Part 2
Chu Lianmo had been afraid that the person his mother loved was truly Wen Cheng, but on this matter, Qi Xiaojun, as a bystander, saw things clearly.
“I understand now.” Noble Consort Liang finally nodded solemnly. “If that man had even a shred of affection for me, how could he have ignored me for so many years? It’s true, I was too foolish, wasting my own time for nothing. I will go and seek reconciliation tonight.”
And so, Noble Consort Liang did indeed go to seek reconciliation. The moment she did, Emperor Wen immediately made up with her.
No matter what, Noble Consort Liang had once been Emperor Wen’s most favored woman. In the end, the problem between them was that both were too proud. Now that Noble Consort Liang had finally been the first to bow her head, Emperor Wen was of course happy to accept the gesture.
Thus, while the Empress was toiling away attending to the sick, Emperor Wen was spending his days and nights wrapped up with Noble Consort Liang. This outcome angered the Empress so much that she nearly coughed up three liters of blood and died.
However, Chu Lianmo didn’t know whether to be happy about this result.
A lost love was lost forever, and the tragedies that had occurred had already happened. The current harmony was nothing but a fleeting illusion. The fact that Noble Consort Liang was willing to do this only proved that she had completely let go of Emperor Wen in her heart.
Sometimes, Chu Lianmo would unconsciously recall Wen Cheng’s miserable state and would speak of it with Murong Ying.
“Heavens! That Wen Cheng is so pitiful!” Compared to Qi Xiaojun, who had to consider Chu Lianmo’s feelings to some extent, Murong Ying expressed his thoughts directly.
“He’s pitiful?” Chu Lianmo shot Murong Ying a look. “Is my mother not pitiful?”
“But he’s really innocent! From what I know, wasn’t his family background quite good?”
Indeed, Wen Cheng’s father had been a third-rank official. While not fabulously wealthy, the Wen family was well-off. Wen Cheng had a promising future when he entered the palace as a guard. But not only did he fail to bring glory to his family, he plunged himself into misery, caused his father to be demoted, and made the Wen family live under the scrutiny of others ever since.
“My goodness, being a guard is so miserable. You can be suspected of having an affair with your master at any moment…” Since Murong Ying’s status was similar to Wen Cheng’s in the past, he could empathize more with his pain. “Oh, Your Highness, when you become emperor, I’ll also be a guard in the palace!”
Chu Lianmo was dumbfounded for a moment, then laughed. “What are you focusing on? I’m not my Royal Father. Am I the type of person who suspects guards of having affairs with their masters at the drop of a hat?”
“…But Your Highness, what if…” Murong Ying thought of Wen Cheng’s fate of self-castration, and it was as if a certain part of his own body began to ache. “What if I really did have an affair with a master? Would you forgive me?”
“…What did you say?” The smile on Chu Lianmo’s face vanished instantly.
“I just said what if! It was just a hypothetical!” Murong Ying was so scared he subconsciously dropped to his knees. “I misspoke. Please calm your anger, Your Highness!”
“Alright, alright, what are you so nervous about? Get up.”
Chu Lianmo assumed Murong Ying was just testing his importance in his heart and didn’t think much of it, only saying sternly, “You know I’ve always been lenient with you. I wouldn’t hold some small mistakes against you. But you really shouldn’t test me with such questions. If you had a stricter master, you’d be beaten just for asking that.”
“Okay, okay, I know I was wrong.” Murong Ying flashed a somewhat coquettish smile, but his heart was pounding.
Seeing Chu Lianmo and Qi Xiaojun so deeply in love these days, he had already let go of his special feelings for Chu Lianmo and decided to see him as an older brother.
At the same time, he discovered that he was gradually developing strange feelings for another person he had once seen as an older sister.
“Your Highness, I need to use the privy.”
“Go ahead,” Chu Lianmo replied without paying much mind, lowering his head to continue with his official duties. He had just been taking a short break from his fatigue.
After receiving permission, Murong Ying fled Chu Lianmo’s study as if escaping.
For the first time, he found Chu Lianmo terrifying, and it was a relief to get away even for a moment.
In his haste, he ran straight into Qi Xiaojun.
He nearly knocked over the plate of pastries in Qi Xiaojun’s hands.
“Ah, my apologies!”
“It’s alright, luckily they didn’t fall.” Qi Xiaojun smiled. “You know, your Prince is so competitive. He heard from Ah Nan that he once personally made pastries for the Crown Prince, and then he just looked at me with this expectant gaze… He didn’t say it, but how could I not know what he was thinking? But I’ve never really cooked before. I’m not responsible if someone gets sick from eating my food.”
“Mmm…” At that moment, Murong Ying was in no mood to engage with Qi Xiaojun’s topic.
“What’s wrong, Ah Ying?” Qi Xiaojun noticed Murong Ying’s odd behavior. He was usually so cheerful; there was no way this would be his normal, detached reaction.
“Xiaojun, we were master and apprentice once, right?”
Murong Ying suddenly looked at Qi Xiaojun with pleading eyes.
“If one day I do something wrong, and His Highness wants to beat me to death, or do something else to me…” like castrate him, “…can you plead for me?”
“…Huh?” Qi Xiaojun was completely baffled by Murong Ying. “His Highness values you so much. How could he possibly beat you to death?”
“But, you can’t deny that he has a ruthless side, right? I know you’re much better-tempered than he is!”
“…” Qi Xiaojun couldn’t help but smile wryly.
In terms of natural disposition, his temper wasn’t necessarily any better than Chu Lianmo’s.
It was just that from being a hostage to a male concubine, he had long since learned to endure.
“Ah Ying, can you tell me first if something has happened to you?”
“No, no!” Murong Ying shook his head frantically. “I can’t tell you!… Oh, never mind, I still have to go to the latrine.”
And then, Murong Ying slipped away again.
Qi Xiaojun watched his retreating back thoughtfully—he didn’t say nothing was wrong, but “I can’t tell you.” Did that mean something really was wrong?
Forget it. Since he’s unwilling to talk, there’s nothing I can do right now.
Qi Xiaojun stopped dwelling on it and pushed open the door to the study. “Lianmo, try the pastries I made.”
“…Xiaojun, you… you really made them?”
Chu Lianmo turned to look at the plate in Qi Xiaojun’s hands, staring at the colorful, exquisite pastries. His eyes held both surprise and a hint of guilt.
“Sigh, I did feel a bit envious when I heard Jiang Yingnan say that, but you are a prince. How could I let you do these things for me? That’s why I didn’t want to ask… Xiaojun, you don’t have to pay attention to my selfish expectations.”
Qi Xiaojun smiled sweetly. “You are so considerate of my feelings. Why can’t I be attentive to your needs?”
In the past, Qi Xiaojun had indeed felt indignant that, as a prince, he had to do servile tasks. But now that Chu Lianmo was so considerate of him in every way, afraid of wronging him in the slightest, he found himself doing everything from helping him dress to cooking with complete willingness.
“Alright, I’ve already made them…”
Saying this, Qi Xiaojun picked up a piece of pink lotus pastry and held it to Chu Lianmo’s lips. “Try it?”
A rare blush crept up Chu Lianmo’s face. “I didn’t expect you to be so forward now.”
The words made Qi Xiaojun’s face flush red as well.
Just feeding him a pastry, that’s not exactly forward, is it…?
Chu Lianmo finally ate the pastry from Qi Xiaojun’s hand. “It’s delicious.”
“Don’t just humor me.” Qi Xiaojun tried a piece himself, then frowned slightly. “I think it’s very ordinary. Can’t you give an honest review?”
“You really want my review?” Chu Lianmo laughed. “There’s a bit too much sugar. It’s a little sweet.”
“…” Although Qi Xiaojun was the one who asked for a review, when Chu Lianmo actually said it, he felt a little embarrassed and couldn’t help but pout. “I was trying to drown you in sweetness.”
“Heh~” Chu Lianmo smiled sweetly, taking Qi Xiaojun’s finger, which was still dusted with pastry crumbs, and licking it. “You’re sweeter. This Prince loves being drowned in sweetness.”
“…” Qi Xiaojun felt goosebumps all over.
Chu Lianmo, having thrown all decorum to the wind today, pulled Qi Xiaojun onto his lap and whispered in a seductive voice by his ear, “Xiaojun, I like you so much.”
“Can you be normal today!” Qi Xiaojun’s face was completely red. He regretted provoking Chu Lianmo like this. “Aren’t you still handling official business? Indulging in debauchery in broad daylight!”
“Sigh…” Chu Lianmo’s expression suddenly turned aggrieved. “But, you don’t let this Prince indulge in debauchery at night either.”
Qi Xiaojun turned to look at Chu Lianmo’s pitiful, puppy-dog expression and, for a moment, couldn’t bear it.
They had shared their feelings for some time now. To be fair, he treated him extremely well. So, was it too pretentious of him to keep refusing to let him touch him?
At this thought, Qi Xiaojun closed his eyes as if facing his doom.
Chu Lianmo stared at Qi Xiaojun silently for a moment, but then he let him go. “Alright, you’re right. I should get back to my official duties.”
“…” Qi Xiaojun’s feelings were complicated for a moment.
“The pastries are getting cold. I’ll take them to the kitchen and have them reheated.” With that, Qi Xiaojun picked up the plate and walked out.
There was an awkwardness between him and Chu Lianmo for the rest of the day. He really couldn’t understand why, when the atmosphere had reached that point, Chu Lianmo had suddenly stopped.
It wasn’t until a few days later that a rumor began to secretly circulate through the streets and alleys of the Chu capital—that the reason Chu Lianmo had taken so many wives and concubines over the past two or three years but still had no biological children was because he was… impotent.
Qi Xiaojun’s first reaction upon hearing this news was to freeze.
But in the next instant, a flood of memories rushed into his mind—
Chu Lianmo saying he had established house rules, but that he would never have biological children in this life.
When he had tried to make him take the aphrodisiac from Yin Mei, he had said that if he were drugged, he could only endure it.
And then there was what happened yesterday…
If the rumors were true, then all these puzzling incidents would have an explanation!
So that was the truth?
“Welcome back, Your Highness.”
When he heard the servants’ voices, Qi Xiaojun also hurried to the entrance of Prince Rui’s residence to greet him.
As he expected, Chu Lianmo’s expression was ugly today.
“Lianmo, you…” Qi Xiaojun approached and spoke cautiously, “you’ve heard that rumor too, haven’t you?”
Chu Lianmo said irritably, “I’m not deaf. How could I not have heard news that even you’ve heard?”
“I… I just found out about this…” Qi Xiaojun chose his words carefully, speaking in a gentle voice, “Don’t worry, I don’t mind it. I love you for who you are, not for…”
“What did you say?” Chu Lianmo cut him off, his face like a sheet of ice. “You believe that talk too?”
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