Wen Mingyu kept his head down, eating in small bites, like a small creature being stared at by a fierce beast. His legs couldn’t help but tremble slightly, unable to control the nerves.
Halfway through the meal, feeling choked by the overly quiet atmosphere, Wen Mingyu couldn’t resist stealing a glance, only to once again lock eyes with the tyrant. It was evident that the tyrant had been staring at him all this time.
In a reflexive attempt to shrink away, Wen Mingyu realized it was too obvious as the other had already seen him lift his head. He could only sweetly smile and say, “Your Majesty, these dishes are delicious. Won’t you try them?”
However, Mu Zhan frowned and looked somewhat disdainfully at the sumptuous feast on the table, impatiently saying, “Eat on your own.”
Wen Mingyu wisely kept his mouth shut. He didn’t care whether the tyrant ate or not; he just didn’t want to be stared at. He chuckled, forced himself to continue eating, and tried to hypnotize himself into ignoring that penetrating gaze.
The effect wasn’t substantial, but it helped a bit. Unconsciously, he managed to devour most of the dishes, a veritable sweep.
On the other side, the master of the palace, Mu Zhan, surprisingly didn’t eat much. After a few bites, he stopped with little interest, keeping his eyes fixed on Wen Mingyu, as if observing something.
Mu Zhan lifted his hand, flicked his fingertips, and brought them close to his nose. He could catch a faint fruity fragrance, sweet and not unpleasant. It was the scent he picked up when he touched Wen Mingyu’s face earlier—strange yet familiar.
Mu Zhan lowered his gaze, veiling his emotions, making it impossible for anyone to pry into what he was thinking.
People tend to be less vigilant and experience a slight decrease in intelligence right after they’ve eaten their fill. This statement is not untrue.
Wen Mingyu’s belly was slightly bulging, his face expressing satisfaction. He was more relaxed than when he first entered the palace, until he looked up and saw Mu Zhan. He froze for a moment, and his nerves immediately tightened again.
“Said you didn’t want to eat, but you actually have quite the appetite. Almost finished the entire table of dishes,” he remarked.
Mu Zhan looked at him with a faint, mocking expression.
Hearing the remark, Wen Mingyu felt like exploding and flipping the table. Wasn’t it this guy who told him to eat just now? He even insisted he finish the meal, shut him up, and keep eating. Now he’s complaining that he ate too much?!
Despite the irritation bubbling inside, Wen Mingyu kept a sweet smile on his face, appearing innocent and harmless.
Mu Zhan remained expressionless.
The eunuch holding a dusting brush respectfully approached and requested permission from Mu Zhan. After receiving Mu Zhan’s approval, he signaled the palace servants to remove the remaining dishes.
The palace maids and eunuchs took turns picking up the plates one by one, moving silently around the table in the hall. It was as if ghosts were passing by, creating an eerie silence.
Wen Mingyu’s mouth twitched, feeling even more uncomfortable.
Soon, all the palace servants withdrew, with the chief eunuch walking at the rear.
Wen Mingyu sneakily glanced towards the door, wishing he could leave with them.
“What are you looking at? Haven’t had enough to eat?” Mu Zhan’s voice was calm.
Wen Mingyu immediately turned back, put on a smiling face, and shook his head, saying, “No, I’m very full. I even tried many dishes I’ve never had before. I’m very happy, thank you for Your Majesty’s reward.”
Mu Zhan casually grunted in response.
No one spoke in the room, and the excessive quietness made it feel somewhat eerie.
Wen Mingyu lowered his head, contemplating what to say—something that would avoid triggering the tyrant’s anger yet keep him interested enough not to consider harming him.
A chill ran down his spine, his mind raced, and he quickly formulated a plan in his head. He raised his head, about to speak, “Your Maje…”
Just as he uttered a word, it suddenly turned into a low whisper, and the rest of his words were swallowed back.
Because, he saw the tyrant supporting his chin, closing his eyes, and falling asleep.
How did he suddenly fall asleep?
Wen Mingyu was somewhat surprised, but he also felt a great relief in his heart. It’s good that he’s asleep; now he doesn’t have to face that terrifying gaze and rack his brains to deal with it.
He placed his hand on his chest, taking a couple of deep breaths. No wonder there’s a saying that accompanying the monarch is like accompanying a tiger. Facing the emperor, the psychological pressure is exceptionally immense. Even if one isn’t killed, the stress could lead to an untimely death.
He sat still on the stool for a while, then stole another glance at Mu Zhan. He seemed to be sleeping quite deeply. So, does that mean… he can leave? After all, it wouldn’t be right to disturb the emperor’s sleep, right?
Wen Mingyu hesitated for a few seconds, then slowly stood up, moving with extreme caution, afraid to make any noise that might disturb the tyrant and wake him up.
While sitting, he didn’t feel too much, but as soon as he stood up, his legs turned as weak as overcooked noodles. He almost collapsed to the ground, but luckily, he stood up slowly, giving himself time to react and stabilize. He didn’t make any noise, but he reflexively turned his head to look at Mu Zhan, checking if he had opened his eyes.
Thankfully, he hadn’t.
Wen Mingyu breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, and continued walking towards the door. His movements were slow, resembling an eighty-year-old man with inconvenient legs, taking slow and deliberate steps.
As he saw the door getting closer and closer, the dawn of hope within reach…
Suddenly, a low, hoarse voice sounded behind him.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Wen Mingyu, who had been cautiously making his way towards the door, instantly froze like a statue. His mind went blank, a loud buzzing noise filled his head, his scalp tingled, his body tensed up, and his heart seemed to stop beating. He didn’t dare to turn around.
Mu Zhan remained seated, not moving at all. His eyes, however, opened, and a gaze devoid of warmth fixed onto Wen Mingyu’s back, anchoring him in place.
“Did I permit you to leave? Come back.”
The tone was an indisputable command. Wen Mingyu jolted, shivering all over, and immediately, at an unprecedented speed, sprinted back to the stool. He sat down abruptly, placing both hands on his knees, obediently.
His expression turned incredibly gentle and innocent, as if trying to be as innocent as possible.
“I didn’t leave without permission. I saw Your Majesty asleep, got worried about you catching a cold, and thought of asking the chief eunuch for a blanket.”
His pitch-black, round eyes blinked twice, clear and pure, genuinely resembling someone who never tells lies.
Mu Zhan remained unmoved, gave him a glance, then closed his eyes again, as if intending to continue sleeping.
Wen Mingyu: …..?
So, what’s the point of keeping him here? Does the tyrant, like a three-year-old child, need someone around to sleep?
As soon as he leaves, Mu Zhan can sense it and wake up. Wen Mingyu doesn’t dare to move randomly, so he ends up staying as some sort of mascot. Bored, he looks around at the luxurious and exquisite decorations, glances at the sleeping tyrant for a while, immediately averts his gaze when he realizes, and starts picking at his fingers, entertaining himself.
After an unknown amount of time, Wen Mingyu’s eyelids are getting heavy, and he’s about to doze off with his head tilted when someone walked in.
Wen Mingyu suddenly looked up and saw the eunuch with the dusting brush.
Seemingly surprised as well, the eunuch paused when their eyes met.
Zhao Dequan, the chief eunuch, had come to check because he hadn’t heard the emperor summoning for a while, only to find the emperor actually asleep. A look of shock appeared on his face involuntarily.
Then, he made eye contact with Wen Mingyu, bowed his head in a salute, and quietly retreated, maintaining complete silence.
Wen Mingyu: .…..
Once again, experiencing the feeling of being left behind was truly heart-wrenching.
After a while, Mu Zhan finally woke up, opened his eyes, saw Wen Mingyu still there, didn’t say much, just waved his hand and dismissed him.
So, Wen Mingyu safely returned to his own place.
Sanxi, upon seeing him back, couldn’t believe it and was overjoyed. His1I forgot Sanxi’s gender I’ll edit that after I finish rereading the uploaded translations emotions were so intense that his eyes turned red, almost on the verge of tears.
“I’m so glad you’re safe, Young Master! Why did His Majesty summon you over?”
Wen Mingyu felt a bit dazed, as if he were dreaming. He answered Sanxi in a bewildered manner.
“It seems… I just went to have a meal?”
Moreover, I had a whole table of food, even more than what the tyrant had, and I shamelessly finished off the portion meant for the tyrant.
Sanxi: “……???”
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