Chapter 18
Unlike them, the second-born princeāthe Second Prince, who was now the Crown Princeāwas absurdly healthy.
Even in the Cold Palace, with no one taking proper care of him, the Second Prince had still survived and grown up just fine.
Because of this, rumors spread throughout the palace that the Second Prince was the reincarnation of a calamity star. The moment he was born, he had stolen the life force of his brothers.
As for the First Prince, he had been intelligent from childhood, quick-witted, obedient, and the emperor’s favorite son.
So the outcome was obvious. What awaited the Second Prince was destined to be an unhappy childhood.
During all the years Shen Yin had served as a shadow guard, the corpses of assassins who had come to the Crown Prince’s residence could probably be piled into a mountain.
As far as he knew, aside from the assassins sent by the various princes, the largest number had actually been sent by the current emperor himself.
At this moment, the Crown Prince’s killing intent was obvious. As a shadow guard, Shen Yin had already said everything that needed to be said. If he continued trying to stop him now, the one who would die would be him.
Thinking this, Shen Yin loosened his grip and stepped back.
Seeing his movement, Chu Moli suddenly stood up and grabbed the hand that had just been holding him.
“What? You think letting go is enough?”
Then what else?
Don’t tell me he’s going to chop off my hand?
I only grabbed him once. Cutting off someone’s hand over that seems a little unfair, doesn’t it?
Shen Yin tried to fight for the survival of his hand.
“Master, this subordinate…”
Before he could finish speaking, Chu Moli suddenly released him. He lowered his eyes to glance at the Nanliu envoy lying on the floor and said to Shen Yin,
“Take care of it.”
“Yes.”
After speaking, Chu Moli turned around and left the private room.
Behind him, Shen Yin let out a long breath of relief.
Good heavens, that was terrifying.
He had genuinely thought that today either the Nanliu envoy or he himself would have to die.
After Shen Yin cleaned up the traces left in the room, he walked outside and saw his master standing perfectly straight beside the railing, his gaze lowered toward the bustling crowd below.
Shen Yin’s eyes swept over him casually and noticed that his master’s hands were still covered with blood from beating someone earlier.
He immediately turned around, found a clean silk handkerchief inside the room, and walked over to offer it respectfully.
“Master.”
Chu Moli lowered his eyes and glanced at the handkerchief Shen Yin was presenting with both hands. He accepted it, casually wiped the blood from his hands, then tossed it back to Shen Yin.
Shen Yin quickly caught it, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his robes.
Chapter 15: Both Cowardly and Angry
Inside the carriage.
Shen Yin knelt respectfully.
The atmosphere inside the carriage was oppressively cold, making it difficult for him to breathe.
Suddenly, the folding fan in Chu Moli’s hand extended forward. He lifted Shen Yin’s chin with it.
Lowering his gaze, Chu Moli looked at Shen Yin with cold eyes. Yet the words he spoke left Shen Yin completely baffled.
“How did it feel when he kissed you?”
As he spoke, Chu Moli raised his other hand and rubbed Shen Yin’s lips harshly with his thumb until they became red and swollen.
Shen Yin pressed his lips together slightly.
He really couldn’t understand where his master’s temper was heading anymore.
It was probably better not to speak.
But while Shen Yin didn’t want to answer, someone insisted that he do so.
“I asked you, how did it feel when he kissed you?”
Shen Yin was genuinely speechless now.
He pulled a small booklet consisting of only a few pages from his robes and presented it with both hands.
“Master, this subordinate found this on the Nanliu envoy.”
“I also made a counterfeit copy and returned it to him. He definitely won’t notice anything unusual.”
Chu Moli’s eyes darkened.
“I am asking you how it felt when he kissed you.”
“Did you like it?”
Shen Yin shook his head.
Who would enjoy being forcibly kissed by someone they knew was an enemy?
And it was a man, too.
Just thinking about it made Shen Yin feel like he would need to thoroughly wash his mouth when he got back tonight.
Chu Moli withdrew his folding fan.
Shen Yin had just breathed a sigh of relief when he froze.
His chin was suddenly seized.
The softness on his lips and the dark eyes only inches away made it obvious that this was real.
No, seriously.
Was he sick in the head?
Chu Moli released Shen Yin’s chin and leaned back slightly.
“What about me?”
“When I kiss you, do you like it?”
Shen Yin’s expression visibly darkened.
“No.”
As he spoke, he shifted from kneeling on both knees to kneeling on one.
The next moment, Shen Yin vanished from the carriage.
As he sped through the air using his lightness skill, he felt a fire burning in his chest.
He thought the Crown Prince was insane.
The envoy had kissed him because he was disguised as a woman.
The Crown Prince, on the other hand, had kissed him simply because it was something new and amusing.
Shen Yin worked tirelessly for the Crown Prince, yet not only was the man sick in the head, he wasn’t even acting like a decent human being.
For once, the shadow guard who was always quick to back down didn’t want to back down anymore.
Today, he was going to stay away from the Crown Prince.
Today, he was going to ignore orders.
Inside the carriage.
Chu Moli remained frozen in the same posture he had been in when Shen Yin left, half-crouched, one hand still extended in midair.
Now Chu Moli was certain.
Shen Yin’s martial arts were truly excellentāso excellent that he hadn’t even been able to catch a corner of his clothing.
Outside the carriage, the coachman suddenly spoke.
“Master, shall I bring him back?”
Chu Moli sat down properly inside the carriage.
“No need.”
Half a quarter of an hour later, Chu Moli sat in the carriage with an unusually good mood, the corners of his lips curling upward.
Behind the carriage, among the rooftops covered with green tilesā
Shen Yin followed the moving carriage with a dark expression.
He was a coward.
Even at a time like this, he was still worried about the Crown Prince’s life.
If the Crown Prince were assassinated because of a moment of anger on his part, then the blame would be enormous.
As a shadow guard, he couldn’t control his own fate.
He couldn’t even get angry whenever he wanted.
Shen Yin was both cowardly and angry.
He decided to move his fake-death plan forward.
Once this year was over, he would stage his death.
At that point, whether it was the Crown Prince or the emperor, neither of them would ever find him.
Then he could finally live freely and happily on his own.
Outside the Crown Prince’s residence, Shen Yin remained hidden in the shadows, watching the noble and distinguished Crown Prince step down from the carriage and enter the residence.
