Qin Zhao's breathing stagnated.
His throat was inexplicably dry, and even his voice became hoarse: "No, nothing."
The boy was still struggling with his clothes. He tugged at his collar, and his wide sleeves revealed a little bit of his pale pink fingertips.
Qin Zhao turned his head away, not daring to read any further.
He turned back to the table, picked up the cold tea on the table and took a big sip, trying to suppress the inexplicable restlessness in his heart.
The regent didn't say anything at first, and Jing Li didn't dare to move. After waiting for a long time, he called softly, "...Prince?"
Qin Zhao cleared his throat: "What?"
Jing Li asked in a low voice: "You... didn't you ask me to prove it to you? Now I have proved it, can you... can you stop eating me?"
Qin Zhao took another big sip of tea.
At this time he couldn't tell whether this little monster was really innocent or was deliberately trying to seduce people.
He was the regent king, had been in power for many years, and had known countless people. Whether facing the current emperor or important officials in the court, he had never been at a loss. Why did he appear so embarrassed in front of this young man
How shameful is this
How should we deal with this little monster
Qin Zhao was stroking the teacup with his fingers. Before he could think clearly, he suddenly heard a strange sound.
Qin Zhao didn't react to the sound for a while. He looked at the boy, but saw that the boy was holding his stomach with embarrassment: "Hungry... hungry."
After saying this, his stomach growled again.
Qin Zhao: “…”
"Don't laugh." Jing Li's ears felt slightly hot. "I didn't have enough to eat this morning."
The heavy atmosphere in the room suddenly disappeared. Qin Zhao asked with a smile: "Didn't I ask someone to feed you on time every day? Don't you like to eat?"
Jing Li nodded.
"So what do you want to eat?"
The boy's eyes fell on the pastry in Qin Zhao's hand.
Qin Zhao pushed the plate of cakes away and said, "Eat it."
Jing Li didn't dare to move and looked at him cautiously.
Qin Zhao: "Why, you don't dare to eat it? Do you want me to test it for poison?"
"No, no." Jing Li looked at the cakes on the table, then looked at the Regent, and asked vigilantly, "Are you really not going to eat me? Don't you want to fatten me up first, and then..."
Qin Zhao was so angry that he laughed: "Do you think I am treating you like a pig to be slaughtered?"
“…” Jing Li didn’t dare to say anything more and walked over and sat down obediently.
The boy's hair was still wet, and some water drops slid down the line of his neck into his collar, leaving a winding water mark. Qin Zhao was a little distracted, until the boy raised his head to look at him uncomfortably, and he came back to his senses.
Qin Zhao lowered his head and drank a sip of tea again, then asked, "So you can eat human food?"
"Sure..." Jing Li said uncertainly, "It should be possible."
He ate so many cakes and cakes, but he never felt unwell.
After all, fish are omnivores.
"Should?" Qin Zhao heard something strange in his words.
Jing Li shook his head: "No, I can eat it."
Qin Zhao thought for a moment, but said nothing. He stood up and walked out, opened the door and gave a few instructions to the servants waiting outside. When he turned around, the young man had sat up stiffly, looking at him pitifully.
"Don't worry, I'm not asking anyone to arrest you." Qin Zhao returned to the table. "I'm asking someone to prepare some food for you. Since you can eat human food, don't just eat cakes."
Jing Li uttered a low "Oh".
The house fell silent again.
The servants brought in the food in no time.
The servants of the Regent's Palace were guided very politely. They did not even look at Jing Li during the whole process. They just put the food on the table, took out a silver needle, and tested each dish for poison.
Jing Li's eyes widened.
So this is a poison test
Then wasn't he exposed from the beginning
Jing Li looked at Qin Zhao guiltily, but the latter just looked at him with a half-smile, the deep meaning in his eyes was obvious.
That's right, he was exposed from the beginning.
Jing Li covered his face in despair.
He is so stupid.
I've never seen him so stupid.
It was past dinner time, and the dishes were freshly prepared by Qin Zhao's order. He waved away the servants who had finished testing the poison, and when he turned his head, he saw that the young man's eyes had already been attracted by the table full of food, and he could hardly take his eyes away.
… He looked like he had never seen the world before.
But no matter how much he wanted to eat, Jing Li knew the basic rules. He knew that he couldn't pick up his chopsticks until the host did. Jing Li's eyes circled around the food on the table, and then quietly returned to Qin Zhao.
He happened to meet the latter's smiling eyes.
Qin Zhao said: "Eat."
Jing Li: “Yeah!”
Jing Li didn't rush to eat, but first served Qin Zhao a bowl of soup and placed it in front of him: "Your Highness, please enjoy."
The attitude is very flattering.
Qin Zhao raised his eyebrows slightly: "Are you not afraid of me anymore?"
"I am scared, but..." Jing Li thought for a moment and blinked at him, "You don't want to eat me, do you? You just tried to scare me, didn't you?"
It took me nearly half an hour to react. Look how proud he was.
Qin Zhao simply admitted: "Yes, I didn't hire any chefs or Taoist priests."
"I guessed it." Jing Li laughed happily.
He had been exposed during the "poison test" at the beginning, but the Regent did not expose him at that time and let him go. Today was the same. He clearly saw that he had changed into a human, but he was not surprised or called for help, and even invited him to dinner.
Jing Li suddenly felt that the Regent was not fierce at all.
At least it was completely different from the rumors and what he had imagined.
Jing Li couldn't help but look at the Regent a few more times.
Qin Zhao was drinking his soup, feeling uncomfortable being watched by the people around him. He put down the bowl and asked, "Have you seen enough?"
Jing Li quickly retracted his gaze: "I'm just thinking about something."
Qin Zhao: "What are you thinking about?"
"I was wondering... wondering why you are so nice to me." Jing Li asked the question in his heart.
"Is this considered good?" Qin Zhao asked back.
Jing Li lowered his head, took a bite of the dessert, and stopped talking.
The boy was no longer as reserved in front of him as he was at the beginning. While taking small nibbles of the snack, his eyes wandered around, making him look more lively and cute than before.
Qin Zhao raised his lips unconsciously and continued to ask: "That day you were afraid that I would be hungry, so you risked being discovered to bring me some snacks. Why were you so nice to me?"
"I don't know either." Jing Li thought for a moment, "Maybe it's because you're pretty."
Qin Zhao was stunned.
It has been a long time since anyone dared to speak like this in front of him.
It’s not that the Regent has any taboos, but no one has ever dared to offend him like this.
But the boy didn't seem to think what he said was offensive at all. He lowered his head and concentrated on eating.
Qin Zhao just looked at him quietly, his eyes softening little by little.
"Yeah, you look good too."
The Regent's answer was so soft that Jing Li did not hear it clearly. When he wanted to ask again, the Regent had already lowered his head and was drinking his soup, only perfunctorily saying "Don't talk while eating".
Qin Zhao had already eaten today and only drank some soup with Jing Li, while most of the food went into Jing Li's stomach.
After eating and drinking, Jing Li leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach: "I ate too much again..."
"They say fish don't know when they're hungry or full, and they can easily eat themselves to death. It seems to be true." Qin Zhao had already found a book and started reading it. He didn't even look up when he said this. "It seems I can't feed you so much in the future."
Jing Li frowned.
He thought that the Regent had ordered too much food to be prepared, and he didn't want to waste it, so he ate it up so fast.
He was about to retort, but then he noticed another meaning in the regent's words and asked, "In the future?"
Qin Zhao turned over a page of the book and said in a flat tone: "Well, what's the matter?"
"I...are you still willing to support me?"
Qin Zhao listened to this and turned his head to look at the young man beside him. He said in a confident tone: "You are the birthday gift given to me by the current emperor. Why shouldn't I accept it?"
"You don't suspect that I'm a monster that harms people?"
"I doubted you, so I kept you by my side and watched you carefully." Qin Zhao said, "Now it's your turn to choose, do you want to be a human or continue to be a fish?"
Jing Li thought of the food on the table and said without hesitation: "People!"
Qin Zhao smiled with satisfaction: "I will arrange for someone to send you a few sets of clothes. From now on, you will be my personal attendant. Little silly fish, hide your fish tail well and don't show it."
Jing Li somehow went from being the regent's pet fish to being his personal attendant.
Although he was called an attendant, the Regent King didn't really use him much, and he was still well fed and well fed. Jing Li didn't quite understand the rules of being an attendant, and the Regent King didn't intend to have anyone treat him well.
He has no shortage of servants who know the rules, so it would be meaningless if you were too cautious with him.
but…
Which servant would dare to stay up late at night in his master's house and doze off while his master is handling affairs
After Qin Zhao finished marking a memorial, he turned his head and saw the young man sleeping soundly beside the table.
I immediately became very angry.
Qin Zhao sat up straight and coughed heavily.
The boy next to him simply changed his posture, as if he was sleeping even more deeply.
Qin Zhao: “…”
Qin Zhao was almost so angry that he laughed. He leaned over and was about to push the boy awake when he suddenly heard the boy mutter, "Qin Zhao..."
They even dare to call me by my name.
Courageous.
Qin Zhao patiently listened to what he wanted to say.
The young man was dressed like a servant, with long hair hanging down his back, with only a few strands scattered on his cheeks. His face looked very soft, and even his slightly opened lips were moist and soft.
Qin Zhao looked so dry that his mouth was dry. He looked away and heard the boy speak again: "... Don't eat me."
Qin Zhao laughed.
It’s still that silly fish.
The weather was gradually warming up, but the night temperature was not that high these past two days. The night wind blew in from the window, bringing a slight chill. Jing Li seemed to be a little afraid of the cold, and shrank his neck, but still did not wake up.
Qin Zhao sighed helplessly, and instead of waking the person up, he stood up and gently picked him up.
The boy has a small frame and is very thin, so he doesn't feel heavy at all when I hold him.
As soon as Qin Zhao picked him up, Jing Li woke up in a daze.
He seemed to have fallen asleep, and didn't realize what time it was. He asked in a daze, "What are you doing?"
"Go to sleep on the couch, you'll catch a cold."
“Oh…” Jing Li responded with a sound, then realized belatedly what position they were in and struggled uncomfortably.
Qin Zhao: "Don't move."
Jing Li immediately didn't dare to move.
He obediently let Qin Zhao carry him into the inner room.
The Regent was usually very busy with affairs, and he would sometimes stay in the study until late at night, so he would just stay here and someone specially made a soft couch in the inner room of the study.
Apart from Qin Zhao, Jing Li was the first person to sleep on this couch.
Qin Zhao put the person on the couch and turned to leave, but was stopped by someone: "You... aren't you going to rest yet?"
The inner room was dim, with only the moonlight outside the tiny window making the boy's eyes sparkle.
"I haven't finished my work yet." Qin Zhao's voice softened unconsciously, "You should rest first."
Jing Li: "But it's already very late."
Earlier, Jing Li thought that the regent put him in the lake and ignored him because he didn't care about him. But recently, after following the regent, he found that the regent really didn't have time to play with birds and raise fish.
I don't know why he has so many things to do every day. It is common for him to stay up until late at night or even stay up all day. After living with him for such a long time, he doesn't even have a day to rest well.
Jing Li felt that the Regent was simply a model worker.
Qin Zhao glanced at the sleeve that was grabbed by the boy. The latter withdrew his hand awkwardly. Qin Zhao asked with a smile: "Care about me?"
"I just feel..." Jing Li's ears felt hot when he looked at her, and his eyes drifted away, "If you continue like this, your body won't be able to bear it."
It would be fine if he took good care of his body, but this person takes advantage of his body when he is busy. He doesn't eat on time and drinks tea to refresh himself when he feels sleepy. How can his body bear it if this continues for a long time
The young man looked very serious when he said this. Qin Zhao rarely saw him so serious, so he stopped smiling and whispered, "Not too long."
"ah?"
"Nothing." Qin Zhao shook his head and didn't continue the topic. Suddenly he remembered something, "The emperor is going to hold a birthday party for me in a few days. Do you want to go?"
Jing Li blinked: "Can I...can I go?"
Ever since Jing Li agreed to stay by his side as an attendant, not only did the rumors of monsters in the palace disappear, but no one was surprised by his appearance. This must have been due to the order of the regent.
However, perhaps because he was worried that Jing Li's identity would be exposed outside, Qin Zhao never took him out.
Why are you suddenly taking him to the birthday party
"Don't you like to eat?" Qin Zhao didn't explain too much, but just used the temptation of food, "There are many things in the birthday banquet that you can't eat on weekdays."
Jing Li's eyes lit up immediately: "Okay!"
Fish are so gullible.
Qin Zhao smiled with satisfaction, reached out and touched Jing Li's hair, said "Take a rest", and turned to walk out.
Jing Li looked at the other person's back, smiled foolishly, and lay down with the quilt in his arms.
Three days later, the Regent’s birthday party was held.
The banquet was held at the Zhaixing Tower in the imperial city. In the evening, Qin Zhao and Jing Li entered the city in a carriage.
The carriage stopped in the market, Jing Li lowered the curtain and tugged at his sleeves uncomfortably. Qin Zhao had dressed him in a red dress made of luxurious fabric, embroidered with gold thread and decorated with jade, which did not look like a servant's attire at all.
No matter how stupid Jing Li was, he came to his senses at this moment.
He was probably tricked by this guy again.
Seeing that they were getting closer and closer to the palace, Jing Li couldn't help but ask, "Prince, you didn't ask me to be your attendant, did you?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
Jing Li felt that this man really took him for a fool: "How can a servant dress like this?"
Qin Zhao smiled and asked patiently: "Then guess what I asked you to do?"
He was wearing an indigo robe today, which matched Jing Li's red dress very well. Jing Li actually had some guesses in his heart, his ears turned slightly red, but he didn't dare to say it out loud, and said in a muffled voice: "I don't know."
"So you are stupid." Qin Zhao said, "I don't know how many people in the court want to send people to me. Even the current emperor passes me paintings from time to time. Today is the birthday banquet. Do you think those people will miss this opportunity?"
Jing Li asked curiously, "Wouldn't it be OK if you just didn't accept it?"
"Of course you can, but if everyone walks in front of me, it will be an eyesore."
So he brought someone with him.
The Regent has been a bachelor for so many years, and this is the first time someone has come around him. Even if he has no name or status, it is enough to scare those who want to get in his way.
This answer was actually pretty much the same as what Jing Li had guessed, but when he really heard Qin Zhao say this, he inexplicably felt a little unhappy.
Just a little bit, but still not pleasant.
As if he had noticed Jing Li's change of mood, Qin Zhao put away his nonchalant look and sat up straight: "You don't want to?"
"No... I don't want to." Jing Li was unhappy, "The prince has raised me for so long, this is what I should do."
Qin Zhao looked at him for a moment, then tilted his head to look out the window, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
But Jing Li didn't notice it.
The carriage soon stopped in front of the Zhaixing Tower. Jing Li was about to get off but was stopped by Qin Zhao.
"Do the whole act." Qin Zhao left this sentence and got off the carriage before him.
Afterwards, he ignored the ministers who came to congratulate him, turned around and extended his hand to Jing Li who was still in the carriage, revealing an almost gentle smile: "Come, give me your hand."