Chapter 60

With a stiff expression, Chu Zhaoyou had spent a long time imitating the original owner’s demeanor. He rubbed his cheeks and felt an urgent need for a sip of water to quench his thirst.

Eunuch Xue hadn’t returned from fetching water, and the main door was left ajar. Chu Zhaoyou was about to close the door when he glanced in that direction and nearly stumbled to the ground.

Was the Regent outside? How much did he see?

Chu Zhaoyou turned pale, uncertain of Xiao Heng’s reaction.

He seemed very angry. Why was he so upset?

Xiao Heng strode in, calmly closed the door, and ordered the guards to clear the entire Funing Hall. Then he turned and walked toward Chu Zhaoyou.

He was going to lift him up, throw him onto the bed, and fiercely kiss him until he admitted his mistake!

Not enough—he would have to apologize while crying!

Beg for forgiveness!

Promise to listen to him in the future! Never dare to tell a lie again! Never dare to leave him!

Before his eyes, the light suddenly closed, and Chu Zhaoyou cried out as the Regent lifted him up, gently placed him on the bed, and, after making sure not to press on his stomach, he was bitten on the shoulder.

The force wasn’t as strong as when he usually pinched his cheeks.

Chu Zhaoyou was momentarily puzzled. Did the Regent like to make brands on his shoulder so often?

Xiao Heng, with a tight grip on his clothes, gritted his teeth, eyes narrowed. “Don’t mimic him! Not even a bit!”

“I didn’t—mmph.”

Perhaps having vented most of his anger on the clothes, Xiao Heng finally dared to cover Chu Zhaoyou’s mouth.

He wished to bite off a piece of Chu Zhaoyou to distinguish him from everyone else in the world. Yet, he was afraid of injuring Chu Zhaoyou, so he settled for biting the clothes to vent his frustration.

Chu Zhaoyou, looking at the close proximity of Xiao Heng, felt a little stunned. The Regent’s bite wasn’t severe, but his eyes were extremely sharp, exuding a mix of apprehension, anger, and urgency that Chu Zhaoyou couldn’t fully comprehend.

He blankly searched for various emotions in his eyes, attempting to match each one with a reason. But his mind stubbornly refused to think. The slower he was, the more he wanted to search. What did Xiao Heng really think of him?

Was his order not to mimic the young emperor because he only liked the current him?

Xiao Heng released Chu Zhaoyou for a moment, and with a menacing tone, said, “Take a breath.”

Chu Zhaoyou quickly took a breath upon hearing this, then was kissed again.

After a brief pause to observe Chu Zhaoyou, Xiao Heng resumed kissing, busier than if he were performing CPR.

His pregnant and absent-minded wife seemed to be rendered silly by the kisses.

Finally feeling satisfied with the kisses, the Regent pinched Chu Zhaoyou’s chin, staring earnestly into his eyes. “I’m possessive. I don’t want to share my affection with anyone else. It’s all for you. You mustn’t share it with others.”

After making this domineering declaration, the Regent held Chu Zhaoyou tightly.

Chu Zhaoyou was deeply moved. His chin rested on Xiao Heng’s shoulder, tears uncontrollably streaming down his cheeks, but his voice remained steady and clear. “Did Feng Xingzhou talk to you about it?”

“Yes.”

Chu Zhaoyou slowly asked, “Aren’t you… afraid?”

“Afraid of what? How many people secretly call me Yama. You’re not afraid, and yet you yell at me every day,” Xiao Heng said with a shudder. “When I saw you imitating that person just now, that’s when I truly felt afraid—afraid you might suddenly disappear. Promise me, you won’t mimic him in the slightest. I can’t bear it.”

When he first saw those eight characters, Xiao Heng was far from as calm as he appeared when he later threatened Feng Xingzhou to keep quiet.

Ever since he realized that Chu Zhaoyou hadn’t become smarter due to the He Xin Gu but was undergoing such a drastic change in temperament, he had been pondering other reasonable explanations. Impersonation was impossible; there was no change in appearance from then until now. Eunuch Xue had served Chu Zhaoyou for over a decade without suspicion.

For so long, he had been plagued by doubts, to the extent that upon learning the real answer, he felt an overwhelming sense of relief and clarity.

He now knew whom he truly loved, and with this newfound clarity, his love deepened.

Chu Zhaoyou’s nose tingled. “Good.”

They say survival needs come before emotional needs. He dared to revolve around the Regent, unafraid of death, and even voluntarily abandoned the He Xin Gu, causing one to become smarter. At this point, it was expected.

However, he never expected that after Xiao Heng knew, his first action wasn’t to delve into the matter, but to dominantly pledge that he only loved him and forbade him from giving himself to others.

No one would willingly share their love with others, but he had to bind himself to the young emperor for the sake of maintaining appearances, despite feeling aggrieved. Clearly, they were entirely different people, with divergent interests, despite their identical appearance and name.

He said that he would consider their relationship once the Regent Prince’s memory was restored, but he also harbored such hidden concerns.

He wanted Xiao Heng to see the real him during those three days— not an emperor, just an ordinary commoner, without any pretense. He spoke his mind, threw fits over a chicken, and repeatedly had Xiao Hei snatch the chicken back. When it came to treatment, he haggled, procrastinated, and bossed around, lacking patience…

But his genuine care for Xiao Hei was real; he never expected anything in return. Their friendship led him to climb mountains and cross rivers while riding on Xiao Hei’s back.

Xiao Heng shattered all his unspoken grievances, allowing him to see his purest thoughts. To be liked for just being “me” was the best feeling.

Tears surged suddenly, silently streaming down Chu Zhaoyou’s cheeks onto the Regent’s shoulder, barely dampening the black fabric.

Chu Zhaoyou was adept at holding back his sobs, not making a sound even when crying so hard. Only a fool like the Regent would repeatedly remind him to breathe during their kisses.

Every move was filled with meticulous affection.

By his words and deeds, the Regent barely passed, but with Xiao Heng, he would score full marks.

“You deceived me twice,” the Regent said. “The first time, you claimed it was about some girl, and the second time, you tried to pass it off to the young emperor.”

“You even tried to scare me by pretending to be the young emperor!” Xiao Heng said, a little annoyed. “You have to admit your mistake. I’m going to punish you.”

Twice, this could just balance out the two years of not being allowed in bed. The Regent was just not one to pursue.

Chu Zhaoyou panicked, thinking Xiao Heng was very disappointed in him. “I didn’t! I didn’t…”

As he spoke, the sob he had been holding back surged out instantly, exacerbated by his urgency, making his voice even hoarser and lower, as if he had been crying for a long time.

Xiao Heng was immediately flustered. How did he make Chu Zhaoyou cry!

The hand that had been embracing Chu Zhaoyou’s waist was retracted, and he grasped his shoulder to lift him up. He felt a sudden chill on his shoulder. Without Chu Zhaoyou’s chin resting there, a cold breeze seeped through, instantly cooling the damp fabric.

Xiao Heng’s heart tightened, and he hurried to look at Chu Zhaoyou’s face.

He had become a tearful mess!

The Regent, at a loss, used the back of his hand to wipe away the tears. After a while, he found that there were too many tears to wipe away, so he used his sleeve. The embroidery on his cuff felt rough, and Xiao Heng felt terrible after wiping Chu Zhaoyou’s tear-streaked face, realizing that his eyes had become even redder. He quickly grabbed a nearby blanket and wiped Chu Zhaoyou’s entire face.

The Regent felt both distressed and flustered, wishing he could punch himself. How could he not have noticed that Chu Zhaoyou was crying on his shoulder!

While carefully cradling Chu Zhaoyou’s face, he kissed the tears at the corners of his eyes, regretfully pleading for forgiveness. “I was wrong. Punish me if you want, you did nothing wrong. Please don’t cry.”

Chu Zhaoyou hiccupped, wiping his face haphazardly in Xiao Heng’s comforting embrace. “Hic, I… didn’t cry.”

He didn’t want to cry. His tears wouldn’t listen to him, even though he had been holding them back so well at first.

“And you say you didn’t cry…” Xiao Heng’s heart ached. “What am I to do if you really cry?”

He pressed Chu Zhaoyou against his chest, supporting his back. “Can I kneel down for you?”

“No.” Chu Zhaoyou gradually stopped his tears, taking a few deep breaths.

Xiao Heng breathed a sigh of relief, seizing the opportunity to divert Chu Zhaoyou’s attention. “What did you used to be called?”

“Still the same name,” Chu Zhaoyou murmured softly. “I look the same, so that’s probably why I came. I don’t know where the original emperor went. He might be dead, or maybe we switched bodies.”

Xiao Heng thought it was fine. He didn’t need to be curious about what the real Chu Zhaoyou looked like. He could continue to call him Zhaozhao.

Crawling in the Regent’s embrace, Chu Zhaoyou leveled his gaze with his, his eyes swollen like peaches. “I didn’t mean to pretend to be someone else. I’m not afraid to tell you. I’m just scared that if someone wants to drive me away, they’ll hang me as a monster and burn me at the stake. If I pretend to be the original emperor, I might escape unharmed.”

Xiao Heng pressed his hand against Chu Zhaoyou’s forehead. “As long as I’m here, that will never happen.”

Chu Zhaoyou sniffled. “I believe you.”

Xiao Heng’s heart softened completely. How could his Zhaozhao be so vulnerable? He wanted to kiss him.

While Chu Zhaoyou was distracted, Xiao Heng took the opportunity to gently rub his belly a few more times, ensuring the little one was doing well. Don’t get all worked up just because your father cried.

“What did you used to do?” Xiao Heng suddenly asked, curious.

Chu Zhaoyou fell silent for a moment. “A national treasure-level intangible cultural heritage artist.”

Wherever he went, he was a national treasure, held in the Regent’s hands.

The Regent was reluctant to admit his ignorance, but he genuinely couldn’t understand.

“Be more specific,” he urged.

“I’m an opera singer,” Chu Zhaoyou said, then clamped his hand over the Regent’s mouth. How dare he make any more remarks about professional discrimination?

The Regent moved his hand, quickly asking, “Doesn’t that mean many people have heard you sing?”

Why hadn’t he heard?

Though he didn’t want to hear.

But why had so many people heard?

Chu Zhaoyou counted on his fingers. “Hundreds of performances, tens of thousands of people have heard me sing with their own ears.”

Xiao Heng was almost breathless. “Have you ever met Deng Tuzi?”

He was almost uncontrollably angry, as if he could conjure up those Deng Tuzi lingering beneath the stage and wished to gouge out their eyes one by one.

“No,” Chu Zhaoyou explained to the Regent the performance style from their region. “Can you… not look down on me?”

Xiao Heng: “It’s not looking down on you, but some unpleasant things happened in the past. Give me some time, and I’ll try to like it.”

Chu Zhaoyou glanced at the Regent for a moment, knowing he didn’t want to discuss what the unpleasant things were, so he didn’t ask. It’s normal to have personal likes and dislikes when one has climbed to such a position.

Bringing up past matters, Chu Zhaoyou said, “When you were being foolish, I said I’d support you by singing opera, but you refused.”

Xiao Heng: “Of course, I wouldn’t allow it.”

Being an emperor was still the best—no one dared to meet his gaze directly.

Suddenly changing the subject, Xiao Heng said, “You said you’d support me. Do you… like me?”

Chu Zhaoyou blushed.

Asking a question one already knows the answer to is a day’s worth of affection.

“Not speaking is as good as admitting it,” Xiao Heng declared. “Starting today, I’m going to stay in the Funing Hall.”

Speaking of which, Chu Zhaoyou looked at him with a complex expression. “I didn’t allow you to make a deal with Feng Xingzhou. Otherwise, you’d have to wait at least two or three hours before we could share a bed.”

Who would have thought that in broad daylight, he would still be rehearsing, and the Regent would be swiftly persuaded by Feng Xingzhou.

Xiao Heng quickly shifted the blame: “He used you to threaten me.”

Chu Zhaoyou: “You two aren’t close. Just avoid seeing him.”

Xiao Heng sneered, “It was our first meeting, and Feng Xingzhou dared to barge into my study without permission. He treats the diplomatic relations between our two countries as child’s play.”

Chu Zhaoyou, feeling suspicious, took a roundabout route. “In the future, don’t say that he was bald five years ago. He’s a visitor from afar. You shouldn’t believe hearsay just because he looks good.”

It’s annoying every time I see him; I can’t help but imagine him as a monk.

“I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” the Regent insisted, striving to make his words more convincing. If someone is not good-looking, no one is more extraordinary than I am.

Chu Zhaoyou: “Oh.” There goes your royal bed.

Suddenly, he thought of something and touched the Regent Prince’s token.

When the Regent Prince was busy, he would hand over the token to the guards. With it, they could move freely in the Hall and the Regent Prince’s study, without needing to report in advance, and report immediately if something happened.

Indeed, it was missing.

They had given him quite a lot at their first meeting. He had only picked up a half of a military seal that couldn’t be used immediately.

Rather than Feng Xingzhou threatening him, it was more like he had colluded to deceive the emotions of the emperors.