Chapter 153

11.9 – How could he still be alive!

editor: Macabre

That person was wearing a white robe embroidered with red and gold thread, and seemed to shine brightly under the sunshine. He had a wicked curve to his lips as he smiled at him, but it made Ying Sheng’s heart almost jump out of his chest.

The person in front of him seemed to glow, that radiance so attractive it was dazzling. Ying Sheng had no way of moving his gaze away at all.

If he was really the Emperor, then he was willing to bow down in front of him and surrender…

“Ji Yunhua…” He murmured the name. It was the name that had been stuck in his heart and caused him to lose sleep ever since the day the palace had changed hands. He had always been concerned that that person had escaped death, but now he was particularly delighted that he was still alive.

If this person had been the one sitting on that throne back when he had been bestowed his title as a Prince, he would have been in the Capital long ago. King Xian and his schemes would not have been given a chance to exist.

When he considered this point, Ying Sheng felt especially regretful. Why had he not bothered to visit the Capital just because he thought the little Emperor was weak…? There was nothing weak about the person in front of him at all! His momentum as he spoke just now had been domineering and aggressive. If he had changed into dragon robes, he would definitely give off another flavor.

At the thought of that scene, Ying Sheng’s throat turned a little dry. “Is this your condition for falling in love at first sight?”

Xue Ling raised his eyebrows and said, “What kind of person are We? Would We sell Our feelings and Our body for the sake of the kingdom?”

Ying Sheng hurriedly waved his hand and said, “I didn’t mean it like that…” The amount of information he had just received was a bit overwhelming. His brain was temporarily having trouble keeping up, but the main reason for that was that the person before him was really too attractive. His attention was focused on the changes occurring in his own body, and no matter how good his brain was, his thoughts would still be chaotic when that happened.

Xue Ling looked at his stiff posture and could not help but move his gaze downwards. Then, as though nothing had happened, he lifted his gaze once more and demanded, “King Zhennan, are you willing to be Our second-in-command and send troops to the Capital after spring to help Us take back Our kingdom?”

Ying Sheng was naturally willing, but negotiations weren’t usually conducted like this. “Your Majesty, this minister can help you regain your kingdom, but this minister is unwilling to be your second-in-command.”

He addressed himself as minister, and Xue Ling understood his intention right away. The man never had any bottom line as soon as he met him and incessantly gave way to his demands. There was nothing surprising about his agreement or his willingness to give up his position as an overlord. At the end of the day, this was why he had been so certain about his success today. The other party used genuine actions to prove how much he loved him, and it really filled Xue Ling with joy.

With this in mind, his expression softened a bit. “If you are unwilling to be Our second-in-command, does the Zhennan King want to climb into the dragon bed?”

“If you are really to be the Emperor, then there can be only me in the back palace.” They had already reached this point, Ying Sheng was no longer careful about hiding his thoughts. “Regardless of who you are, I would still want to be with you. I don’t have any intention to make this a trade, nor do I intend to negotiate with you.”

“Hmm…” Xue Ling’s fingers tapped on the table and made slight knocking sounds. Ying Sheng felt that his heart was beating along with the rhythm of his fingers. He was just like a prisoner waiting to be sentenced, unable to do anything except watch the person in front of him as he waited for him to announce his final decision.

Well, it wasn’t like he couldn’t do anything…

Xue Ling looked up and saw that Ying Sheng had come up in front of him. He stood before him, reaching his hand out to grasp the hand he had rested on the table and pulling his entire body into his embrace. “Even if you don’t feel anything for me, you shouldn’t reject me. Can you promise me you’ll give it a try?”

“What if I try, but remain uninterested?” Xue Ling blinked his eyes and asked lightly.

Ying Sheng was left with nothing to say. He lowered his head and met Xue Ling’s gaze. There was no emotional turbulence in those eyes. Compared to himself, who had already become unable to extricate himself after only meeting a few times, the other party’s eyes had always been calm. In his eyes, it seemed that he only held value because he was useful. When he thought like that, Ying Sheng really wanted to gnash his teeth.

Ying Sheng lowered his head, wrapped one arm around Xue Ling’s waist while the other went around his shoulders, controlling his movements. He lowered his voice, “If possible, I don’t want to force you. I really like you. Perhaps you don’t believe me… I think I love you.”

Xue Ling lifted his gaze and looked into his eyes. “But we’ve only met once.”

“I fell for you at first sight, and truly fell in love when we met again. I cannot extricate myself as long as I’m close to you, and I can’t control my heart any more…”

Xue Ling laughed, and his eyebrows curved with the action. He reached out his arms and looped them around the man’s neck. This position was a little difficult as he wasn’t tall enough; Xue Ling could only stand up on tiptoes in order to press his forehead against his. “Your words of love are so sweet, who have you spoken them to in the past?”

“In this life, this world, you’ve been the only one.”

Xue Ling was satisfied, and no longer tried to play tricks on him. No matter how he looked at it, he found him quite pitiful. “What I want, is not just this life and this world. Regardless of whether it’s the previous lives and worlds, or the future lives and worlds, I want you to be mine for all of them.”

Ying Sheng looked into his eyes and discovered that he looked extremely serious as he spoke these words. He nodded, but the word ‘good’ had not yet left his mouth when something soft pressed up against his lips. Ying Sheng’s eyes brightened and he pulled the person completely into his embrace as he bowed his head and kissed him back.

His kiss was not a glancing one like Xue Ling’s had been; the tip of his tongue delicately traced over the outline of those red lips, then slowly teased its way into his mouth, step by step, as though he wanted to nibble the other person into his stomach.

Xue Ling’s body went limp from the kiss, but his ears were still alert for any sounds. He heard the sound of the door being flung open, and when Mu Ge saw the scene in the room, he immediately shouted loudly, “Presumptuous!”

Ying Sheng slowly released Xue Ling, and finally gave him another gentle kiss before setting him down behind him and shielding him with his body. His expression was somber as he opened his mouth to answer Mu Ge, “Are you trying to lose face for your master by entering without your master’s permission? No wonder you dared to fool around during the upheaval of the palace. With this kind of behavior, you are lucky you didn’t die back then. Now, you even want to interfere in my matters!”

Mu Ge’s expression was icy as he pulled out his sword. “That is Our Majesty! Even if you’re not willing to make a move on his behalf! You still shouldn’t humiliate him like that!”

“Humiliate?” Ying Sheng found it amusing. “I can’t even love him enough. Humiliate him? Do you really know what kind of person he is and what choices he makes?

Mu Ge wanted to rebuke him, but Xue Ling calmly stepped out from behind Ying Sheng and interrupted their conversation. “Mu Ge, don’t be rude.”

“Your Majesty!” Mu Ge spoke anxiously, “If he refuses to send troops, there are still other ways. Your Majesty does not have to commit yourself to others like this! What will the records and histories say about Your Majesty in the future!”

“Anything the histories record cannot be worse than mentioning an Emperor that has lost their throne.” Xue Ling carelessly straightened out his robes. “We know what We are doing. Regarding many things, there is no room for you to speak.”

Mu Ge’s words were blocked. His eyes opened wide, and he did not know how to reply to Xue Ling’s words. The stature of the youth in front of him seemed to have suddenly grown taller, and the momentum of his body was once again like that of that Emperor who towered high above him. Gone was his peaceful demeanor from recent days.

“Yes…” His voice was low. “Your subordinate was rash.”

How could Ying Sheng be unable to see Mu Ge’s mind? Xue Ling was clear about many things, but he tended not to purposely break down the door. Ying Sheng was not such a person – he did not think he should leave someone like Mu Ge with any such thoughts. Sometimes, it was better to use a sword and cut off those undesirable thoughts so that the other party would thoroughly give up. “Yunhua…” He opened his mouth to call Xue Ling.

Xue Ling waved his hand and said, “You should still call me Xue Ling. I’m very fond of this name.”

“Ling-er, the matters you brought up just now still need to be considered in the long run. We might as well discuss it today in more detail. Have bodyguard Mu leave first.”

Xue Ling gave Ying Sheng a meaningful glance, and knew that he was purposely acting in such a nauseating manner. There was amusement in his eyes as he said, “Mu Ge, leave us. I’ll tell you more about certain matters when I return.”

Mu Ge raised his eyes and looked him over carefully, then shot Ying Sheng a rather angry look before turning around and leaving.

Xue Ling watched him close the door, then glanced at Ying Sheng, “Is it fun to make him angry?”

Ying Sheng frowned, “His feelings for you are not innocent.”

Xue Ling laughed, “His thoughts are not innocent, but they are not for me.” He did not mention this topic again. Instead, he sat down leisurely. The seat he chose was the main one, which forced Ying Sheng to sit elsewhere. “In the future, the histories will probably record that an Emperor who had lost the throne through cowardice climbed into your bed in order to regain his position as Emperor of this piece of sky.”

Ying Sheng shook his head. “I would help you regain the throne even if you were unwilling to get into my bed.”

Xue Ling answered with an ‘oh’, his voice a little skittish.

Ying Sheng softened his gaze and said, “I don’t have much interest in these rivers and mountains, but if you want them, there’s nothing difficult about obtaining them and offering them up to you.”

Xue Ling propped his chin against his hand and looked at him. “I really didn’t know that the Zhennan King would be such a romantic. The person that you like must be very lucky.”

Ying Sheng nodded and said, “The person I like is you.”

“Oh,” Xue Ling answered with a single syllable, then continued, “It’s a pity. I swore that I would not look for love until I’ve taken back this stretch of land.” Xue Ling’s ability to casually spout bullshit had become more and more powerful over the years. He didn’t even blink when saying such baseless words. His ability to tell lies was so excellent that the system was too lazy to even criticize him.

“Then we’ll talk about it after we’ve retaken this stretch of land.” Ying Sheng did not intend to pressure him further. In his opinion, being able to obtain Xue Ling’s promise to use this period as a trial and transition period was already a very good result.

“Are you not afraid that I’ll change my mind after I ascend the throne?”

“Since I have the ability to pull people off the throne once, I can naturally do it a second time.” Ying Sheng was not shy about saying these words to his face. “At that time, I can sit in that position myself, and if you like, I can also press you down on it and do you until your intention to leave my side has thoroughly disappeared.”

Xue Ling: “…” Wasn’t this just another small black room play? Only, the scope of the small black room has changed into an entire palace!

How could he say such a thing without any change in expression? Did he even deserve that face of his that turned so gentle and scholarly when he smiled?! Right now, he could only be called a polite scoundrel!!!

“You’re not surprised?” After inexplicably feeling rather powerless, Xue Ling awkwardly changed the topic. “I was clearly declared as a man when I stepped up to the throne, but in truth, I am a genuine ger.”

“As long as you are happy, regardless of whether you are a man or a ger, I will still make sure you can stably sit in that position.”

Xue Ling gave him a disdainful look. It was good that this man had met him. If it had been anyone else, his words would absolutely have made them unhappy. What did he mean, he would make sure he could stably sit in that position? “I will rely on myself to hold on to that position. There is no need for you to act as a guardian underneath. But, if you are willing to become a minister, I don’t mind you standing there.”

“I can lie in the back palace.”

The two were sitting very close to each other. Xue Ling expressionlessly watched as Ying Sheng spoke these words, then reached out his hand and pinched his face, making him look to the side, “Don’t face me when you say words like this. Otherwise, I’ll want to beat you to death.”

Ying Sheng: “…” Ah, Little Xue-er was really attractive when he was shy~

Xue Ling did not want to continue discussing these strange topics with him. Otherwise, the atmosphere would only become more and more odd. Although the relationship between the two had already been strange from the start, it was now becoming even more nauseating. “Let’s not talk about this. Is it possible to move the troops when spring comes?”

“As long as it’s something you want; I can get it done.” Ying Sheng tapped on the desk and said, “Didn’t you come to the South because speed was of the essence and the soldiers in the South were the best choice?”

“Uh huh.”

“Now I feel that it was a great idea to settle in the South. At least, it made you think of coming to find me when you encountered difficulties.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone be so glad to be useful when they are being used.”

“If the person is you, there’s no problem.”

“…”

Since Ying Sheng said that there was no problem, Xue Ling naturally believed his words. Regardless of what kind of person Ying Sheng had been in the original story, Xue Ling felt that since it had changed to his man, everything would definitely be done well. So, he gradually shifted his attention towards matters in the Capital instead of worrying about how to deploy the troops.

Ying Sheng managed the troops, and he managed Ying Sheng. This was what an Emperor was supposed to do. As for making plans and such, that was Chen Jingzhen’s task.

Speaking of Chen Jingzhen, when he learned about Xue Ling’s identity, he felt terrible all over. He looked at Xue Ling, then looked at Ying Sheng, and felt deeply that he was a piece in the middle of a chess game that he had no way to escape from.

His initial shock changed after Xue Ling told him about his intentions. Xue Ling had the ambition and strategy that a good Emperor should have. Many things that Chen Jingzhen had only considered in his heart became very valid possibilities after he brought them up for discussion.

As spring approached, the South began to slowly spread the news that Xue Ling was in the South. He had the imperial jade seal and tiger insignia in his hands, and should therefore be the rightful Emperor of this kingdom. The common people learned that the person called Ji Ronghan who was currently sitting on the throne had not ascended through the proper means, and was a piece of trash that had usurped the throne.

Within the Capital, in the imperial study, Ji Ronghan swept all the memorials off his desk. He was furious as he questioned the spy who had come to deliver the news. “What did you say! How could that person still be alive?”

The spy’s head had been hit, and blood was now flowing freely, but he still bowed his head with an expression of calm. “This is news that was sent back from the South. It is absolutely true!”

Ji Ronghan’s expression was extremely ugly. The thing he had worried about the most back when he took the throne had happened. The imperial jade seal and tiger insignia that were not in his hands had now become the most prominent piece of evidence against him. If they had been in Deng Shi’s hands, he might have had a way to talk around it, but they were in Ji Yunhua’s hands. That was the previous Emperor who he had chased out of the palace yet somehow still survived through luck!

His existence was the greatest evidence to prove his attempt to usurp the throne, and also the greatest stain on his life!

Why did such a person still exist! How could he still be alive!

giant thanks to all the Patreon subscribers~ and also a shout out to K.S. for the ko-fi’s yesterday!

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