TPATTHU Chapter 38
by VolareChapter 38: I Have Absolutely No Second Thoughts About You, Teacher
As the saying goes, the cycle of heavenly justice is eternal.
Yang Sharen committed numerous evils, and now that this tyrant has died under the executioner’s club, it can be considered a fitting end. Just as the people of the city were excitedly spreading the news of this wonderful event, there was one person in the courier station who was feeling down.
Shen Zhejiang carried a food box into Xiao Zhinian’s room, and after looking around, he couldn’t find him. However, he noticed a bulge in the bedding on the bed.
“Your Majesty, it’s time to eat.”
A muffled groan seemed to come from within.
Shen Zhejiang placed the food box he was carrying on the table and opened the lid. It had three layers.
He took out the dishes one by one, arranging them neatly. There was both meat and vegetables, a balanced and nutritious meal. Finally, there were two bowls of rice and two pairs of chopsticks.
The colors, aromas, and flavors were all enticing.
However, Xiao Zhinian remained unmoved, hiding under the covers.
Shen Zhejiang said in a calm voice, “Is Your Majesty trying to make things difficult for yourself? If you can’t even eat your fill, how will you have the strength to deal with Yang Shihui?”
“Yang Shihui publicly provoked me. Are you here to make me angry too, Teacher?”
Xiao Zhinian rolled himself out, lying on his stomach at the edge of the bed, propping up half of his listless face with his hand.
This appearance reminded Shen Zhejiang of Xiao Zhinian when he was a child. Whenever he was unhappy, he would first scold the person who had angered him, then hide somewhere alone and secretly sulk, refusing to listen to anyone. Only when Shen Zhejiang coaxed him would he come out.
Now that he was older, he didn’t throw tantrums in front of people so easily, but he still stubbornly challenged himself as always.
Therefore, Shen Zhejiang walked over and sat sideways next to Xiao Zhinian. Following the old routine, he expertly rubbed Xiao Zhinian’s fluffy head and said softly, “Your Majesty is used to getting your way. Being thwarted by your subordinates is a form of tempering. The ministers in the court are not like the palace servants who cater to Your Majesty in every way. Your Majesty should also restrain your childish nature.”
“……”
“I’m not here to make you angry. Huai Wu said that Your Majesty hasn’t even glanced at the meals that have been sent over these past few days. So, I’m here to urge Your Majesty to eat properly.”
Xiao Zhinian looked listless. He took Shen Zhejiang’s hand, which was smoothing his hair, and turned over irritably, pulling the blanket over his head again. “I told you last time not to be so distant with me. You keep calling me ‘Your Majesty’ and yourself ‘your subject.’ It’s annoying to hear. Leave me alone! Humph!”
So that’s what this was about.
Shen Zhejiang was helpless, a faint smile appearing in his eyes. He leaned over and patted Xiao Zhinian, saying, “I understand. Get up now.”
“Then call me by my name.”
“……Xiao Zhinian?”
He asked with a hint of uncertainty.
Xiao Zhinian didn’t move.
“Then… Zhinian?”
Shen Zhejiang asked again.
Still no response.
After a long while, a sigh was heard. Shen Zhejiang parted his lips and said, “Xiao Nian, come out.”
Only then did some rustling sounds come from under the covers.
After a while, Xiao Zhinian hesitantly poked his head out. His forehead was already covered in a layer of fine sweat, and his flying eyebrows were full of a bright, moonlit smile. He said with a smile, “It’s settled then. You’re not allowed to go back on your word, Teacher.”
Shen Zhejiang felt like he was the one being lured into a trap, step by step.
Being bitten tightly.
“Alright, since you’re not angry anymore, come and eat.”
After saying that, Shen Zhejiang hadn’t even moved when Xiao Zhinian pulled him backward. Caught off guard, he leaned back with the force. Afterimages flashed before his eyes, and finally, he was staring at a triumphant, handsome face.
Shen Zhejiang was pinned to the bed. In terms of martial strength, he was far inferior to Xiao Zhinian. He had no choice but to use the little bit of teacherly demeanor he had left to glare at the wicked student in front of him, tilting his head and saying, “What are you doing, causing such a ruckus?”
Xiao Zhinian wasn’t afraid at all, as if he were looking at a cat that had been teased until it was puffed up with anger. It was too adorable. He really wanted to tease him some more.
But thinking of what happened at Chunyi Brothel last time, Xiao Zhinian hadn’t yet formally apologized to Shen Zhejiang. He pressed his forehead against Shen Zhejiang’s and said with a sincere tone.
“Last time, I didn’t know what I was doing. I asked the doctor, and he said that you need to take medicine before and after doing those things so you won’t be too uncomfortable. In the future, I’ll have the imperial physicians in the palace prepare the best medicine. Every time from now on, I will make you comfortable.”
“Who said I wanted to do those things with you? Let go.”
Shen Zhejiang’s ears turned red, and he awkwardly shifted his gaze to the green tassels hanging on the bed curtains.
Xiao Zhinian chuckled softly, “If Teacher doesn’t want to be with me, who else do you want to be with?”
Of course, there was no answer.
Seeing that Shen Zhejiang was ignoring him, suddenly, Xiao Zhinian lowered his head and kissed Shen Zhejiang’s flushed, thin lips. Their lips touched, and he kissed him lightly, even having the wicked thought of flicking his tongue.
A tingling, shivering sensation went from his toes upwards.
“……”
The sober Shen Zhejiang wasn’t as easy to get his hands on as he was when he was drunk. He bit down hard on Xiao Zhinian’s approaching lips.
“Hiss!”
Xiao Zhinian let go of him as expected, wiping his lips, and realized that he had a small cut. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.
“You’re really willing to do that, Teacher.”
Shen Zhejiang pushed him away, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the remaining saliva from his lips, saying in a serious tone, “When dealing with a lecher, you should use their own methods against them.”
Xiao Zhinian: “……”
After such a commotion, half an hour had passed, but the food was still at the perfect temperature.
Shen Zhejiang placed the bowl of rice in front of Xiao Zhinian, and also handed him one of the pairs of chopsticks, saying, “Eat all of this.”
Xiao Zhinian saw the extra pair of wooden chopsticks and smiled, “Let’s eat together, Teacher.”
The ordinary home-style dishes were very different from the flavors of Luo City, and they all suited Xiao Zhinian’s taste.
It was clear that Shen Zhejiang had cooked them himself.
Xiao Zhinian placed a piece of meat in Shen Zhejiang’s bowl, saying, “Teacher is too thin. You should eat more.”
After speaking, he added another piece.
Shen Zhejiang hummed in acknowledgement and chewed it carefully.
As a large portion of their leisurely time passed, the two of them ate halfway, interspersing their meal with casual chatter.
At this moment, Shen Zhejiang, holding his chopsticks, shifted the topic elsewhere, “What do you think of Yang Sharen’s last words?”
After finishing the last mouthful of white rice, Xiao Zhinian wiped his oily mouth with his sleeve and said, “Yang Shihui must have a secret on him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have cut off Yang Sharen’s breath right then and there. As for whether they colluded or not, who knows?”
“Pay attention to your words and actions,” Shen Zhejiang slapped the back of Xiao Zhinian’s hand, and simply gave him the handkerchief he carried with him, “Use this, don’t use your sleeve.”
Xiao Zhinian was very surprised, and hurriedly stuffed the handkerchief into his chest, hiding it carefully, as if he was afraid that Shen Zhejiang would regret it the next moment. “I can’t bear to use it.”
Shen Zhejiang was speechless for a moment, his voice calm as he said, “Whether you use it or not, it has to be returned. Getting back to the main topic, Luo City is close to the border of Qing Country, and Yang Shihui has been working in Luo City for many years. I’m worried that he has disloyal intentions.”
“With his appearance of being half-buried in the ground, I don’t believe he can stir up much trouble,” Xiao Zhinian leaned closer to Shen Zhejiang and quickly pecked him on the side of his face, “Teacher said something wrong just now, let’s penalize you for that.”
“Where did I……”
Shen Zhejiang blurted out, finally realizing it, and immediately stopped himself.
Xiao Zhinian’s eyes were curved as he said, “Now you’ve finally remembered.”
“……I’m discussing serious matters with you.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t talk about serious matters, I’m just correcting some of your wording.”
Xiao Zhinian was quite skilled at sophistry, but it was indeed Shen Zhejiang who had agreed to it earlier.
Knowing that he was in the wrong, Shen Zhejiang stopped arguing with him and instead said, “Yang Shihui’s matter still needs to be investigated.”
Xiao Zhinian nodded, his attitude becoming more serious, and said, “I’ve already sent Huai Wu to secretly follow him. Now that Yang Shihui knows that he’s revealed his fox’s tail, he naturally won’t let us easily find any more evidence.”
As he spoke, he put his hands behind his head, his foot kicking the corner of the table back and forth, and continued, “Speaking of which, Yang Shihui is really ruthless. He actually treated his own nephew so cruelly.”
“Everyone in the world is bustling about for profit. How much warmth is there in this world that isn’t tied to interests?”
Shen Zhejiang had seen too much of it.
In the days after the fall of the Shen family, all his efforts were turned away. Later, only Han Zitang was willing to help him.
His palm suddenly felt warm.
He raised his head in surprise, only to see Xiao Zhinian holding his hand, three fingers together, vowing to the heavens, “Heaven and earth bear witness, I have absolutely no second thoughts about you, Teacher.”
Shen Zhejiang chuckled.