Why is the Dog Emperor Like That? - Chapter 15

“Three years ago, during that first month Teacher came to Lanyue Palace, I tore up your books… do you still remember?”

Listening to the tone Yin Xiao used to bring up old debts, I was scared to death. Because I did not remember how I had punished Yin Xiao back then. It is a known fact that villains are the most vengeful. People who leave psychological trauma on them when they are young will surely meet a miserable end later.

I chickened out. My mind was a tangled mess, terrified that I was the cannon fodder who had left Yin Xiao with psychological trauma. As my thoughts wandered, I heard Yin Xiao continue: “At that time, Teacher struck my hand and said it was a small punishment to teach a great lesson. I didn’t understand it then, but now I feel it makes perfect sense.”

Yin Xiao used his fan to push aside the moon-shadow gauze and finally rose to walk toward me. He leaned down. The next second, the cold ribs of the fan pressed against my chin, and Yin Xiao used force to make me look up.

I was forced to meet Yin Xiao’s gaze, feeling momentarily bewildered and unable to dodge. He narrowed his eyes at me, his lips brimming with a smile. “Teacher, extend your hand.”

I knew what would happen as soon as I held out my hand. However, the moment the hard ribs of the fan struck my palm and the ripples of pain flared up, I could not help but cry out: “Gently!”

I furrowed my brow, and the moment I shouted, I realized my voice was a bit too loud. I lost my nerve and softened my tone: “Gently… can’t you?”

Yin Xiao seemed pleased by my submissive posture, his lips curling into a smile: “It hurts this much after just one strike? Teacher is truly pampered.”

Pampered? Who? Me? My dwindling patience was finally provoked by Yin Xiao. “Do you realize how old you are? If I struck you with this force, you would feel the pain too!” I pulled my hand back and took the opportunity to rub my palm.

My decision to let Li Shi go was indeed wrong, but he should not be taking advantage of the situation. “Besides, I am not only your elder but also your teacher. Why must you resort to such acts to humiliate me?”

Yin Xiao was about to strike a second time, but upon hearing my shout, the fan suspended in mid-air dropped back down lightly. He looked at me with a calm gaze, as if he could see through the awkwardness of my forced attempt to maintain the dignity of an elder. I took the opportunity to rise hurriedly while my fake authority had not completely leaked away. I was not going to kneel to him; no way!

I turned to leave, but my wrist was instantly caught by a cold grip. “It is so late, where does Teacher intend to go?”

His grip was so strong I could not struggle free. I then realized that he had actually held back his strength when he struck my palm earlier. Even though I had used my identity as his teacher and elder to pressure him, his hardness had not diminished in the slightest; instead, it had intensified. “Teacher has always spent the night here with me. I have not told you that you could leave, so you are not allowed to go anywhere.”

I sighed in utter helplessness. I asked Yin Xiao in return: “Am I not allowed to bathe? I am covered in the dust of the city gates; am I to go to bed like this?”

Yin Xiao was silent for a few seconds, then he laughed, gently releasing my sleeve, and said: “Go then.”

I hurried out, looked down as I rolled up my sleeves, and sure enough, saw a red palm print. I wanted to curse him, but I suddenly and pathetically remembered those scrawny little hands Yin Xiao had back then, which struggled even to hold a few books. The anger I had been nursing suddenly dissipated like a popped balloon.

However, today’s events reminded me of something. Sleeping by his bedside every night, I had almost forgotten what kind of existence Yin Xiao was in the original book. Although he died miserably in the end, the trouble he caused for the protagonist pair before his death was truly terrifying. Moreover, in the original book, Yin Xiao had almost no support. Now that his wings were growing and his power was increasing daily, the more I thought about it, the more I feared. If I truly betrayed Yin Xiao, my future fate would likely be even worse than that of Ji Zijin in the original book.

After bathing and freshening up, I guarded under the crabapple tree outside the palace, waiting until the lights inside were extinguished before going in. That night, I did not sleep well at all, fearing Yin Xiao would come at me with some fan or chain again. How worrying!

After a sweaty, restless night, I woke up groggily in the morning. Yin Xiao had already risen and left; the space by my bed was empty, filled only with the crisp, rustling air of the morning sun. I stepped out of bed and abruptly stepped on something cold and hard, which made me cry out in pain. Stepping on Lego with bare feet, who can relate?

I picked up the object I had stepped on and froze. It was a fan, torn to shreds and thrown on the ground. It was the fan Yin Xiao had last night.

I unfolded the fan and saw a familiar landscape of plum blossoms in the snow on the dilapidated surface. I was dumbfounded. Wasn’t this the fan Yin Shu had given me years ago?

Years ago, when I first received this fan, I had not liked it enough to be inseparable from it, but because it was convenient, I often kept it at hand. A year or two later, the fan suddenly went missing. Fearing that losing such a gift would cause trouble, I asked Jinlan and the palace servants to help me find it. Yin Xiao had known about this too.

But in the end, the fan was never found. So, it turned out Yin Xiao had taken it? Upon reflection, it made sense. Didn’t Yin Xiao like his brother? Seeing me accept a gift from him must have been infuriating. He dealt with old grudges and new ones all at once; he certainly saved himself some trouble.

As Yin Xiao’s power at court grew, some old officials could no longer sit still. This unease manifested in two ways. First, those who could no longer bear the current situation and were unwilling to remain idle. They joined forces to submit a petition to the old Emperor, demanding that the eldest son, Yin Shu, be named Crown Prince as soon as possible to consolidate the foundation of the state. Second, those who also could not bear the situation and decided to switch sides. They abandoned Yin Shu and came to Yin Xiao with smiles, hoping to choose a more promising master before the final outcome was decided. Gradually, more elderly faces began appearing among the officials surrounding Yin Xiao.

In autumn, the courtyard was covered in golden fallen leaves, and palace servants chatted to the sound of rhythmic sweeping. “Did you hear? They say the Duke of Zhen went to argue with the First Prince yesterday.”

“Sigh, it was just for show. Who does not know that the Duke of Zhen has long been our Second Prince’s man…”

Everyone in the inner and outer court was talking, saying that the First Prince had no heart for the court and that the position of Crown Prince was already in the Second Prince’s pocket. Although this was a good thing, I felt uneasy for some reason.

In the original book, although Yin Shu was also somewhat detached, with the help of the protagonist, Ye Fuchen, he still had the intention to take over the world. Why was it that now, Yin Shu had remained so still?

During the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet that year, the atmosphere around Yin Xiao was exceptionally lively. The old officials who had been cold and dismissive toward him years ago were now sitting below, drinking and praising Yin Xiao’s wisdom and bravery. Their flattery was louder than ever. Compared to the liveliness of the officials, the royals on the high platform were relatively quiet.

The old Emperor was still holding a concubine, whose face changed with every visit, and was dead drunk in a pool of wine. Noble Consort Rou, old but still fierce, glared at the old Emperor, gritting her teeth. Beside her, Yin Xiao looked flawless, and the lonely, desolate look from years ago was nowhere to be seen.

And opposite them, Yin Shu and Noble Consort De… the mother and son wore simple, elegant, pale cyan robes embroidered with fine silver thread, their presence seemingly floating with the faint scent of tea. I do not know if it was my imagination, but throughout the entire banquet, Yin Xiao and Yin Shu did not exchange a single word.

Not even a basic exchange of glances. Looking at them from afar, I felt suffocated. “If you guys do not drop a hint of sweetness, the risk of a tragic ending is very high!”

As the moon became bright and the stars sparse, the banquet drew to a close. A young, unfamiliar palace maid walked toward me, and I immediately had a bad premonition. She stopped in front of me.

As her delicate hands poured me wine, she leaned over and whispered: “Master Ji, the First Prince invites you for a small chat at Xuri Palace after the banquet ends… The First Prince says he has some important matters to discuss with you.”

I choked, subconsciously looking at Yin Xiao on the high platform. Whether it was fate or not, Yin Xiao happened to be looking at me too. The moment our eyes met, we were both somewhat startled and flustered. I had no time to speculate on why Yin Xiao was looking at me; I only wanted to avert my eyes. Because of Yin Xiao’s feelings, I was cautious and terrified of hitting a landmine.

Over the years, unless necessary, I had rarely interacted with Yin Shu, deliberately distancing myself from him.

I had to feign drunkenness, drank the glass of wine in front of me in one gulp, and said with a smile: “No, no. It is late at night; what if I fall into the Imperial Garden’s lake again? I am not going anywhere…”

The palace maid showed a troubled look, her tone a mix of pain and pleading: “Master Ji…”

She rose to leave. I lowered my head to drink, muttering: “Xuri Palace is too far.

How about the library next to Lanyue Palace?” After saying this, I closed my eyes and played dead, fearing that Yin Xiao on the platform might notice something amiss.

When the banquet ended, Yin Shu on the high platform looked in my direction and waved gently at me with a smile, from an angle where Yin Xiao could not see. I dared not respond; I only bowed slightly and hurried toward the library.

Not long after, Yin Shu arrived at the library. I could not wait a second longer and asked him: “Your Highness the First Prince, can we make this short?”

Seeing me in such a hurry, Yin Shu suddenly laughed: “Actually, there is nothing major. It is just…”

He hesitated, then pulled a small gift box from somewhere and placed it in my hands: “I heard that Second Brother has been doing well lately. I am happy for him, but I do not know how to express it… Please, Zijin, give this gift to Second Brother on my behalf.”

My expression instantly became complex. Yin Shu, being clear-headed, immediately put me at ease: “It is just a gift from an older brother to a younger brother, unrelated to any other struggle.”

I hesitated for a long time before finally accepting it.

I said my goodbyes, turned, and prepared to leave. Halfway through, I suddenly heard a soft, pleasant male voice from the empty porch behind me: “If it is convenient, Zijin, you can tell Second Brother that I do not really care much for the position of Father Emperor.”

I paused for a beat, turned back suddenly, but Yin Shu had already vanished without a trace.

Was Yin Shu truly indifferent to the court? If it were a lie, it would not matter, but if it were true… for Yin Xiao, this would be a monumental piece of good news.

I hurried back to tell Yin Xiao about this, took out the gift, and told him everything that had just happened. To my surprise, Yin Xiao looked at the intricately patterned gift box and then stared at me, with his first words being: “You saw him again?”

My hand was suddenly caught by him; the scent emanating from the young man’s sleeves was full of intoxicating wine. He had been drinking. And quite a lot.