In April of spring, willow catkins fly.
Old General Xue fell ill early in the spring and has been bedridden for a month. Old General Xue was old and has been planning to retire from court to make way for his son Xue Yuan, who has been shining brightly in the court.
Since early April, Old General Xue has submitted his resignation twice, both of which were rejected by the Emperor. Recently, Old General Xue submitted his resignation for the third time, with heartfelt words and deep emotions. The Emperor sighed and personally visited Old General Xue’s mansion to visit the long-ailing old minister.
Those who paid attention to this matter knew in their hearts that Old General Xue would likely retire successfully this time.
The Emperor’s visit was exceptionally honorable. Early in the morning, the people of the Xue mansion awaited respectfully at the mansion gate.
The Emperor today was not the same as before, no longer the poor little one controlled by powerful ministers. Instead, he was the fixed needle that held sway over the vast empire. In recent years, apart from the Emperor’s personal visit upon the death of the Grand Tutor Li Bao, no other courtier has received such an honor.
From Old General Xue in the Xue mansion, down to the servants cleaning, everyone felt joy and pride.
Among the crowd, there was a wheelchair-bound figure.
This person’s face was a pale shade, the kind that comes from being away from sunlight for a long time, and his body was frail, lacking any trace of masculine strength. But his eyes were deep—so deep they seemed as still as an undisturbed sea.
Regent Xue Yuan, who wielded immense power, never thought he would one day wake up in the body of the worthless Second Young Master Xue.
The servant beside him whispered, “Second Young Master, the Emperor has arrived. You must bow.”
Normally, the Second Young Master was utterly terrified of the Emperor, like a mouse encountering a cat. He had been frightened by the Emperor twice before, and just hearing the words “the Emperor” in front of him was like warning a child that the King of H*ll would take them away if they cried at night.
But today, the Second Young Master was different. He hadn’t spoken a word for three days, and when he finally did, his voice was hoarse and unpleasant, as if broken. “The Emperor’s arrival certainly calls for a proper greeting.”
He then slowly smiled. “But I’m feeling unwell today. The bones in my back hurt terribly; I’m afraid I can’t bow.”
The servant looked closely and realized that the Second Young Master had never stood so straight before. He quickly went to the Madam of the house and quietly explained the Second Young Master’s discomfort.
The joy on Madam Xue’s face faded slightly as she turned her head to look at him. The Second Young Master was staring at her, as if he hadn’t seen her in a long time.
Madam Xue was puzzled, but her heart suddenly softened. She instructed the servant, “Then help the Second Young Master to the back. After greeting the Emperor, let him rest.”
The servant pushed Second Young Master Xue to the back of the crowd. As soon as he settled down, the emperor’s carriage arrived at the gate of the Xue residence. The people in front respectfully bowed, especially the servants, who almost touched their heads to the ground.
Although Second Young Master Xue was sitting in a wheelchair and was at the rear, he stared directly at the emperor’s carriage at this moment.
He also saw another version of himself.
Xue Yuan, dressed in official robes, dismounted gracefully from his horse and walked straight to the emperor’s carriage. He bowed and lifted his hand, “Your Majesty, please descend.”
The imperial guards around were dressed neatly, spirited, with the black-armored Forbidden Army following on the outside, vigilant all around.
Second Young Master Xue stared at the other version of himself for a few moments. His posture and appearance were exactly like his own. But seeing him dutifully loyal to the emperor like this, he found it absurd and laughable.
The emperor was not dead yet, Lu Feng’s disaster had not endangered the country, and the eunuch’s turmoil had not disrupted the court. Nothing had happened, and Xue Yuan had not rebelled.
Everything here felt so strange to him. He could hardly imagine how this version of himself here could be so loyal to the emperor, becoming the loyal dog under the emperor’s feet that even the bedridden Second Young Master Xue knew.
The carriage door opened, and the emperor in bright yellow robes emerged. He extended his hand, which Xue Yuan supported carefully as he descended.
Second Young Master Xue looked up directly at the emperor’s face from his fingertips to the top of his head.
The Emperor’s robe was ornate, and despite the early spring chill, he wore a dark cloak draped over his shoulders. His expression was gentle yet subtly sharp, his lips slightly curved in a smile, exuding the dignified air of a ruler who cherishes his ministers like sons.
The Second Young Master Xue stared straight ahead, observing the Emperor from his fingertips to the tips of his hair.
Young, delicate, but incredibly shrewd.
Old General Xue, supported as he knelt, greeted, “May Your Majesty be blessed with eternal peace. With Your Majesty’s arrival, I, your humble servant, could die a thousand deaths and still be unworthy.”
Gu Yuanbai helped him up with a smile. “You must not say such things, Minister Xue.”
The Second Young Master Xue continued to gaze at the Emperor, but his servant quietly pushed his wheelchair back, whispering, “Young Master, let us go rest.”
The Regent’s eyes darkened, but he remained silent, allowing the servant to push the wheelchair.
In his memories, the Emperor had always been weak, and Lu Feng had never summoned the Xue father and son back to the capital from the borderlands. He had never broken Second Young Master Xue’s legs either—he had simply executed Second Young Master Xue with a swift stroke.
All the differences in this lifetime began with this Emperor, who should have died of illness long ago.
***
As expected, Old General Xue brought up his request to retire. Gu Yuanbai glanced at the general’s hair, now white at the temples, sighed, and finally approved his plea.
After visiting the loyal subject, Gu Yuanbai had his entourage follow from a distance as he and Xue Yuan strolled through the winding paths of the courtyard.
Halfway through, Xue Yuan suddenly coughed to get his attention. “Your Majesty.”
Gu Yuanbai curved his lips. “I was wondering how long you’d hold out—didn’t even last two quarters of an hour.”
Xue Yuan looked a bit aggrieved. “You weren’t like this when you spoke to me this morning.”
Gu Yuanbai couldn’t help but laugh. He pulled Xue Yuan to stand behind a rock formation, instructed the palace servants to stay back, and then pushed Xue Yuan up against the rock.
Xue Yuan stood straight, and Gu Yuanbai raised his hands to hook around his neck, initiating a kiss.
“The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” Xue Yuan thought as he hinted, both openly and subtly, for Gu Yuanbai to take the lead. Gu Yuanbai decided to show him what a modern boyfriend could do.
Kiss him until his legs go weak!
This lofty ambition, however, met a challenge, as Xue Yuan was not one to easily give in. Gu Yuanbai became lost in their kiss, and just as Xue Yuan couldn’t resist and reached for his waist, Gu Yuanbai deftly blocked his hand.
“You can’t move,” he chuckled softly. “Didn’t you want me to take the lead? Today, I’ll make all the moves—you just stay still.”
Xue Yuan’s expression changed, blurting out, “Is that even possible?”
Gu Yuanbai nodded with a smile and pretended to start unbuttoning his clothes. Xue Yuan hesitated for once, glancing around. “Your Majesty, isn’t this place a bit… inappropriate?”
Even as he spoke, he was swiftly unfastening his own belt.
D*mn.
Gu Yuanbai burst into laughter. He let go of Xue Yuan and leaned against the rock formation, laughing uncontrollably. “Xue Jiuyao, oh Xue Jiuyao, you’re just too adorable.”
Xue Yuan had already half-undone his belt, but seeing that he’d been played again, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he wrapped his belt around Gu Yuanbai’s waist, pulling him into his embrace. “Do you find it fun to tease me? Master Bai, I’ll have to get back at you.”
He was about to move closer when a muffled thunderclap rumbled from the sky. Gu Yuanbai snickered, “Hear that? Even the heavens are telling you to behave.”
Xue Yuan sighed, but still stole a kiss before letting go. He helped straighten Gu Yuanbai’s clothes, and the two began to make their way back, worried about the coming rain.
Sure enough, spring rain began to fall shortly after. Xue Yuan picked up Gu Yuanbai and dashed to the nearest courtyard. “Your Majesty, please wait here for a moment while I go fetch some umbrellas.”
Gu Yuanbai pulled a handkerchief from his robe, carefully wiping the raindrops off Xue Yuan’s face. Smiling, he said, “Go on.”
Xue Yuan quickly left with his attendants, while Gu Yuanbai walked to the corridor to watch the spring rain. After some time, he suddenly heard the sound of wooden wheels rolling.
Turning his head, Gu Yuanbai saw the Second Young Master Xue slowly approaching in a wheelchair.
***
Rainwater dotted the Second Young Master’s shoulders, as if he had just come in from the downpour.
Gu Yuanbai glanced at him, his lips slightly flushed from the recent kiss, like a flower bud amidst the green and rain. “Does this courtyard belong to Lin Ger?”
Second Young Master Xue’s gaze flickered briefly over Gu Yuanbai’s lips, and he smiled faintly, bowing his head. “Indeed. This commoner greets Your Majesty.”
The Regent had followed from a distance, and from behind the dense trees, he witnessed the intimate scene between the Emperor and someone who looked just like him.
He was utterly shocked, unable to believe that person was himself.
The Regent had never been drawn to beauty; he found men and women alike dull. Chu Wei was indeed attractive, but a man nonetheless, and the Regent regarded Chu Wei as a partner, not a plaything for indulging desires.
Xue’s father, a loyalist for three generations, had been unable to accept his rule, and his parents, weeping, had threatened death to oppose him. As an excuse, the Regent claimed a fondness for men, stating that he and Chu Wei were indeed a pair and would leave no descendants. His current hold on power, he argued, was merely to rid the realm of traitors and stabilize the Gu family’s empire.
After such rumors spread, it ironically made it even more convenient for him to control the court.
It seemed as though the Regent posed no threat to the throne, as he was the Emperor’s lover.
The Regent found it amusing and was curious to see how these people would react upon realizing he was not the Emperor’s lover. But he would never have imagined that “himself” would actually have a day where he became the Emperor’s lover.
And with such urgency, as if even kissing would cost him his life, how could he be so infatuated with romance?
“Hmm,” Gu Yuanbai replied calmly, motioning for a bamboo chair to be brought. “If there’s nothing else, return to your room and wait. You seem uneasy in my presence.”
Second Young Master Xue wheeled himself over and suddenly said, “Your Majesty, this humble one recently bought a palmistry book from a Taoist. If Your Majesty doesn’t mind, the humble one dares to read Your Majesty’s palm.”
Gu Yuanbai turned his head, squinting slightly as he scrutinized him. “You seem off today.”
The Regent smirked strangely and extended his hand towards him.
This was the arm of the Second Young Master Xue.
Loose-skinned, pale and weak, devoid of any strong muscles.
Gu Yuanbai looked down at his hand, smiling as he watched him persistently lift it. This disabled shell could not maintain its posture for long, and the arm was starting to tremble unnaturally. However, Second Young Master Xue appeared relaxed, as if the trembling and spasms of the arm had nothing to do with him.
“Men,” the lofty Emperor turned his head without allowing any discussion, “escort Second Young Master Xue back to his room to rest.”
The palace attendants by the Emperor’s side stepped forward forcefully to take him away. The Regent sighed and withdrew his hand. But in the moment the attendants pushed the wheelchair, Second Young Master Xue suddenly leaned to the left and fell heavily beside Gu Yuanbai’s feet amid the attendant’s shocked exclamations. The wooden wheelchair broke, its broken parts rolling down the corridor in the rain.
Amidst the chaos, Second Young Master Xue grasped the Emperor’s hand and stole a glance at his palm.
Soon, he was helped up and taken away, and everything on the ground was cleaned up. Gu Yuanbai raised his hand, thoughtful.
Meanwhile, Second Young Master Xue, being carried back to his room, covered his face, seeming to feel deeply embarrassed.
“Second Young Master,” a servant said, “let me call for a physician for you. It’s best not to go out today.”
Second Young Master Xue put down his hand, smiling softly. “Get out.”
Clearly a person of short life, the problem indeed laid with this emperor.
***
Xue Yuan took Gu Yuanbai back to his room. Gu Yuanbai had been deep in thought the entire way. “Jiuyao, your brother is acting strange.”
Xue Yuan’s face darkened. “Did he offend you?”
Gu Yuanbai tapped his fingers on his knee. “Not exactly. Forget it, have someone bring him here.”
A moment later, Second Young Master Xue arrived in the rain. The servant behind him held an oil-paper umbrella, but the wind and rain had still managed to wet his clothes near the knees, giving him a somewhat disheveled appearance.
On his lap was a white jade chessboard.
Gu Yuanbai ordered the chessboard to be set up. Xue Yuan stood beside the emperor, his expression dark as his eyes repeatedly scanned Second Young Master Xue.
Something was definitely off. Usually, Second Young Master Xue would wet his pants from just one look from Xue Yuan, not display this calm demeanor.
Gu Yuanbai took the white pieces, while Second Young Master Xue took the black. Neither spoke as they played. After placing five or six pieces, Second Young Master Xue abruptly said, “This commoner merely glanced at Your Majesty’s palm. In such haste, mistakes are bound to happen. Otherwise, how could I have mistaken it for a short life?”
Gu Yuanbai remained unmoved, but Xue Yuan had already kicked Second Young Master Xue to the ground. Despite the force, Xue Yuan spoke gently, “Brother, can’t even sit properly?”
Second Young Master Xue spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva and pushed himself up. “Your brother can’t help but feel overwhelming admiration whenever he sees Your Majesty. In my excitement—”
Xue Yuan landed another fierce blow, leaving Second Young Master Xue gasping, his eyes filled with a terrifying bloodshot gaze.
Xue Yuan squatted in front of him, casually patting his face, and laughed. “Lin Ger, if you keep speaking out of turn, even I won’t be able to protect you.”
Second Young Master Xue laughed back. “Better protect your own d*mn self first.”
Gu Yuanbai sighed, his head aching. “Xue Yuan.”
Xue Yuan straightened up gracefully, adjusting his demeanor. Gu Yuanbai smiled at him softly. “I feel like having some plum blossom cakes.”
Xue Yuan’s expression softened. “I’ll go arrange it.”
After Xue Yuan left, Second Young Master Xue wiped the blood from his face, cursed quietly with hostility, then muttered to himself, “I treasure him this much?”
Unbelievable. Another version of himself would fly into a rage over just that one sentence.
Jealous?
Was he really jealous?
Gu Yuanbai gestured, and the captain of the guards helped Second Young Master Xue back into the chair opposite the emperor. They continued playing chess.
Second Young Master Xue’s dark eyes were fixed on Gu Yuanbai as if seeing him for the first time.
Gu Yuanbai said, “Your chess strategy is identical to Xue Jiuyao’s.”
He picked up a white piece and placed it in a position fatal to the black, lifting his gaze sharply at Second Young Master Xue. “Who are you?”
His eyes were like sharp blades, deadly arrows.
The Regent felt his whole body heat up under that gaze. Instinctively, he knew that a wrong answer might cost him his life at the hands of this emperor, but perversely, this danger only thrilled him further, sending shivers down his spine.
“Your Majesty, you first need to tell me: is Xue Jiuyao your man?” He flashed a twisted smile.
Gu Yuanbai looked at him expressionlessly.
Second Young Master Xue whistled flirtatiously at him. “If you want to know who I am, the answer is actually simple.” He changed his address, propped his arms on the chessboard, and dragged his crippled legs forward, leaning in closer with dark, intense eyes. In a lowered voice, he said, “My name is Xue Yuan. I’m your other man.”
—
**Author’s Note:** Don’t ask, just enjoy the surprise. (Cue melancholic smoking emoji)
