LIGHTNOVELONLINE 42
Chapter 42: Hug the Consort, and the Lord is Here Too…
After a comfortable night’s sleep in the seaside villa, the next day, Yi Er took Qi Yao to chase star beasts in the forest, chased after star beasts, went to the seaside to catch crabs, got tired from catching crabs, and then went back to rest and sleep. The two zergs didn’t want anything else, so they just let go of everything and spent the rest of their vacation perfectly.
On the day of their return journey, Qi Yao was particularly reluctant to leave. Seeing Qi Yao’s longing gaze, Yi Er said, “We’ll come back when we have the chance.”
Qi Yao said, “You better keep your word.”
Yi Er smiled slightly. “When has Teacher Yi Er ever broken his word?”
Qi Yao was satisfied. He leaned against the porthole and watched as the Y7112 asteroid gradually contracted into a small blue ball. He sat back next to Yi Er, feeling content.
The spacecraft traveled at light speed, and the scenery outside the window passed by at a speed that the naked eye couldn’t capture, then quickly receded into the distance.
Qi Yao chatted with Yi Er, “During our time outside, did His Majesty and His Highness not look for you?”
“They did. They asked if I was enjoying my vacation. If not, they said to end it early and return.”
“Haha,” Qi Yao laughed, “Was that His Highness’s question?”
“Yes, it was.”
“What did you say?”
“I naturally said I was very happy, and didn’t want to leave.”
Qi Yao laughed delightedly, “By saying that, didn’t you anger His Highness?”
Yi Er replied calmly, as if drinking plain water, “Of course, His Highness was angry, saying I’ve been spoiled by His Majesty, learning bad habits. He also said some other things, basically threatening me not to do it again next time, but was then appeased by His Majesty.”
Qi Yao couldn’t help but sigh, “His Highness really dotes on His Majesty.”
Yi Er raised an eyebrow, “His Majesty is reasonable, doesn’t quarrel or make trouble, soothes His Highness’s heart. Moreover, he has given birth to several excellent cubs for His Highness. How could His Highness not dote on him?”
“Well, that’s true.”
Bored on the way, Yi Er started chatting with Qi Yao, “You don’t know their story. At that time, His Highness was still a spoiled prince. Whenever he fancied a beautiful female zerg, he would snatch him and make him a concubine. His Majesty was also one of the female zergs favored by His Highness at that time. However, His Majesty didn’t want to marry into the imperial family at that time, and didn’t have any feelings for His Highness. So he lied to His Highness, saying that he was already engaged to other male zergs.”
Qi Yao became curious as he listened, “Then how did they end up together?”
“After that… His Highness chased after His Majesty several times, but each time ended in failure. Probably the more unattainable, the more itchy the heart. His Highness tried various ways to inquire about the male zergs His Majesty was engaged to, only to find out that there were none. From this, he realized that His Majesty didn’t even care about him, the prince. Later on, His Highness abandoned his royal identity, and instead pursued His Majesty. But His Majesty still refused. His Highness then went to the Second Military Region in the name of tempering his character and became a military male. As a military male, His Highness gradually restrained his fervent pursuit of His Majesty and turned his attention to his career. From being pampered to tempered, his character underwent a step-by-step tempering. Later on, he gradually attracted His Majesty’s attention, and His Majesty finally proposed to him.”
“Ah,” Qi Yao didn’t expect the relationship between Si Niya and Dai Na to have such a beginning. “This is like indirectly shaping an excellent male monarch for the empire.”
“Yes, it was precisely this experience that gave His Highness outstanding military talents. I’m speaking in general terms. If you want to know the details, you can search on the Star Network. There are many fanfiction stories derived from this, although most of them have been deleted, but if you look carefully, you can still find some.”
Qi Yao’s gossip enthusiasm wasn’t that high, but he resonated vaguely with His Highness becoming a military male in the Second Military Region.
After chatting idly, when they remembered the business at hand, Qi Yao said seriously, “His Highness urgently wanted you back. Is it because of the situation in the Glassy system?”
“Yes, envoys from the Glassy system came to negotiate.”
“Oh? What conditions are they offering in exchange for Gatt?”
Yi Er paused for a moment. “That depends on how His Majesty and His Highness weigh it.”
Upon arrival at the Imperial Mother Star, half a day had already passed. Once back home, Yi Er received a message summoning him from Si Niya.
Qi Yao had wanted to spend the last half day of his vacation resting with Yi Er, fully recharging himself for work the next day. But now it seemed that only one zerg would be able to rest alone.
“It looks like you won’t be able to enjoy Dean’s freshly cooked dinner,” Qi Yao said regretfully.
Having taken a wedding leave at such a critical moment, there must have been a lot of work piled up waiting for Yi Er to handle.
After bathing and changing into formal attire, Yi Er said, “We’ll eat when I come back.”
After finishing speaking, without further delay, he went to the Imperial Palace to see Si Niya.
Si Niya summoned Yi Er mainly because of Gatt.
This eldest son of the Glassy royal family, although at this moment, he was their captive, he showed no awareness of being a captive at all. When insisting on negotiation talks, he demanded that a silver-haired blue-eyed female zerg represent them.
There were not many female zergs in the Empire with silver hair and blue eyes, and the only one Gatt had contact with was Yi Er. Without even thinking, Si Niya assumed that Gatt wanted Yi Er to represent the Empire in negotiations. But now Gatt was already a prisoner, what right did he have to appoint a negotiator?
So when the demands were conveyed to Si Niya’s ears, Si Niya snorted disdainfully and said, “Just because he said something, are we supposed to do it? Does he still think he’s the Prince of the Glassy? If he wants to act recklessly, he should consider whose territory he’s on.”
The attendants relayed Si Niya’s words verbatim to Gatt. Gatt lowered his head, still wearing a nonchalant smile on his lips. In a voice that no zerg could hear, he said, “Your Emperor, perhaps you thought I was referring to Yi Er, then let’s wait and see, shall we? I’m also waiting.”
Si Niya summoned Yi Er to ask him exactly when and where he had incurred Gatt’s resentment.
As soon as Yi Er left, Qi Yao found himself idle again.
The biggest news in the Empire in recent days was that the Queen personally went to the border star system to capture Gatt. Envoys from the Glassy system came to negotiate, offering generous terms, including energy mines, in exchange for their royal eldest son. However, their proposal was politely declined by His Majesty.
Opinions were varied, all speculating on the reasons why His Majesty refused the terms of negotiation.
Some said that the Empire had suffered heavy losses in the face of repeated provocations from the Glassy system, and the conditions offered by Glassy were simply not enough.
Some said His Majesty wanted to take the opportunity to pressure Glassy and assert dominance over them.
Some even said that the Empire had no intention of negotiating at all and was waiting for the right moment to strike and annihilate the Glassy system.
Qi Yao scrolled through these hotly debated news items and kept giving his thoughts in four words: absurd and outrageous.
The initiative in the negotiations was now in the hands of the Empire. If the Empire wanted to seize the opportunity to destroy the Glassy system, there was no way they would keep Gatt around.
Dai Na must have her own thoughts.
What thoughts exactly, Qi Yao couldn’t know.
He remembered what Darren had said, that he and Yao Li had been working hard for peace between the two systems. But upon further thought, the hope was slim. After all, when the envoys from the Glassy system came to negotiate, Yao Li and Darren were enjoying a meteor shower on the asteroid.
It had been several days, and Qi Yao didn’t know if they had left the asteroid, if they had thought of Yi Er, or if they had understood the meaning behind Yi Er’s words.
He had been confident in breaking through Yi Er’s defenses, as promised to the system, but so far, there had been no progress.
Yi Er seemed to be in a good mood again, probably because he had pushed Darren’s matter back to the bottom of his heart.
If it were brought up again…
Forget it, for now, he would pin his hopes on time.
Qi Yao turned off the news and leisurely descended the stairs. Dean had already prepared dinner and was about to leave work.
He told Dean, “I don’t have an appetite as a single zerg, so you can save dinner for now. I’ll wait for Yi Er to come back, and we’ll eat together.”
“Alright, Mr. Qi,” Dean responded.
Just as Qi Yao was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something. “Oh, Dean, can my terminal link to Xiao En’s intelligent program?”
“It can, Mr. Qi.”
Qi Yao handed the terminal to Dean. “Then, Dean, please connect my terminal to it.”
Last time, when Yi Er checked whether he was pregnant or not behind his back using Xiao En, Qi Yao learned his lesson. He linked his own terminal to Xiao En this time, so that every time Yi Er checked with Xiao En, he would be the first to know.
The inspection results are out. Yi Er no longer wants to hide it from him!
Late at night, Yi Er dragged his weary body back home. Xiao En timely heated up the meal and brought it over. Seeing Yi Er tired, Xiao En automatically came forward to massage him when he sat down.
Qi Yao served him some food, placing his favorite biscuits and nutrient broth mixed with vegetables in front of him. Yi Er leaned back in his chair, not touching his food for a while. After a long pause, he slowly rubbed his brow and said, “Do you know why His Majesty refused the negotiation terms of the Glassy system?”
Qi Yao had thought about this in the afternoon and concluded: The king’s heart, like a needle at the bottom of the sea, cannot be guessed by commoners. So Qi Yao shook his head and said, “I don’t know.”
Yi Er let his hands drop, closed his eyes, took a long breath, then slowly exhaled before saying softly, “I don’t know when His Majesty found out that my father, Darren, is still alive…”
“His Majesty knows?” Qi Yao suddenly remembered when he went to inquire about Darren from Nos, and Nos mentioned that Dai Na had also asked about Daren the night before. Perhaps Dai Na found out at the same time he captured Gatt? But this answer couldn’t be verified with Dai Na.
Just half a day apart, Yi Er seemed to have suffered a great blow. “When I entered the palace and saw His Majesty, he asked me how I got into a feud with Gatt. In a galactic war, isn’t it normal to be at odds with enemy commanders? In fact, it’s not like that.” After taking a deep breath, he continued slowly, “His Majesty took me to see Gatt, and Gatt told me that he hates my father, Darren. Because of my female father’s appearance, Yao Li fell in love with him and rejected Gatt’s courtship. As a result, he swore to ruin my female father’s reputation.”
Never had he imagined such a melodramatic love triangle between Darren, Yao Li, and Gatt!
Yi Er continued, “The negotiation and peace talks have always been managed by His Majesty. The Emperor only oversees the overall situation and is not clear about the specific details of the negotiations. Until tonight… The Emperor learned from Gatt that my female father is still alive. He was very angry and went to see His Majesty. Only then did His Majesty say that the reason the negotiation failed was because of the first condition he proposed, which was to secretly send my female father, Darren, back to the Empire without recording it in the negotiation treaty.”
Yi Er covered his eyes with one hand. “The Emperor thought it was absurd. How could His Majesty make such an unreasonable and selfish demand in negotiation and peace talks? He was very disappointed in His Majesty and sternly reprimanded him…”
“Maybe not long from now, everyone in the Empire will know that my female father is alive and has joined the Glassy system… He is the Empire’s shame, and you, me, His Majesty, will all be labeled as shameful and become the subjects of public criticism.”
“Yi Er…” Qi Yao listened, feeling sorry for Yi Er, and gently stroked his long hair.
But he couldn’t find more words to comfort Yi Er.
Yi Er choked up, “Lord, this is a dead end. No matter what choice my female father makes, the fact cannot be changed.”
Qi Yao could only hold him. “Yi Er, don’t be so pessimistic. There will be a way.”
“What way? His Majesty also knows this is a scandal, so he made such a request to the negotiator from the Glassy system.”
Qi Yao racked his brains, searching for hidden hope in the current situation. “But no one in the Empire knows yet, right?”
Yi Er remained silent with his eyes closed.
Qi Yao said, “Right now, only you, me, His Majesty, the Emperor, and the zergs from Glassy know. Before your father steps into Empire territory, there is still room for maneuvering.”
“… Can it really be maneuvered? I can’t see any light ahead.”
“There will be light, Yi Er. Have you forgotten what I said? Only you can decide. Promise me, don’t be so pessimistic, okay?”
Yi Er buried his head in Qi Yao’s chest. “But… because of me, His Majesty…”
Feeling the overwhelming emotions, Qi Yao hugged Yi Er and comforted him with soothing pats on his back. “Hold on, my consort, don’t be sad. You still have your lord here. Your lord will never leave you.”