After the Corrupt Official Was Coveted by the New Emperor - Chapter 10

“I truly thought you were dead.”

Ji Rong did not know how to describe his current feelings. His chest felt heavy, and a sense of unease lingered. He twitched the corner of his mouth, forcing a faint laugh before speaking. “Try to wish for my well-being for once, would you?”

“It does not feel real,” Fan Qing said, swallowing a sob. “When I first heard you were stripped of your position as Prime Minister, I naively thought it was over. I thought you finally would not have to worry about trivial matters every day and could finally relax, sleep early, wake up early, and have three steady meals.”

“But then you vanished. I could not find you. The Prime Minister’s estate was sealed, so I could not enter. The former servants were all sold off, and your personal maid disappeared. I had no idea where you went.”

“Later, rumors began to spread that you were dead. I did not believe them. I ran to ask my father, but he only told me to leave it alone. What does ‘leave it alone’ mean? Did it mean there was still a chance? That is what I told myself because I refused to believe you were gone.”

“But more and more people said it. Everyone around me said it. So, I went to the mass graves outside the capital and searched through them all. I did not find you.”

Fan Qing murmured, “What they said grew more and more outrageous, painting you as an evildoer who committed every crime imaginable. But it was not like that. They took one small detail and magnified it infinitely.”

“Forget it. Let us not talk about these unpleasant things.”

Fan Qing looked up and wiped away his tears. “I did not find you in the mass graves. I was relieved, and it made me even more certain you were alive until that day in the teahouse when I saw you wearing the veiled hat.”

“The resemblance was too strong,” Fan Qing continued. “I thought, we have been friends for thirteen years; there is no way I would misidentify you.”

Fan Qing’s words were so numerous and rapid that they left one unsure of how to respond. Ji Rong did not know where to begin, so he picked a relatively safe point to reply. “Siyue is in the palace; she did not come out with us.”

“Who was asking you about that?” Fan Qing laughed through his tears.

“Brother, you will not disappear again, will you?” Fan Qing looked at him expectantly.

Ji Rong could not make such a guarantee, but clearly, comforting Fan Qing was more important at the moment. So, he said, “Mhm.”

Fan Qing seemed at ease.

“This rain fell at just the right time,” Fan Qing muttered.

Ji Rong was speechless. He begged to differ. This rain was not timely in the slightest.

“So, what is your situation now?” Fan Qing asked again. “A Noble Consort?”

Ji Rong realized that Fan Qing had a true talent for bringing up the exact topics one wished to avoid. He punched Fan Qing in the head again, then said with a smile, “Can you please shut your mouth?”

“Oh.”

Although Fan Qing stopped talking, his small eyes kept darting toward Ji Rong. He would glance at him, then look away in silence. After this happened several times, Ji Rong finally could not take it anymore. He turned to Fan Qing and asked, “Do you really want to know?”

Fan Qing nodded vigorously.

Ji Rong took a deep breath. Speaking at an extremely fast pace, he recounted everything that had happened recently in one go, including but not limited to Qi Zhaoxuan’s imprisonment of him, the confession, the fits of madness, being forced to wear women’s clothing, and the inexplicable title of Noble Consort.

Fan Qing was left stunned by the massive amount of information. Ji Rong, having vented it all, felt much better and his mood improved. Fan Qing struggled to digest it all. His mind wandered to God knows where, and he actually asked, “Then, does this not mean your feelings are mutual?”

Ji Rong snapped, “What exactly did I say, or what did I do in the past, that made you think I like him?”

Fan Qing said innocently, “I might be a bit of a fool, but I am not slow when it comes to feelings. It seems quite obvious.”

Ji Rong gave up on speaking to him. I like Qi Zhaoxuan? Ji Rong sneered in his heart. How could that be possible?

Fan Qing continued, “Besides, do I not know you? If there was really nothing to it, you would just treat it as a joke and let it go. You would not be having such a strong reaction like you are now.”

Ji Rong froze upon hearing this.

“Hey, the rain is letting up,” Fan Qing leaned against the window. “Is it time to go? Ji Rong, you are taking a carriage, right? Let me hitch a ride.”

Summer rains come and go quickly. In the time it took to have a conversation, the rain vanished, leaving only the puddles on the ground as proof it had been there. After leaving some silver and bidding the family farewell, Fan Qing brazenly squeezed into the carriage.

Once inside, Fan Qing was shocked. “Is this not a bit too luxurious? These cushions, this carpet, it is even inlaid with jewels!”

“Wait, that is not right,” Fan Qing realized something a bit late. “Everyone around you belongs to His Majesty, right? Then my meeting and recognizing you, will it not be known by His Majesty?!”

Ji Rong appeared preoccupied and replied casually, “Otherwise, why do you think this carriage is so nice?”

Fan Qing said soulfully, “I am finished. My father is going to scold me to death.”

Ji Rong was lost in thought, and Fan Qing was worried about being scolded. The carriage became unexpectedly quiet until it came to a halt. A palace servant lifted the curtain and said tactfully, “Your Grace, please put on your veiled hat.”

Ji Rong paused. He exchanged a look with the conflicted servant, then glanced at Fan Qing.

Fan Qing asked blankly, “What is wrong?”

“Stay in the carriage and do not come down. His Majesty is likely here.”

Though locking the stable door after the horse has bolted was somewhat futile, as Qi Zhaoxuan likely already knew Fan Qing was in the carriage, Ji Rong wanted to hide him if possible. If Qi Zhaoxuan could not be dared to care, it might save Ji Rong some trouble.

“Treat today as if it never happened. Keep your mouth shut, do you understand?” Ji Rong put on the veiled hat and waited until Fan Qing nodded before lightly hopping down from the carriage.

“Beloved Consort?”

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Ji Rong heard Qi Zhaoxuan’s voice. Then, a pale hand appeared before him. There were callouses on the fingertips and the webbing of the thumb, and an old scar remained on the index finger.

Feeling guilty, Ji Rong placed his hand in Qi Zhaoxuan’s. The warm palm gripped him tightly. Ji Rong was about to walk forward, but he was held in place by the firm grip.

“Beloved Consort,” Qi Zhaoxuan said softly, “we seem to be missing someone.”

As Qi Zhaoxuan’s voice fell, two guards jumped onto the carriage. After a brief commotion inside the cabin, Ji Rong saw Fan Qing being dragged down, grimacing in pain.

“Gentle, gentle! It hurts, hurts, hurts!”

Ji Rong closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against his hand, refusing to look. A black object fell from Fan Qing’s robes, landing with a crisp sound. A familiar pure black cover, the bookstore clerk’s dramatic introduction immediately echoed in his mind.

Alarm bells rang in Ji Rong’s heart. Is Fan Qing insane? Why would he bring that wretched book out while riding a horse?

Fan Qing clearly had not expected the item to fall out. His expression turned instantly catatonic. Li Youde was quick. Before Ji Rong could react, he picked up the black book and handed it to Qi Zhaoxuan.

Qi Zhaoxuan was about to let go of his hand, but Ji Rong grabbed it tightly.

Qi Zhaoxuan chuckled. “Is Beloved Consort so reluctant to let go?”

Ji Rong was silent. Fan Qing looked confused. Beloved Consort?!

Eventually, their hands parted. Qi Zhaoxuan flipped through a few pages of the black book. After a few glances, he raised an eyebrow and smiled. Ji Rong’s face remained paralyzed, his soul seemingly having left his body. He finally understood that what he needed to change now was his fate.

Qi Zhaoxuan said with a half-smile, “I did not expect Beloved Consort to enjoy reading such things as well.”

Ji Rong thought peacefully that he should not have stepped out of the house today. In the end, Qi Zhaoxuan did not do anything to Fan Qing. He only gave him a faint glance, tossed the black book aside, and led Ji Rong away. Qi Zhaoxuan’s dark pupils were devoid of emotion, seemingly bottomless, yet they inspired an inexplicable, chilling fear.

Fan Qing could not help but shudder. He stood frozen on the spot for a long time before coming to his senses. The black book lay on the ground; Fan Qing picked it up, patted off the dust, and wandered back to his courtyard.

The moment he entered, the Marquis of Ning’an rushed toward him and smacked him hard on the head.

Fan Qing yelled, “What was that for? Father, why are you hitting me too!”

“I told you to stay in the courtyard and not run around. Why did you go out again?” The Marquis of Ning’an frowned, then added, “Too? Who else hit you?”

Fan Qing did not know how to explain and stammered, “No one.”

The Marquis of Ning’an grumbled, “Whoever hit you, you deserved it. With your temperament, it would be strange if you were not hit.”

“But do you not like him?”

I like him? What kind of joke is this? I like Qi Zhaoxuan? How is that possible?

“Was it not you, the one who claimed to have ignored him for years, yet secretly sent people to protect him and occasionally sneaked to the Eastern Palace to see if he was doing well?”

I sent people secretly to protect him because the Late Emperor disliked him; I did it because I feared he would die. I sneaked over to observe because I was afraid my subordinates were being two-faced. And what do you mean “sneaked”? I went to the Eastern Palace openly and rightfully; I just did not let anyone notice.

“I have known you for so many years. Do you think that as a bystander, I cannot tell if you like him or not?”

Tell what? What is there to tell? Fan Qing knows nothing but nonsense every single day.

I like Qi Zhaoxuan?

“What is Imperial Father thinking about?”

Fan Qing’s words were still echoing in Ji Rong’s head when Qi Zhaoxuan’s sudden question startled him. Ji Rong composed himself and replied dismissively, “Nothing.”

The clothes Ji Rong had been wearing were still damp. Siyue had prepared clean clothes and retreated, leaving the two of them alone in the bedchamber once again.

“Imperial Father,” Qi Zhaoxuan embraced him, his hands undoing the sash at Ji Rong’s waist. He whispered softly in his ear, “Let me undress Imperial Father.”

They were only inches apart. Qi Zhaoxuan leaned in slightly, their noses nearly touching, their warm breaths mingling. At such close proximity, Ji Rong’s vision was filled with Qi Zhaoxuan’s magnified face. His veiled hat had long been removed. Ji Rong looked at Qi Zhaoxuan calmly, but his internal state was far from composed; a great wave had already been stirred within him.

Why had he not noticed before? Qi Zhaoxuan was indeed quite handsome. A high bridge of the nose, sharp brows like distant mountains, sword-like eyebrows extending toward the temples, and thin lips always curved in an indiscernible arc. His eyes were a deep, fathomless black, yet sharp like those of a hawk. An imperial majesty seemed innate to him, often making people afraid to look him in the eye.

Ji Rong held his breath. Setting aside what he thought of Fan Qing’s words, Ji Rong was now thinking of something else. He thought of the night Qi Zhaoxuan had accidentally “misfired.” He had been shocked by Qi Zhaoxuan’s reaction, but for some reason, his own body had also felt a stir of restlessness.

Ji Rong frowned slightly. At the time, he simply thought it was because he had not had a release in a long time. But now he felt a sense of realization. It seemed he had been deceiving himself all along, selectively choosing to forget the abnormality of his own body when the two of them embraced that night. He chose to forget that night because he was afraid to face it.

But what exactly was he afraid to face? Was it Qi Zhaoxuan’s burning desire, or was it his own body’s inexplicable response? Or perhaps it was both.

But why would he find it hard to face? Ji Rong licked his lips. The sash at his waist fell to the floor, and his outer garment slid down. He no longer had the capacity to worry about the pair of restless hands wandering around his waist.

The answer should be obvious. All the explanations were merely lies he told himself. And the fact was, it seemed he really heartened to Qi Zhaoxuan.

The thought flashed for an instant and was quickly suppressed. Ji Rong denied it immediately.

Impossible. He could not possibly like Qi Zhaoxuan.