Chapter 136: Little Wan Doesn’t Know How to Breathe
It had only been the passing of a single night, yet the next morning, as the Regent escorted Wei Wanlan into the palace, the atmosphere had shifted.
They still took the Su estateās carriage.
However, the attitude of the Su family generals was markedly different from the moment the Soul-Mourning Sword had “exposed” him the previous night.
Wei Wanlan, ever the little peace dove, was sensitive enough to detect subtle changes in his surroundings.
Perhaps yesterday he could still catch suspicious glances from those around himāpeople who dared not meet his eyes, their gazes dodging and weaving.
Now, it was different. It seemed that this morning, everyone looked at him with pure, unadulterated reverence.
…Uh, it seemed even more intense than before the encounter with the Soul-Mourning Sword.
It made him feel as if he had reached the limit of admiration one could receive.
How could sleeping on it make such a difference?
Wei Wanlanās gaze fell upon a wooden box resting on his knees. Inside were fried dough leaves that Yun Niang had made for him.
The dough leaves were golden and crispy, sprinkled with white sesame seeds that filled the air with their fragrance. He picked up a piece and nibbled on it absentmindedly, pondering the reason for the change in the Prince’s generals. He tried his best not to drop crumbs, eating like a little hamster.
The Regent was also in the carriage.
They sat side by side.
Since confessing their feelings, and after the intimate incident involving hands last night, Wei Wanlan didn’t quite dare to look at the Regent. Whether seeing him or thinking about him caused his heart rate to spike, so he focused intently on eating.
Su Jingzhi, however, stared at the box of dough leaves. “Is it good?”
Wei Wanlan: “Mn, mn mn!”
Saying this, Wei Wanlan picked up a piece and held it to the Regent’s lips.
The other party accepted it with his mouth, taking a fierce bite!
The dough leaf shattered instantly with a crisp sound, bitten into a tragic state.
“Too sweet.”
Su Jingzhi, having tasted it, expressed his disdain.
Wei Wanlan tilted his head. “It’s not that sweet.”
But the Regent then complained that there was too much flour. This made Wei Wanlan feel a bit amused; he was simply nitpicking. Was the Regent angry because Wei Wanlan had been spacing out eating dough leaves since getting in the carriage and ignoring him?
…Why did he suddenly feel that the Regent was actually a little bit cute?
āSuch a big man, being petty over something smaller than a sesame seed.
The “slightly cute Regent” weakened the shyness and discomfort Wei Wanlan felt after their intimate contact.
Wei Wanlan closed the wooden box of dough leaves and placed it by his hand, blinking his round, deer-like eyes. When it came to acting spoiled to get close to the Regent, he had a natural, self-taught talent.
“Kiss me~”
One sentence caused Su Jingzhi, who had been sitting upright in a posture of utmost propriety, to feel his heart pound like a war drum. He lost control instantly.
The kiss swept over him with the force of a violent storm!
He pulled Wei Wanlan into his embrace, his tongue meticulously inspecting every corner of Wei Wanlan’s mouth.
Only when he was sure Wei Wanlan’s temperature was rising, and his whole body was flushed red and dewy, did he reluctantly let go, lingering in the ambiguity. He used the rough, calloused pad of his thumb to caress Wei Wanlan’s lips.
It made Wei Wanlan tremble in the carriage, letting out thin, soft pants.
The Regentās voice was laced with huskiness. His tone dropped to a mere thread:
“How have you still not learned to exchange breath?”
The little dummy took large gulps of air, looking with innocent confusion at the dragon robe that had bulged up again.
“So we aren’t continuing?”
“…” Su Jingzhi was momentarily speechless.
His emotions were being thrown into further disarray by him. He loved this clumsy state of half-understanding, yet he feared rumors might spread about the Emperor’s improper conduct. He tapped lightly on the semi-translucent gauze curtains of the carriage.
“Not here. Tonight, back at Zichen Hall.”
Seeing the little dummy look even more confused, his speechlessness turned into a sigh. He explained helplessly, “The condition will subside in a moment. It is not as if the quilt will get dirty every time if left untreated.”
Only then was the little dummy relieved.
He let out a very quiet breath.
The unintentional provocation of one’s beloved was the most lethal.
But as long as Little Wan understood; sometimes, he was actually quite thin-skinned.
A red and soft Wei Wanlan hooked his arm through the Regent’s and quickly changed the subject:
“We’re returning to the palace to handle state affairs, but what about the Turkic Khan?”
Yesterday, Ashina Shali had been paraded through the streets by the Regent. After not seeing him for a night, Wei Wanlan wondered where he was and if he would bring danger to the people of Chang’an.
Su Jingzhi: “He can’t run. That vicious wolf is saving his energy to drag the diplomatic mission out until the end of the Summer Martial Arts Tournament. Tang Tuan lost track of the Soul-Mourning Sword and felt he had no face to see this Prince, so he volunteered to keep an eye on him.”
Wei Wanlan: “Oh.”
It seemed the Turkic Khan had indeed taken the bait.
So Wei Wanlan asked again, “Then… since we’ve bought time, what about the Antang side? Have you contacted Antang yet? What did they say?”
It had been over half a month since Ashina Shali set off.
If Antang wanted to make a moveāto snatch his biological mother back from the territory controlled by the Khanāhe had to be fast and act now. He couldn’t drag it out this long.
Hearing Wei Wanlan showing such proper concern for state affairs, a smile floated onto the corner of Su Jingzhiās lips. He very naturally pinched Wei Wanlan’s nose, pinching until Wei Wanlan’s small face scrunched up and his little claws looked ready to scratch.
Su Jingzhi always stopped just before Wei Wanlan got truly uncomfortable or angry, his sense of propriety always perfectly measured.
“We have indeed contacted Antang’s clansmen,” Su Jingzhi said.
His words first pacified Wei Wanlan.
The little dummy shifted from angry to curious. “Really?”
His head tilted in a very cute way.
The Regent said, “Yes. However, this Prince might have to keep you in suspense. As for the result, Your Majesty must be a little patient.”
Hmph, always so annoying…
A few days after the court affairs were settled, the Summer Martial Arts Tournament arrived.
It was the hottest part of summer.
Even though it was raining and thunder rumbled, the heat outside was unbearable. The ancient palace was entirely made of wood, making the heat feel damp and moldy. The air tasted bitter, and the cicadas didn’t even chirp, making it all the more uncomfortable.
In Zichen Hall, basins were filled with crushed ice.
Coolness drifted out in wisps.
It was Wei Wanlan’s idea. He insisted on adding all kinds of watermelon, honeydew, cherries… and other fruits into the ice basins. This way, the ice wouldn’t be wasted; it would freshen the air, act as a cooler, and everyone in Zichen Hall could eat ice-chilled fruit.
The Regent said cold food and iced drinks were bad for the stomach and wouldn’t let him eat too much.
Wei Wanlan had agreed, but acted otherwise in secret. Convincing himself that not eating it would be a waste, he polished off more than half a basin, leaving his belly round and bulging.
After finishing the memorials, he was just about to take a summer nap.
At this moment, a Jinwu Guard strode in with long steps, kneeling to bow:
“Your Majesty, one match of the Summer Martial Arts Tournament is set at the Northern Barracks. The Turkic warriors wish to spar with the Great Wei soldiers. The Regent invites you to attend and watch.”
Wei Wanlan put down his vermilion brush and let out a small burp that smelled entirely of melon and fruit.
“Zhen knows~”
The Northern Barracks was the army where the Regent had grown up mixing in; it was the elite of the elite.
If Great Wei’s Summer Martial Arts Tournament had a “Heaven and Earth Net Anti-Traitor Array,” the Northern Barracks Imperial Guard would surely have caught wind of it. So even if the Turkic Khan proposed a martial exchange, he would thick-skinnedly infiltrate this Great Wei military event.
When Wei Wanlan arrived at the Northern Barracks in a small carriage, the boring opening speeches were already over. What was presented before him was the most exciting part: fighting in the ring. This, he could understand.
Wei Wanlan ascended the high viewing platform.
The Regent had already set up a seat for the Son of Heaven. Overhead was a sun-shielding canopy, and food was laid out on the table.
Their seats were right next to each other, though the distinction between primary and secondary could still be seen.
When Wei Wanlan appeared, the Regent took the lead in bowing. Aside from the two warriors in the ring who were in the heat of battle and couldn’t be distracted, a huge array of people around Wei Wanlan displayed the full majesty of the Son of Heaven.
Wei Wanlan sat down and gave a shallow greeting to the Turkic Khan. Because he was always afraid of meeting the Turkic Khan’s gaze, he maintained his wise monarch persona with great effort.
Ashina Shali responded normally. Standing up from the spectator seats, he shouted the name of the Turkic warrior in the ring:
“Aruqi!”
Then he spat out a string of Turkic words.
Although Wei Wanlan couldn’t understand the specific vocabulary, it didn’t stop him from hearing the excitement in the words. The Khan’s thick braids swung as he clapped his hands fiercely. The Turkic envoys he brought along were also diligently acting as the hype squad.
“Limi! Limi!”
“Jalasaray!!!”
“…”
The cheering grew louder, wave after wave.
On the field, Aruqi suddenly let out a great shout.
The Turkic warrior burst out of his clothes, revealing an excessively strong, bare torso. His muscles looked as if steamed buns of various sizes had been inlaid into different parts of his body. Under the fierce summer sun, Aruqi’s muscles glistened with sweat.
Wei Wanlan sucked in a breath at this overly terrifying physique and whispered an exclamation: “Can someone really train to look like that…”
If one were hit by a fist the size of an iron hammer, wouldn’t they explode on the spot?
Wei Wanlan couldn’t help but worry for the Great Wei warrior in the ring.
But then he heard that warrior laugh loudly. Not only did he not tear off his shirt as well, but he also dodged and retreated to a corner of the ring with a grin, evading Aruqi’s two or three consecutive attacks.
Furthermore, as he fought, he exaggeratedly covered his own collar.
His voice reached the spectator seats, high-pitched and sounding a bit deserving of a beating:
“Why have you no shame? Fighting is fighting, why take off your clothes?”
“I’m telling you, I have no interest in men of your type. Don’t think that after the fight, I’ll go anywhere with you!”
It was Tang Tuan.
Tang Tuan was covered in sweat. It was actually visible that he was struggling in the contest against Aruqi, but his mouth refused to spare anyone. His tone was improper, and the words he spoke were even more improper.
The improper Tang Tuan repeated these words in the barbarian tongue.
This caused Aruqi to yell, charging at Tang Tuan again in a rage, possessing the momentum of a wild bull: “Limi!”
The Turkic spectator seats echoed the shout: “Limi!” “Limi!” “Jalasaray!” Another burst of cheering.
The ring, the hunting grounds, the battlefield… these places easily stirred up male hormones.
Before long, it wasn’t just the Turks shouting; Great Wei soldiers also descended from the stands, waving their arms and shouting in excitement, slapping and dancing wildly.
The sound in the spectator stands was like a boiling pot, making one’s head buzz.
Under the cover of the noisy roar, the Regent leaned over, lifted a wine pot, and poured wine for Wei Wanlan. His voice reached only Wei Wanlan’s ears.
“Do you see anything different about the Turkic envoy seats?”
The tips of Wei Wanlan’s ears grew hot. He immediately took a small sip of the low-alcohol fruit wine and looked over. Within the somewhat chaotic seating area of the Turks, with figures moving about, he found he couldn’t even see any specific individual clearly.
Wei Wanlan shook his head honestly, admitting he couldn’t tell.
The fuzzy hair by his ear was stirred by the Regent’s breath, making it tickle even more.
This time, Su Jingzhi didn’t keep him in suspense. He explained patiently:
“Two of the envoys are dressed the same as before, but the people are different. The people have been swapped. Those two might be somewhere in the Northern Barracks camp right now.”
Really?
No matter how hard Wei Wanlan looked, he couldn’t discover that two of the eighteen envoys had been switched by the Khan. He couldn’t help but think Su Jingzhi was so sharp.
“Making such a lively scene, is it also to search for that ‘Anti-Traitor Array’?”
“Mn. Just to attract attention.”
At this moment, Tang Tuan and Aruqi engaged in another bout of hand-to-hand combat.
Aruqi possessed immense strength. When he charged, he actually snapped a wooden pillar at the corner of the ring, thick as a bowl’s mouth. The cracking sound was alarming.
Tang Tuan also felt lingering fear. His clothes barely grazed Aruqi’s body; had he dodged an instant later, the one sent flying would have been him.
But Tang Tuan covered his heart again with that cheap mouth of his:
“I like the gentle type, can you stop being so savage… Remember to pay for the damage!”
The Great Wei soldiers erupted in laughter again.
However, the noisier the scene became, the more exceptionally calm Su Jingzhi appeared. Even in the scorching summer, one could feel a coolness radiating from him.
He took a sip of wine, his eyes filled with Wei Wanlan as he said:
“Didn’t you ask this Prince last time how the connection with Antang was going?”
This topic should be top secret!
Wei Wanlan didn’t expect him to dare say it out loud so close to Ashina Shali. Although the human voices were chaotic, what if the Turkic Khan spared a sliver of attention to listen carefully?
Scared, Wei Wanlan hurriedly moved to cover the Regent’s mouth: such major matters shouldn’t be spoken of recklessly.
In his panic, he pitched forward, allowing Su Jingzhi to half-embrace him. Su Jingzhi pinched his waist but steadied him and placed him back on the imperial throne with a normal expression:
“What is it?”
“Don’t say it!”
Wei Wanlan looked like a small animal raising its guard, ready to react at any moment. This provoked an itch in the Regent’s heart again; teasing the little dummy was something he would never get tired of.
So Su Jingzhi raised his voice a few notches:
“It doesn’t matter. Even if he truly transformed into an eagle right now and grew two pairs of wings, he couldn’t fly back to the Royal Court. Because Antang’s mother has already met her own grandson.”
Although… the thing that grows two pairs of wings is a fly.
Wei Wanlan was anxious and angry. Logic dictated this matter should be exposed as late as possible. The later it was exposed, the more time Antang would have to seize the advantage.
His small face flushed red, and he wanted to rise from the imperial throne again to help cover it up.
From the spectator seats, a clear cracking sound was heard!
Blood flowed from Ashina Shali’s palm. He had crushed the wine cup, yet he masked it with a smile as his attendant picked up the porcelain shards.
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