The Laid-Back Guard Wins All the Way

Fu Junyi is the young son of the Duke of Zhenguo's household. He has an elder brother who will inherit the title and a second sister who is every bit as capable as any man. He alone was raised as the pampered baby of the family, never made to suffer the slightest hardship by his parents.

His father is a powerful favorite of the emperor, and many officials fear that his achievements might eclipse the throne. So the emperor transfers him to the palace as an armed guard, keeping him close as a hostage.

His parents worry all night, then personally pack him a huge bundle and see him to the palace gates.

Fu Junyi solemnly bids his parents farewell, enters the Imperial Guard's Sixth Division, and becomes a low-ranking guard.

But he arrives too late. All the good assignments have been taken, leaving only the worst post of all:

serving as a guard to the Ninth Prince of Qing Tan Palace.

The Sixth Division's manager hints, "Once you're in the palace, we're all the same. If you know what's good for you, you should think about your future. I hear the Eastern Palace still needs a guard. What do you think?"

Who could have guessed that Fu Junyi is an ambitionless layabout? He takes the slip of paper, smiles, and thanks the manager. The manager thinks to himself that the boy is an idiot.

"I'm giving you a friendly warning. There is no Ninth Prince there, just an abandoned child from the Cold Palace. Don't be too kind to him, or you'll get dragged into trouble."

Fu Junyi gives him a hearty bow.

*

Nineteen years ago, after getting drunk, the emperor slept with both the empress and her palace maid. That same year, they each gave birth to a son: the empress's child was the crown prince, while the maid's child became the Ninth Prince.

Enraged, the emperor treated him as the bastard offspring of a guard and a maid, and left him to live or die on his own in the Cold Palace.

The palace servants often made his life miserable. Now they had assigned him an idiot for a guard, so he could only plot to kill him.

But one day, after he had been strung up and beaten until he was barely alive, the idiot kicked the door open, cut through his chains with a long saber, and insisted on bandaging his wounds. Shi Guanting suppressed the urge to kill him and realized that he wasn't stupid at all. He was dressed in black, with handsome, refined features.

Life in the Cold Palace was lonelier than revenge. Better to cultivate a trusted aide and train him into a loyal, unflinching fighter.

He never expected the young man to never fight back. He could tease him and the boy wouldn't get angry. He was like a gentle big dog: stroke his head and he would give a contented little hum. Shi Guanting liked to play with his tongue using his fingers. The boy would bite him in retaliation, then, as if afraid he'd bitten too hard, lift his face and obediently lick the bite mark, asking if it hurt. A little kiss would make it better.

The young guard was innocent and sweet, always willing to give him whatever he wanted. He was irresistibly lovable.

*

Fu Junyi believes that when you marry, you follow your spouse; a guard who serves his master is bound to him for life. No matter what things were like before, from now on they're family.

He has no grand ambitions. When his master isn't around, all he wants is to lie flat.

Shi Guanting is different. He turns around and launches straight into palace intrigue. But while he schemes and plots, he sees other people's guards acting like cold-blooded assassins, then looks at his own guard lazing in the sun under the grape trellis...

Forget it. He'd better work hard. At least one of them needs to make something of himself.

Fu Junyi discovers that pushing Shi Guanting to work hard is deeply satisfying.

Shi Guanting is a man of action. Say he's cold, and silver charcoal arrives at once. Say he's hot, and a fine cooling silk quilt appears immediately. Say he's tired and doesn't want to practice martial arts, and while the other guards bake under the scorching sun, he gets to lounge in a pavilion, snack on melon, and enjoy life.

Now that's the life.

But there's one thing wrong with Shi Guanting: he has needs, and a lot of them.

At first, Fu Junyi wants to try what it's like to be with another man. Later, he regrets it. Luckily, he's blessed with exceptional stamina. Once the pain passes, it feels good. After Shi Guanting pulls him into bed and goes through their familiar routine, Fu Junyi is too tired to move. Shi Guanting grits his teeth and grips his waist, helping him sit up. Only then will Fu Junyi make a token effort, and after a few movements, he complains that he's tired.

Shi Guanting laughs in exasperation and points to his lips. The young man obediently takes him into his mouth and gives him a few licks, then clings to him like an octopus, curled against his neck as he asks, "Xiao Ting, do you really think we can be kindred spirits for life?"

Full of hope, sincere and openhearted.

*

Shi Guanting has always watched from the sidelines, never meaning to get personally involved. But this time, he wants to become emperor and give his lazy guard a lifetime of lying flat.

But one day, the guard runs away.

Later, a grand wedding procession, a banquet on the main street at night, and a flower palanquin are carried all the way to the Duke of Zhenguo's residence.

The duke and his wife think the new emperor has his eye on their younger daughter. They never expect the sinister, ruthless ruler to open his mouth and ask for their young heir's hand in marriage.

[Report! The new emperor has been at the gate asking to marry you for three days!]

[I'm not marrying him. Has he left?]

[No. His Majesty is planning to come in and snatch you away!]

[Aaaaaaaaaah!!]

An innocent, lazy guard with extraordinary strength and martial prowess, and an extremely oblivious nature, x a restrained, gloomy, scheming emperor who wants to wipe out his entire clan every day but is willing to work hard for his beloved

Very sweet and satisfying! The top has a little angst. Happy ending.

Theme: May you be loved, or learn to love yourself, and have a happy, warm life.