ITOTIABSAM | The Tyrant in the Deep Palace | 68
Xie Ye's ears felt a little warm.
Clearly, he was the one who had audaciously scrutinized others as the superior, but Gu Cong's intense gaze inadvertently revealed a straightforward and harmless aggressiveness.
Like a grown beast, even if it was gentle and obedient, it couldn't be as harmless as it was in its youth.
Unfortunately, the tender affection from the previous two worlds had left Xie Ye without any sense of wariness towards this "beast".
The incessant pain seemed to be overshadowed by another more tumultuous emotion. The thin and pale young man lowered his eyes, almost greedily gazing at Gu Cong.
However, his words were calmly opposite to his demeanor: "Take it if you want."
"It's nothing special anyway."
"But I find it tastes better than all the dishes we had before." Without paying much attention, he picked up a piece of the crushed cake with his hand and put it into his mouth. Gu Cong earnestly wrapped the handkerchief containing the pastry into a small bundle and tucked it into his chest, smiling.
The things that the young emperor gave him were always treasured by Gu Cong, whether it was clothes, pastries, or even used handkerchiefs.
Even the wound on his shoulder with the small teeth marks, he often wanted to reach up and touch it.
Once everything was tidied up, Gu Cong habitually stood behind the young emperor, gently massaging his head as he casually spoke, "Today, I saw Prince An in the library."
Xie Ye: "Hmm."
"What did you talk about?"
"Just exchanged a few casual greetings and he asked what I was doing." Feeling the slight furrow of the master's brow through the skin of his fingertip, as if sensing the young emperor's displeasure, Gu Cong paused and then recounted everything that happened in the library in vivid detail, without missing a single word.
Having missed this projection due to his urgent search for someone, Xie Ye finally felt satisfied.
"In the future, if you encounter him, just pretend you didn't see him, keep your distance, or come to my side," he said calmly. With a calm mind, his headaches would ease somewhat. Xie Ye closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
Sensing the faint aversion in the young emperor's tone, Gu Cong spoke without hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "Perhaps it's just an illusion, but I always feel that Prince An and Minister Pei are very alike."
Whether it was Prince An, well-regarded by the people, or Minister Pei, highly favored in the palace, neither were individuals he, a mere lowly eunuch, could casually gossip about. Yet Gu Cong said it without a hint of hesitation.
The hand resting on the young emperor's temple was pressed down, and cold fingertips covered it, moving from bottom to top. The young emperor leaned against the soft pillow, looking at him with interest. "Gu Cong, are you jealous?"
Gu Cong belatedly realized that Pei Yi's position was that of a minister. Associating him with an outsider might sound like a jealous attempt to sow discord.
Though he knew his conscience was clear, he couldn't find any words to explain himself when faced with those deep, penetrating phoenix eyes.
He did indeed detest Pei Yi.
He resented how Pei Yi had won the young emperor's genuine affection only to treat it with disdain, like trampling on an old shoe.
"I do have selfish motives," Gu Cong admitted honestly, uncertain how to define the tumult of emotions swirling within him, "but what I said just now had nothing to do with them."
Xie Ye smirked. "I know."
"Pei Yi was sent in by Prince An."
"At first, I wanted to kill them all," the bloodshot veins in his eyes still prominent, the young emperor smiled faintly, beautiful yet chilling, "but then I thought, simply killing them would be too merciful, too easy. What I've endured, I want them to experience every bit of it, just the same."
"By the way," his fingertips casually brushed over the warmth of the man's hand, his actions affectionate yet devoid of any ambiguity, "you probably haven't heard today."
"Chuntao is dead."
"She was Pei Yi's palace maid and offended me yesterday."
He spoke of it lightly, as if there were no trace of pity. To anyone's ears, it sounded like a threat, a warning to others to deter them from crossing him.
But Gu Cong replied softly, "It's not Your Majesty's fault."
Given the young emperor's temperament, if he had truly wanted someone dead, that person would have been killed on the spot. The fact that news of the death had only just emerged today meant it was unrelated to the young emperor.
Was it Pei Yi's doing? Was that why he seemed so disappointed?
With no experience in comforting others and unsure of what to do in this situation, Gu Cong's gaze happened to fall on the wooden box containing medical books nearby. Without much thought, he brought up a new topic, "Has Your Majesty ever tried medicinal baths?"
The topic shifted too quickly, catching Xie Ye off guard again. Instinctively, his thoughts were led astray. "No, I haven't."
As a prince, nobody really cared about the young emperor's health, as long as he didn't die.
Once he became the emperor, the imperial physicians wanted to cure him to gain favor, but who would dare to perform acupuncture and massage on his head? Over time, they would only prescribe some mediocre herbal medicine.
"Although the cause of Your Majesty's headaches has not been found, it seems that these issues have been with you since birth. With careful nurturing, it may be possible to alleviate them."
"Medicinal baths need to be accompanied by massage to improve blood circulation and absorption. Sensing vaguely why the young emperor might not like medicinal baths, Gu Cong suggested, "We can start with foot baths if Your Majesty prefers. It's a gradual process."
"Herbal foot baths?"
Shaking his head, Xie Ye didn't feel like bothering with it.
"I will prepare everything, Your Majesty just needs to sit on the bed," Gu Cong assured, catching a glimpse of what the young emperor was thinking. "It's very comfortable, and perhaps it will help you sleep well."
— Sleeping well was probably the most enticing offer for the young emperor, but Gu Cong didn't know that, in Xie Ye's eyes, his genuine concern for the young emperor was even more attractive.
Without much consideration, Xie Ye changed his tune, "Do as you wish."
The greatest benefit of being a tyrant is that no matter when or where, if you make any unreasonable demands, there will always be a group of people trying their best to fulfill them.
With countless medicinal herbs in the Imperial Hospital and rare treasures that took decades or even centuries to obtain in the late emperor's private treasury, their main concern was not about the selection of herbs but rather about the tyrant, who was so capricious in pleasing his "beauties," inadvertently harming himself.
Fortunately, the unexpected rise of the attendant Gu Cong seemed to be knowledgeable. The selected medicinal herbs were mostly gentle and compatible, posing no risk if not ingested.
An hour later, the usually deserted Mingguang Hall was graced with a steaming foot bath tub.
After preparing the medicinal herbs, Gu Cong had been busy for quite some time. The water in the tub had turned into a light brown color, indicating the efficacy of the herbs, yet it emitted a pleasant herbal fragrance instead of any unpleasant odor.
Xie Ye's expression alternated between "disdain" and "tolerable."
By now, he had removed his outer robe under Gu Cong's attendance, wearing only a white inner garment and underpants, the fabric light and transparent, giving him a casual and soft appearance.
The water in the tub was deep enough to almost cover half of the young emperor's calf. Gu Cong, being resourceful, brought over a low stool and sat down on the wooden steps of the dragon bed, tapping the cuff of his pants beside him. "Your Majesty?"
Xie Ye remained silent.
But he moved his leg closer to Gu Cong.
The loose cuff of his pants rolled up, revealing his slender calves, but soon, under the bright candlelight, Gu Cong noticed the various scars, some deep, some shallow, some fresh, some old.
In contrast to his flawless feet, the scars appeared even more conspicuous.
Having studied medicine, Gu Cong had some understanding of wounds. Such scars could not have been caused by the usual childhood mishaps.
"It was that woman, my birth mother," Xie Ye said, typically disdainful of the idea of exposing wounds for pity, but at this moment, he was willing to bait the trap by laying down the lure.
"She liked to throw things and wouldn't let anyone clean up. Every time I entered her chamber, I had to be extremely careful."
But what was the use? No matter how careful and obedient Xiao Hao was, there was always a reason for the other party to order him to kneel in punishment. Even if porcelain shards pierced his skin, he still had to kneel for the prescribed duration.
The intricate entanglements between the late Emperor, the Crown Prince, and their birth mother were taboo subjects in the deep palace, but rumors spread like wildfire among the common folk.
The prestigious Liu family, once renowned for their loyalty to the crown, was raided overnight in the third year of the late Emperor's reign.
Of the 421 members of the household, excluding the pregnant Empress who was far away in the palace and the infants who knew nothing of the world, not a single one escaped the executioner's blade.
It was said that on the rainy night of the Liu family's raid, the Empress was frightened into premature labor and knelt in front of the late Emperor's bed for half the night. Afterwards, she gave birth to the Sixth Prince, nearly losing both her life and his.
From then on, rumors circulated about the Empress's legitimate son being unruly and suffering from madness. Over tea and meals, gossip abounded, but no one cared about what kind of life he led in the palace.
It was as if the frail infant who narrowly escaped death had suddenly become the useless Sixth Prince, and then just as suddenly transformed into the despised and incompetent tyrant.
Like vinegar that had soaked for years, Gu Cong's heart suddenly swelled and felt slightly sour.
Even though he understood that the other party was the revered Emperor, ruling over the vast empire, perhaps he didn't need anyone's sympathy at all.
The rumors spread far and wide, whether true or false. Right now, all he could see were the covered scars on the Emperor's legs from the medicinal bath.
But the owner of those scars still had the mind to smile. "It doesn't hurt anymore, and it was me who was hurt. Why are you sad?"
With his eyes lowered, Gu Cong looked as if he was on the verge of tears.
"I'm just sad," he replied gloomily. Gu Cong reached into the wooden tub with his cleaned hands and lightly grasped the Emperor's leg, finding the acupoints and pressing down.
...Xie Ye nearly let out a cry.
Compared to the long-lasting torment of the Emperor's headaches, the pain from pressing the acupoints was nothing at all. But it was sore and numb, dull and throbbing. He couldn't bear it and kicked Gu Cong.
"The medicinal properties need to be absorbed to take effect. Does Your Majesty think just soaking will suffice?" With a firm grip, Gu Cong easily subdued the Emperor's resistance. He maintained his composure and continued meticulously, “Since I feel sad for you, Your Majesty, please cooperate a bit more."
His forehead twitched, and Xie Ye, with his legs still submerged in the water, felt a mix of exasperation and amusement. "You're quite sharp-tongued now. Why weren't you like this earlier?"
"Because I'm a little angry now," Gu Cong replied without the slightest sense of wrongdoing about his words. His fingertips, immersed in the water, traced the Emperor's concealed skin, searching for acupoints. With another press, he added, "So... please bear with it, Your Majesty."
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