Time: One-month separation during Ai Miao's southern assignment
Location: Da Sheng Imperial Palace
Week One: Composed and Controlled
On the day Ai Miao left the capital, Gu Lian personally escorted him to the palace gates. His expression was calm, even meticulous as he instructed the accompanying officials on various details.
Back in the imperial study, he resumed reviewing memorials and meeting with ministers. Everything ran smoothly—except for the occasional, unconscious glance toward the empty seat beside him.
Week Two: Irritation Rising
"What is this memorial? The phrasing is incoherent, the logic a mess! Rewrite it!" Gu Lian rarely lost his temper in the study, but this time he flung a military report to the floor. The attendant trembled as he picked it up, not daring to breathe.
His Majesty's temper had clearly worsened in recent days.
That night, Gu Lian lay on the vast dragon bed, tossing and turning. The bedding still held a faint trace of that man's cool ink scent—now faded into cold emptiness.
He sat up abruptly, scolding the empty room: "It's just a month away. What sort of behavior is this?" As if reprimanding himself.
Week Three: Appetite Lost, Sleep Disrupted
"Your Majesty, it's time for your meal," the attendant whispered.
Gu Lian glanced at the carefully prepared dishes, expression blank. "Take them away."
"But Your Majesty, you skipped lunch—"
"I said I'm not eating!" His voice was sharp, but his gaze lingered on a small dish of cold bamboo shoots—Ai Miao's favorite. His eyes dimmed.
That night, he summoned the commander of the shadow guards.
"Where is Lord Wen'an now?"
"Your Majesty, he has reached Jiangnan. All is well. Three days ago, he resolved issues with canal transport. The local officials—"
"I didn't ask about them!" Gu Lian interrupted, voice tight. "…Is he… in good health? Jiangnan is damp—has his old injury flared up? Is he adjusting to the food?"
The commander bowed. "Reports say Lord Wen'an is well. Please rest assured."
Gu Lian was silent for a moment, then waved him away. He walked to the window, gazing southward, murmuring: "…Not even a message?"
Week Four: Longing Turns to Scrutiny
The court grew tense.
An elder minister finished his report, only to find the emperor's gaze fixed on him.
"Minister Wang," Gu Lian said slowly, "Your numbers today differ slightly from last month's report."
Minister Wang's heart skipped. His Majesty noticed that?
"And Minister Li," Gu Lian turned to another, "Your flood control proposal sounds oddly similar to Lord Wen'an's strategy in Huainan last year. Yet it captures the form, not the essence."
The ministers: "…" Your Majesty, you're clearly judging us all by Lord Wen'an's standards!
Final Day: Eyes Toward the Horizon
As Ai Miao's return approached, Gu Lian counted the hours.
"Have the city gates been reinforced? Are the streets cleared? Is Lord Wen'an's residence cleaned? Has his preferred ink been prepared?" He asked about every detail—more meticulous than for any grand ceremony.
On the day of return, Gu Lian canceled all meetings. He tried to sit in the study and read memorials—but couldn't focus on a single word.
Finally, he tossed aside his brush and climbed to the highest pavilion in the palace, gazing toward the official road.
As the sun dipped westward, a familiar procession appeared on the horizon. Gu Lian's hands, clasped behind his back, whitened from the force of his grip.
Nightfall: Reunion in the Inner Palace
Dust-covered and weary, Ai Miao entered the palace to report his return. He had barely stepped into the bedchamber when he was pulled into a scorching, familiar embrace.
Gu Lian held him tightly—so tightly it felt like he might fuse them together. His chin pressed into Ai Miao's neck as he inhaled deeply— that long-missed scent of ink and travel.
"…" Ai Miao, breath caught, felt the tremble in Gu Lian's arms. His heart softened. He stopped resisting, gently returned the embrace, and whispered: "Your Majesty, I'm back."
Gu Lian didn't respond. He only held him tighter. After a long silence, he murmured in a hoarse, aggrieved voice:
"Ai Miao… how dare you make me wait so long."
Ai Miao, moved by the rare vulnerability, patted his back gently—like soothing a restless hound. "Your Majesty, I was on official duty."
"Duty matters more than me?" Gu Lian loosened his grip slightly, eyes locked on Ai Miao's. "Those Jiangnan officials—what are they for? Canal issues, and you stayed half a month?"
Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, Ai Miao softened. "Canal transport is vital to the nation. The problems ran deep. Without my presence, reform would've stalled. And I…"
"And what?" Gu Lian pressed, fingers absently tracing Ai Miao's collar.
"I wrote three confidential reports to Your Majesty during the journey," Ai Miao said, eyes calm and knowing. "Detailed updates. Surely… Your Majesty received them?"
Gu Lian froze. Of course he had. He'd read them countless times—edges worn from handling. But they were just cold, formal documents.
"Reports are reports!" he muttered. "Did they contain even half a sentence… half a…"
He wanted to ask, Did you miss me? But under Ai Miao's clear, perceptive gaze, the words stuck in his throat. His ears flushed red.
He was an emperor. How could he be so… transparent?
Ai Miao watched his awkward defiance and finally chuckled softly. He reached out, wrapped his arms around Gu Lian's neck, pulled him close, and whispered:
"Though I didn't write it… There wasn't a single day I didn't think of Your Majesty."
That sentence melted all the frustration and emptiness Gu Lian had carried for a month.
His eyes darkened. Without another word, he kissed the lips he'd longed for— with possessive urgency and the desperation of reunion.
He held Ai Miao tighter, as if he could consume him whole, as if only by merging completely could he be satisfied.
It was a kiss that nearly took his breath away—aggressive, probing, leaving no room for evasion or refusal. Gu Lian's palm clamped down on the back of Ai Miao's head, while his other hand gripped his waist tightly, pinning him firmly against his chest. Their bodies pressed together seamlessly; even through layers of fabric, they could feel each other's rapid heartbeats and rapidly rising temperatures.
Ai Miao initially struggled to maintain a shred of clarity, attempting to turn his head away from this overwhelming surge. Yet Gu Lian only tightened his grip. Lips and tongues were forcibly pried open, sucked, and tangled together. Oxygen was stolen away, his mind growing hazy. He finally surrendered his resistance, even beginning to respond awkwardly, tentatively.
This faint response was like pouring boiling oil onto a raging fire. A low, satisfied sigh escaped Gu Lian's throat as he kissed deeper, more intoxicated.
After an unknown span of time, only when Ai Miao gently pushed against his chest, gasping for air, did Gu Lian reluctantly release the lips he had ravaged until they were swollen and crimson. Silver threads of saliva lingered suggestively between them as they parted. His breath came heavy and scorching, misting the other's glistening lips.
"Yue..." Gu Lian's voice was hoarse beyond recognition, thick with desire and a hint of gritted teeth. "Ai Miao, do you know how I endured these thirty days and nights?"
Before Ai Miao could answer, he abruptly scooped him up horizontally.
Ai Miao instinctively gasped softly, his arms wrapping around Gu Lian's neck. He buried his flushed cheeks into the man's solid chest, listening to the rapid, heavy heartbeat echoing from within, gradually merging with his own drum-like thudding.
Gu Lian carried him, striding purposefully toward the grand dragon-patterned bed in the inner chamber. His pace was urgent, even stumbling slightly, as if every moment of waiting was torture.
He laid Ai Miao onto the soft brocade bedding. His movements seemed rough, yet the moment Ai Miao touched the mattress, they dissolved into the gentlest touch. Immediately, Gu Lian's lean frame descended upon him, lowering his head to seal his lips once more. Simultaneously, those hands—accustomed to wielding pens and swords, to reviewing the affairs of the realm—began urgently yet methodically undoing the intricate fastenings of Ai Miao's official robes.
The sash snapped open, and layer upon layer of the intricate crimson robe fell away, revealing beneath it a plain white undershirt and a stretch of neck and collarbone as smooth and fair as jade. Gu Lian's kisses followed, stamping down like seals. Punitive nibbles marked the protruding collarbone and the slightly shifting Adam's apple, leaving behind distinct crimson traces.
"Your Majesty..." Ai Miao tilted his head back in agony, his Adam's apple rolling as a broken moan escaped his lips. His body, desensitized by prolonged abstinence, had become abnormally sensitive; each touch felt like igniting a cluster of sparks.
Gu Lian's kisses did not linger on the collarbone. Instead, with an almost devout obsession, they continued their descent. His scorching lips and tongue traced Ai Miao's slender chest, lingering long on the slightly heaving left side of his ribcage, as if seeking to kiss the heart beating wildly for him through the skin. His tongue brushed against the pale protrusion on one side, feeling it harden swiftly beneath his lips as the body beneath him emitted a stifled gasp. This reaction pleased him. He nibbled and ground gently with his teeth until the spot turned swollen and tender, then shifted his attention to the other side, bestowing equal "torment" and "tenderness."
Kisses fell like a dense rain, skimming the taut abdomen, lingering along the narrow waist, circling the sensitive navel.
Ai Miao's body had melted into a pool of spring water, powerless to resist this meticulous, agonizing exploration. Each touch of lips and tongue sent a subtle shiver through him. When that hot, wet kiss finally landed at the hem of his undergarments, teasingly brushing against the outline of his burning desire below, Ai Miao finally collapsed, his voice breaking with a sob. "Your Majesty... please... don't..."
Gu Lian looked down at him, his gaze like the most scorching sunlight, sweeping inch by inch over his brow, eyes, and nose, finally resting on those lips, swollen and moist from his kisses.
"This time," Gu Lian's voice was gravelly, carrying unmistakable desire and declaration, "I want you to know clearly that it's not just here that wants you..." His fingertip pressed against the thin undergarment, touching the left side of Ai Miao's chest.
"...but here too." Before the words faded, his palm already covered the unmistakable, burning outline rising between Ai Miao's legs.
Ai Miao's body jerked violently, as if struck by electricity, a suppressed whimper escaping his throat. He tried to close his legs, but Gu Lian's forceful intrusion stopped his retreat.
"Your Majesty..." Ai Miao's voice carried a tremor and plea he hadn't even noticed himself.
"Say my name." Gu Lian commanded in his ear, his hot breath flooding the hollow, sending Ai Miao into a more intense tremor. His fingers deftly undid the ties of Ai Miao's inner robe, gliding over the slender yet well-defined spine, feeling the cool, taut skin beneath his palms. His touch carried a fierce possessiveness, as if surveying his territory, refusing to overlook a single inch.
When the cool fingers, now coated with an unseen, crisply fragrant ointment, tentatively probed the hidden place untouched by outsiders, Ai Miao's body instantly tensed like a bowstring.
"Relax..." Gu Lian murmured in his ear, his breath hot and carrying a soothing magic. Yet his other hand skillfully caressed the desire already standing erect before him, glistening with moisture. "This past month, I've thought of this moment every single second..."
The process of stretching was slow and agonizing. Gu Lian was exceedingly patient, adding a second finger to the first, carefully exploring the tight, scorching passageway, feeling every subtle spasm and contraction of the inner walls.
Ai Miao bit down hard on his lower lip, trying to stifle the shameful moans, fine beads of sweat covering his temples and the tip of his nose. His eyes, usually as still as ancient wells, now resembled a deep pool disturbed by a pebble. Ripples spread across them, veiled in a lustful sheen. The unfathomable calm that usually resided there shattered completely, leaving only a bewildered and fragile shimmer.
When Gu Lian sensed that place had softened and moistened enough to receive him, he withdrew his fingers, grasped his already painfully swollen desire, and pressed it against the entrance.
He gazed into Ai Miao's misty eyes, his voice cracking from extreme restraint: "Look at me... Ai Miao... look at me..."
Ai Miao obeyed, opening his eyes to meet those burning with fierce flames yet unfathomably deep. Within them, he saw unmasked desire, the ecstasy of something lost and found, and an oceanic love so profound it threatened to drown him.
He drew a deep breath, lifting his slightly trembling arms to encircle Gu Lian's neck once more. With a subtle yet resolute nod, he gave his silent consent.
The moment his permission was granted, Gu Lian lowered his hips, firmly and slowly, completely possessing the person beneath him.
"Ah!" The overwhelming sensation of being completely filled, mingled with a faint tearing pain, made Ai Miao arch his neck and let out a short cry of pain. His fingertips left several red marks on Gu Lian's solid back.
Gu Lian immediately halted all movement, suppressing the surging, screaming desire within him. He leaned down to gently kiss away the physiological tears at the corner of his eyes, murmuring soothing words into his ear: "It won't hurt much longer... soon..."
Only when he felt the body beneath him gradually relax, the inner walls no longer so taut, even beginning to unconsciously cling and tighten around him, did Gu Lian tentatively begin his movements.
At first, it was slow and deep thrusts, each one reaching the deepest point, grinding against that sensitive spot. Ai Miao initially suppressed his voice, but as pleasure built, fragmented moans finally escaped his lips uncontrollably.
"Ah... Your Majesty... Gu Lian..." His name, uttered for the first time in passion, came from Ai Miao's lips in a voice so hoarse and lingering.
That single utterance shattered Gu Lian's last shred of restraint. His movements abruptly became fierce and violent, like a raging storm, plunging into that warm, tight depths with savage force, as if he were driving his very soul into the other's body.
The dragon bed creaked softly beneath their violent movements, blending with the sticky slaps of flesh, heavy gasps, and uncontrollable moans to weave the most primal and intimate symphony of love.
Ai Miao's consciousness had long been shattered by the relentless pounding. He could only passively endure this overwhelming ecstasy, his legs spread wide, limply wrapped around Gu Lian's lean waist, his toes curling from the continuous waves of climax. He felt like a tiny boat tossed upon the stormy seas of desire, his only anchor the man upon him who brought him both the most excruciating pain and the most sublime pleasure.
After another deep thrust, Gu Lian felt Ai Miao's inner walls contract violently, spasming like a cramp. Simultaneously, a warm stream spilled between their tightly pressed lower abdomens. Ai Miao let out a long, tearful whimper and went limp.
Gu Lian bent down, kissing him deeply, yet his movements beneath did not cease. Instead, he thrust wildly dozens of times more, finally growling as he released his burning heat. He bit fiercely into Ai Miao's earlobe, his voice hoarse: "From this day forward, every inch of you belongs to me." Releasing a month's worth of searing longing into the warmest depths....
After the lingering echoes faded, only their ragged breaths remained in the bedchamber.
Gu Lian didn't withdraw immediately. Instead, he held Ai Miao tightly against him in their joined embrace, kissing his hairline and forehead with countless tender kisses, as if no amount of closeness could ever be enough.
Ai Miao lay utterly spent, letting himself be held, too weary even to move a finger. After a long while, he finally found his voice, his post-coital hoarseness tinged with languidness as he murmured softly:
"Now... does Your Majesty believe that not a single day passes without me thinking of you?"
Gu Lian chuckled softly, his chest vibrating as his arms tightened around him.
"I do." He kissed Ai Miao's sweat-dampened temple, his voice brimming with unprecedented contentment and tenderness. "From now on, you are forbidden to leave me for so long again."
The Next Morning
Ai Miao woke in a familiar embrace. The moment he stirred, a deep ache spread through his body—like he'd been run over by a carriage. He looked up and met Gu Lian's gaze, already awake, watching him without blinking.
"Your Majesty…" he began, voice hoarse.
"No court today," Gu Lian murmured, tightening his arms and pulling him closer. His chin nuzzled into Ai Miao's soft hair, his tone laced with rare contentment and laziness. "Stay with me a little longer."
Ai Miao noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes had faded, and the tension between his brows had eased. Clearly, Gu Lian had finally slept well. He nestled back into the embrace, listening to the steady heartbeat in his ear, letting the warmth and peace of reunion wash over him.
But the peace didn't last long.
During breakfast, Gu Lian casually remarked, "That Scholar Lin… I find his learning a bit shallow. Keeping him in the Hanlin Academy seems a waste. Perhaps he should be sent out to gain some real experience?"
Ai Miao's hand paused midair, chopsticks hovering. He looked up at Gu Lian, who was calmly picking up a piece of crystal cake, as if making idle conversation.
Ai Miao understood immediately—this was the reckoning.
He set down his chopsticks and replied evenly, "Your Majesty, though Scholar Lin is young and impulsive, he has genuine scholarly depth. Staying in the Hanlin Academy to compile and edit texts suits his strengths. Sending him out might be… a waste of talent."
Gu Lian raised an eyebrow and gave a noncommittal grunt, clearly displeased with the answer.
Ai Miao looked at his expression—half sulking, half stubborn—and felt both amused and helpless. After a moment's thought, he picked up a piece of crab roe pastry—Gu Lian's favorite—and placed it gently on his plate.
Softly, he said, "I've been away for a month. What I missed most… was this crab pastry from the palace. No one outside makes it quite the same."
Gu Lian looked at the offering, then at Ai Miao's lowered gaze. Hearing him say he missed something from the palace— which, by implication, meant missing someone from the palace— his irritation over Scholar Lin vanished in an instant.
He picked up the pastry and took a bite. The rich, savory sweetness filled his mouth. It was the best thing he'd tasted in a month.
He looked at Ai Miao, who was quietly eating across from him, sunlight filtering through the window and casting a soft glow on his elegant profile.
Gu Lian felt a deep, swelling contentment rise in his chest.
So be it. As long as this person was by his side, what did the rest matter?
His empire, his strategist, his beloved— had finally, completely, returned to him.