The nightmare quickly drew him in. He felt the hot breath on his neck. The disgusting smell of alcohol and his uncle's hands on his body. The pressure he felt was too real for him to free himself from this dream.
He was weak, a twelve-year-old boy.
His uncle dragged him by his hair halfway across the property, but everyone looked away. It was a time when he still fought back, when he scratched, bit, and kicked. But that didn't do him any good. His uncle threw him onto the bed, and Shan Yuan heard the click of metal handcuffs attached to the frame. Helpless and at his mercy, he tugged at the restraints that almost immobilized him while his uncle stripped him of his clothes. He felt panic, revulsion, and the urge to gag. Every inch of this man's corpulent body disgusted him. "It would really be better if you accepted it slowly, you little bastard, then we could both have some fun."
" He licked his teeth as he looked at Shan Yuan's muscular physique and bronze skin. He came closer, sticking out his fingers like a greedy child reaching for candy. Hands touched him.
He jumped up, grabbed the man who had approached him by the throat, and stood up on the floor in one leap.
He was sweating, his body was shaking, and the dream mingled with reality. "Hey, man, let him go!" someone shouted in panic, tugging at his iron grip. Shan Yuan heard a rattle, felt someone hitting him. But the blows were much weaker than what he was used to. Slowly, Shan Yuan's vision cleared. He was standing in the middle of the dormitory. His hand was wrapped around the throat of another man, who was turning blue and gasping for air. Slowly, he loosened his grip until the man was able to break free and staggered back. "Man, he just wanted to wake you up because you looked like you were about to die."
Another man patted the gasping man on the shoulder and looked at Shan Yuan angrily. "Just don't touch me!"
"You were all tense and shaking. At first we thought the master had cursed you or something. After all, you came back pretty late," he defended himself. Shan Yuan shook his head.
"Just leave me alone, next time break his neck." His words were cold, heartless. The others shook their heads and turned away from him. He didn't need friends, he didn't need allies. He didn't need anyone to care about him. Without a word, he threw his sheet back onto the thin mattress and left the hall.
He washed the cold sweat from his body and sat down on his heels to take several deep breaths. The bright blue sky seemed to mock him as he got up and began his daily work.
"Shan Yuan!"
He looked up. Ye Zhen Zhen and Yan Yu Yang were sitting under one of the small pavilions and waved him over. He took a deep breath as he approached them. As always, Zhen Zhen looked like a graceful, educated woman. She seemed to come from a noble family. What had she done to end up here?
She felt unbridled anger toward her father and her parents' home. Yu Yang, on the other hand, sat there looking much more tense. She sat cross-legged with her arms crossed. She was as far from nobility as he was from happiness. Zhen Zhen smiled at him, Yu Yang gave him a dirty look. It seemed that the two had formed an alliance for the time being in order to survive.
"You know my name?" Zhen Zhen drummed her fingertips gently on the wood of the small table in front of her.
"It wasn't hard to find out. Some of the servants who traveled with us were complaining loudly about you this morning. They said you were rude, unfriendly, and violent..."
"You bit like a traumatized street dog," Yu Yang added. Zhen Zhen shot her a warning glance.
Yu Yang clicked his tongue but quickly looked away.
"What do you want?" asked Shan Yuan.
"Information."
"And what do I get in return?"
"Support... listen first before you start barking again," Yu Yang began angrily.
"We believe that if some of us join forces, there's a chance we can get out of here!" Shan Yuan raised an eyebrow, leaned forward, and rested his hands on the table.
"But you don't want to get out of here any more than I do, do you? You have a reason for being here, a mission. Zhen Guniang, you're angry, you want revenge. As for you, Yang Guniang, you don't give the impression of a well-behaved, humble woman. You're not here to vie for the master's favor!"
Before Zhen Zhen could respond angrily, Yu Yang placed a hand on hers and nodded in the direction of a pavilion across the way. The blooming gardens and flowers almost obscured her view, but in return also hid her from prying eyes. A woman in an elegant black dress, with an elaborate hairstyle and lavish jewelry, sat at a table and listlessly moved the pieces across a chessboard. Yi Long Wei had approached her.
"Are you playing chess?" he asked. His gaze rested on her bowed head. The woman froze and trembled slightly as she nodded. She did not look up or flatter him. Long Wei twisted his lips into a dangerous smile.
"How about a little game?" he asked. Zhen Zhen and Yu Yang exchanged glances.
"That's Liu Wei Shu." Shan Yuan ignored her remark; he wasn't interested. He was watching the master. Long Wei sat down opposite her. The young woman pushed her pieces off the board and handed him a bowl of black pieces. Long Wei made his first move. Everyone watched spellbound as the two played in silence. When Wei Shu relaxed a little and had won two rounds, Long Wei leaned toward her. His smile became more dangerous.
"How about we play for something? A wager adds to the thrill," he suggested. Wei Shu took a sharp breath.
"What do you have in mind, Wei Gongzi?" she asked cautiously. Long Wei's smile widened.
"If you win, you can go. I'll give you as many taels as you can carry, and you'll be free!" Shan Yuan narrowed his eyes.
"She's already won twice," whispered Zhen Zhen. Yu Yang squeezed her hand and shook his head.
"And if you win?" Wei Shu's voice trembled.
"Then you die!"
Wei Shu's hand paused. She looked up, directly into Long Wei's cold smile.
"The thrill, can you feel it, Shu Guniang?" he asked amusedly. His smile faded when he looked up and saw Shan Yuan.
He was still leaning over the table, resting his elbows on it. Together with Zhen Zhen and Yu Yang, it looked as if they were putting their heads together. Shan Yuan looked at him as he slowly stood up and took a step back. But the smile had disappeared from Long Wei's face. The whole mood had changed, and in just a few moves, he had defeated the young woman.
Instead of savoring his victory, Long Wei simply threw the game board over and stood up. Liu Wei Shu was left behind, trembling and horrified. After Yi Long Wei was out of sight, she slowly got up and apologized before hastily leaving the garden. Shan Yuan followed her; the master's reaction had not been good.
Shan Yuan concentrated on fulfilling his duties. Would he be summoned back to his chambers tonight, or had his rash action put an end to his plan to get closer to him? He now kept away not only from the other men and the servants, but also from the gardens where the women spent their time. Should Ye Zhen Zhen and Yan Yu Yang plan as much as they wanted? He would not help them or provide them with any information. In a place like this, you were on your own. Allies only stabbed you in the back to ultimately gain an advantage for themselves.
"Have you seen Liu like Shu?"
"Not since this morning with the game against like Gongzi." Shan Yuan stopped what he was doing and withdrew. He wasn't interested. He walked across the warm stone when one of the servants standing above him called him over. It was already getting dark, and the master of the house and his guests, if you considered the women in the harem as such, were probably gathering for dinner. The staff ate later.
"Get rice and meat from the storeroom," he ordered him gruffly. Shan Yuan did as he was told. When he opened the door to the rice storeroom and entered, something dark swung toward him. He caught the dangling corpse and threw the bowl he had been holding to scoop rice onto one of the open sacks. He turned the body over. Liu Wei Shu. She had hanged herself in the staff storeroom; she didn't want to be found by the guards or the other women. Understandable, considering what the guard had done the day before. And it was common knowledge that you couldn't trust a harem. He pushed her away and Liu Wei Shu swung back on her beam. He closed the door and ran through the corridors to the hall where everyone was eating. Unmoved, he entered and pointed toward the storeroom.
"Liu Wei Shu is hanging in the servants' rice storeroom. I need help to get her down!"
Zhen Zhen jumped up immediately. Her eyes betrayed her fear. They glistened suspiciously.
If she wanted to survive, she had to learn to accept such sacrifices. One less competitor. "Leave her hanging!" Long Wei's voice was loud and clear, even though he did not raise it. His gaze was cold and impassive as he stared at his food. He had the same bored expression he had every day. It was hard to compare it to the fever Shan Yuan had seen in him last night.
Shan Yuan nodded and turned to leave.
"You..." Long Wei's voice stopped him. "You like cleaning up other people's messes, don't you?" he added smugly. Shan Yuan bowed slightly.
"If someone has to do it, why not someone who doesn't care?" Long Wei ran his fingertips over the wine glass on his table.
He raised one eyebrow almost imperceptibly. His gaze shifted from Shan Yuan to Zhen Zhen, who had stood up. Almost immediately, a dark, dangerous shadow flitted across his face. He raised his hand and motioned to Shan Yuan that he could leave. No sooner was he out of sight than the headman approached him again and looked at him appraisingly. "The master wants to see you again tonight.
If I were you, I would keep quiet. Don't make him angry if you want to live another day."
Shan Yuan looked back; the master must have given the instruction before he burst in. He took a sharp breath and braced himself. He called him back, but Shan Yuan didn't know if that was good or bad for him.