Xiao Heng let go of him.

As soon as he released his grip, Duan Yunfeng perked up again, acting all mysterious. “You don’t believe it, huh? Taizong might have had some issues too…”

Xiao Heng: “………”

He was curious about what kind of problems he might have.

“Really…” Duan Yunfeng squinted and waved him over. “Come closer, and I’ll tell you.”

Xiao Heng furrowed his brows. His instinct told him not to listen to a drunken fool.

But out of curiosity, he leaned in closer.

Duan Yunfeng’s hot breath brushed against his neck. “Someone said… Emperor Taizong might have had a thing for dragon-yang^[1] “dragon yang fetish” (龙阳癖, lóng yáng pǐ) refers to male homosexuality….”

Xiao Heng: “???????”

A vein popped on his forehead.

Who?

Who dared to spread such ridiculous rumors?

How could he possibly have a dragon-yang fetish?

Nonsense!

Duan Yunfeng continued, “Otherwise, how do you explain that he never took a wife or concubines, didn’t even get close to women, had no son, and eventually passed the throne to his brother, Prince Jin?”

Xiao Heng took a deep breath, his expression darkening. He decided not to pay attention to the drunken fool and his hearsay.

He hadn’t realized that the political decision he had carefully considered years ago would later be twisted into a scandalous rumor.

When Xiao Heng was eleven years old, he was made crown prince in front of the court officials, even though he was the fourth son of the Empress, with three older brothers ahead of him.

At first, the throne had nothing to do with him.

Even when historians recorded that period, they always emphasized his achievements in uniting the kingdom and downplayed the succession crisis that nearly tore the country apart—an event instigated by his father, Emperor Yan Taizong.

From the moment Xiao Heng could remember, he knew his eldest brother was the emperor’s favorite, the one who received the most attention and affection. At just five years old, he had already been formally declared crown prince.

Xiao Heng could feel the emperor’s special affection for his elder brother, and it was different from how he treated the other princes. The emperor’s hopeful gaze was always fixed on him. If the crown prince was a precious gem carefully shaped by the emperor, the other princes were nothing more than leftover scraps.

But as the crown prince grew older, father and son eventually found themselves on opposite sides of the power struggle.

In this contest for power, the once favored crown prince ended up being ordered to commit suicide in the Eastern Palace, and countless members of the Crown Prince’s faction were executed.

Afterward, the emperor’s temperament changed drastically, growing suspicious of both court officials and his sons. Any sign of rebellion led to purges within his faction.

The following year, Xiao Heng’s second brother, in a state of constant anxiety, initiated a rebellion. Three months later, it was suppressed. His second brother was executed, and nearly all the male heirs of his line were slaughtered, with their women exiled.

That same year, his third brother died suddenly from illness.

Finally, after exhausting himself in this power struggle, the aging emperor was persuaded by his ministers to make the eleven-year-old Xiao Heng the new crown prince.

At thirteen, Xiao Heng ascended the throne, inheriting a country where power was held by the maternal family, rebellions were rampant, the northern frontier was under threat by barbarians, and the south was divided into warring factions.

That year, his brother, Prince Jin, was just under two years old.

Xiao Heng, quietly biding his time under the control of the Duke of the State, spent the next four years hiding his ambitions.

During this time, the Duke of the State constantly advised him to marry a daughter of his own family.

But Xiao Heng was well aware that once he took a wife and had a son, the Duke would immediately remove him, replacing him with a new emperor. So, he repeatedly rejected the idea of marriage, citing his youth and need to mourn as reasons.

When he was seventeen, the Duke of the State, now over sixty, could no longer hold back. During a banquet, the Duke attempted to poison him with wine and crown the six-year-old Prince Jin as emperor. However, Xiao Heng had already set a trap and had assassins waiting in his palace, who killed the Duke before his plan could succeed.

Afterward, the forces Xiao Heng had carefully cultivated over the past four years emerged, and he swiftly allied with frontier generals to eliminate the Duke’s family and the power of the maternal relatives, reclaiming his authority.

At eighteen, after suppressing the internal chaos of the court, Xiao Heng led an army to the front. First, he quelled a rebellion in the north, then crossed the Huai River, defeating the Southern Liang, which had remained divided for over a century. Through countless battles, he brought an end to nearly two hundred years of turmoil.

By the age of twenty-five, with the threat of the northern nomadic forces eradicated and the country unified, ministers again urged him to marry and establish a consort.

That year, his younger brother, Prince Jin, was fourteen.

To everyone’s surprise, Xiao Heng decisively named Prince Jin, whom he had almost raised himself, as the heir apparent, silencing any further proposals from his ministers.

There are many speculations about the reasons behind this decision in later years.

But for Xiao Heng, it was simple: no matter how you looked at it, Prince Jin was the best choice for the throne. He didn’t need blood relatives or heirs. The royal family, driven by power, was heartless. Throughout history, fathers and sons, brothers, and even husbands and wives had killed each other over the throne. Xiao Heng had no illusions about family ties.

History proved his decision was correct. After passing the throne to Prince Jin, there was no further unrest in the court. The Great Yan Dynasty lasted nearly two hundred more years, experiencing several prosperous periods, although there were some foolish emperors in the later years.

So who was the fool who spread the rumor that he had a dragon-yang fetish?

Xiao Heng’s face darkened. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Just then, he heard steady, even breathing. Duan Yunfeng, his half-face buried in the bedding, had already fallen asleep.

“…”

Xiao Heng suddenly felt like laughing.

What was he doing, competing with a drunk?

He got up from the bed and sat in front of the dressing mirror. He removed the phoenix crown and hairpins from his head and, considering his current financial situation, he carefully placed them into the jewelry box.

After washing up, Duan Yunfeng was already in a deep sleep, completely unaware of his surroundings. His body was slanted, almost taking up the entire bed.

Xiao Heng stood silently by the bed for a moment, then reluctantly laid down on the outermost side.

Just as he closed his eyes, he felt a warm presence press against his neck.

Xiao Heng frowned and opened his eyes. He saw Duan Yunfeng had turned over and was hugging his arm, resting his head on his shoulder.

“Princess…” The latter mumbled incoherently, “Hmm, you smell…”

Xiao Heng instinctively clenched his fist, his face darkening.

Duan Yunfeng: “So fragrant—”

Xiao Heng: “………..”

Once he restored his country, he would make this person work as a stable boy, cleaning the stables.

Yes.

Day in and day out, making him do the hardest work.

…

The next day, Duan Yunfeng woke up with a splitting headache from his hangover. He couldn’t remember much about the events of the previous night, only that it had all blurred after he had hosted the guests. He rubbed his forehead, blinking in disbelief…

This couldn’t be true, could it?

His memories of the wedding night… just! Disappeared! Like! That!

When he came to terms with this cruel fact and raised his eyes, Xiao Heng was already fully dressed, standing by the door.

Today, he wore a white robe with wide embroidered cuffs, the front decorated with blue cloud patterns, and a black-gold leather belt with jade pendants. A veil obscured his face, only revealing half of his high nose bridge. In the dappled light, he exuded an indescribable noble air.

Duan Yunfeng felt dazed, like he was not sleeping in a general’s manor, but in a royal palace.

Xiao Heng seemed to notice his gaze and, without showing any sign of embarrassment, turned his head to meet Duan Yunfeng’s eyes from a higher vantage point.

It wasn’t until Duan Yunfeng licked his dry, burning lips that he realized his ears were probably as red as fire. He quickly turned his head, suddenly getting up and sitting on the edge of the bed, hastily looking for his shoes.

It must have been from the drinking! It was all that group of people who kept urging him to drink!

Before he could put on his outer robe, Xiao Heng had already pushed open the door and left.

When Duan Yunfeng finished washing up and changing, he went to the front hall. Xiao Heng was already sitting at the table, and a few servants were setting up the dishes, seemingly waiting for him to join for breakfast.

He sat at the table, and Li Jinxi immediately gestured for one of the attendants to serve him a bowl of porridge. “General, we added honey to this. It’s to warm the stomach and sober up.”

Duan Yunfeng picked up the bowl and drank it all in one go.

He put the bowl down and saw Xiao Heng across from him, holding long chopsticks and leisurely picking at the vegetables in his bowl. Every time he took a bite, he paused for a moment before continuing, his actions so dignified it was as though he were inspecting the imperial banquet.

Duan Yunfeng recalled the time when his parents had arranged a marriage for his eldest brother. Despite the Duan family’s military power and fame, their ancestors were from the northern nomadic tribes, and they had risen to prominence through military achievements on the vast seas. They had no connections with the aristocratic families. Many noble families had tried to flatter them, but deep down, they looked down on them. At that time, Duan Yunfeng was still young but already fed up with the endless formalities. He vowed never to marry into a noble family. Otherwise, with all their rules and manners, his rough, bandit-like behavior would scare them out of their wits.

The King of the North had laughed and scolded him, “You know you’re like a bandit.”

Duan Yunfeng had replied, “At least I’m better than you, Father. You could become a tribal chieftain.”

The King of the North had fallen silent again.

But now, Duan Yunfeng looked at Xiao Heng eating and found it immensely pleasing to the eye. He suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of joy in his heart. Thinking this, he picked up his chopsticks and added a lot of food to Xiao Heng’s bowl. “Eat more. I feel like you’ve lost weight these past few days.”

Xiao Heng: “………..”

Duan Yunfeng’s attendant, who had been serving him, froze for a moment.

His gaze instinctively flicked towards Xiao Heng. He thought to himself, This princess doesn’t look thin at all, and that figure might even be taller than the heir’s. Her face, well, it’s quite beautiful, but honestly, I don’t dare to look too closely. Just the princess’s presence is so cold, it feels like stepping into an ice cellar, with cold air pouring out. Only the heir dares to get close to her every day, and he smiles as if nothing’s worth the trouble.

After Duan Yunfeng finished choosing the vegetables, he smiled and said to Xiao Heng, “After breakfast, let’s go to the backyard. I want to show you something.”

He had a mysterious look on his face.

After breakfast, Duan Yunfeng led Xiao Heng to the horse-racing grounds in the backyard. His attendant brought a few horses out of the stable.

“These are gifts from my parents. They just arrived yesterday.” Duan Yunfeng stepped forward and took the reins from his attendant.

Xiao Heng raised his eyes and saw that the horses were all beautifully sleek, with long, strong limbs. The line from their hips to their tails was smooth, and their muscles were full and defined. They were clearly high-quality horses, the best of the best.

Duan Yunfeng said, “These horses were bred in Yunzhou to be war steeds, and my mother personally chose them!”

Yunzhou, the northernmost part of Hedong, borders the northern desert and has vast grasslands, making it ideal for grazing. As a result, it produces many fine horses, and most of Hedong’s warhorses come from Yunzhou.

It was also because Hedong produced many excellent horses that the King of the North’s northern cavalry had earned its formidable reputation.

Duan Yunfeng stroked the mane of one of the horses and smiled at Xiao Heng. “Which one do you like?”

Xiao Heng walked up to one of the white horses. He had once had a warhorse just like it—snow white with black hooves. It was beautiful and intelligent, and he had named it “Jade Kirin.” This horse had accompanied him through many battles, and it had been with him the longest. Unfortunately, during the campaign to reclaim Shu, it was struck by eight arrows and fell on the battlefield. Since then, Xiao Heng had not raised another white horse.

He stroked the mane of the horse and, holding the reins, swiftly mounted it. The horse raised its head, shook its ears, and began to trot.

“The princess really knows how to choose,” Duan Yunfeng thought as he watched Xiao Heng’s figure disappear into the distance. He thought the white horse suited Xiao Heng perfectly, the two of them matched so well—handsome horse, even more handsome rider.

“Yah—” Duan Yunfeng mounted his own horse and chased after Xiao Heng. He smiled and called out, “In the future, I’ll take you back to Hedong. The horses run freely there, much more so than here. If you want to go to the northern frontier, that’s fine too. The Turkic people have been scared by my father these past few years. They don’t dare cross the Yanmen Pass, and the northern grasslands are the best for horseback riding.”

Xiao Heng turned his head and met Duan Yunfeng’s gaze, where he saw Duan Yunfeng smiling at him, his dimples clearly visible.

Xiao Heng thought to himself, Although Duan Yunfeng has repeatedly been disrespectful to me, his personality isn’t unpleasant. Right now, I’m pretending to be a woman as a temporary measure. He mistakenly thinks I’m a princess, which has led to this misunderstanding.

In the future, if Duan Yunfeng can be useful to me, once the misunderstanding is cleared up and he has someone he truly likes, I can recognize her as my imperial sister, bring her into the Xiao family’s royal line, and title her princess. Then, following the ceremony for the grand princesses of the Great Yan, she can be married off. That would resolve this mess.