The Emperor Reads Storybooks Hidden in His Official Reports 31

Chapter 31: This Life is Unlivable

“Little Carp, what’s wrong with you?!”

On the long corridor, Zhao Linxu held Li Jianyu’s waist and said anxiously, “Should we still call a doctor to have a look? What if something is wrong with the child?”

“No, it has nothing to do with the child.” Li Jianyu was furious. He looked up and said, “You f-ing shut up! Stop asking!”

“No… I have to know what’s going on.” Seeing that Li Jianyu couldn’t even stand steadily, Zhao Linxu simply lifted him carefully in a princess carry. “Where does it hurt? You have to tell me clearly how I can help you. Am I supposed to just let you suffer like this?”

“…”

Ahhh, so annoying.

“Little Carp, don’t fool around…”

“I’m hard!”

“Ah…?” Zhao Linxu blinked. What?

Did he just hear something incredible?

Li Jianyu tilted his head back, having thrown all caution to the wind, and said with a sense of utter despair, “I accidentally took the medicine the doctor had prepared for Xue Ni. I’m hard! Understand?”

Seeing the flush on Li Jianyu’s exposed skin and his chest heaving violently, Zhao Linxu had a demonic realization.

Holy shit.

Zhao Linxu stopped in his tracks and turned to stare blankly at Li Jianyu.

“How do you plan to solve it…?”

Li Jianyu said fiercely, coldly, and very heartlessly, “I’ll solve it myself.”

So can you please just make yourself scarce?

Seeing Li Jianyu looking like a wild cat ready to pounce at any moment, wary of its surroundings, Zhao Linxu let out a low laugh and carried him quickly back to the room.

“Zhao Linxu!” Li Jianyu panicked. The waves of sensations in his body were like a tide, making it impossible for him to think, and the unfolding events made him even more at a loss.

“Mm, I’m here, I’m here.” Zhao Linxu chuckled, pretending not to understand Li Jianyu’s meaning as he placed him on the bed and pressed down on him.

Li Jianyu’s eyes widened. He remembered the spectacular scene from that night and was about to kick Zhao Linxu off the bed, but his body was limp and his legs had no strength. This action, on the contrary, seemed to be teasing Zhao Linxu.

Zhao Linxu propped himself up on the bed, his body hovering over Li Jianyu, and said in a low voice, “I’ll help you.”

“You beast!” Li Jianyu gritted his teeth.

Zhao Linxu smiled and untied Li Jianyu’s sash.

Li Jianyu kicked his feet in frustration, feeling like he was about to explode into a Jiujiu.

“Zhao Linxu, you bastard!”

“Yes, yes, I’m a bastard, a big bastard, a big pig’s trotter.” Zhao Linxu finished Li Jianyu’s sentence for him and reached his hand into the secret realm beneath the fabric.

“Mmm…” Li Jianyu’s body flinched, and he frowned slightly. His body was very hot now, which made Zhao Linxu’s hand feel very cold. The difference in temperature amplified the sensation of the touch.

Zhao Linxu leaned down and whispered in Li Jianyu’s ear, “Don’t worry, I’ll just help you with my hand.”

Li Jianyu glared at Zhao Linxu fiercely.

Then, those fierce peach blossom eyes were tinged with desire and spring, and the glare looked more like a coquettish pout.

“Little Carp, you’re really beautiful…”

“Don’t take advantage and then act coy.” Li Jianyu desperately suppressed his gasps and suggestive cries, his hands tightly gripping Zhao Linxu’s sleeves.

Zhao Linxu’s lips curled into a wicked smile.

“…Mmm!”

This life is truly unlivable! Unlivable!

XXXXXX

The sun was about to set.

Chen Zhishu heard that His Majesty was finally free and went into the courtyard to find him.

“…Your Majesty?” Chen Zhishu looked in confusion at Zhao Linxu and Li Jianyu, who were coming out of the room. He saw Zhao Linxu looking up, his eyes vacant, a smile on his lips, and couldn’t help but call out.

Had something good happened? Why did he look so pleased?

But Li Jianyu beside him had a dark face, as if he were angry.

“What? Is something the matter?” Zhao Linxu stroked his chin, trying to rein in the smile on his face.

Not only had he taken advantage, but he had also napped with Beauty. He had really profited.

“Yes. The Ghost-Faced General has returned and is asking for an audience outside.”

Previously, the Ghost-Faced General, Mu Wangliang, had come to help Zhao Linxu, which had truly surprised everyone. To be honest, Zhao Linxu himself had not expected it. He had originally just been trying his luck, but he had never thought that Mu Wangliang would actually agree.

Half of the Feng Ju family’s empire had been carved out by the Mu family. Although the military power Mu Wangliang held was not as great as that of the two Feng Ju brothers, his strength was greater than the Feng Ju family’s. The Ghost-Faced Army was made up of men who were not afraid of death, and on the battlefield, they were like Asuras and Rakshasas, striking fear into the hearts of all who heard of them.

But after the Feng Ju family established their kingdom, the Ghost-Faced Army had rarely gone to battle, and Mu Wangliang himself was elusive, like a divine dragon that shows its head but not its tail.

That day, after learning that Zhao Linxu was temporarily staying at the bottom of the cliff, the Ghost-Faced Army had returned to the Great Xi, and Mu Wangliang had also left first. No one knew where he had gone. Now, it seemed he had come to find him after learning that Zhao Linxu had returned.

“Let’s go, we’ll go see him.” Zhao Linxu invited Li Jianyu to go with him.

Mu Wangliang was called the Ghost-Faced General because he wore a terrifying green-faced, fanged ghost mask all year round. It was said that it was because his face was disfigured, so he could not show his true face.

At this moment, Mu Wangliang was sitting in a corner of the main hall. Zhao Linxu and Li Jianyu noticed the conspicuous mask from a great distance.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

“I’ve long heard of your great name.” Zhao Linxu smiled and had a servant bring some snacks. One plate was to entertain the guest, and the other was placed on the small table between him and Li Jianyu for Li Jianyu to have a bite.

“This time, thanks to General Mu’s great help, We are also very happy to have made such a friend.”

Mu Wangliang didn’t react to Zhao Linxu positioning him as a friend of the Great Gong. Mainly, Zhao Linxu couldn’t see his expression either.

Mu Wangliang said, “This time, I came a thousand li to help Your Majesty succeed because it was my master’s will. I was just following orders.”

“Master?” Li Jianyu was a little confused. Feng Juhua was the emperor of the Great Xi, and Feng Juheng was of his party. It was said that the two were even in an incestuous relationship, their relationship anything but ordinary. And Zhao Linxu had been at odds with these two before.

Logically speaking, Mu Wangliang’s masters should be Feng Juhua and Feng Juheng, but now it was clear that there was someone else.

“The third prince of the Feng Ju family, Feng Ju Qianli. He is the true king. He conquered and defended the empire, but was framed by those two brothers.” Mu Wangliang’s tone was emotionless, and it sounded a little creepy.

Zhao Linxu peeled a walnut for Li Jianyu and smiled. “So Feng Ju Qianli wants Us to help him reclaim the throne? To form an alliance with him?”

“Yes.”

“He trusts Us quite a bit.” Zhao Linxu shook his head. Wasn’t he afraid that he would turn his back on him after receiving the help of the Ghost-Faced Army?

“My master says that Your Majesty is a trustworthy person, and that cooperating with you is the best choice.”

“He knows Us?” Zhao Linxu raised an eyebrow.

“I do not know.”

Zhao Linxu pondered this.

He didn’t know many people from the Great Xi and didn’t remember making friends with anyone from the Feng Ju family. But there would always be a chance to find out next time, so there was no need to dwell on it.

“Go back and tell your master that if there is a need, the Great Gong will naturally do its best.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

After Mu Wangliang left, Li Jianyu swallowed a piece of pastry and said, “Are you serious about forming an alliance with Feng Ju Qianli?”

“If Mu Wangliang wasn’t lying, then yes, I’m serious. Why not? Isn’t this good? Feng Juhua and Feng Juheng of the Great Xi are already my enemies, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. It’s good for me to have another supporter.”

Zhao Linxu sat beside Li Jianyu, watching him eat, and smiled. “Feng Ju Qianli holds the Ghost-Faced Army. There are many benefits to forming an alliance with him. Perhaps he will even seize the throne from those two brothers later.”

Li Jianyu nodded slightly.

“Little Carp, want to go for a stroll with Us?”

Li Jianyu was stunned, then said, “No. With my condition, I can’t go crazy in the forest with you.”

“I’m not going crazy and asking you to go riding with me. I want you to go for a stroll on the street with me.”

Go to the street?

What’s gotten into Zhao Linxu? Li Jianyu thought.

“If Your Majesty wants to buy something, you can just have a servant go and buy it. Why do you need to go out yourself?”

“I’m not buying anything, just strolling.” Zhao Linxu rested his cheek on the back of his hand and looked at Li Jianyu. Just now, he had forced himself on him, and he had thought Li Jianyu would be angry, but he was just embarrassed and annoyed.

The events of that night had made the previous Li Jianyu very resistant to him, and he had put up a high wall, distant and cold. But now…

Zhao Linxu smiled. “Let’s go?”

What kind of trick is he up to… Li Jianyu pouted. “Alright.”

XXXXXX

The streets of Luoye were bustling and noisy, with an endless stream of people.

Zhao Linxu and Li Jianyu walked side by side through the crowd. Zhao Linxu stood slightly behind Li Jianyu, protecting him to prevent him from getting bumped or knocked over.

“Are the streets of Luoye always this lively?”

Li Jianyu nodded.

“The people of Luoye live in peace and comfort. It’s natural for it to be lively.”

Zhao Linxu smiled.

There were stalls on both sides of the street. Taverns, cloth shops… one shop after another, side by side.

Night had already fallen, and the lanterns on the roadside and under the eaves were all lit, illuminating the area.

After walking for a while, Zhao Linxu pulled Li Jianyu to sit down at a wooden table and chair in front of a small stall and ordered two bowls of sour plum soup from the old lady running the stall. Zhao Jiangxue had told him that pregnant people liked to eat sour things.

“Jianyu?”

Before the sour plum soup arrived, Li Jianyu heard a familiar voice.

This was…

“Jianyu!” He turned around and saw a man walking quickly towards him. The man had neat features, was tall and handsome, and had a pack on his back. It seemed he had just arrived in Luoye City.

It was him…?!

Li Jianyu’s face turned pale.

Why had he come back?

The man pushed his way through the crowd a little anxiously and came to Li Jianyu, his voice filled with an unconcealable excitement. “I was originally going to the City Lord’s manor to find you. I didn’t expect to run into you here!”

“Wan Yunliu?” Li Jianyu’s hands clenched slightly.

“It’s me! Don’t… don’t you recognize me?” Wan Yunliu nodded a greeting to Zhao Linxu, then sat down beside Li Jianyu and said in a low voice, “I’m sorry. I’ve only just come back.”

“Jianyu, don’t blame me, okay?”

There was a hint of anxiety in Wan Yunliu’s eyes, and he didn’t quite dare to look at Li Jianyu.

Zhao Linxu looked at Wan Yunliu and Li Jianyu with a blank expression, took a sip of tea, his face unreadable.

Very good, very good.

Who the hell is this!