The group spurred their horses onward. Five days later, they reached Shangze, the capital of the Yu Kingdom.
Yu Zhi had secretly journeyed to the Sheng Kingdom. He had publicly declared himself ill, requiring a period of convalescence, and entrusted the affairs of state to the Chancellor to handle temporarily. Only a few trusted ministers knew he had gone to the Sheng Kingdom.
Returning to familiar territory, the gloom that had weighed on Yu Zhi’s heart for days lifted slightly.
Yu Zhi entered the palace through a secret passageway. As he stepped into his bedchamber, a young eunuch rushed out from the inner quarters, greeting him joyfully, eyes brimming with tears. “Your Majesty, you’ve finally returned!”
Yu Zhi couldn’t help but smile. ” Lin Shan, as my personal attendant, you ought to be more composed. What manner is this?”
Lin Shan wiped away a tear: “Your Majesty traveled far for the first time without me by your side. With no one to attend to you, I feared you’d eat poorly and sleep badly. I waited anxiously for your return every single day.”
Yu Zhi’s smile broadened. Lin Shan possessed a pure and kind nature; he had been personally chosen by his father as a playmate. The two had grown up together, and in Lin Shan’s presence, Yu Zhi never put on any imperial airs.
He tapped his shoulder and complained, “All this jostling in the carriage day after day has nearly shattered my body.”
Lin Shan hurriedly replied, “I can massage it for you… No, better yet, let me summon Physician Zhang. He can take your pulse and help regulate your constitution.”
Yu Zhi nodded in agreement and stepped toward the inner chamber.
Lin Shan instructed the eunuch guarding the door to fetch the physician. Returning to the inner chamber of the bedchamber, he found Yu Zhi undoing the jade belt at his waist. Lin Shan hurried forward to assist Yu Zhi in removing his outer robe.
Yu Zhi asked him, “While I was away, did Father Emperor send any news?”
Lin Shan immediately pulled a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Yu Zhi. “This is a letter from the retired emperor.”
Yu Zhi’s eyes lit up. He swiftly opened the envelope, and the neat, elegant handwriting caught his gaze.
“Xiao Yu Baby, Daddy’s off to conquer the South Sea with your Father Emperor! Hehe, I’m going to plant Yu Kingdom’s flags on all these uninhabited islands. Then they’ll become part of our great Yu Kingdom’s ancestral lands. In two months, we’ll come back to see you and bring you some local specialties you’ve never seen before.”
Yu Zhi’s eyes softened with a resigned smile.
Xiao Yu was the nickname his father had given him. He’d protested many times—calling him by a nickname was fine, but he refused to be called “baby.”
Yet his father persisted regardless.
Yu Zhi couldn’t do anything about it, so he simply pretended not to hear those two words.
Yu Zhi didn’t bother asking the Emperor either. That wife-obsessed man followed his father’s lead on everything—pleading with him would be futile.
The term “wife-obsessed man” was also something he’d heard from his father, who often used novel phrases unfamiliar to others.
—Because his father wasn’t from this era.
This was a secret shared only among the three of them.
Yu Zhi continued reading.
“Sigh, we should have come in winter. It’s way too hot in the South Sea right now. I miss my air conditioner so much, boo-hoo. Xiao Yu Baby, Daddy misses you too. Do you miss Daddy?”
Yu Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly. How did the topic suddenly shift from air conditioners to missing him?
But Yu Zhi was used to it. Father had always been a flighty soul.
“Oh right, oh right! I almost forgot! We met this weirdo on the road. I asked him about the Bai Ling Clan’s mating season just for fun, and he said—”
Yu Zhi’s eyelid twitched. An inexplicable sense of foreboding washed over him as his gaze shifted downward.
“Even Bai Ling tribe members born with deficiencies can enter heat. As long as they meet their destined partner, they’ll be induced into it.”
“So that means, if Xiao Yu Baby ever encounters his destined husband/wife, he’ll go into heat!”
Nonsense!
Yu Zhi’s face darkened.
By that logic, could Luo Tingshi be his destined mate?
Absolutely impossible! He and that bastard were enemies, plain and simple. This guy was a fraud.
Yu Zhi glared furiously at the final line.
“Xiao Yu, you must be careful. During your mating season, you’ll struggle to control yourself. Never harm others, and protect yourself—don’t let anyone take advantage of you.”
Reading this, Yu Zhi felt a sharp pang in his nose.
He’d already been taken advantage of.
“Your Majesty, what’s wrong? Has something happened to the former emperor and the empress dowager?” Lin Shan helped Yu Zhi change his clothes, but when he looked up, he was startled to see the emperor looking utterly distraught.
Yu Zhi shook his head softly. “Nothing. I just miss them.”
Hearing this, Lin Shan sighed inwardly.
Just then, a young eunuch bowed as he entered. “Your Majesty, Physician Zhang requests an audience.”
Yu Zhi composed himself and instructed the young eunuch, “Show him in.”
Moments later, Physician Zhang hurried in, carrying his medicine chest. Spotting the emperor, he visibly relaxed.
“Your Majesty, you’ve finally returned. These past days, everyone has been asking me about your illness. I could only make things up daily, honing my skill at spinning tales.”
Yu Zhi had been frail and frequently ill since childhood, and it was Imperial Physician Zhang who had consistently tended to his health, making them quite familiar with one another.
Yu Zhi smiled at him with a hint of apology. “Thank you for your efforts, Imperial Physician Zhang.”
Dr. Zhang set down his medicine chest, pulled out a pulse pillow, and addressed Yu Zhi: “Your Majesty, allow me to examine you.”
Yu Zhi extended his hand. Dr. Zhang’s fingertips pressed against his pulse. His brow furrowed as he looked up, meeting Yu Zhi’s gaze directly.
“Your Majesty, you…” Physician Zhang hesitated, words caught in his throat.
Yu Zhi turned to Lin Shan: “Everyone, withdraw.”
Lin Shan felt a wave of unease wash over him. Physician Zhang had never once excluded him during previous examinations of the Emperor.
What exactly was wrong with the Emperor?
All attendants withdrew from the chamber, leaving only the two of them. Physician Zhang’s expression grew grave. “Your Majesty, has your virginity been taken?”
Yu Zhi cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Don’t be so blunt.”
“How did you become aroused?” Physician Zhang was deeply puzzled. “Could it be the effects of the medicines you’ve taken over the years?”
Yu Zhi shook his head. “I have no idea.”
Doctor Zhang stroked his beard, pondering for a moment before saying, “We must observe further. Logically, you should experience another heat next month. Only then will we know if this was an anomaly or if you’ve truly been cured.”
Yu Zhi frowned deeply.
He had no desire to experience it again—the last time had been unbearably painful.
–
Sheng Kingdom.
Luo Tingshi roared with fury: “What are you lot good for? Seven days, and you still haven’t found him!”
Guards knelt in a heap: “We beg for Your Majesty’s punishment.”
Luo Tingshi thought of that man and gritted his teeth in fury.
He dared provoke him and then tried to escape? No such luck.
Luo Tingshi sneered coldly and commanded, “Search! Find every single person who attended the banquet in the palace that day. Bring them before me. Not a single one is to be spared.”
The Flying Dragon Guards acted swiftly. Five days later, a large crowd gathered outside the Linde Hall.
“Your Majesty, all are present except those envoys who have already returned to their countries.”
Luo Tingxi descended the stone steps, his icy gaze sweeping over each pair of eyes.
Not him. Not him.
Nor him…
Luo Tingxi scrutinized every pair of eyes, yet none matched the one etched in his memory.
Could it be… he was an envoy from another nation?
At this thought, Luo Tingshi’s fury suddenly eased somewhat. For a subject of another country to be favored by the Emperor of Sheng, it was only natural that person would not wish to make it known.
If it were an envoy from a minor state, that would be fine. He could simply go to their sovereign and demand the person back; they wouldn’t dare refuse him.
But if it were Yu Kingdom…
Luo Tingshi’s gaze darkened. Obtaining that little beauty would likely cost him dearly.
“Your Majesty.” An official hurried forward and whispered, “News has arrived from over there.”
Luo Tingshi’s eyes sharpened, and he immediately followed the official back into the palace hall.
“Your Majesty, Ying Jiu reports that the Emperor of Yu suffered a severe illness recently, bedridden for a month before recovering. He reappeared before the public two days ago, looking considerably more haggard than before.”
Luo Tingshi frowned slightly. “Do you know what illness it was?”
“No.”
The attendant added, “The governor of Lingchuan Commandery is an incorruptible man. Despite repeated attempts to test him, he has not wavered for a moment. Breaking through Yu from Lingchuan will likely prove difficult. Those dispatched to other commanderies have yet to report back; negotiations are presumably still underway.”
Luo Ting was distracted as he replied, “Understood.”
His mind was still preoccupied with Yu Zhi’s illness.
He wondered if Yu Zhi had fully recovered. In his memory, Yu Zhi was a delicate child—this illness must have caused him considerable suffering.
An inexplicable emotion stirred within Luo Tingshi.
“Your Majesty, forgive my presumption. You have just ascended the throne—this is the moment to demonstrate your prowess. Yet to make such a grand spectacle over a bedmate seems unwise. I believe matters of romantic entanglements may wait. Once you have unified the realm, it will be no too late to speak of love and romance.”
Luo Tingshi’s gaze abruptly hardened, his eyes turning cold and menacing. “Are you lecturing me?”
“I dare not!” The man broke out in a cold sweat instantly, kneeling to beg for mercy. The emperor’s imposing presence weighed heavily upon his back, as if bearing a thousand pounds, nearly crushing him beneath its weight.
“I harbor no affection for him.”
Luo Tingshi snorted coldly. “He dared challenge my authority. How could I let him off?”
With that, Luo Tingshi waved his hand. “You may withdraw.”
The official breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out of the hall. In that brief moment, his inner robe had become soaked with cold sweat.
Reaching an empty corner, he raised his hand and slapped himself across the face, inwardly berating himself.
He knew full well this master was a tyrant, yet why did he have to open his mouth?
–
At noon, the envoy from Changzi rested beneath the shade of trees beside the official road.
A thunderous clatter of hooves approached, rolling like distant thunder.
Curiosity drew the men to peer out. Under the scorching sun, several tall, jet-black steeds charged down the road, their hooves kicking up waves of golden dust that stung the eyes.
They covered their mouths and noses, squinting to see the distinctive insignia of the Sheng royal family on the leader’s attire.
Their expressions shifted slightly, and they hurriedly rose to greet them.
The leader dismounted, strode forward, and pulled a painting from his robe. His gaze swept intently over each person’s eyes.
“Brother, what brings you here?” ” The envoy from Changzi, seeing his stern expression, felt uneasy. They couldn’t afford to provoke the Sheng Kingdom.
The leader said, “By His Majesty’s command, we seek a person. Are all the envoys accompanying Changzi present here? Answer clearly. If there is concealment, you know the consequences.”
The envoy from Changzi broke out in a cold sweat: “Everyone is here. We dare not conceal anything.”
The leader looked at them again, carefully confirming their presence before saying coldly, “Then answer truthfully.”
Cold sweat beaded on the Changzi envoy’s brow. “Everyone is here. We dare not conceal anything.”
The leader scrutinized them once more, confirming their presence before coldly declaring, “He is not here. Let’s go!”
The black stallion galloped swiftly to and then swiftly away.
The Changzi envoy’s legs went weak. Watching the departing figure, he leaned against a tree and wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve.
Who could have offended Emperor Sheng?
It was terrifying.
–
Luo Tingshi listened to the Flying Dragon Guard’s report and gave a faint “Hmm.”
Sure enough, he wasn’t so easily found.
Could it truly be someone from Yu Kingdom? A slender figure suddenly flashed through Luo Tingshi’s mind. Was it him?
No, Lu Jing’s eyes weren’t like that.
Luo Tingshi narrowed his eyes, rose, and walked slowly toward Lianchun Hall.
The night was deep.
Another dim, lightless evening, just like that night.
Luo Tingshi pushed open the door and entered. For days now, he had been dreaming night after night, each dream depicting the same scene.
In the dream, they kissed with such intensity they couldn’t bear to part.
As they kissed, they tore at each other’s clothes. Pieces of fabric fell, scattering from the doorway all the way to the bedside.
Luo Tingshi followed his memory, stepping toward the bed. His gaze fell upon the empty canopy. Two intertwined figures appeared before his eyes.
After staring for a moment, Luo Tingshi raised his hand and slowly undid the jade clasp on his belt. His fingertips suddenly felt an unfamiliar texture, and he looked down.
A small cat pendant carved from white stone hung at his waist.
How did it end up here?
Luo Tingshi’s fingertips stroked the kitten’s head, a faint smile playing at his lips.
He reached to untie the stone pendant. Just as the knot came loose, the kitten pendant suddenly dropped.
It rolled clatteringly under the bed.