ITOTIABSAM | The Tyrant in the Deep Palace | 65
A hand warmer than his own slipped into the sleeve, delicately tracing the faint cyan veins.
Those who knew understood it was a pulse check, while those who didn't scoffed. This new chief eunuch, Gu Cong, was indeed too clingy. With all the coquettish charm of a fox, it was a pity that his skills were lacking, and his performance was terrible.
Standing in front of the entrance to the Quiet Snow Pavilion, it would have been fortunate not to be slapped away with a wave of the hand.
However, contrary to his usual disdain for being approached, the emperor didn't get angry this time. Instead, he patiently stood in place, waiting for the other to release his hand. "How is it? Did you figure out where I'm hurting?"
His tone was usual, difficult to discern if he was pleased or angry. But overall, the words were ambiguous, hinting at an indulgence that others didn't possess. The trembling eunuch holding the lamp lowered his eyes with a shiver.
"No," shaking his head, Gu Cong straightened out the young emperor's sleeve, "but I feel like you're not happy."
As he stepped out of the Jinxue Pavilion, he gazed into the darkness, sensing for a moment that the other was utterly exhausted, as if something had been drained from him.
Xie Ye: Not happy? That should be the residual emotions from the Xiao Hao in this body.
Having experienced too many instances of being stabbed in the back, Xie Ye didn't find anything special about someone like Pei Yi.
"Is that so?"
He raised one eyebrow lightly, Xie Ye smiled, "I've confirmed what I've always wanted to confirm. I'm so happy I can hardly contain it."
A lie.
Gu Cong, increasingly able to distinguish between the truth and lies from the young emperor, silently refuted in his heart but didn't expose him.
Suddenly losing interest in the carriage that could only accommodate one person, Xie Ye reached out and took the nearest palace lamp, asking, "Gu Cong, do you know the way?"
The man, addressed by name, hesitated for a moment, then nodded. At least he knew the way from the Jingxue Pavilion to the Mingguang Hall. He had just walked it half an hour ago.
So, they left the rest of the palace attendants behind and almost walked side by side, basking in the moonlight, "strolling" in the vast imperial palace.
If it were anyone else, they would have tried to find ways to fall behind the emperor, but Gu Cong was straightforward. He did whatever the young emperor liked.
However, letting the emperor carry the lamp was still a bit too much. After all, the arm hidden under the large sleeves of his robe was so slender. So, he turned and walked to the right side of the young emperor, naturally taking the hand holding the lamp. "Let me do it."
Xie Ye casually released his five fingers. "Since you've dared to come here, are you not curious about what I've been up to?"
— What had he been up to? Although it's been a while, it's definitely not the kind of gossip that eunuchs and palace maids indulge in. He had just taken the young emperor's pulse, and it was remarkably steady.
With a faint suspicion in his heart, before he could answer, the young man walking beside him continued on his own, "I went to see a good show of loyalty between masters and servants."
It involved both Chuntao and Pei Yi, as well as Pei Yi and Prince An.
Deceiving the emperor, poisoning, plotting treason... it seemed that as long as they waved the banner of "tyranny", no matter how despicable their actions were, they could ultimately attribute it to acting for the greater good and preserving their own conscience.
Even if they had never been harmed by the so-called tyrant.
"From now on, I will send a bowl of soup to the Jingxue Pavilion every day, and have someone watch Pei Yi, ensuring he drinks every last drop," the young emperor said softly, his smile like a spring flower, yet tinged with a hint of madness. "I've heard that the poison is colorless and odorless, extremely potent. I'll exact revenge for every slight, and with this abnormality, imagine the torment of the one who drinks the soup, haunted by nightmares every midnight."
Living in suffering, dying brings peace. The hardships that the secondary character once endured, he must experience as both the protagonist and the victim, gradually being driven mad by the circumstances.
With fluctuating emotions, 1101 knew that the host's headache was worsening.
In the darkness of night, he wandered the palace with disheveled hair, dressed in crimson robes, his face as pale as paper. When the wind blew, it seemed as if a malevolent spirit roamed the palace.
Gu Cong's keen nose caught a faint hint of blood emanating from him.
"They deserve it," replied Gu Cong without hesitation. "They were the ones who harmed Your Majesty first."
Shocked, 1101 murmured to itself:
Where is the promise of prosperity, democracy, civilization, and harmony? It always thought that Gu Cong had a particularly strong sense of morality.
This was also the reason why the host initially insisted on sending him out of the palace. But now, it seemed that the new world's Gu Cong was somewhat different—more like someone with ulterior motives?
"Your Majesty, your shoes are dirty," guided by his sense of smell, Gu Cong easily found the tiny specks of red. However, when he tried to wipe them clean for the emperor, he realized that as a eunuch, he had not brought a handkerchief with him.
Would it be appropriate to use the cuff? The fabric seems quite expensive.
But this garment was a gift from the young emperor, the first one. It's a bit hard to part with.
Just as Gu Cong was awkwardly conflicted, Xie Ye suddenly moved. He boldly reached out and grabbed the man's arm, leisurely kicked off his boots, even removing his socks. Then, with arms outstretched:
"Carry me back to the palace."
This was indeed a somewhat whimsical request. If he were to fall or get hurt, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to make up for it.
Helplessly, by the time Gu Cong came to his senses, his hands had already automatically hooked under the young emperor's knees, lifting him up effortlessly.
He had already sensed it when he caught the other person on the dragon bed earlier. The young emperor was very thin, light as a feather, with no weight at all. Normally hidden by his oversized robes, it was all too evident now.
Leaving the bloodied shoes behind, as if leaving all the troubles behind, Xie Ye buried his head in Gu Cong's embrace, his ear pressed against the spot where the other's birthmark was located. With closed eyes, he listened to that steady and powerful heartbeat.
Too close.
Gu Cong thought.
In these past few days, although he stayed in the Mingguang Hall, he no longer shared a bed with the young emperor. Instead, he slept on a nearby soft pallet, waiting and guarding like a true eunuch.
At this moment, however, all he needed to do was lower his gaze slightly to see the other's delicate side profile, and the faint dark circles under his eyes.
The palace attendants trailing far behind were almost dumbfounded. Yes, His Majesty was indeed fond of handsome men, but being carried in someone's arms like this, appearing so vulnerable, was it appropriate?
They glanced at each other, but none dared to step forward to dissuade. Gu Cong, in such a high-profile manner, brought the young emperor back from the dark night to the brightly lit sleeping quarters.
The journey was long, but his hands remained steady until the end, not allowing the person in his arms to feel any sway. When they were finally placed back on the bed, the drowsy young emperor finally opened his eyes and grabbed Gu Cong's sleeve, "I want to bathe."
"I'll prepare the water."
When he said he would prepare the water, he truly meant just that. The exposed skin of the young emperor was delicate and soft, resembling that of a pampered young nobleman.
However, underneath the clothes, in places not visible during daylight, were various scattered scars, both new and old, caused by pinching, burning, or pulling—numerous and diverse.
That's why he never allowed anyone to attend to his bathing. Anyone who dared to be skeptical and attempted to climb onto the dragon bed under the guise of changing water—especially after the young emperor had reluctantly accepted Gu Cong—each and every one of them lost their lives.
Gu Cong had been staying in the Mingguang Palace for three days, so he naturally understood the protocol. The place where the young emperor often went for bathing was a pool with flowing water, adorned with jade bells. The palace attendants only dared to approach when they heard sounds coming from inside, indicating that the emperor was ready to give instructions.
However, Gu Cong felt that standing so far away, if anything were to happen to the young emperor, such as cramps or choking on water, he might not be able to save him in time.
So, he secretly moved closer each day. Tonight, he had already sat down outside the side hall where the pool was located, unnoticed or perhaps ignored by the young emperor, who was sitting peacefully leaning against the door, on the steps, without being chased away.
The young emperor hated the scars on his body as they would evoke many unpleasant memories. Even when there was no one around, he rarely took off his inner garments.
The plain white fabric floated and undulated on the water's surface, accompanied by his loose black hair, which made it even more eerie. A flush of blood colored his cheeks as he leaned against the pool wall and heard Gu Cong say, "Your Majesty, tomorrow, I would like to visit the Scripture Pavilion."
The Scripture Pavilion did indeed exist in the palace, a place built during the reign of an ancestor who loved literature and art. It housed numerous rare books and paintings, making it a coveted destination for many literati.
Separated by a door and a folding screen, the voice of the young emperor was somewhat muffled, but fortunately, Gu Cong had keen hearing and could discern clearly, "Want to take the imperial examination?"
The imperial examination.
Gu Cong had never considered this. Growing up in the palace, he had some education and literacy, but being of slave status, he was destined to be excluded from the officialdom.
Shaking his head, Gu Cong realized that the young emperor couldn't see his actions at the moment, so he continued, "I want to find some medical books."
The medical skills of the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital were naturally superior to his, but in the previous dynasty's harem and the vast world beyond, how many truly wished for the young emperor to be cured?
In a mosaic of thoughts, 1101 quietly reminded, "Your headache is a setting."
It wasn't simply a matter of vascular constriction or a tumor pressing on nerves. Otherwise, as a quick-transmigration system from the main world, it wouldn't be helpless and could resort to acupuncture, medication, or even surgery if it dared.
Ignoring it as if he hadn't heard, Xiyi repeated, "Medical books?"
"Yes," Gu Cong replied, not wanting the young emperor to think he was flattering or exaggerating. He paused for a moment, choosing a half-true, half-false reason, "I have been interested in these things since I was young."
—Interested in earning a few extra copper coins for myself.
Unexpectedly, even though there was a distance separated by a door and a folding screen, the young emperor in the bathing pool seemed to completely "see" through him. With the sound of water accompanying his words, he asked, "Is that the full truth?"
Gu Cong replied, "No."
"I want Your Majesty to feel better," he added.
"Your Majesty has given me such a good life, and I also want to do something for Your Majesty." Besides the duties of a eunuch, he wanted to do something within his abilities.
As soon as he finished speaking, the door behind him was pulled open.
Gu Cong, following his instincts, instinctively leaned backward.
And then he bumped into the young emperor's leg.
Barefoot, standing silently behind the man, the young emperor had changed into a new inner garment, with water droplets still clinging to his hair tips. "For the last time."
Gu Cong: "?"
Xie Ye: "I hate it when you lie."
"Understood." Without thinking much about the possible implications of that "last time," Gu Cong quickly stood up, positioning himself as a barrier. "It's windy at night, Your Majesty, don't catch a cold."
In response, the young emperor naturally extended his hand.
With the slight coolness of water still lingering on his skin, Gu Cong gradually and skillfully bent down to lift the young emperor up. As he carried him towards the imperial sleeping quarters, Gu Cong covertly glanced around, subconsciously using his sleeve to shield the young emperor's feet.
Under the sparse moonlight, he heard the young emperor in his arms say, "Granted."
"The library."
Regardless of whether it's useful or not, it was Gu Cong's feelings that mattered..
...Even if it was just loyalty to the Emperor.
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