The Crazy Emperor's Pampered Cousin

His little goddess.

They were finally trapped.

Xie Yanzhao reached out, his slender fingers sliding down her neck.

The sensation under his hands excited him.

Xie Yanzhao covered Shen Tinghe with the blanket again, his fingertips lingering on her cheek for a moment.

"Go to sleep peacefully, and leave the rest to your husband."

He picked up a thin stick of incense, lit it, and placed it on the small sandalwood table.

This is a calming incense specially prepared by the Imperial Medical Academy; it helps people sleep more soundly and is less likely to wake up.

Xie Yanzhao checked the black stone on her ankle again. It was fastened tightly, so it wouldn't hurt her, but it was also impossible for her to break free.

Everything is fine.

Only then did he get up and leave.

The dungeon is located at the deepest part of the palace.

As you descend the stone steps, the air gradually becomes damp and chilly.

This time, Chen Ziye was anything but relaxed and at ease, unlike last time.

He was tied to a cross, his head drooping limply.

The white undergarment she wore was no longer recognizable as its original color; crisscrossing whip marks tore the fabric, revealing raw, gaping wounds beneath.

Chen Ziye's consciousness was intermittent when she suddenly heard a clear sound of footsteps.

Calm, slow, and unsettling.

The surrounding jailers all knelt down in unison: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

A pair of black and gold dragon-patterned boots came into his lowered field of vision.

"Raise your head."

Chen Ziye did not move.

The next instant, a rough, large hand suddenly grabbed his hair and pulled it upwards, forcing him to tilt his head back.

"Didn't you hear me? His Majesty tells you to raise your head!"

A sharp pain exploded in his scalp, forcing Chen Ziye to open his eyes.

In the blurry vision, a tall figure stood in the dim candlelight.

On the dark black dragon robe, a five-clawed golden dragon embroidered with gold thread was ferocious and seemed ready to take flight, making the man's aura so sharp it was almost blinding.

Emperor.

Having been in the palace for so long, Chen Ziye had never seen the young emperor in person.

The only time was back in Xingzhou, when that person traveled incognito, and his aura was nowhere near as aggressive as it is now.

At this moment, Xie Yanzhao stood there, exuding an aura of supreme authority, and looked at him with the indifference of someone looking at an ant.

There were no emotions, because there was no reason to have any emotions at all.

Chen Ziye's mind went blank.

All the cleverness they once took pride in, and the sophistication they had cultivated in modern society, crumbled at this moment.

For the first time, he truly felt that this was ancient times.

The person before me is the supreme ruler, who controls the vast land and holds the power of life and death.

Killing him is easier than crushing an ant.

Chen Ziye: "Your Majesty... spare my life, please... let me go..."

Xie Yanzhao: "All of you, step back."

The jailers filed out of the dark cell.

Jing Cang and Yuan Chi, who had come with His Majesty, exchanged a glance and then silently withdrew.

Only two people remained in the enclosed space.

Emperors and prisoners.

Xie Yanzhao slowly walked to the rack to the side and picked up the red-hot branding iron.

Xie Yanzhao spoke, his tone even calm: "Before you appeared, she was always very well-behaved."

Chen Ziye's eyelids twitched.

Xie Yanzhao continued speaking, as if recalling some beautiful memories.

"She might throw a little tantrum occasionally, but she's easy to appease. We're very happy, you know?"

As the last word fell, the branding iron in his hand also fell to the ground.

"ah--!"

Chen Ziye's screams echoed in the dark, sealed cell.

Xie Yanzhao looked down at his pain, his eyes filled with a haughty indifference.

From the moment he learned that Shen Tinghe might leave, a ruthless intent, like a venomous snake, coiled around his chest, constantly gnawing at him.

He naturally couldn't hurt his beloved Yuan Yuan.

Therefore, this person deserves to suffer more.

As for whether he was innocent or not, Xie Yanzhao didn't care.

In his eyes, no one was innocent except for Shen Tinghe.

Chen Ziye's screams gradually turned into sobs.

Xie Yanzhao looked at him, and madness gradually appeared in his eyes.

Why did Song Huailing and Chen Ziye appear? Why did they intrude into his world? Why did they try to take Yuan Yuan away from him?

My head suddenly started to hurt.

Xie Yanzhao frowned, and the branding iron fell to the ground with a clatter. He raised his hand and pressed hard on his temple.

Hearing the noise, Jing Cang and Yuan Chi rushed in: "Your Majesty..."

Xie Yanzhao: "Get out!"

Seeing that there was nothing wrong, Jing Cang and Yuan Chi withdrew.

Xie Yanzhao closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes, the madness in them had not faded but had become even more intense.

He looked at Chen Ziye.

"If the Empress doesn't appear near the water source three nights later, will she still leave?"

Chen Ziye: "I...I shouldn't..."

"I don't want to hear that."

Chen Ziye trembled and quickly changed her words: "No, no... Leaving also requires a medium. Water governs all things and can connect to other worlds... If... if we don't get close to a water source, we can't leave."

He spoke haltingly, but every word he uttered was a life-saving bargaining chip.

Xie Yanzhao leaned down slightly, his handsome, almost otherworldly face drawing closer: "Are you sure?"

Chen Ziye: "Yes, I'm sure... If... you're worried, you can tell Your Highness not to go out... and to stay indoors as much as possible..."

He told everything he could think of, hoping that this information would give him a way out.

"...Your Majesty, please spare my life!"

Xie Yanzhao's lips curved slightly: "Don't worry, I won't kill you. In three days, I will have someone send you away."

Such a person should be sent far away if given the chance.

Never come back, never stay in this world.

The heavy iron gate closed behind Xie Yanzhao, and he ordered the jailer, "Don't let him die."

The jailer immediately bowed and agreed.

As I emerged from the dark dungeon, the sky was already beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

Xie Yanzhao, thinking that Shen Tinghe should still be asleep, instructed Yuan Chi: "Bring Geriletu to the Xuanzheng Hall to see me."

Geriletu was woken up from his sleep.

The messenger said that His Majesty summoned her and told her to get ready immediately and go to the Xuanzheng Hall.

She sat up groggily, her mind not fully clear yet. Her first thought was: At this hour?

If it were for the emperor to sleep with him, shouldn't it have been several hours earlier?

A secret excitement rose from the bottom of her heart. She quickly summoned her maid to wash and dress, and chose the most brightly colored clothes.

But her excitement gradually cooled down on the way.

The experiences of the past few days have made me afraid to act as recklessly as I did in Monkey.

The doors of Xuanzheng Hall opened before us.

It was still dark, and only a few candles were lit inside the hall, making the light somewhat dim.

Geriletu went in and saw Xie Yanzhao sitting at the head of the table.

He was completely shrouded in darkness, with the candlelight only illuminating the lower half of his face.

Those eyes were calm and deep, yet they sent chills down your spine.

"Geriletu greets Your Majesty."

Xie Yanzhao: "I've heard that your Mengqi people have a way to retain people's souls. Do you know how?"