Considering that Pei Xi had fainted due to low blood sugar before, even though he had eaten breakfast before going out, He Chuzhou bought him a cup of milk tea before they went back.

It was the same kind as last time – lemon coconut boba balls, full sugar, room temperature.

When they got home, he refused to let Pei Xi do anything. He put the litter box in place, poured the litter, then placed the cat food, cat bed, cat toys, and cat climbing frame…..

The kitten was braver than they expected. She didn’t hide upon arriving at a new environment, but sniffed around, drank a few sips of water, ate a few bites of food, and then very consciously crawled into the cat bed and prepared to sleep.

She was extremely well-behaved, and seemed to know that this was her new home.

He Chuzhou tidied everything up well before letting He Xingxing out. Fearing that such a big dog would scare the little cat, he stayed beside them throughout their first meeting, ready to deal with an emergency at any time.

Everything went more smoothly than expected.

The kitten wasn’t afraid of the dog. When He Xingxing put his doggy nose in front of her, she mewed and touched it gently with her pink nose, then turned her belly over to play.

He Xingxing had always liked cats, and was very happy to see his father bring one back. He put his entire doggy head into the cat bed and played with the kitten, laying on the ground with his tail wagging like a propeller behind his butt.

“Who said families with two children aren’t harmonious? Look how harmonious it is.”

He Chuzhou touched He Xingxing’s head proudly, then stretched out a finger to play with the kitten.

When Pei Xi came over and crouched down to watch, He Chuzhou turned and said with a smile: “Want to give Xiao Bai a name?”

Pei Xi was puzzled: “Xiao Bai?”

He Chuzhou pointed at the kitten: “Her.”

Pei Xi was silent for a moment: “Haven’t you already named her?”

“When did I…..”

He Chuzhou came to a realization and laughed at himself: “That doesn’t count, I just called her that randomly. Xiao Bai is too casual, you should give her a serious name.”

A serious name…..

Pei Xi looked at the playing kitten, then at He Xingxing, who was happily acting as a cat toy. His heart moved somewhat, and he said softly: “I’ll name her Pei Yueliang.”^[1]

“Pei…..Yueliang?”

He Chuzhou repeated it, feeling it was a bit strange. It was casual, yet not casual. He couldn’t put the feeling into words.

“What’s so special about that name?” he asked Pei Xi.

Pei Xi calmly responded: “What’s so special about the name He Xingxing?”

“Nothing, ah. My surname is He, and there were lots of stars on the night I brought him back—”

After speaking, He Chuzhou came to a sudden realization.

Weren’t the stars and the moon a perfect pair?

Although he knew Pei Xi didn’t mean anything by it and had probably just said it for the sake of symmetry, that didn’t stop him from applauding the name.

One surnamed He, and the other surnamed Pei. One Xingxing and one Yueliang. And it was the one he secretly liked who came up with the name. There couldn’t be a better sign than this.

“Okay.” Secretly elated, he scratched the kitten’s belly: “From now on, I’ll call you Xiao Yueliang.”

Yueliang meowed and turned upside down. As she hugged his finger and chewed on it, her little pink mouth and four pink paws were on perfect display.

He Chuzhou, a man who had only raised a silly dog, had never witnessed such a scene before. With a shout of “Cute!” he took out his phone and snapped a flurry of photos.

Pei Xi watched silently for a while, then suddenly said: “I noticed today that our WeChat pictures were changed. Was that done yesterday?”

“Yeah, when we got back yesterday—”

He Chuzhou’s voice cut off abruptly, and he stopped taking pictures. In just a couple of seconds, his expression changed several times.

Pei Xi could pretty much guess what he was thinking. He pressed down the corners of his mouth that were trying to rise and said in a mild tone: “Where did we come back from?”

He Chuzhou was silent. He was probably regretting the fact that the avatars had slipped his mind, while his brain was racing to think of a method to get away with it. 

Pei Xi gave him no time before throwing out the last clap of thunder: “Looking at the photos, did we go to an aquarium?”

“Huh? No way.”

He Chuzhou was already cursing himself a hundred times in his heart, but he showed no sign of it as he calmly put down his phone: “I’ve never been interested in those kiddy places. Do you want to go?”

He knew that with Pei Xi’s character, he would definitely deny it. Then he could go on to say that since he didn’t want to go, how could they have—

“I do,” said Pei Xi.

He Chuzhou: “……”

He Chuzhou: “……”

Pei Xi saw that a certain person’s CPU had practically burned out, and a smile flashed through his eyes. In the end, he had mercy and let him off: “Just kidding. I don’t want to go.”

He Chuzhou visibly breathed a sigh of relief. He cleared his throat and brought out the words he had prepared: “See, you’re not interested, so why would we go out of our way to take pictures there?”

Pei Xi nodded, and was about to play along when his phone suddenly rang. He looked down, and his smile vanished.

He Chuzhou waited until Pei Xi returned from taking the call on the balcony. Seeing that his expression was still a little off, he guessed: “Your dad?”

Pei Xi gave a hum. Beneath his dark eyelashes, the look in his eyes was unclear: “He’s returned to China and says he has something to discuss with me. He asked me to go over for dinner tonight.”

*

*

Pei Yansong and his family lived in a mountainside villa up the river, and it took crossing half of Wancheng to get there.

As he was leaving, He Chuzhou offered to bring him home, but he declined. He might not come back tonight, and He Chuzhou would have to send him there and then drive home by himself, which was a waste of time.

Besides, his family situation made it inconvenient for him to invite He Chuzhou as a guest, and Pei Yansong wouldn’t welcome him either. He didn’t want He Chuzhou to have to face those looks because of him.

Nearly an hour later, the vehicle turned off the ring road and went up the mountain on an asphalt road. He arrived at his destination before sunset.

A servant had been waiting at the door to greet him. When he saw Pei Xi coming, he opened the gate so the driver could park the car inside, and then escorted him all the way to the main house.

He hadn’t been back here for a very long time.

In the past, even when he was occasionally called back, he wouldn’t stay long. After all, this place hadn’t been his home since the day he was sent away in high school.

He went in through the main entrance, and when he stepped into the entrance hall, he looked up and made eye contact with the sole person standing in the middle of the parlor.

The youth was wearing light-hued home clothes. He had a thin figure, and was holding a cup of steaming water in his hand. The face behind the steam was a bit blurry, but it could still be seen that his complexion was pale and he wore a stiff expression.

They hadn’t seen each other in several years. Pei Zhen had hardly changed, except that he was a little taller than Pei Xi remembered.

The way he looked at him was still loathsome.

It was unclear what Pei Zhen’s current situation was. Did he get permission, or had he decided to run downstairs and ended up meeting him by chance? Or was there a possibility that his illness, which was said to be under control, had relapsed?

Pei Xi stood there motionless, waiting for the other party to react first.

He didn’t move, and Pei Zhen didn’t either. He just stood in the parlor and stared at him, as if in a trance. There was no telling what he would do.

The stalemate was broken when Jiang Ting came in from the back garden.

She first gave Pei Xi a polite greeting, then discovered that Pei Zhen was in the parlor too and suddenly became a little nervous: “Xiao Zhen, why did you come down? Didn’t I tell you to read in your room and not walk around?”

Disregarding formality in front of Pei Xi, she quickly stepped forward to hold Pei Zhen. She half-coaxed, half-dragged him up to the second floor and closed the door to his room, separating the two people who shouldn’t have met.

It seemed he wasn’t the only one who was distrustful of Pei Zhen’s so-called “stable condition.”

He removed his coat and hung it casually over his arm, taking a couple of steps into the parlor. There was once again the sound of a door opening upstairs.

It wasn’t Jiang Ting this time, but Pei Yansong, who had come out of his study.

“You’re here?” He stood at the railing upstairs and looked down at Pei Xi. “Why didn’t you call me?”

Pei Xi: “I just got here.”

Pei Yansong: “Was the traffic bad?”

Pei Xi: “Somewhat.”

Pei Yansong gave a hum: “Come on up.”

Pei Xi went up to the second floor, where the door to the study was left ajar for him. He pushed it open and walked in, sitting down opposite Pei Yansong.

There was only a laptop on the desk, and it wasn’t tall enough to block one’s view.

Across the table, Pei Xi could clearly see the gray hair at Pei Yansong’s temples and the long-accumulated fatigue on his features.

It seemed the trip abroad that had just ended hadn’t been so smooth.

“How has work been during this time?”

When the father and son pair spoke, Pei Yansong habitually used work as an opening topic.

Pei Xi: “Everything is going well.”

Pei Yansong: “I heard you failed to acquire the land by the river from Mr. Zhang?”

Pei Xi: “Mr. Zhang is currently abroad. I’ll have to wait until he returns before we can speak.”

Pei Yansong nodded, saying: “I didn’t make it back for my birthday some time ago, so today is a good time to make up for it. Our family hasn’t been together for a long time.”

Pei Xi nodded. He didn’t think Pei Yansong had asked him to come over just to tell him this.

As expected, Pei Yansong asked directly in the next sentence: “You’ve been close with President He of He Group recently?”

Pei Xi didn’t answer. He just asked: “Why?”

Pei Yansong sighed: “You should know your brother has been applying to schools recently, but the results have not been smooth. First, he was rejected by the University of St. Paul because his interview score wasn’t up to standard, and then several other schools rejected him for various reasons.”

This surprised Pei Xi.

He knew that Pei Zhen had been applying to schools, and was also aware that Pei Yansong was using resources and connections from all over to help him.

He’d thought qualifying for admission would be a piece of cake, but the reality was different from his expectations, full of twists and turns.

However, he wasn’t sure of Pei Yansong’s intentions.

After all, during their last phone call, Pei Yansong had firmly told him to keep his distance from He Chuzhou, his words full of contempt for the man. “You want He Chuzhou to help?”

“Yes.” Pei Yansong didn’t shy away from saying this. “He studied abroad in his early years and should have accumulated many connections. In addition, He Group already covers a lot of foreign-funded education industries. If he comes forward to help, matters will be much simpler.”

Sure enough.

Pei Xi suddenly felt extremely fortunate that he hadn’t let He Chuzhou send him over.

Pei Yansong’s attitude toward He Chuzhou irritated him. While belittling and looking down on him, he simultaneously wanted to ask him for help.

“You’re overthinking it. I don’t know him that well.”

He calmly denied: “I haven’t had any contact with him since you told me to keep my distance from him last time.”

“Is that so?” Pei Yansong narrowed his eyes, somewhat doubtful.

Pei Xi: “Yes. If you want to ask him for help, you can ask him in person. But if you don’t show full sincerity, your hope may be even slimmer.”

Pei Yansong frowned: “What?”

Pei Xi: “As you said, nobody in the business world is a saint who doesn’t seek rewards. He has no obligation to waste time and favors on an insignificant person.”

The study fell into complete silence after he said this.

Pei Yansong didn’t speak immediately, but instead regarded him with a scrutinizing look. His enigmatic eyes had subtly changed compared to before, and contained a hint of coldness.

Pei Xi let him look, his behavior neither servile nor overbearing.

After a while, Pei Yansong spoke solemnly: “Are you unwilling to help your brother? Do you hate him?”

Pei Xi: “I can’t help him.”

Pei Yansong: “Did I teach you too well and praise you too highly, making you forget your responsibilities?”

Pei Xi met his gaze and, for the first time, stated his position on the topic directly: “It is your responsibility to take care of him. It has never been mine.”

“Why isn’t it yours?”

Pei Yansong raised his voice with his usual authoritative oppression: “I gave you the best education, trained you to be a talent, and handed over everything I worked so hard for to you, letting you sit back and enjoy the results. What do you think it was all for?”

“Pei Xi, I put you in a high position and gave you the greatest power. I made you the pillar of this family, and now you’re telling me you have no responsibility. How can you say such a thing?”

Pei Xi was instantly struck dumb. As if coming to a sudden realization, he felt a chill spread quickly from the soles of his feet to the rest of his body.

He stared fixedly at Pei Yansong and struggled to squeeze out in a low, hoarse voice: “What do you mean by that?”

Pei Yansong likely realized that he was asking for help from others and couldn’t communicate with his son in this state.

So he raised a hand and rubbed his nose, taking a brief moment to calm himself. He then spoke again: “You are also very clear on your brother’s situation. His illness may never be cured. He will need someone to take care of him for the rest of his life.”

“Your Auntie Jiang and I will both grow old and pass away one day, and then you two brothers will be each other’s closest relatives in the world. Isn’t it natural for family to take care of each other?”

“Xiao Zhen is young, and doesn’t measure up to you in everything. Even if he wasn’t ill, he never would have been able to manage the company. He can’t inherit anything, and can’t take care of himself like you can.”

“So I did my best to cultivate you, to make you outstanding and formidable. Not only out of trust, but also because you are the hope of this family. You can do well in this position, but your brother can’t. He can only rely on you.”

Pei Yansong never realized what a bad father he was.

He couldn’t reflect on himself, and had no way of empathizing with Pei Xi, whose frozen body felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. His mind was only filled with nauseating, self-righteous principles.

“Since you’ve taken over my position, you must naturally assume my responsibilities and take on the duty of caring for your brother. You and Xiao Zhen are siblings, and there should be no hatred between you, no matter what has happened.”

“I gave you the company, but that doesn’t mean it is all yours. Xiao Zhen needs you, and his shares will slowly be taken away from you in the days ahead.”

*

*

“Ge, why are you alone, ah?”

He Aiyue took advantage of the lively atmosphere in the living room to sneak over to the balcony: “Where’s Pei-ge? Why didn’t you bring him back for dinner?”

“Your Pei-ge will be home tonight.”

He Chuzhou responded to her absent-mindedly. He rested his arms on the balcony, turning his phone over and over in his hands and wondering if he should call and ask about the situation.

He worried that Pei Xi would be bullied when he went back.

But what status did he have?

Pei Xi had gone to reunite with his family, and He Chuzhou was an outsider. No matter how he looked at it, it was inappropriate for him to interfere in the other’s trip home.

What if Pei Xi thought he was sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong again…..

“Ai.” He sighed heavily.

He Aiyue was amused: “What is this? It’s been such a short time since you last saw him, yet you already miss him this much?”

He Chuzhou smiled wryly: “Two hours isn’t long enough?”

“Wow, it’s been two hours! That’s a really long time, ah.” He Aiyue aggrandized the issue: “I could finish a whole set of test papers, my god!”

He Chuzhou boxed her head and told her to go away and stop bothering him.

He Aiyue waved his hand away and refused to leave: “If you’re so reluctant to let him leave, why didn’t you just go with him?”

He Chuzhou gave a self-deprecating snort: “I wanted to, but I have no name or status.”

No name or status?”

He Aiyue’s eyes widened: “So the two of you are still hiding your relationship from Pei-ge’s parents?”

He Chuzhou’s lips curled, and he was about to speak when his cell phone suddenly vibrated.

He Aiyue saw him glance at the ID. His expression immediately changed from listless to joyful, but in the next second, his smile disappeared and his face darkened.

After he hung up the phone, He Aiyue hurriedly asked: “What’s wrong, what’s wrong? What happened?”

He Chuzhou: “I’m going out for a while, and I might not be back tonight. Tell Mom later.”

He Aiyue: “Ah? Where are you going?”

He Chuzhou had already put on his jacket and was walking out in a hurry: “I’m going to pick up your Pei-ge.”

---

[1] Yueliang (月亮) means “Moonlight.” ⮐

---

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Chapter 50 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 52

“……”

He Chuzhou let out a hiss and hastened over to stand in front of Pei Xi. He lowered the brim of Pei Xi’s hat and led him away from the encirclement in a half hug amidst quite a lot of dissatisfaction. 

“Why are they like locusts besieging a city? Terrifying, terrifying.” In the gap between his casual musings, he didn’t forget to comfort Pei Xi: “Those uncles are just gathering in the jellyfish exhibit. It’s okay, let’s go to some other venues first.”

Pei Xi recalled the dark lenses of those cameras aimed at him, still in somewhat of a panic: “Will my ugly photos be seen on social platforms tonight?”

“Absolutely not!”

He Chuzhou said with resolute decisiveness: “I’ll have someone contact the platform company in a moment. As long as your photos are reviewed, they’ll be blocked and not allowed to pass.”

Pei Xi: “…..There’s no need to…..”

He Chuzhou: “But then again, how could you have ugly photos? You could get your picture taken with a landline phone and it would look amazing.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Was it his imagination?

Why did he feel that Mr. He’s love brain was getting more and more serious?

Most of the remaining themed exhibits were about the same, and after leaving the jellyfish exhibit, they didn’t visit any more of them. Estimating that it was nearly time, they found a nearby restaurant for lunch, then went to a performance hall when they were done eating.

The shows in every aquarium were similar, nothing more than jumping through hoops, tossing a ball, and flipping and applauding, which ultimately ended with a visitor interaction.

The adults weren’t interested, but most of the children watched with gusto.

Pei Xi also watched with gusto.

He was watching a marine animal performance for the first time, everything during the performance was very fresh to him.

After the show, the keepers routinely asked if anyone wanted to interact with a baby beluga. Pei Xi was eager to try, but hesitated because he didn’t want to go on stage alone under the eyes of the audience.

As he dithered, the back of his hand was enveloped in warmth.

He Chuzhou took his left hand into his palm and raised his right hand: “Hello, we would like to try.”

Being watched on stage by the envious eyes of children who were unable to try due to their overprotective parents, they stood in front of a guardrail that barely reached their waists, waiting for the keeper’s next instructions.

The keeper wore a microphone, and his voice spread throughout the venue: “Which one of you will be first?”

Pei Xi looked at He Chuzhou, who very consciously took off his camera and gave it to him: “I’ll go first. What do you want me to do?”

The keeper asked Pei Xi to move away first, and then told He Chuzhou to stand still. He fed a few small fish to the beluga whale spinning in the water next to them and made a few professional gestures. At the same time, he told Pei Xi with a smile that they were ready to take pictures.

Very soon, the tail fin of the whale swung and its body reared out of the water. After reaching a certain height, it stretched its mouth forward like a kiss—

A muah landed precisely on He Chuzhou’s neck, causing him to grimace and take a couple steps back.

“……”

“……”

“……”

The keeper: “It missed, it missed, the spectator is too tall. This basically never happens, which caused Xiao Bai to misread the height……pff!”

The keeper couldn’t hold back his laughter, and there was a burst of guffawing in the venue.

Pei Xi looked at the photo, which could be considered a success in a sense. Then he looked up at a certain person who was rubbing his chin with a helpless expression, and also couldn’t help but chuckle.

When they left the performance hall, Pei Xi was still staring at his palms and savoring the feel of the white whale.

Wet, soft, slippery, and tender, like a big piece of jelly, it was so addictive that he couldn’t stop.

There were terrestrial animal displays on both sides of the exit, such as peacocks and foxes. The two walked very slowly, and didn’t completely leave the aquarium until all of the photo paper was used up.

Pei Xi had a lot of fun today. When He Chuzhou asked if he’d enjoyed it, his eyes were bright and he nodded his head harder than usual.

He Chuzhou laughed and asked him: “Are you hungry?”

Pei Xi nodded once more.

He Chuzhou: “Do you want to eat outside or at home?”

Pei Xi: “Outside.”

He didn’t want He Chuzhou to accompany him for a day of wandering and then toil over dinner when they got home.

He thought He Chuzhou would take him to a high-end or private restaurant outside the downtown area like every time before, but was unexpectedly neither.

They came to a famous pedestrian snack street in Wancheng, with bright lights and overflowing fragrances. Looking at it from the entrance, it was bustling and lively.

“Eating Chinese and Western food is getting old. Today, Gege will take you to try something new.”

It was indeed new. Not to mention tasting the foods on the snack street, Pei Xi had never laid eyes on many of them.

In order for him to taste as much delicious food as possible, He Chuzhou bought the minimum amount of each item. He would give Pei Xi a taste and take care of the rest himself.

The two of them ate all the way from the street to the end of the alley. When they were so full that they couldn’t eat any more, they walked hand-in-hand to the nearest subway entrance.

During the trek, He Chuzhou didn’t forget to make a purchase from an old man selling balloons. He paid the money, then turned around and carefully tied the balloon to Pei Xi’s wrist.

Pei Xi tilted his head: “ ? ”

He Chuzhou looked at him and the balloon and nodded approvingly: “When I saw other parents taking their children out to play, they always came back with a balloon like this.”

Pei Xi blinked and said “Oh,” then looked up at the balloon and gave it a tug. It looked like a Pikachu, which was very cute.

Winter was coming soon, and the subway stations had luxuriously turned on their heating. They were isolated from the cold wind once inside, and the temperature was a lot more comfortable.

Evening rush hour had already ended, and there was very little passenger traffic on Line 7 going home, so there were more seats than passengers. Apart from them, the only other people in the carriage were a pair of young girls sitting opposite them.

He Chuzhou happily looked through their photos from today with Pei Xi, the two men pressing their heads together as they discussed which ones looked the best.

“This has to be the one.”

He Chuzhou pointed at a photo taken outside the jellyfish exhibit: “And this one, and this one, and this one…..”

Pei Xi moved his hand aside speechlessly: “You went through almost an entire roll of paper there.”

“As long as they look good.”

He Chuzhou admired the dozen or so identical photos: “Look at the light, the jellyfish, the eyelashes that could strike a match, look at the eyes, the nose, the small mouth and chin, tsk! Perfection.”

Pei Xi didn’t even bother to correct him that jellyfish didn’t have eyelashes, mouths, or chins.

Soon after, He Chuzhou turned to the photo of Pei Xi being frightened by the big white whale and couldn’t hold back his laughter. He picked that one out specifically and said with heartfelt feeling: “This one is the cutest, the absolute cutest.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi silently chose from the pile of photos the one where He Chuzhou’s expression had suddenly changed when he was poked by the white whale, placing it in the other’s hand to cover up his own: “This one is the cutest.”

He Chuzhou confirmed with him: “Really?”

Pei Xi’s lips rose: “Really.”

“Okay.” He Chuzhou took a picture of it with his phone and set it as his WeChat avatar.

Pei Xi’s smile froze. There was a long silence.

In the end, it seemed there was nothing he could use against him. Sighing in resignation, Pei Xi grabbed the ugly photo of himself, took a photo, and uploaded it in one go.

The baffling couple headshots appeared.

He Chuzhou hadn’t expected him to follow suit, and couldn’t help but stare blankly. He lowered his head and clicked on the dialogue box between the two of them. The nonsensical headshots were very symmetrical.

The corners of his mouth stretched wider and wider. Just as he was about to say something, he heard the click of a shutter opposite him.

The two subconsciously looked up. One of the girls sitting across from them hastily put away her cell phone with a look of flustered panic on her face. She had forgotten to put it on mute.

“Sorry, sorry, I was just taking a random photo, it won’t be posted on social forums. If it bothers you, I’ll delete it right away…..”

She apologized repeatedly, unaware that neither of the two parties cared.

The one who looked cold and taciturn ignored her, while the other smiled and waved at her, saying it didn’t matter.

When the next stop arrived, the two girls exited the car as if fleeing.

In her hurry, the one who took the photo didn’t forget to give the two of them a quick “Zhu 99”^[1] before pulling her friend away quickly.

Pei Xi was confused: “Who is Zhu 99? Her online name? Or is it yours?”

He Chuzhou touched his chin: “If my guess is correct, she should have been wishing us a long life together?”

In the glass opposite, he glimpsed Pei Xi’s half-comprehending expression. His eyes curved and he lifted his camera, pointing it toward the glass. With his head tilted slightly, he used the last piece of photo paper to capture the reflection of the two of them sitting side by side.

“Where do you want to go next time?”

He pressed the last photo into Pei Xi’s hand: “How about the amusement park?”

Pei Xi: “Next time?”

“Ah, next time.”

He Chuzhou said: “You were busy studying when you were a child, and busy working when you grew up. There must be many places you haven’t been to.”

“But it’s not a big problem. From now on, I’ll take you wherever you want to go. No matter where Pei Zhen has been, I’ll take you there.”

Pei Xi’s mind went momentarily blank.

When he returned to his senses, he frowned and earnestly tried to explain: “I didn’t want to go to the aquarium because I envied Pei Zhen, I just, just…..”

He couldn’t formulate the words for a moment, and his cheeks suddenly felt hot.

He Chuzhou soothed his face with the backs of his fingers and said in a relaxed tone: “Don’t worry, I understand.”

“I know you don’t envy Pei Zhen. You just feel regretful.”

“Regretful that your life didn’t have a normal trajectory, that there was no one around when you needed companionship the most, and that at the most playful age, you could only stay at home.”

“But it doesn’t matter now.”

He waved the thick stack of photos in his hand in front of Pei Xi, feeling quite proud: “Now that you have me, I’ll make up for everything you haven’t been to, haven’t seen before, and want to try but haven’t yet.”

“Rest assured, just leave it to Xiao He. He’ll be responsible for getting your life back on track. From now on, he’ll accompany you wherever you want to go.”

“En…..but there’s an urgent matter right now that needs your cooperation.”

Pei Xi ignored his disordered breathing and gave him a blank stare: “What matter?”

He Chuzhou: “When we get back, remember to hide these photos. Hide them in a place you would never think of touching.”

Pei Xi: “Why?”

He Chuzhou: “You can treat today as our little secret. Hide them so no one else will find out.”

Pei Xi didn’t understand: “Is this some kind of fun?”

He Chuzhou gave him a thumbs up: “Clever.”

Pei Xi nodded obediently.

He Chuzhou was satisfied. But then something else quickly occurred to him. To ensure nothing went wrong, he specially told Pei Xi: “You must absolutely remember not to write it down.”

Pei Xi was even more confused: “Isn’t it okay to write it in a place where only I can see it?”

He Chuzhou said simply: “No.”

Pei Xi: “But it won’t be discovered.”

He Chuzhou: “It will.”

Pei Xi: “Will someone come to our house?”

“They won’t necessarily come to our house…..”

It was difficult for He Chuzhou to explain that this “person” was Pei Xi himself. After wracking his brains, he came up with an answer that would be hard to verify as true or false: “It’s mainly because I have a friend who can tell fortunes.”

*

*

“Good job, Xingxing! Drink your water well, look how it’s sprinkled on the ground. Are you a husky?”

“We’re going to pick up your sister today. If you behave like this, believe it or not, she’ll think you’re a stupid dog and won’t play with you.”

The sound of a dog being trained could be heard in the bedroom.

Pei Xi stood next to the cabinet by the floor-to-ceiling windows, holding the photos that had originally been placed at the bottom of that cabinet as he turned them over one by one.

From the casual photo taken when they were going out, to the first and second photo in the whale and dolphin exhibit, to the ninth and tenth photos in the shark exhibit……

To the one on the subway that used the last piece of photo paper.

Sunlight entered the room at an oblique angle, and he happened to be standing in the middle of it, his long eyelashes lowered as he looked absently at the two people leaning against each other in the photo.

It turned out there was no need for him to explain anything. He Chuzhou understood it all.

He Chuzhou understood everything.

The sounds of footsteps and shouts came from far away. Pei Xi snapped back to the present and hastily stuffed the photos back into place and closed the drawer.

“Pei Xi, are you ready?”

He Chuzhou pushed the door open and saw him standing by the windows in his pajamas. He raised an eyebrow, and was about to say something, when his gaze happened to meet the other’s slightly reddened ones.

“What’s wrong? Did you not sleep well last night? If not, you can sleep longer and I’ll pick up the cat by myself.”

“No need.” Pei Xi retracted his gaze first and turned toward the closet. Other than a subtle hoarseness, his cold voice was the same as usual: “I’ll change clothes and be ready soon.”

*

*

The veterinary hospital opened very early. When they got there, there were already several newly-arrived furry patients receiving treatment.

Their kitten was housed in a separate cat villa. Its fur was pure white after being cleaned, and its blue eyes seemed particularly friendly when it looked at people.

The veterinarian: “Her wounds have been treated, internal and external worming has been done, today’s medicine has been applied, and everything went fine with the physical examination. Remember to bring it in for a second round of vaccinations in two weeks, and make up for its malnutrition at home during this time.”

He Chuzhou teased the kitten through the door and asked the veterinarian: “Is she a mixed-breed cat? Or does she have some kind of bloodline?”

The veterinarian: “She’s a standard long-haired cat, but of better quality, with a round face and special eye color. She should be very beautiful when she grows up.”

Like an old father whose daughter was praised for being smart and cute, He Chuzhou’s joy was beyond words.

He gave the cat toy to Pei Xi and went to the cashier to pay for a cat bed, cat litter, dry food, canned food, etc. Then he moved everything to the trunk before finally going back for the cat.

When the door opened, he asked Pei Xi if he wanted to carry her.

Pei Xi reached out to touch her. She was smaller than she looked, so fragile that it seemed possible to hurt her with the slightest force.

He hesitated and curled his fingertips, ultimately retracting his hand: “You should do it.”

“Okay, I will.”

He Chuzhou bent down and carefully took the kitten out in his palms: “Why does she have such fluffy fur when she’s so thin?”

“Never mind, it doesn’t matter.” He stroked the kitten’s head and said, even though she couldn’t understand: “I’ve prepared all sorts of delicious food and drinks and fun things for you, and I’ll serve them to you at home.”

“Your mother didn’t want you, but I do. You have a home now, and you don’t have to live in the open anymore. Let your two cat brothers be envious. I’ll take care of you from now on.”

Pei Xi’s gaze flickered from the kitten to He Chuzhou’s face. Suddenly, he asked in a soft voice: “Did you finish yesterday’s work?”

“I finished it.”

He Chuzhou took advantage of his lack of memory to unrepentantly spout bullshit. 

Pei Xi: “Will you be busy later?”

“I’m not sure. Such is the life of the employed.”

He Chuzhou put the kitten into the travel carrier and easily picked it up: “Come on, let’s go home!”

After leaving the animal hospital, he set the carrier in the back seat of the car and clapped his hands, not closing the door right away. He wanted to ask Pei Xi whether he wanted to sit in the passenger seat or with the kitten.

As he turned around, something constricted around his waist.

He had received a hug without any warning.

His first reaction was confusion.

And when he realized that it was the sober Pei Xi who was hugging him, his breathing suddenly cut off and he froze in place.

“W-what’s wrong?”

His Adam’s apple rolled. He tried to keep his voice calm, but couldn’t keep his heart from beating faster.

Pei Xi was hugging him.

Pei Xi took the initiative to hug him?

Pei Xi actually took the initiative to hug him when he wasn’t confused?

Why…..?

Was he dreaming?

Nobody dreamed in broad daylight, right?

“I’m a little dizzy, so I’ll lean on you for a moment,” Pei Xi answered in a low voice. He closed his eyes as He Chuzhou hugged him back. The other was slightly disappointed, but still flattered, and let Pei Xi rest his head on his shoulder.

The throbbing emotions were so strong that they made his head dizzy, and he couldn’t help but hug him.

He Chuzhou, you’re so good.

There’s no way I wouldn’t end up liking you.

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[1] “99” in Chinese sounds like “Jiǔjiǔ” (久久), which means “a long time.” The character 祝, or Zhù, means “to wish.” This is used to wish someone a long and happy relationship. ⮐

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Chapter 49 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 51

The royal tent had become a bit crowded with the arrival of the ministers. But with everyone gathered together, none of them dared say a word as they sensed the tense atmosphere between the Empress Dowager and the Taifei.

Nobody noticed Yuan Jue’s eyes scanning over everyone present before ultimately landing on Liu Zhenqing, who was looking directly at Yao Hua.

“Empress Dowager, are you trying to exonerate Liu Zhenqing by saying this? This minister once heard that before you married into the royal family…..” The minister who came forward spoke in a strange tone, but when Jian Shuang’s cold eyes swept over him, he clammed up in fear.

Yao Hua chuckled faintly: “Since I’ve dared to speak, I’m not afraid of being questioned by you all. Everyone present, except for those with evil intentions, represent three generations of veterans. Do you still remember why you first feared and resented Liu Zhenqing?”

Some of the old ministers exchanged glances when this question was issued. When had they begun to feel that Liu Zhenqing had wicked intentions and could become a domineering minister? After all, he and Huo Feihan had worked hard to save the emperor before. Why had everyone begun to fear that he would wrest away control of the government?

At this moment, everyone recalled the first conflict between Liu Zhenqing and the ministers in court.

Back then, Yuan Jue had just returned and succeeded the throne. He had to observe filial piety and worship Heaven, but had contracted a slight fever. He couldn’t afford to be sick at that juncture.

It was obviously just a cold, but even though there were so many renowned doctors in the capital, they were unable to cure it. Such a strange situation naturally caused rumors to spread.

The government remained in Liu Zhenqing’s hands, and the Three Kings began to think quickly. In order to deal with him, they manipulated public opinion in the court, saying that Liu Zhenqing was deliberately drawing out the young emperor’s illness in order to monopolize power.

Such rumors naturally aroused everyone’s suspicion, and everyone insisted on seeing the young emperor with their own eyes. But Liu Zhenqing deliberately kept him away from everyone, and the court became increasingly dissatisfied.

At the same time, rumors were circulating among the common people that the young emperor was dying, and that he had contracted the illness due to praying all night for their troubled nation. At that time, various locations were experiencing famine, and the common people were anxious. The news spread like wildfire, and everyone was deeply moved.

Just when the situation was becoming increasingly difficult, Yuan Jue suddenly recovered. It was as if his illness had been cured overnight, and the various disasters slowed down accordingly. The situation was excellent, and folk rumors said that the return of the true dragon had changed the luck of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Although things ended well, everyone had been fearful of Liu Zhenqing at that time and felt that he had complete control over the life or death of the young emperor, which was alarming.

Yao Hua looked around and sneered: “In fact, the emperor had been cured by the medical fairy Li Xingruo and was hiding in the palace, waiting for the right opportunity.”

In an instant, many ministers raised their heads to stare at Yao Hua with disbelief in their eyes.

Yao Hua was the Empress Dowager. Since she was saying this now in front of the Taifei, the emperor, and the rest of them, it was naturally impossible for her to be making it up.

Then, the truth was that…..

“The people of the Great Zhou Dynasty were worried about the emperor, who had been held hostage outside. In order to stabilize the peoples’ hearts for the emperor, quickly stabilize the throne, and prevent the Three Kings from acting rashly, the quickest way was to rely on destiny. And this so-called destiny was Liu Zhenqing’s doing. When the disaster situations changed along with the emperor’s recovery, this was attributed to the emperor’s destiny, so that everyone in the country would believe in him. Liu Zhenqing stood up to all of your suspicions and pressure for this purpose, but this became the beginning of your fear of him.”

If such a perception hadn’t begun here, everything Liu Zhenqing did later on wouldn’t have come under suspicion from the outset.

There were some veterans present who still remembered that scene, and their expressions went slack. They seemed to behold the slightly green Liu Zhenqing from back then, his face livid as he gritted his teeth under the attacks of the ministers.

Yao Hua closed her eyes and, one by one, began to list the crimes that had put Liu Zhenqing’s name on the sinner’s column, questioning the relevant officials present on each of them. Seeing that they didn’t dare to make a sound, Yao Hua spoke with increasing straightforwardness.

In fact, those matters were ones Liu Zhenqing had encountered when he went south, and were also the truths that Bai Su had sorted out over the past few days. All of the ministers present had more or less heard of them, but none had dared to face them head-on. They only sent people to suppress Bai Su either overtly or covertly, unaware that the Empress Dowager was actually supporting Bai Su’s investigation behind the scenes.

“Hahaha.” Jian Shuang suddenly laughed. Everyone was taken aback by the sound, and didn’t dare to speak up. It turns out that Jiejie has always wanted to clear his name, and has long been dissatisfied with me because of it? Jiejie has been putting on an act in front of me and hiding it from me? So…..Zheng Wei betrayed me and followed you?”

Liu Zhenqing, who had been listening in a daze, abruptly returned to his senses. Many things may not have been written into Bai Su’s book, but Qin Yu knew about them. So it was Qin Yu who informed Zheng Wei, and Zheng Wei was working for Yao Hua, so Yao Hua was the one who had secretly sent someone to inform Huo Fenglie and help him avoid danger.

Zheng Wei should have been working for the Taifei on the surface, but secretly taking orders from Yao Hua. Since that was the situation, Qin Yu still chose to follow his adoptive father once he found out the truth, because his adoptive father had indeed not betrayed the emperor.

Liu Zhenqing gradually understood, and looked at Yao Hua incredulously.

Yao Hua regarded Jian Shuang with an indifferent expression. She had been waiting for this day for a long, long time: “Shuang’er, do you understand what I just said?”

The sound of ‘Shuang’er’ put a startled expression on Jain Shuang’s face. “Jiejie, what do you want me to understand? Isn’t it that I guided public opinion and added fuel to the fire to turn Liu Zhenqing into a treacherous official? But Jiejie, you’re really too simple. Do you think I was the only one behind this? Could I really slander the Imperial Preceptor and Prime Minister on my own? 

Jian Shuang sneered at the emperor on the couch, and said instead of continuing: “Although everyone slandered him for their own benefit, even if those things Liu Zhenqing did are explained clearly and people regard him as a loyal minister a hundred years later, will they feel the same way now? Since he took office, his punishments were severe and the people feared him, which was not something I was able to guide.”

Yao Hua looked at Jian Shuang calmly: “I won’t demand that the common people praise him. I just want everyone to know the truth. If even one person can clearly understand how hard he worked, it is enough that other peoples’ evaluations are not blinded by false appearances. This is what he deserves.”

Jian Shuang shook her head and swept a slender finger aover the crowd, saying: “Jiejie really treats them as mediocre people. Even if they were stupid, they could still see the results of one or two of Liu Zhenqing’s designs when he was in power, but why did they go with the flow and blame Liu Zhenqing together? 

Those who fell under her finger couldn’t help but lower their heads in apparent guilt.

“Taking control of the golden seal of the regent on behalf of the late emperor, assisting the young emperor prior to him taking power – with absolute power over his life and death, even a change of regime would not have been a difficult task. The officials feared that he would become too powerful to control, and wished to replace his influence with a cabinet. This mighty action was able to be forcibly suppressed by Liu Zhenqing. Who wouldn’t cower before such absolute power? Who wouldn’t be afraid?”

“I will even admit now that when I assisted Liu Zhenqing, I was aware of his intentions and knew that he was deliberately pretending to be a domineering minister. As a loyal official, one must put the emperor first, and too many worries will only lead to chaos. Only if he was a treacherous official and domineering minister, and had cleared all obstacles, could he retire successfully. But in the eyes of others, this was regarded as persecuting good and loyal men, covering the sky with one hand and manipulating the young emperor as a puppet. If such a person had a change of heart, he would bring eternal damnation to everyone. And who could guarantee that he wouldn’t change? Thus, guarding against a treacherous official could make people feel at ease.”

Yao Hua said coldly: “Back then, the Three Kings were in chaos and the court officials lacked stability. Only by making those people think that the emperor was weak and that their greatest enemy was him was he able to act as a check and balance so that the enemy wouldn’t kill the emperor. Instead, they would sincerely pray for the emperor to live a hundred years. The emperor encountered nearly no assassination attempts in those years, but Liu Zhenqing was injured and poisoned numerous times. That last year, if Li Xingruo hadn’t kept him alive, he would have long been dead. Don’t you understand that? How could such a person have a change of heart?”

Jian Shuang’s eyes narrowed slightly: “Jiejie underestimates him. Ambitious people will fight for their life even if they only have one day to live.”

“He wanted to leave.” Yao Hua’s voice suddenly became a bit unsteady, and her eyes even reddened. “Didn’t he tell us that he was leaving? Once the emperor took power, he was going to go. He had even chosen a place to recuperate and retire.”

Yao Hua was a little unsteady on her feet. Unable to calm her emotions, she looked at everyone: “Didn’t you see everything when you searched his home? He had no allies, no property. He gave everything to Great Zhou. At that time, all of his accomplices had been sent away, because by then, the situation had been decided and he intended to leave.”

Liu Zhenqing’s heart trembled, and his breathing grew a little rapid.

Jian Shuang seemed to become agitated when she heard this. She scoffed: “Is that so? Then just consider him unlucky.”

It seemed Jiang Shuang no longer had the patience to waste her time on a dead person. She approached Yao Hua and pressed her down to sit, saying: “Jiejie, if you really want to clear his name, wait until King Jing ascends the throne. Don’t worry, I will make all of Jiejie’s wishes a reality.”

Jian Shuang thought that Yao Hua was opposing her only because of Liu Zhenqing, which wasn’t a big deal.

There was no time to waste now. It was unknown how long Huo Fenglie could be delayed, and everyone must first recognize King Jing’s qualifications.

She directly got back to the point: “Everyone, the edict is here. What else is there to say? The envoys are here now and the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. If the envoys were to discover this situation, it would not go well for our Great Zhou. Everyone, think carefully.”

When Jian Shuang coldly pressured them to make a choice, some ministers finally wavered.

Some of them wouldn’t agree and wanted the emperor to be treated, some stood forward and directly pointed out that King Jing had rebelled, and some insisted on waiting for Huo Fenglie to arrive.

Jian Shuang watched with some satisfaction as two thirds of them came under her command, and scoffed coldly.

“Your Highness King Jing, kneel and accept the edict.”

King Jing had always been well-behaved, but upon hearing this, he excitedly knelt before Jian Shuang with his hands raised high.

“Empress Dowager, please say something, ah!” Some older officials began to plead with the Empress Dowager for justice. They didn’t understand how she could be so calm, only caring about Liu Zhenqing from beginning to end with no thought for anything else.

Yao Hua looked toward Jian Shuang, who said: “Jiejie, don’t stop me. You know that everything I’m doing is for your own good.”

Yao Hua smiled bitterly and said: “You don’t know what good is. I’ll ask you one more time – do you really want to do this?”

Jian Shuang was extremely intelligent, and couldn’t help but frown when she heard this. But now that things had come to this point, she had no way out. “King Jing will succeed the throne, and Jiejie will still be the Empress Dowager. Please don’t make things difficult for me, I’m also just obeying the edict.”

Yao Hua smiled: “How dare I make things difficult for you? When he was at the height of his power, you were able to take advantage of Bai Yu and Liu Qiao’s absence to get rid of the other guards around him, create chaos in the court, and trick King Zhao into perishing with him together. How could I dare?”

Jian Shuang was stunned. She finally realized that the reason Yao Hua was willing to oppose her to such an extent was not just because of Liu Zhenqing’s reputation.

And Liu Zhenqing also looked over in surprise. He had thought it was happenstance, never suspecting that it had been arranged by Jian Shuang. After all, he was exhausted back then and couldn’t afford to divert attention to being suspicious of everyone around him. He still had power at that time and just wanted to prepare for his retirement.

Yao Hua had found out about it when she slowly investigated later on. She hadn’t expected Liu Zhenqing’s death to be connected to Jian Shuang, and was horrified that her most trusted sister had done such a thing. With her weak abilities, she could only concentrate on making arrangements and testing Jian Shuang’s strength bit by bit until an even more terrifying fact surfaced: Jian Shuang was planning a rebellion.

How could the dynasty protected by the crown prince, Liu Zhenqing, and Huo Feihan be destroyed? Yao Hua was the current Empress Dowager, and could not allow such a thing to happen.

Her actions were discovered by Zheng Wei, and the two joined forces to secretly collect evidence and make plans based on Jian Shuang’s movements. And while defending against the rebellion, they also collected evidence to clear Liu Zhenqing’s name.

Liu Zhenqing also understood that Yao Hua had been secretly planning to not only expose Jian Shuang and the forces in her hands, but also to…..clear his name, which was why she had never told Yuan Jue.

Just as Liu Zhenqing was feeling melancholy, he heard Jian Shuang laugh: “You think I killed him?”

Yao Hua was taken aback, and Liu Zhenqing’s expression shifted slightly.

Jian Shuang could only shake her head. “Forget it,” she said. “We’ll speak of this later.”

Having said this, Jian Shuang stopped talking nonsense and turned to read out the Imperial edict.

And at this moment, a hand reached out from behind and placed the cold blade of a dagger against Jian Shuang’s neck.

Due to the flock of ministers and Yuan Jue’s poisoning, the old man had retreated to the edge.

No matter how fast he was, there was no way the old man could get past Yuan Jue where he was lying behind Jian Shuang, and he could only move closer to him.

“This dagger of mine is poisoned.” Yuan Jue’s words caused the old man to stop in his tracks, eyes wide.

Then, dozens of secret guards rushed in.

When the Huo Family troops outside saw the situation, they rushed in too, and in an instant, the entire situation was reversed.

And at this time, all of the ministers present were dumbfounded. Even King Jing was so frightened when he saw Yuan Jue jump up to hold Jian Shuang hostage that he fell back onto his ass.

Yuan Jue didn’t even spare him a look, and just calmly issued orders. The old man seized the opportunity to save Jian Shuang, but he was besieged by the secret guards and beaten out of the royal tent. With King Jing restrained and Jian Shuang also under the watch of secret guards, someone came to report that the old man had died outside, and that the various assassins arranged by Jian Shuang hiding in the dark had also been killed by Yuan Jue’s men one after another. Now, Jian Shuang no longer had any underlings.

Jian Shuang’s expression didn’t change much from beginning to end, perhaps because she had anticipated that such a risky endeavor would be a mixed bag of success and failure.

She even tossed aside the so-called edict, because according to Yuan Jue’s character, there was no point in arguing over such a superficial thing. If she lost, she lost. She could accept that.

Yuan Jue’s cold gaze swept over the ministers present, and he ordered the eunuch attendant to deal with them well. He knew better than anyone what treatment each person should receive. It was only then that everyone realized the Imperial Physician was also Yuan Jue’s man. Everything had been a setup from the beginning.

Some officials burst into tears on the spot, accusing Jian Shuang of blackmailing them and saying they had no choice but to obey her. After all, Jian Shuang was the best at controlling people’s weaknesses, and most of the people following her had actually been coerced.

But Yuan Jue had no interest in listening to them at all. With a wave of his hand, he commanded everyone to leave.

The royal tent became empty, and Yuan Jue directly ordered the camp to be moved back to the palace overnight.

As for Jian Shuang, Yuan Jue still arranged for a carriage to take her back.

Jian Shuang had nothing to say about this. She turned and asked: “Jiejie, will you come see me later?”

Yao Hua stared at her, then nodded.

Jian Shuang smiled slightly and said: “That’s great.”

Once Jian Shuang left, Yuan Jue looked at Yao Hua: “Many thanks, Empress Dowager.”

Yao Hua’s face seemed to be missing half of her original emotion: “Your Majesty, you heard everything I said just now, right?”

Yuan Jue’s smile remained unchanged: “You risked waiting until this moment to speak in front of everyone. You didn’t count on me to be the only one to hear it.”

“I know you might not do anything even after hearing all this. I don’t know what kind of friendship you had with Liu Zhenqing, but I did what I should have done. I supported the book compiled by Bai Su and arranged for people to spread it around. You won’t be able to stop it. I want to let the world know who Liu Zhenqing really was. I want to erase his name from that pillar.”

The purpose of saying everything in front of all the ministers was to make the matter known in a way that couldn’t be covered up.

Yuan Jue smiled faintly and said: “I will follow the Empress Dowager’s teachings. Rest at ease. I will do it.”

Yao Hua was stunned by Yuan Jue’s reaction, and thought that perhaps Yuan Jue still cared about the master-disciple relationship. Her last layer of defense seemed to have been removed, and she felt empty inside.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, she noticed Liu Zhenqing in the corner.

Yao Hua stared for a moment. Just as she was about to speak, Yuan Jue took a step forward and blocked her line of sight.

“He…..”

“Zhanyuan has yet to return. I fear he has encountered trouble. It isn’t safe here, and he is the most important person to Zhanyuan. I’ll take him back to the palace first.”

When Liu Zhenqing heard this, he looked up at Yuan Jue’s back.

But he just said: “Your Highness, Yunci and Yunqian are still at your camp. Please ensure their safety.”

Yao Hua froze, then left with a nod.

Even at this moment, Yuan Jue didn’t look at Liu Zhenqing. He just handed him over to a secret guard and said: “Escort Young Master Liu back to the palace.”

This secret guard was Yuan Jue’s most trusted captain, and was somewhat taken aback to hear this. He responded automatically, but upon looking up, he found a strange expression on his master’s face.

Was it elation or fury? The secret guard couldn’t tell, but once Yuan Jue left, he said to Liu Zhenqing: “Please.”

Liu Zhenqing silently followed.

Just after leaving the tent, he looked around and saw that Mo Qi and Mo Yu were gone. He was unfamiliar with the other Huo Family soldiers, and was unable to convey a message to them. He could only resign himself and continue to walk.

He accidentally stumbled, but was supported by a young man.

“Young Master Liu, be careful.”

Looking up, Liu Zhenqing found that he was the young official who had asked, “Did Liu Zhenqing know about this Imperial edict?” He seemed to be the next prime minister.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but smile bitterly. It turned out that Yuan Jue had suspected he knew about the edict, so he arranged for this person to ask questions. No wonder he had spoken up so abruptly.

This person was very unassuming. He stabilized Liu Zhenqing and bowed, saying farewell.

Liu Zhenqing sat in a carriage, closely watched by secret guards. All he could do was close his eyes and rest.

More than half the people camping left one after another, and the envoys were inexplicably woken up and transferred in the middle of the night. Amongst the chaos, nobody noticed that there were fewer people on the Kingdom of Xiheng’s side.

And when Yao Hua returned to her tent, she found that the two little troublemakers were nowhere to be seen. They had left a note, saying that they were going to look for Huo Fenglie. Yao Hua didn’t panic, because she knew that Jian Shuang had arranged for Zheng Wei to spring the trap. Since the performance was already finished, he would naturally return safely. Thus, Yao Hua arranged for people to find Huo Fenglie and notify him.

She didn’t care much about other matters, and simply thought in silence.

And at this time, Zheng Wei had already helped the injured Qin Yu into hiding.

“Zhanyuan…..”

“Don’t worry, he was rescued by a top martial arts master, and the Huo Family Army has also sent reinforcements. Those people have retreated as well. It’s just strange…..”

“What is it? Yifu?”

“There is something I don’t understand. Zichuan, can you go on alone? I must hurry back to the palace.”

“I’m fine, Yifu. Go!”

Seeing that Qin Yu would be able to manage, Zheng Wei left. Not long after his departure, Qin Yu was picked up by He Lan, who had come after hearing the news.

When He Lan saw him in black clothes and holding a bow, his expression was extremely ugly. Just as he was about to question him, Qin Yu saw that it was him and passed out in relief.

He Lan could only take this person away with a gloomy face.

On the other side, the young official who had just assisted Liu Zhenqing was the last to leave. As he was gazing at the moon, he saw two people descend. One of them was somewhat disheveled, and radiated hostility from head to foot.

The minister said calmly and frankly: “He has been taken away by His Majesty under the protection of secret guards.”

The two figures vanished in an instant.

The young minister sighed. Serving the emperor was like serving a tiger. As subjects, they served the ruler, the country, and the people, and even if they sometimes went against the ruler, they should remain firm in their inner choices.

Some of what the Taifei had said was incorrect.

There were certainly people in the world who recognized Prime Minister Liu’s painstaking efforts, as well as those who took him as an example as they quietly did their work. It was just that most of them didn’t reveal these things to others.

. . . . . .

Inside the palace, Liu Zhenqing was placed in the main hall, while Jian Shuang was imprisoned in the hall next door. Light coughing could be heard, and Liu Zhenqing was able to see her through a window. But Yuan Jue did not appear.

Soon after, Yao Hua arrived and placed a cloak on Jian Shuang.

“Jie…..”

“Why did you treat Liu Zhenqing like that? I want to know the reason.”

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Chapter 140 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 142

T/N: Thank you so much for the Kofi donation, Cocole! Here’s two chapters for you!

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On the first hunting day, Liu Zhenqing almost always followed the twins while Liu Qiao guarded them from the shadows. It was warm and peaceful, as if yesterday’s rebellion hadn’t happened at all.

Huo Fenglie led some Huo Family troops to patrol the surrounding area and ensure nothing would go wrong. Even though the hunting location was in the wild, whether it was a steep mountain cliff or a well-developed river channel, he would eliminate external risks as much as possible.

Liu Zhenqing watched the sunset, then called the two children back and took them to the camp for a barbecue. Liu Qiao had secretly caught fish for Liu Zhenqing, then hid back in the darkness.

The aroma of roasting meat was fragrant, and attracted unwanted guests.

“Wow, it smells so good, ah.”  Li Jinshu strolled over.

Liu Zhenqing was actually a little impatient to get rid of Li Jinshu. Because of Huo Fenglie, he no longer had any psychological pain regarding the past, but he still wasn’t thrilled to see him.

Naturally, the two children weren’t thrilled to see him either.

“Prince Li must be hungry. There should be an Imperial chef over there in the square preparing roasted meat for the guests. Prince Li should go get some right away.”

But Li Jinshu was thick-skinned, and directly said that he wanted to eat here.

“That won’t be possible,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

“Oh? Young Master Liu is so stingy,” Li Jinshu said.

“It’s not that I’m stingy, but that my general is the jealous sort. He said that from now on, the food made by my hands can only be given to him and his family. If he knew I was roasting meat for the prince to eat, he would definitely be angry with me,” Liu Zhenqing bullshitted.

When the two children heard this, the corners of their mouths twitched. When had their second uncle said that, ah? But they still had to present a united front, so they kept nodding their heads to certify that their second uncle had said this.

The smile on Li Jinshu’s face showed no signs of fading, and instead grew brighter.

“Young Master Liu is such an interesting person. It’s really like we’re old friends at first sight, likely because I have a natural affinity with your Liu family. If you are interested in visiting our Kingdom of Xiheng in the future, I will certainly provide you with warm hospitality.”

Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “Then I’ll really have let Prince Li down. As the future general’s wife, I certainly can’t leave Great Zhou casually.”

Li Jinshu regarded Liu Zhenqing with a half-smile and said: “Don’t worry, there will be a chance.”

Liu Zhenqing felt that there was deeper meaning in Li Jinshu’s words. He was probably overly ambitious, and had dreams of one day annexing Great Zhou or defeating Huo Fenglie.

Liu Zhenqing was perfunctory with him, and Li Jinshu didn’t linger.

After a while, Huo Fenglie took the time to return and listen to the dragon and phoenix twins chatter about what had just happened.

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing with a furrowed brow. He felt that Li Jinshu was paying too much attention to Liu Zhenqing. But Li Jinshu was entirely unaware that he was the real thing, so there was no possibility of him recognizing him. Could it really be that Liu Zhenqing’s character and behavior had aroused Li Jinshu’s interest?

“I’ll send another team to protect you,” Huo Fenglie said.

Liu Zhenqing wanted to refuse, but upon seeing Huo Fenglie’s earnest expression, he couldn’t refuse his good intentions.

Huo Fenglie picked up the grilled fish and began to remove the bones. It was clear that all of his rest time had been spent catching fish for Liu Zhenqing, but Liu Zhenqing didn’t object, and held up a speared piece of fish for Huo Fenglie to eat.

The two of them fed each other like this, and the two children couldn’t bear the sight of it.

As a result, they heard their second uncle tentatively ask Liu Zhenqing if Li Jinshu had eaten his roast meat just now. Liu Zhenqing was all smiles, and simply gave him more food.

It was actually true? How appalling.

When Huo Fenglie was about to leave, he happened to cross paths with two palace ladies who had come to deliver a message. At a glance, Huo Fenglie recognized one of them as belonging to the Empress Dowager. He immediately stopped walking and looked back.

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t very surprised at Yao Hua’s invitation for him and the children to come over. It felt like the Empress Dowager was just taking care of the military leader’s family. But seeing Huo Fenglie’s hesitant expression in the distance, he was inexplicably amused.

Why was Er-gou still jealous of Yao Hua? It was obvious that he and Yao Hua had never even had an affair, not to mention that he had regarded Crown Prince Jingyang as an older brother and Yao Hua as a sister-in-law. He didn’t know why Er-gou was so uneasy.

Liu Zhenqing waved at Huo Fenglie, indicating for him to go about his business. Then he took the dragon and phoenix twins to tidy up before heading to Yao Hua’s camp.

Yao Hua still wore the same amiable face as she asked about the twins and took care of Liu Zhenqing, but as she kept them chatting and laughing at her camp, Jian Shuang was nowhere to be seen.

The straightforward Huo Yunci inquired about her directly.

The smile on Yao Hua’s face was a bit unnatural: “She’s feeling unwell and is resting in her tent.”

“If the Taifei is feeling unwell, shouldn’t she stay in the palace? Why did she travel so roughly to get here?” Huo Yunci said doubtfully.

Yao Hua smiled and said: “I also tried to dissuade her, but she…..didn’t listen. There may be a reason why she came. By the way, there are also fireworks at night, and the best view is here with me. Don’t go back for now, stay and watch the fireworks first.”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes darkened slightly when he heard this. This was a disguised attempt to keep them here, for protection or for…..

They had never been able to discover who was standing behind King Jing. Liu Zhenqing selfishly hoped it wasn’t Yao Hua. They were friends, after all, but Yao Hua wasn’t completely ignorant at the moment.

He silently took a sip of tea. In fact, no matter how the situation turned out, there would basically be no personal safety issues for them as members of the Huo family. After all, whoever became emperor would have to rely on Huo Fenglie to guard the country, whether they liked it or not.

Unless Huo Fenglie threatened the emperor’s safety. But everyone knew that the Huo family was absolutely loyal to the emperor, and with Huo Fenglie’s temperament, no one would believe that he would seek power to rival the emperor, nor wrest away control of the throne, ah. Thus, when it came to being implicated or imperiled, their safety was basically guaranteed.

But by the looks of the current situation, it wasn’t going to be a peaceful night.

Liu Zhenqing decided to wait and see.

The Empress Dowager’s tent was very large, with a border around the area outside. The twins grew tired of staying inside and went out to play. Liu Zhenqing went to follow them, but was stopped by Yao Hua.

“I heard that yesterday, you informed General Hua in time for him to save the emperor. Thank you so much.”

“It’s what this one should have done,” said Liu Zhenqing.

“The emperor will grant you a marriage soon. You can be considered a golden match. Don’t worry about the rumors in the outside world, just live your own life,” Yao Hua said.

“Many thanks, Your Highness,” Liu Zhenqing said respectfully. When he looked up again, he found Yao Hua staring at him in silence, seemingly in a trance. “Your Highness?”

Yao Hua regained her senses and said helplessly: “The two of you really look alike.”

“Do you know who I’m talking about?” Yao Hua asked.

Liu Zhenqing nodded.

Yao Hua smiled: “You don’t dare mention his name either.”

Liu Zhenqing hid his awkwardness and kept smiling.

“Do you…..think he was a bad person?”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback. He considered the question, then said: “There are no absolute good or evil people. For example, General Huo is a good person in the hearts of the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but a bad person in the hearts of Xiheng’s people.”

Yao Hua was surprised by his use of this analogy. She said with a smile: “You’re especially similar to him in this way, like you’re always able to stand on the outside to observe and evaluate.”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t comment. It didn’t seem right to say more.

Yao Hua suddenly said: “But in my heart, he was a good person. He truly didn’t act on his own behalf, but rather on behalf of the nation’s people. It’s a pity that not only do good people not live long, they also…..”

Yao Hua paused mid-sentence. “But I believe that right and wrong will come to light one day.”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but frown upon hearing this, and a strange thought flashed through his mind. At this moment, a eunuch suddenly arrived at the camp and reported that the emperor had summoned him.

Liu Zhenqing was puzzled, but Yao Hua’s expression changed. She asked: “What does the emperor want with Young Master Liu?”

The eunuch’s reaction was normal as he said: “He has invited Young Master Liu to play chess and discuss his future marriage.”

“He wants to discuss it with me?”

If the emperor wanted to discuss it, shouldn’t he go to Huo Fenglie? How could Liu Zhenqing have the status to discuss it with the emperor, or to even play chess with him? He shouldn’t be considered a talent.

The eunuch smiled and said: “Yes, ah. Young Master Liu should hurry, the emperor is waiting.”

Although Yao Hua wanted to stop him, she couldn’t find a suitable excuse. She ultimately said: “This one is also interested. How about we go together?”

In the end, Yao Hua and Liu Zhenqing indeed went together while the twins stayed in the Empress Dowager’s camp. Liu Zhenqing naturally left their Huo family army there to guard them.

But when Liu Zhenqing arrived at the royal tent, he found that the main force of the Huo Family Army was guarding the royal family. Among the surrounding guards were Huo Fenglie’s right-hand men, Mo Qi and Mo Yu.

They were here to protect the emperor with the greatest strength and to guard against outside assassins. After all, an attempted assassination had just occurred. This action was reasonable, but Liu Zhenqing felt a sense of uneasiness the moment he was about to step into the camp.

This kind of intuition that grasped his heart allowed Liu Zhenqing to instinctually predict a crisis.

He was uneasy, truly, uneasy, as if he knew something was about to happen – not to him, but to Er-gou.

Everything was peaceful when they entered the tent. Only the emperor and a serving eunuch were inside, and a chess board had been set up. Yuan Jue was unsurprised to see Yao Hua coming with him. After all, he had sent someone to Yao Hua to request this person.

“Why is the Empress Dowager here as well?”

“I heard that the two of you were going to discuss the marriage. This is a big, happy event, so this one also came to join in the fun,” Yao Hua said with a smile.

Yuan Jue smiled and invited Liu Zhenqing to sit down and play chess.

Liu Zhenqing cupped his hands and said: “This one is truly unskilled at the game, and fears ruining Your Majesty’s refined tastes.”

“No matter. It’s mainly for casual chitchat. This emperor is in a poor mood and wishes to pass the time.”

If he was in a bad mood, it was naturally due to the rebels, so why did he want to pass time with him?

Liu Zhenqing had to think deeply about Yuan Jue’s behavior. After all, ever since this person was eighteen years old, he would be scheming every time Liu Zhenqing looked away.

It was naturally impossible for Liu Zhenqing to expose his flaws, so he would just play. It wasn’t difficult for him to pretend to be an ignorant new chess player.

According to Yuan Jue’s capabilities, he could defeat Liu Zhenqing within a stick of incense time. But Yuan Jue seemed to be slowly playing around him, never blocking him on the board.

As he said, his attention was not on the chessboard, but on the discussion of marriage.

“Zhanyuan and I are like brothers. I used to think he would never marry, and never expected that you would come into the picture. Young Master Liu must have some extraordinary qualities.”

Yao Hua smiled and said: “Your Majesty is curious about why Zhanyuan likes Young Master Liu?”

Just as Liu Zhenqing was about to speak, he heard Yuan Jue say: “No, I’m more curious about why Young Master Liu chose Zhanyuan. After all, my Imperial edict cannot be withdrawn once it is issued.”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback, and  looked up to see Yuan Jue regarding him seriously. Inwardly suspicious, Liu Zhenqing still said: “Your Majesty, this one has been obsessed with General Huo from the beginning. Everyone in the capital is aware of this.”

“Didn’t you lose your memory?” Yuan Jue said with a smile. “When you lost your memory, you didn’t remember him or know you liked him.”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed slightly. “When something happened at home later, I went to the general for help and my heart was moved again.”

Yao Hua laughed and said: “This was probably fate. Things that are destined to happen will eventually come to pass. But has Young Master Liu not recovered his memory yet?”

“I’ve recovered a little, but not much,” Liu Zhenqing said vaguely. “Sister-in-law says I’ll recover slowly.”

He was naturally referring to Li Xingruo.

Yao Hua was quite pleased to see that they had a good relationship, but Yuan Jue’s eyes were unmoved. Black stones fell to completely encircle the white ones, and the game was decided.

“Your Majesty wins,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

In fact, Yuan Jue had never beaten Liu Zhenqing in chess before. When he was a child, he would get angry and sulk, saying that Liu Zhenqing wouldn’t let him win even though he was the emperor. But when he got older, he gradually became silent. He would only ask Liu Zhenqing to help him review the game, saying that he would win against him the next time.

The last time he played chess with him was during the initial chaos of the Three Kings Rebellion.

They didn’t finish that round, and put it aside for the time being, but then the chance to finish it was lost.

“Of course I won.” Yuan Jue dropped the piece in his hand and smiled, his words wildly arrogant. Liu Zhenqing’s heart trembled slightly.

At this moment, someone came to report that the Taifei was there to see the Empress Dowager.

Yao Hua stiffened. Yuan Jue turned his head slightly to glance at her and murmured, unsmiling: “It turns out to be the Taifei.”

“It seems the Taifei is in good health.”

“This emperor can finally rest assured.”

With that said, the Taifei was asked to come in.

Following Jian Shuang was a eunuch with his head lowered. The atmosphere in the tent seemed to condense, as if everyone was quietly waiting for something.

Jian Shuang sent Yao Hua a slightly startled glance: “Jiejie is here too.”

Yao Hua looked up at her with a blank expression. Jian Shuang avoided her eyes.

Naturally, Jian Shuang paid no heed to Liu Zhenqing’s presence.

“Your Majesty, I have something to say.”

Yuan Jue smiled. He went to stand up, but suddenly, his body became unsteady and he collapsed to the ground. At this sudden change of events, the eunuch attendant opened his mouth to shout. As a result, before he could make a sound, a bloody gash appeared in his throat and he breathed his last.

The one responsible was the eunuch following Jian Shuang.

Yao Hua stood at once, and was held hostage by the eunuch. But with a look from Jian Shuang, the eunuch released her, then walked over to the emperor and picked him up with one hand, throwing him onto the couch.

He then turned to kill the eunuch attendant and Liu Zhenqing, who had originally been with the emperor.

Jiang Shuang said: “Don’t touch them. One will serve the future emperor and one will control General Huo, so they mustn’t be touched. Be silent, step aside, and don’t move!”

Liu Zhenqing recognized the eunuch the moment he saw him. It was the old man who’d ambushed them during the first case, the former number one assassin.

The instant Liu Zhenqing came to this conclusion, he was abruptly dragged toward the edge of the tent by the eunuch attendant, as if to protect him.

“You…..poisoned me?” Yuan Jue wore a look of disbelief.

Jian Shuang turned toward Yao Hua: “Did Jiejie touch the chess pieces?”

Yao Hua just looked at Jian Shuang silently and said nothing.

“It’s good that you didn’t touch them. Jiejie, sit down and don’t talk. Otherwise, I don’t know what my men will do to the emperor,” Jian Shuang said.

These words stunned Yao Hua and Liu Zhenqing.

Yao Hua hadn’t touched the chess pieces, but Liu Zhenqing had.

Yao Hua looked at her without responding. As she was being held down by the eunuch attendant, pretending to be immobile like Yuan Jue, she seemed to understand something.

Liu Zhenqing also understood. He glanced at Yuan Jue on the couch, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

So Yuan Jue was luring the snake out of its hole? Why on earth would he take such a risk? And why have Liu Zhenqing come here?

Just as he was thinking, he saw Jian Shuang take a seat on the couch. Yuan Jue seemed to try to shout something, but he was gradually unable to make a sound. It was even difficult for him to raise his head.

In the end, he could only utter one word: “Why?”

Jian Shuang said: “Your Majesty, don’t look at me like that. I’m obeying the Imperial edict of the late emperor.”

Liu Zhenqing stared blankly. A posthumous edict? What edict? Where had it come from?

When he looked at Yao Hua, she didn’t seem surprised.

Jian Shuang directly told the old man to pretend to be a eunuch and ask the Imperial Physician to come.

At this time, the hesitant voices of several ministers sounded outside. 

Jian Shuang told the old man to let them in.

So far, everyone was either a member of the royal family or a minister, so the guards outside didn’t notice anything wrong at all.

The ministers who entered were almost all veterans, many of whom were influential. Some possessed real power, while others only possessed prestige. When they came in, they all looked around covertly, as if trying to clearly understand the situation.

When they saw the emperor lying down, the Empress Dowager sitting to the side, and the Taifei sitting next to the emperor, they all came to a conclusion and breathed sighs of relief.

Liu Zhenqing silently observed. They all looked uneasy, and he knew in his heart that these were all members of the enemy force in the capital.

One came forward and said disingenuously: “What is wrong with His Majesty? This minister wants to help.”

“The emperor suddenly collapsed and cannot speak or move. A physician has been summoned.”

Just as they were speaking, the head of the Imperial Hospital walked inside quickly, a layer of cold sweat on his forehead. He didn’t appear as calm as those ministers, so he must have been threatened by the Taifei.

However…..

Liu Zhenqing waited to see what would happen. The Imperial Physican took the emperor’s pulse and said in a trembling voice: “This sudden illness is a blockage in the brain, and cannot be cured for the time being. Recovery may take several years, Your Highness…..”

The Imperial Physician knelt down as he spoke, as if helpless.

But his diagnosis immediately aroused discussion amongst everyone. After all, the country couldn’t exist without its ruler for one day.

But Liu Zhenqing’s heart became clear.

Yuan Jue knew there would be poison, so how could he not have dealt with the Imperial Physician? This was all a game from the beginning, waiting for Jian Shuang to enter the scene along with her forces.

Yuan Jue’s intent was very simple. He wanted to know the identities of those behind the scenes and catch them all. Or perhaps he also had other goals.

Very soon, Jian Shuang summoned all of the cabinet ministers to discuss the situation, and also sent someone to get King Jing.

Unexpectedly, King Jing arrived faster than the others. He had clearly been hiding in a tent since early morning, having long absconded from the clan manor.

The moment King Jing entered and saw the fallen Yuan Jue, he almost couldn’t hold back his laughter, but was frightened into silence by a look from Jian Shuang.

When the other uninformed ministers came in, they were all dumbfounded.

“Everyone, there has been an unexpected development. I have arranged for you to discuss it secretly.” After Jian Shuang spoke, she asked the Imperial Physician to explain the situation.

But who among those ministers didn’t possess extensive experience? When they saw that King Jing was here and that the emperor was gravely ill, what couldn’t they understand?

The only military official who could attend such a meeting was Huo Fenglie, but he wasn’t present.There was only Liu Zhenqing in sight.

Some ministers could only say: “Although such a major event must be kept secret from the outside world, the general who guards the country must be present!”

Many others echoed this statement.

“I sent people to find him quite a while ago. If you don’t believe me…..” Jian Shuang told the old man to order the Huo Family soldiers outside to go find General Huo, clearly not at all worried about Huo Fenglie’s arrival.

Mo Qi and Mo Yu outside had originally been suspicious of the strange comings and goings from the royal tent. And people had also escorted King Jing inside, which confused them. But as guards, they were not allowed to act without authorization. So when they were ordered to send people to find the general, all of their doubts were immediately suppressed and they were able to breathe sighs of relief.

But such a move took Liu Zhenqing by surprise. Jian Shuang’s fearlessness proved that Huo Fenglie must have fallen into a trap.

And Huo Fenglie was indeed delayed. When he led a team to patrol the borders, they were ambushed in the night.

But such an ambush would be dealt with by Huo Fenglie eventually. It was only a matter of time.

Up in the trees, Zheng Wei said to Qin Yu: “Go.”

Qin Yu hesitated: “You really intend to delay Zhanyuan?”

“It’s for his own good. The show over there cannot be interrupted. It will be over soon,” Zheng Wei replied.

Qin Yu thought this over and, as expected, vanished into the night and began shooting arrows from a distance to obstruct the team. Because of his natural understanding of Huo Fenglie’s martial arts skills, he knew how to interfere most effectively, but it was only a matter of time.

But as Zheng Wei observed, he realized that something was wrong. There seemed to be a crisis lurking in the grass in the distance.

In an instant, dozens of sharp arrows flew from that direction, the arrowheads glowing with phosphorescent poison.

Zheng Wei’s expression changed. Just as he was about to take action, he glimpsed a figure flying with haste toward Huo Fenglie.

On the other side, Jian Shuang had begun to appeal to logic and emotion, asking her ministers to begin persuading the others. It was clear that the emperor was in trouble, so King Jing should be asked to take over the throne on a temporary basis.

When the argument reached its peak, some sunk their teeth in and refused to let go.

Jian Shuang said: “Actually, it is orthodox for King Jing to inherit the throne.”

Everyone naturally began to make a racket when she said this.

Then Jian Shuang took out the Imperial edict.

Everyone, including Liu Zhenqing, were shocked. There really was a posthumous edict?

It was from the late emperor.

Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed as he came to a realization.

Yao Hua was unsurprised by the edict in Jian Shuang’s hands. So back then, the late emperor actually took precautions to guard against them not saving Yuan Jue and instead usurping power, and in the event that his paranoia was founded, he left an edict to pass the throne to King Jing in order to resist that person and Huo Feihan!

Liu Zhenqing was so angry that his head hurt. Wasn’t this just adding to the chaos?

Sure enough, all of the ministers present were stunned.

“Did the Empress Dowager know about this edict? Then why was His Majesty the one who succeeded the throne? His succession was also through an Imperial edict.”

“When the late emperor was on his deathbed, I happened to be there in place of my jiejie, who was feeling unwell. The late emperor was worried for the future generations, so he specifically left this last edict to pass the throne to King Jing. But later, under Liu Zhenqing’s instigation, he established a different person as emperor. Because of this change, I was unable to bring forward the posthumous edict. After all, the Three Kings were rebelling at that time and Liu Zhenqing and Huo Feihan were in power. I was alone and powerless, so I dared not make any trouble. If it hadn’t been for today’s incident, I wouldn’t have taken out the edict. I only want the ministers to understand that King Jing also has the right to inherit.”

When it was mentioned that Liu Zhenqing had instigated him, it seemed as if Yuan Jue had taken the throne through fraud under Liu Zhenqing’s control and manipulation. The expressions of the other ministers instantly changed.

The official who had just been promoted to succeed the prime minister suddenly asked: “Then Liu Zhenqing knew about this edict back then?” 

This abrupt question took Liu Zhenqing by surprise. Was this person involved in this matter?

Just as Jian Shuang was about to reply, Yao Hua said: “Even I only learned about the secret edict in the Taifei’s hands by accident. Prime Minister Liu was unaware of it, so there was no reason for him to persuade the late emperor to change the successor to the throne for his own benefit.”

Jian Shuang’s expression changed as she stared at Yao Hua. She said in a somewhat gloomy tone: “Jiejie…..”

Yao Hua closed her eyes, saying: “How many other things have you framed Liu Zhenqing for in the past? Heh, you clearly worked together a lot back then, and you knew his intentions best, but you’re saying he wanted to control the government. I don’t believe it. Why not make it clear today? Right, the officials following you are probably the main ones who framed Liu Zhenqing back then. Tell me, how much more dirty water do you intend to pour on him?”

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Chapter 139 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 141

“Your Highness, this plan of yours…..could it be that that idiot King Jing will betray us? Will the emperor of Great Zhou make things difficult for us?”

One of Li Jinshu’s men questioned him anxiously. He had already broken into a cold sweat because of Li Jinshu’s plan just now. The idea was originally to escort Li Jinshu safely into and out of Great Zhou, and there was only one ten thousandth of a chance that the plan would actually be used. After all, the situation between the two countries was such that as long as the emperor of Great Zhou wasn’t a madman, he would never take action against Li Jinshu.

Li Jinshu was writing at a table, and said with a smile: “What evidence could they get from King Jing’s mouth? Don’t worry, trash like that is clearly being used by someone else. There are others who plan to deal with him, so we have no need to act. Your focus should be on our plans for tomorrow.”

“The hunting day is still being held?”

“Of course. In order to highlight Great Zhou’s strength, no matter how big the matter was, they’ll secretly cover it up.” Li Jinshu looked at his calligraphy and smiled, feeling very satisfied.

His subordinate looked as well, but didn’t understand. Everyone wrote poems, songs, and famous quotes, but his master wrote strange dialogue. It looked like ordinary small talk, but also mentioned his intention to attend Huo Fenglie’s wedding banquet. Wasn’t it ridiculous? It was more likely that his master would attend Huo Fenglie’s funeral.

And he was wearing an expression like….. the stirrings of a spring heart. What…..

Before his subordinate had much time to be confused, Li Jinshu’s eyes shifted minutely: “Have you arranged the manpower for tomorrow?”

When the subordinate heard this, he wanted to pretend to be dead. They had agreed to attend the Longevity Festival, but ended up getting involved in the royal family’s struggle for the throne. They had just gotten themselves out of the fire with difficulty when other dangerous ideas popped up. “Your Highness, isn’t it too risky? Is this really necessary? If we do this, we’ll truly anger Great Zhou.”

Li Jinshu didn’t speak. He just lifted the man’s chin with his hand and gradually moved it toward his throat.

The subordinate immediately tensed and said: “This subordinate will go at once to make sure nothing goes wrong!”

Li Jinshu then retracted his hand with a smile: “Very good. Go on.”

After saying this, he looked at the written conversation on the table and slowly narrowed his eyes.

. . . . . .

When King Jing awoke in the clan manor, he saw a familiar dark figure. Just as he was about to speak, the figure streaked toward him like lightning and grabbed his throat.

King Jing was furious and alarmed. The veins on his face protruded as he suffocated, and the anger in his eyes was gradually replaced by terror.

“Heh, look at you now, Your Highness. This is what happens when you disobey Master. You think you have full-fledged wings? You think that means you can rebel against Master? If rebelling was so simple, would Master have had to plan for so long? If you were obedient, you would have safely ascended the throne,” the old man said leisurely.

The old man had just come over from Jian Shuang. She had fallen ill at once due to her emotional fluctuations. Looking at her face, the old man had lamented that she was both beautiful and capable, but she didn’t possess longevity. Her body may not be able to hold on for long.

He was once an assassin. His only grandson was found and rescued by Jian Shuang when she was living among the people, and he had worked for her from then on.

Jian Shuang had been planning for many years to help King Jing ascend the throne. She didn’t want to go through twists and turns, but as long as she didn’t ask rashly and left the majority of the foundation behind, there would always be opportunities. The old man admired Jian Shuang for this. Even though there was no telling when her life would end, she still had the patience of an apex hunter. But mud couldn’t shore up a wall, and the clever Jian Shuang’s efforts were in vain.

If this person really couldn’t help any further, the old man knew that the order he had received tonight was not to warn King Jing, but to kill and silence him.

The old man released King Jing and said: “Do you want to live?”

King Jing clasped his neck. There was anger in his eyes, but he knew what sort of position he was in: “En.”

“If the emperor comes to interrogate you later, remember, do not say anything. There is still a glimmer of hope.”

King Jing knew that the Taifei feared he would expose her, but he had already tried to have her killed. Was she really still willing to help him?

No, if that wasn’t her intention, why would she send an old man to warn him instead of killing him?

King Jing felt a little relieved at this thought. After all, he had been raised by the Empress Dowager and the Taifei, so perhaps she still had a mother-son bond with him.

“What is she going to do? Even if I don’t say anything, Yuan Jue won’t let me go!” King Jing spoke anxiously. “He’s going to kill me!”

“That will also take some time. Don’t worry, we won’t be too much longer. Just remain patient!” The old man warned: “If you accidentally reveal something, no one can save you. Remember, this is your last chance!”

King Jing stared at him in silence. Seeing that the old man was about to leave, he said quickly: “Right, there’s a problem with Zheng Wei. If his men hadn’t turned against us in battle, I would have killed Yuan Jue!”

The old man scoffed coldly: “You don’t need to tell me that!”

In the blink of an eye, the old man vanished. 

Soon after, Zheng Wei sensed someone watching him and slowly walked deeper into the palace.

Yuan Jue had sought him out before due to the Dongchang’s previous actions. Zheng Wei had brushed the matter aside, saying that King Jing had attempted to bribe his adopted son, which allowed him to discover some discrepancies. Because it was King Jing, he didn’t dare report him rashly, and could only wait for the investigation to make things clear. During this period, people were arranged to go undercover and look for evidence, but things unexpectedly went wrong.

He also mentioned that the Jinyiwei had been monitoring King Jing as well, and made it seem like they were greedy for credit and deliberately competing with them.

In fact, such a matter could be easily overturned once King Jing was interrogated, but Zheng Wei didn’t care about this. He had at least been effective in protecting the emperor. Even if Yuan Jue had doubts about him, he wouldn’t question him aggressively.

As expected, Yuan Jue didn’t embarrass Zheng Wei for the time being, and only asked him one question – who did he consider to be his master?

Zheng Wei replied that of course it was the emperor. There were no flaws in his behavior.

Yuan Jue only scoffed and told him to step back.

Zheng Wei knew that the young emperor was difficult to deal with. He was just pondering what problems there might be with the plan when suddenly, there was a cold sensation against his throat. Zheng Wei went still.

“Senior has something to say,” Zheng Wei said.

“You betrayed Master.”

Zheng Wei smiled bitterly and said: “Senior, whatever His Highness wanted to do, he gave the order and I carried it out. Even if I had selfish motives, it was only to perform meritorious services in front of the new emperor in advance.”

“Heh, and changing sides just before the battle?”

“There was nothing to be done. At that time, my adoptive son had already discovered that Huo Fenglie had brought people there. I couldn’t allow my men to be exposed. Didn’t this mean that the Taifei’s wings had been broken? I could only change sides at the last moment. I know that the Taifei will definitely find a way to regroup.”

“Hahaha. Zheng Wei, do you think I’ll believe that?”

“Why wouldn’t you? Do you think that with my relationship to the royal family, I would choose to be loyal to the emperor and betray the Taifei? She has been kind to me. It doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not. What’s important is whether the Taifei believes in my judgment or if she still needs me.”

If she didn’t need him, Zheng Wei would have been killed long ago.

The old man felt that Zheng Wei’s betrayal was strange. Zheng Wei only had one sibling, who was the spy in the beauty espionage case.

The two siblings were originally dependent upon one another. Later, the elder sister was taken advantage of by King Zhao, one of the most vicious of the Three Kings, and entered the palace as a dead soldier. In the end, she successfully faked her death to escape and was then silenced by King Zhao. When the truth was finally discovered, the late emperor was so angry that he took the corpse Liu Zhenqing and the others had retrieved and fed it to wild animals in order to vent his rage. In the end, there weren’t even bones left.

Zheng Wei naturally entered the palace for revenge, but the late emperor and Zhao Wang died one after the other, and there was no chance for him to take action. However, he ran into trouble several times and was rescued by the Taifei, and with her support, he was able to secure his position as director of the Dongchang.

Even if he had ambitions, the old man felt that Zheng Wei wouldn’t betray the Taifei. But in the end, he still went against the Taifie’s wishes. Thus, after this matter was solved, they could not allow Zheng Wei to live.

The old man lowered his blade. He was unhappy, but there was nothing he could do. Almost all the people in the hands of the Taifei had been wasted, so they could only take the risk at this point.

“Master says that you will try to delay Huo Fenglie in the wild during the hunt tomorrow. If you succeed, Master will regard you as loyal and will disregard your mistake this time. But if you fail to hold him back, you will be killed!”

“What does Master intend to do?”

“You are no longer qualified to know.” The old man fell silent after saying this. When Zheng Wei turned around, the assassin had vanished.

Zheng Wei’s figure disappeared in a flash, reappearing at the Empress Dowager’s palace quite a while later.

Yao Hua had just finished tending to Jian Shuang. Upon hearing the report, she toyed with the jade pendant around her neck and said slowly: “It’s finally time to make amends for the mistakes I made back then.”

. . . . . 

On the other side, in Qinzheng Hall, He Cong arrived with a report.

“Your Majesty, someone went to the clan manor and then left. Our people lost them.”

Yuan Jue slowly set down the book in his hand, his calm eyes glinting with a strange light. He seemed to be immersed in his own thoughts, and didn’t respond to He Lan.

He Cong spoke again: “Is Your Majesty going to interrogate King Jing?”

Yuan Jue returned to the present. He rubbed his jade thumb ring and said: “No need, there’s nothing we can ask anyway. This is their final step.”

He Cong didn’t understand what Yuan Jue was talking about, and could only say: “Tomorrow is the hunting day.”

Yuan Jue slowly raised his eyes. Hesitation flashed through them, but with a glance at the book on the table, they became firm again. “Do one thing for me.”

He Cong immediately snapped to attention, but the moment he learned what he would be doing, his pupils constricted.

“Do you understand?”

He Cong couldn’t stop trembling all over, and he broke out in a cold sweat. But he understood that if he hesitated for one moment, he may not be able to walk out of this palace with his life. As expected of the ruthless emperor’s family.

“This servant understands.”

“Go.” Yuan Jue waved his hand and said no more.

After He Cong departed, he was the only one left in the hall. Yuan Jue’s gaze fell once more on the book lying on the table. His slender fingers slowly moved up the paper and paused on a line of words.

The words on the yellowed paper read: The emperor and empress were people who were reborn after death. They were different souls, messengers from another world, and came here specifically to protect the country. If you encounter someone in the future who is reborn, they are not a trickster who has come to cause trouble. You should make good use of them and treat them well.

At the same time, Liu Qiao was sitting on the roof, gazing at the restless palace. He jumped back into the room and said to Liu Zhenqing, who was lying in front of a candlestick, deep in thought: “Master, there are people jumping around.”

“The person behind the scenes must be anxious,” Liu Zhenqing said unhurriedly. “Liu Qiao, look at my eyelids. Are they twitching?”^[1]

Liu Qiao looked carefully and asked: “Does it mean great fortune?”

Liu Zhenqing said with a sigh: “No, great disaster. The situation is precarious, ah.”

The next day, the wild hunt began.

Liu Zhenqing welcomed Huo Yunci and Huo Yunqian to Huo Fenglie’s camp.

Huo Yunci had changed into bright red martial robes and held her own small, curved red bow. Although Huo Yunqian looked dashing and heroic, he was uninterested in these matters and kept his medical books close, but still joined in the fun.

“Uncle Liu, many people from our Imperial Academy are here today. I have to be the best among them!” Huo Yunci said.

“Jiejie, you’re good at riding and shooting. Those people have never been your opponents,” Huo Yunqian said with a smile.

“If it weren’t for Second Uncle not being able to play with us, I would’ve really wanted to compete with him.” Huo Yunci raised the bow in her hand, full of fighting spirit.

Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “It’s better not to compare yourself, lest you receive a blow.”

Huo Yunci was immediately dissatisfied and began to make a fuss. There was a lot of happy laughter and chatter until Huo Fenglie returned. He glanced at the twins and briefly instructed them to follow Liu Zhenqing, then continued to work.

Liu Zhenqing saw him leaving and couldn’t help but follow him out.

“Have you brought everything you need?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

Huo Fenglie patted his chest pocket, which contained the detoxification and life-sustaining pills Liu Zhenqing had insisted that he bring. Although there was indeed an aura of crisis, he didn’t understand why Liu Zhenqing was being particularly cautious this time.

“Don’t worry, even if something happens, this is all just an arrow at the end of its flight. They would be crazy to take action against me,” Huo Fenglie reassured him.

Naturally, they would only take action against the emperor.

But Liu Zhenqing was still worried, and could only say: “Be careful anyway. Regardless of anything else, your life belongs to me.”

Hearing these words, Huo Fenglie couldn’t help feeling shy. While there was no one around, he quickly hugged his Qing-ge, and when he tried to let go, Liu Zhenqing put his arms around his neck and kissed him.

The two of them exchanged brief words for a moment before reluctantly parting.

When Liu Zhenqing turned around, he saw two little carrot heads peeking through the gap in the tent curtain, grinning at him.

Liu Zhenqing was thick-skinned and naturally wasn’t shy, so he said directly: “What are you looking at?”

“We’re looking at you being shameless, in broad daylight…..”

“In public…..”

The two children poked fun at him.

Liu Zhenqing raised an eyebrow and said: “Then you should get used to it as soon as possible. When I marry into your family, there will be many such scenes.”

The two children instantly blushed and began to make a fuss again.

But this lighthearted laughter and chatter soon came to an end.

Hunting day began. At the venue, the two children met the Xiheng envoys.

Their father had died in battle against the Kingdom of Xiheng., and for Huo Yunci, her greatest enemy may also come from Xiheng when she grew up. It was naturally difficult for children to conceal their emotions, so she naturally regarded them with murderous intent. Even Huo Yunqian had a gloomy face.

Li Jinshu, who had been focusing on Liu Zhenqing, also noticed these two interesting children and asked Yuan Jue about them directly.

This inquiry put unhappy expressions on the faces of the surrounding ministers.

Yuan Jue had always regarded the twins as his nephews. Seeing this, he smiled and said: “The two of you, introduce yourselves.”

The two children displayed no timidity. Huo Yunci immediately straightened up and said: “Huo Yunci, daughter of Huo Feihan!”

Huo Yunqian followed close behind: “Huo Yunqian, son of Huo Feihan.”

The moment their identities came out, the expressions of the Xiheng envoys naturally changed. Although Huo Feihan had ultimately died in battle, the losses he caused their Kingdom of Xiheng in those years had been heavy. As soon as they heard the surname Huo, they were utterly unsettled and couldn’t help but take a few more looks at them, as if beholding a future enemy. But as they looked, the two seemed to be a combination of a female general and a weak young master. Since this was the case, there was no cause for concern.

The envoys were good with words and seemed to be praising them on the surface, but Li Jinshu said directly: “What, the next generation of your Huo family is a female general? It’s fortunate that our two countries are friendly and no longer at war, or our young generals would be too embarrassed to be rough with a woman.”

When he said this, a few of the envoys couldn’t help but laugh.

Li Jinshu continued meanspiritedly: “Since your Second Uncle will marry Young Master Liu in the future, does he not plan to have any heirs? Can it really be that…..there is no successor? What a pity, what a pity. Such regret.”

Huo Yunci’s face instantly went red, and Huo Yunqian trembled all over. This was their sore spot. What they wanted to do with their lives went against their family honor. It was originally a very difficult decision to make, and now that their father’s enemy had said such a thing, how could they not be upset?

And most people in Great Zhou didn’t agree with the direction of their development. After all, they had high hopes for the inheritance of the Huo family, so no one, not even the sharp-tongued ministers, spoke up to help them.

Yuan Jue didn’t say anything. He only looked toward Liu Zhenqing’s table as if watching how the twins would react, but his focus was solely on one person.

At this time, the Empress Dowager suddenly said with a smile: “We have quite a few female officers in Great Zhou, and among the Huo family ancestors, there was even a female war goddess.”

Yao Hua had still come to participate in the hunting day, while Jian Shuang remained back at camp to rest and didn’t put in an appearance.

“I’ve heard of her, but it seems that her brother was more capable. So even if there was a female general, she wasn’t the cream of the crop.” Li Jinshu smiled, fully at ease.

Huo Fenglie wasn’t present, and even the Huo Family Army guarding the perimeter could only sulk upon hearing this. They glared at the Xiheng envoys, unable to stand up for their young master and lady.

At this moment, Liu Zhenqing pulled the two children in and whispered something to them.

Their expressions changed, and Huo Yunci instantly jumped out: “Since our countries have good relations, there is naturally no need for more war gods in our Huo family. However, this daughter has been fond of practicing martial arts since childhood. I saw some envoys today who are similar in age to me, so I wonder if I can ask them for advice!”

There were indeed two young boys of similar age among the envoys. Although they weren’t from the Kingdom of Xiheng, they were also martial arts students and had come with their envoys to meet the great warriors of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Hearing that the little girl had taken the initiative to provoke them, they were dismissive.

“I don’t hit women.”

“Little Sister, it doesn’t have to be like this.”

Huo Yunci didn’t get angry, but instead looked at Yuan Jue and directly requested an Imperial edict.

Yuan Jue naturally acquiesced, letting them all have fun as a warm-up.

The two teenagers exchanged glances, seemingly reluctant to step forward and fight a woman. But when someone came to their doorstep and asked to be humiliated, how could they not agree? Their countries had suffered greatly because of Huo Fenglie, so they would take it out on his niece.

After some discussion, the envoys sent the youths out.

However, there was some disagreement over who would go first. Huo Yunci had already retrieved her red-tasseled spear and said to them directly: “No need to fuss. Come at me together!”

As soon as these words came out, many people present burst into laughter. They felt that this Huo family daughter was a crazy girl who was eager for quick success and was naive about the world.

The two teenagers were rather speechless. Although they stood forward, they each waited for the other to go first.

But before they could reach a consensus, Huo Yunci moved with the wind and kicked over the boy closest to her, then slammed the red-tasseled spear into the other one before he could react.

The youths were stunned by this sudden turn of events and hurried to retaliate.

And the lively onlookers around them gradually fell silent.

The two youths were the sons of famous military officers, but at this moment…..the one who was hit by Huo Yunci could hardly parry, and it turned even uglier when the one who was kicked over got up and joined the fight. They worked together to a limited degree – after all, they were two men fighting one woman – but they were never able to gain the upper hand, and instead were forced back by increments.

Huo Yunci was not merciful at all, her moves fierce and swift. If not for her being young and immature, each one would have been a killing move. Aside from being a little unaccustomed to it at first, her fighting became easier and smoother, and her energy was high.

It ended with one boy having a dislocated hand and the other with a crooked mouth.

Everyone present was shocked, and stared at the red-clad girl in disbelief.

In the next instant, the girl flew toward the Kingdom of Xiheng’s seats and aimed her red-tasseled spear directly at Li Jinshu.

Other than Li Jinshu, who remained motionless and drank calmly, the other envoys were frightened by Huo Yunci’s killing intent.

The bloody nature of the Huo family began to emerge from Huo Yunci.

She raised her eyebrows at Li Jinshu and said: “Prince Li, I hear that you plan to attend my Second Uncle’s wedding banquet. Remember to take your young warriors along. Yunci really wants to ask for advice. Don’t worry, even if I lose, I won’t cry and complain that they bullied a woman.”

The expressions of the Xiheng envoys turned ugly at her words. Although their country’s young warriors were stronger than the two youths who had just performed, they weren’t very powerful. Otherwise, they would have been brought here to show off and shock everyone.

They hadn’t expected that even a little girl from the Huo family could be so capable. Although this was nothing compared to their adult warriors, such true talent could not be underestimated.

Li Jinshu never felt embarrassed when he was slapped in the face. Instead, he said very happily: “I take back what I just said. Miss Huo is indeed worthy of her father’s reputation. Those of our nation cannot compare to her.”

Li Jinshu said to Yuan Jue: “Congratulations, Your Majesty. Your Great Zhou will soon have another powerful general.”

At this time, everyone from Great Zhou regained their senses and began to applaud and congratulate.

Yuan Jue’s lips curved as he said: “There are naturally no mediocre people in the Huo family.”

As he spoke, he watched the two wailing teenagers below being helped back. Yuan Jue was about to wave his hand to summon an Imperial Physician, since the envoys of those two countries seemed to be full of anger and the desire to find fault.

But at this moment, Huo Yunqian walked onto the field and approached the two teenagers.

“What are you going to do!” someone demanded.

But without saying a word, Huo Yunqian politely cupped his hands. Then he took the dislocated arm of one of the youths, pulled until it clicked, and expertly pushed it back into place. The wailing boy paused halfway through his howl, then said in astonishment: “It…..doesn’t hurt anymore? I can move my hand, it’s fine.”

When he turned and looked over, he found that Huo Yunqian had already used a needle to prick the other youth’s mouth, which straightened out after a moment.

Rumors said that Huo Feihan’s wife had come from Medical Valley and was the inheritor of a miracle doctor’ skills. It seemed they hadn’t been exaggerating.

Huo Yunqian lived up to his name, and was polite and humble: “This is the first time Jiejie has competed against two people at once, and her blows were probably out of proportion because she isn’t used to it. Please don’t blame her.”

The two youths shook their heads like the crack of a whip. Given some sugar, they were docile and well-behaved.

The envoys who had been about to make a fuss could say nothing upon seeing this.

Huo Yunci had already come to her brother’s side. One of them often fought while the other dealt with the aftermath, so Huo Yunqian was used to dealing out treatment.

The two of them saluted Yuan Jue, who laughed loudly and rewarded them on the spot. Nobody had expected that at the beginning of the hunting day, the first ones to win a prize would be the Huo siblings.

But this opening indeed boosted morale, causing the Huo Family soldiers guarding the perimeter to raise their heads high and puff out their chests.

When the twins returned to their seats, they hugged Liu Zhenqing’s arms to the left and right, their faces shining brightly with the desire for praise.

Liu Zhenqing smiled: “Very good.”

The two children were even happier. After all, when everyone else didn’t believe in them and laughed at them, only Liu Zhenqing had helped them find a way to prove themselves.

Although they didn’t know why Liu Zhenqing believed they could do it, they had really done it.

Liu Zhenqing naturally believed in them. According to Huo Fenglie, Huo Yunci had made great progress in martial arts after accepting Liu Qiao as her master, and these two youths together would be no match for her.

He hadn’t expected their casual conversation to come in useful today, and could only consider those two boys unlucky.

Indeed, Liu Zhenqing had sworn that no one was allowed to bully these two treasures.

The harmonious scene here naturally fell into the eyes of others.

Yao Hua had watched the excitement and was somewhat dazed. She couldn’t help but think to herself, what if that person was here? He would have also defended his family this way, and such an ostentatious method also seemed to be his style.

Li Jinshu’s smile became even brighter, and he seemed to be growing increasingly interested.

Yuan Jue, on the other hand, withdrew his gaze and became more composed.

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[1] This refers to the saying: “a twitch means great fortune if it happens in one’s left eyelid, and an imminent disaster if it happens in the right eyelid.” ⮐

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Chapter 138 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 140

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Inside the palace, the Eighth Princess exhausted herself crying and fell asleep.

Jian Shuang coughed twice, and a figure descended. Although he was dressed as a eunuch, he had a beard. He had some trouble walking, and carried a cane with him.

“Master, King Jing has been very calm, and there have been no changes. Is Master overly concerned? After all, King Jing has always listened to Master,” the lame old man said.

“Are you questioning me?” Jian Shuang asked.

The old man immediately lowered his head.

Jian Shuang rubbed her forehead, but the force left no red mark on her snow-white skin.

“I know he’s not satisfied, but now is not the right time. Acting rashly will only lead to failure. Keep an eye on him, and don’t let him mess around.”

Jian Shuang looked through the window into the night, feeling uneasy. She was more annoyed than anyone by the failure of her work, but an impatient hunter was not a good hunter. There was no other way but to wait.”

After leaving the princess’s bedroom, Jiang Shuang did not return to her own rooms, but went to the Empress Dowager’s palace. 

Everyone in the Empress Dowager’s palace was accustomed to this. The two highnesses often rested together, and were as close as sisters. Even though they had shared the same husband in the East Palace, there had never been any discord between them, and the harem was relatively peaceful nowadays due to the example these two elders set.

“Jiejie.”

Yao Hua was about to retire to bed when she saw Jian Shuang arrive, and waved her in with a smile. Jian Shuang tidied up and lay down with her.

“How is the princess?”

“It was just a little daughter’s tantrum. It’s a shame General Huo won’t marry into the royal family,” Jian Shuang said.

Yao Hua said: “Marrying into the royal family isn’t necessarily a good thing. The highest level of power brings the greatest danger.”

Jian Shuang slowly leaned against Yao Hua’s shoulder, and Yao Hua tucked the blanket around her gently.

“Let’s ask a palace attendant for another blanket. The days are cold, not as good as summer. I move around a lot while sleeping, and I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

“I don’t need one, Jiejie. It’s the warmest here.” Her tone was seemingly coquettish.

Yao Hua allowed her to draw close. “The emperor is one year older, and so are we.”

“Jiejie isn’t old. She has eternal youth,” Jian Shuang said with a smile.

Yao Hua softly stroked Jian Shuang’s silky black hair: “It’s Shuang’er who has eternal youth. Shuang’er is beautiful and talented. If she hadn’t married into the East Palace back then, if she had found the right husband, her illness may have been cured long ago. Whether it be having children or expressing her talents, it would have been better than being trapped in this palace.”

Jian Shuang reached out and pressed a gentle finger to Yao Hua’s lips: “Jiejie isn’t allowed to say that. Being with Jiejie is my greatest joy. Since the moment Jiejie saved me at the Imperial Academy in our childhood, I vowed to follow her for the rest of my life.”

Signs of her being the pinnacle of beauty had shown in her teenage years, a beauty so offensive that she was ostracized by the female students in the Imperial Academy. Yao Hua happened across the scene of being bullied and rescued her. Then, afterward, she took the initiative to be her friend.

“I saved you? But then we were both bullied. It was Liu Zhenqing and the others…..”

“They just liked to show off, unlike Jiejie, who reached out to me resolutely even though she knew it would cause trouble for her. So as long as Jiejie is happy, I’m willing to do anything.”

Jian Shuang gazed at Yao Hua devoutly, and the other looked down at her: “Then do you know what happiness I really want?”

Jian Shuang’s eyes flashed: “What is it?”

“For the common people to work in peace and contentment, for the emperor to be diligent and love the people, and for the world and Great Zhou to be at peace.”

Jian Shuang said: “Is this really Jiejie’s happiness? Is this not Crown Prince Jingyang’s ambition, Liu Zhenqing and Huo Feihan’s hope, and the emperor’s goal? Where does it bring happiness to Jiejie? They placed righteousness before family and Jiejie. Has Jiejie really forgotten the happiness she desired? But I haven’t forgotten, ah. Jiejie’s happiness is very simple – for the person you loved to reciprocate, and for the person you loved to respect and love you.”

Yao Hua nearly lost control of her expression.

Jian Shuang’s eyes gradually became as still as ice: “It is obviously a simple thing, ah. Jiejie is the least greedy person in the world, but some people didn’t know how to cherish her. I will never forget the sacrifices Jiejie made for them…..”

“I didn’t sacrifice anything,” Yao Hua said.

Jian Shuang reached out and touched her face, saying: “Yes, ah, how could I be willing to let Jiejie make any sacrifices? Jiejie is so good.”

Yao Hua frowned slightly. She opened her mouth, but didn’t say anything in the end.

“It’s late.”

Jian Shuang was taken aback: “What?”

Yao Hua gave a faint smile and said: “I said it’s late. You’re not in good health, so let’s not talk about this and go to bed early instead. We must attend the performances tomorrow.”

“All right.” Jian Shuang smiled sweetly.

. . . . . .

In the morning, Liu Zhenqing was lifted up by Huo Fenglie while he was half-asleep: “Qing-ge, wake up.”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t want to wake up. He had talked with Huo Fenglie too long the previous night and hadn’t slept well at all. So he struggled to lay down, but not long afterward, he was suffocated by Huo Fenglie’s kiss and woke up at once. When he opened his eyes, he saw the unnatural look on the other’s face.

“You sneak-attacked me,” Liu Zhenqing accused.

Huo Fenglie said sheepishly: “Qing-ge, it’s time to go on patrol with me.”

They had clearly agreed to this before falling asleep. Huo Fenglie needed to patrol and investigate, but was worried about leaving Liu Zhenqing alone, so he said he would take him along. Liu Zhenqing had agreed, and said that he should kiss him if he wouldn’t wake up.

Huo Fenglie had done as he was told, but got told off by Qing-ge.

Liu Zhenqing was very displeased to be woken up, but looking at Er-gou’s appearance, he wasn’t willing to coax the other and could only coax himself: “Come here and kiss me some more.”

Huo Fenglie obediently leaned down and kissed him, not getting back up until Liu Zhenqing felt better.

Soon, an extremely irregular scene appeared in the palace. Huo Fenglie, the country’s general and the main defense supervisor for this Longevity Festival, led a young master around everywhere to patrol and do inspections. Even as people reported to him professionally, their curious gazes would immediately lock onto Liu Zhenqing.

But Liu Zhenqing turned a blind eye to this, watching the hardworking Huo Fenglie with interest.

He couldn’t help lamenting that this child had truly grown up. This serious look was so handsome on him.

The more Liu Zhenqing watched, the more he liked it. Each time Huo Fenglie handed over work and moved to the next point, he would look back at him uncertainly, only to be greeted by Liu Zhenqing’s bright smile.

Huo Fenglie finally couldn’t bear it anymore. At the corner of the city wall, he grabbed that person and said: “Qing-ge, don’t keep staring at me.”

Liu Zhenqing’s lips curved: “Why not? Am I interfering with the general’s official duties?”

Huo Fenglie felt that he was being bullied by Qing-ge again. If he didn’t take him along, he wouldn’t feel at ease, but if he did take him along, it made a mess of his heart. He was truly helpless.

Seeing Huo Fenglie’s expression, Liu Zhenqing smiled even harder. He took advantage of their privacy to throw his arms around Huo Fenglie’s neck and kiss him.

Huo Fenglie kept his balance under the impact. He embraced Lui Zhenqing and pressed him right up against the city wall, venting the accumulated palpitations of his heart before gradually subsiding.

“Huh – ah!”

A sound interrupted the two of them, and Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing looked up at the city wall. He Lan put his foot on the wall and leaned forward to look at them with a rather unhappy expression on his face: “Please pay attention, okay? There are people coming and going here.”

“Nobody walks over the city walls,” Huo Fenglie said directly.

He Lan’s lips curled and he slapped a hand to his forehead. Then he looked into the distance and said: “Have you seen Lao Qin?”

“I haven’t.”

“Where had he gone now?” He Lan muttered to himself.

“Isn’t the Dongchang responsible for receiving the envoys?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“Yeah, I originally saw him near the palace where the Xiheng envoys are staying, but he disappeared in the blink of an eye,” He Lan said. “Never mind, I’ll go look for him again.”

Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing watched him depart, then exchanged glances.

“It looks like there’s an extremely high probability,” Liu Zhenqing said.

“The Dongchang is helping them stir things up.” Huo Fenglie frowned.

“To catch a thief, you must find the stolen goods, and if there’s pus in a wound, it must be drained first,” Liu Zhenqing said.

Under Yuan Jue’s governance, someone was secretly making wounds on Great Zhou’s back and draining its strength. Although Yuan Jue had gradually become aware of it, his hands and feet were tied and he was unable to take action. After all, there were not many clean veterans in the court. It wasn’t until Huo Fenglie’s return and the attempted assassination at the Spring Plowing Festival that Yuan Jue was able to officially make a move.

When they went south before, they had basically cleaned up Great Zhou’s festering wounds, and now only the last bit was left. If the enemy didn’t take action, it would be very troublesome if these old problems lingered on.

On the second day, the envoys began to present gifts and performances one after another. Currently, thanks to the efforts of Yuan Jue and Huo Fenglie, the national power of the Great Zhou Dynasty had surpassed that of the late emperor’s reign, so the envoys were extremely earnest and respectful in their contributions.

Even the Kingdom of Xiheng had prepared a lot, which made the officials of Great Zhou extremely proud.

The square where the performances took place was very lively, but if one looked at the preparations backstage, it was extremely chaotic, with three layers of guards inside and outside. No matter how much chaos there was, it would never fall into the eyes of the noblemen.

Then Xiheng’s performance began, a kind of acrobatic sacred flame act. Exquisite fireballs were tied to chains in an orderly manner by the actors, who danced to celebrate the Longevity Festival.

Li Jinshu and King Jing both watched the performance tranquilly, while Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing held hands and sat quietly in their seats.

There was a sudden explosion, which was seemingly a performance error. The actors were blown away, and the flames in the square were like a chaotic rainstorm, flying in all directions.

They were sitting closest to the emperor, and were thus some distance away from the square, so the farthest-flung fireballs just barely reached their feet.

But for other spectators, it was a disaster. They instantaneously fled in all directions, and the scene fell into confusion as people began to trample others and the guards rushed around to maintain order. But no so-called assassins appeared.

The Jinyiwei and others immediately attended to the emperor and escorted everyone in batches to a safe place in a temporary shelter. This was an unexpected but routine action originally done in the event of rain or other weather events, so there was no need to make a different plan.

The royal family all went to the back, the envoys to the left, and the ministers to the right in order to prevent would-be enemies from hiding in a crowd.

Liu Zhenqing told Huo Fenglie to go about his work while he followed the ministers. Even if something happened, it definitely wouldn’t be the ministers who were targeted. This was the safest group, so Huo Fenglie was able to temporarily separate from Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zheqing looked to the sides as he walked. Something wasn’t right. They had thought too simply, assuming that assassins would appear, and despite all of their precautions, what happened was still unexpected.

Suddenly, Liu Zhenqing laid eyes on Li Jinshu. The surrounding envoys were evacuating in a hurry, but he was leisurely holding a wine flask, his eyes fixed solely on the back hall where the royal family had evacuated.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes shifted. King Jing had gone with Yuan Jue, but there must be secret guards around. What could King Jing do by himself?

Just as Liu Zhenqing was thinking, his expression abruptly changed when he looked at the rear. The royal family was sheltering there. Aside from the frightened concubines and some palace servants who had already been at the rear, the other four people were very calm. Yao Hua supported Jian Shuang, who was coughing unceasingly due to the smell of explosives, her reddened eyes on King Jing.

And King Jing was standing not far from Yuan Jue with a strange arc to the corners of his mouth.

At this moment, the palace servants who were guarding the rear suddenly began to move. They were all older servants, their countenances solemn and tragic as they rushed quickly toward Yuan Jue.

“Stop!” Juan Yue immediately realized that something was wrong and shouted.

But those palace attendants still charged toward Yuan Jue. In an instant, several secret guards jumped down. They were about to drive those people away, but upon getting closer, continuous explosions could be heard as human bodies exploded in front of them. Blood and flesh flew everywhere in a tragic scene.

All of the secret guards within range were caught up in the explosions, and in the end, only two lightly injured guards rushed to stand in front of Yuan Jue.

The palace was instantly filled with the wails and howls like ghosts and wolves. The concubines fled one after another, with some people protecting the Empress Dowager and the Taifei.

“Don’t worry about us, go and save the emperor,” Yao Hua said quickly. She hadn’t expected the Kingdom of Xiheng to have provided such a method to King Jing.

“Don’t worry, Jiejie. The emperor will be safe.” Jian Shuang pulled Yao Hua to withdraw, but her face was so dark that it seemed about to drip blood. She turned her head to give King Jing a fierce look. It would be best if he succeeded, but in the blink of an eye, she discovered unfamiliar palace attendants approaching in their direction with the intention to kill them as well.

In an instant, Jian Shuang’s eyes blew wide and her expression twisted like that of a Raksasha. Although there were martial arts experts at her side and she had no need to worry about being harmed, she was still furious.

Just when a person was about to pounce on the Empress Dowager, someone fired a hidden weapon through the air and provided them a chance to escape.

There was no retreat on the emperor’s side.

“Imperial Brother, think of something quickly!”

Yuan Jue frowned slightly at King Jing, who had yet to escape. Then he turned around and twisted a decoration on a pillar. With a click, a door emerged in the bookshelf behind them.

This was one of the palace’s secret passages.

“Withdraw,” the emperor commanded at once.

The remaining two secret guards and King Jing immediately withdrew into the secret passage along with the emperor.

But when the door to the secret passage closed and candles were lit in the hidden room, dozens of people swarmed from the other exit and surrounded the four of them.

Although the emperor’s secret guards were highly skilled in martial arts, they were unable to defeat so many masters. All they could do was shield Yuan Jue as they were forced into a corner.

And at this time, Yuan Jue’s eyes settled on King Jing, who was surrounded by assassins yet unharmed.

“You arranged all of this?” Yuan Jue raised his eyebrows.

“Emperor Brother, why are you still so calm? Are you really not afraid at all?” King Jing said with amusement. Even with Huo Fenglie present, it will be difficult to break through the trap I arranged. There are still human explosives everywhere outside waiting to deal with them.”

“Who taught you this method? Who told you about the secret passage?” Yuan Jue asked.

King Jing smiled coldly. He didn’t intend to delay and wait for something to go wrong. With a wave of his hand, the group of assassins in the back charged toward the emperor.

But at this critical moment when there was almost no suspense, half of the assassins in back removed their masks and attacked the other half.

King Jing’s expression changed drastically. He didn’t understand. Why was this suddenly happening?

Yuan Jue also frowned slightly, but the people without masks looked familiar. They seemed to be from the Dongchang.

However, the situation was evenly matched. King Jing had also practiced martial arts since childhood and didn’t consider himself inferior to the emperor, so he intended to act on his own.

The moment he saw two assassins draw away the secret guards protecting the emperor, he raised his sword and stabbed at Yuan Jue.

But Yuan Jue raised his arm, and an arrow shot through the air from his sleeve. King Jing could only dodge with great speed. The arrow pierced into his shoulder instead, and the force was so strong that he was knocked away.

King Jing was furious. He was unaware that Yuan Jue had the habit of carrying this sort of weapon with him. Even those close to Yuan Jue hadn’t known about it.

“Come, kill the emperor and I will make you a noble!”

But as soon as he spoke, he heard the secret passage that had just closed open once more.

This sound made the expressions of Yuan Jue and King Jing change.

There were two entrances to the secret passage. One in the rear, which had been opened by Yuan Jue, and the other in the distant side hall, where King Jing had arranged for the assassins to enter.

In fact, King Jing had only known of the entrance in the side hall. As for the back hall, he knew there was a hidden switch, but didn’t know its location. Only Yuan Jue should know this secret he was unable to ferret out with his relationship connections.

As for Yuan Jue, there were only two people who knew of it. At the thought of the other candidate, his expression shifted minutely.

Very soon, hurried footsteps sounded. Huo Fenglie had arrived with his guards.

Yuan Jue’s expression changed several times, and the hand he held behind his back slowly retracted. There was a brick behind it. In fact, it wasn’t that there was no way out. There was another passage he had secretly dug out, in order to prevent others who knew of this secret room from using it to harm him. He was too careful and suspicious to come in here without a way out.

He had just wanted to find out as much as possible about what was going on.

King Jing tried to run off the moment he saw Huo Fenglie. The situation was behind salvation, and panic swept over him. He had clearly sent people to hold Huo Fenglie back. How had he known what was going on over here?

But just as King Jing was about to rush into the tunnel, he was blocked by a person descending in front of him.

King Jing’s expression changed drastically: “You!”

Another person fell behind him – Qin Yu. He knocked King Jing unconscious and let him fall to the ground.

Huo Fenglie rushed over and gave him a look.

But Qin Yu just grabbed King Jing and dragged him to Yuan Jue, kneeling to give his report.

“When my adoptive father discovered the situation, he snuck his men inside. Unexpectedly, King Jing had a rebellious heart. This servant’s rescue came too late.”

Yuan Jue looked at Qin Yu and said: “It doesn’t matter. Your people were of great help.” Then he glanced toward Huo Fenglie and said: “Of course, my general who guards the country deserves the greatest merit!”

Huo Fenglie cupped his hands and escorted Yuan Jue out. The secret passage in the back hall was still open, and when Yuan Jue came out, he saw Liu Zhenqing standing next to the corner where the switch was.

Yuan Jue’s eyes narrowed slightly as Liu Zhenqing rushed toward Huo Fenglie with a look of pleasant surprise, asking: “Is everything all right?”

Huo Fenglie shook his head and looked at Yuan Jue.

Yuan Jue said with a smile: “Many thanks for discovering the secret switch and saving this emperor.”

Qin Yu, who was following along, heard this and glanced toward Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing smiled simply and honestly, saying: “Your Majesty, I was scared to death. I got separated from the group and when I came over here, I saw Your Majesty and King Jing turn the switch and enter the secret passage. I heard the sound of slashing blades when I got closer, which frightened and worried me, so I went to get Fenglie’s help.”

Yuan Jue said: “So you saw me turn the mechanism?”

“Yes, I saw Your Majesty move this thing, but I didn’t expect that it would work for me.” Liu Zhenqing revealed the red marks on his hands. “I tried for a long time before I succeeded.”

Yuan Jue looked at Liu Zhenqing’s palm. His eyes darkened, and he looked away. “Young Master Liu has worked hard. This emperor will reward you. How is the situation outside?”

Huo Fenglie said: “Rest assured, Your Majesty. It was basically under control outside when I came in. Commander He is on the scene.”

Just as he was speaking, the Empress Dowager and the Taifei rushed over, escorted by Zheng Wei.

“Your Majesty, are you all right?” Yao Hua asked hurriedly.

“This emperor is fine. Are the Empress Dowager and Taifei unharmed?” Yuan Jue asked with concern.

“We met Dongchang Director Zheng on the way and he saved us,” Yao Hua said. “King Jing…..”

Yaohua glanced at King Jing as he was taken away. Yuan Jue said coldly: “My younger brother intended to rebel.”

Yao Hua and Jian Shuang’s expressions changed.

“Take him to the clan manor first and keep him well under guard. I intended to interrogate him thoroughly about these matters!” He gave everyone present a cool glance and continued: “Clean up this situation first. Don’t let the foreign envoys see us in disarray.”

Because of the various measures taken, order was quickly restored in the palace.

Although Liu Zhenqing informed Huo Fenglie that such explosives had only ever appeared in the Kingdom of Xiheng, there was no proof. Even the captured assassins were only from Great Zhou’s jianghu, and there were no clues to connect them to Xiheng’s envoys.

When they came to apologize for the mistake in the performance, they feigned ignorance about the human explosives. Even Yuan Jue could only pretend to be amicable and reassure them.

It could not be said externally that King Jing had rebelled. They could only say there was an incident with the performance, resulting in many people being injured. The ministers were arranged to leave the palace, and the envoys were also sent back to rest.

But Liu Zhenqing didn’t leave. He was considered a person of merit, and the emperor said that he should be rewarded based on those merits, so he kept him behind.

Liu Zhenqing remained in the rooms arranged for Huo Fenglie, waiting for him to return.

But it was Li Jinshu who came instead.

Liu Zhenqing regarded this uninvited fellow and said: “Is the prince looking for Fenglie to reminisce about the past again? He’s very busy today, and I fear he doesn’t have time. And didn’t the emperor order that the envoys shouldn’t go out?”

“Hehe, I’m not a prisoner. Your emperor is certainly not qualified to lock us away. I came here to find you.”

Liu Zhenqing stared at him, inwardly vigilant: “The prince came to find me?”

“Didn’t you invite me to your wedding banquet before? I think I should be able to attend, so I came here specifically to give you my response. Remember to send me an invitation,” Li Jinshu said with a grin.

Liu Zhenqing’s expression remained unchanged: “Really?”

Li Jinshu smiled and said: “Of course. I initially thought tomorrow wouldn’t be a good day, but it seems I was wrong. Today was the bad day.”

“It was rather terrible. The next time Xiheng prepares to perform, they should carry out inspections first. Fortunately, our emperor is magnanimous and didn’t pursue any further investigation.”

“Hahaha, yes, inspections should be carried out. But no matter what accident happened, didn’t General Huo handle it very well? In such a chaotic situation, he was still able to remain calm and composed, as if he had anticipated it. Truly amazing.”

“Fenglie is naturally the most capable.”

The two of them went back and forth, Li Jinshu testing everywhere and Liu Zhenqing achieving great results with little effort. When Huo Fenglie heard the news and came over, Li Jinshu excused himself and left. He didn’t say anything to Huo Fenglie, as if he truly had come over just to speak with Liu Zhenqing.

“What did he say?”

“It was likely about the information that inadvertently leaked and gave you direction. He came here specifically to accept his failure.” Liu Zhenqing said with a frown: “What did you come back for?”

Liu Zhenqing looked upward and saw a person’s head emerge from the roof. Liu Qiao had taken advantage of the chaos to sneak inside. As early as when the passage in the back hall had opened, Liu Qiao was already personally guarding Liu Zhenqing.

“There are some times where it’s inconvenient for him to show up, so it’s better for me to do it,” Huo Fenglie said. He touched Liu Zhenqings’ cheek. “Go in and rest until I come back.”

“En.”

---

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Chapter 137 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 139

He Chuzhou estimated that the kitten was only a month old. It was so small and thin that it could lay in the palm of his hand.

But after taking it to the clinic for a checkup, the veterinarian said that the little guy was more than two months old, and its thinness was due to malnutrition.

“There’s an injury to the hind leg, which looks like it was caused by a blunt-force blow. This is probably why the mother cat chose to give it up.”

The veterinarian showed them an X-ray: “Fortunately, no bones were injured and it’s only a flesh injury. It will need to be treated with anti-inflammatories and bandaged with medicine, and an infusion may also be needed…..”

As he spoke, the kitten lay on its side in a well-behaved manner, its injured and shaved hind leg hanging out. As if it knew they were helping it, it didn’t cry or make a fuss.

The process of adopting a stray cat was very complicated and cumbersome. In addition to the wound, it needed to be bathed, dewormed, and given nutrient and anti-inflammatory solutions.

Because the kitten was so thin and had a bad immune system, an emergency may occur, and professional medical staff were needed to check on it at any time during these processes.

The vet: “If you decide to adopt it, my suggestion is to leave it here for a day and wait until its condition stabilizes, then take it back tomorrow.”

Pei Xi placed a finger next to the kitten’s tail. The kitten tilted its head weakly to look at him, then moved its tail to wrap it softly around his fingertip.

Pei Xi’s expression shifted slightly. He raised his head and looked at the veterinarian: “How long will it take tomorrow?”

The vet: “Hm…..around six or seven o’clock, the same time as now—”

“Can it be done the day after tomorrow?” He Chuzhou asked abruptly.

Pei Xi looked at him in confusion.

He Chuzhou explained: “I have something to do tomorrow and may not be able to come over in time. How about the morning after tomorrow?”

The vet nodded: “That works. It also happens to be more conducive to its recovery.”

“Okay, then I’ll trouble you.”

He Chuzhou took the bill and gently scratched the kitten’s ears before leaving: “Be good and rest. We’ll pick you up the day after tomorrow.”

After the fee was paid and they left the pet hospital, Pei Xi asked He Chuzhou in the car: “Is there a lot of work tomorrow?”

He Chuzhou was evasive: “Something like that. Are you cold? Do you want the heat turned on?”

The other didn’t want to talk about it, and it was difficult to ask further questions, so Pei Xi could only leave it there.

When they got home, He Chuzhou took an extremely quick shower, then went to the study and dealt with work nonstop.

Pei Xi saw how busy he was and wanted to help, but he knew nothing about the progress of his work. He would inevitably have questions in the process of understanding it, and going back and forth like that was a waste of time.

Forget it.

He left a wall lamp on in the hallway, touched He Xingxing’s head, then turned and padded softly back to the bedroom.

Pei Xi’s hope was that he would be more sensible tomorrow and not cause further trouble for He Chuzhou.

. . . . . . 

“Where are you going?” Pei Xi sat blankly on the bed and looked at He Chuzhou, who was changing into non-formal clothes. “Are you going home?”

“Why go home in such nice weather?”

He Chuzhou was wearing a black jacket with a white inner layer, along with a pair of loose, straight trousers.

It wasn’t as noble and dignified as a suit and leather shoes, but instead gave off a youthful and energetic air.

Even more fantastically, these two words were not at all out of place when describing a man nearly thirty years old.

Incredible.

He took out a set of clothes in the same style of his own, but smaller in size, and handed them to Pei Xi: “Let’s take advantage of today’s free time to go have fun at the aquarium.”

Those were the right words. Pei Xi’s expression brightened slightly: “The aquarium?”

“Yep, the aquarium,” He Chuzhou drawled, then said with a smile: “You take your time getting ready. I’ll walk the dog, and we’ll head out when I get back.”

The weather was indeed better than usual today, with crisp autumn air and cloudless skies.

The sun was just a bit dazzling.

Pei Xi wasn’t accustomed to wearing sunglasses, so He Chuzhou put a dark peaked hat on his head.

The exact same outfit looked flamboyant on He Chuzhou, but put off a cool air on Pei Xi. Like a college student who had just entered society, a little well-behaved, a little cool, and a little naive.

“Aiya, my wife is so good-looking.”

He Chuzhou proudly raised the Polaroid camera hanging on his chest, pointed it at Pei Xi, and clicked.

After waiting for the photo to come out, he admired it for a moment. Then he passed it to Pei Xi and took his other hand: “Remember to follow me closely.”

“All prepared and ready to go on an autumn outing~”

He Chuzhou didn’t drive for once. After checking the morning route, he deliberately avoided the morning rush out and took Pei Xi to the subway station.

It was no exaggeration to say that it was Pei Xi’s first time here, and he had no knowledge of the signs labeled A, B, C, D, and E. He could only follow He Chuzhou like a little tail the whole time as they wound up and down the security checkpoints.

But…..it was a very novel feeling. 

Although it was troublesome to change routes midway, he wasn’t impatient at all.

After more than half an hour, they finally arrived at the entrance of the aquarium. Looking at the blue-themed aquarium gate a short distance away, he unexpectedly felt a subtle sense of satisfaction that his long-cherished wish had finally come true.

It was really magical. He really…..loved it.

“Let’s see, we need this QR code to check in.” He Chuzhou fiddled with his cell phone for a moment, took him through the ticket gate, and smoothly obtained a simplified map of the aquarium.

The 16 themed venues of the aquarium were marked on the map. There were 6 performance halls, 6 seating areas, restaurants, a photo studio, a souvenir sales area…..

Pei Xi felt dizzy: “Are we going to all of these?”

He Chuzhou also thought it was a bit much. The aquarium was so big that it would take quite a while to traverse the entire venue, which would be tiring.

“Choose what you like first, and the rest will all depend on the situation. If we get tired, we’ll come back again. The aquarium won’t run away.”

With their heads pressed together, the two of them looked like primary school students discussing important matters. “This one, this one, and this one are all recommended by the guide. Which one do you want to go to first?”

After careful consideration, Pei Xi poked the map in the order of one, two, and three. He Chuzhou noted down the route. He then put away the map and confirmed the direction, leading Pei Xi to the whale and dolphin exhibit.

Today was a workday. The crowds were sparse, and the guest flow was much less than on weekends on holidays.

Pei Xi entered the arched glass passage and the temperature seemed to drop.

The exhibit was surrounded by water on three sides. Small fish gathered in schools, and from time to time, a huge beluga whale passed overhead or beside them. Its two fins stirred the water, silently creating a long, slow, striking scene for its viewers.

It was completely different from what could be seen on TV, a vast beauty that could only be experienced by being there.

Classmate Xiao Pei was completely entranced. He raised his head and stared intently at the big whale as it slowly swam through glimmering currents.

He Chuzhou’s gaze was on him from beginning to end. Seeing this, he raised his camera to record the scene in its entirety. 

There were mostly children among the tourists, and many of them seemed to have just learned to walk. Led by their parents, they leaned against the glass with their eyes wide open, watching in wonder, or cupped their hands around their mouths and shouted to the fish inside.

The beluga whale was drawn to a child and turned its tail fin, swimming over leisurely with a smiling expression on its face. When its big head cutely approached —

It caught the child by surprise by abruptly opening its mouth.

“Whaaaaaa!”

The child was frightened to tears. He turned around and threw himself into his mother’s arms, causing a wave of laughter around him.

Seeing that Pei Xi’s gaze was also drawn toward it, He Chuzhou suggested: “Shall we go take a look?”

Pei Xi nodded at once.

He Chuzhou: “You’re not afraid you’ll get scared?”

Pei Xi’s expression was speechless: “I’m not a child.”

The naughty whale hadn’t swum away yet.

Pei Xi approached it, and after gazing at it for a while, he couldn’t help but exclaim: “It actually looks like it’s smiling.”

He Chuzhou placed his hand on the glass and made a circle. Surprisingly the whale cooperated and turned around, laying on its back with its belly up. He Chuzhou made another circle, and it also turned back.

Pei Xi was astonished: “How did you do that?”

He Chuzhou: “Hm…..just with a hand? You can try it too. Beluga whales are very smart, and can understand things. It’ll be very happy to play with you.”

Pei Xi was eager, and imitated He Chuzhou by putting his hand close to the glass. He Chuzhou raised his camera to take pictures.

Just as Pei Xi was about to move his hand, the white whale abruptly opened its mouth. He was so frightened that his breath shook, and his eyes immediately widened.

There was a click next to him, and photo that perfectly captured his frightened expression was printed out.

He Chuzhou held up the photo, trying not to laugh: “Not a child?”

“……”

With red ears, Pei Xi silently took the photo from him and walked away.

When they got to the shark exhibit, they happened to catch a mermaid show.

In the small minority of people who had never seen acrobatics, even though he knew these underwater performers were utmost professionals, Pei Xi still sweated for them.

“Don’t worry.”

He Chuzhou could tell what he was thinking from his expression, and squeezed his hand while reassuring him in a low voice: “The sharks selected here are relatively small, and their food intake is controlled. Humans aren’t a natural food source for sharks, and they generally don’t attack humans.”

The performance wasn’t long, and was over before the music ended. The mermaids had a simple interaction with the tourists, then swam upward and left.

But for one exception.

She wasn’t in a hurry to leave after the performance. Instead, she gazed in Pei Xi’s direction for a moment, as if trying to discern something.

Then she swam over, swung her tail, and put on a special performance in front of Pei Xi. She made simple, playful movements, blew out a string of bubbles, and made a love heart with her fingers.

Pei Xi stared blankly. As if realizing something, he suddenly turned around.

He Chuzhou responded quickly, putting his phone away at lightning speed as he gave him an innocent smile: “What is it?”

Pei Xi raised an eyebrow: “What were you doing behind my back?”

“Taking pictures, ah, what else would I be doing?”

As he spoke, he raised the camera and pressed the shutter as if to prove himself, taking a photo of Pei Xi and the mermaid.

The mermaid quickly left the venue after the encore. He Chuzhou handed the photo to Pei Xi and said seriously: “It is said that people who are favored by a mermaid will have good luck throughout the year. Congratulations, Classmate Xiao Pei, you’re going to have great luck.”

Pei Xi: “Where do they say that?”

He Chuzhou thought about it: “The sea?”

Pei Xi: “But Gege, this is an aquarium. There are no mermaids, only fishkeepers.”

“……”

He Chuzhou was silent for a moment, then tried to press his case: “At least the water here is regularly transported from the sea. It kind of counts.”

“Okay.” Pei Xi said: “At sea, how long is the approximate sentence for lying that today’s my birthday to trick a mermaid into performing?”

He Chuzhou was greatly alarmed: “How did you know?”

Pei Xi smiled faintly. He hooked his fingers on He Chuzhou’s sunglasses and pulled them down, meeting his eyes: “Silly. The mermaid was wearing reflective goggles.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

Damn, I was careless!

After exiting the shark exhibit, Pei Xi took his penitent follower in a circle around two small restaurants and a neighboring photo studio.

Then they went directly through the passage at the back exit and entered the jellyfish exhibit, which was said to be the most popular.

He understood that there would be many girls inside, since it was in a girl’s nature to be attracted to beautiful things.

But why were there also so many old men holding long and short-focus cameras?

“The pursuit of beauty is in the nature of all human beings.”

He Chuzhou stuffed photo paper into the Polaroid camera: “When men reach retirement age and have nothing to do with their pensions, they always develop some hobbies to kill time.”

Pei Xi considered this, and thought it made sense: “You mean they’re all very professional?”

“No. On the contrary, they may only be more professional than you, who’s never touched a camera.”

He Chuzhou said firmly: “When you go out, be careful not to fall under the lenses of these uncles. Otherwise, you’ll be too late to know regret.”

Pei Xi: “Why?”

He Chuzhou: “Because their equipment is high-definition. They also won’t add filters to beautify their photos of you before putting them on their elderly social platforms and subjecting you to an unending public execution.”

Pei Xi: “How do you know?”

He Chuzhou: “When He Aiyue was fifteen, she came back from a spring outing at a botanical garden. In the middle of the night, she saw a series of ugly photos of her on the account of an uncle on a certain platform, and cried for three days and three nights.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Okay. Got it.

He dodged away.

The jellyfish exhibit was worthy of being the most popular. Various jellyfish in beautiful shapes and colors were placed in different areas, floating and dancing through the water in a dreamlike scene.

As soon as he walked in, Pei Xi felt his breathing unconsciously slow to match the rhythm of the jellyfish as they swam.

He had no idea that the breathing of the person watching him had also slowed.

Light refracted irregularly through the water onto his face and neck in a thin layer of blue. Soft, umbrella-shaped forms spread out in ripples, scattering watery light as it all fell into his eyes.

The filter of favoritism created breathtaking beauty in all that came into view.

He Chuzhou felt the raucous beating of his heart, and overwhelming affection practically overflowed within his chest.

He raised the camera and took slow, careful steps backward, then pressed the shutter button, reluctant to stop. Under the sound of continuous clicks, he tried to preserve every subtle change forever.

In the next second, the person under the camera turned his head and looked over.

The moment their gazes connected, He Chuzhou felt as if a hundred strings of jellyfish and shell wind chimes rang out in his head.

But the person in the camera didn’t seem able to empathize, and couldn’t connect with him. Even his expression was becoming stiff, and his eyes seemed to be asking for help.

Fortunately, his love brain wasn’t to the point of having no cure, and it soon became clear to him that something was wrong.

He put down the camera and turned around to look—

At some unknown time, a circle of old men had appeared around him, all pretending to be professional cameramen as they crouched in horse stance with their cameras aimed at Pei Xi.

Some of them had even set up tripods, and called to Pei Xi: “Young man, raise your head a little higher and turn your head a little further. It would be good to remove your hat. The photos will look better!”

---

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Chapter 48 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 50

Liu Zhenqing didn’t want to remember. The most unbearable thing had never been the humiliation he suffered in the enemy camp or the inscription on his back.

What he didn’t dare face was that when he rushed to the battlefield and found Huo Feihan, he was still on his last breath.

He’d hugged Huo Feihan and listened to him apologize in his ear, saying that he couldn’t accompany him any longer, that he would leave his family to him.

Liu Zhenqing listened blankly with a horrible helplessness.

Huo Feihan’s hand happened to be resting on Liu Zhenqing’s back as he spoke, and he felt something that shouldn’t be there.

“You’re injured?” Huo Feihan asked.

“It’s nothing,” Liu Zhenqing said stiffly.

“You’re bleeding and you still won’t admit it. Zhenqing, take good care of yourself and don’t let yourself get hurt, otherwise I won’t be able to rest assured in death.” Huo Feihan said weakly: “Zhenqing, I lost. But don’t you lose…..Great Zhou is relying on you…..don’t lose, ah……”

Huo Feihan’s hand slipped softly from Liu Zhenqing’s wound. It hurt from his touch, but Liu Zhenqing gritted his teeth and endured it. He still remembered that feeling. He remembered that even though he risked everything, he still lost the person he was trying to save.

Ever since changing worlds, Liu Zhenqing had encountered numerous difficulties and obstacles, yet always held onto a trace of kindness. And after Huo Feihan’s death, he also learned to have a heart like iron in order to keep going. Those days were truly bitter and numb.

Currently in Huo Fenglie’s arms, he gave vent to his emotions and eventually fell asleep. Crown Prince Jingyang was there in his dreams, and Huo Feihan. And in the end, there was the scene of him lying against the coffin as he drank.

Suddenly, a young Er-gou appeared and held him in his arms as he wept.

“Qing-ge, you don’t have to carry everything alone. I can help you.”

The boy’s youthful yet resolute voice enveloped Liu Zhenqing like the murderous aura of a battlefield, yet gave him a strange sense of security.

A hug and a promise comforted Liu Zhenqing’s heart, which was on the verge of collapse. It gave him a final thread of support, allowed him to bury his head and be weak for a moment.

When he looked up again, he touched the boy’s head and felt that he could still stand firm…..

Liu Zhenqing opened his eyes. He was lying in a warm, solid embrace, and the familiar scent was the same as in his dreams.

Liu Zhenqing was in a daze until a call of “Qing-ge” drew him out.

Only when he looked up to see the grown-up Huo Fenglie did he recall the memory he had buried in drunkenness.

“Er-gou, you…..” Liu Zhenqing wanted to ask, but seeing Huo Fenglie’s worried and questioning eyes, he felt there was no need to figure out whether it was reality or a dream. Because Er-gou had accomplished their goals, but he’d failed Er-gou by not waiting for him.

Liu Zhenqing’s state of mind relaxed a great deal. At least the heavens had given him a chance to make it up to Er-gou.

He turned over in Huo Fenglie’s arms and reached up to hook his neck. Slowly, he recounted the last time he had seen Huo Feihan. He could now speak of it calmly.

He wanted Huo Fenglie to know about Huo Feihan’s concern for his younger brother.

But after hearing this, Huo Fenglie only frowned, saying: “The words ‘entrust’ and ‘don’t lose’ trapped you for the rest of your life.”

Prince Jingyang had a destiny for Great Zhou and Yuan Jue, and the Huo family had responsibilities toward Great Zhou and the Yuan clan. But the most free-spirited of people was trapped by friendship.

He recalled Li Jinshu’s evaluation of Liu Zhenqing before he left.

“A beauty’s bones, a heroic life, treading atop thousands of corpses with loyalty and integrity, with only a handful of ashes left in the end.”

Face with such an assessment, Huo Fenglie’s heart broke. Even the enemy understood that person’s passionate loyalty, but he didn’t get a good ending.

Huo Fenglie was unreconciled, and even resentful. Right now, he could only hug the person in his arms tightly.

“Actually, it wasn’t that I was trapped.” Liu Zhenqing saw Er-gou’s distressed expression and couldn’t help the way the corners of his mouth rose. “You’re the only one in this world who happened to learn about my origins. Experiencing these things and shouldering these responsibilities can be regarded as my ties to this world.”

At Er-gou’s grave expression, he suddenly laughed, saying: “Fenglie, my ties to this world actually started with you.”

Huo Fenglie was taken aback by these sudden sweet words.

Liu Zhenqing said softly: “The moment I rescued you, I was destined to have a connection with this world. Because my arrival allowed a life that should have perished to survive. You were my first gift in this world.”

After speaking, Liu Zhenqing gently touched Huo Fenglie’s lips.

Huo Fenglie’s cheeks reddened: “Qing-ge, are you feeling a little better?”

Liu Zhenqing nodded. “What about you?” he asked. “Are you feeling a little better?”

Huo Fenglie stared blankly.

Liu Zhenqing smiled: “Didn’t you lose your temper when you saw Li Jinshu? It’s not like you at all to be so impulsive, and you were tormenting my back yesterday. Are you jealous because you know these things? In fact, he never did take advantage of me.”

It wasn’t Li Jinshu who started the war with the Kingdom of Xiheng back then, but another force. Li Jinshu just wanted Liu Zhenqing so much that he negotiated terms with him at the expense of his own country’s interests. However, their covenant had not yet been implemented, and the conditions were invalid.

It was likely that after engraving his name, Li Jinshu felt that the covenant was being implemented and thus immediately withdrew his troops at that time, giving them a chance to breathe.

Huo Fenglie pursed his lips and didn’t know how to answer. He knew that Li Jinshu’s name had indeed been engraved on Liu Zhenqing’s back, but he hadn’t known the specific circumstances. He only felt that Qing-ge had been humiliated. That was proof that he and his brother had failed to protect Qing-ge.

Back then, Li Jinshu had come to the battlefield to inform him of Liu Zhenqing’s death, mocking: “You’re as useless as your brother, and didn’t protect him well. If I had known what would happen today, I would have taken him back with me then.”

Such words had once shaken Huo Fenglie, and the days and nights without Liu Zhenqing made him wonder uncontrollably if they had weighed him down. But now, he was unwavering. Because he knew that no matter what path Qing-ge chose, and no matter how difficult it was, he could go on. And all he needed to do was stay by his side.

He just didn’t want Liu Zhenqing to see Li Jinshu again, didn’t want him to think of the humiliation he suffered when he was helpless, nor the grief he felt when his brother died.

Huo Fenglie looked into Liu Zhenqing’s clear eyes and whispered: “En, I’m jealous.”

Seeing Er-gou like this made Liu Zhenqing laugh.

He grabbed Huo Fenglie’s hand and placed it on his back, saying: “In that case, you can give me a tattoo when we go back.”

“What?” Huo Fenglie was dumbstruck.

“You can do it. You can tattoo me yourself. I want your name engraved on my back.”

Huo Fenglie was at a loss: “How could I…..”

Liu Zhenqing reached out and scratched Huo Fenglie’s chin, saying with great affection, “Why not? I want you to understand that I don’t belong to anyone but you.” 

Huo Fenglie was so enraptured that he couldn’t help but stroke the graceful curves hidden under his clothes with increasing force.

“Tattoos…..hurt.”

Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie, who obviously wanted to do it, but was trying so hard to hide his little thoughts with a torn, worried look on his face.

He couldn’t help laughing on the inside. Er-gou always had a way to make him happy. Even if it wasn’t intentional, he always cheered Liu Zhenqing up.

But when Liu Zhenqing was in a happy mood, he didn’t act like a human being.

“Don’t you have me tattooed all over your body? I also want one that changes with body temperature.” Liu Zhenqing’s eyes roamed as he spoke. “When the time comes, you’ll be able to see your name appear on me every day, all right?”

Huo Fenglie’s face went red. His body stiffened, and he turned over and pushed Liu Zhenqing down.

Just as the temperature of their kisses was rising, a knock on the door interrupted the proceedings.

It was already dark. Guards must have come many times, urging them repeatedly. There was a banquet, after all, and Huo Fenglie hadn’t been there all this time. It was unreasonable, and the emperor had asked after him several times.

“I’ll accompany you,” Liu Zhenqing said.

In any case, he no longer had any scruples about Li Jinshu. Liu Zhenqing’s heart was calm, and he no longer needed to hide.

Everyone’s attention was aroused when the two men appeared again. Yuan Jue called them forward and smiled, saying to them privately: “I hear that my Imperial Sister caused some trouble?”

Naturally, Liu Zhenqing couldn’t take the lead. Huo Fenglie stepped forward and saluted: “Answering Your Majesty, Her Royal Highness the Princess attempted to kill my fiance.”

“Attempted to kill him, but didn’t.” A voice suddenly sounded. It was the young man sitting to the back left. “Eighth Sister is just willful. General Huo actually threatened her with a sword, which really doesn’t give our royal family face.”

Liu Zhenqing looked over. The man was about the same age as Qiao Jin, but in terms of appearance and demeanor, he wasn’t up to par with Qiao Jin or Yuan Jue. Not to mention saying such a thing on such an occasion, this idiot thought he could be emperor?

Liu Zhenqing really wanted to complain. The crown prince’s brother hadn’t inherited his genes well, ah.

Although King Jing’s voice was lighthearted and teasing, the provocation in his words was obvious. Yuan Jue sent him a glance.

“Zhanyuan doesn’t act without reason, so Imperial Sister must have gone too far. It seems it really is time to marry her off as soon as possible,” Yuan Jue said with a faint smile.

This was said as if the trust between Yuan Jue and Huo Fenglie was unshakable, like even if Huo Fenglie had taken action against the Eighth Princess, Yuan Jue would probably be biased toward him.

In fact, if not for the blood relationship, Yuan Jue would indeed regard Huo Fenglie as his brother more than these two younger siblings who had rarely gotten along with him.

When King Jing saw this, there was an ominous glint in his eyes. It wasn’t that he wanted to target Huo Fenglie. After all, the general would be his watchdog when he took power. It was just that Huo Fenglie had caused their plans to run aground again and again, so how could he not be angry and want to teach him a few lessons? It was a pity that his Imperial Brother was still so dependent on the Huo family, and also wasn’t afraid that a rebel would one day appear in the Huo family and change the surname of Great Zhou.

Naturally, the surrounding envoys stretched their ears to hear these whispered conversations.

All claims that the emperor feared those close to him who had power and merit were false. It was truly disappointing that the relationship between emperor and minister was still so impeccable.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Yuan Jue waved for them to go down and watch the entertainment.

Far removed from his mood during the day, Liu Zhenqing was relaxed now. He ate and drank when he should, and said a few words to Huo Fenglie after the wonderful performance. One of them was enthusiastic and one was calm, one talked a lot and one talked little. But Huo Fenglie would respond to every word of Liu Zhenqing’s even if just with an expression. No matter how one looked at it, they were as intimate as if nobody else was around.

For a while, many people were stunned.

“Jiejie? You seem to be paying close attention to Young Master Liu,” Jian Shuang said.

Yao Hua was startled. She looked away and said: “I just think he’s a bit…..”

“Like that person?” Jian Shuang said, watching as Yao Hua unconsciously caressed the jade pendant under her clothes.

Yao Hua nodded, not hiding anything from Jian Shuang.

“Where are the similarities?” asked Jian Shuang.

Yao Hua pondered over it, but couldn’t explain it clearly. It was probably that he could constantly keep Huo Fenglie’s attention on him. Huo Fenglie was constantly circling around Liu Zhenqing when he was a boy, and now General Huo was also circling around his fiance, so they seemed very similar.

Yao Hua couldn’t help but raise her head to take another look, only to see Huo Fenglie suddenly lean forward and block her gaze. She didn’t know if it was just a coincidence, but it felt familiar to Yao Hua. Amused, she no longer looked over there.

A gust of wind blew, and Jian Shuang couldn’t hold back her cough. Yao Hua habitually placed a cloak on her and asked: “Do you want to go back?”

Jiang Shuang shook her head: “I won’t go back. It’s rare to see entertainment with Jiejie. Winter is coming, let’s ask the emperor to move into the palace.”

Yao Hua’s eyes flashed: “All right.”

Jian Shuang leaned against Yao Hua, but her eyes turned to King Jing on the side. However, King Jing avoided her gaze and never looked her way.

Yuan Jue’s gaze also frequently fell on Huo Fenglie’s side. When Huo Fenglie said before that he wanted to marry, Yuan Jue didn’t have much practical experience seeing what they were like together. But now that he saw them interacting as a pair, he felt like something was amiss. Could a person like Huo Fenglie truly transfer such strong feelings to another person?

Apart from that person being a substitute, Yuan Jue couldn’t think of any other possibility.

Of course, Li Jinshu couldn’t stand the sight of it even more. His love rival he recognized had changed his mind in the blink of an eye, and it really put him out of sorts. After all, they had just finished speaking of Liu Zhenqing’s past, and Huo Fenglie’s had clearly displayed a very strong reaction. Didn’t that prove that he still had feelings for Liu Zhenqing?

He felt Huo Fenglie should have been upset for at least a while. Why was he so sweet with someone all of a sudden? What was the secret behind Young Master Liu?

The shortsighted Li Jinshu was determined to run over and be an eyesore.

Although things had been made clear, the appearance of Li Jinshu still made thorns stand up all over Huo Fenglie’s body.

Li Jinshu casually walked over to their table with a wine cup to ask for a drink. “I’m not unwelcome, am I? We still haven’t finished reminiscing about old times.”

Huo Fenglie was about to say he wasn’t welcome, but then he heard Liu Zhenqing say: “Your Highness, please.”

Liu Zhenqing had no choice. According to Li Jinshu’s temperament, if he wasn’t satisfied now, there was no telling what he would say in front of everybody later.

Huo Fenglie was taken aback. He looked at Liu Zhenqing in surprise and said: “There’s no need…..”

Liu Zhenqing gave Huo Fenglie a look that said to sit tight and be patient. Having the lowest status, it wasn’t possible for Liu Zhenqing to pour wine, so Huo Fenglie snatched the wine from Liu Zhenqing’s hands with a cold face.

Seeing how obviously unhappy the other was, Liu Zhenqing was helpless and could only pat him on the leg to comfort him.

Li Jinshu looked at them with interest and said with a smile: “I had thought General Huo would never care for anyone in this life.”

Huo Fenglie’s hands paused when he said this, and he sent Li Jinshu a warning look.

Fearing that there wasn’t enough chaos in the world, Li Jinshu said: “Young Master Liu, do you know? Your fiance once had someone he held dear to his heart. For him, he went to fight me on the battlefield.”

Liu Zhenqing was originally in a complicated mood, but upon hearing this…..he felt wonderful.

Huo Fenglie’s expression didn’t change much. This kind of situation had happened many times, and he was no longer embarrassed. He just regarded Li Jinshu with some displeasure. But suddenly, he felt something wrong with the hand on his thigh, which had gone from patting to rubbing.

The expression on Huo Fenglie’s face instantly froze.

Seeing this, Li Jinshu assumed Huo Fenglie had a guilty conscience and continued: “Young Master Liu, has General Huo mentioned to you his reason for not getting married for so many years?”

Huo Fenglie gradually lost control of the muscles in his face, and his body tensed up. He gave Liu Zhenqing a helpless look.

“Is it true? Did you like someone before me?” Liu Zhenqing’s sudden inquiry stunned Huo Fenglie.

Huo Fenglie looked at him, dumbfounded. If it weren’t for a certain person’s hand performing evil acts below, with that expression on Liu Zhenqing’s face, Huo Fenglie would have truly believed he’d let him down.

On the opposite side, Li Jinshu looked as if he was watching a good show.

“I…..I…..” Huo Fenglie didn’t know how to answer.

Liu Zhenqing looked at him aggrievedly: “Then go and marry him, ah. What are you doing marrying me?”

Huo Fenglie had a hard time finding words, and could only reach to hold down the wicked hand that was about to cross into dangerous territory.

“No, I’m marrying you,” Huo Fenglie stammered.

“Really. Then swear it,” Liu Zhenqing said immediately.

Huo Fenglie quickly raised one hand and swore: “I, Huo Fenglie, will only marry you in this life.”

Liu Zhenqing suppressed a smile and pretended to be touched: “En, I’ll also only marry you.”

They exchanged looks of tender affection, which made the corners of Li Jinshu’s lips twitch. He feared Young Master Liu was an idiot. He was deceived so easily? And Huo Fenglie dared to speak nonsense. Li Jinshu didn’t expect that such a righteous fellow could also be a heartless and unprincipled scumbag, even worse than himself!

Li Jinshu couldn’t take it anymore: “Hehe, are the two of you marrying very soon?”

“Naturally. Does the prince plan to stay for the wedding banquet?” Liu Zhenqing asked with enthusiasm.

“I don’t dare remain in your Zhou Dynasty for so long,” Li Jinshu said with a smile.

“Why not? The prince is a guest, and of course we would ensure his safety,” Liu Zhenqing said innocently.

Seeing how simple this person was, Li Jinshu gave a half-smile and said: “But your Great Zhou isn’t safe right now, ah. How could you protect me?”

“How can that be? Anywhere Fenglie is must be the safest.”

“That’s not necessarily true. General Huo has not yet defeated me, so what need have I to rely on him to ensure my safety?” Li Jinshu smiled and raised an eyebrow, glancing at Huo Fenglie.

Huo Fenglie paid no attention at all to his provocation, but he was somewhat concerned about the conversation between the two of them just now.

“I suggest you postpone your wedding. There won’t be any auspicious days this month.”

A cold light flashed in Huo Fenglie’s eyes when he heard this, and he suddenly understood why Liu Zhenqing had invited Li Jinshu over.

The conversation between them sounded like pleasantries, but in fact, Liu Zhenqing was testing Li Jinshu. He wanted to find out if the man had another purpose for coming here.

And judging by Li Jinshu’s answer, he clearly had ulterior motives.

“No way, I’ve looked at them all. There are so many auspicious days,” Liu Zhenqing said in disbelief.

“They really won’t be good, especially…..the day after tomorrow.”

“Isn’t the day after tomorrow when everyone has been invited to go hunting? Days like that are carefully chosen, and the weather is good, so how could it not be a good day?” Liu Zhenqing said with a naive appearance.

“Hunting, ah, how can a day of killing be a good day?” Li Jinshu teased Liu Zhenqing as if teasing a child. After all, with the age difference between them, wasn’t it just like teasing a little friend? “Young Master Liu, it’s best not to attend the event the day after tomorrow. If you’re stained with blood, it may not be suitable for you to marry in the future.”

Liu Zhenqing sent Huo Fenglie a look of confusion: “So would it be better for Fenglie not to go either?”

Li Jinshu smiled: “It’s best for him not to go, but I’m afraid he has an important position and has no other choice.”

At Liu Zhenqing’s worried appearance, Li Jinshu smiled and said: “I’ll help watch over him for you and try my best not to let him kill anything.”

Liu Zhenqing nodded somewhat sheepishly.

Li Jinshu hadn’t expected Liu Zhenqing to actually be a little white rabbit, and it grew boring after playing with him for a while. He still liked foxes more, so he picked up his wine cup and wandered away.

“The day after tomorrow…..”

“No, tomorrow.”

Liu Zhenqing retracted the hand that was teasing Huo Fenglie. His eyes were calm, and his hand on the table moved unconsciously – if there was a Rubik’s cube available, he would have definitely been spinning it.

Although Huo Fenglie still felt that something wasn’t right, he still asked: “Why?”

“That guy looks arrogant, but he actually understands the shortcomings of arrogance and is proficient at using it to confuse his enemies. If you succeeded in parsing the words he said, you would definitely focus on guarding against that date in the future rather than tomorrow. And you would also pay special attention to the future hunting event. After all, a situation like that is the most likely to have problems, and takes a lot of energy to defend. Relatively speaking, tomorrow’s performance day at the palace seems less worrying.”

Huo Fenglie frowned: “Tomorrow, all of the countries are offering their gifts and bringing performers.”

“Could King Jing be colluding with Li Jinshu to use the performers as assassins?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“It’s very possible. However, if there are no hidden weapons on them, an investigation can’t be carried out,” Huo Fenglie said. “All we can do is keep an eye on them.”

Liu Zhenqing nodded: “That’s sufficient.”

After the first day’s birthday banquet, King Jing stayed and went to the Empress Dowager’s palace to comfort the weeping Eighth Princess. It wasn’t until Yuan Jue came and said a few words that the princess knew it was hopeless and calmed down.

The Taifei accompanied the Eighth Princess back to rest, and Yuan Jue conversed with King Jing and the Empress Dowager for a while. The content was seemingly about domestic trifles, until King Jing’s future wife was brought up.

King Jing opened his mouth and said: “It isn’t important. I think it would be better to choose one next year.”

“Why, are you not satisfied with these choices? They have all been carefully selected by the Empress Dowager and the Taifei. When they all come tomorrow, this emperor can make the announcement on the spot,” Yuan Jue said with a smile.

“Emperor Brother should make the announcement for General Huo tomorrow. Judging from how he and his new wife look together, they are impatiently waiting. I’m not dissatisfied with the choices, but it has to be someone I like. I still hope that I will be able to personally choose my future wife.”

Of course he must choose his own empress. What kind of family backgrounds did these women have to qualify for the title of empress?

Yuan Jue didn’t try to persuade him, just saying with a half-smile: “Fate is destined by heaven. Perhaps the one for you is hidden among this selection. Don’t dwell on poems and distant places all, but instead look at the people in front of you, ah.”

King Jing smiled ingratiatingly.

He was about to leave after Yuan Jue did, but Yao Hua stopped him.

When King Jing approached her, Yao Hua sighed softly and patted his head. A hint of impatience appeared on King Jing’s face: “Mother?”

“Son, your mother passed away early. You were raised by me and the Taifei together, just like parents with their child.”

King Jing’s expression went a little stiff: “Why is the Empress Dowager suddenly bringing this up?”

Yao Hua lowered her eyes slightly: “I’ve been feeling unwell lately and want to eat Tanyun Province’s sweet osmanthus cakes. Can you go buy them for me?”

King Jing’s expression was somewhat unnatural: “I will send someone.”

“Before, you personally bought them for me,” Yao Hua said.

“Then wait until after the Longevity Festival, and I’ll go.”

Yao Hua said in a soft voice: “Can’t you go tomorrow?”

King Jing smiled: “Mother wants to eat them so much.”

“The Longevity Festival. Weren’t you talking about how tedious it is and that you don’t want to choose a concubine? Then there’s no need to stay,” Yao Hua said.

“I still must stay. It’s the emperor’s birthday, after all.” King Jing stood up and said: “I will buy them for you later, Mother. I’ll take my leave now.”

Watching King Jing turn and leave without hesitation, Yao Hua sighed heavily.

A gentle, reserved voice suddenly sounded: “Your Highness, are you being soft-hearted?”

“It’s done, forget it. Once a person’s heart changes, it can’t be changed back. This is the truth I understand the most after marrying into the royal family. There are so few people in this world who can maintain their original intentions forever.”

---

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Chapter 136 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 138

[The queue for the Heavenly Gates is 6,000+. Fortunately, I ran fast.]

[Wake up, I just queued up with an alt account, and it’s already 8,000. I guess there’s no hope.]

[Me too (T . T)]

[I ran fast too, but I was no match for the people faster than me, ah! Mommy, the way up the mountain is so long…..]

[Can those on the mountain die faster? The line hasn’t moved in a long time, and I’m so bored I’m fishing in the ditch.]

[You think I don’t want to? I lose 10,000 life points when the baby NPC hits me. The problem is, I have 300,000 life points! Calculate for yourself how long it’ll take me to die ten times!]

[Oh my god, are you serious?]

[I knew this scheme wouldn’t be kind enough to let us get a title easily, hahaha]

[I hate that this crappy game doesn’t sell upgrade props, otherwise I would crowdfund 10,000 golden elixirs and stuff them into his mouth!]

[His level was 15 just now…..and now it’s 16…..why do I see an NPC leveling up?]

[And check out his equipment. I’m blown away!]

[Could it be that the site is testing new technology? NPCs that can grow?]

[I don’t want to worry about new technology. I just want to ask if there’s any way to be killed faster by the baby NPC!]

[Isn’t there still 001 next to him? He’s at level 150 and has good equipment, so he can definitely kill quickly. Let him do it, ah. One stab for each little friend.]

[You think I didn’t think of that? But 001 doesn’t do anything! I went to him, but he wouldn’t bother with me.]

[His objective is always the baby NPC.]

[What’s he doing? Does he think he’s the baby’s guardian, ah?]

[In the vicinity] : [Humanoid Player NPC No. 001] gently pats [Humanoid Player No. 002]’s head.

[In the vicinity] : [Humanoid Player NPC No. 001] gently rubs [Humanoid Player No. 002]’s face.

[……]

[……]

[My silence is deafening.]

[Isn’t it strange how these two interact with each other? ? ?]

[He’s really a guardian? Bull.]

[NPC 001 is just for decoration! Stupid planners, aren’t they embarrassed to create an under-leveled NPC just to torture us?! Who actually cares about them giving away bad special effects titles for free?!]

[Bro, if you don’t care, can you make some room for me? I care. [blushing] ]

[ I care. [blushing] ]

[ I care. [blushing] ]

[ I care. [blushing] ]

. . . . . . 

[Those on the mountain, have you taken off your equipment?]

[I took it off a while ago. Only my underwear is left.]

[Stand closer and take group damage to increase efficiency.]

[Lying down in a row is already very gay.]

[Bro next to me, move back. The distance between us is too suggestive [blushing] ]

[Frickin’ blushing?! Can you change your flirty purple color to a straight color first?]

[You’re clipping through me, Bro, your head is stuck in my chest.]

[Is there group damage at level 17?]

[Yes? I remember it being there at level 8.]

[But the baby NPC doesn’t seem to be able to use it.]

[Let’s see, he’s using single attacks and he’s still learning skills! OMG ! ! ! ]

[Today is the day I would also like to greet the planner family.]

[Humanoid NPC Player No. 001, don’t just stand there! Quickly teach your baby!]

[Humanoid NPC Player No. 001, don’t just stand there! Quickly teach your baby!]

[Humanoid NPC Player No. 001, don’t just stand there! Quickly teach your baby!]

. . . . . .

Humanoid NPC Player No. 001: [Don’t rush me. I’m teaching.]

[ …..? ]

[ ? ? ? ]

[ ? ? ? ? ? ]

[what ? ? ? ? ! ! ]

[How the hell is he talking? ? ? ]

[No way, have you all been ignoring the word ‘player’? ]

. . . . . .

He Chuzhou showed Pei Xi in slow motion how to use the skill to carry out group attacks.

Pei Xi carefully took note. He took back his phone and repeated He Chuzhou’s actions. The second after pressing the skill, uniform red numbers appeared above the heads of the naked men lying on the ground:

[ -3888 ]

His eyes lit up.

It could actually hit ten at a time, which was indeed more useful than the single-target skill!

He Chuzhou, hiding his talent and fame, leisurely operated his character to walk up to Pei Xi.

The swordsman in black, wearing a bamboo hat, stood behind the little swordsman with a broadsword in his hands like an all-powerful spirit, or a cold and taciturn bodyguard.

Or that would have been the case if there weren’t crazy words such as “touch,” “pat,” and “rub” popping up now and then above his head.

Accompanying Pei Xi to complete another batch of skills, He Chuzhou suddenly looked sideways at Pei Xi and asked: “Xinxin?”

Pei Xi: “En?”

He Chuzhou: “Are you feeling better now?”

Pei Xi’s fingertips paused on a skill. His attention, which had originally been focused on reaping heads, easily dispersed.

He looked at the rows of players laying on the ground waiting to be killed, looked at the long queue that had spontaneously formed at the Heavenly Gates, looked at everyone cheering for him after he learned how to use group attacks, then looked at the swordsman in black who had been at his side from beginning to end…..

The corners of his mouth curled up in a happy arc. He nodded honestly and said in a soft voice: “I’m okay.”

He Chuzhou’s lips curved, and he raised his weapon too: “So now can you tell me why you were upset before?”

Pei Xi’s eyes flashed slightly, and he lowered them. He Chuzhou waited patiently before finally saying in a soft voice: “I…..saw the news that your father and the others are preparing to return to China.”

“Just this morning.”

Pei Zhen’s condition had stabilized after several years of treatment. Logically speaking, as long as he didn’t receive major mental stimulation and cooperated with his drug treatments, there would basically not be future occurrences.

Therefore, Pei Yansong had been seeking various resources and connections to send Pei Zhen to university, get his life back on track, and integrate him with normal society.

At the same time, because he feared Pei Zhen would be anxious or uneasy, Pei Yansong specially took him and Jiang Ting on vacation to a city on the other side of the ocean, to relax and adjust Pei Zhen’s mood in preparation for school life.

Now, a few months later, they were coming back.

The flight took off at three o’clock in the morning, capital time. Pei Yansong had made a rare post on Moments, which contained a photo of the three of them at an aquarium.

In the background was a glass partition with placards in English, behind which schools of colorful fish swam by.

They were standing in the spacious aisle in front, with Pei Yansong and Jiang Ting standing on either side of the expressionless Pei Zhen.

Jiang Ting was holding her son’s arm and smiling brightly, while the usually stern and unsmiling Pei Yansong had a rare curve to his eyes.

Of course, his so-called unsmiling nature might just be Pei Xi’s perception of his father.

“I’m actually not upset, I’m just…..”

He wracked his brain, unable to find the words to perfectly describe how he felt. He could only say: “I’m just a little unhappy.”

Without waiting for He Chuzhou to react, he muttered: “Why am I talking nonsense?”

Amused, He Chuzhou reached out to grasp the back of his neck: “It’s not nonsense. It’s very clear. I get it.”

Pei Xi was doubtful: “Really?”

But even he himself didn’t know what he was talking about.

He Chuzhou: “Of course. Don’t you believe me?”

Pei Xi shook his head, then suddenly realized: “Chuzhou, did you do all this for me?”

His sensitivity made it difficult to focus on two things at once. If he focused on himself, he would easily lose focus on the people around him.

Only now did he realize He Chuzhou had been attempting to coax him.

He said he would take him out to see a movie and asked him what he wanted to eat. He accompanied him to play a game, from beating strange-looking creatures and riding on mounts, to using privileges to help him “kill innocent people indiscriminately” with great fanfare.

At the thought of his, the smile on his face immediately vanished and was replaced with self-blame: “Did I tire you out or upset you?”

“Who said that?” He Chuzhou instantly cried out in grievance: “I’m extremely happy. I love playing games with you.”

Pei Xi: “But I can’t play well.”

He Chuzhou was puzzled: “Is the point how well you play?”

Pei Xi was also puzzled: “Is it not?”

He Chuzhou: “Shouldn’t the point be playing with you? What fun is just a game?”

Pei Xi pursed his lips in silence, staring at him.

He Chuzhou: “What do you think? If you have any opinions, you can put them forward. I’m very free now, so I can rectify them for you slowly.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi worked hard to hold down the corners of his mouth: “Unreasonable.”

He Chuzhou spread his hands: “You’re my wife, not an opponent in a debate. Why should I be reasonable?”

……Okay, he wasn’t quite able to hold them down.

Pei Xi cut off the skill. He didn’t want to be seen, so he simply threw himself into the other’s arms and hid his face: “Mr. He, if Wancheng holds a coaxing contest one day, I’ll definitely vote for you to get first place.”

A coaxing contest?

He Chuzhou asked himself, why would I participate in such a thing? I’m not interested in coaxing others, but I could coax you in a competition. No one but me will be allowed to participate, and I’ll win first place from the start.

Moving his long arms, he simply hugged Pei Xi and sat face to face with him: “Do you want to see something fun?”

Pei Xi slowly raised his head: “Like what?”

He Chuzhou: “Open the game backpack and find the feather inside.”

Pei Xi located the backpack and opened it.

Feather…..feather…..

“Is this it?” He turned his phone and asked He Chuzhou, pointing to the golden feather icon on the screen.

He Chuzhou: “Yeah, that’s it. Press and hold to view the description.”

Pei Xi pressed the feather, and a description box quickly popped up on the left.

[Item name: Golden Feather]

[Item description: The most eye-catching feather on the tail of a Jin Ling. Pulling it out will make the Jin Ling curse at you. It also carries half of the creature’s good luck.]

[Item level: Blue]

[To use: Try using it on a friend. Perhaps it will help realize an unexpected wish.]

Pei Xi was surprised: “Where did this come from?”

He Chuzhou: “Do you remember the Jin Ling I took you to kill on top of Wutong Mountain when we first entered the game?”

Pei Xi thought about it, but was unsure: “You mean that big chicken that looked like a dog and crowed like a duck?”

“ ? ”

“What do you mean it looked…..it crowed?”

He Chuzhou recalled the Jing Ling model in astonishment, and couldn’t refute.

“Okay…..well, it did look like a chicken. I’ll have the modeling team change it.”

“But that’s not the point. Try selecting me and use the feather on me.”

Pei Xi clicked to select the feather. He looked up at He Chuzhou, then down at the feather, then up at He Chuzhou—

Then he hesitantly touched the other’s forehead with his index finger: “Like this?”

After a brief silence, He Chuzhou couldn’t help but lower his head, laughing so hard that his shoulders and body shook.

Pei Xi didn’t understand, and was at a loss.

When he finally realized what he’d done, his head spun around and his face went hot. He retracted his hand in silence and went back to the game.

After selecting the swordsman in black to use the feather on. The character flashed with a golden light, and a 24-hour blue-framed buff appeared on its body: 

[Golden Feather Possession: It seems you were chosen by someone to become his wishing tree~]

“Okay.” He Chuzhou suppressed his smile and said to Pei Xi: “Now you can make a wish on me.”

Pei Xi: “What kind of wish?”

He Chuzhou: “That’s up to you, of course.”

Pei Xi: “Anything is fine?”

He Chuzhou: “Anything is fine.”

Having heard this guarantee, Pei Xi looked straight at him.

There was hesitance, uncertainty, and unbearable hope: “If I want you to go to an aquarium with me…..would that be okay?”

. . . . . .

[Why isn’t the baby moving?]

[Huh? What’s going on? Is he stuck?]

[NPCs can get stuck too ? ? ?]

[Baby, I can’t live without you, ah! Baby ! ! ! ]

[Ahhhh I want to be killed so much! (becomes a monkey) (swings on vines with other monkeys) (throws away pants) (continues to swing regardless) (pisses on the other monkeys) ! ! ! ]

[Hey, he’s moving, he’s moving!]

[NCP 002 used a prop on NPC 001? What the hell? What are you two doing!]

[001! I’m really gonna get angry! Are you here to be an NPC and give out benefits or to coax your wife?!]

[/angry/angry/angry]

[Eh ? ? ?]

[No way, why are they gone?]

[…..Did they rage quit?]

[That can’t be. Are there too many people here and it caused a network lag?]

[ ? ? ? ? What the hell?]

[Why do I feel they were showing off?]

[I have a reasonable suspicion that this is the shameless behavior of a big boss skipping work and sneaking around to coax his wife. (lights cigarette)]

[Come on, the big bosses are busy buying buildings by the river to invest in. How could they have time for wife-chasing? How could they have time to light a beacon fire^[1] for their girl?]

[I am a pig.]

[I am a monkey.]

[What the hell! I would be happy to skip work with my boss!]

[So when will the boss come back and skip work with me? I’ve died 9 times! I really want a special effects title ahhhhhh!]

[System Announcement: Due to the popularity of the event, the excessive enthusiasm of the knights frightened [Humanoid Player No. 1], and he lost his ability to fight. Event NPCs are offline, and today’s killing event has ended. We hope all knights will accept this magnanimously.]

[ ? ]

[ ? ? ? ]

[Damn! I’ve been waiting in line for so long!]

[I send my special greetings to the entire family of this hot chicken scheme]

[System Announcement: Special effects titles will be issued later to all knights who entered the Heavenly Gates map during the event time. Hoping that when all knights go to the courier to receive their reward, they dress appropriately so as not to scare the cute courier NPC.]

[Relief~]

[It’s getting cold, remember to tell your family to put on more clothes to keep warm.]

[/love/love/love]

. . . . . .

There were still five minutes until work ended.

When he finished up, Pei Xi glanced at the time and pressed the curled edges of a paper with his fingertips. He was a bit inexplicably disconcerted.

It had been a long time since he’d woken up and felt embarrassed about what he’d done during his confusion.

Unexpectedly, he was experiencing it again today.

After saying he no longer cared about the past, he’d done an about-face because a photo had completely broken through his guard.

What would He Chuzhou think of him?

Would he think he wanted to save face even at the cost of his life, and didn’t mean what he said?

Even though he knew He Chuzhou wouldn’t mock him for this, as soon as he considered how He Chuzhou might unconsciously label him, he grew restless and couldn’t calm down.

Particularly when He Chuzhou send a message a couple minutes later saying that he would stop by to pick him up for dinner after work.

For dinner.

…..Pei Xi didn’t want to face him at all.

Perhaps it would be possible to explain to He Chuzhou during dinner that the truth was not as he imagined.

To tell him that he wasn’t unbalanced or envious of Pei Zhen, that he didn’t want Pei Yansong to take him on vacation like he’d done for Pei Zhen, nor go to an aquarium and look at the fish.

With this idea in mind, the second he got into He Chuzhou’s car on the way to the restaurant, he carefully considered his words.

But He Chuzhou kept bringing up irrelevant topics, so he never got the chance.

When it came time to order and He Chuzhou carefully selected dishes according to his tastes, he finally couldn’t help but speak up: “He Chuzhou.”

“En?” He Chuzhou looked up. “What is it?”

Pei Xi met his gaze. After several failed attempts to speak, the courage he had finally mustered up failed him.

“…..It’s nothing. I just don’t want you to order drinks that are too sweet.”

He still couldn’t tell him.

For the first time, he regretted pretending not to remember anything when he was in his right mind. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t be in this dilemma today.

How on earth did one bring up a topic one wasn’t supposed to remember?

He’d even hoped once that He Chuzhou would take the initiative to mention it, even if it was told as a joke.

But he also knew there was little hope of that happening.

He Chuzhou was always so considerate of his feelings, and almost never told him what Pei-calico had done so as not to embarrass him.

As expected, He Chuzhou didn’t say a word about it the whole time.

With no choice but to accept his fate, he could only hope He Chuzhou would forget his so-called wish or discard it as a joke.

He ignored the subtle feeling of loss in his heart and prayed for He Chuzhou to forget quickly.

When they left the restaurant, there was a light rain falling outside.

The door attendant gave them an umbrella, which He Chuzhou opened and tucked Pei Xi beneath.

On the way to their parking spot, He Chuzhou muttered to himself about how to take He Xingxing out later.

Pei Xi was absently listening when suddenly, a call from nearby interrupted his wandering thoughts.

“Dear, let’s go home quickly. Dad just called and said he bought you a cake.

He stopped and looked up. It was a mother calling to her child.

“Wu.”

The child responded while squatting beside a closed shop. In front of him was a small stack of cardboard with a little milk cat lying on top.

The cardboard must have been placed there long ago. It was originally beyond the covered awning above, but even though the child had moved it farther in, it could still be seen that it was half-wet from the rain.

“Mama, I feel so sorry for it.”

The child said: “The mama cat only took the other two kittens and forgot about this one. It looks so cold. Can we take it home?”

“No, Dear.”

His mother denied him altogether: “Have you forgotten that Dad is allergic to cat hair? Dad will get sick if you bring it home. Be good, just let it wait here. The mother cat will remember it.”

“But it’s been waiting all day…..”

The child touched the kitten silently. It could be seen that he was struggling to make a decision. In the end, he helped move the kitten under cover more and reluctantly got up and left.

As Pei Xi stared at the shivering kitten that couldn’t even stand up after many attempts, he heard the person beside him say: “Do you want to raise a cat?”

He subconsciously started to nod, but quickly realized that the person asking was He Chuzhou.

He was currently living in He Chuzhou’s home. Even if he wanted one, he could only keep it there. But he recalled that He Chuzhou had once said he didn’t want a cat—

“I would quite like one. He Xinxing can be its companion.”

Pei Xi was stunned. He raised his head just in time to see He Chuzhou look away from the kitten. He looked sideways at Pei Xi and asked with a hopeful look on his face: “How about we take it home?”

---

[1] This refers to an ancient Chinese story, where a king lit the beacon fire to cheer up his wife, and the princes came running to the rescue, thinking it was an emergency. Like these players, they felt very stupid when they realized what had happened. ⮐

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Chapter 47 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 49

T/N: Don’t be fooled by the silly synopsis, this story is an epic! I won’t be updating it frequently until I finish one of my other translations (Prime Minister is almost done), but I had to get a foot in the door before one of the MTL sites did this masterpiece dirty! I hope you all enjoy this one as much as I did.

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Volume I: The Tree That Reached the Sky

Chapter 1 -Main Job and Side Job

Black. All different shades of black.

Feng Ye lifted his right foot and took a step forward.

The material under the soles of his feet felt soft like mud, or perhaps like rippling water.

He looked down to find that it was in the same shades of black as the rest of the scenery in his field of vision, and he couldn’t tell what was under his feet.

Feng Ye had not panicked when he abruptly fell into the pitch-black darkness, and wasn’t even very curious. Without trying to figure out where he was standing, he simply continued to walk onward as he had so many times before.

It was unknown how long he walked. In the darkness, he couldn’t see the sun, the moon, and or the stars, and couldn’t estimate the time.

At last, Feng Ye saw something else within the seemingly endless darkness.

It was a shadowy outline of a slightly lighter hue than the darkness that occupied every corner of his field of vision. The outline looked like the sapling of some kind of tree, its tender branches and leaves swaying in the darkness.

Feng Ye stopped moving forward and crossed his arms, somewhat bored as he waited.

“How long will it take for the next scene to come…..” Feng Ye estimated the passage of time by tapping his arm with his index finger.

As his finger tapped for the tenth time, the silhouette of a small figure appeared next to the sapling. He was pitch black, with short arms and legs, and only half the height of a normal person – like some kind of humorous character in a shadow puppet show.

But there were no desolate, melodious voices of opera singers here, nor a stage for a show. There was only the darkness, eerie and inexplicable.

A normal person would be somewhat panicked to have suddenly strayed into such a situation. Feng Ye, however, was entirely the opposite. He was as relaxed as if he was really here to watch a show, and a fairly boring show at that.

It couldn’t be helped. Anyone who watched the same scene countless times would grow bored of it.

He watched the little black figure busily tend to the sapling, using every possible way to water and fertilize it, but the sapling remained a sapling. Not to mention sprouting branches and a trunk, it didn’t even look like it had grown the least bit taller.

The black figure sat down on the ground dejectedly.

With his head drooping, although he was just a faceless black mass, one could imagine how sad the little figure was.

Feng Ye wasn’t a heartless person, but he had no intention of stepping forward to help him. Because he knew that the little figure in front of him would find a method to make the sapling grow.

And that method was……

The dejected little figure sitting on the ground suddenly jolted, as if he had thought of a solution. 

A sharp silhouette appeared on the short-legged, short-armed figure, like a blade.

In the next second, accompanied by the sound of rending flesh and blood, the blade pierced into the figure’s chest. Holding the handle of the blade in both hands, he tremblingly but firmly cut open his flesh.

The monotonous darkness was broken, and an abrupt touch of color bloomed in this dark play.

Red.

Pulsating, flowing red.

A subtle, rhythmic beating sound rang in his ears, and Feng Ye’s somewhat distracted expression gradually froze.

Although he had watched it countless times, he still couldn’t help being moved by the scene.

The figure tossed the blade away by the hilt and raised his hands high, bearing the fresh, beating heart he had just dug out of himself.

He knelt before the sapling and carefully, almost devoutly, buried his heart in its roots.

The figure held his breath. He ignored his bleeding wound and only stared at the sapling that would not grow, full of expectation and trepidation.

In the end, his hard work paid off. The sapling that had received a human heart underwent changes visible to the naked eye. It spread out its branches and leaves and rapidly sprouted a trunk.

The limbs at the top continued to branch out and grow leaves, reaching to the sky as the roots at the bottom grew thicker and thicker. They had only been as thick as the joint of a finger at first, but now, even dozens of adults couldn’t encircle their breadth. 

Compared to the long, hopeless wait before, it grew into a towering tree in nearly the blink of an eye.

It reached to the heavens in the truest sense. The ever-growing branches were about to break through the barrier between the two worlds, creating a passage between the heavenly and human realms via a giant tree.

“Jianmu…..” Feng Ye gazed up at the colossal tree that stretched to the heavens and murmured its name.

Jianmu, with the power to connect the two worlds. When fully grown, it would break the barrier between heaven and earth and open a passage from the human world to the heavens.

In fact, during that long period of time, the figure’s tireless care for the sapling had not been in vain. The sapling didn’t fail to grow at all, it just…..grew too slowly…..

So slowly that eight thousand years equated one spring season, and eight thousand more one autumn.

Compared to this, the lifespan of mortals was like that of a mayfly. Like the firefly and the bright moon, born in the evening and dead in the morning. They would never see the day when the sapling reached maturity.

But Jianmu, which should have taken tens of millions of years to grow into a towering tree, became such in just a short period of time.

Feng Yu looked at Jianmu’s roots with a frown. The heart was no longer visible. It had already merged with the tree.

Plants and trees had no hearts. Although Jianmu was no ordinary plant, it was still just a tree. It lacked self-awareness and could only passively absorb sunlight, rain, and nutrients from the soil, growing slowly.

But the figure gave his heart to Jianmu. The heartless plant gained a living, beating heart, and flowing within that heart was the desire and ambition unique to human beings.

Infinitely expanding ambition gave Jianmu the power to grow independently. It began to actively absorb nutrients and grow, shortening its growth time by tens of thousands of times.

Thump, thump, thump.

Jianmu grew inch by inch to the rhythm of a heartbeat, growing taller every time Feng Ye blinked. Its branches gradually rose higher than the mountains and the clouds, and finally, it connected heaven and earth.

This was…..the path to heaven!

There was a loud rumble.

Feng Ye followed the loud noise to gaze up at the sky, where a hurricane suddenly arose, carrying with it spiritual energy as vast as an ocean. The barrier between heaven and the human world had at last been broken by Jianmu.

Rich spiritual energy from heaven poured into the mortal world in a storm, forming a huge vortex in the air.

The small figure who’d lost his heart had a fist-sized hole in his chest, but he didn’t die. He and Jianmu had become one, connected in life and death.

The small figure cheered and opened his arms to the sky, feeling the spiritual energy spreading from heaven.

A second small figure appeared, and appeared to be friends with the hollow one. The hollow figure excitedly narrated his feat to the other.

The second small figure looked up at the towering Jianmu and exclaimed in amazement.

More and more people gathered. They climbed up Jianmu, trying to catch a glimpse of the real appearance of heaven.

They even built ladders on Jianmu for easy climbing, and ascended to the sky in an orderly manner.

However…..the good times didn’t last long…..

Feng Ye’s eyes narrowed. Those eyes had experienced darkness for so long and had become accustomed to the dimness, and the sudden glimpse of light was scorching and painful.

The little figures’ reactions were the same as his, and they gazed at the silhouette that had appeared from the spiritual storm at Jianmu’s peak in awe and fear.

This silhouette was ensconced in a bottomless glow. In this endless darkness, he was like a blazing sun that cut through the shadows, so dazzling that one dared not look directly at him. High in the sky, he peered down at the mortals ascending to heaven with neither sadness nor joy.

Humanity’s ambition to reach heaven had ultimately…..drawn the attention of the gods.

Thus…..the god raised his right hand, and light gathered there to form a sword – a blade sharp enough to cut through anything.

He swung his arm, and the sword slashed out. This sword seemed to contain the momentum of Pan Gu’s creation of the universe, unstoppable and irresistible.

The towering Jianmu tree was cut off at the waist. The lower half was still firmly rooted in the soil, but the upper half began to tilt and collapse.

The small figures climbing the path to heaven fell from the sky, their wails echoing across the land.

And another light appeared – a crimson light that burned everything.

The severed Jianmu began to burn as it fell. The fire started from the top, and the flames moved like venomous snakes along the contours of its branches until it reached the roots.

This towering Jianmu, which connected heaven and earth, burst into raging flames in the blink of an eye.

The fire danced in Feng Ye’s eyes. He did not look up at the sky, nor did he look at the god high above who had cut down Jianmu. He looked closely at the small hollow figure.

The small figure had fallen to his knees, writhing in pain.

There were no flames on his body, but the pain of the burning Jianmu was transmitted to him through the heart that had merged them into one.

The groan of Jianmu as it collapsed and disintegrated into flames, along with the cries of the figure, played out a mournful song.

The collapsed Jianmu hit the ground, raising a cloud of dust thousands of li high. Fire fell from the sky, and burning branches set alight the grass and trees on the ground. Flames spread out as far as the eye could see.

The world was engulfed in flames, and the god…..with the collapse of Jianmu, the passage closed once more and the god in the sky disappeared.

Fire gradually surrounded Feng Ye, but he didn’t move a muscle. Even when the burning heat nearly stung his skin, he didn’t flinch away at all.

Because this was just a dream. A recurring dream.

Feng Ye had known from the moment he stepped into the darkness that he had entered this dream again, and he also knew that this dream was about to end.

The fire burned for untold days and nights. Finally, after burning all of the life it could burn, the flames went out.

The world returned to darkness.

Once more, the dream was only an expanse of black.

Everything had turned to dust. Desire. Ambition.

In the darkness, only embers danced.

Feng Ye had stood there watching since he glimpsed the sapling, but now he took another step forward.

This step was difficult and slow, as if there was an invisible force of resistance hindering him. But Feng Ye still moved forward without hesitation. He wanted to find out why he kept having this dream.

The story told in this dream was incomplete. After the flames died, this absurd and irrelevant drama did not end. On the contrary, it was only the beginning of the show.

Feng Ye took three more steps forward. His legs were so heavy that there seemed to be boulders tied to them. He huffed and puffed, staring at the ashes Jianmu had become.

Jianmu was a tree that reached the sky, ten thousand mu high, and after it burned, it had turned into an immensely thick layer of ashes.

But even so, something still stubbornly broke through the ashes and emerged from the scorched earth. It was…..a new sapling…..

The sapling stretched out its branches and leaves, full of vitality.

Feng Ye’s heart suddenly stopped beating, and he stared at the sapling with its outreached branches and leaves. It was exactly the same as the previous one. 

But Jianmu had already become ashes in the flames, so what was this thing that had broken out of the ground?

Mysteriously and inexorably, he suddenly had a strong sense of foreboding, an instinctive warning carved deep in his soul.

Disaster was coming.

The soles of his feet immediately sank. A whirlpool formed on the ground that consisted of either mud or water, with the newly-sprouted sapling at its center. Darkness gathered and swirled beneath his feet like an abyss.

Feng Ye gazed past his feet, into the seemingly endless abyss. Chillingly, he got the sense that the abyss was alive, and was also looking back at him.

Or rather, that there was something beyond the abyss, peering at him from the darkness.

The shadows of the abyss were like tentacles as they tried to use his legs as ladders to climb up, but an invisible barrier blocked them from Feng Ye. No matter how fiercely the shadows bared their teeth and claws, they were unable to drag Feng Ye into the abyss.

Motionless, Feng Ye stared at the darkness beneath his feet and the sapling at the center of the dark vortex, trying to divine the meaning behind this scene.

However, Feng Ye’s thoughts were interrupted by an earth-shaking roar in his ears. He opened his eyes with a jolt.

The darkness vanished from his sight. What came into view was somewhat dazzling sunlight and…..a familiar young man’s face which exuded a youthful aura.

The young man standing beside the bed shouted into his ear: “Feng-shixiong, get up and sweep the floor!”

Feng Ye stared at the youth expressionlessly for a moment, gradually regaining his senses. He observed the angle of the sunlight and finally realized that he seemed to have overslept.

But there was nothing to be done. Each time he entered the dream, he would be unable to wake up until the entire process was completed.

Feng Ye half-raised his body on the bamboo bed. As his rising brought him closer to the young man, he couldn’t help but pause.

His nose twitched slightly. When he woke up with a fuzzy mind, he had used the adjective “youthful” when he saw this familiar face. And wasn’t it the smell of sweat all over his body that exuded that youthful aura?

The youth watched as his shixiong, who seemed to be getting up, laid down again. Feng Ye was already covering his nose and waving a hand in disgust before he was completely flat: “Fang Yang, you’re all sweaty. Quick, go and bathe.”

The youth named Fang Yang rolled his eyes and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. He was holding a wooden sword in his right hand and a broom in his left.

Fang Yang lifted the wooden sword and explained: “Shixiong, can’t you see what time it is? I just came back from sword practice, but you’re still sleeping. You’ll be punished if you don’t sweep the floor.”

Feng Ye still didn’t remove the hand that was covering his nose, and muttered in a nasal voice: “Hurry and go bathe so that I can get up and sweep the floor.”

Fang Yang rolled his eyes again. He tossed the broom to the side of Feng Ye’s bed, then ran out with a thump, thump, thump, like a rabbit with limitless energy to vent.

Feng Ye lamented in his heart, “How good it is to be young,” then dragged his ‘old’ body, which was only two years older than Fang Yang, out of bed.

He walked out of the room with the broom in hand and looked up at the dazzling sunlight in the sky, stretching lazily.

With a series of cracking sounds from his joints, Feng Ye woke up completely after stretching his muscles.

He looked at the broom in his hand, then at the martial arts square not far away, which was littered with fallen leaves, and belatedly realized that something wasn’t right.

Although the dream was bizarre and absurd, it seemed to be warning of something. But Feng Ye had thought it over countless times without coming to a result. Right now, the most urgent thing was to sweep the floor as Fang Yang had told him to. 

After all, Feng Ye was only a junior disciple who was in charge of the sect’s miscellaneous chores, and whose main job was sweeping the floor.

As for investigating the cause of the dream and preventing the impending disaster, that was a side job to sweeping the floor.

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Table of Contents >> Chapter 2