/
The man had a youthful countenance and looked younger than Jin Wang. A tiny cinnabar mole dotted the outer corner of his eye, though not in any way feminine.
Ye Shu had recently read many books about Kunjun and recognized at first sight that that tiny mole was the definitive feature of a Kunjun.
It should have sunk in by now that the world he was in was far from the one he came to know in the books.
The same way that the beauty presented to Jin Wang at that time had turned into a Kunjun, now the female interest that should have been introduced to Jin Wang had also become a Kunjun.
Ye Shu sneered at this.
How adaptive.
As their party stepped out of the imperial study, Jin Wang raised his head in the midst of his words and happened to meet Ye Shu’s gaze.
Seemingly not expecting Ye Shu to come to see him, a trace of surprise flashed in Jin Wang’s eyes before he shot a distant smile at Ye Shu.
With an impassive expression, Ye Shu decisively lowered the curtain, shutting out Jin Wang’s view.
Jin Wang, “……”
What did Gu do wrong again?
“……What is Your Majesty looking at?” The Lord Protector was talking to Jin Wang when he saw that the latter appeared to be a bit distracted, and asked with a turn of his head.
Jin Wang pondered for a moment then said in an insipid tone, “Wait a moment.”
With that, he left the man outside the imperial study and strode off in the direction of the imperial palanquin.
The inner servants all saluted. Jin Wang paid no attention to them and directly lifted the curtain of the palanquin open.
The Lord Protector, “???”
Inside the imperial palanquin, Ye Shu moved to the side, turning his head away from him. “Hmph.”
“……”
Jin Wang maintained his composure as he sat beside Ye Shu, then took the latter’s hand into his palm. “How long have you been outside, how come you didn’t come in?”
It had snowed hard the previous night and was freezing cold at present, plus there was no heating inside the palanquin, certainly not as much as indoors.
It was only then that Ye Shu noticed that his fingers had frozen cold.
Jin Wang took his hand and tucked it into his arms. Ye Shu’s fingertips wiggled, but in the end, he didn’t bother pulling it out of the heat source.
He turned his gaze away and said coldly, “I will wait for as long as possible for Your Majesty as he conducts his affairs with others.”
He deliberately stressed the words ‘conducts his affairs.’
Jin Wang’s eyes flickered as he raised his arm to take him into his embrace. “No wonder you’re so cold to the touch.”
Ye Shu frowned as he reached out to push him. “Go away……”
Jin Wang didn’t budge and instead approached closer, holding the other against the back of the seat, with some amusement in his pair of handsome eyes. “Upset?”
“……” Ye Shu turned his head to the side without answering.
Jin Wang smoothly kissed him on his cheek. “Don’t be upset. I was wrong.”
His voice was so soft that Ye Shu’s expression appeared rather tense and he said stiffly, “I’m not upset, why should I be?”
“Right, why should you be……” Jin Wang looked at him with a smile, the tip of his nose affectionately touched Ye Shu’s cold cheek. “Let me guess, was it because I promised to accompany you today, only to leave you behind?”
Ye Shu didn’t even think twice about answering, “Absolutely not!”
Jin Wang wasn’t surprised and carried on in a low voice, “It was clear that I promised to accompany you, yet I left you by yourself in the bedchamber and came here to meet another Kunjun. Is that why?”
Ye Shu didn’t answer.
As a matter of fact, the anger in his heart had mostly subsided as early as when Jin Wang got into the imperial palanquin.
What was there to be angry about? There were so many Kunjun in this world, and Jin Wang was the emperor, how could he possibly stop interacting with any and all other Kunjun?
At what point had he become so melodramatic.
But Jin Wang didn’t mind at all, explaining patiently, “I didn’t know beforehand that Xiao Huan would be accompanying his father to the palace.”
Tucking Ye Shu’s hand into his embrace and warming it tenderly, he said in a soft voice, “He’s young and has just differentiated not long ago. It was only after I met him that I found out that he had become a Kunjun.”
The sincerity and seriousness of Jin Wang’s look caused Ye Shu to be somewhat embarrassed. “I’m not……”
“It’s alright, I owe it to you to explain,” Jin Wang gazed into Ye Shu’s eyes and suddenly smiled again. “Though it’s great to see that A-Shu thinks about me with such concern.”
Ye Shu’s ears grew slightly hot, and he changed the subject, “The Lord Protector is still waiting outside, wouldn’t it be inappropriate for Your Majesty to leave them behind?”
“What’s inappropriate about that,” Jin Wang said. “I promised to behave well, I naturally shouldn’t let you be upset.”
“But speaking of it……” Jin Wang paused, then added, “Xiao Huan’s differentiation into Kunjun has put my mind at ease. He would always pester you before; now, he won’t be able to snatch you away.”
Ye Shu was stunned. “We……We knew each other before?”
“You don’t remember?” Jin Wang didn’t doubt it and explained, “When I was still a prince, I was ordered to go to the south to deal with the floods. When I passed through Xiao Yuanfei’s fiefdom, I stayed there for half a month. At that time, you even suggested that we should befriend him, saying that he would be of great use to us when it came to taking over the throne.”
Ye Shu had no recollection of this.
But this was indeed how the original owner would have acted.
Ye Shu nodded as he replied, “Mmn, I remember now.”
Jin Wang didn’t ask any more questions, but held up his hand to brush Ye Shu’s hair away from his temples, caressing him affectionately. “What do you want to do now? Do you want to go back to the bedchamber to rest, or do you want to go watch the play with me?”
The Lord Protector and his son brought the theatrical troupe into the palace today. They surely had to finish watching it before leaving. Even if Ye Shu wanted to go back now, Jin Wang wouldn’t be able to accompany him either.
Leaving Jin Wang in company with the young Kunjun, while he himself returned to his bedchamber to sleep.
How bizarre to think about it.
Ye Shu replied decisively, “Go with you.”
The two chatted inside the palanquin as though nothing mattered, while outside, a sense of awkwardness already drifted through the air.
The curtain was made of semi-transparent black gauze. Although one could not clearly make out the real appearance, it was not impossible to make out the silhouettes from the outside.
After being left outside the imperial study by His Majesty, the Lord Protector and his son witnessed his own Majesty enter the imperial palanquin as he then took the person originally sitting inside into his embrace. The two grew closer and closer together as if they were in……
Ahem, they should see no evil.
The Lord Protector failed to keep a straight face despite the embarrassment and coughed lightly, withdrawing his gaze.
The young man beside him, however, looked over at the imperial palanquin, his face unforgiving, “Is that His Majesty’s newly decreed consort inside there? It’s such a cold day, how can someone be made to wait outside the imperial study, and in the presence of outsiders nonetheless…… How pathetic.”
The Lord Protector, “Huan’er, His Majesty’s affairs are not for you or me to render judgment.”
“I’m just surprised to see His Majesty’s demeanor and mannerisms are no different from those of the past. I had thought that the whispers were all false, but never expected that this was really in fact the case.” Xiao Huan then added, his words implying sarcasm, “Had it been known today, why did he have to execute Ye Shu-gege.”
“Huan’er!” The Lord Protector looked around, then lowered his voice as he said sternly, “Have you forgotten what I told you prior to our arrival?”
“I have not.” Xiao Huan deliberately said, “Ye Shu-gege was condemned to death for rebellion for which his name must not be mentioned again. Of course, I remember.”
“You really—”
Before the Lord Protector could finish, the imperial palanquin’s curtain was suddenly pulled open and Jin Wang supported Ye Shu as he stepped out.
Both father and son froze in their tracks the moment they caught sight of Ye Shu.
Ye Shu bowed to the two men. “Greetings, Lord Protector and Young Lord Xiao.”
Xiao Huan returned the salute.
He then quietly looked up to size up Ye Shu.
The latter had a frail appearance and an aura strikingly similar to that of the man he remembered. He had a slim figure, looking rather thin even when wrapped in fox fur. While his countenance appeared pale from the cold, his lips were red, having obviously been tormented.
Long before he came here, Xiao Huan had heard that the consort by His Majesty’s side looked almost identical to Minister Ye. He had never believed that there could be people with identical appearances in this world and had only scoffed at the news until he witnessed it today.
It was a pity that no matter how similar they were, a substitute was still just a substitute.
Ever since Ye Shu’s appearance at the state banquet, rumors arose amongst the public.
It was said that since Minister Ye’s betrayal, His Majesty had become more and more ruthless and unkind, and even sought out someone who resembled Minister Ye to whom he could give pleasure and humiliate day and night in order to vent his hatred.
No sooner had these tidings reached the capital than they were intercepted by His Majesty. However, the Lord Protector’s fiefdom was far away and could not be supervised, which allowed the rumors to spread.
So pitiful.
Xiao Huan thought to himself as he looked at Ye Shu with some sympathy.
Ye Shu, “???”
The stage was set up in the harem and the troupe, under the guidance of the inner servants, had long since prepared for the play. Immediately after everyone had taken their seats, the curtain opened on the stage.
The troupe was meticulously prepared by the Lord Protector for Jin Wang, an event which even someone like Ye Shu, who had no knowledge of song, dance or opera, watched with rapt attention.
In contrast, there were several other people in the seats who paid scant attention to what they were watching.
As a man of great military prowess, the Lord Protector himself had prepared this troupe and was long bored of watching it. Xiao Huan followed his father and showed the same disinterest. As for Jin Wang……
The more he thought about it, the cuter he found the way his little consort had gotten upset with him earlier, and the harder it was for him to take his attention away from the man beside him. If it weren’t for the fact that there were outsiders present as well as the fear that his little consort would be angry, he could barely resist the urge to take him in his arms and give him a kiss.
Jin Wang leaned back in his seat and with one arm around Ye Shu’s lower back, he occasionally moved in closer to ask to be fed a freshly peeled fruit by Ye Shu. His tongue deliberately swept across Ye Shu’s fingertips, causing the other party’s ears to redden slightly.
They were about to have a child, and yet he was still so readily shy.
So cute.
The more shy Ye Shu became, the more he wanted to tease him.
Jin Wang’s palm slowly landed on Ye Shu’s waist, trailing over to touch the latter’s least sensitive spot.
Ye Shu’s fingers trembled, dropping the fruit in his hand onto the fruit plate with a soft clink.
Martial artists had excellent hearing. The Lord Protector and his son turned back in unison.
Ye Shu did not dare to meet their gazes, and the culprit himself acted as if nothing had happened, blandly sipping his tea.
In fact, Jin Wang merely touched the point, thus not exceeding his limits.
But they hadn’t been intimate for days already. It was best to avoid thinking about it, as once they did, then all hell would break loose.
For a bite of the marrow makes one yearn for more. Having experienced such indulgence and pleasure, it became more difficult than ever to restrain themselves.
Ye Shu’s ears reddened and could no longer be bothered to watch the play.
Dog emperor, what’s all the fuss about?!
Their behavior landed under Xiao Huan’s sight and caused him to think the other way.
So pitiful.
It was hard not to feel sympathy.
Following the show, Jin Wang hosted a banquet for the Lord Protector and Xiao Huan, and by the time the banquet ended, nightfall had already set in.
“You really don’t want to go back to the palace with me?” On the imperial palanquin, Jin Wang expressed softly, “Or I can also be with you in Yongshou Palace.”
Ye Shu, “No.”
Jin Wang leaned closer. “A-Shu……”
“No.” Ye Shu firmly said, unmoved by his persuasion.
Seeing that he could not be persuaded, Jin Wang stopped insisting and sighed, saying, “Throughout the dynasties, perhaps it is only I, who has been spurned by the concubine, alas……”
Ye Shu lowered his eyes and did not answer. The imperial palanquin came to a halt just at that moment, arriving at the Yongshou Palace.
But neither of them took a step.
The second he heard the servant’s announcement of his arrival at the Yongshou Palace, Ye Shu distinctly perceived what hit him.
He……didn’t want to go back to the palace all by himself.
He wanted Jin Wang to be with him.
And not just that day, but each and every day that he lived alone in Yongshou Palace, he wanted this man to be with him.
But in the end, he couldn’t.
He had come to rely on Jin Wang too much in the recent months. This was not a good thing.
The original reason he moved to Yongshou Palace was precisely to kick this habit, and after so many days of perseverance, to give in now would be to render all his efforts waste.
Ye Shu pursed his lips as he slowly stood up. “I’ll get going……”
Jin Wang suddenly held him back in place.
Ye Shu sat back down defenceless, and then felt the other party’s breath overtake him.
The two of them locked eyes with each other as Jin Wang pressed him into the soft chair. Ye Shu caught a clear glimpse of his own reflection in the other party’s eyes.
Jin Wang gazed at him as he said softly, “A-Shu, how much longer do you want me to wait?”
“You once said that your heart burns for Gu, of course that was a lie.” The distance between the two of them was only a square of an inch, with Jin Wang’s finger tracing Ye Shu’s cheek. “You little liar, mouth full of lies.”
Ye Shu froze, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
“Relax, I don’t blame you.”
“I’m willing to give you time to consider and come to terms with what’s really in your heart, though……” Jin Wang laughed softly and shook his head. “No, it’s nothing.”
He kissed Ye Shu on the corner of his lips before he sat up straight and said absently, “Whoever made me like you so much, waiting for you won’t hurt.”
Ye Shu’s heart stirred slightly.
Whoever made me like you so much.
This was the first time Jin Wang had ever said these words to him.
It was only when the imperial palanquin receded into the distance and Ye Shu found himself standing there in the cold wind that his jumbled mind finally, gradually, regained the ability to reflect.
Jin Wang had just said that he……liked him.
What actually was apparent was that if he hadn’t liked him, with all the crimes he had committed, Jin Wang would have killed him long ago.
But being able to make it out and hearing it said it personally were two entirely different experiences.
Ye Shu took a deep breath and it took him a while to calm down his rapid heartbeat.
He turned in the direction of the bedchamber when his eyes caught a glimpse of a hidden shadow flitting from the corner.
Seemingly familiar.
There happened to be no guards outside Yongshou Palace at that time and behind the corner was a dark alley. The figure in night clothes waited in the alley while Ye Shu caught up.
It was Xiao Huan who was supposed to have left the palace.
Ye Shu, “…….”
Ye Shu asked, “Is there something you want to see me about?”
“The dog emperor treated you in such a way, does Your Highness wish to leave here?” Xiao Huan swept his eyes around, fervently saying, “I can help you escape.”