Yin Wuzhi started lying, something Jiang Wu hadn’t anticipated.
He had become so bold, even daring to deceive the emperor.
Forced to listen to him read a few memorials, Jiang Wu casually responded with “mm-hmm” while pondering whether he had been too lenient on Yin Wuzhi.
But thinking back on how he’d treated Yin Wuzhi since his arrival at the palace, leniency didn’t seem to be the issue. Even though he would slack off when feeling particularly lazy and depressed, he’d still been methodically humiliating Yin Wuzhi.
Was the humiliation not harsh enough? Why would Yin Wuzhi dare challenge his authority? Shouldn’t he be crushed beneath the weight of this tyrant, secretly plotting his downfall?
Jiang Wu rested his head on Yin Wuzhi’s shoulder, tilting slightly to stare at him.
“This one is from Xiangzhou,” Yin Wuzhi said. “The New Year is approaching, and King Xiang requests to return for a family visit and to pay respects at the ancestral shrine…”
Sensing Jiang Wu’s gaze, the side of Yin Wuzhi’s face started to tingle. He steadied his voice and said, “This is a family matter, Your Majesty. I dare not overstep. I await Your Majesty’s decision.”
Yin Wuzhi held the memorial in his hands, waiting a few moments.
Jiang Wu was still staring at him.
Yin Wuzhi: “…Is there something on my face, Your Majesty?”
“I’m just admiring.”
“Admiring… what?”
“Admiring beauty.”
“…”
Yin Wuzhi’s face flushed red.
The arm around Jiang Wu lifted, and the emperor looked down, only to see five fingers reaching out toward him. Before he could react, his cheek was suddenly pinched.
His face was forcibly turned back to face the table.
Yin Wuzhi, with a stern expression, said, “King Xiang requests to return to the capital. Does Your Majesty approve or not?”
King Xiang was the fifth son of the previous emperor, making him Jiang Wu’s younger brother and the crown prince’s full brother. In other words, he and Yin Wuzhi were cousins. During the previous power struggle, King Xiang had been firmly on the side of the crown prince. After the crown prince’s death and King Qi’s crippling, the former emperor exiled King Xiang to Xiangzhou.
As Jiang Wu recalled from history, this King Xiang would eventually be killed by the tyrant emperor. And since the tyrant wasn’t going anywhere, King Xiang was destined to die in the capital.
He had to let him come back.
Since the tyrant would eventually kill him, and the tyrant wouldn’t be running away, it was clear King Xiang was fated to die in the capital.
But as a wandering spirit, apart from occasionally indulging in theatrical antics, Jiang Wu had been largely indifferent to the world around him, let alone the distant past, so he only had a vague understanding of history. He didn’t know exactly when or how King Xiang would die.
Ah…
He sighed inwardly, lost in thought.
Guess he’d have to handle it his own way.
Once King Xiang arrived, he could find some excuse to kill him, making sure Yin Wuzhi witnessed the tyrant emperor’s ruthless and bloodthirsty side. Maybe that would speed up Yin Wuzhi’s plan to overthrow him.
Yin Wuzhi looked at Jiang Wu’s expressionless face. “Your Majesty?”
That didn’t seem right. When he was still a prince, Jiang Wu had a good relationship with the former crown prince. King Xiang was the crown prince’s younger brother, so Jiang Wu naturally would be close to him as well. Now, with the New Year approaching, King Xiang’s request to return to the capital for a family visit was perfectly reasonable. Why was he taking so long to decide?
Could the rumors have been wrong?
“Mm.” Jiang Wu nodded. “Allow it.”
“Then Your Majesty needs to write your approval here.”
“You write it.”
“I cannot,” Yin Wuzhi said. “This memorial needs to be sent back to Xiangzhou. It must have Your Majesty’s personal handwriting.”
Yin Wuzhi’s tone was still gentle. Given that King Xiang had been involved in the previous power struggle, he was probably more adept at reading the emperor’s intentions than most. If the response wasn’t in Jiang Wu’s handwriting, King Xiang might either hesitate to return or, worse, hold a grudge against whoever wrote the response.
Reluctantly, Jiang Wu picked up the pen.
With careful, deliberate strokes, he wrote the character for “approved.”
Though lazy, Jiang Wu’s handwriting was impeccable.
After finishing the character, he seemed to drain all his energy and slumped back into Yin Wuzhi’s arms. “That’s enough for today. I don’t want to read anymore.”
“No,” Yin Wuzhi said, closing the memorial. “There’s still King Qi’s message of greetings to go through.”
King Qi was crippled and exiled by the former emperor, so he couldn’t return to the capital. However, his greetings still came regularly. Whether it was him personally or his aides sending the messages was uncertain.
Jiang Wu, deadpan, said, “He’s sending me greetings. Do I have to send some back?”
Yin Wuzhi paused.
So it was true—Jiang Wu really did have deep feelings for the crown prince King Xiang. But after King Qi caused the crown prince’s death, Jiang Wu couldn’t even bear to look at his memorials?
“Also,” Yin Wuzhi continued, “there have been reports of bandits near Qi’s territory. The local officials have sent troops several times but have been unable to eradicate them. It seems these bandits are well-trained. King Qi suspects they may be from Zhao, given the proximity to the Zhao border.”
Jiang Wu was numb.
What was Yin Wuzhi talking about? Bandits? Officials? The Zhao border?
Why does he have to endure such torment?
It’s not just mountain bandits causing trouble—what does a mere “Pessimist” like him have to do with anything, even if it’s a war between two nations?
All this “Pessimist” wanted was to try to salvage the crumbling history, not actually become the emperor.
“Does such a trivial matter really require my personal decision?” The “Pessimist” said, “Do I feed you officials just to be useless?”
… Angry?
He really does dislike King Qi.
Yin Wuzhi lightly pressed his head and said, “Alright, let’s switch to something else. We won’t talk about that.”
Jiang Wu: “…”
No, don’t switch the subject. He wants to leave, he doesn’t want to stay in the imperial study anymore.
So exhausting. Why does anyone want to be emperor, review memorials, when they could just float around like a ghost, doing nothing?
Please, heaven, take him.
Let him return to the beginning of his memory, with no eyes, no ears, no awareness, no thoughts—just existing, or not existing, would be fine.
Why do people have to live, why do they have to exist?
Yin Wuzhi had already opened another memorial and said, “Your Majesty, look at this.”
Who gave you the courage to assign work to me?
Who gave you the confidence to think you could boss me around?
In a flash of thought, the “Pessimist” looked at Yin Wuzhi again and said, “Kiss me.”
Yin Wuzhi didn’t react.
“Yin Wuzhi,” Jiang Wu said, “kiss me.”
Perhaps he had been too lenient with Yin Wuzhi, not humiliating him enough. He needed to double, triple the insult.
If Yin Wuzhi wanted to threaten a “Pessimist,” he would have to pay the price.
Yin Wuzhi stared at the open memorial, but the words were a blur.
“Kiss me, you have to kiss me.” His stillness satisfied Jiang Wu a little. Slowly, he said, “For every memorial I read, you kiss me once, or I won’t read.”
If Yin Wuzhi forced him to do something he didn’t want to do, naturally, the “Pessimist” would force him back.
He gradually relaxed, even reaching out to stroke the back of Yin Wuzhi’s hand. “Beloved Minister Yin, you’re so beautiful. If you give me a little sweetness, I can stay here in the study a bit longer.”
Yin Wuzhi’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he pulled his fingers back into his sleeves, saying softly, “Your Majesty, don’t joke.”
“I’m not joking.” Jiang Wu’s fingers slipped into his sleeve, brushing against his wrist, as he tilted his head and said, “Beloved Minister Yin is my male plaything. Pleasing me is your duty.”
Yin Wuzhi stiffened, looking sharply at Jiang Wu.
Jiang Wu’s clear, watery eyes stared back unblinking: “A male plaything should act like one, making sure to keep me happy and letting me enjoy myself.”
This was blatant humiliation.
Yin Wuzhi’s face turned pale. “You… you tyrant.”
“Kiss me.”
Jiang Wu didn’t care what he said. He could hear Yin Wuzhi’s increasingly erratic breathing and see the frustration and helplessness on his face. Without a doubt, Yin Wuzhi was fed up with him.
He spoke in a commanding tone, “Hurry up, don’t make me do it myself.”
They both sat on cushions at the table. Yin Wuzhi’s hands were clenched on the ground, and his eyes were turning red.
“male plaything,” “enjoy,” “please”…
These words felt like loud slaps across his face.
He was the heir to King Dingnan, a major general in the Eagle Army, a man of high status—who would dare not treat him with respect? Only Jiang Wu dared to attach such degrading labels to him.
“I’ll count to three. If you don’t kiss me, I’ll summon your father to the palace.” In the end, the “Pessimist” won, watching as Yin Wuzhi’s eyes reddened more and more, feeling increasingly proud: “And then I’ll…”
Yin Wuzhi cut him off with a kiss.
“Tyrant, tyrant, tyrant.”
One day, he would cut off the tongue of this tyrant, so he could never again threaten or humiliate him.
… So soft, so sweet.
He caught a faint whiff of osmanthus fragrance, lingering and soothing.
“Kiss—”
The “Pessimist”: “?”
He… he kissed him?
Realizing what he had done, Yin Wuzhi’s eyelashes trembled in shame.
It must be… it must be some kind of drug.
There must be something hallucinogenic on this tyrant, otherwise, there was no explanation for what had just happened.
Tears welled up at the corners of his reddened eyes. He quickly distanced himself from Jiang Wu and coldly asked, “Can we continue?”
The “Pessimist” dutifully returned to reviewing the memorials. The lightness of humiliating Yin Wuzhi was once again replaced by the weight of the situation.
Yin Wuzhi… really wasn’t good at resisting.
Why not just let himself be bullied a little more, instead of resisting?
If he refused to kiss, and the “Pessimist” refused to review the memorials, wouldn’t they both be happy?
Why hurt each other?
Jiang Wu patiently finished one memorial, and Yin Wuzhi opened the next, saying, “Continue.”
Jiang Wu’s suffering wasn’t over, and naturally, neither was Yin Wuzhi’s.
“Kiss.”
Yin Wuzhi was completely unwilling. Whose empire was this anyway? If Jiang Wu didn’t want to read, why should he have to endure humiliation just to make him?
Yin Wuzhi quickly kissed his face, but the “Pessimist” corrected him: “Mouth. Kiss my mouth.”
Yin Wuzhi stared at him, red-eyed, for a moment. He swore he didn’t want to kiss Jiang Wu at all, not even a little!
Successful with the kiss, Jiang Wu read another memorial, and when Yin Wuzhi opened the next one, he demanded again: “Kiss.”
What could Yin Wuzhi do? He had no choice but to kiss him, tears in his eyes.
By the eighth kiss, Yin Wuzhi opened a memorial, and unexpectedly, a tear fell onto the paper.
The “Pessimist”: “Ugh.”
Yin Wuzhi immediately closed the memorial, opened another, and quickly wiped his face with his sleeve, trying to save face: “That one was a bit tricky, I’ll handle it later.”
The Emperor thought for a moment and said, “Yin Wuzhi.”
Yin Wuzhi didn’t look at him.
“I feel it’s not enough,” the Emperor felt the humiliation wasn’t enough yet. How dare he still present memorials to him? The Emperor glanced at Yin Wuzhi’s clothes and said, “They’re an eyesore.”
Yin Wuzhi, who thought the Emperor had finally had a change of heart: “?”
“Your clothes, they’re an eyesore,” the Emperor said casually. “I want to see your body.”
Outside the Taiji Hall, a royal sedan chair arrived.
Qi Hanmiao hurried forward, “This servant greets Empress Dowager Wen. Are you here to see His Majesty?”
“The Great Empress Dowager is still worried, so I came to check personally.”
“His Majesty is currently busy with the young lord shizi in the Imperial Study. Would you like to wait, or…”
“Ah Zhi is here too?” Empress Dowager Wen smiled, “How fortunate. I’ll head to the Imperial Study and bring them some snacks.”
Inside the Imperial Study.
Yin Wuzhi was trembling with anger.
Jiang Wu remained indifferent. “If you don’t show me, I won’t approve the memorials.”
![Sick Beauty [Rebirth]](https://i1.wp.com/lazygirltranslations.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/007S8ZIlgy1gitg84z0hfj30rs12wmzj-1.jpeg?resize=151,215 "Sick Beauty [Rebirth]")
