Volume 1 Chарter 18 Thеre Was Still а Littlе Dееr Wаiting Оbediеntlу fоr Нim
Inside the hаll.
The old Emреror sаt оn thе drаgоn thronе, his hаir аnd beard hаlf grаy, thе dragon robе hanging lоosely оn him, faintlу revеаling a frail frаme.
Though wrinklеs nоw соvered his fасе аnd his skin sagged, оne сould still seе the dignified аnd handsomе features оf his уоuth.
Yan Shi stооd before him, tаll and grасeful like аn orchid оr jadе trее, his eуes slightly lоwered tо thе grоund.
Just as always, he remained silеnt, nеither crying nor mаking а fuss.
Once, his еуes were not lowered like this—he would gaze at him with those eyes that bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to Consort Ying’s, full of longing.
Back then, he would still bow respectfully, looking at him with hopeful eyes, wanting to act cute and please him.
At some point, he stopped bowing or kneeling, and even stopped speaking. Even when beaten or scolded, he would simply endure it. When the beatings were harsh, he would bite his lips until they bled, yet still not utter a sound.
In terms of resemblance, Yan Shi actually took fifty percent after the Emperor and fifty percent after Consort Ying. Once, the Emperor had truly loved this youngest son, hoping to use him to tie Consort Ying down.
But Yan Shi was a useless waste!
Not only did he fail to win even a little affection from Consort Ying, he even earned her disgust.
Fortunately, the Emperor discovered something interesting: whenever Consort Ying cursed or tormented Yan Shi, she would be exceptionally happy.
Thus, he personally sent Yan Shi to her, even making an exception to let him be raised by her side. He turned a deaf ear to all matters concerning Yan Shi.
In the beginning, Yan Shi would come to him, looking at him with teary eyes, foolishly hoping for a word of pity from him.
But after Consort Ying suggested that the Emperor issue an edict to use Yan Shi for blessings, that small figure never appeared again in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen the bruises on Yan Shi’s body, but so what?
As long as Consort Ying was happy, she would love him. It was all worth it.
When Yan Shi refused to kneel, the Emperor would whip him with a saltwater-soaked whip, but each time ended with Yan Shi being carried out by the palace servants.
The period when Yan Shi suffered the most was also when Consort Ying gave the Emperor the most favorable treatment and was most compliant in bed.
Whether to please her or to break Yan Shi’s pride, the more Yan Shi refused to kneel, the more the Emperor insisted on summoning him.
There were even times when Yan Shi had to be dragged in because his wounds from the previous beating hadn’t healed yet.
But in truth, Yan Shi was the son who most resembled him.
For some reason, as the old Emperor looked at Yan Shi, he felt a fatherly tenderness for the first time.
The old Emperor sighed, “After all these years, you still refuse to kneel?”
Whipped time and again, yet never learning his lesson.
Just like him.
Yan Shi blinked, as if he hadn’t heard, and turned his head to look out the door and window.
There was a little deer waiting obediently for him.
Time passed quietly, and it was unclear how long had gone by.
The old Emperor spoke to himself, “Shi’er, when was the last time you called me Father?”
After saying this, he narrowed his eyes and thought for a long time. Apart from when Yan Shi had just learned to speak, he couldn’t recall any other time.
Yan Shi curled his little finger slightly, the tip of his finger feeling warm, as if it still held the warmth of her hooking his little finger.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly.
He bent his finger in the air, as if making a pinky promise with her.
She had said she would be good.
Tsk.
Should he block a little when the whip falls on him later?
Better block his face. She liked pretty things. If his face got ruined, she might cry and fuss.Any worse, and perhaps she would wipe him away like smudged makeup, discard him.
No! He would never allow it.
Should he cover his body as well? What if she undressed him and saw the scars, finding them unsightly?
But he wanted to see if she would feel heartache for him.
Ah… such a dilemma.
The old Emperor seemed accustomed to it, sighing to himself once more. “A minister reported that yesterday you held your third funeral for yourself, and everyone attending had to pay silver?”
Yan Shi’s eyes finally flickered.
He had almost forgotten—the silver he collected hadn’t been spent yet.
Hmm, he would have a hairpin made for her, matching the color of crystal.
“And I heard you took a Princess Consort?” the old Emperor said indifferently.
Yan Shi’s hand suddenly clenched into a fist, his knuckles turning white from the force, his expression visibly darkening.
He raised his eyes, his gaze toward the old Emperor cold and shadowy, like a thunderstorm brewing beneath dark clouds.
The old Emperor was startled by his aura—this was the first time he had seen such resentment in him.
The innate majesty of the Son of Heaven, the bearing of an emperor.
The old Emperor looked at Yan Shi with excitement in his eyes. “Shi’er, you are very much like me.”
In an instant, Yan Shi’s disgust reached its peak. The hem of his robe swept aside as he turned on his heel and walked out the door.
“Shi’er, don’t you know that Yun Jiao likes Cheng’er?”
Yan Shi’s footsteps halted abruptly.
His knuckles cracked audibly as he suddenly turned around, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.
He said coldly, “Nonsense.”
The old Emperor’s eyes lit up. This was where they were alike—both with the bearing of an emperor, both fond of a woman who originally belonged to another.
If Yun Jiao were betrothed to Yan Cheng, it would be even more fitting.
Coveting a brother’s wife, seizing her by any means, exhausting every effort to please her—that was a son who truly followed in his footsteps.
“Yun Jiao was raised in Yun Manor for Cheng’er from the start.”
Yan Shi’s eyes were red as if filled with blood, his brow furrowed tightly before suddenly relaxing. The ends of his hair and the tassels on his attire fluttered gently in the wind blowing through the window.
He tilted his head and smiled, a mix of bewitching charm and obsession, grinning as he said:
“If you dare to arrange the marriage, I dare to slaughter the entire palace.”
“Outrageous!” The old Emperor’s face darkened abruptly as he stood up, grabbing a memorial and hurling it at him.
Yan Shi shifted his body slightly, and the memorial hit the ground with a thud.
The old Emperor was taken aback for a moment. He wasn’t dodging?
Yan Shi licked the corner of his mouth and chuckled. “So, would this count as regicide or patricide?”
The old Emperor’s chest heaved with anger as he sneered. “I will issue an edict to execute Yun Jiao immediately.”
“You dare!” Yan Shi’s crimson eyes fixed fiercely on the figure seated high above.
Though the old Emperor had aged, his imperial authority remained. He glared angrily at Yan Shi.
The scent of gunpowder filled the air.
Yan Shi’s fingertips dug deeply into his palm as he lifted his face and gazed coldly at him, speaking without emotion. “Has twenty-three years not been enough?”
Yan Shi’s lips twitched slightly. “As a child, when Yan Cheng stole my palace attendants, I yielded. When the maids and eunuchs brought spoiled food day after day, I ate it. When my mother exhausted every method to torment me, I endured it.”
“At five years old, when I was ordered to offer myself as a sacrifice to pray for the prosperity of the Great Yan Dynasty, I sacrificed.”
“At ten, when I was commanded to go to the Yu Dynasty as a hostage, I went.”
“At thirteen, when I was told to take the head of the Yu Dynasty’s crown prince, I took it.”
“For the next ten years, forbidden to return to the capital, stationed at the Northern Frontier for a decade, I guarded it.”
A sudden thud echoed through the grand hall.Yan Shi knelt on both knees, his posture straight as he bowed his head in a deep salute.
“Father, I have never begged before you. I only ask for Yun Jiao to be my wife.”
Wasn’t it just to break his pride, to make him bow his head?
He would kneel then.
Wasn’t it just to make him yield and submit?
He would lower himself then.
The old Emperor staggered back a step.
The unyielding pride that had remained unbroken for over a decade now lay surrendered before him. This son who had always been arrogant and self-assured had finally yielded.
He should have felt triumphant, but for some reason, it felt as if a knife had been plunged into his heart.
Yan Shi’s words turned into blades, still carving into him.
He said, “Being born into the royal family was not my choice. Being born as the son of you and my mother was not my wish either.”
“Even if I was born a sin, it should have been atoned for by now.”
The old Emperor could no longer stand, collapsing dazedly onto the dragon throne.
Yes, what sin did he truly bear?
Yan Shi rose, slowly turned, and walked toward the great hall’s entrance.
“Shi’er.” The old Emperor suddenly spoke. “You are my son. You resemble me, but Yun Jiao also resembles your mother.”
Yan Shi paused in his steps but did not turn around, speaking softly, “It’s different.”
“I am not you, and Yun Jiao is not Mother.”
She would say she liked him, would cling to him whining and coquettishly, would wait for him.
It was completely different.
With a smile on his face, Yan Shi walked step by step, slowly but steadily, out of the hall.
Behind him, a figure rushed out from the inner chamber of the hall.
“I will not allow this!” Consort Ying tried to rush over and drag Yan Shi back.
The old Emperor stopped her. “He is your own flesh and blood!”
“No! He is not! He carries your filthy blood—he is not my son!”
As she spoke, Consort Ying began tearing off her own splendid robes. “Torment him, torment him, and I will listen to you!”
“Enough!”
Consort Ying stared in disbelief, then began struggling and fighting with him desperately. “If you don’t torment him, I will never love you!”
The old Emperor gripped her wrists tightly. “So what? I am the Emperor. I can imprison you in the palace for a lifetime.”
“Ahhhhhh!” Consort Ying screamed hysterically. “No, I will never allow him to be loved!”
Yan Shi walked unhurriedly, as if deaf to the curses behind him, his eyes curved into crescents as he watched the hall doors slowly open, light gradually streaming in.
There, a little deer still waited obediently for him.