Translated by Hua Li ^_^
“Y-Your Majesty…!”
Taking advantage of his stunned state, the Emperor forcefully pulled him by the neck, tilting his head back and engaging in a passionate kiss.
Gou Liang felt his scalp tingle, panicked and tried to push him away, but soon found his hands pinned against the chair back. The Emperor kissed him forcefully, and seeing Gou Liang shaking his head in resistance, he crossed Gou Liang’s hands over each other, holding his wrists with one hand while using the other to grip his chin, indiscriminately sucking on his lips, and panting, he said, “It’s me, don’t be afraid… Aiqing, don’t move, I want to devour you…”
“Huh???”
Gou Liang froze in place, blinked his eyes, completely unable to react.
Did he just forcefully kiss me? Did he kiss me? Did he?
Gou Liang’s heart pounded like a deer crashing, his tongue was sucked painfully, and he didn’t even know how to resist. He forgot to breathe until he almost suffocated, but the Emperor finally let go of his mouth, and he gasped for breath.
The warm, wet lips continued to trail down his face to his neck, and the Emperor aggressively invaded his exposed skin. Gou Liang was frightened and struggled, “Y-Your Majesty… please don’t… spare me…”
He almost wanted to cry, feeling anxious, embarrassed, and scared.
The Emperor lifted his head, his fingertips hooked onto Gou Liang’s rapidly moving Adam’s apple, and he chuckled lightly, “Everything under heaven belongs to me, and you are no exception. I’ll bestow my favor upon you here, what’s wrong with that?”
Gou Liang’s heart throbbed like thunder, his already blushing cheeks heated even more, futilely trying to shrink away, “Your Majesty, we can’t do this, please let me go… Uh, Your Majesty…”
He was kissed again.
This time, the Emperor released his hands and pulled him into his arms.
They changed positions, Gou Liang sitting sideways on the Emperor’s lap, firmly encircled by his waist, their lips sealed together.
Gou Liang’s will was weak, and he didn’t dare to push too hard against the Emperor. He could only brace himself against the Emperor’s shoulder, ambiguously pleading for him to stop. The Emperor ignored his struggles, enjoying kissing him as he squirmed on his lap.
The Emperor only wanted to swell his lips, leaving his mark on Gou Liang’s skin, just like that day when he slept in his arms — no, perhaps he could demand even more.
Thinking of this, the Emperor’s heart surged.
And Gou Liang, still struggling on his lap, inadvertently rubbed against his thigh. The Emperor’s breath suddenly became heavier, and he hugged Gou Liang closer, maliciously letting him sit at the junction of his thighs.
The hot, hard thing pressed against his back, Gou Liang trembled all over. He almost wanted to break his persona and transform into a coquettish bitch, holding him and eating him to his heart’s content.
But now, he could only blush, feebly resisting while pretending to be ignorant, squirming past that place.
A hint of madness flashed in the Emperor’s eyes as he pressed his lips against Gou Liang’s without giving him a chance to refuse, saying in a tone that brooked no refusal, “Aiqing, I’m so happy… Will you agree to me?”
“Your Majesty…”
Gou Liang murmured, his voice filled with too much emotion, and the adoration in his eyes was clear.
The Emperor was deeply moved, not resorting to forceful coercion like before but patiently using his tongue to explore Gou Liang’s lips, waiting for him to open his heart and accept him.
Gou Liang stiffened, his hands tightly gripping the Emperor’s shoulders, not even noticing that he had wrinkled his dragon robe.
Looking into the Emperor’s affectionate eyes, he closed his eyes as if he had been scalded.
“Your Majesty, I… I’m also happy… Mm…”
He surrendered to himself, as if surrendering to everything, opening his tightly closed teeth and welcoming the invader.
The Emperor hooked his tongue, and Gou Liang finally couldn’t deny his feelings, obediently following his lead.
“Mm, Your Majesty…”
He raised his head, feeling awkward and at a loss, passively allowing the Emperor to do as he pleased, softening and leaning against his arms, yielding to his desires.
The Emperor was inexplicably excited, pinching his waist and impatiently thrusting upward.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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The flower-shaped mark was right on his left chest, if it were exposed…
Gou Liang’s face turned pale, and he suddenly grabbed the Emperor’s hand, which was about to tear open his clothes, terrified as he said, “No, Your Majesty, this can’t happen!”
But the Emperor was already like an arrow on the bowstring, unstoppable.
With a tearing sound, the green official robe was forcefully torn open, revealing Gou Liang’s right chest. The fair skin came into view, with a circle of vibrant crimson spreading across it, adorned with a pink camellia. The Emperor’s eyes deepened, completely ignoring his pleas, and he bit down on that enticing little spot, ruthlessly teasing.
“Ah!”
Gou Liang gasped in shock, feeling like he was being pinched at a vulnerable spot, and his whole body went limp. He tightly covered his left chest with his hands, refusing to let the Emperor tear it open, breaking out in a cold sweat, feeling waves of heat and cold surging through his body, fearing the imminent disaster in the midst of tumultuous emotions. The extreme conflict of emotions finally overwhelmed him, and he couldn’t help but cry out, “No, Your Majesty, please don’t…”
If this defense line couldn’t hold, his biggest secret in life would be exposed.
This would be a heinous crime of deceiving the emperor, and even if the Emperor wouldn’t take his life out of temporary passion, he would still know about his ger identity, his shameful disability…
“No! I beg you, Your Majesty, please don’t…”
He cried so hard that the Emperor, no matter how angry he was, couldn’t bear to see him so distressed.
Seeing him letting go, Gou Liang gathered up his clothes in panic, his face turned pale, and he cried to get off his lap.
The emperor pinched his waist and refused to allow him to leave. He could see that Gou Liang was really resisting this time. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and the heat in his body was suddenly extinguished.
He stared at Gou Liang with a sullen face, pinched his chin and asked him to raise his head, and his voice sounded like it was squeezed out from between his teeth: “You don’t want to?”
Could it be that he had misunderstood, and all the previous things were just His wishful thinking?
The emperor narrowed his eyes, his eyes as sharp as knives.
Gou Liang was startled, and the tears on his eyelashes fell and fell on the back of the emperor’s hand.
His right hand trembled, and a hint of distress flashed in the emperor’s eyes, but he still asked him coldly with a stiff face: “Tell me, you don’t want to?”
Gou Liang tightly squeezed the broken clothes and covered the flower bud on his left chest. He begged for mercy and said: “This is not allowed… Your Majesty, I, Wei Chen, cannot…”
Tears quickly fell out of his eyes, and he choked. Even if the emperor was extremely angry, he could not bear to let him be so sad. With a cold face and furrowed brows, he clumsily wiped away his tears with rough fingers.
“Your Majesty…”
Gou Liang looked at him with teary eyes, the depths of his red eyes revealing an infatuation that couldn’t be hidden.
The Emperor’s anger eased slightly, cradling his face and asking, “Xiao Keng’er, do you also love me as I love you?”
He even dropped the formal address.
Facing his compelling gaze, Gou Liang bit his lower lip, finally nodding, trembling as he said, “I, I am deserving of death…”
The Emperor’s expression softened, looking at his pale face, he pulled him into his arms and kissed his forehead, saying, “I pardon you, fear not.”
He caressed Gou Liang’s back, trying to comfort him.
Gou Liang trembled, but mistook his actions as a request for intimacy, squeezing his clothes tightly until his fingers turned white. He turned his face away, tangled, saying, “But we… can’t do that…”
The Emperor’s hand paused, then he gently hugged him, sighing and apologizing, “I was too impatient, Xiao Keng’er, don’t be afraid, I won’t force you.”
He kissed Gou Liang’s temple, his expression gentle without a trace of desire, and his hands behaved properly.
He was so domineering, yet so gentle.
Gou Liang was hopelessly indulged, his eyes dazed, emotions surging.
He bravely relaxed his body and leaned into the Emperor’s chest, blushing, and whispered softly, “What about the court attire?”
The Emperor glanced at the torn clothes hanging on him, feeling a bit embarrassed himself. Clearing his throat, he loudly ordered Eunuch Tong to bring in two sets of clothes.
Outside, Eunuch Tong, who was kneeling, quickly got up and wiped his sweaty face before hurrying away.
Gou Liang suddenly realized there was someone outside, sitting up straight.
The Emperor was startled by his sudden movement. He saw Gou Liang quickly straighten his face, trying to regain his usual stern and serious demeanor as a Hanlin scholar. But little did he know, sitting on the man’s lap with disheveled clothes and a face full of obvious desire, there was hardly a trace of his former cold and dignified appearance.
However, the Emperor didn’t expose him. Instead, he found himself even more attracted to Gou Liang’s attempt to cover up. Suppressing a smile, the Emperor gently squeezed Gou Liang’s hand clutching his clothes and pulled him into his arms, rubbing his face against Gou Liang’s cheek, whispering sweet nothings.
Gou Liang’s face turned beet red, despite his efforts to disguise it. The dimple on his left cheek was filled with sweetness and shyness, betraying him completely.
[Mission progress bar advanced, current progress: 2.33%.]
[Xiaosi: I hardly recognize you anymore, dear master. ⊙﹏⊙]
[Gou Liang: Being a Ger is such a delightful surprise, it would be less fun if it were exposed now~~~]
[Xiaosi: You’re so shameless! Give me back my mission progress!! (╬￣皿￣)凸]
*
As June drew to a close, the day of the imperial examination in August drew nearer. Scholars were no longer as active in moving around as they were when they first arrived in the capital to socialize and make connections. Instead, they began to focus on quietly studying and preparing for the exam behind closed doors.
During this time, there were over a dozen medicinal furnaces simmering in the kitchen at the Scholar Pavillion.
Tang Qingfeng, holding a book, entered the kitchen, muttering to himself. The waiter greeted him, and Tang Qingfeng asked, “Is the medicine I asked for ready?”
The waiter quickly replied, “It’s ready. Following your instructions, I’ve boiled three bowls of water down to one bowl. I’ve been here the whole time, watching and not leaving.”
Tang Qingfeng handed the book under his armpit and gave the waiter a few pieces of silver as a tip, refusing the waiter’s profuse thanks, and carried the medicine back to his room upstairs.
“Brother You, I’ve come to serve you your medicine.”
He kicked open the door, startling You Jing, who was dozing off with a book.
You Jing groaned in pain, quickly getting up to untie the strand of hair that was tied together with the beam.
Tang Qingfeng grimaced, feeling sorry for him, and when he saw You Jing thanking him while holding his head, he waved his hand and said, “Quickly, drink your medicine. Look at you bookish scholars, the hot weather a few days ago made you all sick, and just when we finally got some rain, you’re all falling ill one by one. Tsk tsk.”
As for himself, he never considered himself a bookish scholar.
You Jing blushed.
In the past few days, there had been continuous heavy rain at night, bringing a bit of coolness, but perhaps due to the large temperature difference between hot and cold, many scholars in the Scholar Pavilion had caught colds one after another.
However, this illness didn’t make them slack off.
Like You Jing, many of them were hanging upside down or doing squats to keep themselves awake and alert.
Tang Qingfeng took out the book from under his armpit. The pressure of the imperial examination was immense, and even someone like him who didn’t hold much hope for himself to pass still wanted to cram in as much knowledge as possible at the last minute, let alone others.
Although he understood, he still couldn’t help but advise, “Brother You, after drinking your medicine, why not take a nap? How much can you really absorb in such a dazed state? It’s better to rest early and recover from your illness, and you can even memorize a few more things.”
You Jing appreciated his kindness and was about to thank him when suddenly a strong gust of wind knocked over the support pole on the windowsill, and the fallen paper window made a loud bang as it hit the ground.
Immediately after, a loud thunder rolled in from the sky.
—There’s going to be another heavy rain tonight!
In the study, Gou Liang, who was patiently explaining foreign literature to the Emperor, was startled by the sound of thunder, then quickly got up from his seat and said, “It’s already this late. Your Majesty, I should take my leave—”
The Emperor interrupted, saying, “It’s already this late, and it seems there will be a heavy rain tonight. My dear, why not stay in the palace for the night?”
Gou Liang saw through the Emperor’s intentions in trying to keep him, his face blushing slightly. He firmly refused, “Your Majesty, this is unreasonable.”
The Emperor seized the opportunity and said, “It’s reasonable in my opinion. My dear, what do you say?”
With that, he leaned forward and planted a kiss on Gou Liang’s cheek.
Blushing even more, the junior court official twisted his face uncomfortably and said, “Then I will stay overnight at the Hanlin Academy tonight, Your Majesty, please allow me to take my leave.”
Ignoring his request, the Emperor said, “You’ve worked hard today, my dear. Stay and dine with me.”
He casually praised Gou Liang’s culinary skills, and Gou Liang smiled, feeling rewarded for cooking for the Emperor.
Eunuch Tong wisely cleared the Royal Kitchen of the Zhengyang Palace, allowing Gou Liang to freely showcase his talent. The Emperor had originally intended to stay with him, but he was detained by an urgent document.
By the time he finished handling the state affairs and entered the Royal Kitchen, a variety of delicious dishes were already prepared.
Gou Liang was ladling soup when he heard the Emperor’s footsteps and turned back with a smile, “Your Majesty, are you done with your tasks?”
The Emperor paused his steps, feeling infinite tenderness at the ordinary scene before him. He responded with a sound and quickly approached, embracing Gou Liang from behind and planting a kiss on his temple, asking with a smile, “What delicious dishes has my Xiao Keng’er prepared for me?”
When it came to his forte, Gou Liang spoke endlessly.
For his beloved target, he was always willing to spare no effort.
For example, the crystal-clear deep-sea cod, the fragrant three-color phoenix meat with chili, and the sour soup beef taken from the 999-point four-corner beef… even a plate of inconspicuous green vegetables was made from the freshest and tenderest leaves just plucked from the 1000-point rejuvenation flower. These were all prizes Gou Liang had accumulated from various worlds through lottery draws. Anything that could win his favor was sustainable delicacies, stored in the system space and constantly replenished.
If it weren’t for the limited availability of similar ingredients in the Royal Kitchen, he could have prepared even more exquisite dishes.
With top-notch ingredients combined with Gou Liang’s extraordinary culinary skills, even a simple meal of four dishes and one soup could captivate humans with its aroma alone.
Eunuch Tong was busy arranging the dishes for the two of them, his eyes almost watering with hunger.
With Chef Gou’s creations, even plain rice smelled tantalizingly delicious. If it weren’t for his forty years of professional experience, he would have embarrassed himself at this moment.
Delicious food is for enjoyment, but watching someone else enjoy it can be torture. When Eunuch Tong finally finished enduring this torture and was thinking about whether to shamelessly ask the Emperor for some rewards, a heavenly voice sounded in his ear.
It was Gou Liang smiling and saying, “Thank you, Lord Eunuch, for your hard work. There are still some hot dishes left in the kitchen, if you don’t mind…”
“The old servant thanks Master Chu for the reward!”
Before Gou Liang could finish, Eunuch Tong happily expressed his gratitude.
Seeing him leave with steps lighter than usual, the Emperor, feeling a bit suspicious, said, “You remember the good points of this old man.”
Gou Liang smiled, revealing his dimples. Although he didn’t say anything comforting to appease this vinegar-like jealousy that went to extremes, his smiling eyes immediately ripened the sweetness of grapes.
After enjoying the meal for a while, as the rain outside intensified, the Emperor hugged Gou Liang in bed, watching the night rain together.
…He had never felt that thunder and lightning could be so beautiful.
When it was time to settle down, Gou Liang was a bit awkward for a while. It wasn’t until the Emperor picked him up and threw him onto the bed, holding him tightly and not letting him leave, that he dared to approach the dragon bed.
Stiff and nervous for a while, when he finally fell asleep, Gou Liang, who had been nurtured by his lover, took off his daytime acting skills of not being approachable, and instinctively snuggled into the arms of his beloved. Smelling the sweet and familiar scent of his lover’s aura, Gou Liang hugged him tightly and slept soundly all night.
As for the Emperor, he had never experienced such an improper sleeping posture before, and he couldn’t bear to fall asleep even after feeling that it was beautiful for a long time.
The next day, he woke up early.
Seeing that it was still early for the morning court session, he woke Gou Liang up as well, and the two of them hid in the blankets and cuddled for a while. The Emperor endured not taking off Gou Liang’s clothes, but shamelessly coaxed the junior court official, letting him relieve himself with his hands.
Just as he finally managed to coax Gou Liang’s hands into his pants, Eunuch Tong ruined the moment!
“What’s the matter?”
The Emperor’s voice was colder than yesterday’s wind and rain.
Eunuch Tong shivered and hurriedly reported, “Reporting to Your Majesty, the Imperial Hospital has submitted an urgent report—there is an outbreak of plague in the Scholar Pavillion, with dozens of scholars infected, and two scholars died suddenly last night.”
Wow, plot twist
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