The withered ginkgo leaves of autumn drifted down with the breeze, and the air was filled with the scent of earth dampened by rain.
The palace servants were busy rushing back and forth to clear the fallen leaves from the courtyard. Serving a rumored foolish tyrant, no one dared to be idle.
For the past few days, Xi Huai had appeared to be absurdly nursing his illness, but in reality, he was diligently completing the schoolwork assigned by Sheng Mingyue. This was only because he had received a letter from Sheng Mingyue shortly before, stating that he would soon return to the capital and would conduct a spot check to see if Xi Huai had neglected his studies.
Xi Huai wanted to die; when was this schoolwork ever a thing? He was the Emperor, so how did he not know that studies were still required?
In the original story, Sheng Mingyue was naturally meticulous. He had courted officials from humble origins. These officials were born into poverty, held no background or foundation in the court, and were not regarded highly by the sons of aristocratic families. Yet, this was precisely the leverage Sheng Mingyue used to topple Wen Yulin and Xiao Yuan. Sheng Mingyue did not trust the sons of the officialdom; the entire Sheng clan had been loyal and patriotic, yet they were still exterminated. From then on, he only trusted himself.
Although Xi Huai was clear that the world he had transmigrated into might not be the original novel, whenever he encountered matters related to Sheng Mingyue, he had to be terrified and place his own life outside of the equation. Therefore, even for this sudden schoolwork, he chose to complete it with utmost care.
After writing his poetry, Xi Huai put down his brush, exhausted, and took a sip of the hot tea brewed by Gonggong De. The fragrance of spring water and autumn tea permeated the air, but the taste was incredibly bitter, which helped clear his mind.
Suddenly, the voice of Gonggong De sounded from outside the door: “Your Majesty, the Regent requests an audience.”
Xi Huai, whose spirits had improved a little, wilted again. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed: “Let him in.”
Xiao Yuan walked in with spirited strides. When he saw Xi Huai, his eyes overflowed with delight: “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“The Regent comes to the Cining Palace; is there some important matter?” Xi Huai had no intention of engaging in small talk with Xiao Yuan and instead spoke with sarcasm: “I almost forgot. The Imperial Guards are under the jurisdiction of the Regent, so the Regent naturally goes wherever he pleases.”
Xiao Yuan’s expression turned sad, his eyes overflowing with self-reproach: “Your servant has no business. Your servant just wanted to see Ah Huai.”
“Insolent!” Xi Huai stood up and scolded loudly: “Is my name something you can call?”
He was seething with rage, playing the part of an infuriated monarch: “It seems the last lesson was not enough to make you stop disregarding me! Do you wish for me to punish you again?”
“Punish?” Not only was Xiao Yuan not afraid, but his breathing grew heavy: “Your servant is indeed guilty. I beg for Your Majesty’s punishment.”
Xi Huai: “…”
Xi Huai’s face darkened. He had nearly forgotten that Xiao Yuan was a total psychopath; to him, punishment was essentially a reward.
Only then did Xiao Yuan realize something. He immediately knelt: “Your Majesty, please forgive me. Your servant is here to apologize to Your Majesty.”
“Apologize?” Xi Huai was somewhat surprised by his answer. He looked down at him contemplatively, not knowing what scheme he was hatching.
“Yes.” His tone was sincere, unlike a lie: “It is all your servant’s fault. The matter at the hunting grounds was due to my lax discipline over the Imperial Guards.”
“If it were not for my dereliction of duty, allowing the assassins to sneak into the grounds, Your Majesty and the Noble Consort would not have been forced off the cliff, nor would you have gone missing.”
Xi Huai was momentarily stunned. This sounded like he was saying the assassination attempt was unsuccessful, yet the assassins in the hunting grounds were all sent by him.
Xi Huai feigned relief, cold-snorted, and said: “Hmph, forget it. Stand up. I do not blame you. In any case, the Empress Dowager has already executed those assassins and avenged me; I will not hold you responsible.”
Xiao Yuan froze, and the smile on his lips stiffened: “Since when has Your Majesty become so close to the Empress Dowager?”
The atmosphere instantly turned gloomy.
Xi Huai frowned, looking around. Seeing no one nearby, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He retreated a few steps subconsciously, maintaining a calm facade: “This has nothing to do with the Regent, does it?”
Xiao Yuan paused. In the darkness, his expression twisted and turned ferocious, jealousy spreading through his heart. He stared fiercely at the youth. The youth in his dragon robes was elegant and radiant, and Xiao Yuan’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
The youth he could never hold in his arms, Wen Yulin had easily imprisoned in the Cining Palace.
Xiao Yuan stood up emotionlessly. Seeing the youth looking at him with vigilance, he asked: “What do you want to do?”
He approached in silence. Under the youth’s surprised gaze, he shackled the youth’s waist.
“Xiao Yuan! You are crazy!” The youth let out a trembling sound, struggling to break free: “Release me at once!”
Xiao Yuan’s heart was satisfied. The temperature of his skin was so warm, making his cold body tremble. The intimate gestures between him and Wen Yulin at the banquet made him want to grind his teeth with jealousy, but now, he had finally fallen into his hands.
“Behave, Ah Huai. Do not move.” He buried his face in the youth’s neck, inhaling deeply, sniffing the scent on his body.
“Xiao Yuan!”
Xi Huai was overly terrified, unable to stop trembling in his embrace.
Xiao Yuan held him tightly: “Ah Huai, why can it not be me?”
Xi Huai: “?”
Xiao Yuan sighed: “Whatever the Empress Dowager can give you, I can give you just the same.”
As he spoke, he took the youth’s hand and pressed it to his lips, kissing it.
Xi Huai was trembling violently. Just as he was about to struggle, Xiao Yuan curled his lips and released his hand.
“Whatever Ah Huai wants, to whip me, to humiliate me, I can endure it all.”
Xi Huai only gave a cold sneer: “Clearly, the assassins at the cliff were sent by you.”
Xiao Yuan started, looking at Xi Huai in surprise: “So Ah Huai knew all along?”
Xiao Yuan did not feel angry at being exposed; instead, he began to chuckle softly. He was pleasantly surprised that Xi Huai was not as simple as he appeared and was moved by Xi Huai’s intelligence.
A sickly smile appeared on his handsome face: “I did not let the assassins kill you.”
A faint red flush spread across Xiao Yuan’s cheeks: “I never thought of killing you. I had already ordered the assassins not to harm you, but they acted on their own and hurt you. They deserve to die, and die they did.”
“I only wanted to trap you in my embrace, to make you belong to me alone. Wen Yulin trapped you in the Cining Palace, and you did not blame him, yet why do you only reproach me? This is unfair to me.”
Xiao Yuan’s tone was plaintive, his expression aggrieved, like a wild dog kicked on the side of the road; he looked pitiful.
Xi Huai did not feel at ease because of Xiao Yuan’s sweet talk; rather, he was horrified, thinking to himself that this really was a psychopath. The psychopath was still staring at him obsessively, like a dog in heat.
“Ah Huai, choose me. I can satisfy everything you desire.”
Xi Huai’s hair stood on end, and he broke out in goosebumps.
Lowering his eyes, Xiao Yuan had already held his finger and taken it into his mouth. The fingertips brushed against the soft flesh of Xiao Yuan’s mouth, the lips bulging outward. Saliva flowed from the corner of Xiao Yuan’s mouth, wetting the long, slender finger.
Xi Huai immediately pulled his finger out and slapped him across the face.
“Insolent!”
His fingertips were coated in Xiao Yuan’s sticky saliva; it was disgusting! You damn psychopath, you lunatic, go see a doctor if you are sick! Do not drag me into this!
He finally realized that Xiao Yuan truly had no intention of killing him. This was not wanting to kill him; this was clearly wanting to swallow him whole.
Xiao Yuan’s breath swept across his skin, and his nose brushed against his fingertips, making Xi Huai’s body feel as if an electric current had passed through it, leaving him tingling.
Xi Huai pulled away in fright. The sound of Xiao Yuan’s breathing reached his ears. Looking over, he saw the corners of Xiao Yuan’s eyes were crimson, his eyes swimming with moisture.
That look filled him with lingering fear. His mind suddenly flashed to the question the supporting character from the palace intrigue novel had asked him about his plans, an answer he had not had time to give then.
He had planned to fake his death, but after learning he had transmigrated into a derivative BL novel, that hope had long been extinguished. Yet now, his determination had not changed, only…
Only before faking his death, he needed to seize power for himself. Only by keeping power in his own hands could he shift from being passive to becoming active.
Therefore, he assumed the posture of the little Emperor and raised his chin toward Xiao Yuan.
“You want me to believe you?”
Xiao Yuan nodded, his eyes filled with longing: “Yes.”
“Then…” Xi Huai stretched out his right foot toward him: “Kneel.”
Xiao Yuan had indeed never wanted to kill him from beginning to end. Because Xiao Yuan wanted to be a dog trampled by him. Xi Huai saw through the masochistic desire beneath his flesh. Contrary to the original book, he did not feel the urge to torture and kill him; rather, he felt a craving.
Xiao Yuan was truly stunned. He raised his chin, looking up with obsessed eyes at the young Emperor in front of him, and finally knelt in submission.
Xiao Yuan’s heart raced. He stared straight at the Emperor’s ankle. The loose socks on his feet moved with the tip of the Emperor’s slightly raised toes, slowly extending to the ankle and revealing fair skin. The Emperor’s instep was arched. Even though he was wearing flat shoes, Xiao Yuan could still imagine the beautiful sight of the jade feet beneath the socks.
Xiao Yuan could not look away. He devoutly held the Emperor’s right foot, casting an obsessed gaze as if looking at an intricately crafted piece of porcelain.
Suddenly, Xiao Yuan heard a voice that sounded like charity. With a heavy weight on his chest, he was kicked by the Emperor: “Lick it.”
Xiao Yuan gasped. Unable to control himself, he lowered his head and stretched out his tongue, licking the tip of the shoe.
The Emperor paused, his eyes indifferent, looking as if at a humble ant. He coldly bent down and patted his face.
“So obedient. I never thought you would be so impatient to be my dog.”
Xiao Yuan’s expression was sickly as he looked up, obsessed, at the youth under the moonlight. The impossibly beautiful youth looked at him with nothing but disgust.
Though he knew full well the youth loathed him, his heart could not stop racing. His eyes were lost in obsession, his breathing rapid: “Whatever Your Majesty wishes for me to do, I am willing.”
The youth raised his eyebrows nonchalantly, his brow smooth, his emotions calm: “Is that so?”
Xiao Yuan licked the tip of the youth’s shoe to express his loyalty.
“Then, I want you to give the throne to me.”
At that moment, Xiao Yuan’s heart pounded violently.
So, from the very beginning, he had known his thoughts. His filthy intentions had been exposed long ago. Just thinking of this, Xiao Yuan was incredibly excited.
It was truly only Ah Huai who understood him best. Compared to the hypocritical Wen Yulin, they were the perfect match; theirs was a match made in heaven.