Jiang Wu didn’t even look at him.
Yin Wuzhi seemed unaware of the situation. Even if Jiang Wu truly liked him, given his status, forcing someone like him to stay in the palace wasn’t something a mere noble could easily defy.
In a casual tone, but with words directed at his great grandmother, Jiang Wu said, “If he must leave, that’s fine. I’ll just abdicate and go wherever he goes.”
Another silence fell, and the Great Empress Dowager’s expression darkened further.
Jiang Wu, in an indifferent tone, concluded, “That’s the deal—either he stays, or I go with him.”
If abdicating meant failing to repair history, there was no need to waste more effort. Once out of the palace, he would end his life and continue being a happy ghost.
After all, he had done his best.
But history was not so easily altered. Just as when his suicide attempt was thwarted, the Great Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Wen were shocked and furious, but neither directly told him to step down from the throne.
Of course, they didn’t have the authority to do so. The one in charge now was Jiang Wu, the ruler of the land, the one whose word was law. As elders, they could advise, assist, or even scold him, but if Jiang Wu was determined to do something, they could only watch helplessly.
Finally, the Great Empress Dowager said, “Yin Shizi, please come with Aijia.”
Jiang Wu could roughly guess what she would say—probably advising Yin Wuzhi to bear with it for now, claiming he was just temporarily out of his mind. Since Jiang Wu had insisted on keeping Yin Wuzhi, she certainly wouldn’t help him leave and go against Jiang Wu.
But she would likely find another opportunity to persuade Jiang Wu.
The torrential rain gradually turned into a light drizzle. When Yin Wuzhi returned, Jiang Wu was still lying on the same low couch, in the same position, with his head turned toward the outside.
His loose hair covered most of his face, leaving only a pale ear visible.
Lazy, careless, unkempt.
Utterly detestable.
Yin Wuzhi turned and sat in the chair farthest from Jiang Wu inside the room.
Jiang Wu remained lying there, not moving, not trying to amuse himself with Yin Wuzhi.
As Yin Wuzhi calmed his mind, he realized Jiang Wu was asleep, his breathing steady.
The gloomy sky grew darker, the rain never stopped, and a gust of cold wind blew in. Yin Wuzhi looked up just in time to see the foolish emperor on the couch shivering from the cold.
“Qi Hanmiao.” The just-awakened emperor’s voice was slightly hoarse. “Qi Hanmiao, I’m cold.”
Qi Hanmiao had been summoned by the Great Empress Dowager for a lecture and hadn’t returned yet.
Yin Wuzhi casually picked up a jade teapot from a small table stove and poured himself a cup of hot tea.
Another small gust of wind blew in.
Even Yin Wuzhi, sitting inside, could feel the chill, let alone the foolish emperor lying outside in the corridor. Jiang Wu curled up on the couch, his foggy mind slowly clearing in the cold wind.
“Qi Hanmiao.” He called repeatedly, his voice warm and lazy, lingering and sticky: “Qi Hanmiao, Qi Hanmiao, Qi Hanmiao…”
Yin Wuzhi calmly sipped his tea, watching coldly.
Finally, in response to Jiang Wu’s persistent calls, there was movement outside, and Qi Hanmiao’s distant voice echoed: “Your servant is here, coming right away.”
He rushed in, panting, “Your Majesty, this old servant has returned.”
Jiang Wu didn’t ask where he had been, seemingly indifferent to it. Upon hearing his voice, Jiang Wu didn’t even turn to look, but instead, curled up and murmured, “I’m cold.”
Qi Hanmiao quickly fetched a blanket to cover Jiang Wu and ordered a warmer to be placed in his hands. “Your Majesty, is that better?”
Jiang Wu nodded, blinking a few times as warmth returned to his body. Only then did he have the mind to think of something else: “Where has Beloved Minister Yin gone?”
“His Highness Shizi…” Qi Hanmiao replied, “He’s sitting in the back.”
“Who allowed him to sit?” Jiang Wu said, “Tell him to come kneel here.”
Qi Hanmiao glanced secretly at Yin Wuzhi, only to be met with a cold stare that sent a shiver down his spine. He tried to change the subject, “Your Majesty, the sky is almost dark. You haven’t eaten anything yet; shall I order dinner to be served?”
He nearly forgot that even emperors need to eat.
“Alright.” Jiang Wu rubbed his stomach. “Tell Beloved Minister Yin to come here.”
Resigned to his role as the messenger, Qi Hanmiao turned, “Your Highness Shizi?”
Yin Wuzhi stared at the foolish emperor for a few moments before setting down his teacup heavily.
Qi Hanmiao wasted no time, rushing to arrange the meal and leaving the space for the two of them.
Yin Wuzhi once again looked down at him from above.
Jiang Wu didn’t care about his rudeness, “I want to go inside.”
Yin Wuzhi turned sideways, making room for him.
The slothful spirit, of course, wouldn’t walk by himself. “Carry me inside.”
Yin Wuzhi: “?”
Jiang Wu pointed to the table where Yin Wuzhi had been drinking water. Next to it was a large, soft chair, specially made for him after he arrived. It was so comfortable that it could completely envelop a person.
He said, “Carry me there. I want to wait for dinner.”
Yin Wuzhi didn’t move.
Jiang Wu said, “If you don’t obey, I’ll strip you of your clothes and lock you in a cage.”
Yin Wuzhi responded, “Is Your Majesty a young maiden?”
Jiang Wu shook his head.
The sarcasm had no effect. Yin Wuzhi, suppressing his anger, said, “I can’t carry Your Majesty.”
“You’ll have to.”
Yin Wuzhi sighed, “…If I drop you, it’s on you.”
“If I fall, I’ll summon your father to serve me in the palace.”
“You…”
“Hmm?” Jiang Wu tilted his head, clearly provoking him, but his eyes were like glass, devoid of any emotion.
Yin Wuzhi’s chest heaved as he abruptly yanked the blanket off the slothful emperor. With the warmth gone, Jiang Wu involuntarily shrank his neck, holding the hand warmer, and a slight smile appeared on his lips as he saw Yin Wuzhi’s menacing expression.
Yin Wuzhi frowned deeply, clearly at a loss on how to deal with him. Seeing this, he coldly asked, “What are you smiling at?”
“Hurry and carry me.”
Jiang Wu was like a terrifying beast to Yin Wuzhi. He forced himself to stay calm as he reached out, suppressing his disgust, and after closing his eyes tightly for a moment, he reluctantly placed his hands on Jiang Wu’s shoulders.
Jiang Wu dropped the hand warmer and took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Yin Wuzhi’s neck.
He was only wearing a thin, light gold inner robe made of fine silk, which was soft and close-fitting. Having just been wrapped in the blanket, it still retained some warmth, and when pressed against Yin Wuzhi, it felt uncomfortably intimate.
Yin Wuzhi instinctively grabbed his arms but immediately heard Jiang Wu say, “That hurts.”
The bruise left earlier in the morning had already turned a dark purple. It didn’t hurt unless touched, but when it was, the pain was sharp.
Jiang Wu remembered this only after feeling the pain. “You’ll need to properly apply the medicine for me later. If you injure my royal body again, I’ll strip you of your clothes, and I mean it.”
The threat worked. Yin Wuzhi released his grip on his wrists, lifted him up, and placed him on the designated chair. Then he immediately turned to leave—
“Stop.”
Yin Wuzhi froze with his back to him, his muscles silently tensing, as if he had just suffered a great humiliation.
Jiang Wu touched the cup Yin Wuzhi had used earlier. It was still warm, and he knew what it meant. He said, “When I said I was cold earlier, you were sitting right here.”
It wasn’t a question, but a statement.
Yin Wuzhi replied, “Your Majesty was calling for Qi Hanmiao earlier.”
So heartless. Jiang Wu said, “Kneel.”
A ruler’s order for a subject to die could not be disobeyed. No matter how much resentment Yin Wuzhi harbored in his heart, he still knelt down, though he did so with defiance.
His back was straight, and his chin was held high. Although he wasn’t facing Jiang Wu, every line of his body expressed his resistance.
When Qi Hanmiao entered the hall to serve the meal, Yin Wuzhi was still kneeling. Not daring to ask questions, Qi Hanmiao instructed the servants to place the dishes on the round table. Only then did Jiang Wu graciously say, “You may rise.”
Yin Wuzhi didn’t move, his voice icy as he said, “I’m not hungry.”
“Who said you were to eat?” Jiang Wu replied, “Get up and feed me.”
Yin Wuzhi: “…”
Qi Hanmiao tried to intervene, “Your Majesty, I can serve the dishes.”
“Let Beloved Minister Yin do it.”
His attempt to save Yin Wuzhi failed, and he could only stand awkwardly to the side.
After waiting a long time for Yin Wuzhi to act, Jiang Wu lifted his foot and kicked his shoulder lightly. “Hurry up, I’m hungry.”
Yin Wuzhi finally moved, suppressing his murderous intent. His tone was heavy as he asked, “What does Your Majesty wish to eat?”
Jiang Wu considered making things difficult for him, but a quick glance at the table revealed that while the food looked delicious, most of it was either troublesome to eat, requiring bones to be spat out, or needed extensive chewing. The fried foods looked hard, likely tough on the teeth and potentially mouth-cutting.
In the days since he arrived, he had become familiar with the food and had no particular preferences, as long as it was simple, easy to swallow, and not too troublesome, it was enough to keep this body barely functional.
He pointed to a ceramic pot on the table. “Porridge.”
After half a month of trial and error, this had become Jiang Wu’s favorite dish. The white porridge was soft and melted in the mouth, requiring no effort to chew, and was fragrant when cooked to a mushy consistency, making it sufficient for his daily nutritional needs.
Yin Wuzhi served the porridge, bringing a spoonful to Jiang Wu’s mouth without ceremony. The warmth of the steam hit Jiang Wu’s face, and he said, “Blow on it.”
Yin Wuzhi withdrew the spoon, his expression dark as he blew on it. If possible, he would probably have liked to snap Jiang Wu’s neck.
The spoon was returned to Jiang Wu’s lips, and after confirming it wasn’t too hot, he finally opened his mouth to take it in.
Out of kindness, Jiang Wu didn’t intentionally make things difficult for Yin Wuzhi during this meal.
Yin Wuzhi had expected him to be picky, but when Jiang Wu finally said, “I’m full,” he realized that all he had eaten was a bowl of plain porridge.
Yin Wuzhi: “…”
When he placed the bowl and spoon back on the table, he was still a bit puzzled.
Shouldn’t he have been asked to tear apart a chicken leg, peel a shrimp, or pick fish bones and crack open a clam?
…Wait, why did he even think that?
Yin Wuzhi frowned angrily.
“It’s time for a bath.”
Yin Wuzhi twitched, meeting the vacant gaze of the slothful emperor. After another round of mental preparation, he reluctantly picked him up again and walked briskly toward the warm chamber.
Inside the warm chamber, steam filled the air, and heavy curtains blocked out all the cold. As soon as one entered, the heat was palpable. The pool was adorned with six hand-carved dragon heads for the water outlets, and the room was illuminated by eight embedded pearl lamps.
Yin Wuzhi, following Jiang Wu’s instructions, placed him on a small waterproof couch covered in soft cowhide beside the pool. Several maidservants immediately surrounded Jiang Wu. Some held clothes, others lit incense, or brought buckets and ladles. One, with empty hands, knelt before the small couch and began to undo Jiang Wu’s robe.
Yin Wuzhi had heard of the emperor’s baths but had never witnessed one. Seeing the maidservant’s delicate fingers peeling away the emperor’s clothes, he quickly turned his back.
As he was about to leave, a voice came from behind: “Watch carefully. This is something you must learn—the way to serve the emperor.”
Yin Wuzhi had no intention of learning such nonsense and refused to turn around.
“Or would you prefer that I have the guards strip you and lock you in an iron cage?”
Yin Wuzhi turned back, his face expressionless, staring at him.
He wanted to see how shameless this emperor could be, bathing calmly while being watched.
Unperturbed, Jiang Wu was helped into the water and naturally closed his eyes. To him, this body was just a temporary vessel, something he didn’t care much about. He had no feelings of shame or modesty. He relaxed, allowing his body to soak in the water.
Only in these moments could Jiang Wu barely recall the familiar sensation of being a wandering soul. His body felt light, though it was just an illusion—he wasn’t actually floating. Nonetheless, he loved soaking in the hot water.
A maid carefully poured water over his shoulders. His long hair, mostly gathered up, had a few strands rebelliously falling, clinging messily to his pale back, like someone had lightly brushed ink on snow—a random but captivating pattern.
Jiang Wu didn’t soak for long, though not because he didn’t want to. When he first arrived, he was infatuated with the feeling of floating in water and soaked for two full hours, which led to oxygen deprivation and caused him to faint. When he woke up, the imperial physician looked panicked, and his nasal passages were sore.
The experience of nearly drowning was so unpleasant that Jiang Wu never wanted to go through it again.
The maid helped him out of the warm pool, carefully dried him, and draped a new soft robe over him.
With his robe once again wrapping his slender waist and long legs, Jiang Wu stretched out his arms and leisurely asked, “Beloved Minister Yin, did you learn how?”
Yin Wuzhi: “…?”
“I’m asking you,” Jiang Wu said, stepping closer to him, his tone laced with insinuation. “Did you learn what I just taught you—the way to kill an emperor?”
His cheeks were flushed from the heat, and although his actions and words were meant to humiliate, his gaze remained unchanged, as cold and emotionless as a crystal. It was this very coldness that made the blush on his cheeks seem all the more suspicious.
Yin Wuzhi averted his eyes, keeping his hands tightly clasped behind his back, and replied, “Yes.”
