Captured by the Emperor After a Successful Faked Death - Chapter 8

Driving back to the capital overnight, Zhu Yunyin observed Xie Chengyun’s face, which wore a heavy expression.

“What is the matter, Father-in-court?”

“Biji sent word that there has been a change in the north of the desert. The Hu launched a night raid on Naqu City; the city had fewer than a hundred soldiers, while the Hu army numbered in the thousands.”

“Can’t they just dispatch reinforcements from nearby? Why is the Marquis of Dingyuan so anxious?”

“Your Majesty.” As they approached the capital, Xie Chengyun addressed him as Your Majesty once more. “Naqu City is a vital transportation hub and a natural defensive barrier for our Shangliang. If Naqu City falls, the Hu cavalry will be able to drive straight into the Central Plains. Although reinforcements have been sent, the Hu also have rear guard forces protecting them. It is safest if the Marquis of Dingyuan leads the army himself.”

Seeing Xie Chengyun’s brow tightly knit, Zhu Yunyin took his hand. “It will be alright, Father-in-court. Trust in our soldiers.”

Xie Chengyun forced a smile, but he remained filled with apprehension.

When they returned to the manor, Zhou Biji was already there waiting for him. The cold iron of his cavalry armor gleamed; the generals all bowed upon seeing Zhu Yunyin. Xie Chengyun couldn’t worry about such formalities and hurried to Zhou Biji. “Are you leaving now? The night is dark and the dew is heavy wouldn’t it be better to wait until dawn?”

Zhou Biji was not wearing his armor today, but simple, rustic clothes. Standing there, he looked like a pine or cypress tree, watching over the world. This was the famous Marquis of Dingyuan, the Great General, the protector of Shangliang.

Zhou Biji shook his head. “The people of Naqu City are waiting for me. If I arrive even a moment sooner, the war may end that much earlier.”

Xie Chengyun felt the same, but he was more worried about him. He had arrived in such a rush that they hadn’t even had time to catch up before he had to leave again in such a hurry.

Zhu Yunyin stood in the distance, watching Xie Chengyun reach out to straighten Zhou Biji’s robes. In the moonlight, it looked like a wife seeing off her husband.

“Do not worry. I will come back to see you when spring arrives.”

At these words, Xie Chengyun could no longer contain himself. He stepped forward to embrace Zhou Biji. “Swords and spears have no eyes; take care of yourself. I will wait for your return, and then we shall drink Yulan Chun together again.”

He handed over the protective talisman he had sought at the temple. Zhou Biji teased him, “I thought you were the one who believed in these things the least.”

Xie Chengyun hid the talisman in Zhou Biji’s pouch, urging him to keep it close to his person at all times, and said, “It is, at the very least, a comfort. If a single piece of paper could protect your safety, I would be willing to chant sutras and worship Buddha daily, keeping the lamp of wisdom burning forever.”

Hard to meet, hard to part; the east wind is powerless, the hundred flowers wither.

Xie Chengyun stood at the gate of the Prime Minister’s residence, watching Zhou Biji recede into the distance. He stayed there until the figure was no longer visible.

This was Xie Chengyun’s first experience with the separation of life and death. He had been born in an era of peace and prosperity, forgetting that in The First Emperor Through the Ages, it was a time of turmoil. Only in chaotic times could heroes rise, and only then could the male lead achieve great things, but such chaotic times were also where the bones of the youth were buried in the hills.

How many others, just like him, stood at their doors in dread, waiting for their loved ones to return?

Zhu Yunyin pulled him into his embrace. “Father-in-court, don’t worry. The Marquis of Dingyuan will surely return in triumph.” And besides, you still have me.

Xie Chengyun stroked his face. “Go to sleep; we return to the palace tomorrow.”

He didn’t want to return to the palace, but he didn’t want to add to the Father-in-court’s troubles at such a time, so he nodded and left.

This plot point wasn’t in the book; Xie Chengyun didn’t know if his arrival had flapped the wings of the butterfly. He could only take it one step at a time.

Seeing the little Emperor go to sleep obediently, Xie Chengyun thought: It is time to think seriously about the plague.

The original text stated that the plague was spread by “Cuckoo Blood.” Cuckoo Blood was a mysterious organization vaguely mentioned in the book, composed entirely of madmen whose only goal was to plunge the world into chaos so they could revolt.

But before they could, the original Xie Chengyun had crushed them with iron-fisted methods.

That Xie Chengyun was a ruthless man. The plague was incurable; those infected were doomed to die. He had ordered the city gates tightly shut and refused to accept refugees. Anyone showing symptoms of the plague was to be executed without mercy! After the killing, he had burned the bodies, and the relatives of the victims were only allowed to collect the ashes for burial. Because of such heartless methods, Xie Chengyun was naturally despised by all under Heaven.

Xie Chengyun knew he couldn’t compare to the original Xie Chengyun; rationally, he understood it was the most effective method, but he couldn’t bring himself to be that cruel.

According to the timeline, Xie Chengyun thought, Cuckoo Blood should have entered the city by now. He had to hurry and get the little Emperor back to the palace; the Imperial Palace was a safe place.

The next day, as dawn broke, Xie Chengyun hauled Zhu Yunyin up. He stuffed him into the carriage and sent him back to the palace.

The Prefect of the capital was Li Xunguang, a man of three generations of loyalty whom Xie Chengyun trusted implicitly. He summoned him to the Prime Minister’s residence to ask if there had been any suspicious people or activities lately.

Li Xunguang shook his head. “The capital is very peaceful, especially since the Flower Festival is coming up soon. Everyone is busy admiring flowers and dressing up as Flower Gods.”

“Dressing up as Flower Gods?”

“Yes, everyone dresses up as various Flower Gods, and whoever wins the best Flower God costume becomes the ‘Flower King’ for the year.”

Li Xunguang thought Xie Chengyun might be interested. “Does the Prime Minister wish to dress up as one? It might bring you some immortal luck, and you’ll recover faster.”

Xie Chengyun said speechlessly, “Magistrate Li, I am a man.”

“Men can dress up as Flower Gods too; no one ever said the Flower God has to be a woman. Last year’s Flower God was a man—I tell you, he was beautiful. When the Flower God paraded through the streets, people nearly caused a stampede just to see him.”

Xie Chengyun hurriedly stopped him. “Magistrate Li, if there is anything unusual in the city, you must notify me immediately.”

Li Xunguang thumped his chest, promising to do so, and Xie Chengyun sent him off.

Even with Li Xunguang’s assurance, Xie Chengyun still couldn’t put his mind at ease. Taking a young servant with him, he prepared to go out and see for himself.

Sure enough, with the festival approaching, the streets and alleys were incredibly lively. People were selling flowers and fans everywhere. An enthusiastic vendor grabbed him and said, “Little brother, buy a fan. Buy a fan to give to your beloved and go catch some butterflies.”

But unfortunately, Xie Chengyun had no beloved, his health was poor, and he couldn’t catch butterflies. He could only smile, wave his hand, and wander forward. This was the first time he had come out to play since returning, and everything seemed novel.

Nearby, two young women were covering their faces with their handkerchiefs, whispering and blaming each other. “It’s all your fault for insisting on drawing your eyebrows. I told you your eyebrows were dark enough and didn’t need painting, but you didn’t believe me. Now look, the books have sold out.”

The other girl pulled her hand affectionately. “Good sister, it’s all my fault, don’t be angry. Let’s check another bookstore; there must be more. If not, we’ll pay a higher price—I’ll cover the extra silver.”

What book could be so popular? Could it be an ancient version of ‘The First Emperor Through the Ages’?

Xie Chengyun still hadn’t managed to shake off the fan-selling vendor and had bought a fan. Folding it, he stepped forward, cupped his hands, and asked, “May I ask, young ladies, what book were you speaking of?”

The girl peeked at him from under her handkerchief for a moment before replying, “We were talking about the Xie Chunshan storybook. Everyone is reading it these days.” The other girl added, “It’s so good.”

With that, the two girls walked off hand in hand.

Xie Chunshan storybook. What on earth is that?

Xie Chengyun was filled with question marks. Thinking of the girls’ claim that everyone was reading it, he decided to buy a copy to help the little Emperor pass the time. If other people’s children had something, his child should have it too.

It just so happened that there was a bookstore ahead. Xie Chengyun stepped inside and said, “Shopkeeper, do you have any more Xie Chunshan storybooks?”

“You’ve come too late, sir. That book sold out long ago. However, we do have the Changle Palace storybooks—would you like those?”

“Changle Palace storybooks?”

“Yes, sir. It’s part of the same series and by the same author. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”

So, Xie Chengyun paid the money with half-doubts, noticing only that the servant following him had a very strange expression.

Xie Chengyun wandered the streets holding the Changle Palace storybooks, attracting countless gazes. The expressions in people’s eyes were marvelous, yet he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

Just then, a young woman tapped him on the shoulder. Xie Chengyun turned around to see her smiling happily. “I didn’t expect to see another man who shares the same interest! Did you manage to buy the Xie Chunshan storybook?”

Xie Chengyun answered honestly, “I wanted to, but they were sold out.”

“You should have said so! I’m the author, and I have plenty. I’ll give you a copy.”

What an unexpected delight. Watching the young woman skillfully pull out a book, she handed it to him with an intriguing smile. “Which pair do you like best?”

“Ah?”

The girl wore the expression of sisters sharing secrets. Seeing Xie Chengyun stunned, she assumed he was embarrassed and kindly offered him a way out: “Look at me, what foolish things am I saying? You’ve already bought my books, so naturally, you don’t pick.”

What is she talking about? What ‘pick’ or ‘which pair’? Is this even human language? If it is, why can’t I understand it?

The young woman patted the Xie Chunshan book. “Make sure you hide this one well. I got carried away writing it, and the content is a bit explicit. If someone sees it, watch out for your reputation.”

With that, she floated away, leaving behind her fame.

The more Xie Chengyun thought about it, the weirder it seemed. Finally, another night arrived, and Xie Chengyun couldn’t suppress his curiosity any longer; he opened the two volumes of the storybooks.

Xie Chengyun: I want to wash my eyes; I would pay a fortune for a pair of eyes that had never seen these books.

What is all this? How could a sweet young woman write such hardcore stuff? No wonder she specifically reminded him to hide them; no wonder people on the street looked at him so strangely. Damn it, he had been wandering the streets for a whole afternoon holding two volumes of pornographic novels! That servant must have been his man—why didn’t he warn him?

Xie Chengyun covered his face. Wait, it seems he did try to warn me, and even offered to carry them for me. What did I say at the time? I think I said: ‘It’s not heavy, I can carry them myself.’ Aaaaaah! Damn it!

Although it was mortifying, Xie Chengyun was extremely grateful that he hadn’t been able to wait and had read them first. Otherwise, what would he have done? He would have personally gifted the little Emperor pornographic books starring himself and someone else! Damn it, what would the little Emperor think of him if he saw them!

How could such a seemingly sweet and cute girl read this kind of thing, and how could it be so popular? This is ancient times, right? How are there so many twisted genres? If ‘Changle Palace’ was a purely colorful read, with the whole book consisting of XXOO with different people, then the ‘Xie Chunshan’ storybook was hardcore literature—candles, bells, beasts, suffocation, bondage—everything imaginable was there. Damn it! Sure enough, the era doesn’t limit human imagination.

But most importantly, why am I the one on the bottom!!! I couldn’t overpower the others, but surely I could overpower Zhu Yunyin!

Why is that kid the one on top! It’s unfair!