Your Majesty, Please Be Obedient

Jiang Qiyan has been neglected since childhood. His father was cold and his mother was indifferent. If he had not become the disciple of a powerful and influential Master, he likely would have been stripped of his position as Crown Prince long ago.

While no one else cared for him, his Master treated him like a precious treasure. He raised the boy by his side from a young age and refused to let him suffer even the slightest injury. On the day they left the Imperial Palace, a young Jiang Qiyan tugged at Pu Tingsong’s sleeve, pursing his lips and crying because his Imperial Father no longer wanted him.

“If he does not want you, then he does not want you. What of it?” Pu Tingsong bent down to pick him up and said, “You are so well-behaved; Master will always want you.”

In his youth, Jiang Qiyan naturally could not see the hidden depth in his Master’s eyes. He did not understand that his Master intended to raise him as a compliant puppet. Pu Tingsong brought him back to the Imperial Preceptor’s Manor. He held the boy while they ate, while they read, and even while they slept. Whenever Pu Tingsong simply said, “Come here,” Jiang Qiyan would crawl onto his Master’s lap and sit obediently to be held. He never once questioned if there was anything wrong with this arrangement.

Jiang Qiyan’s favorite thing was having his head stroked by Pu Tingsong. Pu Tingsong would only rub his head when he was being exceptionally good. Although Pu Tingsong taught him calligraphy and watched over his studies, he never taught him the “Way of the Emperor.” When Jiang Qiyan sadly asked why his Master would not teach him these things, Pu Tingsong offered no explanation. He simply picked the boy up and stroked his hair. Consequently, all of Jiang Qiyan’s unhappiness vanished instantly, and he never asked the question again.

It was not until Jiang Qiyan ascended the throne at the age of sixteen that he realized just how terrifyingly powerful his Master truly was. Pu Tingsong held absolute control over the court, and not a single person dared to defy him. Even while the late Emperor was alive, his Master had already possessed this level of authority.

However, from the day Jiang Qiyan sat upon the throne, Pu Tingsong seemed to change. He asked the young Emperor if he wished to rule personally. His aura made Jiang Qiyan feel a chill from the bottom of his heart. Jiang Qiyan instinctively sensed danger and whispered that he did not.

Pu Tingsong picked him up and placed him on his lap, sitting directly on the Dragon Throne while flipping through official memorials. Because the dependence fostered since childhood was so deep, Jiang Qiyan simply sat obediently in his Master’s arms without any thought of resistance. The smile in Pu Tingsong’s eyes deepened as he gently stroked the young Emperor’s head.

The frequency of Pu Tingsong stroking his head increased. Jiang Qiyan originally thought this was doting, but as he grew older, he began to feel that something was wrong. He finally understood that the gesture was the soothing of a harmless little animal, an obedient little pet, or a plaything that could be manipulated at any time.

Jiang Qiyan grew increasingly afraid of Pu Tingsong, reaching a point where his legs would turn weak just by seeing him. Pu Tingsong would laugh softly at the “child who could not stand steady” and tell him to sit. He still liked to hold him as if he were a toddler. Pu Tingsong did not want him to grow up because once a bird’s wings harden, it may no longer be obedient.

Having reached adulthood, Jiang Qiyan finally plucked up the courage to try and resist. The consequence, however, was having his waistband taken away by his Master. With a faint and mocking smile, Pu Tingsong suggested that he lie down on the Dragon Throne and remove his dragon robes himself.

Pu Tingsong leaned down and pinned the trembling youth beneath him. He asked why the little thing he had raised for so long was being disobedient. He questioned why the boy was crying so piteously and demanded to know if he would finally be obedient.

One-Sentence Summary: You must listen, otherwise, the Imperial Preceptor will be very terrifying.

Theme: A golden carp is but a creature of the pond until it meets the wind and clouds to transform into a dragon.