Chapter 57
Xie Ling found that since he ran into Zhang Jing coming back from the palace tonight, His Majesty seemed to have some wrong ideas. The look in his eyes when he looked at him was slightly complicated, and it seemed that he had made up his mind.
Xie Ling was stunned and confused for a moment, but fortunately, His Majesty did not say anything after warning him.
Xiao Huan's fluctuating emotions gradually calmed down, and when he thought about the displeasure he felt when Xie Ling was with others, he finally calmed down. He closed his eyes slightly, and after a while, he raised his eyebrows and looked at Xie Ling.
"Why don't you speak?"
Xie Ling: …
How could he start this? His Majesty didn't like people calling him by his given name, but he couldn't stop them from calling him by his given name. Xie Ling tried to probe: "Then I won't introduce the given name next time?"
Xiao Huan glanced at him and said, "Are you still letting Zhang Jing call you?"
Xie Ling: …
Why is Your Majesty so upset with Zhang Jing?
He hesitated.
"Not letting me?"
Xiao Huan was satisfied, and after a while his brows relaxed a little.
"I will remember this sentence."
After he finished speaking, he paused, with an ambiguous meaning: "I know everything you are thinking."
"I agree."
"Don't hang out with those questionable people."
Knowing that something bad would happen if he stayed tonight, Xiao Huan controlled his emotions and felt that he had told Xie Ling clearly enough.
——I will also respond to his admiration.
Then he said, "Go and have a rest."
"I'll wait for you tomorrow."
"Uh, it's His Majesty." Xie Ling responded blankly, and only reacted after watching His Majesty leave.
Wait, what was His Majesty saying just now? Why didn’t he understand a word?
What does His Majesty know everything he thinks? And he agreed. Xie Ling discovered for the first time that people could not understand human words. After hesitating for a while, he asked the system.
"Tongzi, do you know what I just meant?"
The system shook its head quickly: "If the host doesn't know, how can the system know?"
"But the main idea is probably - stay away from Zhang Jing."
Xie Ling: What a good summary, it makes him seem like he doesn't know. But seeing Qian Ming come in and say that the water is ready, Xie Ling couldn't help but feel curious.
"Xiao Qian, do you know why His Majesty hates Zhang Jing so much?"
Qian Ming: ...
He smiled awkwardly.
His Majesty hated Prince Zhang so much, it must be related to Master Xie. However, he did not dare to say it without His Majesty's permission, and only said: "Master Xie may ask His Majesty directly tomorrow."
When Xie Ling thought of the half-smile on Emperor Wu's face just now, he immediately shook his head.
Forget it then.
I thought what happened yesterday was over.
After a good night's sleep, Xie Ling slept in a daze until the next morning. Not long after dawn, he yawned and turned over, wanting to stay in bed for a while longer. However, when he turned over, he was caught off guard and saw a person sitting on the chair opposite.
Xie Ling was stunned for a moment, then slowly opened his eyes. After adjusting to the light, he came to his senses belatedly.
"His Majesty?"
Why is he here?
If His Majesty didn't have to attend court this early in the morning, wouldn't he have gone to the Wannian Pavilion? Why was he sitting in front of him? Xie Ling wondered for a moment whether he hadn't woken up yet and whether he should sleep a little longer.
Xiao Huan, who had been reviewing memorials in the side hall for a while, looked up and broke his fantasy.
"I said I'd wait for you today."
So I came early in the morning.
Xie Ling carefully recalled what His Majesty said last night, and after a while he finally found the "original words" from some corner.
Wait, that’s not what Your Majesty meant.
But what is the purpose of waiting for him so solemnly today?
Xie Ling subconsciously thought that something big had happened. After struggling for a long time, he finally sat up and planned to go out with His Majesty.
However, after he quickly washed up and walked outside, he found out that they were going to the Wannian Pavilion.
Xie Ling:……?
He completely broke the defenses of his family, so why did Your Majesty go to Wannian Pavilion to wait for him?
This is totally unnecessary! He felt like he had missed something important.
Xiao Huan did not act on a spur of the moment basis.
It was just that I thought that I also liked Xie Ling, so I had to show some appreciation to this guy. He was inexplicably troubled to say words like "I am pleased", and after a pause he thought of the words he had accidentally seen on Xie Ling's head before.
It seems that in their time, lovers would pick each other up and drop off each other?
So Xiao Huan waited in the side hall early in the morning. When he saw Xie Ling coming out, his brows relaxed a little.
My behavior... can also be considered as a pick-up and drop-off, right?
Xie Ling certainly didn't understand His Majesty's hint. He was nodding his head when he was reading in the Wannian Pavilion this morning. Although he went to bed early last night, he couldn't help getting up early in the morning. He should have slept for another hour before His Majesty came, but now he was forced to be a wooden stake in the Wannian Pavilion.
Xie Ling even felt that his eyes were filled with resentment.
"What on earth is wrong with your majesty so early in the morning?"
Not only did he wait for him in the morning, but he also took away the desk where he did his homework and asked him to study directly on the emperor's desk and chair, which made Xie Ling feel that it was a sin for him to doze off.
The system reluctantly comforted the host: "Think positively, no one else has this treatment."
Didn’t you see the shocked expression on Wang Bao’s face when I asked him to pack up the desk in the morning?
“But this treatment is really painful.”
For the first time in his life, Xie Ling had the honor of sharing a table with the emperor. He took a deep breath and drank a sip of hot tea to concentrate.
Since they were not far away, how could Xiao Huan not notice Xie Ling's actions?
Not awake yet?
He raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't consider the time.
But if you are sleepy, just sleep. Why force yourself to stay asleep?
Xiao Huan frowned, and seeing that Xie Ling's eyes were sour but he was still forcing himself to drink tea, he reached out and took the teacup.
"If you feel sleepy, go to sleep."
Huh? He was caught napping?
Xie Ling was startled and met His Majesty's eyes, and the next moment he saw His Majesty looking at him.
"Why, do you still want me to coax you?"
This statement is over the line again. It really doesn't sound like something an emperor would say to his subjects.
The eunuchs on both sides quickly lowered their heads, not daring to listen anymore.
Xie Ling was stunned for a moment, and his heart skipped a beat when he was being looked at. After the teacup was taken away, he felt a hand on the back of his neck.
The soft touch of the fingertips made Xiao Huan pause for a moment. His throat rolled and he came back to his senses. He let the person lean on his shoulder and glanced at him.
"Go to sleep."
Xie Ling: …
What does it mean?
How...how can I sleep like this?
Xie Ling felt inexplicably dry in the mouth and couldn't even remember that he could have gone into the back hall to sleep. But when His Majesty held his neck and he smelled the faint ambergris lingering on his body, Xie Ling hesitated again.
It was His Majesty who asked him to lean on it, so it shouldn't be considered an offense to His Majesty, right?
As soon as the thought flashed through his mind, Xie Ling's eyelids began to twitch again. Xiao Huan snorted lightly and waited slowly, then saw that this guy finally couldn't bear it anymore.
She closed her eyes and leaned against him.
When the furry head fell down, Xiao Huan stopped moving suddenly and looked at Xie Ling with an unpredictable look.
The young man, who had fallen asleep with his eyes closed, now had a relaxed look on his face, with his long black hair draped over his shoulders, making him look very well behaved.
When the warmth on Xie Ling's cheek came through his robe, Xiao Huan's eyes deepened, but he didn't show it. Instead, he stared at Xie Ling for a while. It was unknown how long it took before he restrained himself and looked away to continue reviewing the memorials.
But the left arm that Xie Ling leaned on never moved.
Wang Bao, who was not far away, lowered his head. After realizing what His Majesty had done today, his heart was filled with more than just turmoil.
Your Majesty, are you... interested in Young Master Xie?
Because of His Majesty's series of actions in recent days, Wang Bao finally noticed this and couldn't help but look up and take a look. He found that His Majesty and Master Xie were... quite a match?
But Your Majesty, don’t your shoulders feel sore from this?
For a whole hour, Master Xie slept for an hour, and His Majesty sat like this for an hour. Wang Bao was a little shocked by His Majesty's calmness.
Xie Ling only felt that he was sleeping in a blur, because he was leaning against someone else and he felt a little uncomfortable. After he woke up, he first smelled the scent of ambergris for a while before he suddenly reacted.
Oh, right.
He fell asleep leaning on His Majesty's shoulder.
"Your Majesty, are your shoulders sore? How long have I been sleeping?"
Xiao Huan glanced at him and said, "One hour."
"It's still early."
He didn't answer the sour question, but after Xie Ling woke up, he said: "I still have something to deal with, you can eat a few snacks first, and we will have dinner together later."
oh oh.
Xie Ling nodded and rubbed his sore neck.
But as soon as he stretched out his hand, he remembered the scene where His Majesty pinched his neck and told him to come closer, and his face turned slightly red. At that time, he was too sleepy to think about it, but now Xie Ling's discomfort came up.
"Tongzi, I didn't do anything strange when I was sleeping just now, did I?"
Shit, this was his first time sleeping on someone else's shoulder, and Xie Ling had no idea what he would do.
System: "What is strange movement?"
Xie Ling: "It's just talking in your sleep."
System: “That’s not the case.”
"but"
“But what?” Xie Ling’s eyelids twitched at the ups and downs.
The system coughed lightly, feeling a little embarrassed for the host.
"You slept till the end, and you just laid your whole body on Emperor Wu."
"Look at the left sleeve of Emperor Wu's robe."
Xie Ling looked in the direction the system indicated - that was the place where he had just rested his head at noon.
Upon taking a look, Xie Ling discovered that the entire sleeve was wrinkled and did not look like a dragon robe at all.
His eyes went dark and his face felt hot.
It's over.
"Tongzi, will His Majesty blame me?"
The system thought that if the Emperor wanted to blame someone, he would have done so long ago. He never mentioned this matter and even asked the host to have some snacks first, which clearly showed that he didn't take it to heart.
After hearing what the system said, Xie Ling felt that it was true. He withdrew his eyes from his sleeves guiltily, and reluctantly felt relieved.
Sure enough, His Majesty did not speak a word until lunch at noon.
Xie Ling was shocked: "When did your Majesty become so good-tempered?"
Is this still the Emperor Wu who is always sharp-tongued?
So weird.
Emperor Wu suddenly became a little kinder, and he was a little uncomfortable with it, Xie Ling murmured in his heart.
Xiao Huan thought, today not only did I wait for Xie Ling, but I also let him sleep with his pillow on my head, this guy should be grateful, right?
Thinking of the novels he hadn't read in the past few days, his eyes moved to the top of Xie Ling's head.
"Three sentences to make His Majesty fall in love with me"
"Something's wrong. It's so wrong!"
"I think His Majesty Emperor Wu has been acting a little strange lately."
"As everyone knows, due to some force majeure, Prince Cheng went crazy. This time he was really crazy, not just pretending to be crazy."
"As a cellmate, the host is no longer suitable to be imprisoned with Prince Cheng, so the host was brought out again."
"Just when I thought I would continue to live the same life as before, with sex every day, but not today and sex tomorrow, His Majesty did not kill me this time. Instead, he let me live peacefully in the palace."
“I’m terrified!”
Xiao Huan: ...
He found that the content of each chapter of Xie Ling's novel completely corresponded to his mood on that day. The young medical officer in the book was so timid, couldn't this guy be used to it?
He raised his eyebrows and looked over, and saw Xie Ling, who was eating, looking up blankly, a little confused.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Why are you looking at him like that?
Xiao Huan looked at him for a while: "It's okay."
However, he suddenly became curious. I changed my attitude because I realized that I also liked Xie Ling a little. Why was I so weird in the book?
Just as he was thinking about it, he saw the golden words in the novel reappear.
"Really? What's going on? The host is completely puzzled."
"My goodness, the host is so dumbfounded by the strange look in His Majesty the Emperor's eyes."
"But at least the case has been solved. His Majesty Emperor Wu seems to have recognized the owner of this building?"
"Hahahaha, he has no memory of the previous times the OP loaded the game!"
"Reloading the game again and again really brings retribution. As a normal person, I was beaten to death by the Emperor Wu several times, but now I am still alive and kicking. How can this be good?"
"Although the original intention of the poster was to save the emperor, this is too horrifying. I said I was a charlatan, but there is still a gap between me and ancient times when I said I was really immortal."
"It's over, it's over."
"The host is finished."
There was wailing on the screen.
Xiao Huan was just thinking about what would happen if I remembered him, since he still had the grace of saving me, when he saw a sentence pop up on the golden characters.
"Given your majesty's obsession with immortality, could this host be used as an ingredient in the elixir of immortality?"
Xiao Huan: ...
I will eat people?
Xiao Huan was stunned for a moment and was so angry that he almost laughed.
Is this guy so afraid of him?
Even if I was obsessed with immortality back then, I would never agree if it was achieved through a human, and that person was Xie Ling.
Tsk.
Xiao Huan put down his chopsticks and his eyes became more dangerous.
Xie Ling had just finished expressing his admiration for His Majesty's recent smile and the next moment he was questioned about His Majesty's death again.
"What kind of person am I in your mind?"
Xie Ling: Ahem.
Why are you suddenly asking this when you are having a good meal? It's like being notified of an exam when you are just relaxing.
Xie Ling coughed lightly and tried to look up to explain:
"Your Majesty is certainly a man of great talent, wisdom and bravery in the eyes of the common people."
Xiao Huan was not satisfied: "Besides that?"
Xie Ling: Anything more?
He racked his brains and squeezed out a few more words: "Skillful in both civil and military affairs, and loving the people like his own children?"
Xiao Huan sneered.
In the novel, the young medical officer was afraid that I would eat him, and he loved the people like his own children. Why didn’t I see that Xie Ling was so afraid of him on weekdays?
He sneered.
"Are you afraid of me?"
Xie Ling: …
"No, no, Your Majesty."
"I'm not afraid, I'm in awe! Who can not be in awe of the emperor?"
Xie Ling felt that he had flattered the emperor enough. Did the emperor have any reason to be unhappy now?
His Majesty did have reason to be unhappy, and his face seemed to become even gloomier after he finished speaking.
"What if I command you not to be reverent?"
Xie Ling: …
Seeing Xie Ling at a loss for a moment, Xiao Huan frowned slightly, knowing that he should not be too anxious.
Well, although Xie Ling admires me, he still has to be respectful to me. I have to make this guy no longer afraid of me. He narrowed his eyes and suddenly said, "If you perform well this afternoon, I will reward you with something."
Um?
Is there a reward?
Xie Ling became more alert and became curious about what His Majesty would reward him.
But what does it mean to perform well?
"Your Majesty, can I review my lessons for two more hours this afternoon?"
Xiao Huan looked at him and said nothing.
Xie Ling guessed again: "Then I will serve tea and water to His Majesty in the afternoon?"
This time, Xiao Huan said calmly, "I don't lack palace maids."
Xie Ling:!!!
What should we do then?
Xie Ling kept thinking and thinking, but he still hadn't figured anything out by the time lunch was over. He took a deep breath and sat down next to His Majesty.
But just as he sat down, he heard the system in his mind excitedly say: "Host, I seem to have detected a change in the heartbeat of the Emperor Wu just now."
The system has always had this function, but Xie Ling has never used it. After listening to the system, he finally realized that this function can be used to test His Majesty's ideas.
If he can’t guess what constitutes a good performance, he can try them one by one!
Wang Bao saw that Master Xie had become very excited since His Majesty had promised him a reward. After lowering his head to write his homework for a while, he suddenly moved his chair towards His Majesty in a sneaky way.
"System, how is His Majesty Emperor Wu's heartbeat right now?"
Just now when he sat down he suddenly became abnormal. It must be related to the position, right?
Does His Majesty like him to sit closer to him?
Just as Xie Ling was thinking this, he heard the speechless voice of the system.
"The heart rate is normal."
Xie Ling: …
Eliminate! I guessed in vain.
Their eyes met, and Xiao Huan looked at Xie Ling, who had squeezed so close to him that he could hardly write, with a half-smile.
"You want to review memorials for me?"
"No, no, no."
"Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand me. I just... the chair was a little slippery just now."
Xie Ling retreated obediently, but just when he had retreated to a position where he had room to move his hands, he suddenly heard the system voice again.
"Wait, my heart rate just seemed to be... fluctuating again?"
Xie Ling:……?
Can't you get closer? Why is it suddenly fluctuating again?
The system corrected: "Host, you just stepped back."
So His Majesty doesn't like him to sit too close, nor does he like him to sit too far away? Xie Ling stayed obediently at the position the system said.
He was hot from moving around so much just now, so he couldn't help but stretch himself to relax his muscles.
"Host, the heart rate is moving."
Xie Ling: …
So weird.
However, when he looked over, the Emperor was reviewing the memorials without changing his expression, and he really couldn't connect the word "heartbeat" with his actions.
"Tongzi, is there a possibility that His Majesty's heart rate was moved just now because he was reading the memorials?"
Generally, memorials contain very irritating things or important events to report, so it is normal to feel ups and downs in one's heart.
The system ignored this point, thought about it for a moment and nodded.
"What the host said makes sense."
Yes, yes, he said.
After Xie Ling questioned the system, he suddenly came to his senses.
Wait, so the fluctuations in his heart rate from moving around just now could have been due to the memorials, and had nothing to do with his position?!
Xie Ling was dumbfounded and speechless.
So why is he going through all this trouble?
Forget it. It is not so easy to please His Majesty. He should just study hard.
After breaking through the defense, Xie Ling had a blank expression on his face, and he opened the book again.
Xiao Huan, who was reading a memorial at the side, paused with his pen and suddenly looked at him.
Are you giving up just like that?
System: "The Emperor's heart rate has increased again."
Xie Ling: "It's a memorial. We don't need to care about it."
System: “No, that’s not it.”
"Emperor Wu is looking at you right now."
ah?
Xie Ling raised his head belatedly and saw His Majesty looking at him.
"Come here." Xiao Huan glanced at him.
Xie Ling leaned over, thinking that Emperor Wu had something to say. But when he leaned over, he found that the emperor at the top just lowered his head slightly.
“Magnolia flowers are very fragrant.”
With a "boom", Xie Ling felt as if his head exploded and his heartbeat became uncontrollable for a moment.
"Host, host, the other side's heartbeat is normal again!" the system beeped excitedly.
Xie Ling:!!!
Nonsense, his heartbeat was fine just now!
His Majesty just called him over to... smell the magnolia flowers on his body?
Is it that strong? He himself can't smell it.
Xie Ling instinctively raised his sleeves, but only smelled a faint fragrance. At this time, his whole body almost turned red.
Damn it.
What does your majesty mean?
Take it as a cooling oil?
He covered his face, feeling that he was overthinking, but at the same time he couldn't help it.
"Tong, why do I feel like... the Emperor Wu is flirting with me?"
When Xie Ling said this, he felt numb all over. The system couldn't explain it either. After all, there were many factors involved in things like heartbeat.
Xie Ling took a deep breath and persisted until His Majesty finished reviewing the memorials. However, these few hours were extremely difficult, even more difficult than when he had just traveled through time.
He lowered his head and tried to concentrate, then looked for a while and pounded his leg angrily.
"System, Your Majesty has ruined my moral integrity!"
When Xiao Huan suddenly looked down and saw this word, he was stunned for a moment, but then he smiled.
Tao heart?
Does this guy still have a heart for Taoism?
He raised an eyebrow: "Why are you hitting your legs all of a sudden?"
When the unexpected voice sounded, Xie Ling realized that His Majesty was sitting not far from him. Since the table was changed and he had moved for a long time, the two of them became closer.
Your Majesty saw exactly what he did just now.
Xie Ling's body stiffened for a moment, and he said awkwardly: "It's nothing, Your Majesty, I just sat for a long time and my legs are a little numb."
"My legs are numb, hahaha. Let me move around a bit."
He absolutely did not do anything weird!
But the next moment, Emperor Wu paused and seemed to smile: "In this case, let's go for a ride in the evening."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Xie Ling nodded, thinking that he could let it go for now. But he didn't expect that when he was riding in the evening, his heart would be even more difficult to control.
There is also a horse farm in the palace, but it is not as spacious as the enclosure in the Western Garden. After Xie Ling finished his meal, he was walking on the reins, still thinking about leaving from His Majesty, when he saw His Majesty, who had already climbed onto the horse, suddenly turned around and looked at him.
The next moment, Xie Ling was picked up by someone.
Xiao Huan held Xie Ling's waist with one hand and tightened the reins.
"Are you still afraid of me?"
This is the second time His Majesty has asked this question today. Xie Ling felt a little strange, wondering why His Majesty was so obsessed with this question.
But now I’m not afraid anymore, it’s just a little embarrassing.
His Majesty's series of actions today were all strange. Xie Ling didn't know whether he was overthinking or it was true. At this moment, he could only try his best not to think too much.
Xiao Huan looked at the guy's desperate look and raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything. He ran two laps with the horse and suddenly handed the reins to Xie Ling.
"You come."
Xie Ling: …
ah?
He had only ridden the docile Little Red before, and this was the first time he rode such a tall and strong horse.
This, this, this, are we going to leave it to him now? Xie Ling held the reins stiffly, and when he finally reacted, he could only go ahead. Fortunately, the horse didn't seem to realize that it had changed its rider.
He breathed a sigh of relief, but the emperor was nonchalant: "You haven't answered me yet."
Xie Ling was speechless: "Don't be afraid, Your Majesty."
Xiao Huan: "Really?"
"Really? It's true, more real than real gold." Xie Ling nodded vigorously.
Xiao Huan didn't say whether he believed it or not, he just protected Xie Ling and ran several laps.
Xie Ling's mind was still in a mess at first, but in the end, he finally immersed himself in it. Horse racing is really a very relaxing sport. He breathed a sigh of relief and happily pulled the reins.
"Your Majesty, thank you, Master."
Seeing that His Majesty's horse stopped, the eunuchs came forward and presented a handkerchief. Xiao Huan took it and handed it to Xie Ling, then wiped his hands.
Perhaps he became bolder after relaxing. After His Majesty had dismounted, Xie Ling suddenly remembered the problem that had been bothering him since last night, and his evil intentions became bolder again.
"Your Majesty, can I ask you a question?"
"ask."
Xiao Huan raised his head and saw Xie Ling still sitting on the horse with some curiosity.
"Why doesn't your majesty like Prince Zhang?"
He wanted to ask yesterday but just didn't dare. Today, His Majesty looked as if he wanted to train his courage, so Xie Ling couldn't help but ask.
I felt a little nervous only after I said it.
Wait, he isn't going to ask about taboos, is he?
Xiao Huan: "You want to know?"
The next moment, Xie Ling heard His Majesty say, "Because Zhang Jing likes you."
Xie Ling was stunned for a moment, but Xiao Huan was already looking at him: "Xie Ling."
"——Who is better, me or Zhang Jing?"
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