After Breaking Free From The System's Control - Chapter 7

After court was dismissed and Jin Tang returned to his bedchamber, he felt as though every bone in his body had been pulled out.

Even his fingertips throbbed with a weak, aching exhaustion.

The brief clarity and strength he had forced himself to summon vanished as quickly as a punctured bubble, leaving behind an even deeper emptiness and fatigue.

Supported carefully by Wang Zhong and another eunuch, Jin Tang was practically half-carried back into the inner chamber before being laid once more upon the vast, cold dragon bed.

The imperial yellow curtains fell around him, blocking out the overly bright light from outside and temporarily shutting away all the turmoil that demanded his attention.

Jin Tang closed his eyes and breathed rapidly.

Cold sweat covered his forehead and the sides of his neck. The dizziness and nausea he had forcibly suppressed while facing the assembled officials in Taiji Hall now surged back like a returning tide, each wave fiercer than the last.

“Your Majesty, drink some ginseng tea. It may help you recover.”

Wang Zhong carefully brought the warm cup to his lips.

With Wang Zhong holding it for him, Jin Tang forced down several mouthfuls.

The warm liquid slid through his throat, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea, unable to stir even the slightest trace of warmth.

It felt as though a great hole had opened inside his body, allowing every bit of heat and energy to leak away.

He knew this was the price of forcing himself beyond what his current condition could endure, stubbornly holding on long enough to observe the officials’ reactions.

The lingering effects of the System’s punishment were far from gone.

After resting for nearly half an hour, the overwhelming weakness finally receded slightly.

He remained exhausted, but at least he no longer felt as though he were on the verge of shattering.

Jin Tang opened his eyes and gazed at the familiar golden dragon pattern above the bed.

A faint spark of light slowly gathered in his eyes.

There was not much time left.

The System could return at any moment.

He had to use the last of this freedom to accomplish as much as possible.

“Wang Zhong,” Jin Tang called.

Wang Zhong, who had remained beside the bed without daring to breathe too loudly, immediately leaned closer.

“This old servant is here.”

Jin Tang turned his head slightly and quietly listed several names.

They were all officials at court.

Their ranks were not the highest, but they either occupied key positions or were among the most active troublemakers within certain factions. The aristocratic families and political forces behind them were complicated.

More importantly, during the court assembly, Jin Tang had clearly caught the fleeting expressions on their faces through the pearl curtain—

Alarm.

Resentment.

Even concealed excitement.

These men could very easily become future threats.

“Investigate them. Use whatever methods are necessary and find something that can be used against them. There is no need to take their lives. Find a suitable reason and remove them from their current positions.”

Jin Tang spoke calmly, but Wang Zhong’s heart tightened.

His Majesty intended to personally cleanse the court.

And what he wanted were “weaknesses”—something that would leave no obvious grounds for accusation, yet still strip those men of their influence in a very real way.

Wang Zhong looked at Jin Tang’s pale, fragile profile, as though the slightest touch might break him.

His lips parted, and he instinctively tried to persuade him.

“Your Majesty, you have only just begun to improve. Why trouble yourself with such exhausting matters? His Highness Prince Xuan is already serving as Regent. You can leave such trivial affairs to him. You should be resting and recovering properly.”

At those words, the corners of Jin Tang’s lips lifted almost imperceptibly into a bitter smile so faint it was nearly invisible.

He could not explain.

He could not tell this loyal old eunuch about the blade hanging above his head, ready to fall at any moment—

The System.

He could not explain how precious and fleeting his present clarity and independence were.

Nor could he voice the immense fear in his heart that once the System returned, even the freedom to lie here and issue orders might be taken from him.

Jin Tang could only shake his head.

His tone was gentle.

“Go and handle it. I know what I am doing.”

Wang Zhong looked into Jin Tang’s unnaturally calm eyes.

Every word of persuasion lodged in his throat.

He had served Jin Tang for so long, yet he had never seen His Majesty wear such an expression.

There was exhaustion in it.

Weakness.

But deeper still was an almost tragic determination, as though Jin Tang were racing against time to arrange everything that would remain after his death.

The thought made Wang Zhong’s heart ache, and tears nearly filled his eyes.

He dared not ask anything further.

He could only lower his head deeply, swallowing every question and all his heartache before answering hoarsely,

“Yes. This old servant obeys. I will see that it is handled properly.”

Wang Zhong withdrew to carry out the order.

The bedchamber became silent once more.

Jin Tang lay alone upon the broad dragon bed, feeling cold all over.

The chill seeped from between his very bones, impossible to dispel no matter how thick the brocade quilt.

He turned his head and looked through the half-open carved wooden window toward the courtyard.

Outside, the crabapple trees were in perfect bloom.

Pale pink and white blossoms crowded the branches in lively clusters. Golden sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow across the ground.

Whenever the breeze passed, petals fell in soft flurries, like a quiet and gentle snowfall.

Full of life.

Overflowing with spring.

It formed a cruel, vivid contrast with the lifeless bedchamber—

And with him.

Jin Tang watched for a long time.

The brilliant warmth outside seemed to dispel at least a little of the darkness in his heart and the coldness in his body.

A faint longing suddenly arose within him.

He wanted to be closer to that vitality.

Just a little closer.

“Someone come,” Jin Tang called softly.

A palace attendant waiting in the outer chamber immediately entered and bowed.

“Go and build a swing beneath the largest crabapple tree for me.”

Jin Tang pointed toward the window, his gaze still lingering upon the magnificent cloud of blossoms.

“Make it sturdy. And comfortable to sit on.”

The attendant accepted the order and left.

In less than half an hour, a brand-new swing had been erected beneath the crabapple tree.

It was made of fine rosewood, polished until smooth and warm to the touch. The seat was broad and covered with thick, soft brocade cushions.

Fresh vines and silk crabapple blossoms were wrapped around the ropes on either side, allowing the swing to blend seamlessly with its surroundings.

It was elegant without losing the dignity expected of the imperial household.

Jin Tang was carefully supported over by the palace attendants.

He did not sit down immediately.

Instead, he reached out and lightly touched the rough trunk of the tree, feeling the solid texture of the bark beneath his fingers.

Then he raised his head and watched the broken patches of sunlight filtering through the leaves and flowers.

The sun warmed his face.

The breeze carried the fragrance of blossoms across his cheeks.

Only then did Jin Tang slowly sit upon the swing with the attendants’ help.

He did not ask anyone to push him.

He merely sat there quietly, leaning slightly against one of the ropes while the swing moved almost imperceptibly with the breeze.

Jin Tang closed his eyes.

He felt the warmth of the sunlight and breathed in the sweet fragrance around him.

The rustling of leaves filled his ears.

Occasionally, a few petals landed in his hair or upon his robes.

For that brief moment, it seemed as though all weight and suffering had been shut away.

There was no System.

No court.

No illness.

No suffocating secret.

There was only sunlight, flowers, wind—

And one weary soul stealing half a day of peace from a troubled life.

Jin Tang remained there for an unknown length of time.

Eventually, the sun began to set, and brilliant evening clouds spread across the sky, gilding the crabapple blossoms with warm shades of gold and red.

When Wang Zhong quietly returned to report, this was the scene he found.

The young emperor sat beneath the flowering tree upon the swing, eyes closed.

A warm halo surrounded him, and his expression was peaceful, as though he had fallen asleep.

Falling blossoms dotted his moon-white robes.

There was something heartbreakingly beautiful in his fragility.

Wang Zhong stopped where he stood, not daring to disturb him.

…

Jin Tang still ate little at dinner.

But perhaps because of the brief relaxation beneath the crabapple tree that afternoon, his spirits seemed slightly improved.

Night deepened.

The palace lamps were lit one after another, filling the bedchamber with a dim, hazy yellow glow.

After washing and changing into soft sleeping robes, Jin Tang lay down again.

Wang Zhong tucked the quilt around him, lowered the curtains, and silently withdrew to keep watch in the outer chamber.

Only Jin Tang remained inside, accompanied by the steady, monotonous dripping of the water clock.

He lay awake, staring at the blurred golden dragon pattern above him.

He felt no sleepiness.

His body was exhausted beyond measure, yet his mind was unnaturally alert, as though waiting for something.

He knew what he was waiting for.

And what he feared.

Time passed little by little.

The moonlight outside gradually shifted, and more than half the candles inside had burned away.

Just as Jin Tang began to think he might be fortunate enough to escape tonight, and his consciousness started to blur—

A familiar shudder suddenly shot through every limb and bone without warning, like an icy current of electricity.

It was not pain.

Yet it was more terrifying than pain.

It felt as though his soul were being forcibly dragged apart and invaded by some foreign presence, filling him with an icy, malicious horror.

Jin Tang’s body convulsed violently beyond his control.

For one instant, his heart seemed to stop.

Then it began pounding wildly, hammering against the hollow cage of his chest.

It had returned.

Within his mind, the space that had remained silent for days was once again occupied by a cold, emotionless consciousness.

【The host’s consciousness has been detected as awake.】

The System’s flat, mechanical voice sounded.

Jin Tang closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, every trace of weakness and exhaustion had been forcibly suppressed, replaced by an almost provocative calm.

Addressing the cold presence inside his mind, Jin Tang said,

“You’re back? It seems your little trip home did not help you find any new way to completely control me.”

The remark instantly enraged the System.

【You!】

Its voice rose sharply, filled with furious humiliation.

【Sooner or later, I will find a way to deal with you completely! I will make you unable to live and unable to die!】

Jin Tang listened quietly to the shrill roar inside his head.

Strangely, his emotions settled into calm.

A trace of mockery even rose within him.

Oh.

The System had returned empty-handed.

Its so-called “methods,” aside from the painful punishments it had already inflicted upon him, apparently did not include any ultimate means of directly seizing control of his body or manipulating his soul.

That meant the thing he feared most—

Completely losing himself and becoming an unconscious puppet in the System’s hands—

Would not happen for the time being.

“Is that so?” Jin Tang replied lazily in his mind. “Then I truly look forward to seeing it.”

His utterly unconcerned attitude drove the System into a complete rage.

【What are you being so arrogant about?!】

The System’s voice twisted with extreme fury.

【You are nothing but a wandering ghost clinging to life through my power!】

One vicious insult after another poured from its consciousness like filthy water, washing through Jin Tang’s mind.

Jin Tang listened without expression.

Those malicious words could no longer carve any deeper wounds into his heart.

Until, at last, the System seemed to search for the one point that might hurt him most.

Its voice abruptly turned sharp and venomous, carrying malicious delight as it hurled the words at him—

【Jin Tang! You are a freak who is neither man nor woman!】

Jin Tang’s fingers curled.

He clutched the brocade quilt beneath him.

Was being neither fully male nor fully female something he had ever asked for?