Raising Wolves CHAPTER 19

 

 Raising wolves  

 Chapter 19

Translated by : DANMEI HEAVEN

   Chapter 19

Hearing Lu Qingze’s laughter, Ning Juan was equal parts embarrassed and irritated. His head remained bowed, his back radiating misery.

Lu Qingze laughed even harder, draping his outer robe over himself and crouching to poke Ning Juan’s head. "What are you hiding from? Let me see."

Each poke made Ning Juan shrink further. The mighty Emperor of Great Qi, pitifully curled up, resembled nothing so much as a little hedgehog.

Lu Qingze poked him mercilessly several times, thoroughly amused, before finally relenting. "Press down on the cartilage below the bridge of your nose first. I’ll have Changshun bring a cloth and some ice."

Ning Juan had no choice but to obey, pressing his nose with a muffled voice. "Put your clothes on properly."

If Changshun dared to see Lu Qingze in such disarray, he could kiss this year’s salary goodbye!

Unaware that Changshun had just taken another hit in Ning Juan’s mind, Lu Qingze chuckled and called for him through the door.

While waiting for Changshun to fetch the items, he leisurely finished changing.

Ning Juan’s ears burned.

He’d never realized his hearing was so sharp—he could even make out the faint rustling of fabric, knowing exactly which garment Lu Qingze was putting on.

The wait became inexplicably torturous, a fine sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Blame the summer heat for being so unbearable.

The robes were a bit tricky to fasten alone. By the time Lu Qingze haphazardly tied his belt, Changshun had arrived with the requested items.

Ice from the icehouse had already been prepared for the evening banquet to chill fruits, so it wasn’t hard to procure.

Seeing Lu Qingze’s slightly disheveled state, Changshun instinctively moved to help adjust his robes but then remembered the emperor was present and thought better of it, withdrawing quickly.

Lu Qingze wrung out a damp cloth and sighed at Ning Juan, still stubbornly facing the wall like a gloomy little mushroom. "If you won’t let me look, at least wipe your face first."

Ning Juan gave a sullen "Mm" and accepted the cloth without turning around. He meticulously cleaned his face, using several cloths until he was certain no trace of blood remained before finally glancing back.

His youthful, handsome face was now spotless, though his eyes were still slightly damp, his expression tense and awkward.

Lu Qingze: "..."

This kid’s pride weighed at least eight hundred pounds.

"Has the bleeding stopped?"

Ning Juan, deeply ashamed of losing face in front of his teacher, muttered another "Mm."

"Lower your head," Lu Qingze said, wrapping small ice chunks in a cloth and knotting it. As the boy obediently bowed his head, Lu Qingze pressed the makeshift ice pack to the back of his neck. "Have you been eating too much heat-inducing food lately?"

Ning Juan hissed at the cold. He wasn’t entirely sure why his nose had bled, but he supposed that explanation would do. Another "Mm."

"Have the imperial kitchen adjust your meals." Lu Qingze’s eyes sparkled with amusement. "If you’re like this in front of me, imagine if you started bleeding in front of the court. You’d probably flee the capital overnight with the Forbidden City on your back."

"..." Ning Juan snorted softly. "What do I care about them?"

He only acted like this around Lu Qingze.

Once certain the nosebleed had truly stopped, Lu Qingze removed the ice pack and checked Ning Juan’s ceremonial robes for bloodstains.

As Lu Qingze inspected him, Ning Juan studied the slightly askew way Lu Qingze had fastened his own robes.

A faint smile tugged at his lips. Who would have thought his eternally composed, unflappable, and all-knowing teacher had this side to him? It was... unbearably endearing.

The thought gave Ning Juan pause.

Calling Lu Qingze—his teacher—"endearing" felt strange.

But no other word seemed to fit.

As Lu Qingze finished his inspection, Ning Juan abandoned the mental debate and relaxed his furrowed brow. "Teacher, your robes are uneven. Let me fix them."

Lu Qingze took two steps back and spread his arms, perfectly at ease being attended to by the emperor.

Instead of maintaining the distance, Ning Juan stepped closer, carefully smoothing out every wrinkle in Lu Qingze’s sleeves, his fingers lingering over each uneven fold.

Their eye level, once so different, had gradually equalized.

Soon, it might shift again—only this time, with Ning Juan looking down at him.

Lu Qingze consoled himself: It’s not that I’m short. This kid just grew too fast.

I’m a full 180 centimeters tall!

As Lu Qingze’s thoughts wandered, his waist was abruptly cinched tighter.

Ning Juan adjusted his loosely tied belt, whispering, "Do you always undress so casually in front of others?"

Lu Qingze blinked. "What?"

"Do you do the same in front of Chen Xiaodao?" Ning Juan’s voice dropped further, its tone unreadable.

Even when he seized every spare moment to be with Lu Qingze, the palace walls still kept them apart.

Lu Qingze spent more time with others than with him.

Why can’t Lu Qingze live in the palace?

The belt tightened another fraction.

Lu Qingze coughed and swatted Ning Juan’s hand. "Of course not—are you trying to rebel against your master? Loosen it a bit!"

Ning Juan stared at that slender waist for a long moment before reluctantly loosening the belt.

Once it was properly adjusted, he crouched to straighten Lu Qingze’s hem.

Lu Qingze stopped him. "Ah, that’s unnecessary."

Ning Juan stood regretfully, his gaze intense. "Teacher, did I serve you well?"

Lu Qingze hummed. "Average skill, excellent attitude. I’ll patronize you again next time."

Ning Juan edged closer, like a puppy angling for pets. "Then... can you sleep with me tonight?"

Lu Qingze arched a brow. "If I don’t, you’ll probably sneak into my room in the middle of the night to check if I’m still alive."

That counted as a yes.

Lu Qingze rarely stayed overnight at the palace these days, always leaving before the gates were locked. Ning Juan’s eyes brightened, his anticipation for the evening palpable.

Lu Qingze could almost see an invisible tail wagging furiously behind the young emperor. Smiling, he tapped Ning Juan’s nose. "Alright, time to go. Tuck your little tail away."

Ning Juan nodded eagerly, helping Lu Qingze fasten his mask with enthusiasm.

The tail kept wagging.

With the promise of the evening to look forward to, the day passed quickly.

The highlight of the Dragon Boat Festival was undoubtedly the "Willow Shoot."

Horseback archery, shooting willow branches—competitors used blunted arrows to strike willow branches planted in the field. Those who could both sever the branch and catch it while galloping away earned the highest rank. Those who only severed the branch ranked second, while those who missed entirely ranked last.

Great Qi prioritized civil over military affairs. With the most formidable generals guarding the northern borders, those remaining in the capital had grown somewhat complacent. Among the mediocre performances, only two achieved the highest rank:

One was Fan Wei, commander of the Five Barracks and a close ally of Wei Herong.

The other was Qin Yuan’an, whom Ning Juan had exempted from duty to participate in the banquet.

Amid the cheers, Lu Qingze glanced at Ning Juan’s impassive face. "Do you want to try?"

Ning Juan stared at the lively arena for a long while before shaking his head.

He does.

It was natural for a boy his age to crave such excitement.

Lu Qingze’s chest tightened—why does my child have to live so cautiously?

If Ning Juan weren’t forced to conceal his talents and lie low, Lu Qingze was certain today’s top ranks would have included him.

As the evening banquet approached, Wei Herong, absent all day, finally reappeared without explanation.

Ning Juan once again ignored Wei Herong’s arrogance and disrespect, even increasing his already generous rewards to show favor.

The other officials received standard rewards—except for Lu Qingze, whose gifts were slightly more lavish.

For a moment, the Wei faction was triumphant. By the time the evening banquet concluded, many officials who had been dissatisfied with Wei Herong’s earlier absence had flocked to him, fawning with ingratiating smiles.

Fan Xingyan, his face dark with displeasure, sought out Lu Qingze and sighed repeatedly: "Huai Xue, did you know that today, Wei Herong entered the palace in a carriage more extravagant than the imperial family’s?"

Lu Qingze shook his head. "This isn’t new."

Fortunately, for people of this era, rebellion wasn’t something to be undertaken lightly—it required overcoming significant psychological barriers. Moreover, Wei Herong didn’t seem particularly interested in the throne itself.

Fan Xingyan sighed a few more times before shifting to domestic matters: "My wife has been irritable lately. I’ve been banished to the study for two nights straight."

Though he complained, his expression was sweet.

With his father-in-law’s support, Fan Xingyan had been promoted to Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review last year, and his demeanor had grown more refined.

Over the years, the two had grown closer. Fan Xingyan was upright and dignified in public but prone to rambling and emotional outbursts in private.

The daughter of Grand Secretary Feng was particularly taken with Fan Xingyan’s type, and the young couple was deeply in love.

Lu Qingze listened with a smile. As they neared the palace gates, he paused. "I’ll leave you here."

Fan Xingyan blinked, noticing Changshun lingering not far behind them, and suddenly understood. "Ah, His Majesty is keeping you for a lecture? Such diligence! I’ve been wasting your time!"

Lu Qingze: "..."

No, the kid just missed his dad.

Once Fan Xingyan left, Changshun scurried over, beaming. "His Majesty is waiting for you."

Back in the Qianqing Palace, Ning Juan had already changed out of his ceremonial robes and into a set of crimson casual attire, waiting for Lu Qingze in the courtyard.

Changshun privately suspected the emperor had chosen this outfit because Lu Qingze was also wearing red today, but he didn’t dare say it aloud.

Lu Qingze felt a twinge of regret. "You changed already? I hadn’t gotten my fill of looking."

Ning Juan froze for a moment, then without hesitation turned to order, "Changshun, have someone bring back the ceremonial robes—"

Lu Qingze laughed and cut him off. "Why bother? I was just making conversation. Aren’t you tired?"

As he drew closer, he caught a faint whiff of alcohol on Ning Juan—a remnant of the evening banquet, and quite a bit at that.

Tsk. Underage drinking.

Ning Juan was indeed weary. He led Lu Qingze into the warm chamber and gently removed his mask.

In the soft candlelight, Lu Qingze’s striking features were unveiled—the slight upward tilt of his eyes, the teardrop mole beneath, his amber eyes reflecting flecks of light, a blend of cool elegance and captivating allure that was impossible to look away from.

Instantly reinvigorated, Ning Juan traced his fingers over the mask, still warm from Lu Qingze’s body heat, and murmured, "With you here, Teacher, I’m not tired."

Such a sweet talker.

Lu Qingze ruffled his hair. "You drank quite a bit tonight. Are you drunk?"

Ning Juan actually looked proud. "Teacher, I could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."

What’s there to be proud of, you little brat?

Lu Qingze pinched his cheek instead. "Drink some hangover soup before bed—have the men sent to Jiangnan to search for that person been dispatched?"

Ning Juan reveled in being fussed over by Lu Qingze and nodded cheerfully. "Don’t worry, Teacher. They’ve already left."

However, recent heavy rains made river travel unsafe, so they had to take the land route, which might cause delays.

Lu Qingze nodded, then remembered something else. "Wei Herong disappeared for a long time today. Did you have Zheng Yao investigate?"

He’d noticed Ning Juan signaling Zheng Yao before boarding the dragon boat.

Ning Juan licked his lips, a cryptic smile playing on his face. "Yes, and we uncovered something quite unexpected."

Lu Qingze’s curiosity was piqued. "What?"

Ning Juan suddenly had an idea. "If Teacher agrees to stay in the palace for three more days, I’ll tell you now."

Lu Qingze: "..."

Ning Juan hastily amended, "Or... two days?"

You raised the price yourself, then bargained it down?

Where’s your backbone?!

Lu Qingze was torn between exasperation and amusement. He picked up a teacup from the table and took a sip to moisten his throat. "Fine, fine, I’ll stay. What did you find?"

But Ning Juan didn’t answer.

Puzzled, Lu Qingze glanced up.

The young emperor was staring stiffly at the teacup in Lu Qingze’s hand, his ears burning, his lips pressed together nervously as he whispered, "Teacher..."

That’s my cup.

Author’s Note:

Ning Guoguo: QwQ I’m... a little happy, and a little shy.

Lu Qingze: Tsk. No backbone.

Note: "Using blunted arrows to shoot willow branches planted in the field—those who could sever the branch and catch it while galloping away earned the highest rank; those who only severed the branch ranked second; those who missed entirely ranked last." —Baidu Baike, "Willow Shoot"

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