Chapter 22: Who the Hell Likes Men?!
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Seeing King Yan’s smile growing increasingly sinister, Liu Yu Zhen, fearing that in his anger, King Yan might do something outrageous again, quickly wrapped himself tightly in the blanket and rolled to the side, looking at him with wide, innocent eyes. “Yan Tenghua! Don’t come any closer!”
“Oh? You dare call me by my name?” King Yan was both amused and exasperated. Did this guy really think wrapping himself in a blanket would make him untouchable? Yet, hearing his name shouted, he realized no one had dared to call him that except the person who named him. Anyone else who did so met a grim fate. But hearing it from this audacious young man was strangely intriguing.
“What’s the problem? Aren’t names meant to be called?” Every time Liu Yu Zhen saw the sinister gleam in King Yan’s eyes, he felt a tinge of fear, as if defying him was a grave mistake. Yet, his stubborn nature compelled him to stand his ground against this perverse tyrant.
King Yan turned, leaning against his side, propping his cheek with his hand, and said softly, “Say it again.”
Liu Yu Zhen instantly felt his hair stand on end, a chill running through his body. Was this a threat? It clearly was! Under the eaves, he had no choice but to bow his head, deciding it was best not to provoke him. He twisted his body closer to the wall, adopting a defensive posture.
King Yan chuckled, not taking offense at the internal injuries he had inflicted on Liu Yu Zhen. Suddenly, he remembered something, his expression turning stern. “Yu Zhen, after you left Peace Pavilion, why didn’t you return directly to your quarters? Where did you go in the meantime?”
Liu Yu Zhen thought about it; he couldn’t tell King Yan he had encountered people from Liu Country. Though he wasn’t sure, logically, there shouldn’t be many in Dayan who knew Prime Minister Liu. “Ah! Nowhere. I just went for a walk with Xiao Pei. It’s a common occurrence.”
“It better be as you say. Don’t go outside during this period. I don’t want to see you having any contact with Liuling.”
Strange, if he truly cared about Liuling, why would he let him wander around without increasing his guard, unlike the time he nervously lunged over to kiss him forcefully? In fact, since then, he hadn’t taken any precautions against him. Could it be as he suspected—was he actually “jealous”? Something didn’t quite add up.
“Why do you care so much about Crown Prince Liu? Even if I meet with him, I wouldn’t leave with him. Didn’t you use the people of Liu Country to pressure me? Does that no longer matter?” Liu Yu Zhen asked.
“So, you have been paying attention to what I say!” King Yan seemed very pleased to hear this, his stern expression instantly softening as he moved closer to Liu Yu Zhen again. “In that case, I should reward you.” With that, he pulled Liu Yu Zhen and the blanket into his arms and stole another kiss from his rosy lips.
Wrapped tightly in the blanket, Liu Yu Zhen had no means to resist and could only retreat further into the blanket. “No, I don’t want a reward. Wait until I find Zhi Jun, then you can be happy.”
“Alright, since you promised me, you must fulfill it!” King Yan said each word with emphasis. “But as long as Zhi Jun is not back, don’t think of leaving. Starting today, I will teach you Dayan’s etiquette. You’d better learn it. Liu Ling will leave Dayan in a few days, and once he’s gone, I will restore your position as Prime Minister.”
“…” Once Liu Ling leaves, I’ll escape. Who wants to be Prime Minister? What a joke. But outwardly, Liu Yu Zhen nodded seriously. “What etiquette?”
“Hehe!” King Yan leaned closer, grinning. “I’ll first teach you the etiquette between ruler and minister. No matter what I, as the King of Dayan, do to you, as a minister, you must not resist. Understand?” With that, he cupped Liu Yu Zhen’s small face and gave him a deep kiss.
“Damn it! Enough already!”
Liu Yu Zhen was flustered, but King Yan only gave him this brief moment to catch his breath before sucking on his lips again, his warm tongue quickly probing into his mouth, swirling and entwining. Although this wasn’t the first time King Yan had kissed him, each time, a suffocating feeling arose in his chest, as if a surge of emotions was about to burst forth.
It had to be said that King Yan’s kissing skills were really impressive. Liu Yu Zhen had never kissed anyone else before, but now, he didn’t find being kissed by King Yan entirely unpleasant. Although it was something he couldn’t avoid.
Seeing Liu Yu Zhen so compliant, King Yan felt a surge of primal desire, but he barely managed to restrain himself, remembering he had important matters to attend to.
He released Liu Yu Zhen’s soft, sweet lips and got up to get dressed. Seeing Liu Yu Zhen lounging on the bed, he couldn’t resist saying, “Come here, help me dress.”
Liu Yu Zhen’s eyes widened at the request. He had no intention of staring at that body any longer and immediately retorted, “Get lost! Without Young Master Ning Xiang here, don’t think this Prime Minister will help you.”
“Oh? You’ll only do it if Ning Xiang is here? Should I call him over then?”
Liu Yu Zhen felt powerless, almost on the verge of tears. When would he regain the strength to beat this jerk? They couldn’t communicate normally at all, and this guy always lorded over him.
Just then, a eunuch’s voice came from outside the door: “Your Majesty, everything is ready.”
“Understood. You may go.” King Yan’s tone had a hint of disappointment, which he expressed directly: “Liu Yu Zhen, consider yourself lucky. If nothing unexpected happens, I won’t be back tonight. Rest well.” He swiftly donned his golden dragon robe, his movements so quick that Liu Yu Zhen barely caught a glimpse.
It was already noon, the time when people felt the most drowsy. What business did he have at this hour?
Liu Yu Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. As long as this man was gone, whatever he did was of no concern to him.
He slowly loosened the blanket wrapped tightly around him and rubbed his burning chest, which now felt much better, almost as if he hadn’t been injured at all.
At that moment, Yue Lan entered, carrying Liu Yu Zhen’s favorite osmanthus cake, which instantly made his mouth water. “Oh, Prime Minister, are you going to bed now?”
“Since Yue Lan brought me something to eat, of course, I’ll fill my stomach before sleeping.” Liu Yu Zhen’s eyes lit up, though he secretly worried that Yue Lan might ask about “Bao’er”…
“Eh, Prime Minister, where is the Bao’er that Yue Lan gave you?” As expected!
Despite her innocent and naive appearance, this girl clearly wasn’t planning to let him off the hook. Liu Yu Zhen’s heart skipped a beat. Should he tell her that Liu Ling took it? “Ahem, ahem… It seems Lady Mingge liked it and took it with her.”
“Lady Mingge?” Yue Lan furrowed her brows in concern. “Prime Minister, have you met her? Lady Mingge is the princess of Luoyue Kingdom. It’s best if you don’t get too close to her.”
“I haven’t met her yet. Bao’er ran to her on its own. Isn’t Luoyue Kingdom usually independent? Why would they ally with Yan Kingdom through marriage?”
“It seems to be an issue left over from Yan Kingdom. Prime Minister, why should we concern ourselves with Yan Kingdom’s affairs? Once Yan Kingdom is destroyed, Liu Country will be free, won’t it?”
While eating osmanthus cake, Liu Yu Zhen looked at her curiously. This warning didn’t seem to be out of jealousy. But Yue Lan did have some extreme views. “Alright, I understand. Thanks for your concern, Yue Lan.” Liu Yu Zhen didn’t like meddling in other people’s affairs, or at least he didn’t want to appear that way.
Seeing Liu Yu Zhen’s calm demeanor, Yue Lan pouted. “Prime Minister, you’re so generous. Bao’er was a gift from the Crown Prince. Didn’t you say you liked it the most? You used to say that seeing Bao’er was like seeing the Crown Prince. How could you give it away so easily today?”
“What?” Liu Yu Zhen nearly choked on the osmanthus cake.
Did he hear that right? Was he hallucinating recently? Each thing he heard was more bizarre than the last. “Yue Lan, explain clearly, what’s going on between me and the Crown Prince?”
“Prime Minister, it seems you’re suffering from some memory issues. No wonder General Xiao has been explaining everything to you recently. Did you forget even the Crown Prince? He would be very heartbroken. Weren’t you the one who liked the Crown Prince the most?”
“I- I like men?!” Liu Yu Zhen’s eyes almost popped out of his head. If he hadn’t heard before that male relationships were prevalent in this world—considered taboo in modern times but completely accepted and even a privilege among the nobility here—he would have thought this was a joke.
But the idea of this applying to him was too much to handle! No wonder King Yan often joked about him and Liuling. There was indeed a huge joke behind all this! Oh my!
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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