The General Was Pregnant with the Emperor's Child - Chapter 10

Arriving at the military camp alongside the imperial chef were several carts of grain and fodder. The chef, who had rarely traveled long distances, was forced to act as a grain escort officer. Ye Wuyou, feeling quite apologetic, arranged for him to stay in a private tent to rest.

After thinking it over, Ye Wuyou also respectfully invited the military doctor into the chef’s tent.

Ye Wuyou had indeed lacked an appetite recently, and the chef’s arrival was perfectly timed. As the saying goes, to keep the stomach happy, one must first keep the one wielding the ladle happy; he couldn’t let the chef sent by His Majesty from thousands of miles away get worn out or injured.

Fine cuisine is heavily dependent on the chef’s mood!

Thus, after Yang Shen finished handling the grain affairs, he was also invited into the chef’s tent. The military doctor, the chef, and Yang Shen sat together, staring at each other. Yang Shen, showing no shyness, immediately began discussing newly learned medical prescriptions with the doctor. The chef, listening in a daze, soon fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.

The arrival of the chef and the imperial grain, coupled with His Majesty’s handwritten letter of consolation, made Xiao Yun’an’s high-profile actions quite embarrassing for Ye Wuyou. Flushing, he clutched the bundle the chef had handed him and retreated to his own tent.

With this, the rumors that the General was a leftover from the Late Emperor’s reign destined for a purge were instantly shattered. Everyone could see that General Ye was deeply favored by the current Emperor this level of doting was truly over the top.

Because General Ye was favored, the soldiers under his command also benefited. With the arrival of the Emperor’s rewards, the spirits of the troops in the Ye camp soared as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

Early the next morning, before the sun had fully risen, the sounds of training in the camp were full of vigor. The imperial chef, sporting two dark circles under his eyes, followed at the very end of the line with a bewildered expression, waving a rice ladle up, down, left, and right alongside Uncle Zhang.

Wait? Before he came, His Majesty never said a chef had to train with the army!!!

“Your Majesty, news has come from the border; the chef has entered the camp.” Gao Su held the latest message from the carrier pigeon, his face wrinkling with a wide smile. “I heard that General Ye was exceptionally happy and even ate several extra bowls of rice.”

Busy with state affairs by day and exhausted from dealing with the “Flower Thief” by night, Xiao Yun’an’s complexion had not been good lately. Now, hearing news of Ye Wuyou, he slowly unfurled his knit brows.

“He’s already the commander of three armies, yet he acts like a child when he’s happy—not steady at all.” Xiao Yun’an put down the latest military intelligence. That night raid had intimidated the Luren tribes; the Northern Barbarians had behaved for a month, but the season for offering tribute to the Jing Dynasty was approaching. Ye Wuyou suspected the Northern Barbarians would make new moves in the next two months.

“Forgive this old servant’s talkative tongue, but General Ye has been fighting abroad for many years. However, technically, he has only just reached the age of majority. Before Your Majesty, he appears somewhat restrained, but he is actually the same as he was back in the Eastern Palace.” Gao Su stepped forward to refill Xiao Yun’an’s tea. Ye Wuyou had been by Xiao Yun’an’s side since he was twelve; he had essentially grown up under Gao Su’s watch. When talking about him, Gao Su’s words couldn’t help but carry a hint of fatherly affection. “He needs Your Majesty to look after him.”

When Gao Su mentioned their time in the Eastern Palace, Xiao Yun’an also smiled. Back then, Ye was a little “mischievous monkey,” jumping all over the place; even with his martial arts skills, it took a lot of effort to catch him.

But soon, Xiao Yun’an’s smile vanished. His most recent erotic dream flashed into his mind, reminding him of the beastly, shameless things he had done to the young hawk he had raised personally… Xiao Yun’an’s heart felt tight. He had developed feelings for Ye Wuyou that he shouldn’t have, and now they were all bottled up in his chest, making him feel stifled and bloated.

An Emperor’s private love Xiao Yun’an didn’t dare press it upon Ye Wuyou, fearing he would break the young hawk’s newly filled wings. At seventeen, he had gritted his teeth and sent the naive Ye Wuyou who couldn’t distinguish between love and admiration into the army. Now, he could also grit his teeth and cut himself off.

Xiao Yun’an was an Emperor; he was suspicious, cynical, and heartless. The moment he sat on the dragon throne, he entered the curse of a “Solitary Man.” He knew what kind of creature he truly was. If he didn’t send Ye Wuyou away, his inner desire for control and possession would inevitably lock Ye Wuyou in a cage.

Ye Wuyou was the sun in the sky. In just five years, he had made the Northern Barbarians fear to invade at will, and Khan Moise was willing to bow his head and call himself a subject. Ye Mian should be the blade thrust into the Northern Barbarians, not someone trapped in the inner palace because of his sordid thoughts.

He wanted him, but he could only think about it, using those shameful dreams for a bit of solace.

Xiao Yun’an irritably set down his teacup and asked, “How is the investigation into the Flower Thief going?”

In his mind, the Flower Thief and Ye Wuyou’s face were constantly interchanging, eventually manifesting as the rich scent of Cold Plum pheromones (Xinxing) etched into his brain. He had already begun dreaming of a Cold Plum-scented Ye Wuyou; if this continued, he would eventually be driven into a delusion and treat Ye Wuyou as a Kun (Omega) to be confined in the harem.

“The Court of Judicial Review said a few days ago they had a lead, but there are still several suspicious points to investigate. I will go press them again later.” At the mention of the Flower Thief, Gao Su broke into a nervous sweat, his knees going soft as he knelt on the ground.

It wasn’t just “several suspicious points”… every piece of evidence pointed directly to General Ye. Yet His Majesty insisted he had been abducted by a Flower Thief and not General Ye.

The jade pendant pendant His Majesty provided had a tiny “Ye” character carved inside when disassembled; Gao Su recognized it as Ye Wuyou’s handwriting… but the Kun identity didn’t match the General. Furthermore, when His Majesty was targeted by the thief, the General had already been gone from the capital for many days. If His Majesty wasn’t deliberately protecting him, then someone was surely setting a trap to frame the General… A small “Flower Thief” case was now shrouded in mystery. It was hard!

Already knowing this would be the result, Xiao Yun’an didn’t even lift his eyes as he continued handling state affairs. “Hmph. Once the thief is caught, there is no need to send word to the Northern border.”

Gao Su: “Yes…” Maybe I should ask anyway.

The bold “thief” Ye Wuyou was currently happily spreading the Emperor’s inner robes across his bed. The residual pheromones on them had been thinned by the long journey, but it was better than nothing.

Strangely enough, after meeting “Xiao-lang” in his dream last night, the intense craving for pheromones he’d felt for the past half-month suddenly vanished. He felt it was because of the dream, but in the first half of the month, he had also frequently dreamed of being intimate with His Majesty.

He had originally planned to consult the military doctor, but now that he felt better, he tossed the thought to the back of his mind and focused on smoothing out his new “bedding.”

A temporary marking only lasted three months. One month had already passed, and the clothes His Majesty sent would be enough to get him through the remaining two.

The doctor said the pheromone levels in his body were now no different from an ordinary Kun. Once the marking faded, if he took a few more pills, wouldn’t he be able to last another three months?

Ye Wuyou’s thoughts were beautiful. He stripped off his clothes and lay among Xiao Yun’an’s robes, finally smelling the authentic scent of Green Bamboo. His eyes gradually grew misty, and as he sank into sleep again, he instinctively cradled his lower abdomen and curled into a ball.

Tonight’s dream was rare as it didn’t feature Xiao Yun’an. Ye Wuyou walked along, sighing and moaning in a performative way, lamenting that he couldn’t meet his “Xiao-lang.”

He was walking amidst a sea of mist. It was so thick that after only a short walk, the moisture had dampened the hem of his robe. He couldn’t see clearly and couldn’t recognize where he was.

“Strange, what kind of place have I dreamed myself into? Is this still the mortal realm?” Ye Wuyou murmured, curiosity driving him forward.

After a short while, the mist began to fade. The moisture was still heavy; the damp air was so thick it gave the illusion of choking on water. Ye Wuyou knit his brows and covered his nose, coughing lightly twice.

The surrounding water vapor seemed to hesitate for a moment before suddenly being pulled away. A burst of seven-colored clouds broke through the mist like a prank, appearing suddenly before him. Ye Wuyou leaned out, but suddenly his foot slipped, and he fell into a small pond.

Everything went silent again.

Ye Wuyou’s lower body was submerged in the pond, his trousers and hem clinging to his legs, completely soaked by the pool water. Instead of being annoyed or anxious, he let out a laugh and sat right down into the gradually warming pool, letting the water cover his waist and abdomen. The small pond he had fallen into was surrounded by towering Wutong trees. In the distance, the cries of phoenixes could be heard, and something seemed to be spiraling and swimming in the depths of the pond.

His recent dreams had been so pleasant; he had actually wandered into a fairyland.

After Ye Wuyou entered the water, the small pond instantly turned into a modest hot spring with white jade walls. The bottom of the pool was extravagantly covered in shimmering shell fragments with the luster of mermaid scales.

Tsk, if only His Majesty were here too. Lingering in a hot spring would surely have a different flavor.

Perhaps having overheard his inner thoughts, the small thing spiraling at the bottom of the pool gave a dissatisfied flick of its tail. The hot spring turned back into a cold pond, and something suddenly surged out from the depths, catching Ye Wuyou and soaring straight toward the sky.

“Crap! Aaaaaahhhhh!!!!!” Ye Wuyou screamed at the top of his lungs, his face turning pale with fright. Despite this, the General still didn’t wake up.

The thing leading him into the sky quietly slid between his two legs, obediently supporting him. Ye Wuyou went from clutching at the air to tightly grasping the… um… scales of his mount?

Ye Wuyou opened his eyes in disbelief. He was currently riding a majestic Golden Dragon, weaving through the seven-colored clouds. He made the mistake of looking down and began to shiver, hugging the long creature beneath him tightly.

…Good, good boy! After riding His Majesty all over the place in his dreams, his brain now dared to dream of riding a dragon! Ye Wuyou swallowed hard, fearing he was dreaming of treason…

The golden dragon, covered in scales, gave an excited nudge against him. Even though the dragon didn’t turn its head, judging by the whiskers it flicked back, Ye Wuyou felt that this creature in his dream was very much in support of his “rebellion.”

“He is the ruler, I am the subject we can’t think of such things. Be good.” Ye Wuyou couldn’t say why, but he felt an immense affection for this glittering dragon, as if… as if this mischievous golden dragon were related to him by blood.

Ye Wuyou’s heart skipped a beat. A dragon had always been a symbol of the Imperial bloodline. If he were related to a dragon by blood… could it be that Xiao Yun’an had taken him in back then because he was a lost child of the Late Emperor…?

Holy crap! His Majesty becomes his older brother!

Holy crap! Then what he did to Xiao Yun’an!!!

…What he did to the Emperor, wasn’t that incest?!

The golden dragon suspended in the air also gave him a terrified nudge. Ye Wuyou had never ridden a dragon, but his horsemanship was superb; he used the whiskers as reins and clamped his legs around the dragon’s belly as if it were a horse.

His wild thoughts were tossed to the back of his mind. Feeling the cold wind on his face and seeing the clouds pass by, he forgot the war and the Emperor, focusing solely on the joy of riding a dragon. His love for the little dragon grew even stronger.

The man and dragon circled the sky for nearly an hour before Ye Wuyou finally stood before the cold pond again. The golden dragon shrank back into the water, exposing only its head to Ye Wuyou, looking shy and nervous.

“Don’t be afraid. Swim over and let me touch you.” Ye Wuyou reached out, eager to try. The dragon’s tail gave a slight flick, and it swam over, resting its head on the edge of the pond.

Ye Wuyou crouched down to pet the dragon’s head, and the little dragon affectionately rubbed back against his palm.

“Daddy, Father is not your brother…”

The little dragon suddenly spoke. Its tone sounded as if it had suffered a great grievance!