Feng Shihao stepped out of the palace with a steady pace. Laughter and scolding echoed from the palace path to his side.
This was the place he had always longed to escape, yet some people only saw the resplendent halls, oblivious to the vastness of the imperial palace, teeming with rats in the gutters and rotten cockroaches and flies.
The moment you showed even a sliver of a wound, they would swarm like flies and ants, devouring you until life was worse than death.
This was both heaven and hell.
"Regent." The voice was somewhat delicate.
A stark contrast to just a few days prior.
Feng Shihao looked at the woman gracefully approaching and said indifferently, "Empress."
This woman was beautiful, but her ambition was too great. At this moment, her eyes seemed to speak, filled with a confusing affection.
She appeared to have feelings for everyone, yet was heartless towards all.
A high-class actress cultivated by a prominent family.
"I haven't seen the Emperor for many days and am very worried. Could the Regent tell me about the Emperor's recent condition?"
Li Yuruan's brows furrowed slightly, her expression one of deep concern.
"Your Highness need not worry. The Emperor is well. With so many consorts in the harem, one or two might prove unruly, causing headaches. Your Highness should pay more attention."
Feng Shihao scoffed inwardly. Feng Shijin had gathered all these people as mere decorations. The Empress and consorts were just titles, holding no real power.
Li Yuruan must have also realized her predicament. She had been troubled lately, being the Empress yet constantly overshadowed, living a life of suffocating frustration.
Her visit today was merely to leverage his influence. He wasn't blind to this insincere display of affection.
"I have matters to attend to. I shall leave the palace now."
Feng Shihao remained unmoved, infuriating Li Yuruan until her face turned crimson. Hearing the continued sounds of laughter and play, she clenched her handkerchief in anger.
She couldn't see the Emperor, and the Regent wouldn't champion her cause. How was she, as Empress, supposed to establish her authority and punish those who dared to defy her!
Lei Hua emerged from the side, his gaze dark as he watched Feng Shihao's retreating back.
Outside the capital, in an ordinary civilian courtyard, a man wielding a whip was punishing a disobedient slave.
The slave bore a large, terrifying black birthmark on his left cheek, while his right cheek was smooth and fair, more beautiful than any woman's.
At this moment, his face was filled with indignant defiance, his voice hoarse from shouting.
"Audacious! Audacious! You lowly wretch, I will kill you! I will exterminate your nine generations of kin!"
The whip struck his body mercilessly. Soon, the cotton clothes were torn to shreds, and blood stained the whip.
"Bah! You're the Emperor? I'm the Grand Emperor!" The man spat with a narrowed eye and then lashed out several more times before stopping.
"See if you dare to run again. Run again and I'll break your legs, making you beg on the streets! Third son, lock him up. Let's starve him for a couple of days first!"
If not for the birthmark on his face, he would have been easy to sell. Now, he could only look for a suitable buyer.
He had acquired the slave cheaply anyway. From what the seller implied, he seemed to be an unpresentable illegitimate son who mingled with actors daily and was tricked out of the household by the main wife for tarnishing the family's reputation, sold at a bargain.
Indeed, he was not likable, quite arrogant. Ever since he was captured, he had been cursed all day, still fantasizing about being an emperor. Had he watched too many plays?
This person was none other than Emperor Mingde, who should have been in the palace.
After being whipped dozens of times, the man, who had never endured hardship, was too weak to curse further. He was dragged away by his hair and thrown into a cage.
His face was filled with humiliation, and his eyes burned with a hatred that wished to grind his tormentors to dust.
"Feng Shihao, Feng Shihao, it's you! You dare to treat me like this! When I return, I will kill you, kill you..."
He had tricked him into leaving the palace, saying his imperial sister was waiting for him in the suburbs and that she only allowed him to go alone.
Then, he was knocked unconscious and brought here.
To humiliate a nation's emperor like a beast. He was doing well. He would kill him, he would definitely kill him. Feng Shihao, the bastard born of a traitor, an ungrateful wolf cub!
"Ah—ah—"
He beat his head against the iron cage in a frenzy, emitting broken howls.
The other prisoners watched in terror. Some whispered words of comfort, "Stop shouting. If you are obedient, you will be beaten and scolded less. Perhaps you will find a good buyer later. Otherwise, you'll be beaten to death in a few days."
Presumptuous! What do you take me for!
Wretched commoner, I am the Emperor, not livestock!
"Unappreciative."
Seeing his fierce, wolf-like gaze, the man shrank back and ignored him.
Two days passed. He seemed to have been forgotten, truly without a drop of water, his body weak and on the verge of death, no longer possessing the strength to curse.
During this time, people came to select servants. Many of those around him were chosen, but he, due to the terrifying birthmark on his face, was unwanted.
Another batch of newcomers arrived. Some resisted, and of course, like him, they were severely beaten.
"This one is dead. Drag him out!"
One of the younger boys, after being beaten, developed a high fever and died the next day. He was rolled up in a tattered mat and carried away.
Feng Shijin, witnessing all this, was terrified.
He couldn't die. If he died, it would all be over. He still wanted to kill Feng Shihao.
He stopped resisting.
"Stubborn bones don't get beaten!"
A basin of leftover, stale food was thrown onto the ground. The cage was opened, and the man dragged him out again, pressing his head into the basin.
"Eat it all! If you don't obey, I'll chop off your feet and feed you to the dogs! You're unwanted goods anyway!"
Feng Shijin, reeking and with his hair disheveled, looked like a madman. The noble appearance he once possessed was long gone. Even if his court officials saw him, would they recognize him?
He felt a sense of despair.
"Lei Hua, Wen Tang, come save... me... Imperial sister, save me..."
Two slave traders chatted while eating melon seeds.
"I wonder when he'll be sold. Ordinary families probably wouldn't dare to buy him. If he's not sold in a few more days, we'll send him to the black market. What if he's a bad investment? He doesn't look very strong."
"Let's wait a few more days. Some wealthy lords have unusual tastes. Let's inquire. This boy still has some appeal. Covering his face won't affect their enjoyment."
"Then let's keep him for a few more days."
What were they planning to do?
Wretched commoners, if I escape this place, I will grind you to dust and exterminate your nine generations!
The stale food in the basin made him want to vomit, but there was nothing in his stomach. What came out was only bitter bile.
He had lived a life of luxury and comfort since childhood. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
It was truly a fate worse than death!