His Majesty’s Hostage - Volume 1

Hong Xu raises his brow, as he watches Zi Li whose brows wrinkled as if he was embarrassed, then the next moment, muttering something to himself as if he was mulling about something. And in all of those moments, Zi Li’s face had varying expressions. And when that relaxed expression of Zi Li suddenly tensing up, Hong Xu actually found it all very amusing.

That assassin noticed that look of Zi Li that doesn’t seem like he didn’t want to save him from death, his instinct of wanting to live made him tolerate the sharp pain on his broken hands as he crawled little by little towards Zi Li, and the carpet under his body was stained with a trail of dark red blood. He was moving with great difficulty, while his burning gaze bore into Zi Li’s.

“Your highness! Yo-your highness, your highness’s position is at disadvantage, bu-but, please save this su-subordinate who worked hard for your sake, and repay that favour. “

When Zi Li heard that, he was really both alarmed and frightened. He was fearfully resisting that bloody hand below him that wanted to hold onto the hem of his clothes. On one hand he sympathises in his heart, while on the other hand he tried hard to keep distance from that assassin.

I’ll really die because of you! Yo-you, don’t come here. I already said that I don’t know you. Even if the me before knows you but the me now really don’t remember you. And even if I remember what connection we had, I still won’t be able to save you! Just who ordered you to commit the offence of assassinating the emperor like this? And besides, I’m currently powerless to defend myself, so how would I even save you? And what’s more, isn’t what you said just now is undoubtedly to drag me down with you as a scapegoat!?

Hong Xu was pleased to see fear flashing on Zi Li’s eyes, and in the next moment, he started talking with his cold voice: “Does third prince still have any words to say?”

“Thi-this, how can this matter be concluded that it was my doing by just relying on his side of the story and leaving it at that! And with his current state, for what I know, maybe he was beaten till he was forced to say so?”

“Hupmh, how did you arrive to such argument? So according to your statement, you not seeing with your own eyes that attempt of assassination towards Us means that it cannot determine that fact that you are guilty?” Hong Xu’s expression was so cold and sharp it seemed like he was itching to chop Zi Li into pieces on the spot.

“Eh! That’s not what I mean! What I’m saying, is that, if you want to judge a person whether it was his doing or not, at the very least, you should gather all sides of testimonies. Just by relying on a single person’s statement cannot turn into a strong case of evidence, and more importantly, it cannot be the basis of the verdict for an offence.” Zi Li was anxious that his brow beaded with sweat. That statement against him must have come from someone whose behind the scene of all of this, since the situation his facing right now is unusually unfavourable.

“Your Majesty, this crime of assassination can only be initiated by someone who has the power to do so. My humble self is nothing more than an insignificant nobody, I don’t have that entitlement nor power, so how is it possible that someone will willingly face danger and even sacrifice their own life to execute the assassination of his Majesty for my humble self.”

“Hah! That question is exactly what We wanted to asks you! So your saying, that there is no one that comes into your mind that would willingly sacrifice their life in your command and obey you to assassinate Us because your a nobody that has no entitlement nor power?”

Zi Li planned to throw that question to strongly throw Hong Xu off his balance but he didn’t expect the other person could quickly come up with a response, and even quickly throwing that same question back at him. Not only Zi Li was caught unprepared by him, but he was also out of luck as he ran out of retort to turn the circumstances around.

“*grooowwwllll*” Zi Li can’t help but swallow his saliva, but he still summoned his courage to say “Your majesty, it’s impossible for my humble self to do it, my humble self don’t have any intention to do that kind of thing. If my words is not good enough, then if this assassination is a success, what benefit would it give me? That answer is none. Not only I wouldn’t gain any benefit, but instead, the disaster of being killed would also befall on myself. Only an idiot would do that at the expense of throwing their own life.”

T/N: I think that sfx means that Zi Li is so stressed his stomach is grumbling xD

When Hong Xu heard of that, his gaze was cold. The expression written on his face had other profound meaning as he stared at Zi Li.

Zi Li felt that penetrating gaze of him seemed to focus all over his body, scanning him inside and out all at once, making the goosebumps on his body seemed like their competitively rises up one after the other.

Hong Xu remained silent as he observed Zi Li, when all of a sudden, he said to the imperial guards on the side and to Eunuch Lin:

“I order all of you to leave.”

“Yes, your Majesty!”