Soon, only the two brothers remained in the Taiji Palace.
King Xiang stood up, loosened his cloak, and then sat across from Jiang Wu. However, Jiang Wu said, “Kneel while you speak.”
King Xiang hesitated briefly, then laughed softly, “Your Majesty, are you still angry with your humble brother?”
Jiang Wu originally intended to provoke him, hoping to push him into rebellion and then kill him, but he hadn’t expected that there were some ties between the original emperor and this prince.
He looked at him calmly, saying nothing.
This version of Jiang Wu was unreadable, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.
King Xiang recalled the emperor’s once soft-hearted demeanor and obediently knelt down, lowering his head, “All the blame lies with your humble brother. I only hope Your Majesty won’t be angry, for it may harm your health.”
“You knew I was angry, and yet you dared to return and see me.”
“Your humble brother only heard that Your Majesty was unwell. I didn’t expect that you had set aside my memorials for so long and finally agreed to let me return… only to make me wait so long before seeing me.”
Jiang Wu replied, “Are you blaming me?”
“Your humble brother dares not.”
But it was clear he was.
Based on King Xiang’s reaction, Jiang Wu had figured out that this person must have provoked the original emperor’s temper in a major way. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been treated like this, looking so guilty.
First, Jiang Wu needed to understand what had happened.
“Before you left the capital, what did I tell you?”
These words could mean one thing to someone with a clear conscience, but something entirely different to someone with a guilty mind.
Unfortunately, King Xiang was the guilty one.
“Your Majesty…”
“Speak.”
King Xiang, reluctant and unwilling, still honestly said, “Your Majesty drove me out of the capital and said…”
“Continue.”
“And said never to see me again.” King Xiang continued, trying to restrain himself, “But your humble brother has missed Your Majesty, thinking of you day and night. I don’t understand, why did Your Majesty summon Yin Wuzhi to the palace?!”
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with malice like a wolf’s.
Though he had just been allowed to enter the palace, King Xiang had spent the entire night tossing and turning, wondering why his elder brother had acted so recklessly. Why Yin Wuzhi? What right did he have?
“Your Majesty, can you give your humble brother an explanation?”
“I don’t need to give anyone an explanation for my actions.”
King Xiang froze. He couldn’t believe these words had come from Jiang Wu’s mouth.
Since when did his brother have such a firm, unyielding side?
He instinctively stood up, but Jiang Wu’s voice cut in again, “Kneel back down.”
And, reflexively, King Xiang knelt again.
Having grown up together with this person, he knew all too well how soft and easy to manipulate his brother could be. Before coming, he had already planned it all out: he would question his brother about Yin Wuzhi, and no matter how reluctant Jiang Wu was, he would explain everything to appease him.
At that point, King Xiang would feign being hard to forgive, forcing Jiang Wu to coax him, allowing him to brush over the reason he had angered him before leaving the capital…
But now, what was going on?
“I said I wouldn’t see you again. Why did you still dare to come here, disregarding my orders? Are you aware of your crime?”
King Xiang was dumbfounded for a moment before replying, “Your humble brother knows his crime.”
“Someone, prepare the whip.”
King Xiang looked at him in disbelief, and it wasn’t until the eunuchs arrived with the whip that he snapped back to his senses, “Your Majesty, are you truly going to punish your humble brother?”
Jiang Wu was disinterested in further explanations, “Take him outside and whip him. I will watch the punishment.”
King Xiang was deeply shocked. From childhood to now, Jiang Wu had never been harsh with him, let alone punished him. Even before banishing him from the capital, the emperor had merely coldly said he didn’t want to see him again.
… What had he done to anger His Majesty so much?
Was it because he questioned Yin Wuzhi?
Meanwhile, Yin Wuzhi, who had just heard Qi Hanmiao’s lecture on brotherly love, was confused: “?”
What kind of look was that? Did he want to devour me? Your good brother is the one ordering your punishment, not me, a mere courtier.
King Xiang knelt in the snow, his face dark, lips curled into a bitter smile, as if a single stroke of red ink on white paper would spell out “suffering.”
The eunuch tasked with the punishment hesitated, then asked, “Your Majesty, how many lashes should be administered?”
Jiang Wu had originally intended to kill him outright, but that would have been too obvious, so he decided to let him live for now. He would use this as a demonstration for Yin Wuzhi, showing what true heartlessness looked like.
“Twenty.”
Yin Wuzhi, apparently sensitive to this number, quickly interjected, “Your Majesty, why…”
“Speak.”
Why not thirty, forty, or fifty lashes, but exactly twenty?
Jiang Wu always hit him twenty times, and he didn’t want anyone else to suffer the same punishment.
“…What did King Xiang do to anger Your Majesty?”
Yin Wuzhi, ever kind-hearted. Jiang Wu looked at him with disdain but remained silent, while King Xiang coldly said, “What makes you think you have the right to know why His Majesty is angry?”
Yin Wuzhi, puzzled by the sudden hostility, remained calm and said, “What I meant was that since King Xiang has been away from the capital for a long time, it’s understandable if his return was a bit abrupt…” His tone then darkened, “After all, the barbarians of Xiangzhou may have influenced his behavior, and he could have picked up bad habits.”
This was a subtle insult, implying King Xiang had been corrupted.
King Xiang snapped back, “Who do you think you are to speak on my behalf?”
The more King Xiang resisted, the more Yin Wuzhi wanted to help. He stepped closer to Jiang Wu, kneading his shoulders, “Your Majesty, for the sake of the late emperor, perhaps we could show him mercy just this once.”
Jiang Wu said nothing.
King Xiang’s eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he said, “I angered Your Majesty, and I am willing to accept my punishment.”
Jiang Wu obliged: “Proceed with the whipping.”
The matter soon reached Empress Dowager Wen, who hurried over and took King Xiang away to see a physician. Before leaving, she gave Jiang Wu several conflicted glances.
Later, as King Xiang laid in Yongfeng Pavilion receiving treatment, Empress Dowager Wen tended to his wounds and warned him, “His Majesty is no longer the same as before. If you continue treating him the way you used to, you may lose your life.”
King Xiang remained silent for a moment before saying, “Why did he summon Yin Wuzhi to the palace?”
“That’s your brother’s precious one; you better not provoke him carelessly.”
“What precious one?” King Xiang’s face darkened, and then he sneered sarcastically, “Today, he pleaded for me, yet my brother didn’t even glance at him.”
The Empress Dowager looked at the wounds on his back and pressed heavily on them, causing King Xiang to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.
“You’re the one who got beaten,” the Empress Dowager said irritably, “I really don’t understand what you’re gloating about.”
After the punishment, Jiang Wu went back to lie down again.
When Yin Wuzhi returned to the imperial study, Chen Ziyan noticed his face wasn’t looking too good and asked, “Ah Zhi, what’s wrong?”
“Today, His Majesty beat King Xiang.”
“His Majesty’s temper has indeed been short lately.”
“I pleaded for King Xiang, but it didn’t work.”
“… Sigh.” Chen Ziyan comforted him, “They’re brothers. You shouldn’t feel too guilty about it.”
Yin Wuzhi lowered his eyelashes and picked up a wolf hair brush.
The fact that his plea failed meant that Jiang Wu simply didn’t care about him. Jiang Wu not caring about him meant that he wasn’t important.
This made him feel like a foolish, sentimental person for impulsively pleading today.
As Yin Wuzhi thought about it, his face started to flush.
King Xiang only got a beating, but everyone would realize that to Jiang Wu, Yin Wuzhi was nothing more than a toy.
The brush in his hand started moving faster and faster.
In a sudden burst of anger, Yin Wuzhi threw the brush heavily to the ground.
He couldn’t suppress his fury.
Chen Ziyan silently picked up the brush and said, “I know you’re upset for King Xiang, but we’re powerless. Just endure it for now.”
Powerless.
Who, in his eyes, was important? Was it Qiu Wuchen? If it had been Qiu Wuchen who had pleaded today, Jiang Wu would surely have agreed, right?
He definitely wouldn’t bear to let Qiu Wuchen be embarrassed in front of others.
When Jiang Wu woke up, he found Yin Wuzhi suppressing him.
It wasn’t exactly “suppressing”; Yin Wuzhi was like a spider, his limbs propped on either side of Jiang Wu’s body, hovering over him without touching, staring intently.
Jiang Wu wasn’t startled. It seemed that nothing in the world frightened him—except being woken up while sleeping.
They stared at each other for a moment, and then Yin Wuzhi spoke: “I found out that while King Xiang has been in the capital these past few days, he hasn’t visited anyone except Qiu Wuchen.”
Jiang Wu didn’t react.
Yin Wuzhi had intended to wake him up deliberately, but once he got close, he couldn’t bring himself to disturb him and waited until he woke up naturally.
He shifted his wrists, which were sore from holding his position, and said, “After King Xiang visited Qiu Wuchen, she sent His Majesty handmade clothes.”
Still no reaction.
Yin Wuzhi furrowed his brow and got straight to the point: “Does Your Majesty want to see her?”
To be honest, not really. Leaving the palace felt like it would take him two days to recover.
He just wanted to lie there quietly, but ever since he became Emperor, it had been a long time since he’d been able to rest properly.
He replied, “Sure, I do miss her.”
Yin Wuzhi pressed his lips together and asked, “When would Your Majesty like to see her?”
“After the snow melts.”
“When the snow melts, it will be even colder,” Yin Wuzhi said. “And in the capital, the snow always comes late and stays late. It won’t warm up until late spring next year.”
Jiang Wu wanted to say, then let’s wait until late spring, but thinking that long-term pain would be worse than short-term pain, he reluctantly said, “You arrange a time.”
“Alright.”
After stepping on the snow, Jiang Wu lost interest in it. No matter how much Yin Wuzhi tried to persuade him afterward, he refused to go out.
Yin Wuzhi spent his days working in the imperial study and his nights sleeping there as well. But in the middle of the night, he would quietly sneak into the Taiji Palace and silently watch Jiang Wu while he slept.
He didn’t even know why he did it—he just couldn’t resist the urge to look at him.
One night, he quietly climbed onto the emperor’s bed and laid beside Jiang Wu, staring at the marks on his neck.
Jiang Wu either didn’t notice or didn’t care, as he never mentioned them until they disappeared.
Yin Wuzhi looked at his now clear neck and gently pressed his collar down a bit.
Jiang Wu dreamed of Ah Gui again, the black dog gnawing at his collarbone with its teeth. He let out an uncomfortable groan, and the sensation suddenly disappeared.
In the darkness of the Taiji Palace, a figure quietly entered.
In the darkness of the dragon bed, Yin Wuzhi hid on the inner side, holding his breath and listening.
Soft footsteps grew closer, closer… until they reached the dragon bed.
A hand gently lifted the bed’s cover, and Yin Wuzhi shrank further inside, using the blanket and darkness to hide his presence.
After some rustling, the person removed their shoes and socks and slowly climbed onto the dragon bed.
Then they fumbled around, pulling out a luminous pearl from their pocket. The gentle light illuminated the emperor’s flawless face.
In that light, Yin Wuzhi got a clear look at the person’s face.
He stared at the intruder, unblinking.
In the same light, the person also saw him, hidden in the inner side of the bed with only his eyes showing.
They stared at each other without expression.
Yin Wuzhi was the first to speak: “Shall we go outside and have a little practice?”
