Seeing Li Gongzi leaving Ping An Palace with an expression of realization and holding the scroll, Ye Mao immediately turned around and ran into the emperor’s bedroom.

Jing Ye was leaning against the bed, still with the expression of “Go, I’ll let you go, no matter how painful my heart is, I’ll let you go as long as you’re happy”.

Ye Mao: “Your Majesty, Li Gongzi has left!”

The expression collapsed.

Ye Mao hurriedly stepped forward to help the emperor change into a more comfortable position: “Your Majesty’s performance was really good!”

“....” Jing Ye remained expressionless, “Zhen wants to wash my face.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Ye Gonggong turned around and had the maids bring water and towel, wring it dry, leaned over and wiped the emperor’s face carefully, “This servant notices that the eyes of Your Majesty are really a bit dull.”

Well, duh, was my transcribing without sleep all night for nothing?

Ye Mao continued wiping and asked, “Your Majesty, does your throat still hurt?”

“Cough, cough....” Jing Ye swallowed, his voice hoarse, “Slightly.”

Li Qing, if you come back again, Zhen would definitely give you the title of the “King of Black Food”, who had never come before or would ever come in the future, so that everyone in the world would understand that your cooking skills are even more powerful than your face.

The next day, the imperial decree to depose Li Gongzi was sent to Yaoguang Hall. There was also an addition to the emperor’s order: Because of Zhen’s serious illness, the government affairs are to be temporarily managed by the Minister of the Right who shall lead the cabinet, the vermillion ink to be replaced with blue.

When the emperor made this move, there was an uproar in the court and once again there was gossip to be discussed.

The attitude among the common people was still quite the same. They all sighed at how the jade-like gentleman Lord Tanhua refused to be afraid of using his death to oppose power (although it was the emperor who was poisoned), and finally ended up in a tragic situation of being exiled to a barren land, which only made many infatuated young ladies cry out of heartbreak.

The thoughts of the people in the court were much more varied. Some felt sorry for Li Tingqiu having the ability to serve the country but with no way to do so. Some scolded the incapable ruler but could do nothing. Some took into account the diligent administration of the emperor the past few days and faintly noticed something. There were also those sitting on pins and needles, afraid that their precious son/brother/nephew would be snatched by the emperor to fill the harem....

At dusk, in the western part of the capital.

“You can accompany a friend for a thousand kilometers, but eventually you will have to say farewell.” Gu Hong led the horse behind him and smiled, “The two of them wanted to come to see you off, but after all, they shouldn’t be too ostentatious, so they did not come.”

“I understand.”

Li Tingqiu lowered his eyes, turned around and stepped on the carriage, but then suddenly stopped: “Ruoshui.”

“En?”

“He....what is he doing this for?”

“What do you say he is doing this for? Why bother with this anymore, you have escaped the cage.”

The young man was silent for a long time, and finally grabbed onto the wall of the carriage and boarded the carriage: “What Ruoshui said is very true.”

Gu Hong smiled slightly and watched as the carriage curtains were lowered and the wheels reeled, heading down the road to the southwest.

In the palace, Jing Ye could also be said to have relied on Li Tanhua’s blessing, and finally spent a few days living the life of an incapable ruler.

Life couldn’t be better at all.

If one could ignore some certain people.

After lunch at noon, Jing Ye ordered someone to put down the gauze curtain by the window and laid on the soft couch to read a memorial. Although there was no need for the emperor’s personal approval in vermillion ink, there were some things in the memorials that could not be ignored.

After reading for a while longer, His Majesty the Emperor, who was diligent in government and loves the people, yawned. After a while, he yawned again, then a third, a fourth, and a fifth time....

Then he fell asleep.

The burning ambergris in the jade cauldron slowly floated into the air. The afternoon breeze evoking good dreams.

Ye Gonggong was serving outside, and seeing this situation, he instructed the little eunuch beside him: “Tell those palace maids to be quiet, His Majesty is asleep.”

“Ai, Teacher.”

As soon as the voice fell, a little palace maid hurried in, Ye Mao held the whisk and pointed at her: “Be quieter.”

“Gonggong, Lu Gongzi is here.”

“What?” Ye Gonggong startled, “Quick, go and tell the Gongzi that His Majesty is still asleep, change the time....”

“Change what time?” Lu Baizang walked in with a smile, carrying a wooden food box, followed by a few little eunuchs who wanted to stop but didn’t dare. “Ye Gonggong.”

Ye Mao: “....Lu Gongzi, His Majesty is still asleep.”

“Asleep?” Lu Baizang looked in, “His Majesty had just eaten lunch, right? Sleeping after a meal can lead to indigestion, which is not good for the dragon body. I will go and accompany His Majesty for a chat.” After he finished speaking, he raised the bead curtain and was about to enter.

“Ai, Lu Gongzi! His Majesty ordered....” Ye Mao hurried over to stop him, but a certain someone tripped him with his foot, causing him to fall to the ground. Fortunately, a fleece carpet was placed on it, so it didn’t hurt too much.

Lu Baizang chuckled lightly, then lifted the curtain and went in.

Lu Baizang walked quietly to the front of the couch. He saw the sun shining through the soft smoke-like gauze curtain to envelop the emperor in a hazy halo. His long feathered eyelashes occasionally trembled slightly, his thin lips were pursed, and he appeared more gentle when asleep.

Lu Baizang’s lips curved upwards, he bent down and rubbed the emperor’s gentle profile, and placed the food box on the small table beside the couch.

Unfortunately, the food box’s weight caused the memorials that were stacked so high to suddenly become unstable, and they all fell to the ground.

Jing Ye was awakened suddenly by the noise. His eyes adjusting to the sunlight, he turned his head and saw Lu Baizang.

Jing Ye: “F**k!”

“What did Your Majesty say?” The other raised his eyebrows and smiled.

“No, it’s nothing.” Jing Ye felt his eyes twitch and he sat up, “Why is qing here?”

“....” Lu Gongzi blinked and bit the folding fan again: “Your Majesty, twice.”

“What?”

“Twice Your Majesty sees this subject, and all you said is....” Lu Baizang looked aggrieved, “Why did qing come here? Your Majesty hates seeing this subject that much?”

Jing Ye: “....No, Zhen does not mean that.”

Lu Baizang squinted at him for a while, then smiled again: “This subject made some cakes for Your Majesty, could Your Majesty try it?”

Jing Ye: “....” He even knows how to make cakes.

“These are all ones that this subject newly came up with. Your Majesty will definitely like them.” Lu Baizang leaned over and smiled.

Really? Jing Ye became a little interested, and lowered his head silently, only to see that after the exquisite box lid was lifted, on the luxurious and beautiful agate plate, lay a snow-white chubby steamed bun.

But steamed buns won’t have a tail that curls, and a belly that shrinks and stretches!

Lu Baizang: “!”

Jing Ye raised his head sincerely: “Qing, for now Zhen doesn’t want to eat raw pork.”

“....”

Lu Baizang showed exasperation on his face, and stretched out his hand to pick up the “steamed bun” that had curled into an ellipsoid shape: “A moment of carelessness let this little beast startle Your Majesty.”

“Your pet?” Jing Ye couldn’t help laughing. The little guy was lying in the young man’s flat, jade-like palm, flicking its pretty ears from time to time, “Lu Qing has quite the leisurely interest.”

Lu Baizang looked at the emperor’s expression with clear eyes.

When the emperor forced him to enter the palace, he had his attendants throw Lu Huihui into the wasteland when he was off guard, and he was even more disgusted with cats and dogs. A palace maid once raised a stray cat in her room and after being caught by him, it was seized and burned alive in front of the palace gate.

But the person in front of him had smiling eyes. Seeing Lu Huihui open its eyes and sniffing around, he stretched out his right hand with palm flat and the little suckling pig immediately jumped up onto it with short stubby legs.

Jing Ye rubbed its snow-white fluff: it felt so soft, the meat must be good.

....When faced with the question of how to deal with the cute pet Lu Huihui, the former and current emperor undoubtedly maintained an astonishing consistency. It was a pity that the little stupid pig didn’t feel the murderous intent around it at all, still wagging its tail and trying its best to burrow into the embrace that emitted the sweet fragrance of honey pastry and incense.

The emperor poked its round head and smiled softly. Because he had just taken a nap, his hair was not as meticulous as usual, the strands were scattered, his robes were not neat, there was also a sleepy look in his eyes, and his movements were slightly slower than usual, looking rather indolent.

Lu Baizang’s eyes darkened, and he said, “Your Majesty.”

“En?”

The young man smiled slightly, leaned over closer to the emperor’s temples, picked up Lu Huihui with one hand and tossed it behind him. The little piglet landed on the small table accurately, and then with the momentum of “not defeating the Loulan, we shall not return”, plunged into the pile of cakes prepared by the palace servants for the emperor.

“Your Majesty....” The young man’s scent tightly enveloped him, and Jing Ye’s right hand shook: Why was there such a strong flavor of erotica again....

“Why does Your Majesty only look at it, is it better looking than this subject?”

Jing Ye: “....” You have high aspirations, comparing your beauty with that of a pig.

—————

In the afternoon, the ice cubes in the copper basin radiated cold air, the mist rising up into the air, mixed with the scent of ambergris, and gradually filled the entire bedroom.

Outside of the bead curtain, Ye Mao and the palace servants had already retired wisely. The hall was silent, echoing the ambiguous moist sounds that made people blush and feel warm all over.

When he was so aroused that his guard lowered, Lu Baizang unwittingly slowly let go of the clamped wrists in his hand, slipping his left hand between the other’s legs, and alternately caressed with light and heavy pressure.

He was just gently biting and kissing the emperor’s flexible waist when he noticed a hand groping over and gently touching his face: “Lu Qing....”

When the emperor called with a voice that was slightly hoarse, it seemed to be full of affection, which was quite captivating.

Lu Baizang reached out and held it without thought: “Your Majesty....”

“Lu Qing.” Jing Ye called again in a hoarse voice, “Zhen wants to see you....”

Lu Baizang couldn’t help feeling his heartbeat taking a drum rhythm, and he subconsciously raised his head to meet the tearful eyes of the emperor.

Then....

“Thump!”

The third time.

Let’s wipe a tear for Lu Gongzi with Ye Gonggong.

“Your Majesty....” Lu Baizang simply propped up his right leg and leaned against the cool fleece carpet, but a certain part of his body was still so hot and swollen so he could only smile bitterly.

“Why are you so heartless to this subject?”

“If qing can keep your body chaste for three months.” Jing Ye closed the torn front of his robes, “Zhen will believe that you have feelings for Zhen.” (TN: by chaste I don’t think he is implying that Lu Baizang does it with other people, just stipulating that he must wait three months before they can take it any further)

“If qing has feelings for Zhen, then Zhen will not disappoint qing.”

Lu Baizang was surprised at first, then amused, and then the smile turned into a heavy gaze, “Your Majesty is so greedy.”

Jing Ye sorted out his clothes and sat at the small table: “Who in the world is not greedy? Are you not greedy?”