A Faceless Portrait

When the messenger eunuch heard these words, he was practically scared out of his wits, and he hurriedly kowtowed and apologized, "Your Majesty, forgive this slave. Your Majesty, forgive this slave. This slave... This slave..."

"Scram. Don't appear in front of Zhen again," Shao Qian coldly spoke.

When the messenger eunuch heard his words, he became deathly pale. "Don't ever appear before His Majesty again" With this, his future had immediately been decided. He had originally wanted to flatter and fawn over His Majesty, and had never intended to hit the horse's leg. [1] How could he be so foolish as to think that he could replace the little eunuch that had grown up together with His Majesty?

Shao Qian called for a guard to immediately throw the messenger eunuch out, before calling Xi Fu to his side and telling him, "You can't act this way from now on. You are Zhen's Little DaiGua, so how can you allow others to bully you?"

"But... But, this servant doesn't... doesn't know how to rebut others," Xi Fu stammered. He was a well-behaved child, and as if they were pasted together with glue, his lips refused to open. How would he be able to talk back to others?

"Just directly say it. This lord wanted to do it, so how is it any of your concern?" Shao Qian patted Xi Fu's arm, looking at him encouragingly.

"…" Xi Fu's head spun in two circles, before saying with a long face, "Master, I'm a eunuch."

Who ever saw a eunuch that addresses himself as lord? At least, I have never seen one.

Xi Fu rendered Shao Qian speechless. At this very moment, was he not refuting him?

"Then use 'I' [2]." Didn't a lot of eunuchs in TV dramas seem to speak this way? Shao Qian hadn't watched television in a very long time already, and couldn't remember too clearly.

"Oh." Although Xi Fu merely had a hazy notion, he nodded his head.

"From now on, other than me, no one else can scold you. If anyone scolds you, return it back. Don't be scared, I'll support you." Shao Qian got up and heroically patted Xi Fu's shoulder, proclaiming, "From now on, I am the Emperor, and you are my steward. Your imposing manner cannot be weak."

"Oh." When Xi Fu heard Shao Qian's words, he was moved, his eyes filling with tears. However, he wasn't moved because his master said that he would be the person in charge, but rather, it was because his words made him feel as though he was needed. He was trusted by his master, and able to share his master's burdens.

Shao Qian, along with Xi Fu, stayed in the Imperial Garden for nearly an hour before leaving. After he left, his actions were very quickly reported to the regent.

The regent, who was half-lying on the soft couch, gave a snort of contempt upon hearing the hidden guard repeat what Shao Qian said. He was only a child whose hair hasn't even grown, and he could actually still think of supporting others?

"Continue. If Helian Yi Xuan makes any other movements, immediately report to me." Helian Jing Qi allowed the person to withdraw before getting up and entering the inner room. He walked to the wall and opened a secret door, entering the hidden chamber.

However, this place didn't have any rare treasures or a important military secrets, but rather, the walls were packed with portraits. One piece after another, none of the portraits had faces.

There were numerous portraits and countless poses—the person in the portrait could be sitting, laying down, or gazing—but it wasn't difficult to tell that the person within the portrait was always the same. Most of the time, the person in the portrait would wear a neat, short gown. There were only a few pieces that depicted him standing imposingly while wearing thick and heavy Chinese clothing. His head of black hair was braided and hung behind him, there were diamond-shaped decorations hung on his forehead, and his body was bundled up within the layers and layers of Chinese clothing. The only regrettable imperfection would be that absolutely empty face.

Helian Jing Qi's finger gently stroked the head of the person within the painting, before sliding down and following the grain of the drawing paper. However, when his finger reached the cheeks of the person within the portrait, it stopped. Why couldn't he remember his appearance? He had obviously appeared in his dreams countless of times, so why couldn't he remember his appearance?

A trace of irritation flashed on Helian Jing Qi's expressionless face. Recently, just over a month back, he would always dream about a person. But, from beginning to end, that person's face would always be covered by fog, making it impossible for him to see it clearly. He had drawn many portraits, yet until now he hadn't been able to fill in that person's face.

He could clearly remember what took place in the dream, to the extent that he remembered that person had short, blonde hair and golden eyes. This kind of appearance was very strange, and if they had been born in this time, it was very likely that they would called an evil spirit by others and burned to death.

However, his looks didn't seem to be treated that way within his dream. He distinctly remembered that the people within the dream had respect in their eyes as they looked at him. Furthermore, from beginning to end, there would always be a man with long, black hair by his side, accompanying him. But why could he not remember that person's face?

The agitated regent walked beside the table, and was stunned upon seeing the incomplete drawing on the table. This time, he didn't know whether an evil spirit had possessed him or something else, but after he finished grinding the ink, he lifted the brush towards the face of the person in the portrait and began drawing. When he regained his awareness, the person in the portrait now had a face. However, the face immediately turned the regent's complexion black.

The person he had drawn wasn't just anyone. It was Helian Yi Xuan, who was eight years younger than him, and furthermore, placed onto the throne as a puppet.

The regent's face was expressionless as he ripped the drawing into pieces. This kind of attractive but useless puppet, just how could he be mentioned in the same breath as the noble person in the portrait?

Don't speak so soon, regent. At times, you mustn't conclude a matter too early, otherwise you will regret…

On the morning of the second day, Shao Qian went to court. This time, he was sitting on the Dragon Throne, only the regent that he wished to see didn't attend the court. It was only when he asked that he became aware that the regent's body was unwell, and thus he was taking a break.

After being unable to see the regent, Shao Qian felt somewhat depressed in his heart. After all, he had wanted to confirm whether that person was Vincent or not. But when he heard the eunuch pass on the message that the regent didn't feel well and would be taking a break today, he laughed bitterly. What a greatly haughty manner. If he said not going, then he wouldn't go. Did he really think that he had no way of punishing him?

Fine then. Right now, he truly didn't have any power to punish him. At this moment, the regent held the power in his hands, and his men composed the majority. If he really wanted to proclaim himself Emperor, then it would merely be a minor event. As such, he, the puppet Emperor, wouldn't be able to do anything. At least, nothing could be done on the surface or secretly.

The regent had probably placed not just a few men by his side, so long as he did something unusual, it would likely be passed on to the regent's ears. If that happened, then don't even talk about seizing power, his small life would be delivered away.

After court ended, Shao Qian hurriedly brought Xi Fu back to the QianKun Palace and got him to take the thick and heavy imperial crown off his head. The imperial crown was really heavy, making his neck uncomfortable. Furthermore, his hair was tightly bound, and it was to the extent that his scalp also felt somewhat painful.

"Master, you said you wanted to take apart the hair bun?" Xi Fu's face was bitter as he said, "If it is seen by the education mama [3], you'll once again be lectured."

"Tie it into a braid for this lord." Shao Qian didn't wait for Xi Fu to move, and directly pulled apart the hair bun, squeezing an ox horn comb into Xi Fu's hands as he continued, "Now, this lord is the Emperor. The education mama won't be able to say anything."

Would Xi Fu still be able to defy Shao Qian? Of course not. So, he could only obey the order and braid his master's hair.

After having his hair braided and his clothes changed, Shao Qian wanted to leave the palace. This gave Xi Fu a severe fright. This, this, this…Why did he still want to leave the palace? It had to be known that his master, from young until now, had only left the palace three times, and that he would always make the guards clean up the streets before daring to go out. Now, looking at his master's behaviour, could it he wanted to go out by himself?

Xi Fu was frightened stiff by this idea. If anything were to happen to his master outside, how could he explain it to the previous Emperor?

"What are you trembling for?" Shao Qian packed yet another two sets of clothes for both Xi Fu and him and took the waist plate of the Qian Kun Palace, before pulling Xi Fu to leave.

Shao Qian had just set foot outside Qian Kun Palace when, behind him, there was someone who left urgently to inform the regent.

The regent, who was still in a bad mood from drawing the little Emperor's face and thus didn't attend court, had ran to a teahouse early that morning. While sitting in a private room, not allowing others to serve him tea, he merely propped up his lower jaw as he looked out of the window in a trance.

When the hidden guard came forward to report and interrupted him, he was somewhat annoyed. "What happened?"

"Master, the Emperor went out of the palace." That hidden guard was frightened by Helian Jing Qi. He had originally wanted to kneel, and as a result, when he heard the regent speaking, he immediately scrambled to kneel on the floor, not daring to move.

"Follow him." Now, when Helian Jing Qi heard the little Emperor's name, he felt fed up. Why would he care whether he left the palace? Leaving the palace was also good, and it would be best if he was taught a lesson by his careless actions. Let's see whether he would dare to leave as he pleased afterwards.

Regarding the little Emperor, he only had to continue living. If he would obediently be his puppet, then it would be good. At the very least, he wouldn't care about whatever else he did.

"Understood." The hidden guard hurriedly retreated, fearing that if he dallied before the regent, his anger would be taken out on him.

After the hidden guard left, Helian Jing Qi continued to sit by the window. Only, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't calm his heart. And, when he inadvertently caught sight of a figure on the streets, with his hair in a braid and dressed in a pale blue, unlined long gown, [4] his facial complexion changed. This person's back was similar to the person in the dream. Perhaps it was only a slight possibility, but he still wasn't willing to let it slip away.

Helian Jing Qi rushed down from the teahouse, and with a fast pace, he advanced towards that figure. However, when the distance between him and that person was merely a few steps, he was unable to move forward. What if… What if it wasn't the person in his dreams?

"Who are you? Why are you sneakily looking at my family's little… My family's son?" The little servant who had stealthily slipped out along with her Miss, upon turning her head, saw a tall man staring at her Miss. Could it be that this scoundrel was having wicked thoughts towards her Miss?

Hearing the servant's words, that 'youth' with braided hair and dressed in a pale blue, unlined long gown also turned around, his face flushing red upon seeing Helian Jing Qi's appearance.

An exceedingly beautiful man.

However, when he saw the person whose back view was so similar to the person in his dreams turn around, and clearly saw his face, he really felt abandoned. It wasn't him. Even if the back looked the same as the person in his dreams, the inherent noble manner couldn't even be compared.

"This…official?" The woman disguised as a man coyly hid herself behind the servant's back. "Show some courtesy, official."

When the depressed Helian Jing Qi confirmed the person with the similar back view wasn't that person, his expression grew cold. He no longer looked at the blushing young girl, directly brushing past them and leaving.