Chapter 1550

Jin Chen deliberately didn't let the servants of the Regent Prince's Manor report his arrival; he wasn't visiting for the first time, so he naturally knew where Xie Zhiwei often stayed.

But coincidentally, the Heavenly Concealed Guard on duty today had been sent to pursue the Divine Medicine, and they hadn't informed Xie Zhiwei beforehand.

Thus, as Jin Chen's party passed through the Hanging Flower Corridor and just stepped into the inner court, they saw Han Zhou being reprimanded.

"Han Zhou!!"

Mu Zhongzheng's reason was instantly blinded by the blood before his eyes; he no longer remembered the advisor's warning not to lose composure in front of the Regent Prince, his mind and sight filled entirely with the boy bound to the wooden stake.

The blood seeping from beneath the stake pooled into a puddle, all of it flowing from Han Zhou's wounds all over his body.

As Mu Zhongzheng rushed over to rescue Han Zhou, Xie Zhiwei should have seized the chance to detain him, but he sensed a faint yet unignorable presence behind him.

Xie Zhiwei's spiked whip fell to the ground; he blankly looked toward Jin Chen, who had followed closely behind, never expecting to see him here, especially at such a moment.

Almost panicking, Xie Zhiwei lowered his gaze to the blood-soaked floor, wishing he could turn it all into his own blood, for even a hint of pity would be better than being hated.

"Master…" Han Zhou thought he was dazed again; he often felt dazed that day, and whenever his consciousness scattered, he would see Mu Zhongzheng.

But now it didn't seem like an illusion.

Mu Zhongzheng held the person so frail a breeze could knock them unconscious, his gaze toward Xie Zhiwei filled with a desire to personally cut him to pieces.

But he couldn't; even with anger rising, Mu Zhongzheng still clung to the last shred of reason.

If he now completely broke ties with Xie Zhiwei, all his efforts would be wasted.

"Older cousin, take the men back first; I will decide on my own." Jin Chen spoke at the right moment, his tone no longer as gentle as before; it was unclear whether he was addressing this matter or the person who caused it, but Xie Zhiwei still felt a sour ache upon hearing it.

"Yes, I hope Your Majesty will decide this matter for me." Mu Zhongzheng nearly gritted his teeth, "I just don't know why the Regent Prince would harm my personal attendant."

Xie Zhiwei continued staring at Jin Chen; no one noticed his fingers trembling slightly beneath his empty sleeve, and upon hearing that, he expressionlessly looked at Mu Zhongzheng holding the person, curling his lip in a mocking way.

"My dark guards—how could they not be punished?"

As those words left his mouth, Han Zhou, his consciousness blurred, also heard them; trembling uncontrollably in Mu Zhongzheng's arms, his mind filled with the certainty that his master would surely despise him, yet he only vaguely heard Mu Zhongzheng's soothing voice: "Don't fear, I have long known."

The smile Xie Zhiwei forced out faded considerably, and he stared darkly at their intertwined hands, wondering what they were thinking.

On the contrary, Mu Zhongzheng spoke coldly again: "This matter, I will later discuss with the Regent Prince; farewell."

He had never been so defiant in front of Xie Zhiwei before; even when facing punishment himself, he usually concealed his sharpness.

At that very moment, Jin Chen suddenly saw the protagonist's attack halo on Mu Zhongzheng grow stronger!

Jin Chen pondered his subsequent plans, touched his nose, and continued to stay uninvolved.

Mu Zhongzheng strode out carrying the blood-soaked Han Zhou, and soon only Jin Chen and Xie Zhiwei remained in the courtyard.

Xie Zhiwei still wore that black robe, making the fingers protruding from his sleeves look ever paler, like withered bone; he stepped forward a few paces to approach Jin Chen, only to see Jin Chen retreat half a step.

"Your Majesty…" Xie Zhiwei could only halt his approach; his gloomy, deep eyes mixed with resentment, making him look somewhat disheveled.

"You're afraid of me again." He whispered the accusation, still tinged with panic, bit his lip and knelt down—only to be promptly stopped by Jin Chen.

Jin Chen lifted him up, his voice low, and asked: "Why did you plant dark guards beside your older cousin?"

Xie Zhiwei seized Jin Chen's hand in the moment, only later realizing that after Jin Chen's health improved, even his formerly icy temperature had risen considerably, scorching to the touch.

"Just as a precaution…" Xie Zhiwei didn't want to tell Jin Chen these unpleasant matters; the court was full of deceit, he had never taught the young emperor before, and now he was even less willing to let Jin Chen know.

He only needed to pave the way; once the court and even the entire imperial city had no one daring to question, he could let the emperor wield supreme power.

"Your Majesty, don't ask again," Xie Zhiwei said softly, his tone making it hard to discern any hidden malice; only his soft plea to Jin Chen remained: "Do you perhaps think… I am too ruthless? If so, could you forgive me?"

As Xie Zhiwei spoke, he lightly pressed his forehead against Jin Chen's shoulder, the motion exceedingly slow, as if testing whether Jin Chen would push him away.

Only after the scent of agarwood re-entwined did Xie Zhiwei finally relax his tense emotions and body.

Jin Chen embraced Xie Zhiwei's slender waist, seemingly helpless: "My older cousin and I have always been on good terms; the young imperial uncle's actions leave me truly unsure whom to favor."

Xie Zhiwei narrowed his cold eyes; what sort of thing was Mu Zhongzheng, to even be worthy of comparison with him?

"Your Majesty, you just said you had a decision in mind, didn't you?" His fingertip lightly jabbed Jin Chen's chest; Xie Zhiwei didn't lift his head, yet his tone was bewitching like a demon: "You won't let me down, will you?"

"Then promise me you won't do it again; otherwise, your older cousin will eventually part ways with me."

Xie Zhiwei fell silent for a moment, then suddenly lifted his eyes to give Jin Chen an innocent smile: "I will obey."

"Then do you still fear me?"

"I'm not afraid of you," Jin Chen insisted, refusing to admit that his bodily reaction had anything to do with you!

"Then that's fine."

Xie Zhiwei pulled at Jin Chen's cuff: "Your Majesty, it's been a while since you last came to my place; please come in and sit."

It resembled a plea for favor, yet Xie Zhiwei deliberately denied his own somewhat base thoughts, his smile deep and his eyes rippling with an entreaty hard to refuse.

Inside the room, the sight that met his eyes was tables and floor covered with fine wine.

In the original plot, Xie Zhiwei would feel bodily heat as the middle of the month approached, often drinking alcohol to numb the pain, and over time he gradually picked up a slight habit of drinking.

Xie Zhiwei pulled Jin Chen to sit down, as if deliberately forgetting their hierarchical status, sitting close beside Jin Chen and holding the wine cup to Jin Chen's lips.

It was a cup he had just drunk from, the spot touching his lips exactly the same.

Jin Chen, however, pushed his hand away, hesitating and speaking softly: "Little Royal Uncle… the middle of the month is approaching; I cannot drink."

That cup of wine just fell like that, the liquor staining Xie Zhiwei's hands and sleeves, and he didn't have time to wipe it off.

Xie Zhiwei Silence looked at the increasingly majestic Emperor before him, then suddenly lunged into his embrace, burying his face in the crook of his neck as his expression welled up with a deep, gloomy pain, his voice hoarse as he said: "You did it on purpose… you definitely did it on purpose…"

He deliberately said these words to make him feel extreme heartache, and deliberately at the most intimate moment reminded him of the bloodletting.

At some point, having Jin Chen bleed had become a thorn in Xie Zhiwei's heart, constantly sticky and causing him persistent aching and sourness that he could not rid himself of, even when idle, it would faintly hurt.

Jin Chen let out a faint sigh, held the person close in his arms, and gently stroked his back in a soothing manner, one motion after another.

Thus Xie Zhiwei clung even tighter, unwilling to let go no matter what.

【Detected Villain Heartthrob Value +5, total now 70!】