Rong Mu stroked his own lotus head. The bud was trembling slightly, and he had no idea when it would finally bloom.
The closer he was to his original body, the more comfortable he felt. He could even offer a smile to the Emperor, whose face usually looked like someone owed him eight hundred gold ingots.
"Your Majesty has returned early today. Have you eaten?"
Shang Cizhou felt that this person’s way of greeting people consisted entirely of asking about their three daily meals. He replied casually, "I have not. Why? Does the Consort intend to wash his hands and prepare a meal for me?"
Rong Mu immediately spoke up: "This subject can barely even feed himself."
Shang Cizhou gave a snort of laughter. "Fragile."
Rong Mu nearly choked. Acting with the Emperor was like dancing on the edge of a steel blade, one slip and you’d be sliced in half.
"Then does Your Majesty wish to eat now?"
Shang Cizhou said indifferently, "I do not eat after noon."
Rong Mu: "..." Truly a sophisticated health-conscious youth. No wonder his physique is so good.
"Why? The Consort looks as though he has something he wishes to discuss with me."
Rong Mu: "Does Your Majesty have time now, then?"
Shang Cizhou: "No."
Rong Mu was stunned by the man’s deadpan thick-skinned nature. He said in surprise, "Then why did you ask if I had something to discuss?"
Ziyuan Hall went silent for a moment. Realizing his slip too late, Rong Mu slowly licked his lips and said, "This subject truly likes a man of Your Majesty's temperament, even the surrounding air becomes more interesting."
The Emperor didn't show whether he was angry or not. At any rate, Rong Mu couldn't read his true thoughts. He only saw the other man give him a deep look before turning and walking into the side hall's study.
Just as Rong Mu thought he had passed this hurdle, the Emperor's airy voice drifted out from within: "For offending your superior, stay right there and reflect. You are not to move until I come out."
Rong Mu: "???"
Black-hearted Emperor!
Only after the Emperor had completely vanished did Ming Chun dare to rise and speak to Rong Mu. "Young Master, you nearly scared me to death just now! But His Majesty only punished you by making you stand for a while. Anyone else would have been dealt with long ago. You must be extra careful when speaking to His Majesty in the future..."
Rong Mu took a deep breath and mentally traced the Emperor's handsome face ten times to comfort himself.
...It was his own carelessness. He had almost forgotten this was a purebred madman.
It was just standing for a bit. It wasn't him who hadn't eaten. Compared to a tyrant burdened by a myriad of state affairs, his life of slacking off in the palace was much happier.
Rong Mu did some mental coaching for himself, deciding not to hold a grudge against a patient. However, he didn't stay perfectly still either. Lang Xi was busy trailing after the Emperor, the Black Imperial Guards didn't dare say anything when they saw him slacking, and Ming Chun pretended to be mute.
So, after standing for the duration of a cup of tea, Rong Mu slowly leaned against the doorframe. A while later, finding the posture uncomfortable, he leaned against his large flower vat. Seeing his pale complexion, Ming Chun whispered,
"Young Master, why don't we soften up to His Majesty? Go inside and talk it out nicely."
Rong Mu: "Experience tells me not to disturb a workaholic who wakes up at five in the morning for court."
Ming Chun looked blank: "Ah?"
Rong Mu lowered his eyes. "Never mind. You go on down. I'll stay here in the breeze to cool my head."
Ming Chun wanted to say more, but seeing Rong Mu’s expressionless face, she felt a strange sense of dread, similar to when she faced the Emperor.
When Young Master Rong became stubborn, he was actually quite intimidating...
***
Rong Mu waited until nightfall, and the Emperor still hadn't finished his business. He looked up at the sky, remembering he had only been here for a day and had already clashed with the Emperor multiple times.
Sigh, could the two of them be naturally incompatible?
No, more than that, they were likely destined rivals who would never interact until the day they died.
After an unknown amount of time, Rong Mu began to feel drowsy. He simply sat down on the spot, propping one hand against his lotus vat. Just as he found a comfortable position, the door behind him suddenly creaked.
He looked back to see the Emperor's face right above him. The man had just pulled open the door Rong Mu was leaning against.
Rong Mu: "..."
That cursed feeling of being caught red-handed at the exact wrong moment.
"Actually, this subject just sat down," Rong Mu said, blinking his eyes.
The tyrant smiled at him. "Is it comfortable sitting there?"
Rong Mu was honest: "In response to Your Majesty, it's quite comfortable. Better than kneeling."
Shang Cizhou’s smile vanished instantly. "Get up."
Rong Mu gave an "Oh" and prepared to stand, but a sharp cramp suddenly shot from his waist down to his calf.
"..." This fragile, delicate flower body.
Seeing him not move, the Emperor’s expression became even more unreadable. "Has Consort Rong sat until his legs broke?"
Rong Mu: "...My leg cramped."
Shang Cizhou: "..."
Rong Mu took a deep breath and, forgetting his previous lessons, reached out his hand. "Your Majesty, give me a hand."
Shang Cizhou remained unmoved, his heart like stone.
Rong Mu simply grabbed the hem of the Emperor's lower robe. Under Lang Xi’s gaze, which looked as if he were watching a dead man, Rong Mu slowly climbed up using the Emperor’s frame for support, not forgetting to stomp his feet to get the blood flowing.
"Rong. Mu."
The youth looked up with a wince. Hearing the Emperor’s dangerous tone, he whispered, "Your Majesty is far too cold-hearted. This isn't how you spoil someone. Does Your Majesty even know how to love? How can we put on a show for others like this?"
Shang Cizhou’s eyes narrowed as a blurry voice flashed through his mind: "Do you even know how to be good to people?! You're just a fool!"
Seeing the Emperor wasn't reacting, Rong Mu thought he had offended the madman again. He hurriedly added a cover-up: "Forget it... Your Majesty doesn't know how to love, so this subject will accommodate you. When I greeted Your Majesty earlier, I actually had something I wanted to discuss. I wonder if Your Majesty has the time now?"
Shang Cizhou frowned, looking at Rong Mu’s romantic yet utterly unfamiliar face. He said slowly, "What do you want to say?"
Lang Xi had already retreated when the two were confronting each other. He had figured it out by now: whenever this Attendant Rong was speaking, it was best for him to hear nothing at all, lest his old heart give him trouble.
Seeing no one around, Rong Mu quietly stood on his tiptoes and whispered into Shang Cizhou's ear, "This subject wanted to ask Your Majesty. Can we not sleep together at night?"
The words were soft and warm against his ear, but Shang Cizhou was chillingly cold: "No. I just boasted about my beauty to the court officials this morning."
Rong Mu had too many complaints to count, and his voice suddenly rose: "But this subject has a terrible sleeping posture! I'll disturb Your Majesty's rest. I might even have a habit of snoring! It's very loud at night! Your Majesty was so disturbed this morning you vanished!"
The Emperor watched him play his games quietly. Only after Rong Mu finished his tirade did he speak: "When two people sleep, it is enough if one has a good posture. I guarantee I won't let you fall off the dragon bed. As for whether Consort Rong is quiet at night... I didn't hear any other noises, but I did hear you call me a black-hearted lotus 32 times in your dreams. I feared that if I kept listening, I wouldn't be able to resist killing you, so I left the bedchamber last night."
Rong Mu: "!!!" This!
He immediately felt guilty. His voice dropped as he grabbed the Emperor’s sleeve, leading him toward the bedchamber. "Then... I saw there's a soft couch in the room. I can sleep on that at night."
Shang Cizhou looked at the fair hand clutching his sleeve and said tonelessly, "No."
Rong Mu blurted out, "Why do you have so many issues?"
Shang Cizhou stopped abruptly. By the time Rong Mu realized something was wrong, the Emperor had slammed the bedchamber doors shut with a *bang*. The dim light made the sound of their breathing much louder. Just as Rong Mu was about to argue for his troublesome mouth, he was suddenly hoisted up.
The Emperor was half a head taller than Rong Mu. He scrutinized him from above. "I am truly curious now—who could have raised such a talent who isn't afraid of death?"
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