Foolish Beauty Is Bound to the Sage Emperor Nurturing System Chapter 122

Chapter 122: Preparing Hot Water for Tonight

In truth, Su Jingzhi had always assumed that the relationship between himself and Xiao Wan was understood without needing words. They ate together, lived together, and Wei Wanlan relied on him so heavily; the trend was clearly moving toward them becoming life partners.

If there was anything missing between them and a true couple, it was simply the final step: the intimacy of skin-to-skin contact.

Thinking of the hint Wei Wanlan had dropped before he left today… Su Jingzhi’s mind was in chaos.

His trip to the Beiya today was merely to handle a ceremonial military matter.

The Beiya Imperial Guards had served with distinction during Wei Wanlan’s suppression of the rebellion, and the Little Emperor had established a “Special Reward Fund” to be formally distributed today. The Commander of the Beiya Guards had submitted a memorial inviting key court officials to attend the ceremony.

While ceremonial matters certainly represented the face of the Imperial Court, they didn’t require Su Jingzhi’s undivided attention.

And so, following his uncharacteristic blunder of crashing into the doorframe earlier, Su Jingzhi broke another record: he zoned out during a meeting.

Although his lapse in concentration lasted only a fleeting moment—and anyone who saw it would only assume he was pondering weighty matters of state—for Su Jingzhi, these anomalies were enough to make him clearly realize that his composure was completely shattered.

He had long wanted all of Wei Wanlan, yet amidst his anticipation, he felt a faint sense of being at a loss.

He knew how obsessed he was with Xiao Wan. He also knew the Little Fool was much younger than him, very pure, and had too little experience.

He was afraid that if he acted too forcefully, he might hurt Wei Wanlan. What if he lost control and scared the Little Fool?

He also worried that if he failed to please Wei Wanlan during their first time, the Little Fool might end up crying in grievance.

To make matters worse, the Su family’s traditions were upright and strict, completely opposing the idea of finding others to “practice” bedroom matters before marriage. Su Jingzhi had absolutely no practical experience to reference, and he was terrified he wouldn’t be able to gauge the proper measure.

Amidst this wavering of his heart, the distribution ceremony at Beiya passed quickly.

When he returned to Zichen Hall, the sky was just turning a dusky dark. A crescent moon hung above, and the sparrows in the full trees had just fallen asleep.

The Regent stepped into the hall, his mind restless. He ran headlong into An Ruyi. Eunuch An’s eyes curved into two crescent moons as he immediately bent his knees in greeting. “His Majesty has been waiting for your return since nightfall.”

Su Jingzhi nodded.

An Ruyi whispered again, “His Majesty is wearing only his inner garments.”

Su Jingzhi: “…”

Since the start of summer, Wei Wanlan had switched to new attire. His sleeping robes were very thin, making his slender body appear indistinct and visible beneath the fabric; wearing them was hardly different from wearing nothing at all.

Su Jingzhi’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.

An Ruyi asked once more in a whisper, repeating a question he had asked in the past: “Your Highness, shall we prepare hot water for tonight?”

“En.”

The smile in An Ruyi’s eyes deepened.

Eunuch An had actually long been won over by Wei Wanlan’s purity and kindness. Caught between the Regent and the Little Emperor, his position was often difficult.

Now, seeing the Little Emperor ruling personally and the Regent dedicating himself to supporting the state—while the two of them were also in love—An Ruyi was naturally filled with relief. With a smile, he escorted Su Jingzhi into the bedchamber, then hurriedly pulled the doors shut, shooing away the maids and attendants outside.

“Wait until the Masters call for service tonight before entering. If they don’t call, do not enter no matter what noise you hear, and no peeking or listening!”

The palace maids all assented. Being slightly older than Wei Wanlan, they knew exactly what was about to happen, and each lowered her eyes, blushing.

The lighting was dim and ambiguous.

Before Su Jingzhi’s eyes were the closed bed curtains.

He twitched his nose. There was a faint, sweet scent—the smell that always lingered on the Little Fool—mixed with the humid scent of water vapor. Su Jingzhi’s heart began to beat like a war drum again.

…Wei Wanlan had also just bathed.

His long, slender fingers lifted a corner of the bed curtain.

He saw a section of bright yellow inner sleeping robes. Wei Wanlan, bored to death, was inside the enclosed space of the dragon bed, kicking his feet at the empty air. His arches looked like two silver fish just pulled from the water, still jumping. Even in the dim environment, Wei Wanlan’s toes and feet were so white they were dazzling.

Su Jingzhi pursed his lips.

He felt a loss of control, an urge to grab that snow-white foot.

But if he made such an obviously suggestive move, the result would inevitably spiral out of hand. He felt he should give Xiao Wan some time to adapt; he worried Xiao Wan wouldn’t be able to accept the pace of this intimacy.

Su Jingzhi hastily retracted his gaze from that foot.

“Regent King~”

Seeing him arrive, Wei Wanlan called out excitedly. His slender body bounced up from the mattress, his paws quickly retracting as he sat cross-legged inside the bed tent, waiting for him.

“Come here! Regent King!”

The ball of desire accumulating in Su Jingzhi’s chest suddenly became scorching hot.

The Regent had always prided himself on his calm self-restraint, yet in that instant, his gaze drifted downward, landing on Wei Wanlan’s collar, illuminated by the dim light of the gauze lamp. The collar was half-open, revealing snow-white, delicate skin.

He knew the soft texture of that skin, and he knew that a light touch would leave a mark red as rosy clouds.

Then, the Regent’s wrist was grabbed by Wei Wanlan, pulling him into the bed. The dynamic shifted from one standing and one sitting to Su Jingzhi pressing down on top of the toppled Wei Wanlan.

The Little Fool was so small.

Sweet, fragrant, and soft. Being pressed down a bit tightly, he let out a few soft, glutinous whimpers. Su Jingzhi could tell it wasn’t discomfort, but rather the sound of a small animal acting coquettishly.

Su Jingzhi’s entire heart was about to melt into sugar water.

When he spoke, his voice was already hoarse beyond recognition.

He pulled Wei Wanlan close and kissed him. Even with restraint, it was intense and blazing.

This time, he started from the neck. He used his lips to capture a piece of soft flesh on Wei Wanlan’s neck, then, following the scent, moved gradually upward. The tip of his tongue lingered behind Wei Wanlan’s ear, tracing the curve of the ear from bottom to top, leaving behind wet traces of heat and itchiness.

Wei Wanlan, whose skin was always sensitive, immediately couldn’t handle it. He trembled delicately as if electrocuted, twisting even more restlessly in Su Jingzhi’s embrace.

Wei Wanlan’s voice grew hoarse too. His whole body was hot and damp. With a crying tone, he asked worriedly, his voice very small:

“Regent King, have you… wu… have you still not… wu… not detoxified yet?”

—Why mention that suddenly?

Su Jingzhi vaguely felt that the direction of things was wrong.

Because of Wei Wanlan’s question, his movements paused slightly. He propped his body up with his arms against the bed, creating a little distance between himself and Wei Wanlan.

“Completely removing the poison is not the work of a single day, but I can truly feel that the influence of the ‘Sorrow Reliever’ in my body is becoming smaller. Detoxification is only a matter of time.”

Only then did Wei Wanlan let out a slow sigh of relief. He rubbed his eyes with a dragon paw, his voice still sweet and glutinous:

“Oh. That’s good then. Zhen thought your poison was flaring up again and you caught Zhen to detoxify! So, kissing the neck can detoxify now too?”

“What did you say?” Su Jingzhi was astonished. “Repeat that?”

Wei Wanlan: “Can kissing the neck detoxify now?”

“…”

These words delivered a massive shock. The Regent’s desire receded, replaced by his entire body slowly stiffening.

Yet Wei Wanlan tilted his head, rubbing worriedly against Su’s arm. “Regent King, don’t worry. Even if you will be cured eventually, as long as you are uncomfortable while the residual poison is being removed, Zhen can help you. Zhen doesn’t want you to endure it alone. Kissing anywhere is fine.”

Only then did Su Jingzhi realize that there might be a misunderstanding between him and Wei Wanlan.

He thought Wei Wanlan waiting for him to return to Zichen Hall tonight was an invitation to share intimate clouds and rain on the dragon bed.

However, Wei Wanlan did not think that way.

It was even possible that Wei Wanlan didn’t clearly realize that the boundaries between them had long exceeded that of monarch and subject, and were moving toward a partnership.

He was too simple, and too clumsy.

Su Jingzhi asked tentatively, “Then, Xiao Wan, what was the reason you asked This King to come back early tonight?”

At the mention of this, Wei Wanlan became very happy. He said, “Regent King, look. There’s an extra mirror on the bed canopy.”

Su Jingzhi froze. Wei Wanlan pulled him down to lie flat, the two of them side by side, four eyes facing the top of the bed. Compared to before Wei Wanlan completed Mission Two, this bedchamber now had an additional bronze mirror bordered with dragon patterns.

It was a System Reward: The Four Seas Peace Nine Dragon Mirror.

Under the dim light of the palace lantern, the bronze mirror’s reflection was very clear. The mirror honestly reflected the Regent, and the Little Emperor who was a whole size smaller than him.

The Little Emperor clung obediently to the Regent, extending a dragon paw to point at the mirror, explaining, “This mirror has magic.”

Deliberately skipping over how he obtained the Nine Dragon Mirror, Wei Wanlan shared, “During those days when Zhen thought you were gone, Zhen’s heart was full of thoughts of the Regent. Because I missed the Regent too much, I met the Regent in my dreams. Zhen reunited with the Regent in the dream world.”

Su Jingzhi was fiercely pleased by this sentence, though he remained outwardly calm. “Is that so?”

Wei Wanlan nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes! Then Zhen realized that because I wanted to see you, I dreamed of you. Even if the ending of those dreams was you disappearing, Zhen truly did see you in the dream.”

Su Jingzhi was incredibly sharp. “This mirror can create dreams?”

Wei Wanlan: “You can dream whatever you think of. Doesn’t it have magic?”

Saying this, Wei Wanlan happily scooched closer to Su Jingzhi again, his furry head pressing tight against the Regent.

” Zhen just discovered this benefit and wanted to invite you back quickly to try it. if we fall asleep at the same time, maybe we can see each other in the dream again. We can go to many places in the dream and do many things we haven’t done before. Don’t you think that’s fun?”

While fantasizing, he fished out the Classic of Mountains and Seas Illustrated Collection from under his pillow—his treasured art book.

Wei Wanlan opened a page like he was offering a treasure and suggested, “Regent King, we can go to Riyue Mountain to watch the sunrise, go to Nanshan to feed the bluebirds, go to Qingqiu to pet foxes… With this bronze mirror, will we be able to travel to even more places together in the future?”

So, Wei Wanlan just wanted to be with him and experience more of life, not limiting themselves to the palace and the court.

Su Jingzhi felt gratified hearing this, but also faintly troubled. He gathered Wei Wanlan into his arms, his movements very intimate, yet deep down he was regretting:

Why did I lie to Wei Wanlan about needing to ‘detoxify’ just to take advantage of the Little Fool and get some hugs and kisses?

—Now the Little Fool still thinks that’s the case.

—Now, if we hug and kiss, it means the poison is flaring up again. The Little Fool has completely misunderstood these actions.

Su Jingzhi could only shake his head, feeling quite helpless.

The lie he told back then had to be salvaged bit by bit now. He had confused the Little Fool’s cognition; he had no one to blame but himself.

So, he held Wei Wanlan, stared seriously at Wei Wanlan in the mirror, and asked:

“Xiao Wan, who am I?”

Once, at the Eastern Capital Grand Banquet, he had pressed Wei Wanlan with this question. That time, he made Wei Wanlan realize that many ties already existed between them.

And now, asking Wei Wanlan again, he wanted to know how Wei Wanlan truly viewed him.

—What is their relationship?

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