Ling Lie looked at the flush blooming on Yan Zhiyu’s ears, and the corners of his mouth could not help curving upward.
Just thinking about some past events made him shy; his Empress was truly adorable.
“Are you feeling better?” Ling Lie asked.
Yan Zhiyu closed the box, turning his head away to avoid looking at him, but his mood was indeed much better. At least he knew Ling Lie did not dislike him.
Yet how he should face the current situation was something he had not yet figured out.
He could no longer pretend to be his former gentle and agreeable self. He was an Empress Dowager wielding political power; if he showed any weakness, both he and their child would only be bullied by others.
Even with Ling Lie’s return now, this reality remained unchanged.
Furthermore, in the eyes of others, he was not Ling Lie. He was the newly arrived Prince Regent Ling Dong, who possessed no authority. Yan Zhiyu could lean on him slightly to resolve a few matters at such a time, but he could not dump all the burdens onto his shoulders; otherwise, the court would inevitably descend into chaos.
To put it lightly, he would simply be denounced as a poor judge of character. To put it gravely, with Ling Lie’s methods, he would soon arouse the wariness of certain people. What would happen if they plotted against him then?
In the past, he at least knew martial arts, but now his body was in such poor shape that he could not even protect himself if something actually happened, let alone guard against those insidious and untraceable dirty tricks.
Thinking once more of that bowl of poison delivered to Ling Lie’s lips, Yan Zhiyu clenched his hands beneath his sleeves so tightly that his nails nearly drew blood.
“I was not unhappy,” Yan Zhiyu lowered his gaze. “It is just that the Grand Tutor has fallen ill, and I do not know whom I should assign to tutor His Majesty.”
Ling Lie pondered for a moment before offering, “How about I do it?”
Yan Zhiyu’s gaze shifted. “You?”
Ling Lie nodded. “I have plenty of idle time anyway.” Besides, he could use his son as an excuse to enter the palace at any time; it was a perfect plan. Now that the Empress probably guessed who he was, he figured she would not…
“No need.” Yan Zhiyu shook his head, rejecting Ling Lie’s proposal. “His Majesty is mischievous and will likely cause the Prince Regent trouble.”
Ling Lie’s brow furrowed slightly in confusion, though he kept his expression neutral. He merely asked, “Did His Majesty make the Empress Dowager unhappy?”
Yan Zhiyu shook his head.
Ling Lie pressed on, “Then something from the past must have come to mind, souring the Empress Dowager’s mood.”
Yan Zhiyu paused, then shook his head once more. “The late Emperor treated me exceptionally well.”
In truth, throughout all the years of their marriage, Ling Lie had rarely done anything to displease him. On the rare occasion it happened once or twice, he had always coaxed him back into a good mood very quickly. Otherwise, he never would have spoiled him to the point where he completely ignored state affairs.
“I am simply uneasy.” Yan Zhiyu raised a hand and beckoned. Little Yunshuo, who had been sitting in Ling Lie’s lap, instantly hopped down and scampered over to his side. Patting his son’s head, Yan Zhiyu continued, “If the Prince Regent wishes to see His Majesty hereafter, you are free to enter the palace at any time.”
Upon hearing this, Ling Lie felt a surge of irritation, and his tone turned slightly sharp: “Then what if I wish to see you?”
Yan Zhiyu pressed his lips together in silence, looking at him quietly with a gaze that carried an inexplicable hint of grievance.
Ling Lie felt equally stifled under that gaze, yet unable to vent his frustration, he could only suppress the rising fire in his chest and return to reviewing the memorials.
Judging by the reaction just moments ago, he was practically certain that Yan Zhiyu had already recognized him, and his attitude had indeed softened somewhat. Yet for him to suddenly turn so distant again, it must be because he had thought of something, and surely it was not about the past, otherwise someone of Yan Zhiyu’s temperament would have brought it up a few times. Saying not a single word meant he felt talking about it would be useless anyway.
Such a situation had only ever occurred once before.
When he had first ascended the throne, there was a general in the court who opposed the Yan family. Relying on his military power and past merits, believing nothing could touch him, he had caused no end of trouble for Yan Zhiyu both openly and covertly, even uttering plenty of harsh words right to his face. Not wanting to make things difficult for him, Yan Zhiyu did not say a single word about it. It was not until an attending servant could not bear it any longer and mentioned it that he found out. Back then, Yan Zhiyu had looked at him with that exact same gaze.
He had always found Yan Zhiyu’s quiet and shy demeanor exceptionally endearing, but at times like this, it was genuinely aggravating.
After watching him for a while, feeling thoroughly stifled, he simply put down his brush and announced, “Let us stop here for today,” turning as if to leave right then and there.
Hearing his tone, Yan Zhiyu knew he was unhappy, but not knowing how to handle it, he felt somewhat at a loss: “So soon?”
The tone carried a trace of panic, resembling a small animal about to be pushed out from beneath protective wings.
Ling Lie halted his steps, uttered a brief sound of acknowledgment, and stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for his Empress to come coax him.
He was the easiest person to appease. As long as his Empress gave his sleeve a tug, acted a little spoiled, and explained why he was upset, he would feel completely fine again.
Yet several moments passed, and his Empress made not a single move.
That should not be right.
Resisting the urge to turn around, Ling Lie stood there a bit longer before finally hearing the sound of someone rising behind him. He let out an inward sigh of relief, his mind already racing with how he should pull his Empress into an embrace.
Yan Zhiyu walked over to a cabinet, pulled open a drawer, and retrieved a small wooden box. Carrying it to Ling Lie’s side, he handed it over: “Take these for now, Prince Regent.”
Take these?
Ling Lie turned around in puzzlement, only to see that Yan Zhiyu was holding a carved wooden box.
Of course, he recognized that box; it was the container that held Yan Zhiyu’s dowry back when they were married. Because it looked rather nice, it had been kept, and inside were all the funds the Yan family had given him over the years. Since his food, clothing, and daily expenses were all taken care of within the palace, he had practically never touched them.
Failing to grasp his meaning, Ling Lie frowned and stared at the box.
Seeing that he would not take it, Yan Zhiyu lowered his gaze in thought, assuming he felt bank notes were inconvenient to use. In sudden realization, he said, “Wait a moment.” With that, he shoved the box into Ling Lie’s arms, hurried back to retrieve another box, and added a beautifully embroidered pouch on top. “There is actual silver in here. Take it, and if it is not enough, tell me.”
Ling Lie: “I am not asking you for money!”
Despite shouting that in his mind, he did not push the money back after all, because what Yan Zhiyu said was true: as a mere regional prince, the funds in his hands were originally sparse. Even with Yan Zhiyu’s past rewards included, it would not be enough for him to throw around wildly. Still, it made him want to stomp his feet with anger.
“Then you want guards?” Yan Zhiyu blinked, continuing to play the fool with him.
Ling Lie had no words.
Seeing that he did not answer, Yan Zhiyu turned back around, walked to the bedside, pulled open the drawer by the head of the bed, took out an iron token, and handed it to Ling Lie: “These are the late Emperor’s shadow guards.”
Before ascending the throne, Ling Lie naturally possessed his own faction of forces, and these shadow guards were one of them, swearing allegiance to him alone. After ascending the throne, since he gained the imperial shadow guards, he had transferred all of these men to protect Yan Zhiyu. Now that Yan Zhiyu spent his days alongside the Crown Prince, the two groups of shadow guards had become mixed together, though separating them out again would not be difficult.
Ling Lie grew even more incensed, yet he still took the token, hugged the chests to his chest, and stalked off in a huff.
Watching his retreating back, Yan Zhiyu once again caught that familiar feeling from earlier and smiled silently.
The time was not right just yet. At the very least, until things stabilized further. Ling Lie had protected him for so long; he simply had to do something in return.
“Daddy, is Father Emperor leaving again?” Little Yunshuo tugged at the hem of Yan Zhiyu’s robe, his face full of reluctance. “Why does not Father Emperor live in the palace?”
“Because the palace is very dangerous.” Yan Zhiyu crouched down slowly in front of his son, raising a hand to stroke his head. “If Father Emperor lived in the palace, many people would want to harm him, so he has to leave. Are you afraid, Axue?”
Little Yunshuo shook his head, reaching out to wrap his arms around Yan Zhiyu’s neck as he spoke in a soft, milky voice: “Axue is not afraid! Axue will protect Daddy!”
Yan Zhiyu’s eyes curved into crescents as he gently patted his son’s back, though a trace of bitterness still lingered in his heart. He wondered how he was supposed to explain this to the child in the future.
Meanwhile, practicing an old trick, Ling Lie was once again standing by the doorway eavesdropping.
He knew that when facing him directly, Yan Zhiyu might not be willing to speak his true thoughts, but before a child who understood nothing, he could let down his guard. He just had not expected the reason to be because of this.
How should he put it, the feeling of being cherished by someone was actually quite wonderful.
Hugging the items his wife had given him, Ling Lie walked away with a beaming smile.
After soothing the child for a little while, Yan Zhiyu called Eunuch Xu inside and asked, “How long did he stand outside?”
“Not long.” Eunuch Xu replied in a low voice, then carefully raised his head to glance at Yan Zhiyu.
Having spent these many years in the palace, if nothing else, his skill at reading facial expressions was top-tier. Though he did not know the exact reason, he could certainly tell that Yan Zhiyu had taken a liking to this Prince Regent.
The moment he thought of that face of the Prince Regent, which resembled the late Emperor so closely, a trace of hesitation inevitably surfaced on his face.
Noticing his expression, Yan Zhiyu frowned. “If you have something to say, speak. I grant you amnesty.”
Eunuch Xu dropped to his knees. “The Prince Regent is the late Emperor’s brother, and they look exceedingly alike. Is the Empress Dowager thinking of the late Emperor because of this?”
He did not dare phrase it too bluntly, but Yan Zhiyu understood him completely and could not help laughing out loud. “In my heart, the late Emperor is not someone just any stray cat or dog can come close to comparing with.”
“Naturally,” Eunuch Xu said. “I only fear the lords may not know, and think wrongly.”
“Think what?” Seeing him stammering, Yan Zhiyu finished the sentence for him. “Think that I wish to keep a favored consort?”
Eunuch Xu lowered his head, not daring to utter another word.
Yan Zhiyu laughed so hard he shook all over, unable to even speak.
If Ling Lie were to find out about this, he would probably be angry enough to truly die of exasperation.