Thanks to Shen Ling’s attentive care, Li Sui’s health improved greatly.
Seeing the Emperor rosy-cheeked and full of energy—even able to wear a fur cloak and play hide-and-seek with Shen Ling in the great hall—Li Zhen could no longer sit still.
“I told you to give Li Sui the poison. It’s been so long—why hasn’t anything happened yet?” Li Zhen summoned Shen Mei and berated him mercilessly.
“Have you even been taking this seriously?”
Shen Mei dropped to his knees with a thump, clutching Li Zhen’s leg.
“The time isn’t right yet, My Lord!”
Li Zhen kicked Shen Mei away and said impatiently, “If you don’t act soon, Li Sui will fully recover. What chance will you have once he’s back at the palace?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to act. His Majesty is seriously ill, and someone watches over everything he eats and drinks every day. The imperial physicians check his pulse at all hours. We simply have no chance to poison him.”
Shen Mei got to his feet, his expression perfectly earnest.
“We can only wait until His Majesty has fully recovered and let down his guard. Then we can kill him with one strike!”
Li Zhen thought Shen Mei had a point, but he was still dissatisfied with his lack of efficiency.
“It’s already been two months. If we drag this out any longer, we’ll be back at the palace. If all else fails, have Shen Ling hide the pill between his teeth and pass it to him with a kiss. He’s just a foolish younger brother. His life could be your stepping-stone to a bright future, and you’d be spared the trouble of looking after him. It’s a win-win.”
Shen Mei did not argue. With a pained expression, he sighed.
“Shen Ling is a glutton. If you put poison in his mouth, how would he know how to poison someone else? He’d probably mistake it for candy and chew it up the moment he put it in his mouth.”
“This won’t work, and that won’t work either.” Li Zhen looked at Shen Mei, kneeling on the ground with a meek expression, his brow furrowed.
“You aren’t thinking that since Shen Ling is favored, Li Sui will use you in the future, so you don’t want to take action, are you?”
Shen Mei was alarmed.
He hurriedly protested, “How would I dare, My Lord? The lives of both my brother and I are in your hands. My younger brother and I rely entirely on the Jing Prince’s household for our livelihood. How could I commit such an ungrateful act? Besides, Li Sui is cruel and unfit to shoulder great responsibility. You, My Lord, are the one chosen by Heaven—the true Son of Heaven. My loyalty is wholly devoted to you!”
Li Zhen clicked his tongue, the corners of his mouth lifting at the praise.
When Shen Mei seemed about to lunge toward him, he quickly backed away a few steps to keep his distance, then issued his final ultimatum.
“I don’t care what method you use. You have ten days to administer the poison. Otherwise…”
Li Zhen’s expression darkened. His cold gaze swept over Shen Mei’s face.
“You can forget about getting the antidote this year.”
Shen Mei was horrified. His eyes reddened, the corners of his lips trembled, and he looked utterly bereft. He knelt there, shaking for a long while, before seeming to steel himself.
“Could Your Highness grant me a little more time? In twenty days, His Majesty will surely order the return to the palace. A palace banquet will be held at the Imperial retreat then. They’re bound to let their guard down that day. If we strike at the banquet… we can wipe them all out at once!”
A long silence followed.
Li Zhen said, “Fine.”
Shen Mei immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He was just about to get up when the other man continued, “If you still fail, you can stay at the Imperial retreat. Don’t bother returning to the capital.”
Shen Mei shuddered all over, so frightened he was utterly shaken.
Li Zhen leaned down and patted his shoulder, speaking gently.
“There’s no need to be afraid. I’ve always rewarded and punished fairly. Shen Mei, I have high hopes for you. If the campaign to purge the court of corrupt officials succeeds, you, Lord Shen, will take the foremost seat among the officials at court.”
“Thank you, My Lord!” Shen Mei’s voice trembled as he bowed low. “This humble subject will go through fire and water without hesitation.”
＊
It was late at night, and all was quiet.
Shen Ling was fast asleep, sprawled against Li Sui’s chest.
During this time, Li Sui had followed the physician’s instructions every day: taking his medicine on schedule, concerning himself less with state affairs, and exercising with Shen Ling—specifically, playing “Come catch me! If you catch me, I’ll let you have your way with me.”
Shen Ling might look a little slow, but when he ran, he was incredibly nimble, darting about like a gust of wind and making good use of the space around him. Relying on the Lightness Skill he’d learned from Zhuang Xinan, he would even hang himself from a ceiling beam.
Anyone who didn’t know better would think they were playing at a tyrannical ruler chasing a beauty. In reality, Li Sui was running two thousand meters at a time every day, and his physical activity had skyrocketed.
However, all that exercise had its benefits. Li Sui’s complexion gradually grew rosy, and he was no longer so prone to dozing off. He also put aside some of his excessively complicated and dark thoughts.
After taking his pulse, the imperial physician bluntly declared that His Majesty’s health had greatly improved. If he kept this up, perhaps he wouldn’t need to take medicine next year.
But when Li Sui’s health improved, Shen Ling was the one who suffered. The hot spring pool was a fine place, so the two of them unlocked a new setting and new positions.
Shen Ling was soaked in hot spring water and then thoroughly “soaked” by the Emperor, leaving him so dazed that his mind turned to mush. His whole body is red like a cooked shrimp, and was still trembling when Li Sui carried him out of the pool.
Once he was on the bed, he couldn’t even be touched. The slightest touch made him cry out, then he climbed on top of Li Sui and pinned his hands down, forbidding him to touch him. He only settled down once he fell asleep.
He was incredibly coquettish.
The not-so-light bundle pressed heavily against his chest. Li Sui traced Shen Ling’s features with his gaze, a rare sense of peace settling in his heart.
A soft knock came from outside the door. Li Sui eased his hand out of Shen Ling’s embrace and carefully turned over. Shen Ling promptly rolled off, face buried in the blanket, eyes still closed as he mumbled, “No more, no more.”
“Such a wimp.” Li Sui pinched the tip of Shen Ling’s nose, then tucked the blanket around him and rose, putting on his robe.
A guard opened the door for him.
Li Sui stepped outside the hall, glanced in surprise at the mask on the face of the shadow guard commander beside him, then discreetly looked away and turned his gaze to the young man kneeling in the courtyard.
“Lord Shen, what urgent matter brings you here in the middle of the night?”
Shen Mei knelt and bowed his head. “I pay my respects to Your Majesty.”
Li Sui gave a quiet “Mm,” then gestured for him to rise. “There’s no need for formalities.”
Shen Mei stood and said solemnly, “Your Majesty, after lying low for many days, I have finally uncovered new information. Prince Jing’s heir told me today that they have decided to stage a coup at the banquet before the return to the palace next month. Your Majesty must take strict precautions and make plans in advance.”
Shen Mei stood straight in the courtyard, looking every bit the dignified court official.
After returning from the Southwest, he had voluntarily defected to Li Sui, handing over every scrap of intelligence he had about the Jing Prince’s faction.
He had declared that he wished to abandon the dark side and embrace the light— his former allegiance to Prince Jing had been a matter of necessity, but after seeing the Emperor’s face, he had realized where his heart truly lay.
He would follow in his father’s footsteps and become a minister wholly devoted to the throne.
Li Sui still remembered the day Shen Mei entered the palace for an audience. Blood was gushing from a wound beneath his ribs, and his face was as pale as a ghost. He had recited the account books detailing the embezzlement case in the Southwest, blaming the entire mess—whether right or wrong—on the He family’s eldest son.
Nine parts of what he said were true and one part false; had Li Sui not already obtained the genuine account books, he would likely have been fooled as well.
For example, the eldest young master of the He family really had never embezzled anything.
Born into an aristocratic family, he had his principles and disdained to join the corrupt officials in their schemes. But the He family had controlled the court for too long, and Li Sui would not allow them to produce another chancellor. He needed a blade, and Shen Mei became that bloodstained blade.
Li Sui had removed a thorn in his side; Shen Mei had avenged his family. Everything had worked out perfectly.
Shen Mei, however, was not as rigid as his father. Censor Shen had been an upright official. Unable to bear the humiliation he suffered, he had taken his own life to prove his innocence.
Li Sui had watched him die—a dull thud as his skull struck the stone pillar in the great hall, blood spraying three feet in all directions, and his life gone in an instant.
Those who are too rigid break easily. His son was the opposite. Shen Mei was shrewd and ambitious; his eyes were greedy, brimming with a thirst for power and influence.
Therefore, his only younger brother could serve as a stepping-stone, and so could Prince Jing.
With the merit of protecting the Emperor, even a third-rank post might be within reach—as long as he survived long enough to return to the capital.
A breeze passed, and mist hung over the hot spring pool. The white vapor resembled clouds fallen to earth.
Li Sui nodded. “I understand.”
Shen Mei asked cautiously, “May I ask what Your Majesty intends to do? Is there anything this humble servant can do to help?”
Li Sui did not answer. He simply tucked his hands into his sleeves, studied Shen Mei for a couple of moments, then asked a question that seemed to come from nowhere.
“How are things between you and your younger brother?”
Shen Mei froze for a moment, then replied, “We are full brothers, bound by blood. Naturally, we are close.”
Li Sui said, “Then protect him. Don’t let him get hurt or upset.”
Shen Mei replied “Yes, Your Highness” several times in quick succession.
Then he saw Li Sui wave his hand and say casually, “You may leave.”
Shen Mei slipped away quietly.
Afterward, Li Sui turned to the guard beside him. “Meng Fan, why are you wearing a mask today? You’re acting suspiciously—you look like some shaman performing a ritual.”
A muffled male voice came from behind the mask. “It’s comfortable, Your Majesty. This man is fickle and full of lies. You absolutely cannot trust him.”
Li Sui, however, was perfectly at ease.
“What difference does it make whether he tells the truth or lies? Shen Mei wants power, so he must attach himself to one faction or another. Now he’s hedging his bets on both sides. He stands to benefit whoever wins, whether it’s me or Prince Jing. If he can keep both sides happy, then he’s capable indeed.”
“As for you, though—you’ve never been one to speak much in the past, yet today you’ve said so much. Do you have a problem with him?”
Meng Fan said, “…No.”
Li Sui said, “Hmm?”
Meng Fan gave in.
“Your Majesty, I once traveled with him when I went to the southwest to check the accounts. Later, his whereabouts were exposed and he was hunted down. I saved his life, and the bastard turned around and ran off, leaving me to take the fall.”
There was a hint of grievance in the tall guard’s voice.
“If not for that, I would have brought the account books back to the capital long ago. Why else would I have been delayed by half a month? That man is heartless and full of lies. If he treats his life-saving benefactor this way, who knows how far he’ll go with everyone else? A man who betrays his word is unfit for a position of responsibility. I fear he may well turn into a parasite within the court.”
“A parasite, perhaps not.” Li Sui lowered his eyes.
“But when it comes to scheming, he’s second to none.”
If a man like that became an imperial in-law, he might be the next He family.
Li Sui raised an eyebrow. He suddenly imagined that if he died, Shen Ling would become a little widower. Would he cry and wail? Would he mourn him—or join him in death?
He waved a hand, and Meng Fan disappeared into the darkness. Li Sui returned to the Bedchamber and stood by the warming brazier, and only after the chill around him had dissipated did he climb back into bed.
The room was warm. Shen Ling, who hated the heat, had kicked the blanket again, leaving only a corner draped over his stomach. He slept sprawled out, completely unguarded.
“You certainly seem quite content.”
Li Sui fixed Shen Ling with an intense gaze, then shook him awake. Cupping his drowsy face, he asked gently, “Tingting, shall we die together?”
Shen Ling: “?”
He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open.
Seeing Li Sui about to start acting crazy again, he flopped on top of the Emperor and mumbled incoherently, “Sure, sure. Then go ahead and fuck me to death, Your Majesty. But remember to do it another day—I’m too tired today. I don’t have time.”
Author’s note:
Xiao Ming-ge: Guess if I’m good or bad
Shen Ling: Good and bad
