Chapter 19: The Offered Kiss (starting from the bottom up)

Chapter 19: The Offered Kiss (starting from the bottom up)

In the depths of Zichen Hall, the wild storm outside was hardly discernible, only the clear sound of the person bathing scooping water, adding an unexpectedly romantic ambiance to the deserted palace.

Lu Changping held his breath, concealed his presence, and stared intently at the blurred silhouette reflected on the screen, his heartbeat accelerating.

It wasn't that he harbored any unspeakable thoughts towards the tyrant's body, but rather that the opportunity for assassination was too good to pass up.

Even if Xie Xuan Yuan was always well-guarded, he would undoubtedly lower his defenses while bathing alone.

Consort Lu raised his hand to touch his cheek, where the swelling had subsided, and gripped the golden hairpin tightly, taking steps towards the screen...

Given the tyrant's rumored indifference, naturally, there wouldn't be any legendary beautiful maids attending to him during his bath.

Lu Changping could vaguely see the tyrant behind the screen, laboriously washing his long, black hair alone, a slight smile unconsciously forming on his lips.

Perhaps he should offer his help. Just one stab with the hairpin, and the tyrant would have no more worries...

However, plans never keep up with changes. Just as he approached the screen, the sound of water suddenly stopped, followed by a painfully suppressed gasp.

The sudden change startled Lu Changping, almost making him stop in his tracks.

What was happening? Could it be that the tyrant suddenly fell ill? Or was this a trap, feigning illness to lure in an enemy?

Torn between his conscience and the opportunity to strike, the screen in front of Lu Changping was suddenly thrown down with a crash.

Barely dodging the heavy screen thrown towards him and without a moment to find a hiding place, he looked up to find the tyrant already standing up from the bath.

Xie Xuan Yuan, with his hair half-wet and lips a deep red, was pressing a piece of cloth around his waist with one hand while holding a sword in the other, his gaze sharp enough to pierce through someone.

Without waiting to catch his breath, he demanded in a stern voice, "How did you get in here? And who gave you permission to freely enter my sleeping chamber?"

There was something off about him tonight; even though his words were filled with murderous intent, his voice trembled slightly.

Consort Lu was also greatly startled by this sudden turn of events, struggling to lift his head to look at the freshly bathed tyrant under the deadly threat.

He had been cautious enough, but it seemed his luck was particularly bad tonight, encountering the tyrant in a frenzied state and having no choice but to accept his misfortune.

But soon, he had no time for such thoughts... As his gaze gradually lowered, it finally settled on the tyrant's upper body.

Xie Xuan Yuan was naturally very pale, and in the dim light, there was an almost ethereal beauty to him, like fine jade glowing.

However, sometimes, fair skin is not always a blessing. The large scars spreading from near his collarbone to his waist were starkly visible on that expanse of cold, white flesh.

The overlapping scars from branding and whipping were particularly jarring, making one reluctant to contemplate the inhumane abuses this body had endured.

Lu Changping's breath hitched, his thoughts becoming chaotic.

He had indeed heard from Ji Yue about the tyrant's tragic past, including the death of his mother and his imprisonment during his youth, but that was all hearsay.

Seeing those fierce and terrifying scars with his own eyes, he truly realized the horrors that Xie Xuan Yuan had experienced.

Even before ascending the throne, the tyrant was a prince; how could he have ended up so tragically?

Perhaps the shock and sympathy in Lu Changping's eyes were too apparent, for the tyrant quickly noticed what he was looking at. His expression turned even colder, and his words were laced with venom:

"Spare me your overflowing sympathy; I do not need it. It seems you no longer wish to keep your eyes!"

He refused to lower the sword in his hand, but the cloth wrapped around his waist barely covered him, leaving him no hands free to don other garments.

Xie Xuan Yuan stood rigid with indignation, fiercely ordering Consort Lu: "Turn around, cover your eyes with your hands, and do not peek! If you dare to sneak even a glance, neither Southern Chu nor your royal brother will have an easy time."

With the tyrant brandishing a long sword so threateningly, the small golden hairpin in Lu Changping's hand seemed utterly insignificant in comparison.

Seeing no advantage in directly confronting the tyrant, the adaptable Emperor Lu obediently turned his back, feigning to cover his eyes with his hands.

However, to guard against any stealthy attack from the tyrant behind him, he tensed up, focusing intently on every sound.

After the sound of water ceased, only the rustling of fabric could be heard, followed by the clinking collision of bottles and jars as the tyrant impatiently rummaged through his belongings.

Xie Xuan Yuan... seemed to be taking medicine?

Listening intently, Lu Changping speculated, his thoughts unintentionally revolving around the tyrant.

What exactly had the tyrant endured in his youth? Who had caused him such harm?

What illness did he have that necessitated taking medication even during a bath?

Could it be that the old torture wounds had left him with chronic conditions?

Unfortunately, some answers could never be obtained from the tyrant, a man of immense pride...

After getting dressed, Xie Xuan Yuan, still holding his sword, stepped directly in front of Lu Changping.

He emerged so hastily that he didn’t even fully dry his hair.

Drops of water from his hair tips spread ambiguous wet marks on his garments. A silk band, three fingers wide, perfectly concealed the unsightly scars above his collarbone, resembling a decorative scarf.

Even at such a moment, the tyrant remained vain.

Lu Changping couldn’t help but silently criticize, yet had to admit that Xie Xuan Yuan, with that silk band added, looked both ascetic and pitifully charming, irresistibly inviting mischief.

But this perilous thought was fleeting, as Lu Changping was unceremoniously dragged to a table by the tyrant shortly afterward.

Xie Xuan Yuan swept the neatly stacked memorials off the table and, seizing the opportunity, pressed Consort Lu down onto it, dominating from above.

"By my rules, anyone who sees the scars on my body must die. However, given you are my beloved Concubine Lu, I will grant you the opportunity to choose your manner of death."

Upon hearing this, Lu Changping's bright, peach blossom eyes suddenly widened, staring accusatorily at the tyrant.

What kind of twisted rule is this!

He was only aware that a girl would demand marriage from a man who saw her body, but this was the first time he knew that accidentally seeing the tyrant's body required one to leave behind their life!

If he had come of his own accord, it would be one thing. But tonight, he was clearly framed!

The distressed look on Concubine Lu naturally caught Xie Xuan Yuan's attention.

The tyrant took pleasure in observing the expressions on his face, then with a "clang," nailed his long sword onto the table, continuing to press on unhurriedly:

"Concubine Lu is so beautiful, surely you do not wish to die in a way that frightens others with your ghastly appearance, right? Just tell me who sent you, and I will grant you a cup of poison, allowing you a swift departure."

Hearing this, Lu Changping hurriedly shook his head vigorously.

He did not want to drink any poison! Those who died from poison clearly suffered a bloody and unbearable death.

Seeing him shake his head, Xie Xuan Yuan slightly frowned, showing a troubled look, and said to himself: "Since the concubine dislikes poison, then I shall grant you a silk scarf instead."

The tyrant was clearly mocking him! Everyone knows that those who die by hanging have a purplish face and an elongated tongue, which is even more terrifying than dying by poison.

Lu Changping continued to shake his head, while firmly gripping the golden hairpin in his hand, ready to fight to the death with the tyrannical emperor.

However, he suddenly felt lighter. The tyrant pressing down on him stood up, brought over paper and pen, and sighed with a hint of regret:

"Neither poison nor the silk scarf suits you, it seems I cannot fathom your wishes. Why not tell me yourself, how would you prefer to die?"

Lu Changping eagerly took the pen and wrote on the paper:

"Your Majesty, I do not wish to die! My intrusion into the Zichen Hall tonight was due to someone falsifying Your Majesty's decree, claiming you summoned me for the night. The person who set this trap must also know of Your Majesty's rule, thus planning to kill two birds with one stone, eliminating me and threatening Your Majesty."

Upon reading that last sentence, Xie Xuan Yuan's eyes already harbored a murderous intent. He then had Lu Changping recount everything that had happened that night in detail.

After Lu Changping finished writing, the tyrant's expression slightly cleared, yet he still did not intend to spare the unfortunate Concubine Lu.

Xie Xuan Yuan's slender fingers lingered on Lu Changping's face, then pinched the scant flesh on his cheeks as he had done on the day they roamed the imperial garden:

"Although I somewhat regret it, you have learned a secret of mine that cannot be seen by others. To prevent you from speaking out..."

Listening to these classic pre-murder lines, Lu Changping's alarm bells were already ringing loudly. A monarch's words are no jest; if he were to wait obediently for the tyrant to finish speaking, wouldn't he just be waiting for death?

Without further thought, he sealed Xie Xuan Yuan's lips with a kiss.

At the same time, his left hand's golden hairpin was already suspended an inch away from the tyrant's nape.

Just as he was about to succeed, the unromantic tyrant bit him hard. The bite on the base of his tongue nearly turned him from a feigned mute into a real one.

Taking advantage of Lu Changping's pain-induced moment of release, Xie Xuan Yuan, with pupils dilated, managed to break free.

He stepped back several paces, furiously wiping his lips while casting a reproachful look at Concubine Lu. So shocked was he that he was momentarily speechless.

Lu Changping felt equally wronged. He had just sacrificed his first kiss in an attempt to take advantage of the tyrant's lowered guard.

But it seemed he had underestimated the tyrant's innocence. A well-intended attempt at seduction ended up looking more like he was forcing himself on the tyrant.

With his plan failed, Lu Changping had no choice but to try and make amends before Xie Xuan Yuan could retaliate.

He hastily grabbed a piece of paper and wrote: "I was momentarily confused just now, please forgive me, Your Majesty. I accidentally came to know Your Majesty's secret and know my life is short. I only wished to be bold once before I die, to fulfill a heart's desire."

After the kiss, Xie Xuan Yuan's face was flushed as if drunk, his steps somewhat unsteady.

He picked up the paper, looking incredulously at Lu Changping, and it took him a moment to find his voice again, asking:

"Have you truly lost your mind? You did not see the scars on my body. If you had any misunderstandings about me before, it's time to clear them now. This repulsive and ugly body... you could actually stomach it?"

The author has something to say:

The tyrant (furious on the outside, secretly pleased on the inside): Concubine Lu has quite the taste. Even in my state, he could stomach it?!

Little Lu (desperate to survive and win over the tyrant): This concubine doesn't mind, truly!