Chapter 5: Tyrant
Different from the small wooden tub in Green Bamboo Court, A king's bathing place had a customized location at Tang Quan Court. In there was a large spring. The sides were made of white jade and a dragon head faucet spit out water. Underneath his feet was geothermal heating that was burning warm and cosy.
Wei Lian took off his clothes, and put them on a screen partition. He treaded barefoot as he stepped on the jade stairs, and slowly dipped into the water. His black hair floated on the water, and his moist skin turned red from the heat.
Water droplets followed the path of his delicate collarbone and graceful spine, and streamed down into the water. The youth scooped up a spoonful of water, and poured it down on his own body. The dense mist shrouded his tired yet exquisite eyes.
His eyes that reflected in the water were deep and introverted. He abruptly smiled, and he immediately looked pure and captivating, like a water fairy that sucked people's souls.
Wei Lian didn't tarry too long, and quickly finished wiping his body. He took the clothes that were prepared on the side and put it on. The clothes were flimsy and outlined his thin body.
Wei Lian initially thought that after bathing, he would go back to the bedroom to eat some more candied fruits.
But the palace attendants haven't brought him back. Instead, they went around the screen partition and nudged him toward the items that were on the table. At the table's side was also the eunuch manager Li Fuquan.
Wei Lian looked at those things with no change in expression.
In his inner heart, the sky cracked and the earth quaked.
.....That straw, what is it used for?
That ointment.....where was it supposed to be smeared?
It wasn't that Wei Lian didn't know the answer.
Or rather, by the time he decided to hook up with the King of Qin as his backer, he already knew there would be a day like this.
But, but he was still a sick person?
His fever hasn't cleared, and his injuries haven't healed completely. In the king's eyes, he was still sick and muddle headed.
Just like that, the king still wanted to copulate with him?
Is this something humans would do??
Li Fuquan is the king's close attendant. His judgement is the king's judgement.
The King of Qin doesn't count as a human anymore in Wei Lian's mind.
Ji Yue has yet to know his reputation had been hurt, and was wondering why the youth still hasn't returned in Yang Xin Court.
_
Wei Lian looked at those things and pretended to be ignorant. He held a sickly countenance and the confusion caused by a high fever: "What are those....."
Li Fuquan gave an superficial smile: "Congratulations Wei Shijun, this is a good news. His Majesty has taken a fancy to you (formal), and you will have fortune tonight. It's just that before accepting this fortune, there are many preparations that are essential. One can't sully His Majesty's dragon body. Attendants, come in and give Wei Shijun a wash."
"What are you all doing?" Wei Lian looked lost. Two strong bodied palace attendants quickly came in and held down his arms, with the intention to lay him down on the table.
Wei Lian looked down and clenched his fingers into fists. His eyes surfaced a strand of icy killing intent.
The fleeting icy look sent shivers down the two attendants' backs who felt the air suddenly become colder. Their actions also paused for a moment.
Of course, he could immediately kill these two people.
But that won't do.
This is the Qin Palace, and the one living here was the King of Qin.
He couldn't be rash.
Wei Lian thought for a moment, and his fists opened. The loaded inner energy was dispersed and his expression turned helpless: "Let go of me! You guys let go of me!"
The palace attendants didn't know they just visited the gates of hell, and seeing the cold aura disappeared, they no longer hesitated and pressed the youth down on the table. Another person took the straw and came with the intention of pulling down his pants.
The youth violently struggled and his voice turned shrill: "No——"
Li Fuquan coldly smiled: "Wei Shijun should obediently comply. Only then can you suffer less."
He was only a toy, yet he thought of himself as something important.
The youth paled his face, and mumbled, "I don't want this....."
"What is happening?" A baritone voice sounded. A king wearing his black robes stood in the doorway.
Everyone in the room stopped their movements.
They all kneeled in etiquette: "Nu (servant/slave) greets Your Majesty."
Only Wei Lian instantly slipped weakly to the ground with his hair messed up as he whimpered softly.
When his eyes met Ji Yue, he looked like he saw his savior. He crawled up and knocked into his body, tightly hugging Ji Yue's waist.
Wei Lian buried his face into Ji Yue's chest and quietly sobbed: "Mother, I'm scared."
Ji Yue: "....."
Ji Yue soothingly patted Wei Lian's back. He looked up and his voice was frigid: "What are you all doing?"
Cold sweat started to gather on Li Fuquan's forehead: "Your Majesty took Wei Shijun back to Yang Xin Court. Nu (I) thought Your Majesty wanted to bestow favor (*beep*) to Wei Shijun so.....so gave him....."
It couldn't really be blamed on him for misunderstanding His Majesty's intentions! Throughout the ages, the kings who brought their concubines back to Yang Xin Court, was it not to bestow favor?
At least it wasn't to purely have a conversation under the covers.
Who knew His Majesty didn't have those kind of Intentions.....
Ji Yue's tone was slightly high and very gentle: "Who gave you the power to act on your own?"
He waited in his bedroom for a long time, and felt something was wrong. So, he decided to come over and take a look. The moment he stepped in the doorway, he heard the youth's anguished cries and saw his futile struggle against the people who held him down.
All of his good mood vanished at once.
The people who ruined his mood never really had a good end.
As Li Fuquan heard this, he was immediately scared into kneeling, and kowtowed: "Nu (I) deserve death!"
He served at His Majesty's side for many years, and was naturally very familiar with His Majesty's temperament. Tyrants usually had a hostile and heavy demeanor, and were prone to outbursts to punish or send someone off to death, resembling a beast who ate people.
The King of Qin was different. The King of Qin was born with the look of an elegant and handsome young master, and his actions were naturally graceful. He never raised his voice when scolding someone, and rarely got angry. It's just that.....
It's just that he always brushed it off lightly and smiled as he sent people to death is all.
An unrelenting smiling tiger.
The more gentle His Majesty's voice was, the worser their outcome was.
Li Fuquan's entire body was uncontrollably shaking like a leaf, fearful that his head wouldn't be guaranteed at the very next moment.
"Li Fuquan, you followed Gu (me) for twelve years, your loyalty can be noted. Gu (I) won't kill you." Ji Yue lightly said, "Just don't think that just because you followed Gu (me) for many years that you can arrogantly presume a king's intentions, and control above Gu's (my) head. Go receive thirty lashes."
Li Fuquan immediately kowtowed: "Thank Your Majesty for showing mercy!"
"As for you all." Ji Yue's raised his eyebrow and was emotionless as he stared at the people who were holding Wei Lian down a moment ago.
Their complexions were already dark as dirt. They kneeled on the ground, and their cries for mercy rose and fell: "Spare my life, Your Majesty!"
Ji Yue's heart was not moved: "Drag them away and beat them."
"Spare my life, Your Majesty! Spare my life, Your Majesty!" A few of them started to cry and shout, but were mercilessly dragged away by the guards.
One of them probably knew he was going to die without question, and decided not to beg, directly starting to curse: "Tyrant! You treat people's lives like grass! You definitely won't die peacefully! The Qin Kingdom will be destroyed in your hands!"
Ji Yue's face didn't change: "Gu doesn't want to listen."
The guards understood him, and immediately cut off that person's tongue. Blood squirted out, and a piece of soft meat fell on the floor. That person no longer produced any sounds.
Wei Lian flinched in Ji Yue's arms, and quietly lowered his eyes.
The rumors were not false. The King of Qin was truly.....a tyrant.
Wei Lian had no pity towards those people. It was true that their crime didn't deserve death, but what kind of person was Wei Lian? There were many princes in the Chu Kingdom, and the ones who died early were countless. He could peacefully live to this day because of his tactics and schemes, and his harshness and decisiveness, not one factor was missing. He would never feel meaningless sympathy.
Though it was hard to avoid the feeling when a fox sees a rabbit die.
As he sees it this way, his life is really big (lucky) to live through today. Today, it was these palace attendants who were ordered to be dragged off. Tomorrow, it could be him.
"My Qin would live through thousands of springs and ten thousands of lifetimes. My name Jin Yue will be left on the records of time. A nobody actually dares to wildly speak nonsense with his tongue?" Ji Yue snorted, "How ridiculously laughable."
Wei Lian only pretended to not understand, and tightly hugged him, his body still slightly trembling.
Ji Yue helped support him up, and observed the youth's fragile appearance. He gently said: "You weren't frightened were you?"
The white robed youth raised his head with panicked eyes, and after a while, nodded his head, and then shook his head.
"You're here. I'm no longer afraid."
Right after Wei Lian finished, he fainted in Ji Yue's arms.
Translator's Note:
Let me explain about the beating. It is called Zhang Bi in Chinese, which consisted of beating the buttocks with a large wooden/bamboo stick. People usually died under this punishment from blood circulation problems if they didn't have connections.
Yep, Ji Yue is a tyrant alright. As shitty as he is now, he turns into a puppy dog later.
Comments
Post a Comment