Chapter 233 SIDE STORY 5: What Do You Mean By Twice?

Even though Xiao YuAn said those words in a certain way, Yan HeQing really didn’t understand the hidden meaning behind them.

Seeing that Yan HeQing was still in a daze, Xiao YuAn pointed to the last piece of sugar cake in the food box and asked: “Is it delicious?”

Yan HeQing nodded his head.

“Do you still want to eat it?”

Yan HeQing nodded again.

Then, Xiao YuAn picked up the sugar cake, held it in his mouth, and bent his eyes to look at Yan HeQing.

Xiao YuAn’s eyes were bright, overflowing with unrestrained pride, while his face was practically screaming: ‘Come and eat me’.

The moonlight entering through the window, as well as the little candle light illuminating the silent inner room, looked tantalizing all of a sudden.

At this point, even the most foolish person would understand what Xiao YuAn was trying to imply.

Yan HeQing greedily put Xiao YuAn’s clever gaze and stored it into the bottom of his own eyes. Then, he leaned over to approach Xiao YuAn.

Xiao YuAn smiled cheekily as he tilted his head back to avoid Yan HeQing’s approach, only to bite the sugar cake himself. After chewing twice and swallowing it into his stomach, Xiao YuAn opened his mouth and showed it to Yan HeQing. With a trace of provocation, he said: “There’s no more.”

The corners of Xiao YuAn’s mouth were still stained with crumbs of the pastry, while the tip of his tongue looked slightly red because he had to swallow in a hurry.

The moonlight that broke through the window into the inner room, also broke into Yan HeQing’s eyes, shattering the calmness in his eyes into pieces.

Yan HeQing’s left hand was behind Xiao YuAn’s head, while his right hand was wrapped around Xiao YuAn’s waist as he kissed Xiao YuAn fiercely.

“Mmm….” Xiao YuAn couldn’t help, but hum lightly.

It was as if Yan HeQing was trying to snatch away the nonexistent sugar cake from his mouth, so Xiao YuAn’s voice carried a sobbing tone that couldn’t be restrained. Even though his words were intermittent, it was evident that he was questioning Yan HeQing. But the sweetness of his words were too much to be true: “Y-yo-you, weren’t you sick not long ago?!”

‘How can you be brimming with energy?!’

“Mm-hmm.” Yan HeQing licked Xiao YuAn’s earlobe as he whispered: “Because of that, I’ll only do it twice tonight.”

Xiao YuAn: “….”

Early next morning, although Yan HeQing gently got up from the bed, Xiao YuAn still woke up. Still in a daze, he shouted: “Yan-ge? Are you going to the Morning Court?”

“Mm-hmm.” Yan HeQing hugged Xiao YuAn through the quilt and soothingly kissed him on the forehead.

Xiao YuAn replied with an ‘oh’ as he hugged the quilt and fell asleep again.

When Xiao YuAn woke up again, it was already mid morning.

When Tian Xiang saw that Xiao YuAn was finally awake, she brought him a clear porridge for breakfast.

Just when Xiao YuAn was about to stretch his back, and lift the quilt off the bed, he suddenly found a memorial beside his pillow. Xiao YuAn thought that it must be the one Yan HeQing was reading last night, and that he must have forgotten to bring it to the Court in the early morning.

Xiao YuAn opened the memorial. After all, if it was an important matter, he must send it to Yan HeQing.

What he saw written in the memorial was: ‘There’s a disaster in Langcheng. Sand springs are bursting everywhere. Cracks and ditches are opening up, thousands of houses are collapsing. Ten thousand people are injured. There is an urgent need for the Capital to transfer food and medicine.’

“An… earthquake? Langcheng….?” Xiao YuAn touched his chin.

‘This place sounds familiar.’

‘It seems….’

‘It seems to be the town next to Taoyuan Village!’

Xiao YuAn was just thinking about it, when he suddenly heard Tian Xiang whisper beside him: “The Emperor is back.”

When Xiao YuAn looked up, he saw Yan HeQing approaching the bed while untying his cloak. There was still a bit of snow piled on his shoulders, as if he hadn’t had the time to shake it off, because he was in a hurry.

Tian Xiang took the big cloak from Yan HeQing’s hands, bowed, and withdrew from the Imperial Bedchamber.

Xiao YuAn smiled: “Yan-ge, you came back so early today.”

Yan HeQing asked: “Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”

Xiao YuAn shook his head as he patted his chest, producing a slight ‘thump’ sound: “We’re an old married couple! How would I get discomfort? I’m very strong! Cough…. Strong….”

Yan HeQing hurriedly stopped Xiao YuAn from patting his own chest any further.

“Right! Yan-ge, I just saw this….” Xiao YuAn picked up the memorial that was beside his pillow, and said: ”Have you decided who will deliver the food and medicine?”

Yan HeQing nodded: “Chen Ge.”

Xiao YuAn asked again: “When will he leave?”

Yan HeQing said: “Today at noon.”

“Oh….” Xiao YuAn was slightly stunned: “So soon?”

“Disaster relief can’t be delayed. Why?” Yan HeQing could see that Xiao YuAn had something on his mind.

“I….” Xiao YuAn hesitated for a long time, before he could say: “I want to go with you.”

Yan HeQing paused. As his eyes fell on the memorial, he almost immediately understood what Xiao YuAn wanted to do.

Taoyuan Village was near Langcheng, and Xiao YuAn wanted to go back to Taoyuan Village to have a look.

Yan HeQing took the memorial in Xiao YuAn’s hand, and covered it with his sleeve. Then he looked up at Xiao YuAn to slowly say: “Do you remember the Imperial Examination System that was established not long ago?”

Xiao YuAn thought: ‘Of course I remember, that’s the reform I proposed myself.’

In the past, the Southern Yan Kingdom had a Nine-Rank System1, and most of the Official positions were hereditary. Due to this, there were a lot of lazy Officials who didn’t work like they should, giving Yan HeQing too many headaches. Xiao YuAn proposed to reform the Imperial Examination System, so that children from poor families could also climb through the ranks of the Imperial Court.

After seeing Xiao YuAn nodding his head, Yan HeQing continued: “The Imperial Examination System has offended the interest of some High Officials’ sons, and the reform is encountering some difficulties. Because of that, I can’t leave the Capital for the moment, and I can’t accompany you to Taoyuan Village.”

Xiao YuAn: “Oh….”

Since Xiao YuAn transmigrated for the second time, the two of them had never been separated. Although Yan HeQing never spoke about that year he spent waiting for Xiao YuAn to return, Xiao YuAn had still heard about it from others.

For a while, everything was normal. Yan HeQing ate the same three meals a day, and discussed the same old politics of the Court. Even the passing of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter was the same.

Suddenly, one day, Yan HeQing knocked over the wooden box beside his pillow, and the white jade hairpin, as well as the red tassel flute, fell to the ground. Even though it was such a trivial matter, it drove Yan HeQing to madness. He cried in despair to the point of collapsing.

When looking at this world filled with bitterness and tragedy, it turns out that both of them couldn’t escape the words ‘to be parted in life and separated by death’.

After Xiao YuAn came back, in addition to going to Court, Yan HeQing was never apart from Xiao YuAn. Since he was afraid of Xiao YuAn being a product of his own imagination.

That if Yan HeQing were to wake up from the dream one day, he would find his side empty again.

Xiao YuAn understood what was on Yan HeQing’s mind, which was why he was never annoyed with his closeness, and even tried his best to bring Yan HeQing comfort.

”
”
Over time, Yan HeQing stopped being overly possessive of Xiao YuAn.

Still, the two of them were never separated over an extended period of time. Now, if Xiao YuAn were to go to deliver the disaster relief, the trip would take several months, and Yan HeQing can’t leave the Capital….

“Oh…. I understand, I understand….” Xiao YuAn suppressed the lamentation in the bottom of his eyes and smiled.

Yan HeQing, who stared closely at Xiao YuAn, suddenly reached out to grab Xiao YuAn’s hand. As Yan HeQing held it gently, he said: “The trip will take a few months, and because I can’t accompany you, you’ll have to take good care of yourself.”

After hearing this, Xiao YuAn was stunned for a long time before he could mutter: “Yan, Yan-ge? You…. are you willing to let me go?”

Yan HeQing said: “I’m not willing. But your heart has been longing for Taoyuan Village for a long time. How can I not let you go visit?”

Xiao YuAn suddenly exhaled a long breath.

‘I really underestimated Yan-ge, didn’t I?’

In Xiao YuAn’s eyes, Yan HeQing always looked like someone who’s deeply in love, which made Xiao YuAn think that Yan HeQing wouldn’t be able to live without him.

‘But, how could he not be able to?’

‘The man who was buried under the remains of bloody corpses, and who was once humiliated by his enemies. He, who came out of a Country enveloped in the flames of war, and climbed step by step to the throne. That’s Yan HeQing.’

‘Moreover, Yan HeQing’s love for me has never restricted me, nor has it felt like a prison.’

Then, Yan HeQing insisted on advising: “The trip is long and the road is bumpy. Make sure to not hurt yourself.”

Knowing that he would be able to go to Taoyuan Village, Xiao YuAn was already rejoicing with happiness. So he promised Yan HeQing: “Don’t worry! I will absolutely not get hurt!!”

“Mm.” Yan HeQing nodded: “I’ll send an Imperial Edict to Chen Ge.”

Half an hour later, Chen Ge received the Imperial Edict. When the young soldier next to him asked what was the matter, Chen Ge simply said that he would go to Langcheng to deliver disaster relief… together with the Empress.

The young soldier immediately howled: “Oh no, General Chen has such a bad fate! If the Empress were to get hurt, the Emperor will kill you as soon as you come back!”