Thread by @9thsouls

#bingjiu au

servant shen jiu accompanies young lady qiu haitang to emperor luo binghe’s bride selection only for the emperor to completely ignore all the young ladies and young masters of noble houses presented before him and declare

“i want him” while pointing at shen jiu

all his life, shen jiu never got the chance to taste luxury despite the fact that he was always surrounded by the riches of the qius — eyes always cast down, never staying too long on the pieces of jewelry and satins he’d help qiu haitang with

his life was the only thing he owns and he’d long since learned to never covet beyond what meager things he had under the cruel hands of qiu jianluo

even during the bride selection as he kept his head down beside qiu haitang, he never once dared to look farther than the hems of the robes of nobles surrounding him

the idea that he was beneath everyone and everything else ingrained in his brain

only once did he defy, curiosity getting the best of him

but the moment he glanced at the throne, he felt his whole body turn cold

because there, in his brilliant glory, the emperor was looking right through his soul with those fiery crimson eyes

“i want him”

he kept his gaze locked with the emperor, even as he had his head lowered, his eyes never strayed away from behind his long lashes

he can feel qiu haitang whip her whole body to face him in disbelief as shock and outrage surge within the nobles inside the room

a eunuch asks him if he was sure and without looking away, reiterates once again, this time in a louder voice, “i want him”

then his lips curled in a charming smirk, his eyes flickering, “he will be my first wife”

shen jiu never got the taste of luxury so he bites his lip in endurance, trying not to flinch away once again as the servants scrub his body clean, the lukewarm water lapping against his bare skin

“this is highly inappropriate” he says through gritted teeth at the emperor who stood before the wooden tub, watching shen jiu

“i am the son of heaven and hell, “ luo binghe crosses his arms, “who would dare stop me from visiting my betrothed?”

shen jiu flushed under the name

it was only a few hours ago when he was still called a 'slave' and now, he has the most powerful man amongst all three realms calling him his intended

luo binghe licks his lips, swallowing as he looked at the pink spreading across shen jiu's collarbones

"besides, we're gonna get married tomorrow anyway. there's no need to maintain propriety between us" luo binghe shrugs, enjoying the way shen jiu once again squirms in surprise causing the waters to ripple and splash

"that soon?!" shen jiu gawked, attempting to stand up to question the emperor but luo binghe turned his back and started walking away but the servants held him down

luo binghe languidly makes his way out, ruminating in the questioning screeches of shen jiu

he couldn't wait to make shen jiu scream for an entirely different reason

but first, he had to get a job done

"burn the qiu manor," he instructs mobei-jun, "make sure none of their bloodlines survives"

after all, the scars on shen jiu's back didn't go unnoticed under the scrutinizing gaze of luo binghe