Chapter 13
Lu Xuejin noticed that the boy had been staring at him for a long time. Murong Yue seemed to be thinking about something, and his expression became melancholic, making the air quieter.
"Brother, are you alright?" Murong Yue grabbed his wrist during a pause in his coughing.
A low voice came from behind him. The boy looked worried, his sharp eyes dark and deep. His slender fingers rested on the boy's wrist, and the boy felt a sudden pain in his wrist. The force was so strong that he almost cried out. His wrist was thin and weak, like a withered flower in the boy's palm, which could be crushed with ease.
"I'm fine," Lu Xuejin said, moving her wrist and looking at the person with some helplessness. "Your Highness, please let go."
Upon hearing this, Murong Yue belatedly released his grip, saying apologetically, "I was a little anxious just now... Brother Changyou, did I hurt you? I was lost in thought just now."
As he spoke, Murong Yue slightly turned his head to look at him, his dark eyes becoming incredibly vivid and lively. The boy's canine teeth were revealed, faintly visible at the corners of his lips.
“No,” Lu Xuejin said. Perhaps it was because he was old, while the boy was at the age of liveliness. As soon as he let go, he left two red marks on the boy’s wrist.
"What is Your Highness thinking about?" he asked, then added with some concern, "How was your day at school? I heard His Majesty visited today; did he give you any trouble?"
He looked Murong Yue from left to right, and figured he hadn't been in too much trouble. His cheeks looked unharmed, as if he hadn't been hit. He couldn't tell if the rest of his face had been bullied.
"His Majesty didn't make things difficult for me; he only stayed for a short while before leaving," Murong Yue said. "But you don't look well, brother... You have quite a few red marks on your neck; were you bitten by mosquitoes yesterday?"
As he spoke, the boy pointed to his neck, where the mark was faintly visible beneath his cloak. The boy's eyes reflected his own, his gaze utterly serene, as if he truly knew nothing of what the mark signified.
"..." Lu Xuejin wanted to see the person, and when he saw the person, he would inevitably ask questions. The boy's innocent appearance touched him. He wanted to cover the child's eyes and prevent the child from seeing those filthy things.
"I ate something bad yesterday and broke out in a rash," he said.
The first time he lied, the person he lied to was actually the Ninth Prince, who was eight years younger than him. Lu Xuejin couldn't help but sigh inwardly, slightly lifting her cloak so that the young man could see her more clearly.
"Do these rashes hurt? If I knew what foods you couldn't tolerate, I could be more careful in the future," Murong Yue said, leaning closer to examine the red marks. Sensing the boy's approach, he remained still, his breathing slightly lighter.
"It doesn't hurt. I ate some incompatible snacks the other day. It won't happen again after the season," he said. The boy's concern for these marks inexplicably stirred strange emotions within him. Xue Yi's face flashed through his mind, and his brows furrowed and relaxed involuntarily.
A faint breath fell on his skin, the boy's breath approached, and his neck suddenly felt hot. The boy's fingertips touched the side of his neck, causing him to turn his head involuntarily.
Murong Yue lowered his eyes, his thick eyelashes fluttering down, concealing the emotions within them. The temperature on his neck was burning; the calluses on the boy's fingertips were etched onto his skin, a stark reminder of his vulnerability. His neck was usually untouched, and this gesture made it seem as if the boy was in control of him.
"Your Highness?" he called out, his neck pressed against the boy's palm, trembling as he spoke.
"Hmm?" Murong Yue responded, and stopped what he was doing as soon as he called out.
The boy said with concern, "Brother Changyou, let me apply the medicine for you. These rashes look really unsightly... I feel like they shouldn't be on you. I hope you get better soon."
The boy's voice was emotionless, and he was still close to him. He had lied, and now to cover it up, he had to continue lying to the child. Hearing this, he coughed lightly and pretended to ask Ziyan to bring over some ointment to reduce the swelling. Seeing the boy's earnest expression, he ultimately chose to coax him.
"Your Highness need not worry, he will be fine in a few days," he said to the person.
Murong Yue was behind him, and a chill ran down his spine. He couldn't see the marks on his back, only the boy's presence. The boy's hand gently brushed against his ear. The light touch on his earlobe made him feel uneasy every time the boy touched his ear.
"Your Highness, is it ready?" he asked.
The boy behind him didn't reply. He felt warmth on the back of his neck, and the boy's fingertips gently massaged it. After a moment, he whispered in his ear, "Brother, it looks like it wasn't easy for you to get better. I'll come and help you these next few days, okay?"
"..." Lu Xuejin was stumped by Murong Yue's suggestion. He sighed inwardly, realizing that his father's earlier warning against lying had come true. He had no choice but to agree to His Highness's proposal.
“Your Highness is welcome to come at any time,” he said.
However, the time Murong Yue spent touching and caressing him was somewhat unbearable. He was getting old, while a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy was in his prime. The boy was like a small furnace, his breath hot and his palms burning. Everywhere he touched Murong Yue's skin remained warm.
He could finally breathe a sigh of relief after seeing them off.
A secluded courtyard in the cold palace.
Few people ever came to their courtyard, and the wisteria was happy with the peace and quiet. She hummed a little tune as she packed her things, and when she heard the noise, she knew that the Ninth Prince had returned.
A young man's figure appeared at the palace gate, accompanied by a chilling aura. With a clang, something crisply shattered. She saw a green jade ring, broken into pieces by the young man.
Tengluo: "Oh dear, Your Highness... why did you throw away this perfectly good bracelet?"
She quickly put down what she was holding and went to check on the broken things. Black boots landed in front of her, and when she looked up, she met a face that was unpredictable. The boy's brows were furrowed with anger, and his expression looked as if he wanted to devour her.
The boy gritted his teeth and said, "Don't pick it up!"
Look at this brat, pretending to be kind and virtuous in front of her young master every day, but he doesn't bother to hide it when he's not around. She'd like to know when the Ninth Prince will finally reveal his true, wicked nature.
Hearing that the bracelet was a gift from the Emperor, she thought she would take it back, especially since the Ninth Prince had brought back quite a few things. She watched as the young man rushed into the innermost storeroom, which she had hastily set up to store the Ninth Prince's belongings.
She doesn't usually go in, but she was a little worried today, afraid that the Ninth Prince might get upset and smash up the whole palace.
She gathered up the fragments of the bracelet and quietly followed them, seeing only darkness through the window. There were no lights inside, and the boy stood there, staring at the objects on the wall.
In the darkness, nothing was clearly visible. Only after straining to look inside could she make out a blurry outline: several oppressive memorial tablets placed on the wall. The boy calmed himself before the tablets, his entire being almost blending into the darkness, exuding a ghostly, gloomy, and chilling aura.
The next day.
With the spring hunt approaching and the recent murder in the palace, secret guards have been stationed at all four palace gates, and guards patrol the area in front of each palace. Tengluo had seen this several times, and she saw it again early this morning. She wondered if she was seeing things, but she saw a guard delivering a message to the Ninth Prince.
Perhaps he's one of her young master's men? Thinking this, she watched as the young man accepted the letter expressionlessly. She quickly remembered she still had work to do, slapped her forehead, and immediately went to get to work.
The day before the spring hunt.
Murong Yue visited Fangze Palace every day, and the marks on Lu Xuejin's body had almost faded. Knowing that Murong Yue was also going to the hunting grounds and might not be able to see him, he gave the boy a map and a breastplate.
The silver mirror is smooth and engraved with emerald peonies. Tiny, shimmering particles are embedded inside, reflecting a shimmering halo of light.
Murong Yue held it in his palm for a long time before asking, "Brother, are you really going to give it to me?"
“I saw it at my uncle’s place before. The diamonds embedded in it are extremely hard, almost enough to stop a dragon crossbow arrow. Due to the difficulty of the craftsmanship, there are only a few pieces in the world,” Murong Yue said.
“Your Highness is very knowledgeable… This was originally left by my father, and it is called the Mirror of the Sun and Moon. When the envoys of the Hu tribe came to Wei, they brought two of them, and they eventually ended up in my father’s hands. The Hu tribe borders Lidu, so they must be quite common there,” Lu Xuejin said.
He and Xue Yi each possessed one of these Sun and Moon Mirrors, one black and one white; the one in his hand was the Sun Mirror. Now that it had been given to Murong Yue, he looked at the young man holding the mirror and couldn't help but feel a little dazed, recalling the first time he had seen the Heart-Protecting Mirror.
Lu Xuejin: "I may not see Your Highness on the hunting grounds. Your Highness is always a cause for concern... Giving this to Your Highness may not be of any use, but it will put my mind at ease a little."
His words came naturally from the heart; he genuinely cared for the Ninth Prince. His words were extremely gentle, soft and soothing, and as the boy held the protective mirror in his palm, his expression subtly changed.
"Brother, I'm worried about you too."
A cool fragrance wafted over, and the boy immediately hugged him. He stood there for a long time, feeling Murong Yue's body temperature. It had only been a little over a month, and he wondered if it was just his imagination, but the boy seemed to have grown taller. His waist was wrapped around the boy's arm, and the boy hugged him tightly, making it hard for him to breathe.
“I used to be in Lidu, where I was most skilled at riding and archery. If you want any of the game in this palace, I can shoot it down as many as you want,” the boy said, hugging him.
He sensed the boy's joy, and saw his reflection in the boy's clear black and white eyes. The boy's eyebrows were raised with pride when he mentioned the past, and his tiger teeth turned slightly to the side, gently rubbing against his neck. He always had the illusion that he was about to be bitten.
“I understand, Ninth Prince. There’s no need to send those game animals. If I encounter any cute animals, I would much rather Your Highness release them,” he said.
"What animals does Brother like? If I come across any, I'll catch them for you," Murong Yue asked.
Lu Xuejin subconsciously thought of a tiger. The boy in front of her looked like a tiger cub, fierce and imposing. When he was angry, he would show his tiger teeth and stare at people, and when he was happy, he would act cute and charming.
"Go and have fun. I've already instructed the palace servants to accompany you, so don't separate from them," he instructed.
As he spoke, he touched the hair of the boy in his arms. The moment he touched it, Murong Yue suddenly looked up, a sharp glint in his eyes. That expression vanished in an instant, and the boy's gaze slowly moved downwards, from the corner of his lips to his jawline, and then to his neck.
Their breaths mingled together. The boy stared at him and said, "Brother Changyou, your body... is different from ordinary people."
His lips are naturally slightly curved, with a philtrum in the center. His lips are thin and aloof, so when he doesn't smile, he doesn't appear harsh but rather gentle.
The boy's fingertips landed on his lips, gently brushing against the cupid's bow, and the spot where his fingers had touched instantly turned red. Before he could react, the boy withdrew his hand as if merely out of curiosity, the sensation seeming like an illusion.
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