The Cannon Fodder Awakens, Training the Cold and Proud Protagonist into a Submissive Dog - Chapter 9

Just as dawn was breaking, Xiao Huaiyan stepped over the threshold, and the gilded, vermilion-lacquered warm-cabins door opposite also creaked open.

Wuhuo was wrapped in a brand-new kesi silk padded robe, followed by two young eunuchs carrying bronze hand warmers.

He had already tidied himself up; not a trace of the wretched state from rolling around on the ground last night could be seen on him.

“Oh, if it isn’t our ‘distinguished person’ from the Liao State?” Wuhuo was missing half of his tongue, making his speech rather unclear. “Early in the morning, are you rushing to lick His Majesty’s boot soles?”

Xiao Huaiyan’s footsteps did not halt; his gaze swept straight past the top of Wuhuo’s head, as though the person before him were merely a cloud of foul air.

“Little bastard, when you see Manager Wu, your bones won’t even bend.” Wuhuo’s withered claws suddenly lunged toward his waist.

A pitch-black, glossy python-skin whip slid into his palm like a serpent. The tip of the whip was laden with barbs, cracking sharply and miserably through the air.

The shadow of the whip carried a chilling wind, lashing straight toward Xiao Huaiyan’s face.

Xiao Huaiyan’s figure shifted slightly to the side, and the whip’s tip brushed past his ear, carrying away a few strands of broken hair. He still uttered not a single word, merely lifting his foot to continue walking.

Wuhuo’s expression changed abruptly. With a flick of his wrist, a second whip lashed out horizontally with ten parts of ruthless force.

“Grand Administrator Zhao, what a formidable temper!”

Fu An tucked his hands into his sleeves, blocking half a step in front of Xiao Huaiyan. A smooth, smiling wrinkle was stacked across his face. “His Majesty rises at the hour of Chen to partake in his meal, and he specifically named Prince Xiao to go and serve. If we delay the sacred intent, this old servant cannot bear the responsibility.”

Wuhuo’s whipping momentum came to an abrupt halt mid-air.

He rubbed the gold seal of the Changle Palace inlaid at the top of the whip handle. “Father Fu, is disciplining a servant who doesn’t understand the rules even worth you elders pulling out the sacred intent to pressure people?”

“I wouldn’t dare.” Fu An’s smile remained unchanged. “It’s just that His Majesty had a relapse of his head ailment yesterday, and his temper is poor today. When the time comes, the one who will suffer is likely none other than Grand Administrator Zhao yourself.”

If what he said before could still be considered respectful, this sentence was a naked threat. Wuhuo had been subjected to severe punishment by His Majesty last night and had already lost power, while Fu An had become the person favored in front of His Majesty and could not afford to be offended.

“You—!” Veins throbbed at Wuhuo’s temples. “Since it is His Majesty’s decree, this old servant has no reason to obstruct you. Father Fu, please.”

The python-skin whip hissed back into his waist. He stared at Xiao Huaiyan’s back, his gaze venomous and dark.

Little bastard, go ahead and be pleased for now. This old servant wants to see just how long those stubborn bones of yours can hold out before being fed to the dogs!

Shen Chaoqing leaned sideways against the sandalwood kang table, supporting his head as he yawned.

The palace attendants peeled back the gilded food boxes layer by layer, steam wrapped in fragrance billowing upward. Marinated goose breast, crystal shrimp dumplings, chicken marrow bamboo shoots, crab-roe lion’s heads…

Shen Chaoqing said lazily, “Serve the food.”

Xiao Huaiyan picked up the ebony chopsticks inlaid with silver. His knuckles were swollen and red from frostbite, but his movements were shockingly steady.

The tips of the jade chopsticks brushed past the celadon plate, precisely picking up a slice of goose breast as thin as a cicada’s wing, steadily placing it into the small celadon-glazed lotus-patterned dish in front of Shen Chaoqing.

Shen Chaoqing finally raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Huaiyan’s lowered eyebrows and eyes.

Xiao Huaiyan silently picked up the food and placed it down. Shen Chaoqing never moved his chopsticks, merely appreciating with relish the tightened jawline of Xiao Huaiyan as he served the food, as well as the slightly bulging veins on the backs of his distinctly jointed hands caused by forced restraint.

The last translucent shrimp dumpling fell into the dish.

Shen Chaoqing suddenly moved. He picked up the sweet white-glazed small bowl filled with polished japonica rice porridge beside him, and his fingertips loosened.

“Clatter!”

The porcelain bowl smashed onto the golden brick floor, instantly shattering into pieces. The warm rice porridge mixed with broken porcelain splattered outward, and a few drops of scalding porridge liquid splashed onto the cuffs of Xiao Huaiyan’s trousers, soaking dark stains.

The palace attendants standing in attendance lowered their heads in terror, holding even their breath.

Yet Shen Chaoqing did not even look at the mess all over the floor, looking instead at Xiao Huaiyan, who stood frozen in place. “I was startled last night, and my hands are trembling so badly that I can’t even hold a bowl steady. What a pity for this bowl of polished japonica rice porridge; you can eat it on my behalf.”

The air congealed into ice.

The broken porcelain was jagged like a dog’s teeth, soaking within the viscous porridge gruge.

Xiao Huaiyan could feel the suppressed gasps of the palace attendants in the corner of the hall, and even more so, the scrutinizing gaze cast by the person upon the dragon bed.

He slowly bent his knees, his fingers reaching toward that patch of debris.

His fingertips touched the scalding edge of the broken porcelain, and his skin was immediately sliced open by a fine cut, beads of blood intertwining with the sticky porridge liquid and meandering down.

Xiao Huaiyan remained expressionless, as though the pain did not belong to him. His fingers continued to probe forward, grabbing a handful of porridge gruel mixed with sharp porcelain shards. He raised his hand, slowly bringing that handful of things mixed with fresh blood, broken porcelain, and soiled porridge toward his lips.

Shen Chaoqing rested his cheek in his hand, observing with keen interest.

At the very instant when that filthy object was about to touch his lips, he leisurely spoke up, “Wait.”

Xiao Huaiyan’s movement came to a halt, his hand stained with blood and porridge suspended in mid-air.

“I’ve changed my mind. Looking at it makes me lose my appetite; sweep it out and feed it to the dogs.”

Shen Chaoqing no longer looked at the person kneeling on the floor, picking up his jade chopsticks of his own accord. Ignoring the food Xiao Huaiyan had placed in his bowl, he picked up a pair of steaming fish.

Xiao Huaiyan stared at his shifting brows and eyes a smile full of craftiness and malice—his gaze profound and deep.

He thought he was tormenting and humiliating him, little knowing that in Xiao Huaiyan’s eyes, it was no different from a cat scratching.

After finishing a few bites of fish leisurely and methodically, Shen Chaoqing seemed to finally remember that someone was still kneeling on the floor. He put down his jade chopsticks and wiped the corners of his mouth with a snow-white handkerchief.

“Get up.” His tone was casual. “Tell me, how did it feel resting in that new dwelling last night?”

Xiao Huaiyan slowly stood up, letting his hands hang down as beads of blood dripped from his fingertips onto the floor tiles without a sound. “Replying to Your Majesty, the ventilation in the western wing room is acceptable, but the winter is severe and the four walls are drafty, making it difficult to keep out the cold. The furnishings inside are simple, with only one couch and one table, and the dust accumulation is quite thick.”

Every single sentence he spoke was an objective description without a shred of complaint, but when phrases like “ventilation is acceptable,” “four walls are drafty,” and “dust accumulation is quite thick” were strung together, anyone could hear that this was definitely not a place fit for human habitation.

“Oh?” Shen Chaoqing understood indeed; he let out a light laugh. “Listening to your tone, are you blaming me for treating you harshly?”

Xiao Huaiyan said, “I harbor no such intention.”

Shen Chaoqing narrowed his eyes. “No such intention? Really? The crime of deceiving the sovereign is quite severe.”

“Wuhuo’s room is indeed warm and comfortable, and all the items were personally ordered and prepared by the Empress Mother. What, are you envious? How about… I display some benevolence and let you move in to live together with him? That way you can mutually ‘look after’ each other.”

Fu An, standing off to the side, felt the corners of his eyes twitch violently, barely managing to maintain the respectful expression on his face.

No matter how capable of forbearance Xiao Huaiyan was, upon hearing these words, a wave of churned within his stomach, and a strong sense of disgust made it almost impossible for him to keep his expression calm. He spoke with absolute finality, his voice cold and hard: “Thank you for Your Majesty’s ‘benevolence,’ but there is no need.”

Yet Shen Chaoqing acted as though he did not see his repulsion, growing even more spirited instead as he continued to “persuade,” “Are you really not going to consider it anymore? Wuhuo’s place has plenty of charcoal fire and thick quilts; I hear they even have the finest silver frost charcoal without a single speck of smoke. As for your room… sigh, I went through a great deal of trouble just to find you such a ‘distinctive’ residence.”

His tone was full of regret, but his gaze was brimming with mockery.

Xiao Huaiyan’s jawline tightened for a split second, and he repeated himself once more, his voice turning several degrees colder: “There is no need.”

Shen Chaoqing stared at him for two seconds, seemingly finally finding it uninteresting. He curled his lips and lazily leaned back against the soft cushion. “Hmm, fine then. Since you don’t appreciate kindness, then forget it.”

Right at this moment, some commotion came from outside the palace doors. Wuhuo, who had just taken a beating with the whip, was currently enduring his injuries and humiliation while limping inside with a stack of account books to report.

He happened to hear Shen Chaoqing’s final phrase of “then forget it” along with Xiao Huaiyan’s cold and hard refusal. Although he did not know the preceding context, combined with the situational context, it was obvious that the Emperor had offered Xiao Huaiyan some sort of benefit only to be rejected.

Wuhuo’s already jealous and twisted heart was soaked as if in venom, and his expression instantly turned extremely unsightly. Coupled with his pale complexion and the bandage around his jaw, he looked exceptionally ferocious.