Now, the barbarian tribes are nearly extinct, the aristocratic families are in decline, and the secretive missionary work of the shamanistic religion is being hindered. Just as Gu Zhong hoped, everything is developing in a positive direction.
"Why should Your Majesty worry? No matter how treacherous the witchcraft cult may be, since we are already on guard, we will certainly not be controlled by it anymore. Once we find its Achilles' heel, we will strike it down and then we can rest easy."
Ling Yan offered her words of comfort in a very serious tone.
"?" Gu Zhong blinked slowly, feeling both amused and exasperated. She had been led astray by her husband.
She only intended to lament the brevity of life and the impermanence of death, but she somehow managed to veer off onto the important matter.
"Hmm?" A drop of water suddenly landed on Lingyan's cheek. She looked up at the night sky, which was devoid of stars and moon.
"Is it raining?"
Gu Zhong opened her palm and caught the raindrops; a dampness soaked into her palm.
The dense raindrops fell faster and faster, soon weaving into a fine curtain of rain that soaked their clothes.
"Sir, your injuries haven't fully healed yet, please come inside quickly!"
Gu Zhong comically held up the food box to shield Ling Yan from the rain, but it was of little use; it only made Ling Yan laugh.
The two hurried through the courtyard and entered Lingyan's bedroom to take shelter from the rain. They called for a servant to heat up some soup, but when they turned around, they saw Gu Zhong taking off his damp outer garment. Lingyan felt a little dizzy and quickly lowered her eyes.
"After getting caught in the rain, one is more susceptible to catching a cold. Perhaps you could go and find a couple of sets of dry clothes?"
Gu Zhong walked up to her and gently put his hand on Ling Yan's shoulder.
"Your Majesty, I will go immediately!"
Lingyan felt a burning heat where Gu Zhong was supporting her, and hurriedly responded, walking towards the inner room in a panic, with Gu Zhong calmly following behind her.
"Your Majesty...why are you following me?"
Ling Yan became increasingly flustered. She braced herself against the door frame to block Gu Zhong.
"To change clothes!" Gu Zhong answered confidently.
"Your Majesty may wait in the front room for a moment."
"It's cold there. Besides, sir, have you ever seen anyone change clothes in the front room? What if a servant bumps into you?"
Gu Zhong asked innocently and suspiciously, leaving Ling Yan speechless and helplessly defeated. He had no choice but to let her in.
He took out a white undergarment from the camphor wood wardrobe and handed it to Gu Zhong.
"Your Majesty, please change your clothes here first. I will go to the outer room to avoid you." After saying that, she tried to leave.
“Sir.” Gu Zhong stood straight at the door, motionless.
"His Majesty?"
"Am I some kind of monster or flood?"
Gu Zhong stared intently at her.
"…no…"
Lingyan said sullenly, avoiding her eyes.
"Then why does the master avoid me like the plague? No one is even there to help me change my clothes anymore..."
Gu Zhong took a step forward and whispered in Ling Yan's ear.
"Your Majesty... what does this mean?" Lingyan's hands trembled uncontrollably.
"I just want to ask one question: why is it that you would risk your life for me, yet refuse to open your heart to me?"
Gu Zhong asked the question that Ling Yan had vaguely brushed aside that day again, but she didn't mention "I" again.
At that moment, she was just a child whose curiosity desperately needed to be satisfied.
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Author's Note:
Let me clarify first, um, Ling Yan wasn't the one who actually killed Gu Zhong. It wasn't just a matter of taking pleasure in abusing his wife!
You know what will happen in the next chapter... But, maybe, it'll be time to turn black, damn it!
Chapter 22 The Imperial Tutor and the Crown Princess (Part 21)
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“…”
After a long silence, Gu Zhong did not urge him, like a patient hunter watching his prey, who had fallen into a trap, struggle desperately until it was exhausted.
"His Majesty···"
Ling Yan looked at Gu Zhong, who was so close to her, and her tone was pleading.
With trembling hands, she gently tugged at the damp hem of the man's clothes. She didn't know why Gu Zhong was suddenly pressuring her like this.
It was as if they wanted to tear open her chest cavity and take out her bleeding heart to see it clearly.
She just wanted to retain the right to stand by Gu Zhong's side until the very end; there were some things she dared not say, and could not say.
This relationship was unacceptable to the world, especially since they had a teacher-student relationship. She feared that if she spoke of it, she would never see him again in this life.
Looking at the man before her, who had always been as upright and proud as a pine tree, Gu Zhong's unyielding spine seemed to have bent, his eyes filled with unyielding sorrow and despair. In the end, Gu Zhong's heart softened.
"Sir..."
She sighed softly, her cool, slender hand caressing Lingyan's cheek, a slight smile on her face.
"Sir, I love you."
Like a small pebble thrown into a calm lake, ripples spread outwards from the center.
Birds flitted through the deserted forest, swaying the branches of the trees.
This illusion of peace was completely shattered.
As soon as she finished speaking, her lips gently covered Lingyan's eyes, then moved down to the bridge of his nose and the corners of his lips, as if she were carefully tracing the features of the person in front of her.
Lingyan's heart stopped beating for a moment, and something exploded in her chest cavity, like a firework called joy.
She felt as if she were drunk, the world spinning around her.
Gu Zhong's tongue gently probed between her teeth, and Ling Yan's lips parted slightly as she gripped the hem of her dress even tighter.
Their lips met, their warm breaths mingled, and the noisy rain outside couldn't drown out the panting that filled the room.
Gu Zhong wrapped his arms around Ling Yan from behind, gently holding her waist, and pushed her step by step toward the bed.
Lingyan completely relaxed, letting herself be enveloped in this warm embrace.
After removing her soaked clothes, his burning fingertips caressed the wounds on her shoulders, leaving red marks on her skin.
The torrential rain came suddenly and incessantly, leaving no place to rest. The trickling streams in the clear canals gurgled under the wash of the rainwater, flowing into the dense forests in the mountains and disappearing into the earth.
"Concern..."
Lingyan's consciousness had scattered in the torrential rain, her clear, cold voice calling out the name held in her heart again and again.
"Sir... are you pleased?"
This disregard for etiquette provoked a violent reaction from the person beneath him.
"Don't call me that..."
The man pleaded softly, his voice trembling with tears.
Gu Zhong, however, mischievously called out again, "Sir?"
"…joy."
Tears welled in Lingyan's eyes as she gripped the bed curtains tightly, her knuckles turning pale from the effort. Her voice was hoarse as she softly replied, her passion extinguished.
The clear stream is unfathomably deep, where only a solitary cloud hides. A sliver of moonlight peeks through the pines, its clear light still shining upon you. [Note]
The next day, Lingyan slowly woke up, feeling as if she had been tossed around in a box all night. Her limbs and bones were completely weak and she couldn't muster any strength.
"Sir, you're awake?"
Gu Zhong flipped over and wrapped his arms around her, his deep eyes filled with affection and a smile, his lips brimming with uncontrollable joy and delight.
"Your Majesty, be careful not to catch a cold."
Lingyan looked at her exposed, delicate skin, her gaze unconsciously drifting to the side, and reached out to pull the quilt up a little higher.
"I want the gentleman to call my name..."
As she spoke with aggrieved feelings, Gu Zhong relaxed his bent arms and pressed his body down a little more, pressing himself even closer to the person beneath him, a burning heat suddenly igniting at their point of connection.
Gu Zhong looked at Ling Yan with longing, and he even seemed to have developed a taste for her. He reached out and covered her predatory eyes.
Ling Yan suppressed her trembling body and her equally yearning desire, and forcefully pushed Gu Zhong away.
"Your Majesty, you should attend to state affairs."
Gu Zhong grabbed Ling Yan's hand that was covering her eyes and lowered it. His eyes, which were exposed, were full of disbelief, as if accusing her of being so cruel as to talk about politics in the prime of her life.
Lingyan showed extraordinary determination in this regard, forcefully driving Gu Zhong away.
She looked at the hidden mess, where a red plum blossom was imprinted on the clean fabric, blooming brightly, reminding her of the absurdity of the previous night.
By day, they are a harmonious and like-minded ruler and subject; by night, they are soulmates and tender companions.
Looking back, those days on the tour were truly a rare and carefree time of happiness, but they were also dreamlike and short-lived.
After returning to the capital, Lingyan thought that Gu Zhong's safety was assured, but her assumptions were repeatedly shattered in unexpected ways.
The incident occurred after the court assembly the day after Gu Zhong returned to the capital. Gu Zhong inexplicably lashed out at Ling Yan. When she came to her senses, she couldn't believe it herself and vomited a mouthful of black blood.
The blood stained the marble floor tiles, causing countless blood bubbles to appear, which then burst open and quickly returned to their normal bright red color.
"Gu Zhong!" With no one else in the hall, Ling Yan disregarded the distinction between ruler and subject, rushing to her in three strides. "Xuan Tai..."
"It's nothing..."
Gu Zhong quickly pulled Ling Yan back and shook his head, but her solemn expression didn't seem to indicate that everything was alright.
Do you know what this is?