.....He picked up the water jug from the table, his hands trembling, and carefully poured it in a glass cup, handed it to her, his eyes blinking rapidly. She shook her head, wanting to speak, but he shook his head again, a clear signal for her to not say anything. He said, "Please, Mom."
She drank the water, taking two large gulps as she tried to calm her racing heart. She attempted to speak again, but he shook his head once more. "Please, Mom, slow down. Tell me what happened?"
"I just want you to send him away, to withdraw the protection you've given him. I know, right? That man would never leave you alive. But Momma, you, and Daneen, you all failed to understand me. So, since that wretched one is testing fate again, trying to kill you... Now, if fate hadn't made Prince Aoying notice, then we would be talking a different matter now, I couldn't bear to lose you in this world, Yibo. That's why I'm just begging you to send him away, I'm tired, I can't take it anymore..."
"I swear, Mom, I didn't do what you're accusing me of."
They both looked at once to where the voice came from. It was Zhan, standing there on the floor. Yet, one could see how streaked his face was with tears. His fair skin was especially marked, particularly around his nose. A vicious look flashed across Dowager Taihou's face, and then, filled with rage, she moved towards Zhan.
Slap! Slap!!
She struck Zhan's face with several hard, stinging blows. "You! How dare you interrupt my conversation with my son? Who do you think you are? You worthless wretch!?"
King Yibo's eyes snapped shut, his body trembling with a kind of agitation. Hearing the blows land on Zhan felt like she were striking his own soul. He clenched his fist, but outwardly he remained seated as she had left him, not even looking at them. Inside, he was only exercising control; if it were anyone else but his mother today...she will realize her mistake in hitting Zhan, Dowager Taihou grabbed Zhan neck. He didn't fall only due to his own stubborn will, even though the slaps were extremely sharp... he could swear he had never been hit with such painful force before. The hold made Zhan's head snap up. A trickle of blood started to run from his nose, dripping down onto Dowager Taihou's hand, while the tears on his face had already dried, replaced by a terrifying, fierce red in his eyes.
Dowager Taihou, her eyes already screwed shut in frustration, squeezed Zhan's neck tightly. Even seeing the blood, her wide eyes just rolled back, themselves turning red... "Today I will kill you, you useless waste! Let me see your father stand up for you then... How dare you think you are worthy of being here..."
A wave of intense pain washed over Zhan. His eyes began to roll back, the blood from his nose flowed faster, and he felt himself on the verge of blacking out. But his stubborn spirit wasn't broken. His red, nearly swollen eyes bore into Dowager Taihou's as he released a pained smile and said, "Do you think... killing me will change anything? Then you... still don't... understand, Mom... because those who want to killed your son... are all around you. If you kill me... you only killed the snake not cut his head...Write it down... store it away... even if my body stops breathing, my spirit will return to this Palace... to avenge the spirits of my siblings..."
A shudder ran through Dowager Taihou's body, for she saw a storm of calamity in Zhan's intensely glaring eyes, which seemed unlike the eyes of a mere youth. She throw him away and Zhan collapsed onto King Yibo's body who stood to rescue him.
The shudder that ran through Dowager Taihou coincided perfectly with his fainting spell. But only his mother's words and her grabbing of Zhan neck had entered his ears and eyes; he had not heard anything that Zhan said.
King Yibo's mind had risen in utter horror at the sight of the blood flowing from Zhan's nose. He quickly hug Zhan body, feeling a cold sweat break out. Dowager Taihou became agitated again.
"Please, Mom, Please! Please, enough, stop!" King Yibo said with a kind of weakened voice that seemed to drain all a person's strength.
Her eyes, which had rolled back completely, fixed on him, and she pointed a trembling finger at him. "I give you twenty-four hours to carry out my order, or you will be sorry, Yibo."
Whoosh! She headed for the elevator without waiting for his response and entered it....
King Yibo's mind was completely split in two. His mother's words on one side, and the blood flowing from Zhan's nose on the other. Utterly disoriented, he fumbled for his phone. Zhan hands, which were trying to stop the bleeding, held Yibo tightly; it wasn't the first time he had bled like this. His own head was spinning as he spoke hoarsely, his own throat feeling constricted. "Don't call anyone, please. It's just a nosebleed. If I can get some water on my head and we have a bit of luck, it will stop."
King Yibo head simply drooped, for despite the turmoil inside him, nothing changed in his calm, subdued demeanor. Anyone seeing him would think he wasn't worried at all. He lifted Zhan into his arms and began walking, step by deliberate step in his leather shoes, with no rush or stumble. He took him back to the room they had just left.
He took Zhan straight into the ensuite bathroom. Just as Zhan had said would happen if his nose bled, within a short while, it stopped. But it wasn't just Zhan; even King Yibo's own clothes were stained with blood, which stood out starkly against their light colors. He had to take off his shirt, as the blood was one thing he couldn't bear to see. Now, even the remaining part of his body felt exposed; only his composure served to hide this fact in reality.
Just as he finished taking off his shirt, Zhan, who had been about to thank him, looked up. Quickly, Zhan averted his eyes downward, his heart pounding strangely, because there was nothing under the King's shirt. When King Yibo removed it, he was left standing there only in his long pajama pants. Zhan had never known the man to be so well-built, like an elite athlete. His entire frame was so defined, the kind of physique that would intimidate anyone, which was why Zhan never dared to look at his wide chest and arms muscles, not even playfully.
King Yibo, noticing the moment Zhan looked away and froze, understood his intention. He moved towards the exit. Just before the door, he spoke as if forcing the words out in a low voice, "Take a bath." With that, he left.
Zhan sat for a moment; the instruction to bathe churned inside him. He needed a bath, but he felt embarrassed to do so, knowing he had no clothes here. But since King Yibo had told him to, he thought maybe he would bring him clothes like before. Satisfied with this thought, he decided to bathe.
When Zhan finished, he looked around but found no bathrobe, only towels in the bathroom. He felt like crying seeing they were all so small. Finally, he found one that was slightly larger, which barely reached mid-thigh.
Like a thief, Zhan crept out, feeling a wave of relief seeing no one in the room. With quick, nervous steps, he hurried into the room, looking around to see if King Yibo had left clothes for him. Finding none, his eyes darted around in panic, almost on the verge of tears.
His heart leaping, he considered going back to his own room where his things were. As Zhan stood up, he was startled by a movement, and the towel he was holding almost slipped. He had never been good at securing a towel properly; that's why he preferred a large towel he could hold in place with his hands, or a bathrobe.
Just then, King Yibo froze, his gaze having landed on a big, distinct black Dot on Zhan's back, stark against his fair skin, near his right shoulder blade. Zhan, completely flustered by his presence, quickly scrambled onto King Yibo's bed, pulling the soft duvet around his trembling body. There was nothing Zhan wanted more than to sink into the floor, especially under King Yibo's intense, unreadable gaze.
King Yibo acted as if he hadn't noticed anything, as if he were unaware of Zhan even being in the room. He simply finished walking over to the bedside, placed the clothes he was holding down for him, then sat down himself, turning his back to Zhan. King Yibo closed his eyes; his heart was pounding from the sight of Zhan's striking figure and that dot on his back. A desire to look again, to confirm what his heart was insisting and his mind was denying, gripped him. But he knew that was absolutely impossible. So, he simply stood up and left the room to give Zhan a chance to get dressed.
A full fifteen minutes passed before he returned to the room. Zhan had put on the clothes and was sitting on the bed, hugging his knees to his chest. Everything that had happened felt like a dream to him now. The sheer intensity of the hatred he had seen in Dowager Taihou's eyes was a fight for his very survival.
He knew he might be seeing things, forced by the ordeal he had just been through, but his heart insisted there was something more...
The sound of King Yibo entering quietly interrupted his thoughts, though he didn't look up. With a single glance, King Yibo took in Zhan, swimming in his clothes. Even though it was just a simple t-shirt and knee-length shorts, they looked ridiculously oversized on him.
After a minute and a few seconds, Zhan felt him sit down nearby. He looked up, trying to swallow his tears, as a deep longing for his parents and siblings washed over him. King Yibo wordlessly pushed the tea he had placed on the coffee table in front of the bed towards him. Zhan stared at the delicate cup, then the aroma of the tea hit him—since his right nostril was still slightly blocked, the scent filled his nose completely. As he looked up, his eyes met King Yibo's. Zhan's face instantly crumpled, his eyes welling up again as he tried desperately to hold back a sob.
"What?"
King Yibo spoke softly, his calm eyes following the tear tracks on Zhan's puffy face. Zhan slowly wiped his face and stated, "It's you."
"Me, what?"
Yibo asked, his eyes widening slightly.
"I don't like the way you're looking at me, like a garnished dinner."
The way Zhan said it, while pursing his lips and wiping his tears, didn't startle King Yibo in the least. He felt an urge to pounce on Zhan, just to feel some sense of relief. But he restrained himself, instead narrowing his eyes further at Zhan, moving his lips slightly as he continued to subject him to that physically draining gaze. Then, he pursed his lips briefly and uttered, "I can look at my husband however i wants."
His words struck Zhan like a physical blow. Zhan paused in her attempt to bring the teacup to his lips and looked quickly at the king to confirm if he had really said that or if some spirit had. But there was no one else in the room but the two of them, and King Yibo refused to take his eyes off of him. Instead, he was melting him with a look that made his very skin prickle, as if waiting for Zhan to speak again before he pounce on him...
"S...stop, I'm not some decorated meal before your eyes..." Zhan said pouting.
A strange sensation prickled over Zhan's skin under King Yibo's gaze, while his heartbeat thudded wildly in response within his chest. He took a slow, deliberate breath and lowered his eyes, finding it easier to stay calm if he didn't look up again.
Seeing that Zhan had no intention of responding, King Yibo tilted his head to the side with a feigned nonchalance that belied the shock of Zhan words had sent through him, blinking slowly. Then he opened his eyes and turned back, slightly raising his chin. "Since the subject is closed, shall we continue our conversation from before? I truly do want us to work together."
Zhan still didn't look up, merely nodding his head slightly in what seemed like agreement. King Yibo was silent for a moment, as if thinking about what to say, then he spoke quietly, "What happened... treat it as if it didn't. She was just acting out of anger. Anything you need to know from me, I'll give you the chance to ask."
Now, Zhan's head was bowed, playing with his own fingers. Zhan understood he was talking about his mother. Without looking up, he said, "Why did you trust me, after I told you everything in my heart about being with you? I even confessed to my crimes, I answered that I did it."
A slight smile escaped King Yibo as he watched the fingers Zhan was fidgeting with, then he turned his head to the side, blinking slowly a few times. Anyone seeing his state would be sure he couldn't endure a long conversation; he was already struggling with a lot of fatigue. Zhan, who was watching him, found himself unable to tore his gaze at him any longer. In his heart, it felt like a diagnosis: smiling suits the King.
As if King Yibo understood what Zhan was diagnosing, his face stiffened. He picked up the phone he had placed beside him, typed something briefly, and set it in front of Zhan. Zhan's tired eyes lowered to the phone.
"Tell me the truth, how did you know about the things being placed before?"
Zhan continued drinking his tea as if nothing had happened. Then, steeling himself, he answered in that hoarse voice of his. "Like I told you, I saw it in my dream. Yes, it's the truth."
It wasn't that King Yibo didn't believe him, but he understood that Zhan was one of those people who couldn't hide what was in their heart or lie, even if the truth kills them. But his heart was unsettled by the straightforward answer, as the matter was no small thing, especially for someone like him who wasn't used to handling such strange events gracefully. He picked up the phone again and wrote, "What is the connection between the person who gave you the poisoned milk and the one who put that spiritual iterms?"
Zhan put down the phone with a slight smile, then answered him.
"From what I saw, they are connected. But honestly, I have no proof to confirm that, because I myself didn't believe my dream would come true."
"I want to know who they are." King Yibo wrote to him again.
"You just keep repeating yourself, but I know you know who they are." Zhan answered him.
Hearing the silence and that King Yibo wasn't writing anything else, Zhan moved away and put down his cup. "What else do you want to know?" Yibo's head shook slightly, indicating nothing.
Zhan added, "Can I ask a question?" This time, the King head nodded slightly for yes.
"You said you don't know all the women who were married to you except me. In the short story I heard, it was said after they were brought to your chambers they lost their lives. After their deaths, did you ever see their bodies?"
"Why do you want to know that?" Yibo said.
"Because you said we would work together," Zhan answered.
Yibo... "That is not part of our work."
Zhan... "It is the most important part of the work we will do together, because it's more connected to me than the connection you want me to have with that other matter. I feel in my bones that the deaths of your wives are not connected to the schemes of your uncles. Their war isn't within this."
King Yibo's gaze was so intense it felt like his eyes might fall out. Zhan turned his head away as if the words hadn't come from his mouth.
Yibo... "What are you trying to say?"
Zhan... "What you should say before I say it. You knew who your uncles, Prince Langya and Prince Deng are and what their intentions are towards you. Ever since that day, when you were poisoned, I felt in my soul that they were not involved. Now you're telling me the murder of your wives is also linked to them? You just need to know who killed your wives, unless you are the one."
The way Zhan's words pierced straight to his heart and mind, he didn't even know when he turned to face him properly. Yes, he had long known who Prince Langya and Prince Deng were and their intentions towards him. Ever since that day, when Zhan poisoned him, he had felt in his soul they were involved. Now, not linking his wives' murders to them, he himself was following up, wanting confirmation.
But the statement that had captured his attention the most was Zhan's final utterance. "So it was them, they are the ones gave you that poisoned milk?" The thought escaped aloud without King Yibo even realizing it.
Zhan's red-rimmed eyes from Dowager Taihou chock fixed directly on him, and then he released a pained smile and said, "My lord, I did not enter the palace of BEIPING to admire the grand architecture or the gold decorations. My eyes are open wider than the ones I close in sleep at night. Did you think the poisoned milk your uncles gave me, was the one I gave you, or the milk I gave you was meant to kill you?" Zhan turned his eyes, which had begun to frighten even King Yibo, and released a cunning smile, saying, "No... no... no. The milk I gave you has no relation to the one they brought for you. The one I gave you, from the very beginning, wasn't even lethal, yes it will slightly harm you... But not to take your life."
Zhan let out a low, cunning laugh. "Be patient. Those foolish uncles of yours, they have taught they're using me, but they don't know that I, Xiao Zhan is using them. Let me make it short and simple for you, my lord. I brought myself to this situation to confirm who murdered my siblings. I wasn't brought here to be provide with your protection. Becouse all the kidnapping and trying to get ride of me... I let them happened and make them think they had the uffer hand"
King Yibo was completely lost. Had he become a total fool? Oh, he didn't know. All he knew was that if his eyes called forth a spirit, or whatever Zhan was, he couldn't tell.
Zhan, with a soft, low laugh, began to move to get off the bed, seeing that it seemed to have become uncomfortable for him. Suddenly, he paused, feeling held. King Yibo pulled Zhan back to where he was, his gaze fixed on him with an indescribable intensity that Zhan couldn't interpret.
"Who are you!?" King Yibo's eyes were locked directly on Zhan.
That was the question out of the thousands swirling in his mind that managed to leave his lips. Truly, the king's eyes were terrifying, so Zhan turned his own away, continuing to smile. "I keep repeating who I am; it should be memorized by now. But be patient. It is Xiao Zhan, the one with the intricate plan to dismantle the Beiping palace, just as they dismantled my family. I swear, I bear no forgiveness. If I say I will do something, then I will do it, even if I have to use my very last breath."
"Do you know I could kill you in this room and bury your body as if you never existed...?" King Yibo said.
"Shhh!!" Zhan said softly, placing his finger gently on the King soft lips. With a coaxing tone and fluttering eyelashes directed at Yibo who was struggling to steady his breath, Zhan uttered, "You could have done that already, my lord. But I know you are not a killer. The son of the Late King Murong and Xiao Zhan's husband..." Then he released a smile, blinking his eyes, which still showed the redness from Dowager Taihou's slaps. Slowly tracing his finger down from King Yibo's lips, he gently tapped it over the King neck, pressing down firmly before speaking again. In the spot over Yibo's heart, Zhan steadied his finger and opened his eyes, which had been steady.
"This is a golden heart, shining like a diamond, beating with the breath of every commoner in my land. Not only this heart, but you yourself, YIBO, you are are GOLD." Zhan finished speaking, lightly tapping his finger over the spot on the king's heart, his own eyes filling with tears....
King Yibo simply felt the last of his strength leave him. His entire body went limp against Zhan, and he finally let go. What was left to say? What was left for him to say to this strange being now? He had been defeated. He was simply defeated.....
★★..... ★....
"So, this is the disgrace that foolish brother of ours committed in this Palace today? How long will it take for him to learn to act his age? He sits there thinking about public governance, but he can't even manage justice in his own home? Pathetic!!"
Prince Langya's face twitched with irritation at the constant insults Royal Consort Xuan Ji was hurling at his brother, Prince Deng. Slowly, he sipped his complicated tea blend, which he occasionally drank to relax. "Did you summon me here to insult someone, or to do what is proper?"
She scoffed slightly, fanning herself with a handkerchief. "I see you're taking his side with the insults. What is 'proper' nowadays rests entirely on his shoulders anyway."
"Since that old hypocrite Prince Aoying and that ancient Dowager Ruyan are aware of this matter, you can be sure it will reach the ears of the only son," she said, meaning King Yibo. "If he knows, then everyone would know, that cunning, sharp-witted boy. I swear, he could find a way to uncover what he desperately wants to know day and night. I despise that boy Yibo and his mother. For everything his father Murong made me endure, I will have my revenge on him until I see them take their last breath in this world. Only then will I rest."
Prince Langya glanced at her quickly. Honestly, this particular thought hadn't even occurred to him yet; right now, his mind was simply overloaded with too many things....
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛