After the Corrupt Official Was Coveted by the New Emperor - Chapter 12

Qi Zhaoxuan grasped his arm, pulling him back. The distance between them closed once more, and a cold, dark fragrance swirled around the tip of Ji Rong’s nose. It was only then that Ji Rong realized even though his own body was stained with the same incense, Qi Zhaoxuan’s scent was far heavier.

Ji Rong remained silent.

“If the Imperial Preceptor does not wish to answer, let us change the question. Why is the Imperial Preceptor in a bad mood today?”

Ji Rong did not want to answer at all. Just because Qi Zhaoxuan offered two choices did not mean he had to pick one. Despite thinking this, he said listlessly, “Didn’t your guards tell you what happened yesterday?”

“I wish to hear it from the Imperial Preceptor’s own lips.”

Oh. Then keep waiting.

Ji Rong stopped talking. By the time they reached the banquet, everyone else had already arrived. Even through the veiled hat, Ji Rong could feel Fan Qing’s intense gaze. He glanced toward that direction with his peripheral vision, wanting to give Fan Qing a warning look to make him settle down, but the veil blocked his line of sight; he simply could not do it.

Fortunately, the Marquis of Ning’an noticed something was amiss and immediately delivered a punch to Fan Qing. Ji Rong raised an eyebrow. Well hit.

The moment they were seated, the officials below finished their greetings and looked up, only to see the two of them sitting together. The seat specially prepared for the Imperial Noble Consort had been taken away by Li Youde. The Emperor’s every minor action was in the spotlight, scrutinized by those below at all times, let alone a move as significant as removing a seat.

Are the Emperor and this Consort really that close? For a moment, this thought crossed everyone’s mind. Prince Duan, eagerly clutching his wine cup, observed this and began to scheme.

Ji Rong watched the crowd of familiar and unfamiliar former colleagues with boredom, selectively ignoring Fan Qing, who was currently getting on his nerves. He realized for the first time that the seat next to the Emperor offered such a wide, unobstructed view.

“This must be Her Ladyship, the Imperial Noble Consort. I offer a toast to Her Ladyship,” Prince Duan said with a fawning smile.

Ji Rong enjoyed drinking, but he did not want to drink with Prince Duan. He nudged Qi Zhaoxuan beside him with his elbow. Qi Zhaoxuan said coldly, “The Consort has a low tolerance for alcohol.”

Prince Duan’s movements stiffened. He had not expected Qi Zhaoxuan to be so blunt and gave an awkward smile.

“It has been nearly ten days. When will this be resolved?”

Ji Rong’s question was vague, but Qi Zhaoxuan understood. “Things are being finalized.”

“What leverage did you catch him on?” Ji Rong suddenly became interested.

“The salt certificates.”

Hearing this, Ji Rong lost interest. He had already discovered problems with the salt certificates before, but the late Emperor wanted to protect his brother, so Ji Rong could do nothing. Prince Duan had always been a useless man who lined his own pockets, assuming everyone else in the world was just like him. Even the singing and dancing at the banquet were orchestrated with ulterior motives.

The dancers at the feast were all exceptionally beautiful. Prince Duan dropped subtle and overt hints on the side, but Qi Zhaoxuan ignored them entirely. Ji Rong watched Prince Duan’s expression with amusement and teased, “Your Majesty, you truly are a man of steadfast character.”

Qi Zhaoxuan glanced at Ji Rong and said with a half-smile, “Doesn’t my dear Consort understand that best of all?”

Ji Rong suddenly choked on his fruit wine. The memories of his dream resurfaced, and he coughed several times.

“Would you like some grapes?”

Seeing Ji Rong choke, Qi Zhaoxuan stopped teasing him. Without waiting for a response, he reached for the fruit plate on the table and carefully peeled a grape. He then reached under the veil, feeding the translucent grape to Ji Rong’s lips. The grape pressed against his lips, bringing a cold, crisp sensation. Ji Rong took a bite.

For the next while, Qi Zhaoxuan peeled while Ji Rong simply enjoyed the fruits of his labor. This continued until Qi Zhaoxuan had peeled every grape on the plate.

“Do you want more?” Qi Zhaoxuan asked.

Ji Rong waved his hand. “No more.”

Qi Zhaoxuan looked somewhat regretful. He had already eaten dinner before coming to the banquet; he only ate the grapes because someone was peeling them. Qi Zhaoxuan wiped his fingers with a damp cloth and looked up to meet the eyes of the ministers below. The latter were visibly stunned and quickly looked away.

Ji Rong, watching from the side: “…”

Fortunately, he had the veiled hat. Only now did he realize how bizarre it was for an Emperor to spend so much time peeling grapes for a Consort. Usually, it was the Consort peeling for the Emperor. He was truly turning the natural order upside down.

He thought for a moment and then said, “I want more grapes.”

Qi Zhaoxuan did not ask why he wanted more so soon; he simply had Li Youde bring another plate and began peeling and feeding them again. As the grapes burst with juice in his mouth, Ji Rong felt unexpectedly more comfortable watching the ministers’ hesitant reactions.

“Your Majesty, having been in Jiangnan for so many years, I often recall the leisure time I spent in the capital,” Prince Duan suddenly began to reminisce. “I used to play Cuju with my Royal Brother. I remember Your Majesty was only just over ten years old at the time.”

Ji Rong raised an eyebrow. Does he know he cannot escape the salt certificate issue and is now playing the emotional card?

Prince Duan and the late Emperor did not have a good relationship; he did not even know that the late Emperor disliked Qi Zhaoxuan, the Crown Prince. As expected, Qi Zhaoxuan ignored Prince Duan, leaving him to perform his monologue alone.

Prince Duan talked for about fifteen minutes. Seeing Qi Zhaoxuan remain silent, a flash of malice crossed his eyes, but he quickly smiled and said, “My Princess Consort heard that Your Majesty took Her Ladyship to the Yunyan Workshop recently. She has specially prepared some fine silk garments, gold and jade jewelry. Would Her Ladyship do us the honor of taking a look?”

Prince Duan spoke to Ji Rong, but to his surprise, Qi Zhaoxuan showed interest and told him to present them. Ji Rong did not want to look at all, but Qi Zhaoxuan gave him no time to refuse. He could only watch as the maids presented dozens of skirts before his eyes.

“Imperial Uncle is very thoughtful,” Qi Zhaoxuan said with a hint of a smile in his voice. “My dear Consort loves these things.”

Ji Rong: “…” Slander.

Looking at Fan Qing’s twitching lips below, he felt his life was truly bitter. Qi Zhaoxuan dismissed the palace servants with the clothes and then whispered softly in Ji Rong’s ear, “Does my dear Consort not like them?”

Among the countless times he had been called “dear Consort,” Ji Rong had already become immune to the title. He said expressionlessly, “Too gaudy.”

Qi Zhaoxuan chuckled deeply. Ji Rong, who was already exhausted in body and mind, felt his spirit wane even further after this night. Qi Zhaoxuan noticed Ji Rong’s look of resignation and had a sudden moment of kindness, leading him to leave the banquet early.

But Ji Rong did not want Qi Zhaoxuan’s kindness at all. Being alone with Qi Zhaoxuan was worse than sitting bored at the banquet. In the empty sleeping quarters, the candlelight was dim. Ji Rong had already removed his veiled hat and was lying back in a chair, desperately covering his head with a blanket.

He really did not want to see Qi Zhaoxuan at all! Ji Rong’s mind had been a mess all day, and every time he saw Qi Zhaoxuan, he became even more annoyed. He could not pinpoint exactly what was bothering him, but he was just annoyed.

The blanket was stifling. Ji Rong pulled it down, exposing his nose and mouth. Qi Zhaoxuan was not in the sleeping quarters right now, and it was not early. If he could fall asleep before Qi Zhaoxuan returned, couldn’t he avoid being alone with him?

He sat up with a start, quickly washed up, and climbed into bed. He was not sleepy; though he had yawned a few times, he kept tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. After turning over once more, Ji Rong heard the door open, followed by footsteps gradually approaching him. He rolled to the inner side of the bed, facing away from the outside, and closed his eyes.

The footsteps stopped by the bed, and then there was no more movement. The hall was quiet, and Ji Rong could only hear his own breathing. Ji Rong knew martial arts, so he was naturally aware that he could not hide his fake sleep from Qi Zhaoxuan. However, he did not turn around and simply continued to lie there quietly.

“Imperial Preceptor,” Qi Zhaoxuan suddenly spoke.

As he spoke, Ji Rong felt the bed behind him sink slightly; Qi Zhaoxuan had climbed up. Ji Rong’s body was stiff, his nerves tense. He still could not get used to sharing a bed with Qi Zhaoxuan.

After calling out once, Qi Zhaoxuan did not speak again, seemingly having no intention of exposing Ji Rong’s act. The cold, dark fragrance floated before Ji Rong’s nose. Combined with the fruit wine he had drunk at the banquet, the sleepiness that he could not summon earlier suddenly appeared, and Ji Rong drifted into a deep sleep without realizing it.

The candlelight flickered dimly. Qi Zhaoxuan opened his eyes. His gaze shone with gloom and surged with desire, his dark eyes fixed intently on that back. Imperial Preceptor.

Qi Zhaoxuan’s gaze was glued to Ji Rong, greed and impulse appearing unabashedly on his face. His throat moved slightly. He reached out with a large hand, encircling the waist of the person before him, and then pulled them closer with a firm tug.

The person in deep sleep had a serene face. Qi Zhaoxuan looked down, placing his finger on Ji Rong’s lower lip. Ji Rong’s mouth was slightly open, and soft breaths escaped from between his lips. The warmth brushed against Qi Zhaoxuan’s hand as he stroked the corner of Ji Rong’s mouth, staining the delicate white skin with red marks.

He raised his hand to brush against Ji Rong’s eyelashes. The sleeping man seemed annoyed by the movement, and his brow furrowed unconsciously. Qi Zhaoxuan licked Ji Rong’s earlobe. It was slightly cool, and after being held in his mouth, it shrank back. Qi Zhaoxuan knew when to stop and did not wake him.

He was a mischievous villain, taking advantage of his beloved’s deep sleep to brazenly do things he dared not do during the day. He teased him until he was on the verge of waking, then withdrew his hand to wait for a while, only to start again once he was fast asleep. It was a repetitive and quite interesting cycle.

Outsiders always spoke ill of Ji Rong, saying he was wicked and devoid of conscience. Outsiders also said that he, the Emperor, was wise and benevolent, a man of high virtue and integrity, a righteous gentleman.

But Qi Zhaoxuan knew very well that Ji Rong was not a bad person, and he himself was not a good one. Perhaps the bloodline of the royal family was destined to produce no normal people. The first Emperor of the Yu Dynasty was cruel and disregarded human life. Every generation followed suit; if they were not tyrannical, they were obsessed with sensual pleasures.

The late Emperor was debauched, and Prince Duan was violent and self-indulgent. Naturally, he was no good either. Qi Zhaoxuan had always known he was obsessed; he had to be the only one who could touch the things he loved, and no one else could lay a finger on them.

When he was young, his favorite parrot was borrowed by a favored prince to play with. He walked indifferently to his younger brother’s side and stabbed the parrot to death with a dagger right in front of him. Blood splattered over both of them. While the palace servants screamed and protected the younger brother, he threw the blood-stained dagger to the ground and left, covered in blood.

He knew the late Emperor did not like him, and he had no desire to fawn for his favor. He knew this position would eventually fall into his hands. His obsession was deeply rooted in every part of his being. It was Ji Rong who had to barge into his world; it was Ji Rong himself who had made him set his sights on him.

If Ji Rong had not been good to him, if Ji Rong had not cared so much for him, if Ji Rong had not protected him overtly and covertly, then none of this would exist now. So he had done nothing wrong, Qi Zhaoxuan thought darkly. It was all Ji Rong’s fault for making him fall so deep that he could not escape. He only wanted the Imperial Preceptor alone, so he took this position for which he was not virtuous enough and disguised himself as a good man.

He wanted to legally and rightfully imprison the Imperial Preceptor. He wanted himself to be the only person by Ji Rong’s side.