The Imperial Study is a solemn place where national matters and military affairs converge. It is a place revered by many, where countless scholars dream of presenting their ideas and contributing to the nation.
Yet, this incapable emperor’s behavior showed complete disrespect for this sacred place.
Yin Wuzhi had grown up in the southern lands, spending time with a group of rough soldiers. It wasn’t uncommon for them to cool off together in the rivers during hot days.
But none of them had ever made him feel such pressure.
First, there were the kisses. Without a doubt, Yin Wuzhi had been coerced. Without a doubt, he loathed Jiang Wu. At least, he was supposed to loathe him. He couldn’t accept how his body, seemingly influenced by some hallucinogenic drug, had responded against his will.
Now, Jiang Wu was escalating, humiliating him further.
It had to be humiliation.
Forcing him to strip in a place like this—what other explanation could there be?
Yin Wuzhi’s eyes were red, filled with anger and murderous intent. He stared at Jiang Wu, enunciating each word clearly, “Absurd.”
He had already defied orders in the past, and now, refusing such an absurd demand was only natural.
Yin Wuzhi did not disappoint the Emperor. As expected of a figure destined to be an illustrious ruler, even in his youth, he carried himself with dignity and grace, unable to endure humiliation.
Why couldn’t they just get along? There was no need to hurt each other.
The Emperor didn’t want to deal with memorials, and Yin Wuzhi didn’t want to strip. It should have been a win-win situation.
Just as the Emperor was about to end it, he had a sudden thought—
Wouldn’t this expose that his threats to Yin Wuzhi were merely out of reluctance? What if Yin Wuzhi saw through his plan and realized that he simply didn’t want to do work? What if Yin Wuzhi used that against him in the future?
He had to insist a little longer, at least to make Yin Wuzhi believe that he truly was absurd and corrupt, driven by lust. Only then would Yin Wuzhi feel genuinely threatened and fearful of him.
“So, the young lord doesn’t care about his father’s life?”
It wasn’t that he didn’t care, but he was certain that his father would rather die in battle alongside him than see his son lose his dignity and serve the emperor with his body like a mere plaything.
Such behavior would only bring disgrace upon his family, even if it was done in the name of filial piety. It could lead to shame and reproach from their clan.
Yin Wuzhi gave Jiang Wu a contemptuous glance.
Very well, the Emperor could finally let it go. He nodded and said, “In that case, carry me out of the Imperial Study.”
Was he really being let off?
Yin Wuzhi stared at him for a moment, slowly realizing something. He said in a low voice, “You’re just trying to avoid approving the memorials, so you’re forcing me to do things I don’t want to do.”
He’d been seen through after all.
The Emperor’s outstretched arms slowly lowered. His clear eyes stared at Yin Wuzhi. He didn’t defend himself because doing so would only confirm Yin Wuzhi’s suspicions.
In a soft, slow voice, he asked, “Does Beloved Minister Yin want to satisfy me?”
“…” No way.
The Emperor realized he couldn’t be too lenient now. He asked, “You’re unwilling?”
Yin Wuzhi frowned, annoyed. “Don’t change the subject.”
You’re not allowed to change the subject. The Emperor said, “Yin Wuzhi, let me make this clear: whether I approve the memorials or not, you’re undressing.”
“…” In your dreams.”
“I want to see you,” Jiang Wu said. “If you don’t show me, I’ll summon Chen Ziyan to the palace. I’m sure one of you will satisfy me.”
The murderous intent that had just subsided within Yin Wuzhi surged back in an instant.
What was this Emperor saying? What satisfaction… How could he be so shameless? He already had him, and now he wanted Chen Ziyan too? No, he had already been humiliated, and now he wanted to harm his brother as well?
…Had Chen Ziyan been forced to kiss him too?
“You,” Yin Wuzhi struggled to say, “Did you also make him… serve you in bed?”
As for Chen Ziyan, Jiang Wu hadn’t gone that far. Chen Ziyan’s value had only been in forcing Yin Wuzhi to enter the palace. Jiang Wu hadn’t held much of a grudge against him.
After all, if he accidentally provoked Chen Ziyan to the point of rebellion and ended up killed by him, then all of the Emperor’s efforts would have been in vain.
Jiang Wu didn’t give him a direct answer. “Yin Wuzhi, I hope you understand. Whatever I tell you to do, you will do. This has nothing to do with whether I approve the memorials or attend court. It’s purely based on my mood. Whatever I want, I get.”
“Did you make Chen Ziyan serve you?”
Yin Wuzhi was clearly a man of deep loyalty and affection, showing great concern for his friend. Even while trapped in his own ordeal, he was still worried about his friend’s honor.
Jiang Wu still didn’t answer. With a blank expression, he said, “Call me Your Majesty.”
“Your Majesty.” Yin Wuzhi stared at him, determined to know whether his friend had been defiled by the Emperor.
“Did Chen Ziyan serve you?”
“Are you vying for favor?”
“…” Yin Wuzhi swore on his life that there was no such thing.
“You have no right to pry into my life.” Pessimist turned to the side, his black hair cascading down, his delicate but lifeless face resting directly on the desk. He tilted his head, looking at Yin Wuzhi: “Hurry up, don’t make me angry.”
Perfect. Yin Wuzhi looked even more furious than before.
Who told him to see through Pessimist’s weakness? To avoid being manipulated himself, he had to strike first and manipulate others.
Jiang Wu probably humiliated Chen Ziyan in the same way. Yin Wuzhi remembered that when he came to take his friend home that day, Chen Ziyan was dressed similarly to how he was now—loose robes with flowing sleeves, exuding elegance, with even his long hair loosely tied at the back.
Chen Ziyan had never dressed so disheveled.
In Jiang Wu’s eyes, both he and Chen Ziyan were just playthings.
This incapable emperor truly deserved to die.
Yin Wuzhi’s hand reached for his belt.
One day, he would kill this man to avenge his friend’s dishonor.
…There was nothing to hide, really. If it was a matter of physique, Yin Shizi had never feared comparison with anyone. But undressing in front of Jiang Wu wasn’t about showing off—it was to ensure his friend’s safety.
Lowering his eyes, with mist gathering under his lashes, Yin Wuzhi couldn’t help but wonder: In Jiang Wu’s eyes, was Chen Ziyan more attractive, or was he?
Jiang Wu’s gaze lingered on him without any pretense, as if he were evaluating a product: “Beloved Minister Yin, so many scars on your body.”
Yin Wuzhi reflexively retorted: “These are a man’s badges of honor. Does Chen Ziyan have any?”
Jiang Wu: “?”
Yin Wuzhi: “…”
How did he end up comparing himself to Chen Ziyan? This incapable emperor must have drugged him again.
Just then, footsteps approached, and Qi Hanmiao’s voice came through: “Take it slow, Empress Dowager.”
“It’s fine, I can walk on my own. You go ahead.”
The footsteps grew closer. Whether it was because the emperor was slow to react or simply didn’t care, his expression didn’t change in the slightest.
Empress Dowager Wen pushed the door open with a smile, but her face froze slightly upon seeing the scene.
Yin Wuzhi lifted an arm and hastily pulled his clothes back over his shoulders, but in that moment, the Empress Dowager had already caught a glimpse of his youthful, muscular body and the numerous scars—the badges of honor of a man.
Yin Wuzhi’s ears flushed red as he awkwardly fumbled with his belt, unsure whether to tie it or leave it undone.
As he hastily dressed, his chest and abdomen muscles rose and fell slightly, soon covered again by his hastily drawn robes.
Yin Wuzhi was so embarrassed that he couldn’t even lift his head.
Empress Dowager Wen quietly took a step back and gently closed the door.
Yin Wuzhi quickly finished dressing. He glanced at the emperor, whose head was still resting on the desk, his breathing quickened. Forcing himself to remain calm, Yin Wuzhi stood up, walked to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it.
“Empress Dowager, you must have business with His Majesty. I won’t intrude.”
With that, he swiftly disappeared from the Empress Dowager’s sight.
The Empress Dowager frowned slightly and stepped into the room.
Jiang Wu didn’t move. He was still thinking about how childish Yin Wuzhi was. It was just taking off his clothes—how could he get so embarrassed? Who knows what he would have to go through to become the so-called eternal emperor.
Someone approached him, and the Empress Dowager tilted her head to look into his eyes. Smiling faintly, she reached out and gently adjusted his head back to its normal position, half-chiding: “What were you and Yin Wuzhi doing just now?”
“Playing.”
“Playing?” The Empress Dowager sat beside him, took out a bird’s nest soup from the food box, and said, “At your age, you’re still playing undress?”
“He wanted to show me his badges of honor.”
The Empress Dowager covered her mouth and laughed for a moment, then grew serious: “Are you really not going to let Yin Wuzhi go back?”
“Mm.”
“Do you really like him?”
“Mm.”
The Empress Dowager’s gaze darkened for a moment. She took the spoon handed to her by a maid and scooped out some bird’s nest soup to feed him. “But after all, he is the only son of the Yin family. Doing this will anger King Dingnan.”
Jiang Wu had no appetite.
He rested his face back on the desk, avoiding the spoon offered by the Empress Dowager. “I am the emperor. I can do whatever I want.”
“Wu Er,” the Empress Dowager seemed to want to scold him. Her gaze fell on the pinch marks on his philtrum, and she swallowed her words. “If you feel wronged, you can tell me. But now that you’re in this position, you can’t act recklessly.”
Jiang Wu didn’t understand what she meant. “Was I reckless before?”
If that was the case, it would explain things. This incapable emperor was never a good person to begin with, which is why he would eventually be killed.
The Empress Dowager found herself at a loss for words.
Facing Jiang Wu’s emotionless stare, she stammered, “That’s not what I meant.”
Jiang Wu: “?”
The Empress Dowager pursed her lips and chose to skip the topic. “Alright, let’s not talk about unhappy things. Have some bird’s nest soup. I made it myself—you used to love it.”
“I don’t want any.”
Jiang Wu shifted his position, his face rolling on the desk until the back of his head faced the Empress Dowager.
Why did everyone keep trying to feed him? The pleasures of food were the most unnecessary things in the world.
Left standing in silence, the Empress Dowager gazed at him for a while with a complicated expression, then rose and quietly left the imperial study.
She didn’t know why Jiang Wu had become like this, but Qi Hanmiao had already briefed her and the Great Empress Dowager about the events that had taken place while they were away from the palace.
Jiang Wu had picked up a knife and cut his own throat.
The Empress Dowager’s heart sank as she recalled this.
What could have driven a man who had already ascended the throne, with power, wealth, and luxury within his grasp, to give it all up and seek death?
But since Jiang Wu wasn’t willing to talk to her, she thought, perhaps the only way to find out was through the emperor’s closest companion.
She inquired along the way and heard that Yin Wuzhi had gone to the imperial garden, so she led people there.
“Ah Zhi?”
Yin Wuzhi was lying on an osmanthus tree, the pale yellow flowers concealing his figure and blocking his blank expression.
The Empress Dowager passed under the tree: “Ah Zhi? I have something to discuss with you. Could you come down?”
Yin Wuzhi, on the tree, remained motionless, his face showing signs of withdrawal.
He had perfectly mastered the essence of melancholy.
Meanwhile, in another place, Jiang Wu laid slumped on a desk, his face resting on the table, his hands hanging down as he, too, began to space out.
As daylight grew stronger, Empress Dowager Wen wandered around the imperial garden but couldn’t find Yin Wuzhi, so she eventually left.
After she departed, Yin Wuzhi rolled over on the osmanthus tree.
At the same time, Jiang Wu’s face shifted again, rolling from one side to the other on the desk.
And then, he fell asleep.
It was unclear how much time had passed when the flower clouds trembled. Yin Wuzhi removed the wide sleeve covering his face, squinting at the light spilling through the sky.
If he didn’t return, that guy would stay in the imperial study, perhaps falling asleep randomly somewhere again. If he caught a cold… it would cause trouble for others.
Taking a deep breath, he flipped over and leaped down from the osmanthus tree.
In the imperial study, someone approached Jiang Wu, gently placing a blanket over him.
A hand grasped his shoulder, carefully lifting his head to rest on their shoulder, then slid beneath his knees, cradling him.
The doors of the imperial study were wide open, and Yin Wuzhi stood at the steps below.
He looked at the figure of Sixteen and at the lifeless Jiang Wu in his arms.
“?”
