Chapter 198 – My Doubts

The wind blew fiercely, causing the dragon flags on both sides of the gangway to flutter loudly. Xu Chun accompanied Xie Yi onto the newly minted “Taiping” warship.

Sheng Changtian, dressed in his naval officer uniform with a heroic bearing, led the naval officers and soldiers aboard to pay their respects and welcome the emperor.

Xie Yi greeted Sheng Changtian with a smile, “General Sheng, you’ve been working hard.”

Sheng Changtian stood ramrod straight, his face tense and stiff, “This subordinate obeys orders!”

His reply was nonsensical, but Xie Yi smiled slightly, seemingly seeing through his nervousness behind the facade and did not blame him. Sheng Changtian guided everyone to the captain’s room on the warship.

Xie Yi did not enter, instead stood in front of the highest command post of the warship, leaning on the railing and looking out at the waves. The sun shone through the long windows of the rest room behind him, casting a dazzling light. The “Taiping” had already set sail, heading for the location of the exercise, the White Coral Islands.

Eighteen warships escorted the Taiping on both sides, among which the two armored battleships “Qianqiu” and “Wansui” flanked it on the left and right wings. Ahead were cruisers clearing the path, followed by gunboats forming the goose wing formation.

White foam churned and roared on both sides of the ship, while the sea wind blew fiercely. The warship sailed forward on the thousand-mile wind, and Xie Yi’s cloak billowed wildly, but he did not mind the strong wind, but only gazed into the distance. He spent most of his time deep in the palace, but now suddenly on a warship, breaking through the wind and waves, the sky and sea merged into one color, broadening his heart and mind. Coupled with his lover by his side, he became even more filled with confidence.

Xu Chun stood beside him, watching Xie Yi gaze into the distance, his brows deeply furrowed, nose straight, and thin lips pursed, but his long eyebrows relaxed. He knew his Ninth Brother was very happy now.

This made him feel that all the hardships of preparing for these days were worth it. Civil and military officials surrounded his Ninth Brother, his sovereign, who carried an innate majesty, yet he was also a man so handsome that his heart raced. If there were only the two of them here…

Those kisses that quickened his heartbeat… those long, powerful fingers tightly gripping his wrist. Suddenly, Xu Chun felt his body heat up, his mouth dry.

A sharp pain suddenly came from his toes. He looked down and saw Fang Zijing stepping on him, giving him a look, “Xu Yuanlin, the armor on the bow of this ship seems longer and thicker than usual?”

Xu Chun hurriedly replied, “Yes, nowadays, ramming has become one of the effective tactics in naval warfare, so the bows of modern warships are equipped with rams.”

Fang Zijing looked at him coolly. Xu Chun’s ears turned slightly red, knowing that his answer was not very good. But Xie Yi continued asking, “What does the daily training of the navy consist of?”

Xu Chun answered, “Learning flag signals, physical training, seamanship, navigation, ship handling, tactical drills, and so on.”

Fang Zijing rolled his eyes inwardly, knowing that Xie Yi was covering for Xu Chun, but he could not do anything about it. So many people were watching, and this foolish boy dared to stare directly at the emperor’s face, his cat-like eyes bright and unblinking as he looked at the emperor without blinking!

Xie Yi asked again, “What exercise will we be conducting later?”

Xu Chun continued answering, “The exercises include formation drills, sea target shooting, torpedo boat torpedo launches, and amphibious landing drills.” He glanced secretly at Xie Yi’s ice-like face, feeling parched, and said softly, “Your Majesty, it will take about half an hour to reach the White Coral Islands. Why don’t you go inside and have some tea and rest? I’ve already prepared everything.”

Xie Yi said, “Very well.”

Xu Chun’s face immediately lit up with a smile. Turning around, he guided Xie Yi into the rest room, which had already been cleaned spotlessly. A throne was set up, and when Xie Yi took off his cloak and sat down, Xu Chun followed him in, smiling and seeking praise, “Surprised? Ninth Brother.”

Xie Yi smiled, “To build such a large ship on the first try? Indeed, you’ve come of age.”

He leaned back slightly and half-closed his eyes. After maintaining his composure during the morning inspection, he was actually tired. In front of Xu Chun, he could relax a little.

Xu Chun watched Xie Yi lean back slightly, exposing his slender neck. Looking at his brother’s Adam’s apple, he felt a surge of heat in his heart, wanting nothing more than to kiss it. But he knew that Xie Yi still had to meet with generals and ministers, so he could not wrinkle his clothes, nor could he impulsively leave a mark on him like last time. He could only carefully walk over to the side of the chair and slowly massage his shoulders, “It’s been hard work, everyone has been working day and night, but finally, we’ve made it to the grand inspection.”

Xie Yi saw him being careful, completely lacking the boldness of the past few days when he stole kisses. Knowing that he was wary of the people outside, Xie Yi secretly smiled. Reaching out, he grabbed Xu Chun’s wrist and pulled him onto the soft chair. “My dear, you’ve worked hard, you deserve a reward.” After saying this, he tilted his chin and slowly kissed him, grinding against his lips.

Xu Chun was unexpectedly rewarded, overjoyed. One hand resting on the armrest, he opened his mouth but dared not make a sound, only worried that some tactless minister might suddenly barge in. Yet, the more this was the case, the more excited he became. Xie Yi watched his eyelashes tremble uncontrollably, his eyes brimming with tears, his face flushed like peach blossoms, the springtime beauty captivating. The young general, who had just been full of spirit and pointing at the sea, was now half-reclining on the pillow, offering himself to be plucked, ready for the taking. No matter how confident and composed he appeared in public, he had a different demeanor when serving his sovereign.

Whenever he became agitated and unable to bear it, his face and chest would flush with a crimson hue, like a peach blossom blooming for the first time, full of charm. Whenever he touched his skin, it felt hot and scalding, and he had worried that Xu Chun was sick. Later, he saw that although he was exhausted, there was nothing unusual about him. After regaining his composure, he was energetic and insatiable. It was not until later that he realized that this happened every time, and then he understood. In his heart, he was delighted to have this exclusive intimacy, a state that no one else could possibly witness.

Unable to resist, he bent down again to kiss those soft lips.

Su Huai and Fang Zixing heard the emperor speaking softly inside, sometimes laughing quietly, but Xu Chun remained silent.

In less than half an hour, Fang Zijing suddenly strode up the gangway, his face stern. Fang Zixing, standing at the door, hurriedly reached out to stop him, lowering his voice, “Brother!”

Fang Zijing looked at him coldly. Fang Zixing was intimidated by his gaze, “What’s the matter, Brother? I’ll go in and report it.”

Fang Zijing gritted his teeth, “Call out that damn Xu Chun!”

Fang Zixing’s eyes darted around, “He’s attending to His Majesty, please wait a moment, don’t disturb His Majesty.”

Fang Zijing snorted, “Go!”

Fang Zixing, under the intense gaze of Fang Zijing, begged for mercy like a beggar, looking at Su Huai across from him. Su Huai was very understanding, “It seems that Duke Wuying has an urgent matter. Let this old slave go in and inform His Majesty, and quietly invite Duke Xu out.”

Fang Zijing grunted.

Su Huai walked in with heavy steps, then coughed heavily outside the beaded curtain, “Your Majesty, Duke Wuying seems to have an urgent matter and is looking for Duke Xu.”

Inside, there was silence for a moment. Xie Yi said indifferently, “I understand.”

After a long while, Xu Chun came out, adjusting his sleeves, his face still tinged with redness. Seeing Su Huai, he smiled awkwardly, “Thank you, Eunuch Su.”

Su Huai saw that his clothes were still neat, so he did not need to help him fix his clothes. Smiling slightly, he bowed slightly, “Duke Wuying is waiting outside.”

Xu Chun hurriedly walked out and indeed saw Fang Zijing standing at the door with an ashen face. Although Fang Zixing was still standing straight, expressionless, his aura had diminished significantly.

Seeing him come out, Fang Zijing snorted, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him to a corner a few steps away, pointing in the direction ahead and lowering his voice, “What trick did you pull in your naval exercise? I just saw with my telescope that there are foreign warships ahead, the flags of the Lion Piano Kingdom, Sakura Moon Kingdom, and Lucia Kingdom are visible!”

Although his voice was low, his tone was filled with shock and anger.

Xu Chun hurriedly smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ve reported this to His Majesty and received permission. This exercise, if we only watch our own navy perform, without a comparison, we will not see much. Since the Lion Piano Kingdom has brought warships from afar, I simply invited them for a joint military exercise. The Sakura Moon Kingdom also volunteered to send a warship to participate. As for the Lucia Kingdom, since they were close by, their admiral had previously interacted with us, and it just so happened that they had a ship sailing south, so I invited them as well. A joint exercise by four countries will be more impressive.”

Fang Zijing was furious, “What are you thinking? His Majesty agreed—does His Majesty indulging you mean you can act recklessly? With the sage here, how dare you take such a risk? Are you not satisfied with how harshly the civil officials have criticized you? That Lion Piano Kingdom has ulterior motives, how dare you risk His Majesty’s safety?”

Xu Chun said, “Rest assured, our warships are surrounding His Majesty. We will land on White Coral Island first and watch the exercise from a high platform. There is no danger, and we’re far away from the warships. Besides, they have come from afar and don’t have large forces; they are just trying to gauge our capabilities. This exercise will allow us to display our national strength and scare them away, buying us more time.”

“Brother Zijing, we need more time to build ships, train troops, and nurture talent. This is the best opportunity to display our might!”

Fang Zijing clenched his teeth, hating so much that his teeth itched, “Even if the exercise goes smoothly, you won’t escape the impeachment of the censors.” The emperor still does not have an heir, and you dare to indulge him like this! The emperor has always been wise and martial, has he been bewitched by this boy?”

Xu Chun said, “We need to open the eyes of these civil officials to see the world. The barbarians they look down upon are now in what kind of condition. When we narrowly defeated the Sakura Moon Kingdom, how many people died, how much money was spent, and how much damage we suffered. His Majesty told me that the treasury is truly empty.”

“Even small countries dare to covet our dynasty. Although they are nominally subordinates now, their wolfish ambitions haven’t changed. They still talk about virtue and the distant, immersed in the glory of a great country. But they do not know when the cannons will be at the gate and maritime rights lost. This concerns the foundation of the country. His Majesty brought these ministers who govern the country here precisely to hope that they can jump out of the narrow view of the scholars and see the vastness of the world.”

“This is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. On the island, I have invited envoys, foreign merchants, and tributary subjects from the Jinhai Maritime Customs Office to watch the military exercises. Afterward, His Majesty will host a banquet for the envoys and merchants of various countries. If anyone really dares to attack White Coral Island, it would be tantamount to declaring war on all countries. They have come from afar and would not dare to bear the unjust reputation.”

“When His Majesty once took me hunting, he taught me that the emperor’s military hunt is meant to display national power and deter those who are disrespectful. In the Western Garden Hunting Park, His Majesty’s bedroom is named Pillow Spear, hanging Emperor Huizong of Song’s “Eagle and Hound” painting to remind himself never to neglect military affairs. His Majesty has not had a single day without lying in wait for the enemy. As His Majesty’s eagle and hound, how can we not sharpen our weapons and horses to display His Majesty’s might?”

Fang Zijing looked at Xu Chun, his face filled with enthusiasm and boundless spirit, and for a moment, he could not say a word. The scolding he had prepared for his impulsiveness and immaturity was suppressed by Xu Chun’s righteousness, making it difficult for him to continue. And that righteous speech made it impossible for him to bring up the story of sharing a peach and a chariot as a lesson.

He originally wanted to teach him a lesson for taking advantage of the emperor’s indulgence and acting recklessly. These would all be crimes one after another when the emperor’s love waned. How many heads did Xu Chun have to lose? But the other party did not mention a single word of personal affection, all for the sake of the country and the sovereign. If he mentioned that private affection and favoritism, it would make him seem inferior.

Xu Chun flashed him a brilliant smile, “I’ll go arrange the welcoming cannon salute first, Brother Zijing, you carry on with your work.” He was afraid that Fang Zijing would continue lecturing him, and ran off in a flash.

Fang Zijing, “…”

He watched as the youth’s agile figure took several steps down the gangway and actually jumped down quite unsteadily, where was the dignity of a commander-in-chief of the three armies?

He gritted his teeth and turned around, but froze. Xie Yi was standing there quietly watching him, his expression unreadable.

He hurriedly bowed, and Xie Yi smiled, “Minister Fang, this matter was indeed approved by Me. If I, as the emperor of this dynasty, am afraid of enemies even during exercises in my own maritime territory, I don’t deserve to sit on this throne.”

Fang Zijing lowered his head, “This subject is worried about Your Majesty’s safety. Xu Chun is young and impulsive, and this matter was proposed at the last minute, fearing it may not be thorough.”

Xie Yi said, “Xu Yuanlin understands My heart. Without suspicion between ruler and minister, what regret do I have?”

“How could I betray his loyal and sincere heart?”