Xueya untied He Xulan’s outer robe, carefully inspecting it. He tried to find some suspicious marks but quickly said, “Brother, I’m so much paler than you.”
He then looked up at He Xulan’s face. Earlier, he had been too focused on holding him tightly to take a good look, but now, seeing clearly, he noticed that He Xulan had tanned. However, this only added to his masculine charm without diminishing his handsomeness in the slightest.
Xueya couldn’t help but feel a bit envious, especially of He Xulan’s increasingly defined abs. He wished those abs were on his own body and began touching them lovingly.
He Xulan’s brow twitched as he grabbed the hand that was roaming. After pulling his clothes back together, he carried Xueya back to the bed. “Are you sleepy?”
Xueya hadn’t been sleeping well lately, and the previous night was especially difficult. After playing around with He Xulan for a while, sleepiness crept in. Still, he was not at ease. “Brother, will you sleep with me?”
“Mm.” He Xulan got into bed.
“Really? You won’t leave again after I fall asleep, right?” Xueya’s eyes were full of fear and insecurity. He truly didn’t want to be left behind again.
Seeing the emotions in Xueya’s eyes, He Xulan laid down and pulled him into his arms, placing a gentle kiss on Xueya’s brow. “Sleep. I won’t leave. Even if I do, I’ll take you with me.”
Hearing this promise, Xueya finally relaxed a little. He found a comfortable spot in He Xulan’s embrace and drifted into a deep sleep. He slept until sunset, something he hadn’t done in a long time. But when he opened his eyes and realized he was alone in bed, panic immediately set in, and he got up to look for He Xulan.
As he pulled back the curtain, he saw a young man sitting at the table.
He Xulan, hearing movement, stood up and walked to the bed, sitting down beside him. “You’ve slept for several hours. Get up and eat something. The kitchen has prepared a meal.”
Xueya stared blankly at He Xulan. Seeing him like this, He Xulan pulled him into his arms. Once there, Xueya nestled against his chest, tightly gripping his clothes.
“I keep feeling like I’m dreaming, like you didn’t really come back,” Xueya whispered, his voice fragile, and his eyes quickly reddened. He leaned closer to He Xulan. “Brother, maybe you should… do something to me.”
With that, he reached for He Xulan’s belt, but his hand was swiftly caught.
Xueya almost burst into tears when his hand was stopped, tears already welling up. But then, he suddenly paused. “Brother, your hand?”
He noticed that He Xulan’s hand was wrapped in bandages, something he hadn’t seen before falling asleep.
“Earlier, while trimming the branches, I lost my grip on the shears and accidentally cut myself,” He Xulan explained casually, glancing at his injured hand.
***
With a dull thud, a man in a purple official robe was knocked to the ground. Before he could get up, his collar was grabbed, and a punch landed hard on his abdomen. This was a one-sided beating. Yin Qingxuan, untrained in martial arts, felt intense pain in his abdomen after just a few punches and couldn’t stand up.
Lying on the ground, he looked up at the sky and said through clenched teeth, “I never imagined the Empress Dowager would personally resort to violence. He must be very angry.”
No one responded.
Yin Qingxuan turned his gaze to the figure beside him, squinting against the light. “Why is the Empress Dowager so angry? Is it because of the failed grand plan, or is it because of him?”
As soon as he said this, he was lifted again. He Xulan’s face was cold, and his eyes, devoid of any former friendship, looked at him as if he were already dead.
Another punch landed.
This time, Yin Qingxuan couldn’t hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood. Only then did he hear He Xulan speak.
“Poor Prime Minister Yin is unwell. I suggest you stay at your estate to recuperate.”
Wiping the blood from his lips, Yin Qingxuan’s voice trembled from the pain. “You’ve abandoned everything for him? This is beyond my expectations. You must have planned this for a long time, yet you’re giving it all up for a mere plaything? He’s nothing but a pretty face, a fleeting pleasure.” He paused. “Are you truly willing to forsake your vengeance for him, even abandoning your revenge for the He family?”
***
“Brother?”
Xueya’s voice pulled He Xulan from his memories. He noticed Xueya anxiously watching him. “It’s nothing. My hand will be fine in a few days.”
It was just a small injury from hitting the jade pendant on Yin Qingxuan’s waistband during the fight.
After Xueya carefully examined He Xulan’s hand for a while, he relaxed a bit. He snuggled even closer into He Xulan’s arms, as if he wished he could melt into him. Still, it wasn’t enough for him. He reached for He Xulan’s belt again, but his hand was once more caught.
He Xulan’s voice was soft. “The kitchen has made sweet osmanthus dumplings. Want to eat some?”
Xueya, of course, wasn’t in the mood to eat. When his hand was stopped, he leaned in and kissed He Xulan, more like a nuzzle than a kiss. After a while, when there was still no response from He Xulan, Xueya called out pitifully, “Brother.”
As soon as the words left his lips, he was pressed down onto the bed.
With a small gasp, Xueya quickly wrapped his arms around He Xulan’s neck. When He Xulan tied a belt over his eyes, Xueya hesitated, “Brother?”
His lips, slightly parted and blushing, seemed to wait for someone to claim them. He Xulan gently kissed them and continued downward. Xueya’s body trembled, and soon, he stopped caring about anything else.
***
Afterward, Xueya remained in He Xulan’s arms, loosely draped in a robe that barely covered his legs. His skin was marked with faint red marks, intimate and suggestive. Although the belt had been removed, he kept his eyes half-closed, drowsily resting in He Xulan’s embrace.
After all this, he finally believed that it wasn’t a dream—He Xulan had really come back. Feeling reassured, he began to ask about other matters.
“Brother, when did you come back?”
“This morning, right after the city gates opened,” He Xulan said as he offered Xueya some water.
Xueya lazily took a few sips, then stopped. “Is the battle over? Did you win?”
“Mm. Finished drinking?”
Xueya shook his head. Once He Xulan set the cup aside, Xueya continued, “Brother, the Emperor made me pray for rain. I stood under the sun for two whole days. If it weren’t for my luck, you might not have seen me again.” As he spoke, his expression grew more aggrieved. “The Prime Minister stole my warm jade, destroyed my letter, and tried to kill me. He poisoned me and smothered me with blankets. I barely survived.”
He Xulan’s hand, which had been gently patting Xueya’s back, paused for a moment.
“Brother, that warm jade… was it yours? The Prime Minister said it was.”
“Mm.”
That simple acknowledgment made Xueya bite his lip. He was both angry and happy—angry that He Xulan and Liang Mu had teamed up to deceive him, and happy that, despite He Xulan saying he wasn’t worth loving, he had still sent him a gift.
Brother definitely loved him, not like what Yin Qingxuan had said.
As these thoughts passed through his mind, Xueya secretly rubbed the lower part of his back. He Xulan noticed and, lifting the robe slightly, saw the fresh, faint bite marks on his skin and gave them a gentle rub.
At this touch, Xueya’s face turned red. He remembered the earlier intimate scene.
Seeing his face flush even deeper, He Xulan withdrew his hand. But as soon as he did, Xueya placed it back where it was. He Xulan, aware of Xueya’s increased dependence, did not feel happy about it. His expression darkened briefly.
Such a shift in Xueya’s behavior could only be due to the traumatic experiences he had recently endured.
Had he returned any later, Xueya might not have survived.
***
A few days earlier.
“You’re returning to the capital?” The military doctor had just finished changing the bandage on He Xulan’s back when Yi Yefeng entered the tent and noticed He Xulan’s men packing up.
He Xulan sat up and pulled on his outer robe. “Yes, I’m leaving for the palace tomorrow.”
Yi Yefeng frowned, staring at He Xulan in silence for a long time.
After a lengthy pause, it was Yi Yefeng who broke the silence. “If you’ve decided, I won’t stop you. But it won’t be safe in the palace. How will you deal with it?”
He Xulan smiled self-deprecatingly. “If I said I have no plan, would you think I’m mad?”
“I would. But you’d still go.” Yi Yefeng replied.
He Xulan turned his gaze to the flickering candlelight in the tent. “I thought I could leave everything behind for revenge, but I overestimated myself.”
Yi Yefeng thought for a moment. “If you die, I’ll place your memorial tablet at Qianfo Temple. Do you need a tomb for your clothes and crown?”
He Xulan: “…No.”
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