Chapter 28

Hong Xu just ended his morning court assembly and was about to walk out of the entrance towards the palace hall, when suddenly, there’s a servant who stepped in front of him and bowed while reporting about the incident of Zi Li vomiting blood and going back to the Ming Yang palace.

Hong Xu listened to the end, but he merely narrowed his eyes and calmly said: “I see, you’re dismissed.” The discussion had ended, but there were still high officials coming in his study!

Seeing that Hong Xu did not reveal any worried expression nor displeased from that newly favored man getting sick, it seems that the Bei Ling’s prince importance in his majesty’s eyes is nothing out of ordinary! With that in mind, the big lump on that servant’s heart falls off. He wiped the sweat perspiring on his forehead from nervousness, and retreated back feeling glad.

But does Hong Xu’s heart expresses the same as his expression did? Not at all, not at all! In fact, while Hong Xu was listening, there was a sudden feeling in his heart, and that is —— anger!

However, he is not angry to other people, but that person who is the topic of this incident. That person always rejected his passion, a weak rascal who always challenges him into bickering.

Other people strive hard to think of a way to obtain his favor, and yet, that man frustratingly opposes him! Zi Li was permitted to sleep in his imperial bed but when he woke up, he went as far as to blurt out the he wanted to leave! Hong Xu felt his honor as a king was violated again by this little bastard who is unknowingly stupid or rebellious.

“*Cough cough*” Old prime minister Zou Yan lightly coughed in purpose, to call the attention of the emperor whose mind had wander to other places and loses his focus! It’s truly a wonder, in such a serious military discussions, this person has always been sternly strict, but now the emperor is unexpectedly absentminded? Other people may unable to tell, but under this old shrewd’s Zou’s crafty eyes, the dark laughing expression flashing in the emperor’s eyes right now are caught red handed.  “Your majesty, your old servant believes general Li’s plan may not be a surefire, but it is feasible. What does his majesty thinks about it?”

“Since the prime minister believe its feasible, then you may proceed with it!” Hong Xu recovered from his daze and neatly replied.

“As you command!” A heroic and famous devoted general steps forward and cupped his hands as he accepted the decree.

“That’s it for today, all of you may withdraw!”

“Yes, your majesty!”

He waited for them to leave, before Hong Xu places his royal stamp aside. He walks out of the study and ordered: “To the Ming Yang palace!”

Zi Li was curling up in a daze with the blanket wrapped on him when he heard someone pushing the door and coming in. There was silence for a short while, then suddenly, a cool hand sticks on his forehead. And after that, he heard that person said in a quiet voice: “What are you all doing? Your master is sick yet no one is taking care of him?”

“This servant is unworthy!” A rustling sound of clothes echoed along female voices.

“What are you still dawdling for? Still won’t look for imperial physician Li?”

“Ye-yes, majesty!”

Zi Li slowly opens his eyes, and came to see a face he don’t want to see the most right now. Thus, he closes his eyes in a breeze and burrows his neck deeper into the blanket.

When Hong Xu saw this, he felt even more annoyed. He turned his cold face towards the other maidservants and said: “Leave, all of you.”

They all walked out of the room in panic all at once. Chun Lan saw the look on Ming Yue who was about to say something, so she immediately tugged her sleeve to leave with her.

Once all the attendants had left the premises, Hong Xu turned his head back to Zi Li who was buried deep under the blanket thinking that everything will be fine. He said: “We will count down to three, if you don’t come out from there, We will show no mercy.”

That lump on the blanket shook.

“One.”

That bundle of blanket curled tightly.

“Two.”

Then the blanket backs away.

“Three! Very well!”

Hong Xu restrained the urge to cripple him. He steps forward and forcefully pulled the blanket off. Zi Li cried loudly when his protection was taken away from him and he was exposed to that icy gaze of his.

Zi Li deliberately closes his eyes to keep ignoring Hong Xu even if the blanket was already pulled off. His flushed cheeks due to fever had turned into a color of a boiled shrimp due to covering up with the blanket. A delicate fairness from his neck down to his collarbone was revealed from his loose collar.

That uncomfortable icy gaze being darted at him feels like it suddenly turned strange. Zi Li opened his eyes, and as expected, Hong Xu was looking at him in an obscene way!

“The third prince of Bei Ling used to play with courtesans a lot. Shall we test the theory if doing it with a person with a high fever, it will feel much better?” Hong Xu playfully said with a light wicked smile.

Zi Li immediately stared back at him in vigilance, he can’t help but slowly inches back. His appearance of thin and small figure shivering with cold gives a pitiful impression.

Two men were in a deadlocked for quite some time, but suddenly, Hong Xu softly sighed and covered Zi Li’s body with the blanket.

“Can’t you really tell the good from bad? Are you that dense?” Hong Xu tucked the blanket for him and helplessly said: “You see, everyone wanted to gain Our special favor that they openly fight and covertly maneuver for it, even if they are just being played with. Yet why are you treating it with contempt that thing they yearned for day and night, you even resist it at all costs?

To be told by him like it was as it should be by rights in an exasperated tone, Zi Li boiled in fury and could not resist shouting at him: “Because I don’t want to be caged like an animal! Right now, you are simply acting like a trainer gradually taming a beast. You used a delicious piece of meat to lure beasts, and then let them fight and kill one another for it, only stopping them from fighting and makes them leave once you had your fun. You are just a poor creature who chooses to watch beasts with no one by your side. You perceived yourself as someone infallible. I don’t want to be a beast locked in your cage, I don’t want your so called special favor, and I’m not a rarity!” Once he was done talking, Zi Li was breathing hard and was fiercely glaring at him.

Hong Xu gazes at him with a deep look in his eyes. After a while, he was silently chuckling, it then became louder and louder, until he laughs heartily by the end.

Zi gave him a look as if he was a madman.

“Hehe, hehehe, Xiao Jin Yu, you truly had us mistaken!” Hong Xu was gazing at Zi Li’s eyes with a dark look and a smile yet not a smile. Those eyes were as clear as water, it clearly reflected a man’s cold, desolate, and detached face.

“However, I like you! Not Us, but me!” Hong Xu caress Zi Li’s eyelashes and softly spoke.

He then bowed his body and kisses that man’s lips deeply——

-End of Volume 1-

Bonbon translation note:

[1] When Hong Xu said this line “However, I like you! Not Us, but me!”, take note, he always uses the 朕 (formal and detached way of addressing of the emperor to himself to expressing superiority) in conversations with Zi Li and other people. But in that line, he emphasizes the use of 我 (which is a casual way of addressing of the speaker indicating he’s in the same level of standing or familiarity with the speaker). He even called Zi Li in his first name with honorifics ‘Xiao’

The rest of the interpretation of Hong Xu’s confession is up to you guys ?

Bonbon wanted to say:

Aaaannd! Another volume done! *Wipes sweat*

I actually clapped during Zi Li’s (furious) counter rebuttal on Hong Xu hahaha! I was like damnn Zi Li, preach! I really love Zi Li’s feisty-ness! It proves that he’s a power uke! Joking aside, he’s such a strong character, albeit naive and had a lot of bad luck.

So much development happened and characters introduced during this update period of HMH… Now that both brothers are interested in Zi Li, will there be a fight between two close brothers or a truce(and there will be 3p?) haha just kidding, I’m all for monogamous relationship. But if there is such a twist, it might not be bad… hahah! I’ll stop!

I know that it stalled the updates for vol 4 TMCRVP but I hope you guys enjoyed it nonetheless~

Once again, thank you for the readers who supported me and made me smile in the comments sections, the donators who kept this sleepy bunny awake while working on the translations with their delicious kofi-s, particularly Ima who is basically a patron goddess of Kofis at this point(y u so good to me? x’D) as well as donators supporting me in patreon~ All of you are doing an amazing job keeping this bunny alive and happy to continue translating danmei’s for all of us ?

His Majesty’s Hostage will be seeing you again in volume 2~

Thank’s everyone for reading ?