Chapter 130
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“Don’t be afraid,” Xie Duo said softly, one hand resting by Han Jiao’s ear. “If you have feelings for me too, I can make you as happy as I am.”
Han Jiao lowered his eyes, unable to look at him. “It hurt so much after waking up last time.”
“It won’t this time,” Xie Duo assured with a serious expression. “Last time, you got drunk, and I didn’t know my limits. I won’t let you feel any pain this time.”
Han Jiao felt his body go weak. The hand against Xie Duo’s chest trembled with nervousness.
Xie Duo spoke hoarsely, “Help me undo my belt.”
Han Jiao’s hands hesitantly slid to Xie Duo’s waist, feeling for the belt. Xie Duo’s left hand caught his wrist, guiding him to the buckle’s location.
He fumbled around, finding the position of the fastener, and finally undid it.
Han Jiao nervously lifted his eyes, never having seen Xie Duo in such a painful expression. His heart softened, and after some thought, he softly said, “Then don’t move, let me try on my own.”
Xie Duo swallowed hard, nodding anxiously.
[Censored]
After struggling for a long time, there was absolutely no progress.
Xie Duo was already drenched in sweat, his hands bracing on both sides, tilting his head back, despairingly closing his eyes.
Han Jiao felt extremely guilty and asked him in a hushed voice, “Should we use some of that… that oil?”
Xie Duo didn’t know much in this regard and thought Han Jiao was talking about the kind of oil used to prolong the duration of intimacy.
He opened his eyes, smiling wryly as he gazed at Han Jiao. “Do I look like someone who needs that kind of medicine? Or are you trying to torture me a bit longer? Don’t worry, Han Xiaobai, I can endure this for as long as it takes. You won’t sit down until I do, and I won’t return to the palace until you do.”
“That oil isn’t for delaying!” Han Jiao hastily explained, “It’s the kind of cream you put on to make it smooth, to make it easier for you to go in.”
Xie Duo suddenly perked up and asked urgently, “Is there still some of that cream? Where can we find it?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve heard before that some wealthy young master’s estate had male pets.”
Xie Duo took a deep breath and hoarsely said, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“How about we prepare the cream for next time?”
Xie Duo hung his head without replying.
[Censored]
Han Jiao immediately let go of Xie Duo’s hand, guiltily lowering his head. “Should I go rest downstairs tonight?”
“It’s almost dawn.” Xie Duo wearily opened his eyes, lifting Han Jiao off his lap, placing him to the side, and then lying down beside him. “Let me hold you for a while.”
The two of them embraced each other for the night.
Han Jiao hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time.
Not having a successful intimacy session wasn’t a bad thing for him.
For the first time, he felt truly at ease sleeping in Xie Duo’s embrace, paying no mind to how stubbornly this stinky little brother had endured until dawn.
Because he was sleeping so soundly, he remained unaware when Xie Duo got up to return to the palace until he opened his eyes and found himself alone in bed.
Han Jiao stretched lazily and sat up, glancing around. He noticed neatly folded new clothes on a low table beside the bed.
On top of the clothes, there was a piece of paper. Han Jiao eagerly picked it up and quickly read it. The ornate handwriting was a clear sign that it was personally written by the big boss.
The message was simple. Urgent matters in the court. No need to enter the palace. Relax at home for a day.
Given the tone of the letter, it seemed that the big boss wasn’t angry about last night’s unsuccessful attempt.
Han Jiao folded the paper and held it in his hand. Just as he was about to reach for his clothes, he glanced down at his body.
His waist had turned slightly bruised from Xie Duo’s grip, and his wrists were a little sore.
This guy always went a bit too far.
Strangely, the marks Xie Duo left behind seemed to bring him joy.
Han Jiao smiled and lay back in bed, covering himself with the blanket, as if Xie Duo’s presence still lingered around him.
The lifelong bachelor felt like he was on the brink of suffocating from happiness.
Falling in love with someone was unexpectedly joyful. The embarrassment and pain from last night were completely pushed aside. All that filled his mind were Xie Duo’s passionate kisses and the sensation of his abs.
Even though nothing had happened afterwards, Han Jiao already felt so much happiness. He lingered under the covers until well past sunrise, reluctantly getting up and getting dressed.
When he left, a eunuch was waiting outside, ready to assist him.
“I need to go home for a while,” Han Jiao informed the eunuch. “My parents must be worried about me.”
The Chief Eunuch smiled and agreed, instructing a young eunuch to prepare a carriage.
Han Jiao felt a bit uncomfortable with this kind of considerate treatment. After getting on the carriage, he noticed that the Chief Eunuch had also climbed aboard. He quickly declined, “I’ll go on my own and be back soon. You don’t need to accompany me.”
The eunuch respectfully bowed and nervously said, “Please don’t be displeased, Master. This is His Highness’ wish, and I dare not neglect it.”
Han Jiao then understood that Xie Duo was probably concerned about him contacting Prince Yan’s faction again. Xie Duo had intentionally sent an attendant to accompany him when leaving the mansion.
Thinking about this, the morning’s happiness faded a bit. The harsh reality forced Han Jiao to confront the lingering suspicions of Xie Duo.
After all, he had been brought into Prince Ling’s residence because of his secret interactions with Liu Tong, not through a legitimate wedding.
There was a fundamental difference between the two scenarios.
Xie Duo didn’t want to scold him, but deep down, there were terrifying hidden dangers, and some things might never happen again.
But should he really allow Xie Duo to uproot Senior Minister Xu’s supporters?
Han Jiao had successfully saved Prince Yan’s teacher, but what would happen next? Could it pose a threat to the relationship between these two brothers?
Even now, Han Jiao still couldn’t figure out why Xie Duo suddenly saw Prince Yan as a major threat.
With the ironheaded guy’s current personality, he wasn’t more of a threat than Senior Minister Li.
Moreover, based on Xie Duo’s restraint shown last night, Han Jiao believed that his character hadn’t changed. He still had his past elegance and rationality, so there was no reason for him to be confused solely in this matter.
Could there be another hidden reason among all this?
On the way back home, Han Jiao’s head was throbbing from thinking, but he was still clueless.
He could only hope that the ironheaded guy wouldn’t discover that Xie Duo was targeting him. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Prince Yan was actually a resolute person. Back then, he loved Old Seventh so much, but when Old Seventh showed fear and rejection, for some unknown reason, he simply cut ties with him and even competed for the throne.
It was truly a twist of fate. From a young age, Prince Yan didn’t receive his father, the Emperor’s, favor. Later, he loved Old Seventh dearly, but Old Seventh inexplicably turned against him. As he grew up, Old Ninth, whom he cherished, inexplicably wanted to eliminate his power.
Both of them were his own younger brothers. Han Jiao couldn’t imagine how devastated they’d be when they learned the truth.
Even including Han Jiao himself, just a year ago, he had been determined to become Prince Yan’s top strategist. Now, he had subtly changed allegiance under the charm of the Ninth Prince. Even Liu Tong had chosen to return to his hometown to ally with the Ninth Prince voluntarily. It was a situation of disloyalty and division, turning the original comeback into a compensation for Prince Yan’s unfortunate life.
Regardless, even if it meant touching the big boss’ raw nerves, Han Jiao had to clear things up.
Xie Duo used to be an overly candid person, probably due to his confidence. He didn’t need to hide any motives because, whether he spoke up or not, he was confident he could achieve his goals. The only exception seemed to be the matter of Prince Yan’s faction.
The more Han Jiao thought about it, the more he was convinced that there had to be hidden motives.
Returning home, his mother, upon seeing him, was so overjoyed that she wiped away tears and asked why he had been imprisoned and not allowed any visitors.
Han Jiao found it difficult to explain, only saying that he had been wrongly implicated and had now cleared his name.
Mrs. Han finally felt at ease and checked her son to ensure he hadn’t suffered during his imprisonment.
Han Jiao stood still, letting his mother inspect him for quite a while. Seeing her face pressed against his sleeve, carefully examining, he couldn’t help but chuckle, “What can you tell from that? I really haven’t been hurt, so don’t worry, Mother.”
“This fabric…” Mrs. Han’s eyes widened in disbelief, as she looked up at her son. “Where did you get this outfit?”
Han Jiao was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
“This is ten-colored silk fabric!” Mrs. Han’s eyes almost popped out. “Where did you, you rascal, get this clothing from? Haven’t you been involved in corruption or bribery? Take it off quickly! Your father will kill you when he comes back! Hurry!” She reached out to help him remove it.
“Mother!” Han Jiao quickly stopped her hand. “It’s just a piece of clothing. Your son now holds three jobs. Father won’t kill me over a slightly better outfit, will he?”
“Slightly better outfit? This is ten-colored silk fabric!” Mrs. Han was vehement. “Your Auntie showed off a ten-colored silk fan in front of me two years ago. It was a special royal product. She claimed she spent nearly a hundred taels to obtain it and said it would double in value in a few years.”
Han Jiao lowered his head in embarrassment, looking at his seemingly modest dark blue robe. It was then he realized that every inch of this fabric exuded the intoxicating scent of wealth!
If a fan cost so much, how much did this whole outfit cost…
Without waiting for his mother to take action, Han Jiao carefully removed the “diamond robe” and changed into his own clothes, fearing that he might damage it.
Dealing with a imperial heir was indeed thrilling.
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