Yun Jiang’s steps were extremely light, and his figure passed by quickly.
On New Year’s Eve, the moonlight was bright.
As Yun Jiangli moved, a flash of cold light appeared at his fingertips. It turned out to be a silver needle that he had been holding at his fingertips at some point in time.
Although the person who sneaked away from the hall was walking in the dark carefully by sticking to the wall, but he was still easily caught by Yun Jiangli.
“Have you taken the wrong road?”
Yun Jiangli leaned against the palace wall and opened his thin lips.
The man obviously didn’t expect to be discovered. He turned around with a fierce look in his eyes. After he looked carefully at who it was, he immediately put away his fierce expression and changed his tone to disdain: “Could it be that the big beauty of Prince An’s family has also lost his way?”
Yun Jiangli’s eyes were indifferent without any emotion.
The sinister man, perhaps angered by his expression or knowing that he shouldn’t stay here any longer, slashed at his neck with his knife.
However, the next moment, the man fell limply along the wall, and he didn’t even have time to see Yun Jiangli’s moves.
.
The little prince in the hall was so bored that he lowered his head and covered his lips with his hands, yawning slightly.
He turned around and looked behind him and found that Yun Jiangli had not returned yet. He was wondering if he had lost his way. When he was about to ask Shiyi to look for him, he saw an eunuch walking hurriedly towards Prince Cheng.
Chen Bai paused for a moment, and the eunuch whispered a few words to him, then bowed and walked out again.
After listening to Chen Bai’s retelling, Prince Cheng just nodded and said nothing more.
Yan Muning saw that he seemed to be getting up to leave for something, so he immediately sat up straight and asked in a low voice, “Fifth Brother, is there any problem?”
“How can there be? Don’t worry about it. Just play your thing.” Prince Cheng raised his hand and tapped the little prince on the head.
Yan Muning hid his head with his hands covering his forehead: “Fifth Brother! So many people are watching us!”
Seeing that Prince Cheng had withdrawn his hand, he leaned over and said, “Ah Li just said he was going out to get some fresh air. I think he’s been gone for quite some time. If you run into him, ask him to come back quickly.”
Prince Cheng stood up and laughed at him, “I got it, you clingy guy.”
Sure enough, not long after Prince Cheng left the hall, Yun Jiangli came back. He walked straight to the little prince’s side, leaned over, and asked, “Fifth Brother said you were looking for me, is it because you are tired?”
“Why did you take so long?”
Yan Muning whispered softly, “My stomach is so heavy, the child must be a little fatty.”
Yun Jiangli had just come in from outside, his palms were still cold, and he didn’t dare touch the little prince directly for fear of freezing him. He just smiled and said softly, “Then let’s find a reason later and go back home, alright?”
Yan Muning whispered a few words to him. In just a short while, many people looked at him intentionally or unintentionally. The little prince wrinkled his nose and said impatiently, “Ah Li, you go and sit down. We will go back to the mansion when Fifth Brother comes back.”
Yun Jiangli did not mention what happened just now to the little prince. The person has already been handed over to Prince Cheng. He doesn’t look like a tough guy, and he should be able to get some information out of him.
.
Yan Muning did not stay at the palace banquet until the end. It was almost midnight when he returned to the mansion. He was so sleepy that he yawned continuously and did not want to move a finger.
He took off his complicated clothes layer by layer, and after taking a bath, he changed into light and soft undergarments. The little prince lay on the bed and sighed comfortably.
“Aren’t you going to sleep yet?”
Yun Jiangli sat at the end of the bed, massaging the little prince’s sore calves. Seeing the youth rubbing his eyes sleepily but still refusing to fall asleep, he asked.
The little prince yawned again, his eyes were moist, and he looked very soft.
“We have to stay up late on New Year.”
Yun Jiangli smiled: “Then you take a nap, and I will keep watch for you first?”
“No, Ah Li, I want to stay up with you.”
The little prince reached out and tugged at the hem of the big beauty’s undergarments. “Come closer, we can talk, and I won’t feel sleepy anymore.”
In previous years, Yan Muning would always stay up in the palace to celebrate the New Year. He would not feel sleepy with so many people and the noise around. When he was younger, he and Yuchi Zhao could make noise all night long.
This year was the first time for him to stay up on New Year’s Eve in such a quiet and peaceful manner. The person who accompanied him was his most beloved one, and there was a child about to be born in his belly as well. When the little prince thought of this, his eyes curved with satisfaction and a smile.
.
On New Year’s Eve, candles will be lit all night long.
At the beginning of midnight, the sky was filled with snowflakes, reflecting the festive atmosphere of the red lanterns in the courtyard.
Yan Muning was mumbling quietly in Yun Jiangli’s arms when he suddenly heard a commotion in the courtyard—
“It’s snowing!”
The little prince’s ears twitched, and he suddenly became alert. He turned his head and looked at Yun Jiangli with his bright eyes.
Yun Jiangli was amused by the youth’s appearance: “Do you want to go and play?”
“En!” Yan Muning nodded vigorously.
“Are you not sleepy anymore? Weren’t you too tired to move just now?” Yun Jiangli teased him deliberately.
The little prince could tell from the big beauty’s tone that he was teasing him, so he pulled the big beauty’s hand and put it on his belly without any hesitation: “It’s the child who wants to play. If you don’t believe me, ask him!”
Not sure if it’s because the little prince has been talking to the child in his belly recently or something, but the child seemed to understand what Yan Muming said and cooperated by nudging the palm of his other father.
Yun Jiangli felt the child’s liveliness and gazed into the youth’s eyes. His heart was filled with these two, one big and one small, treasure.
“Fine, go wherever the child wants.”
Yun Jiangli agreed with a smile and directly took one of his thick cloaks from a chair not far away. Without even giving the youth shoes to wear, he checked the youth from head to toe, then put on a cloak himself, and then carried the youth out of the bedroom.
Chen Mo and Shiyi, who were on duty outside, saw the two masters coming out and immediately came to greet them.
“What’s wrong, Your Highness?”
Shiyi was a little anxious when he saw the little prince being held by Yun Jiangli.
Before Yan Muning could speak, Yun Jiangli responded first: “Your Little Highness wants to play in the snow.”
Shiyi’s hands, which he had just stretched out to touch Yan Muning, were stuck in mid-air. After a long while, he said dryly, “Little Master, you are really amazing. It’s already this late, and you’re still bothering the Young Hall Master…”
The little prince was originally a little shy because of Yun Jiangli’s words and was just concentrating on pretending to be an ostrich. But when he heard Shiyi’s words, he immediately raised his head and glared at him fiercely.
“Hey, wait a minute, Little Master. I’ll go call Xiao Jiu and the others over to play with us.”
Shiyi immediately ran away with a flattering smile.
“Hey, bring some fireworks, it’s going to be Zhizheng[mfn]11-1am[/mfn] soon!”
The little prince was very happy to hear that there was excitement. The drowsiness he felt at the palace banquet was long gone. He was struggling in Yun Jiangli’s arms, and even stretched out his hand from his tightly wrapped cloak to gesture twice.
Yun Jiangli patted the naughty youth in his arms lovingly, then turned to Chen Mo and ordered, “Bring a heater, I’m afraid Xiao Wangye will be cold at night.”
Not long after Shiyi ran out, there was a commotion in the yard. The little prince looked up at Yun Jiangli in surprise: “Am I so sleepy that I am daydreaming? Why do I seem to hear Ah Zhao’s voice?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuchi Zhao appeared at the gate with a loud and threatening voice.
“Ah Ning! I know you must not be asleep yet, come and see the fireworks!”
Yuchi Zhao is truly a man who can rival five others in power.
Yun Jiangli placed the wrapped youth on the reclining chair in the corridor and carefully covered him with a fur blanket. Next to the chair was a heater. The little prince sat on the chair with his hands in his pockets, feeling warm and smiling foolishly.
“Ah Zhao, why did you run away from the palace banquet as well?”
Yuchi was fiddling with fireworks in the courtyard while complaining, “What’s the point of staying with those old antiques? They only say boring things when they drink. I told His Majesty that I would come to accompany you and just ran away!”
As they were talking, the remaining guards came into the yard one after another, chatting and laughing. The small courtyard outside Prince An’s bedroom suddenly became bustling.
From a distance, some people could already hear firecrackers being set off. Yan Muning asked excitedly, “Is it alr Zhezheng?”
Chen Mo glanced at the hour and said, “Yes, Your Highness.”
Steward Zhou led several servants in with steaming food boxes: “Come, come, come, it’s time to eat dumplings! There are also hot sesame and peanut dumplings!”
The young boys in the yard crowded around Steward Zhou.
Chen Mo went to fetch a food box and brought it to the little prince: “Your Highness and Young Hall Master should have some too.”
Yan Muning had been busy watching the excitement and even felt that a pair of eyes was not enough. He turned his head to look at Yun Jiangli standing beside him and realized that this person was always by his side. His phoenix eyes were reflecting the brilliance of fireworks, and his deep affection was about to overflow when he looked at him.
The person just stood there quietly, just as he had remembered when he first saw him. He was so beautiful that he seemed like a cold and beautiful immortal who was not tainted by the hustle and bustle of the world.
His jet-black hair was scattered behind his body, and the red lanterns hanging in the corridor cast a soft blush on his fair cheeks. His eyes still had that unique, lazy charm, but the look in his eyes when he was staring at him was no longer as cold as before but was replaced by love and attachment.
The two of them stared at each other quietly for a long time, as if the noise around them didn’t exist and there were only the two of them here.
For the first time, Yan Muning had a strange feeling in his heart—
This god-like person was actually dragged into the mortal world by himself. He lost his cold and arrogant aura and now seems to be more lively.
The little prince smiled, his round eyes curved into a beautiful arc, and his shallow dimples were looming. He stretched out his hand to Yun Jiangli: “Ah Li, come and eat dumplings.”
Yun Jiangli squatted in front of Yan Muning, and the two of them first shared the same bowl of glutinous rice balls.
“Ah Li, eat one!”
Yan Muning knew that Yun Jiangli rarely ate sweets on weekdays, but the glutinous rice balls during the New Year were always different.
He scooped up a piece with a spoon and put it to the big beauty’s lips: “Eat it quickly, the glutinous rice balls in the mansion are the most delicious, eat them while they are hot!”
“Do you know why we have to eat peanut and sesame fillings during the New Year?” The little prince stuffed another one for himself and ate it with great satisfaction.
Yun Jiangli shook his head. He really didn’t care much about these things before.
Yan Muning’s eyes lit up: “Finally, there is something you don’t know!”
Yun Jiangli’s gentle gaze lingered on the youth, and he couldn’t help but laugh at his smug expression: “En, I don’t know, can Xiao Wangye tell me?”
“Peanuts will make good things happen, and sesame allows one to rise step by step!”
The little prince couldn’t help but move closer to Yun Jiangli and kissed the corner of his lips lightly, then left quickly as if he was a little shy.
The big beauty who was kissed secretly by the youth raised his fingertips and touched his lower lip. The softest part of his heart seemed to be gently touched by a kitten.
Yun Jiangli watched the little prince picking and choosing among the dumplings in the food box. Just as he was about to ask something, the youth picked up a dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth.
“Umm…”
Yun Jiangli was biting a dumpling when he was hit unexpectedly.
The youth laughed like a little fox: “Did you get a copper coin?”
Seeing Yun Jiangli spit out a copper coin from his mouth, the little prince leaned forward with joy, raised his hands to hold his neck, and said excitedly, “Great, this is a good sign! Everything will go smoothly for Ah Li!”
Yun Jiangli was held in the youth’s arms. The words that rang in his ears made his heart skip a beat, and then it started beating wildly, even making him feel dizzy.
His youth, his little prince.
He presented the best to him one by one with all sincerity.
His eyes suddenly felt a little sad. This little fool probably didn’t know that the most precious person he had ever met in the past twenty-three years was him, Yan Muning.
He raised his hand and gently put it around the youth’s waist, saying softly, “Ningning, have a happy new year.”
The little prince loosened the hand that was around his neck, stepped back a little, stared at him with his round eyes that were brighter than the stars in the sky, tilted his head, and smiled at him.
“Ah Li, Happy New Year.”
So precious!