His head felt tight, and looking at his long hair, he somehow blurted out: "I-I'm not an assassin. Actually, I... I'm a newly arrived male consort (侍君 (shì jūn) : male bed companion) !!"
Yes, a consort! As long as the Emperor didn't kill him immediately, there was room for negotiation!
In ancient times, which monarch didn't have a harem? Which Emperor could remember every single person in it? Some, for the Emperor’s pleasure, would send people into the palace regardless of gender.
At a time like this, he had to gamble!
Shang Cizhou had seen countless people who knew how to disguise themselves, but he had never met anyone bold enough to claim the status of a male consort right off the bat... Though, with that face, he did have the capital to be a consort.
Interesting. He had always treasured talent and liked to make use of everything.
Shang Cizhou looked Rong Mu up and down for a few breaths, then sheathed his sword and walked past the person on the floor. "Lang Xi."
The response from outside was immediate: "What are your Majesty's orders?"
Shang Cizhou: "Come in and move the Bijiiangxue away."
Rong Mu’s eyes widened. He instinctively reached out to protect the lotus vat, his face showing a look more anxious than when he was facing the Emperor.
Shang Cizhou turned his gaze toward the youth on the floor.
Lang Xi entered and saw the figure by the couch, nearly losing his composure in shock. Someone had entered the Emperor's bedroom without his knowledge!
A chill ran down Lang Xi’s spine, and he quickly glanced at his master.
But since the Emperor said nothing, he could only suppress his voice, bow, and under Rong Mu’s lingering and cautious gaze, easily lift the lotus vat and carry it out. He placed it back under the veranda and didn't forget to close the doors upon his return.
Rong Mu: "..."
He wanted to cry. Was his strength really inferior even to an old eunuch's?
How could Rong Mu know that the people around Shang Cizhou all had some level of martial arts? He simply thought that by transmigrating, he had even lost the strength a man should have.
For a moment, his world felt like it was collapsing, and he wished he could find a crack in the floor to crawl into.
The Emperor didn't kill him, but he didn't pay him any attention either. Rong Mu waited for a while, then quietly stood up and headed for the door, prepared to stand outside all night if he couldn't escape. But a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"It seems the people of the Internal Affairs Office haven't taught you the proper rules."
Rong Mu turned and saw the Emperor leaning his chin on one hand, looking at him through the layers of silk curtains. The candlelight was dim, making that noble face appear flickering and uncertain.
Shang Cizhou had a smile on his lips, but Rong Mu couldn't find a trace of warmth in his eyes.
"Since you are a consort, you must do what a consort does. I shall believe you for now, but if you have no real skill... do not blame me for being cruel and heartless." Shang Cizhou spoke of being "cruel and heartless" without a hint of emotion, as if countless people had already described him that way.
Rong Mu was frozen in place. After a long while, he slowly and reluctantly trudged over.
Shang Cizhou noticed that Rong Mu didn't even have shoes on his feet, yet they were fair and thin, without a speck of dirt. A pair of feet like that should be stepping in the darkest, grimiest places to truly bring out their vivid beauty.
Fitting. Perfectly fitting.
Rong Mu walked to the Dragon Bed and stood as stiff as a bedpost. His eyes were blank, his face carrying a touch of naive innocence, as if he had no idea how to "serve" unless the Emperor told him.
'Is his brain actually broken?'
A playful glint flashed in Shang Cizhou’s eyes. "Either get into bed and undress me, or go kneel to the side. As a consort, since you don't know how to attend to the bed, kneel there and think carefully about how to serve the Emperor. Well? Which one do you choose?"
Shang Cizhou disliked heat. Although the Great Shang palace was in the north, he didn't even have the floor heaters lit.
Not to mention it was currently late spring, the inverted cold made the palace floor tiles icy. Combined with the lingering winter chill, the room never felt warm. Kneeling there all night would leave even a man of iron with permanent leg injuries.
Rong Mu didn't move for a moment. After a while, he replied in a small voice: "I... I can do it. But my method might be a bit different. As long as you feel comfortable, it's fine, right?"
The malicious impulse rising within Shang Cizhou paused. As the youth spoke, he seemed to catch a faint scent of lotus.
Perhaps it was picked up when he was leaning against the vat earlier.
"Address me as Your Majesty," Shang Cizhou said suddenly.
Rong Mu: "Huh?"
Shang Cizhou stared at him intently, as if looking for a flaw he had missed. "When speaking to me, you must speak like that. Do you not even understand this?"
Rong Mu: ...This feudal dynasty is a trap for flowers!
"...Replying to Your Majesty, can I get on the bed now?" Rong Mu was ready. He even rotated his wrists, prepared to use his skills to save his life under this tyrant.
Only then did Shang Cizhou give a grunt of assent, waiting to see what "skills" he would display.
He watched as Rong Mu clumsily lifted his long robes and scrambled onto the wide Dragon Bed using both hands and feet. Then, he gently patted the corner of the Emperor's quilt and said,
"Your Majesty must be tired from reviewing memorials. I once took an elective..uh, no, I mean, I learned massage from a master. I'll help you feel better right now!"
Shang Cizhou: "?"
His expression shifted rapidly for a second, then turned visibly gloomy.
Rong Mu didn't understand what part of this psycho was displeased again. He just looked at him expectantly, eager to serve the Emperor to prove his harmlessness.
But he only heard the Emperor say in a deep voice: "Go kneel."
Rong Mu: "?"
Shang Cizhou: "My mood is suddenly bad. You must kneel."
Rong Mu: "Wait, I.."
"Or would you prefer I call the Black Imperial Guards in to seize you?"
Rong Mu fell silent instantly. He crawled to the corner of the bed. The neat Dragon Bed had been turned into a mess by his movements. Shang Cizhou’s temple throbbed uncontrollably, but for some reason, the murderous intent from before had faded.
Rong Mu looked at the floor, then cast a daring glance at Shang Cizhou. Perhaps a glamorous spirit like himself had successfully caught the Emperor's attention, he felt he might not have to die just yet.
The floor was so cold. With his current fragile body that felt like it would blow over in the wind, a night there might send him to his next reincarnation. He decided to use his species charm to talk to the Emperor. Maybe there was room for compromise.
Rong Mu reached out to pile up the brocade quilt, quietly pulling a bit over to cover his icy feet. Then, looking as if he were kneeling while actually leaning against the side of the bed for support, he stole a glance at the Emperor, who was still watching his antics. This time, he made sure to follow ancient etiquette before speaking.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I don't take up much space. By kneeling here, I can even pull the covers over you in the middle of the night. If Your Majesty finds me an eyesore, I can hide my head. In short, I'll try my best not to be seen. Your Majesty's great grace... Rong Mu will surely keep it in his heart."
Rong Mu?
Shang Cizhou ran those two words through his mind, even checking them against the names of every famous noble family in the capital, but found nothing. If Rong Mu really were an assassin, his most successful feat was certainly hiding his identity.
However, the person cowering at the corner of the bed had zero assassination skill but plenty of soul-bewitching charm.
For instance, he was currently thinking that if he accidentally tormented this person to death, it would truly be... a great pity.
The room was filled at some point with a faint fragrance, overpowering the gloom and boldly drifting onto the Dragon Bed.
Shang Cizhou narrowed his eyes slightly. In his 23 years of life, he hadn't realized that he actually quite enjoyed teasing such a delicate, slender, and unblemished vessel.
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