Unlike the blazing sun hanging high outside, the area around the bed inside was dim and sinister, and the air reeked of decay.
Chu Xuanzhi carefully studied the anger and shock on Shen Yangge's face, especially the way his eyes widened little by little until they could open no further.
It gave him a sense of satisfaction, a thrill in tormenting someone. Though it was not Chu Tianyin who inspired this feeling, he found this official's subtle emotional shifts particularly addictive.
Yes, drive him deeper into despair. Once I take those eyes, I'll see everything in this world in his place. I'll see whose hands Great Chu falls into, and whom everyone bows to as their sovereign.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Chu Xuanzhi raised his hand, his wide sleeve rustling as he rolled it halfway up his forearm. He gripped Shen Yangge's jaw, pressing hard enough to leave slight indentations in the flesh of his cheeks.
Shen Yangge half closed his eyes, the anger in them deepening. The threads of blood at their corners stood out starkly.
"Don't look at me like that. I simply happen to be on the winning side..."
"The victor takes the throne; the loser becomes an outlaw."
His words dripped with mockery. The smile faded from his face, and he pressed his fingers beside the corner of Shen Yangge's eye, leaning down to stare directly into his eyes.
Chu Xuanzhi seemed born with a face that was both beguiling and utterly cruel.
When he smiled, he looked languid and seductive. When he did not, he looked like a demon from hell.
"Give him the medicine."
At his command, a servant standing nearby with his head lowered immediately lifted the bowl. The medicine within was black as ink, dizzying