AEOGA CH64

He hadn’t been drunk, yet he had genuinely committed a crime.

Qin Yulong pursed his lips. “I also… don’t dislike you.”

I actually like you a lot.

He possessed a constitution that could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk; how could he possibly act out of line from alcohol?

He was enamored with the young general on the battlefield, and held fond feelings for the young prince deep in the imperial palace. Upon learning they were the same person, combined with hearing Helian Xi’s heartfelt confession while intoxicated, he felt both tender pity and affection. Under those circumstances, Helian Xi had insisted on yanking off his clothes and biting him all over. Yet a drunk person didn’t have much strength; calling it biting, it was more akin to kissing. Qin Yulong had tried to push him away several times, only to be forcefully pinned down again, with the youth shouting that his revenge wasn’t complete yet…

Qin Yulong was a young man in the prime of his youth; how could he possibly restrain himself?

So… he simply lost control for a moment…

Helian Xi was genuinely startled for a second before dropping his gaze, letting out a cold sneer: “So, you took advantage of my vulnerable state?”

“You don’t dislike me, but I dislike you—what are you doing?” Helian Xi took a startled step back as he saw Qin Yulong pick up a fruit knife from the table. “Don’t tell me you want to kill me to silence me?”

Instead, Qin Yulong dropped to both knees, offering the knife with both hands.

Helian Xi was taken aback by this grand gesture: “What are you doing?”

“Article 279 of the Changli Penal Code: Anyone who forces another shall be sentenced to castration,” Qin Yulong stated, every word clear and ringing.

“If you were unwilling, then it was I who forced you.” Although the scene last night was more akin to Helian Xi straddling and teasing him, in the end, he was the one who had been sober, and he was the one who failed to hold back and crossed the line.

“You may sentence me to castration.”

Qin Yulong’s voice was firm and resolute—he wasn’t using retreat as a tactic to make Helian Xi soften his heart; he truly intended to atone for his sin this way.

Helian Xi was shocked for a moment before forcing himself to remain calm: “Who are you threatening? If Young General Qin of Changli ends his family line in my palace, wouldn’t the Grand General tear me apart? How could the Emperor of Changli let me off?”

“The Son of Heaven is equal before the law as the commoners,” Qin Yulong said. “However, you make a valid point; I must not implicate you.”

He stood up. “I will return to my quarters and castrate myself.”

Helian Xi was about to explode with rage: “…Get out!”

With a face full of guilt, Qin Yulong turned to leave.

Fearing this stubborn fool would actually go through with it, Helian Xi was forced to add: “If you dare castrate yourself, do you want everyone to know what you did to me?!”

“If you dare speak a word of this to anyone, I—I’ll kill you!”

Qin Yulong paused. “I won’t say a word to anyone. Rest assured.”

–

The entire inner palace had noticed that something was off between Qin Yulong and Helian Xi lately.

It was common knowledge that the two had never gotten along, but recently things were extraordinarily off.

The two lived close to each other and met daily, arguing without fail every time. Normally, people who dislike each other would simply avoid meeting to keep peace of mind, but these two refused; they insisted on hovering around each other every day, engaging in verbal sparrings without ever tiring of it.

However, ever since the Mid-Autumn banquet, when Qin Yulong escorted the drunk Helian Xi back to his palace, everything had changed.

Qin Yulong actually went to Feiquan Palace every day, kneeling outside bearing birches to ask for punishment. Helian Xi also acted completely out of character; not only did he fail to come out and mock him, but he kept his palace doors tightly shut, refusing to see anyone. Hua Yan, his good friend, went to visit several times, only to be turned away each time under the pretext that Prince Helian was feeling unwell and unfit to receive guests.

Not a single person in the palace wasn’t shocked.

Squabbles between the two were everyday occurrences, but they were all minor bickerings and verbal squabbles that harmed no one. Qin Yulong possessed unyielding pride, and Helian Xi was equally unbending; after holding a long-standing grudge, neither would ever apologize.

Nobody expected Qin Yulong to be the first to apologize, and the moment he did, he used such a heavy method as kneeling with birches on his back.

No one knew what had transpired between them, but they had even missed the recent routine meetings at Chongxue Palace.

At Chongxue Palace:

“The mixed-grain flatbreads are selling exceptionally well, and following Your Highness’s instructions, we’ve promoted them across all regions of Changli. Opening these small stalls doesn’t require as much effort as a large establishment like Huaman Pavilion, and now they are receiving widespread praise. They’ve become an essential item for travel and home life among Changli’s people, to the point where no one buys the old hard flatbreads anymore,” Wang Yiming reported proudly.

“The rice wine Your Highness brewed last time has been produced in large quantities and is being supplied at Huaman Pavilion. More people are drinking it now than Manjianghong,” Lin Chanzhi said with a smile.

“Young Master Yun, whom Your Highness met in Yunzhou, sent a letter over. The Mafei Powder has passed approval and been released. When its pain-relieving effects were first mentioned, no one believed it. But with Jiangyan Pharmacy’s reputation, people bought it to try, and word gradually spread. It’s causing quite a massive sensation right now,” Liu Yansheng said.

“If Your Highness hadn’t mentioned it the day before yesterday, none of us would have known Mafei Powder was created by Your Highness. I knew Your Highness was gifted in both talent and looks, but I had no idea Your Highness was also so proficient in medicine,” Shen Hezhou remarked with admiration. “Young General Qin and the Ninth Prince aren’t here these two days; they’ve truly missed out on so much.”

Lu Xuechao looked at the two empty seats. “Neither of them came again.”

“It’s the same as before. Helian claims to be ill and hasn’t stepped out the door for days. Even when I went, he wouldn’t see me, saying he feared passing his illness to me,” Hua Yan shook his head. “As for Young General Qin… he’s kneeling outside Feiquan Palace again.”

Fu Xinian knitted his brows. “What on earth is going on between the two of them? They’ve been like this since after the Mid-Autumn banquet.”

“Who knows? Even when asking the attendants around them, nothing can be gleaned.” Liu Yansheng was still nominally the Noble Consort assisting in managing the inner palace. Since Lu Xuechao had been in seclusion recently formulating new medicines, inner palace affairs were left to him. He usually couldn’t be bothered with Qin Yulong and Helian Xi’s daily squabbles, but things were so unusually abnormal recently that he summoned attendants from both sides for questioning.

The fact that Qin Yulong had stayed overnight in Helian Xi’s palace was something neither personal attendant dared to mention, both having been strictly instructed by their respective masters not to leak a word. Consequently, both gave vague answers, merely saying that Qin Yulong and Helian Xi had spent some time alone before Qin Yulong returned, claiming ignorance beyond that.

“Since I couldn’t see Helian, I went to sound out Young General Qin,” Hua Yan said. “But he refused to say anything, only insisting that he made a mistake and needed to apologize. I find it so baffling; he rarely did anything nice for Helian on normal days and never admitted fault, so why the sudden plea for forgiveness…?“

Lu Xuechao said, “Yulong has always known propriety and responsibility. If he truly committed a major mistake, he would not shirk responsibility.”

“But what kind of major mistake could make someone with a temperament as stubborn as Young General Qin kneel to ask for punishment?” Hua Yan thought of Helian Xi’s refusal to see anyone these past few days and suddenly turned pale with shock. “Helian’s health has always been so good; I’ve never seen him fall ill, yet now he claims it’s unfit to receive guests… Could he have disfigured Helian?!“

On Mid-Autumn night, he had already found it strange that Qin Yulong offered to escort Helian Xi back. Abnormal behavior portended trouble; it was entirely possible he meant to beat him up.

Heavy-handed enough to disfigure Helian Xi… that wasn’t impossible at all!

“How could he lay a hand on a face as beautiful as Helian’s!” Hua Yan stood up in anger.

Fu Xinian pressed him back down to sit. “Nothing is settled yet; let’s not wrongly accuse Young General Qin first.”

“Men of Xifeng Kingdom treasure their looks above all else. If his face is truly damaged, Young General Qin won’t be forgiven even if he kneels for ten years,” Shen Hezhou said. “Didn’t Your Highness recently formulate a ointment that removes scars? Have Qin Yulong deliver it to the Ninth Prince; perhaps the Ninth Prince will let his anger dissipate.”

By the looks of it, they didn’t doubt in the slightest that Qin Yulong and Helian Xi had gotten into a physical fight.

Fighting was forbidden in the palace, so those two were likely holding back terribly. Both had drunk alcohol that night, so getting into a brawl while intoxicated was completely normal. Coming from a family of generals, it was entirely reasonable for Qin Yulong to accidentally injure Helian Xi’s face.

Lu Xuechao waved his hand to dismiss them. “I understand.”

–

“Was there an incident like this in the previous life?” Lu Xuechao asked Xie Chongjin. “Why don’t I remember Yulong ever kneeling outside Feiquan Palace to ask for punishment?“

The plotlines of the Plot Consorts were closely tied to this “game world,” so when a major alteration occurred, he had to take note.

Neither game plotlines nor memories of his previous life contained such an occurrence.

While others assumed Qin Yulong and Helian Xi had fought, Lu Xuechao and Xie Chongjin didn’t believe it for a second. Those two had harbored feelings for each other back on the battlefield; although Qin Yulong didn’t know Helian Xi’s identity after entering the palace and kept a cold face, he didn’t necessarily dislike him—they were simply a pair of bickering lovers.

Lu Xuechao had intended to let nature take its course without rashly intervening, yet who would have thought this situation would unfold.

“This life was already different from the previous one,” Xie Chongjin said. “In the previous life, most of them were harmed by the player and didn’t meet a good end. On the rare occasions both survived to the end, they remained a pair of bickering rivals for their whole lives.”

Lu Xuechao asked, “What? They didn’t end up together?“

Lu Xuechao could not coexist with the other consorts. For them to live peacefully to the end, he must have passed away early, leaving him unaware of their ultimate fates.

“With me turning a blind eye to fulfill their match, why wouldn’t they dare to be together?” Xie Chongjin said. “Arguing eventually bred affection, and they naturally came together. Later, Yulong even requested to move into Feiquan Palace to live with Helian Xi, and one could see the cinnabar mark on Helian Xi’s forehead was gone. That was the [Dissolute Monarch] ending in the heavenly book, where the Plot Consorts paired up in the inner palace, while I only longed for you alone.”

He smiled softly. “Regardless of the ending, as long as it wasn’t growing old together with you, my only ending was endless longing.”

Lu Xuechao squeezed his hand.

“You and I both know Yulong’s character—he’s blunt and doesn’t know how to dote on someone,” Xie Chongjin held his hand in return. “Yet he treated Helian Xi exceptionally well. Though they often bickered, it was more like flirting, remaining as lively in their old age as in their youth. Watching them from the side even made me envious.”

Lu Xuechao curled his lips slightly.

If he had still been around, why would Huaiyun need to envy others? They would have been the pair envied by the world.

“In that life, they were deeply in love, and later Helian Xi took the initiative to reveal his past identity as the Xifeng general. After so many years, Yulong had long let go of that past, his heart devoted entirely to Helian Xi. Upon hearing it, he was merely surprised, only then mentioning that his first love was that female general, which prompted Helian Xi to interrogate him on whether he liked him or that ‘female general.’ But he didn’t truly hold a grudge; it was just playful banter. However, Yulong felt guilty for having wounded him, making him unusually tender for those few days—so gentle it gave me goosebumps watching it.”

Lu Xuechao said, “You certainly know their affairs like the back of your hand.”

Xie Chongjin said helplessly, “I didn’t want to either, but after so many cycles of reincarnation, I know every single affair in the palace like the back of my hand.”

“So, in the previous life, they remained bickering rivals for a lifetime, and even when Helian Xi’s identity was exposed and Yulong knew he had wounded him, it never reached the point of kneeling to ask for punishment,” Lu Xuechao pondered. “Then in this life, it’s…”

“Back then, their love was already deep-rooted, so Yulong had no need to kneel and ask for punishment to do something so distant. Besides, Helian Xi wasn’t the only one injured,” Xie Chongjin said. “If discovered early this time, when feelings have sprouted but aren’t yet deep, it’s possible…”

“Impossible,” Lu Xuechao shook his head. “Even if Yulong truly learned Helian Xi was the Xifeng general, he wouldn’t kneel to ask for punishment because of that.”

“He fought for his country. If he apologizes to an enemy general for that, where does that place Changli? He wouldn’t feel guilt over that, and even if he felt guilt in his heart, he could never actually offer a formal apology,” Lu Xuechao said. “Something else must have happened.”

Xie Chongjin: “Summon him over and ask, and we’ll know. Yun Luo, is Qin Yulong still kneeling outside Feiquan Palace?“

Yun Luo bowed and replied, “Young General Qin has been kneeling outside Feiquan Palace for days without rising, and Prince Helian remains behind closed doors, refusing to see him.”

Xie Chongjin: “Summon him here. I wish to see him.”