Chapter 71 – I was assisted in childbirth.
He Changzhou’s body temperature was slightly high, and his lips were warm when touched, carrying a faint familiar scent of grass.
Zhao Qi was dumbfounded after He Changzhou kissed him. It’s not that he felt nothing at all, but he was more weary and resigned. As for the heart racing, shortness of breath, and sweaty palms that kissing could supposedly bring, sorry, none of that happened.
So, his understanding of He Changzhou was not wrong. Although it sounded a bit naive to say so, He Changzhou was a good person; Zhao Qi only saw him as a brother.
Coming back to his senses, Zhao Qi tried to push He Changzhou away. However, He Changzhou held onto his waist tightly and whispered, “Don’t move.” And then kissed him again.
“Hey—” Suddenly, the dragon egg in Zhao Qi’s belly kicked him. Zhao Qi’s body softened immediately, afraid to struggle. But he tightly pursed his lips, not giving He Changzhou any room to advance.
At that moment, Xiao Shiqing’s voice came from outside the door: “Has the Emperor gone to sleep?”
“He has.”
Zhao Qi widened his eyes abruptly—if Xiao Shiqing saw this scene, he would definitely be in trouble. As for what kind of trouble, he refused to think about it.
Hearing Xiao Shiqing’s voice, He Changzhou hesitated for a moment. A vengeful smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. His distraction gave Zhao Qi the chance to break free. Ignoring the dragon egg stirring in his belly, Zhao Qi turned his face away and kneed He Changzhou in the abdomen, panting lightly, “He Changzhou, are you insane? I don’t like this!”
He Changzhou grabbed Zhao Qi’s leg, looking at him with faint annoyance and disgust, suddenly regretting it. Just a few hours ago, he had told Li Chisu that he wouldn’t force the Emperor, nor would he allow anyone else to. Yet now, he was the one doing the forcing.
“Your Majesty,” He Changzhou’s voice was hoarse. He covered Zhao Qi’s eyes with his hand. “Don’t look at me like that, I…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the door opened.
The moonlight tonight was bright. Although there were no lights on in the room, the moonlight illuminated everything clearly enough for Xiao Shiqing to see inside.
In that instant, the air seemed to freeze.
Xiao Shiqing stood in the shadow of the moonlight, his ink-black eyebrows and sharp features still as handsome as ever. He appeared composed, but only he knew that his chest was almost bursting with anger.
Zhao Qi sat back on the bed, looking at him in bewilderment, silently calling out, “Brother…”
He Changzhou stood up, blocking Zhao Qi in front of him. “I came to find His Majesty; it has nothing to do with His Majesty.”
Xiao Shiqing looked at them, silent. His silence was like a sharpening knife, torturing Zhao Qi incessantly. Finally, he spoke. His voice was as cold as ice, “Guards.”
Fu Zi immediately appeared. “Prime Minister.”
“He Changzhou has disturbed the Emperor late at night. Take him away and deal with it tomorrow.”
Fu Zi hesitated, “Take away? But…”
He Changzhou suppressed his anger. “No need to bother; I’ll leave on my own. But I want to ask the Prime Minister, what will you do to the Emperor after I leave?”
“I will do to him what?” Xiao Shiqing smiled, a smile full of hostility. “I will hold him, kiss him, and even enter him, let him bear my child again—does that satisfy you, General He?”
Zhao Qi’s body trembled. Was Xiao Shiqing serious? That ‘enter’—did it mean what he thought it did…
Nonsense, it couldn’t mean getting pregnant again!
He Changzhou’s chest heaved violently. “On what grounds?”
“On,” Xiao Shiqing said each word slowly, “he belongs to me.”
He Changzhou took a deep breath, sneering, “I’m afraid only the Prime Minister thinks so.”
Xiao Shiqing glanced at Zhao Qi. “He will tell you himself, rest assured.” Xiao Shiqing was impatient with Fu Zi and turned slightly, “Still stunned?”
Fu Zi had to come forward, whispering, “General He, please leave.”
He Changzhou didn’t move. He turned back to look at Zhao Qi. “Your Majesty.”
“…Hmm?”
“Do you want me to go?” He Changzhou’s eyes were bright, filled with an unmistakable hope he couldn’t hide. “I just need one word from you. Even if the entire Heavenly Machine Battalion comes to take me away, I will fight to stay by your side—to have just one word from you.”
“Your Majesty…” Zhao Qi glanced at Xiao Shiqing discreetly, gauging his expression. He was certain that if he said “no,” he would truly face being entered. He cleared his throat and calmly said, “You should leave first.”
The light in He Changzhou’s eyes dimmed suddenly. His sword was eager for action, but Zhao Qi didn’t need him to risk his life. Even if he won, what would it mean?
His tightly clenched fist suddenly relaxed. He Changzhou lowered his head and walked straight towards the door. Fu Zi sighed with relief and followed behind him.
As they passed by Xiao Shiqing, Fu Zi heard him say, “Lock him up next door.”
Fu Zi said, “But Zhao Fourth Young Master is also there.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Fu Zi was slightly surprised but dared not ask further. “I will obey your orders.”
After Fu Zi left and closed the door with a creak, the room fell completely silent. Zhao Qi could even hear his own breathing.
He couldn’t stand this silence. In a volume enough for Xiao Shiqing to hear, he called out, “Brother.”
Xiao Shiqing approached step by step, silently reaching out and lifting Zhao Qi’s chin, his eyes deep as a pool. “Where did he touch you?”
Zhao Qi held his breath. “N-nowhere.”
”No?” Xiao Shiqing chuckled softly. “Don’t lie, Qi’er.”
Xiao Shiqing’s voice was gentle, so gentle that it gave Zhao Qi a sense of illusion—he wasn’t angry at all.
Under Xiao Shiqing’s coaxing, Zhao Qi unconsciously spoke up, “We just hugged.”
Xiao Shiqing’s fingertip traced Zhao Qi’s cheek, his voice deep, “And then?”
Zhao Qi murmured softly, “And then, he kissed me.”
Xiao Shiqing’s eyes sharpened, a burst of killing intent making Zhao Qi hastily explain, “But I kept my mouth tightly closed, so…”
Xiao Shiqing didn’t respond. Instead, his hand moved to Zhao Qi’s collar, roughly tearing open his clothes.
Anxiously, Zhao Qi grabbed his hand. “What are you doing, brother?”
”Don’t be afraid,” Xiao Shiqing’s voice remained low and gentle. “Just checking.”
In the heat of summer, Zhao Qi wore only thin sleepwear, easily removed by Xiao Shiqing. Feeling exposed, Zhao Qi couldn’t bear it any longer, pushing back, “Stop…”
Xiao Shiqing paused, his movements meticulous as he examined his prey.
The young emperor’s upper body was bare, his loose clothing hanging around his waist, hidden under the blanket below his waist. His shoulders, collarbones, and arms were not as robust as an adult man’s nor as delicate as a woman’s, balanced delicately between the two, perfectly harmonious.
With such a seemingly frail body, a slight curve adorned his slightly protruding abdomen. Just the thought of what lay beneath caused Xiao Shiqing’s long-restrained breath to falter.
”Have you decided, Your Majesty,” Xiao Shiqing suddenly spoke, “whether to bear our child?”
Zhao Qi’s throat tightened, uncertainly, “Not yet, can brother give me more time?”
”Of course,” Xiao Shiqing smirked, “you can take your time. Five months to give me an answer.”
”… Five months later, the child would already be born, what’s there to consider.”
Xiao Shiqing’s fingertip touched Zhao Qi’s belly, light as a feather, teasing and entwining, his tone nonchalant, “Today I heard a funny story from Cheng Bo.”
Zhao Qi’s heart trembled from Xiao Shiqing’s teasing tone, “What funny story?”
”He said, if the Emperor’s dragon seed is too large, without some intervention, there might be complications in childbirth.”
Zhao Qi’s ears instantly turned hot, inwardly cursing Cheng Bo for being too talkative. “Brother, don’t worry, I’ll walk more…”
”Not about that,” Xiao Shiqing’s hand slipped quietly under the blanket, “another method. Does the Emperor know what it is?”
Feeling the cold touch on his thigh, Zhao Qi shivered, his mind in chaos. “I-I don’t know.”
”Not knowing is fine,” Xiao Shiqing whispered in Zhao Qi’s ear, “as long as I know.”
Struggling to stay awake, Zhao Qi tried to push Xiao Shiqing’s hand away, but his body was limp, unable to muster any strength, torn between resistance and yielding.
Xiao Shiqing leaned over, pinning Zhao Qi’s hand beneath him. Looking down at him, he smiled, “Speaking of which, General He and Zhao Qiao are sleeping next door.”
Zhao Qi: “!!!”
As if on cue, Zhao Qiao’s voice drifted through the thin wall into Zhao Qi’s ears.
”General He? Where have you been so late?”
Though General He didn’t reply, Zhao Qi knew they were separated only by a wall, their beds against the same wall. Realizing this, Zhao Qi unconsciously held his breath, not daring to speak, merely looking at Xiao Shiqing, who lay on top of him, silently accusing him with his eyes.
Xiao Shiqing carefully avoided pressing on Zhao Qi’s belly, his movements gentle, intoxicating, his words teasing but malicious, “So Your Majesty, don’t cry out too loud later, or they’ll hear.”
Zhao Qi’s breath caught, his eyes filled with resentment.
Xiao Shiqing smirked, “Or should we let them hear?”
”Xiao Shiqing!” Zhao Qi said in a hushed voice, “Don’t go too far!”
”Too far?” Xiao Shiqing chuckled, lowering his voice, “What have I done that would make Your Majesty say I’ve gone too far?”
Unable to argue with him, Zhao Qi simply closed his eyes and bit his lip, ignoring him.
Xiao Shiqing admired the emperor’s restrained appearance, teasing, “Why does Your Majesty look so worn out before we even start playing?”
Frowning, Zhao Qi trembled slightly in Xiao Shiqing’s embrace.
”There’s one thing, I wonder if Your Majesty knows,” Xiao Shiqing’s slender hand reached a place Zhao Qi found hard to describe, “Here, there’s a small stream flowing.”
T/N: There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep