After I Faked My Death, the Dog Emperor Completely Lost His Mind - Chapter 26

Early the next morning.

As dawn broke, a thin veil of mist drifted through every corner of the temple, carrying with it the faint, clean scent of incense. Not far away, the rhythmic and measured chanting of sutras drifted from behind the weathered red-lacquered doors of the main hall.

Shen Yuheng stepped out of his room, looking up at the old, snow-laden eaves. He felt a rare sense of freshness and curiosity. Despite not getting enough sleep, his body felt unexpectedly light today. The strange aching soreness from the past few weeks hadn’t appeared, and his nightmares hadn’t returned. It was a rare night of sound sleep, and his mood had brightened considerably.

Crunch, crunch. The sound of footsteps treading through snow approached as a small palace maid hurried over.

“Consort Shen, His Majesty asked me to bring you a message.”

Shen Yuheng’s smile froze, and he instinctively clutched his shawl.

“His Majesty intends to rest in the temple for a few days to recover his strength before proceeding with the national sacrifices.”

His tension eased slightly, and he gave a small nod. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, “Is His Majesty still coughing up blood today?”

The maid looked conflicted. “This… your servant does not know.”

She was originally a maid of the Presence, but lately, no one except Shen Yuheng and Eunuch Fang had been permitted to approach the Emperor. Shen Yuheng grew thoughtful. Aside from Fang Qing and himself, likely no one knew that Xiao Huai’s illness had reached such a critical stage. Yesterday, the blood Xiao Huai vomited had stained both their robes a terrifying, jarring crimson.

Shen Yuheng had wanted to request a return to the palace for imperial treatment, but Xiao Huai had flatly refused, merely ordering Fang Qing to burn the clothes as if by hiding the symptoms, death would stop its approach.

The System sighed dramatically: [I can understand it. He’s spent his life trying to refine pills for immortality, only to find out it was all for nothing. He definitely doesn’t want to face reality.]

Shen Yuheng understood, but he didn’t accept it. If you’re sick, you get treated! If you ignore it, even the Heavens can’t save you!! If this were anyone else, Shen Yuheng would have tied them up and dragged them to a doctor by force.

Moreover, his worry wasn’t baseless. In the original book, Xiao Huai died this very year. The text stated he “died in the water” on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, under a high, bright moon. Three days later, when the lake was drained, his body was recovered pale, bloodless, but looking as peaceful as if he were still alive. Since then, rumors had haunted the palace about black hair hidden among the lotus blossoms at night.

If Xiao Jin ascended now, Shen Yuheng would be in deep trouble. Without a “Five-Horse Dismemberment,” he’d at least face a “Four-Horse” one. I have to at least keep my body in one piece!

He had to buy time for Xiao Huai to live as long as possible. He immediately found a way to send a letter to Shen Yun璟. The first part was standard New Year greetings to mask the intent, but the end held the core message: Yesterday, while the carriage ascended the mountain, I glanced out and saw smoke rising from the deep woods, as if families were living there.

The terrain around Wangyun Temple was treacherous; there shouldn’t be any civilian settlements. Yun璟 would definitely understand the hint about Xiao Qi’s private army.

After two days of quiet vegetarian meals, Shen Yuheng finally saw Yun’s reinforcements. At the temple gates, several monks stood back warily, watching a grand procession of troops arrive.

A column of fully armed soldiers lined up in front of the temple, their iron armor glinting coldly. Their armored warhorses exhaled clouds of white mist as the men stood before the Buddhist sanctuary with spears and swords in hand.

Seeing Shen Yuheng, the leading general cupped his fists. “Garrison Commander Yue Lin, reporting to Consort Shen.”

“General Shen is currently leading a unit up the mountain to scout the terrain. We have been dispatched to protect His Majesty and the Consorts.”

Shen Yuheng was stunned. The man looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with sharp, high brows. A dark scar ran beneath his eye, but his upright, righteous aura prevented him from looking frightening. Beside Yue Lin was a handsome youth, Yue Feng, who stared at Shen Yuheng with a deep, unreadable smile.

The two brothers sat high on their horses. This familiar scene… it had been described in the book.

As his shock set in, Eunuch Fang approached. “His Majesty has heard of the criminal Xiao Qi’s escape into the mountains. He is grateful for your protection; please, come inside and rest.”

Yue Lin accepted the grace, leading his men to dismount and leave their weapons outside so as not to frighten the monks. Clack. A hand dropped onto Yue Lin’s shoulder. Yue Feng leaned in and whispered, “Brother, I saw that Consort Shen staring at you. Do you think he’s taken a liking to you?”

“I heard that before he entered the palace, he courted many men in the capital, and he specifically likes strong, older men like you. Remember Meng Qian? I heard their relationship was far from “

“Feng’er, do not talk nonsense.” Yue Lin brushed his hand off, his eyes filled with stern righteousness. “He is General Shen’s younger brother. I brought you to meet him when you were children.”

“I don’t remember,” Yue Feng laughed, his smile not hiding his contempt.

Wangyun Temple was small. The brothers were placed in the side hall of the Emperor’s temporary quarters a supreme honor for their rank. As they moved their supplies in, they bumped into Shen Yuheng holding a young princess, making her giggle. His silhouette was slender but not weak; he was clearly a man, yet his tone was incredibly gentle.

Yue Lin and Yue Feng watched instinctively. However, the clatter of their long swords in their scabbards drew Shen Yuheng’s attention. Seeing them, his smile vanished instantly, and he stepped back cautiously, clutching the little princess.

The princess looked up at him. “Brother, who are they?”

“They are soldiers,” Shen Yuheng said softly. “They are here to protect the Little Princess.”

An old nanny rushed out to grab the child. “It’s not ‘Brother,’ it’s ‘Lady.’ The Sixteenth Princess has forgotten her manners again.”

The princess looked up. “Male Lady?”

Shen Yuheng broke into a cold sweat. “No, no, no. ‘Brother’ is perfectly fine.”

Being a ‘Male Consort’ is one thing, but ‘Male Lady’ (Nan Niang-niang)? Where am I supposed to hide my face?!

Other children ran out into the snow, and Shen Yuheng returned to his “old trade” as a kindergarten teacher. He led them away from the Yue brothers’ room. “Come, let’s go over there and build a snowman.”

The System was worried: [Host, what are you going to do? Those two have appeared… you absolutely cannot get involved with them!]

“Trust me, I know.”

In the original book, these brothers played heavy roles. Yue Lin and Yue Feng were Yun璟’s lieutenants, serving at the border for years with great merit. They were young talents with a bright future… if only the leader of the rebel army later on wasn’t named Yue Lin.

The System reminded him: [One of the reasons Xiao Jin executed the original owner in the book was because the relationship between Yue Lin and the original owner was too close…]

Xiao Jin’s suspicion surpassed even his father’s. If Shen Yuheng so much as breathed in Yue Lin’s direction, he’d be asking for a “Ten-Horse Dismemberment.”

“Don’t worry,” Shen Yuheng comforted the System. “As long as I stay far away and don’t say a word, what could happen?”

By dusk, the snowmen were finished. He led the tired children away. The Sixteenth Princess was sleepy, so he carried her on his hip. It was the first time since transmigrating he’d held a child like this, and it made him nostalgic.

“Xiao Shiliu, wake up. Time to go back to bed.”

The princess rubbed her eyes and grumbled before waking up fully. “Thank you, Male Lady~”

Shen Yuheng choked and corrected her: “It’s ‘Brother,’ brother…”

She giggled. “Lady plays with me just like the ladies in the palace. Thank you, Lady.” Suddenly, she leaned in and kissed Shen Yuheng on the cheek.

Smack.

In that instant, Shen Yuheng heard a creak from behind, like someone stepping on a dry branch. Someone’s there?! He quickly set the princess down, terrified of being misunderstood.

Fortunately, the surroundings were silent and empty. He held the princess’s hand and whispered, “In the future, when a Lady plays with you, you may only kiss the female Ladies. No kissing the Male Ladies, okay?”

“Okay—” She smiled brightly, looking like an angel. Shen Yuheng felt a mix of joy and complexity. Why are all the cute kids other people’s kids? If only Xiao Jin could be this small and cute.

That night, palace maids brought him his dinner. Because they were in a temple, everyone had to eat vegetarian as a sign of piety. Halfway through, a maid brought a bowl of soup, saying it was a gift from Xiao Huai. It was a mushroom broth, fragrant and rich.

Shen Yuheng took a sip, and his body warmed instantly. But… was it his imagination? The maid’s eyes looked a bit… strange as she left.

Late at night, the mountains were deathly silent, save for the occasional chilling cry of an unknown bird. Yun璟 hadn’t returned. Under the weak candlelight, Yue Feng was meticulously sharpening his blade, wiping away every trace of blood from the edge.

Yue Lin was already asleep; in the army, they could sleep anywhere. But Yue Feng couldn’t. He was pathologically clean. If the bed was dirty, he’d stay up all night on guard.

Suddenly, a flash of silver light caught his eye.

Yue Feng looked up. The light had appeared on a distant roof before vanishing. But he knew what he saw the moonlight reflecting off a blade.

His gaze moved down. That room… if he remembered correctly, belonged to that “Male Consort” his brother knew.

Yue Feng’s heart sank. He glanced at his sleeping brother and slipped out silently. His steps were fast and noiseless. In an instant, he reached Shen Yuheng’s door. He gripped his knife and pressed against the wall near the window, looking for an opening to burst in.

However, just then, a faint, strange noise came from inside.

Yue Feng froze, a bizarre sensation rising in his chest. After a moment’s hesitation, he found a tiny gap in the window paper and peered inside

The scene inside caused him to nearly lose his grip on his knife.