Yan Guan was forced to stay in Cheng'en Hall by Chao Ge. This man, who had tasted love for the first time, wished he could be with Yan Guan every moment. He would frequently pull him over for a kiss, or leave marks on his neck and shoulders.
Yan Guan was still young and inexperienced, and he was often kissed until he felt dizzy and breathless. When he couldn't bear it anymore, he would push Chao Ge away, muttering that he didn’t want it anymore.
Chao Ge shamelessly responded, "Kiss a little more, and you'll get used to it."
At night:
Chao Ge wandered around the sleeping chamber, restless at the thought of sleeping together. He reminded himself that it was too soon. After all, even Daxi knew that before marrying Cao Du, it was inappropriate to engage in intimate behavior. But he and Yan Guan couldn’t hold a wedding banquet. Having their names inscribed on the clan records, and in official history, was already the biggest concession of the Court. Even so, when word got out tomorrow, he would still face criticism.
Chao Ge paced back and forth, trying to figure out a solution.
Yan Guan, sleeping in the side hall, also had a restless night. Everything had happened so quickly, but it all seemed inevitable. In truth, he hadn't yet figured out what path to take next. However, since Chao Ge had already taken so many steps toward him, he thought it wouldn’t hurt to treat him a bit better.
The next day, as soon as Chao Ge woke up, a servant reported that several ministers were outside the hall requesting an audience.
Sighing, Chao Ge thought to himself, ‘No rest all year long. What is Chao Lun doing? He can't even stop them.’
Cai Dan led the group, kneeling with an unhappy expression. Clearly, he was dissatisfied with Chao Ge's actions the previous day. The next words out of his mouth were probably going to be to ask Chao Ge to take back his decision.
In their eyes, Yan Guan was a foreigner and an exiled slave, not to mention a man. No matter how skilled he was in medicine, or how many lives he saved, he was not worthy of being acknowledged in public. They simply didn’t want to bow down to him, clinging to their fragile pride and dignity.
Chao Ge stared coldly at them, not saying a word to let them rise, leaving them kneeling.
Chao Lun, who was handling political affairs in the front court, had deliberately allowed these people to come. He knew Chao Ge liked Yan Guan, but making Yan Guan a real member of the royal family was another matter entirely.
Chao Lun was different from Chao Ge. He had been raised as the rightful heir, and his sense of social hierarchy was deeply ingrained. Deep down, he didn't acknowledge Yan Guan's status. Besides, Yan Guan had once been his servant. Now, suddenly he was wang fei?
Before long, Chao Lun arrived.
"Big brother," Chao Lun greeted Chao Ge with a bow.
Chao Ge observed Chao Lun. Chao Lun’s reaction was expected, but Chao Ge didn’t care.
“Are you all free today? Have you finished handling your affairs, that you have time to meddle in mine?” His tone was quite rude.
"The elder already knows, so why don't you take a good look at the ancestral records? Yan Guan will not go through the formal title ceremony, nor will he receive royal salary. In terms of estates, power, wealth, and gold, who can compare with you? Is an honorary title worth kneeling for, so early in the morning? Why don’t you go and clean up Bulagan’s affairs if you have the time?”
Chao Ge was usually lenient, and rarely spoke so crudely, so they had forgotten what Chao Ge was like before he ascended the throne.
“With military power, He pacified the realm, and with literary virtue, He educated the land.” He was originally a prince wielding a sword on horseback, living on the borderlands. Someone who had survived the wars between the two nations of Liang and Xia, did they really expect him to be a mild-tempered person?
"If it’s just an empty title, why does the elder brother care so much and invite criticism?" Chao Lun interrupted from the side.
"This honorary title is to protect him from you all! Without written records or proof in the ancestral records, who knows what kind of filth would be thrown on Yan Guan a hundred years from now."
Everyone present suddenly lost their voice.
Chao Lun also felt awkward. What Chao Ge said was true—if Yan Guan had this "honorary title," it would formally legitimize his position, reducing baseless rumours in the future. However, doing so would also infringe upon the interests of many people.
Chao Ge had made up his mind. He had long said that he only wanted Yan Guan, and he would not let him suffer any grievances.
In the end, Chao Lun had to concede. “Since big brother is so determined, and Yan Guan has performed meritorious deeds in saving lives, as long as he doesn’t hold actual power and stays out of court politics in the future, then let it be.”
Chao Ge glanced at him and sneered, “As if anyone cares. Forget Yan Guan—after Bulagan's head is cut off, I’ll issue an edict to abdicate the throne and live freely.”
The expressions of everyone present changed. None of them had expected Chao Ge to speak so frankly. In fact, after Chao Ge had entrusted the handling of Bulagan's rebellion to Chao Lun, many courtiers had grown restless. They wondered what Chao Ge’s true intentions were—whether he was sincere, or if this was just the prelude to a lengthy power struggle.
Now that he had said it outright, it seemed he had no intention of vying for power. Otherwise, there would have been another bloodbath. For a moment, everyone felt a bit ashamed of their own suspicions.
Chao Ge noticed the change in their expressions, and his tone softened. “Throughout my life, I have owed nothing to the people and nothing to the court ministers. My conscience is clear. This is the one thing I am being selfish about. I hope you all will stop making things difficult.”
At this point, there was nothing more for them to say, and they retreated one by one.
Chao Ge sighed. The noble clans had always been intolerant of true feelings, constantly scheming against each other. He truly had had enough of it.
Yan Guan had woken up early. Hearing the sounds from outside and the quiet murmurs of the servants, he understood the general situation.
Before he could dwell on it for long, Chao Ge came in, followed by a group of servants carrying meal boxes.
“From now on, I’ll have every meal with you,” Chao Ge said, patting the seat beside him, signaling Yan Guan to sit down.
Yan Guan ate with great elegance, chewing slowly and carefully; a clear indication of the great effort his parents had put into his upbringing when they were still alive. Chao Ge, on the other hand, took only a couple of bites before his eyes glued onto Yan Guan’s face.
Yan Guan’s mind was a mess. The words of those ministers were still ringing in his ears. How could he be worthy of the painstaking efforts Chao Ge had taken for him?
Chao Ge noticed his unease and after some thought, he felt he needed to hurry to the summer resort. Staying in the palace would only give rise to more rumours. No matter what he did, as the ruler, it wouldn’t be enough to silence the critics.
At night, a servant brought up a candlestick to light the lamps.
Yan Guan sat on a soft cushion, reading a book, while Chao Ge lazily flipped through a few pages of memorials. They were all matters that Chao Lun and the others had already dealt with. He just glanced over them, and since there were no mistakes, he let them be. Now that he intended to relinquish power, there were some things he didn’t need to manage anymore.
The bedchamber was quiet. Yan Guan was fully immersed in his book, sitting upright with his back straight —like a well-educated young master from a family of scholars and poets.
Chao Ge's gaze followed the line of his spine, but after a few moments, his thoughts shifted.
Yan Guan was wearing a light blue long robe, and the dark green accents made the few inches of his exposed skin appear astonishingly pale. In the dim candlelight, his skin seemed to shimmer faintly with a delicate glow. The three-finger-wide belt tightly cinched his waist. Chao Ge dared not look further down.
“Stop reading. Save it for tomorrow, the dim light will hurt your eyes,” Chao Ge leaned forward and very naturally put his hand on the young master's waist. Yan Guan raised his head and glanced at the dozens of candles burning around him, but said nothing.
Seeing that Yan Guan didn’t resist, Chao Ge took the opportunity to pull him onto his lap. Yan Guan stiffened slightly, his chin resting awkwardly on Chao Ge’s shoulder. He raised his eyes and saw the bed with curtains not far away.
After nuzzling him for a while, Chao Ge bit the tip of Yan Guan’s ear, as if to punish him for being distracted.
Suddenly, Yan Guan wrapped his arms around Chao Ge's neck and turned his head to kiss the corner of Chao Ge’s mouth. It was inexperienced, but undeniably shocking.
The warm tip of Yan Guan’s tongue tentatively licked, igniting a fire in Chao Ge. In an instant, he exerted force, pressing the back of Yan Guan's head to deepen the kiss.
Yan Guan half-opened his mouth, letting Chao Ge to intertwine their tongues. Chao Ge’s actions lacked finesse, and his movements were so rough that it gave the impression that he was going to eat him.
But Yan Guan was too obedient. After Chao Ge finished ravaging his lips, he moved down to Yan Guan's neck, kissing and sucking along the way, leaving a trail of ambiguous marks like red plum blossoms in the snow.
Finally, Chao Ge let go of him, caressed Yan Guan's face, the lust in his eyes not concealed, and asked: "This morning, did you hear?"
Yan Guan didn’t speak, but his arms tightened around Chao Ge as he leaned in again for a kiss, a very explicit temptation.
Chao Ge dodged, suppressing his anger and questioned, "Is this a transaction?"
Hearing his tone, Yan Guan froze in place.
“I did all that, so you thought about how to repay me with your body, right?” he added, hardening his heart.
He really hated it so much, why couldn’t Yan Guan understand?
Yan Guan wanted to say that wasn’t the case, but Chao Ge had turned too aggressive now. He instinctively tried to turn away, but Chao Ge grabbed his chin, not allowing him to lower his head.
T/N: Just a head's up, but next chapter onwards the story is going from sweet to lemon. Though most of the raws I found are censored, there's still enough to veer into NFSW territory. I'm trying to get as much uncensored as I can, so thanks for your patience.
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