“You really bared your claws, didn’t you?” Li Xuanming frowned at the sting of pain on his back.
“Won’t… I won’t scratch anymore, just hurry!”
“You’ve always held resentment in your heart, thinking I forced you,” Li Xuanming said slowly. “But is that truly the case?”
Yan Yihuan, only a few thrusts away, grew flustered at once.
“No, it’s not true, none of it is true!”
“Then tell me yourself, are you willing?”
Choosing this moment to ask on purpose, how could Yan Yihuan possibly say no?
Yan Yihuan very much wanted to answer with dignity that it wasn’t so, but his body no longer obeyed him, leaning upward of its own accord, craving that fleeting moment of pleasure.
Yet this pleasure was nothing compared to the intensity and fulfillment Li Xuanming gave him. Yan Yihuan bit down on his lip, his voice faint, softening,
“Yes… yes, I’m willing…”
“Then you must remember it well, and don’t deny it later.”
“I won’t, I won’t!”
Amid his hurried words, Li Xuanming felt a weight press down on his waist, those legs tightening around him, wordlessly urging him on.
In other matters this fellow would still be stubborn, yet when it comes to love he was disarmingly honest, so honest it sent a shiver straight to the heart. Even knowing it was only after days of coaxing that he finally uttered those two words, Li Xuanming still felt his heart filled to the brim, and kissed those crimson lips as a reward.
At the final moment, Li Xuanming habitually made to withdraw, but instead those legs only tightened harder. With a muffled groan, Yan Yihuan’s hands slipped and clawed a few more marks.
The hall fell into a brief silence. He suddenly realized what he had just done, and the face that should have calmed flushed red again. He coughed lightly, shifting uneasily. The feeling of losing control of oneself make Yan Yihuan stiffen. He furrowed his brows, holding still as he felt the warmth leave.
“You didn’t let me go just now, was it because you wanted to bear my…?” Li Xuanming’s teasing gaze fell on him. Yan Yihuan followed that gaze downward, and in a flash of realization understood what was meant to follow that deliberately halted “my.”
Yan Yihuan instantly felt what it meant to bristle with indignation. He stared at Li Xuanming in shock, his face burning with shame and fury.
“I’m a man!”
“Of course I know.” Li Xuanming couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “I was just teasing you. But it’s easy to fall sick like this. This place isn’t like the palace, everything’s a bit less convenient.”
Although he knew it was a joke, Yan Yihuan still flushed with anger and shame. He shoved Li Xuanming away. Abruptly leaving the embrace, his sweat-dampened body shivered at the chill.
“Zhaoquan.”
As soon as the words fell, there was movement at the back doors of the hall. Messy footsteps went back and forth several times, and buckets of hot water were carried in one after another. Even with the screen in between, Yan Yihuan still felt so ashamed that he buried himself back into the soft couch and was kissed all the way until the doors of the hall were finally shut again.
Yan Zheng glanced at the tightly closed main hall. He had thought his younger brother would come looking for him at mealtime like he had at noon, but he waited until the food had gone a little cold, realizing he probably wouldn’t be coming.
Still, Yan Zheng noticed that Li Xuanjing also kept glancing toward the main doors from time to time, his expression extremely dark. This only made Yan Zheng more certain of his suspicion: Li Xuanjing truly seemed to harbor unusual thoughts about Yihuan.
The imperial clan placed great importance on the continuation of the bloodline. Even back then, the Yan family would never have allowed Yihuan to marry Li Xuanjing, let alone now, when Li Xuanjing already knew about Yihuan’s fate and might not have pure intentions.
It seemed the engagement could no longer be delayed. Yan Zheng secretly made up his mind: once the spring hunt was over, he would return to Linjing at once and discuss it with his parents. After this matter is settled, the family can be at ease.
The next day, no one saw the emperor again. Sharp-eyed Yan Zheng also noticed that Shen Zhaoquan and Han Zhen were nowhere to be seen. Feeling puzzled, he happened to see Ming Zhang pass by and quickly stopped him to ask.
Recognizing him, Ming Zhang saluted respectfully and said,
“There was urgent business in the palace. Last night, His Majesty hurried back to the palace overnight and left me behind to watch over things.”
“Then Yihuan went back with him too, didn’t he?”
Ming Zhang paused almost imperceptibly, then smiled and nodded, “Of course.”
“Many thanks for informing me, Lord Ming.” Yan Zheng suspected nothing and smiled. “It seems I won’t get to see him this time either. I must trouble Lord Ming to pass on a message to Yihuan for me.”
“Please speak, Your Highness.”
“Just tell him that the matter I mentioned at home before will be resolved as soon as possible, so he can wait with peace of mind.”
“Very well, I will be sure to deliver it.”
Seeing Ming Zhang agree, Yan Zheng felt a little more at ease and took his leave. Within less than an hour, everyone already knew that the emperor had returned to the palace the previous night. But it hardly mattered, and the spring hunt went on as usual.
Meanwhile, the bedchamber in the palace was filled with the scent of medicine. Li Jiang stood outside the canopy of the dragon bed, holding a steaming bowl.
“Your Majesty, the medicine is ready.”
“Leave it here. You may go.”
After Li Jiang withdrew, the canopy was lifted. Dressed in sleeping robes, Li Xuanming had just leaned out, reaching for the medicine, when an arm circled around his waist.
“Don’t go. It’s cold…”
Li Xuanming clasped that icy cold hand, though its owner’s forehead was burning hot. His eyes were tightly shut, his face flushed red.
Even though he had bathed and cleaned up yesterday, the conditions on the hunting grounds had been limited, and it seemed he had still caught a cold. By midnight, Li Xuanming was woken by the feverish heat of the person in his arms, who had even started murmuring deliriously.
He had expected the possibility of sickness, but he hadn’t thought Yan Yihuan would fall so gravely sick. There were imperial physicians at the hunting grounds, yet the medicine there was far from complete. So Li Xuanming hadn’t hesitated, and rushed back to the palace overnight.
Fortunately, since he was supposed to be at the hunting grounds these two days and need not attend court, he decided not to leave Yan Yihuan in anyone else’s care, and instead looked after him himself.
Yan Yihuan’s head throbbed unbearably, his whole body shivering with cold. Instinctively, he pressed himself tightly against the warmest place he could find. He felt someone helping him lean against a chest, softly coaxing him to drink medicine.
In truth, Yan Yihuan had not lost consciousness. He simply felt so unwell that he did not want to open his eyes. Yet his childhood habits made him instinctively drink from the medicine bowl, frowning as he gulped it down.
Hearing the praise he had hoped for, he swallowed a few more mouthfuls of water. Then he felt himself once again gathered into that warm embrace. Even his icy feet were caught between legs to be warmed. He pressed closer with effort before finally drifting into a deep sleep.
Seeing his breathing steady at last, Li Xuanming let out a quiet sigh. As intoxicating as it was to possess him, Yan Yihuan’s body was far less robust than it appeared. With that thought, Li Xuanming carefully rose from the bed, dressed himself quietly, and stepped into the outer chamber where the imperial physician Sun Zhicheng, who was summoned into the palace the previous night, was waiting.
“How is he?”
“Your Majesty need not worry too much. It is only a chill, and also….” Sun Zhicheng gave a discreet cough before changing the subject. “Back when I escorted the Third Young Master back to Linjing, I already had some doubts, so I consulted the physician at the Residence of King Yan.”
“What did they say?”
“The physician told me that the Third Young Master was indeed very frail in childhood. Not only was he helpless, but King Yan also invited many renowned physicians to examine him, yet his condition hardly improved.” Sun Zhicheng continued, “Later, a Daoist priest came to the household. No one knew what kind of medicine he gave, but miraculously, the boy grew better day by day. Soon he was lively like any other child, as if he had been completely cured.”
“He had asked the Daoist out of curiosity, but the Daoist only said it was a Daoist art, not medical skill. He also mentioned to me in passing that the Third Young Master’s body seemed to be tied to his fate, though he knew no more than that.”
“You mean… his fate?”
Author’s Note:
Little Yihuan: Am I the only one in the whole world who doesn’t know there’s something wrong with my fate?
