Marked by the Tyrant After Transmigrating into a Book - Chapter 10

For a moment, all eyes were fixed on Ye Shu.

Under the scrutiny of the crowd, Ye Shu forced himself to remain calm. He cleared his throat and asked, “I am entirely loyal to His Majesty. Why are you slandering me?”

“Whether it is slander or not can be determined with a single investigation,” Mu Jiuqing sneered. “Has Lord Ye perhaps forgotten his own origins?”

The original Ye Shu’s background had been mentioned briefly in the book. His father was a supreme commander of the three armies who had fought across the lands for the late Emperor, earning illustrious military merits. However, when Ye Shu was a child, his father colluded with foreign enemies, leading to a battle that caused heavy casualties for Changlu. His father was escorted back to the capital, and the entire clan was executed.

Ye Shu’s father had many wives and children; the original Ye Shu was born to a lowly maid. He was only seven when the tragedy occurred and managed to survive only by being sent into the palace through various connections.

So, the reason for the original owner’s betrayal… was to avenge his family?

Ye Shu suddenly understood. The original owner’s approach to Jin Wang was likely never sincere. From the very beginning, he wanted to use Jin Wang to incite fratricide—killing the late Emperor and the other princes first—and then, by exploiting Jin Wang’s trust, he could easily kill him to complete his revenge.

Mu Jiuqing was right; the original Ye Shu intended to use the lives of the Jin clan to pay a debt of blood.

The more Ye Shu analyzed this, the colder his heart became. Help! Now even those ten years of shared history are fake. How am I supposed to talk my way out of this?!

Ye Shu’s face turned pale, and a cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

Jin Wang asked flatly, “Are you finished?” He reached out and placed a hand on Ye Shu’s shoulder. The latter flinched instinctively before being pulled into the Emperor’s embrace. “Since you’re finished, kill them. Clean up the mess.”

With that, Jin Wang led Ye Shu back into the carriage.

The curtains fell, cutting off the sounds of dragging feet and footsteps outside. As the carriage resumed its slow journey, Ye Shu was pressed down onto the small couch. Jin Wang remained uncharacteristically silent, his expression unreadable.

Ye Shu studied him quietly and whispered, “Ma… Majesty, you wouldn’t believe that rebel’s nonsense, would you?”

“And why shouldn’t I?” Jin Wang countered. “When the Ye clan was destroyed years ago, you harbored a grudge. You deliberately approached and used me, plotting revenge. It makes sense.”

“But…”

Jin Wang’s finger brushed across Ye Shu’s face. Feeling the slight tremor of the person beside him, he said in a low voice, “You look the same every time you are afraid. I cannot tell if you are truly terrified or if it is an act.”

Ye Shu bit his lip and did not answer. On the small table by the couch sat the hangover soup. Jin Wang glanced at it and asked, “Why didn’t you poison it?”

Ye Shu froze. “How did you…”

“Mu Jiuqing—I knew he was hiding in that abandoned courtyard long ago,” Jin Wang said calmly. “You were there for so long today. I can guess what you talked about. Did he ask you to poison me?”

Ye Shu felt a surge of lingering fear. This man… was testing him again. He had deliberately allowed Mu Jiuqing to roam the capital just to give him a chance to contact Ye Shu, thereby testing whether Ye Shu had truly betrayed him. All the indulgence and concessions Jin Wang had shown over the past few days were for this very moment.

What kind of “Hell Mode” script is this?!

Ye Shu wailed inwardly but maintained his outward composure. “Yes. He told me to keep you in the capital and drug you to make you unconscious, so he would have a chance to assassinate you.”

At this point, there was no longer any need to lie to Jin Wang. This man never believed any of his lies anyway.

Jin Wang asked, “Why didn’t you follow the plan?”

“If I said I couldn’t bring myself to do it, would you believe me?”

Jin Wang gave a soft laugh. “I would.” He leaned in close and whispered, “If you had put poison in that wine earlier, you wouldn’t have lived to get off that boat.”

Ye Shu tightened his grip on the hem of his robe and remained silent.

Jin Wang let out a light sigh. “Since you didn’t move against me as agreed with that rebel, I should have spared your life. However, I am truly bothered by those words earlier.” He pulled back the curtain to look out the window. “We are half an hour away from the summer palace. I will give you half an hour. If you can provide an explanation that convinces me, I can spare your life. Otherwise…”

Jin Wang took a small brocade box from his robe. Inside lay a single pill. “This is a lethal poison. You will feel no pain after taking it. Consider it the final gift I give you.”

Silence reigned in the carriage. Ye Shu looked at the box on the table, a sour feeling suddenly rising in his chest. Not long ago, the man who had held him and kissed him tenderly was now producing poison to force an explanation.

This was an Emperor.

Fine, then you can’t blame me, Ye Shu thought.

Time ticked away. Jin Wang sipped his tea leisurely, looking perfectly composed. They were not far from the summer palace now; looking into the distance, one could see the bright lights of the estate.

Jin Wang dropped the curtain and was about to speak when he was suddenly pinned against the carriage window. He struck back instinctively, grabbing the youth’s throat.

But in the next second, Jin Wang froze. A single tear slid down from the youth’s eye.

Jin Wang instinctively loosened his grip.

Ye Shu held Jin Wang’s shoulders, his eyes red and his voice trembling. “Mu Jiuqing was right, and you didn’t guess wrong either. I have indeed been lying to you all along.”

Jin Wang’s heart sank.

“You don’t know, do you? From the first time I met you thirteen years ago, I started lying to you.” Ye Shu laughed softly, a smile both brilliant and desperate. “I was determined to use you back then, to turn you into my blade so you could take revenge for me. Once you killed your father and brothers and took the throne, you no longer had any use. After that, I only had to kill you to satisfy my vengeance.”

Jin Wang’s voice was raspy. “Then why have you kept me alive until now?”

“Why kept you alive? You are so brilliant, why can’t you see something so simple?” A flash of pain moved through Ye Shu’s eyes as he closed them. “Because I fell in love with you.”

Jin Wang was stunned.

Ye Shu lowered his head as if gathering his courage and pressed a trembling kiss to the corner of Jin Wang’s lips. The youth’s lips were shaking, and the bitter taste of tears dissolved between them.

The brief kiss broke away instantly. Ye Shu gazed at him, tears rolling down his cheeks. “I’m ridiculous, aren’t I? Set on revenge, yet falling for my enemy. I thought that by avoiding you, I could make myself forget. I thought that by collaborating with others, I could steel my resolve. Tonight, was clearly my last chance, yet I still couldn’t do it. I am truly useless…”

Jin Wang’s expression changed. “Shu…”

He was about to speak when the sound of hooves echoed outside, and the carriage came to a halt. They had reached the summer palace.

“It seems I have run out of time.” Ye Shu lowered his eyes, hiding a trace of self-mockery. “But thank you anyway. Regardless of your motives, these past few days at the palace finally fulfilled my dream.”

Jin Wang looked at the youth’s wet, red eyes, his throat feeling dry. Your dream was to be with me?

Before he could ask, Ye Shu straightened up. A pill was already held between his fingertips. “I’m sorry, A-Yuan. I failed your trust. I hope that in our next life, we can meet again…”

Ye Shu tilted his head back and swallowed the pill.

Jin Wang watched him intently.

Nothing happened.

Outside the carriage, a eunuch said softly, “Your Majesty, we have arrived at the palace.”

Ye Shu’s lashes fluttered as he opened his eyes. “Why am I?”

Jin Wang let out a silent sigh of relief and rubbed his brow. It was an answer he had never considered. But… it was the most flawless answer possible.

“You are truly my nemesis,” Jin Wang muttered. He pulled the youth into his arms and swept him up in a bridal carry. “If you don’t want to be seen, hide your face.”

A moment later, Jin Wang carried Ye Shu off the carriage. Ye Shu buried his head in Jin Wang’s chest, hiding his red, teary eyes. The Imperial Guards and eunuchs knelt in rows. Jin Wang didn’t look at them as he carried Ye Shu inside.

Only when they were far away did Ye Shu sob and ask, “Why am I not poisoned?”

“You idiot, that wasn’t poison. I have never seen anyone as stupid as you.”

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