Chapter 09

       That night, Shen Nuo entered the Imperial Chamber. The Emperor was calmly sitting cross legged forth the jade desk in a dignified manner, his tall and straight body, looking majestic than ever. The face that was lowered to read the memorials looked very handsome under the lamp lit gloom. The mole between his dense brows was bewitching.

Shen Nuo bowed low and then raised a rolled parchment in his slender beautiful hand. "Your Majesty summoned me?"

"Yes."

Shen Nuo smirked. "This consort poisoned Consort Lian and is highly disgraced. I wonder what caused Your Majesty to have sympathy over him so as to lift the confinement."

"That depends on Zhen's mood." The Emperor answered patiently. "If Zhen wants, he can throw you back to the Frost Palace and confine you for a life time."

"Why don't you summon your lovey dovey lotus?"

"Consort Lian's feeling unwell. She cannot serve Zhen tonight."

Shen Nuo looked at Yanlong simply. "Then there's one Empress who sits idly in her Palace and hadn't seen the Emperor for a month! What about the five other consorts and six concubines that haven't even seen your face before? Do they feel unwell as well?"

The Emperor did not look at him. "Looks like Consort Shen is well informed!" He flipped through the memorials patiently. "Come here."

Shen Nuo smiled bitterly. As expected! You summoned me just for work! Didn't you? Nevermind! It's normal. Though the dog be Imperial, still it can't get rid of it's habit of eating shit! So I'll take it for granted!

He gritted his teeth with a strained smile. But still he went.

The Emperor raised his brows as he flipped through the next memorial. His face was calm and collected. "Why do you always change your thoughts so quickly? Didn't you want to @#$k Zhen's nine lifetimes good luck before?"

Shen Nuo smirked. "You even -" Suddenly he froze stunned. What-!!? Did he hear rightly? His scalp went numb. He was speechless. A cold shudder ran down his spine.

He indeed had said those words before. But it was just his thought and he never uttered a word aloud. How did the Emperor know? Shen Nuo had a terrible guess in his heart. "You - you can read minds!" He ended lamely.

Yanlong laughed softly. He didn't even look at Shen Nuo. "Zhen is amazed. Consort Shen is the first to find that. If Zhen doesn't have some capabilities, how do you want Zhen to rule this Empire?" He placed away the memorial and picked up a new one. "So thinking about @#$king Zhen's ancestor shall also be excused." He added casually.

Shen Nuo looked as if a cold bucket of ice water got dumped over his head. He wanted to dig a hole and burry himself. Who in the heavens knew!!?

Considering the things he had already cursed about Yanlong in his heart gave him goosebumps. He couldn't speak for a long time.

Why wasn't anything like this mentioned in the novel? The novel even didn't mention that there was a mole between his brows... Thus, in their first meeting Shen Nuo ended up saying hello to the Emperor's brother... What was exactly happening? Shen Nuo did not know.

But-

Still so what? This Dog Emperor was a mere character in a novel. Why should he be afraid of him? If Shen Nuo wants to go back to his world, perhaps he could hang himself or suicide. But even if he was to do so, he'll definitely make sure to wear his unique ghost makeup and hang inside Consort Lian's washroom so as to give her a last shock before he die...

Shen Nuo giggled in his heart heartily.

"Zhen is glad that you're not smelling of garlic." The Emperor said. "Get ready to serve Zhen tonight!"

Shen Nuo smiled to him sweetly. Go to hell, Yanlong... I'll eat shit than get @#$ked by you!

"Zhen asked you to come to take care of Minghe." Yanlong said grimly. "Not to get @#$ked by Zhen."

"!!!"

"Since Consort Lian feels unwell and the Empress is sick, he was left here. He's sleeping on Zhen's bed and refused to have meals this evening. Meals are on the desk. Go and feed him!"

Shen Nuo touched his nose awkwardly. He felt offended for no reason.

Who was Minghe? He scratched his forehead. When he reached the bed, he saw a beautiful little chubby baby boy sleeping peacefully on the golden quilt. His face was insanely cute. His silken black hair felled on his fair face adding a different charm. He looked no more than five.

Shen Nuo gasped. He identified the profile at once. This little boy was the Emperor's only son, the Crown Prince of Li Yang, Li Minghe!

The novel said that Li Minghe was a very bright child who was gifted.

Shen Nuo's heart skipped a beat.

This of a cute little boy... was mercilessly killed by Consort Lian according to the novel and Shen Nuoyan was framed for it. Put the frame aside. But how did she made up her heart to end up this innocent life that way?

Shen Nuo recalled the incident mentioned in the novel. According to it, during a Palace banquet, a poisoned arrow pierced through little Minghe left side of the chest. His heart was ripped into two and even the Imperial Doctor lost hopes in saving him. And soon after, Minghe died. The whole Empire grieved over this death.

As someone who had read the original novel, Shen Nuo from the modern world knew the murderer was hired by Consort Lian.

The Emperor was furious. He caught the murderer. During the interrogation, the murderer's confession was that he was carrying out the orders of Consort Shen...

Original Shen Nuo was immediately thrown into the prison. He was tortured until his near death.

Wait! Something was terribly wrong! Even though everyone thought he killed the Crown Prince, still the Emperor didn't kill him immediately. As the novel said, the Emperor dragged Shen Nuo's life for ten years more without killing him... Many were against this.

It was true that Shen Nuo was tortured. But killing the only Crown Prince of an Empire was the biggest crime that could never be atoned simply even by ten thousand deaths. And still the Emperor kept him alive...

Yanlong kept Shen Nuo alive imprisoning him at the Frost Palace until that moment Consort Lian suddenly announced that her pregnant child was poisoned and killed by him...

The Emperor had then personally fed him poison...

But why did the Emperor drag his life for ten more years knowing he was the one who killed his only son? What was hidden beneath that previous Shen Nuo did not know?

Shen Nuo suddenly had a strange feeling in his heart. Could it be the Emperor actually loved original Shen Nuo?

Then he shook his head furiously. Impossible! The Emperor never consummated his marriage with him. Though he personally did not hurt him, still he ignored him. He punished him for faults without interrogating any cause or reason. Only that?

The hateful Emperor wiped out the entire General's bloodline... How can he love Shen Nuo? He was overthinking.

He pursed his thin lips. There seems to be many things that he has to figure out slowly. Anyway, he won't let Minghe loose his life this time. He would protect him at all costs.

Shen Nuo slowly pulled little Minghe closer and wrapped his slender warm arms around him with great love revealed.

A pair of cold eyes watched them silently, and that pair of eyes were a bit confused and grave. Moments later, the Emperor lowered his eyes back to the memorial.

He was a person with wisdom. He can measure a person just with one look. Shen Nuo's reaction just now was natural and not fake. Any other consort and even the Empress might pretend to love Minghe infront of him.

But he had never let Shen Nuo see the prince even for once since he married him. This was the first time Shen Nuo seeing him... And he calmly accepted it.

Shen Nuo can be shameless and badass. But he cannot be heartless and ruthless.

The Emperor massaged his temples with his pale finger tips. So was he wrong about Shen Nuo's true self all these times? Everything that Consort Lian used to tell him about Shen Nuo, can they all be trusted? He felt more and more confused.

"He's having a healthy sleep. You shouldn't wake him up!" Shen Nuo said to the Emperor in a low voice. "He won't die just for skipping a meal. Let him sleep more."

The Emperor finally ended his work and came towards the bed. He silently stood beside Shen Nuo with his slender arms stretched either sides.

Shen Nuo looked at him. "What is it?" He asked testily. "You wanna fly? Or did you think this is a field so you can spiritedly stand like a scarecrow and chase me bird out of here?" He smiled brightly and got up from the bed.

"Your Majesty, you should have simply told me to get lost. Why do you have to go through all these?" He sheepishly turned to flee. But the Emperor grasped from his shoulder and pushed him back to the bed.

Then he pointed at his night robe that was neatly folded in a corner. "Help Zhen change his dress."

Shen Nuo raised his brows to heavens. "Are you disabled? Aren't your legs and arms working? Walk with your legs and get it with your hands. That's how you do it, do you understand?"

The Emperor looked at Shen Nuo and he was not very happy. "That's the duty of yours as a consort, Shen Nuo." He reminded in a gloomy voice.

Shen Nuo took the neatly folded night robe from the bed and threw it onto the Emperor's head. "Wear it yourself!"

"..."

The Emperor gritted his teeth but forcefully suppressed himself. He silently slipped his arms through the loose sleeves and pulled the lapels over his chest.

The entire time, Shen Nuo was looking at the sleeping child and didn't see the naked chest beside him.

But actually, his heart was in a turmoil too. Coming color was really not good. If he did not get lost sooner, then he'll surely have to share a bed with a dog.

The dog might not have feelings for him. But still Shen Nuo had provoked this dog a numerous times. Even if there were no feelings, still the dog would pull him onto the bed to to get him pissed off...

He aught to flee for his life...

Shen Nuo looked around helplessly. While the dog was busy with dressing, anything would be fine as long as he could be the one to piss off the dog.

Suddenly he saw  bowl filled with water on the bedside desk among several dishes - little Minghe's meals...

A brilliant idea struck to him. His lips suddenly curled up into a mischievous smile. He nudged the bowl of water onto the bed and it spilled over.

Then he widened his eyes like disks. "Oh, Your Majesty, you'll have to sleep on the floor tonight! This consort accidentally spilled the water on Your Majesty's bed!"

"No problem!" The Emperor said casually, tightening his waist laces. "Zhen will come to sleep at your Mingyue Palace tonight!"

Shen Nuo: "..."

"It's improper for Minghe to be with us. So Zhen will send him to Consort Sagangui's Palace."

"..."

"Talking about which, Zhen suddenly remembered that he hadn't consummated his marriage with you yet. Tonight Zhen will!" The Emperor gave him a meaningful look, smiling at him viciously.

"!!!"

Shen Nuo was speechless. He did not know from where he got his powers then. He immediately prostrated on the floor, grasping his stomach while yelling furiously. "Aaaaaah, my stomach hurts!"

The Emperor did not buy his trick this time. He knew what exactly Shen Nuo was capable of. He raised Shen Nuo by his collar and threw him onto the bed. Shen Nuo's eyes really widened this time. "You -!" He gasped.

But the Emperor pressed him down onto the sheets. "Yesterday it was loose motion." He said in his magnetic whisper causing a freezing shudder to run down his back. "What is it today? Constipation? Perhaps you'll want to die of tuberculosis tomorrow."

Shen Nuo smiled bitterly. "Seems like tomorrow I really will. But Your Majesty, you still have to consider some manners. There's a five years old kid watching our drama. Ok? So get up!"

The Emperor turned to look at the left. Perhaps because when the Emperor threw Shen Nuo onto the bed, the pressure had been too much. At some point, the little Crown Prince had woken up.

And he was staring at them with hazy sleepy eyes quite speechlessly. "???"

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