On the day Pei Xi agreed to attend the auction, Xie Ling drove to the company to pick him up. 

He Chuzhou was unable to see him off in person because he had a dinner party in a neighboring city, and seemed quite regretful about it.

Pei Xi comforted him: “Don’t feel bad, most of the items on auction are calligraphy and cultural relics. You wouldn’t be interested.”

He Chuzhou: “Is buying things the only reason for me to go to the auction?”

Pei Xi: “Why else?”

He Chuzhou thought, of course it’s to improve my favorability and accompany you for a while, but unfortunately, he dared not say this. “Because I’ve heard that the scenery over there on the mountainside is beautiful, and I’ve always wanted to see it.”

Pei Xi nodded in understanding: “It’s not a big deal. It’s not far, so there will always be opportunities in the future.”

In any case, it’s not possible today, he thought.

I have something important to do tonight, so I wouldn’t take you with me even if you had time.

They set out at seven in the evening. The mountain road was steeper and more winding than Pei Xi had imagined, and it took nearly an hour for him to glimpse a corner of the auction hall among the trees.

“Why did they choose such a remote place?” he asked Xie Ling. When he saw the expansive view outside the window, he snapped a few photos with his phone and sent them to He Chuzhou.

The latter had already arrived at the dinner party. Upon receiving the photos, he very supportively filled the screen with starry-eyed emoticons, and also shared his real-time scene with him.

The brightly decorated banquet hall was filled with people toasting each other, men in suits and women in long dresses. In the center of the photo, a handful of people were gathered together, holding champagne and chatting leisurely.

The photo was well-taken, but Pei Xi wasn’t interested in a group of unfamiliar men and women dressed in bright and beautiful clothing.

He used two fingers to zoom in on the photo, then zoomed in again until the center of the photo became a figure reflected in the floor-to-ceiling windows.

He Chuzhou was dawdling in the corner, seated on a leather sofa in boredom. He had broad shoulders and long legs, an outstanding appearance, and his side profile was so sharp that even a blurry reflection was enough to be stunning.

“The character of the literati is that they feel a place with mountains brings forth people of talent who are worthy of their works.”

Xie Ling glanced toward the passenger seat: “What are you looking at? Why are you in such a good mood?”

Pei Xi saved the photo to his album, then enlarged it again to continue looking at it: “A message from He Chuzhou.”

Xie Ling: “……”

“I never thought I’d see you in love, or even secretly in love. This is a dream come true for me. Thank you so much.”

Pei Xi: “You’re welcome.”

“You really think I’m praising you.”

Xie Ling was helpless: “Now that we have some free time, tell me what’s going on. Why do you suddenly like He Chuzhou?”

Pei Xi: “Because we’re living together.”

The car braked suddenly, and Pei Xi leaned forward due to the inertia. He then heard Xie Ling’s disbelieving voice: “You’re already living together? Why, ah? When did this happen? How come I didn’t know?”

Pei Xi left out the beginning and the end, and concealed the main reason: “Because of work. It hasn’t been very long. I forgot to tell you before.”

Xie Ling: “Is this something you can forget about? No way, what kind of work requires cohabitation, ah? And haven’t you been at odds with each other?”

Pei Xi: “We reconciled and have collaborated on some minor projects. It was more convenient to live together during the adjustment period.”

Xie Ling was silent for a long time: “My understanding of you has been refreshed, Brother. Is this the reason you business elites are successful? Cooperative projects are usually long-running, so how’s it been going so far?”

Pei Xi: “As you can see, I’m in love with him.”

Xie Ling: “……”

Pei Xi was puzzled: “I’m already sacrificing my time to ask you how to pursue him. Isn’t it obvious enough?”

Xie Ling: “………”

Xie Ling said tactfully: “Let’s discuss something. Can you try explaining this from the viewpoint of a friend? I’m really not used to you talking this way.”

I’m in love with He Chuzhou.

A friend of mine is in love with He Chuzhou.

Pei Xi thought about it, then refused with a frown: “No, I would be very uncomfortable.”

Xie Ling: “……Okay.”

Xie Ling: “So how did you fall in love with him? You don’t mind that he’s a fool and has a wild private life with numerous exes?”

Pei Xi’s brow, which had not yet relaxed, furrowed even tighter: “He’s not a fool. He has real talent and knowledge, and he doesn’t have exes or a wild private life. Those are just rumors.”

Xie Ling was astonished: “Rumors? Really?”

Pei Xi said firmly: “I wouldn’t fall in love with a fool with a wild private life. You don’t need to question my moral bottom line. He just looks like a playboy, but he’s actually a virgin.”

Xie Ling: “……”

Who knew that tonight his mother tongue would be speechless? “Is this something I should be hearing? And Boss, you even investigated this?”

Pei Xi: “I found out by chance.”

Xie Ling was wracking his brains for what to say next. He choked for a moment before speaking again: “Is it his…..uh, purity you’re attracted to?”

Pei Xi tilted his head: “Does that have any relevance to why I came to see you tonight?”

Xie Ling: “Of course it does, ah. I’m not familiar with He Chuzhou, so I need to get to know him first. Understanding the current progress of your relationship will help me make suggestions, ah.”

Pei Xi considered this carefully and felt that it made sense, so answer anew: “He has more than one advantage. He’s also knowledgeable, capable, emotionally stable, broad-minded, kind, sincere, considerate, patient, has excellent cooking skills……”

“Stop.” Xie Ling interrupted him midway. “I’m not asking what his strengths are.”

Pei Xi: “Didn’t you say you need to understand him?”

Xie Ling: “Yeah, so I need a more comprehensive description of him.”

Pei Xi: “I just described him very comprehensively. He has no shortcomings.”

Xie Ling: My mother tongue…..

“Can you try setting aside your biased filter?”

Xie Ling attempted to guide his thoughts: “Separate yourself from the identity of a secret admirer. Stand in the perspective of a third party and try to describe He Chuzhou as objectively as possible.”

Pei Xi frowned: “I’m very objective. If it weren’t for these objective facts, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with him.”

Xie Ling: “What objective facts?”

Pei Xi: “That he is excellent, without any shortcomings.”

Xie Ling was simply at a loss for words: “Let me ask you a question. Have you told him all this?”

Pei Xi shook his head.

Xie Ling sighed with emotion: “I think you just need to tell him these words. That’s half the battle. Trust me, there’s no man in the world who doesn’t like to be praised.”

Pei Xi: “He’s not such a superficial person.”

Xie Ling slowed down the car. He took a deep breath and resisted the urge to pinch himself: “Fine, let’s stop focusing on the complimenting step for now. Tell me, where is your relationship at currently?”

Pei Xi considered: “We’re business partners.”

Xie Ling: “That’s it?”

Pei Xi: “Roommates who have dinner together and walk the dog together.”

Xie Ling: “What else?”

Pei Xi: “Does it count that I went to his home and met his family?”

Xie Ling: “That’s friendship. Okay, the starting point isn’t too low. You said he’s a virgin and hasn’t been in a relationship before?”

Pei Xi: “En.”

Xie Ling: “If he hasn’t been in a relationship at this age, either his standards are super high or his brain is missing a string.”

Xie Ling thought as he spoke: “If it’s the former, you’re a top match and don’t need to worry at all. If it’s the latter…..then you need to flirt, the kind of flirting that’s so blatant it practically breaks the window paper. This kind of person has low emotional intelligence and may not get even the slightest hint.”

Blatant flirting……

Pei Xi found it difficult to understand these words for a while: “You mean for me to seduce him?”

Xie Ling: “It’s fine if you understand it that way.”

Pei Xi frowned once again: “I don’t think that’ll work, he’s not that kind of person……”

“He’s not a superficial or lustful person?”

Xie Ling could guess what he was trying to say: “I get it, I get it. Extraordinary people are different from us normies. But mental stimulation is necessary for everyone to some extent, isn’t it?”

As they were talking, they arrived at the clubhouse villa.

When he saw an attendant standing at the door with an umbrella for them, Pei Xi realized it had started to rain. It wasn’t a heavy rain, but the wind could blow it into one’s collar and chill them to the bone.

“We’ll talk later. Let’s go in first.”

Xie Ling parked the car and pushed the door open. He had only taken one step when he got so cold that he shrank his neck and complained: “Are all literati immune to the cold? I have osteoporosis and can’t bear it, ah.”

Pei Xi was also cold. Only after covering his collar and following Xie Ling into the hall did he feel better.

The main auction venue was on the second floor. Quite a few people had already arrived, and were walking around and chatting with others as they waited for the bidding to begin.

Someone with sharp eyes spotted Pei Xi. As if he had unexpectedly discovered something in high demand, he approached with a glass of champagne and started a conversation.

Others who were slower to realize the situation also began to grow interested, glancing over constantly.

Xie Ling was very adept. He sent the first person away with a few words, and before the next one came, he took Pei Xi to sit down in the first row. He pretended they were busy, and turned away those who wanted to come and make an appearance.

“This sort of occasion is troublesome. Can’t everyone just quietly bid and quietly leave?”

Xie Ling took a fruit plate from the side and placed it between the two of them: “We’re not even familiar with each other, what’s there to talk about?”

“Exactly.” Pei Xi: “Which is why I rejected you at the beginning.”

Xie Ling: “I owe you a favor.”

Pei Xi: “No need to owe me. Just continue to say what you didn’t finish just now.”

Xie Ling was impressed by his focus and eagerness to learn. He took a tissue and wiped his hands: “Okay, continuing, continuing. Where was I?”

Pei Xi said seriously: “You said to seduce him.”

Xie Ling: “Oh, right. It’s not seduction – at least, it’s different than what you think it is. This is mostly on the psychological level…..”

In the following time, including during the auction, Xie Ling explained to Pei Xi in detail the entire process of pursuing his girlfriend, as a reference.

“Give him a gift, but not something too ordinary. Give him something ambiguous, such as a shirt or tie. And if possible, help him put it on, so that he thinks of you every time he sees it…..800,000.”

“Can you cook? It’s fine if you can’t, just try something else.”

“Keep in contact. Find more topics to talk about with him, and give him more ambiguous hints. You can say anything except directly telling him you like him. You have to make him feel like his heart is being scratched, and that you’re too embarrassed to ask him head-on…..1.1 million”

“Play hard to get, okay? Keep him at arm’s length and be unpredictable. Whenever he gets close to you, immediately distance yourself from him…..’

Pei Xi carefully noted down every word he said, but didn’t quite understand some of it. That was okay, though. He would have enough time to absorb and digest it later.

The auction came to an end. Xie Ling had a fruitful harvest, and so did Pei Xi. Everything went smoothly tonight, except for the worsening of the rain.

“It’s no good. The Wancheng forecast says the rain will be heavy tonight, and won’t stop. It’ll get heavier soon, and the road down the mountain is steep and winding. How can we drive in this weather…..”

Just as Xie Ling was complaining, a staff member hastened out to inform them that it currently wasn’t safe to go down the mountain. The organizers had prepared for all of the guests participating in the auction, so that everyone could rest for the night and head out the next day.

This was a feasible option. Everyone unanimously acquiesced and went to the villa one after another.

Xie Ling rejoiced: “Fortunately, the villa is big enough. If it was smaller, wouldn’t we have to sleep in the car tonight? Come on, let’s go in too.”

He walked a few steps inside before realizing that Pei Xi hadn’t caught up with him. Looking back, he found the latter standing in the corridor, staring at the gates with a frown on his face.

“What, you still want to go back?” Xie Ling asked.

Pei Xi hummed with unclear sentiment.

Xie Ling patted him on the shoulder: “Aiya, it’s only one night. You’ll see him again when you go back in the morning. If that’s not good enough, you can find a reason to video chat with him later to ease your longing.”

It was difficult for Pei Xi to explain to him that he wasn’t longing for He Chuzhou.

Given his current condition, if he really stayed here overnight, what would he do when he woke up in the morning?

His secret being exposed was a minor issue, but if something serious happened…..

His phone rang. It was He Chuzhou.

Pei Xi’s heart settled, and he walked a few steps into the hall before answering.

He Chuzhou: “I’m almost finished here, how about you? Is it not over yet?”

“It’s over,” Pei Xi said, “but I may not be able to come back tonight.”

He Chuzhou: “Huh? Why?”

Pei Xi: “It’s raining in Wancheng, and I heard it’ll get heavier later. The way down the mountain isn’t safe, so the organizers arranged for everyone to stay overnight.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. He Chuzhou must have left the dinner party. After a while, his voice sounded again: “What are you going to do?”

What was he going to do?

Pei Xi had no idea.

But after hearing He Chuzhou’s voice, he felt a lot less upset than before: “It’s fine. I can stay up tonight and leave early tomorrow morning when the rain stops.”

“How can you go without sleep?”

The sound of a car door opening and closing came through the phone. He Chuzhou must have gotten in a vehicle. “I’ll come get you now. Wait for me there.”

“You want to come over? Don’t!”

Pei Xi instantly refused: “It’ll be foggy and rainy in the mountains. Driving in low visibility is too dangerous. I won’t have a problem, it’s common for me to stay up later at work. Don’t come over.”

He Chuzhou: “It’s okay, I just checked and the rain isn’t that heavy right now. It won’t be a problem to rush over before the heavy rain starts. Should only take a little more than an hour.”

Pei Xi was still worried: “He Chuzhou, it’s really not necessary. How about you wait until the rain stops tomorrow and then come —”

“Are you sure the rain will stop by tomorrow morning?”

He Chuzhou cut in: “Even if it stops, what if you end up falling asleep? What if you’re awakened by a nightmare in the middle of the night like last time?”

Pei Xi was reduced to silence.

He Chuzhou lowered his voice and coaxed him: “Pei Xi, I’m not just worried that you’ll have memory problems in a place I can’t reach you. I’m more worried about leaving you alone on a rainy day like this.”

“I made a promise back then that I would be responsible for you. In this sort of situation, it’s impossible for me to leave you there alone. What else can I do?”

“……”

“Plus, I’m a pretty good driver. Really, I’m not kidding you. When I was young and wild, I raced on the winding mountain roads abroad, so I’m familiar with such routes. I’ll find a video and show you later.”

“It’s cold in the mountains. Listen to me and go back to your room first. I’ll call you when I get there.”

*

*

Xie Ling: “What? At this time and in this weather, he’s still going to come up the mountain road to find you???”

Pei Xi: “En.”

Xie Ling: “Has he headed out yet?”

Pei Xi: “En.”

Xie Ling: “Oh my god, you two still haven’t talked yet?”

Pei Xi responded in the negative.

Xie Ling: “Then why is he so solicitous?”

Pei Xi: “He’s not being solicitous. He’s just fulfilling his responsibilities as a partner.”

Xie Ling: “Isn’t this too responsible?”

Pei Xi: “It’s because he’s so good.”

Xie Ling: “…..”

Xie Ling: “Enough, enough, stop praising him.”

Pei Xi fell silent and turned to look out the window.

The rain seemed to be getting heavier.

But it had been less than an hour since He Chuzhou’s call.

He gripped the tone tightly, restless with anxiety.

Xie Ling understood his worry: “Why not give him a call and ask where he’s at?”

Pei Xi glanced down at his phone. He could be seen wavering, but he ultimately shook his head; “This stretch of road is difficult to drive, and answering the phone will just distract him.”

More than half an hour later, the sound of raindrops hitting branches grew louder. The wind blew rain against the window with a pattering sound, noisy even through the glass.

The sound perturbed Pei Xi and made him nervous.

He stood at the window and looked out at the darkness, regretting more and more not refusing on the phone just now and instead agreeing to let him come.

Compared to He Chuzhou’s safety, him being discovered or making a fool of himself were trivial matters.

The rain was so heavy, the mountain road so winding, the slopes so slippery, and there was still fog…..

When the first lightning bolt flashed across the sky, he could no longer sit still: “Lend me your car.”

Xie Ling: “What are you going to do?!”

Pei Xi: “Pick him up.”

Xie Ling: “Pick him up?!”

Xie Ling’s eyes widened in astonishment: “Are you crazy? Don’t be impulsive, ah. Calm down, it’s more difficult to go down the mountain than to go up…..”

A ray of light flashed past the window, and the sound of a car engine accompanying the sound of rain was keenly noticed by Pei Xi.

He didn’t hear what Xie Ling was saying. As he looked down from the window, a call notification appeared on his phone.

He Chuzhou had arrived.

Pei Xi’s eyes immediately lit up. He let out a long breath, turned, and walked out with big strides.

Xie Ling sighed. When the other disappeared, he simply walked to the window and looked down casually.

Very soon, He Chuzhou appeared in the courtyard, holding an umbrella.

The rain was so heavy that it was almost impossible to see anything.

Pei Xi stood on the steps and waited until he saw He Chuzhou coming.

The emotions that swelled up within him had nowhere to vent, pushing him to walk directly into the rain over slippery ground.

He Chuzhou was taken aback at the sight, and hurried toward him to swiftly pull him under the umbrella.

“Tsk, did you bid yourself silly tonight? Why did you run out without an umbrella?”

He Chuzhou took his shoulder and led him back under the eaves in a few steps, gently patting off the water droplets on his clothes and head.

Pei Xi looked at him. His breathing was a little disordered, and his heart pounded even harder under the heavy rain.

He couldn’t speak. It was like there were waves surging underwater, unable to break through the ice above his head.

“It’s thundering.”

After a long moment, he said: “I saw lightning.”

“En, but it’s fine.”

He Chuzhou folded up his umbrella and hung it inside. He very naturally took Pei Xi’s hands in his palms to test their temperature, and said gently: “I’m here. You can sleep peacefully tonight.”

Pei Xi couldn’t put words to how difficult it was to resist the urge to hug this person tightly.

He closed his eyes. Taking He Chuzhou’s hand, he pulled him inside: “Let’s go back to the room first.”

He Chuzhou had worked all day and attended a dinner party, then drove on such a difficult mountain road in the middle of the night. He must be very tired, and needed to rest immediately.

He knew that He Chuzhou liked to hug Pei-calico when he slept. He seemed to sleep better that way.

So he would wait for He Chuzhou to fall asleep first, and then get close to him. He would hug what he wanted to hug while asleep and be none the wiser.

However, he had overlooked one important thing—

“Mr. He’s room is ready. It’s over here, please follow me.”

“……”

Pei Xi silently watched an attendant lead He Chuzhou away, then looked at Xie Ling, who was leaning against the door of the room while watching the fun.

He finally realized – it was a little late and this was in public, on someone else’s territory. They had no excuse for openly sleeping together.

The excitement that had gathered in his chest abruptly dissipated. He stood there and watched He Chuzhou enter the room opposite, at somewhat of a loss.

“He’s just across the hallway, and you still can’t bear to part with him?”

Xie Ling teased him: “Do you want to sleep in the same room with him? But isn’t it a bit early in the relationship?”

Pei Xi certainly couldn’t tell him that they slept together every night. He raised his eyes and gave him a look with unknown meaning, then went back to the room in silence.

The wind and rain got stronger in the second half of the night. Amidst the thunder and lightning, Pei Xi tossed and turned in his unfamiliar bed, unable to fall asleep.

But it wasn’t because of the rain.

Ever since the night He Chuzhou picked him up, Pei Xi had been desensitized to the weather.

Then why?

Because He Chuzhou had braved the rain and crossed the mountains and rivers to find him, but Pei Xi couldn’t even give him a hug.

He couldn’t even hug him.

But he really wanted to.

His mood tonight was out of control.

Just like the overwhelming rain, widespread and uncurbed.

It wasn’t that He Chuzhou could sleep better with him, but that Pei Xi might not be able to sleep without He Chuzhou.

There was a rustling of fabrics rubbing against each other for a long while. Then Pei Xi threw back the covers and put on his slippers. When he stood up, the phone beside his pillow accidentally lit up. Nearly 40 minutes had passed since Xie Ling had sent him a message: 

Xie Ling: [From my completely objective perspective, you seem to be a bit confused about your situation.]

Xie Ling: [What business partner is so dedicated that he’ll go up a mountain in heavy rain to find someone in the middle of the night? The ones I’ve met have never been like this.]

Xie Ling: [He hugs you when holding an umbrella and holds your hand when you walk together. If I hadn’t been at the door right then, would he have stuck to you and said goodnight while touching your head?]

Xie Ling: [Don’t worry about pursuing him, just find a way to confirm the relationship. I feel like his feelings for you are greater than you think.]

Xie Ling: [Also, friendly reminder – the methods I taught you are not only applicable to pursuing someone, but also for catching a fish that can’t wait to be hooked.]

---

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Chapter 54 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 56

Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “No, I plan to have you send someone to deliver them safely to Huo Fenglie.”

Li Jinshu raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked: “You trust me so much?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled even more brightly: “Do you know who I am?”

Li Jinshu was taken aback: “Liu Xiaozhu.”

Liu Zhenqing’s smile grew. He shook his head.

Li Jinshu asked again: “Are you trying to say that you’re the general’s wife?”

“Willow catkins and apricot blossoms cannot be kept,” Liu Zhenqing suddenly said without context.

Li Jinshu’s originally playful expression froze: “How…..do you know about that poem?”

When he first met Liu Zhenqing, Li Jinshu had said this to him. It was only the two of them at that time, so it was impossible for anyone else to know. Was it a coincidence? Impossible!

“Prince Li, is the injury on your right ring finger alright?”

Li Jinshu’s eyes widened. His ring finger had only been injured once. He had been drunk and teasing Liu Zhenqing, and was injured by Huo Feihan.

Injuring an envoy would cause problems for Huo Feihan, but he was the one who’d harassed someone first, so the three of them ultimately decided not to mention it to anyone.

Li Jinshu looked at Liu Zhenqing in bewilderment, his mind full of suspicion. Many impulsive thoughts popped up, constantly tormenting his nerves.

What was going on? He had already investigated Young Master Liu’s situation very thoroughly. In terms of his age and his friendships, it was impossible for him to know what had happened back then. 

This was too bizarre. He needed answers!

“Who the hell are you! Who told you these things?”

At first, Liu Zhenqing had wondered if Li Jinshu was aware of his identity, so he designed this trap. But it was very far-fetched. Logically speaking, Li Jinshu and Liu Zhenqing had only met a handful of times, so he shouldn’t recognize him at all. Those who could recognize Liu Zhenqing were only those who knew him extremely well, so it was unlikely that Li Jinshu knew he was the actual Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing made bold arrangements based on this. And in the conversation just now, it was certain that if Li Jinshu knew his identity, he wouldn’t have wasted so much time talking nonsense.

“Do you want to know?” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

Li Jinshu’s expression turned sinister as he seemed to get what Liu Zhenqing meant. “The condition is to send them away safely?”

“I want to receive Huo Fenglie’s reply,” Liu Zhenqing said. “I’ll tell you upon receiving it.”

“I don’t like being threatened like this. If the answer isn’t interesting, then…..”

“Prince Li is going back on his word. I don’t like this either. You clearly should have let them go when I arrived, so I must do more than required……” Liu Zhenqing looked at him with contempt.

Li Jinshu smiled and said: “Of course I’ll keep my word. Rest assured, I will arrange for someone to send them off right away and ensure they are delivered to General Huo. After all, this is the only way to truly prove that I’m inviting you as a guest, and not…..trying to start a war, ah.”

Huo Fenglie was leading his troops back to the western battlefield, and Li Jinshu was not free of pressure. 

Presently, Li Jinshu arranged for a carriage to accompany the envoys to the border. 

And as for Liu Zhenqing, he was naturally moved into the palace with Li Jinshu.

Li Jinshu had originally thought that the masters hiding in the shadows would find an opportunity to act and rescue Liu Zhenqing, but unexpectedly, even when Li Jinshu gave him openings, they didn’t take action. It was as if they were truly content to stay here as guests. Their silence was eerie, and made Li Jinshu uneasy.

However, such uneasiness didn’t affect his mood. Li Jinshu observed the man in front of him, whose features were quite similar to those of Liu Zhenqing, and drank with a smile, and went to touch the back of Liu Zhenqing’s hand.

Liu Zhenqing evaded easily. He turned his head to look at Li Jinshu and said doubtfully: “What on earth does the prince see in me?”

He asked himself: this body isn’t as good-looking as I used to be, and I haven’t revealed much talent in front of Li Jinshu, so why am I being targeted? There were plentiful beauties around Li Jinshu, and even had even looked down upon the eldest princess.

Li Jinshu wasn’t discouraged. Instead, he lifted a lock of hair from Liu Zhenqing’s shoulder and played with it between his fingertips, saying with a smile: “At first, I was just curious.”

“Curious?”

“Yes, ah, curious. How could that little brother who was living a miserable life without Liu Zhenqing suddenly change his ways and marry someone else? So I wanted to see what was so charming about you. Or if there was some kind of scheme,” Li Jinshu said.

“Life is long. It’s not uncommon to fall in love with somebody else,” Liu Zhenqing said speechlessly.

Li Jinshu shook his head and said: “If you’ve ever met someone as talented as Liu Zhenqing in your life and fallen in love with him, how could you ever fall in love with someone else? Liu Zhenqing’s death back then carved out a piece of many peoples’ hearts, but the degree of loss varied.”

Liu Zhenqing was momentarily at a loss for words: “That’s an exaggeration.”

“It’s not an exaggeration,” Li Jinshu said with a smile, “because I’m one of them.”

Liu Zhenqing stared at Li Jinshu in shock. Li Jinshu had sincere feelings for him?

He shook his head and said: “I heard that you humiliated him. I fear Prince Li is just teasing me.”

Li Jinshu raised his eyebrows and said: “At first, I didn’t believe I could actually have sincere feelings. I just wanted to conquer and possess him, like the best wild horse in the grasslands. How could I not desire him? But he died, and no matter how many years passed, I never met anyone who piqued my interest again. Day after day, I always felt like something was missing. I was bored, alone, and had no motivation to do anything. If I had known, I would have never allowed him to return to Great Zhou, even if I had to force him. I would have given him a good life and kept him by my side.”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed minutely.

Li Jinshu continued with a smile: “Like me,Huo Fenglie was greatly affected. You only had to see his expression on the battlefield to know that after Liu Zhenqing died, his heart was empty. His feelings were the most sincere, so how could he like somebody else?”

Li Jinshu’s eyes gleamed as he spoke: “So I was very curious about what kind of person could change Huo Fenglie’s heart. After meeting you, I was initially a little disappointed. I felt that you were just an ordinary stand-in, and felt that such a substitute scheme was illogical. I’ve found many people more similar to him than you, his cousin, but they were boring and put me in a bad mood, so I killed them all. I’d thought such a scheme wouldn’t work on Huo Fenglie, but after seeing how the two of you got along, I felt that he was genuinely treating you like Liu Zhenqing.”

Li Jinshu smiled and said: “I was just trying to play with you, but…..”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“It turns out you and he really are alike. Similar in resemblance and intelligence, with enough cunning in just a few words that it’s difficult for people to guard against you. If I hadn’t gone back and carefully thought it over, I would have been deceived by your appearance. But the process of almost getting scammed was also very fun.” Li Jinshu narrowed his eyes like a satisfied cat. “I haven’t felt so alive…..in a long, long time.”

Li Jinshu looked at Liu Zhenqing greedily: “I already missed one. In order to make my life less boring, I’m willing to give anything to keep you by my side forever.”

He hooked Liu Zhenqing’s hair and pressed it to his lips. When he leaned in to kiss him, Liu Zhenqing pushed him away.

Looking at Liu Zhenqing’s expressionless face, Li Jinshu seemed to behold the person from that year.

He abruptly grasped Liu Zhenqing’s chin and said: “I’ll tell it to you straight. You can’t go back. Even if Huo Fenglie leads his troops to attack, he won’t be able to devour Xiheng. I will not hesitate to drag the common people of both countries into the water, but would Huo Fenglie dare? Even if he does, the emperor of Great Zhou may not agree, and I have final say in the Kingdom of Xiheng. If they are willing to give you to me, I’m willing to negotiate any terms.”

Li Jinshu smiled and moved to kiss Liu Zhenqing, but a murderous aura suddenly swept over him. He quickly dodged, and a flying knife smashed a hole in the stone bench right where he had been sitting.

Shadows swayed amongst the trees. The palace guards went to pursue the person who’d thrown the weapon, but their qigong skills were certainly not enough to catch up.

Li Jinshu scoffed coldly and said to Liu Zhenqing: “Forget it. You want to struggle for a while, and I have patience. When Huo Fenglie has no choice but to give up on you, you’ll realize there is no hope. Just obey me and I’ll make you royalty, which is better than being a general’s wife.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “It doesn’t matter if I’m royalty or a general’s wife. I just know that I belong to Huo Fenglie.”

“So straightforward.” Li Jinshu raised his eyebrows with a smile.

“And I don’t think things will turn out as you expect.” Liu Zhenqing’s eyes slowly narrowed.

Li Jinshu laughed and said: “I was able to coerce Liu Zhenqing back then. And you?”

Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows: “Yeah, you were able to coerce him back then because he was under so much pressure, but now……”

“You’re trying to say that he cares about the common people of Great Zhou, the tens of thousands of soldiers in the Huo Family Army, and everyone around him, but you don’t have such a kind heart? So you don’t care if we fight and become enemies because of you?”

“Prince Li really likes to hold people hostage, doesn’t he? But what I mean is that he had to worry about too many people back then, and was too busy to handle it all. But if he had focused on dealing with you……” Liu Zhenqing smiled slowly. The gleam in his eyes made Li Jinshu’s heart skip a beat. It was just like the look in Liu Zhenqing’s eyes when he looked at him during the competition and crushed him.

Li Jinshu inexplicably took a step back.

Liu Zhenqing stood unhurriedly: “I’m tired. I’ll take my leave now.”

Having said this, Liu Zhenqing went back, and Liu Qiao naturally followed him in the shadows.

Li Jinshu stood in amazement. Tonight’s interaction with Liu Zhenqing made him feel even more mystified, and combined with his previous suspicions, a most unlikely and incredible idea suddenly occurred to him.

The person standing before him had looked exactly like Liu Zhenqing back then.

With such doubts, Li Jinshu couldn’t sleep that night. And the next day, before he could seek out Liu Zhenqing, trouble came to find him.

The young emperor had come from afar to visit, Empress Dowager Ci Xi had sent some people, and clan relatives had come as well.

Li Jinshu had said he had the final say in Xiheng, which was indeed the case, but as the young emperor grew up, the ministers around him had ulterior motives. Many forces second to only him had previously been calm, but he had made such a shocking move this time by stealing someone else’s wife, and Huo Fenglie had come with a large army, so the forces in Xiheng had gradually grown dissatisfied with him.

It was unknown who instigated it, but news had spread that he was bored and had nothing to do, so he wanted to fight Huo Fenglie. This completely disregarded the interests of the Kingdom of Xiheng.

You can start a war to seize land and conquer other countries, but how can you fight for the sake of fighting?

Normal people would think that such grounds for war was impossible, but since it was Li Jinshu in question, those in power in Xiheng thought it could be the case. After all, Li Jinshu had often caused trouble over the years just because he was bored or had a disagreement. It was often difficult for them to guard against such things, and this time the matter was too big and out of proportion.

Therefore, these people approached him one after another. Even if Li Jinshu continued to act on his own, he still had to deal with them, which made him somewhat beleaguered. 

Gradually, he came to realize that something wasn’t right. How could these people be so bold and even unite to go against him? Although this was bound to happen sooner or later, it felt like everything was being brought forward now. Was it really just because of the conflict with Great Zhou?

Li Jinshu was no fool. After some inquiries, he discovered that they had all received mysterious messages previously, and there were also rumors that he had gone mad. They were compelled to unite and come to test Li Jinshu’s current state.

When Li Jinshu realized what was happening, he simply laughed and sighed with feeling, because he understood that this was the work of Liu Zhenqing. It turned out he was this capable?

When the twins were delivered to the border, the army had just stopped and Huo Fenglie had already arrived.

In fact, the time difference between these things shouldn’t have been so short. Liu Zhenqing had arrived early in the morning, but made arrangements before meeting Li Jinshu.

Since Li Jinshu dared to plot against him, Liu Zhenqing would naturally bring out all of his grudges, new and old. If he didn’t cause internal and external problems for Li Jinshu, he wouldn’t be Liu Zhenqing.

When the twins woke up, it was to the sight of their uncle and mother. The were shocked and aggrieved, filled with remorse and guilt, and couldn’t help but shed tears.

“Sorry, Second Uncle, sorry…..” The two of them apologized to Huo Fenglie with all their might.

Li Xingruo didn’t stop them. She only asked: “How was your Uncle Liu?”

The two of them could only recount what happened when they met up with Liu Zhenqing.

After listening to this, Huo Fenglie understood that Liu Zhenqing intended to reveal his identity to Li Jinshu. Without saying anything more, he turned around and left.

Huo Yunci and Huo Yunqian were even more upset when Huo Fenglie didn’t scold them at all.

“Mother, we’re useless.”

“Mother, we made a mistake.”

Li Xingruo let out a sigh and said: “Now that you know you were wrong, work hard to become stronger in the future. Ensure that you’re the ones saving others, and not the ones who need to be saved!”

The two children donned serious expressions and nodded firmly.

“Second Uncle will definitely rescue Uncle Liu, won’t he?” Huo Yunci asked.

Li Xingruo said with a smile: “He will. Your Second Uncle…..will do better than your father.”

The two of them didn’t know why their mother would make such a comparison. Just as they stood up to ask if they could help, Huo Yunqian suddenly felt something in his sleeve. When he took it out, it turned out to be a letter.

It was from Liu Zhenqing to Huo Fenglie. Li Xingruo quickly opened it and read through it. She rushed out to find Huo Fenglie, but he was nowhere to be seen.

On the other side, Li Jinshu was furious when the envoys returned. He needed Huo Fenglie’s reply in exchange for Liu Zhenqing’s answer, and now that answer was tormenting him even worse. He didn’t dare accept his own fantasies, but intuitively felt that everything was as he had guessed.

However, Huo Fenglie hadn’t replied. What was wrong with him? Didn’t he want to reassure Liu Zhenqing, who had turned himself over in exchange for his family’s children?

As Li Jinshu raged, the young emperor of Xiheng heard the commotion and came with his men. Others also came over to investigate the situation, but Li Jinshu was in a bad mood and had even less patience to deal with them. Fuming, he turned around and left.

He arrived at the villa where Liu Zhenqing was staying, and when he went to open the door, a dart flew over and lodged in the wood as a warning.

Li Jinshu scowled. He heard the sound of water inside, which was clearly Liu Zhenqing taking a bath.

He had built a peerlessly exquisite residence for Liu Zhenqing, which had its own private hot spring pool. It was cold here in the winter, but Liu Zhenqing had decided to enjoy himself unscrupulously on enemy territory. This kind of leisurely, fearless attitude was even more like the person in his thoughts.

Li Jinshu went to the window near the hot spring pool and knocked.

“Prince Li?” Liu Zhenqing’s lazy voice came from inside. “Why have you come to my place?”

The trouble Liu Zhenqing had caused for Li Jinshu had prevented him from bothering him for quite a while.

Li Jinshu said with a frown: “The two little devils have been sent back, but Huo Fenglie didn’t send a reply.”

There was silence inside.

Liu Zhenqing leaned against the poolside. The steam had turned his white cheeks pink, and his dark eyelashes seemed as if they were covered in thick ink, his slightly furrowed eyebrows adding to his charm. He stopped playing with the jade Rubik’s cube in his hand.

Liu Zhenqing was somewhat distressed at getting no reply from Huo Fenglie. It seemed Er-gou was angry. Just as he was deep in thought, footsteps approached from in front of him.

He was startled – wasn’t Li Jinshu outside the window?

When he looked up, a familiar figure appeared before him.

Liu Zhenqing’s pupils shrank, and he opened his mouth wordlessly. The man pulled him out of the water and into a tight embrace, then kissed him.

At this time, Li Jinshu outside the window was aware of nothing: “I did as you said, but you can’t blame me for him not cooperating. It’s not that I didn’t keep my word. If you don’t believe me, you can tell your guard to take a look.”

Liu Zhenqing was suffocated by Huo Fenglie’s kiss. He was truly helpless and could only simultaneously listen to the sounds outside.

He’d known Huo Fenglie would come looking for him once he led the troops here, so he’d left a letter specifically asking him to be patient, to hold back and wait for the right opportunity. Hadn’t he read it?

Liu Zhenqing smacked Huo Fenglie in embarrassment. He couldn’t allow him to be exposed here.

But Huo Fenglie really did seem to be angry. He didn’t obey, but kissed him even harder. Just as he had lost control that night, he was silent and red-eyed. He held him and kissed him fiercely, as if to vent the pain he had experienced in recent days with no care for anything else.

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t wearing any clothes to begin with. His face reddened even more, and he was a little flustered. As expected, you shouldn’t bully honest people too much. If you did, this was the result. 

As Li Jinshu was speaking, the sound of water suddenly got louder. He assumed Liu Zhenqing was angry and disappointed, and was taking his frustration out on the hot spring water.

Li Jinshu’s eyes shifted, and deliberately provoked: “But if you think about it, this is normal. After all, his fiance exchanged himself and moved into another man’s house. As a man, Huo Fenglie should be angry and try to save face, but he could also give up on you.”

Liu Zhenqing truly didn’t hear a word Li Jinshu said. He was being pressed down in the pool by Huo Fenglie, and could only cover his mouth with his arm and endure in silence the beginning moves that he wasn’t quite accustomed to.

Very soon, the sound of the water grew a bit strange.

As Li Jinshu spoke, he frowned slightly. As an amorous prince, he was naturally familiar with the pattern of these sounds. But Liu Zhenqing was the only one inside, so he didn’t think about it that way. He just thought that Liu Zhenqing was absent-mindedly stirring the water.

Li Jinshu continued his provocations: “I suppose he would rather you die here now than go back shamelessly and make people criticize and point fingers at him.”

Liu Zhenqing was already rather dazed, and thought to himself: If Li Jinshu doesn’t stop talking and go away, I probably am going to die here.

He had naturally missed his Er-gou, and was also aroused, so he wanted to be bold and take things to their conclusion. But Er-gou seemed to be taking deliberate revenge on him, and went too slow, as if taking his time to confirm that he was really there. But it was truly torturous.

If not for Li Jinshu being here, Liu Zhenqing really wouldn’t have been able to hold back his voice.

Li Jinshu tried to persuade Liu Zhenqing to give up hope and stay with him peacefully. Liu Zhenqing had been turned over by Huo Fenglie. As he looked at the large tattoo that had appeared due to the heat, his eyes filled with ripples.

“Agh…..”

After such a long time, Li Jinshu was somewhat taken aback to hear a low groan. He started to push open the window, but was once again stopped by a dart.

He said impatiently: “I’ve said so much, but you haven’t said a word. Are you not broken-hearted? Or do you not believe me?”

But as Li Jinshu waited for a long time with a scowl, Liu Zhenqing inside looked at Huo Fenglie with tears in his eyes, a pleading look on his face as he reached out to push the person in front of him. Huo Fenglie stopped briefly, and only then did Liu Zhenqing move his arm away from his mouth.

Li Jinshu heard his hoarse voice: 

“I don’t believe you.”

That voice sounded somewhat plaintive. Was he crying tears of sadness? Li Jinshu’s brow furrowed, and he said: “You……”

Liu Zhenqing suppressed the trembling all over his body and clung closer to Huo Fenglie as he said: “I know he’ll come save me. Even if I angered him, he’ll still come, because he likes me so much that he can’t live without me, just as I like him. Nothing can come between us. I like Huo Fenglie the most, the absolute most.”

As Liu Zhenqing said this, he leaned in with a smile to give his puppy a comforting kiss.

With Liu Zhenqing confessing to him so close at hand, the anger in Huo Fenglie’s chest seemed to dissipate.

Li Jinshu outside said: “I didn’t expect you to be so…..naive.”

“I’m tired. Let’s just wait and see what happens next.”

Li Jinshu suddenly heard Liu Zhenqing’s voice become unstable and intermittent. With the accompaniment of the water, he couldn’t hear clearly. He thought that Liu Zhenqing was still affected even if he wouldn’t admit it, and smiled confidently. As long as enough time passed and the trust between him and Huo Fenglie collapsed, everything would be much simpler.

However, Li Jinshu was unaware that the problem between the two was not a collapse of trust, but a collapse of self-control.

It wasn’t until he was returned to bed that Liu Zhenqing realized Li Jinshu was gone and he could speak again. His head was dizzy, and he smacked Huo Fenglie unhappily.

“Bad dog, always playing games. Did you deceive me?”

He looked up and found Huo Fenglie observing him with burning eyes. Liu Zhenqing smiled apologetically and said: “Why are you here? Didn’t I leave a letter on Yunqian telling you to follow the plan?”

“I didn’t see it. I came to get you,” Huo Fenglie said in a resolute tone. It seemed he didn’t plan to say anything more, but instead just take Liu Zhenqing away.

“You fool, ah! Even if you and Liu Qiao can come and go freely, you’ll never be able to escape with me along,” Liu Zhenqing said.

“I know it won’t be easy. I’ll determine the route today and bring enough masters with me tomorrow to attempt it…..”

“Don’t. I have no plans to leave,” Liu Zhenqing said quickly.

Huo Fenglie’s expression instantly changed. He grabbed Liu Zhenqing’s arms and said in a rather unyielding tone: “Not allowed.”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback. He realized that after being tricked by him, Er-gou had become a little disobedient, ah. It seemed he had indeed agitated him too much.

Liu Zhenqing could only ask: “Who do you think I’m staying here to deal with?”

Huo Fenglie stared blankly: “Li Jinshu?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled. He suddenly put his arms around Huo Fenglie’s neck and tilted his head back to look into his eyes.

“Fenglie, we must give up everything and leave in order to be together.”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t ask whether or not he was willing, because he already knew he would agree. And if he didn’t agree…..he would do everything he could to make him agree.

In short, once Liu Zhenqing made a decision, he would follow it through.

So he told Er-gou directly that they would leave together, and slowly explained to him his actual plan.

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Chapter 145 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 147

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This time around, things didn’t come to an abrupt end. The two families had discussed the marriage, tokens of love were exchanged, the Imperial decree was issued, and feelings were made clear. Liu Zhenqing wouldn’t let go of this silly dog ever again.

Huo Fenglie was distracted by the kiss, and when he realized what Liu Zhenqing intended to do, he quickly supported the person who was already sitting in his arms and said in a hoarse, restrained voice: “Qing-ge, don’t…..”

“Why are you still refusing?” Lui Zhenqing’s kisses slid from his lips to the jut of his throat, shocking Huo Fenglie so much that his body felt like it was about to burst.

“Qing-ge, war is imminent. We’re setting off tomorrow, and I’m afraid…..” Huo Fenglie was already trying his best to be patient. How could he not be excited with the knowledge that his beloved had never rejected him? But if he started now, when would he be able to stop, ah?

He wasn’t even sure if his own willpower could hold him back. Liu Zhenqing underestimated his self-control.

He was really going to lose control of himself.

Liu Zhenqing knew what he was thinking, but deliberately provoked him with a bite to his throat.

Just as Huo Fenglie was about to reach his limit, Liu Zhenqing leaned in close to his ear and whispered: “Tell me, Gege, how many times did you cry beneath this willow tree before?”

Huo Fenglie’s heart throbbed, his body burning as his thoughts went back to those blighted days and nights. “I don’t know.”

There were many times, but most of the time, he wasn’t aware of his situation.

“I like this place, but it’s so full of your sad memories. I want to change that.” Liu Zhenqing’s body became increasingly pliable, stimulating his reaction. But his words were like a spring breeze blowing through Huo Fenglie’s heart, magnifying the situation to the point that Huo Fenglie gave up his negligible resistance, heart and body.

“Huo Fenglie, hold me. I want you to be inside of me, to mark me forever and prove that I belong only to you.”

There were no words more seductive than these to satisfy the silly dog’s possessiveness and fulfill his territorial instincts.

Huo Fenglie’s eyes were almost instantly covered in a layer of mist, and the rationality therein gradually vanished.

The night scenery was enchanting, the willow tree elegant. Huo Fenglie’s eyes were filled with desire, Liu Zhenqing’s full of ripples. They were in complete harmony as they gazed at each other with affection. 

After years of fantasizing, it had finally become reality. He was really feeling Qing-ge’s body heat at the most intimate distance.

Huo Fenglie couldn’t control himself any longer. This would likely be the moment he was the least gentle to Liu Zhenqing. His mind was filled with the desperate need to possess him.

Liu Zhenqing went from being carefree and romantic at the beginning, to the point of being overwhelmed. In the end, he even cried and begged for mercy, but was met with an even stronger storm. This was probably what it felt like to have one’s soul exit their body.

He lost his composure, as well as his dignity. When Liu Zhenqing came to his senses, the scenery before him rocked unceasingly, the force at his waist increasing until it seemed as if his slender waist would break.

From the willow tree to the bedroom, Huo Fenglie almost never paused, and was never satisfied. Liu Zhenqing was really alarmed, but he had no strength left and could only let himself be moved around. It was too late for regrets.

After an unknown amount of time, a bright line appeared on the horizon. Liu Qiao also returned and knocked softly on the door, pushing it open when he heard some sounds.

When he looked inside, he was shocked to see his master practically crawling on the floor toward the door, reaching out to him with a look like he was about to die.

“I can’t move. Help me.”

Liu Qiao was frightened, and rushed forward: “Master, you……”

“Have arrangements been made?” Liu Zhenqing’s voice was so hoarse that he was almost unable to produce a normal tone.

“En, en.” Liu Qiao gulped and regarded Liu Zhenqing with some trepidation. Even though his clothes were neat, the marks on his neck were still visible, and even his wrists had bright red hand marks, as if someone had gripped them fiercely. “The general…..”

“I lit incense. He fell asleep. Let’s go, Junior Sister will be here in a while.” Liu Zhenqing held onto Liu Qiao as they walked out.

He was really having difficulty walking, so in the end, Liu Qiao carried him on his back. With his superb qigong, he left the General’s Manor and went out the city gates. 

There was already a carriage outside the city gates, prepared by Liu Qiao. After boarding it, Liu Zhenqing could only lie down.

Liu Qiao hurriedly procured some pillows and blankets for his master. Seeing Liu Zhenqing’s half-paralyzed appearance, Liu Qiao was really worried: “Master, are…..are you okay?”

Liu Zhenqing was downtrodden. Although he had the medicine given by his master and hadn’t bled last night, he still couldn’t withstand Huo Fenglie’s physical strength. That nearly cost him his life. Liu Zhenqing currently felt like his bones were weak, like a bookshelf that had taken a heavy hit, rickety and about to fall apart.

It was understandable for Huo Fenglie to have difficulty controlling himself. After all, it was the kid’s first time. Liu Zhenqing only regretted his boastful behavior. He’d just been digging a hole for himself. Even after reading so many yellow books, he was still defeated by a young and inexperienced person. Liu Zhenqing was unreconciled, and could only return to fight again.

His whole body ached every time he moved. Liu Zhenqing gave Liu Qiao a look of grievance and unwillingness, saying: “Qiaoqiao, remember my words. When you’re with Qiao Jin in the future, you must be on top no matter what. It’s too miserable on the bottom.”

Liu Zhenqing had no intention of counterattacking, and was happy to lie under Huo Fenglie. But Liu Qiao’s situation was up in the air, so he still had a chance. Qiaoqiao could not be allowed to suffer the same fate.

Liu Qiao didn’t react to the fact that Liu Zhenqing unconsciously assumed he would be with Qiao Jin. He was just frightened by the state of Liu Zhenqing. How could this be such a terrible thing? Liu Qiao’s heart suffered a huge shock.

He nodded reflectively, then nodded a few more times as if to make sure to remember this lesson.

Soon after, at the General’s Manor.

Huo Fenglie sat up with a jolt, but Qing-ge’s warmth was no longer beside him. It was as if the previous night had been a dream. Huo Fenglie’s pupils shrank as he realized the problem. He swiftly jumped up and ran out, but as soon as he opened the door, he saw Li Xingruo sitting in the courtyard.

“Awake? Get ready, it’s time to go to war,” Li Xingruo said calmly.

“Sister-in-law, he…..” Huo Fenglie’s tone was hurried, his body tense.

Li Xingruo raised her eyebrows and said: “According to his character, he wouldn’t just sit still and wait for death. He wanted to be proactive, but feared you wouldn’t agree, so he made the decision on his own.”

Huo Fenglie’s expression instantly sank. He turned around to leave, but was stopped by Li Xingruo.

“You still don’t understand him. If you would listen, he wouldn’t confuse you so.” Li Xingruo said: “If you chase him down and delay his plans, he’ll be upset.”

“Sister-in-law, why didn’t you stop him if you knew?” For once, Huo Fenglie spoke to her in an impetuous tone.

Li Xingruo looked somewhat angry: “Why are you blaming me? It’s your fault for being useless. If you had the ability, you could have made him unable to get out of bed last night, ah. Who can stop this fox when he wants to run away?”

Huo Fenglie stared blankly. Thinking of the events last night, he felt wronged. He had been fooled by Qing-ge again.

Li Xingruo felt a little sorry for Er-gou: “It’s because you haven’t married yet that he’s running around without any scruples. But even when you’re married, you should still listen to him, ah.” She continued: “No one can change his mind once he’s made a decision. Didn’t he say that he wouldn’t mess around this time, that he couldn’t bear to leave you, and that he would come back to marry you? You already have his guarantee. I wouldn’t have listened to him otherwise.”

Huo Fenglie was silent. He knew his sister-in-law was right. He couldn’t throw himself into confusion. Qing-ge was still waiting for him to pick him up. Huo Fenglie said no more, and turned around to prepare for the expedition. His eyes were resolute, but there seemed to be a blazing fire hidden within them. In fact, he was desperately suppressing the urge to immediately chase after Liu Zhenqing. It seemed like if he thought about it, he would disregard everything else and pursue him madly, even if Qing-ge scolded him. He just wanted to hold him tightly, but was unable to. He had to listen to Qing-ge, because Qing-ge wanted him to listen.

Seeing that Huo Fenglie was about to erupt like a volcano, Li Xingruo could only watch over him for now and keep him from collapsing. She noticed that Huo Fenglie had unconsciously clenched his fist and hurt his hand, and could only sigh. Her stinky senior brother was really giving her a hard time. He’d forced Er-gou into this state, relying on Huo Fenglie’s unconditional indulgence to bully him.

Just as she was thinking, Uncle Tian rushed over. Huo Fenglie, who had already changed into armor and was holding his sword, nearly collided with him.

“General, the emperor……the emperor has come in disguise…..”

Li Xingruo was stunned to hear this. Before she could react, Huo Fenglie vanished from in front of her. She thought to herself, this is no good. If Huo Fenglie couldn’t contain his anger, he might accidentally kill the emperor. Li Xingruo hurried to the back door.

From a distance, Huo Fenglie could be seen landing in front of Yuan Jue, who was wearing casual clothing. And behind Yuan Jue were He Cong and He Lan.

But in the next second, Huo Fenglie punched him. His strength was much greater than Liu Zhenqing’s, and Yuan Jue spat out a mouthful of blood. He Cong began to move, but Yuan Jue stopped him with a wave of his hand.

Yuan Jue raised his head and gave Huo Fenglie a cold look, saying: “I deceived you, and you hit me in return. You are the subject, and I am the sovereign. It ends here. I want to see him.”

“I didn’t hit you for myself, but for him. For that arrow.” Huo Fenglie stood forward to loom over Yuan Jue, saying in a deep voice: “I should kill you to avenge him!”

Yuan Jue gave him a dark look and said: “Stop talking nonsense, I want to see him!”

“You don’t deserve to!”

Yuan Jue’s expression instantly turned ugly, and he said in anger: “What qualifications do you have to make decisions for him? I want to see him!”

“What does the emperor want to see him for?” Li Xingruo asked, appearing from behind. “Now that things have come to this, what’s the point of seeing him? Besides, do you think he wants to see you?”

Yuan Jue frowned: “Since he’s about to leave, what’s wrong with me seeing him off?”

Yuan Jue knew that he shouldn’t take more risks, but he had the inexplicable premonition that if he came too late, he wouldn’t be able to see him. He didn’t know why he had this premonition, and only felt waves of panic, just as he had felt after killing Liu Zhenqing years ago. That feeling had tormented him for many days and nights, and he hated it so much that he had come here this time as if possessed.

He took a step forward, eyes penetrating as he said again: “I want to see him.”

Huo Fenglie didn’t seem inclined to speak to Yuan Jue, so Li Xingruo said: “You can’t, he left a long while ago.”

Yuan Jue was stunned: “What!”

“He has his own plans and is acting separately from Zhanyuan. You’re late,” Li Xingruo said.

Yuan Jue stiffened. His expression went momentarily blank, but he quickly recovered and said: “Is that so? Then the great general who guards the country should act quickly, or else Xiheng will snatch him away.”

Yuan Jue scoffed coldly before walking stiffly away.

He Cong naturally caught up with him, but He Lan remained.

He looked at Huo Fenglie and said: “Qin Yu and his adoptive father have left. They should be heading west. I’ll stay here to watch over the capital for you.”

Huo Fenglie returned to his senses and sent He Lan a frown.

“Don’t look at me like that. Qin Yu and I are your brothers, and always will be,” He Lan said firmly.

Huo Fenglie’s expression eased somewhat: “Thank you.”

“If we’re brothers, give Qin Yu a message for me.” 

“What message?”

“Tell him that I’ll wait for him to come find me in the capital when he’s done. If he doesn’t return, he’d better pray that I don’t find him!” He Lan nearly gritted his teeth as he spoke, seemingly agitated by Qin Yu leaving again without saying goodbye. But now, there were more important things to focus on.

After having his say, He Lan turned around and left.

“You have two good brothers.” Li Xingruo stepped forward and said: “Let’s go rescue those three!”

The common people in the city learned that Xiheng had provoked the general and that he was going out to fight, so they all went out to see him off. General Huo’s guards followed him out of the General’s Manor first, while the main army had gathered to wait outside the city.

The city was bustling with activity, excitedly watching the god of war they worshipped riding on horseback.

His tall form was wrapped in black martial arts robes and covered in silver armor, exuding a deep chill in the sunlight. His dark red cape fluttered in the wind, as if the sky was stained with blood. With the Chunjun Sword on his waist and a red-tasseled spear on his back, he was a god of death, as well as the guardian of Great Zhou. But the ring on his finger softened the murderous aura all over his body, somewhat obtrusive.

But the contingent, marching fast, suddenly stopped when passing the square.

Riding atop Chen Jiangyue, the general who guards the country approached the Twining Dragon Jade Pillar alone. Everyone was wondering if he had come to remember his ancestors, or…..suddenly, in full view of everyone, the Chunjun sword swung out and fiercely crossed out the most infamous name: Liu Zhenqing.

When everyone realized this, only a piece of debris remained. They were all shocked, and continuous exclamations sounded, as if nobody knew what was happening.

And in the next moment, everyone was stunned to silence as the name of their great general, Huo Fenglie, one of the very few whose name was inscribed on the pillar while he still lived, was crossed out as well.

Was this because he felt unqualified, because he disdained to leave his name on it, or because he had a rebellious heart?

Before anyone could guess the reason, the contingent swiftly left.

And this was the last shocking act left behind by their general.

Elsewhere, Liu Qiao’s fast-moving carriage came to an abrupt stop. Lying on his back, Liu Zhenqing was startled and sat up in shock, taking several deep breaths. He opened the curtain and looked outside. Two familiar figures appeared on horseback in the misty morning light.

“Director Zheng, Brother Qin, what are you…..” Liu Zhenqing feigned casualness, leaning against the window with a smile.

“The Empress Dowager has passed. This father and son can no longer stay in the capital, so we resigned yesterday.” Zheng Wei smiled faintly.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes flashed. Knowing how clever this Zheng Wei was, according to Yuan Jue’s character, he wouldn’t trust him anymore. Although he had helped Yao Hua before, which was equivalent to indirectly helping the emperor, Yuan Jue would never allow someone unfaithful to him to remain in such a position. Leaving was the best option.

“Because of the kindness of an old friend, and because I have nothing else to do, I planned to go west to see if I could help. That’s when we happened to meet you two.”

Liu Zhenqing glanced toward Qin Yu.

Qin Yu knew Liu Zhenqing’s character, so he explained directly: “Zhanyuan wouldn’t have let you leave alone. You must have a reason for leaving like this. I won’t ask further questions. Since we’ve met by chance, if Brother Liu is going to assist in the west, we can go together. We know the quickest route there, avoiding official roads.”

He and his adoptive father intended to guard Liu Zheqing all the way, but feared he wouldn’t trust him.

Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows with a slight smile: “Okay, I’m in need of a hand. Let’s go.”

Qin Yu heaved a sigh of relief, but in the next moment, he heard Liu Zhenqing tease: “Are you not planning to return to the capital in the future?”

Qin Yu stared, then shook his head.

Liu Zhenqing said with a half-smile: “What about He Lan?”

Qin Yu’s expression froze. He choked before speaking: “He can do whatever he likes, it has nothing to do with me.”

Zheng Wei looked at him with interest, and smiled.

After hitting the road again, Zheng Wei asked to go ahead alone, as he wanted to go to a nearby mountain to worship before continuing.

When he came down, Liu Zhenqing and the others had just arrived. Seeing the familiar mountain, Liu Zhenqing finally understood Zheng Wei’s situation.

He didn’t know how much Zheng Wei heard that night, nor if he had guessed his identity, but since Zheng Wei didn’t mention it, there was no need for Liu Zhenqing to say anything more. He just called the two of them into the carriage and handed them a few letters.

The two looked at Liu Zhenqing in confusion.

Liu Zhenqing said: “I trust you two. These letters are very important. They’re related to whether the rescue is successful, as well as mine and Fenglie’s future. Please give us a bit of help.”

He had originally planned for Song Xingmu to join up with him and take care if it, but since Zheng Wei and Qin Yu were here, he would entrust it to them.

The two of them didn’t ask any questions, and ran the errands as Liu Zhenqing instructed.

Zheng Wei went southwest with three letters.

Qin Yu went southeast with two.

Ten days later, the royal palace in a Xiheng border city was attacked by a martial arts master in the night.

Li Jinshu looked at the person trapped in front of him with a smile and said: “You’re from Great Zhou?”

Liu Qiao simply dropped a letter, then turned and ran.

Li Jinshu just read the letter and smiled: “As expected, he came.”

Liu Qiao went back and informed Liu Zhenqing that a direct rescue wasn’t possible.

Liu Zhenqing had mentally prepared himself for this, and awaited Li Jinshu’s reply.

The next day, Li Jinshu came leisurely to a pavilion outside the city in a carriage. He saw Liu Zhenqing sitting under the pavilion from a distance, without Liu Qiao nearby. Li Jinshu knew that such a master must be hiding, ready to attack at any time, but he was undaunted.

With a wave of his hands, his subordinates pulled two people out of the carriage. They were Huo Yunci and Huo Yunqian.

“What are you going to do!” Huo Yunci was still full of vim and vigor, and tried to struggle.

Huo Yunqian calmly observed his surroundings, and was shocked when he saw the person under the pavilion nearby: “Uncle Liu!”

Huo Yunci also looked over, and her eyes instantly reddened in panic: “Uncle Liu!”

Liu Zhenqing was relieved to lay eyes on the two of them. Although they had lost some weight, they were uninjured and in good spirits. As expected, Li Jinshu was well-mannered in this regard and hadn’t made things difficult for the children.

He stood up with a smile when Li Jinshu approached and saluted: “Many thanks to His Highness for taking care of my family’s juniors.”

Huo Yunci and Huo Yunqian were so aggrieved upon hearing this that they could barely hold back their anger.

They wanted to tell Liu Zhenqing to leave, but knew it was impossible. Uncle Liu was here to save them. It was them who had gotten everyone in trouble.

Li Jinshu sat down with a smile, natural and carefree: “Your family’s juniors?”

“Your Highness doesn’t know? The emperor of Great Zhou has granted me the marriage. I’m a member of the Huo family now.” Liu Zhenqing smiled and said, “It’s only natural for me to come and pick up my own family’s children, ah.”

Li Jinshu smiled: “This little trick won’t work on me. So what if you’re Huo Fenglie’s wife? I won’t let go of what I want this time.”

“What did you say!” Huo Yunci erupted at once. Huo Yunqian also sent Li Jinshu a vicious look and stood in front of Liu Zhenqing alongside his sister. They were still in chains, however, so it was quite inconvenient for them to move.

Liu Zhenqing frowned as he looked at where their little wrists had been rubbed red by the chains. “They’re just a couple of children. Why does Your Highness need to use iron chains? I’m already here…..”

Li Jinshu smiled and indifferently told his men to undo the chains, saying: “These two children are skilled and naughty, always causing trouble. Although it wasn’t a big deal, it was still a bit of an eyesore. Locking them up was also to prevent them from getting hurt when they clashed with the guards, ah. I took good care of my old friend’s juniors.”

Having said this, Li Jinshu said to the children who had regained their freedom: “Don’t mess around, innocent people can be hurt in the chaos. It doesn’t matter to you if you’re hurt, but it would be no good if Young Master Liu came to harm.”

The two children weren’t reckless by nature. After regaining their freedom, they just clung to Liu Zhenqing and acted as a shield. Liu Zhenqing knew that the two children must be trying to think of a solution, but he would have to disappoint them.

“As agreed, you let them go.”

“No problem, it’s fine as long as you stay,” Li Jinshu said with a smile.

Only then did the children realize what was happening. They immediately looked at Liu Zhenqing and said in unison: “You can’t!”

Liu Zhenqing stroked the two children’s heads, one on each side, and said: “Don’t worry, your Second Uncle is coming. You’ll see him soon. I’ll be very safe, trust me.”

But the children clung to Liu Zhenqing and refused to let go.

“Who do you think we are! How can we abandon you!” Huo Yunci said furiously.

“We don’t want to be exchanged. We’re the ones who made a mistake and got caught, we’re the ones responsible!” Huo Yunqian shouted: “Are there any guards around? Take Uncle Liu away!”

The children were truly anxious, but were too young to do anything. Liu Zhenqing knew that making them leave on their own initiative would inevitably cause them great psychological harm, so he simply took advantage of their agitation to give them injections. By the time they could react, the two had fainted and were just barely caught in Liu Zhenqing’s arms.

“You’re truly fascinating.” The more Li Jinshu looked at Lui Zhenqing, the more fascinated he was. “You didn’t act together with Huo Fenglie, so you likely don’t have many people with you. Do you plan to have that hidden master send them away? In that case, aren’t you afraid of what I might do to you?”

---

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Chapter 144 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 146

Xiao Gu: “President Pei, is there any additional work that needs to be done today?”

Pei Xi: “No.”

Xiao Gu: “Then…..are there any departments whose recent work must be corrected and optimized?”

Pei Xi: “No.”

Xiao Gu: “Could it be that something is wrong with last quarter’s financial statements—”

“Don’t waste time beating around the bush.”

Pei Xi closed the document and raised his head. He bent a finger to touch the glasses that had slipped slightly down his nose, the silver frames reflecting a cold light: “If you have questions, just ask.”

Xiao Gu immediately shut up and shook his head.

He couldn’t just come out and say “You haven’t come to the company for two consecutive days, and we’re not used to it.” He wasn’t a fool.

Pei Xi: “If you don’t, then go and get busy.”

Xiao Gu gave an ‘oh’ and started to leave despondently, but halfway through, he remembered that he had something important to do.

“By the way, President Pei, the final bidding proposal for the development of the southern tourist area has been sent to your email. Please see if anything needs to be corrected. The planning team has been working overtime recently, so they can be contacted at any time to make changes.”

Pei Xi had read the email long before this report: “No need, there aren’t any big problems, and I will make additional revisions to the rest. Tell them to wait for my notification.”

“Okay.” 

Xiao Gu expressed his understanding and stopped disturbing Pei Xi’s work, hastening out of the office with the message.

The bidding proposal had been revised several times before, and was continuously approaching Pei Xi’s standard of perfection. However, as other competitors joined in, the data needed to be modified accordingly.

This wasn’t a difficult task for him. After all, he had rarely met his opponent when it came to psychological warfare.

Other than He Chuzhou, of course.

At this thought, he opened his phone to take a look.

Still no messages.

The content of the chat box was still a photo of Pei Yueliang eating that He Chuzhou had sent him.

He Chuzhou had taken it after he changed his clothes in the morning. He had no work to do, and happily spent the morning playing with the cat and dog at home.

Did he squeeze all of his work into the afternoon?

Perhaps that was why several hours had passed and he still hadn’t found time to send him a message.

He put the phone down unhappily and refocused his attention on the data changes in the file.

He scrolled down to the end, deleted the original data, and was about to re-do it, when he suddenly thought of something. His fingertips briefly paused.

Two seconds later, the deleted numbers were filled back in and he exited the page. He logged into WeChat on his computer, dragged the file to the chat bar of a certain someone, and clicked send.

Pei Xi: [/file]

Pei Xi: [There seems to be something wrong with the data in the final plan. Several competing companies intend to take risky measures. What do you think are the most important changes?]

At the same time, in the President’s office at He Group headquarters.

It was time to get off work. He Chuzhou bit his cheek. He had struggled for most of the day, but still couldn’t come up with a legitimate reason to send Pei Xi a message.

Everyone knew that Pei-calico was a walking work machine once he was in his right mind. What if he took the lead to send one and disturbed him, making him unhappy?

He’d heard that this was the biggest taboo when pursuing someone. It would limit his favorability.

But it was already this late. As roommates, it wouldn’t be too much to ask to have dinner together, would it?

It made perfect sense, right?

But the question was this: how could he explain that today’s dinner was a little bit special?

Ai, it was really hard to move forward without a status.

He was so distressed that he even considered asking Wu Qing for advice, when the computer dinged as someone sent a file to him.

He casually clicked the file, and when he saw the sender, he immediately perked up and sat up straight.

What a coincidence. That person had sent him just what he wanted in his time of need.

He Chuzhou: [They’re just a few small companies and can’t compare to Pei Group. As long as the price and the dominant position are slightly raised, they’ll be unable to survive.]

He Chuzhou: [/picture/picture]

He Chuzhou: [These ones have competed with He Group before. They love to bluff and spread false information, so their actual strength should be cut in half for reference.]

He Chuzhou: [/Document]

He Chuzhou: [I modified it for you. Use this data and you’re sure to win. If you don’t, I’ll pay for it out of my own pocket.]

Pei Xi watched the dialogue box fill with white bubbles again. When he saw the guarantee in the last sentence, he couldn’t help the way his lips rose and his face turned from cloudy to sunny.

Pei Xi: [En. I understand.]

Pei Xi: [Are you busy?]

He Chuzhou: [No, I’m done. I’m leaving soon. Want to get dinner outside tonight?]

Pei Xi: [Sure.]

He Chuzhou: [Okay, I’ll pick you up to celebrate your successful bid.]

He Chuzhou: [/little rabbit setting off fireworks.jpg]

Could they celebrate so far in advance?

This was out of the ordinary.

Pei Xi narrowed his eyes. Based on his understanding, this person was holding something back.

*

*

“There wasn’t too much work today, was there?” He Chuzhou handed Pei Xi a bottle of water when he got in the car.

Pei Xi took it: “It was fine.”

He Chuzhou started the vehicle and opened the navigation system: “Mine was fine today too. I’m thinking about giving Yun Ji a big red envelope and bonus at the end of the year. He gets things done quickly, and then I’m responsible for confirming and signing off on them…..”

They chatted casually on the way, mostly with He Chuzhou talking and Pei Xi listening.

It was all trivial things that could help someone relax after a day’s work without making the atmosphere dull.

“I’ve hired a lawyer.”

Pei Xi spoke up when they were almost there.

He Chuzhou: “Hm? What did you hire a lawyer for?”

Pei Xi: “To divide the property and equity.”

He Chuzhou was taken aback, and raised his eyes to look at him in the rearview mirror: “You’re going to give shares to Pei Zhen? Then what will you do?”

Pei Xi: “I’ve acquired a lot from other shareholders, so giving him some won’t have much of an impact. The right to speak on the board of directors will still be in my hands.”

A smile flashed through He Chuzhou’s eyes: “Not bad.”

It seemed his Pei-calico wasn’t someone to be trifled with. There was no need to worry about him getting hurt because of impulsivity: “Do you need my help?”

“No,” Pei Xi said. “It’s not a problem. I can handle it myself.”

He Chuzhou nodded and asked: “Does your father have high blood pressure, heart disease, or anything like that?”

Pei Xi: “A bit of high blood pressure. Why?”

He Chuzhou gave a short chuckle: “If he finds out you’re dividing the property before he’s even dead, won’t he be so angry that he faints on the spot?”

Pei Xi was silent for a moment: “There’s nothing for him to be angry about. In any case, we won’t have much contact going forward, so it’s best to settle the matter clearly.”

He Chuzhou: “You’re really not upset?”

Pei Xi: “I feel very at ease.”

He Chuzhou turned into a parking space. Tilting his head to look at the other’s expression, he smiled and said nothing.

Very good. He was confident.

The rest could be left to time. At that point, it would all be over.

The restaurant He Chuzhou had chosen was different from the other times. It wasn’t a high-end restaurant with a VIP system, nor was it a private restaurant where reservations depended entirely upon identity. It was a theme restaurant located in the bustling city center.

The first thing they saw upon entering the door was a digital starry sky that occupied the ceiling. The Milky Way flowed through it slowly, and the farther they went inside, the more they felt as if they were within the vast universe.

Blue light squeezed into the shapes of overlapping silhouettes of whales and jellyfish, and particles of blue light floated through every inch of air, as if one could catch a star just by reaching out a hand.

You could tell at first sight that this was an internet-famous spot where someone could get tens of thousands of likes just by taking a photo and posting it on a social platform. Most of the customers were young people, and half of those were couples.

“How is it? Does it look good?”

He Chuzhou raised his hand with a casual flick, and several points of light spread from his fingertips: “My friend recommended it to me before, saying it’s very unique and the dishes are tasty. We happened to be free today, so I thought we’d come and try it.”

Pei Xi knew what He Chuzhou was up to from the moment he stepped inside.

A person who never did anything garish had suddenly brought him to such a showy place to eat. There was no other possibility that he did this for any reason but to please him.

He gave a hum and didn’t expose him, raising his head to carefully appreciate the starry sky.

Even though He Chuzhou had forgotten that he was 26 this year, not 16, he really did enjoy the feeling of his sweetheart giving him a surprise.

The restaurant didn’t have private rooms, so they sat in the lobby under the same starry sky as the other customers. The waiter brought out the menu, which was uniquely made into a three-dimensional shape of the ocean and starry sky.

It was He Chuzhou’s first time here, so to be safe, he ordered a few signature dishes that couldn’t go wrong. As for the drinks…..

He glanced around with composure and saw that most of the colors were blue, so he chose a blue drink.

Handing the menu back to the waiter, he looked back toward Pei Xi again. The latter was quietly admiring the quicksand vase on the table. There were a few blue roses in it, which complemented the surrounding scenery.

He seemed to like it very much.

Relieved, He Chuzhou looked around again—

Two young girls to the left were enthusiastically taking selfies with their faces close together, the couple to the right were holding hands and whispering their feelings to each other with emotion, and a boy behind them gave his wide-eyed boyfriend a passionate kiss on the cheek.

“……”

Retracting his gaze, he looked back at Pei Xi, who had a dull reaction and dull expression, and was even so uninterested that he had begun to look down at his phone.

He seemed…..to not like it very much?

What was he not satisfied with?

He thought for a moment, then took out his phone. Wu Qing had just sent him a message: 

Wu Qing: [How is it?]

He Chuzhou: [Thanks a lot. Not very good. He doesn’t seem very satisfied.]

Wu Qing: [How is that possible? Every time I take my boyfriends there, they love it.]

He Chuzhou: [Can your boyfriends be compared to Pei Xi? I knew you were unreliable.]

Wu Qing: [If I’m not reliable, then who is?]

Wu Qing: [Let me ask, did you not prepare a gift?]

He Chuzhou: [No.]

Wu Qing: [What the hell! If you don’t give him a gift in such a nice place with such a nice atmosphere, what’s the difference between that and eating tofu pudding without adding any spicy ingredients?]

He Chuzhou: [ . ]

It wasn’t that he didn’t think about getting him a gift, but what excuse did he have to give it?

It was already difficult to lure this person to the restaurant with a legitimate reason, so was it appropriate to suddenly give him a gift?

Tsk. In the end, it was because he had no status.

There was nothing to be done. The favorability points given by Pei-calico couldn’t be shared with the sober Pei Xi. The gap in progress was too big.

Although he knew that Pei Xi hadn’t rejected him, he was still powerless to speed up the progress bar.

This person still wanted to be his little brother!

He sighed with some disappointment, not noticing how fast Pei Xi was typing at the moment.

He Chuzhou had guessed correctly. He was indeed not very satisfied.

In such a romantic place, people were hugging at the door, holding hands on the left, and kissing on the right. And he could only sit opposite He Chuzhou without any physical contact, wasting the good atmosphere.

Why?

Was it just because he wasn’t Pei-calico right now?

Was it because they hadn’t verified their status?

Xie Ling: [You finally showed up!]

Xie Ling: [What do you have to say to me?]

Xie Ling: [It just so happens that I have something to talk about with you. There will be a charity auction at the Lanshan Villa Club the day after tomorrow, and there are a few items that I want. Will you go with me?]

Xie Ling: [When those people see you there, they’ll definitely give you face and not compete with me like last time, and I’ll purchase at a low price.]

Pei Xi: [Not going.]

Xie Ling: [Why?]

Pei Xi: [I have something to do.]

Xie Ling: [Busy with work? You can’t spare one evening?]

Pei Xi: [It’s not work.]

Pei Xi: [Did you catch your girlfriend?]

Xie Ling: [We’ve already celebrated our first anniversary. I’ve realized you really don’t care about me, ah.]

Pei Xi: [Sorry. Congratulations.]

Pei Xi: [When will you teach me.]

Xie Ling: [Ah? Teach you what?]

Pei Xi: [How to pursue someone.]

Xie Ling: [……Huh? ? ?]

Xie Ling: [Wait, who are you pursuing?]

Pei Xi: [He Chuzhou.]

Xie Ling: [? ? ? ? ?]

Xie Ling: [Why are you pursuing He Chuzou?! Don’t you hate him?]

Pei Xi: [Not anymore. I like him now.]

Pei Xi: [When will you teach me.]

Xie Ling: [………]

Xie Ling: [Brother, this is too sudden. I’m not prepared at all. _(:з」∠)_ ]

Xie Ling: [Okay, let’s find some time to talk later and you can tell me what’s going on.]

Pei Xi: [Why later? Can’t it be a little sooner?]

Xie Ling: [……Are you in a hurry?]

Xie Ling: [Why does this feel so magical? I didn’t think I had that many drinks tonight.]

Xie Ling: [How about tomorrow night? If you go with me to the auction, I’ll teach you all of my skills!]

---

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Chapter 53 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 55

That year, although Li Jinshu had taken the Xiheng army away and temporarily resolved Liu Zhenqing’s crisis, Xiheng soon made a comeback. Taking advantage of the death of Great Zhou’s commander, they united with other countries to take over Great Zhou in one fell swoop. Huo Fenglie took over Huo Feihan’s position in the west, but the situation was difficult.

That period was also the last chance to deal with the Three Kings, and Liu Zhenqing was worried and anxious each day. Coupled with his injuries and poisoning, his health was deteriorating day by day, and his mind was in turmoil.

To him, he and Yuan Jue were completely on the same page, so he never thought Yuan Jue would have something to do with this matter. 

He took for granted that the information relayed to him by Yuan Jue was true, and thought Huo Fenglie was just young and afraid. Thinking about it now, that was the biggest insult to Er-gou.

Huo Fenglie had once said he’d liked him since he was very young, that he’d been secretly in love with him for many years, but hadn’t expressed his feelings because he knew Liu Zhenqing treated him as a younger brother. Therefore, Huo Fenglie wanted to wait until the world was at peace before “bothering” him with this matter.

Liu Zhenqing had seen the wounds beneath the tattoo, which were frequent and deadly during that period.

Huo Fenglie didn’t know whether or not he would die on the battlefield, and didn’t want to have any regrets, so he mustered up all of his courage and chose the worst possible time to send a letter like this along with the battle report, expressing his love in full to his beloved. But Liu Zhenqing’s reply appeared to be a rebuke of his wishful thinking, warning him not to set his sights on him, and rejecting him harshly out of disgust for his feelings.

Soon after, he had received a letter from his good brother Yuan Jue, forging the relationship between Liu Zhenqing and Yao Hua and letting Huo Fenglie know how hopeless his feelings were. That apart from helping Liu Zhenqing win the war, he was no longer qualified to stand by his side.

From then on, Huo Fenglie no longer wrote privately to Liu Zhenqing and only sent battle reports, and Liu Zhenqing was unaware of it all.

Later, Liu Zhenqing died and Huo Fenglie went halfway crazy, but he still did his utmost to support Liu Zhenqing and his brother’s dream.

He lived like this, not caring about life or death, until he met a hermit who gave him all kinds of hints, making him want to hope for something even as he didn’t dare to. Hopelessly waiting for a miracle to happen.

Eight years later, Huo Fenglie discovered that Liu Zhenqing had returned. This person had rejected him harshly at the outset, and upon his return, he didn’t reveal himself to Huo Fenglie and just wanted to escape. So Huo Fenglie didn’t dare take the initiative to recognize him, and only wanted to keep Liu Zhenqing and protect him.

Liu Zhenqing was unaware of Huo Fenglie’s feelings, and Huo Fenglie just thought he didn’t want to face them. So even when Liu Zhenqing asked, he didn’t dare to admit it. He didn’t want to face another ruthless rejection from him.

Even when Liu Zhenqing took the initiative to flirt with him later, he thought it was a test, an accident, or a primitive instinct, but never dared to actually believe Liu Zhenqing liked him.

Even when Liu Zhenqing made it clear later on.

Huo Fenglie was still uneasy. He had always been hesitant to fully possess Liu Zhenqing, and also worried that when Liu Zhenqing returned to the capital and saw Yao Hua, he might change his mind. 

So Huo Fenglie had been waiting, giving Liu Zhenqing the opportunity to make a different choice.

Even though it was a struggle for him, he didn’t want Liu Zhenqing to experience any more suffering in this life.

But now…..

“You didn’t receive it?” Huo Fenglie asked in astonishment.

Liu Zhenqing had thought everything through. Suddenly, he raised his hands, held Huo Fenglie’s face, and kissed him hard right in front of everybody.

Everyone was shocked. Yuan Jue’s eyes flickered and he looked away, but he was unconsciously clenching his teeth.

“I’m sorry, it was my mistake. I was deceived. I didn’t know you’d confessed to me when I replied to that letter. Fenglie, I never rejected you, I just……lost the opportunity to answer.”

He had lost an entire lifetime, all because of Yuan Jue.

Huo Fenglie stared at Liu Zhenqing in a daze, never having expected such a reversal. His Qing-ge had never hated him.

Liu Zhenqing could no longer control his temper. He turned around and rushed toward Yuan Jue, punching him directly before he could react.

The emperor of the dynasty was knocked back by the blow. He staggered back a step, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, his head turned away. Everyone present was shocked.

Liu Qiao continued to guard Yuan Jue, preventing the others from approaching.

He Cong and the other guards made a racket. “Are you crazy? How dare you hit the emperor!”

In fact, they were baffled by the conversation between these people and had no idea what was going on. Or perhaps they didn’t dare to figure it out. But Liu Zhenqing had dared to hit the emperor regardless of the law or morality.

Yuan Jue was stunned as well. He turned his head to look at Liu Zhenqing, saying in disbelief: “You hit me? You actually…..hit me? You’ve never hit me before!”

Liu Zhenqing was so angry that he almost laughed: “I hit you. So what?!”

Yuan Jue’s eyes widened to the breaking point: “I plotted against you, killed you, and let the whole world curse you, but you didn’t get angry or take action. Now you attacked me just for this?”

Liu Zhenqing reached out and gripped Yuan Jue’s collar, saying: “You made me ignore his sincerity, made me hurt and wrong him! For me, this is more intolerable than anything else in the world!”

Yuan Jue’s pupils quivered as if he was unable to bear it. He was so furious that his entire body was shaking, and he sent Liu Zhenqing a vicious look. He had just wanted to test them and see how they would react after learning the truth, never expecting that Liu Zhenqing would fly into a true rage. Because of such a small matter, he finally saw Liu Zhenqing angry.

“Tell me, where is the letter? It was in your hands back then, where did you put it? Give it back to me!” Liu Zhenqing said fiercely. Since the jade Rubik’s cube was still here, was the letter…..

Yuan Jue just thought it was laughable and ridiculous: “You think I would keep that kind of evidence? I burned it as soon as it was received!”

Liu Zhenqing was so angry that his blood boiled: “Why did you do it! I can understand why you killed me, but why hurt him when he was protecting your empire! Are you crazy? What if he was affected on the battlefield? If something went wrong, who could replace him? How did I ever teach a fool like you!”

“I’m no fool!” Yuan Jue practically shouted. “If you united as civil and military officials, how would a powerless emperor such as myself cope? If you were soft-hearted and didn’t force him to hold the border, what would have happened to Great Zhou? The decision I made was worthy of an emperor. The two of you were my prime minister and my general, so you should have been focused on me rather than being distracted by other things!”

“You’re just making speculative arguments. It’s all nonsense!” Liu Zhenqing truly wanted to give Yuan Jue a beating. From the perspective of an emperor, he could even envision all of Yuan Jue’s previous heartless actions. But there was still one thing he really couldn’t understand.

A rational emperor would appease his general. Even if Liu Zhenqing didn’t have such feelings for Huo Fenglie at the time, as emperor, he should have told Liu Zhenqing to deal with it right away so that Huo Fenglie could fight at the border with peace of mind.

But Yuan Jue made the most foolish decision. Liu Zhenqing regarded him with a dark look, and Yuan Jue avoided his gaze.

Yuan Jue couldn’t admit that when he had received the letter from Huo Fenglie, the sincerity therein would have moved anyone’s heart. He felt that Liu Zhenqing would definitely be moved and devote his attention to Huo Fenglie, and that couldn’t be borne. He was Yuan Jue’s teacher and the prime minister of his empire. Liu Zhenqing should devote himself wholeheartedly to helping him rule and stabilize the country, and focus all of his attention on him.

He read the love expressed between the lines of Huo Fenglie’s letter and was in a bad mood, and almost instinctively destroyed it.

But when he realized what he had done, he regretted it. Not out of apology to those two people, but because he realized he had begun to forgo the most favorable situations out of selfish desire, and was acting recklessly. This was unbecoming of a qualified emperor.

Anything that affected an emperor’s emotions and rational judgement was an obstacle. He finally discovered that Liu Zhenqing……was his weakness. And he couldn’t allow this weakness to develop any further, so Liu Zhenqing must die.

He discovered the weakness and eliminated it himself.

But then Liu Zhenqing came back again, and when he realized this fact, he had no wish to eradicate his weakness again. Because he knew that the current Liu Zhenqing was a simple man without power or influence, and no longer Prime Minister Liu, who he had feared. Since he couldn’t endure letting him go again, he would find a way to monopolize him.

With his most useful wings cut off, without Huo Fenglie, Liu Zhenqing would no longer be a concern and Yuan Jue’s weakness would become his reward. It would be best to keep him by his side like a canary and watch him at all times.

But in the end, he still couldn’t best Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing no longer cared about what Yuan Jue was thinking. He was already disillusioned with Yuan Jue. Even though they had accompanied each other day and night and Liu Zhenqing had raised him like his own child, now that things had come to this, there was no lingering affection.

This matter must be concluded. Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie and rapidly thought up countermeasures.

Huo Fenglie had regained his composure. He took a step forward, sword in hand, and the people around them immediately grew uneasy.

Seeing Huo Fenglie’s actions, Liu Zhenqing knew that if he gave the word, it wouldn’t be impossible to forcibly suppress the throne and its forces. But not only would there be heavy casualties, the Huo family would also bear the world’s infamy. After all, Emperor Yuan Jue had done no harm to the nation on the surface.

Moreover, it was a gamble to try to safely connect with the Huo Family Army outside while they were surrounded. If they weren’t careful, they would be buried along with Yuan Jue.

There were so many foreign envoys here…..right, the foreign envoys……Liu Zhenqing had a flash of inspiration, but before the plan could form, somebody suddenly broke into the palace. 

It was Zheng Wei. He Cong’s eyes shifted slightly, and he immediately called: “Is Director Zheng here to protect the emperor as well?”

The arrival of another master put a lot more pressure on Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie.

Liu Zhenqing looked sideways at Zheng Wei, only to find him slowly lowering into a bow as he greeted everyone: “Your Majesty, I have received a message from the Kingdom of Xiheng that says…..they have invited the Huo family’s young master and young lady to Xiheng.”

“What!” Liu Zhenqing was shocked.

Huo Fenglie’s expression also changed at once.

Zheng Wei continued: “I sent people to track them down after receiving the letter, but it seems the two young ones were kidnapped from the hunting grounds, and never followed the procession back at all. According to the time, they have long been out of tracking range.”

Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie exchanged glances. They realized that Li Jinshu must have lost his mind, but what did he intend to do? 

In the next moment, Zheng Wei gave them the answer by delivering a letter directly to Liu Zhenqing.

Taken aback, Liu Zhenqing opened it and saw Li Jinshu’s handwriting. He laughed angrily after reading it, but skewed his eyes at the same time.

He placed the letter in front of Yuan Jue.

Yuan Jue glanced at it, and his expression changed slightly.

The words in the letter were teasing, but the gist of it was that he would exchange the twins for Liu Zhenqing. It seemed that the one Li Jinshu had actually wanted to kidnap the previous night was Liu Zhenqing himself. However, Liu Zhenqing had been involved in the matter of Jian Shuang’s rebellion at the time and he wasn’t given a chance, so he kidnapped the twins to threaten him into an exchange.

Li Jinshu was a madman. Liu Zhenqing actually didn’t know if he had discovered his identity and thus took such an action.

But this happened at the opportune time, letting Liu Zhenqing enjoy a cool easterly wind.

Liu Zhenqing said: “Have you read it clearly? You know what kind of person Li Jinshu is. He knows my identity, so he must be using every means to snatch me away. The remaining bloodline of the Huo family is now in his hands. Without Huo Fengile to lead them, how effective do you think the Huo Family Army will be under the military officers you’ve trained? Can they defeat Li Jinshu? After all, it isn’t absolutely certain that Huo Fenglie can beat him.”

Yuan Jue’s eyes narrowed slightly. Then he smiled: “Then let the great general who guards the country lead the troops to rescue his niece and nephew, and let Young Master Liu stay behind to ensure his safety and not allow Xiheng a chance at him.”

Huo Fenglie shifted. His eyes, filled with icy killing intent, fixed on Yuan Jue.

Liu Zhenqing scoffed: “These envoys in the capital aren’t blind or deaf. Unless you kill them all, they’ll definitely realize that something is wrong. For example, that General Huo’s relatives were held hostage by Xiheng and he wanted to rescue them, but the emperor of Great Zhou was at odds with him and used his fiance as a hostage. Once such news spreads, do you plan to revisit the tragic memory of being besieged by various nations again?

Yuan Jue’s expression turned ugly. He knew he couldn’t control Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing gestured to Liu Qiao, who hesitated for a moment before lowering his sword and hastening to Liu Zhenqing’s side.

He Cong immediately rushed forward to shield Yuan Jue. 

Those opposite did as well. 

But in the next moment, Liu Zhenqing bowed to Yuan Jue and said: “Your Majesty, envoys from the Kingdom of Xiheng have openly kidnapped people on Great Zhou’s territory and challenged its dignity. This humble subject requests your permission to assist the general who guards the country in sending troops to rescue the hostages in order to send a message to Xiheng, and so that the envoys from neighboring countries can all see that although our Great Zhou is gentle, infringement will not be tolerated.”

Yuan Jue’s expression was unsightly. He knew Liu Zhenqing’s intentions. They planned to overstep their authority, not to take his throne, but so that from then on, the emperor would be unable to touch them. And they were using Li Jinshu to do it.

Li Jinshu’s military exploits were so great that no other military official in Great Zhou could match him. He was also proficient at getting other countries to share Great Zhou between them. Moreover, this extraordinarily powerful person was a madman who only took what he wanted. There was no possibility of negotiating a deal with him.

As long as Li Jinshu was determined to possess Liu Zhenqing, Yuan Jue couldn’t touch them if he wanted to secure his throne. 

Therefore, Liu Zhenqing had found an equilibrium in order to counterbalance his power.

Faced with such a situation, Yuan Jue clearly had little choice. But on second thought, this was equivalent to giving him an opportunity and risking half his own life. He couldn’t guarantee that Liu Zhenqing wouldn’t kill him for the sake of the country. Thus, now was the time for everyone to take a step back. 

Yuan Jue’s mind changed several times before he finally said: “Young Master Liu is right. I will immediately issue an edict for the general to lead troops in pursuit.”

Such a step brought relief to everyone.

Just as Yuan Jue was about to prepare the Imperial edict, he heard Liu Zhenqing call out: “Wait.”

Everyone grew nervous again.

Liu Zhenqing said with a mocking smile: “Your Majesty’s word is as good as gold. You should grant a marriage to me and Fenglie now, otherwise it would be inappropriate for me to follow the general. Besides, if I’m the general’s wife, Prince Li will be despised by the world if he forces me to stay, and it will also put Great Zhou even more in the right.”

Yuan Jue gave Liu Zhenqing a dark look.

Soon, with two Imperial edicts in hand, Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie safely left the palace.

When he saw Liu Zhenqing walk away unhesitatingly without even sparing him a glance, Yuan Jue felt an uncontrollable discomfort. He warned himself to not be hasty, that there was still a chance.

Back at the General’s Manor.

It was already daybreak by this time, and the manor was in chaos after receiving the news.

Seeing Li Xingruo standing in the small Buddhist chamber with a somber face, Liu Zhenqing walked inside and held her trembling hand.

Li Xingruo lashed out in anger: “Those little brats are really going to learn a lesson this time about acting rashly!”

Liu Zhenqing turned around as Huo Fenglie approached the door and said to him: “We’ll go on the expedition tomorrow. You go to the military camp to prepare. I’ll stay here.”

Huo Fenglie hesitated. He started to say something, but Liu Zhenqing cut in: “Don’t waste time. Yuan Jue won’t dare act rashly right now, and Liu Qiao is still with me.”

Huo Fenglie nodded, then turned and got to work.

Liu Zhenqing pulled Li Xingruo to sit down and said: “The one Li Jinshu wants is me. According to his character, he won’t be hard on the two little ones, and they’ll be treated to tasty food and drinks.”

Li Xingruo looked toward Liu Zhenqing, her fierce eyes now filled with worry.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” Liu Zhenqing turned his head toward the tablets. “I failed to protect their father last time, but this time…..I won’t allow them to get hurt again.”

Li Xingruo stared blankly at Liu Zhenqing, and finally leaned against his shoulder in a somewhat fragile manner.

“Did you have a confrontation with Yuan Jue?” she asked tiredly.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t give her the full truth. He only said: “Yuan Jue discovered my identity. He still fears me, but he can’t go without Huo Fenglie’s protection, so he had no choice but to let me go.”

“Hmph, ungrateful bastard,” she cursed.

Liu Zhenqing grinned and said: “By the way, I’ve already requested the Imperial edict. I’m now a member of the Huo family, Sister-in-law.”

Li Xingruo said with a laugh: “Wait until you bring the two little ones back, then we can hold the wedding before anything else goes wrong.”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes flickered. He didn’t respond to this topic, but said faintly: “Don’t worry, I just want to live a good life with Er-gou and not cause any trouble.”

Li Xingruo said with a sigh: “En, he waited two lifetimes before he finally got you.”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but ask: “I heard my ashes are under the willow tree here?”

“I wanted to tell you before, but never found the chance,” Li Xingruo said. “Isn’t it crazy?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled: “He likes me crazily and wanted to be closer to me.”

Li Xingruo didn’t disagree, but added: “He also wanted to be buried with you after he died.”

Liu Zhenqing stared in shock.

“With no tombstone, and no real burial. He wanted to be cremated after dying in battle, then have me bury him with you.” Li Xingruo said: “It’s fortunate that you like him too. Otherwise, if he was unilaterally crazy, wouldn’t you be annoyed to death?”

Liu Zhenqing recalled the events that occurred when they went south, and smiled: “That would never happen, I would have fallen in love with him right away.”

Li Xingruo looked at him speechlessly: “How is that possible? So many people liked you back then, but I never saw you return their affections. You may have seemed amorous, but in fact, it’s difficult for you to have sincere feelings for anyone.”

“I only have one heart. How can it be moved just because someone made overtures?” Liu Zhenqing defended himself.

Li Xingruo slanted a look at him. Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “There’s something I want to discuss with you.”

“What?”

“You going with the army.”

“Do I need you to tell me that?” Li Xingruo rolled her eyes.

Then Liu Zhenqing said: “Please keep an eye on Er-gou for me.”

Li Xingruo’s expression shifted.

That night, Huo Fenglie finally returned from his work.

Everything had been prepared, and they would set out the next morning.

He didn’t find Liu Zhenqing at his Sister-in-law’s, so he went to the courtyard and saw Liu Zhenqing with a jug of wine. Sitting beneath the willow tree, he fiddled with the willow branches while twisting the jade Rubik’s cube in one hand.

“Qing-ge,” Huo Fenglie called out, practically flying to Liu Zhenqing’s side.

When Liu Zhenqing saw him coming, his eyes curved in a smile and he patted the spot beside him.

Huo Fenglie sat down obediently, and was about to inform Liu Zhenqing about the situation when Liu Zhenqing snuggled into his arms.

Huo Fenglie’s heart moved. He couldn’t help but raise his hands to hug Liu Zhenqing tightly. He took a deep breath and seemed to find a trace of calm in the chaos.

Liu Zhenqing nuzzled him leisurely, then raised his eyes to give Huo Fenglie a smile, saying: “Er-gou, do you still remember what you wrote in that love letter to me? I want to know what it said.”

Liu Zhenqing was really curious. How would the seventeen-year-old Huo Fenglie have confessed his feelings to him in such a crisis-ridden situation? 

Huo Fenglie was taken aback, not having expected Liu Zhenqing to ask this question directly. He felt somewhat uncomfortable and regretful, but mostly, he was embarrassed.

“That…..” Huo Fenglie said a bit nervously.

Laying in Huo Fenglie’s arms, Liu Zhenqing looked up and raised his hand to grasp Huo Fenglie’s chin, saying: “Tell me, I’m curious.”

Huo Fenglie lowered his eyes to gaze at him affectionately and said: “Actually, it doesn’t count as a letter.”

“Huh?”

“It was a journal.”

A confession journal?

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t know how to express my feelings to you, but after every battle, I would write something about you…..”

Liu Zhenqing listened to Huo Fenglie’s cool, gentle voice as he told him the story. Many of the contents were things that Liu Zhenqing already knew.

The first throb of his heart, the first reason for jealousy, the first time he understood the uneasiness of his mind, the first time he secretly competed with a love rival.

The first time they kissed, the first time he made a promise…..

It recorded the young Huo Fenglie’s unspeakable thoughts. He had so much love but no way to express it, so he could only write it down in detail, hoping that the other person would understand.

Liu Zhenqing listened for a long while, unable to snap out of his stupor. When he regained his senses, he saw his own face completely reflected in Huo Fenglie’s dark eyes.

He couldn’t help but say: “I want that journal.”

Huo Fenglie stared blankly. But it had been burned by Yuan Jue, ah.

Liu Zhenqing said mindlessly: “I want it. You must give it to me. So for the rest of your life, you must continue to write and re-record everything. I’ll do the same, and we’ll record together.”

He was going to spend the rest of his life making Huo Fenglie confess to him again, and would also let the other know all of his feelings.

Huo Fenglie’s eyes lit up, and he nodded firmly.

Liu Zhenqing smiled, and couldn’t help but tease: “When you wrote before, did it include…..the panic when you first dreamed about it…..the fluster you felt when you first imagined it?”

Huo Fenglie’s face instantly went red: “No…..”

“You didn’t write it down? How insincere, ah.” Liu Zhenqing smiled and leaned forward to kiss Er-gou, then stretched out his hand and did as he pleased with Huo Fenglie’s stiff lower body.

---

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Chapter 143 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 145

When he woke up with a hangover, not only was he dizzy and weak, but his throat was also very dry.

He Chuzhou briefly rubbed his temples. He quietly got out of bed, tucked in the person who was still asleep, and went to the bathroom in his slippers.

He washed his face with cold water to clear his mind. While squeezing the toothpaste, he glanced into the mirror and his eyes paused when they fell upon the wound on the side of his lower lip.

He subconsciously raised his hand to touch it, and the pain made him gasp.

It was still fresh.

Where had this injury come from?

Was it a mosquito bite? 

There shouldn’t be mosquitos in this weather, and even if there were, how fierce would it have to be to bite him like this?

Did he fall and hurt himself?

But he didn’t feel pain anywhere else, ah.

He didn’t hit anything but his mouth? Wasn’t that weird?

Could it be that he dreamed of eating something tasty and bit himself?

How bizarre.

But compared to the first two, this possibility was the most likely.

He brushed his teeth while avoiding the wound, wondering if he should find some medicine to apply to it.

When he returned to the room, he found that Pei Xi was awake but hadn’t gotten out of bed. He was still sitting there hugging the quilt, gazing at him in a daze with sleepy eyes.

“What are you thinking about so early in the morning?”

He walked over and scratched Pei Xi’s chin, as if teasing a kitten.

Pei Xi: “Chuzhou, where is this? Why aren’t we at home?”

Oh. He’d forgotten that Pei-calico hadn’t been here.

“This is home too.”

He patiently explained: “It’s my parents’ house. We came here for dinner last night, and it was too late afterward, so we didn’t go back.”

Pei Xi gave an “Oh,” then squinted his eyes and yawned. He soon discovered the wound on He Chuzhou’s lip and pointed a finger at it: “What happened here?”

He Chuzhou: “I don’t know. I saw it this morning and it still hurts. I guess I dreamed about gnawing meat and bones last night.”

Pei Xi observed it thoughtfully for a moment and came to a conclusion: “No, it looks more like I bit you when we were kissing.”

A man couldn’t withstand such direct and explicit teasing from his sweetheart so early in the morning, especially those old virgins who hadn’t had sex in over twenty years.

As soon as Pei Xi finished speaking, He Chuzhou’s blood boiled at the scene that appeared in his head, and all of the blood in his body rushed to……

Presumptuous. He needed to stop.

He mentally recited a Buddhist mantra three times to calm his mind, then turned to help Pei Xi find some clothes.

Being bitten while kissing…..

Hmm, he would like that.

Pei Xi had come here on a whim the day before, so there weren’t any clothes prepared for him. He Chuzhou could only find a set of his own in a smaller size and let him wear it temporarily.

After picking out the clothes, he looked back and found that the person who was sitting up just now had laid back down again, and had wrapped himself tightly in the quilt with only half his face showing.

He Chuzhou was amused by his slightly childish behavior. He walked over and set the clothes on the bedside table, then bent down and touched his cheek: “Sleeping again?”

Pei Xi didn’t open his eyes, just breathing out a nasal hum.

He hadn’t gotten enough sleep in the first place, and hadn’t slept well in the unfamiliar environment. Now that he knew he was at home, he felt at ease and the sleepiness came back.

“Okay.” He Chuzhou rubbed his head. “There’s nothing to do this morning anyway, so just sleep.”

Pei Xi’s breaths quickly lengthened.

He Chuzhou glanced at the time. It was still early. He planned to change his clothes and go out for a run, but before he could turn around and take two steps, he suddenly realized something—

Pei-calico was sleeping now. When he woke up later, would he be in his right mind?

It turned out that his guess was entirely correct.

An hour later, Pei Xi awoke from his nap and sat up in bed with a bewildered look on his face. It took him several minutes to figure out what his situation was.

Okay. He pinched the bridge of his nose. It would be good to deal with some things today and not put them off until tomorrow.

He Chuzhou had tried his best to find him clothes in a smaller size, though they were still too big on him and the shoulder line fell to his arms.

However, autumn and winter clothes didn’t need to be too fitted. The loose, thin sweater was very suitable for this lazy season, and also suited him.

After cleaning up and coming out of the bathroom, he could faintly hear the sound of He Chuzhou and He Aiyue arguing downstairs.

He couldn’t help but prick up his ears. But before he could figure out what the brother and sister were arguing about so early in the morning, his phone rang. Pei Yansong had sent him a message:

[He Chuzhou has promised to help your brother. Did you talk to him about it last night?]

[I won’t argue with you about what happened yesterday. You should think clearly about where you went wrong and why you were so impulsive. We will speak again after your brother’s problem is solved.]

There were only a few short lines, but the words gave off a disdainful tone.

Pei Xi deleted the messages after reading them, then turned off his phone and put it away with no emotional fluctuations from beginning to end.

He and Pei Yansong had absolutely nothing to talk about.

As for He Chuzhou’s solemn promise to him last night that Pei Yansong wouldn’t bother him again for a while, he had ultimately underestimated the extent to which Pei Yansong would break his promises.

This was true for his partners, his ex-wife, and the son his ex-wife gave birth to for him.

He was unworthy of anyone’s expectations of him.

He Chuzhou went upstairs to call him down to eat. When he came in and saw that he looked clear-headed, he wore an unsurprised expression and said to himself: “En, that’s fine too. At least I don’t have to figure out how to correct any changes of address.”

Pei Xi heard him clearly, but didn’t respond. He asked instead: “Did you fight with He Aiyue again?”

He Chuzhou was helpless: “It’s not fair. I was just being reasonable. She’s the one who started a one-sided argument with me.”

Pei Xi: “What was the argument about?”

He Chuzhou spoke convincingly: “She said she’s as fat as a rubber ball and needs to skip meals to lose weight.”

Pei Xi: “And then?”

He Chuzhou: “Then I said she’s not fat, at least not like a rubber ball. She’s a rugby ball at best, and it won’t be too late to lose weight when she’s actually as fat as a rubber ball.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi said seriously: “Aiyue is not fat.”

He Chuzhou: “Yeah, I said that too, ah, but she wanted to fight me after hearing that.”

Pei Xi: “You said she looks like a rugby ball.”

He Chuzhou said: “She said herself that she’s a rubber ball. Isn’t a rugby ball slimmer than a rubber ball?”

Pei Xi: “She can say that, but you can’t say that about her.”

“Is that so?”

He Chuzhou didn’t understand at all, but he was obedient: “Fine, I won’t say that next time. At least, I won’t say she looks like a ball, a scallion, or a cowpea. Is that okay?”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi: “Never mind, stop talking.”

The two of them went downstairs one after the other. In the dining room, Mrs. Chu and Mr. He Jiangchuan were already sitting at the table. He Aiyue was sulking, and scoffed at He Chuzhou when she saw him coming.

“Good morning, Xinxin.”

He Jiangchuan was reading the newspaper, and looked up to give Pei Xi a wave and a smile: “It’s your first time visiting us, and I didn’t even get to greet you properly yesterday.”

Pei Xi shook his head and said it didn’t matter.

“Come on, sit down and have breakfast.”

Chu Yuelan patted the seat beside her and beckoned to Pei Xi: “Chuzhou said you like to eat light, sweet foods in the morning, so I prepared these. I hope you like them.”

“Oh, and the soy milk is still hot in the kitchen. Auntie will go fetch it.”

Chu Yuelan moved so fast that he didn’t even have time to finish saying “I’ll get it myself” before she stood up and disappeared through the kitchen door.

“It’s okay, my mom is happy.”

He Chuzhou pulled out the chair next to Pei Xi and started to sit down, but He Aiyue rushed over and pushed him away to claim the seat. She complained in a low voice: “Pei-ge, your boyfriend is so annoying, ah. He’s a grown man who bullies little girls and calls them fat. I’m telling you, be careful about men like these. Their moral character is generally not very good — ah!”

He Aiyue immediately covered her head and added to her evidence: “Look, look, he hits people and has violent tendencies. He might become a domestic abuser in the future.”

He Chuzhou was angered into laughter: “Second-child He, with your eloquence, it’s unfair to call you a high school student. You should apply for a position at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We’ll send you out to negotiate in the morning, and the border artillery will be fired in the afternoon.”

He Aiyue gnashed her teeth, then turned her head and hugged Pei Xi’s arm: “Pei-ge, he gave me a back-handed compliment, wuwuwu.”

Pei Xi didn’t have a younger sister, and had never been hugged by one as she put on a show of being spoiled. He really wasn’t accustomed to it, and could only look at He Chuzhou as he tried to awkwardly urge them toward peace: “Aiyue is still young, don’t fight with her.”

He Aiyue stuck her tongue out at him proudly.

He Chuzhou accepted his fate and gave a thumbs up: “You have a strong backer, so I won’t fight with you.”

He Jiangchuan raised his eyes over the newspaper to take a peek, then pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose with a kind smile.

“Here, here.”

Chu Yuelan soon came out with two cups of steaming soy milk: “They’re freshly made, and I added sugar. Taste it and see if it’s sweet enough. If not, I’ll add more.”

As he watched Chu Yuelan place one of the cups in front of He Chuzhou, he suddenly recalled what He Chuzhou had said to him in the bedroom.

He’d brought up changes of address because he was afraid he would call Mrs. Chu “Mom” in his confusion, right?

This was indeed something Pei-calico would do.

If he really called her that, he would probably have to explain himself.

As he mused in distraction, he lifted his hand to take the other cup of soy milk from Mrs. Chu and said casually: “Thanks, Mom.”

Thanks, Mom.

Thanks.

Mom.

“……”

“……”

“……”

“……!”

In a silence so profound that one could hear a pin drop, he heard himself suck in a deep breath. His entire body was numb.

When he saw Mrs. Chu’s expression turn from stunned, to astonished, to overjoyed, and then to blushing, his back stiffened. He didn’t dare turn his head to see the expressions of the others.

Following this, Mrs. Chu’s enthusiasm for him reached an unprecedented level.

She pampered him throughout the whole process. The corners of her mouth were perpetually raised, and her eyes were as bright as 200 watt searchlights, which rendered a person completely unable to resist. 

Even the reserved and taciturn Father He joined in.

Sometimes Mrs. Chu asked Pei Xi how the steamed buns tasted, and sometimes she asked if his soy milk was cold and needed to be reheated. The look in her eyes was eager anticipation.

Pei Xi could only turn his head away, but had forgotten the small searchlights beside him.

He Aiyue’s big, limpid eyes were full of excitement, and she regarded him with more closeness than she did her biological brother.

Pei Xi: “……”

He sweated profusely as he ate breakfast. Fortunately, He Chuzhou was very sympathetic to his situation, and ran off with him once he finished eating quickly.

“Leaving already?”

“Xinxin has work today, doesn’t he?”

“Oh, okay, drive safely on the road.”

“Xinxin, come play again next time, ah!”

“Bye-bye, Pei-ge! Bye-bye to Boss He too, I guess.”

He Chuzhou didn’t even turn his head back: “Let’s go, let’s go. See you next time, bye-bye, bye-bye!”

Pei Xi breathed a sigh of relief once he was in the car.

When he turned to face He Chuzhou, he saw him wearing a look like he was hesitant to say something, and went silent.

After staring at each other for an extended moment, they both realized that they couldn’t get over this without talking about it.

He Chuzhou considered his words carefully, trying not to hurt Pei Xi’s fragile self-esteem: “Did you remember what happened after you lost your memory? Or…..”

“No,” Pei Xi cut in swiftly. “I don’t remember.”

He Chuzhou had originally intended to ask if he and He Aiyue had led him astray. Seeing as Pei Xi had denied it so forcefully, he could only ask: “Then what happened?”

Pei Xi’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His brain was a tangled ball of wool in his head, and he finally managed to utter: “I think Auntie is very nice, and I’ve always wanted to recognize her as my godmother.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

He Chuzhou: “………”

Pei Xi thought his nonsense had been seen through, and his heart constricted: “What is it?”

“Nothing.”

He Chuzhou resisted the urge to pinch himself to see if he was awake, and steadily drove the car into traffic: “Are you still going to the company today? Do you want me to take you home so you can change clothes first?”

It seemed he hadn’t been seen through.

Pei Xi was a little relieved: “Okay.”

The car drove steadily for a while until it stopped in front of a sidewalk at a red light.

He Chuzhou tapped the steering wheel with his fingertips in an irregular rhythm, and suddenly said without context: “I’m afraid not.”

Pei Xi didn’t get it: “What?”

“Our family doesn’t have a custom of recognizing godsons. I’m afraid it won’t work for you to recognize my mom as your godmother.”

Pei Xi nodded in acquiescence.

That was just an excuse he’d made up. He had never wanted a godmother.

He Chuzhou hummed calmly and looked ahead, his heart full of bitterness.

It was over.

He Chuzhou treated him as a wife, but he actually wanted to be his younger brother.

---

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Chapter 52 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 54

Chapter 2 – Useless Shixiong

“Shixiong, I’m not saying anything bad about you, but how can you sleep so late?” Fang Yang had a broom in hand, helping Feng Ye sweep the floor as he scolded him.

The youth was at the age where he was still growing, while Feng Ye was already a physically mature young man and stood a head taller than Fang Yang.

Even so, Fang Yang lectured Feng Ye in a tone that brimmed with seniority: “Shixiong, it’s said that the ancients would rise up and practice their swordsmanship upon hearing the rooster’s crow. Much less getting up to practice at the rooster’s crow, I’ve never even seen you practice with a sword.”

“Our talent is already mediocre. If we don’t work harder, we’re doomed to have no chance of becoming immortals. I have three spiritual roots, and I know that I must get up before dawn to practice my swordsmanship. Shixiong, you have five spiritual roots, ah! You’re barely stronger than an ordinary person without spiritual roots. If you continue to waste your time like this, do you plan to be a junior disciple for the rest of your life?”

Fang Yang looked up at Feng Ye with a stern face as he spoke plaintively.

However, Fang Ye remained unmoved. He swept fallen leaves aside as he said unhurriedly: “Being a junior disciple is also pretty good.”

What a convenient identity, inconspicuous yet omnipresent. Feng Ye didn’t voice his true feelings. After all, his true purpose for coming here must not be made known to outsiders.

Thus, in Fang Yang’s eyes, he was just a useless shixiong who had no ambition, and whose ultimate goal was to live an idle life and wait for death.

Fang Yang threw the broom away in a huff and glared at him. The expression on his face perfectly encapsulated the phrase, “I pity his misfortune, but condemn his lack of effort.”

Feng Ye laughed inwardly. Although he had gotten to know this shidi by chance, Fang Yang was indeed a person worth befriending. He was genuine, and treated people sincerely.

And he was soft-hearted.

Feng Ye turned away, leaving Fang Yang with a view of his lonely, desolate back. The youth’s attitude softened, and he resigned himself to picking up the broom and helping Feng Ye finish his work.

If Feng Ye failed to sweep the martial arts training square before the sect’s administrator came for inspections, he would be fined his monthly spirit stones at the least or expelled from the sect at the worst.

After all, five spiritual roots were so common that his qualifications couldn’t be more mundane. Those higher-ranked sects would never accept him.

That was to say, their Lingxiao Sword Sect wasn’t ranked very high, right at the tail end of the top ten sects, so they had reluctantly accepted a disciple with Feng Ye’s aptitude.

But he was only accepted as a junior disciple, or in other words, free labor.

As for the saying that no matter what someone’s qualifications were, as long as one passed the annual assessment, one could enter the inner gates and learn the true immortal arts…..that was just a carrot to keep the donkey moving forward.

Qualifications were crucial on the path to cultivating immortality. For those with extraordinary talent, such as those with a single spiritual root, their cultivation progressed rapidly. The more complex the spiritual root, and slower the cultivation speed.

The difference between five spiritual roots and one spiritual root was probably the difference between a person with disabled legs and a youth riding a fast horse. One crawled like a snail while the other galloped.

People with poor talent would never be able to catch up to people with extraordinary talent. How could they possibly pass the assessment?

But there were still countless people who signed up each year. There were always those who refused to believe in fate and tried to rely on themselves to create a miracle.

Fang Yang, for example, who had three spiritual roots. That was just okay, but the boy was optimistic. He was of a mind that those with ambition were able to compete, and that as long as he worked hard enough, he could certainly catch up with a genius.

Feng Ye didn’t object to Fang Yang’s beliefs, but he also didn’t want to get up at the rooster’s crow like him. After all, Fang Yang was practicing the sect’s basic sword techniques, and such things were too elementary for Feng Ye to bother with.

And if he practiced without restraint, it would really be…..Feng Ye pictured a scene of the earth shaking and mountains trembling and became even more determined to avoid swordplay, using this as a legitimate excuse to sleep in.

Although Fang Yang still helped Feng Ye sweep the floor, he was not yet mollified. He said nothing more to Feng Ye, and just silently went to sweep the other side.

There was a saying that silence promoted work efficiency, and the two of them really did make much faster progress. Seeing that the work was about to be completed, the two people who’d started sweeping from both sides bumped into each other again.

Fang Yang still said nothing. Feng Ye was thinking that he should placate his shidi, and pondered over the wording.

Suddenly, a strong wind swept overhead, lifting Feng Ye’s bangs and the fallen leaves under his broom. He raised his head and looked toward the sky.

Fang Yang also noticed this gust of wind and looked up alongside him.

A slender figure wearing wide robes and sleeves passed over their heads, riding the wind atop his sword. His face was grave and stern, but there was a hint of immaturity to his features. He looked to be the same age as Fang Yang, both of them still growing up.

But the identities of the two couldn’t be more different. This was Cao Zirui, the second disciple of the current leader of Lingxiao Sword Sect.

Lingxiao Sword Sect had always divided its disciples into two batches. Those with good qualifications, such as dual spiritual roots, could directly enter the inner sect, while those of average aptitude, with three, four, or even five spiritual roots, all studied in the outer sect as junior disciples for one year.

They had to work odd jobs during the study period, and then only those who passed the annual assessment could enter the inner gates.

After all, compared to the rare single and double spiritual roots, there were too many people with three spiritual roots or more.

Lingxiao Sword Sect’s approach had certain advantages. It could screen out a group of people who were qualified but lacked resilience and comprehension.

Although spiritual roots greatly affected the speed of cultivation, resilience and comprehension were equally important. Fang Yang’s spiritual roots were average, but he possessed excellent resilience.

He had been at Lingxiao Sword Sect for nearly a year, and practiced swordplay every morning, rain or shine, but what he practiced were simple and boring sword techniques. Among the disciples of this generation, no second person would do this.

After he finished the miscellaneous work assigned by the sect each day, he would practice his swordplay then as well, racing against time just to get one step closer to the immortal path he had always dreamed of.

But even trying so hard, he couldn’t compare to those who were born to stand tall.

Cao Zirui was born with a single spiritual root. He had joined the sect in the same batch of disciples as Fang Yang the previous year. Then, because of his unique talent, he was accepted as the second disciple of the sect leader.

Those with double spiritual roots were already rare, with only dozens of them in the sect. Cao Zirui was the only one with a single spiritual root.

Fang Yang was still practicing basic sword techniques in the outer sect, while Cao Zirui had received personal instruction from the sect leader and gained a glimpse into the true secrets of the sword.

However, after a year, the gap between them did not narrow on account of Fang Yang’s efforts, but instead grew wider and wider.

A year ago, Fang Yang was just an ordinary person with no cultivation. Now, he was at the seventh level of Qi Refining. And as for Cao Zirui……although his specific level of cultivation was unknown, judging by the fact that he could fly on a sword, he should at least be at the Foundation Establishment stage.

After all, while Fang Yang was working hard, the genius was working hard too.

Cao Zirui was flying very fast. After the gale of wind, he turned into a small black dot on the horizon. He had likely just returned from outside and was heading toward the inner gates at the mountaintop.

The sect’s junior disciples all resided at the base of the mountain, and the steep mountain provided a barrier that separated the inside and outside of the mountain gates.

Feng Ye gazed after him for a moment before looking away. He glanced down at the fallen leaves he had just swept up, which had been blown into disarray, and had the belated urge to pick up a leaf and use it to knock down the person who had just flown overhead.

But it was only a thought. After all…..he was just a junior disciple whose job was to sweep the floor.

It was impossible for a junior disciple to defeat the sect leader’s Fountain Establishment stage direct disciple, and with just a fallen leaf.

Absolutely impossible.

Feng Ye considered himself an ordinary and diligent junior disciple, at least on the surface, so he resigned himself to sweeping the fallen leaves all over again.

When he finished sweeping once more, he leaned on the broom, and as he looked upon his work with satisfaction, he finally noticed that something wasn’t right with Fang Yang.

Fang Yang was like a statue, staring in one direction. That was the direction Cao Zirui had just flown off to, which led to the main hall at the peak of the mountain.

Feng Ye walked over to him and observed the young man’s expression. He saw envy and…..bewilderment.

Fang Yang wasn’t actually unaware of the world around him. He’d noticed Feng Ye’s arrival. Although his useless shixiong acted like a waste in every aspect, and often even asked his shidi for help, Feng Ye still had the advantage of being older.

As a junior disciple who had been with the sect for three years and seemed prepared to continue on this way forever, his age was probably the only advantage he had over Fang Yang at this time.

After all, Fang Yang was a youth who had never experienced the world, and whose character had not completely settled. This inevitably put him at a loss, so he looked at Feng Ye and voiced the anxiety that was perpetually hidden in his heart: “Feng-shixiong, tell me…..will there really be a day when I can catch up with him…..where I can be like him, traveling across the heavens and earth and riding the wind?”

Feng Ye fell into a brief silence. He heard the uneasiness in Fang Yang’s words.

When it came to whether or not he could catch up with Cao Zirui, considering Fang Yang’s qualifications, it was very likely that he could not.

But Feng Ye also knew that this answer would hurt him deeply. Although reality was cruel, he still hoped the boy could hold onto a glimmer of hope and try his best to catch up.

He didn’t reply directly, but gave this answer: “Legend has it that there are tens of thousands of jiaolongs in the sea. But in the end, a jiaolong is not a dragon. Dragons can fly freely through the sky, but jiao can only sink and float in the deep sea. What’s more, some divine birds feed on jiao, but when facing a real dragon, they must fold back their feathers.”

“The gap between a dragon and a jiao is like the distance between heaven and earth. One flies freely through the sky and sea, and one can only look up at the sky from the water. However…..” Feng Ye suddenly folded his arms. He raised his eyebrows, and his face, which was so ordinary that one would forget it the second they saw it, abruptly revealed some compelling heroic spirit: “There was once a jiao that transformed into a yinglong. It grew wings, and was able to fly through the heavens and earth. But among the tens of thousands of jiao in the sea, it was the only one that was able to become a yinglong.”

“The gap between you and Cao Zirui is far narrower than the gap between a jiao and a dragon…..” Feng Ye cut himself off.

Because the lost look on Fang Yang’s face had completely vanished, and he seemed to be thinking.

He’d gotten the key point across. It seems Fang Yang’s comprehension is pretty good, Feng Ye thought.

Fang Yang pondered for a long while, and when he raised his head again, he had become a cheerful, confident youth once more. He clenched his fists and said with resolve: “Even if there’s only a one in ten million chance, I won’t give up! From now on, I’ll practice with the sword even more diligently!”

Feng Ye maintained a smile and nodded to express his affirmation.

But in the next second, he had regrets.

Because Fang Yang said one more thing: “Shixiong, you must practice with me too. Even if your goal isn’t to become a one in ten million yinglong, you also need to practice hard to flee faster than other jiao, so as not to be eaten by a divine bird!”

Feng Ye: “……”

The corners of his mouth twitched. Before he could reply, Fang Yang made a unilateral decision: “Shixiong, you can’t get up so late every day. Even if you don’t get up at the sound of the rooster’s crow, you should at least get up and practice swordplay.”

Fang Yang’s attitude was firm: “Shixiong, do you want me to wake you up when the rooster crows once or when it crows twice?”

However, Fang Yang’s attitude was equally firm: “Wake me up when the rooster is dead.”

---

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Chapter 1 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 3

Pei Xi knew he shouldn’t have called He Chuzhou. That he shouldn’t have asked him to pick him up. That he shouldn’t make him show up at this time.

But he couldn’t help it.

A chill wind mixed with frost and snow had pierced his bones, filling them with cracks. He had lost all feeling, and was so fragile that he could barely support the weight of his body.

There had never been a moment like now where he so strongly wanted someone to be with him, to take his side without asking questions and stand firmly by him.

Pei Yansong had already gone out.

He sat alone in the study for a long time, until he heard a noise downstairs and his phone lit up with a message:

[I’m here, come down quickly.]

As if waking up from a dream, he picked up his phone and raced down the stairs. He Chuzhou was standing at the entrance, and his tense face relaxed when he saw that Pei Xi was safe and sound.

Jiang Ting held Pei Zhen’s shoulders and stood awkwardly by the sofa, looking at the person at the door with hope. Unaware of the truth, she thought He Chuzhou had been called over to help with Pei Zhen’s admission qualifications.

Pei Yansong was closer to the door, but judging from his expression, the small talk hadn’t been very successful.

Pei Yansong’s gaze fell on Pei Xi when he passed by. As he watched Pei Xi approach He Chuzhou and heard the man speak to him in a low voice full of concern, his expression became even uglier than before.

But he was a man who had fought on the field of fame and wealth for decades. He quickly controlled his emotions and straightened his expression, then said calmly: “President He is here to see Pei Xi? The time is just right, would you like to stay for dinner?”

He Chuzhou frowned as he held Pei Xi’s cold hand. When he heard Pei Yansong’s voice, a trace of annoyance rose in his mind, and his last trace of calm sufferance disappeared.

“I’m in a hurry, so I’ll have to decline.”

The corners of his mouth rose as he looked at Pei Yansong, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes: “You and your family can enjoy your meal. We won’t intrude.”

Jiang Ting then realized that He Chuzhou wasn’t here to offer his help. She had no say in the matter and dared not speak, so she could only look at her husband anxiously in hopes that he could keep him here.

Pei Yansong heard the sarcasm in He Chuzhou’s words. Seeing that the two were about to leave, his face darkened again – not at He Chuzhou, but at Pei Xi: “Pei Xi, didn’t you say that you and President He aren’t familiar with each other?”

He Chuzhou paused, turning his head to look at Pei Xi.

The latter asked coldly: “We’re not unfamiliar. Did you really think I would promise you his help? Is Pei Zhen worthy?”

Pei Yansong hadn’t expected him to speak so bluntly, to the point of it being unpleasant to the ear.

His authority as a father had been challenged, and he flew into a rage: “Pei Xi, watch your attitude!”

“Regardless of whether or not you’ve paid attention, this has always been my attitude.”

Perhaps it was Pei Yansong’s words that made him clear-headed, or perhaps it was He Chuzhou’s arrival, which made him feel like he wasn’t fighting alone. Maybe it was both.

Today, he neither wanted to or needed to humble himself to please the person in front of him.

“As I said before, your responsibilities are not mine. I dislike Pei Zhen. I dislike him so much that I don’t even want to see him, much less be responsible for him for the rest of my life like you want me to.”

“Since Pei Group is not solely mine, we can now clarify which parts should be given to Pei Zhen. I have neither the time nor the inclination to deal with him, and I don’t have the patience to let him waste my time.”

Jiang Ting had never seen Pei Xi like this before. It was as if the chains that had bound him for so long had been cut, and all the sharp thorns on his body were bristling up at them.

The moment she snapped out of her daze, she panicked and tried to pull Pei Zhen away.

But Pei Zhen seemed to have taken root there, staring in Pei Xi’s direction and refusing to leave.

Jiang Ting could only hastily cover his ears, fearing that Pei Xi’s words would cause his illness to relapse.

Pei Xi disregarded Pei Zhen. Facing Pei Yansong’s furious gaze, he said word by word: “Don’t talk about cultivating me as if it was something great, and don’t be so quick to take credit. We know very well that I was just an investment to be exploited.”

“From childhood to adulthood, you never taught me anything other than obedience. I am what I am today because of all the hardships I endured. It has nothing to do with you.”

“The fact that I’m better than Pei Zhen doesn’t mean he’s justified in dragging me down, and in the end, you’re just my unqualified biological father. You no longer have the right to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do.”

“If nothing unexpected happens, I won’t be coming here again. There’s no need to maintain my room anymore, and you can throw away my things immediately.”

“And as for Pei Group, since I hold this position, I will take responsibility and fulfill my obligations to you. As for anything else, it has nothing to do with me.”

An evening drizzle had started. Pei Xi ignored Pei Yansong’s angry shouting as he left the villa. As he set foot on the wet steps outside the door, he was momentarily dazed.

The same kind of rainy day. The same departure with no return date. It was all so familiar.

The difference was that this time, he wasn’t the one being abandoned, nor was he alone.

Jiang Ting’s scream was particularly piercing in the rainy night, accompanied by the sound of quick, disordered footsteps. Looking across the canopy of the umbrella, he saw Pei Zhen not far away.

There was no desire to smash a porcelain vase at him, nor was there any cursing or gnashing of teeth. Pei Zhen looked at him gloomily and stubbornly in the rain, his eyes dark. He looked like a mute who desperately wanted to speak.

There was no fluctuation in Pei Xi’s indifferent eyes, and he said nothing.

Jiang Ting chased after Pei Zhen and tried to pull him back, but he shook her hand off at the first touch and even walked a few steps forward through the rain.

Until he was stopped by a few fingers against his shoulder.

He Chuzhou lowered his cold eyes. His lips rose lazily as he said “Don’t get any closer to him,” and gave him a light push. Then he placed an arm around Pei Xi’s shoulders and turned away.

Pei Zhen stared blankly, and his breathing grew rapid as he watched the two figures gradually move away and vanish completely into the rainy night.

*

*

“Do you know what he told me?”

The lights were on inside the car, the heater dispelling the damp and cold they had brought into the vehicle with them.

Pei Xi sat in the passenger seat, watching the wipers diligently scrape the rain off the windshield.

“He said that because Pei Zhen isn’t bright enough, he needs someone to take care of him at all times. That’s why he was so strict with me. He wanted me to shoulder all the responsibility so that Pei Zhen could be shielded from the wind and rain.”

“No wonder he scolded me each time I wasn’t perfect as a child, but Pei Zhen was praised for accomplishing the bare minimum.”

“I endured a suffocating life, but Pei Zhen didn’t. Because Pei Zhen was fragile and could only be protected, I deserved to suffer that pain in order to pave the way for him and protect him.”

It was so ridiculous.

The corners of his mouth curled uncontrollably as he spoke: “Before, I actually thought he was tough on me and handed over Pei Group to me because in his eyes, Pei Zhen and I were different in the end.”

Facts had proven that they were different.

He just hadn’t expected to be this different.

It turned out that in Pei Yansong’s eyes, he was not just the symbol of a failed marriage, but also a commodity to be used for his family’s happiness, a stepping stone so that Pei Zhen could enjoy everything without any effort.

“Maybe I’ve misunderstood myself.”

“Pei Zhen blames me for the suffering Jiang Ting inflicted on him. I’m just like him, pointing the finger at him and selectively ignoring who caused this awful situation in the first place.”

“Maybe Pei Zhen isn’t the only one I hate in that home.”

Was he hurt?

Actually, not to a great extent. He felt more disappointed and sad, like he couldn’t face himself now that he wasn’t humble or hopeful in the face of adversity.

After Pei Yansong had worn out his last shred of affection, he seemed to have escaped his shackles and found a sense of relief.

It was just that for some reason, it seemed as if part of his body had been hollowed out. Like there had been an unexpected snowfall, covering everything in white and leaving him at a loss for what to do or where to go.

The rain didn’t get heavier, but everything outside the car instantly got more blurry.

Pei Xi’s mind was trapped in heavy snow. When he realized something belatedly and closed his eyes in embarrassment to avoid it, the lights inside the car were suddenly turned off.

The compartment was plunged into darkness, perfectly concealing everything he wanted to hide at this moment.

“It’s okay. You hate them, so just don’t go back.”

In the dim light, He Chuzhou continued to speak in that casual tone, as if none of this was a big deal: “I don’t need a meal from them. It’s not like I can’t afford it.”

He took a pillow from the backseat and stuffed it into Pei Xi’s hands, offering him silent comfort.

“Mom actually told me to come back for dinner tonight. How about you come with me?”

*

*

He Aiyue had been waiting at the door since she heard the news.

Hearing a noise outside, she opened the door at once and looked at Pei Xi with shining eyes. She rushed over and hugged him: “Pei-ge, Pei-ge, I haven’t seen you in so long!”

“What do you mean so long? We just had dinner a few days ago.” He Chuzhou ruthlessly pulled her away from Pei Xi. “Have you told Mom?”

He Aiyue made an “everything is OK” gesture: “I’ve handled it, don’t worry, Pei-ge. Mrs. Chu only told our uncles and the others that my brother brought a friend back for dinner tonight, she didn’t tell them you’re in a relationship. There’s no need to worry!”

Pei Xi hadn’t thought of all this when he agreed to come with He Chuzhou, but He Chuzhou had thought of it all for him.

Before entering the door, He Chuzhou secretly squeezed Pei Xi’s hand one last time and whispered reassurance to him: “Don’t be afraid, it’s not a family gathering. My uncles and their friends just caught a big fish in the pond today and came to celebrate with my dad.”

Although Pei Xi didn’t understand what there was to celebrate about catching a fish, he still nodded agreeably.

Sure enough, the topic of discussion in the living room revolved around a fish. He Chuzhou greeted them, made brief introductions, and then walked past them with his arm around Pei Xi’s shoulders.

Father He and his brother looked very similar, so it was a little difficult to tell them apart at first sight, but Pei Xi still recognized him right away.

The reason was simple. Among these few people, only one person put his hands behind him when Pei Xi walked by and secretly greeted him again. It took him aback, and he couldn’t stop the slight curve of his lips.

Mrs. Chu soon came out of the kitchen.

She naturally didn’t cook the food herself, and was just arranging the dishes inside. When she heard Pei Xi had arrived, she came out with a face full of joy to welcome him.

“Xinxin is here. Tsk, why are your hands so cold? It’s cold outside, isn’t it? Auntie will bring a hot towel to warm you up in a minute.”

“You must be hungry after working so hard. Dinner will be ready soon. I heard from Chuzhou that you like sweet and sour fish, so Auntie specifically had someone prepare it for you using the grass carp your uncle caught fresh. You can try some in a while.”

With Chu Yuelan holding both of his hands, Pei Xi lowered his eyes and blinked, feeling his hypothermic body start to warm up at last.

On the other side of the partition in the small living room, there was He Aiyue, who had come out with snacks. There was also a young female student squatting in front of the coffee table and struggling to do her homework, and Yun Ji to the side, who was tutoring her so hard that veins were bulging out on his forehead.

“I teach you to grow apples, and you insist on asking me why I don’t grow pears. I teach you how to pick apples, and you insist on asking me why I don’t just eat them from the tree! The main feature is rebellion, right?!”

“Okay, okay, I know you don’t know how to do it either. Speak a little more quietly, or we’ll go deaf.”

“Can’t do it? I’m an Ivy League student, but I can’t do a primary school question like you? Put the chips down, how can you eat without finishing your homework!”

“What question requires me not to be eating potato chips……”

The young girl raised her head as she complained, and when she saw Pei Xi, her mouth opened in a surprised O.

“What, did you see a ghost?” Yun Ji looked up when she did, and revealed the same expression as her: “ O! ”

He Chuzhou put a hand on Pei Xi’s shoulder and introduced him: “This is my cousin He Xiaohui and my cousin Yun Ji, who is also my assistant. You should have met before.”

Pei Xi was stunned: “Your assistant is your cousin?”

He Chuzhou: “Ah, it’s a good idea to keep the wealth in the family. It just so happened that he had the right major and is capable.”

Pei Xi: “……”

……He had actually once regarded this cousin who had good professional skills as his imaginary enemy.

“Pei-ge, Pei-ge, come sit down, ah.”

He Aiyue patted the empty seat beside her happily and said: “The top eight seats are reserved for entertaining distinguished guests.”

He Xiaohui stared at Pei Xi, then turned to Yun Ji and said: “Finally, there’s someone in this family who suits my tastes.”

After speaking, she was smacked on the head.

He Aiyue: “Don’t talk nonsense, do your homework seriously. Children should behave like children, not talk like adults.”

Pei Xi was taken to sit on the sofa by He Chuzhou.

Lights were on all around, and there was a lot of chatter everywhere.

This place seemed very similar to the place he’d just left, and yet very different.

He Xiaohui covered her head, feeling wronged, but Yun Ji was too busy to care about her. He quickly squeezed next to He Aiyue and whispered in shock: “This is the friend you said your brother was bringing back for dinner?”

He Aiyue: “Ah.”

Yun Ji: “The ordinary friend?”

He Aiyue: “Ah.”

“What the fuck,” Yun Ji muttered softly. “Amazing, ah, committing high crimes and misdemeanors. Your brother is so brave…..”

He Aiyue: “Why do you say that? Why are you so surprised? You’re my brother’s assistant, shouldn’t you know Pei-ge? Did you not know they’re friends?”

“Right, they’re indeed friends, haha, but…..”

Yun Ji was unable to speak the rest of his words, because he saw another shocking scene—

His cousin was actually using a hot towel to wipe Pei Xi’s hands in front of Mrs. Chu?

Was he really not afraid of being discovered?

Auntie was usually so smart, why wasn’t she noticing it right in front of her face today?

No way, He Aiyue wasn’t exactly a person of great knowledge, but she didn’t notice anything wrong when it was dancing right in front of her?

“What is this?”

As a well-qualified sister, He Aiyue of course had to pretend to be blind: “It’s just good friends holding hands. Are you from the Qing Dynasty? Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

Yun Ji: “……”

OK, FINE.

During dinner, Yun Ji deliberately took the seat directly to the right of He Chuzhou and said in a low voice: “Cousin, you asked me to keep this a secret for you, but you brought him right here. Aren’t you afraid of being exposed?”

He Chuzhou picked up a piece of pork ribs for Pei Xi and said: “As long as you keep your mouth shut, no one will notice.”

Yun Ji looked at Pei Xi’s bowl, which was practically overflowing with food, then looked under the table where his cousin was holding Pei Xi’s hand as if he feared someone would snatch him away. The corners of his mouth twitched.

Why did it feel like he was the only one at the table who had eyes?

He Chuzhou: “You still have work to do, so leave after you eat.”

Yun Ji rolled his eyes and took out his phone: “Don’t worry, let me add your boyfriend on WeChat.”

He Chuzhou: “ ? ”

“It’ll come in handy sooner or later.”

Yun Ji grinned and opened the QR code, passed it over He Chuzhou to Pei Xi, who added it, and then wiped his mouth and stood up: “I have work to do, so I’ll leave first. Uncles, Auntie, cousins, eat and drink well. Bye-bye.”

Chu Yuelan told him to drive carefully on the road, then served Pei Xi a bowl of soup: “Come, Xinxin, when the weather is cold, just drink some soup to warm yourself up.”

As she spoke, she moved all of the dishes that were a little far from Pei Xi closer to him.

While He Aiyue was telling jokes to Pei Xi to entertain him, He Chuzhou went to the balcony alone.

Pei Yansong’s voice on the other end of the line was still full of anger, cold and harsh.

He Chuzhou paid no attention to it. He gazed at the night-shrouded garden and asked frankly: “Mr. Pei wants me to help with his younger son’s schooling?”

“It’s not impossible. As long as you don’t bother Pei Xi during this period, I can consider it.”

“A calm attitude is required.”

“No, I’m talking about you, not Pei Xi.”

. . . . . .

Having deceived Pei Yansong, he smiled sarcastically and put away his phone, ready to go back. Unexpectedly, when he turned around, he saw Pei Xi standing not far behind him.

He paused, then smiled and pretended nothing had happened: “Why did you come? Are you full?”

Pei Xi gave a hum. It seemed like he hadn’t had time to hear anything.

He Chuzhou inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He looked in the direction of the dining room and guessed: “I suppose we’ll have to stick around for a while before we leave. Why don’t you just go back to my room and rest?”

A few minutes later, He Chuzhou returned to the dining table alone.

He Aiyue asked: “Where’s my Pei-ge?”

He Chuzhou: “He’s tired, he went to rest.”

He Xiaohui let out a sigh before He Aiyue could say anything: “I still haven’t taken a photo with that handsome guy yet.”

“You’re only this old and you’re already talking about handsome guys all the time. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”

Chu Yuelan pinched He Xiaohui chubby face and glanced at He Chuzhou: “Xinxin seems to be in a low mood tonight. Have you upset him again?”

He Chuzhou: “No, it’s just because of some trivial matters at home.”

Chu Yuelan understood: “He had an argument with his family?”

He Chuzhou: “Pretty much.”

Chu Yuelan: “No wonder. Then hurry up and eat. Eat and then go back with Xinxin, don’t leave him alone.”

Just then, his second uncle came over with a glass of wine and peered over cheerfully. He Chuzhou quickly finished the cup in front of him: “Got it.”

He Chuzhou’s uncles were all very nice people, but they had one common shortcoming: they were heavy drinkers, and always liked to drag the younger ones along to keep them company.

He Chuzhou had suffered greatly due to this since childhood. But since he had a good brain, his alcohol tolerance didn’t increase, but his Tai Chi skills were practiced to perfection – he was able to go through ten rounds while keeping the same glass of wine.

But today was an exception.

He filled a cup and unhesitatingly toasted everybody, making the elders stand in amazement. The group of old men felt too embarrassed to take turns getting the kid drunk, so they quickly gave in and let him off.

He Chuzhou pressed his forehead for a moment, then stood up and prepared to go upstairs.

He Aiyue knew from his appearance that he was half drunk, and after receiving a look from Mrs. Chu, she put down her chopsticks and ran after him to help.

Of course, she didn’t forget to complain: “No way, no way, Pei-ge won’t have to take care of a drunkard like you when he’s come to our house for the first time, right? I should just throw you on the ground and leave you there all night.”

After she finished speaking, she was swatted on the head.

He Chuzhou derided her: “Is that something to say to your brother? Besides, who says I’m drunk?”

“The dead duck still refuses to admit it……”

Seeing that her brother was about to take action again, He Aiyue quickly knocked on the door and pushed He Chuzhou inside, saying: “Pei-ge, my brother is drunk. If he acts crazy, don’t bother with him, just toss him into the bathroom and lock the door.”

He Chuzhou hissed: “Who’s drunk and crazy?”

He Aiyue was quick to hide behind Pei Xi, making a face at He Chuzhou as she whispered to him: “Actually, he drank so much just to come and keep you company. You can’t just lock him in the bathroom like this, throw him a blanket or something.”

“And let me share a secret with you. Boss He is drunk and won’t remember anything, so you can bully him as much as you want tonight and take revenge for your grievances. Anyway, he’ll forget everything by tomorrow morning.”

Having said this, she stuck out her tongue at He Chuzhou and ran away fast.

Pei Xi closed the door and turned toward He Chuzhou.

The latter wore a helpless look: “That stinky girl was talking nonsense. Ignore her.”

He looked normal, and his eyes were clear. Pei Xi didn’t think he seemed drunk, so he just hummed and said nothing.

While he was looking at He Chuzhou, He Chuzhou was also looking back at him. Seeing that he had changed into his pajamas, he knew that he had taken a shower, and his face wasn’t as pale as it was before.

“Are you feeling better now?” he asked Pei Xi.

Pei Xi nodded. He explained after a couple of seconds: “Don’t worry about me, I’m not…..actually as sad as you think.”

He Chuzhou agreed verbally, but didn’t believe it at all in his heart.

Pei Xi’s trembling voice when he called him was still fresh in his memory. He’d thought Pei Zhen had gone crazy again and attacked him.

When he hurried over to see, he found that no violence had been committed, but the situation seemed worse than if there had been violence.

Pei Xi had come down the stairs with a pale face and dull, lifeless eyes. His entire person seemed as if it would crumble under the slightest force.

If this wasn’t sad enough, then what qualified as sad?

He didn’t speak this thought out loud.

He wouldn’t dig deeper into something that Pei Xi was unwilling to let others see.

Everyone had secrets they wanted to hide. Just like Pei Xi hid his tears so that he wouldn’t see them, He Chuzhou pretended to know nothing.

“Go and take a shower first.” Pei Xi changed the subject. “It’s late.”

He Chuzhou took his clothes into the bathroom. There was lingering heat inside from Pei Xi’s shower, mixed with the faint scent of shower gel. It made his head feel hot.

He had indeed drunk a little too much tonight, and as the aftereffects kicked in, his movements became slower and slower. It took him a long time just to take off his clothes and adjust the water temperature.

He found it increasingly difficult to stand, so he simply stepped into the bathtub, sat down, and turned on the faucet.

Of course, it could be because of his absent-mindedness. He was still thinking about how to make Pei Xi happy.

Pei Xi finished drinking the cup of warm milk Mrs. Chu had brought him, and waited until the other cup had gone cold, but the person in the bathroom still hadn’t come out.

He hesitated briefly, then walked over and knocked on the door: “He Chuzhou?”

There was no response from inside.

He frowned, then simply grasped the door handle and pushed the door open.

The person he was so worried about was lying on his back in the bathtub, eyes closed and eyelashes drooping. He appeared to be asleep.

“……”

Pei Xi was momentarily speechless. He squatted down beside him and checked the water temperature. Thankfully, it wasn’t very cold.

Just as he was considering how to wake him, Pei Xi looked up and saw that this person who hadn’t woken up to his knocks on the door had his eyes open and was staring at him intently.

He Chuzhou didn’t seem to be very clear-headed. His movements were a bit awkward as he propped himself up, and water splashed from his arm onto Pei Xi’s face.

He stared at that droplet of water for a long moment, then reached out and wiped it away, saying with a frown: “Didn’t you say you weren’t sad? Why are you crying?”

Pei Xi: “……”

He now believed what He Aiyue had said. He Chuzhou really was drunk, so drunk that he was caught unawares.

“I’m not crying.”

He started to earnestly explain, but He Chuzhou didn’t give him time.

“It’s okay, Xinxin,” He Chuzhou said to him. “It’s very normal to be sad and cry. It’s not shameful. Nobody will laugh at you.”

“It’s okay to cry for a while, but not for too long. You can be sad for yourself, but if it’s for those few pieces of trash, hmph, they’re not worth it.”

He wouldn’t use the name Xinxin if he was sober.

Pei Xi knew he had misspoken due to his inebriation, so he didn’t correct him. He just listened quietly as he said what he should be saying to Pei-calico.

“I just lied to him and said I would help Pei Zhen with the admissions issue. He believed it, and won’t bother you at least for the time being.”

“He wants you to raise Pei Zhen, ah. You agree to it, then throw Pei Zhen to me. I’ll definitely help take good care of him. If he doesn’t spout smoke out of all seven orifices later on, I’ll have been remiss.”

“He only has two sons, you and Pei Zhen. Pei Zhen isn’t good enough. Pei Group can only be yours. Don’t think about giving it back to him out of spite, that’s something only a fool would do.”

“And don’t be afraid of him. What else can he do now that he’s given everything away? Besides, you still have me. Gege will back you up with the entirety of He Group, and definitely won’t let him benefit from you.”

He Chuzhou leaned his elbows on the edge of the bathtub and held Pei Xi’s face in wet hands. He leaned closer and pressed his forehead against Pei Xi’s, and their breaths intertwined.

“There isn’t just Pei Yansong. He doesn’t love you, but I love you. I’ll give you everything he is unwilling to give you.”

“A home, family, friendship, care, companionship, favoritism…..whatever you need, whatever I have, I’ll give it to you.”

“Don’t cry, Baby. I promise, I’ll be with you forever and ever.”

Pei Xi tried to say that he wasn’t crying, but when he opened his mouth and tasted the salt seeping into the corners, he realized he was in tears.

He could admit that he was particularly emotional this evening, but he knew very well that these tears weren’t because of Pei Yansong, and certainly weren’t because of Pei Zhen, nor were they because of a family that was destined not to belong to him. 

Sure enough, he couldn’t get used to this.

When there was no one there to comfort him, he was strong enough to swallow any hardship. But once someone comforted him, he was more fragile and aggrieved than lotus root fibers.

Hsi emotions were like magma erupting from a volcano, earth-shattering and scorching.

So as He Chuzhou was wracking his brains for a way to make him stop crying, Pei Xi opened his arms and hugged him tightly. He gave him a forceful, awkward kiss, going deeper despite his fumbling. They exchanged breaths among the wetness and the faint smell of alcohol.

He Chuzhou was utterly stunned. He stared blankly at Pei Xi, not even noticing the bleeding wound at the corner of his mouth, and even forgot how to turn his eyes away.

“Chuzhou, I’m not sad. I’m really not sad.”

Pei Xi withdrew slightly. His breathing shook, but he was reluctant to part from him. Nearly every word he spoke caused friction between their lips that made He Chuzhou breathe heavier.

“Nothing in that house belongs to me anymore. It’s not that I’ve lost anything, but that it’s worthless to me. I just couldn’t accept the reality of being completely exposed for a while.”

“Maybe in the past, I would have been sad and had a breakdown, but not now. I have someone I really like and things I want more, so what I lost is no longer important to me.”

He used to think that the amnesiac Pei Xi wasn’t the real Pei Xi, but now he recognized him as his truest self, the one he was most unwilling to face.

Lonely, pessimistic, inferior, lacking love, longing for everything he could never obtain, worried about personal gains and losses, and cautious.

That was Pei-calico, and also the perfect Pei Xi in everyone’s eyes.

But now, that Pei Xi had been completely cured by the man in front of him.

It was he who had given him everything he wanted, and fulfilled everything he had never enjoyed before.

It was he who showed him inexhaustible patience and taught him to accept his imperfect self, who told him repeatedly that he was excellent and that there was no need to humble himself to get what he wanted.

“Chuzhou, I’ve always wanted to be loved, but after years of trials and tribulations, it’s become difficult for me to fall in love.”

“So that’s why I’m slow to notice some things and keep doubting myself in the process of verifying them, unwilling to give in and confirm my feelings.”

“But now that I’ve confirmed them, no matter whether you said these things to coax or comfort me, I’m taking them seriously.”

“He Chuzhou, you said it yourself – you will love me and stay with me forever.”

“I’ll remember your promise. Don’t go back on your word.”

---

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Chapter 51 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 53

When Qin Yu woke up in the Jinyiwei offices, he found He Lan standing beside the bed with a grim expression.

Qin Yu said nothing. He sat up quickly and tried to get out of bed, but He Lan grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back down.

“What are you doing!” Qin Yu shouted angrily.

“I could ask you the same thing! You just went with your adopted father and attacked Zhanyuan in secret. Do you still consider Zhanyuan a brother? Have you forgotten that he saved your life back then? Qin Zichuan, I really misjudged you,” He Lan said in a fury.

Qin Yu was somewhat astonished, and only then realized that He Lan had misunderstood.

After all, he had indeed pretended to trap Huo Fenglie, but then what happened later…..thinking of this, Qin Yu instantly looked at He Lan with a cool expression. 

He Lan was driven into a rage by this look. He grasped Qin Yu’s chin and said: “I fucking fell in love with you! I’m a fool!”

Qin Yu’s expression went blank, and his originally cold aura suddenly went still. “You…..were only moved by your lower body. Don’t pretend to be a romantic sap.”

He Lan was almost driven crazy. Just as he was about to speak, Qin Yu directly gave his opinion: “Between the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang, which is the one trying to hurt Zhanyuan? I don’t think you understand anything at all. Or is it that your cousin is on guard against you?” Qin Yu’s expression went cold again, and he said, “Get out of here, you know-nothing person. Don’t get in the way!”

Ignoring his injuries, Qin Yu jumped up to leave, but was stopped by He Lan: “What do you mean by that!”

Qin Yu said frankly: “My adoptive father is on the Empress Dowager’s side, and has wanted to protect Zhanyuan from beginning to end. It was your cousin and his men who actually tried to kill Zhanyuan under the emperor’s orders!”

He Lan’s expression froze. He didn’t doubt Qin Yu, but instead asked: “W….why? The emperor and Zhanyuan are good brothers who are loyal to each other, ah! And Zhanyuan is the least likely person to threaten the throne…..”

“The mind of an emperor is difficult to predict. Who knows why?”

. . . . . . .

Looking at his familiar surroundings, Liu Zhenqing felt a chill in his heart.

This was Yuan Jue’s study, where Liu Zhenqing had often taken him to discuss and handle government affairs.

Liu Zhenqing closed his eyes. Then he took a deep breath and walked straight to the desk, upon which sat a book. This book recorded records, anecdotes, and interesting stories about the Yuan clan’s legendary emperors and empresses.

After reading the title, Liu Zhenqing was no longer surprised. Yuan Jue’s actions proved that he knew Liu Zhenqing was back.

Without stopping, Liu Zhenqing walked quickly to the back bookshelf.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t know what was happening outside, and he couldn’t just sit and wait for death.

He recalled that there was also a secret passage here.

Liu Zhenqing quickly found the mechanism. With a click, the secret door opened before Liu Zhenqing, but what met his eyes was a narrow closet. This was completely different from before, as if it had been modified by someone so that nobody could use it to escape.

Zhenqing felt no dismay, but instead stared in shock at the thing hanging in the closet.

It was a hollow three-tiered Rubik’s Cube made of a rare cold-hued gradient jade, with a blue and white tassel hanging from the bottom.

That was the Huo family’s jade, a token of love given to him by Huo Fenglie and something he’d lost after his death. How could it be here?!

Liu Zhenqing took it down immediately. The warm jade in his hand warmed his heart. Just like Huo Fenglie, the outside was hard jade, but the inside was warm.

Before he could feel the joy of regaining something lost, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

“Did the sight of the jade cause you to lose your judgment? There is a mechanism behind the secret compartment – the original secret passage.”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression was unsurprised. He unhurriedly tied the jade Rubik’s cube to his waist.

“I couldn’t escape anyway.” Liu Zhenqing turned around and looked at Yuan Jue, who had appeared behind him.

Yuan Jue watched him turn, the jade cube swinging slowly. He still stood tall and graceful, with an incomparable presence.

Yuan Jue fixed his eyes on him, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say. Finally, he asked: “Do you have anything to say to me?”

Liu Zhenqing regarded him coolly.

In the face of such an expression, Yuan Jue’s heart churned.

“You don’t? You can say that you’ve worked hard and made great contributions, that you’ve been wronged, that the whole world owes you.”

Liu Zhenqing’s gaze was distant. In fact, in the seven days after his death, his soul had drifted in the sky. He saw with his own eyes how Great Zhou, which he had protected with all his heart and soul, carved his name on the sinner’s column of the Twining Dragon Jade Pillar, saw how the common people and the court denounced his crimes. He had originally expected to be deeply sad. But no waves stirred his emotions at that time. He only felt endless fatigue and wanted to reincarnate quickly, to forget his memories of this place and get away from it all.

He wasn’t a person of fortitude, and just wanted to escape when he encountered pain.

Now, as Yuan Jue tried to taunt him into speaking, he really didn’t know what to say.

There was only one question on his mind: “Where is Huo Fenglie? I knew something must have happened when he didn’t show up, so what did you do?”

Yuan Jue likely hadn’t expected Liu Zhenqing to forgo asking him anything else, and instead ask about Huo Fenglie. His expression twisted briefly.

“I sent the Jinyiwei to assassinate him. Even if he didn’t die, he won’t be completely unharmed. You won’t see him again,” Yuan Jue said bluntly.

A look of anger finally appeared on Liu Zhenqing’s face: “Why deal with Huo Fenglie? He’s your great general who guards the country. Without him…..”

“You taught me not to put all my eggs in one basket. Huo Fenglie has been my great general all these years, and I’ve only been able to rely on him. But in fact, I’ve trained many military officers. When he went south this time, I just wanted to see if the military strength of my Great Zhou would be useless without him in the military camp. Even though he is a god of war, without him, the enemy will be a little bolder at most, the border a little more unstable, but my kingdom will not be destroyed.”

“Settling for the next best thing? That isn’t something a wise emperor would do. You can be on guard, but haven’t you relied on him for so many years because you know his loyalty is absolute?” Liu Zhenqing questioned. “He’s been busy with this matter of rebellion!”

Yuan Jue said coldly: “No emperor can tolerate a general with too many merits. You should understand this after going south. Those people only have Huo Fenglie in their eyes, not me. I was able to accept this before because Huo Fenglie didn’t want to live, and it was safe. But now he does want to live, and he cannot be controlled. That is dangerous. Not to mention, he’s going to kill me, isn’t he?”

Liu Zhenqing was shocked. “What nonsense are you saying? How could he…..”

“He can, especially since you’ve returned to him. If he knew how you died, would he let me off?”

Liu Zhenqing’s pupils shrank, and he felt an invisible pain in his heart.

Wearing an indifferent expression, Yuan Jue slowly raised one arm toward Liu Zhenqing. There seemed to be a flash of silver light in his sleeve.

Liu Zhenqing almost instinctively wanted to dodge, but he froze instead, going pale in an instant. With a bitter smile, he slowly raised his eyes to stare at Yuan Jue.

Yuan Jue’s expression went slightly stiff. Feeling the heaviness of the object on his arm, he gradually lowered it.

There was a hidden spring-loaded arrow in his sleeve. Liu Zhenqing had created it and given it to Yuan Jue for self-defense. There were only two people in the world who knew of its existence, a weapon kept in reserve for a critical moment.

And that year, the arrow that hit Liu Zhenqing in the chest was Yuan Jue’s, mixed in with a volley of other arrows. Because of the sleeve arrow’s difference in destructive power, the pain was naturally different. Liu Zhenqing, who had experimented with the device, understood everything the instant that arrow hit his chest, even if he didn’t see the person who shot it.

Having learned from history, Liu Zhenqing had indeed foreseen that he would one day outlive his usefulness. But he never expected that Yuan Jue would want to kill him so early on.

He had given his all, and he’d thought that Yuan Jue would understand his sincerity, that even if he grew more guarded as his heart hardened, it wouldn’t come until many years later. At that time, he would either die early or retire to the countryside, and Yuan Jue might not necessarily be merciless. This was the child he had taught, after all, and he thought Yuan Jue would be benevolent toward him.

But in the end, he was wrong.

He didn’t know when things had begun to go astray, and in the moment, he only felt disheartened.

So disheartened that he never spoke of it.

“I never told Huo Fenglie, and I never intend to in this life,” Liu Zhenqing said lightly.

When Yuan Jue heard this, a trace of anger flashed through his expression. “You don’t intend to tell him. Is your heart too soft, or do you not want to stir up chaos for the sake of this world and my father? Up to now, you haven’t scolded me at all. I killed you, I betrayed my teacher and brought dishonor to him. I was treacherous and faithless, ah. Don’t tell me that you don’t hate me for the way I treated you, that you don’t blame me for everything I did afterward!”

Yuan Jue laughed as he said this, but his laughter sounded extremely unnatural.

Liu Zhenqing frowned slightly. He couldn’t understand Yuan Jue’s reaction, and asked uncertainly: “Do you…..regret it?”

“No, why should I regret it? You were indeed the most powerful person in the dynasty and had complete control over me, the Son of Heaven. You had overstepped your authority and were doomed to fall to your death!” Yuan Jue said coldly: “You were the chief target of public criticism in the eyes of all, and were unable to wash yourself clean. If I didn’t punish you, how could I rule the nation or explain it to the people!”

“What about now? Do you still think I deserve to die?” Liu Zhenqing asked cooly. 

Yuan Jue didn’t answer, just staring at Liu Zhenqing.

“You’re still paranoid, so you plan to kill Huo Fenglie first, and then…..kill me again?” Liu Zhenqing said softly, “You shouldn’t do such a thing. Fenglie is a member of the Huo family. He won’t turn his sword against you – it goes against his beliefs. And I’m no longer Liu Zhenqing. I can’t do anything to hurt you. If you’re smart, you’ll pretend to see nothing and know nothing.”

Yuan Jue laughed: “You went to him without even knowing what you meant to him. Huo Fenglie has never been a qualified member of the Huo family. In his heart, the iron rules of the Huo family have always come second. He is entirely for you. With one word from you, let alone kill me, he would destroy my Great Zhou Dynasty.”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned. He hadn’t expected Yuan Jue to understand Huo Fenglie’s feelings for him like this. Didn’t Er-gou usually keep his emotions under lock and key? Those who knew only had a rough idea, and even Liu Zhenqing wouldn’t dare to make such an assertion.

When he saw Liu Zhenqing’s frown, Yuan Jue smiled: “Do you know where your ashes are?”

Liu Zhenqing thought of the tattoo. Yuan Jue probably knew about it, which was why Huo Fenglie’s feelings for him had formed such an impression in his mind.

But in the next moment, Yuan Jue’s words stunned Liu Zhenqing.

“That was the first time he explicitly confronted me. He cremated you, and buried your ashes beneath the willow tree in the General’s Manor courtyard. Whenever he was in the capital, he would stand by that tree practically day and night and wouldn’t let anyone get close to it. Not even me.”

Liu Zhenqing was dumbfounded. This wasn’t about the tattoo?

Right, it was impossible to use all of the ashes for the tattoo mixture. So the remaining ashes were all under that tree – the tree whose branches he had broken?

Liu Zhenqing immediately recalled the night Huo Fenglie brought him back to the General’s Manor. When he came outside, he had found Huo Fenglie holding a jar of wine under that tree.

The Huo family had said that he never slept inside, but instead slept beneath that tree every time he was at the General’s Manor.

His ashes were under the tree, and that tree had also been planted by Huo Fenglie…..

Liu Zhenqing’s hand unconsciously reached for the jade Rubik’s cube, and his heart began to ache. This tormented him more than all of the emotions he had experienced in this confrontation with Yuan Jue combined.

His expression naturally caught Yuan Jue’s attention, and his eyes glinted sharply.

“You care so much? Weren’t you a romantic and a chaser of beautiful women? Even the Empress Dowager was devoted to you. Why are you really with him now that you’ve returned?” Yuan Jue said sarcastically: “You clearly wanted to leave the capital as soon as you came back, and even succeeded in leaving. You could have chosen not to return. You wanted to leave in both lives, but came back for him. Is he so important?”

Liu Zhenqing regained his senses and said: “He’s important. The most important.”

Yuan Jue’s expression immediately turned ferocious: “You thought he was the most important back then too, didn’t you! You thought he was more important than me! It was obviously you who raised me. When you tried to leave, you were going to go with him and leave me alone. You didn’t care about me anymore, did you!”

Liu Zhenqing stood in shock: “What nonsense are you on about?”

“I’m not talking nonsense. When you died, you only looked to the west. Who was there in the west? Only him!” Yuan Jue said furiously. “I betrayed you, I killed you, but you didn’t even spare me a look of resentment.”

Liu Zhenqing was puzzled. Had he looked to the west at that time? He wasn’t aware of this, but there were indeed many people he couldn’t let go of before he died. He was particularly worried about Huo Fenglie on the western battlefront, because he had recently sent a scolding letter in reply to him, and felt rather guilty and regretful afterward. He found it understandable that a young person would be afraid of the battlefield and death, and that he shouldn’t have been so harsh.

So back then, he had been looking…..to the west, where Huo Fenglie was?

Just as he was thinking, he heard the sudden sound of tiles breaking on the roof. In an instant, countless murderous auras attacked from all directions, as if different forces had collided with one another.

Liu Zhenqing only saw a figure flash before his eyes, and then he was being embraced by someone.

The familiar presence instantly relieved him.

There was the sound of blades clashing, and an angry Liu Qiao soon held Yuan Jue hostage at swordpoint. He Cong and several guards also landed not far from Yuan Jue, but didn’t dare get closer. They could only fix their eyes on the kidnapped emperor.

The perimeter of the study was surrounded by archers.

Liu Zhenqing paid absolutely no attention to either situation, and simply gazed up at Huo Fenglie.

He found Huo Fenglie looking at him in a daze. The sadness pain in his eyes had dyed them red, just like when his internal strength had gone haywire.

“Are you alright?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

Huo Fenglie’s eyes seemed to be filled with grievances. His face was abnormally pale, which was obviously the aftereffect of poisoning. His body must still be affected even after detoxification, but it wasn’t a dire problem overall. 

“Qing-ge…..” Huo Fenglie was speechless, unable to say anything else. He just hugged Liu Zhenqing and kissed his forehead, heartbroken beyond words.

But in the next moment, he raised the Chunjun Sword, and under the gazes of everyone, the loyal general leveled his sword at the ruler he served.

Everyone present sucked in a breath of cold air.

This was proof of a rift between subject and ruler.

“You deceived me. Are you worthy of him?” Every word Huo Fenglie spoke was like a sharp hidden arrow, full of killing intent.

Yuan Jue had deceived Huo Fenglie into thinking that someone else had killed Liu Zhenqing, so Huo Fenglie had always loyally assisted him. Even though Yuan Jue never vindicated Liu Zhenqing, he’d just thought the emperor was unsure and didn’t want to take the risk of confronting public opinion. He had seen Yuan Jue staring at the calligraphy paintings Liu Zhenqing had left behind more than once, and was completely fooled by the genuine emotion he expressed.

“Huo Fenglie, he is the emperor! Think this through!” He Cong shouted: “By holding the emperor hostage, do you want to bear the stigma of plotting to usurp the throne and causing the world to fall into chaos?”

Liu Zhenqing was also stunned. He looked at Huo Fenglie and felt a pang of heartache. Yuan Jue’s words were true.

Huo Fenglie would turn his back on his family’s beliefs for him, and wasn’t afraid to kill the emperor.

Yuan Jue only gave a cold scoff.

“You! Go to hell!” Liu Qiao was incredibly furious. He hadn’t known the truth. If he had known, he would have invaded the palace nine years earlier and avenged Liu Zhenqing.

The blade in his hand nearly sliced Yuan Jue’s neck, but Yuan Jue didn’t move, and only gazed at Liu Zhenqing indifferently.

But it wasn’t so easy for Liu Qiao to take action, especially with the sound of bows being drawn around them. He instinctively stopped, because once he moved, the safety of Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing couldn’t be guaranteed.

Yuan Jue didn’t seem phased by Huo Fenglie’s aggression, and simply looked toward He Cong.

He Cong immediately said: “There is a master……guarding him……”

He Cong naturally recognized Liu Qiao. With such a master guarding Huo Fenglie, it would be impossible for them to easily succeed.

Yuan Jue looked back at Liu Zhenqing and sighed with a smile: “You really care about him. Your own personal guard didn’t learn his lesson and stay to protect you, but protected him instead. Did you think I wouldn’t kill you?”

The murderous intent on Huo Fenglie’s face instantly intensified. The Chunhun sword turned, and a cold glint of light flashed partially across Yuan Jue’s face.

Liu Zhenqing said: “No, I just sensed that something was wrong. In the worst case scenario, even with Liu Qiao protecting me, we might not have been able to escape unscathed. But if he protected Fenglie, there would be a chance of success.”

“A chance of success? Did you think you could kill the emperor and get out alive?”

Just as Yuan Jue spoke, a young eunuch rushed in to report: “Your Majesty, the Huo family army…..three thousand soldiers have surrounded the palace! They’re at a stand-off with the palace guards…..”

Yuan Jue’s expression changed several times. He looked toward Huo Fenglie: “I really underestimated you, Zhanyuan. As expected, you would do anything for him.”

After saying this, he looked at Liu Zhenqing and said: “The situation is like this, and it was so easy to achieve. How could I have trusted you?”

“You created this situation yourself. He and I have never had any rebellious intentions, and still don’t have any now. We’re just trying to protect ourselves,” Liu Zhenqing said calmly.

“Hahaha, no rebellious intentions?” Yuan Jue abruptly pointed at Liu Qiao and said, “What about him? He’s still alive, so the one he took away should still be alive.”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback, and looked at Yuan Jue with some disbelief.

Yuan Jue said coldly: “How many things did you do behind my back? Do you think something like that wasn’t a betrayal of me?”

Qiao Jin, a remnant of the rebels, possessed the bloodline to inherit the throne, which was essentially a betrayal of Yuan Jue.

Liu Zhenqing came to a sudden realization that this might not be about that incident specifically. In the past, Liu Zhenqing had indeed done many things privately. He’d felt that there was no reason to tell Yuan Jue, or really didn’t want to tell him, but Yuan Jue found out through his own means. As long as he felt it was disadvantageous to him, no matter what Liu Zhenqing’s original intention was, Emperor Yuan Jue felt it was a betrayal.

As these incidents accumulated, the trust between master and disciple was worn away.

In suspicion and trepidation, Yuan Jue decided to kill him.

“Selfishness does not imply rebellion. I thought you would trust me.” Liu Zhenqing sighed. “So many people were chasing Liu Qiao. How could that child have survived? He would have died of illness long ago.”

“I wanted to trust you, but I dared not,” Yuan Jue said sarcastically.

Under Yuan Jue’s paranoid gaze, Liu Zhenqing said self-deprecatingly: “Today, Huo-dage, Yao Hua, and Jian Shuang are all gone. I’m not myself anymore, and I just want to be with Fenglie. Can you not just accommodate that?”

Although they could find a way to safely escape this situation, Liu Zhenqing didn’t know what to do next and was thinking about countermeasures. Suddenly, he felt the arms around him tighten.

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback, and sent Huo Fenglie a questioning look, thinking he had come up with an idea. But Huo Fenglie only looked at him with concern, as if he was a fragile object he was afraid to break by accident.

“What’s wrong?”

“The Empress Dowager is gone?” Huo Fenglie asked carefully.

Liu Zhenqing nodded: “She drank poisoned wine not long ago. She wanted to leave with Jian Shuang on her own terms.”

Huo Fenglie was momentarily stunned. His eyes scanned carefully over Liu Zhenqing’s face: “Don’t…..don’t be sad.”

Liu Zhenqing was a bit sad. After all, an old friend had just died. But it had been Yao Hua’s own choice, so he respected it. But this shouldn’t be enough to put Huo Fenglie in such a state, as if he thought Liu Zhenqing would fall apart in the next second.

He was somewhat astonished and confused, when suddenly, he heard Yuan Jue laugh.

The two looked over to meet Yuan Jue’s mocking gaze.

“What are you laughing at!” Liu Qiao shouted angrily.

Yuan Jue stopped laughing, and said: “I’m laughing at the fact that whether it is human will or that of heaven, nothing can stop you two. But even when you’re together, you can’t communicate with each other. It’s ridiculous.”

“What?” Liu Zhenqing stared blankly.

With a somewhat delighted look on his face, Yuan Jue pointed at Huo Fenglie and said: “He was so cautious because he thought Yao Hua was your original lover, and that although you loved each other, you couldn’t be together. Even though he has you now, he still thinks he was your last resort. That if you had a choice, you wouldn’t choose him. It’s laughable, isn’t it?”

Liu Zhenqing was baffled. According to Yuan Jue’s words, did Huo Fenglie think that his relationship with Yao Hua was more than just rumors, and that they were practically engaged?

He turned toward the dumbfounded Huo Fenglie and said directly: “What does this mean? Did you misunderstand something? I never liked her like that, ah. From beginning to end, regardless of status, I’ve only liked you.”

Huo Fenglie was startled by Liu Zhenqing’s sudden confession, and said after a moment: “You…..didn’t like her? But back then…..”

Huo Fenglie abruptly looked toward Yuan Jue, who only raised his eyebrows and smiled at him.

“You wrote to me and said they were in love, that out of appreciation for Qing-ge, you planned to send her out of the palace so they could be together!”

“I lied to you,” Yuan Jue said bluntly.

Huo Fenglie’s face instantly paled. Liu Zhenqing really hadn’t expected this. Yuan Jue was crazy. Why would he do such a thing!

“When was the letter written?” Liu Zhenqing asked in shock.

Huo Fenglie said uncomfortably: “After I wrote to you to confess my feelings, and you rebuked and rejected me, I received a letter from him and…..thought it was true.”

“Wait a second!” Liu Zhenqing shouted. He grabbed Huo Fenglie by the arm and gave him a wide-eyed look. “What confession? When did you ever write me such a letter?”

In his previous life, he’d had no idea Er-gou liked him and never received such a letter. He had never rebuked or rejected him…..

Rebuked?

Could it be…..

Yuan Jue had dictated that letter while Liu Zhenqing was busy, saying that Huo Fenglie wanted to negotiate with the enemy, that the war was difficult and he didn’t want to continue fighting.

Liu Zhenqing was so furious that he wrote back right away and scolded Huo Fenglie severely.

He didn’t quite remember what he wrote, but he recalled that he had harshly asked him how he could have such thoughts, and whether he thought he was worthy of Liu Zhenqing or his elder brother. He warned him to put an end to such thoughts and guard the west well, or else he need not return.

So after he was reborn, Er-gou’s various odd behaviors were…..

The scenes that had bothered Liu Zhenqing during their time together in the south reappeared in his mind, and in an instant, he felt as if all the blood in his body was flowing backward.

What had he done to Er-gou?

What had Er-gou been thinking in those days he was alone?

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Chapter 142 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 144

Liu Zhenqing frowned and listened carefully. In fact, he was also very curious. They had assisted Yuan Jue together in the past and got along harmoniously. Liu Zhenqing had even admired Jian Shuang a lot.

He really never suspected that Jian Shuang would plot against him in the end.

Jian Shuang looked at Yao Hua with eyes that were beautiful and clear, so pure that she seemed like a fairy who was not of this world.

“Because he treated Jiejie badly.” Jian Shuang coughed, then said: “He made Jiejie sad, so I hate him.”

Yao Hua didn’t seem to understand what she was saying, and asked: “What…..are you talking about? You’re clearly aware that the feelings between us were always one-sided…..”

Jian Shuang smiled faintly: “I knew that, so I didn’t hate him at first. He didn’t respond to your feelings and broke off the engagement with Li Xingruo without marrying you, which led to you marrying into the East Palace, but I just lamented that fate plays tricks on people. I was afraid you would be sad, and wanted to be with you, so I also managed to marry into the East Palace. When I saw that the crown prince treated you well and that you gradually became happy, I was relieved.”

Yao Hua naturally knew that Jian Shuang had married into the East Palace in order to follow her. She had always thought Jian Shuang had no friends other than her, and didn’t socialize with others, which was why she continued to cling to her. Back when they were in the East Palace, the crown prince treated them extremely well and they lived a very happy life.

Yao Hua sent her a look of confusion, and Jian Shuang’s expression gradually darkened as she said: “But the crown prince was a short-lived ghost and caused us so much trouble!”

Shocked, Yao Hua said: “Shuan’er, how can you say that about His Highness!”

Jian Shuang sneered: “Did he not? If he hadn’t died young, would Great Zhou have been in turmoil, would the Three Kings have caused such chaos, and would we have been drawn into the Imperial power struggle? Living in fear every day, having to take risks with Liu Zhenqing and the others – why did we have to live like that and shoulder such responsibilities? Jiejie cried every night back then and had nightmares, and it hurt my heart to see it. So from that time on, I couldn’t help but think that, if Liu Zhenqing had married you early on, couldn’t you have avoided such things?”

“Absolutely not, how could you vent your anger on Liu Zhenqing!”

“Does Jiejie still remember what she did in order to help get King Zhao’s death certificate for Liu Zhenqing?”

Yao Hua’s expression instantly changed: “You…..”

On the other side, Liu Zhenqing had a blank expression on his face. King Zhao was the one who had died with him in the Dragon Court, and was also the last of the Three Kings to be killed.

Liu Zhenqing had tried every possible means to deal with the most dangerous king, and the last thing missing was a death certificate. This was an extremely critical matter, and if it took too long, the other party would kill him.

In the end, Jian Shuang delivered it soon after, allowing him to successfully deal with King Zhao. Jian Shuang’s wisdom was something he admired back then. She casually gave him an explanation, and Liu Zhenqing didn’t ask further questions. He trusted her very much. But listening to Jian Shuang’s words now, there seemed to be another hidden story.

Jian Shuang said: “Back then, King Zhao was vicious and cruel, with a twisted mentality. He had always wanted you, right? You were ready to trade yourself in order to help Liu Zhenqing achieve his goal!”

Liu Zhenqing went completely still when he heard this and stared with wide, disbelieving eyes. He’d had no idea. Was that how those things happened?!

But in the next second, Yao Hua said anxiously: “I had no choice. I wasn’t going to do it for him, but for all of us! But I never had to do anything – wasn’t it you who solved the problem?”

Yao Hua had indeed made up her mind when faced with that situation. She was the Empress Dowager, after all. If she really went through with it, she was ready to die as penance, but when she went to plot against King Zhao, it was already over.

She’d thought that the endlessly clever Liu Zhenqing had solved the problem once again, and rejoiced. But now, she heard Jian Shuang’s words and saw the resolute look on her face.

Yao Hua’s heart constricted. She instantly reached out and grasped Jian Shuang’s shoulders, asking: “What actually happened?”

Jian Shuang smiled indifferently and said: “Whatever Jiejie wanted to do, I helped her do it. How could I allow King Zhao’s dirty hands to touch Jiejie?”

Yao Hua’s eyes immediately reddened. She stared at Jian Shuang in disbelief.

And Liu Zhenqing lost his balance, staggering back a step.

Jian Shuang snuggled into Yao Hua’s arms like a spoiled child: “Jiejie, don’t wear such an expression. I’m not trying to take credit. In fact, I’ve never cared about these things. I just wanted Jiejie to be well.”

“Shuang’er…..you……” Yao Hua was at a loss for words.

“We were clearly childless, yet willing to take risks for other peoples’ children. It was fine for us to take risks since we had no choice but to embark on that ship, but after we succeeded, we were still trapped in the harem and lived as widows. Why!” Jian Shuang said rapidly: “Jiejie asked me why I wanted to deal with Liu Zhenqing. Actually, I wasn’t happy with him back then, but I didn’t want to kill him – not until he told us that once Yuan Jue took power, he planned to leave.”

Yao Hua was stunned: “It was all because of that drunken nonsense?”

Liu Zhenqing seemed to recall something, and his expression changed again. After King Zhao was taken prisoner, Liu Zhenqing felt that there was nothing left to do. During a drinking and chatting session in the harem, Liu Zhenqing had talked about how Li Xingruo had scolded him for wanting to leave. Yao Hua was probably drunk at the time and couldn’t control herself. She pulled his sleeve and cried, asking if he could take her with him.

And Jian Shuang just watched quietly from the side.

Yao Hua’s eyes were full of love for Liu Zhenqing back then. They had accompanied each other in times of crisis and stayed together day and night. Her suppressed affections were reawakened, overwhelming the difference in their statuses.

Liu Zhenqing was stunned for a moment, then just smiled and shook his head in refusal.

He rejected Yao Hua not only because she was the Empress Dowager, but because she was also the Crown Prince’s widow. He also didn’t return her affections, and couldn’t be responsible for taking her away.

More importantly, although Liu Zhenqing intended to retire after his victory, being able to leave peacefully was not guaranteed. How many eyes were on him back then? When he gave up power, would he really be able to escape? Not necessarily. He should continue to hold onto power in order to ensure that other ministers and powerful enemies couldn’t harm him, but he was too tired. He just wanted to get away from everything. So while he was willing to take the risk, he couldn’t drag others down with him.

He had even told the two people he trusted most to leave in advance, so how could he bring someone else with him?

Therefore, he rejected Yao Hua, and she fell asleep drunk. Liu Zhenqing only remembered that when he was leaving with the wine jug, Jian Shuang had looked at him and said: “You will regret this.”

He’d just thought Jian Shuang was sighing with emotion, or feeling sorry for Yao Hua. He didn’t expect that…..

“I hate him. You were with him for so long, putting him first in everything and considering his feelings, but when the time came, he intended to go away and leave you alone. What right did he have to do that?” Jian Shuang sneered.

Yao Hua trembled uncontrollably: “Just because of this? That was my drunken talk. I was the Empress Dowager, and I was already married. How could I have gone with him? I just…..”

“Jiejie, don’t lie to me. I know that as long as he agreed, even if you died or risked the wrath of the world, you were willing to follow him. And I would have done my best to help you. I just wanted you to be happy, but he failed you.”

“Shuang’er, you can’t force others to like you,” Yao Hua said.

Jiang Shuang said: “I don’t care about others, only you. Whatever you want, I will give it to you. He didn’t take you with him, so I wanted his life.”

Therefore, she went to meet the imprisoned King Zhao by virtue of their previous relationship. With just a little prodding, King Zhao went crazy and desperately wanted to kill Liu Zhenqing. Since Liu Zhenqing refused to take Jian Shuang’s jiejie with him, he must leave his life behind!

Yao Hua looked down at Jian Shuang in her arms. Her body shook uncontrollably, yet she felt incomparably sad and desolate.

But Liu Zhenqing felt neither resentment or hatred when he heard this, because he knew that even without Jian Shuang, he never would have been able to leave the palace. He only felt extreme helplessness and regret.

After a long silence, Yao Hua asked in a trembling voice: “Then…..why did you help King Jing rebel? Was it also because of me?”

At this moment, Yao Hua seemed not to be counting Jian Shuang’s sins, but her own, as if she had become the culprit in all of this.

Jian Shuang said: “It was because of Yuan Jue. I had hinted to him before that after he took power, he should secretly let us leave the palace since I knew Jiejie didn’t want to stay here, but he pretended not to understand. The royal family is just selfish. We have clearly sacrificed so much for them, but they refused to grant even such a small request, on account of the so-called royal dignity and face.”

“It doesn’t matter that he didn’t agree. Liu Zhenqing is dead, so I know that for Jiejie, it makes no difference whether she stays or leaves. But he never, ever should have become guarded against us, disrespected us, or taken away our power. He wanted to throw us away after we served our use, and made Jiejie lost and sad. We are clearly the ones who raised him, but he is a white-eyed wolf. Since Yuan Jue wouldn’t let me control him, I just changed the person in command. As long as I could take control, I would be able to make them into filial sons.” Jian Shuang tilted her head and asked Yao Hua, “At least this way, Jiejie could find happiness for herself from her children, right?”

Yao Hua had long accepted the fact that she couldn’t see through Jian Shuang’s thoughts. Seeing her like this, she said: “But you seem to have replaced him with someone even more heartless.”

“At least he’s stupid, and easier to control than Yuan Jue. Jiejie, I don’t blame you, but if you hadn’t contradicted me just now…..” Jian Shuang couldn’t help but look at Yao Hua with some grievance as she said: “You want my life for the sake of Liu Zhenqing. Why bother with all of this? Just tell me, and I’m willing to die at your hands. Aren’t you tired of putting on an act with me like this? If I had known, I would have felt sorry for you.”

Yao Hua said mournfully: “You are my most treasured meimei. I’ve never wanted your life, I just wanted to give them justice. But what you were doing made me sad and afraid. You have no sense of ethics, right or wrong, or peace and prosperity in the world.”

Jian Shuang responded: “My heart is small, and can only accommodate Jiejie. As long as Jiejie is well, nothing else matters.”

Jian Shuang was so beautiful and smart, but she wasn’t good at dealing with people. Her mother died young, and her father wanted to use her as goods to trade, but she was weak, sickly, and had nowhere to go.

She was hated by her sisters at home and coveted by the men outside, and encountered all kinds of conflicts and torments no matter where she was.

Those in darkness would yearn for light. Yao Hua gave her that light and became the sun of Jian Shuang’s world. The sun should be high above, enjoying the best of everything in the world, so Jian Shuang was never willing to compromise on Yao Hua in the slightest. Even if she was in the quagmire, she would hold Yao Hua aloft and keep her away from even a speck of dust.

She had thought she was trying to do right by her. But with her jiejie opposing her while wearing such an expression on her face, Jian Shuang was miserable.

“Jiejie, do you hate me?” Jian Shuang asked. “Please don’t hate me, okay?”

Yao Hua closed her eyes. She choked on a sob, but couldn’t utter a word. She didn’t hate Jian Shuang. She hated herself, and felt that she hadn’t taught her meimei well enough.

Jian Shuang regarded Yao Hua with pursed lips, appearing a little anxious. She tried to defend herself by saying: “Jiejie, I didn’t actually kill the person you liked, so can you hate me a little less?”

Yao Hua was stunned. She knew she was talking about Liu Zhenqing, but…..what did she mean she didn’t kill him? Did she mean that even though she made arrangements, it was still an accident?

Just as she was about to speak, the doors were pushed open and Yuan Jue and his eunuch attendant walked inside. The eunuch was holding a jug of wine, and its purpose was evident.

Yuan Jue’s expression was still mild. His appearance was gentle, but his eyes were ice cold.

“Have the Empress Dowager and the Taifei finished speaking?” Yuan Jue asked placidly.

Yao Hua looked at the poisoned wine and opened her mouth, but didn’t plead for Jian Shuang.

Jian Shuang also looked at the wine jug and suddenly laughed: “You don’t even plan to interrogate me? That’s right. In the royal tent before, you acted until the end without holding me hostage. It seemed like you were stalling for time, but in fact, you just wanted to figure out who else would be unfaithful to you. You’re still so suspicious that you tested them even in such a situation.”

“Since this emperor risked himself for the sake of the show, I must maximize my benefits. As the emperor, I am naturally unable to easily extend my trust. After all, since the death of my father, those closest to me have constantly betrayed me, from Great Zhou, to Xiheng, and back to Great Zhou. The word I am the most familiar with is ‘betrayal.’”

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t surprised to hear this. He knew that after falling from a favored child of heaven to a hostage, then escaping from the brink of death and slowly taking his place on the throne, Yuan Jue’s character before and after couldn’t be mentioned in the same breath.

“You did me the favor of raising me, after all, so I won’t make things difficult for you. I have interrogated King Jing thoroughly, and he has already passed. This emperor has come to see the Taifei off.”

Jian Shuang was indifferent. She took the wine jug from the eunuch,set it beside her, and poured herself a cup of wine. She swirled the wine in the cup and abruptly said with a smile: “This was all a deception, right? You already suspected King Jing and I, already knew there was an edict. You used me and your didi to eradicate all the remaining filth in Great Zhou, root out the remaining rebels, safeguard your royal power, and lure out that edict that you cared about the most. Truly impressive. You are worthy of being the emperor taught by Liu Zhenqing.”

From the moment she failed, Jian Shuang had been reviewing everything in her mind, and gradually realized that she was just a piece on Yuan Jue’s chessboard.

Yuan Jue had known much more about everything than he let on, and although he seemed to be in the weaker position, he had Yao Hua’s secret assistance and Huo Fenglie’s open support. It seemed as if he was relying on others everywhere, or letting things develop naturally, but in the end, he was the only one to achieve the desired result without any effort.

This conclusion bewildered Yao Hua, but Liu Zhenqing to the side had already guessed it.

Yuan Jue smiled and didn’t refute Jian Shuang’s conjecture. Instead, he slowly rubbed his jade thumb ring and asked: “The Taifei is incorrect. I was taught by the two of you.”

Jian Shuang smiled as well: “Then this is truly a case of the disciple surpassing the master.”

Yuan Jue shook his head and said: “I am certainly inferior to the two of you, but I am stronger in one single aspect.”

His words aroused Jian Shuang’s curiosity: “What is it?”

Yuan Jue smiled and said: “Weaknesses, ah. Your weakness is the Empress Dowager, and his weakness was that he was too soft-hearted.”

“So the emperor has no weaknesses?” Jian Shuang asked.

Yuan Jue’s smile faded. He looked through the window beside him: “Now, I have none.”

Jian Shuang smiled and said: “Yes, you are ruthless, just as an emperor should be.”

Yao Hua was astonished, and her expression grew thoughtful as she looked at Yuan Jue.

After Jian Shuang finished speaking, she said nothing more and raised the wine glass. Her beauty still shone even as she drank.

When she finished drinking, she leaned comfortably into Yao Hua’s arms: “Thank you for sending me off for the last time, Jiejie. I like you so much. Although you may hate me, I’ll wait for you at the bridge of forgetfulness. We’ll reincarnate together, and in the next life…..Jiejie, remember, I’ll be waiting so many years, and by then your temper should have cooled.”

Yao Hua retracted her gaze, took the wine cup from Jian Shuang’s hand, and poured again.

Yuan Jue’s eyes flashed. Liu Zhenqing took an uncontrollable step forward, but stopped in the end.

Jian Shuang was shocked, staring at Yao Hua in disbelief.

Yao Hua drank the cup of poisoned wine in silence.

“Jiejie?” Jian Shuang said in a trembling voice.

Yao Hua smiled bitterly and said: “Ever since you entered the East Palace, we have never been apart. How can I become accustomed to you being gone? No need to wait, let’s go together. Shuang’er, don’t be so willful in the next life.”

From the moment Yao Hua dealt with Jian Shuang, she’d had this in mind. And now that she knew everything she’d done was for her, even though it was wrong, she couldn’t let her leave alone. There was really nothing left for her to miss in this world.

“Jiejie…..you’re so good.” There was already blood at the corners of Jian Shuang’s mouth. Yuan Jue was quite merciful and hadn’t given her a very torturous poison, so they wouldn’t suffer too much.

Yuan Jue was about to leave once he saw that both of them had drunk the poisoned wine, but he heard Yao Hua say: “Yuan Jue, don’t forget what you promised me. I want his name to disappear from the list of sinners.”

Yuan Jue paused, but didn’t look back.

Yao Hua said: “This poisoned wine is very familiar. I’ve remembered something.”

Now, Yuan Jue turned to look at her.

Yao Hua smiled bitterly: “There was a banquet that year, and King Qi insisted on toasting you. You were forced to accept, but Liu Zhenqing overstepped his authority to drink in your stead. He snatched it away forcefully, like a treacherous minister who controlled the imperial power, disregarding the rules to steal the emperor’s wine. Do you remember?”

Yuan Jue’s eyes shifted slightly.

“The wine was poisoned. He pretended to be drunk and left. I saw him vomiting blood on the way back.”

Yuan Jue’s pupils quivered.

“But he carried with him the detoxification pills from Medical Valley. Although he didn’t die after taking them, he never fully recovered.”

Yuan Jue said nothing, but his expression turned more unsightly.

“I wonder how many times he blocked poison like that for you? His body was in such bad condition at the end.” Yao Hua said unhurriedly, “So for the sake of that poison, you should give him the credit he deserves.”

Yuan Jue left with a gloomy face.

Liu Zhenqing was also taken away by secret guards. It seemed he had only been placed here temporarily until Yuan Jue finished his work.

There were guards left outside the palace to make sure the two inside were dead, but a master was still able to sneak in.

Zheng Wei descended and looked at the two snuggled together. Jian Shuang’s eyes were closed, but Yao Hua’s opened when she heard a sound. Zheng Wei stepped forward and offered her an antidote pill, but she rejected it

Zheng Wei was surprised, but he didn’t insist.

Yao Hua was already having difficulty breathing, but she still said: “Zheng Wei, go. The emperor will not let you off. Take your adopted son with you. Thank you for your companionship over the years. Without it, I would not be here today.”

“Your Highness, there is no need to thank me. I owed him a favor that must be repaid,” Zheng Wei said.

Yao Hua smiled: “You never told me what favor he did for you. Can you tell me now?”

Zheng Wei was taken aback for a moment. Then he said: “Back then, my sister loved King Zhao, and for him, she was willing to become a dead soldier and enter the palace. King Zhao promised her that as long as the plan succeeded, he would marry her. But when she escaped and went to be with her beloved, King Zhao killed her and threw her in the moat.

Zheng Wei thought of his sister, who had depended on him for everything. Before she left, she’d said that she would be married soon and take him with her to live with the person she loved.

But as he was waiting, King Zhao had someone hunt him down and kill him. He was fortunate enough to escape, but he was unable to locate his sister’s body until Liu Zhenqing and the others solved the case.

“Everyone said that my sister’s body was thrown to wild beasts in order for the late emperor to vent his anger, and that in the end, no traces of her body remained. They all thought I should hate the royal family and Prime Minister Liu and his people. But nobody knew that when the body was delivered, it had already been replaced by Prime Minister Liu. At that time, I secretly followed them when they transported the coffin, and saw that Prime Minister Liu had chosen a place with plum blossoms to bury my sister. He probably sympathized with my sister and acted out of mercy, but I was grateful and remembered his kindness.”

Zheng Wei had entered the palace for revenge, but he was alone and weak. When he saw that Liu Zhenqing planned to deal with the Three Kings, he naturally decided to repay his kindness and seek revenge simultaneously.

But in the end, Liu Zhenqing died too. As he watched the entire country slander Liu Zhenqing, he felt a bit unwilling. After all, he had been silently watching Liu Zhenqing stabilize the country step by step.

So in the days that followed, he only wanted to slowly find an opportunity to clear Liu Zhenqing’s name. Later, he found that something was wrong with the Taifei, so he deliberately concocted a plan to get her to bring him to her side. It wasn’t until later that he discovered the Empress Dowager shared his ideals, which brought them to this point.

They didn’t have to be loyal to Yuan Jue and help him deal with his enemies, but this country had been maintained by a loyal minister and general with great effort. Neither of them could bear to see it destroyed again, so they made the only choice they could.

Just like when Liu Zhenqing didn’t choose any of the Three Kings, nor King Jing, but only Yuan Jue.

It wasn’t that he preferred to assist Yuan Jue, but because if any one of the Three Kings came into power, it would bring disaster to the country.

Yao Hua simply smiled throughout Zheng Wei’s narration, then said: “That’s just like him, ah.”

She maintained her smile as she closed her eyes. Holding Jian Shuang in one arm, she placed her other hand on the jade pendant she wore.

Zheng Wei sighed, then suddenly recalled his purpose for returning. He wasn’t here to see the Empress Dowager off. He had discovered that those who were sent to delay Huo Fenglie had been infiltrated by real assassins, and those peoples’ skills were definitely that of…..the Jinyiwei.

And the only one who could mobilize the Jinyiwei was the emperor.

Therefore…..

The emperor intended to kill Huo Fenglie.

Although Zheng Wei couldn’t understand why the emperor would want to kill the general who posed no threat to him and only served to protect the country, who was as close as a brother to him, he also took into consideration his debt of gratitude to Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo. Thus, he naturally must protect Huo Fenglie. And as the person Huo Fenglie cared about most was in the hands of the emperor, he had to go take a look.

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Chapter 141 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 143