Chapter 32#

Off that Emperor (32)#

Nie Xinyan shot a glance at Shen Jue, then turned his gaze to Murong Xiu. His eyes were too calm, as if he hadn’t been injured at all. “Sixth Prince, if you have any issues, take them up with me. Don’t drag others into this.”

But speaking was clearly a struggle for him; every word came out with immense effort.

Murong Xiu, upon hearing this, deepened the smile at the corners of his lips. He raised his hand and lightly clapped twice, almost as if applauding Nie Xinyan’s statement, but his words dripped with sarcasm. “You still don’t understand, do you? How pitiful. You’re exactly like your foolish father.”

When Nie Xinyan heard Murong Xiu mention the Prince of Yong, his expression shifted sharply. His gaze at Murong Xiu turned into an invisible blade. “What did you do to my father?”

“Nothing much. I just sent him to the Yong Kingdom. I think the people of Yong will treat that hero well, won’t they? After all, he killed so many of them.” Murong Xiu said leisurely.

“You!” Nie Xinyan nearly struggled to rise from the bed, but weakened as he was by the soft-bone powder, he could only glare bitterly at Murong Xiu. “You villain! How dare you! What did my father ever do to wrong your Murong clan? Why are you doing this? If not for my father, would you all be sitting comfortably in the imperial city?”

His three consecutive rhetorical questions were filled with accusation, as if he wanted to lay bare all his father’s sacrifices over the years.

It was his father who had protected the Murong Kingdom, letting the Murong imperial family sit securely on their lofty thrones. His father had never made a single mistake—why were they doing this?

Murong Xiu gently shook his head. “Killing the donkey once it’s done with the mill—that’s always been the way of things, past and present. If we hadn’t dealt with you early on, wouldn’t you be the one telling me, ‘The winner is king, the loser is a bandit,’ when the time came?”

In his past life, he had stood in the great hall, watching a man in armor not far away.

That man, full of arrogance, had held his father’s severed head and tossed it to his subordinates like a toy. Then, right before his eyes, the man had personally killed his imperial brothers—his elder brothers and younger ones alike.

Murong Xiu had watched the Murong clan grovel before that man like dogs, only to end up with their heads separated from their bodies.

Back then, he had asked the man why he did it.

The man had replied: “The winner is king, the loser is a bandit. The Murong family has sat on this throne too long. I don’t like it.”

Murong Xiu didn’t think he was wrong. People were all selfish; he had merely struck first. Looked at from another angle, wasn’t it already a mercy that he had let the Prince of Yong and the others live?

…

“Murong Xiu!” The veins on Nie Xinyan’s neck bulged. “I will kill you!”

He roared it out, like a lone wolf driven to the edge of despair.

Murong Xiu smiled contemptuously, as if losing interest in Nie Xinyan. He turned and walked over to Shen Jue.

His eyes were stunningly beautiful, especially when he looked down slightly, with his long lashes half-lowered and a faint hint of blue in his pupils.

“Are you going to let me drag you away, or will you come with me on your own?” Murong Xiu asked Shen Jue in a gentle tone.

Shen Jue lightly bit his lip and said quietly, “I’ll go with you.”

As Shen Jue left with Murong Xiu, Nie Xinyan’s eyes remained fixed on him, staring intently until he disappeared from sight.

His gaze shifted from indignation to sorrow. The hand at his side clenched weakly into the air, as if trying to grasp something—but he could hold nothing.

…

Murong Xiu led Shen Jue onto a carriage. Outside, there was a man dressed like a general, who broke into a fawning smile the moment he saw Murong Xiu.

“Your Highness, won’t you stay a few more days?”

“I can’t. There’s much waiting for me in the capital. I really can’t linger any longer.” Murong Xiu lifted the carriage curtain and gave the man a restrained smile. “If you ever feel like visiting the capital for some sightseeing, I’ll be happy to accompany you then.”

The Yong general first showed a look of astonishment at Murong Xiu’s smile, then, hearing his words, a flash of regret crossed his face. “If I get the chance, I will definitely come. Safe travels, Your Highness.”

“Don’t worry, General. Once I return to the capital, I’ll immediately bring up the matter of marriage alliances and border trade with my father the Emperor.” When speaking to the Yong general, Murong Xiu was gentle and refined. If Shen Jue hadn’t just seen how he acted in that room, he might have thought the Murong Xiu of this life was no different from the one in the past.

No, there was a difference.

In his past life, Murong Xiu had never deigned to use his appearance to his advantage. But now, that seemed no longer true.

With just a few smiles, he had charmed the Yong general into a daze, as if the two kingdoms had been allies for years.

The Yong general personally escorted the carriage out of the city. The moment Murong Xiu dropped the curtain, his face turned cold. He washed his hands and face with water from the carriage, then closed his eyes and leaned against the carriage wall to rest.

Murong Xiu was guarded by only a few dozen men, but they were clearly all highly skilled in martial arts and well-disciplined; the sound of their horses’ hooves was perfectly synchronized.

In these six years, Murong Xiu had grown far too quickly.

Shen Jue didn’t mind being captured by Murong Xiu. After all, his target had always been Murong Xiu. His earlier association with Nie Xinyan had merely been to stoke Murong Xiu’s hatred for him. Now that the two were completely at odds, there was no need for him to stay by Nie Xinyan’s side.

Just as Shen Jue was thinking about what to do next, Murong Xiu, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

“What are you thinking about?” His voice was icy.

Shen Jue lowered his eyes slightly. “This servant wasn’t thinking of anything.”

Murong Xiu’s eyes were still closed. He curled the corner of his mouth in mockery. “Still calling yourself a servant? I don’t recall having a servant so bold as to run off with someone else without my orders.”

“It was the Emperor’s command. Your servant dared not—” Before Shen Jue could finish, Murong Xiu’s eyes snapped open. He leaned over and grabbed Shen Jue by the throat, forcing him to tilt his head back.

Murong Xiu looked at Shen Jue with a haughty gaze. “Shut up! You’d better worry about your own life first. Don’t say things that annoy me.”

Shen Jue looked up at Murong Xiu. “Then what would Your Highness like to hear?”

Murong Xiu’s eyes flickered. He leaned closer to Shen Jue’s face. “I like the sound of soft moans. Can you do that?”

Shen Jue froze. In his understanding, Murong Xiu should have wanted him dead. After all, Murong Xiu had just destroyed Nie Xinyan and abandoned him in Yong. Shen Jue didn’t need to think hard to imagine how miserable Nie Xinyan’s life would be from now on.

But judging by Murong Xiu’s reaction, was he bringing him back just to torment him?

“Can’t you?” Murong Xiu tilted his head slightly, an innocent look on his face. “Didn’t you sleep with Nie Xinyan? Or did he turn you down because of your broken body?”

Shen Jue frowned slightly. This time, he felt Murong Xiu had truly gone too far. Even though it was all within a mirror, Murong Xiu had indeed caused the deaths of many people. Even if those people weren’t real, just like the Murong Xiu before him, Shen Jue was still somewhat angry.

Perhaps, deep down, he still carried the blood of an immortal, unable to bear the sight of living beings in misery.

So, Shen Jue stopped bothering to hide his displeasure. If worst came to worst, he thought, he could just start over.

“I was perfectly chaste with the Prince’s Heir. I hope Your Highness will refrain from baseless speculation.” Shen Jue said coldly.

Seeing Shen Jue’s cold gaze, Murong Xiu’s pupils contracted slightly. Then, a blazing heat erupted in his eyes. He stared at Shen Jue almost mesmerized, and after a moment, he burst into loud laughter. “Yes, that’s the expression.”

In his past life, Shen Jue had worn the same look when he killed him—as if he were nothing but a pitiful ant.

But he was the emperor! He had given Shen Jue favor, status, and even saved his life. Why had Shen Jue looked at him like that?

Murong Xiu’s loud laughter faded into a low chuckle. He lowered his head, and his cold lips suddenly brushed against Shen Jue’s.

“You have no idea how I’ve spent these years. But it doesn’t matter. The things I’ve wanted to do all these years—I’ll make them happen one by one soon enough.”

He murmured Shen Jue’s name between his lips, like a lover calling out to their beloved.

At that moment, Shen Jue felt a strong urge to kill Murong Xiu. But he held back.

In his eyes, Murong Xiu now resembled a male peacock in mating season, frantically displaying himself to woo someone. But if that courtship were interrupted, that peacock might go completely mad and do something no one could predict.

After all, he didn’t want to experience being yanked back into the mirror again.

…

Murong Xiu ordered his men to travel day and night, rushing back to the capital as fast as possible. Along the way, he either rested with his eyes closed or stared intently at Shen Jue, as if afraid that if he didn’t keep a close watch, Shen Jue would vanish from under his nose.

Shen Jue, for his part, remained quiet. He had always been a man of few words. When he was with Nie Xinyan, it was Nie Xinyan who did most of the talking. And Murong Xiu was clearly not a talkative person, so the two often sat in silence inside the carriage.

The atmosphere inside was strange and still.

And so, they traveled all the way to the capital.

Murong Xiu pulled Shen Jue out of the carriage and dragged him along as they walked. Palace attendants stood at the gates. When they saw Murong Xiu, they bowed in greeting. “Sixth Prince.”

Murong Xiu waved a hand and led Shen Jue onto a sedan chair.

Technically, Shen Jue wasn’t allowed to share a sedan chair with a prince, but no one dared to object.

When the sedan came to a stop, Shen Jue realized they were outside the gates of Qizhang Hall.

Murong Xiu got off first, then turned to look at Shen Jue. Shen Jue, biting his lip lightly, followed him off.

Murong Xiu withdrew his gaze and walked ahead, with Shen Jue trailing behind him.

Attendants stood at the gates of Qizhang Hall as well. Shen Jue noticed that none of the faces were familiar—not even Feng Qingbao was among them.

“Are you looking for someone?”

Murong Xiu suddenly leaned in close to Shen Jue and whispered.

Shen Jue took a small step back. “No, Your Highness.”

Murong Xiu looked at him, then abruptly grabbed Shen Jue’s hand. He held it gently in his own, rubbing it softly, and after a moment, brought it to his lips for a light kiss.

He performed these actions without any concern for being seen, as if he wanted everyone to witness them.

“Oh, by the way, I’ve prepared a room for you. I’m sure you’ll love it.” A sweet smile spread across Murong Xiu’s beautiful face, like a lover offering a gift.

But when Shen Jue saw the specially prepared room, his expression changed.

Murong Xiu pressed himself against Shen Jue from behind, resting his chin on Shen Jue’s shoulder. “Do you like this room?” He reached out and casually flicked the shackles on a nearby chair.

The iron chains of the shackles let out a crisp clatter.

Even for someone like Shen Jue, seeing the room full of shackles, whips, and brightly colored, gauzy clothes, his face gradually darkened.

What exactly did this Murong Xiu want to do?