Binding the Dragon for the Empress Chapter 74

When Did You Ever Have a Home

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Angel: WARNING, this chapter includes a semi-explicit sex scene

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

The night was dark, and the moon was on the top of the willows.

The door to Qiankun Palace was suddenly thrown open and Yan Yuan entered the inner hall with a horrible face, ignoring the eunuchs outside. The inside of the hall was dark and he could not see his fingers, as if no one was there. He went to the bed by feel, lifted the tent, and groped for a bulging figure on the bed.

It was Xuan Long sleeping.

Yan Yuan violently lifted the covers and the cold wind instantly poured into the thin profane clothes. The man on the bed gulped slightly, unconsciously curling himself into a ball, but did not wake up.

"Someone."

"Bring cold water."

The Emperor was furious, and no one dared to ask why cold water was needed on an autumn night.

Soon, an eunuch trotted in with a bucket full of water, occasionally spilling a few drops onto the dark brown floor, which turned into crystal droplets. At this point, the candles were already burning in the hall, and the dim light reflected Yan Yuan's shadowy face.

"Pour it on."

"Your Majesty... this..." The new eunuch's eyes widened in surprise, turning his head to look at the slim man on the bed, unable to do anything for a moment.

Yan Yuan glanced sideways at him, and the man-eating look frightened Xiao Zhanzi, who trembled, the wooden barrel in his hand almost falling to the ground.

Gritting his teeth, Xiao Zhanzi picked up the heavy wooden bucket and poured it over the bed.

The moment the cold, stinging water fell, the man's clothes were drenched and he woke up with a low cough, propped himself up on the bed, choking on the water and coughing heartily, his thin shoulders trembling, unable to stop. His long hair clung to the side of his face in a damp mess, the moisture casting a thin layer of light over his handsome, angular features, and his face was almost transparently pale.

The palace staff quietly retreated amidst the tense atmosphere.

Yan Yuan stepped forward, his strong fingers roughly pinching Xuan Long's jaw and turning his face around, scrutinising his masked face, the corners of his lips curving slightly, but there was no smile in his eyes.

"You've been lounging around all day, just sleeping, this place is really comfortable to live in, isn't it?"

The warm breaths of the two met. Xuan Long hid the blood on his palm in the bedding, suppressed the coughing that was welling up in his windpipe, and raised his gold-lined turquoise pupils to look at the other man: "... It's not bad."

The man's breath was faint, clearly lacking in breath.

However, Yan Yuan was in the midst of his anger, and the fire that was burning hot was directly added to the bucket of hot oil by his nonchalant attitude, and exploded with a loud bang.

Yan Yuan's peach blossom eyes flushed with red blood, and the hand on Xuan Long's jaw moved to his neck, tightening a little.

"You and Yan Huo Heng, what is your relationship?"

Xuan Long turned his face away and closed his eyes, unwilling to look at him, "I don't know what you're talking about."

The restraint around his neck gradually deprived Xuan Long of his right to breathe, his pale face slowly reddening. A twinge of pain wracked through his abdomen, but he did not seek to work his way out of it, sitting there quietly, his pulse growing weaker and weaker.

Yan Yuan realised what was happening and let go of him so violently that Xuan Long bent down uncontrollably, covering his sore throat and coughing. Yan Yuan grabbed the back of his collar and forced him to straighten up, then slapped him in the face, "You want to die!!!"

Xuan Long was knocked over onto the bed, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth as Yan Yuan yanked him up by the arm, his hands pulling up his cold, wet collar, his eyes blazing with anger.

"You're a slut."

"You lied to me."

"You and Yan Huo Heng met a long time ago, didn't you?"

The crazy person in front of him did not look like Yan Yuan at all. Sometimes Xuan Long wondered if someone had taken on Yan Yuan's form and replaced him, because otherwise why would that gentle human being have become what he was today?

Then he thought, how could that be? If he had really changed, how could he not recognise him?

Yan Yuan had always been gentle to Ning Zhiyu, it was only when he was dealing with him that he would shout like this, not treating him like a living creature.

Xuan Long was dizzy from being shaken and didn't want to care about him anymore, but Yan Yuan wouldn't forgive or rest, refusing to leave him even a semblance of peace.

“Talk!!!"

"Don't ignore me!!!"

"If you don't speak, I will have that vixen's tongue pulled out so that he can never call your name again!"

Xuan Long was pushed back onto the bed, his abdomen was crushed by Yan Yuan and his breathing tightened up, "Well... don't know each other."

Yan Yuan pulled his collar out of shape: "Don't know each other?..."

"He came to me today to ask for a marriage, and offered to exchange a million troops for you, to take you as his concubine, and you tell me you don't know him?"

Cold sweat mixed with water droplets slipped from his pale neck onto the pillow, and Xuan Long's lips squirmed, "Let go of me..."

Only then did Yan Yuan realise he was pressing against his stomach. The foetus was nearly five months old and had grown considerably, especially now, with the white profane robe clinging wetly to his body, outlining the line of his bulging abdomen with an obscure and sensual beauty.

The flames that had burned away his senses were extinguished for a few moments, and a thought appeared in Yan Yuan's mind that pleased him — Xuan Long was carrying his own child, and he cared enough about it to have a tantrum with him over it, so that proved that he cared for him.

The corners of his lips curled up.

"Don't try to change the subject."

Yan Yuan avoided his stomach, and Xuan Long couldn't help but raise his hand to touch the restless foetus.

He needed a lot of sleep now to ease the pain and burden of his pregnancy. In reality, he only slept peacefully for a few hours a day, and after the soul-eating pain had struck in the late afternoon, he had hardly been able to fall asleep when Yan Yuan came to make such a scene.

Xuan Long closed his eyes exhaustedly, "If you don't believe me, I can't either."

Yan Yuan caught his little movement and became more and more sure of his suspicions, "Hmph, how do I know if you are telling the truth or not?"

“The other day you said you had a birthday gift for me, what you were talking about was actually the child in your womb, wasn't it?"

Xuan Long's body stiffened and he pursed his lips without speaking.

Yan Yuan smiled smugly, cupped his hands around Xuan Long's face, and said, "I knew it."

"If you love me so much, you must love the child in your womb."

Xuan Long could guess the expression on Yan Yuan's face at this moment with his eyes closed. No matter how clumsy a person was, he would not like to uncover his bloody wounds over and over again. He had fallen in love with Yan Yuan, a foolish and utterly defeating thing to do, even if he didn't want to admit it.

"I cherish him... because he is my blood, it has nothing to do with anyone else."

Yan Yuan's face hardened and he gritted his teeth, "Say that again."

Xuan Long opened his eyes and looked at the person above him who was as handsome as the moon but as cold as winter. There was no longer the luster under his eyes: "I cherish him... because, he is my blood..."

"Shut up!"

Yan Yuan treated him like an animal, hitting and cursing when he wanted to, and he raised his hand to slap him.

Xuan Long tilted his head, his ears buzzing, and he was in a trance, remembering that when he was young, his mother had treated him just as badly, scolding him as badly as she could, and the whip on his body was the only thing that hurt him to the bone. All the other little dragons who had accidentally fallen and hurt their paws would receive a lot of affection from their father and mother, but he was the only one who had been redundant since birth.

He was and still is.

He thought someone would be soft on him, but in fact, it was not true.

The slap was not worth mentioning compared to the injuries he had received in the past. Perhaps because his time was getting shorter and shorter, he had become contentious, and after only a few slaps like that, he felt so much pain.

The man on top of him suddenly and rudely began to tear at his clothes. Xuan Long had no strength to stop him, so he went along with Yan Yuan; there was always a way for this man to threaten him anyway, and with Hu Le in his hands, he could not even die without peace of mind.

The road ahead was uncertain, and only despair remained.

In his fury, Yan Yuan had no patience for putting ointment on him, so he charged inside, and Xuan Long's bony hands clenched the bedding beneath him, his teeth clenched, his breath trembling with pain.

Yan Yuan lowered his head to kiss him, but Xuan Long turned his head away. He had always believed that intercourse was something only a truly loving couple could do, and when Yan Yuan had once said he liked him and wanted to be with him as husband and wife, he had believed him and gladly suffered the unbearable pain, trying to taste the sweetness out of it.

Only now did he realise that at that time, he was the stupidest creature in the world.

It turns out that when you really love someone, you do not want to let them suffer even a little bit.

Just like he did to Yan Yuan... just like Yan Yuan did to Ning Zhiyu.

It turns out that it is not true that a husband and wife can blend with each other like water and milk. Just like Yan Yuan, although he did not love him, he could still use him as a vessel for venting. (Angel: Blending like water and milk is an idiom that means the relationship is very harmonious and closely combined.)

Cold sweat dripped into his eyes, and the face of the man above him blurred. Xuan Long spoke in a nearly deflated voice: "Aren't you afraid that... your A'Yu will be sad when he finds out what you're doing...? "

Yan Yuan curled his lips in disbelief, "Hmph. I don't love you, I'm just using you to replace A'Yu for the time being. What’s he got to be upset about?"

"Although you're not as soft as A'Yu and you're stiff, you're quite comfortable to use. Apart from the fact that your flesh and blood can be used in medicine, that's the only good thing about you."

Xuan Long smiled, “Really?"

“That’s right."

"In fact, you are not too good-looking, that was just a trick to make you happy, and I think you know it very well. With this unattractive face, don't think about seducing other men, okay?"

"Don't wear this mask anymore, this scar must be exposed so that people can take a good look at how ugly you are. After looking at you more, all the charm in their heart will be dispersed."

Yan Yuan raised his hand and removed the dark gold mask from Xuan Long's face, the dark burn mark the size of a fist was exposed to the air. Xuan Long looked away in embarrassment and tried to hide, but Yan Yuan cruelly pinched his face and turned it back.

"I'd like to see, if you wore this unmasked face every day in front of Yan Huo Heng, would he still be willing to take you as his royal concubine?"

Xuan Long couldn't quite understand what Yan Yuan was talking about. Whether it was the royal concubine or the empress, he had never cared for them, all he had ever wanted was a little bit of sincerity and warmth. Even if the other party loved him far less than he loved him, it would be good to have some of that.

But in the end, there was not even a little bit of it.

He was still foolish enough to think that he would spend his last life with him, not caring about one life, one pair. As long as Yan Yuan treated him slightly better, he would be happy.

Even if you don't love, you don't have to be so unmercifully humiliated.

He was really… really keen to leave.

Near the end, Yan Yuan found Xuan Long beneath him murmuring something in a blur of consciousness, his turquoise eyes half dozed, his lips moving in small movements.

"I want to... go home."

Leaning over to hear the words coming out of Xuan Long's mouth, Yan Yuan raised an eyebrow and grinned coldly as he lifted himself up.

"Home? When have you ever had a home?"

"Just that shitty pond counts as a home?"

"You don't have a home, your own mother dislikes you, and the rest of your life is destined to be spent by my side, this palace is your home."

‿︵‿︵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 1, 2022