to feel the same joy.
The night gradually deepened, but Lin Huai'en didn't want to sleep yet. He peeked over the edge of the bed, glanced at the sleeping Xue Dingchu, quietly got up, put on his coat, and went to the bow of the boat, wanting to continue to enjoy the breeze.
But there was already someone at the bow. He was very tall, leaning against the edge of the door, his eyes closed, as if dozing.
Lin Huai'en recognized the man and stepped forward to ask, "Your Majesty, are you still awake?"
Di Shaoze opened his eyes with some effort, and as soon as he recognized the face of the person, he hugged Lin Huai'en forcefully without saying any greeting.
Lin Huai'en was suddenly startled, trapped in a man's unexpected embrace. He hurriedly pushed away the man's burning chest. Is His Majesty drunk? But he doesn't smell of alcohol! Did His Majesty mistake him for a concubine? What should he do?
Originally, Di Shaoze didn't use much strength in his embrace, but Lin Huai'en kept struggling, so Di Shaoze increased his strength accordingly, not allowing him to break free at all.
Lin Huai'en's face flushed with anxiety. Due to the physical difference between him and Di Shaoze, he could only beg for mercy: "Your Majesty has the wrong person! Your Majesty's favorite concubine is in the room on the third floor! I will lead Your Majesty down! Please let me go!"
He and Di Shaoze are both married men. If they were seen hugging each other like this in the middle of the night and were heard by outsiders, and then by Hu Ji and Xue Dingchu, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Di Shaoze frowned in resistance and muttered, "You used to hate me looking for Fox Concubine, but now you're taking the initiative to take me there."
Over the past month, Di Shaoze's eyes had darkened. Over the past month, listening to the secret guards' detailed reports of Xue Lin and their loving relationship had caused him to relive the scenes in his sleep, leaving him furious and unable to sleep all night.
That night, Di Shaoze's brain nerves were extremely weak due to lack of sleep, especially at this time when he should be resting. He was so sleepy that he could hardly distinguish between reality and dreams.
Di Shaoze was gradually captivated by the warmth of Lin Huai'en's body. He thought he was in a dream and couldn't help but complain in a jealous tone, "That day, his hand was only slightly cut. Why did you bandage it? Why did you help him organize his clothes every day? Why did you kiss his face? Why did you hug him so often?"
Lin Huai'en felt a hint of fear, and even a chill ran down his spine. "Your Majesty has been spying on my life?"
Di Shaoze turned his handsome face to the side, and like a canine, he first sniffed the scent of Lin Huai'en, then kissed Lin Huai'en's neck tightly and forcefully, as if to mark his own mark, "You originally belong to me."
Lin Huai'en's pupils shrank to the size of needles. He could hardly believe that Di Shaoze unilaterally regarded him as his property. Anxiously and angrily, he bit Di Shaoze's shoulder.
"Hiss..." Di Shaoze was completely awake.
While Di Shaoze was in pain and let go of him, Lin Huai'en seized the opportunity and quickly ran away.
Lin Huai'en didn't dare let anyone know about this, so he ran to the empty cargo hold, curled up in a ball, and cried in fear and frustration. How could Di Shaoze rely on the power of the emperor to take him away? He worked diligently for the country, but he was treated like this!
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