Qin Yuanxi was in a hazy sleep, feeling like something was pressing on his chest, making it a bit hard to breathe. But that wasn’t the main issue. Halfway through his sleep, he started feeling uncomfortable all over. Not only was his breathing not smooth, but his calves also started aching. At first, it was a vague ache, like in a dream. Later, it became dense and intense, waking Qin Yuanxi from his sleep.
Not only did he wake up, but the person next to him also woke up.
“What’s wrong? Is there any discomfort?”
“My, my leg hurts, seems like a cramp.”
Qin Yuanxi’s forehead was covered in sweat, and the pain had drained the color from his face. Almost pleading, he grabbed the arm of the person beside him and whispered, “Can you, help me massage it? It hurts.”
As soon as Qin Yuanxi spoke, a pair of large hands came over his calf, warm and steadily massaging the cramping leg. While massaging, the person kept asking, “Is it getting better? Still hurting?”
“It still hurts.” Qin Yuanxi winced, the pain making him hiss. The person helping him was also anxious and a bit flustered. If the force is too light, it will have no effect, but if it’s too heavy, he’s worried that Qin Yuanxi won’t be able to bear it. He found himself in a dilemma, intermittently asking Qin Yuanxi about his sensations.
“Getting better. Apply a bit more force; that muscle might be tangled. Once it’s untangled, it’ll be fine.”
“I’ll press a bit harder. If it hurts, just endure for a moment. It’ll be better soon.”
With somewhat awkward reassurances and a touch of embarrassment, the person never looked up at Qin Yuanxi, his attention solely on his calf.
Qin Yuanxi, fingers clutching the pillow, lips pursed, stared at the person for a while before finally speaking, “It’s not hurting anymore. Thank you.”
“Lu Bohuan, it’s you, right?”
The person massaging the leg stiffened for a moment, didn’t lift his head, just gave a soft “Hmm” as a response, keeping his focus on Qin Yuanxi’s calf.
Although Qin Yuanxi had already said the leg wasn’t hurting anymore, the massage continued. The atmosphere suddenly became a bit strange.
Qin Yuanxi’s leg was cradled by Lu Bohuan. If he remembered correctly, this was the first time they had such close contact, and it felt more intimate than when he was with Zhao Tuo. It made Qin Yuanxi a bit uneasy, so he shifted his leg and said, “Um, thanks for that. It doesn’t hurt anymore, no need to knead it.”
“No problem. Your Majesty’s calf is a bit swollen. Massaging it can promote blood circulation, no harm in that.”
“Oh, thank you then.”
A brief silence followed, neither of them speaking, and the atmosphere grew increasingly awkward.
“Uh, about that—”
“There’s also—”
“You go first.”
“Your Majesty, please speak.”
After unintentionally interrupting each other twice, Lu Bohuan remained silent, waiting for Qin Yuanxi to speak. Finally seizing the third chance to speak, Qin Yuanxi said, “Well, it’s been a long time since we last met.”
Sounding like he was just making small talk. Lu Bohuan, sitting at the foot of the bed, switched legs and continued massaging Qin Yuanxi. However, he didn’t seem interested in engaging in casual conversation. “Your Majesty, be cautious of Zhao Tuo.”
Straight to the point, no prelude at all. Lu Bohuan threw a verbal grenade at Qin Yuanxi right away.
“Zhao Tuo, he—”
“I know. I’ve heard everything. Yan Shaoning is currently in the villa; he told me about everything happening outside.”
Qin Yuanxi took a deep breath. “Can the Prince stop him?”
Lu Bohuan’s expression remained in shadow, and after a while, he responded to Qin Yuanxi’s question, “My body is no longer under my control. Zhao Tuo used some medicine; my consciousness is in a prolonged state of drowsiness. Sometimes I wake up, watching him do many things. He’s planning a rebellion, and I want to stop him, but it seems I can’t. I can’t wake up.”
“But aren’t you awake now?”
Qin Yuanxi frowned, but then he realized that Lu Bohuan waking up this time might be due to Zhao Tuo being drugged or perhaps because Zhao Tuo had drunk too much, providing Lu Bohuan with the chance to slip away. However, such opportunities were likely rare.
“Not for much longer,” Lu Bohuan turned to look at Qin Yuanxi, a hint of helplessness in his smile. “I can feel the exhaustion clearly. I’m still alert now, but I can lose consciousness at any moment.”
“Take this. It might buy you some time.”
The item Lu Bohuan pulled out was the military token. Previously, Zhao Tuo had given it to Qin Yuanxi, and later, upon returning to the palace, Qin Yuanxi returned it to Zhao Tuo. Now, after twists and turns, the military token was back in Qin Yuanxi’s hands.
“He intends to mobilize the three armies, and the military token plays a significant role. Your Majesty, be careful and keep it well. Don’t let him discover it for now.”
“But,” Qin Yuanxi felt a bit troubled, “isn’t it risky? If this thing goes missing, he’ll surely suspect you gave it to me.”
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty.” Lu Bohuan paused for a moment but continued, “Zhao Tuo only wants the throne. He won’t harm you or do anything against you. Even if he finds out the military token is with you, he won’t harm you. Holding the token, you’ll make him hesitate a bit. He won’t confront you directly, giving us some time.”
“How do you know he won’t harm me or do anything against me?”
Qin Yuanxi felt a bit irritated. Zhao Tuo had already administered induction drugs to him. Qin Yuanxi had the evidence. If this wasn’t harm, then what was it?
Looking at Lu Bohuan again, his gaze carried a significant sense of resentment.
What kind of karma was he creating? Just as he had resolved one issue, lived a peaceful life for only a couple of days, another problem emerged. It seemed neither of these two was a decent person; one was more troublesome than the other.
“He won’t,” Lu Bohuan wanted to say more, but he held back the words at the edge of his lips. “Even for the military token, he won’t harm you. Your Majesty can rest assured.”
Qin Yuanxi couldn’t easily let go of this concern, but hearing Lu Bohuan’s confident tone, he reluctantly accepted, “So, what do we do next?”
“We need to find a way to replace the pill he’s been taking.” Lu Bohuan pressed his temple, his voice somewhat unsteady. “For some reason, that medicine has a significant impact on me, but it doesn’t affect him much. I don’t know where he got that thing, but it’s malicious. Once the pill is cut off, I can gain more opportunities.”
“How are you?” Qin Yuanxi, watching Lu Bohuan’s face growing paler, felt worried and quickly moved to support him. “Should I call Yan Shaoning to come and check on you? Hold on.”
“No time.” Lu Bohuan grasped Qin Yuanxi’s arm with force, causing pain when he squeezed it. Urgency laced his tone, “Your Majesty, remember, never deliberately provoke him. As long as you don’t provoke him, Zhao Tuo won’t harm you. Your safety can only be guaranteed if you remember that.”
“I remember. I won’t provoke him. Lu Bohuan, Lu Bohuan, hang on,” Qin Yuanxi whispered as he embraced the now unconscious Lu Bohuan, his eyes slightly teary. He sniffled and, with a hoarse voice, asked, “What the hell is going on?”
Gently touching the face of the person in his arms, Qin Yuanxi carefully placed Lu Bohuan on the bed. He was about to quietly call Yan Shaoning over to check on the situation when the person on the bed suddenly woke up, grabbing Qin Yuanxi’s sleeve. “Your Majesty, where are you going?”
The voice was exactly the same as before, with the only difference being the tone. When Lu Bohuan spoke to him, there was a deliberate distance in his tone, a sense of restraint. Zhao Tuo, however, was different, especially in recent times. He had become increasingly audacious in front of Qin Yuanxi, not only lacking distance but also displaying a possessiveness that made Qin Yuanxi feel like he was someone’s property.
Earlier, Qin Yuanxi hadn’t noticed this feeling, but tonight, with Lu Bohuan’s appearance followed by Zhao Tuo, the time gap between them being minimal, it gave Qin Yuanxi a comparative opportunity, making this feeling more evident.
Has Zhao Tuo started treating him as his possession?
“I, you mentioned being thirsty earlier. I’ll go get you some water.” Clutching the military token tightly, Qin Yuanxi turned away from the concerned face, lifted the other hand, and tidied Zhao Tuo’s disheveled hair. Taking the initiative, he leaned in and kissed him, “Do you still want some water?”
“Your Majesty has given the jade dew, what need is there for mundane water?”
Saying this, he pressed Qin Yuanxi onto the bed, their kisses deepening. Qin Yuanxi, half-open eyes hooked onto Zhao Tuo, deepened the kiss even more. Then, as Zhao Tuo was fully engrossed, Qin Yuanxi quietly hid the military token in a corner of the bed. Embracing Zhao Tuo’s neck, he decided to deepen the kiss further.
The sounds of their breath became incessant. Qin Yuanxi felt Zhao Tuo’s hands wandering, barely steadying his mind. Deliberately, he spoke, “Alright, alright. The little one seemed to have kicked me just now. Be careful, the child is growing up, and there should be some rules in front of the child. Lead by example, you know?”
“Just now?” Zhao Tuo put his hands back up, not sensing anything. “Why didn’t I feel it?”
“It comes and goes. Wait a bit; maybe the baby will move again.”
Qin Yuanxi was simply making things up. He was afraid Zhao Tuo might go wild again, unable to control himself. His top priority now was to take care of himself and avoid any inappropriate actions. In case Zhao Tuo goes mad again, he could lose both his lives.
“Ah Tuo, I want water.”
Pulling on Zhao Tuo’s sleeve, Qin Yuanxi deliberately said, “You’re awake now; go fetch water.”
Zhao Tuo smiled and brought a teapot. Holding the teacup in his hand, he didn’t let Qin Yuanxi take it, feeding him sip by sip. After Qin Yuanxi had drunk two cups, Zhao Tuo leaned against the bed, seemingly casually asking, “The wine tonight is really strong. I don’t remember falling asleep. Did I offend Your Majesty?”
“Just remembering the abruptness of getting drunk, why not mention your own abruptness just now?” Qin Yuanxi rolled his eyes, accidentally bumping Zhao Tuo’s forehead. “Your alcohol tolerance is so bad. I won’t let you drink so much next time. You only know how to sleep when you’re drunk. I called you several times, and I ended up dragging you onto the bed. You’re so tall, yet you insist on hugging me and won’t let go. It’s annoying.”
“Even if I’m not drunk, I still want to hold onto you.” Zhao Tuo wrapped his arms around Qin Yuanxi from behind, whispering, “Next time, I won’t drink so much. Getting drunk easily can lead to mistakes.”
“Mmm.”
Qin Yuanxi agreed, leaning against Zhao Tuo’s shoulder and secretly letting out a sigh of relief. If he were to look back now, he would notice Zhao Tuo’s gaze fixed on the corner of the bed, precisely where Qin Yuanxi had hidden the military token earlier!
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)
