Chapter 64: Deck Snuggling; His Majesty: “Even if you are a steel pipe today…”
The Dragon Ship sailed on the river surface.
A dozen warships trailed the Dragon Ship in a swallow-wing formation.
The Dragon Ship Ying Xi rode was over ten zhang long and three to five zhang high. The dragon head was the deck, where armored soldiers patrolled. Inside the cabin was the council chamber.
The Emperor occupied the main seat, while the generals below sat upright and still.
A soldier was reading intelligence sent from the direction of Xuzhou. His voice was sonorous, the echo lingering in the room:
“‘After the Imperial Decree was sent to Jiangnan, Li Yilong indeed refused to surrender, instead rebuking the Imperial Court for disregarding the life and death of the Jiangnan people.'”
“‘The ministers speculate Li, the thief, is using a delaying tactic and must be advancing secretly along another path (Chencang). Indeed, the thief Li has allied with the naval commander-in-chief and others, intending to sneak across and seize Xuzhou.'”
“‘If the rebels combine the power of two provinces, they will become a major threat.'”
“‘Fortunately, obtaining Your Majesty’s sacred judgment, the thief Li was caught with both unearned goods and evidence. The Imperial Court sending troops to crusade against the thief Li conforms to the Dao of Heaven. War has started on the Eastern Line; please may the Holy Majesty be at peace.'”
After reading the situation of the Eastern Line, the room fell silent for a while.
When discussing important matters, any bit of silence would create invisible pressure on people.
For instance, right now, people didn’t know why the Emperor remained silent.
Several Longwu Army generals looked at each other. Lian Qing reminded cautiously, “Your Majesty?”
Ying Xi: “…Continue.”
No one knew the reason for the silence just now.
Naturally, no one dared to ask. Gazes returned simultaneously to the military map.
Xie Qianli sat straight in the first seat below the Emperor. They were to join the Western Line battlefield.
His fingers, covered in silver armor, pointed to the waters where the Dragon Ship was located, explaining concisely:
“Our army is heading south along the Han River and has now arrived in Jingzhou. The Western Line includes Yuzhang, Guangling, Shouchun, and Lujiang, all strategic locations for the enemy army.”
Xie Qianli paused slightly. “Guangling Commandery is the gateway to Yangzhou. According to reports from spies, there is an elite force locally. The Commandery Governor’s reputation was previously unknown, making it difficult to investigate detailed information. This minister has ordered continued reconnaissance to ensure the situation is thoroughly understood.”
As a result, there was another strange silence.
Curiosity filled the military council scene, and the generals cast their eyes on Ying Xi again.
But it wasn’t until a moment later that Ying Xi said, “Understood.”
His solemnity made the council hall so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
He wasn’t a lax Emperor, so the generals believed the Emperor had a deeper grasp of this battle situation.
Perhaps the Emperor wanted to remind them that the key to recovering Yangzhou lay in speed—to be fast enough to catch the neighboring countries off guard, to completely stabilize the situation before the Xiongnu and other countries could react to disturb Great Qin, rather than just focusing on the strength of both sides.
His Majesty was using seriousness to prevent the pride soldiers feel before defeat.
The generals thought: Your Majesty is wise!
In the solemnity of the military council hall, everyone’s state of mind was elevated.
At this moment, Ying Xi stood up and turned toward the outside of the cabin. Outside, the river wind blew strong, making the bright yellow curtains flap loudly.
Xie Qianli opened the door and lifted the curtain for him. Instantly, the river wind carried a burst of imperial palace incense, suddenly filling the air with the elegant scent from Ying Xi’s lapels and sleeves.
Xie Qianli lowered his eyes, his brow twitching slightly, and followed the Emperor.
“Your Majesty?”
“Your Majesty!”
Seeing the Emperor go to the deck, the generals in the council chamber all stood up as well. Swords and armor clinked clearly.
Lian Qing stood at the door like a door god. “Hey, brothers, let’s continue discussing what we didn’t finish just now. What elite force is in Guangling Commandery? Who is the defender? Has anyone heard of him?”
“We’ll be meeting up with the Jingzhou Army’s commander soon. If General Xie Meng thinks those from Chang’an are all useless rice buckets… General Xie Meng has a temper similar to the Old Duke. Can everyone handle the fire stick?”
This Longwu Army accompanying the Emperor was responsible for his safety, but upon reaching the battle, parts of it would also be incorporated into the crusade army, accepting the dispatch of the Southern Expedition’s commander-in-chief.
Although the Southern Expedition’s commander, Xie Meng, was Xie Qianli’s clan brother, and one stroke couldn’t write two ‘Xie’ characters…
There were natural horizontal comparisons between armies; no one wanted to fall behind. Thus, with Lian Qing’s interruptions and jokes, everyone agreed deeply.
The generals sat down again, and discussions gradually rose.
Lian Qing secretly wiped a handful of thin sweat, yet didn’t know what he was nervous about.
Falcon Master let out a clear cry, flew up with a claw, and kicked the door shut.
Bang!
On the deck.
The river wind was even fiercer. Wherever Ying Xi passed, soldiers inevitably bowed in salute.
Ying Xi didn’t look sideways; he was walking toward the edge of the deck.
Here, the river was walled by mountains on both sides. The river water was emerald green, and behind the warship splitting the waves was white foam.
Ying Xi walked to the deck railing and lingered along the ship’s side.
The vast river water—one couldn’t see the end, nor the bottom.
Xie Qianli walked blankly behind him, his brow slightly furrowed.
The water was too deep.
His right hand was poised, constantly monitoring Ying Xi’s movements.
Fortunately, the Emperor finally stopped.
The river wind blew Ying Xi’s loose dragon robes.
From this angle, it was easy to observe the Emperor’s thin shoulders. Below the shoulders, the river wind was like an arm, clearly outlining the silhouette of Ying Xi’s slender waist in front of Xie Qianli.
Xie Qianli’s lower lip trembled lightly, and he couldn’t help but look away.
But because of a light, sudden bump of the Dragon Ship, Xie Qianli hurriedly moved closer.
At this moment, the two were almost sticking front-to-back. Strong inexplicability mixed with rising restlessness caused Xie Qianli to hurriedly take a step back, only then breathing a slight sigh of relief.
What is Ying Xi… thinking about?
The Emperor faced the river water, but Xie Qianli was sizing up Ying Xi’s side profile.
The sunlight on the deck at noon was ample. That skin silhouette, seemingly traced with pale gold luster, filled Ying Xi’s appearance with divinity.
Xie Qianli pursed his thin lips.
He believed the Emperor must be worrying about major events concerning the national economy and the people’s livelihood.
Xie Qianli could only lower his head to look at the deck, unwilling to let his superfluous thoughts disturb Ying Xi’s peace.
Little Xi was already working very hard.
—”Aiya, Your Majesty, go a little more to the left!”
—”No, no, too far left. Go a little more to the right!”
—”Why did you stop moving???”
At this moment, in Ying Xi’s mind, Tiantong was directing incessantly, struggling along with Ying Xi to find a signal.
Tiantong‘s pitch was already high; now it was even more like a chattering little bird.
The interface of the Dating System flickered dim and bright.
In the mall, icons were changing like a revolving lantern.
One moment they turned into a fan, the next a zongzi, and then all icons turned into a red X.
Ying Xi: “Zhen wants to spend money.”
“Zhen will be away for at least two months. Zhen took Xie Qianli away, leaving only Su Xueyi in the court.”
“Zhen doesn’t trust Su Xueyi either. What if he dumps the burden on Zhen!”
“Zhen needs at least twenty Xu Fangxin Gift Boxes.”
Xu Fangxin Gift Boxes, twenty of them.
Hundreds of thousands of taels.
Only the Emperor had such generosity.
And only Ying Xi could make the trade-off. He wasn’t spending for nothing; he was buying the stability of the realm.
“Wuwuwuwu, Your Majesty forgive me, Your Majesty forgive me!”
Tiantong cried as it spoke: “We just connected to the Great Qin service area. The signal just stabilized in Chang’an, and you went south a thousand li to Jingzhou. Now you’re on the river surface; having no signal is all too normal. Please look for it carefully again.”
Short silences were the hardest to endure.
The Emperor remained silent and sullen.
Tiantong wailed mournfully, “Wuwuwu, the consumer is God! I’ll report it right now, I’ll report it right now!”
Tiantong immediately went offline, applying to the main brain for maintenance.
Ying Xi stood on the deck.
He was suspicious by nature. At this moment, the more he thought, the more worried he became about the Imperial Court: Is Su Xueyi’s sister sick recently?
If his sister isn’t sick, has Su Xueyi fallen ill?
If he quits, who else in the court can immediately hold the fort?
The more he thought, the less peaceful Ying Xi became.
He supported himself on the railing with both hands, trying to stand on tiptoe and crane his head, striving to shorten the distance between himself and the river bank, almost half his body leaning out over the railing.
Finding signal.
Who knew the man behind him would suddenly tense up all over!
Xie Qianli stepped forward, his right hand tightly clasping Ying Xi’s wrist.
The palm wearing the hand armor pressed so hard Ying Xi’s wrist trembled. The Emperor immediately turned his head sideways vigilantly.
His vision, however, reflected Xie Qianli saying nervously, “Beware of falling into the water!”
That hand grabbed him tightly.
A strong force came from behind Ying Xi.
Xie Qianli actually pulled him back from the edge of the deck!
His back suddenly slammed into a metal wall; Ying Xi hurt all over.
As a subject, this action was extremely offensive.
But Ying Xi wasn’t allowed to assert the discipline of ruler and subject first.
The mall interface recovered; the Xu Fangxin Gift Boxes were impressively in sight!
Signal, found.
It turned out that when searching for a signal in the cabin just now, Tiantong had described to him that getting close to high objects like signal towers or utility poles worked better.
He intuitively felt that was a kind of very tall thing.
Xie Qianli, covered in metal armor, was naturally very tall. Ying Xi couldn’t help but learn and apply this creatively.
But at this moment, Xie Qianli acted as if he had been scalded, suddenly releasing Ying Xi. The system turned into countless red X’s again.
Signal, gone again.
Ying Xi: “…”
Xie Qianli: “Your Majesty forgive me, this humble subject has—”
If it was for the long-term plan of Great Qin, then apologies were in order.
At that moment, Ying Xi’s ankles went soft, feigning instant weakness all over his body.
Xie Qianli was astonished!
Naturally, he couldn’t let the Emperor fall. He used both arms to steady Ying Xi, holding up Ying Xi’s two dragon sleeves from behind.
Inside the sleeves, the contours and shapes of Ying Xi’s two arms were suddenly completely within his palms.
His palms were broad, Ying Xi’s arms slender. The physical sensation rushed to his face. Through the clothes, he felt Ying Xi’s temperature—warm, real, alive…
Xie Qianli’s blood was about to boil!
He simply couldn’t prohibit romantic thoughts from sprouting from this action.
When someone could press against him in this posture… if it were an enemy, life and death would already be destined to be at his mercy.
Then how did he want to treat Ying Xi…
That night at Yulouchun had enlightened him. Lovemaking between men was roughly equivalent to that between men and women; he had received theoretical education in this area.
That is to say, if the person was Little Xi.
He held Little Xi’s arms.
He thought—
“!!!”
Xie Qianli gritted his teeth tightly.
He released his hands as if burned, simultaneously sucking in his abdomen. Xie Qianli moved his legs away without leaving a trace.
Even separated by a full suit of silver armor, he didn’t dare maintain this posture to support Ying Xi again.
The fantasy’s other half possessed a clear face, distinct contours. The reverie was overwhelming.
Xie Qianli retreated again in self-loathing!
Zzz… Zila zila—
However, the mall function that had just returned to normal crashed completely the moment Xie Qianli left and Ying Xi confirmed the payment.
Garbled code soared; the interface flashed frequently!
Couldn’t buy it anymore.
“…”
It wasn’t just the System that collapsed, but also Ying Xi’s state of mind.
The obstruction instantly expanded Ying Xi’s worry for the distant Chang’an, fearing this was an omen of a fire in the rear of the Imperial Court.
Ying Xi suddenly realized that perhaps because Xie Qianli liked women, he resisted getting close to men. Rejection became Xie Qianli’s instinctive reaction.
But, don’t even think about running!
Even if you are a straight man, even if you are a steel pipe, you have to let Zhen use you today!!!
The Emperor’s depression mixed with a persistence that wouldn’t rest until the goal was achieved.
Ying Xi went limp again.
The Emperor, who always showed strength to others, rarely revealed a trace of weakness at this moment.
This forced Xie Qianli to connect it to Ying Xi’s state in the main cabin council chamber just now; he felt something was very wrong.
Xie Qianli supported him while asking, “Is Your Majesty seasick?”
A reason delivered to the door naturally had to be used.
“En.” Ying Xi accepted the excuse by default.
The signal seemed to be attracted back; the Dating System became clear and discernible again.
Ying Xi quickly selected twenty Xu Fangxin Gift Boxes and clicked to enter the payment interface.
But the interface flashed hurriedly.
Don’t go!
Ying Xi was startled. Sure enough, he saw Xie Qianli still wanting to escape.
Xie Qianli asked with a voice that was utterly hoarse, “Does Your Majesty need a military doctor? This subject will immediately summon a physician for you.”
The other party half-supported and half-released him; only their upper bodies remained close. Those detestable long legs wanted to move away again, as if he wanted to move far away but dared not leave out of fear the Emperor would fall.
Ying Xi said in his heart: Zhen doesn’t have that meaning, but do you hate being close to Zhen that much?
The Emperor’s mood secretly split off a trace of dejection.
But his mouth found a seamless excuse: “No need for a military doctor. Zhen cannot reveal half a trace of frailty in front of the soldiers. Support Zhen, stay with Zhen for a while.”
He forcibly pulled Xie Qianli back from behind!
Who knew that Xie Qianli, usually steady as Mount Tai, could actually be pulled into a stumble by him at this moment. Ying Xi hadn’t expected it either.
Xie Qianli fell onto the railing.
Inertia caused the two to overlap tightly.
Xie Qianli froze completely.
In that instant, all emotions in his chest expanded suddenly. Xie Qianli was repeatedly manipulated by torture and pleasure.
The signal of the Dating System in front of Ying Xi instantly strengthened to off the charts.
Xu Fangxin Gift Box x20, Purchase Successful.
Fireworks exploded thunderously on the system interface; the rainbow colors dazzled the eyes.
System sound effects played endlessly, text prompting in a string: Congratulations Host on a massive upgrade, Charm Points +5000, new function “Bond Skill” unlocked, looking forward to your trial use. Thank you immensely for your purchase again, please keep up the good work, honored V8 user!
Ying Xi breathed a sigh of relief, revealing a mocking smile.
The System had fallen into the eye of money. He and it each took what they needed; this wasn’t a loss. Ying Xi narrowed his eyes.
Swish!
Swish swish!!
Suddenly, his field of vision shifted horizontally. Ying Xi’s feet dangled in the air. From facing the river water, he was turned to face the inside of the cabin. Ying Xi’s brow raised slightly.
The General who was originally supporting him from behind passed directly under Ying Xi’s ribs, decisively picking the person up and turning him around.
Then several arrows struck. A fast boat approached the main ship, horns sounded, and the lookout shouted:
—”Enemy attack!!!”
Translator’s Notes:
For general understanding:
- Zhang: A unit of length, approximately 3.3 meters.
- Chi: A unit of length, approximately 1/3 of a meter (roughly a foot).
- Gu/Benwang/Zhen/Nujia: These are self-referencing pronouns. Gu is used by Crown Princes/Princes (meaning “the lonely one”). Benwang means “This Prince.” Zhen is the royal “We/I” used exclusively by the Emperor. Nujia is a humble term used by women (often in service or entertainment) meaning “Slave family/I.”
- Jianghu: The “Martial World” or underground society of martial artists.
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