The next day, the news that the king had brought his future imperial concubine back to the palace spread throughout the entire imperial city.

However, no one knew who the imperial concubine was.

After the imperial concubine returned to the palace, the king did not arrange for her to stay in her quarters. Instead, he had her stay in Yangxin Palace Hall.

The eunuchs in Yangxin Palace Hall were all tight-lipped. They kept the imperial concubine's identity a secret and did not reveal anything.

As for the imperial concubine's departure, she directly rode in the imperial dragon carriage. No one had the chance to see the imperial concubine's appearance.

The imperial concubine stayed in the palace for a few days. Other than confirming that the imperial concubine was a man, no one knew anything else.

However, this news was enough to shock the entire court.

The entire court naively thought that their king had finally come to his senses and decided to take in a concubine for the imperial family.

Who knew that the imperial concubine was actually a man!

Although there were precedents of men being concubines in Changlu, which emperor didn't first have wives and children before taking in a male concubine?

Looking at how His Majesty doted on the imperial concubine, it was obvious that his love for her was deeply rooted.

If this continued, there would probably be no other women in the imperial harem.

The entire court could no longer sit still. Letters of remonstrance were sent to Jin Wang's table, piling up into a mountain.

Jin Wang threw the letters at the officials in front of him. He was so angry that he laughed: "What, is it your turn to criticize my marriage?"

In the imperial study, everyone knelt down: "Your Majesty, please calm down."

Jin Wang laughed coldly.

These people did not care whether his imperial concubine was a man or a woman. They only cared about whether she could bear an heir.

It was not that there were no men in this world who could bear children, but they were all Kun Monarchs. They were even rarer than Qian Monarchs.

Everyone was prejudiced. No one thought that this imperial concubine would coincidentally be a Kun Monarch.

When Jin Wang thought of this, his heart suddenly moved.

Not all Kun Monarchs could bear children. He did not care about this, so he had not asked the imperial physician to check on Ye Shu's constitution.

Now that he thought about it, there was indeed a need to ask the imperial physician to check.

Even if they found out that she was unable to conceive, it was fine. Jin Wang had never worried about having an heir. Even if he really did not have an heir, it would not be difficult to adopt a child from a side branch.

The group of old officials in the hall were still talking endlessly. No one knew what they were talking about.

Jin Wang was irritated and coldly said, "Since everyone is willing to kneel, then continue to kneel here."

Then, he led his men out of the Imperial Study.

He hadn't spent time with his little concubine for four or five days.

Previously, there was a backlog of work in the palace. Jin Wang had too many things to deal with in the past few days, so he had been sleeping in the imperial study for many days.

Even when he met with Ye Shu, it was only for a short while. He didn't even have much time to talk.

The two of them were used to sticking together day and night in the temporary imperial residence. Now that they were suddenly separated, they couldn't help but feel a little … nostalgic.

Of course, this longing was limited to Yu Jinwang.

Since she no longer had to be on tenterhooks in front of Tyrant every day, Ye Shu was happy to be free. She ate and played as she pleased.

In the Imperial Garden, a small boat was floating on Qinyuan Lake.

Ye Shu leaned against the boat. He was drowsy from the sun's rays and yawned sleepily.

Chang Yuan was at the other end of the small boat. He gently rowed the oars and said, "If young master is tired, this subordinate will send you back to your chambers."

"I'm not tired."

Ye Shu rubbed his eyes and sighed. "I just feel that the palace is a little too boring. There's only these few things to play with all day. It's boring."

Chang Yuan lowered his eyes and didn't reply.

Ye Shu glanced at the palace maid waiting by the lakeside and said in a low voice, "We've toured the entire palace these past few days. Did you find any weak spots in the guards?"

Chang Yuan hesitated for a moment, then said truthfully, "No."

"The palace is heavily guarded. There are even hidden guards lying in ambush. It's very difficult to escape."

Ye Shu clicked his tongue and instantly lost interest in the lake. "Let's go back."

Chang Yuan rowed the small boat back to the lakeside. Ye Shu got up and went ashore.

The dizziness came without any warning. Ye Shu's body swayed slightly, and Chang Yuan hurriedly supported him.

The faint scent of plum blossoms was caught by a martial artist's keen sense of smell.

It's this smell again.

Chang Yuan's breathing became chaotic.

Ye Shu was completely unaware of this. He pulled on Chang Yuan's arm and frowned slightly. "I'm so dizzy …"

Only then did Chang Yuan regain his senses.

"... Is young master alright?"

He looked at Ye Shu's complexion and asked with concern, "Young master has been a little tired these past few days. Do you want this subordinate to invite an imperial physician to take a look?"

"Shh!"

Ye Shu glanced at the palace maid not far away and said in a low voice, "Don't speak carelessly. What if this spreads to Her Majesty?"

Chang Yuan was a little confused. "This … Can we not let Her Majesty know?"

"Of course not —"

"What can we not know?" The man's clear and low voice caused Ye Shu's body to tremble.

Jin Wang walked over from afar with his entourage. His gaze fell on Ye Shu's waist, but his eyes darkened.

Chang Yuan's hand was still there.

Jin Wang was currently vexed. He originally wanted to find his little concubine to relax, but who would have thought that he would see such a scene as soon as he arrived? The suppressed anger in his heart immediately flared up.

Jin Wang's voice immediately turned cold. "What are you all doing?"

The palace eunuchs were so frightened that they all fell to their knees. Ye Shu finally noticed that Jin Wang's expression was not good, so he hurriedly pushed the people beside him aside.

"Y-Your Majesty …"

Jin Wang walked in front of him and swept his gaze over him. His voice was steady and calm. "Didn't we find someone to teach you the rules of the palace? Why don't you salute us when you see us? The more you learn, the worse you become."

Ye Shu: "I …"

He usually never kneeled to greet Jin Wang when he saw him. This dog emperor was clearly looking for trouble.

Did this person eat the wrong medicine today?

Jin Wang did not wait for him to explain. He glanced back at the group of palace eunuchs and asked, "Who taught you this?"

Among the crowd, one of the palace eunuchs trembled as she spoke, "Reply-Replying to Your Majesty, it was this servant who taught …"

Jin Wang calmly said, "Take her away and flog her 30 times."

The palace eunuchs quickly stepped forward to take her away. The palace eunuchs sobbed and begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, please forgive us!"

"Jin Wang!"

Ye Shu stepped forward and blocked the eunuchs' path. He said angrily, "If you're unhappy, you can just take it out on me. Why implicate a woman for no reason?"

Being called by his full name, Jin Wang's eyes did not show any anger. Instead, there was a slight smile on his face. His handsome face was almost devilish. "You're saying that we implicate her?"

"We had her teach you the rules of etiquette. You didn't learn them, so it's her fault."

"We're already being lenient by not flogging her to death. How can we implicate her?"

The palace eunuchs were already sobbing in fear. Ye Shu could not bear to see women cry. He steeled his heart and said, "I'll take it on her behalf. Just hit me!"

Jin Wang's eyes flickered.

Ye Shu was so angry that he was speechless. "Hit me if you want. You can hit me along with the 20 flogs from before.

I'm lucky to have survived, but if I don't, I won't complain. I won't implicate others! "

"You …" Jin Wang's lips moved. After a while, he said calmly, "Put her down."

The eunuchs released the palace eunuchs.

Jin Wang reached out and pulled Ye Shu into his embrace. "Come with us."

The imperial carriage was parked not far away. Jin Wang led Ye Shu onto the imperial carriage.

Ye Shu had tried to play the hero earlier, but now he was afraid. He was so nervous that his back began to sweat.

Jin Wang took his hand and held it in his palm. "Your hand is so cold. Are you feeling unwell?"

Ye Shu opened his mouth and almost bit his tongue. "No, I'm not!"

Jin Wang said, "Then why didn't you allow Changyuan to call for an imperial physician? You didn't want us to know?"

"You heard everything?" The two looked at each other for a while. Ye Shu's voice weakened. "I'm really not sick. I don't want to see an imperial physician."

Jin Wang exposed him. "You're just afraid of drinking 'medicine'."

Ye Shu lowered his head and did not reply.

The imperial carriage quickly stopped. Ye Shu looked outside and asked, "Aren't we going to the Judicial Department?"

This was clearly the monarch's sleeping quarters.

Jin Wang led Ye Shu into the palace and dismissed the servants.

Ye Shu asked in a small voice, "You're not going to hit me?"

His timid and obedient appearance was adorable. Jin Wang pinched his face and smiled. "You don't have to be punished in the Judicial Department."

"Go lie down on the bed. We'll hit you personally."

.

A moment later, Ye Shu was lying on the bed, wearing only a thin inner garment. He hugged the quilt and curled up into a ball. His back was trembling slightly.

Jin Wang sat on the edge of the bed and held a thin bamboo whip in his hand. He gently slid the end of the whip across Ye Shu's back. "Cold?"

Ye Shu trembled even more. "No, I'm not cold …"

The Emperor's Dragon Bed was covered with several layers of velvet blankets. It was soft and comfortable. There was a fire burning in the room, so it was neither cold nor hot. The temperature was just right.

Ye Shu was naturally not cold. He was afraid.

The young man on the bed was thin and thin. He looked even smaller when curled up like this. A slender wrist stretched out from his sleeve. The hand holding the quilt was so nervous that his knuckles turned white.

Jin Wang's gaze lingered on the pale wrist for a moment before he looked away. "Do you know where you went wrong?"

"… …"

To be honest, Ye Shu also wanted to know.

So where exactly did he go wrong???

Ye Shu thought for a moment and said in a trembling voice, "I shouldn't … shouldn't not kneel when I see Your Majesty. I shouldn't talk back to Your Majesty and call Your Majesty by your name."

Jin Wang just looked at him quietly and didn't answer.

Ye Shu looked at him for a moment and continued in a low voice, "… … You shouldn't speak ill of Your Majesty behind Your Majesty's back. You shouldn't call Your Majesty a dog. You shouldn't say that Your Majesty isn't even as good as A Wang that I used to raise."

Jin Wang still didn't speak. Ye Shu was anxious. "I really didn't. I didn't do anything else these past few days!"

"… …"

Ye Shu lay back on the pillow dejectedly. "Hit me then."

The hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Ye Shu felt the person sitting next to him stand up.

He looked over from the corner of his eye. The young emperor was holding a bamboo whip and gently tapping it against his palm. He didn't know what he was thinking.

The soft sound of the bamboo whip hitting his palm felt like it was hitting Ye Shu's heart.

Again and again.

Ye Shu retracted his gaze.

After a while, Jin Wang suddenly said, "You owe me twenty strokes from before. Adding the thirty today, that's a total of fifty strokes."

"I won't go easy on you."

The bamboo whip suddenly cut through the air with a sharp sound. Ye Shu's entire body trembled. He hugged his blanket and rolled to the side. "I was wrong. I'll do anything you want me to do. Don't hit me!!!"

He shouted a series of shouts without a care. When he opened his eyes, he realized that Jin Wang's bamboo whip was already hanging by his side. He didn't seem to have any intention of hitting him.

Jin Wang looked at him and suddenly laughed. "You look much cuter like this."

Ye Shu looked at him warily.

Jin Wang threw the bamboo whip to the side and sat down by the bed again. He sighed and said, "Ye Shu, other than scaring you to this extent, you won't show your true side to me, right?"

Ye Shu was stunned.

Jin Wang leaned over slightly and lifted his face. His eyes darkened slightly. "You said just now that as long as I don't hit you, you'll do anything I want you to do?"

"... If I want you to tell me the truth, will you be willing?"

Ye Shu tilted his head to the side and said in a weak voice, "This subject doesn't understand what Your Majesty is saying."

Jin Wang let go of him and laughed lightly. "Sometimes, I'd rather you scold me than see you act like that in front of me."

"The real you would never use our past as a bargaining chip to test me and use me."

"The real you would never compromise and show weakness when I do something that crosses your bottom line."

"Ye Shu, I've known you for many years. I've long understood what kind of person you are."

"You shouldn't be like this."

The hall was silent for a long time. Ye Shu slowly sat up on the bed and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty's words... what are you trying to say?"

Jin Wang stood by the window and stared at him. He said slowly, word by word, "I just want to know what happened to you in the past three years. I also want to know why you've become like this."

Even at this moment, his tone was still arrogant and condescending.

This wasn't the attitude a friend or lover should have. It was the attitude of an absolute command. In front of him, one could only obey.

Ye Shu's eyes narrowed. He seemed to be thinking.

Jin Wang wasn't in a hurry to rush him. The two were in a deadlock for a while. Then Ye Shu suddenly said, "I understand."

"Your Majesty's words, could it be that you think there's still magic in this world that can change one's appearance and control one's soul?"

"Do you think that I've been controlled by someone in the past three years, or... that I've changed into someone else?"

Jin Wang's fingers, which were hidden in his sleeves, trembled slightly.

"There's no such thing. Jin Wang, stop dreaming."

Ye Shu raised his head and looked at Jin Wang. "The person from ten years ago was me. The person from three years ago was also me. I haven't changed, and it's impossible for me to change."

Ye Shu knelt on the bed. He no longer had the gentle and timid appearance from before.

His tone was indifferent. "Actually, you're just deceiving yourself.

You don't want to believe that I betrayed you. You've asked around in every possible way. The more suspicious points you find, the more ways you can convince yourself. "

"You keep telling yourself, 'There must be some change in the middle. He's not the one who betrayed me.'"

"That's why you hate me when I mention the past. You think I'm just using those things to absolve someone whose existence you don't know."

"In reality, I just want to absolve myself, but it's for myself."

Ye Shu chuckled softly and asked, "I plotted a rebellion and my crimes are unforgivable. After the matter was exposed, I thought of a way to absolve myself. Isn't that what I should do?"

Jin Wang's eyes were faintly bloodshot. "Aren't you afraid that I'll kill you..."

"If I don't say that, you won't kill me?"

Ye Shu said, "For the past month, my life has always been in your hands. If I'm not careful, you'll have something on me and I'll be toyed with in every possible way."

"What do you take me for? A plaything?"

"Jin Wang, you told me not to pretend in front of you. But if I didn't, would I be able to live until now?"

"Then what about you? When have you ever spoken half a word of truth in front of me?"

His words caused Jin Wang's face to turn pale. The latter closed his eyes and said coldly, "Get out."

Ye Shu did not move.

Jin Wang said, "Don't make me say it a second time. Get out!"

Ye Shu got off the bed and put on his cloak. He unhurriedly bowed to him and then got out.

He did not get too far away and only stood in the open space outside the palace.

The palace doors slowly closed in front of Ye Shu. He silently let out a sigh of relief.

Today's play had been too dangerous.

Jin Wang had already sensed that he was different from the original owner. Rather than letting Jin Wang continue to guess, suspect, and search for evidence, it was better for him to give up on this idea.

In the end, Jin Wang's actions these past few days were all because he did not want to believe that the original owner had betrayed him.

Ye Shu not only tore apart his previous pretense today, he also tore apart the last bit of hope in Jin Wang's heart.

The funny thing was that even if he told the truth, Jin Wang still could not bear to kill him.

He only punished him to stand outside. This punishment could already be said to be insignificant.

If this was a month ago, Ye Shu might have felt a bit guilty.

Destroying a person's hope was the cruelest thing.

But who told that dog emperor to torment him like this?

He deserved it.

A gust of cold wind blew in front of the palace. Ye Shu tightened his cloak and silently said in his heart.

.

In the blink of an eye, the sky gradually darkened. There were no lamps in the palace.

Jin Wang sat alone in the palace. His handsome features were hidden in the darkness, and his deep eyes were filled with malice.

Someone knocked on the door. Gao Jin's voice sounded out: "Your Majesty, do you want this servant to come in and light the lamps?"

Jin Wang did not respond.

The voice outside the door paused, then said: "Young master has already stood outside for four hours. The wind is strong at night. If you continue to stand like this, I'm afraid your body won't be able to take it."

Jin Wang said in a low voice: "Scram."

If your body can't take it, then come in and admit your mistake. If you don't want to admit your mistake, then just stand there. Even if you die standing there, Gu won't care about you.

He was clearly the one who plotted to assassinate Gu. What's wrong with Gu testing him? Gu not killing him is already his ancestor's good fortune.

In any case, Gu will definitely not admit his mistake first.

There was a moment of silence outside the door. Suddenly, there was a burst of noise.

Soon after, Gao Jin's voice sounded out again: "Your Majesty, young master has fainted!"

Jin Wang suddenly stood up.

Jin Wang opened the door to the palace and saw several servants supporting Ye Shu.

The young man in plain clothes had a pale face. His head was tilted to one side, and he had already lost consciousness.

Gao Jin knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, even if you are angry with young master, you can't really kill him. What should we do now —"

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Xijiu saw Gu Xijiu stride forward. Gu Xijiu snatched Ye Shu from the hands of the servants and carried him in his arms.

Jin Wang carried Ye Shu back to the bedchamber. When he entered the palace, he glanced at Gao Jin, who was still kneeling in a daze. His face darkened as he said: "What are you still standing there for? Call the imperial physician."

"Yes!"