“Prince Lu?” Qin Yuanxi murmured to himself. “Can Lu Bohuan really do it?”
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty initially placed trust in the wrong person!” Yan Shaoning spoke bluntly. “Your Majesty had complete faith in Zhao Tuo, but what was the result? Zhao Tuo has ambitions. Can Your Majesty see that now? On the other hand, Prince Lu, over these many years, if he wanted to rebel, he could have done so long ago. Why would he need to use Zhao Tuo’s hands?”
“You’re right. Lu Bohuan would have rebelled long ago if he wanted to. There’s no need to wait until now.” Qin Yuanxi steadied his mind. “But now? What do we do now? If Lu Bohuan doesn’t show up, how can we make him appear?” Qin Yuanxi had confused Zhao Tuo’s matters and was now plagued by suspicion. Even someone like Zhao Tuo, when he calmed down and thought about it, Lu Bohuan didn’t seem likely.
After all, during that time, Lu Bohuan had genuinely dedicated himself to teaching Qin Yuanxi how to be a good emperor. He covered every detail, playing the role of a good teacher exceptionally well. It was quite different from Zhao Tuo, who only knew how to please him all the time.
During that period, Qin Yuanxi was immersed in Zhao Tuo’s tenderness. Sometimes, he even had a little complaint about Lu Bohuan’s severity, feeling that Lu Bohuan wasn’t as considerate as Zhao Tuo.
Now, he wanted to smack himself in the face. Considerate it might be, but hidden within that consideration was a scheme. There was no such thing as genuine consideration in the world; sweet words were just a way to lure him in. This time, he had really fallen into a big trap!
“We need to try this; I’m not sure if it will work.” Yan Shaoning handed a packet of powder to Qin Yuanxi. “Your Majesty can try giving him this medicine when Zhao Tuo is not on guard. I’ll take care of it then.”
“This is a sleeping drug with no other side effects. After drinking it, he’ll fall into a deep sleep, and during that time, his consciousness will be weakened. That will be the opportunity.”
Qin Yuanxi took it, feeling a bit uncertain. “Will it work?”
“Does Your Majesty remember the time you returned to the palace? Prince Lu wanted to investigate Your Majesty’s activities outside the palace during that time.”
Qin Yuanxi recalled that period when he had just returned to the palace, and Zhao Tuo had disappeared for a long time. Lu Bohuan had been suspicious and investigated him thoroughly. It was when Zhao Tuo found out about his pregnancy.
“Alright, I’ll give it a try.”
“Your Majesty, remember, you must not let Zhao Tuo notice any abnormalities now. Your Majesty should act as usual. I’ll leave now.” Yan Shaoning reminded Qin Yuanxi and quietly left.
With a packet of powder, Qin Yuanxi thought it wouldn’t be too difficult to make Zhao Tuo drink it when he was off guard. Zhao Tuo currently had no psychological defenses against him. Doing something discreetly should be possible.
Deliberately preparing a sumptuous dinner and good wine, Qin Yuanxi sprinkled the powder into the wine pot. While he was shaking the wine pot, Zhao Tuo came over.
“Your Majesty seems to be in a good mood today.” Zhao Tuo walked over, brought Qin Yuanxi into his arms, and kissed him lightly on the face. “Aren’t you angry with me anymore?”
“Hehe, why would I be angry with you? I specially prepared a feast to apologize to you, okay?” Qin Yuanxi’s hand rested on Zhao Tuo’s chest, and he didn’t show further affection.
In the past, if Zhao Tuo held him like this and whispered sweet words in his ear, Qin Yuanxi would surely lose control. In this aspect, he was quite open-minded, without the constraints of ancient notions. But now, it felt awkward, very uncomfortable.
Not only that, but Qin Yuanxi also felt like he might have been PUAed. Damn it, he knew this guy wasn’t a good person. He had already given him labor-inducing medicine; he wanted his life. Well, whatever. Human emotions were inherently complex, and with Qin Yuanxi’s current state of mind, he didn’t have the ability to analyze it. He just looked at Zhao Tuo and couldn’t believe why Zhao Tuo would treat him like this. Were all those past expressions of love and tenderness just fake?
Thinking about it made Qin Yuanxi feel surreal and unreal. He wanted to turn all his love for Zhao Tuo into hatred and stab him to death with a knife. However, Qin Yuanxi knew he couldn’t do it.
“Yesterday, I was in a bad mood, got upset over a small issue, and ended up scolding you. Please don’t be like me; don’t take it to heart, okay?”
Pouring wine from the jug into a cup, Qin Yuanxi offered it to Zhao Tuo with a smile. “It’s a pity I can’t drink now.”
Zhao Tuo lowered his head to glance at the cup, then looked at Qin Yuanxi. Holding Qin Yuanxi’s hand, he drank the cup.
Seeing the cup empty in his hand, Qin Yuanxi couldn’t hide his excitement. Then, his waist tightened, pulled into Zhao Tuo’s embrace. “Is Your Majesty happy?”
“A bit,” Qin Yuanxi replied candidly. “Otherwise, why would I ask you to come and drink with me? Drinking is for joy, don’t you understand?”
“Why?”
Zhao Tuo’s breath was at Qin Yuanxi’s neck, carrying a scorching heat. Qin Yuanxi almost couldn’t resist, and as he watched Zhao Tuo’s hand moving towards his clothes, he quickly pulled it away, speaking hastily, “No, you can’t. Are you out of your mind? I had a stomach ache just yesterday, and the months are already advanced. We can’t do that anymore.”
“Be more restrained!”
“I am.”
That expression, still looking a bit innocent.
Qin Yuanxi: Hehe, damn, it’s all because of this face. If he hadn’t suffered from the consequences of judging by appearances, would he have ended up like this?
Almost exploding on the spot, Qin Yuanxi, with a face full of fake smiles, continued pouring wine for Zhao Tuo, coaxing him to drink one cup after another until the jug was empty. Seeing Zhao Tuo’s eyes becoming unfocused, Qin Yuanxi felt it was still not enough. Since Yan Shaoning wanted this guy to lose consciousness, why not make it even weaker by getting him drunk?
With no experience in persuading and coaxing people with alcohol, Qin Yuanxi relied on the brute force of continuously pouring wine for Zhao Tuo. Zhao Tuo kept drinking, and Qin Yuanxi kept refilling his cup until they emptied two large wine jars.
He managed to persuade Zhao Tuo to sleep after drinking an entire large jar of wine. Qin Yuanxi guided him to bed, called out to him several times with no response, and then quickly informed Yan Shaoning to prepare for the next step in their plan!
Yan Shaoning looked at the completely unconscious Zhao Tuo lying on the bed and sighed helplessly. Holding his forehead, he said, “Your Majesty, I just wanted you to give him medicine, not to get him drunk like this. If he’s this drunk, do you think Prince Lu can be any better? In the same body, if he’s drunk, Prince Lu won’t be?”
“Then… what if we make a sobering potion?”
“What should we do now?” Qin Yuanxi asked, also looking innocent.
Yan Shaoning sighed. “Let’s wait for another opportunity.”
“Ah, are you leaving now?”
Qin Yuanxi looked at Zhao Tuo, who was sleeping on the bed, unaware of everything. He was so angry that he kicked him twice. Unfortunately, there was no response. Qin Yuanxi, looking at Zhao Tuo, became even angrier. He thought about going to sleep in another room, but when he reached the door, he turned back.
If he left now, what would he say when Zhao Tuo woke up tomorrow? He couldn’t afford to alarm the snake. He had to stay calm, not let Zhao Tuo know he had noticed anything, and avoid arousing Zhao Tuo’s suspicions. After convincing himself for a while, Qin Yuanxi climbed onto the bed with his large belly.
As soon as he lay down, the person next to him reached out, and Zhao Tuo, even after drinking himself into oblivion, naturally pulled him into his arms. Moreover, his movements were extremely gentle, and he even carefully avoided Qin Yuanxi’s belly.
After getting drunk, his actions were entirely subconscious. He even knew to take care of Qin Yuanxi, giving him the most comfortable position.
Qin Yuanxi, leaning against Zhao Tuo’s embrace, felt a bit teary. What was going on? The one who planned to rebel against him and gave him labor-inducing medicine was him, but the one who unconsciously cared for and looked after him was also him? Was this guy really crazy?
“You really have a problem with your head!” Qin Yuanxi poked Zhao Tuo’s chest, couldn’t hold back his anger, and bit Zhao Tuo’s shoulder. He didn’t use much force, and the feeling wasn’t enough to get any reaction from Zhao Tuo. It was just a way to vent his pent-up frustration.
After venting, his eyes were red.
“Have you ever really liked me?”
After asking, Qin Yuanxi heard Zhao Tuo muttering something, but it was unclear. When he tried to ask again, Zhao Tuo had already embraced him and fallen into a deep sleep. There was only the sound of breathing, and no answers.
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)
