“Let him enter.”
The Director of the Astronomical Bureau looked to be over fifty years old. His hair was bound with a headband, and his locks and beard were a mixture of black and white.
When the Director entered, he initially intended to submit his report directly. However, upon a sudden glance, he saw Qin Duoye sitting off to the side, and the words caught entirely in his throat.
After a long silence, Qin Xuanxiu lowered the memorial he had been reviewing in vermilion ink and looked toward the Director in the hall with a hint of impatience. “What is it you have to report? Out with it.”
The Director hurriedly knelt and said with a solemn expression, “Your subjects observed the celestial phenomena at night and deduced the star charts. The Moon is stationed in the Net Mansion, and torrential rains are about to arrive.”
Before he could finish, he saw Qin Xuanxiu lightly tap the paperweight on the desk with a crisp clack.
“Speak human words.”
The Director hastily cut short the latter half of his sentence and blurted out, “There will surely be heavy rain at the beginning of next month, and the weather will clear up in the days following the rain. Therefore, the seventh day of the tenth month is suitable for the autumn hunt.”
Qin Xuanxiu suddenly asked, “When is General Lin returning to the capital?”
Gou Hongyang was waiting nearby. Hearing this, he stepped forward to reply, “If we factor in the rain, he should be able to return by the fifth day of the tenth month.”
“Very well. Discuss the date for the autumn hunt with the Ministry of Rites,” Qin Xuanxiu nodded.
“Understood.” The Director of the Astronomical Bureau bowed to receive the order, but he did not immediately leave. Instead, he hesitated, glancing sideways at Qin Duoye with an uncertain expression as he stammered, “Your Majesty… there is another matter…”
Qin Duoye stopped grinding the ink, watching the Director’s expression with amused interest, showing no intention of taking his leave.
He understood and roughly guessed what the Director wanted to say next.
Qin Xuanxiu: “If there’s something to say, say it.”
Director: “Your Majesty, the matter your subject is about to speak of cannot be said with outsiders present.” As he spoke, he glanced at Qin Duoye again, his implication obvious.
How amusing. A hundred years have passed, and I have somehow become an outsider in the palace.
Qin Duoye gently put down the vermilion ink, straightened his posture, and simply refused to leave.
Only then did Qin Xuanxiu put down the memorial, glance at the Director of the Astronomical Bureau, and then at Qin Duoye. He said to the Director, “Lord Wen is not an outsider. Whatever you have to say, just say it.”
The Director frowned. Seeing that he could not seem to persuade the Emperor, he kowtowed with a resounding thud. “Your Majesty, please discern the truth!”
“There are anomalies in the celestial phenomena. Six days ago, a nameless guest star suddenly appeared, exceptionally bright, and it is gradually moving toward the position of the Polestar. Tonight, as your subjects observed it, we found that the guest star has already closed in upon the Polestar. The phenomenon of twin stars coexisting has already taken shape.”
At this point, the Director’s voice suddenly rose, nearly choked with tears. “Your Majesty! The descent of twin stars together signifies two things: first, that the Son of Heaven shall have no direct heirs; second, that a subject is usurping authority and throwing the state into chaos!”
Having said this, the Director slammed his head heavily against the floor once more. “I beg Your Majesty to discern the truth, execute the guest star, and protect the rivers and mountains of our Great Wei!”
After listening to this farce, Qin Duoye understood.
The Polestar is the symbol of the Son of Heaven. The guest star refers to a bright star that appears without warning, abruptly, and moves off the normal trajectory.
Events happening around the Son of Heaven, specifically pointing to six days ago, while hinting at a subject’s usurpation of power.
As for whom this guest star referred to, the Director was practically pointing right at Qin Duoye’s forehead and cursing him.
Qin Duoye found it amusing.
Just how many people’s interests had his actions in recent days trampled upon, that they were so impatient to have him executed?
“Lord Wen,” Qin Xuanxiu suddenly turned his head, looking at Qin Duoye. “He says you are the guest star and wants me to kill you.”
Qin Duoye calmly nodded. “Mm, your subject heard it.”
Director: “?”
Your Highness Changle, the Director thought upon hearing their dialogue, raising his head in shock.
No?! You are just putting it right out in the open like this?!
Qin Xuanxiu did not care about the Director’s reaction. His gaze remained fixed on Qin Duoye. Seeing him maintain such an unruffled, noble demeanor, looking as though he remained completely at ease no matter the crisis, he could not help but grind his teeth.
And honestly, he only reined it in because an outsider was present, resorting once again to the title of “your subject.”
This aloof detachment made the dark desires within Qin Xuanxiu’s heart sprout and multiply like creeping weeds.
“Then does Your Beloved Minister hope for me to make a move?” Qin Xuanxiu leaned in close, brushing against Qin Duoye’s ear, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Warm, damp breath brushed against his ear. Qin Duoye could not help shrinking back a bit, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to it as he rubbed his ear.
His earlobe felt a bit hot.
He also leaned in close to Qin Xuanxiu’s ear, smiling slightly as he softly replied, “Then Your Majesty would be losing a remarkably useful blade.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Xuanxiu nodded. “Men! The Director of the Astronomical Bureau has uttered wild words to delude the ruler and framed a loyal minister. Drag him out and behead him.”
“Your Majesty?” The Director was dumbfounded, kneeling blankly in place, almost doubting his own ears.
A question mark also popped up above Qin Duoye’s head, and he tilted it slightly.
A Dark Guard clad in dark blue winter-sweet cloud-patterned mysterious robes burst through the door, grabbed the Director by the collar from behind, and prepared to drag him outside.
The Director frantically reached out to claw at the floor, kowtowing fiercely. “Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Everything this humble subject said is true, and there is not a shred of deception! If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can come with your subject to the Astronomical Bureau to observe the celestial phenomena!”
Qin Xuanxiu did not even listen, waving his hand to signal the Dark Guards to drag the man away immediately.
Seeing this, the Director grew even more desperate, turning to glare fiercely at Qin Duoye as if he were the true culprit behind his impending doom. “Your Majesty, you cannot be bewitched by the guest star, Your Majesty!”
“Too noisy. Dark Guards, dislocate his jaw.”
“Wait!”
Qin Duoye suddenly slammed both hands onto the desk, stood up, and shouted. The Dark Guards paused, raising their heads to look at Qin Xuanxiu, awaiting the Emperor’s command.
“Your Majesty, you cannot.” Qin Duoye reached out, gripped Qin Xuanxiu’s wrist, and looked at him.
“Cannot?” Qin Xuanxiu repeated Qin Duoye’s words, letting out a cold laugh. “If the two people sitting here today were not you and me, then he might actually have succeeded.”
“Your Majesty… he is indeed guilty of deceiving the sovereign and sowing discord, but his crime does not warrant death,” Qin Duoye said softly.
“Ha, Lord Wen, look at you. He has committed treason against the sovereign, and yet you still say his crime does not warrant death?” Qin Xuanxiu seemed to find it amusing, turning the tables to grab Qin Duoye’s hand instead, his thumb slowly rubbing the inner side of his wrist. “My beloved minister should not be too soft-hearted.”
Qin Duoye furrowed his brows slightly. He looked into Qin Xuanxiu’s eyes. His phoenix eyes were narrow and long, holding a trace of thin, ruthless coldness, full of hawk-like scrutiny and wolfish ambition. It seemed this was the real him, whereas the fragile, childlike facade he wore in the inner chambers that afternoon was merely a sham.
“Lord Wen, sit down, recognize your position, and do not try to persuade Me to change My mind.”
Having received their orders, the Dark Guards resumed dragging the Director by the collar toward the exit.
The Director continued his ghost-like wailing.
Just as they were about to be dragged out of the hall, Qin Duoye suddenly raised his voice once more, carrying an unquestionable authority that sounded like someone accustomed to giving orders as a superior. “Dark Guards! Stop!”
The Dark Guards’ movements paused instinctively.
However, Qin Xuanxiu’s expression darkened. His gaze turned icy as he stared at Qin Duoye, the hand gripping his wrist exerting enough force to cause the skin to turn bloody.
“Twice,” Qin Xuanxiu’s voice sounded quenched in frost. “Lord Wen, you have defied Me twice… bypassing Me to command the Dark Guards. What is it? Do you want to be the emperor?”
Enduring the pain, Qin Duoye maintained a calm expression, clenching his fingers tightly within his sleeves.
He lowered his gaze. He had to think of a way, a way to make the Emperor change his mind.
Otherwise, the moment the Director of the Astronomical Bureau lost his head would be the exact moment the rumors truly erupted. Whether in the eyes of the common people or recorded in history books, it would be painted as a muddle-headed, tyrannical emperor who brutally executed an admonishing minister simply to dote on a male favorite.
That would be a devastating blow to the Emperor’s reputation.
Why could this kid not see through this layer?
When a subject stands on the side of righteousness, they can unrestrainedly criticize the Emperor’s actions, forcing the ruler to act according to their demands, tilting public opinion completely in their favor.
By then, the narrative would be set: the Emperor doted on a treacherous official, abducted him into the inner palace as a male favorite, leading to no direct heirs, while the treacherous minister usurped authority, making the Astronomical Bureau’s star-gazing prophecy come true.
What are you going to do now, you idiot? Qin Duoye wished he could grab Qin Xuanxiu by the forehead, pull his ears, and lecture him face-to-face.
It was just a pity that the trust Qin Xuanxiu expressed earlier when carried away by his emotions was probably just a momentary indulgence, rather than permission for him to teach the emperor how to do his job.
This stubborn brat has such a heavy grip, my wrist hurts. I am looking out for you, use your brain and do not be so obstinate!
I give up. How is this even more exhausting than when I myself was emperor?
Regardless of everything else, the Director of the Astronomical Bureau could not die today.
“Your subject knows his mistake and will be mindful in the future,” Qin Duoye lowered his head for once, letting out a silent sigh in his heart as he went along with Qin Xuanxiu’s wishes. “Your Majesty is wise; it is only right to heavily punish the Director. But your subject dares to request: can his life be spared?”
Spare his life so that later, when public sentiment fermented, there would still be a glimmer of survival room.
They could simply claim the Director attempted to delude the sovereign with ghost-and-god tales, but the Emperor showed mercy and spared him from death.
“Very well.”
Thinking it would take a bit more tug-of-war, Qin Duoye had not expected Qin Xuanxiu to suddenly nod in agreement.
Qin Duoye’s eyes lit up.
Down in the hall, the Director of the Astronomical Bureau’s eyes also burst with sudden life. He stopped clawing at the floor tiles, looking at Qin Duoye with a glimmer of hope and a newfound sense of gratitude in this moment of crisis.
Originally, given the Emperor’s temperament, he thought he was a dead man tonight. He never expected that the person he targeted today would actually overlook past offenses to speak on his behalf and try his best to save his life.
“However…” Qin Xuanxiu’s hand suddenly pulled sharply downward. Unprepared, Qin Duoye was yanked forward, suddenly tumbling down to sit right in his lap.
Gazing at the person inches away, Qin Xuanxiu lowered his voice once more, his ending note laced with a chilling smile as he took the other’s hand and guided it gradually downward.
Uncomprehending, Qin Duoye lowered his gaze, letting Qin Xuanxiu hold his wrist and slowly guide it toward a lower position.
As his fingertips paused, Qin Duoye abruptly realized what was happening. He snapped his head up, locking eyes with that suggestive gaze.
Like a snake, like an abyss, like scorching flames.
Like a collision of souls.
It became blindingly clear.
It felt as though he had been scalded, and he violently jerked his hand back.
Combining his past life and his present one, Emperor Lie was terrified like this for the very first time.
Holy shit, what is that?! What on earth is going on inside this brat’s head?! What did you just make your ancestor touch?!
With his pupils dilated in shock, Qin Duoye glared at Qin Xuanxiu’s half-smiling expression, suddenly feeling that the future of Great Wei was pitch black.
Amidst the roaring buzz in his head, he heard the words spoken by this little rabbit of an emperor:
“If you want Me to grant your request, Lord Wen might need to fulfill his duty as a male favorite.”