"From today onwards, I am reducing Concubine Xia's position to that of a servant. She will work in the harem as a servant. And call those knights too who dared to hit my little one."
"Your Majesty, you can't do this to me! I am a concubine—you can't reduce my position! My father is a minister!"
Hao's gaze finally met Xia's eyes, and she started to tremble upon seeing Hao's death glare.
"You dared to hurt my little one, so of course this is nothing. There are still more punishments waiting for you."
Just then, the royal knights threw in the two guards who were Xia's personal dogs.
They both fell to their knees, seeing Xia's condition and how Yue was sitting on Hao's lap. It was clear now that what they had done was a sin.
"Your Majesty, please forgive us! Concubine Xia gave us the order, saying if we didn't listen to her, she would accuse us of harassing her and have us killed!"
Everyone's eyes widened after hearing that.
Seeing all this commotion, Song stepped forward and went to stand beside Chan, behind the seat where Hao and Yue were sitting.
When Chan noticed Song beside him, he smiled.
But ahead of them, Hao's anger was rising with every passing second.
"Very well. I would show mercy on you if you hit Xia with those lashes—the same lashes with which you hit my little one."
The royal knight quickly brought those two lashes and threw them in front of the guards.
Seeing the lashes and hearing Hao's words, the guards had already decided what they were going to do. And when Xia saw the lashes—
"You are my guards! You can't hit me—right? Just for your own lives? You can't do this to me!"
But without a second thought, the two guards grabbed the lashes and started hitting Xia with them.
She screamed in pain, begging Hao for mercy, but he showed none.
["Wow, her screams have a peaceful tone, don't you think? And that right-side guard is not hitting her with full strength, I think."
"Wait, it's not enough for me. I think I need some more."]
Yue gently touched Hao's hand, which made Hao look at him.
"Your Majesty, please stop this. She's in pain. I don't want her to receive this kind of punishment. I'm not even feeling anything on my back anymore, so please let her go."
Yue's eyes were teary, and he was shaking as he said that. Hao understood that he was still scared of Xia.
That's why he was telling him to stop. Hao gently covered Yue's eyes and continued the punishment.
Her screams echoed through the entire harem.
["Fuck this idiot emperor—he closed my eyes! I wanted to see how that bitch was getting punished."
"Too bad, but I can see she's become bloody now. This punishment is more than what she gave you."
"She deserves it."]
When Xia finally passed out due to the pain and wounds, Hao told them to stop hitting her and throw her into the forest—from where no one has ever come back alive.
"And Yue is my empress. I declare this now and will sign it officially at the New Year festival."
Everyone in the harem understood one thing clearly: they could do whatever they wanted, but they must never mess with Yue again.
Yue was now the Empress. Not a concubine, not a consort—directly the Empress.
After that, Hao dismissed everyone and decided that Yue would now live in the Imperial Palace. His place was no longer in the harem.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I can't accept this. I can't move into the Imperial Palace."
What Hao had offered wasn't just an opportunity. If it were anyone else in Yue's place, they would've immediately said yes.
But Yue was refusing—and this shocked Hao more than anyone else.
"Little one, do you even realize what I'm saying? And I wasn't asking for your opinion—it was an order."
["Host, just go with the flow! Why are you refusing such a great opportunity to move into the Imperial Palace?"
"Well, to complete the mission, I'll have to do something else too. You wouldn't understand, so let it be."]
Yue stepped down from Hao's lap and stood in front of him, locking eyes with him.
"I know, Your Majesty, and still, forgive me. But I'm very fond of Prince Han, and I can't leave him alone because he's not being treated fairly here."
"You're saying I'm not treating my own son fairly?"
"Your Majesty, how dare I say that? I'm talking about the people who are treating Prince Han very badly. And if you want me to move into the Imperial Palace, then I'll have to move in with Prince Han."
Hao was staring coldly at Yue, and Yue couldn't understand what Hao was thinking at that exact moment.
["What is your hubby thinking?"
"Hey, he's not my hubby, so don't call him that! And how would I know what he's thinking? It's not like I have some kind of powers or anything."]
"Very well then. Do as you wish—but prepare yourself, because I will have you," Hao said while glancing at Yue from head to toe.
After that, Hao and Chan left, and Yue also went back to his chamber because he needed to rest for a quick recovery.
He lay on his stomach on the bed, unable to sleep on his back due to the pain.
In the afternoon, when Yue woke up, he flinched, because Han was sitting beside him on the bed, playing with Yue's hair.
"What are you doing here, Your Highness?"
"Yee… I heard what happened here. I was worried about you, so I came to check on you."
When Yue didn't come back, Han sneaked out from his manor and came into the harem.
Upon arriving, he overheard the entire situation that had unfolded.
That's why he knew what was going on—and that Hao favored Yue.
"That emperor seems to like you. If he asked you to move into the Imperial Palace, would you go?"
"His Majesty indeed asked me to move in."
Han's heart broke hearing this. He let go of Yue's hair, and Yue sat up, combing his hair with his fingers.
Han looked away with a gloomy expression, as if he were about to cry.
"It means you are going to leave me alone now, I know it. You are the same as everyone else."
"No, your highness, I refuse that proposal and said if you also move in with me, then I will move to the imperial palace."
Han quickly looks at Yue with excited eyes.
"Then what did the emperor say? He said no, right?"
"No, he said yes. Then we both are moving into the imperial palace."
Hearing that, suddenly, Han falls down on the bed, and seeing that, Yue becomes scared.
"What happened, your highness? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, yeah, but why are you joking with me? There's no way the Emperor could have allowed me to move in the Imperial Palace. He despises me. He hates me so much."
["Poor kid, I pity him so much, host. Do something and make him happy."
"What should I do? I am trying to do everything I can."
"I think you are not trying that hard. Just look at that innocent face who is alone in this world, even though he has a father."]