Chapter 11

Grand Tutor Wei was also watching the young emperor, who had just stepped out of the palace.

When he entered the courtyard earlier and saw the fearful expressions of the gathered servants, he immediately knew they had misunderstood something.

He was too lazy to explain but thought it might be amusing to see the young emperor’s face turn pale with fright.

However, when the child finally emerged, he realized that the overwhelming fear in the courtyard only served to highlight the solitary pride standing upon the steps.

He had long grown accustomed to seeing this little dragon spitting pearls and thought nothing of it.

But under the moonlight, looking down from his horse, that delicate and sharp face, glowing white like fine jade, truly seemed as if the bright moon had descended into the mortal realm.

Dressed in casual imperial yellow, with a slender waist bound by a belt, his refined brows and eyes were calm, as cold and serene as the moonlight itself.

Neither humble nor overbearing, he simply gazed at him in silence…

Grand Tutor Wei, slightly intoxicated, narrowed his eyes and suddenly thought—he does have a certain charm.

“Is Your Majesty waiting for this humble subject to dine with you?” Wei Lenghou finally spoke, his deep voice breaking the dead silence in the courtyard.

Nie Qinglin smiled faintly and replied, “I ate quite well at noon and haven’t moved much since, so I’m not hungry. If the Grand Tutor is occupied with official matters, there is no need to trouble yourself by dining with me.”

Listening to that soft, glutinous voice, Wei Lenghou slightly tugged on the reins, urging his steed forward with a rhythmic “clip-clop” up the steps.

When he reached the young emperor’s side, he suddenly bent down, stretched out his hand, and effortlessly pulled Nie Qinglin onto his horse.

Caught off guard, Nie Qinglin pursed her lips and hurriedly grasped Wei Lenghou’s arm to steady herself.

Then, she heard the deep, magnetic voice of the man above her: “Since this lord has made Your Majesty keep the food down, I might as well take you for a proper stroll to help with digestion!”

With that, he slung the young emperor across his lap, yanked the reins, and galloped off.

The surrounding military officers burst into laughter as they watched Grand Tutor Wei hoist up the scrawny little emperor and carry him away like a bundle of firewood.

They promptly followed their lord’s horse, dashing out together.

Meanwhile, the palace attendants stood there, stunned, as they watched the esteemed Grand Tutor abduct the emperor as if he were some bandit chief plundering a village.

By the time An Qiao’er finally reacted, she rushed out and cried in vain, “Your Majesty!”

But the cavalcade that had barged into the depths of the palace under the cover of night had already galloped past the Meridian Gate, laughter echoing into the distance…

Nie Qinglin was utterly terrified by the drunken Grand Tutor.

Never in a million years had she expected this powerful minister to charge into the palace on horseback in the middle of the night and drag her out to roam the capital.

She was only wearing a thin cotton-padded robe, and the winter night wind was brutally cold.

Although the Grand Preceptor eventually pulled her into his embrace, shielding her with his cloak, the frigid air still seeped through, chilling her limbs to the bone.

Fortunately, Wei Lenghou hadn’t completely lost his senses in his drunken state.

Realizing that the young emperor was trembling, he pulled the thick mink-fur cloak tightly around her, wrapping the little dragon pearl snugly within its warmth.

Nie Qinglin felt the warmth radiating from the broad chest behind her, and soon, her frozen limbs began to thaw.

However, the rich, masculine scent mixed with the strong aroma of alcohol filled her nose and mouth, making her cheeks burn bright red.

With the jostling of the horse’s gait, she had no choice but to lean against the Grand Tutor’s firm chest, trying to bury her small face into the thick mink fur for refuge.

After their wild escapade through the palace, the group found running through the capital still insufficiently exhilarating.

In the end, they even ordered the city gates opened and galloped all the way to Swallow Lake in the outskirts.

Most of the Grand Tutor’s men were northern warriors accustomed to snowy terrain, unfazed by the cold.

Having worked up a sweat from the ride, they summoned dozens of guards to break through a patch of thick ice on the lake’s surface.

Then, to Nie Qinglin’s utter shock, these high-ranking military officials—renowned figures in court—began stripping off their robes and plunging, bare-chested, into the icy waters with loud splashes.

Nie Qinglin was dumbfounded.

If she hadn’t known that these men all had bright political futures ahead of them, she would have thought they were staging a collective suicide!

Grand Tutor Wei sat atop his horse, laughing heartily as he watched his subordinates revel in their drunken madness.

Then, he lowered his gaze to the young emperor, who was half-gaping in astonishment, his wide eyes fixed on the scene before him.

Children should have a bit of naivety, a bit of frivolity.

Why always put on that composed, unshakable demeanor?

But the young emperor was indeed stunned, his eyes widened to the extreme, staring unblinkingly at the burly, broad-chested men in the lake—many of whom even had thick chest hair!

Grand Tutor Wei suddenly recalled the emperor’s… “hidden ailment.”

His subordinates were too careless. They didn’t even realize they were being ogled.

His expression darkened as he abruptly turned the young emperor’s face away, pinching her cheeks as he asked in a sinister tone, “Is it that good to look at? Why aren’t you even blinking?”

Logically, Nie Qinglin should have seized the opportunity to flatter him with something like, “Absolutely! Strong generals have no weak soldiers!”

But her face was frozen stiff, and even her tongue wasn’t cooperating.

The warmth of the Grand Tutor’s large, heated palm was surprisingly comfortable, and before she knew it, her chilled cheeks were unconsciously rubbing against it.

Wei Lenghou felt a soft, smooth sensation spreading across his palm.

Though he had gripped this brat’s chin before, he had never realized that the young emperor’s skin was this delicate… For a moment, he didn’t let go.

Instead, both his large hands landed on those tender cheeks.

While the tension had eased somewhat, Nie Qinglin suddenly felt that her current situation with the Grand Tutor was rather inappropriate.

Her mother had lost favor early, and she had never been doted on by the emperor.

The only times she saw her father were from afar during annual palace banquets.

She had no real understanding of what paternal affection should be like.

But to be held this intimately by a man who had her life in his hands—this was a level of favor she wasn’t sure she could handle!

She immediately tried to wriggle free.

“Grand Tutor, I am not that cold anymore. Please, let go.”

But those iron-like hands refused to budge.

Her feeble struggle only made the situation more awkward.

Wei Lenghou’s eyes gleamed with an unreadable emotion.

Suddenly, he flipped off his horse, cradled the young emperor in his arms, and strode toward the dense forest by the lakeshore.

His towering figure blocked the view of the guards behind them as he pressed the young emperor against a thick tree trunk and slowly lowered his head…

As the Grand Tutor’s handsome face drew closer, his eyes glinting like a beast’s, his warm breath ghosting over her lips, Nie Qinglin’s heart pounded with alarm—this man was seriously drunk!

She abruptly turned her head aside and cried out, “Grand Tutor, you’re drunk!”

Wei Lenghou’s thin lips nearly brushed against her cheek when that soft, glutinous voice suddenly shouted at him, jolting him awake.

A cold shiver ran through him—what kind of absurd thing was he about to do?

Sobering up at once, he swung his arm and flung the young emperor into the snow.

Nie Qinglin finally realized how frighteningly strong the Grand Tutor was—she hit the ground hard, her elbows and knees throbbing with pain.

She struggled to prop herself up and turned back to look at the Grand Tutor, realizing that his drunkenness had sobered up.

Apart from the shock at his own absurd behavior, his face was filled with an uncontrollable murderous aura.

Molesting the Emperor while drunk—now that was truly something disgraceful!

For the Grand Tutor, defying the sovereign was nothing out of the ordinary.

But for such a heroic and valiant man like him to take advantage of the Emperor, who was also a man—this was a stain on his life that could never be washed away!

Nie Qinglin knew that if she didn’t do something soon, there was a real chance the Grand Tutor, in a rush of hot-blooded impulse, would silence her for good!

So, she sat up, forced down the panic in her heart, and spoke with a hint of grievance, “The Grand Tutor said he would take me for a walk to aid digestion, but now I’m just hungry. You should sober up and take me to get something to eat!”

Yet despite this opportunity to back down, the Grand Tutor refused to take it.

He continued to glare at her murderously, showing no intention of relenting.

Left with no choice, Nie Qinglin had to retreat on her own.

She struggled to get up and hurriedly made her way out of the forest.

Though she had been a neglected prince in the deep palace, she had still been raised according to imperial protocol, pampered and sheltered.

When had she ever suffered like this? The fall just now had hurt too much.

On top of that, her stomach illness had flared up earlier in the day, and then she had been jolted about on horseback.

Now, she had no strength left at all and simply couldn’t get up.

Just as she was starting to panic, she suddenly felt her body lighten—someone had lifted him into the air.

Nie Qinglin immediately assumed the Grand Tutor was going to take advantage of the dark forest to throw her to her death.

In a flash, she clung tightly to Grand Tutor Wei’s neck, eyes wide as she stared at him.

However, what was on the Grand Tutor’s mind was entirely different from what the young Emperor imagined.

Just now, watching the boy struggle like a little cat, twisting about in the snow but unable to get up, had been such a ridiculous sight that it eased some of his own tension.

So, he had simply walked over and picked him up.

He had expected the boy to be resentful after being thrown to the ground like that, to resist him out of spite.

Yet, the moment he lifted him, the little dragon pearl latched onto him with no hesitation, wrapping his arms around his neck in an unexpectedly intimate gesture.

Such closeness was just like a child clinging to an adult in grievance after being scolded.

A heart of iron softened at that moment.

The Grand Tutor’s tone eased as he said, “It’s already too late at night. Knocking on the palace gates at this hour wouldn’t be ideal. Why don’t Your Majesty come to my residence for a meal and rest for the night? Tomorrow morning, we shall go to court together.”

As long as she didn’t end up dead in the forest, Nie Qinglin didn’t care how the Grand Preceptor arranged things.

She hurriedly nodded.

Carrying her, Grand Tutor Wei swung himself onto his horse, not bothering to wait for the subordinates still floundering in the icy lake.

He rode straight back to his residence with his personal guards.

Upon arrival, the Grand Tutor instructed his steward, Liu, “If Lu Wenba and the others manage to crawl back here later, tell them I’ve retired for the night. See that they’re settled with food and rest. Also, have the kitchen prepare some easily digestible dishes and send them to my chambers.”

With that, he carried Nie Qinglin into his bedchamber.

Steward Liu took one look at the delicate child in his master’s arms, immediately catching sight of the bright yellow robes that signified imperial status.

Without hesitation, he lowered his head, pretending to have seen nothing, and quietly acknowledged the order.

Once inside, the Grand Tutor placed the young Emperor onto his own bed and asked, “Would Your Majesty be willing to wear one of my casual robes?”

The clothes Nie Qinglin was wearing had been soaked through in the snow.

If she didn’t change soon, she would catch a cold.

Her heart sank.

Agreeing to spend the night at the Grand Tutor’s residence had clearly been a mistake.

But then again, what choice did she have? Did she really expect this man to heed the words of a puppet emperor like her?

Hesitating, she said, “It’s already quite late. The Grand Tutor may arrange a guest room for me. I will change on my own and dine later—I wouldn’t want to disturb your rest.”

Though the absurd events in the forest had been unexpected, the Grand Tutor was still displeased by how the young Emperor had avoided him.

He thought to himself: This brat has the audacity to ogle me all the time, feasting on me with his eyes.

But now that it comes to the real thing, he suddenly gets all shy?

Then again, considering his young age, it was normal to be bashful at the crucial moment.

It was probably a good thing he hesitated—if the boy had actually followed through, the Grand Tutor might have truly kissed him in that drunken state. And once sober, the thought of kissing a man would have been unbearable, possibly leading to silencing him for good.

At this critical time of purging the feudal lords, establishing a new emperor would have been far too troublesome.

But now, hearing that the young Emperor wanted to sleep separately, for some reason, the Grand Tutor felt oddly displeased.

It was as if he had gone out of his way to be generous, offering a rare favor, only to have it rudely tossed back in his face.

His expression darkened.

“Has Your Majesty not shared a bed with me before? Or do you find my sleeping habits unbearable?”

Nie Qinglin quickly denied it.

“How could that be? It’s just that my own sleeping posture is poor—I wouldn’t want to disturb the Grand Tutor’s rest.”