Chapter 11

Jin Wang carried Ye Shu back to the bedchamber.

Ye Shu had cried so hard just now that he still hadn't recovered, his breathing coming in small, uneven hitches.

Jin Wang set him down on the bed and was about to straighten up when two hands caught his sleeve.

The young man's eyes were red at the corners, his damp lashes hung with teardrops, his dark eyes clear and bright — carrying a faint anxiety and fear, he looked up at Jin Wang like a small rabbit, saying not a word.

No man could withstand a look like that.

Jin Wang let out a sigh and bent down to hold him again. "We are not leaving."

He turned and gave the order: "Bring hot water."

The attendants went to carry it out. Ye Shu rested his head against Jin Wang's chest and silently exhaled in relief.

He had gambled correctly.

The moment Jin Wang produced that pellet, he had already suspected it wasn't really poison.

Jin Wang was the sovereign of a nation — if he truly wanted to execute someone, he needed no justification, and would tolerate no excuses.

The fact that he demanded an explanation from Ye Shu meant that he didn't actually want Ye Shu to die.

But even if Jin Wang didn't want to kill him in his heart, the original host's treason and assassination plot were undeniable facts — there was no way to conceal them regardless. Better to confess outright.

He just hadn't expected… that the dog emperor would actually fall for it.

Read plenty of romantic stories in your spare time, have you?

The attendants quickly brought hot water. Jin Wang sent them away, then wrung out a silk cloth himself and wiped Ye Shu's face.

"A Yuan…" Ye Shu gripped Jin Wang's sleeve with uneasy hands, his voice small and trembling. "Am I dead?"

Jin Wang's hands paused. "What nonsense is that."

"But I…"

"We told you. That wasn't poison."

An uncomfortable feeling stirred in Jin Wang's chest. He said: "That was the tonic you've been taking. Couldn't you taste it?"

It was actually a Breath-Suppressing Pill.

Jin Wang had previously ordered the imperial physician to make a few extra and carried them on his person just in case.

Who could have known he'd end up using them today.

Jin Wang had known Ye Shu for over ten years, and this was the first time he had ever seen this person cry like this in front of him.

Just how much grief must one carry to be brought to such distress.

Jin Wang cast his mind back over everything that had happened these past few days and suddenly realized the flavor of it all had changed entirely.

Jin Wang didn't dare think too deeply — if the young man had truly harbored such feelings toward him all along, then how must he have felt about that night Jin Wang had slept with him, and how must he have felt about Jin Wang's liberties with him these past few days.

Jin Wang drew a long breath. A dull ache had, inexplicably, begun to throb somewhere in his chest.

For the first time, His Majesty the sovereign felt a faint twinge of regret.

He shouldn't have treated him so poorly.

…Wait.

He was the one who had tried to kill Us. What was there to feel guilty about?

He'd almost been talked in circles.

Infuriating wretch, Ye Shu.

The silk cloth gradually cooled. Jin Wang tossed it back into the basin, and his tone suddenly went cold. "Have you composed yourself?"

"…"

This man changed faces far too quickly???

Ye Shu held Jin Wang's gaze for a moment, then quietly climbed out of his arms, got off the bed, and knelt straight down in front of him.

Jin Wang said irritably: "What are you doing now?"

Ye Shu said pitifully: "This subject knows the gravity of his crimes. This subject begs Your Majesty to mete out punishment."

The young man had cried so much that even the tip of his nose was faintly red. His eyes were still brimming with moisture, his expression aggrieved and fragile.

It made one want to bully him all over again.

Jin Wang only felt a dry parched sensation in his mouth, and looked away. "You are indeed guilty beyond forgiveness."

The light in Ye Shu's eyes dimmed.

"…But neither do We disregard old ties." Jin Wang said. "In consideration of the fact that you were… at least forthright today, We can deal with this leniently. Go receive eighty strokes of the rod — and this matter will be considered settled."

Eighty strokes???!

That could kill a person!

Ye Shu said nothing. His eyes quietly went red.

His expression was so aggrieved it looked about ready to bubble over.

Jin Wang appeared to realize that the sentence was perhaps a bit heavy for the young man, and let out a small cough. "…Fifty, then."

"…"

Jin Wang looked again at the young man's slight frame. "Then thirty."

"…"

Jin Wang said with exasperation: "Twenty. Non-negotiable. If you can't take it in one go, have the Office of Punishment split it up!"

Ye Shu, who hadn't said a single word throughout: "…"

Ye Shu wasn't entirely sure, and tentatively tested: "What does 'split it up' mean? Does it mean… one stroke a month?"

Jin Wang said sharply: "Ye Qi'an!"

Ye Shu hurriedly knocked his head to the floor. "This subject obeys Your Majesty's decree."

"…"

Jin Wang was nearly driven half to death with anger, but for the life of him couldn't figure out how to refute him.

Those two red-rimmed eyes of the young man were like a needle jabbed straight into his weak spot, holding him utterly in their grip.

Thinking on it further, Jin Wang reconsidered and felt something was off.

This person had a honeyed tongue and was a consummate deceiver.

It was entirely possible that his confession in the carriage just now had also been a lie.

…He'd almost fallen for his trick.

Jin Wang's eyes narrowed, a glint of danger in them.

Ye Shu felt a chill run down his spine under that gaze.

He naturally knew that a single confession in the carriage was not nearly enough to fool this dog emperor.

Jin Wang might believe him for a moment, but as he gradually cooled down, his suspicion would only grow deeper.

What to do?

One standing, one kneeling — the two of them remained at a standstill in the hall for a moment before an attendant came to report: "Your Majesty, the bath is ready."

The tense atmosphere dissolved in an instant. Jin Wang gave Ye Shu a soft smile.

Ye Shu's instincts told him this was bad.

Sure enough — he heard Jin Wang say: "We have been out and about all day, A Shu. Come bathe with Us."

Steam rose in drifting clouds over the bathing pool. Ye Shu stood at the edge of the white jade pool, his ears flushed pink from the heat.

"A Shu, why aren't you getting in?" Jin Wang had submerged the greater part of his body, the expanse of his lean chest visible above the water. "Are you unwilling to bathe with Us?"

Who would want to bathe with him!

Was this dog emperor some kind of deviant?!

But the way things had been worded, Ye Shu didn't dare refuse either.

He reluctantly removed his outer robe and set it aside, and walked toward the pool while untying the sash of his inner garment.

Suddenly, a great splash rang out from the pool.

A hand shot out from the water and yanked Ye Shu in.

The world spun. By the time Ye Shu had gathered his wits, he was already pressed firmly against the wall of the bathing pool.

His last garment hadn't had the chance to come off, and now it was soaked through, clinging tight to his body — he was drenched from head to toe.

Jin Wang lifted Ye Shu's chin with one hand and gazed at his eyes, asking in a low voice: "You said you are fond of Us?"

Ye Shu: "…Yes."

"Then prove it to Us."

Another test.

Dog emperor.

Ye Shu deliberately turned his head away to avoid meeting Jin Wang's eyes. After a long moment, he answered softly: "…I don't know how to prove it."

"No matter — We will show you." Jin Wang brushed the water droplets from Ye Shu's lashes and leaned close to his ear. "Take the initiative just once. Then We will believe you."

Ye Shu froze. His cheeks flushed crimson in an instant.

Jin Wang didn't miss a single flicker of his reaction, and said with an unhurried tone: "If you won't even do this, how can you claim to be fond of Us?"

Jin Wang finished speaking and turned as if to leave — but was pulled back by Ye Shu.

The young man's lips were trembling. He said quietly: "I… I'm willing."

Jin Wang didn't move. Ye Shu closed his eyes and slowly pressed his lips to Jin Wang's.

"I am fond of you… it's true. Please believe me."

The young man's technique was clumsy. Those trembling lips touched Jin Wang's, and very quickly he had no idea how to go on. Jin Wang sneered inwardly, seized the young man's wrist, pressed him back against the jade wall, and turned the tables.

Both of their breathing quickened.

Suddenly, Ye Shu's body went rigid, and he began struggling frantically.

Jin Wang loosened his hold a little and let out a mocking smile. "Can't keep up the act? We knew you…"

Jin Wang's words stopped dead.

The two of them were very close — so close that the slightest change was impossible to miss.

Jin Wang looked at Ye Shu, disbelieving.

Even in such a humiliating situation, he could still…

Ye Shu's astonishment was no less than Jin Wang's.

His acting hadn't reached that level. That reaction… was genuinely not an act.

All from just one kiss — what was wrong with him down there.

Should just cut it off!

Ye Shu's ears had gone completely red. He could no longer keep up the performance at all, and could only manage to turn his face aside, wanting to dig a hole in the ground and bury himself in it.

But in Jin Wang's eyes, that expression read as unbearable humiliation and agonized struggle.

Now he understood everything.

"Ah, A Shu…"

After a long silence, Jin Wang let out a soft sigh, and pulled the young man's rigid body back into his arms.

Ye Shu's jaw was trembling. He gripped Jin Wang's wrist hard. "You — don't — touch — me——"

"What are you embarrassed for — can't We just believe you?" Jin Wang moved his hand aside and said softly against Ye Shu's ear: "Stop squirming. We won't bully you this time… We'll help you out."

Against Jin Wang, Ye Shu's resistance amounted to almost nothing.

And of course, very soon even that last shred of resistance was gone.

…

The sounds of water in the bath went on and on.

Ye Shu had cried and carried on at great length tonight, then been thoroughly tormented by Jin Wang in the bathing pool, and in the end was so exhausted he simply fell unconscious, and was carried back to the bedchamber by Jin Wang.

The moment he touched the bed, Ye Shu rolled over to the far side, leaving only his thin and slight back turned toward Jin Wang.

Jin Wang lay down too.

He believed what Ye Shu had said today — yet suspicion still lingered.

Even if this person had feelings for him, it did not erase the fact that he had conspired to commit treason and murder against the sovereign.

He remained a threat to Jin Wang regardless.

Right. A threat — which meant We absolutely must not…

The person beside him suddenly stirred, and rolled over to burrow into Jin Wang's arms.

He nuzzled around in Jin Wang's chest like a small animal until he found a comfortable spot, and then went still.

Jin Wang held the young man's soft, warm body. After a long moment, his thoughts gradually returned.

…What had We just been thinking?

Ah yes — this person had given up the assassination today out of love for Us. But what if one day that love faded — what then?

The feelings of this world never lasted. He should still…

"Jin Wang…" The sleeping young man suddenly murmured in his dream. "Why don't you ever believe me…"

Jin Wang's chest gave a faint tremor.

The young man huddled in his arms, his voice low and hoarse in complaint: "You never believe me…"

…Fine.

Jin Wang closed his eyes, and let out a conceding sigh: "We will believe you one more time. One last time."

"If you dare deceive Us again, We will certainly kill you."

"…A sovereign's word is his bond."