Chapter 27: You Are Mine

Chapter 27: You Are Mine

Ganlin Palace.

When Liang Zhen entered, the eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department were unfolding scrolls of beautiful women for Zhu Yunxuan's perusal.

In the Great Yan Dynasty, selecting a queen and concubines was highly dependent on one's background. Only eligible daughters from noble and official families would be considered, then subjected to multiple rounds of scrutiny before the Empress Dowager and the emperor personally decided on the final candidates. The remaining candidates might be granted to imperial princes, grandsons, and the extended royal family. Although male consorts could also be appointed, no family with a reputable background would willingly allow their son to bear children for someone else. Hence, male candidates were not part of the palace selection process. However, if the emperor took a fancy to a young man and intended to include him in the harem, that was a different story.

With no Empress Dowager in the palace now, the decision of selecting an empress rested solely with Zhu Yunxuan. These eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department, trying to guess his preferences, had presented him with over three hundred portraits of beautiful women. After he had briefly reviewed them, at least a hundred would be shortlisted for further scrutiny.

After browsing through only a dozen scrolls, Zhu Yunxuan began to feel weary. Reflecting for a moment, he instructed, "Invite Princess Shu He to the palace to help me review these."

"Why bother if you don't like it? The emperor doesn't even want to look at his own potential queens but asks others to do the screening. What's the point?"

Zhu Yunxuan turned around, slightly startled to see Liang Zhen approaching. Liang Zhen hadn't visited Ganlin Palace privately in a long time, and Zhu Yunxuan had almost forgotten that only he dared to barge in without prior notice and speak so frankly.

Ordering the eunuchs to collect the scrolls and leave, Zhu Yunxuan regarded Liang Zhen warily. "Why has Prince Zhao come here?"

Liang Zhen noticed an untouched scroll on the imperial desk and strolled over to casually unfold it, tutting. "This girl is only fourteen, looking so delicate. Can the emperor really go through with it?"

Zhu Yunxuan frowned, about to speak, when an eunuch from the Imperial Household Department returned, awkwardly apologizing before collecting the forgotten scroll.

Liang Zhen smiled again. "Your Majesty, I dare say that painting was deliberately left behind, not forgotten. Perhaps someone received a benefit and wanted you to take a closer look."

"So what if it is?" Zhu Yunxuan didn't actually care about such trivial matters; he understood the principle that too much scrutiny would yield no fish.

"Not much. Your Majesty, do you find that young lady attractive?"

Zhu Yunxuan averted his gaze, replying indifferently, "When selecting a queen or concubine, appearance is not the focus."

"What then does Your Majesty value?" Liang Zhen's lips curved up. "Personality, family background... or fertility?"

"Does this have anything to do with Prince Zhao?"

Liang Zhen's eyes darkened, but the smile in them deepened as he changed the subject. "I'll be staying here today, Your Majesty."

Zhu Yunxuan's expression instantly turned cold. Liang Zhen stepped forward, placing a hand on his waist while the other gently caressed his cheek. He whispered softly, "After all this time, haven't you thought of me at all, Your Majesty? I think of you day and night."

Suppressing his anger, Zhu Yunxuan remained silent. Liang Zhen leaned in, planting a gentle kiss on the corner of his lips. "I'll settle the score with you tonight."

As night fell, the imperial bedroom was left to them alone. Zhu Yunxuan sat silently by the bed, his shoulders tense and hands clenched, trembling slightly.

Liang Zhen nestled beside him, took his hand, and gently pried open his fingers, intertwining them with his own. He sighed softly, "Are you really that afraid of me, Your Majesty?"

"...Why did you still come?" Zhu Yunxuan's hoarse voice held a barely perceptible quiver, "When will you finally... let me go?"

Liang Zhen lifted his hand, grasped his chin, and forced him to turn his head. He leaned in and kissed him.

Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes, his lashes fluttering as he passively endured the intimate kiss.

Amidst their entangled lips and tongues, Liang Zhen whispered, "Never in this lifetime."

Being penetrated from behind, Zhu Yunxuan's tensed body shrank, his teeth gritted to prevent any sound. Liang Zhen leaned down, his slightly dry lips trailing kisses along his spine and then pressing against the blooming red plum blossom on his left waist, moving inch by inch, sensing the subtle tremors beneath him.

Tears continuously rolled down Zhu Yunxuan's tightly shut eyes, their origin uncertain—was it pain or pleasure?

The night deepened, and even the palace lanterns seemed dimmer, casting a bleak glow on the indistinct figures entwined behind the bed curtains.

Gao An brought in hot water. Liang Zhen tenderly wiped the stickiness from Zhu Yunxuan's body. As he finished, he instructed Gao An, "Bring a pot of warm tea. You should rest too. There's no need for anyone to attend to us here."

Gao An hesitantly glanced at Zhu Yunxuan, whose expression was concealed in Liang Zhen's embrace. Seeing no sign of opposition, he acknowledged the order and retreated.

Tea was promptly served. Liang Zhen poured a cup and held it to Zhu Yunxuan's lips. "Moisten your throat."

Zhu Yunxuan, still dazed, drank from the cup with Liang Zhen's assistance. A smile tugged at Liang Zhen's lips as he reached into his sleeve, producing an object which he tossed into the tea. It dissolved instantly, and he then presented the cup before Zhu Yunxuan once more. "Finish it all."

Zhu Yunxuan instinctively furrowed his brow. "What is that?"

Liang Zhen lowered his head, kissing the strands of hair above Zhu Yunxuan's forehead. "Of course, it's something good."

Zhu Yunxuan was unconvinced. "What exactly is it?"

"Didn't His Majesty wish for offspring and prosperity? This is precisely what will help fulfill that wish."

Zhu Yunxuan's eyes widened abruptly, staring at Liang Zhen in disbelief. "You... what did you say?"

Liang Zhen smiled faintly. "Fertility medicine – surely His Majesty is familiar with it?"

Zhu Yunxuan's lips trembled as he forcefully shoved Liang Zhen away. "You dream on! Even in death, I will never grant you your desire!"

Liang Zhen disapproved, "Don't say foolish things. Why would you mention life and death?"

"Are you forcing me to do this? Then I'll just end up killing myself with you!" Zhu Yunxuan's eyes reddened as he suddenly pulled out a dagger hidden in the bedside compartment. "I'll kill you! I must kill you!"

Liang Zhen's gaze fell on the sharp blade shimmering with cold light, pausing for a moment. "Your Majesty keeps this under your bed to stab me when I'm not looking? Do you think that will make your wish come true?"

Zhu Yunxuan pressed the dagger against his own chest. He knew he couldn't defeat Liang Zhen in a fight, but he wasn't afraid of death either. "I may not be able to kill you, but if you insist, I'll die in front of you right now! If you don't mind having a corpse, go ahead and try!"

Liang Zhen's expression turned cold as he watched Zhu Yunxuan, filled with rage and sorrow. "Must Your Majesty do this?"

"You're forcing me!"

"Doesn't Your Majesty want a child? So do I. Give birth to a child for me, and let it take your surname. Make it the crown prince..."

Zhu Yunxuan angrily interrupted him, "You dream! You know we're brothers, how could you..."

"We're not blood-related," Liang Zhen said calmly. "I have no connection to the previous emperor. My father was the second son of the Liang family. My father... was his cousin, surnamed Xiao, named Junbo. He died in battle in the South Seas before I was even born."

Zhu Yunxuan naturally didn't believe this, but Liang Zhen shook his head. "My father was deliberately sent to his death in the South Seas by the previous emperor. The latter's biological son had already jumped off a cliff with my father twenty years ago, crushed to pieces. The previous emperor had mistaken him for someone else."

Tears trembled in Zhu Yunxuan's eyes. "What has this to do with me? Any of it? Why do you seek revenge on me? Why must you humiliate me like this?"

Liang Zhen slightly furrowed his brow. "I've said it before, the one I seek revenge against has never been you. I'm not humiliating you; I simply love you and want you..."

"But I don't want this!" Zhu Yunxuan shouted in desperation. "All you ever say is what you want! Why have you never asked what I want?! Why do you keep pushing me?! I've said I don't want it! No! Why can't you just let me go?!"

Liang Zhen fiercely grabbed his wrist, pulling him close. "You belong to me. You'll never have any concubines or children. If you want to bear a child, it will only be for me!"

Zhu Yunxuan's eyes widened, tears streaming down. "I've told you, don't even dream about it... unless I'm dead..."

"If you truly die, I'll unleash a massacre, destroying your kingdom utterly. Even if Marquis Ding Yuan or someone else has the power to lead an army against me, the world will still suffer greatly. This is your family's kingdom. If you truly don't care, then go ahead and die!"

Zhu Yunxuan stared at him in shock. "How can you be so despicable..."

Liang Zhen sneered. "Don't you already know what kind of person I am?"

"How can you... How can you..."

"What I do depends on what you think, Your Majesty. You'd better consider carefully."

After a moment, Zhu Yunxuan's dagger fell to the ground as he closed his eyes in pain. What else could he do when even death was denied to him? "...You hate the former emperor. You despise how he forced your father, separating you from him. Yet, now you're doing the same. In the future, will you let this child hate you too?"

Liang Zhen dismissed it nonchalantly. "It's his fate."

"You're no different from the former emperor. How can you claim to be pitiable? Both of you are contemptible!"

Liang Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly. "At least I won't say I love you while marrying someone else. I said I want only you, and that remains true. No one else will do."

But I don't want or deserve such love... Zhu Yunxuan shook his head, tears streaming down his face. He could not utter another word.

The teacup was offered to Zhu Yunxuan's lips again, and Liang Zhen patiently coaxed him. "Drink it. Think positively. It won't be long before His Majesty has an heir."

Holding the back of his neck, Liang Zhen slowly fed him the tea, watching him swallow every last drop. A smile returned to Liang Zhen's eyes. "Such a good boy."

He pressed a gentle kiss on Zhu Yunxuan, repeatedly licking and caressing his soft lips. Zhu Yunxuan's eyes were open, though dazed. His tears had dried, and the last spark of light in his eyes extinguished, leaving only profound emptiness and despair.