LOT - 5

"If one does wrong, one must be punished. It has only been a single morning, it is nothing compared to the discomfort of kneeling on stone tiles all night." Shang Cizhou calmly set down his silver chopsticks and glanced at Rong Mu. "Wouldn't you agree, Consort?"

Was that a threat? That was definitely a threat!

Having been provoked so many times, a surge of stubbornness to cure the Emperor's bad attitude welled up inside Rong Mu.

"Then perhaps I should wear a mask whenever I go out in the future. It was others who were dazed by the sight of me, it’s not as if I deliberately enticed them. Your Majesty should not go out of your way to make things difficult or frighten me. My heart is as fragile as a paper-cut window flower, if I'm scared too much, I might lose my will to live in the middle of the night. I still have to be Your Majesty’s Consort, after all." Rong Mu took a sip of soup, leaving the food in front of him untouched.

The Emperor had seen all kinds of people. If Rong Mu acted overly submissive, he might actually be discarded. If he gradually tested the tyrant’s bottom line, it would be much easier to navigate his life here in the future.

Sure enough, Shang Cizhou didn't blame him. He even let out a faint, indiscernible smile. Beside them, Lang Xi’s hand trembled as he served the dishes, terrified that blood would splatter across the hall in the next second!

But nothing happened. It seemed His Majesty had an extraordinarily high level of tolerance for this Consort.

"You have a point. You are my newly promoted favorite... I suddenly recall that some ministers suggested holding a Spring Flower Viewing Banquet in the palace recently. Seeing you, Consort Rong, I was struck by your peerless beauty and cannot imagine anyone more beautiful than my own person. How about this, you shall participate in the competition on my behalf. If you win, I will no longer hold today’s matter against you. If you lose..." 

Shang Cizhou seemed to think seriously for a moment, then said with a malicious glint, as if waiting to see Rong Mu’s reaction: 

"If you lose, I shall have a very thorough reckoning with you tonight."

Rong Mu couldn't process this for a moment. 'How does a flower viewing party involve people competing?'.

Seeing Rong Mu’s expression, Lang Xi knew the youth didn't understand the Emperor's meaning at all. He leaned in and whispered a clarification: "The Spring Flower Banquet is called a flower viewing, but it is actually a beauty pageant. All the beauties of Great Shang are in the capital, and the noble ladies of the city are each more beautiful than the last..."

Rong Mu’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Your Majesty wants me to compete against women?"

Shang Cizhou wiped his hands and looked down. "This is a display of my favor toward you. If the Consort feels shy, I can have the gentlemen from Xiqing Palace accompany you. Just consider it going out to play."

Lang Xi added opportunely, "The Xiqing Palace is also home to several Young Masters."

Rong Mu: "..."

Really? I don't believe it. There was definitely a conspiracy here that he didn't know about.

"I—"

Shang Cizhou suddenly raised his eyes and interrupted him. "I wanted to ask you last night. Have you never received instruction from a tutor?"

Rong Mu froze. He had never been taught by a traditional tutor, but he had attended lectures by university professors.

Shang Cizhou continued, "All under heaven is the King's land, all who live upon it are the King's subjects. Every citizen of this world must address me as 'Your Majesty.' Women call themselves 'this servant' or 'this concubine,' and men call themselves 'this subject.' This includes you, Attendant. Yet you keep saying 'I' this and 'I' that. It makes it hard not to suspect you are a spy from another country."

Rong Mu felt a chill run down his spine. He was indeed from "another country" or rather, another space-time entirely.

He sat at the table, his brow furrowed as if truly puzzled by this matter. After a long while, he looked up and stared seriously at Shang Cizhou. "Your Majesty, this subject knows his mistake. Is it correct to speak this way?"

Shang Cizhou had expected to see terror, he hadn't expected the person to simply take a moment to change his way of speaking, as if he truly had just learned these basic rules.

He suddenly felt a bit disgruntled. He disliked it when this person was too bold, yet he also disliked it when the person was too formal. Rong Mu’s attitude made him feel like he was punching a ball of willow dow, soft and yielding. 

Shang Cizhou’s thoughts churned, but in the end, he simply tossed his silk handkerchief into an attendant's tray and said coldly, "It is good that you know. Don't let it happen again."

Rong Mu quickly asked, "Then, that Flower Viewing Banquet.."

Shang Cizhou: "You must go. If you don't, where would my dignity go? The ministers all have beauties to show off, there is no reason for me, as the Emperor, to be outshone."

If you care about your dignity that much, just don't hold the party! 

Rong Mu took a deep breath.

"It is fine for this subject to compete for Your Majesty, but Your Majesty is so prone to jealousy. If I go and Your Majesty gets jealous and wants to kill people, what should be done? After all, this subject is as beautiful as a flower."

Lang Xi’s eyes went blank, his soul had already left his body.

Shang Cizhou glanced at Rong Mu. "I do not kill people recklessly."

"But Your Majesty plucks out eyeballs," Rong Mu countered.

Shang Cizhou let out a laugh. "I suppose I did frighten you just now. However, if you truly found it humiliating to go there, you should have found a better identity for yourself back then, or simply admitted you were an assas..."

Rong Mu didn't wait and blurted out, "This subject will go!"

Shang Cizhou nodded with satisfaction. "Now that is my favored Consort."

Throughout the meal, Rong Mu only drank a little more soup. Finally, find it too stomach-aching to eat facing the Emperor, he made up an excuse and slipped away.

Lang Xi silently cleared the dishes in front of Rong Mu’s seat when he suddenly heard the Emperor ask a question.

"Do I look that terrifying? Consort Rong is so afraid of me."

Lang Xi shook his head hurriedly. "Your Majesty looks exceptionally handsome."

Shang Cizhou remained expressionless. "Lang Xi, in all these years, have you seen anyone more bold than him? He couldn't even finish a single meal with me."

Lang Xi had seen such people, but the grass on their graves was now two zhang high. Only this Consort Rong could dance on the Emperor's bottom line, ignoring all rules and remaining perfectly intact.

"I have no love for the filth in this court, but no matter how dirty it is, it is mine. I have restrained myself quite a bit over the years, only using a few small chess pieces for balance. Yet some people think I am as easy to talk to as when I was the Crown Prince, wanting to poke their hands into everything..." Shang Cizhou’s voice trailed off. 

"As long as I live for a day, I will suppress the demons and monsters in the shadows for a day. I was too lazy to clean up the mess left by the late Emperor, but..."

But it seemed someone had once looked at him with hope, wishing for a peaceful and prosperous era. Unfortunately, he was born without benevolence, even using all his strength, he could only manage not to kill the innocent. 

Even that charlatan Min Kong knew of his brutality, going so far as to bring him a Buddha Lotus from the Nandai, foolishly hoping he would find peace of mind and remember the duties of an Emperor.

However, it seemed a single flower wasn't as effective as a single person.

Shang Cizhou looked down at the bouquet Rong Mu had given him, now placed in a vase and changed the subject. 

"There will be many people at the banquet, and my little Consort knows neither the people nor the way. He still has to stay alive to win me some face. When the time comes, send people to keep a close eye on him, lest this stupid thing dives headfirst into the lake in the Imperial Garden... Go, tell the people kneeling outside to get up. They scared my Consort so much he couldn't even eat properly."

Lang Xi froze. "Yes, Your Majesty. This servant understands."​