Accidentally Having a Baby with the Future Emperor - Chapter 26 Part 1

Gu Rong was woken by hunger.

After waking, he immediately felt that something was off. First was his body, it felt as though he’d spent the night under ghostly pressure, every bone in his body crushed to the brink of falling apart, completely devoid of strength.

Then came his waist.

Gu Rong had a habit of stretching after waking up, but that day, after lifting the blanket, let alone stretching, he couldn’t even sit up. The moment he tried to move, an indescribable soreness struck both sides of his waist at once, yanking him harshly back down.

The entire process could only be described as utterly pathetic.

It felt like he had soaked overnight in a vat of vinegar.

That was impossible.

Even if he had been soaked overnight, he shouldn’t be so fragile.

He’d always had decent physical fitness. Although a bit delicate at times, he’d once traveled hundreds of miles from the capital to the Northern frontier. He was actually pretty good at enduring hardship and had strong tolerance.

When he first arrived in the north, he’d snuck into the wounded soldiers’ camp to work. The Northern Yan Army was known for strict discipline and under Prince Yan’s ruthless command, everyone, whether regular soldiers, ranked generals, low- or high-level officers, or even logistics personnel like doctors and cooks, was required to attend full military drills every morning, unless there were special or urgent circumstances.

Each drill lasted a minimum of one hour.

Some older or frailer doctors often couldn’t keep up and would collapse midway, either vomiting, fainting, or pale as a sheet, carried off, or else dragged to stand as punishment beneath the drill platform. But Gu Rong gritted his teeth and endured to the end every single time. Even he had admired his own extraordinary perseverance back then. Of course, at first, when night fell and he lay down on a marching cot, his whole body ached, as if all his bones were about to fall apart.

But that had been a real pain. His legs and waist were worn out from horse stance, running, and endless weapons drills, so overexerted it felt like an axe had cleaved him in two. A completely different sensation than what he was experiencing now.

Right now… it didn’t even really hurt. His waist just felt sore. Very, very sore.

Like he’d gotten into a fierce fight with someone in his dreams.

God, why had he been dreaming about fighting people so much lately?

Gu Rong took a moment to recover and then finally forced himself to sit up. And just then, he felt a strange discomfort from somewhere behind him.

Then, Gu Rong saw the mess on the stone bed; the disheveled bedding, clothes, shoes, outer robes, and undergarments strewn all over the floor and bed… even the oil lamp had been knocked over.

Then, like a flood, certain alcohol-blurred memories from the night before surged back into his mind.

Gu Rong immediately froze.

God! Last night—

What exactly had he done last night?

More and more images came crashing in like a tidal wave.

At first, Gu Rong was simply shocked, but soon his scalp tingled with horror. He wanted to punch those untimely images straight out of his own head.

It couldn’t be real.

It had to be a delusion.

There’s no way he would have, could have…

Gu Rong raised a hand to rub his temple, only to find his wrist sore as well. He frowned and looked down, and froze again.

Someone had changed him into a fresh, clean inner robe, while the one he’d worn to bed last night was gone.

He glanced around and quickly spotted it, tossed beneath the stone bed.

Gu Rong, supporting his waist, bent down to pick it up and discovered the high-quality bright silk garment was torn to shreds, completely ruined, and even stained with some indistinct damp patches.

And the rips looked like they had been torn by hand; not snagged nor cut with a blade.

Gu Rong dropped the robe and fell silent once more.

Just then, the wooden door creaked open and footsteps came inside.

The moment before Xi Rong entered, Gu Rong decisively lay back down, pulled the blanket over his face, and wrapped himself up tightly, playing dead.

Xi Rong walked to the stone bed, bent down, and first picked up the scattered clothes and shoes, sorting and placing them neatly in their proper spots. Then he tidied up the messy bedding.

Only after all that did he turn to the blanket bundle, lips curving slightly as he called out, “Rongrong.”

No response. The bundle didn’t move an inch.

Xi Rong paused and then said, “I made breakfast. You didn’t eat anything last night, so you must be hungry. Don’t you want to get up and eat a little?”

A moment later, Gu Rong sluggishly pulled down the blanket, revealing his face.

A face full of regret and despair.

Xi Rong said, “Let me help you up.”

“No need. I can do it myself.”

As if to prove his strength and composure, Gu Rong lifted the blanket and, lips pressed tight, braced himself on the stone bed and sat up on his own.

Once upright, he quickly withdrew his hands and assumed a casual, unfazed demeanor. Even though the sudden surge of soreness in his waist almost dragged him back down onto the pillow, Gu Rong would never allow such an embarrassing thing to happen.

“Brother.”

After sitting in heavy silence for a long while, Gu Rong seemed to finally make up his mind. He looked up at Xi Rong and said, in a tone as calm as a passing cloud, “Last night, we…”

“We slept together last night,” Xi Rong replied directly.

Gu Rong: “……”

Gu Rong: “…………”

His scalp wasn’t just tingling anymore; his head was on the verge of exploding.

“…………Huh?

“D-Did we…” He stammered out the rest.

“Yes,” Xi Rong answered, his expression utterly calm, as if he had long prepared for that moment. “While the wine and the venison may have played a part, ultimately, it’s my fault. I failed to restrain myself.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take full responsibility.”

“…………”

Gu Rong wished he could knock himself out on the spot.

Regardless of whose fault it was, the fact remained that he was a perfectly able-bodied adult, fully in control of his faculties. And yet he had actually done something so outrageous, on his own bed, in his own home, with a guest who was there recuperating.

Oh God, how could he have done something so absurd, so utterly mortifying?

He had always known that alcohol could cause trouble but he never imagined it could cause this kind of trouble!

It wasn’t as if he was ignorant about such matters. He just tended to get muddled when drunk.

Although the other party was very responsible and had taken all the blame, as more and more fragments of last night’s events, some vivid, some blurry, flooded back into his mind, Gu Rong realized he didn’t have sudden forgetfulness of what had happened.

In fact, his memory was growing increasingly clear.

So clear, in fact, that he could say with full certainty that during that wild, absurd frenzy, he had not been entirely passive. In fact, he’d been quite enthusiastic and cooperative.

…He was doomed.

His dignity, his propriety, his upbringing…

All of them were gone.

Even if it was due to the venison and the wine, it was still all gone.

The only thing worth being thankful for was that both of them were men. They had just rolled around together for one night. Aside from the lingering discomfort in his body, there shouldn’t be any major consequences or lasting impact.

With that, Gu Rong finally managed to pull a single thread of rational, correct thought from the chaos of his mind, one that could guide him forward.

He took a deep breath, lifted his head again, and looked at Xi Rong with a calm and composed gaze. In a wise and steady tone, he said, “Brother, you overstate it. I also bear responsibility for what happened, so how could I let you shoulder it alone? Since we’re both responsible, then let’s call it even. Neither of us needs to be accountable to the other, so please don’t feel any burden.”

Gu Rong thought that by speaking so sensibly and graciously, the other man would surely breathe a sigh of relief, just as he had.

But Xi Rong didn’t respond for a long moment.

Then, after a pause, he asked, with a hint of uncertainty, “So what you mean is, pretend last night never happened? That it didn’t exist at all?”

Gu Rong gave a faint smile, his expression flawless. “Exactly. That’s right.”

“What if I insist on being responsible?” Xi Rong asked.

Gu Rong was taken aback. “…Huh?”

“I said, what if I insist on taking responsibility?” Xi Rong stood where he was, his expression unchanged as he repeated himself.

Gu Rong quickly composed himself and said earnestly, “Brother, I know you are well-read and principled, a gentleman of upright conduct and strong morals, but when it comes to this matter, you really don’t need to be so hard on yourself.”

“Think about it. What happened last night may have been a bit absurd, but we’re two grown men, not young maidens bound by chastity and reputation. Why let such a trivial matter weigh on your mind? A true man, born beneath heaven and earth, should aspire to the ideals of sages and focus on great and proper deeds. Especially you, brother, you still have lofty ambitions yet to be fulfilled. How could you let yourself be entangled by something so… so inconsequential? Truly, there’s no need!

“Let’s—go eat!”

Seeing Xi Rong still standing there in silence, gaze dark, Gu Rong took the initiative.

Xi Rong stood quietly for a moment, not objecting, and then bent down to pick up a pair of shoes. He walked to the bedside, took hold of Gu Rong’s ankle, and was about to help him put them on.
It inevitably triggered certain memories.

Gu Rong instantly pulled his foot back and said, “I wouldn’t dare trouble you, brother. I can manage myself.”

“Can you?” Xi Rong asked.

“Of course.”

To prove it, Gu Rong quickly shifted to the edge of the bed, reached out to take the shoes, and bent over to put them on.

The moment he bent, it was as if a pressure point in his lower back had been stabbed. Gu Rong lost his balance and nearly toppled off the bed. He couldn’t hold back a low grunt.

He didn’t fall, because a hand caught him just in time.

Ah, how humiliating.

Gu Rong wanted to cover his face.

Xi Rong smoothly took the shoes from his hands, helped him sit upright, then crouched down and put them on for him, one foot at a time.

As he moved, he said, “It’s my fault. I was too indulgent last night.”

Gu Rong rubbed his eyes strategically, not wanting to say anything.

Talking about it after rolling around together all night was simply too awkward. If only he could knock himself out and start over, he definitely wouldn’t drink again.

Xi Rong didn’t mind. He stood up and asked gently, “Can you get down on your own?”

“…………”

Gu Rong glanced at the distance from his feet to the ground.

If he couldn’t even manage that, he might as well be a cripple.

He nodded calmly and got off the bed. As soon as his feet touched the ground and he turned, he quietly braced a hand on the edge of the stone bed to steady himself, just in case he did anything else embarrassing.

“I’ve prepared water. Go wash your face first,” Xi Rong said.

Gu Rong nodded, supporting his waist as he walked to the stone table. He put on his outer robe, re-tied his black hair into a loose tail falling over his shoulder, and then, acting nonchalant, walked out of the cave ahead of Xi Rong.