Chapter 16#
Showing Off - Yanzhi Is Mine!#
“I like Your Majesty…”
“Especially like… very much like… number one in the world…”
“I like Your Majesty…”
In the dark prison cell.
Straw was spread on the ground, clothes were spread over the straw, and Xiao Cuan sat upon the clothes.
Yanzhi sat astride Xiao Cuan’s lap.
With both arms around the Emperor’s neck and his head buried in his shoulder, he sobbed and murmured these words over and over again.
The Emperor didn’t like him, but he liked hearing him say these words—he only liked hearing them.
So he made him say them again and again.
Xiao Cuan gripped Yanzhi’s waist with both hands, steadying him so he wouldn’t lean to one side.
After a short while, Yanzhi lost his strength. Not only did his movements slow down, but his voice also grew weaker.
Xiao Cuan tilted his head slightly, listening intently until he heard him still murmuring “I like Your Majesty” before finally curling his lips in satisfaction.
Not bad. Locking him up for half a quarter-hour and then teaching him a few lines had indeed made him much more well-behaved.
Xiao Cuan tightened his grip, pressing him closer.
“One more time.”
“No…” Yanzhi shook his head in resistance. “I can’t take any more.”
“Don’t move.” Xiao Cuan patted his back. “I haven’t cooled my anger yet. Put some effort into it.”
But Yanzhi truly had no strength left.
He slumped softly into Xiao Cuan’s embrace, closed his eyes, and was about to fall asleep regardless of anything.
Broken jar, brokenly thrown.
Xiao Cuan caught him, took his dangling arm, made him wrap both arms around his own waist, then lifted his head and let him rest it on his shoulder.
Xiao Cuan was in no hurry for another round; he just held him like this, savoring the afterglow.
Exhausted, Yanzhi tilted his head slightly, taking small, shallow breaths.
Xiao Cuan glanced at him, then leaned against his cheek. Mimicking him, he matched his breathing and, with extreme malice, imitated his panting.
“Why are you like a little bellows?”
Yanzhi lowered his eyes and did not speak.
Xiao Cuan leaned forward more, pressing his chest against his heart.
Across flesh, blood, and bone, two hearts beat together.
Xiao Cuan closed his eyes, trying to adjust his own heartbeat.
In the darkness, under Xiao Cuan’s deliberate control, their breaths harmonized and their heartbeats synchronized.
Inhaling and exhaling together, rising and falling together.
Everything overlapped, as if they had merged into one.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Cuan opened his eyes and looked down.
Yanzhi had already fallen asleep in his arms, his breathing steady and his heartbeat calm.
Xiao Cuan kissed the top of Yanzhi’s head, then grabbed the clothes discarded nearby. He put on the inner garment himself and wrapped Yanzhi in the outer robe.
Yanzhi’s original clothes were filled with an outsider’s scent and could no longer be worn; if he was to wear anything, it must be his.
Xiao Cuan lifted Yanzhi’s hand, slid his arm into his own sleeve, and gathered it tightly, wrapping him up securely.
Like capturing prey, or packaging a gift.
Finally, with one hand supporting Yanzhi’s waist and the other hooking under his knees, Xiao Cuan lifted him directly.
Going home!
The purification room was damp and dark, with rows of cells connected by a long, narrow corridor.
Palace servants and eunuchs had been dismissed by Xiao Cuan at the very beginning.
Carrying Yanzhi, Xiao Cuan walked down the deserted corridor.
Passing by one cell, Xiao Cuan suddenly frowned and glanced to the side.
From one of the cells, the sound of someone reciting an essay actually drifted out—
“Thus, when Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on…”
Hearing only half a sentence, Xiao Cuan understood. He looked down at Yanzhi in his arms and gently shook him.
“Tsk, idiot, it’s your Young Master Xie—”
Xiao Cuan deliberately drew out the words “Young Master Xie,” his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“The Young Master Xie you care about most—”
“The Young Master Xie who is your only friend—”
“Want to go in and see him?”
Yanzhi was sleeping deeply and naturally didn’t hear or answer.
Xiao Cuan gave a low laugh and finally said, “Come, I’ll take you in to see him.”
Xiao Cuan, carrying Yanzhi, took two steps back and stopped in front of the cell where the sound came from.
Using only one hand to hold Yanzhi steadily, he freed the other to yank away the chain on the cell door.
Hearing movement outside, the voice inside the cell also stopped.
Xie Yi had been sitting cross-legged on the floor. When the door opened, he leaned against the wall, stood up, and retreated to the furthest corner of the cell in a defensive posture.
The cell had no windows, but the corridor did.
A row of very, very small window openings set high up.
Today the weather was fine, and the sunlight shining in from outside momentarily dazzled Xie Yi’s eyes.
He had been in the dark for a while and couldn’t adapt immediately, instinctively shielding his eyes.
A few breaths later, the white light before his eyes faded.
The tall, majestic Emperor appeared at the cell door.
The Emperor seemed to be holding something in his arms, wrapped tightly in clothes.
The object wasn’t large, but the clothes were too wide and long; the sleeves and hem dangled and swayed gently before him.
Xie Yi couldn’t tell for a moment, but after he looked a few times more, the Emperor frowned with an impatient expression and let out two low “purrs” from his throat.
It was the sound of a wild beast sensing a threat and threatening in return.
The pressure intensified.
Regaining his senses, Xie Yi endured the pain in his body and bowed low. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Carrying Yanzhi, Xiao Cuan stood just outside the cell door, not entering or speaking.
Frowning, he coldly scrutinized Xie Yi, his frown deepening the more he looked.
Just this pretty boy—not as tall as him, not as strong as him, and not as heroic-looking either.
What was so good about him?
Yanzhi just had to be friends with him.
Kneeling on the ground, Xie Yi bowed his head. After a long while without hearing the Emperor speak, he couldn’t help but feel anxious, breaking into a cold sweat that nearly soaked the clothes on his back.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally heard the Emperor’s indifferent voice from above him—
“Yanzhi is mine.”
Only this sentence.
Just this one sentence.
After saying this, the Emperor turned and left.
Puzzled, Xie Yi instinctively looked up, only to see a wrist slip out from the Emperor’s arms as he turned.
A pale, slender wrist with faint blue and red marks on it—especially the small bone protruding from the wrist, which was completely rubbed red and raw.
The next moment, Xiao Cuan suddenly grabbed the wrist, stuffed it back into the clothes, turned his head, and stared intently at Xie Yi with a sharp, hunting gaze.
Xie Yi forced himself to suppress the shock in his heart and hurriedly bowed his head again, only daring to look at the ground.
It was Young Master Yanzhi!
He finally understood. What the Emperor was holding wasn’t an object, but Young Master Yanzhi!
His entire body froze, sweat and tears falling together.
It was Young Master Yanzhi…
He was the one who had harmed Young Master Yanzhi.
He shouldn’t have brought sugar cakes to Young Master Yanzhi.
He shouldn’t have thought of repaying the debt and gotten too close to Young Master Yanzhi.
He shouldn’t have…
Xie Yi bowed even lower, his forehead pressed against the ground, his whole body nearly flat on the floor, motionless.
Tall boots stepped across the stone floor, over the scattered straw, and finally stopped in front of him.
“Yanzhi is mine.”
Xiao Cuan repeated coldly, as if afraid he wouldn’t understand, and added—
“If you dare look one more time, I will gouge out your eyes.”
“If you dare touch him one more time, I will chop off both your hands.”
“If you dare say one more word to him, I will pull out your tongue.”
“If you dare fall for him, I will tear out your heart and feed it to the dogs.”
Xie Yi was terrified and dared not speak, nor did he know what to say.
The next moment, Xiao Cuan covered Yanzhi’s ears and barked sternly, “Do you understand?”
Xie Yi hurriedly replied, “I understand… this commoner understands…”
Despite asking, Xiao Cuan didn’t actually care about his answer.
Even if he had answered “I don’t understand,” Xiao Cuan would have used various means to make him understand.
Fortunately, he was sensible enough. Xiao Cuan gave him one last look, then turned and left, carrying Yanzhi.
After he left, Xie Yi lost his strength and collapsed on the ground in a state of lingering fear. He then heard the Emperor’s voice coming from the corridor—
“What? Awake? Deliberately reaching out your hand to seduce him?”
Yanzhi didn’t answer; it was always the Emperor speaking.
“Not awake? Then you’re even thinking of seducing him in your dreams?”
“Bad puppy, still needs a lesson.”
Carrying Yanzhi, Xiao Cuan walked out of the purification room.
Outside, the sun was shining brightly, the warm sunlight falling on Yanzhi.
Unable to bear the dazzling light, Yanzhi turned his head away, buried his face in Xiao Cuan’s chest, and let out two “huffs.”
Xiao Cuan gave a light scoff. “Now you know to please me? Too late.”
Muddled, Yanzhi seemed to have heard him. He turned his face away, facing the sun, and his arm slid out from the clothes again.
Like a small bird struggling to spread a wing toward the sun.
But the next instant, Xiao Cuan grabbed his arm and stuffed him entirely back into the clothes.
The clothes, carrying the scent of a wild beast, wrapped around him tightly like a cage.
*
Taiji Hall.
The palace servants in the hall had received the decree and had long ago prepared the inner hall and the hot spring pool, as well as food and clean clothes.
The Emperor didn’t like crowds. After finishing all this, they retreated to the corridor of the back hall as usual, not daring to linger.
Therefore, for the people in the palace, duties at the Taiji Hall were the easiest to perform.
But while resting, they suddenly heard a summons from the front hall.
“Someone, come.”
The palace servants hurriedly got up and rushed to the front hall.
—Only to see the Emperor standing in the middle of the hall, holding Young Master Yanzhi.
A small black shadow, with four short legs and a wagging tail, was circling around the Emperor’s feet.
It was the wolf cub the Emperor had brought back from the hunting grounds.
As soon as the cub approached, the Emperor raised his foot and kicked it away.
Presumably the kick didn’t hurt; the cub rolled twice on the ground, then immediately scrambled up, whining, and pounced again.
After several repetitions, the cub was persistent.
It even used its claws to grab the clothes hanging from the Emperor’s arms, trying to climb up.
Perhaps…
It wasn’t trying to pester the Emperor; it just smelled Young Master Yanzhi’s scent in the Emperor’s arms.
It wanted to be near Young Master Yanzhi.
The palace servants had no time to think further and quickly stepped forward to carry the cub away.
“Your Majesty, forgive us. We were momentarily careless and let Tanggao slip into the front hall. We will take it away immediately.”
Tanggao! Tanggao again!
Xiao Cuan remembered the cub’s name. His expression instantly turned cold, and he gritted his teeth, saying coldly, “What Tanggao?”
The puzzled palace servant explained, “Tanggao is Young Master Yanzhi…”
“From now on, call it ‘Puff,’ ‘Cream,’ ‘Cookie’—call it whatever you want, just not ‘Tanggao’.”
“Yes, we shall withdraw.”
The palace servants dared not ask more, answered, and together held down the wildly struggling cub.
“Wait.” Xiao Cuan called out again.
“What further instructions does Your Majesty have?”
“Collect all of Yanzhi’s clothes.”
“Your Majesty?” The palace servant was puzzled.
“Take another set of my inner garments and bring them over.”
“Yes.”
After giving these instructions, Xiao Cuan carried Yanzhi through the back hall to the edge of the hot spring pool.
Behind the curtains, the palace servants silently placed the clothes down.
Xiao Cuan, carrying Yanzhi, stepped into the pool.
The water was warm, surrounding them both.
Leaning against the stone wall, Xiao Cuan adjusted Yanzhi’s position, then picked up the towel resting nearby, dampened it, and wiped away the dust and blood on his face.
After finishing with his face, Xiao Cuan continued downward, wiping his neck and shoulders, lifting his arms and his legs.
Top to bottom, inside and out, everything had to be wiped clean.
Xiao Cuan stroked Yanzhi’s back, his coarse fingertips sliding down his spine.
If he could, he really wanted to act like he was washing a rag doll—unzip Yanzhi, take out the cotton inside, wash it clean, sun-dry and disinfect it, and then restuff him.
The water surface swayed, ripples gently lapping and making soft sounds.
When the washing was mostly done, under the cover of the water’s sound, Xiao Cuan murmured, “System interface—”
A “ding-dong” sounded.
Xiao Cuan tossed aside the towel, one arm around Yanzhi and the other waving away the mist before him.
There was clearly nothing special in front of him, but his gaze pierced through the mist, staring straight ahead at a spot not far away for a long time.
After a long, long while, he finally seemed to make up his mind. He waved his hand in the opposite direction, then looked down at Yanzhi and pressed against his abnormally flushed cheek.
“If you’re good for a while, I’ll let you enter the harem and become—”
Before the words were finished, Xiao Cuan’s brow furrowed. He reached out and felt Yanzhi’s forehead, suddenly realizing the situation.
He scooped him up and stood up from the pool with a “splash.”
“Idiot! You have a fever and didn’t even say so!”