Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Several kites in the courtyard were blown down by the wind, and Lu Yuan broke free from Lu Wuyou's embrace to go pick them up.

Fang Zhihe stood rigidly, his injuries still painful. He dared not lift his head to look at Lu Wuyou, nor could he turn and flee. He simply let the man who loathed him to the core mock him, and he asked with a low laugh: "Your Majesty, I've been curious all these years... Why did your father only hire bodyguards for you? Could it be... that you're actually a woman?"

Fang Zhihe's head shot up, a look of shame and indignation on his face. "You don't know whether I'm a woman?"

"Indeed, only Your Majesty possesses such a worthless thing." Lu Wuyou smiled as he glanced down at Fang Zhihe's crotch.

Fang Zhihe frowned and took a step back, steadying his voice as he said: "...Lu Yuan is your son, so naturally he resembles you. As for why he looks a bit like me—that's because the woman I found for you back then resembled me—What were you expecting?"

Lu Yuan picked up the kite and looked up at the treetops from beneath the tree. He was a bit troubled. These kites were his imperial father's favorite things; he'd always had Xiaoyun ask the guards to hang them up for him. But now that his imperial father and "Big Father" just arrived, the guards had all been sent away.

Lu Wuyou gazed at his son from afar—the boy's features resembled his own, while his profile was like Fang Zhihe's.

"You forced another woman to sleep with me, and you still have the nerve to say that?" Lu Wuyou reached out and grabbed a corner of Fang Zhihe's dragon robe, chuckling: "In my campaigns against the barbarians, I heard some strange tales—that the tribes have a secret medicine that can make a man conceive, changing his body. Could it be that Your Majesty has already tried it?"

Fang Zhihe looked at him, pressed his lips together, and after a long moment said coldly: "Lord Lu flatters himself too much. I say Lu Yuan is your child, so he is your child. I say who his mother is, so that is who she is. Cut the nonsense."

"Enough, enough. Your Majesty need not get so worked up." Lu Wuyou smiled mockingly, his eyes cold.

Back then, Fang Zhihe had taken advantage of a drinking session to drug him, and later produced a child for him—such dirty tricks, and he actually dared to do them.

"Since Xiaoyuan has little to do with Your Majesty, wouldn't it be inappropriate to make him crown prince?" Lu Wuyou said.

Fang Zhihe glared at him, then suddenly shoved him, his voice hoarse: "Lu Wuyou! Why do you force my hand?! He is not my child, but he is yours! Don't you get it why I made him crown prince?"

Caught off guard by the shove, Lu Wuyou looked up at him in shock.

Fang Zhihe found this man utterly insufferable. He glared at him for a long moment, then snapped his sleeves and left.

Lu Wuyou listened to Lu Yuan chatting with his imperial father, and frowned thoughtfully. Although he knew Fang Zhihe loved him, he had always thought that making Lu Yuan crown prince was a way to humiliate him—after all, making his own son call him Father was just meant to spite him, wasn't it?

Who would have thought... this man actually just loved him.

Fang Zhihe's blood boiled in his veins. Only when he reached the door of his bedchamber did he come back to his senses, and his strength suddenly drained away, nearly causing him to collapse.

He leaned against the palace wall, eyes downcast, breathing lightly. He was furious, and his stomach clenched in pain, a lump of anger stuck in his throat, unable to go up or down. He clenched his teeth bitterly, and soon a teardrop fell like rain.

Lu Yuntai only knew that Fang Zhiyuan had been afraid of pain and grievances since childhood—how could he not know that Fang Zhihe was the same?

Qi Guan followed not far behind, keeping his distance, his eyes dark as he watched Fang Zhihe hunched over in the distance.

After a long while, the man turned around, saw him, and lowered his eyes with a sigh: "Lanning."

Qi Guan responded: "Your Majesty is tired, I presume?"

Fang Zhihe shook his head: "...It's just that my body aches terribly. Lately, I've been too impulsive, unable to control my temper, acting rashly and making a mess of things."

Heavy large snowflakes began to fall again from the sky. Qi Guan watched Fang Zhihe's trembling eyelashes, then took off the dark blue crane-feather cloak he was wearing and draped it over Fang Zhihe's shoulders, fastening the ties. He exhaled in relief and said softly: "Your health is not good. Why are you standing here in the cold wind? If you catch a chill, the little prince will worry again."

"Why would he worry? He's just fine with his father." Fang Zhihe huddled inside the cloak, the circle of white fur covering most of his face, his voice dripping with jealousy: "They're in cahoots, learning all sorts of bad habits."

Qi Guan chuckled. "Your Majesty is twenty-three this year, yet you still bicker with the little prince. Now that Lord Lu can teach him, it's an honor for the prince. Haven't you always been hoping for that man to return?"

Return to teach his own son. Return to be with you.

Return to repay the lingering debt of longing.

After a moment, Fang Zhihe let out a soft laugh, his face was ashen. "Lord Qi, you are becoming more and more fond of teasing me."

Qi Guan's heart leaped, and he immediately knelt, but Fang Zhihe grabbed his hand. The man, pale-faced, said coldly: "Even if Lu Yuntai had divine powers, it still depends on whether I like him. If I like him, he can walk all over me if he wants. If I don't like him, what do you think would happen?"

Qi Guan stared at him blankly.

Fang Zhihe furrowed his brows. "If I didn't like him, even if he died, I wouldn't give him a second glance."

Qi Guan was speechless. Watching Fang Zhihe's ashen face, he felt a lump in his throat that wouldn't go away, accompanied by a prickling pain.

"...I understand."

"Enough. I asked Wang Yinhai to look into the Fang Manor case. What did he find?" Fang Zhihe patted the snow from his shoulders and walked straight to the imperial study.

Qi Guan followed behind him, saying softly: "Lord Wang knows who's in charge here."

Fang Zhihe laughed lightly. "Even a dog relying on its master's power has no shame."

"As for the Fang Manor..." Qi Guan closed the door to the study, turned to Fang Zhihe, and made a throat-slitting gesture. Fang Zhihe scolded with a smile: "Massacring them on a day like this would invite gossip."

Qi Guan pressed his lips together. "They're an eyesore."

Fang Zhihe smiled faintly. "I already got a reputation for cruelty when I fought my way to the throne. If I now slaughter my own clan, I'll never shake off the labels 'unfilial and unjust'."

Qi Guan frowned. "The words of fools..."

"Public opinion cannot be ignored. Wang Yinhai must give me an explanation soon. Lanning, handle that matter for me." Fang Zhihe picked up the vermilion brush on the table, paused, and frowned. "Also, the crown prince's education should continue under Grand Tutor Chen."

Qi Guan raised his eyes. "Lord Lu is skilled in both civilian and military matters..."

Fang Zhihe shot him a cold look. "It seems Lord Qi is also quite concerned about Lord Lu."

Qi Guan stepped back twice, bowed in apology, took the edict Fang Zhihe had drafted, and rushed out the door.

Only then did Fang Zhihe grimace and slowly lower himself into the chair behind him. His private wound hurt terribly, and sitting on the cold chair made him shiver uncontrollably. He grabbed a soft cushion with shaking hands to sit on.

A stack of memorials piled up on the desk. Fang Zhihe pulled one out at random. Its gist was: "Lu Wuyou's military achievements are great, and he has been appointed to the third rank. This truly discourages loyal officials. Moreover, the Western Campaign Army has been under Lu Wuyou's command since the dynasty's founding. This move may be detrimental to the state."

Staring blankly at the memorial for a while, Fang Zhihe picked up his brush and circled it. In a daze, he wrote two characters: "Yuntai."

The sky was filled with falling snow.

Fang Zhihe rubbed his brow and let out a very soft sigh.

"Xiaoyun." He called the young eunuch waiting outside into the room, feigning a lazy tone: "Deliver my decree: Order the crown prince to join me and Lord Lu for the evening meal."

Xiaoyun acknowledged and was about to leave when the man in the yellow robe, propping his chin on his hand, casually added: "Tell Lord Lu to bring his signature dishes as well."

Xiaoyun agreed, and Fang Zhihe waved his hand, sending him out.

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