Clang!
The doors of Hanzhang Hall were kicked open with a thunderous bang. A group of guards dressed in black tunics swarmed in. The leader drew the soft sword from his waist in a flash and shouted, “We are late in coming to save the Emperor! We beg Your Majesty for guilt?”
The leader froze. Their Emperor was pinning the male concubine beneath him, his hand gripping the man’s ear. He was hunched over, leaning in so closely that their lips were almost touching.
The guard, sharp-eyed, immediately spotted the red marks on the concubine’s chin and lips, as well as the golden chains binding his wrists, firmly held by the Emperor himself.
They were whispering in each other’s ears; the atmosphere was thick with ambiguity.
This scene in no way looked like an assassination attempt!
Silence. Silence was the theme of Hanzhang Hall today.
The leader tripped over his own feet and collapsed to the floor with a loud thud. His voice trembled so violently it cracked, “This subordinate is guilty of a crime deserving death!”
Qin Duoye looked at the flustered guard and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Suddenly disturbed, Qin Xuanqiao abruptly pulled back. He released the golden chains, stood up, and cast a complex look at Qin Duoye, who was still lying on the floor, tilting his head to look at the doorway. He let out a slow, steady breath.
“Get out,” Qin Xuanqiao said.
Qin Duoye was busy examining the guards at the door, unable to figure out which department they belonged to. When he heard Qin Xuanqiao speak, he turned his head, tilted it, and pointed at himself, “Me?”
“Not you,” Qin Xuanqiao’s voice dropped, cold and sharp. “Qingxuan, take the Black-Tunic Guards and get out.”
Cold sweat beaded on Qingxuan’s forehead. He scrambled up and retreated, keeping his head bowed, not daring to look again, “Yes! As you command, Your Majesty.”
With a soft click, the doors of Hanzhang Hall were shut.
Qin Duoye stood up, rubbing his wrists which were sore from being gripped, and walked behind Qin Xuanqiao, “Why are you being so harsh with him? He didn’t know the situation.”
Qin Xuanqiao didn’t turn back, merely glancing sideways. He saw Qin Duoye calmly stretching his neck and wrists, as if he were making himself at home in the imperial palace.
Hearing this, Qin Xuanqiao felt an inexplicable irritation, and his voice deepened again, “Have I been too lenient with you? Wen Qing, watch your tone.”
“Uh.” Qin Duoye was a little surprised and looked at Qin Xuanqiao.
Why is this kid so temperamental?
Oh, Qin Duoye realized belatedly. He had forgotten he was now just a mere courtier, or perhaps even less than that, just a plaything of a male concubine. Criticizing someone to their face in front of the monarch must have made the kid lose face.
I always forget I’ve changed shells. Damn it.
Qin Duoye then respectfully performed a bow and said sincerely, “It was this official who overstepped.”
Jingle jangle.
Qin Duoye straightened his waist.
Jingle jangle.
Qin Duoye: “…”
The chains were particularly noisy today.
With Qin Duoye’s movements, the golden chains on his body swung, producing a crisp, metallic sound.
Qin Duoye frowned. Looking at the cumbersome red gauze and golden chains, he felt the attire was entirely improper, so he reached out to untie the chains.
When he reached his thigh, the chains were wound in a strange way. Qin Duoye tried to reach behind him, but he overestimated the capabilities of this body. He tripped and lost his footing.
Losing his balance, he fell forward. As he fell, he grabbed onto something, which felt like fabric, but a bit firm.
Clang! He pulled Qin Xuanqiao down with him, using the Emperor as a floor mat. Landing on top of him, Qin Xuanqiao’s sash was pulled loose, and his inner robes were left disheveled, revealing a firm chest.
The red gauze from Qin Duoye’s body covered Qin Xuanqiao’s face.
Qin Xuanqiao brushed the red gauze aside, unable to bear it any longer. He gritted his teeth and whispered, “Wen Qing He!”
Qin Duoye realized his hand was still pressed against Qin Xuanqiao’s chest, making it look like he was molesting the Emperor. Everything went black before his eyes.
The crime of disrespecting the Emperor? I never thought this would fall on me.
Good heavens.
It seems I haven’t quite adapted to this new body yet.
Haha, ha.
Qin Duoye gave a guilty laugh, reached out to pick up the loose sash, re-tied it around Qin Xuanqiao’s waist, patted him reassuringly, stood up, and offered a polite, smiling hand, “Does Your Majesty need me to help you up?”
The red gauze swayed again, highlighting Qin Duoye’s snow-white skin.
Qin Xuanqiao’s face darkened, and he said coldly, “Gou Hongyang, bring the official’s original clothes to me!”
The eunuch at the door thought to himself that this was bad. He nervously handed over the court robes that belonged to Wen Qinghe.
Qin Duoye looked at the clothes, then at the shackles on his wrists and ankles, and stretched his hand out toward Qin Xuanqiao without ceremony, “Your Majesty, could you please release me? It is very inconvenient to change clothes while wearing these.”
Qin Xuanqiao massaged his temples in a headache, “Gou Hongyang, unlock him!”
The eunuch wore a bitter expression, hurriedly took out an exquisite golden key, and with a click, unlocked the golden shackles from Qin Duoye’s wrists and ankles.
“Thank you for your hard work.” Qin Duoye rubbed his wrists and nodded naturally toward Gou Hongyang.
This person must be the Chief Eunuch of the Inner Court.
Gou Hongyang thought to himself that it wasn’t hard work, it was a hard life, and instinctively prepared to bow and withdraw. Halfway through the bow, he suddenly felt something was wrong. He seemed to have paid respects to the wrong person. He stole a glance and saw the official from the Censorate who had been dragged into the palace this morning to be a concubine. The man was currently studying the court robes he had been given, then wandered off behind the screen on his own.
With that carriage and demeanor, so imposing, Gou Hongyang felt this minor official’s aura was more imperial than his master’s. He found himself obeying the order before he even realized it.
Of course, saying that aloud would cost him his head. Gou Hongyang could only wipe the cold sweat from his brow and walk to Qin Xuanqiao’s side, waiting for further orders.
Qin Xuanqiao seemed a bit annoyed and said to Gou Hongyang, “Go out and tell Qingxuan to get in here.”
Gou Hongyang left, and Qin Duoye quickly changed his clothes and emerged from behind the screen.
Qin Xuanqiao looked back and suddenly felt he couldn’t recognize the person before him.
He wore tailored scarlet robes, with a crimson silk outer gown, and a red-and-white jade belt around his waist. As he walked gracefully, there was a noble air radiating from within him.
Qin Duoye found a crown troublesome and didn’t wear one. Instead, he carried it in his hand, brushing his bangs back to reveal a clean forehead. His eyes were like stars, his brows sharp like swords, with a few strands of black hair falling into his temples.
Qin Xuanqiao stared, momentarily dazed.
He felt his heart start to race, as if his blood were boiling.
At this moment, Gou Hongyang said softly outside the door, “Your Majesty, Lord Qingxuan has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
The leader of the guards, who had tripped over his own feet and face-planted earlier, entered the room. He hung his head low, acting extremely respectful and honest, “Your Majesty.”
Qingxuan wore a black martial outfit for guards, armed with a soft sword at his waist. However, his collar featured a palm-wide strip of green fabric embroidered with a cloud pattern of winter jasmine.
Qin Duoye remembered the sea of guards who had surged in earlier; they all wore this uniform.
When he was on the throne, his guards were simply called the Imperial Guard. Had the name been changed? Or was this a new position?
Just as he was thinking about this, he heard Qin Xuanqiao’s order.
“Qingxuan, drag Wen Qing to the Punishment Bureau.”
Qin Duoye: “?”
Where to?
Qingxuan was also blank, “Ah? Why the Punishment Bureau?”
Qin Xuanqiao took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to split Qingxuan’s skull open to see if there was a brain inside, “Lock him up. I will interrogate him personally.”
“Your Majesty, Lord Qingxuan might not know the charges,” Gou Hongyang offered a helpful, timely reminder from the side.
“Attempted regicide,” Qin Xuanqiao threw out coldly.
“Death penalty.”
Qin Duoye: “…”
“Yes!” Having received his orders, Qingxuan sprang into action, grabbed Qin Duoye by the collar, and began dragging him out.
Qin Duoye’s combat instincts were still in a state where his mind knew what to do, but his body couldn’t react. He could only watch as he was dragged out of the hall by Qingxuan. The red gauze and chains he had just taken off slipped from his hand, clattering all the way from Qin Xuanqiao’s side to the outside of Hanzhang Hall.
Being dragged out of the door was unbearable, so Qin Duoye finally spoke up, “Qingxuan, let’s make a deal. Let go. I’m not going to run.”
Having received his orders from the Emperor, Qingxuan was no longer comical or bewildered. He just stiffened his face and said expressionlessly, “The Emperor has given his orders. I am only responsible for executing them.”
Qin Duoye: “Is there a difference? You lead the way, and I’ll follow, we can get there faster.”
Why is he such a stubborn, one-track-minded person?
Qingxuan stopped in his tracks, looking Qin Duoye up and down. Thinking of the scene where this person and the Emperor were whispering on the floor, he released his grip on Qin Duoye’s collar.
Qingxuan turned his not-so-bright brain around and suddenly realized.
So, this is how the Emperor and his lover play! No wonder. If there had been a real assassin, the assassin’s head would have been sliced off by Cangxuan long before I arrived.
Qin Duoye saw Qingxuan let go and stood there stunned, looking as if he were foolish again.
He reached out and patted the young man on the shoulder, “Let’s go, you lead the way.”
Qingxuan reacted reflexively, shouting loudly, “Yes, sir!”
…Wait, he seemed to have acknowledged the wrong person.
Qin Duoye closed his eyes: Silly child.
Qingxuan didn’t speak again, just trudging along in front.
It must be autumn. The sunset in the distance was a fiery red, stretching the world out to look vast and slender, just like the imperial palace he once knew. There was almost no change. The maple trees on both sides of the palace road were dyed in shades of red and yellow, blending perfectly with the red of the palace walls. It was breathtakingly beautiful, making Qin Duoye feel as if he were still walking in the autumn of the 12th year of Anping in the Great Wei.
Qin Duoye suddenly spoke, “Qingxuan, do you know Qin Duoye?”
Qingxuan abruptly stopped, turned back, and his voice sounded like a hound ready to pounce, “How dare you address the Holy Emperor by his given name!”
Eh?
The Holy Emperor?
Qin Duoye was stunned, the corners of his mouth wanting to curl up in a way he couldn’t suppress.
When he realized his soul had left his body and landed in such a realistic future, Qin Duoye had vaguely understood that the former him, the him who was Emperor, the him in the autumn of the 12th year of Anping, must have died.
Having labored his entire life, he had failed to see a world of peace and prosperity. No matter how cheerful or broad-minded he appeared on the surface, the faint sadness in his heart could never be erased.
He couldn’t let go of his Great Wei. He felt that the child he had personally nurtured, named The World, hadn’t yet grown up when he left this life. He hadn’t seen the child truly become independent.
A lingering regret.
Hearing such high praise for him from a person of the future, he suddenly felt relieved.
Holy!
Qin Duoye felt a stir of emotion. His previous life was complete, regardless of what anyone said.
Curious, he asked Qingxuan next, “Then, what is the Holy Emperor’s posthumous title?”
Qingxuan suddenly narrowed his eyes, drew his soft sword, and pointed the tip directly at Qin Duoye’s throat, “You don’t even know the Holy Emperor’s posthumous title… Could you be a spy from the Northern Borders?!”