Saving My Life By Simping For My Empress - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: His Wei Yu was born to be like the bright, clear moon, hanging high above the starry sky, radiant and brilliant.

“Your Highness, please slow down!”

Qin Ji was running forward with pure joy. Gao De followed behind him with a group of people, desperately trying to keep up.

Though the Crown Prince was still a child, he had been practicing martial arts under General Huang Feihao. His physical fitness was top-tier, making it nearly impossible for Gao De and the others to catch his pace.

“You all walk too slowly! I’m not waiting for you!” Qin Ji turned his head and waved at the crowd behind him. “Why don’t you stop following me and just go back?”

How could Gao De and the rest dare to stop? If anything happened to the Crown Prince, the Emperor would have their hides.

“My Prince! Prince Wei Yu isn’t going anywhere; why are you in such a hurry?” Gao De panted, hands on his knees.

“I want to see him sooner! Last time we parted, I promised to come and pick him up!” In the blink of an eye, Qin Ji had already rounded the long corridor.

…

Qin Ji reached the gate of the General’s Manor. Zheng Lu, seeing the Prince drenched in sweat, asked, “Your Highness, what are you running for?”

“General Zheng, have they arrived yet?” Qin Ji asked.

“Who does Your Highness mean?”

“Who else? Wei Yu!”

“Replying to Your Highness, I have already sent men to receive them. They should be here shortly.” Zheng Lu was surprised that his Prince had taken such a liking to the second Prince of Wei. The two teenagers had become true friends.

Qin Ji fanned himself with his hand. “Good, I’ll wait right here.”

It wasn’t long before the Wei envoy arrived. While the adults exchanged formal pleasantries, Qin Ji went straight to the carriage to meet Wei Yu. Seeing him, Qin Ji couldn’t hide his excitement.

“Wei Yu! You really came to play with me!” Qin Ji draped an arm over Wei Yu’s shoulder. “Come on, I’ll show you around!”

Unlike the energetic “monkey” that was Qin Ji, Wei Yu was more reserved. “I should inform my Imperial Father first.”

Qin Ji admired Wei Yu’s self-discipline, wondering how his teachers had raised such a little traditionalist. After Wei Yu paid his respects, the two entered the manor.

…

“The pond in the manor has lotuses. Do you eat lotus seeds? we can pick lotus seed pods and dig for lotus roots,” Qin Ji suggested.

“How? Do we take a boat?” Wei Yu asked curiously.

Qin Ji burst out laughing. “Wei Yu, you’re so cute.” It was just a decorative pond in a general’s manor, not a lake in the Imperial Palace.

“You just step right in,” Qin Ji gestured to the depth. “The water is only this deep. It’s fine to walk in.”

Wei Yu imagined himself covered in mud and declined. “I think I’ll stay on the bank.” As a Prince, he felt he had to maintain his dignity.

“Then you wait on the shore; I’ll pick the pods for you.” Qin Ji didn’t mind. His father never cared if he climbed trees or waded in water.

Qin Ji led Wei Yu to a pavilion by the pond, ordering Gao De to bring out all the treats he had prepared. He even gave Wei Yu a custom-made small fishing rod.

“Why is the bait moving?” Wei Yu looked at a piece of earthworm with curiosity. Qin Ji, not caring about the dirt, hooked the bait and taught Wei Yu how to cast the line.

“It’s an earthworm. Even if you cut them into pieces, they still move.”

Under Qin Ji’s guidance, Wei Yu successfully cast his line. While Wei Yu waited for a bite, Qin Ji tucked his robes into his belt, rolled up his trousers, and waded into the pond.

“Qin Ji, be careful!” Wei Yu called out, never having done anything so “scandalous” before.

Qin Ji gave him a huge grin. “Don’t worry, I’ve waded into many ponds. Just wait for your lotus pods.”

…

Qin Ji successfully “plundered” five lotus pods. Just as he climbed back onto the bank, Wei Yu’s rod yanked. With a bit of a struggle, Wei Yu pulled a palm-sized fish onto the shore.

“What do I do with this!” Wei Yu cried as the fish swung in the air. Qin Ji caught the line and expertly removed the hook.

“You’re amazing,” Wei Yu said in awe.

“You’re the amazing one! Catching a fish on your first try,” Qin Ji replied as he washed the lotus pods. He peeled the first seed and fed it to Wei Yu.

Wei Yu bit into it and grimaced. “Why is it bitter?”

Qin Ji slapped his forehead. “Oh! My fault! I forgot the germ inside is bitter.” He peeled another, removed the green center, and fed it to him again.

This time, it was fresh, sweet, and fragrant.

…

While the boys played, the meeting between Emperor Qin Rui and the Emperor of Wei was less harmonious.

“The Wei Emperor should stop joking. I have only the Empress in my life. I will not love another. Let us not speak of a political marriage again.” Qin Rui hid his displeasure behind his teacup.

For some reason, the Wei Emperor had suggested a marriage between Qin Rui and a daughter of the Wei clan.

“The Emperor of Qin’s love for his wife is moving,” the Wei Emperor said calmly, “but nations often need such means to consolidate common interests. It doesn’t require feelings, does it?”

Qin Rui sneered and changed the subject. He found the Wei Emperor quite tiresome and wished he would leave. However, the Wei Emperor insisted on staying in Ningzhou for another day of talks. Qin Rui sent him to the official guest house rather than hosting him in the General’s Manor.

Qin Ji was thrilled to hear Wei Yu wouldn’t be leaving that day. He even had the kitchen prepare the fish Wei Yu caught for dinner—thin “Hibiscus Fish Slices” arranged like flower petals around a fresh lotus.

…

That night, Qin Ji insisted on Wei Yu staying with him in the General’s Manor rather than going to the guest house. He used every persuasive word he knew to convince the Wei Emperor.

The two boys played until they were exhausted and ended up falling asleep in the same bed, huddled together.

Eventually, the time came for Wei Yu to return to the Wei capital. Knowing he might not see his friend again for a long time, the young Qin Ji grabbed his father’s sleeve and cried.

“Imperial Father, why can’t Wei Yu and I stay together forever?”

“Ji’er, no one can stay together forever.”

“But you and Mother are always together!”

Qin Rui laughed. “Ji’er, we are husband and wife. A family stays together.”

“Then I’ll be husband and wife with Wei Yu! Can I marry him as my Crown Princess?” Qin Ji wiped his tears. “I don’t want to leave him.”

Qin Rui thanked the heavens the Wei Emperor wasn’t there to hear that. He tried to explain that men don’t marry men, but the young Qin Ji was stubborn: “I want to marry Wei Yu! I like him!”

…

Present Day

Qin Ji was woken up by the loud crowing of a rooster. He rubbed his face, only to find dried tear tracks on his cheeks.

Did I cry in my sleep?

He pulled out the “Double Fish” jade pendant from under his pillow. His memory had returned to that childhood scene where he insisted on marrying Wei Yu. He smiled; it turned out he had known who his “wife” was since he was a child.

After washing up, he learned the rooster was a gift from Governor Zeng Yi. “Keep it well,” Qin Ji told Gao De. “When Wei Yu returns, we’ll make soup for him.”

As the days passed, more memories returned. Qin Ji spent his time waiting for Wei Yu and helping with the earthquake reconstruction in Yungui City. The people there, originally from Wei, were beginning to feel a strong sense of belonging to Qin.

One day, while rummaging through Wei Yu’s belongings, Qin Ji found a few “improper” art books (erotica) tucked away in a cloth.

Qin Ji’s eyes nearly popped out. Wei Yu reads these?! He realized these must be the books Wei Yu bought at the bookstore on their way here.

His heart raced. If his wife was being this “proactive” in his studies, he couldn’t fall behind! He began to “studiously” examine the positions.

…

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” Gao De came running in.

Qin Ji scrambled to hide the books, his face flushed. “Why are you so excited?”

“Your Majesty, why is your face so red?”

“It’s… it’s just too hot,” Qin Ji lied. “What is it?”

“The Prince is back! He has passed Quzhou and will reach Ningzhou today!”

Qin Ji jumped up. “I’m going to Yungui City to meet him!” He didn’t wait a second. He left Gao De to prepare the welcome feast and galloped toward Yungui City with his guards.

…

At the gates of Yungui City, Qin Ji waited under the scorching sun. When the carriage finally appeared, Wei Yu—who had been feeling unwell from the heat—stepped out.

Seeing Qin Ji, Wei Yu ignored the onlookers and ran into his arms.

“A-Yu, welcome home,” Qin Ji smiled.

Wei Yu leaned into his chest, his eyes welling up. “Qin Ji, I’m finally back by your side.”

During his trip to Wei, Wei Yu had found the answers that plagued him. He discovered that he was the only child of the late Empress, while his siblings were born of others—a secret everyone but him seemed to know. He realized that the State of Wei was merely a place of misfortune for him, while Qin Ji was his true home.

“A-Yu,” Qin Ji kissed his forehead. “I missed you so much.”

They sat in a shaded tea stall. Wei Yu confessed his greatest secret: “Qin Ji, I have never told you… I am actually reborn. In my past life, I never met the real you. I was a hostage here, and I faced a ‘Fake’ Qin Ji who tortured me.”

Qin Ji’s grip tightened. “That imposter… he made you kneel in the snow until your knees were ruined, made you catch fish in a frozen lake, and made you wear women’s clothing to dance for him… right?”

Wei Yu was stunned. “How do you know?”

Qin Ji closed his eyes, tears falling. “You eventually killed that imposter yourself. You stabbed him to death.”

“Qin Ji?”

“A-Yu, do you remember what that imposter looked like? Draw him for me. I will hunt him down across the whole country.”

He would find the man who hurt Wei Yu, and he would never forgive Wei Qiong for pushing Wei Yu into that fire.

His Wei Yu was born to be like the bright moon, hanging high in the stars, radiant and pure.

…

On the carriage ride back to Ningzhou, Wei Yu cried himself to sleep after the emotional release of sharing his burden. Qin Ji held him, fanning him gently.

He was already plotting how to deal with Wei Qiong. A direct war might not be wise, but he would find a way to make Wei Qiong suffer. As for the imposter—if that soul could push Qin Ji out of his body once, could it happen again? He vowed never to leave Wei Yu’s side. He would tie a red thread between them so strong that nothing could ever separate them again.

When they reached the General’s Manor, Qin Ji carried the sleeping Wei Yu inside.

Wei Yu woke up as they reached the room. “Are we back?”

“Yes. Go back to sleep, behave.”

“I want to bathe,” Wei Yu whispered. “I’m sweaty and uncomfortable.”

Qin Ji set him on the bed but didn’t pull away. They were so close their breaths mingled.

“Mingche… do you want me?” Wei Yu wrapped his arms around Qin Ji’s neck.

Qin Ji leaned down and kissed his lips briefly. “A-Yu, no rush. Let’s wait until our grand wedding.”

Wei Yu smiled. “A wedding… I’m not dreaming, am I?”

“You’re not dreaming,” Qin Ji promised. He wished with all his heart that Wei Yu’s past life was the only dream. From now on, he would protect him for the rest of his life.