‘Lu Xiao, It felt strange talking to yourself like this. The situation had turned unexpectedly dire, and time was running out.
Please forgive my abruptness.
You must think I am the original owner of this body. Unfortunately, I am not. I am also Lu Xiao, the one who crossed over. But I did not come from the past. I came from the future.
The Qian family’s affairs are not as simple as they seem. They are extremely dangerous. I have no way out now. This time, you must protect Xian Guan and Yue’er. No matter how perilous it becomes, you must go. Do not let the sacrifices of our predecessors be in vain.
I know you must be confused, but I cannot tell you more. It has already set its sights on me.
When you arrive at the Qian residence, give my regards to Jin Ye. Do not lose them again.
I do not expect you to follow my words. After all, I did not listen to my predecessors either, and now I regret it deeply.
Live on, or die together with the other Lu Xiaos. And then, deliver this letter to him. ‘
The letter carried a faint metallic tang, a rusty, iron scent. The writing was dark brown, almost dried blood. It wasn’t hard to guess what had been used to write it.
If this had happened in modern times, Lu Xiao would have thought it a prank or some kind of threat and gone straight to the police. But there were no police here, and besides, the bold, forceful handwriting was unmistakably his own. He could never mistake his own script.
His mind went blank, his thoughts dissolving into chaos. There was nothing concrete in the letter, no clear information, only that ominous “it.” What was “it”? What kind of existence could terrify him so much?
Lu Xiao knew he was not particularly brave, but he was not the sort to be frightened out of his wits either. He sat up in frustration, trying to shake off the haze clouding his head. Something about the whole thing still felt wrong.
Wait, wasn’t this mission to investigate the Qian family assigned by the Emperor himself? Then why did the letter mention strangers, yet not a single word about the Emperor?
Running away would not solve anything. Perhaps tomorrow he should enter the palace and seek an audience.
Normally, Lu Xiao was cautious and suspicious by nature. But this time, for some reason, he felt he ought to believe the letter.
He did not sleep a wink that night.
“Uncle Wang, when will Xian Guan and Yue’er return?”
With dark circles under his eyes, Lu Xiao forced his heavy eyelids open and gave the butler a polite, almost official smile.
The butler ladled porridge into a bowl as he answered, “Young Master and Miss usually come back to the courtyard for breakfast after morning court. You’ve been waking up late these past two days, so you must have missed them.”
Lu Xiao fell silent. It was hard enough for someone as lazy as him to rise with the sun like they did. But by now, their morning court should be ending. Soon, it would be time to discuss his audience with the Emperor.
He took a sip of the white rice porridge the butler handed him. It was sweet, fragrant, and pleasantly soft, just the kind of mild sweetness he had always liked. He did not even touch the pickles on the table.
Outside, the sound of horses neighing drifted through the courtyard. The carriage wheels rattled to a stop. Chen Yue’er and Li Xian Guan alighted, looking far more relaxed than they had yesterday.
“Well, would you look at that, the sun must have risen in the west! Lu Xiao didn’t touch his pickles today.”
Li Xian Guan sat down beside him after serving Chen Yue’er her breakfast.
“It’s hot. I don’t have much of an appetite,” Lu Xiao replied vaguely. Li Xian Guan didn’t seem to notice anything amiss.
“Come on, you never liked pickles to begin with. That much I remember.”
Li Xian Guan lounged back with an ease that didn’t look fake. It seemed the original Lu Xiao and he really were alike. All his cautiousness over the past few days had been unnecessary. In fact, his overly careful behavior had only worried Li Xian Guan and Chen Yue’er.
Chen Yue’er noticed his distracted expression. She picked up a piece of green bean cake and placed it in his bowl.
“You’re thinking about palace affairs again, aren’t you? You were always like this, before and after you lost your memory. A workaholic through and through. If you can’t sit still, then come with us this afternoon when we meet His Majesty to discuss the Qian family’s case.”
Lu Xiao was taken aback. She had voiced everything he wanted to say. The understanding between them, born of long years of companionship, was something he had never experienced before.
He had never lacked friends, but this sense of familial warmth was new to him.
After a pause, he finally said softly, “All right.”
“Lu Xiao,” Li Xian Guan said teasingly once they were out the door, “a carriage is fine for a young lady like Yue’er, but a grown man like you should be riding a horse!”
Before Lu Xiao could react, Li Xian Guan grabbed him like an overexcited husky, trying to haul him onto a horse.
Lu Xiao’s expression froze in embarrassment. He was just an ordinary twenty-first-century guy, there was no way he knew how to ride.
“You never wanted to learn before,” Li Xian Guan laughed. “Now that you’ve lost your memory, don’t you feel the slightest bit of thrill?”
Lu Xiao pushed his face away coolly and climbed into the carriage with Chen Yue’er.
“How can that Li fellow still be so carefree after everything that’s happened?” Chen Yue’er huffed loudly, making sure Li Xian Guan, riding ahead, could hear.
Watching them bicker, Lu Xiao couldn’t help but laugh. For the first time since arriving in this world, he laughed freely and without restraint.
To him, these people were strangers he had only just met. Yet to them, he was someone they had known for years, a partner, a comrade, even family.
Even if he failed completely, they would not abandon him. They would pull him back before he fell too far.
Lu Xiao was the type who always repaid kindness a hundredfold. In the past, that had made him well-liked, but what he felt now was different.
This time, he thought, maybe he didn’t need to be so polite. Maybe he could finally make some real friends, ones he could trust completely, even when the path ahead was uncertain.
He was lost in thought until Chen Yue’er nudged him gently.
“Lu Xiao, we’ve arrived. You hardly said a word the whole way here. Don’t forget your manners when you meet His Majesty.”
Chen Yue’er looked a little worried, but Lu Xiao shook his head to show that he was fine. He even smiled and began repeating the etiquette lessons he had been cramming.
Seeing him act so naturally, Chen Yue’er finally breathed a sigh of relief. She still didn’t know what had really happened, but for a fleeting moment, she felt as though Lu Xiao hadn’t truly lost his memory. That, at least, was a good sign.
Lu Xiao was a bit of a history buff, and he had watched plenty of palace dramas back in his world. But standing here, seeing the real labyrinth of courtyards and corridors filled with schemes and whispers, he couldn’t help but sigh in awe. At last, he was seeing with his own eyes the deep, winding magnificence of a true imperial palace.
“Oh, right,” Chen Yue’er suddenly remembered, “Consort Xian has just given birth to a little prince. His Majesty ordered me to take care of her, so Lu Xiao gege, you should go with Li Xian’guan instead.”
She gestured toward the eunuch who was motioning them over.
Only then did Lu Xiao realize he had almost followed her into the inner palace. Forcing himself to stay calm, he smiled as if nothing had happened and walked off with Li Xian’guan.
They arrived at the emperor’s sleeping quarters to await the summons. While waiting, Lu Xiao quietly studied the servants who attended to the emperor.
The eunuchs looked surprisingly feminine, their skin smooth and pale as jade. If not for their clothing, it would have been hard to tell they weren’t women.
The palace maids were even more striking, fingers slender and white as young bamboo shoots, their every glance carrying a faint, alluring charm. They didn’t look like servants at all, but more like pampered daughters from noble families.
Even the guards were clean-cut and handsome, without a hint of beard or ruggedness.
Lu Xiao couldn’t help the suspicion rising in his mind. Was the emperor perhaps fond of delicate beauties, regardless of gender? Everyone around him looked so refined, so flawless.
His curiosity got the better of him. Tugging at the sleeve of a young eunuch, he asked in a low voice, “Gonggong, why do all of His Majesty’s attendants look so good? Their skin’s fair, their hands so soft, like they’ve never done a day of hard work. This humble one is very curious, and if there’s a secret to such care, I’d love to learn it too.”
The eunuch gave him a long look and, seeing that he seemed genuinely curious, assumed he was simply asking for beauty tips.
Puffing out his chest, he said proudly, “Of course! We all use the pearl jade powder personally bestowed by His Majesty. Even the Empress herself can’t get any unless His Majesty gives it to her. Only those who serve closest to him are allowed to use it.”
Then, glancing at Lu Xiao again, the eunuch’s expression turned a bit disdainful. Though Lu Xiao was good-looking, he was clearly unkempt from days of poor appetite and restless sleep.
“You’d best stop dreaming about it,” the eunuch said with a sniff. “His Majesty favors those from Mingzhu Courtyard. That powder is a tribute from the Qian family, a rare good from Loulan. Common attendants like you don’t get a share.”
With his nose in the air, he strutted away.
The Qian family again. Lu Xiao’s eyes narrowed slightly. Their ties with the royal household were clearly deep.
The emperor must depend on them but also fear them, perhaps that was why he had used the excuse of a celestial omen to send investigators. If something truly scandalous was uncovered, the emperor would probably be delighted.
A moment later, another eunuch came out and announced that only Lu Xiao was to be admitted.
Li Xian’guan’s expression darkened, but it was the emperor’s command, he could only give Lu Xiao a few whispered instructions before letting him go.
Following the eunuch into the grand hall, Lu Xiao knelt and performed the formal salute he had rehearsed countless times in his mind. Yet once he finished, he realized he had no idea what came next.
“You have come, Lu Aiqing.”
The man on the dragon throne waved a hand, dismissing the attendants. The sudden silence filled the hall with pressure so heavy that Lu Xiao felt almost breathless.
He dared to lift his gaze slightly and observe the emperor. The man was already past forty, yet his face was as smooth and radiant as a youth’s, clearly, he too had benefited from that so-called pearl jade powder.
The emperor seemed to have forgotten Lu Xiao’s presence, idly rolling a luminous East Sea pearl between his fingers.
His features were mild, benevolent even, like a man born with a kind heart. And yet, for some reason, just standing before him made Lu Xiao’s skin crawl, like a cat with its fur bristling at unseen danger.
“Oh, I nearly forgot you were there.”
The emperor finally lifted his head. His gaze locked onto Lu Xiao, and a chill ran through Lu Xiao’s entire body. A strange sense of familiarity and dread crept up his spine.
The emperor studied his meek posture and sighed, as if bored. “Do you truly remember nothing?”
Struggling to overcome the unease tightening in his chest, Lu Xiao raised his head and forced himself to meet the emperor’s eyes. “This humble servant deserves death. To forget Your Majesty’s grace is an unforgivable sin. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”
He exhaled slowly, inwardly praising himself for recalling the proper line, thank goodness all those palace dramas hadn’t been for nothing.
But the emperor burst into laughter. “Humble servant? You dare call yourself that again before me? Hahahaha!”
He laughed wildly, stepping down from the dragon throne one slow stride at a time until he stood right before Lu Xiao. His eyes gleamed with something sharp and unsettling.
“How could you forget what you worked so hard to uncover?”
The emperor reached out and stroked Lu Xiao’s cheek. A wave of goosebumps rippled down Lu Xiao’s arms, but he dared not pull away.
Lu Xiao immediately dropped to his knees. “Your Majesty, please conduct yourself with dignity.”
The emperor narrowed his eyes. The benevolent face vanished, replaced by something dark and demonic. He no longer looked like a merciful ruler but like some fallen angel from a foreign god’s tale.
“Conduct myself?” he whispered with a strange smile. “But there’s nothing improper between us.”
He crouched down and grabbed Lu Xiao’s chin, forcing him to look up. His smile stretched wider, chilling and strange.
“You want so badly to forget?” he murmured. “Then I’ll make sure you remember.”
The laughter that followed was eerie, curling through the vast hall like smoke.
“Don’t forget your royal brother, Eleventh Prince.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
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ChaptersChapter 1 · The beginning of the tragedyChapter 2 · Don’t forgetChapter 3 · Look at it directlyChapter 4 · Whom are you trying to seduce?Chapter 5 · TeaseChapter 6 · Sleeping in the same bedChapter 7 · Internal locksChapter 8 · Tampering The rules…Chapter 9 · Black LotusChapter 10 · FledglingChapter 11 · There are no horses in the stable.Chapter 12 · Water-oil separationChapter 13 · The cost of backtrackingChapter 14 · It got biggerChapter 15 · Was it a mouse?Chapter 16 · Too fieryChapter 17 · Administer medicineChapter 18 · Tracing the PearlChapter 19 · A KissChapter 20 · Ge, Kiss meChapter 21 · Ten Thousand Deaths Without RegretChapter 22 · Endless CorridorChapter 23 · CowardChapter 24 · GoodbyeChapter 25 · Back toChapter 26 · It’s is me, Not MeChapter 27 · VictimChapter 28 · Crossed CupsChapter 29 · IntuitionChapter 30 · ChangeChapter 31 · DifferentChapter 32 · ErrorChapter 33 · Mind Your Own BusinessChapter 34 · WanderingChapter 35 · EmbraceChapter 36 · LoveChapter 37 · UnrestrainedChapter 38 · Asking Over a DrinkChapter 39 · As BeforeChapter 40 · SatiatedChapter 41 · A Change in the WindsChapter 42 · A’SuChapter 43 · Welcoming the BrideChapter 44 · GossipChapter 45 · WeaknessChapter 46 · Wedding NightChapter 47 · Brother QingChapter 48 · FadingChapter 49 · Lying LowChapter 50 · CaressChapter 51 · OnceChapter 52 · The Hidden PassageChapter 53 · MotherChapter 54 · FlawlessChapter 55 · ProphecyChapter 56 · EtherealChapter 57 · DecipheringChapter 58 · The TrapChapter 59 · Stone StatueChapter 60 · ChessChapter 61 · AssassinsChapter 62 · The National Preceptor?Chapter 63 · Please return my belongings to me.Chapter 64 · I’m not that desperate.Chapter 65 · No wayChapter 66 · No turning backChapter 67 · I told you, get out of the wayChapter 68 · Still became a monsterChapter 69 · Let’s end thisChapter 70 · Why do you look so much like him?Chapter 71 · One wanted to kill, two stopped himChapter 72 · Unless, the people at Mingzhu Academy are keeping it from himChapter 73 · FraudChapter 74 · Don’t look back, Lu XiaoChapter 75 · It’s coldChapter 76 · Kill MeChapter 77 · We are even marriedChapter 78 · Gege… I Love YouChapter 79 · “It” had arrivedChapter 80 · Wake Up!Chapter 81 · How Nostalgic….Chapter 82 · You already Promised meChapter 83 · Their TerritoryChapter 84 · Jokes were JokesChapter 85 · What you dream was realChapter 86 · Did you cry?Chapter 87 · What’s wrong, young Master?Chapter 88 · No, I only ever said it to youChapter 89 · Honey, Please let me go.Chapter 90 · What are you pretending to be, a gentleman?Chapter 91 · It’s just a shoddy trick to fool people, but I like it anywayChapter 92 · Ge, I did it voluntarily, it’s no useChapter 93 · You little BratChapter 94 · Gege~ please have mercyChapter 95 · Hearing Lu Xiao come in, he patted the seat next to himChapter 96 · Stop fooling around, let me kiss youChapter 97 · “I want…” “Want what?”Chapter 98 · Gege, watch closely how I get youChapter 99 · Little Eleven, how about we talk to ‘it’ first?Chapter 100 · Had it gone mad?Chapter 101 · I will make my decisionChapter 102 · Tsk, how indecentChapter 103 · You are the creator of my original worldChapter 104 · The world is not your toy, go back to where you came fromChapter 105 · He was a boy with snow-white hair and a handsome faceChapter 106 · Haven’t seen you for a long timeChapter 107 · TYRBL Extra: 1Chapter 108 · TYRBL Extra: 2Chapter 109 · TYRBL Extra: 3Chapter 110 · TYRBL Extra: 4