FIMA Ch116: The Dog Emperor

However, in the next moment, Gu Siyuan discovered that a dagger was pressed against his chest.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, “Oh, an assassin?”

The man in black was panting slightly and did not speak.

But with a surge of inner strength in his hands, Gu Siyuan was uncontrollably pushed back, pinned down on the dragon bed by the brute force of the other.

Then, a low, clear voice sounded in his ear, “Don’t shout, and don’t move, or I’ll take your life.”

“…” Gu Siyuan.

Whether it was the order or the posture, it was indeed a novel experience.

However, under the eaves, one has no choice but to bow his head.

Gu Siyuan stared at the clear eyes exposed by the man in black and nodded slightly, “Alright.”

The masked man in black gave him a deep look before slowly lifting the hand that was pressing on his shoulder, stretching back to gently close the originally wide-open window.

Regardless of the bright moon and gentle breeze or the noisy human voices, they all seemed to be isolated in an instant.

At this point, the man in black could no longer hold on, collapsing powerlessly onto Gu Siyuan’s chest, one hand clutching his own chest, the other pulling off the black cloth covering his face, breathing with difficulty.

Taking advantage of this moment, Gu Siyuan saw the man’s appearance clearly.

The target of the mission was very young, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with eyebrows like a painting and an extremely handsome appearance. At first glance, he didn’t look like a vicious assassin but rather like a cherished young master from a wealthy family.

Gu Siyuan lowered his eyes for a moment, his expression unchanged, and casually asked, “You have inner strength. Are you from the martial world? What are you doing in the palace? Assassinating Wei Zhengping?”

The young assassin raised his head, seeming to only now notice Gu Siyuan’s attire, realizing his identity. His eyes flashed, and he murmured, “Dog… emperor?”

“…” Gu Siyuan.

Cursing at their first meeting?

What a rude mission target.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside.

Gu Siyuan lifted his head, his eyes darkening.

A sharp voice echoed from outside the hall, “What are you doing? It’s late at night. Do not disturb His Majesty’s rest.”

After that, a male voice laughed heartily, “Isn’t it good that he’s resting? We’ll just take a look inside so we don’t disturb His Majesty further.”

The words showed no respect for the monarch.

Gu Siyuan raised his eyelids, looking leisurely at the person pressed on top of him and asked, “Are those guys outside here to catch an assassin? Couldn’t be you, right?”

“Shut up,” Xie Chenyun glared at him fiercely with his clear, bright eyes.

Then, his beautiful eyebrows furrowed as he looked toward the window, seeming to prepare to leap out again.

At this moment, Gu Siyuan suddenly raised his hand and grabbed his shoulder, his voice lazy, “Let’s make a deal. I’ll help you get rid of them, and you help me with a small task.”

Xie Chenyun quickly turned his gaze, hesitantly looking at him.

This dog emperor… what does he mean?

“It’s settled then.”

Before he could respond, the dog emperor’s voice sounded again.

Outside the bedchamber, the chaotic footsteps grew closer, mixed with the eunuch’s arguing voice.

Xie Chenyun’s heart tightened. He had just been struck by a poisonous palm from Wei Zhengping’s adopted son and was not in a condition to fight these people.

“From now on, don’t get excited, don’t make a sound,” a cold command suddenly echoed in his ear.

Just as he was about to ask why he would get excited…

Immediately, he felt his arm tighten, his vision shifted abruptly, and he was thrown face down into the soft bedding of the dragon bed.

His expression changed drastically, and he instinctively raised his hand to attack, only to find his wrists tightly held by warm hands, followed by a weight on his back as the person pressed down on him.

This posture was not only strange but also extremely unsettling.

Xie Chenyun felt as if he were being scalded, wanting to jump up immediately.

However, the next moment, he heard a faint tearing sound.

The dog emperor was not only pressing on him but also seemed to be taking off his clothes?

“…” Xie Chenyun was utterly shocked.

Rumors among the common people said that the current emperor of the Great Zhou was a lecherous and depraved ruler, indulging in a life of luxury and debauchery.

Who would have thought that today he would discover that this depraved ruler not only loved women but also men?

Lost in thought for a moment, Xie Chenyun suddenly felt a chill on his upper body.

In just a brief moment, his upper garments had been stripped off.

Turning his head angrily, Xie Chenyun exclaimed, “Dog emperor, you…”

“Shh, don’t speak…” Gu Siyuan’s expression remained indifferent, his cold, low voice ringing in Xie Chenyun’s ear, “Behave, be good.”

Xie Chenyun was stunned.

Then, he watched as Gu Siyuan raised his arm slightly, reaching toward his face.

Since childhood, Xie Chenyun had always hated being too close to others, but at this moment, perhaps because of the emperor’s solemn and stern demeanor, his first reaction was not to slap the hand away or dodge. Instead, he closed his eyes helplessly.

His long, curled eyelashes fluttered, casting a small, pitifully cute shadow under his eyes.

Then, Xie Chenyun suddenly felt his hair loosen, and his long, black hair fell directly onto his bare shoulders and back.

He opened his eyes abruptly.

Gu Siyuan was playing with a hairpin in one hand while tugging at his own inner clothes, making them look disheveled. He said calmly, “Turn your head away, don’t let anyone see your face.”

“Oh…” Xie Chenyun responded dazedly.

Then, a large, soft quilt was thrown over him.

Xie Chenyun was enveloped in darkness, but his mind suddenly relaxed a lot, finding a different kind of comfort in the darkness.

At this time, the voices outside the hall grew closer.

The eunuch’s sharp voice shouted angrily, “You… you dare!”

But the intruders were clearly impatient.

“Enough, enough, stop wasting time here. Get out quickly. If you delay the search for the assassin, you won’t be able to bear the consequences. Do you want to visit the torture chamber of the Qing Liyuan?”

At the mention of the torture chamber of the Qing Liyuan, the outside suddenly fell silent for a moment.

Then, there was a creaking sound as the wide door of the bedchamber was pushed open.

However, before the group could step over the threshold…

Gu Siyuan sneered, grabbing a teapot from the low table beside the bed and hurling it at the leading figure, his voice icy, “Get out!”

The one leading the group was Wei Zhengping’s adopted son, Wei Feng.

He stepped aside slightly, letting the teapot shatter at his feet. Bowing, he said, “So His Majesty hasn’t gone to rest yet?”

Gu Siyuan ignored him, only continuing to shout angrily, “Which dog servant dares to disturb my pleasure? Tell Wei Zhengping to come here immediately, or I’ll have him executed along with his entire clan!”

Wei Feng’s face darkened.

This damn emperor still thought he was something.

He led his men further inside, only to see Gu Siyuan half-lying on the bed, his clothes disheveled, breathing slightly heavy. It seemed there was a woman in the bright yellow quilt beside him.

Although her face was unclear, her long hair cascaded down her back, revealing glimpses of fair skin and a slender, delicate neck, suggesting she was a beauty.

This dog emperor was truly a lustful glutton. With his throne shaky, he was still fully indulged in pleasure.

Wei Feng raised his eyes again, scanning the room.

Though the bedchamber was spacious, it was clear at a glance that there was no place for anyone to hide.

He cupped his hands and said bluntly, “Sorry to disturb Your Majesty. I shall take my leave.”

With that, he led his men out.

The scribe eunuch, Wang Tan, who was the last to leave, blinked in confusion. Hadn’t His Majesty already retired for the night?

Moreover, he remembered that tonight, His Majesty hadn’t summoned any of his concubines…

With these thoughts, he slowly closed the door to the bedchamber.

The flickering candlelight returned the room to silence.

“Alright, they’re gone,” came a low male voice from very close by.

Xie Chenyun breathed a sigh of relief, slowly raising his head from the bedding.

The next moment, he remembered something, and a flush of red spread across his fair face.

Gu Siyuan didn’t think much of it. Seeing him like this, he even reached out to touch him with concern, “What’s wrong? Did you get suffocated from being under the covers for too long?”

As he spoke, their bodies pressed even closer, their warm breaths almost mingling together.

Xie Chenyun could clearly feel the strong, firm body behind him and the unique scent of dragon musk that the emperor carried. His heart suddenly started pounding rapidly.

This degenerate emperor was indeed skilled.

Clenching the bedsheet with his slender, white fingers, Xie Chenyun gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, please show some respect.”

Gu Siyuan paused mid-action, raising an eyebrow as if realizing something.

He certainly wasn’t the type to force himself on others. With a slight twist of his wrist, he brushed Xie Chenyun’s soft, loose black hair over to the other shoulder, then calmly got up and moved to the other side of the dragon bed, his actions unhurried.

Feeling the person’s presence recede, Xie Chenyun relaxed slightly.

For some reason, when this man was close, he felt more nervous than when those searchers had entered.

Shaking his head to dispel his stray thoughts, he reached for his clothes, which had been bundled up and stuffed into the bedding, and hurriedly put them on.

However, upon closer inspection, one could still see the slight tremor and panic in his fingertips.

Gu Siyuan, one leg stretched out and the other bent, rested his wrist on his knee, sitting leisurely and quietly by the side. His gaze seemed unfocused, yet he didn’t deliberately avoid looking.

After all, he’d already seen what there was to see.

Suddenly, in the corner of his eye, he noticed a blue palm print on Xie Chenyun’s left chest near his shoulder, standing out starkly against his overly pale skin.

Raising his eyelids slightly, Gu Siyuan asked in a calm voice, “Is that the mark of Wei Feng’s Frost Poison Palm? Are you injured and poisoned?”

Xie Chenyun looked up, meeting his deep, dark eyes for a moment before hastily tightening the collar of his inner clothes to cover the mark, shaking his head, “No.”

“…” Gu Siyuan.

Why the act of a virtuous maiden?

Does he think I would do something to him?

Soon enough, reality proved that lying indiscriminately had its consequences.

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, watching coldly as the little assassin, halfway through putting on his clothes, suddenly collapsed, curling up in pain, trembling uncontrollably. His eyebrows and hair slowly took on a layer of frost, as if he had just been pulled out of a thousand-year-old ice cave.

“Cold, so cold…” The little assassin instinctively pulled the bed covers over himself, moving closer to the only source of warmth nearby.

Gu Siyuan extended a hand indifferently, pressing down on the little assassin trying to sneak closer to him, wrapping him up along with the blanket.

The little assassin became a cocoon, struggling to survive under Gu Siyuan’s oppressive hold.

Gu Siyuan watched with interest for a moment before coldly asking, “Do you have any medicine on you?”

The little assassin quickly nodded, glancing pitifully at him before slowly shifting his gaze to his outer robe, which he hadn’t had time to put on.

Understanding, Gu Siyuan reached over with his free hand, feeling around the robe’s hidden pocket and pulling out several small porcelain bottles.

Lining them up in his palm, he looked up and asked, “Which one?”

The little assassin, leaning against his leg, barely managed to open his eyes again, staring intently at the black bottle.

Gu Siyuan understood, tipping out a vermilion pill and bringing it to his lips.

However, before he could forcefully pry open the assassin’s lips and shove the pill in, he saw a sliver of red tongue slip out from between the frost-bitten lips, deftly taking the pill from his palm and swallowing it with a small movement of the throat.

Gu Siyuan withdrew his hand.

Although the little assassin was cold all over, his tongue still had some warmth.

The vermilion pill seemed to have a miraculous effect. Within moments, the coldness on the little assassin’s face began to fade, and though his body remained icy, he stopped shivering.

Seeing this, Gu Siyuan loosened his arm, unceremoniously tossing the person aside.

Looking at him, he asked, “Before you entered the palace, you were well prepared, even bringing an antidote for the poisoned palm. You’re not here to kill anyone. What are you here for, stealing something?”

Xie Chenyun lay on his back on the dragon bed, taking a while to catch his breath before slowly saying, “Your Majesty, you are also completely unlike the rumored puppet emperor controlled by Wei Zhengping, who only indulges in pleasure.”

Wait… perhaps the indulgence in pleasure part is true.

Gu Siyuan chuckled softly.

The next moment, he grabbed Xie Chenyun’s chin, forcing him to look up and meet his gaze, his tone indifferent, “Insolence, speaking so disrespectfully. Do you think I won’t punish you?”

Xie Chenyun’s lips curved into a faint smile, staring back at him, “Your Majesty went to great lengths to help me evade capture just now. Why would you punish me for such a small matter?”

As he spoke, his face couldn’t help but flush slightly again.

That unique experience just now was his first time in his life.

Gu Siyuan withdrew the fingers gripping his chin and instead lightly stroked his cheek with his thumb a few times. He nodded appreciatively and said, “You are quite smart. In that case, I’ll be a good person to the end and help you out of the palace.”

“…” Xie Chenyun’s beautiful eyes narrowed.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that the man’s actions… were like patting a puppy?

Gu Siyuan didn’t pay him any more attention. He got up from the dragon bed and walked directly to the bookshelf on the right side of the bedchamber. Casually flipping through the books, he finally found a pale yellow silk cloth in one of the thick volumes.

By candlelight, it could be seen that the cloth was embroidered with numerous tiny characters, smaller than those written with an ordinary brush, making the content recorded much richer.

Gu Siyuan shook the cloth open with both hands, carefully scanning it from top to bottom, and then repeatedly confirmed the contents in his mind to ensure he had memorized it all.

After that, he walked to the tall palace lamp, removed the lampshade, and burned the cloth over the flame.

Xie Chenyun had already gotten off the dragon bed, his clothes neatly arranged, and his hair tied up again.

Watching Gu Siyuan’s actions, he furrowed his brows in confusion but did not speak.

Gu Siyuan waited until the cloth was completely burned, clapped his hands lightly, and turned to Xie Chenyun, saying in a calm voice, “Turn around.”

“…” Xie Chenyun was slightly stunned.

Seeing that he didn’t move, Gu Siyuan said nonchalantly, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t turn. Consider it a favor repaid.”

“…” Xie Chenyun was even more bewildered.

Thus, in the next moment, he watched as the man in front of him, without any reservations, directly removed his bright yellow inner garment right before his eyes.

A broad, muscular chest immediately came into view.

Xie Chenyun’s mind buzzed, and for some reason, he recalled the sensation of this body pressing against his own just moments ago.

Instantly, a blush spread from his face to his entire body, and as if caught doing something wrong, he quickly turned his head away.

However, the rustling sounds behind him continued, making it easy to imagine what kind of scene was unfolding.

Xie Chenyun’s heart pounded like a drum, his slender white fingers digging tightly into his palms.

Not sure how long had passed.

“You can leave now,” came a cold male voice from behind.

Xie Chenyun slowly turned around.

Gu Siyuan was already dressed neatly, now wearing a pure white inner garment, casually covered by a black robe embroidered with flowing cloud patterns in gold thread, with a luxurious brocade belt adorned with jade around his waist.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his expression stern, his posture upright and imposing. The night wind from the window crack blew gently at his long hair, giving him an almost divine appearance.

Xie Chenyun’s first thought at this moment wasn’t to ask ‘where can I go,’ but to ponder privately: The identity of an emperor might indeed have a unique magical aura.

No matter how foolish and incompetent, weak and helpless this dog emperor appeared in the eyes of scholars and common people; no matter how he had just acted like a rogue, shameless, and lecherous, at least at this moment, from the outside, he exuded an overwhelming aura, as if he were a shining sun in the sky, radiant and unstoppable.

Seeing the little assassin dazing off again, Gu Siyuan said coldly, “Do you plan to spend the night in the palace?”

Xie Chenyun snapped back to reality.

“No.” He hurriedly shook his head, then curiously asked, “Dog empe… Your Majesty, why are you dressed like this?”

“…” Gu Siyuan looked at him.

Do you not understand manners?

Xie Chenyun blinked innocently: “Your Majesty?”

“Call me Brother Gu.” Gu Siyuan couldn’t be bothered to argue with him further and said, “Why are you still standing there? Aren’t you in a hurry to leave the palace?”

With that, he led the way to a side hall.

Xie Chenyun immediately followed. This person seemed to have a special charm that made one feel very trusting.

Outside the hall, the night was deep.

Everywhere there were officers and guards holding torches, searching for intruders.

But with Gu Siyuan leading the way, they easily bypassed numerous patrols and arrived at a small garden near the palace walls.

“You arranged to meet here?”

Xie Chenyun nodded, brought his fingers to his lips, and lightly blew two short and one long whistle.

After a few soft rustling sounds, two tall figures appeared before them.

Seeing that there were two people, Tang Sheng and Situ Feng were initially stunned, then looked warily: “What’s going on? Why is there an extra person?”

Xie Chenyun immediately stepped forward to explain, “This is my friend. I called him earlier to assist. He entered the palace earlier than us.”

Tang Sheng and Situ Feng frowned.

Xie Chenyun directly said, “I got the antidote. Let’s leave first!”

Just then, a pair of guards were approaching, so they couldn’t continue talking.

Tang Sheng and Situ Feng each used their unique techniques, leveraging the wall to leap over and out.

Xie Chenyun was about to move when his sleeve was suddenly grabbed.

He turned his gaze, puzzled, to the person beside him.

Then, he saw this dignified, noble, and stern emperor move his thin lips, silently mouthing a few words: “Take me with you. I can’t do martial arts.”

“…” Xie Chenyun.

…

Author’s Note:

Old Gu says: I am just temporarily unable to do martial arts. I’ve already memorized the ultimate martial arts manual; mastering it is just a matter of time…