Chapter 33 Misbehaving in the Cold Palace

Chapter 33: Doing Bad Deeds in the Cold Palace

With that, Su Zheng turned and went back to his seat, and stopped paying Luo Yunchen any mind.

Luo Yunchen smiled at Su Zheng's actions, knowing he'd made up his mind and had no choice but to comply.

Grand Tutor Min frowned at the two of them; something about how they'd just acted felt off.

A little too chummy.

Yet the Grand Tutor was still happy with how it turned out.

The Crown Prince and the Heir of Beiyuan getting along so well, like a couple of young buddies, was good for Dayin.

Thus, Grand Tutor Min said no more, just said, "How about we get the Crown Prince to chime in too? If there's anything iffy, we can hash it out together."

Su Zheng: "..."

Can't he just be a quiet wallflower?

With a sigh, Su Zheng clasped his hands and said, "Thanks for the effort, Grand Tutor. Go ahead, I'm all ears. If I've got questions, I'll speak up."

Grand Tutor Min nodded.

When Luo Yunchen turned to Grand Tutor Min, he'd wiped every smile off his face, his face cold but polite, as he laid out his questions.

While Luo Yunchen discussed with Grand Tutor Min, he kept Su Zheng in the corner of his eye.

Su Zheng's eyes were bright and wide, fixed on Luo Yunchen and Grand Tutor Min.

He looked like he was paying close attention.

But Luo Yunchen had already noticed that Su Zheng's eyes were glazed over, his mind miles away.

Su Zheng's hand was absently rubbing his belly, like he was soothing himself and sending a warning at the same time.

Luo Yunchen's lips twitched, barely noticeable. He steered Grand Tutor Min through what he wanted to hear, then smoothly wrapped up the chat, clasped his hands and said goodbye.

Once they left the Secretariat Bureau, Su Zheng hurried his steps back to the Eastern Palace.

Luo Yunchen caught Su Zheng and slid an arm around his waist.

Before Su Zheng could speak, Luo Yunchen gave a sweet smile and said, "Thanks, Crown Prince Brother, for keeping the Grand Tutor around for me. As a thank-you, I'll get you back to the Eastern Palace. If I carry you, it'll be quick."

Before Su Zheng could figure out how he'd be carried, his waist was squeezed tight, and he was lifted off the ground like he weighed nothing.

Su Zheng's heart jumped, and he instinctively grabbed Luo Yunchen's shoulder to steady himself.

Luo Yunchen murmured in Su Zheng's ear, "Don't worry, Crown Prince Brother. Nothing's gonna happen."

In a few leaps, Luo Yunchen had whisked Su Zheng past the palace guards and back to the Eastern Palace.

When they landed, Su Zheng let go of Luo Yunchen's shoulder and motioned for him to loosen his grip.

Once he'd steadied himself, Su Zheng instinctively stamped his foot on the ground.

That was pretty wild!

The brush Luo Yunchen had made was already there.

After eating, Luo Yunchen guided Su Zheng's hand to practice calligraphy.

After a solid half-hour of practice, Su Zheng finally hit the sack to catch up on sleep.

Luo Yunchen left the Eastern Palace, and by the time Su Zheng woke up, he still wasn't back.

The system didn't ping, meaning the male lead hadn't run into any trouble.

Su Zheng didn't worry about it anymore, taking it easy with some pastries and a storybook.

At the Cold Palace.

Luo Yunchen was crouched by a freshly dug hole, dagger in hand, packing down the dirt himself.

When Xu Mo arrived and saw his master in such a down-to-earth state, he quickly lowered his head, not daring to look.

Lately, his master's temperament had become increasingly hard to read, unpredictable.

His methods were also growing more decisive and commanding, inspiring awe and fear.

Several of his master's recent orders had left them, his subordinates, baffled, unable to keep up with his train of thought.

Xu Mo didn't ponder long before reporting, "Master, I've brought the... cat you ordered captured. Please give your instructions."

That's right—that afternoon, his master had suddenly ordered their hidden operatives to catch a small black cat.

Though they didn't understand why, a master's order was an order. Without explanation, they dared not question or hesitate; they had to act immediately.

It wasn't until nearly dusk that they found and captured the small black cat his master wanted.

Luo Yunchen didn't look up, only said, "Throw it in and leave."

"Yes!" Guard Xu quickly tossed the small black cat into the pit before Luo Yunchen, clasped his hands, and withdrew.

The small black cat's limbs were bound, making it hard to move. It twisted its neck and meowed at Luo Yunchen.

"You ask what crime you've committed? You made me get pushed away by Crown Prince Brother, kept me from holding him—how could I let you off?"

"Meow!"

"You want me to spare you? That won't do. What if you show up in front of Crown Prince Brother again and stop me from holding him? And what if you keep appearing before him all the time? Wouldn't I be in deep trouble because of you?"

"Meow!"

"You say you didn't mean it? I know that. You can't control yourself, just like I sometimes can't control myself. So, to be safe, I've chosen this place for you to hide, ensuring Crown Prince Brother will never see you again!"

"Meow!"

"Alright, it's time for you to rest. Sweet dreams."

Large clumps of soil fell into the pit, landing on the small black cat.

The cat's shrill cries grew sharp and urgent as its body struggled and trembled violently.

Luo Yunchen's enchanting red eyes glinted coldly, and he shook his head with a sigh. "You're really not being good. Not covering yourself with a blanket won't do. Have you ever felt the bone-chilling cold, where your blood freezes solid? You definitely wouldn't want to try it—it's a terrible feeling."

More and more soil fell, quickly burying the small black cat completely. A faint sound came from underground.

Luo Yunchen's red eyes flickered, and he smiled. "Don't worry about me. I'll never feel cold again, because I have a brother now. Holding my brother is so warm!"

As he said this, Luo Yunchen stood up.

A cold wind swept by, and Luo Yunchen looked down at himself.

He’d forgotten his winter coat, leaving him in just his thin clothes.

A sickly grin spread across Luo Yunchen’s face, with a crazed longing: "How careless of me, forgetting to bundle up again. If I catch a cold, that’d be bad. Tonight, I’ll have to hold my brother tightly and let him share more of his warmth with me. With my whole body warm, I won’t suffer from the cold!"

Back at the Eastern Palace, Luo Yunchen drew Xu Mo’s dagger and quickly swung it twice.

Luo Yunchen’s fingertip and Xu Mo’s hand were both cut.

Xu Mo looked shocked, his first instinct was to grab his injured wrist with his other hand and drop to one knee to apologize to Luo Yunchen.

Luo Yunchen stared at his bleeding fingertip, frowning slightly, his eyes moist with grievance and sorrow.

Yet his tone was icy cold: "Get up. Don’t stop the bleeding. Follow me into the hall."

Xu Mo obeyed and rose, still keeping his head down: "Yes!"

Holding up his injured finger, Luo Yunchen rushed into the hall, calling out as he ran, "Elder Brother Crown Prince, Elder Brother Crown Prince, I’ve accidentally hurt myself!"

Xu Mo stumbled, nearly tripping over himself!

Luo Yunchen pushed open the door and entered the hall. Su Zheng, having heard the commotion, was already in the outer hall, meeting Luo Yunchen as he came in.

A strange fragrance wafted into Su Zheng’s nose, and his gaze immediately fell on the raised hand.