Chapter 10: “Your Highness, His Majesty is waiting for you.”

From Yejing to Luobei, there were several imperial palaces along the route.

They had only been traveling for two hours when Lin Xiaoque was already starting to suffer.

No matter how spacious the carriage was or how many cushions were piled inside, it was still a carriage rattling along a road. It could never compare to a proper bed.

The thought that he would have to spend another six or seven days in a carriage before reaching Luobei immediately made him regret not finding some excuse to refuse the autumn hunt.

By the time they finally reached one of the imperial palaces, washed up, and settled down, Lin Xiaoque collapsed onto the bed and had no desire to move.

Then a eunuch arrived with a message.

“Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence for dinner.”

Dinner…

The memory of the last dinner immediately surfaced.

Claiming illness, Lin Xiaoque tried to decline.

The eunuch merely smiled.

“Your Highness, His Majesty is waiting for you.”

Lin Xiaoque stubbornly remained on the bed. Only after Shanxiu repeatedly persuaded him did he reluctantly get up, straighten his robes and hair, and head to the banquet.

He had assumed the Empress would be there.

To his surprise, only Emperor Xiao Juan was present.

Lin Xiaoque instantly wanted to retreat.

Then his gaze caught sight of someone kneeling nearby.

The person wore a mask.

A silver chain encircled his neck, attached to the leg of a table.

He looked almost like a pet dog kept by his master.

Yet the mask itself was exquisitely crafted, silver patterns curling across it in a fox-like, seductive design.

The chain was thin as well.

Not the kind used for punishment.

Rather…

something suggestive.

The person’s clothing was delicate and luxurious, but so thin that the pale color of skin beneath the fabric could faintly be seen.

The exposed wrists were as white as frost and snow, skin so tender it seemed water could be squeezed from it.

He was barefoot.

Not the slightest callus marked his feet.

As though he had been born a flawless piece of jade meant only to be admired and played with.

Lin Xiaoque only looked once.

His mouth immediately went dry.

Lowering his head, he thought:

Has the Emperor acquired another favorite consort?

Why isn’t he keeping these bedroom amusements private? Why am I the one being shown this?

Should I leave…?

Yes. I should definitely leave.

Lin Xiaoque decisively stepped backward—

—and promptly bumped into the Emperor himself.

Caught completely off guard, he yelped.

Xiao Juan steadied him with one hand, then released him and returned to his seat.

Still shaken, Lin Xiaoque stood awkwardly in place, unable to advance or retreat.

“What are you standing there for?” Xiao Juan asked.

Grinding his teeth, Lin Xiaoque obediently sat down.

Xiao Juan said lazily,

“The dog I keep doesn’t bite. Why are you sitting so far away?”

Keeping his eyes lowered, Lin Xiaoque replied softly,

“I arrived at an unfortunate time and disturbed Your Majesty. Perhaps I should return tomorrow instead.”

Xiao Juan laughed.

“What are you afraid of? The one kneeling isn’t Qie Yunu.”

Then he added meaningfully,

“Though you used to enjoy kneeling. Who was it for again? Xie Zhichi?”

Lin Xiaoque lowered his head even further.

He wished he could dig a hole and bury himself inside it.

Xiao Juan rose from his seat.

Walking behind Lin Xiaoque, he placed a hand against the back of his neck and lifted his chin.

“Your Majesty?”

Lin Xiaoque’s heart immediately accelerated.

He hurriedly reviewed his recent actions.

As far as he knew, he hadn’t done anything lately to offend the Emperor.

Xiao Juan offered no answer.

Instead, he took Lin Xiaoque’s hand and pressed it against the kneeling person’s body.

Lin Xiaoque froze.

The Emperor firmly gripped his wrist, guiding his hand.

From the back of the neck…

Slowly downward.

Lin Xiaoque felt as though he had touched burning iron.

He tried to pull away, only for Xiao Juan’s grip to tighten.

“Your Majesty! I cannot offend one of the palace consorts! If I’ve done something wrong recently, I admit my fault—I will certainly correct it!”

Through the thin fabric, he could feel the person’s spine and skin beneath his fingertips.

His face flushed bright red.

Bone like jade.

Skin like congealed cream.

Even his toes curled involuntarily.

Whether the kneeling person felt ticklish, Lin Xiaoque had no idea.

But Lin Xiaoque himself felt as though his entire body were about to boil.

Seeing that he might actually faint if this continued, Xiao Juan finally released him.

“This new s*ave of mine.”

The Emperor’s gaze lingered on him.

“Compared to that Xie Zhichi you liked, how is he?”

Lin Xiaoque was speechless.

He had never touched Xie Zhichi before.

How was he supposed to compare them?

Still, Xie Zhichi came from a poor family. There were surely calluses on his hands and feet. Years of labor would have strengthened his back and waist.

How could a grown man compare with a pampered favorite consort in softness?

Lin Xiaoque stood and respectfully bowed.

“The top scholar is now a commoner who has returned to the countryside. A rustic villager like him cannot possibly compare to one of Your Majesty’s favored consorts.”

At the words commoner and returned to the countryside, Xiao Juan unexpectedly laughed.

Someone had clearly concealed the truth from Qie Yunu.

No wonder the youth had not come causing trouble lately.

“I asked for an answer,” Xiao Juan said.

“So answer.”

Then, with a smile:

“If your answer displeases me, how about I cut off one of this s*ave’s fingers?”

A chill shot through Lin Xiaoque.

He had no idea what the Emperor was trying to accomplish.

But if someone truly died because of him—

That was a burden he could never bear.

Immediately he dropped to his knees.

“Your Majesty, I know my fault. Since the last banquet, I have reflected day and night. Your Majesty has treated me with extraordinary favor, yet I have failed to repay Your Grace. I deserve punishment.”

The Emperor let him kneel for quite some time.

Only then did he reach out and gently lift Lin Xiaoque’s bowed face.

Lin Xiaoque kept his eyes lowered.

Xiao Juan brushed a finger over his lips.

“Avoiding the question again.”

The Emperor smiled.

“Should I start by cutting off one finger?”

Startled, Lin Xiaoque finally looked up.

Xiao Juan’s expression was warm and smiling.

Which only made him more terrifying.

Unable to tell whether the Emperor was joking or serious, Lin Xiaoque hurriedly answered:

“Your Majesty is master of the realm, your majesty shakes mountains and rivers. Any consort touched by even a fraction of Your Majesty’s nobility naturally becomes precious beyond measure.”

“As for Young Master Xie, he is merely a commoner. Before Your Majesty he is no more than dust and mud, insignificant and unworthy of mention. How could he compare to even half the worth of Your Majesty’s consort?”

“You truly are sentimental,” Xiao Juan scoffed.

“You even pity strangers.”

Then:

“Since you praise this s*ave so highly, I’ll give him to you.”

Lin Xiaoque nearly stopped breathing.

“You are almost of age. You don’t even have a bedchamber maid.”

“If you don’t know what to do, stay tonight.”

“I’ll teach you.”

“Your Majesty, absolutely not!”

Lin Xiaoque nearly cried internally.

What kind of emperor gives his own favorite consort to a subject?

Does he dislike me that much? Is he trying to get me executed?

I’ve been quietly living in Yong’an Palace, causing no trouble. At most I’ve drunk a few extra bowls of medicine from the imperial pharmacy.

Surely the Emperor isn’t so stingy that he begrudges me even that expense?

Panicking, the only distraction he could think of was something the Empress often used.

“Your Majesty… the food is getting cold.”

Xiao Juan laughed.

At last, he decided to stop tormenting him.

Grabbing Lin Xiaoque’s wrist, he pulled him to his feet.

During the meal, Xiao Juan casually remarked:

“This s*ave still doesn’t have a name.”

“Qie Yunu, you’re so eloquent. Why don’t you choose one for him?”

Lin Xiaoque wanted to refuse.

But under the Emperor’s gaze, he didn’t dare.

After a moment he said:

“How about Yusheng?”

“A beauty like jade, who will bear sons and daughters for Your Majesty.”

He deliberately emphasized Your Majesty.

His meaning was obvious:

Please stop talking about giving him to me.

Xiao Juan immediately set down his chopsticks.

A trace of displeasure appeared.

“You really have no reservations.”

“Have you forgotten what nickname I gave you?”

Only then did Lin Xiaoque realize he’d accidentally used the character Yu—jade—the same one associated with his own nickname.

Quickly correcting himself, he said:

“Then… Yue Sheng?”

“Like the moon, bright and luminous, forever accompanying Your Majesty.”

“He deserves that?” Xiao Juan sneered.

Yet seeing Lin Xiaoque looking completely overwhelmed, he finally relented.

“Yuesheng, then.”

“Saves you from thinking yourself to death.”

Lin Xiaoque breathed a sigh of relief and immediately buried his head in eating.

The newly named Yuesheng remained kneeling throughout the entire meal.

Like a corpse.

Or a clay statue.

No matter what Xiao Juan or Lin Xiaoque said or did, he never reacted.

His mouth was gagged.

He remained silent.

Yet when no one was paying attention, veins bulged visibly along his hand.

As though tremendous effort were being used to suppress something.

Finally enduring the unbearable dinner and returning to his quarters, Lin Xiaoque immediately complained to 233.

【The Emperor’s hobbies are seriously bizarre. He likes having people kneel beside him while he eats.】

【Last time he made me kneel. This time he made his favorite consort kneel through the entire meal.】

He analyzed the situation seriously.

【Does the Emperor have some kind of fetish? He seems to enjoy showing off his half-dressed consorts to other people.】

【And he likes humiliating them too. Why insist on putting a silver chain around someone’s neck?】

【And that mask… Maybe he was afraid I’d recognize which consort it was?】

Then he suddenly remembered how he had been forced to belittle Xie Zhichi during dinner.

Immediately he became worried.

【233, I didn’t break character, did I?】

【No,】233 replied.

【That was simply speaking against your true feelings. You were protecting the consort while also reducing the Emperor’s hostility toward Xie Zhichi. The world’s consciousness isn’t stupid enough to count that as OOC.】

In truth, 233 had spent the entire dinner growing increasingly irritated.

Something about that Emperor felt wrong.

Touching the host’s lips?

Even the Crown Prince had never done that.

The Emperor had touched him twice now.

The first time could be explained as punishment.

This time?

That wasn’t punishment at all.

That was playing with him.

The Transmigration Department was enormous.

There were countless systems and hosts.

233 happened to know one host who loved being toyed with by powerful men.

The more he was trampled on, the more excited he became.

Unfortunately, all the people he met treated him like fragile porcelain.

Forget playing with him.

They were afraid even a kiss might hurt him.

The more unsatisfied that host became, the more pitiful and fragile he appeared.

Which only made others cherish him even more.

An endless vicious cycle.

233 couldn’t help comparing.

The Lin Xiaoque he managed was genuinely fragile.

Genuinely innocent.

In his previous life, he had spent nearly all his time confined to a hospital room.

In this life, he remained weak and sickly.

Someone like that should have been treasured and protected.

So why was he attracting the attention of domineering men who wanted to play with him?

What a ridiculous contradiction.

Those full of desire remained chaste.

Those pure and holy attracted corruption.

Yet fate refused to satisfy either side.

233 firmly instructed Lin Xiaoque to stay away from the Emperor.

As far away as possible.

Lin Xiaoque wholeheartedly agreed.

He planned to claim illness whenever possible and avoid the Emperor entirely.

Meanwhile, in the Emperor’s residence.

After dinner had been cleared away, Yuesheng was still kneeling.

Xiao Juan walked over and removed his mask.

Beneath it was no favored consort.

It was Xie Zhichi.

He had grown thinner.

Not dramatically.

The eunuchs of the Punishment Pavilion would never allow him to waste away and ruin the Emperor’s entertainment.

If necessary, they would force-feed him.

The greatest change lay in his eyes.

Once, even his sorrow had contained defiance.

Hatred sharp as knives had filled his gaze, staining a gentleman’s elegance with the scent of bloodshed.

Now—

They were lifeless.

A pool of stagnant water.

Xiao Juan said:

“I thought you would rather die than submit.”

“Yet you’ve survived until now.”

“Xie Zhichi… have I underestimated you, or overestimated you?”

Xie Zhichi did not react.

Xiao Juan touched his face.

“Do you know why I wanted you so badly?”

“Those eyes of yours.”

“During the palace examination, you dared look directly into mine.”

“So unwilling to yield.”

“At that moment, I wanted to break your spine and see whether you could still raise your head and look at me after becoming nothing more than a boneless lump of flesh.”

Releasing him, Xiao Juan carefully wiped his fingertips with a silk handkerchief.

“Nothing special after all.”

“I thought Qie Yunu was deeply in love with you.”

“Now it seems it was merely a passing infatuation.”

The Emperor ordered Xie Zhichi taken away.

Zhang Shu asked whether he should remain to attend the Emperor for the night.

Xiao Juan simply replied:

“Take him away.”

Throughout the exchange, Xie Zhichi remained silent.

When he heard the words attend the Emperor for the night, he had already prepared himself for a final struggle to the death.

Yet Xiao Juan did not keep him.

Slowly, the murderous fury hidden within him settled once more.

Deep.

Buried to the bone.

Inside the Punishment Pavilion, Xie Zhichi had considered suicide many times.

But he was unwilling.

Why should he alone descend into hell?

Someone else should accompany him.

If the Emperor enjoyed watching people become lowly and degraded—

Then Xie Zhichi would show him something.

Lowly people still possessed hands.

Hands capable of writing poetry.

And killing.

No longer ruler and subject.

The bond between sovereign and minister had long since shattered.

Xie Zhichi had found a new faith.

An eye for an eye.

A tooth for a tooth.

To keep living, a person needed a reason.

Aside from regicide, Xie Zhichi no longer knew what purpose remained in his life.

When dignity had been humiliated and crushed…

When he constantly reminded himself that these were merely the torments of an enemy seeking to destroy both body and soul…

How could a person preserve purity after being submerged in mud?

As degrading punishments accumulated.

As his body gradually adapted to them.

All he could do was use himself as kindling.

Burn away hatred.

Sin.

Ambition.

Everything.

Leaving behind only clean white ashes.

That night, endless winds made the darkness cold.

Moonlight rippled across the earth like water.

Suddenly Lin Xiaoque asked:

【Is the next plot point approaching? After that… I’ll have to kill myself in front of the Crown Prince.】

【It’ll hurt a little,】233 replied.

【You’ll have to endure it.】

After a long silence, Lin Xiaoque said:

【I’m not afraid of pain.】

【I’m just wondering… what will happen to the Crown Prince after I die?】

【You don’t need to worry about them,】233 answered.

【But I’ve met them. Lived alongside them. Shared memories with them. How can I not care at all?】

【The kindness they showed me was real. The stories they told me took effort. The toys they brought me were chosen with care…】

In his previous life, Lin Xiaoque had never had friends.

He had grown up rooted inside a hospital ward.

He longed for the outside world.

Longed for wind and rain.

For companionship.

For kindred spirits.

Listening to tales of wandering heroes, he had often imagined finding a true soulmate of his own.

233 listened in silence.

Then it began inventing a story.

【The Crown Prince’s feelings are only temporary infatuation.】

【After your death, he’ll be sad. But as time passes, that sorrow will sink into the depths of his heart.】

【One day he’ll meet a woman. The moment he breaks off a plum blossom and gives it to her, he’ll finally understand what genuine love is.】

【He’ll marry a Crown Princess. Have children.】

【After the Emperor dies, he’ll ascend the throne.】

【He’ll visit your grave and pour out half a flask of wine, saying that since you never had the chance to drink any, he offers it now as a memorial.】

【Then he’ll drink the remaining half himself in one swallow.】

【The wine will wash away the sadness in his heart.】

【And from that day forward, he’ll forget you.】

Rather than feeling sad, Lin Xiaoque laughed.

【233, why are you suddenly talking like a storyteller? It sounds like a novel written on a whim.】

【Because you like stories. I recently installed a storytelling module and practiced the style.】

【One should keep learning throughout life. Systems don’t grow old, and upgrades never truly end.】

Looking at the moonlight beyond the window, Lin Xiaoque felt much lighter.

If the Crown Prince could let go and find a new life, then he too should learn to let go and embrace a different world.

He would meet many people.

Experience many things.

Who knew whether, at the end of the road, he would carry more regrets—

Or a freer, broader heart.

The cool night felt like wine.

Wrapped in his blanket, Lin Xiaoque slowly drifted into deep sleep.