Chapter 17: Prince Yu, That Terrifying Demon

Chapter 17: Prince Yu, That Terrible Demon

Liu Qingci could feel those sticky, appraising gazes—like sizing up goods—sweeping over him.

The hands resting on his knees tightened slightly, knuckles turning white, but his face remained as still as still water.

Xiao Yan drained the wine in his cup, not bothering to engage with anyone.

He glanced at Liu Qingci beside him, his disgust unconcealed:

"You're a disgrace. Get lost."

Liu Qingci didn't hesitate. He gave a proper bow, rose, and walked away.

Clean and swift, his steps carrying him off like the wind.

"Huh?!, Leaving just like that..."

Young Master Sun snapped his fan shut, staring blankly at the swiftly departing figure.

Wasn't the whole point of this banquet for everyone to see that Prince Yu had snatched the former most talented scholar in the capital, Young Master Liu, back to be his plaything, and was now bringing him out for a laugh?!

If he chased the man away, what was there to laugh at?

Little K chimed in: "Host, the mission requires Liu Qingci to be mocked and humiliated by old acquaintances at the banquet. Why did you send him away?"

"He can't leave the banquet grounds by walking out," Xiao Yan said. "And how else is he going to run into more of his old acquaintances if he doesn't wander around a bit?"

Before his fall from grace, Liu Qingci had been a frequent honored guest at the banquets of most aristocratic families in the capital.

On this day’s feast, there was hardly anyone who didn't know Young Master Liu, and Liu Qingci could see many familiar faces from the past.

Once away from the crowd centered on Prince Yu, Liu Qingci visibly relaxed.

He could tell himself not to care about what those people said, but when those knife-like gazes were cast on him, he still couldn't remain entirely indifferent.

Liu Qingci lowered his eyes, trying not to meet anyone's gaze, and instinctively quickened his steps toward a quiet corner.

Just then, a slightly hesitant voice sounded beside him:

"Qingci... is that you? Brother?"

Liu Qingci paused midstep. No one had called him that in a long time.

He looked up and saw a young man in a Confucian robe standing not far away.

The young man's brow was furrowed, his eyes full of inner conflict and barely suppressed concern.

"Huai'an?" Liu Qingci was surprised.

Chen Huai'an had been a close friend and classmate from their days at the academy. His family was poor but he was brilliant; he had just passed the imperial examinations and earned the honorable post of compiler at the Hanlin Academy.

"Brother Qingci, I never thought I'd actually see you!" Chen Huai'an's gaze hurriedly swept over Liu Qingci from head to toe, as if trying to ascertain if he was hurt, his voice thick with suppressed agitation and concern. "You... are you all right? I heard..."

"Why are you here?"

Liu Qingci's expression tensed, cutting him off.

He glanced around and, seeing no one paying attention to them, turned back to Chen Huai'an.

Chen Huai'an was from a humble background, held a low-ranking post, and was known for being honest and cautious. How could he have gotten into a place like this—a decadent pleasure palace haunted by Prince Yu?

Chen Huai'an said, "The invitations for this banquet were sent out unusually widely—not just to the usual powerful scions, but also to many old acquaintances of yours from the Hanlin Academy and the Imperial Academy—anyone who knew you well. Ostensibly it's a gathering for literary exchange, but everyone knows that His Highness Prince Yu..."

He paused, pain flashing in his eyes. "I found out you'd be here, so I knew this wasn't an ordinary feast. I was worried about you, so... I had to come take a look, no matter what."

Liu Qingci's heart clenched as if gripped by an icy hand.

So that was it.

Xiao Yan had done this deliberately. He had lowered the bar and scattered invitations among the literary circles he once frequented, where Liu Qingci once wrote poetry, discussed essays, and studied with his peers.

He wanted these former fellow travelers—those who might still hold some admiration or goodwill toward Liu Qingci—to come in person and witness this "show."

To watch him fall from the clouds into the mud, to see him docilely reduced to Prince Yu's plaything.

"You shouldn't have come." Liu Qingci's voice was dry. "Do you know what kind of place this is? You're just inviting trouble."

Chen Huai'an's face flickered with nervousness, then a look of desperate determination appeared in his eyes.

"Brother Qingci, we don't have much time. Actually, I'm not the only one who came today." He spoke rapidly, every word forced through clenched teeth.

"There are two other fellow jinshi graduates serving in the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel. They... they both once received favors from your father, Lord Liu. We've learned that this banquet might present an opportunity."

Chen Huai'an's hands trembled slightly in his sleeves, but he forced his voice steady:

"We've worked out a few plans. If we can get you out, there's a carriage waiting outside the gate to take you out of the city immediately."

"That's insane!" Liu Qingci interrupted him in a low voice, his face turning whiter than paper—not from fear, but from shock and anger. "This isn't an opportunity—it's suicide! It's dragging all of you into eternal damnation!"

"But we can't just stand by and watch you..." Chen Huai'an's eyes were bloodshot, the result of days of anxiety and helplessness. "Brother Qingci, your father is still in prison! The Liu family needs you! If you stay here, you'll be destroyed."

Liu Qingci closed his eyes.

The Liu family had been toppled, yet there were still former subordinates of his father willing to fight for them—he felt a mixture of joy and sorrow.

But the current state of the Liu family could not be easily changed.

"Huai'an, listen to me." His tone became disturbingly calm. He even reached out and pressed firmly, though lightly, on Chen Huai'an's trembling arm. "I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life. But I cannot leave, and you must act as if this plan never existed."

"Brother Qingci, do you even know what kind of person Prince Yu is?!"

Liu Qingci's eyes were dead. "I know."

Chen Huai'an's voice was indignant: "Brother Qingci, you once devoted yourself only to the sages' books. You probably don't fully understand Prince Yu's notorious reputation. If you stay here, you will die!"

He quickly scanned the surroundings again, nearly whispering:

"Just last month, I heard that a Li performer hit a wrong note at a banquet, and Prince Yu ordered his finger chopped off on the spot!"

Liu Qingci rarely heard such rumors from the streets.

Even though he had Yun Feng, who adored gossip, Yun Feng knew Liu Qingci disliked hearing gossip and never brought such things up in front of him.

"The turnover of people in Prince Yu's inner chambers is more often than he changes his robes," Chen Huai'an's voice trembled with fear and anger. "I heard that Prince Yu has a private estate on the outskirts of the capital, where he feeds mastiffs... on human flesh! The people who vanish without a trace from his inner chambers—even their bones are never found!"

Chen Huai'an's sorrowful gaze fell on his old friend, once as untainted as a clear breeze and bright moon.

He could almost see the near future— Liu Qingci, tortured and shattered by Prince Yu, that terrible demon, slowly ground down to death, vanishing without a trace into the endless depths of Prince Yu's manor.