Marked by the Tyrant After Transmigrating into a Book - Chapter 21

A long silence fell over the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Kneeling on the Dragon Bed, Ye Shu gazed at the silhouette visible through the thin veil, his heart drumming against his ribs. After circling back, that man named Duan had actually sent him back, straight into the tyrant’s bed, no less.

This time, he was truly finished.

Ye Shu gripped the silk quilt, wanting to cry but finding no tears. What on earth was going on? In the book, the person Duan Chengzhi offered was clearly a woman; furthermore, Jin Wang hadn’t taken any interest in the beauty, having her dragged out and beaten to death immediately.

This plot is nothing like I imagined.

Ye Shu raised a hand to touch his cheek, realizing his disguise hadn’t been removed. Could it be that the face he’d accidentally chosen for his disguise was actually to Jin Wang’s liking? If that were the case, should he put on an act?

Outside the gauze curtains, Jin Wang was nearly driven to laughter by the man’s sheer audacity.

Over the past seven days, he hadn’t been able to close his eyes for a single night. The fact that the beauty Duan Chengzhi offered turned out to be him was both miraculous and absurd. After the initial shock, what surged in his heart was a mixture of fury and lingering fear.

This little muddlehead didn’t even know how to run away properly. If the person who captured him hadn’t been Duan Chengzhi, but someone else with ulterior motives, would he even be alive right now?

Clearly, he couldn’t afford to be too gentle with him.

Thinking this, Jin Wang reached out to part the curtains. At that exact moment, Ye Shu moved. As they both pulled back a side of the veil, their eyes met abruptly.

There was a brief silence.

Ye Shu was the first to react. His eyes blinked innocently, and his voice was soft and weak. “Who, who are you?”

Jin Wang: “No response.”

Ye Shu’s gaze darted frantically around the hall for a moment before returning to the man in front of him, appearing somewhat frightened. “Why am I here?”

Jin Wang: “You”

As if finally snapping to his senses, Ye Shu’s face turned deathly pale. He clutched the silk quilt and retreated toward the inner corner of the bed. “You, you are the Sovereign? So, Lord Duan really did send me here. I haven’t even seen my mother one last time.”

He looked as though he were about to weep, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears, a truly pitiable sight.

Jin Wang was so stunned by this performance that he forgot what he was going to say. Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he never would have imagined this man could turn on the theatrics so instantly. And he was acting quite convincingly, too.

Jin Wang coughed lightly, his expression instantly becoming composed. His voice was gentle. “So, you are unwilling to enter the palace?”

Ye Shu watched him warily, not daring to answer.

Jin Wang said warmly, “I never force anyone to do what they do not wish. If you are unwilling, I will not compel you.”

Ye Shu’s eyes lit up. “Then”

Ignoring him, Jin Wang turned and gave an order: “Drag this person out and beat him to death.”

“No, no, no! I’m willing! I’m willing!” Scared nearly out of his wits, Ye Shu almost fell off the bed as he grabbed Jin Wang’s sleeve. “Your Majesty, don’t kill me! I truly came to the palace of my own free will!”

Jin Wang smiled. “Was it not the Minister of the Tai Chang Temple who forced you?”

Ye Shu shook his head repeatedly. “No, no”

“But just a moment ago, you clearly”

“I, cough, this lowly one was merely feeling sentimental for a moment.” Ye Shu stared at Jin Wang, forcing himself to continue the act. “In truth, I have admired Your Majesty for many years. That is why I entered the palace willingly, wishing to remain by Your Majesty’s side always.”

“You admire me?” Jin Wang gave a mocking laugh, as if he’d heard an incredibly funny joke. “The common folk say I murdered my father and brothers, incited wars, and act with tyranny and cruelty. What exactly do you admire about me?”

“I” Ye Shu thought for a moment and said seriously, “The late Emperor was an unkind ruler; the royal family was wallowing in pleasure while foreign enemies watched like tigers; and the court was a nest of corruption and mutual protection. Your Majesty’s actions were to save the people from fire and water, they were not acts of cruelty.”

Jin Wang’s expression shifted slightly.

“So, you knew,” he murmured, almost like a sigh.

Before Ye Shu could ask a question, Jin Wang grabbed his wrist and pinned him down onto the bed. A familiar scent enveloped him, making it difficult for Ye Shu to breathe. Only now did he notice that the handsome eyes inches away from his own were bloodshot.

The sound of doors closing came from outside; the attendants had all retreated.

Ye Shu swallowed hard. This dog emperor isn’t going to do it again, is he?

Jin Wang looked down at him and softly repeated, “You clearly knew everything”

Ye Shu didn’t understand. “I, what should I have known?”

Jin Wang didn’t answer. His eyes darkened as his thumb brushed against Ye Shu’s cheek, causing the man beneath him to tremble slightly with nervousness.

Ye Shu had been in a daze for the past few days and hadn’t been in contact with Jin Wang’s scent for a long time. As a Kunjun, he desperately needed the soothing presence of a Qianjun after conception. Under the influence of the drugs, this void hadn’t been obvious, but now that they were wearing off, the need came back with a vengeance.

This instinctive physical craving was far more honest than his reason. He moved restlessly and reached out to tug at Jin Wang’s clothes. “Your Majesty”

The soft, pleading call of a Kunjun was enough to make anyone lose their mind, but Jin Wang simply stared at him and said coldly, “Say what you just said to me again.”

Ye Shu paused and obediently repeated, “Your Majesty’s actions were to save the people from fire and water, they were not acts of cruelty.”

Jin Wang cupped Ye Shu’s jaw, forcing him to look him in the eye. “The sentence before that.”

Ye Shu: “The late Emperor was an unkind ruler”

“No, the one before that.”

Ye Shu looked into those dark, brooding eyes and said tentatively, “I have admired Your Majesty for many years, entered the palace willingly, and wish to remain by Your Majesty’s side always?”

Jin Wang smiled thinly. “Good.”

As he spoke, his fingers finally found the edge of the human-skin mask. With a slight tug, he peeled it off. As the mask hit the floor, a handsome, refined face was revealed.

Ye Shu gave a dry laugh. “Good evening, Your Majesty.”

Jin Wang maintained the curve of his lips. “Good evening.”

Silence fell once more.

The smile on Ye Shu’s face slowly faded, and he looked as though he were about to burst into tears. “If I said I only went out for a casual stroll that day, would you believe me?”

Jin Wang countered, “What do you think?”

Ye Shu made a bitter face. “Is it too late to apologize now?”

Jin Wang remained impassive. “What do you think?”

Ye Shu turned his head away in resignation. “Then punish me.”

“You indeed deserve punishment.” Jin Wang’s tone was very light, yet it carried a dangerous edge that made one shudder. “Deceiving the Sovereign, breaking your word, seizing the chance to flee the wedding during the ancestral ceremony, and even going so far as to drug me. Every single one of these crimes is a capital offense. Ye Shu, how do you think I should punish you?”

Ye Shu kept his head turned to the side, his eyelashes trembling, but he didn’t answer.

“If you won’t speak, I shall decide for myself.”

A teasing smile flickered in Jin Wang’s eyes. He reached down, touching Ye Shu through his clothes. Ye Shu’s entire body jolted.

“Jin, Jin Wang!” Ye Shu’s voice trembled, not out of discomfort, but because it felt incredibly good. His body had an inexplicable dependence on Jin Wang; just a light touch was enough to make him restless with pleasure.

But Jin Wang simply held the position without moving further. Ye Shu was driven to the point that his eyes grew red.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Jin Wang was cold and heartless. “This isn’t for your pleasure. Don’t forget, this is a punishment.”

Ye Shu was soon driven to a state of delirium. In the end, held by Jin Wang and unable to find release, he had to plead in a crying voice, saying every soft, yielding thing he could think of.

This was truly the most terrifying punishment in the world.

Ye Shu lay exhausted on the Dragon Bed. Jin Wang tossed aside the silk handkerchief used to clean up and lay down beside him. Ye Shu instinctively shrank back.

Jin Wang chuckled. “So scared?”

Ye Shu buried half his face in the quilt, his eyes still slightly red as if he had suffered a great grievance.

“Enough.” That look always managed to stir a sense of guilt in Jin Wang. He pulled the man into his arms and whispered, “No more punishment today. I’ll let you off for now.”

Sexual intercourse was forbidden during the first three months of pregnancy, but a Kunjun’s body desperately needed soothing. Jin Wang could only use this method; it relieved Ye Shu while serving as a punishment, killing two birds with one stone.

Ye Shu’s breathing was uneven as he panted softly in Jin Wang’s arms. Jin Wang couldn’t resist teasing him. “You can’t even handle one time; what will you do in the future? I haven’t finished the punishment yet.”

Ye Shu was incredulous. “There is more?”

Jin Wang raised an eyebrow. “Do you think the crime of running away can be settled with just this once?”

Ye Shu ignored him. Jin Wang pulled up the quilt and wrapped him snugly.

“It is still early. Sleep a bit longer before getting up for dinner,” Jin Wang said.

Ye Shu was already exhausted from the ordeal and soon his eyelids drooped. He gave a muffled “Okay” in response.

Jin Wang stroked his hair and gave a low hum. “If you knew it would end like this, why did you do it? Will you run again?”

Drowsy with sleep, Ye Shu muttered with closed eyes, “Of course I will run. If I don’t, am I supposed to wait for you to bully me?”

A shadow of gloom crossed Jin Wang’s eyes.

“But I can’t get away anyway.” Ye Shu’s voice grew faint with deep fatigue. “I won’t run for now. It is too tiring.”

The dark expression vanished as quickly as it appeared. Jin Wang took a deep breath and tightened his hold, locking the man in his embrace.

“You are right. You can’t get away.” Jin Wang looked down at the young man in his arms, his thumb brushing past his ear with a look of tenderness. “Silly boy, you could never get away, and I will never let you.”

The incident at the ancestral temple was an accident, and Jin Wang never made the same mistake twice. A smile played on his lips as he leaned down to kiss Ye Shu’s forehead.

Ye Shu slept until the middle of the night, eventually waking up from hunger. He sat up, rubbing his stomach, and accidentally brushed against the warm body beside him.

Jin Wang was still asleep. Ye Shu looked down at him.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation was still unlit, with only the moonlight pouring through the window like water. Jin Wang was sleeping on his side, his handsome face half-hidden in shadow and half-paled by the moonlight. He looked exhausted.

As Ye Shu watched, he impulsively reached out and lightly touched the shadows beneath Jin Wang’s eyes. Even when the original owner of this body had betrayed him, Ye Shu had never seen Jin Wang look this weary and vulnerable. As an emperor, he wasn’t supposed to show weakness to the outside world, no matter when or to whom.

Has he really been that worried these past few days?

Ye Shu had grown up alone without parents. He had learned to be friendly and tried to fit in, but his environment had left him with an innate sense of distrust and detachment. This was the first time he felt that someone in this world truly cared about him.

Ye Shu’s finger slid down and lightly poked Jin Wang’s cheek. Actually, this feeling wasn’t so bad.

His stomach let out a growl. Ye Shu rubbed it, intending to get up and find some food. Just as he knelt up, he heard the crisp clink of a chain.

Ye Shu froze. He followed the sound with his gaze.

Around his slender, pale ankle was a shackle, attached to a delicate gold chain. The shackle was finely crafted and lightweight, lined with soft down so that he hadn’t even felt it. The gold chain was long and sturdy, the other end disappearing into the inner side of the bed, firmly fixed in a place Ye Shu couldn’t see.

No way. Are we playing this big?

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