Chapter 32 – Pictures In the Yellow Book

Just as Gong Yi Mo started pacing around her bedroom while thinking about what else had to be prepared, Gong Jue walked in and gestured for the servants to retire, leaving only the pair of siblings in the room.

“Sister Gong.”

“You came!”

Gong Yi Mo’s eyes shined in satisfaction as she looked closely at her 11-year-old brother. He gave off a reliable atmosphere. In ancient times, Gong Jue could be considered a young adult. He wore simple white robes and stood upright, showing his steadiness. His slanted brows and deep, seductive eyes further enhanced his charm. Who knows how many women will be harmed by his beauty.

Gong Yi Mo silently nodded in approval at his growth. Then, she took him to the inner room and proudly handed him an item.

“This is?” He asked curiously.

Gon Jue unfurled the item and discovered it to be a set of Golden Silk Armor. This flexible armor was woven out of golden silk extracted from the snowy mountains. The cloth might seem light and thin, but its material was actually strong enough to block a sword’s cut. It was a rare treasure. This treasure was obtained this year as a tribute from a neighboring country and bestowed upon Gong Yi Mo by the emperor. She then gave it to Gong Jue.

Gong Jue smiled. “I don’t need it.”

“How can you not need it?” Gong Yi Mo glared at him.

“Three months ago, you were poisoned. Two months ago, you fell off a horse that ran wild during a riding lesson. One month ago, you were almost stabbed in the chest with a deliberately broken sword during a swordsmanship lesson! Tell me, in what way do you not need it?”

The more Gong Yi Mo described his situation, the worse her expression got. She had not done enough; she was deeply concerned about raising and protecting him, yet there were still people plotting against him from right under her nose.

In the past two years, Gong Jue did not fight or contend for the throne, but he still became an obstacle in some people’s eyes. Even though he and Sister Gong tried to tread carefully, it was still inevitable that he would make a few enemies.

The harem was too enormous. Under the watchful eyes of 3,000 concubines, every step was dangerous.

That was why only after careful consideration and planning were they able to find an opportunity for Gong Jue to leave the palace. Although it sounded simple, the thinking put into their planning could not be described in just a few words.

Gong Yi Mo forcefully pushed the soft armor into Gong Jue’s arms and said in a low voice, “Who knows when you’ll be able to return. You need to take care of yourself!”

As she looked at the beautiful boy, she felt a tinge of sadness. She helped him develop many talents and stayed by him all these years through thick and thin. Now that he’ll be going to such a faraway place, wouldn’t he have a daughter-in-law by the time he comes back?

Gong Yi Mo suddenly felt like a servant who had her cabbage uprooted by pigs as soon as she planted them.

When Gong Jue noticed his sister’s sad mood, he reached out to touch her eyes and gently promised, “I’ll be back soon.”

Because she is here…

However, when he returns, he won’t be the same boy who needed her protection. This time, he will accomplish his own meritorious deeds. By the time he returns, he will be the one to block all the trials and hardship for her!

He just wanted her to be happy.

Gong Jue’s staring made Gong Yi Mo embarrassed. The hand he placed on her face felt very wrong to her. She was obviously the older sibling, so why did she feel like she was being dotingly stared at by a child?

This must be some kind of illusion!

She shook off his hand and began to scour her room for precious items. The emperor rewarded her many rare treasures which she passed down to her brother. There was also a dagger that cut through iron as if it were mud, which she needed to find.

Gong Jue stared at his sister’s busy figure. Her beautiful palace skirt seemed to sway like a flower. The corner of his lips gently lifted; he could never get enough of looking at her.

Sister Gong had a pair of beautiful eyes. Although they often looked sleepy, her drowsy eyes carried a seduction that seemed to fascinate him. She slept for twelve hours every day, and she was still sleepy when she woke up, but when he appeared, she would quickly become active and energetic. Gong Jue couldn’t figure out how a girl could have so many expressions. Her mood was constantly changing.

He… he truly didn’t want to leave her for even a moment.

Gong Jue’s smile gradually froze.

If he could, he wished to stay by her side all the time. Just by seeing her laugh, he already felt satisfied. But he knew better. If he didn’t want to be protected by her all his life, he could only fight and grasp power! He needed to accomplish meritorious service in order to seize the right to stand by her side!

In these past two years, Gong Jue had been studying diligently day by day, practicing martial arts, and engaging in business alongside Gong Yi Mo. The shops they managed were spread all over the capital, but on the outside, he could only suppress himself so he seemed low-key. This was not what he wanted.

He must have sufficient strength so that he no longer needed to suppress himself. He wanted to stand in front of her and let her see him not as a boy, but as a man!

Gong Jue’s thoughts were too numerous, but he dared not share his ideas with Sister Gong. Some were so distorted and terrible that they even scared himself.

Gong Jue endured and hid his feelings every day. He was afraid that if Gong Yi Mo discovered his true thoughts, she might distance herself from him in fear or lose all hope because of her disappointment. She had always hoped for him to be an upright person, not someone who was crazy and twisted! Since she did not want him to kill or shed blood with his hands, he needed to find a place to vent and use killing to cleanse his heart of suppressed emotions.

However, in front of her, he will become what she wants him to be.

So even if he had to sacrifice his time with her and leave, he will do so. This was an opportunity waiting for him!

Gong Yi Mo naturally was unaware of the many things that flitted through his mind. At the moment, she was rummaging around her bed with her butt sticking up, but she couldn’t help it; she still had the habit of sticking good things in the crevices of her bed.

Gong Jue was attracted by her movements. As he looked over, he couldn’t help but draw his eyes towards her slender waist, then down to those curves… He quickly closed his eyes and pressed down all his inappropriate thoughts, but in the end, he couldn’t control his own eyes and stared at her greedily!

“Found it!” Gong Yi Mo exclaimed in delight. She held up two items–a book and a dagger.

As Gong Yi Mo glanced at the book in her hands, her expression seemed to change. She stared at the shameful title of the book in embarrassment.

After so many years, Gong Jue was aware that his sister possessed many books he couldn’t understand. However, this text appeared particularly strange–bright flowers and women were drawn on the cover, while its three-character title was printed in bold. It was very different from the books he had seen before.

“Sister, what is this book about?” Gong Jue subconsciously asked.

Gong Yi Mo’s cheeks were dyed a suspicious red. In the end, she handed the book over to him. The young boy wouldn’t understand its modern writing anyways. How would he know that this was a small yellow book? (**ed: 黃 (Huáng) – yellow – pornographic)

“It’s just an ordinary travel book.” She replied.

Usually, Gong Jue didn’t press her to reveal her secrets, but, this time, her obvious blush and her action of shoving the book into his hands was too unusual. Gong Jue smiled mischievously. “Really?”

Gong Yi Mo nodded repeatedly. This was really nerve-wracking!

The boy flipped through the pages lined with heavy modern text. Suddenly he asked,

“So this book even has pictures?”

Gong Yi Mo quickly snatched the book out of his hands. Are there any pictures?! She was worried that his pure mind would be dirtied with pornography. However, as she flipped through the pages, all she saw was dense text. When Gong Yi Mo inadvertently read a few embarrassing lines, her cheeks to burned because she had read it in front of Gong Jue.

Bastard! This kid actually dared to lie to her!