After the Substitute Male Bride Fled, the Emperor Turned Dark - Chapter 4

Fang Zhiyan gave himself a mental thumbs-up. However, his sense of triumph lasted for less than half an hour.

After dinner ended, the palace maids cleared away the dishes and served fresh tea. Fang Zhiyan sat upright, staring expectantly at the Emperor and waiting for him to say the words: “I shall take my leave now.”

Yet, Xiao Huan picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and set it back down. He leaned back against the chair, looking as if he had no intention of leaving whatsoever.

Fang Zhiyan felt uneasy. This was not right. According to the usual tropes, an emperor famous for being uninterested in women should, at most, have a single meal with a newcomer like him to show due respect and then depart.

He stole a glance at the sky outside the window. It was completely dark. If this continued, it would soon be time for bed. A chill ran down Fang Zhiyan’s spine. No, absolutely not.

If the Emperor suddenly felt like staying the night, Fang Zhiyan would be finished. He had to find a way to get rid of him. But the problem was how? As a newly entered concubine, he could not exactly say, “Your Majesty, you should leave now.”

Fang Zhiyan’s mind raced. “Your Majesty,” he began softly, “it is getting late. Do you not have an early morning court session tomorrow?”

The subtext was clear: It is dark, so you should go back.

Xiao Huan glanced at him and said calmly, “It is no matter. Tomorrow is a rest day.”

Fang Zhiyan: “Nothing to say.”

A rest day? Even an Emperor gets a rest day?!

He gave a dry laugh. “Your Majesty manages ten thousand affairs daily. Since it is a rare day of rest, you should truly get some proper sleep.”

“Mhm,” Xiao Huan nodded. “Therefore, I do not plan to review any petitions tonight. I shall just sit here with you for a while.”

Fang Zhiyan nearly snapped. That was not what he meant!

Fang Zhiyan pressed a hand to his forehead, feigning a look of weakness, and let out two soft coughs. “Cough, cough.”

Xiao Huan looked at him. “What is the matter?”

“This servant is fine,” Fang Zhiyan smiled weakly. “It is just that I have been feeling a bit unwell lately. I am afraid of passing my illness to Your Majesty. Perhaps Your Majesty should.”

“Summon the Imperial Physician,” Xiao Huan interrupted him immediately.

Fang Zhiyan nearly lost his composure. “There is no need, really. I am just a little tired. I will be fine after some rest. There is no need to trouble the physician.”

In this palace, aside from the Emperor, he feared the physicians most. He felt that one touch of his pulse would give the whole game away.

Xiao Huan watched him, his gaze thoughtful. Fang Zhiyan realized he had overreacted and quickly pulled back his expression, forcing a smile. “What I mean is, such a minor ailment is not worth disturbing the physician. Your Majesty need not worry about me.”

“That is good, then.” Xiao Huan withdrew his gaze, picked up the teacup, and took another sip. He still showed no sign of leaving.

Fang Zhiyan decided to adopt a strategy of passive resistance. He would not speak or engage in conversation, letting the atmosphere become so awkward that the Emperor would find it unbearable to stay. And so, he sat there with poise, saying not a single word.

One hour passed. Two hours passed.

Xiao Huan also said nothing, quietly drinking his tea. The hall was so silent that one could hear their alternating breaths. Fang Zhiyan’s neck grew stiff. He could not help but steal a glance. Xiao Huan was leaning against the chair with his eyes closed, looking quite relaxed. He actually seemed to be enjoying the silence.

Fang Zhiyan was in despair. How could this person sit for so long?!

Fang Zhiyan remembered the governess teaching him that there was an unwritten rule in the palace: if a host wanted a guest to leave, they would serve a cup of exceptionally strong tea. Upon drinking it, the guest would know it was time to go.

He quickly stood up. “Your Majesty, let me add some tea for you.”

A moment later, he emerged from behind the screen carrying a cup of tea so dark it was nearly black. Xiao Huan looked down at the color of the tea, then up at Fang Zhiyan.

Fang Zhiyan smiled with total sincerity. “Your Majesty, this tea is strong and refreshing. Please, have a taste.”

Xiao Huan picked up the cup and took a sip. Then, he set it down. “It is too bitter,” he said.

He would not have brought it if it were not bitter. Fang Zhiyan quickly said, “Then let me have someone change it.”

“No need.” Xiao Huan stood up.

Fang Zhiyan felt a surge of joy. Finally, he was leaving. Xiao Huan walked up to him and looked down. Fang Zhiyan felt his heart race under that gaze, but he maintained his smile.

“Your Majesty?”

Xiao Huan stared at him for several seconds before suddenly speaking. “You are trying to drive me away.”

It was not a question; it was a statement. The smile froze on Fang Zhiyan’s face. “I am not.”

He resolutely refused to admit it.

“Is that so?” Xiao Huan’s tone was flat. “But why do I feel that from the moment I sat down, you wanted me to leave?”

Fang Zhiyan: “Nothing to say.”

He was caught. His mind went blank, and he had no idea what to say. Seeing his stunned expression, Xiao Huan’s lips twitched slightly, as if he were suppressing a smile.

“Nothing to say?” he asked.

Fang Zhiyan grew more panicked. “Your Majesty, I absolutely had no such intention.”

“Very well, I do not blame you.”

Fang Zhiyan blinked in surprise and looked up. Xiao Huan had already turned to walk out. Fang Zhiyan quickly followed to see him off, his heart thumping. At the doorway, Xiao Huan suddenly stopped and turned back.

“Lady Fang.”

“This servant is here.”

“Do you know why I came to your quarters?”

Fang Zhiyan shook his head honestly. “I do not know.”

Xiao Huan looked at him with an indiscernible gaze. “Do you remember the white cat you saved at Chenxiang Temple?” He paused. “That was my mother’s beloved pet of many years.”

So that was it. Fang Zhiwei and the Empress Dowager had such a history. This was a good thing for Fang Zhiwei, but certainly not for Fang Zhiyan.

“Rest well,” Xiao Huan dropped those words and vanished into the night.

Fang Zhiyan stood rooted to the spot, watching the Emperor’s procession disappear. His brain felt like mush. Once the last lantern vanished down the palace path, he let out a long breath. His strength left him, and he nearly collapsed on the spot.

Lan Ruo rushed over to support him. “My Lady!”

“Do not call me My Lady,” Fang Zhiyan waved his hand weakly. “Help me inside, quick. I need to take these two steamed buns out; I am suffocating.”

Lan Ruo did not know whether to laugh or cry as she helped him into the hall. Fang Zhiyan sat on the bed, pulled the buns from his chest, tossed them onto the table, and sprawled out across the bed in the shape of a star.

“I am exhausted,” he muttered to the ceiling. “This is harder than working in Gusu.”

Lan Ruo poured him a cup of water. “Young Master, you performed very well today. The Emperor did not suspect a thing.”

“Lan Ruo,” his voice was faint, “do you think the Emperor will come back tomorrow?”

Lan Ruo thought for a moment. “Probably not. His Majesty is busy with many affairs. Coming once today already gives you plenty of face.”

Fang Zhiyan nodded, finding that reasonable. An Emperor is busy; how could he have time to run to the inner palace every day? Fang Zhiyan felt much more at ease.

However, just as he had bathed, changed, and was about to drift into sleep, the voice of Fu’an rang out from behind the door: “My Lady!”

Fang Zhiyan’s head throbbed at the sound. He snapped his eyes open. “What is it now?”

Fu’an pushed the door open, his face beaming with joy. “My Lady, Eunuch Li has sent someone again!”

Fang Zhiyan sat up. “What did they say?”

“They said His Majesty will come for dinner again tomorrow.”

Fang Zhiyan: “Nothing to say.”

He slowly lay back down, staring expressionlessly at the bed canopy. “Lan Ruo,” he said with a hollow voice, “is it too late for me to drop dead right now?”

Lan Ruo: “Young Master, do not speak out of anger.”

“I am serious.” Fang Zhiyan rolled over and sat up, his face full of grief and indignation. “Why is he coming again? Did I not drive him away? He should be angry! Why come back? What is he after?”

Lan Ruo said cautiously, “Perhaps the Emperor finds the Young Master, er, My Lady interesting?”

“Interesting?” Fang Zhiyan’s voice cracked. “What part of me is interesting? I try to kick him out and he finds it interesting? If I kowtow three times tomorrow and say a bunch of flattering words, will he find me boring then?”

Lan Ruo: “Young Master, please calm down.”

Fang Zhiyan took a deep breath and went back to sleep. He would worry about tomorrow’s problems tomorrow.

In his dreams, he returned to the small courtyard in Gusu. His grandmother sat there mending his clothes, grumbling at him. He pretended not to hear while stuffing his face with rice, using a twig to poke at an ant hole. No palace dress, no steamed buns, no Emperor. Life was carefree and easy.

At the same time, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Xiao Huan sat at his desk, holding a petition but not reading it. His gaze was fixed on the candle flame, lost in thought. Eunuch Li waited nearby. Seeing the Emperor’s expression, he felt very puzzled. Since returning from Jingyang Palace, the Emperor had looked like he had encountered something uncertain.

“Your Majesty,” Eunuch Li spoke softly, “it is time to rest.”

“Mhm.” Xiao Huan put down the petition and suddenly asked, “Li Mao, what is the eldest daughter of the Fang family like in the rumors?”

Eunuch Li smiled and shared a series of flattering descriptions. Xiao Huan fell into deep thought, unconsciously rubbing the jade ring on his finger.

“I feel that she is quite different from what you all describe.”

Eunuch Li was startled and privately tried to guess Xiao Huan’s meaning. Seeing no obvious emotion on the Emperor’s face, he could only choose his words carefully. “Perhaps Your Majesty has not had much contact with her yet and cannot distinguish clearly for the moment.”

The night grew deep, and the Emperor’s expression was hidden within the solemnity of the imperial study.

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