After attending to the young master, Shi Qing helped him remove his silk stockings. Yu Chen Nian, still silent, assisted him in taking off his red cloak, revealing the slender figure underneath.
The pampered young master, with a delicate and fair face, long curly eyelashes, refused to close his eyes. He didn't ask Yu Chen Nian to leave, and Yu Chen Nian remained motionless, sitting at the edge of the bed like a statue.
Shi Qing glanced at him for a few seconds, and when he saw no response, a hint of dissatisfaction appeared on his face. He extended two fair feet from under the covers and kicked Yu Chen Nian.
When Yu Chen Nian finally raised his eyes to look at him, the young master withdrew his feet, raised his chin, and said, "I'm going to sleep. Sing a little song for me. I want to hear a melody."
Singing songs was usually something only a songstress would do. Shi Qing's request was clearly a direct insult to Yu Chen Nian's princely dignity.
Yu Chen Nian, who had remained unresponsive to various orders given by the young master until now, couldn't hold back this time. He furrowed his brows slightly, and his dark, expressionless eyes fixed on Shi Qing. It was a look that made people feel uneasy for no apparent reason.
In the past, the palace maids who intentionally provoked Yu Chen Nian and angered him could make him feel so uncomfortable with just a glance that they quickly fled. Shi Qing had never dared to lay a finger on him since childhood, let alone speak harshly. This was the first time someone had shown such a demeanor in front of him.
The young master's fair face showed a hint of timidity as his round and bright eyes widened stubbornly, refusing to yield. His delicate lips pursed, and he hid beneath the covers, clutching a corner.
"What, what are you looking at!"
He appeared fearful but pretended to be fierce.
If he annoyed Shi Qing, he would be the one in trouble.
Yu Chen Nian thought to himself, lowered his head slowly, and said in a low, deep voice, "I can't sing."
"Why are you so useless? You can't even sing a little song."
Seeing that Yu Chen Nian had put away his intimidating demeanor, Shi Qing seemed to regain some courage. He pouted and used his feet to kick Yu Chen Nian again.
Shi Qing didn't have much strength, and his feet were soft and fair, so the kicks didn't have any real impact. Yu Chen Nian simply pretended not to notice and sat there, allowing the young master to vent his frustration.
After about ten kicks, the young master grew tired.
A faint blush appeared on his fair complexion due to the physical exertion, and his breathing became slightly uneven. However, he still had a triumphant look on his face as he glanced at Yu Chen Nian. But when he saw no sign of irritation on the young man's face, his momentary triumph was overwhelmed by anger and embarrassment.
"I don't know what you eat every day, your flesh is so tough I can't even kick you!"
He resembled a small kitten trying to scratch someone but finding that it had no effect. Angrily, he continued, "You can't even sing a simple song! Your flesh is so tough, what use are you?"
Yu Chen Nian didn't feel any discomfort from these mild reproaches. In fact, he even thought that it was a good change from the usual treatments. At least Shi Qing had a pleasant voice, and his words didn't carry any real harm. It was much better than being teased or ridiculed by his elder brothers outside.
His elder brothers all had their own tutors, and he had one as well, but the tutor never liked him. His elder brothers often targeted him and deliberately posed difficult questions during their lessons. If he couldn't answer, his tutor would be punished in his place.
Although Yu Chen Nian was not a favored prince, his tutor was a legitimate aristocrat's son. He had never experienced such hardships before and gradually began to make excuses, claiming illness and refusing to come and take his punishment on behalf of the prince.
Without a tutor, the punishment would naturally fall on Yu Chen Nian. The tutors never showed any mercy, as they all had the backing of powerful princes. They certainly looked down on Yu Chen Nian, an unfavored prince, and if another prince issued a command, they would increase the severity of the punishment.
Therefore, the study room, which was a place for other princes to study, was a place of suffering for Yu Chen Nian. Regardless of the season, he was the one who received the most punishment. In the harsh winter months, his hands would develop frostbite from the cold, but he would still be beaten until his skin turned red. Then he would be forced to copy books all night.
Compared to all that, Shi Qing's harmless words were nothing.
Outside, the eunuch in charge quickly approached the door, worried about any possible trouble inside. He bent over like a shrimp and asked, "Does the young master have any orders?"
"Yes!"
The young master, who had just raised his voice angrily at Yu Chen Nian but received no response, reluctantly answered. He glared at Yu Chen Nian, who still showed no emotion on his face, and then crawled back under the covers, wrapping himself up tightly.
"You may enter."
The eunuch immediately pushed the door open obediently, keeping his head down and bowing respectfully as he entered.
Then he heard the young master's lazy tone, "I want to sleep. Sing me a lullaby."
"Of course."
The eunuch promptly began to sing, clearly not the first time he had done so.
Only then did Yu Chen Nian remember that the other princes had teased Shi Qing before, calling him a baby who needed lullabies to sleep.
Realizing that Shi Qing hadn't meant to belittle him, Yu Chen Nian felt no strong emotions. He remained silent, still sitting there.
After a while, the young master, who should have been lulled to sleep by the soothing melody, frowned and became restless under the covers. From Yu Chen Nian's perspective, he could see Shi Qing burying his entire face in the blanket.
A few minutes later, the irritated young master emerged from under the covers, his face full of displeasure. He had a pale and delicate face, but now it was clear that he was unhappy.
He petulantly complained, "Didn't you light the brazier? Why is it still so cold in here?"
The eunuch who served him quickly closed his mouth and replied cautiously, "Young master, the brazier has been burning with the finest red charcoal since earlier."
"But there's no warmth in this room at all."
Annoyed, Shi Qing burrowed back under the covers. "I've been lying here for quite a while, but my feet still feel uncomfortably cold."
"Shall I fetch a hot water bottle for you?"
"I don't like using those. What if it burns me?"
The pampered young master had quite a few demands.
After saying that, his round black eyes roamed around the room. When his gaze landed on Yu Chen Nian, it seemed like he had an idea. His eyes lit up, and he ordered Yu Chen Nian, "You! Come sit over here."
Yu Chen Nian silently moved to the designated spot.
"Come closer, I might just eat you up otherwise!"
Displeased with the distance between them, Shi Qing grumbled and rolled himself and the blanket closer to Yu Chen Nian. Once he felt the distance was right, he finally seemed satisfied. He raised the corners of his lips and said, "You're so tall, you shouldn't feel cold. Warm up my feet first."
As he spoke, the young master extended his fair feet without waiting for Yu Chen Nian's response. He wasn't polite at all as he slipped them under Yu Chen Nian's outer robe, pressing them against his waist.
Once his icy feet were warmed by Yu Chen Nian's body heat, the annoyance and restlessness on his face seemed to lessen a bit.
Yu Chen Nian still showed no resistance. He turned slightly and looked towards the young man who had his entire body wrapped in the blanket, with only his head peeking out.
In fact, this room was already quite warm, especially compared to the study room, which was even colder. Due to his low status, Yu Chen Nian never received enough charcoal for heating. Whenever the limited amount of charcoal was given to him, he would send it to his bedridden foster mother's room.
As a result, his room was usually not much different from the temperature outside. Moreover, his room was often shaded and lacked sunlight, so lying under the blanket at night felt like lying on ice.
Now, Shi Qing was in a warm room, with cozy blankets and heated bedding, yet he still complained about not being warm enough.
The pampered young master was never satisfied.
Once his feet were no longer icy against Yu Chen Nian's body, he complained in a delicate manner that this position made his ankles exposed.
The eunuch carefully held a rabbit fur blanket to cover Shi Qing's ankles, but he was scolded by the young master and ordered to leave.
When the young master wasn't happy, he would throw tantrums.
"Why is there only one brazier in the room? In my home, we have three."
The eunuch quickly explained, "Young master, this year's production of red charcoal is limited. The number of braziers is fixed. Your room can only have one brazier, and even the other princes' rooms can only have one."
"Does that mean I have to freeze to death in this room? I wouldn't have to endure this at home!"
Shi Qing's father came from a prestigious family with hundreds of years of heritage, and Shi Qing, being his only son, had been pampered since childhood. He was used to having the best of everything.
For the princes, even the allocation of red charcoal followed a certain protocol. But for Shi Qing, he could have as much as he wanted.
The eunuch suggested, "How about I go to several other princes and ask if they can spare some charcoal for your room, so you can have a good night's sleep?"
"No! I won't let you go!" Shi Qing interrupted, showing lingering anger on his fair face. "When that snake was on me earlier, none of them came to save me. I don't want to bother with them now."
The young master pulled his feet back in frustration and looked at Yu Chen Nian. "It's your fault I almost got bitten by the snake. You owe me."
"Come up and sleep with me."
Yu Chen Nian was slightly taken aback.
When he heard the first sentence, he thought Shi Qing was playing some kind of prank again. But Shi Qing actually told him to get on the bed?
Perhaps it was the surprise in his eyes that displeased the young master. With a pouting face, the young master suddenly sat up and grabbed Yu Chen Nian's arm, trying to pull him onto the bed.
He tugged, but Yu Chen Nian didn't move.
Shi Qing was stunned.
He stared at his round black eyes, then at his own hand, and then at Yu Chen Nian, who hadn't moved at all. His irritation and embarrassment deepened.
In a soft and sulky voice, the pampered young master said, "I told you to come up!"
Yu Chen Nian replied, "If the tutors don't see me, they might blame me."
"If they don't see you, they don't see you. Missing a few lessons won't matter. They just talk nonsense every day. What can you learn from them?"
Shi Qing snorted coldly, then turned to the eunuch below and said, "You go and tell the tutor that I'm not feeling well, and Ninth Prince is taking care of me. We're taking a break."
"Yes."
The eunuch respectfully withdrew.
In the outer room, he conveyed Shi Qing's message to the tutor as instructed.
The tutor nodded, indicating that he understood, and didn't inquire further about why Shi Qing, the companion, wasn't feeling well and needed the prince's care.
Shi Qing, deeply favored by the emperor even more than his own sons, was no secret. Only a fool would offend Shi Qing.
The other princes didn't express any objections either.
Shi Qing held grudges, and it seemed that he was planning to take revenge on Yu Chen Nian for nearly getting bitten by the snake earlier.
The excuses of feeling unwell and Yu Chen Nian taking care of him were just smokescreens.
Given Shi Qing's temperament, he couldn't endure the slightest injustice. He was probably scheming to retaliate against Yu Chen Nian.
Everyone had a good sense of this, but no one thought to send someone to investigate further.
Meanwhile, in the inner room, where everyone assumed Yu Chen Nian was being tormented and retaliated against, he was actually lying in a warm and cozy bed in a warm room.
The young master, who had already been nestled in the bed, felt the warmth radiating from Yu Chen Nian's body, and finally, he was content and no longer restless.
He closed his eyes comfortably and, without reservation, scooted himself closer to Yu Chen Nian.
For Yu Chen Nian, this was the first time in his memory that he lay on a couch in such a comfortable environment. The air was filled with warmth, the room was clean and refreshing, and he could even detect a hint of a milky fragrance.
It wasn't the scent of the bedding or incense but the fragrance coming from the young master who had peacefully fallen asleep in his arms.
He seemed to enjoy drinking goat's milk, and perhaps it was his love for it that contributed to his fair and tender skin, radiating this faint milky scent.
Even in his sleep, the young master's restless feet sought warmth and inched closer towards Yu Chen Nian. They wouldn't settle until they reached their destination.
At this moment, Yu Chen Nian felt like he was cradling the young master in his arms. The young man's body was soft and delicate, making him reluctant to move, as if the slightest movement could harm this fragile yet proud little creature.
He felt a peculiar sensation deep in his heart, a tingling sensation, as if a kitten was gently scratching him without extending its claws. It didn't hurt, but it was a bit ticklish, yet he longed for it to happen again.
In this peaceful atmosphere and with a hint of anticipation, Yu Chen Nian slowly closed his eyes and experienced a sleep he had never had in his memory.
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