Chapter 72

72 AMONG FLOWERS AND UNDER THE MOON

The moon shone brightly in the black sky tonight. It wasn’t the full moon sitting on the throne after the sun left the Earth, but the moonlight still looked beautiful when one continued to stare at it without wanting to look away.

“Whether it was in my previous life or my current life, the moon is still very beautiful,” the person who kept staring at the moon suddenly muttered. It was an insignificant statement, but he ended up muttering it when he couldn’t think of anything else right now.

The moon was indeed the same whether it was in the previous life or the current life. It was still in silver and shone brightly even if the light source didn’t come from itself. It needed to borrow the light from the sun, but it could still emerge proudly to greet the Earth at night.

Bai Chen didn’t know why he ended up sitting alone in the garden pavilion tonight. Not only did he sit quietly in the pavilion, but he also acted as if he was filming a music video as he posed so dramatically in the pavilion.

If he was shooting a music video right now, then the title of the song should be “Among Flowers and Under the Moon.” It sounded romantic, and Bai Chen even arranged a few words in his head to become the lyrics of the song.

The moon was not in its full phase, but the light was bright enough. It even reflected on the water around the garden pavilion. On a night like this, he couldn’t even see the fish in the pond, and he could barely see the flowers around the garden, but he didn’t feel lonely because the moon was with him.

Bai Chen was sitting on the floor and his hands were on the fence of the pavilion. Casually, he rested his chin on the back of his hand. His mind was distracted by many things, and he couldn’t even think straight now.

The one thing that bothered him the most was the fact that Zhu Ge suddenly wanted to be his friend. He thought the raven-haired man was just trying to tease him as usual, but he didn’t think that anymore because the man sounded so serious when they rode Pengyou together earlier today.

Even when he turned his head to face the man, the man didn’t burst out laughing like he usually did. Instead, the red-robed man smiled as he waited for him to answer the statement.

.....

Unfortunately, Bai Chen didn’t give the man any response even after they returned to Ma Qiao who had been waiting for them at their first meeting place.

They also couldn’t talk about the matter because Ma Qiao immediately scolded Zhu Ge, and Bai Chen could only stare at the scene without any intention of separating the two servants.

In the end, the two servants realized that he had been quiet after the short trip with Pengyou, and Ma Qiao finally suggested that they return to the palace immediately. Bai Chen simply nodded, and the three walked together into his palace afterward.

Bai Chen had never had friends in his previous life, and he didn’t know how to respond when someone said that they wanted to be his friend. He was used to building tall fortresses around him, and he couldn’t let anyone get close to him.

What’s more, he was the Prince of the Dong Lang Empire now, and he didn’t even know if he could befriend a servant. In this era, people cared too much about status, and Bai Chen was not prepared to make himself more troubled. Moreover, he also knew that Zhu Ge was a person who liked to cause trouble.

He sighed heavily as he still couldn’t make up his mind, but then his ears heard footsteps. He was indeed alone without his servants in the garden pavilion, and he didn’t even tell his servants that he would be there after he finished bathing.

Hearing the footsteps getting closer to him, Bai Chen’s body froze. He was worried that Zhu Ge would approach him, and he didn’t even know what to say if it was the young man who came to him.

“Aiyah! I’ve been looking for you, Your Highness. Why didn’t you tell me you’d be here?”

Bai Chen was able to heave a sigh of relief after hearing a voice he could recognize. That crisp voice belonged to Ma Qiao and not Zhu Ge, and that was why he was able to turn to the servant after hearing the question.

“I wanted to be alone, and that’s why I didn’t tell you that I would be here,” replied the young Prince. “Why? Do you need anything from me?”

Perhaps Bai Chen sounded gloomy, and that was why Ma Qiao frowned right after he saw the Prince’s expression. “I don’t need anything from you, Your Highness,” he replied. “I’m just assuming that you’re bothered by something right now. Would you like my ears to hear your wailing, Your Highness?” He continued with a question.

Bai Chen didn’t even know why he was bothered because of Zhu Ge when the man only said that he wanted to be his friend. It wasn’t like Zhu Ge said that he wanted to be his boyfriend or anything like that.

‘Wait. Why do I suddenly think Zhu Ge wants to be my boyfriend?’ Bai Chen widened his blue eyes when he realized something was wrong with his brain.

It was the real Bai Chen who was gay, but he was still as straight as a metal rod. Thus, Bai Chen shouldn’t have seen the possibility of him becoming Zhu Ge’s boyfriend.

That was his belief, and he shook his head to erase any thoughts of Zhu Ge. “It’s nothing,” the brown-haired prince then answered the servant’s question. “By the way, you said that you didn’t need anything from me, but you were still looking for me. Don’t say that you were looking for me just to let me know that dinner is ready.”

It had been a week since Bai Chen had known Ma Qiao for the first time, and he was slowly but surely able to understand the servant’s character. During his stay in the palace, the servant cared for him very much, and the man even made sure that he would eat on time.

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It was quite touching because Bai Chen had often skipped meals in his previous life, but sometimes he thought that the servant didn’t need to do that for him. He was an adult, and he had to take responsibility for himself.

‘Perhaps the real Bai Chen in this world is a very spoiled child, and that’s why Ma Qiao has to do all the work for him,’ Bai Chen couldn’t help but have an opinion in his head.

“Ah, about that,” Ma Qiao replied, but he looked awkward as he rubbed the back of his neck. “The reason why I was looking for you was indeed to let you know that dinner is ready, Your Highness. After all, that is one of my fixed jobs.”

See? The older man had indeed done everything for him, and Bai Chen shook his head upon hearing the man’s statement.

“I know it’s time for dinner, and I will return to Jing Pavilion alone without you needing to remind me of it, Ma Qiao.”

It was like a refusal from the Prince, and the servant smiled sheepishly. The bashful smile caused Bai Chen to raise an eyebrow. Ma Qiao would normally whine if Bai Chen openly refused his help, but the servant just smiled without saying anything tonight.

It was a bit strange, and Bai Chen decided to ask, “Are you hiding something from me? Do you still have things you need to tell me?”

Indeed, Bai Chen had worked hard in his current life, and he could even read his servant’s strange behavior.

And he guessed it accurately because the servant suddenly widened his eyes.

“You’re right, Your Highness. I do have something I need to tell you,” the older servant replied, and he looked even more anxious as he bit his lower lip nervously.

The sight was quite strange in Bai Chen’s eyes, but he decided to wait for the servant to continue rather than force the man to spill it all on him immediately.

Bai Chen could see that the man looked nervous and worried, and the man couldn’t even directly answer his question.

Fortunately, after taking a deep breath to calm himself, the older servant finally continued, “The Emperor wants to see you tomorrow, Your Highness. He said that he wanted to know more about your lover, so he invited you to Rongyao Imperial Palace tomorrow.”

Bai Chen’s heart fell. It was only today when Zhu Ge carelessly told the Crown Prince that they were lovers, but the Crown Prince’s mouth was indeed too loose for the Emperor to also know about it now.

‘What will the Emperor do to me? Is he going to castrate me?’