The burning breath was close at hand, their noses touched, their breaths intertwined, at that moment, Shen Qingzhuo almost thought he was going to get drunk without any alcohol.
But the next moment, he suddenly sobered up and pushed the young man who was pressing against him away.
“You…” As soon as Shen Qingzhuo opened his mouth, he found that his voice was almost lost.
He jumped off the table in a panic and took several steps back before he regained his normal voice, “Do you know what you are saying?”
“I know, very clearly.” Xiao Shen followed his gaze without any relaxation, repeating word by word, “I admire you, Master, I want to be with you day and night.”
“Xiao Xiaoqi!” Shen Qingzhuo was embarrassed and annoyed, his face flushed like a burning cloud. “I am your master! Once a master, always a master. How can you be so rude to Master—”
Xiao Shen was calm: “You will always be my master, but this will not stop me from loving you.”
Shen Qingzhuo took a deep breath and asked seriously, “What did you learn about the etiquette and integrity that Master taught you? Is this how you respect your master?”
“Love between men is human nature. This is what Master taught me.” Xiao Shen stared at him intently.
“You—” Shen Qingzhuo was choked by his words and immediately blushed with anger.
“A beautiful lady is a good match for a gentleman.” Xiao Shen took a step forward and slowly walked towards his master. “Master said that love is a beautiful thing, so what’s wrong with me bravely pursuing the person I love?”
“Stop!” Shen Qingzhuo took another step back. “I am your master, both your master and your father. How can you have such, such…”
He wanted to say “disgusting”, but he couldn’t bear to use such a harsh word. Finally, he asked, “How can you have such unethical thoughts about your master?”
“Ethical?” Xiao Shen stopped. “Then Master, why don’t you tell me which rule states that a disciple is not allowed to admire the master?”
Not to mention his master, even if they are blood relatives, as long as he recognizes his feeling for that person, he will not care about any bullsh*t ethical norms.
He wants his master, he wants Shen Qingzhuo.
“You are making excuses!” Shen Qingzhuo could not defend himself, so he could only order angrily, “No matter what, you must take back all your love. There is only a master-disciple relationship between us!”
“What if I can’t take it back?” The hungry wolf king finally revealed his true nature. Xiao Shen’s reckless eyes seemed to want to eat him alive. “When I see Master, I want to hug and kiss Master all over—”
“How dare you!” Shen Qingzhuo interrupted him with a sharp voice, “Kneel down!”
This voice startled Xiao Dezi, who was eavesdropping at the door, and he looked at Xiang Chen, who was holding the sword with a suspicious look.
His Highness is now the most honorable emperor in the world. Will his young master be convicted for this?
After a moment of silence in the hall, the young emperor lifted up his dragon robe and knelt straight down.
Shen Qingzhuo turned around and walked back to the table, took down the high ruler, and said, “Stretch out your hands!”
Xiao Shen stretched out his hands without saying a word, with his palms facing up.
Even though he has become the supreme emperor now, as long as his master is willing, he can still punish him as before.
“To betray one’s master or ancestor and bring dishonor to them[mfn]Take unfair advantage of; to deceive; to cheat.[/mfn] is a great rebellion!” The ruler hit his palm heavily, and Shen Qingzhuo scolded coldly, “Do you know your fault?”
Compared to his usual attitude of actively admitting mistakes, this time the young man stared at him with burning eyes and asked back, “What’s wrong with admiring Master?”
“You—” Shen Qingzhuo was so angry that his eyes were dizzy. The ruler fell again, “You are stubborn and refuse to change your mind!”
Xiao Shen stiffened his neck: “I am not wrong!”
Shen Qingzhuo’s breathing became heavier, but he saw that the scabs on his right hand were swollen, and his chest suddenly hurt.
In order to save him, Xiao Qi grabbed the sharp blade with his bare hands. The scene of his right hand dripping with blood was still vivid in his mind. How could he bear to do it?
With a “snap”, the ruler was thrown to the ground. Shen Qingzhuo turned around and said coldly, “Go back and reflect on yourself. When you know your mistakes, come to see Master again!”
Xiao Shen bit his back teeth and uttered a low voice from between his teeth: “What if I don’t know what I did wrong? Is Master planning to never see me again?”
“You are the king, and I am the minister. How can Master be so brave?” Shen Qingzhuo was still angry and replied unhappily, “The humble minister still has to move. Your Majesty, please go back!”
His hands hanging at his sides were clenched into fists, veins on the back of his hands bulged, and Xiao Shen closed his eyes. “Alright.”
His master needs time to digest his transformation, and he must not be pushed too hard.
He can still bear it a little longer.
***
Two days later, Grand Tutor Shen happily moved to a new house. Although there was no grand relocation banquet, but there were many gifts from his colleagues in the court, and the huge Shen Mansion was filled with gold, silver, and jade.
After all, although Lord Shen is omnipotent, but he still holds great power, and many people want to curry favor with him.
But Shen Qingzhuo is still not very interested in these material possessions and orders Xiao Dezi to record the list of gifts and put them in the warehouse.
Soon, a report came from outside the door: “My Lord, General Shen is here to visit.”
Shen Qingzhuo put down the crystal glass cup he was playing with and walked forward. “Big Brother.”
Shen Fenglan stepped over the threshold and replied in a deep voice, “Big Brother is here to say goodbye to you.”
Shen Qingzhuo smiled and led him to the inner hall. “Big Brother, please have lunch before leaving. This is also a farewell for you.”
“No.” Shen Fenglan shook his head. “Do you have anything to say to Father and Mother through Big Brother?”
Shen Qingzhuo was silent for a while and replied softly, “Tell the two elders not to worry about me.”
“Xiao Zhuo, what are your plans?” Shen Fenglan lowered his voice. “Many people in the government and the country regard you as a thorn in their eyes, and Big Brother is worried about you being alone.”
Even though Xiao Zhuo helped the new emperor to ascend the throne and became the most powerful grand tutor under the emperor, in his heart he was still the youngest brother who cried so hard that he almost couldn’t breathe when he was forced to leave home many years ago.
Shen Qingzhuo looked at his elder brother and calmly said, “Clear the last obstacle for the emperor and retire after success.”
Shen Fenglan frowned. “You mean… The Qi family?”
“It’s not just the Qi family. The current Dayong Dynasty is like a palace that has been in disrepair for a long time. It looks majestic on the surface, but the supporting pillars and beams inside have been quietly eaten away. It will be shaken and about to fall down after a storm.” Shen Qingzhuo casually waved his jade fan. “Big Brother is in Youbei, fighting against the Beirong for many years. In fact, you should have noticed it a long time ago.”
After Emperor Guangxi ascended the throne, the power game with his relatives never stopped. For the so-called balance of power, he did not hesitate to let various factions fight to the death, especially in the past few years, he turned a blind eye to it.
The final result was that the local princes and officials were greedy, the local tyrants were powerful, the national treasury was already empty, and the people at the bottom could only be exploited. In addition, natural disasters continued, and the grain harvest was greatly reduced. The people’s lives were miserable, and an outbreak was a matter of time.
At the same time, foreign enemies were also eyeing the border covetously, and the border was constantly invaded, especially Dayong, which never gave up the strategy of counterattacking.
Internal and external troubles, strictly speaking, the actions of the tyrant in the original book after he ascended the throne only accelerated the fall of the Dayong Dynasty, and the foundation had actually been rotten long ago.
Shen Fenglan’s handsome eyes showed a bit of gloom. “The late emperor imprisoned you in order to restrain Father, and at the same time he had to curb the growth of Youbei’s power. He was unwilling to feed our soldiers and horses, so they went to the battlefield with empty stomachs to fight Beirong.”
“Not only Youbei, why is the battle in Suixi so difficult?” Shen Qingzhuo sighed, “Big Brother, the new emperor’s accession to the throne is not the end, but the beginning.”
The two brothers looked at each other, and after a while, Shen Fenglan raised his hand and pinched his youngest brother’s thin shoulder, with a bit of relief and emotion in his eyes, “Xiao Zhuo, you’ve really grown up.”
Shen Qingzhuo did not dodge and smiled back.
“Whether it’s Big Brother or Youbei, they will always be your backers.” Shen Fenglan released his hand and said solemnly, “When you need Big Brother, Big Brother will definitely come all the way.”
“Thank you, Big Brother.” Shen Qingzhuo blinked. “It would be even better if Big Brother could bring the secret guard outside the door back to Youbei.”
Xiang Chen, who was innocently shot, stood up. “Master!”
“Alright, alright, I was just joking.” Shen Qingzhuo turned around. “Big Brother, have a safe journey, take care of yourself.”
Before Shen Fenglan got on the horse, he couldn’t help but look back at the young man standing at the door and finally said only one sentence: “Take care.”
General Shen urged his horse and whipped it, and the sound of horse hooves gradually faded away.
***
After sending his elder brother away, Shen Qingzhuo officially started his life in the Shen residence.
At first, he was naturally not used to it. He had lived in the Jiuyue Pavilion for many years, and it was a strange house for him to move to. He even felt a little attached to his bed at night.
But fortunately, the people serving him were familiar, just…
There was no little disciple who followed him all day, nagging and begging for hugs.
During this period, except for the morning court, he tried his best to avoid being alone with the emperor in private, and Kong Shang conveyed all the messages on his behalf. If it was really necessary, he would ask Lord Pei to go to the emperor to report.
He knew in his heart that hiding like this was not a solution, but he also thought that they had to separate for a while, in case things turned around after calming down?
At least for him now, the image of the rebel[mfn]The rebel here refers to XS, who rebel against him lol[/mfn] coming up to him without caring about anything would pop up in his mind from time to time…
Stop!
Shen Qingzhuo sighed and called Xiao Dezi, “Light the incense.”
“Yes, Young Master.” Xiao Dezi lit the incense skillfully. “Young Master, are you still having trouble sleeping at night?”
“Cough, cough…” Shen Qingzhuo coughed twice and replied, “I’ll sleep better if the incense is burned.”
“It’s chilly in spring, Young Master, be careful not to catch a cold.” Xiao Dezi lit the incense and closed the window. “You should rest quickly, you have to get up early to attend the court tomorrow.”
Shen Qingzhuo felt a headache when he thought about the early court tomorrow and trying his best to ignore the murderous eyes on the dragon throne.
He lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and tried to sleep.
In a drowsy state, he seemed to be back in the Jiuyue Pavilion.
The familiar furnishings, and a youth was kneeling on the ground. He slightly widened his eyes and found that it was his little disciple of twelve, thirteen, or fourteen years old.
With a “snap” sound, a whip hit the youth’s thin back, causing him to tremble all over.
Without time to think carefully, Shen Qingzhuo subconsciously jumped over to block the whip for his little disciple, but his body hit nothing.
He was stunned for a moment and suddenly turned around, only to find that the person holding the whip was actually himself!
“Do you admit your fault?” In his dream, he looked cold and looked down at the trembling youth.
The youth clenched his teeth and said nothing.
“You are really as stubborn as a little donkey.” The corners of his petal-like lips curved slightly, and he whipped again with the other hand, “Today, let’s see if it’s your words that are hard or my whip.”
“Stop!” Shen Qingzhuo was furious and stepped forward to snatch the whip from his hand, but it went straight through his hand.
So, he could only watch helplessly as he whipped his little disciple with a whip until the youth fainted from exhaustion.
“Aiya, it seems that my whip is harder.” He finally put down the whip, leaned over, and picked up the fainted youth and said lightly, “Xiao Dezi, bring the medicine box. Also, ask the kitchen to prepare dinner for His Highness the Seventh Prince.”
Shen Qingzhuo frowned, but the scene in front of him suddenly changed.
He lowered his head and found that he was lying on the dragon bed, with his wrists hanging high on the dragon-carved beam.
“Master.” A familiar voice sounded, and a tall and strong figure appeared in front of him. It was the rebel in the black and gold dragon robe.
“Xiao Qi?” He called out, but he quickly discovered that the person in front of him seemed to be different from the rebel in reality.
“Master, you are awake…” The new emperor knelt down on the bed like a wolf ready to attack. “Did you miss me?”
He heard himself say, “Get lost!”
The emperor’s face darkened, and then he laughed softly, “Master, you are not honest. Let me check it myself.”
Before Shen Qingzhuo understood what was said, his messy silk undergarment was torn apart by the big hot hands…
“Wu…” His spine was numb, and he could not help struggling, trying to wake up the rebel’s reason, “Don’t… Xiao Qi!”
The wanton troublemaker completely ignored his little cat-like struggle, biting the red tip of his ear maliciously, “Master, let’s see today, is it you who is more stubborn or me…”
“Ouch…” At this moment, Shen Qingzhuo felt like he was in the lava flames, his body was soft like a pool of water, the heat surged like an ulcer, and he could only make sobbing sounds.
“Xiao Qi!” He couldn’t help but scream for mercy and suddenly opened his eyes from his dream.
Before he could catch his breath, Shen Qingzhuo found that he was covered by a black shadow, and the owner of the black shadow was holding his wrist, kissing and biting the thin skin repeatedly like a pervert.
When their eyes met, Xiao Shen smiled happily: “It seems that I am not the only one who thinks about you day and night. Master also thinks about me in your dreams ah…”
Shen Qingzhuo: “Get lost!”
After that, he kicked the rebel off the bed without mercy.
The author has something to say:
The Master: Rebel! I didn’t wrong you this time!
The Wolf Cub: En? You’ve even kicked me already, so I’ll continue…
What bad intentions could the wolf cub have? He just wanted to warm his master’s bed!
