Chapter 32 is a bit cold
In the following days, Lou Jin was clearly distracted.
When playing chess with Ye Xunyang, he would occasionally lose focus, allowing Ye Xunyang to take advantage of the situation and capture a large portion of his pieces.
During walks, his gaze would always unconsciously fall on Ye Xunyang. Even when they shared a bed at night, he was more silent than usual, simply watching Ye Xunyang's unguarded sleeping face, his heart churning with emotions.
Even the slow-witted Ye Xunyang sensed something was wrong.
"Your Highness, have you been having something on your mind lately?"
After dinner that evening, Ye Xunyang finally couldn't help but ask.
"I always feel like you're hiding something."
Lou Jin looked up at him; in the candlelight, Ye Xunyang's features were clear and vivid.
He put down his teacup, his fingertips tracing the cool rim of the cup, and remained silent for a moment.
Deny it? Or...?
A thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
Perhaps he could try to probe from the side?
Xunyang.
"If there were a matter of life and death, but doing it might make you feel difficult, or even go against your conscience, what would you do?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Xunyang replied without hesitation, "That depends on what it is! If it's about saving lives, we have to do it no matter how difficult it is!"
“My father often said that soldiers protect their country and sometimes they have to rush forward even if they know it’s a dead end, let alone just a difficult situation.”
He paused, leaned closer to Lou Jin, and looked at him seriously.
"Your Highness, does your illness require some special medicinal ingredient? Or do you need me to do something dangerous? Just tell me, and I will definitely help you!"
Looking into his clear, unfathomable eyes, Lou Jin's tentative thoughts instantly turned into helpless self-mockery.
He really... didn't understand.
Lou Jin looked away, concealing the bitterness in his eyes.
"It's nothing."
"It was just... a casual question."
Ye Xunyang said "Oh," and although he felt that Lou Jin was not telling the truth, he did not press the matter further when he saw that Lou Jin did not want to talk about it. Instead, he talked with great interest about the new crossbows he had seen at the training ground today.
Lou Jin listened to his rambling, but he already had another plan in mind.
To be direct is not the right time.
Indirect approaches and probing were of no use to this piece of wood.
That night, Ye Xunyang lay down on the outside as usual, just about to drift off to sleep, when he felt Lou Jin move beside him. Then, an arm naturally came across and gently rested on his waist.
Ye Xunyang's body stiffened.
Although Lou Jin had done this before when he was sick and felt cold, he rarely made such intimate gestures after his health improved.
Tonight is...
"Your Highness?" he called softly.
"Um……"
Lou Jin's voice was filled with weariness, as if it were just an unconscious action.
"It's a bit cold."
Ye Xunyang glanced at the brazier burning in the room, feeling a little puzzled, but still understandingly thought that it was normal for the patient to feel cold due to their weak constitution.
He relaxed and even moved closer to Lou Jin so that Lou Jin's arm could rest more comfortably on him: "Then... you should go to sleep. I'm very energetic, I'll keep you warm."
In the darkness, Lou Jin's lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile.
As expected, actions speak louder than words for Ye Xunyang.
From that night onward, Lou Jin's aversion to cold seemed to flare up intermittently.
With his arm draped over her neck, he subconsciously moved closer, his breath spraying onto Ye Xunyang's neck, causing a slight shiver.
Ye Xunyang went from feeling stiff and uncomfortable at first to gradually getting used to it. He would even subconsciously adjust his posture to make Lou Jin more comfortable when Lou Jin leaned in.
Lou Jin took in his reactions and gradually eroded his safe distance.
A raging fire was burning on the bed in the Prince Jin's mansion, while the turmoil in the imperial court was intensifying.
After Consort Xian's condition stabilized, Fifth Prince Lou Yi, like a sword drawn from its sheath, launched a fierce counterattack against Lou Shang.
Using his authority over the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, he uncovered several corrupt officials planted by Lou Shang, with irrefutable evidence, and showed no mercy.
Under the guise of investigating palace expenses, he extended his reach to the Consort who was in charge of palace affairs. Although he did not directly accuse her, he still made her lose face and several of her capable assistants.
Lou Shang was caught off guard and flew into a rage. He fought back fiercely while looking for an opportunity to retaliate. The two sides fought back and forth, locked in a fierce battle.
The emperor seemed pleased with this balance and did not interfere much, merely observing from the sidelines.
All the open and covert attacks tacitly avoided the seemingly forgotten King Jin's Mansion.
Lou Jin was happy to have some free time. Every day, apart from rehabilitation, he spent his time with Ye Xunyang, playing chess, taking walks, and listening to him tell interesting stories about the outside world, enjoying the rare tranquility in the eye of the storm.
His body recovered faster and faster, and his internal energy began to gradually condense.
Only he himself knew that his longing for Ye Xunyang was like a vine, growing wildly in his heart and becoming more and more tightly entwined.
That afternoon, Ye Xunyang practiced a set of boxing in the courtyard. He returned drenched in sweat, his forehead damp, his cheeks flushed, and his whole body radiating heat.
Lou Jin was sitting on the veranda reading a book. When he saw him return, he put down his book and naturally picked up a cloth from the side and handed it to him: "Wipe your sweat, be careful not to catch a cold."
Ye Xunyang took it, wiped his face haphazardly, and grinned, "Your Highness, I feel that you look much better lately! It seems I am still quite useful."
Lou Jin looked at his smiling face so close to his own, sweat trickling down his long neck and into his collar, carrying a silent allure.
His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and the beast within him, long suppressed, began to stir.
"Yes, thanks to you." Lou Jin's voice was a little hoarse. He reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair stuck to Ye Xunyang's forehead with his fingertips, the movement gentle and natural.
Ye Xunyang was stunned for a moment. He felt the cool touch of the fingertips, and his heart skipped a beat. The heat that had just subsided on his face seemed to surge up again.
"Yes, it's my duty." He stammered, lowering his head, not daring to look into Lou Jin's overly deep eyes.
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat subtle.
Just then, Wang Quan arrived in a hurry, breaking the moment of tranquility.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, there's news from the palace: the Imperial Concubine has been reprimanded by His Majesty and is confined to Changchun Palace for half a month."
Lou Jin's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, his reaction calm, as if he had expected it.
Ye Xunyang was startled: "Because of Consort Xian's matter?"
Wang Quan lowered his head: "The apparent reason is that he failed to manage palace affairs effectively, but everyone knows the real reason."
Ye Xunyang looked at Lou Jin and saw a faint, cold smile on his lips.
"It seems that this time, the fifth brother is determined to break off relations."
"That's good. The brighter the fire burns, the safer we will be."
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