Chapter 76 The Substitute - Tyrant
Although he retorted, for some reason, Xie Changyu's tone was not as sharp as usual, but rather carried a sense of composure.
This is unlike him.
Xie Changyu was always flamboyant and self-important, and he was not polite even when facing Pei Zilie, a young master with powerful backing.
But now, his mind is clearly not on this, his eyes are glazed over, and it's unclear what he's thinking.
Pei Zilie, who considered himself to know his mortal enemy well, naturally noticed it as well. He took a small step forward, getting closer to that jade-like face, snorted, narrowed his eyes, and said smugly, "What? Are you scared?"
Xie Changyu lowered his eyes, his tone very perfunctory, continuing to eat, "Yes, yes."
He was acting very strangely and didn't seem to care about the person in front of him.
This act infuriated Pei Zilie, who was feeling smug. His eyes widened instantly, and he shouted, "Xie Changyu, are you deliberately trying to provoke me?!"
Because they were so close, Xie Changyu only felt a sharp pain in his ear. He snapped out of it, covered his ear with his hand, and then glared back.
Now that's settled, his heart has indeed returned, but his chest is filled with anger and agitation. Xie Changyu stood up abruptly, and the distance between the two of them closed.
The surrounding noise gradually subsided, and everyone's attention was drawn to it. Some looked excited, while others frowned with worry...
In the capital's social circles, everyone knows that the son of Minister Xie and the heir of the Pei family are at odds and can fight on sight. But strangely, the elders of both families have never intervened in this relationship, leaving those who thought Xie Changyu would be taught a lesson from it puzzled.
After all, Xie Changyu was just the son of a minor official, while Pei Zilie was the only nephew of the current emperor and the only descendant of the royal bloodline. How could their statuses be compared?
Xie Changyu frowned, looking somewhat annoyed. "Is your brain full of water? Do you think I'd even bother with you?"
I wasn't planning on paying any attention to this guy, since the two of them always ended up fighting the moment they met, except for last time.
But Xie Changyu had long since put that matter out of his mind; in his heart, Pei Zilie was still his mortal enemy.
The sun was high in the sky, but the chill outside the hall remained undiminished, and the atmosphere between the two people inside was also stagnant and cold, as if frozen.
No one else in the hall dared to speak, for fear of being dragged into the argument.
As for Pei Zilie, he finally got the other person to talk to him, but it was to insult him. If it were the old him, he would have definitely sneered back. But now, perhaps because of what happened in the room last time, his eyes just reddened a little, and he stubbornly said, "Who told you not to look at me when you came in?"
Xie Changyu looked at him as if he were mentally challenged, feeling utterly bewildered. "Are you really out of your mind? If you are, please have the imperial physicians in the palace come and take a look."
Pei Zilie gritted his teeth, his voice a little hoarse, "You're the one who's sick!"
Xie Changyu raised an eyebrow. Is this normal? The way this guy looked like he was being bullied just now was really strange. It was nothing like Pei Zilie at all. It made him think that the other party was possessed by a ghost.
He had no recollection of what happened in that room.
"Hehe, I'm in a bad mood today, Pei Zilie, you'd better not mess with me."
Xie Changyu said this to him in a very blunt tone.
But now Pei Zilie seemed to have returned to normal. His eyes, which had been red just moments before, were now clear. He crossed his arms, looking quite smug, and even raised his eyebrows. "I see—"
He changed his tone, "—What does your bad mood have to do with me? Besides, if you're in a bad mood, then my mood improves."
Xie Changyu frowned, clearly extremely impatient. This guy simply couldn't understand human language, and he really had no mood to argue with this idiot Pei Zilie today.
With Fu Jing not by his side, Xie Changyu, feeling somewhat anxious about entering the palace, unconsciously tugged at his sleeve, which was already covered in scratches.
"Stupid guy."
After saying this, Xie Changyu put on his cloak and left. Pei Zilie, who was angered by him, was pulled back by the other young masters, who were afraid that the young master would anger Xie Changyu, the little tyrant, again.
"Xie Changyu, you stop right there!"
"Hey! Young Master, don't be impulsive!"
Several people blocked Pei Zilie's steps as he tried to follow them out.
Pei Zilie shuddered but couldn't shake off the hands on his body. His eyes were frighteningly red, and his whole demeanor was sinister.
He gritted his teeth, "Why are you stopping me? Do you think I'm going to hit him?"
Don't think he doesn't know that these henchmen behind him have a better relationship with Xie Changyu than he does with Xie Changyu. Whenever there's a fight, they're always trying to stop him. Although he's usually the one being beaten down by Fu Jing, the thought of Fu Jing makes Pei Zilie even angrier.
...
Xie Changyu didn't care about what was happening inside the hall anymore. He was so annoyed that he came out and didn't know where to go. Sitting with his parents was too boring, and he didn't want to go back and see that idiot Pei Zilie.
He pulled his cloak tighter and simply strolled around in the cold wind.
The palace was large and unfamiliar. Xie Changyu didn't go far. He went into a pavilion and sat down. Because of the New Year, food and hand warmers were placed in every place where people were.
The pavilions in this area are all covered with light gauze curtains, which, while not enough to keep out all the cold wind, are sufficient.
Xie Changyu sat there holding a hand warmer. He couldn't see the scenery outside because of the fog. He could only see what looked like a few figures walking over.
At first he didn’t pay attention, he glanced at it and then ignored it. He lowered his head, his ears were red—from being exposed to the wind, and his face was also flushed.
He had just recovered from his illness, and before he left home, his mother had told him not to play around outside.
Xie Changyu blinked, sighed softly, and thought that if his mother found out, he would be doomed.
He was still sighing and complaining about this and that, and in the end he even started blaming Fu Jing, who hadn't even appeared yet.
If Fu Jing were here, he would definitely have had Pei Zilie beaten up; he's utterly despicable.
As he was pondering this, a strong gust of cold wind rushed in, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps. Knowing that he was in the palace, Xie Changyu suppressed his impatience and looked up, wanting to see which clueless fellow had come in and whether anyone was inside.
Upon closer inspection, I was completely stunned.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
Xie Changyu froze, his face blank, unsure of what expression to make.
The bell on the pavilion rang, and the wind seemed to pick up stronger.
His behavior was against the rules, but the person who came in didn't seem to intend to pursue it, and instead walked up to him with a calm expression.
The emperor, dressed in palace attire, had a calm demeanor. His aura was understated, yet he seemed to exude a heavy sense of oppression, making people afraid to look him in the eye.
By the time Xie Changyu realized what was happening and tried to bow, it was too late. The panicked young man could only watch helplessly as the expressionless emperor sat down beside him.
Thinking of the rumors and deeds of this person, Xie Changyu seemed to smell a heavy stench of blood, and a wave of nausea washed over him, but he endured it.
Calm down, calm down.
His fingertips dug into his flesh, and the fear and confusion in his heart made him temporarily lose his way.
You must not lose your composure.
The emperor's gaze swept lightly across Xie Changyu's face, as if weighing a ton. His thin face carried a hint of gloom, but it did not conceal his handsome features.
Just as Xie Changyu finally realized he was about to kneel down and pay his respects, his movement to stand up was stopped.
He looked at the hand on his shoulder, his pupils dilated, and he felt the smell of blood intensify, his legs seemed to weaken.
The fear in my heart was about to burst forth.
But when Xie Changyu thought of how this tyrant disliked people showing fear in front of him, he clenched his fist tightly, trying to restrain himself.
"Need not."
A low, cool voice reached his ears.
This meant he wouldn't have to kneel and wouldn't be blamed. Xie Changyu swallowed hard and nodded thankfully, "Yes."
He had never wanted to see Fu Shuqing so much before. A spoiled young master who had been pampered since childhood was suddenly facing off against this tyrant who had previously slaughtered the entire capital city and caused rivers of blood to flow. No matter how calm he tried, he couldn't calm down.
Xie Changyu kept his head down, ignoring the gaze sweeping over him, not daring to delve into its meaning.
The fingerprints on his palm deepened, but he still spoke, "This humble subject—"
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted with a "Shh."
Xie Changyu couldn't help but tremble. He lowered his head, almost in tears. He had originally intended to take this opportunity to leave, since who knew if this tyrant would suddenly drag him out and kill him later.
I don't know what got into this tyrant so suddenly, he appeared in this pavilion. It's freezing outside.
He dared not look up, so he could only see the layer of black cloth at his feet, which was clearly finely made and further emphasized the tyrant's majesty and danger.
"I've heard that you and Fu Shuqing have a good relationship?"
The tyrant started chatting with him, which Xie Changyu interpreted as interrogation. He recalled the rumors he had heard in the tavern, and although he didn't know if they were true or false, he chose to distance himself from them.
He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have known General Fu's younger brother since childhood."
This means that he had a better relationship with Fu Jing, while his relationship with Fu Shuqing was purely acquaintance.
A soft chuckle reached her ears, "Oh? Is that so?"
Xie Changyu felt a strange itch in his ears. Why did the tyrant's voice sound so odd? He pursed his lips, worried. Why was this person suddenly laughing? Would he suddenly fly into a rage and kill someone?
"What I have said is the truth, and I would never dare to deceive Your Majesty."
After a moment of silence, Xie Changyu was also extremely conflicted and frightened. What did it mean by not speaking? And what did it mean by suddenly asking him this? Could the rumor be true?
After a moment of trepidation, he heard a voice say, "You may leave."
It was the tyrant who spoke.
Xie Changyu replied with an "yes" and then left, as if afraid of being left behind. From his back, it looked as if he was being chased by some ferocious beast.
In Xie Changyu's eyes, there was no difference between a tyrant and a ferocious beast. After leaving the pavilion, he returned to his parents' side and only breathed a sigh of relief after he was seated. It was then that he realized that he had broken out in a sweat on his back, which was from being frightened.
After all, he had just walked through the life-or-death situation.
He drank some hot tea to calm his nerves. Seeing his flustered expression, Madam Xie, who was standing next to him, thought someone had bullied him. She asked with concern, "Why are you like this?"
Xie Changyu drank some hot tea to warm himself up, then shook his head. "It's nothing, I just ran around outside for a bit, Mother, don't worry."
He didn't plan to tell his parents what had just happened. After all, that was a tyrant, and it wouldn't do any good for his parents to know. If it were anyone else, he might consider reporting it, but not this one. He was already lucky to have escaped with his life.
It was at this time that the Fu brothers finally arrived.
As soon as Fu Jing entered, he walked straight toward the familiar figure with a carefree smile on his face. He patted Xie Changyu on the shoulder and said, "You're here so early. Why didn't you wait for me?"
Xie Changyu wasn't in the mood to speak, he just pursed his lips and said, "You're too slow."
The Fu brothers sat next to him. Seeing that they were talking like peers, Madam Xie did not ask any further questions, thinking she would ask them when she got back.
Xie Changyu kept eating the food on the table, trying to calm his nerves. He still felt terrified thinking about it. He had actually forgotten to bow in front of the tyrant and hadn't been punished at all. It was unbelievable.
And then even more astonishing news followed.
At the banquet that evening, the tyrant, dressed in a black robe, casually dropped a bombshell.
Everyone present was shocked, but no one dared to voice any objections, after all, they had all witnessed the tyrant's methods.
What!
This tyrant actually wants to marry Fu Shuqing as his queen!
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Author's Note: / マ
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