# Chapter 42: Unattainable
Above the Hall of Radiant Supremacy, Zhang Zhou's gaze swept past the mountain of memorial tablets before freezing in place.
The ministers assembled below noticed their king's expression of astonishment and turned their heads in unison, following his line of sight.
The bitter winter wind howled through the open doors, and standing in the doorway was a figure. He wore a dark gray fur-lined coat, two broad swords with gilded scabbards hung at his waist, and in his hand he carried a square brocade box wrapped in red silk.
An oppressive silence descended upon the Hall of Radiant Supremacy. Above the brown-gray fur collar, a refined yet cold and severe face gazed back—like this harsh winter itself.
Zhang Zhou's lips parted, but no sound emerged.
Man Cheng strode in, tilted his head slightly, and said flatly: "Ye Yi plotted to assassinate the Guard General. He was exposed by Wu Lianheng and has been executed on the spot." With that, he hurled the square box onto Zhang Zhou's desk with a thud. "This was sent by express courier from Wei County. Please examine it, Your Majesty."
At the sight of the box, Zhang Zhou knew it contained Ye Yi's head. His face had already turned ashen.
Man Cheng cast a glance at the assembled generals and ministers, then bellowed: "Get out, all of you!"
Seeing the killing intent on Man Cheng's face, and without waiting for the king's order to dismiss court, the officials scrambled out.
What utter humiliation! Zhang Zhou sat in silence, glaring at Man Cheng, who continued speaking as if to himself: "Ye Yi's crime of rebellion against the throne deserves extermination of his entire clan. The army holds Commander Cheng in highest esteem. When they heard the news, they were outraged. They've already surrounded Ye Yi's residence, awaiting only your imperial decree." He tossed his own draft of the imperial edict onto the desk. "I've prepared everything for you. You just need to press your imperial seal upon it."
Zhang Zhou remained motionless, his gaze fixed on Man Cheng. After a moment of silence, Man Cheng walked forward of his own accord, lifted the lid of the seal box, and reached inside for the imperial seal.
Zhang Zhou suddenly seized his wrist and hissed: "Xia Mancheng, don't you dare go too far!"
Man Cheng actually drew his blade and hacked it down onto the desk, his expression as still as stagnant water. "What can you do about it?"
Zhang Zhou stared at Man Cheng's face—familiar beyond familiarity, the face he had gazed upon with deep affection on countless mornings upon waking. He slackened his grip in defeat and sank into the dragon throne, watching helplessly as the crimson seal was pressed onto the golden-yellow decree. After a long while, he asked slowly: "Mancheng, for Cheng Zhongshan's sake, must you turn against me so completely?"
"Absolutely!" Man Cheng tossed out these words, snatched the decree from the desk, and turned to leave. But after a few steps, he added something that struck terror into Zhang Zhou's heart: "If you ever dare touch him again, I won't show you mercy."
The shame of moments ago evaporated. Desperate to salvage something, Zhang Zhou called out: "Mancheng..."
Man Cheng did not turn around. His voice seemed to drift down from the clouds: "Zhang Zhou, I don't want to keep loving memories anymore."
This statement struck like a bolt of lightning from clear skies, shaking every fiber of Zhang Zhou's being. He stared blankly as Man Cheng vanished from his sight. His heart felt hollow. He was barely aware that he had bitten through his own lip, blood seeping out.
The door creaked open with a lingering echo that hung in the empty air.
Those footsteps were not Ying Shan's.
Weiyang stood motionless, staring in that direction.
Crimson silk curtains billowed gently, and a familiar face emerged in the flickering candlelight.
Weiyang jolted to his feet, stumbling backward several steps until he collided with the edge of a table.
"Your Majesty the Queen, long time no see..." On that handsome face, a pair of haughty, domineering eyes rippled with mockery.
Weiyang shouted: "Xia Mancheng, how dare you show your face to me? I—I won't let you get away with this!"
Man Cheng let out a mocking laugh, deliberately clutching his chest. "How terrifying," he said with contempt. As he spoke, he moved closer with an insinuating manner. "Didn't Her Majesty the Queen used to dote on little Mancheng?"
"You madman! You madman! I won't let you get away with this!" Weiyang screamed hysterically, backing away while gripping the table edge.
Man Cheng drew several letters from his chest. Weiyang felt his blood run cold. "Where's Ying Shan?" he stammered.
Man Cheng ignored him, holding the letters over the candle flame. The fire licked at the thin paper, curling it into ash...
"I... I want to see Ying Shan..." At some point, tears had been sliding silently down his cheeks.
"Your Majesty the Queen, the dead don't make for pleasant viewing..." Man Cheng's expression remained blank as he glanced at Weiyang crumpled on the floor. He said coolly: "Don't grieve. I'll compensate you with ten palace maids. They're waiting in the front hall. From now on, if you still wish to write to your father the King, just let Mancheng deliver the letters for you. How does that sound?"
"Xia Mancheng, I will kill you!" Weiyang nearly fainted, grinding his teeth as he said: "I want to see Zhang Zhou! I want to see Zhang Zhou!"
Man Cheng's eyes suddenly blazed with ferocity. He grabbed Weiyang and hauled him up from the ground by his collar, his tone aggressive and insinuating: "What do you want to see him for? To stab him again? Weiyang, I'm telling you—" Man Cheng stared him down, each word grinding out through clenched teeth: "I want you to never see him again!"
Weiyang stared at him in utter terror.
The same incomparably handsome face, yet now so ferocious and terrifying!
Man Cheng released Weiyang, giving him a shove. Weiyang stumbled back several steps, trembling all over.
"However, he will never see you again either." Man Cheng walked unconsciously to the window, gazing down at the Imperial Army that had Ringed Rongxi Garden in a tight siege. He coldly smiled. "Your Majesty the Queen, didn't you once tell me that you often watched from this window, gazing toward Zhongbi Manor?"
Weiyang sat on the floor, hugging his knees and curling into a ball, his shoulders quivering ceaselessly.
Man Cheng's gaze drifted into the distance, coming to rest on the Hall of Radiant Supremacy, and his expression softened unexpectedly. "I wonder if you've ever noticed—when he steps onto the balcony of the side pavilion to get some fresh air, you can see his silhouette from this window... Before you came, I would often climb to this pavilion just to catch a glimpse of him... After you arrived, I lost even that right..."
**The Beginning**
Zhang Zhou gazed at the dragon throne within arm's reach. It felt like a dream. After a long while, he walked up step by step, sat upon this position he had dreamed of, and his heart overflowed with wild joy.
"Zhang Zhou!" Man Cheng stood below the steps, gazing at him with a smile. "If you're happy, just laugh out loud. What kind of expression is that?"
Zhang Zhou smiled faintly, extending his hand. "Mancheng!"
Man Cheng understood. He walked up the steps and took his hand. Zhang Zhou pulled him into an embrace, his voice low: "Mancheng, from now on, this Yuanliao belongs to us."
Man Cheng said flatly: "It's yours." Then he pressed his lips to Zhang Zhou's and kissed him deeply.
Zhang Zhou held his beloved contentedly and lay back upon the dragon throne.
Man Cheng gently nibbled at Zhang Zhou's earlobe, asking tenderly: "Zhang Zhou, where shall I live in the future?"
"Wherever you want."
"I'll live right here, in the Hall of Radiant Supremacy..."
Zhang Zhou was startled. Man Cheng, oblivious, continued lost in reverie, murmuring: "I want to be with you every day, sleep beside you every night. While you handle state affairs in the front hall, I'll wait for you in the back hall. When I miss you, I could secretly watch you from the side hall..." As Man Cheng spoke, he felt the absurdity of his own words and couldn't help blushing. But then he noticed Zhang Zhou had frozen like a block of wood.
"Mancheng..." Zhang Zhou hastily averted his gaze from Man Cheng's hopeful expression. His voice turned bitter. "You cannot live here."
Man Cheng froze. Zhang Zhou continued: "Our kind of relationship... to others, it would seem obscene and improper. How could we..."
"Zhang Zhou!" Man Cheng cut him off immediately, furious. "You're the king now! Who dares oppose you? Just announce to the entire realm that you're committing obscene acts with me—what of it? In the past, when you were waging war against Zhang Shun, you earned yourself a fine reputation. I listened to you and kept my distance, staying far away from you! Now must I stay far away forever? You'll be king for a lifetime, so I must stay far from you for a lifetime? I risked my life to seize this throne for you, only to end up still keeping my distance from you? What's the point of me exerting myself so desperately?"
Zhang Zhou was filled with both guilt and conflict. Unable to find the right words, he could only hold Man Cheng tightly and kiss him again and again. Man Cheng's tears flowed freely. He asked sorrowfully: "Zhang Zhou, do you... despise me?"
"What nonsense are you speaking?" Zhang Zhou wiped away his tears, the pain in his heart unbearable. "I don't know how to love you enough! How could I despise you? Never say such foolish things again!"
Man Cheng's lips curved slightly, but the tears in his eyes never stopped falling...
The vast, empty Hall of Radiant Supremacy bore the fading warmth of two bodies. Amid the drifting sighs, Man Cheng's soft sobs and Zhang Zhou's heartfelt, guilty coaxing echoed from time to time...
"Zhang Zhou, I want to move to Zhongbi Manor."
Zhang Zhou was stunned for a moment. Frowning, he said: "That's the residence where that traitor Zhang Shun lived when he was prince. Why would you choose that place?"
Man Cheng looked at him through tear-filled eyes and sighed softly: "Because it's the closest to your Hall of Radiant Supremacy..."