“…”
Xie Zhe stood at the bedside for a long while, staring at Great Ning’s Emperor Xiao, the man admired by women across the realm.
How did Xie Caiqing even endure this?
After knowing Xiao Yun for so many years, he had seen plenty of his embarrassing moments. As Xiao Yun always said, it wasn’t embarrassing to lose face—it was fearing embarrassment that was the real shame. Xiao Yun was peerless, and that thick skin probably had a lot to do with it.
Resigned, Xie Zhe climbed back up, grabbed a quilt off the bed, and prepared to sleep on the floor for the night. Just as he was turning to leave, Xiao Yun suddenly grabbed his wrist.
A vein bulged on Xie Zhe’s forehead.
Then he heard a tender, aggrieved voice filled with longing murmur in his sleep: “…Caiqing, don’t go.”
Xie Zhe froze, staring at the large man taking up two-thirds of the bed, and felt strangely conflicted.
Xiao Yun was the most decisive, resolute man he’d ever known.
But if he truly couldn’t let go, then as his friend—shouldn’t he advise him to try again?
…
The next morning, Xiao Yun stretched energetically. “Xie Zhe, your bed really is the most comfortable. I can’t even sleep on the dragon bed anymore.”
“Xie Zhe?” Not getting a reply, he looked to the outer side of the bed—only to find it completely empty.
Xiao Yun was startled and looked around.
Xie Zhe raised his hand: “…Your Majesty, I’m here.”
Xiao Yun looked down at the floor: “…”
Xie Zhe pretended nothing had happened and casually explained that he had slept on the floor because His Majesty was too large, and the two of them couldn’t stretch out properly on the same bed.
Xiao Yun didn’t seem to care. Bare-chested, he leisurely sipped tea, opened the window, and leaned on the windowsill to watch the colorful birds outside. Seemingly well-rested, his mood was unusually good: “Xie Zhe, I’m going to sleep at your place again tonight.”
“…” With dark circles under his eyes, Xie Zhe’s face twisted behind him before he said without hesitation, “Your Majesty, why don’t you go find Xie Caiqing?”
Xiao Yun had just whistled lewdly at the birds when his whistle abruptly stopped. He turned his head with an incredulous expression: “Are you hoping I’m sick, or are you the one who’s sick for saying that?”
Xie Zhe: “…”
If it were someone else, Xiao Yun would probably have flipped out and started cursing already. Xie Zhe leaned closer, not intending to mention last night’s “Caiqing, don’t go” or “I miss you.” After all, Xiao Yun cared about his pride. Gently, he asked, “Your Majesty, it’s not just a day, a month, or a year—you’ll never have Xie Caiqing again in this lifetime. How does that feel to you?”
Xiao Yun’s face visibly darkened bit by bit. After a long silence, he said coldly, “So what? So I, emperor of a nation, should let myself be deceived emotionally and physically, shamelessly eat my own words, grovel back, and cling to some cold-hearted, unfeeling enemy spy, marry him as my wife—even though he’s a man who can’t bear children—thus ending my bloodline and defying the entire court?”
“…”
Xiao Yun had summed it up perfectly. Xie Zhe felt awkward. It did sound rather outrageous. But relying on his twenty years of knowing Xiao Yun, he immediately found a sharp point to press: “He may have feelings for someone else, but Your Majesty can win him over. Make Jiang Huaiyi eat his words. If you don’t even try, aren’t you admitting you’ve lost to Jiang Huaiyi?”
Xiao Yun flared up: “I have not—!”
He paused, then sneered: “I’m not falling for your reverse psychology.”
Xie Zhe only then realized something odd in Xiao Yun’s wording: “Why are you so fixated on marrying him as your wife? You like him, want him by your side to serve you—that doesn’t conflict with taking others to bear children.”
Xiao Yun froze.
He hadn’t realized that until Xie Zhe pointed it out.
That was his automatic assumption.
Xiao Yun slowly thought back.
Because he had promised the once-impoverished top scholar Xie Caiqing that he would make him empress.
But that spy wasn’t Xie Caiqing.
There weren’t only two choices: cut ties forever or marry him as empress…
Xiao Yun smacked himself on the forehead. Are you an idiot?! At your age, and still thinking everything is black or white?!
Xie Zhe sighed internally and thought: Guess we’ll have to let the “empress” take a demotion for now. “As for going back on your word…”
Xie Zhe was still rambling at his ear, but Xiao Yun couldn’t take in a single word. It was like waking from a three-day trance.
“Stop, stop!! That’s enough!! I get what you’re saying. I don’t need you to lecture me! I’ll decide for myself!”
“Yes, yes! I’ll go think right now!”
Xiao Yun’s speech sped up like lightning. Xie Zhe couldn’t get a word in. By the time he could finally respond, Xiao Yun had already stormed out like a whirlwind.
Watching the emperor leave in a blaze of chaotic energy, Xie Zhe felt both helpless and oddly relieved. The Xiao Yun who acted first and thought later—the one who’d been missing for three days—was finally back.
….
In the Emperor’s bedchamber.
Yin Xian was a bundle of nerves.
Ever since the emperor returned from the commander’s residence, he had been pacing back and forth in the bedchamber—again and again.
Yin Xian was sweating bullets, watching him like a spinning top, unsure when he might stop.
He brought over tea: “Your Majesty, please rest. You’ll be attending court soon.”
The emperor was so absorbed in his thoughts that he almost walked right into Yin Xian, who quickly stepped aside.
Suddenly, Xiao Yun clapped his hands, as if remembering something. He strode over to the bookshelf, grabbed a small box stuffed with notes, pried off the iron lid, dumped it on the floor, pulled out the top folded piece of rice paper, shoved the box back on the shelf, and walked back to his desk while unfolding the paper.
The ink had long dried, and the large characters across the top danced like dragons and phoenixes.
Xiao Yun glanced at the title and chuckled inwardly.
“Can Xiao Yun Seduce Xie Caiqing.”
He read on. Even though it had only been about a month and a half, he had forgotten most of the content. Rereading it now, it felt like a fresh piece. He went through it line by line—it had been written with remarkable clarity and flawless logic.
Xiao Yun thought to himself that the him from a month ago wasn’t just sharp in thought, but also swift in action. He suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
They say your greatest competitor is yourself. If you’re someone who thrives on challenges, the only one you should aim to surpass is yesterday’s you. It had been over a month—how could the present Xiao Yun lose to his past self?
Wouldn’t that mean he was going backward?
Feeling the pressure, Xiao Yun made up his mind. All the doubts and hesitation vanished, and the tangled mess in his head was distilled into large, confident characters on new paper.
Title: “Can Xiao Yun Go Find Xie Caiqing.”
The top left side read “Cannot.” The top right side read “Can.”
Xiao Yun began on the left:
“Why can’t Xiao Yun go find Xie Caiqing?”
- Xie Caiqing is a spy from Nanruo, wholly loyal to them. In short: an identity issue.
- Xie Caiqing deceived Xiao Yun both physically and emotionally, remains cold-hearted, unrepentant, and hasn’t tried to make amends. In short: a moral issue.
- Xie Caiqing likes Jiang Huaiyi and doesn’t like Xiao Yun. In short: an emotional issue.
- Xiao Yun was the one who let him go, said they would part ways and never entangle again. As emperor, his word is law—he can’t go back on it. In short: a pride issue.
- If Xiao Yun goes to find him, the round trip alone would take at least over three months. A nation cannot go a day without a ruler. If the court officials learn that he went to find Xie Caiqing, they will surely obstruct him in every way. If the world finds out that Xiao Yun traveled thousands of miles to seek out a spy from an enemy state, Great Ning would completely lose face. Aside from that, there are various other troubles, such as staying up all night to handle state affairs before departure… Conclusion: Xiao Yun’s cost problem.
Xiao Yun thought for a while and couldn’t come up with any more “reasons not to.” He carefully looked over the contents on the xuan paper and was instantly filled with anger. Just as he suspected, the problems were basically all on Xie Caiqing’s side.
That little b*stard.
Xiao Yun reined in his temper and looked to the right side: “Why can Xiao Yun go find Xie Caiqing?”
His mind was completely blank.
Xiao Yun glanced at the sheet from a month ago. On the right side of that xuan paper, there were only three lonely characters: “Xiao Yun wants to.”
His expression shifted, and he fell silent.
He sat there alone for a while, his face alternating between green and pale.
Eventually, he gave up on the right side and returned to the left to write:
“How can Xiao Yun go find Xie Caiqing?”
“1. Regarding Xie Caiqing’s identity issue, Xiao Yun has several ideas. One: Conquer Nanruo. Since Xie Caiqing is a Nanruo spy and wholeheartedly loyal to Nanruo, if Xiao Yun conquers Nanruo and makes it a vassal state of Great Ning, then Xie Caiqing’s loyalty to Nanruo becomes loyalty to a Nanruo that belongs to Great Ning. In that case, there’s no longer a hostile relationship between Xie Caiqing and Xiao Yun. Two: The term ‘spy’ implies harm to Great Ning. But aside from deceiving Xiao Yun of his chastity and feelings, Xie Caiqing hasn’t actually done anything harmful to Great Ning…”
Xiao Yun’s brush suddenly halted. His face changed drastically.
Something was wrong.
Xie Caiqing being a Nanruo spy was certain. He was caught on the spot and surrendered—that was ironclad. But aside from deceiving him, he hadn’t done anything else wrong.
Previously, when Jiang Huaiyi visited Great Ning, Xiao Yun had even said to Xie Zhe that Jiang’s motives were unclear and worth suspecting.
Xie Caiqing’s motives were also unclear.
Could it be that his plan was to disrupt Xiao Yun’s emotions, make him obsessed with his body and neglect state affairs, thereby damaging Great Ning indirectly?
Was he trying to ruin the country?
Then he should have done what Daji did*, not act like Bi Gan**, all loyal and devoted.
Xiao Yun shook his head. Ridiculous. That didn’t seem like something the clever Xie Caiqing would do. If Xie Caiqing’s tactics were really that wild and stupid, so roundabout and ineffective, Xiao Yun wouldn’t have fallen so hard for him.
If his goal wasn’t to harm Great Ning and benefit Nanruo, then why did he come to Great Ning?
Well, it wasn’t as if there was no harm.
Xie Caiqing had learned many Great Ning secrets.
But the cost and gain didn’t match at all. Xie Caiqing wasn’t just any spy. If exposed, most spies die and that’s it. But Xie Caiqing was beautiful, capable, and the beloved of Jiang Huaiyi.
The more he thought, the deeper his frown.
Based on past experience, if the motive behind something needed to be twisted into knots and patched up endlessly just to barely make sense, then that probably wasn’t the real motive at all.
Because true motives are clear and simple.
If it’s this confusing, then much of the information must be wrong, and he hasn’t yet found the crux of the problem.
Surely Xie Caiqing didn’t travel thousands of miles, sit for the imperial exams, perform all kinds of tricks, and risk so much… just to get laid?
What kind of nonsense is that?
That fleeting glimpse outside the city three days ago—Xie Caiqing was clearly a brilliant, rational man who prioritized interests over emotions. If he was willing to take such a huge risk, then the payoff must have been worth it…
A strange chill ran through Xiao Yun. He frowned, shook his head, and circled the “identity issue” section in red ink—marking it as a major question. Then his lips curled slightly.
If Xie Caiqing’s identity was suspicious and might cause irreparable harm to Great Ning or to him personally, how could he not go to Nanruo to investigate?
He no longer tangled over this and moved on.
“2. Regarding Xie Caiqing’s moral issue, Xie Caiqing is a man utterly lacking a sense of morality…”
Xiao Yun’s brush froze again. After thinking it through, he got inexplicably mad.
Almost all the civil and military officials praised Xie Caiqing. Clearly, Xie Caiqing’s character was widely recognized and approved. After all, the court wasn’t full of fools.
He treated everyone well—why only lie to him? What grudge did they have?
If they really bore a grudge, then Xie Caiqing wouldn’t have saved him that day.
Wait—Xie Caiqing saving him… Doesn’t that prove he is a moral person?
If the whole court was right and he was wrong, and Xie Caiqing was a man of great integrity, then how could he feel no guilt after receiving the moon and stars from him? Unless… he didn’t think he owed him anything? But how could he possibly not owe him?
The mental thread Xiao Yun had just untangled tangled right back up again. He frowned in agony. What kind of nonsense was this?
The more he thought, the more lost he became.
Xiao Yun had never liked overthinking. He circled the “morality problem” in red as well—marking it a point of doubt—and then smiled again.
If Xie Caiqing really was a noble and pure man, then he wouldn’t have toyed with him. There must be some deeper reason. He should go and find out the truth. And if Xie Caiqing was a scumbag? Well, then so was he. A perfect match made in heaven…
Xiao Yun slapped his thigh.
Why hadn’t he thought of that before?
If Xie Caiqing was no decent man, well, neither was he! He couldn’t compete in virtue, but in villainy? He was an expert!
Weren’t they just perfectly suited? Husband and wife in sync!
If a scoundrel like Xie Caiqing didn’t end up with him, didn’t get subdued by him, wouldn’t he just go on to harm someone else? By claiming him, he’d be doing the world a favor!
Xiao Yun’s grin grew broader, his mood soared several levels, and his brush flew across the paper.
“3. Regarding Xie Caiqing’s feelings, Xie Caiqing doesn’t like Xiao…”
His brush paused yet again. He sat still for a moment, face darkening slightly.
Did Xie Caiqing really not like Xiao Yun even a little?
Then why did he keep his promise, when his trusted men struck out in secret, he personally saved him?
Even if Xie Caiqing didn’t like him before, in that final kiss—Xie Caiqing had kissed him willingly.
If Xie Caiqing kissed him willingly, then he must have had at least some feelings for him. If he didn’t feel anything at all, then there’s no way he would’ve kissed him willingly. He would’ve been lying.
Xiao Yun’s lips curled into a delighted smile. If Xie Caiqing liked him even a little, then he had even more reason to go find him. Every day or even hour he delayed was one less day or hour they could spend together in the future.
If Xie Caiqing didn’t like him at all, then that kiss must have been a lie—a two-faced betrayal. Then Xiao Yun wouldn’t need to keep his own promises anymore. He should go find Xie Caiqing and make him pay for the deception.
As for Xie Caiqing’s supposed beloved, Jiang Huaiyi—Xie Caiqing had already promised him that he would never be with Jiang Huaiyi in this lifetime.
Since it was impossible between them, if he had to be with someone else, why not Xiao Yun?
He had already skillfully dealt with his romantic rival. Jiang Huaiyi could no longer come between him and Xie Caiqing. Yet now he and Xie Caiqing were on separate paths?
Xiao Yun’s face was full of disbelief.
Besides, if he never went to find Xie Caiqing, how would he ever know if Xie Caiqing truly kept his word and didn’t end up with Jiang Huaiyi?
What if they did end up together, living happily ever after, and he remained in the dark—wouldn’t that make him a complete fool again? Played for a sucker?
If Xie Caiqing wasn’t with Jiang Huaiyi, he should be with him. If he was with Jiang Huaiyi, then Xiao Yun had every reason to go punish him.
Xiao Yun was utterly frustrated, grinding his teeth. He thought to himself how he had wasted the last three days, failing to see such simple logic. What a waste of time.
He could hardly sit still anymore, itching to head to Nanruo right away. Forcing himself to calm down, he scribbled messily:
“4. Xiao Yun’s reputation issue—Xiao Yun declares he’s launching an attack on Nanruo. That way it’s not about going to find and cling to him.”
“5. Xiao Yun’s cost issue—the huge cost Xiao Yun bears can be repaid by Xie Caiqing. Let him spend a lifetime, day and night, paying it back.”
Xiao Yun let out a sigh. As expected, his own problems were easy to solve. It was Xie Caiqing who was a total mess.
He was so excited he jumped to his feet, about to head to court and declare war on Nanruo. Glancing at the still-empty “Reasons he can go” column, he bent down and, with a bold stroke, wrote three characters bigger than before: Xiao Yun Wants.
Thie little sh*t, I love the fact author says he’s smart and we can see that he is