Wen Chu’s face turned instantly pale. It took him a long moment to snap out of his daze, and tears slowly welled up in his phoenix-like eyes, spilling over and sliding down his cheeks as he looked at Xie Huaiqiang.
Yet Xie Huaiqiang remained entirely unmoved. “If you want to take Yu’er away from the estate, then do it—initiate a kiss with him.”
Hearing Xie Huaiqiang say this, the servant’s eyes widened to the size of copper bells. He could scarcely believe that in this lifetime he would ever be the recipient of such an active advance and kiss from the high-and-mighty Emperor himself.
Most importantly, the Emperor possessed an all-consuming, peerless beauty.
The man could not help growing excited, fixing a direct, unblinking gaze upon Wen Chu with intense anticipation.
Wen Chu closed his eyes, enduring and suppressing his tears. When he opened them again, he took step after slow step toward the servant.
Eager to win the Emperor’s favor as quickly as possible, the servant could no longer restrain himself and took a few steps forward.
Wen Chu halted right in front of the servant and, like a soulless puppet, stood on tiptoe and pressed his lips to the servant’s in a kiss.
“Enough!” Xie Huaiqiang suddenly barked in a deep, furious roar, his hawk-like, sharp eyes glaring at the servant. “Get out!”
Startled out of his wits, the servant stumbled violently and fled the room as if escaping for his life.
Xie Huaiqiang strode forward in a few giant steps and seized Wen Chu by the throat. “You truly are a base and promiscuous wretch.”
With that, he shoved Wen Chu hard, sending him crashing to the floor.
Stifling a groan from the impact, Wen Chu ignored the pain and said to Xie Huaiqiang, “I want to see Yu’er. Let me take him away.” He hurriedly added, “You cannot break your promise.”
Xie Huaiqiang let out a cold humph and sneered, “For a lowly, despicable person like you, there is no need to keep promises.”
After a brief silence, Wen Chu spoke up, “Yu’er is my everything. All these years I have managed to stay alive solely because of Yu’er. Without Yu’er by my side, I truly do not know how much longer I can hold on.”
Having finished speaking, Wen Chu closed his eyes, collapsing in utter defeat upon the cold floor, and said no more.
How agonizing it is for a person to endure days devoid of any light—Wen Chu was precisely such a person.
Without Yu’er by his side, living truly had no meaning for him; perhaps he did not even wish to survive for another single moment.
Xie Huaiqiang lowered his gaze, staring down at Wen Chu as a heavy, oppressive gloom weighed upon his heart.
“Quickly bring the Crown Prince here.”
When Yu’er arrived, Wen Chu had already composed himself.
He only wished to present his best self to Yu’er so that the child could face each day carefree and unburdened.
At that moment, Yu’er snuggled affectionately into Wen Chu’s embrace. “Imperial Father, Yu’er missed you so much! Why hasn’t Imperial Father come to see Yu’er these past few days?”
Casting a glance at Xie Huaiqiang, who was seated beside them, Wen Chu coaxed Yu’er gently, “Imperial Father has had state affairs to attend to, which is why he was busy. Be a good boy, Yu’er; as soon as Imperial Father frees up some time, he will come to see you.”
Before Yu’er’s arrival, Xie Huaiqiang had already made it clear to Wen Chu that he could only see Yu’er and could not take him away. He had threatened Wen Chu that if he wanted Yu’er to live well, he must obey every single command without showing the slightest defiance.
Wen Chu cherished every single moment spent with Yu’er, showering the child with affection and completely ignoring Xie Huaiqiang sitting nearby.
Yet Xie Huaiqiang’s gaze never once left the father and son, particularly lingering upon Wen Chu’s extraordinarily exquisite face.
At that moment, the corners of Wen Chu’s eyes curved softly, and his soft, moist lips arched into a smile as he conversed affectionately with Yu’er.
Those peerless, water-clear apricot-phoenix eyes tilted slightly upward at the outer corners, involuntarily radiating a captivating, seductive allure that could easily trap anyone who wasn’t paying close attention into losing themselves.
A dark, turbulent shadow clouded Xie Huaiqiang’s eyes, and an instant later, his brow knitted together with an inexpressible, inexplicable fury. “Your Majesty, you still have affairs of state to attend to.”
Wen Chu knew precisely what he meant. Forcing down the stinging acid in his eyes, he coaxed Yu’er gently, “Imperial Father has to go take care of some matters now. Be a good boy, Yu’er; once Imperial Father finishes his work, he’ll come see you!”
Before his voice had even faded, Xie Huaiqiang forcefully snatched Yu’er from his arms and handed the child over to the wet nurse waiting nearby.
With reddened eye rims, unable to bear parting with Yu’er, Wen Chu reached out a hand wanting to pull Yu’er back into his embrace, but Xie Huaiqiang blocked his path.
Hearing Yu’er sensibly tell him, “Be a good boy, Yu’er will wait for Imperial Father!”
Wen Chu could only watch with lingering, heartbroken reluctance as the wet nurse carried Yu’er out of the room.
His heart felt as though it were being wrung by knives, and he hated his own incompetence.
The man’s bone-chilling voice rang in his ear: “If Your Majesty refuses to leave, do you find my bed so comfortable that you wish to stay another night?”
Wen Chu raised his eyes to meet the frost-filled gaze of the man.
From what point onward had he ceased to show him even a shred of tenderness?
No, he had never shown him tenderness; everything in the past had been mere pretense—it had all been fake.
Withdrawing his gaze, Wen Chu turned and walked toward the door in silence, only to hear the man behind him instruct a servant: “Roll up all the bedding he used last night and throw it away.”
Wen Chu’s footsteps staggered sharply for a moment before he bolted out of the room.
Staring down at the solitary, crystalline droplet left on the floor, Xie Huaiqiang subconsciously raised a hand to lightly sniff the fresh scent of ambergris lingering on his skin. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he fell into deep thought.
Servants approached to roll up the bedding on the bed, but Xie Huaiqiang halted them. “All of you out; this Prince wishes to be alone in peace.”
After returning to the palace, bathing, and eating a small meal, evening began to fall.
Upon returning to his bedchamber and preparing to rest, an inner court eunuch delivered a letter from Yuwen Jie.
It was evident that the letter had already been opened and inspected beforehand.
He didn’t even need to guess to know who was responsible.
Yuwen Jie had anticipated that any letter delivered to Wen Chu would be previewed by someone else first, so the contents merely offered reassurance of his safety upon arriving at the frontier city, mentioning nothing else.
His frail health left Wen Chu severely depleted of energy. After reading the letter and placing the correspondence on the desk, Wen Chu prepared to rest.
The status of a puppet emperor had grown so precarious that the eunuchs no longer dared to keep night watch or wait upon him.
Yet Wen Chu cared little for this and dressed himself for bed.
Raising his hands, his wide cloud sleeves slipped downward, revealing slender white arms that resembled the most flawless, warm jade in the world. His delicate fingertips moved slightly to untie his hair crown, letting his smooth, silky black hair cascade instantly down to his waist.
The cascade of hair reaching his waist swayed gently with the slight movement of his slender waist, adding an extra layer of enchantment that tugged at the heartstrings.
Suddenly, Wen Chu’s expression shifted, and he instinctively asked, “Who’s there?”
His gaze landed upon the tightly closed door panels. Staring intently for a moment without detecting the slightest movement, Wen Chu shook his head—it must have been his imagination.
After removing his outer robe and draping it over the folding screen, Wen Chu climbed onto the bed clad in a loose white undergarment, removed the lamp cover to blow out the bedside flame, and lay down to rest.
Just as he closed his eyes, a sudden gust of chilling wind swept through the room.
In an instant, someone shattered a window and burst inside.
Startled, Wen Chu’s heart leaped into his throat. He parted his lips to cry out, “There’s an assassin!” but someone covered his mouth just in time.
“Mmph, mmph, mmph…” Wen Chu still struggled desperately for help.
He fought back with all his might, flailing his hands against the intruder, only to have his wrists quickly pinned and secured tightly above his head by a pair of iron-vise-like hands.
The intruder produced a length of rope prepared in advance and tightly bound it around Wen Chu’s slender, pale wrists.
It was glaringly clear that the intruder had come thoroughly prepared.