Hearing this, the entire hall was shocked. However, the emperor seemed to be in a good mood. Smiling, he waved his hand at Xian Fu. The latter immediately understood and quickly set up a table of tea and refreshments.

However, the young head eunuch couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong. Hadn’t the emperor and the prince come to visit Deputy Minister Zhuo because of his illness? Why did they seem to have come to the theater to watch a play instead?

Deciding to focus on his duties, Xian Fu returned to stand at his place behind the Qing Emperor. It wasn’t his place to worry about it anyway.

“Come in.” The Qing Emperor lightly clapped his hands twice, and the guards at the door entered at the right time to present two boxes. One contained a hundred-year-old ginseng nestled in red satin, and the other was full of all sorts of snacks that Zhuo Fan loved.

“This ginseng is part of the Gaobang Kingdom’s tribute, and there are only two of them among the offerings. Also, here are your favorite snacks, which the imperial kitchen prepared this morning upon our special order. It pains us to see you so thin. Come, try them and see if they are to your liking?”

Zhuo Fan stiffened his neck and turned his head to the side. “Your Majesty’s benevolence terrifies this humble subject, who fears that he will not be able to bear such kindness…”

Naturally, Xiao Han knew that Zhuo Fan would reject everything. Before the man could even finish his sentence, Xiao Han cut him off with a cheerful order to Xian Fu: “Take back the ginseng and leave the snacks here for us.”

Zhuo Fan: “…”

With a face full of admiration and adoration, Xian Fu nodded. What a thrifty emperor! If it were any other noble, they would have thrown him to the ground instead of taking him back!

Perhaps because his knees were hurting, Zhuo Fan was unable to maintain his kneeling position. He toppled over and fell to the side. Xiao Han, who had long been prepared for this moment, rushed forward and grabbed the man in his arms. Wrapping his arm around Zhuo Fan’s frail shoulders, Xiao Han looked ‘tenderly’ at the man he was holding in his embrace. “The ground is so cold and the weather is freezing. How can you torment your body like this when you still don’t feel well?”

Without waiting for Zhuo Fan to respond, Xiao Han frowned and muttered further, “Look, you don’t even have a door to your room!”

Hearing this, the assistant minister—still struggling in the emperor’s arms—felt as if he was about to lose his mind. “…The gate was removed on Your Majesty’s orders, if I recall correctly!”

Choosing to ignore the outburst, Xiao Han continued affectionately, “We were wrong last night to abandon you. Come back to the palace with us and we will make up for it.”

Recalling the painful words from the day before, Zhuo Fan gathered his strength and pushed the emperor away. “Forgive this subject’s impertinence, Your Majesty. Even your dogs and cats have their own temperaments—why would you expect anything less from me, when I am a man? This subject has fully understood your words yesterday and will never again lose himself in foolish illusions! My humble home offers little comfort in this bitter cold. Your Majesty must return to the palace as soon as possible, lest the Empress reprimand this subject again for bewitching Your Majesty and bringing misfortune to the country. This subject cannot afford to be responsible for such heinous crimes!”

The north wind from beyond the room rushed in, howling and ruffling Zhuo Fan’s hair. As a result of the surge of emotions within him, a faint blush bloomed on his pale face.

He finished his speech with great difficulty, deeply agitated. His chest heaved and his eyes reddened a little as he stared stubbornly at the Qing Emperor. Such a gaze, expressing both fragility and strength, was a truly heartbreaking sight that would make anyone weep and grieve.

Even the Qing Emperor, who had always been stern and cold, now wore an expression of guilt upon hearing Zhuo Fan’s harsh words reprimanding him like this.

Since Xiao Han’s guilt was real, he replied with as much sincerity as possible, “There are doors in the palace.”

“…” The room, originally filled with poetic melancholy, was suddenly plunged into an eerie silence.

A strange gurgling sound came from Zhuo Fan’s throat—perhaps he was choking on his saliva?

On the other hand, Prince Wen, who was sitting aside and drinking tea, suddenly spat his mouthful back into his cup. Fortunately, he managed to keep his actions under control and escaped the Qing Emperor’s attention. The ever-attentive Xian Fu, however, immediately came out and changed the teacup for him.

“Ahem. What we meant was…” Xiao Han paused to let his emotions build up a bit before continuing, “we are of course aware of what the Empress has been doing in secret. Rest assured that we will definitely punish all those who have maliciously harmed you and settle the score with them in your name. As long as you agree to return to the palace with us, we promise to favor you alone. How can one of those ordinary and bland faces compare to you?”

Finally, the dialogue was back on track. Sighing, Zhuo Fan replied in a low and meaningful voice, “Forgive me for not being able to believe Your Majesty’s words. Please take your leave, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, okay.” Xiao Han shrugged, threw the man aside without any reluctance, and stood up to return to his seat.

“…”

Zhuo Fan was stunned and could no longer react. Fortunately, Prince Wen intervened in a natural and timely manner, “Assistant Minister Zhuo has not yet recovered from the cold, and he should rest. Since he does not want to enter the palace, it is just as well for him to rest in his residence. Now that Your Majesty has paid this visit, it would be best to return to the palace quickly. There are myriad state affairs awaiting Your Majesty’s attention every day; matters of governance must come first, Your Majesty.”

Although Xiao Han had longed for the warm fire and woolen blankets of Evergreen Palace for quite a while, he still had to finish delivering his text. Fortunately, he only had one sentence left. Anything else after that would be drivel such as “burning with jealousy at the sight of Prince Wen and Zhuo Fan growing closer,” “smoldering inwardly with bitter resentment,” “thinking of forcibly bringing Zhuo Fan into the palace,” and so on.

Thus, thinking that he would have to leave sooner or later anyway, Xiao Han walked out of the room without further ado. “Prince Wen,” he said as he headed towards the door, “Zhuo Fan belongs to us. You’d better keep your hands to yourself and stay away if you know what’s good for you. Zhuo Fan, we promised to make up for it. We will definitely keep our word.”

By the time Xiao Han finished speaking, he was already walking away from the room; it was unclear whether the other two could even hear him. He might as well have been talking to the air.

He walked along the corridor to a corner, where a papered window clung to the wall. Xiao Han sighed inwardly. Yesterday, the script had kept Zhuo Fan waiting in the cold for a long time, and now it was his turn to stand here, listening to the other two.

Would there be live gay porn next?

Would there be an emotionally shattered bottom screaming, “No, don’t,” while the devoted cannon fodder top affectionately comforted him—only to force him between the sheets anyway? Would the little ass “half-give in despair” under such “loving tyranny” and dance the horizontal tango with the cannon fodder top?

Then, after the deed was done, would the bottom be left so despondent that he lost his will to live? Would his hollow, lifeless eyes stir pity in the cannon fodder top, who would then be “overwhelmed with guilt but not regret for forcing himself on the little ass,” becoming even more devout and vowing to snatch him away from the main top?

After that, the little ass would probably pine for the main top in secret, while his body “had no choice but to yield” to the cannon fodder top. He might even develop some twisted logic like, “This man is pitiful because he can’t have my heart despite his devotion, so I don’t blame him even though I don’t like him at all.”

And so on, Xiao Han mused mischievously. After all, that’s how these scripts usually went.

What the hell. If I sleep with you once, I’m the villain who plays with your feelings and tramples your pride. You then have every right to disdain me, ignore me, act like I’m less than dirt. But if some cannon fodder doesn’t care about consent, he’s pitiful and forgivable?

It’s really hard to be a rotten top!

With a gloomy face, Xiao Han waved his guards away, punched a hole in the wallpapered window, and settled in to enjoy the free live porn.

Of course, the two inside the room knew nothing of the Qing Emperor’s rather rude behavior. At this moment, Zhuo Fan was sitting on the bed with his back to the emperor. He leaned his head slightly, while Prince Wen stood at his bedside, gently consoling him.

“I shouldn’t disturb your rest,” the prince said softly, “but my heart cannot be at peace when I see you in pain and sorrow.”

“Such concern from Your Highness fills me with fear and uneasiness. What have I done to deserve such care from Your Highness?” Zhuo Fan raised his head to look at him—only to see a flicker of something strange on the prince’s face.

He couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the matter, Your Highness?”

“Oh, I… I was just remembering the first time I met you.”

Zhuo Fan blinked in surprise. “Wasn’t it at court?”

Shaking his head, Prince Wen sighed and replied in a low, almost desperate voice, “Alas, it seems you have indeed forgotten. That’s good. I remember it in my heart, and that’s enough.”

Seeing the confusion in Zhuo Fan’s expression, Wen Muyan paused for a long moment. That pause stretched into a prolonged silence, full of hesitation. At last, the prince began to speak in a tone steeped in melancholy:

“I was not my father’s only son. I had a younger half-brother, born of my father’s concubine. Though he was neither the eldest nor the rightful successor, his mother was the daughter of a powerful court official. My mother, the Princess Consort, came from a family in decline, and so the concubine and her son saw both of us as thorns in their side. In order to secure the title of Prince Wen for her son, they plotted to kill me.”

“That year, my father was ordered to lead a diplomatic mission across the border. My mother accompanied him, but I was too sick to travel. The concubine and her son seized the chance to strike. If not for the guards my mother left to protect me—guards who gave their lives—I wouldn’t have survived.”

“It was raining heavily when I finally escaped, gravely injured. After three days and nights of fleeing, I found shelter in a ruined temple. Hungry, thirsty, and utterly hopeless, I met someone also seeking refuge there…”

“Ah! That man was—” Zhuo Fan suddenly remembered. He had once saved a man in a ruined temple years ago—a man covered in blood, his face obscured by mud and wet hair. He’d been completely unrecognizable. Zhuo Fan had never imagined that the man would turn out to be the elegant and dignified Prince Wen standing before him now.

Wen Muyan nodded with a faint smile and continued, “Just when I thought I was about to die, you gave me all the food and water you had. You even found a doctor for me. Without you, I would’ve died before my guards could find me. You saved my life… and since that day, you’ve remained in my heart.”

“I’ve searched for you all these years. I didn’t find you until I saw you in court that day. Do you have any idea how surprised and happy I was?”

As he spoke, Prince Wen gently raised a hand and touched Zhuo Fan’s cheek. His voice trembled slightly with emotion. “You came into my life at my most helpless, desperate moment. You gave me the will to live.”

“At that moment, I knew I was already…”

Suddenly, he froze, like a cassette tape caught in the player. His face went pale. Pressing a palm to his chest, he forced himself to finish the sentence: “…deeply in love with you.”

Zhuo Fan stared at him, eyes wide. A blush bloomed across his cheeks as he sat, speechless.

Outside the window, Xiao Han’s mouth twitched. He let out a silent, bitter laugh.

A little charity, and he marks you for life? What about the guards who died for you, you ungrateful idiot?

These melodramatic, flowery clichés were starting to crawl all over his skin. He had goosebumps by now—and not the good kind. His stomach churned. The acid reflux was real. He regretted eating so many snacks just now.

Despite his refusal, Zhuo Fan’s struggling hands were as weak and delicate as if they were working on fine embroidery. He was easily subdued and pinned down by Wen Muyan.

Meanwhile, leaning casually against the windowsill with one eye pressed to the hole in the paper, the great Qing Emperor kept himself thoroughly entertained by watching the scene unfold. A steady stream of mocking commentary ran through his mind: Wasn’t this Wen Muyan supposed to be as weak as a newborn baby? How the hell did he suddenly morph into King Kong Jr.?

Come on, little fellow Zhuo, you could totally crush this guy and tire him out with your weight alone! What are you even doing? Playing the delicate flower now? Really?

 

Translator : DarNan