ITOTIABSAM | The Tyrant in the Deep Palace | 71
Like someone who has been rescued from drowning, Xie Ye's breathing eased.
Subconsciously reaching out to touch Gu Cong's handsome brows, he asked, "If you've been deceived, what would you do?"
Normally, when a hand that had just killed someone reached out to him, one would be afraid. But Gu Cong showed no signs of avoidance, allowing the cold touch of those fingertips to land on his face.
"If it's His Majesty who deceives me, I'm willing," despite the unpleasant smell of blood in the air, Gu Cong remained unaffected, rising to his feet only after the young Emperor had finished touching his face. "I've asked someone to prepare clothes and hot water in the inner room. Would Your Majesty like to change?"
Xie Ye nodded in agreement.
1101's words brought a sense of awakening to Xie Ye. Was there truly such luck in the world? Every lifetime, he encountered Gu Cong, and no matter how he changed, he was always understood and trusted by him.
It felt like a dream. How could a villain be so fortunate?
"Firstly, you have awakened, so you can follow the original plot, but of course, you can also break free from its constraints," 1101 interjected, its tone tinged with frustration. "Secondly, Gu Cong, outside of the storyline, won't be influenced by the villain filter. He sees Xie Ye as simply Xie Ye."
【Of course, I am also vying for his favor.】1101 added with a huff, trying to console but not forgetting to compete for Xie Ye's attention.
Xie Ye couldn't help but smirk slightly.
Meanwhile, Ning Wei, who was deeply concerned about the disaster situation, was rushing to the residence of the Minister of Revenue to seize his assets. More and more people gathered to watch, witnessing crates of antiques, calligraphy, jewelry, and jade being carried out.
But the most eye-catching were the gold and silver, piled up like small mountains. In addition to the silver bills, when converted, it was enough to save not just one Jiangzhou, but perhaps even ten.
In the original plot, aside from the portion that had to be left to the court for accountability, most of these assets would have ended up in the pockets of Xi Jinyu, enriching his funds for recruiting soldiers and buying horses.
But now, the one ordered to seize the assets was Ning Wei. Soldiers in the army valued loyalty, and since the young emperor was willing to save Jiangzhou, Ning Wei, not willing to take a single penny for himself, directly dispatched a small team of soldiers who were allowed to stay in the capital to deliver every last coin into the palace.
According to reason, with such a large sum of money and the young emperor's insistence on providing disaster relief, there were too many levels and opportunities for manipulation from the capital to Jiangzhou. The potential profits were also tempting.
However, the individual on the dragon throne completely put an end to the thoughts of certain people itching for action. He found it troublesome and didn't attend the court session, only instructing someone to draft an edict for Ning Wei to personally escort the relief funds.
It was straightforward and decisive, not giving anyone else a chance to vie for the position.
Usually, when the court provides disaster relief, members of the imperial family are often appointed as military supervisors. With no consorts or children, Xi Jinyu, who thought he was the most suitable candidate due to his similar age and frequent travels, didn't expect Xie Ye to forget about this role entirely. Without any ceremony, Xie Ye casually dispatched Ning Wei out of the capital.
The thoughts of a madman are unpredictable, so it's not surprising no matter what he does. Xi Jinyu couldn't tell whether Xie Ye was truly foolish or just pretending.
Fortunately, there was still a nail in the palace who could alleviate his worries.
On the night Ning Wei set out, Pei Yi, who had been absent for a long time, received a sealed secret order.
Due to Xie Ye's influence on Eunuch Li, the transmission of information inside and outside the palace was not as timely as before. Although Pei Yi was unaware that the former was once a member of the Prince An's faction, he still noticed the significant changes in the situation.
At this point, after drinking soup every day for half a month, Pei Yi was worried it might be poisoned. He had to find a difficult opportunity to induce vomiting behind people's backs. His once gentle and handsome face had become extremely haggard.
In the eyes of others, it appeared as if Pei Yi was increasingly heartbroken due to the heartlessness of the imperial family.
Regardless of his willingness, Pei Yi had to execute his master's orders. He skillfully burned the note with a candle to destroy the evidence. Pei Yi called out, "Xia He."
"Help me tie up my hair."
Half an hour later.
Pei Yi, meticulously groomed, stood in front of the Mingguang Hall, dressed in white like snow, his weakness evident in his eyes and brows, evoking sympathy from onlookers.
However, the little eunuch guarding the gate opposite remained unmoved. "Master Pei, His Majesty is currently with the inner attendant and is not available to see you. Please return."
In the past, apart from poisoning, Pei Yi had never actively come to the Mingguang Hall. Naturally, he had never experienced such embarrassment. He had been so carefully nurtured by the young emperor for so long that he had almost forgotten the taste of being out of favor in the palace.
Beside him, Xia He couldn't help but interject, "How dare you! Who allowed you to be so insolent to Master Pei?"
"I only spoke the truth," maintaining composure, the little eunuch neither humble nor overbearing, "even if I were to report to His Majesty, it will be the same outcome."
Currently, in terms of favor, even Eunuch Li cannot compare to the inner attendant. His Majesty not only brought the inner attendant to court but also praised him for beheading the Minister of Revenue and saving Jiangzhou from severe drought. Although His Majesty's moods are unpredictable, the inner attendant is a normal person. Even the most foolish servant knows who to please at this moment.
Moreover, he had not received any favors from Pei Yi, so there was no reason for him to show any respect.
"If Master Pei is willing to wait, then he can wait here," the little eunuch made a polite gesture, "If you're lucky enough to see the inner attendant come out, maybe I can put in a good word for you."
Unfortunately, tonight, Gu Cong was destined to have no time for anyone else.
After consulting with the imperial physician for several days, he improved the formula for the medicated bath. Now, he stood by the mist-covered white jade pool, adding ingredients one by one.
The young emperor, wearing only an inner robe, sat by the pool, his green hair tied up. He turned his head to stare at Gu Cong, his fair legs dangling into the water, most of them submerged.
Since the last morning court, his relationship with the young emperor seemed to have become closer. At the very least, in his presence, the emperor wouldn't stubbornly contradict him anymore, becoming much more candid.
"It's ready," allowing the emperor's gaze to wander around him, Gu Cong set down the small basket of medicine, assuring, "This time, I consulted many imperial physicians to improve the formula. It won't be as unbearable for Your Majesty as it was last time."
...Unbearable? What was unbearable?
That was clearly just a normal physiological phenomenon.
But as Gu Cong spoke so seriously, Xie Ye couldn't bring himself to be stern. He could only give him a sharp glance and reluctantly slid into the water against the pool wall.
While others bathed in flower petals, he soaked in medicinal herbs. Fortunately, the scent was light and not overpowering. Just as Xie Ye found a comfortable position and prepared to relax as usual, there was a splash as another heavy object fell into the water.
"Haven't we discussed this? I need to massage for Your Majesty, otherwise, how could the absorption be effective just by soaking?" Reading the doubt in the emperor's eyes, Gu Cong responded calmly.
The imperial robe, embroidered with gold and blue, was neatly folded on the ground. The pure white inner robe was wet, now semi-transparent fabric clinging to his skin.
Xie Ye was not someone who coveted beauty.
But Gu Cong, who was a head taller than him, couldn't be described as a water lily emerging from the water or some kind of ethereal male fairy.
Yet, he still stared at the faintly visible abdominal muscles for quite some time, until a voice with a hint of amusement sounded above him, "Your Majesty?"
"Do you like it?"
"Once Your Majesty's health improves, you'll surely have them too, and maybe even grow taller than me."
Since he was already caught red-handed, Xie Ye, who was open and aboveboard, simply looked directly at Gu Cong, and even reached out to touch him.
Smooth and not exaggerated lines, with elasticity, filled with a powerful beauty.
Glup.
Unconsciously, Gu Cong moved his throat. Just a moment ago, he was laughing and chatting freely, but now he froze completely: he wasn't a real eunuch, with all body parts intact. The sensitive area of his lower abdomen was being touched by the delicate fingertips of the young emperor. Even though there was a layer of fabric between them, the sensation was still vivid and intense.
"What's wrong?" The muscles under the fingertips suddenly tightened, as hard as a rock. Xie Ye lightly poked twice, pretending not to know.
Gu Cong, who straddles both worlds, has a unique physiological structure. As long as the other party doesn't mind, he can be teased freely.
"Nothing." With the heat lingering, afraid that the young emperor would touch him again and expose himself, Gu Cong quickly shook his head and changed the subject, "The water temperature is just right. Your Majesty, shall we begin?"
Knowing that the other party minded the scars on his body, Gu Cong didn't force the young emperor to take off his inner garment. Instead, he chose the lightest and most translucent fabric, hoping to make the other party more comfortable.
However, at this moment, this thoughtfulness made Gu Cong increasingly unbearable. Seeing things through a fog, admiring the moon in the water, the half-hidden lute often entices the most.
With his arms resting on the edge of the pool, the young emperor lay lazily with his back to him, his eyes half-closed, looking like a cat showing its soft belly only to those it trusts.
With the previous experience, this time Gu Cong controlled the strength just right. Perhaps 1101's guess was correct—due to the intense desire and active efforts, the other party did indeed retrieve some of his own belongings from the world consciousness. As Gu Cong moved, Xie Ye's headache noticeably eased, and he even felt a bit drowsy.
The natural drowsiness rose, working even better than the calming agents from the system store.
"Your Majesty?" Gu Cong was about to ask the young emperor to turn over and change position, but when he lifted his head, he found that the other party's jet-black eyelashes had gently closed, fluttering like butterfly wings with the teenager's breathing.
Perhaps it was a bit hot soaking in the pool, the usually well-behaved young emperor's lips were slightly parted, crimson and moist, calm, relaxed, and completely defenseless.
Gu Cong's throat felt a bit dry.
He knew that as a eunuch, being allowed to accompany the emperor was already a great fortune, and he shouldn't harbor any further thoughts.
But at this moment, all he could think of were thoughts of insubordination, treason, and deserving of severe punishment.
He had gained the trust of the young emperor, yet at this moment, he felt the temptation to betray that trust, to drag the other party fiercely into the water, to kiss him recklessly, to act wantonly.
...Kiss.
Kiss.
The rough fingertips, tougher than ordinary palace attendants', instinctively followed the desire and gently brushed against the young emperor's lips.
When he came to his senses, Gu Cong's fingertips already felt a soft and moist sensation. The increasingly accustomed teenager did not wake up but instead leaned on his hand even more, rubbing against it.
Thump, thump.
It felt like a ferocious beast was lurking in his chest, eagerly wanting to break free. Gu Cong tried hard to look away, to move his disobedient hand away, but in the next moment, he heard the young emperor murmur:
"Gu Cong."
In an instant, wild thoughts surged, and all restraint was abandoned.
The man's gaze darkened slightly.
"I'm here."
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