Today, with the completion of the hunt, the titled participants and nobles grandly laud the beloved honorable emperor. Those who were cultivated with finesse, naturally, did not boast too loudly, rather they did so in a very polished and slick way without appearing like bootlickers.
Except the one being hoisted with praise was distant and uncaring, not responding whatsoever.
Those folks will not cower just because of this. Among them, there were some who noticed Wen Mingyu alongside Mu Zhan and elaborately applauded him, which made Wen Mingyu a bit bashful.
This time, Mu Zhan had an unexpected reaction. He moved his focus to the minister, who gushed about Wen Mingyu, and nodded as though in approval.
There and then, as if they had grasped a clue, the others all began attacking Wen Mingyu with rainbow farts in a frenzy, leaving him mystified and muddled—even unabashedly blushing and hovering a bit from the praises.
In their eyes, Wen Mingyu had become a master of the chase, having penetrated a prey from a hundred paces away, incredibly agile and deft.
Wen Mingyu couldn’t stop himself from curling his toes.
No, I can’t. If he continues to listen, he will be so ashamed that he will be left with no choice but to dig up a rock with his sweaty paws.
In a hidden spot, he sneaked a quick finger-poke at the back of Mu Zhan’s hand. When he saw him tilt his head to glance over, he winked and conveyed with his eyes that he wanted to retire already—that if he remained any longer, he’d die from rainbow farts.
Mu Zhan pressed his lips together, seeming to chuckle a bit. He raised his hand, motioning the rest to clam up; then he declared that the hunt was done for today, and that everyone should go back to rest; he simply seized Wen Mingyu and slipped away first.
The crowd were astounded and hastened to salute the Holy Emperor.
Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan returned to their chambers.
There was no doubt a great deal of dust and dried sweat accumulated on his body after a day of hunting, not a really pleasant feeling. The priority was to still take a bath.
The Xing Palace was extravagantly equipped and contained a wide bathing pool that could seat dozens of people, despite the reality that it was created for a distinguished person and could only be used by one person.
Fortunately, there were other bathing pools, allowing Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan to wash simultaneously in two distinct locations.
Wen Mingyu planned to bathe towards another palace, but Mu Zhan grabbed his hand and dragged him inside with him.
…?
Wen Mingyu suddenly had a not-so-good foreboding. Sure enough, the next thing he heard was Mu Zhan saying, “Don’t trouble yourself, you are with this one.”
Together? Along with who? A lovey-dovey bath?!
Wen Mingyu’s heart just sank with horror.
Mu Zhan had no problem with the idea and granted Wen Mingyu permission to share a bath with him, but Wen Mingyu had a problem with it, and he didn’t dare very much go along. If lonely A and widowed O were left on their own, what should we do if someone sloppily wipes the gun and accidentally shoots it?
And Wen Mingyu vaguely remembered some of the memories from his earlier fake heat, when he pestered himself around Mu Zhan and pressed upwards for a kiss, sobbing for an embrace and for him to mark himself.
At the mere thought of this, Wen Mingyu wanted to smash his head against the wall.
So this was why he couldn’t stop shivering a little and scrambled to tear his hand away from Mu Zhan—but it wouldn’t budge an inch despite many frantic attempts. In the end, it was Mu Zhan who gave him a tilted look and then relaxed his grip, leaving Wen Mingyu to take advantage of the opportunity to wiggle free.
He swiftly turned tail and scampered as soon as he was released, exclaiming frantically, “Your Majesty, it’s not proper for me to disturb—I’d best go to the side hall!”
As if he was scared of Mu Zhan’s objection, he skipped away so fast that Mu Zhan could only see his reddened face and his receding back.
Mu Zhan remained motionless in the same place. The crowd had dispersed, but neither did he go; instead, as if he had witnessed something hilarious, a smile flickered away.
Zhao Dequan was learning more and more about how to deal with His Majesty and Young Master Wen. He was stone-deaf and sightless. Thus, he would do everything His Majesty asked of him, and he would do his utmost to accommodate Young Master Wen’s demands. After all, even if he irritates His Majesty, he may still plead forgiveness, but if he offends Young Master Wen, His Majesty would never pardon him.
Zhao Dequan took another glimpse at His Majesty and feigned blindness once again. But he still had something to inform, so he went forward and reported respectfully, “Your Majesty, the heir of the Marquis of Pingjin, has yet to chase enough for the hundred hunted prey.”
The green tea that Wen Mingyu encountered was the son of the Marquis of Pingjin, and he was the one who did not fulfill Mu Zhan’s orders, so there was inevitably a punishment. Zhao Dequan, on the other hand, was unsure about the weight of the sentence. This man was still the one who upset Young Master Wen, so he requested instructions from His Majesty.
Mu Zhan smiled, but his face quickly became murky. “Eighty boards.”
The number of hits with the board varied and was not always the most important factor, since those executioners in the palace who were skilled at carrying out punishments were particularly competent in managing the weight. Eighty strikes may be little more than a flesh wound that heals in a month or two, whereas 10 boards could drive a person half paralyzed to death’s door.
However, he was afraid that the heir of the Marquis of Pingjin, who was evidently the recipient of 80 boards, would have to recover from his injuries as long as he breathed.
Zhao Dequan had figured it out. After all, he was aware of what this heir had done. He was a foolish and malicious man, whose death should not be grieved.
Having stated that, Mu Zhan didn’t waste anymore time and went straight into the bathing pool.
Though Wen Mingyu ran to the side hall, he nevertheless had to return after washing up since he needed to have his meal and sleep with Mu Zhan.
There was hesitation in his steps upon seeing Mu Zhan at the table, failing to grin cheerfully as he normally did, his heart stiff. He hadn’t been feeling at ease since recalling his estrus, and it was tough for him to approach Mu Zhan.
But it was as if Mu Zhan didn’t notice his mood shift, or rather, even if he did, he acted like he didn’t perceive it.
When he walked by, he was pulled by the wrist. The strength was not strong, yet it was still difficult to break away.
Wen Mingyu was momentarily agitated, but he couldn’t find any reason to reject him, so he gulped involuntarily and attempted to act as normally as he could.
He said with a smile, as he quirked his lips, “Your Majesty?”
Mu Zhan shot him a look. “It looks hideous.”
Wen Mingyu: “…”
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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He hadn’t expected Mu Zhan to detect even a little injury. He first became aware of it when he felt discomfort after he came into contact with the pool’s water. He thought that he would apply the medicine again, as he had done the day before, so he wanted to say that he would apply it himself. However, the next second, Mu Zhan bent his head and planted a kiss on the palm of his hand. The tip of his tongue protruded from his mouth and carefully licked over the blood streaks—the warm, seamless touch was frighteningly vivid, as if what he licked was not his palm, but his entire body, which was becoming unresponsive.
Wen Mingyu couldn’t refrain from shaking, his lengthy lashes fluttering lightly, like the wings of a playful and dainty butterfly attempting to fly away, only to be captured and trapped.
His fingers huddled up and unintentionally brushed Mu Zhan’s chin. If he hadn’t been trembling, the movement would have appeared like a rich second-generation playboy hooking someone’s chin and taking liberties with them.
“It’s filthy, Your Majesty…”
Wen Mingyu was unable to steer clear, and the heavy wine’s pheromones became haughty and flippant, enclosing him like an unseen prison, squeezing and invading him inch by inch. He realized more acutely what it was like to be marked as his legs gave up, barely standing and collapsing to the floor.
Mu Zhan raised his head and reached out to grab his forearm, supporting him up and pulling him into his arms.
Before he could react, Wen Mingyu was already seated on Mu Zhan’s thighs, bewildered.
Wen Mingyu remained shocked for a time after falling on Mu Zhan’s arms, and when he regained his wits, he instantly erupted, as if those muscular thighs were searing his buttocks.
He couldn’t get up at all; Mu Zhan surrounded him, his powerful arms around his waist.
Mu Zhan ignored his struggle and still grabbed his hand. The tip of his fingers brushed across his, toying with it softly and methodically.
Although there was no more movement, Wen Mingyu had the uneasy feeling that the situation was a perilous one and that Mu Zhan was not in a rational state—his mood was inexplicable.
As he went to retract it, Mu Zhan gave his hand a punitive squeeze and the soft meat depressed slightly into a tiny crater, forming a crimson patch similar to a peach blossom seal.
“Don’t mess around.”
Mu Zhan summoned someone to deliver the medicine and resumed applying it to Wen Mingyu. He acted so slowly that Wen Mingyu couldn’t take the awful ticklish and despaired of snatching it himself.
Nervous and restless, he attempted to move unconsciously, but as soon as he adjusted his buttocks, he realized something was amiss and thought of something—then his entire body tensed, not daring to twitch a muscle.
When the medicine was finally applied, Wen Mingyu couldn’t help but exclaim, “Your Majesty, it’s time for the evening meal.”
Mu Zhan looked up and stared at him. It caused Wen Mingyu’s hair to stand on edge. He thought he was ready to say something mind-blowing when he heard—”I discovered that nine out of ten sentences you said were about food.”
Wen Mingyu: “…”
He was dumbstruck for a moment, ashamed and mortified, then retorted emphatically, “How could that… be?”
He trailed off, his own heart quivering at the end of his words as he recalled. Perhaps, maybe, it seemed it was the truth?
However, nine sentences is too much. At most, it’s just five sentences.
Besides, what else is there to speak about if not food, you can’t really discuss court affairs, right? No, wait, Mu Zhan could really accomplish something like that; he, the other one, simply wouldn’t have the courage to…
Wen Mingyu smiled half-heartedly, ashamed yet polite. “But it’s still best if we have supper.”
Mu Zhan cocked his eyebrow. There was an implication of “Do you think so” in there.
Wen Mingyu faked like he didn’t see him and rose from his arms. This time, Mu Zhan didn’t stop him; his arms only lay hollowly on his waist. When Wen Mingyu tried to stand up, his hands instinctively slid down his clothes, from his waist to his inner thighs, sending up a touch that seemed to be present yet not.
Wen Mingyu caught a whiff of the thick pheromones, the same as taking a sip of wine. He felt a bit groggy, but his mind was still fog-clear. It was an odd sensation, but it wasn’t the first time it appeared, so he jumped to his feet and walked as if nothing had occurred.
Meals were served as usual.
Wen Mingyu ate with zest, occasionally speaking with Mu Zhan. The only problem was that his gaze kept wandering to Mu Zhan’s side, and he didn’t even concentrate fully on his steamed rice.
He couldn’t help but ponder what Mu Zhan intended by his recent behavior. He regularly remained at Mu Zhan’s side, like a soothing herb sachet. They slept in the same bed, but that’s only that. Crossing the threshold into intimacy was a rare situation.
But, clearly, hands-on hearts, riding on thighs, or anything, are too touchy. Is this a result of his estrus? Are pheromones responsible for these behaviors? Then, however, the alpha should also attempt to mark the omega.
Mu Zhan noticed his sight and asked lazily, “You grew silly after eating?”
Wen Mingyu: “…”
He began scraping bamboo shoots as soon as his mouth opened.
Don’t think about it. As usual, the Dog Emperor is out of his mind and behaving abnormally.
He looked down, still picking at his rice, only to realize his bowl was clean.
It turned out that he had been naively chucking air out of an empty bowl, which explained why Mu Zhan had called him silly. Feeling ashamed by his own silliness, he wanted to crawl into a hole to hide into.
Wen Mingyu bowed his head lower and deeper, practically burrowing into the bowl so as to not reveal his face.
Mu Zhan ordered, “Lift your head.”
Wen Mingyu’s ears were tinged with red, and he boldly defied his order. “… I don’t want to.”
Mu Zhan seemed to sense what was in his thoughts and said, “Worry not; no one would have the courage to mock you, and even if there is one, I will kill them.”
Wen Mingyu: “…”
What about you! You’re the one that mocks me!
Wen Mingyu couldn’t hold back his frustration and, at the speed of a train, raised his head to scowl at Mu Zhan, then hastily bent his head again, as if he had committed no crime.
Eventually, the rice bowl was taken away by the palace servant to be refilled, and they continued to eat.
Wen Mingyu’s face was still flushed from the idiocy of what he had just done. He did not snap out of that awkward state and ate with his head down in utter stillness, not blathering at all like he normally does.
In the absence of that lively and merry voice, the immense palace felt too calm and desolate. It seemed that Mu Zhan was the sole human being.
After a while, though, Wen Mingyu felt a cool touch on his chin as he was roughly squeezed to lift his head. He locked eyes with Mu Zhan; only then did Mu Zhan remove his hand.
Wen Mingyu blanked out but saw that Mu Zhan hadn’t made any further movements and looked to be merely displeased with his head lowered.
After a brief period of reflection, Wen Mingyu felt the need to perhaps give some response, so he said, “Your Majesty, this mutton is so tasty.”
“Then have some more,” Mu Zhan said, handing him a slice.
Without addressing it, Wen Mingyu thought he was a true man again, slipping what had just transpired from his thoughts.
Wen Mingyu’s dog eyes were wet as he gladly ate the meat, and his whole being was once again shining bright.
It smells good. I’m feeling great.
Mu Zhan’s grim countenance also softened.
He was exhausted from hunting throughout the day, so in the evening, he slept soundly.
Immediately after Wen Mingyu slumped into bed, his eyelids became so heavy that they glued together, and he fell off to sleep in no time.
The emperor, Mu Zhan, had a man sleeping next to him who, by duty, should have served him with care and caution, rather than huffing and puffing as if he were a puff of air.
In the past, Wen Mingyu would be reserved as he lay close to him. Mu Zhan could clearly sense he was stiff; his breathing was faint. He might have believed he was concealing it well, but Mu Zhan could tell right away that he was so scared that he desperately wished he could shrivel into a ball.
After being stuck in this arrangement for a while, Wen Mingyu looked like he had grown accustomed to it and loosened a lot, just as today—he wasn’t worried about falling asleep before the tyrant next to him did. In the beginning, he would have chosen to watch his eyes and pinch himself awake rather than doze off.
Mu Zhan, appearing unaware of the word “sleep,” watched the young man for a long time. He then scooped up a wisp of his long hair and looped it around his fingers to toy with before nimbly gathering him in his arms and closing his eyes to sleep.
The next morning, he washed and ate breakfast after waking up.
It was about time to return to the hunting grounds.
The hunt had not yet begun, and the imperial servants were preparing by saddling the horses, examining the horseshoes, and ensuring that each horse was fit to take part in the hunt.
It was not convenient for Mu Zhan to be with him at all times. So when they took their leave, he left trustworthy servants to keep an eye on him.
Wen Mingyu looked around, intrigued. Some of the nobles’ sons would approach him and start a conversation. While he was willing to make friends, these people had a political objective, so he could only speak briefly. If he made too much contact, he could be mistaken for having joined a party.
As a result, Wen Mingyu was compelled to deliver a tai chi blow. He was relieved when he watched them go away after giving perfunctory answers to them.
Moving along, his sight was inadvertently drawn to a young man dressed in black riding attire. He seemed to be a year or two younger than he was. With a bold and fearless face, full of the bravado of a newborn calf, he looked like he had been raised by a doting family.
Just as Wen Mingyu thought, a lithe and classy woman in well-crafted clothes walked up behind him, who smiled and said something about being careful and attentive and so on, while putting on his sweat towel for him.
The teenager seemed to be a bit impatient but dropped his head nevertheless and let his mother knot it for him.
This image depicts a youngster leaving the house and the parents going out of their way to warn and scold the child, who is a little irritated but must listen to their words.
It was actually a somewhat mundane scenario, but as Wen Mingyu watched, he couldn’t help but feel a bit envious in his heart.
Because he had never experienced it.
At school, when he used to hear some of his classmates grumbling about how bothersome and nagging their parents were, he couldn’t help but wonder whether he would act the same if he had parents. They would tell him to put on additional clothing when it was chilly, ask him what he wanted to eat, why he was upset today and so forth.
He’d already decided what he’d say in answer.
It’s just that no one told him about these things.
In his mind, he then stimulates these conversations with just himself.
Perhaps it was because Wen Mingyu had been in a trance for a little too long as he stared at them that the youngster sensed his eyes and looked over.
Wen Mingyu didn’t withdraw immediately after being captured red-handed. After all, that made him feel even more guilty and suspicious. Without changing his expression, he glanced at him for another two seconds before naturally glancing to the side, indicating that he wasn’t just staring at the young man.
Nonetheless, the teenager took long strides towards him, his eyes eyeing the person closely as if he had come seeking trouble.
The palace servant beside Wen Mingyu reminded him, “This is the firstborn son of the Duke of Anning, the eldest grandson of the emperor’s aunt, Huo Hongyu.”
Because of her apathy toward fame and wealth, the eldest princess had no desire to join in the conflict for imperial power. After marrying the former Duke of Anning, she often copied sutras, revered Buddha, and became a Buddhist nun; she was nearly always accompanied by an oil lamp. It was precisely her attitude that Duke Anning became a neutral faction who survived the sanguinary and chaotic conflict for the throne. The younger generation continued in their elders’ footsteps and did not enter the area for civil work, instead becoming idle nobles of leisure.
Huo Hongyu, of course, had been warned to stay away from the one alongside the emperor. At that point, he responded with a perfunctory nod. When, in fact, he didn’t register the words in his head. Since all in his head was his liking for hunting and no interest in other people, he obviously didn’t know Wen Mingyu’s name or any other information.
If Huo Hongyu’s mother, who had just left, had looked back, she would have had her hands over her face, turning into a shouting emoji. One second, she warned her son to not get too close to the one next to His Majesty—but the next second, he was there on his own accord; I’m going to spew blood and be terrified.
Huo Hongyu came over, purely for the sake of hunting, and stood before Wen Mingyu, and stated candidly, “I see you hunted a lynx yesterday. Quite capable, want to compete with me?”
The palace servant was concerned about a clash, so before the heir of Anning arrived, he reassured Wen Mingyu that they would report to His Majesty promptly if anything went wrong.
But it went above and beyond his expectations. His challenger appeared to be a stinky youngster who opened his lips to declare he wanted to compete with him.
“… Are you sure? Just here for a match?”
Huo Hongyu gave him an eye-roll and showed him a contemptuous look. “The hunting ground is nothing more than hunting. What else can you do here? Play the piano and create poems?
Wen Mingyu stared at him for more than a couple of seconds before responding, noting that his eyes were frank and transparent, with no apparent hidden motive.
Huo Hongyu: “Surely, a match needs a bet to be exciting. What happens if you lose?”
Wen Mingyu looked at the other party, who was younger than he was. By being serious, he would look like he was tormenting a junior, so he decided to choose something random. Huo Hongyu, on the other hand, appeared to sense what he was thinking and interrupted right away, “If you are going to compete, then you must take it seriously. If you let me pass, I won’t let you off the hook. If you lose, call me Dad!”
Wen Mingyu: “…”
What a feisty, willful punk.
Wen Mingyu added, “If I win, call me Dad?”
Huo Hongyu froze, as though he hadn’t contemplated the possibility of defeat. He pondered for a minute, and wondered if he called Wen Mingyu “Dad,” would his own old man hound him 10 blocks in a rage just to crush his legs.
So he made up his mind and proclaimed triumphantly, “I’ll be your dog if it’s your win!”
It seemed that he wholeheartedly felt that he would not lose.
Wen Mingyu: “…”
That again, is not unnecessary, really. He really doesn’t want a dog, especially one that does not appear to be particularly bright.
Wen Mingyu instinctively turned his head to scan the hunting grounds in search of Wei Yingwu’s silhouette. In his heart, he couldn’t help but think that this child would make a fine buddy for Wei Yingwu.
In any case, Wen Mingyu and Huo Hongyu have set up a match. As soon as the round-up began, Huo Hongyu dashed straight to the woods, his brightly colored hair ribbon whipped aloft, leaving a trail of flamboyant colors in its wake.
Before setting off, Wen Mingyu addressed this to Mu Zhan.
Mu Zhan wrinkled his brows. “If he says yes, you won’t say no?”
Wen Mingyu said, “But I think it will be enjoyable, so I want to participate. Is that alright with Your Majesty?”
Although Huo Hongyu had a stinky face, he had the common mentality of a child. When Wen Mingyu saw him like that, he couldn’t help but remember a scrawny young child he met way back in the interstellar era. They didn’t spend much time together, but it was one of those rare occasions when he felt like he had one family member, so he couldn’t help but care for him as if he were his brother. It was a pity that the boy left without saying farewell not long after.
As a result, when Wen Mingyu met Huo Hongyu, he worried if the boy had grown so tall and wanted to pat his head.
Mu Zhan threw him a glance, but instead of forbidding him, he said, “Need a hand?”
Wen Mingyu gazed with round eyes, puzzled. “Is Your Majesty intending to assist me cheat?”
Mu Zhan was unfazed, and rightly so, with an aura of “Can you call it cheating if the emperor permits it.”
Wen Mingyu couldn’t help but chuckle. “Then wouldn’t I certainly win. That would be unexciting. It’s best for me to play by myself first. If the need arises, I will unquestionably entrust myself to Your Majesty.”
He raised his eyes to Mu Zhan and grinned softly. His glazed eyes were translucent, as if he was that gentle glimmer of light under the sun, so beautiful that no one could take their gaze away from him.
Mu Zhan smoothly tidied his hair, which had been tossed to the side of his face by the wind, then patted his head and spoke lightly. “Feel free to play; it doesn’t matter if you lose.”
Wen Mingyu was slightly stunned. This kind of attitude of Mu Zhan inexplicably gave him an imagined sense of kinship; that no matter what you do outside, you don’t have to be concerned, since someone would cover for you.
He climbed upon his horse and set off, all still in a stupor.
He wondered. Why was Mu Zhan not his father?
Mu Zhan had a bit of a bad temper, but he was extremely caring about people he classified as his own. If he was Mu Zhan’s son and a good boy, Mu Zhan would absolutely and abundantly spoil him and shield him for life!
Wen Mingyu’s tears of envy welled from the corners of his mouth just thinking about it.
Darn it, I was placed in the wrong womb.
ChiFu: Father, is that you?? just sleep for most of the day. It has become a tradition for me to be sick every month, why tho gr XD I will change the release schedule since I’m not following the Friday format (and bcs it’s already vip too). Thank you for waiting!
Thank you julie for the kofi~
Pfft. Mingyu’s inner thoughts never fail to make me laugh HAHAHAHA
Mingyu, the Emperor surely would never agree to your wish of him being your father, but he might be amenable to you calling him an equivalent term while in the bedroom saucy wink
Hahahahah (/ω＼)
Thank You for the new chapter ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ) Take care! ❤
Thank you for the translation.
Thanks for the chapter🤗
Change the schedule to what? Also, get a lot of rest if you’re feeling sick ♡
maybe Saturday or Sunday www thank you, will rest a lot 🙂
FATHER ZONED whahahhahaha
Thank you for the chapter (◍•ᴗ•◍)💚
Don’t worry, MW! You can still call him daddy, HUEHUEHUE~
The author is really ratcheting up the tension in this chapter. Thanks for the translation!
We find Little silly friend for our teenager-girl-general!
Thank you for your translation 🤍🤍🤍
Hahahaha! Thanks for the update 🤣❤️
Thanks for the chapter!!!
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
Thanks for the chapter
I get sick during the week of the full moon every month and still forget to schedule around it 😄.
It’s cute how Wen Mingyu thinks he’s afraid to get too close to the Emperor but he can easily eat and sleep next to him anyway! And, he’s completely comfortable coming to Mu Zhan for backup or letting him know when he wants to try to succeed without it. Ah, so cute 😊
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
I get sick often too. I think Ml would not mind if you call him cough sugar cough* daddy
Although he couldnt be your Father, he could be your daddy😉