Perhaps it was Qin Yuanxi’s initial bias against Prince Lu that made him perceive Prince Lu’s character as menacing and hard to get along with. However, during this time, Lu Bohuan had been patiently mentoring him, which had significantly diluted Qin Yuanxi’s earlier prejudice.
Prince Lu, unsurprisingly, lived up to his reputation, particularly in terms of his academic prowess, which was truly exceptional. What was even more vital was that when the two of them got along well, Lu Bohuan turned out to be the kind of person who cared deeply about others’ feelings. Despite his usual cold attitude, he excelled in the subtleties of care.
Let’s not get into other details. Qin Yuanxi’s current situation was quite unique, as he was carrying a child inside his belly. Sitting for extended periods had begun to take a toll on his back, causing discomfort. He hadn’t mentioned it himself, fearing that Prince Lu might think he was being overly demanding. So, he had endured it silently and occasionally requested extra cushions from the young eunuch.
However, whether it was due to Yan Shaoning’s talkativeness or the young eunuch’s loose lips, Lu Bohuan eventually found out about it. Since then, during their lessons, Lu Bohuan had been mindful of the time. When it was almost time to stop, he would pause and take Qin Yuanxi for a walk, strolling and resting in the small pavilion. It felt as though the previous oppression had never existed, leaving Qin Yuanxi somewhat embarrassed.
Perhaps he had been overly suspicious of Lu Bohuan. After all, when you boiled it down, Lu was just a powerful figure. Historically speaking, one should refrain from making judgments about his merits and demerits. Consequently, with Qin Yuanxi’s intention to amend things, his attitude toward Lu Bohuan had gradually changed.
He genuinely regarded Lu Bohuan as a mentor and friend. The previous misunderstandings could be dismissed as such. After all, Lu Bohuan still possessed that incredibly handsome face. Moreover, the child in his belly shared his blood. So, engaging in a battle of wits and sharp words seemed unnecessary.
“Here are today’s memorials. There are a few reports from the Ministry of Works regarding water conservation—all compiled here,” Lu Bohuan’s voice sounded somewhat hoarse and muffled, giving the impression of discomfort. Qin Yuanxi raised his head, noticing that Prince Lu’s complexion wasn’t great.
“What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?”
Lu Bohuan covered his mouth and coughed softly, “No worries, just a mild fever. A couple of days of medication will fix it.”
“Oh. Well, take good care of yourself.” Qin Yuanxi wanted to express concern but ended up sounding somewhat awkward, “If I have any questions, I’ll come to you.”
“I’ll come back once you’ve reviewed the reports,” Lu Bohuan’s throat was a bit sore. Seeing Qin Yuanxi approaching, he quickly took a step back, “Stay away a bit; I wouldn’t want you to catch it.”
Qin Yuanxi was about to say it’s not a big deal when Lu Bohuan joked, “Don’t make me infect you and make you take medicine.”
Alright, Qin Yuanxi admitted that he wasn’t very good at taking medicine, not at all. Those bitter traditional Chinese medicines, just smelling them made him want to vomit.
“Do you have any instructions for me?”
In the past, when he did his homework, Lu Bohuan would oversee it. As a personal home tutor, he was highly effective. If there were any areas he didn’t understand, Lu Bohuan could explain them on the spot. Today, however, Teacher Lu had called in sick, and Qin Yuanxi was finding it a bit challenging to adjust.
“Make sure to review the memorial carefully, and once it’s done, have someone deliver it to me.”
With a raspy voice, Lu Bohuan gave these instructions, and then, as if remembering something, added, “If you can’t finish it, that’s fine too. Your health is more important right now. Don’t overexert yourself.”
After Lu Bohuan finished his instructions, he left, leaving Qin Yuanxi alone in the study. In this spacious room, the silence was so extreme that even the sound of breathing could be heard. Qin Yuanxi grew increasingly uncomfortable as he sat there. Normally, when Lu Bohuan was around, there would be some exchange of words between them. But now, with Lu Bohuan gone, the study felt strangely quiet.
Qin Yuanxi put down his brush and sighed deeply. Then, almost unconsciously, he looked towards the place where Lu Bohuan usually sat. He didn’t know why he had this reflexive action, but he did it anyway, and after looking, he found himself lost in thought.
This brief moment of distraction led to a sharp drop in his productivity. By dinnertime, he hadn’t finished reviewing the memorials. Qin Yuanxi rested his head on the desk, letting out a long sigh.
With Prince Lu absent, his work efficiency was remarkably low, much lower than usual. Tomorrow, he had an early morning court session, and these memorials needed to be dispatched by the evening. Looking at the thick stack, it seemed impossible to handle.
As eunuch Ding Yi entered with a soup bowl, he saw His Majesty sighing and hurriedly spoke, “Just now, Prince Lu sent a message, saying that if Your Majesty can’t finish reviewing the memorials, you can postpone it until tomorrow afternoon. There’s no need to rush.”
“I am a diligent emperor,” Qin Yuanxi said, feeling a bit hungry as he smelled the food. He touched his belly thoughtfully. He could starve himself, but he couldn’t starve the little thing in his stomach. He put down the brush in his hand and added, “I’ll eat something first, but I still need to finish these memorials.”
Then he saw Ding Yi covering his mouth, trying to suppress laughter.
Qin Yuanxi raised an eyebrow. “What’s so funny? Did I say something wrong?”
“No, Your Majesty. It’s my fault. I deserve to die a thousand deaths.”
Then the eunuch knelt on the floor, banging his head hard enough to make Qin Yuanxi wince. He quickly stopped him. “Get up, get up. I didn’t say anything to you. Be careful not to damage the floor.”
“Now, tell me, what were you laughing about?”
Only then did Ding Yi stand up and respond, “It’s just that Prince Lu said the exact same thing with the same tone.”
“He mentioned me?” Qin Yuanxi put down his soup bowl, intrigued. “What did he say about me? Tell me.”
“Wait, when did he say it?” Qin Yuanxi suddenly thought of a more important question. If it was according to Lu Bohuan, he might not be diligent at all – he might even be a bit lazy. After all, he couldn’t even wake up for the morning court. What if Prince Lu was referring to the previous Emperor Qin Yuanxi, and he was just being presumptuous?
“It was a couple of days ago, Your Majesty. Prince Lu was standing by the window while Your Majesty was reviewing memorials late at night. He watched Your Majesty for a while and then said, ‘Your Majesty has been diligent lately.’ He even asked me to remind Your Majesty to take care of your health and not overexert yourself.”
“When was this? Why didn’t I know about it?”
Ding Yi quickly replied, “Your Majesty was focused on state affairs and naturally didn’t notice.”
This response made Qin Yuanxi feel a bit uneasy, and after hesitating for a while, he asked Ding Yi again, “When he was looking at me, did you sense anything different?”
Qin Yuanxi’s question was subtle, but he couldn’t quite envision what it would be like for Lu Bohuan to fix his gaze on him. The only image that came to mind was how Zhao Tuo used to look at him – those dark, gleaming eyes that could make one’s heart race uncontrollably. Applying that image to Lu Bohuan seemed out of place. Could it have actually been Zhao Tuo?
Was Zhao Tuo secretly appearing and disappearing when he least expected it?
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
