Chapter 191 The Emperor Conquers the City
When Huo Lang stepped into the inner hall, he saw Lu Yan standing with his back to him in front of the incense burner, warming himself by the fire. The man had changed into a bright yellow casual suit, and was incredibly handsome. Two green jade beads were dangling from his hairband, hanging quietly at his waist, making his waist look even thinner and his noble aura apparent. If he came from an ordinary family, he would have been a handsome young man that would have attracted the attention of many young ladies.
It's a pity... He has an appearance like jade but a nature like a snake. Huo Lang was deceived by his gentlemanly appearance in the beginning, and now it is difficult to get rid of the demon in his heart.
In addition to Lu Yan, there were also several palace maids and the chief eunuch Wu Mei in the Council Hall. Huo Lang did not even look at them. His drooping eyebrows inexplicably revealed a bit of sinisterness. He said lightly: "Everyone, leave!"
In a sense, his words were more effective than the emperor's. Upon hearing his words, the palace maids looked at the young emperor uneasily. Seeing that he had no objection, they all bowed and left the hall. Only the young emperor stood aside with his eyebrows raised and his face as still as a mountain.
Huo Lang said in a dangerous tone: "Why, I can't call you?"
Wu Mei's eyelids twitched violently when he heard this. He clasped his hands in his sleeves and clenched the whisk in the crook of his arm: Huo Lang is a man of lowly respect for his fellow men. How dare he step on Your Majesty like this? In time, won't the Zhao family's empire be in the hands of the Huo family?
Traitor and thief!
Although he thought so in his heart, Wu Mei could only apologize and leave. Before leaving, he glanced at Lu Yan inconspicuously, with a hint of warning in his eyes. Unfortunately, the man lowered his eyes and stared at the fire, and never looked at him from beginning to end.
The palace door opened and closed again, and there was silence all around, with only the two of them left.
Lu Yan couldn't see what was happening behind him, but he heard Huo Lang's footsteps. He paused for a second while warming himself by the fire, and felt as if the footsteps were stepping heavily on his heart, shaking off a cloud of dust for no reason. His emotions were churning, and he closed his eyes tightly.
"My Lord, it's been a long time since we last met. How are you?"
In his previous life, he had never seen Huo Lang for the last time. He could only learn from Zhao Kang's words that Huo Lang had been pierced through the heart. He wildly guessed what Huo Lang's expression was like before he died. Was he in disbelief or full of hatred? Lu Yan was in a trance, and the only thing that echoed in his mind was Zhao Kang's words from his previous life -
He raised his sword several times but failed to kill me...
The charcoal fire was rising, making a crackling sound. Lu Yan did not notice the red marks on his hands. When he came to his senses, a dark shadow appeared in front of him and Huo Lang's dark and sarcastic voice rang in his ears:
"Since the autumnal equinox last year, when His Majesty took a concubine and established a queen, it has indeed been a long time since we last met. But when I saw you today, Your Majesty is still as charming as ever."
Zhao Kang was already 23 years old and the only blood of the late emperor, so it was not unusual for him to have concubines in the harem. However, Huo Lang and Lu Yan had an unclear relationship, and he was unaware of the situation. Naturally, he resented it in his heart, and he pretended to be sick and did not attend court. He had not set foot in the palace for several months.
When they met today, they found that Huo Lang had a gloomy face and a thin body. He had been suffering from a hidden illness for a long time and looked like a weakling. However, Lu Yan was as handsome as jade and looked like an immortal, which made people feel chilled.
Hearing this, Lu Yan slowly withdrew his hand from above the fumigation basket, his eyes fell on Huo Lang's familiar eyebrows, and he smiled lightly and sighed: "The prince has lost a lot of weight."
Having been Zhao Kang's stand-in for several years, he has become accustomed to this kind of pretending. He smiles when he is happy and smiles when he is unhappy. All his emotions are hidden under the mask, like a cold pond that makes it difficult for people to see clearly.
Huo Lang only felt that smile was particularly annoying, and said coldly: "Of course it is not as valuable as your majesty, who is as precious as gold and jade."
Lu Yan pretended not to hear his strange tone: "It's very cold and snowy today. Your Majesty, you have come here at midnight. Why don't you sit down and have a cup of hot tea and rest for a while before returning home?"
He moved his feet slightly as if he wanted to get a cup of hot tea, but he was hit by a huge force on his shoulder unexpectedly. His vision was turned upside down and he fell backwards onto the platform. When he came to his senses, a sharp dagger was pressed against his jaw.
Lu Yan met Huo Lang's provocative gaze, raised his eyebrows slightly, and pretended to be puzzled: "What do you mean, Lord?"
Huo Lang looked ruthless, and finally tore off his disguise. He lifted Lu Yan's chin with the dagger inlaid with gems, leaned close to the man's ear, and whispered maliciously, "Little Emperor, stop pretending in front of me. When you ascended the throne, you were troubled by internal and external troubles. Have you forgotten how you knelt here and begged me to quell the rebellion? Have you forgotten what you said when you swore?!"
Zhao Kang ascended the throne at a young age, and many court officials were dissatisfied. The surrounding tribes took advantage of the opportunity and invaded the border everywhere. At that time, there was no one available in the vast Beishu, so he could only rely on Huo Lang. He led his troops to the border and fought hard for three years, killing countless enemies. He also contracted an old illness at that time, all for the other party's oath.
The cold blade pressed against the skin and could easily cut it if not handled with care. Lu Yan lowered his eyes to glance at the jewel-encrusted handle. His eyelashes cast a dark shadow under his eyes as he thought carefully about the oath he had made that year.
Oh...I remember now.
He held Huo Lang's hand and swore to his ancestors:
"I wish to share the country with the general, and I will never give up or betray him. If you break this oath, let thousands of arrows pierce my heart and I will not die a good death!"
But that ancestor was the ancestor of the Zhao family, and the world belonged to the Zhao family. What did it have to do with him? Huo Lang, who was so smart, was so foolish that he was deceived and led his troops to that barren land to defend it for several years.
When Lu Yan thought about this, he suddenly felt like laughing. In fact, he couldn't help laughing out loud. His chest shook and tears flowed out of his eyes. He looked like a madman.
Huo Lang's eyes dimmed when he saw this, and he couldn't help but get angry: "What are you laughing at?!"
He brought the dagger closer, wishing he could kill the lying dog emperor in front of him!
Lu Yan suddenly stopped talking and grabbed Huo Lang's cold hand. He stared at the man in front of him, his eyes reddened, with an indescribable sense of fear and stubbornness: "Huo Lang, do you know..."
His lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in his sour throat, brewing the bitter fruit of his past life, and he couldn't utter a single useful word: "Do you know..."
Do you know that I will eventually fail you...
Did you know that the retribution finally fell on you?
Huo Lang naturally didn't know. He only saw that the emperor's eyes were red and a tear suddenly fell from his eye socket, plopped onto his hand. His wrist shook and it was so hot that he couldn't even hold the dagger steadily, and it fell to the ground with a clang.
Huo Lang pulled his hand back reflexively, but Lu Yan held it even tighter, squeezing his bones until they cracked. The two of them remained in a silent stalemate.
Huo Lang narrowed his eyes and asked calmly, "Why, do you think that shedding a tear can soften my heart?"
He is no longer the young man who was punished to kneel in the snow, nor is he the fool who was coaxed into risking his life by Lu Yan's few casual oaths. If the other party wants to repeat the same trick, shedding a few tears will not be enough.
Huo Lang's aura was icy, and his smile did not seem kind, instead his full of malice and evil nature almost overflowed: "I love to see people bleed the most, Your Majesty, why don't you give it a try?"
Lu Yan asked softly, "Your Majesty, you can't even hold the knife steadily, do you still have the interest to watch me bleed?"
Huo Lang said in a gloomy tone: "Little Emperor, you are really getting cocky!"
"That's what the prince is used to."
Lu Yan stood up from the ground, brushed off the non-existent dust, and held Huo Lang's hand without letting go. He accidentally touched the other person's cold and hard armor, and felt frozen. His brows wrinkled slightly, and he subconsciously tightened his grip and led the man towards the inner room.
Huo Lang was stunned, thinking, could it be that the dog emperor found that shedding tears was useless, and changed to sacrifice his life? Tsk, he is worthy of being an emperor. In addition to being able to reincarnate, his forbearance is unprecedented. He coldly watched the other party come to untie his armor, and with his backhand, he grabbed Lu Yan's wrist bone, and said sarcastically:
"Why, you slept on a woman's bed, and now Your Majesty wants to climb into my bed?"
Lu Yan was half a head taller than Huo Lang. He lowered his eyes to untie the silk belt of Huo Lang's armor. He paused when he heard the words and smiled in an ambiguous way: "When did I get on a woman's bed?"
Huo Lang smiled wryly: "Why, are the three palaces and six courtyards just for show?"
He didn't know how sour he looked now.
Lu Yan found it interesting and couldn't help but take a few more glances, but then he thought that this matter would not be interesting at all if it happened to Huo Lang. Maybe he had been tortured to the point of vomiting blood in the past few months, so he restrained his smile. He reached out and gently stroked Huo Lang's thin and cold cheek, rubbing it lightly with his fingertips, his eyelashes drooping slightly, and he was indescribably gentle: "The Regent Prince has a powerful hand and eyes, don't you know that I have never summoned any concubines?"
Zhao Kang has a hard time even staying alive, so how can he have the ability to sleep with women? The three palaces and six courtyards are just decorations.
Huo Lang's eyes were sharp and aggressive: "Then why do you want to marry me?!"
Lu Yan's smile remained unchanged, but he looked a little more worried: "The bloodline of the Zhao family is weak, and the civil and military officials and the royal family have been petitioning me to expand my harem. Otherwise, it will inevitably cause criticism from the world over time. I have no choice but to shut them up."
As he spoke, he moved slightly closer to Huo Lang, his warm lips almost touching his cheek, and he softly promised, "My heart for you, Your Highness, has never changed."
Look, how beautifully he said this, not only did he explain his own predicament, but he also attracted a wave of hatred for the Zhao clan. Lu Yan found that his skills in deceiving people were becoming more and more sophisticated.
And Huo Lang's eyes were shaken...
He was indeed upset about this matter and felt that Lu Yan had broken his original oath, but firstly, the other party had never summoned the concubine, and secondly, it was helpless for him to do so as he was in a high position. If he continued to fuss about it, it would be annoying.
In the blink of an eye, Huo Lang's icy armor had been taken off and thrown to the ground with a dull sound. Lu Yan touched Huo Lang's skin, which had been corroded by the cold air, through his dark-patterned lining and sighed softly, "Next time you enter the palace, please take off your armor, Your Majesty."
Huo Lang raised his eyebrows coldly: "Why, do you think that I have offended your dignity as an emperor?"
But this dog emperor had said at the beginning that he would give him half of the kingdom, but he hadn't even seen any sign of it, and now he's complaining about putting on armor, which makes people doubt the sincerity of this young emperor.
Lu Yan smiled faintly and looked at Huo Lang, but one sentence choked him back:
"Your Majesty has a cold, and your armor is cold, why do you need to wear it for so long?"
Huo Lang may not really have any intention of rebellion, but he is just like a child. Whenever he gets upset, he likes to challenge the king's authority. He will do whatever the ministers cannot do, and step by step test Lu Yan's bottom line. He likes to act recklessly, causing those officials to report him like a rain of rain, accusing him of treason, and then Lu Yan is obviously partial to him and does not punish him.
It seemed that Huo Lang could only find a sense of security from these things, to touch the emperor's unpredictable true heart.
Lu Yan found a black robe with a gold collar and cloud pattern for Huo Lang to change into, and chose a good cloak to protect him from the cold, and tied it on him personally. He said casually, "You will definitely arouse suspicion if you leave the palace later with different clothes. If Eunuch Wumei asks you about it, just say that you accidentally got your clothes wet while drinking tea and changed in the inner room. No need to say anything else, got it?"
The relationship between him and Huo Lang was secretive and only known to themselves. However, in order to ensure that the substitute did not reveal the truth, Wumei checked every word of who Lu Yan met and what he said every day before reporting it to Zhao Kang. Huo Lang was arrogant by nature, and it would be bad if he let the cat out of the bag.
Huo Lang sneered: "He is an old man with one foot half in the coffin. I am not afraid of him."
Lu Yan said slowly, "He is an old man beside the late emperor, and he was ordered to assist. I must give him some respect. We must not let him know about our affairs, otherwise it will cause trouble for no reason."
Huo Lang frowned anxiously: "If it's really a problem, why not just kill him?"
Lu Yan gently pressed him down: "This man's martial arts skills are unfathomable, don't act rashly, just do as I say."
Huo Lang looked towards Lu Yan, only to see him smiling at him. He was truly a handsome man like the breeze and the bright moon. If he had shed a few more tears just now, perhaps he would have softened his heart: "You have grown wings, and now you dare to order me to do something..."
The words he hadn't finished were drowned in Lu Yan's gentle but unexpected kiss. The man held his waist tightly, his voice was unclear, and he smoothed Huo Lang's hair to make him feel very comfortable: "It's because I have the support of the prince that my wings are so strong..."
Lu Yan used to be a gentleman and was seldom so close to Huo Lang. This kiss was long and suffocating, and the possessiveness and plundering hidden underneath formed a sharp contrast with the appearance. Huo Lang was dizzy from the kiss and inevitably a little dazed.
Lu Yan gently lifted Huo Lang's chin with two white jade fingertips. The light above his head was dim. His lips were red and his eyes were moving. He was so beautiful that he could captivate the whole city. "Why are you distracted, my lord?"
Huo Lang raised his chin with his hands, his eyes dark, reminding people of some ambitious animals: "I was thinking, Your Majesty's tears just now were really pitiful, why not cry for a while longer?"
Lu Yan was stunned when he heard this, then he looked at him with a deep smile without saying a word.
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