I'm afraid our meeting is just a dream
It was like having a very absurd dream.
Gu Zi'an lowered his eyes and stared for a long time at His Majesty who was sleeping uneasily. His trembling fingertips hung in the air in vain as he traced the eyebrows and eyes that he had been thinking about day and night.
Even though His Majesty's light, hot breath fell on his ears, he still felt terrified.
It seems that any movement will disturb this dream.
He thought he would die on the battlefield. When Sadaka's sharp arrow pierced him that day, he was able to dodge it.
But in that moment of distraction, he thought of His Majesty.
The border issue is over and the overall situation has been decided. If he died in the northern border, His Majesty might be happy.
What's more, for him, dying on the battlefield with military achievements as a reward was already a good ending.
But perhaps his evil spirit was too strong and Yanluo Palace could not tolerate him. The wound that almost pierced through his left chest did not take his life, but only made him sleep for more than half a month.
Until he heard the intermittent, heart-pounding crying.
It was like a sharp knife piercing his heart, breaking his heart more than the sharp arrow that day.
"His Majesty……"
The voice that had just woken up from a coma was still a little hoarse, and the deep whisper sounded like a long sigh, separated by thousands of silent farewells.
Finally, he couldn't help it, he leaned over and placed a light kiss on the corner of Ji Mingxiu's rosy eyes.
There are still traces of tears, bitter and astringent.
We haven't seen each other for a long time, but I still feel sorry for him.
Gu Zi'an held Ji Mingxiu tighter in his arms, as if this could barely fill the void.
When he woke up, he saw His Majesty sitting beside him crying.
Even though he bit his lower lip, he couldn't stop sobbing, and he cried until his heart was broken.
He reached out his hand to touch His Majesty's pale lips and the corners of his eyes that were stained with a hazy, aqua-colored liquid, but after wiping for a long time, he still couldn't wipe away the traces of tears on his face. Not quite clear-headed for a moment, he simply half-raised his body to kiss away the tears that made him feel distressed.
Xu Yan was so frightened that he quickly asked everyone around him to leave, for fear that he would see some royal secrets that he shouldn't see and lose his head.
“Hmm…”
Even though he tried to restrain himself, the force in his hands was still a little too great. Ji Mingxiu gradually woke up from his daze, and seeing that it was already dark outside, he couldn't help but yawn.
"What time is it? How long have I slept?"
"It's midnight, Your Majesty, would you like something to eat?"
Gu Zi'an raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears that oozed from the corners of Ji Mingxiu's eyes. His Majesty kept crying, and he had no choice but to coax him to the bed and hold him until his Majesty was tired of crying and fell asleep in his arms.
"No."
Ji Mingxiu shook his head. Maybe he had just woken up, or maybe he was too hungry. He couldn't eat anything at the moment. He just wanted to lie here and be warm and cozy with Gu Zi.
Whether he was sad or indifferent before, he always felt that those emotions seemed to be separated by something that made him feel pain but could not touch it. It was not until he came to the northern border and was sure that the person in front of him was still alive that he realized belatedly that he was afraid.
Afraid that he will never wake up, afraid that he will get hurt again, afraid that what is lost will never come back.
Fortunately, Gu Zi'an saw his fear and held him tightly in his arms. Their two hearts, beating at almost the same frequency, were pressed tightly together, giving each other reassurance.
"Why are you so thin?"
Gu Zi'an touched the skinny and shapeless person in his arms, and felt so sad that even his eyes began to feel hot.
His Majesty looked extremely haggard, his face even paler than when he had been unconscious for several days, and his eyes were dark blue. He was just a skeleton with almost no flesh, and he looked no better than when he left Tiandu.
"It's okay...it will be fine in a few days." Ji Mingxiu felt a little guilty. He had a weak constitution and it was easy for him to lose weight but difficult for him to gain weight. The little weight he had gained in the past few days was all gone in this bumpy ride.
"Don't be mean to me..." He hadn't said soft words for a long time, but now he seemed to have learned it without any instruction. He hugged Gu Zian's arm and began to cry aggrievedly, "I miss you so much..."
"Don't cry, my good majesty..."
Gu Zi'an leaned over and caressed Ji Mingxiu's lips, giving him one kiss after another, expressing his apologies in a lingering and sad tone.
"It's my fault."
"I shouldn't have hurt you."
"You shouldn't get hurt."
"I shouldn't have worried you."
"I miss you, Your Majesty, very much."
They had never whispered sweet nothings to each other like this before, but it seemed as if they had already said them countless times in their hearts. At this moment, he actually began to appreciate the pain of this life-and-death separation.
Compared with what he gained, what he lost was so insignificant that he would be willing to sacrifice his life.
No, his life must be saved, so as not to make Your Majesty cry again.
*
It is said that Wenrou Township is the tomb of heroes. After talking about it for a long time, he finally remembered to ask about the real business.
"How did your Majesty know that I was injured?"
Gu Zi'an stretched out his hand and pinched His Majesty's face. The delicate skin was rubbed by the rough fingertips, and soon red marks appeared. He tried to wipe off the unsightly red color, but ended up with the opposite result, so he had to give up.
Before he fell into a coma, he had asked Qu Chuan not to make it public, but how come before he could even blink, His Majesty had already rushed from Tiandu to Northern Frontier.
Ji Mingxiu whined and hid away, unwilling to say anything, but instead took the initiative to complain about his dark and rough skin.
"It's gotten a lot darker, so ugly..."
He snorted lightly, turned his head, and started telling lies with his eyes closed.
In fact, Gu Zian was dark, but he was not ugly. On the contrary, the blood and iron on the battlefield made him more stable and resolute. The depression in Tiandu in the past was blown away by the cold wind and sand in the northern border.
The features were still the same, but the aura surrounding her was so utterly unique that Ji Mingxiu even felt as if he was a stranger.
"Is it Xu Yan?"
Gu Zi'an was not fooled by His Majesty's poor excuses. Although he was asking, the determination in his tone had already revealed the truth to the two of them.
"Your Majesty, don't worry, I won't punish him." He held up Ji Mingxiu's face, which was buried in his arms, and couldn't help but kiss him again.
How could he blame others? He was the one who should be punished the most.
"Okay, stop kissing."
Ji Mingxiu was a very shy person. He was frightened at first and that’s why he so boldly revealed his feelings. Now that he has come to his senses, his face has turned red with shame, and if he kisses her any further, he will end up kissing her bald skin.
"Xu Yan is worried. The letter doesn't give all the details. What is the current situation of the war?"
He is an emperor after all, so what's wrong with him crying and acting like a spoiled child all the time?
"It's no big deal." Gu Zi'an held Ji Mingxiu's hand. He knew how much his majesty was worried about this matter, so he told him every detail, his deep voice calm and powerful.
"There is just one thing." He showed some hesitation on his face. He didn't know whether he should tell His Majesty about something that was not yet clear. "Before, Xixia had an army stationed in the southwest. Although it was far away, it was very inconvenient. We always had to be on guard. But they suddenly withdrew a few days ago."
"If Xixia had not withdrawn its troops, this counterattack would not have been so successful."
"It's the eldest princess of Xixia." Ji Mingxiu was extremely happy, and looked like a puppy begging for reward. "She wanted to make a deal with me, letting her sister marry Daxuan in exchange for a bargaining chip for the throne. The Xixia army was sent by the prince of Xixia, who had a deep connection with the Xiongnu. After the eldest princess took the throne, she naturally withdrew the troops."
He was really happy that what he did could really benefit the battle situation and help Gu Zian so that he would not have to worry about the consequences.
But Gu Zi'an seemed to freeze suddenly, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on Ji Mingxiu's hand, leaving a circle of red marks.
His voice was unusually hoarse and intermittent, as if he was in great pain.
"Then... Your Majesty..."
He wanted to ask Ji Mingxiu whether he agreed, but he was deceiving himself and did not dare to ask again.
"Gu Zi'an." Ji Mingxiu pulled his hand back and looked at the great general in front of him who had an almost pitiful and broken expression on his face, and his heart softened.
He took Gu Zi'an's hand again, intertwined their fingers, and was full of affection and love. Under the flickering candlelight, there was an indescribable ambiguity between them.
"I have never thought about becoming a queen or taking a concubine."
"If there ever comes a day like that."
He raised his eyes and stared closely into Gu Zi'an's deep and resolute eyes. The first time he heard such straightforward words, his ears were filled with an alluring red color, but every word he said seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.
"I didn't think of anyone else except you."