The Emperor is an incapable ruler(10): If only he had not been so foolish
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Zhao Ze used the excuse of his tipsiness to touch the Little Emperor's face for a while before tucking him in and tidying up his appearance.
When he left the palace, a cool breeze swept across his face, abruptly waking him up. Realising what he had done, his fingertips trembled ever so slightly and he could not stop himself from reaching out to touch his own lips, as if searching for any lingering warmth.
He should have been terrified and remorseful after committing such an offense, but in reality, he could not lie to his heart; he had secretly enjoyed it.
The eunuch stationed outside the Emperor's chambers bowed when he saw Zhao Ze appear, inquiring if he would be staying for the night.
It was common for the Emperor to speak with his ministers through the night and thus, had a room prepared for those ministers to stay in.
Zhao Ze turned to look towards the Emperor's chambers but quickly shook his head, “There's no need.”
While he was in the army, he often dreamt of coming back. At that time, he had thought that staying by the Little Emperor's side and being able to see him every day was enough. However, after seeing the other person, he realised this was simply not enough and unconsciously desired more.
He covered his eyes with a hand and sighed deeply. Sometimes, he could not help but think, if only he hadn't read those books and learnt such loyalty in the past, how good would that be. If he didn't have the proper morals between a minister and his Emperor, he might have…agreed back when the Little Emperor had liked him.
Returning to his own residence, Zhao Ze lay on his bed, tossing and turning through the night, unable to sleep.
The next morning, he stood at a position much closer than before, allowing him to see the Little Emperor's lips which were much brighter than they had been. He guiltily lowered his head and kept silent throughout the court meeting.
In the eyes of others, it appeared as though he was deliberately avoiding standing out too much and wanted to dispel the Emperor's suspicions.
Xiang Han did not seem to notice anything wrong with his own lips because he had been drunk last night. When he woke up this morning, most of his attention was diverted by the immense headache from his hangover.
After morning court concluded, he summoned Zhao Ze for a discussion which, in reality, was to look for someone to help him settle the account books.
Zhao Ze was now an a.s.sistant minister, similar to a deputy prime minister. Xiang Han's intent was quite clear when he promoted him to this position. Originally, Zhao Ze was an official and even though he had led troops, he still had the aura of a scholarly person. In addition, he had contributed greatly so it was no wonder he rose through the ranks so quickly.
However, Zhao Ze did not become arrogant due to his great merit and instead, was even more courteous.
After a couple of days, Xiang Han also noticed this abnormality. Ever since Zhao Ze returned, he realised that the other person was more distant towards him than before.
Could it be that Zhao Ze also thought the same way as those court minister and felt suspicious of him, thinking he wanted to promote him to a high position before eliminating him?
This was not good. He was walking on the path of an Emperor and minister who complemented each other, not an Emperor and minister who guarded against each other.
Therefore, after completing his duties today, he called for Zhao Ze to stay behind and have a meal together to reminisce on those feelings they had back in the days when they schemed against Prince Liang together.
Speaking of feelings, he naturally grabbed Zhao Ze's hands and warmly said, “Minister Zhao, you shouldn't listen to the pointless rumours in court. Before the relationship between Zhen and you was one of a ruler and his ministers, he had a teacher and student relationship. Zhen is aware of your loyalty and will not senselessly doubt you, you are Zhen's right-hand man and a pillar of support for the country. So, you must not avoid Zhen because of some rumours.”
In reality, Zhao Ze had known the Little Emperor was not wary of him ever since that night at his palace chambers. His avoidance today was merely a result of him forcefully suppressing his desires.
But when he saw the Little Emperor's pale fingers holding his own hands, he could not help growing agitated. He really wanted to cut off the sleeves that obstructed them and let the Little Emperor directly touch his skin.
Xiang Han saw his distracted expression and his heart thumped. He secretly thought, they couldn't have already strayed from the ruler and minister route, right?
“Minister Zhao?” He unconsciously tightened his grip and asked tentatively.
Zhao Ze finally returned to his senses after feeling the grip on him tightened. He looked towards the Little Emperor and seeing the nervousness in his eyes, he could not hold back from laughing, “I won't, this minister will always trust Your Majesty.”
When Xiang Han saw his sincere expression, he finally felt relieved. Afterwards, he happily picked up a piece of meat and sent it into the other person's bowl to strengthen their relationship. The eunuch by the side saw this and was at a loss.
Through the rest of the diner, Zhao Ze keep thinking, that was the utensil His Majesty used before. Those chopsticks might have just been licked by His Majesty's little pink tongue before picking up a piece of meat for him...
He suddenly felt his face burn and hurried looked down while biting into a piece of meat. Savouring it carefully, it was as if he could pick up the Little Emperor's taste.
After this dinner, the relationship between them gradually became better.
From then on, the Little Emperor would call for Zhao Ze to stay behind to discuss some matters before having dinner. During morning court, Xiang Han only needed a single glance for Zhao Ze to know what was up and smoothly cooperate with him.
Sometimes, Zhao Ze felt that apart from some ministers who would often plead for His Majesty to choose a wife and Mother Zhao who would urge him to get married, their current situation was not too bad.
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Zhao Ze used the excuse of his tipsiness to touch the Little Emperor's face for a while before tucking him in and tidying up his appearance.
When he left the palace, a cool breeze swept across his face, abruptly waking him up. Realising what he had done, his fingertips trembled ever so slightly and he could not stop himself from reaching out to touch his own lips, as if searching for any lingering warmth.
He should have been terrified and remorseful after committing such an offense, but in reality, he could not lie to his heart; he had secretly enjoyed it.
The eunuch stationed outside the Emperor's chambers bowed when he saw Zhao Ze appear, inquiring if he would be staying for the night.
It was common for the Emperor to speak with his ministers through the night and thus, had a room prepared for those ministers to stay in.
Zhao Ze turned to look towards the Emperor's chambers but quickly shook his head, “There's no need.”
While he was in the army, he often dreamt of coming back. At that time, he had thought that staying by the Little Emperor's side and being able to see him every day was enough. However, after seeing the other person, he realised this was simply not enough and unconsciously desired more.
He covered his eyes with a hand and sighed deeply. Sometimes, he could not help but think, if only he hadn't read those books and learnt such loyalty in the past, how good would that be. If he didn't have the proper morals between a minister and his Emperor, he might have…agreed back when the Little Emperor had liked him.
Returning to his own residence, Zhao Ze lay on his bed, tossing and turning through the night, unable to sleep.
The next morning, he stood at a position much closer than before, allowing him to see the Little Emperor's lips which were much brighter than they had been. He guiltily lowered his head and kept silent throughout the court meeting.
In the eyes of others, it appeared as though he was deliberately avoiding standing out too much and wanted to dispel the Emperor's suspicions.
Xiang Han did not seem to notice anything wrong with his own lips because he had been drunk last night. When he woke up this morning, most of his attention was diverted by the immense headache from his hangover.
After morning court concluded, he summoned Zhao Ze for a discussion which, in reality, was to look for someone to help him settle the account books.
Zhao Ze was now an a.s.sistant minister, similar to a deputy prime minister. Xiang Han's intent was quite clear when he promoted him to this position. Originally, Zhao Ze was an official and even though he had led troops, he still had the aura of a scholarly person. In addition, he had contributed greatly so it was no wonder he rose through the ranks so quickly.
However, Zhao Ze did not become arrogant due to his great merit and instead, was even more courteous.
After a couple of days, Xiang Han also noticed this abnormality. Ever since Zhao Ze returned, he realised that the other person was more distant towards him than before.
Could it be that Zhao Ze also thought the same way as those court minister and felt suspicious of him, thinking he wanted to promote him to a high position before eliminating him?
This was not good. He was walking on the path of an Emperor and minister who complemented each other, not an Emperor and minister who guarded against each other.
Therefore, after completing his duties today, he called for Zhao Ze to stay behind and have a meal together to reminisce on those feelings they had back in the days when they schemed against Prince Liang together.
Speaking of feelings, he naturally grabbed Zhao Ze's hands and warmly said, “Minister Zhao, you shouldn't listen to the pointless rumours in court. Before the relationship between Zhen and you was one of a ruler and his ministers, he had a teacher and student relationship. Zhen is aware of your loyalty and will not senselessly doubt you, you are Zhen's right-hand man and a pillar of support for the country. So, you must not avoid Zhen because of some rumours.”
In reality, Zhao Ze had known the Little Emperor was not wary of him ever since that night at his palace chambers. His avoidance today was merely a result of him forcefully suppressing his desires.
But when he saw the Little Emperor's pale fingers holding his own hands, he could not help growing agitated. He really wanted to cut off the sleeves that obstructed them and let the Little Emperor directly touch his skin.
Xiang Han saw his distracted expression and his heart thumped. He secretly thought, they couldn't have already strayed from the ruler and minister route, right?
“Minister Zhao?” He unconsciously tightened his grip and asked tentatively.
Zhao Ze finally returned to his senses after feeling the grip on him tightened. He looked towards the Little Emperor and seeing the nervousness in his eyes, he could not hold back from laughing, “I won't, this minister will always trust Your Majesty.”
When Xiang Han saw his sincere expression, he finally felt relieved. Afterwards, he happily picked up a piece of meat and sent it into the other person's bowl to strengthen their relationship. The eunuch by the side saw this and was at a loss.
Through the rest of the diner, Zhao Ze keep thinking, that was the utensil His Majesty used before. Those chopsticks might have just been licked by His Majesty's little pink tongue before picking up a piece of meat for him...
He suddenly felt his face burn and hurried looked down while biting into a piece of meat. Savouring it carefully, it was as if he could pick up the Little Emperor's taste.
After this dinner, the relationship between them gradually became better.
From then on, the Little Emperor would call for Zhao Ze to stay behind to discuss some matters before having dinner. During morning court, Xiang Han only needed a single glance for Zhao Ze to know what was up and smoothly cooperate with him.
Sometimes, Zhao Ze felt that apart from some ministers who would often plead for His Majesty to choose a wife and Mother Zhao who would urge him to get married, their current situation was not too bad.