Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Chu Yang opened his mouth, all the things he wanted to say making rounds in his heart. But he swallowed them back down in the end. With a smile, he replied, “Your Majesty is certainly discerning. I was just playing a prank on Your Majesty. I didn’t expect Your Majesty to recognize me with just one sentence alone.”

Tie Butian laughed, unable to suppress the tremor in her voice.

Chu Yang observed the changes in emotion in Tie Butian’s eyes intently.

Her eyes seemed to turn red but resumed a look of normalcy before long. The agitation at the bottom of her eyes remained but she could already conceal the turmoil in her heart.

Her long career as a monarch, as well as the trials and tribulations in her early years, had already forged nerves of steel in this intelligent woman.

This was especially true when she donned these imperial robes; there were very few things now that could make her lose self-control! Her earlier agitation was already a record-breaking first.

With a slight smile, Chu Yang reached up and removed the mask from his face.

Gazing upon the face that had haunted her dreams countless times, a wave of sorrow came over Tie Butian. She wanted to throw aside all her reservations and rush over to him; to hug him and tell him how much she had missed him.

But she forcefully restrained these crazy thoughts of hers right away.

What is Chu Yang thinking now? Does he know? Is he here purely to visit a friend? Or…

Tie Butian felt terribly confused. Innumerous thoughts crossed her mind and her heart was suddenly in incredible turmoil. At this moment, she actually didn’t dare to face Chu Yang.

Opposite her, Chu Yang was also forcing himself to remain calm. Just like her, thoughts were flitting through his mind constantly.

What should I do? She’s not going to clear the air by her own initiative. Neither does she intend to let me know about our child…

Do I bring it up now? Or test the waters by going around it?

Or employ some other means?

If I drive this girl into a corner… I really don’t need to count on meeting my son anymore.

Minister Chu’s heart also felt very unsettled.

For a moment, both of them actually stood there in a daze.

After a long while, Tie Butian finally shifted her gaze away naturally. She gave him a very open and candid smile and asked, “Minister Chu, haven’t you already achieved transcendence and gone to higher places? Why are you suddenly visiting this old friend of yours today?”

She turned to him again, somewhat teasing as she continued to ask, “Hmm? Or did you purely just pass by instead? So visiting me is just along the way?”

Chu Yang returned a relaxed smile at her. “Your Majesty jests. Of course, I came here especially to visit an old friend; how could it be just along the way? Isn’t that an insult to the relationship between us?”

Although Chu Yang’s tone was very calm, nor did he deliberately emphasize anything, when Tie Butian heard the words ‘our relationship’, her heart skipped a beat nevertheless.

Words escaped her lips. “The relationship between us?”

Chu Yang held out his hands. “Your Majesty… Surely you haven’t forgotten your old friend after ascending the throne? Have you actually forgotten how we’ve forged this relationship after going through so many life and death crises together?”

Tie Butian chuckled, a tinge of embarrassment flashing across her eyes. “Minister Chu is such a joker, haha… Does Minister Chu think of me as the kind of person who would turn his back on an old friend?”

Chu Yang let out a sneaky laugh. “Your Majesty’s words have reminded me of a certain saying and a story about how someone turned their back on an associate.”

With a smile, Tie Butian asked, “What story is it?”

Chu Yang smiled and shook his head. “Forget it, it’s a little tasteless. Relaying such a story to the monarch of a state like you is especially improper.”

Tie Butian laughed and replied, “Since when has Minister Chu started to mind his manners in front of me? This story was brought up because of me; how can I not lend my ear to it?”

Chu Yang asked, “Your Majesty is sure he wants to hear it?”

Tie Butian nodded heavily. “Yes!”

A resigned Chu Yang said, “Since that’s the case, I shall tell Your Majesty this story… Once upon a time, there was a patrol guard of a city garrison who was attracted to a popular hostess from a brothel. Even in his dreams, he desired to have a taste of her.”

Right at the start of Chu Yang’s story, Tie Butian was already blushing faintly. She couldn’t help but be amused. “This Chu Yang, after such a long period of separation, you’re still so improper and always telling such obscene tales.”

Chu Yang replied, “Then does Your Majesty still want to listen to the story?”

Tie Butian laughed heartily. “Why not? We’re both real men, do you think I’ll be bashful about it?”

The Emperor’s words, whether to Chu Yang’s or her own ears, smacked of “covering up one’s misdeeds”.

Chu Yang gave her a somewhat meaningful smile. “Indeed, we’re both real men. There’s certainly nothing to hold back about.”

Then, he continued with the story, “Although this soldier was attracted to the hostess, he was extremely poor. But when it comes to places like brothels, if one didn’t have money, one would never be able to enter.”

“What was he to do then?” Chu Yang frowned and continued, “At last, the soldier thought of an idea. Every time he passed by on duty, he would send a bouquet of flowers to the popular hostess, though he never showed himself. He went on patrol once a day; just like that, he sent flowers there for two months straight.”

A smiling Tie Butian said, “This soldier can be said to be sincere.”

“Yes.” Chu Yang went on, “At last, after two months, that popular hostess was moved by his sincerity and asked to meet him. The soldier dressed up and went for the date. When they met, the two of them were mutually attracted to each other. He was no gentleman and neither was she one to hold dearly traditional values. Like blazing fire and dry wood, they clicked immediately… And got together to make love…”

Tie Butian’s face was rather red. She forced a laugh and said, “I still haven’t been able to tell how this has anything to do with one turning their back on an old associate…”

Chu Yang said, “I haven’t finished… And so, the two of them got together. The soldier had no money but the hostess didn’t want any anyway; they met clandestinely every day. One day, after their rendezvous, the soldier returned to camp. Upon returning, he was issued orders, saying that they were to outlaw and crack down on brothels. The target of the team that the soldier was in was precisely the brothel that he frequented; the popular hostess was also one of the crack-down targets.”

“What are they going to do?” Tie Butian played along and asked.

With a straight face, Chu Yang continued to narrate, “This soldier is also a heartless one. He carried out his orders strictly and meticulously, personally leading people over to raid the brothel and seize them all, including the hostess. Moreover, it hadn’t been long since he was last frolicking with the hostess; it hadn’t even been four hours.”Visit on our NovelFull

“Why?” Tie Butian was shocked. “Didn’t he like that girl very much? Why did he do that?”

Chu Yang replied with a straight face, “The popular hostess also asked him the same thing. She looked at him very mournfully and indignantly and asked, ‘Were your feelings for me just a sham? You were still in my bed earlier but now you’re here to detain me?’”

“Exactly. What did this scoundrel of a soldier answer?” Tie Butian was even more weirded out.

Chu Yang’s expression remained as stern as ever. “The soldier replied, ‘When my trousers are down, of course, I have feelings for you. But now that my trousers are up, where would there be any! What feelings!’”

Tie Butian couldn’t help but laugh as she blushed a little. “This solder, though heartless, is also rather entertaining.”

Suddenly, she snapped furiously, “You were saying earlier that you were reminded of this because of me. Are you saying that I’m like this soldier?!”

Chu Yang blinked at her. “I didn’t say that; Your Majesty did.”

Tie Butian couldn’t help but blush, though she was also rather indignant and embarrassed. She thought of how she had helped him to recover back then. When he recovered, she pretended that nothing had happened… This… really did seem to be somewhat similar to the soldier in the story?

She thought of that line which Chu Yang had said —’When my trousers are down, of course, I have feelings for you. But now that my trousers are up, where would there be any!’ She couldn’t help but be overcome by a sense of guilt.

When she saved him back then… Didn’t she need to take off her trousers too… Besides, since she was willing to do it, of course, she had feelings for him… If she didn’t, why would she do that just to save his life? But… after she pulled up her trousers… It seemed like she also buried that incident…

This, this, this…

No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t help feeling like this guy was talking about her.

The Emperor was feeling rather guilty after all. When she thought of this, other than blushing in embarrassment, her heart was filled with anxiety and uncertainty.

Could it be… that he already knows?

When she thought of that, she couldn’t stop herself from sneaking a glance at Chu Yang.

Only to see that the fellow was all smiles and filled with delight. She relaxed at once and thought to herself, “Seems like this fellow was just telling an obscene joke.”

Letting out a cough, His Majesty said, “Yes, Minister Chu’s joke has indeed served as a reminder to me as well that some law-enforcers these days are exactly like that… Cough, behaving like thieves and harlots in private but once it came to official matters, they turn their backs on others immediately… If this goes on, in the long run, it will also cause dissension among citizens. This issue is something that we should not make light of…”

Chu Yang agreed wholeheartedly with her. “Exactly. These days, a lot of brothel girls are saying, ‘This bunch of city garrison troops, they take off their clothes and bang us, and then put on their clothes and catch us…’ Certainly, the quality of law-enforcement personnel is in dire need of improvement.”

Tie Butian sighed and said, “I didn’t expect Minister Chu to still be so concerned about the empire and my people even after having been away for so long.”

Inwardly, however, she was utterly embarrassed. What sort of shameless and indecent rubbish was this scoundrel spouting!

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, she saw Chu Yang gazing at her seriously. He said, “Your Majesty, you and I are both men. There are some things that we can say without any reservations… Though the story is rather obscene, it is also a kind of truth, isn’t it? We’re talking about men after all!”

Tie Butian nodded with a smile. The agitation from the reunion had already evolved into another kind of agitation — She wished for nothing more than to sew this fellow’s lips shut.

Who’s a man like you!!

Only to hear Chu Yang go on, “Right? Being a scoundrel when a man should! And being indecent when a man should! Right? It’s not like we’re girls; what’s there to be so bashful about? Haven’t you seen even good men and gentlemen speaking in an uncouth manner and swearing casually? But who can say that they aren’t good men? Or that they aren’t heroes?”

Tie Butian nodded against her will. “Yes, yes!”

Chu Yang came up to her intimately, wanting to put his arm around her shoulders, just like how two men would in a show of brotherhood.

Tie Butian ducked hurriedly and forced a laugh. “Minister Chu, we’re still in the imperial court… I, hurhur… It’s against decorum.”

Bewildered, Chu Yang replied, “What decorum! We’re both men and we’ve gone through life and death together so many times. What’s the big deal about physical contact?”