Chapter 7
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Ye Shu now shared meals and lodgings with Jin Wang, and naturally also made use of the sovereign's bathing pool.
The hot spring bath, carved from white jade, was nearly half a room in size. Fed by spring water drawn from the mountains, it filled the chamber with swirling wisps of steam.
Ye Shu stepped into the warm, mist-laden air, but the attendant who had escorted him there showed no hurry to leave.
"What is it?"
The attendant produced a tray from somewhere, upon which sat a half-open box of milky white ointment faintly suffused with the scent of roses. "This servant is here to attend to your bath."
Ye Shu glanced at the ointment and immediately felt his vision go dark. "No. Get out!"
"But His Majesty instructed—"
Ye Shu laughed coldly. "Try touching me and see what happens."
The attendant's words died in his throat.
He had spent his years serving at the sovereign's side, and was well-versed in reading expressions and weighing circumstances.
The young man before him had fallen from power, yet he had once been a prime minister of supreme authority and boundless prestige — someone whose methods were not to be underestimated.
Now this man stood convicted of a grave crime, and yet His Majesty had not only spared his life, but had gone so far as to secretly substitute another in his place to keep him safe.
Which only showed how deeply this person was regarded in His Majesty's heart.
Such a man was not to be provoked.
Having weighed the advantages and disadvantages, the attendant set down the tray, bowed to Ye Shu, and withdrew.
The hall doors closed. Ye Shu was left alone inside.
That. Damned. Emperor.
Ye Shu was seething with anger and indignation, hating only that he was now at another's mercy with no way to escape.
Had he known it would come to this, he would rather have been tormented to death by the desire toxin in that forest than go seeking help from anyone!
How could he have thrown himself at the first person he saw, without a shred of self-control!
Cursing Jin Wang, then cursing himself, Ye Shu fumed his way through his bath.
The box of ointment still sat beside the pool.
Use it, or not?
Ye Shu couldn't make up his mind.
A sovereign's word is final — that damned emperor had said tonight he would have him attend his bed, and it could not have been mere empty talk.
If he didn't use it, he would be the one to suffer.
But if he did use it... how exactly was this thing supposed to be used???
The steam from the bath had already turned Ye Shu's face faintly pink. Gritting his teeth, he hooked up a small amount on his fingertip and reached behind himself to try.
Ye Shu had never had this kind of experience in his life.
The clean scent of roses dissolved against his fingertip. He fumbled clumsily for a while, never quite finding the right method, and only succeeded in making himself thoroughly uncomfortable.
A moment later, Ye Shu hastily washed his hands clean and put the thing back where it had been.
It was nearly the better part of an hour before Ye Shu finally returned to the sleeping chambers.
He had only just stepped into the inner room when a tall figure gathered him up from behind.
Jin Wang buried his face against the side of his neck and drew a quiet breath. "You prepared yourself?"
The young man had taken the Suppression Pill, and not a trace of desire incense could be detected on him — in its place was only a faint, clean fragrance of roses.
Sweet and honeyed and alluring.
Ye Shu's ears reddened. He turned his head away in discomfort.
"I could have helped you, but this is fine as well..." Jin Wang drew Ye Shu over to sit at the edge of the bed. He lifted his chin slightly and met Ye Shu's gaze. "Shall we begin."
Begin... what?
The sight of Ye Shu standing there at a complete loss brought a low laugh from Jin Wang. "You want something from me, so naturally you must let me see your sincerity."
"I..." Ye Shu pressed his lips tightly together. The rims of his eyes had gone faintly red. "I don't know how."
A beauty fresh from the bath was always a pleasure to behold — and the young man before him carried a bearing that transcended the ordinary, incomparable to common beauties.
His damp hair fell loose behind him; the side of his face and his neck had been flushed pink by the steam; a winding trail of water traced down along his neck and disappeared into his collar, inviting the imagination to wander.
No wonder the streets all said that Prime Minister Ye was the foremost beauty in all of Changlu.
The claim was no exaggeration.
Jin Wang's heart softened considerably, and he stopped making things difficult for the young man. He patted the bed beside him. "Come up. I'll show you."
That. Damned. Emperor!
Ye Shu watched Jin Wang in silence, inwardly concluding that this wretched emperor had indeed been coveting his body all along — even the tactic of showing vulnerability was useless now.
There was likely no escaping tonight.
Fine. It would be nothing more than playing a role.
He would think of it as being bitten by a dog.
Jin Wang had no idea what manner of insults were being heaped upon him in the other man's heart. He pulled Ye Shu onto the bed. The young man leaned against his chest, and hair dark as ink spread across the bedding.
The young man's eyes were like stars — the gaze he turned on Jin Wang was clear and transparent, threaded through with a helpless, undisguisable anxiety and tension.
Jin Wang's breathing grew, without his noticing, somewhat heavier.
Ye Shu furrowed his brow slightly. "Have you been drinking?"
Within the gauze curtains, at some point, the scent of wine had begun to drift through the air.
Jin Wang's expression flickered. He nodded. "Yes. I had a few cups while waiting for you."
"What kind of wine is this — it smells wonderful..."
The scent drew Ye Shu into a daze. He could not stop himself from tilting his head back and leaning in toward the spot at Jin Wang's throat where the fragrance was most concentrated, and breathing in deeply.
Jin Wang's eyes darkened.
He had differentiated two years before Ye Shu and had been born into the imperial family — long since having learned how to control his desire pheromones.
But in front of his own Kun he had no need to.
In bed even less so.
The rich, heady wine scent burst open within the curtains of the bed.
"Mm..." Ye Shu's eyes trembled faintly. An involuntary low sound escaped him.
Ye Shu had taken the Suppression Pill earlier. No matter how thick Jin Wang's pheromone scent became, he should not have been affected by it.
There was only one explanation for this kind of reaction.
It meant that the compatibility between the two of them was exceptionally high — an instinctive pull that had broken through the barrier of the medication.
But the effect would go no further than that.
Having taken the medication, he would not be lured into arousal, nor would he release his own pheromones.
Jin Wang looked down at the person in his arms, and was suddenly struck by a pang of regret.
He should not have been in such a hurry to give him the medication.
He had seen what the young man looked like when drawn in by his pheromones.
That look... was a hundred times more beautiful than what he was seeing now.
From within the curtains came the soft rustling of fabric as Jin Wang peeled away Ye Shu's outer robe.
The marks from the last time still lingered on the young man's body. Jin Wang traced slowly over them, drawing an uneasy shudder from the person in his arms.
Ye Shu's skin was fair and thin — the lightest pinch left a red mark.
Jin Wang indulged himself for quite a while. By the time the young man's ears had been stained a deep crimson, Jin Wang tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "You're the one waiting to be attended to — you'll have to learn yourself."
The young man had been rendered half-dazed by the high concentration of pheromones. He looked at Jin Wang in bewilderment as Jin Wang's hand guided his own downward.
"Here." Jin Wang's voice was low and husky. "Be good, A-Shu. Give me your hand."
Ye Shu knelt sitting on the bed and blinked.
"No." His contrary streak flared up. He threw himself back into Jin Wang's arms, nuzzling at him like a small dog. "The scent on you smells so good. Let me smell a little more."
Jin Wang coaxed him gently. "Be good. I'll give you what you want."
"You said it — you can't trick me..." Ye Shu finally set his hand where it had been guided, and murmured quietly, "You're always tricking me..."
Jin Wang's breath drew tight. "When have I ever tricked you?"
"You just have. Not only do you trick me, you frighten me, you bully me... Jin Wang you miserable dog, no one is worse than you."
Jin Wang: "..."
Since ascending the throne, Jin Wang had never been spoken to in such a manner.
In just these few days of being around the young man, he had received in one go what amounted to a full lifetime of abuse.
And yet Jin Wang could not find it in himself to be angry.
He had never been able to bring himself to treat this person harshly.
"It is clearly you who tricked me." After a long silence, Jin Wang spoke in a low voice. "Do you still remember what you said three years ago? You said that in the future, I would unify the realm and become the supreme ruler. You said that all land under heaven would be the king's land, and all people within its borders would be the king's subjects."
"...Except for you."
"You would never be my subject. You were my friend, my confidant, my brother."
Ye Shu said nothing. Head bowed, he slowly leaned further into Jin Wang's arms.
Jin Wang stroked his hair and spoke softly. "Three years have passed. I have been wanting to ask you this all along, but never found the occasion."
"...What did you want to ask?" Ye Shu's voice drifted over, so quiet it was nearly like a murmur in a dream.
Jin Wang: "..."
Jin Wang looked down, and found the young man pillowed against his shoulder, eyes already closed.
"...Ye Shu?"
"Ye Qi'an, don't play games with me."
Ye Shu did not respond.
The corners of his eyes and his cheeks were flushed with a rosy hue, his whole body curled up in Jin Wang's arms, something still murmuring softly from his lips.
And one of his hands was even gripping...
Jin Wang shifted. Ye Shu instinctively tightened his grip.
Jin Wang sucked in a sharp breath and said irritably, "...Ye Qi'an, what do you think you're doing!"
Ye Shu still did not answer.
The two of them remained locked in this standstill for a moment, until Ye Shu's breathing gradually became even and steady — and he even began to snore softly.
However one looked at it, this appeared to be the behavior of someone who was... drunk.
Drunk???!!!
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