Chapter 2: The Beauty Attends the Emperor’s Bed

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In the eyes of Noble Consort Yun, the deceit, intrigue, bloodshed, and treachery of imperial struggles had long since ceased to be anything unusual.

When one act ended, another took the stage.

Power gained and power lost, favor won and favor withdrawn—none of it lasted forever.

One moment, a person might be showered with glory and bring honor to the family; the next, he might lose his head and see his entire household executed. Sometimes, the change came in the blink of an eye.

Ordinary people thought being an emperor was the finest fate in the world. But who could know that the imperial family was the most ruthless place of all?

The ancient palace stood desolate, its palace flowers blooming red in solitude. White-haired palace maids remained, sitting idly as they spoke of Emperor Xuanzong.

Well, so what if it was remote? Worrying would not change anything.

In any case, being sent away from the capital would not remove every threat, but at least they would be able to live in greater peace.

Her son had established himself as the new ruler today. To possess such filial consideration was truly rare!

If only things could continue to change as they had today. Then perhaps he would not end up with his bones scattered in the abyss of their deadly struggle for power.

He had been sold off, yet was still counting out the money for someone else!

“Mother understands! Congratulations, my son, on becoming the new sovereign!”

Her eyes grew moist, and she too raised her cup and drained it.

A faint smile touched Chai Xiao’s lips.

Zhang Bao came over quietly and gave him a thumbs-up.

The observant Noble Consort Yun soon noticed the gesture, but pretended not to see it. She merely nodded lightly and cast a glance toward the front and side.

If this had been the former good-for-nothing Ninth Prince, he certainly would not have noticed the meaning in his mother’s eyes.

But Chai Xiao was different. Following her gaze, he saw Junior Grand Tutor Su Zhongjing.

Among the former good-for-nothing faction, he was the only one who was not a good-for-nothing himself.

He had taught not only Chai Xiao, but also the Crown Prince.

Unfortunately, the Crown Prince possessed nothing but the courage of a common brute and had never studied seriously. He was hardly any better than Chai Xiao, the good-for-nothing.

Not long ago, he had been transferred from Wu, the largest kingdom in territory, to Jin, a state only slightly stronger than Xu.

Then he had found himself embroiled in a lawsuit. The Second Prince falsely accused him of arrogantly retaining military power, and Emperor Yuan ordered him confined to Jin, forbidding him to leave.

Back when Su Zhongjing had taught the two of them, he had exhausted every possible effort. Yet they had been impervious to reason, leaving him helpless.

Fortunately, the Junior Grand Tutor was a man of tranquil temperament. When he could not get through to them, he simply urged them to take life as it came. After all, remaining alive was enough.

Since the Crown Prince had been confined, Su Zhongjing had come to accompany Chai Xiao.

To accomplish anything, one needed money, weapons, and followers!

Mother is reminding me to recruit people!

Chai Xiao raised his cup with both hands and saluted Su Zhongjing. “Thank you, Teacher, for your guidance.”

“Your Majesty is too gracious.”

Su Zhongjing did not sense anything unusual about the good-for-nothing compared with his usual self. But Chai Xiao’s next words left him utterly stunned.

“Once a teacher, forever a father. I was unruly before, and I may be even more unruly in the future. I hope you will not hold anything back from me.”

This boy had never spoken like this before. He had never admitted to being unruly, either—and now he was asking me not to hold anything back?

Which part of him has gone wrong?

Su Zhongjing stared directly into Chai Xiao’s eyes, his gaze sharp as a measuring square, searching for an answer. Yet all he saw was the same emptiness as before.

Was it merely an illusion?

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Though somewhat suspicious, Su Zhongjing still raised his cup in return. “I shall do everything within my power and conceal nothing.”

Chai Xiao smiled, then held his cup in both hands and toasted someone no one could have expected.

The attending eunuch, Zhang Bao.

Bang!

Zhang Bao nearly fell flat on his face.

“Your Majesty, what are you doing?”

Are you making fun of me?

Chai Xiao’s solemn expression looked so strange that Zhang Bao was at a loss.

“You are the Director of the Imperial Household Department. I toast you because I trust you, and because I want you to serve with even greater diligence. That way, there will be no fires in the rear courtyard. What? Are you unwilling?”

“Of course I’m willing!”

Zhang Bao felt certain he had consumed too many medicinal pills lately and had begun hallucinating.

This sovereign seemed to have taken too many pills as well. How else could he be so unreal?

Another cup was drained.

The atmosphere reached its peak.

“Come, come! With a little red-clay brazier burning beside us, shall we have another cup?”

Noble Consort Yun, Su Zhongjing, Zhang Bao, and the others all wore radiant smiles.

Chai Xiao became somewhat carried away. Before long, he let himself go completely, cup after cup passing his lips. He was no longer drinking so much as pouring it down.

Noble Consort Yun hurried to restrain him, but there was no stopping him.

Never mind. He was still a child, after all. Let him enjoy himself. She could simply help him back to bed later.

After three rounds of wine and five courses of food, the alcohol, aided by the sumptuous meal, soon went to his head.

Before crossing into this world, Chai Xiao had been famed for being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Even so, compared with all these people of prodigious capacity, he still succumbed.

Before long, he was asleep with his head on the table.

Noble Consort Yun beckoned, and the banquet was swiftly cleared away.

His personal maids, He Yun and Lan Zhi, helped Chai Xiao back to his sleeping quarters, while everyone else dispersed.

…

The two young women helped Chai Xiao change and lie down, then prepared to leave.

Unexpectedly, Chai Xiao scrambled up at once. Taking advantage of his drunkenness, he wrapped one arm around each of them and insisted that they attend his bed.

Drunken misconduct!

The two women knew that he was happy today and had drunk too much.

They also knew that being favored by His Majesty was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. Yet a maiden’s instinct made them unconsciously struggle with all their strength to push him away.

Smack!

Somehow, they managed to send him sprawling onto the floor.

The two women were terrified. They hurriedly helped him up, then dropped to their knees with a thud and repeatedly cried that they deserved death.

Chai Xiao was not angry. Swaying where he stood, he pointed at their heads.

“You two girls know you deserve death, do you? Today is the joyous occasion of my enthronement. I asked you to attend my bed, yet not only did you refuse—you pushed me down and made me fall. Tell me, what should I do with you?”

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The two women cried out for mercy. “Your Majesty, spare our lives! We submit to whatever punishment Your Majesty decrees!”

Wu Wa and Yue Yan, slender and graceful, their beauty enhanced by rouge.

Chai Xiao looked at them and began to grin wickedly.

“You are both so beautiful that I cannot bring myself to cut off your heads. What a waste that would be. But I cannot let you off without consequence, either. I must leave some sort of memento!”

With that, he searched the room, found a pair of scissors, and prepared to cut off a lock of each woman’s hair.

“Your Majesty! Please, no!”

The two women burst into frightened tears.

Hair and skin were gifts from one’s parents.

Was cutting their hair not as terrible as taking their lives?

Chai Xiao’s face hardened.

“You said you would submit to any punishment, and now you say no! Is cutting off a lock of hair too much to bear? If you refuse again, I’ll have you taken outside and beheaded!”

The two women dared not speak. Their wide eyes brimmed with boundless grievance, and tears trickled down their cheeks.

Chai Xiao’s eyes opened wide.

“Well? Is it acceptable or not? Give me a straight answer!”

The two women could only nod. They closed their eyes and let him cut.

He burst into uproarious laughter.

Once their hair was cut, they would certainly behave. Then he could do whatever he pleased.

He raised the scissors and approached them step by step. A blaze suddenly flared in his chest, like the red-clay brazier burning fiercely outside, and his entire body grew intensely excited.

The two women covered their faces and wept as they allowed him to cut.

“What are you crying for?”

He scolded them while snipping away, though inwardly he was triumphant.

When he finished, he held up the two locks of hair and laughed uproariously.

He was just about to have them loosen his trousers when he suddenly looked up—and saw his mother, Noble Consort Yun, standing before him.

It was like a basin of cold water poured over him from head to toe.

The wine vanished from his blood at once.

The scissors fell from his hand with a clatter.

Oh, no!

He had just been denouncing the endless singing and dancing around West Lake, only to force virtuous women to attend his bed after a few cups of wine.

Drunken depravity—he was the perfect embodiment of it!

With a thump, he dropped to his knees. He wanted to say something, but could barely get the words out.

“Mother! You—you came?”

Noble Consort Yun’s face had darkened and lengthened until it seemed almost to hang down to the floor.

“You did not expect me to come, did you? Or do you think I should not have come?”

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