Chapter 20: The Back Garden
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It wasn’t until he rushed into a secluded pavilion in the imperial garden that he finally stopped.
“Are you injured?” The person who held him tightly in their arms placed Liu Yu Zhen against the wooden railing of the pavilion, their creamy delicate face right before him. They looked at Liu Yu Zhen’s bleeding face with concern, gently wiping away the bloodstains from his lips with their fingers.
Liu Yu Zhen widened his eyes. He didn’t recognize this person, but their figure and eyes felt familiar to him. Despite the unbearable pain in his chest, he suddenly felt enveloped in intense warmth. Blushing slightly under the gaze of this handsome and gentle man, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of embarrassment.
Realizing that the other person must recognize him as Prime Minister Liu, he slowly pushed the person away, wiping away the remaining blood from his lips with his arm, and said calmly, “Thank you.”
The person’s expression changed slightly, but was quickly masked by concern. “Who dared to hurt you within the palace?”
Liu Yu Zhen didn’t want to get too involved with him. Crown Prince Liu was still in the palace, and this person might be associated with him. It seemed best to leave immediately. So, he casually scratched his head, got off the wooden chair, and stepped out of the person’s reach. “I fell while climbing over the wall. Heh, I’m going back now.”
“Where are you going?” The man in white asked anxiously, his tone tinged with displeasure.
“Well, I can’t explain to you right now, but I have to leave!” Liu Yu Zhen didn’t know what lie to tell. He was good at undercover work, but hiding in a situation where there was no clear boundary between friend and foe was extremely difficult. Especially when he couldn’t understand why this person was being so ambiguous towards him. It was better to keep him in the dark and say nothing.
Even so, that person spoke with a voice filled with deep sadness, “You don’t remember me.”
It wasn’t a question, but an undeniable statement.
Liu Yu Zhen’s heart sank. He didn’t like this feeling of being exposed because being found out usually meant getting hurt or even killed. He couldn’t help but show a regretful expression, about to say something? But the man in white seemed to sense someone approaching, immediately stood up and disappeared into the shadows of the forest. Although the person was gone, Liu Yu Zhen still heard him say, “We will meet again, wait for me…”
This sentence was quickly forgotten by Liu Yu Zhen as he saw Xiao Zipei leading someone slowly towards him, and his anger surged up.
Xiao Zipei didn’t seem to have any intention of capturing him. It seemed that his wandering in the palace was permitted by King Yan. Although he was supposedly being imprisoned, in reality, he was being left alone. Thinking back to Yan Tenghua’s questioning and his behavior just now, he seemed to understand why. Ah! Jealousy? Did Yan Tenghua also feel jealous of the Crown Prince? Did he really think Liu Yu Zhen wouldn’t go to the Crown Prince for help?
Well! Yan Tenghua won again. He really wouldn’t go looking for help from the Crown Prince.
Liu Yu Zhen walked out of the pavilion and walked honestly to Xiao Zipei’s side.
“Prime Minister, who were you just talking to? How come Zipei doesn’t know anyone you recognize in the Great Yan.”
Liu Yu Zhen looked at the cautious Xiao Zipei with a wry smile. “Are you seeing things? Didn’t you see that I’m injured? If you don’t hurry to help me, I might die.”
Xiao Zipei sighed silently. “What good could come from you going to the Peaceful Pavilion? Don’t blame Zipei for not reminding you. If you want to see King Yan, don’t get too close.”
“When did you remind me of this?” Yu Zhen was shocked. Xiao Zipei’s after-the-fact comments were truly professional. He seemed to have come to watch the show, didn’t he?
Xiao Zipei spoke to himself, his eyes fixed on the direction where the man in white had left, but he couldn’t discern anything. “King Yan is cautious. For someone like Prime Minister Liu with an unclear identity, eliminating the threat is naturally a priority.”
“My identity is unclear? Where am I unclear about my identity! This Prime Minister… cough, cough.” Liu Yu Zhen felt his anger rising. He, who was supposed to be refined and reserved, didn’t seem to resemble anything close to that.
“Alright, Prime Minister, let’s go back. The back garden is where the concubines and favorites come. You wouldn’t want to become King Yan’s consort or favorite, would you?”
Liu Yu Zhen vigorously shook his head, rushing to Xiao Zipei’s side to leave. “Who wants to be? Hey, I’m serious, he really hurt me! Xiao Pei, how can you not worry about me? I even spat blood just now!”
Xiao Zipei, usually serious and aloof, couldn’t help but smile. What’s so funny? He really did spit blood! Heartless!
Back in the palace, Liu Yu Zhen didn’t hesitate to head straight for his soft bed, forgetting all about his injury. Speaking of injuries, Liu Yu Zhen was very sensitive to them. He usually had to get injured to get close to the captain, but the poor captain always handed him over to his teammate for immediate treatment. That damn teammate was skilled in medicine, and the injured person in his hands would immediately recover subjective mobility. Thinking of acting spoiled with the captain was simply wishful thinking.
But why was he so attached to the captain? That had to do with the captain’s cold, dominant appearance, to his genius strategic command, and to the story of how he saved Liu Yu Zhen like a god.
Just as he was about to recall heartwarming stories with his captain, suddenly, within just two seconds of touching the bed, Liu Yu Zhen bounced off the bed, forcefully throwing aside his beloved soft bedding.
But his resistance was swiftly halted. A strong arm coiled around his waist like a snake, pulling Liu Yu Zhen back and throwing him heavily onto the bed.
Liu Yu Zhen never dreamed that this scoundrel could hide his presence even under the bed.
The man in the dragon robe was now sitting beside him, wearing a snowy white undergarment, his chest exposed. Not content with just putting him down, he immediately pressed down on top of him.
Liu Yu Zhen panicked. He didn’t want to be hit by Yen Tenghua again, nor did he want to lose his chastity under this scoundrel.
He quickly pushed away Yen Tenghua’s hands and used the bedding to tie up his hands, shouting desperately, “Get off me!”
“This is my bed!” Yen Tenghua showed no sense of being captured. His arrogant face bore no hint of surrender. “Prime Minister Liu is a clever person. Once you’re on my bed, it’s impossible to escape. Don’t you understand this logic?”
Liu Yu Zhen watched in astonishment as Yen Tenghua’s hands struggled to break free, tearing the bedding into two pieces. His mouth couldn’t close from the surprise.
It’s obvious this man is much stronger than he imagined…
“Xiao Pei!! You set me up! You pig of a teammate! Why didn’t you tell me that the bastard surnamed Yan was coming?!” Liu Yu Zhen freaked out, feeling another pang in his chest, as if he might start bleeding again.
King Yan dragged back Liu Yu Zhen, who was trying to escape, happily straddling him.
Liu Yu Zhen felt his heart racing and pleaded, “D-D-Don’t touch me, I didn’t mean to provoke you today. I’m injured today. How about another day?”
“But I feel like you can’t wait,” King Yan said, trying to take off his clothes again.
Huge shoutout to @denkoumaru on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
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