The Treacherous Minister's Failed Fake Death, and His Decision to Give Up

He was so tired. Truly.

Now, at last, he was going to die.

In the cold, pitch-black imperial prison, Xie Xingzhou closed his eyes.

──

The Emperor's Tutor, Xie Xingzhou, had held the court in his grip for over a decade. He was domineering and willful, persecuted his colleagues, blocked the Emperor from hearing the truth, and brought ruin upon the people.

The Emperor and his tutor had long been at odds. But the Emperor was still young, his wings not yet grown, and his power had already been stripped away. At court, he was restrained at every turn by the tutor.

After lying low and biding his time for years, the Emperor finally struck a fatal blow and had his tutor arrested and thrown in prison.

After the Emperor's Tutor died of illness in prison, no one knew that in the palace, on the phoenix bed beneath the dim curtains, white and red candles burned all around. It was both a mourning hall and a bridal chamber.

“Teacher... How dare you die without my permission?”

“Xie Xingzhou, I hate you so much.”

──

His attempt to fake his death failed. When Xie Xingzhou opened his eyes, he found himself tied to the imperial bed.

The emperor he had raised from childhood had grown twisted and dark, and now gripped his throat, saying he would make him experience heart-rending pain.

Xie Xingzhou :)

Whatever.

After exhausting himself for ten years, he was tired. Now he was going to commit to laziness for good.

Living was fine. Dying would be fine, too.

Soft quilts were nice, but a hard bed would do.

With his wrists tied, he could just wait for someone to feed him.

He just couldn't understand why the emperor, who had once wanted to skin him, tear out his tendons, and devour him, now clung to him like a rain-soaked puppy abandoned by its owner.

“Teacher, please, won't you smile for me? I'll give you anything. Please don't be sad...”

Reader's Guide:

0. Some resentment over the moon that once shone on me, but no longer does.

1. One-on-one romance, both leads' first time, happy ending, younger man, ten-year age gap.

2. Faux coercion, no physical or emotional abuse. The secret crush is the little Emperor's own private turmoil.

3. The receiving partner isn't a good person, but he knows exactly what he's doing.

4. The receiving partner is frail for a while early on because of his failed attempt to fake his death, but the pursuing partner nurses him back to health.

5. I did my best with the political intrigue. The plot serves the romance, and the language isn't too archaic. The main goal is a relaxing read~

6. Come on in? [Brain Storage Area]

Theme: Enter the game yourself, and hold up the sky with a sickly frame.