Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Kacha—
There was a soft noise, and the room was instantly filled with light.
Following that, they heard the dainty breaths of a girl as she murmured, “I’ve cum… Quick, let me up… How outrageous…” Her sentence ended abruptly as if she were muffled by something, followed by a peal of soft giggles along with a man’s low chuckle.
Xuanyuan Min was here.
Under the bright light, a man in the prime of his youth was half-naked, loosely clothed in an outer robe. Half of his jade-like shoulders were exposed as he traipsed over, settling down on the frost-covered windowsill and laughed. “Since the Regent King was so urgent, I thought I’d play a little joke on you.”
Behind him, hidden behind a pale pink screen, “Yuwen Zi” sat up slightly. Her hair was tousled, and her eyes were red as she tried to maintain a dignified posture. She remained silent in embarrassment, but it was clear from her expression that she had just engaged in some explicit activity.
Xuanyuan Cheng did not expect to encounter such an awkward situation and stood there motionless for a moment before bowing deeply and saying, “Forgive my impudence… I was just wondering why Your Majesty would be here…”
“I’ve arrived here a long time ago…” Xuanyuan Min rubbed an eye slowly and laughed faintly. “Hmm… I’ve even heard everything that you’ve told my empress earlier.”
Xuanyuan Cheng looked shocked as he said doubtfully, “Arrived here a long time ago.”
“That’s right,” Xuanyuan Min beamed and continued, “I can’t be apart from Zi-er for even a day, so I snuck in together with the servants first. After you went to see Yun Er after receiving the empress, you didn’t notice me at all, did you?”
Xuanyuan Cheng did not say anything, and his expression looked as if he were contemplating something. After a long while, he said, “Your Majesty, this kind of behavior is rather inappropriate, you… are being ridiculous…”
“Whatever, whatever,” Xuanyuan Min waved a hand and loosened his outer robe with the other. He stood there blatantly with everything hanging out without bothering to cover up and called out to the ladies-in-waiting, “This manor is also considered part of my palace, so what’s wrong with me coming early to enjoy my empress… Chun Mei, help Her Highness to her bath. An Zi, bring my clothes here. I’ll talk to the Regent King after wearing my clothes.”
Someone answered softly and entered to support “Yuwen Zi”.
Xuanyuan Cheng retreated a step back, and his gaze swept the entire room. The windows were completely open, the bedchamber was completely open, and it looked like it was exactly where Chun Mei had been sleeping. An Zi was rubbing his eyes, the short staff he was using to guard the inner palace was propped against the door—everything looked extremely normal.
It was so normal that he had no excuse whatsoever to remain there.
Retreating another step back, Xuanyuan Cheng said, “It’s getting late, and we still have to attend court tomorrow. May Your Highness rest early, I will excuse myself.”
“Are we not talking anymore?” Xuanyuan Min stopped dressing and looked rather disappointed as he said, “Let’s hear about what you’ve discussed with the empress first, regarding that witch from Fufeng, I’m rather interested to know more.” He patted his cheek and said excitedly, “Every time after intercourse, I get especially alert. Oh right, I also have a way to strengthen one’s libido…”
“May Your Majesty take care of your body, I will excuse myself,” Xuanyuan Cheng finally couldn’t stand it any longer and cut him off respectfully but firmly. He bowed slightly and left. Following that, his voice could be heard dismissing the guards that had been summoned in the middle of the night.
Xuanyuan Min stood in front of the window for a long time as he watched Xuanyuan Cheng’s silhouette disappear into the darkness and the courtyard doors close behind him before lowering his eyes and revealing a cold, mocking expression.
That expression disappeared in a flash, and he lazily turned around, waving his sleeves as he launched himself towards “Yuwen Zi”. “Oh, my darling, let us go for another 300 rounds…”
Ping—
Meng Fuyao unleashed a leg and sent the emperor, who had painstakingly rushed over to save her, firmly under her foot…
“If you dare to act as if this is real, I’ll turn you into a female!”
She kicked off the clingy cross-dressing emperor and flipped over the mattress to reveal an unconscious Shadow Blade. When she thought of how she was pretending to be fooling around with that damned cross-dresser on the bed earlier, she cringed, wondering if this unlucky guy under the bed had heard them.
‘He didn’t hear, did he? It was way too humiliating, I’ve never made such lecherous sounds in my life, and yet I had to do it in front of other men, my reputation is gone, ahhhh…’
Seeing that Shadow Blade’s hand was moving slightly, yet the man was not yet awake, Meng Fuyao sighed and was about to check his wounds when Xuanyuan Min suddenly came over and said, “Let me take a look.”
“You?” Meng Fuyao eyed him in disbelief.
“If I don’t look, then what, you’re going to take a look? There should be a divide between men and women, don’t you know?”
‘This damned cross-dresser, now he knows how to say that men and women shouldn’t be too close.’ Meng Fuyao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she moved away. She glanced at Lord Yuan Bao, indicating for it to remain and keep watch for her as she climbed up to the attic.
There was no choice, danger lurked in every corner of Xuanyuan, and everyone hid their true intentions behind masks. One couldn’t trust anyone completely and always remain on alert…
Meng Fuyao placed her hands on her hips as she watched a candle flame dancing in the cold wind. She thought of Tie Cheng, who was unable to leave the manor because he had helped her enter the palace, she thought of the Wuji guards who were unable to approach her. Suddenly, she felt an unfamiliar sense of loneliness.
Yet, she did not know that the one who caused it was herself, loneliness had always been temporary and just in the neighboring country, a certain someone’s black pupils were gazing in the direction of Xuanyuan as he headed closer towards her…
Under the heavens, every person had their own way of living their lives. The manor of Xuanyuan’s Regent King was filled with deceit and danger, and thousands of miles away, there was another nation whose renown city should already have fallen under the flames of war, but due to the contribution of a certain someone, it managed to overcome its tribulation smoothly and peacefully. Of course, this was also due to the diligence of the emperor, whose room light remained burning late into the night—ever since a certain unscrupulous someone had left, Emperor Zhan had forgotten to sleep.
On the twenty-sixth day of the eleventh month, on the first year of the Dahan Eternal Progress era, at night.
The Qinzheng Palace was, as usual, lit up with lanterns. Ji Yu had personally taken the night shift, and he was staring at the flame in one of the lanterns, as well as the black shadow that was cast against the window, and let out a long, melancholic sigh.
Up ahead, a eunuch was rushing over, bringing with him the one in charge of communications. Ji Yu noticed that the man’s face held a terrified expression and couldn’t help but feel wary.
The man handed over the two letters and lamented, “One of the letters had been hidden at the bottom of the pile due to me not knowing the importance of it, and only today did I read it… Hope that you would help me appease His Majesty…”
Ji Yu received the letter silently and nodded. His Majesty had not been in good spirits recently and would probably reluctantly agree to hear him out.
He entered the palace with the secret letter.
“Your Majesty, there’s a secret letter via homing pigeon.”
Zhan Beiye, who had been deep in thought, suddenly lit up and immediately opened the letter. He quickly read through its contents and placed it heavily on his armrest and remarked, “What has Xuanyuan selecting an empress have to do with me? Why does this also have to be reported via homing pigeon?”
Ji Yu realized… It seemed as if the movements of all the nations were reported within the contents of the letter…
“Your Majesty, there’s another letter,” Ji Yu reminded after seeing Zhan Beiye throw the letter aside. Zhan Beiye frowned and reluctantly opened the letter. He glanced at the date, and his frown immediately deepened as he asked, “Why was this delayed for so long before finally being handed to me?”
Without waiting for Ji Yu’s reply, his expression turned doubtful, and he read the letter again swiftly. He stared at the words intently as if he wanted to carve each word onto his heart, and after a long time, he finally shifted his gaze.
The palace fell into a suspicious silence.
Bang!
The letter was suddenly thrown across by him, and it mercilessly landed on Ji Yu’s face!
Zhan Beiye’s roar resounded through the entire Qinzheng Palace.
“How was this delayed for so long!”
The same question, yet the tone it was delivered with was entirely different; Zhan Beiye’s eyes were bloodshot, and veins were visible on his forehead, while his entire body was trembling.
Such an important report was actually delayed for a full month!
Ji Yu silently fell to his knees. He had already seen the contents of the letter, and as the one who had caused the letter to be delayed, it was hard for him to avoid blame.
He cowered on the ground in anguish as he lamented, “I… am not fit to be your spy any longer, may Your Majesty punish me and strip me of my duty, I accept my punishment…”
Zhan Beiye was stunned for a moment. He turned and glanced at Ji Yu’s empty sleeves spread out on the floor, his shoulder blades extremely prominent and streaks of white in his hair. He suddenly remembered Ji Yu back in the past, a handsome, brave man, the most dashing leader of the Black Wind Calvary, worthy of the ladies’ praises. Even the Fufeng Shaodang clan’s most beautiful lady, Mu Zhenzhen, had gifted him a priceless dragonfly pearl… The passage of time kept flowing, and in an instant, he was no longer in the peak of his youth.
And the reason he had overlooked this was because after Fuyao left, he was afraid that he might do something stupid due to his broken heart, so he remained by his side day and night, hence abandoning his role as the head of communications. In a short few months, Ji Yu had become even frailer than him.
“Get up…” Zhan Beiye’s heart winced slightly as he said tiredly, “It is but an unlucky twist of fate from the heavens…”
However, Ji Yu remained on the ground and bowed again as he said, “Your Majesty, whether you punish me or not, please strip me of my position as head of communications.”
“Even you want to leave me now?” Zhan Beiye looked at him bitterly and turned away. His broad and long silhouette was reflected against a painting of Dafujiang Mountain, and it looked extremely lonely.
Ji Yu gazed at his back view, finally unable to withhold his tears, he stopped himself from sniffing as he mumbled, “The imperial court is a place of utmost honor and discipline, there shouldn’t be any tolerance for a crippled official. I am also not willing to let my beloved emperor receive mockery because of me…”
“Who would dare mock you?” Zhan Beiye suddenly turned back around. “You are a hero of the nation, and your contribution is exceptional. Your name will travel down in history, and if anyone dares to mock you, may their brains rot!”
“Your Majesty…” Ji Yu said lightly, “I would like to go to the sealing grounds of the King of Han.”
Zhan Beiye suddenly froze after understanding this old servant’s predicament. He stared at Ji Yu and retreated back into his seat. After a while, his eyes had already become red.
