Lu Bohuan observed Qin Yuanxi’s disordered movements, his grip tightening on the book in his hand. His eyes drifted into the distance, watching a sea of withered, golden leaves falling gently from the trees. He sighed faintly.
He was deeply aware of his current state, the sensation of drowsiness becoming too obvious, the feelings he had either neglected before or deliberately concealed, now gradually surfacing.
Within this body, he witnessed himself spending days and nights intimately entangled with Qin Yuanxi. It felt strange, inexplicable, yet the sense of oppression in his heart was undeniably real.
Normally, upon awakening, Lu Bohuan would have returned to the Palace, with plenty of matters awaiting his attention. But these past few days, he hadn’t gone back. Both major and minor issues required his attention and explanation. Unfortunately, Lu Bohuan strangely lingered, without venturing anywhere.
He neglected even the accumulated court matters. Zhao Tuo didn’t bother much with these affairs. Qin Yuanxi had just taken charge and wasn’t entirely capable of managing them alone. Many matters required Lu Bohuan’s assistance; several old courtiers who only looked up to him were waiting for his involvement.
The time left for him was uncertain. Perhaps Zhao Tuo might awaken to replace him the next moment. He should have seized the moment to attend to his responsibilities, yet ever since Yan Shaoning left, Lu Bohuan remained there, idling away half the day, lost in thought or, one might say, waiting for Qin Yuanxi.
Would Qin Yuanxi come to find him? Would Qin Yuanxi…?
When Lu Bohuan thought of this, a faint bitter smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but he shook his head as soon as he did, setting down the book upon Qin Yuanxi’s arrival and rising from his seat.
“Has Your Majesty finished reviewing the documents?”
“Yeah.” Qin Yuanxi was so careless that he didn’t notice any difference in today’s Prince Lu compared to before. Pouring himself a cup of tea, he awkwardly extended it to Lu Bohuan, a gesture of goodwill. “Have some tea, hehe.”
Lu Bohuan accepted and placed it aside, instructing the palace attendant, “The tea has cooled, prepare a soothing honey gel for His Majesty, and bring some fruits.”
“No need, no need, I just came to chat with Prince Lu for a while, no need to go through all this trouble,” Qin Yuanxi quickly intervened. He just wanted a sip of water, as he had been busy with work in his study earlier and hadn’t had a chance to drink. The walk here had left him a bit parched and in need of quenching his thirst.
Although he was the emperor, this seemed a bit overly elaborate.
“It’s no trouble at all. I also have matters to discuss with Your Majesty, and it may take some time.”
Qin Yuanxi quipped, “If you have something to discuss, why not come to my study in the imperial palace?”
It was originally just a casual remark, but to his surprise, after Lu Bohuan heard it, he seemed visibly flustered, as if he had been asked a difficult question, like he was struggling to respond to a simple inquiry.
This put Qin Yuanxi in an awkward spot.
He couldn’t understand why such a straightforward question would leave Lu Bohuan visibly perplexed, hesitant, and struggling to articulate a response. It was just a ordinary question, yet it had inexplicably transformed into a situation loaded with secrecy. Qin Yuanxi couldn’t help but wonder what could be so difficult about this question, but he realized he couldn’t press further. Perhaps Lu Bohuan had some hidden secrets that were too delicate to be discussed with him. After all, Lu Bohuan was not like Zhao Tuo, and if he harbored some significant secret, it was surely not something he could openly share. Asking too much might lead to dire consequences, and Qin Yuanxi had just started enjoying his peaceful life; did he really want to jeopardize it so soon?
“Um, so, what did Prince Lu want to discuss with me? There haven’t been any major issues in the court recently, and I’ve completed my assignments. Would Prince Lu like to review them, or should I prepare a few more articles for you to examine, in case there’s something I could improve on?” Qin Yuanxi quickly shifted the conversation, and Lu Bohuan also breathed a sigh of relief.
How should he answer Qin Yuanxi’s question? Should he confess that he simply wanted to wait here to see if Qin Yuanxi would indeed come to visit him?
That response was somewhat ridiculous; even Lu Bohuan himself was unwilling to admit that this was truly what he thought.
When Lu Bohuan glanced up and saw Qin Yuanxi at that moment, he understood why he was sitting there, why he was wasting time.
“When the prince is not around, I haven’t been lazy at all. Just the other day, Lord Li from the Ministry of Personnel praised me in the report. He said I’ve been diligent lately. He even mentioned the effectiveness of the reforms I proposed for the officials. The local officers have shown significant improvement in their assessments this time. Even the common people praise me as a good emperor who stands for the people,” Qin Yuanxi said with a touch of pride.
“Your Majesty has always been a good emperor.” Lu Bohuan’s lips curved upward, and as he looked at Qin Yuanxi, his expression softened a bit, carrying a hint of indulgent smile. “It’s just the word ‘diligent.’ Your Majesty needs to understand it more thoroughly. Not willing to attend the morning court sessions, there might still be some distance from the word ‘diligent,’ I’m afraid.”
“Who wants to attend the morning court? It’s not that—I mean, the morning court is just too early, especially now that the weather is so cold. The morning court happens before dawn, and even if I could endure it, there’s another issue – I’ve got a little one inside me who needs to eat, right? How else can the little one grow if not fed?” Qin Yuanxi murmured softly.
“So, Your Majesty decided to push back the morning court sessions by another hour?” Lu Bohuan sounded somewhat resigned. “From the founding of the dynasty until now, no emperor held the morning court at the hour of Chen. Your Majesty has set a precedent. If future generations follow suit, where will it end?”
“What’s wrong with the hour of Chen?” Qin Yuanxi grumbled softly. “Nine to five is the normal working hours for regular people, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“Nothing, I mean, once the weather warms up and, um, after giving birth, I’ll definitely attend the morning court. It’s just for this period, my Prince, please be more tolerant considering my special circumstances.” Qin Yuanxi looked at Lu Bohuan pitifully, trying to appeal to his conscience.
The fact is, it wasn’t entirely his fault for pushing the morning court back two more hours. If he wants to blame someone, he can only blame Zhao Tuo. If someone is sleeping in the bed with you, the probability of getting up early in the morning decreases significantly. That’s why it’s said that the king no longer attends morning court. It’s all for a reason, and most crucially, Zhao Tuo is extremely indulgent. Sometimes, Qin Yuanxi would try to struggle up to go to work, but Zhao Tuo’s hand would just pull him back, making it impossible for the morning court to happen.
Who can be blamed for this?
“What I want to discuss with Your Majesty is not this matter.” Lu Bohuan glanced at Qin Yuanxi’s belly, looking hesitant, but still spoke, “According to Yan Shaoning’s estimation, the young prince is due in about three months. Your Majesty, what are your plans? There are rampant rumors in the court. How do you intend to handle it?”
Qin Yuanxi’s belly was already showing, but due to the cold weather, he was wearing thick clothes and strategically positioning himself while at court, managing to conceal it to some extent. However, the child was growing day by day, and in the future, it would be even more clear, almost like a blown-up ball. For now, he could pretend he’d just gained a little weight, but in the future, it might be difficult to conceal.
“I, um,” Qin Yuanxi hesitated for a moment, gripping his sleeve as he looked at Lu Bohuan. “I want to leave the palace to give birth. I could say it’s for a secret inspection or something, to have the child outside the palace and then return.”
“No way!” Lu Bohuan’s attitude was resolute; he outright rejected Qin Yuanxi’s suggestion. “Firstly, the child must be born in the palace. Only a child born in the palace can ensure the royal bloodline. If Your Majesty suddenly brings back a child from outside the palace, will you and the entire court acknowledge it? Even if all the officials do, what about the common people? When the rumors spread, how will Your Majesty handle it? The future prince’s identity will become a subject of ridicule for everyone in the world. He would have no mother, and the gossips would pose the biggest threat to the prince!”
“It’s absolutely impossible to leave the palace. I won’t agree. Your Majesty, you shouldn’t even consider it.”
“Why? Lu Bohuan, I don’t want to give birth inside the palace. In this state,” Qin Yuanxi stood up, pointing at his belly, showing a bit of agitation. “I can cover it up now, block it a little, and nobody will suspect, but what about in two more months? I won’t be able to hide it anymore. If you won’t allow me to leave the palace, what do I do? By then, so many people will see it. If I don’t leave the palace, do I have to attend the morning court with a big belly? How will I explain to all your court officials and ministers? What will I say? That their emperor, a man, has actually conceived a child? What am I? Am I a monster? I don’t want to!”
“Lu Bohuan, I told you, I don’t want this! You think too much. Can’t you consider my feelings a bit? Why can’t we handle this matter quietly, low-key?”
“I will take care of it, Your Majesty. The concerns you have won’t happen.” Lu Bohuan looked at Qin Yuanxi with slightly reddened eyes, then averted his gaze, “Yan Shaoning knows someone skilled in disguise from the Martial world. I’ve already sent him to investigate. Soon, you can relax in the palace, awaiting the birth. By then, we’ll have that person temporarily manage court affairs on your behalf. When the child is born, we’ll say it’s from a palace maid in secret, and Your Majesty can make her a concubine. This way, the issue of the prince’s identity can be resolved, and Your Majesty won’t have to worry.”
“I don’t agree!” Qin Yuanxi’s emotions became a bit restless. He focused on Lu Bohuan’s lips moving incessantly. He was against the idea, “Using a palace maid as a scapegoat, Prince Lu, you have such a brilliant idea, don’t you? You’ve had this planned out, haven’t you? I disagree. The matter of having a child is my own. Why involve an innocent girl? Concubine? Your words might sound pleasant, but what’s the outcome? I’ve said it before, I refuse to involve any innocent person. This child is the result of our actions. Why should someone else bear the consequences?”
“This is between you and me. If someone has to take responsibility, it should be you and me, no one else!” Qin Yuanxi took a deep breath, “I will handle my own affairs.”
Lu Bohuan looked at him, a trace of seriousness flashing in his eyes. He clenched his hand hidden in his sleeve into a fist. After a while, he relaxed and spoke to Qin Yuanxi, “Not involving innocent people is acceptable. Leaving the palace, I disagree. You can’t use this matter as a reason to leave the palace. As long as you carry this identity, you must sit in this position. Nowhere else.”
“Leaving the palace and escaping? That’s never going to happen!”
“I—” Qin Yuanxi opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, Lu Bohuan’s face suddenly turned pale. He held his head, swayed, almost falling. Qin Yuanxi was about to help, but it was too late; Lu Bohuan fainted, collapsing on the floor.
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)
