Lin Xian’s cold sweat instantly soaked through his inner garments.
What he had said was true; he indeed held feelings for Shen Chaoqing, but Xiao Huaiyan simply loathed having his thoughts guessed, which made him feel intensely irritated.
After a long silence, Xiao Huaiyan finally spoke slowly: “Go and take fifty military cane strikes yourself.”
“If there is a next time, bring me your head.”
Lin Xian felt as though he had received a reprieve from death, yet his scalp still tingled with dread at the thought of those fifty cane strokes. Daring not to show the slightest hesitation, let alone plead for mercy, he immediately struck his head hard against the ground in a deep bow: “Thank you, Master, for sparing my life! This subordinate accepts the punishment!”
Xiao Huaiyan stated, “Having suffered this setback, the Marquis of Jing’an will by no means let the matter rest. He has operated for many years, and with his hidden cards yet unplayed, he is bound to have a countermeasure.”
Lin Xian held his breath and listened intently.
“Now that you have already gained his trust and hold a place among his ‘confidants,’ should he make any suspicious moves, you need only cooperate with him and report back to me at any time.”
Having practiced martial arts for many years, Xiao Huaiyan could easily gauge the severity of an injury.
Although he had caused Li Miaoxze to take a beating with the bench on the day of the ancestral worship, while the injuries looked severe, they should not have been enough to break his leg—it was likely that Shen Chaoqing had manipulated things behind the scenes.
Xiao Huaiyan gazed at his reflection in the bronze mirror.
Shen Chaoqing, are you trying to use him as a blade to intensify the conflict with the Li clan, or are you trying to help me exact revenge?
Unable to fathom that person’s true intentions, he could only rely on alternative methods to test the waters.
Lin Xian was momentarily startled, but a brilliant flash of realization abruptly burst within his eyes.
Though his master’s words sounded like an instruction to simply watch and wait, they actually granted him immense autonomy effectively amounting to tacit permission, or even encouragement, to offer full “cooperation” and fan the flames when the Marquis of Jing’an made his next move, thereby helping the Marquis deal with the young Emperor!
The fear and doubt that had just arisen from the prospect of fifty cane strokes and misjudging his master’s intent were instantly dissipated by this explicit directive. It turned out his master harbored no unusual feelings toward the young Emperor; the grand cause of the Liao nation remained the absolute priority above all else! It was simply his own mind overthinking things!
“Understood! This subordinate understands! I will definitely not fail the trust placed in me by Master!” Lin Xian kowtowed once more, backed out of the room, and vanished into the shadows.
Xiao Huaiyan turned his gaze back to the bronze mirror. The ink stains on his face had already been mostly wiped away, leaving only faint traces of moisture and imperceptible remnants.
Toward Shen Chaoqing?
The corners of his mouth twitched, forming a self-derisive curve.
Such a malicious and ruthless person happened to possess a face of peerless, breathtaking beauty.
From the very first moment he laid eyes on Shen Chaoqing, he had harbored improper thoughts. No one else had ever dared to toy with him beneath their feet only Shen Chaoqing.
That man acted with merciless cruelty yet smiled with tender affection, as though everything remained entirely within his control.
Only by dragging him down from the high platform and grinding him into the dust could Xiao Huaiyan truly lock him inside a cage, savoring every single emotional shift he experienced, making him submit to his every demand without the slightest right to resist.
Just not right now.
Aside from himself, no one else was permitted to lay a finger on Shen Chaoqing.
Li Miaoxze could not, and neither could the Empress Dowager.
Several days passed, yet the oppressive atmosphere within the Zichen Palace remained unchanged. Although the purge had drawn to a close and Duan Zhufeng had acted with resolute efficiency to stabilize the situation, Shen Chaoqing’s physical condition showed no signs of improvement; instead, he appeared increasingly fatigued.
At lunchtime, the imperial kitchen meticulously prepared a table full of dishes. The spread was dazzling, rich in both color and aroma every single dish composed of items Shen Chaoqing might normally have touched with an extra pair of chopsticks.
However, Shen Chaoqing merely glanced at them indifferently, his eyes even carrying a faint hint of aversion upon seeing anything greasy. He picked up his silver chopsticks, tapped them against a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, but ultimately set them down again, frowning slightly.
The successive bouts of coughing up blood seemed to have drained his appetite completely. His chest perpetually felt congested and stiflingly heavy, rendering him incapable of working up any interest no matter how exquisite the food appeared.
Standing guard at the side, Xiao Huaiyan took in every detail of this scene. Over the past few days, Shen Chaoqing had been eating less and less, visibly losing weight day by day until his oversized imperial dragon robe hung loosely and appeared all the more empty on his frame.
After a moment of silence, he finally broke the quiet to ask, “Your Majesty, are these dishes not to your liking?” He recalled Fu’an mentioning that these were all items His Majesty regularly consumed.
Shen Chaoqing waved a hand, an aura of lingering fatigue and restlessness etched across his brows. “Take them away. Looking at them is a nuisance.”
Lifting a hand to press against his faintly throbbing temple, he showed not the slightest intention of dining, instead rising to walk toward the writing desk. “Grind the ink.”
Complying with the command, Xiao Huaiyan stepped forward and silently began to grind the ink. As his gaze swept across the desk, he noticed that the Jiangnan landscape painting stained with blood a few days prior was gone doubtless disposed of by Fu’an. Yet resting in the corner of the desk were several memorial documents, their surfaces faintly speckled with a few tiny spots of dark red that resembled ink drops yet possessed a subtly different texture.
Xiao Huaiyan’s gaze lingered on that dark red for a fraction of a second before shifting away with an air of nonchalant indifference.
Seated behind the desk, Shen Chaoqing picked up a vermilion brush and began reviewing the memorials.
Over the next few days, Shen Chaoqing consumed virtually no proper meals. The dishes sent over by the imperial kitchen in endless variations were mostly carried away untouched.
He seemed to have lost all interest in nourishment, only occasionally picking up the stir-fried, salted pine nuts contained in a small dish, shelling them slowly and methodically, one by one. It appeared that only these lightly salted, crunchy nuts requiring minimal chewing could make him barely willing to swallow something.
While watching a newly rehearsed play by the imperial troupe, he would shell pine nuts with his pale, slender fingers, extracting the kernels. Sometimes he popped them into his mouth; other times he merely pinched them between his fingertips, gazing at them thoughtfully before crushing those tiny morsels into pieces.
Since Shen Chaoqing didn’t require meals, Xiao Huaiyan found himself with a fair bit more leisure time as a result.
Yet this respite did not last long. Ever since Shen Chaoqing carried out the great palace purge, officials eager to plant people around him steadily increased in number, making rejections virtually impossible.
On this day, the Marquis of Jing’an, Li Miaoxze, entered the palace in person to request an audience. Having changed into a slightly plain court robe, he bowed respectfully the moment he stepped into the hall, speaking with earnest sincerity: “Your Majesty, this subject is guilty. This subject failed to govern his subordinates strictly, allowing a malfeasant schemer who harbored malicious intentions and deceived the sovereign—such as Zhu Shaolong—to infiltrate the Taichang Temple and precipitate a great disaster during the ancestral worship, disturbing the holy carriage. This subject bears a crime too heavy for a myriad deaths! I earnestly beg Your Majesty for severe punishment!”
He pitched his posture exceedingly low, as though genuinely repenting and taking all responsibility upon himself.
Lounge-reclining on the couch, Shen Chaoqing listened with a casual, indifferent air, twirling a pine nut between his fingertips. He did not grant permission to rise, merely uttering a flat “Mhm” in acknowledgment.
Seeing the Emperor fail to take the bait, Li Miaoxze continued of his own accord: “This subject knows full well that his sins are grave, leaving him restless day and night. Hearing that Your Majesty has recently been consumed with worry over the rebel matter, resulting in a compromised imperial constitution and a failing appetite, this subject feels all the more terror-stricken. Consequently, I have gathered various regional delicacies and several master chefs skilled in Jiangnan and Sichuan cuisines, wishing to present them to Your Majesty in hopes of slightly relieving Your Majesty’s distress and stimulating your appetite.”
He clapped his hands, and the attendants waiting outside the hall immediately led in a few individuals dressed as culinary maids, followed closely by a file of eunuchs bearing exquisite food boxes. As the lids were lifted, various pastries and side dishes were revealed, their aromas instantly permeating the air.
Yet trailing directly behind them were several slender, remarkably attractive young maidens. Though their attire remained proper, they were meticulously styled, lowering their gazes with gentle steps, carrying an inherent charm in every movement.
Li Miaoxze timed his explanation appropriately: “There are few people serving by Your Majesty’s side, making things inevitably desolate. These are all well-read and gentle-tempered daughters of respectable families, possessing a basic familiarity with music and painting; perhaps they can serve to entertain Your Majesty…”
Shen Chaoqing’s gaze swept over those “daughters of respectable families,” the corners of his lips curling into an imperceptible sneer.
Entertainment, indeed nothing more than planting informants around me to fish for intelligence under the guise of beauty. Seeing his network of spies dwindling rapidly, Li Miaoxze was growing desperate.
Standing guard at the side, Xiao Huaiyan swept an icy, blade-like gaze across those lowered-head women, a flicker of concealed hostility flashing through his dark eyes.
Shen Chaoqing did not fly into a rage on the spot, merely drawling lazily, “You have a heart, Marquis. It’s just that I truly have no appetite lately, and I’m feeling quite indolent; I’m afraid I have no fortune to enjoy such kind intentions. Leave the food, and… take all the people back with you.”
Seeing the Emperor refuse so decisively, a flash of disappointment crossed Li Miaoxze’s face, but he quickly piled his smile back on, shifting his gaze as if inadvertently toward Xiao Huaiyan, who had remained as silent as background scenery.
“What Your Majesty says is true; it is this subject who failed to consider things thoroughly.” Changing the subject as though only just noticing Xiao Huaiyan, his smile grew somewhat meaningful. “Speaking of which, His Highness the Prince of Liao is in the prime of his youth, a man of exceptional talent, and has rendered distinguished service by Your Majesty’s side. I hear Your Highness is not yet betrothed back in the Liao nation? As it happens, this subject also knows several daughters of distinguished families of exceptional character and appearance, with clean lineages and virtuous dispositions, who would make a perfect match for Your Highness. I wonder what Your Highness… thinks of this?”
This move proved remarkably tricky. Not only did it test Xiao Huaiyan’s stance, but it also subtly highlighted his identity as a “hostage” and his prime marriageable age, attempting to drive a wedge of nails around him and potentially strain his relationship with the Emperor.
If the Emperor genuinely held some unusual sentiment toward Xiao Huaiyan, how would he react upon hearing such words?
True to expectation, Shen Chaoqing’s attention was hooked by the remark. Turning his head sideways, he looked toward Xiao Huaiyan with a leisurely, playful expression, the corners of his mouth curving into a wicked arc. “Oh? This sounds like a fine match. Since the Marquis of Jing’an is so generous and personally acts as a matchmaker for you, I think… you should pick one and keep her by your side? That way someone will be around to look after you.”
In the original novel, wherever Xiao Huaiyan went, the imperial harem followed suit. Beauties of the Liao lands were plentiful, and even among the noble daughters of the Jin state, quite a few belonged to Xiao Huaiyan’s collection of women.
Only right now, he was likely still a virgin.
Every gaze within the hall instantly converged upon Xiao Huaiyan.
Expressionless, Xiao Huaiyan met Shen Chaoqing’s theatrical, spectator-like gaze, then cast a cold, fleeting glance at Li Miaoxze, whose smiling exterior concealed a dagger.
The interior of the hall fell so quiet that the faint crackle of the candle flames could be distinctly heard.
A moment later, Xiao Huaiyan parted his thin lips, his voice cold and hard, leaving zero room for negotiation: “I thank the Marquis for his kind intentions.”
“No need.”