Yu Zhi had been discussing his fathers with Physician Zhang. For a moment, he’d thought it might be them.
Then he dismissed the thought. It couldn’t be them.
It couldn’t be them. If it were them, why send someone to announce their arrival? They would have come straight to the back courtyard to see him.
Who could it be then?
Yu Zhi walked into the front hall. Two figures, one tall and one small, appeared before him. Yu Zhi immediately broke into a smile and asked, “Brother Li, what brings you here? It’s been months since we last met. Huanhuan seems to have grown quite a bit.”
Li Daniu gave a simple, honest smile. “I came into town today to sell some mountain goods. Huanhuan insisted on coming along the moment she heard, saying she wanted to visit you and the little cat.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Zhi immediately instructed his attendant to fetch Xiao Mao from the back courtyard.
Li Huanhuan looked around curiously, her large, dark eyes brimming with admiration. “Brother, your house is so big!”
Li Daniu gripped the straw rope tightly, his eyes sweeping over the youth’s luxurious cloud-patterned brocade robe—the last time they met, they’d all been wearing plain cotton garments. He hadn’t imagined they’d become so wealthy. A hint of embarrassment flashed across Li Daniu’s dark face as he instinctively hid the mountain delicacies and fish behind his back.
His movement caught Yu Zhi’s eye. Yu Zhi smiled and asked, “What do you have there, Brother Li?”
Li Huanhuan answered first, “It’s mountain fowl and fish to nourish Brother’s health. Mother is also expecting, so Father goes hunting in the back mountains and fishing in the river every day to nourish her.”
“Your wife is expecting? That’s truly wonderful news.” Yu Zhi’s eyes crinkled with a warm smile. “I can’t travel far now, so I can’t go to congratulate you in person. I’ll have someone prepare a gift for you to take home.”
“How can that be!” Li Daniu waved his hands repeatedly. “We’re not here to beg for handouts.”
Yu Zhi’s expression turned stern. “These are for your wife, not for you. Don’t refuse them.”
Li Daniu rubbed the hem of his robe with his rough fingers, about to protest further, when a clear laugh suddenly echoed through the air.
“So it’s an old friend paying a visit. My apologies for not greeting you properly.”
Immediately, a tall man carrying a cat stepped into the hall. His eyes swept around the room, settling on the youth seated at the head of the table. With a hint of reproach, he said, “Brother Li has arrived. Why didn’t you call for me?”
The youth snorted coldly. “I didn’t call you, but you came anyway, didn’t you?”
Li Daniu’s gaze lingered furtively on the two for a moment, a look of worry creeping across his dark face.
“Oh! Is this the kitten?” Li Huanhuan spotted the white kitten in Luo Tingshi’s arms and immediately jumped off her chair, scampering over to him with eyes full of curiosity.
Luo Tingshi bent down and handed the kitten to Li Huanhuan. Huanhuan quickly reached out, supporting her head with one hand and her bottom with the other, carefully cradling the kitten in her arms before happily running over to Yu Zhi.
“This kitten is so beautiful!”
Yu Zhi smiled as he ruffled Huanhuan’s hair. Together, they teased the kitten nestled in her arms.
Seeing this, Li Daniu stood up, pulled Luo Tingshi aside, and whispered, “Young man, how did you manage to upset your wife again?”
Luo Tingshi sighed. “It was my fault.”
Li Daniu said, “Admit your mistake when you should. Take whatever punishment your wife gives you. They say ‘a man’s knees are made of gold,’ but if it’s for your wife, kneeling isn’t such a big deal.”
Luo Tingshi replied, “I’ve knelt. It didn’t work.”
Li Daniu: “…Just how big a mistake did you make?”
Luo Tingshi: “It’s a long story!”
He turned to look at Yu Zhi, who happened to be looking at him too. Their eyes met. Yu Zhi glared at him, then lowered his head and refused to look at him again.
As the hour of Shen approached, Li Daniu bid farewell to Yu Zhi. Yu Zhi stopped the father and daughter, inviting them to stay for a meal.
“So delicious! I’ve never tasted food this good,” Li Huanhuan declared, setting down her bowl and chopsticks. She patted her full belly and licked her lips.
Yu Zhi looked at Li Huanhuan, his expression solemn. “I will do everything in my power to ensure you can all eat such meals again soon.”
Li Huanhuan didn’t understand. “What did Brother say?”
Yu Zhi gave her a deep look but offered no reply.
At noon, Yu Zhi and Luo Ting accompanied the two out. Servants filed out one after another, loading Li Daniu’s donkey cart to the brim.
Li Daniu was utterly shocked. “This is far too much! I can’t possibly accept it all!”
Yu Zhi smiled. “Nothing special—just a cotton quilt, warm winter clothes, and some provisions. This winter is bitterly cold. Don’t let your wife freeze.”
“This…” Li Daniu hesitated for a moment. Gratitude flashed across his rugged face as he bowed deeply to the couple. “Thank you!”
Before they left, he whispered to Yu Zhi: “Though it’s none of our business what happens between you two, I can see your husband truly cares for you. You’re carrying a child now. If he upsets you, make sure to punish him properly. Don’t let it get to you.”
Yu Zhi chuckled softly: “I thought you were going to advise me to forgive him.”
Li Daniu scratched his head: “He made his wife angry, so he must have done something wrong. A man who truly cares for his wife shouldn’t make her upset.”
Yu Zhi gave him a thumbs-up: ” Brother Li speaks wisely.”
The sky was growing late, and father and daughter needed to hurry out of the city. Yu Zhi watched them depart, then lifted his gaze slightly to glance at Luo Tingshi, who stood quietly observing him nearby.
Luo Tingshi immediately stepped forward, supporting Yu Zhi as they entered the courtyard.
Crossing the front courtyard, they walked along the corridor. Luo Tingshi glanced at Yu Zhi’s calm expression and asked with a smile, “What did Brother Li just say to you?”
Yu Zhi turned his gaze and gave him a sidelong look: “He told me to punish you more. He said if you truly cared for me, you shouldn’t have made me angry.”
Luo Tingshi chuckled softly. “He has a point. I did wrong today. How does Your Majesty intend to punish me?”
Yu Zhi poked his plump arm with a finger, pouting. “You’re thick-skinned. No matter how I punish you, it’s like tickling you.”
They walked down the long corridor, crossed a white stone bridge, and ascended along the stream. The water murmured softly, its clear melody accompanying their leisurely pace.
Luo Ting offered Yu Zhi a suggestion: “Next time, I won’t enter you. I’ll serve you with my hands and lips.”
Yu Zhi shot him a disdainful look. “Is this punishment for you, or for me?”
Luo Tingshi’s heart stirred slightly. He turned his head to look at him. “Your Majesty, are you satisfied with my skills in bed?”
Yu Zhi replied, “It’s passable.”
Luo Tingshi’s eyes darkened. He couldn’t help but press further, “How do I compare to others? Did they please you more, or did I?”
Yu Zhi frowned, blurting out instinctively, “What others? I only have you as my male…”
Catching the smile spreading across Luo Tingshi’s face, Yu Zhi’s heart skipped a beat.
Oh no!
How did I let that slip?
Luo Ting’s smile spread uncontrollably across his lips. He spun around abruptly, wrapping his long arms tightly around Yu Zhi and pulling him deep into his embrace. His hand rubbed excitedly against the shoulders of the man held close, his words tumbling out incoherently: “Your Majesty, you belong only to me. It’s perfect. From the very beginning, you’ve always been mine.”
His ecstasy only deepened Yu Zhi’s displeasure.
He suppressed the rage welling within.
…Forget it. No more holding back.
Yu Zhi demanded coldly, “Is this what truly matters to you? If I truly had been with another, what then? Would you deem me unclean?”
Luo Tingshi hastily replied, “Purity and impurity are mere words of the vulgar. How could one judge such things by mere physical form? Even if Your Majesty had sailed a thousand seas, in my heart, you remain as pure and sacred as ever.”
“What I’ve ever cared about is never whether you’ve been with others, but whether there is only us between us.” ” Luo Tingshi loosened his grip on Yu Zhi slightly, clasping his wrist instead, his gaze intense.
“Fortunately, you have only me, and I have only you. No one else has ever come between us.”
Yu Zhi narrowed his eyes, studying Luo Tingshi for a long moment before flinging his sleeves and walking away.
Luo Tingshi hurried after her: “Slow down, Xiao Yu. You’re carrying a child—don’t walk so fast…”
–
Back in the bedroom, Yu Zhi picked up a scroll and leaned against the bed to read while Luo Tingshi massaged his legs nearby, stimulating his meridians.
According to Physician Zhang, once the child reaches six or seven months, the mother’s body becomes compressed, making her legs prone to swelling and discomfort.
The child was now six months along. Though Yu Zhi hadn’t yet experienced such symptoms, Luo Tingshi needed to prepare in advance—clearing his meridians, warming his body, and easing his suffering.
His large hands, calloused from labor, enveloped Yu Zhi’s slightly cool feet. His fingertips pressed precisely on the acupoints beneath the soles, channeling gentle internal energy that flowed steadily from his fingertips.
Yu Zhi felt a faint warmth in the soles of his feet, a warm current rising slowly up his legs and into his womb. The fetus within seemed to stir, gently stretching its body.
“Mmm…” Yu Zhi murmured softly.
Luo Ting raised his head. “Did it kick you again?”
Yu Zhi shook his head. “No, it felt like it was stretching its neck and body.”
Luo Ting leaned in to listen, then lifted his eyes with a gentle smile. Those two little rascals are full of life. You must have suffered quite a bit. Poor thing.” With that, Luo Tingshi sighed.
Yu Zhi lowered his gaze, meeting Luo Tingshi’s eyes through the gradually dimming light. Witnessing the tenderness in the man’s eyes, his lashes fluttered slightly as he lifted his eyes to the candles beside them.
“It’s barely the hour of You, yet the sky is already darkening. Go light the lamps.”
Luo Tingshi obeyed, lighting the lamps. In the warm glow that filled the room, he continued massaging Yu Zhi.
Yu Zhi’s eyes rested on the pages of a book, yet he couldn’t focus on a single word. He hadn’t turned a page in ages.
Beside him, the man massaged him with focused attention, working from his feet up to his calves. Whenever he encountered a tense spot, he paused, pressing his palm against the skin with just the right amount of pressure to knead it out.
A peculiar feeling stirred within Yu Zhi.
No matter how he tried, he couldn’t reconcile the man before him with the “tyrant” he’d seen at the Sheng Kingdom’s palace banquet.
As the ruler of a nation, he busied himself day and night attending to Yu Zhi, more devoted than any palace servant.
His lower abdomen was nourished by the man’s inner energy, warm and soothing like soaking in lukewarm water. The aches and pains of pregnancy gradually faded.
Distracted, Yu Zhi set the book aside and quietly observed Luo Tingshi.
Luo Tingshi didn’t even lift his head. “Why are you looking at me, Your Majesty?”
Yu Zhi: “I simply wish to look at you. Do I need a reason?”
Luo Tingshi: “You don’t need one. Xiao Yu doesn’t need a reason for anything he does for me.”
Hearing this, Yu Zhi felt a complex mix of emotions.
Luo Tingshi finished clearing every meridian in Yu Zhi’s body by the first hour of the Dog.
A servant brought Yu Zhi fish soup. The fish had been delivered by Li Daniu that very day, making it exceptionally fresh and delicious. After finishing one bowl, Yu Zhi reached for more. Luo Tingshi promptly served him another.
As he drank, a searing gaze fixed on Yu Zhi’s chest. Ignoring it proved impossible. He shot the man across from him a glare.
“What’s with that look?”
Luo Tingshi pressed his thin lips together, his gaze shifting restlessly, as if he wanted to say something but forced himself to hold back.
Yu Zhi: “…Could it be more of your lewd remarks?”
Luo Tingshi shook his head, sighing helplessly, “When I mingled among the common folk, I heard that… some fish soups can stimulate lactation. After giving birth, if a woman’s milk supply is insufficient, she might drink crucian carp soup to boost her milk.”
“Cough! Cough! Cough!” Yu Zhi gasped sharply, his breath catching as he erupted into a thunderous coughing fit.
Luo Tingshi hurried forward, gently patting Yu Zhi’s back to help him regain his breath.
After a long moment, Yu Zhi finally calmed down.
Forced tears welled in his eyes. He looked up at the man holding him, his eyes red-rimmed, voice slightly hoarse. “What did you want to say?”
Luo Tingshi shook his head repeatedly. “Nothing.”
Yu Zhi: “Speak!”
Luo Tingshi hesitated for a moment before asking him: “If you give birth to a child, would you have milk?”
Yu Zhi: “…”