Lin Zili was startled and tried to pull away, but he could not break free. He had no choice but to offer a strained smile. “Your Highness, I have many matters to attend to and truly cannot stay long. Please, show mercy.”
Yan Jingxuan did not release him. Instead, he applied slight pressure, pulling Lin Zili closer. He stared at him with burning eyes. “No matter how many matters you have, they can wait a moment. It is rare for me to have such leisure, and I wish to converse with you. Are you refusing to give me this small courtesy?”
Lin Zili was panicked, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “Your Highness, how could I dare? It is simply that this is not proper. My station is low, and I am not worthy of drinking tea and conversing with you.”
Yan Jingxuan ignored his words and forcefully pulled him into the room. The surrounding eunuchs and maids exchanged bewildered glances, not knowing how to react. Suddenly, a guard appeared from nowhere, pressed two pieces of silver into their hands, and threatened, “Act as if you saw nothing. Remember what should be said and what should not.”
The servants trembled, quickly taking the silver and nodding repeatedly. They lowered their heads, pretending to be oblivious to everything.
Once inside, Lin Zili was overcome with terror. He struggled, crying out, “Your Highness! This is the Imperial Palace!”
Yan Jingxuan slammed him against a pillar, trapped him between his legs, and forcefully tilted his chin upward. “Now you know fear? You seemed quite bold in the Great Hall earlier.”
Lin Zili’s eyes were filled with chaos and humiliation. He struggled with all his might, but his body was firmly pinned by Yan Jingxuan, leaving him no room to maneuver. Fear caused his voice to tremble. “I was only thinking of your reputation in the hall. If I offended you, I apologize. Please, Your Highness, show mercy!”
Yan Jingxuan remained unmoved, his expression dangerous and obsessive. He leaned in close, his warm breath fanning against Lin Zili’s face. “I was prepared to let you go. Why must you be so disobedient?”
He stared at Lin Zili’s flushed lips and leaned in to kiss them.
Lin Zili’s eyes widened in horror. He threw his head back to evade the sudden intrusion, but the pillar was behind him, leaving no retreat.
Yan Jingxuan seemed enchanted, showing no intention of stopping. Just as he sought to deepen the contact, a voice shouted from outside, “Eunuch Lin, are you in there?”
The voice was a lifeline. Lin Zili gathered his strength and bit down hard on the man’s lip. As Yan Jingxuan flinched in pain, Lin Zili shoved him away with all his might. He frantically adjusted his disheveled robes and shouted toward the door, “I am here! I am coming!”
Yan Jingxuan stumbled back a few steps, his brow furrowed. He wiped the blood from his lip, his face twisted with displeasure at being interrupted.
Lin Zili did not dare to glance back. He bolted toward the door, threw it open, and saw Ye Ping standing there with deep concern in his eyes. He grabbed Ye Ping’s hand and ran, his steps frantic, as if something terrifying were hunting them.
They returned to Lin Zili’s quarters, and Ye Ping promptly locked the door. Lin Zili collapsed into a chair, gasping for air, the terror still lingering on his face as his hands continued to tremble.
Ye Ping saw his disheveled appearance and the blood on his lip. A dark shadow passed through his eyes. He poured a cup of water, his heart aching. “Drink.”
Lin Zili took the cup, but his hands shook so violently that some water spilled. He managed a sip to soothe his parched throat before whispering, “If you had not arrived just then…”
Ye Ping clenched his fists and slammed them onto the table. “This is the Imperial Palace! How could he be so reckless?”
Lin Zili let out a bitter, mocking laugh. “The palace? What does the palace matter? Look around. The Emperor is not treated like an Emperor, and the ministers are not treated like ministers. Is it any surprise that a Regent acts with such lawlessness?”
Ye Ping pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from Lin Zili’s lip. “What now? Will you let him humiliate you like this? You escaped this time, but what about the next? If I had not arrived in time, would you have…”
Lin Zili swatted his hand away, his eyes full of hatred. “What now? How should I know? He is a Regent, and I am a servant. Am I supposed to kill him?”
Ye Ping’s eyes flashed. He picked up the dropped handkerchief and tucked it into his robes. “I will help you.”
Lin Zili realized what he meant and stared at Ye Ping in shock. “Are you insane? He is the Regent, a general who has repelled invaders! How can you kill him? How could you possibly succeed?”
Ye Ping remained calm, his eyes burning with desperate resolve. “I am not insane. If I do not kill him, am I supposed to watch you be humiliated?”
Lin Zili took a deep breath and grabbed his sleeve. “Brother Ye Ping, do not do anything foolish. Perhaps he is just experiencing a fleeting obsession. As long as I endure it, it will pass. If you do something impulsive, you will lose your life! Do you understand?”
“I do not want you to die. We have worked so hard to reach these positions; we should not end up like this.”
Ye Ping lowered his head, silent for a moment. He seemed to relent, his expression softening. “Very well. I will listen to you.”
Lin Zili exhaled in relief. “It was my carelessness. From now on, I will stay by the Emperor’s side and stay far away from him. Given time, he will lose interest. He is a Regent; he has plenty of beauties. He cannot possibly throw away his face to harass me forever.”
“Very well.” Ye Ping kept his head bowed, his tone steady. Lin Zili, believing he had gotten through to him, felt a sense of ease.
By nightfall, however, he realized his relief was premature.
Near midnight, Lin Zili was awakened from a deep sleep by a series of knocks.
“Eunuch, something happened at the Regent’s quarters. He requests your presence.”
Lin Zili sat bolt upright, sleepiness vanishing. A foreboding sense of dread washed over him. He hurriedly threw on his robes, opened the door, and frowned at the young eunuch outside. “What happened? Why would he summon me at this hour?”
The young eunuch shook his head. “I do not know, Eunuch. It seems Eunuch Ye Ping committed some offense and was captured on the spot by the Regent.”
Lin Zili’s mind went blank, his face turning deathly pale. He thought of Ye Ping’s earlier words. Without even pausing to fix his attire, he rushed toward the scene.
When he reached Yan Jingxuan’s quarters, the room was brightly lit, and guards stood watch outside, the atmosphere suffocatingly heavy. Lin Zili took a deep breath and stepped inside.