The Sickly Seedling Dresses Up As An Unfortunate And Muddled Monarch - Chapter 9

The change happened in the blink of an eye.

 

If it weren’t for Qiu Junyao’s quick reaction, if it weren’t for Lai Fu’s unwavering loyalty, who had been keeping a close eye on Yin Yuan’s movements, Yin Yuan’s suicide would have been a done deal.

 

But unfortunately, Qiu Junyao’s actions were faster than Yin Yuan’s. The guards beside him heard his command and immediately rushed forward, snatching the poison from Yin Yuan’s hand and forcibly pinning him down to the ground to prevent him from struggling.

 

The medicine bottle by Yin Yuan’s side once again slipped from his hand and rolled far away on the ground with a clatter.

 

Seeing that Yin Yuan couldn’t reach the substance anymore, Qiu Junyao couldn’t help but relax slightly.

 

However, no matter how cautious Qiu Junyao was, he couldn’t guard against Yin Yuan’s last resort.

 

Due to the motion of tilting his head just now, there was still a trace of the poisonous liquid on Yin Yuan’s lips. By the time Qiu Junyao noticed it, it was too late.

 

Qiu Junyao quickly squatted down in front of Yin Yuan, pinching his chin with his fingertips, rudely attempting to wipe off the poison from his lips. But Yin Yuan was one step ahead, lifting his head first, giving Qiu Junyao a provocative look, and then curling his tongue, directly swallowing the poison.

 

Qiu Junyao: “………”

 

The warm tongue brushed against his fingertips, bringing a faint tingling sensation. Qiu Junyao was inadvertently stunned for a moment, then felt a sharp pain in his fingertips as Yin Yuan bit him forcefully. A stubborn and cold satisfaction appeared in Yin Yuan’s eyes, and he raised his voice so that everyone could hear him:

 

“According to the Grand Law, after a minister takes the initiative to die by suicide, the monarch cannot punish the minister’s family with the same crime.”

 

“Your Majesty,” he said, “since the guilty minister has already committed suicide, I beg you not to harm my family!”

 

After speaking, he broke free from the guards’ restraints, banged his head heavily on the ground, and blood immediately flowed from his forehead, looking somewhat shocking. Then he raised his voice again:

 

“Please, Your Majesty, according to the law, do not harm my family!”

 

Hearing Yin Yuan’s pleading, Qiu Junyao reluctantly withdrew his hand, and was helped up by the sensible Lai Fu.

 

A chair was quickly placed behind Qiu Junyao, and he sat down, taking the bowl of medicinal soup handed over by Lai Fu, then looked at Yin Yuan kneeling in front of him with a complicated expression of joy and anger.

 

“It seems that you are really determined to die, and you don’t even want to plead with me.”

 

“If I plead, will Your Majesty be lenient?”

 

Yin Yuan immediately took advantage of the situation, raised his head, took a few steps forward on his knees, leaned in front of Qiu Junyao, raised his head, his eyes shining brightly, tears in his eyes, looking very pitiful:

 

“Your Majesty is wise and virtuous. What the minister did today was just a moment of confusion, and has nothing to do with my family. Now that the guilty woman has taken the poison and admitted her guilt, I beg Your Majesty not to vent your anger on my family.”

 

“……..” Qiu Junyao looked down at Yin Yuan, pinched his chin, and sneered:

 

“You’re good at bargaining with me.”

 

“I dare not.” Yin Yuan obediently pressed his face into the palm of Qiu Junyao’s hand, sobbing:

 

“It’s just that I’m unfortunate and unable to serve Your Majesty anymore. But my father has been in charge of the Patrol Camp’s military power for over ten years, and although he hasn’t made any achievements, he has also suffered hardships. And my grandfather was once a prominent minister in three dynasties. Although he has already passed away, his students are spread all over the world, and many ministers in the court are also students of my grandfather. If Your Majesty kills them, it will surely chill the heart of your subject.”

 

Qiu Junyao: “…….”

 

Wow, this guy is confessing on the surface, but he’s actually threatening me, isn’t he?

 

Qiu Junyao had followed the rules for almost twenty years, and his heart was always soft. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stopped Yin Yuan just now.

 

He didn’t have any malicious intentions, but he wouldn’t allow anyone to bully him. With a cold sneer, he said:

 

“You’re not wrong about that…….”

 

At the moment when Yin Yuan’s eyes brightened, he changed the subject with a leisurely tone:

 

“But who made me a foolish monarch?”

 

He said, “If a foolish monarch doesn’t do what a foolish monarch should do, wouldn’t it be a disgrace to this title?”

 

Yin Yuan: “……..”

 

He tightened the fingertips he had placed on Qiu Junyao’s knee abruptly. In those few seconds, he almost couldn’t hold back the ugly expression on his face, and even the pretentious posture of feigned tears and sorrow became unsustainable.

 

“Heh.” Seeing that Yin Yuan couldn’t keep up the act anymore, Qiu Junyao finally regained some composure.

 

He leaned close to Yin Yuan’s ear and whispered another sentence that was like a bolt from the blue for Yin Yuan:

 

“In fact, that bottle of poison you had, was secretly replaced by someone I sent. What you drank just now was not poison at all, just ordinary water.”

 

Qiu Junyao smiled and said to Yin Yuan, whose pupils trembled instantly:

 

“How about it? You’re allowed to buy people to spy on me, but I’m not allowed to win over your trusted palace maids?”

 

With this statement, Yin Yuan could no longer hold on, and collapsed to the ground.

 

His face was covered in cold sweat, and his heart was beating so fast that it was almost racing at 180 miles per hour, as he gasped heavily.

 

If he didn’t “commit suicide” on the spot, it meant that in the future, Qiu Junyao could arbitrarily accuse him and his family of plotting to kill the king.

 

What should he do?!

 

Yin Yuan was almost desperate.

 

Looking at Yin Yuan’s pale face, Qiu Junyao remained silent.

 

He glanced at Lai Fu, who immediately understood, and made a gesture for the guards to come forward and take away the trembling palace maids.

 

The crowd retreated like a tide, and soon, there were only Yin Yuan and Qiu Junyao left in the Hall of Fragrant Delights.

 

Qiu Junyao stared at Yin Yuan, who was collapsed on the ground, and remained silent for a moment. Then, suddenly, he reached out and pulled Yin Yuan close to him.

 

He was weak, sitting on the chair all along, and this action forced Yin Yuan to sit on his lap.

 

Yin Yuan leaned against Qiu Junyao’s chest, not understanding what Qiu Junyao wanted to do—

 

But now, it didn’t matter what this foolish monarch wanted to do.

 

Yin Yuan thought.

 

Even if Qiu Junyao wanted to perform some intimate gesture with him here, he couldn’t stop it.

 

After all, the leverage was all in Qiu Junyao’s hands, and he had no choice but to comply, without any means to resist.

 

But to his surprise, Qiu Junyao didn’t touch him.

 

The monarch, who was usually cool and arrogant in front of others, was now taking out a handkerchief and carefully wiping the cold sweat on Yin Yuan’s forehead and neck, as well as the blood oozing from the wound on his forehead.

 

Feeling the cool touch on his forehead and neck, Yin Yuan was somewhat surprised. He looked at Qiu Junyao’s handsome and calm face, and the doubts in his heart slowly surfaced, not knowing what game Qiu Junyao was playing.

 

He cautiously remained silent, and after a while, he heard Qiu Junyao speak in a calm tone:

 

“Get up when your legs regain strength.”

 

He said, “You’re quite heavy.”

 

Yin Yuan: “……..”

 

He instinctively tried to get up, but the fear just now left him in a state of extreme confusion. He barely managed to stand up with the support of the armrests, but his weak legs trembled again, and he fell back into Qiu Junyao’s arms.

 

Qiu Junyao: “……..”

 

He looked at Yin Yuan, whose face was red with embarrassment, almost steaming, and jokingly said:

 

“You should have thrown yourself into my arms like this earlier.”

 

In order to save his own life, Qiu Junyao had also put in a lot of effort into playing the role of a foolish monarch, raising his eyebrows and smiling:

 

“Maybe I just coveted your beauty and spared you.”

 

“…If Your Majesty can spare me and my family like this, I’m willing to do as Your Majesty wishes.”

 

Yin Yuan had always been adaptable, so he took off his outer robe without hesitation. Like a snake, he slithered onto Qiu Junyao’s chest, his pale fingertips sliding from Qiu Junyao’s nose to his lips, with a teasing ambiguity. Then he gently lifted Qiu Junyao’s chin, gazing into his eyes:

 

“Your Majesty, are you satisfied with what I’m doing?”

 

Admittedly, Yin Yuan was indeed a beauty. Even in such a chaotic and disheveled state, he was extremely attractive, like a fairy newly descended into the mortal world. His eyes were both pure and slightly seductive, no wonder those princes in the original story were all enchanted by him, but—

 

Qiu Junyao never fell for the ploy of teasing and seduction.

 

He appeared gentle on the surface, but deep down, he had the mischievousness typical of an eighteen-year-old—but even with his outward sharpness, there was still a hint of tenderness, not repelling anyone.

 

He lowered his eyes slightly, his dark eyelashes lifting and falling as he stared at Yin Yuan’s red lips for a moment. Then, he leaned in, and in that moment, the distance between them tightened instantly, and their lips almost touched.

 

As their warm breaths intertwined, the surrounding temperature seemed to rise as if boiling. Yin Yuan froze, staring at their lips that were about to meet but ultimately didn’t, feeling a tingling sensation like an electric shock running from his spine to his brain, almost making his scalp explode:

 

“Come on.”

 

Qiu Junyao’s gaze remained on Yin Yuan’s lips, unabashedly, “If you have the guts, then kiss me.”

 

Yin Yuan: “……..”

 

Seeing Qiu Junyao’s indifferent expression, Yin Yuan gritted his teeth, his fingertips trembling slightly as he slowly placed his hand on Qiu Junyao’s shoulder.

 

Still, Qiu Junyao didn’t move, squinting his eyes as if allowing Yin Yuan to do as he pleased.

 

Yin Yuan had no choice but to reluctantly maintain a calm appearance, slowly pressing down his upper body and gently pushing Qiu Junyao onto the back of the chair.

 

“There, as Your Majesty wishes.”

 

The next moment, Yin Yuan closed his eyes, as if resigned to fate, and kissed him fiercely.

 

In an instant, his lips covered a warm skin.

 

Yin Yuan’s heart sank heavily, and he abruptly opened his eyes, but the next moment, he met Qiu Junyao’s indifferent gaze—

 

And the palm of his right hand that was pressing on his lips.

 

“Enough, you look like you’re being tortured.” Qiu Junyao was just teasing Yin Yuan. He exerted a slight force with his palm, pushing Yin Yuan away, and said in a low voice:

 

“Get down.”

 

Yin Yuan hadn’t recovered from the emotional rollercoaster, and his body slipped to the ground, kneeling on the floor. He couldn’t bear the overwhelming emotions anymore and cried out:

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

“I didn’t intend to kill you.” Taking a look at the silent tears on the carpet, Qiu Junyao sighed, deciding not to give Yin Yuan any more lessons:

 

“If I wanted to kill you, why would I swap out that bottle of poison?”

 

“Thank you for Your Majesty’s mercy.” Yin Yuan felt a sense of relief as if he had survived a disaster, crying with restraint, his shoulders trembling. Unable to bear it, Qiu Junyao pulled him into his arms, patting his shoulders like comforting a child:

 

“Alright, alright.”

 

He said, “You’re already an adult, why are you crying?”

 

He almost died at Yin Yuan’s hands, and he didn’t even cry.

 

But at this moment, Yin Yuan unexpectedly admitted truthfully, lowering his head to reveal his fair and slender neck, saying, “I am already over eighteen.”

 

Qiu Junyao narrowly swallowed the words “I’m also eighteen” and sighed, lifting Yin Yuan’s chin and scratching it like teasing a cat:

 

“Since you’re already eighteen, you should be able to understand human language.”

 

He said, “Today, sparing your life is not an act of kindness, but rather, I need to make a deal with you.”

 

Having regained his life, Yin Yuan was already overflowing with gratitude. Upon hearing this, he immediately knelt down and bowed, ready to obey:

 

“But Your Majesty’s command, I shall follow.”

 

“I have three requests. Whether you are willing in your heart or not, you must fulfill them for me.” Qiu Junyao raised three fingers:

 

“But after the matter is done, I will offer you a reward you cannot refuse.”

 

Yin Yuan was taken aback:

 

“What reward?”

 

“The reward is… granting you freedom, no longer confining you within this deep palace.”

 

Qiu Junyao spoke slowly, “How about it?”

 

Yin Yuan lowered his eyelids slowly, concealing the fluctuations in his eyes, still not revealing his thoughts.

 

After a moment, Yin Yuan clasped his hands together, his expression serious, and performed a gesture of allegiance to Qiu Junyao, rather than the customary bow of a concubine:

 

“Your Majesty… I will obey your command.”