Beloved Husband

by Usui Takumii

not mine, A Wandering Potato. Total: 257 Chapters. Beware BL.

9. 51 to 55

Chapter Fifty-One – The Emperor (1)

After autumn, the leaves that were once green turned yellow and fell from the trees.

The General's courtyard was full of leaves and the servants didn't have time to clean it up, so Chu Ting Xiu simply asked them not to clean it up, leaving the training ground to be filled with leaves, which was quite a sight.

There was no court meeting today, so Chu Ting Xiu was relieved and trained early in the morning in the training ground. When the spear was swung out, the withered leaves were scattered by the energy, just like countless yellow butterflies flying in the air.

It had been a long time since he had practiced with a spear, after a round, not only did his body relax, his mood was much better, and he wasn't so averse to dealing with those old stubborn people tomorrow.

Chu Ting Xiu is a General, a Marquis of the North, and in charge of all the troops and horses under the Emperor's rule, but he always gets a headache when facing those civil officials who are too weak to fight.

Chu Ting Xiu's grandfather conquered the ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers of the Great Qi Dynasty with Emperor Taizu, after which he was named the Marquis of the North, guarding the north, where Chu Ting Xiu grew up.

He had lived on horseback since he was a child and had developed his martial arts skills with his father. His years of fighting with the soldiers had made him a master of the art of war. And at the age of seventeen or eighteen, he had already become a young general respected by everyone on the frontier.

If there were no accidents, he would have been living in the North, just like his father, guarding the border for the Great Qi Dynasty.

However, things went awry.

Emperor Taizu injured himself in his early days of fighting the enemy. He died within a few years of ascending the throne, and after his death, was succeeded by the late Emperor.

The late emperor was cowardly and was not born from the Empress of Taizu. The Empress was a rare woman who was no weaker than the founding emperor in talent and strategy.

After the late emperor ascended the throne, the power remained in the hands of the Empress Dowager.

Although the late emperor became emperor, but life was suffocating, and he was a man of many thoughts, so naturally he did not live long and eventually died early.

At this time, the Empress Dowager, who became the Supreme Empress, chose the present Sovereign as Emperor from among the several children of the late Emperor, who was then only ten years old.

The Empress Dowager, who has been in control of the court since her ascension to the throne, has promoted her natal clan and eliminated the rival clans, allowing the Zhou clan to override the Yan clan.

This undoubtedly caused a lot of grievances in the imperial court, as well as those who followed Emperor Taizu in his fight for the country. Those who still had soldiers on hand were stirred up and eventually there was a rebellion.

Chu Ting Xiu's father, the former Marquis of the North, Chu Cheng, a somewhat eccentric but loyal man to the imperial family, was ordered to help pacify the empire, but he inadvertently died during the war, and eventually, at the age of twenty, Chu Ting Xiu took charge of the Chu family's army.

He was so young and energetic that he was able to quickly pacify the country with his unconventional use of force. The northern army of the province under his hands was even tempered into a tiger and wolf division during the war.

When Chu Ting Xiu was twenty-three years old, he was ceremoniously welcomed into the capital.

He was most impatient to deal with those civil officials, and was so full of discomfort at the time that he just wanted to get out of there early and go back to the North.

Unfortunately, a glimpse of the Emperor is a lifelong mistake.

Chu Ting Xiu still remembered the day when he walked up to the palace in the official uniform sent by the Ministry of Rituals, and as soon as he looked up, he saw the emperor sitting on the dragon chair, looking at him curiously.

For a moment he forgot to pay his respects. It was only when he was reminded that he panicked and bowed down.

Although it was only a glimpse, he had gotten a good look at the emperor in the dragon chair.

His Majesty is three years younger than him and has just been crowned, but the body was thin and looked no more than fifteen or sixteen.

He was handsome, but his entire body carried a weakness and his brows were filled with sorrow, making Chu Ting Xiu wish he could reach out and smooth his brow.

Chu Ting Xiu didn't even know why he had such a treacherous idea, but he just did.

He originally wanted to leave the capital early, but he stayed on to comply with the empress dowager's request. He began to understand the intricacies of the situation in the capital. Only then did he realize that the present Emperor was pinched in the hands of the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager wanted to get her hands on the Northern Army. After several failed attempts to recruit him, she contacted him again and asked for his help.

Six months after entering the capital, Chu Ting Xiu eliminated the entire Zhou family where the Empress Dowager was staying with lightning speed. The Empress Dowager was sent to the Buddhist temple after a lifetime of glamour, and the former puppet, the current Emperor, has finally become a true emperor.

Chu Ting Xiu had some treacherous thoughts about the man sitting on the throne, but he never dared to reveal them. He originally wanted to retire with his merits but did not expect that the Empress Dowager raised the current Emperor so badly that he can't even read!

The present Emperor can't even read a memorial, let alone deal with other matters, and there's no shortage of old ministers in the court who despise this majesty. Plus, although the Zhou Clan had been removed, in order to keep the court running, Chu Ting Xiu couldn't afford to cut off the grass and get rid of the roots. The Empress Dowager had held the court for decades, and most of the people in the court at that time were involved with the Zhou Clan!

The emperor has no choice but to turn to him.

Chu Ting Xiu also couldn't leave under such circumstances, so he could only help His Majesty with various matters and invited a famous scholar to teach His Majesty.

He was originally a military general and didn't really like to deal with these things, but the throne was unstable now, so he could only help calm it down.

By now, a year has passed.

With a casual toss of his spear onto the weapons rack, Chu Ting Xiu bathed and changed his clothes, ready to enter the palace.

Even though there was no morning court today, he still needed to go into the palace to keep an eye on things so that he wouldn't make a mistake when dealing with the memo today.

The thought of not having to argue with anyone in the courtroom, but being able to see the person he was thinking of, made Chu Ting Xiu feel a little better, until he met his sister Chu Ting Lan, born to his stepmother, on his way out the door.

Seeing Chu Ting Lan, Chu Ting Xiu's heart just sank.

When the Empress Dowager held the reins of government, she had forbidden His Majesty to marry, but when the Empress Dowager fell from power, someone in the court asked His Majesty to choose an Empress from time to time.

The most favored candidate by the crowd was Chu Ting Lan, and Chu Ting Lan herself, who was also very fond of His Majesty, even took the initiative to tell Chu Ting Xiu that he wanted to marry His Majesty.

Chu Ting Xiu had no reason to stand in the way and could only agree. Just a few days ago, he, like everyone else, had asked for His Majesty to choose an Empress.

He doesn't want to go to morning court, also because whenever he goes to morning court, someone mentions the idea of having a grand wedding.

And as soon as he thought that there would be an Empress beside His Majesty, it was as painful as a swarm of ants biting his heart.

But His Majesty is the Emperor. It's only a matter of time. There will be other concubines besides the Empress.

"Big brother." When Chu Ting Lan saw Chu Ting Xiu, she gracefully saluted.

Chu Ting Xiu's stepmother was born into a great family, and after marrying Chu Ting Xiu's father, she couldn't get used to living in the North, so she took Chu Ting Lan with her to live in the capital, raising Chu Ting Lan to be the same as her, a lady of knowledge and good sense.

Chu Ting Xiu has always been at a loss as to how to get along with his sister, and lately his jealousy has flared up. Even more so when he sees his sister, but it's not his sister's fault.

Blame only himself for being an immoral, disgusting bastard.

Chu Ting Xiu had been fighting for years, he is good in controlling his anger and hiding his emotions. At this point, he barely showed a softer expression, "What is it?"

Chu Ting Xiu's attitude seemed really cold to Chu Ting Lan, making her unhappy. She bowed her head to hide her expression and took out a lotus pouch from her waist.

When she looked up again, only shyness remained on her face and handed the lotus pouch in her hand to Chu Ting Xiu, and Chu Ting Lan said, "Brother, I embroidered a lotus pouch for His Majesty."

Chu Ting Xiu's breathing was stagnant: "It's not good to bring things to the palace."

"Big brother, you will certainly have no problem bringing something into the palace," Chu Ting Lan said, and with a bit of pleading looked at Chu Ting Xiu, "Big Brother…"

Chu Ting Xiu accepted the pouch in the end.

Tucking the pouch into his chest, Chu Ting Xiu hurriedly entered the palace and learned that His Majesty was in class, so he went to meet a few supporting ministers first.

Those ministers were chosen by Chu Ting Xiu to be loyal to the Sovereign, but unfortunately none of them treated him very well, they had a lot of opinions about him, and he got along with them quite badly.

Fortunately, it was only half an hour before His Majesty finished his lesson and invited him to dine with him.

Chu Ting Xiu was often invited by His Majesty to dine with him and had become accustomed to it but he still felt happy.

He took out a handkerchief dipped in water and wiped his face, and straightened his clothes before coming before His Majesty.

This year, without the control of the Empress Dowager, the current Sovereign has grown a lot of flesh, no longer looks like the thin bamboo pole before, and looks more and more handsome.

When Chu Ting Xiu saw him, he was overjoyed, but he scorned himself a bit.

"Ai Qing, this is the peach blossom wine that has just been sent from Jiangnan, Ai Qing try it." The Emperor took out a wine jug and poured a glass of wine for Chu Ting Xiu.

Chu Ting Xiu was flattered and his voice trembled a bit: "Your Majesty…"

"Ai Qing, try it." The emperor looked at Chu Ting Xiu and revealed a smile.

Chu Ting Xiu's throat was thirsty, so he picked up the wine glass and drank it all.

The wine was a little too sweet, with a bitterness to it.

No, it's not bitter, it's… the taste of the drug.

Chu Ting Xiu was struck by lightning for a moment.

He had been through a lot of wind and waves and had encountered several assassinations alone. He knew a thing or two about all sorts of nasty drugs and could taste them all at once. The wine was drugged.

Looking again, His Majesty did turn the lid of the jug as he poured himself a drink.

Chu Ting Xiu couldn't breathe for a moment, his heartbeat quickening.

The power of the medicine didn't come up that fast, and at this moment, he was actually awake like never before.

The Empress Dowager has lost power, but the sorrow on His Majesty's brow has not disappeared… Is it all because of him?

Did His Majesty loathe the Empress Dowager at first and does he loathe him now?

Yes, he's in control of the whole court now, and he's in charge of His Majesty…

Throughout the ages, many people with as much power as he had had didn't end well, and he was afraid that he was no exception.

His Majesty, since he had drugged his wine, should have left other back-ups to try to retain him, and right now, he had two choices.

One is to hold His Majesty hostage and break out of the house, there is a way out.

But after that, what does he do?

Should he imprison His Majesty completely? In this way, His Majesty will hate him to the bone.

And in the end, this world is the world of the Yan family, others will not obey him, and definitely war will start again, he is not sure that he can be the final victor.

Or… Just to comply with His Majesty's wishes?

A dirty-minded man like him should never have lived. If he cooperates with His Majesty, His Majesty should be able to spare his family.

Would His Majesty be happier without their control?

"Ai Qing, have a few more drinks." The emperor poured another cup of wine for Chu Ting Xiu.

Chu Ting Xiu accepted the wine cup, drank it all and lowered his voice, "Your Majesty, my family members and fellow soldiers are all loyal to Your Majesty. If Your Majesty wants stability in the court, there must be no more killings."

The face of the emperor sitting opposite Chu Ting Xiu changed dramatically and dodged back in panic, accidentally knocking over the chair and fall to the ground.

Chu Ting Xiu subconsciously tried to pull: "Your Majesty…"

"Your Majesty!" Chaotic shouts rang out simultaneously, and at the same time, a group of heavily armed guards fiercely appeared in the room, and those swords and longbows were all aimed at Chu Ting Xiu.

***TN

Emperor Taizu – Taizu (grand progenitor) is an imperial temple name typically used for Chinese emperors who founded a particular dynasty.

Ai Qing – My dear courtier (said by monarchs)

Pouch – is also considered as a love token

Chapter Fifty-Two – The Emperor (2)

Yan Jing Ze felt a little dizzy.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the majestic interior of the palace, carved with dragons and phoenixes.

He was lying flat on his back, and directly above him, a lifelike carved dragon head was looking down.

Where is this place? Who is he?

Yan Jing Ze's mind was blank, remembering nothing except that his name was Yan Jing Ze.

"Your Majesty, are you all right?" A sharp voice sounded, and at the same time, a wrinkled face appeared in front of Yan Jing Ze.

It was a face that belonged to an older man, but there was no beard on his face, and the man's voice was too shrill… a eunuch?

"Your Majesty… What's wrong with you?" The old eunuch's voice had taken on a weeping tone and he reached out his hand to help Yan Jing Ze.

"I'm fine." Yan Jing Ze, on the other hand, sat up under the old eunuch's help, only to find that there were actually quite a few people around.

Inside the room was a group of soldiers in armor, weapons in hand pointed at a young man, and the young man looked in his direction, his eyes heavy with pain.

With that look in his eyes, Yan Jing Ze's heart ached, and soon, his heart was beating fast again.

He fell in love at first sight.

He didn't know who this young man surrounded by people was but he had fallen in love with him at first sight.

Yan Jing Ze's eyes became hot, and then he saw that the young man looked at him with intense sadness, and slowly fell down.

The man was falling backwards, directly to the ground, while Yan Jing Ze rushed up and tried to pull him, but couldn't because there was a large table between them that was in the way.

At the same time, the original owner's memories fiercely appeared in Yan Jing Ze's mind.

The original owner, what a pathetic, wretched, and stupid man!

The original owner, like him, was called Yan Jing Ze and was an Emperor.

The original owner's father, the late emperor who had passed away many years ago, was born to a maid given to Emperor Taizu by someone else when Emperor Taizu was on the march to war.

At that time the Emperor Taizu and the Empress Dowager, now imprisoned in a Buddhist temple, were busy with their great work. These two also had two extremely good sons, so no one paid any attention to the late emperor, who followed his mother and was displaced in the war with his relatives from the same clan as Emperor Taizu.

There were many people who wanted their lives, and they had to fear every day, and the late emperor developed a cowardly temperament as a result.

If the late Emperor's two brothers were still alive, the late Emperor would have been able to live a good life as an ordinary prince after the world was at peace, but to the contrary, Emperor Taizu's two sons, one of them died in battle and the other one died of illness.

Neither of these men had a child when they died.

The death of these two children was a great blow to Emperor Taizu, and the Empress Dowager suffered even more, even lingering in her bed for two whole years.

When the Emperor Taizu pacified the world, the late Emperor was driven to become a crown prince and later became Emperor.

The late emperor was actually quite intelligent, but his temperament was too timid, and he was always afraid of the Empress Dowager. He lived with great anxiety until the age of thirty and then died.

The late Emperor left behind three sons and two daughters, and the original owner was the eldest of his children and the one most like him.

The original owner's mother was a little maid bought by the late Emperor Taizu's mother to serve his son when he was still in a state of hardship, before he ascended the throne. This woman can't read a word. She's a coward and has low class. In contrast, the other two princes' birth mothers were noble daughters who had been bestowed upon the late Emperor after his ascension to the throne.

The third prince was no more than two years old when the late emperor died and everyone ignored him, but the second prince was only a few months behind the original owner. Also born of a noble consort, and famous for being a prodigy, the officials of the court at the time were hoping to be succeeded by the then second prince, now King Ping.

But the Empress Dowager chose the original owner.

After all, the original owner was easier to control than King Ping at a glance.

The original owner became emperor in this way, but had a very bad life.

The Empress Dowager, having lost her own son, was naturally unhappy with someone else's son, someone else's grandson. She was getting older, after realizing that her days were numbered, she was no longer as wise as she had been in her youth, and her temperament is becoming more and more overbearing and capricious. The original owner became even more of an enemy in her eyes for stealing her son's things.

Furthermore, she didn't want to relinquish her authority, so she forbade the original owner to read and write, but always had people pressuring the original owner to read to her son in the Buddhist temple.

In order to read the scriptures, naturally you need to be vegetarian. The original owner was an emperor, still growing, and as a result, he didn't even get to eat meat.

The Empress Dowager even, from time to time, looked for an opportunity to scold the original owner.

The original owner grew up in such an environment, he was timid all day long like a scared bird and was always suspicious.

At the same time, he desperately wanted to get rid of the Empress Dowager.

The original owner, this emperor, was seen by the ministers as inferior in every way to King Ping, who was born of the late emperor's noble consort. But in fact, the late emperor's favorite son was the original owner, and the favorite woman was the original owner's concubine mother.

The original owner's mother and the late emperor relied on each other during the war, that's how they developed a deep bond, and the original owner was so much like the late emperor. Who else would the late Emperor like if not the original owner?

And while the late Emperor was cowardly, he was not stupid; he had reigned for many years, had cultivated many of his own forces, and also possessed a wealth of experience in preserving himself under the Empress Dowager.

His experience is known to the original owner and his men were also in the hands of the original owner.

It was through these that the original owner grew up well under the eyes of the Empress Dowager, and even found the opportunity to contact the Marquis of the North, Chu Ting Xiu, and through Chu Ting Xiu, he was able to wipe out the Empress Dowager's army.

Even the Empress Dowager was locked up in a Buddhist temple and became vegetarian by him.

The original owner removed a boulder that had been weighing him down but the situation didn't get any easier. Because he came out from under the boulder and discovered that the outside world wasn't a beautiful place.

The ministers weren't happy with him, an emperor who could only read the scriptures, couldn't even read all the words on his memos, and with the remnants of the Empress Dowager's line, the original owner spoke in the courtroom with no one listening.

Moreover, although the Empress Dowager was no longer there, Chu Ting Xiu was overwhelming him.

The constant oppression by the Empress Dowager has made the original owner's temperament extremely twisted. When he normally encounters things that make him unhappy, he doesn't dare to raise objections, but his heart has written them all down in one stroke.

Chu Ting Xiu was born in the military, and although he was loyal to him, he would always offend him in his normal actions. When he sees that he can't get an idea in the courtroom, he'll get it for him too, and that makes him hate it.

In addition, King Ping always told him that Chu Ting Xiu was trying to use his power to intimidate the people, and he became even more defensive of Chu Ting Xiu.

And this hatred and defensiveness reached its peak when Chu Ting Xiu tried to get him to marry his sister.

Chu Ting Xiu's power is already so great, if his sister becomes the Empress then… can he still be an Emperor? When Chu Ting Xiu's sister gave birth to a son, would he still have a way to live?

The original owner eventually decides to make a move against Chu Ting Xiu, and he has someone get a drug to knock him down, and say that Chu Ting Xiu wants to assassinate him and put Chu Ting Xiu in the Heavenly Prison.

Afterwards, for fear that Chu Ting Xiu's Northern Army would get word and kill him to save Chu Ting Xiu, the original owner also rushed to have Chu Ting Xiu poisoned in the Heavenly Prison, saying that Chu Ting Xiu committed suicide in fear of his crimes.

Chu Ting Xiu died but the original owner's life wasn't any better.

Those in the court who didn't take the original owner seriously originally had Chu Ting Xiu pressuring them to do what the original owner couldn't do, but now Chu Ting Xiu was gone.

The original owner was faced with a mess that he couldn't solve, and Chu Ting Xiu's old army even hated the original owner.

The original owner had no choice but to marry Chu Ting Xiu's sister as a way to draw in Chu Ting Xiu's old army and show favor to the Northern Army.

The original owner didn't want to marry Chu Ting Lan, but after he did… Chu Ting Lan was very gentle to the original owner, and the original owner also learned that she had a bad relationship with Chu Ting Xiu, together with the fact that she was the first woman to make the original owner subconsciously get close… The original owner fell in love with Chu Ting Lan.

Although the original owner was useless, the position of emperor, with the exception of the founding emperor, was not based on talent, but on father, on bloodline. At this time, people still had a natural fear of the emperor and easily did not dare to rebel.

So the original owner, in fact, could have been an emperor for a few decades.

But he was poisoned by Chu Tinglan, and before he died, he realized that Chu Tinglan was devoted to his brother, King Ping.

And when he dies, he will be succeeded by King Ping.

Yan Jing Ze then wanted to curse a bit after reading the original owner's memory.

The original owner was indeed quite miserable, but he had actually gotten a good deck of cards in the middle, but he, himself, preferred to throw it away!

As soon as he had the memories of the original owner, he had discovered that Chu Ting Xiu was loyal to the original owner, and the heavens could see that.

If Chu Ting Xiu was really like the Empress Dowager and only wanted power, where was the need to invite so many people to teach the original owner, where was the need to come to the palace every day to explain to the original owner about the outside world and explain in detail those memos that the original owner couldn't understand?

The original owner, on the surface seems like a good boy, he'll listen to everything you say, but the heart is not a little bit merciful.

When the original master drugged Chu Ting Xiu, Chu Ting Xiu had already realized that he could have killed the original owner on the spot or held him hostage, but he didn't do that…

The original owner also didn't feel that Chu Ting Xiu was the one who gave a second chance, but instead hated Chu Ting Xiu even more.

Even though he was thrown into the Heavenly Prison, Chu Ting Xiu had people bring words for the original owner, but unfortunately the original owner also didn't take it seriously and only thought that Chu Ting Xiu was trying to beg for mercy.

How can there be such stupid person in this world?

And there's King Ping, who clearly has no good will for the original owner. He's been soliciting officials, but the original owner doesn't even notice!

Yan Jing Ze wanted to slap himself!

At the same time, he also discovered very sadly… that the object of his love at first sight was Chu Ting Xiu.

And now, the original owner has knocked Chu Ting Xiu unconscious and plans to put him in jail.

Yan Jing Ze: …

"Your Majesty?" The old eunuch looked towards Yan Jing Ze in confusion, and those guards were likewise waiting for Yan Jing Ze's instructions.

Whether it was the old eunuch or these guards, they were all trusted by the previous emperor to the original lord, or the original lord's own cultivated subordinates, and their loyalty to the original lord was no less than Chu Ting Xiu's loyalty to the original lord.

Yan Jing Ze, on the other hand, was a bit confused about their loyalty, but had to admit that their loyalty was good for him.

By the way, with such a loyal group of people around the original owner, and him being extra careful with his diet as well as his household items, the chances of him being assassinated were very slim. If Chu Tinglan hadn't poisoned him, he wouldn't have died!

The King Ping probably found out that the original owner wasn't that easy to deal with, and that's why he thought of hooking up with Chu Tinglan, so that Chu Tinglan could poison the original owner.

Yan Jing Ze didn't say anything as he walked over to Chu Ting Xiu.

Chu Ting Xiu was already unconscious, but the expression on his face was still fixed on grief.

Yan Jing Ze then crouched down and tried to pick him up.

He picked Chu Ting Xiu up, but holding him, he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to walk far – Chu Ting Xiu was a bit heavy with muscles all over his body, but his body, which had been malnourished for the previous years, was tall, but not very strong.

Yan Jing Ze put down Chu Ting Xiu and looked at the old eunuch beside him, "Find a blanket to wrap him up and carry him to my bed."

The original owner was very suspicious and even more guarded, and the fact that he was going to do this to Chu Ting Xiu, in order not to reveal it, he didn't even say anything to his close aides, and before today, his close aides didn't even know that the original owner had bought a drug in order to knock out Chu Ting Xiu.

They were equally unaware that the original owner had previously told them to hide in order to capture Chu Ting Xiu.

At this point, those generals were actually still a bit confused.

Chu Ting Xiu is the head of the military officials, and now he is the one who decides the affairs of the court, and now such a person is easily fooled by His Majesty.

I don't know what His Majesty wants to do to Chu Ting Xiu.

Wait a minute. His Majesty told them to send Chu Ting Xiu to bed?

Did they hear it wrong?

"Your Majesty?" The eunuch accompanied the Emperor since he was small. Unlike the others who were so afraid of Yan Jing Ze, he dared to ask questions at this time.

Yan Jing Ze, on the other hand, emphasized once more, "Carry him to my bed."

The man has been knocked out, but it is impossible to put him in jail.

It was the object of his love at first sight, and without Chu Ting Xiu, a man like him who wore himself out of nowhere and had no memory of the past at all would still definitely not be able to hold the emperor's seat.

Well, it's no fun to be an emperor without Chu Ting Xiu.

What a tough job!

Yan Jing Ze has no feelings for anyone else, he just wants Chu Ting Xiu… The Heavenly Prison, he couldn't allow Chu Ting Xiu to go, but the Dragon Bed, he could allow Chu Ting Xiu to lie down.

As for the whole drugging thing… he can explain!

The original lord looked like a straw bag to outsiders, but in the eyes of his subordinates, he was both moody and an emperor, whom they dared not disobey.

So, someone quickly got a blanket and after wrapping up Chu Ting Xiu, lifted him onto the dragon bed.

The original owner had administered a little too much of the drug, and Chu Ting Xiu was completely unconscious, just lying there completely defenseless.

When Yan Jing Ze saw it, he was distressed: "If you take too much of this drug, will it be harmful to your body?"

The eunuch said, "Your Majesty, the old slave does not know."

Yan Jing Ze then sighed, "All of you, get out."

"Your Majesty, if General Chu wakes up…" the eunuch was very anxious.

"I have my own way of dealing with it," Yan Jing Ze said, and drove all of them out.

When everyone had left, Yan Jing Ze got on the bed as well and looked at the person on the bed seriously.

This man is his and only his.

After recalling the memory and discovering that Chu Ting Xiu, though not young, had yet to be married, Yan Jing Ze breathed a sigh of relief.

It was just that, although Chu Ting Xiu hadn't gotten married yet, but that was because he had been fighting a war until when he was old enough to get married, and after that he was busy supporting the original owner, so it shouldn't be that he didn't want to get married…

Thinking that Chu Ting Xiu might get married in the future, Yan Jing Ze's heart was tormented, and a nameless fire came out.

Thinking that Chu Ting Xiu, in his original historical trajectory, would be sent to the Heavenly Prison by the original owner, he began to feel distressed again.

Eventually, Yan Jing Ze sighed and first dug Chu Ting Xiu out of the blanket, then went to remove Chu Ting Xiu's coat.

Chu Ting Xiu's clothes are quite cumbersome, he's only doing this so that Chu Ting Xiu can sleep better… Absolutely no other thoughts!

As for later… Yan Jing Ze is planning to confess when Chu Ting Xiu wakes up.

Chu Ting Xiu is the kind of foolish and loyal minister who "the king wants the minister to die, and the minister has to die". The original owner could kill him without resentment, and if he confessed…

I wonder what Chu Ting Xiu will think when he learns that he's favored by the emperor, because of his loyalty and automatic sacrifice, or will he be furious and turns against him?

No matter what, even if he used his imperial power to oppress, he would make Chu Ting Xiu belong to him.

Yan Jing Ze was thinking about things in his mind, but the speed of undressing his hands was not slow at all, and he quickly took off Chu Ting Xiu's coat, and then, a pouch fell off.

A pouch embroidered with a mandarin duck playing in the water!

Chu Ting Xiu is even carrying such a pouch with him, could it be that he already has a lover?

He hadn't intended to do anything to Chu Ting Xiu while he was at his mercy but now, he especially wanted to bite Chu Ting Xiu!

Yan Jing Ze then bites towards Chu Ting Xiu's mouth, but quickly realizes that it's not good to have the wound seen by others. He changed to biting Chu Ting Xiu's shoulder.

Unfortunately, when he came down with his mouth, he couldn't do it… Yan Jing Ze, instead, sat up straight and stared at the purse for a while before finally sneering and ripping it.

It's a pretty strong bag, he couldn't tear it.

Yan Jing Ze, therefore, found the scissors on the bedside table that the original owner used for self-defense. After cutting the purse to pieces and still not relieved, he cut all of Chu Ting Xiu's straps and a few cuts on his clothes.

The cut wasn't even the coat that had been taken off, it was the mid-layers that Chu Ting Xiu was now wearing.

He couldn't afford to bite, but cutting his clothes is fine!

Chapter Fifty-Three – The Emperor (3)

When Yan Jing Ze saw Chu Ting Xiu lying on the bed, looking pitifully unkempt, he felt a little guilty.

More than a year ago, because the original owner was getting older, the loyal subjects of the royal family asked the Empress Dowager to let the original owner get married from time to time in the court and allow him to rule the country himself. The Empress Dowager grew disgusted with the original owner and wanted to kill him.

In other words, it was only with the protection of close aides around him that the original owner was able to get out of danger several times.

At that time, the Zhou Clan was powerful, and although Chu Ting Xiu had the Northern Army, the majority of the Northern Army was not in the capital. With only a few of his own soldiers by his side at the time, Chu Ting Xiu could be said to have risked his life to save the original owner.

Chu Ting Xiu, in fact, was his savior.

And this is a strong man who's been on the battlefield for years!

In this scene, will Chu Ting Xiu be furious when he wakes up? Will he never speak to him again?

Yan Jing Ze thought so and kissed Chu Ting Xiu a few more times on the face.

Take advantage of it while Chu Ting Xiu is still in his bed.

And a love token…

When Yan Jing Ze was cutting the clothes, he found a cowhide pocket in Chu Ting Xiu's clothes.

This cowhide pocket has two layers, one of which contains a wet handkerchief, presumably used by Chu Ting Xiu to wash his face and wipe his hands, and the other layer contains bits and pieces, including personal seals, small knives the size of thumbs, jade pendants and so on, and even a piece of salt.

That jade pendant was a reward from the original owner.

Yan Jing Ze, on the other hand, took the handkerchief and hung it aside, first using scissors to cut off a strand of Chu Ting Xiu's hair, then cutting off a strand of his own hair, tied together with a red rope and stuffed it into Chu Ting Xiu's cowhide bag.

His own behavior is really wretched, but it's already like this… The 'ruined' Yan Jing Ze, on the other hand, took off his own clothes again and lay down beside Chu Ting Xiu, covering the two of them with a blanket.

The original owner had been up for days worrying about what he was going to do to Chu Ting Xiu and couldn't sleep at night and haven't slept for several days…

Yan Jing Ze, on the other hand, fell asleep shortly afterwards.

There was no movement in the house for a long time, and the old eunuch Wang Zhong, who was anxiously waiting for Yan Jing Ze, knocked gently on the door.

Yan Jing Ze, who is not as alert as the original owner, is not awakened at all.

Wang Zhong was alarmed. He entered the house and ended up turning the screen to see the two of them lying on the bed embracing each other.

General Chu's coat was thrown on the ground and a bare shoulder was exposed from the blanket. This…

How dare His Majesty do such a thing to General Chu!

When General Chu wakes up, he doesn't know if he'll hit His Majesty…

Wang Zhong looked around for a while, found that due to His Majesty's vigilance, there was nothing in the house that could be used as a weapon, and only then did he put his mind at ease and quietly went out again.

Out of the door, Wang Zhong called for the guards to guard the door, and if the sound of His Majesty's cry for help came out of the house, he would immediately break down the door and go to His Majesty's rescue.

"Chief Wang, General Chu should not harm His Majesty?"

"Chief Wang, why did His Majesty drug General Chu?"

"Chief Wang, is it possible for General Chu to trouble us in the future?"

…

Although those guards were loyal to Yan Jing Ze, the fact that they had pointed their weapons to Chu Ting Xiu before made them apprehensive.

"It's hard to say if General Chu will harm His Majesty." Wang Zhong sighed.

General Chu was a great man who stood up to the heavens, but His Majesty did such a thing to him… A rootless man like him wouldn't be happy to be desecrated by His Majesty, let alone General Chu.

"You don't have to care about why His Majesty drugged General Chu, let alone worry about General Chu finding trouble with you."

When General Chu wakes up, he'll be so angry with His Majesty that he won't have time to care about them… No, it is possible for General Chu to take out his anger on them if he is not happy in his heart, then they have no choice but to wait anyway.

No matter what was on his mind, the Chief Steward Wang's face with nothing but wrinkles was somehow reassuring.

Those guards weren't afraid anymore and stood guard at ease.

It wasn't even noon yet when Yan Jing Ze moved Chu Ting Xiu into the house and he'd slept too soundly with Chu Ting Xiu in his arms. He accidentally slept through the night.

As soon as it was dark, the chief steward quietly went in again and lit a lamp for the two men.

What if General Chu wakes up first, can't see inside the house, and punches His Majesty… What would happen then?

If there was a light, General Chu would always think twice and act cautiously if he knew it was His Majesty who had done this.

It was in the dim light that Chu Ting Xiu slowly became conscious.

He was feeling weak, his heart was sore and swollen, and filled with a sense of despair… For a moment, Chu Ting Xiu didn't even dare to open his eyes.

His Majesty hated him and drugged him.

Has he done something wrong?

Now His Majesty has him under arrest and there is no telling what he wants to do.

He had always been decisive, and when he had a decision to make, he had to make it, but at this moment, he didn't dare even open his eyes, or even raise a faint hope.

Maybe things aren't so bad? Before he fell to the ground, His Majesty was trying to hold him…

Chu Ting Xiu tried to recall the scene at that time, the way His Majesty looked at him, it didn't look like he wanted to harm him, but he was already confused, and that scene, or maybe he had imagined it.

Laughing bitterly, Chu Ting Xiu was ready to open his eyes when he suddenly felt a pair of hands reach out and grab at his chest.

Chu Ting Xiu was so shocked that he reached out and tried to beat out the people around him…

Who was the man next to him? The hand was directly against his skin… He was naked?

Does His Majesty hate him that much? Did they strip him naked and lock him up with the other prisoners?

When Chu Tingxiu was in the army, he knew a little bit about that stuff between men and men, and after having thoughts about the emperor that he shouldn't have, he paid more attention to this aspect.

It's just that, although he likes men, the only one he likes is the Emperor, and if it were anyone else…

He would surely kill that man and cut him to pieces!

Many thoughts flashed through Chu Ting Xiu's mind, and he was so angry that he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. There was little strength in the hand that hit out, the guy next to him was pushed away a bit and stuck over again, holding him in a confused way as he said, "Be quiet…"

This voice, this … isn't this His Majesty's voice?!

Chu Ting Xiu had opened his eyes and had also seen the situation around him, and for a moment only felt that he was still in a dream.

He lay on his dragon bed, and beside him lay his sire, whom he had been thinking of for over a year.

His Majesty didn't have a single piece of clothing on him… Chu Ting Xiu grabbed a handful and found that his clothes were still there, but somehow tattered and torn.

The two of them were under a bright yellow blanket and were in a bed, what else could it be if it wasn't a dream?

By the light, Chu Ting Xiu looked seriously at the person lying beside him.

This was indeed His Majesty who lay by his side.

He had never had such a beautiful dream before, and now he was in a desperate situation, he was having such a beautiful dream.

Chu Ting Xiu didn't dare to move a muscle, afraid that if he did, this beautiful dream would disappear without a trace.

He's afraid he won't live long, and a good dream before he dies would cheer him up a bit.

Yan Jing Ze had been asleep for a long time, so when Chu Ting Xiu reached out to push him, he woke up.

Chu Ting Xiu's awake!

Yan Jing Ze, on the other hand, was so agitated that he didn't dare to move.

He's a little afraid of being beaten by Chu Ting Xiu.

When Chu Ting Xiu attacked the Empress Dowager and came into the palace to save him, he was simply invincible, just like a God of War, his small body probably couldn't take Chu Ting Xiu's fist.

As a result, Chu Ting Xiu didn't even do anything.

Yan Jing Ze breathed a sigh of relief, finally having the courage to open his eyes.

Chu Ting fixed him with a deadly stare.

Perhaps it was influenced by the original owner, but Yan Jing Ze was panicked and backed away, nearly falling off the bed.

Luckily the dragon bed is big enough.

Chu Ting Xiu was relieved to see that Yan Jing Ze didn't fall, and murmured with a bit of sadness, "Your Majesty…" Even in a dream, His Majesty is so afraid of him?

Yan Jing Ze then smiled awkwardly, "Ai Qing…"

Chu Ting Xiu never took his eyes off of Yan Jing Ze's face, he sat up rubbing his swollen head and was about to say something when he realized that his clothes had been cut to shreds.

Chu Ting Xiu: "…"

Yan Jing Ze: "…" This situation is a bit embarrassing.

Yan Jing Ze immediately decided to reverse the situation: "Chu Ting Xiu!"

Chu Ting Xiu didn't say anything and was still looking at Yan Jing Ze.

Yan Jing Ze then said, "Chu Ting Xiu, how could you do this to me! My heart desires you but you force me to marry your sister. You…"

Chu Ting Xiu suddenly wanted to laugh a little, this really was a beautiful dream.

But then he couldn't laugh, it was just a dream.

How could His Majesty… possibly desire a tough and big man like him? Even if His Majesty really has the goodness of Long Yang, he should like those beautiful men.

"Chu Ting Xiu, I've fallen in love with you at first sight, and all I want is you. How could you be so cruel to me!" Yan Jing Ze then added.

To the original owner, this was a falsehood statement of pointing to a deer and calling it a horse, but to him, it was true, from the bottom of his heart!

He was sincere.

Chu Ting Xiu only felt that this dream was just a little too good.

"Chu Ting Xiu, I really had no choice before so I drugged you… I admit I was wrong to use such dirty tricks, but I really wanted to touch you and hug you," Yan Jing Ze said, realizing that Chu Ting Xiu was still looking at him seriously, and panicked a bit again, "Of course I know I was wrong, I didn't actually do anything to you."

Chu Ting Xiu was a little sad.

Dreams are dreams in the end.

Chu Ting Xiu: "Your Majesty, we are all men." He is a man, and as a result, not only does he like another man, but he doesn't even want to get married for that man.

Chu Ting Xiu was extremely spiteful of himself and at one point felt that he was a disgrace to his ancestors, so he might as well have died early.

"So what if we are men? I only like you, and I only want you," Yan Jing Ze then said.

"You're the Emperor, how can you do that? You should marry a virtuous Queen, take a few more concubines, and start a branch…"

"I'm not interested in anyone else! I told you, I only like you!"

"Your Majesty… Even if you like the courtier, you should establish a Queen… And what can the courtier possibly offer to receive Your Majesty's favor?" Chu Ting Xiu's heart was happy and sad, His Majesty's sweet words were too good to be true, but it was all a lie.

Yan Jing Ze was so infuriated he ended up laughing.

Was Chu Ting Xiu that stupid and loyal?

He drugged Chu Ting Xiu, got Chu Ting Xiu onto the dragon bed, and confessed his love to him, but Chu Ting Xiu didn't get disgusted or angry, but started to persuade him to establish a Queen!

No wonder this man is still thinking of the original owner after being thrown in jail!

Does he know that if he's like this, he will end up miserable and lose his life!

Yan Jing Ze was furious and didn't know where he had the courage to just pounce on Chu Ting Xiu and use his own mouth to block Chu Ting Xiu's mouth that always said things that made him dislike hearing.

The person he liked was lying next to him, he'd done his best to hold back his urges before, and now, he didn't want to!

When the kiss ended, Yan Jing Ze asked, "Chu Ting Xiu, you're loyal to me, right?"

"Naturally," Chu Ting Xiu said, his body trembling slightly – His Majesty had kissed him!

He's been kissed by His Majesty!

"I said I want you, you're not willing?" Yan Jing Ze asked.

Of course, Chu Ting Xiu is willing: "If Your Majesty wants me, I'm naturally willing, but Your Majesty… have to get married and have children."

In the end, Chu Ting Xiu's eyes were a bit sore.

No matter how beautiful the dream, his majesty will surely marry a Queen.

This man… will do anything because he is loyal and patriotic? Yan Jing Ze was even angrier, and went up to pull Chu Ting Xiu's already tattered clothes, and this pull made the clothes completely scrapped.

Yan Jing Ze's movements paused and looked at Chu Ting Xiu.

The man he loves not only hid a woman's pouch on his body, but also persuaded himself to get married… Yan Jing Ze wanted to give Chu Ting Xiu a little punishment, and once again kissed Chu Ting Xiu's mouth.

Chu Ting Xiu didn't hide either, so he just looked at him with tears in his eyes.

Yan Jing Ze regretted again, this was someone he liked, how could he humiliate this person like this?

Thinking so, Yan Jing Ze stopped moving and took the blanket to cover Chu Ting Xiu again.

As a result, Chu Ting Xiu threw off the blanket and hugged him, kissing him instead, "Your Majesty, I will if you want it." He actually wanted his sire too, and since it was a dream, he could naturally indulge.

Yan Jing Ze: "…" How is he going to endure this kind of situation?

Even as a dark thought rose in his mind.

Yan Jing Ze pressed against Chu Ting Xiu.

He didn't really have the strength, but not only did Chu Ting Xiu not struggle, he was very cooperative and even took the initiative to take off his pants.

Yan Jing Ze's sanity was completely lost.

Chu Ting Xiu: "…" Even in a dream, can be so painful?

Wait, isn't this all too real?

***TN

Pointing to a deer and calling it a horse – During the second Qin Dynasty, Zhao Gao, the prime minister, took the power and wanted to usurp the throne. He was worried that the ministers would object , and thought of a way to test everyone. One day, he brought a deer to the morning court. The ministers felt strange and did not understand what Zhao Gao was going to do. Zhao Gao pointed to the deer and said to Qin II: "The minister has a horse of thousands of horses dedicated to his majesty!" "The prime minister is wrong! This is obviously a deer! How do you say it is a horse?" "The ministers talk about whether this is a horse or a deer. "Most people are afraid of Zhao Gao's persecution, so they don't speak. In order to please Zhao Gao, some people opened their eyes and said nonsense: "It's a horse." The upright ministers also said unambiguously: "It's a deer!" Later, these upright ministers were persecuted by Zhao Gao.

Chapter Fifty-Four – The Emperor (4)

Chu Ting Xiu was completely confused, unable to react at all.

He just wanted to indulge in a dream and… it wasn't a dream at all?

This is so real. His Majesty really didn't want to kill him but put him in the dragon bed!

This…This…

Chu Ting Xiu didn't even know what he should do, lying dumbfounded on the bed.

Seeing that he was distracted, Yan Jing Ze was annoyed and immediately bit Chu Ting Xiu's shoulder.

Chu Ting Xiu: "…"

"Ai Qing, you can only belong to me," Yan Jing Ze then said through gritted teeth, his face looking a little fierce in the dim light.

But Chu Ting Xiu thought he was particularly good-looking.

His Majesty, His Majesty, has never looked better.

His heart was beating faster and faster, every muscle seemed to be pulsating, he opened his mouth to answer "yes", but his throat felt like it was blocked, he couldn't say it.

Yan Jing Ze then saw that he didn't respond and bit him again in annoyance.

Chu Ting Xiu didn't feel any pain, he only felt happy. He kind of wanted to touch the person on his body but didn't dare to, it took a while before he finally found the courage to hug his sire.

Yan Jing Ze was gently hugged by him and as soon as he got excited, it was over.

Yan Jing Ze: "…"

Chu Ting Xiu: "…"

"It ended so fast the first time I did it!" Yan Jing Ze then gritted his teeth and kissed Chu Ting Xiu for a while.

Chu Ting Xiu's heart beat faster.

The first time… It turned out to be the first time!

The maids in the palace are all His Majesty's people. He always thought that even if His Majesty did not have a queen, there should be women…

"Your Majesty…" called out Chu Ting Xiu and then he found that Yan Jing Ze was alive and strong again.

Yan Jing Ze played just fine the second time, but it didn't feel good for Chu Ting Xiu.

Even if it wasn't all that painful, even if His Majesty had taken care of him very gently, it was always uncomfortable.

But he didn't hate it at all.

"Ai Qing, if you ever talk to me about establishing a queen again, I'll make you look good… unless you become a queen for me," Yan Jing Ze whispered in Chu Ting Xiu's ear.

Chu Ting Xiu felt that his ears were not even his own anymore.

He wanted to tell his sire that he liked him too, but reason kept him from opening his mouth.

His Majesty … Can he really not have a queen?

Even if His Majesty doesn't establish a queen, he will have children, right?

And he's older than His Majesty, so even if His Majesty likes him now but will he do so in the future?

He keeps saying he wants to be loyal and patriotic, yet he does this kind of thing, so what does that count for?

All sorts of thoughts flashed through Chu Ting Xiu's mind and he was unable to speak.

Yan Jing Ze didn't know what Chu Ting Xiu was thinking and only felt that Chu Ting Xiu's resigned manner made him feel bad.

He only had the memories of the original owner, on the one hand he felt that he was the king and Chu Ting Xiu was the minister, not to mention just taking Chu Ting Xiu to bed, even if he killed Chu Ting Xiu, Chu Ting Xiu shouldn't have a problem with it. Even more annoyed at the fact that Chu Ting Xiu had another woman.

On the other hand, he felt ashamed for doing this, and he was filled with guilt.

Gradually, it was the latter emotion that prevailed upon seeing Chu Ting Xiu's wooden stare.

When it was all over, Yan Jing Ze hugged Chu Ting Xiu, "Ting Xiu, I'm sorry, today… it's all my fault."

He started out just wanting to make a statement, but didn't think he'd end up going this far.

He had been able to turn things upside down, but at this point, he couldn't say anything, not even daring to ask whose pouch it was.

He feels he's a scumbag.

"I'm sorry," Yan Jing Ze said again.

"Your Majesty, you don't need to apologize." Chu Ting Xiu was a bit weak when he first woke up, but now that all his strength had returned, he could actually push His Majesty away if he wanted to.

He agreed.

At first His Majesty wanted to stop, even when he initiated it.

"You can beat me and yell at me all you want, but don't leave me, it would be pointless to live without you." Yan Jing Ze hugged the man tightly.

When he first crossed over, he had no idea what the point of crossing over was, but ever since he met Chu Ting Xiu, he knew that he was here for Chu Ting Xiu.

He had no interest in being an Emperor and only wanted Chu Ting Xiu.

"Your Majesty!" Chu Ting Xiu was stunned, not expecting his majesty to say that, he had a sense of unreality again.

"Ting Xiu, my heart desires you." Then Yan Jing Ze kissed the person in his arms.

Chu Ting Xiu was treated so gently by him and only felt confused.

Before, he thought that His Majesty suspected him and he could die honestly, but now… he was simply a sinner for all eternity for seducing His Majesty like this.

His Majesty had had a hard-enough time, not having had a good life since he was a child, and if he became entangled with him, he would surely take the blame again.

And how should those courtiers scold His Majesty?

He couldn't bear to see His Majesty go through all that.

What happened between them, it was never meant to be.

"Ting Xiu, Ting Xiu…" Yan Jing Ze called out over and over again.

Chu Ting Xiu all but wanted to confess, but held back as he thought about hitting His Majesty on the back of the neck.

He'd knocked people unconscious like this many times before, but this time… he couldn't bring himself to use too much force.

When he finished hitting, Chu Ting Xiu got worried again – what if His Majesty didn't faint?

Good thing His Majesty fainted.

Yan Jing Ze lay there, motionless.

Chu Ting Xiu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this, and got up to dress.

His inner clothes had been cut to shreds, but fortunately his pants were still intact, and after putting them on, he figured he'd just put on his coat without the inner clothes.

In addition to his clothes, the leather bag he had brought with him was placed on the bed, and Chu Ting Xiu picked it up and immediately went outside.

When he came to the door, he saw Wang Zhong and a few guards.

"General Chu, His Majesty…" Wang Zhong had been guarding the door, hearing some movement inside but couldn't hear what they were saying, and now seeing Chu Ting Xiu come out, he was anxious.

Chu Ting Xiu just came out… Is His Majesty alright?

"His Majesty is asleep," Chu Ting Xiu said and walked out. His walking posture was a bit weird at first, but soon he returned to normal.

Wang Zhong saw him off and immediately went into the chamber, and found that his majesty, whom Chu Ting Xiu said was 'asleep', was not asleep, but was sitting on the bed, getting dressed.

"Your Majesty." Wang Zhong hurriedly stepped forward to salute.

Yan Jing Ze then said, "You clean up the bed… no need to wash it, just put it away." If this mess was taken to be washed, he might let others know about what happened, and he didn't think it was appropriate to let Wang Zhong or other close aides wash it.

As for him going to wash himself… He has never washed anything.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Wang Zhong said.

"Prepare water, I need to bathe and change clothes," Yan Jing Ze then added.

Wang Zhong immediately ordered it down and cleaned up along the way.

The bed was a mess, and when he served to change his clothes, Yan Jing Ze was clean and dry.

Wang Zhong drew a breath of cold air, somewhat admiring Chu Ting Xiu.

How loyal General Chu is to be treated like this by His Majesty and not even hurt His Majesty!

Chu Ting Xiu's previous knock on Yan Jing Ze was too light and didn't knock Yan Jing Ze out at all, but since Chu Ting Xiu wanted him to, he fainted.

Now that he had taken a bath, Yan Jing Ze said, "Wang Zhong, from now on, you will treat General Chu as if you were treating me."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wang Zhong responded.

Yan Jing Ze also called the commander of the guards in charge of his safety and gave the same instructions.

After giving the instructions, Yan Jing Ze had them retreat.

As soon as he crossed over, he came across that scene. He hadn't been able to quietly organize his thoughts properly, but now he was free to think about it.

After leaving the place, the guard commander looked to Chief Wang in puzzlement, "Chief Wang, why is His Majesty suddenly so trusting of General Chu?"

Wang Zhong looked at him, fearing that this man would be disliked by His Majesty if he offended General Chu, and finally said, "You can just treat General Chu as an Empress."

The guard commander was shocked.

Wang Zhong added, "This matter must not be spread outside."

The guard commander looked complex and nodded repeatedly.

On the other hand, Chu Ting Xiu had just walked out of the palace where Yan Jing Ze resided, and when the wind blew, his entire body was completely awake.

All that had happened today was just too unbelievable for him.

He had long been fond of His Majesty, but had never before thought he would be content to be with Him, so long as he could watch from afar.

As a result, he and His Majesty had a spring breeze.

The wind was blowing, and the emptiness in his coat made him extremely uncomfortable, and somehow a little happy.

But after taking a few steps, he stopped in his tracks.

Chu Ting Xiu suddenly thought that his Majesty had left quite a few marks on his body when he was lost in thought, and even his neck was not spared.

Chu Ting Xiu thought, taking advantage of the night to go to the house in the front hall for the councilors to take a nap when they were tired in the afternoon.

There was nothing of importance here, the door was unlocked, and Chu Ting Xiu went in, lit the lamp himself, and looked himself over in front of the mirror provided for the people to fix their clothes.

He sure had some marks on his neck.

Chu Ting Xiu looked around, found a porcelain vase to smash, and used the broken porcelain tile to scratch his neck twice.

The wounds weren't deep but enough to cover those marks.

Chu Ting Xiu touched the wound, feeling a little regretful.

With a wound on his neck, he left the palace.

Before he entered the palace in the morning, he had people waiting outside the palace, and now the people waiting for him have been changed, but there are still people standing outside the palace with their horses

"Let's go back," Chu Ting Xiu greeted and turned over onto his horse, and couldn't help but take another deep breath

He… is a little uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the night was so dark that bystanders couldn't see his face.

After a long delay in the palace, it was past midnight when Chu Ting Xiu returned to the Chu family.

He thought he could return to his room quietly, but he didn't expect to see bright lights as soon as he entered the house, and his sister Chu Tinglan was still waiting.

"Big brother, why did you only come back at this hour?" Chu Tinglan looked at Chu Ting Xiu worriedly.

"Something came up today and there was a long delay." Chu Ting Xiu, who was now uncomfortable, just wanted to get back to his room quickly – his coat was empty inside.

"Big brother, your neck…" Chu Tinglan's eyes were sharp enough to see Chu Ting Xiu's neck.

Chu Ting Xiu: "It was inadvertently scratched, no big deal."

When Chu Tinglan heard the story, she didn't ask any further questions, so she just said, "Brother, my purse…"

At that, she blushed and lowered her head.

Chu Ting Xiu froze.

He was so confused when he left the palace, he'd forgotten about Chu Tinglan's pouch… In short, he doesn't have that pouch on him.

That pouch, he is afraid that it had fallen on His Majesty's bed. Thinking of this, Chu Ting Xiu was a bit depressed, and when he saw his shy sister, the depression turned into embarrassment, as well as intense shame.

His sister loves His Majesty, but he and His Majesty….

But His Majesty liked him, not his sister, which actually made him happy, but the realization of that made him feel more and more guilty.

Various emotions were woven in Chu Ting Xiu's heart, he paused before saying: "Tinglan, His Majesty may not be willing, you… I'll find you a good family in the future."

In this situation… If His Majesty wanted to establish a queen, he wouldn't be able to stop it, but his own sister, no matter what, he couldn't let her into the palace.

Chu Tinglan's pupils shrank, "Brother, I was very happy as soon as I saw His Majesty…"

"Tinglan, think about it." Chu Ting Xiu said, "It's late at night, I'm going to sleep first."

After saying that, Chu Ting Xiu strode away.

Chu Tinglan watched Chu Ting Xiu leave and found the person who opened the door of the Chu residence to ask, "When Big Brother came back, how did he look?"

The man said: "Miss, the general's face is no different from usual, old slave cannot see anything, but when the general dismounted from the horse, not quite the same as usual, as if injured."

Chu Tinglan rewarded her servant with a silver plum blossom and went back to her room, and as soon as she returned to her room, she wrote down all the conversations she had with Chu Ting Xiu today, as well as Chu Ting Xiu's appearance.

She put the paper filled with words into an envelope and had it sent to the King Ping's residence before going to sleep.

King Ping's residence.

Today Chu Ting Xiu went into the palace and has not come out, sent people to find out the news and found nothing, King Ping was disturbed, so he has not slept, and discussed with his advisers.

"Your Highness, although the Emperor is not knowledgeable, but Chu Ting Xiu has the Northern Army in his hands, and as long as Chu Ting Xiu is there, it will be difficult for us to achieve great things."

"Recently, there have been people who no longer wish to associate with us."

"The top priority is to get rid of Chu Ting Xiu."

…

King Ping has been eyeing the throne, but it's a pity the Empress Dowager wasn't interested in him back then.

He thought he would be able to take advantage of the situation when the Empress Dowager was old and tossed to death by the Emperor, but he didn't want to kill a Chu Ting Xiu, who had saved the Emperor and was still loyal to him.

King Ping knew his brother extremely well, and often associated Chu Ting Xiu with the Empress Dowager in front of his easily frightened brother… He believed that his brother must have already held a deep grudge against Chu Ting Xiu.

He doesn't know if the delay in coming out after Chu Ting Xiu entered the palace today was his brother's doing.

His older brother hasn't read any books, and it's very likely that he will.

While thinking like this, someone outside reported that a letter had been delivered from the Chu family.

King Ping immediately had it brought in, and after seeing it for himself, he was both disappointed and surprised.

"My lord, what is the secret news?" a conspirator asked.

King Ping said, "Chu Ting Xiu has returned to his home and has not been placed under house arrest or arrested, but he is carrying injuries."

All of his brother's guards at the palace are fine, his brother must be fine… Chu Ting Xiu returned from the palace late at night with injuries… What's going on? Did his brother regret his actions halfway through?

"The king seems to have said that he likes to whip the palace people today?" A conspirator asked.

King Ping nodded. After his brother escaped from the Empress Dowager, he locked up the palace staff with whom he had old grudges and whipped them from time to time to take out his anger.

"Could it be that… His Majesty has taken action against Chu Ting Xiu?" an accomplice guessed.

"Can Chu Ting Xiu be willing?" King Ping was shocked.

"The king wants the minister to die, so the minister has to die." The strategist said, "Chu Ting Xiu is most loyal."

Among the generals who followed Emperor Taizu to conquer the country, the most loyal one was Chu Ting Xiu's grandfather, and because of this, he was able to defend the North.

Some years ago, some generals rebelled, but not only did the Chu family not rebel, they helped quell the rebellion.

Afterwards, Chu Ting Xiu even risked his life to save the Emperor from the Empress Dowager.

When His Majesty was rescued, Chu Tingxiu didn't take power and carefully taught His Majesty.

Such loyal courtiers are extremely rare.

King Ping said, "It is indeed possible…" Whip Chu Ting Xiu? It was an exciting thing just to think about, and his older brother, having been oppressed by the Empress Dowager for so long, might actually do it.

But what a shame it is for Chu Ting Xiu?

In this way, can he win over Chu Ting Xiu?

Yan Jing Ze didn't know that his younger brother was already thinking about trying to win over the object of his love at first sight.

Chu Ting Xiu had already left, and he couldn't sleep anymore, so people brought the memorial and read it slowly.

When the original owner was first rescued, he didn't know many words, but after a year of study, he already knew most of them. But those ministers often showed off their literary talents in memorials. Even if it was just an invitation letter, there would still be a bunch of writing on it. The original owner still doesn't understand, and it's hard to read.

If it were him … he wouldn't be able to read it very well, but having read it only once, the memos were already firmly engraved in his mind, and he never forgot them.

As for him… He also didn't understand it, but after only reading it once, the memorials were already firmly imprinted in his mind, and he never forgot.

Yan Jing Ze was filled with joy, and after thinking about it, he asked Wang Zhong to go and find the Buddhist sutras that the original owner had memorized.

Although the original owner didn't know much, he was forced to memorize many Buddhist sutras, and he was able to recognize many words by reading them over against the Buddhist sutras.

He didn't know who he was in his last life, but he was undoubtedly a genius.

Chapter Fifty-Five – The Emperor (5)

The original owner hated the Buddhist scriptures, did not want to see them, and had no Buddhist scriptures with him. But in the Buddhist temple where the Empress Dowager was imprisoned, all the Buddhist scriptures were available.

After Wang Zhong found various Buddhist scriptures for Yan Jing Ze, Yan Jing Ze memorized the characters according to those scriptures for two hours, until Wang Zhong reminded him that it was time to prepare for the morning court.

Every first day and fifteenth day of the first month of the Great Qi Dynasty, there would be a grand imperial assembly with elaborate formalities including an extraordinary filial ceremony, a formal dining hall, a smoke-burning ceremony, and an incense burning ceremony. All officials in the capital, from the ninth rank and above, are required to attend.

However, during the regular morning court, only officials of the fifth rank and above could attend, and the court was held on the next day.

Yesterday there was no court meeting, but today there is.

The morning court of the Great Qi Dynasty began at dawn. When Yan Jing Ze finished his breakfast, he thought of something. He asked Wang Zhong to prepare chicken porridge and various kinds of snacks, and also to prepare some medicine for the wound.

Wang Zhong took the order and left.

As he watched the old eunuch walk away, Yan Jing Ze felt a little guilty. The original owner did not trust outsiders, so he always squeezed Wang Zhong, who was not young anymore and still could not get a good rest.

He still needs to train up all kinds of staff quickly.

The time was almost up, and Yan Jing Ze went to the palace according to the original owner's memory. Officials in the court were already waiting, as soon as he entered, they all bowed down.

Those kneeling in front were Chu Ting Xiu, King Ping, and Prime Minister Cui Xun.

Among them, Chu Ting Xiu was the tallest and most imposing, wearing a dress worn by military generals to court, and was remarkably heroic and handsome.

King Ping was a little shorter, slightly chubby, and seemed to be a very easy person to get along with, but as to what was in his mind, no one knows.

As for the Prime Minister Cui Xun, he was an old man about the same age as Wang Zhong. He was already a prominent figure during the reign of Emperor Taizu and has been standing for decades, with his own way of doing things, which is to just do things and never take sides.

Yan Jing Ze's eyes swept over Ping Wang and Cui Xun, and finally settled on Chu Ting Xiu's body.

On Chu Ting Xiu's neck, there was a wound.

He had been as careful as possible last night not to leave any conspicuous marks on Chu Ting Xiu's neck, so it was easy to cover them up, and they might even have disappeared overnight. But he didn't expect Chu Ting Xiu to cover them directly.

Yan Jing Ze's heart ached with pain and guilt.

After the salutations of the officials, the government was discussed.

During the Empress Dowager's time, the original owner was 'unwell' and never attended the usual small court assemblies, except for the first and fifteenth day of the first lunar month and various festivals, or large court assemblies to reward generals.

However, all the great court assemblies do not actually discuss political affairs, so the original owner did not learn what he should have learned. When he finally came to court without the Empress Dowager, he was ignorant of political affairs.

At that time, there were the remnants of the Zhou clan and the King Ping party… The original owner lost his face a few times.

After that, the original master did not dare to speak freely in the court, and only let Chu Ting Xiu deal with various affairs. Even though Chu Ting Xiu encouraged the original master and no matter how much he tried, the original master refused to try to make decisions by himself.

It was his own decision, but after a long time, the original owner felt that Chu Ting Xiu had seized power…

But this situation is good for Yan Jing Ze, who doesn't have to talk, he just sits on the dragon chair and looks down on everyone.

There were not many officials of the fifth rank or above in the capital of Qi Dynasty, and the original owner knew them all. Yan Jing Ze looked at them once, and remembered them all, and then watched Chu Ting Xiu while listening to the proceedings.

Chu Ting Xiu appeared to be uncomfortable.

After returning to his home in the early hours of this morning, Chu Ting Xiu drew water from a well to rinse himself off, and then took out a calligraphy post to copy it. It took dozens of pages of large letters to calm his mind.

Last night's battle had injured him a bit, but this small injury was nothing to him after years of fighting in the battlefield, so he attended the court meeting as usual.

He wanted to see His Majesty.

Moreover, in his absence, His Majesty may be wronged.

As a result, His Majesty was even looking at him.

Chu Ting Xiu tried not to look at the man in the dragon chair and collected his mind to deal with the ministers, but there was always a time when he needed to consult the emperor.

When the man in the dragon chair said, "Do as General Chu says," as they looked at each other, a numbness stretched from Chu Ting Xiu's tailbone up through his body, making his heart tremble.

Chu Ting Xiu felt like he was going crazy.

He had been thinking about His Majesty before, but his senses were still intact and his mind was clear, but today, it was hard for him to even think.

Chu Ting Xiu was frequently distracted, and today, the ministers in the court found out about the wound on his neck. They all saw it and were surprised but no one dared to ask.

The good news was that although Chu Ting Xiu was a little out of place, all the things that should be discussed were still discussed, and then someone brought up the matter of establishing a queen.

His Majesty is already in his twenties and the establishment of a queen is a matter of urgency.

Yan Jing Ze frowned.

The original owner never had a queen before because he couldn't find a suitable one. As for him… he was only interested in Chu Ting Xiu.

Yan Jing Ze looked at Chu Ting Xiu.

Chu Ting Xiu straightened and raised his head, and they looked at each other.

But instantly, Chu Ting Xiu lowered his head again.

On the other hand, Yan Jing Ze thought of the man who was advising him to establish a queen yesterday and became irritable.

At this time, Chu Ting Xiu also felt extremely uncomfortable.

He did not want His Majesty to have a queen in his heart.

He had persuaded His Majesty to establish a queen because he was unaware of His Majesty's interest in him and wanted to do His Majesty a favor.

Yesterday, he advised His Majesty to choose a queen because he thought he was going to die and told himself not to indulge in dreams.

But now… He would never mention it again.

But if His Majesty really wants to establish a queen, he is powerless to stop it.

Chu Ting Xiu lowered his head and did not say a word.

Yan Jing Ze was happy to see him like this, but soon remembered that he had threatened this man yesterday, saying that if he mentioned establishing a queen again, he would make look good.

Perhaps that's why Chu Ting Xiu didn't mention the issue of a queen.

Yan Jing Ze was in a bad mood, thought about it, covered his head, and looked uncomfortable.

"Your Majesty, are you not feeling well?" Wang Zhong noticed his appearance, and as soon as he spoke, the ministers looked over at him.

Yan Jing Ze said: "I am not feeling well, today's court meeting is over."

After saying that, he let Wang Zhong support him and turned around to leave.

When Chu Ting Xiu saw this, he hurriedly followed up.

King Ping wanted to talk to Chu Ting Xiu, but Chu Ting Xiu walked too fast for him to catch up.

Yan Jing Ze was watching Chu Ting Xiu and slowed his pace when he saw Chu Ting Xiu catching up.

"Your Majesty, where are you unwell?" Chu Ting Xiu asked. Is His Majesty tired from last night?

"I'm not uncomfortable," Yan Jing Ze said.

At such a time, Chu Ting Xiu still cared about his body. He didn't know whether to be happy or depressed – Chu Ting Xiu thought of him in every way, so why didn't he think of himself?

When Chu Ting Xiu stopped talking, Yan Jing Ze said, "Ai Qing, will you eat together with me?"

Chu Ting Xiu immediately thought of what happened during yesterday's meal, and he was stunned, responding: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Yan Jing Ze had the chicken porridge and snacks prepared long ago brought up, and asked all the people around him to leave.

He had already eaten before and had no appetite at this time, so he just watched Chu Ting Xiu eat.

Chu Ting Xiu didn't have any appetite this morning and didn't eat anything, and now, although he still didn't have much appetite, this was the food His Majesty had prepared for him… He ate it one bite at a time.

"Ting Xiu, are you feeling unwell?" Yan Jing Ze asked. He was always worried that Chu Ting Xiu would not feel well.

"Your Majesty, the courtier have no major problems," Chu Ting Xiu answered.

Yan Jing Ze then said, "Can I… give you some medicine? It's not convenient for you to self-medicate there."

Chu Ting Xiu was red in the face: "Your Majesty, no!" How can he let His Majesty put him medicine on that place?

Chu Ting Xiu was reluctant to do so, so he talked about something else: "In the future, when no one is around, you can call me Jing Ze."

How can he call His Majesty by His name? Chu Ting Xiu said: "Your Majesty, this is out of protocol."

"We slept together and it is also out of protocol," Yan Jing Ze said.

Chu Ting Xiu: "…"

Seeing that Chu Ting Xiu stopped talking, Yan Jing Ze felt a little guilty again: "Ting Xiu, yesterday's incident was all my fault."

This is not the first time that he apologized.

Yesterday, Chu Ting Xiu was so confused that he didn't know what to do, so he didn't respond, but when he saw the apology, Chu Ting Xiu said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to apologize. I did so of my own free will."

Yan Jing Ze was stunned, with surprise in his eyes.

After returning home yesterday, Chu Ting Xiu thought a lot about it.

He didn't want His Majesty to be sad, but he also didn't want His Majesty to be dishonored.

If he and His Majesty are honest and sincere and in love, he must not be able to tolerate anyone else around His Majesty.

When other people have money, they all want to have a concubine. So, can His Majesty really not establish a queen? Will the ministers of the court allow His Majesty not to have a queen?

Once His Majesty establish a queen… He was afraid he would want to kill someone.

So, before going to court today, he made the decision to break off relations with His Majesty.

He cannot let His Majesty go astray.

But when he really met His Majesty, he couldn't let go.

When His Majesty lowered himself and apologized to him, he felt even more cruel.

The heat of the body rushed to the head, and Chu Ting Xiu said, "Your Majesty, the courtier is willing, and my heart desires you."

Forget it…

He can occupy His Majesty for as long as he wants, and if His Majesty forgets these words in the future, in case he does something irreversible, he should just finish himself off already.

Chu Ting Xiu looked straight at Yan Jing Ze.

Yan Jing Ze was instantly ecstatic.

It's also true that Chu Ting Xiu was very enthusiastic yesterday, and was also served by him twice to release, and didn't see disgust… He should have thought that Chu Ting Xiu had a good feeling for him, too.

Or, it's a good feeling for the original owner.

In the original historical trajectory, Chu Ting Xiu was even submissively given death.

Thinking about this, Yan Jing Ze wanted to kill the original owner, but also felt that Chu Ting Xiu was a bit stupid.

Why die for a scumbag?

By the way, Chu Ting Xiu liked the original owner, and he should have felt bad, but for some reason he wasn't sad… It was because he was so much better than the original owner, and he believed that Chu Ting Xiu would like him.

"Ting Xiu…" Yan Jing Ze's voice was incredibly soft.

He didn't expect that at this moment, Chu Ting Xiu would fall forward head first into the ground.

Yan Jing Ze: "…" He obviously did not administer the drug today, what is wrong with Chu Ting Xiu?

Chu Ting Xiu had a fever.

Not only did he have a fever, but he was also overthinking. In the midst of great joy and great sorrow, even the strong and powerful general was a little unable to hold on and simply fainted.

Yan Jing Ze asked the Imperial Doctor, who was loyal to him, for some ointment suitable for men's intercourse.

The Imperial Doctor Hu, who came to take Chu Ting Xiu's pulse at first, didn't see anything and thought that he had a cold. But then Yan Jing Ze took the initiative and said…

Dr. Hu almost fell to the ground, shivering with anger and anxiety.

His Majesty is now secure on the throne thanks to General Chu, and to do such a thing to General Chu… His Majesty doesn't want to be emperor anymore?

And according to His Majesty, he wants to continue to do…

Doctor Hu was shaking nonstop, so Yan Jing Ze could only have him sent back and said, "Doctor Hu, this must not be spread to the public."

Even without Yan Jing Ze's words, Dr. Hu knew not to spread the news, but when he arrived at the Imperial Hospital, he sighed again and again.

It didn't take long for King Ping to learn of his performance.

Did his elder brother beat Chu Ting Xiu again?

What the King of Ping thought was not clear to Yan Jing Ze.

He had the memory of the original owner and knew that there was something wrong with King Ping, but Chu Ting Xiu was still here, and he was not the original owner, who was a coward, and Ping Wang could do nothing but jump up and down, so he was not anxious at all.

It is better to spend time with Chu Ting Xiu if you have this free time.

Yan Jing Ze put the man on the dragon bed again, intending to remove Chu Ting Xiu's pants and give him the medication.

Only this time, as soon as he moved, Chu Ting Xiu woke up: "Your Majesty!"

"Ai Qing, you lie down and I'll give you medicine," Yan Jing Ze said.

"Your Majesty, that dirty place… I'll do it myself…"

"If you refuse, I will do what I did last night, a few more times," Yan Jing Ze threatened.

Chu Ting Xiu: "…" Should he refuse?