After Scheming Against the Enemy Nation’s Emperor, I Got Pregnant Chapter 25

Jiang Huaichu was led inside.

Xiao Yun was seated at the desk reviewing memorials. His posture was casual, yet every detail exuded imperial authority. The fingers resting on his knee twitched slightly, as if he were deeply focused on matters of state, completely unaware of the visitor.

Jiang Huaichu stood quietly to one side, head lowered and eyes downcast, waiting patiently without the slightest impatience—doing everything he could to minimize his presence, as if afraid to disturb the Emperor at work.

“….” During a brief pause between documents, Xiao Yun glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

Xie Caiqing was being exceptionally well-behaved—not even lifting his eyes, standing perfectly still, as though afraid to steal a second of attention.

Xiao Yun immediately looked away and opened the next document.

The corners of Xie Caiqing’s lips lifted slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

Time passed—about the length of one incense stick. Xie Caiqing remained as cautious as ever, as if truly afraid to interrupt the Emperor.

From above came the sound of pages being flipped—growing louder. The sound of memorials hitting the desk escalated from soft taps (“da-da-da”) to sharp smacks (“pa-pa-pa”).

Yet the man below remained completely unmoved—though clearly a bit startled, he just grew more cautious, lowering his presence even more.

“…” Finally, Xiao Yun, moved by such considerate restraint, patriotically and benevolently finished all his memorials. He set down the final document with satisfaction and looked at Jiang Huaichu with a kind expression. “Almost forgot—our top scholar has waited long. What brings you here to see me?”

“Your Majesty is diligent and cares for the people—a blessing to all. No wait is too long for this humble servant.”

Xie Caiqing hesitated for a few seconds. His hands, folded in front of him, clenched tightly as he lowered his voice and said, “I’ve come… to thank Your Majesty.”

Xiao Yun feigned confusion: “Oh?”

Xie Caiqing’s lips moved slightly, his face tinged with red. “I brought a small gift.”

His voice, usually calm and steady, now trembled slightly—perhaps from nerves.

A small gift.

Standing below, dressed in plain clothing, upright and poised, with features as refined as a painting—he was even more striking than when they first met. Xiao Yun had seen many beauties who dazzled at first glance but lost their charm over time, yet Xie Caiqing seemed more beautiful the longer he looked. Unable to help himself, Xiao Yun stared a bit longer, secretly pleased, though his expression gave nothing away. Calmly, he asked, “What gift?”

Xie Caiqing didn’t answer right away.

Xiao Yun didn’t rush him. For once, he was patient—smiling gently as he waited.

Xie Caiqing bit his lip, face flushing red. In a voice barely above a whisper, he asked, “May I approach, Your Majesty? I wish to give it to you personally.”

Xiao Yun was momentarily stunned, then nearly broke into a smile. He quickly covered the lower half of his face with a hand to hide it, gave a cough, and waved him over with a look of just the right amount of curiosity and confusion.

The top scholar seemed to have made a great decision before slowly walking up to the Emperor, finally stopping in front of him.

Xiao Yun lounged comfortably in the grand chair, tilting his head slightly to look up at him.

From this angle and distance, not a single change in Xie Caiqing’s expression escaped his eyes.

For the first time, Xie Caiqing’s always-tranquil gaze lost its composure. His eyes dropped; he didn’t dare meet the Emperor’s gaze. Each time Xiao Yun looked at him, his long lashes trembled and lowered—like a curtain shielding a retreating general.

The hands in front of him clenched tighter and tighter, leaving red marks.

Xiao Yun found him incredibly amusing and deliberately teased him, “Top Scholar?”

“…Your subject is here.”

Xiao Yun said indifferently, “Hurry up, I have an appointment with the Commander to take a walk later.”

Xiao Yun had already made up his mind. He wouldn’t make things difficult for this seemingly naive and obedient young man. As long as Xie Caiqing dared to sit over, he would stop teasing him. He would take care of the rest himself—not only would he not hurt him, but he would also make him feel good.

Xie Caiqing pursed his lips, stepped forward a little more, and pulled out a black-gold sachet from the wide sleeve of his robe. Like reaching into the fire to grab a chestnut, he quickly placed it into Xiao Yun’s hand.

Their fingers barely touched before parting, so quickly that Xiao Yun didn’t even have time to grasp it.

Xiao Yun looked down at the item on his lap, utterly incredulous.

Xie Caiqing seemed oblivious to his reaction. His eyes still held traces of last night’s lingering fear, and he was so embarrassed that his fingers trembled. In a quivering voice, he said, “The weather is getting hotter. This sachet repels insects. Your subject blended it himself. Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving my life yesterday. If not for Your Majesty, your subject would have already…”

He paused, his voice even lower. “Your subject comes from a humble background and has nothing to offer in return. This is but a small token of gratitude… In the future, if Your Majesty needs me, I will give my utmost loyalty and service… Your subject takes his leave.”

“…Come back!” Xiao Yun ordered sternly.

But Xie Caiqing had already hurried off, flustered and distracted.

Inside the hall, Xiao Yun held the plump sachet, which happened to match the color of his robes, and remained silent for a long while.

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something. He yanked open the golden drawstring of the sachet and turned it upside down. No note fell out.

His fingers were dusted with a fine, fragrant powder—the scent was almost identical to the one on Xie Caiqing’s body. But while Xie Caiqing’s fragrance carried warmth within its coolness, his own was sharp and icy, richer and more lingering.

It was an exceptionally pleasant scent.

Xiao Yun sat there, his expression alternating between pale and flushed.

…

After stepping outside, Jiang Huaichu held back and held back, but in the end, he couldn’t suppress a very soft chuckle. In the blink of an eye, his expression returned to complete composure.

…

The next day, an hour before the morning court session, Xie Zhe arrived outside the Emperor’s sleeping quarters.

Outside stood Yin Xian, who had been on night watch. This was the hardest hour to endure—he was exhausted, leaning on a broom, yawning incessantly, his drooping eyelids barely open. Half-asleep, he was already thinking about what he would eat after finishing his morning duties for the Emperor.

Xie Zhe approached, shook him gently, and whispered, “Has His Majesty and the Top Scholar gotten up yet?”

“They haven’t.”

A few seconds passed before Yin Xian suddenly snapped his eyes wide open. “What did you just say?!”

“I said His Majesty and—” Xie Zhe realized something was off and quickly corrected himself. “…Nothing. I have an urgent report for His Majesty. Is he awake?”

Yin Xian assumed he had misheard due to drowsiness and didn’t dwell on it. “Wait, I’ll check.”

Xie Zhe nodded and waited outside.

Yin Xian quietly pushed the door open, tiptoed to the dragon bed, and slowly lifted the bed curtain. He took one look at the bare-skinned figure sleeping inside and froze.

“Your Majesty! Congratulations! Congratulations!”

Yin Xian’s voice was sharp and shrill, like a crowing rooster. Xiao Yun, who had been lying there, half-awake after a restless night, was jolted into full consciousness. He shot up, startled.

“Your Majesty is especially vigorous today, standing tall like a pillar! A great fortune for Great Ning—”

Before he could finish, Xiao Yun’s expression darkened, and he bellowed, “Get out! Get the h*ll out! As far away as possible!”

Yin Xian was so terrified that his soul nearly left his body. He fled without even knowing how he got out.

Outside, Xie Zhe was startled by the outburst and instinctively steadied Yin Xian, who had gone weak in the knees.

Yin Xian was still in a panic, his face pale as he stammered, “Commander, am I… am I about to—”

Xie Zhe stifled a laugh, patted him on the shoulder, and reassured him casually before striding into the chamber.

Inside, the eunuchs and servants were trembling in fear after the Emperor’s outburst. They were all anxiously helping Xiao Yun get dressed.

Xie Zhe glanced at the bed curtains several times before withdrawing his gaze. As he did, he unexpectedly locked eyes with the Emperor.

Xiao Yun was looking at him with a cold smile.

“…” Xie Zhe’s heart skipped a beat. “Your subject begs Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”

A young eunuch was so flustered that he accidentally spilled the face-washing water onto the Emperor’s undergarments. He immediately fell to his knees, pleading for mercy.

Xiao Yun, exasperated, snapped, “Get out! All of you!”

The palace attendants, relieved beyond measure, scurried out like a fleeing tide.

Xiao Yun, having calmed down slightly, asked in a steady voice, “What’s the matter?”

Xie Zhe reported, “The spies in the Eldest Princess’s residence have sent word—Qi Wang has lost patience and is preparing to kill Xie Caiqing.”

Xiao Yun: “When?”

“Xie Caiqing is supposed to report to the Hanlin Academy today. It should be within the next two days.”

“Last night, one of Qi Wang’s servants contacted Zhang Ninghan. Zhang Ninghan went to the Eldest Princess’s residence late at night and only came out an hour later—smiling, no less. Besides Zhang Ninghan, Qi Wang’s men also reached out to that scholar who was humiliated by Xie Caiqing at Yixian Tower. At the same time, they secretly bribed many of the commoners present at the scene that day.”

Xiao Yun sneered. “They’ve certainly covered all their bases. It seems they’re willing to risk everything. As his imperial uncle, I must lend him a helping hand.”

“Send a message to Old Zhang. Tell him to write a letter to Qi Wang in private, pleading for mercy on Xie Caiqing’s behalf. Since Qi Wang is desperately looking for a ‘lover’ to accuse, I’ll deliver one right to his hands.”

“…” Xie Zhe looked at him in complete disbelief.

Xiao Yun smirked. “What are you staring at? Am I not a good uncle?”

Xie Zhe: “…Zhang Gong is over seventy. Perhaps Your Majesty should choose someone younger?”

Xiao Yun shrugged. “Sure. How about the Commander? It makes no difference to me.”

“…Then Zhang Gong it is.”

With the official matters settled, Xie Zhe once again cast a glance toward the dragon bed. He coughed lightly and asked in a low voice, “…Where’s the little white rabbit?”

Xiao Yun turned to glare at him and coldly asked, “Who told you to call him that?”

“…Your subject misspoke!” Xie Zhe’s expression didn’t waver. “So, where is Your Majesty’s little white rabbit?”

Xiao Yun sneered, “He’s not mine.”

Xie Zhe was momentarily stunned and asked in a low voice, “Last night… he didn’t…”

“Oh, he did,” Xiao Yun replied with a fake smile. “He’s still in bed. You should go and look for him.”

Xie Zhe was startled. “He’s here?!”

He turned to look at the messy bedding, still unmade by the palace attendants. Maybe someone really was hiding in there—after all, Xie Caiqing was quite thin.

“He is.” Xiao Yun nodded with amusement, gesturing with his eyes for Xie Zhe to go ahead. “He hasn’t gotten up yet. You can wake him while you’re at it.”

“…” Xie Zhe was completely confused, but he had no choice but to obey. He cautiously walked to the imperial bed, stiffly lifting the edge of the quilt, afraid he would find the top scholar lying there stark naked.

Xiao Yun watched from behind, his face expressionless.

Xie Zhe braced himself, nervously flipping through the entire bedding, but found nothing. Confused, he turned to look at the emperor.

“You can’t see him?” Xiao Yun smirked. “He’s right beside your hand. He kept me company all night.”

Xie Zhe turned back to the empty bed, his gaze slowly landing on the black-and-gold sachet resting beside the pillow.

“……” His expression froze for a few seconds before he quickly turned around and knelt on one knee. “Your servant is guilty! I should not have spoken so recklessly yesterday!”

“Get up, get up.” Xiao Yun had only been joking and wasn’t actually angry. As he impatiently put on his court robes, he waved Xie Zhe off.

Xie Zhe picked up “Xie Caiqing” with both hands—the sachet—and hesitated before approaching Xiao Yun, holding back laughter. “So… what did he say?”

How did things turn out like this? This was completely different from what he had imagined.

Xiao Yun let out a dry laugh. “He praised me as a true gentleman, unmoved by temptation. Not only did I not take advantage of him, but I even generously gave him medicine and saved his life. He sees me as his savior. Since the weather is getting hotter, he was afraid I’d be bitten by mosquitoes, so he made this sachet for me himself.”

“He said the gift is small, but the sentiment is great. He mainly wanted to express his deep gratitude and promised to repay my kindness little by little in the future.”

“I barely had time to ask before he ran off in embarrassment. Over a sachet—such a trivial thing—he acted like he was offering himself to me. Ridiculous! And now it’s my fault for misunderstanding?”

“…” Xie Zhe was stunned.

Not only had Xiao Yun failed to play along, but he had also unintentionally shut down all possibilities. He hadn’t even hinted at any interest.

Xie Zhe stifled his laughter and rubbed his nose. “Your Majesty is indeed a gentleman.”

“Get lost, you b*stard!” Xiao Yun cursed with a grin and kicked him.

Xie Zhe dodged and asked, “Then what does Your Majesty plan to do?”

“Do about what?” Xiao Yun snapped impatiently. “You think I fancy him? It was just for amusement. He has no such thoughts, and I’m not about to force him. If I were really interested, I could find plenty of people who are more obedient and sensible than him. Why would I stoop so low? Who does he think he is? Let him be.”

“Your Majesty is wise!” Xie Zhe thought for a moment and then said, “But he doesn’t seem like a fool. Maybe he’s just too young, too thin-skinned, too shy to even think about it. But if he’s not taking this shortcut, how does he plan to deal with Qi Wang? Surely he doesn’t intend to face him alone—”

“Who cares?” Xiao Yun threw on his dragon robe and strode out swiftly.

Xie Zhe recalled Yin Xian’s exaggerated praise earlier—”His Majesty is brimming with vitality, standing tall like a pillar”—and struggled to hold back his laughter.