Pleasing the Master [Shadow Guard]

Feudal, domineering emperor gong x devoted shadow guard shou

The day after receiving the emperor's favor, Shadow Twelve received thirty lashes in the torture hall. The chief instructor administered them himself, shouting with every strike: "You seduced His Majesty. You deserve to die!"

Behind the screen, Pei Bingzhen sat high upon his throne and listened to the whole thing.

The chief instructor held up the bloodied whip and asked, "Your Majesty, shall I give him medicine or a coffin?"

After confirming that it had only been a passing fancy and he had not developed a weakness, Pei Bingzhen said with satisfaction, "Give him medicine, then send him back to the Hall of Supreme Polarity tonight."

Shadow Twelve struggled to his feet. "Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty."

The emperor, who ruled over all under heaven, took great pleasure in playing with his new toy for many days.

But shadow guards were drugged from childhood so they could endure pain without fear. They had no sense of pain, and naturally, no pleasure either. The capricious emperor could not tolerate this flaw. After using one drug after another, he finally saw a satisfactory expression on the bed.

Shadow Twelve gradually got used to this life, going on missions during the day and dutifully serving at the side of the emperor's bed at night.

But the emperor's demands increased day by day. Being coaxed into saying all sorts of strange things was one thing, but one day the emperor gripped him by the waist and murmured in his ear, "Say it. Say Twelve wants His Majesty so badly he could die."

Twelve obeyed. "Your servant wants His Majesty so badly he could die."

Even as his eyes repeatedly went blank, his voice remained flat and emotionless.

The emperor flew into a rage. "No! That's not how you say it!"

Twelve rolled over and knelt on the floor. "Your servant will go to the torture hall to accept his punishment."

The emperor was so angry he went to sleep in the rear palace himself.

That same night, a raging fire broke out in the Hall of Supreme Polarity. The next day, Shadow Twelve had vanished from the palace without a trace.

The emperor was furious and sent all his agents out, determined to find his beloved plaything.

In a remote fishing village, Consort Sun, who had fled by setting a fire, recalled the chief instructor's advice. Supporting her heavily pregnant belly, she tentatively said, "The situation in the palace is unclear. This is His Majesty's child, so naturally he is your master, too. You must stay here and protect me."

The chief instructor had said that only by invoking His Majesty's name could they temporarily get the single-minded Twelve to leave the emperor he had sworn to serve until death.

Consort Sun looked up at the increasingly gaunt shadow guard. Only by losing him temporarily could the high and mighty emperor realize that his poor savior was not an object he could mistreat as much as he pleased without breaking.

Sure enough, after hearing Consort Sun's words, Shadow Twelve, who had been about to return to the palace to find His Majesty, thought it over and nodded.

In the Hall of Supreme Polarity, the chief instructor, who had raised Shadow Twelve himself, knelt and reported, "That day, bandits mistook Shadow Twelve for Your Majesty and drugged him, resulting in Twelve fathering a child with a woman..."

Ignoring the overturned dragon throne, he spoke faster. "After Twelve regained consciousness, he took his own life to atone for his crime, burning himself in the fire. But this great sin calls for his bones to be ground to dust. I request permission to dig up his grave and carry out the punishment myself."

The emperor on the high throne sat silently for the entire night.

He had only been a toy... He wiped the blood spilling from his lips. "Bring back Twelve's ashes."

Major content warnings:

1. Scum gong! Scum gong! Scum gong! He's a dog of an emperor, and he remains an aloof, high-and-mighty ruler to the very end.

2. The shou is a loyal dog who has been brainwashed since childhood, and is extremely indifferent. Even when the emperor is on his deathbed, he still doesn't know whether Twelve lay in his bed out of loyalty or love.

3. Before they get together, the gong is not sexually faithful. After they get together, both are faithful.

4. A short story to relieve stress, written with my face on the keyboard. I won't accept insults (if you insult me, you're right).

5. More to come if I think of anything.

Theme: Finding the right way to love.