Chapter 6#
Slay That Emperor (6)#
Shen Jue listened to Feng Qingbao’s words, giving him a look that was half smile, half something else.
Feng Qingbao felt an inexplicable chill. For some reason, he always felt that Shen Jue’s gaze was strange, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was off.
He sat in Shen Jue’s room, feeling quite uneasy.
Shen Jue, however, paid no attention to Feng Qingbao’s nervous thoughts. He poured himself a cup of water—there was no tea here, only plain boiled water. Shen Jue took a sip of the cool water and then frowned slightly. Because Qin Yuan had beaten him, he had accidentally bitten the tip of his tongue, and it was still injured. Even drinking cool water hurt a little.
He slowly finished the cup of water and, seeing that Feng Qingbao still hadn’t left, cast a sidelong glance at him. “Why are you still here?”
Feng Qingbao let out an “Oh,” and stood up. “I’m going now.”
He took a couple of steps, then turned back. “Be careful these next few days. Don’t let yourself be tricked again. If I need to find you, I’ll come to you in person.”
He knew that this morning someone had used his name to trick Shen Jue into leaving.
This Shen Jue was really too easy to fool.
How was someone like him supposed to survive in the palace?
Feng Qingbao walked out, worrying about Shen Jue the whole way.
He thought about it the entire path and came to one conclusion—
“Shen Jue is still too green.”
Finally, he nodded to himself.
…
Shen Jue spent a day nursing his injuries before returning to serve in the imperial presence. As soon as he came back, Murong Xiu cast him several complicated glances before bestowing many rewards upon him. Although the gifts were not rare treasures, they weren’t the kind of things a mere servant like Shen Jue would normally use. Murong Xiu even gave Shen Jue most of the “Fog Dew Tea” that he himself regularly drank.
Fog Dew Tea was produced in a quantity of only a few ounces per year. After Murong Xiu gave most of it to Shen Jue, the tea in his own palace was replaced with a different variety.
The Regent tasted the tea and immediately noticed the change. He set down his cup. “Changed the tea?”
Murong Xiu habitually maintained a stony expression in front of the Regent, and this time was no exception. “Mm.”
“The last time I was here, I had some sent over. How is it already finished?” The Regent raised an eyebrow. “Your Majesty wouldn’t have given that tea away as a reward, would you?”
Murong Xiu’s expression didn’t waver. “It’s only tea. What harm is there in rewarding someone with it?”
At that moment, only the two of them were in the hall. As soon as the Regent arrived, he had ordered Murong Xiu to dismiss the attendants and even close the palace doors.
Shen Jue was the last one to withdraw. As he left, he looked back at Murong Xiu.
His eyes were full of worry.
Murong Xiu didn’t want to show any weakness in front of Shen Jue, so he pretended not to see it and turned his head away.
The Regent gave a soft laugh. He stood up and strolled lightly over to Murong Xiu. His phoenix eyes lifted slightly, fixing his gaze on Murong Xiu like a hunter seeking prey. Murong Xiu was wearing the bright yellow dragon robe; his figure was slender, his features elegant and beautiful—striking enough to make it hard to look away.
Originally, the Regent had not planned to support Murong Xiu’s ascension to the throne. But the first time he saw Murong Xiu, he changed his mind. He had directly struck down the Second Prince kneeling at his feet with his blade. Blood splattered everywhere, and at that time, Murong Xiu’s beautiful little face was also dotted with traces of blood.
He had thought Murong Xiu would be frightened and fall to his knees, but instead, he was like a peacock—clearly afraid, yet still lifting his neck and fluffing his tail feathers, as if afraid no one would see his beauty.
“Really beautiful,” the Regent murmured softly.
Now the peacock was still the same peacock, but beside him had appeared a dirty gray mouse, and it seemed that his peacock had grown increasingly fond of that little mouse recently.
This displeased him.
…
Shen Jue stood outside the hall, together with Feng Qingbao.
Across from them stood the guards brought in by the Regent. Those guards brazenly wore swords, but no one dared to order them to remove them.
Feng Qingbao looked nervously at the closed doors of the hall. Every time the Regent came, the Emperor’s mood that day would be especially terrible. He let out a soft sigh and then stealthily glanced at Shen Jue standing beside him.
Shen Jue kept his head lowered, staring blankly at the floor tiles.
This guy must be terrified. Just now, the Regent gave him a deliberate look.
Feng Qingbao thought to himself.
He was a little worried about Shen Jue.
Qin Yuan had been the Regent’s dog. Now that Qin Yuan was dead, the Regent probably wouldn’t let Shen Jue off easily.
Just as Feng Qingbao’s mind was racing with these thoughts, a voice suddenly came from inside the hall.
“Shen Jue, come in.”
Feng Qingbao’s body jolted. That’s the Regent’s voice. The Regent actually knows Shen Jue’s name. Shen Jue… he’s probably in deep trouble this time.
Seeing Shen Jue move beside him, Feng Qingbao couldn’t help but grab his sleeve.
Shen Jue’s steps paused slightly. He glanced at Feng Qingbao, somewhat surprised, and then curled his lips, pulling his sleeve back from Feng Qingbao’s grip. Feng Qingbao was momentarily stunned. That smile of Shen Jue’s—why did it look strangely alluring?
He quickly lowered his head. I must be too exhausted from all this busyness lately.
Shen Jue didn’t bother about what Feng Qingbao was thinking. With a meek expression, he entered the hall.
As soon as he stepped inside, Shen Jue sensed something was wrong.
He heard the rustle of clothes, ambiguous sounds, and Murong Xiu’s faint voice.
It sounded like a voice squeezed out from between pressed lips.
Shen Jue guessed what was playing out before him, and he almost wanted to laugh.
In all the years he had spent as a ghost, he had seen countless intimate scenes between Murong Xiu and the Regent.
He suppressed the amusement in his eyes and knelt directly on the ground. Shen Jue really didn’t want to watch, so he just hung his head. If he could, he would also cover his ears. Why should he have to see or hear such filthy things?
Murong Xiu caught sight of Shen Jue’s small figure out of the corner of his eye. The corners of his eyes reddened with fury. He struggled with all his might but couldn’t break free from the Regent’s grip. His whole body trembled with rage, yet he couldn’t utter a single word. The Regent, after wantonly humiliating the beauty beneath him, finally lifted his head. He reached out and wiped the glistening moisture from Murong Xiu’s lips, then, satisfied, pulled the person onto his lap.
Murong Xiu gritted his teeth, his body shaking uncontrollably. He closed his eyes briefly, then fixed his gaze on Shen Jue, who was kneeling on the ground.
He must have seen everything.
The Regent silently admired the beauty in his arms, and when he saw that the beauty had developed murderous intent toward that gray mouse, he curled his lips.
For an emperor to be seen in such a humiliating position by a servant—it was truly a profound disgrace.
The more the Regent thought about it, the more delighted he became. He even spoke out loud: “Shen Jue, crawl over here.”
Shen Jue blinked, then obediently crawled over. But as he crawled, his mind wandered a little. He suddenly thought of his senior apprentice brother. His senior had trained with him under Old Ancestor Chiyan, and his favorite pastime was transforming into a mortal and indulging in romantic affairs. Back then, Shen Jue couldn’t understand at all. The love and passion of the mortal world were nothing but deceptive things—why was his senior so obsessed with them?
At that time, his senior had fanned himself and said with a smile, “Stubborn Jue, you just don’t get it. Romance and love are the most interesting things in this world. Don’t just focus on cultivation all the time; you need to look around, too.”
Shen Jue had snorted coldly and walked away with his sword.
He hadn’t understood love and passion back then, and he didn’t understand them now.
Why do people love?
They talk about love, but in truth, it’s all about satisfying their own desires.
Clearly, they covet the other person, yet they raise the banner of love, and in the end, they try to possess them.
If they can’t possess them, they pretend to be wounded. How laughable.
It’s not like the other person begged to be loved. If your love isn’t accepted, what right do you have to be sad? Sadness is nothing more than the failure to satisfy your own desires.
Shen Jue had already crawled to the feet of the Regent and Murong Xiu. He only snapped back to reality when he heard the Regent’s voice again.
“So this is the gray mouse that barged in last time?” the Regent said softly, his hand still stroking Murong Xiu’s waist.
Murong Xiu’s face was ashen, and he said nothing.
The Regent didn’t expect Murong Xiu to answer anyway. His gaze shifted to Shen Jue.
No matter how he looked at it, this dirty, grimy mouse didn’t deserve to stay by the side of the peacock he had raised.
“Lift your head,” the Regent ordered Shen Jue.
Shen Jue hesitated for a moment before raising his head.
The moment the Regent saw Shen Jue’s face, he frowned.
The injuries on Shen Jue’s face hadn’t healed yet. Seeing them up close made them even more pronounced, and his whole face looked even uglier.
“Tsk, really ugly,” the Regent said with disdain.
Upon hearing this, Shen Jue didn’t lower his eyes. Instead, he looked at Murong Xiu with concern.
Murong Xiu noticed Shen Jue staring at him, and he twisted his face away in annoyance, pressing his lips tightly together.
The Regent noticed that Shen Jue still dared to look at Murong Xiu and found it somewhat amusing. He released Murong Xiu and bent down, looking at Shen Jue kneeling on the ground. “Do you know who he is, and who you are?”
Meeting the Regent’s gaze, Shen Jue replied calmly, “His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and I am a servant who attends to the Son of Heaven.”
The Regent nodded. “Yes.” He paused. “Then now that I wish to favor your Son of Heaven, you shall properly attend to us on the sidelines.”