Chapter 8
Murong Yue touched the young man's body temperature, and he and Lu Xuejin intertwined their fingers. The brocade quilt covered his entire body, and he gently brushed his lips against the young man's clothes, looking up at the young man as he spoke, the other's lips opening and closing.
From this angle, the curve of the young man's neck is clearly visible, long and fair, extending into his collar. There are two barely noticeable moles on his collar.
“There is one more thing. I heard that you have been cultivating many withered and weak plum branches in the palace recently... During this search, all those red plums were broken off by me. Please forgive me.”
Upon hearing this, his gaze paused slightly.
When he visited the Youth Hall last time, he saw the newly planted saplings in the corner, which looked very familiar. He never imagined that they were actually the plum branches he had sent.
This is how it is... this is how it is...
Those things are clearly worthless and not worthy of this person's appreciation.
His palm was slightly tense, and the young man, thinking he was frightened, placed his hand on his head through the quilt. He knelt down in front of the young man, initially being very careful not to touch him.
"Alright, Your Highness..."
As the carriage continued its journey, it swayed and lost its balance, causing him to stumble forward. His cheek, through his clothes, pressed against the young man's leg, and he immediately grabbed the man's calf.
At this moment, the young man lifted the brocade quilt, and Murong Yue saw himself in the other's eyes. The strange touch in his palm caused his previously suppressed aura to spread out, turning into a flushed red that spread from his ears to his cheeks.
"Your Highness... why is your face so red again?" Lu Xuejin smiled at him suddenly, her palm touching his cheek, her soft voice barely audible as she spoke to him.
"Feeling bored?"
Murong Yue tried hard to remain calm; he always lost his composure when the other person touched him. The young man, however, seemed to indulge him. He noticed his bright red ears and felt somewhat embarrassed, gritting his teeth but unable to calm the burning sensation.
"No. You...you mustn't touch me anymore." His voice lowered, feeling an overwhelming heat that blurred his vision.
Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation in his nose, and a few drops of blood stained the young man's robes.
"...Your Highness?"
"Young master, what's wrong?" Ziyan asked upon hearing the commotion.
Lu Xuejin was somewhat surprised, watching the boy's face change, sometimes gloomy and sometimes pale, wondering what he was thinking. She felt both amused and sorry for him.
He sighed softly, asked Ziyan for a handkerchief, and used it to cover Murong Yue's nose.
"What's going on? Your Highness, don't be alarmed, we've already left the palace. Ziyan, bring some more water." He said to the window.
Ziyan responded with a "Yes" and handed in the water.
The boy remained seated beside him, staring intently at his clothes. His calves, however, felt somewhat uncomfortable; he hadn't realized the boy was so strong, and now his legs were aching slightly.
He touched the patch of blood and said to Murong Yue, "It's alright, we can change into something later."
Tengluo didn't know what had happened inside, but when she asked Ziyan, she learned that the Ninth Prince was bleeding. She couldn't help but slap her forehead and said to Ziyan, "His Highness usually has a light diet and has never eaten any spicy food. Why would he suddenly get a fever?"
It's the height of spring in March, yet Shengjing is still freezing cold. I wonder where the Ninth Prince's temper is coming from.
Tengluo quickly realized that the Ninth Prince always had a gloomy expression, perhaps he had some unresolved issues, and she understood.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Lu Xuejin and Murong Yue alighted from the carriage one after the other. From afar, Tengluo observed that the Ninth Prince's face was somewhat pale, displaying his usual displeasure. However, as soon as the young man in front turned his head, the Ninth Prince's displeasure vanished, replaced by a gentle and shy demeanor.
These are... truly two completely different appearances. She was utterly stunned.
"What's wrong?" Ziyan asked her.
"No...it's nothing." Tengluo quickly shook her head. "I noticed that the young master seems to be in a very good mood today."
Ziyan: "Young Master has indeed been smiling more lately."
"Is there anywhere Your Highness would like to go? It's not easy to leave the palace...we should take a look around," Lu Xuejin asked.
Murong Yue said to him, "I would like to visit your residence."
Lu Xuejin: "My house is now empty and no one lives there. Your Highness, don't you feel lonely? Why don't we go over there together tonight?"
As he said this, it seemed to be the first time he had brought an outsider home. When he was young, Wei Ning often came over, but it was always the three of them together; he had never been so close to anyone before.
Now, taking the Ninth Prince back... He turned his gaze to the young man beside him. He didn't hide from others while changing his clothes; the two of them were separated by a screen.
The boy saw him and instinctively looked away. He found it amusing and remembered to ask, "Your Highness, when you were in the capital a few years ago, did you visit any military camps?"
“I’ve been there,” Murong Yue said. “I go there often. It’s much more interesting than the army in the capital.”
"Does Your Highness prefer swords or halberds?" he asked.
“I prefer the halberd. When a sword pierces an enemy, blood splatters on you. The halberd is more convenient,” Murong Yue replied.
He imagined the boy struggling to lift the halberd; the halberd was heavy and not easy to wield. The image was so vivid in his mind that he was lost in thought.
He changed his clothes, and as they were leaving, Murong Yue paused and said to him, "I'll be right back."
He watched as the boy went back.
Tengluo and Ziyan waited downstairs together. She saw the Ninth Prince come down again after a while, carrying a steamed bun in his arms. The Ninth Prince gave the steamed bun to her.
"Your Highness, what is this?" she asked curiously.
"The things you bought," Murong Yue said, then added to her, "you just put them away and don't peek at them."
Tengluo said "Oh," put the buns down, and then slapped her forehead, finally remembering what she wanted to tell Ziyan. She wanted to tell Ziyan that the Ninth Prince collected scraps every day, and last time he even brought back someone's belt.
"What's wrong?" Ziyan asked her.
"I just remembered... but I forgot again when you asked me." Tengluo exclaimed, quickly putting it out of her mind again.
Once the Lantern Festival is over, people get busy, and the streets are bustling with activity. Red walls and green tiles adorn the sky, and bright red lanterns hang low. Carriages and horses weave through the streets, vendors' cries fill the air, and the sounds of music from restaurants echo outwards.
Lu Xuejin came out this time to meet with Wei Ning. One reason was to discuss Cui Ruhao's matter, and the other was the case of the three court officials who died in the palace today.
It wasn't time yet, and he watched as young men and women strolled together on the street. There were quite a few people at the snack stalls, and he subconsciously looked at the boy beside him.
"Your Highness, would you like some snacks?"
"..." Murong Yue, "No."
When he asked, the boy naturally answered no. He wanted to stay there, so he led the boy over anyway.
"Your Highness, please come with me."
Murong Yue looked at him, understood what he meant, and said to him, "These are all things that children like. I'm already seventeen this year."
"In that case, I'd like to try it. Your Highness, would you like to come with me?"
He said so, and Murong Yue obediently let him lead him. Amidst the comings and goings of people, leading a child like this felt novel to him. He watched the boy's tense little face, like a kitten's. Sometimes he would look at him, sometimes at the boys and girls nearby. When the boy looked at the group of children, his gaze seemed to pause for a moment.
"Do you have any younger siblings?" Murong Yue asked him.
“I don’t have any younger brothers or sisters,” Lu Xuejin replied, “but I do have an older brother.”
Murong Yue: "Brother?"
"Yes, we're not that much older than each other."
After he finished speaking, seeing that Murong Yue was deep in thought, the young man paused for a moment and asked him, "How is he now?"
Seeing Murong Yue's expression, Lu Xuejin suddenly realized that it might have touched on the boy's painful memories, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He lowered his eyes and softly comforted the boy beside him.
"Your Highness, please don't be sad."
The boy didn't say anything, but held him tightly in the crowd, his body temperature burning hot.
The vendors made the pastries into animal shapes, all kinds of them, and they were very lifelike. He looked around and saw that the cat-shaped pastries had been sold to the first few girls. He chose a rabbit from among them for Murong Yue, and bought two more for Ziyan Tengluo.
"Wow!! Young master, this smells so good." Tengluo exclaimed, leaning over to place it next to Ziyan's, holding it in her palm for a long time, reluctant to eat it.
Lu Xuejin: "If you like, just take some back with you on your way home."
Ziyan laughed from the side, "Young Master has left you a lot of money this month. If you like it, just say so, and Young Master will pay for it all."
Lu Xuejin glanced at the boy beside her. Murong Yue stared at the rabbit for a couple of seconds, then bit off its head in one bite. The remaining half of the rabbit's body bore the marks of the boy's tiger teeth.
Seeing that the boy had finished eating in a few bites and carefully wrapped the snack box in a handkerchief, the wisteria behind him immediately widened its eyes warily.
"Your Highness, are you going to keep this too?"
When Tengluo asked the question, Murong Yue's sharp eyes glanced at her with a sinister look. Upon seeing this, Tengluo couldn't continue speaking, and felt a chill run down her spine.
"Do you like these boxes?" Lu Xuejin asked patiently.
Upon hearing his question, Murong Yue fell silent for a moment, the pastry box carefully wrapped in a handkerchief. The boy's gloomy expression softened slightly, and a blush suddenly appeared at his ears.
"I always felt that staying would be more appropriate."
"..." Lu Xuejin looked at Murong Yue's ears, wondering what kind of constitution the boy had, always blushing with his face and ears. The boy glanced at her and then looked away, pretending not to care as he hid the handkerchief in his pocket.
Such a sight... is truly captivating.
He kept staring at the person, when suddenly the boy stopped beside him, his eyes were covered, and the other person's presence came from behind him.
"Stop looking at me, watch where you're going," Murong Yue whispered in his ear.
He couldn't help but turn slightly to the side, using his hands to block his view. The boy, who was a little shorter than him, stood behind him, half-embracing him like he was holding a doll.
"Whoa—" A carriage was startled by the roadside.
Lu Xuejin heard the sound of the reins being pulled, and his waist tightened as Murong Yue pulled him back. He felt something soft brush against his ear.
"careful."
As he came to his senses, a slit appeared in his eyebrow, and the boy's sharp, clear eyes reflected his image. A canine tooth brushed against his earlobe, causing him to pause slightly.
"...Are you alright?" He didn't respond for a while, so Murong Yue turned his head and asked him.
He came to his senses and quietly said, "It's alright."
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