The Sickly Seedling Dresses Up As An Unfortunate And Muddled Monarch - Chapter 14
Before Qiu Junyao fell ill, he had always been a campus heartthrob since childhood. He had appeared on the confession wall more times than he had meals, and there wasn’t a single bad photo of him online. When people thought of his name, the first word that came to mind was “handsome.”
Besides being handsome, he excelled in academics and had a great personality and character. Almost every girl who interacted with him liked him—
Even many boys liked him, too many to count.
But perhaps because he was so perfect, almost without flaws, his good fortune turned into bad, and in his senior year, Qiu Junyao was unexpectedly diagnosed with leukemia, bringing him to this place.
The wound on his hand was still faintly aching, but the person in front of him, Yin Yuan, was still staring at him dazedly, with tears streaming down his face, looking pitiful and on the verge of breaking down.
Seeing this, Qiu Junyao couldn’t help but sigh. He took out a handkerchief, wanting to give it to Yin Yuan to wipe his tears.
But unexpectedly, as soon as he extended his hand, Yin Yuan leaned his face over, looking at him expectantly, as if waiting for him to act.
“…”
Qiu Junyao was momentarily stunned.
Thinking back to the last time he tried to wipe coal dust off Yin Yuan’s face, and Yin Yuan had been displeased, this time he actually leaned over willingly.
Qiu Junyao couldn’t help but marvel at the unpredictability of men’s hearts, but still carefully used the edge of the handkerchief to wipe the tears off Yin Yuan’s face.
Yin Yuan also felt embarrassed for crying just now. Once he calmed down, he knelt down and earnestly pleaded with Qiu Junyao to return to the palace and leave this dangerous place. Unable to refuse him, Qiu Junyao had no choice but to head back to the Pixiang Palace.
Perhaps due to exposure to the wind and snow outside, Qiu Junyao’s head started to ache as soon as he returned to the warm Pixiang Palace.
He hastily finished his meal, took a bath with the help of the eunuchs, and then was assisted by Yin Yuan to the chaise longue, where he lay diagonally to read memorials.
Seeing Qiu Junyao frowning and looking uncomfortable, Yin Yuan moved closer and said to him:
“Your Majesty, shall I give you a massage?”
“Hmm?” Qiu Junyao lifted his eyelids:
“Massage where?”
“Your head.” Yin Yuan felt their conversation was odd and didn’t dare to think too deeply about it, so he maintained a serious expression:
“When my father had headaches, my mother often massaged his head.”
“Then come on up.” Qiu Junyao patted the side of the chaise longue, smiling:
“My head does hurt a bit.”
Upon hearing this, Yin Yuan quickly lifted his skirt and climbed onto the chaise longue, carefully placing Qiu Junyao’s head on his lap:
“Your Majesty, is this pressure okay?”
“It’s fine.” Qiu Junyao had always enjoyed staying home and reading books; lying down to read memorials didn’t affect his view:
“Continue.”
“Your Majesty, you’ve been looking at this page for a long time,” Yin Yuan couldn’t help but ask, having been observing Qiu Junyao’s reactions and seeing him relax:
“Is there something you’re unsure about that you need my help with?”
“… You are quite observant.” Qiu Junyao glanced at Yin Yuan, then reached out to play with his hair, sighing softly:
“There’s nothing much.”
“In this palace, there are too many people who want to kill me. Sometimes, it’s really hard to guard against them.”
“Your Majesty, are you referring to today’s incident?” Yin Yuan said. “Shi Yi has already gone to find the assassin.”
He said, “Once the assassin is found, we should kill him as a warning to others.”
“Killing people won’t solve everything,” Qiu Junyao said. “If I remain a tyrant in their hearts, no matter how many people we kill, it won’t help.”
“Ah Yuan, you have to help me.”
Qiu Junyao turned to his side, held Yin Yuan’s hand, and spoke softly, “Right now, I only have you.”
“…” The warmth of Qiu Junyao’s hand was so comforting that even knowing he was calling him by his sister’s name, and even knowing that the man in front of him was deliberately showing weakness, Yin Yuan’s heart couldn’t help but beat faster because of Qiu Junyao.
At this moment, Yin Yuan even thought, what does it matter if he’s a tyrant? He would just become a notorious consort, accompanying Qiu Junyao in infamy…
No, he couldn’t have such dangerous thoughts!
Startled by his own thoughts, Yin Yuan quickly regained his composure, lowered his head to look at Qiu Junyao, and then softly replied, “I will stay by Your Majesty’s side.”
He said, “Always.”
Satisfied with the answer, Qiu Junyao smiled.
The two of them exchanged a glance in the candlelight, and at some point, they had moved closer and closer, their shadows on the wall merging into one. It looked like a kiss between lovers, their breaths mingling, overpowering the sound of the flickering candle—
“Your Majesty!”
An urgent call came from the doorway, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps. Qiu Junyao and Yin Yuan both jolted, their lips separating just before they touched.
Realizing how close they had been to losing control, their faces turned bright red, looking everywhere but at each other.
“Your Majesty, I have returned!”
Completely unaware that he had interrupted something, Shi Yi dragged a dirty “object” into the hall and then knelt down.
“Your Majesty, the culprit is here!”
Qiu Junyao coughed awkwardly, and Yin Yuan, equally embarrassed, buried his face in Qiu Junyao’s robe, covering his face with the collar.
“Speak up.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Shi Yi, oblivious to the situation, eagerly reported, “Your Majesty, I found this child in the Cold Palace. When I saw him, he was digging a grave for that wolf cub. When he saw us, he lunged at me to bite.”
“So, he raised the wolf cub?” Qiu Junyao stroked Yin Yuan’s soft hair absentmindedly, as if petting a cat resigned to its fate. “What’s the story with the female corpse in the Cold Palace?”
“The female corpse was a maid who brought him food. She often beat and scolded him, feeding him spoiled food. Unable to fight back, the child secretly picked up a dying wolf cub from the Beast Garden, miraculously raised it, and then, taking advantage of the maid’s illness, had the wolf kill her.”
“…” Qiu Junyao looked at the dirty child on the floor, then at Shi Yi, and after a long pause, asked, “How old is he?”
“Not yet six years old, Your Majesty,” Shi Yi replied.
“What’s his name?” Qiu Junyao asked. “Send him back to his parents. As for the maid, find her parents and give them a burial allowance.”
After saying this, Qiu Junyao waved his hand, signaling Shi Yi to withdraw, but noticed Shi Yi looking at him with a troubled expression, not saying anything for a long time.
“?” Qiu Junyao asked, “Is there something else?”
“… Your Majesty,” Shi Yi knelt, clasping his hands, seemingly hesitant. He stole a glance at Qiu Junyao, then quickly lowered his head, cautiously saying, “Your Majesty, is it possible…”
Shi Yi fumbled for words, “Is it possible that this child is actually… your son?”
Qiu Junyao: “?”
Qiu Junyao doubted his ears. “What did you say?”
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teliae
qiu, u really really such a smooth talker