Along the old street, Tan Huairan led his men and stopped a short distance away.
Tan Huairan dismounted, his handsome face filled with dark, sinister rage, his veins bulging as if he were a man-eating demon. He spoke in a cold, piercing voice:
“Let him go!”
Zhan Yueqing was clearer-headed now, struggling, but he couldn’t break free.
The kidnapper locked his arm around Zhan Yueqing’s throat, holding a blade in his other hand. The tip of the knife pressed into a bit of his pale skin, drawing a few droplets of blood.
“Don’t move, little medicinal person,” the kidnapper’s voice sounded above Zhan Yueqing’s head, “Originally, I only intended to take you away, but now it seems I might have to kill you to make a clean escape.”
“Wh-why?” Zhan Yueqing’s scalp tingled. He stealthily reached for the dagger in his sleeve, though his tone was pitifully aggrieved: “Can you bear to see me die?”
The kidnapper chuckled, “Then do you think the tyrant will save you?”
He then raised his head and looked at Tan Huairan not far away.
Behind Tan Huairan stood an army, every soldier exuding killing intent, with dozens of archers aiming directly at them.
With just one order from the monarch, both he and Zhan Yueqing would be turned into sieves.
“He wouldn’t, would he?” Zhan Yueqing swallowed nervously, “He…”
“He will,” the kidnapper asserted confidently.
Zhan Yueqing felt a jolt in his heart, nearly thinking that this person knew that he and Tan Huairan were transmigrators, but the next moment, that thought was dismissed.
“I’ve looked into it; you are the most unique person to him—when he was fifteen in Yanbei, the Northern Marquis’s daughter took a fancy to him, but he claimed he had a deceased wife he could never have, leaving the girl heartbroken,” the kidnapper murmured, “I saw it by chance; in his room, the portrait of that deceased wife looks exactly like you.”
Zhan Yueqing: “…”
Damn it!!! Is Tan Huairan toxic or something?!
Thinking about it is one thing, but why paint a portrait and keep it?!
…No, that’s not it.
Zhan Yueqing instinctively recalled Tan Huairan mentioning a “fake” during their first meeting and suddenly realized that perhaps there really had been a “fake” in the past.
“Whether you are dead and brought back to life, or just a stand-in he uses, he will certainly save this face,” the kidnapper finished and then shouted to Tan Huairan: “Prepare a horse for me. As long as I get out of the city, I will return him to you.”
Zhan Yueqing’s heart tightened as he looked at Tan Huairan.
In the dead of night, he saw the gloomy expression on Tan Huairan’s face.
Unaccountably, Zhan Yueqing shivered.
He actually wasn’t sure if Tan Huairan would save him…
Tan Huairan was too different from before.
Imperial strategy dictates that the empire is more important.
“Your Majesty!” Zhou Jiu, behind Tan Huairan, became anxious, “He—”
Tan Huairan, with a grim face, glanced at Zhou Jiu, narrowing his eyes as if he had noticed something.
With just that one glance, Zhou Jiu’s body trembled, and he knelt down, his back drenched in cold sweat in just a short moment.
“Bring me the bow and arrow.”
Tan Huairan suddenly said.
At this, all the guards behind him looked at him.
The captain of the Imperial Guards, who had followed Tan Huairan since his youth, was stunned.
Zhou Jiu’s face initially showed surprise, followed by sheer ecstasy. He excitedly snatched a bow and arrows from an archer and presented them to Tan Huairan.
“Ha?” The kidnapper laughed when he saw this, “You can still draw a bow?”
His voice was deafening, making Zhan Yueqing’s head buzz, leaving him with only one thought—
Why wouldn’t he be able to draw a bow?
Didn’t Jun Yushu say that Tan Huairan could shoot down a running beast while riding a horse?
Tan Huairan, dressed in black, had cold sweat on his forehead for no apparent reason, and Zhan Yueqing saw his hand trembling as he drew the arrow.
Was he planning to kill him as well?
“I will say this one last time, let him go—” Tan Huairan’s voice was icy, “Otherwise, I will not only flay you alive, but your Pavilion Vice Master will also die with you.”
The kidnapper became even more arrogant, “Hahahaha, come on then! If you aren’t afraid of killing your beauty, then go ahead and come…”
He laughed crazily and disgustingly. A nameless fire rose in Zhan Yueqing’s heart. With a move faster than thought, he pulled out the dagger and stabbed it backward—
In an instant, the situation turned sharply. Zhan Yueqing ran toward Tan Huairan immediately after stabbing.
At the same time, the silver-glinting arrow in Tan Huairan’s hand pierced the air, carrying a rapid wind, and struck the kidnapper directly.
This shot, combined with Zhan Yueqing’s actions, caught everyone off guard.
Zhou Jiu seized the opportunity to rush in with his men and captured the kidnapper.
“Tan Huai!!”
Zhan Yueqing threw himself into his arms, smelling the familiar scent of wood, his tense nerves finally relaxing.
Tan Huairan pulled him tightly into his arms but didn’t speak.
The dark gloom on his face had not faded; rather, it grew deeper and deeper, looking as if he were about to eat someone.
Yet, Zhan Yueqing in his arms was not afraid in the slightest. He hugged his neck and prattled on: “What on earth is going on? I really thought you wouldn’t come—”
“Why did you run around randomly?” Tan Huairan suddenly interrupted him, his body trembling slightly.
As if afraid of losing him.
Zhan Yueqing stiffened, feeling a bit confused. He looked up at Tan Huairan, his eyes turning red, trying his best to explain: “I… I didn’t run around randomly! He kidnapped me, and I didn’t know that just going out for a meal would lead to this…”
Tan Huairan paused and did not speak.
The delayed pain from his feet and the injury on his neck swirled together, hitting his heart at this moment. Zhan Yueqing moved his lips, looking at Tan Huairan’s indifferent expression; his heart felt like it was being pierced by dense, fine silver needles, and he lowered his head.
“…Your Majesty,” he said with a pale face, “Let me go. I want to go back.”
Tan Huairan frowned, only to see Zhan Yueqing suddenly break free from his embrace and take a large step back.
His bare feet were red from the cold after running away earlier, and because of the kidnapping, his clothes were in disarray, his hair messy.
Zhan Yueqing took a step back, looking around blankly, as if he no longer knew where he was.
Where was this place?
Why was his Tan Huai not here?
Didn’t he die when Tan Huai loved him the most? Why was Tan Huai treating him like this?
“Second Young Master?” Zhou Jiu, having finished dealing with the others, came over and acutely noticed the atmosphere between them, “Your Majesty? What’s wrong?”
Zhan Yueqing suddenly turned to look at the empty street.
His expression was somewhat dazed, as if confirming something. After confirming for a long time, he realized he truly did not know where he was supposed to go.
He didn’t even recognize this street.
That person just now said, don’t think the tyrant is your destination…
He actually hadn’t considered Tan Huairan as his destination either; he just… only knew him.
He thought Tan Huai was still sixteen, and thought he was always different in his heart.
“…I,” Zhan Yueqing mumbled, lowering his head, and began to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Zhou Jiu was bewildered. Just as he wanted to chase after him, a figure was faster than him—
The intense scent of wood once again surrounded him, and someone hugged Zhan Yueqing from behind by the waist.
“…I’m sorry.”
The person holding him was still trembling slightly, his voice hoarse.
Zhou Jiu only then realized that the one who had flashed past was his own Emperor. He coughed hurriedly and made a gesture, ordering all the Imperial Guards to turn their backs.
The rage value was dropping again.
But Tan Huairan merely trembled slightly, holding the person in his arms.
【So this is the one…】 001 was ecstatic, 【This is the source of your agony!!!】
It shrieked, and the OOC punishment resulting from the dropping rage value followed. Every organ in his body was screaming in pain, yet Tan Huairan remained unmoved.
He was used to it.
There were only two minutes until the Hour of the Ox (1:00 AM – 3:00 AM).
“…Yueqing.” Tan Huairan held him, but suddenly realized Zhan Yueqing was shivering slightly.
He stiffened, hurriedly changed his angle, and froze.
Zhan Yueqing was crying, but not a single sound came out.
He just wept silently, his pale face quickly covered in tears, trembling slightly in grievance, his fingers unconsciously pinching his own legs, as if self-abusing.
“Let me go…” Zhan Yueqing struggled incoherently, “Tan Huai, you are a jerk… I already said, I didn’t run around randomly, I… I…”
He choked, his voice very small, his eyes rimmed with red, “…It’s not my fault.”
Tan Huairan hadn’t seen him this aggrieved in many years. Now, thinking that this was still because of him, he wished he could swallow those words he had just said.
“It’s not your fault…” Tan Huairan coaxed him in a low voice, raising his hand to wipe the tears from his face, “I’m sorry, I was just too anxious… Hold me, alright?”
As if some strange curse had faded, his movements became gentle.
But Zhan Yueqing didn’t want to touch him anymore. He didn’t like the hot-and-cold behavior; he didn’t want to guess Tan Huairan’s thoughts again.
“I want to go back…” he mumbled, “I… go… where should I go?”
Tan Huairan’s heart ached, and he suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself.
“…!!” Zhan Yueqing was startled and hurriedly stopped him, “What are you doing?!”
No one could stand idly by when seeing someone they cherished self-harming.
Those who stand idly by simply do not love.
“…I was born here, and I am beyond saving,” Tan Huairan murmured, “Yueqing, you are an accident… Next time, if something like just now happens, or you don’t like what I say, just hit me.”
Zhan Yueqing was even more confused.
What did he mean? What did “beyond saving” mean?
“Come back with me, back to my place,” Tan Huairan held him in his arms, his palm covering his cold ankles and rubbing them.
Zhan Yueqing struggled subconsciously, “I’m not going—!”
Tan Huairan’s forehead vein throbbed, his expression turning sinister again in a place Zhan Yueqing couldn’t see.
He hoisted Zhan Yueqing onto his shoulder with one hand and said coldly: “You’re going back whether you like it or not.”
Zhan Yueqing was stunned, but he was already wrapped in a heavy cloak, and his ankles were held by Tan Huairan; no matter how he tried to escape, he couldn’t.
“Tan Huai!! Put me down!!! I’m not going back to the palace… I, I’m going back to the Grand Tutor’s mansion!”
Zhan Yueqing couldn’t help but glance at the Imperial Guards who had turned their backs; he just felt that his face had been completely lost.
Tan Huairan sneered, switched to holding him in his arms, mounted his horse in a few quick movements, pulled the reins with one hand and held Zhan Yueqing firmly in his embrace with the other, heading toward the Imperial Palace.
The night was deep, and snow was falling in the sky again. Outside the Jinxiu Palace, some red plum blossoms, proud against the snow and frost, were planted, piled high with snow grains.
“Tan Huai!!! You jerk!!! Let me out!”
The teenager’s roar was so loud it seemed capable of shaking the snow off the window frames.
Zhan Yueqing, angry, slapped the door. After slapping it twice, his hand hurt, so he stopped and sat on the floor.
He had changed into clean clothes, his hair had been washed not long ago, and it was still loose.
The heated floor of the Jinxiu Palace had been repaired, and the hall was incredibly warm, covered with layers of thick carpets, so even sitting on the floor and playing with his toes didn’t feel cold.
“Second Young Master…”
Outside the hall, Zhou Jiu was carrying food, “Eat something?”
Zhan Yueqing gritted his teeth: “I won’t!! I’m on a hunger strike!”
Through the door, Zhou Jiu persuaded him in a conciliatory tone, “His Majesty will be here after he finishes working in the Cabinet later. You should eat something; otherwise, if you aren’t to his liking later, he might go crazy again… Besides, you haven’t eaten for half a day.”
Zhan Yueqing hummed, still angry: “I won’t eat!!”
Zhou Jiu: “…”
Zhou Jiu left, looking miserable.
There was no sound outside for a long time. Zhan Yueqing realized he had truly left, and suddenly pulled a handful of cherries out of his sleeve—
【Tsk tsk tsk, on one hand a hunger strike, and on the other asking me for food; you really don’t make it hard on yourself.】 997 began to ramble.
It had only managed to contact Zhan Yueqing when Tan Huairan mounted the horse.
The red cherries were extremely sweet and seedless, but a bit large; Zhan Yueqing could only eat two in one mouthful, munching while mumbling: “Arguing is one thing, eating is another; you can’t ruin one for the sake of the other.”
Seeing he had truly suffered today, 997 sighed, 【Eat less, don’t get a stomachache if you eat too much.】
Zhan Yueqing: “It’s useless, if Tan Huairan comes later, I’ll get a stomachache anyway.”