“Can I still go back?”
Shen Du raised his eyes slightly. His round eyes looked rather pitiful, and his face still held the lingering innocence of youth. Through this youthful face, however, one could already tell that his facial features would be exquisitely refined once he grew up.
Yet, a Shen Du looking like this was inexplicably muttering to himself while staring into empty air. Only he knew that ever since he woke up, something strange had appeared in his mind, talking to him.
That entity claimed to be something called the Enlightened Monarch System.
Furthermore, this place was not Shen Du’s original world; it was simply a novel he had once read.
In the story, to rebel against the unimaginably cruel tyrant, to survive, and to rescue the already completely corrupted imperial court of that era, the male and female protagonists went through countless hardships and successfully overthrew the tyrant, ultimately coming together as a result.
If Shen Du had merely become a nameless passerby in the story, he might have been able to praise the romance of the protagonists and peacefully live out his days as a background character in this book. But—
The role Shen Du transmigrated into was not some random passerby; rather, it was the young imperial tutor, appointed by the late emperor and sharing the exact same name as Shen Du, from the novel. This person possessed extreme ambition. Ever since he began tutoring the tyrant, he had seized all political power into his own hands and even intended to raise the tyrant into a useless puppet.
However, the tyrant sensed Shen Du’s threat early on and quietly cultivated his own faction behind the scenes. Even though he had just recently taken control of the imperial court and his political power was unstable, the tyrant still directly issued an imperial decree to execute the original owner. He suffered a court flogging, resulting in an extremely miserable death. Shen Du also knew that after the original owner died, the tyrant even repeatedly dug up his grave and desecrated his corpse out of a profound and lingering hatred.
[The host’s body in the original world has been confirmed dead, and returning to the original world is impossible. However, if the host completes the mission and assists the tyrant in reaching an Enlightened Monarch Index of eighty, the system can be unbound. The system guarantees that the host will live out the remainder of life in this world free of illness and worry, with immense wealth.]
“So how long can I live if I don’t complete the mission?” Shen Du started packing his belongings while asking casually. Shen Du had grown up in a sanitarium and could not attend school normally; most of his time was spent reading novels to pass the time. As a seasoned novel fan, Shen Du figured that completing a system mission should come with a time limit.
Shen Du thought that once the system answered, he would know the approximate timeframe, and then he could directly leave the capital, a place of undercurrents and shifting tides, and spend his remaining days taking advantage of his good health to go out and see the world.
If he stayed by the tyrant’s side, working hard without any guarantee of completing the mission, then once the tyrant grew up, he would be killed by the tyrant long before the system could purge him.
It would be much better to run far away.
It would be good for everyone.
In his modern life, Shen Du came from a wealthy and prestigious family. However, elite family conflicts were numerous. Before he was born, Shen Du’s mother had died of poisoning, and being born prematurely, Shen Du’s health had been poor from birth.
Fearing that he would not be at home and that the household servants would mistreat him, Shen Du had been placed in a sanitarium to live since childhood. However, his father regularly sent professionals for Shen Du’s education, meaning that even inside the sanitarium, Shen Du was raised in extreme luxury.
Yet, in recent years, Shen Du was well aware that his health, relying increasingly on machines and medication, was getting worse by the day. He never expected death to arrive so quickly. But now that he was dead, his father would be left completely alone.
[If the host does not plan to complete the mission, the system will instantly purge the host.]
Upon hearing these words from the system, Shen Du’s hands, which were busy packing belongings, paused. He leaned back against the bed once more, looking thoroughly listless. The clothing in his hands remained half-folded, tossed carelessly aside in a messy heap, before he finally let out a heavy sigh.
It seemed that novels were all lies; there was no time limit at all.
Free of illness and worry.
Those four words alone possessed an extreme temptation.
For someone who had been ill for over twenty years, the greatest gift was none other than physical robustness. What he could not achieve in his original world could now be accomplished by completing a single mission.
[If the host completes the mission, the system will offer an extra reward of three dream visits, regardless of whether the targets are from this world or not.]
The system’s final sentence went straight to Shen Du’s heart. The one thing Shen Du could not let go of was his father, and now the system was saying that completing the mission would grant him three opportunities to meet his father in dreams.
As long as he could know that his father was living well, Shen Du would be fully satisfied.
Just as he was hesitating, the urgent voice of the Shen family steward suddenly sounded from outside the door, immediately snapping Shen Du’s scattered thoughts back to reality.
“Young Master, someone from the palace has arrived. His Majesty summons you to enter the palace for an audience immediately.”
Only then did Shen Du remember that he was now the imperial tutor; when the emperor requested an audience, there was no excuse to decline. Furthermore, with the late emperor having passed away not long ago, the person the young emperor trusted most right now should undoubtedly be Shen Du.
The current Shen Du could truly be described as beneath one person and above ten thousand. Before his carriage had even reached the palace gates, he could see the sedan chair sent by His Majesty already waiting there.
Dressed in plain white robes, young Shen Du kept a straight face, imitating the cold and detached demeanor of the original owner. However, because the baby fat on his cheeks had not yet faded, it made Shen Du look somewhat comical, like a child playing dress-up as an adult. Even so, no one dared to raise their head to mock the sight.
The moment Shen Du stepped out of the carriage, he spotted an elderly eunuch trot over with nimble, light steps, looking rather anxious. Shen Du nodded at the man while his mind raced to figure out who he was.
Damn it, why didn’t the author include character portraits? That way, even after transmigrating, he wouldn’t end up like this, unable to recognize a single person!
Panic welled up in Shen Du’s heart. Just as he thought he would be exposed the very moment he arrived, he instantly remembered the system in his mind.
[System! System! You wouldn’t want me to be exposed as a fake right now, would you?] Shen Du urgently called out to the system within his mind.
Although Shen Du did not know if the system would help him, he still held onto a shred of hope. He believed the system needed him to complete the mission.
[Character portrait matched: Eunuch De, the most trusted head eunuch by the tyrant’s side.]
Upon hearing the system’s voice, Shen Du unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. His gaze then fell upon Eunuch De before him, and feeling a bit more grounded, he gave a slight nod.
Eunuch De was a servant from the late emperor’s time, which explained why His Majesty currently kept him close for service. “Lord Shen, you’ve finally arrived. His Majesty is waiting for you in the Imperial Study.”
Shen Du uttered an “Mn,” and then boarded the sedan chair. The journey proceeded without any incidents. Throughout the trip, Eunuch De did not utter a single word. However, just as Shen Du was about to step into the Imperial Study, Eunuch De wore a conflicted expression and gently reminded him, “His Majesty’s complexion isn’t looking too good today; he didn’t even touch his midday meal.”
With those words, Eunuch De watched Shen Du step into the Imperial Study, then signaled the junior eunuch nearby to close the doors to prevent drafts from blowing inside. Since it was late winter and the evening winds were chilly, naturally no one dared to risk the health of either His Majesty or the Imperial Tutor.
Shen Du rubbed his dry fingertips together, lowered his gaze to give himself a mental pep talk, and then stepped forward with steady composure.
The sound of papers shifting caused Shen Du to look up. Behind the desk sat a small youth reading a book in his hands, a tiny, remarkably well-behaved figure. Seeing this instantly eased Shen Du’s previously anxious heart.
Hearing the footsteps of someone entering, the small youth raised his head to look at Shen Du. In an instant, the intentionally rigid little face softened completely. Looking as though he had seen someone he deeply trusted, the boy neatly put aside his book and walked over.
Observing all proper etiquette and courtly manners, he spoke in a well-behaved tone: “Teacher.”
The gentle, obedient, and thoroughly well-mannered little youth before him was actually the atrocious, bloodthirsty tyrant from the novel?
Shock involuntarily rippled through Shen Du’s mind: What kind of joke is this? How could a young emperor who calls someone in such an obedient manner, looking at Shen Du with such trusting, bright eyes, possibly be a tyrant?
Recalling the novel he had read, the entire perspective had centered exclusively on the male and female protagonists. The tyrant of the original text, however, was only brushed over with a few brief sentences regarding his youth. Even when descriptive words occasionally appeared, the author’s focus was always skewed toward emphasizing the tyrant’s cruelty.
He was like an NPC destined by all onlookers to walk a path of destruction, completely incapable of becoming the protagonist of this book, powerless to control his own destiny, and ultimately reduced to a stepping stone for the romance of the protagonist couple.
[According to historical records of this world, Xie Min’s personality was pure and kind in his youth, and he treated palace maids and eunuchs well. However, those around him took advantage of his young age to deceive and scheme against him within the depths of this palace, step by step pushing Xie Min onto a path of no return. Your mission is to assist Xie Min in becoming an enlightened monarch and help him escape his original destiny.]
The system spoke once more. This brief line of text casually summarized Xie Min’s entire life, filling Shen Du’s gaze with genuine pity as he looked at the boy. Softening his tone, Shen Du asked gently, “His Majesty hurriedly summoned your subject for an audience. Whatever is the matter?”
Xie Min lowered his head slightly, avoiding Shen Du’s patient gaze. Then, looking somewhat embarrassed and timidly, he murmured, “I was woken from my afternoon nap by a nightmare and felt scared for a moment, so I wanted to see Teacher.”
His voice carried a shy undertone, and coupled with Xie Min’s tender age, it melted Shen Du’s heart completely.
[The young emperor is simply too well-behaved! Human cubs are truly so soft and sweet-smelling, I just want to hug him! I never expected him to be scared by a nightmare either! He’s just too adorable!] Outwardly expressionless, Shen Du was frantically hammering the system in his thoughts.
He nearly failed to keep his facial expression in check, but Shen Du knew he had to maintain his tutor persona in front of Xie Min. He simply gave two light coughs and consciously assumed the role of the imperial tutor.
It is fine, it is fine! The young emperor only turned into a tyrant because he was not properly guided during his childhood. He would definitely teach the young emperor well!
Looking at the young emperor, who was a whole head shorter than him, Shen Du felt a sudden urge to ruffle the boy’s soft, dark hair. Fortunately, the system’s exasperated tone pulled his thoughts back.
[If you don’t want to be dragged out and beheaded in the next second, you had better put those thoughts away!]
Tapping an emperor’s head, how was that any different from pulling whiskers off a tiger?
It was pure suicide!
Shen Du let out a tiny internal sigh, feeling somewhat regretful. During his moment of distraction, however, he failed to notice that Xie Min had raised his head at some point to look straight at him. That gaze was burning with intense focus, carrying a deep layer of probing inquiry: He just seemed to hear Shen Du speaking, yet Shen Du’s lips had not moved at all.
Xie Min glanced toward the shadows of the Imperial Study, then lightly shook his head. The command he had prepared beforehand was hastily canceled. Instead, he kept his inquiring gaze fixed on Shen Du, blending a sense of curiosity with a growing spark of interest.
That look felt as though he had just discovered someone else in this world who was just like him… a kindred spirit.