Li Changyu pretended to be lazy as he sat on a chair and leaned against his large, circular open window that overlooked his courtyard. In reality, he watched the subtle shadow cast by Jin Xiyan’s secret guards that were on constant watch. For the past two weeks he’d been carefully monitoring their comings and goings, when shifts would change, and most importantly, he maintained the impression that he was weak should the Shadow Guards report anything. They came as a pair, with four shift changes in a day, and their usual perch was either on his roof or in a nearby tree.
Biding time would probably drive most people mad, but Li Changyu was trained with enough self-discipline to be patient in getting what he wanted. The weather was turning colder, and the leaves already began to fall. One wafted in the breeze and fluttered towards him like it was performing a small dance. He stretched his arm out the window and held his hand up where the leaf gently swayed into his open palm. He tucked his arm back inside just as a familiar face arrived.
Shen Pei came forward through the moon gate with his Brother Li Jiuxing following behind like a puppy on a short leash. Both were carrying large chests, but the one in Li Jiuxing’s hands looked peculiar. It was more square and had no lid to it, but he could not tell what was inside.
“Hello you two,” he called to them as they walked up the path. His Brother looked at him with a wide grin. “Apologies for being a horrible host, please let yourselves in.”
Li Changyu set the leaf aside the small table then made sure to get up slowly – again, to appear in pain – before he walked away from the window. He knocked on the frame where the side room was as he passed it to rouse Meimei and went to the receiving room to meet his Brother and Shen Pei. The Guards did not have eyes directly inside his home, so he was free to move about. He opened his arms out to help with the chest, but Jiuxing stopped him and pulled it away.
“Ah, ah, stay back so I can give you your surprise.” Li Jiuxing vibrated with obvious excitement. Shen Pei just rolled her eyes but nudged Li Changyu with her elbow over to the seats.
He touched a finger to his lips then pointed at the ceiling, both nodding in understanding. Li Changyu sat down on a nearby chair and leaned back in it. Li Jiuxing kept just out of reach and he couldn’t get a good look inside the box.
“Well,” he held his hands out and made a grabbing motion with both of them. “Give me.”
“These are presents from our new relatives for you,” Li Jiuxing explained with a snort and dipped his head towards Shen Pei, “You show him the first chest.”
Shen Pei narrowed her eyes at Li Jiuxing. His Brother blushed redder than a beet and shrunk his head so far down that his shoulders came up to his ears. Though chastised, his eyes sparkled like the stars of his namesake as he stared at her. Li Changyu had half a mind to gag at them but Shen Pei knelt down to put the chest in her arms down in front of him.
She undid the clasp and opened the lid to reveal a plush blue velvet winter cloak lined with black fur and a glossy black feather mantle. His eyes went wide and he bent forward to take the fabric in his hands and lift it from the chest. The feathers were as shiny as lacquer and the cloak itself was softer than most coarse fur. It had long sleeves that ended with silver brocade and fur around the cuffs, complete with a hood that matched. It was simple and elegant, not flashy and was practical. The bit of decoration was carefully made, each stitch made in fine detail.
“One of our Cousins said that when they saw you last, our standard issue cloaks did not do you justice.” Li Jiuxing grinned, “He thought this would suit you best.”
“It’s perfect,” he murmured, still in awe at the craftsmanship. He gathered it towards his face and rested his cheek against it, and the feathers tickled his face.
“Look some more, Yanhe,” said Shen Pei, her voice in a whisper.
Lowering the cloak into his lap, he peered inside and his eyebrows flew up in surprise and delight.
Inside were a set of sleek martial robes with a small cache of weapons beside it. Three sharp daggers, ten throwing knives, a short bow with arrows, and a carved wooden half-mask that covered the lower face filled the rest of the crate.
This is a small treasure trove! He beamed at his Brother and nodded eagerly, “Please, send a letter to thank them for this.”
“They are back at the manor, actually.” Li Jiuxing went on to explain, “After we explained some of what went on, they insisted on staying with us. I’ve been sharing my room with two of Julong’s Cousins.”
Li Jiuxing’s face fell, the corners of his lips dragged down in an exaggerated frown. His lower lip wibbled and his gaze shifted to Shen Pei.
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.
“Because of that, Shen Pei still hasn’t visited,” he pouted.
A tic pulsed at the corner of Shen Pei’s jaw and Li Changyu covered his mouth to hide his smile. She glared at Li Jiuxing.
“Since when have I ever visited you? Cousins or not, I wouldn’t visit you because I’m on important business.”
Li Jiuxing’s hold on the crate swayed as he staggered like he’d been struck by her words. It actually looked like tears welled up in his eyes and he stepped closer to Shen Pei.
“But…but…Peipei…”
Her head spun in a near one eighty and she hissed, “I told you to never call me that in public!”
Li Jiuxing flinched and when he opened his mouth, a little yowl interrupted him. It came from inside the chest he carried, and Li Jiuxing froze. His smile returned and he glanced down. “Looks like they are awake!”
Li Changyu frowned in confusion and a chorus of wawu followed. Li Jiuxing stepped forward now and put the chest next to the first and Li Changyu cried out in absolute delight.
Two tiger cubs were nestled on a linen pillow that lined the bottom of the open top chest. One was white and it’s twin was orange, and both looked fresh faced like they had their eyes and ears shut not too long ago. The orange one stood on its hind legs and rested its paws on the edge of the crate, straining to see over the top. It let out another wawu and fussed while the white one laid down lazily on its side. If it wasn’t for the fact that its eyes watched everything and the steady rise and fall of its chest, Li Changyu might have suspected that the poor thing was dead.
Li Changyu dropped his cloak into the original crate and swept up the orange cub in one arm. It made its protests known by crying and gumming with his tiny teeth on his shoulder. When he lifted the other one, it flopped into his hold and began lazily licking at his sleeve.
“Do you like them? Julong thought you might like them the most on account of you losing –OOF!”
His Brother bent forward all the way in half and clutched his stomach that Shen Pei had struck with the back of her fist. Her frosty glare could wither a plum blossom. Li Changyu knew his Brother lacked tact, so he wasn’t surprised, but it did make him pause.
He looked down at the two cubs in his arms; the feisty orange one chewing on the red chord of his necklace, and the other showing its belly with an expectant look in its greyish eyes. Li Changyu understood this was a gift with good intentions, and despite the sour feeling in his stomach, his heart swelled. He lifted the two up towards his face and like the cloak, he rubbed his cheek into their fur. The white one licked his temple with a rough, scratchy tongue and its sibling tried to catch Li Changyu’s hair ribbon in its jaws.
“I love them,” he admitted, though his face scrunched up at the rough behavior. He bopped the orange one on the nose. Looking quite stunned, the cub just stared at him like he was offended, but sat down politely in Li Changyu’s lap. After a quick check, Li Changyu confirmed they were two boy tigers.
Li Changyu held the white tiger in the crook of his arm like he was an actual babe, and he seemed quite content to stay like this. His Brother, still put off, slouched in Li Changyu’s lap and looked up at him with sad dark grey eyes. He smiled fondly then shifted his gaze back at the white tiger.
“I will call you…Xiaoyao, because you must live such a carefree life to be as lazy as you are.” Then, to the other cub, “But you are quite the opposite. You will always fight first, so…Jianxian, so your name can rhyme too.”
Jianxian tilted his tiny head that still hadn’t grown into his round ears. Li Changyu smiled again and raised a brow. Jianxian popped up on his hind legs again to push his forehead against Li Changyu’s chin and cheek, rubbing it before falling back down onto all fours.
“Looks like they like you,” Shen Pei joined in with a smile and wriggled her fingers at Xiaoyao. He just watched the hand with sharp eyes for a second or two before raising one paw to cover Shen Pei’s hand and rest it there.
The three of them shared a laugh as Meimei came in with the tea tray. She stumbled mid-step with a gasp and the tray flew into the air. Li Jiuxing’s thick brows shot up and he rushed forward and dropped down to slide across the floor on his knees. He caught the tray first then the pot by the handle, swaying with expert precision as he did. Next was the three saucers, cups, and lids, all landing in order and not one out of place on the tray. Leaning all the way forward, he tilted the pot forward and caught the tea infused water.
The lid to the pot, however, crashed on the floor between his knees. Everyone, including the tigers, looked at the broken top and then towards Li Jiuxing. His Brother’s mouth trembled once again and he let out an exaggerated sigh that rattled the set.
Li Changyu tilted his head to the side and covered his face with one hand. His shoulders shook as, for the first time in weeks, he let out a genuine laugh. His small fit of laughter was joined by a few tentative giggles from Meimei, and eventually, all of them were chuckling.
Meimei swiped a finger under her left eye and smiled softly at Li Changyu. Her eyes were still misty as she said, “It is good to hear your laughter again, Your Highness.”
His smile lessened at the reminder that they had to pretend to be not as close as they were. Ears were everywhere, so he had to be constantly vigilant. Li Changyu chose his words with care.
“Indeed. It is a sound that has not been heard within these walls for a long time, it seems.” He nodded to Meimei, who took the tea from Li Jiuxing and proceeded to serve it. He focused on his Brother next, keeping to the coded language. “Is Yingling still following my old horse around?” Were you still followed?
Li Jiuxing, for all his awkward bumbling, switched to a serious stance as he rested on his knees. “No, because your horse knocked him over.” We were attacked.
The Brothers continued their back and forth, “I hope he wasn’t too injured?” Is everyone okay?
“He is fine, but he’s turned to a new pet instead.” Everyone is fine, but we learned something new.
Li Changyu arched his brow, “Oh? Who is his new friend?” What?
His Brother’s dark eyes narrowed, “An eagle.”
Eagles… Li Changyu recalled the message from Ping-Shixiong the day before the incident. Groups of men who looked like the nomadic groups he was familiar with had been attacking merchants along the borders, and all had tattoos of an eagle.
Xiaoyao let out a small wawu and pawed at his chest. The hand that had been petting him had clenched tight. Easing his tension, Li Changyu smiled apologetically down at him and continued to pet between his ears.
“Well…I hope he can find a better friend in that eagle instead of bothering my horse.”
“I also received some news, Your Highness,” Shen Pei said. She took Jianxian and set him on her lap instead and Meimei stuffed a cup of tea in his now free hand. Her face was neutral, but Li Changyu could see the subtle pinch in her brow.
“Oh?”
“Your Cousin was working about town, and we bumped into him.”
Cousin? Understanding hit him just a second later. Li Wangshu.
He swirled the lid of his tea cup around the rim, “How is he? I hope he is faring well.”
“He is fine, as usual, but he noticed something odd. A lot of our friends from the garrison are missing.”
“Missing?” This made him frown and he stilled his hands. “What do you mean? I know plenty of them…uh, worked with my Cousin, but how many are we talking about?”
“Ten, Your Highness. All ones from well off families. A few were even supposed to deploy out to the merchant trails and help guard them, but they disappeared.”
“That is concerning. I hope they are okay,” he faked being neutral and polite. At least, he hoped so. In reality, his pulse quickened.
“I will be sure to ask your Cousin if there is any more news,” she said, then mouthed I will tell you who is missing later.
Li Changyu looked down at his reflection in the tea. Fake nomads, missing soldiers…Could they be connected? Should I start now?
His body was still far from what he used to be, but it seemed like he was now forced into action before more clues and strange occurrences piled up. Though it was entirely possible this wasn’t connected, Li Changyu liked to think he knew the men he served with. They were upstanding soldiers, and none would shirk their duties. The more Li Changyu thought about it, the less likely that it seemed just a coincidence.
Li Changyu lowered his head and took a sip of his tea then set it aside for Meimei to collect. He closed his eyes and, in an impression of Xiaoyao, leaned back and let out a lazy yawn.
“Shen Pei, I think I will go to bed early today.” The corner of his lip twitched into a smirk and they exchanged a knowing glance. They had set up the code word a long time ago for when he planned to set things into motion. Shen Pei put Jianxian back in the chest and stood.
“Ah, Littlest Brother,” Li Jiuxing frowned, “Are you alright? It’s not even near sunset! If you are fatigued, you should take some–Ack!”
Shen Pei reached down and pinched Li Jiuxing’s ear in between her fingers. “You heard His Highness. He is tired, and so you should leave first.”
She pulled Li Jiuxing onto his feet by the ear and he howled in pain. Standing, he tilted his head back in order to look up at her since she was well over a head taller than him. He sniffed loudly.
“Shen Pei, be nicer to your future Husband–” his pouting was interrupted by a sharp pinch to his ear, “Ow!”
“Let’s go!” Shen Pei dragged him along. Li Jiuxing gave one last parting wave before he was out the door.
Li Changyu smiled sadly. He missed these sorts of shenanigans, and if he’d been back home, he probably would be surrounded by it. Looking around his dreary surroundings, he felt compelled to give Meimei one more out.
“Meimei,” he called softly and she stopped tidying up the teacups. When she turned to face him, he continued, “People in the Palace are calling me crazy. Don’t you want to leave?”
He didn’t mind if the Shadow Guards overheard this. If Meimei did want to back out, they could report it and that worked in his favor. If she didn’t and wanted to stay, it was still something benign enough that wouldn’t be suspicious.
Meimei shook her head, the loops of her hair swaying from how fiercely she did so. “Not at all. This servant wishes to help Your Highness for as long as this servant may.”
Li Changyu gave a subtle wink then said flatly, “Good. I don’t want too many people in my home anymore. Get some milk and meat for these two, then bring me my medicine.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Meimei bowed and went in the direction of the kitchen.
His Brother was right that it was a few hours away before night would fall, but Li Changyu waited all this time so that staying for a few hours more wasn’t an inconvenience. Looking back down at the pair, Xiaoyao was fast asleep in his lap while Jianxian slept sitting upright with his body leaned against the inside wall of the open chest. Li Changyu stroked between Xiaoyao’s eyes and over his head with his fingers as he thought to himself.
Tonight…His mouth slid into a slow, menacing smile…is when the real fun starts.
Thank you for these chapters. I can’t wait for the fun to begin! Also I still hate so many people.
Im glad that somehow Li Changyu bounce back. Its nice to see him smile. The past few chapters are very heartbreaking to the point that i want Chanyu to just leave and find a better Alpha.
Thanks for the update!
Thank YOU for reading! I hope you enjoyed despite the tears
Thank you for these chapters.. I thought their love will start to evolve but my heart is aching for them💔 I cant wait to see the fun begins🤗
Soon. Soon everything will fall into place (cough but some more heartache first)
Ah.. My heart need some fluff medicine🙈
There are so many people I dislike in this book. But I love how action oriented Changyu is cause all of this would have ended a lesser man.
+1
Yes, Li Changyu has to keep pushing because if he stops he will be sad 🙁
I will be sad as well🥺☹️☹️
Here is some tissues! 😥
sigh tho it’s getting more interesting, it’s still painful..
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
Thank you for reading!
The emperor annoys me to death recently 😑
The tigers are a cute addition. I can just imagine it so cute…
two little tigers who can nom on enemies.
Gracias por el capítulo, por favor dime que no les pasará nada a los tigres, no podría soportarlo
los tigres estan a salvo. Trust me.
I’m really pissed off with how the emperor treats the MC, he won’t even give him the benefit of the doubt, as if he has no idea what kind of place a harem is. I can’t wait for them to change bodies, so he could see for himself. I wonder if its coming soon?
It’s a few more chapters away, but trust me when I say that Jin Xiyan gets a taste of his own medicine very quickly.
New trails.. but cant connect the dots yet.. atleast bibi wawu is here to save the gears!!! (つ≧▽≦)つ
Now i want little tiger in my home too🥺🥺
I wanted to let you know I have read every one of your comments. Thank you for liking my story so much!