Shen Zhaoquan naturally didn’t answer him. He only bowed slightly in a respectful manner and said,
“This old servant will prepare a carriage for Young Master Xu. Please.”
Xu Xinyao was extremely displeased. Zhao Chufeng being arrogant was one thing, since he was an official, but even his servant was this overbearing.
He had only come to the capital to discuss the marriage with Yan Yihuan, not to throw his life away. A wise man knew when to yield. Xu Xinyao decided to go along with them for now. He wasn’t even given a chance to say goodbye before being sent onto the carriage back to the inn.
Although still shaken on the way back, his anger only grew the more he thought about it. Xu Xinyao had been pampered his whole life and had never felt so humiliated.
The thought of Yan Yihuan being tangled up with Zhao Chufeng, even having shared a bed with him, shocked him to the core.
The moment he closed his eyes, the marks on Yan Yihuan’s neck flashed before him. The sight stung his eyes and made his fists tremble.
Calm down. He had to calm down.
Xu Xinyao dug his nails into his palm until it hurt, trying to force himself to think clearly.
Yan Yihuan had indeed been lovable since he was young, and Xu Xinyao had always treated him like a younger brother. The engagement came suddenly, but he understood it well. King Yan wanted to find a wealthy family so his youngest son could live safely, and his own family wanted a way to rise in status and change their fate.
It was mutual benefit. He couldn’t afford to ruin everything in a moment of anger.
No matter how arrogant Zhao Chufeng was, what happened between him and Yan Yihuan was something that could never see the light of day. But to keep the King of Yan from changing his mind, Xu Xinyao decided not to mention it at all. What mattered most now was finding a way to bring Yan Yihuan back to Linjing, then he could finally feel at ease.
Inside the residence, Yan Yihuan was so anxious he kept pacing around the room. Li Jiang guarded the door. His attitude was respectful, but he refused to move even half a step.
Leaning by the window, Yan Yihuan listened to the silence outside. It seemed everyone was gone. He tried pushing the window open a little and happened to meet Shen Zhaoquan’s eyes. He brightened and quickly said,
“Eunuch Shen, where are they?”
“They’ve all left.” Shen Zhaoquan walked closer with a smile. “His Majesty has morning court tomorrow. As for Young Master Xu, he said he wanted to return to the inn, so I arranged a carriage to escort him back.”
“Back to the inn?” Yan Yihuan froze. Xu Xinyao had seen His Majesty coming out of his room. Who knew what he had guessed. After the scene earlier, what if he went back and said something wrong.
Just thinking about it made Yan Yihuan’s heart race and his hands and feet go numb. “Eunuch Shen, I need to go to the inn too.”
Shen Zhaoquan paused and lowered his gaze. “It’s already so late. Does the Grand Historian really want to look for Young Master Xu now?”
“If I don’t go, it’ll be too late.” Yan Yihuan thought, you have no idea how worried I am. “He saw everything just now. I have to talk to him and tell him not to say anything.”
“I see.” Shen Zhaoquan lifted his eyes again and maintained his gentle smile, “The Grand Historian can rest assured. He won’t say anything.”
Saying that, he gestured, “The night air is cold and the dew is heavy. Grand Historian Yan should rest soon. This is the emperor’s order.”
“Really?” Yan Yihuan looked at Shen Zhaoquan with confusion. He didn’t understand why the eunuch was so certain. After a moment’s thought, he grabbed his sleeve.
“Eunuch Shen, you’ve been by His Majesty’s side for so long. Do you know why the emperor suddenly became angry tonight?”
Seeing Yan Yihuan clutch his sleeve tightly, as if afraid he would run off, Shen Zhaoquan replied gently, “His Majesty was with the Grand Historian just now. How could this servant know?”
“But…” The scene had unfolded too quickly for Yan Yihuan to think clearly about what went wrong. One thing he was certain of was that the discomfort in his heart came from the emperor walking away in anger.
“Then, Eunuch Shen, could you take me back to the palace?”
“His Majesty said the Grand Historian may rest for three more days before returning to the palace. Why go back now?”
“Mm.” Rather than worrying alone here, it was better to ask directly. Otherwise, how could he get through the next three days? “The emperor left so suddenly. It makes me feel uneasy.”
Hearing this, Shen Zhaoquan’s expression softened and he smiled warmly, “Then this servant will prepare the carriage. Grand Historian Yan should dress warmly.”
After walking a few steps, Shen Zhaoquan paused then turned back, “Grand Historian Yan, this servant suspects the emperor’s anger is related to Young Master Xu’s purpose in coming to the capital this time.”
“He came to the capital to do business. What does that have to do with the emperor?” Yan Yihuan was completely puzzled, “Then why is he angry at me?”
“You… don’t know the reason Young Master Xu came to the capital?” Shen Zhaoquan was taken aback, then shook his head with a bitter smile. Despite all that, the two of them didn’t get on the same wavelength at all.
“This servant will go prepare the carriage right away.”
The palace gates were forbidden to be opened at night, but with Shen Zhaoquan present, passage was unimpeded. The residence was close to the palace, and in just half an hour, Yan Yihuan was crouching outside the bedchamber.
Although he had been anxious on the way, he froze when he reached the door.
He remembered the emperor’s sudden, icy expression and the murderous glance directed at Xu Xinyao. It made him feel that the emperor’s anger this time was no ordinary matter, not something he could smooth over by being obedient.
What should he do?
Yan Yihuan paced back and forth outside the chamber. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and his face turned red. Despite himself, he felt a flicker of anticipation.
Instead of entering through the main door, he made his way around to the bathhouse behind the hall. It led not only to the bedchamber, but also… to that other room.
Inside the bedchamber, only a single lamp burned, dimly illuminating the space. Li Xuanming lay alone on the dragon bed, unable to sleep.
He had known Yan Yihuan was naive, but never imagined it could be to this degree.
Thinking carefully, it seemed in Yan Yihuan’s mind, there was no real love or emotion. From the start when he tried to entice Li Xuanming, to now showing closeness to Ming Zhang, it was all just for their looks.
The closeness and affection Yan Yihuan had shown was nothing more than a fleeting indulgence. Right now, he has indeed used desire to gain Yan Yihuan’s closeness and initiative.
But nothing beyond that.
Li Xuanming felt a tightness in his chest. The frustration made his mouth dry. Slowly, he sat up and rubbed his throbbing temples. He was about to call someone to pour tea when he heard a rustling from behind the hall.
There shouldn’t be anyone there. Even palace attendants wouldn’t be around at this hour. Li Xuanming immediately became alert. He subtly felt along the edge of the bed and hooked his fingers. An exquisitely made dagger fell into his palm.
A careful sound of a door opening rang out. Li Xuanming’s brow twitched, it was the hidden door of that room. He held his breath as faint footsteps approached, moving straight towards him.
As the sounds grew closer, he finally heard it clearly. The murderous intent in his eyes instantly disappeared, and he loosened his fingers, letting the dagger fall back into the crack.
He didn’t make a sound, just waited silently as the footsteps stopped at the curtain. After a moment of hesitation, a tentative voice asked,
“Your Majesty, are you asleep?”
There was no response. The figure outside seemed anxious, and finally, as if making up their mind, began lifting the curtain.
Perhaps because it was too dark, the task that should have been easy seemed awkward. After a few attempts, they still couldn’t find the opening.
Even Li Xuanming couldn’t watch any longer. He sat up, grabbed the edge of the curtain, and pulled it aside. Startling Yan Yihuan, who was still frantically searching for the opening, into a low gasp and froze.
Li Xuanming widened his eyes at the same time, finally realizing why Yan Yihuan had been so slow in lifting the curtain earlier.
Yan Yihuan had somehow found a silk ribbon from who knows where and tied his hands together clumsily, and, as if afraid Li Xuanming wouldn’t notice, held them up to the side of his face.
“Your Majesty, we didn’t finish just now,” Yan Yihuan shook his wrists and spoke with difficulty, “Holding it in… holding it in is not good for your imperial body.”
