Chapter 2: The Tyranny of Lust

  In the twenty-fourth year of Wu Wei, Wang was blamed for household affairs and the emperor secretly ordered him to reflect on his mistakes. Wang's temperament was violent and resentful, and he often had improper behavior.

  Yong Shi - Ji Wang Lie Zhuan

  In the early summer afternoon, the sun was already very strong. Under the shade of a tree stood two guards, their faces stern as they gazed around, carrying out their duty to protect the imperial family. Not far behind them, in a small and elegant palace, several palace maids and eunuchs were whispering and laughing softly at the entrance. This was the residence of Empress Chun, who had recently gained favor with the Emperor and was only nineteen years old. She was beautiful and charming, with a slender figure and a natural elegance that had won over the Emperor's heart. However, the Emperor was already old, and the Empress and several concubines did not want him to indulge in sensual pleasures, so Li Yuan did not often come here. Now it was afternoon, and they didn't have much work to do, so they could be so leisurely. But if you looked closely, there was a faint fear and worry in their eyes, and they would occasionally turn back to look at the palace.

  In the depths of the palace, behind layers of curtains, on a wide red sandalwood bed, a man and woman were entwined in a fierce embrace. The sounds of tender moans and heavy breathing echoed through the palace. Finally, after a frenzied release, they stopped. The woman clung tightly to the man's naked, muscular body, refusing to let go. They held each other for a moment before she finally released her grip, languidly saying: "Your Highness, it's time to get up."

  The man reluctantly got up after fondling the woman's snow-white and tender skin for a while, walked to the side hall where the bath water was already prepared, and after bathing and changing clothes, he returned to the bedroom. He was wearing apricot-yellow dragon-patterned imperial prince attire, which only the crown prince could wear. This luxurious bedroom turned out to be his residence.

  Li An gazed at the woman with infatuation, but in terms of beauty, although this woman was beautiful, she may not necessarily surpass his concubine Xiao Lan and other women he had favored. He recalled that when he married Xiao Lan, he was equally crazy about her. As a man, being able to make a noble and elegant woman like Xiao Lan moan with pleasure beneath him was a kind of pride and satisfaction. However, later on, he gradually grew tired of Xiao Lan's lecturing face and began to secretly pursue other beauties. Unfortunately, at that time, the pressure from Prince Yong made it hard for him to breathe, so in order to gain the support of his father, the emperor, and those hypocritical old ministers, he had to be cautious and careful, not daring to be reckless or arrogant, even when drinking and feasting at home.

  Until he took over the throne and solidified his position, he didn't relax much. He started to indulge in dancing girls and singing women. Luckily, he got a trusted guard named Xia Jinyi, who was skilled in various lewd affairs. He manipulated the dancing girls and singing women in the mansion, making them both talented and beautiful, allowing himself to indulge in their charms.

  Especially since last year's Ministry of Revenue incident, although he didn't receive punishment from his father, the emperor, he could sense that his father was somewhat cold towards him. It was infuriating to think about it. He had managed to shift attention away from the demonic sect disciple entering the Central Plains by framing the Fengyi Sect disciples, but before long, Liang Jin was murdered. That Liang Jin deserved to die, and he would not let him off easily, but it shouldn't have happened at that time.

  Not only did the emperor scold him severely, but he also slapped the crime of murder on him without hesitation. Even Lu Jingzhong and Xiao Lan blamed him for it. He was depressed and uneasy for a while until Xia Jinyi came up with a plan. They gathered dancing girls and maidservants in a secret chamber and held an unbridled meeting, which was even more decadent than the infamous "wine pool and meat forest" of King Zhou.

  Originally, he should have been cautious and restrained, but this kind of reckless behavior actually calmed him down from his irritability and rage. Gradually, he realized that it seemed like only through such means could he calm his emotions. Anyway, he thought to himself that even if his father found out, he wouldn't be angry with him over this matter. After all, wasn't he also enjoying the pleasures of the three palaces and six courtyards?

  At first, he was just indulging in pleasure within the palace, but later on, he found it uninteresting. These women were either flattering him or forcing themselves to smile, making him feel bored and unentertained. He couldn't help but think of a past experience with a famous courtesan from Southern Chu, who shone brightly and danced passionately, but refused to spend the night with him. In a fit of anger, he had forced himself on her, and the memory of that encounter still lingered in his mind. He thought that the famous courtesans of Daxing might be just as charming, but how could he, as the crown prince, go to the pleasure quarters? He envied King Li Xian of Qi for a moment. Later, he shared his thoughts with Xia Jinyi. Xia Jinyi was clever and arranged for some famous courtesans from Daxing to be brought to a secluded villa, where they were kept hidden away. Then, Li An would disguise himself as an ordinary person and try to seduce them. Sometimes it was easy, sometimes he had to pursue them relentlessly, but in the end, he always got to enjoy their unique charms. Later on, Li An grew tired of these common pleasures and began to indulge in various kinds of women. The villa became a place where people went in but never came out, and countless young girls lost their lives there. Xia Jinyi even provided him with a rare and precious aphrodisiac, which allowed him to have multiple women at once and still feel invigorated afterwards. As a result, Li An became even more reckless and depraved.

  Unfortunately, he was stopped by Xiao Lan before he could get bored. Xiao Lan's expression was gloomy and she said coldly: "If Your Highness wants to ascend the throne, how can you do something that will give others a handle on you? Not to mention others finding out, even if Master finds out, it will certainly anger him. If Master no longer supports Your Highness in the future, I'm afraid Your Highness will regret it too late. This time, I'll help you clean up the mess, but next time, I'm afraid I won't be able to help Your Highness again."

  Although Li An was somewhat annoyed, he still knew that this time he had gone too far. For the next few days, he could only stay in the mansion, but he was always restless and felt that all the palace maids were dull and tasteless. Until one day at Emperor Yong's family banquet, he saw a stunningly beautiful woman standing at the end of the line of concubines. At that moment, he felt his blood boiling over. She was a bright and lovely young girl, her smile as radiant as blooming flowers. When she came forward to dance with her slender figure, Li An could no longer suppress his longing for her. The woman was from Beidi, skilled in the Hu spinning dance. As she spun rapidly on the round mat with her bare feet, her varied and intricate movements made Li An's heart itch even more. When he saw Emperor Yong helping up the concubine who had finished dancing and bowing to him, and saw the youthful and radiant Chun Bin and the already aged Emperor Yong, Li An couldn't help but let out a sigh of regret.

  Although infatuated, Li An still didn't lose his head. This woman was only a lower-ranking concubine, but she was still his stepmother. Such things had been seen many times in the imperial harem throughout history, but they were not exactly glorious or upright. Moreover, he was just the crown prince and didn't have the audacity to do such a thing. But the more one suppressed their desires, the stronger the temptation became. For many days, Li An couldn't sleep, his mind filled with the enchanting dance of that whirling woman.

  His personal bodyguard, the deputy commander of the mansion, Xia Jinyi, seeing that he was distracted and unable to eat or drink, tried every way to persuade him but to no avail. He asked Li An why he was so worried. Li An trusted this personal bodyguard and deputy manager very much, not only because he was intelligent and capable, but also because he kept his mouth shut, and his private affairs had never been leaked out. Xia Jinyi's merits were not small. In the end, Li An still told him about his concerns. This kind of thing, even if he trusted Lu Jingzhong again, he would not be willing to discuss with him.

  "Your Highness, my life and glory are all bestowed upon me by you. Even if I were to sacrifice myself for your sake, it would be a worthy death. However, this matter is different. If things were to come to light, even if I wanted to take the blame on your behalf, it would be impossible."

  Li An was also disheartened and depressed, and his illness worsened. This shocked Xia Jinyi, who finally couldn't help but say: "Your Highness, you have many eyes and ears in the palace, the Empress is your birth mother, and Concubine Ji supports you. Although Consort Hui is favored, she's just a lower-ranking concubine. If you use your power to coerce her, with your authority and influence, this woman isn't someone who would die for her virtue. Moreover, you will be the future Emperor, and after you ascend to the throne, her life and death, honor and dishonor, will all be in your hands. Not to mention that if the Emperor lives a long life, Consort Hui won't have any children, she'll have to become a nun, and spend her days in solitude, how can she bear it? The Emperor is already old, and there may not be an opportunity for Consort Hui to get pregnant again. If she yields to you, perhaps she can still give birth to a child, and then you'll have someone to rely on. Even if not, with Your Highness's protection, she can still live out the rest of her life in peace."

  Li An was overjoyed and felt refreshed, and he immediately made up his mind. He discussed the plan with Xia Jinyi and decided to request an audience with the Emperor to assist in handling official documents. Coincidentally, Li Yuan had also calmed down and allowed Li An to handle government affairs in the Eastern Palace, while Li Yuan himself was somewhat tired of politics. Li An took advantage of this opportunity to visit his mother, Empress Dowager, in the afternoon, and then went on to seduce Chun Bin. As the Crown Prince, he had great power in the palace, and with the help of gold and silver, he quickly gained access to Chun Bin. At first, Chun Bin politely declined, but she eventually succumbed to Li An's ardent pursuit, as well as Xia Jinyi's intentional threats and enticements. This forbidden love affair effectively made Li An forget about his external romantic conquests, and he spent every day handling government affairs in the Eastern Palace, only spending one hour with Chun Bin in the afternoon. The Emperor was unaware of this and thought that Li An had become more diligent in his duties, which made him very happy, completely oblivious to Li An's incestuous affair.

  When Li An reluctantly left Chunhuan's palace, outside, Xia Jinyi and several guards had already come to greet him, surrounding the crown prince as he returned to the East Palace. However, Li An did not notice that Xia Jinyi's expression was somewhat uneasy.

  Xia Jin Yi's heart was filled with unease. Over the past year, he had used every trick in the book to curry favor with the Crown Prince, even doing many things that he would not have dared to think or do before. Those young girls, most of whom were arranged by him to be sent to the Crown Prince's side, and various matters of silencing them after they had served their purpose, were all handled personally by him. These things he did not dare to tell anyone, but he told himself that if he wanted to avenge his past grievances and make that dazzling figure sink into hell, there was only one way: to follow the words of that person and let the Crown Prince indulge in his desires. He believed he had done so, but now his hands were stained with blood, and his guilt was deep. He feared that even in death, he would not be able to face his parents. What made him even more uneasy was that he had never had the opportunity to meet that person once. He knew that the person lived deep within the palace walls, rarely venturing out of the cold garden, surrounded by guards as fierce as wolves and tigers. He himself did not have the chance to deliver any messages to that person, nor did he dare to do so. Having been by the Crown Prince's side for so long, he knew well the ruthlessness of the Crown Prince's tutor, Lu Jing Zhong, and his concubine, Xiao Lan. He dared not make contact with that person rashly, and could only hope in his heart that what he had done would help that person, allowing him to finally fulfill his lifelong wish one day. But what about the current crisis? Yesterday, Xiu Chun came secretly to tell him that she had overheard the Crown Prince's concubine, Xiao Lan, and the Queen, Cui Shi, saying something, although she did not hear clearly, but Xiu Chun heard Xia Jin Yi's name mentioned. Xia Jin Yi was a man with a guilty conscience. Last time, Xiao Lan ordered the guards at the mountain villa to be killed, along with those women, and then had their bodies destroyed without leaving any trace. If he himself had not been taken away by the Crown Prince, he feared that he would have also fallen victim to this fate. But he could never forget the look in Xiao Lan's eyes when she gazed at him - cold, ruthless, and unfeeling. Would he be so lucky this time?

  Back in the East Palace, Li An, somewhat tired, looked at the folded paper and dozed off, finally unable to resist resting his head on the desk. Xia Jinyi covered him with a cloak and quietly retreated to the door, where he listened intently for the prince's summons. At this time, a guard crept over and whispered: "Deputy General Manager, the princess has sent someone to deliver an order, saying that there is something you need to take care of."

  Xia Jin Yi frowned and said: "I am serving Your Highness at the moment, you know that Your Highness can't be away from me for a single moment."

  The guard smiled wryly and said, "Deputy General, how dare I say these things to the princess? You'd better go back."

  Xia Jinyi thought for a moment and asked: "But wasn't it the princess who personally summoned you to deliver the decree?"

  The guard said: "Don't worry, sir, I personally heard the princess say that she has some things for you to take care of."

  Xia Jin Yi slightly put his mind at ease and asked again: "Is my senior brother in the mansion? Is there anything that can't be handled by him?"

  "That guard said in a low voice: 'You know, the general manager is strict and serious, there are some things that he must not want to do. To be honest, I heard from the princess's maid that it seems like the princess's nephew has made trouble outside and needs someone to smooth things over. You know this kind of thing, if you don't go, who else can handle it? The princess also doesn't want this matter to be known by everyone.'"

  Xia Jin Yi finally put his mind at ease, nodded and said: "Alright, you all take good care of the master, I'll be right back."

  On the way back to the mansion, Xia Jinyi couldn't shake off the feeling of unease in his heart. He kept thinking about what Xiu Chun had told him yesterday and felt that something was not quite right. As he was about to enter the mansion, he instructed one of his subordinates: "Don't go in, just wait for me outside. The princess's instructions won't take long, half an hour later if I don't come out, you immediately go to the palace to request an audience with His Highness and say that I'm begging His Highness to save my life."

  The subordinate nodded repeatedly and said: "Subordinate understands, be careful, Deputy General Manager."

  Xia Jin Yi smiled wryly to himself, thinking: "I am now guilty of many crimes, and anyone can kill me. If my heart's desire is not fulfilled, even if I die, what does it matter? But for now, I cannot die. Unless I see her sink into the sea of suffering, I will not give up." With this thought, he walked into the Crown Prince's mansion with his head held high, ready to face whatever lay ahead, one knife at a time.

  As he entered the mansion, all he saw were the sympathetic and pitiful eyes of the guards and palace maids. Xia Jinyi knew that this time was not going to be good for him. Although he had gained the trust of the Crown Prince, he was a straightforward and generous person who never took credit from others or bullied the weak. As long as someone gave him face, he would treat them with great courtesy. This past year, the Crown Prince's mood had been unpredictable, and if Xia Jinyi hadn't intervened on their behalf, many people in the mansion would have suffered his wrath. Therefore, although he was essentially a jester, his relationships with others were actually very good. Although no one dared to speak out loud, they hinted at him to leave quickly, and several close guards also signaled for him to hurry away. Xia Jinyi knew that it was impossible to escape, so he walked into the rear flower hall, where the Queen would receive foreign ministers. As soon as he entered the flower hall, he saw Xiao Lan sitting in the upper seat, looking stern, while a stunningly beautiful woman sat in the guest seat - it was Li HanYu, the Princess of Jingjiang. A faint glimmer of cold light flashed across Xia Jinyi's eyes as he stepped forward and bowed: "Your subordinate Xia Jinyi pays his respects to Your Highnesses, Queen Lan and Princess."

  Li Han gave a faint, cold smile and glanced at Xiao Lan before saying: "Elder sister, this is the audacious slave who incited the Crown Prince to deviate from the right path."

  Xiao Lan said coldly, "It's exactly this person. Don't look at his dignified appearance, but he is a scoundrel with a heart of gold on the outside and rottenness inside. He flatters the superior, his crime is extremely serious. Disciple sister, you rarely come to see me today, let disciple sister see my methods. Xia Jin Yi, do you know your crime?"

  Xia Jinyi raised his head, his expression calm, but his heart was turbulent and uneasy. Xiao Lan's eyes were filled with murderous intent, it seemed she had decided to kill him, but why was she also there? Could she still recognize him? It was impossible, not to mention that at that time he hadn't yet grown into his features, now she was so noble, how could she remember the young boy she had brutally hurt back then. He looked up at Li Han Yu, Li Han Yu seemed surprised by his silence and also looked at him, their eyes met, but there was no unusual meaning in Li Han Yu's eyes, Xia Jinyi put his mind at ease, thinking that he must have changed completely, she certainly wouldn't think that he was her old acquaintance.

  Li Han-you looked at the man, who was obviously of humble status and had a low character, yet he was calm and composed. His elegant demeanor and handsome appearance made him quite attractive to women, but this person was actually a despicable and contemptible person, what a pity! She shook her head slightly and turned to look at Xiao Lan.

  Xiao Lan saw that Xia Jin Yi didn't respond, and she became even more enraged. She asked again: "You don't answer me, is it because you look down on me? I ask you, Xia Jin Yi, do you know your crime?" Her anger was so intense that it made Xia Jin Yi feel like the murderous aura emanating from her body had struck his chest, and he involuntarily bowed his head and said: "Your humble servant doesn't know what crime he has committed, please enlighten me, Your Majesty."