Raising Wolves CHAPTER 11

 

 Raising wolves  

 Chapter 11

Translated by : DANMEI HEAVEN

   Chapter 11

When news spread that the emperor had been ambushed and Lu Qingze injured while protecting him, Chen Xiaodao had rushed to the palace gates. But lacking an entry token, he couldn’t enter at will and had no choice but to request an audience daily, spending most of his time crouched outside the palace walls.

Fortunately, the captain of the imperial guards had taken pity on him and, during his shift, kindly revealed that Lu Qingze wasn’t in mortal danger, which eased his worries.

Perhaps the palace is still in chaos after the assassination attempt, so His Majesty won’t let me in?

As Chen Xiaodao idly counted ants on the ground, Changshun arrived to escort him inside.

The palace’s emerald-green tiles and towering, solemn halls stood majestic and imposing.

Under normal circumstances, Chen Xiaodao would have been fascinated, but his concern for Lu Qingze left him in no mood to admire the scenery. He sneakily pulled out some silver and slipped it into the eunuch’s hand: "Esteemed eunuch, how is my young master doing?"

Given the emperor’s obvious regard for Lu Qingze, Changshun wouldn’t dare accept anything from the Lu household. Smiling, he pushed the silver back: "Steward Chen, rest assured. Lord Lu has already woken up."

Chen Xiaodao finally exhaled in relief.

But when he entered the Qianqing Palace’s warm chamber and saw Lu Qingze—pale-faced and sitting by the bed—his eyes reddened instantly. Without a second thought, he rushed forward and threw his arms around Lu Qingze’s waist, bawling: "Young master! Why do you have such rotten luck? Every time you enter the palace, something happens! You scared me to death!"

...That’s quite the sharp observation.

Lu Qingze thought ruefully.

The impact jostled his wound, and he hissed silently in pain. But he didn’t let it show, instead patting the boy’s head with a wry smile: "Alright, alright. I’m fine now."

Chen Xiaodao was about to say more when a cool voice, unmistakably young, cut in from the side: "You’re pulling at Teacher’s wound."

Startled, Chen Xiaodao released Lu Qingze and stepped back, only then noticing the young boy sitting further inside. Though small in stature, his presence was formidable.

This must be the legendary emperor.

Chen Xiaodao quickly knelt: "This commoner pays respects to Your Majesty. I was too emotional earlier—please forgive my offense."

Ning Juan had remained silent earlier to observe Chen Xiaodao, comparing him to himself.

Average looks, seems a bit dull—definitely no match for me.

But when Chen Xiaodao threw himself into Lu Qingze’s arms, Ning Juan felt a pang of irritation.

And Lu Qingze patted his head!

He scooted closer to Lu Qingze, wrapping his arms around his teacher’s arm and supporting him carefully: "Teacher, does it hurt? Did the wound reopen? Should we call the physician back?"

Chen Xiaodao, ignored, sensed something odd.

Was it his imagination, or did the little emperor seem... displeased with him?

Lu Qingze waved a hand: "I’m not that fragile. Let Xiaodao up now."

The little emperor pressed his lips together, giving Chen Xiaodao an unfriendly glance before saying coolly, "Rise. For Teacher’s sake, I’ll overlook it this time."

Must have been his imagination. Probably just strict palace etiquette.

Chen Xiaodao didn’t dwell on it further and stood to ask more questions.

His days of worry had left him with dark circles under his eyes from poor rest. Lu Qingze ruffled the boy’s hair: "Nothing could happen to me in the palace. Go home and rest properly."

Chen Xiaodao muttered, "But you got hurt in the palace."

Ning Juan felt as though he’d been stabbed, wilting slightly.

Lu Qingze hurried to reassure him: "It wasn’t His Majesty’s fault."

Ning Juan’s expression darkened further.

Teacher calls this steward ‘Xiaodao’ so affectionately, but addresses me as ‘Your Majesty’!

The difference in intimacy was clear just from the terms of address.

Chen Xiaodao had originally planned to wait until the little emperor left before discussing certain matters, but after chatting for so long, the emperor remained glued to Lu Qingze’s side. Left with no choice, he hinted: "By the way, young master, about the matter you asked me to handle before entering the palace—it’s done."

When Lu Qingze heard this, he immediately understood. After a moment's thought, he realized this was a special gift he had prepared to surprise the little emperor, so it was better to keep it a secret for now.

With that in mind, he turned his head and asked amiably, "During the days I was unconscious, did Your Majesty neglect your studies?"

Ning Juan felt another stab of pain.

What is it that I can’t know? Why must they hide it from me?

But no matter how unwilling he was, under Lu Qingze’s gentle yet bright gaze, he slowly moved, dragging his feet as he stood up, his voice subdued: "You two talk first. I’ll go to the study."

As he spoke, he secretly lifted his eyes, putting on a pitiful expression in an attempt to soften Lu Qingze’s heart and make him reconsider.

……

Why does he look like a sad little puppy who just fell into the water?

Lu Qingze couldn’t help but pat his head. The little emperor had a tough personality, but his hair was surprisingly soft. "Go on."

The scent of blood on him had long since been washed away, leaving only the familiar fragrance of plum blossoms and the bitter aroma of medicine. Ning Juan was pleased by the head pat but still reluctant to leave, glancing back every few steps as he exited the warm chamber.

Now that they were alone, Chen Xiaodao finally relaxed, plopping down with a grimace. "The palace rules are so stifling. You’ve really suffered, young master."

Lu Qingze chuckled. "Don’t say that in front of others—has Magistrate Fan gone to fetch the medicine?"

Chen Xiaodao nodded. "He left the day before yesterday. As you instructed, I bought the herbs he needed and gave them to him. Magistrate Fan was extremely grateful. If you weren’t in the palace, he would’ve come to thank you in person already."

A smile spread across Lu Qingze’s face. "Well done."

"But young master, are you really going to stay in the palace? You can’t even meet Magistrate Fan here."

With Ning Cong imprisoned and preoccupied, there was no longer a need to seek refuge in the Qianqing Palace.

Lu Qingze hummed in agreement. "I’ll speak to His Majesty about it."

Unexpectedly, when Lu Qingze mentioned returning to his residence, Ning Juan flatly refused.

Seeing him even attempt to walk despite his injury, Ning Juan’s expression darkened. He helped Lu Qingze sit back down and reiterated firmly, "No."

Lu Qingze frowned. "But the Prince of Shu is no longer a threat for now, and I’m just disturbing Your Majesty here—"

Ning Juan cut him off. "Teacher, you know as well as I do that the Prince of Shu is only temporarily not a threat. The Ministry of Justice will release him soon. This time, we’ve thoroughly offended him. It’s too dangerous for you outside."

After speaking urgently, he lowered his eyes, his face full of melancholy. "Besides, the Qianqing Palace is so big, and I’m the only one here. How could Teacher possibly disturb me?"

Lu Qingze was instantly disarmed by this pitiful display.

The little guy must be scared, all alone in the palace, right?

Moreover, Ning Juan had a point. Until Ning Cong left the capital, there would likely be no peace. Staying in the palace was the safest option for now.

If this frail body suffered another slash, it would probably be game over. Having lived under the shadow of death in his past life, Lu Qingze was quite cautious about his own survival.

He was convinced. "Alright, then I’ll go explain it to Xiaodao."

Ning Juan had just brightened at the first two words, but the second half of the sentence soured his mood again. Suppressing his irritation, he said, "I’ll help you."

Lu Qingze had changed his mind after just one conversation outside. Chen Xiaodao hesitated, but under the little emperor’s cool, indifferent gaze, he could only repeatedly remind Lu Qingze to take care of himself before reluctantly leaving.

Changshun brought over the freshly brewed medicine, and Ning Juan personally took it, hoping to deepen their bond by feeding it to him.

Unaware of the little emperor’s hopeful expectations, Lu Qingze intercepted the bowl, pinched his nose, closed his eyes, and downed it in one go—a well-practiced motion.

Ning Juan: "..."

After all the activity since waking up, Lu Qingze was already feeling drained. The drowsiness from the medicine soon overwhelmed him again. Seeing this, Ning Juan helped him lie down and carefully tucked him in. "Teacher, rest well. No one will disturb you."

Comparing the little emperor’s current attitude to his past behavior, Lu Qingze sighed inwardly. But he was too exhausted to tease him anymore. His eyelids fluttered shut, and he sank into a deep sleep.

This nap was unusually long. When he closed his eyes, it was still bright outside. When he groggily woke again, the world outside was silent—it must already be night.

Before even opening his eyes, he felt parched. Just as he struggled to sit up and reach for water, something cold and cautious brushed against him, lightly testing his breath.

Lu Qingze: "..."

Any normal person would’ve been scared out of their wits by now.

He opened his dry eyelids, keeping his breathing steady so the person by his bed wouldn’t notice he was awake.

It was a small figure hunched over. Lu Qingze recognized him instantly.

After a silent pause, Lu Qingze asked, amused, "Your Majesty, done checking?"

His sudden voice startled Ning Juan so badly his scalp prickled, and he nearly jumped out of his skin, barely suppressing a yelp.

Once he calmed down, he asked, "When did Teacher wake up?"

"Just now, right when I saw Your Majesty sneaking around my bedside," Lu Qingze said, both exasperated and amused. "Tell me, what are you doing in my room in the middle of the night instead of sleeping properly in your own palace?"

Ning Juan pressed his lips together before answering quietly, "I was afraid Teacher had died."

When he was five, his mother had left him in her sleep.

He had woken up to find Consort Jing already breathless.

Ning Juan’s voice was calm, but Lu Qingze’s heart ached at his words. He reached out to pull the boy closer and realized the little emperor’s entire body was icy cold—wearing nothing but thin sleeping robes.

Lu Qingze sighed and scooted over. "I’m not dying. See? Perfectly fine—get in here before you catch a chill!"

Though the room was heated with charcoal braziers, it wasn’t as warm as the heated floors. Wandering around in just sleeping robes at night was bound to be freezing.

Ning Juan held back for all of three seconds before burrowing under the covers, enveloped in the warm, plum-scented bedding.

During the days Lu Qingze had been unconscious, he had slept beside him to monitor his breathing and ensure he was still alive.

This person seemed sculpted from snow—as if the slightest wind or sun could melt him away without a sound.

Tonight, when he’d returned to his own bed, he had tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He had to come see for himself before he could relax.

Having slept earlier, Lu Qingze wasn’t very tired now. "Your Majesty—"

Ning Juan suddenly interjected, "Guoguo."

Lu Qingze blinked. "What?"

Curled up beside him, Ning Juan whispered, "My childhood name. That’s what my mother called me."

He wanted Lu Qingze to call him affectionately, the way he called Chen Xiaodao.

No—even more intimately.

This child, born into the imperial family, had suffered much in his early years. His longing for warmth was stronger than most.

Lu Qingze’s heart softened, and his voice gentled. "Then from now on, when there are no outsiders, I’ll call you that, alright?"

Ning Guoguo.

The tyrant actually had such an adorable nickname? The original novel never mentioned that.

Ning Juan knew he must be smiling tenderly now. He widened his eyes, trying to make out Lu Qingze’s expression in the dark, but could only see a vague outline. He murmured, "Teacher can call me that now."

"Alright, Guoguo," Lu Qingze said warmly. "Are you acting spoiled with your teacher?"

Ning Juan mumbled incoherently.

Just days ago, he had boldly declared in front of Lu Qingze, "This emperor never acts spoiled."

Sensing the little tyrant’s embarrassment, Lu Qingze chuckled softly and didn’t tease him further. "You’re still a child. You have every right to act spoiled. With me, you don’t need to hold back."

Silence stretched between them before Ning Juan finally let out a quiet "Mm," his voice slightly unsteady, as if trembling.

Lu Qingze patted his back soothingly. "Sleep now."

Ning Juan didn’t speak for a while. Lu Qingze assumed he had fallen asleep and closed his eyes again. Just as he was drifting off, he suddenly heard a whisper:

"Teacher, do you like me?"

Shy and hesitant, as if asking took great courage.

Lu Qingze hadn’t expected the young tyrant to ask such a question. He couldn’t help but laugh. "Of course."

To his surprise, the little emperor’s next question was: "Then do you like Chen Xiaodao?"

……

Lu Qingze opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow. "I do."

They’re both my good kids.

Ning Juan, recalling everything from earlier that day, felt deeply wronged. "Does Teacher like Chen Xiaodao more?"

Quick, say you like me more!

Lu Qingze pondered for a moment. "No, I treat you both equally."

Ning Juan: "..."

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Author’s Note:

Ning Guoguo: Chen Xiaodao is still alive, but in my heart, he’s already dead.

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