Chapter 61
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After measuring Xue Yuan’s height, Gu Yuanbai found that although he wasn’t quite 1.9 meters tall, he was close to it.
With such a figure, if he wore armor and mounted a horse, he would undoubtedly look very bold and prominent when wielding a big sword or spear.
Tian Fusheng and Gu Yuanbai expressed their surprise together, then Tian Fusheng took out a cloth ruler and said, “Your Majesty, shall I measure you too?”
Gu Yuanbai smiled and stood up straight, “Go ahead.”
Tian Fusheng couldn’t reach His Majesty’s height, so in the end, the measuring tape ended up in Xue Yuan’s hands. Xue Yuan measured his height from the ground and chuckled, “His Majesty is slightly shorter than me.”
He was close to Gu Yuanbai, and when he smiled, the vibration in his chest seemed to be right in front of him. Gu Yuanbai pursed his lips, seemingly smiling, “Do you think you’re unusually tall, Official Xue?”
Xue Yuan whispered, “It’s good to be taller than you.”
Gu Yuanbai replied, “Get lost.”
As Heqin Wang followed the palace attendants’ guidance, he saw this scene.
The Emperor’s hair, smooth as silk, obstructed his view, so Xue Yuan reached out, gently lifting it with his fingers, as if holding a handful of water.
Heqin Wang’s feet froze.
The eunuch beside him cautiously said, “Wangye, shall I inform your arrival?”
Heqin Wang woke up suddenly, moved his gaze away, looked at the long willow branches beside him, and nodded absentmindedly, “Go ahead.”
In fact, if one wants a beauty, there were so many beauties in the world.
Perhaps it was because Gu Yuanbai was usually too dominant and dangerous, like being with a tiger, that Heqin Wang overlooked the fact that his little brother had a good appearance.
Heqin Wang suppressed his myriad emotions and walked out, bowing to Gu Yuanbai when he reached him. He glanced at the fishing rod by the lake and asked stiffly, “When will His Majesty go to the summer palace?”
Heqin Wang was always so disagreeable. Gu Yuanbai couldn’t be bothered to deal with him. Seeing an opportunity, Tian Fusheng interjected, “Wangye, His Majesty has already ordered that we will move to the summer palace in five days.”
Heqin Wang nodded, “Very well, then I will return to my residence to prepare as soon as possible.”
“Off you go,” Gu Yuanbai replied lazily at this point, “If Heqin Wang has time, learn more about palace etiquette. I waited for you this morning and didn’t see you come to dine. Did you sleep until noon?”
Heqin Wang was startled for a moment, then replied, “Yes.”
Gu Yuanbai actually waited for him to dine?
Heqin Wang’s mood improved slightly. He glanced at Gu Yuanbai again, and under this gaze, he felt that his brother’s lips were red and his teeth were white. He didn’t seem as intimidating as he usually did.
Gu Yuanbai casually held the fishing rod and noticed Heqin Wang’s gaze. He raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled, “Does Heqin Wang have something to say to me?”
Heqin Wang tried to keep his tone even, “Your Majesty, what were you doing with the attendants just now?”
Gu Yuanbai casually replied, “Just fooling around.”
Heqin Wang had intended to leave, but Gu Yuanbai’s casual words made him hesitate. He ordered the eunuch, “Bring me a fishing rod too.”
The eunuch brought the chair, bait, fishing rod, and other items. Gu Yuanbai had his position moved a bit farther away and half-jokingly said, “Don’t steal my fish.”
As the ripples were stirred by the wind, Gu Yuanbai fished for a while and felt drowsy. After a while, a eunuch came to report that another batch of donations had arrived from outside the capital.
Gu Yuanbai’s eyes lit up, instantly awakened from drowsiness. He threw down the fishing rod, gathered his robe, and said, “Let’s go and see.”
He walked too fast, and the fishing line caught his robe. Xue Yuan reacted quickly, striding over and grabbing him. Holding the emperor’s wrist, Xue Yuan’s face darkened, “Could you slow down a bit?”
Gu Yuanbai turned his head and looked, “I’m in a hurry.”
Xue Yuan didn’t let go of his wrist until Gu Yuanbai completely stopped. He bent down to untangle the fishing line, his tone not very pleasant, “Your Majesty, if you take one more step, the fishing line could cut into your flesh.” With Gu Yuanbai’s delicate skin, it could draw blood in minutes.
Tian Fusheng glanced at the Emperor’s expression, feeling a hidden admiration for this lord.
Look at him, saying such things without changing his expression. From beginning to end, this lord had never changed, daring to say anything to the Emperor. It was great to have someone like him by the Emperor’s side, with the courage to urge the Emperor to eat and rest, ensuring his well-being. But unfortunately, the Emperor didn’t like Xue Yuan.
It’s not quite accurate to say he didn’t like him; if he truly didn’t, Lord Xue would have been punished long ago.
After Xue Yuan untangled the fishing line, Gu Yuanbai strode out again. Xue Yuan watched his back and tossed the fishing line aside, then quickly caught up.
The attendants by Heqin Wang’s side asked, “Wangye, are you going?”
With the departure of the main master, the servants around him also left in a hurry. The place by the lake became empty in an instant, and when the cool breeze blew, it seemed a bit desolate.
Heqin Wang sat motionless in his position, while the fish in the lake swam over to eat the bait, creating ripples on the surface of the water. The man fishing, however, just watched, as if seeing something else through the ripples.
After a while, Heqin Wang disdainfully said, “I came here to fish. Does His Majesty think that the pond will move wherever he goes?”
The attendants chuckled nervously, not daring to say anything more.
After sorting out this matter of the donations that arrived in the capital, Gu Yuanbai was drenched in sweat. When Tian Fusheng asked if he wanted to bathe, Gu Yuanbai thought for a moment, then shook his head and refused. As he shook his head, his peripheral vision glanced at Xue Yuan, still not lingering on him for a second before turning away.
The young emperor’s face was flushed from the sun, showing a healthy complexion. Xue Yuan could watch him without blinking for three days and nights, but Gu Yuanbai wasn’t willing to spare even a minute of his time for Xue Yuan.
Xue Yuan let out a sigh.
Even with coolers placed in the palace, it was still stuffy. Gu Yuanbai didn’t linger much longer and, after finishing his tasks, prepared to head towards the lake.
Halfway there, they passed through a dense forest. Suddenly, a guard not far behind the emperor felt a pain in his knee. Before he could react, he lost his balance and stumbled towards the emperor.
The people trying to stop him panicked, rushing forward to block the guard from reaching the emperor. Somehow, in the blink of an eye, chaos erupted.
Gu Yuanbai was grabbed and pressed against a tree in the chaos.
The leaves shook violently, a few green leaves fell down, and the shadows of the trees swayed gently, bringing a cool breeze.
Xue Yuan took Gu Yuanbai away in front of everyone, pressing him between himself and the tree trunk in a serious yet joking manner. “Your Majesty, you said before that once I figured out what I wanted, you would give it to me. Is that true or not?”
Gu Yuanbai felt uncomfortable under his hot breath and tried to push him away. “What I said naturally holds true.”
Unable to budge Xue Yuan’s chest, Gu Yuanbai wrinkled his brows and flicked his forehead with his fingers, pressing, “Back off.”
“Where to?” Xue Yuan’s forehead left a fleeting red mark. “I haven’t said what I want yet.”
Gu Yuanbai finally looked up at him and met Xue Yuan’s gaze. “What does Official Xue want?”
Xue Yuan opened his mouth as if to speak, but then changed the subject suddenly. “Your Majesty, was that enjoyable last time?”
Gu Yuanbai: “….”
He remained silent for a moment and then confessed honestly, “Like I’ve told you before, except for being a bit rough, everything else is fine.”
Seemingly waiting for this response, Xue Yuan immediately continued, “Your Majesty, even when I’m away in Jinghunan these days, I haven’t forgotten to use fish oil to protect my hands. Compared to before, my hands are much smoother now, which would make touching even more comfortable.”
Gu Yuanbai had a premonition. “So?”
Xue Yuan grinned and glanced downward. “So I want to serve Your Majesty once again.”
Only the little emperor would receive such treatment.
Xue Yuan even practiced using the Yushi in his bedroom to improve his skills in pleasing the emperor.
However, the yushi was still just a yushi, not as good as the feeling of the little emperor’s hand.
Xue Yuan, like a rogue bandit, looked at the bewildered young emperor, chuckled casually, and said, “If Your Majesty feels unfairly treated, or thinks I’m bullying you, then this official can show you this official’s guy.”
He paused for a moment before continuing, “If you want to give it a try… that’s also possible.”
With that, he had put himself in a tough spot.
“Pa” Gu Yuanbai slapped him, leaving a red mark on Xue Yuan’s face for all to see.
Gu Yuanbai withdrew his hand cleanly. “Feeling better?”
Xue Yuan’s face twitched for a moment. He froze, feeling the fiery sensation on his face. After a moment, he licked the side of his face where he was slapped and turned back to Gu Yuanbai with a smirk. “Your Majesty, that slap was a bit weak.”
Gu Yuanbai’s gaze was fixed on his face, his eyes slightly narrowed.
Such focused attention, solely directed at Xue Yuan. The fallen man outside didn’t receive Gu Yuanbai’s gaze, nor did the food, the government affairs, the lake, or the fish. They all went unnoticed by Gu Yuanbai.
Xue Yuan felt somewhat excited under Gu Yuanbai’s gaze. He smiled, reached out, and held Gu Yuanbai’s pampered hand, placing it on his own face. “With such little force, how could I feel any pain?”
“Use a little more force,” he used his tongue to touch Gu Yuanbai’s hand through his own face and grinned, “Make me bleed, then it would be impressive.”
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