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A faceless portrait

When the messenger eunuch heard these words, he was practically scared out of his wits, and he hurriedly kowtowed and apologized, "Your Majesty, forgive this slave. Your Majesty, forgive this slave. This slave…This slave…"

"Scram. Don't appear in front of Zhen again," Shao Qian coldly spoke.

When the messenger eunuch heard his words, he became deathly pale. "Don't ever appear before His Majesty again" With this, his future had immediately been decided. He had originally wanted to flatter and fawn over His Majesty, but he had never intended to hit the horse's leg. [1] How could he be so foolish as to think that he could replace the little eunuch that had grown up together with His Majesty?

Shao Qian called for a guard and immediately threw the messenger eunuch out, before he called Xi Fu to his side, "From now on, you can't be this way. You are Zhen's Little DaiGua, how could you let others bully you?"

"But… But, this servant doesn't, doesn't know how to rebut others," Xi Fu stammered. He was a well-behaved child, as if his lips were pasted together with glue, they wouldn't open. Where would he able to talk back to others?

"Just directly say it, this lord wanted to do it, is it any of your concern?" Shao Qian patted Xi Fu's arm, looking at him while encouraging him.

"…" Xi Fu's head spun in two circles, before said with a long face, "Master, I'm a eunuch."

Who ever saw a eunuch that addressed himself as lord? Anyways, I had never seen one.

Shao Qian was made speechless by Xi Fu, was he not, at this very moment, refuting him?

"Then say 'I' [2]." A lot of eunuch in TV dramas seemed to say it this way? Shao Qian hadn't watched television for a very long time already, he couldn't remember too clearly.

"Oh." Xi Fu, although having merely a hazy notion, nodded his head.

"From now, other then me, no one else can scold you. Whoever scolds you, return it back. Don't be scared, I'll support you." Shao Qian got up and heroically patted Xi Fu's shoulder, "I am the Emperor, from now on, you are my steward. Your imposing manner cannot be weak."

"Oh." When Xi Fu heard Shao Qian's words, he was moved, eyes filling with tears. But, it wasn't because his master said that he would be the person in charge that he was moved, rather, it was because these words made him feel that he was needed, and he was able to share his master's burdens. Also, he was trusted by his master.

Shao Qian along with Xi Fu stayed in the Imperial Garden for nearly an hour before leaving. After he left, his actions were very quickly reported to the regent.

The regent, who was half-lying on the soft couch, upon hearing the hidden guard repeat what Shao Qian had said, gave a snort of contempt. Only a child whose hair hasn't even grown, he could actually still think of supporting others?

"Continue. If Helian Yi Xuan makes any other movements, immediately report to me." Helian Jing Qi allowed the person to withdraw before getting up and entered the inner room. He walked to the wall and opened a secret door, entering the hidden chamber.

But, this place didn't have any rare treasures or an important military secret, rather, the walls were packed with portraits. One piece after another, portraits that didn't have any face.

The person in the portrait could be sitting, laying down, or look; there were numerous portraits and countless poses, but it wasn't hard to tell that the person within the portrait was always the same. Most of the time, the person in the portrait would be wearing a neat short gown, there were only a few pieces that depicted him wearing thick and heavy Chinese clothing as he stood imposingly. His headful of black hair was braided and hung behind him, diamond-shaped decorations were hung on his forehead, his body bundled up within the layers and layers of Chinese clothing. The only regrettable imperfection would he that absolutely empty face.

Helian Jing Qi's finger gently stroked the head of the person within the painting, and followed the grains of the drawing paper, sliding down. But, when his finger touched the cheeks of the person within the portrait, it stopped. Why couldn't he remember his appearance? He had obviously appeared in his dreams countless of times, so why couldn't he remember his appearance.

On Helian Jing Qi's expressionless face, a trace of irritation flashed. Recently, just over a month back, he would always dream about a person. But, from the beginning to the end, that person's face would always be covered by fog, making it impossible for him to see it clearly. He had drawn many portraits, yet until now, he couldn't fill in that person's face.

He could clearly remember what took place in the dream, to the extent that he remembered that in the dream, he had short, blonde hair and golden eyes. This kind of appearance was very strange, if they had been born in this time, it was very likely that they would called as an evil spirit by others and burned to death.

However, it didn't seem to be this way with his looks within the dream. He distinctly remembered that the people within the dream would have respect in their eyes as they looked at him. Furthermore, from beginning to end, there would always be a man with long, black hair, accompanying him by his side. But, why could he not remember that person's face?

The agitated regent walked to beside the table, and upon seeing the incomplete drawing on the table, he was stunned. This time, he didn't know whether an evil spirit had possessed him or what, but after he finished grinding the ink, he lifted the brush towards the face of the person in the portrait, and began drawing. And when he regained awareness; the person in the portrait already had a face. However, this face immediately made the regent's complexion turn black.

The person he had drawn wasn't just anyone, it was Helian Yi Xuan who was eight years younger than him, and furthermore, placed onto the throne as a puppet.

The regent's face was without expression as he ripped the drawing into pieces. This kind of attractive but useless puppet, how could he be mentioned in the same breath as the n.o.ble person in the portrait?

Don't speak so soon, regent. At times, you mustn't conclude a matter so early, otherwise you will regret…

On the morning of the second day, Shao Qian went to court. Only, this time he was sitting on the Dragon Throne, however, the regent that he wished to see didn't attend the court. When he asked, did he become aware that the regent's body was unwell, and thus he was taking a break.

Shao Qian, who didn't see the regent, felt somewhat depressed in his heart. After all, he had wanted to confirm whether that person is Vincent or not. But, when he heard a eunuch pa.s.s on the message that the regent didn't feel well and would be taking a break today, he laughed bitterly. What a great haughty manner, if he said not going, then he wouldn't go, did he really think that he had no ways of punis.h.i.+ng him?

Fine then, right now, he really didn't have any power to punish him. At this moment, the regent held the power in his hands, and majority were his men, and if he really wanted to proclaim himself Emperor, it would merely be a minor thing. So, he, the puppet Emperor wouldn't be able to do anything, at least, on surface or secretly, it couldn't be done.

The regent had probably placed not just a few men by his side, so long as he did something unusual, it would likely be pa.s.sed on to the regent's ears. If that happened, don't even talk about seizing power, his small life would be delivered away.

After the court ended, Shao Qian hurriedly brough Xi Fu back to the QianKun Palace, and got Xi Fu to take the thick and heavy imperial crown off his head. This imperial crown was really heavy, it made his neck uncomfortable. Furthermore, his hair was binded up tightly, it was to the extent that his scalp also felt pain somewhat.

"Master, you said you wanted to take apart the hair bun?" Xi Fu's face was bitter, "If it was seen by the education mama [3], you'll be lectured once again."

"Tie it into a braid for this lord." Shao Qian didn't wait for Xi Fu to move, he directly pulled apart the hair bun and squeezed an ox horn comb into Xi Fu's hands, "Now, this lord is the Emperor, the education mama won't be able to say anything."

Would Xi Fu still be able to defy Shao Qian? Of course not. So, he could only obey the order and braided his master's hair.

After having his hair braided and his clothes changed, Shao Qian wanted to go out of the palace. This made Xi Fu frightened, and not lightly. This, this, this, why did he still want to leave the palace? It had to be known that his master, from young until now, had only left the palace three times, and everytime, he would always let the guards clean up the streets before daring to go out. Now, looking at his master's behaviour, could it he wanted to go out by himself?

Xi Fu was frightened stiff by his idea. If anything were to happen to his master outside, how could he explain it to the previous Emperor?

"What are you trembling about?" Shao Qian packed yet another two sets of clothes for both Xi Fu and him, taking the waist plate [4]  of the Qian Kun Palace, before pulling Xi Fu and leaving.

Shao Qian had just set foot out of the Qian Kun Palace, when behind him, there was someone who left urgently to inform the regent.

The regent, who was still in a bad mood from drawing the little Emperor's face and thus didn't attend court, had ran to a teahouse in the early morning. While sitting in a private room and also not allowing others to serve him tea, he merely propped up his lower jaw as he looked out of the window in a trance.

When the hidden guard came forward to report and interrupted him, he was somewhat annoyed, "What happened?"

"Master, the Emperor went out of the palace." That hidden guard was frightened by Helian Jing Qi. He had originally wanted to kneel; as a result, when he heard the regent speaking, he immediately scrambled to kneel on the floor, not daring to move.

"Follow him." Now, when Helian Jing Qi heard the little Emperor's name, he felt fed up, why would he care whether he left the palace? Leaving the palace was also good, it would be best if he was taught a lesson by his careless actions, lets see whether he would dare to leave as he pleased afterwards.

Regarding him, the little Emperor only had to continue living, if he could obediently be his puppet, then it would be good. At the very least, he wouldn't care about whatever else he did.

"Understood." The hidden guard hurriedly retreated, he feared that if he dallied before the regent, the anger would be taken out on him.

After the hidden guard left, Helian Jing Qi continued to sit by the window, only, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't calm his heart. And when he inadvertently caught sight of a figure on the streets, whose hair was in a braid, and was also dressed in a pale blue unlined long gown, [5] his facial complexion changed. This person's back was similar to the person in the dream, perhaps it was only a slight possibility, but he still wasn't willing to let it slip away.

Helian Jing Qi rushed down from the teahouse, and with a fast pace, he advance towards that figure. But, when the distance between him and that person was merely a few steps, he was unable to move forward. What if… What if it wasn't the person in his dreams?

"Who are you? Why are you sneakily looking at my family's little… My family's son?" The little servant who had stealthily slipped out along with her Miss, upon turning her head, she saw a tall male staring at her Miss. Could it be, that this scoundrel, was having wicked thoughts towards her Miss?

Hearing the servant words, that 'youth' whose hair was braided and was dressed in a pale blue unlined long gown, also turned around, and upon seeing Helian Jing Qi's appearance, his face flushed red.

An exceedingly beautiful man.

However, when he saw the person, whose back view was so similar to the person in his dreams, turn around, and clearly seeing his fact, he really felt abandoned. It wasn't him, even if the back looked the same as the person in his dreams, the inherent n.o.ble manner couldn't even be compared.

"This… official?" The woman disguised as a man coyly hid herself behind the servant's back, "Show some courtesy, official."

When the depressed Helian Jing Qi confirmed that person with the back view wasn't that person, his face became cold. He also didn't look at the blus.h.i.+ng young girl, directly brus.h.i.+ng pa.s.s them and leaving.

[1] He had originally wanted to flatter and fawn over His Majesty [原想着拍陛下馬屁], but he never wanted to hit the horse's leg. [卻不曾想拍到了馬腿上].

→ 拍馬屁 → Flatter, lick sb's boots

→ (Literal translation) 拍馬屁  → Hit horse's b.u.t.t

→ (Literal translation) 拍馬腿上 – Hit horse's leg

So, what it means is that he tried to hit the horse b.u.t.t (aka tried to flatter), but missed and hit the horse leg instead (aka he failed).

[2] I [咱家] – I; me (Often used in early vernacular)

It's different from the 'I' [我] that Xi Fu used in the previous chapter.

[3] Mama [嬤嬤] – form of address for an elderly woman

[4] Waist plate [腰牌]

[5] Unlined long gown [長衫] – Traditional garment worn by men

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