Saving My Life By Simping For My Empress - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Is This the World of a Book, or the Real World?

Qin Ji had a very long dream.

In the dream, he was a little “short winter melon” (a toddler).

As a toddler, Qin Ji was led by a tall man, traveling thousands of miles to Ningzhou.

In the dream, Qin Ji subconsciously knew that the man leading him was the late Emperor of Qin, his Imperial Father, Qin Rui.

His father had come to Ningzhou to meet with the Emperor of Wei to discuss major national affairs. Since Ningzhou was located on the border, Qin Rui had brought along his son, the Crown Prince.

Qin Rui brought a child, and the Emperor of Wei also brought a child. When Qin Ji first saw that child, he mistook him for a little girl.

“My name is Qin Ji. What’s your name, little sister?” Qin Ji’s tender voice echoed in the dream, sounding somewhat ethereal and hollow.

“I’m not a little sister.” The child whose gender had been mistaken pouted. “I’m a boy, just like you.”

Little Qin Ji had already been well-trained in etiquette. Upon hearing this, he immediately apologized: “I’m sorry, I was mistaken.”

the other child pursed his lips: “It’s okay, but you can’t mistake me again next time.”

Little Qin Ji agreed and asked for the other’s name.

The child said, “My name is Wei Yu. The ‘Yu’ from ‘flaws do not obscure the jade’ (瑕不掩瑜).”

Qin Ji suddenly woke up from the dream.

He opened his eyes and touched the bump on his forehead from hitting the pillar earlier; it was painful.

The night was pitch black, with only faint moonlight filtering through the window.

Using the moonlight, Qin Ji lit a candle with a fire starter and sat by the bed in a daze.

He had dreamed of himself and Wei Yu as children.

In Ningzhou, inside this very General’s Mansion.

They had known each other in their youth, as children.

Could this be real? Or was it just a dream?

Whether it was a deeply buried memory or a dream, Qin Ji couldn’t tell. He was no longer sure if he was the real Qin Ji, or the butterfly who had observed the entire plot and transmigrated into the book to change its course.

Qin Ji wiped his face. Unable to sleep, he draped an outer robe over his shoulders and went out into the courtyard to watch the bright moon surrounded by stars.

“Your Majesty?” Chen Xuanwen, who was personally on night watch, appeared when he saw Qin Ji was awake.

“Why is Your Majesty awake so late?” Chen Xuanwen asked.

Qin Ji didn’t answer. Instead, he asked: “Chen Xuanwen, when did you enter the Hidden Guard camp?”

Chen Xuanwen: “In reply to Your Majesty, I entered at sixteen, became the new Commander at twenty, and it has been five years since then.”

Qin Ji calculated—Chen Xuanwen was now twenty-five. That meant he should be familiar with the events before Qin Ji “transmigrated.”

“Chen Xuanwen, what kind of person do you think I am?” Qin Ji asked.

Chen Xuanwen thought for a moment: “My father once evaluated you when you were still the Crown Prince. He said Your Majesty was not the most naturally brilliant, but you were kind and serious—a Crown Prince worthy of following. He told me and A-Wu to serve Your Majesty well in the future.”

Qin Ji curled his lips soundlessly: “But I disappointed your father.”

Chen Xuanwen remained silent for a long time.

“For a few years, Your Majesty was indeed… very ‘off.’ How should I put it?” Chen Xuanwen, usually a chatterbox, was now at a loss for words.

Qin Ji: “Just speak plainly. I won’t punish you.”

Chen Xuanwen organized his thoughts: “Roughly… rebellious?”

Qin Ji: “How so?”

Chen Xuanwen counted on his fingers: “You stopped listening to Master Xu’s lectures, refused to read, and only wanted to eat, drink, and play every day. If palace servants made mistakes, you would strike them instead of letting it slide. You stopped practicing archery and left your favorite pony in the stables, ignored.”

There were many more absurdities over those years, but as Chen Xuanwen spoke, he realized something else.

“Your Majesty, you…”

A terrifying thought surfaced in Chen Xuanwen’s mind. He wanted to ask: Was the person who acted so recklessly all those years truly the Majesty standing before me?

Qin Ji said softly: “I’m going back to sleep. You may leave.”

He turned and walked back into the room, blew out the candle, and lay back on the bed, but sleep was nowhere to be found.

Qin Ji felt more and more that perhaps he was the original Qin Ji of this era, and that the “Tyrant” was the actual transmigrator.

No one changes their personality so drastically without someone raising an objection—especially an Emperor. Qin had so many shrewd ministers; how could they not notice their Emperor was different?

Unless his “change” back was exactly what the court had been hoping for.

Moreover, even Gao De, who served him daily, hadn’t raised any suspicions, which made it even more curious.

Qin Ji didn’t think the logic had “auto-corrected” just because he entered the book; otherwise, Chen Xuanwen wouldn’t remember the shift in “his” personality.

Covering his eyes with his arm, the more he thought, the more awake he became, yet his heart grew heavier.

Am I the real Qin Ji? If I am, did I really meet Wei Yu when we were small? Did something else happen between us? And did the Tyrant—the fake Qin Ji—occupy my identity and memories to intentionally torture Wei Yu?

Is this a book world, or the real world?

Qin Ji’s head throbbed.

As the moon tilted westward, he finally drifted off and dreamed again.

In the dream, his younger self and a young Wei Yu played wildly in the General’s Mansion while their fathers discussed national affairs. Wei Yu, a well-behaved child, was led by him to climb trees and play in the water. Every time Wei Yu arrived in clean clothes, he left covered in dirt.

In the dream, Qin Ji looked at Wei Yu, who was turned into a “little calico cat,” and laughed.

…

The next day, Qin Ji woke up late. He decided to have Gao De accompany him to explore the General’s Mansion, hoping to find more lost memories.

He also wanted to ask Gao De about his past.

“Gao De, I came here as a child, didn’t I?” Qin Ji sat down in a pavilion after getting warm from walking.

Gao De’s eyes widened: “Your Majesty?”

“Not only did I come here, but I also met Wei Yu here, right?” Qin Ji asked.

Gao De’s voice trembled with emotion: “Has Your Majesty… finally remembered?”

Qin Ji shook his head: “I only remembered fragments in a dream last night. Gao De, you are hiding a lot from me, aren’t you?”

Gao De wiped his tears with his sleeve: “That I could live to see this day is my great fortune.”

Qin Ji thought: It seems my guess was correct. Gao De knows secrets that others do not.

“Gao De, tell me.”

Gao De wiped his eyes: “It perhaps begins seven years ago.”

Seven years ago, Qin Ji was about thirteen or fourteen.

At that time, Qin Ji’s mother, the late Empress, passed away. Qin Ji was so devastated that he fainted from grief at the funeral and did not wake up for a long time.

Qin Rui was frantic. Having just lost his wife, losing his son would be the ultimate blow. He ordered the imperial physicians to watch over Qin Ji in shifts and sought doctors among the common folk.

“Your Majesty was in a coma for half a month. The late Emperor was driven mad with worry. Then, a folk occultist entered the palace, claiming he could wake Your Majesty.”

To a desperate father, Qin Rui was willing to try anything.

The occultist performed a ritual to “summon the soul.” He claimed Qin Ji’s soul had left his body and needed to be brought back.

Shortly after the ritual, Qin Ji did wake up.

“But no one expected that the ‘me’ who woke up seemed like a different person,” Qin Ji finished the sentence himself.

Gao De smiled bitterly: “Exactly so.”

Gao De had served the late Empress and watched Qin Ji grow up. He spent more time with Qin Ji than the Emperor did. He knew immediately that the person who woke up was an imposter occupying his Majesty’s body.

Qin Rui naturally discovered this too. He immediately had the occultist seized, demanding he bring back the real Prince.

“Who knew that occultist was incompetent? He could only bring back a soul, but he couldn’t guarantee it was the original soul,” Gao De said venomously. “The late Emperor was too kind not to have him hacked to death on the spot!”

The fact that another soul inhabited the Prince’s body was a state secret. Qin Rui executed the occultist to keep it quiet and made no outward sign of change.

Qin Rui waited until his own death, but his son never “returned.”

The fake Qin Ji was unlearned, struck his teachers, and bullied servants. Qin Rui hated him, but because it was his son’s body, he feared that if he killed the imposter, the real soul would have no home to return to. So, he endured the fake’s misdeeds.

Qin Ji clutched his chest, feeling a sharp pain for Qin Rui.

“Imperial Father believed I would return, so he didn’t deal with the fake me,” Qin Ji whispered, hiding his grief. “But what if the fake one had destroyed the Qin Empire?”

His father was a man who led many wise ministers; he wasn’t the type to be soft-hearted if the country was at stake.

Gao De sighed: “The late Emperor did leave a secret decree with the Prime Minister.”

Qin Ji clenched his fingers: “What did it say?”

“If Your Majesty had not returned by the age of twenty, the fake was to be secretly executed. Qin Zhao, the grandson of Prince Cheng, was to be named the new Emperor, with Xu Ziye as Imperial Preceptor to assist the Prime Minister in governing.”

Qin Ji laughed through his tears. Fortunately, his father had not sacrificed the country for him.

“See? Qin Zhao was destined to be Emperor.” Qin Ji wiped his eyes. “Quite a heavy burden!”

Qin Ji was laughing, but his vision was blurred with tears.

I am Qin Ji. I must be Qin Ji.

The novel he read might have just been a reminder to return to where he belonged.

But what about Wei Yu?

Qin Ji realized that the Tyrant should have been an old acquaintance to Wei Yu. When Wei Yu came to Qin alone, had he expected kindness from his childhood playmate?

Instead, he was met with torture.

If he hadn’t returned, would Wei Yu really have died young from illness as the novel described?

The thought made his heart ache even more.

“Gao De,” Qin Ji said hoarsely. “Find me the ‘Double Fish’ jade pendant. Even if you have to dig three feet into the General’s Mansion, find it.”

“That was a gift… from Wei Yu.”

If he hadn’t been replaced by an imposter, his father might not have died so early, and he might not have reunited with Wei Yu in such a tragic way.

…

Meanwhile, at the diplomatic hostel, Wei Yu received a visiting card from the Marquis of Wu’an of the State of Wei.

The Marquis was an old man, a grandfather, and a veteran of three reigns with high status.

Wei Yu used to respect him deeply, but now, he didn’t even bother to stand up. He simply sat stroking a little calico cat Bai Lu had caught for him.

“This old official greets the Prince,” the Marquis saluted.

Wei Yu said perfunchorily, “I cannot accept such a great salute from the Marquis. Please rise.”

The Marquis could feel the coldness, but he had to be there. Wei had chosen the wrong King, and now they wanted to correct that mistake.

“Prince, I have urgent matters to discuss. Please dismiss your attendants.” The Marquis glanced at Bai Lu, disguised as a maid, thinking she lacked discernment.

“No,” Wei Yu said indifferently. “I’m afraid that if my guards leave, I’ll die here.”

The Marquis’s expression changed: “What does the Prince mean? Do you suspect me of ill intent?”

Wei Yu continued grooming the cat without looking up: “Those are your words, Marquis, not mine.”

The Marquis restrained his temper: “Since she is your guard, there is no need to avoid her.”

Wei Yu thought: You are the one I’m avoiding.

“Speak your business. I don’t like beating around the bush.” Wei Yu finished grooming the cat and held it up, satisfied with his work.

“I have come to ask the Prince, for the sake of the State of Wei, to declare yourself Emperor and ascend the throne,” the Marquis said directly.

Wei Yu looked at him in surprise: “Marquis, have you gone senile? This is rebellion. Do you want your entire family buried with you?”

Marquis: “Prince, as a member of the Wei Imperial family, you have the right to that throne!”

His loud voice startled the cat, which jumped out of Wei Yu’s arms.

Wei Yu closed his eyes in annoyance. He wasn’t deaf; why shout?

“Marquis, you eat the monarch’s salary and should be loyal to the monarch. Do you not understand this basic principle?” Wei Yu said coldly.

The Marquis argued: “But in terms of status, it should have been you on that throne!”

Wei Yu was confused: “You really are senile. I am the second legitimate son; Wei Qiong is the eldest. By order of seniority, it should be Wei Qiong ahead of me.”

The Marquis steeled himself and revealed a long-kept secret: “The current King and the Princess Royal are not the biological children of the late Empress. The Empress only had one child—you.”

Wei Yu blinked slowly: “You… what did you say?”

The Marquis explained the truth. The late Emperor had one Empress and no other concubines. But the Empress struggled to conceive, making the ministers dissatisfied.

The Emperor was annoyed by the pressure to take concubines. One night, while drunk, he slept with a palace maid, who happened to get pregnant.

The Emperor didn’t want her as a concubine. He let her carry the child in a side palace but gave her nothing more. He felt guilty toward the Empress and didn’t want his eldest son to be born of a maid. After the maid gave birth to a pair of twins (a boy and a girl), the Emperor gave them to the Empress to raise as her own legitimate children.

Those twins were Wei Qiong and Wei Wuxia.

Their biological mother was strangled with a white silk cord after giving birth.

“The late Emperor ordered that no one mention their origin. To the world, they were born of the Empress. Anyone who disobeyed faced execution of nine generations,” the Marquis said.

Wei Yu sneered: “I bet Wei Qiong and Wei Wuxia found out anyway, didn’t they?”

He finally understood why Wei Qiong hated him so much. A fake eldest son versus a real one—if the truth came out, Wei Yu was the first in line for the throne.

The Marquis’s face flushed. Indeed, they knew. The only one kept in the dark was Wei Yu.

“Prince, as long as we veterans expose the truth, you can rightfully take the throne. For Wei’s sake, please reconsider!” The Marquis knelt and wept.

“I refuse,” Wei Yu said coldly.

The Marquis looked up in disbelief: “Why?”

“So many of you knew this secret yet chose to support Wei Qiong as King. Why bother supporting me now?”

Wei Yu turned away, disgusted.

“Prince, we did it for the stability of Wei!”

“Stability?” Wei Yu mocked. “Do you not feel ashamed saying that? If it was for stability, why didn’t you advise Wei Qiong when he targeted me? Why didn’t you stop him from sending me to Qin as a hostage? Why didn’t you even let me pack my bags? Why didn’t you help make my life easier there?”

“You aren’t doing this for Wei; you’re doing it for yourselves.”

When these people found Wei Qiong didn’t meet their expectations, they wanted to push Wei Yu up. If Wei Yu didn’t satisfy them, who would they replace him with next?

Wei Qiong was a bad King because he was a coward, always afraid Wei Yu would replace him. But Wei Yu also felt his father was indecisive—if he truly loved the Empress, he wouldn’t have forced her to raise another woman’s children in silence until her death.

Wei Yu felt sorry for his mother.

He couldn’t help but compare his father to Qin Ji. Qin Ji won by a landslide. Before even confessing his feelings, Qin Ji had already found a successor for the Qin throne so that being together would never be a “problem” for the state.

“Prince, can you really bear to see Wei destroyed?” The Marquis couldn’t understand why Wei Yu was indifferent to the throne.

“If I fight for the throne, history will record me as a brother-slayer and a usurper. I won’t carry that infamy for you,” Wei Yu raised his voice. “Bai Lu, see the guest out!”

The Marquis left in anger.

Wei Yu felt exhausted. He seemed born to be a pawn. Wei Qiong and Wuxia wanted him dead because of his birth; the ministers wanted to use him for a coup for the same reason.

He missed the wind at the hunting grounds, the lanterns on the pagoda, the goose kite, and the pastries.

He missed Qin Ji.

…

Wei Yu went to the palace to see Wei Qiong.

Since Wei Yu’s return, Wei Qiong had been in a poor state of mind, likely worrying daily about when Wei Yu would replace him.

In contrast, Wei Yu, well-nourished by Qin Ji, looked healthy and vibrant.

“I thought you didn’t want to come to the palace? Why are you here today?” Wei Qiong didn’t even offer a seat or tea.

Wei Yu sat down anyway. “Everyone, leave.”

The attendants looked at Wei Qiong, who nodded, and they withdrew.

“Speak. Why are you here?”

Wei Yu got straight to the point: “Is it because you aren’t my mother’s biological son that you targeted me and wanted me dead?”

Wei Qiong wasn’t surprised. He knew someone would tell Wei Yu eventually. But he didn’t care; he had been King for years and his roots were deep. Besides, he knew his ministers—they were driven by profit and wouldn’t be truly loyal to Wei Yu.

“So what?” Wei Qiong hid his hatred. “The real Qin Ji is back, isn’t he?”

Wei Yu’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately thought of the difference between Qin Ji and the Tyrant of his past life.

“What do you think?” Wei Yu maintained his calm.

Wei Qiong laughed manically: “I knew it! I knew it!”

He swept the ink and brushes off the table and stood up, pointing at Wei Yu: “If the real Qin Ji hadn’t returned, you would have died in Qin! You wouldn’t be sitting here talking to me!”

Wei Yu’s eyes were cold: “You were quite close with the fake Qin Ji.”

So, being sent as a hostage was a plan between Wei Qiong and the imposter. How did they even meet?

“Wei Yu, do you want the answer?” Wei Qiong looked twisted. “If you find out, you will feel guilty toward Qin Ji for the rest of your life. Do you still want to know?”

Wei Qiong wanted Wei Yu to live in guilt—to remember every time he saw Qin Ji that Qin Ji was replaced by an imposter because of him.

“Seven years ago, when our father took you to the border, you met Qin Ji and gave him your ‘Double Fish’ jade pendant as a gift. Remember?”

Wei Yu thought back to his previous life. He had indeed met a boy his age at the border. That was Qin Ji?

“You were always loved by everyone. I knew you’d become friends with Qin Ji, so I intentionally used someone else’s hand to give you that jade pendant. I knew you’d love it and wear it daily, and that you were generous to friends. Thus, the fake Qin Ji was delivered to the real one’s side by your own hand, and he found the perfect moment to replace him.”

Wei Yu clenched his fists: “You knew the fake one back then?”

“Yes. Even the fact that I wasn’t the Empress’s son was told to me by him. He was like a god to me; he gave me the truth.”

“The deal was: you help him become Qin Ji, and he helps you kill me,” Wei Yu realized the depth of the plot.

The fake one had used Qin Ji’s identity to torture him in the previous life. In this life, the real Qin Ji returned, and the fake one vanished. Wei Qiong was panicking.

“You are afraid of Qin Ji?” Wei Yu sneered. “Afraid he will lead an army to take your kingdom?”

Wei Qiong’s face changed, and he went silent.

He was indeed afraid—of both Qin Ji and Wei Yu. The fake Qin Ji had told him that if he didn’t get rid of them, they would become the rulers of Qin and Wei and, due to their childhood friendship, would rule the world together in harmony.

“Wei Yu, remember this: you are the one who harmed Qin Ji. Do you dare let him know? Will he still be good to you once he knows? Or will he hate you?”

Wei Qiong was truly mad. He didn’t want to live well, and he didn’t want Wei Yu to live well either.

Wei Yu tilted his head: “Why wouldn’t I dare?”

Wei Qiong’s madness froze on his face. “How could you? You caused him to be replaced!”

Wei Yu didn’t feel the need to explain. Let the question haunt Wei Qiong forever. Why did he dare? Because he loved Qin Ji, and Qin Ji loved him. With Qin Ji’s devotion, even if he knew the cause, he wouldn’t blame Wei Yu; he would only feel sorry for him.

Wei Yu stood up and approached Wei Qiong.

“What are you doing? Do you want to kill me?” Wei Qiong cried in fear.

“I won’t kill you and brand myself a brother-slayer.”

Before Wei Qiong could react, Wei Yu pulled a wooden hairpin from his hair. He pulled it apart, revealing a small hidden blade inside. He swiftly slashed Wei Qiong’s face—a wound stretching from his right brow to his left cheek.

“Wei Qiong, from now on, every time you look in the mirror, you will see your ugly face. And when you see it, don’t forget your even uglier heart.”

Wei Yu sheathed the blade and put it back in his hair. “You won’t live to see me live in guilt, but you will certainly live the rest of your life in pain.”

“Guards! Guards!” Wei Qiong screamed, clutching his face.

The guards rushed in with swords drawn. Wei Yu turned around calmly.

“Wei Qiong, did you think I came to the palace unprepared?”

Zheng Shou followed the guards in. He had been waiting outside.

“King of Wei, are you looking to start another war with Qin?” Zheng Shou smiled, shielding Wei Yu. “That wouldn’t be wise.”

“Wei Yu is a Prince of Wei! I can deal with him however I want!” Wei Qiong shouted.

Zheng Shou saluted casually: “His Majesty surely knows that Qin has 100,000 troops stationed at the border? The general leading them is my father, Duke Zheng Lu. I’m not lying to you.”

“So? Are you saying those 100,000 men are here for Wei Yu?”

Zheng Shou: “Your Majesty is wise.”

“For a foreign hostage? How does Qin Ji dare!” Wei Qiong couldn’t believe Qin’s ministers would allow such madness.

Zheng Shou bowed to Wei Yu: “Prince Wei Yu is the future Empress of Qin. His Majesty’s decree states: if the Empress loses a single strand of hair, the State of Wei will be held accountable.”

The room went silent in shock.

“To harm the Empress of Qin is to declare war on Qin,” Zheng Shou said, standing tall. “If Wei wants war, Qin will accompany you to the end. And once the war starts, your Quzhou will immediately become Qin’s Quzhou.”

Wei Qiong collapsed into his chair. “How is this possible…?”

Wei Yu: “I didn’t come here to die. I was prepared.”

Wei Qiong: “You are a man! How does he dare marry a man as Empress? His ministers will surely object…”

Zheng Shou added fuel to the fire: “Your Majesty is mistaken. See? I, a minister, am not objecting.”

The words nearly made Wei Qiong cough up blood.

“Wei Qiong, I leave for Qin tomorrow. Barring any accidents, I won’t step foot in Wei for at least twenty years. This is our last meeting,” Wei Yu said. “My only advice to you: ‘A man who commits many injustices will surely bring about his own destruction.'”

Wei Yu left with Zheng Shou. He was ready to go home.

…

At the General’s Mansion in Ningzhou, Qin Ji had personally led the search and finally found the Double Fish jade pendant.

It was buried in the mud, dirty and cracked into two separate fish.

Qin Ji held the broken pieces and used a brush to clean off the mud with water. As he cleaned, his lost memories flooded back—not through dreams, but as actual recollections.

He remembered playing here with Wei Yu. He remembered Wei Yu giving him the jade. He remembered crying to his father that he wanted to marry Wei Yu.

“Ji-er, a man cannot marry a man,” his father had told him while holding him.

“I don’t care! I want Wei Yu to be my wife!” Little Qin Ji had insisted.

Qin Rui had laughed. “Do you like him that much?”

Little Qin Ji had nodded like a chick pecking at grain.

Yes, he liked Wei Yu that much. He didn’t know what love was then, but now he knew his heart was full of Wei Yu.

He held the cleaned jade up to the sunlight.

“Imperial Father, I really love Wei Yu. You will bless us, won’t you?”