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Arc 3: Chapter 25

The prince’s court robes were also vermillion colored, the red was a little bit darker than Jiang Qian’s. Notably, Lin Yuan did not attend court, so he only wore his imperial robes when he entered the palace to visit the emperor or during major festivals.

Jiang Qian slowly dressed Lin Yuan in his vermillion court robes. Now their outfits were like the wedding robes of a newly married couple.

Lin Yuan looped his arms around Jiang Qian’s neck and grinned: “Jiang Qian, the court robes are red, just like wedding robes ah.”

Jiang Qian hadn’t made the connection and was a little stunned at the realization. He suddenly regretted going to the imperial prison and staining his clothes. 

He lifted Lin Yuan up and murmured into the other’s ear: “Sui Sui……”

Lin Yuan tightened his grip and asked happily for praise: “Husband, do I look good in my court robes?”

Jiang Qian kissed Lin Yuan’s ear and he said lowly: “En, looks good……”

Jiang Qian walked over to the bed and sat down with Lin Yuan in his lap. 

Lin Yuan looked at his man’s handsome, pale face and deep eyes and gently cupped the other’s face. He smiled, exposing his soft and sweet dimples on his cheeks. 

“Jiang Qian, don’t be scared. I’ll always be with you……”

Lin Yuan repeated himself over and over, just like he did in the past. 

Jiang Qian listened and his Adam’s apple bobbed. His hand around Lin Yuan’s waist slowly moved up the other’s slender back, and gently pinched twice at the back of the other’s neck. 

Lin Yuan suddenly felt a pulling force and he was pressed down by Jiang Qian. A warm touch fell on his lips. 

Jiang Qian’s kisses were characteristically eager and dominant, and Lin Yuan felt as if he was being picked apart and swallowed piece by piece. 

Jiang Qian traveled from Lin Yuan’s lips all the way to his ears, and then on the side of his neck. Lin Yuan’s court robes were quickly untied and hung loosely on his body. There was no more sense of proprietary or solemnity, only traces of entanglement and arousement. 

Lin Yuan wanted Jiang Qian to have no energy to think about things other than himself. He knew that while Jiang Qian was cruel and merciless to outsiders, he depended on him like a vine depended on a tree, one that had taken root in his bones and grew over his body. 

“Cough, cough, cough……”

Lin Yuan’s throat burned a little as he choked. Jiang Qian picked him up from the grown and gently rubbed the corner of his lips. 

He checked carefully to make sure that Lin Yuan’s lips weren’t cracked, and was relieved to find no blood. He pecked Lin Yuan’s ruddy and swollen lips: “Uncomfortable?”

Lin Yuan nodded, and then shook his head: “Not uncomfortable……”

Jiang Qian felt a little guilty. He always couldn’t restrain himself during these matters. His little prince was just too obedient and indulged in him until he was spoiled rotten. 

“Later……” Jiang Qian paused and hesitated, but still said: “Later we won’t do this anymore, Sui Sui.”

Lin Yuan knew in his heart that Jiang Qian liked it a lot, and in fact, he also liked it. 

Even though his throat would hurt afterwards, seeing Jiang Qian lose control because of him satisfied some unknown thoughts in Lin Yuan’s heart. 

Maybe it was a person’s desire for control. He controlled Jiang Qian’s body and heart, and no one wouldn’t like it when his lover would lose control and feel pleasured thanks to himself. 

Lin Yuan’s eyes were watery and dewy tears hung on his eyelashes. He said sincerely: “Jiang Qian, I like everything you do to me.”

He snuggled into Jiang Qian’s arms like a puddle: “Jiang Qian, I’m willing to do it. I’m perfectly happy to do whatever you want me to……” t/n 心甘情愿 = idiom meaning willing to do something, or perfectly happy to do something

Jiang Qian stared at Lin Yuan and his heart soared up to the heavers. Something stung in his eyes and they became faint and murky: “Willing……”

“...... Willing……”

Jiang Qian thought of the courtyard in the Admiral’s mansion that was built to replicate the garden in Prince Chu’s mansion. Every hallway, room, tree, and stone were exactly the same. 

Lin courtyard was Lin Yuan’s residence, and Prince Chu’s mansion was Lin Yuan’s home.

The Admiral’s mansion was an exquisite cage that he prepared to lock Lin Yuan in for the rest of his life. 

Jiang Qian’s heart was like the imperial prison, full of hatred, blood, and darkness that rotted under the prosperous land of the capital. 

He was not worthy of Lin Yuan’s willingness. But at the same time, he wanted to monopolize all of Lin Yuan’s willingness until the day he died.

Until Jiang Qian died. 

   【Di! Congrats host, the villain’s blackening value has decreased to 50%.】

⋅ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅

Over the next few days, Lin Yuan stayed in the courtyard as usual and did not go out. 

Unlike before, Jiang Qian now came back every day, regardless of how late it was, regardless of rain or shine. 

Lin Yuan usually slept before midnight. Sometimes, he could vaguely sense that someone hugged him and gently kissed him. In his muddle-headedness, he knew that it was Jiang Qian. If he was a little more awake, he would call out Jiang Qian or husband. If he was deeper in his sleep, he just habitually rubbed against the other and continued sleeping. 

This November there was heavy snowfall in the capital. After two whole days of snow, the entire capital was buried under a vast expanse of white. 

One evening, Lin Yuan had just finished bathing and was ready to go to bed when Jiang Qian suddenly barged in covered in blood and hugged him tightly without a word.

The charcoal stove burned in the corner and the fragrant scent of incense warmed the air. 

Jiang Qian’s body brought in a chilly wind. His face was white, and his eyes were empty and dark, like an abyss. 

Lin Yuan remembered that in the plot, Jiang Qian successfully took his revenge against the son of Prince Yanping and the other people who participated in torturing and bullying him.

Next, for the Jiang family, Jiang Qian’s goal was the deputy cabinet secretary. He believed that his father did not commit treason and was falsely accused. 

Jiang Qian wanted to uncover what happened back then and return his father’s innocence to the rest of the world. But the truth that he found made him despair. 

It was indeed a false accusation, but the forces behind it were shocking. In the 200 years of history of the Daliang country, many emperors were hindered and restrained by their court ministers. 

After Emperor Liang ascended to the throne, he was afraid of this happening. In order to weaken the power of the ministers, he implemented many new positions to have the ministers check and balance each other. Moreover, he ordered that the army raise a large number of troops in order to protect against foreign attacks. 

In this way, the increase of financial expenditures led to the inability to make ends meet in the treasury, which resulted in an increase in taxes. There were many harsh and unnecessary taxes implemented that made the people’s livelihoods suffer. 

Jiang Heng, Jiang Qian’s father, wanted to change this. After entering the cabinet, he worked toward changing tax policy. And Emperor Liang also secretly allowed him to do so. 

But Jiang Heng’s actions were against the interests of the majority of ministers. Finally, the deputy cabinet secretary banded with other officials and forged evidence of Jiang Qian’s treason with foreign nations and presented it in front of the emperor. 

It didn’t matter if the evidence was true or not. It was another case of officials forcing the emperor to bow his head to their requests. These officials forced the emperor to make a choice. 

In the end, the emperor chose to abandon Jiang Heng. And the Jiang family’s tragedy was the result.

Seeing Jiang Qian in this state, Lin Yuan guessed that Jiang Qian already knew the truth of the matter. 

He was very worried about Jiang Qian now. It was only a few years ago when he had to take months to put the almost broken Jiang Qian back together. Now, the sense of shattering was even stronger, as if everything was falling apart. 

Lin Yuan couldn’t ask Jiang Qian directly, and Jiang Qian wouldn’t tell him about the truth. He could only hug Jiang Qian back and kiss Jiang Qian comfortingly. 

The smell of soft incense was mixed with the smell of blood, and these fragrances clashed in the air. 

Lin Yuan untied Jiang Qian’s cloak and pulled out his belt and the brocade robe fell to the ground. 

Lin Yuan lowered his head and kissed the scars on Jiang Qian’s shoulders one by one. 

The chill on Jiang Qian’s body was slightly warmed by Lin Yuan’s body temperature, and the smell of blood faded under the incense. He flipped over and pressed Lin Yuan onto the carpet. His inky air spread across them like a fan, and his face was covered in shadows. 

Lin Yuan silently looked at Jiang Qian above him and placed his hand over the other’s cheek and passed his warmth over. 

Jiang Qian’s eyes reddened and the tears in his eyes could no longer be hidden. He clenched his teeth and restrained the grievance and hatred in his heart. 

After a long time, he buried his face into Lin Yuan’s neck and his broken voice rang out.

“You…… Why…… Why don’t you ask me…… ask me what I’m doing outside?”

Lin Yuan combed through Jiang Qian’s hair and said gently: “Because, you don’t want me to know, so I won’t ask.”

Jiang Qian hugged Lin Yuan tightly and his voice was hoarse as if he was already crying: “I… these years…… I killed a lot of people……”

Although he originally didn’t want his little prince to know about these things, today, he didn’t know what to do anymore. 

This kind of Daliang, this kind of emperor, and all of those selfish interests, he hated it all. He wanted the entire Daliang to fall to the ground and break apart. 

But……

But his Lin Yuan, his beloved, lived on this land. He couldn’t destroy his little prince’s stable life and leave him alone. 

What should he do?

   【Di! Please pay attention, host, the villain’s blackening value has risen to 60%.】

   【Di! Please pay attention, host, the villain’s blackening value has risen to 60%.】

521: “......”

So these past few years were for nothing huh?