Target of Attack

As expected, the person he saved remained silent, his piercing gaze lowered. He An considered him to be fine now and turned back to the group of men kneeling with their heads touching the ground.

It was quite a funny sight to behold. It seemed being an Emperor came with some perks.

"I'll let you decide how to deal with them." He An spoke softly, as if this person would run if he raised his voice even slightly. The truth was that he had no idea how punishments were like in this world... as the victim, this person should decide.

The youth's body stiffened. He opened his mouth to speak before closing it again. When he finally spoke, it was only a few words, "No need."

"You're a kind person." He An commented, nodding his head earnestly.

Qi Xiu laughed mockingly in his heart.

Kind? I'm simply planning to torture them with my own hands.

You'll also join them sooner or later.

He An could only see what was on the outside though, so he just believed this boy was a saint with a pure heart. If it was him in this situation, he would have sent them crying for their mothers. He waved his hand and the men dispersed, scurrying to leave the Emperor's view hurriedly.

Once they were gone He An continued his conversation with the boy.

"You are a slave?" The moment the words 'slave' left his lips, he saw the boy tense up again. He stared for a few moments before adding, "if so, you're free now. I don't have any need for slaves."

Hearing the words that seemed too good to be true, Qi Xiu looked up in disbelief. It was then that He An got a clear view of the boy's face—skin that was slightly dirty but was healthy and whiter than his, and a face that was on par with the prettiest model in China. His lips were plump and naturally red and his dark hair matched perfectly with his face. He An thought that if this person bathed himself and wore newer clothes, he would turn out to be an outstanding beauty.

Realizing how he was staring, He An quickly looked away for fear of making the other party uncomfortable. As a model, he had a habit of rating the faces of others. This was also the first time he had met someone who completely matched his standards so he was rather excited.

"What you said... isn't a lie?" The boy was very careful with his words, not daring to accuse the Emperor.

"You have my words." He assured.

Liar.

Qi Xiu's eyes darkened, the hatred buried within his chest emerging.

'You have my words.'

Those were the same words you said in my last life, yet in the end you turned a blind eye to the people who hurt me until I died. All you have are empty promises.

He clenched his teeth and forced a smile.

"Thank yo—"

An arrow shot through the air and startled both He An and Qi Xiu. He An quickly grabbed the boy by instinct, covering for him, which resulted in the arrow piercing through his arm.

His breath hitched.

There was shouting around as everyone rushed to the Emperor's side to shield him while Qi Xiu lay in He An's arms, still processing what happened. Blood oozed out from the deep wound and Qi Xiu gazed soundlessly at it.

His body trembled from the sight of blood and he could barely breathe. He recalled his previous life and all the blood filled trauma he experienced which made his face go numb.

He An noticed his trembling and followed his line of sight before getting a servant to cover his wound with a soft cloth and take the boy away to somewhere safe.

"It's alright." Forcing his voice to remain calm, He An wrapped his outer robe around the youth's still shaking body and watched him leave.

*

Everything around was chaotic and it took a couple days before things settled down.

Within the days he spent recovering, He An spent the hours learning of his identity. It would have been more helpful if the system returned to help him as it said it would, but he had to do all the work by himself.

The previous Emperor was barely twenty and also had the same name as him, but his lifestyle was far different. Whether it was a man or woman, he spent money to indulge in brothels and concubines rather than tending to national affairs.

The strangest part was despite his large harem, he had no Empress nor any children. He was rumored to sleep around yet rarely visited his concubines and even when he did, he wouldn't spend the night with them.

It was probably due to his behavior that caused him to be a target of assassins, which could be the reason to the arrow incident.

He An sighed, tossing the parchment aside.

He had done some investigation and already come to a conclusion: the target of the incident wasn't him. That much he could figure out, but if it wasn't him then it would have to be that boy. Why would the perpetrator aim for a lowly slave? He couldn't fit the puzzles together.

Speaking of that boy, he looked extremely frightened last time. He An thought of him as a young cub and wondered about his well being.

Now that his wound had closed and was healing, he decided to seek that boy out. He called for Suyin, the maid whom he had seen when he first came to this world. Since then she was entrusted to be his guide everywhere.

"That boy from before, where is he?" He asked nonchalantly.

"The concubine is well and resting in his courtyard." Suyin was currently warming up water to wash He An's wound, but her response came fast regardless.

"Ah, that's good, that's good... wait, concubine...?" He An jolted up and stared at her in bafflement.

"Yes, Your Majesty! We saw how you protected him, so we believed you wished to bed him. Due to his status as a slave, we could only give him the title of concubine and nothing more. Are you displeased by this?"

...

I only did what any other person would do and protected a little cub from harm but you all mistook it as me showcasing my intentions to court him?!