Chapter 178: Don't be fucked with

Xi Zirui wakes with a start, incredulous that he managed to fall asleep at all.

Han Yu is still unconscious by his side not showing any signs of stirring, but Xi Zirui thinks his skin looks less sallow, a little color having returned to his cheeks during the night.

He's snuggling into his side, still weary and restless regardless of how long he managed to sleep when a loud knock sounds outside the door to his suit of rooms.

It's in moments like these that he regrets having dismissed all the servants, he's in absolutely no frame of mind to handle some bullshit court politicking nonsense.

He puts on his robes haphazardly, doing only the bare minimum to look respectable before opening the door.

Xi Zirui doesn't know who he expected to find on the other side, but he is taken aback to see Cao Fei and Jin Ranyu, plus a group of their fellow guards behind them.

Jin Ranyu schools his features into a mask of impassivity the moment Xi Zirui opens the door. "His Majesty needs to come with us."

"What's the meaning of this?" Xi Zirui asks, looking at their serious faces with a sinking feeling.

Jin Ranyu's mask of serious concentration doesn't falter. "It's best for everyone if his Majesty comes with us without offering resistance."

Sighing despondently, Xi Zirui closes the door behind him, and allows the group of guards to escort him.

---

He doesn't know where he expects to be taken to, but he's surprised to find himself in one of the small studies in the Empress Dowager's quarters.

She's there once he's escorted in, but so is Su Xueyi, Shen Yun, Bai Mi and group of court eunuchs.

Xi Zirui hasn't come across Shen Yun in this world yet, but he knows he's a high-ranking eunuch. As a rule of thumb the court eunuchs bend whichever way the wind blows most favorably, so they're probably currently aligned with Su Xueyi.

The Empress Dowager is sitting behind a desk, in her usual sober, simple robes -- perhaps it's because she didn't love her late husband that she's so committed to playing the role of widow.

She fixes Xi Zirui with a long stare. "Some grave accusations have been leveled against his Majesty," 

Xi Zirui schools his features into a mask of polite concern and confusion. The truth is, whatever scheme Su Xueyi and Bai Mi are cooking hasn't been successful yet because the Empress Dowager's favor has yet to fall.

"This Emperor will gladly clear up any misunderstanding," he says, straining to look composed while all he wants is to scream.

He doesn't have the energy to deal with this, when his heart is rabitting inside his chest because he doesn't know what he's going to do about far more important things.

There's no point in trying to get back to a world where he and Han Yu can't be together, but they also can't stay in one of the Transmigrator 4000 worlds. That became clear when everything went swimmingly in the sixth world and Xi Zirui still couldn't stay, even though Ni Ni said she did her best to keep him there.

He knows now, without a shadow of doubt, that he can't trust the Shopkeeper.

But maybe Ni Ni is a different story. 

The Empress Dowager is giving him an odd look, and Xi Zirui realizes he was spacing out. With great difficulty he forces himself to tune in on what's happening around him. 

The only thing he's aware of is Ji Limei's conspicuous absence. 

He needs to hurry through whatever this is and get back to Han Yu.

"As this widowed one was saying," the Empress Dowager clears her throat, her keen gaze landing on Xi Zirui in reproach. "Minister Su claims to have found evidence that his Majesty has been colluding with the barbarian tribes threatening the sovereignty of our Xin's borders."

Xi Zirui hums. That's original and exciting. "And what has led Minister Su to that conclusion?"

Su Xueyi clears his throat and steps forward, away from the protective circle of eunuchs and closer to Xi Zirui. "We have found correspondence with his Majesty's seal addressed to unknown barbarians, disclosing Xin military tactics and revealing future maneuvers."

He shows the correspondence to the gathered audience, who all gasp and tither accordingly.

"That's not this Emperor's calligraphy."

"But it is his Majesty's seal," the Empress Dowager says, one thin eyebrow wrinkling the thin skin of her forehead with its ascent.

"Considering this orphaned one was unconscious for a number of days, it's entirely possible someone might have taken possession of it," Xi Zirui says, not raising to Su Xueyi's bait and keeping his tone level.

Shen Yun comes forward, flanking Su Xueyi as if to offer moral support. "This lowly servant saw his Majesty and the barbarian dog locked in an amorous exchange," he says his eyes lowered in false modesty. "Perhaps the barbarian has used his favored position to contact his countrymen."

Xi Zirui smirks. "Perhaps you saw this Emperor disciplining his pet, reminding him of his place as this Emperor's propriety, and got confused?"

Shen Yun stammers. Xi Zirui ignores him and addresses everyone else in the room. "Is it not this Emperor's right to do as he pleases with his propriety? If I see fit to use the barbarian as a bed-warmer who is going to contest it?"

Su Xueyi clears his throat again, one hand raising to the neckline of his robes. "It's hardly appropriate-"

Xi Zirui cuts him off with a scoff. "It's not as if this Emperor has turned him into a concubine, made him a member of the Imperial harem. Perhaps Minister Su is spending so much time in the company of eunuchs that he forgets that otherwise, men have urges."

That gets a few chuckles from the guards, and a few nods from some of the other officials in the room. Xi Zirui hates having to stoop to this level, and is only glad Han Yu isn't there to hear Xi Zirui talk about him in such a way. 

He's sorry to talk about the eunuchs so cruelly, but he needs to paint a clear picture for the other officials and ministers. He is an Emperor exerting his control over a conquered subject, and nothing else, the idea of him nurturing any kind of romantic feeling for Han Yu is preposterous.

This is how he saves him.

He tries not to care that the words turn to acid on his tongue.

"Was this Emperor summoned here for this? Are all the accusations leveled against this one, so shallow?"

Su Xueyi holds out the letters towards the Empress Dowager. "But the letters..."

"Anyone could have forged them," Xi Zirui pauses, letting the ensuing silence swell with anticipation. "Including Minister Su."

That gets everyone in a tizzy, but Su Xueyi only has himself to blame. He tried to use the double offensive of the incriminating letters and Xi Zirui's dubious relationship with Han Yu but it only resulted in him seeming weak for taking an eunuch's standpoint instead of a 'real man's'.

The Imperial court is no place for the faint of heart, and the eunuchs yield far more power than anyone is comfortable with -- any chance to undermine them is welcome.

"Speaking of which, his Majesty doesn't plan to keep the barbarian dog around when he welcomes an Empress and other harem members?" Bai Mi says, speaking up for the first time.

A hush falls over the room, and even the Empress Dowager sits up straighter.

Su Xueyi scrambles to regain control of the situation. "Exactly, it would be offensive to the family of any future brides."

Xi Zirui grits his teeth through his pleasant smile. "Naturally, this Emperor has no intention of keeping the prisoner after he has outlived his usefulness, but the matter of finding out who ordered him to take out the assassination on this Emperor is still unclear." He smiles. "As is the most recent attempt."

The Empress Dowager hums in agreement, steepling her fingers together. "A grave matter, indeed."

"From what I've gathered from the barbarian, letters were also involved, the dancer mentioned the same thing. She claimed to be acting under the barbarian's orders, which is impossible as he hasn't left this Emperor's sight for even a second." 

He points carelessly towards the letters in Su Xueyi's hands. "Perhaps what Minister Su holds in his hands is proof of a much larger conspiracy."

"Congratulations Host! Empress Dowager's Favor up by 25 points. Now at 70 of a possible 100 points."

Su Xueyi looks like he wishes he could eat the letters if only to make everyone in the room stop looking at them. Shen Yun looks like someone who badly miscalculated his chess moves and is trying to take stock of all his stones for some quick backpedaling across the board.

Only Bai Mi fixes him with a calculated stare, as if she's seeing him under a new light. 

He needs to make it clear to her that he is not to be fucked with.

"Speaking of letters, this Emperor stumbled on the most exciting correspondence. He thinks older sister would be interested to hear all about it."