Chapter 97
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Jiang Yanchi suddenly grabbed Chu Xie’s wrist, and his eyes, whether filled with joy or sorrow, surprise or doubt, seemed to go through various emotions, shining for a moment before being forcibly suppressed. Finally, he asked word by word, “So, you, you don’t like him, do you…”
The words I just spoke, did they go into a dog’s stomach?
Chu Xie sighed inwardly.
“He is my younger brother, how could I have romantic feelings for him?”
Before Chu Xie could finish speaking, Jiang Yanchi pulled him into his arms, tears streaming down his neck, making him shiver involuntarily. “Don’t cry. You’ve soaked my clothes…”
“Oh, is it very cold?” Jiang Yanchi wiped away a tear, then rolled over and got into the bedding, clinging tightly to Chu Xie. He noticed that although Chu Xie’s spirit seemed much better, his body was still cold.
He took off his outer clothes, leaving only a thin white undergarment. Holding Chu Xie’s waist, he hugged him, warming half of his body. “Like this, is it still cold?”
“Not cold anymore.” Chu Xie’s voice came from above, “It’s very warm.” It felt a bit strange, like you were taking advantage of me.
“He is your brother. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” The young emperor sniffled, a bit aggrieved. “I thought… I thought…”
“How could I easily reveal such a background to others…”
“I am not others!”
Jiang Yanchi closed his arms, pressed against Chu Xie’s chest, and his voice softened as he murmured, “We are a married couple. We’ve worshipped the heavens, and we’ve shared a marriage bed.”
“…Didn’t you say that I am no longer your empress from today on?” Chu Xie brought up this matter again.
Jiang Yanchi suddenly raised his head, staring at Chu Xie with a pair of red eyes. “No, that doesn’t count.”
“A ruler’s words are not to be taken lightly.”
“Then, I’ll marry you again.”
Chu Xie remained silent, but Jiang Yanchi thought he had stirred up the unpleasant memories from their last marriage. He nudged Chu Xie into his arms, cuddling against him, and both leaned on the pillow together.
The scent of medicine mixed with the fragrance of cypress and orchids gradually calmed Jiang Yanchi’s heart.
Thinking about the absurd things in the past, Jiang Yanchi felt like his heart had been trampled on countless times by his incredibly foolish actions. It was only at this moment that he realized how many stupid mistakes he had made during these days.
He negotiated for Xu Chunmu in the northern borders, abandoned himself in Puyang County, and tried every means to send Xu Chunmu out of the city.
It’s because Xu Chunmu is his brother.
Like his mother, he is the last relative he has in this world.
How can he not be extremely cautious and plan meticulously?
Upon careful consideration, from beginning to end, Chu Xie just wants to protect his brother.
But he is afraid that someone will notice Xu Chunmu’s identity, so he dares not speak much when misunderstood by himself.
It turns out that when Su Mingan came over just now, he was here to test this matter! He came to inquire about Chu Xie’s injuries and also to find out if Chu Xie had informed him of Xu Chunmu’s identity.
Fortunately, he eventually spoke.
Fortunately, after going around, this person finally believed him.
“I’m sorry.” He lowered his head, rubbing against Chu Xie’s icy forehead, “I’m sorry, really, I didn’t expect him to be from the Shen family…”
“I, I…”
He stuttered for quite a while before realizing that he had no argument.
He’s just a downright b*stard.
His eye rims turned slightly red.
“Do you know, I really, really… like you. If you don’t like me, I can only live alone for the rest of my life. Even if you don’t like me, please don’t like anyone else, okay?”
Ah, what nonsense.
The few touches still carried a hint of tenderness.
Chu Xie automatically ignored these sticky words, holding the main point in his heart, and asked, “So, did you agree to me?”
“Agree to what?”
“Agree to forever keep this secret. No matter what happens in the future, you won’t harm my brother with the disaster of his identity. You will always protect—”
Jiang Yanchi pressed the back of Chu Xie’s head, slightly turned his head, and kissed those peach blossom-like lips, swallowing the rest of the words into his abdomen, lingering and enchanting.
Until the person couldn’t catch his breath, he let go.
Looking at the slightly red corners of his eyes, he pressed his fingertip to Chu Xie’s lips, “I don’t agree with you on this.”
Chu Xie’s face changed instantly, and the blood color faded away, “You!”
He raised Chu Xie’s hand again, and the thin lips wiped across his fingertips, gently biting along the wrist.
“I swear, when the day comes when I hold absolute power, I will re-examine the injustice of your Shen family, clear the stigma that has overshadowed you for more than twenty years, and completely unravel the cruel fate that has trapped you for half your life.”
Jiang Yanchi’s smile unfolded little by little, in this silent snowy night, it seemed like a warm sun.
“I will let the entire Great Wei know that the one I married is the descendant of the Shen family from the Hundred-Year Marquis Mansion.”
“I will make it so that you and Xu Chunmu can live in this world upright and fearless.”
“I said I would kill anyone you want me to kill, but if that’s not your wish, I’m also willing to protect everyone you want to protect.”
The light in Chu Xie’s eyes gradually solidified.
Looking at Jiang Yanchi’s radiant smile, he felt a bit dazzled.
“Why?”
Jiang Yanchi rubbed his nose against him and whispered, “Because I like you, so I accommodate your preferences. If you like killing, I’ll kill for you. If you want to protect, I’ll protect for you.”
The warm breath hit his face, and tiny sparks burst in his eyes.
“Just want to make you happy.”
Jiang Yanchi held his hand, stroking the delicate wrist, probing, “I was thinking, if you are happy, will there be a day when you will also like me.”
The dull pain in his chest intensified, as if there was a fine thread pulling.
The more it pulled, the tighter it became.
It almost felt like tearing his heart apart.
The sleeve slid down at the wrist, revealing a jade-like forearm. The whip marks on it were conspicuous, causing Jiang Yanchi’s eyes to darken. His fingertips lightly touched the edge of the wound, asking, “Does it hurt?”
“No, not really painful.” Chu Xie lowered his head in a bit of confusion. For some reason, he didn’t want to see his face again.
He turned over, facing away from him.
“Are you tired?”
“Yeah.”
Jiang Yanchi arranged the pillow for him, pulled the blanket up to cover his earlobes, then curled up into the blanket himself, wrapping his arms around him, as if protecting a fragile treasure that was hard to come by.
The warmth transmitted through the thin fabric, and Chu Xie seemed to be really tired. He unconsciously moved towards the warmth, like a little cat snuggling into his arms.
This made Jiang Yanchi extremely happy.
However, he didn’t dare to show it too much, just silently enjoying this moment of closeness.
“Ah Xie, it’s snowing heavily outside,” Jiang Yanchi asked eagerly, “Is it still cold like this?”
“Not cold anymore.”
Chu Xie’s voice became softer, almost reduced to just a nasal sound.
“Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something before sleeping?”
“No need.”
The young emperor was like a bright fire, knowing that he was most afraid of the cold, so he drove away the chill and darkness in this long night for him.
Chu Xie could feel that he was truly happy.
But.
Chu Xie felt that his fingertips were starting to numb, and his feet had lost sensation.
He knew that he was about to die.
In a fleeting moment, he suddenly became afraid. A strange emotion tightened his heart, making it almost tremble.
But this body was extremely weak, and it was nearing midnight, the most dangerous time, yet even the slightest tremor was hardly visible.
However, Jiang Yanchi still sensed it, thinking he was just cold, he got even closer, this time covering his ice-cold hands as well.
Chu Xie’s heartstrings gradually tightened, as if a foul odor had risen to his throat.
The crack in his chest seemed to swell and surge, making a tumultuous noise, as if it was about to burst out.
The room was quiet, with only the sound of the two people’s breathing.
“Ah Xie.”
Jiang Yanchi suddenly called him very softly, asking as if sighing, “Did you ever like me?”
“Even a little bit, did you or not?”
Not getting a response, the young emperor thought he had fallen asleep. At the moment, he was in a good mood and didn’t care about Chu Xie’s answer.
It didn’t matter if he didn’t like him; they were already married.
Xu Chunmu turned out to be just a younger brother.
He and Ah Xie were the closest.
Chu Xie’s first half of life was bitter, but from now on, he would protect this person. No one would be able to harm him even a bit. They would have a long life together, and this time, he would be extra careful to keep him safe.
He already held some real power, and as long as he found a way to deal with Zhao Lingqu and Su Mingan, re-examining the Shen family’s case wouldn’t be difficult. This matter needed careful planning.
With these thoughts, he dared not move recklessly, just holding onto him in this position and finally slowly closing his eyes.
It would get better and better.
The most difficult times were already over.
In recent days, Jiang Yanchi had never slept so comfortably.
A dreamless night until dawn.
It seemed like all the haze in recent days had been dispelled. When he opened his eyes, it was an unprecedented feeling of freshness and clarity.
Just as he opened his eyes, he saw the bright snow outside. It was Small New Year’s Day, a good day for family reunion.
In a little over half a month, during the Lantern Festival, the capital would be filled with lanterns again.
Jiang Yanchi thought of the year when he was thirteen, and Ah Xie handed him that lantern. He thought that this year he would also give Ah Xie one.
Just as he was thinking about it, he moved slightly and realized that Ah Xie had slept holding onto his arm all night.
Now, his entire right arm was numb, but his heart was sweet.
“Ah Xie, wake up. Look, it snowed heavily last night.”
Jiang Yanchi slowly pulled his hand out, rubbing his veins, and chuckled softly, “Today is Small New Year’s Day. The palace is being cleaned, and it will be decorated nicely. Do you want me to take you outside to see?”
After putting on his shoes, knowing that Ah Xie was seriously injured and probably wouldn’t wake up, he lowered his voice and asked with a smile, “Ah Xie, are you still sleepy? If you’re really tired, you can sleep a little longer…”
For a long time, there was no response. He turned around, patted the person’s shoulder slightly, “Ah Xie?”
After calling a couple more times and still seeing no movement from the person, Jiang Yanchi leaned over, softy embracing him. In a whisper by his ear, he said, “Ah Xie, really not getting up?”
It seemed that something was amiss; the earlobe was surprisingly cold. Jiang Yanchi extended his hand, gently shook the person, and felt warmth on his skin. Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he touched a gold-threaded brazier near the palm.
Jiang Yanchi’s movements froze instantly.
“Chu Xie?”
The room suddenly fell into an eerie silence.
Only one person’s breath remained.
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
