CH 18.1

Meng Huan’s room was cool and spacious, with homemade dolls by the bed and some candy and melon seeds on the adjacent tea table. Unlike Lin Bozhou’s bed chamber, this courtyard was filled with a pretty girl from a humble family’s style, not luxurious but clean and bright.

Lin Bozhou stood at the door. He saw Meng Huan climbing on the bed, patting it, sticking out his butt while carefully smoothing the corners before turning back and saying, “Does Your Highness like to sleep inside or outside?”

“Which side do you sleep on?”

Meng Huan: “I like to sleep inside.”

Lin Bozhou hummed, “Then this prince will sleep outside.”

“Okay. Your Highness, please rest first. I still have to write the homework assigned by the teacher this afternoon.” Meng Huan jumped off the bed and slipped on his shoes to go. “The dozens of words I learned this afternoon, I must write them ten times each.”

Meng Huan couldn’t help but make a bitter face when saying this, looking aggrieved.

Lin Bozhou seemed to realize something and let out a soft “Ah.”

“Since Uncle Shan assigned the task, Madam should complete it seriously.” His eyes curved, and he thought for a moment. “This prince will wait in bed first.”

“……”

Meng Huan stood still, not knowing for a moment whether he was telling the truth.

Lin Bozhou laughed softly and stopped teasing him. “Go on.”

Meng Huan went to the front room to write. Inside the chamber, Great Eunuch You Jin went in with a hot water basin and waited for Lin Bozhou to wash his feet and change his clothes.

Meng Huan deliberately took his time in writing, delaying the time to go to bed, and stayed up until eleven o’clock. When he became too sleepy, he looked at the door.

Lin Bozhou should have already gone to bed.

Meng Huan tiptoed in and saw Lin Bozhou on his side on the apricot-yellow bedding. His complexion was white, his eyes were closed, and long hair scattered on the pillow. The corners of his eyes were dyed with sunken black shadows, seemingly quiet.

To avoid having intercourse, Meng Huan lightened his movements so as not to wake him up.

He pinched the corner of the quilt and lifted it, trying not to make any sound as he slipped into it. When his buttocks fell, he said “Yes” in his heart, but when he stiffened his back to lie down—

“You’re pressing my hair.” Lin Bozhou opened his eyes at some point and reminded him in a deep voice.

“……” Meng Huan hurriedly pulled his hair out. “Your Highness is still awake?”

“Fell asleep, but was woken up again by your pressing.”

“Then I’m truly sorry.” Meng Huan rubbed his hands awkwardly and lay down under the covers with Lin Bozhou. They looked at each other.

“Have you finished writing?” Lin Bozhou’s voice was low with a weary and heavy breath as if casually chatting. “Are your hands tired?”

Meng Huan: “Replying to Your Highness, not tired ……”

For some reason, he was a little unaccustomed to this type of Lin Bozhou, which appeared life-like, and always felt that it was too much like …… a dear husband waiting for him under the covers.

But Meng Huan knew that blurring the concepts, “The person in power who can take his lowly life at any time” and “Dear husband,” would be a big mistake.

His mind told him never to fall in love.

Meng Huan was still thinking for one second, but Lin Bozhou’s wrist came out in the next, resting on his back and gently embracing him into his arms.

— Like hugging a toy doll.

He was gently patted on the back.

“It’s late at night; go to sleep.”

“……”

Meng Huan’s head rested against the side of his neck. His face was pressed against something hot, and unsurprisingly, it was the collarbone under Lin Bozhou’s lapel. For a moment, Meng Huan remembered his “magnificent” and “durable” murder weapon, and his ears became red— so red that it was killing him.

It was hard for couples without emotional foundations who wanted skin-to-skin contact.

Meng Huan slept uncomfortably and let his imaginations run wild, only falling asleep in a daze late at night. But after he fell asleep, a movement sounded in his ears.

Lin Bozhou was awake at some point with his head bowed, his long fingers tidying his lapel and dark hair cascading down. His jade white jacket was draped over his shoulders; he was seemingly about to get up.

Meng Huan thought it was dawn and looked up in a daze to see stillness outside the window; the light shining through the window mullion was also dull.

“Is Your Highness going to the toilet?” Meng Huan asked.

“No,” Lin Bozhou laughed. “This prince is going to the court.”

“Going to court?!”

“Your Highness, it’s already choushi*.” The eunuch outside the door said.

Choushi, that would be two or three o’clock in the morning. Meng Huan was confused. “So early?”

*Choushi: 1 – 3 am (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in ancient times).

“The morning court is at maoshi*. This prince has to go to the cabinet to deal with documents at yinshi* and then go to Taiji Hall to wait for the ministers at maoshi, as usual.” Lin Bozhou gently touched his head. “If Madam feels tired, he can continue to rest.”

*Maoshi: 5 – 7 am (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in ancient times).

*Yinshi: 3 – 5 am (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in ancient times).

Meng Huan clutched the quilt and was quite shocked. He remembered that several generations of Great Zhong’s emperors were muddleheaded, not attending court, not dealing with political affairs, and not establishing a crown prince. Some practiced Daoism, some played with beauties, some were slow-witted, and some could only play Go.

When Lin Bozhou was in power, he created a gale, sweeping away these unhealthy trends and laziness— but he still didn’t expect Lin Bozhou to be so ambitious!

How could a treacherous minister be so ambitious?

How could the faithful officials live?