ABBLEIP Chapter80

The hall fell into silence for a moment.

 

In this brief silence, Shen Qingzhuo couldn’t help but recall his past life.

 

Since his parents passed away, he began to live alone. He had a lot of money, but he never received love again.

 

He sometimes thought that he was filling the void in his heart by pouring all his energy into his little disciple.

 

He treated his little disciple as his own family, devoted all his life’s learning to teaching him, and devoted all his energy to planning to usurp the throne for him. He personally sent his little disciple to the throne, as if he had finally found the value of his existence.

 

As for being respected and liked, it was already an extra reward for him.

 

But now, the young man looked at him with such passionate eyes and held his wholehearted love in front of him, how could he not be moved?

 

Shen Qingzhuo called out absentmindedly, “Xiao Qi…”

 

“As long as Master is willing to love me, I can do anything…” Xiao Shen slowly rubbed against his master’s legs and murmured with his face against his master’s knees.

 

Shen Qingzhuo lowered his eyes and looked at the young man beside his legs.

 

The young emperor was tall and strong, with a handsome and sharp profile, but when he lay on his legs obediently, he still looked like a puppy seeking comfort.

 

His defenses quietly collapsed, and he almost subconsciously reached out his hand and gently touched the young man’s head, “When did it start?”

 

“En?” Xiao Shen nudged his master, “What?”

 

Shen Qingzhuo’s ears felt hot, but he pretended to be calm and asked, “When did your feelings for Master start to deteriorate?”

 

Xiao Shen was stunned and raised his eyes to look at his master. “I don’t know…”

 

When did love start to deteriorate?

 

Tracing back to the source, he couldn’t even remember the clear boundaries.

 

Perhaps it was when his master entered his dream in thin clothes, or when he first thought of his master and vented his anger, or when he was so scared that he knelt on the ground and sobbed when he mistakenly thought his master was injured during the Spring Hunt.

 

Or perhaps it was the days and nights when he ate on the same bed with his master and slept with their feet touching. Or even a little earlier when the immortal came to the cold palace under the moonlight and stretched out his white jade hand to him…

 

“Look, you can’t even explain it yourself.” Shen Qingzhuo sighed, “Xiao Qi, you are still very young. You will meet many different people in the future. Then—”

 

“No!” Xiao Shen interrupted him anxiously, “No matter how many people I meet, they are all other people to me. I will only love Master forever.”

 

Shen Qingzhuo thought this was childish. Life is so long, who can guarantee to love only one person, let alone forever?

 

But he did not deny his little disciple again and just replied, “Give me some more time, and you think it over carefully as well.”

 

Xiao Shen stared at him straight, and after a while he reluctantly replied, “Alright.”

 

“Be good.” Shen Qingzhuo touched his ear.

 

“Then Master have to promise me that you won’t touch other people.” Xiao Shen asked solemnly, “I can wait for Master, but Master can’t like others.”

 

If his master falls in love with someone else, he will definitely go crazy.

 

Shen Qingzhuo laughed dumbly and nodded immediately: “Master promises you.”

 

In fact, if it weren’t for his little disciple forcing this, he never considered the childish love affair.

 

Xiao Shen asked relentlessly, “What about the two concubines in the mansion?”

 

Shen Qingzhuo raised his eyebrows slightly: “It depends on you to find a way to make your imperial grandmother withdraw the imperial decree ah.”

 

“What else do I need to think about?” Xiao Shen’s handsome face sank. “That old thing, I—”

 

When he was halfway through his words, he suddenly remembered that he was in front of his master, so he stopped talking immediately and asked, “When does Master plan to take action against the Qi family?”

 

He couldn’t wait any longer.

 

“Soon.” Shen Qingzhuo narrowed his eyes slightly, and his tone became colder. “These termites will soon die.”

 

***

 

The next morning, the minister of the Ministry of War, Wang Tan, reported: “Your Majesty, the rebellion in Suzhou is getting worse and worse. The commander of the Suzhou garrison has requested support. Please decide.”

 

Shen Qingzhuo asked calmly, “May I ask, Lord Wang, what caused this rebellion?”

 

“Grand Tutor doesn’t know. Suzhou has suffered from severe drought for two consecutive years. It is a disastrous year. There are always some rebels who take advantage of the chaos to incite the people to rebel.” Wang Tan replied seriously, “The leader of the rebels is a bandit. The Suzhou garrison suffered heavy losses. I am afraid—”

 

Shen Qingzhuo asked again, “Last year, the court allocated a large amount of money and food to Suzhou for disaster relief. Why did the people still rebel? Didn’t the food reach the victims?”

 

Wang Tan was shocked: “This… The humble doesn’t know the details of Suzhou.”

 

Hu Quan, the minister of the Ministry of Revenue, couldn’t help but reply, “Grand Tutor doesn’t know. Money and food are lost during transportation, and there are so many victims in Suzhou. The money and food allocated by the court is really a drop in the bucket!”

 

“That’s not right ah. The court sympathizes with the drought in Suzhou. Compared with other states, Suzhou has always had the lowest tax payment standard, and the autumn grain is stored in the government warehouse.” Pei Yanqi raised an objection, “If we don’t open the warehouse to release grain now, then when?”

 

“Suzhou has been hit by droughts, and the warehouse has to be opened several times every year to release grain. The government warehouse has been empty for a long time already.” Hu Quan replied carefully.

 

Pei Yanqi frowned: “Speaking of official warehouses, doesn’t Suzhou have a tradition of donating money to build warehouses?”

 

The emperor asked, “What donation?”

 

“Your Majesty doesn’t know. The donation refers to the qualification of becoming a student of the Imperial Academy by donating grain.” Pei Yanqi turned to the emperor, “This dynasty has strict regulations on the number of donations for each state, but due to the frequent droughts in Suzhou, the humble minister specially requested the court to relax the number of donations for Suzhou. The humble minister has roughly read the list. Last year alone, there were more than 20,000 students in Suzhou who passed the donation.”

 

The emperor asked coldly, “Where did all the food go then?”

 

Hu Quan’s forehead was covered with sweat after hearing this question, but he didn’t dare to wipe it off.

 

“Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to send troops to suppress the rebellion. The money and food issue can be postponed for investigation.” At this time, the minister of the Ministry of Justice, Qi Benyu, bowed and said, “If Suzhou is lost and the rebels approach Chenzhou, it will definitely disturb Your Majesty.”

 

Chenzhou is adjacent to Shengjing and is a barrier to the capital. It must not be lost.

 

After a while, the emperor made the final decision: “Quickly dispatch heavy troops to suppress the rebels in Suzhou.”

 

After the court session, Shen Qingzhuo went to the imperial study alone.

 

“Master.” The emperor’s eyes lit up when he saw him, “Why did Master come to see me alone today?”

 

Shen Qingzhuo smiled and said, “You are not even a monster, why would Master be afraid?”

 

Xiao Shen walked out from behind the desk. “Tell me, what does Master wants to discuss with me?”

 

Lord Shen laughed dryly, “You even guessed this?”

 

His little disciple really understood his temper more and more.

 

“If there is nothing, Master wouldn’t be so active.” Xiao Shen stopped and stared at him with a burning gaze.

 

“Cough, cough… Master wants to go to Suzhou to suppress the rebels.” Shen Qingzhuo said in one breath, “It’s just right to investigate the Suzhou disaster relief case.”

 

Xiao Shen was stunned for a moment, and suddenly his pupils shrank, and he rejected it loudly: “Suzhou is in chaos, Master shouldn’t go!”

 

“Master is only going to check the disaster relief money and grain, it’s not like I’m leading troops to quell the rebellion.” Shen Qingzhuo smiled nonchalantly, “Besides, Xiang Chen is here to protect me, so nothing will happen.”

 

“No means no!” Xiao Shen turned around and walked quickly to the desk. “I will send someone to investigate!”

 

“Xiao Qi.” Shen Qingzhuo frowned slightly. “This matter is extremely complicated. Among all the civil and military officials in the court, do you trust anyone more than Master?”

 

According to historical experience, any corruption and bribery case is never an isolated case and often involves a large number of corrupt officials. He wanted to take this opportunity to purge the corrupt officials among the central and local officials in one fell swoop.

 

“Fine, let Pei Yanqi go!” Xiao Shen punched the table with a loud ‘bang’. “No matter who goes, I will never let Master take this risk!”

 

This sound startled Xiao Guizi outside the hall, but when he thought that Lord Shen was inside, he stopped the idea of pushing the door open.

 

Inside the hall, Shen Qingzhuo said, “You promised me that you would never interfere with any of my decisions.”

 

“I also said that I won’t allow Master to leave my sight!” Xiao Shen shouted in a low voice. Just from his back, one could tell that he was furious. “Is Master going to Suzhou to investigate the case or to avoid me?”

 

After the words fell, the study fell silent.

 

Without a response, Xiao Shen suddenly turned around and looked at his master with a panicked look.

 

“In your mind, Master is someone who cannot distinguish between public and private affairs?” Shen Qingzhuo stood there, with a look of disappointment on his face. “Xiao Qi, you underestimate Master.”

 

“No—” That look stung Xiao Shen like a sharp blade, he took a step back unconsciously and quickly strode forward. “That’s not what I meant, Master…”

 

Seeing the young emperor at a loss, Shen Qingzhuo’s tone was still very cold: “The relief money and grain from the court were transferred to various states and counties one by one, and only the husks were left in the hands of the people. Officials at all levels deceived their superiors, and those who hold high positions in the palace thought they were sympathetic to the people and were outraged by the uprising of the people.”

 

“I know I was wrong, Master…” Xiao Shen habitually wanted to pull his master’s hand, but he retracted it halfway and apologized humbly, “It’s me, it’s me who didn’t distinguish between public and private affair, I judge others by my own standards.”

 

“Master has promised you something, and I will not break my word.” Shen Qingzhuo continued, “Why would I run so far away just to avoid you?”

 

The eyes covered by long eyelashes were dark and invisible to light. Xiao Shen replied in a low voice, “But I am still… worried that Master’s body can’t bear it.”

 

“Master is not as fragile as you think.” Shen Qingzhuo’s expression relaxed a little. “Besides, it will be at least a month, or at most several months. It’s not like Master will stay in Suzhou and will not come back.”

 

“If Master is really worried, I can go to Suzhou in person.” Xiao Shen raised his eyes and suggested, “Master, stay in the court.”

 

“Nonsense.” Shen Qingzhuo scolded, “How long have you been on the throne? How can you stay away from the palace?”

 

With his handsome eyes drooping, Xiao Shen tried to make a final struggle: “Master is really relieved to leave me alone in this dangerous place?”

 

Shen Qingzhuo was finally amused and raised his hand to rub his listless face. “With Lord Pei here, Master is relieved.”

 

This touch seemed to turn on a switch. Xiao Shen immediately hugged his master and buried his face in his warm neck. “Then during this time, will Master still consider our affairs?”

 

Shen Qingzhuo replied, “Master will give you an answer after I return from Suzhou.”

 

After they have been separated for a while, some things should become clear.

 

“Really?” Xiao Shen seemed to come back to life, holding his arms tighter, mumbling, “But I still want to…”

 

“What did you say?” Shen Qingzhuo didn’t hear clearly for a moment and patted his broad shoulders.

 

“Nothing…” Xiao Shen rubbed him with his tall nose and said in a low voice, “I will wait for Master obediently, wait for Master to come back.”

 

He really wanted to tie his master to his belt, put him in his sleeves, and put him in his chest, day and night, never separated for a moment.

 

***

 

The night before he left, Lord Shen finally calmed down the crying Xiao Dezi and gave him detailed instructions on matters in the mansion before washing up and lying on the bed.

 

He tossed and turned, wondering whether he should go and say goodbye to his little disciple alone or not.

 

On one hand, he really wanted to take another look at his little disciple, but on the other hand, he was worried that if he accidentally upset His Majesty, he would not be able to leave.

 

After thinking about it, Shen Qingzhuo still closed his eyes.

 

However, he soon seemed to fall into a strange and hot dream. An irresistible electric heat jumped from the toes. He gasped and suddenly woke up from his sleep.

 

Red candles were lit on the table, and a familiar figure was kneeling in front of him, kissing his ankles gently.

 

Seeing that he was awake, Xiao Shen did not panic. Under his master’s gaze, he spread out the curled white and tender red toes and then put them into his hot mouth.

 

Shen Qingzhuo instinctively raised his slender waist. “Xiao Qi…”

 

“Smells so good…” Xiao Shen seemed to smile in the sound of wet saliva, “How come even Master’s toes are sweet, hmm?”

 

Shen Qingzhu wanted to call him a pervert, but the strange shudder made him dizzy, so he could only ask softly, “Xiao Qi, what do you want to do…”

 

“I want…” Xiao Shen let go of the ankle and slowly knelt down. “I want to make Master comfortable.”

 

He wanted to brand his master in his own way, he wanted to make his master comfortable so much that he couldn’t help but reminisce for the next few months…

 

……

 

The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse. Xiang Chen slept on the rooftop with his sword in his arms, silently listening to his master’s sobbing coming from the inner hall. The sobbing continued one after another, gradually becoming so faint that it could not be heard until the second half of the night.

 

Then, he closed his eyes and turned over.

 

On the bed, Xiao Shen touched his burning upper jaw with the tip of his tongue and then leaned over to lick the tear marks on his rosy face.

 

His master, who had fallen into a deep sleep, whimpered pitifully, and a very light and soft hum came out of his mouth, but he was too tired to wake up.

 

“Master, good dream…” Xiao Shen kissed the red and swollen lips contentedly, grabbed the slender ankle with his big hand, and took out something shining with a tiny light from his arms.

 

The author has something to say:

Did everyone understand? This time the wolf cub has really made progress, hehehehe…

The Suzhou disaster relief case is a turning point, very soon!

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T/N: Xiang Chen has such a tough job lmao, imagine having to hear all that…