Madam Yan's Matchmaking Pavilion for Men

49 Friends for a Lifetime, The Heart Was Like That

Yu Huang Rong raised his hands in surrender.

Zhang Shi Lan looked at him, not quite daring to believe him. "You won't say it anymore?"

Yu Huang Rong shook his head. As soon as Zhang Shi Lan retracted his hand, he gave a smile. "If it's so important to you, then I won't do it." He couldn't help but think that he definitely wouldn't do it in front of Zhang Shi Lan any time soon. There was no way he would call Luan Xin Your Majesty when they were alone though.

Damn, the two of them had grown up together! They had made trouble for the previous Emperor and his own father and more than once had he beaten Luan Xin when training, making him fall to the ground and be covered in dirt. That kind of person ... He just couldn't bring himself to use such a distant title for him.

It was something else if there were outsiders around but when they were alone or with their own people like She Ning or Zhang Shi Lan, then he refused to be like that. Hmph, never mind that he hadn't even been there when the crowning ceremony was held, he also refused to treat his best friend any different just because he was wearing some fancier robes now! They had been friends as children and they would be friends for a lifetime, no matter the circumstances!

Zhang Shi Lan wasn't quite reassured yet but what could he do? He could only caution Yu Huang Rong and hope that he would listen to him but there was no guarantee that his lover would really do as he said.

Well, if he didn't, then he could only hope that Yu Huang Rong was right and that the emperor wasn't the kind of person that would quietly note down all the slights somebody committed against him. Seriously though, did Yu Huang Rong have any regard for customs? Marrying a man, even calling the Emperor by his given name ... it seemed that nothing was taboo to him. In the future, they had to be careful or they would really get into trouble if he continued to be like this.

Yu Huang Rong could see that Zhang Shi Lan was still feeling troubled but since he didn't want to promise anything in this regard, he'd rather not say anything than lie to the person he promised to marry. "Never mind that, I think you were just trying to tell me about your aspirations."

Zhang Shi Lan sighed. "Hearing you be like this, I feel that I should really try to get a position at court. If I manage to impress His Majesty, maybe he'll excuse your insults one day on my behalf."

Yu Huang Rong laughed. "You're really worrying too much. He likes me a lot. In fact ..." He couldn't help but grin when he leaned closer. "You wouldn't believe it but the emperor once had a crush on me."

Zhang Shi Lan's brows furrowed. "Yu Huang Rong! Do you have to try to get yourself in trouble?!" Just saying his given name out loud like that was one thing but spreading such rumors ... This really wouldn't end well if somebody heard. And even if Yu Huang Rong was right at the emperor didn't mind Yu Huang Rong being more casual with him because they had grown up together, he certainly wouldn't tolerate somebody to talk about him like that. After all, not everybody was like him and Yu Huang Rong.

Even though there were no laws in their Chen country that forbid a man from marrying another man, that didn't mean that everybody would be willing to do it. On the contrary, most of the men would probably see it as an insult to be proposed to by another man. And a rumor about them having a crush on another man would certainly not be much better. That would be even truer the higher the position of the person was. So if the one they were talking about was the emperor ... There really was no saying how he would react if it was something absurd like that but it couldn't be good.

Yu Huang Rong pursed his lips. "What? You don't believe that I have enough charm for that?"

Zhang Shi Lan sighed. "I certainly believe that you have enough charm to make another man other than me fall in love with you. I just don't believe that that man would be His Majesty. And now, let's not talk about this any longer. We'll really get into trouble."