Marked by the Tyrant After Transmigrating into a Book - Chapter 3

The silence in the hall was suffocating once more.

Ye Shu gripped the soft silk quilt, his knuckles turning white as he strained to keep himself from fainting again. He wondered why the man even bothered asking him what he had to say. Was there any point in speaking now?

This dog of an Emperor, he thought.

Jin Wang, however, appeared remarkably patient. He sat by the bedside, watching Ye Shu quietly without pressing him for an answer. After a long stalemate, Ye Shu asked with a tremble in his voice, “If I said I did all of this for your own good, would you believe me?”

Jin Wang clearly had not expected this. He gave a slight nod. “I am all ears.”

Ye Shu studied him cautiously. Jin Wang was famous for hiding his emotions. Even the attendants who had served him for years found it impossible to guess his thoughts. He was mercurial; one moment he might be laughing and talking, and the next, he could start a bloodbath over a single dissatisfactory word.

The saying that “serving a ruler is like serving a tiger” was no exaggeration.

Ye Shu was so nervous that his stomach began to cramp. He rubbed his abdomen and forced himself to speak. “I… your servant discovered that Western Xia had secretly sent spies into the capital. I only feigned cooperation with them. I did all of this to draw them out and help Your Majesty eliminate the external threat.”

“Oh?” Jin Wang said equably. “Go on.”

“As for that Commander of the Imperial Guard, he had long harbored rebellious intentions. I acted this way to lure all the traitors in the court into a single trap.” Perhaps because he was pushed past the limit of his nerves, Ye Shu’s thoughts became exceptionally clear. He began to weave a tale so convincing he almost believed it himself. “Besides, did Your Majesty not receive word from your secret agents beforehand? That is how you knew there would be an assassination attempt last night.”

Jin Wang raised an eyebrow. “Lord Ye is saying that the tip-off was your doing?”

“Naturally!” Ye Shu’s expression was one of absolute sincerity. “I feared the news would leak, so I did not dare inform Your Majesty of the plan beforehand. I could only pass the message along in that manner. Fortunately, Your Majesty is wise and resourceful; our cooperation was seamless, which led to—”

A soft knock sounded at the palace door. Jin Wang raised a hand to cut Ye Shu off and called for the person to enter. Several maidservants entered the hall carrying trays.

Ye Shu immediately caught the aroma of food, and his stomach let out a loud growl. Jin Wang smiled. “Hungry?”

“Yes,” Ye Shu admitted.

Ye Shu had not eaten a single grain of rice since transmigrating. He had a chronic stomach condition; hunger or overeating could trigger a relapse, and if the pain became severe enough, he would require emergency care.

Jin Wang stood up, his tone gentle. “Come then, we shall talk while we eat.”

Ye Shu followed Jin Wang to the table. The eunuch responsible for testing for poison had already finished checking the dishes. Jin Wang dismissed everyone and pulled Ye Shu down to sit. Most of the food was light. Jin Wang personally ladled a bowl of soft, fragrant millet porridge and pushed it toward Ye Shu.

Ye Shu glanced at him suspiciously. It was a perfect picture of deep brotherly affection—a wise ruler and a loyal minister. If he hadn’t read the book, he would have thought he had transmigrated into a novel about “socialist brotherhood.” What exactly was Jin Wang trying to pull?

The stinging pain in his stomach was becoming more apparent. Ye Shu decided not to make things difficult for himself and obediently lowered his head to drink the porridge. Jin Wang did not pick up his chopsticks. He tilted his head, watching Ye Shu for a while before saying softly, “Lord Ye mentioned just now that it was you who leaked the news of the assassination to my secret agents?”

Ye Shu paused slightly, maintaining a natural demeanor. “Yes.”

Jin Wang frowned slightly, as if pondering whether the words were true. In the book, the leak actually happened because one of the original Ye Shu’s subordinates was loose-lipped, and a secret agent in the capital caught wind of it. Now, Ye Shu was shifting the narrative, claiming he had intentionally left a flaw. If Jin Wang continued to press, Ye Shu could even name the specific agent and the exact stage where the information was “obtained.”

Heh, try to compete with me, Ye Shu thought with inner pride. You didn’t expect that I transmigrated here with the script, did you?

He felt so smug that even the porridge tasted sweeter.

Jin Wang leaned his chin on his hand and asked curiously, “Then, could Lord Ye tell me how you investigated my secret agents so thoroughly as to know exactly who they were?”

Ye Shu’s hand jerked, and his spoon clattered into the porridge bowl.

Damn it.

To consolidate his power, Jin Wang had established three hundred secret agents in the capital upon his coronation. They moved in the shadows, doing everything Jin Wang could not do openly. Ye Shu knew this because he had read the book, but within the world of the story, this was the ultimate secret of the Changlu Kingdom. Knowing this secret was a crime even worse than attempted regicide.

A cold sweat broke out on Ye Shu’s back, and his voice trembled involuntarily. “Your Majesty…”

Jin Wang smiled. “I am here. Take your time.”

Ye Shu was speechless. He felt like he was dancing in a minefield; moving meant death, but staying still meant death as well. With his stomach cramping painfully, he gave up in despair. “Just give me a quick death.”

Jin Wang asked, “Why would my dear official say such a thing?”

“Look at your attitude toward me. Have you ever truly believed me?” Ye Shu pushed the porridge bowl away and stood up, shouting, “Jin Wang! We have known each other since we were seven years old. Are you not clear on how I have treated you over these thirteen years?”

Jin Wang was taken aback.

“You doubt me and test me. Since you are so certain I did it, then just kill me! Consider my thirteen years of sincerity as having been fed to the dogs!” Ye Shu’s eyes grew red. “Last night… last night you even treated me like that…”

Ye Shu’s voice choked with tremors until he could no longer speak. Jin Wang fell silent.

The vast hall was suddenly filled only with the sound of Ye Shu’s ragged breathing. He seemed unable to remain standing; he clutched his stomach and slowly crouched down. Jin Wang instinctively moved to support him.

“Don’t touch me,” Ye Shu said weakly, cold sweat beading on his forehead. “Just let me die of pain.”

Jin Wang’s gaze darkened, but he said nothing more. He quickly swept Ye Shu up in a bridal carry and strode toward the inner chamber. He placed Ye Shu on the bed and went out to order someone to fetch the Imperial Physician.

Ye Shu lifted his eyelids and took a quiet look toward the door. It seemed this “dog Emperor” responded better to soft tactics than hard ones.

The book had not detailed Jin Wang’s feelings for the original Ye Shu, but it had mentioned the basics. Jin Wang was born in the Cold Palace, and his mother had died of illness when he was young. The previous Emperor was obsessed with beauty and pleasure, paying no mind to this son. For a long time, Jin Wang and the original Ye Shu had only each other to rely on.

During their bitterest days, the original Ye Shu had to use every means possible just to get a bite of food. Because Jin Wang was frail as a child, the original Ye Shu always gave him the little food they had, which was how he developed his chronic stomach condition.

Coincidentally, the real Ye Shu had stomach problems too. That made things simple. He was very good at faking illness.

Footsteps approached as Jin Wang returned to the bedside. Ye Shu deliberately turned over so he wouldn’t have to look at him, his thin back arched like a shrimp, trembling slightly.

Jin Wang brought a fresh bowl of porridge. “Your old ailment has flared up. Have some porridge.”

Ye Shu did not turn around. “I don’t want it.”

Jin Wang narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Ye Shu, do not test my patience.”

Ye Shu’s fingers curled tight, and he nervously bit his lip. He was truly going to push his luck today. The inner chamber was silent as an invisible tide surged between the two.

After a moment, Jin Wang sighed. “Fine, it was my fault,” Jin Wang said. “Get up and eat something. The physician will be here shortly.”

Ye Shu’s fingers relaxed, and the heart he had been holding in his throat finally settled. He had made it through this crisis. The fact that Jin Wang was willing to coax him to eat and call a doctor meant he didn’t want him dead yet.

Ye Shu turned over and sat up, his face still pale. “Give it to me.”

Jin Wang ignored him. He scooped up a spoonful of porridge, blew on it to cool it, and brought it to Ye Shu’s lips. “Drink.”

Ye Shu hesitated for a second before obediently lowering his head to take a sip. Jin Wang’s expression finally softened.

Jin Wang was actually very handsome. His features were deep and sharp, his eyes carrying a hint of aggression. But when he looked at someone with a smile like this, the coldness in his eyes melted away, leaving a trace of deep affection and tenderness that made one instinctively lose themselves in him.

“Do I look good?” Jin Wang asked.

Ye Shu snapped back to his senses, his ears burning. “I… I wasn’t looking at you.”

Jin Wang laughed softly but said nothing. He fed Ye Shu the porridge spoonful by spoonful. They had just finished half a bowl when the Imperial Physician arrived.

In truth, the elderly physician had difficulty walking; when Jin Wang’s summons arrived, he had just reached the palace gate. Having done nothing all day but circle back and forth between the gates and the King’s bedchamber, the physician was exhausted. He stepped forward to check Ye Shu’s pulse. Jin Wang did not move aside, continuing to feed Ye Shu porridge with a leisurely air.

The physician acted as if he saw nothing. He finished the examination and said, “Lord Ye is plagued by a stomach ailment. He should avoid extreme emotions and nervous tension. He must maintain a peaceful mind and eat on a regular schedule to find relief.”

Ye Shu thought to himself, Could anyone actually maintain a peaceful mind while staying next to this tyrant?

Aloud, he said obediently, “I understand.”

The physician nodded and went to the outer room to write a prescription. When the bowl of porridge was empty, Jin Wang took a silk handkerchief to wipe Ye Shu’s mouth. Ye Shu finally couldn’t take it anymore and turned his head away. “I can do it myself.”

Jin Wang laughed. “Are you shy?”

Is this man addicted to acting out a romance? Ye Shu thought. He snatched the handkerchief and wiped his mouth haphazardly.

The outer doors opened and closed as the physician left. Ye Shu looked up at Jin Wang, who met his gaze with an expression that revealed neither joy nor anger.

It was actually very strange. Given Jin Wang’s petty and suspicious nature, he should have been in a towering rage and thrown Ye Shu into prison the moment he learned of the betrayal. Instead, he was sitting here calmly listening to excuses. Moreover, Ye Shu had a vague feeling that Jin Wang wasn’t actually that angry right now.

Jin Wang watched him calmly and said softly, “What you said just now… holds some truth. Over those past ten years, you treated me very well.”

“Even if I disregard our relationship as ruler and minister, I should still consider the friendship of all those years.”

Ye Shu was moved. “Does Your Majesty believe me then?”

Jin Wang gave a slight smile. “I do not.”

“I do not believe a single word.”

Ye Shu: “…”

This man is truly insane!!!

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