Oh, My Emperor! (Zhanyi Fanfic) - PART 1

Cha. 017

Yibo felt a knot rise in his throat as the empress stepped into the courtroom with four maidens trailing behind her. When they came to a halt, they all bowed before the emperor, except for the  empress, who looked her only son in the eyes without flinching or fleeing.

“As promised, I have brought the maidens that I feel are good for you. Only one of them can become your consort, and the others are to become your concubine. It is only proper for an emperor to be with his consort and concubines."

Zhan rolled his eyes and didn't bother to look at the girls presented to him like they were some sort of toys he was to pick from. He looked at his mother. Those eyes that used to look at him like he was some sort of monster were now staring at him unwaveringly. He snorted. Perhaps she had grown accustomed to his presence and was no longer terrified by the sight of him.

He looked at the girls; they were pretty, but when he looked at Yibo, he realized their beauty was unrivaled compared to what he saw in the male—that was how much he was obsessed with the male, but his mother did not know that—it would only add fuel to the fire if she ever found out he preferred men to women—her hatred for him would soar out the roof of his palace; the thought only made him laugh out loud.

The empress's gaze narrowed, and her jaw tightened. “What is so funny, Zhan?”

Zhan only shook his head dismissively and looked at his manservant, who watched with a blank gaze, trying to hide what he felt underneath. “What do you think, Yibo? Who among these maidens do you think is fit to be my consort?”

Yibo almost flinched at the sound of his name. Before he could answer, the empress beat him to it.

“You are asking a servant? This concerns you and your future and you are asking a servant?” She gritted through her teeth, throwing a hateful glare at the slave boy. Perhaps there was an importance to the boy for Zhan to put so much interest in him, which he rarely did but no matter how long she studied him, she saw nothing but a slave boy with a sealed fate.

“The empress is right, Your majesty, this concerns your future and that of the empire. I am but a lowly servant.” Yibo bowed.

Zhan rolled his eyes and stood up from his throne. He picked up a red rose meant for his consort among the white roses meant for his concubines and approached Yibo while a smile played on his lips. He stretched the red rose to his manservant and Yibo’s jaw hit the ground.

What was the meaning of this? Was the emperor selecting him to be his consort? Was the emperor playing some sort of twisted joke? He looked at the crimson rose as if it were the cause of his clan's demise. "I do not understand," he blurted out.

"I am trying to let my mother know today that you are not a servant but my..." he trailed off, a gleam in his eyes and a doom-stricken smile on his lips."Whoever you choose tonight will be my consort; that is how valuable you are in my court and to me."

The empress exclaimed, unable to believe what she had heard. “Zhan! Have you completely lost your mind?!

Zhan kept his gaze fixed on Yibo, as if he had not heard his mother's exclamation. “A red rose would look good on you,” he whispered, then moved towards Yibo's ear, whispering in a low voice. "You would look a lot better as my consort." He withdrew, smirking at Yibo's horrified expression, and proceeded down the altar of his throne with the red rose in his hand. He decided to entertain his aging mother.

He stared and observed the girls, unconcerned about who would become his consort. He extended the rose to the first maiden, and with a pleasant and gentle smile, she received it.

"I suppose that is enough for today. I have chosen my consort, and I believe you can now sleep peacefully at night. You are dismissed, I shall leave the rest to you and Yibo, mother.”

Once the emperor left the court, Yibo was left to deal with the wrath of the empress as she continued to glare at him like he had murdered someone she loved in cold blood. With a bow, he chose to follow the emperor—the young emperor may be insane and sick in the head, but he was the only one who did not make him feel less of a human.

*~*

Yibo arrived at the emperor's chambers to see that he had already changed out of his magnificent black robes and into night clothing.

"Is there anything else you require, Your Majesty?" Yibo queried, his head bent. He didn't dare look at him. The emperor was out of his mind to ask him that—his consort? The young Emperor had a strange way of having fun and Yibo's heart was the one getting affected by every mess he created.

“Just a question,” Zhan turned to face him. "What are your thoughts about me?"

Yibo didn't look at him as he asked. "Your Majesty, I do not comprehend."

"Do you regard me as the son of the man who took away your clan? Do you get reminded of this whenever someone calls you a slave?"

Yibo's head jolted up, and he finally met Zhan's gaze; they held nothing, but the question hung in the air.

Zhan took a step forward, his eyes becoming as dark as a starless night. "Do you despise me, Yibo? Perhaps you seek vengeance for what my father did to you?"

The question was out of the blue and Yibo hated it because he hadn't expected to be asked this sort of question. He averted his gaze, convinced his eyes were easily read. "I do not resent you for what your father did to my clan. They had committed treason against the empire, and they got exactly what they deserved." Those were the hardest yet simplest words Yibo had ever said because they were a lie. "I do not seek vengeance, and my allegiance is with you and the empire," and with each word he spoke, he backed up until his back hit the wall and the emperor trapped him against it; a position they’d once been, and one he did not find particularly comfortable— nothing good ever happened when they were in this position.

“Do you mean it, why can't you look at me when you say those words?”

Yibo didn't hesitate as he looked up to meet Zhan's eyes. “I mean every word,” he left emotions out of his tone.

“I want to prove it? Will you let me?” He spoke with his eyes drifting to Yibo's lips and a second later, he smashed their lips together.

Yibo's eyes widened with a jolt of surprise and discomfort. He quickly placed his palm on Zhan's chest and pushed, yet his mouth was firm, persistent, and uncompromising, whilst Yibo's was unresponsive and unwilling.

His brain could not fathom what was happening. One moment they were talking and the next, they were kissing. A man kissing another man!

Yibo despised it, but his body told a different story, and when his pushes became more insistent, Zhan seized both of his arms and held them over his head while continuing to devour his lips.

He struggled but the emperor's grip on his hands was stronger than he imagined, he held him firmly and his grip was unrelenting. Panic set into Yibo as he realized he was trapped, unable to escape the unwanted embrace. His mind raced,his heart pounded, and his body tensed in resistance. This was wrong.

Finally, the torture came to an end when Zhan withdrew and Yibo used that opportunity to yank his hands free and shoved him back harshly and before he realized, his palm had struck the emperor's cheek in his hard slap.

His shoulders shook with rage, as Zhan's eyes widened in shock.

Yibo didn't stand there to realize his mistake of hitting the Emperor and the consequences of his actions that could follow as he harshly wiped his lips with the back of his palm and sprinted out of the chambers.

Zhan touched his face. Perhaps,he deserved the slap for growing too impatient.

But how much longer did he have to wait? How much longer did he have to suffer?

Time wasn't on his side.