Binding the Dragon for the Empress Chapter 71

Giving Death

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There is a black jar under the acacia tree outside Luanfeng Hall with two red carp inside, which Yan Yuan personally fished from the pond in the imperial garden, picking out the big and beautiful ones to give to Ning Zhiyu to amuse and relieve his boredom.

Ning Zhiyu was very fond of them and asked people to find lotus leaves and water plants to decorate them. When he was feeling better, he would go out to see them. However, when the palace staff went to feed the fish this evening, they found that the carp were missing.

Everything that Yan Yuan gave Ning Zhiyu was precious to him, including the snow fox, which was not very close to him, and he often instructed the palace staff to take good care of them and not to treat them harshly.

The red carp, which had been kept for months, suddenly disappeared, as if it were an ominous sign. Ning Zhiyu was so sullen because of this that he did not even eat his evening meal and stayed in bed.

When Ning Zhiyu was upset, Yan Yuan was also upset. Daring to upset his A'Yu is simply outrageous.

He immediately ordered someone to investigate and asked Qingmei, Ning Zhiyu's eldest palace maid, to take two high-ranking imperial guards to the other palaces and ask them one by one if they found the fish thief.

Qingmei and the guards bumped into Xiao Chenzi as soon as they left Luanfeng Hall. Since he went to serve at Xuan Long's side, Xiao Chenzi has not gone a day without being lazy and slippery, running back to his old master's palace every day to chat with his colleagues and gossip about the new master. When he heard Qingmei talking about the reason for her visit, he remembered that Hu Le seemed to be hiding something in his arms when he returned to the palace, and immediately led Qingmei and the imperial guards to Qiankun Palace and caught them red-handed.

The fish scales in the small kitchen had not been cleaned up, and there were two carp on the table, so who else could be a fish thief but Hu Le?

If it had been any other palace staff, they would have killed him, but Xuan Long was one of Yan Yuan's men after all, so even if they despised him, they couldn't touch him easily, at most they could play some tricks in secret.

It was up to Yan Yuan to decide what to do with him. The imperial guards did not dare to touch Xuan Long, so they tied up Hu Le, who was dressed as an eunuch, and took the two of them to Luanfeng Hall.

On the way, Hu Le carefully looked at Xuan Long's face and said apprehensively, “A'Po… I’m sorry, I didn't mean to steal anything."

He was a fox demon and knew it was wrong to steal, but in this situation right now, what was he supposed to do if he didn't steal? It was all his fault for being so stupid and not selling the stolen goods, causing trouble for Xuan Long.

It was also because there were too many rules in the palace, it was just a matter of eating two of his fish, so why make such a fuss?

"It's not your fault.” The dark gold mask on Xuan Long's face had been put back on, and his eyes had been downcast from the moment someone had barged into the palace until now, his pupils erect and different from the norm, not wanting to be seen.

The cool breeze of the autumn night lifted the long hair on the side of Xuan Long's face, and as Hu Le looked at his pale, heroic brow, his heart ached. He had only just had an attack of his illness and it was so hard to have a fresh meal, yet such a thing had happened.

There was no telling what Yan Yuan would do to his A'Po because of the Empress...

When he entered Luanfeng Hall, Yan Yuan was sitting at the bedside, holding a white jade bowl to feed Ning Zhiyu medicine. Behind him, the guards disliked Xuan Long for walking slowly and pushed him so that he stumbled.

Hu Le immediately turned red: "Don't touch him!"

Yan Yuan paused in his movements with the medicine bowl and turned around to look at him. He had already heard the court lady tell him what had happened, but it was still difficult to say anything when he saw Xuan Long. His eyes moved from Hu Le and finally stopped on Xuan Long, "Are you so greedy that you stole fish from Luanfeng Hall? Are you displeased with A'Yu and deliberately seeking ways to upset him?"

This is the first time that Ning Zhiyu had confronted Xuan Long, and when he saw that the other party seemed no different from a human being, he inevitably felt guilty and uncomfortable in his heart, so he tugged on Yan Yuan's sleeve, "A'Yuan... don't say that."

The moment Yan Yuan twisted his head, his expression instantly softened, and he held Ning Zhiyu's hand,, "Some people should be taught a lesson or they will forget who they are. You can't be made to suffer for nothing."

Hu Le looked at the tender and affectionate pair and sneered abruptly, wishing he could rush over and kill the dog man and boy, or cover Xuan Long's eyes and ears and tell him not to listen to these disgusting words.

Unfortunately, he was too tied up to do anything, and only his mouth was still functioning.

"Are you so poor that you imprison A'Po in this shitty palace and don't even give him a full meal, asking people to bring him rancid food every day when he's still carrying your child in his belly? You are an animal worse than a dog or a pig."

This thunderbolt exploded, causing Ning Zhiyu's entire body to freeze: “Child... what child."

Yan Yuan's face sank at a speed visible to the naked eye, yet he still turned back with a taut smile and said to Ning Zhiyu, “A'Yu... you must not think too much, I don't want that child at all."

"How could I have known that he would become pregnant? If I had known, I wouldn't have touched him. I was so upset when I found out."

"You know, I coaxed him back to the palace because of your illness."

"I have sent someone outside the palace to find an abortion pill that will work for him, that child will not exist soon, no one is as dear to my heart as you are..."

Xuan Long raised his eyes in a daze, his icy turquoise eyes reflecting the scene before him.

He thought he should have been immune to those words long ago, but in fact, when he saw Yan Yuan give up all his tenderness without reservation, his heart still ached insufferably dully, even his breath felt like he had inhaled the cold winter wind and swallowed a razor blade, aching sharply.

The winter is still far away... but it was already this cold.

A burning tingling sensation appeared in his palm. Xuan Long looked down to see the pale blue iris flower, shining with a faint blue light... He silently closed his palm, suddenly wishing he was deaf and blind so that he could no longer see Yan Yuan and hear his words, then he would not feel so bad.

Perhaps his mother was right, a dragon like him was born only to be loathed and had no business living in this world… It would have been nice if Yan Yuan hadn't appeared and saved him that rainy night.

Death was never a thing to be feared.

In the nearly ten thousand years of his life, it was living that made it harder for him, especially after thinking he had found the love of his life, only to be cruelly betrayed.

He didn't seem to have much left to live for, and even the child in his womb was not expected.

Over there, Yan Yuan temporarily pacified Ning Zhiyu and turned around, his face grim as he spoke, "Someone, drag this eunuch who is below the law out to me! Beat him to death with a rod!"

The guards stepped forward to hold Hu Le, who struggled with red eyes, cursing Yan Yuan to hurry up and die. He knew it was not wise, but a demon who had lost his Tao was like a bird with its wings broken off. In front of the noble royal family, he was too small to be able to fight, and this was the only way to get some satisfaction for the person he cared about.

Xuan Long, who had been silent the whole time, finally opened his mouth. His voice was as low as it had been when he first met him:

"I stole the fish."

"I did it on purpose... to make him unhappy."

"If you want to kill, kill me."

"Cut out my heart and he won't need... to suffer the pain of illness anymore."

When Xuan Long's icy, calm turquoise eyes lifted, Yan Yuan's heart ached for no reason, and his fists clenched under his sleeves, "Do you think I wouldn't dare?"

"I know you would dare." Xuan Long replied in a light voice.

It was as if death was an easy task for him, and this thought made Yan Yuan feel breathless, but the bloodthirsty storm in his heart grew stronger and stronger. His peach blossom eyes filled with blood, and his chest rose and fell perversely and violently.

“A'Yuan... forget it, it's just two fish, just eat it." Ning Zhiyu whispered and advised.

Yan Yuan did not pay attention to him and spoke icily, "Send these two to the heavenly prison together, and beat this eunuch with a hundred blows! To serve as an example to others!"

"Yes."

The imperial guards took their orders, and Xuan Long's hands were restrained. He looked at Yan Yuan and asked in a soft voice, "Do you have to torture him?"

Yan Yuan gritted his teeth, "Yes."

Xuan Long lowered his eyes, as if his heart was ashen, "Yan Yuan... don't make me hate you."

Yan Yuan hooked his lips and smiled coldly: "If you want to hate me, then hate me, you say it as if I care about you."

Xuan Long nodded, and actually curled his lips and laughed, laughing at his own stupidity and recklessness. At such a time, he was still saying something self-serving, he was just medicine, when were his feelings ever cared for?

“A'Po, don't ask him." Hu Le's demonic eyes were red and he was also smiling, "If I die, I die, I have never been afraid."

As Yan Yuan witnessed Xuan Long quietly turn and leave the hall, he hated Hu Le more and more, hated the fact that Hu Le could receive so much kindness from Xuan Long, hated the fact that they could still smile when they were in such a desperate situation, and that their world seemed to be one that he could not fit into in any way.

“A'Yuan, you're lost in thought again. What are you thinking about?” Ning Zhiyu leaned against the bed, his clear black eyes looking worriedly at Yan Yuan.

The incident had been over for a while, and as Yan Yuan was talking with Ning Zhiyu and listening to him, he kept recalling things about Xuan Long.

Yan Yuan returned to his senses and thought he might be crazy. He loved Ning Zhiyu, why would he want to fit into Xuan Long's world, it was only right that he didn't give a damn, “It’s nothing."

Loose profane clothes enveloped Ning Zhiyu's lean body, revealing his clear collarbones and his pale face. He clutched the bedding between his fingers, "Did you really… create a child?"

Yan Yuan frowned, “En. I’m sorry, A'Yu, I..."

Ning Zhiyu's smile was far-fetched, "If so, it is good, you will be able to have an heir."

"No, I won't have it. Even if it is for you."

"Otherwise... let him go." Ning Zhiyu's heart fell with deep unease, he felt that Yan Yuan treated Xuan Long differently after all, even though he had taken the demonic compulsion.

He was clearly being soft-hearted.

Yan Yuan's brows knitted deeper: "What about your illness?"

Did he want to keep Xuan Long tied to him, or was it for his illness?... Ning Zhiyu did not dare to ask the question.

"Do you really want to cut his heart out..."

Yan Yuan: "His inner elixir will be able to save you."

Ning Zhiyu's throat moved slightly: "Mm."

Yan Yuan tenderly touched Ning Zhiyu's face, "Don't think too much, go to sleep, I will find a way to make him hand over his inner elixir."

After Ning Zhiyu had fallen asleep, Yan Yuan left the hall. There was no moonlight this night and it was dark outside, so he relied on the not too bright candle flame inside the hall to provide light.

A man, dressed as a eunuch, appeared at the door of the palace, bowing down before Yan Yuan and speaking in a flattering voice, "Your Majesty, is it time for this eunuch to return to serve the Empress?"

Yan Yuan's gaze fell on the eunuch's not-so-heavy back, recognising this as Xiao Chenzi, who had served at Ning Zhiyu's side and whom he had asked Chen Yan to swap Xiao Dezi with because his hands and feet were not sharp enough.

Xuan Long likes the quiet and does not like to be disturbed, so this servant was enough for him.

But who would have thought that this servant would feed the dragon rancid food without permission? He could bully the stupid dragon, but no one else could do that.

"Someone, drag this dog slave down. Give him death."

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: August 14/15, 2022