The Empress Dowager’s brother held great power and was reluctant to relinquish it. The young emperor had no authority to make his own decisions, and all the ministers knew it. It was no surprise that the emperor would say such things—after all, even when they reported matters to him, it was more like they were reporting to the Empress Dowager and her brother behind him.
Some officials looked displeased. Most of them had eligible daughters in their households, and they had no desire to be drawn into the emperor’s political maneuvers. Their thoughts shifted, and soon, many of them turned their gazes toward Yan Bei.
From what they knew, this battle-hardened General Yan had yet to marry.
Yan Bei stood silently to the side, his presence adding an air of severity to the grand hall.
As soon as court was dismissed, the ministers who had their own agendas surged toward Yan Bei. They had previously thought the general did not understand the ways of the court, but now it seemed they had misjudged him.
Not long ago, General Yan had conversed amiably with them, so he did not seem as difficult to get along with as they had assumed.
Watching the bright yellow figure of the emperor disappear from the hall, Yan Bei’s mood soured to the extreme. He no longer had the slightest desire to form alliances. He had dedicated himself to protecting this empire, and this was how the emperor repaid him?
Yan Bei knew this was not the young emperor’s fault, but for the first time in his battle-hardened life, he felt something akin to grievance.
Seeing the officials gathering around him, he forced himself to greet them stiffly.
—
Wei Xicheng was unaware of Yan Bei’s situation. Over the past few days, he had minimized contact with him, fearing that their interactions had already drawn the Empress Dowager’s attention.
At this moment, he stood before the Empress Dowager, flipping through a large stack of portraits of noblewomen.
Supported by a maid, the Empress Dowager approached gracefully, her posture elegant.
“Has Your Majesty taken a liking to anyone?” she asked, reaching out with a hand adorned with exquisite, expensive nail guards. As her fingers swept across the table, several portraits were slowly spread open.
Wei Xicheng lowered his head, suppressing the smile tugging at his lips. He wondered what that jealous old vinegar jar was thinking at this moment. “I trouble Mother to worry about such matters.”
The Empress Dowager’s smile stiffened slightly. “In my opinion, there’s no need to choose at all.”
Her expression darkened. “Emperor, I can protect you for a time, but I cannot protect you forever. You must know by now that your position on the throne is not secure.”
“Mother—”
“Calling me that won’t change anything. If you cannot make a decision, I have already chosen for you.” The Empress Dowager snapped the scroll in her hands shut. “Cui Zhu.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Cui Zhu stepped forward, gathered up most of the portraits, and carried them away, leaving only a few on the table.
“Do not let my efforts go to waste,” the Empress Dowager said, looking at the silent emperor with complicated emotions. If she had borne a child of her own, if the emperor’s status had not been so lowly, she would not have had to work so hard.
But regrets were meaningless. By now, their fates were tied together—whether they flourished or perished, they would do so as one. Even if the one sitting on the throne was nothing more than a block of stone, she would make sure he sat there securely.
“Mother.”
The Empress Dowager looked at the emperor. His tone was low, carrying a hint of uncertainty, even a trace of pitifulness.
“In your heart, is my only purpose to sit in this prison called the throne?”
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow and waved her hand, dismissing the servants in the room.
“Who put such thoughts in Your Majesty’s head?”
“I thought of it myself.”
Wei Xicheng lifted his eyes to look at her. There was a misty sheen in them, with tiny glimmers of tears. Combined with his usual mischievous demeanor, his sudden display of vulnerability actually stirred a trace of concern in her heart.
“To hear you say such things is truly disheartening,” the Empress Dowager said, walking to her chair and sitting down. A look of reminiscence crossed her face. “I entered the palace late. I was well aware of where I stood in the late emperor’s affections.”
“At that time, he placed you in my care. I watched you grow up. Your mother passed away early, and I had no children of my own.”
A cold glint flickered in her eyes. If she had, she wouldn’t have to struggle so much now—her own child would surely have been the greatest ruler under heaven.
“I have long considered you as my own,” she continued. “So why must you say such things to wound me?”
She tapped her fingers against the table, the sharp sound of her nail guards crisp in the silent room. “If you are unsatisfied with my choices, you are free to bring in whomever you truly desire. I will protect them for you as well.”
Wei Xicheng lowered his head. After a long pause, he finally responded, “I will obey Mother’s wishes.”
Only then did the Empress Dowager nod in satisfaction. This emperor might be a bit foolish, but at least he was obedient.
“Enough. You may leave now—I am weary.”
“Yes. Your son takes his leave.”
From the moment he arrived in this world, Wei Xicheng had been playing this daily game of charades with the Empress Dowager.
Perhaps today, he had acted a little more obedient than usual, which was why she had let him off so quickly.
As soon as Wei Xicheng stepped out of the Empress Dowager’s palace, someone covered his mouth and dragged him behind a rock garden.
He barely had time to call for help before spotting his personal eunuch, Xiao Taozi, staring wide-eyed at him, hesitating on whether to call out.
In the end, Xiao Tao stomped his foot in frustration and followed behind, crouching down and hiding in the distant shrubbery.
With that, Wei Xicheng already had a good guess about who was behind him.
The hands restraining him loosened, and the moment he turned around, he threw a punch. He had assumed the person would dodge, but to his surprise, Yan Bei took the blow head-on.
“You—you’re not even dodging?” Wei Xicheng looked at him, suddenly feeling a little guilty.
“If the emperor wants his minister dead, the minister…” Yan Bei deliberately stretched his words, watching as the young emperor lowered his head before him, “has no choice but to die.”
“I didn’t know Yan Qing was so loyal,” Wei Xicheng muttered.
Having just discussed the consort selection with the Empress Dowager, though nothing was set in stone, looking at Yan Bei now made him feel as if he had done something wrong.
Faced with Yan Bei’s knowing gaze and remembering that he had just punched him for no reason, Wei Xicheng couldn’t help but straighten his back awkwardly.
“Not in love anymore?” Yan Bei chuckled, mocking himself.
Wei Xicheng froze, finally realizing what he meant. “Yan… Minister Yan, you really know how to joke.”
He had never intended to get entangled with Yan Bei in the palace. Even though this dynasty existed in a parallel world, the acceptance of male-male relationships was not high.
If he remained emperor, he would inevitably have to take consorts and produce heirs. Otherwise, his rule would be fundamentally unstable, and the ministers would be dissatisfied. Rather than deal with that, it was better to sever things from the start. He had already made up his mind—he might as well not be emperor at all.
But he hadn’t had the chance to discuss this with Yan Bei yet.
Moreover, in this world, Yan Bei had lost all his memories of their past.
Or rather, while everything in this world followed the course Wei Xicheng had envisioned, deep down, he still lacked confidence.
Would Yan Bei be willing to lay down his military power and follow him into a life of wandering?
Wei Xicheng had never considered this before, but now, thinking carefully, he realized he had been somewhat selfish in the past.
Whatever he wanted to do, his lover had always supported him, but he had never once asked what his lover truly wanted.
Lost in thought, he momentarily forgot about the man in front of him, swallowing back the words he had been about to say.
Yes, how could he be certain that Yan Bei was willing to leave with him? And even if he was, how could he ask Yan Bei to give up everything he had now?
Wei Xicheng had always oversimplified things. Now he saw that he had only been thinking about himself. He glanced at Yan Bei and realized he needed to find another way—one that would benefit them both.
“What are you thinking about?” Yan Bei asked, trapping him between himself and the rock garden. Only like this did he feel that Wei Xicheng truly belonged to him.
“The consort selection,” Wei Xicheng answered honestly. “I don’t like those women. Bringing them into the palace would only waste their lives.”
As soon as he said this, he noticed that Yan Bei’s expression softened significantly.
“Then who does Your Majesty like?”
Yan Bei had the power to imprison the young emperor and turn him into nothing more than a puppet.
But he didn’t want to do that.
He had seen how the young emperor looked troubled when he heard people talking about him. He had seen how, when no one was watching, he still tried to figure out how to be a wise ruler—even though that title felt so far out of reach for him.
Yan Bei wanted to help him achieve what he truly wanted, not trap him like a golden canary in a luxurious cage.
“Yan Bei, tell me—just hypothetically—if I said I didn’t want to be emperor anymore, would you take me with you to travel the world and become a wandering swordsman?”
Wei Xicheng carefully worded his question, just to test Yan Bei’s reaction.
This was the best solution he could think of for now. They wouldn’t be bound by their identities and could live freely, without restrictions.
But if Yan Bei refused, then he would come up with another plan. Even if he lacked confidence, he knew one thing for sure—Yan Bei still liked him.
“What brought this on all of a sudden?” Yan Bei leaned down, scrutinizing his eyes.
Those eyes were clear, without reluctance or pain—just pure, bright anticipation.
“I just suddenly felt that the outside world is quite exciting,” Wei Xicheng said.
“I was asking—why do you want to take me with you?”
Wei Xicheng lowered his gaze, pursed his lips, and muttered, “You’re skilled in martial arts. You can protect me.”
“Oh.” Yan Bei smiled in a way Wei Xicheng couldn’t see. “I refuse.”
“Didn’t you just say that if the emperor wants his minister dead—?” Wei Xicheng suddenly felt like his intelligence had taken a nosedive since meeting this man.
“If you leave the palace and go into the martial world, you’re no longer the emperor.”
Wei Xicheng almost choked.
Hah. So this man was only interested in his wealth and status.
Yan Bei reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair. “You haven’t even finished what you set out to do, and you’re already thinking of running away?”
“I don’t want to do it anymore. There are plenty of people more suited for the throne than me.”
Such childish thinking. Yan Bei chuckled. “You don’t want to do it? And yet, you secretly wake up in the middle of the night to read memorials?”
Although the memorials were stored in the imperial study, everyone knew that the final decisions were made by the Empress Dowager’s brother and his faction. The entire court was firmly controlled by the two of them, leaving even the royal uncles with no say.
Wei Xicheng flushed.
He had only gotten up in the middle of the night because he had napped too much during the day and couldn’t sleep.
Would this man believe that if he said it out loud?
He scratched his head, looking embarrassed—an expression that, in Yan Bei’s eyes, was absolutely adorable.
“Are you leaving the palace tonight?” Wei Xicheng asked, completely lacking the awareness of an emperor. A minister who held military power entering and leaving the palace at will was a grave offense.
But at this moment, one of them trusted too much to even consider the implications, while the other deliberately played dumb.
“What do you think, Your Majesty?”
“Then… stay? Sleep with me?”
Wei Xicheng felt like he was done for. Even if the young emperor’s personality was supposed to be like this, saying it so directly still made his face heat up.
But then he thought—sleeping together would just mean lying under the covers and chatting.
He calmed down again.
No big deal.
My husband is practically a celibate monk.
