TPATTHU Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Good, It’s Finally Ending

Xiao Zhinian took the porridge from the food container and reached out a hand, wanting to turn Shen Zhejiang’s shoulder, saying, “This is the Pearl Jade Congee from Zisulou. I waited in line for a long time. It’s still hot, get up and have some.”

Shen Zhejiang closed his eyes, pretending not to hear.

“…” Xiao Zhinian was silent for a moment, staring at the back of Shen Zhejiang’s head, his tone gradually becoming displeased, “How long do you plan to oppose me? Turn around.”

Shen Zhejiang’s eyelashes trembled slightly, seemingly determined to ignore Xiao Zhinian, but the next moment, he was suddenly turned over by that strong hand.

The excruciating pain of broken skin and abrasion came almost instantly.

His rarely exposed skin was very delicate, and the rough rope had rubbed it raw, leaving a large, terrifying circle of bloody marks. It was unknown how Shen Zhejiang had done it, but even the bright red flesh had been exposed.

Every touch was unbearably painful.

But Shen Zhejiang frowned slightly, stubbornly refusing to utter a sound.

“Shen Zhejiang, open your eyes.”

In his ear was Xiao Zhinian’s commanding tone, cold and completely different from the young man he once was.

Shen Zhejiang couldn’t help but remember the “Teacher” that Xiao Zhinian had always called out as a child, chasing after him. His tender face always carried a bright and gentle smile. At that time, Xiao Zhinian didn’t know that because he harbored hatred for children, he had wanted to kill him with a single blow.

Anyway, the charge of treason and rebellion had already been placed on his head, so he wouldn’t mind adding another one to solidify it.

But why did he act so soft-heartedly?

Shen Zhejiang couldn’t say for sure. Perhaps it was really because of kinship, so he compromised with himself again and again, and persuaded himself countless times.

Xiao Zhinian was just a child who didn’t understand anything. He didn’t want to inflict this deep-seated hatred on someone unrelated.

Moreover, in the first two years after he was appointed Crown Prince Taifu, Wu Kun Emperor hadn’t relaxed his surveillance and vigilance towards him. Later, little by little, those informants who were secretly guarding against him retreated.

And as time passed, he seemed to have developed another kind of shameful affection for Xiao Zhinian. He had always hidden it very well, at least he thought so himself.

If he hadn’t allowed himself to continue this dirty feeling, wouldn’t these things have not happened today…?

He was the culprit.

Seeing that Shen Zhejiang hadn’t responded for a long time, Xiao Zhinian couldn’t wait any longer and pinched his cheek.

“Mmm…”

Shen Zhejiang was indeed in so much pain that he opened his eyes. He didn’t manage his emotions well, revealing a trace of pain.

Xiao Zhinian caught it, thinking that he had hurt him, so he released some of his strength, his fingertips gently stroking the finger marks that had appeared on his face, saying with an ambiguous meaning, “Teacher, listen to me more, I won’t do anything to you, okay?”

The tone at the end was meant to make Shen Zhejiang nod.

But Shen Zhejiang just looked at him, his expression arrogant, and faintly spat out two words: “Let go.”

Xiao Zhinian’s temples throbbed, and he narrowed his eyes, staring at Shen Zhejiang, seeing his own increasingly gloomy and irritable face in those amber eyes, familiar yet strange.

Finally, he took a breath.

“Drink the porridge.”

The bowl was suddenly brought to Shen Zhejiang’s lips.

The hot steam rose, so close, yet so far.

Shen Zhejiang avoided it: “I’m not hungry.”

Xiao Zhinian pinched him, forcing Shen Zhejiang to open his mouth, the meaning was self-evident. Shen Zhejiang was trapped in a small world, unable to escape, and equally unyielding, biting his lower lip.

During the stalemate, half a bowl of hot porridge spilled on Shen Zhejiang’s clothes, and more splashed into the gaps between Xiao Zhinian’s palm bones, scalding a red patch.

“You really won’t drink it?”

“…”

“Good,” Xiao Zhinian gritted his teeth, throwing the bowl hard behind him. At the same time as the loud crash, his deep voice fell into Shen Zhejiang’s ears, as if something had exploded, “Very well.”

Shen Zhejiang was suddenly startled. He hadn’t figured out where that feeling of fear came from when Xiao Zhinian suddenly tore off Shen Zhejiang’s waistband, and like a madman, pulled his clothes and pants down to his ankles.

An increased sense of humiliation immediately rushed to Shen Zhejiang’s head. He was like a fish out of water, struggling on the bed, “Xiao Zhinian, are you going to treat me like this again…”

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a burst of intense pain in his buttocks.

Xiao Zhinian was actually hitting him…

This realization made Shen Zhejiang feel even more that Xiao Zhinian was humiliating him.

“Stop it… ah…”

But Xiao Zhinian didn’t listen to his cries at all. It was a male’s desire to conquer at play. He had a sullen face, and angry sparks danced in his eyes, “In the past, when I was disobedient, Teacher would hit my palm. Now that Teacher is disobeying me, he should also be punished!”

As he spoke, he increased his strength by three points.

Shen Zhejiang was held down by his hand on his back, his face turned to the side, unable to move, and could only endure the pain inflicted by Xiao Zhinian in such a humiliating posture.

“Xiao Zhinian, stop it…”

Shen Zhejiang cried, shouted, and his voice gradually became hoarse.

Compared to the physical pain, the mental torment was a thousand times worse.

For some moments, he felt like he couldn’t breathe in his chest. Shen Zhejiang felt like he was really going to suffocate, but he didn’t. Then he started coughing again.

“Cough cough… cough cough!!”

However, after only a few coughs, a rusty taste of blood surged up his throat, more fishy and thick than ever before, and he spat it out in his mouth with a whoosh.

It stained the bedding red, and also stained half of Shen Zhejiang’s face red.

Was he going to die…?

Good.

It was finally ending.

Shen Zhejiang slowly lowered his extremely tired eyelids, and through the last glimmer of light, he saw Xiao Zhinian’s dazed expression, which then turned into a very anxious look. It was a look of anxiety that Shen Zhejiang had never seen before, rushing towards him.

“Shen Zhejiang!!”

After that, he couldn’t see anything anymore.

Xiao Zhinian panicked, and hugged the unconscious Shen Zhejiang into his arms, supporting his limp neck.

The blood blurred Shen Zhejiang’s face, stabbing into Xiao Zhinian’s eyes like a knife.

“Shen Zhejiang! Wake up!! Don’t scare me, do you want me to untie you? I’ll untie you right away! You wake up, I won’t tie you up anymore…”

Xiao Zhinian put Shen Zhejiang back on the pillow, his trembling hands failing to grasp the rope several times. He finally grabbed it and untied it for a long time, flustered, but couldn’t untie it no matter what.

“It’ll be quick… I’ll take you to the imperial physician right away, you’ll be fine…” he murmured, “I won’t let anything happen to you, it’ll be fine in a little while…”

Because he was afraid that Shen Zhejiang would escape, Xiao Zhinian forgot that he had tied a dead knot, and in his panic, he completely forgot about it.

“Shen Zhejiang, I won’t allow anything to happen to you!” His fingers were repeatedly rubbed raw by the rope, bleeding. Seeing that the rope was still intact, Xiao Zhinian roared in rage, “Huai Wu!! Drag all the people from the entire Imperial Hospital over here for me!!”