Translator: Vivi from dummytranslations
Editor: Mimishijie ❤
The Emperor is an incapable ruler(9):Zhen wants to talk with Minister Zhao through the night
Arc 3: Character list here

Two years later, Zhao Ze successfully calmed the Southwest and returned in triumph. Xiang Han personally waited to receive them outside the city gate.

With a suit of shiny armour, Zhao Ze led his horse to near the city gates unhurriedly. After two years of not seeing each other, his demeanor had gained firmness compared to before and he had also become much tanner but he was still as dashing as ever.

Passing through the city gates, he suddenly turned his head up and looked towards the familiar figure who had grown. A smile broke out on his face but his gaze was complicated.

Xiang Han stood atop the wall and coincidentally, he looked down. When their gazes collided, his heart inexplicably jumped.

Xiang Han was stunned, but then he thought, this is the route of a capable ruler. When seeing a beloved subject return triumphant, it’s normal to be excited.

It did not take long for him to go down and receive Zhao Ze’s kneel. Then, dragging him over to join the Emperor’s chariot, the two returned to the palace.

The ministers who saw this scene could not help but be shocked.

Minister Zhao had stabilised the Southwest, earning great credit and he wielded the Army in his command. He could easily arouse the Emperor’s suspicions and likely having considered this matter, Minister Zhao had completely given up this power half a month ago, choosing to retire back home.

But the Emperor’s actions from earlier could be considered to have given Minister Zhao a lot of face. They just didn’t know...if he was in for a beating or an execution.

The remaining retinues quietly discussed among themselves, yet did not know that in the carriage, it was Zhao Ze who was gripping the Little Emperor’s hands instead. His burning gaze stared straight through the other person, wishing he could pull the latter into his arms.

After leaving Chang’ An, the most unbearable thing was being unable to see the Little Emperor. The people in the North were much more open and over the years, he has had many brothers and gradually understood his feelings for the Little Emperor. At this moment, staring at the person who had been on his mind for countless days and nights, how could he not be excited?

The hand being gripped was in pain, causing Xiang Han to struggle for awhile but failing to break free. He only felt that Zhao Ze’s palm was growing hotter and could not hold back his surprise as he asked, “Minister Zhao?”

Hearing the familiar call, Zhao Ze finally regained his senses. His gripped grew even tighter but his voice was filled with immense gentleness, “Here.”

Xiang Han shivered and carefully lifted his dragon claws, awkwardly saying, “Minister Zhao, Zhen’s hands are about to break.”

In a split second, Zhao Ze seemed to have been electrocuted and he abruptly released his hand. His eyes flashed with pain as he finally remembered his own identity and the difference between a Monarch and his retinue.[1]

From the moment he realised his feelings for the Little Emperor, the matter of their identities had been like a pair of shackles, forbidding  him from even thinking of overstepping the boundaries. The words he said to the Little Emperor before was now like a big slap to his face, full of mockery.

He taught the Little Emperor to not be gay, to not favor those glib-tongued servants. But in the end, he had fallen for the Little Emperor.

The warmth in Zhao Ze’s eyes abruptly cooled and he calmed down, even seamlessly putting a distance between himself and the Little Emperor.

Xiang Han was filled with doubts but he did not think too much.

After returning to the palace, Xiang Han first bestowed rewards upon the victorious army and then announced that he would be organising a feast for them all.

Under the tutelage of Teacher Zhao, Xiang Han was now familiar with matters of the court. According to the intel from Wang Jun, he had used the excuse of his defeat to arrange for most of the leaders in the Northwest Army under Prince Liang to be changed. In addition, Teacher Zhao had handed over his authority in a timely manner, allowing Xiang Han to wield immense power.

Within this time period, the {Dictionary} was also completed. Teacher Zhao spared no effort to announce that it was the product of His Majesty’s care for scholars and two years ago, he had also successfully improved the irrigation system with the system’s help, bringing immense benefits to farmers.

Therefore, no matter if they were scholars or civilians, they both supported Xiang Han. Prince Liang had been hiding in the dark and biding his time in the two years. Not only was he unable to lead Xiang Han onto the path of an incapable ruler, he even had to watch helplessly as his fame grew far and wide.

The feast only began at night and thus, Zhao Ze used the spare time he had before that to return to home. He quickly learnt of many things Xiang Han had done in the last two years.

After hearing the report from his confidant, he was filled with sorrow and disappointment. His Little Emperor had grown up, he no longer needed him at every turn.

The only thing comforting was that the Little Emperor had yet to select a suitable wife during this period of time and there had yet to be a male concubine by his side.

At night, he returned to the banquet and after seeing so many charming dancers, he harshly downed a cup of wine, thinking bitterly, why has the Emperor not kept anyone by his side all these years? Was there no one that he liked, or is he still pining after Luo Bai?

Xiang Han saw Zhao Ze staring at the dancing women and silently pursed his lips, secretly spitting in his heart, he was only gone for two and a half years and now looking at women can even make his eyes go wide. How uncultured.

He too, downed a cup of wine gloomily. Lifting his head, he saw the other person still watching and could not help grinding his teeth. He never thought that the Zhao Ze of this world would be such a philander. Thankfully, he had chosen to walk this path of an Emperor and his minister.

However, something that deserved celebration somehow made Xiang Han’s heart restless instead.

He must have drunk too much and secretly wondered if he had somehow mixed up his heart and his stomach.

Thinking of this, he drank a few more cups until his stomach felt like it was burning. Then, he narrowed his eyes in Zhao Ze’s direction.

Coincidentally, Zhao Ze had also turned to look at him and the two people were stunned. Xiang Han was the first one to move, his voice filled with a hint of intoxication, “Minister Zhao, c-come with me. Zhen is curious about…some matters in the Southwest. Tell Zhen about it.”

Zhao Ze could tell that he was drunk. By right, he should have called for servants to help the Emperor back to his chambers but at this moment, the Little Emperor was drunk and dizzy to the point where two red blush had filled his cheeks. His gaze was scattered, just like how a young bride would look at her husband, leaving him completely stumped for words.

Approaching the Little Emperor, he bowed and spoke beside his ears, “Your Majesty is drunk. This Minister will accompany you back to rest, alright?”

Xiang Han stared blankly into the pair of deep eyes and inexplicably nodded, “Okay. Minister Zhao, help Zhen back. Tonight, Zhen wants to have a long talk with you.”

Zhao Ze’s eyes momentarily darkened and helped the Little Emperor up with his own motives. Avoiding an eunuch's outstretched hand, he half-carried the other person and left.

After the Emperor left, the crowd gradually relaxed and the celebration grew more unrestrained.

As for Zhao Ze, after leaving the noisy crowd, he immediately took the Little Emperor in his arms with affectionate eyes, as if the person he was carrying was his own wife.

A servant following behind unknowingly raised their heads and saw this scene, his expression instantly filled with astonishment.

Zhao Ze glanced at him and sent a threatening gaze. He immediately lowered his head, as if to say he hadn’t seen anything.

Apart from dizziness at the start when he was swept into Zhao Ze’s arms, Xiang Han quickly grew accustomed to the bumpiness and gradually closed his eyes, falling into a slumber.

When they arrived at his palace chambers, Zhao Ze put him on the dragon bed as gently as possible, but Xiang Han was still woken up. He quickly sat up and stared blankly at his surroundings, as if not quite understanding how he had gotten here.

Watching his dazed expression, Zhao Ze’s heart was filled with joy and fondness.

He turned around and stared at the servants who had followed behind. He did not know why, but he bowed and told Xiang Han, “Your Majesty, didn’t you say that you wanted to have a long chat with this minister through the night? Why don’t you tell these idle people to leave us.”

Xiang Han finally collected his memories from earlier and quickly ordered, “That’s right. You are all dismissed.”

The servants looked at each other before cautiously retreating.

After giving this order, Xiang Han sat on the side of the dragon bed and his head drooped, falling back to sleep.

Zhao Ze turned around and saw this, feeling helpless yet affectionate. He ordered for the chamberlains to bring hot water and gently helped the Little Emperor wipe down his body.

In the middle of all this, Xiang Han woke up twice. But each time after seeing Zhao Ze, he would mumble and shut his eyes, going back to sleep.

In this situation, Zhao Ze was extremely delighted, but guilty. He never imagined that even though two years had passed, the Little Emperor would still trust him so much to the point he seemed so unguarded.

Before meeting the Little Emperor, Zhao Ze had wondered if the Emperor would feel fear or suspicion towards him for holding so much power from his triumphant battles.

When he returned home in the day, Teacher Zhao had also told him to be more careful of the words he spoke in court in the future, lest he agitate those above.

However, at this moment, in the face of the Little Emperor’s trust, his previous worries were simply a joke.

Zhao Ze’s movements grew even gentler and when wiping beside his lips, his hand unconsciously shook. In the palace, the Little Emperor had always been taken great care of. His skin was paler and smoother than most men and thus, his lips appeared even fuller and redder.

Zhao Ze could not stop himself from reaching out to gently graze it with his thumb, the soft touch causing his heart to tremble and his throat growing dryer. His gaze was filled with a deep desire to invade and his hands stroked every inch of the other man’s face before finally stopping between the pair of lips.

There was a voice in his head tempting him: Once, just once. The Little Emperor is sleeping and there is no one here. No one will ever know…”

The bewitching voice was growing louder and Zhao Ze seemed to be able to hear his own heartbeat beside his ear, pumping furiously.

He wiped his clammy hands and silently told himself, just this once...

With this thought in mind, he finally lowered his body and pressed his lips against the other pair of red, captivating lips.

The soft touch made his heart tremble and pound furiously. He felt as if he had forgotten how to stand and it seemed as if, in the next moment, he would fall onto the other person.

He reached his hands out to support himself on the dragon bed and his eyes  fluttered shut in intoxication. After a light and tentative touch, he carefully pushed his own tongue in, tracing the shape of the other person’s tender lips.

The feeling was just as amazing as he had dreamt of, filled with a hint of fragrance. Zhao Ze’s rationality had exploded and his body gradually heated up. Slowly, he began to desire for more.

He sucked on the Little Emperor’s lips and seeing no response, his actions grew even bolder. He directly shoved his tongue into the other person’s mouth, sweeping around frantically.

Tonight, Xiang Han had only cared about drinking had not eaten much. Thus, he could not help feeling hungry and for some reason, he did not know what he was dreaming of, only feeling something moving about in his mouth and bit down.

Feeling pain, Zhao Ze hurriedly retreated and covered his mouth as he stared nervously at Xiang Han. But after seeing that the other person had not awakened, he relaxed and tried to move his tongue. The result was a sharp pain.

Watching the Little Emperor’s mouth moving even in his sleep, Zhao Ze was helpless.