Chapter 36

The young man beside him had gone pale. His eyes were lowered, and he didn't answer.

Jin Wang looked at him without pressing.

Whether the defense map was genuine or false, he had ways to verify it — which would tell him whether Yu Yan was telling the truth.

But what he wanted even more was to hear Ye Shu's explanation.

In his eyes, what Ye Shu had done was bold and dangerous. Maintaining long-term contact with a foreign prince was one misstep away from deadly consequences. Yet he could also see that this matter had been entirely to his benefit.

Ye Shu had not betrayed him — not in this, at least.

Jin Wang silently let out a breath of relief, then patiently asked in a quiet voice: "You can't say?"

Ye Shu didn't answer.

He didn't know how to explain.

Persuading Yu Yan to submit — it wasn't a bad thing, it was actually a considerable achievement. He could of course simply admit that he had done it, but he couldn't explain those three years. He couldn't explain why the original host had ultimately chosen to betray Jin Wang.

After a long hesitation, Ye Shu said slowly: "…I can't say right now."

Jin Wang asked: "When can you?"

"Whenever… whenever the time is right." Ye Shu unconsciously knotted his fingers in his sleeve and barely dared meet Jin Wang's expression. "Give me a little more time, Your Majesty. When… when the moment comes, I'll tell you."

Jin Wang was quiet for a moment. "Very well. I trust you."

Ye Shu looked up. The other's eyes were warm, carrying no trace of reproach. He wiped a crumb of sweet pastry from the corner of Ye Shu's lip with the pad of his finger, and said softly: "Whatever the case — I'm glad."

You're not trying to harm me. I'm glad.

Ye Shu's chest gave a quiet tremor. He was unexpectedly moved.

This person was still so easy to please.

"Although…" Jin Wang's tone shifted suddenly. His eyes narrowed slightly. "You were in contact with him for many years?"

Ye Shu: "…"

Jin Wang mused: "Before We even ascended the throne?"

Ye Shu: "…"

Jin Wang: "And you made arrangements for him to come to Changlu and meet you."

When would this man ever stop!!

Ye Shu gave a small cough and looked away. "I… I'm tired. Shall we go back?"

Jin Wang gave a smile. "Certainly."

Jin Wang called the attendants to bring the imperial palanquin. Ye Shu was about to stand — but Jin Wang pulled him back.

Jin Wang turned away from him and bent down. "Get on."

Ye Shu was momentarily surprised.

Jin Wang looked back over his shoulder and urged: "Quickly."

Jin Wang carried Ye Shu on his back out of the pavilion.

Ye Shu rested his head against Jin Wang's shoulder and looked sideways at his profile. "Why is Your Majesty being so kind to me today?"

"Have We ever not been kind to you?" Jin Wang was clearly in a good mood and laughed softly. "You've done Us such a great service — it's only right to reward you."

The smile on Ye Shu's face faded a little.

In truth, today had only confirmed that Ye Shu hadn't been in collusion with Yu Yan. Whether Yu Yan's submission was genuine or not had yet to be verified.

There was nothing here worth this man being so delighted about.

This emperor was not only dog-like, but also a bit of a fool.

Something sweet and aching stirred in Ye Shu's chest. He buried his face against Jin Wang's shoulder and gave it a quiet nuzzle.

I'll treat you better.

The original host may have betrayed you — but I won't.

Never.

The Dayan envoy and the Court of State Ceremonial negotiated for a full three days before the terms of the ceasefire agreement were finally drafted.

On the final day, Jin Wang needed to be present.

Ye Shu was helping Jin Wang fasten the jade buttons on his court robe. Jin Wang looked down at him with a quiet laugh. "Not that one — do up the left side first. You're such a fumbler."

Ye Shu glared at him. "Do it yourself then!"

"…" Jin Wang immediately composed himself. "You do it."

It was a rare morning when there was no need to rise early, and Jin Wang had shared breakfast with Ye Shu before slowly beginning to dress. On most days Jin Wang left while Ye Shu was still asleep, so now that he had the chance, he'd insisted on having Ye Shu learn to help him dress.

He called it, prettily, something a consort ought to know how to do.

The sovereign's court robe was elaborate. It took Ye Shu twice as long as normal before it was finally done. Jin Wang bent his head to straighten his pendant ornaments, looked up — and found that Ye Shu had already taken advantage of the moment to collapse back onto the bed.

He shook his head with a smile. "You're getting lazier by the day."

Ye Shu sank into the soft bedding and watched him with half-raised eyelids, thinking: whose fault is it, you little dog.

Ye Shu said: "Your Majesty should set off — I'd hate for you to miss the time."

"Going now." Jin Wang leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "If you're sleepy just rest. With any luck We'll be back soon."

Ye Shu nodded agreeably.

Jin Wang left the bedchamber promptly.

The moment Jin Wang was out the door, Ye Shu climbed off the bed and followed him out.

Lately Jin Wang had stopped restricting Ye Shu's movement within the palace — though he was openly accompanied by several court maids and covertly guarded by more than a dozen shadow guards, so Ye Shu had no real opportunity to wander off regardless.

Ye Shu wasn't bothered by the company. He simply led them all in a particular direction.

None of them dared question it and followed along.

Only when they were getting farther and farther from the bedchamber did one court maid finally venture: "Young Master — up ahead is the Huitong Tower."

"I know." Ye Shu didn't slow his pace, and said lightly: "The Huitong Tower is where the Dayan envoy is staying. I'm going to visit a friend. Is that not allowed?"

"But this—"

Ye Shu smiled. "Don't worry. The Second Prince of Yan and I are on good personal terms. His Majesty is aware — there will be no blame."

The court maid answered: "Yes."

Ye Shu arrived in front of the Huitong Tower.

The Dayan envoy had gone to meet with Jin Wang today, and the tower was left with only a handful of guards inside and out. After Ye Shu sent someone to announce him, he was quickly shown in by a guard.

It was the same guard who had been at Yu Yan's side that day.

Yu Yan was surprised to see Ye Shu arrive. "What brings Chancellor Ye here today?"

Ye Shu glanced at the guard beside him.

Yu Yan understood. "Yuǎn guī, please step outside."

The black-robed guard's brow creased faintly. "My Lord…"

"It's fine." Yu Yan cut him off. "The Chancellor and I are just having a chat."

"…Yes."

The guard left. Yu Yan poured a cup of tea for Ye Shu and said casually: "Weren't you pretending not to know me before — what brings you here today?"

"…" Ye Shu gave a small cough. "In front of His Majesty, I naturally have to be careful."

"Careful enough not to acknowledge an old friend." Yu Yan's fingertip tapped the table. "Out of sight, out of mind."

Ye Shu was quiet.

That tone sounded a bit aggrieved, somehow.

Were the original host and Yu Yan really that close???

Ye Shu thought for a moment and said: "Unexpected things happened recently. I didn't want it to be this way either."

"I heard something of it in Dayan." Yu Yan's expression became slightly more serious. He nodded. "How on earth did things come to this between you and Jin Wang — if I hadn't known there was sure to be more to it, I'd have thought the two of you had truly reached the point of no return. And that message you sent me before…"

Ye Shu's eyes stirred. "When did I send you a message?"

Yu Yan had no suspicion of Ye Shu and answered: "The letter reached me three months ago. You said you wouldn't be sending any more messages after that, and if necessary I should act as though I didn't know you."

He paused for a moment and said with distaste: "…It read like a farewell letter."

Ye Shu didn't answer.

If it was three months ago, that letter probably had been a farewell letter.

Because according to the plot's trajectory, the original host should have died two months ago.

Ye Shu asked: "Is the letter still there?"

"I burned it ages ago." Yu Yan frowned. "Are you taking me for a fool, Ye Shu? We belong to two different nations — why would I keep a letter between us, just to give someone evidence to use against me if they wanted to cause trouble?"

That was a fair point.

Even if the contents of the correspondence between Yu Yan and the original host weren't sensitive, messages should be burned after reading — keeping them would only leave evidence behind.

Yet the coded letters between the original host and Xixia had all been found and seized by Jin Wang.

Had the original host simply been careless with those?

Yu Yan had no idea what Ye Shu was thinking. He let out a quiet sigh. "I know your three years as Chancellor in Changlu weren't easy. I didn't dare send you many messages all that time — so receiving your letter three months ago did genuinely worry me. Then I heard that the Changlu sovereign had executed Chancellor Ye, and I almost thought…"

He touched his nose and muttered under his breath: "…Thought you were really dead."

It was only at the state banquet, when Yu Yan saw Ye Shu arrive, that he had been truly reassured.

And he had never for a moment suspected these were two different people who merely looked alike.

Others might not dare speculate so freely, but given Yu Yan's understanding of both Ye Shu and the nature of the two men's relationship, a staged death and a change of identity was not surprising at all.

The Changlu sovereign really did know how to play the game.

"In any case, you being alright is what matters." Yu Yan paused, then said half-jokingly: "Right — why didn't Jin Wang know about our contact before? I'll say it plainly now: if the two of you dare change your minds at the last minute, don't blame me for turning on you."

Ye Shu managed a strained smile. "I'm not that kind of person. Don't worry — I will do what I've promised."

"Good enough."

Ye Shu probed further with a few roundabout questions about the original host, but didn't get much out of it.

Still, the information he'd gathered today was enough.

The two chatted a little longer. Ye Shu estimated that Jin Wang would be about due to return to the bedchamber by now, and prepared to take his leave. "Your Highness should rest well. I'll head back."

Yu Yan nodded. "Very well. The envoy party returns to Dayan in two days — let's meet again before we leave."

Ye Shu said "alright," then stood — only for his legs to buckle without warning. He grabbed the edge of the table to keep himself upright.

"Are you—" Yu Yan instinctively moved to support him.

Ye Shu: "Don't touch me."

He hadn't noticed anything unusual before, but now a sudden weakness had come over him, and there was also an uncommon… heat.

Ye Shu's instincts told him something was wrong. He turned his head and looked at the incense burner on the table. It let off a curl of pale smoke, the faint scent of sandalwood drifting through the room.

Ye Shu asked: "What is that?"

Yu Yan paused in an oddly stilted way, not daring to meet his eyes. "Incense."

Ye Shu narrowed his eyes and stared at him coldly.

Yu Yan looked guilty. He said vaguely: "It's… breath-suppressing incense…"

Ye Shu hadn't heard clearly. "What did you say?"

"Breath-suppressing incense!" Yu Yan's ears inexplicably reddened. He said in exasperation: "You've already figured it out — why are you still asking?"

Ye Shu's brow tightened.

He had spent the past month studying everything he could about the qian-kun dynamic. From the name alone, he could make a reasonable guess as to its purpose.

It was probably the same type of substance as the pills Jin Wang had once given him to take.

Ye Shu's thoughts were in disarray. He forced himself to stay calm. "Why do you have breath-suppressing incense burning in your room? Are you… a kun-sovereign?"

A dignified Second Prince of Dayan — a man who would one day ascend the throne — was a kun-sovereign?

Yu Yan lowered his voice sharply. "Shh! Be careful someone doesn't hear."

He sat down at the table and sighed. "Do you think I wanted to differentiate as a kun-sovereign? If people found out, I'd completely lose any claim to inherit the throne. The physician said the only way to conceal it is to burn breath-suppressing incense every day… apparently some qian-sovereigns are extremely sensitive to this smell. I didn't know you were too. Does it feel bad? Should I have someone take you back?"

"Don't—" Ye Shu moved away from Yu Yan's hands. His arms and legs had gone so weak he could barely stand. "If someone isn't a qian-sovereign — what happens when they breathe this in?"

"Not a qian-sovereign?" Yu Yan looked Ye Shu up and down, and his eyes went wide. "So you're also a…"

Ye Shu: "Just answer me!"

Yu Yan said: "This incense is harmless to people in general — any kun-sovereign can use it; it simply suppresses pheromone release. The only exception is if they're carrying a pregnancy."

His voice cut off suddenly.

Yu Yan met Ye Shu's gaze, and his expression went completely blank. "You you you… you're pregnant???"

Ye Shu's body was getting hotter and hotter. A feverish tide churned inside him, and a thin sheen of sweat had appeared at his temples.

He drew a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and asked: "If you're pregnant… what happens?"