Chapter 39 The Emperor's Test
That night, Ye Xunyang fell asleep in Lou Jin's arms.
Unlike previous times when they got close, this time it was an embrace after their hearts were connected.
Ye Xunyang was initially a little stiff, but Lou Jin's embrace was warm and reassuring, and the scent emanating from him gradually relaxed his tense nerves, eventually causing him to drift off to sleep.
Lou Jin did not fall asleep immediately.
He gazed at the unguarded sleeping face of the person in his arms, using the faint moonlight filtering through the window.
Ye Xunyang has long eyelashes that cast a faint shadow under his eyes. His quiet sleeping face has lost its daytime flamboyance and makes him look exceptionally well-behaved.
Lou Jin's fingertips gently brushed the stray hairs on his cheek, a sense of peace and contentment he had never felt before filling his heart.
He carefully pulled the person closer, as if holding a treasure that had been lost and found again.
Although the trip to southern Xinjiang was fraught with danger, it was all worth it to have achieved this moment.
As for those demons and monsters lurking in the shadows, he will make them pay the price.
The next morning, Ye Xunyang woke up with an unprecedented sense of peace.
He found himself still held in Lou Jin's arms, his cheek pressed against the other's slightly cool nightgown, and he could clearly hear the other's steady heartbeat.
He quietly looked up and found that Lou Jin had already woken up and was looking down at him with gentle eyes.
"Awake?" Lou Jin's voice was hoarse from the early morning, but it was exceptionally magnetic.
"Hmm." Ye Xunyang's face flushed, and he tried to move away, but Lou Jin's arm held him firmly, preventing him from moving.
"Lie down a little longer," Lou Jin said softly, his fingers unconsciously twirling and playing with a strand of his hair.
The two embraced quietly, savoring the rare moment of tenderness before the storm.
Only when Wang Quan cautiously knocked on the door and asked for permission did the two get up.
After having breakfast, Lou Jin went to his study.
He had barely sat down when Shan Lan appeared silently, like a shadow, and presented him with a secret report.
"My lord, we've investigated. Lin An, who came yesterday, is ostensibly from the Prince Shang's residence, but in reality, he's a spy planted by the Fifth Prince Lou Yi within Lou Shang's inner circle, and has been there for half a year. This visit was on Lou Yi's orders, using the name of the Prince Shang's residence to confirm whether my lord is truly in the residence."
Lou Jin looked at the contents of the secret report without any surprise on his face.
Lou Shang was foolish and impulsive, while Lou Yi was patient and ruthless. It was within Lou Yi's expectations that Lou Yi would resort to such a trick of using someone else to do his dirty work.
"Lou Yi certainly knows how to pick his timing," Lou Jin sneered.
"It seems that the news of my serious illness and need for rest has made him somewhat restless."
Shanlan lowered her head: "Master, do you need me...?"
"No need," Lou Jin interrupted him.
"Since they want to play, I'll play along. I'll leak some of the insignificant clues we found in the Southern Frontier to Lou Shang, especially the traces of the Black Miao tribe's interactions with certain aristocratic families in the Central Plains back then."
Shan Lan immediately understood: "Your subordinate understands. It will make His Highness Prince Shang think that the Fifth Prince's people are secretly investigating him and have found something that is detrimental to him."
"Hmm." Lou Jin nodded. "Make sure it's done cleanly. Also, strengthen surveillance of the Prince's residence, especially the Princess's safety; there is absolutely no room for error."
"yes!"
After Shan Lan left, Lou Jin leaned back in his chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the table.
What he needs to do now is to continue to steer the conflict towards the two of them.
After finishing his daily affairs in the mansion, Ye Xunyang also came to the study.
Seeing that Lou Jin's expression was normal, but his aura was colder than before, he knew that there must be news.
"Your Highness, is there any result regarding Lin An's matter?" Ye Xunyang asked as he walked to his side.
Lou Jin did not hide anything and told him what Shan Lan had found out.
Ye Xunyang frowned upon hearing this: "Lou Yi? He actually planted someone next to Lou Shang? And used him to probe our strength?"
"Power struggles have always been like this." Lou Jin pulled his hand and made him sit on the stool next to him.
"However, since he has reached out, he should be prepared to have his hand chopped off."
"Your Highness, what do you intend to do?"
"Let them fight like dogs." Lou Jin's tone was calm, yet it carried a confident air of mastery.
"If Lou Shang finds out that he has been monitored and used by Lou Yi, he will never let it go. As for us, we just need to watch from the sidelines."
Looking at his calm profile, Ye Xunyang felt a surge of confidence.
He knew that if Lou Jin said that, he must be absolutely certain.
"Then... is there anything I can do?"
Lou Jin turned to look at him, his gaze softening: "You just need to stay by my side like this."
He paused, then added, "Furthermore, if any invitations are sent from the palace or other residences in the near future, please decline them all on the grounds that I need to recuperate. If you wish to leave your residence, you must inform me and bring sufficient guards."
His concern warmed Ye Xunyang's heart, and he nodded vigorously: "Okay, I'll listen to whatever Your Highness says."
Just as Lou Jin had predicted, the atmosphere in the capital became even more unpredictable in just two or three days.
First, some officials from the Prince of Shang's mansion and the Fifth Prince's mansion argued endlessly in the court over some trivial matters, creating a tense atmosphere.
At the Prince of Shang's mansion, it is said that Lou Shang flew into a rage and smashed many things, clearly having learned that someone had planted spies on him.
The gates of Prince Jin's mansion remained tightly closed, with the official statement that the prince needed absolute rest.
Ye Xunyang spent his days with Lou Jin, playing chess, taking walks, reading, and occasionally sparring in martial arts. He lived a rather pleasant life.
But he keenly sensed that Lou Jin seemed to be waiting for something.
On the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Imperial Concubine knelt outside the Hall of Diligent Governance for most of the hour, begging the Emperor to release Lou Shang from his confinement. She eventually fainted, and Lou Shang was released.
When the news reached the Jinwang Mansion, Ye Xunyang was holding a hand warmer and leaning against the window.
After hearing this, he clicked his tongue softly: "The Imperial Concubine is truly favored."
Lou Jin had long anticipated this outcome. With the year-end approaching, even if he wasn't released today, the Emperor would find a pretext to lift Lou Shang's confinement before New Year's Eve.
But hearing Ye Xunyang's sigh made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Haven't I been showering you with favor? Is it really worth your envy of her?"
Ye Xunyang was taken aback. He turned to meet Lou Jin's deep eyes and belatedly realized the jealousy in the air.
He hurriedly put down the brazier and moved closer to Lou Jin: "Your Highness, how could I be envious of her? I remember all the kindness you have shown me."
He reached out and grabbed Lou Jin's sleeve, his eyes sincere, "Besides my parents and brothers, no one in this world has treated me better than you."
Lou Jin grasped his cold fingers in return, his voice lowering slightly: "Besides your family, who do you love the most?"
"You." Ye Xunyang blurted out.
"Say it completely." Lou Jin tightened his grip on his fingertips.
Ye Xunyang looked into his unfathomable eyes and said clearly, word by word, "I love you the most."
The next day, Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang were playing chess in the warm pavilion when Wang Quan hurriedly entered, his face showing a hint of solemnity.
"Your Highness, someone from the palace has arrived. It's Eunuch Gao, the deputy chief eunuch by the Emperor's side. He brought His Majesty's decree, having heard of Your Highness's illness, and specially dispatched an imperial physician to examine you and bestow upon you a secret medicine from the palace."
Ye Xunyang paused in his chess game and looked at Lou Jin.
The emperor personally sent his imperial physician? This is no ordinary visit.
Is it concern, or confirmation of whether Lou Jin actually deceived the emperor?
Lou Jin remained expressionless as he slowly placed a black piece on the chessboard, making a crisp sound.
"What's meant to come will come." He looked up, his eyes filled with a deep calm.
"Please have Eunuch Gao and the Imperial Physician wait in the front hall. I will be there shortly."
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