Chapter 101: The Final Chapter (Part One) Part 3

Xie Shaoling remained rooted to the spot, stubbornly continuing, “This official has other matters. The horse team allocations in Yunneizhou, the relay station changes, the bridge repairs… I ask the Chancellor to set a procedure.”

Pei Jingyi didn’t interrupt. Instead, he began to unfasten his armor. His black iron bracers hit the table with a loud clang, and he began pulling at the straps of his breastplate one by one.

Yunneizhou had only just been settled. There were still remnant enemy soldiers in the city, and it was broad daylight—this was no time for a Marshal to be disarming.

The purpose of this “disarming” was blindingly obvious.

Gu Huaiyu tapped his temple. “Follow the old precedents. If there are changes, report them then.”

Clang—

Another crisp sound echoed as Pei Jingyi tossed his shoulder guards onto a chair, looking at Xie Shaoling with a half-smile.

How could Xie Shaoling not understand the urge to leave? His hands inside his sleeves clenched and then loosened. Finally, he bowed unsteadily. “This official takes his leave.”

The moment the tent flap fell, Pei Jingyi had already leaned down to scoop Gu Huaiyu up by the waist, striding toward the inner chamber behind the screen.

Gu Huaiyu felt a faint throb in his temple. Even as his back sank into the brocade bedding, his brow remained slightly furrowed in displeasure.

Pei Jingyi knelt on one knee by the bed, leaning over to gently pinch Gu Huaiyu’s lean cheek with two fingers. “Master Yu is sharing a bed with me, and yet you’re still thinking about that brat?”

Lying amidst the piles of embroidery, Gu Huaiyu sighed. “He is, after all…”

“After all what?” Pei Jingyi lowered his head to peck at his lips, asking mischievously, “After all, he’s young? After all, he’s handsome?”

Gu Huaiyu paused, then answered honestly, “He is, after all, a pillar of the state.”

Pei Jingyi bit down lightly on his lower lip, grinding his teeth against it as if to vent his frustration. “Master Yu worries for the state all day long. When will you worry for yourself?”

As he spoke, he gave a light swat to that supple backside.

No matter how slow Gu Huaiyu might be, he understood the implication. His clear, beautiful eyes fixed onto the man hovering over him.

Pei Jingyi felt a fire ignite in his chest at that look. He expertly unhooked the jade buckle at Gu’s waist and wound the embroidered silk belt around his palm. He leaned into Gu’s ear. “The day we first met, you gave me your belt.”

“Later…” His low laughter carried a hint of rogue-like charm. “I used it a few times. I got it quite dirty.”

Gu Huaiyu remembered the incident, but that belt hadn’t been a “gift.” He lay back lazily, allowing his robes to be unfastened layer by layer. “So you were lusting after this Chancellor that early.”

“Naturally.”

Pei Jingyi swiftly tore off his own war robe’s sash, his gaze roaming shamelessly over the pale, delicate skin. “The day I first saw you, I thought to myself—”

He leaned over Gu Huaiyu, laughing softly. “How can such a person exist? Wicked to the bone, yet born with a face that makes it impossible to forget him.”

Gu Huaiyu accepted the praise, saying quite frankly, “This Chancellor was simply born with such natural grace. It’s innate.”

Pei Jingyi couldn’t help but lean down to kiss his cheeks, his kisses falling like gentle raindrops over his forehead and nose.

“Later…” His lips brushed against Gu Huaiyu’s ear, his voice deepening. “I felt both respect and fear for the Chancellor. Respect for your bearing as you maneuvered the imperial court, and fear—”

“Fear that I could not restrain myself, that one look at you would throw my heart into a flutter.”

Gu Huaiyu felt quite pleased hearing this, responding languidly, “Mm, that is understandable.”

Pei Jingyi straightened up to unbuckle his own belt, discarding his clothes and trousers with efficiency, leaving his sturdy, well-built physique fully exposed.

He deliberately thrust his hips forward, yet asked with a straight face, “This is also understandable. The Chancellor understands, right?”

Gu Huaiyu only spared a single glance before closing his eyes. He lifted a leg and gave Pei’s thigh a light kick, finding him annoying.

Pei Jingyi didn’t budge. Instead, he leaned in closer until he was practically face-to-face with Gu Huaiyu. He flicked a finger against himself. “We haven’t met in half a month. It missed Master Yu so much that it’s been weeping every night. Won’t Master Yu offer some comfort?”

The tips of Gu Huaiyu’s ears burned crimson. He finally opened his eyes to glare at him, whispering in bashful irritation, “If you’re going to do it, just do it. Why all the talk?”

Pei Jingyi could no longer restrain himself. He pinned Gu into the brocade bedding, cupping his face in both hands before lowering his head for a fierce, aggressive kiss.

His tongue was hurried and heavy, tyrannical and unreasonable, as if trying to reclaim every bit of the longing from the past half-month.

“My Little Yu…” he murmured against Gu Huaiyu’s lips, his breath hot and damp as the kisses continued without pause. “My darling…”

The kiss grew more violent and immersive, yet in the gaps, a few low, raspy confessions escaped: “I love you to death…”