ITOTIABSAM | The Tyrant in the Deep Palace | 61
As the twilight enveloped the surroundings.
Upon learning that he wasn't summoned to the Brightness Hall tonight for dinner or "serving in bed" with the emperor, Pei Yi, although he had anticipated it, couldn't help but feel a ripple of emotions:
The habit that had persisted for several months was changed in an instant. Seeing the tyrant's health deteriorating and his bouts of madness becoming more frequent, if he fell out of favor at this time, it might affect the master's plans.
"Attendant Pei” The messenger, as usual, was Li Dezhong. In the original text, this old fox hid his identity extremely well, only revealing it to Pei Yi towards the end, which also became one of the barriers in the protagonist's pursuit of his wife in the later stages.
Others might not know whether they had shared the bed with the young tyrant, but as the eunuch steward, Li Dezhong was aware. Implicitly, he hinted: "Attendant Pei, don't worry."
"Lately, it has been hot, and His Majesty is still young. Perhaps he's just a bit agitated."
At first, it sounded like a comforting platitude, but Pei Yi understood: the medicine given to him by the master would only prevent the tyrant from producing heirs but wouldn't significantly affect his ability in that regard.
The tyrant must have developed an interest in the eunuch surnamed Gu, which Li Dezhong happened to witness, prompting him to suddenly mention it.
When Pei Yi initially decided to enter the palace, he indeed prepared himself to give everything. If the master didn't take him in, his fate would have been uncertain, and he might not have lived to adulthood.
Now, his face could be of use for the master's great cause, and he considered it a small repayment for the master's kindness.
However, after several months of living a clean and innocent life in the palace, he began to harbor hopes deep inside. He didn't want to yield to the tyrant; he wanted to keep his complete self for the master.
"Thank you, Lord Li, for the reminder. I will prepare more dishes to cool His Majesty in the heat," Pei Yi pretended not to understand the other's hint and smiled. "Facing the same things every day, His Majesty might be tired of it."
Wait?
The thoughts of an emperor are the most difficult to fathom, especially considering the current occupant of the Dragon Throne is a madman. In this deep palace, not contending means certain death.
Slightly furrowing his brow, Li Dezhong scrutinized Pei Yi's harmless and gentle expression for a few seconds. Ultimately, he didn't say anything more, flicked his sleeve, and left with the other eunuchs and palace maids.
However, everyone in the palace couldn't help but feel both indignant and heartbroken: Pei Yi was such a good person, whether it be in appearance, character, or talent. What aspect of him was inferior to an orphan from the countryside?
Keeping a close eye on the situation in the palace, Xi Jinyu naturally heard about Pei Yi's embarrassment in the Brightness Hall. He casually toyed with the white jade thumb ring on his hand and chuckled, "Just a pair of dog eyes."
"Our emperor here is best at liking the new and getting tired of the old. Who knows when his passion will surge, and when he's bored and tired, he might just dig out those eyes himself."
As for Pei Yi, being able to stay by his good cousin's side until now had already exceeded Xi Jinyu's expectations by far. If he falls out of favor once, even if he can't climb back up again, it's not much to regret.
Taking eavesdropping seriously, 1101 interjected, "Pah, you're the dog, your whole family is dogs."
After cursing, it realized it seemed to have dragged the host into the insult as well. It cleared its throat awkwardly and said, "The life-saving medicine I bought before is still there. I checked the instructions; it can't cure poison. You'll have to wait until you're on your deathbed to take it."
Clutching a script in his hand, Xie Ye, with his youthful appearance, languidly leaned against the empress dowager's couch. His dark hair cascaded down, giving him a rather spiritless look.
Just having taken a sedative, he lacked the frenzy he had previously exhibited when biting into Gu Cong's shoulder. Yet, he still exuded a sense of gloom and melancholy, making it difficult for others to approach him.
Seeming indifferent, Xi Ye nodded, "Hmm."
After biting Gu Cong, he seemed to awaken from a chaotic nightmare. He didn't summon for meals this time, only calling for the imperial physician to attend to Gu Cong's wounds.
If there had been hesitation and reluctance before, now Xie Ye had made up his mind to send Gu Cong out of the palace.
Items from the system's shop were always reliable. While the headache had eased somewhat, Xie Ye's various needs, including appetite, had been minimized.
However, he couldn't use it often due to the troublesome side effects and dependency it could cause. Despite being incredibly tired, Xie Ye still couldn't close his eyes, cherishing the rare tranquility he experienced after transmigrating.
The weather at the end of summer and beginning of autumn was highly changeable. While the sun was still shining brightly during the day, it rained in the evening. The black-haired youth sat alone by the window in the side hall, draped only in the outer robe Gu Cong had helped him put on earlier.
A row of palace maids and eunuchs stood guard in the corridor, exchanging glances, both fearing that the young tyrant might catch a cold and face punishment themselves, yet also afraid to actually advise him on anything.
Returning from Pei Yi's place, Li Dezhong was quite accustomed to it.
As an old-timer in the palace, while he couldn't be counted as someone who watched Xie Ye grow up, he knew that this former Sixth Prince's emotions were always fluctuating, switching between rage and melancholy.
It's said that accompanying the monarch was like accompanying a tiger. This was even more true when attending to Xie Ye. Despite Li Dezhong's vast experience, he couldn't guarantee that he could always keep his own head.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have risked everything and accepted the covert overtures from Prince An.
In the vast palace, although it seemed like everyone belonged to the same system, in reality, there wasn't a single person who truly cared about him. With the rain pattering down and the temperature dropping at night, in the end, it was 1101 who woke up the drowsy host:
[Xie Ye? Xie Ye? Quickly, get up. You need to go back to bed.]
With his mind suddenly clear, the pain seemed to resurge. Knowing that it would only get more troublesome once this body fell ill, Xie Ye casually set aside the script and got up.
Immediately, palace attendants prepared lanterns and oil-paper umbrellas. In the swaying rain night, suppressing their breath, they nervously escorted the young tyrant back to his sleeping quarters.
Xie Ye suddenly found himself reminiscing about a rainy day when Gu Cong had held an umbrella to shelter him back home.
Li Dezhong, holding the umbrella, stood beside Xie Ye, constantly keeping an eye on him. In a flash of lightning that illuminated the night, he seemed to glimpse a fleeting vulnerability on Xie Ye's face.
But it seemed to be just an illusion.
The next moment, in the darkness guided only by palace lamps, the young Emperor walked with a straight back and brisk steps. Even though his face was as pale as paper, he seemed as chilling as a demon or a beast.
During bedtime, apart from Pei Yi, who had been particularly favored recently, Xie Ye never allowed anyone to stay in his room. As soon as he stepped into the chamber, the door silently closed behind him. Annoyed, Xie Ye tugged at his collar, about to take it off when he suddenly heard a reminder from 1101 in his mind, "Wait a moment, there's someone in the bed."
Squinting his phoenix eyes, Xie Ye noticed the slight bulge on the bed and quickly strode forward, pulling aside the exquisitely embroidered silk quilt. "Get out…"
The last two words got stuck in his throat, and 1101's belated addition came, "It's Gu Cong."
Indeed, it was Gu Cong.
Clearly, he had bathed again, wearing a soft and clean plain inner garment. His amber-like pupils reflected Xie Ye's figure, not showing any signs of being frightened but rather appearing concerned. "Your Majesty?"
"Your Majesty's sleeve is wet."
Xie Ye took a deep breath. "Why are you here?"
Immediately, he remembered. In the afternoon, when Pei Yi came to deliver soup, he deliberately mentioned wanting Gu Cong to serve him. However, he had only intended for Gu Cong to assist with trivial tasks like pouring tea and changing clothes. But the servants misunderstood and directly cleaned him up and sent him to his dragon bed.
"It was Lord Li who sent me here." Wearing red as fiery as his temper, the young emperor looked down at him sternly. Gu Cong propped himself up on his elbows and made room for Xie Ye.
Xie Ye thought to himself: Does this person even understand the meaning of "serving in bed"?
Seemingly understanding the question in the young emperor's eyes, Gu Cong looked around, making sure there was no one else present, before lowering his voice. "The days in the palace are leisurely, and I have a keen nose. During my idle moments, I self-studied medicine for several years. Earlier, when assisting Your Majesty with changing clothes, I noticed…"
"I found that Your Majesty still possesses a vigorous body."
He uttered the last sentence extremely slowly, carefully observing Xie Ye's expression, unable to hide his inner conflict. Unable to contain itself, 1101 burst into laughter. [Ahem, ahem, does he think you're incapable?]
Incapable or not, they could be considered naturally suited for each other.
The heavy atmosphere from a few seconds ago was suddenly shattered, liberating Xie Ye from his suppressed emotions. However, he still maintained a stern expression, pretending to be fierce. "Where is your outer robe? Have Li Dezhong take you out."
"Tomorrow, I will send someone to escort you back to the palace. If what you just said is heard by others, be careful of your head."
The sound of rain, lightning, and thunder, coupled with the grim expression of the young emperor, made this statement sound truly intimidating. But considering the only injury on Gu Cong's shoulder was a superficial one, he couldn't muster any fear.
Nodding in compliance, he repeated, "Your Majesty's sleeve is wet."
"I'll help you change."
Xie Ye replied, "I said I would send you away tomorrow." There was no point in trying to please him further.
"But Your Majesty also said it would be tomorrow," Gu Cong said casually, reaching out to undo the young emperor's belt. "Besides, I don't have an outer robe, only this garment."
Xie Ye finally understood how it felt to have one's fist hit cotton.
With fingers more pronounced and a bit bigger than his own, Gu Cong deftly unfastened the belt adorned with jade ornaments. The side effects of the sedative made him feel lethargic, hesitating for a brief moment—perhaps even less than two seconds. Xie Ye lowered his hand, letting Gu Cong do as he pleased.
Sensing the young emperor's indulgence, Gu Cong took further liberties. "Your Majesty, raise your arm."
1101: It suspects that this person's daytime respectfulness is all a facade, and there's evidence to prove it.
Giving the other a faint glare, Xie Ye remained still.
"Indeed, Your Majesty is not quite as rumored." As if obtaining some answer he desired, Gu Cong chuckled softly, sitting up straight and gradually helping the young emperor remove his slightly damp outer robe.
Xie Ye asked slowly, "What am I like in the rumors?"
Gu Cong paused for a moment. "Capricious and bloodthirsty?"
1101: ...
He really dares to say that. If it were someone else, they'd have their head rolling in no time.
However, the one standing here at this moment was the true Xie Ye. Kicking off his soft shoes, he climbed onto the bed and nodded solemnly. "Yes, that's right, it's all true."
"So, if you dare to wake me up, you've sealed your fate."
Without waiting for Gu Cong's response, Xie Ye, unable to withstand the effects of the sedative any longer, collapsed into his arms.
The familiar warmth, the familiar heartbeat. With the thunderstorm still raging outside, he clutched onto the fabric of Gu Cong's clothes, exhaustedly closing his eyes.
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