Sheng Jiu looked down at the frail body prostrate on the ground, his eyes filled with extremely complex emotions. He slowly squatted down, lifted the tear - streaked face with his palm, and slowly spoke.
"Will you do anything?"
One could not tell from his voice whether he was angry or pleased. Wan Wan looked up at him for a moment but also couldn't discern his mood. Sheng Jiu's thumb caressed the other's lips and he asked in a low voice, "Really... can you do anything?"
His voice sent shivers down one's spine. After Wan Wan trembled, he even had an urge to back out. The two stared into each other's eyes, both remaining silent.
Sheng Jiu's gaze landed on his lips and he said calmly, "Be my concubine. Will you?"
Wan Wan was stunned. Be his concubine?
What did this mean?
Wan Wan swallowed hard and was too flustered to look up. Sheng Jue gritted his teeth and said, "Sheng Jiu! Don't go too far! He shouldn't have been here in the first place! Why do you..."
"The one who left him here first was you!"
Sheng Jiu interrupted him and turned to look at him. His eyes were like a blade. Sheng Jue immediately fell silent. Yes... it was indeed he who had left him here first.
What right did he have to condemn him now...
Sheng Jiu lunged forward and grabbed his neck, speaking through gritted teeth, "Sheng Jue! You've always been like this from childhood to adulthood! No matter what I do, you always condemn me first. For things that you yourself can't even achieve, you insist on acting like a saint and imposing them on me! I'm sick of it!"
"Even if I force him to stay here as my concubine, what can you do about it? What right do you have to bargain with me? You're just a prisoner now! Do you still think you're the former emperor and can still order me around with an air of superiority!"
Sheng Jue pressed his lips tightly and said nothing. His shoulders slowly slumped, and his voice was almost inaudible, "I... am no longer the emperor."
Sheng Jiu stared at him fiercely, "Sheng Jue, if you want you and your mother to live, then obediently do as I say. Don't try to play any tricks. If you have such a stupid idea as getting Wan Wan to assassinate me again, I'll tear your mother limb from limb!"
Sheng Jue suddenly looked up at him, his angry teeth chattering, "You... aren't you afraid of the ministers and the common people..."
Sheng Jiu curled his red - rimmed eyes and burst into laughter, "Hahaha. Are you afraid they'll scold me? Sheng Jue, do you think I care about those scoldings? Whoever scolds me, I'll kill. One by one, two by two. Let's see who dares to question me!"
Sheng Jue gritted his teeth and cursed him, "A fatuous king! A tyrant! Sheng Jiu! You're a tyrant!!! You'll be cursed to death by the common people! Sheng Jiu! You won't end well!!"
Sheng Jiu got up coldly, "In the end, aren't we all going to die? When we're dead, who cares about a good or bad end? Only people like you would burden yourselves with these red - tape rules."
Sheng Jue dragged the chains on his feet and took two steps towards him, pleading in a low voice, "Sheng Jiu, be kind to Wan Wan... be kind to the common people."
"Disgusting!!"
Sheng Jiu kicked him two zhang away.
Sheng Jue lay on the ground, covering his stomach with his chained hands. Wan Wan was startled by his action. Just as he was about to speak, Sheng Jiu turned around and glared at him.
"If you don't want to pour oil on the fire, you'd better shut up."
Sheng Jiu stepped on Sheng Jue's arm and bent down to look at him.
"Sheng Jue, you're so used to acting like a wise king, aren't you?! Don't you even look at what you're wearing now and what's on your arms and legs? You've fallen to such a state and still have the nerve to come and lecture me?"
Sheng Jue closed his eyes slightly. The trembling and weak figure was reflected in his pupils. A sudden wave of remorse welled up in his heart. He didn't know why he had brought him back and left him in this deep palace full of turmoil.
Maybe... he was not a saint after all, and there were times when he was blinded by his desires.
It was just a pity for Wan Wan...
Sheng Jiu gritted his teeth and said, "Sheng Jue, I won't kill you. Just wait to rot in the prison with your good mother."
Sheng Jue let out a low laugh. There seemed to be a tinge of blood in his throat, "Sheng Jiu, have you never thought about how history books will write about you after a hundred years?"
Sheng Jiu snorted, grabbed his blood - stained collar, "To hell with the comments in history books! I don't want to be like you, being confined here because of the throne. Sheng Jue, you've always lived like a dog!"
Sheng Jiu's chest heaved as he glared at him angrily, gritting his teeth.
Wan Wan pressed his lips tightly and tried to speak, "Sheng Jiu..."
Maybe his voice was too soft and the person in front of him didn't hear it at all, or maybe he heard it but didn't want to pay attention.
Sheng Jiu ignored this call.
Sheng Jiu got up coldly, "Lock him up and take good care of him..."
Ming Lang naturally understood what he meant by "take good care of him".
Ming Lang hung his head and silently led him out of the palace hall. Looking at Sheng Jue's thin shoulders, he suddenly said something for no reason.
"If you want to make it easier on yourself, just follow him."
Sheng Jue didn't seem to expect him to speak. He was silent for a long time and then let out a low laugh.
"We grew up together. I know exactly what kind of person he is."
Ming Lang slowly shook his head. No one could be sure what kind of person Sheng Jiu was, not even himself.
Ming Lang sighed and said.
"He wasn't like this before. It was the death of the Concubine Tai..."
He didn't continue the following words. Sheng Jue might also feel guilty about the death of Sheng Jiu's mother. The harem feuds of the previous generation had involved them in such a huge upheaval.
Sheng Jiu had always listened to his mother very much since childhood. He was cautious and never showed off, afraid of being targeted by those with ulterior motives and dying in the cut - throat harem struggles.
However, even after her own son became the emperor, the Empress Dowager had never let down her guard against Sheng Jiu and his mother.
But no one could clearly say what Sheng Jiu was like before. To say he was honest and dutiful, Sheng Jue knew he was not such a person at all. His former docility was just due to the situation.
Maybe because he had been suppressed for too long, the death of his mother became a trigger, turning him into such a violent and paranoid person.
Sheng Jiu had never had the intention to be an emperor, nor had he ever thought about the common people. So it was only natural that he became a tyrant, an emperor who only thought about himself and his own desires.
Sheng Jue slowly closed his eyes and sighed.