County Magistrate Lu Flees in the Dead of Night

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A protective county magistrate shou with a bit of sense x a black-hearted, ruthless-on-the-outside, green-tea prince gong who acts like a clingy little brother only around him.

After seven years away from home, Lu Yuchen passes the imperial examinations and returns in glory. But when he gets home, he discovers that his childhood "child bride," Little Tieniu, whom he had raised with such care, has grown into a nine-foot-tall giant who shyly calls him "Brother" in a gruff voice.

Lu Yuchen's knees go weak. He nearly asks Tieniu to become sworn brothers right then and there. It takes him a long time to adjust, but he decides that if they can't be a married couple, they can at least be good brothers. Once the family is better off, he'll find Tieniu a wife. But Tieniu keeps doing strange things to him.

After a while, he gets used to it and adjusts his thinking again. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if his male spouse were even more burly than he was, since they had feelings for each other. Just as they're about to get married, an imperial edict arrives: his Tieniu is actually the "missing" crown prince?

County Magistrate Lu, who nearly married the crown prince as his male spouse, realizes he's in deep trouble. He hangs up his official seal and flees for his life with his family in the middle of the night, only to be bundled into a sack and kidnapped.

When he wakes up, the nine-foot-tall crown prince, Ling Fengbei, asks with reddened eyes, "Brother, did you dare to seduce me and then abandon me?"

Lu Yuchen's knees go weak again. "Your servant... does he dare or not?"

He had planned to find a chance to take his parents and leave, but then discovers that Tieniu's situation isn't as easy as he thought.

The capital is full of wolves circling, and the empress's faction is watching hungrily. Everyone wants to use his Tieniu as a pawn in the struggle for power. His precious boy is so innocent. If Lu Yuchen isn't there, no one will truly plan for his sake.

Lu Yuchen sends his parents away and kneels in tears. "If Tieniu ascends the throne safely, I swear I'll return to serve you both. If Tieniu fails, just consider these two sons a waste of your efforts."

Two years later, the new emperor ascends the throne and orders the Ministry of Rites to prepare the ceremony for his new empress. Lu Yuchen hoists his little escape bundle onto his back and sets out to find his parents, only to be shoved into a sack once more.

This time, the new emperor's eyes are bloodshot, like a demon's. "Didn't you say you'd protect me, Brother? Are you going to break your promise again?"

Lu Yuchen grits his teeth and curses inwardly. "I should've known you were full of it, you nasty little wolf cub."

Theme: Never look down on someone just because they're young and poor.