Chapter 78 is still shaking from time to time, which is very strange...
The two enjoyed a carefree time in Beirong. Long Langyue didn't handle much business and just accompanied Seventeen on her travels. Unfortunately, it was snowing heavily, so they couldn't go to many places.
Upon hearing this, Meng Qiuna simply smiled and said, "Then we'll come back when it's warmer."
She wished that Seventeenth Prince would stay in Beirong forever, so that Emperor Jing's heart would remain here, which would be beneficial to Beirong in every way.
Long Langyue was well aware of her little schemes, but since they weren't too serious, he let it go; the most important thing was that Seventeen was happy.
Even to outsiders, no one would think that Seventeen was Long Langyue's bodyguard; those unaware of the situation would probably think she was the future empress of Dajing.
Seventeen knew nothing of what the others were thinking; they were about to return to Dajing.
Seventeen's birthday falls on the last day of October, when the weather in Dajing turns cold and some places are even experiencing snowfall.
Meng Qiuna was extremely reluctant to part with him, so she held a banquet to see him off. A group of people gathered together again, and this time some officials from the Northern Rong were also present.
This banquet was the first since Meng Qiuna ascended the throne. Since the Northern Rong submitted to the Great Jing, a bunch of messes were waiting for her to clean up. So she simply decided to go all out and follow the Great Jing's approach.
You can't go wrong with either direction.
She learned everything in one go, and Meng Qiuna swiftly promoted some truly capable people to higher positions, while the rest would be dealt with later.
Those who had previously looked down on Meng Qiuna now kept their tails between their legs, and the Emperor of Dajing's attitude was also very clear: he would allow Meng Qiuna to do as she pleased.
If you offend Meng Qiuna, you might also offend the emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty.
At the farewell banquet, toasts were exchanged, and the atmosphere was one of peace and prosperity.
As a bodyguard, Seventeen didn't need to show his face, so he stayed in the shadows. He watched as many people wanted to drink with Long Langyue, but dared not approach because of their status.
Long Langyue was actually hoping for some peace and quiet, watching as Meng Qiuna skillfully "coaxed" those people until they blushed and were so eager to do anything for Bei Rong.
Those who came from Dajing smiled faintly and remained silent.
The atmosphere was lively, and Seventeen was feeling a bit dizzy from the smell of alcohol. Just as she was about to go outside for some fresh air, she caught a glimpse of a mysterious figure out of the corner of her eye.
He frowned, about to take a closer look, when he saw a flash of cold light on the man's hand, and he suddenly lunged into the hall. The direction he was heading was towards Meng Qiuna.
As Meng Qiuna held her wine glass, she seemed to sense something and turned around to see a gleaming dagger pointing directly at her.
Seventeen leaped forward, drew his sword, and blocked the dagger. The person who pounced on him didn't seem to know martial arts and was kicked away.
The others panicked, and Monchona was also somewhat flustered, but she quickly calmed down and immediately ordered the royal guards around her to send away the unrelated people, and also sent people to take control of the person who had tried to assassinate her.
Once the crowd had dispersed, Long Langyue slowly walked over, his gaze falling on Seventeen, looking her up and down.
Seventeen noticed his gaze and leaned closer, whispering, "Your Majesty."
"Are you alright?"
Seventeen shook his head. His Majesty was right; there really was trouble tonight.
A royal guard brought in the assassin, and Monchona froze on the spot when she saw him.
This man is the third son of the former king and the most likely to inherit the throne.
After a moment's thought, Meng Qiuna understood: this was an attempt to kill her and take her place.
She turned to Long Langyue and asked, "Did Your Majesty already know they harbored ulterior motives?"
Long Langyue's lips curled up in a mocking smile, but she remained silent.
Seeing this, Meng Qiuna understood everything. At that time, Emperor Jing wanted to eliminate this group of people completely, but she spared their lives. If it weren't for Seventeen, she might have died here today.
Perhaps it could be said that all of this was within Emperor Jing's expectations.
At this moment, Meng Qiuna suddenly realized how big the gap was between herself and the other party, and her attitude immediately became more respectful: "Thank you for saving me, Seventeenth Guard."
Seventeen waved his hand, not paying much attention, since it was His Majesty who had told him to be more careful.
Long Langyue took his hand and said, "We're setting off tomorrow. You'll have to handle things here yourself."
Meng Qiuna nodded solemnly, her tone firm: "Your Majesty, I will certainly not disappoint you."
This time, they completely changed their stance and tacitly accepted the fact that Beirong was a vassal state of Dajing.
Long Langyue remained silent, then turned and left with Seventeen.
After returning to her room, Seventeen washed away the smell of alcohol. When she saw Long Langyue coming over, she thought he was going to kiss her again, so she quickly said, "Your Majesty, please go and wash up."
Long Langyue stopped in her tracks, nodded, and went to wash up.
Strange... Seventeen thought back, and it seemed... His Majesty hadn't been as affectionate with him lately. Could it be that things had changed so quickly...?
A wave of panic washed over him, and he was at a loss for what to do.
Seventeen was restless, and even after Long Langyue returned, still damp with sweat, he still hadn't figured out what to say.
Looking back on these past few days, something really seems off.
In the past, His Majesty would kiss him whenever no one was around. These days, although he still kisses him, the frequency has noticeably decreased, and he hasn't done anything like that again...
Seventeen was somewhat bewildered. Why was this? Recalling the storybooks Long Zhaoming had read, Seventeen wondered if this was what they called... what was it again, the novelty wearing off?
But he felt that His Majesty didn't seem like that kind of person, yet asking His Majesty directly why he wasn't affectionate with him seemed a bit...
After much thought, Seventeen decided to test the waters.
When Long Langyue crawled into bed, he was greeted by Seventeen's already warm body.
Warm and soft, Long Langyue had become very familiar with sleeping with the other person in her arms these days.
He had just closed his eyes when he felt the person in his arms nuzzle. He opened his eyes and looked, but Seventeen was fast asleep with her eyes closed.
Perhaps it was a dream... Long Langyue didn't pay much attention, but gradually he felt something was off. Was it Seventeen...?
He suddenly pressed the person down beneath him. In the darkness, there was almost no light, and he couldn't even see Seventeen's face clearly; he could only hear the other's breathing.
Seventeen's breath mingled with hers, but her breathing became rapid as she whispered, "Your Majesty..."
Long Langyue understood immediately, and without saying anything more, she pulled the quilt up to cover the two of them, as well as the entire garden in spring.
The snow had stopped, but the stove inside was still burning, and the bedding was piled up high, looking like a small hill from the outside.
It wobbles from time to time, which is very strange.
Seventeen was almost out of breath, his face flushed, but Long Langyue only opened a small opening to let him breathe a little before starting another round.
While being kissed, Seventeen thought to herself, "If I had known, I wouldn't have tested them. It would have been better if I hadn't kissed them at all!"
Long Langyue could not be satisfied. He pressed down and kissed Seventeen several times until his lips turned red and seemed to be slightly chapped before he finally let him go.
His arms braced on either side of the pillow, enveloping Seventeen in darkness. His eyes adjusted, and he could see her face clearly.
Seventeen was breathing rapidly, trying to calm her wildly beating heart.
He felt a slight pain on his lips, probably from being kissed too hard. As soon as he reached out to touch them, his wrist was grabbed and pulled away.
"His Majesty?"
"It's bleeding, don't touch it."
Long Langyue's voice was very low as she whispered in Seventeen's ear, her words both intimate and ticklish, making Seventeen almost unable to resist.
"His Majesty......"
"What does the Seventeenth mean today? Hmm?"
His voice was low and hoarse, filled with intense lust. Seventeen couldn't possibly miss it, and she looked away, unable to bear the sight.
But Long Langyue wasn't about to let him leave. She pinched his chin and turned it back, asking, "Why aren't you saying anything, Seventeen? Did the kiss make you stupid?"
"His Majesty!"
Seventeen glared at him, pouting, and said, "Isn't it all because of His Majesty? Lately, lately he's been especially..."
He simply couldn't bring himself to say the rest.
It was rather difficult to get him to say those sarcastic remarks, but fortunately, Long Langyue didn't intend to force him to say them. Instead, she turned her head and whispered something in his ear.
The more she talked about seventeen, the redder she became. She wanted to push the person away but couldn't, and she felt like she was on fire.
But Long Langyue was still not satisfied, and covered the spring scenery under the thick quilt.
The muffled groans came out intermittently, making it impossible to tell whether he was drunk or just confused.
In the end, Seventeen was forced to shed another basket of tears, making Long Langyue feel sorry for her. But she couldn't help it, because if she stopped, the little Seventeen would get upset.
There was really no other way but to gently comfort her while kissing away her tears, in order to stop her from making a big fuss.
But it wasn't the end yet, and Long Langyue couldn't bear to leave no matter what. He didn't want to take the last step with Seventeen in Beirong. No matter what, he had to wait to return to Dajing.
Seventeen knew perfectly well about the other's insistence, and for some reason, the two seemed to understand each other very well, able to guess each other's thoughts with just a glance or a gesture.
Long Langyue gently kissed Seventeen's cheek, got out of bed, fetched a basin of hot water, and carefully wiped him clean before going back to bed.
Seventeen didn't wake up throughout the entire process; the overwhelming pleasure plunged him into a deep dream.
Long Langyue held the person and slept soundly.
*
Early the next morning, as the sun seemed to peek out from behind the clouds, Meng Qiuna and her entourage saw them off at the city gate. Watching the convoy disappear into the distance, her gaze was firm. She turned and ordered in a deep voice, "I will personally go and interrogate them."
Seventeen drew back the curtains and looked outside, asking, "Has the road been repaired yet?"
"Not yet, not so fast, we need to send someone to measure first."
He discussed with Meng Qiuna the possibility of building a more convenient road between Dajing and Beirong, which would also benefit trade between the two countries.
However, the Northern Rong region is located in a harsh environment, surrounded by desert, making it difficult to take action. We need to plan carefully.
But with a plan, the hardest part is always getting started.
"If a road could be built between the two countries, trade would certainly flourish much more."
"Okay, Seventeen, come here."
Long Langyue called out, and Seventeen obediently snuggled into his arms, looking up at him.
"Anything you'd like for your seventeenth birthday?"
"Hmm?"
Seventeen tilted his head and thought for a moment, his brows furrowed. After a long while, he said, "No, Your Majesty, please feel free to do as you please."
"good."
Long Langyue pinched Seventeen's cheek. Since revealing his identity, he had intentionally or unintentionally adopted Mingyue's habits. Seventeen went from being a little uncomfortable at first to now taking it for granted.
Seventeen nestled in Long Langyue's arms, feeling drowsy from the bumpy carriage ride, and closed his eyes for a short nap.
Long Langyue didn't disturb him, and since there was nothing to do along the way, she could sleep as much as she wanted.
It's the age when you're growing, and if you don't get enough rest, you'll regret it later.
The camel bells echoed through the desert, guiding generations of merchants between the two places. Like fireflies in the night, they helped lost travelers find their way home and gave lost hearts a place to belong.
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