The mindset of many people underwent a change that night. In King Luo Rong’s residence, Guo Zimu nestled in the arms of King Luo Rong, still feeling like he was in a dream.

 

“Zimu, aren’t you sleeping?”

 

“Am I dreaming?” King Luo Rong chuckled, a mix of heartache and self-blame, regretting his past “harshness.” He reached across the sleepwear to caress Guo Zimu’s shoulder and said, “It’s not a dream. I want to marry you, marry you as my legal spouse.” Guo Zimu raised his head and in his beautiful eyes, there was hesitation. “Can’t we just light a red candle, pay respects to the heavens, and call it a day?”

 

“No way.” King Luo Rong feigned a stern expression. “As a prince’s legal spouse, you can’t be hidden away. How can we hastily marry like that? I want everyone in the world to know that you are my legal spouse, yes, my wife.” As the words were spoken, King Luo Rong’s old face blushed a little, but he felt quite pleased. No wonder others always liked to mention “wife” so much.

 

Guo Zimu was elated by King Luo Rong’s confident words. Although he still didn’t want a grand ceremony or want to be seen, hearing such words from the person he liked made him happy.

 

Guo Zimu smiled a smile that made King Luo Rong’s head spin and he couldn’t help but kiss him. Guo Zimu took the opportunity to embrace King Luo Rong’s neck, opening his mouth. Their bodies were tightly entwined and when King Luo Rong realized he was on top of Guo Zimu, the latter’s nightgown was already untied, revealing a naked, fair, and incredibly beautiful body.

 

King Luo Rong quickly rolled over and gathered Guo Zimu’s nightgown. The clothing was indeed attractive, but a bit too provocative. Guo Zimu embraced King Luo Rong, panting softly. “Don’t you want to?” King Luo Rong, resisting the urge to wipe his nosebleed, said “Your body hasn’t fully recovered; you need to rest for a few days.”

 

Guo Zimu blinked innocently, “Murong, are you tired?” King Luo Rong’s “beastly instincts” immediately surged, this was similar to being told, “you can’t perform.” Guo Zimu continued to tease fearlessly. “When you pamper me, I feel you love me the most. I dreamt many times about you kissing me and touching me!”

 

King Luo Rong’s mouth was temporarily speechless. If Shao Yunan were present, he would definitely shout, “I never taught him such things! I can’t even say them myself! Little Guo, you’re undoubtedly a seducer, a natural one at that!” But Guo Zimu would surely give him a disdainful look. “It’s not your teaching, but your little yellow book which  gave me such ideas. And after saying them, the male lead is sure to transform into a wolf!”

 

Back to the bed. Guo Zimu, who took the initiative to seduce, made King Luo Rong surrender completely. The silk nightgown softly slid off the bed and with no worries, King Luo Rong just wanted to satisfy his little male spouse and fulfill his own long-suppressed desires. Guo Zimu’s unrestrained cries of pleasure, more delicate and beautiful than a woman’s, resonated in the room. Due to years of working in the flower fields, King Luo Rong had a dark complexion, but he had a well-toned physique. He lay between Guo Zimu’s legs, passionately savoring the beauty between them.

 

“Murong… Murong…” King Luo Rong felt, with each call of “Murong,” that he was no longer an old man aware of his destiny, but a young man in the prime of his life. He wasn’t old yet; he could still satisfy his legal spouse.

 

“Ah…” The enormous size slowly pressed into the warm place and King Luo Rong groaned comfortably. With jade-like arms wrapped around him, King Luo Rong, fueled by this encouragement, continued his bold advances. “Ah…”

 

The night was still long. King Luo Rong, who had been nurtured in Xiushui Village for so long, showed no signs of exhaustion from the previous night’s intense activities. Little Murong happily cultivated in the moist place and King Luo Rong left behind a trail of marks on Guo Zimu. No matter how beautiful this person was, he had already been picked by him. No one could take him away unless he died!

 

As dawn broke, King Luo Rong’s personal servant shouted outside the room. The Emperor had issued an edict; today, the court officials would attend the morning court. Thinking about the return of Jiang Kangning, the County Magistrate of Yongxiu County, who had caused a sensation in the capital, this sudden morning court was undoubtedly convened for this person.

 

King Luo Rong woke up and the person beside him slept soundly. Gently uncovering the quilt, King Luo Rong, like a thief, hugged his clothes and tiptoed out of the bedroom. As soon as he came out, he told the waiting maids, “The Madam is still asleep; don’t disturb him. Just boil two eggs for me.”

 

‘The Madam?!’ Although the imperial decree had not been issued, King Luo Rong had verbally announced the future identity of Guo Zimu in the mansion. This immediately shocked everyone in the mansion. Not only that, King Luo Rong summoned the steward of the mansion, emphasizing Guo Zimu’s status in the house. Even if he hadn’t formally entered the family, from today, everyone in the mansion was to treat Guo Zimu as they would treat the legal spouse. Anyone who dared to overstep would be dealt with according to the mansion’s rules.

 

The rules of the King Luo Rong Mansion, for the servants of the mansion, had always been considered mere formalities upon entry. The number of servants in the mansion was not large, only about a dozen, most of whom had served for many years. King Luo Rong, being an unpretentious prince with an ailing heir, rarely bothered with trivial matters. 

 

The mansion’s servants didn’t have many rules to follow. However, the situation had changed now that a true mistress was to be in the mansion. The rules that had been neglected for decades in the mansion were now being enforced. This was a treatment even the entry of a princess into the mansion had not received. The people in the mansion were particularly curious about this young man, the prospective legal spouse, who had always worn a mask.

 

After having two boiled eggs, King Luo Rong hurriedly attended the court session. While Guo Zimu was sleeping soundly in the room, King Luo Rong instructed the steward to bring in a few clever, honest individuals with slave contracts to attend to the needs of the future Madam.

 

When the heir, Murong Yi, woke up and heard the gossip from the servants during the meal, he nodded earnestly and said, “Dad is showing true feelings. In the future, when you see him, don’t forget your manners.” The servant, however, said “Master, the king has never cared so much for anyone. Marrying someone as the legal spouse as soon as they enter the mansion, what if they have a child? Wouldn’t that be detrimental to you, Master?”

 

Unexpectedly, Murong Yi raised his hand and delivered a resounding slap to the servant, who promptly knelt down, banging his head on the floor. “Master, forgive me. It’s just the servant’s loose tongue!” He even began slapping himself in the face. Murong Yi, with the same casual expression, continued to enjoy his porridge but said menacingly, “This young master doesn’t care if you guessed it yourself or if someone fed you these ideas. If any of you dare to gossip again, don’t blame this young master for being impolite!”

 

“It’s the servant’s loose tongue! The servant recklessly guessed the master’s thoughts. It’s the servant’s loose tongue!” The servant continued to slap himself. Murong Yi put down his spoon, wiped his mouth, and said, “This porridge is horrible. The maids and servants in the mansion are becoming more and more lazy. I’ve said these days that I don’t want porridge. Why is there porridge again? Summon the steward.”

 

“Yes!” Another servant hastily ran out, not daring to argue that the heir had never mentioned not wanting porridge. Those close to Murong Yi knew that although their master seemed easygoing, when he decided to act sternly, he would stick to his decisions. However, this heir’s health issues meant he rarely showed this side, causing the staff to forget their master’s true nature.

 

Murong Yi raised his eyes and said to the servant still kneeling and slapping himself, “Go and attend to little Hui. Be careful not to speak nonsense in front of him.” The servant repeatedly kowtowed: “Yes!”

 

He understood that he wouldn’t be able to serve the heir and the heir’s arrangement was both a warning and another chance. Murong Yi gestured for them to leave and when the servants were all out, he slapped the table, gritting his teeth. “There are already schemes even before entering the mansion. Damn it, I haven’t died yet!”

 

While King Luo Rong was attending the court session and Guo Zimu was peacefully asleep, the Crown Prince, Murong Yi, gathered all the servants of the mansion in the main hall. Although Murong Yi had a weak constitution and was lazy most of the time, King Luo Rong cared for him. Even though this son might suddenly lose his breath at any time, King Luo Rong was willing to grant him the title of Crown Prince and hand over the mansion’s authority to him. In the Luo Rong Mansion, Murong Yi was not just a nominal Crown Prince.

 

At this moment, the focus in the Luo Rong Mansion was on Murong Yi. Simultaneously, in the court, there were significant developments. General Dai and Elder Weng were sitting at the forefront of the court. After Jiang Kangning entered the capital, he went directly to Elder Weng’s mansion. However, he didn’t reveal the true cause of the seismic activity to his adoptive father. He just asked him to trust him and keep quiet about this matter.

 

Today, not only Jiang Kangning, but several other officials were reporting their duties. Still, he was undoubtedly the most eye-catching one. Many people wanted to remove him from the position of Yongxiu County Magistrate and even suggested harsh punishments. While the officials were waiting, Jiang Kangning calmly accepted the scrutiny from all sides, holding a black ebony box in his hands.

 

After Emperor Yongming took his seat on the throne, King Luo Rong reported. “Your Majesty, I was ordered to investigate the seismic activity in Yongxiu County. Upon investigation, I found that there was indeed seismic activity in Xiushui Village, but there were no casualties among the people or livestock.”

 

King Luo Rong did not mention the giant locust tree, Brother Tiger, or Jiang Kangning’s achievements, presenting himself in a matter-of-fact manner. However, this attitude was precisely what Jiang Kangning needed. The Emperor deliberately asked, “Regarding the seismic activity, as the County Magistrate of Yongxiu, why didn’t he report it promptly?”

 

“Jiang Kangning stated that the reasons behind the seismic activity were significant and he needed to report them to Your Majesty in person. I thought, given that Jiang Kangning would be reporting to Your Majesty in the coming days, there was no need to inquire further.” Emperor Yongming nodded and King Luo Rong retreated back into the queue. 

 

As soon as King Luo Rong returned to his place another official stepped forward saying, “Your Majesty, Jiang Kangning, as the Magistrate of Yongxiu County, should timely report any significant reasons for seismic activity to the court. Jiang Kangning’s concealment is a clear disregard for the court’s authority. I believe Jiang Kangning’s actions constitute negligence and Your Majesty should punish him severely as a deterrent. Otherwise, won’t officials across the court’s territories use such excuses to deceive the court in the future?”

 

Another official immediately joined, also calling for strict punishment for Jiang Kangning. Delegate Ming Ge stepped forward. “Your Majesty, I suggest listening to the so-called significant reasons behind Jiang Kangning’s actions first before determining whether he is negligent.”

 

“What Delegate Ming said is incorrect. Reasons are reasons and negligence is negligence. They should not be mixed up.” 

 

The officials in the courtroom were divided into three factions, one faction demanded that Jiang Kangning be severely punished, one faction believed that Jiang Kangning’s reasons should be heard first, and the other faction was neutral. King Luo Rong did not speak for Jiang Kangning, he knew the Emperor’s mind. Those who demanded that Jiang Kangning be severely punished were mainly officials from Duke of An and Marquis of Shaoyang’s faction, but the officials from the Duke of Ning’s faction, who had previously spoken up for Jiang Kangning, changed their tone and also demanded that Jiang Kangning be severely punished.

 

The officials who thought that Jiang Kangning should be listened to first were the Duke of Lu, Marquis of Jingling, and Marquis of Ping’an. The only person from the Great General’s faction who took a stand was Dai Mingo. Elder Weng’s students, as long as they were among the hundred officials, all spoke up to intercede for Jiang Kangning.

 

Once the court’s discussions reached a sufficient level of chaos, Emperor Yongming spoke. “Summon Jiang Kangning. First, let’s hear what he has to say. If he exaggerates, I can deal with his offense later.” When Emperor Yongming took such a stance, the faces of the officials who advocated for severe punishment all immediately did not look too good.

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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