Encountering a Snake - Chapter 28.1

V3C28.1 Extra

Chapter 92

Extra: Growing Old

 

Winter, the thirty-ninth year of Jianyuan, Imperial Palace

 

Two young eunuchs waited outside, occasionally glancing at the snowstorm beyond the corridor. Another day of heavy snow, and no sign of it stopping. They sighed inwardly, thinking of the work ahead to clear the snow-covered paths. Being a servant was a never-ending labor.

 

“Who is that?” one suddenly whispered.

 

The other stood on tiptoe to look. In the distance, a figure braved the storm, walking closer. The silhouette was familiar. He immediately said, “General Shen is here. Go report to His Majesty; I’ll fetch tea.” The two exchanged glances and got busy.

 

Shen Jue brushed the snow off his cloak under the eaves, stamping his feet to clear the melted snow from his shoes before pushing open the wooden doors of the imperial study and stepping inside.

 

Once through the first door, the air immediately warmed. Shen Jue removed his cloak and handed it to a nearby eunuch, then accepted the clean shoes offered to him. Sitting on a bench, he changed his shoes while glancing towards the figure beyond the screen in the third chamber. Only a faint silhouette was visible through the screen.

 

After changing his shoes, Shen Jue walked in and bowed. He was quickly bid to rise, and the emperor, without lifting his head, said, “What brings you here on a snowy day instead of staying home?”

 

“It’s been a while since I last saw you. The weather is bitterly cold, so I came to check on you,” Shen Jue replied.

 

The emperor continued reviewing memorials, flipping to the next one with an air of indifference. “You’ve seen me now. You can leave.”

 

Raising an eyebrow, Shen Jue skipped the formalities, stepping forward to snatch the memorial and vermilion brush from the emperor’s hands, tossing them aside. “You haven’t really looked at me.”

 

The emperor inwardly sighed at his audacity and finally raised his head to scrutinize him. After a moment, he said, “I’ve seen you. That outfit looks good—something I gifted last year?”

 

“Last summer,” Shen Jue replied, quickly steering the conversation back. “You’ve been acting strange lately.”

 

At that moment, tea and snacks were brought in by a eunuch. The head eunuch cast a glance at Shen Jue, and the young eunuch quickly placed the items down and retreated, closing the door behind him.

 

Shen Jue sat down on his own, sipping tea and eyeing the elderly eunuch standing by. “I’m going to rest for a bit.” With that, he entered the emperor’s private chamber through a side door, shutting it behind him.

 

The emperor lingered for a moment before getting up to follow.

 

When he entered, Shen Jue smiled for the first time, extending a hand toward him. He was already disheveled, having removed his new shoes and outer robe, which was now draped over the bed. He lay on the couch in just his inner garments, exuding a casual laziness.

 

The emperor was long accustomed to this behavior, even though it defied all protocol. He made no comment.

 

The emperor merely asked, “Who’s taking the lead this time?”

 

Shen Jue thought for a moment before answering, “I let you last time. Naturally, it’s my turn now.”

 

The answer was expected—Shen Jue never knew how to yield. He demanded fairness in all things, measuring every ounce. The emperor snorted coldly and lay down without even removing his clothes, coldly saying, “I truly despise this side of you.”

 

Shen Jue chuckled softly, deftly helping him undress, then leaned over him without hesitation. “I thought you didn’t hate it that much,” he teased, pressing a kiss to his face and shamelessly adding, “In fact, you seem to like it quite a bit. What do you think?”

 

The emperor almost immediately erupted in fury, raising his leg to kick him off. His reaction could only be described as enraged and embarrassed. But Shen Jue, with his natural strength, was immovable. His attempts were futile, and instead, his legs were pinned down.

 

The emperor, ever pragmatic, quickly realized resistance was futile. After venting his anger, he stopped struggling, though he was still displeased. Gritting his teeth, he wrapped his arms around Shen Jue’s neck and said coldly, “I still have memorials to review. Make it quick.”

 

Shen Jue frowned slightly and waited a moment before responding, “There are memorials to review every day. Why must it always be now?” His tone betrayed his irritation as he leaned down to bite the emperor’s neck lightly. “If you’re unwilling, then let’s stop.”

 

The emperor suddenly fell silent, seemingly stunned. Then he abruptly reacted, raising an arm to deliver a sharp elbow strike to Shen Jue’s face. With a muffled thud, the emperor sat up straight and shoved Shen Jue aside.

 

Fastening his robes as he stood, he said, “Then we’ll stop,” and stormed out.

 

Shen Jue, rubbing his face, watched him leave in a huff. Despite himself, he couldn’t help but laugh.

 

In front of Ji Jiu and Yi Mo, Shen Jue was always courteous, filial, and attentive. His mischievous streak was never apparent. Only in front of this man did all his bad traits come to the fore, like now. Though he knew he shouldn’t laugh, he sat at the edge of the bed, disheveled and laughing uncontrollably, deliberately infuriating the emperor outside.

 

As his laughter grew louder, the emperor’s face darkened in the study. A nearby eunuch, the elderly Zhang, turned pale, shrinking into himself to avoid drawing attention.

 

The sound of shattering porcelain abruptly silenced the laughter inside. Shen Jue quickly dressed and stepped out, looking at the shattered teacup and then at the emperor still poring over memorials. Waving a hand to dismiss the eunuch, Shen Jue spoke softly, “Why such a temper? It was just a joke.”

 

He paused, then added with a faint smile, “Perhaps it’s true what they say—you’re growing weaker with age.”

 

The emperor said nothing, merely staring blankly at the stack of memorials.

 

Seeing that he still refused to calm down, Shen Jue fell silent for a moment before reaching out to cover the hand that had just thrown the shattered porcelain.

 

“Don’t be angry,” Shen Jue said, tightening his grip slightly and speaking gently, “Let’s go back to the room. I’ll let you have your way this time.”

 

The emperor scoffed, his face full of indifference. “I’m not interested.”

 

Completely impervious to persuasion, neither hard nor soft approaches worked on him.

 

Shen Jue stopped being polite, removing all the inkstones, brushes, and paper from the desk with a simple spell, making them vanish without a trace.

 

Facing the emperor’s increasingly cold gaze, Shen Jue smiled lightly and said, “You want to review memorials? They’re in the room. Come or don’t, it’s up to you.” With that, he turned and calmly walked into the room.

 

The emperor stared at the now-empty desk for a long while before slamming the table and standing up. With a composed expression, he followed.

 

Upon entering the room, the emperor saw that the memorials and brushes were indeed there, all perfectly intact—placed neatly on the bed.

 

Striding over in two quick steps, the emperor swept them all onto the floor without a word, then began removing his sash and letting his robes fall, leaving only his inner garments.

 

Shen Jue, sitting on the bed, watched his every move intently. As he watched, he couldn’t help but smile, though the warmth in his expression went unnoticed even by himself.

 

The emperor, perceptive as ever, noticed his distraction and stopped his movements, fixing his gaze firmly on him. Shen Jue immediately snapped back to attention, dutifully untying his newly fastened belt once more.

 

Since Shen Jue had promised to yield this time, the emperor seemed to be in a better mood. His actions became noticeably gentler; he even leaned in and kissed Shen Jue’s face as if to reward his obedience.

 

Taking advantage of the moment, Shen Jue pulled him close, let down the bed curtains with one hand, and embraced the emperor against his chest. Biting his ear, he whispered, “I lied to you.”

 

The emperor, upon realizing the deception, showed no change in expression. Whether he was too angry to speak or simply disinclined to respond, he reached out decisively and gripped Shen Jue’s throat, his fingers tightening as if he truly intended to choke him to death.

 

Yet the man beneath his grasp remained unruffled. Though he was gasping for air, Shen Jue steadily lowered his head, his lips capturing the emperor’s.

 

Their lips and tongues intertwined, and gradually, the emperor loosened his hold. When their lips parted and their foreheads pressed together, countless thoughts ran through the emperor’s mind. He had always known he couldn’t truly strangle this man, so why bother trying?

 

With this realization, the emperor lay quietly on the bed, yielding to Shen Jue’s tender touch.

 

“I won’t provoke you again,” Shen Jue said. Under the silken covers, his hand moved gently, caressing the emperor’s back, waist, and legs, finally lingering at the place he wished to enter. His tone turned serious. “I won’t mention the earlier years, but for the past ten years, I’ve followed your wishes in everything. Haven’t I always been fair, taking turns with you? And yet, whenever I want you lately, you act so unwilling, as if I’m forcing you. That takes all the joy out of it.”

 

He kissed the emperor’s face and, after a moment of silence, said softly, “If you truly don’t want this anymore, then I won’t come again.”

 

As his words fell, the small world enclosed by the pale curtains fell silent.

 

The emperor’s pause seemed brief, but in that moment, countless thoughts crossed his mind. He knew he could drive Shen Jue away or ridicule him. He could do anything to him—heartless or cruel actions had never been beyond him. Yet in the end, faced with this man who had stayed by his side for nearly thirty years, the emperor softened his voice and murmured, “This year, I turned fifty.”

 

Even the emperor didn’t know how it had happened—how he had turned fifty in the blink of an eye.

 

And the man before him, his features still youthful, showed no signs of aging.

 

No matter how proud one is, lying together in a bed, one’s hair grayed and body aged while the other remains young and vibrant, that pride inevitably crumbles.

 

The emperor closed his eyes, his hand reaching out to rest on Shen Jue’s head. He seemed suddenly much weaker and whispered, “Let’s not do this anymore.”

 

Shen Jue was stunned into silence. It was a long time before he came to his senses, rolling off the emperor and lying on his side. He reached out and pulled the emperor into his arms.

 

“Alright, we won’t,” Shen Jue replied.

 

In just a few brief exchanges, nearly thirty years of time seemed to vanish.

 

Shen Jue held the man in his arms tightly, closing his eyes as he thought carefully of him:

 

He thought of his prideful demeanor;

 

He thought of his noble bearing;

 

He thought of his commanding presence, full of ambition;

 

He thought of his composure, ruling the world with ease;

 

He thought of him beneath him;

 

He thought of their first time together, fervent and intense;

 

He thought of the countless nights spent entwined under the covers.

 

The more he thought, the more puzzled Shen Jue became. When had this man turned fifty?

 

When had it happened that he had grown old?

 

Shen Jue couldn’t remember, and so he thought for a long time.

 

While he pondered, the relentless march of time continued forward, unyielding and unstoppable. After that, they never did such things again.

 

In the blink of an eye, another ten years passed.

 

In the 49th year of Jianyuan, the emperor abdicated to the crown prince and retired to the inner palace.

 

Even until his death, Shen Jue couldn’t recall when this man had begun to grow old—not just old, but old enough to die.

 

Shen Jue couldn’t remember, so in the days of his aging, he could only sit beside him and silently watch as he grew older.

 

He could only promise again and again: “I’ll find you in the next life.”

 

In the 51st year of Jianyuan, the emperor passed away.

 

That same year, General Shen Jue returned the tiger tally. That very night, a great fire consumed the general’s residence.

 

The general was no more.

 

tl – alexa play no tears left to cry by ariana grande