General’s Gown Chapter 35

Chapter 35 Qi Yue Wu Yi Part 7

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Murong Xiu opened his eyes, his gaze slowly drifting from the two ministers to Yan Changqing. 

After a while, he said: “Zhen allows it.” 

Zhang Jian and Xue Zheng each breathed a sigh of relief, wiping their sweaty foreheads clean, then finally retired. 

Sunlight came in from the carved mahogany window lattice, shining on Murong Xiu’s profile, casting a heavy shadow. The hall was extremely quiet, only faint singing of birds was coming from the garden outside.

Murong Xiu suddenly grabbed Yan Changqing by the shoulder, the joints on his hands turning white.

 “You did this deliberately, didn’t you?” 

Yan Changqing looked at Murong Xiu’s frustrated face in silence and tightened his lips. 

“You know that Xue Zhaoyi will make matters worse, but you didn’t explain anything to her. You purposely made it so she would pull you out of the harem, didn’t you?” 

Yan Changqing remained silent. 

“You were sure that as long as the ministers see you, I can no longer hide you in the palace, right?” 

Yan Changqing looked straight into Murong Xiu’s eyes and finally replied. 

“Yes.” 

His posture was straight, charged with some tension but he didn’t look overly stressed. 

In the next moment, Murong Xiu suddenly rushed over, pressing him down to the floor with all his strength. 

Yan Changqing resisted but Murong Xiu seized his wrists as soon as he attempted to fight back. 

“This trick was taught to me by Brother himself.” Murong Xiu said viciously, using his other hand to expose Yan Changqing’s tightly covered neckline little by little. 

“Your Majesty.” Yan Changqing looked at Murong Xiu without blinking. 

“This time, saying anything is useless. Stop resisting. ” 

Murong Xiu felt like a complete fool. 

For more than half a month, no matter whether he was presumptuous or restrained, he had not been able to conquer Yan Changqing. Half of it was because of Yan Changqing’s resistance, and the other half was because of Murong Xiu’s vacillating thoughts in his heart. He always felt that if he got Yan Changqing’s body first, he would never get his heart. 

How stupid. He really thought that if he didn’t do anything, Yan Changqing would slowly grow to accept him. But the result? Not only did he not get his heart, but he still intended to run away!

Yan Changqing’s hair band loosened during their scuffle, and large pieces of black silk hair scattered to his shoulder and neck, spreading out on the gorgeous golden silk carpet. Murong Xiu felt his heart tremble violently. 

No, he can’t be thinking about it anymore. Especially since he learned that the Dongyun man was not dead… His panic only grew stronger. 

He knew that Yan Changqing must have a different inclination for that Dongyun man. 

This cannot be. His Changqing can only ever belong to him. He wanted to melt him into his own flesh and blood, keep him in his stomach, so no one could snatch him away or see him! 

“Brother Xiu.” 

Yan Changqing changed his tone and continued calling him. 

Murong Xiu was taken aback for a moment but recovered quickly. He covered Yan Changqing’s mouth with one hand and continued to strip him with the other. 

Yan Changqing pulled on his elbow and squeezed his hand. The two men quietly locked eyes for a moment. 

Suddenly, Yan Changqing wrapped his hand around Murongxiu’s neck and patted it softly. It was like calming an irritable little beast: “Brother Xiu, remember this? Qi Yue Wu Yi, together as close friends.” 

Murong Xiu froze up, staring closely into Yan Changqing’s eyes. 

In his dark eyes, Murong Xiu saw a reflection. 

Himself but at fourteen years old. 

That day, paper money flew all over the sky, and merged with the vast snow. In front of the icy concubine Xian’s coffin, Yan Changqing held a thin young man with tears on his face. Big Brother gently patted the back of his neck, as if comforting a small animal, soothing him. 

“Qi Yue Wu Yi, together as close friends. King Qin dispatches the troops, repair my spear. Share vengeance with friends!”

On that day, Yan Changqing whispered in his ear, solemnly swearing. 

“Qi Yue Wu Yi, friends in the same pond. King Qin dispatches the troops, repairs my halberd, and works together with friends!”

That day, the little boy gritted his teeth and followed along with tears. 

“Your Majesty, do you remember this poem?” 

With black and white gaze so intense and clear, it seemed like even the iceberg and cleanest snow at the peak of the mountain didn’t come close in comparison. 

“I…I don’t remember!” Murong Xiu blurted out flustered, his voice shaking. 

“Does Your Majesty still remember what the Empress had told us?” 

Murong Xiu curled up into a ball, covering his ears with both hands, and shaking his head in a panic: “I don’t remember! I don’t remember!” 

“You two will always be emperor and minister and will always be brothers.” 

Yan Changqing spoke slowly, making sure to enunciate each word. 

A pale and sad face which was deliberately buried in the depths of his memory suddenly appeared before Murong Xiu. In front of the fluttering three-foot white silk, his mother had spoken those words to them so slowly. 

For a second, Yan Changqing’s face seemed to overlap with his mother’s face. 

A Monarch and an official. Brothers. 

Murong Xiu tries to deceive himself and closed his eyes tightly. He covered his ears as if struck by lightning, but Yan Changqing’s words still entered his ears syllable after syllable. 

“The emperor and the minister is the emperor and the minister, while brothers are brothers.” 

Yan Changqing pulled at the torn parts of his clothes and knelt solemnly.

“And other than that?” Murong Xiu raised his head abruptly, his throat was extremely dry, and his expression frantic: “Other than that? I…I…” 

Before he could finish speaking, the two men heard someone’s rapidly approaching footsteps. The great eunuch Liu Quan knelt outside the door and called out in a sharp voice: “Your Majesty, there’s an emergency in regards to the situation in Mo Nan!” 

If it were not for an extremely urgent battle report, Liu Quan would never be so panicked. But Murong Xiu didn’t even think about it twice. He grabbed whatever object was at hand and whipped it at the eunuch’s head and face: “Get out of here! Get out!” 

Liu Quan didn’t have time to dodge, and the gilt lampstand that Murong Xiu had thrown hit him square in the face. Blood flowed down his split forehead, and he didn’t even care to wipe it. His voice trembled uncontrollably: 

“Your Majesty, Mo Nan suffered a major earthquake and… many people died, so this slave dare delay reporting it!” 

Earthquake? Murong Xiu sobered up instantly as if a basin of ice water was poured down on him. 

Why was there a big earthquake!? Is God punishing him? 

Was it because he did something to his Brother against his will? To the Great Yan’s most loyal and brave general? 

Taking in Murong Xiu’s silence, Liu Quan thought that the young emperor was frightened stupid, but he could only bite the bullet and continue his report: “After the strong… strong earthquake, Mo Nan officers and soldiers tried to escape. Bei Rong turned into chaos and the twelve counties of Mo Nan all fell into enemy hands!” 

Murong Xiu stared at him, his eyes turning bloodshot in the corners: “What did you say?” 

Yan Changqing strode forward, grabbing the battle report. His fingers trembled as he quickly unfolded it. Every word on the report described the horrible state into which the situation has turned: raging flames and the collapse of the border at the mountains in the southern part of the country. 

“Your Majesty, please order me to lead support troops immediately to Mo Nan!” 

Murong Xiu was paralyzed with shock but finally, his clenched fist slowly loosened. After a long pause, he finally gave a gentle nod.

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