Chapter 104 [VIP]
The Xiyuan Hall was brightly lit late into the night. Three days had passed, and the pile of official business was still impossible to finish.
Xue Yi had a bit of a headache, looking at the notes Song Zhao had made. Even though he was delegating authority to Song Zhao, Song Zhao didn't overstep his bounds; everything that should be decided by him was left for Xue Yi to decide upon.
"Your Majesty, Lord Lu has arrived." He was just wondering how Changyou was doing when the young man came into his palace.
He had his guards send over many beautiful gifts; sending tonics would seem rather odd, and the young man might find it offensive. The silence of the past three days spoke volumes.
"Let him in." He noticed the red-stained robes; after several days of rest, the young man's complexion was even worse.
The young man was pale, probably because he hadn't slept well for several days. There was a faint dark blue under his eyelashes, and his face looked like a pearl. His lips were pale and weak.
He glanced at it a few times before looking away. There were still memorials spread out on the table, which he had naturally seen. In the past three days, many officials had submitted memorials requesting Lu Xuejin's reinstatement. Song Zhao had taken those memorials away, but more kept coming in, which he left aside without dealing with them.
"Brother," the young man called to him from his side.
He met those deep brown eyes, gentle and pure, reflecting his calm face. Upon seeing him, his tempered willpower seemed incredibly weak.
"How is Changyou's health? He has never wanted to see me before," he said.
He recalled the scene of his prank the day before, and it seemed as if his sickly state had been contagious to the young man. Once the young man silently accepted him, his dark heart, which had been hollowed out, seemed to have found something to hold it.
They knew each other too well, and the young man was willing to be close to him once he returned to the palace, without him wanting to think about the reasons. Yet, he couldn't take his eyes off the man once he saw him... The young man's concern for him stirred ripples in his fragile heart, and what he wanted was far from enough.
The more one gets involved, the more it's like swallowing poison or drinking poison to quench thirst; one still wants more.
Lu Xuejin moved closer to him and sat down beside him. The scent of bergamot wafted over her. She spoke gently beside him, "You've been resting these past few days. Tengluo just told me that you came by, so I came to see if you're having trouble with political matters."
He replied, "I handed these over to Song Zhao, who wrote them down, and I will handle the rest."
“Brother, you still worry about me as always. You should take better care of your health,” Lu Xuejin said, her gentle words falling on his ear. Her warm brown eyes reflected his image, and as her breath drew near, he felt the warmth on his forehead.
He pressed his forehead against the young man's palm and saw that the beautiful face, as lovely as pearls, was right in front of him. The red brocade peony made the young man even more charming, like a glimpse of clear light in a beautiful field, making it impossible to look away.
Those smiling eyes, the worried look in them, those beautiful, petal-like lips, that fair, slender neck. He could still see the document before, but now he could only see the mark he had left on the young man's earlobe the day before.
"How have you been feeling lately?" the young man asked him.
He glanced away slightly, his eyes flashing across his face, a barely suppressed urge in them, reflecting the tender concern the young man showed him. Memories of the previous day resurfaced: how he had pinned the man down and violated him, how he had bitten those beautiful lips, how he had left his marks on that body—all vividly clear in his mind.
The other person always has this ability: no matter how outrageous others are, they can never show their emotions and still appear by his side like a god, looking at him with tolerance and gentleness.
Let him see what he's done. The more he sees, the more he'll want to go too far.
Even knowing it was a trap to deceive him, he still couldn't help but fall into it.
"Changyou is worried about me? I'm perfectly fine... But Changyou, let me see how your injuries are." A dark glint appeared in his eyes as he looked at the young man's fair profile. He touched his lips to the young man's face, intending to leave a tooth mark on his skin.
If you were to tear this eternally calm and gentle person to pieces, they would only be able to ooze fluids like a prostitute, leaving their deep brown eyes only able to hold his image, causing those eyes to fall into a state of confusion.
"I'm fine too...brother..."
That gentle "brother" instantly made him lose his mind.
He lowered his head and bit the young man's lips. The scent of citrus still lingered between his lips and teeth, perhaps from the fruit he had just eaten. That sweet fragrance also felt cool, and the sweet juice seemed inexhaustible. He touched the young man's waist, which usually appeared dignified and elegant, yet was so slender that it could be encircled with one hand, and he could easily pull him into his arms.
He remained calm and composed, slightly suppressing his breathing. Because of his difficulty breathing, the young man made rapid, panting sounds from his throat. His panting was suppressed, like that of a dying animal, which could only rely on his control to survive.
He threw away his folded document, pulled the young man into his arms, licked the young man's neck, felt the young man's weak pulse, and as he gently kissed him, the young man's Adam's apple trembled slightly.
Though his heart was like that of a god, he was still a mortal. Because of his touch, the young man gradually stiffened in his arms, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, dampening his handsome temples. His deep brown eyes looked at him, the corners of his eyes reddened by the moisture.
"Changyou... why do you act like I've bullied you again? You insisted on offering yourself up and seducing me, and now you seem to be blaming me."
His unwavering resolve was shaken each time by the presence of youth.
He touched the corner of the young man's eye, and the moisture intensified. The young man's skin in his palm was like a light, floating cloud, spreading and floating. Under his touch, the sweat dripped down even more, and the young man turned into a pool of clear water that seemed to melt on his body.
"..."
His kisses followed the flow, leaving mottled red marks on the young man's snow-white body. He found the spot he had messed up the day before and gently kissed it. He took the young man's filth into his mouth and watched as the other man's neck tensed up because he couldn't bear it, and a blush crept onto his beautiful jawline.
"Brother, elder brother... there's no need for that..."
He forced the young man's breathing to become disordered, and the faint sound from his throat due to the slow pleasure caused the young man to lose control and produce a sticky substance, which he swallowed all of it.
He picked the man up, and the young man covered his eyes in his arms, seemingly unwilling to see his own reflection in his eyes. Seeing this, he deliberately pried the young man's hands away and looked directly into those bewildered eyes.
"Changyou, why are you covering your face?"
He lowered his head to kiss the young man's lips, but the young man, as if facing a formidable enemy, quickly dodged away, and he only managed to kiss the tip of the ear of the person in his arms.
"...Brother, rinse your mouth first before we talk."
"..." He lowered his head and touched his lips, then noticed the young man's wary look. He could vaguely see the corners of his lips curving upwards in the young man's eyes, and the small mole under his eye seemed to be fluctuating because of his mood.
"I am the Son of Heaven, I do not wash."
The kiss landed on the young man's lips, which tightened, and he kissed the young man's face and forehead. The person he had longed for was now in his arms... yet it still didn't feel enough, a void remained in his heart. He touched the young man's ankle, lifting the red official robe, wishing time could stand still at this moment, perhaps a thousand kisses would fill the emptiness in his heart.
“Brother…I just saw you reading the memorials,” the young man in his arms said to him.
"Hmm?" he responded, his mind no longer on the document, his eyes only on the person in his arms.
"Changyou, why are you sweating so much? Let me see."
"Brother... I wish to be reinstated."
The air grew quiet, but the fireplace in the palace still burned, its flames engulfing the charcoal, making the palace as warm as the scorching sun.
He looked at the person in his arms. The young man looked at him quietly, still feeling somewhat uncomfortable in his arms. The frail body seemed as if it would crumble at the slightest touch, unable to withstand his overwhelming lust and morbid desire. Under his gaze, perhaps sensing his emotions, the young man instinctively perceived the danger but remained still, observing his emotions.
In the youth's beautiful eyes, he seemed to have become an aquatic plant, his life filled with two meanings: one was unattainable desire, and the other was the fleeting contemplation that arose from the attainment of that desire. Both of these carried the filth and repulsive base instincts.
"Reinstatement? What position do you want reinstated to?" he asked.
The young man glanced at the memorials on the table and said to him, "Those memorials written by the officials... I want to go back. Would you be willing, brother?"
Even in his arms, even beneath him, even when he violated her and she could only adopt a vulnerable posture, she still felt untouchable. Even if he locked her up, even if he endlessly demanded love, he could see that the young man didn't see him; he was just a microcosm of some base desire.
Because of his keen perception, he sensed this emotion, and that unspeakable feeling opened a bottomless black hole in his heart, which could not be repaired no matter what.
"If I am unwilling, what will Changyou do?" he asked a question he already knew the answer to.
If he refused, the courtiers would remonstrate daily, and the stalemate was only a matter of time. The person in his arms was not a canary to be slaughtered, but a revered genius. The young man's gentle mask had long been fused with his flesh and blood; no matter how much one offended him, his true nature remained hidden.
"If you are unwilling, then just pretend I didn't say anything."
He gazed into those gentle yet emotionless eyes, always wanting to get closer, thinking that the closer he was, the clearer he could see, trying to glimpse the emotions within. His frail, sickly aura seemed to return, and he remembered his adoptive mother's figure by his bedside, because his illness was similar to hers, and she often came to see him.
"Yanli... Changyou, Changyou is a heartless person. Even if he always takes care of you, you must understand. There is no need to place great gratitude on him. You do not owe the Prime Minister's Mansion anything... Just live well."
"Live...to survive."
Lu Xuejin was not heartless, but she was heartless towards him. He wanted to gather his broken heart together, which had gradually become old and rotten with each breakage, and each time he tried to piece it back together, he felt immense pain.
They were so alike that no matter how turbulent their inner thoughts were, their faces remained calm and expressionless. He saw his own expression reflected in the young man's eyes; perhaps he smiled slightly, his dark eyes becoming unfathomable.
“Since Changyou has brought it up, how could I refuse? You are my darling… I feel pity for you the moment I see you.” He said quietly, his chaotic emotions turning into dark and thick thoughts. He didn’t know how to express his feelings except to humiliate the person in front of him.
"It's just that Changyou always makes things difficult for me... If you are reinstated, I will have a hard time explaining myself to the court officials. I had a lot of trouble persuading them to bring you into the palace. Now Changyou is going to slap me in the face in front of the court officials himself."
Even if Changyou is heartless, he should at least have some compassion for me. I have always been too lenient with you. How should you repay me?
As he spoke, the young man remained in his arms. Noticing the slight pause in the young man's expression, he glanced at the prayer beads beside him. Those prayer beads were the ones Song Zhao had given him to pray for his well-being.
The young man took the initiative to kiss his lips. The tug-of-war they had been calculating with each other, the wins and losses in the game of chess, all turned into base and obsequious desires.
He glanced down at Lu Xuejin's posture, her aloof and unapproachable demeanor revealing a vulnerability in the young man's pale face. Doing such a thing was truly difficult. Just one kiss had exhausted all her life force.
"...Changyou has really had a tough time."
He lifted the red official robe, touching soft, petal-like skin. The more he touched it, the more he could smell the young man's scent, pure white as snow, cool and clear as the moon in a cup. The soft substance clung to his fingers, enveloping the skin there, hot and burning, surging with intense desire at his touch.
The person in his arms transformed into a snow-white fish, its fins barely spread open, revealing a translucent, pinkish luster. He scraped a layer of scales from the fish's tail, and the snow fish began to struggle, its body oozing snow-white fluid and exuding a lewd aura.
He stained his fingers and his lips, then leaned in and kissed the snowfish's tail, where the scales, glistening with juices, began to tremble. The skin he touched was dripping with sweat, gleaming with a creamy, pearly sheen, like a clam shell being slowly pried open to reveal the pearl within.
The cold prayer beads were placed inside. With each bead, the soft curves of his skin stretched taut, and he slowly opened his mouth, struggling to swallow. The flowing fluid soaked his sleeves, and the snow-white skin gradually turned pink, becoming sweet and alluring in the fluid. With each bead he swallowed, his mouth opened wide, exhaling hot breaths that seemed to plead for mercy.
His dark and intense thoughts found an outlet. Lu Xuejin felt hot all over from his touch and couldn't bear being held in his arms. He lowered his head and bit Lu Xuejin's shoulder, leaving a deep red tooth mark with blood. Lu Xuejin didn't react at all.
The young man in her arms was unable to move because of the rosary beads. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead as he barely managed to maintain his composure. A mist rose in his eyes, making them blurry, and his cheeks were flushed red from the heat. A sticky, damp feeling spread up his body.
"...Changyou ate it all."
"Your Majesty, Lord Song requests an audience."
"Let him in."
Upon hearing that Lu Xuejin had arrived at Xiyuan Palace, Song Zhao rushed over. The court officials were endlessly submitting their memorials, and he was worried that Xue Yi might be swayed into agreeing. As soon as he entered, he saw the two of them.
Inside the hall, Xue Yi sat leisurely at his desk. Since returning to the palace, his complexion had improved considerably. No one knew what the two had just discussed, but Xue Yi's slender eyebrows turned dark and brooding, as if he wanted to devour something completely.
His gaze fell on Lu Xuejin on the other side. Perhaps it was too hot in the hall, because Lu Xuejin was sweating a lot, and her face was pale and ugly, as if she had just suffered a severe torture.
The two figures before them were like twin reflections in a cage. If one was dominant, the other would struggle to survive. If one was satisfied, the other would be devoured and disappear.
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