30

Gu Fang thought he had already been calm enough. He had always been calm.

Whether it was the corrupt former Minister of the Ministry of Revenue dying in front of him, or the National Duke’s mansion, secretly colluding with the former crown prince’s faction, turning into a bloodbath in front of him, he remained indifferent.

Life and death, parting and separation, he had seen enough of them and had long become accustomed to them.

During the two or three years of estrangement from Jing Xuan, he often felt that life, spanning a hundred years, was nothing more than this. Living wasn’t impossible, and dying wasn’t a big deal.

When he realized that the emotions he yearned for were destined to be hopeless in this life, he had become like an ancient well, filled with the fallen leaves of late autumn, covered with the white snow of winter, quietly rotting and withering away in a place where no one cared.

He thought he would continue this way until death arrived.

Everyone else thought he would go on living with his composure and indifference, until he reached the highest position in the world.

But even he didn’t expect it. No one expected it. All the strong and false facade of peace could be shattered by such a simple sentence, causing him to collapse completely, unprepared.

The hand that Gu Fang had been lightly patting on Jing Xuan’s back froze in mid-air, and his heart was filled with endless pain and overwhelming desire, surging uncontrollably.

The pain was so intense that he could barely breathe, not knowing what he should do next.

Jing Xuan, however, seemed still deeply trapped in a dream, half-awake, burying himself deeply into his neck, his tears wetting his collar, his lips brushing lightly across his skin as he whispered, “Uncle, my chest hurts, it’s like burning, it’s like ants gnawing at me.”

Gu Fang knew this pain, it was the pain of the gu acting up.

At first, he was puzzled. If the curse could be relieved with sex, then why did it bind them so deeply, making Jiang Yue believe that he was controlling Jing Xuan with this curse?

After all, loyalty was a rare thing in this world.

Later, under interrogation, Liu Chou'er confessed that this gu not only binds physical desires, but more importantly, when amplifying the laziness and desire of the cursed person, it also causes the cursed person to be affected by the emotions of the one who can break the curse.

In other words, as long as Gu Fang became emotional, whether or not there was desire, the gu inside Jing Xuan would awaken and act up.

But he didn’t dare let Liu Chou'er tell Jing Xuan this, because he feared that once Jing Xuan knew, then all his thoughts and actions would have no place to hide.

Most of the time, he was able to control his thoughts well. Even if he occasionally had impure intentions, he could suppress them quickly, not allowing Jing Xuan to suffer too much. But at this moment, he truly didn’t know how to suppress the overwhelming pain and love in his heart, nor how to remain composed when the boy he cherished most, with tears streaming down his face, threw himself into his arms, speaking of his longing for him.

Because how could he not miss Jing Xuan? How could he not yearn for that boy who occupied his thoughts?

So, he gently tilted Jing Xuan’s chin and softly reassured, “It’s okay, Uncle’s here. It’ll stop hurting soon.”

Under the influence of the gu and his constant nightmares, Jing Xuan couldn’t distinguish between reality and dream. Relying solely on his instincts deep within, he looked at Gu Fang, blinking drowsily, and innocently asked, “Really?”

“Hmm, really. When has Uncle ever lied to you about something serious?”

Gu Fang felt like a despicable person. He should be Jing Xuan’s elder and mentor, but when he looked into Jing Xuan’s trusting, clear eyes, all he could think of was taking him for himself.

He closed his eyes, lowered his head, and gently kissed away the tears from Jing Xuan’s eyelashes, the tear stains on his cheeks, and then softly nipped at his plump, red lips.

Jing Xuan gasped in pain, and instinctively, his body wrapped around Gu Fang’s neck.

The collapsed bed turned into a sunken bird’s nest.

Like a fledgling, he nuzzled with his nose and lips on Gu Fang’s body, searching for the comforting scent and feeling of safety.

The closer he pressed to Gu Fang, the less the burning pain in his body became. He had never been one to act out in front of Gu Fang, but now his need for physical contact had become more greedy.

Gu Fang indulged his greed. They embraced and lay down together, Gu Fang’s hand soothing every restless inch of Jing Xuan’s skin, until it finally reached a certain spot.

Jing Xuan let out a muffled groan, biting Gu Fang, his last conscious thought slurring, “No.”

Gu Fang, however, gripped his jaw, forcing him to lift his head and said, “Don’t be afraid. It’ll stop soon. And this is a dream, anything can happen.”

He then kissed Jing Xuan’s lips, gently slipping his tongue inside, teasing and circling, but never touching the most sensitive spots, leading Jing Xuan to clutch his neck desperately, urgently but clumsily trying to respond.

Gu Fang’s hands moved fast and slow, sometimes teasing with the rough pad of his thumb across the sensitive spots.

Jing Xuan could only move his hips wildly, as if making clumsy pleas.

The more Jing Xuan struggled, the more Gu Fang’s heart became twisted with desire. He whispered, “Say it again.”

Jing Xuan, breathless, could only respond in a daze, “Say what?”

“Say you miss me.”

That night, Jing Xuan didn’t know how many times he said he missed Gu Fang, nor did he know how many times he angrily bit Gu Fang, and he never understood that Gu Fang could control every inch of his body.

He only knew that by the time he fell asleep in Gu Fang’s embrace, he had unknowingly passed the first, most brilliant threshold.

Exhausted, he fell into a peaceful sleep in Gu Fang’s arms.

Gu Fang, however, watched the sleeping boy in his arms, his heart filled with longing, wishing the morning would come slower, just a little slower.

Or even if it came earlier, it would be fine. The conditions were limited, and Jing Xuan refused to let go. He couldn’t take charge of him.

He simply wanted to see how the little Emperor would react when he woke up, finding himself in Gu Fang’s embrace, and how he would respond to the situation.

Gu Fang thought about it for a moment, then couldn’t help but smile.

Jing Xuan’s reaction truly did not disappoint him. After waking up, he was completely dazed.

It was the kind of dazedness that came from within.

First, he looked down at the dirty stains on his clothes, then glanced at the tattered underwear beside him, then at Gu Fang’s hand, and finally looked at Gu Fang, asking blankly, “Last night wasn’t a dream?”

Gu Fang, however, had already washed up early in the morning, changed into a pale blue long robe commonly worn by merchants, and neatly tied his hair. He was sitting by the side, cooling the tangyuan for Jing Xuan, looking like an upright gentleman.

In the meantime, he even took the time to wash Jing Xuan’s face, clean his mouth, speaking with a calm and proper tone.

“I don’t know what kind of dream you had last night, Your Majesty. You kept calling my name and seemed to be in pain, like you were suffering. I was worried it was the love curse acting up, fearing it would harm your body. So, in the end, I just did what I had to as your subject.”

Gu Fang’s words sounded like the truth.

But on another note, those words, from a different perspective, were indeed true.

Jing Xuan, still dazed, sat in the collapsed nest of blankets, his hair disheveled, looking even more confused.

A dream?

That seemed right.

Calling Gu Fang’s name?

That seemed to have happened.

Cuddling with Gu Fang and feeling distressed?

He vaguely remembered something like that.

So, when he forced Gu Fang to help him with that thing, did that mean...?

Damn!

How could he be so terrible!

Before, Gu Fang had done this and that to him because of the curse, because he had no choice, but now it wasn’t even the full moon night, and he had forced Gu Fang into doing that.

He had gone too far!

Gu Fang, though he was a bit of a rascal, a bit of a flirt, was always pure and had never been that kind of person with strong desires. For him to sully Gu Fang like this was really too much.

A wave of guilt suddenly flooded Jing Xuan’s heart. He stammered, “Well, um, last night I was probably haunted by the nightmare demon and did some unforgivable foolish things. Don’t take it to heart. After all, we’re both grown men, and well, you didn’t lose anything, so...”

“How didn’t I lose anything?” Gu Fang picked up a plump, round tangyuan and gently blew on it. “Last night, I worked hard, my hands were sore, and I was just waiting for you to say ‘It's fine,’ so I could finally sleep, only  for you to be so untrustworthy.”

Jing Xuan: “???”

Fuck?!

He widened his eyes and desperately tried to recall, but it was unclear if it was true or not.

Then Gu Fang popped that tangyuan into his mouth and said, “So, indeed, I am a subject who fulfills his duties. As the highest of the land, the Emperor, not keeping promises is nothing new, so what can I do?”

“Who didn’t keep their promise!”

If there was anyone in the world who knew how to use reverse psychology, it was Jing Xuan. He could never accept being criticized for a lack of credibility.

“I am the emperor, the one above all, the son of heaven, my words are like law, what I owe you this time, I will surely repay in the future!”

He almost shouted this out with all his passion, without realizing what it truly meant.

Gu Fang didn’t give him a chance to respond and calmly popped another tangyuan into his mouth, “You’re the one who keeps your word, not surprising for someone who is the role model for millions. But what exactly did you dream of last night to call my name with such distress?”

What dream?

Jing Xuan, chewing on the tangyuan, furrowed his brows as he tried to recall.

First, he dreamed of when he was a child in Youzhou, with his parents and Xue Jishu, visiting the ice market on Taizi River.

Then, he argued with Xue Qingshu about whom he would marry when he grew up.

After that, he returned to Chang'an, now all alone. He couldn’t find Gu Fang and became anxious, nearly crying. He heard Gu Fang calling his name, turned around, and found him.

He was overjoyed and ran toward Gu Fang, but Gu Fang died.

Gu Fang had been shot with an arrow and fell off a cliff.

It was a premonitory dream!

Though there wasn’t solid evidence, it felt like one! An intuitive premonition.

Jing Xuan suddenly widened his eyes and quickly stood up, hurriedly packing his things. “We’re not going, we’re not going to Yizhou. We’re going back to the palace, we’re never going to Yizhou again.”

He suddenly became panic-stricken without reason, causing Gu Fang to firmly grip his wrist and use his strength to calm Jing Xuan down. He asked, “What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing,” Jing Xuan forced himself to stay calm and took a deep breath, but his hands didn’t stop moving. “It’s just that I don’t want to go. Yizhou is hard and the journey is long, I can’t bear the hardship, so I’m not going, and you’re not allowed to go either.”

He tried to appear calm and convincing, but his entire body trembled uncontrollably, his hands shaking so badly that he could barely even lift his pants.

Something must have happened.

Gu Fang grabbed his shoulder, forcibly turning him to face him. He spoke in a stern and controlled tone, “Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance to the country. Please trust your subject.”

“I trust you, how could I not trust you? If I didn’t trust you, I’d have sent you to Yizhou to die!”

Jing Xuan finally couldn’t hold back anymore, his eyes turning red.

He had doubted Gu Fang, resented him, and even hated him, but he had never truly wished for Gu Fang’s death.

What truly drove him to despair and collapse wasn’t seeing Gu Fang being killed in the premonitory dream, but the fact that even though he had foreseen it, he didn’t know what to do about it.

He feared that everything would end up like the incident with the love gu, his efforts would only push things toward the outcome he dreaded.

If that happened, he would hate himself for the rest of his life.

He could never watch Gu Fang die before his eyes. Even if he had to tie him up, bind him, and imprison him, he would never let Gu Fang die.

“From now on, you’re not allowed to leave Chang'an, not even a step!”

Jing Xuan’s voice was unreasonable and hysterical, and the tears started to fall from the corner of his eyes again, a big tear that splashed on the ground and shattered into pieces, leaving no trace.

Gu Fang looked at his expression, seemingly understanding something.

He asked, “Your Majesty, did you have a nightmare, afraid that the things in the dream will come true again?”

Jing Xuan was stunned.

Gu Fang sighed silently in his heart and gently wiped the tear stain from his eye. “I understand, Your Majesty must still have many things and secrets hidden in your heart that you don’t want or dare to tell me. I hold no resentment, and I will not ask. I just want to say, you can trust me.”

“I once had a dream in which I shared love and affection with you. When I woke up, I intentionally followed the course of the dream, and then the dream came true. At that time, I wondered, if I had acted contrary to the dream, would it have still turned out the same?”

“I don’t know but I do know one thing, no matter what, humans are destined to overcome fate. If we can’t distinguish the cause from the effect, then we must simply follow what we must do, love the ones we love, and trust the things we believe in. As long as my heart remains unchanged, what difference will the outcome make?”

“And please believe in me, Your Majesty. When I was young, I said I would protect you in this lifetime, and I have never broken my word. So, unless you give me permission, I will never leave you alone.”

“So, Your Majesty, do you trust fate or do you trust me?”

Does he trust fate, or does he trust Gu Fang?

Jing Xuan stood there, the cold wind howling outside, shaking the old window, the noise of people coming and going in the inn, along with the angry shouts and the smell of food from the breakfast stalls.

Jing Xuan heard the rough man from last night loudly telling the innkeeper that he had drunk five bowls of tofu pudding, and then quietly complaining that he couldn’t finish it.

The man, with a bad temper, ordered his scrawny companion to eat more, saying this was to care for widows and orphans in business, and businessmen should be generous and kind-hearted.

The innkeeper repeatedly thanked him.

Children laughed while shaking their clapper sticks.

Such a chaotic yet not too bad scene was the true everyday human life, the lives of the people he was destined to protect.

Even if the dream scene was destined to appear, he would never let that world-weary Prince Xiangding die and would never let Gu Fang, the one who had promised to protect him forever, leave him alone.

Because he didn’t trust fate, and he didn’t trust Gu Fang. But he trusted himself.

He took a deep breath, looked at Gu Fang, gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and said each word clearly, “Fine, but if you break your word, I’ll dig three feet into the ground to find your bones and crush them to dust, throw them into a chamber pot, and have people kick it a thousand times, so that in your next life, and the next, and the next, you can only be reborn as a dung beetle!”

What a vicious king.

Gu Fang couldn’t help but laugh lightly. “Alright, I promise, if I break my word, I’ll only be able to be a dung beetle for all eternity.”

Jing Xuan couldn’t be bothered with his teasing and didn’t want to joke with him. He put on a stern face, turned around, finished washing up, and put on a large silver fox fur cloak before heading downstairs.

Xie Buzi and Xue Qingshu were already waiting downstairs in a carriage.

To avoid suspicion, the people escorting the carriage weren’t from the Silver Crane Guard or the Golden Scales Guard, but a few of Xie Buzi’s servants.

Xie Buzi himself had changed into a purple satin gown with peonies pinned in his hair. He was heavily make-up, not in a flashy way, but enough to catch the eye. Though at first glance it was a bit hard to bear, after looking longer, there was a certain charm.

By contrast, Xue Qingshu, dressed as an ordinary scholar, looked like a kept boy beside him.

Normally, Jing Xuan would have teased them, but today, he was too distracted. He got into the carriage, his face dark, and didn’t say a word.

Gu Fang just sat beside him, focused on peeling walnuts and feeding them to him, saying nothing.

The carriage proceeded down the official road, and the atmosphere was so tense that even Xie Buzi didn’t dare to speak. He could only constantly glance at Xue Qingshu, who was engrossed in reading a book of sages, ignoring him completely.

Xie Buzi was nearly driven mad.

What on earth was wrong with these two? Why did they both look so gloomy, as if they had lost something?

And when it came time to settle the bill at the inn, they even made him pay for the broken bed. How did a perfectly fine bed collapse?

Then, the clothes the Prince Xiangding had worn yesterday, such expensive clothes were discarded without a second thought, and they weren’t even allowed to look at them when they were thrown out.

Even more strangely, there were inexplicable bite marks and red marks on the Prince Xiangding’s arms and body.

So...

Xie Buci suddenly woke up with a jolt, his eyes wide open, a look of heartache on his face: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, you are truly magnificent!"

"? "

Jing Xuan and Gu Fang both lifted their heads from their own thoughts.

Xie Buci, tearfully grateful, said, "I was still worrying earlier that you two often quarrel and bicker, and if, in a fit of anger, you refuse to act as a couple, it would be noticed, and everything we have done would be in vain. I never expected that, in order to solidify your identities, you two would go so far as to sacrifice yourselves to such an extent. Common people like me, common people like me are truly ashamed!"

Xie Buci was so moved that tears nearly spilled from his eyes.

Jing Xuan: "??"

What?!

Xue Qingshu, a step ahead of them voiced the same confusion: "What did they sacrifice?"

Xie Buci, frustrated at his ignorance, said, "You really have to ask this? Of course, they sacrificed their noble and magnificent bodies!"

Xue Qingshu's eyes widened: "???"

Jing Xuan's eyes grew even wider: "???"

No!

Who sacrificed their noble and magnificent inner body?!

Jing Xuan was really speechless. Was it so hard to think properly for a moment without this happening?

However, before he had the chance to speak out in refutation, the carriage suddenly stopped with a "whoo" sound.

The family servant driving the carriage called out: "Miss, Young Master, Second Young Master, Second Young Mistress, we are about to leave the capital, the military officers ahead are conducting routine checks!"

Jing Xuan immediately forgot everything else, putting on a hood and leaning timidly into Gu Fang's arms, coughing softly twice.

At the same time, the carriage curtain was lifted from the outside.

Sitting at the outermost edge, Xie Buzi was surprisingly calm. Not only was he not anxious, but he even sent a flirtatious glance toward the inspecting officers.

The officers' hearts skipped a beat, and they quickly averted their gaze. Fortunately, the person beside Xie Buzi was a scholarly-looking gentleman.

Xue Qingshu respectfully performed a juren salute, and the officers hurriedly returned the salute with similar respect, before shifting their gaze toward Gu Fang and Jing Xuan.

Gu Fang had already disguised himself, with a fake beard stuck on his lips, and the bite marks on his collar were even more obvious, but there was no unusual sign.

It was only the lady in his arms that appeared much taller than most women, her posture somewhat affected and coy, and she was covering her face to avoid being seen.

The officer inspecting them couldn't help but frown: "Are you two really husband and wife?"

Jing Xuan's heart jumped in alarm. Could it be a body search?

Luckily, in the next moment, a playful voice came from the back of the carriage: "Officer, don't worry, they are truly a married couple. Just last night, they stayed beside me. The couple tossed and turned all night, and the bed collapsed. In the morning, they had to get more water. I’m afraid that if you conduct a body search, you’ll only find things that’ll hurt your eyes. It’s better to let them pass quickly, so as not to waste your time."

"Ah, it’s Zhao Laoliu!" The officer lowered the curtain of the carriage and called out to the back, "You’re just worried about wasting your own time. Are you transporting some seasonal fruits again?"

"Of course! If we don't make it to the next city before nightfall, it’ll be a huge loss. I hope you’ll be lenient, officer."

As everyone knew, once a body search was required, it would take quite some time, which is why Zhao Laoliu was in such a rush.

It seemed that a heavy bag of silver had been offered, and the officer laughed: "Fine, you’ve always been honest, and there are no issues with your papers, so I won’t delay you. Go ahead!"

The carriage wheels began to turn, and the horses slowly moved away from the checkpoint.

Jing Xuan finally let out a sigh of relief.

That was close.

He hadn’t expected that the actions from the previous night had truly worked, and that Gu Fang had not been lying to him.

Jing Xuan, feeling greatly relieved, sat up straight, took off his hood, and looked up.

Then he saw two pairs of eyes staring directly at him.

Xie Buci seemed to be grinning: "Tossed all night."

Xue Qingshu looked as if he had seen a ghost: "Destroyed the bed."

Xie Buci clicked his tongue: "Truly magnificent."

Xue Qingshu looking like a corpse, said: "You’ve committed an immoral act."

Xie Buci looked extremely satisfied: "Who initiated it?"

Xue Qingshu resembling a dead man, said: "Damn"

Jing Xuan: "...."

How should he explain this?

In despair, he turned to look at Gu Fang.

Gu Fang handed him a handful of walnuts: "Madam, please replenish your energy."

💖 Friendly Update 💖

Hey everyone! So, this book is up to chapter 31, but I won’t be translating chapter 31 because of some issues. You can read it over on Jinjiang. Thank you so much for your understanding!

The author mentioned the novel will be recontinued in about 3 or 4 months, but I won’t be translating any future updates. If anyone is interested in picking it up, feel free to reach out! Just please don’t copy my translations from chapters 1 to 30. I’d really appreciate it if you could start from chapter 31 and continue from there once the chapters get updated.

The reason I’m dropping this is that translating will take time since the author is on sick leave, and I’m worried I won’t be able to keep up with updates. Thanks again for your support!

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