Accidentally Having a Baby with the Future Emperor - Chapter 35

Due to the high risk, the matter of the invitation was set aside for now.

When Gu Rong returned to the room, he found Xi Rong washing his underpants.

The edge of the garment was embroidered with a beautiful lotus pattern in gold thread. It looked familiar and Gu Rong recalled it was the same one he’d glimpsed the night before, when he had accidentally seen it while lying on top of Xi Rong.

Which meant that was the pair Xi Rong had just changed into last night.

And now, he’d changed out of them again that morning.

Changing into a clean pair in the morning was normal, of course. But if Gu Rong remembered correctly, that one had only been worn for a single night.

Changed into at night, changed out of again in the morning—why? The reason was obvious.

Thinking further… it most likely had something to do with him!

Pretending not to notice anything, Gu Rong suppressed his guilty conscience and walked into the stone cave to tidy up the stone bed. The first thing he did was return the three book mountains he had moved aside for the guests to sleep, then added three more books to each stack for reinforcement.

He’d clearly failed to think things through. Even if they were sleeping on straw mats, he should’ve put the books back last night instead of being lazy!

Before long, Jiang Cheng came in to report that everything for the outing had been packed and prepared.

Gu Rong stepped outside with Xi Rong and saw that several horses were already waiting outside the courtyard, along with a dozen guards holding the reins. Zhou Wenhe and Song Yang were chatting off to the side. Even Zhou Wenhe, a refined scholar, had a sword strapped to his waist.

“Master, young master.”

The two came forward to greet them. Song Yang said, “Let’s set out now. If we make good time, we can hunt something before noon and have a picnic in the mountains.”

As it was a spring outing in nature, everyone traveled light, bringing only the essentials like water and dry rations, with few other personal items.

Gu Rong glanced around and quickly noticed something. There were five of them, but only four spare horses.

In other words, there was no horse for him.

Which wasn’t strange. Typically, a team would have just enough horses to match their own people. In the sparsely populated mountains, expecting someone to suddenly prepare an extra horse just for him wasn’t realistic.

“Young master, you don’t ride, do you?” Jiang Cheng asked, leading over his dark stallion.

Of course Gu Rong knew how to ride.

Even without his experience in the north, riding and archery were skills he’d been trained in since childhood. Without false modesty, his horsemanship was actually quite good. But the problem now wasn’t whether he could ride, it was that there wasn’t a spare horse. Even if he could ride, there was nothing to ride.

Since Gu Rong didn’t answer immediately, Jiang Cheng assumed he was right. After all, for a young man said to wander the countryside mooching meals, so poor he could barely clothe himself, how would he have ever gotten the chance to learn riding and archery?

So Jiang Cheng gallantly said, “No problem. I’ll take you with me.”

Gu Rong smiled sweetly. “Then I’ll be in your care, brother.”

“Think nothing of it.”

Jiang Cheng then brought his horse over to Xi Rong and invited him to mount. But after standing there for a while, Jiang Cheng noticed Xi Rong hadn’t responded; he hadn’t even looked at him.

“Uh, Guard Jiang, didn’t your horse injure its hoof a few days ago?” Song Yang suddenly chimed in. “Might be a bit much to carry two now. If it stumbled and threw the young master, that’d be bad.”

Jiang Cheng was baffled. His horse was in perfect condition, when had it ever injured its hoof?

Before he could ask, Song Yang turned to Gu Rong, looking distressed and apologetic. “Young master, our riding skills are honestly pretty rough. We’re barely managing ourselves, much less carrying another person…”

“I’ll take you,” Xi Rong finally spoke, turning his head.

Jiang Cheng was momentarily stunned.

His Highness’s mount was a prized steed from a noble lineage, highly selective of its rider. Normally, it wouldn’t let anyone but His Highness come near. One time, an unaware palace servant tried to touch it and was nearly kicked into a coma.

Of course, it was different if His Highness allowed it.

But the point was, His Highness had never taken anyone with him on horseback before.

Naturally, Gu Rong had no objections. After all, it was his only option. Besides, Xi Rong’s horse truly looked tall, powerful, and majestic. Carrying one more person shouldn’t be a burden.

Xi Rong took the reins from Jiang Cheng and said, “I’ll lift you up.”

It was just mounting a horse and Gu Rong could easily manage it himself. But it seemed everyone had tacitly assumed he couldn’t ride, so before he could say a word, Xi Rong had already bent down and, with one arm under Gu Rong’s thighs, lifted him cleanly into the saddle.

Elsewhere, Jiang Cheng was still unwilling to let it go and asked Song Yang, “Lord Song, why did you say that just now?”

Song Yang looked at him like he was a block of wood. “Can’t you tell His Highness was planning to take the young man with him from the start? He even told you to move the quiver from the saddle to the side of the horse, don’t you get it yet? Sharing a horse is a perfect way to deepen the bond between lord and vassal. Countless famed partnerships throughout history began like this…”

As Song Yang lamented the martial-obsessed Commander Jiang’s thick skull, he also hated himself for seeing too clearly.

Because His Highness’s treatment of the young man had clearly surpassed that of an ordinary advisor.

He wished he could turn a blind eye but how could he? What sane sovereign would mix facial wash for an advisor, do his laundry, cook his meals, and sleep beside him every night? It clearly was… clearly was…

While it was true that lord and vassal could be more than just that, among noble families, taking a male spouse or concubine wasn’t unheard of, the young man obviously regarded His Highness with open sincerity and had no such thoughts.

His Highness had long suffered from an internal heat affliction, which made his temperament moody and extreme. If he were to fall into a one-sided love and be cruelly rejected, just imagining it made Song Yang dare not.

Not to mention, the gap in their statuses was far too great. Even if they truly cared for each other, it might not end well; perhaps it was doomed to end in tragedy.

Thinking of all that only deepened Song Yang’s worry.

Xi Rong soon mounted the horse as well. He was tall and his broad black sleeves billowed wide enough to fully envelope Gu Rong.

Gu Rong, curious, examined the horse beneath them and asked, “May I touch it?”

Xi Rong nodded. “You may.”

Gu Rong tentatively reached out and brushed the shiny, smooth mane of the dark stallion. “Brother, this is a fine horse. It seems like a northern breed, yes?”

Xi Rong looked a bit surprised. “You know horses?”

Gu Rong withdrew his hand and gazed appreciatively over the stallion’s sleek coat. “I saw many fine horses during my time in the north. Even among warhorses, yours is top quality.”

“You have a good eye. He’s indeed from the north. But he’s wild when he runs, so I’ll try to ride slower.”

Xi Rong flicked the reins and led the way. The others mounted and followed.

The saddle had limited space. With two people sharing a horse, their bodies were pressed closely together. It was quite normal but given last night’s and that morning’s awkward incidents, Gu Rong tried to sit as upright as possible, keeping some distance from Xi Rong.

After all, he’d already caused more than enough trouble.

Last night… and earlier in the bath… True, for a young and vigorous man, such mishaps were understandable. But if they all somehow involved him, perhaps he really needed to reflect on his behavior. If he caused another mishap on horseback due to some misstep, it would be utterly mortifying.

But Gu Rong’s attempt at propriety didn’t last long.

They hit an uphill stretch and Xi Rong suddenly urged the horse faster. Gu Rong, unsteady, fell forward directly into Xi Rong’s chest.

A low chuckle came from behind. “This isn’t a classroom. Why sit so stiffly?”

Gu Rong, dizzy from the impact: “…”

At the same time, a strong arm snaked under his armpit and wrapped tightly around his waist, holding him fast.

Riding uphill was no joke. Keeping a rigid, upright posture while riding through rough mountain paths really was a bit much.

Gu Rong gave up resisting.

Luckily, they didn’t travel too far. After about half an hour, they reached a forested area ideal for hunting. There was also a small stream flowing beneath the trees.

Jiang Cheng led the guards into the woods to hunt. Zhou Wenhe and Song Yang headed to the stream for a break and some water.

Xi Rong also took off his water pouch and handed it to Gu Rong.

Gu Rong unscrewed it and drank a couple of sips, then asked, “Brother, aren’t you joining them?”

“With them there, it’s enough. The scenery here is nice. Let’s go for a little ride elsewhere.”

The two of them hadn’t dismounted. Gu Rong nodded and Xi Rong guided the horse for a leisurely walk through the woods.

It was early spring, when all things stirred with life, and the mountains were lush with thriving grasses and trees.

After they passed through a patch of forest, the view suddenly opened up into a wide, majestic valley. A sea of yellow wildflowers bloomed in the valley, stretching far and wide like a fragrant ocean of snow.

Such a sight could not be seen anywhere else.

Xi Rong suddenly asked, “Do you want to go take a look?”

Gu Rong nodded without hesitation.

Xi Rong found a path and still kept one arm wrapped around Gu Rong’s waist. With a squeeze of his legs, he urged the horse forward, galloping toward the valley. Mountain winds rushed at them head-on and then howled past their ears, carrying the vibrant scent of spring.

The black steed quickly stepped into the heart of the snowy sea of flowers. The profusion of blossoms dazzled the eyes and the shallow grasses hid the horse’s hooves.

Xi Rong called out loudly, “Should we stop?”

But Gu Rong shook his head.

“No!”

“All right!”

The black steed instantly became a bolt of shadow streaking through the floral sea, kicking up waves of golden petals and thick, intoxicating fragrance.

Gu Rong hadn’t felt such unrestrained joy in a very long time.

He couldn’t help spreading his arms wide and letting out a long cry into the open valley, allowing the falling rain of flowers and rushing wind to flood his wide sleeves.

He was so absorbed, he didn’t notice that the arm around his waist had suddenly tightened.

“Brother, do you—” Gu Rong’s voice cut off.

Because a burning kiss had landed on the side of his neck, carrying with it the same lingering sweetness as the sea of blooms before them.

Gu Rong’s body went stiff and his arms dropped.

“Brother,” after a long time, he finally found his voice again and softly called out.

The arm around his waist only tightened further.

“Rongrong.”

Xi Rong’s voice came, low and heavy, as if it carried countless suppressed emotions.

“I don’t react like that so easily.

“Only with you.

“You must’ve noticed that I’m really fond of you. To put it more plainly, my heart belongs to you.

“That night, if I hadn’t wanted it, it wouldn’t have happened.

“And you? Do you truly feel nothing at all for me?”

Gu Rong’s mind went blank with a loud buzz and he lost the ability to speak once more.

The author has something to say:

Baby Rongrong: Ah, I can’t handle this.
Thank you all, enjoy reading!