Want to make a move?
Yun Yin admitted that for a moment, he had considered it.
Li Zhaoyi was a potential danger. Chang Zixuan had a point—better safe than sorry, no matter how slim the odds.
But when it came down to it, he still found it meaningless.
He didn’t know when it started, but both he and Chang Zixuan had changed. During those years of succession struggle, amidst the unseen blades and shadows, the incautious couldn’t survive.
But it was over now.
Over, and no one had won. All the power was in his hands, yet he was about to fear a young emperor who had spent seventeen years in the Cold Palace—one too weak to truss a chicken.
Yun Yin found this laughable.
Undeniably, he felt some pity for Li Zhaoyi.
He still remembered that rainy night.
The early spring rain held a chill. When he went to the Cold Palace, he had actually been prepared not to find anyone.
A discarded prince, dying silently without anyone knowing. But Li Zhaoyi hadn’t died.
He sat in his room, wearing thin clothes, watching the rain by the window.
Yun Yin had gazed at him from afar, across the window, and seen the cold loneliness swirling around him.
Cold loneliness, and also purity.
He didn’t want to kill Li Zhaoyi, nor did he mind expending a bit more effort on him. He was even willing to give Li Zhaoyi what he wanted.
Life, dignity, even limited power.
As long as he was obedient.
He had readied his bargaining chips and prepared to negotiate openly with Li Zhaoyi. But before it even began, Li Zhaoyi conceded defeat.
Yun Yin didn’t think placating done out of self-preservation could reach this extent.
But if not placating, then why else?
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and his expression faltered slightly.
On the other side, Li Zhaoyi had already spoken, his tone somewhat angry and embarrassed: “I did not.”
To prove it, he added, with slightly less conviction: “Didn’t you say you would take me out of the palace?”
Yun Yin came back to his senses.
He looked at the pure, clear eyes before him and inwardly scoffed at himself.
What was he thinking.
Then, he pondered for a moment. “It can be done.”
“But it’s a bit late today,” he said. “If Your Majesty doesn’t mind…”
Li Zhaoyi quickly said, “I don’t mind.”
Yun Yin: …
–
Less than half an hour later, a carriage embroidered with the Yun Manor family crest slowly came to a stop before a certain secluded residence within the city.
The servants at the gate hurried to welcome it. The carriage curtain was lifted, and a handsome man with an aloof expression, dressed in dark robes, disembarked with crisp efficiency. But instead of walking away directly as he usually did, he calmly instructed the attendants: “Bring a footstool.”
Shortly, the footstool was placed below the carriage. The man turned back, lifting a small portion of the curtain.
His status was noble; he had never done anything approaching the task of a servant. The surrounding servants bowed their heads even lower, concealing the surprise on their faces, all inwardly guessing at the identity of the person inside the carriage.
Before long, a figure wearing a veiled hat appeared at the carriage entrance.
The hat was made of gauze, exquisitely crafted, enveloping a slender, elegant figure. Though the face was entirely hidden, just from the silhouette and posture, one could tell this was likely an exceptionally beautiful and noble young lady of a prestigious family.
“She” first carefully stepped onto the carriage edge, searching for the right angle to descend. The man beside the carriage reached out at the right moment, and “she” hesitated briefly before supporting herself on his arm. Then, stepping on the footstool, “she” alighted. The man smoothly supported “her” shoulder, leading “her” inside with an unhesitatingly intimate posture.
As they walked, the man stayed a half-step behind, intentionally or otherwise blocking all prying gazes.
In a short time, the two figures vanished within the gates, and the main doors slowly closed again.
Everything was silent and soundless.
Inside the gate, Li Zhaoyi lifted the veiled hat and saw the fiery, passionate sunset about to descend not far away, and the brilliant golden evening clouds.
He stared, mesmerized, and only after a long while did he exhale. His somewhat nervous heart settled back into place.
Turning his head, he saw Yun Yin not far away, leaning against a pillar and watching him with his arms casually folded.
He tugged at the thin gauze floating beside him, his ears burning. Pressing his lips together, he felt inexplicably embarrassed.
He said, “Isn’t it a bit strange for me to wear this?”
Wearing the veiled hat had been Yun Yin’s suggestion.
In the Yan Dynasty, it was customary for noble ladies to wear veiled hats when going out to conceal their faces. Li Zhaoyi was not a woman, but his face was also inconvenient to reveal publicly. Yun Yin explained this, and he had accepted it.
Accepting it didn’t mean he wasn’t self-conscious. Just now, Yun Yin’s actions were like attending to a lady. Li Zhaoyi appreciated his thoughtfulness on one hand, but also felt some worry. He said, “If people see this… won’t it affect your reputation?”
As far as he knew, no small number of people in court had their eyes on Yun Yin.
He had read about ten memorials that day, three of which impeached Yun Yin from various angles.
Yun Yin was unmarried; bringing a strange woman back to his manor was practically handing ammunition regarding his personal morals to his enemies.
Li Zhaoyi habitually worried for him, but Yun Yin’s tone was careless, even tinged with roguishness: “Reputation? Your Majesty, rest assured, this subject lost that thing long ago.”
Li Zhaoyi: “…”
He silently glanced at Yun Yin, but the other man straightened up and said, “Would you like to look inside?”
Li Zhaoyi quickly nodded.
He handed the veiled hat to a servant and followed behind Yun Yin in small steps, beginning to examine this quiet, secluded residence with curiosity.
When he learned in the carriage that their destination was Yun Yin’s private residence, Li Zhaoyi felt no disappointment.
Ultimately, this so-called “trip out of the palace” was merely an unfulfilled wish for him, representing freedom and lack of restraint, not simply breathing the air outside the palace walls.
But that was no longer possible.
So, where he went didn’t really matter.
Of course, not caring was one thing. Actually arriving was another.
The moment he entered the residence, Li Zhaoyi realized something. Normally, it was Yun Yin who came and went freely within the palace. This was the first time he, conversely, entered Yun Yin’s private domain.
This thought gave rise to a secret, nervous tension.
He followed Yun Yin through the silent corridors, passing the flower hall, the study, and the bedchamber.
It wasn’t until they reached the rear garden that he finally couldn’t help but speak: “You… don’t normally live here?”
“Hm?” Yun Yin responded, then asked, “Why do you say that?”
“A feeling.” Li Zhaoyi honestly conveyed his impression. “It’s a little too clean.”
Not clean, but desolate.
No matter the room, everything was placed with extreme order and sparseness. Li Zhaoyi noticed there were very few servants in this residence as well. The only thing that could be called “lively” was probably the large, naturalistic garden scene in the rear courtyard, complete with small bridges and flowing water.
It was spring, and the rear garden was a riot of blossoms. At this moment, the two stood beneath a peach blossom tree.
The flowers were dazzling, the man’s brows and eyes calm and composed.
He said, “Usually, this subject lives here alone. There’s no need for too many servants.”
Prompted by this, Li Zhaoyi thought of something and said, “…Why haven’t you married?”
Yun Yin was twenty-four this year, still young of course, but according to his age and family background, he should have at least settled on a Main Consort by now.
But in Li Zhaoyi’s impression, let alone a Main Consort, Yun Yin probably didn’t even have concubines.
This didn’t quite match common sense.
Of course, Yun Yin had been at the border passes for years, so it was normal to lack the time for such considerations. Li Zhaoyi had only asked casually, but after the words left his mouth, Yun Yin’s expression froze slightly.
Looking at the other man’s face, Li Zhaoyi suddenly had a flash of insight.
“Uh, you can just pretend I didn’t ask.”
“There was a betrothal before.”
Both voices sounded simultaneously. In the ensuing silence, Li Zhaoyi silently took a step back. Yun Yin looked at him, his eyes darkening slightly as he slowly asked, “Your Majesty, what were you thinking just now?”
