“Stop shouting, he’s already gone.”
Ignoring royal etiquette, Wei Xicheng grabbed Xiao Taozi by the collar and headed straight for the imperial palace.
“Your Majesty, you must not be careless! Your safety is of utmost importance!” Xiao Taozi dared not struggle too hard and could only stumble backward to keep up with Wei Xicheng. “For someone to be so audacious within the palace walls—!”
“I understand…” Wei Xicheng loosened his grip on Xiao Taozi’s collar just as the commander of the imperial guards led a squad rushing toward them.
“Your servant has arrived late to protect Your Majesty. Please punish me!”
“Please punish us, Your Majesty!”
Wei Xicheng looked down at the kneeling guards, waved a hand dismissively, and walked past them. “Xiao Taozi, follow me.”
“Yes!” Xiao Taozi walked past the imperial guards’ commander, making a playful face at him before quickly hurrying after his master—just before the commander could draw his sword.
This imperial guard commander had always worn a grim expression, even before Wei Xicheng ascended the throne, making him an intimidating presence. Even now, after the emperor had taken his seat, the man remained as stone-faced as ever, never lowering himself even in front of the ruler.
It was said that this man had been personally promoted by General Yan Bei. After Yan Bei left for the borderlands, he had remained as the head of the imperial guards.
Xiao Taozi saw things clearly—this position was not so much a mark of honor for the commander but rather a nail Yan Bei had driven into the imperial palace.
Unfortunately, when the late emperor was still alive, the border war had reached a crisis point, forcing him to send Yan Bei to the front lines. And because the late emperor trusted Yan Bei implicitly, he had allowed him to place his own trusted men in such dangerous and critical positions.
If Yan Bei harbored no ambitions, then perhaps his man’s presence was simply to protect the emperor. But if he had even the slightest rebellious intent, the palace would find itself trapped between enemies within and without.
In the original storyline, this kind of glaring bug had led to the puppet emperor’s downfall. But in Wei Xicheng’s hands, it might just turn into an advantage.
Thus, he paid no mind to the imperial guard commander’s indifferent attitude. That man probably still believed Wei Xicheng had no right to sit on the throne at all.
Wei Xicheng pressed his lips together and quickened his pace. By now, he was completely certain—Yan Bei had already returned to the capital ahead of schedule.
Yet the official report he received stated that General Yan Bei had only just set out.
Oh, very good.
Wei Xicheng failed to consider that the information he received had already been passed through multiple hands before reaching him. More importantly, Yan Bei himself had no intention of reappearing in the public eye so soon.
Having been away from the capital for years, suddenly showing up would only draw attention from various factions. All sorts of schemers and opportunists would surface, muddying the waters and making it difficult for Yan Bei’s trusted subordinates to access the most up-to-date information. As a result, he would be unable to get a clear grasp of the current situation.
Meanwhile, high above the imperial palace, Yan Bei stood on a rooftop, silently watching the emperor’s quarters.
He had only been there for half an hour when another figure landed lightly behind him, offering a respectful bow.
“General, your subordinate has arrived late.”
“No matter,” Yan Bei withdrew his gaze from the emperor’s residence and turned to look at his long-absent subordinate. “The late emperor… was there anything suspicious?”
The imperial guard commander knew that General Yan Bei had never truly accepted the late emperor’s passing.
After all, their relationship was like that of a talent scout and his prized horse—without the former, the latter would not have achieved such glory.
“I have investigated thoroughly. There was nothing suspicious.”
With those words, the imperial guard commander put an end to the matter of the late emperor’s death.
It also served as indirect proof that while the Empress Dowager had indeed schemed to delay the announcement of the emperor’s death and maneuvered to place the unlearned Seventh Prince on the throne, she had not dared to commit the ultimate crime of regicide.
Yan Bei let out a sigh. “You’ve worked hard.”
“This is what I should do.” The imperial guard commander lowered his head, his Adam’s apple moving as if he were struggling with whether or not to say something.
He concealed his hesitation well, but it still didn’t escape Yan Bei’s sharp eyes. Walking over, Yan Bei patted him on the shoulder. “If you have something to say, just say it. You are now the commander of the imperial guards in your own right.”
The commander raised his head to look at Yan Bei and hesitated before speaking. “In my opinion, the current emperor is not a wise ruler. The princes are not on good terms with you either, General. Why not…?”
He didn’t finish his sentence but instead drew his hand across his neck, his ambitions laid bare.
Yan Bei frowned. “Why would you have such thoughts?”
“General, you have risked your life countless times to secure this era of peace. More than half of this empire was won by your hands, yet now you have drawn the emperor’s suspicion. The future of military power is uncertain. Can you truly accept this?”
By the end of his words, the commander’s eyes had turned red. “Rather than letting that useless fool sit on the throne, I would rather you take it!”
“Stop spouting nonsense.” Yan Bei’s face darkened. “I know better than you whose empire this is. The late emperor was kind to me—how could I be so ungrateful as to commit such a treacherous act while his body is still warm?”
“General!” The commander gritted his teeth and stepped forward. “I hear whispers in the palace every day. I have already heard, more than once, that the little emperor suspects you of treason! I fear that once you show yourself, he will force you to hand over the Tiger Tally! Wouldn’t it be better to strike first rather than be caught off guard?”
“The little emperor is ignorant and unfit to rule. The other princes will inevitably struggle for the throne, throwing the empire into further chaos. But… if we can find evidence that the Empress Dowager and the emperor murdered the late emperor, then you—”
He pointed out the key factor. As the commander of the imperial guards, acquiring such “evidence” was a simple matter.
“This matter is not to be brought up again.” Yan Bei gave him a hard stare. “Do not act recklessly. I have my own judgment. If you do anything you shouldn’t, I won’t let you off lightly.”
“Understood.” The commander lowered his gaze and took a step back, but his hands at his sides were tightly clenched into fists. He was unwilling.
The general was in his prime, covered in military glory, yet because of the ruler’s suspicion, he would be forced to surrender his power. His future…
A light sound came from the roof tiles. When the commander looked up again, Yan Bei was already gone.
Wei Xicheng reclined lazily on the dragon bed, casually popping grapes into his mouth one by one. No wonder so many people wanted to be foolish rulers—being one was just too comfortable. Let others handle state affairs while he indulged in luxury.
He thought for a moment—Yan Bei had probably noticed that he was different from before.
With that in mind, Wei Xicheng opened his system panel to check Yan Bei’s location. But to his surprise, the symbol representing that familiar energy was directly overlapping with his own position.
“Pfft— Cough, cough, cough!” A few grape seeds flew out of his mouth, but the grape he had meant to swallow got stuck in his throat. He couldn’t swallow it or cough it up, and he was choking so hard his eyes were watering.
Yan Bei had indeed snuck into the imperial bedroom silently, but his intentions were perfectly proper. The place where he had hidden earlier that afternoon was extremely concealed, and he had even held his breath to reduce his presence.
Even someone at his skill level would have had a hard time detecting him. So how had the little emperor noticed?
As far as he knew, this Seventh Prince had always been an ignorant, ambitionless fool.
He had stopped the commander’s actions precisely because he needed to further observe the new emperor—to see if he was truly as harmless as he appeared. If this man had been pretending all along, then his depth and willpower were terrifying.
Yan Bei remained hidden in the beams of the palace ceiling. For some reason, the little emperor suddenly started choking on his own. And… was it just his imagination, or did the emperor keep glancing toward his hiding place while coughing?
Could it be that he had already been discovered?
Yan Bei immediately dismissed the idea. The emperor was known to be extremely afraid of death—if he had sensed an unknown intruder, he would have called for the guards immediately. Not…
Even so, Yan Bei shifted his body slightly to hide himself completely behind the beam.
Wei Xicheng took the cup of water from Xiao Taozi and gulped down half of it before finally swallowing the stuck fruit. He shot a resentful glance upward. That perverted freak—was he addicted to spying or what?
He zoomed in on the mini-map in his system panel until he could roughly pinpoint which beam Yan Bei was hiding on.
Although he had nearly choked to death, Wei Xicheng felt a little happy inside. In every world, Yan Bei always managed to find him and paid him extraordinary attention.
Who knew—maybe General Yan Bei had already realized that his thoughts toward the emperor were highly improper. Heh heh heh…
Wei Xicheng set his cup down on Xiao Taozi’s tray. “Leave. I want some peace and quiet.”
“Yes.” Xiao Taozi immediately stopped fooling around and tiptoed out, even thoughtfully pulling the curtains and closing the door behind him.
Now, the vast bedroom was left with only Wei Xicheng and the general hidden above.
Wei Xicheng reached out and played with the tassels on the canopy. In this world, though he had never met the original body’s parents, just looking at his appearance was enough to know how stunning his mother must have been.
Long, slightly upturned eyes, a straight and delicate nose bridge, and lips as red as if painted—anyone who saw him would immediately think of one word: beauty.
His features were somewhat feminine, but his usual mischievousness and frequent troublemaking meant that those around him often overlooked his more delicate traits.
Wei Xicheng glanced at the canopy tassels again before sitting up and pulling back the curtains. Now his dear husband could admire his breathtaking beauty.
He lay back down on the bed, half-closing his eyes and striking a graceful sleeping pose, waiting patiently for the Great Thief Yan Bei to make his move.
…
No movement. No sound. Nothing at all.
Wei Xicheng opened his eyes and subtly glanced toward the beam where Yan Bei was hiding.
Could he have… fallen asleep up there?
Author’s Notes:
Wei Xicheng: MMP! Do you have another dog outside?!
Yan Bei: No. I have a cat outside.
Wei Xicheng (his smile gradually fading): Very well. I will hold a grand selection in three days to fill my harem!
Yan Bei: It’s a real cat.
(Meow~ A weak cat’s cry echoed from the distance…)
