Chapter 3#

Kill That Emperor (3)#

The moment those hands wrapped around him, Murong Xiu wanted to kick the person away—he didn’t like others touching him.

But when he caught sight of the empty medicine bowl on the table, he forcibly suppressed that urge.

Shen Jue had just recovered from a serious illness and was still taking medicine; he probably couldn’t withstand a kick from him.

“Your Majesty, this servant doesn’t want to leave the palace,” Shen Jue said in a low voice, his tone seemingly trembling slightly.

Murong Xiu frowned and said impatiently, “Then why haven’t you been attending to me these past few days? Feng Qingbao said your injuries have healed.”

Shen Jue hesitated for a moment before replying, “This servant is afraid of death.”

Murong Xiu was taken aback. “You…”

Before he could finish, he realized that all the eunuchs in the palace lived for their masters—this was the first person who had told him he was afraid of death.

Murong Xiu couldn’t describe what he felt at that moment; it was complicated, to say the least.

Shen Jue had been utterly loyal to him, but after just one beating, he was afraid, no longer loyal. He didn’t even dare to serve in his presence anymore. What kind of servant was that? What use was such a servant?

Murong Xiu suddenly wanted to order someone to drag Shen Jue out, but just as he was about to speak, he closed his eyes.

Shen Jue’s loyalty had been crushed by the Regent, and his current predicament was also because of the Regent. He was supposed to be the emperor, yet he had to live under someone else’s thumb, even enduring the covetous glances of the same sex—all of it disgusted him.

“Get up. I won’t blame you for this. From now on, I will protect you.”

Murong Xiu changed his words, a hint of defiance in his tone.

The Regent could easily shatter a person’s loyalty, but he could also rebuild it.

Shen Jue released Murong Xiu’s leg, a mocking smile flickering across his lowered face.

He had gambled correctly.

Murong Xiu was the kind of person who didn’t care about who liked him, nor did he ever stop for someone’s affection. But he was uncomfortable with being disliked.

He was used to everyone’s eyes being on him, used to the former Shen Jue’s unwavering loyalty. Now that Shen Jue was no longer loyal, it made him unhappy, uncomfortable—he wanted to draw that gaze back to himself.

Feng Qingbao had thought Shen Jue would surely be punished this time, but to his surprise, Shen Jue acted as if nothing had happened and returned to serve in the imperial presence. Moreover, Murong Xiu’s attitude toward him seemed even better than before. Previously, he would assign eunuchs to night duty on a rotating basis, but now he specifically designated Shen Jue.

All the eunuchs were actually willing to take night duty for Murong Xiu because the rooms where they slept were damp and cold. In early spring, the walls were wet, let alone the bedding on the beds—they could hardly sleep night after night.

But if they were on night duty, they could sleep on the footstool under Murong Xiu’s bed, with bedding that had been perfumed with incense. Moreover, Murong Xiu rarely got up at night, slept very still, and would even share his midnight snacks with the eunuchs.

Although it was ostensibly a rotation for night duty, in private, it became Shen Jue’s exclusive assignment. The other eunuchs began to grumble, and as the complaints spread, they eventually reached the ears of Qin Yuan, the one who had ordered Shen Jue beaten that day.

He was the chief eunuch in charge of punishments in the palace, a man loyal to the Regent. All the servants in the palace feared him.

“Is that so?” Qin Yuan let out a sinister laugh. “I thought that beating would teach him some sense, but instead, he’s become even more of a sly fox, clinging to His Majesty.”

Qin Yuan pondered for a moment, then reported the matter to the Regent.

When the Regent learned of this, he wasn’t angry; on the contrary, he laughed.

He saw it as Murong Xiu’s silent protest, like a cat extending its claws.

He had ordered Shen Jue punished, and Murong Xiu had responded by favoring Shen Jue even more. Wasn’t that deliberately provoking him?

“Quite interesting,” the Regent said with a smile.

Qin Yuan studied the Regent’s expression and asked cautiously, “Your Highness’s intention?”

The Regent’s gaze shifted slightly, landing on the stone bricks at the palace entrance, bathed in sunlight, warm and comfortable. “He’s nothing but a servant. Handle it yourself.”

Qin Yuan smiled and quickly bowed his head. “This servant will see to it properly.”

…

“Shen Jue.”

Murong Xiu sat on the edge of the bed and couldn’t help calling out to Shen Jue, who was kneeling beside him.

Shen Jue was in the middle of removing Murong Xiu’s boots. Hearing his name, he looked up at Murong Xiu. Though his face was ordinary, his eyes were clear, black and white distinct, like a puppy’s eyes. Because Shen Jue was still young, his face had a bit of flesh, making him not ugly—just far from handsome.

Murong Xiu’s gaze rested on Shen Jue’s face. “You’ve been on night duty every day recently. Is it too hard?”

In truth, he thought Shen Jue’s quarters were too shabby, so he deliberately assigned him night duty. But since night duty was still a shift, he asked, worried that Shen Jue might find it too exhausting.

Shen Jue pursed his lips and smiled, revealing two small dimples on his cheeks. “This servant isn’t tired.”

After speaking, he lowered his head and continued removing Murong Xiu’s boots. Once done, he neatly arranged them at the foot of the bed, then stood up to unhook the golden clasps of the bright yellow bed curtains.

Before Murong Xiu fell asleep, Shen Jue couldn’t sleep. He could only sit on the floor at the foot of the bed, waiting until the man was asleep before he could crawl onto the footstool to rest. After extinguishing the candles, Shen Jue sat quietly on the floor at the foot of the bed. But he hadn’t been sitting long when Murong Xiu turned over in the bed and suddenly spoke.

“Shen Jue, do you think life was happier before, or is it happier now?”

Shen Jue wasn’t surprised by Murong Xiu’s sudden question. That morning at court, the Regent had shown Murong Xiu no face at all in front of all the civil and military officials. Murong Xiu’s beautiful face had turned livid, his hands gripping the armrests of the dragon throne so tightly it seemed he might tear off the dragon’s head.

Murong Xiu had been on the throne for over half a year now. Not only was his harem empty, but there wasn’t even a pretty young palace maid. Although the Regent liked Murong Xiu, he also guarded against him and refused to let Murong Xiu have descendants. Murong Xiu’s inner bitterness had no one to confide in, and finally, unable to hold it in any longer, he could only tell Shen Jue.

Shen Jue thought for a moment before saying, “This servant doesn’t know.”

Murong Xiu frowned slightly, thinking he must be crazy to say such things to a eunuch. He was about to order Shen Jue out when he heard his next words.

“This servant only feels that yesterday is gone. What matters is what we do now to make the future happier.”

Murong Xiu’s brow furrowed even tighter. His eyes flickered for a moment, then he sat up straight and pulled aside the bed curtain. Shen Jue was still sitting in the corner at the foot of the bed, his legs curled up, making his already thin frame look even smaller in that posture. Murong Xiu suddenly felt that Shen Jue resembled a dog he had seen in the palace as a child—a dog with black fur that always hid in corners because if the palace staff found it, they would beat it to death.

That dog was always hiding and rarely barked. Murong Xiu had encountered it a few times when he sneaked out to play. Seeing the dog in the corner, he was too scared to cry out, and the dog didn’t bark either. After a while, the dog would retreat deeper into the corner.

Such a dog wasn’t likable, and naturally, such a person wasn’t likable either.

Shen Jue had spoken lightly, but what could he possibly use to contend with the Regent?

Murong Xiu withdrew his gaze from Shen Jue and said coldly, “What do you know? Get out.”

Shen Jue acknowledged and withdrew without a word.

Murong Xiu lay back down. He usually fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, but for some reason, when he closed his eyes, Shen Jue’s words echoed in his mind—

“What matters is what we do now to make the future happier…”

Those words revolved in his thoughts, a small pebble that somehow stirred up waves.

Because he hadn’t rested well that night, Murong Xiu’s complexion was poor the next day. His attitude toward Shen Jue became even colder. But when he returned from court and found Shen Jue not attending to him, the pent-up anger suddenly erupted.

“Where is Shen Jue?”

Murong Xiu asked irritably.