Chapter 25#

“Jun’an, how about I give you a courtesy name as well?” After dinner, Chu Ruiyuan had the accompanying eunuchs clear everything away. Then he carried me onto the bed, held me in his arms, and said, “Since you’ve opened this teahouse, I’ll call you ‘Mingzhi.’”

The two characters sounded faintly familiar, as if I’d heard them somewhere before—but it had been too long, and the memory was blurred.

Although I thought “Mingzhi” sounded a bit delicate and feminine, considering that if the CEO of our dynasty actually started calling me by the courtesy name “Zihou,” it might really shorten my lifespan, I smiled and said, “Since it’s bestowed by Your Majesty, Mingzhi likes it very much.”

And then Chu Ruiyuan called me “Mingzhi” as he pounced on me and pushed me down onto the bed.

Maybe it was because we’d unlocked a new rendezvous location, but he was especially energetic that night.

He called me “Mingzhi” over and over, claiming and conquering me again and again, refusing to stop even after climaxing multiple times inside me.

By the end of the night, I had already lost count of how many times I’d reached my peak. My body was wrung dry; it felt like there was nothing left to give.

Yet he remained in high spirits, kissing me as he continued, until once more warmth flooded through me.

Overwhelmed by excess pleasure, my body trembled. I lay there dazed and panting for a long while—only to realize that the part of him still buried inside me was stirring again.

I couldn’t help but plead, “Your Majesty… spare Mingzhi. I truly can’t anymore.”

He only smiled. “Shopkeeper Liu is celebrating his grand opening today. How can we let the guest leave unsatisfied?”

And so, through that long night, I was forced to let my “guest” have his fill.

Tsk.

My Tea Classic Pavilion is supposed to be a respectable business.

Ever since the Pavilion opened, the quality of our trysts took a qualitative leap.

Whether I went to the palace when he was busy, or he came to find me when he had time, we basically maintained a harmonious and healthy frequency of once every two or three days.

At this rate, I’m certain the Empress Dowager knows exactly what’s going on between her son and me. I just don’t know why she’s decided to let the CEO and me run wild.

Still, I suspect these blissful days of seeing my well-endowed, skilled, and beautiful-faced bedmate every two or three days are nearing their end.

Because Chu Ruiyuan turned twenty and came of age—and the entire court began to concern itself with their boss’s marriage.

I have a childhood friend. Useless in both civil and military pursuits, but extraordinarily gifted at gossip. The sort who would know if the little female dog of the Duke of Cheng’s residence got pregnant by the neighboring General Liu’s little male dog and gave birth to three spotted puppies.

When he came to the Tea Classic Pavilion for tea, he once analyzed the CEO’s marriage prospects for me with great enthusiasm.

Apparently there were two candidates for empress: the legitimate daughter of the Duke of An, and the Empress Dowager’s own niece. The two factions were currently at a stalemate, and it all depended on which one the CEO favored.

If Chu Ruiyuan were to take an empress, it would inevitably affect our… arrangements.

And honestly, even if his mother ignored the fact that he had a male lover, I refuse to believe his wife would do the same. When the time came, we would probably have to part.

If we had to part, better sooner than later—before the future Empress found someone to deal with me.

So although I was reluctant—reluctant to part with Chu Ruiyuan, his face, and his impressive talents—I resolved that once his marriage was settled, I would have a frank talk with him.

I never got the chance.

Out of nowhere, a rumor began circulating among the capital’s elite.

It was said that a renowned specialist in male ailments had once been summoned in an inconspicuous sedan to treat the young master of a prominent household. Unfortunately, this young master had consumed something inappropriate in childhood, leading to a certain blockage in adulthood that prevented him from performing properly. Even with expert care, it would take years to heal.

Normally, such private scandals of wealthy families were commonplace in the capital and would not spark widespread gossip.

But the rumor had a chilling sequel.

Apparently, after returning from the visit, the physician once got drunk and let slip that, being observant by nature, he had noticed on the young master’s sleeve an almost imperceptible five-clawed dragon pattern.

And when court officials formally petitioned for the establishment of an empress, the only person in the dynasty entitled to wear a five-clawed dragon was said to have angrily flung the memorial to the ground.

After that, the high-ranking officials who were clever enough to stand in court all went quiet as chickens.

I think Chu Ruiyuan plagiarized my idea.

Only he played it on a much grander scale.

I don’t care what the ministers think.

What I want to know is—could it be that the Empress Dowager has all along believed her son to be “incapable,” while I am not, and that’s why she’s simply left the two of us alone?!

I’m not just a little uneasy. I’m extremely uneasy.

I used to think Chu Ruiyuan was merely using me as a substitute for my brother—a bedmate, nothing more. Even if over these three years his affection had shifted from my brother to me, it would still only be a romantic embellishment in an emperor’s life.

Imperial feelings can hardly count as true love.

But now, as ruler of the realm, he has even used such a self-damaging excuse to refuse marriage. If that isn’t true feeling, it’s close enough.

By comparison, I—the one who treated him as nothing more than a handsome, high-quality human massage device—seem rather heartless.

Competing in heartlessness with an emperor, and somehow winning—

I’m not proud of it, thanks.

It’s like winning the achievement of “Number One Scumbag of the Dynasty.” There’s nothing to be happy about.

I don’t even have the face to keep calling him “Emperor Scum Chu” anymore.

After hearing my gossip-loving friend’s latest update on the emperor’s marriage situation, I spent a whole day reflecting on myself—then was summoned to the palace by the “young master of a prominent household” who was supposedly blocked and unable to perform.

Moved by Chu Ruiyuan’s deep affection, I was especially tender with him that day. We kissed endlessly. I even agreed to use a position I usually disliked.

After we’d finished and lay tangled in the aftermath, he took out a red pill from a hidden compartment by the bedside and handed it to me with a smile.

“This medicine is called ‘Broken Fate.’ It wards off evil and dispels yin toxins. I specially had it brought from the southern frontier. Mingzhi, take it.”

Doesn’t he think that from its color to its name, this thing is incredibly ominous?

Looking at the pill, radiating misfortune from every angle, I shook my head. “If it is such a fine medicine, Your Majesty should keep it. Mingzhi’s body is but fragile willow fluff. Your Majesty must cherish your priceless health.”

Chu Ruiyuan placed the pill in my hand and personally handed me a cup of water. “I have no need of it. Mingzhi, take it.”

Damn it.

Why does this feel so much like—right after being moved by his true feelings—I’m about to be granted poison and ordered to die?

Please don’t let this be a slap in the face.