The several Black Armored Guards Li Suichuan brought were left behind.
A Feng tremblingly proposed his own idea. Unexpectedly, the Son of Heaven easily agreed and even rewarded him with a gold ingot.
Everyone knew well who loved to play at that Jade Lake. His Majesty's intention this time was obvious to the extreme.
Liu Dong had already instructed these Eastern Palace old people to treat Rong Mu well. Now this group of people all the more wanted to lift this Young Master Rong to the heavens.
...But lifting to the heavens was still not their turn. In this half month at the Eastern Palace, whenever His Majesty had free time, he was definitely within ten meters following Young Master Rong.
Whether this young master was appreciating flowers or eating, His Majesty was inseparable.
Initially, everyone watched with some fear. Recently, they had all become numb, only contentedly doing their own matters, not letting the Son of Heaven suffer grievances in this hidden residence.
In this half month, not only the mansion guards and servants, but even Rong Mu felt Shang Cizhou's strangeness. Sometimes when he wanted to go out late at night to observe the growth of the lotus stalks in Jade Lake, this tyrant would catch him red-handed, then detain him and not let him run out.
Rong Mu gloomily tugged at his hair and sighed.
This tyrant was fortunate to be raising him who had become a spirit. if he were raising any other little wild flower, five pots would have withered to death in three days!
...He had now grown accustomed to this long hair. He didn't even need Ming Chun, who was still in the palace. He could tie it properly himself.
"You won't be controlling me again tonight, right?" Rong Mu looked at himself in the mirror, confirming the small silver bells hung properly behind him. "You promised to let me go out and play properly. Your Majesty's word is as heavy as a tripod. You can't deceive me again."
Shang Cizhou stood behind him, his fingers touching a green lotus hairpin in the dressing table box.
"When have I ever deceived you?" He compared the green jade hairpin behind Rong Mu's head. "Rest assured."
Rong Mu crossed his arms and humphed: "The more you say this, the more uneasy I feel. Your Majesty has bad intentions and always says I'm stupid. I wouldn't even know when I've been calculated into your schemes."
Shang Cizhou's hand paused, smiling: "I will treat Tingzhi very well."
Rong Mu was still not quite used to these two characters. He slightly furrowed his brows: "You really named me after this Tingzhi Que?" There couldn't be some trick... When Shang Cizhou called these two characters, it always gave him a subtle sixth sense feeling.
A feeling like... being invisibly trapped by something.
Rong Mu was usually broad-minded, not caring much. But these days, Shang Cizhou was too good to him—so good that his vigilance had risen instead.
...These days, he had been very careful to restrain Bi Jiangxue's fragrance, not letting Shang Cizhou become too abnormal again.
Bi Jiangxue, this little thing, having failed to live in the Jade Lake mansion, became somewhat closed off afterward—listless, neither fully opening nor closing, just stuck like this. So much so that even Shang Cizhou had passed by and asked about it several times.
Rong Mu actually hoped it wouldn't open so quickly. He had no experience being a male demon spirit. Who knew what "surprises" his original body's full blooming would bring him?
Rong Mu glanced at Shang Cizhou from the mirror. The evening sky was somewhat dim, making the Emperor's face unclear.
But handsome was still handsome.
Shang Cizhou rarely changed into an ink-blue brocade robe. A purple-gold waist sash outlined his perfect body proportions, with two pieces of green jade pendant hanging down to press the robe corners.
Tonight was the capital's Flower Festival. Because the Eastern Palace had recently welcomed back its master, it had been bustling with preparations since early morning.
Uncle Dong even directed people to change all the lanterns and curtains in the mansion—his energy was like preparing for New Year.
"I asked Your Majesty a question. You wouldn't have given me a random name, right—"
Rong Mu was about to stand up when Shang Cizhou pressed his shoulders down. He didn't understand. Just as he was about to turn back, Shang Cizhou's hand reached from behind and gently pinched his chin: "I certainly named you after the Tingzhi Que... Don't move. I'll help you pin your hair."
Rong Mu paused, his mind settling down.
He saw Shang Cizhou extremely gently pull up two strands of his long hair on both sides, then thread them through the already tied hair ribbon, forming an extremely neat small knot.
Rong Mu watched as he used that lotus jade hairpin to insert through the hair knot, then slightly adjusted twice. The long hair behind his head was completely fixed.
Rong Mu turned sideways and saw his small silver bells faintly visible hanging below the long hairpin. If he didn't move greatly, one couldn't see the hair ribbon's shape at all—only the purple-white part exposed where it wove together with the long hair.
This skill could be called extremely clever and dexterous, making Rong Mu blink in surprise: "Your Majesty... you, you've practiced this, right?"
Shang Cizhou nodded.
He looked at the person in the mirror. This mirror was placed on the east side of the Tingzhi Que's second floor, its position especially clever—almost capturing all the gold, silver, and jade decorations in this tower. And the person before him sat among the pile of gold and jade, his radiant, handsome appearance shining several times brighter.
"I had some years where I tied my own hair," Shang Cizhou continued in a low voice.
Rong Mu turned back: "Why? Weren't you the Crown Prince, the Emperor? Wherever you went, there were people to serve you."
Shang Cizhou looked at the innocence in his eyes and spoke in a deep voice: "Among those who once tied my hair, three out of five wanted my life. Especially during those three years of fighting for the throne, some of my brothers, in order to kill me, used every possible means."
Rong Mu listened silently for a moment, then sighed and patted the back of Shang Cizhou's hand: "Your Majesty's life as emperor is truly hard."
Shang Cizhou smiled: "It was indeed hard before. Recently, relaxing body and mind with you and Bi Jiangxue, I finally feel the joy of holding this rivers and mountains in my grasp."
Rong Mu tilted his head in confusion. The Emperor leaned close from behind him, his fingers lightly flicking his silver bells:
"I sit possessing the rivers and mountains—what do I want that I cannot have? It's just that I formerly had sparse desires, nothing I particularly wanted. Now, however, I want Tingzhi to always accompany me."
Rong Mu's heart jumped, but Shang Cizhou's face appeared under the lamplight—so normal, so handsome, without the slightest wrongness.
"...Fine then. In any case, before everything comes to light, I will always be by your side." Rong Mu stepped back somewhat awkwardly.
Shang Cizhou only nodded, his eyes rarely warm as he looked at him.
Rong Mu adjusted his clothes, stood up and turned two circles, his joyful appearance showing he was very much looking forward to going out to play.
"Tingzhi, Tingzhi, come to my side," Shang Cizhou suddenly smiled and said.
Rong Mu also rarely in good mood smiled at him: "What is it?"
Shang Cizhou tilted his head: "Tingzhi's beauty could topple a kingdom. I am extremely fond of it."
Rong Mu coughed embarrassedly. He himself sometimes judged by looks, but he hadn't expected this tyrant was also a hidden face-connoisseur. He walked over, hands on hips proudly:
"Not to boast, but when I handled those little romantic entanglements for Your Majesty last time, I discovered this small capital of mine. I just didn't expect them to stop being infatuated with Your Majesty and start being infatuated with me instead. Alas, what can I do about this? It was all Your Majesty's idea."
A dark shadow flashed through Shang Cizhou's eyes. He said lowly: "It was my idea. If I had known earlier that Tingzhi was so heart-stirring, I would certainly hide you away, so no one could look at you."
Rong Mu frowned: "Hey, you can't think like this. I need to bask in the sun every day. Now is precisely the time to supplement nutrition and grow my body. If you hide me away, where would you hide me? A small dark room? Then would I even survive? Your thinking is very dangerous!"
Seeing his frightened expression, Shang Cizhou turned and smiled lightly: "How could that be? Even if it's a room, I would certainly cast a golden house for you, planting your favorite lotus flowers inside. Whatever you want, I am the Emperor—I can accomplish it all for you."
Rong Mu hissed, patting the Emperor's shoulder, half serious, half joking: "Didn't I warn you? Bi Jiangxue bewitches people. Don't crowd around it when you have nothing to do. Look at you—after appreciating the flower a few times, your mind is already unstable. How fiercely loyal and pure you used to be!"
Shang Cizhou's smile slightly withdrew. Watching Rong Mu finish speaking and walk behind the screen to undo his outer robe, he seemed reluctant to mess up the beautiful braided hair, so he reached back to pull his long hair out from his collar.
Rong Mu's long hair was black as crow feathers, glossy and smooth. He had touched it several times—icy cool and extremely comfortable.
The youth walked past the night pearls embedded in the wall, leaving him a backlit silhouette.
This person played and joked on the surface, but in reality, he didn't like him at all—Shang Cizhou extremely clearly felt this at this moment.
He even began to somewhat envy his former self in the dream.
Outside the window, Uncle Dong had hung up the lanterns. Faint sounds of laughter from the streets could already be heard. Shang Cizhou watched Rong Mu put on a green-white outer robe again, then extend his fingers to smooth his slightly disheveled hair ends.
Shang Cizhou's eyes unconsciously followed those fair knuckles, watching Rong Mu use his hand as a comb, pulling apart a small knotted tail. At a certain instant of black and white collision, Shang Cizhou's eyes suddenly narrowed slightly.
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