Chapter 14

By the time they finished preparing, noon had passed.

Having gone without food for most of the day, Yu Zhi was now famished. He summoned servants to bring meals and dug in without a word.

Luo Tingshi served him dishes from the side.

In moments, a small mountain of dishes piled before him. Yu Zhi glanced over, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.

Luo Tingshi had selected only his favorite dishes.

Yu Zhi looked up. Luo Tingshi’s gaze was fixed on him, unblinking, his dark eyes holding a faint smile.

Yu Zhi had intended to invite Luo Tingshi to dine with him. But as he stared into those eyes, the words on the tip of his tongue took an unexpected turn. Instead, he voiced the question on his mind: “What are you smiling about?”

The smile in Luo Tingshi’s eyes deepened. “Your Majesty looks quite adorable while dining.”

Yu Zhi: “…”

As the ruler of a nation, his presence commanded awe. How could such a word be used to describe him?

Hmph!

Yu Zhi’s expression turned slightly cold as he ordered unhappily, “Do not call the Emperor adorable.” He shot Luo Tingshi a glare before adding, “Let us dine together. You journeyed here early this morning, dusty and weary. You must be famished. I wouldn’t want anyone saying I begrudge you even a meal.”

“As you command.” Luo Tingshi sat down with a smile.

After eating and drinking their fill, Yu Zhi leaned back in his chair, rubbing his belly with an unusually gentle voice. “You two are full now, aren’t you? Don’t cause trouble for me once you’re full.”

Only then did Luo Tingshi notice what he’d overlooked. He hurriedly swallowed the last bite of rice, staring at the rounded belly before him, his tension tinged with delight. “You’re carrying two children?”

Yu Zhi’s eyes narrowed warily as he answered cautiously, “Yes, two.”

Luo Tingshi sighed softly upon hearing this: “Carrying two children must be several times harder than for others.”

He stepped around the round stool and knelt before Yu Zhi, gazing at his small belly as he earnestly instructed the two little ones: Your father has carried you both with great difficulty. His constitution is weak. You must be good, listen to your father, and not trouble him.”

The man before him chattered on, occasionally glancing up at him with eyes brimming with tenderness.

Yu Zhi felt momentarily dazed.

The man before him no longer seemed like the emperor of an enemy nation, but simply an ordinary father concerned for the safety of his son and himself.

“May I hold them?” the man asked.

Yu Zhi froze. Hold them? They weren’t even born yet—how could he hold them?

Seeing Yu Zhi hadn’t refused after a long pause, Luo Tingshi took it as consent. He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Yu Zhi’s waist, pressing his cheek against Yu Zhi’s belly, and letting out a satisfied sigh.

The summer robe was thin. The man’s high, straight nose pressed against his lower abdomen, sliding slightly. An unfamiliar sensation washed over Yu Zhi. Two large hands rested on his lower back. Through the thin layer of fabric, a searing, scorching heat seeped into Yu Zhi’s skin.

His body, freshly aroused, was intensely sensitive. Yu Zhi flushed, his gaze falling into the dark strands of hair before him. “How long do you intend to hold me?” he demanded, annoyed. “Release me at once.”

Luo Ting reluctantly released Yu Zhi, staring at him intently. “If only I could hold you for a lifetime.”

Those dark eyes were as deep as the sea, making Yu Zhi feel faintly dizzy. He felt as if he were being swallowed by them, unable to escape.

After gazing at each other for a long time, Yu Zhi suddenly snapped back to his senses and snorted coldly, “Who gave you permission to hold me just now? Without my permission, you are not to act on your own initiative.”

Luo Tingshi replied, “Your Majesty, I was wrong. Punish me as you see fit.”

At the mention of punishment, Yu Zhi couldn’t help but glance at the man’s right cheek. That half of his face was slightly swollen, and the imprint of the palm print left behind even held a hint of blood.

Yu Zhi couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. Luo Tingshi was far too harsh on himself.

His gaze drifted involuntarily from the imprint down to Luo Tingshi’s mouth, lingering on the faintly indented upper lip. Yu Zhi pressed his own lips together.

It seemed… he’d been rather harsh with him too.

It was all Luo Ting’s fault for kissing him without permission.

He had never struck anyone so harshly before. Yu Zhi felt a pang of guilt and said to Luo Ting, “Go fetch the imperial physician. Let him examine the injury on your face.”

Receiving Yu Zhi’s concern, Luo Tingshi was flattered and surprised. He shook his head. “No need for the imperial physician. It will heal in time.”

Yu Zhi: “This injury is on your face. Anyone who sees it will know immediately what happened. If word gets out, the people of your Sheng Kingdom will likely think I’m humiliating you.”

Luo Tingshi replied, “Your Majesty is correct. I was careless and ill-advised. I’ll summon the imperial physician immediately.”

–

When Imperial Physician Zhang entered the room, Luo Tingshi was bustling about attending to Yu Zhi.

Seeing the handprint on that handsome face, the imperial physician murmured in astonishment. This new emperor had a fearsome reputation, one he’d heard of even in Yu Kingdom. Yet His Majesty had tamed this beast, making him willingly humble himself to serve the Emperor.

His Majesty truly possesses remarkable skill.

“The wound on His Majesty’s cheek will heal with a day’s application of medicine,” Physician Zhang remarked, glancing at Yu Zhi. “The injury on his lip, however, will require more time to recover.”

Luo Tingshi certainly couldn’t have inflicted such a wound on himself. This injury must have been…

…kissed with considerable ferocity.

Yu Zhi and Imperial Physician Zhang had known each other for years. Yu Zhi could see right through what Zhang was thinking. Yu Zhi cleared his throat lightly and looked at Luo Tingshi beside him: “I have something to ask Imperial Physician Zhang.”

Luo Tingshi turned away instinctively: “I’ll wait outside.”

Yu Zhi instructed him, “Stay far away. Don’t linger in the courtyard.” He hadn’t forgotten Luo Tingshi’s martial prowess. Martial artists were always sharp of hearing and keen of sight. Who knew if he might eavesdrop?

Luo Tingshi closed the door and left the premises.

Left alone with the two of them, Yu Zhi spoke directly: “Why did I suddenly go into heat?”

Doctor Zhang stroked his beard and replied: “Upon sudden reunion, Your Majesty’s body sensed the scent of the child’s father, intensifying its longing for him. This triggered the heat.”

Yu Zhi: “…”

His body craved Luo Tingshi, causing this heat?

Yu Zhi’s expression darkened. “Will this happen again?” Heat during pregnancy was far too dangerous, easily harming the fetus.

“If he can remain by Your Majesty’s side to comfort you, you will not experience heat again during this pregnancy.”

Yu Zhi looked up. “Earlier, I heard you say ‘comfort’… Does that mean he must kiss and caress me?”

Perceiving the Emperor’s displeasure, Physician Zhang steeled himself. “Yes, and also…”

He glanced up at Yu Zhi, who suddenly felt a wave of dread wash over him. “What are you implying?”

“What Your Majesty truly requires is his yang essence.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Physician Zhang knew they would provoke the Emperor’s fury. Before Yu Zhi could speak, he sped up his speech, laying everything bare in one breath, “Once the essence enters the body, the mother will transform it into protective vital energy to nourish the spiritual embryo.”

Absurd!

Too absurd!

Yu Zhi took a deep breath. “Doctor Zhang, are we truly just ordinary beasts? Not some lustful demons?”

Doctor Zhang gave a dry chuckle. “Originally, the Bai Ling Clan practiced endogamy. The essence and qi shared a common lineage, circulating to nourish both the mother and the fetus. Over thousands of years, this profound mechanism became deeply ingrained in the Bai Ling bloodline. Even if the child’s other father is not of your clan, you still require his essence and qi for nurturing.”

Yu Zhi’s face darkened. He gritted his teeth. “Must I do it with him?”

Doctor Zhang looked at Yu Zhi sympathetically and nodded solemnly.

After a long silence, Yu Zhi asked, “When can I do it with him? How often should we do it?”

Imperial Physician Zhang replied, “Your pregnancy is already over three months along. It would be best to do it with him within the next few days. As for how often… that varies. It depends on you both. It shouldn’t be too infrequent, but it also shouldn’t be too frequent. Doing it every day is definitely out of the question.”

Yu Zhi gritted his teeth, snarling, “Who said I want to do it with him every day!”

–

When Luo Ting returned to Yu Zhi’s chambers, he keenly sensed the tense atmosphere.

Yu Zhi leaned against the bedside, flipping through memorials. His expression was calm, his demeanor seemingly unchanged, yet Luo Ting’s instincts told him he was deeply unhappy.

He hurried forward, crouching down to look up at Yu Zhi. “What’s wrong? Is there something wrong with the baby?”

Yu Zhi’s gaze remained fixed on the memorial in his hands, not even sparing him a glance.

Luo Tingshi lowered his eyes and murmured to himself, “Could it be that court affairs are troubling you?”

Yu Zhi abruptly looked up, his frosty gaze locking onto Luo Tingshi’s eyes as he coldly rebuked, “The affairs of the Great Yu court—how dare you meddle in them?”

Luo Tingshi gave a helpless smile. “I wasn’t prying into the Great Yu’s important matters. I only wished to ease your burden. Worry harms the lungs, anger harms the liver. If Your Majesty constantly fret and rage, it will surely damage your health. Seeing you fall ill would break my heart.”

Heartbreak?

The word struck Yu Zhi like a bolt of lightning, sending goosebumps across his skin. His expression hardened. “Don’t utter such sickening nonsense.”

Luo Tingshi’s dark eyes fixed on the youth’s tense features as he chuckled softly. “Your Majesty’s ‘forbidden’s’ are rather numerous. Might I request a comprehensive list? It would spare me the uncertainty of offending Your Majesty again.”

Yu Zhi shot him a glance and snorted lightly. “Go apply the medicine. That wound on your face is unsightly.”

“Your Majesty,” Luo Tingshi lifted his face, pleading, “Would you apply it for me?”

Yu Zhi closed the memorial in his hand, studying the man kneeling before him. A pleased smile spread across his face. He lifted the man’s chin with the memorial, looking down at him. ” I shall graciously grant you this one favor.”

The ointment carried a hint of coolness as it was gently applied to Luo Tingshi’s wounded face.

The porcelain-white neck of the youth was mere inches away.

Luo Tingshi lowered his gaze, his eyes like snakes slithering beneath the youth’s clothing, coiling around the vivid red marks exposed on his pale neck.

He swallowed hard, his voice deepening. “Your Majesty, I accidentally left a mark on your neck earlier. I shall apply the ointment for you shortly.”

Yu Zhi paused his movements, eyeing Luo Tingshi suspiciously. He didn’t quite believe it. “Just apply medicine?”

“Just apply medicine.”

Yu Zhi grew angry. “You’re lying through your teeth! If it’s just medicine, why are you looking at me like that?”

His dark eyes were shadowy and sinister, their pupils veiled in an impenetrable mist.

Through their few encounters, Yu Zhi had come to understand: whenever Luo Tingshi harbored improper intentions toward him, he would fix him with this kind of obscure, ambiguous gaze.

Luo Tingshi burst into laughter, admitting openly, “Yes, I want to kiss you, hold you, and let my dragon root enter your… But it’s only a thought. Without Your Majesty’s permission, I won’t cross that line.”

Yu Zhi: “!!!”

What had he just heard?

His ears must be dirty.

Yu Zhi hastily tossed aside the medicine bottle, covered his ears, and retreated to the small couch, muttering curses under his breath.

How could there be such a shameless man!