MCUS Chapter 53

Huangfu Yuchen had the hall tidied up and dismissed everyone. He reached out and gently pressed his hand on Yan Ge’s head, smoothing his hair.

“Scared?” he asked.

Yan Ge snapped out of his thoughts, sat up, and let out a sigh. “It’s the first time I’ve seen someone die right in front of me. I guess you could say I drove her to her death.”

Huangfu Yuchen gently held his chin and looked into his eyes, speaking each word carefully. “This is the palace. Someone could die at any time. If it’s not her, it could be you.”

Yan Ge sighed softly. “I understand.”

“Do you know when I first saw a dead person?” Huangfu Yuchen asked.

His use of “I” made Yan Ge smile lightly. “When was it?”

Huangfu Yuchen spoke softly, “When I was six. As the crown prince, the eldest son of the former emperor, I was born with that status. When I was six, a young eunuch, at the instructions of a concubine, tried to poison me. My mother discovered it and executed him right in front of me. At the time, I didn’t understand so I thought my mother was cruel and terrifying.”

“She did it to make you understand the dangers in the palace,” Yan Ge said, feeling a slight improvement in his heavy mood. Perhaps that’s how people are, they need to see someone worse off than themselves to realize they’re still fortunate. He sympathized with Huangfu Yuchen. The heavens were fair in a way, giving you something meant losing something else. Huangfu Yuchen gained status but lost a lot—his childhood, freedom, happiness…

Huangfu Yuchen pulled him into his embrace and Yan Ge was taken aback.

Suddenly, Huangfu Yuchen lowered his head and kissed his lips, his tongue parting Yan Ge’s teeth and entering his mouth, sucking and licking with passion and intensity. One hand protectively cradled Yan Ge’s injured face.

Yan Ge was surprise and initially tried to push him away, but received a fervent response from Huangfu Yuchen. His body ignited like a flame, and a heat spread throughout, making his blood boil. His body was still tender, but his heart had long been mature. The once parched heart seemed to be soaked in sweet spring water, instantly revitalized. Against his own will, he quickly succumbed to the passion. Though he didn’t respond to Huangfu Yuchen, he had already lost himself.

After a long time, Huangfu Yuchen released him and lightly caressed his face, his thumb gently grazing his now reddened lips.

“You…” Yan Ge panted.

“I remember our last kiss,” Huangfu Yuchen interrupted him. “At that time, I couldn’t control myself, but I didn’t want to admit it, nor did I dare to.”

Yan Ge just opened his eyes wide, and his mind was in a mess. The development of the matter was completely beyond his grasp.

Huangfu Yuchen held him tightly. “I need you to help me replenish the national treasury, that is a fact. The reason tells me as a ruler, I should not mix personal emotions in it, so I am unwilling to admit it. I am familiar with all the means of survival within the palace, but love is unfamiliar to me, difficult to control, so I didn’t dare admit it. But today, I realized you might get hurt, or even die tomorrow. I want to seize this moment and not have regrets in the future.”

“It’s too sudden…” Yan Ge was too shocked to know what to say. Wasn’t Huangfu Yuchen not interested in men? At first, he simply wanted to seek protection, and later, as he got to know Huangfu Yuchen better, his goal was to develop a brotherly relationship with him. But he never thought of pursuing a romantic relationship with him. Even if he had to choose a partner in this era, an “emperor” would be the last option.

“Stay by my side.” Huangfu Yuchen had never seen him so flustered before, and couldn’t help chuckling, “I remember last time when I said that I was going to give a marriage to Yan Su, you who said there should be ‘mutual affection’ between the couple. Hasn’t your wish come true now?”

Mutual affection? Yan Ge was momentarily stunned before remembering. Could it be that Huangfu Yuchen had misunderstood all his thigh hugging actions n as falling in love with him? But could he explain that he hadn’t fallen in love with him? No, unless he didn’t want to level up. But he couldn’t accept Huangfu Yuchen’s feelings either.

Suddenly, the voice of the system rang out, “Ding. Side mission—Stay as a bed companion. If the mission is successful, you will be rewarded with 800 taels of silver and one silver chest. Accept the mission by selecting ‘Yes,’ refuse the mission by selecting ‘No’.”

Yan Ge’s mouth twitched, and without hesitation, he rejected the mission. “Little Jin, can’t you stop bothering me at such a time?”

–Yan Jin complained, “Master, I don’t intentionally spoil the mood. I can’t control the side missions…”

“What are you thinking about?” Huangfu Yuchen asked with a cheerful mood.

Yan Ge thought to himself, ‘Your Majesty, you’re celebrating too early.’

Yan Ge was sitting on pines and needles. Refusing was not an option, and agreeing was even more impossible. He was caught in a dilemma.

“What’s wrong?” Huangfu Yuchen sensed that something was amiss.

Yan Ge let out a sigh and took the initiative to embrace him. “I’m sorry, Yuchen. I can’t.”

A strange pain surged in Huangfu Yuchen’s heart. The joy that had filled his chest suddenly dissipated, leaving him empty. He grabbed Yan Ge’s arms tightly and asked, “Why?!”

Yan Ge looked directly into his eyes without hesitation. “You are excellent, and it’s difficult for anyone to resist your charm. But I am just one of your many consorts. What I want is a mutual affection, a ‘lifetime of only two people together.’ Can you provide that? Instead of competing for favor with so many others in the future, I would rather protect you in a different way.”

Huangfu Yuchen was stunned.

“I’m sorry.” Yan Ge couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in Huangfu Yuchen’s eyes. He avoided his gaze, withdrew from his arms, and quickly left, as if fleeing from something.

Huangfu Yuchen’s face grew dark, and he waved his hand, causing the teacups on the small table to fall and shatter on the ground.

Deng Mande cautiously entered the room. “Your Majesty?”

“What is it?” Huangfu Yuchen asked, looking in his direction.

Startled by the deep darkness in his eyes, Deng Mande became even more careful. “Your Majesty, Du Changzai is requesting an audience outside.” He had seen Yan Changzai leave hastily earlier, his face devoid of any smile. What had happened between him and the Emperor? Deng Mande speculated in his mind but dared not show any clues on his face.

“Xuan.” Huangfu Yuchen got up and walked to the golden throne.

Du Zhengfeng, dressed in palace attire, prostrated himself on the ground. “Your humble servant failed to stop Xing’er in time, resulting in Yan Changzai’s injury. Please punish me, Your Majesty!”

The mention of “Yan Changzai” once again caused Huangfu Yuchen’s calm emotions to fluctuate sharply. He calmed himself down and said, “I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Find out the truth behind Yan Changzai’s injury. Think carefully, who would benefit the most if Yan Changzai falls out of favor?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You may leave.” Huangfu Yuche waved his hand impatiently.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Deng Mande caught sight of the ointment on the soft couch. “Your Majesty, Yan Changzai…”

Huangfu Yuchen’s face turned cold. “Do not mention him in front of me again!” My heart has been discarded like this, must it be discarded a second time?

Deng Mande was stunned.

Yan Ge returned to the Luoxue Palace, where Wan Xiang, Xiao Chuanzi, and Qiuju hurriedly approached him.

“Greetings, Master.”

Yan Ge sighed. “That’s enough, you don’t need to be here.”

The three of them sensed his low spirits and didn’t dare to ask further questions. They left quietly, closing the door behind them.

Yan Ge thought about how Huangfu Yuchen must be feeling at this moment, and he felt a heavy burden in his heart. No one understood the feeling of unrequited love better than him. The sweetness and bitterness of desiring but not obtaining, of letting go but not forgetting.

With that in mind, he suddenly sat upright. How long had it been since he last thought of Wei Zhuo? Ever since he started his deal with Huangfu Yuchen, his life had been consumed by “business” and “Huangfu Yuchen.” The memories of that person had even started to fade from his mind. In fact, the memories between him and that person were indeed scarce. He had known that person for three years, while he had only known Huangfu Yuchen for a few months, yet the memories between him and Huangfu Yuchen were more abundant, and his lips still seemed to retain the scorching heat…

–“Master, you’ve been sitting motionless for over half an hour.”

The childish voice brought Yan Ge back to reality. He lazily lay on the couch and said, “Little Jin, let’s chat.”

—“Okay. What does Master want to talk about?”

Yan Ge remained silent for a while. “Do you know what happened today?”

Yan Jin replied, “I know the basics.” As an extension of Yan Ge, it was essentially in sync with him. However, it was completely unaware of Xing’er’s attack, and thus, Yan Ge was caught off guard.

—“Master, are you troubled by the Emperor’s feelings for you?” Yan Jin asked. “Isn’t it good that the Emperor has fallen for you?” Yan Jin, being a system, didn’t fully grasp human emotions and he continued, “It would help you rank up faster.”

Yan Ge understood that it was just a system, with limited understanding of human emotions, so he didn’t blame it for its lack of coherence. “Never mind, let’s talk about leveling up.”

–Yan Jin kindly reminded him, “Master, do you think that by rejecting the Emperor, you can still expect to continue leveling up?”

“Are you saying that he would cancel our original agreement because I rejected him?” Yan Ge affirmed, “No, he is not the kind of person to seek revenge.”

–“Well, I hope so,” Yan Jin sighed with a tinge of sadness, “Why is it so difficult to rank up?”

Yan Ge remained silent, watching as the sun gradually descended in the sky.

“Knock, knock…”

“Master, they’ve sent ointment over there.”

Yan Ge hesitated for a moment and asked, “Who sent it?”

Wan Xiang replied, “Eunuch Deng.”

“Understood,” Yan Ge sighed.

“Master, will you be having dinner here or…”

“I won’t be going,” Yan Ge said.

In the dining hall of the Tenglong Palace, the table was filled with food, but one chair remained empty.

Huangfu Yuchen’s gaze swept across the entrance, his expression devoid of any emotion as he picked up the silver chopsticks.

‘With Yan Changzai absent, the emperor’s appetite has clearly diminished.’ Deng Mande let out a sigh, pacing in place, unsure of what to do next.