Xiao Shen suddenly opened his eyes, the fear in his dark pupils had not yet completely dissipated.
He was breathing heavily, and the remaining images in his mind were reminding him how absurd the last scene of his dream was.
That man who treated his master so badly in the dream actually looked so much like him—
No, to be precise, that face looks more like his mature self.
He suddenly sat up his upper body, glanced around, and fell on the sleeping face on the consort couch. His eyes suddenly became heavy.
His master did not wake him up but was also unwilling to sleep on the same bed with him.
Xiao Shen got up from the bed, walked barefoot on the ground, and walked silently to the consort couch.
His master’s sleeping face was as peaceful, beautiful, and defenseless as ever. His long, thick eyelashes were like small brushes, quietly casting two shadows on his eyelids. Under his delicate and upturned nose were beautifully shaped lips, which were naturally red, plump, and full. He could even remember the soft and smooth touch.
Three thousand strands of black hair fell down, and he couldn’t help but think of the dream in which his master’s long hair was pulled from behind…
He couldn’t help but kneel on one knee and move closer, his hot breath blowing on his master’s face, and he used his eyes to carefully describe this gorgeous face from a close distance.
How could there be someone so beautiful? It was as if he grew right next to his heart. Just by looking at him, he was filled with love that was about to overflow.
“Hmm…” As if he felt the heat from his face, the sleeping master hummed like a kitten and waved his hand with a little impatience.
Xiao Shen immediately leaned back, barely avoiding his hand, but his eyes were unwilling to leave his face for a moment.
It was this face that was so beautiful in his dreams that it made his heart tremble, and beneath this snow-white undergarment silk, was there a beautiful scenery he had never seen before…
The scenes from the dream came one after another, and Xiao Shen shook his head uncontrollably.
Could it be that he dreamed about what he thought about during the day? He faced his master every day and had dirty thoughts hidden deep in his heart, so he had such vivid dreams at night and even pretended to be someone else in his dreams and did whatever he wanted to his master?
But the ways that man in the dream tortured his master were endless. How could he imagine them? Even the details were so clear and real?
As he was thinking hard, he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his head. Xiao Shen closed his eyes in an attempt to ease the pain.
The only thing that is certain is that the man in the dream is the future emperor. If this dream is really a certain omen, then who else could that man be if not him?
Yes, as long as he stands at the pinnacle of power, no one in this world can snatch his master away from him.
The person who will finally ascend the dragon throne can only be him!
A ruthless light suddenly shot out from his phoenix’s eyes but disappeared without a trace the moment it landed on the sleeping person.
His eyes became soft again. Xiao Shen carefully held the porcelain-white hand and raised it to his lips, his thin lips intimately touching the slightly cool back of the hand.
“I belong to Master, and Master also belongs to me.” He stared at his master with deep eyes. “Master can only be mine…”
“Hmm?” Half asleep and half awake, Shen Qingzhuo slightly raised his eyelashes and called in an unclear voice, “Xiao Qi…”
“I’m here, Master.” Xiao Shen gently rubbed the back of his hand with his lips, as if afraid of disturbing the sleeping beauty, and replied softly, “Go to sleep, I’m here.”
“Alright… go to sleep…” Shen Qingzhuo calmed down, unconsciously pulled back his hand, turned over, and went back to sleep.
The palm of his hand suddenly felt empty, and Xiao Shen slowly clasped his five fingers together, as if trying to grasp the remaining warmth.
“I won’t be that mean to Master.” He said to himself, “As long as, as long as Master doesn’t leave me…”
He couldn’t bear to treat his master so rudely.
***
The next morning, the sky was slightly bright.
Before Shen Qingzhuo opened his eyes, he felt a furry head touching his neck.
The hot breath sprayed behind his ears, causing a shivering numbness in his spine. He couldn’t help but raise his hand to push the head away, but found a heavy arm pressing across his chest.
When he turned his head, he found that his sleeping little disciple was like a koala, with his long and strong limbs wrapped around his body, and he was sleeping soundly.
Shen Qingzhuo thought seriously for a moment. He clearly slept on the consort couch last night, so how come he was back on the bed the moment he opened his eyes in the morning? Could it be that he was half asleep at night and climbed onto the bed again?
It couldn’t be that his little disciple carried him to the bed, right? He is heavy, and if he wanted to move him without waking him up, with his little disciple’s current physique, he should be able to…
At this time, a low and hazy murmur came to his ears. The youth tightened his arms and pressed his face into his neck again.
“Ai…” Shen Qingzhuo felt itchy and his head tilted to the other side, but he did not wake his little disciple up directly. Instead, he gently held the arm on his chest and slowly moved it away.
He stared at the moving forearm nervously, and just when he was about to finish, the strong and sturdy arm fell down and then put it back together again.
Shen Qingzhuo: ……
He tried to move his arm carefully again without giving up but failed just one step away. The arm seemed to be stuck to his body, and he couldn’t get it away no matter what.
Shen Qingzhuo got angry and slapped his little disciple in the face with a loud “pah”.
“En?” Xiao Shen suddenly woke up, blinked his eyelashes blankly, and didn’t seem to be in a bad mood at all. He went over to rub against him in a friendly manner, “Master… what’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing. It’s still early. You should continue to sleep.” Shen Qingzhuo used his hands and feet to push away his little disciple who was clinging to him and got up from the bed.
Xiao Shen was pushed aside by his master obediently. He was in a very happy mood and asked with a smile, “Did Master sleep well last night?”
Shen Qingzhuo paused, “I was just about to ask you, I was clearly sleeping on the consort couch before I went to sleep, did you move me to the bed?”
“No ah!” Xiao Shen shrugged innocently, “I slept very soundly last night. I didn’t even wake up once.”
Shen Qingzhuo frowned slightly, thinking that it was really weird, could it be that he has been sleepwalking?
“What are Master’s plans for today?” Xiao Shen half-propped himself up, his sticky eyes following his master’s movements.
“Go to the morning court first.” Shen Qingzhuo took the black gauze hat and the bright red Feiyu robe and said, “Then continue to investigate the case.”
Since Emperor Guangxi fell ill, the morning court was changed from once every two days to twice a month, and the time of court was also changed from early morning to Chenshi17-9am. Ministers no longer had to go to the palace to attend court in the middle of the night.
During the morning court session, officials above the fourth rank entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony to discuss state affairs with the emperor and other important ministers. Officials of the fourth rank and below lined up outside the hall and were not allowed to enter the hall unless summoned by the emperor.
When Lord Shen arrived, most of the officials attending the court had already arrived. They were divided into two teams according to their civil and military ranks. They did not dare to whisper or chat with each other and could only signal each other with their eyes.
Shen Qingzhuo placed one hand on the Xiuchun Sword, found his own position, and stood still.
At this time, His Highness the Crown Prince, who was sitting in the front left, sensed something and turned to look at him.
If looks could kill, Lord Shen would have been cut into pieces by the Crown Prince’s glare already. However, he seemed unaware of it and even gave the Crown Prince a faint smile.
As soon as Chenshi arrived, the palace gates opened wide, and all civil and military officials filed in one after another.
With Shen Qingzhuo’s rank, he should have stood in the back row of the team, but he was the commander of the Jinyiwei and Beizhen Fushi and had a special status. After entering the hall, he walked to the lower left of the dragon throne and stood opposite to Zou Peng, another commander of the Jinyiwei.
When Shen Qingzhuo entered the Jinyiwei, the former commander had been convicted and imprisoned, and the position of commander of the Jinyiwei became vacant. It was only a matter of time before Zou Peng became the commander, but who knew that Lord Shen would appear halfway, take control of the Beizhen Fushi, and quickly rise to the position of commander-in-chief, on par with Zou Peng?
Fortunately, Lord Zou was open-minded and did not play any tricks. After all, both of them worked for the emperor. One was in charge of guards, displaying ceremonial guards and accompanying him on tours, while the other was in charge of the prison, supervising officials and conducting patrols and arrests. At least on the surface, they don’t interfere with each other.
After a while, Emperor Guangxi appeared on the dragon throne, with Eunuch Su waiting on him.
All the civil and military officials kneeled and kowtowed three times, and Emperor Guangxi slowly spoke: “All the ministers, stand up.”
Generally speaking, officials who reported to the emperor during the morning court had already prepared what memorials to present or what to say in advance, and even civil service officials from the same party and faction had already communicated with each other.
Emperor Guangxi sat high on the dragon throne, listening to the ministers’ speeches, his expression was profound and unpredictable, and his emotions were hard to distinguish.
“Your Majesty, the minister has a memorial.” Said Cao Ren, the deputy minister of the cabinet, as he stepped forward and bowed.
Emperor Guangxi glanced at him and said, “Lord Cao, speak.”
Cao Ren sternly said, “According to the old rules of this dynasty, the princes can be granted titles and fiefdoms when they reach the age of 18. Now that several princes have already reached that age, and they have been living in the deep palace and have not gone to their fiefdoms. This is not in accordance with the etiquette of Dayong.”
Before submitting their memorials, these civil officials were accustomed to using the banners of “old rules” and “rituals” to support their demands.
Upon hearing this, the Third Prince’s expression changed instantly, and the civil service officials in the front row exchanged glances secretly.
Emperor Guangxi also frowned but said nothing.
“Your Majesty, the minimum second the motion.” At this time, the Minister of the Ministry Rites, Fan Zhe, stepped out and bowed, saying, “His Highness the Third Prince is already over 20 years old, but he still lives in the same palace with the Consort Xian. The minister personally thinks it is inappropriate.”
“The minister has a different opinion.” Emperor Guangxi was about to speak, but the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Yan Siqi, stepped out and retorted, “Our ancestors’ etiquette is flexible. When our ancestors established the rules of enfeoffment of princes, it was because the Dayong Dynasty was just established and the situation in various places was unstable, and the kings were urgently needed to guard the fiefdoms. Now that the Dayong Dynasty is peaceful and prosperous and the surrounding foreign countries pay tribute every year, why should we rush to send the princes to their fiefdoms?”
“May I ask Lord Yan, why do you stay in the palace even though you have reached the age of retirement?” Cao Ren sneered, “The ancestral etiquette and laws have their own reasons. Those who do not abide by them probably have ulterior motives!”
As soon as these words were spoken and the hat was put on2Lit. To put a hat on sb, it’s mean to put/pin a (usually political) label on somebody; brand someone with an unwanted negative label; put an unwarranted, unfavorable label., Xiao Hongyao could no longer stand. He stepped out of the line, knelt down, and kowtowed, eagerly expressing his loyalty. “Erchen just wanted to serve Emperor Father for a little longer. Erchen has no second thoughts. Please judge for yourself, Emperor Father!”
The Fourth Prince is stupid, and the other princes have not yet participated in state affairs. Now he is the only prince standing in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Cao Ren’s words were like pointing at his nose and scolding him.
Xiao Yichen followed and pleaded hypocritically, “Emperor Father, Erchen also believes that Third Imperial Brother has no ulterior motives.”
Emperor Guangxi’s face was gloomy and uncertain. He suddenly pointed to the grand secretary of the inner cabinet, Xie Guqian, and said, “Xie Gelao3Cabinet (government) Elder, what do you think?”
Xie Guqian was over sixty years old, with white hair on his temples. Hearing this, he bowed and said, “Your Majesty, the old minister thinks what the Lord said makes sense.”
Shen Qingzhuo slightly tilted his head and looked towards Xie Gelao, who was standing in the center of the hall.
This gelao of the inner cabinet was a veteran of the three reigns of the Dayong Dynasty. He was originally a scholar from a poor family. He entered the inner cabinet during the previous emperor’s reign. During Emperor Guangxi’s reign, he was promoted to the gelao of the inner cabinet. His position in the court remains unshakable to this day.
In the former dynasty and the harem, the struggle between parties has always been in full swing, but Xie Gelao never participated in any party. He was loyal to the Dayong royal family and the emperor of the time all his life.
Emperor Guangxi’s brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and he firmly said, “Zhen knows it in his heart, and we will discuss this matter later.”
Cao Ren wanted to say something else, but when he saw His Highness the Crown Prince out of the corner of his eye, he retreated back to the line.
Shen Qingzhuo curled his lips imperceptibly. The Crown Prince’s Party and the Third Prince’s Party had officially torn their faces apart. Next, the two factions would attack and frame each other, which would be worth watching.
However, he has something more important to do right now.
***
In the imperial prison, death row.
Shen Qingzhuo stood in the dark and smelly cell, looking down at the former Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Lian Zhong, who was lying half-dead on the ground.
At that time, he was ordered to thoroughly investigate the case of fraud in the imperial examination. Almost half of the officials in the Ministry of Rites were dismissed, and many ministers in the Ministry of Personnel and the Hanlin Academy were also implicated. He thought that after investigating to this extent, he should have completely uncovered the filth in the dark, but he did not expect that he still missed a key link—the Eastern Palace.
Fortunately, “the cool breeze arrived, the white dew fell, the cicadas started to sing, and the eagles offered sacrifices to the birds, and the execution began. [1]” Lian Zhong was imprisoned in the death row of the imperial prison after being convicted, but he is still alive, waiting to be executed in the autumn.
Shen Qingzhuo ordered someone to wake Lian Zhong up and then dismissed the Jinyiwei beside him.
“Lord… Shen…” Lian Zhong weakly leaned against the wall, asking intermittently, “Is the time… up?”
Shen Qingzhuo replied calmly, “It’s not time to hit the road yet, Lord Lian, I still have something to ask you.”
“Cough, cough…” Lian Zhong coughed with difficulty, “What should be said… the guilty minister has been said as much as possible…”
“No, Lord Lian has something else that he hasn’t said.” Shen Qingzhuo interrupted him and asked directly, “Is the case of fraud in the imperial examination related to the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lian Zhong’s face twitched unnaturally, and he immediately closed his eyes and replied, “The guilty minister doesn’t know what My Lord is talking about…”
“Lord Lian is loyal and would rather die than betray His Highness the Crown Prince.” Shen Qingzhuo carelessly stroked the Xiuchun Sword with his fingertips. “Let me think about it. What benefits did the Eastern Palace promise to Lord Lian?”
Lian Zhong still closed his eyes and said nothing.
“Could it be…” Lord Shen guessed, “Could it be that the Eastern Palace helped Lord Lian’s family become fugitives?”
Lian Zhong suddenly opened his eyes and uttered in a loud voice, “You, you… Impossible!”
“For fear that Lord Lian would miss his grandson, I specially ordered the Jinyiwei to bring him back.” Shen Qingzhuo smiled slightly and clapped his hands twice.
Kong Shang, who was waiting outside the door, received the order and immediately came in carrying a five or six-year-old boy, “My Lord.”
“Waaaaah! Mother! I want my mother, waaaah…” The boy was too young and didn’t understand anything. He was forcibly taken away by a stranger. He was so scared that he cried loudly all the way. He couldn’t even recognize his grandfather, who was tortured beyond recognition. He just cried by himself and hiccuped.
Lian Zhong suddenly became agitated. His legs were so weak that he could only kneel on the ground and crawl forward. “Haohao…Haohao…”
After finally crawling closer, Kong Shang kicked the man back into the corner, and a faint cry came out of his mouth.
Shen Qingzhuo closed his eyes, then opened them again and said in a cold tone, “If the Eastern Palace can send the people out, the Jinyiwei can naturally catch them back.”
Lian Zhong struggled to get up again. “Don’t touch, don’t touch Haohao…”
The boy seemed to recognize his grandfather’s voice and cried even harder: “Grandpa! Grandpa, there are bad guys! The bad guys are trying to catch Haohao, Grandpa waaawu…”
Shen Qingzhuo turned around, raised his onion-like white fingers, pinched the boy’s red face, and said with a regretful tone, “Ai, such a cute child, I don’t know how many times he will be stabbed.”
Having said that, he slowly drew out the Xiuchun Sword from his waist, and the shiny blade reflected his gorgeous yet cold eyes.
“I will say… I will say!” Lian Zhong screamed in despair and pounded the ground, begging, “He, he is just a child, let him go… I will say!”
“If Lord Lian had cooperated earlier, the child would not have to suffer so much.” The Xiuchun Sword was sheathed again, Shen Qingzhuo waved his hand, and Kong Qianhu immediately took the boy out.
Lord Shen ordered the Jinyiwei to bring paper and brushes and moved a chair to sit in front of Lian Zhong. “Lord Lian, please write as you speak. I will listen carefully.”
Lian Zhong’s hand holding the brush was shaking like a sieve chaff, and he couldn’t write the first word.
“As long as you explain the whole cause and effect clearly and expose the real mastermind behind the scenes, the few remaining members of the Lian family will be safe.” Shen Qingzhuo leaned back in his chair and spoke at a moderate pace, “From now on, Beizhen Fushi will also provide Lord Lian with good food and drink, so that Lord Lian can have a safe journey in the autumn.”
Finally, Lian Zhong gritted his teeth and used the tip of the wolf-hair brush to spread ink spots on the rice paper.
***
After coming out of the death row, Shen Qingzhuo felt dizzy, and his body swayed unsteadily.
The environment in the death row was closed, and the smell was foul. He had been inside for less than half an hour and began to have difficulty breathing.
“My Lord, are you alright?” Kong Shang subconsciously stretched out his hands, but he didn’t dare touch his lord, so he could only ask anxiously.
“No problem.” Shen Qingzhuo exhaled the pent-up air in his chest and ordered, “Hide the child outside the palace first and wait for my next instruction.”
Kong Shang responded without hesitation: “Yes, My Lord!”
Shen Qingzhuo nodded and walked out.
He carried the bloody confession in his arms but was not in a hurry to meet Emperor Guangxi. Instead, he went towards Changle Palace.
He missed his little disciple, and he needed to look at him to confirm that everything he did was necessary.
He was exhausted both physically and mentally when he approached Changle Palace. He heard bursts of miserable wails coming from the palace.
Shen Qingzhuo froze, he was too familiar with this voice.
He immediately quickened his pace and pushed open the half-closed palace door.
In the huge courtyard, the palace servants were kneeling on the ground, and Xiao Shen was holding a long whip with thorns in his hand, whipping the young eunuch who was rolling on the ground in pain.
The young eunuch had been beaten to a pulp, and his blood and flesh had stained the ground red. The scene was bloody and brutal.
“Xiao Qi!” Shen Qingzhuo frowned and shouted, “What are you doing?”
The youth swinging the whip was startled. When he met his master’s shocked eyes, he suddenly woke up as if from a dream. He threw away the whip in his hand as if he were electrocuted and as if he were holding a poisonous snake.
“Master…” Xiao Shen was at a loss and took several steps back. “No… Master, please listen to my explanation!”
Shen Qingzhuo was both shocked and angry. He walked into the palace gate without even looking at him and went straight to the bedchamber. “Come with me!”
The palace attendants kneeling on the ground finally dared to take a breath.
The savior is here!
Xiao Shen quickly turned around and followed his master, but stopped just in front of the door, not daring to step over the threshold.
Shen Qingzhuo didn’t ask him to go in either. He took the ruler off the table and went back to the door. “Explain!”
The youth looked uneasy, like a child who had done something wrong. There was no trace of the cruelty he had just shown when he swung the whip. “Master, I am only punishing—”
“Punishing? This is just pure punishment?” Shen Qingzhuo interrupted him directly, “Let me ask you, if I hadn’t come today, would you have planned to beat that young eunuch to death?”
Xiao Shen feebly defended himself: “Master, I… I didn’t…”
“Who taught you?” Shen Qingzhuo was so angry that his chest hurt and his vision went dark again. “Who taught you to punish palace attendants in such a cruel way?”
He had seen eighteen kinds of torture in prison that made people can’t live but can’t die, and this kind of whipping with barbs was just the beginning. But if the person holding the whip is his little disciple, he would feel suffocated just thinking about it. Not to mention, from a quick glance he had just taken just now, it was clear that his disciple was going to kill him.
“Master, be careful!” Xiao Shen took a step forward quickly and stretched out his hand to hold the staggering master who was about to fall but was slapped away.
Shen Qingzhuo resisted the dizziness in front of his eyes, held the door frame with one hand, and shouted in a low voice, “Kneel down!”
The youth’s hand froze in mid-air, and he immediately retreated back to the door of the hall and obediently kneeled in front of his master.
The youth was tall and slender, but because his legs accounted for a large proportion of his body, when he kneeled down, he still looked like a dumpling from a few years ago, his body is only a small ball.
But this time, Shen Qingzhuo was not softhearted. He lowered his eyes and said coldly, “Stretch out your hand.”
Xiao Shen pursed his lips, stretched out his hands obediently, and raised his palms upwards.
With a “pah” sound, the ruler hit the palm of the hand, leaving a large red spot.
The youth’s body trembled slightly. In order to save his master from bending over, he raised his palms higher, to above his head, so that his master could hit him more easily.
Shen Qingzhuo paused and became even angrier. He slapped his little disciple’s palm fiercely.
“Do you know it’s wrong?”
The author has something to say:
The Master: When punishing my little disciple, I couldn’t bear to hit him anywhere else, so I hit the palm of his hand.
The Wolf Cub: Master has hit me hard. Actually, you can also hit me somewhere else…
The little wolf cub accidentally exposed his tail. He will obediently accept the punishment from his master, but he will not change. Please understand…
Note [1] From the Book of Rites, Monthly Ordinances
