Xie Anci could be certain that he did not know this man.
So why did this man seem to know him?
The man before him wore a black night-suit, with a black mask covering the upper half of his face, his thin lips pressed into a straight line.
“Does Your Excellency know where this is?” Xie Anci sized up the man before him. This man’s internal energy was unfathomably deep, his martial arts were likely superior to his own.
“The Regent’s Manor,” the black-clad man said coldly.
“Since you know, then please leave at once, or don’t blame me for being discourteous.”
Xie Anci reached for his waist, only then remembering that he was dressed in his inner garments with an outer robe draped over him, no sword at his waist.
Seeing this, the black-clad man chuckled softly. “And how exactly do you plan to be discourteous? Regent.”
In an instant, the dark figure appeared at Xie Anci’s side, warm breath spraying against his neck.
“How dare you!” Xie Anci barked in fury and tried to retreat, but the man pulled him into an embrace.
An unfamiliar scent enveloped Xie Anci, who glared furiously at the man before him.
The man paid it no mind, pressed a light kiss to the corner of his mouth, and said in a low voice:
“You should be careful lately. Gu Lingyu has returned, and I fear he’ll join the Emperor in moving against you. If you no longer wish to be Regent, I’ll take you wandering to the ends of the earth.”
“How dare you! Who do you think you are?” Xie Anci was momentarily stunned, and the warmth at the corner of his mouth only made him angrier.
No one had ever dared to be so forward with him!
Did this man have a death wish?
Xie Anci furiously jabbed with his elbow, and the man instantly moved several zhang away.
“Until next time, Xie Anci.” The man waved at him, then turned and vanished into the night.
Xie Anci clutched his outer robe tightly. Who exactly was this man?
He knew so much about what went on inside the palace, and had even come to warn him.
Only, this man was insufferably annoying. If he wanted to talk, fine but why did he suddenly have to kiss him?
Xie Anci scrubbed fiercely at the corner of his mouth, and as if finding it disgusting, went to the well and washed and washed again.
His pink lips were nearly rubbed raw.
Xie Anci was both furious and helpless. With his martial arts, he was simply no match for that man, he could only watch him leave.
The next time he saw him, he would definitely capture him and teach him a harsh lesson.
All this commotion kept Xie Anci up until the middle of the night, and in the end he fell asleep still seething with anger.
The next day,
Just as dawn began to break, the Regent’s Manor awoke from its slumber.
Xie Anci dressed in his official robes, came to the manor gates, and climbed into the carriage.
He had to rise early for court today and moreover, since General Gu Lingyu had returned, he ought to go “welcome” him.
Xie Anci steadied himself at the waist. His body had mostly recovered, only his waist and lower half felt almost as if they weren’t his own.
This was the first time he would see Li Jinchen since they had slept together. Thinking of the man’s expression of disgust, Xie Anci sighed.
The carriage rolled slowly along, and before long, a commotion could be heard.
Xie Anci lifted the carriage curtain and saw a bustling crowd on the street ahead, as if surrounding someone.
“What’s going on?” Xie Anci asked coldly.
“Reporting to the Regent, it appears to be Young General Gu’s army,” the driver replied respectfully.
“Gu Lingyu? Arrived this early?” Xie Anci craned his neck to look, but all he could see was a sea of dark heads nothing else.
“Forget it. Let’s take another route.” Xie Anci still had to hurry to the palace and didn’t want to waste time here.
The carriage driver was just about to agree when a familiar voice, tinged with mockery, rang out.
“What’s the Regent Prince in such a hurry for? It’s been so many years, won’t you come out and catch up?”
That bold, unrestrained voice made Xie Anci frown involuntarily.
Xie Anci lifted the carriage curtain, and a handsome face came into view.
The man was around twenty, with a healthy wheat-colored complexion, deep-set features, and two little dimples when he smiled, lending him a touch of boyish charm.
“General Gu is being so ostentatious? You’ve arrived, and now I must hurry to court. Excuse me, but I won’t be keeping you company.” Xie Anci gave Gu Lingyu a look that smiled without warmth.
He was much taller than before, still just as annoying, and his skin had tanned a bit.
“Perfect timing, then. I’ll ride along with the Regent Prince.” Gu Lingyu laughed heartily.
Gu Lingyu smacked his lips. Though he despised Xie Anci too, he had to admit the man was truly beautiful.
Unlike a woman’s soft beauty, Xie Anci’s beauty carried a cold, unyielding quality.
It made one want to destroy him, that kind of cruel beauty would be all the more breathtaking.
Xie Anci couldn’t be bothered with him. He lowered the curtain and instructed the driver, “Keep going. Don’t delay.”
The driver answered and was about to set the carriage in motion when Gu Lingyu called out:
“It’s been years, and the Regent Prince is this cold? Truly chilling to the heart.”
“Why don’t you come down and ride with me, Regent Prince?”
At this, Xie Anci lifted the curtain. “If you want to ride, ride by yourself. Get out of the way!”
Gu Lingyu looked at the man in the carriage and reached out, pulling him up.
Xie Anci cried out in alarm; the soreness in his lower back nearly made him pass out.
In a whirl of dizziness, Xie Anci found himself seated in front of Gu Lingyu.
The horse Gu Lingyu rode was a white one, a gift from Li Jinchen from before.
“You, how dare you!” Xie Anci’s vision went dark. He was truly cursed to be haunted by Gu Lingyu.
With so many people watching on the street, he had just been lifted onto Gu Lingyu’s horse like this?
How was he supposed to hold up his dignity?
“Whether I dare or not, the Regent Prince knows well enough.” Gu Lingyu chuckled softly. He loved seeing Xie Anci furious and helpless against him.
After all, the Gu family had been military generals for generations, and he and the current emperor, Li Jinchen, were as close as brothers.
If Xie Anci wanted to punish him, he’d have to think twice about the power behind him.
“Let go of me! How is this proper?” Xie Anci kept his head lowered, not daring to look up at the street.
“Is that the Regent Prince? He’s so good-looking.”
“What’s the use of looking good? He’s just a great treacherous official.”
“What’s a treacherous official?” a young girl asked innocently.
“A treacherous official is… ah, anyway, he’s a bad person. Never mind. Let’s go quickly, or we’ll lose our heads.”
“…”
The crowd murmured among themselves, then scattered in all directions.
The once-bustling street instantly grew deserted.
The corner of Xie Anci’s mouth twitched. If he killed people over every little thing, there wouldn’t be enough people in the capital for him to kill.
But perhaps it was for the best, he looked far too wretched to face anyone right now.
Xie Anci gripped the saddle tightly, the pain in his lower back turning his face pale.
“So the Regent Prince knows about propriety? Did you think of that when you were clinging to Jinchen?” Gu Lingyu questioned in a low voice by Xie Anci’s ear.
Xie Anci’s face went white. “My affairs are none of your business. Let go of me.”
“Your affairs are indeed none of my business, but clinging to the Emperor, that very much is my business.”
“Are you really that low? As a man, do you actually enjoy other men like this?” Gu Lingyu, seeing that the commoners had all cleared away, reverted to his original manner.