Shen Que had two secrets.

First, he was mute—and also had a hidden medical condition that couldn’t be exposed.

Second, he harbored inappropriate, secret feelings for his lord.

He told no one about either secret. But one night, a stranger discovered the first one.

That man used Shen Que’s secret to coerce him, pushing him step by step into submission, into falling further and further…

And yet, Shen Que never noticed—this man was taking more and more from him, while his own prince was giving him more and more attention.

Then, one day… Shen Que discovered he was pregnant. Panicked, he fled in the dead of night, not even bothering to pack.

—

Xie Shiguan discovered a secret about his trusted bodyguard—and it hooked him, haunted him.
Every night he dreamed of the little mute man.

So he disguised himself, altered his appearance, placed a needle in his throat to suppress his voice, and infiltrated Shen Que’s quarters.

At first, he only wanted a taste of the mute beauty.

He wanted the thrill of bullying someone honest and obedient—like a loyal hound.

Just a plaything. Once bored or soiled, he could throw him away anytime.

But then… Shen Que ran.

Xie Shiguan was furious. He mobilized all of the prince’s forces to find him. But the final report said, “Shen Que fell into the river during his escape. He drowned.”

He was just a mute… just an object. So why did his heart ache like this?

He refused to believe it. As long as Shen Que’s body wasn’t found, he would not believe he was dead.

—

One year later, the regent prince heard of a villager in the south who looked a lot like Shen Que. He raced through the day and night, exhausting several horses, and finally—by a mountain stream—he saw him.

That little mute was carrying a bamboo basket on his back, and in his arms… a soft, tender-skinned child.

Xie Shiguan’s rage erupted—

In just a year, he already had a child with some other woman?!

⸻

Notes:
1. Mute character, intersex, mpreg.
2. Gong: the regent prince—promiscuous at first, later devoted; prone to madness.
3. Shou: a mute, honest, intersex character.
4. Dog-blood melodrama and heavy angst—if you can’t handle it, please click away.
5. Contains some previously unrevised content from the author.