Chapter 1 — The Regent Hides Thousands of Secrets

On the bed made of gold and wood, my head hurt like it was about to explode because of the excess alcohol. I opened my eyes, the first thing that entered my sight was not the familiar curtain in the Regent's Palace, but a piece of brilliant golden dragon pattern. I jumped up in surprise, the cold silk brocade sliding off my bare shoulder. Next to it, there was a teenager lying. Lightly messy black hair, handsome eyebrows, at this moment sleeping soundly and not knowing anything - it was the little emperor Tieu Tuan, the man in the court who was oppressed by me to the point of suffocation, hating me to the core. There was a buzzing sound in my head, the chaotic memories of last night came rushing in like pieces. I, Ta Trieu, Regent of the king's power over the world, dressed as a woman and disguised as a man, but after the victory banquet... I took the little emperor - my mortal enemy - to sleep on the dragon bed. My face didn't change color, I bent down to pick up the mandarin robe from the ground, and put it on one by one, every movement made my back ache. Just as I was about to leave without a sound, the young man behind me suddenly moved slightly, his voice still thick and hoarse:

“Prince Regent... It's just dawn, are you trying to wash away your responsibility?”

My hands stopped at my waist and I slowly turned around. Tieu Tuan didn't know when he sat up. The golden brocade blanket was just enough to cover his lower abdomen, revealing his strong chest and collarbone. Above, there are full of sinister traces left by me when I lost control last night. His face still had the youthful look of a teenager, but those dark eyes were like deep cold, staring at me fiercely, inside were roiling humiliation, anger and a trace of... even he himself hadn't recognized as confusion.

"Your Majesty," I opened my mouth, my voice was as hoarse as his, but cold as ice, "last night you and I were both drunk, but it was just an accident. Your Majesty is the son of heaven, so you should know what the big picture is, what is dignity."

“Face?”

He burst out laughing, a laugh full of mockery and resentment, "The Regent has usurped me, and now he's turning to preach morality to me?"

“In your eyes, I am nothing more than a toy that you can play with at will?”

I walked back to the bed, looking down at him from above.

"Your Majesty, please be careful with your words. If this spreads out, will you - this emperor lose all face, or will I - the Regent with the reputation of 'good dragons' have my reputation ruined?"

I grabbed his chin, forced him to face me, and said word by word: "Forget about last night. From today, you are still your puppet emperor, I am still my Prince Regent. Between us, nothing has ever happened." His pupils constricted violently, his long eyelashes trembled slightly with anger. I let go, not bothering to look at him anymore, turned around and strode out of the temple. Behind him, there was the sound of broken porcelain. Our steps never stop. An hour later, at Thai Hoa Palace. I wear a purple dragon robe embroidered with a golden python, a jade crown on my head, and I am the head of a hundred mandarins. Tieu Tuan wore an elaborate dragon robe, his pale face sat on the dragon chair, the dark circles under his eyes were obvious. The topic of discussion was defense costs on the Northern border. The Minister of Households lamented the empty treasury and asked for a three-point reduction. I laughed coldly, walked out and said: "Northern Dat Dat is lurking every hour, cutting military costs, do you want to let the generals take the lead?" firewood to defend the border? Minister Wang, do you think your head is stronger than the entire Great Zhou country?" The king was so scared that he knelt down on the ground, trembling. The court was silent. All eyes turned to Tieu Tuan sitting on the dragon chair, waiting for him - the son of heaven - to make a decision. This is also the moment that every time I court him, I am most proud, seeing him clearly hate me to the core, but still having to obey my wishes, like a puppet being pulled on strings, saying the words I want to hear. But today, he was quiet. He just used those icy eyes, staring at me, his eyes seemed to want to tear me into a million pieces. I responded to that look without fear, moved my lips, and silently said two words.

“Face.”

His hand tightened on the armrest of the long chair, his knuckles were white, his veins were clearly visible. Page Nguyet Hoa Cac After a while, as if he had exhausted all his strength, he gritted his teeth and blurted out the words: "Accurate... according to the King Regent's instructions." The corner of my lips curled up to an almost imperceptible angle, bowing in gratitude.

“Your Majesty is holy.”

At that moment, I saw clearly in his eyes, the hatred had almost turned into reality. Very good. That's it. An emperor who hates me to the core is an emperor who is easy to control. As for last night's antics, just consider being bitten by a dog and it's over. I - Ta Trieu - absolutely will not let any unexpected events stop me. The next month, the waves were calm and the wind was calm. Tieu Tuan in the court became more and more silent, all the orders I gave him, he no longer had the slightest objection on his face, they all followed in unison. The more he complied, the more the old foxes in the court feared me. The power in our hands is therefore even more solid. Everything goes according to the trajectory I have planned, except my body. At first, it was just loss of appetite. I thought it was because I was too tired to handle government affairs day and night, so I didn't pay attention. Until that afternoon, while reviewing in the study room, an indescribable nausea suddenly rolled up from my stomach. I rushed to the corner of the room and leaned in to spit but there was nothing, just a little sour water. Lam Phong's close guard panicked: "Your Majesty! What's wrong with you? This subordinate immediately goes to invite the doctor!”

“No need!”

I shouted to stop him, waved my hand, used a towel to wipe away the troubled expression at the corner of my mouth, "It's just an old illness, maybe the wind caused an upset stomach." In my previous life, I was a military doctor on the battlefield. I died on the operating table and then entered the male body of this king. About our body, we know better than anyone else. Stomach pain is definitely not this symptom. A scary and ridiculous thought suddenly flashed in my mind without warning. My heart immediately sank to the bottom of the abyss. After that night, my month never came. I forced myself to stay calm, dismissed everyone, returned to the bedroom alone, and closed the door. I raised three fingers and placed them on the other wrist. The vein... flows like a string of pearls. My whole body's blood turned cold in an instant. Impossible? Just once… how can you win right away?