The Sickly Beauty Official Faked His Death and Now the Tyrant Has Gone Mad - Chapter 4

The courtyard of the Spring Palace was enveloped in silence. The two newly assigned palace attendants dared not utter a word, fearing they might anger the emperor like their predecessors.

Snow continued to fall densely from the sky, chilling everyone to the bone.

Lin Huaiyu was confined to the Spring Palace. While Su Yang attended court, Lin sat by the window, gazing at the wind and snow outside. The cold wind brushed against his face, sharpening his senses, yet he could not withstand the intense chill. Soft coughs escaped his lips, one after another.

“Are you all deaf? How could you ignore Minister Lin’s coughing and not summon the imperial physician?” Su Yang, having returned from court, heard Lin Huaiyu’s coughs as soon as he entered the Spring Palace. Frowning, he scolded the attendants who had turned a deaf ear.

The two attendants immediately knelt, kowtowing until their foreheads bled. “Your Majesty, please forgive us!”

Lin Huaiyu slowly turned his gaze toward Su Yang, his expression weary and indifferent. “I ordered them not to summon anyone.”

Su Yang dismissed the attendants with a wave, then stood in the courtyard, watching Lin Huaiyu by the window. He resembled a white plum blossom peeking through the window amidst the snowstorm aloof and proud, yet tempting Su Yang to pluck him, place him in a vase, and toy with him between his fingers.

Su Yang pushed the door open, shutting out the wind and snow. His eyes swept coldly over the untouched dishes on the table, and his expression darkened. He walked toward the figure by the window. “Does my teacher intend to threaten me by starving himself?”

Lin Huaiyu did not turn around, still gazing outside. “I dare not. I simply have no appetite.”

Su Yang forcefully shut the window, cutting off Lin Huaiyu’s view and forcing him to turn. Those peach-blossom eyes, shimmering with watery light, could now only hold Su Yang’s reflection. “So eager to leave the palace? So eager to attend court?”

Lin Huaiyu’s chin was gripped tightly, forcing him to look at Su Yang. Yet, unwilling to meet his gaze, he silently protested by lowering his eyes. “It is merely my duty.”

“Hmph,” Su Yang snorted mockingly. “You just want to leave me.”

Lin Huaiyu shook his head, meeting the obsession in Su Yang’s eyes. Softly, he said, “I will not leave. There is still much I must do for the Great Yong and for Your Majesty. But not by remaining in the harem as Your Majesty’s…”

Lin Huaiyu could not bring himself to utter those two words.

Su Yang released him, leaving a faint finger mark on Lin Huaiyu’s fair chin. His gaze turned shadowy. “What a loyal and devoted minister you are, willing to give your all until death. Yet all I want is for my teacher to stay in the Spring Palace, by my side.”

Seeing that Su Yang remained unmoved by both soft and hard approaches, Lin Huaiyu frowned, about to rebuke him again. But Su Yang released him first and walked to the table, taking a seat. “Before I left, I told you to eat properly. Why are you being so disobedient?”

As he spoke, he personally ladled a bowl of chicken soup and called to Lin Huaiyu, “Come here.”

Lin Huaiyu remained unmoved, casting a fleeting glance at the food on the table before turning away, showing no interest. “If Your Majesty allows me to leave the palace, I will naturally regain my appetite.”

Su Yang set down the soup, his face darkening as he looked at Lin Huaiyu. He called out, “Defu!”

Defu, who had been waiting outside the door, rushed in immediately. “Your Majesty, your servant is here.”

Su Yang feigned a reprimand. “It seems you are growing increasingly negligent in your duties. Why are the attendants here so incompetent?”

Defu promptly knelt. “This servant deserves death. I will replace them with two new attendants at once.”

Lin Huaiyu let out a soft sigh as he walked away from the window. “No need to change them. I don’t require anyone to attend to me, nor will I be staying here long.”

De Fu hesitated, unsure of what to do, and looked toward Su Yang, waiting for his instruction.

Su Yang’s gaze lingered on Lin Huaiyu, who was still dressed in his loose, flowing robes. The solemn and dignified color took on an entirely different aura when worn by him.

Curling the corner of his lips, Su Yang commanded, “Since the teacher doesn’t want them, there’s no use keeping them. Dispose of them.”

Before De Fu could respond, Lin Huaiyu sharply rebuked, “Your Majesty, what exactly are you trying to do?!”

Su Yang pushed the bowl of chicken soup toward Lin Huaiyu. “Drink it.”

Lin Huaiyu furrowed his brows, a flicker of disgust surfacing in his eyes. “Is Your Majesty determined to force me?”

Seeing Lin Huaiyu’s expression, Su Yang’s face darkened abruptly.

De Fu knelt on the ground, sensing the atmosphere growing tense. The pressure from both sides was suffocating. Without waiting for Su Yang’s order, he quietly retreated and closed the door behind him.

Su Yang stood up and moved behind Lin Huaiyu, placing a hand on his stomach. Whether it was due to hunger or not, Lin Huaiyu’s stomach felt flat, with no trace of flesh as his hand moved downward.

He pressed down firmly, pulling Lin Huaiyu into his embrace, holding him tightly. In a muffled voice, he said, “Teacher has barely eaten for nearly two days. Starving yourself like this it pains me.”

Lin Huaiyu resisted Su Yang’s hand, trying to break free, but he could never escape Su Yang’s grasp. He could only remain locked in his embrace. “If Your Majesty allows me to leave the palace, I will naturally take care of myself.”

Su Yang kept his hand on Lin Huaiyu’s stomach, feeling the rise and fall of his breath with each inhale and exhale. With his other hand, he lifted the bowl of chicken soup and brought it to Lin Huaiyu’s lips. “Teacher is clearly starving. Are you really going to torment your own stomach just to spite me?”

Lin Huaiyu turned his head away, struggling to push Su Yang’s hand aside. “Let go of me!”

Su Yang murmured softly, “This is what happens when Teacher refuses to behave.”

Before his words fully faded, he acted swiftly. One hand clamped onto Lin Huaiyu’s jaw, forcing his mouth open, while the other hand roughly poured the chicken soup into his mouth.

Only after the entire bowl of soup had been emptied into Lin Huaiyu’s mouth did Su Yang release him.

“Cough, cough, cough!!!” Lin Huaiyu leaned against the table, half-bent over as he coughed violently. The sensation of the soup being forced down his throat was unbearable, and Su Yang had poured it so hastily that Lin Huaiyu nearly vomited.

After catching his breath, he turned to see Su Yang ladling another bowl of soup, watching him calmly. “If Teacher still refuses to eat properly, I can continue feeding you.”

Lin Huaiyu gave Su Yang a deep look before slowly sitting down. “What must I do for Your Majesty to allow me to leave the palace?”

Su Yang casually served dishes onto Lin Huaiyu’s plate, selecting only his favorites. “I’ve already said it. I want Teacher to stay by my side forever, never allowed to leave.”

Lin Huaiyu watched as the food piled higher on his jade plate. Su Yang seemed intent on making up for the meals he had missed over the past two days. Yet, after hearing Su Yang’s words, he truly had no appetite left. “I will not leave Your Majesty, but I also have matters to attend to.”

Su Yang deliberately twisted his meaning: “Naturally, the teacher has matters to attend to. In this inner palace, since you are my exclusive plaything, you should devote yourself to serving and pleasing me.”

The heated floor in the room was scorching hot, yet Lin Huaiyu felt as if he were standing in the wind and snow outside the courtyard, trembling with cold. “Su Yang! You keep calling me ‘teacher,’ yet what kind of nonsense are you spouting?!”

Su Yang, however, paid no mind. Holding a jade dish, he picked up some food and offered it to Lin Huaiyu. “Teacher, eat something.”

Lin Huaiyu raised his hand and slapped Su Yang’s hand away. The jade dish immediately fell to the ground, shattering with a crisp sound like broken glass. Su Yang stared at his empty hand, saying nothing.

Lin Huaiyu looked coldly at Su Yang. “Why must Your Majesty confine me to the palace? I have already said I will not leave you. If you would just let me leave the palace, I will pretend these past few days never happened. There will be no rift between us, teacher and student.”

Su Yang suddenly looked up, his eyes dark and impenetrable, like dense ink that could not be diluted or dispersed. “A rift? What? Does the teacher now despise me?”

Lin Huaiyu averted his gaze. “I am just somewhat disappointed.”

Before he could finish his sentence, Su Yang grabbed his chin and forced him to look back. Su Yang’s presence was overbearing and invasive, like a sharp blade intent on scraping away his flesh inch by inch. “Disappointed? Disappointed about what? Are you disappointed that you taught a student who is rebellious and disregards all moral principles?”

Lin Huaiyu winced in pain, his brow furrowing, his voice turning cold. “What else? Don’t tell me you’re going to claim you have feelings for me?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell silent for a moment. Then Su Yang burst into laughter, as if he had heard something utterly ridiculous. “Feelings? Those words carry too much weight. I don’t like them. It’s just that Minister Lin is already mine. Naturally, I won’t allow you to marry anyone else or share a bed with anyone. You belong to me, understand?”

Lin Huaiyu found Su Yang utterly unreasonable. “Imprisoning your own teacher in the inner palace as a… plaything. Su Yang, you are far too absurd!”

Su Yang looked at Lin Huaiyu, smiled, then seemed to regret his words, casually adding, “But didn’t the teacher clearly enjoy it too? Could it be… that you shamelessly developed feelings for your own student?”

Lin Huaiyu seemed infuriated by Su Yang’s words, coughing violently as he leaned against the table, breathing heavily. “Nonsense!”

A flicker of disappointment flashed in Su Yang’s eyes. He glanced at the scattered food on the floor—all the dishes he had just offered Lin Huaiyu, which the man had not touched at all.

Darkness clouded Su Yang’s gaze once more. He suddenly picked up a bowl of cold porridge from the side, pinched Lin Huaiyu’s cheeks, and forced the porridge into his mouth.

A feeling of near-suffocation washed over Lin Huaiyu. He struggled desperately but could not escape Su Yang’s grasp. The other man was tall and imposing, like a towering mountain. Even without using his hands, he effortlessly trapped Lin Huaiyu against the table.

By the time the bowl of porridge was emptied, Lin Huaiyu could no longer stand. He collapsed weakly to the floor, white porridge spilling from the corners of his mouth, some staining his clothes. Lin Huaiyu had no time to care, only half-propping himself up as he coughed and swallowed the porridge stuck in his throat.

The powerful minister whom the common people feared was now nothing more than a disheveled, dying man lying on the ground.

Su Yang smoothly knelt down and wiped the white porridge from the corner of Lin Huaiyu’s mouth. Lin Huaiyu raised his hand to slap him, but the other caught it swiftly before the slap could land on his face, Lin Huaiyu’s wrist was once again seized. He struggled briefly, only to wince in pain.

Su Yang held Lin Huaiyu’s hand firmly and said, “If Teacher refuses to eat properly from now on, I will feed you like this every day. Or perhaps.” His gaze swept over Lin Huaiyu’s body, lingering lower as he added maliciously, “If the mouth above doesn’t want to eat, does Teacher prefer to use the one below?”

By now, Lin Huaiyu had exhausted all his strength. He couldn’t even muster the energy to curse Su Yang, only gasping for breath until he no longer had the strength to hold himself up. He slumped sideways onto the floor, his slender, pale hand still clasped tightly in Su Yang’s palm.

The next day, Lin Huaiyu’s request to attend court was once again denied by Su Yang. Frowning deeply, Lin Huaiyu reluctantly picked up his chopsticks and obediently ate the food Su Yang had placed in his bowl. With a serious expression, he said, “The imperial examinations are approaching. I humbly request permission to oversee this year’s event.”

Su Yang immediately turned his gaze to Lin Huaiyu. The satisfaction he had felt moments earlier at seeing the other eat willingly vanished, replaced by irritation. “Does Teacher seek another excuse to leave the palace?”

Lin Huaiyu’s eyes turned icy, his expression frosty. The atmosphere around them grew heavy, making Su Yang feel as though he had been transported back to his days as a student, being sternly lectured by Lin Huaiyu. He instinctively straightened his posture.

Lin Huaiyu continued, “During the last imperial examinations, Your Majesty should have been able to cultivate loyal officials. Unfortunately, corruption was rampant many were appointed through bribery and underhanded deals. My request is to restore fairness to the examinations and to the scholars of the realm.”

Su Yang watched him intently as Lin Huaiyu went on, “Though Your Majesty now sits securely on the throne, those who must be exposed still remain. Only by ensuring the integrity of the examinations can true talent be selected and utilized for Your Majesty’s reign.”

A faint smile tugged at Su Yang’s lips. He had always cherished the moments when Lin Huaiyu considered his interests back then, Lin Huaiyu’s eyes had been filled only with him.

But later, Su Yang came to realize that Lin Huaiyu’s loyalty lay not with him, but with the Great Yong dynasty and its people.

In Lin Huaiyu’s heart, the people mattered more than he did, and the dynasty mattered more than he did.

At this thought, Su Yang’s smile faded. He observed Lin Huaiyu’s confident demeanor and felt the urge to shatter the arrogance in his eyes.

“As the emperor’s favored companion, Prime Minister Lin, if you wish to oversee the imperial examinations, you must offer something in return.”

Lin Huaiyu suppressed the anger rising in his chest and asked, “What must I offer?”

Su Yang’s gaze darkened. “How about using your body as payment?”