The empress dowager hurried to walk across the grand empress dowager's hall towards her secret chamber. She slides the wooden wall which gives way to her.
Inside the hidden room, only a single candle is lit that serves as the only source of light in the entire dark room.
It's impossible for the grand empress dowager not to notice her presence but she just chooses not to at least turn her head to see the other person. It's just she expected only this one person to come this time.
"Grand Empress Dowager, you called?" The empress dowager asked as she walks closer to the grand empress dowager.
"Where have you been? What took you so long?" She asked in a cold tone.
The empress dowager, on the other hand, subconsciously averted her eyes. She didn't manage to come to her hall immediately because she was dealing with 'something'. She did not expect the old woman to call her this late too.
"I apologize, your highness. I was occupied earlier." She reasoned out.
Still, the grand empress dowager keeps on nagging. "What's more important than me?" She paused and sighs. "Look at that." She only pointed at the corner.
Confused, the empress dowager follows the direction she's pointing and understood everything at once.
"The spirit herb..." Yueguang Hua's gone and the deceased empress reduced into ashes. She's already exposed.
"So this is what they're up to?" The grand empress dowager laughs softly. "Now I know why they set the annual ceremony earlier than it should be, and as to why it's Yin Renshu who did the ritual. It was all for this."
"Did they said anything about this yet?" She asks.
"No, but it's not something unusual." The grand empress dowager answered. "Yin Wenyan, that wise tactician, I'm sure he has something in his mind by now. But I won't let them have their way, I'll take the first move."
"But, your highness, how sure are you that it was him?"
"Think about it. Why would he make Yin Renshu go to the temple when he's the one performing the ritual every year? Of course, to investigate! If Xue Chi didn't spill our plans, it wouldn't be like this!"
The empress dowager thinks about it for a while. Her assumption makes sense. No matter how she thinks about it, there's no one who could have done the same thing but the first prince.
However, she finds it strange. Why would he make it look obvious? This isn't his thing at all. This move... it's too predictable like he's not thinking through this. Too reckless seems to be emotion-driven.
Well, she understands the prince. Even she underwent hardships in the hands of the grand empress dowager. However, the heart should always be second to the head or else, there's a big chance of messing up.
"Then what are you planning to do, your highness?" The empress dowager asked.
The grand empress dowager responded, "In his next conference with the high-ranking eunuchs. I'll make my first move."
Behind her, the empress dowager silently grins, looking very pleased of the current happenings.
On the other side of the imperial palace, particularly in Lotus Hall, Liu Chen just walked away from the hall. He came to deliver his majesty's meal good for two persons. He left the tray of food by the entrance to be picked by his majesty himself.
"How was it?" Lieutenant General Liu almost jumped out of surprise when his general suddenly pops out of the bush.
"General?!" He calls with a hint of surprise.
"Shhh!" Princess Yin Xiulan hushed, trying to silence the other.
"General, why are you hiding?" Liu Chen asked in a low voice.
Princess Yin Xiulan finally went out of the bushes, fixed her clothes, and said, "I was trying to take a peep."
Liu Chen got confused. "With your brother? Why? Is there something wrong with his majesty?"
Even Liu Chen doesn't know that Eunuch Xu is still inside the hall. He believes that he returned to his quarters already since it's already nighttime. All he knows is that his majesty is alone and eating wontons that are good for two persons.
"Yes! Something really is wrong! He's not supposed to be there!" The princess stomps her foot on the ground, showing annoyance.
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The Lieutenant-General slightly tilts his head sideways. "Uh... I don't think it's strange for his majesty to stay in the Lotus Hall? He often sleeps there. Or is it his bigger consumption you're worried about?"
"You don't understand! Aish... never mind. Forget about it." Princess Yin Xiulan wants to explain to him why she's very upset. But she just can't say that his brother took her other brother's chance to pursue the isolated Xu Zhengming, right?
"Please don't get stressed over his majesty, general." He said in a soothing voice. When it comes to calming the enraged princess general, no one can defeat Liu Chen the Great. "I left enough wonton noodle soup for us and your personal maids. Let's go eat it together."
"Really?" In an instant, her knitted eyebrows and pouted lips got replaced with a bright smile that only comes out once in a blue moon. "Then let's hurry before it gets cold!"
She walks ahead of her subordinate, excited for tonight's dinner.
Liu Chen, on the other hand, froze. Her alluring smile... he only saw it in just a second or two and doesn't even know when will he see it again but it's alright. He already carved it in his mind. Yes, he remembers and will recall how sweet she looked with a wide smile.
He cheerfully smiles and goes after the princess.
Meanwhile, inside the Lotus Hall, Emperor Yin Renshu and Eunuch Xu Zhengming sit side by side at the round table, eating their meal.
"I didn't know Lieutenant General Liu can cook. And it really tastes good!" Eunuch Xu said after his first mouthful of noodles.
"..." Emperor Yin Renshu didn't say anything... Or rather, he did not hear what the other just said. He's lost staring at the eunuch in front of him.
He can't get rid of what his brother said to him. He really always put Xu Zhengming in danger.
He doesn't want any of those unfortunate events but he can't deny the fact that he's the one to blame. He wants to protect him, keep him behind him, and keep him safe. However, everything is not going on his way, and he hates it.
"Renshu... hey! You hear me?" Eunuch Xu waves his hand near the emperor's face.
Only by then did his majesty got pulled out from his flooding thoughts. He finds Xu Zhengming looking confused and a hint of worry is traceable in his perfectly chiseled face.
"Huh?" It's obvious that he wasn't paying attention to him earlier.
"I said, when can I go out in here? Boredom kills me! My fangs are almost back to normal too" He said.
Actually, his pair of canine teeth is still long, sharp, and very far from normal. But it isn't as obvious as before. If he won't smile, his fangs won't be easily noticed.
His reason for wanting to go out is not just to go flirting again... well, he still wants to flirt but he has some reasons aside from that. He's bored. He's left alone here from time to time since the emperor is busy. And most of all, he wants to get rid of this feeling of isolation.
In fact, he would rather serve this temperamental emperor all day every day than stay in this hall with nothing else to do.
Eunuch Xu continues, "Also, having wontons for tonight's dinner, I'm reminded of the time we went out of the palace to investigate. Didn't you order wonton noodle soup that time? Now I miss that restaurant."
Actually, he's secretly hoping for his majesty to give him permission to go out. He's asking him without making it too obvious but enough for him to sense his wish.
"You want to go there again?" The emperor asked.
"Yeah!" Xu Zhengming's handsome face brightens. He continues, this time with a mischievous smile on his lips. "And you know what I want the most?"
The emperor pauses. What does Eunuch Xu want the most?
Now that he thinks about it, he doesn't know what does Xu Zhengming's heart desires. He hasn't given it a thought. Women? Money? Properties? A political position in the palace? A noble title? How about the royal title for an empress?
His thought made him knit his eyebrows and narrow his pair of phoenix eyes.
Empress? What empress? Why is he even thinking of that? Is it even possible for a man to be an empress? Why is he thinking of giving him a title of an empress anyway?!
He looks at Eunuch Xu who is still smiling playfully, showing his canine teeth. Instead of having a fearsome appearance, he managed to show a cute look. From the looks of it, it seems the favor he's asking is no joke.
Emperor Yin Renshu subconsciously swallows. He asks, "What?"
What is it? What is it that your heart fancies, Xu Zhengming?
Eunuch Xu's smile spreads even wider as he says, "I want you to pay for my meal by then."
"..." His majesty silently thought, "That's it?"
He thought it's something life-changing. Something that can turn their world upside-down. Turns out this silly eunuch is too shallow. His heart's desire is just a free meal at a cheap restaurant in town.
"Dream on." Emperor Yin Renshu is too disappointed that he turned down his little eunuch.
But why is he so disappointed anyway? What exactly did make him upset? Was it because he did not ask for 'that' royal title? No way!... or so he thought.
Xu Zhengming's wide smile immediately disappeared as it got replaced by disbelief. "What? You're not treating me again? Didn't you treat me last time? Why not now? Was that a once-in-a-lifetime offer? If I have known I should have eaten a lot back then!"
Now, this sounds ridiculous. Emperor Yin Renshu can't help but be in an incredulity state. He replies, "But you ate a lot! You ordered their most expensive meal, and good for two persons on top of that. Do you think you can eat more than what you ate that time?"
This silly eunuch... he's a big eater despite having a slender body. Where the heck did he put his fats?
"Well, I can just take it out with me." He reasoned out. "And besides, if it's a treat, especially food, of course, I'll order what I want without worrying about money."
The emperor raises his eyebrows. "Are you a pig? Why are you eating so much when you're just going to shit it out anyway?"
"Asking me that is the same as asking me, why am I breathing if I'm going to die anyway?! I---"
The emperor didn't let Xu Zhengming finish what he's saying. He suddenly pinched Eunuch Xu's lips, pressing them together. This made the other shut up and confused.
He didn't know why he did that too. His hand is a lot faster than his mind. But whatever the reason is, one thing is clear to the emperor; Xu Zhengming's face looks funny.
"You... you're so noisy. Your mouth is like a chicken butt." The emperor managed to come up with a lame excuse.
(A/n: "Para kang pwet ng manok." is the original phrase. It has a Filipino origin which literally translates to "You're like a chicken butt." It has two meanings: 1. The person is compared to alive chicken's butt, opening his mouth here and there spouting shit. 2. The person is compared to a cooked aforementioned part of the chicken, ugly but delicious. Well, if you know what I mean LOL. So... the emperor is more likely to mean the first definition. XD)
Xu Zhengming forcefully takes off his majesty's fingers on his lips.
He sneers. Someone really dared to insult this beau's good looks?!
"Renshu my friend, do you know what you're talking about? You're comparing my lips, the lips of this good-looking man, to a chicken butt?! These lips as pink as the newly bloomed begonia, and as soft as the highest quality of silk?" He touches his thin lips like it's the most precious and delicate feature of his overall handsome face.
Emperor Yin Renshu has yet to realize that he's already staring at it.
This beau's long and slender fingers lightly touching his pink and soft lips can slow down this short-tempered emperor's time.
Xu Zhengming...
This man can be described as beautiful rather than handsome.
Delicate rather than sturdy. Like a small flower that is extremely fragile to the breeze and rain.
This man is strenuous rather than graceful, but not that it matters to his majesty.
The next thing that Emperor Yin Renshu knows is that his hand move towards the other's nape, pulling the silly eunuch closer to him until their faces are only a few centimeters apart from each other. His phoenix eyes are fixed on his delicate lips.
Xu Zhengming was too surprised that he didn't manage to utter a single word for a good while. His heart is beating rapidly. Whether it's out of shock or something else, he isn't certain.
Why is this temperamental emperor acting strange? Stranger than him changing moods as fast as a blink of an eye.
"Your majesty?" He said almost whispering.
Two words. Those are the only words that somehow managed to escape from his mouth before his lips got sealed with His Majesty's.
Yin Renshu thought, Xu Zhengming is right. His lips are soft but not as soft as the highest quality of silk ever made. It's way softer than that, nothing can compare... or at least that's what his majesty thought.
It took Emperor Yin Renshu some time to withdraw himself from the depths of the other's allure. Good thing, he managed to pull out himself before he dives in even deeper.
After realizing what he's doing, he immediately parted his lips from the other and distanced himself. The emperor felt a sudden feeling of unusual warmth in the tips of his ears. What was that?!
On the other hand, Xu Zhengming is still speechless. No matter how he thinks about it. Wasn't it a kiss? It's the same as the night when he encountered the emperor in the nearby town.
Why did he do that? And twice too! He did it twice already!
The silly eunuch looks at his majesty with shock evident in his entire face. Are his good looks can not only attract women but also men?! He can't help himself but ask the gods in the heavens in the state of helplessness, "Why am I born so handsome?"
Emperor Yin Renshu rises from his seat and faced his back on the other. Most probably to hide his face from Xu Zhengming.
He takes his steps slowly closer to the circular window with his hand on his back. From the back, he looks serious like a good emperor acts. Just don't make him turn his face cause it would be a different story.
He speaks, trying to sound serious, "You're right, your lips are indeed soft. I just feel like confirming it, nothing else."
"Really?" Xu Zhengming is throwing gazes of suspicion to the emperor although his majesty couldn't see it. "Then how would you explain the night before you brought me back here in the palace?"
Xu Zhengming is a hundred percent sure, this temperamental emperor falls for his attractive looks. He doesn't know why exactly he is proud of this despite the fact that the emperor is a man.
Being reminded of what happened in the past, the emperor felt embarrassed and it's like his pride got stepped upon.
Annoyed, he responds, "It's because you won't shut your chicken butt mouth. I was hiding my identity. If you make a ruckus, you'll have me discovered. You were aggressively struggling too, and I only have two hands to stop you. Plus you won't shut your mouth even for a second. How can I silence you then?"
He turns around, crosses his arms on his chest, and smiles mockingly at the silly eunuch. "And aren't you the one who started the real kiss? You're so full of yourself."
"..."
Speechless, Eunuch Xu got slapped by the truth that it's not how he thinks it is. His majesty isn't captivated by his good looks... or so he thought.
Little did they know, Prince Yin Wenyan is listening to them the whole time in the secret passage that's heading towards the emperor's hall.
The prince felt bitterness. His brother, Yin Renshu... his unexplainable wariness of his brother's presence around Xu Zhengming actually makes sense.
He clenches his hand into a fist and headed back to the emperor's hall quietly.