Edited: 11.08.2023
After the red-clothed teen let out that exclamation of surprise, his pale face turned red and he hastily dropped to his knees: “Y-Your Majesty, please forgive me. This commoner didn’t mean to, this commoner didn’t know that you were h……ere…..”
When Gu Yan saw the person in front of him, his tightened expression relaxed slightly.
He ignored the red-clothed teen and turned his head towards Ye Zi, asking in a warm voice: “Are you okay?”
Ye Zi felt a little embarrassed when he was caught getting close to the person he cared about. He hid behind Gu Yan and shook his head, hesitating: “He…..”
“Leave it to me.” Gu Yan softly soothed him as he got up and walked to the teen’s side: “Was it Lord Ge who told you to come here?”
The red-clothed teen shrank back and didn’t answer.
Gu Yan’s gaze turned colder: “Answer me.”
The red-clothed teen’s eyes flooded with water as he softly answered: “……Yes.”
The nights in Yi’an were a bit cold yet he was still wearing the thin red silk dance clothes. As he knelt down on the cold stone steps, his body trembling slightly.
The coldness under Gu Yan’s eyes intensified: “I can forget today’s matter, but you are not allowed to say what you saw. Otherwise, this Prince guarantees that you will regret it. Now scram.”
The red-clothed teen trembled, but he did not move.
Gu Yan frowned: “Why are you not leaving?”
The red-clothed teen opened his mouth and his voice was thin like a mosquito: “I……this commoner……this commoner can’t leave.”
Gu Yan asked: “Why?”
The red-clothed teen was silent for a moment before whispering: “Lord Ge said that if I cannot…..if I cannot win Your Majesty’s love, to not go back and see him.”
Gu Yan’s eyes had a rare hint of anger: “You——”
“Your Majesty.” Ye Zi suddenly opened his mouth and interrupted him in a low voice: “Don’t be angry. Let’s understand the situation first.”
He walked forward and said to the red-clothed teen: “The ground is cold, get up before we talk.”
The red-clothed teen didn’t dare to move and looked up at Gu Yan.
Gu Yan said irritably: “He told you to get up, so get up.”
Only then did the red-clothed teen stand up.
Ye Zi asked: “Who are you and why did the magistrate send you here?”
The red-clothed teen replied: “This commoner is from Yi’an. I was bought by Lord Ge to be a servant of the residence ever since I was a child. Lord Ge…….noticed my appearance and sent someone to teach me to sing and to dance. He……he heard that the official sent to Guangling liked men and wanted to offer me to him, but it happened that the Prince was the one to arrive so……”
Ye Zi chuckled: “So he told you to come and seduce my Prince?”
The red-clothed teen’s eyes moved slightly for a moment, not daring to answer.
He had just met Ye Zi at the banquet and this person was with Prince Jing. But now it seemed that this person had a close relationship with Prince Rui. The teenager didn’t understand. He knew that Prince Rui liked men and had married a man as his consort. But Princess Rui was far away in Chang’an. Who was this person in front of him?
Could it be that this person was the one that Prince Rui had his eyes on?……
Ye Zi’s eyes moved as he walked to Gu Yan’s side and held his hand: “Little guy, everything is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Prince already has me by his side so butt off.”
Gu Yan frowned imperceptibly and was about to say something when Ye Zi lightly pinched his hand.
Ye Zi turned his head to look at the red-clothed teen and laughed: “So go back and tell Lord Ge not to have any thoughts about my Prince again, there is no chance.”
The red-clothed teen pursed his lips and lowered his head: “……I understand.”
Gu Yan tugged at Ye Zi and said softly: “What are you trying to do?”
Ye Zi curved his lips and deliberately whispered into Gu Yan’s ear: “What does it look like I’m doing? Your Majesty, did I say something wrong?”
Gu Yan was helpless.
The fact that Ye Zi was Princess Consort Rui couldn’t be exposed at this moment but he also didn’t want others to hit on Gu Yan again. Therefore, he made his words purposefully ambiguous, so that others wouldn’t think that he was the real Princess Consort Rui.
Instead, his words made it easy for people to think that he was a male lover whom Gu Yan had recently taken a liking to.
This person had inevitably placed himself in a lower position.
Gu Yan shook his head and didn’t say anything else. He brought Ye Zi closer to him and looked at the red-clothed teen: “You’ve heard it all, why are you still here?”
The red-clothed teen hung his head and a few moments later, tears actually fell from his eyes.
Ye Zi was stunned before he saw the red-clothed teen dropping back onto the ground with a hoarse voice: “Your Majesty, the commoner is willing to do anything for you, as long as you don’t drive me away……”
Ye Zi vaguely realized something and asked: “What exactly is going on?”
The red-clothed teen was silent for a long time before he choked on his voice: “My mother……is suffering from the epidemic.”
“Lord Ge said that His Majesty is looking for a cure, but that cure will not be able to save everyone. When the time comes, only the powerful people in the city will be able to get the medicine first…….Your Majesty, I really have no other way. Lord Ge said that this was the only way he would help me……”
Gu Yan’s hand tightened at his side and his eyes narrowed dangerously: “Did he really say that?”
“Yes.” The red-clothed teen answered in a low voice: “He also said……”
“What else did he say?”
The red-clothed teen trembled: “……He also said that if this commoner cannot successfully stay by His Majesty’s side, he will drive my mother out of Zenkong Temple.”
Gu Yan snorted: “Does he actually dare to do that?”
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The red-clothed teen cowered on the ground for a moment as he softly answered: “There are many sick people in Zenkong Temple nowadays and the guards are all Lord Ge’s subordinates. If he sends someone to disguise her as a patient who died of the epidemic and throw her out of the temple, no one will know about it. By then, I’m afraid that she would be dead in less than half a day. Your Majesty, I dare not disobey Lord Ge.”
Ye Zi frowned slightly and said in disbelief: “The county magistrate is a local official, how can he do such a thing, Your Majesty, this……..”
“That dog official……” Gu Yan pondered for a moment and then asked: “What is your name?”
The red-clothed teen replied: “A Chu.”
Gu Yan said: “Okay, I understand. Go back for tonight, I promise I won’t let anything happen to your mother.”
A Chu was silent for a moment before nodding and turning to leave the pavilion.
Ye Zi sighed: “Oppressing people with power and accepting bribes from the powerful, this is too detestable.”
“It’s late now, go back and rest first.” Gu Yan said, “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to Zenkong Temple to see how Pei Ge is doing.”
Ye Zi nodded: “Okay.”
The two of them walked towards the backyard. Gu Yan brought Ye Zi to the courtyard where Gu Yi was staying and just as he was about to go in, Ye Zi suddenly pulled him.
Gu Yan turned around and asked: “What’s wrong?”
Ye Zi pursed his lips and asked in a low voice: “Why did you come here?”
Gu Yan said: “I’m sending you back to your room.”
Seeing that Gu Yan didn’t understand his hint at all, Ye Zi said sharply: “That’s not where I’m staying.”
Gu Yan deliberately asked: “Then where are you staying?”
“I……” Ye Zi opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
What he had deliberately said in front of A Chu just now was also to let everyone know that he was already following Gu Yan, so he could rightfully remain by Gu Yan’s side. After not seeing him for so long, he simply didn’t want to leave his side for a moment.
But……what was this now?
Ye Zi hesitated for a long time. But when raised his eyes, he noticed that Gu Yan was looking at him with a smile on his face and he was immediately annoyed: “Gu Zicheng, are you playing me?”
Gu Yan let out a light laugh and didn’t mess with him anymore as he brought him back to his bedroom.
It was late and the two of them washed up early before heading to bed. However, since Ye Zi had already slept for a day and a night earlier, he wasn’t sleepy at all now.
And……the person he missed terribly was lying beside him, how could he continue to sleep indifferently?
Ye Zi borrowed the moonlight outside the window, inclined his head to look at Gu Yan’s profile, and couldn’t help but call out in a low voice: “Your Majesty……”
Gu Yan ignored him.
Ye Zi paused, moved to Gu Yan’s side, and softly called again: “Your Majesty, Gu Yan, Gu Zicheng……”
Gu Yan still ignored him, like he was asleep.
Ye Zi blinked and the lust that had been suppressed during the day came out. He quietly reached out his hand and slid his fingers into Gu Yan’s clothes, touching his tight and delicate muscles. Ye Zi stared at Gu Yan’s reaction and the latter remained motionless, as if he was not aware of it.
Ye Zi took advantage of the situation and boldly moved his fingers down slowly, but before he could touch anything, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Ye Zi immediately felt the sky spinning and when he came back to his senses, he was already pressed onto the bed by Gu Yan.
Gu Yan leaned down to look at him condescendingly with his clothes half open by Ye Zi. With a frown, he questioned: “Why are you provoking me instead of going to sleep?”
Ye Zi’s cheeks burned brightly as he hastily turned his eyes away: “Weren’t you asleep?”
“If I was asleep, what were you going to do?” Gu Yan curled his lips up into a smile, “My beloved consort, you’re getting more and more bold now, how dare you take advantage of me while this Prince is asleep?”
This wasn’t the first time Ye Zi had done this kind of thing. In the past, Gu Yan had more or less found out about it, but he hadn’t made a sound about it.
In Ye Zi’s mind, this was the first time Gu Yan had discovered his small actions.
Ye Zi buried half of his face in the pillow, closed his eyes tightly, and was ashamed to death. During the movement, the lapel of his clothes opened a little, revealing a small piece of smooth skin on his neck.
Gu Yan’s eyes darkened. He lowered his head and gently kissed him on the neck.
Ye Zi’s breathing suddenly quickened.
Seeing him like this, Gu Yan suddenly felt a little playful. He lowered his eyes and looked at the face close at hand with seriousness: “That reminds me, Princess Consort Rui, do you admit to your mistakes?”
Ye Zi’s heartbeat quickened. He opened his eyes and asked in a low voice: “……What did I do?”
“You ruined this Prince’s reputation.” Gu Yan straightened up, “This Prince is someone who avoids immorality, but because of your words tonight, everyone is going to think that I am a playboy, a womanizer.”
Ye Zi was silent and couldn’t help but inwardly slander: ‘When has Gu Yan’s image outside ever been good? Even without him saying so, weren’t outsiders looking at him as a playboy and womanizer anyway?’
He pursed his lips, did not talk back to Gu Yan, and asked timidly: “What do you want, Your Majesty?”
“Since you have done something wrong, you must be given a small punishment.” Gu Yan tilted his head and smiled: “Both crimes will be punished at the same time. Do you accept the punishment, my beloved consort?”
Ye Zi’s eyelashes trembled and he was somewhat unable to resist Gu Yan’s teasing. He closed his eyes and moved to the side, begging for mercy: “Zicheng, I……”
Gu Yan let out a light sigh.
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He let go and gathered Ye Zi into his arms: “I want you to stop messing with me.”
Gu Yan gently stroked Ye Zi’s lips, and his voice was a little hoarse and low: “A Zi, it’s not that I don’t want to, but my heart aches for you. This place is so simple and I haven’t prepared anything. If I really do it with you, I don’t know if you could bear it. Furthermore…..”
Gu Yan paused and gently squeezed Ye Zi’s hand.
He hadn’t noticed it before, but it wasn’t until yesterday evening when he was helping him change clothes that Gu Yan discovered tiny cuts littering the man’s hand, most likely caused by the rough ropes from when he was holding the reins.
The scars had faded a lot over the night, but Gu Yan still felt a little distressed when he thought about it: “You have suffered so much and definitely need a few days to recuperate. You are not allowed to fool around, do you understand?”
Ye Zi nodded. With a reddened face, he leaned on Gu Yan’s shoulder and said nothing more.
The next day, Gu Yan first took Ye Zi to the courtyard next to Zenkong Temple, which was Pei Ge’s current residence. After arriving in Yi’an, Gu Yan specially asked the magistrate to find this place for Pei Ge, so that it was convenient for him to dispense medicines and help the patients.
The two of them stepped into the courtyard and immediately smelled the strong fragrance of medicine.
Decoctions were boiling on several fires in the courtyard as many attendants rushed in and out, carrying decoctions and giving them to the patients. However, Pei Ge was not in the yard.
Seeing Gu Yan enter, the attendants stopped and saluted him.
Gu Yan casually grabbed one of them and asked: “Where is Dr. Pei?”
The attendant replied: “Dr. Pei went inside last night to look through the medical books and has yet to come out.”
Gu Yan nodded and pulled Ye Zi to the door before gently knocking twice.
There was no response.
Gu Yan and Ye Zi exchanged glances before pushing open the door and walking in.
In the inner room, Pei Ge was flipping through medical books in concentration, not noticing that someone had entered the room. The table in front of him was stacked with thick medical books, no less than dozens of them.
Gu Yan shook his head helplessly and cleared his throat: “Pei Ge.”
Pei Ge suddenly came back to his senses. When he noticed Gu Yan in a daze, he stood up: “This commoner wasn’t paying attention and didn’t notice that the two of you had come in. Pei Ge greets Your Majesty and Your Highness.”
Gu Yan glanced at the already cold breakfast on the table and chuckled: “Dr. Pei, I know you are anxious. But if you don’t eat or drink, I think you’ll fall sick first before the epidemic gets cured.”
Pei Ge let out an “ah” and shook his head with a smile: “Your Majesty is right, I’ll eat now.”
Gu Yan stopped him for a moment: “It’s already cold, I’ll send someone to bring you something else later. Tell me, how’s the progress going?”
Pei Ge said: “The powder that Your Majesty delivered had been tested by this commoner. In terms of medicinal properties, they do have an inhibitory effect on the symptoms of the epidemic. But whether it can really cure it, I am afraid we have to find someone to try it.”
“You’re saying we need to find someone to try the medicine?” Gu Yan hesitated for a moment: “But now that the effect of that medicine is not yet known, if we randomly find people to try the medicine, I’m afraid that……Other than that, is there no other method?”
Pei Ge shook his head: “There is no other way.”
Gu Yan pondered for a moment and then asked: “What kind of medicine is that powder, have you found out?”
“Found out a little.”
Gu Yan frowned: “A little?”
Pei Ge took out a piece of paper from underneath several volumes of medical books and handed it to Gu Yan: “The powder is made from grinding the roots of many kinds of herbs, not just one kind. I searched for a whole night and found these kinds, please have a look at them, Your Majesty.”
Gu Yan took it and scanned through it: “Then……”
Pei Ge knew what he was going to say and replied: “None of them are what we are looking for.”
Pei Ge continued: “This powder is mixed with a variety of medicinal herbs, most of these that I’ve identified now have the use of benefiting the qi and tranquilizing the mind. Basically, they’re tonics. These tonics mixed into the powder will not have any impact on the efficacy of the medicine, but this commoner found that even without these tonics, the efficacy of this powder will not be affected.”
Gu Yan pondered: “That means……”
“In other words, someone doesn’t want us to find out which medicine in this powder is playing the main role.”
Ye Zi was stunned for a moment and he turned his head to look at Gu Yan: “This……”
Gu Yan shook his head and snorted: “Imperial uncle has really taken great pains.”
Pei Ge deliberated for a moment: “There’s one more thing. Your Majesty previously told me that the source of the epidemic might be a pollen poison called ‘coil orchid,’ but I looked through the medical books and didn’t find any information related to it.”
Gu Yan’s brows furrowed slightly.
Pei Ge lowered his head: “I’m sorry, it’s because this commoner is not well educated.”
Gu Yan said: “There is no need for Dr. Pei to be like this. If it wasn’t for you, the situation would have only gotten worse. I’ll think of a way to test the medicine as soon as possible, you don’t need to worry.”
“Okay.”
The two of them left the courtyard and walked in the direction of Zenkong Temple.
Ye Zi lowered his head and remained silent all the way. Gu Yan turned his head to look at his expression and said with a smile: “Look at your sad face. Don’t worry, I’m here.”
Ye Zi sighed: “How can I not worry? Say, why on earth do you think Sixth Imperial Uncle did that?”
“He told you that it was a kind of pollen poison, yet he hid the real name of that flower. He clearly gave you the antidote, yet he mixed it with several herbs so that you couldn’t see what it really was. Exactly what is he trying to achieve?……”
Gu Yan said: “I also don’t understand what kind of games this Imperial uncle of mine is playing. Perhaps he has his own reasons. Hopefully, we’ll know when Pei Ge formulates the antidote.”
Ye Zi’s footsteps slightly paused: “You really want to find someone to test the medicine?”
Gu Yan narrowed his eyes and didn’t answer.
The two of them had already reached Zenkong Temple and the sound of ethereal bells echoed in the mountains and fields, sounding calming to the mind. Under the cover of the bells, the coughing and groaning sounds of the people could be vaguely heard coming from the temple.
Ye Zi couldn’t bear hearing this and couldn’t help but say: “Your Majesty, I…….”
Gu Yan looked back at him: “What do you want to do?”
Ye Zi felt guilty when he saw him and turned away.
Gu Yan, however, didn’t let him hide. He took two steps closer and said seriously: “A Zi, don’t be a fool. As I said before, if you dare to do anything to harm yourself, I will have someone send you away right now.”
Ye Zi lowered his head and let out a soft groan, not daring to say anything else.
The patients inside Zenkong Temple were taken care of by specialized personnel and there were also specialized personnel guarding the outside of the temple. Generally speaking, no one was allowed in or out and Gu Yan didn’t let Ye Zi in. He put on Pei Ge’s special protective shield and went in to look around.
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Ye Zi waited alone outside the temple and walked around in boredom when he suddenly heard noises coming from not far away.
It looked like it was coming from Zenkong Temple’s side entrance. It was sparsely populated and only two guards were standing watch.
The two guards were fat and thin. In front of them, there was a young teenager kneeling on the ground, holding a woman in his arms. The teenager’s shoulders were shaking and he was sobbing and begging: “Please, please let my mother go in for the medicine. If she doesn’t drink medicine today, she…….she won’t be able to survive.”
This voice sounded extraordinarily familiar.
Ye Zi was stunned for a moment and immediately came back to his senses.
Wasn’t this the red-clothed teen, A Chu, that he had met at the banquet last night?
A Chu held the woman in his arms and wanted to enter Zenkong Temple, but the two guards did not relent and blocked the door to prevent them from entering. Seeing that A Chu refused to leave, the tall and thin guard kicked him in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground.
The thin guard walked up and laughed: ”Mr. A Chu, do you still think you’re a hotshot in front of the magistrate? The magistrate has said that you have been expelled from the residence for your unfavorable actions and your mother will never set foot in Zenkong Temple again. If you want the medicine, go to Prince Rui and see if he will take pity on you and help you.”
A Chu curled up on the ground in pain and raised his eyes to look angrily at the two men: “You guys——Prince Rui clearly said earlier that all the people suffering from the epidemic could enter Zenkong Temple for medical treatment, why are you stopping us from going in?”
The fatter guard said: “Why are you still talking with him? This old woman is about to die, hurry up and scram. Go die somewhere far away, lest you infect us.”
“That’s true.” The thin guard said: “Mr. A Chu, if you don’t get lost, I’m not going to be polite either. Seeing your weak little body, if I accidentally beat you to death, wouldn’t it be a pity for your beautiful face?”
A Chu withdrew his gaze and said: “I’m not leaving.”
The thin guard cursed: “It seems you won’t shed a tear unless you see the coffin[1], I——”
He clenched his right hand into a fist and was about to land a hit on A Chu when suddenly a hand reached out from the side and captured his wrist.
Ye Zi raised his eyes and let out a cold laugh: “What kind of person bullies a child? If you have the ability, you can come and fight me.”
A Chu was stunned. He immediately recognized Ye Zi and hurriedly said, “Mister, Mister, please save my mother. My mother is dying.”
The thin guard struggled a bit, but failed to break free, and angrily yelled: “Who are you to interfere with this official’s affairs?”
“Official?” Ye Zi tilted his head and laughed: “Is the official uniform on you only used to bully innocent people? With this appearance, does it look like you are worthy of serving as a county government official?”
“Where did this brat come from, who gave him the guts to speak so shamelessly?” The thin guard spat: “Give him a beating!”
As his words fell, the fat guard behind him immediately drew his sword and slashed straight towards Ye Zi.
Ye Zi lightly dodged sideways, raised his foot, kicked the thin guard beside him away, and quickly drew out the sword on his waist. He swung the sword towards the fat guard in front of him. Since the other party couldn’t dodge in time, he subconsciously raised his sword to block it.
The sound of metal hitting each other rippled through the open space and the fat guard felt his arm going sore and numb. He couldn’t help but let go of his hand and his sword was knocked out to the ground.
Ye Zi made up for it with a timely kick, kicking the man aside to where the thin guard was.
The two were about to get up when Ye Zi gently swung the sword and landed it impartially between their necks.
The noise of their fight attracted the attention of the other guards in the temple. A team of patrol guards rushed out from Zenkong Temple and surrounded the three of them.
As soon as the thin guard saw the situation reversed, he immediately shouted: “This damn brat dares to attack an official in a guarded area of the government. Take him down quickly.”
The patrolling guards were about to make a move, but Ye Zi suddenly opened his mouth: “Hey, aren’t you guys going to ask me why I attacked him, is this how you guys do things here?”
The thin guard sneered: “Brat, are you afraid now?”
“Of course I’m not afraid. It’s only a small number of people, what’s there to be afraid of?” Ye Zi tilted his head, glanced at the people around him, and said regretfully, “I just think you are confusing right and wrong. But it’s no wonder, if even people like you can get a government official position, the others shouldn’t be much better.”
“You——” The thin guard was furious and said hurriedly: “Why are you guys still standing there?!”
Just then, a voice suddenly came out from the temple: “What are you all doing here?”
Gu Yan slowly stepped out of Zenkong Temple and took off the protective shield, his gaze landing on Ye Zi.
Ye Zi blinked and immediately dropped the sword in his hand, saying in a pitifully soft voice: “……They’re going to beat me up.”
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[1] Idiom: refuse to be convinced until one is faced with grim reality.
Edited: 11.08.2023
After the red-clothed teen let out that exclamation of surprise, his pale face turned red and he hastily dropped to his knees: “Y-Your Majesty, please forgive me. This commoner didn’t mean to, this commoner didn’t know that you were h……ere…..”
When Gu Yan saw the person in front of him, his tightened expression relaxed slightly.
He ignored the red-clothed teen and turned his head towards Ye Zi, asking in a warm voice: “Are you okay?”
Ye Zi felt a little embarrassed when he was caught getting close to the person he cared about. He hid behind Gu Yan and shook his head, hesitating: “He…..”
“Leave it to me.” Gu Yan softly soothed him as he got up and walked to the teen’s side: “Was it Lord Ge who told you to come here?”
The red-clothed teen shrank back and didn’t answer.
Gu Yan’s gaze turned colder: “Answer me.”
The red-clothed teen’s eyes flooded with water as he softly answered: “……Yes.”
The nights in Yi’an were a bit cold yet he was still wearing the thin red silk dance clothes. As he knelt down on the cold stone steps, his body trembling slightly.
The coldness under Gu Yan’s eyes intensified: “I can forget today’s matter, but you are not allowed to say what you saw. Otherwise, this Prince guarantees that you will regret it. Now scram.”
The red-clothed teen trembled, but he did not move.
Gu Yan frowned: “Why are you not leaving?”
The red-clothed teen opened his mouth and his voice was thin like a mosquito: “I……this commoner……this commoner can’t leave.”
Gu Yan asked: “Why?”
The red-clothed teen was silent for a moment before whispering: “Lord Ge said that if I cannot…..if I cannot win Your Majesty’s love, to not go back and see him.”
Gu Yan’s eyes had a rare hint of anger: “You——”
“Your Majesty.” Ye Zi suddenly opened his mouth and interrupted him in a low voice: “Don’t be angry. Let’s understand the situation first.”
He walked forward and said to the red-clothed teen: “The ground is cold, get up before we talk.”
The red-clothed teen didn’t dare to move and looked up at Gu Yan.
Gu Yan said irritably: “He told you to get up, so get up.”
Only then did the red-clothed teen stand up.
Ye Zi asked: “Who are you and why did the magistrate send you here?”
The red-clothed teen replied: “This commoner is from Yi’an. I was bought by Lord Ge to be a servant of the residence ever since I was a child. Lord Ge…….noticed my appearance and sent someone to teach me to sing and to dance. He……he heard that the official sent to Guangling liked men and wanted to offer me to him, but it happened that the Prince was the one to arrive so……”
Ye Zi chuckled: “So he told you to come and seduce my Prince?”
The red-clothed teen’s eyes moved slightly for a moment, not daring to answer.
He had just met Ye Zi at the banquet and this person was with Prince Jing. But now it seemed that this person had a close relationship with Prince Rui. The teenager didn’t understand. He knew that Prince Rui liked men and had married a man as his consort. But Princess Rui was far away in Chang’an. Who was this person in front of him?
Could it be that this person was the one that Prince Rui had his eyes on?……
Ye Zi’s eyes moved as he walked to Gu Yan’s side and held his hand: “Little guy, everything is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Prince already has me by his side so butt off.”
Gu Yan frowned imperceptibly and was about to say something when Ye Zi lightly pinched his hand.
Ye Zi turned his head to look at the red-clothed teen and laughed: “So go back and tell Lord Ge not to have any thoughts about my Prince again, there is no chance.”
The red-clothed teen pursed his lips and lowered his head: “……I understand.”
Gu Yan tugged at Ye Zi and said softly: “What are you trying to do?”
Ye Zi curved his lips and deliberately whispered into Gu Yan’s ear: “What does it look like I’m doing? Your Majesty, did I say something wrong?”
Gu Yan was helpless.
The fact that Ye Zi was Princess Consort Rui couldn’t be exposed at this moment but he also didn’t want others to hit on Gu Yan again. Therefore, he made his words purposefully ambiguous, so that others wouldn’t think that he was the real Princess Consort Rui.
Instead, his words made it easy for people to think that he was a male lover whom Gu Yan had recently taken a liking to.
This person had inevitably placed himself in a lower position.
Gu Yan shook his head and didn’t say anything else. He brought Ye Zi closer to him and looked at the red-clothed teen: “You’ve heard it all, why are you still here?”
The red-clothed teen hung his head and a few moments later, tears actually fell from his eyes.
Ye Zi was stunned before he saw the red-clothed teen dropping back onto the ground with a hoarse voice: “Your Majesty, the commoner is willing to do anything for you, as long as you don’t drive me away……”
Ye Zi vaguely realized something and asked: “What exactly is going on?”
The red-clothed teen was silent for a long time before he choked on his voice: “My mother……is suffering from the epidemic.”
“Lord Ge said that His Majesty is looking for a cure, but that cure will not be able to save everyone. When the time comes, only the powerful people in the city will be able to get the medicine first…….Your Majesty, I really have no other way. Lord Ge said that this was the only way he would help me……”
Gu Yan’s hand tightened at his side and his eyes narrowed dangerously: “Did he really say that?”
“Yes.” The red-clothed teen answered in a low voice: “He also said……”
“What else did he say?”
The red-clothed teen trembled: “……He also said that if this commoner cannot successfully stay by His Majesty’s side, he will drive my mother out of Zenkong Temple.”
Gu Yan snorted: “Does he actually dare to do that?”
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The red-clothed teen cowered on the ground for a moment as he softly answered: “There are many sick people in Zenkong Temple nowadays and the guards are all Lord Ge’s subordinates. If he sends someone to disguise her as a patient who died of the epidemic and throw her out of the temple, no one will know about it. By then, I’m afraid that she would be dead in less than half a day. Your Majesty, I dare not disobey Lord Ge.”
Ye Zi frowned slightly and said in disbelief: “The county magistrate is a local official, how can he do such a thing, Your Majesty, this……..”
“That dog official……” Gu Yan pondered for a moment and then asked: “What is your name?”
The red-clothed teen replied: “A Chu.”
Gu Yan said: “Okay, I understand. Go back for tonight, I promise I won’t let anything happen to your mother.”
A Chu was silent for a moment before nodding and turning to leave the pavilion.
Ye Zi sighed: “Oppressing people with power and accepting bribes from the powerful, this is too detestable.”
“It’s late now, go back and rest first.” Gu Yan said, “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to Zenkong Temple to see how Pei Ge is doing.”
Ye Zi nodded: “Okay.”
The two of them walked towards the backyard. Gu Yan brought Ye Zi to the courtyard where Gu Yi was staying and just as he was about to go in, Ye Zi suddenly pulled him.
Gu Yan turned around and asked: “What’s wrong?”
Ye Zi pursed his lips and asked in a low voice: “Why did you come here?”
Gu Yan said: “I’m sending you back to your room.”
Seeing that Gu Yan didn’t understand his hint at all, Ye Zi said sharply: “That’s not where I’m staying.”
Gu Yan deliberately asked: “Then where are you staying?”
“I……” Ye Zi opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
What he had deliberately said in front of A Chu just now was also to let everyone know that he was already following Gu Yan, so he could rightfully remain by Gu Yan’s side. After not seeing him for so long, he simply didn’t want to leave his side for a moment.
But……what was this now?
Ye Zi hesitated for a long time. But when raised his eyes, he noticed that Gu Yan was looking at him with a smile on his face and he was immediately annoyed: “Gu Zicheng, are you playing me?”
Gu Yan let out a light laugh and didn’t mess with him anymore as he brought him back to his bedroom.
It was late and the two of them washed up early before heading to bed. However, since Ye Zi had already slept for a day and a night earlier, he wasn’t sleepy at all now.
And……the person he missed terribly was lying beside him, how could he continue to sleep indifferently?
Ye Zi borrowed the moonlight outside the window, inclined his head to look at Gu Yan’s profile, and couldn’t help but call out in a low voice: “Your Majesty……”
Gu Yan ignored him.
Ye Zi paused, moved to Gu Yan’s side, and softly called again: “Your Majesty, Gu Yan, Gu Zicheng……”
Gu Yan still ignored him, like he was asleep.
Ye Zi blinked and the lust that had been suppressed during the day came out. He quietly reached out his hand and slid his fingers into Gu Yan’s clothes, touching his tight and delicate muscles. Ye Zi stared at Gu Yan’s reaction and the latter remained motionless, as if he was not aware of it.
Ye Zi took advantage of the situation and boldly moved his fingers down slowly, but before he could touch anything, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Ye Zi immediately felt the sky spinning and when he came back to his senses, he was already pressed onto the bed by Gu Yan.
Gu Yan leaned down to look at him condescendingly with his clothes half open by Ye Zi. With a frown, he questioned: “Why are you provoking me instead of going to sleep?”
Ye Zi’s cheeks burned brightly as he hastily turned his eyes away: “Weren’t you asleep?”
“If I was asleep, what were you going to do?” Gu Yan curled his lips up into a smile, “My beloved consort, you’re getting more and more bold now, how dare you take advantage of me while this Prince is asleep?”
This wasn’t the first time Ye Zi had done this kind of thing. In the past, Gu Yan had more or less found out about it, but he hadn’t made a sound about it.
In Ye Zi’s mind, this was the first time Gu Yan had discovered his small actions.
Ye Zi buried half of his face in the pillow, closed his eyes tightly, and was ashamed to death. During the movement, the lapel of his clothes opened a little, revealing a small piece of smooth skin on his neck.
Gu Yan’s eyes darkened. He lowered his head and gently kissed him on the neck.
Ye Zi’s breathing suddenly quickened.
Seeing him like this, Gu Yan suddenly felt a little playful. He lowered his eyes and looked at the face close at hand with seriousness: “That reminds me, Princess Consort Rui, do you admit to your mistakes?”
Ye Zi’s heartbeat quickened. He opened his eyes and asked in a low voice: “……What did I do?”
“You ruined this Prince’s reputation.” Gu Yan straightened up, “This Prince is someone who avoids immorality, but because of your words tonight, everyone is going to think that I am a playboy, a womanizer.”
Ye Zi was silent and couldn’t help but inwardly slander: ‘When has Gu Yan’s image outside ever been good? Even without him saying so, weren’t outsiders looking at him as a playboy and womanizer anyway?’
He pursed his lips, did not talk back to Gu Yan, and asked timidly: “What do you want, Your Majesty?”
“Since you have done something wrong, you must be given a small punishment.” Gu Yan tilted his head and smiled: “Both crimes will be punished at the same time. Do you accept the punishment, my beloved consort?”
Ye Zi’s eyelashes trembled and he was somewhat unable to resist Gu Yan’s teasing. He closed his eyes and moved to the side, begging for mercy: “Zicheng, I……”
Gu Yan let out a light sigh.
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He let go and gathered Ye Zi into his arms: “I want you to stop messing with me.”
Gu Yan gently stroked Ye Zi’s lips, and his voice was a little hoarse and low: “A Zi, it’s not that I don’t want to, but my heart aches for you. This place is so simple and I haven’t prepared anything. If I really do it with you, I don’t know if you could bear it. Furthermore…..”
Gu Yan paused and gently squeezed Ye Zi’s hand.
He hadn’t noticed it before, but it wasn’t until yesterday evening when he was helping him change clothes that Gu Yan discovered tiny cuts littering the man’s hand, most likely caused by the rough ropes from when he was holding the reins.
The scars had faded a lot over the night, but Gu Yan still felt a little distressed when he thought about it: “You have suffered so much and definitely need a few days to recuperate. You are not allowed to fool around, do you understand?”
Ye Zi nodded. With a reddened face, he leaned on Gu Yan’s shoulder and said nothing more.
The next day, Gu Yan first took Ye Zi to the courtyard next to Zenkong Temple, which was Pei Ge’s current residence. After arriving in Yi’an, Gu Yan specially asked the magistrate to find this place for Pei Ge, so that it was convenient for him to dispense medicines and help the patients.
The two of them stepped into the courtyard and immediately smelled the strong fragrance of medicine.
Decoctions were boiling on several fires in the courtyard as many attendants rushed in and out, carrying decoctions and giving them to the patients. However, Pei Ge was not in the yard.
Seeing Gu Yan enter, the attendants stopped and saluted him.
Gu Yan casually grabbed one of them and asked: “Where is Dr. Pei?”
The attendant replied: “Dr. Pei went inside last night to look through the medical books and has yet to come out.”
Gu Yan nodded and pulled Ye Zi to the door before gently knocking twice.
There was no response.
Gu Yan and Ye Zi exchanged glances before pushing open the door and walking in.
In the inner room, Pei Ge was flipping through medical books in concentration, not noticing that someone had entered the room. The table in front of him was stacked with thick medical books, no less than dozens of them.
Gu Yan shook his head helplessly and cleared his throat: “Pei Ge.”
Pei Ge suddenly came back to his senses. When he noticed Gu Yan in a daze, he stood up: “This commoner wasn’t paying attention and didn’t notice that the two of you had come in. Pei Ge greets Your Majesty and Your Highness.”
Gu Yan glanced at the already cold breakfast on the table and chuckled: “Dr. Pei, I know you are anxious. But if you don’t eat or drink, I think you’ll fall sick first before the epidemic gets cured.”
Pei Ge let out an “ah” and shook his head with a smile: “Your Majesty is right, I’ll eat now.”
Gu Yan stopped him for a moment: “It’s already cold, I’ll send someone to bring you something else later. Tell me, how’s the progress going?”
Pei Ge said: “The powder that Your Majesty delivered had been tested by this commoner. In terms of medicinal properties, they do have an inhibitory effect on the symptoms of the epidemic. But whether it can really cure it, I am afraid we have to find someone to try it.”
“You’re saying we need to find someone to try the medicine?” Gu Yan hesitated for a moment: “But now that the effect of that medicine is not yet known, if we randomly find people to try the medicine, I’m afraid that……Other than that, is there no other method?”
Pei Ge shook his head: “There is no other way.”
Gu Yan pondered for a moment and then asked: “What kind of medicine is that powder, have you found out?”
“Found out a little.”
Gu Yan frowned: “A little?”
Pei Ge took out a piece of paper from underneath several volumes of medical books and handed it to Gu Yan: “The powder is made from grinding the roots of many kinds of herbs, not just one kind. I searched for a whole night and found these kinds, please have a look at them, Your Majesty.”
Gu Yan took it and scanned through it: “Then……”
Pei Ge knew what he was going to say and replied: “None of them are what we are looking for.”
Pei Ge continued: “This powder is mixed with a variety of medicinal herbs, most of these that I’ve identified now have the use of benefiting the qi and tranquilizing the mind. Basically, they’re tonics. These tonics mixed into the powder will not have any impact on the efficacy of the medicine, but this commoner found that even without these tonics, the efficacy of this powder will not be affected.”
Gu Yan pondered: “That means……”
“In other words, someone doesn’t want us to find out which medicine in this powder is playing the main role.”
Ye Zi was stunned for a moment and he turned his head to look at Gu Yan: “This……”
Gu Yan shook his head and snorted: “Imperial uncle has really taken great pains.”
Pei Ge deliberated for a moment: “There’s one more thing. Your Majesty previously told me that the source of the epidemic might be a pollen poison called ‘coil orchid,’ but I looked through the medical books and didn’t find any information related to it.”
Gu Yan’s brows furrowed slightly.
Pei Ge lowered his head: “I’m sorry, it’s because this commoner is not well educated.”
Gu Yan said: “There is no need for Dr. Pei to be like this. If it wasn’t for you, the situation would have only gotten worse. I’ll think of a way to test the medicine as soon as possible, you don’t need to worry.”
“Okay.”
The two of them left the courtyard and walked in the direction of Zenkong Temple.
Ye Zi lowered his head and remained silent all the way. Gu Yan turned his head to look at his expression and said with a smile: “Look at your sad face. Don’t worry, I’m here.”
Ye Zi sighed: “How can I not worry? Say, why on earth do you think Sixth Imperial Uncle did that?”
“He told you that it was a kind of pollen poison, yet he hid the real name of that flower. He clearly gave you the antidote, yet he mixed it with several herbs so that you couldn’t see what it really was. Exactly what is he trying to achieve?……”
Gu Yan said: “I also don’t understand what kind of games this Imperial uncle of mine is playing. Perhaps he has his own reasons. Hopefully, we’ll know when Pei Ge formulates the antidote.”
Ye Zi’s footsteps slightly paused: “You really want to find someone to test the medicine?”
Gu Yan narrowed his eyes and didn’t answer.
The two of them had already reached Zenkong Temple and the sound of ethereal bells echoed in the mountains and fields, sounding calming to the mind. Under the cover of the bells, the coughing and groaning sounds of the people could be vaguely heard coming from the temple.
Ye Zi couldn’t bear hearing this and couldn’t help but say: “Your Majesty, I…….”
Gu Yan looked back at him: “What do you want to do?”
Ye Zi felt guilty when he saw him and turned away.
Gu Yan, however, didn’t let him hide. He took two steps closer and said seriously: “A Zi, don’t be a fool. As I said before, if you dare to do anything to harm yourself, I will have someone send you away right now.”
Ye Zi lowered his head and let out a soft groan, not daring to say anything else.
The patients inside Zenkong Temple were taken care of by specialized personnel and there were also specialized personnel guarding the outside of the temple. Generally speaking, no one was allowed in or out and Gu Yan didn’t let Ye Zi in. He put on Pei Ge’s special protective shield and went in to look around.
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Ye Zi waited alone outside the temple and walked around in boredom when he suddenly heard noises coming from not far away.
It looked like it was coming from Zenkong Temple’s side entrance. It was sparsely populated and only two guards were standing watch.
The two guards were fat and thin. In front of them, there was a young teenager kneeling on the ground, holding a woman in his arms. The teenager’s shoulders were shaking and he was sobbing and begging: “Please, please let my mother go in for the medicine. If she doesn’t drink medicine today, she…….she won’t be able to survive.”
This voice sounded extraordinarily familiar.
Ye Zi was stunned for a moment and immediately came back to his senses.
Wasn’t this the red-clothed teen, A Chu, that he had met at the banquet last night?
A Chu held the woman in his arms and wanted to enter Zenkong Temple, but the two guards did not relent and blocked the door to prevent them from entering. Seeing that A Chu refused to leave, the tall and thin guard kicked him in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground.
The thin guard walked up and laughed: ”Mr. A Chu, do you still think you’re a hotshot in front of the magistrate? The magistrate has said that you have been expelled from the residence for your unfavorable actions and your mother will never set foot in Zenkong Temple again. If you want the medicine, go to Prince Rui and see if he will take pity on you and help you.”
A Chu curled up on the ground in pain and raised his eyes to look angrily at the two men: “You guys——Prince Rui clearly said earlier that all the people suffering from the epidemic could enter Zenkong Temple for medical treatment, why are you stopping us from going in?”
The fatter guard said: “Why are you still talking with him? This old woman is about to die, hurry up and scram. Go die somewhere far away, lest you infect us.”
“That’s true.” The thin guard said: “Mr. A Chu, if you don’t get lost, I’m not going to be polite either. Seeing your weak little body, if I accidentally beat you to death, wouldn’t it be a pity for your beautiful face?”
A Chu withdrew his gaze and said: “I’m not leaving.”
The thin guard cursed: “It seems you won’t shed a tear unless you see the coffin[1], I——”
He clenched his right hand into a fist and was about to land a hit on A Chu when suddenly a hand reached out from the side and captured his wrist.
Ye Zi raised his eyes and let out a cold laugh: “What kind of person bullies a child? If you have the ability, you can come and fight me.”
A Chu was stunned. He immediately recognized Ye Zi and hurriedly said, “Mister, Mister, please save my mother. My mother is dying.”
The thin guard struggled a bit, but failed to break free, and angrily yelled: “Who are you to interfere with this official’s affairs?”
“Official?” Ye Zi tilted his head and laughed: “Is the official uniform on you only used to bully innocent people? With this appearance, does it look like you are worthy of serving as a county government official?”
“Where did this brat come from, who gave him the guts to speak so shamelessly?” The thin guard spat: “Give him a beating!”
As his words fell, the fat guard behind him immediately drew his sword and slashed straight towards Ye Zi.
Ye Zi lightly dodged sideways, raised his foot, kicked the thin guard beside him away, and quickly drew out the sword on his waist. He swung the sword towards the fat guard in front of him. Since the other party couldn’t dodge in time, he subconsciously raised his sword to block it.
The sound of metal hitting each other rippled through the open space and the fat guard felt his arm going sore and numb. He couldn’t help but let go of his hand and his sword was knocked out to the ground.
Ye Zi made up for it with a timely kick, kicking the man aside to where the thin guard was.
The two were about to get up when Ye Zi gently swung the sword and landed it impartially between their necks.
The noise of their fight attracted the attention of the other guards in the temple. A team of patrol guards rushed out from Zenkong Temple and surrounded the three of them.
As soon as the thin guard saw the situation reversed, he immediately shouted: “This damn brat dares to attack an official in a guarded area of the government. Take him down quickly.”
The patrolling guards were about to make a move, but Ye Zi suddenly opened his mouth: “Hey, aren’t you guys going to ask me why I attacked him, is this how you guys do things here?”
The thin guard sneered: “Brat, are you afraid now?”
“Of course I’m not afraid. It’s only a small number of people, what’s there to be afraid of?” Ye Zi tilted his head, glanced at the people around him, and said regretfully, “I just think you are confusing right and wrong. But it’s no wonder, if even people like you can get a government official position, the others shouldn’t be much better.”
“You——” The thin guard was furious and said hurriedly: “Why are you guys still standing there?!”
Just then, a voice suddenly came out from the temple: “What are you all doing here?”
Gu Yan slowly stepped out of Zenkong Temple and took off the protective shield, his gaze landing on Ye Zi.
Ye Zi blinked and immediately dropped the sword in his hand, saying in a pitifully soft voice: “……They’re going to beat me up.”
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[1] Idiom: refuse to be convinced until one is faced with grim reality.
