No wonder Yin Shu was startled by me.
The scale of those dog-like bite marks looked like a car crash site, utterly gruesome.
If I were wearing my usual clothes with my long hair scattered down, I might have barely managed to cover them up.
Unfortunately, I had changed into a different outfit today.
The collar at the back of my neck hung limply across both shoulders. Whatever was meant to be seen and whatever wasn’t was probably all laid bare for everyone to see.
Is it still not too late to move to another planet?
I hurriedly changed into a normal set of clothes.
That evening, when Yin Xiao returned to our sleeping quarters, I glared at him for a very, very long time, wishing I could burn a hole right through him with my gaze.
Yin Xiao pretended not to notice.
I made faces at him, looking fierce and brandishing my claws.
Yin Xiao glanced at me, stunned, and couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
The corners of my mouth twitched as I demanded to know who on earth, he learned these tricks from.
I certainly didn’t remember ever teaching him such things.
To my surprise, Yin Xiao countered with a question of his own: “What things is Teacher referring to?”
I froze.
“You.” The corners of my mouth twitched a few times, somewhat taken aback by his shamelessness. “Stop playing dumb!”
Instead, Yin Xiao changed the subject. With dark, fathomless pupils fixed on me, he said, “Teacher is so angry. Does that mean Your Highness the Crown Prince saw everything?”
At the mere thought of what happened during the day, my entire spirit completely deflated.
I sighed. “He’s not blind.”
Yin Xiao smiled as if he had achieved his goal, appearing thoroughly delighted by this outcome.
That night, not long after I lay down and was just drifting off to sleep in a daze, the familiar sound of footsteps echoed beside the bed again.
Here he comes again.
I was truly exhausted, too lazy even to open my eyes, and simply let that pair of chillingly cold hands wrap around my Adam’s apple, gently pressing me backward.
The most vulnerable spot on the human body was thus delivered right into another’s mouth, as if being tasted by the rough tongue of a wild beast.
I frowned slightly, thinking it would be over soon enough.
Yet tonight’s time seemed exceptionally drawn out.
My skin brushed against his cold, hard teeth several times, but the anticipated pain never arrived.
My sleepiness dissipated slightly, while my consciousness became veiled in another layer of hazy confusion.
My hand patted backward weakly, and I rasped in a hoarse voice, “Stop biting, you little ancestor.”
“How can Teacher wrong his student like this?” Yin Xiao’s broad palm securely gripped my throat. “This student hasn’t bitten Teacher at all tonight.”
My breathing grew increasingly restricted, my ears filled with the deafening sound of licking, and my mind buzzed endlessly.
From behind me, Yin Xiao wrapped both arms around me like a two-tailed snake.
My face had turned completely red, all the way to the tips of my ears, growing so hot that I became even more lightheaded.
Yin Xiao’s breath also sounded a fraction deeper as he murmured against the shell of my ear, “Teacher, I…”
It was rare for Yin Xiao not to refer to himself as this prince, but I didn’t hear what he said next.
Because my eyelids had uncontrollably stuck together.
And then, with a speed bordering on fainting, I fell asleep.
Don’t ask. If you must ask, it’s because I was beaten to death by exhaustion.
We corporate slaves are just built this way.
Early the next morning, I woke up.
I lay in a messy heap on a bed that now only held myself, sitting still for a very, very long time.
My brain-dead state gradually recovered.
Some chaotic words randomly bounced into my thoroughly cluttered brain.
Yin Xiao, me, biting, night, tongue, bed, teeth, neck, hands, waist, and did it reach inside my clothes.
Three minutes later, I let out a piercing shriek.
Neither Yin Xiao nor I ever brought up what happened that night again.
Because a far more important matter was pressing down upon our heads.
April was approaching, and Yin Xiao’s sixteenth birthday banquet was just around the corner. Rumors were flying thick and fast both inside and outside the palace.
Everyone guessed that the aging Emperor would use Yin Xiao’s sixteenth birthday to officially name the Crown Prince.
Given Yin Xiao’s current status and connections, everyone was convinced that the Emperor would undoubtedly appoint him as the Crown Prince.
Although the truth of these rumors remained unconfirmed, they had deeply rooted themselves in people’s hearts.
In the imperial court, officials argued fiercely day after day over the foundation of the state.
Those who had sided with Yin Shu, as well as officials who had yet to take a stand, were already in complete chaos.
I was so busy I barely had a moment to catch my breath, let alone Yin Xiao, who was caught right in the churning rapids.
On the longest occasion, he didn’t return to Lanyue Palace for three full days.
That was simply the kind of person Yin Xiao was.
Even though everyone in the world viewed the position of Crown Prince as well within his grasp, Yin Xiao remained deeply suspicious.
Whatever he set his mind on capturing, he had to thoroughly crush and hold firmly in the palm of his hand to feel at ease.
He had to eradicate all obstacles; he would rather execute an innocent person by mistake than let a single threat slip through.
If I hadn’t been keeping him in check, he probably would have already accumulated countless sins of bloodshed.
On the day of Yin Xiao’s birthday banquet.
The aging Emperor specially hosted a grand banquet within the palace for Yin Xiao, yet he failed to show up himself.
Some impatient people came to question me: “Lord Ji, what does His Majesty mean by this?”
I shook my head, able only to advise them not to rush and to wait a little longer.
The Imperial Physicians’ Quarters were already under our control, and they had long since reported to us that the Emperor was advanced in age and had indulged in debauchery to excess. His body had long been depleted of vital energy and blood, and he was staying conscious purely thanks to ginseng medicine.
The Emperor was probably aware of his own condition as well, yet he remained stubbornly obstinate.
He refused to name a Crown Prince or issue a final will, ignoring state affairs entirely while repeatedly testing both Yin Xiao and Yin Shu, terrified that his sons would impatiently seize the throne.
I became increasingly unsure of what the Emperor was actually planning.
With all the officials urging him to finalize the successor as soon as possible, could he really turn a blind eye and remain completely indifferent?
The banquet began at sunset and lasted well past midnight.
The palace was brightly lit as the night deepened, yet the officials in Yin Xiao’s faction grew increasingly sober.
They were flustered and frantic, yet none of them wanted to leave.
Things had reached this point; they were determined to stay until they got an answer.
Just as the crowd’s anxiety was reaching a boiling point, Jinlan ran over in a panic, whispering into my ear that Yin Xiao had vanished.
Of all people, I knew Yin Xiao best.
The Yin Xiao I knew would never leave quietly without a word on an occasion like this.
Something must have gone wrong.
Not daring to waste a second, I told Jinlan to recount Yin Xiao’s recent movements immediately.
Then I arranged for manpower, splitting into several groups to search for him.
The banquet hall, Lanyue Palace, and the palace paths connecting them were practically turned upside down.
Yet I still couldn’t find a trace of Yin Xiao.
Jinlan and several younger palace attendants were already panicked to the point of helplessness.
While comforting them, I was secretly panicking just as badly.
Right at that moment, Jinlan called out to me, saying that a strange servant was looking for me outside Lanyue Palace.
At that exact second, a sense of unease welled up from the depths of my heart, though I couldn’t quite tell what triggered it.
The unfamiliar servant kept his head bowed low, refusing to look up no matter how many times I told him to raise his face.
I asked the servant what on earth he wanted.
He only said that I should go take a look at the Ziyan Palace in the western sector, claiming there was a gift sent to us by the First Imperial Prince there.
With that, the servant hurried away, flashing into the night like a ghost.
Jinlan asked, “Lord Ji, should we gather some people to help?”
I waved my hand, saying it wasn’t necessary, while briskly heading out the door toward the direction of Ziyan Palace.
Yin Shu wasn’t foolish enough to openly murder Yin Xiao in broad daylight.
That servant was likely manipulated by someone attempting to create a permanent feud between Yin Xiao’s faction and Yin Shu.
Who the hidden mastermind in the shadows was remained unknown for the time being.
Only one thing was certain: something had definitely happened to Yin Xiao.
Not daring to hesitate at all, I pushed open the heavy doors of Ziyan Palace and barged inside.
This place was normally one of the secondary palaces used by members of the imperial family for leisure and entertainment, with Ziyan Palace being the largest of them all.
An opera theater, a pond, pavilions, and winding corridors, everything was here.
Looking out, the vacant opera theater stood cold and desolate, suspended empty across the pond.
There was no sign of Yin Xiao anywhere.
Only a resting sleeping quarters nearby might be hiding someone.
Before I could even verify it, a sharp, piercing shriek rang out from inside that sleeping chamber.
It sounded like the startled scream of a woman.
Without a second thought, I rushed over, hearing a woman’s cry for help from within: “Is anyone there?! Let me out!!”
At that precise moment, Yin Shu and his entourage also rushed over. I immediately called out for them to help ram the door down.
Two burly guards in Yin Shu’s retinue instantly stepped forward, grabbing tools to smash the door and rescue whoever was inside.
I let out a brief sigh of relief, glanced at Yin Shu and the people behind him, and suddenly noticed that all of their expressions were somewhat complicated.
I let out an “ah.”
I hurried to explain to him: “First Imperial Prince, hear me out first.”
I recounted the incident with the servant verbatim to Yin Shu. Upon learning that both they and we had been framed by someone, his brows relaxed slightly.
However, his expression remained rather grim.
Just like the group of people behind him, they wore troubled expressions, completely lost in thought.
I asked him what on earth was wrong.
Yin Shu fell silent for a few seconds, lowered his gaze, and whispered to me that actually, the person who came to report to us earlier said that Miss Su was…
Yin Shu shook his head, biting his lower lip.
Given his upbringing, it seemed difficult for him to utter the second half of the sentence.
Still, even without him saying it, I could guess the better half of it.
Once the door was smashed open, they rescued a shivering young girl from the pitch-black room.
The girl walked out completely unscathed, her clothes still properly fastened on her body.
Seeing this, I let out a long breath of relief.
This girl’s name was Su Chengjin.
She was the granddaughter of the reigning dynasty’s veteran general Su Sheng, the legitimate young miss of the Su family, and the adopted daughter of the Noble Consort De.
Su Chengjin and Yin Shu were adopted siblings, and the Su family firmly belonged to Yin Shu’s faction. Tonight, all members of the Su family currently in the palace had rushed over to rescue Miss Su.
If anything had happened to her, the fiercely martial Su family surely wouldn’t have let Yin Xiao off easily.
As for Yin Xiao himself…
I quickly bypassed Yin Shu’s men, walked up to the doorway, and looked inside.
An overturned bookcase stood in a chaotic mess like a wall, sealing away the shadowless figure of a young man trapped in the darkness.
After my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I could barely make out a solitary figure holding a sword standing behind that wall.
Straight as a pine tree.
Yin Shu’s men tried several times to rescue Yin Xiao, only to be driven back by his sword strikes.
He seemed entirely unable to hear anything anymore.
The longer I watched, the more anxious I became.
Whoever wanted to drive a wedge between the two brothers, Yin Xiao and Yin Shu, must have drugged Yin Xiao.
And it had to be that particularly cliché aphrodisiac frequently found in romance web novels.
But weren’t those drugs supposed to make someone lustful rather than driving them insane? Why was Yin Xiao gripping his sword for dear life and acting like he wanted to slaughter the entire world?!
“My second brother must have been drugged,” Yin Shu shook his head, looking quite worried. “I’ve already sent people to summon the imperial physician and bring some calming medicine over. As long as we can pin Second Brother down and make him drink it, he should be safe.”
He sighed. “It’s just that the number of imperial physicians is limited, and both His Majesty and Miss Su need attention as well.”
I froze. So the reason the aging Emperor hadn’t shown up wasn’t because of anything else, but rather due to failing health?
My career-driven brain instantly relaxed by more than half.
I told Yin Shu: “Just have the imperial physician hand the medicine to me. I’ll find a way to make him drink it, don’t worry.”