The Emperor must have known long ago. That must’ve been why he brought Yan Yihuan from Linjing into the palace. It was all because of that fate. That is why he said those words just now.
But why was the Emperor looking at him with such shock, as if it were the first time he had ever heard of this?
“What did you say? Empress…?”
Could it be that the Emperor truly did not know? How was that possible!
“Impossible…” Ming Zhang muttered. “Your Majesty must know, right? How could you possibly not know?”
At this moment, Li Xuanming was already overwhelmed with shock, yet his tone became even colder.
“Zhen has never known anything about some Empress or not. Does that even matter?”
“If not…? Impossible. If it were not for his absurd fate, why would Your Majesty even spare him a second glance!”
“From the first moment Zhen saw him, Zhen knew this person could belong only to Zhen,” Li Xuanming said coldly. “Love arises for no reason and deepens without cause. Whether this so-called Empress fate is true or false makes no difference to Zhen.”
That single phrase, “arises for no reason,” shattered the expectation on Ming Zhang’s face bit by bit. An unprecedented despair slowly crept into his eyes.
Why was it that after more than ten years of careful scheming, he still could not win even the tiniest bit of his affection? Why was it that Yan Yihuan only had to appear before him to receive such deep devotion?
He was unwilling to accept it and refused to believe it.
“Ming Zhang…” Li Xuanming felt sorrow in his heart as well. They had been inseparable since the age of six, and the bond between them could never be described in just a few words. “For the sake of the past, Zhen will not send you to the imperial prison. You will remain confined here.”
“Your Majesty!”
“Zhen does not care about Yihuan’s fate.” Hearing Ming Zhang’s hoarse cry, Li Xuanming stopped and said just before stepping out of the hall.
He did not turn back, only saying calmly, “Even if he didn’t have this so-called empress fate, so what? He will still become the first man in history to be made empress.”
It was two days later when Yan Yihuan saw Li Xuanjing again. The panic he had finally managed to suppress resurfaced as a chill spread through his heart. He instinctively stepped back twice, the fear in his eyes impossible to hide.
This was the first time Li Xuanjing had ever seen Yan Yihuan look at him like this. His heart jolted, and he thought that Yihuan had always been timid, so this incident must truly have terrified him.
Thinking of this, Li Xuanjing quickly stepped forward. Ignoring Yan Yihuan’s frightened retreat, he pulled him into his arms and gently stroked the top of his head just as he had done when they were children, saying softly,
“There, it’s alright now. This time, you’ve made a great contribution.”
What once would have been a natural gesture of comfort and gentle reassurance now made Yan Yihuan’s skin crawl. Almost instinctively, he pressed both hands against Li Xuanjing, about to push him away, when the thought that had repeated in his mind these past few days flashed through him again, reminding him to play along for now. Gradually, he relaxed his strength, bit down hard, and forced himself to remain unmoving.
Over these days and nights, he had gone from panic, to disbelief, to forcing himself to calm down, desperately trying to sort everything out amidst the chaos.
But no matter how hard Yan Yihuan thought about it, he could not understand why Ming Zhang had conspired with Li Xuanjing, nor why they had arranged for him to deliver the defense plans to Li Xuanjing. Yet he understood one thing clearly: if he wanted to stay alive, he had to go along with them for now.
But what to do with this defense layout map? If it were truly presented to King Qin, then the capital would be in danger, the emperor would be in danger, and what would become of the Yan family?
“Jing ge.” Yan Yihuan broke free and stepped back two paces, forcing himself to smile as naturally as possible. “When did Ming Zhang start… start working with us? I had no idea.”
“This matter was never something that could be made public. You are simple-hearted. Being able to navigate around Li Xuanming was already difficult enough. How could I burden you with worrying about so many other things?”
Yan Yihuan had no idea what Ming Zhang had told Li Xuanjing, but it was obvious that he truly believed Yan Yihuan had been faking it while staying by the Emperor’s side. If he simply followed Li Xuanjing now, he should be able to see his father soon. When that happened, he would try to persuade them. Perhaps there was still a sliver of hope.
Yan Yihuan’s silence once again planted a seed of doubt in Li Xuanjing’s heart. According to Ming Zhang, ever since Gao Yu had informed Yan Yihuan about their intent to rebel, Yan Yihuan had been wholeheartedly searching for the defense map to present to his father and lend support to his cause. Yet now, he seemed flustered and completely bewildered.
Li Xuanjing lowered his head, intending to question him further, but his gaze happened to fall upon several faint dark red marks visible through the slightly disheveled collar. He froze. Something he had deliberately tried to forget suddenly surged into his mind. Suppressed fury instantly rose within him, and the fingers that had been resting lightly on Yan Yihuan’s shoulder abruptly tightened.
Pain shot through his shoulder. Sensitive to the sudden tension in the air, Yan Yihuan looked up in confusion and cautiously asked, “What’s wrong, Jing ge?”
“Yihuan.” Realizing his lapse in composure, Li Xuanjing loosened his grip, his expression already returning to normal. “Does Li Xuanming treat you well?”
“Huh?” Caught off guard by the sudden question, Yan Yihuan, who was never good at lying, instantly became flustered. He quickly lowered his head to hide his wandering gaze, but Li Xuanjing unexpectedly reached out and lifted his chin. He looked deeply into his eyes before letting his gaze drift down to his neck.
Although the touch was light, Yan Yihuan felt as if his throat could be seized at any moment. Li Xuanjing’s thumb brushed against his neck, sending a chill through him. Having shared intimacy with the Emperor countless times, he naturally knew what was there.
“Jing ge!” Not knowing how to face the situation, Yan Yihuan simply threw his arms around Li Xuanjing. “He bullies me often, he doesn’t… doesn’t treat me that well. Luckily, I managed to escape.”
“Is that so?” Ever since seeing him again, Yan Yihuan had been somewhat evasive. Yet the moment Li Xuanming was mentioned, he had taken the initiative to throw himself into his arms. Such obvious avoidance gradually clarified the strange feeling that had already been growing in Li Xuanjing’s heart.
During the spring hunt, that sweet, clinging plea on horseback had lingered in his mind ever since, impossible to shake off. It had not been coercion at all. It had clearly been Yan Yihuan himself, restless and desperate, asking for it.
And looking at him now, he was the very picture of someone who had lived in comfort and luxury within the palace. Coupled with those marks left behind after intimacy, it was evident that he and Li Xuanming had long been sleeping together, sharing the closest of relationships.
Li Xuanjing knew Yan Yihuan’s nature better than anyone. If someone treated him even slightly well, he would want to give them his whole heart in return. Looking at him now, he was nothing like the exhausted, miserable figure Ming Zhang had described, someone longing every day to escape the palace.
Most importantly, Yan Yihuan hated trouble. Even if he had been imprisoned in the palace, he would have obediently waited for someone to rescue him. There was no way he would have taken the initiative to steal the map.
Although consumed by jealousy amid the joy of their reunion, Li Xuanjing’s mind instead grew calmer. After a moment’s thought, he put on a gentle smile.
“Now that we’ve escaped the capital, you don’t need to be afraid anymore. In a few days, we’ll meet up with my father and present the defense layout map to him together.”
As he spoke the words “defense layout map,” Li Xuanjing fixed his eyes on every change in Yan Yihuan’s expression. Seeing the unease that immediately surfaced on his face, his suspicions deepened.
The authenticity of the map was Li Xuanjing’s greatest concern. Looking at Yan Yihuan, he asked in an almost casual tone,
“Yihuan, how exactly did you obtain this map?”
