"You may leave. Go back," Sheng Jiu said after standing still for a moment. He waved his hand gently, looking utterly exhausted. Zhan Tianjian knelt on the ground, frowned and hesitated for a while before deciding to rise to his feet.
"Then this subject shall take his leave first," Zhan Tianjian said, bowing as he was about to back out. Sheng Jiu, with his back to him, spoke again.
"If you have some free time someday, help me check on the two of us..."
The two of them what?
Sheng Jiu stopped mid - sentence. The word "marital fate" got stuck in his throat. How could their relationship be considered a marital fate?
Sheng Jiu slowly lowered his eyes, a look of desolation in them.
Zhan Tianjian looked up, studying his back with curiosity, and asked in a low voice, "Does Your Majesty mean... that you want me to calculate the marital fate between the two of you?"
Sheng Jiu's back stiffened for a moment. He didn't say a word, which was a tacit admission.
Zhan Tianjian hooked his lips into a smile. "Your Majesty is joking. How could there be a marital fate between two men? Your Majesty, please choose something else to be checked."
Sheng Jiu let out a sigh that was stuck in his throat. His unfocused eyes seemed to be fixed on the high throne. He said in a low voice, "In my life, I haven't asked for much. Since I was born, being indifferent to everything seemed to be my label. Everyone around me started to tell me not to have desires for things casually. I know they were afraid that I would covet the throne, but I also knew that it didn't belong to me..."
"Then, the moment I saw him, I felt a strong desire welling up in my heart. It seemed to be the first time I had such an emotion, for him and for myself."
"However, once desire is born, it's endless. I yearn for him, want to possess him, want him to stay by my side, and want to hold him firmly in my hand, making him live only for me."
Sheng Jiu was silent for a moment, then withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyelids. "If you ask me if I want something else, I really don't. All I want now is for Wanwan to fulfill my wishes. I only ask for him."
Zhan Tianjian straightened his back and stood behind him, watching the young emperor pour out his heart. It seemed that he was sizing up the young emperor's figure for the first time. In his heart, he had always looked down on him.
Because not only did he seize the throne, but many things around him were also taken by force. He had too many things that didn't originally belong to him. This was greed, and thus a sin.
But was love a sin?
Love was not a sin.
But why did loving someone too much become a disaster?
Zhan Tianjian said softly, "I told Your Majesty from the beginning that if Your Majesty forced him to stay by your side, it would harm your dragon body, and it wouldn't do him any good either. I wonder what Your Majesty thinks now?"
Sheng Jiu let out a soft laugh. "There's no point in me living for too long. Living in this deep palace, I've always felt empty inside. If I let him leave, what's the difference between me and a dead man?"
"My dragon body may be harmed, but he cannot leave."
Zhan Tianjian was stunned for a moment and then asked, "Has Your Majesty ever thought about whether it's good for his health to stay here for a long time?"
"Don't think that he only has you in his life now, but he thinks that his life is not only about you. He has his own desires and longings, and his desires and longings are not only about Your Majesty."
Hearing his words, Sheng Jiu slowly clenched his fist, his chin tightening. His expression was solemn and serious, as if he was thinking about something extremely important.
After a moment of silence, he relaxed again, as if he had compromised, repeating the words Zhan Tianjian had just said.
"He has his own desires and longings."
Sheng Jiu slowly closed his eyes. Yes, his desires and longings were not only about him. No, it wasn't that they were not only about him, but that there was simply no place for him in them.
Sheng Jiu's body trembled violently. The back that had bent when he compromised just now straightened up again at this moment. "He can only stay by my side."
Zhan Tianjian failed to persuade him, and he himself couldn't convince himself either.
This obsession was deeply rooted in his bones, and no one could erase it.
When Sheng Jiu returned to his bedroom absent - mindedly, he found Wanwan already soaking in the water. His expression was uncharacteristically obedient, as if he had been waiting for him to come back.
"Sheng Jiu."
Sheng Jiu half - lay on the shore, looking at him. His hand unconsciously stroked Wanwan's light blue hair. His fingertips brushed across his lips, and he couldn't help but say something cheesy. "Did you miss me?"
Wanwan didn't say a word. Sheng Jiu said tiredly, "I missed you very much."
After saying that, he got into the water and hugged him tightly in his arms. Wanwan sensed that his mood was a bit off and tentatively asked, "Did someone mention me in the court today?"
Wanwan couldn't think of anything else in the court that could trouble him so much.
Sheng Jiu was silent for a moment and then shook his head.
During this moment of silence, Wanwan had already inferred the possibility of what had happened. He said softly, "Sheng Jiu, do those ministers not want me to stay here? Otherwise... let me go. Everyone around you is against it. And you know I'm not happy staying here."
Hearing his words, Sheng Jiu had a splitting headache. He felt as if they had all colluded today. One by one, they were trying to persuade him to let Wanwan leave him.
Sheng Jiu summoned up some energy and answered his question seriously. "No, nothing happened. You'd better get rid of the idea of leaving me. Just stay here obediently. Don't go anywhere, don't worry about anything, and don't inquire about what's going on in the court."
Wanwan was silent. It was unclear whether he had agreed or not.
Sheng Jiu sighed. "I'm a bit tired. I really want to hold you and take a nap..."
But it was daytime, and Wanwan didn't have legs, so he couldn't get out of the water.
Wanwan pursed his lips and didn't say a word. The inconvenience of their co - existence was obvious to all. They were both enduring, just waiting for the day when one of them couldn't bear it anymore.
Sheng Jiu gently leaned on his shoulder and slowly closed his eyes. His words were a bit slurred.
"It's okay. I'll just lean on you like this for a while."
Wanwan pursed his lips, looking at the person in his arms, and couldn't help but sigh.
Obviously, they were both unhappy when they were together. He wondered why Sheng Jiu still kept him here.
Did he want him to be an ornamental object in the middle of the water pool in his bedroom, just to add some fun for him and his concubines?