It Turns out that I am Beautiful, Strong and Miserable [Quick Wear] - 75

 

ITOTIABSAM | The Tyrant in the Deep Palace | 75

As the provocative words entered his ears, Xie Ye certainly couldn't show weakness.

Lifting his chin slightly, he leaned closer to Guo Cong. Just as he was about to bite for real, he hesitated a bit, feeling somewhat reluctant.

Seemingly anticipating this development, Guo Cong embraced him without any surprise, pulling him close into his arms. His chest vibrated as he let out a muffled laugh:

"Your Majesty is truly wonderful."

Rather than merely being hugged, it felt like almost half of Guo Cong's body was pressing against him. Despite the lingering summer heat, even with the ice placed in the bedchamber, the temperature wasn't quite suitable for such close contact.

However, Xie Ye enjoyed this intimacy.

On the soft couch, they naturally exchanged a kiss, and with most of the medical books left untouched on the table, there was no one left to read them. Born prematurely on a rainy night, Xie Ye's constitution was weak, and he was already occupied dealing with the persistent headaches that haunted him like malevolent spirits. 

Naturally, he had no energy left to think about anything else. Despite understanding what was happening, his body had no further demands.

But Xie Ye was different.

He had already loved Guo Cong, and with the lingering effects of the mental issues left by his childhood, when they flared up, he wished he could shrink Guo Cong down to palm-sized and keep him by his side at all times. 

In recent days, his headaches had lessened somewhat, and something that had been suppressed for nearly twenty years surged forth like water released from a dam, with unstoppable force.

Always on edge, with Guo Cong's uniqueness in mind, Xie Ye instinctively tried to retreat, but the soft couch was too small, leaving him with no room to escape. He even found himself caught by Guo Cong's grip on his ankle as he moved erratically.

The weather was hot, and there was no need for him to move outside. He hadn't even bothered to put on his socks. Ancient-style trousers were spacious, and gradually, starting from his ankles, a warmth that didn't belong to him climbed up.

The soft couch was comfortable, but there were no layers of curtains like those on a canopy bed. For ventilation, the palace door was left open, with only a folding screen standing not far away to block possible prying eyes.

Although he knew that, aside from Guo Cong, no one dared to listen or watch more than necessary due to his reputation, Xie Ye still couldn't help but tense up, pressing the back of his hand against his mouth to suppress any potential noise.

Guo Cong might lack experience, but at certain moments, Xie Ye felt that this man was excessively skilled.

The afternoon in the sleeping chamber was unusually quiet. The sunlight bathed the eaves, making the eunuchs and palace maids on duty feel drowsy. Only a faint sound of water, barely discernible, hinted at the unusualness of this afternoon.

... For a moment, Xie Ye's consciousness seemed to blur, his pupils dilating briefly before snapping back to reality.

The initial position had long since changed. He was now nestled in Guo Cong's arms, sweaty and clammy, with the sound of their heartbeats intertwining rapidly in his ears. Contrary to his usual behavior, Guo Cong didn't say anything improper, only his breathing slightly heavier. Xie Ye, finally noticing a certain unfamiliar sensation, stuttered, "You..."

"When I entered the palace at a young age, there happened to be a bit of trouble, and I narrowly escaped," Guo Cong's voice was hoarse, his smile low, "At that time, His Majesty had not yet ascended to the throne. Can it be considered deceiving the emperor?"

Gently kissing the small emperor's flushed earlobe, he asked, his tone so soft as if he was pitifully pleading, "Since Your Majesty has been so generous, could you also... care for me a bit?"

But his actions were completely different.

Half coaxing, half forceful, he took the young and delicate hand, pressing it against his lips, encircling his waist, not giving the other party a chance to object.

When Xie Ye had finished bathing and changed into fresh, clean clothes, the pampered palms of his hands already bore red marks. The palace servants, knowing well why the Mingguang Hall was called so, exchanged a glance, understanding without needing words.

1101 felt very wronged: "How can you blame me for this? Clearly, it was you who said to respect Guo Cong's privacy. Moreover, as far as the system is concerned, even with a thorough scan, it's just a bunch of data." It had nothing to do with health; which proper system would check whether the host's partner had all the necessary components?

Completely innocent, completely misunderstood.

Xie Ye also knew that the blame couldn't actually be placed on the system, but the thought of someone hiding things from him so well, coupled with his own paranoid need for control, was making him uneasy.

Guo Cong seemed to have figured it out, not bothering to explain much. Instead, he quietly comforted him, staying within his line of sight the whole time, and even had someone send over the ice bowls that had been prohibited during the medicinal bath.

The freshly picked seasonal fruits from the courtyard, paired with finely shaved ice and drizzled with a few drops of honey-infused syrup, successfully untangled the chaotic mess in Xie Ye's mind.

Despite his lofty position on the throne and the "beauty" in his arms, it seemed the world consciousness couldn't stand him being so carefree. Just as the disaster in Jiangzhou had been recently settled, trouble arose again from Xi Jinyu's side.

The only daughter from the Xue family was pregnant.

And it was the child of Prince An.

Now, it had been only a month and a half since Xie Ye had disrupted the marriage plans in the court, and Ning Wei, returning from Jiangzhou to the capital, was still on the road. How this news leaked out and spread remained unknown, but overnight, it caused an uproar throughout the city.

At present, whether Xie Ye opposed it or not, the Xue family was now tied to Xi Jinyu's fate. Even if he forced the woman from the Xue family to abort the fetus, it wouldn't change anything.

Honestly speaking, as someone who possessed the perspective of a god after awakening, Xie Ye wasn't worried about the protagonist's retaliation, nor did he think he would lose to Prince An. But he still couldn't feel at ease, especially for Xue Hai.

Similar to the elders of the Gu family in the previous world, Xue Hai genuinely cherished and doted on his daughter. However, she was chosen by the protagonist as a tool. One could imagine that if Xi Jinyu were to ascend to the throne in the future, how this unwed pregnancy and this illegitimate child would be quietly and seamlessly abandoned by him.

The news involving the royal family spread quickly within the palace, and it didn't take long for Pei Yi, who was just starting to recover, to hear about it. He accidentally dropped the teacup in his hand.

Bowl after bowl of cooling lotus seed soup arrived, but there was no sign of the tyrant. Despite his illness, Pei Yi could guess that his cover had been blown, and perhaps, he and his master were both...

However, during his illness, the tyrant had somehow sealed off Jingxue Pavilion like an iron bucket. Pei Yi couldn't leave, and neither could any news. It seemed that both his master and the tyrant had forgotten about him, leaving him to become an abandoned shadow in the deep palace.

"Haha... Hahaha..."

Finally receiving news related to the outside world and his master, it was about his master's inability to control his emotions with another woman, leading to the conception of a child. Pei Yi let out two dry laughs, hoarsely, not knowing who he was laughing at.

During this month, most of the palace servants who were capable of seeking a new path had been transferred out of Jingxue Pavilion. Only those with nowhere else to go, like Xia He, or those who were difficult to replace, remained here day after day.

Carefully picking up the broken pieces of porcelain from the ground, Xia He's eyes showed a hint of fear. She felt that her master, who used to be kind and amiable, was gradually becoming more terrifying than even the emperor.

Before being confined, when Eunuch Li sent the soup, she had asked a familiar imperial physician to check it, but there was nothing wrong with it. It was just the most common cooling soup.

But the master insisted on inducing vomiting behind everyone's back, day after day. As a result, his once clear and moist voice became as rough as sandpaper, losing at least half of the opportunity for favoritism.

You see, what the emperor used to enjoy the most was sitting down with a scroll of books or memorials, listening to the master's recitations. Now, there was no longer such an enviable situation.

Sighing silently, Xia He got up, intending to leave while holding the broken porcelain with a handkerchief. However, her wrist was suddenly grabbed tightly: "Tell me more about Prince An's matter."

The grip was unexpectedly strong. Xia He was surprised to find out that her seemingly delicate master had such strength that could almost crush her bones.

With tightly furrowed eyebrows, she endured the pain and repeated what she had just said: "The servant heard from Little Deng, who brings meals, that there are rumors circulating in the streets that the daughter of the Xue family is pregnant, and she was seen with Prince An a few days ago."

"And Prince An's residence has not denied it either. Most likely, there is a joyous event on the horizon. But His Majesty is probably going to be furious, so we should be careful lately and keep our heads down, lest we lose them."

After all, Prince An's residence had recently proposed to the Xue family. Whether it was snatching a wife or snatching a minister's wife, even if it was just talk, who would really forget such absurd behavior?

... He must have been driven mad by the soup fed to him by the tyrant.

That's what Pei Yi thought.

Endless malice bred in his heart. With every word Xia He spoke, he envisioned a way to escape from the palace and kill the daughter of the Xue family.

It went against the principles of a secret guard, and they should be executed directly. Yet, it made him feel incredibly satisfied.

"Master?" Xia He's voice grew quieter and quieter, her cold sweat dampening her clothes as she struggled to control her trembling.

Suddenly, as if waking from a dream, Pei Yi released her hand abruptly:

How did he become like the tyrant?

But Xia He had no idea what was going on in his mind. Her wrist was in intense pain, and she hastily excused herself. Originally, she had only heard that the Cold Palace could drive people insane, but she had never imagined that even Pei Yi would be affected like this.

And with his strength, his extreme reaction to the lotus seed soup, did he... really fear punishment to the point of self-harm?

The more he thought about it, the more chilling it became. Within just a couple of days, Xia He fell ill.

Now, Pei Yi was completely left without anyone to attend to him. The tea was cold, and meals were always delayed. Compared to the treatment he received when he first entered the palace, it was like night and day.

If one were to say that Prince An was unaware of the situation, that would undoubtedly be a lie. However, at this critical juncture when he was trying to win over the Forbidden Army, any hint of reluctance in his heart was quickly discarded:

If only Pei Yi could be more competent, how could things have escalated to this point?

As the adopted son of the Minister of Rites, how much effort had been expended to ensure that his status remained flawless from childhood to adulthood? Yet now, all that effort seemed to have been in vain. 

Xie Ye not only hadn't become crazier but was thriving. By a stroke of luck, he had saved Jiangzhou, preventing him from stoking public resentment in the short term. Instead, he could only focus on one woman.

Idle as he was, browsing through surveillance footage, 1101 commented: Well, these two are really something.

Clearly driven by selfish desires, yet they insisted on putting up a pretense of righteousness. Where were you two when the people of Jiangzhou were starving to death? Why didn't you show any concern then?

Xie Ye couldn't be bothered to dwell on these matters. He had been feeling rather annoyed lately. Although Ning Wei had not yet returned to the capital, his attitude had clearly influenced the faction loyal to the emperor. 

Initially, this group of people only wanted to use the child emperor as a mascot to maintain orthodoxy. But recently, they had been submitting many petitions that went beyond mere praises.

However, these cunning old foxes were very cautious. Fearful of losing their heads, none of them showed their faces, instead entrusting everything for delivery.

"For every inch of progress on the road of virtue, there is a corresponding increase in the height of evil." Xie Ye muttered to himself as he casually pushed aside the memorial on the table. He set down his pen, stood up, and gestured for someone to take his place.

"You take over," he said.

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Author's note:

The ministers: ??

Well, today it's Gu, the chamberlain, taking advantage once again.