Chapter 21

Xie Fuyi gently touched Zhang Meiren’s hair and casually waved his hand, saying, “Go hide behind.”

He said it lightly, but it left Zhang Meiren somewhat stunned—this was the first time she had looked at the new emperor so carefully, realizing that His Majesty was actually this handsome and so gentle towards her.

Her heart skipped a beat, then quickly lowered her head obediently and hid behind as Xie Fuyi’s puzzled gaze shifted away.

On the high platform, the guards were almost dealt with, and it would take at least a quarter of an hour for the nearest guards to arrive.

That was enough time.

A cold light flashed in the eyes of the leading black-clothed figure. He held a long sword, lightly tapped his toes, and the sharp and cold tip of the sword stabbed straight towards Xie Fuyi.

The speed was swift, and the faces of the onlookers changed suddenly. “Your Majesty, be careful!”

Xie Fuyi remained motionless, still propping up his head, his mocking smile unchanged.

Just as the tip of the sword was less than half a foot away from Xie Fuyi, two slender fingers easily caught the sharp tip of the sword. In an instant, the long sword in the hands of the black-clothed man couldn’t advance any further.

His pupils contracted, his expression visibly filled with extreme resentment, and his icy gaze fell on the man standing in front of Xie Fuyi—

The man who appeared suddenly was tall and slender, wearing a light blue robe embroidered with cranes, and a jade belt interwoven with golden threads. His face was excessively pale and expressionless, yet exuded a strong sense of oppression.

The black-clothed man naturally recognized him. He was Qinghe, the chief eunuch on the tyrant’s side, with exceptional martial arts skills and extreme indifference, but particularly loyal to Xie Fuyi.

Wasn’t he supposed to be arranged out of the palace today?

Through gritted teeth, he cursed, “The lackey of the tyrant!”

Xie Fuyi, leaning back behind, teased, “Qinghe, he’s calling you a dog.”

Qinghe remained expressionless, “He’s not wrong. This servant is indeed His Majesty’s dog.”

Amused by his remark, Xie Fuyi chuckled, “Don’t kill him, keep him for fun.”

Listening to the conversation between the two as if no one else existed, the black-clothed man almost spat out blood. Gritting his teeth, suddenly the silver light flashed in his other hand, and a sharp dagger appeared from his sleeve, stabbing directly toward Qinghe.

Qinghe swiftly dodged to the side, snapping the long sword in the black-clothed man’s hand with a light push, while simultaneously striking him with a palm, causing the broken sword to slip from his hand, and the force sent him flying backward, hitting a pillar and spitting out blood as he fell to the ground.

Qinghe then descended swiftly, surrounded by the black-clothed men who rushed towards him. With a casual demeanor, he knocked one person after another away with a single palm. Soon, a dozen or so black-clothed men were all groaning in the hall, and just as the guards outside the hall arrived, they immediately rushed forward to apprehend those on the ground.

Approaching the leader of the black-clothed men, Qinghe stepped on his back, rendering him unable to move, and then pulled off his face mask.

Under the mask was the face of Zhao Shiyi, the trusted commander under Ye Baisao, with the others being Zhao Shiyi’s subordinates.

Seeing the person clearly, Xie Fuyi wasn’t too surprised, “Isn’t this General Zhao under General Wang’s command?”

He leisurely descended from the high platform, his fair and slender feet directly stepping on the carpet soaked with wine and blood, tainted with a hint of red.

Zhao Shiyi was pinned down firmly by Qinghe, forcing him to turn his face tightly against the ground, unable to see the people in front of him, only able to fix his gaze on the bare feet in front of him.

His eyes followed the movement of the feet, feeling that even the emperor, pampered and living in luxury, had feet as fair as jade, with skin as smooth as condensed fat. The combination of red and white after being stained with blood inexplicably enticed his dry throat.

Zhao Shiyi stared at the feet, increasingly closer, nervously holding his breath.

Those feet finally stopped right in front of him, the pleasingly smiling voice turning cold, “It seems General Wang indeed harbors intentions of rebellion, daring to instruct you to assassinate the current emperor!”

Zhao Shiyi’s mind, which had been in a daze for a moment, immediately returned to reality. Upon hearing the content, he felt both anger and shame—did he really have fantasies about the soles of this dog emperor?

He flushed with anger, struggling and shouting, “It has nothing to do with Wangye! You, this tyrant, since you ascended the throne, you have ignored state affairs, and acted cruelly and ruthlessly! We have been fighting desperately in the northwest, while you revel in the palace every night! The frontline is in a tense situation, yet you urgently summoned General Wang back to the palace. Who doesn’t know what your intentions are? How come you didn’t die in the cold palace back then?”

“Shut up.” Qinghe frowned, directly piercing his left palm with a sword, the intense pain making Zhao Shiyi’s face turn pale, twitching and moaning with beads of sweat on his forehead as he clenched his teeth.

Standing in front of him, Xie Fuyi looked down at him, stepping on his face with his bare feet, “So what if I came out of the cold palace? Aren’t you still being stepped on by me now?”

He pressed down with force, his tone icy, “I can take your life at any time.”

As Xie Fuyi pressed down with the sole of his foot on Zhao Shiyi’s face, Zhao Shiyi, due to the intense pain in his hand, could only focus all his attention on the foot applying pressure.

Xie Fuyi’s foot was long and fair, with exceptionally soft skin, clearly defined toes, and neatly trimmed toenails, beautiful like pearls. His feet, which hadn’t walked much at all, didn’t have any unpleasant odors. Instead, they carried the scent of wine due to being stained with it.

Zhao Shiyi couldn’t help but wonder if the sole of this foot was even softer than his face. His face had been eroded by the wind and sand of the northwest for a long time, and after three days of rushing on the road, he hadn’t cleaned his stubble. It should make the sole of the other’s foot blush with tenderness.

Just thinking about it… Zhao Shiyi suddenly realized that he seemed to have reacted to being stepped on.

Instantly ashamed, he blushed furiously, “You tyrant, everyone will get their comeuppance! You’d better kill me! Kill me!”

Qinghe’s expression grew colder, and he slightly bowed, asking Xie Fuyi indifferently, “Your Majesty, shall I kill him?”

“Wait.” Xie Fuyi wasn’t angry. He retracted his foot and waved his hand calmly, saying, “He isn’t afraid of death, so killing him would just fulfill his wish, wouldn’t it? Lock him up in the sky prison. In a couple of days, Ye Baisao will arrive, and by then, it would be nice to send the two of them, master and servant, on their way together.”

“You tyrant! If I get my hands on you, I’ll definitely torture you to death! Uh…” Zhao Shiyi roared, but after being kicked by Qinghe, he was dragged away by the guards behind him.

Xie Fuyi was speechless. All Zhao Shiyi could do was insult him as a tyrant and despot!

Wasn’t he praising him?

It seemed his character was quite well-established!

Qinghe watched as Zhao Shiyi was dragged away, signaling the guards to “take care” of him a little more, then lowered his eyes slightly.

The people in the hall soon dispersed, leaving Xie Fuyi still standing there, barefoot and exuding a sense of detachment.

His feet on the carpet were wet, and his fair toes sank into the fabric, tainted with bloodstains.

“Your Majesty, your feet are dirty,” Qinghe said, half-kneeling in front of him, taking out a handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiping the soles of his feet.

Xie Fuyi looked down at him. Because his mother was sent to the cold palace and he was born there himself, he was the least favored prince of the late emperor. By chance, he saved Qinghe’s life, and since then, Qinghe had become his most loyal dog. Even after his death, Qinghe became the biggest antagonist against the protagonist in every aspect.

According to the plot, when he was planning to kill the protagonist, how could he send him out of the palace if he wasn’t there?

“Your Majesty, shall I escort you back to your bedchamber for rest?” Qinghe’s tone was calm and indifferent, yet there was always a hint of gentleness when speaking to him.

Xie Fuyi was still pondering how to send Qinghe away when he casually uttered an “um.”

The next moment, he found himself being princess-carried by Qinghe!

Xie Fuyi was startled: … Wasn’t he supposed to send him back to bed?

“There are too many broken pieces of porcelain in the hall. Your Majesty, be careful not to injure your feet,” Qinghe explained.

Xie Fuyi’s face turned ashen. Couldn’t they just find him a pair of shoes? How could being princess-carried possibly fit into his portrayal as a tyrant!