My Husband Can't Possibly Be a Tyrant Emperor! - Chapter 5

Early the next morning, the master and servant were awakened by noises outside.

It wasn’t that the commotion was particularly loud, but Fu Yan had always preferred quiet. In his usual residence, no one dared so much as cough before he rose.

Li Qing hurriedly got up, threw on his clothes, and opened the door to step outside. He saw Kuang Xuexin just closing his own door, a bundle slung over his back as if he were about to leave.

Li Qing quickly greeted him with a smile, “You’re up so early, sir. Are you heading out?”

Kuang Xuexin thought to himself, Early? This is hardly early.

He usually rose at six o’clock. Today, he had waited for the master and servant duo and only gotten up at seven. By the time he finished cooking and eating breakfast, the two still hadn’t stirred.

“I need to go to the shop,” Kuang Xuexin said. “Breakfast is warming in the pot. Help yourselves when you’re ready.”

As he spoke, he glanced through the half-open door into the room, catching a glimpse of the dark bed curtains hanging closed. Black curtains blocked light well and were indeed better for sleep, but few people in ancient times used black bed curtains. At first glance, they looked rather eerie.

Li Qing said, “His Majesty hasn’t risen yet.”

Kuang Xuexin smiled.

The morning light happened to fall on his face at that moment—a truly remarkable face. Though his features were gentle, his smile suddenly radiated a bright, vibrant charm. His attire was even more spring-like: his hair was tied up with a green hairpin, and he wore a narrow-collared robe with a subtle bamboo leaf pattern, giving him an innate sense of lightness and purity. He appeared to be a gentle gentleman, yet he dared to do what ordinary people would not. For instance, at this moment, he was perfectly at ease leaving two near-strangers from out of town in his home, unafraid they might ransack the place.

In this regard, he somewhat resembled the Emperor. However, the Emperor was an all-powerful sovereign who did as he pleased, while this Kuang Xuexin possessed a carefree, unrestrained spirit. It seemed that within his slender frame lay the heart of a chivalrous hero.

Li Qing respectfully saw Kuang Xuexin off.

Outside, the air was still crisp and quiet. The alley was empty, shrouded in spring mist.

Da Xi and Xiao Xi perched on the wall, seemingly attuned to human nature. As soon as Kuang Xuexin left, they fluttered into the courtyard.

Li Qing watched until Kuang Xuexin disappeared from sight.

No one else knew that just beyond the neighboring high walls, armor gleamed coldly, and spears, blades, and halberds stood like a forest. Eunuchs moved about in groups, their steps silent.

Only after Kuang Xuexin had gone did Li Qing return inside. He first went to the kitchen, lifted the lid of the pot, and saw two simple meals inside.

Such meals were fine for him to eat, but he wouldn’t dare serve them to the Emperor. The Emperor was particular about his food and always traveled with imperial chefs.

The night before, it had been dark, and the oil lamp was dim, so he hadn’t clearly seen the kitchen’s layout. Now, upon closer inspection, he noticed that although the kitchen was small and filled with many items, everything was neatly organized and exceptionally clean.

What a capable and tidy gentleman, he thought.

Fu Yan had read late into the night and woke up quite late. Li Qing waited outside a little longer until he saw that Fu Yan was awake, then clapped his hands to signal the others to enter.

Immediately, eunuchs filed in, bowing respectfully as they carried towels and basins in an orderly manner.

The room was small, nearly filled to capacity. Everyone stood in rows, holding their breath with heads bowed, stepping forward in turn with light, measured steps. Their movements were silent, and even the jade pendants they wore made no sound. Over a dozen people moved about the room without a single stray noise.

They set up a screen around the bed to create a small dressing area. A personal attendant entered to assist Fu Yi with washing and freshening up, kneeling to offer towels and combs without ever glancing at his exposed skin. The others stood outside the screen with their backs turned, heads bowed. Fu Yi stretched out his arms, allowing the attendant to dress him. His phoenix eyes, heavy with weariness, looked outward and saw another group of attendants quietly entering the courtyard with food boxes, making their way into the main room.

Li Qing personally arranged the dishes. The small dining table at home was fully laid out—half were dishes Fu Yi often ate in the palace, and the other half were local delicacies from Xijing.

In the neighboring courtyard, several renowned chefs presented by local officials were waiting.

Yet the emperor still seemed to have little appetite for anything. With Lord Kuang absent, he made no effort to hide his mood, his face devoid of any smile. After taking a few bites with his chopsticks, he suddenly asked, “Did he leave any food behind when he left?”

“He did. It’s still in the pot.” Li Qing glanced carefully at the emperor and immediately went to the kitchen to fetch the meal Kuang Xuexian had left.

It was a simple breakfast, the kind ordinary but slightly well-off commoners might eat: a bowl of porridge, a plate of greens, a fried egg, and a small bowl of pickled cucumbers, meticulously sliced into uniformly thin pieces.

It was clear the knife work was exceptional, and the person who prepared it was exceedingly patient.

Kuang Xuexian’s bookstore was called Hundred Flavors Studio, located at the innermost part of Golden Crow Street, near the Drum Tower. Golden Crow Street stretched for miles from the Chaoyang Gate, but the area near the Drum Tower was relatively quiet. To take a shortcut, he rarely walked along the main street of Golden Crow. Instead, he would cut through the residential alley behind the Drum Tower. From there, a lane led out, and a left turn would bring him directly to Hundred Flavors Studio. Most shops near the Drum Tower sold stationery, calligraphy, paintings, and antiques. Among them, his Hundred Flavors Studio was the smallest and most inconspicuous.

At this moment, the morning light filtered through the mist, and Golden Crow Street remained shrouded in silence.

Kuang Xuexian had always loved the dusk and dawn of ancient times. When dusk fell, as the sky gradually darkened, it felt as if the entire world was falling asleep—no excess light, and even the clamor of noise seemed to fade away. The world seemed to slow down, time flowing like a gentle river. Then, at dawn, as the sky gradually brightened, the world would open its eyes again. The quiet streets would gradually fill with people, eventually transforming into the bustling, vibrant world of mortal life.

Night and day were so distinctly divided. There was a period when he did nothing all day but sit by the door, watching the sunrise and sunset, the ebb and flow of the crowds.

He always opened his shop early, usually having to wait a while before customers arrived. But today, as soon as he unlocked the door, customers walked in.

Seeing them enter, he quickly straightened up and said with a smile, “What books are you looking for, gentlemen?”

The visitors were several tall, imposing young men. “We’re just browsing,” they replied.

The bookstore wasn’t large, with two six-tiered bookshelves lining each wall. The books he sold were quite varied, including some classic old storybooks, though not many. His main offerings were his own stories, which he handled from plot to illustrations. Typically, after creating a story, he would send it to a printing house on Golden Crow Street for production. Over the past two years, he had gradually gained fame in Shuangluan City, and his books sold so well that he couldn’t keep up. Eventually, he shifted to specializing in boys’ love storybooks. This niche had a much smaller audience, with a specific circle of readers, and the workload suited him perfectly.

He was quite popular within this circle, and now even people from other cities would come to Shuangluan City specifically to buy his storybooks.

The few customers who had just come in clearly had never seen this kind of male-male romance novel. One of them flipped through it briefly and immediately called the others over. Several grown men paged through for a while without discussing it, only exchanging glances with each other, their expressions all quite uncomfortable. In the end, they left quietly.

Kuang Xuexian assumed they were straight men who had accidentally wandered into his bookstore, thinking that perhaps he should put up a “Straight Men Keep Out” sign at the entrance.

Just as he was thinking this, he saw a slender, distinguished figure enter.

The reason he called this person “distinguished” was because of their exceptionally luxurious and splendid attire.

They wore a robe of dawn-silk, a deep red fabric, with a gold filigree belt inlaid with gemstones and jade plaques at the waist. A string of pearls hung around their neck, and at the collar, they wore a snow-white “jinling”—a stiff collar piece. On their forehead, imitating the style of noblewomen, was a “yumeizi” decorative sticker. As they moved, the sound of jade and pearls chimed softly, and an aura of opulence and beauty radiated from them.

Dawn-silk was extremely rare in Xijing, produced in the Kingdom of Lang and named for its shifting, dawn-like colors. Its price was comparable to gold. The so-called “jinling” they wore was a type of stiff collar lining popular among the nobility of the Great Zhou Dynasty—three fingers wide, resting against the throat, symbolizing “a gentleman speaks with caution,” primarily used to maintain proper posture. Ordinary commoners rarely wore jinling, as it was inconvenient for daily tasks.

Moreover, this person’s jinling was embroidered with sun, moon, and star patterns. The sun, moon, and star patterns were the family emblem of the imperial Fu clan of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Kuang Xuexian hurried out from behind the counter and bowed respectfully, saying, “Your Highness, Prince Fu.”

Prince Fu raised his slender eyebrows, his expression almost dangerously beautiful. “You recognize me?”

Kuang Xuexian smiled. “Who in the city does not know Your Highness?”

Prince Fu came from an illustrious background. His birth mother, like the current emperor’s mother, Empress Zhang the Younger, hailed from the Zhang clan of Hedong and were cousins. However, precisely because of their prominent origins, the two brothers were deeply distrusted by the deposed Emperor Fu Wei, who came from a much humbler background. It was said that Prince Fu had once been imprisoned with the current emperor on Shuocao Island in their youth. Thus, after the current emperor ascended the throne, Prince Fu enjoyed considerable favor and was appointed as the military governor of Xijing.

He was a typical member of the imperial faction and was known for frequently criticizing the powerful current chancellor, Xie Yi. But with the emperor’s protection, he remained unscathed. Uneducated and with a poor reputation, Chancellor Xie likely couldn’t be bothered with him, which inadvertently secured his wealth and status.

He was exceptionally handsome, with only his sharply upturned eyebrows giving him a fierce, unapproachable look. Kuang Xuexian had heard many rumors about him—for instance, his mansion was said to be a sprawling complex of pavilions and towers, filled with exotic flowers and rare plants, earning it the nickname “Little Tianxiang City.” It was worth noting that the capital, Jiantai City, was called “Tianxiang City” due to its abundance of flowering trees and year-round fragrance. In effect, he had built a miniature capital in Xijing. He was fond of beautiful maidservants and lavish clothing. His mansion was filled with maidservants, all dressed in elegant attire, their hair styled in high buns, imitating the appearance and demeanor of the imperial household—quite distinct from the local nobility of Xijing. Personally, he enjoyed performing the “huxuan” dance. People in Xijing said he was as beautiful as a woman, radiant and dazzling. At every banquet, he would dance, adorned with gold and jade, mesmerizing all in attendance.

In short, he was a wealthy, willful, and extraordinarily beautiful young prince. He bore some resemblance to that extravagant and temperamental emperor.

But now, this young prince was looking at him with a smile and said, “I’ve come to buy a few books.”

Kuang Xuexian didn’t want to get into trouble and was extremely courteous to this suddenly arrived dignitary.

However, as far as he knew, this young prince was a staunchly straight man.

So, very carefully, he recommended a few relatively light and innocent romance novels to Prince Fu—at least ones without explicit male-male intimate illustrations, fearing they might shatter the straight, young tyrant’s worldview.

To everyone’s surprise, Prince Fu actually followed his recommendation and selected two ancient books with the most ornate and exquisite covers—bound in soft silk with cloud-patterned jacquard designs. At first glance, they seemed to tell tales of supernatural beings intertwined with what resembled socialist brotherhood.

Kuang Xuexian carefully wrapped the books and handed them with both hands to the prince’s attendant.

Prince Fu remarked, “I heard the shopkeeper was holding a matchmaking event at Ruyi Pavilion the other day?”

Kuang Xuexian hadn’t expected this news to reach the prince’s ears. He smiled and replied, “Indeed.”

Prince Fu beamed, his gaze lingering on Kuang’s face. “The shopkeeper truly is an interesting person.”

With that, he turned to his servant and instructed, “Pay him.”

Kuang Xuexian, well-versed in dealing with the nobility, responded, “Your Highness gracing our humble shop is an honor. Please accept these two books as a gift. If you enjoy them, simply send word next time, and I will personally deliver them to you.”

Prince Fu chuckled, “In that case, I might…” He glanced at Kuang Xuexian. “Now that Shopkeeper Kuang has taken in a son-in-law, you must support your family. Please don’t stand on ceremony with me. I may very well become a frequent visitor.”

Outside, the prince’s purple-robed guards, armed with swords, maintained order around the vermilion sedan chair, inadvertently drawing even more onlookers. Surrounded by his entourage, Prince Fu stepped into the warm sedan. Once inside, he lifted the curtain and smiled at Kuang once more. The sedan itself was exquisitely crafted, with gilded carved windows and silk curtains adorned with tassels.

Kuang Xuexian bowed as the procession departed. Immediately, the other shopkeepers and clerks from the bookstore gathered around. “Why did the prince come here?”

“To buy books,” Kuang replied.

“You scared me to death! With such a grand display, I thought they were here to shut down the shop. Does the prince actually enjoy reading this kind of book?”

“Indeed,” Kuang said, watching the prince’s entourage fade into the distance. He clasped his hands in a humble gesture, mimicking the common folk, and softly added, “It gave me quite a fright too!”

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