That gaze made Yan Rong’s heart jolt. He was supposed to be the one backing up his younger brother with an imposing presence, yet he was suppressed by the other party in an instant, and he did not know what to say for a moment.
This Zhao Chufeng was definitely no ordinary person. Yan Rong glanced again at Yan Yihuan, who was sitting between the two of them with a puzzled look on his face, and could not help sighing inwardly at how this fool had managed to latch onto such a figure. He could not watch over him at every moment. If Zhao Chufeng truly harbored ill intentions, he was afraid there would not even be bones left of him.
“You’d better be wholeheartedly devoted. No matter what happens in the future, you must never abandon him. Otherwise, the entire Residence of King Yan will never let you off!”
Yan Rong’s words frightened Yan Yihuan badly. The words “never let you go” kept echoing in his mind. Seeing that the emperor had no intention of revealing his identity, he did not dare speak frankly either. He could only anxiously keep kicking Yan Rong’s leg under the table. Yet Yan Rong’s face did not change at all, and he remained completely unmoved.
Instead, Li Xuanming frowned slightly and glanced helplessly at Yan Yihuan, who was almost sweating with anxiety. In his eyes was a thick, lingering affection that could not be dispelled.
“If he remains pure all his life, I will protect him all his life, letting him live without worry. If he…” Li Xuanming raised his eyes to look at Yan Rong. The emotions in his gaze shifted into a trace of firm resolve mixed with helplessness. “If he stays ignorant all his life, that’s also alright. It’s fine as long as I understand.”
After saying this, Li Xuanming turned slightly and said softly, “Alright, stop kicking.”
Yan Yihuan instantly pulled back his foot and quickly lowered his head to look under the table. Sure enough, on the hem of the emperor’s long robe, a footprint stood out glaringly.
For the first time, Yan Yihuan felt like crying from his own stupidity, and he was also close to crying from being frightened by his brother. He thought to himself that the Yan family was already in grave danger, yet his second brother was still here threatening fiercely. Who was he saying he would not let off? Who knew whether the person in front of them would let the entire Residence of King Yan off at all!
Li Xuanming and Yan Rong looked at each other at the same time. Clearly, regarding Yan Yihuan’s reaction, although neither spoke of it aloud, the two had already reached the same understanding. Yan Rong, who had originally been stern and righteous, unexpectedly felt a trace of sympathy.
“This… this can count as one of his strengths, I suppose.”
Ahem, he would not be returned, would he?
But no matter what, whoever it was that shared Yan Yihuan’s feelings, as long as it was not the present emperor, that would be fine. Besides, their father and eldest brother were both far away in Changyun Prefecture right now, so he could not make that decision anyway.
At that moment, there was suddenly a knock at the door. Someone outside called out “Lord Zhao.” As Li Xuanming got up and went out, Yan Rong immediately pulled Yan Yihuan over and teased him.
“I was wondering why you seemed a bit different this time I saw you. Turns out the corners of your eyes and brows are full of spring. You’re finally more than just a so-called flirtatious virgin boy.”
“Yan Rong!” Yan Yihuan instantly clenched his fists and, through gritted teeth, called him by name. “Do you know who he is!”
“Zhao Chufeng ah[mfn]This “ah” tone is like, “Of course I know.”[/mfn].” Yan Rong was not annoyed at all and was still grinning. “You really did it, Yan Manman. You actually managed to get him.”
Hearing the name Yan Manman, Yan Yihuan wished he could sew Yan Rong’s mouth shut on the spot. “You are not allowed to call me that again!”
Back then, Consort Yan had firmly believed she was carrying a daughter, so she had chosen the childhood nickname “Manman” early on and called him that every day. Manman also carried the meaning of a pair of lovebirds[mfn]Biyiniao, also known as manman, are birds with one eye and one wing each, that must attach to each other and fly in pairs. Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biyiniao[/mfn], expressing the deep affection between King Yan and his wife.
Although the baby born was a boy, he was incredibly cute, like a porcelain doll. Princess Consort Yan had grown attached to the name Manman and could not bear to change it, so she kept calling him that until he was seven.
Speaking of it, it was back when they were at King Qin’s residence, where Li Xuanjing and the others had laughed at him, saying that “Manman” sounded like a girl’s name. This infuriated Yan Yihuan, and after causing a scene, he never allowed anyone to call him that again.
Now it was only Yan Rong who, from time to time when teasing him, would deliberately call him that.
Just as Yan Yihuan was still in an inner struggle over whether he should go against the emperor’s wishes and tell Yan Rong the truth, Li Xuanming returned. He could only swallow back the words that had risen to his throat.
“I’m going back,” Li Xuanming paused slightly, glancing casually at Yan Rong before turning his gaze to Yan Yihuan. “What about you?”
“Me?” Yan Yihuan thought, Was it not agreed that I would return to the palace tomorrow night? But before he could voice his refusal, Yan Rong spoke first.
“He’s going back too!”
Yan Rong hurriedly called out to Li Xuanming, then bent down and whispered in Yan Yihuan’s ear, “You fool, can’t you tell he wants you to go back with him?”
“What do you know!”
“Sigh, just listen to your brother. Especially in the palace, you must stay calm and never reveal any more flaws. I’ll handle everything outside. Yan Rong softened his voice to a barely audible whisper. “As for Xu Xinyao’s matter, especially what you said about father and elder brother, forget it all, understood?”
Those words made a great deal of sense. Yan Yihuan steadied himself and nodded, his face serious.
Li Xuanming deliberately stood some distance away, allowing the two brothers to finish their whispering. Then he watched as Yan Rong pushed the unwilling Yan Yihuan toward him.
Since Li Xuanming had left the palace incognito, the carriage was naturally low-key and far less spacious than the ones they usually rode in.
Right now was the liveliest time of the day in Jinliu Alley. Outside the window, the cries of people soliciting customers rose louder and louder. The sounds of passing carriages, horses, and conversations were endless. Yet even in such a noisy environment, Yan Yihuan still felt that he could clearly sense the rise and fall of the breathing of the person beside him.
They really were still too close.
Yan Yihuan stole a glance at the person beside him, only to see the emperor leaning against the carriage wall with his eyes closed, resting, not even intending to look at him.
What had his second brother said just now? Act as usual and don’t reveal any flaws again. But what exactly was he usually like?
Yan Yihuan swallowed quietly. Memories flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, like a cat’s paw tentatively scratching, numb and tingling but not quite relieving the itch.
Counting the days, it had already been more than half a month since their first quarrel. Being busy with state affairs was one thing, but Yan Yihuan knew that the real reason was the rift that had formed between them.
Although he felt uncomfortable, he had not forgotten that this was the emperor. Not to mention secretly killing someone. Even if he had done it openly, no one would dare say anything.
During the few days in Ming Zhang’s residence, Yan Yihuan had also picked up on Ming Zhang’s well-intentioned hints. But how could Ming Zhang know that Yan Yihuan’s own fate was tied to that of the Yan family? He did not even know whether trying to please him would still be of any use, so how could he dare make another wrong move?
Now this narrow carriage was actually a good opportunity.
The wheel sank slightly, just catching in a missing corner of the bluestone road. The small jolt should have been nothing, but Yan Yihuan gave a soft sigh and shifted closer to the side. His hand landed squarely on Li Xuanming’s leg, and as if unable to steady himself, he slid down slightly.
The carriage soon steadied again. Leaning like this, Yan Yihuan suddenly felt a trace of deliberate awkwardness. He lifted his head and gave an appeasing smile, only to see the emperor’s eyes dark and unreadable, making it impossible to decipher.
How could Li Xuanming fail to see Yan Yihuan’s intention? He pursed his thin lips together lightly, smoothing away the upward curve, and grasped Yan Yihuan’s restless hand. As his body leaned forward, both of their breaths gradually mingled together. The distance between their lips was almost no more than a sheet of paper. Even the slightest tremor would have been enough for them to meet. Yet even without touching, that tingling sensation reached straight to the tip of the heart.
That familiar feeling made Yan Yihuan’s breathing instantly quicken, and he simply closed his eyes.
Warm breath brushed against the corner of his lips, but what came next did not happen as he had hoped. Instead, only a low voice sounded by his ear, making Yan Yihuan open his eyes in confusion.
“Did you understand what I said to Yan Rong just now?”
The author has something to say:
So now you all know what the little white cat’s name is, right? Hehe.
