The cycle repeats itself for a few days.  The emperor enters and have his way with him, and after their intercourse, the emperor would walk away, leaving him broken.  The grief and disgust he feels will be so overwhelming that he will move to the table and take out the hairpin, intending to take his own life.  And as usual, the image of Ji Hye will flash through his mind, causing him to drop the hairpin helplessly and sobs.


The same thing ought to happen again tonight, except perhaps Jaejoong had finally mustered enough courage to execute his plan.  The plan he got when the emperor took him by force the first night.  He was too much of a coward these past few days, refusing any sort of contact with the superior male, only giving in to his physical demand knowing he couldn’t fight him off even if he wanted to.  He’s the emperor, fighting him can get his head beheaded. 


To tell the truth, the emperor isn’t as abrasive as Jaejoong first thought him to be.  There’s this one kind of look he’d give him.  The look that can thaw even the hardest heart in the land.  The look of fascination, of gentleness, of awes.  As though Jaejoong is something really beautiful to his eyes.


Fleeting off, he remember the emperor looking so unperturbed the first time he took him by force, as if he didn’t care and as if he was only there for what Jaejoong can offer him. 5 minutes after he left however, the head of Royal Physicians enters the Rose Palace hastily, commanded by the emperor to treat the Jang Mi Occupant – which now happens to be Jaejoong – in his greatest ability and that if there’s any untreated injury to be detected after, the head will receive the harshest punishment he can think of.


Jaejoong was a little taken aback when the ladies in waiting informed him that.  And they also told him that not everyone got the liberty to be treated by the head of royal physician.  Only those of really high ranking like the imperial noble consort or the noble consorts.


He is nothing.  He’s not a concubine nor a consort, why would he treat him that well?  Even the head of the royal physician appears to be scared of him.  Every moves made by the poor old man are limited, polite and gentle.  As if one ungentle press on his skin can cause him to crack like a precious china.  And those gestures added with the emperor affectionate stares boost Jaejoong’s confidence.  Ensuring him that he indeed can execute his plan now.


“The emperor has arrived.” The familiar sound of the eunuch announcing the emperor's arrival attracted his attention.


See, he know he’ll be here tonight.  He always do.


The sound of the door opening causes him to raise his head to the door.  The emperor stomped in firmly, his almond eyes latching to the silhouette of the beautiful male who had been bugging his head for the past few days.  


'Beautiful,’ he manage to muse in between his steps.  Jaejoong bows, a gesture everyone must comply to everytime they crosses path with someone of higher ranks. 


“You may be at ease,” the baritone said.  The beautiful male stood up, eyes looking at the floor hesitantly.  Cutting off all the foreplay, the emperor approaches him, his fingers expertly unfastening the robe the other is wearing.  Jaejoong hold his breath, this happened for quite a few times already, why is he still disgusted?


  Trying to relax his tense body, Jaejoong softly gasp when the emperor pushes him to the bed, leaving his robe unfasten but still hanging, only his chest and stomach in bare view.


Discarding his own attire in a haste, the emperor does so while eyeing Jaejoong hungrily.  The beauty is sprawling on the bed right now, with his clothes half open, exposing half of his shoulder seductively.  He knew it wasn’t done deliberately by the beauty, and that’s what makes it even more inviting.  The innocent aphrodisiac.  Every gestures he did, every moves he make will only make the emperor yearns for him.


Finally free from any articles of clothing, he climbs on the bed, his eyes heavy with lust.  Looking at Jaejoong the same way he describe earlier, Yun Ho land his lips on his soft velvety one.


“You are so damn beautiful.”  He repeated those sentence, the same sentences he had been saying the first time he met Jaejoong.


 “So beautiful,” the emperor praised again, this time, retreating his lips from Jaejoong's to have a good look on the beauty.  Jaejoong looked back and their eyes interlocked.  For the first time after seeing Jaejoong, the emperor finally had the chance to admire the deep brown eyes of the beauty.  It made him weak on his knees, those deep orbs.  It was dark, so deep, that he can’t pull away, as if looking at those eyes will help him unravel the mysterious beauty beneath him.


“Jaejoong,” Jaejoong whispers, his voice soft. 


Looking back at him, the emperor slightly quirk his brows, trying to reassure that the beauty is indeed talking to him on his own accord. 


“My name is Jaejoong,” Jaejoong whispers again, this time clearer.  He saw the amused glint in the emperor’s eyes upon hearing him. 


Clearly, the emperor didn’t expect him to talk, especially after knowing how much the beauty dislike him these past few days.  Jung Yun Ho is no fool.  He knows Jaejoong only succumb to his ministration out of fear, he didn’t want to be punished.  Him succumbing quietly while crying is a clear indication of that.


“Jaejoong?” Yun Ho repeated, something that sounds so suspiciously close to uncertainty laced his voice.  Seeing the beauty hesitantly nodding beneath him, he smiled. 


“You are so beautiful, Jaejoong,” he complimented, before diving in for another kiss.




He left again.  Did he do it wrongly?  Should he really succumb this early?  Maybe he shouldn’t.  And thinking about how idiotic he was last night breaks his heart again.  He thought, by opening up to him, the emperor would start to favour him even more, and if possible he wants to compete with that of Lady Ara. 


If he succeed, he may acquire more power than the vixen.  Truthfully speaking, no other person is more powerful that the emperor on this land, and by having a spot in the emperor’s heart, people may gain power based on how important they are to the emperor.  That’s how Lady Ara rose to power, he reckon.


And now that the emperor showed so much affection to him, he might as well snatch this opportunity and try to outdo Lady Ara in the harem.  But now, his effort seems futile.  The emperor still left after bedding him.  Goodness, he’s too naïve.  How could he gave in this easily?  The emperor probably liked him before due to his stubbornness and defiance, and now that he appears to consent the emperor’s doing, the male probably lost his interest in him. 


What had he done?  How stupid can he be? 


“Your highness, the head of Royal Physician is here,” his maid announces.  Jaejoong sigh.


The Forbidden City is really a beauty.  Jaejoong concluded as he sat under a tree in the JangMi Garden while reading a random book he got from the JangMi archive.  He ordered his people to stay away from him since he needed privacy when it comes to reading.  The silhouette of Soo Kyung and her people entering the lawn while carrying treats reaches him.  This happens a lot nowadays. 


The news of the infamous occupant of JangMi and how the emperor favours him reaches people all over the city.  More guards had been assigned to guard the JangMi palace from the order of the emperor.  No ladies nor consorts are allowed to visit.  Jaejoong somehow understand that the logic behind those actions are to shield him from any forms of harms plotted by the other jealous ladies.


Except for his household and the emperor, no other people has the access to see him.  Seeing how protective the emperor is, the people around the Forbidden City somehow decided that the occupant is the future golden consort of the palace.  And with that, the request to join his household had increased significantly.  


He unfortunately rejects them.  He wants to value his privacy.  He didn’t want people to hear what the emperor does to him every night.  It's too shameful.  Jaejoong shudders in fear upon remembering them. 


The other concubines are not making this any easier.  They started to send him gifts and treats, hoping to have a good relationship with him.  Cause a good relationship with the higher rank can ensure a brighter future.  Hypocrite, Jaejoong deemed them to be. 


Lady Ara walk back and forth across her room in fear.  The emperor had not visit her palace for a few days already.  Fear engulf her as she heard more and more rumours about the mysterious Lady of Jang Mi.  Who is she?  She thought the Lady of JangMi had been killed, so who is this infamous beauty they had been talking about?  Is she a replacement?  The emperor never mentioned anything about promoting someone to be Lady Jang Mi before.  Is she one of the tributes?  But the emperor made this clear himself, he has no urge to sleep with any one of them, and that the reason he accepted them in Joseon is only to help him toy with the remaining nobles of Jamsil. 


So where did this lady come from?  And if she’s that beautiful as everyone describes her to be, why hadn’t she heard of her before? 


Heaving a sigh, she did not know whether she should be afraid or relief that the emperor didn’t visit her.  The last time he bedded her, he ordered her to send the male that had the affair with that girl from Jamsil to him.  And when she ordered her people to take him, they told her he had long gone.  To where, they did not know.


She punished them all despite the fact that it was her who ordered them to toss the man anywhere they wanted.                 


What would she tell the emperor if he ask for him now?  She figures she would just have to tell him that she had killed the male.  Yes, that’s what she should say.  The emperor would be upset at her since he probably had planned something for that male, she bet that's why he wanted to see him on the first place.  But his anger will probably not last long.


 And after the emperor's anger subsides, she can finally concentrate on the new threat she’s receiving, the Lady of Jang Mi.





AN:  Hope you enjoy the update <3 <3 <3