Winning the male lead

Lin Le Tian came from a humble background, starting as a eunuch responsible for sweeping and cleaning. Step by step, he climbed to a high position, and by the time the late emperor was in power, he had become a trusted confidant, favored by the emperor.

He was known for his beauty, and rumors in the palace suggested that he served the emperor with his looks. Back when Han Qi was young and neglected as a prince, he had little chance to meet the emperor and had only a vague impression of the emperor’s favored eunuchs.

Han Qi, naturally, didn’t want to believe that his father, the emperor, could be the kind of ruler who was blinded by his attraction to someone’s beauty. He had always dismissed these palace rumors as lowly gossip, attributing Lin Le Tian’s rise to power to manipulation and intrigue.

However, upon witnessing Lin Le Tian’s beauty and the unusually tender treatment he received from Zong Yan, he couldn’t help but grow suspicious.

After all, there were many unspeakable incidents between eunuchs and princes in the palace, particularly when the prince was young. Eunuchs had often been known to seduce princes.

Lin Le Tian, noticing his scrutinizing gaze, decided to provoke him a bit. He smiled at Zong Yan and said, “Alright.”

Zong Yan cheered, burying his face in his waist and taking a deep breath, his face lighting up in a grin. “Little Lin smells the best.”

This topic irked Lin Le Tian. Despite not having bathed for three days, he still smelled like fragrant, delicate skin, with a subtle sweet scent reminiscent of the strawberry candy he liked to eat—light and sweet, making him dream about strawberries every night.

In the past, when Zong Yan was still a prince, he had often slept beside him. It was one of his methods of mental control, though fortunately, he wasn’t interested in men, despite his perverse nature.

Zong Yan held his hand and led him back to dinner. Han Qi hesitated for a moment before brazenly following them in.

Zong Yan was dissatisfied with how Zhu ChuChu was attending to him and demanded that Lin Le Tian serve him instead.

Zhu ChuChu, on the verge of tears, felt wronged. She had tried her best, but Zong Yan was never satisfied.

Lin Le Tian endured his waist pain to serve him dinner, feeling deeply that raising children wasn’t easy!

By custom, he was not allowed to sleep on the dragon bed. The so-called “sleeping with Zong Yan” only meant that he would lie under a thin quilt next to the dragon bed for the night.

Han Qi, seeing this, felt somewhat reassured. Since no one had directed him, he decided to take it upon himself to guard the hall, essentially keeping an eye on Lin Le Tian to prevent him from doing anything inappropriate to Zong Yan.

Zong Yan lay on the dragon bed, looking down at Lin Le Tian with his feet kicking behind him. “Little Lin, come up and sleep with me.”

“Your Majesty, that’s against the rules.”

Lin Le Tian lay in the vermilion quilt, his black hair spread out, his expression serene and gentle. He was cold and tightly wrapped in the blanket, with only his small, pale face exposed.

Zong Yan lowered his hand, gently tugging at a strand of his hair, playing with it in his palm. Lin Le Tian’s hair was as smooth as satin, cool to the touch. Zong Yan gently squeezed it in his hand while speaking softly to him.

Lin Le Tian smiled indulgently and occasionally nodded, replying to him softly.

From Han Qi’s position, he could only see Lin Le Tian’s pale lips moving slightly, occasionally curving into a soft smile. He appeared so gentle and harmless, and it was hard for him to imagine that this same person had once mercilessly slaughtered all of their eleven brothers.

Suddenly, Lin Le Tian seemed to sense his gaze and glanced over at him. That look, so cold and emotionless, was the familiar gaze of the Ninth Prince, filled with intimidation. Han Qi quickly turned away.

It suddenly dawned on him: Lin Le Tian’s tenderness was all directed toward Zong Yan. The only person who needed to see that display of affection was the emperor.

Zong Yan was still just a child. After a while, he became drowsy and, holding onto Lin Le Tian’s hair, fell asleep with his head drooping.

Lin Le Tian gently pulled his hair out of his grip, sat up with difficulty, and waved at Han Qi.

Han Qi hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and bowing.

Lin Le Tian, wrapped in the blanket, looked like a little kitten afraid of the cold. His voice was soft and delicate, much like a kitten’s, as he leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Be careful when you help His Majesty to bed.”

While doing all of this, Han Qi felt a sense of affection. He didn’t resent Zong Yan for ascending to the throne; he believed everything was Lin Le Tian’s fault, and he was merely deceived.

He longed to gently stroke his younger brother’s sleeping face, but his status didn’t allow such behavior. He could only decisively step back and return a formal gesture to Lin Le Tian.

Lin Le Tian waved his hand again, and he bent down once more, only to hear that cat-like voice, “Hold me.”

His body shook, and for a moment, he hesitated, but then obediently lifted Lin Le Tian along with the thin blanket. The person in his arms was incredibly light, and even with the blanket, there wasn’t much weight.

“Go out.”

Han Qi followed the command, holding him and stepping out of the inner hall of Zichen Palace.

Lin Le Tian coughed softly. Han Qi quickly bent down to listen. “Send for the imperial doctor, but quietly.”

He was in so much pain that he could barely stand it.

His skin was more delicate than tofu, and the pain in his waist hadn’t lessened with time; in fact, it had only grown worse.

The imperial doctor arrived quickly, and as expected, he tiptoed in. Seeing Han Qi holding Lin Le Tian, he was momentarily at a loss. 

Le Tian leaned out his delicate face and said calmly, “Zhang Yuanpan, my waist hurts.”

His tone was flat, but Han Qi, strangely, could detect an undercurrent of vulnerability.

Zhang Yuanpan, who often treated him, had never heard of him having back pain, and he asked in confusion, “When did the symptoms begin?”

“At night, on my left side. It hurts terribly.”

Zhang Yuanpan turned to Han Qi, who was unfamiliar to him, and said, “Sir, please sit down.”

Han Qi carefully sat on the noblewoman’s chair with Lin Le Tian in his arms. Following Zhang Yuanpan’s instructions, he gently pulled off the blanket. Lin Le Tian was only wearing a simple white robe beneath, his skin faintly visible. Han Qi quickly looked away, raising his gaze to the five-clawed golden dragon on the ceiling.

Zhang Yuanpan pressed gently on the spot where Lin Le Tian had mentioned the pain. He almost cried out, but he suppressed the sound, only tightly clutching Han Qi’s arm and letting out a small, stifled moan.

Han Qi immediately stiffened, every muscle in his body tensing.

“This injury may require you to remove your clothing for examination…” Zhang Yuanpan said carefully.

Given Lin Le Tian’s personality, he would rather endure the pain than expose his skin in front of others. He coldly instructed, “Everyone, close your eyes.”

The eunuchs and palace maids quickly turned their backs, and Han Qi obediently closed his eyes as well.

Once his eyes were closed, his other senses heightened. He could clearly smell the faint fragrance coming from Lin Le Tian’s body—subtle, not overwhelming, but sweet enough to make his heart race with unease.

When the clothes were removed, a glaring bruise appeared on Lin Le Tian’s waist.

“This is an external injury, Your Excellency,” Zhang Yuanpan exclaimed, shocked. “Who hurt you?”

Lin Le Tian glanced at the closed-eyed Han Qi and noticed the cold sweat dripping down his forehead, rolling from his sharp jawline and into his high-collared tunic. “Hah, being handsome does come with privileges,” He thought before casually saying, “A stray dog ran into me.”