ABRIWMTHM Chapter 62

“Come in.”

After a moment, Chi Yao’s voice came from inside the room.

Shi Xing walked in holding a pillow and saw a spacious master bedroom.

Before coming here, he wondered if his master bedroom would be larger. It seemed he was overthinking; clearly, during the construction, the specifications of this place were higher than his own, and the open space made Shi Xing breathe a sigh of relief… not!

As soon as Chi Yao’s gaze subtly landed on him, Shi Xing felt something was off.

“Your Highness…”

He felt he should say something, but his mind went blank, and he subconsciously called out to Chi Yao.

“Mm.” Chi Yao pointed to the other side of the room, “That’s the bed prepared for you by Xu Jin. Sleep on it and see if there’s anything unsuitable, if it’s too small or has other issues, just tell him tomorrow.”

Shi Xing glanced at the bed and breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t facing Chi Yao’s bed directly; they were staggered, which eased some of his psychological pressure.

Moreover, there were bed curtains around the bed, so at night, when he put them down, it would become an independent space… hopefully.

He could only comfort himself this way.

Shi Xing tried hard to lessen his presence as he approached the bed and placed the pillow down. He noticed Xu Jin had prepared everything for him. Chi Yao timely spoke, “The bedding is in the storage room. Do you want me to have the robot bring a pillow back?”

After confirming, the housekeeping robot trotted in, taking away an extra pillow.

Now, only Shi Xing and Chi Yao remained in the room.

“Xu Jin has also prepared your toiletries. The white set is yours.”

“You might need to bring some of your clothes over. Discuss it with Xu Jin tomorrow.”

Shi Xing nodded repeatedly.

Chi Yao’s face was behind a transparent projection screen. Although the screen was see-through, Shi Xing felt a bit better; it seemed that this way, Chi Yao’s attention wasn’t entirely on him.

“Xu Jin said it was your suggestion to move over.”

Shi Xing choked up for a moment, thinking that what should come had finally arrived. Climbing onto the bed, he let down the curtains at the head and foot of the bed. With the curtains down, Chi Yao caught sight of Shi Xing’s fair ankle peeking out at the edge of the bed. As the curtains fell, the light once again dimmed, and the hem of Shi Xing’s nightgown slid up with his movements, revealing a portion of his waist skin.

When Shi Xing turned around again, realizing his gaze had lingered a bit too long, Chi Yao lowered his eyes.

Shi Xing felt uneasy, using the situation to get his mind working. “It was my suggestion.”

Recalling the reason for the move, his heart sank further. “Your mental sea isn’t stable.”

“The mental power of Blue Star humans during their maturity period tends to overflow unconsciously. Being in an environment surrounded by Blue Star humans’ mental power helps soothe the mental sea, and it’s easier for me to take measures at night if something happens. So… I mentioned it to Uncle Xu.”

He hadn’t expected Xu Jin to act so quickly; he hadn’t had enough time to prepare psychologically!

Chi Yao listened and nodded, replying with a simple, “Mm.”

Shi Xing couldn’t gauge Chi Yao’s attitude and didn’t understand his own feelings either.

Fortunately, this awkwardness didn’t last long since it was already time for both of them to sleep. Chi Yao turned off the projection screen, and after the lights went out, they both got into bed.

Shi Xing left the front curtain on the bed only halfway down, fearing lowering it completely would be impolite, as if guarding against someone, so he left it open for ventilation.

In the darkness, there was only silence.

After a while, Chi Yao spoke, “Can’t sleep?”

Shi Xing pointed out, “You’re not sleeping either.”

Shi Xing countered, “Are you also unable to sleep?”

Chi Yao paused for two seconds and replied honestly, “Your presence of mental power is very strong; I can feel it overflowing.”

Chi Yao’s perceptive abilities were strong. During the day when everyone’s auras mixed together, the noise overwhelmed everything; Shi Xing’s leaking mental power was manageable among that chaos. But at night, when everything quieted down, it wasn’t the same anymore. Furthermore…

Chi Yao added, “Your heartbeat is too fast. Are you nervous?”

People with high mental power in the Empire also have superior physical qualities, which Chi Yao could identify.

Shi Xing was taken aback.

Feeling his heart stop for a moment, what could Shi Xing say? He slapped himself in the face, muttering, “A bit, it’s not familiar.”

“Do you want to go back to sleep then?”

Shi Xing took a deep breath, “No need, I’ll just adapt.”

After all, he was back today and would be coming back tomorrow; was there any difference? No.

Shi Xing shifted the conversation, proposing, “Your Highness, let’s talk for a bit.”

Chi Yao responded, “Okay.”

Shi Xing thought for a moment, voicing something that had become clear to him that afternoon, “Is the Elders Council opposing my involvement with the military and domestic affairs related to your situation?”

Because Chi Yao’s mental sea wasn’t in good shape, if Shi Xing were to be an uncertain factor in the military and domestic affairs, what if something happened to Chi Yao… at that time, no one would be able to restrain Shi Xing…

If they couldn’t restrain him, for the stability of the Empire, it would be better not to provide him with certain things from the get-go.

Moreover, once Shi Xing reached maturity, Chi Yao’s chances of being treated would have a baseline. At that time, based on the results of the treatment, the Elders Council and the Senate would be able to better decide whether to restore Shi Xing’s status.

There’s a saying that it’s easy to give but hard to take back; his two rights, as mentioned by Tang Mi, were currently in such a situation.

Giving them away was just a matter of saying it, but when it came time to take them back, it would definitely require votes and discussions from all sides.

Chi Yao’s breathing was calm, seemingly indifferent, “Maybe.”

Chi Yao said, “I’m not really concerned about what they think.”

Shi Xing chuckled, “If the chairman hears you say that, he’ll definitely have a heart attack.”

Chi Yao found it quite amusing, “Then it’s just right to replace Xu Mi Rou to make communication better.”

Shi Xing couldn’t hold back anymore and laughed out loud.

After laughing, he also felt that Chi Yao was deliberately teasing him. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, “I will heal you.”

His voice wasn’t very loud but was especially resolute.

Chi Yao wanted to say something but felt that, rather than a promise, it sounded more like Shi Xing was talking to himself. In the end, he swallowed the disappointing words and turned it into a playful tease, “Of course, with such a powerful Doctor Shi, you definitely can.”

Shi Xing responded, “Yes, Doctor Shi is responsible for you.”

Chi Yao lifted the corner of his lips, “Then you must take full responsibility, Doctor.”

Shi Xing froze.

Feeling that statement meant something more, he seemed to hear something else in it, and knowing his own feelings weren’t quite right, he fell silent.

Fortunately, Chi Yao changed the subject, “By the way, I’ve always had a question I wanted to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“What did Tan Bai Shan say to you that made you feel my mental sea has issues?”

After Shi Xing’s forced inquiry into Chi Yao’s mental sea, Chi Yao recalled repeatedly and confirmed it was after returning from Tan Bai Shan that Shi Xing had been acting strangely.

Shi Xing answered truthfully.

He remembered most of what Tan Bai Shan had said and recounted it.

After he finished, Chi Yao let out a light laugh, “He actually said such things.”

Chi Yao repeated the specific remark, which was exactly the one Shi Xing had remembered that asked what Shi Xing considered Chi Yao to be.

Before Shi Xing could feel embarrassed, Chi Yao turned the conversation, “So how did you respond to him? I’m curious.”

Shi Xing: “…”

Shi Xing: “…………”

Shi Xing silently pulled the blanket over his head.

Chi Yao waited for a moment but didn’t hear anything; instead, he heard the sound of Shi Xing’s steady breathing… he had fallen asleep!

Chi Yao: “.”

Chi Yao got out of bed and walked over to Shi Xing.

It was already past the time for Shi Xing to sleep, and once someone fell asleep, they tended to sleep very deeply. After watching for a while, Chi Yao suddenly reached out and pinched Shi Xing’s face in retaliation. He didn’t use much strength; Shi Xing’s lips were compressed into an ‘O’ shape from the pressure, and Chi Yao didn’t expect it to go this way, so he was surprised and let go.

Shi Xing found it hard to wake up, and as soon as Chi Yao released his grip and felt something, Shi Xing rolled over.

His lips brushed against Chi Yao’s finger, soft and tender.

Chi Yao froze for a moment, then after a while, he reached out to stroke Shi Xing’s lips, once, then again.

His movements were very gentle, as if Shi Xing were made of porcelain, afraid of breaking him.

But Shi Xing probably really didn’t like being disturbed while he was sleeping.

Suddenly, he opened his mouth and bit Chi Yao’s mischievous finger.

Chi Yao’s breath hitched; under his fingers, the tongue was moist, soft…

Shi Xing indeed woke up with dark circles under his eyes the next day, while Chi Yao, who claimed to not be sleeping well, looked refreshed.

“Star Star, did you steal something last night? Didn’t sleep at all?”

During breakfast, Fei Chu looked at Shi Xing and exclaimed.

Shi Xing, exhausted, replied, “No, I just changed to a new bed and I’m not used to it.”

Only Xu Jin, Yan Changyue, and Chi Yao knew that Shi Xing was living with Chi Yao. Xu Jin wasn’t the type to spread rumors; hearing Shi Xing’s reply, Fei Chu naturally said, “Oh, so it’s a change of place. If you still can’t sleep well later, let Xu Shu move the bed from the mothership into your room.”

Shi Xing knew Fei Chu misunderstood but didn’t correct it; he only said, “No need, I’ll just adapt.”

Fei Chu scrutinized Shi Xing for a bit, “Those dark circles are so heavy, and your face looks a bit puffy.” He shook his head, “Just decide for yourself.”

Shi Xing hesitated, “Is my face puffy?”

Fei Chu pointed at the corner of his mouth. Shi Xing felt around and realized it wasn’t his face but his lips that were slightly swollen.

Shi Xing was puzzled.

Chi Yao silently drank his milk, and Xu Jin glanced at them, “Not very obvious.”

Shi Xing wanted to ask more, but Chi Yao placed a bowl of cereal in front of Shi Xing, reminding him, “Sleep early tonight.”

Shi Xing thought about how he didn’t answer that question yesterday and lacked the confidence, “Okay.”

However, in the afternoon, Shi Xing was no longer bothered by that issue; there simply wasn’t time.

They were scheduled to go to the Elders Council tomorrow, and Chi Yao would take him to participate fully. He had to prepare himself for dealing with the Elders Council.

Tang Mi had picked out some potential knowledge points for him to review. The second night, he slept soundly, and before bed, he and Chi Yao went over the key points. He was so tired of reviewing them that when Chi Yao told him to sleep, Shi Xing immediately fell fast asleep.

On the third day, he officially followed Chi Yao to the Elders Council’s inspection.

The Elders Council was also a national institution, but unlike the Senate, it was closer to the Imperial Palace and had a more streamlined personnel structure.

From the exterior of the Elders Council building, it was clear it was a very old structure.

They arrived by spacecraft, and the welcoming crowd was led by the president, followed by a row of six vice presidents, and behind them stood the staff of the Elders Council.

Shi Xing observed; the scale was indeed not large, looking like it had less than a hundred people, roughly half of Fei Chu’s team.

After having met and exchanged greetings, the president welcomed Chi Yao and Shi Xing inside.

For this inspection work, the secretary Wei Wan also accompanied them. After some small talk, holding the documents, she began to check in on each department, asking about annual work.

Most of the questions came from Wei Wan, and Shi Xing thought this work should not have been finished in a single day. The secretaries had probably been preparing the inspection materials before Chi Yao returned to the capital.

Chi Yao basically remained silent, and when he spoke, it was a hassle.

If you asked Shi Xing how he knew this, it was because Wei Wan was merely doing her normal reporting as part of the Elders Council; if Chi Yao opened his mouth to inquire about something, the staff of the Elders Council would spend even more time searching for a pile of materials to prove the legitimacy and fairness of their previous judgments and actions.

Starting from the subdivisions, after checking the departments, they checked the vice presidents.

Among them, Jin Jun was in charge of Bi Zhou and had the most dealings with the palace’s secretarial officers. Thus, checking his work was the most straightforward.

Another impressionable figure for Shi Xing was Xu Mi Rou. She would always do detailed summaries of her work, so if any issues arose, the summary documents would include the context at the time, eliminating the need for her to sift through a series of files to recall details.

The longest process was undoubtedly He Zhuang. All sorts of matters would converge there, and whenever there was an issue, if a specific responsible party couldn’t be found, they would turn to He Zhuang.

The other three vice presidents whom Shi Xing had met earlier during the welcoming process appeared to be of lesser authority compared to the other three who had greeted them earlier.

He wasn’t mistaken. When Chi Yao and Wei Wan independently assessed the work of President Ren Yan Yong, Shi Xing got confirmation from Tang Mi.

Tang Mi said, “Lunch will be at the Elders Council.”

“The rest will be handled by the secretaries. Once the Emperor emerges, the major part of this inspection will be over.”

Pausing for a moment, looking around, he lowered his voice and leaned in to Shi Xing’s ear, “In the afternoon, they will likely engage the Emperor in a formal discussion regarding your granting of rights.”

Shi Xing asked Tang Mi, “Can I participate?”

Tang Mi was taken aback for a moment, “Do you want to join?”

He thought it would be better to leave such matters to Chi Yao and that it was more suitable for Shi Xing not to confront the Elders Council directly.

Shi Xing’s response was direct, “It’s my own rights; I think I should fight for them myself.”

Tang Mi contemplated for a moment and simply concluded, “Then you can ask His Highness.”

After a midday break on the spaceship, Shi Xing asked Chi Yao, receiving an affirmative answer. If he wanted to participate, Chi Yao wouldn’t impose restrictions. In Chi Yao’s view, a confrontation with the Elders Council would only be a matter of time; avoiding a direct clash now wouldn’t prevent conflicts in the future.

Because fundamentally, their opinions just couldn’t converge.

So whenever the clash occurred, he was ready for it.

The afternoon meeting at the Elders Council was held in a small conference room known for the best soundproofing and confidentiality.

The president, vice presidents, and department heads were all present.

When Chi Yao and Shi Xing arrived, it caused a moment of surprise among the attendees.

President Ren Yan Yong hesitated, “Does the young prince wish to participate as well?”

Chi Yao replied, “Mm, after all, it’s concerning his rights; shouldn’t the person concerned be present?”

Ren Yan Yong swallowed hard. The vice president He Zhuang behind him frowned, sensing that matters were not going to go smoothly.

Indeed, things were not smooth.

After the Elders Council laid out the situation and elaborated various considerations, Chi Yao broke the deadlock from the fundamental point.

“Shi Xing is my partner; the government authority is decided jointly by the Senate and the Elders Council.”

“But military authority is not; military authority is decided internally within the corps.”

Ren Yan Yong was taken aback, “Your Majesty, are you suggesting…?”

Wei Wan interjected, “The duties of the Empire’s institutions are distinct. Since this does not fall under the responsibility of the Elders Council, there’s no need for the Elders Council to worry too much. Military matters will have their own decision-making within the military corps.”

The words were soft, yet the message was resolutely clear.

Translating it simply means—military authority has nothing to do with you, so don’t meddle.

Vice president He Zhuang understood what was implied and exchanged glances with Ren Yan Yong, remaining silent for a while. He Zhuang suddenly turned to Shi Xing and unexpectedly asked, “What does the young prince mean? With a Blue Star human’s physical quality, controlling military authority would be very difficult. Are you not considering this practical issue?”

Shi Xing reflected for a moment and began rebutting from a fundamental logic standpoint.

“Vice president He, what specific aspect of Blue Star humans’ physical quality are you referring to? As long as there are no issues, my health is actually quite good.”

“If we’re talking about sickness, everyone can get sick, and Empire citizens are no exception.”

Ren Yong, the president’s eldest son, clarified, “Blue Star humans are physically weak, which might not be suitable for high-intensity combat command.”

Shi Xing replied, “You may not know me very well.”

“As for combat capability, I can kill low-level star beasts by myself.”

“In group battles, the 3S-level mutated star beast that parachuted with the Seventh Army last time was also killed with my assistance.”

Fei Chu and Fu Qing could testify to this.

This was something the Elders Council hadn’t anticipated. Ren Yan Yong and He Zhuang exchanged glances, hearing Fei Chu and Fu Qing’s words didn’t appear to be falsehoods. After some consideration, Ren Yan Yong moved past the details of the matter, focusing on the main issue, “So does Your Majesty already have thoughts regarding the military authority?”

“Will you be granting half military authority to the young prince?”

Legally, the direct partners of the Imperial family could obtain half the military authority possessed by the royal line.

Chi Yao interjected, “Half is too much; he has other matters to attend to, so that proportion cannot be attained.”

Ren Yan Yong felt his heart sink directly.

Chi Yao’s statement, regardless of the proportion, showed a resolve to grant military authority to Shi Xing.

Ren Yan Yong wanted to say something but Chi Yao didn’t give him the chance, “I already said that military authority is decided internally within the corps; my thoughts are not a decisive opinion.”

He swiftly turned the tables, “However, governance is your domain. Has the Elders Council reached a decision?”

Ren Yan Yong was momentarily lost for words.

There had to be a decision, but he was uncertain whether to announce it at this moment; bringing up a rejection might affect military authority’s distribution.

What they feared the most was for the Elders Council to reject the granting of governance authority while at the same time, the Emperor raised the military authority being granted—this would be a terrible outcome, one the Elders Council certainly did not want to see.

After a long pause, Ren Yan Yong finally replied, “No formal document has been issued yet.”

This statement was skillfully evasive, almost as if subtly negotiating something.

Yet Chi Yao didn’t intend to negotiate with them.

“The Senate hasn’t issued a document either?”

He Zhuang chuckled, “Your Majesty is joking. For fairness in decision-making, the decision documents from the Elders Council and the Senate must be spaced half a month apart; we’re well aware of that.”

In other words, both sides were observing each other, testing the waters, neither wanting to be the one to offend Chi Yao.

Chi Yao nodded, “Got it.”

His tone was slightly impatient. Shi Xing picked up on it—Chi Yao didn’t appreciate this roundabout negotiation atmosphere.

Ren Yan Yong asked, “Then military authority…”

Chi Yao cut through the roundaboutness, “Vote it in the meeting; what else can be done?”

“With seven military corps, a majority will proceed with the granting, as per the usual rules.”

Ren Yan Yong: “…”

He Zhuang: “…”

Even if they resisted, this matter didn’t fall within their jurisdiction. Chi Yao wouldn’t agree; Shi Xing appeared willing to fight for it, so the Elders Council had no choice but to comply with the process. Following the rules would likely be to the Elders Council’s advantage, as they could participate in monitoring the voting meetings ensuring fairness in the outcomes.

That day, as Chi Yao and Shi Xing departed, Ren Yan Yong was not particularly happy.

In private, when it was just the two of them, He Zhuang sighed and said, “I told you this was the Emperor’s intention; you see now.”

Ren Yan Yong said, “I can understand His Majesty, but we in the Elders Council have our responsibilities too.”

Bi Zhou was still young, and Shi Xing was not very old either, additionally, Chi Yao’s condition…

Ren Yan Yong exhaled, “The Empire’s stability is the most important thing; His Majesty wouldn’t be unaware, it’s just… both sides have their own positions.”

Nevertheless, He Zhuang wasn’t optimistic, “Shi Xing has spent a considerable time with the Seventh Army, and it’s hard to say what their attitude is right now. As for the other corps, he hasn’t had too much contact. With voting scheduled a week later, the timing is neither fast nor slow, but…”

He Zhuang sighed again, “I just don’t feel secure.”

Ren Yan Yong assured him, “The Emperor will contact the military corps. We can too, presenting the pros and cons; everyone will deliberate on it.”

But He Zhuang shook his head, expressing concern, “I’m not worried that our communication with the military corps might be problematic, but that the Emperor always speaks firmly; I always feel there’s a backup plan.”

In fact, there indeed was.

Two days later, the Elders Council contacted several friendly military corps, explaining the benefits one by one. They soon received some news—

The Emperor instructed the senior military officers injured in the line of duty to sign up, and after Fei Chu compiled the list, Shi Xing would treat them as needed.

At that moment of realization, Ren Yan Yong was left speechless.

With the registration now happening, it was foreseeable that a week later, many officers’ attitudes toward Shi Xing would change.

This would transition from being strangers to forming a positive impression.

Yet the Elders Council couldn’t do anything; this was a unique talent of Blue Star humans, and they wouldn’t be able to treat them even if they were in their position.

Across the entire galaxy, only Blue Star humans had such abilities.

To take a step back, the injured officers had already made contributions to the Empire; they couldn’t stop them from receiving treatment.

And so, the Elders Council waited anxiously for the day of the voting meeting.

When the holographic meeting over the communication device began, Ren Yan Yong logged on and immediately witnessed another event that left him speechless.

Tan Bai Shan logged on for two seconds before logging off.

He logged off for no other reason than that he had voted for Shi Xing, completing his expression regarding the meeting and then left!

Yes, he didn’t even pretend, at least to listen to the content before voting, he just… directly voted and then logged off.

Ren Yan Yong knew that Tan Bai Shan had always been straightforward, but he was a Marshal; at least he should be conscientious of his influence!!