The Young Marquis is Ruining the Court! - Chapter 25

Chi Zhou stayed in the palace all day. It wasn’t until the sun began to sink behind the western mountains that Emperor Chengping finally deigned to let him go.

From the look of it, the Emperor had every intention of keeping Chi Zhou to stay overnight in the palace. Chi Zhou had no choice but to use the Old Madame of the Ningping Marquis Mansion as an excuse to finally put an end to the Emperor’s idea.

Furthermore, having heard that Chi Zhou had been exhausted upon his arrival that morning, the Emperor ordered Fu Cheng to summon a sedan chair. Chi Zhou was carried in grand style all the way from Zichen Palace to Wuyang Gate.

By his side was another bestowed basket of tributary peaches and a pile of miscellaneous jade and jewelry.

Chi Zhou didn’t know how the original owner of this body would have reacted to such imperial favor, but as he sat in the sedan chair, he felt as if a nest of ants was crawling beneath him, making his entire body itch with unease.

This discomfort only began to fade once he passed the palace gates, boarded the Marquis Mansion’s carriage, and traveled a hundred meters or so.

It was a bit irritating.

Chi Zhou pressed his hand to the space between his brows. Looking down at the jumble of items in the carriage, he suddenly didn’t want to go back to the Marquis Mansion.

If the magnificent imperial palace was a massive cage that required him to remain hyper-vigilant at every single moment, then the Marquis Mansion was his first and deepest prison.

As the carriage rolled onto the main street, the sunset hung on the treetops. The faint sounds of children playing after dinner drifted inside. Chi Zhou closed his eyes to steady his mind, then leaned forward to lift the curtain. “To Jifu Alley.”

He wanted to see Xie Jiu. Perhaps he just wanted to give him a few peaches.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of Jifu Alley. Chi Zhou told the driver to head back first and walked deep into the alley alone.

The aroma of home-cooked meals drifted from the houses on both sides, harmonizing with the lingering glow of the sunset. It brought a long-lost sense of peace.

Chi Zhou wasn’t sure if Xie Jiu had finished his business or if he was even in Jindu right now. He also didn’t know how he would explain his coldness and distance over the past few days if they did meet.

But after standing before the door for only a moment, he reached out and knocked on the door ring.

The metallic clang echoed through the alley. Chi Zhou stood and waited, but no one came to open the door.

Logically, he should leave. Xie Jiu likely wasn’t in the city, and waiting here was pointless.

Yet, Chi Zhou felt a strange reluctance. Just as he raised his hand to knock again, he heard a dog bark from inside, followed by a cold, heavy rebuke.

“What are you getting excited for? No one is coming to see you.”

The moment Chi Zhou heard that voice, the corners of his lips curved up instinctively. All the tension from a moment ago vanished because of Xie Jiu’s single sentence, and his previous worries suddenly seemed unnecessary.

The door opened, and a small black dog lunged out, wagging its tail and circling Chi Zhou’s feet.

Chi Zhou held up a bamboo basket to hide his face, then pulled it away. “Want a peach, Jiu Jiu? They’re very sweet.”

Under the sunset light, Chi Zhou’s smile was incredibly brilliant. He looked up at the man before him, his face devoid of any mask, showing nothing but unshielded joy.

Xie Jiu watched him without saying a word. Chi Zhou simply carried the basket of peaches inside, asking nonchalantly as he walked, “Have you cooked? I’m starving.”

Eating in the palace felt like an execution. One only saw how exquisite the dishes were, but couldn’t actually remember what they tasted like afterward. Now that he was in this small alley, smelling the food from the neighbors, Chi Zhou’s appetite was truly awakened.

He rubbed his stomach and walked forward a few steps. Seeing that Xie Jiu hadn’t followed, he stopped and tilted his head. “Jiu Jiu?”

Xie Jiu: “…”

Xie Jiu looked away, unable to maintain his cold expression.

The puppy was weaving between the two of them. Xie Jiu looked down and gave it a gentle, playful kick. “Stop acting spoiled.”

“Woof—?”

The black dog also tilted its head, looking at its master in confusion.

Chi Zhou couldn’t suppress the smile in his eyes. Like the puppy, he leaned in close to Xie Jiu, calling out a string of “Jiu Jiu, Jiu Jiu,” as if his longing had reached its peak and his emotions were spinning out of control.

The ear closest to him turned a pale pink. Looking at that color, Chi Zhou smiled so hard he didn’t know what to do with himself.

On a sudden whim, he leaned toward Xie Jiu and blew a breath of air against that blushing ear.

Startled, Xie Jiu took a huge step back, instinctively covering his ear and glaring at him like a spooked cat.

Chi Zhou: “…”

Too cute.

God, how can he be this cute, Jiu Jiu?

He swallowed and took a half-step back, trying to appear harmless. “A bug flew onto it just now. My hands were full, so I couldn’t swat it.”

Lies, Chi Zhou scolded himself internally.

Xie Jiu lowered his gaze to the basket of peaches. Each fruit was plump and vibrantly colored, a hundred times better than the sour green fruit he had eaten yesterday.

Xie Jiu stared at the peaches until he nearly burned holes in them, then looked away and ignored Chi Zhou completely.

Dinner was simple. Chi Zhou had come unexpectedly, and there weren’t many ingredients in the house. Xie Jiu only had time to pluck a handful of greens from the garden to cook him a bowl of Yangchun noodles.

Of course, the greens were from the seeds Chi Zhou had insisted on planting a few days ago. They had only just sprouted, and Xie Jiu had to clear half the garden patch just to scrape together enough for two bowls of noodles.

It was hard to say what Chi Zhou thought this place was, but he had planted trees, sown flowers, scattered vegetable seeds, and even raised a few hens and a brood of chicks.

If Chi Zhou hadn’t stopped him, Xie Jiu would have simmered a pot of chicken soup for him.

But even with just simple noodles and greens, Chi Zhou ate with great relish. After finishing, he even praised, “Jiu Jiu, how can you be so domestic?”

Xie Jiu waited for a follow-up sentence, but when none came, he silently cleared the table and took the dishes to the kitchen. After a moment of hesitation, he washed the bowls with a cold face.

When he came back out, Chi Zhou was surprisingly still there, busy peeling a peach.

Xie Jiu watched with trepidation, terrified Chi Zhou would cut his hand. He wanted to take over, but Chi Zhou dodged him. “You stay seated.”

Usually, Chi Zhou just washed peaches and ate them whole, skin and all. But for Xie Jiu, he spent a long time struggling until he finally produced a lumpy, peeled peach.

He lifted his hand and held it to Xie Jiu’s lips. “Ah, open up.”

For a moment, Xie Jiu really wanted to ask if he was playing a prank. But the joy in Chi Zhou’s eyes seemed entirely genuine.

Finally, as Chi Zhou shook his wrist to urge him, Xie Jiu leaned down and took a large bite from the position he was offered. Juice ran down Chi Zhou’s fingers.

As the juice was about to slide to his wrist and stain his sleeve, Chi Zhou casually raised his hand and used his tongue to lick the trace from bottom to top.

Xie Jiu instantly forgot to chew.

To make matters worse, after the lick, Chi Zhou said, “Young Master, you just want me to serve you, don’t you? Why are you biting right from my hand?”

Xie Jiu had never met someone more unreasonable, performing such a suggestive act and then turning around to blame the victim. He sat there, fuming in silence.

When Chi Zhou tried to coax him into eating more of the peach, Xie Jiu refused to open his mouth again. After a few attempts, Chi Zhou’s patience ran out. He didn’t mind at all, simply turning the peach around and finishing the fruit Xie Jiu had bitten into.

Xie Jiu really wanted to ask what this person was thinking.

After ignoring him for so many days, he suddenly bursts in without a word just to tease him? Teasing him but not letting him eat—how could someone be so wicked?

Agitated, Xie Jiu’s voice carried a hint of irritation. “It’s dark. Why aren’t you leaving?”

Well-fed and satisfied, Chi Zhou sat in the courtyard enjoying the evening breeze. He squinted comfortably and asked a question instead of answering, “The bed is all finished, right?”

Xie Jiu: “Weren’t you the one supervising the work?”

Chi Zhou smiled, turning his head to look at him with curved eyes. “Jiu Jiu, I’ve been sleeping very poorly lately.”

The faint bit of gloom in Xie Jiu’s heart vanished instantly.

Chi Zhou said softly, “Young Master, let me stay the night.”

**

Moonlight spilled through the window. The puppy had been banished to the other courtyard, whimpering and scratching at the bed before being forced out.

Chi Zhou had just started to try and negotiate for the dog when Xie Jiu said heartlessly, “Then you can let it sleep with you, and I’ll leave.”

Chi Zhou: “…”

Chi Zhou shut up immediately, grumbling internally that Xie Jiu was a petty man.

He thought that since they hadn’t seen each other in days, they would chat before sleeping. But as soon as he finished washing up and hit the bed—before Xie Jiu had even climbed in, drowsiness overwhelmed him.

By the time Xie Jiu returned from his bath, Chi Zhou was already fast asleep.

Xie Jiu stood by the bed, looking down at him for a long time before letting out a frustrated laugh.

He had never been unhappy about being used by Chi Zhou, but this time, he was truly a little angry. The man had come to his door, acted spoiled, shared a peach, invited him to share a bed, and then tossed him aside to sleep alone. Even the blankets were tangled together in a bunch, with no awareness of leaving any space for him.

Xie Jiu’s eyes darkened. Unable to swallow his frustration, he turned and poured a glass of warm water.

The night was still young, and the cicadas were buzzing in the courtyard. Xie Jiu swirled the cup, walked to the bedside, and spoke in a very soft voice, “Brother.”

“Mm…?” Chi Zhou answered subconsciously, likely unaware of who was calling him.

“Drink some water before you sleep, or you’ll be thirsty in the middle of the night,” Xie Jiu said, completely ignoring the fact that after eating noodles and peaches, a normal person would hardly be thirsty.

But Chi Zhou was already in a daze. Since Xie Jiu said it, he obediently opened his mouth, allowing Xie Jiu to support his back and feed him that bitter, astringent “water.”

He wanted to stop after one sip, but Xie Jiu patted his back, saying, “It’s not bitter, Brother is the best.”

Like coaxing a child, he actually managed to get Chi Zhou to drink every last drop of the water.

With the cup of water in his stomach, Chi Zhou’s brows furrowed instinctively. His eyes remained closed, but his mouth opened slightly, his tongue poking out a little. It seemed it was so foul-tasting that he couldn’t stand it even in his dreams.

Xie Jiu gazed at him for a long moment, tucked a seedless candied plum into his own mouth, and leaned down to kiss him.

The moist, soft tongue still carried a lingering bitterness. Upon tasting a hint of sweetness, it urgently tangled with his, searching every corner of the mouth for any remaining sweetness, trying to find the source to swallow it. Yet, he was teased, never quite reaching the rounded candied plum, repeatedly neutralizing the bitterness within their shared saliva.

Until both the bitterness and sweetness turned into something strange, an indescribable sensation surged from deep within his body. His lips and tongue were captured, his breathing became labored, and Chi Zhou struggled to make a sound, but only meaningless muffled moans escaped his lips.

He arched his leg, bumping into a hard wall. The person in the dream rubbed against it aggrievedly, trying to push the “wall” over, only to be pinned down by it, his wrists seized.

The candied plum was torn into a tiny piece. Xie Jiu finally showed mercy and passed it into Chi Zhou’s mouth, pulling back slightly.

Chi Zhou’s knee pressed against Xie Jiu’s abdomen, his legs twisting restlessly. He wanted to reach into the blankets, but his hands were held fast. His fingers curled and uncurled, his pale fingertips turning a faint pink.

The tiny bit of sweetness was no longer enough to fill the unspeakable thirst. Chi Zhou shifted his legs, his voice so hoarse it was barely a breath: “Help me.”

Xie Jiu stared at him obsessively in the darkness for a long time, watching him sink and float in desire.

Only when the struggle beneath him grew intense, nearing the breaking point, did Xie Jiu move back on his knees, pulling Chi Zhou’s hands from above his head down to his lower abdomen.

Then, he lowered his head and kissed him, devoutly and passionately, swallowing like a man dying of thirst.

“Brother, this doesn’t count as an offense.”

You asked me to help you.

**

You know, I always listen to you the most.

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