Chapter 28

At this point, Yu Zhi had no choice but to admit—

Luo Tingshi loved him.

Yu Zhi’s heart was in turmoil.

In his mind, love should resemble that between his father-emperor and father-king—two people cherishing, caring for, tolerating, and accompanying each other.

Not like Luo Tingshi, who knew only brutal invasion and plunder.

Would someone like Luo Tingshi, who stopped at nothing to achieve his goals, ever allow his beloved to remain in another country?

Without a doubt, the answer was no.

Yu Zhi couldn’t help but worry for himself.

Now that he was pregnant, Luo Tingshi still held some restraint and dared not harm him. But once the child was born, Luo Tingshi would likely cease such gentleness.

Luo Tingshi was capable of kidnapping him to Sheng Kingdom.

With these thoughts, Yu Zhi shifted inward imperceptibly.

“Are you afraid of me, Xiao Yu?” Luo Tingshi’s gaze lingered on Yu Zhi, not missing his movement, his eyes darkening.

“How could that be?” Yu Zhi instinctively retorted.

Luo Ting took two slow steps on his knees, drawing closer to the bed. Under Yu Zhi’s intensely complex gaze, he lifted the hand clutching the quilt corner and cradled it in his own palm. Unlike his own hands, thickened with calluses, these hands had been pampered since birth—delicate and soft to the touch, without a trace of roughness.

Luo Tingshi bent down and kissed the tip of Yu Zhi’s finger.

The kiss was incredibly gentle, like a dragonfly skimming water. It sent a faint tingle through the finger, causing Yu Zhi’s fingertip to twitch slightly.

Luo Tingshi gazed deeply into Yu Zhi’s eyes, speaking slowly and softly: “Yu Zhi, I possess a thousand ways to claim you. Two days ago, Elder He proposed I launch a covert assault on Yu. Should I unify the realm, you would naturally become my captive, bound to my tent. I could toy with you as I pleased, leaving you utterly powerless to resist.”

Yu Zhi’s expression changed, his face growing even paler.

Luo Tingshi gently stroked the hollow of Yu Zhi’s wrist with his thumb, silently soothing him as he continued, “But I refuse to do so. I rejected his proposal.”

Yu Zhi’s expression flickered with surprise, his lips parting slightly. “You…”

Luo Tingshi curved his lips, gazing at him with a tenderness Yu Zhi had never seen before. “Yu Zhi, I do desire you. But what I want is not merely your body.”

He extended a finger, tapping it lightly against Yu Zhi’s chest.

“I also want your heart.”

Yu Zhi’s heart lurched violently. Staring into those bottomless eyes, he felt as if he were being sucked into a vortex. Dizziness washed over him, and he clutched Luo Tingshi’s hand tightly.

Luo Tingshi: “Are you willing to give me your heart?”

Yu Zhi: “I…”

Luo Tingshi reached out, pressing his fingertip against Yu Zhi’s lips. He smiled. “No need to rush your answer. Take your time. I will wait until the day you agree.”

A whirlwind of emotions churned within Yu Zhi. Momentarily paralyzed, he stared blankly at Luo Tingshi.

Luo Tingshi smiled. “I’ve said all this to tell you: you needn’t fear me. I am a fierce beast tamed by you. The key to my cage lies in your hands. I willingly let you lock me away.”

“You…”

Yu Zhi had never been confessed to so solemnly before, especially not by Luo Tingshi—

a man he both hated and despised.

“Your Majesty, you are truly adorable.” Luo Tingshi sighed, his gaze toward Yu Zhi now tinged with a different meaning.

A warning bell rang loudly in Yu Zhi’s heart.

Before he could react, the man’s voice had already burrowed into his skull.

“Adorable… I want… I want to make you… meow meow.”

What had he just heard?!

Luo Tingshi chuckled softly: “Your Majesty, stop glaring at me. The more you glare, the more I want to take you.”

“You filthy rogue!” Yu Zhi fumed, “Where on earth did an emperor like you pick up such vulgar language?”

Luo Tingshi smiled sweetly. “My martial arts skills were taught by a wandering martial artist. He often sneaked me out of the palace to train in the outside world. After years of mingling in the streets, I’ve heard it all. Want to hear something even cruder, Your Majesty?”

Luo Tingshi couldn’t resist kissing Yu Zhi’s lips once more.

After a long, lingering kiss, Luo Tingshi released the dazed youth and asked tenderly, “What would Your Majesty like to eat today? I’ll have someone prepare it for you.”

After a moment, Yu Zhi snapped back to his senses, glaring at him with moist eyes: “Knowing full well I’m ill, you still kiss me again and again. I hope you catch the illness too—die from it!”

Luo Tingshi: “If I die from it, Xiao Yu would be left without a husband.”

Yu Zhi huffed indignantly, “You’re not my husband!”

Luo Tingshi’s eyes sparkled with amusement, “But you will be, sooner or later.”

“Delusional!” Yu Zhi snorted softly, averting his gaze, unwilling to speak to this man any further.

After a moment, he turned back, hesitating before asking, “If… I agree to this marriage alliance, you won’t harm Yu Kingdom, correct?”

Luo Tingshi clapped his hands in laughter. “For Yu Kingdom’s sake, Your Majesty is willing to marry off and sleep with a man you don’t love? Truly a benevolent emperor who loves his people like his own children.”

His words stung like needles, and Yu Zhi frowned.

“Rest assured, even if you refuse to marry me, I won’t harm Yu Kingdom. I’ve said it before—what I desire is your heart.” Luo Tingshi’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Of course, if you choose to marry me, I would be most honored.”

He lowered his head and kissed Yu Zhi’s forehead coldly, instructing him, “Lie still. I’ll go check on the medicine.”

Luo Tingshi rose and took a step forward, only for his sleeve to be abruptly tugged from behind.

He turned his head.

The ailing young emperor glared at him, his entire being radiating the refined arrogance cultivated by a life of luxury and privilege. He commanded, “You must not be angry.”

Luo Tingshi showed little emotion.

The youth’s voice carried a hint of hoarseness: “Don’t get angry.”

Luo Tingshi’s gaze locked with his for a moment before yielding. “I won’t get angry.”

The youth seized the upper hand, his face set in a calm expression, yet the eyes that curved upward betrayed his inner triumph—he was every bit the cat who’d stolen a fish.

Luo Tingshi sat down on the bedside, cradling his triumphant little cat. “Your fever has broken. Is there anywhere else that aches?”

“My head hurts. My eyes hurt too,” Yu Zhi mumbled, burrowing into Luo Tingshi’s embrace.

Luo Tingshi: “Lie still. I’ll massage it for you.”

Yu Zhi rolled over, resting his head on Luo Tingshi’s thigh. Finding a comfortable position, he closed his eyes.

The man’s large hand rested beside his eyes, applying measured pressure. Warmth radiated through his fingertips into Yu Zhi’s face, gradually easing the stinging sensation in his eyes.

Outside of bed, Luo Tingshi was actually quite useful.

Yu Zhi thought to himself.

–

After seven or eight days of recuperation, Yu Zhi’s illness finally subsided.

He rubbed his shoulders and said to Luo Tingshi, “Help me out for a walk.”

The moment he stepped outside, a cool breeze swept over him. Yu Zhi took a deep breath, his face breaking into a smile. “Lying in bed for days on end nearly suffocated me.”

As he spoke, a single autumn leaf swirled down. Yu Zhi reached out his hand.

The faintly yellow leaf fell into his palm. Yu Zhi scanned the courtyard, where several patches of yellow caught his eye. Surprised, he exclaimed, “I haven’t looked in days, and the leaves have already turned yellow?”

Luo Tingshi’s eyes filled with concern. “It seems colder than usual this year. This place isn’t like the palace, and you’re carrying a child. This winter will surely be difficult.”

Yu Zhi sighed softly upon hearing this. “The due date is in December. In the freezing cold and snow, they’ll likely suffer.”

Luo Tingshi’s heart sank, deep furrows etching his brow. His gaze fell upon Yu Zhi’s belly, growing larger by the day. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Your Majesty, these next few nights, you shall sleep with me in Xishan Pavilion.”

“Why?” Yu Zhi asked, puzzled.

Luo Tingshi took Yu Zhi’s hand, guiding him slowly down the steps as he explained, “I’ll have craftsmen build a fire channel beneath the bedroom floor in the coming days. This way, we can warm the floor with a dragon stove during winter, sparing you and the child some hardship.”

Yu Zhi nodded. “That is indeed a good idea.”

Luo Tingshi continued, “Just focus on nurturing your pregnancy, Xiao Yu. Leave everything else to me.”

Yu Zhi pressed his lips together, saying nothing.

Autumn chrysanthemums bloomed in full splendor as the pair strolled along the path. Attendants and Physician Zhang resided in the western courtyard, seldom disturbing them in the eastern quarters.

After walking a short distance, Yu Zhi felt tired.

Luo Tingshi picked him up horizontally, intending to head toward a nearby pavilion. But his gaze fell upon the small pavilion in the lake’s center, and he suddenly changed his mind: “Let’s rest at the Water Pavilion.”

“What mischief are you up to?” Yu Zhi eyed him sideways.

Luo Tingshi replied, “Your Majesty worries too much.”

Reaching the lake pavilion required rowing. Luo Tingshi carefully placed Yu Zhi in the cabin of the boat, untied the ropes, and rowed toward the structure.

Servants cleaned the cottage daily, filling it with warm incense. Yu Zhi looked around, then leaned against the wooden window to gaze outside.

Surrounded by water, the cottage sat right in the middle of the lake, a fair distance from shore.

If anything happened here, it would truly be a case of crying to heaven for help and getting no answer, crying to earth for aid and finding none.

Yu Zhi grew increasingly certain Luo Tingshi harbored ill intent.

He turned his head. The man stood behind him like a mountain. Yu Zhi’s gaze swept over the man’s arms and chest, where bulging muscles strained against the fabric of his clothes.

This was a man of immense strength.

Even without his martial arts, he was no match for him.

Yu Zhi lifted his chin. Though a full head shorter than the man, he held his composure, glaring at him. “Speak. Why did you bring this emperor here?”

Luo Tingshi was succinct: “To fuck you.”

Yu Zhi: “…”

He’d suspected as much, yet hearing the man’s crude words aloud still made Yu Zhi’s face flush.

Yu Zhi felt a pang of frustration.

How could he still fail to maintain a poker face after hearing Luo Tingshi speak like this day after day?

Yu Zhi’s clear gaze swept over him. “I refuse. Dare you?”

Luo Tingshi stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Yu Zhi’s waist. His husky voice brushed against Yu Zhi’s ear. “Your Majesty truly refuses? Ten days without… don’t you want it?”

Luo Tingshi’s unique scent enveloped Yu Zhi like claws, trapping him in his embrace. The large hand pressed against his waist felt like a branding iron, waves of heat surging through him.

Yu Zhi’s breathing quickened.

Luo Tingshi understood. He lifted Yu Zhi and carried him to the inner chamber’s bed.

–

The soft canopy swayed gently as the man’s low, husky whispers carried on the breeze.

Each word seeped into the ears of the youth beneath the bed.

The youth fumed, “Stop talking nonsense! Dare utter another word, and you won’t be allowed in here today.”

Luo Tingshi paused, slowly lifting his head. His beast-like eyes fixed on the flushed youth as he swallowed hard. “What does Your Majesty mean by that?”

Yu Zhi turned his head away, murmuring softly, “I’ve granted you permission.”

They even had a child together.

After all, doing it once was the same as doing it twice—why keep forcing himself to endure?

Yu Zhi comforted himself inwardly.

The small chamber fell silent. The man beside him made no sound. After waiting a long while, Yu Zhi turned his head in confusion when he saw no movement.

He collided with a pair of bloodshot eyes.

Yu Zhi’s heart lurched. The next moment, the beast lunged forward….

Autumn leaves fell into the lake, sending ripples across its surface.

Suddenly, an owl’s shrill cry pierced the lake’s center, reaching the small cottage.

Luo Tingshi’s expression shifted slightly. He gritted his teeth, blocking out the noise, and started forward regardless. The next instant, a series of hoots rose piercingly into the sky.

“In broad daylight… where did this owl come from? It must be looking for you…”

The youth struggled to open his eyelids, tinged with a faint flush, and addressed Luo Tingshi: “Go.”

Luo Tingshi’s face turned ashen. “But—”

Yu Zhi shook his head. “This isn’t anything important. They must have urgent business seeking you out. Could it be… you’d actually neglect state affairs for the sake of this emperor?”

The other’s thoughtfulness only deepened Luo Tingshi’s agitation.

They were so close, on the verge of…

Luo Tingshi’s expression darkened, veins throbbing on his forehead. His lips pressed into a straight line, his entire being resembling a raging lion. He lowered his head and kissed the youth fiercely, then rolled off the bed and hurriedly pulled on his clothes.

His dark eyes were filled with a bloodthirsty glint.

You had better have urgent business, or else…

Seeing him like this, Yu Zhi inwardly thought, This is bad. In his fury, who knew what Luo Tingshi might do?

Unwilling to see innocent lives lost, Yu Zhi called out just as Luo Tingshi was about to step out the door.

“If not today, then another day.”

Luo Tingshi’s body jerked. He strode back to the bedside and pressed a tender kiss to Yu Zhi’s lips.

“Wait for me.”