Chapter 5: Can a Mad Tyrant Be Forced? [5]

Chapter 5: Will a Crazy Tyrant Also Be Forced? "5"

"Then go find out who cast the poison."

Mu Jin propped his head up with one hand, his voice lazy and nonchalant, as if he couldn't care less about being blind.

Just as everyone was wondering why Mu Jin was in such a good mood today and breathed a sigh of relief, Mu Jin let out a lazy chuckle:

"If you can't find a solution within ten days, I'll use you all to brew the poison."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty! We'll do our best!"

Mu Jin found their terrified voices tiresome, rubbing his brow with his fingers.

"Get out, all of you. Zhou Fuhai, go tell the Prince Regent I'm not feeling well and I'm skipping court for the next few days."

Mu Jin was kind of glad he was a puppet emperor—skipping court was no big deal. He didn't want to get up that early every day.

Zhou Fuhai bowed respectfully: "Yes, Your Majesty..."

Before leaving, he shot a suspicious glance at Ying Huaifeng.

Ying Huaifeng had been sent by the Grand Sorcerer, and this happened just a day after he arrived—way too suspicious.

But since Mu Jin hadn't said anything, Zhou Fuhai didn't dare ask. He could only lead the others out quietly.

Ying Huaifeng, however, showed no signs of leaving.

He poured a cup of tea and, taking advantage of Mu Jin's blindness, openly twisted his silver ring.

Using the hidden blade inside it, he pricked his finger, and a single drop of blood fell, quickly dissolving into the tea.

"Your Majesty, have some tea to calm your nerves."

Ying Huaifeng spoke softly, pressing the cup to Mu Jin's lips.

Mu Jin frowned and was about to refuse, but before he could speak, a surge of impulse and craving welled up inside him, as if a voice was screaming at him to drink the tea.

By the time he realized something was wrong, he'd already drunk from the cup in Ying Huaifeng's hand.

Luckily, the tea was sweet and refreshing going down, leaving him feeling a lot more at ease. Mu Jin's brow relaxed.

Then he heard Ying Huaifeng speak slowly: "Your Majesty needn't worry so much. I have a way to deal with the poison in your body."

"Not only that, I can heal Your Majesty's legs too."

Mu Jin raised an eyebrow, looking at Ying Huaifeng with some interest, thinking to himself that the plot was finally moving forward again. His expression stayed calm as he said:

"Well, aren't you talented."

Ying Huaifeng wasn't sure if Mu Jin bought it.

He didn't try to defend himself but instead knelt right in front of Mu Jin, reaching out to grip his calf and kneading it with moderate pressure.

At first, Mu Jin didn't feel anything in particular and had no idea what Ying Huaifeng was doing. He figured the guy was just thinking about how to negotiate.

It wasn't until about seven or eight minutes later that he suddenly felt a kneading sensation in his calf, traveling from his lower leg to his ankle.

Mu Jin was a bit surprised. Though he knew Ying Huaifeng could heal his legs, this was way faster than expected.

He tried to move his leg but it still wouldn't budge.

"Your Majesty felt that just now, right?"

Ying Huaifeng seemed to notice Mu Jin's movement, pulled his hand back, and looked up at him.

"I told you, I can heal Your Majesty—it'll just take some time."

Listening to Ying Huaifeng's voice and gauging where he was, Mu Jin leaned forward slightly, reaching out to touch his face.

He traced Ying Huaifeng's brow and eyes with his fingertips, then moved down to the spot he'd hit the night before. Cradling his face with both hands, he suddenly asked:

"Tsk... still hurt?"

This position brought Mu Jin and Ying Huaifeng very close, so close that Ying Huaifeng could clearly feel their breath mingling.

A flush crept across Ying Huaifeng's face, and his breathing got uneven.

Mu Jin had no idea how intimate their position was. Though he couldn't see anything, his heart inexplicably started racing.

Luckily, he could handle it, and he didn't overthink it. He just awkwardly let go.

Just as Mu Jin was about to pull his hand back, Ying Huaifeng grabbed his wrist and pressed it back against his face, his voice hoarse:

"It hurts, Your Majesty... it hurts so bad..."

This made Mu Jin's fingertips tremble. He yanked his hand free with a cold expression and slapped Ying Huaifeng across the face again.

He sneered: "I'd say you're not hurting one bit!"

Ying Huaifeng's gaze grew even more intense, his voice low: "Why is Your Majesty so angry?"

"To get something, you have to pay the price... That's the way of the world, isn't it?"

As if hearing something funny, Mu Jin leaned back, propping his head on the edge of the table with one hand, and said lazily:

"I am the law of this world."

"If you refuse to remove the poison for me, don't blame me for not letting you go..."

Ying Huaifeng stared at the inside of Mu Jin's exposed arm, where the red marks he'd left the night before still lingered—and not just there, but in other hidden spots too.

He gathered his thoughts and said: "Doesn't Your Majesty even want to ask what I want?"

Mu Jin said casually: "Then tell me, what do you want."

Here we go—time to negotiate.

Mu Jin just wanted to get through this part of the plot quickly, with no plans to drag things out with Ying Huaifeng.

He'd silently decided that no matter how outrageous Ying Huaifeng's request was, he'd just agree.

Ying Huaifeng: "I want a title that lets me serve openly by Your Majesty's side. Why not make me your consort?"

"Of course, if Your Majesty made me your empress, that'd be even better."

Mu Jin: "..."

He's insane. Either his ears were playing tricks on him, or Ying Huaifeng had lost his damn mind.

Mu Jin smiled warmly: "I didn't catch that. Say it again."

Ying Huaifeng: "I beg Your Majesty to make me your consort."

"SMACK—!"

Mu Jin massaged his wrist, his smile still gentle: "Say it again."

Ying Huaifeng held Mu Jin's ankle, his eyes blazing with undisguised excitement and madness:

"Your Majesty, I wish to be your consort."

Mu Jin: "..."

Okay, confirmed—his ears were working just fine. It was Ying Huaifeng, the male lead, who'd lost his mind, wanting to become the consort of a puppet emperor like him.

Mu Jin: "Do you even know what you're saying?"

Ying Huaifeng: "I do, but my heart belongs to Your Majesty."

The urge to kick someone, paired with the utter lack of strength to do it, left Mu Jin exhausted.

He ignored Ying Huaifeng and instead called up Xiao Liu.

[Xiao Liu, this male lead's got a few screws loose. Can I request a swap?]

Mu Jin couldn't wrap his head around how things had ended up like this.

In the original plot, Ying Huaifeng was supposed to threaten and exploit him, and while he'd initially refused, Ying Huaifeng had already slipped a gu worm into his body.

Under Ying Huaifeng's threats and manipulation, he'd reluctantly agree to put on a show in public to fool Yun Fuyue, and behind closed doors, help Ying Huaifeng build up his power.

He didn't want to deal with all that scheming and back-and-forth, and he sure as hell didn't want to feel that gu worm chewing through his heart, so he figured he'd just agree right away.

But! What the hell was Ying Huaifeng babbling about now?

He actually wanted to be his consort?!

Did that make any sense? No, it made zero sense!

If Ying Huaifeng became his consort, how was he supposed to become the National Preceptor later and take his place?

Xiao Liu, who'd just logged on, was also a bit thrown off, hesitating: "Ah... this... this might be the male lead's way of making you let your guard down?"

Xiao Liu quickly calmed down, its tone growing more resolute:

"You two only met for the first time last night. How could a male lead fall for a cannon fodder at first sight? This must be his scheme—this male lead is the best at pretending!"

Mu Jin's expression softened considerably, and he mused: [So that's how it is?]

[Then what should I do now? I can't actually take him into my harem, can I?]

Xiao Liu: "Hmm... why not?"