“Horse!”
The coachman cracked his whip. The stallion let out a long neigh, and the carriage swayed as it sped along the official road.
Inside the carriage, a rare and priceless brocade covered the low couch. A snow-white kitten lay curled up on it, its eyes half-closed in a drowsy slumber.
The Marquis of Changlin stole a glance at the kitten. Half its face was buried in its front paws, revealing only crescent-shaped eyes and a rounded forehead, its pointed ears pressed slightly forward.
When the Marquis’s gaze fell upon the tips of the kitten’s ears, his expression abruptly changed.
The exposed flesh at the tips glowed an unnatural, vivid red.
Unbidden, the Marquis of Changlin envisioned those ears being savagely mauled by that brutal man, sending a chill through him.
This is bad.
The retired emperor and his consort had specifically instructed him before their departure to keep a close watch on the young emperor.
How could he possibly explain such a catastrophic failure to them now?
The voice that emerged from the kitten’s mouth belonged to a young man, still gravelly and raspy like grit scraping across the ground, though noticeably improved from when the Marquis had first seen him.
The Marquis of Changlin gave a dry chuckle and inquired, “Your Majesty, would you like some water?”
Yu Zhi shot the Marquis a glance and gave a slight nod.
His throat felt unbearably raw, as if scraped by iron filings—dry and searingly painful.
Unavoidably, thoughts of the culprit behind this torment surfaced again. Yu Zhi flicked his tail in irritation.
“Your Majesty, water.” The Marquis of Changlin presented a small porcelain bowl before the kitten. Half-filled with clear water, it swayed gently with the carriage’s motion.
Yu Zhi lowered his head, his pink tongue curling to lap up a curtain of water. He drank in small, careful sips.
Ever since the young emperor ascended the throne four years ago, the Marquis of Changlin had rarely seen him in his true form. Now, witnessing this fluffy bundle once more, the marquis’s heart nearly melted. He gripped the bowl tightly with both hands, resisting the urge to stroke the kitten.
As a spirit beast, Yu Zhi was acutely sensitive to others’ gazes.
Feeling the eyes fixed upon him, Yu Zhi let out a soft snort from his nose, causing a few tiny bubbles to rise in the bowl.
Half a bowl of clear water slid down his throat. After being soaked for so long, Yu Zhi’s throat no longer felt so dry and sore. He lifted his head and lay back down on the low couch.
Suddenly, the carriage jolted. Yu Zhi was violently pulled backward from behind. He sucked in a sharp breath, instantly going limp and collapsing into the orchid-patterned brocade. His entire kitten-like face crumpled, his little paws digging desperately into the soft mattress.
The Marquis of Changlin’s heart clenched. “Your Majesty, shall I instruct the coachmen to slow down?”
“No!” Yu Zhi ground out through clenched teeth. “We must leave Shengguo swiftly. Better safe than sorry.”
The Marquis of Changlin glanced at the kitten and mustered his courage to ask, “Your Majesty, were you with Luo Tingshi last night?”
Yu Zhi snapped his head up, his gaze shifting slightly.
–
Sheng Kingdom Imperial Palace.
Luo Tingshi stood with hands clasped behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the chamber filled with kneeling eunuchs.
Each man felt as though a blood-stained blade had sliced through his throat, severing head from neck in an instant. A young eunuch kneeling to the left front couldn’t suppress a shriek, his eyes rolling back as he fainted.
Guards immediately rushed forward, dragging him out of the hall.
Luo Tingshi withdrew his gaze and spoke slowly, “Who exactly laced the Emperor’s wine with poison?”
“Not this servant!”
“Your Majesty sees clearly, this servant did not do it!”
In an instant, cries of innocence echoed throughout the hall, the clamor giving Luo Tingshi a splitting headache. He waved his hand dismissively: “Drag them all out…”
Just as the word “behead” was about to leave his lips, a pair of tear-filled eyes, misty with moisture, suddenly appeared before Luo Tingshi.
The words rolled on his tongue but were swallowed back down. His voice turned cold as he ordered, “Twenty strokes of the cane.”
Knowing their death sentences had been commuted, the prisoners wept with joy, kowtowing repeatedly. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy!”
Wang Man, standing with hands clasped at his sides, stared in disbelief, unable to fathom what he had heard.
The Emperor hadn’t executed them?
In all his years serving the Emperor, he had never witnessed such mercy. The Emperor had always adhered to the principle of “better to kill a thousand by mistake than let one guilty man go free.” Today, it seemed his nature had truly changed.
The crowd withdrew, and silence returned to the hall.
After a moment, in the dead stillness, Wang Man heard the Emperor’s voice.
“Last night, did any of you see the face of the person I carried to Lianchun Hall?”
In that instant, an utterly absurd thought flashed through Wang Man’s mind—
Could it be that His Majesty spared them because of that man?
No, no, no! That’s impossible.
His Majesty is cold-hearted and emotionless, caring only for the empire. He would never indulge in romantic attachments.
It’s simply because that man was the first to receive His Majesty’s favor that he regards him differently.
Yes, that must be it!
Wang Man silently convinced himself, pricking up his ears to listen intently to the guards’ conversation with the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, his head was buried in your embrace the entire time. We never saw his face.”
The Emperor fell silent for a long moment before saying, ” Very well. You may all withdraw.”
Wang Man understood this meant he too should leave. Bowing his head, he followed the guards out of the hall. Reaching the entrance, he turned to close the door. As the heavy timber slammed shut, he caught sight of the emperor standing before his imperial desk, unfurling a sheet of Xuan paper.
Luo Tingshi picked up a fine brush, dipped it in ink, and began to paint.
Before long, a pair of eyes appeared on the paper.
They were eyes brimming with tears, exquisitely moving.
Luo Tingshi’s gaze lingered on the painting for a long time. His brow furrowed slightly, his expression tinged with confusion.
Where had he seen these eyes before?
–
Inside the carriage on the other side, the Marquis of Changlin was nearly consumed by worry.
His face twisted into a bitter grimace as he pleaded, “Your Majesty, please tell this old servant the truth. Otherwise, when the former emperor returns, I won’t even know how I met my end.”
“Don’t tell Father Emperor!” Yu Zhi snapped angrily.
“Very well, very well. I swear it. As long as Your Majesty doesn’t speak, I shall keep it locked tight.” The Marquis of Changlin raised his hand in oath, patiently coaxing the young emperor. “Just tell me, Your Majesty. I can offer some advice.”
Yu Zhi hesitated for a long moment before resolving himself. “Very well. I shall tell you.” He briefly recounted the entire sequence of events to the Marquis of Changlin.
“So… Your Majesty has actually gone into heat?”
Yu Zhi nodded.
The Marquis of Changlin slapped his thigh. “This is disastrous! Once in heat, conception becomes possible. What if…”
The Marquis of Changlin shuddered, his voice trembling. “What if His Majesty is carrying Luo Ting’s child?”
“Impossible!”
Yu Zhi instinctively denied it, shaking his head and murmuring, ” The Bai Ling clan has struggled with conception since ancient times, leading to our dwindling numbers. To preserve our lineage, our clan gradually evolved so that both men and women could conceive, and our men could also bear children for other males. Yet despite this, the Bai Ling clan still gradually faded away, leaving only the imperial line of the Yu Kingdom. Luo Tingshi and I shared only one night together—it’s utterly impossible for him to have conceived so easily.”
The Marquis of Changlin shook his head. “Your Majesty, do not forget—you yourself were conceived through a single night of union between the retired emperor and the empress dowager…”
“Enough!” Yu Zhi cut him off sharply. “My lord, cease your needless fretting.”
The Marquis of Changlin caught a glimpse of vulnerability flickering in the kitten’s dark, round eyes. His heart skipped a beat, unwilling to provoke further distress. He reached out and stroked the cat’s head. “Your Majesty is correct. It is impossible for you to be pregnant.”
Yu Zhi grunted a muted “Mm,” slumping onto the soft couch as a vague unease settled in his heart.
Cat paws weren’t human hands; moving was quite inconvenient. He hadn’t managed to expel all of it when he rose that morning, and much remained inside him still.
…This didn’t bode well.
Yu Zhi lifted his eyes and instructed the Marquis of Changlin: “Have the driver go faster.”
–
At dusk, the carriage arrived at an inn, and the group dismounted to rest.
Yu Zhi’s depleted spiritual energy had recovered slightly, enough to sustain his human form. He followed the others into the inn. His first order of business upon entering his room was to instruct the waiter to bring water.
Hot water was always available at the inn, and the waiter soon arrived carrying a tub.
Once the attendant left, Yu Zhi bolted the door, shed his clothes, and stepped into the bath.
… More shameful than the dawn.
Yu Zhi’s entire body was coated in a thin layer of powder. His teeth dug into his lower lip as he tilted his slender neck back like a dying crane. The protruding lump in his throat moved constantly, and streaks of water traced the crane’s neck before disappearing into the water.
This time, sweat covered his entire body.
With both body and soul doubly humiliated, Yu Zhi’s hatred for Luo Ting grew ever more intense.
Roughly drying himself off, Yu Zhi took a few hurried bites of the meal sent by the Marquis of Changlin before extinguishing the lamp and lying down.
Though he’d rested in the carriage all day, the constant jostling had prevented any true repose.
The moment his head touched the pillow, Yu Zhi instantly plunged into sleep.
In a hazy daze.
A tearing pain shot unexpectedly through Yu Zhi’s back, shooting straight to the top of his skull. The agony made his entire body tremble. He wanted to flee but couldn’t, pinned dead to the spot. He clenched the thin quilt beneath his palms, letting out a pained sob.
After a moment, the sound of his sobbing changed.
It was a sensation Yu Zhi had never experienced before.
He felt as though he’d been tossed onto the clouds, floating in a daze, utterly bewildered. A completely unfamiliar joy engulfed him. At the same time, a tremendous panic quietly surged within him.
He felt as if he might fall from the clouds at any moment, plummeting into a bottomless abyss.
Yu Zhi was terrified. Helplessly, he clung to the only piece of driftwood before him, wrapping his arms and legs tightly around it.
The next instant, the driftwood emitted a soft chuckle: “Good boy. I will satisfy you.”
Yu Zhi broke out in a cold sweat and jolted upright.
The room was pitch black. The unfamiliar sensations vanished without a trace. Pressing his forehead, Yu Zhi gritted his teeth and hurled a furious curse into the darkness.
“Bastard!”
–
Sheng Kingdom, Imperial Bedchamber.
In the darkness, the man lying upon the dragon bed suddenly opened his eyes.
He too had been dreaming.
In the dream, the youth’s delicate butterfly collarbone trembled incessantly, like a swallowtail butterfly poised to take flight.
Slender, pale fingers gripped the bedrail, pulling him forward. Half a step out, he was suddenly yanked back into darkness.
A large hand reached forward, enveloping the slender fingers clutching the rail. Cruelly, it pried them apart one by one. Without support, the youth’s hand clenched weakly in the air before falling into a palm vastly larger than its own.
The large hand, veins visible beneath the skin, imprisoned the slender, jade-like hand. It slowly slipped into the gap, intertwining and locking fingers.
The dream froze on the image of two hands, fingers interlocked.
Luo Tingshi glanced down at himself. Before last night, he had never desired anyone. Now…
He chuckled softly.
“Little thing, once I catch you, I’ll make you pay back everything you owe me.”