I Rely on Beauty to Stabilize the Country Chapter 51.2

Published at 13th of July 2023 08:13:04 AM

Chapter 51 Part 2

Throughout history, the combination of yin and yang has always been the correct path. Both being men, what's there to like about rigid, hard men?

He wanted to say it, to straightforwardly say, "How could I like men?" But as the words reached his throat, they suddenly got stuck.

Why couldn't he say it?

Xue Yuan opened his mouth, but the words remained stuck in his throat, suffocated by his heavy, throbbing heart. Try as he might, he couldn't utter those words.

The young men and women around him exchanged smiles, while the colorful lanterns on the street flashed with various lights.

Although the trend of same-sex relationships had become prevalent in the capital in recent years, today, upon a closer look, it was still only young men and women of similar age. The city was bustling and prosperous, yet Xue Yuan couldn't bring himself to say a word.

It was stuck in his throat, leaving him only to gaze at Gu Yuanbai, at the night and the shimmering water. Then he asked himself, Xue Yuan, do you like men?

Ha.

Just the thought of all those men in the barracks made Xue Yuan feel nauseated. He didn't like men.

But...

What if it were Gu Yuanbai?

A loud boom.

His slowly beating heart suddenly started to race.

Xue Yuan struggled to part his lips. "I—"

Gu Yuanbai had already forgotten about that casual question. He eagerly looked around at the scenery, tilting his head slightly and curving his lips. "What is it?"

Xue Yuan fell silent.

He looked at Gu Yuanbai, his eyes filled with ambiguity.

The light reflected on Gu Yuanbai's face, and although the young emperor had a good appearance, no matter how good one's appearance was, they were still just a man.

Gu Yuanbai had simply taken a leisurely stroll that night, but his eyes had feasted on the view, and he returned to the palace feeling satisfied.

Xue Yuan also returned to his residence. As the night grew quiet, he lay in bed, and once again, Gu Yuanbai's question echoed in his mind.

"Do you like men?"

Even in his dreams, that question pervaded every moment of his sleep.

In the dead of night, he was abruptly awakened.

The bed creaked, and Xue Yuan calmly sat up, quickly walking into the bathroom and hastily pouring half a bucket of cold water over his head.

As the cold water washed over him, his mind cleared.

Xue Yuan looked at the cold water, lowered his head, and let the water droplets from his hair flow down his body.

Gu Yuanbai doesn't like men.

Even the young emperor doesn't like men, so why should Xue Yuan, a resolute and upright man, like men?

His breathing became heavy, and the cold water flowing from his mouth turned bitter. Xue Yuan, expressionless, stood up and walked back to his room. The moon in the courtyard was bright and round, and the starlight seemed within reach. Xue Yuan's gaze shifted, his footsteps paused in place.

Unconsciously, he thought, how nice it would be if Gu Yuanbai could see this beautiful moon too.

When he snapped out of his thoughts, Xue Yuan's face suddenly darkened, and he strode towards his bedroom.

A few wolf howls erupted.

Xue Yuan sat at the edge of the bed but felt no trace of sleepiness.

The moonlight outside gradually faded, and the sky began to brighten. The light illuminated the room, revealing the dark circles under Xue Yuan's eyes.

He wiped his face and thought to himself, "It's over, Xue Yuan. You've fallen for the young emperor."

It's not just loyalty to the emperor.

It's you wanting him.

The next day.

While Gu Yuanbai was reviewing the memorials, he sensed a faint gaze upon him.

He looked up in the direction of the feeling and saw Xue Yuan looking at him with a dark gleam in his eyes. Xue Yuan forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, you should take a rest."

Tian Fusheng was absent, so he entrusted Xue Yuan with the task of ensuring that the emperor rested in a timely manner. Xue Yuan was bold and dared to speak and act. He pushed the boundaries of Gu Yuanbai's tolerance, and Tian Fusheng held high expectations for him.

Coincidentally, Gu Yuanbai's eyes were a little sore, so he put down his brush and said, "Alright."

It was the first time Xue Yuan had feelings for someone, and he was not accustomed to it.

He hadn't slept all night, his thoughts consumed by Gu Yuanbai.

He pondered over the fact that the young emperor didn't like men.

Xue Yuan still remembered Gu Yuanbai's expression when he stepped on his dignity, the gaze and the unsettling premonition that arose from the depths of his heart. It seemed that as long as Xue Yuan had impure intentions, Gu Yuanbai would immediately dispose of him.

With that in mind, he seemed to be grateful for his unreliable upbringing.

Xue Yuan's expression changed constantly, adding an extra touch of intrigue.

The people around watched him as if it were a show, and the guards stifled their laughter.

Look, is this foolish-looking man their Captain Xue? Why does he look so amusing?

As soon as the emperor closed his eyes, a nimble eunuch approached and gently massaged Gu Yuanbai's head. The incense in the hall was fragrant and delicate, and it was unclear whether the emperor was asleep or not.

After resting for a while, Tian Fusheng walked over from outside. He approached the emperor and took out a secret letter from his sleeve.

The young eunuch stepped aside, and Gu Yuanbai unfolded the letter. He raised an eyebrow and smiled after reading its contents.

The letter came from South Jinghu and contained information reported by an official named Liu Yan from the Surveillance Department. It detailed the gifts Gu Yuanbai had sent to the remnants of the Lu Feng faction in Jinghu South and Jiangnan—an impressive lineup of prisoners that scared them upon arrival at their bases.

With Gu Yuanbai's anticipation and Liu Yan's instigation, it was fortunate that they finally began to feel a sense of crisis and planned to assassinate Gu Yuanbai.

Gu Yuanbai chuckled and said, "How wonderful."

Just a few days ago, he felt that his days were numbered and that he might not live long enough to witness the rebels rising up. But unexpectedly, his opponents were so enthusiastic that they directly planned to send someone to assassinate him.

When Gu Yuanbai dispatched the rebels to South Jinghu and Jiangnan, he had planted a few pawns, and now the opportunity to put them into action had finally arrived.

The assassination wouldn't be delayed. It would take more than half a month of riding day and night to travel from South Jinghu to the capital. Gu Yuanbai eagerly awaited this assassination. He put away the secret letter and softly said, "Fight fire with fire."

Once the Emperor of Da Heng was successfully wounded by this group of rebels, giving them the feeling that the emperor's life was hanging by a thread, they would undoubtedly be overwhelmed with joy and thoughts of rebellion.

They would rebel.

They were finally going to rebel.

Except for a very small number of people who knew about the planned assassination of Gu Yuanbai by the Jiashen Society, this information was completely hidden.

Even the guards who closely protected Gu Yuanbai only knew about it if they were among the few people he trusted, let alone Xue Yuan, who was a courtier.

After fifteen or sixteen days passed, Gu Yuanbai speculated that the assassins sent by the Jiashen Society should have arrived. So, he gave them an opportunity himself. He personally went to the fields with a group of talented scholars from the Imperial Academy to see the crops cultivated by the farmers.

Xue Yuan woke up early in the morning, trained his body, and then went to take a bath with a steaming head right after training. After changing into his clothes, he armed himself with a sword and waited at his own doorstep.

General Xue passed by him while riding a horse, and when he saw Xue Yuan, he sneered, "Why aren't you wearing your official robes today?"

Xue Yuan stood straight, lazily glanced at him, and replied, "I'm going to the fields with His Majesty."

Xue Yuanjun earnestly said, "His Majesty treats you so well. You must protect him with all your heart. As loyal subjects, our hearts and minds should be filled with nothing but His Majesty."

Xue Yuan replied, "My heart and mind are already completely filled with him."

He hadn't had a peaceful night's sleep for several nights. Every time he woke up, he had to take a cold bath in the middle of the night. Xue Yuan chuckled; he was so captivated by the love potion that he couldn't distinguish between north, south, east, and west.

Xue Yuanjun was in the middle of delivering a profound lecture and didn't hear clearly. He asked, "What?"

However, Xue Yuan ignored him and looked past Xue Yuanjun to the emperor's carriage. He grinned and walked briskly toward the carriage, saying to Xue Yuanjun, "I'm leaving."

Before Xue Yuanjun could get angry, he saw Xue Yuan suddenly freeze in his tracks. Xue Yuan turned to the side and warned, "General Xue, this loyalty to the emperor, I'm the only one who has it and can speak of it. Do you understand?"

After saying that, Xue Yuan took confident strides and headed toward the carriage.

The chief guard held a spirited horse with a striking reddish-brown coat. It was the horse named Hongyun, which was designated as Xue Yuan's mount.

Xue Yuan mounted the horse and rode up to the carriage window, looking handsome and charming. He asked, "Your Majesty, how are you today?"

Gu Yuanbai's voice still carried traces of sleepiness and laziness as he replied, "I'm fine."

Xue Yuan smiled faintly and said meaningfully, "Did Your Majesty dream last night?"

Gu Yuanbai paused for a moment and asked curiously, "What do you mean by that, Guard Xue?"

Xue Yuan's eyebrows furrowed. Could it be that the young emperor didn't dream of him last night?

Fuck.

Xue Yuan's expression instantly turned dark, but his tone remained unchanged. "It's nothing. I was just asking casually."

Someone actually dared to deceive him?

Were they seeking death?

Yesterday, Xue Yuan encountered a Taoist priest during his shift, who sold a talisman that could make others dream of oneself. Xue Yuan, driven by curiosity, spent a large sum of silver to buy it. Following the instructions of the Taoist, he silently recited the young emperor's name a hundred times before going to sleep. He placed the talisman next to his pillow as instructed, believing that it would make the person he was thinking of dream of him.

With the intention of not letting outsiders know, Xue Yuan even cleaned himself up and didn't wear a single piece of clothing. He slept the whole night in that state.

As a result, he was fucking deceived.

Gu Yuanbai, inside the carriage, held his face in exasperation for a moment. When he lifted the curtain to look outside, he saw Xue Yuan with a dark expression, as if he was about to kill someone. It was chilling to behold.

With such an expression, if someone really came to assassinate him, they would probably be frightened at first glance.

Gu Yuanbai rested his arm on the carriage window, squinted his eyes, and smiled like those spoiled young masters in the capital who flirted with virtuous young ladies. He said, "Guard Xue, you look so displeased. Could it be that you don't want to accompany me to the countryside?"

Xue Yuan replied, "I'm willing, no matter what."

Gu Yuanbai found his response a bit strange and asked, "If I were to make you serve me, like a servant, would you still be willing?"

Xue Yuan glanced at Gu Yuanbai and thought, Even if you want to touch me... it's not impossible.

His lips curved  into a lazy smile and asked, "What does Your Majesty want me to serve you?"

He seemed not only unangered but rather eager. Gu Yuanbai pondered for a moment and said, "Just maintain a pleasant expression."

Xue Yuan's heart, which had been longing for the dragon bed, began to thump wildly. He wanted to see him in a good mood?

To see him smile?

Little Emperor.

This is getting interesting.

Chapter end