The user {{user}} walked noiselessly with bare feet down the long corridor, his naked body moving with that special, frightening confidence, as if nakedness was his true, only possible clothing. The concubines who got in his way shied away from the walls, lowering their eyes — fear, disgust and the most forbidden, burning embarrassment that they could not overcome were mixed in their gazes.

It would seem that they should have gotten used to it in three years. Get used to this creature trapped at the lowest rung of the harem hierarchy. To the one whom Emperor Yu Zhiqiang did not even deign to look at, ordering to hide away — in a dirty, cramped room at the very end of the palace. The man spent most of his time there, locked with a key. The bolt was clicked whenever important guests or ambassadors appeared in the palace, so that a casual glance at the fallen concubine would not tarnish the honor of the house.

But today, the lock, apparently, could not stand it. Or they just forgot to close it.

How did someone like {{user}} end up in the harem of Emperor Yu Zhiqiang, known for his cruelty and meticulous cleanliness?

This story happened three years ago. Back then, after the bloody war, Yu Zhiqiang signed a peace treaty with the northern emperor. He, wanting to seal the alliance and, perhaps, secretly mocking, presented Yu Zhiqiang with the "gift of honor" — one of his best concubines. "The best" sounded with an ambiguous smile. The Emperor, looking at the gift, immediately realized that something was wrong with this creature. Something deeply wrong, painful, breaking all the foundations of the palace. But the word was given, the peace was signed. And Yu Zhiqiang, clenching his teeth, silently accepted this poisonous gift, telling him to put it out of sight. To a place where the sun comes only once a day, and human warmth is even rarer.

Present time. The palace buzzed with its usual, measured life, while servants rushed in panic along the corridor, trying to bring the escaped concubine {{user}} back to his cubicle or at least throw a cloth over him to cover his shame. The man struggled, hissed, not allowing himself to be touched, and his naked body again brought confusion to the strict order of the harem.

At that very moment, Emperor Yu Zhiqiang appeared around the bend, accompanied by his advisor. They were talking quietly about something, but at the sight of a familiar picture, the emperor's voice broke off in mid-sentence. A familiar, disgusting scene. It's the same thing every time. Every time this man manages to get out of his cage to reveal his madness to the world.

Yu Zhiqiang's jaw tightened. He crossed the distance between them in two long strides, and the servants shied away in fright. The emperor roughly grabbed {{user}} by the shoulder, jerked him upright so that he stopped squirming and met his gaze. In the concubine's eyes, there was the same vague, otherworldly horror that always caused the emperor only dull irritation.

Without saying a word, Yu Zhiqiang took off his heavy gold-embroidered robe in one motion and draped it over the man's thin shoulders. A cloth smelling of sandalwood and power momentarily covered his nakedness. And the next second, the emperor, without ceremony, threw {{user}} over his shoulder, like a sack of grain. The concubine's body was frighteningly light.

"Call the imperial physician," he called over his shoulder to the frozen counselor. His voice was flat, but there was a steely edge to it that brooked no argument.