It Turns out that I am Beautiful, Strong and Miserable [Quick Wear] - 79

 

ITOTIABSAM | The Tyrant in the Deep Palace | 79

Not good.

That was Xue Hai's immediate reaction.

And it seemed that the young emperor had no intention of waiting for his response at all. He leisurely lifted his foot and, along with Gu Cong, walked downstream along the stream.

Although he had been forced onto Xi Jinyu's ship, after all, he was still the commander of the Imperial Guards. Before everything was settled, he couldn't let anything happen to the young emperor under his watch. Xue Hai had no choice but to follow along, gritting his teeth.

A summer resort like this was undoubtedly very safe. Not to mention wild beasts, not even a slightly larger fox could be seen. They wandered aimlessly, and throughout the entire time, Xue Hai, who was on edge, never once received any pressure from the young emperor.

Instead, in this mountain where no one was allowed to trespass, he heard a conversation that didn't belong to them.

One of the voices was very familiar, it was the "prospective son-in-law" Xue Hai had seen and even scolded just a few days ago, Crown Prince Xi Jinyu. The other voice, he also remembered, from their journey to the summer resort.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that the carefully selected meeting place would be exposed. Xi Jinyu had a gentle expression on his face as he reached out to help the figure kneeling in front of him. "You've suffered."

"Master is too kind."

With a touch of resentment in his heart, Pei Yi, unusually defiant, avoided him. "I haven't yet congratulated the master on his upcoming marriage and the arrival of the new bride. May you have a hundred years of happiness and bear noble offspring."

Pei Yi felt the sting of bitterness in what was ostensibly an ordinary auspicious remark. The sourness hit him so heavily that it was almost overwhelming.

Xi Jinyu subtly furrowed his brow.

The days of confinement in the Jinxue Pavilion had visibly taken a toll on Pei Yi, who appeared much more haggard, shockingly thin, and even hoarse.

 He was nothing like the attractive shadow guard who used to perch on trees and quietly pluck flowers to sneak glances at him back then. He also lacked the previous obedience, instantly diminishing Xi Jinyu's already limited tenderness by three points.

But he still maintained his patience. "It's just a temporary measure."

"Everything is for the sake of saving the world from disaster."

"I've only made my little Pei Yi suffer," Xie Jinyu gently brushed his fingertips over the young man's cheek, speaking softly. "You've lost weight."

In his memory, before he entered the palace, there were often moments like this when he felt close to Pei Yi. Suddenly, the tension that had been building up in Pei Yi's throat dissipated, his nose tingling with sourness, and his eyes reddening.

"Why are you crying?" Xi Jinyu, who was adept at using his affectionate demeanor, asked knowingly, soothingly saying, "Just wait a little longer, and I'll soon take you back to the mansion."

Back to the mansion.

Undoubtedly, this was the thing Pei Yi desired most at the moment. However, the trials and tribulations in the deep palace had made him no longer naive. "Soon? Is Your Highness going to take action?"

Since he learned that only the Forbidden Army accompanied him on this journey, Pei Yi had vaguely guessed, but regicide and usurpation were undoubtedly illegitimate. The loyalist party would definitely fight back vigorously.

Xi Jinyu understood this was not the best course of action. If he had a choice, why would he want to incriminate himself? However, with the arrow already on the string, he had to let it fly. 

Delaying any further would only shake the military's confidence and gain no benefits. In the hundreds of years of the Chen Dynasty, there had never been a precedent for a woman to become emperor. Once Xie Ye's line was cut off after his death, the rest could be discussed.

"Yes," Xi Jinyu nodded, relying on the secrecy of the environment. "But I still feel a little uneasy about putting all my bets on Xue Hai."

The somewhat distant "this prince" turned into "I." Pei Yi paused and looked up. "If Your Highness trusts me, I'm willing to share your worries."

"How can you share my worries?" Xi Jinyu asked.

"Of course, it's to take up the sword and kill the tyrant, bringing peace to the world," Pei Yi replied.

Thud, thud.

His heart was pounding rapidly. Xue Hai wished he were deaf and hadn't heard anything.

But this was just wishful thinking.

In the dim twilight, the little emperor in red turned his head, looking at him with a smile that seemed not like a smile. There was no shock, no anger, as if everything was expected.

The conversation in the distance continued: "If I kill the tyrant, can you promise me one thing?"

Killing Xi Jinyu without his own hands was the best development of this matter and also the reason why Xi Jinyu took the risk to meet Pei Yi. Patiently, he responded, "Tell me."

"I want to be by Your Highness's side forever, no matter what your status is," Pei Yi tightly grasped Xi Jinyu's sleeve. "Even if the tyrant never touched me, I am still..." clean.

Instinctively rising with the force of the other, the rest of the words were stuck in his throat due to the unexpected embrace. "How could I not understand your intentions?"

Overwhelmed by immense joy, he drowned in it.

In a probing manner, Pei Yi looked into the man's affectionate eyes and boldly approached him. "What about Miss Xue?"

"How could she compare to you?" Xi Jinyu replied.

Then, the conversation gradually faded, replaced by the sound of water and muffled groans. Before Xie Ye could frown, a pair of large hands timely covered his ears.

Despite being adults present, even with some distance and branches blocking the view, it wasn't difficult to guess what was happening.

Xue Hai's face turned red, veins bulged on his neck, and he clenched his teeth tightly. 

Fortunately, his rationality remained. He waited until Xie Ye led the way and the protagonist and his lover were distracted before punching the tree trunk, causing his finger to bleed and leaves to fall to the ground.

Xie Ye intentionally added fuel to the fire, "Even in such a critical moment, you still don't forget to have a secret meeting with your lover. Commander Xue really found himself a good son-in-law."

"Your Majesty knew all along?" Xue Hai's voice was hoarse.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he recalled the strangeness of that day in the court, which he had dismissed from his mind.

–- Both sides are the same, so what's the difference?

"It seems Commander Xue has a good memory," Xie Ye waved his hand secretly to Gu Cong, who wanted to protect him, and took a step forward, exposing himself to danger. "Coincidentally, there is no one around. Commander Xue, do you want to take the initiative, act before Pei Yi and earn credit in front of him, for the sake of your daughter becoming the empress?"

"Perhaps, for the sake of the child, Xi Jinyu would be willing to continue the act."

Admittedly, at a certain moment, Xue Hai did have similar thoughts: no matter how shameless Xi Jinyu was, he was ultimately the father of the child in his daughter's womb. If he killed the young emperor now, blamed it on Gu Cong with his support, even if it was deception, Xi Jinyu would have to accompany his daughter in acting out a lifetime of love.

But soon, he calmed down. Now Xi Jinyu was just the Prince An, daring to have an affair with a subordinate under the foot of his father-in-law, who was about to marry his daughter. Moreover, if the other party really became the emperor, what shameful acts couldn't he do?

What could the Commander of the Forbidden Army do? The young emperor's mother had once been the legitimate daughter of a prime minister's family before she was married off. What kind of life she had afterwards, everyone in the palace with discerning eyes understood.

Most importantly, did the young emperor bring him here alone today, just by coincidence, to stumble upon the affair between Prince An and Pei Yi?

Bang.

Half a minute, or perhaps longer, knees heavily hitting the ground, Xue Hai made a decision: "I am willing to take the blame and ask for mercy for my daughter."

He won the gamble.

Xie Ye quietly loosened the dagger hidden in the sleeve's secret pocket.

He certainly wouldn't stake his and Gu Cong's lives entirely on an outsider. If after this incident Xue Hai still remained obstinate, no matter how pitiful the Miss Xue from the Xue family was, he would still draw his blade and kill her.

With no leader, the Imperial Army, which relied on Xue Hai's mediation, could no longer coordinate perfectly with Xi Jinyu.

Fortunately, the plight of the minor consort's birth mother struck a chord deep within, preventing Xue Hai from being blinded by the title of queen. Otherwise, he would inevitably expose his murderous ugliness in front of Gu Cong once again.

"I can spare her life, and if she agrees, she can even leave with the child in her womb," with narrowed phoenix eyes, Xie Ye shifted the conversation, "but all of this depends on Commandant Xue's future performance."

"How about it? Isn't it fair enough?"

However, Xue Hai shook his head resolutely, "Your Majesty, I dare to ask for Eunuch Gu as a pledge."

Without warning, the calm emperor of the previous moment suddenly turned cold, like a dragon whose scale had been touched. Faint red blood vessels spread like a spider's web in his eyes, crazed and terrifying.

A cold dagger pressed against his throat.

The blade opened, with a slight force, warm viscous liquid flowed out.

— Other matters, Xie Ye could disregard, but to think that Gu Cong would be used as leverage in negotiations, Xue Hai really thought he had lived too long.

In the end, it was Gu Cong, who had been passively dragged into the trouble, stood between the two men. He held the emperor's hand, coaxing and persuading, and managed to take the dagger, preventing Xue Hai from being splattered with blood on the spot.

Due to this incident, when Xie Ye returned to his residence half an hour later, he directly shut everyone out.

Gu Cong, who had been unrivaled since entering the palace, fell out of favor for the first time.

Other palace maids and eunuchs, seeing the bright bloodstain on Xue Hai's neck, were even more timid, not daring to move, even holding their breath lightly, afraid of annoying the emperor.

Only Gu Cong was audacious. Even when the door was locked, he still had the window.

Click.

Faintly, a light sound was heard. Xie Ye, who was lying on the soft bed pretending to sleep, raised his eyes and glimpsed a dark figure outside. Before he could speak, a pointed ear and soft head squeezed through the window, poking in.

It was the little deer from the afternoon.

For some reason, it had a chubby white rabbit perched on its head. It showed no fear and didn't avoid Xie Ye's gaze, making a couple of cooing sounds as if looking for something to eat.

The chubby rabbit also obediently stretched out its paws, indicating that it had probably been used to being handled.

In Xie Ye's residence, there were always fresh fruits available. Standing up, he casually picked one and held it in his palm. Walking to the window, he spread his fingers open with a good temper, almost feeding it to the little deer's mouth, but it nudged him with its nose, indicating he should give the rabbit on its head first.

Xie Ye couldn't help but curl his lips.

"The Emperor finally smiled."

From the darkness behind him, someone spoke, but the deer and the rabbit showed no signs of being startled, as if they had long known of the other's presence.

Xie Ye intended to keep a stern face, but it was too late. The moonlight, the deer, the white rabbit, the breeze in the mountains, and the fruit in the young man's hand with two rows of bite marks all made him appear exceedingly soft.

Gu Cong shifted slightly, taking advantage of the window opened by the deer to see the person he wanted to meet.

Xie Ye himself didn't know what he was sulking about.

In the face of a great enemy, Gu Cong's plea for Xue Hai was undoubtedly the most correct choice. It was he who had acted impulsively, much like when he first crossed over and experienced a headache.

Unexpectedly, in the end, it was Gu Cong who understood more than him: "I was wrong."

"I only thought about the overall situation but forgot to consider Your Majesty's feelings," sincere and gentle, he faced the moonlight, lowered his head to look at Xie Ye, his eyes as clear as the purest mountain spring, "Your Majesty cares for me, fears losing me, and is willing to risk angering Commandant Xue for that."

"I am very happy."

"But at the same time, I want to reciprocate your kindness, not letting you be on edge all the time," solemnly, he laid bare the words hidden in his heart, "You don't need to rush to the forefront in everything. I will protect myself and, more importantly, I will protect you."

"Does Your Majesty trust me?"

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Author's note:

The cat's "he's the only one for me" obsession turned into excessive protectiveness, while the dog longed for a longer and healthier relationship.