Why is the Dog Emperor Like That? - Chapter 14

The Old Emperor has been having people investigate the poisoning of Yin Xiao for several days now. Over the past few days, many heads have rolled in the palace, yet not a single shred of evidence has been unearthed.

I am not particularly surprised. To dare to poison an imperial prince, one must either have the courage to risk the execution of their entire clan or the confidence that they will never be caught. It seems the culprit belongs to the latter category.

There were so many people in the hall: the Old Emperor, the concubines, the princes, and the princesses. They were all fine. Only Yin Xiao was poisoned. It is clear that the culprit’s target was very specific. However, there are not many people capable of poisoning someone at a state banquet. Was it the Old Emperor? Yin Shu? A powerful official in the court? Or Consort Rou? Countless faces flashed through my mind, and my heart grew heavier. Regardless of the answer, it was nothing to smile about.

April arrived, and it was Yin Xiao’s birthday banquet again. The banquet had completely turned into an occasion for him to communicate with colleagues and cultivate new political allies. Another year has passed; the current Yin Xiao is now capable of holding his own, navigating social circles with ease and confidence. Li Shi and I stayed by Yin Xiao’s side. A few new officials from the court approached us to exchange greetings. I responded politely, but Li Shi seemed somewhat distracted, standing silently to the side in a daze. I quickly nudged him underneath, signaling him to reply. Only then did he snap out of it, as if waking from a dream.

It is not just Li Shi who has been acting strangely. Recently, the palace servants of the Lanyue Palace have gradually become afraid to go near Yin Xiao. Especially the younger ones; they look as if they are about to cry just by making eye contact with him. Even Jinlan asked me what is wrong with the Second Prince lately and if he is in a bad mood. I do not really know. He seems different lately.

I lifted my eyes to look at Yin Xiao. My eyes have grown accustomed to his back, which is broader and taller than my own, like a mountain of dense, biting snow, impenetrable and frigid. I comforted the younger servants, telling them not to be afraid and that I would find a way to look into it. The little maids and eunuchs immediately showed expressions of relief. In their eyes, I am the only person in the world who can keep Yin Xiao in check. Yet, I do not have much confidence myself. I do not know if the Yin Xiao of today will still listen to me.

After a lesson concluded, I asked Yin Xiao to stay behind so I could speak with him privately. I asked him if he knew that the servants in the Lanyue Palace have been very afraid of him lately. Yin Xiao looked as if he had heard something ridiculous. He rested the back of his hand against his temple and slightly arched one of his delicate eyebrows: “And so what?”

“And so what?” I repeated. It was a good question. The Great Liang Dynasty is no different from the many feudal dynasties I am familiar with; the vast empire is the personal property of the Emperor. Yin Xiao is the son of that Emperor, so he naturally has a share in this property. It is only logical that the servants fear him. I sighed and said, “I am not trying to lecture you. You are only fifteen this year; do not push yourself too hard.”

I know that Yin Xiao has not actually mistreated the servants. He is a generous master. Although his personality is stern, he is fair with rewards and punishments and would never wrongly accuse anyone. That is why servants like Jinlan have followed him for years, showing unwavering loyalty. But he has become increasingly tense and sharp-edged day by day; even those loyal to him are becoming afraid to approach. Preventing loyal subjects from daring to offer honest remonstrance is a major taboo for a ruler.

I offered my advice in good faith, but unfortunately, Yin Xiao did not appreciate it. We went back and forth, exchanging words. At first, I was calm and composed, and everything seemed normal. But Yin Xiao’s tongue is truly unforgiving. I felt my blood pressure rising. Holding my breath, I said, “If the Second Prince’s temper does not change after ascending the throne in the future, I fear the concubines in the harem will suffer.”

“The teacher is truly looking far ahead,” Yin Xiao spoke in a slow, unhurried tone, the end of his sentence carrying a faint trace of a smile. “I have not even taken a wife yet, and the teacher is already thinking about managing my harem?”

I was speechless. I think Yin Xiao has indeed changed; he has become even more infuriating than before. Jokes aside, I feel that Yin Xiao’s temperament has not just changed a little. It seems he is truly hiding something from me.

I finally found an opportunity. An elderly official who had been getting close to Yin Xiao recently visited the Lanyue Palace, and Yin Xiao casually found an excuse to dismiss me. I kept my composure and left the palace. But when I reached the palace gate, I changed direction and headed back the way I came. That is right; I snuck back into the courtyard of the Lanyue Palace. From a distance, I saw Yin Xiao and the old official standing together, their heads bowed toward one another, talking about something. I quietly moved closer, leaning in to listen…

One hour later, at the city gate, I jumped off a carriage, turned around, and helped two people down from the carriage behind me. They were an old man and a young one. One was Li Shi, my colleague and close confidant. The other was an old woman, Li Shi’s grandmother and his only remaining family member. Together with me, he carefully helped the old woman down. At that moment, standing in the endless stream of carriages and people, we exchanged a hurried, frantic glance. Li Shi’s lips parted: “Master Ji…”

“There is no need for words of thanks,” I said, giving him a comforting smile. “Hurry and take the old mistress out of the city; if you are any later…”

“After I get my grandmother to a safe place, I will definitely come back to find you, Master Ji,” Li Shi said, his face deathly pale. “If I just leave, you…”

“No, no, no,” I replied, waving my hands repeatedly. “I only did this because I consider you a friend.” Li Shi was silent for a long time before he clasped his hands and bowed deeply to me. They changed into coarse commoner clothes, passed through the high city gates, and left the capital. Before Li Shi’s back disappeared, he turned around and looked at me with a complicated expression, as if he had something left unsaid.

I returned to the palace as it grew dark early. The dark red palace walls and heavy black clouds pressed down from above; a storm was coming. I walked through the palace gates again. The closer I got to the Lanyue Palace, the less calm I felt. By the time I reached the entrance, my breathing was uneven, and my steps were unsteady. I cursed myself for being pathetic. What was I afraid of? Being unable to take responsibility for my actions? It was only helping someone Yin Xiao wanted to kill escape, right? What was there to be afraid of? Jinlan’s voice came from in front of me: “Master Ji, the Second Prince asks you to enter…” My palms were trembling.

Just as Jinlan said, Yin Xiao was waiting for me in the bedchamber. I walked toward Yin Xiao step by step, seeing that vague, tall figure lying on the bed through the moon-shadow gauze curtains. Yin Xiao was sitting there, his posture upright yet not stiff, his long legs slightly parted, as if he were an Emperor sitting on the Dragon Throne. I could not see his expression, nor did I dare to look. But I could feel that Yin Xiao’s gaze was fixed on my face. We stared at each other for more than ten seconds, a duration that felt unimaginably long. I closed my eyes and decided to come clean: “It was I who sent Li Shi out of the capital. If the Second Prince wishes to punish someone, punish me.”

When my words fell, Yin Xiao suddenly let out a cold laugh: “I thought the teacher would definitely be on my side.” I never knew Yin Xiao could make a sound like that. It was cold, filled with suppressed anger, frightening, yet maintained absolute rationality and self-control. “…To the left, pick it up,” Yin Xiao commanded, his voice piercing through the gauze curtains.

I walked toward the left with stiff steps. That was my bed, and now there were some crumpled letters lying on it. “Those are all the letters Li Shi has exchanged with my Imperial Brother over the past few months. Teacher, you may read them at your leisure.” I picked them up and began to read through them one by one. The content was much as I had imagined. Li Shi had subtly expressed his favor toward Yin Shu, longing to defect but not daring to state it outright. Yin Shu had pretended not to understand, using words that kept him at arm’s length, making his true intentions impossible to discern. There were not many letters, and they had not reached any real conclusion. However, the phrasing between the lines could certainly be classified as betrayal. This was enough to ignite Yin Xiao’s rage. Especially since being poisoned, he has become increasingly suspicious and sensitive. Li Shi’s betrayal might be far more serious than I had imagined.

I struggled internally for a very, very long time, eventually reaching a very realistic conclusion: “Saving my life is what matters most; saving my life is what matters most!” Gritting my teeth, I knelt down. Inside the curtains, Yin Xiao’s movements paused; he seemed surprised by my action. I clenched my jaw and explained to Yin Xiao: “Li Shi’s parents died unexpectedly; he was only able to pass the civil examinations and enter the capital because of his grandmother’s care. Your servant, your servant could not bear to let them die.”

This was true. In the years I have been in the capital, I have not had many friends, let alone close ones. Li Shi was one of the few friends I had grown close to. The man behind the curtains breathed lightly and let out a mocking laugh: “Parents died? Is that what he told you? Heh…”

“What?” I frowned, a sense of strange unease rising in my heart.

“Nothing,” Yin Xiao scoffed coldly. “I was just thinking, no matter how pitiful Li Shi is, he should have been dealt with by me. By doing this, Teacher, are you not trying to ride roughshod over me?”

He struck a cold, princely pose, yet still called me “Teacher.” I truly could not read his mind. With a heart full of chaotic thoughts and no words to reply, I could only say: “…Your servant is loyal to the Second Prince.”

“I naturally believe in the Teacher, but this concerns the dignity of the Imperial family; it cannot be resolved just like this.”

“Then what do you want?” I asked, but felt my tone was poor and, feeling guilty, I softened my attitude: “Then, Second Prince, how do you intend to deal with your servant?”

One second, two seconds, more than ten seconds passed. Yin Xiao seemed to be thinking and remained silent. I felt the youth’s ambiguous gaze, which felt like thorns on my back.