Chapter 18#

Kill That Emperor (18)#

That night.

Murong Xiu was delighted today, so he specially drank wine during the evening meal. The heated wine was especially warming to the body. He sat in the hot spring pool in his chamber, still holding his wine cup, unwilling to let it go. Shen Jue, seeing Murong Xiu’s face flushed red from drink, couldn’t help but advise, “Your Majesty, drinking too much harms the body. It would be best if Your Majesty stopped.”

Murong Xiu turned his head to look at him, his beautiful eyes misty, as if they had been clouded by the steam from the hot spring. The swirling mist even seemed to partially conceal the scars on his face.

“I am happy tonight.” Murong Xiu giggled softly. Seeing Shen Jue fully dressed and watching him with concern like a little old man, he suddenly had an idea. “Shen Jue, have you ever drunk wine before?”

Shen Jue’s gaze flickered. “This servant has drunk it before.”

“Is that so?” Murong Xiu’s voice was very low. Suddenly, he reached out his hand, grabbed Shen Jue’s arm, and pulled his head down. “Try this wine of mine.”

Murong Xiu forcibly pressed his own wine cup to Shen Jue’s lips.

Shen Jue’s expression changed slightly. Unwilling in his heart, he could only part his lips slightly and let the other force a cup of wine down his throat.

Murong Xiu had never fed anyone before. His movements were rough, and the wine was poured too quickly. Shen Jue choked. To avoid losing composure in front of the emperor, he had to raise his hand to cover his mouth, forcing two red clouds to drift across his fair cheeks.

“You clearly have never drunk before, so why lie?” Murong Xiu chuckled lightly at Shen Jue’s flustered appearance. He released Shen Jue, poured himself another cup, and continued drinking. The cup he used had just been touched by Shen Jue’s lips, yet he seemed not to mind at all.

Murong Xiu leaned against the edge of the pool. After finishing most of the kettle, a hand reached over from the side and gently pressed down on Murong Xiu’s hand that was about to pour more wine.

“Your Majesty, please, don’t drink anymore. You still have the morning court tomorrow.” Shen Jue’s voice was low and soft, but firm.

Murong Xiu lowered his eyes, glanced at that hand, shifted his gaze slightly, and then smiled. “Fine, I won’t drink anymore. Take the wine away.”

Shen Jue let out a relieved breath and quickly picked up the wine kettle, not forgetting to take Murong Xiu’s cup as well. But just as he was reaching for the cup, Murong Xiu grabbed his hand back, pulling him over.

Taken by surprise, Shen Jue fell directly into the water. As he struggled to lift his head from the water, Murong Xiu laughed without restraint, bending over as if he had never seen anything more amusing.

Shen Jue closed his eyes, wiped the water droplets from his face, and called Murong Xiu helplessly, “Your Majesty.”

“Hmm?” Murong Xiu looked at Shen Jue, drenched, and said with a smile.

Shen Jue thought Murong Xiu’s behavior tonight was strange, attributing it to drunkenness, so he decided to ignore him. He swam to the edge of the pool and was about to climb out when a hand suddenly grabbed his waist.

Only two people were in the hot spring pool, so the hand on his waist could only belong to Murong Xiu.

Shen Jue froze for a moment, then felt something press against him.

“Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Stay and soak with me a little longer.” Murong Xiu’s voice sounded behind Shen Jue.

The look in Shen Jue’s eyes suddenly became complicated. He had stiffened at the sudden closeness, but gradually relaxed, even letting himself lean against the other, as if completely dependent on him.

Murong Xiu blinked slowly, quietly watching the young man in his arms. The youth was thin and not as tall as him, and when he rested quietly in his arms, he was almost unbearably well-behaved. Whether it was the wine’s intoxicating effect or something else, Murong Xiu’s eyes darkened. His hand on the other’s waist tightened subtly. Just as he was about to lower his head, a harsh shout rang out from not far away.

“What are you doing?!”

Before Murong Xiu could move, the person in his arms moved first. Shen Jue seemed startled, quickly breaking free from Murong Xiu’s embrace. He looked fearfully in the direction of the voice. Once he saw the face of the newcomer, his eyes widened.

The sudden emptiness in his arms made Murong Xiu frown, and his gaze at the other person grew even colder.

“Prince Regent, I am bathing. May I ask what business you have barging in like this?” he said coldly. “Could it be that with Minister You imprisoned, you find it hard to sleep alone?”

Seeing Murong Xiu and Shen Jue embracing in the pool, the Prince Regent was nearly bursting with fury. Now, hearing Murong Xiu’s sarcasm, his gaze at Shen Jue was practically dripping with murderous intent. Murong Xiu caught his look and deliberately blocked Shen Jue from view.

Such protectiveness was both bitter and glaring to the Prince Regent.

But he knew he couldn’t be tough with Murong Xiu anymore—Murong Xiu was so headstrong. So the Prince Regent forced himself to suppress his anger. “I came to see Your Majesty about an urgent border dispatch. Does Your Majesty have time now?”

Murong Xiu frowned slightly at the words. Before he could act, Shen Jue behind him moved first.

Shen Jue lightly touched Murong Xiu’s arm. “Your Majesty, state affairs are important.”

Murong Xiu turned his face slightly, and after seeing Shen Jue’s expression, he nodded. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.” He paused. “Your health is poor, so soak a little longer. I will go out first.”

Then he said to the Prince Regent ahead, “Prince Regent, I need to change clothes. Please wait outside.”

This stark difference in treatment naturally wounded the Prince Regent again. When he walked out, his face was dark, and his hands in his sleeves were clenched. When Liang Rong approached him, he kicked him directly.

Liang Rong let out an “Ah!” and fell to the ground, quickly begging for mercy. “Spare me, Your Highness! Spare me!”

The Prince Regent had held back his strength in that kick—he still needed Liang Rong to keep an eye on Murong Xiu. But the surveillance results were very unsatisfactory. How could that Shen Jue deserve Murong Xiu’s favor? Hadn’t he treated Murong Xiu well enough? Yet Murong Xiu wouldn’t even speak properly to him.

Murong Xiu only showed kindness to that dirty hedgehog.

Why?

The Prince Regent’s handsome face twisted. His eyes turned cold, and he fixed a fierce stare on Liang Rong. “Come here. I have orders for you.”

…

After Murong Xiu left, Shen Jue climbed out of the hot spring pool. There was no change of clothes in this hall, so he had to walk out in his soaking wet garments. As soon as he stepped outside, the cold wind hit him like a knife, making him involuntarily shiver. He had no proper quarters now; his daily clothes were kept in a small side chamber next to Murong Xiu’s bedchamber, a fair walk away.

Just as Shen Jue was trudging forward, shivering, someone ran up from behind.

A robe, still warm from body heat, settled on his shoulder.

“Shen Jue, why are your clothes wet?” came a familiar voice from behind.

Shen Jue stopped and turned to look at the speaker. “Feng Qingbao, what are you doing here?”

Since Liang Rong’s arrival, Feng Qingbao, who had been close to Shen Jue, had been pushed aside. Liang Rong even used his power to transfer Feng Qingbao away from serving before the emperor. So Shen Jue hadn’t seen him for some days, and tonight was unexpected.

Feng Qingbao seemed to have lost a little weight, his chin sharper. He had taken off his outer robe and given it to Shen Jue. Even though he was also cold, he gave a silly smile. “I’m off duty today, so I wanted to come see you. Then I saw you walking around in wet clothes.”

Shen Jue glanced at the robe on his shoulder and tried to return it to Feng Qingbao, but the latter shook his head first. “Don’t give it back. My robe is wet now anyway, and putting it back on would only make me colder. Hurry and take me to your place, and lend me one of your outer robes. We’re about the same build, after all.”

Considering this, Shen Jue agreed to the idea, so he stopped being polite with Feng Qingbao. He pulled the robe tighter around himself and walked on, side by side with Feng Qingbao. However, he didn’t have much to say to him.

But Feng Qingbao clearly thought differently. He walked beside Shen Jue, chattering endlessly, asking about his recent situation and where he was staying now. It wasn’t until they reached the small side chamber that he finally asked the question he most wanted to ask.

“Shen Jue, how did your clothes get wet? Did Director Liang cause you trouble? Or was it His Majesty?” Feng Qingbao asked carefully. “If life is hard for you here, you could transfer out, like me. It’s not so bad not serving before the throne.”

Shen Jue pushed open the door. “I accidentally fell into the pool and soaked my clothes.” Seeing Feng Qingbao come in with him, he initially wanted to ask him to leave. But looking at Feng Qingbao’s blue-lipped, chilled face, he hesitated. He pursed his lips for a moment before saying, “Close the door first. Let’s change clothes.”

“Ah, okay.” Feng Qingbao quickly turned and closed the door. As he turned back, an outer robe flew straight at his face. He fumbled to pull the robe off his head and saw that Shen Jue had already stripped down to his undergarments.

With his back to Feng Qingbao, Shen Jue quickly shed his wet clothes in the cold. Since he had let Feng Qingbao into the room, he no longer cared about his gaze. He just wanted to change quickly to avoid catching a chill.

Feng Qingbao stared at the young man in front of him, blinking blankly. Only when he saw that the other was nearly dressed did he snap back to his senses and hurriedly put on the outer robe.

Shen Jue finished dressing and turned to face Feng Qingbao. “Ready?”

Feng Qingbao was just tying his belt. Distracted by the question, his movements became even more flustered. Seeing his clumsy struggle, Shen Jue frowned disdainfully and stepped forward. “How can you be so slow?” He snatched the belt from Feng Qingbao’s hands and tied it for him.

He still had to go back to wait on Murong Xiu—he didn’t feel comfortable leaving the Prince Regent alone with Murong Xiu. If anything went wrong, all his previous efforts would be wasted.

Shen Jue’s fingers were very nimble, and he finished in no time. After tying it, he saw Feng Qingbao still blocking the doorway and sighed helplessly. “Don’t just stand at the door. Do you want to get out or not?”

Feng Qingbao was one of the few people in the past lives who had treated him decently, so even though Shen Jue found him clumsy, he was mostly just resigned.

“Ah.” Feng Qingbao belatedly realized he was blocking the door. His face turned red, and he quickly stepped aside.

Shen Jue opened the door. Just as he was about to step out, he paused and looked at Feng Qingbao, whose expression was uneasy. Frowning slightly, he asked, “Are you sure you didn’t come to me for something else tonight?”

“I… no, I didn’t,” Feng Qingbao forced a smile.

Shen Jue stared at him, then suddenly grabbed his hand.

Feng Qingbao’s heart leaped as Shen Jue rolled up his sleeve.