Saving My Life By Simping For My Empress - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Does This Count as an Indirect Kiss?

Wei Yu was still asleep, his cheeks flushed a rosy pink.

Qin Ji squatted by the bedside, a silly grin plastered on his face. Wei Yu is truly good-looking.

This time, Qin Ji grew bold. He reached out and lightly brushed Wei Yu’s thick, delicate eyelashes.

So cute.

Qin Ji felt as if his entire being was bubbling over with pink bubbles of affection.

“Qin Ji?” Wei Yu woke up.

“Don’t sleep anymore. Get up and have dinner.” Qin Ji poked Wei Yu’s soft, pink cheek.

So soft, so soft.

Wei Yu slowly opened his eyes. Seeing the dim light inside the tent, he realized the candles had already been lit.

“Is it dark already?” Wei Yu rubbed his eyes and sat up.

“Mm, we’re going to have dinner outside the tent and I’ll take you to see the stars.” During these past few days, Qin Ji had taken time out of his busy schedule to learn how to bind hair from the palace maids. His practice subject had been Gao De, but now he could manage to style Wei Yu’s hair on his own, so he didn’t call the servants in.

He took Wei Yu’s outer robe and helped him put it on, then led the still-drowsy Wei Yu to sit down while he leisurely combed his hair.

Wei Yu’s hair was well-maintained, feeling like smooth silk; Qin Ji couldn’t bear to let go.

Moreover, Wei Yu didn’t seem to lose any hair at all—unlike Qin Ji, who clearly saw a few strands on his comb every single morning.

It’s over. If I go bald, will I still have a chance with Wei Yu?

“Qin Ji? Why are you dazed?” Wei Yu asked, seeing Qin Ji standing still.

Qin Ji said solemnly, “I am contemplating a major matter concerning the rest of my life.”

Wei Yu: “???” Sometimes he really couldn’t understand what was going on inside Qin Ji’s head.

Qin Ji finished binding Wei Yu’s hair, securing it with a crown and a hairpin.

“Why haven’t I seen you wear that peach blossom hairpin lately?” Qin Ji asked casually. Did Wei Yu dislike it now that it had been repaired?

Wei Yu replied, “You’ve sent too many; I can’t wear them all at once.”

He smiled and pulled Qin Ji toward the exit of the tent. “I’m hungry.”

In truth, as soon as he remembered that the peach blossom hairpin and Wei Qiong’s plum blossom hairpin came from the same piece of jade, he didn’t want to wear it anymore. Otherwise, every time he wore it, he would be reminded of Wei Qiong’s disgusting face.

Hearing that Wei Yu was hungry, Qin Ji stopped thinking about the hairpin and led him to dinner.

“The soldiers of the Imperial Guard caught fresh fish from the river and made a stew. The broth is milky white and looks delicious. You must have at least two bowls,” Qin Ji said.

Wei Yu replied, “Then you must drink with me.”

You promised to eat light food with me. Don’t think you can escape.

The camp was filled with countless bonfires. Over the fires, meat was roasted or pots were hung to cook vegetables; it was quite convenient.

“It’s a bit rustic. If you can’t eat it, let me know and I’ll have the imperial chef cook for you,” Qin Ji added.

Wei Yu chuckled. Why did he seem like a fragile porcelain doll in Qin Ji’s eyes?

“Your Majesty, Your Highness, the fish soup is just right.” Seeing Qin Ji emerge from the tent, Gao De immediately served two bowls. “Drink it while it’s hot; have a taste.”

Qin Ji and Wei Yu sat down, each with a bowl of soup.

“The taste is good.” Qin Ji took a sip, his eyes lighting up. He had worried the fish might have a muddy or fishy taste since it was prepared in the wild, but he couldn’t taste any at all.

Wei Yu held his bowl, taking small sips with a spoon.

The State of Wei also had hunting events, but he had truly never tasted such fresh fish soup during a hunt.

Or perhaps it was a memory from his past life that had faded so long ago he simply couldn’t remember.

All he could see was what was before him now.

The bonfire crackled with sparks as people sat around the flames eating their dinner.

Wei Yu looked up, and the Milky Way seemed to flow into the depths of his eyes.

The stars were brilliant.

Qin Ji also looked up. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

Wei Yu: “Yes, it is indeed beautiful.”

Not only was there the boundless starlight, but a bright, clear moon hung in the eastern sky, spilling its radiance over the world.

The moon is round on the fifteenth, and even rounder on the sixteenth; today was the seventeenth, and it remained full.

People often recite: “I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon, then lower it to think of my home,” but what Wei Yu contemplated was the elegance of the world itself.

So dazzling.

“Eat first. The stars are above our heads; they aren’t going anywhere.” Qin Ji served Wei Yu more soup and tore off a roasted rabbit leg for him. “Five-spice flavor, you can eat this.”

Wei Yu took the rabbit leg but held it up to Qin Ji’s lips. “You eat it.”

Qin Ji’s heart blossomed with joy at being fed by the Great Beauty, but he pretended to be calm. “There’s more; you eat it yourself.”

Wei Yu nudged the rabbit leg forward, nearly pushing it into Qin Ji’s mouth.

Qin Ji had no choice but to open his mouth and take a small bite.

Only after Qin Ji took a bite did Wei Yu pull it back and take a bite himself.

Qin Ji’s chewing slowed to a halt. He was stunned.

This, this, this… I just bit that! Wei Yu is actually eating something I bit?

Does this count as an indirect kiss?

Qin Ji’s brain felt as if it had been taken over by a swarm of excited bees—bzzzzz.

Wei Yu tilted his head. “Why isn’t Your Majesty eating?”

Qin Ji: “It’s nothing!”

He was just too pleasantly surprised.

If Wei Yu was willing to eat the rabbit leg he had bitten, did it mean Wei Yu didn’t find him distasteful? And if Wei Yu didn’t find him distasteful, did it mean he could push his luck a little further?

Qin Ji decided he would prop his pillow higher tonight to make it easier to dream.

Gao De: “…”

Your Majesty, please just make a move! What are you doing just standing there blankly?

Gao De wished he could step in and physically push their heads together himself.

Though he thought about “pushing his luck,” in reality, Qin Ji didn’t have the guts. He tore off another rabbit leg, but following Wei Yu’s lead, he held it in front of Wei Yu and let him take the first bite.

Biting down on the exact spot Wei Yu had bitten… that was an indirect kiss. Hehe, I’m such a pervert.

Wei Yu didn’t have a large appetite. Before Qin Ji could feed him much more, he was full. After dinner, Qin Ji and Wei Yu sat side-by-side, watching the starry sky together.

At this moment, Qin Ji deeply realized the truth of the saying, “One regrets having read so little when it’s time to use it.” He wanted to recite a few lines of ancient poetry to suit the mood, but he couldn’t recall a single one.

Romance: Failed.

Qin Ji felt dejected.

“Does Your Majesty recognize these stars?” Wei Yu asked.

Qin Ji: “Does the Big Dipper count?”

The Big Dipper was quite recognizable; it was the only one he knew.

Wei Yu raised his hand and pointed to the sky. “Each of the seven stars of the Big Dipper has its own name.”

His finger moved: “Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, Yuheng, Kaiyang, Yaoguang.”

Qin Ji was in awe. “How do you know all of this so clearly?”

Wei Yu smiled and moved his finger to the north. “That one hanging in the north, the brightest one, is the North Star (Beichen).”

Qin Ji checked the orientation. Ah, that’s Polaris. So the North Star was called “Beichen” in ancient times.

“He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the North Star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it,” Wei Yu said. “Your Majesty, you will be that North Star.”

Qin Ji was momentarily stunned.

He had memorized this line before; it was from the Analects of Confucius. Xu Ziye had specifically pointed it out to encourage him to be a good emperor.

So, in Wei Yu’s heart, I am held in such high regard?

“I will work hard,” Qin Ji said, feeling encouraged. “I’ll work hard to be a North Star.”

Wei Yu and Qin Ji watched the stars for a long time until late into the night, when Qin Ji ushered him back into the tent.

“The wind is strong at night, especially on the mountain. Don’t catch a cold.” Qin Ji was a hundred times over-concerned about Wei Yu’s health.

Wei Yu: “I won’t catch cold.”

Qin Ji: “I’m just taking precautions. If you catch a chill and feel unwell, you’ll have to drink more medicine. You hate that bitter dregs-juice, so you can’t neglect your body, understood?”

In this moment, Wei Yu once again felt the “mountain-like fatherly love” emanating from Qin Ji.

Fortunately, Bai Lu couldn’t enter the tent at this time, otherwise, with the two of them double-teaming him, he would be lectured for a long time.

It was truly terrifying.

The temporary bed was not as large as the one in the Ziji Palace. Fearing he might press against the wound on Wei Yu’s left shoulder, Qin Ji slept on the inner side. However, he kept his arm loosely around Wei Yu’s waist, fearing he might fall off.

Once again, Wei Yu could not understand Qin Ji’s logic. This bed was only “small” compared to the Emperor’s massive dragon bed; it wasn’t actually small. Why was he being so cautious?

However, with Qin Ji holding him loosely, physical contact between the two was inevitable.

Wei Yu felt the warmth of Qin Ji’s body temperature, which was completely different from his own.

It was very comfortable.

Pretending it was unintentional, Wei Yu leaned closer to Qin Ji and closed his eyes to sleep, feeling satisfied.

Qin Ji felt the “warm fragrance and soft jade” leaning into his arms, and his body felt as if it were on fire—he was burning up with heat.

This was the first time he and Wei Yu had shared a single blanket.

He didn’t dare move an inch; he had never seen such a scene before.

If he were still in the modern world, he would definitely want to post a thread asking for help: [The person I like is in the same bed as me, what should I do? Waiting online, it’s urgent.]

How could Qin Ji have any sleepiness left? Closing his eyes was purely self-deception.

He only hoped his heart wouldn’t beat too loudly and disturb Wei Yu’s sleep. He hoped Wei Yu would have a good night’s dream.

…

When Qin Ji woke up the next morning, Wei Yu was already awake but hadn’t disturbed his rest.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” The first thing Qin Ji did upon sitting up was check if Wei Yu’s wound had reopened or bled.

“I just wanted you to rest a bit longer,” Wei Yu said.

They didn’t exchange sweet nothings in bed; once both were awake, they began to wash and change.

Qin Ji had to attend the Spring Sacrifice, which required wearing a specially made ritual robe. The process was tedious, and since the start time was fixed, he had to eat breakfast while fully dressed.

The ritual outfit was anything but light. Qin Ji used the most elegant posture of his life to eat a very ordinary breakfast.

Fortunately, Qin’s Spring Sacrifice happened only once every three years; otherwise, he would eventually develop cervical spondylosis.

Wait… the crown he wore for morning court was also very heavy!

Qin Ji couldn’t help but worry again if he would develop a “forward head posture.”

Having a forward-tilting neck wouldn’t look good, and it would make him look shorter. How could he then stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Great Beauty Wei Yu?

Thinking of this, Qin Ji added “rotating the neck three times to the left and three times to the right” to his daily fixed routine.

“Later, you stand with the Teacher.” Qin Ji had to leave first after breakfast, but he left Gao De by Wei Yu’s side. “If you need anything, just have Gao De do it.”

Wei Yu: “I’ve noted it down.”

Qin Ji reached out and patted the top of Wei Yu’s head. If it wouldn’t mess up Wei Yu’s hair, he really wanted to give it a rub.

Truly so obedient, boohoo!

Qin Ji reluctantly left the tent and headed for the altar.

The altar had been built long ago; every emperor of Qin had sacrificed here. It was maintained regularly, so it didn’t look too old.

“Your Majesty, the ritual officer will guide you. Do not be nervous,” said the Minister of Rites, Wen Yao.

Qin Ji said gloomily, “I am not nervous.”

Wen Yao: Really? I don’t believe it. If you aren’t nervous, why are your hands shaking?

Naturally, Wen Yao didn’t dare say this out loud. If he did, Qin Ji might give him a physical smack on the spot.

Qin Ji indeed wasn’t “nervous”—he was terrified.

When they mentioned “three sticks of incense” yesterday, no one told him that one stick of this incense was stronger than six regular ones!

Qin Ji gestured; one stick was as thick as his thumb. What would happen if he didn’t hold it steadily?

The people of Qin would drown him in their spit!

Qin Ji took a deep breath, calming his heart.

There were specific postures for holding the incense. He couldn’t just grip it tightly to prevent wobbling; he had to maintain an elegant form.

If only someone had told him earlier, he could have found three thick sticks to practice with, right? As the saying goes, don’t fight a battle unprepared!

But it was too late for practice now. Qin Ji could only weep inwardly while pretending nothing was wrong on the surface.

“Minister Wen, have we always used such thick incense?” Qin Ji asked, pulling the Minister of Rites aside.

Wen Yao: “Of course. If it weren’t this large, how would the people standing below see it in the censer? Moreover, we are honoring the gods; it only happens once every three years. Shouldn’t we show our sincerity?”

Qin Ji: …That actually makes sense.

The auspicious hour arrived. Qin Ji took his place, wearing the heavy ritual robe.

Those eligible to observe the ceremony arrived one after another. Because they were worshipping the gods, everyone had to stand; no one was allowed to sit. Even the commoners’ requirements for worshipping the Spring God were very strict—if any child dared to sit or laugh during such an occasion, they would certainly be spanked by their elders.

The ritual officer was also wearing a lot. Compared to himself, Qin Ji thought the officer had it worse; at least he could move, while the officer had to stand still, performing only a few specific movements.

Qin Ji stood tall and proud. Fine, he could do this.

The ritual officer recited a text in a chanting style that Qin Ji couldn’t understand, but it sounded quite pleasant.

When it was Qin Ji’s turn, he had to walk from one end of the red carpet to the sacrificial altar.

The red carpet was at least ten meters long, and it wasn’t an ordinary carpet. Both sides were embroidered with scenes depicting the Spring God descending upon Qin and protecting the ancestors—essentially the story of how the ancestors established the State of Qin.

Embroidering the history on the carpet and walking it every three years served as a reminder to the current Emperor to remember that Qin’s present was hard-won.

Wei Yu watched Qin Ji, dressed in that heavy robe, taking each step with a sense of stability until he reached the top of the altar.

Another ritual officer stood on the altar holding the sacrificial text and presented it to Qin Ji.

Qin Ji unfurled the lengthy scroll. He half-recited and half-read it with clear, rounded pronunciation. If Wei Yu hadn’t seen how much effort Qin Ji put into practicing so he wouldn’t make a mistake, he would have thought Qin Ji was born to be such a sovereign.

The text was long, and Qin Ji didn’t read it quickly. After finishing, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.

I shouldn’t have made any mistakes.

The sacrificial text was to be burned for the Spring God. Qin Ji held the paper with both hands and respectfully placed it into the brazier, watching as it was consumed by fire.

The ritual officer timely presented three sticks of incense, each thumb-thick. Qin Ji took them in both hands and held them before him; the height of the incense reached above his head.

Holding the incense, Qin Ji bowed three times. As he bowed, everyone else followed, though they only had to bow while standing; there was no need to kneed.

“Your Highness, follow my lead,” Xu Ziye reminded Wei Yu.

Although Wei Yu wasn’t technically a person of Qin yet, it was only a matter of time. Worshipping the Spring God now might even grant him the god’s protection.

“Thank you, Lord Xu,” Wei Yu thanked him softly.

After the three bows, Qin Ji stepped forward and inserted the three sticks of incense into the censer. To prevent them from leaning, he even pressed them down firmly.

After placing the incense, Qin Ji retreated to his previous position and bowed three more times.

“The Hunt!” the ritual officer shouted loudly.

Now they had to change locations to the hunting grounds cordoned off for the royal hunt.

“Royal Hunting Grounds” was just a general name; the area served more purposes than just hunting.

A massive crowd of people relocated, the Emperor’s procession trailing a ribbon of color through the mountains.

Once they arrived, the ritual officer presented a bow and an arrow tipped with a red cloth. Many small animals, caught temporarily to act as “actors,” were released.

Qin Ji drew the bow and nocked the arrow, closing one eye to aim at a little deer that was focused on munching grass, completely unaware of its situation.

Whoosh!

The arrow whistled through the air. The cloth-tipped arrow flew swiftly and struck the deer.

Startled, the deer stopped eating and bolted into the deep forest.

“Long live the Emperor! Long live! Long live!” the officials shouted.

In the eyes of many Qin officials, Qin Ji was still an unlearned tyrant. After all, not everyone interacted with him often; few were like Xu Ziye, who dared to take off a shoe and hit Qin Ji with it.

Today’s single shot undoubtedly shifted everyone’s impression of him.

Qin Ji hadn’t expected to hit it on the first try either. He smiled and raised the longbow high.

“Long live the State of Qin!”

The officials followed suit: “Long live the State of Qin! Long live the State of Qin!”

Wei Yu also felt a surge of excitement.

The tyrant had been replaced by Qin Ji. Even if the current Qin Ji was still green, as long as he grew, he would surely lead Qin in an even greater direction.

At this point, the Spring Sacrifice ceremony was concluded. Since Qin Ji was still technically “injured,” it wasn’t appropriate for him to go hunting with everyone. Thus, he could only sit on the viewing platform to watch the excitement while other officials competed in the forest.

Qin Ji went back to the tent first to change. The ritual robe made him feel like he couldn’t breathe. As soon as he returned, he stripped it off and put on a lightweight robe with a round collar.

Wei Yu lifted the tent flap and entered.

Qin Ji scurried over to Wei Yu to seek praise: “Wei Yu, Wei Yu, how was my performance today?”

Wei Yu said, “Very dazzling.”

Yes, very dazzling. Brighter than the sun, yet it didn’t burn, making it impossible to look away.

If Qin Ji had a tail, it would be wagging furiously right now.

“I will perform well in the future too!” Qin Ji was like a preschooler who had received a little red flower from the teacher, so excited he could run a few laps outside.

Wei Yu was highly amused. “I haven’t even given you a reward, and you’re this happy?”

Qin Ji blinked and held up one finger. “Then… can you give me a reward?”

Wei Yu: “Then what reward does Your Majesty want from this subject?”

“Can you kiss me?” Qin Ji pointed at his own cheek.