The General Was Pregnant with the Emperor's Child - Chapter 5

Five dirty handprints stained the white steamed bun.

Ye Wuyou retreated into the corner of the wall. Having not eaten for four days, he devoured the bun which was as large as half his face in just a few bites. He then gazed timidly at Xiao Yunan, who was handing him some water.

“Eat slowly, there’s more,” Xiao Yunan said, offering another bun. Ye Wuyou took it cautiously; he looked at the white bun, swallowed hard, and stuffed it into his tattered, drafty jacket.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Xiao Yunan waved his guards away and squatted in front of Ye Wuyou, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“I. I’ll eat it later. Benefactor, your hand.” Ye Wuyou stared blankly at the teeth marks he had bitten into Xiao Yunan’s hand.

“This is nothing. Eat quickly, before someone tries to snatch it away again.” Xiao Yunan pulled his bitten hand back into his wide sleeve. Seeing that the little beggar still refused to eat, he stood up and turned toward his guards. “Let’s go. Don’t frighten him.”

As the hem of the robe before him fluttered away, Ye Wuyou caught sight of the bun in his arms with the dirty handprints. He moved to reach out but pulled back; he hadn’t dared to look at his benefactor’s face earlier, but now that he was leaving, Ye Wuyou huddled in the corner and strained his ears to listen.

Weakened by constant hunger, his hearing was poor, but he managed to discern two words: “Prince.”

Ah, a high official from the Emperor’s family.

If I follow a high official, wouldn’t I be able to eat my fill?

The instinct to survive overrode everything. Ignoring his scraped knees from his fight with the wild dog, Ye Wuyou charged forward, dodging the two guards, and lunged to hug Xiao Yunan’s leg.

He was “touching porcelain” (committing a scam) by falling down.

Black streaks of grime were instantly smeared onto the brand-new outer robe. Xiao Yunan was surprised by the boy’s speed in evading the guards. He waved a hand to dismiss the subordinates who were about to forcibly peel Ye Wuyou off him.

Xiao Yunan struggled, trying to find a place to pat the boy’s head, but the hair was too spiky and tangled. “I have no more buns.”

“Leftovers or slop are fine. I don’t want to starve to death; I just want to be full.” Ye Wuyou tucked his head, avoiding Xiao Yunan’s fair hand.

The benefactor’s hand is so white, and I’m so dirty. Yet, he hesitated to let go of the benefactor’s robe.

“You want to follow me?” Xiao Yunan laughed. Being intercepted on the street was a novelty; this child, who had fought a wild dog for fifteen minutes, was even more of a novelty. Xiao Yunan admired the raw grit in Ye Wuyou, but it wasn’t enough, he needed a little guy with a brain.

“I do! I can do anything! As long as you give me something to eat!” Ye Wuyou lifted his dirt-streaked face. For the first time, his eyes met Xiao Yunan’s. He fell into those gentle black eyes and felt dazed.

“I don’t keep idle people. Tell me that again the next time you see me.” The gentle black eyes suddenly grew cold. Ye Wuyou was tossed aside by the swarming guards. The soiled outer robe was discarded by Xiao Yunan on the road.

As several swift horses galloped through the market, Ye Wuyou picked up the discarded robe and draped it over himself. He headed to the river to gnaw on the bun he had been reluctant to eat earlier.

Heh! I’ll be able to eat my fill every day very soon.

The next day, a half-grown child stood before the residence where the Crown Prince was staying incognito. He wore an ill-fitting, gold-trimmed white robe, his matted hair hanging messily behind him.

His posture was full of bravado.

“Commoner Ye Mian requests an audience with the Crown Prince!”

Having eaten his fill, the child’s voice was booming. The way he pounded on the residence doors didn’t look like a self-recommendation it looked like he was there to kick down the house.

“Commoner Ye Mian requests an audience with the Crown Prince!” Ye Wuyou roared again, holding the rock he was using to bash the door. This new round of shouting attracted a crowd of curious onlookers.

The gates finally creaked open, and a hand reached out to swiftly drag Ye Wuyou inside.

“Run! Run! This gate eats people!” someone in the crowd screamed in terror. Smog swirled before the gates, and the gate itself seemed to twist as the shouter was also “eaten” into the house.

The onlookers dispersed in a panic, convinced the grand mansion was haunted. No one cared about the Prince; they only remembered the house that ate people.

Ye Wuyou, who had been “eaten,” was still clutching his rock. He was lugged to the backyard by a guard, where he saw Xiao Yunan sitting on the steps. The Crown Prince, dressed in simple plain clothes, was holding a long spear and wiping it clean.

“You have quite the nerve.” Xiao Yunan used the spear to lift Ye Wuyou’s chin from a distance, the red tassel brushing against his neck. “How did you guess?”

With the spear tip at his throat, Ye Wuyou blinked calmly. “I heard them call you ‘Prince.’ Only high officials in the Emperor’s family are called that.”

“Oh?” Xiao Yunan was amused by the simple logic. “Then how did you know which one?”

Ye Wuyou wiped his nose, looking a bit sheepish. “I’ve heard of the Crown Prince and the other Princes. I figured if I tried them all, I’d eventually get it right.”

Xiao Yunan’s smile deepened. He withdrew the spear and made his voice cold. “Ye Mian, do you know that tracking and leaking the whereabouts of a Prince is a capital offense?”

Ye Wuyou wasn’t intimidated. A beggar with nothing to lose feared nothing; at worst, his head would be separated from his neck. It was better than starving to death.

Instead of showing fear, Ye Wuyou grinned because his name had been remembered. “Tracking the Prince is too much work! We run through the alleys all day; we know exactly who is living in which house in this city.”

Xiao Yunan narrowed his eyes like a fox. He threw the red-tasseled spear, which he had been wiping for half an hour toward Ye Wuyou. Ye Wuyou didn’t dodge; instead, he stepped forward and caught the spear, even though it was taller than him.

Xiao Yunan said nothing, watching Ye Wuyou swing the spear haphazardly.

The brat really has guts!

The spear tip tried to snag the belt of the guard who had just lugged him in. Xiao Yunan gave a light cough, and the guard behind Ye Wuyou moved. No matter how Ye Wuyou dodged, he couldn’t escape the spear being snatched back. He was hoisted up once again.

This time, Ye Wuyou’s arms were empty, making him much lighter to carry.

“Take him away.”

Ye Wuyou began to struggle, staring at Xiao Yunan in disbelief. His undeveloped limbs kicked at the guard. “Prince, you broke your word! You promised yesterday you’d let me follow you!!”

“Zero-One, take him down and clean him up.” Xiao Yunan’s only response to the yelling was a cold command.

Ye Wuyou’s heart sank. The little beggar, who had been fearless while bashing the door, tore off the outer robe Xiao Yunan had left him and left an angry, muddy footprint on it.

He was locked in a room by Zero-One, and his tattered rags were tossed out as trash. Ye Wuyou blushed, covering his lower abdomen. “You perverts! You even strip people before you kill them!!!”

Zero-One expressionlessly tossed Ye Wuyou into a steaming wooden tub. With one hand, he pinned the boy against the side, and with the other, he began scrubbing off the grime.

The water was changed five times before Ye Wuyou was finally clean. Zero-One was so soaked he looked like he had taken a bath himself. With a stony face, he dried the exhausted boy’s hair and changed his clothes.

“Does your Prince like to wash people before slaughtering them?” Ye Wuyou asked timidly, touching the red marks on his collarbone from the scrubbing. “Won’t I just get dirty again when the blade goes in?”

Zero-One, having finally brought the new clothes, snapped: “Shut up. I’m taking you to see the Prince. Do whatever he says and talk less!”

“Oh. I see.” Ye Wuyou snatched the blue robe embroidered with cloud patterns and dressed himself.

An hour later, Ye Wuyou stood before Xiao Yunan with a sullen face. He finally looked human; his dark hair had been tied into a small bun by Zero-One.

It was crooked.

“Fairly handsome. From now on, you shall serve by my side.” After the initial scare, Ye Wuyou was much quieter. Xiao Yunan was satisfied and finally reached out to pat the boy’s head.

As if in a dream, Ye Wuyou followed Xiao Yunan into the study. He then voluntarily closed the door and removed his shirt.

“Do whatever you want, Prince. My life belongs to you. I will keep it a secret.” Ye Wuyou squeezed the words out through gritted teeth.

Xiao Yunan was stunned. He had read about the former dynasty’s preference for young boys and how they were discarded once they grew up, it was subhuman behavior. Such things were strictly forbidden in the Jing Dynasty, and Xiao Yunan was not that kind of person!

“What are you doing? Put your clothes on!” Xiao Yunan shouted in a daze. “How old even are you?”

“I’m washed clean. I’m not dirty.” Ye Wuyou, shirtless, asked blankly, “Is that not what the Prince meant?”

“Who do you think I am? A child your age shouldn’t be learning such foul things!” Fifteen-year-old Xiao Yunan acted like an old teacher, tossing a scroll at Ye Wuyou’s head. Seeing the boy stand there like an idiot without dodging, his anger softened. He stepped forward, squatted to pick up the clothes, and said irritably, “You look no more than ten. Who taught you such things?”

Living on the streets, Ye Wuyou had seen plenty. He had deliberately hung around wild dogs and made himself filthy to avoid perverts. Xiao Yunan was at least fair, pretty, and young.

“…” Realizing he had made a huge mistake, Ye Wuyou grabbed his clothes and turned away, blushing.

Serving, isn’t that just sleeping together? He had been taken away, scrubbed clean, and given pretty clothes.

“Prince, don’t be angry.” Ye Wuyou reached out to tug at Xiao Yunan’s sleeve this time, he left no black handprints. “I won’t do it again. Don’t throw me out.”

“You’re small, but your mind is full of schemes. Put your clothes on and come here; I’ll teach you how to grind ink.”

The sound of grinding ink soon filled the room.

The thin red light of dawn broke over the horizon, bringing Ye Wuyou back to the present. He had been stationed in the North for so long that it had been ages since he truly served the Emperor.

Memory always cloaks the past in mist. After so much time, even the memories of being forced to study or being swatted with a ruler felt sweet. He only truly remembered the sleeves that occasionally brushed his cheek and the scent of ink that lingered between them.

Tsk. Lust is what truly lasts.

Ye Wuyou gave himself a moment of genuine self-loathing.

Xiao Yunan had differentiated into a Tian-gan (Alpha) at age seventeen. That same year, fourteen-year-old Ye Wuyou was sent to the military.

Recalling the Emperor’s cold voice, Ye Wuyou felt his heart ache. His Majesty had never had “inappropriate” thoughts about him; he had only raised him to be a secret pawn. It was Ye Wuyou who had overstepped.

Sigh… Fate is a cruel master.

After entering the army, he had buried his feelings. But at age seventeen, he suffered a high fever and differentiated into a Di-kun (Omega). Those inappropriate thoughts resurfaced, but the timing was wrong.

Ye Wuyou continued as the North’s secret weapon. He proved that being an Omega couldn’t hold him back. At eighteen, less than six months after differentiating, he used every means—threats and bribes alike to get suppressants from the military doctor. When the Jing Dynasty attacked the barbarians, he volunteered to lead a thousand light cavalry to break the stalemate.

The “Azure Wolf” drank blood, and the barbarians fled.

When Ye Wuyou returned to the capital for his promotion, the scent of ink between them had become green bamboo. Smelling that scent, he bowed distantly to the Crown Prince in public.

By then, he was no longer the beggar bashing on a door; the wolf that had run wild in the North had his first secret from Xiao Yunan. He hid his Omega identity from everyone, including the Prince.

Only with power in my hands can I help my Prince hold the throne.

Subsequently, having no family roots to rely on, Ye Wuyou was trusted and promoted by the late Emperor. The “Ye Army” he trained did not disappoint, and for over a year, the barbarians hadn’t dared to attack. It was only after news of the new Emperor’s coronation that the “barbarian grandsons” began to scheme again.

Ye Wuyou gripped the reins, his eyes dark. I’ll show them the new Emperor is even more formidable than the last!

His thoughts drifted back to His Majesty. He realized his secret had finally become treasonous and he had even dragged the unwitting Yang Nin into it.

He sat on the carriage and laughed. Sleeping with the Emperor had been a nerve-wracking experience. Only now did he remember the green medicine bottle in his sleeve. The doctor had told him to take it immediately afterward, but he had forgotten.

He opened the bottle and sniffed. The bitter scent made him gag. With a flick of his hand, the bottle rolled into the forest.

It’s been over a day anyway; it won’t matter. With his battered body, he doubted he could conceive the “Dragon Seed” so easily. Taking less medicine might even help him live a few years longer.

He began to wonder about the Emperor back in the capital. Would he be in a towering rage?

Thinking of Xiao Yunan’s likely black face, Ye Wuyou felt a surge of excitement. He looked forward to the day the Emperor discovered that Ye Wuyou was the flower-thief.

After all, the way I stole that flower was full of holes.

The wheels crushed the new spring grass as the carriage continued its journey.

Your Majesty, you are a golden branch with jade leaves, and you’ve been thoroughly taken advantage of by this madman.

The scent of plum and bamboo made Ye Wuyou remember that day long ago.

“You can’t eat hands. I have steamed buns here; do you want one?”

Ye Wuyou’s eyes had lit up.