Shen Yangge waited to be executed, but the execution he had dreamed of never came.
The crown prince made a seemingly irrelevant remark. "Scribe Shen, if someone who wishes to die does everything he can to get himself killed, what should be done?"
[-Grant his wish, of course!] Naturally, I'm still a good citizen.
System 615: ...A good citizen, my fucking ass.
Shen Yangge did not give it much thought. He felt that the crown prince had only asked such a brainless question to toy with him. After all, no one could guess what went on in the mind of someone like the crown prince.
"Your Highness, I am merely a minor official. What I have to say may not be fit for court."
He paused for a few seconds before continuing, "If that person truly wishes to die, perhaps it would be better to grant his wish. If it were up to me, however, I would first find out why he wished to die."
[-Otherwise, if you casually grant someone's wish and his family comes knocking to demand compensation, wouldn't your good deed have been for nothing?]
[-Besides, why grant his wish? If he wants to die, he can handle it himself. There's no reason to use someone else's hands to end his own life.]
[-Life is precious. Once you're dead, you have nothing left...so when are you going to grant my wish?]
The crown prince turned a page in his book and asked no more questions, withdrawing his gaze from Shen Yangge.
Shen Yangge crawled farther onto the bed. His face stiffened at the sight of the dagger still embedded in the mattress, and he stuck his backside up as he reached out to pull it free.
He tugged several times, but it did not budge. He had no choice but to keep pulling with both hands.
It would not move.
He silently glanced at the crown prince seated beside the bed, then at the ample space in the middle, and finally at the immovable dagger. In the end, he decided to lie in the middle of the bed.
As long as he did not fall asleep, he would be fine.
For the latter half of the night, Shen Yangge kept his eyes open all the way until morning. Even he admired his own willpower.
When the crown prince got up, he immediately followed suit, afraid that if he delayed any longer, he would lose the fight against his urge to stay in bed. He was truly exhausted; he had only slept a few hours that night.
Give him anywhere to lie down now, and he could fall asleep on the spot.
Shen Yangge listlessly followed the crown prince out of the bedchamber. As he passed several eunuchs, he could clearly tell that they were not the same ones from yesterday.
That made sense. There had been such a commotion last night, yet not one person had entered the bedchamber.
What Shen Yangge did not know, however, was that even if an assassination attempt or some other grave danger occurred inside the bedchamber, none of the servants stationed outside were allowed to approach. The same went for the hidden guards.
This was the one order the crown prince had explicitly laid down. Anyone who dared violate it would be put to death.
Shen Yangge followed the crown prince all the way to the main hall, where the meal had already been laid out. The wide variety of dishes looked appetizing, but...once he remembered the crown prince's earlier poisoning, they no longer seemed quite so tempting.
After taking his seat, the crown prince picked up his chopsticks and began eating without even looking at him. Seeing how at ease he was, Shen Yangge reassured himself that this meal was probably safe.
With that thought, he felt perfectly comfortable reaching for the dish in front of him.
Wait...
Why was the palace maid beside him secretly watching him?
Shen Yangge drew his chopsticks back halfway through reaching out.
Sure enough, the palace maid's expression changed when he withdrew his hand. Shen Yangge cast her a seemingly casual glance.
When he saw her face, as lovely as a lotus rising from the water, an inward holy shit escaped him.
Could...could she be one of the male lead's cherished loves?
A palace maid, beautiful, proper in her movements, honest and dutiful-he had not looked closely yesterday, but now he suddenly realized that she seemed to be the only servant in this group who had not been replaced.
No wonder the male lead allowed her so close to the dining table.
He was now certain that this palace maid was one of the male lead's cherished loves.
Perhaps his glance had been too intent. The crown prince raised his chin slightly and looked over with an icy gaze. Shen Yangge's chopsticks, which had just returned above his bowl, followed his hand toward the crown prince as though beyond his control.
As he picked up a piece of food in front of the crown prince, Shen Yangge dimly realized that the crown prince had just taken food from that very spot with the serving chopsticks.
And the ones he was using were not serving chopsticks.
Shen Yangge: "..."
That was merely an instinctive movement of his body. It absolutely had not been a conscious decision!
"How dare you!"
The palace maid beside him stepped forward and slapped the chopsticks from Shen Yangge's hand. With a stern, vicious expression, she berated him. "You have overstepped your station and defied His Highness! You deserve punishment!"
Although he was in the wrong, the master had not spoken, yet this servant was already throwing her weight around. Naturally, Shen Yangge was displeased. Knocking someone's chopsticks away was terribly rude, too.
Even if this palace maid was one of the male lead's cherished loves, he would not swallow the insult.
He played dumb. "I do not know what crime I have committed, Your Highness."
He did not deign to give the palace maid so much as a proper look, simply cupping his hands and addressing the crown prince.
The palace maid's face turned green with anger, but she did not dare go too far. She could only stand rooted to the spot, glaring fiercely at Shen Yangge.
She looked as though she wanted to peel the skin off his face.
The crown prince said, "Green Willow, leave."
Disbelief filled the palace maid's face. She opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. In the end, she obeyed and withdrew.
While the crown prince was not looking, Shen Yangge let his eyes curve in a smile.
[-So what if she's one of his cherished loves? She's not the only one, anyway. No need to tiptoe around her. Besides, if offending her makes the crown prince feel sorry for her and kill me, wouldn't that be cause for earth-shattering celebration?]
[-What a shame. He still has no intention of dealing with me.]
The crown prince's serving chopsticks passed in front of Shen Yangge's hand and reached into his bowl, taking away that piece of meat.
The movement was...utterly natural.
It was just a piece of meat. Was that necessary?
[-You stingy bastard, choke on it!]
Shen Yangge calmly sat back down. Although his expression remained respectful, in truth...
[-You fucking crown prince, for every day you don't kill me, I'll spend another day cursing you to have a child with no asshole!]
[-May you be reborn as a pig in your next life and made into a delicious plate of pork belly.]
The crown prince finished breakfast with dignified elegance, then took him to the study and ordered him to record all his words and actions starting that day.
And then this bastard's pattern of lunacy began to emerge.
For instance, when the crown prince stood before his desk, Shen Yangge thought he was about to write poetry, paint, or perhaps deal with confidential letters and replies.
But not only did the crown prince stand motionless, seemingly lost in thought, what followed was even more outrageous.
The crown prince was not napping on the chaise longue. He was painting, while also frowning over official documents as he reviewed them. His paintings were indescribable, too.
Shen Yangge recorded everything while inwardly grumbling. At one point, he desperately needed to pee and wanted to ask permission to leave, but the crown prince actually beckoned him over.
"Your Highness, what are your instructions?"
The crown prince said, "Need to relieve yourself?"
Shen Yangge's face stiffened, and he hesitantly nodded.
Then he heard...
A remark that made him want to wash out his ears.
"I do not mind if you relieve yourself in front of me."
"Scribe Shen, we are both men. There is no need to stand on ceremony."
[-Can't you just take your damn medicine? Why must you have an episode right in front of me? You want me to do it here? Are you kidding me? Once you come to your senses, won't you have my thing chopped off?]
Before you continue