Binding the Dragon for the Empress Chapter 76

One Hundred Pieces

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By the latter part of the night, the man in his arms finally returned to silence and fell asleep.

Yan Yuan smelled the cold fragrance of Xuan Long's body and felt so comfortable that he couldn't bear to take his arms off him. He had promised A'Yu that he would come to fetch the dragon scales and return, but he had come this far, so he thought A'Yu must have gone to sleep.

Xuan Long was in so much pain just now, and when he had finally settled down, waking him up again to ask him to pull out the scales was something Yan Yuan could not quite bear to do. Although he had no love for him, he did not want to deliberately make things difficult for him either. If the two could live in peace, he would be willing to treat him better.

As he thought about it, Yan Yuan fished him into his arms and fell into a peaceful sleep.

Luanfeng Hall.

Late at night, the candlelight was still burning, and Ning Zhiyu was sitting on the bed in a thin robe, with the bedding up to his waist, staring at the entrance of the inner hall.

The sound of footsteps outside suddenly brought Ning Zhiyu back to his senses, and his eyes were filled with joy, but when he saw that the person who entered was Qingmei, his palace maid, his complexion slowly dimmed.

Qingmei quietly walked to the bedside.

"... Is he still coming?" Ning Zhiyu asked softly as he looked away.

Qingmei shook her head and sighed quietly, "Your Majesty, it is past the fourth watch and it will be dawn in a few hours, so you should sleep soon while it is still dark."

"His Majesty has been coming to see you every day for the last month, and this night he has suddenly broken his promise, so he must have something tedious to entangle him with. Don’t think too much about it."

"If you stay up like this, your body won't hold up..."

The fire of a candle leaping not far away was reflected in the eyes of Ning Zhiyu, whose face was pale because he had not taken the medicine mixed with dragon scales on time, and whose black hair was scattered in front of his body, which was elegant and not vulgar.

Everyone thought that Yan Yuan loved him so much that he even moved his court affairs to Luanfeng Hall to deal with them, not wanting to take half a step away from him. Only he knows that it is all because of the demonic compulsion, if not for the demonic compulsion, Yan Yuan would have fallen in love with Xuan Long by now.

Even after receiving the demonic compulsion, Yan Yuan subconsciously could not leave Xuan Long, and there were many nights where he heard Yan Yuan and Xuan Long making love in the next hall. He lay in bed with his eyes open, his fingertips almost digging into the mattress beneath him.

Yan Yuan would rather be intertwined with Xuan Long than touch him. As the demon said, he had hinted so obviously, yet Yan Yuan was still indifferent, he was truly a failure.

"Qingmei..."

"Hm?"

"You should go to the Clothing Bureau tomorrow and ask someone to make some basalt robes." Ning Zhiyu said softly.

Qingmei froze and said, "Make basalt robes for what?..."

He had always worn white clothes.

Ning Zhiyu slowly lowered his eyes and did not say anything.

Qingmei remembered that the man who was kept in Qiankun Palace wore a basalt robe, and she frowned: "Your Majesty..."

"Go." Ning Zhiyu interrupted in a low voice.

As Qingmei prepared to leave, she heard the man on the couch behind her murmur something to himself.

"Do you think… if I had A'Yuan's child, would he love me more deeply?..."

Qingmei stalled and turned back to see that Ning Zhiyu was smiling miserably and the corners of his eyes were red.

"His Majesty must be sick and confused, His Majesty loves you as if his life depends on it, how could he look at you differently because of the child?"

Ning Zhiyu shook his head, "You don't understand..."

He originally thought that as long as Yan Yuan was by his side, he would be satisfied, but in reality, how can someone who really loves someone deeply have the slightest bit of gravel in their eyes?

Qingmei indeed did not understand what Ning Zhiyu had in mind, so she stopped talking.

After a long time, she heard the man say tiredly, "Go and ask Imperial Doctor Zong for some fertility pills and come back with Acacia"

Qingmei raised her eyes in surprise and murmured, "Your Majesty..."

Ning Zhiyu leaned the back of his head against the ancient carved bed frame and laughed softly, "Do you think I am very pathetic? This is the only way I can get closer to my beloved."

"I also think that I am really pathetic..." Not only pathetic, but also lowly and shameless. If what the demon said is true, he is hogging what belongs to someone else, taking over the nest of a magpie, and after death, he will surely fall into the Infernal Hell.

But so what, he could not turn back.

Qingmei anxiously said, "That is because His Majesty loves you."

Ning Zhiyu closed his eyes, his pale lips moving lightly, "I am tired, you should leave."

Qingmei went out as quietly as she had come.

As the hall fell silent, a familiar magical voice rang in his head.

"Ridiculous, you don't think that by imitating Xuan Long's attire, you can become Xuan Long, do you?"

Ning Zhiyu lifted his eyes and whispered back, "It's none of your business."

The demon snorted coldly, "Does it matter so much whether he touches you or not? Why are you such a bitch? You are such a nice man, why do you have to be submissive to another man and to give birth to his child? Are you sick in the head?"

Ning Zhiyu repeated, "It's none of your business."

"Stupid human being." The low voice sounded a little annoyed. If the demon could show himself, he would probably come out and beat him up.

"You are simply stupid... beyond redemption."

Ning Zhiyu genuinely felt tired so he slowly lifted the quilt and laid down on his side, quietly about to sleep.

The voice gruffly said.

"This honourable one does not allow you to do this."

"Do you hear this?!?!?!"

Ning Zhiyu was baffled: "What does it matter to you?"

The other party intensified his tone, "This honourable one is now possessing your body and does not have a hobby of watching live erotica."

"You can leave my body temporarily." Ning Zhiyu said calmly.

"You-"

Ning Zhiyu could clearly feel the anger of the soul inside him. The demon was already so capricious, he had long since seen it, and his body was so weak that he fell into a deep sleep not long after.

......

In the early morning, dark clouds were gathering outside the hall, and it looked like it was going to rain. Yan Yuan got up and was served by others to put on his dragon robe, and after putting on his jade bead imperial crown, he returned to the bedside and lifted the bright yellow tent.

Xuan Long was still asleep, his face didn't look much better than last night. Ning Zhiyu had run out of medicine last night, so he couldn't put it off any longer. Yan Yuan thought for a moment and leaned over to shake his shoulder.

"Wake up."

A few breaths later, Xuan Long opened his eyes blankly.

Yan Yuan coughed lightly and looked at the man's cold face, "Does your belly still hurt."

Xuan Long's throat burned as if there was a fire burning in it, and a feeling of soreness and weakness came from all his limbs. He propped himself up on the bed and sat up, not really wanting to pay attention to the other man, but shaking his head anyway.

He knew how uncomfortable it felt to be treated like air.

Yan Yuan's face was a little unnatural: “A'Yu's dragon scales are used up."

Xuan Long's eyes were downcast, his slim back slightly arched, his long hair half-covering his body, revealing his slim chest, and his bare skin was scattered with bruised and purple hickeys, and the bedding covered just the right spot to block his bulging belly. On his arm and at the back of his heart, he still had a large dark red scab from the last time he pulled scales, which had not yet healed.

Ning Zhiyu had to take three dragon scales a day. Giving thirty at a time, they were gone in just ten days, and the speed of the wound healing was far slower than the speed of the scale plucking.

Xuan Long's voice was hoarse, "Hu Le is still in prison."

Yan Yuan's face changed and his anger surged, "You want to use him to negotiate with me again?"

Xuan Long sullenly said, "It shouldn't have been natural for me to save him."

Once upon a time it was because he thought Yan Yuan and he were in love, and since he was in love, what was the point of pulling some dragon scales for a person he valued. Later, because he was dying anyway, he didn't want to worry too much about it, as long as Yan Yuan was happy.

When he was gone, Yan Yuan would have to work hard to raise their child, and the dragon scales would be his reward.

But now...

Yan Yuan nodded with a sneer, “Okay, this time I want a hundred pieces, you give them to me once, and I will release him back to you."

Xuan Long: "Okay."

Not expecting the man to agree so calmly, Yan Yuan became more and more enraged. He had originally tried to show off his tongue, but now he could not take it back.

"When I return from court, I want to see dragon scales!"

Leaving a sentence behind, Yan Yuan slammed the door and left.

Xuan Long went back to the side hall and found a clean set of profane clothes to put on.

When the eunuch outside the door saw that Yan Yuan had left, he guiltily approached the door and asked Xuan Long if he was alright. Although it was not yet winter, the autumn nights in Chang'an were already cold enough, and a bucket of ice-cold water would have been unbearable for a strong man, let alone a pregnant one.

The young eunuch knew more or less about Xuan Long's condition. He was born with a round, fair face and looked very kind. Xuan Long replied that he was fine, and the eunuch asked him if he wanted to pass the breakfast. Xuan Long went to the door and asked in a low voice through the door, "... You are called Xiao Zhanzi?"

The man outside the door paused and said with some unease, "This servant's name is Xiao Zhanzi..."

Xuan Long: "Please come in and do me a favour."

There was a fluttering sound from outside the door, as if someone had knelt down.

"Last night, last night it was the Emperor who ordered this servant to splash you with water, if this servant did not obey, he would be disobeying the Emperor's order and would be killed. This servant begs for forgiveness from Master Han, he did not want to… this servant is begging for forgiveness from Master Han... "

Xuan Long did not expect that the other party would be so frightened. If he opened the door to help him, the scars on his face might also scare him, so he could only speak through the door, "I know it's not your fault. I just, I want to ask you to do something for me." He couldn't do it himself.

"What is it?..." Xiao Zhanzi dully lifted his teardrop-laden face and looked at the closed door.

A moment later, Xiao Zhanzi gingerly pushed open the door of the side hall and entered the inner hall as instructed.

There was a man in profane clothes sitting on the edge of the couch, his belly, nearly five months pregnant, was already somewhat visible, but his figure was slim. His eyes were downcast, and his long hair covered the scars on his face, revealing a high nose and heroic eyebrows.

"Master Han..."

Xuan Long closed his eyes and stood up, picking up the dagger at his side and handing it to Xiao Zhanzi, who was startled but took it anyway, "What is this for, Master Han..."

Xuan Long turned around in silence, lifting the back of his garment to reveal the skin on his back. He bent down and propped his hands on the edge of the bed, revealing the wave-like patterns on his back, which gradually transformed into lustrous ink-coloured dragon scales. He spoke in a light voice:

"I am a dragon, you know that."

"Don't be afraid, I won't harm you."

"Just pluck the dragon scales off my back for me."

"This... this... won't it hurt..." Xiao Zhanzi trembled in shock. He, like Xiao Dezi, was Chen Yan's apprentice. When he was sent here, Chen Yan specifically explained Xuan Long's situation to him, telling him to cover his mouth tightly and serve carefully, with no shortage of favours.

He knew that there was a dragon living in this palace, but now that he saw it with his own eyes, it was still very strange, and most importantly, he could clearly see that a large section of the dragon scales was missing from around his heart.

"It won't hurt, you can do it."

‿︵‿︵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 24, 2022