Chapter Forty-Eight: Enlightened Thoughts!

Zhang Ye watched as his guards were all slain. Instinctively, he tried to flee, but in his panic, his steps faltered and he tumbled to the ground.

"You… you… can't kill me."

Turning his head, he saw that middle-aged man approaching, and, trembling in terror, kicked his legs backward, crying out in horror, "You… you can't kill me! My father is the Right Chancellor! If you kill me, you won't make it out of the capital! You can't kill me!!"

"Don't worry, I won't kill you just yet," Xu Boqing sneered coldly as he stopped before him. As casually as crushing a pair of lychees, he raised his foot and stomped down hard on Zhang Ye's groin.

In an instant, Zhang Ye's eyes were shot with blood, veins spider-webbing across the whites. His mouth opened as if to scream, but the pain was so excruciating that only a guttural croak escaped his throat.

Unable to withstand the agony tearing through his body, his eyes rolled back and he fainted dead away.

Xu Boqing glanced at the two women cowering in terror within the shop. He had originally intended, since he'd wrecked their establishment, to leave some gold and silver as compensation. But on second thought, he realized that any connection to him would only bring them trouble, so he let the idea go.

Just then, he noticed the patrol officers of Yuqing Street hurrying over. Xu Boqing seized the unconscious Zhang Ye with one hand and strode out the door.

Though he had nothing to fear, he had no wish to invite trouble.

"Leaving scum like you alive only makes rice dearer for the rest of us," he muttered as the officers surrounded him. With a slap to Zhang Ye's back, he sent a surge of internal force hurling the man into the center of the street.

Xu Boqing himself vanished in the opposite direction, as though he'd shrunk the very earth beneath his feet.

Awakened by the sudden jolt of internal energy, Zhang Ye regained consciousness mid-air, but before he could register the pain of his loss, he crashed headfirst onto the flagstones of Yuqing Street.

His body spasmed; death came to him in agonizing increments.

The arriving patrol quickly sealed off every exit. The soldiers on duty exchanged uneasy glances as they gazed at the Chancellor's second son, now barely clinging to life, unsure how to proceed.

It wasn't long before the steward of the Chancellor's residence rushed over with a group of attendants. Upon seeing Zhang Ye's pitiful state, the man howled in grief, wailing, "Second Young Master!"

By evening, news that the Chancellor's second son had been slain in broad daylight by a martial strongman spread through the capital. Some cheered, others found reason to set off firecrackers in celebration.

The Right Chancellor, devastated and enraged by the loss of his son, ordered the Inspectorate to increase patrols and guard every exit from the city. The Embroidered Guards and the Eastern Depot began their own secret investigations, determined to hunt down the villain who dared commit such a crime beneath the sun.

A wanted portrait of the "criminal" soon appeared everywhere.

Yet, no one could have guessed that after committing the murder, the "villain" did not leave the capital. Instead, after a simple change of clothes, he entered the imperial palace itself.

At that very moment, the "villain" lay languidly upon the Phoenix Couch, his head pillowed on the Empress Dowager's beautiful legs, dozing in utter contentment.

The Empress Dowager, meanwhile, was passing the time with embroidery, her deft fingers guiding the needle and thread. The silken fabric brushed lightly against Xu Boqing's cheek, tickling him gently, suffused with warmth.

"In all the time I've attended Your Grace, this is the first I've seen you do embroidery," he remarked.

"I've dwelled in this deep palace for so long—besides admiring flowers and watching the fish, there's little else to do. One must find some way to pass the hours," the Empress Dowager replied, then cast him a coquettish glance, feigning annoyance. "I once had nimble hands, but since you, little thief, arrived, my thoughts are never at peace. Even my needlework has become clumsy."

"I must disagree," Xu Boqing raised an eyebrow, catching her slender wrist and bringing that delicate hand to his lips for a gentle kiss. With a meaningful smile, he whispered, "I think Your Grace's hands are more skillful than ever."

"You… scoundrel," she chided, her cheeks warming as she withdrew her hand, her eyes soft with affection. "For the next few days, you'd best not tease me."

"Your time of the month?" he asked.

"Mmm…" she nodded.

"Very well…" Xu Boqing sighed.

The Empress Dowager, seeing his dejected manner, felt a twinge of pity. Setting her embroidery aside, she plucked a dewy grape from a nearby fruit plate and gently fed it to his lips.

"Isn't Consort Liu still here?" she asked, her tone light but with a hidden edge. "What, that stunning beauty still can't satisfy your beastly desires?"

"Not quite," Xu Boqing replied, savoring the Empress Dowager's offering with perfect composure. "It's just that if both of you have your monthly at the same time, I would at least get a few days' rest."

She chuckled, a trace of amusement in her eyes. "All this time, I thought you were uniquely gifted and tireless."

"I'm not a beast of burden—or, no…" Xu Boqing recalled an old saying from his past life, "I'm not made of iron. Even if the body doesn't tire, the heart can still grow weary…"

"Yet you never say so."

"How could I bear to let you suffer?"

She was amused by his earnestness. She picked a few more grapes, feeding them to him one by one, soothing, "Very well, very well, you are the one who works hardest."

Xu Boqing straightened his face. "Call me 'Great King.'"

"Great King, taste my devotion," she replied with a smile.

"Hand-fed, I am not used to it…" he teased.

The Empress Dowager shot him a playful, exasperated look. They had played this "roleplay" game many times before; she understood the unspoken meaning behind his words. So she took a grape into her mouth, leaned over, and brought her lips to his.

The grape's tartness stirred their lips and tongues, leaving a lingering tang. After a long moment, the Empress Dowager, breath quickened and eyes dewy, came to her senses. Blushing and frustrated, she pinched his waist.

"Didn't I tell you not to tease me?"

"With beauty beside me, how can I help myself?"

Xu Boqing sat up, removed her shoes and stockings, and took her jade-like feet in his hands, massaging them carefully as he smiled, "Allow me to atone by massaging your feet and legs."

She scoffed softly. Watching him "earnestly" knead her feet, she found herself lost in thought, gazing at him in a trance.

"Little thief…"

"Hmm?"

"I haven't left the palace in many years. When summer comes, let's go to the imperial summer villa in Zhendin Prefecture."

"The summer villa in Zhendin…" Xu Boqing paused, then nodded with a smile, "Very well, wherever Your Grace wishes to go, we shall go."

Zhendin Prefecture had been the capital of the former Great Yan. After Yan's fall, the founding emperor of Great Liang did not follow precedent by making Zhendin the new capital, but instead chose the current city. The old imperial palace in Zhendin, though no longer in use, had not been torn down. Instead, it was converted into a royal summer residence.

Because of its location, the villa enjoyed spring-like weather year-round. Within its grounds was a cold pool, icy even in the height of summer, shrouded in mist—a favorite retreat of generations of Liang emperors for escaping the heat.

In recent times, however, few had gone. The emperors of the Shengyuan and Yonghe eras were both so reclusive they seldom attended court, let alone traveled so far for summer respite.

The Empress Dowager smiled radiantly and said, "Then it's settled…"

"Good," Xu Boqing agreed, still toying with her delicate feet. At first, it was nothing, but as his hands caressed her, his heart began to burn with desire.

He looked at her flushed cheeks, bent down, and pressed a kiss to her exquisite foot, then said with a meaningful smile, "I've already promised Your Grace one thing—will you promise me something in return?"

She caught the sly glint in his eyes and, half guessing his intention, shot him a sidelong glance. "And what is that?"

"It's nothing much," Xu Boqing replied with a faint smile. "Since the cold hasn't fully passed, I noticed your feet are rather chilly. I only wish to warm them for you—so please, do not refuse…"

"You little scoundrel…"