“But Ye’er, I am not only a man, I am also your Grand Tutor.”
“What will the world say then? That you, a wise and brilliant emperor in all matters, have a fondness for men and are engaged in an improper affair with your own Grand Tutor?”
“If you wish to be a wise and enlightened ruler, you cannot keep me, this stain that would tarnish your reputation for life.”
Xiao Linyan had never imagined that Pei Lanqing had been concealing the truth all these days for this very reason—intentionally letting him misunderstand and hurt him.
Pain surged through his heart once more. His voice was hoarse and strained, yet still carried the undeniable authority of an emperor. “I have even committed regicide and seized the throne. What do I have to fear from the world’s gossip?”
“I only want the Grand Tutor to stay. After a century of Great Qi flourishing under my rule, I refuse to believe that a few rumors can outweigh such an achievement!”
Pei Lanqing was stunned by his grand declaration, his heart a mix of joy and helplessness. He relaxed his body, leaning against Xiao Linyan’s shoulder. His voice, as soft as when he used to read to him in the past, gently flowed into his heart.
“The Grand Tutor believes Ye’er will undoubtedly achieve great things.”
“But… Ye’er, the Grand Tutor is ten years older than you. He’s already showing signs of illness and decline. In a few years, he’ll look even older.”
“You’re in your prime now. In the future, you’ll have countless beauties in your Three Palaces and Six Courtyards. You can have anything you want. There’s no need to waste your affections on me.”
“Perhaps by then, when you think of this old, faded man, you’ll only laugh at your youthful folly and resent me for dragging you down…”
“In the end, the Grand Tutor still doesn’t trust me,” Xiao Linyan said, cutting him off. He sensed the loneliness in Pei Lanqing’s words. “I realized my feelings for the Grand Tutor when I was sixteen. They haven’t changed in all these years, and they won’t change even after another decade or two.”
“If the Grand Tutor is worried about my future Three Palaces and Six Courtyards, I swear to devote my life to you alone. If you fear I’ll grow tired of your aging face, I’ll simply disfigure myself now. Then neither of us will be able to despise the other.”
“If even that won’t put your mind at ease, and you insist on going to the Green Pine Academy, I’ll simply renounce the throne altogether. I’ll go with you and our child to live in seclusion there. It sounds quite carefree and joyful.”
“What utter nonsense are you spouting!” Pei Lanqing’s heart ached with both pain and anxiety, fearing Xiao Linyan might truly harm himself.
But Xiao Linyan only held him tighter, refusing to let go. “I’ve already decided I must have the Grand Tutor. If you’re willing to stay, I’ll become a wise and benevolent ruler, ushering in an era of prosperity.”
“But if you insist on leaving, I’ll abandon everything and follow you.”
“The fate of Xiao Linyan and the future of Great Qi now rest entirely in your hands, Grand Tutor.”
Pei Lanqing choked back his words, knowing that Xiao Linyan, once he spoke such words, meant every syllable with sincerity and would follow through on every promise.
His emotions surging, he couldn’t help but cough again, his body too weak to support itself. Yet Xiao Linyan held him tightly, gently patting his chest to help him breathe.
“Grand Tutor…” Xiao Linyan’s heart ached for Pei Lanqing’s frail health, but he knew that only by laying everything bare could they resolve this once and for all. “To stay or to leave, Ye’er awaits only your word, Grand Tutor.”
Trapped in Xiao Linyan’s embrace, Pei Lanqing finally understood that he was destined to be bound by this love for the rest of his life, destined never to part from Xiao Linyan.
Xiao Linyan looked at the man he had raised from childhood, slowly nodded in his gaze, and said through tears, “Alright, I’ll stay.”
The heavy weight in Xiao Linyan’s heart finally lifted. He held Pei Lanqing tightly, refusing to let go for a long time…
+++++
Morning sunlight streamed through the bright yellow curtains, illuminating the imperial steps of the main hall. Though not yet officially enthroned, Xiao Linyan already sat upon the dragon-carved golden throne. His seemingly calm gaze held an unyielding imperial majesty as he surveyed the officials gathered below.
“The Ministry of Rites has proposed three auspicious dates for Your Highness’s enthronement. Please choose one.”
After the Phoenix Prosperity Palace incident had been resolved, Xiao Linyan had shed his previous gloom. His imperial aura had grown even stronger, his brows radiating an intimidating sharpness.
He lowered his gaze to the auspicious dates presented by the Ministry of Rites. The closest was on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, while the later dates would push the ceremony into the new year.
Preparing for the enthronement was indeed troublesome, but deliberately delaying it until the end of the year was clearly an attempt to prevent him from ascending the throne before the New Year.
This was no mere oversight. During the New Year celebrations, local officials and feudal lords were traditionally required to send congratulatory memorials to the capital.
The pretext under which they sent these memorials, and the pretext under which the court received them, offered ample room for manipulation.
Xiao Linyan sneered inwardly. With his heavy military forces at his command, his succession to the throne was all but assured. It was laughable that these rigid old officials, too cowardly to openly oppose him, could only resort to petty tricks to annoy him.
“None of these dates are suitable,” Xiao Linyan said impatiently, sweeping his dark sleeve across the table to send the memorial flying to the floor. The Ministry of Rites official immediately knelt.
Xiao Linyan’s gaze fell upon him, an invisible pressure tormenting everyone in the hall with ulterior motives, as if they were being roasted over a fire.
Only when they were nearly burned to ashes did Xiao Linyan finally raise his head slightly and say coldly, “The Ministry of Rites has handled this poorly. I will have to choose the date myself.”
“La, meaning ‘to connect,’ signifies the transition between old and new. The Grand Ceremony will be held on the day of the La Festival.”
“Your Highness, this violates protocol!” the Ministry of Rites official immediately kowtowed. But before he could voice his objections, Xiao Linyan’s glare silenced him.
“Where does it violate protocol? I find it perfectly fitting,” Xiao Linyan said, rising from the dragon throne and slowly descending the imperial steps. The old official nearly collapsed in terror.
“The Ministry of Rites has already bungled one task. I, being magnanimous, will overlook it. But if the Grand Ceremony goes awry again, no one will be able to save you.”
“Your Majesty, this humble subject would never dare…”
+++++
After the imperial court adjourned, Xiao Linyan’s hard-won composure crumbled again.
He didn’t want to stew alone in the Imperial Study, so he had the eunuchs carry the memorials he needed to review and followed them toward the inner palace.
In the Phoenix Prosperity Palace, the fragrant smoke of agarwood, worth a thousand taels of gold per ounce, drifted from a bronze brazier, enveloping the entire palace in a warm, comforting aroma.
The moment Xiao Linyan stepped inside, his anger vanished completely. Fearing to disturb Pei Lanqing’s nap, he deliberately lightened his footsteps.
But when he turned the gilded screen, he saw his Grand Tutor sitting at his desk, writing with a brush while draped in a mink-lined robe.
“What are you writing, Grand Tutor?” Xiao Linyan wrapped his arms around Pei Lanqing from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder. He inhaled the faint orchid fragrance from Pei Lanqing’s hair, utterly captivated.
“I heard Ye’er set the date for his enthronement in the imperial court today?” Pei Lanqing, tickled by Xiao Linyan’s breath, tried to wriggle away, but was held even tighter. Helpless, he resigned himself to the embrace.
“Yes, those stubborn old fools are nothing but trouble. Even now, they’re still trying to play their little games with me,” Xiao Linyan grumbled, complaining about political affairs. But when he saw Pei Lanqing’s handwriting, he froze. “Grand Tutor, are you… writing another imperial edict for me?”
Pei Lanqing knew Xiao Linyan was thinking about the previous edict he had torn up. He smiled gently at him, covered his lips with his hand, and coughed softly to reassure him. “The last one wasn’t well-written, and I was planning to revise it anyway. Since I have nothing else to do in the palace, I thought I’d try again.”
“Ye’er, take a look. How do you think this one turned out?”
“Alright, I’ll take a look right now.” Xiao Linyan patted Pei Lanqing’s back to help him catch his breath. Seeing the Grand Tutor’s smile, he felt even more guilty. “But Grand Tutor, please don’t tire yourself over this. You need to rest more.”
“It’s just a few words. How could that be tiring?” Pei Lanqing said, though his body was clearly struggling. He leaned slightly into Xiao Linyan’s embrace.
Xiao Linyan didn’t call him out on it. He silently supported Pei Lanqing from behind, then turned his attention to the edict.
As he read it, he was shocked. While the previous edict had merely criticized Xiao Dexuan for incompetence, this one directly accused him of poisoning Emperor Fengming.
“The Deposed Emperor coveted the throne, harboring wolfish ambitions, and poisoned his own father… Grand Tutor, is this true?” Xiao Linyan looked at the person in his arms. He had indeed suspected something amiss about Emperor Fengming’s death, but at the time he was far away on the border, not fully aware of the events in the capital.
Pei Lanqing shook his head. “This is just my speculation. The day before the Late Emperor passed away, I went to the palace to pay my respects. He seemed perfectly normal then. But that night, he was gone. And at the time, the only person attending to him was Xiao Dexuan. That’s why I suspect he was involved.”
“But it makes no sense,” Xiao Linyan frowned, pondering. “Xiao Dexuan was already the Crown Prince. The throne was his anyway.”
“Not necessarily. While the Late Emperor wasn’t fond of court affairs, he wasn’t foolish. In recent years, he had increasingly recognized Xiao Dexuan’s incompetence, fearing he wouldn’t be fit to inherit the throne.” Pei Lanqing had been sitting for so long that the little one in his belly began to stir, prompting him to gently rub his abdomen. “At the time, rumors circulated in court that Emperor Fengming intended to summon Prince Ping and Prince Ning back to the capital for the Mid-Autumn Festival.”
Xiao Linyan wrapped one arm around Pei Lanqing’s waist and placed his other hand on his belly, joining him in soothing the child. “So that’s how it was. It’s ironic that my father, who had been so lax for most of his life, finally tried to do something right and ended up losing his life in the process.”
“Not only that—it’s likely his antics that gave Prince Ping and Prince Ning these unwarranted ideas. No wonder those old fossils in court are so restless.”
Emperor Fengming had over a dozen sons. Besides Crown Prince Xiao Dexuan, who had been designated early on, and Xiao Linyan, who had been exiled, three other princes had survived to adulthood. After being enfeoffed as kings, they had quickly departed for their respective fiefdoms.
Prince Ning, Xiao Jingheng, and Prince Ping, Xiao Chengfeng, were born to Noble Consort Peng and Noble Consort Zhao, respectively. Their maternal families held considerable influence in court and had been locked in a long-standing power struggle. Prince Li, Xiao Huanyan, on the other hand, had a mother of humble origins with limited family support, which made him unusually docile.
“Are they using the Grand Ceremony to stir up trouble?” Pei Lanqing frowned slightly, glancing worriedly at Xiao Linyan. He had no doubt of Xiao Linyan’s ability to govern, but he didn’t want him burdened by such matters.
Xiao Linyan chuckled softly, his hand gently brushing Pei Lanqing’s brow. “Grand Tutor, don’t worry. Let them make their noise. I’ve already devised a plan.”
“My three esteemed brothers missed celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival with the late emperor. Now, they can join me, the new emperor, for the New Year.”
One poisoned emperor. Three rival princes. A Grand Tutor who might hold the key to the truth—
And a would-be emperor willing to give it all up… for love.
If you’re enjoying this political romance of power, betrayal, and an imperial baby on the way, please support the translator!
☕
Each cup of coffee is one more page in this dangerous, beautiful game.
