Chapter 1
Cheng Yun was awakened by a sharp slap.
He opened his eyes to see the dim yellow canopy above the bed. Stunned, he raised his hand to touch the side of his face that had just been struck.
The bedchamber was utterly silent; with his keen hearing, he could even discern the breathing of the night attendant eunuch.
He slowly sat up in bed.
His mind sluggishly replayed the recent scene.
That hand—white, pure, with slender knuckles, yet the fingertips bore clear calluses, as if from long use of some object.
A man’s hand…
Had slapped his face.
He looked around, momentarily dazed, doubting whether he had lost his honored position as Crown Prince.
But the entire bed canopy was draped in dark yellow, and the brocade covering him was embroidered with exquisite roaming dragons.
All symbols of the heir apparent.
He exhaled slowly, then laughed bitterly in anger.
This was truly outrageous.
Over these past days, he had tolerated everything; yet the demon in his dreams had taken liberties, from initially appearing with tearful, pitiful eyes to seduce him, bewitch him, and turn him into a fool filled with lewd thoughts, to now daring to slap him across the face!
He forced himself to calm down and said slowly, “Send someone.”
The eunuch who had been sleeping nearby was immediately awakened and hurried to the bedside. “Your Highness, what are your orders?”
Cheng Yun extended a hand from beneath the brocade, drew back the curtain, and said coldly, “Summon Lou Zhaozi.”
It was late autumn. A light rain had just fallen, leaving the ground damp.
Throughout the Crown Prince’s residence, lights burned brightly; palace servants stood vigil beside stone lanterns to ensure the flames never went out, no matter the wind or rain.
Only the Crown Prince’s bedchamber was somewhat dim.
Lou Zhaozi entered to find Cheng Yun seated expressionlessly on a long couch, his long hair half-wet.
He yawned weakly, climbed up, and sat opposite Cheng Yun.
“I was just engaged in a fierce battle with him,” Cheng Yun said.
Lou Zhaozi: “…”
He paused, uncertain whether to sit or stand.
Cheng Yun chuckled, but there was no warmth in his eyes. “Then I was awakened with a slap.”
Lou Zhaozi settled his weight on his sit bones and replied helplessly, “It must have been some flirtatious scuffle, Your Highness. You needn't take it to heart.”
“Flirtatious scuffle…” Cheng Yun murmured darkly, “So, I am destined to be slapped by him in the future, am I?”
Lou Zhaozi cleared his throat. “Your Highness should understand that all you dream of are premonitions of what is destined to happen…”
“So,” Cheng Yun said coldly, “I am doomed to be his lapdog, summoned and dismissed at his whim?”
“Uh…” Lou Zhaozi said, “Your Highness, you speak harshly. The Crown Princess… no, you cherish your beloved deeply and attend to everything personally. That is commendable.”
Cheng Yun’s breathing grew rapid. Once more, with deliberate emphasis, he repeated a phrase he had said many times before: “I absolutely, definitely, do not love him.”
Lou Zhaozi was frustrated. “But Your Highness must understand, the dreams you have had since childhood are prophetic. In the past, you tried various ways to defy fate, but what is meant to happen will still come to pass, only the outcomes vary slightly…”
“I will never allow such a thing to happen.”
“Your Highness,” Lou Zhaozi pleaded earnestly, “She is merely a pampered woman. If you indulge her a bit, is that not better? As they say, women are made of water…”
“When did I ever say he was a woman?!”
Silence fell abruptly in the bedchamber. Lou Zhaozi’s face showed shock. Cheng Yun realized what he had said, his expression shifting unpredictably as a shadow of gloom darkened his gaze.
Lou Zhaozi quickly averted his eyes, concealing his inner thoughts. “Your Highness has never been fond of women, yet…”
“I can’t possibly fall for a man!” Cheng Yun slammed his palm on the table. “I will never hold a man in my palm, be bewitched by him, go mad for him, or become a fool filled with nonsense!”
“Yes, yes.” Lou Zhaozi was quick, swiftly moving the tea on the table aside. He watched as the small purple sandalwood table shattered under Cheng Yun’s blow, finally understanding why the Crown Prince became so enraged whenever he dreamed of that person.
A man—Lou Zhaozi found it equally baffling. The Crown Prince had always been obsessed with military strategy and recently delved deeply into firearms. Such a future sovereign, destined for great achievements, how could he possibly fall for a man? Let alone willingly allow himself to be humiliated?
He hesitated. “I heard from my master that after your eighteenth birthday, the nature of your dreams might change. Perhaps this is merely a dream, lacking prophetic power?”
Cheng Yun forced himself to calm down and shook his head. “No matter what, I must prevent this. I cannot spend the rest of my life bound to a seductive man who would make me a laughingstock.”
“Your Highness speaks wisely.” At this point, Lou Zhaozi could only rack his brains. “But I truly cannot interfere in matters from your dreams…”
Cheng Yun was silent for a moment, then said coldly, “I have a plan.”
Lou Zhaozi listened intently. “Please, Your Highness, speak.”
He understood the gravity of the situation. Cheng Yun was still only the Crown Prince. If the figure in his dreams were a woman, even of low status, it would not greatly affect the realm. But if it was a man, and one the Crown Prince was deeply obsessed with… then the future was uncertain.
History had never known a man as queen.
“I will find him and execute him,” Cheng Yun said slowly. “Only then can the threat be forever eliminated.”
Lou Zhaozi nodded. “Very well. But how do you intend to capture him?”
“I will paint his portrait myself,” Cheng Yun said, evidently having already planned. “Then conduct a nationwide search. We will claim it is a dream demon disturbing sleep; the people will surely report him voluntarily.”
Lou Zhaozi hesitated. “Wouldn’t blaming a dream demon be too absurd? Better to claim he is an assassin…”
“I want it to be absurd,” Cheng Yun said coldly. “The one above keeps suppressing me. Were it not for my mother and uncle, on the very day he took power, he would have seized everything from me… If I am not outrageous, how can I make him uneasy?”
Most importantly, that demon had been invading his dreams daily, humiliating him for a whole month, possibly leaving an indelible stain on his life. Naturally, he wanted the other to know what it was like to be unsettled in mind and body.
Yet he spoke none of this aloud, only lowering his lashes, wearing a grave expression as if deeply concerned for the greater good.
Lou Zhaozi sighed heavily. “Your Highness is truly thoughtful.”
After Lou Zhaozi left, the sky remained deep black. Cheng Yun lay back down, eyes closed, his mind filled with the image of the one who had slapped him.
He recalled the one-sided passion he had given, the intimate closeness in dreams, the smooth skin, the hoarse voice…
Then he remembered how, like a saint, he had devoutly kissed every inch of that person’s body.
Opening his eyes again, Cheng Yun’s gaze was ice-cold.
That body, constructed just like his own, no matter how he tried, he could not understand how it could be so alluring, even making him willingly kneel at the other’s feet…
No, he could never have willingly done so—it must have been that demon who drugged him…
Suddenly, he leapt from the bed.
He could no longer contain himself.
He had to personally crush that bastard to death!
Nervously, he paced back and forth beside the bed, nearly exploding with rage.
He would never fall for a man. Even if one day he married a Crown Princess, only others would serve her!
What was he? This… this… unknown scoundrel!
Cheng Yun strode out of the bedchamber. The night attendants almost simultaneously sprang to their feet, running alongside him with lanterns.
He soon arrived at the study, took paper and brush himself, spread them on the table, inhaled deeply, then dipped the wolf hair brush and coldly instructed the attendant beside him, “Fetch the pigments.”
They were quickly brought. Cheng Yun changed brushes, steadied his wide sleeves with one hand, and with the other, began tracing a roaming dragon.
When the last stroke was done, he casually passed the brush to the side, his gaze fixed quietly on the paper.
Noticing the attendant beside him had not taken the brush, he frowned and looked over to find the attendant staring blankly at the portrait.
“What are you doing?”
The attendant snapped back to reality, bowed, and took the brush. “Your Highness’s painting skills are exquisite. I was so captivated I forgot myself.”
Cheng Yun frowned. “Is it very beautiful?”
The attendant glanced at the drawing again. “I am but a humble servant. I can only say it is unparalleled in the heavens.”
Cheng Yun silently regarded his own work, voice gentle. “Then, when I find this man, I shall skin him alive and present the hide to you. How does that sound?”
The attendant’s face turned pale. He dropped to his knees. “I spoke carelessly. Please punish me, Your Highness.”
Cheng Yun folded back his sleeves and said coldly, “Notify Pang Qi. Gather all court painters to copy this image. In three days, I want this man hunted nationwide.”
Three days later, numerous portraits of the dream demon, copied by court artists, were sent to provinces and prefectures.
In Shengjing’s city bulletin board, a wanted poster for the dream demon was posted.
The entire city was in an uproar.
Among the bustling crowd at the bulletin, Zhou Lianqiong pushed forward first. Seeing the person in the portrait, he frowned and turned to shout, “A-Jing! A-Jing!”
From the crowd’s rear, a youth who looked exactly like him leaned forward, heard his call, and replied, “Here.”
“Look!” Zhou Lianqiong ignored the displeasure of those around and pushed through again, dragging the embarrassed Zhou Lianjing back into the throng. Pointing at the figure, he said, “Don’t you recognize this person?”
It was a work by the Crown Prince himself, so the wanted poster was painted with pigments, showing great extravagance.
It was clear the Crown Prince was eager to find the dream demon.
Zhou Lianjing studied the image for a while, his expression gradually changing. Zhou Lianqiong said, “Isn’t this that petty…”
Zhou Lianjing quickly covered his mouth, pulling him away from the crowd.
Only after they were far from the throng did Zhou Lianqiong shove off Zhou Lianjing’s hand, angrily asking, “What are you doing?!”
“Didn’t you see what it says?” Zhou Lianjing looked around, listening to the crowd’s murmurs, and whispered, “The Crown Prince is disturbed by a dream demon and has called for a nationwide search. Such witchcraft, if involved with, will mean death.”
“Death? They won’t kill your head though…” Zhou Lianqiong leaned close and whispered, “If we report the petty traitor to the Crown Prince, we’ll get a reward.”