Chapter 19: Can a Mad Tyrant Be Forced? [19]

Chapter 19: Can a Mad Tyrant Be Forced Too? "19"

Mu Siyang looked at Yun Fuyue with a slight smile: "In that case, Grand Sorcerer, please. Don't disturb His Majesty's rest here."

Yun Fuyue abruptly turned his head to look at Mu Siyang, as if a sudden realization had dawned on him, and he smiled suddenly,

"You've got real skill, Prince. Then let's see if you've got what it takes to get what you want out of me!"

Yun Fuyue figured this was a trap Mu Siyang had set for him.

Even if he did have his own people in the palace, it was clear that Mu Siyang currently held the upper hand.

If he chose to make a move right here, Mu Siyang could openly take him out under the banner of "protecting the Emperor."

Yun Fuyue shut his eyes, hiding the malice in them.

But that's fine. Once he got out of here, he had plenty of ways to slip away from Mu Siyang scot-free!

As for the little emperor...

In the moment Yun Fuyue turned around, the corner of his eye caught sight of Mu Jin covering his eyes with his hand and lowering his head slightly, not daring to face him.

He knew all too well what kind of person this little emperor was and what he was capable of.

If Mu Siyang hadn't coerced and bribed him, Mu Jin probably wouldn't have had the guts to team up with Mu Siyang and set him up.

Yun Fuyue sneered inwardly.

But that's fine. He was the type to hold the right person accountable. If Mu Siyang dared to mess with him, he'd better be ready to pay the price!

Mu Siyang wanted to stay with Mu Jin, but more than that, he was itching to get Yun Fuyue back and make him suffer.

He gave Mu Jin a half-hearted bow, hands clasped, and said with a beaming smile:

"Rest well, Your Majesty. I'll send someone to clean this up shortly."

Mu Jin didn't speak. Mu Siyang quickly left with his men, then a few palace maids crept in to clean the floor.

Even after the place was cleaned and incense lit, a faint metallic scent of blood still hung in the air.

Mu Jin let out a long sigh, but a slow smile crept across his lips.

Fine, let them fight it out...

With them at each other's throats, he'd finally have time to get Zhao Ruoqian settled.

Mu Jin was mapping out his next moves, but he couldn't shake the feeling he'd forgotten something.

"Um... Your Majesty, sorry to ask, but are you still gonna drink this medicine?"

Su Gantang's voice came from behind, hesitant like she wasn't sure she should speak. Mu Jin snapped out of his thoughts, then it hit him.

Oh, right, he'd forgotten about this girl.

Now, how should he handle her...

When Mu Jin stayed silent, Su Gantang tensed up all over.

Seriously, could someone tell her how, in the time it took to brew the medicine, her Grand Sorcerer had just been hauled off?!

Su Gantang spent three seconds calculating her odds of surviving if she stayed.

"Miss Su."

Mu Jin turned his wheelchair to face Su Gantang and smiled at her.

It was a perfectly kind smile, but it sent a chill down Su Gantang's spine, and that bad feeling only got worse.

Just as Mu Jin was about to speak again, another familiar voice reached his ears.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, come try the soup your consort made. It's best drunk hot."

No one stopped Zhao Ruoqian. She just walked right in and stood next to Mu Jin, taking the soup from the maid behind her and gazing at Mu Jin with a beaming smile,

"Your consort simmered this soup for three whole hours, specially to build up Your Majesty's strength. You simply can't refuse it~"

As she spoke, she shot a sidelong glance at Su Gantang, and asked with slight confusion:

"And who's this?"

Su Gantang bowed to Zhao Ruoqian and said respectfully, "Greetings, Your Highness. This humble woman is Su Gantang, brought in by the Grand Sorcerer to treat His Majesty's eyes."

Zhao Ruoqian then inquired, "And the bowl in your hand—is that His Majesty's medicine?"

Su Gantang bowed her head even lower: "Yes."

Zhao Ruoqian set her soup down offhandedly, took the bowl of medicine from Su Gantang's hands, and returned to sit beside Mu Jin.

She lowered her eyes, blew on it gently, then brought the warm medicine to Mu Jin's lips,

"In that case, Your Majesty should drink the medicine first. After all, your health matters most."

Mu Jin couldn't help but think Zhao Ruoqian's timing was way too convenient. Over the past few days, he'd already reached out to everyone on the list 648 gave him.

He'd not only had people secretly protect Zhao Ruoqian, but he'd also sent a few men to work under Ying Huaifeng to make things easier for him.

He also knew full well that Zhao Ruoqian shouldn't be showing up here right now.

Mu Jin didn't drink the medicine, just eyed Zhao Ruoqian thoughtfully.

Zhao Ruoqian showing up so conveniently was probably because of Su Gantang.

That look from him made Zhao Ruoqian's heart skip a beat. If she weren't dead sure the man in front of her was blind, she'd have thought Mu Jin had figured something out.

Seeing Mu Jin still hadn't touched the medicine, Zhao Ruoqian forced a smile and asked, sounding puzzled:

"Why does Your Majesty keep staring at your consort like that?"

Mu Jin took the bowl of medicine from Zhao Ruoqian's hands,

"Nothing. Just thought the medicine was a bit bitter."

Zhao Ruoqian: "Your consort has some candied fruit right here."

Mu Jin chuckled softly at that. So she really had come prepared.

He downed the whole bowl in one go, but didn't take the candied fruit from Zhao Ruoqian.

Zhao Ruoqian looked at the little dish of candied fruit in her hand, then at Mu Jin's cold face, and an inexplicable panic welled up in her chest.

But soon, the memory of being burned alive surged back into her mind.

How this person had her tendons severed, her tongue cut out, and one of her eyes gouged—those bloody images haunted her like an inescapable nightmare!

The overwhelming hatred that surged wildly completely swept away the chaos in Zhao Ruoqian's heart.

She bit the tip of her tongue, forcing herself to stay calm and clear-headed, forcing herself not to feel even a shred of pity for the person before her.

She would kill this person. She had to kill them with her own hands...

Su Gantang took note of Zhao Ruoqian's reaction, and seeing that the hatred in her eyes was nearly uncontrollable, she stepped forward and knelt down.

"Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty to see the truth—this common woman has no connection with the Imperial Preceptor. He merely invited me here to treat Your Majesty's illness!"

Su Gantang raised her voice several notches higher than usual, instantly drawing everyone's eyes and attention to her.

Zhao Ruoqian quickly snapped out of it, meeting her eyes only briefly before looking away, and continued, smiling:

"I see..."

"Your Majesty, as I was on my way here just now, I saw the Regent taking the Imperial Preceptor away. When I asked, I found out it was because the people he brought in had let venomous snakes loose in the imperial garden."

Zhao Ruoqian let out another sigh as she spoke: "The Imperial Preceptor was foolish, but in the end, this was his doing—it has nothing to do with Miss Su."

"Miss Su's reputation as the top divine physician of Medicine God Valley—I'd heard of it even before I entered the palace."

As she spoke, Zhao Ruoqian got up and walked over to stand in front of Su Gantang:

"I've been stuck in this palace for so long with no one to talk to or pass the time with. I quite like Miss Su. If Your Majesty is hesitant to use her because of the Imperial Preceptor, why not just leave her to me?"

Mu Jin said flatly: "If you like her, then keep her."

Zhao Ruoqian turned around and bowed, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Having gotten what she wanted, Zhao Ruoqian had no desire to stick around, but she still exchanged a few pleasantries with Mu Jin before leaving with her attendants.

After everyone had left, a small snake slowly slithered over, coiled around Mu Jin's ankle, and crawled up his calf.

The tingling sensation made Mu Jin's body and heart tremble together, and even his breathing became uneven.

But unfortunately, his legs only had a slight bit of feeling now and couldn't move freely, so he could only let the snake crawl into his underwear.

Mu Jin's eyelashes fluttered violently, his chest heaving with ragged breaths.

He gritted his teeth, panting, and said in a weak, shaky voice:

"Get... get off..."

Yet the snake coiled around his waist right then, showing no sign of leaving.

Mu Jin tried to reach for it, but the snake was way too agile, and his current physical state was ultimately too limiting.

Fortunately, the snake just slid and roamed around his body.

Occasionally it would coil around his waist, and its tail would brush across his calves, his thighs, and above his waist.

But other than that, it didn't do anything too inappropriate, and it didn't suddenly bite him either.

Mu Jin closed his eyes, trying to ignore the weird feeling the snake was giving him.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ignore it...

This feeling even made him think back to his wild dreams.

He remembered the silver snake with blood-red eyes that was always coiled around him in those dreams.

"Mm..."

A muffled groan slipped out of Mu Jin's lips.

Just as the snake had tormented him into weakness, a familiar yet strange fragrance drifted into his nose.

A face instinctively popped into his mind.

But before he could think more about it, he passed out.

When he woke up again, his robes had been changed, and the air still carried that familiar strange scent, along with a fierce hunger.

Mu Jin struggled to prop himself up in bed, filled with confusion and doubt.

He was about to ask 648 what had happened when he heard Ying Huaifeng's voice:

"Your Majesty's awake? Since you're up, let's get some food in you first."

Ying Huaifeng sat down by the bed with a bowl, pressing the porcelain spoon to Mu Jin's lips, not giving him any chance to refuse.

Mu Jin's eyes flickered, thinking that Ying Huaifeng was getting bolder and bolder.

But then again, this guy was the male lead after all—it was already good enough that he hadn't used the gu worm method to control him like he had with "Mu Jin."

He took the spoon into his mouth—porridge?

As for what else was in the porridge, Mu Jin couldn't quite tell at the moment, but it tasted pretty good, so he didn't bother asking.

Ying Huaifeng watched Mu Jin obediently eat everything he fed him, and his mood visibly improved a lot.

"How is it, Your Majesty?"

Mu Jin said sincerely: "Mm, it's pretty good."

Ying Huaifeng set down the empty bowl, wiped the moisture from Mu Jin's lips with a handkerchief, pressed almost entirely against him, and asked in a low voice once more:

"So between my porridge and Lady Zhao's soup... which does Your Majesty prefer?"