Chapter 10#
Kill That Emperor (10)#
The Regent naturally placed great importance on Murong Xiu’s coming-of-age birthday.
The Ministry of Rites had started preparations three months prior.
On the day of his birthday, Murong Xiu sat solemnly on the high seat, accepting the congratulations of the civil and military officials, a reserved smile gracing his beautiful face. As the birthday celebrant, he inevitably had to share in the revelry with the officials, so he drank a few cups of wine. After several cups, Murong Xiu began to feel tipsy, and at that moment, a bowl of soup appeared before him.
Murong Xiu was startled for a moment, then saw Shen Jue.
Shen Jue set down the soup and stood to the side with downcast eyes.
“Your Majesty, alcohol harms the body, so it’s best to drink less. This is a hangover soup; please drink a little,” Shen Jue said softly. “It has been tested for poison.”
Murong Xiu initially wanted to refuse, but he suddenly caught sight of Shen Jue’s hand holding the tray—a hand bearing unhealed whip marks.
He had privately asked Imperial Physician Xu, and learned that Shen Jue had gone to him for ointment in the past few days.
In this palace, who would dare to punish people arbitrarily, even overstepping the emperor himself?
Only the Regent.
Murong Xiu lowered his eyes, his long lashes concealing the complex emotions within them.
He both hated and feared the Regent, and he didn’t even understand why the Regent had taken a liking to him.
He couldn’t help but raise his hand to rub his brow. Just as he was about to take the hangover soup, a hand reached out from the side and took it away first.
“Eunuch Shen can’t just feed His Majesty anything.”
The speaker was Liang Rong, a eunuch newly assigned to Murong Xiu’s side by the Regent.
The Regent had appointed Liang Rong as the head eunuch, putting him in charge of all the eunuchs in Murong Xiu’s palace. Shen Jue had been bedridden for some time recently, so he hadn’t had much interaction with this Head Eunuch Liang.
Liang Rong directly handed the hangover soup to a young eunuch behind him. “Go, pour it out,” he ordered, then looked at Shen Jue with a faint smile.
Murong Xiu was somewhat angered. “Liang Rong!”
Liang Rong let out an “Ah!” and hastily knelt on the ground, feigning fear. “I beg Your Majesty to forgive this servant’s rashness. But the Regent instructed that all of Your Majesty’s food and drink must pass through this servant’s hands, to prevent any treacherous villains from harboring ill intentions.”
Murong Xiu choked on his words in anger.
Even a eunuch dared to use the Regent to oppress him.
Shen Jue knew this hangover soup would never reach Murong Xiu’s stomach, but he wasn’t disheartened. Instead, he pleaded for Liang Rong. “Head Eunuch Liang is only eager to protect his master. It is this servant who is ignorant of the rules.”
Upon hearing Shen Jue’s phrase “eager to protect his master,” Murong Xiu’s expression worsened. The hand gripping his wine cup involuntarily tightened, and with the added force, the cup shattered. Shen Jue cried out in surprise and quickly moved forward to clean the fragments from Murong Xiu’s hand, but Liang Rong pushed him aside.
Seeing this, Murong Xiu frowned and glared at Liang Rong. “Withdraw.”
Liang Rong was unwilling but had no choice but to retreat reluctantly.
Murong Xiu shook his hand, casually wiped the shards from his palm with a silk handkerchief, then stood up and announced loudly, “My esteemed ministers, I fear I cannot hold my liquor well. I will not continue drinking with you. Please enjoy yourselves.”
With that, he left, caring little for how the officials reacted. However, before he went, he deliberately called out for Shen Jue.
Shen Jue understood and quickly scrambled to his feet to follow.
At that time, the Regent was surrounded by a group of officials. Seeing Murong Xiu leave, he glanced over, and when he noticed Shen Jue following behind the emperor, he raised an eyebrow. That little hedgehog was truly interesting. In front of Murong Xiu, he was as loyal a dog as could be, but before him, Shen Jue straightened his back.
He recalled the last time he had whipped Shen Jue. The man hadn’t even let out a single groan.
Tsk tsk tsk. Truly intriguing.
…
After a group of officials had finished toasting and flattering, the Regent was already feeling the effects of the alcohol. He had prepared fireworks for Murong Xiu today, but the birthday boy had left early. Dao Zhan supported the Regent and said softly, “Your Highness, shall we return to the mansion now?”
The Regent half-closed his eyes and shook his head. “No, I want to go see that peacock.”
The fireworks hadn’t been set off yet.
He touched his forehead with his hand, pushed Dao Zhan aside, and strode toward Murong Xiu’s bedchamber. When he reached the entrance, the Regent ordered all his men to wait outside.
Yang Xu felt uneasy and wanted to follow, but Dao Zhan gently pulled him back and lowered his voice. “Are you stupid? His Highness is dead drunk and still going to the emperor’s place. What do you think he’s going for?”
Yang Xu paused, then lowered his head.
They all knew about the Regent’s feelings for Murong Xiu.
Yang Xu, for his part, couldn’t understand his master. If he liked someone, why not just take possession? Why dance around with that puppet emperor and play these roundabout games? Dao Zhan knew his thoughts and laughed. “What kind of man is His Highness? He’s no mountain brute. Besides, in matters of love, mutual affection is what makes it interesting.”
Yang Xu frowned. “And if mutual affection isn’t possible?”
Dao Zhan revealed a mysterious smile. “Is there anyone in this world who can escape His Highness’s methods?”
…
Murong Xiu had gotten the smell of alcohol all over him at the banquet, so after returning to his bedchamber, he bathed first. Now he sat on a beauty couch in the inner hall, reviewing the day’s memorials. After he finished reviewing them, the memorials would still have to be sent to the Regent. Although his comments carried little weight, Murong Xiu always wanted to do what an emperor was supposed to do.
Shen Jue stood behind Murong Xiu, carefully drying his wet hair.
When the hair was mostly dry, Shen Jue put away the cloth he had been using. Noticing that the tea on the table had gone cold, he prepared to go out and fetch fresh tea. But just as he reached the palace gate, he ran straight into the Regent.
The Regent reeked of alcohol, his fair skin flushed red. When he saw Shen Jue, he curled the left corner of his mouth, revealing a very sinister smile. “Little hedgehog, is your emperor inside?”
Shen Jue immediately closed the palace gate behind him and looked at the Regent warily. “His Majesty has already retired for the night. If the Regent has business, why not discuss it at tomorrow morning’s court session?”
The Regent laughed heartily. He was drunk, and thus in a better mood than usual, with much more patience. He stepped forward and pinched Shen Jue’s cheek with one hand. “Little hedgehog, I’m in a good mood today, so I won’t argue with you. Get out of the way.”
Having said that, he pushed Shen Jue aside and entered the hall directly.
Their tussle outside had already alerted Murong Xiu inside. When he saw the drunk Regent enter the inner hall, his expression stiffened noticeably, and his voice turned cold. “I wonder what brings the Regent here so late at night?”
It was a hot summer night, and though ice had been placed in Murong Xiu’s hall, he was lightly dressed in only his inner robe. Having drunk some wine himself, his cheeks bore a faint blush. His hair was unbound, and his naturally beautiful features gave him an androgynous appearance.
Originally, the Regent had come to invite Murong Xiu to watch the fireworks, but seeing him in such an alluring state, his thoughts began to wander.
He smiled lightly. “The night is long, and I fear Your Majesty might find it hard to sleep alone tonight.”
This was outright flirtation. Murong Xiu’s expression turned even darker. “Get out.”
The Regent shook his head. “How could I possibly leave, given this moment and this scene? Besides, I still have a gift to present to Your Majesty.” With these words, he stepped forward.
…
When Shen Jue heard the commotion inside growing louder, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
The Regent had left all his men outside at the main gate tonight, and without his orders, they dared not enter. As for Liang Rong and the others, they had been dismissed from service tonight after Murong Xiu spurned them, so they weren’t attending in the bedchamber either.
Now, the vast bedchamber held only the three of them.
“Ni Xinyan! Get off me! Get off!”
Hearing Murong Xiu’s shocked and furious shouts from inside, Shen Jue immediately changed his expression and burst into the hall.
By the time he rushed into the inner hall, the Regent was already pressing down on Murong Xiu. Murong Xiu’s pants had been pulled down to his ankles, and his long, bare legs were exposed, creating an indecent scene.
Murong Xiu had intended to smash a vase over the Regent’s head, but before the Regent had come, Shen Jue had, under the pretext of changing the water, taken the vase away earlier that evening. Murong Xiu paid little attention to the decorations in his palace, so he hadn’t noticed the vase missing from his desk.
Tears had started to well up in Murong Xiu’s eyes. The Regent, still smiling, was too lost in lust to notice someone had entered.
When he finally did notice, the brass candlestick in Shen Jue’s hand had already struck his head.
The Regent’s body stiffened, and before he could turn around, his head took a second blow, then a third… until he collapsed limply onto Murong Xiu.
Murong Xiu’s lashes trembled. First, he looked at the Regent lying on top of him, then at Shen Jue, whose face was spattered with blood.
Shen Jue’s face was pale, his hand still raised, holding the bloodstained candlestick.
Shen Jue wasn’t good-looking to begin with, and smeared with blood, he looked like a demon.
Murong Xiu shuddered slightly, then forcefully shoved the Regent aside. He climbed up from the couch and grabbed Shen Jue’s hand, speaking deliberately, “Shen Jue, well done.”
Even if the person before him was a demon, he was a demon who could save Murong Xiu from hell.
Murong Xiu thought to himself.
At that moment, he still didn’t know that this demon’s only aim was to claim his life.