“…Which sentence?”
Yan Yihuan tried hard to recall what they had just said, but he had been far too nervous just now, and those words had vanished like a gust of wind.
The Emperor was incredibly perceptive. A chill ran down Yan Yihuan’s spine, and he secretly regretted not listening carefully just now. Could it be that he heard something amiss from some sentence by his second brother?
But remaining in this stalemate was not a solution. Since he could not answer, then he might as well not answer at all.
One hand was being restrained, but there was still the other. As if making a desperate gamble, Yan Yihuan suddenly lifted his other arm and wrapped it around the back of Li Xuanming’s neck, leaning upward with force and closing that slight distance.
The moment their lips touched, both of their bodies involuntarily tensed. The two who each believed themselves to be calm were instantly overwhelmed by a torrent of emotion, surging through their limbs until even their fingertips tingled so much they could hardly hold on.
Yan Yihuan kissed him passionately, any initial ulterior motives long thrown beyond the clouds, and he forgot when it was and where he was.
His legs were equally active, growing increasingly unrestrained. His whole body clung to Li Xuanming like a vine with nothing to rely on, taking control and pressing him down, every strand of hair clamoring with desire.
The temperature inside the narrow and cramped space rose sharply. The carriage, having already left Jinliu Alley, moved away from the noise and gradually became wrapped in the silent stillness of the night.
At this moment, Yan Yihuan had already been suppressed by the disparity in strength. His initiative had turned into passivity, his breath was being relentlessly stolen, making him even more unbearably restless.
The last trace of reason told Yan Yihuan that this small carriage was not as strong and sturdy as a royal carriage, nor was it like when the emperor was out patrolling and everyone else was not allowed to get close. Right now they were traveling along the streets of the capital, and even the slightest unusual sound would be noticed by others.
Unwilling to part, Yan Yihuan lingered for a while, then slowly lowered his arched waist bit by bit of his own accord. At last, as if making up his mind, he suddenly withdrew amid the near‑suffocating dizziness, then turned his head aside and gasped for air.
Heh. He’s certainly learned a little.
Li Xuanming was panting just as hard, calming the turmoil in his heart. The time and place were clearly inappropriate. And regarding his question, he had obviously already gotten the answer. As expected, he could not hope for Yan Yihuan to think about anything related to love.
More importantly, he wanted to pull out the thorn lodged in Yan Yihuan’s heart, and to find the person who had driven it in.
“With such a good opportunity, why didn’t you ask why Han Zhen was not detained in the Court of Judicial Review?”
Yan Yihuan, whose entire body had been submerged in desire, froze instantly. Of course he wanted to ask, but how could he dare!
“You went to ask Song Qingyan, yet it would have been better to ask me directly. But before that, I have something to ask you first.” Li Xuanming raised his thumb and wiped the corner of Yan Yihuan’s lips, “Inside the Imperial Study, who told you that Xu Xinyao had met with trouble?”
Yan Yihuan was now completely sober, but even after pulling himself free from desire, he still could not deal with this question.
Stammering, Yan Yihuan began to regret this tiny carriage that left him nowhere to hide. He could not even avoid Li Xuanming’s gaze. He, of course, knew that if he named Gao Yu, then Jing ge would be exposed. Once Brother Jing was exposed, the Yan family would be finished as well.
“No one… I found out at the inn.” Yan Yihuan suddenly felt that he was being far too passive like this. Since the Emperor had mentioned Han Zhen, he might as well seize the chance to turn the tables, “I saw the wound with my own eyes. It was from Han Zhen’s hexagonal dagger. That night, both the Youluo Jian and the Court of Judicial Review confirmed it. Since Your Majesty has mentioned it, then let me ask, why was Han Zhen not detained?”
“Because I never issued an order for him to kill Xu Xinyao. Since he is not the murderer, there is no need to detain him.”
Several days had passed since Xu Xinyao’s incident, and with Yan Rong’s arrival, Yan Yihuan was no longer as irrational as before. Only then did Li Xuanming bring it up again,
“It’s just a dagger. Although somewhat unusual, it is not special. It’s too easy to forge an imitation.” At this moment, Li Xuanming’s lips was clearly curved upwards, yet the smile was cold, “Do you think that if I truly wished to kill Xu Xinyao, I would need to use Han Zhen? And would Han Zhen need to use the hexagonal weapon?”
These words were like a wake-up call. Yan Yihuan was stunned for a long while. His previously misty eyes seemed to be cleared by a gentle breeze. As his eyes regained light, his heart cleared up as well.
Ever since seeing the corpse, he seemed to have lost his soul, his mind wholly drawn to that wound, uncontrollably believing that it must have been Han Zhen’s doing.
Yet Xu Xinyao was but an ordinary commoner. Han Zhen had a thousand ways to kill him without leaving a trace. How could he deliberately leave the most obvious mark and place it right at his doorstep?
His heart pounded like a drum, but he was no longer under the sway of desire. Yan Yihuan nearly collapsed against Li Xuanming, his eyes bright and urgent,
“It truly was not, it truly was not Your Majesty’s doing, was it!”
“If it were me, do you think I would have any need to deny it?”
No, of course not!
Yan Yihuan did not know how to express the joy within him. He was dazed for a moment, then spread his arms and embraced the man before him tightly, pressing himself against him, unwilling to leave even the smallest gap.
“You believe me.”
This sentence was not said as a question; Li Xuanming was certain. Yet he was surprised at how overjoyed Yan Yihuan became upon knowing it was not him.
At this moment, Li Xuanming no longer cared whether Yan Yihuan understood what he and Yan Rong had said, nor did he care whether he would respond. At least he knew Yan Yihuan cared, and that was enough.
Li Xuanming did not even know whether he should hate or be grateful. Hate that in his former life he had stolen Yan Yihuan’s soul for the sake of his beloved, or be grateful that it was precisely because that soul had been taken that this bond in the present life exists.
Just as Zhengyangzi had told him while recounting the events of the past, whether it was meeting or a glance lasting ten thousand years[mfn]一眼万年 literally means ten thousand years in a single glance, or that one glance is remembered for ten thousand years. It describes something that leaves an extremely deep impression on a person’s memory, and it is usually used in the context of love.
From an anonymous user on Zhihu: My own understanding of “一眼万年” is that the moment you look at this person for the first time, you feel as though you have already loved them for several lifetimes. And you want to spend lifetime after lifetime with them, holding nothing back and giving everything you have to love that person.[/mfn], all ultimately belonged to an inescapable fate.
But whether it was caused by the previous life or destined in this one, a stirred heart was still a stirred heart. If he could not receive a response, then he would possess him. Yan Yihuan perhaps would never learn to love him in this lifetime, but he would likewise never learn how to love anyone else. In that case, what did he still have to fear?
“I believe you.”
A muffled voice sounded against his chest. “I don’t know why, but I just believe it. And I’m very happy. I’m very happy it wasn’t Your Majesty.”
Yet he was also very sad.
Yan Yihuan buried his head deep, unwilling to lift it. At first he did not understand why, at such a happy moment, he could not stop the tears from falling, until just then he suddenly understood everything.
No matter how much he believed, no matter how unwilling he was to part, once the Yan family became traitors, everything would vanish like smoke, never to return.
Yan Yihuan did not know when that day would come. He was terrified that one morning, upon opening his eyes, he would already be branded a rebel, and everything now would pass like a dream, with no chance of turning back.
Yet for some reason, even at the mere thought, his heart began to twist in pain just like that day. Yan Yihuan’s body suddenly tensed, and a pained groan escaped from his mouth.
“Yihuan?”
Hearing the wrongness in his voice, Li Xuanming tried to pull him away to see what was happening. Suddenly, the sound of someone rapidly approaching from outside the carriage made him hold his breath. The person reached the window and only had time to whisper “Your Majesty,” before an arrow came whistling through the air, cutting off his voice.
Li Xuanming’s heart tightened. There were assassins.
t/n: Probably not the best part to take a break… but yeah, the next update should be on 29th March. ❤️❤️
