Chapter 7#

The Name: Does Your Majesty like me even a little bit?#

A line of palace servants carrying freshly delivered seasonal fruits from the kitchen ascended the stone steps and arrived before Taiji Palace.

“Reporting to Your Majesty…”

The words had only just begun when the tightly closed palace doors were suddenly struck by something, emitting a soft thud.

The servants instinctively looked up, but immediately lowered their heads again, not daring to look further, and retreated the way they came.

“We take our leave.”

Outside Taiji Palace, silence returned.

Inside Taiji Palace, Yanzhi stood with his back to the doors, holding Xiao Cuan tightly.

His hands were locked around Xiao Cuan’s neck, and his legs were firmly wrapped around Xiao Cuan’s sturdy waist, his entire body hanging off him.

Yanzhi kept his head down, burying his face in the hollow of Xiao Cuan’s shoulder. His expression was hidden, but he was trembling slightly.

It was unclear whether it was from shame or fear.

Xiao Cuan supported his legs with one hand and stroked his back with the other.

Until warm liquid dripped onto Xiao Cuan’s neck, trickling down.

Xiao Cuan pinched the back of Yanzhi’s neck, forcing him to lift his head, only to find that Yanzhi had started crying at some point.

Yanzhi bit his lower lip hard, crying quietly, but tears had already unknowingly soaked his face.

Xiao Cuan held him and gave him a few bounces: “What’s wrong now?”

“Don’t…” Yanzhi shook his head, sobbing, “Don’t lean against the door… I’ll fall out…”

Xiao Cuan laughed: “The palace doors open inward; how could you fall out?”

Yanzhi wouldn’t listen, only shaking his head: “Just don’t… Your Majesty, don’t press me against the door…”

“I understand.” Xiao Cuan paused, pressing him into his embrace, “Satisfied now?”

“Mm…” Yanzhi nodded, eyes brimming with tears.

Xiao Cuan lowered his head and, like a wild beast, licked away the teardrops on Yanzhi’s cheeks: “Despite all the effort I spent teaching you how to fight for favor, it turns out you’re just acting pitiful while secretly knowing everything.”

Yanzhi lowered his eyes, not daring to speak.

In truth, he didn’t know how to fight for favor, nor was he acting pitiful.

But if the Emperor said he was, then he had to be.

The Emperor was always like this—clearly it was his own heavy desires, yet every time he insisted it was Yanzhi’s deliberate seduction.

The more Yanzhi thought about it, the more stifled he felt, and he lowered his head further.

But Xiao Cuan refused to let him go, leaning in to look at him: “Crying again? This ability of yours to cry at a moment’s notice—even if I appointed three more Empresses and five more Noble Consorts, they wouldn’t be able to keep up with you.”

“Originally, I was worried about you being bullied by them, but now it seems it’ll be good if you don’t bully them instead.”

Yanzhi blinked hard, holding back his tears, and finally spoke: “I won’t bully them.”

“That’s not certain. A little dog like you is deceptively naughty—acting obedient in front of me, while being arrogant and overbearing behind others’ backs, flaunting your favor.”

“I’m not…”

He wasn’t a little dog, and he wasn’t bad.

He had already made up his mind to get along well with the Empress and Noble Consorts.

But the Emperor didn’t listen to his explanation. Holding him, he gave him an upward bounce and strode toward the inner hall.

Clinging to the Emperor, Yanzhi thought gloomily—

He wouldn’t like the Emperor anymore.

It was like this every time.

He had finally managed to convince himself to accept that the Emperor was holding a selection, and then the Emperor scared him.

He was peacefully copying the registry, imagining that the Emperor and he could stay like this forever, and then the Emperor bullied him.

Just when he wanted to continue liking the Emperor, the Emperor… bullied him over and over again.

He wouldn’t like the Emperor anymore, at least not now, at least not today…

Just then, the Emperor placed him on the bed in the inner hall, pinching his chin to examine his face closely.

He seemed to have noticed something.

Yanzhi’s heart couldn’t help but grow tense. He blinked his eyes and looked back anxiously.

Xiao Cuan frowned, watched him for a while, and finally commanded: “Say you like me.”

Yanzhi didn’t have time to think and hurriedly said: “I like Your Majesty, I especially like you, I like you very much, I like you more than anyone in the world.”

“Say it again.”

“I like Your Majesty…”

The curtains were messy, and the silk quilts were piled up.

As he was about to drift into unconsciousness, Yanzhi was still nestled in the Emperor’s arms, murmuring repeatedly: “I like Your Majesty…”

Holding him, the Emperor kissed his forehead as if granting a reward: “Good boy.”

In the next moment, he vaguely heard the Emperor say: “The error has been reported for several days; why hasn’t it been fixed yet?”

In the following moment, he fell asleep in the Emperor’s arms, hearing nothing more.

*

When Yanzhi woke up again, it was already evening.

The bed curtains hung down, cutting off the daylight.

The interior was dim, and Yanzhi was also dazed.

Lying on the couch, he instinctively turned over to hug the Emperor, but met empty space.

Beside him was only a quilt.

Finding that the Emperor was not on the bed, Yanzhi’s first reaction was actually a sigh of relief.

If the Emperor wasn’t there, he wouldn’t be bullied.

It was good.

He rarely had the chance to sleep alone. Holding the quilt, he rubbed his eyes and was about to sleep a bit longer when he suddenly heard a familiar voice from the outer hall—

“Yanzhi?”

Hearing his name, Yanzhi thought the Emperor was calling him and hurriedly sat up, getting off the bed to put on his shoes.

“I am here…”

Immediately after, the voice sounded again—

“He has no patience at all. I asked him to copy the registry, but he didn’t even write two characters before saying his hands hurt with tears in his eyes, refusing to copy anymore.”

—He didn’t!

Yanzhi’s eyes widened in the darkness.

“And now he’s run off somewhere to sulk alone again. I’ve truly spoiled him.”

—He didn’t! He was right here in the hall! He only just woke up!

“That day on the tower, saying I’d let him organize the selection was just to tease him, yet he hides under the quilt crying day and night, crying so much I can’t even sleep peacefully at night.”

—He didn’t…

He had cried, but later, he had already comforted himself.

He didn’t cry because of the Emperor’s selection; he cried because the Emperor bullied him.

It turned out that while he was crying, the Emperor hadn’t been asleep at all; the Emperor had been watching him in the darkness.

Watching him cover his face and shed tears, watching his embarrassment.

When the Emperor spoke of this, he even sounded quite proud.

Xiao Cuan finally said: “The matter of the selection will be handled by you all; there’s no need to count on him.”

The officials in the outer hall responded in unison: “Yes.”

One official asked: “Your Majesty, the registry of candidates is already complete. Shall we prepare the palace rooms and summon the selected ladies… and gentlemen…”

There was no precedent for selecting men in the Great Liang, so the official’s tongue got tied, and he even said “selected gentlemen.”

Sitting on the bed, Yanzhi couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

The hall was silent for a moment. The official corrected himself and continued: “Will Your Majesty choose a date to summon the candidates for an audience?”

“No hurry. There are too many people; I find it bothersome.” Xiao Cuan pondered for a moment, “The Autumn Hunt is approaching; have them come along as well.”

“Yes,” the officials responded in unison again, “We will go and prepare immediately.”

“Go then.”

The outer hall became quiet, with only the sound of rustling robes.

The officials seemed to be leaving.

Yanzhi stood up, and just as he took a step, he accidentally stepped on his overly long pant legs and bumped into the small table by the bed.

“Ah…”

The small table tilted from his impact, making quite a noise.

The officials in the outer hall seemed to hear it and were silent for a moment.

Xiao Cuan’s tone remained unchanged as he said indifferently: “The little dog knocked over a candle stand, no matter.”

The officials didn’t dare answer, only silently quickening their pace to leave.

Yanzhi squatted down, straightened the tilted small table, and picked up the items that had fallen.

There seemed to be some papers on the table, but since no candles were lit in the hall, Yanzhi couldn’t see clearly and could only tidy them up haphazardly.

At that moment, with a “creak,” the doors to the inner hall were pushed open from the outside. Candlelight from outside shone in, reflecting the Emperor’s tall figure and enveloping Yanzhi.

Yanzhi, squatting in the shadows, hurriedly looked up.

“I knew it would be you, little dog.”

“Your Majesty…”

Xiao Cuan walked to him and said indifferently: “If you dare to ruin the things on the table, I’ll mess with you again.”

Yanzhi held up the papers from the floor with both hands: “They’re not ruined…”

Before he could finish, Yanzhi looked closely by the candlelight shining in and realized these were the registries he had only copied a bit of.

Beneath his round characters was the Emperor’s upright and sharp handwriting.

“Eh?” Yanzhi was stunned.

Who helped him finish copying the registry?

Xiao Cuan stood with his arms crossed, scanned him indifferently, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Yanzhi snapped out of it, clutched the items, and chased after him: “Your Majesty…”

Xiao Cuan didn’t stop, striding toward the outer hall.

“Did Your Majesty help me copy it?”

“No,” Xiao Cuan said resolutely.

“But…”

This was clearly the Emperor’s handwriting.

Seeing his hesitation, Xiao Cuan added: “While you were sleeping, you were crying and shouting in your dreams that the registry wasn’t finished, making quite a fuss. While I was reviewing memorials, I copied some for you.”

Yanzhi looked up: “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“That’s it?” Xiao Cuan countered, “Anything else?”

“Hmm… Your Majesty is a great person, I like Your Majesty.” Yanzhi thought for a moment and added, “Your Majesty doesn’t need to copy it yourself; you could have the officials of the Secretariat do it. There are many of them; it would surely be fast…”

“Let the ministers copy? What would I say to them? Say to them—”

Xiao Cuan looked at him with amusement and said intentionally: “‘Oh no, Yanzhi was messed with so much by me that he couldn’t get out of bed and fainted. Before he fainted, he was still worried about the registry not being finished. You all, come and help him copy it.’”

Yanzhi hurriedly said: “No!”

Xiao Cuan laughed and finally said: “Take the items and come out.”

“Yes.”

Yanzhi followed Xiao Cuan to the outer hall.

Xiao Cuan sat back on the high throne with his arms crossed.

Yanzhi sat beside him, clutching the registry.

Xiao Cuan frowned, looking at the palace ceiling: “For Bian Ying’s son, Bian Mingyu’s family background, mark him as ‘Top Tier’.”

Yanzhi was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted, dipping his brush in ink and writing in the registry: “Replying to Your Majesty, it’s recorded.”

“Wang… I forgot his name, Wang something, mark his talent as ‘Upper Middle Tier’.”

“Yes…”

The Emperor wasn’t being clear, so Yanzhi had to flip through the registry himself to find the young master named Wang.

He flipped the registry from the very beginning to the very end and suddenly found his own name on it.

—Yanzhi, son of a commoner.

On the very last page, the very last one.

When the Emperor wrote his name, the ink bled through the paper.

Yanzhi’s hand holding the brush paused. A drop of ink fell, spreading on the paper like two small dog paw prints.

Seeing him dazing off, Xiao Cuan turned to look and said: “Why did you write your own name on there? And even stamped it with your seal?”

“No, I didn’t write this; Your Majesty wrote it.”

“I wrote it?” Xiao Cuan seemed to have no recollection and instinctively sat up straight.

Yanzhi looked up, staring at the Emperor seriously, his eyes faintly shining. He asked softly but honestly: “Your Majesty helped me clean my body, helped me change my clothes, helped me copy the registry, and… and even added my name. Does Your Majesty also like me even a little bit?”

Xiao Cuan glanced at him and asked intentionally: “Why would I like you?”

“But Your Majesty added my name…”

“You are not a peerless beauty, nor are you a high-minded hermit. What benefit is there for me to like you?”

“Though I’m not powerful, I will do my best to protect Your Majesty…” Yanzhi tried to list his own merits, “I will test for poison for Your Majesty, and I will protect Your Majesty on the battlefield…”

Yanzhi asked hopefully: “So Your Majesty also likes me even a little bit, right?”

“Wrong,” Xiao Cuan said solemnly, “I don’t like you.”

“But my name is right there…”

Yanzhi clung to that name, refusing to let go, looking at the Emperor with stubbornness and determination.

He had to make the Emperor admit to liking him.

Just a little bit, a little bit was enough.

But how could Xiao Cuan possibly admit it?

He only said: “I was muddled at that time. For some reason, I wrote your name. Perhaps your skill in seducing people is quite advanced, or perhaps I’ve been infected by your stupidity. I’ll change it now.”

As Xiao Cuan spoke, he took the paper and brush from Yanzhi’s hand, intending to cross out his name.

Yanzhi hurriedly moved forward, placing his hand directly over his name: “Your Majesty…”

Xiao Cuan moved his hand away, paused his movement, and instead of crossing out the name directly, he made annotations stroke by stroke before his eyes—

Yanzhi’s family background, Bottom Tier.

Yanzhi’s appearance, Bottom Tier.

Yanzhi’s talent, Bottom Tier.

Everything about Yanzhi, in Xiao Cuan’s eyes, was bottom tier.

“You like me, so I take you to eat and drink well, and even give you cream puffs.”

“I like you—what can you give me?”

“If all my subordinates came to ask me if I liked them, wouldn’t the world be in chaos?”

Yanzhi stopped pleading, his hands stained with ink clenched tight. He lowered his head, and the light in his eyes went out with it.

He was so foolish.

How could he have thought that the Emperor writing his name meant he wanted to select him?

How could he have thought the Emperor also liked him… even a little bit?

And he had even blurted out the question so recklessly.

From beginning to end, he was the only one who liked the Emperor.

He suddenly felt miserable, his heart heavy, as if something inside him were about to be stifled to death.

He too was about to be stifled.

Xiao Cuan pressed down on Yanzhi’s head, stroking his hair like he was playing with a little dog, and finally said—

“Whether I like you or not doesn’t stop you from liking me.”

“Mm…”

Yanzhi gave a muffled response, took the registry back from the Emperor’s hand, and while the Emperor wasn’t looking, smeared his ink-stained fingers over the paper, quietly blacking out his name.

He blurred it into a dark, small ink blot.

Since the Emperor didn’t like him, he didn’t want to be on there!

He didn’t!