The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

The iron cage rattled noisily.

But the black iron was too sturdy—Luo Jingfeng couldn't break free or even move an inch.

Hearing the commotion, Buyan rushed in and gasped at the sight of the young emperor curled up in pain on the floor. "Your Majesty! What's wrong?"

Luo Jingfeng shouted urgently, "His stomach hurts! Call the imperial physician!"

"Yes, I'll go at once!" Buyan scooped up the young emperor to carry him to the bed, but before he could set him down—

Jin Cheng, his face deathly pale, weakly pushed at him. "Take me... outside to wait for the physician. Don't let him see Uncle..."

"Understood." Buyan didn't understand the reason but obeyed without question, carrying the boy to the outer chamber and instructing Eunuch Huang to summon the physician.

Luo Jingfeng's frantic emotions slowly settled into a numb helplessness as he stared blankly at the door.

He slumped down weakly.

Jin Cheng... didn't want him to be seen like this.

Was it to spare him the humiliation?

Luo Jingfeng should hate him.

He should hate this little brat for toying with him, treating him like an enemy, locking him up, and crushing all his trust and pride.

But Jin Cheng wasn't truly heartless toward him.

Otherwise, Luo Jingfeng would already be in the imperial prison, publicly denounced and impeached by the court—not confined in the emperor's private chambers, hidden from the world.

Jin Cheng had said he wanted to teach him to be a good man.

Luo Jingfeng scoffed. What was the worth of a good man? What use were they?

Good men were powerless.

He refused to be one.

Only a door separated the inner and outer chambers, and the physician's words carried clearly inside: "His Majesty's stomach cramps are due to prolonged starvation. The priority is to eat something before taking medicine, lest his stomach reject it. Ah, and the food must be easily digestible—start with congee to settle his stomach."

"Right away, right away!" Eunuch Huang hurried off to prepare.

After the physician left, Buyan carried Jin Cheng back inside.

Luo Jingfeng's expression was complicated, unsure how to face the boy. His nephew had truly meant it when he said he'd starve with him—it wasn't some ploy.

He'd claimed they'd die together, but seeing the brat in pain was unbearable.

Little sister, you've left me with such a weakness.

Can't touch him, can't discard him.

Eunuch Huang soon returned with a bowl of congee, fretting, "Here, Your Majesty! Let this old servant feed you. Once you eat, the pain will ease."

Jin Cheng buried his face in the blankets, mumbling stubbornly, "If Uncle doesn't eat, neither will I."

Luo Jingfeng shot to his feet, furious.

This damned brat! Still defiant even now—was he a reincarnated mule in his past life?

Eunuch Huang set the congee down and dropped to his knees before Luo Jingfeng, kowtowing desperately. "Duke of State Protection, I beg you, please eat something! His Majesty can't endure this any longer. At his age, he's growing rapidly—he needs four or five meals a day, with portions larger than you'd expect. He hasn't eaten in a full day and night! How can a child withstand this?"

Luo Jingfeng's heart ached even as rage burned in his chest, his breath uneven.

Finally, he snarled, "Bring me food!"

You little bastard. Better not let me out.

Or I'll beat you senseless for putting me through this!

"Yes, yes!" Eunuch Huang hastily handed him the second bowl of congee from the tray. Once he saw the duke begin eating—albeit with a thunderous expression—he turned joyfully to Jin Cheng. "Your Majesty, look! The Duke of State Protection is eating now! You can eat too!"

The elderly eunuch had exhausted himself tending to these two, his nerves frayed from the day's ordeal.

Jin Cheng peeked out from the blankets, stealing a glance toward the iron cage—only to meet Luo Jingfeng's glare head-on.

"Eat. Now," the man barked.

The young emperor's eyes reddened, but he nodded meekly.

Buyan helped him sit up, and Eunuch Huang fed him spoonfuls of congee. After a full day without food, Jin Cheng devoured it ravenously, color soon returning to his face.

The ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‍stomach pain gradually faded.

Eunuch Huang smiled in relief. "Your Majesty, this old servant knows you're still hungry, but eating too much too quickly will upset your stomach. Bear with it a little longer—rest first, then you can have more."

Jin Cheng gave a quiet "Mm."

Once the room was tidied and the servants dismissed, Jin Cheng, now revived, turned to Luo Jingfeng with a sweet smile. "Uncle, I'm so happy you still care about me."

Luo Jingfeng shot him a frosty glare, but Jin Cheng remained unfazed, even adding cheerfully, "I really was prepared to die with you, you know."

Luo Jingfeng scoffed. "Liar. You have too many people you care about—why would you throw your life away for me?"

Between his sworn brothers—Zong Zhao, Chu Heng, Xu Wan—any one of them could've anchored him to this world.

Little deceiver and his honeyed words.

Jin Cheng's smile faded. "You're right. There are so many people I love, and who love me. But Uncle, locking you up filled me with so much guilt... I wanted to die with you to atone."

Perhaps to Luo Jingfeng, the imprisoned one was the only victim—betrayed, trapped, humiliated.

But Jin Cheng had suffered no less in his own way.

Luo Jingfeng's temper flared again. "Did I force you to do this? If you lock me up but refuse to kill me, what's the point? Was there no other way to talk to me besides caging me like an animal?"

Jin Cheng pouted. "You never listen to me! You always treat me like a child. I had to make you stop and see—see that I can be a good emperor on my own."

"See what, your thick skull?" Luo Jingfeng wanted to crack his head open to see what nonsense festered inside.

Jin Cheng huffed. "I never wanted to be emperor in the first place! You forced me onto the throne. If we'd let Chu Heng take it, we wouldn't be fighting like this."

Luo Jingfeng's voice turned icy. "Hand the throne to Chu Heng's faction, and we'd both be rotting underground by now. Oh, but wait—you've already imprisoned me. Why not abdicate for your precious 'Your Highness'? Or does he not want it anymore?"

The moment Chu Heng's name came up, Jin Cheng clamped his mouth shut.

He trudged to the desk, staring at the memorial he'd ruined earlier when his stomach pain made him smear ink across it. He lifted the soggy paper, squinting hard—but the original writing was beyond salvage.

The young emperor slumped in dismay. "Whose memorial was this? If it goes missing, someone will be punished for negligence..."

Luo Jingfeng rolled his eyes. What was Prime Minister Shen even doing? Hadn't he taught the boy this?

Jin Cheng continued fretting, dabbing at the ink stains with fresh paper—but the ink had long dried. He lit a candle, holding the document close to the flame, hoping to decipher the text through the backlight. No luck.

Blowing out the candle, he muttered, "Maybe sunlight will help. I'll try drying it outside."

Luo Jingfeng finally snapped. "The sender's seal is on the cover, you idiot!"