Chapter 28

Chu Zhaoyou sat back, opened the tea lid with two fingers, and glanced inside. Fortunately, the amount hadn’t decreased.

After a moment of bewilderment, Xiao Heng held the Seal of Authority in his hand and sneered, “Just based on you?”

Chu Zhaoyou rubbed his forehead. The tone of a certain person made him want to flip the table at any moment.

He quickly glanced at the tea bowl, trying to stay calm, but what’s done is done.

“Naturally, I don’t have that ability,” Chu Zhaoyou looked the Regent straight in the eye. “But based on this Seal of Authority, and the weight of that person in the Regent’s heart!”

Chu Zhaoyou wasn’t sure what reaction the ungrateful Xiao Heng would have. He was just gambling, betting that the Regent’s conscience was still intact.

Xiao Heng’s face darkened. He never expected that the big fish he and Xie Chaoyun had been planning to find for so long was actually Chu Zhaoyou. This was more infuriating and disappointing than anything else.

He sneered, “Your Majesty is too naive. I have no familial ties. Would I compromise for a woman of unknown origin?”

Since when did he have no familial ties?

“Is that so? If the Regent is so heartless, then I have misjudged. Pity that woman, who took care of the Regent for three days without any reservation, risked her life to save you. Even when I found her, she was still desperately looking for help, afraid that she would be mistreated alone outside…”

“Enough!”

Xiao Heng slammed the table heavily. Apart from Xie Chaoyun, no one knew that during those three days, he would be bullied whenever he acted alone. Chu Zhaoyou dared to use the term “mistreated” in front of the powerful Regent, proving that he must know the truth.

His benefactor had been found by Chu Zhaoyou before him. The thought that Chu Zhaoyou might have seen a clue at the back door of the palace that day made Xiao Heng regret his actions.

Denying the woman’s importance to him in front of Chu Zhaoyou was futile. His softness and vulnerabilities were all too clear to this little puppet.

Through gritted teeth, he asked, “What do you want?”

Chu Zhaoyou, trying to emulate the ruthless expression of Empress Wei, said, “If the Regent doesn’t drink this tea, then let someone else drink it for you.”

Xiao Heng’s breath tightened. “I thought you wouldn’t involve innocent people.”

Facing the Regent’s disappointed gaze, Chu Zhaoyou thought to himself that in a love triangle, no one is innocent. Although their situation was not quite the same, the principle was similar, especially since both of them were under his rule.

With a firm tone, he said, “The Regent threatens me every day. I just want to protect myself. If you drink this tea, I promise not to harm you for a year. After a year, I will give you the antidote. As long as you take the antidote in time, I guarantee it will have no effect on you.”

A year later, when Xiao Heng’s Gu poison no longer affected him, he would understand how compassionate Chu Zhaoyou had been.

Xiao Heng smiled self-deprecatingly. He had always tried to separate Chu Zhaoyou from the old emperor, not wanting the consequences of the Gu poison to be directed at him.

It is now apparent that Chu Zhaoyou not only personally handed the knife to the old emperor but also resorted to using poison to control him, employing these dirty tricks that ran in his blood.

“Do you believe I could crush you to death right now?” Xiao Heng asked.

Chu Zhaoyou replied earnestly, “If I die, she won’t survive either.”

Xiao Heng was exasperated. It was evident that Chu Zhaoyou was speaking with a level of seriousness and conviction that was unsettling. He was indeed in a bind. He wouldn’t kill Chu Zhaoyou because if Chu Zhaoyou died, not only would his benefactor perish, but he would also be buried alongside Chu Zhaoyou due to the Gu’s entanglement.

Chu Zhaoyou continued, “As the saying goes, repay kindness with gratitude. How about it, Regent? With your great power, can’t you even repay the kindness of a mere woman?”

He seized upon this point, striving to stimulate the Regent’s conscience. He believed that the Regent had one. Xiao Hei, to some extent, reflected another side of the Regent.

“Find your conscience quickly, or else don’t blame me for not giving you face and exposing your past encounters,” he thought.

Xiao Heng stood still for a long time. He wasn’t hesitating; he had just suddenly discovered another side of Chu Zhaoyou today, and it was too overwhelming. Indeed, it was best to keep the puppet firmly in hand and hone it.

His clenched fist made a cracking sound, which sent shivers down Chu Zhaoyou’s spine.

Unconsciously, Xiao Heng touched his neck, a chilling gesture.

“How can I trust your words? Let me see her first,” Xiao Heng demanded.

Chu Zhaoyou replied, “You can ask me anything, but it’s impossible for you to see her. I’m not that foolish.”

Xiao Heng: “How did you find her?”

Chu Zhaoyou: “When the Empress Dowager declared the Seal of Authority invalid, your reaction made me feel that you had lost your Seal of Authority. So, I asked Lu Huai to help me find it. As expected, Lu Huai found it before you did.”

No wonder Xie Chaoyun had searched for so long without any leads. It turned out that someone had beaten him to it, likely erasing many clues.

Xiao Heng truly despised Chu Zhaoyou’s cleverness, especially since his intelligence was due to the He Xin Gu.

“How can you prove that the person you found is the right one?” Xiao Heng’s eyes darkened. He himself wasn’t sure who it was, so it was possible that Chu Zhaoyou was trying to deceive him.

Chu Zhaoyou thought hard. He needed to provide proof without exposing himself. Then, a flash of inspiration struck. “Regent, you must have noticed that the cottage collapsed, right?”

“Not really,” Xiao Heng replied.

Chu Zhaoyou chuckled softly. “No one else knows about the cottage collapsing on the Regent, right? The girl asked me to inquire if your head still hurts.”

Xiao Heng’s pupils trembled intensely. His mind suddenly tightened, and a fragment of a broken memory emerged. Someone had tenderly touched the back of his head and his back, and the gentle and caring sensation seemed to reappear before him.

There was no visible sign of injury at the back of his head, and the initial pain had subsided. Xiao Heng had never mentioned it to anyone.

Xiao Heng pursed his lips. “Tell her that I’m fine.”

Chu Zhaoyou replied, “I’ve already told her.”

He wants to relay messages to him, to track him? No way.

“Regent, the tea is getting cold.”

Xiao Heng’s fingertips touched the edge of the tea, the veins on his forehead uncontrollably bulging. He struggled to push away the past, closed his eyes, and drank the tea in one gulp.

As the slightly cold tea slid down his throat, Xiao Heng suddenly realized that what he hated most was not this poison. After all, he was already afflicted with the He Xin Gu. If the young emperor didn’t give him the antidote a year later, he might not have stayed in this world for long.

One more poison, one less poison, for him, it was all the same. Perhaps if both acted together, taking his life directly would be best.

He loathed Chu Zhaoyou’s casual demeanor in making him take the poison!

Chu Zhaoyou recalled the last time the regent forced him to take the medicine. This trick of substituting one thing for another was seamless. Isn’t it the same in TV dramas? The expert pretends to drink the medicine, but in reality, they pour the tea into their sleeve.

Chu Zhaoyou couldn’t help but lean in next to the regent, staring intently at him, even standing with hands behind his back, holding his breath, and quietly rising on his toes.

The regent’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed.

When Xiao Heng opened his eyes, he saw Chu Zhaoyou carefully supervising him. His face was just three inches away, his eyes black and white, gentle and obedient. If not for his recent arrogant behavior, he would have suspected that he was sick, and Chu Zhaoyou was coaxing him to take the medicine.

With a stubborn tone, Chu Zhaoyou said, “Regent, can you let me take a look inside your mouth?”

Xiao Heng was too angry to speak.

“Just a quick look,” threatened Chu Zhaoyou, “If you don’t let me see, I won’t let your benefactor eat.”

Although he couldn’t possibly starve himself.

“Enough, Chu Zhaoyou.”

“Alright.”

Chu Zhaoyou made sure he had taken it. It was somewhat miraculous that the regent, despite his messy threats, would actually be afraid?

His resourcefulness in a moment of crisis was extraordinary.

He reached out his hand, “Return the Seal of Authority to me.”

The regent: “…”

Was Chu Zhaoyou the fool, or was he the fool?

Chu Zhaoyou insisted, “I just used the Seal of Authority to test you. Do you think I am returning it to you? Hand it over, otherwise I…”

Once something was in the regent’s hands, there was no reason to return it.

Because Chu Zhaoyou had an extremely thick skin, Xiao Heng was momentarily speechless and simply passed out.

Chu Zhaoyou suddenly staggered, bearing the weight of the heavily unconscious regent. He struggled to support him and laid Xiao Heng by the bedside, sweating profusely.

He shook his hand and angrily gestured around the regent’s neck.

Daring to strangle him, one would never find another person in this lifetime.

Chu Zhaoyou was somewhat angry.

Why would he strangle him? Even if it was just a pretended act of strangling, it still counted as laying hands on him.

Looking down on him like this, unwilling even to drink a mouthful of tea?

Chu Zhaoyou once again realized that between the original host and Xiao Heng, there lay a deep-seated enmity. Taking even one step forward would lead to irreconcilable consequences.

He didn’t know if saving someone’s life could outweigh deep-seated hatred. Chu Zhaoyou didn’t want to try, lest it ended up being a lose-lose situation.

The regent detested actors even when he was rendered speechless. Not even the fact that he was the actor could change his prejudice.

By extension, if the regent were to know that the person saving him was the young emperor, it would probably extinguish the little goodwill he still harbored.

Then he would have no leverage at all.

Imagination and blank spaces were inviolable. Xiao Heng never knew who this person was, and in his mind, he unconsciously bestowed upon her all the qualities he desired. This person would forever remain a pure and good-hearted individual, expecting nothing in return. Xiao Heng felt guilty, willing to go through fire and water.

If one day, Xiao Heng discovered that this person was actually him, that he lied, schemed, and spoke to him without any courtesy, the illusion shattered, and conspiracy theories emerged. Xiao Heng would wonder if the young emperor’s act of saving him had been a deliberate plan. Why the concealment? Or would he simply turn hostile, seeking revenge?

Chu Zhaoyou couldn’t help but think, he remembered a little black, and Xiao Heng remembered a benevolent figure. It was better this way. Why tear open and expose the cruel and blunt human nature?

Avoiding risks and seeking to maximize benefits, he had made the right move.

Chu Zhaoyou muttered to himself, “I’m too good at this. I shouldn’t be acting; I should be learning about investments.”

The regent’s current leverage was firmly in his hands.

He pried open Xiao Heng’s right hand, took out the Seal of Authority, and paired it with his own.

Forgot that fainting after taking the medicine is expected, and he had solemnly assured himself that the medicine wouldn’t affect the regent at all. Chu Zhaoyou felt a bit embarrassed.

How to explain this tomorrow?

Chu Zhaoyou hadn’t forgotten the huge uproar caused by the regent’s disappearance last time. With the regent in this state of unconsciousness, Chu Zhaoyou didn’t dare let anyone find out; a hundred mouths wouldn’t be able to explain it.

Let’s just sleep here for the night.

Xiao Heng slept for a long time, and Chu Zhaoyou woke up before him.

There’s court assembly today.

Chu Zhaoyou didn’t dare leave him any longer, pinching Xiao Heng’s cheek forcefully, “Wake up, it’s time for the court assembly.”

Xiao Heng frowned, not waking up even after being pinched.

Chu Zhaoyou covered his face with a wet towel, deliberately asking for cold water, and shivering himself, he used his numbed fingers to rub Xiao Heng’s face.

“Feeling cold? Are you awake?”

Xiao Heng opened his eyes, only to hear Chu Zhaoyou ordering him around like a landlord ordering a servant, “It’s time for the court assembly.”

The regent was almost furious.

For a moment, Xiao Heng felt as though he was monopolizing power, but in reality, Chu Zhaoyou was the one who benefited.

He took the wet towel, looked at Chu Zhaoyou with a cold gaze, and said, “Wasn’t it said to be harmless to the body?”

Deceiving him with sweet words again?

Chu Zhaoyou denied, “It’s just dizziness. Wasn’t the regent extremely angry last night?”

The author has something to say: I promise to update it whenever possible! (I do my best most of the time, actually, I want to update more than you do, but my typing speed doesn’t allow it.)