“…” Xie Zhe instantly understood. Holding back his laughter, he whispered, “So… has he really been so considerate as to help Your Majesty put on clothes?”
“Get lost!” Xiao Yun snapped, glancing at Xie Caiqing, who was still in the room. Otherwise, he might have kicked Xie Zhe right then and there.
Xie Zhe smirked and murmured, “Does His Majesty not want him kneeling to help dress you?”
Xiao Yun suddenly fell silent. The mental image that flashed through his mind left him unexpectedly parched.
“He has no feelings for Your Majesty, so are you reluctant to ‘steal your brother’s wife’—to claim his body first and then his heart?” Xie Zhe asked with mock sincerity.
Xiao Yun snapped out of his thoughts, turned to him, and stared as if he’d heard the most absurd thing in the world. “Do I seem like that kind of person? Only a beast would do such a thing! Your sister-in-law treats you so well—would you do that to him?”
“Wouldn’t Your Majesty enjoy conquering an unyielding fortress? Isn’t that what you like best?” Xie Zhe laughed.
Xiao Yun raised an eyebrow, realizing something. He pointed at Xie Zhe, gritting his teeth with a smile. “Commander, I didn’t expect you to be such a schemer. Has the scholar ever offended you? Why are you pushing him into the firepit—No, wait, I’m not saying I’m the firepit.”
Xie Zhe remained composed. “This humble subject is only considering Your Majesty’s physical and emotional well-being.”
“I—”
“Ah!”
A sharp cry interrupted Xiao Yun.
He immediately turned to see Xie Caiqing standing at the corner, while a palace maid had just stepped over the threshold and accidentally bumped into him. The scalding hot tea spilled all over Xie Caiqing.
Xiao Yun’s heart skipped a beat. His brow furrowed as he snapped, “What’s going on? So careless!”
The palace maid panicked and knelt down. “Your Majesty, please forgive me! Scholar Xie, please forgive me!”
Xiao Yun strode over and pulled Xie Caiqing forward. “Are you alright?”
“…I’m fine,” Xie Caiqing waved a hand dismissively and gave the maid a reassuring smile.
He reached out to remove Xiao Yun’s hand. “Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will go change.”
But Xiao Yun’s gaze landed on the spreading tea stain over Xie Caiqing’s waist and abdomen. The steam still rising from it made him uneasy. “Come back.”
Xie Caiqing paused mid-step.
Without another word, Xiao Yun grabbed his wrist and pulled him to sit on the chaise lounge.
Xiao Yun’s grip was far too strong. Xie Caiqing, being slender and light, seemed almost flung onto the seat rather than guided.
“Take off your outer robe. Let me see,” Xiao Yun ordered.
He signaled to Yin Xian with a glance.
Understanding immediately, Yin Xian hurried off to summon the imperial physician.
Xie Caiqing’s eyes widened at the command. He remained silent for a long moment before finally saying, “Your Majesty, I’m really fine! It’s nothing serious!”
The more he insisted he was fine, the more Xiao Yun felt he was hiding something. With a firm tone, he repeated, “Take it off.”
“I truly am fine!” Xie Caiqing shook his head. “I just need to change my clothes.”
As he tried to stand, Xiao Yun ordered sternly, “Sit down.”
Xie Caiqing looked up at him, eyes pleading.
“Take it off.”
Xie Caiqing shook his head, clutching his collar as if guarding it with his life. “Your Majesty, I wasn’t burned. The tea wasn’t that hot, and I’m wearing layers—”
Xiao Yun smirked. “Then what’s the harm in letting me check? It’s not as if you have feelings for me. We’re both men. What’s the big deal about taking off your robe? Or… do you actually like me?”
Xie Caiqing shook his head.
Xiao Yun deliberately darkened his expression.
Xie Caiqing immediately nodded, then hesitated, nodding and shaking his head in confusion, completely flustered.
Xiao Yun suppressed a laugh. “Am I wrong? If you don’t have feelings for me, then just take it off.”
Xie Caiqing’s face stiffened.
“If you’re really that embarrassed, I’ll take mine off first—fair exchange.” Xiao Yun reached for his own collar.
Xie Caiqing’s eyes widened in horror, his face flushing red as he frantically shook his head.
Xiao Yun was merely bluffing and had no intention of actually stripping. He was growing impatient. “If you don’t undress yourself, I’ll have someone do it for you. I’ll count to three.”
“One, two, three—Guards, strip him—”
“I’ll do it!”
Xie Caiqing looked up at him with eyes filled with helplessness and pleading, his gaze tinged with panic and resignation.
“Hurry up,” Xiao Yun urged, impatient.
Xie Caiqing hesitated, gripping his collar tightly while glancing around as if looking for an escape.
Xiao Yun chuckled at his flustered state, finding him both delicate and difficult. With a wave of his hand, he ordered, “Everyone, leave.”
The palace attendants exited, leaving only the two of them in the inner chamber.
Xiao Yun stood with one hand on his hip, towering over Xie Caiqing. His tall figure and commanding presence made him all the more intimidating.
The fragile scholar sat on the chaise, head bowed. He hesitated so long that Xiao Yun thought he might bite his lip raw before he finally reached for his belt. His ceremonial robe was complicated, with a heavy and intricate belt. Seeing him struggle with it for so long, Xiao Yun found it amusing. “You don’t even know how to undo your belt? Who usually helps you dress and undress?”
“Your humble servant… Your humble servant… Your humble servant is just slow in movement.”
Xiao Yun couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He was getting impatient, so he bent down, leaned in, and placed his hand on Xie Caiqing’s belt.
The sudden closeness, almost face to face, made Xie Caiqing straighten his back instinctively. He felt the large hands at his waist, his breath turning slightly rapid.
His delicate nose was just beside Xiao Yun’s cheek. Xiao Yun immediately sensed his breathing and chuckled, “What are you nervous about? You don’t have that kind of feeling for me, do you? Then why are you nervous?”
“…Your humble servant, your humble servant…” Xie Caiqing stammered.
Xiao Yun said, “I’m just showing care for my minister, helping to check, that’s all.”
“…Your Majesty’s kindness is overwhelming. Your… your humble servant is ungrateful.”
Xiao Yun was untying his belt, and Xie Caiqing had no choice but to passively open his arms. In this posture, it almost seemed as if Xiao Yun was slipping under his arms to half-embrace him, playing with him at will.
The top scholar turned his face to the side, unable to hide his embarrassment. Thinking about what was to come, he secretly took a deep breath.
Even for someone as skilled as Xiao Yun, the belt took quite a while to undo. Standing up, he muttered, “So it’s this much trouble to undo your belts, huh? One of these days, I’ll have the Internal Affairs Department modify them. Imagine going home to sleep with a wife and having to struggle with clothes for half a day—how is that acceptable? It’s enough to drive someone mad. It’d make me seem completely inconsiderate.”
Xie Caiqing: “…”
Xiao Yun felt that his own mouth had completely ruined the mood.
Xie Caiqing clenched his teeth, his truest emotions surfacing. In all his years, he had never undressed in front of another person—not even in front of his own family.
Lowering his head, he began to remove his outer robe bit by bit. Xiao Yun stared at him without blinking.
“Hurry up. Didn’t you say I’m a gentleman? Look at you—you’re already like this, and I haven’t done anything to you. Are you afraid that just showing a shoulder will make me eat you alive?”
Xie Caiqing responded softly, his eyes turning red with embarrassment. His movements sped up slightly.
Xiao Yun’s gaze instinctively drifted to his collarbone. Not seeing the two red strings and jade pendant from before, he clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, feeling an inexplicable irritation—a strange sense of something being taken away from him.
His neck looked too pale, too empty.
In the next second, his breath hitched.
Right in the center of Xie Caiqing’s left collarbone was a tiny mole.
Last time, in the rush of things, he hadn’t had the chance to notice. It had been nighttime, making it hard to see clearly. But now, with Xie Caiqing sitting quietly, obediently undressing before him, everything became a hundred times clearer.
There was already a small mole under Xie Caiqing’s left eye. Alone, it wasn’t particularly striking. But when seen together with the one on his collarbone, they lined up perfectly in a straight line—creating an indescribable allure. Like a matching pair, delicate and elegant. It was the kind of mark that, once you saw the one on his face, would inevitably remind you of the hidden one on his body.
A flawless jade with a single, captivating flaw. Not unpleasant—rather, strangely…
Xiao Yun swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing twice. Keeping his expression neutral, he said, “Why do you keep looking at me? Do you want me to praise you for taking off your clothes?”
Xie Caiqing kept glancing at him—peeking at him a little with each piece of clothing he removed, like a timid newlywed wife. His eyes were full of unspoken pleading, as if asking: Is this enough? Can I stop? Please?
It was as if he needed Xiao Yun’s encouragement to continue undressing.
A strange sense of guilt and illicit pleasure welled up in Xiao Yun, like he was leading a pure maiden into a life of debauchery. He coughed to cover it up, his mouth going dry, and laughed irritably, “Do you not even know where you got burned?”
Xie Caiqing had no choice but to lower his head and keep going.
His long, slender fingers trembled slightly.
“Wait—” Xiao Yun’s words faltered. He suddenly realized that if Xie Caiqing went any further, he would be able to see…
Before he could stop him, Xie Caiqing had already removed his robe.
His upper body was fully exposed.
Xiao Yun’s mind went blank. A sharp, inexplicable tension snapped through his thoughts, leaving him dazed for several long moments.
“Your… your humble servant truly wasn’t burned.”
Xie Caiqing pulled a white silk handkerchief embroidered with a twin-kite design from the folds of his clothing, gently wiping away the clear droplets trickling down his waist. His voice was soft.
“Your humble servant is physically weak and usually wears more layers than others. I wasn’t burned at all—only my clothes got wet.”
“That’s why I said I needed to change. Your Majesty’s concern… Your humble servant is deeply grateful.”
“Your Majesty, please take a look. I didn’t deceive you. If I were really burned, I would have said so—I fear pain, I wouldn’t try to endure it.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Your Majesty?” Xie Caiqing’s voice was tinged with grievance. He looked up at him, speaking in a low, humble tone. “May your humble servant put his clothes back on now?”
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