Your Highness, Please Love Me Tender

58. The Spy

Translator: Flying Lines

Finally, Su Jie did it on his own initiative under Xiao ShengNian’s insistence.

“Little slave, don’t betray me…”

Xiao ShengNian suffered a hangover the next day upon waking up, only a vague memory about what had happened the night before.

Seeing Su Jie by his side, he was rendered in a daze before he touched the boy and felt his smooth skin.

…hmmm…no clothes on. Naked.

Su Jie, being disturbed, tossed Xiao ShengNian a glance through his half-open eyes, turned over and went back to sleep.

Because of this movement, Xiao Shengnian found many hickeys on Su Jie’s neck.

‘I…did this?’

Xiao Shengnian reached out and touched the marks on Su Jie’s neck. He licked his lips and was about to wake up his little slave when there came untimely knock from the door.

“Are you up?” It was Zhou ZaiYue.

Xiao ShengNian felt a bit speechless. His master shifu was there again to stop his good moments. He put his clothes on and went to the door, saying in undertone, “Shifu, NianXuan is still sleeping.”

Zhou ZaiYue was rendered silent before he spoke under breath after quite a while, “Get out. Tai Chi time.”

“Yes, shifu.” Xiao ShengNian sounded a bit resigned but still walked out after a simple wash. He then joined Zhou ZaiYue in practicing Tai Chi and a walk around the place.

When Xiao ShengNian came back, Su Jie was sitting on bed, already awake. He was in pure white underwear and his jade like fair skin could be seen from the slightly open front. He yawned slothfully, his clear eyes getting watery and in between his brows were the leisure and tranquility of a good night.

“My little slave, did you have a good sleep?” asked Xiao ShengNian as he washed his hands.

Su Jie massaged his own neck as what had happed the night before came into his mind, answering, “Not bad. But it’d be much better if someone didn’t bite me.”

Probably to make himself more convincing, he rolled his sleeves up to show the teeth mark on his left arm with dried blood stains.

“I did it?” Xiao ShengNian asked in disbelief.

And he got a positive answer from Su Jie, “Yep.”

…

Xiao ShengNian found it hard to believe as he would’ve never done that with a sober mind. So he asked, “Why…did I bite you?”

“Probably too drunk.” Su Jie didn’t want to tell the truth. The night before, after they did it, Xiao ShengNian had took his arm and said in all seriousness, “My little slave, let me mark you.”

“Uh?” He felt a sharp pain from his arm before he could have the time to digest his words. Xiao ShengNian bit him.

Now being asked by Xiao ShengNian, Su Jie touched the mark, cracked a gentle smile and lied with a serious look, “Your Highness, you said you wanted to have some meat last night and bit me.”

Xiao ShengNian, after staring at the teeth mark for quite a while, was reduced to laughter, even his eyes were smiling heartily, and said, “That is understandable for a drunkard.”

“How many drinks did you have?” Su Jie asked, not believing the answer last night.

“Just one.” Xiao ShengNian dried his hand and cracked a smile, saying, “I never drink because I get drunk on even one drop of it.”

Su Jie, speechless, put on his red robe and said while smoothing out his clothes, “You behaved like a scoundrel when drunk.”

“Thanks for the compliment.” Xiao ShengNian smiled. Though he only had a vague memory of last night, he still remembered some special moments.

Xiao ShengNian never drank because he had quite a strange body that would get drunk on even one drop of alcohol. However, somehow he wanted to know what Su Jie would do if he got drunk. Therefore, for the first time of his life, he drank.

Su Jie still found it unbelievable. Xiao ShengNian was indeed a wimpy drinker.

Xiao ShengNian also felt a bit helpless about that, but there was nothing he could do about it.

“Are you going out?” asked Su Jie after getting washed when seeing Xiao ShengNian getting prepared.

“Yes, personal affair.” Xiao ShengNian walked out of the room, his back tall and straight, looking extremely noble in his navy-blue robe. Then he looked back, and his eyes met Su Jie’s. It was a pair of crystal-clear eyes glinting with light as clean as the morning dew, gentle, heart-warming and refreshing like spring breeze.

“Wait for me in the evening.”

“Um.”

 

After five or six days, news came from the general of State Xi, saying that the assistant minister had been escorted to City Hao from their capital and asking when it would be convenient for Xiao ShengNian to take him over.

As a prince, Xiao ShengNian didn’t bother to bring back a traitor in person. So this time he only sent Zhui Xing and Yu Che to do the job.

That assistant minister looked desperate, silent and deadpan all along, his eyes hollow without any spirit or focus, which gave the impression that he would take his own life at any time. So Yu Che and Zhui Xing took turns to keep close watch on him.

The assistant minister, named Sun Shu, had a square face that looked quite righteous. Even in his downcast, he had a special charm, and at first glance, he struck people as a trustworthy middle-aged man in his forties.

Su Shu didn’t even bother to raise his head before the prince as if he had accepted his fate.

Xiao ShengNian tossed him a bland glance, not giving a damn about a traitor.

Just then Zhou ZaiYue happened to walk out of his room and was surprised at the sight of Sun Shu.

Something glinting in his eyes, he spoke to Xiao ShengNian in his usual manner, “He is the assistant minister of Revenue? He doesn’t look like a spy.”

“Yeah, he’s been hiding too well. I heard he’s an orphan and had been at court for years. Nobody expected him to be a spy.” Xiao ShengNian replied in a bland tone of voice, a bit indifferent to the case.

Zhou ZaiYue didn’t show too much interest in this and averted his eyes, saying, “They say the peonies in City Yang are impressive. Let’s stop by on our way back.”

“Okay,” said Xiao ShengNian as he nodded his head, not suspecting anything.

No one noticed that Sun Shu’s originally hollow eyes lit up when Zhou ZaiYue spoke. His face still remained deadpan out of extreme weariness, but his eyes fixed on Zhou ZaiYue for a while before he lowered his head again and returned to his previous state.

It was already late at dusk, a time too late for a journey. So Xiao ShengNian ordered Yu Che to keep close watch on Sun Shu and decided to stay in City Hao for another night. They’d set out the first thing in the morning.

Just then, Su Jie came back with a kite, smiling in his gorgeous robe even redder and more brilliant than the setting sun. Seeing the stranger in the yard, he couldn’t help but ask, “Uh? Is this the one you’re taking back?”