Chapter 58: Mercy
Shang Junnian never thought that he would leave the dungeon one day.
Not long after the supposedly lustful and brainless King Fengling left, guards came over and untied the black iron chains on his body. The old eunuch in the lead used her palm as a knife to directly chop off the hooks that pierced his shoulders. With two heavy and crisp sounds of black iron falling to the ground, Shang Junnian's body completely lost balance and he staggered and fell to the ground.
Eunuch He casually shook off the whisk, then put it back in his arm, and said with droopy eyes: "This is the key that the prince personally went to the palace to ask for. The Prime Minister should remember the favor."
"Oh……"
Shang Junnian sneered upon hearing this. He slowly raised his head, his body covered in blood. Only his foxy eyes were slightly raised, his pupils were dark and ghostly, reminding people of the blood-sucking monster in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio:
"He was the one who released me, and he was also the one who locked me up. Where is the word 'grace'?"
Eunuch He pretended not to hear the sarcasm in Shang Junnian's voice: "Even if you don't consider yourself, you should consider the people who came with you. The life of Prince Yuzhang is also a life."
Shang Junnian finally put away his sinister smile after hearing this and asked coldly, "Where are they now?"
Eunuch He: "Don't worry, they have all been sent back to the hostage house, and they are all safe and sound."
He waved his hand and said, "Come here, help the Prime Minister wash up and take him to the prince's room."
Eunuch He obviously didn't care whether Shang Junnian was half dead or alive now, or whether his body could serve him in bed. He only knew that since King Fengling had asked for this person, he must be wrapped in a quilt and sent to bed at night.
That night, snow was falling outside the window, and the golden eaves and jade tiles turned white with frost. A charcoal fire was burning in the room, warm as spring, making people drowsy. Lu Yan was wearing a loose outer robe, leaning on the low couch by the window to read a book, and the candlelight turned his jade-like profile into a warm yellow.
It was rare for him to be so quiet, and he looked completely different from before as he lowered his eyes and read seriously. The maid who was serving the lamp beside him stared at his profile in a daze, and was actually lost in thought until the red candle suddenly emitted a tiny spark. She was suddenly awakened and quickly cut off a piece of the candle wick.
The maidservant was worried about being punished and felt uneasy.
But Lu Yan just turned a page of the book, and his voice didn't sound angry: "Go down, there's no need to guard."
The charcoal fire in the house makes people sleepy.
The maid secretly rejoiced, knelt down and bowed: "I will take my leave."
The door opened and closed again, leaving Lu Yan alone in the inner room. He put the book in his hand aside, looked up at the black heart floating in the air, and said thoughtfully:
"Although you gave me the memory of my previous life, it was all about being torn apart and skinned before death. There was nothing useful in it."
The system heard his hidden meaning: [What do you want to know? ]
Lu Yan smiled and said, "You said that I will die at the hands of the three hostages in the future. Shang Junnian and Zhao Yuzhang have a close relationship. Will this person also harm me?"
The system unexpectedly said: [He won’t harm you. ]
Lu Yan raised his eyebrows: "Why?"
The system remained silent. Suddenly, the air in front of him began to tremble like water ripples, and a picture appeared out of thin air:
The snow is falling heavily, the sky and earth are covered with white.
The fairy kingdom was destroyed and blood flowed like a river.
The rebels who broke into the city surrounded the Fengling Palace, vowing to capture Lu Yan alive in exchange for a reward. Countless heads fell to the ground with a single blow of their swords, and boiling blood spurted out, dyeing the white snow a blinding scarlet.
The Deadpools that the Immortal Emperor left for Lu Yan before his death were still fighting desperately, but the number disparity was too great. Eunuch He was dead, and the guards were also dead. In the end, there was only a figure in silver armor still struggling to hold on. The long sword in his hand was so sharp that he forcibly created a vacuum circle of three meters away.
The rebels wanted to move forward, but they dared not to, and could only shout from a distance: "The Xianling Kingdom has been destroyed, and a new king should be established! Whoever can capture Fengling King Lu Yan alive will be rewarded with the title of Marquis and a reward of ten thousand gold coins!"
"Mr. Prime Minister, you are from Wuyun Country, why are you helping the tyrant to commit atrocities?!"
Lu Yan couldn't hide his surprise when he heard this. He then realized that the figure looked somewhat familiar. It was Shang Junnian.
"Since I entered the Immortal Spirit realm three years ago, I am no longer a Wuyun person."
Shang Junnian was wearing armor, his pale face was splattered with blood, and his expression was even colder than the wind and snow. He fiercely pulled out the arrow from his shoulder to prevent it from affecting his sword swing, but this action accelerated his blood loss. His voice was cold:
"You killed me today. It's fate."
"If I am killed, it is fate, no need to say more!"
He used his own strength to protect the closed door behind him, but no matter how advanced the swordsmanship was, there would always be a time when the strength was exhausted. Lu Yan saw the rebels rushing forward, arrows and blades piercing Shang Junnian's body fiercely, and sticky blood dripping slowly, just like the opponent's lost life.
After an unknown amount of time, the long sword was finally freed from his hand.
His body fell heavily to the ground with a loud bang.
A general cannot let go of his sword. If he does, it means he is not far from death.
Lu Yan saw with his own eyes that Shang Junnian fell in the snow. His beautiful, clear amber eyes dimmed little by little, and his eyelashes were covered with frost and snow. There was neither anger nor resentment on his face, only calmness and relief.
The air trembled like ripples, and the picture completely dissipated.
Lu Yan was still immersed in the sea of blood and corpses, unable to recover until the candle on the corner of the table made a crisp crackling sound. He then looked at the system: "Is that person Shang Junnian?"
System: [Yes.]
Lu Yan: “What is he doing?”
System: [I bought time for you to escape, but unfortunately you were caught even after you made it to the outskirts of the city.]
Lu Yan was really confused now, and thought the system was joking: "Isn't he a member of Zhao Yuzhang's army? He hates me to the core, so why would he help me when my country is destroyed?"
The system's tone was flat: [Three years later, the time for the hostage to return to the country was approaching. The emperor was unwilling to let the tiger return to the mountain, so he deliberately made things difficult and ordered the envoy to offer the national treasure in exchange for the crown prince.]
[Wu Yun presented the Mountain and River Sword to Zhao Yuzhang in exchange for his return to the country.]
【Dongli presented the founding jade seal in exchange for Liu Quedan's return to the country.】
[Tianshui presented a Snowland Ice Toad in exchange for Gongsun's worry-free return to his country.]
The system paused as it spoke:
【During the reign of Lord Shang, no one was willing to change. 】
[At that time, the emperor was seriously ill, and your temperament changed drastically. You took pity on him for being abandoned by his country, so you took him into your palace. Shang Junnian was also disheartened, and from then on he no longer cared about Wu Yun's affairs, and was willing to serve you.]
【So he won't kill you. 】
Lu Yan had never thought that there was such a story in his previous life. He was speechless for a moment. He rubbed his sleeves unconsciously. Before he could say anything, he heard the voice of Eunuch He suddenly coming from outside: "Your Highness, Shang Junnian is here."
Lu Yan came back to his senses: "Bring it in."
It is not appropriate to say that he was "brought" because the person was carried in wrapped in a gorgeous quilt. The servants pulled aside the layers of gauze and placed Shang Junnian at the innermost part of the bed, and then they knelt down and took their leave to Lu Yan.
Eunuch He flew up to the roof and landed silently. He sat cross-legged with a pot of warm wine in his sleeve. Although he was outside, his voice was clearly heard by Lu Yan:
"I will wait outside. If Your Highness has any instructions, just tell him."
Lu Yan recalled that in the illusion the system had just given him, Eunuch He was one of the people who desperately waited for him in the palace, so he spoke up: "Thank you, Eunuch."
The gauze curtains were hanging down, blurring the scenery in front of him. Lu Yan casually opened the curtains and saw Shang Junnian lying on the bed wrapped in a dark red quilt with a crabapple pattern. His shoulders were exposed, and it was obvious that his body was not wearing any underwear.
He was born with a wonderful appearance, and now that he was washed clean, there was no trace of the dirtiness of the dungeon. One could vaguely glimpse the demeanor of a prime minister, but unfortunately his eyes were closed and his expression was cold, which made him look less interesting.
Lu Yan thought that he must find a way to survive in this life. Shang Junnian was a man of courage and strategy, and what was even more rare was that he was loyal. If he could recruit him under his command three years in advance, it would be a great help.
"Although I am far away in the immortal world, I have heard of the Prime Minister in the past for his talent in both civil and military affairs, and his reputation as a jade among men. I never expected that when I meet him today, everything has changed..."
Lu Yan's voice of emotion echoed softly in the air, without any sarcasm, but with a hint of regret. He had a natural good voice, and whenever he said something that didn't destroy a family, it would always sound more touching and sincere than others.
Shang Junnian's eyelashes twitched slightly when he heard this, but he did not close his eyes. He only felt a pair of hands gently lift the quilt on his body. Although there was a charcoal fire in the room, his exposed skin still felt a bit cold, mixed with humiliation and dead silence, slowly creeping into his heart.
Things and people have changed. It is true that things and people have changed.
Shang Junnian was still the prime minister of a country a few months ago. In order to protect the people, he led his troops to climb on ice and sleep in the snow, fighting desperately. But in the blink of an eye, he became a useless chess piece and was sent to the bed of a dandy for fun.
Not to mention Lu Yan, even he himself did not expect that he would end up like this.
"If Your Highness wants my body, just take it. There is no need to say these useless words."
Shang Junnian's expression was numb, he didn't even feel shame. He lay naked on the quilt, with a bright red wound on each shoulder, the flesh turned inside out, and a layer of dark red blood scabs inside. Further down, there were some old wounds and crisscrossing whip marks on his strong waist and abdomen.
The figure is slender and powerful, and against the bright-colored brocade quilt, it appears even more translucent and pale. The bloody wounds not only do not detract from the beauty, but instead add a sense of fragmentation.
Lu Yan inexplicably thought of his favorite white jade glass lamp on the treasure rack, which he accidentally broke. Even after a skilled craftsman repaired it, it was still covered with tiny cracks.
He raised his hand and slowly stroked Shang Junnian's tightly closed eyebrows. He clearly saw an emotion called disgust on his face. Then his hand slid down and circled around the deep wound on his shoulder where the bone was visible. He sighed softly:
"Those slaves, even though I said I would strip you naked and send you here, you shouldn't just sit there and watch your wounds."
Lu Yanyu said, "Someone, bring the medicine box here."
There were always countless people waiting outside his house. It wasn't long before two maids came in with medicine boxes in their hands. They knelt respectfully beside the footstool and asked, "Your Highness, do you have any instructions?"
They were smart and guessed that they were probably going to apply medicine to Shang Junnian who was seriously ill in bed. Although they were surprised at Lu Yan's sudden change of temper, they had to suppress their thoughts for the time being.
Lu Yan waved his hands: "Put your things down and get out."
"Yes."
The maid was startled, thinking that His Highness might want to apply the medicine himself, but she did not dare to ask any more questions and quietly retreated.
Lu Yan opened the medicine box and slowly ran his fingertips over a row of exquisite porcelain bottles, finally stopping at one of the cold jade jars. He opened the lid and saw a deep red translucent paste inside, with a faint fragrance, which was definitely an extraordinary product.
Shang Junnian originally thought that Lu Yan had come up with some new way to torture him, but he suddenly saw him lightly pick up the plaster with a jade hairpin and slowly apply it on his shoulder, looking meticulous and serious. He was immediately shocked.
Shang Junnian grabbed Lu Yan's wrist and asked in a deep voice with a suspicious look: "What do you want to do?"
Lu Yan was the most beloved youngest son of the Immortal Emperor. It was no exaggeration to say that his body was worth a million gold. In this era where one could be beheaded for looking directly into the Emperor's face, it was truly shocking that he condescended to give medicine to a lowly prisoner.
Lu Yan glanced at Shang Junnian's wrist and said, "Of course I'm applying medicine to the Prime Minister. Why, does the Prime Minister want to die?"
On the contrary, Shang Junnian had resentment and hatred in his heart.
He wants to live more than anyone else.
The fingertips that were gripping the wrist finally loosened and fell in vain.
Shang Junnian closed his eyes and lay on the bed, letting Lu Yan apply medicine to him. He smelled a familiar fragrance in a trance and said in a hoarse voice: "This is the Blood Jade Paste for Regenerating Flesh."
Lu Yan smiled and said, "The Prime Minister is indeed very knowledgeable."
Shang Junnian was not a man of great experience, but when he was leading troops in battle in his early years, he was shot in the shoulder by an enemy arrow and his life was in danger. King Wuyun once gave him a bottle the size of a fingertip.
Shang Junnian heard that the medicine was priceless and was rare even in the royal family. The wound from the arrow that pierced him was at most the size of a copper coin, but it was used up after just one application and had healed and scabbed over in less than five days, so he was deeply impressed. Now, Lu Yan was applying the medicine on the wound as if it were free, and he couldn't help feeling complicated.
What does the other party want to do?
If it's just for his crippled body, it would be too much of a expense.
Shang Junnian has been immersed in officialdom for many years and has long been accustomed to weighing the pros and cons and planning every step. In his mind, any benefit comes at a price, but he doesn't know what Lu Yan wants to do, and he is extremely anxious.
When the candle was halfway burned, Lu Yan finally finished wrapping the gauze for Shang Junnian. Although it was the first time he did this, he was extremely careful and meticulous and could not find any mistakes.
Lu Yan wiped his fingertips slowly with a wet handkerchief. His hands had distinct joints, as if they were carved from white jade. He glanced at the gauze on Shang Junnian's shoulders and said with a half-smile: "Look, doesn't it look much better this way?"
nice?
Shang Junnian lowered his eyes to look at the wounds on his body, and a flash of understanding flashed in his eyes. Yes, if the other party wanted to have sex, the bloody wound on his shoulder would indeed be a nuisance.
As the night deepens, it's time to go to bed.
Shang Junnian did not forget why he was sent to this room today. Although he felt humiliated, he was ready to accept his fate. After all, in troubled times, dignity and innocence are far less important than life. He and Zhao Yuzhang both needed Lu Yan's protection.
He had experienced many setbacks in his life, from being a commoner to a minister. He learned how to strategize and also how to kowtow to others.
Shang Junnian turned over and sat up from the bed, half-knelt on the brocade quilt. He lowered his eyes, raised his hand and bowed to Lu Yan, then lowered his head and said in an unintelligible manner: "Your Highness, please have mercy on me."
Lu Yan paused while wiping his hands: "..."
Shang Junnian waited for a long time without receiving an answer, and he was beginning to get impatient. He was afraid that he would regret it if he dragged on any longer. After all, it took a lot of courage to make the decision to submit to someone else. He repeated in a cold voice: "Your Highness, please have mercy on me."
One person shouted out with the momentum of thousands of troops.
Lu Yan still didn't move: "..."
Shang Junnian finally lost his patience. Without warning, he grabbed Lu Yanla's wrist and pulled him under him, looking down at him from above. His dark hair slid down from his shoulders, and his slightly upturned fox eyes should have been romantic and affectionate, but now they were full of anger and coldness:
"Your Highness, why are you so nagging?"
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