The moment these words left his mouth, Yun Yin fell silent himself.
He didn’t know why he had suddenly asked this question. To him, scheming and probing were second nature. More often than not, only by including even one’s own people as part of the plan could things appear convincingly real.
He and people like Chang Zixuan were long accustomed to thinking ten steps ahead with every single move.
To say nothing of minor matters like this—just two days ago, hadn’t he used Lu Zhong to teach Li Zhaoyi the principles of rulership?
But for some reason, now that this matter was exposed to Li Zhaoyi, he suddenly felt…
A need to explain.
At the very least, a need to disguise it.
He said, “I merely wish for Your Majesty to become familiar with the Imperial Court as soon as possible. In the future, there will be many more matters like this. If I am ever absent, then Your Majesty will have to handle it alone. When that time comes, Your Majesty must always make decisions based on your own judgment.”
It sounded noble and grandiose.
Only Yun Yin himself knew that as he said this, he was intently watching Li Zhaoyi’s every reaction.
Li Zhaoyi first froze for a moment because of that initial question. Just as he was thinking it over, he heard Yun Yin’s subsequent words, and he immediately forgot what he was about to say. With a touch of nervousness, he asked, “Are you going away somewhere?”
Yun Yin: …
That wasn’t quite the reaction he’d expected.
Still, he replied, “Possibly. For example, if there were a conflict at the border, I might have to leave the Capital.”
The current state of the Yan Dynasty was such that, aside from the Yun Clan, there were almost no generals capable of leading troops into battle. And it was precisely the presence of the Yun Clan that kept the surrounding foreign enemies, eyeing the weak Yan Dynasty covetously, from ever daring to invade.
Going to war.
That was a distant prospect.
Li Zhaoyi relaxed a little.
He thought for a moment. “…I would be a bit scared.”
Yun Yin gave an “Mm.”
“But what you say makes sense.” Li Zhaoyi said. “I will have to face these things eventually.”
He paused. “I can’t always rely on you for everything.”
He didn’t know why Yun Yin had suddenly asked this, but the question happened to align with the worries he’d been having lately. He could no longer rely on Yun Yin; he needed to become independent in front of him.
Hearing his words, Yun Yin’s expression initially softened slightly.
Yet upon hearing that last sentence, his face paused for a flicker.
Li Zhaoyi didn’t notice.
Behind Yun Yin, Lin Ping had already entered.
–
This should have been the first time Li Zhaoyi had seen Lin Ping since leaving the palace. If he were asked who he missed most after leaving the palace, besides Yun Yin and Lu Zhong, it was Lin Ping.
It was strange. Clearly, Lin Ping and Gu Qingdai had taught him at the same time, yet in Li Zhaoyi’s heart, these two teachers did not hold the same weight.
He liked, and felt closer to, Lin Ping more.
Even though he was stricter.
Lin Ping should have known about his departure, but he had said nothing about it.
It was only after the lesson ended that Lin Ping spoke. “Your Majesty.”
He paused. “This Old Minister may not have much fondness for Yun Yin, but this Old Minister knows that he has never harbored rebellious intentions. And at present, he is the only one who can steady this precarious Imperial Court of the Yan Dynasty.”
He raised his head, his cloudy eyes holding a clear brightness. “Your Majesty’s willingness to return is a blessing for our dynasty. As for Yun Yin, his nature is unruly and his temperament is extreme. I hope Your Majesty will bear with him more patiently.”
He bowed deeply to Li Zhaoyi in a grand ceremony.
Li Zhaoyi helped him up.
Before going to bed that evening, he told Yun Yin about this.
Yun Yin smiled.
“Elder Lin said something like that, did he?” he remarked. “That’s rare.”
He said the word “rare,” but his face showed no sign of surprise.
Li Zhaoyi knew that although he and Lin Ping were outwardly at odds, their bond might not necessarily be shallow. But these were all past events; he had only heard fragments of them in passing.
In truth, he was quite curious about those past events.
Those moments in time that had existed, but in which he had never participated.
Especially the old stories of Yun Yin, Li Zhaoyu, and Chang Zixuan and the others in the Eastern Palace.
But he also knew that such matters required Yun Yin to be willing to speak of them.
He didn’t know if Yun Yin was willing. And in any case, that wasn’t the most pressing matter. After discussing Elder Lin, Li Zhaoyi, fresh from his bath, wearing soft sleeping robes, his hair still slightly damp at the ends, looked at the person who shouldn’t have been there.
He said, “So… why are you here?”
Yun Yin’s expression was equally matter-of-fact.
He said, “Your Majesty, what do you think?”
~
Their kisses always began with an exchange of glances.
As he was being kissed and simultaneously swept up into his arms, Li Zhaoyi was still worrying about the candlelight.
He panted softly and said, “Can we… put it out.”
Their previous times had all been in dimness, not for any particular reason, but simply because there was no time. Yun Yin had pressed him onto the bed as if needing to confirm something, while outside it was chaos and turmoil. Inside Bright Clarity Hall, they were doing the most absurd things.
Even Li Zhaoyi, when he finally closed his eyes, felt a resolute, all-or-nothing determination in his heart.
But now, everything had returned to peace.
Li Zhaoyi looked at the bright candlelight, and a sudden sense of shame rose in his heart.
Yun Yin kissed the side of his neck, unable to resist touching that warm, delicate skin. In the gaps between, he said in a hoarse voice, “Is Your Majesty shy again?”
He said, “I want to look at Your Majesty.”
Li Zhaoyi: “…”
He bit his lip, turned his face away, letting his hair cover his cheeks, unwilling to be seen.
Yun Yin didn’t press him either. Only at crucial moments, he would deny him release. Forcing Li Zhaoyi to turn his head back and glare at him.
“Your Majesty.”
Yun Yin kissed his eyelashes. “Be good.”
…He was already being very good.
He opened himself up unreservedly to his subject, letting himself be violated wantonly upon the Dragon Bed. If his ancestors saw this, they would curse him fiercely for being so spineless. He looked at the swaying canopy above, momentarily dazed, and thought idly: Has there ever been such a relationship between a monarch and his minister in history?
What kind of path were he and Yun Yin walking, exactly?
But very soon, he didn’t even have the time to ponder such aimless thoughts.
–
In truth, for a very long time, when Li Zhaoyi looked at Yun Yin, he had difficulty imagining what he was like on the battlefield.
Yun Yin’s appearance was far too deceptive.
He was practically no different from those refined aristocratic young masters who dabbled in literature in the Capital. The only difference, perhaps, was that he was even more handsome and striking. Apart from that, his every gesture and movement made it hard to associate him with the coarse, sand-swept battlefields.
The only two occasions when he could feel Yun Yin’s dominating strength were: first, when the other party had killing intent; and second, in bed.
His first time was with Yun Yin. Everything had been molded by Yun Yin’s hands.
What reactions to show, what positions to take, what words to say, what things to do—Yun Yin guided him, coaxed him step by step, training him into his favorite, most desired form.
And then, the one who lost control was still Yun Yin.
Li Zhaoyi sometimes wondered: If it had been someone else, would he still reveal such a reaction?
Was it precisely because it was him, or was it because it was him?
This question couldn’t be verified. And given their current relationship, there seemed no need to verify it. He could only do his best to cooperate with Yun Yin while adjusting himself.
Today, Yun Yin was much gentler than the previous days.
After doing it twice, Li Zhaoyi didn’t have much strength left, but he could still prop himself up to drink the water Yun Yin fed him.
He had a sleeping robe draped over him. His body was very warm, and he huddled under the brocade quilt.
Yun Yin asked him, “Shall we go bathe?”
Li Zhaoyi nodded.
Yun Yin supported him. When his feet touched the floor, his legs trembled slightly.
Something slowly trickled down the inside of his thigh. Li Zhaoyi pressed his lips tightly together, his face burning. He tried his best to act as if nothing had happened and stubbornly walked to the bathing pool in the inner chamber.
He thought this was the end.
But just as he reached the poolside, the person who had been watching him from behind came over at some point and enveloped him again.
By the time Yun Yin had cleaned him up and carried him back to the bed, Li Zhaoyi had finally exhausted every last shred of his strength.
His limbs weak and limp, he curled up under the covers. Even though it was over, that strange, stretched-open, forced-to-accommodate sensation still lingered.
Held from behind by Yun Yin, his gaze was unfocused.
He heard Yun Yin say something, but he didn’t catch it. He let out a dazed, “Hm?”
The other man’s voice paused.
He said, “Never mind. Sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
He kissed the back of Li Zhaoyi’s neck. And so, enveloped in his scent, Li Zhaoyi drifted off to sleep peacefully, all the way until the next morning.
~
The next morning, Li Zhaoyi, as usual, was unable to get out of bed.
Regarding the matter between him and Yun Yin, anyone serving in Bright Clarity Hall would have to be blind not to know.
Li Zhaoyi was initially embarrassed, but later he grew numb to it. In this regard, Yun Yin was very considerate of his feelings. When they did it, they basically never had servants attend them; he handled everything personally.
Today, an accident occurred.
De Quan had been training a new apprentice recently and hadn’t explained the instructions clearly.
When a little eunuch came to deliver towels, he accidentally entered the inner chamber directly.
At that moment, Li Zhaoyi was being pressed down among the bedclothes and kissed, his clothes in disarray. Suddenly, the sound of a tray crashing to the floor rang in his ears, startling him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the little eunuch’s face turn deathly pale, clearly realizing he had caused a terrible disaster.
Yun Yin released him, impatience flashing in his eyes at the interruption.
Li Zhaoyi had already shrunk under the covers. Remembering something, he poked his head out again.
“…It’s fine.” he said. His voice was a bit hoarse. After a moment’s hesitation, he raised his head and pecked the corner of Yun Yin’s lips. “Yun Yin, don’t be angry.”
He was afraid Yun Yin would punish that little eunuch.
The little eunuch kneeling on the ground stiffened.
Yun Yin’s expression softened somewhat.
He lowered his gaze and said softly, “Understood. As Your Majesty commands.”
Then he said coldly, “Get lost. Now.”
The little eunuch scrambled and fled.
Li Zhaoyi felt a bit helpless but didn’t take it to heart.
This incident seemed like a small interlude. Only, Li Zhaoyi hadn’t expected that it would have a follow-up.
–
It started because Li Zhaoyi finally got out of bed around noon.
Yun Yin had to go inspect the military camp today. He said he’d be back for dinner and then left.
Li Zhaoyi lay in bed alone for a while, lost in thought.
At noon, he slowly got up, ate some snacks to fill his stomach, and decided to wait for Yun Yin in the courtyard while sunbathing. Halfway through his sunbathing, someone suddenly knelt down right in front of him. Li Zhaoyi nearly jumped out of his chair in fright.
Then, he saw a face covered in tears and snot.
Li Zhaoyi: “…”
“You are…?”
The little eunuch knocked his head against the ground with a loud “Bang!”
He choked out, “Your Majesty… Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving my life.”
Li Zhaoyi remembered then. This was the little eunuch who had accidentally barged into his bedchamber that morning.
He looked up. De Quan, standing not far away, wore a troubled expression.
Seeing Li Zhaoyi looking at him, De Quan walked closer and whispered to explain: “Your Majesty, this child caused trouble this morning. He was supposed to be punished and sent to the Laundry Bureau. But before leaving, he insisted on coming to see Your Majesty one more time. This Servant thought… he was being utterly sincere, so I didn’t stop him.”
It was less about being soft-hearted and more about knowing that Li Zhaoyi was easy to talk to.
As luck would have it, Yun Yin wasn’t here right now.
Li Zhaoyi fell silent.
He hadn’t thought too much when he spoke up to save him.
Knowing was one thing; walking in on it was another.
He could feel Yun Yin’s surge of killing intent at that moment, which was why he had spoken to dissuade him. In essence, although he would feel embarrassed, he wouldn’t casually take a life over something like this. Besides, at that moment, he was the only one who could save him.
He hadn’t expected the other party to take it so deeply to heart.
He had no experience handling such a situation, so he could only say, “The Laundry Bureau… that won’t be necessary. It wasn’t a big deal.”
He asked, “What is your name?”
The other man’s eyes reddened.
“Your Majesty,” he said, “This Servant’s name is Chun Nuo.”
Li Zhaoyi smiled.
He looked very nice when he smiled, with two faint dimples at the corners of his mouth.
He said, “What a unique name.”
Reading the situation, De Quan spoke up for his apprentice: “If Your Majesty likes him, keep him by your side to serve you. This child is a bit simple-minded, but his heart isn’t bad.”
Li Zhaoyi made an “Mm” sound.
He said, “Then you can stay.”
~
This matter came up suddenly. After thinking it over, Li Zhaoyi decided to tell Yun Yin about it during their meal.
At that moment, Chun Nuo was standing right beside Li Zhaoyi. He looked at Yun Yin as if Yun Yin were a heinous villain, yet also with a hint of nervousness. He thought he was hiding it well, and Li Zhaoyi was completely oblivious, but Yun Yin took it all in with a single glance.
He didn’t mind having people hate him—too many people hated him. Besides, Li Zhaoyi rarely made requests of him.
After pondering briefly, although he usually disliked such reckless and foolish servants, he agreed.
He said, “If Your Majesty wishes to keep him, then keep him.”
Li Zhaoyi was very happy and said, “Mm!”
Seeing him happy, Yun Yin also curved the corner of his mouth.
After the meal, De Quan led the people away to clear the table, and the two finally began discussing the topic left unfinished before bed.
“I suddenly remembered,” Yun Yin said. “If Your Majesty wants to get to know the court officials and the various great clans of the Capital, there’s actually a very good opportunity coming up soon.”
Li Zhaoyi blinked. “Hm?”
“Has Your Majesty heard of the Autumn Hunt?” Yun Yin said. “This year’s Autumn Hunt should be starting soon, originally.”
Li Zhaoyi suddenly understood.
He had heard of this.
Because during the Spring and Autumn Hunts, the Emperor had to go to a dedicated location.
At those times, the palace had very few people, and Lu Zhong could see him more frequently, so he really liked those two periods.
He asked, “Will there be one this year?”
“It has been suspended for several years,” Yun Yin said. “But if Your Majesty wishes to hold it, of course it can be done. The timing is just right, too.”
Li Zhaoyi quickly said, “I want to go.”
Yun Yin watched his sparkling eyes and unconsciously curled his lips.
For some time now, when Li Zhaoyi was happy, he also felt in a good mood. Even though Li Zhaoyi’s happiness was always so cheap—he’d get just as happy seeing a beautiful butterfly.
He said, “Alright. I’ll send someone to arrange it.”
“However, in past years, the Autumn Hunt,” Yun Yin continued, “was always held on a grand scale. One not only had to meet with court officials but also receive some local chieftains. Riding, archery, etiquette—all must be observed.”
He paused. “At this point in time, it’s a bit rushed.”
“How about we just choose a location in the near suburbs?” he proposed. “Treat it as a small-scale exercise, and we can hold it grandly next year.”
Li Zhaoyi said, “I’ll listen to you on everything.”
Yun Yin: …
Under Li Zhaoyi’s clean and focused gaze, he suppressed the urge to throw him onto the bed and let out a soft breath.
He stood up: “Then it’s settled.”
“Your Majesty, rest well,” he said. “Leave the affairs of the Autumn Hunt to me. Of course, Your Majesty must also familiarize yourself with some basic procedures beforehand. But don’t worry, you can practice daily right at the Royal Racecourse. In a couple of days, I will take Your Majesty out of the palace.”
