Prime Minister Gu said, “It is uncomfortable here; I want to go sleep on the bed.”
Hearing this, His Majesty opened his eyes, gave a slight nod, and lowered his gaze, acting as though he felt not an ounce of awkwardness at being seen through. With the tips of his ears flushed bright red, he walked straight toward the door.
Taken aback by the sight, Prime Minister Gu added, “There is no need to go outside; you can sleep right here.”
With that, His Majesty obediently turned back, walked over to the bedside, and lowered his head. He meticulously smoothed out the slight creases in his hem, pulled back the quilt, and lay down fully clothed.
Once all of this was done, he turned his head sideways to look at him, his gaze focused and earnest.
Gu He stood by the edge of the bed and watched him. Seeing him pause for a moment as if recalling something, the young man slowly drew in his long limbs, holding himself completely still until he occupied only a tiny corner of the mattress.
It was the posture of a fierce beast retracting its sharp claws and exposing its soft belly, obediently waiting for its treasured prize to step into its territory.
Gu He did not understand his intention at first and stared in blank bewilderment.
However, whether it was the soft belly trustingly bared by His Majesty or the eager, hopeful invitation in his posture, it quickly brought him back to his senses.
Taking in the vast expanse of space left for him on the bed, the Prime Minister could not decide whether to laugh or cry.
You May Like
Trade BTC & ETH from 0.0 Spreads with Up to 1:500 Leverage. Get zero-spread pricing and rapid execution on global markets. Start in 3 easy steps. Trading in securities involves significant risk. IC | Sponsored
Trade 90+ Crypto 7 days a week with Zero Commission. Trade digital assets safely with stop-loss protection and dedicated 24/7 client support. Trading in securities involves significant risk. IC | Sponsored
He walked over, stroked the sovereign’s soft hair with a helpless smile, and after a moment of thought, reached out his fingers to help untie the tangled hair ring.
His Majesty’s long, dark hair cascaded down in an instant, smooth as silk, soft and harmless, save for those twin gray eyes, which still retained their frosty, ice-like texture.
Deciding to finish what he started, the Prime Minister unfastened the hair ring. Then, catching sight of a corner of black fabric peeking out from beneath the covers, he tilted his head in thought, lowered his head, and gently instructed, “Raise your arm.”
Having already lain down, His Majesty blinked, looking momentarily dazed before realization dawned on him. With brisk agility, he scrambled up and obediently raised his arm.
The result did not disappoint him.
He saw the Prime Minister shake his head in seeming utter helplessness, his nose nearly brushing against his shoulder as he tenderly and softly cleared away the messy stray locks to undress him piece by piece.
His movements were natural and practiced, entirely devoid of unfamiliarity, as if all those years of blank, empty time between them had never existed, exactly as it had been back in their youth.
Chu Heng’s fingers resting at the edge of the bed curled slightly.
With his spine held straight, when he lowered his head, he could see the young man’s beautifully contoured chin.
After many years apart, his mentor had grown much weaker. Yet, merely sitting halfway up with his arm extended just a fraction, he could still forcefully and gently shelter him within his embrace.
This was, in reality, a dominant and intensely aggressive posture.
Yet, because of their absolute mutual trust and the fact that he was facing the person he cherished most, the sovereign’s deep gray eyes would soften of their own accord, rendering the posture entirely harmless.
He looked as though he would never refuse a request from the person before him; his eyelids drooped slightly, displaying an obedience and gentleness that starkly contrasted with his cold, chiseled features.
Yet that trace of vulnerability could only be read in his eyes. The moment Gu He looked up, he was met face-to-face with the cub’s cold, handsome, and sharp profile.
The immense sense of chronological dislocation in that instant left the Prime Minister momentarily stunned, followed immediately by a surge of unstoppable worry.
Although many of his memories were no longer entirely clear, how was it that he remembered the little cub back then not appearing nearly as cold as ice and impervious to all attacks?
In his youth, even though the embryonic form of his reticent nature was already there—he disliked smiling—he had not been like this, with his warmth entirely bottled up and his whole person radiating chill.
Presumably, he had suffered a great deal alone during all those years without his help.
At this thought, a wave of heartache washed over the Prime Minister. Facing the monarch, who was silently pulling back the edge of the quilt as if seeking shelter, the words—
“You sleep first; I’ve already slept.”
—could not be spoken, no matter what.
Although Chu Heng was now fully grown, accepting such an intimate form of comfort still felt somewhat inappropriate in certain respects.
Yet the several major crises he had suffered in his youth had indeed been safely weathered within Gu He’s arms.
Perhaps the young sovereign was forever lonely, naturally feeling a deep reliance on those close to him.
With this thought, the slight sense of awkwardness in the Prime Minister’s heart gradually faded away.
Smoothing his brow, he reached out and gently pinched the little sovereign’s cheek. Then, he obediently closed his eyes, allowing the little cub to securely wrap his arms around him in the precious posture of someone who had finally found what they thought was lost forever.
Having exhausted his mind and gone another whole night without sleep, Chu Heng shed his defenses in the presence of the person he trusted, falling into a remarkably deep slumber.
When Gu He woke up once again, his waist was loosely encircled. Raising his eyes, he could see faint dark shadows beneath the other man’s eyes.
After indulging in a second round of sleep, the Prime Minister felt his previously strengthless body grow much more comfortable. His pretty eyes curved of their own accord, and he sat up with light movements.
Unlike the last time when he had been tense and strung tight, instantly jarred awake by the slightest sound, perhaps knowing that his mentor had truly returned and bore no estrangement toward him,
His Majesty slept with absolute peace of mind. Even when his fingers were gently taken and placed in a comfortable position, and someone stroked the harmless-looking outer corners of his eyes in his sleep, he did not wake up.
Gu He sat by the bedside, watching him for a moment. Figuring the other would be hungry upon waking, he pondered briefly, draped an outer robe over his shoulders, and walked out of the room.
Unlike the bustling scene of the previous day, even in broad daylight, during the busiest hours of Huaiqiu City, the interior of the inn remained dead quiet.
Someone was sitting downstairs, facing away from the room, their two hands gently fiddling with something while occasionally tapping the table, their posture focused and earnest.
Gu He stood by the edge of the stairs, watching for a moment before looking toward the counter. Neither the proprietor nor anyone else was in sight; in such a massive inn, the only person present seemed to be the one sitting with his back to him.
Blinking in confusion, the Prime Minister could only vaguely guess that it was because of the sovereign’s descent upon the city, so he shook his head with a light chuckle and walked down the stairs.
He originally intended to walk down and ask the young man seated by the table what was going on.
Yet the moment he moved, the creaking sound of the aged wooden staircase alerted the busy He Jun first.
Holding a blade of grass in his hand and in the middle of weaving a child’s toy, the Great General was rather embarrassed, having chased away all unrelated personnel for this very reason. Hearing movement out of nowhere, he nearly jumped in surprise.
Turning back, upon laying eyes on the newcomer, a brilliant flash of light burst within his fierce pupils.
“Mentor!” he called out joyfully, vaulting over the table and chairs, springing up with brisk agility, casting the item in his hand onto the table, and striding forward with bright, shining eyes.
Most of the group of scholars from the Imperial Academy back then, now holding high-ranking official posts in the imperial court, had received guidance from Prime Minister Gu at some point. Out of respect, they all addressed him as “Mentor.”
The Prime Minister smiled, his eyes curving into crescents as he nodded, leading the man back to sit by the table.
On the table lay a mess of resilient grass ropes, accompanied by various tools arranged in a professional-looking manner, as though some major operation was underway.
As for the item General He had just casually tossed to the edge, it appeared to be a rather incomplete little bird woven from grass ropes.
Before Gu He could ask, He Jun, noticing his puzzled gaze, burst into a chuckle.
Seeming aware of his subpar handiwork, the Great General gave a self-conscious, tight-lipped smile. Pondering for a moment, he sat down casually and spoke in a ringing voice.
“I’m weaving a pheasant for the kid at home; he loves eating them. I promised to come see him yesterday, but couldn’t make it, so he’s probably furious. I figured I’d try to butter him up by bringing him a pheasant that won’t run away.”
Gu He, who had picked up a grass rope to examine it, froze upon hearing this. On the one hand, the notion of gifting a pheasant was bold and hilarious; on the other hand, certain details revealed in these words struck a chord.
That little dumpling seemed to have been stood up by his scoundrel uncle yesterday.
The Prime Minister blinked, uncertainly lowering the grass in his hand. After a moment of thought, he tentatively described the dumpling’s appearance.
Upon doing so, he watched as the Great General’s eyes lit up bit by bit. He tossed the grass aside and laughed with a mixture of bitter irony and ingratiation: “The little cub isn’t angry? That’s wonderful! In that case, why on earth was I trying to weave a—a chicken…”
With a low cough, He Jun looked as though he might drop to his knees and kowtow to Gu He: “Mentor, my dear mentor, your return has saved countless lives.”
Being naturally talkative, he poured out his lamentations, ranging from the inhuman tyranny of His Majesty over the years to the sheer, clawing hyperactivity of the little dumpling.
Gu He listened quietly, his lips pressed together, taking it all in with earnest attention.
When he heard that the young Prince Chu Heng had wandered in exile and fought in wars for years solely to issue an order that all border cities of Great Chu must treat anyone bearing Prime Minister Gu’s features with kindness, he felt a mix of heartache and amusement.
Who could remain unmoved in the face of such deep trust and emotion?
As his fingers subconsciously wove the grass rope, the Prime Minister lowered his gaze, feeling as though his heart had been immersed in warm water, sweet yet tart, softening completely.
If he had still harbored doubts and remained unclear of the situation a second prior,
In this very second, Gu He thought only of using every ounce of his remaining strength to stay, and to return to his little sovereign the era of peace and prosperity that was rightfully his.
Perhaps due to his unstable emotions, by the time Gu He snapped back to reality, the grass rope in his hands had morphed into a strange, unrecognizable shape.
He Jun, who had been rambling on incessantly without picking and choosing his words, deliberately poking at people’s heartstrings while playing the part of a carefree, reckless man, suddenly shut his mouth and played dumb.
How sharp-witted was Prime Minister Gu? It was only because he cared so deeply that he had been swept up in so many emotions. Coming to his senses now, he couldn’t help but laugh.
Rather than exposing him, he simply kept his lips curved upward in a smile, picked up another strand of grass rope, and began weaving with utmost concentration.
Unlike the clumsy He Jun, when operating with absolute focus, the Prime Minister possessed a vastly superior level of dexterity.
Within moments, a lovely large butterfly took shape in the palm of his hand, a skill he had originally learned years ago to coax the little prince. Though unused for many years, it had by no means grown rusty.
The large butterfly looked lifelike, its tail tied to a small wooden stick. As Gu He shook it gently, it felt as though he were looking back at many years ago, when the little prince had desperately wanted it yet deliberately maintained a serious expression. At the memory, his eyes curved into smiles once more.
However, in making such a little toy, he had acted purely on a whim; he had no intention of actually giving it away.
The little prince had already grown into a self-reliant, calm sovereign who likely no longer needed such things.
He Jun looked with undisguised envy at the handsome butterfly casually discarded to the side, turning green with jealousy.
Yet he quickly remembered the kind of existence the person before him was, and his restless mind calmed in an instant.
After all, the talk of the town in the imperial capital back then was that apart from bearing children, Prime Minister Gu was capable of anything. Now, seeing it in action, those rumors weren’t exaggerated at all.
The Great General’s heart immediately achieved balance.
Having thought it through, he leaned half over the table, poking his head forward in an attempt to secure some benefits for himself: “Mentor, your butterfly looks so nice, and since our little dumpling likes you so much, how about…”
He buttered him up with a flurry of flowery, heartfelt words, but before he could finish his sentence, a faint creaking sound drifted down from the old wooden staircase once more.
The young sovereign still carried a slight flush on his cheeks, his dark hair somewhat disheveled from just waking up. With his brows drawn together, he looked downstairs, searching for something with a gaze as chillingly cold as if a long-cherished treasure had been snatched away.
He could barely maintain the composure he was desperately forcing upon himself; his gray eyes were cold and indifferent, rippling with a frosty light.
Possessing sharp instincts, He Jun perceived the intensely aggressive aura in the air in an instant, his heart skipping a beat.
He looked up and saw Chu Heng, who had already lowered his gaze to fixate on Prime Minister Gu downstairs.
That drifting, unanchored gaze seemed to have suddenly found its resting place at this very moment. Having witnessed the entire process, He Jun’s mouth twitched as he watched His Majesty adopt an air of complete nonchalance and slowly walk over.
Walking downstairs, the sovereign first stopped by the table to cast a cold glance at the butterfly, ignoring it entirely, before heading into the kitchen to retrieve a bowl of porridge that had been kept warm.
While the Prime Minister lowered his head to receive the porridge with a smiling, curved mouth, His Majesty swept the butterfly off the table with lightning-fast reflexes.
His movements were so swift that Gu He barely noticed, though He Jun saw it clearly.
The Great General stared in shock at the sovereign for an action so entirely unsuited to his cold expression. Yet, not daring to voice his complaints, he swallowed his grievance and shifted his gaze back to the shapeless lump of grass rope.
Chu Heng cast a sideways glance at him, his gray eyes drooping slightly as his fingertips traced the corner of the table in deep thought.
Then, under the guise of urging his mentor to eat at a more spacious table, his fingers twitched, and he pocketed the grass rope as well.
Anything related to his mentor, good or bad, he wanted it all.