Chapter 29: Heartthrob

Chapter 29: A Stirring in the Heart

Shen Yichen wished the ground would swallow him whole.

He desperately prayed that Cheng Yi hadn't heard, hadn't heard.

He willed the room's light to dim, dimmer still...

So Cheng Yi couldn't see his mortified expression.

Unfortunately, Cheng Yi not only heard it, but heard every word loud and clear.

Though somewhat surprised, once he processed it, an unfamiliar sensation stirred in Cheng Yi's chest—something he'd never experienced before.

It was delight, satisfaction, a sweetness he couldn't name.

His hand moved faster than his thoughts, quickly grasping the hand that was pulling away.

Cheng Yi had already stood up, but he sat back down.

Seeing Shen Yichen look like he wanted to bury his face, he leaned in closer with a low chuckle, his voice so soft it could melt a person:

"Okay, I'll stay with you."

"I... I was rambling nonsense a moment ago. Why are you taking it seriously?"

Shen Yichen's face burned crimson, yet he insisted on making excuses, pretending to be indignant.

But Cheng Yi just said:

"I know."

"Then why don't you hurry up and leave?"

Shen Yichen moved to push him away, but to his surprise, Cheng Yi didn't even try to dodge. Instead, he grabbed Shen Yichen's wrist.

And so he found himself pushing against Cheng Yi's firm chest.

The night wind was cold and biting, yet through his clothes, Shen Yichen could feel his searing warmth.

Cheng Yi seemed equally startled by his sudden move, but his hand naturally settled over Shen Yichen's, pressing it firmly against his own chest.

The pounding of his heart left them both stunned for a moment.

Feeling the warmth of his palm and meeting those brilliant, dazzling eyes in the dim light—

In that instant, the tenderness in Cheng Yi's heart rippled outward like wind-stirred water, spreading in all directions.

He suddenly realized that his feelings for him might not be merely gratitude for burying him in his past life.

With that thought, Cheng Yi's grip tightened slightly, clasping his hand more firmly.

The dazed Shen Yichen came to his senses, and a wave of heat swept through his entire body.

Well, that's it.

He was completely done for now.

Cheng Yi didn't actually think he was flirting with him, did he?

He wrenched his hand free as if burned, then awkwardly turned over and lay down on the inside of the bed.

He turned his back to him, to preserve what little dignity he had left.

But his mind was flooded with the memory of that hard, solid feel, and he couldn't help but imagine what lay beneath the fabric...

Sure enough, he heard the young general chuckle softly behind him.

"Didn't you ask me to stay? Why are you avoiding me now?"

"I told you, that was nonsense. Why did you take it seriously?"

Shen Yichen squared his shoulders, wishing he could punch his past self.

Cheng Yi found his antics utterly endearing.

For some reason, the heaviness in his heart always seemed to ease in his presence.

Perhaps that was why he'd found himself inexplicably climbing over the Minister's wall in the dead of night.

"You are my husband. Of course, I must take every word you say seriously."

Shen Yichen's face grew hot again, but deep down, ripples spread through his heart, as if a strange sweetness was washing over him.

He was completely at a loss, with no idea how to respond.

Then he heard Cheng Yi's voice from behind:

"Sleep tight. I'll leave once you're asleep."

Shen Yichen's heart pounded like a drum. He thought to himself that with someone watching over him from behind, he'd never fall asleep even if he were dead tired.

Yet the truth was, he did fall asleep—and slept all the way until dawn.

No matter how hard Shen Yichen racked his brain, he couldn't figure out how he—a light sleeper who was always on guard—had managed to fall asleep with Cheng Yi there.

He didn't even know when Cheng Yi had slipped away.

Just—

absurd.

In truth, Cheng Yi hadn't left until deep into the night.

Looking at the figure curled up in a tight ball on the bed, he found himself unable to rest easy.

So after leaving the Minister's residence, he summoned his shadow guard and ordered him to keep watch over Shen Yichen until the wedding.

The shadow guard was taken aback, for he was Cheng Yi's personal sworn guard—his first priority was to protect Cheng Yi's safety.

Cheng Yi saw the doubt in his expression.

"Don't worry about me. I have it under control."

How could the shadow guard know that the man before him was no longer the seventeen-year-old Cheng Yi, but the one from ten years later—a battle-hardened, supremely skilled fighter?

Cheng Yi's mind drifted back to his past life.

He had once ordered the shadow guard to train a group of death-sworn warriors for Xie Yulin.

Ironically, in the end, those death warriors turned their blades on them, and the Shadow died at their hands.

In this life, there's too much he must do, too many people to protect.

He simply doesn't have enough manpower.

It seems he'll need to have a detailed talk with Grandfather.

…………………………………………

Before he knew it, the wedding day was almost here.

Cheng Yi is getting busier by the day, and seeing that his elder brother has yet to return, his worry grows.

Fortunately, the man sent to Liaozhou returns in time, bringing back the person Cheng Yi had asked for.

Turns out Liaozhou had been hit by days of torrential rain, which held them up.

His brother's destination, Jingzhou, was pretty close to Liaozhou, so the heavy rain probably delayed him too.

When he learned this, Cheng Yi contacted the Court of Judicial Review to inform its chief, Xiao Quan, about the potential heavy rain in Jingzhou.

This man was upright and just, known for his unwavering integrity.

He wasn't just his brother's superior, but also his mentor.

In his past life, after his brother died, Cheng Yi could only return to the capital three years later to look into it.

While investigating, he found out Xiao Quan had secretly looked into his brother's case, but shortly after, Xiao Quan resigned as chief of the Court of Judicial Review, claiming he was retiring to his hometown, and then he vanished.

Suspiciously, his brother's case files, along with the files of the case he'd been investigating, were all destroyed in a fire during a so-called "accident."

Such a blatant attempt to cover things up was nothing short of audacious.

Cheng Yi then tracked Xiao Quan to his hometown, only to be told Xiao Quan had never come back—he'd just vanished into thin air.

It wasn't until years later, when Cheng Yi ripped the Third Prince apart limb by limb, that he learned from that madman's own mouth that Xiao Quan had been buried alive long ago.

Just like his brother—bones shattered first, then buried alive.

And the Third Prince's reason for killing him was ridiculously simple.

Back then, Cheng Yi thought the entire imperial family was rotten to the core.

The princes of the Great Yao dynasty each deserved death more than the last. If the dynasty fell into their hands, the common people might suffer worse than if the country was destroyed.

That was exactly why Cheng Yi became even more determined to support Xie Yulin, always believing he was different from the rest.

Little did he know, they were all cut from the same cloth.

Sure enough, once Xiao Quan learned of his brother's situation, he quickly sent men to Jingzhou to help.

That put Cheng Yi a bit more at ease.

Meanwhile, Liu Siming and the others also sent their replies to Cheng Yi.

What pleased Cheng Yi was that they'd all chosen to change their situation.

Both Liu Siming and Zhou Chu decided to head to the northern frontier without letting their families know.

Liu Siming was afraid of being stopped by the main branch of his family, while Zhou Chu was scared his father would break his legs. In short, they both decided to follow Cheng Yi's example of acting first and asking for forgiveness later.

Cheng Yi then wrote to his uncle, planning to send the two to the northern frontier for training right after the wedding.

After all, without proper training, these good-for-nothings would just be cannon fodder on the battlefield.

The two were still buzzing with excitement over their "brave" decision, not knowing Cheng Yi had already arranged a hellish military camp life for them.

Jiang Yunshan decided to go into business with his mother.

Of course, he wanted to make some progress before telling his father.

He was a bit surprised by how strongly his mother reacted to his decision.

In his words, his mother was moved to tears when she heard he wanted to learn the business.

Zhao Quan, on the other hand, had made his decision after discussing it with his family.

He heard that Censor Zhao, to show his gratitude to Cheng Yi, even wanted to invite him for a drink.

Cheng Yi, however, politely turned him down without hesitation.

After all, he'd heard this man had a razor-sharp tongue that could poison people—a few casual words from him could make anyone want to bang their head against a wall.

————————————

As autumn deepened, the Marquis Zhongyong's residence was already cloaked in autumn hues, yet now it was being layered with waves of festivity.

Red silk wound around the corridors, festive lanterns lined the paths, and large and small "happiness" characters adorned every corner, covering the entire estate.

Tomorrow was the auspicious wedding day, and the usually quiet Marquis Zhongyong's residence had suddenly burst into life.

Servants bustled in and out, chatting and laughing, each tending to their duties in a flurry of activity.

Some were busy sweeping, others laying brocade cushions, some arranging the bridal chamber, and others tending to the flowers and plants...

The sound of footsteps and hushed instructions filled the air.

In contrast, Cheng Yi, the groom-to-be, was the most idle of all, wandering about, looking this way and that, seemingly with nothing to do.

Wen Wanning was bustling about, his uncle by marriage was also coming and going, and even his second cousin, who served in the palace, had been called back to lend a hand.

Steward Wu, the old steward of the Duke's residence, was all busy with the frantic preparations.

Cheng Yi felt a surreal sense of detachment.

He should be excited, expectant, nervous...

Yet, as he gazed at the bustling crowd and the festive Marquis Zhongyong's residence, his mind uncontrollably conjured images of it flowing with blood.

Faces stained with gore, eyes filled with terror and despair, agonized screams...

Scene after scene of carnage interwove with the joyful smiles before his eyes.

For a moment, Cheng Yi was dazed.

He wandered through the residence as if in a dream, and when he snapped back to reality, he found himself standing at the entrance of Jingyuan Hall, having been there for quite some time.

This was a place he had not set foot in for over a decade, spanning two lifetimes.

Inside, there was his father.

Compared to the lively, festive atmosphere of the Marquis's residence, the silence of Jingyuan Hall felt jarringly out of place.

Cheng Yi's heart was a tangle of emotions, but after a moment's hesitation, he stepped inside.

He figured that since he was getting married, he ought to let his father know.

The closer he got, the more conflicted he felt.

He'd never known his father's courtyard to be this desolate and quiet—so still it made you uneasy.

His father didn't like servants getting too close, so aside from two young attendants who handled the cleaning and basic daily care, no one else was in Jingyuan Hall.

Maybe because the mansion was short-staffed, even those two attendants had been called away to help today.

So Cheng Yi didn't see a single soul.

It wasn't until he turned a corner, by a dried-up pond, that he spotted a lone figure sitting with his back to him.

Even from behind, you could clearly see how thin he was under those loose robes.

What really stunned Cheng Yi was that his father's once-black hair was now half streaked with gray.

His father, who had once been as brilliant as the moon and breeze, who had once dazzled the entire capital...

When had he ended up like this?

==========Author's Note:==========

Can I skip a day of updating? (Begging pathetically, on knees)