HMAM CH 30 Feng Ling's Troubles
Feng Ling had not entered the palace for a long time. More than a month had passed, and he seemed to have lost a lot of weight, whether it was Jing Ye's imagination or not.
His posture was still as tall and straight as a pine or a cypress, but the bitterness between his brows seemed to have deepened further.
Jing Ye stepped into the front hall, the crisp ringing of the tiny bell tied at his waist waking up the person standing silently in the hall. The young man spread his sleeves and said in salute: “Paying respects to Your Majesty."
Jing Ye said: "Rise." He was about to step forward to lift him up, but Feng Ling took a step back and barely avoided it.
When this happened, even Feng Ling himself was startled.
Jing Ye's hands paused in the air for a moment, then he took them back and said, "Qing looks a little tired."
Feng Ling smiled: "What this subject does every day is just some idle duties such as compiling literature and history. How can this subject be tired?"
Jing Ye fell silent, Feng Ling lowered his head and said nothing, and the two just stood facing each other. A gust of cold wind blew in from outside the window, causing Jing Ye to sneeze loudly. Feng Ling hurriedly looked up at him, only to see Jing Ye frowning and staring at him, then Jing Ye stepped forward and grabbed his hand.
Jing Ye was originally physically weak and had been away from the heat for too long, so his hands were quite cold. Feng Ling was startled by the coldness emitting from his body and subconsciously clenched their hands.
Feng Ling said: "Your Majesty..."
Jing Ye smiled and said, “Qing, this is the second time you take the initiative to hold zhen's hand."
Feng Ling wanted to let go, but Jing Ye held on tighter.
The cold wind outside the window blew in again, Jing Ye sniffed, and Ye Mao poked his head out of the door and said: "Your Majesty, please come in and close the window..."
"Didn't zhen tell you to wait outside?" Jing Ye glared at him. Only then did Ye Mao see their overlapping sleeves. He hurriedly retracted his head and slammed the door shut. "It's too cold. This servant had better go find a heavier cloak for Your Majesty!”
Ye Mao closed the door tightly, exhaled, took two steps to calm down, then slipped back and put his ear against the crack of the door.
Jing Ye in the hall said: "You have been avoiding zhen."
Feng Ling said: "There is a difference between monarch and minister."
Jing Ye said: "You have never said that before."
Feng Ling said: "This subject was too foolish before."
“Feng Qing," Jing Ye said, "You took the initiative to come over and hold zhen's hand that day."
"This subject was rude..."
"When you held zhen," Jing Ye stared at him, "Zhen was very happy."
Feng Ling raised his head and looked at him, his fingers trembling slightly.
Jing Ye said: "Zhen knows that although you are gentle mannered, you are never incapable of being decisive."
Feng Ling looked at Jing Ye, and there seemed to be ripples of water in his eyes. For a moment, Jing Ye thought he would say what he wanted to hear.
However, Feng Ling just used his hands to break free from Jing Ye's restraints, took a step back, spread his sleeves and knelt down, “This subject asks Your Majesty to punish me for all the rudeness this subject has committed against Your Majesty in the past."
Jing Ye looked down at his long hair falling down his back: "You came to see zhen just to apologize?"
"Yes."
Jing Ye said softly: "Tell zhen clearly, are you angry with zhen… for being close to Gu Hong and the others?"
"This subject doesn't dare."
Jing Ye looked at Feng Ling. Even though this man was kneeling on the ground, his back was as straight as a pine tree.
He knew that he had made a decision, and it had nothing to do with Gu Hong, Lu Baizang, and Jing Ye himself. The reason was clear.
There was a difference between monarch and minister.
Jing Ye lowered his hand and said, “Qing may leave." After saying that, he walked out the door without waiting for him to get up.
The door was pushed open with a creak, and Ye Mao stood on the steps, carefully looking at Jing Ye who was silent.
It was completely dark when Feng Ling left the palace. He was walking alone in a trance in the night market where the sounds of hawking of wares continued. People came and went around him and the laughter and cheer seemed to be covered with a layer of fog in his eyes, isolating himself from the crowd.
He didn’t know how long he had been walking, but someone tapped him on the back of his shoulder: “Qing Sheng?”
Feng Ling turned around, and it was his friend who grew up with him since they were children, looking at him with surprise.
The two of them found a restaurant and sat down.
Yang Ziran asked the waiter to bring a bottle of rice wine. Feng Ling sat at the table and placed the navy blue porcelain bottle in his sleeve on the table.
Yang Ziran saw the vial and said, "Isn't this the heart-repairing pill made by the old madam? What are you doing with this?"
Feng Ling lowered his eyes and said, "It was originally meant to be given away."
Yang Ziran smiled and said: "How many people in the capital want to ask for even a single pill, yet you are generous and give such a big bottle."
Feng Ling remained silent.
Yang Ziran said with a smile: "Why, they don't appreciate your kindness? Whose daughter is so capable that our little Feng Lang is so hurt that he can't even walk properly." (TN: similar to gongzi, lang is also used to refer to a young man)
Feng Ling frowned and said, "No."
"It's not a lady?" Yang Ziran was shocked, "Could it be a courtesan in the Ruyi Pavilion?"
Feng Ling raised his head, and Yang Ziran shut up tactfully.
Jing Ye sat in front of the heater, holding the memorial in his hand, and remained in the same position for a long time without moving.
Lu Baizang came over with the heated shredded bamboo shoot soup and said, "Come and drink some to warm yourself up."
Jing Ye: "...Oh."
Lu Baizang took a spoonful and held it to his mouth. Jing Ye lowered his eyes, hiding what he was thinking.
Lu Baizang put the bowl on the table heavily and said, "What's so good about him!"
Jing Ye said: "He is good to me."
Lu Baizang said: "Am I not good to you? I can also cook!"
Jing Ye turned his head, saw Lu Baizang's furious face, smiled and said, "Yes, yes, yes."
He picked up the bowl and drank a few sips, smacked his lips, scooped up a spoonful and fed it to Lu Baizang: "Thank you for your hard work. This is to reward you."
Lu Baizang looked very angry, but he still drank the soup fed to him.
After Jing Ye finished drinking a bowl of hot soup, his body gradually warmed up and his eyes became misty. Lu Baizang's heart moved when he saw it. He scooted over to hug him and said, "Here it is not as warm as the bed. It's getting late. Let's go to bed."
Jing Ye flipped through a pile of folded memorials beside him and said, "There are quite a few that zhen hasn't read yet. Wait a little later."
Lu Baizang stroked his waist and complained: "But I want to sleep."
Jing Ye said: "If you want to sleep, you go to bed first."
Lu Baizang said: "I want to be with you."
Jing Ye pushed his cuddling face away and said, "Don't be annoying, Gu Hong is still in Qingyu Pavilion, we'll talk about it when he comes back."
Lu Baizang angrily rubbed his waist vigorously, opened his mouth and bit his ear and said, "Do you just want to be with him?"
Jing Ye had been rubbed and touched by these two fellows on the bed in the past few days, making some places very sensitive. His ears turned red when the other rubbed him like this, so he simply turned his head and kissed them.
Lu Baizang couldn't help being happy and hurriedly pressed closer to him. Their lips and tongues intertwined and lingered for a long time. Lu Baizang licked his shiny moistened lips. Both their eyes revealed a passionate heat, becoming more and more aroused.
Jing Ye pinched his chin and said, "Zhen wants to be on top."
Lu Baizang said with a wicked smile: “This subject is afraid you won't be able to bear it."
Jing Ye said: "Then you'd better get out of my sight."
Lu Baizang felt aggrieved: "Your Majesty..."
Jing Ye said: "If you touch me again, you can forget about that third leg of yours working. Believe it or not."
Lu Baizang's hand shook, and his fingers reluctantly ran across Jing Ye's buttocks before he pulled away and rolled aside to read his novel.
Jing Ye picked up the memorial written by Feng Ling, sighed, and put it aside gently.
It was already very late when Gu Hong returned to the palace. Jing Ye vaguely felt something pressing close to him. He subconsciously reached to hug the other with both hands but the man held his wrist gently and said, “Don't. This subject is very cold."
Jing Ye slowly opened his eyes. Gu Hong, dressed in a snow-white inner robe, was sitting on the side of the bed. He stroked his temples and said, "Your Majesty, please go to sleep first. This subject will come in after warming up."
Jing Ye turned over and lay face up. Lu Baizang's hand around his waist tightened, his breathing even.
"Have all the arrangements been made for the autumn hunting?"
"Still a bit left." Gu Hong said, "By then there will be many things that this subject will have to take care of personally, and this subject won't be able to stay with Your Majesty all the time."
“Hmm.”
"Your Majesty, you are tired. Please go to sleep."
He leaned over and kissed Jing Ye on the forehead. His dark hair fell down like curtains and touched Jing Ye's face, the texture cool and soft.
Jing Ye turned his head, facing him with the back of his head, and said, "Go to bed early." The hand under the brocade quilt groped and stretched out to hold Gu Hong's gradually warming palm.
The imperial was undoubtedly a grand event among the royalty and nobles. The children of aristocratic families show off their riding skills during the day and attend banquets at night. They not only had the opportunity to gain favor from the emperor, but also please their elders and gain the admiration of the ladies in the stands. Killing three birds with one stone.
In the Ping'an Palace.
Jing Ye hissed, and Ye Mao said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, are you injured…? Get out of the way." The little palace maid let go and stepped back. Ye Mao put the whisk in his arm and buckled Jing Ye's belt himself.
Jing Ye frowned and said, "It's looser on the ribs."
Ye Mao said: "Your Majesty has lost a lot of weight."
Jing Ye smiled and said, "Really?"
“That's right." Ye Mao tidied his clothes, "otherwise the belt wouldn't have hurt you. Your Majesty, you should read less memorials at night and go to bed early. Lu Gongzi makes soup and cooks every day for you, but Your Majesty doesn't seem to be gaining any weight. "
Jing Ye laughed and said, "Don't forget there is a little glutton."
"That's true." Ye Mao smiled, "The young prince loves to eat, and he is also growing quickly."
Ye Mao neatly arranged the padded armor. Jing Ye moved his arms and legs, and said with a smile: “Zhen will work hard for a few more years, finish what needs to be done, select a group of honest and hard-working ministers, and let Yun'er be a worry-free little crown prince."
He turned around and saw himself in military uniform in the bronze mirror. Unfortunately, his skin was too pale and he lacked the heroic and vigorous appearance that a warrior should have.
"It's good, take it off now."
"Ai."
Gu Hong sat next to the small table and read the scrolls. He held Jing Ye's hand in one hand and looked up when he heard a sound from the other.
Jing Ye sat up from his noon nap on the couch drowsily, rubbed his eyes and said, "What time is it? Ye Mao didn't call zhen, and must be punished."
“This subject asked him not to wake Your Majesty." Gu Hong said, "Your Majesty must be diligent in your duties as well as take good care of your health."
Jing Ye said: "...Fine."
Gu Hong continued: "During the autumn hunting days, this subject will be unable to accompany Your Majesty. How about letting Xiao Sheng accompany Your Majesty instead?"
Jing Ye thought for a while and said, "Perhaps he won't want to."
Gu Hong smiled and said, "It is our blessing to serve the son of heaven."
"..." Jing Ye twitched his lips and said, "It's up to you."