Chapter 53 – I was saved.
At the same time, Rong Tang let go of Zhao Qi’s hand, and Zhao Qi gasped for breath, his voice hoarse as he said, “Rong Tang, have you gone mad?”
Rong Tang’s eyes were heavy, his expression no longer the calm indifference it used to be. With a wicked and frivolous tone, he said, “I told you, you made me this way.”
Zhao Qi felt like cursing his luck. It wasn’t him who had taken Rong Tang into the palace, nor was it him who had brought shame upon the Rong family, and it certainly wasn’t him who had ruined Rong Tang’s future. He believed he had been doing his best to make amends, and the dragon egg in his belly wasn’t something he had willingly carried. So why was he still being wronged and blamed for everything?
Rong Tang bent down, seemingly to kiss him, but he turned his face away, lips pressed tightly together.
Rong Tang whispered, “Your Majesty, open your mouth.”
Zhao Qi kept his mouth shut even tighter.
A hint of annoyance appeared in Rong Tang’s eyes as he suddenly grabbed Zhao Qi’s chin, forcing him to turn his face around. “If it were him, you’d obey without question, wouldn’t you?”
Zhao Qi didn’t know who Rong Tang was referring to as “him,” but he wasn’t in the mood to think about it. His guards should have been taken down by Rong Tang’s sleeping drug by now, and the only thing he could do was stall for time. Xiao Shiqing would definitely come looking for him if he didn’t return soon. Although he hadn’t left a specific address, he had mentioned he was going to see Rong Tang, so with Xiao Shiqing’s capabilities, he would surely find him.
Rong Tang saw through Zhao Qi’s distraction and squinted slightly. “Thinking about him? You’re in my bed, and you still dare to think about another man?”
Zhao Qi pulled his thoughts back and glared at Rong Tang, remaining silent.
Rong Tang stared into Zhao Qi’s eyes with an appreciative look and slowly smiled. For the first time, he saw something other than guilt in Zhao Qi’s eyes.
“Zhao Qi, do you hate me?”
“… What do you think?!”
“Hate me if you must. I hated you once too,” Rong Tang lay beside Zhao Qi, propping up his head with one hand while continuing to undo Zhao Qi’s clothes with the other. “But I never imagined back then that the distance between love and hate could be so short, so short that it could go from one end to the other in the blink of an eye.”
Zhao Qi could see it clearly now; Rong Tang had truly changed, had turned dark. He used to be terse with words, rarely speaking more than twenty words at a time, but now he could string together several sentences in one breath. But while he spoke, could he at least stop undressing him?
Seeing that Rong Tang had already removed his outer garment, Zhao Qi couldn’t take it anymore and said loudly, “If you want to sleep, just do it. Why all this nonsense?!”
Rong Tang chuckled lightly, “This is what the Emperor said.”
Zhao Qi tugged at the corner of his mouth, “I’m not some virtuous woman. I have three thousand concubines. I’ve slept with so many people before, but only you were left untouched. Today, I suppose it counts as an achievement.”
Rong Tang’s fingertips paused slightly, his tone cold as ice, “If that’s the case, I no longer need to show pity.”
“That’s right, come on. Don’t pity me just because I’m a delicate flower!”
“Shut up…” Rong Tang lowered his eyes and coughed lightly, “Ahem.”
Zhao Qi pressed on, “But let me tell you, if you really sleep with me, I’ll have paid off my debt to you. I won’t protect you anymore, nor will I protect the Rong family!”
Rong Tang gave a strange smile, “In the future, do you think there will be a future for you?”
Zhao Qi’s heart skipped a beat, “What do you mean?”
Rong Tang leaned in close to Zhao Qi’s ear and said, word by word:
“Since you can have children, why don’t you give me one too?”
… What the hell? Is he serious?
“Rong Tang,” Zhao Qi struggled to sit up, “Even though I forced you into the palace, as long as you don’t want it, I have never forced you! Why, now that the situation has reversed, can’t you let me go? You’ve read so many books, don’t you know what ‘do not impose on others what you do not desire’ means?”
“I don’t know.”
Zhao Qi was on the verge of breaking down, “Even if you get my body, you won’t get my heart!”
“The Emperor once said, if he can’t have the heart, the body will do.”
That was just a pretense; how could he take it seriously?
“Rong Tang, I beg you,” Zhao Qi’s voice began to break with tears, “I don’t like this. You must be acting out of impulse, making such irrational decisions. Let me go, and let yourself go too.”
Rong Tang murmured, “Let go of myself… How can I let go of myself when you’re the one who provoked me first? What right do you have to say no!” Rong Tang grew increasingly agitated, his thin chest heaving heavily, “Emotions are clearly a two-person affair. Why should I cherish them, while you dismiss them so easily? Tell me, why?”
Zhao Qi couldn’t take it anymore, “I didn’t provoke you! I’ve never liked you!”
Rong Tang’s eyes narrowed, “What… did you say?”
“I owe you nothing. My kindness, my attempts to make amends are because I’m a saint… No, a holy father. But actually, I didn’t need to do any of that.” Zhao Qi took a deep breath, “Rong Tang, you’ve hated the wrong person and loved the wrong person. If there hadn’t been so many entanglements from the past, someone as proud as you might not have even looked at me. It’s not too late to stop now. I guarantee you won’t die, the Rong family won’t die, and you can go back to who you were before—before entering the palace.”
Rong Tang obstinately said, “But I want you.”
So all his words were in vain?
“Even if you love someone else, I still want you.”
Zhao Qi grasped at straws, “Love someone else? Who do I love? I haven’t loved anyone.”
“Not? Then what about the child in your womb…”
Zhao Qi hurriedly defended himself, “That’s a mistake. I was drugged by someone, and that’s how this child came to be.”
Rong Tang looked down at him, “It was me.”
“What?”
“The person who drugged you with Changxiangsi,” Rong Tang said slowly, “was me.”
Zhao Qi stared at him in disbelief, “Impossible!”
“When Zhao Qiao gave me the Chang Xiangsi, I only used half.”
Zhao Qi lost his voice, “Why…”
“Why,” Rong Tang sneered, “Because I wanted to know who you would see after using Chang Xiangsi. At that time, you called my name. I thought it was mutual, but I didn’t expect…” Rong Tang paused, the madness in his eyes gradually fading, and the shadow of his former cold and aloof self seemed to return. “Xiao Shiqing said I wouldn’t dare to do anything to you. He was wrong—I dare.”
“But, I can’t bear to.”
Zhao Qi’s eyes widened in horror, “Rong Tang…”
Rong Tang began to cough violently, blood appearing in his mouth, “Go away. Leave my family alone, and we’ll be even.”
What kind of crazy twist is this? Did Rong Tang never plan to do anything to him from the start? What was all this for?
As soon as he finished speaking, the door was kicked open with a bang. The dark guards of the Tianji Camp burst in, with Fu Zi leading the charge. Before Zhao Qi could react, a long sword was pressed against Rong Tang’s neck, “Prime Minister, the Emperor is here.”
Xiao Shiqing walked in. His face looked more sullen than Zhao Qi had ever seen. When he saw Zhao Qi disheveled, his anger flared, and his gaze was as cold as hell.
Rong Tang seemed to have anticipated this moment. Facing the sword at his neck, he slowly closed his eyes.
Zhao Qi didn’t know where he found the strength, but he raised his hand to Xiao Shiqing and cried, “Brother Prime Minister… Wuwu…”
Hearing the word “brother,” Rong Tang’s face turned pale, his heart aching as if it were being sliced. It was even more painful than having a sword pointed at him.
Xiao Shiqing quickly walked to the bed, took Zhao Qi’s hand, and embraced him, “It’s alright now.”
Sensing the familiar scent of ink from Xiao Shiqing, Zhao Qi’s eyes grew warm, and he murmured, “Why did you come so late…”
Xiao Shiqing extended his other hand, covering Zhao Qi’s eyes, and said in a deep voice, “It’s my fault for being late.”
“Prime Minister,” Fu Zi asked, “How should we deal with Rong Tang?”
Xiao Shiqing looked at Rong Tang coldly and spat out two words, “Kill him.”
Zhao Qi’s heart jolted, “Brother?”
Xiao Shiqing gritted his teeth, “At this point, are you still pleading for him?”
Zhao Qi didn’t know how to answer. Rong Tang had indeed done things he could not tolerate or forgive, but to kill him outright seemed too…
Rong Tang opened his eyes, already resigned to his fate, “Do it.”
Zhao Qi panicked, “Hey—”
Rong Tang locked eyes with Zhao Qi and smiled, “If I die, you’ll never forget me for the rest of your life. Isn’t that satisfying?”
Xiao Shiqing sneered coldly, “So, should I spare your life then? However, imprisoning the emperor is a death sentence. Since you cannot die, let the Rong family take your place. How does that sound?”
Rong Tang replied indifferently, “The Prime Minister is welcome to do as he pleases.”
Zhao Qi: “!!!”
Xiao Shiqing’s voice turned icy, “Very well—bring them here.”
“Brother,” Zhao Qi clung to Xiao Shiqing, weakly pleading, “Please don’t kill the innocent.”
“Innocent?” Xiao Shiqing scoffed, “Are they innocent?”
Zhao Qi shook his head and asked, “What time is it now?”
Xiao Shiqing paused for a moment, “The hour of Hai 1Around 9-11PM in ancient china lingo.”
Zhao Qi said, “Rong Tang has already kept me imprisoned for two hours. If he truly intended to do something, he could have taken advantage of my unconsciousness, but he did not.”
“Even so, the Rong family must die.”
“But I promised him not to harm the Rong family,” Zhao Qi said feebly, “A monarch’s words are not to be taken lightly, Brother.”
Xiao Shiqing remained unmoved, “You promised him, but I did not. Fu Zi—”
Fu Zi replied, “This subordinate is here.”
“Wait,” Zhao Qi kept burrowing into Xiao Shiqing’s arms, speaking softly, “I beg you, Brother, don’t kill them. Consider it a blessing for the dragon egg…”
Xiao Shiqing frowned, “Dragon egg?”
Zhao Qi was exhausted, his eyelids heavy. He fought to stay awake and whispered, “Don’t kill them… otherwise, I will be angry with you. It’ll be hard to appease, and it will last a long time.”
Xiao Shiqing sighed quietly, “Don’t use that to threaten me, little fool.”
Zhao Qi smiled at Xiao Shiqing, “I have nothing else to threaten you with.” After speaking, he fell asleep in Xiao Shiqing’s arms.
Xiao Shiqing turned his gaze to Rong Tang, his eyes as sharp as blades, “What kind of medicine did you give him?”
Rong Tang replied calmly, “He will be fine.”
Xiao Shiqing took off his cloak and dr4p3d it over Zhao Qi, lifting him in his arms, “Return to the palace.”
Fu Zi asked, “Prime Minister, what about Rong Tang…”
“Keep him under house arrest here. Let him live.”
T/N: There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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