The Phoenix General

Chapter 8

 Warm sunlight hit Jin WangShu's eyelids, all was peaceful. It was a perfect morning until the young man woke up to a sneeze. Jin WangShu sniffed and rubbed the tip of his nose, wiping away the tears that had gathered at the corner of his eyes with the back of his other hand. It took a few moments for Jin WangShu to become aware of his surroundings. A golden yellow invaded his sight as he blinked away the remaining tears. The pale skin in front of him radiated warmth, and Jin WangShu (being still half asleep) snuggled into it. His fingers trailed across the skin, eventually finding several bumps.

Jin WangShu immediately opened his eyes, finding his hands on top of a set of abdominal muscles. He slowly looked up, only to be greeted by a pair of golden brown eyes.

"...What are you doing?" The emperor asked, his voice slightly hoarse from sleep.

Jin WangShu screamed. "Oh my god! Why am I in your room?!"

"... That's what I should be asking."

Jin WangShu was now aware of the fact that he was literally on top of the emperor, but pretended not to notice.

"Li-gege..." He drawled out in a cute voice. "What happened last night?"

Li FeiHong glared at Jin WangShu. "You insisted on seeing me, and the guards were going to throw you out of the palace had you continued."

"Why didn't I continue?"

"I told the guards I had previously told you to come see me." FeiHong sighed and rubbed his temples.

Jin WangShu smacked his hands on both sides of the emperor's face. "Li-gege! Thank you for saving your ShuShu! I love you!"

Just then, the door opened with a bang.

"Imperial father— who is this prostitute?! Woah! Are you secretly a cutsleeve?"

Li FeiHong grumbled. "BingWen, why are you here? How many times have I told you to knock?"

Jin WangShu widened his eyes in surprise until they looked like two large marbles. "Li-gege! Why didn't you tell me?" He placed a palm over his heart. "You have a child?"

"Of course I do, why else do you think Zhou NianZhen is the empress?"

"Imperial father, who is this prostitute? Or is he just another concubine?"

Jin WangShu gasped, clearly offended. "Prostitute? I stopped being one years ago!"

Emperor Li whipped his head over to face WangShu. "You were a prostitute?"

Jin WangShu realized his mistake too late. Damn his big mouth. Him being the son of a prostitute was the sole reason why many detested his existence. He visibly tensed and slowly climbed off FeiHong and shrunk back.

"BingWen, head back to your study. I will come visit you later."

BingWen, having sensed the tense situation immediately quieted down.

"Yes, imperial father." With one last look over his shoulder, BingWen exited the room.

The once light hearted atmosphere in the room had disappeared, replaced with tension. Jin WangShu pressed his lips together and dug his nails into his finger. The smile that was previously on his face was wiped clean, replaced by watering eyes and red cheeks. Li FeiHong stared at the other man, having noticed the fearful expression of Jin WangShu.

"Jin Wei..." He said softly, his facial expression was not as hard as it usually was. "What are you afraid of?"

Jin WangShu stayed silent, refusing to speak and refusing to look the emperor in the eye.