My Cold, Ascetic Imperial Uncle

Of all the officials at court, Xie Zheng disliked his imperial uncle, Rong Xuece, the most.

He always seemed aloof, cold, and gloomy. Ever since Xie Zheng was little, he would avoid him whenever he saw him.

Later, he became emperor, and finally dared to swagger around in front of him.

But Rong Xuece was different from everyone else. Even after Xie Zheng became emperor, whenever they met, Rong Xuece remained indifferent and distant, as cold as ice and impossible to approach. He spoke little, with a slight nasal tone, like a handful of winter snow that could freeze a person to death.

The dignified emperor could not stand being dismissed by Rong Xuece, who could barely be bothered to look at him.

"Imperial Uncle, what a pleasant way to spend your evening."

Light gauze draped down around Rong Xuece as he soaked in a petal bath, his clothes removed. Incense from the Western Regions burned in the room, and his long hair fell smoothly beside the pool. His delicate skin was pale with a faint flush, making the scene both sumptuous and refined.

The last person who should have been there stood before him like a ghost. He was barely clothed, and even the water droplets sliding off him fell completely bare into Xie Zheng's line of sight.

A profound sense of humiliation washed over him. His body was unusual, a secret he had kept hidden all his life. His dark eyes, blurred by steam, suddenly turned colder. "Why has Your Majesty come to visit me at night? If it was urgent, why not send someone to inform me?"

The petals swirled around his waist. Below them lay the nightmare that had tormented him all his life. It was an ironclad rule known to everyone in the residence that no one was allowed near him when he bathed.

Yet the young man before him, the one who had seized his throne, stared at him with brazen, undisguised interest. Rong Xuece clenched the hand submerged in the water into a fist.

"What secret does Imperial Uncle have to hide? We're both men. What's there I can't see?" Seeing his grim expression and hearing the words meant to send him away, Xie Zheng grew displeased.

Now that he was the Son of Heaven, he was no longer afraid of Rong Xuece's cold stare.

He stepped forward, carefree and teasing.

"Don't come any closer."

At last, Rong Xuece's cold facade broke. He spoke up to stop him, his body trembling slightly.

"What's wrong?" Sensing that something was off, Xie Zheng stopped and narrowed his eyes as he studied this powerful man.

So Rong Xuece really didn't like being close to him. He had guessed right: Rong Xuece loathed him.

Xie Zheng could feel his rejection and distance. An invisible chill filled the air.

That only made him more determined.

The more Rong Xuece resisted, the more Xie Zheng wanted to defy him. No one had ever dared oppose him so openly.

"I like petal baths too."

"Get out!"

Shock flashed through Rong Xuece's eyes. By the time he spoke up again to stop him, Xie Zheng had already stepped into the bath fully clothed.

Water splashed everywhere, scattering the petals. Rong Xuece slipped, and Xie Zheng lurched forward with him. Time seemed to freeze. Rong Xuece's face went deathly pale, his legs spread apart, and in the chaos, Xie Zheng's fingertips plunged into a narrow, soft, warm pink channel.

Xie Zheng's face twisted with shock and disbelief. "Imperial Uncle, you really do have a secret."

Rong Xuece pressed his thin lips together, murder in his eyes. "Get out."

Original blurb, screenshots saved as proof. Plagiarism will be pursued.

2025/12/20

Blurb lightly revised 2026/1/29

PS: Xie Zheng is pronounced Zheng.

1. Short story, completed and included in the monthly subscription series

2. Classic melodramatic historical romance

Theme: Life is like a play, and meeting is bitter