After Breaking Free From The System's Control - Chapter 13

The palace hall glowed brightly with candlelight, stretching Xiao Li’s tall yet visibly weary shadow far across the doorway as he departed, until it disappeared completely into the darkness outside.

Jin Tang remained seated alone at the table, his fingertips tracing the cool rim of a porcelain cup.

Without making a sound, Wang Zhong directed the attendants as they cleared away the leftover dishes. Every movement was careful and restrained, as though he feared disturbing the emperor.

He stole a glance at Jin Tang’s expression.

The young emperor’s eyes were lowered, and the candlelight cast faint shadows across his pale face, making his emotions difficult to discern.

Only the corner of his lips, where Xiao Li’s fingertip had brushed earlier, seemed to retain the faintest trace of warmth.

“Your Majesty,” Wang Zhong began cautiously, keeping his voice extremely soft. “It is getting late. Would you like to retire for the night?”

Jin Tang raised his eyes and looked toward the heavy darkness beyond the windows.

He shook his head.

“Wait a little longer.”

After a pause, he seemed to remember something.

“Wang Zhong, the evidence I ordered you to gather against those men should be sufficient by now.”

It was not a question.

It was a statement.

Wang Zhong’s heart tightened, and he bent even lower.

“Your Majesty, everything has been verified. There is more than enough to make them suffer.”

He asked tentatively, “Your Majesty’s intention is…?”

“There is no need to keep it until New Year.”

Jin Tang’s voice remained flat.

“Send everything to the Regent. Tell him it is my will. Move those men somewhere quiet and give them empty titles. I do not want them obstructing matters from important positions.”

Jin Tang spoke as though it were nothing significant.

But Wang Zhong understood the weight behind his words.

The emperor intended to pull out those hidden thorns completely, yet he did not plan to exterminate them.

He merely wanted to strip them of real authority, ensuring that they would never again have the opportunity to stir up trouble.

“This old servant understands.”

Wang Zhong bowed.

“I will personally see to it first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Mm.”

Jin Tang answered indifferently and tapped his fingertips lightly against the table.

Then he remembered another matter.

“Also, Qiwu Palace has stood empty all this time, and it is close to my bedchamber. Have people clean and prepare it carefully. Once it is ready, ask the Regent to move there.”

“He travels back and forth between the palace and his residence every day. It wastes too much of his energy. Rather than spending that time on the road, he would be better off resting.”

Qiwu Palace?

This time, Wang Zhong was genuinely shocked.

That residence ranked second only to the emperor’s own bedchamber in scale and status.

Traditionally, it was reserved for the empress.

To allow the Regent—a subject, and an unrelated prince of immense power—to reside there…

This…

His Majesty’s recent actions were becoming increasingly difficult to understand.

“Yes. This old servant obeys.”

Wang Zhong suppressed the doubts and worries filling his heart and answered quietly.

When Xiao Li received the stack of “evidence” Wang Zhong secretly delivered, he was reviewing memorials in the Imperial Study.

The candlelight flickered over his stern profile.

He opened the papers.

The further he read, the deeper his brows furrowed.

The charges listed within were not entirely conclusive, but they were more than enough to suppress the officials who had recently been agitated, overly active, and harboring restless ambitions.

Wang Zhong stood nearby with his hands lowered and quietly relayed Jin Tang’s instructions.

“His Majesty wishes Your Highness to handle the matter as you see fit. There is only one condition: these men are no longer to occupy important positions while contributing nothing.”

“You may find a reason to demote them and send them to insignificant posts.”

Xiao Li set down the papers and lightly tapped one finger against the cold rosewood desk.

He understood.

His Majesty intended to use his hand to cleanse the court, but did not want to create too great a disturbance.

The method was restrained and merciful.

Something stirred faintly within Xiao Li’s heart.

He remembered the young emperor beneath the crabapple tree, pale-faced yet resolute as he instructed him that he “need not obey.”

“This prince understands,” Xiao Li said steadily. “Report to His Majesty that this subject will carry out his will.”

Wang Zhong released a breath of relief.

“There is one more matter. His Majesty ordered Qiwu Palace to be prepared and asks Your Highness to move there, so you will not need to exhaust yourself traveling back and forth every day.”

Even Xiao Li froze upon hearing this.

Qiwu Palace?

How could he possibly fail to understand its symbolic meaning?

For a subject to reside there was simply unheard of.

Xiao Li instinctively prepared to refuse.

“This is contrary to propriety. This prince—”

“Your Highness,” Wang Zhong interrupted him. “His Majesty means well.”

“In this old servant’s opinion, His Majesty has been lacking in energy lately, yet he still personally asked after the arrangements in Qiwu Palace.”

“If Your Highness insists on refusing, His Majesty may become unsettled, which would only interfere with his recovery.”

The words on Xiao Li’s lips came to an abrupt halt.

Jin Tang’s bloodless face surfaced in his mind.

He remembered the way Jin Tang forced himself to remain alert while discussing state affairs with him.

He even remembered the unusually lively yet fragile expression Jin Tang had worn during their meal.

The refusal suddenly became difficult to voice.

After a long silence, Xiao Li finally said quietly,

“This subject thanks His Majesty for his great favor.”

Qiwu Palace was soon prepared.

On the day Xiao Li moved in, he looked over the furnishings and felt the weight of that unexpected favor grow even heavier.

Everything had clearly been arranged with care.

It was not extravagantly luxurious, but every detail was appropriate and considerate.

Even the potted plants placed upon the small table beside the window were orchids, which he had always preferred.

How could this possibly be a place meant for a subject?

This was clearly…

Xiao Li did not dare continue the thought.

He only felt as though something had lodged in his chest, carrying an indescribable mixture of warmth and aching bitterness.

He could only transform this extraordinary favor into an even heavier sense of responsibility.

He devoted himself to state affairs with increasing diligence, nearly forgetting to eat or sleep, as though only by doing so could he repay the young emperor for this kindness he could neither understand nor refuse.

Changes within the court also unfolded quietly.

With the leverage Jin Tang had provided, Xiao Li acted swiftly and decisively.

Several decrees were issued, and the officials in question were either demoted or transferred.

The official reasons were all perfectly respectable, leaving no grounds for criticism.

Their actual authority, however, was stripped away completely.

They could only retain meaningless titles in insignificant posts and were no longer capable of creating trouble.

Everyone inside and outside the court understood what had happened without needing it stated openly.

For a time, the restless atmosphere settled considerably.

Life seemed to become peaceful once again.

Jin Tang occasionally sat beneath the crabapple tree.

More often, he remained in his bedchamber, listening as Wang Zhong reported what matters Xiao Li had handled that day, or reading the summaries of memorials Xiao Li had ordered delivered to him.

Ever since the day Jin Tang angered the System into “going offline,” it had remained quiet.

Yet the silence resembled the dead stillness before a storm, tightening his heart with an inexplicable unease.

Then, nearly a month after Xiao Li became Regent, the System returned one afternoon.

Jin Tang had just awakened from a short nap, his consciousness still hazy, when the silent space inside his mind suddenly trembled violently.

【Mission issued: Immediately issue a decree releasing Zhang Yongxing, Vice Minister of Revenue, from the imperial prison. He is currently scheduled to be exiled three thousand li in three days. Mission reward: none. Mission failure: Level Three punishment.】

It had come.

Jin Tang was not even surprised.

He slowly sat up and leaned against the cushioned headrest, his gaze settling upon an empty point in the air.

As though afraid he would not sufficiently “immerse himself in the role,” the System immediately forced a segment of the so-called original plot into his mind.

In the vision was another “Jin Tang.”

That Jin Tang greatly favored and trusted Zhang Yongxing, believed every slanderous word he spoke, and treated loyal officials like weeds beneath his feet.

Zhang Yongxing, meanwhile, exploited the “young emperor’s” incompetence to eliminate his opponents and accumulate wealth step by step, eventually gaining overwhelming influence throughout the court and becoming one of the most corrupt officials of his era.

But in the present, Zhang Yongxing had barely had the opportunity to slander anyone before Jin Tang when Xiao Li imprisoned him for corruption and dereliction of duty.

Jin Tang had heard that he received considerable “special attention” in prison and had long since been beaten beyond recognition.

This was the sort of man the System demanded he save.

【Have you seen clearly?】

The System’s voice carried a condescending and malicious delight.

【This is the plot you are supposed to follow! Favor corrupt officials and reject the loyal! Issue the decree immediately!】

Jin Tang closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, they were perfectly clear, with a trace of mockery in their depths.

He did not summon anyone.

He did not struggle.

Instead, he began removing his outer robes slowly and methodically, piece by piece, until he wore only his plain white inner garment.

Then he raised a hand and pulled the jade hairpin from his hair.

His black hair instantly cascaded down like a waterfall, making his face appear even paler and his neck more slender and vulnerable.

Jin Tang lay back down.

He pulled the brocade quilt over himself and carefully arranged it, adjusting his body into a relatively comfortable position.

Only after finishing all of this did he address the cold System inside his mind and clearly enunciate three words.

“I. Refuse.”

He did not want to collapse awkwardly onto the floor because of the pain.

He did not want to lose control in front of the palace attendants.

If punishment was unavoidable, then at least he could choose a relatively dignified way to endure it.

Almost the instant the word “refuse” fell—

“Ugh!”

Agony capable of tearing apart the soul suddenly pierced downward from the top of his head.

It was no ordinary pain.

It felt more like countless red-hot steel needles stabbing and twisting wildly along his spine.

Wherever they passed, his meridians contorted and his bones seemed to scream.

Violent currents of electricity surged through every limb and joint.

His muscles spasmed and tightened beyond his control, as though invisible hands were brutally tearing him apart.

Jin Tang’s body arched instantly.

Then the extreme pain forced him into a rigid backward curve, his neck thrown back and the veins beneath his skin bulging sharply.

He bit down hard on his lower lip.

A rich metallic taste filled his mouth at once, but he forcibly swallowed the groan that had risen to his throat.

His vision repeatedly darkened.

Brilliant multicolored spots burst before his eyes, only to be swallowed immediately by deeper darkness.

A deafening hum roared beside his ears, nearly piercing his eardrums.

Cold sweat poured from him like floodwater released through an opened gate.

It instantly soaked through his thin inner garment.

The strands of hair at his forehead and temples clung to his skin, cold and damp.

Jin Tang gripped the brocade quilt beneath him.

His knuckles turned bluish white from the force, trembling slightly.

【The host is resisting the mission! Punishment level increased!】

An even stronger current swept through him.

Jin Tang felt as though his internal organs had been placed over raging flames, then repeatedly pierced by blades of freezing ice.

His consciousness swayed on the verge of collapse, as though the endless torment would tear it completely apart in the next instant.

He curled into himself.

Through his blurred vision, he seemed to see the crabapple tree outside the window again.

He saw the tall figure standing beneath the flowering branches.

He saw the alarm and concern flashing through those deep eyes when Xiao Li had caught him.

Xiao Li…

Jin Tang clung desperately to the final thread of clarity in his mind and allowed the overwhelming pain to drown his consciousness.

Outside the hall, the last rays of sunset slowly disappeared.

Dusk gathered from every direction.

No lamps had been lit inside the bedchamber.

Everything lay in darkness.

Only the curled and faintly trembling figure upon the bed remained, silently enduring it all.

The water clock dripped steadily.

At that moment, time seemed to stretch into something unbearably long.

Meanwhile, Xiao Li was reviewing memorials in the Imperial Dining Hall when, for no apparent reason, his heart suddenly gave a violent jolt.

The tip of his brush stopped.

A drop of dark ink fell abruptly onto the snow-white paper, spreading rapidly into a heavy black stain.

He instinctively raised his head and looked toward the emperor’s bedchamber.

His brows drew tightly together.