Holding the Emperor Hostage : Chapter 27: Staying the Night in the Imperial Palace

In the end, Shentu Yang still did not manage to get a share of the lunch prepared by the Court of Imperial Entertainments for His Majesty he was driven out of Chongde Hall by the holy Emperor, who was thoroughly humiliated and enraged.

The Yulin guards stationed outside the hall kept their hands on their sword hilts, glaring viciously at Shentu Yang, who lingered outside Chongde Hall under the escort of his three thousand elite troops, refusing to leave. “His Majesty has ordered the Grand General to leave the palace immediately. Grand General, please.“

“My big brother simply won’t leave, so what are you going to do about it?” Gao Jingde blocked the path in front of the group of Yulin guards, standing firm with his weapon ready, his eyes wide with anger. “To aid the king and rescue the state, my big brother led a hundred thousand troops on a rapid march all the way to Sishui Pass. He wiped out the rebel forces, rescued the Chancellor, and helped the imperial court stabilize the million strong army of the eighteen lord alliance. You people dismissed my big brother with a completely useless title like Grand General, and now you won’t even give him a single lunch. I have never seen such a stingy Emperor.“

The Yulin guard commander on duty grew furious upon hearing this. “Audacious rogue, how dare you criticize the Emperor?“

“I am just telling the truth!” Gao Jingde stared with eyes as wide as copper bells, utterly defiant as he craned his neck and shouted at the top of his lungs, “What? It is fine for your imperial court to act so unfairly, but it is not fine for me to talk about it?“

“You”

“Both of you say less.” Shentu Yang patted Gao Jingde on the shoulder and said with a smile, “You have misunderstood His Majesty. His Majesty is not stingy at all—he has already agreed to provide the rations for the return journey of the various lords. He will also allocate rations to my Yan army camp to ensure our soldiers have no worries about the future. How can such a grand favor be compared to a common small kindness?“

It was merely a single lunch. Although Shentu Yang had missed out on it, he could still tell the difference between a single meal and a steady supply.

Gao Jingde turned his head to look at Shentu Yang, whose spirits were soaring so high that even the bleak autumn wind could not blow away his visible infatuation. He frowned suspiciously. “If the Emperor truly treats us with such generosity, why was he unwilling to let you stay for a single lunch, big brother?“

Historically, when an Emperor bestowed favors upon subordinates, didn’t it always start with these small kindnesses?

“You do not understand!” Shentu Yang shook his head with a mysterious expression.

The little Emperor had already agreed to supply hundreds of thousands of Yan troops, yet he specifically refused him this one meal. What did this mean? It showed that the little Emperor did not truly reject him. The reason he refused to accept him as an intimate guest was likely just to save face. After all, there probably weren’t many ministers who offered themselves as a bed partner the very first time they met he heard the little Emperor grew up among the common people, so he was probably unfamiliar with the romantic traditions of the Yin royal family.

But then again, Shentu Yang actually preferred that the Yin Emperor did not have much experience in this regard.

“Could it be that I will be his very first man?“

For some reason, the moment Shentu Yang thought of this possibility, he instantly grew so excited that his blood boiled. He instinctively placed his hand on his sword hilt, his gaze burning like a torch as he looked back and forth among the numerous Yulin guards. Everyone swept by his gaze felt a sudden thud in their hearts. Even Gao Jingde found it somewhat baffling.

“Big brother, what are you looking at?“

“Nothing.” Shentu Yang turned his head to look at Chongde Hall, which was bathed in the bleak autumn light—it was indeed much brighter than in his dream. “So there aren’t that many gauze curtains inside Chongde Hall…“

“What?” Gao Jingde did not hear Shentu Yang’s murmuring clearly and instinctively leaned closer to ask, “What did you just say, big brother?“

“I said! We need to quickly send word to Huo Yan so he will appoint you as the Yulin Palace Vice General to command the palace guards.” When that time came, he could stay the night in the imperial palace without a single worry!

Shentu Yang’s mood suddenly became highly excited. He took one last look at the quiet and peaceful Chongde Hall in the autumn light, turned around, and walked away with giant strides.

It was unclear what Huo Yan was actually thinking. Three days later, Yin Shuhuai and Dong Wan indeed received a transfer order written personally by Huo Yan transferring Dong Wan to be an Infantry Colonel to command the Northern Army, and promoting Gao Jingde to Yulin Palace Vice General to command the three thousand Yulin guards protecting the imperial palace.

On the night he received the transfer order, Shentu Yang blatantly stayed the night in the palace under the protection of his three thousand elite soldiers.

“Having not seen me for several days, did Your Majesty miss me?“

It happened to be around 4:00 PM at the time. The moment Yin Shuhuai saw Shentu Yang’s face, he instantly felt that the dinner meticulously prepared by the Court of Imperial Entertainments no longer smelled good.

“What on earth do you want?” Yin Shuhuai put down his bowl and chopsticks with a slight stomach ache. “The Grand General and I have no old grievances or recent hatred. Must the Grand General humiliate me like this?“

Shentu Yang sat cross legged opposite Yin Shuhuai with a grin, his burning gaze still glued to Yin Shuhuai’s face. “I missed you so much. They say a single day apart feels like three autumns. You and I haven’t seen each other for three days, so by a rough calculation, it has been ten years.“

Yin Shuhuai did not want to pay attention to Shentu Yang, who was playing dumb, and compromised with absolute frustration, “Can I just return that fifty million cash to you?“

“Where will I sleep tonight?” Shentu Yang looked left and right, his gaze quickly locking onto Yin Shuhuai’s sleeping chambers with precision.

Yin Shuhuai’s face darkened.

Shentu Yang said with a grin, “Earlier I said I wanted to be Your Majesty’s intimate guest”

“I said I do not like men!” Yin Shuhuai glared at Shentu Yang with cold and hard eyes, his expression even carrying a trace of sorrow and anger born of a readiness to destroy everything together. “If the Grand General insists on forcing me”

“Then forget it.” Shentu Yang shrugged with a bit of regret. Without waiting for Yin Shuhuai to finish his sentence, he quickly compromised, “I heard that when the Emperor sleeps, there are always eunuchs keeping watch by his side…“

Yin Shuhuai said expressionlessly, “I do not have the habit of letting people keep watch!“

Shentu Yang smiled warmly and teased gently, “Guarding yourself so strictly, are you afraid I will climb into your bed in the middle of the night?“

Yin Shuhuai did not say a word.

Shentu Yang stretched, sat down flat on the floor with his legs spread out carelessly, and said, “In any case, I am definitely staying the night in Chongde Hall. Either let me sleep on the bed, or let me sleep under the bed. Your Majesty can choose for yourself.“

Yin Shuhuai’s face turned pale with frustration. “Shentu Yang, do not push people too far!“

Shentu Yang felt his mind sway, and his smile widened brilliantly. “Your Majesty called my name. It sounds so beautiful when you say it.“

Yin Shuhuai’s face turned red with rage. He drew the ceremonial sword from his waist with a sharp sound. In a flash, Shentu Yang only felt a cold light flash before his eyes, and the Emperor’s sword was already resting steadily against his neck.

“Do you think I do not dare to kill?” Yin Shuhuai was truly driven mad with rage, wanting nothing more than to die together with Shentu Yang. At worst, he would just be hacked to death by the three thousand Yulin guards rushing inside.

Shentu Yang looked with considerable surprise at Yin Shuhuai, whose sword strike was as fast as thunder he hadn’t even seen clearly how Yin Shuhuai suddenly stood up and drew the sword from his waist with such lightning speed.

No one had ever mentioned that the Emperor possessed such martial skills?

A look of deep thought flashed through Shentu Yang’s eyes. He then waved back Gao Jingde and the others, who had immediately led troops to rush inside upon hearing the commotion, smiling as he said, “You all go out.”

Once everyone filed out, only Yin Shuhuai and Shentu Yang were left in the hall. Shentu Yang said with a smile, “I am extremely happy that Your Majesty is willing to live and die together with me. But Your Majesty must absolutely not wrong an innocent person.”

“I don’t even have enough time to love you, so how could I bear to mistreat you?” Speaking up to this point, Shentu Yang defended himself with a pitiful expression, “I already said I am willing to be Your Majesty’s intimate guest. If Your Majesty is unwilling, I am also willing to act as a servant to warm the bed and keep watch for Your Majesty. I have already lowered myself to such a degree, yet Your Majesty is still unsatisfied? You actually falsely accuse me of pushing you too far? I am truly dying of grievance.”

Yin Shuhuai said coldly, “I also said I do not need anyone to keep watch or warm the bed for me.”

“I am not just anyone,” Shentu Yang said with a grin. “I am your man”

Before the words could fully leave his mouth, the Emperor’s sword had already sliced the skin of Shentu Yang’s neck, and beads of blood began to flow down along the blade.

Shentu Yang did not care in the slightest, remaining completely smiling. “Why is Your Majesty’s temper so explosive? Isn’t it good to be alive?”

“Being alive is naturally good. I have already worked very hard just to stay alive. But there is a difference between being alive and surviving in humiliation.” Yin Shuhuai’s arm held the Emperor’s sword perfectly steady.

Shentu Yang admired Yin Shuhuai’s magnificent posture as he stood holding the sword, unable to keep himself from praising, “Your Majesty is indeed uniquely handsome; even the way you look when killing someone makes a person’s heart skip a beat.”

Yin Shuhuai felt speechless.

Yin Shuhuai was so angry that he smiled. “It seems you truly do not fear death.”

“I am terribly afraid of death.” Shentu Yang looked up and laughed. “But as soon as I think about being able to die together with Your Majesty, I am no longer afraid.”

“Has Your Majesty ever heard the saying that dying under a peony flower makes one a romantic ghost even in death? If I cannot share a blanket with Your Majesty in life, at least we can share a grave in death. It can be considered a worthy death for me—”

Before he could finish his words, the Emperor’s sword cleaved fiercely toward his neck. In a flash, Shentu Yang’s legs kicked off the ground with immense force, and his entire body lunged heavily toward Yin Shuhuai like a tiger that had been gathering its strength for a long time.

Yin Shuhuai only felt a massive force hit him head on, and he could not help but fall backward. Yet at the exact instant he hit the ground, he was pulled into Shentu Yang’s arms and twisted forcefully around.

A loud crash echoed inside the hall as Shentu Yang used his own body as a cushion, slamming heavily onto the floor. Meanwhile, Yin Shuhuai, who was supposed to be pinned underneath Shentu Yang, was instead cradled carefully in the arms of this fierce tiger—one hand protected the back of Yin Shuhuai’s head, and the other hand protected Yin Shuhuai’s back, as if holding the most precious treasure of his life.

Yin Shuhuai looked at Shentu Yang beneath him with considerable shock. He saw that blood was pouring from the wound on Shentu Yang’s neck, yet the man acted as if it didn’t hurt or itch at all, smiling radiantly at Yin Shuhuai. “But on second thought, I still want to grow old together with Your Majesty.”

“Let us both live to a hundred years old first, and then die together, shall we?”

Before his words could fully fade, Gao Jingde, who had been guarding outside the hall, came rushing inside with a clatter alongside the Yulin guards only to be struck completely dumb by the sight of the Emperor and Shentu Yang stacked on top of each other.

“Get the hell out!” Shentu Yang instinctively shielded Yin Shuhuai, whose mind had gone entirely blank, in his arms, barking out in anger, “I already said no one is allowed in without my command! Gao Jingde, are you trying to infuriate me to death?”

Gao Jingde cupped his hands to acknowledge the order, gave a knowing look, and backed out.

Yin Shuhuai climbed off Shentu Yang’s body expressionlessly. He looked at the Emperor’s sword, which Shentu Yang had taken the opportunity to fling several yards away, and remained completely silent.

Shentu Yang touched the blood on his neck, it was actually just a scraped piece of skin that looked severe, but he still put on a pitiful expression to gain sympathy, saying, “Can we find a royal doctor to help wrap this up for me?”

Yin Shuhuai looked at Shentu Yang with an unpredictable expression. After a long silence, he finally told Zhuang Wuwei to call for a royal doctor.

“The food is completely cold.” Shentu Yang glanced at the dinner table that had been overturned into a complete mess of scattered dishes and cups, and said considerately, “Your Majesty didn’t eat much this evening anyway. Let us have the Court of Imperial Entertainments prepare another”

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Yin Shuhuai, “I am not eating. I am already full just from being angered by you.”

“But I want to eat.” Shentu Yang looked at Yin Shuhuai pitifully, completely lacking the fierce savagery he displayed when seizing the blade barehanded just moments ago. “I haven’t eaten anything since this morning.”

Why didn’t you just starve to death!

Yin Shuhuai glared at Shentu Yang, but still told Zhuang Wuwei to serve the food.

Shentu Yang looked at the highly reluctant Zhuang Wuwei with a smile and suddenly said, “You are not allowed to poison the dishes, nor are you allowed to add extra ingredients or spit in them—unless you want all the eunuchs and maids to be buried alive with you.”

Yin Shuhuai watched with cold eyes as Shentu Yang casually threatened the eunuch. Although Shentu Yang had consistently shown a playful and temperamental attitude, this was actually a man who held extreme disregard for human life. He did not care about the lives of others, and naturally did not care about his own life either. It was precisely because he was utterly unafraid of death that he could swiftly seize that single chance of survival between life and death.

Shentu Yang also noticed Yin Shuhuai’s thoughtful, scrutinizing gaze. However, he completely misunderstood Yin Shuhuai’s meaning and immediately explained with a grin, “Your Majesty holds the noble status of Emperor, so you do not know how many wicked schemes these lowborn people hide in their hearts. If the master scolds and punishes them, they will feel defiant inside. Since they dare not show it openly, they will secretly take revenge on the master in private.”

“For example, drying the feces of horses, cattle, or even humans, grinding it into powder, and secretly adding it to the master’s food…”

Before Shentu Yang could even finish his words, Zhuang Wuwei already bowed in absolute terror to defend himself, “May the Emperor judge clearly, this servant has never done such a treasonous thing.”

Yin Shuhuai waved his hand, signaling Zhuang Wuwei that there was no need to say more. “I know your character. The Grand General is intentionally scaring you”

“Actually, I am not.” Shentu Yang smiled slightly, though the warmth did not reach his eyes. “Because that is exactly what I did back in the day.”

Yin Shuhuai froze upon hearing this. Shentu Yang had taken advantage of the internal strife among the Xiongnu to lead eight hundred fierce warriors back to the State of Yan. He crushed the imperial court’s hundred thousand troops with an army of thirty thousand to secure his position as the Duke of Yan, went on to assemble the Yan forces to sweep through the Xiongnu, and aided the king to stabilize the Central Plains… His glorious achievements were like the emergence of a supreme military star. Consequently, everyone had forgotten that he was captured by the Xiongnu as a child and spent over a decade as a slave among them.

Noticing that the way Yin Shuhuai looked at him had undergone a subtle change, Shentu Yang immediately pressed closer. Like a fierce beast that finally had a master, he said in a low voice, “The Xiongnu people are fierce and brutal, willfully oppressing the people of our Yin Dynasty. I was young at the time and lacked the strength to kill people. When I was bullied, I could only use such underhanded methods to take revenge. Does Your Majesty think I am a person who lacks honor and openness?”

Yin Shuhuai did not answer Shentu Yang’s question directly, only saying, “Whatever you want to eat, you can have the Court of Imperial Entertainments make it for you.”

The corners of Shentu Yang’s mouth curled up secretly, and he immediately said, “Whatever Your Majesty eats, I will eat. I want to eat the exact same thing as Your Majesty.”

Looking at the utterly shameless Shentu Yang, Zhuang Wuwei gave a subtle roll of his eyes.

Shentu Yang finally got his wish and ate the exact same evening meal as the Emperor.

“So Your Majesty eats roasted mutton in the evening; no wonder your temper is so explosive.”

The term used referred to barbecue. It was only after Yin Shuhuai had gone through immense trouble to develop iron plates and iron pots that he realized the Yin Dynasty not only had barbecue, but actually had hot pot as well.

However, unlike the iron barbecue grills that people were accustomed to in later generations, the Yin Dynasty used bronze grills and burned mulberry charcoal when roasting meat. Because mulberry wood was hard and had a pungent quality, it was not only durable to burn, but also made the roasted meat far more delicious.

When eating barbecue, Yin Shuhuai loved beef and mutton the most. However, the Yin Dynasty banned the slaughter of cattle, so Yin Shuhuai had the Court of Imperial Entertainments roast a small lamb and paired it with a vessel of grape wine. He originally thought he could treat himself to a wonderful meal tonight, but unfortunately, before he could even enjoy it, Shentu Yang blocked his door.

Having finished wrapping his wound, Shentu Yang sat inside Chongde Hall and gorged himself on the food.

People of the world claimed that the Yin Emperor was extravagant and overly fond of pleasure, and one could actually catch a glimpse of that truth from this single meal of roasted meat.

Setting aside how many rare spices the Court of Imperial Entertainments had used just for the marinade for the lamb, just the thick layer of cumin sprinkled during the roasting process was worth its weight in gold per grain.

This wasn’t just eating meat; it was practically eating gold!

But then again, this lamb roasted at such heavy expense was incredibly fragrant! The skin was crispy, the meat was tender and juicy, and it even carried a rich, unique aroma that grew more flavorful the more one chewed.

“Is Your Majesty truly not going to eat a bit more?” Shentu Yang, who felt the lingering fragrance in his mouth, couldn’t help but share with Yin Shuhuai, “This meat is roasted incredibly well!”

Yin Shuhuai let out a long sigh—how could it not be fragrant? He had literally instructed the Court of Imperial Entertainments to add a whole handful of cumin! That was the absolute top tier ingredient in the barbecue world!

“I am not eating.” Yin Shuhuai waved his hand. “Now that the Grand General has eaten and drunk his fill, is it time to go back and rest?”

Shentu Yang wiped his mouth and nodded with absolute seriousness. “It is indeed time to rest.”

After saying that, he stood up, ignored the attempts of the palace eunuchs to block him, and strode directly into the sleeping chambers. He sat down flat on the open floor right in front of the dragon bed and, under Yin Shuhuai’s dumbfounded gaze, said boldly, “I am sleeping right here tonight!”