Thinking of this, I lowered my head and wrung out my wet clothes, but I felt a gaze falling on my face. I raised my eyes again and found that the king was staring at me again. Maybe it was my illusion, but I felt that the gaze was a little hot, revealing a kind of indescribable interest.
“Has anyone ever told you that as long as you cover your left eye, you will look very handsome? If a fox becomes an immortal, it should look like you.”
I was startled and tightened my hands slightly on the corner of my clothes.
Because I always wear a mask when I appear in public, no one has ever told me that I am good-looking. Suddenly, someone praised me like this, and by the king at that as well, I should be happy and honored. However, the way the king looked at me and the tone of his praise did not sound like he was praising a man, but rather like… admiring a woman.
“Your Majesty… is joking.”
I smiled awkwardly and heard the sound of bells. The golden bells on his braids fell on my shoulders. He actually leaned down, held my arms, and helped me up.
“Let’s go to my bedchamber and change clothes.”
I was stunned, and he took my hand and walked towards the palace.
It was just getting dark, and the palace was already brightly lit. The palace attendants in the corridor looked at the king holding the hand of a commoner court painter like me and walking towards the bedchamber. They couldn’t help but look sideways, and I just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, so I had no time to appreciate the wonders inside the palace at all.
I lowered my head all the way, not knowing where I was being led. I heard the laughter of women in front of me. I looked up and was stunned by the scene in front of me. I saw a round bed covered with gauze in the middle of the large room. Behind the wooden window was a bathing pool filled with mist. Dozens of half-naked beauties and handsome boys were laughing and playing in it, the rumors were true. The young new king was really cynical and licentious. Some of them saw us, climbed out of the water without clothes, leaned on the edge of the pool, and saluted us with a smile: “Your Majesty, are you back?”
“Get out.” The king waved his hand nonchalantly, “Go away. Whoever gets out last will spend the night in the Tiger Garden.”
As soon as this sound came out, the pond suddenly became like fish frying in a boiling pot.
I covered my eyes and tried not to look at the naked men and women running past me, but I had a strange premonition in my heart.
I am just a painter. If my clothes get wet, I can just go back and change them myself. Why did the king bring me here? There are men among those servants. Could it be…
I dare not speculate what kind of interest the king has in an ugly commoner like me, but it is hard not to think too much in this situation.
“Go, get him some clothes made of Tianzhu silk and satin.” I felt even more uneasy when I heard him order the palace attendants. That was an extremely expensive fabric, how could a court painter like me be qualified to wear it?
“Your Majesty…” I put down my hand and saw him lazily sitting on the bed, looking at me with interest.
“Ah Xue, your body is so dirty, take off your clothes and go to the pool to wash.”
Although he smiled gently, as if asking a question, I had not forgotten the hunting ground he mentioned when threatening those pet slaves, those pet slaves were so scared, probably because they had experienced it before.
I didn’t dare to refuse. I walked to the front of the pool, untied my belt, took off my wet coat, and stepped into the pool. Just as I sat down, I heard the sound of water behind me. Looking back, I saw that the king had also entered the water. Except for a loincloth made of gold thread, he was naked. Although his body was thin, his curves were extremely beautiful.
I couldn’t help but stare at him, frozen in place.
What is the king doing? Does he want to bathe with me?
“Your, Your Majesty…”
Seeing that I was at a loss, he was quite calm. He stared at my back with his shallow eyes and swam closer slowly: “I told you to wash, why are you still wearing undergarments? You are not even a woman, are you afraid that I will see your body?”
“No, I dare not.” My hair stood on end, but his body was already pressed against my back. My waist tightened, and he locked it with his arms and pulled me into his arms.
“Your Majesty!”
“Ah Xue, don’t be a painter and be a favorite minister to accompany this king, alright?”
It was as if I was struck by lightning, and my blood was flowing backwards: “This minister-minister is born ugly and unworthy of being Your Majesty’s favorite minister. Your Majesty, aren’t you afraid of having nightmares at night when looking at my face?”
My chin was pinched: “Who said you were ugly?” He stroked the corner of my eye. “It’s just a scar. Ask the imperial physician to take a look, it will be cured soon.”
My eyes felt hot, he kissed me. I was startled, turned around, and pushed him away, but my feet slipped and I fell into the pool, and he pressed me into the water!
“Umm!”
With my lips covered, I struggled and flapped my arms under the water. But the more I struggled, the tighter he held me, like a python entwining me.
I was suffocated by his kiss. As soon as his lips and tongue left, I took a deep breath but was choked by the water and started coughing.
“Ah Xue…” His wet fingers brushed across the corner of my eyes. “Where your scar originally was, was there a vermilion mole?”
What vermilion mole?
I was startled to see the king staring at me with a dark and complicated expression: “Over the years, I have also been looking for you, and I have spent as much time and effort as Ninth Brother…”
“What is Your Majesty talking about? Did you recognize the wrong person?”
I was shocked, but he hugged me tightly again.
“You know what I did, right? Do you blame me?”
What?
There were footsteps coming from far away, accompanied by a commotion.
“Saint Lord, why did Saint Lord come to His Majesty’s bedchamber? His Majesty is inside…”
“This saint lord wants to see His Majesty.”
Instantly, the cold voice was close to the door.
“Let the Saint Lord come in.”
The hand holding my body loosened, and I hurriedly got up from the water and escaped from the pool. Before I could put on my clothes, I turned around and saw that the door had been opened. My tall figure was projected on the ground by the lights outside. The saint lord stood against the light, his face hidden in the shadows, but his blue eyes were terrifyingly bright. His gaze first fell on the king and then shot towards me.
Maybe it was my illusion. I felt his gaze like a sharp blade scraping across my wet body, then moved back to the king, staring at him coldly.
“Saint Lord has come to this king’s bedchamber late at night. Is there something important?” The king leaned against the pool wall and smiled lazily. “This king heard that Saint Lord was coughing up blood. This king was very worried and was about to send the imperial physician to the Saint Lord’s residence. Now it seems that Saint Lord is not seriously ill.”
“This saint lord came here to remind Your Majesty that at the beginning of next month, when the Champa envoys from Modaluo and our royal court will preach to each other, our royal court must return the statues. The previous painter made a big mistake and was executed by the Shengzun. The painting he made for me was also burned. Now that a new painter has come, Your Majesty has brought him to the palace to play. Has Your Majesty forgotten the important matters of our royal court?”
I couldn’t help but hold my breath. Although the Saint Lord had a very high status, he had no real power. He scolded the king so mercilessly. Wouldn’t the king be angry and punish him?
I was just getting nervous, but I saw the king’s face full of astonishment: “Ninth Brother actually cares about the affairs of our royal court? I saw that Ninth Brother’s aloof and indifferent look was exactly the same as the statue on the shrine. I thought that Ninth Brother had long transcended the mundane world and no longer cared about worldly affairs. It’s my fault that I only knew Ninth Brother superficially.”
The Saint Lord’s eyes were as deep and calm as the abyss. He stared at him for a moment before saying, “This is indeed not something this saint lord should be concerned about, but the Shengzun is in seclusion right now.”
He emphasized the word, ‘Shengzun’. I don’t know if I saw it wrong, but the king’s back straightened a little and the smile on his face faded. After a moment of silence, he glanced at me and said, “Ah Xue, then you can go with the Saint Lord. After you finish painting his portrait, come and teach me how to paint.”
I was stunned for a moment, holding my wet clothes, and walked towards the door. After passing the bed, I heard the king call me again: “Wait, change into the clothes this king gave you first.”
As he spoke, the palace maid came to me with a stack of soft satin robes on a tray.
I froze there, feeling the gazes from the door and the gazes from behind, as if they were fighting. This feeling was extremely weird, but changing clothes was the king’s order, not to mention that I was soaking wet. Although the palace was warm, it was not summer. After hesitating for a moment, I grabbed the pile of clothes, looked back and looked around, and said, “Where can I… the minister change?”
“Right here.”
Here?
In front of him and the Siant Lord?
I pursed my lower lip and subconsciously looked at the figure at the door. The blue eyes stared at me indifferently, without any intention of dissuading me. Why would he dissuade me? His intention was not to save me, an uninvited guest who interrupted his meditation, but only for the diplomatic affairs of the two countries.
In his eyes, I am just an insignificant ant.
Taking a deep breath, I endured the shame, untied my belt, and took off my wet clothes. I was left with only my undergarments, which were also wet, but I couldn’t bring myself to take them off, so I quickly grabbed the clothes on the plate.
“Ah Xue, this king has also prepared new undergarments for you as well.”
My hands froze, and I took a look at the plate. Sure enough, there was a pair of undergarments made of gold tassels. My face turned red. Do I have to change my undergarments too?
While I was hesitating and embarrassed, the figure at the door suddenly approached. Before I could react, a soft white fur robe was covered over me. The faint scent of sandalwood permeated my nose. I was stunned and looked at the Saint Lord.
“Even if Your Majesty intends to make him your favorite minister, you have to wait until he finishes painting the god statue as well.”
There was a chuckle from inside: “That’s what you said, Ninth Brother. When he finishes painting the god statue, I will go and ask you for the person.”
Along the way, I felt like I was out of my body.
Before entering the palace, I only expected that it was dangerous, but I will just paint. As long as I was careful and didn’t make any mistakes, I would be able to survive and reunite with my adoptive father one day. I never expected that a man of my age with a scar on my face would get into such a disaster.
“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Suddenly I heard a cold voice coming from the front. I was startled. I came to my senses and looked up. I found that a few steps away was the door of the room I lived in. In the deep corridor, the Saint Lord, who had been walking in front of me with a lantern, stopped.
