CH 86

they embraced each other in silence for a long time, the sound of their breathing and heartbeats growing clearer and louder by the moment.

xie chaoling stepped back slightly, raising his hand to gently stroke xie chaoyuan’s face. the great hall was devoid of light, and he couldn’t see xie chaoyuan’s expression, but in the darkness, his eyes that were fixated on him seemed particularly bright.

“you’ve lost weight,” xie chaoling murmured with a soft laugh.

not only had he lost weight, but he also had a scruffy beard on his face, and his skin was rougher than before. this little rascal had experienced wind, sun, and rain day after day in xirong, and it was no wonder he had become so unkempt.

thinking of this, xie chaoling couldn’t help feeling a little disgusted.

xie chaoyuan caught his hand and chuckled throatily. “there’s nothing i can do about it. i couldn’t eat or sleep well in xirong, and i missed my brother day and night. it would be strange if i didn’t lose weight.”

“no wonder people say you’re a smooth talker,” xie chaoling scoffed, cupping his face and leaning in to kiss him.

the kiss started off slow and gentle, with xie chaoyuan not moving, letting his emperor brother take the lead. xie chaoling’s soft lips pressed against his, grinding against them bit by bit. then he gently nibbled at his lips, and his tongue slowly pushed its way in, stirring between his lips and teeth.

xie chaoling took his time, occasionally nibbling on his lower lip, moistening it.

after a while, seeing that xie chaoyuan still hadn’t responded, the emperor finally lost his patience and dejectedly said, “little brother, give me some face.”

xie chaoyuan raised his hand, rubbing xie chaoling’s lower back through his clothes, sliding up and gripping the nape of his neck tightly.

he had reversed the roles.

his scorching tongue intruded into his mouth, his long-absent breath overwhelming him, but calming xie chaoling’s previously restless mood.

xie chaoling’s tongue was also bitten, and under the pain, he whimpered softly, but xie chaoyuan remained unmoved, embracing him tightly, kissing him again and again, until their breaths became rapid.

xie chaoyuan bent down slightly and effortlessly lifted xie chaoling up.

the little rascal was even stronger than before, xie chaoling thought in a daze, as he heard xie chaoyuan laugh and ask in his ear, “where’s brother’s dragon bed?”

“go forward and turn left behind the screen,” xie chaoling replied vaguely.

thrown onto the imperial bed, xie chaoyuan’s breath enveloped him once more, and xie chaoling took the initiative to part his lips.

their second kiss was even more intense and lingering, and their breathing became even heavier when they separated.

xie chaoling stopped xie chaoyuan from tearing his own clothes and pecked his lips, reminding him in a hoarse voice, “go and light a lamp.”

xie chaoyuan chuckled in a deep voice, “your majesty doesn’t like light at night and doesn’t allow lamps to be lit, right?”

“don’t quibble. go and light a lamp. i want to take a good look at you,” xie chaoling insisted.

xie chaoyuan affectionately rubbed his nose before releasing him and getting up. he didn’t just light one lamp, but slowly lit every palace lamp, just like he had done many times before. xie chaoling laid on the couch, just like before, tilting his head to watch him. in the gradually clearer light and shadow, xie chaoyuan’s tall and straight figure reflected in xie chaoling’s eyes.

indeed, he had grown taller and stronger. xie chaoling thought that this guy had been a bit taller than him before, but now he was probably more than half a head taller. when they separated, xie chaoyuan was only seventeen years old. four years had passed, and now xie chaoyuan had grown from a young wolf cub into a majestic beast, even stained with blood. even if he was the supreme emperor, he might not be able to match his aura.

he couldn’t allow anyone else to snore by his bedside, but that person was his beloved tekeli, so he didn’t mind. he even felt the joy of watching his own child grow up.

xie chaoyuan came back after lighting the last palace lamp, sat down next to xie chaoling, and looked at him with lowered eyes in the light of the flickering flames.

xie chaoling had hardly changed in the past four years, slightly thinner, but his complexion was much better than before, it seemed that he had indeed taken good care of himself these years.

at this moment, xie chaoling’s smiling expression was particularly gentle under the candlelight, even with a touch of seduction. only then did xie chaoyuan realize that he was only wearing a shirt, with long hair loose and a strand was casually hooked up by him.

“brother hasn’t changed much and still looks as good as before,” xie chaoyuan murmured, staring at the person beneath him obsessively.

xie chaoling smiled and stroked his face. “you, on the other hand, have changed quite a bit.”

it wasn’t until now that he realized that xie chaoyuan hadn’t lost weight, but as he grew older, his facial features became more defined, and he no longer had any trace of youthfulness.

“i almost didn’t recognize you with this look, sixth brother,” xie chaoling laughed.

“do you think i look good like this, brother?” xie chaoyuan asked as he looked at him.

“you look even more handsome than before.”

xie chaoling lowered his voice, lovingly stroking xie chaoyuan’s cheek. he had always thought that xie chaoyuan was good-looking. he was pretty as a porcelain doll when he was a child, and in his youth, he had a somewhat androgynous beauty. now he was truly a handsome young man, even with the stubble on his face and darker skin, it was all attractive.

xie chaoyuan chuckled in a deep voice, his smile full of joy. he leaned down and rubbed his nose against xie chaoling’s again before kissing him.

“brother is much more honest than before.”

xie chaoling was tickled by his kiss on the tip of his nose, and he turned his head to avoid it, muttering, “take off your clothes.”

xie chaoyuan clicked his tongue and said, “it seems like brother is more impatient than i am.”

“i want to see your body,” xie chaoling said.

seeing that xie chaoyuan was not moving, xie chaoling propped himself up and went to undo his clothing buttons. he was dressed in xirong attire, and xie chaoling felt a bit awkward as he realized that he had sent him these clothes over the past few years, but he might not have had the chance to wear them.

“have you used everything that i sent for you?” xie chaoling asked.

xie chaoyuan looked at him and smiled, “brother’s kindness is naturally to be used. as for those clothes, except for the ones i wear close to my body, i have to keep the rest for later.”

“they must be worn out by now,” xie chaoling said, feeling a little regretful, but now that xie chaoyuan had returned, he would give him better ones.

so he stopped talking and took off his clothes one by one, revealing a much stronger body than before.

apart from the scar on his shoulder that he had inflicted years ago, xie chaoyuan had some other wounds of various sizes, the most obvious being the arrow wound on his left abdomen. xie chaoling’s gaze froze, and he touched it with his fingertip, asking him in a deep voice, “how did you get this?”

xie chaoyuan shrugged and said, “ambushed by someone.”

“when was this?” xie chaoling asked.

“two years ago.”

xie chaoyuan had cooperated with the northwest army to retake the lost land on the border of daliang. after the war ended, he handed over the victory to the daliang court and rewarded his soldiers with some cattle and sheep. since then, all the xirong people knew that he still had loyalty to daliang, and his situation became even more difficult. but even so, he persisted and repelled those xirong people who wanted to cause him trouble one by one, and repeatedly expanded his sphere of influence.

but no one told xie chaoling that xie chaoyuan had actually been injured that time, and his wound was in a vital part of his body.

“why didn’t the military report from the northwest army tell zhen?” xie chaoling became angry and used his official title.

xie chaoyuan didn’t remind him and casually said, “the military report naturally only reports on the battle, and i am not a general of daliang. why would they report whether i was injured or not?”

xie chaoling frowned and said, “at least king xing should have reported it.”

“oh, i told him not to,” xie chaoyuan said.

xie chaoling’s frown tightened, “why didn’t you say it?”

“what’s the use of saying it?” xie chaoyuan smiled and asked him, “if i said it, would your majesty go and see me?”

xie chaoling was speechless.

at that time, the late emperor was seriously ill, and he had countless national affairs to handle every day. he really couldn’t go to xirong again, but at least he could send a competent imperial physician.

“there’s nothing to say,” xie chaoyuan slowly smoothed out the wrinkles on his forehead with his finger, “i know in my heart that i won’t die. if i really were to die, i would crawl back to daliang just to see brother one more time.”

xie chaoling was both angry and helpless, “you didn’t tell me at the time, but now you deliberately show me this scar to make me feel sorry for you?”

xie chaoyuan chuckled softly, “don’t accuse me. what do you mean by deliberately showing you the scar? the scar is here. can i get rid of it? i’m not like those palace ladies who have specially prepared ointments to remove scars. even if i use that medicine, such a big scar will still leave a mark.”

“you are.” xie chaoling said seriously.

xie chaoyuan didn’t understand for a moment, “what?”

“the palace ladies, aren’t you one of them? from now on, you’re the only one in my harem, of course you are.” xie chaoling said.

xie chaoyuan was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing, “okay, if your majesty says i am, then i am. your majesty must issue an edict to appoint me as soon as possible.”

after laughing, xie chaoling touched the scar again and lowered his voice, “don’t go back in the future, stay here. as long as i am here, there will be a place for you in daliang.”

he remembered what xie chaoyuan said back then. xie chaoyuan said that there was no place for him in the world, but now he has become the ruler of the world and xie chaoyuan is no longer a rootless person.

xie chaoyuan grabbed xie chaoling’s hand and kissed him, “okay.”

it was late at night, xie chaoling pulled xie chaoyuan down, the candlelight reflected in his bright eyes, with an implicit smile, just looking at the person beside him.

xie chaoyuan also smiled, slowly stroking his hair.

“turn off some of the lights and leave one.” xie chaoling reminded him in a low voice.

“brother is harder to serve now that he’s become the emperor.” xie chaoyuan complained with a smile, and got up to extinguish the palace lights that were previously lit one by one.

in the end, only one was left at the bedside. the candle in the glass lampshade cast a warm and ambiguous light between the bed curtains. xie chaoyuan leaned over, slowly undoing xie chaoling’s shirt belt.

as if intentionally, his movements were very slow, and his fingers intentionally or unintentionally touched xie chaoling’s skin, teasing him and making him feel hot all over.

if the gu hadn’t been resolved four years ago, xie chaoling suspected that he would have had the same reaction as being under the influence of the gu again.

“can’t you go faster…” hearing the person underneath him impatiently urging him, xie chaoyuan just smiled, biting his earlobe, “has brother done it himself in these years? i often think about brother’s appearance when doing this. even in dreams, i don’t know how many times i have been intimate with brother.”

“no time,” xie chaoling panted, his voice rolling out of his throat. “i’m very busy.”

“i don’t believe you.” xie chaoyuan pinched his waist.

xie chaoling’s breathing became heavier, but he didn’t want to say anything. it was impossible not to do it at all, but most of the time he tried not to think about it, preferring to bury his desires with a mountain of political affairs.

because he was the only one, even if this person had come back countless times in his dreams, he would still feel even more lonely after waking up.

“just when i said my brother is honest, your old habit acted up again,”

the hot breath from xie chaoyuan’s mouth drilled straight into xie chaoling’s ear, and xie chaoling couldn’t take it anymore. he turned his head and bit his lips: “…you little b*stard, it’s been four years and you haven’t even written me a letter.”

“you didn’t write to me either,” xie chaoyuan said in his ear, “if you wrote a letter, i’m afraid i couldn’t resist and would come and kidnap my brother.”

xie chaoling thought to himself that he was the same way. besides sending gifts, he had been trying to avoid thinking and writing letters for these four years, almost like a form of self-torture. he was afraid that he would not be able to control himself and do something more outrageous, undoing all the effort he had put into restraining himself before.

that’s why they both didn’t write to each other, not out of spite, but an unspoken understanding.

their lips and tongues tangled together again, and xie chaoling stopped urging him. he closed his eyes and let himself sink into the moment.