Zhan tightened his arms around her, lifting his face toward Dowager Taihou's ear as he sobbed softly.
"Hhhhh my… my mother-in-law, there is still hope between us. Why don't you allow us to leave now, so I can return to my husband care? His embrace is the only thing that could calm me after everything that happened between us."
He slowly pulled himself away from Dowager Taihou, wiping his tears and expressing gratitude. Then he winked playfully at her. He turned to face King Yibo, who was watching them with visible satisfaction at the sudden change of atmosphere.
"Help me thank her, My Lion," Zhan said with a small smile. "Mother understands me now. I explained everything to her exactly as I told you."
King Yibo closed his eyes briefly and stepped toward them. He stopped directly before Dowager Taihou, gently taking her hands in his. She startled violently, as if someone had slapped her awake from deep sleep. She looked up, trying to compose her expression and hide her emotions.
"Mom, thank you," he said quietly. "Thank you for understanding what I have been trying to make you see for so long. Zhan is a good person with a heart full of genuine kindness. And I know you will see even more proof of that soon.
I promise to work with him until every hidden enemy reveals themselves....even without him realizing it. Just support us. The truth is close to coming to light, for everyone to see. All the investigations are now in my hands....the one who ordered the poisoning, and the one who forced Zhan into the water, all of them have been taken into custody."
She looked at him quickly, then swallowed and gripped his hands tightly, eyes closing as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"So the day has finally come… This day has truly arrived for me, Yibo?" she whispered before she could stop herself.
King Yibo completely misunderstood her tone, assuming it was simply joy about the progress. He only smiled and reached up to wipe her tears.
"You will see it, Mom. Everything has a beginning and an end. This is just the start of our victory. Soon you will stand proudly as the mother of a son worth more than a thousand."
"I believe you," she breathed. "I truly do… Go now. It's late, rest. We will continue tomorrow."
Zhan thanked her again with a soft bow, then deliberately blinked one eye at her in mischief before turning away.
As King Yibo led Zhan out, Dowager Taihou watched them silently. Once they disappeared through the doorway, her knees gave out and she collapsed to the floor. A violent wave of dizziness overtook her and she broke into sudden tears, calling out one name:
"Cao!"
Outside, King Yibo bent down slightly and signaled for Zhan to climb onto his back. Zhan's eyes widened in shock.
Yibo turned his head and gave a small nod, eyes closing as if insisting. Zhan had no choice.... gathering his robe, he climbed onto Yibo's back awkwardly and wrapped his arms around his neck. Arguing was clearly not an option.
Yibo walked steadily, carrying him with calm authority all the way to his private chamber. Anyone who knew the king would never have imagined he was capable of such a thing.
Even in the elevator, he didn't put Zhan down, instead Zhan hide his face against his neck. Zhan's warm breath on his skin nearly made Yibo lose control entirely.
But instead of setting Zhan down in the room, he carried him straight into the bathroom and gently lowered him onto the floor. Zhan opened his eyes in confusion, realizing where they were. Yibo looked at him, dazed, then reached up and turned on the shower, warm water cascading over them both.
Zhan immediately jerked back, but Yibo held him securely and pulled him close, letting the water pour down their bodies. They stood like that for nearly three minutes before Yibo slowly opened his eyes and looked down at him, beginning to unbutton Zhan's soaked clothing. Zhan watched, speechless, as King Yibo stripped the drenched fabric away from both of them.
Zhan fell against his chest, trembling violently, overwhelmed with embarrassment. The sight only pleased Yibo more....he finally had the chance to look clearly at the small dot on Zhan's back he had memorized.
Zhan did not open his eyes again, not once until they had finished showering.
"Thank you," Yibo murmured as he dried Zhan's face, neck, and hair with a towel.
"For what?" Zhan whispered, finally looking up.
"For Mom," he answered quietly.
Zhan pouted a little, pressing his lips together dramatically and softening his expression as he said, in a teasing tone:
"So are you telling me she's Just your only, aren't she mine too?"
King Yibo chuckled softly and tapped the tip of Zhan's nose.
"You're special, baby."
Zhan turned his back slightly, smiling, but King Yibo caught his hand and drew him back around. He lifted Zhan's chin gently.
"You don't believe you're special?"
Zhan tried to hold back a smile.
"Maybe a little."
The playful way he rolled his eyes off to the side nearly made King Yibo lose his composure completely. He swallowed hard and simply smiled, leaning down so their height matched.
"I'll prove to you that you're special, Mr. Yibo's hubby. Because you're never going to live another day without me beside you. Ever again."
Zhan blinked and whispered, "Even if I go back to the prison cell?"
"Even if it's the darkest dungeon," King Yibo replied smoothly. "If the sentence has been declared. We'll go together. We caused this crime, after all."
Zhan's jaw dropped, his face tightening as if he might cry.
"You're serious? You'd really let me return to that cell?"
King Yibo barely managed to keep himself from laughing. Instead, he straightened his expression, lifted one eyebrow, and said sternly,
"And who told you King Yibo's consort gets to escape a royal punishment? We're both going. No negotiation."
Zhan opened his mouth to argue....but King Yibo pressed his lips to his, swallowing every word he attempted to speak. Zhan was startled, but didn't push him away; he simply froze, offering no response while Yibo kissed him firmly and deeply until Zhan's breathing softened and his thoughts dissolved. When it was over, Zhan's mouth stayed shut, and preparations for sleep continued.
It was intentional...King Yibo was done with conversation. Recently, he'd noticed that Zhan was becoming bold enough to reduce him to some kind of parrot for Grandma's amusement.
He brought out a set of sleepwear Zhan had never seen before. Zhan's eyes widened in disbelief, mouth opening to protest, but Yibo pressed a finger to his lips:
"Shhhh."
Zhan swallowed hard and let him dress him. Afterward, he practically crawled under the blankets to hide from the unbearable embarrassment the King kept putting him through. King Yibo, unfazed, changed into his own soft pajamas and guided Zhan to sit on one of the chairs beside the bed, sitting next to him.
With eyes unblinking, staring straight at Zhan, he asked calmly:
"Will you drink milk?"
Zhan wasn't hungry at all, but he nodded without daring to look up. He was terrified to make eye contact....especially with King Yibo wearing thin pajamas that outlined every strong curve of his body.
King Yibo poured the milk himself and handed the cup over. Zhan accepted it quietly.
"…Thank you."
Yibo only kept watching him, saying nothing.
Zhan sipped in silence, small careful swallows, and by the time he finished, sleepiness had already begun to pull at his eyes.
They brushed their teeth again, and Yibo told Zhan to lie down. Zhan obeyed, settling onto the bed like someone preparing for execution, face still tense with fear.
King Yibo pretended not to notice.
He sat at the sofa nearby, phone in hand, but his attention was fixed entirely on Zhan.
Zhan curled into the sheets, heart pounding as he replayed everything that had happened in the Dowager Taihou's chambers. He had long known there were strange moments when his dreams appeared in reality....but today was different. Today he found himself speaking truths to the Dowager Taihou that felt as if someone was guiding his voice. And he felt a kind of power in himself that was almost frightening.
His head throbbed, exhaustion pulling his eyes heavy. Eventually he gave up resisting and fell asleep.
King Yibo watched him for a long time. Then he stood, walked to the bed, and gently lifted Zhan's pajama shirt just enough to reveal what he needed to see. He snapped a discreet photo of that dot mark, readjusted the fabric, and exhaled slowly. He knew Zhan would never allow him to do that while awake....he would surely misunderstand it completely.
Instead of sleeping in another room, Yibo went to the private sitting area connected to the bedroom. He glanced at the wall clock....just past midnight...then reached for the landline phone. He dialed without waiting for a response and hung up after the tone.
Within minutes, his most trusted attendant arrived with a tray of tea.
The attendant bowed, but King Yibo didn't move or reply...only raised a hand slightly.
The man placed everything carefully, adding just a touch of honey because he knew the king disliked sweetened drinks. When finished, he bowed his head again.
"Is there anything else you require, your majesty?"
Almost a minute passed before Yibo lifted his hand in dismissal.
Understanding every silent cue from the king, the attendant bowed even deeper and replied:
"Rest well, Your Majesty. May strength and protection remain with you."
Then he quietly left the room.
Despite the sleep clouding his eyes, he forced himself fully awake and pushed the drowsiness aside. He gathered all his focus on the books Dowager Ruyan had given him. He wanted answers, and he would not stop until he understood the origins of everything. Nothing was different from what Dowager Ruyan had once shown him, so he set the materials aside, determined to analyze every detail carefully with a clear mind.
He didn't know Zhan's exact age, but he roughly estimated it from his appearance. He discovered four birth records that matched his calculations.... three belonging to girls, and one to a boy. He set the female records aside and opened the one for the boy, checking if it matched.
His heart slammed painfully in his chest when he saw the birthmark....identical to Zhan's. The information below confirmed it: he was born that night. Among all the children born during that period, he was the only natural birthmark. The others had been crafty with.... The child with the dot mark was born on a Friday night, the 22nd of March, 2003.
But it claimed he died three days after birth.
King Yibo raked both hands through his hair in disbelief.
How?
How could this be possible?
If Zhan was that same child, how was he alive when the record declared him dead?
And if those people were truly his parents, why had they abandoned the royal lineage? Had they hidden him and lied about his death?
Something more existed.... something he urgently needed to uncover.
First, he had to confirm the exact years.
Then, he would discover who his real parents were.
Soon, he would bring his current parents back to Beiping.
----
A stabbing pain pulsed violently through her head. Her eyes were burning red, and she stared at the door through which they had left, unmoving, for nearly three hours. Her chest felt like it was being scorched from the inside. She still couldn't accept what her eyes had seen. She couldn't believe any of it. She could not accept that she....the Inner One....had been confronted and humiliated that way. She could not accept that someone had dared to look her in the eyes and say they knew she was responsible for the deaths of her son's wives. She refused to believe it. She refused to accept anything.
"Inner One!!"
Cao's voice ripped into her consciousness.
She jerked her head toward the sound....there Cao sat, rigid and stern in her chair, her expression carved in stone. The tightness of her jaw and the fury in her eyes made her look even harsher. Dowager Taihou sat there too, frozen, staring blankly.
"You have disgraced me, Inner One. You humiliated yourself over a mere threat from your own like child. You couldn't stand firm? You couldn't fight back? You surrendered to an invitation like a trembling servant? So you weren't ready for days like this after all."
"What did you want me to do, Cao? What do you expect me to be? That boy looked directly into my eyes and spoke things no one on earth should know except me and you. He planned it....right in front of my son, the son I fought the world for, the son whose very existence I built from nothing. The same one Zhan parades beside, flaunting his pride! That boy made me powerless in front of him. That is why I once told you to eliminate him from the beginning, yet you refused...."
"I told you then and I'll repeat it now: killing that boy is not something easily done. There is something hidden and powerful surrounding him. I've been watching every movement day and night. He did not prepare this battle against only you....he planned it against me too. But what he does not know is this: I am far stronger than he can ever imagine. And I will prove it....very soon."
Among our conditions, you violated many rules, Inner One....including failing to hand over the royal cloak stored in the High Chamber. From the very first day, you failed to make the boy, Zhan drink the milk. You could not carry out the ceremonial cleansing or place the royal cloak upon him.
You attempted to kill him with your own hands even after I warned you it was a grave mistake, yet you refused to listen.
You failed to notice when he was taken to the Ghost Wing without your knowledge.
You failed to swallow your pride and conceal countless matters concerning him.
All these mistakes....among many others not even listed....opened the door through which he managed to reach you in ways you could never expect. And the most decisive mistake was allowing him to be intimate with your blood as one and the same, despite the fact that we told you from the beginning that we would be the ones to give the Ghost a wife powerful enough to tame his quinch.
"I accept every fault, Cao," she said, voice trembling. "And I beg for your help....do not let me fall now, not when my enemies are eager to watch me break. Tell me what you require for atonement. No matter how difficult, I will fulfill it immediately. I want that boy to regret even knowing himself....let alone daring to challenge me."
"You have always been willing to fulfill requirements, Inner One....that is why I cannot stay angry long.
You are forgiven.
But be prepared, for the next phase will be public and open."
"You will repay your failures with the blood of ten black bulls, ten camels, ten black hounds, and ten lambs. A newborn infant of three days....just as was done long ago when the child bearing the birthmark was born."
"In one week, you will also provide two miscarriages from women in their fourth month, and a newly married male attendant who has lain with his bride only once."
"From today onward, the milk the Ghost consumes will come only through your hands. There is a tea he drinks every day... have someone farm it using this seed instead of the usual one. Your son will return to the palm of your hand. He will not lift a finger without your command."
"Zhan is plotting with your son between the two of you.
So you must overpower him through the authority that rests in your hands from this moment onward. We will provide him a loyal attendant, and she will reside in his chambers.
We stand by our word....the girl will enter solely to give the Empire of Beiping an heir. Ensure their union is sealed quickly. Both Yibo and Zhan must drink that water; it will keep them from ever being intimate together again."
Overflowing with relief, Dowager Taihou bowed repeatedly, thanking Cao while kneeling. She felt as if every fear and every tremor in her chest had evaporated entirely.
"Cao, there is only one problem....the attendant who put Zhan into the water. Yibo confirmed he is with them."
"That one is insignificant. He does not know who you truly are."
"But Cao, Zhan knows. Don't you see he could reveal everything if he chooses?"
"He does not have the gut. Not even with the Ghost he won't dare expose you....there is too much devotion to you in your son heart for him to ever do such a thing."
:-*:-*:-*:-*
Zhan woke once during the night to use the bathroom and noticed that King Yibo was no longer in the room. The sight unexpectedly calmed him.
But later.... still deep in the night, or perhaps just before dawn....he felt strong arms wrap around him, jerking him awake in alarm.
His heart hammered painfully when he realized it was King Yibo holding him.
Zhan's voice shook as he tried to speak, but before a sound escaped, the King murmured a sharp, quiet "Shhhh."
Zhan swallowed his words and froze.
King Yibo pulled him closer, shifting and settling Zhan against him exactly the way he wanted. Zhan, already trembling with confusion and panic, could barely breathe. Yet the King did nothing more than hold him....just holding, steady and wordless, in a slow rhythm of warmth and breath until the first pale light of dawn appeared. Then he quietly rose from the bed and walked to the bathroom.
For nearly ten minutes, Zhan lay motionless on his back, wiping away tears he hadn't realized were falling. King Yibo emerged, clearly freshly showered, drying his hair and moving to change clothes.
Zhan slipped out of the bed and hurried into the bathroom the moment he turned his back. When the King came to wake him, he found the bed empty.
He assumed Zhan had simply left the room, so he stepped out and went straight to his morning routine, rushing so he wouldn't be late.
After returning, he went directly to the gym, exhausting his body with brutal intensity, trying to force his desires into silence...trying to stop the chaos twisting through him. Instead of relief, the turmoil only sharpened. He worked for nearly two hours, drenched in sweat as if he had been swimming.
When he returned, Zhan was standing at the bedside changing the sheets. The King entered quietly. Zhan turned just enough to see him, then looked away.
In a low voice, the Zhan said,
"Good morning."
"How are you?"
"Fine," Zhan answered shortly, still Yibo staring at him in surprise. He hesitated, unable to hold back:
"Who told you to do that?"
Zhan, with a touch of playful complaint, replied,
"I told myself. What...someone isn't allowed to move their body? I don't want everyone doing everything for me."
King Yibo stepped closer....very close....and gently took the pillow from Zhan's hands. Zhan lifted his head to look at him, but when he tried to take the pillow back, the King gave a small shake of his head. Zhan dropped his eyes, surrendering.
The King's gaze stayed fixed on Zhan's face, which had returned to its calm, composed softness as if nothing had happened the night before. He leaned in, blowing a quiet breath across Zhan's cheek.
"There are more important ways to work your body than this, baby."
Zhan's face flushed. He lifted his eyes slowly and said,
"Well, Mamy said I should be doing something.... And besides, at home Mah never lets us clean Babiy's room....no matter how sick she is, she insists on doing it herself. Even if it's poorly."
Something in those words softened the King completely. Without thinking he murmured, low and warm,
"Every version of you kills me, baby."
His hand brushed along Zhan's side and Zhan flushed even deeper, immediately turning away and covering his face with both hands.
King Yibo laughed under his breath, set the pillow aside, and headed to the bathroom. Zhan waited until he heard the door close before opening his eyes and continuing the work. For some reason, joy fluttered in his chest.
Elsewhere…
"Momma, are you going to the court hearing again today? Your leg looks like it's hurting."
Dowager Ruyan forced a determined smile, eyes on Daneen who had spoken.
"Don't worry, it isn't so serious. Just pass me the porridge.....I need to drink it on time, you know I like following the schedule."
Daneen laughed softly. Anyone looking at her would see she was glowing.
Both she and Dowager Ruyan had been unable to stop smiling since yesterday. Last night they sat for hours talking about Zhan...neither of them could explain how the boy had become so deeply embedded in their hearts, or why he kept drawing them in stronger every single day. Especially Daneen, who had recently begun having dreams she could not understand…
NB
I will update the next chapter on Wednesday, see you then.
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛