“Slap” a crisp, sharp sound echoed through the grand hall as Zhao Hanqing, no longer able to suppress the towering fury within him, struck Zhao Mingyu across the face.
The blow left Zhao Mingyu’s head spinning, a burning, fiery pain blooming across his tender cheek where five distinct finger marks rapidly swelled. Staring at Zhao Hanqing in utter disbelief, his pretty eyes instantly welled up with moisture as he cried out, “You dare hit me?!”
“You show no respect for superiors and act with unbridled lawlessness. As Emperor, why shouldn’t I strike you?”
Had Zhao Mingyu not been his only remaining sibling, Zhao Hanqing would have beaten him to death on the spot rather than let him continue disgracing the imperial family.
Weeping, Zhao Mingyu sobbed, “Before Consort Mother passed away, what did you promise her? You said you would protect me for the rest of your life! How long has it been, and you’ve already raised your hand against me? Zhao Hanqing, how can you look Consort Mother in the eye?”
The fires of fury burned with relentless intensity in Zhao Hanqing’s chest. “If I weren’t still honoring the promise I made to Consort Mother, for what you just blurted out alone, I could have had you executed right now!”
“You still want to kill me?!” Wiping away his tears with his sleeve, Zhao Mingyu glared at Zhao Hanqing with eyes brimming with absolute hatred. “You’re just jealous that the Regent treats me well, so you used every trick in the book to sow discord between us! Let me tell you, I won’t let you succeed. The Regent treated me well in the past, and he will continue to treat me well in the future just you wait and see!”
“Zhao Mingyu!” Zhao Hanqing shouted in exasperation as he watched his brother turn and storm out.
Seeing Zhao Mingyu depart, San Xi bowed and retreated out of the hall as well, pulling the heavy doors shut behind him.
Left alone to stare at the closed doors, Zhao Hanqing felt a suffocating wave of utter powerlessness wash over him. His handsome phoenix eyes reddened as he whispered in aggrieved despair, “Father, Mother your son is so tired. Truly, so tired…”
That slap Zhao Hanqing had delivered had been exceptionally heavy; Zhao Mingyu’s cheek was swollen to the point where he could barely open his eye, throbbing with a fiery, agonizing ache. Having never suffered such humiliation in all his life, he sat inside the carriage, weeping helplessly the entire way and ordering the driver to head straight for the Regent’s Manor.
Upon laying eyes on Zhao Mingyu, whose face was bruised, swollen, and stained with a mess of tears and snot, Sima Huayao felt a momentary pang of guilt. Had he not deliberately provoked him, Zhao Mingyu wouldn’t have ended up on the receiving end of that beating. Raising his gaze to Hong Yang, he instructed, “Go fetch some medicinal ointment.”
Hong Yang acknowledged the order and turned to step out of the study.
“Older Brother Yao, Zhao—” Stopping himself mid-sentence as he recalled Sima Huayao’s previous reprimands, Zhao Mingyu quickly corrected himself, “His Majesty went too far! He actually beat me like this, wuu wuu.”
Sima Huayao put on a stern face. “He is the sovereign, and you are a subject. How could you show him disrespect? Being beaten was entirely your own fault.”
Looking up with a pitiful, aggrieved expression, Zhao Mingyu whimpered, “Older Brother Yao, Yu’er was beaten like this don’t you feel any heartache at all?”
“A beating should teach you a lesson. From now on, show proper respect when you see His Majesty. Have you understood?”
Sima Huayao ignored Zhao Mingyu’s plea. He was not Sima Nanyao; he wasn’t a pervert, nor did he have any romantic interest in men. In his eyes, Zhao Mingyu was merely a spoiled, selfish, and reckless child who acted purely on impulse without distinguishing right from wrong.
“Older Brother Yao, whatever he can do, Yu’er can do as well and I can be even more obedient and well-behaved! Why are you so blindly partial to him? What on earth does he have that I don’t?”
Zhao Mingyu’s tears flowed at a moment’s notice, pouring out like water as though he were made of liquid rather than flesh and bone not remotely resembling a typical young man.
Recalling the tragic fate awaiting Zhao Mingyu in the plot, Sima Huayao couldn’t help softening his tone slightly. “I asked you a question: did you understand what I just said?”
Seeing displeasure flicker across Sima Huayao’s face, Zhao Mingyu tightened up with fright. Daring not to throw any more tantrums, he obediently nodded and whimpered, “I understood.”
Seeing Chun Hai return with the medicinal ointment, Sima Huayao commanded, “Apply the medicine for the Prince.”
Chun Hai acknowledged the order and stepped over to Zhao Mingyu’s side.
Gazing piteously at Sima Huayao, Zhao Mingyu pleaded, “Older Brother Yao, won’t you apply the medicine for Yu’er yourself? He’s so clumsy; he’ll only hurt Yu’er more.”
“Who was it just now claiming they could be ‘more obedient and well-behaved’?”
Being so young, Zhao Mingyu clung to him merely to extract what he wanted, not because he harbored genuine romantic affection. Therefore, Sima Huayao intended to keep a firm distance and steer the plot strictly toward his intended destination.
Zhao Mingyu opened his mouth, ultimately swallowing any words of retort. Reluctantly and resentfully, he allowed Chun Hai to apply the salve to his swollen face.
Shortly thereafter, using the excuse of heavy official duties, Sima Huayao dismissed him, finally restoring peace and quiet to the manor.
Though the rear courtyards of the manor housed quite a few male companions, all of them lived in absolute terror of Sima Nanyao. Every single time Sima Nanyao summoned them to his bedchamber, they would emerge battered and bruised, and if anyone failed to please him even slightly, their life hung by a thread naturally, none of them were eager to court such danger.
Of course, Zhao Mingyu and Hua Ziwei were exceptions. Now, with Zhao Mingyu’s face injured and unable to step out for a while, and Hua Ziwei consumed with wedding preparations, Sima Huayao’s days had grown remarkably tranquil.
A month slipped by in the blink of an eye. Aside from morning court sessions, Sima Huayao had not laid eyes on Zhao Hanqing once. Even when Zhao Hanqing sent repeated requests for an audience, Sima Huayao casually brushed them aside under the banner of overwhelming state affairs. What a joke he was neither the original Sima Nanyao nor possessed those twisted, sadistic fetishes (referring here to sexual abuse); seeing Zhao Hanqing would only plunge him into awkwardness. With plenty of tasks demanding his attention, why torture himself?
Initially, Zhao Hanqing had felt a sense of relief, but as the days dragged on, anxiety gnawed relentlessly at his composure, terrified that Sima Huayao had truly grown tired of him and intended to replace him with someone else.
Following the morning court session that day, Sima Huayao stepped down from the imperial dais and strode toward the hall doors without looking back. Zhao Hanqing immediately rose from his seat and hurried after him in rapid strides.
Once outside the Fengtian Hall, Zhao Hanqing quickened his pace, drew abreast of Sima Huayao, and called out, “Your Highness.”
Halting his steps, Sima Huayao turned to look at him. “Something the matter?”
“Your Highness, Your Servant has matters to discuss with you. Might Your Highness spare a moment to accompany me to the Qiankun Palace?”
“If His Majesty has anything to say, he may state it here.”
Sima Huayao operated on a single core principle: cut loose entanglements one by one whenever possible, and absolutely avoid any romantic or emotional entanglements with the people of this world. Therefore, he needed to keep a wide berth from any man who had previously shared a bed with Sima Nanyao.
Hearing this, Zhao Hanqing grew even more convinced of his mounting fears. He anxiously insisted, “It is inconvenient to speak of this here. Your Highness, Your Servant genuinely has pressing matters to discuss, I beg Your Highness to condescend to accompany me.”
Hesitating for a brief moment, Sima Huayao gave a slight nod, curious to see what scheme the young emperor was trying to hatch.
Seeing him consent, Zhao Hanqing let out a quiet sigh of relief, trailing submissively behind Sima Huayao as they made their way toward the Qiankun Palace.
Noticing the two figures approaching from afar, the guards hastily unlatched the palace gates and bowed respectfully to the side.
Passing through the gates, Sima Huayao walked straight toward the small side study. Zhao Hanqing froze momentarily, a spike of anxiety piercing his heart. Ever since he ascended the throne, every single time Sima Huayao summoned him, they went directly to the inner bedchamber where Sima Huayao would toy with him until the brink of release before abruptly halting to state whatever business he wished, forcing Zhao Hanqing to beg for more. They had never once set foot in the small study.
San Xi unlatched the study door, and Sima Huayao stepped inside first, followed closely by Zhao Hanqing, who shut the heavy door firmly behind himself.
Frowning slightly at the action, Sima Huayao chose not to intervene. “His Majesty may speak now.”
“Your Highness, you haven’t wanted Your Servant for a long time. Is it because Your Servant has done something wrong?”
“This Prince has matters to attend to.”
As Sima Huayao turned toward the exit, determined to sever any potential complications before they took root, Zhao Hanqing darted forward and threw his arms tightly around Sima Huayao’s waist from behind. “Your Highness! Your Servant’s body is entirely clean aside from Your Highness, Your Servant has never touched another, nor allowed anyone else to touch me.”
For a full year, Sima Huayao had kept Zhao Hanqing locked under his thumb, subjecting him to a living hell of torment. The sole takeaway from that grueling year was a thorough, intimate understanding of Sima Nanyao as well acquainted with the tyrant’s mind as he was with his own body.
Sensing a strange shift in the atmosphere, Sima Huayao hurriedly intercepted Zhao Hanqing’s wandering hands, pried the embrace apart, and whipped around with a dark, thunderous expression. “Do not push this Prince’s patience, or else do not blame me for being ruthless!”
“Your Highness, everything you commanded me to wear, Your Servant is wearing right now. Look at me, Your Highness.”
With those words, Zhao Hanqing reached out, unfastened his jade belt, and let his outer garments slip open.
Caught completely off guard by the sudden action, Sima Huayao froze in shock, unable to react in time as the first thing to enter his field of vision was a delicate silver chain. By the time his brain caught up, Zhao Hanqing stood before him completely bare.
To prevent Zhao Hanqing from harboring suspicions, Sima Huayao forced himself to anchor his gaze, using every ounce of willpower he possessed not to look away as he watched Zhao Hanqing step closer.
Seeing Sima Huayao staring fixedly at him without blinking, Zhao Hanqing felt his racing heart settle slightly. Lacking the power to break free from Sima Huayao just yet, for the sake of survival and for the preservation of the Zhao State’s rivers and mountains he had no choice but to swallow his humiliation. He needed to make Sima Huayao infatuated with him once more, lulling the tyrant into lowering his guard so he could seize an opening when the time was right.
“Zhao Hanqing, this Prince has long since grown tired of your body. Do not stand here making a spectacle of yourself.”
The single sentence stopped Zhao Hanqing dead in his tracks, draining every last trace of color from his face. His knees buckled, and he dropped straight to the floor, tilting his head up to plead tearfully, “Your Highness, has Your Servant done something wrong? If so, Your Servant begs for your punishment. I am willing to do whatever Your Highness commands, I beg Your Highness to give Your Servant one more chance!”
Kneeling on the cold stone floor in the exact same posture as the day Sima Huayao had first transmigrated into this world, Zhao Hanqing truly knew how to weaponize his own body to maximum effect. Even a straight man like Sima Huayao felt a sudden dryness catch in his throat; had it been the original Sima Nanyao, the tyrant would undoubtedly have pounced instantly.
Remaining silent, Sima Huayao threw open the study doors and strode out without a backward glance.
Once outside, he exhaled a long breath of relief, internally castigating himself for his wayward thoughts as he muttered that something must be seriously wrong with him for finding another man’s physique alluring.
San Xi cast a quick glance inside the study before quietly latching the door shut.
Left alone in the freezing room, Zhao Hanqing collapsed limply against the floorboards. To think he grew tired of me so quickly. What am I supposed to do now? Will he kill me and install Zhao Mingyu on the throne? Or simply usurp the crown himself?
In just a single year, he had been discarded like useless trash, stripped of his final shred of leverage what else did he even possess? To think he had actually entertained the naive fantasy of seducing the tyrant to carve out a path to survival for himself and the Zhao State. Looking back now, how utterly laughable it all was!
Curling into a tight ball against the icy stone ground, Zhao Hanqing shivered uncontrollably. The cold seeped deep into his bones a biting, marrow-deep chill while the room plunged into pitch blackness before his wide-open eyes, devoid of a single ray of light.
“Father… Mother… Your son… can no longer hold on. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”