Chapter 3: “Is Your Majesty Planning to Indulge in Lust in Broad Daylight?”

Chapter 3: "Is Your Majesty planning an daytime tryst?"

Chu Yi suffered from an intermittent fever for two days. In his semi-conscious state, he vaguely felt someone constantly feeding him medicine, wiping his body, and changing his clothes, which brought him considerable comfort.

When he opened his eyes again, the opulent, gilded scene before him startled him. The bed curtains seemed woven with gold thread, the quilts were likely silk, and the bedchamber's ceiling boasted sandalwood beams...

While Chu Yi was still admiring his surroundings, a palace maid entered with a tray of freshly heated tea. Seeing him awake, she whispered a word to a junior maid nearby before approaching.

The maid bowed to Chu Yi, "Would the young master like to change?"

Chu Yi felt a touch of awkwardness, still unaccustomed to ancient customs and etiquette. He pointed at himself, "You're calling me 'young master'?"

The maid nodded, "Young master, you may not know, but His Majesty has personally attended to you these past few days. He hasn't permitted us to serve, barely sleeping through the night. He didn't even rest for a moment before heading to court this morning..."

Chu Yi scoffed inwardly. He hadn't even settled the score with this tyrant for nearly choking him to death!

Did the tyrant think sending a junior maid to sweet-talk him would make him forget everything? No chance!

He put on his shoes himself, took the clothes from the rack, and after fumbling with them for a long time without understanding, finally had to let the maid assist him in dressing properly.

He truly couldn't fathom why ancient people wore so many layers—inner garments, outer robes—he couldn't even tell which was which...

Unintentionally, the memory of that day, when he frantically tore at his clothes, surfaced in his mind. It wasn't like him to be so forward! Ah! That ancient aphrodisiac was indeed too potent!

After breakfast, served by the junior maid, Chu Yi deliberately tried to befriend her, learned her name, and gained a general understanding of the palace layout.

Using the excuse of needing to relieve himself, he managed to slip away from his attendants. After finally finding the palace gate, he was about to swagger out when he accidentally overheard the guards chatting.

Guard Left: "His Majesty was attacked a few days ago, so we've been ordered to strictly monitor everyone coming and going. Everyone must show their tokens. How dare we stop those important figures?"

Guard Right: "Stop complaining. How many silver taels have their subordinates slipped you? You took it, didn't you? Besides, anyone who forces their way in will be tied up and handed over to the imperial guards. His Majesty said those who resist are to be killed without mercy."

Chu Yi realized he had no token and no silver...

He immediately turned around and headed back. The tyrant lived up to his name—it seemed he'd have to find another way to escape.

Although this was a palace from a novel, it was recreated vividly. As Chu Yi pondered, he found himself unexpectedly captivated by the scenery within the palace walls...

The next moment, he accidentally collided with someone. Chu Yi had a bad feeling.

He didn't need to look up—the yellow robe before him could only be worn by one person.

Chu Yi quietly stepped back, trying to create distance from the tyrant, but Sheng Qianheng hooked an arm around his waist, pulling him close. In an instant, Sheng Qianheng’s scent was right there, making his skin crawl. "Your Majesty, it was my carelessness to have bumped into you. I deserve to die."

Seeing Chu Yi’s entire body stiff with resistance, Sheng Qianheng raised a hand to smooth his tousled hair and asked, "Running around as soon as you've recovered, and even sending Ruo Tao away? How naughty~"

Chu Yi lightly dodged his head but, fearing the tyrant’s unpredictable temper, reluctantly leaned back in. "Your Majesty, have you just finished morning court? Ruo Tao said you haven't rested well these past few days. Why don't I accompany you back to your chambers for a quick rest?"

Although Sheng Qianheng didn't know what Chu Yi was scheming, he was content as long as the man stayed by his side. He knew he had frightened him earlier. "Alright, as you wish."

On the way back to the bedchamber, the two walked in silence.

Chu Yi feared that saying too much would lead to punishment from the tyrant; Sheng Qianheng was afraid Chu Yi would bring up leaving.

Once inside, they were left at a standoff. When Chu Yi saw Sheng Qianheng undoing his own clothes and then turning to approach him, reaching to remove his belt, he directly caught his wrist and asked, "Why do Ruo Tao and the others call me 'young master'?"

Sheng Qianheng met his gaze, aware that he was resisting his touch, and opted for a softer approach. "I've been caring for you these past few days. They naturally assume you're someone I intend to take as a consort. Calling you 'young master' is reasonable—they're just servants who know how to recognize the circumstances."

Chu Yi pressed his lips together slightly, his eyes lingering on the token hanging on the clothes rack. "But I'm a man. Since the previous dynasty, there has been no precedent for taking male concubines... Your Majesty, I also have no wish to be trapped in the deep palace..."

Sheng Qianheng wasn't particularly surprised by Chu Yi’s unusually bold remarks these past few days, attributing it to the shock he'd experienced. "Without your consent, how could I take a consort arbitrarily? Besides, we promised each other earlier—you wouldn't take a wife, and I wouldn't take a consort. Or are you saying you want to treat that day as if it never happened? Does A Yi still want to marry and have children, abandoning me?"

Chu Yi finally looked back, rendered speechless by Sheng Qianheng’s shameless words.

After some thought, he could only feign pinching the tyrant’s fingertips and speak based on vague memories: "Aheng, that's not what I meant. It's just that you've only recently subdued Western Xia, and the current situation is unstable. You should focus on imperial duties, not indulge in romantic entanglements. Can we discuss our matters another day?"

Seeing Chu Yi leading him toward the bed, Sheng Qianheng, who was genuinely tired these days, couldn't be bothered deciphering his little schemes. He had already secretly dispatched guards to protect Chu Yi—there was no way Chu Yi could escape. "Whatever you say. Lie down with me for a while."

Chu Yi silently climbed onto the bed, carefully arranging his clothes to ensure there was no possibility of them being removed, then lay rigidly and pulled up the covers.

Sheng Qianheng casually lay on the outer side of the bed, closed his eyes, and breathed evenly, as if truly asleep.

Chu Yi had been awake for less than two hours and found it difficult to nap beside the tyrant. He glanced surreptitiously at the tyrant.

He was about five feet six inches tall, with a well-proportioned figure. The tyrant had strong features—thick eyebrows, large eyes, deep facial contours, and lips of moderate thickness.

The tyrant’s appearance unexpectedly ticked all of Chu Yi's boxes!

Afraid he might be distracted by attraction, Chu Yi refocused on how to steal the token without the tyrant noticing. Recalling how gentle the tyrant had been with him earlier, he wondered if he might be an incompetent emperor?

If so, could he throw himself into the tyrant’s arms and sneak away the token when he wasn't paying attention?

But the quickest method for now was to wait until the tyrant was deeply asleep and quietly get out of bed to take it. Chu Yi lay stiffly on the bed for nearly half an hour before daring to slowly sit up. He waved a hand in front of Sheng Qianheng’s eyes to confirm he was asleep, then gingerly lifted a leg to step over him.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he got one leg across, Sheng Qianheng woke up! He raised his leg, causing Chu Yi to stumble and fall onto him.

Afraid of hurting the tyrant, Chu Yi caught himself with one hand on his chest, then turned his head and smiled. "Your Majesty, you're awake?"

Sheng Qianheng was a light sleeper, waking at the slightest disturbance, let alone the commotion Chu Yi had made.

He propped himself up slightly, slid an arm around Chu Yi’s waist, and lifted him to sit comfortably, then teased, "Where are you going? Trying to escape again?"

Chu Yi let out a surprised "ah," his whole body tense, unsure where to put his hands. For a moment, he couldn't help but wonder if the book’s description of Sheng Qianheng as a tyrant or an incompetent emperor was wrong. Sheng Qianheng was quite skilled—that day, he'd lost count of how many times he'd...

Their interactions now felt too natural... He had the potential to be an incompetent emperor, or perhaps he had many consorts behind the scenes that weren't mentioned in the book?

Feeling the unusual sensation beneath him, Chu Yi realized Sheng Qianheng seemed to be aroused. He tried to get up but was pinned by Sheng Qianheng’s hands on his waist, unable to move. Blushing, he retorted, "Your Majesty, are you planning an daytime tryst?"

Sheng Qianheng chuckled softly, afraid of pushing Chu Yi too far, and withdrew his hands. The next second, the rabbit bolted from him, nearly falling off the bed.

He sat up, looking at Chu Yi’s reddened ears. "Minister Chu, are you embarrassed? Haven't we already indulged in daytime pleasures together?"

Although Chu Yi had lived for 29 years, this was his first time having such intimate contact with someone. He had always thought it would happen only after confirming a relationship with someone he loved, never expecting to be dominated by this tyrant!

But on second thought, they were both adults getting what they wanted—there was nothing to be ashamed of. He wasn't a woman; he didn't have to worry about unexpected pregnancies.

After comforting himself, he turned to retort to Sheng Qianheng, but the man was no longer on the bed.

After dressing properly, Sheng Qianheng took Chu Yi’s wrist and led him out of the chamber. "Come with me to the imperial study to discuss affairs."

Chu Yi was whirled around, his head dizzy, completely unable to understand the tyrant’s thought process.

In the imperial study, ministers were already waiting. Chu Yi quietly followed behind Sheng Qianheng, repeatedly trying to free his hand from the tyrant’s grasp without success, eventually standing beside the dragon throne.

He lowered his head, roughly recalling that this was a story of political schemes—with his intelligence, survival would be difficult. For now, he could only rely on currying favor with the tyrant to stay alive!

There were four ministers in the room. General Wang, leading them, spoke first: "Your Majesty ordered me to thoroughly investigate the assassination attempt during the sacrifice. I've gathered limited information and have had it stored in a brocade box. I didn't expect the Prince Regent to be present. What is Your Majesty’s intention?"

"Is the title of Prince Regent merely nominal?" Sheng Qianheng glanced sideways at Chu Yi, a slight curve in his brow. "Speak freely. Is there anything Prince Regent Chu cannot hear? Present whatever you've found."

Chu Yi was frozen stiff. Didn't the Tyrant say he would strip him of his title as Regent? Why was he going back on his word now?

General Wang immediately dropped to one knee and continued, "The Regent would of course be permitted to listen."

Sheng Qianheng, noticing Chu Yi seemed distracted, gave his fingertips a deliberate, forceful squeeze. "What are you thinking about?"

Chu Yi could only nod and smiled. "Your Majesty, since General Wang has matters to report, perhaps I should step aside to avoid any conflict of interest."

He tried to break free from Sheng Qianheng's grip but found he couldn't. He looked at Sheng Qianheng, puzzled, who said, "A Yi, General Wang has worked hard and investigated for so long. Don't you want to hear what he found?"

Sheng Qianheng signaled General Wang to bring forward the prepared items.

Chu Yi watched as three servants approached with three trays. From a distance, they appeared to hold several letters, a bloodied arrow, and...

Sheng Qianheng pushed Chu Yi’s lower back, urging him forward. "These three items are all related to you. Come take a look."

Chu Yi pressed his lips together. The situation was entirely different from what happened in the book. He had no choice but to steel himself and open them.

The first tray held several letters addressed to "Chu Yi." He picked them up and skimmed through them quickly—they were correspondence between him and the rebels! But Chu Yi knew they were forged, imitations of his handwriting...

Sheng Qianheng played with the jade thumb ring on his finger. "Continue. Look at the second one."

Chu Yi edged toward the arrow. Its fletching was unique, something only his trusted subordinates used.

Chu Yi fought to keep his composure. "Your Majesty, the handwriting in these letters can be imitated. As for the arrow... a few days ago, my subordinate reported that several were missing. They must have been stolen to frame me."

General Wang pressed further, "What a coincidence that the rebels imitated the Regent’s handwriting and then stole arrows from his trusted subordinate to carry out the assassination."

Sheng Qianheng watched Chu Yi’s every expression, seeing him tongue-tied. He ignored Chu Yi’s excuses and said softly, "Open the third box."

Chu Yi moved to the third tray. According to the book, "Chu Yi" was executed by lingchi (death by a thousand cuts), his head displayed on the city walls... He feared opening it to find someone’s severed head...

Chu Yi took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and opened it.

The box was empty.

Chu Yi breathed a sigh of relief, confused. "Your Majesty, it's... empty?"

General Wang continued, "Every piece of evidence I've gathered proves that the Regent standing here intended to rebel. This third box was meant for the Regent."

Chu Yi swallowed, momentarily speechless. Then he had an idea—he collapsed to the ground, pretending to faint.

—

On the bed in the imperial study, Chu Yi lay pale, his brow furrowed. Though pretending to be unconscious, his mind raced, trying to figure out how to defend himself and escape.

Sheng Qianheng sat on the edge of the bed, having long noticed that despite Chu Yi’s closed eyes, the slight darting of his eyes gave him away.

He asked the imperial physician, "Well? Why did he faint?"

Imperial Physician Xu finished taking Chu Yi’s pulse, placed his wrist back on the bed, and replied, "He only fainted from a slight fright and physical exhaustion."

After seeing the physician out, Sheng Qianheng returned to the bedside. Watching Chu Yi’s eyelashes tremble slightly, he reached out and pressed his fingers against Chu Yi’s neck, squeezing gently.

Chu Yi immediately grabbed Sheng Qianheng’s hand, swiftly turned over, and shrank back against the inner side of the bed, fear still evident in his eyes.

Sheng Qianheng withdrew his hand and adjusted his sleeve. "Still pretending to sleep?"

Chu Yi shook his head...

Sheng Qianheng sat with his back to Chu Yi on the edge of the bed. "Do you believe I have reason to suspect you?"