Quick Transmigration: Crazy About the Villain, Begging for Love - Chapter 9

Li Qing’s gaze was flustered, and he avoided the intense affection in Feng Yanzhou’s eyes; he could not respond to it. Seeing him avoid his gaze, Feng Yanzhou let the hand he had held by his mouth slowly drop, and he laughed bitterly: “Qingqing, do you not like me?”

“Perhaps… I do not.”

Feng Yanzhou’s eyes instantly turned red, but his smile only grew wider, looking utterly insane: “Heh, if you do not like me, then so be it. In any case, you cannot escape. At worst, I will bind myself to you for a lifetime! Whether it is disgust or hatred, I will endure it all!”

Li Qing felt a headache coming on. He had only come to this small world for a trial; how did he end up entangled in such a debt of love? He quickly changed the subject: “I am very curious about that secret chamber; may I go and take a look?”

“It is dirty in there; I fear you will not be comfortable staying there.”

Though he said this, Feng Yanzhou felt a hidden joy that Li Qing was willing to step into his secret base. He rose to open the mechanism beside the dragon bed and came back to lead him inside by the hand. Li Qing took the opportunity to pick up the food box from the table as well.

The dragon bed was pushed aside, revealing a flight of stone steps. The two entered the secret chamber side by side. The shadow guards stood watch around the room and did not follow this was a rule established by the late Emperor. At the same time, Shadow One and Shadow Two each carried a corpse and quietly placed them in the Huiyu Palace.

Inside the secret chamber, Li Qing looked around. A few candle flames cast a dim, flickering light. The walls were covered in scratches, which Feng Yanzhou had likely left in the past. To the left was a stone bed; on the weapon rack to the right sat several blades. It was a stark environment; as a dignified Emperor, having to come here to spend a night in such hardship every month was truly miserable.

Li Qing sat cross-legged on the bed and opened the food box, stuffing a piece of pastry into his mouth.

Feng Yanzhou sat down beside him: “It would be better to eat upstairs; this is not a suitable place.”

Li Qing smiled: “It all goes into the stomach regardless of where it is eaten. It is delicious; it seems my skills are not bad have a taste.”

As he spoke, he held a piece out to Feng Yanzhou’s lips. Feng Yanzhou’s fingers, which were resting on his knees, curled tightly, and the light in his eyes seemed to dim. Unfortunately, the candlelight was too faint for Li Qing to see clearly.

Feng Yanzhou parted his thin lips and bit into the pastry from his hand. His gaze traced Li Qing’s features inch by inch as he swallowed all the sleeping powder that had been hidden within.

Being stared at with such invasive intensity, Li Qing suddenly realized that something was wrong: “You… when did you find out?”

Feng Yanzhou looked at him with a tragic smile: “When you carried the food box into the secret chamber, I had a hunch. By the time you fed me the pastry, I was certain.”

Li Qing closed the food box: “Then why did you eat it?”

Feng Yanzhou was already swaying, but he still looked at him with firm eyes, speaking every word clearly: “Because you cannot escape. You fed me sleeping powder, so you must not want to kill me. If you wanted to hold me hostage, the shadow guards outside would hurt you; it would be best not to do that. Even if you were lucky enough to escape, I could still find you. Qingqing, I said it before to the ends of the earth, do not think you can shake me off!”

Li Qing placed his left hand over his right wrist, his movements lightning-fast. A moment later, with a click, the bangle opened. He slowly pushed it toward Feng Yanzhou: “I have studied the art of mechanisms; opening this bangle is not difficult. As for the secret passage in the chamber, finding it was simple as well.”

Nothing had gone according to Feng Yanzhou’s expectations. His heart sank; he likely could not keep him here after all.

“I hear you have not rested well lately. Sleep soundly here.” After Li Qing finished speaking, he stood up to leave, not forgetting to leave the “Plan to Counter the Male Lead” he had written lying on the stone bed.

“No—”

Feng Yanzhou was frantic now, having completely lost the calm, confident, and calculated demeanor he had possessed just moments ago. He struggled to get up, clutching tightly at the hem of Li Qing’s robe, his eyes filled with rage and reluctance.

Li Qing drew a dagger from his waist and severed the corner of his robe, his gaze locking onto a small point on the wall before walking over to open the secret passage.

“Qingqing… do you truly loathe me that much?”

Feng Yanzhou let out a desperate roar, collapsing heavily to the ground; the open bangle on the stone bed was swept onto the floor. The drug’s effect became more and more potent; he clutched the torn fabric tightly, lacking the strength to take another step forward. He watched in a daze as the stone door opened and Li Qing, dressed in white, gradually disappeared as the door closed. He tried his best to open his mouth and cry out, but only managed a low, weak murmur: “Qingqing… don’t go, I beg you… don’t go…”

The stone door closed with a heavy thud. Inside the secret passage, Li Qing turned to look at the stone door and lifted a hand to clutch his chest; it felt a bit painful, but he could endure it!

In the secret chamber, a tear slipped from the corner of Feng Yanzhou’s eye, landing on the broken edge of the bangle. Before falling into a deep sleep, he had only one thought: Li Qing, next time we meet, I will personally crush your ankles! So you can never walk another step away from me…

That night, Huiyu Palace went up in flames, and the Sixth Prince of the Yun Kingdom and his attendants were burned to death in the hall. By the next morning, the news had spread throughout the capital.

The rumors within the palace, however, differed from those outside. Many had seen Li Qing enter the Longxi Palace yesterday and never emerge, yet he had burned to death in Huiyu Palace in the middle of the night it was hard not to draw conclusions. The court officials also speculated: could it be that His Majesty intended to declare war on the Yun Kingdom, leaving no room for diplomacy?

Gao Yuan waited anxiously outside the Longxi Palace. As the sun rose higher, the officials waited in the main hall for the Emperor to hold court. The rumors surrounding the Sixth Prince were becoming increasingly bizarre, yet His Majesty refused to come out, which looked somewhat like a guilty conscience. Gao Yuan, who had been pacing back and forth, suddenly froze: Could it be… that His Majesty really did it? Did he kill the Sixth Prince by accident during an episode, and then destroy the evidence?

No, no, His Majesty seemed to like the Sixth Prince quite a bit; even during an episode, he should have retained a shred of reason and not committed such a cruel act.

Ah! Gao Yuan covered his mouth, eyes wide. Could it be… that His Majesty forced the Sixth Prince, and the Sixth Prince could not bear the humiliation…

Just as his thoughts were spiraling, the doors to the Longxi Palace opened, and Feng Yanzhou walked out, his face gloomy. Gao Yuan hurried over, looking at his expression with slight nervousness: “Your Majesty, are you alright?”

Feng Yanzhou snorted coldly: “I am fine! Prepare the carriage for the Golden Throne Hall!”

Eunuch Gao signaled to the dazed little eunuchs behind him: Hurry up, move, follow him! Do you want to die? Daydreaming at a time like this!

“His Majesty moves—”

Feng Yanzhou sat on the dragon throne and announced that the Sixth Prince of the Yun Kingdom had died in an accident, ordering the entire court to stop discussing the matter. The Prime Minister stepped forward and asked: “Your Majesty, he was a hostage recently sent by the Yun Kingdom, and he did not even live through a complete festival. Does our court need to express something and hold a grand funeral for the hostage?”

Feng Yanzhou roared irritably: “Hold a funeral for what? I am not his father! Send the corpse back to the Yun Kingdom and let them handle it themselves! Whether they hold a grand funeral or ignore it, it is up to them!”

Feng Yanzhou was so angry he nearly flung the memorials off his desk. The Prime Minister, having been berated for no reason and still not knowing why His Majesty was angry, could only silently return to his position and say no more.