Chapter 67.2 Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip.
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Li Jinyu felt like he was dreaming.
He realized that he was indeed dreaming.
In the dream, the palace was filled with unfamiliar people, bustling and lively, and the imperial physician anxiously moved around.
He felt like a mere spectator watching a movie, observing the scenes around him changing while remaining calm inside.
Not long after, a muffled cry suddenly reached his ears, “His Majesty has passed away!”
Li Jinyu was startled. Who passed away? Was it him?
The scenes swiftly flashed by—nationwide mourning, the city draped in white mourning cloth—and finally settled on the scene of the new Emperor’s coronation.
Li Jinyu gazed at the young boy on the dragon throne, feeling a strange sense of familiarity but unable to remember where he had seen him before.
The scene transitioned again, this time to a palace adorned with white curtains.
Li Jinyu recognized it as the Cining Palace.
Inside the Cining Palace, the Young Emperor sat on a chair in the lower left, holding a cup of clear tea and taking small sips. He paused and softly said, “Mother Empress, this tea tastes strange.”
A cold female voice echoed from the main seat in the Cining Palace, “Drink it all.”
The Young Emperor furrowed his brow and obediently continued to drink.
After seeing the Emperor finish his tea, the person on the phoenix throne subtly curled her lips and let out a gentle sigh of relief, whispering, “Don’t blame me…”
Following that were scenes of the Young Emperor struggling to sleep, tossing and turning on the dragon throne at night, often unable to control his irritability and bursts of anger.
Li Jinyu now understood what these scenes represented.
They were memories of the original character, Emperor Jingchang.
It made sense why this Young Emperor looked so familiar. It was because Li Jinyu saw his grown-up face every day in the mirror.
The scene transitions suddenly accelerated.
There were images of the Young Emperor leaning over the jade table, deep in thought while reviewing documents, sitting on the dragon throne, suppressing his restlessness as he attentively listened to the reports of the courtiers, and lying in bed at night, struggling to sleep as he carefully studied the “State Strategies” book.
Soon, the scene returned to the Cining Palace.
This time, the Emperor, who had grown a few years older, looked at the Mother Empress on the phoenix throne with a pallid face, wearing an expression of disbelief. He said, “Is Zhen just… a temporary replacement?”
“Until Aijia find her true son, there needs to be someone occupying the throne,” the cold voice of the woman sounded impatient. “You should have been buried in the Cold Palace with that woman surnamed Zhong. Having the dragon throne for these few years is already a rare fortune for you. What more could you want?”
The Young Emperor turned pale. “So Mother Empress poisoned Zhen for that reason?”
“Before Aijia’s true child returns, the imperial harem must be pure and untainted, without the illegitimate children of others,” the Empress Dowager’s voice cut like a sharp knife, piercing the Young Emperor’s chest. “Don’t blame Aijia for being ruthless. Blame your own unfortunate fate.”
Holding his chest, the Young Emperor’s body wavered, whispering, “What happens to Zhen if Mother Empress’ biological son returns?”
“You need not worry. When my true child returns as the real ‘Jingchang,’ there will be no evidence of your existence in the historical records,” the Empress Dowager’s voice remained cold. “At that time, Aijia can provide you with a soothing elixir to set you free.”
The Young Emperor grew even paler, barely able to stand, and murmured, “Everything Zhen has… belongs to him?”
“None of this ever truly belonged to you.”
“Zhen can be a good Emperor. Zhen wants to leave a mark in history…”
“If you can accept it, when Jingchang’s name is celebrated throughout history, you will have played a part too.”
But how could they ever be the same?
Emperor Jingchang returned to the palace, pale and absent-minded, and sat in the sleeping chamber throughout the night. Suddenly, he stood up and smashed everything in the chamber, except for the imperial seal, as if erasing his innocent past along with it.
After that, the young boy who used to study diligently at his desk disappeared, leaving behind only the incompetent and cruel Emperor Jingchang.
He killed innocent people indiscriminately, forced loyal ministers to their deaths, disregarded human life, and allowed chaos to prevail.
Li Jinyu looked at Emperor Jingchang, who sat amidst a group of nervous imperial concubines, drunk and disoriented. He suddenly didn’t know what to say.
“Do you think Zhen is a joke?”
Emperor Jingchang in the scene let out a bitter smile, and his beautiful eyes looked over.
Li Jinyu was surprised and pointed at himself. “Are you talking to me?”
“Who else could it be?” Emperor Jingchang adjusted his disheveled hair, mocking himself across those illusory scenes. “How many people in this world can still remember Zhen?”
Li Jinyu finally realized and was somewhat surprised. “You’re still alive?”
“It’s just a lingering obsession,” Emperor Jingchang stared at Li Jinyu and suddenly said, “Zhen truly envies you.”
Li Jinyu was taken aback. “Envy me? What for?”
“Zhen envies your purity and strength,” Emperor Jingchang reached out his hand, as if wanting to touch Li Jinyu’s face, but eventually let his arm fall in despair. “Zhen is ultimately too weak.”
Li Jinyu understood what Emperor Jingchang was lamenting, and a hint of compassion rose in his heart. He whispered, “You’ve endured more than I have, it’s different.”
He had never thought of himself as stronger than Emperor Jingchang.
“Yes, Zhen has endured more than you…” Emperor Jingchang murmured, “Since childhood, Zhen was taught by Father Emperor, and Zhen’s desire was to surpass him, to surpass the Founding Emperor, and become a wise ruler renowned for generations. Zhen wanted to leave a vivid mark in the annals of history. A thousand years later, when people tell stories, they can praise ‘Jingchang’s great governance.’ That has been Zhen’s lifelong pursuit.”
He paused, a bitter smile appearing on his face again. “Who would have thought it would be Zhen’s own Empress Dowager who intends to completely erase him from history? Filled with determination and clouded judgment, Zhen thought that if the Empress Dowager wants to erase him from history, then Zhen will do the opposite. Instead of transferring Zhen’s achievements to her own son as she said, Zhen will strive to commit acts that even the Empress Dowager cannot erase, ensuring that future generations will despise Zhen’s name! Zhen wants to see if that person in the future is willing to accept Zhen’s reputation.”
As he reached the end, he chuckled self-deprecatingly. “If Zhen cannot leave a lasting legacy, then he shall be infamous for eternity.”
Li Jinyu pressed his lips together and remained silent.
He understood Emperor Jingchang’s choice but did not agree with it.
Emperor Jingchang himself had indeed experienced great misery, but what wrong had those unfortunate individuals, who died under his rule as pitiful symbols of rebellion against the Empress Dowager, committed?
However, Emperor Jingchang himself was also a pitiful victim, and Li Jinyu did not want to worsen his pain.
“Zhen was wrong,” Emperor Jingchang fell silent for a moment, letting out a soft sigh. “No matter the reasons, what Zhen did was a mistake. Zhen truly don’t deserve to be this Emperor.”
He looked up at Li Jinyu and suddenly smiled. “Fortunately, you are here.”
Li Jinyu was once again taken aback.
“Zhen has been a joke all his life. Zhen is grateful that fate brought you into his body,” Emperor Jingchang gazed at Li Jinyu, his beautiful eyes devoid of pretense. “You are more suitable to be the Emperor than Zhen. You will be able to accomplish what he cannot.”
Li Jinyu instinctively declined, “I have done very little. It’s mostly Huo Caiyu who has been doing everything.”
“Even so, that’s still better than Zhen,” Emperor Jingchang turned his head to gaze at the illusory and magnificent palace, a hint of melancholy in his eyes. “If only Zhen could have been more open-minded, things wouldn’t have turned out like this.”
Li Jinyu looked at the regretful gaze of Emperor Jingchang and couldn’t help but ask, “Do you want to come back? Can I return this body to you?”
Emperor Jingchang paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed. “Are you willing to?”
Li Jinyu whispered, “This was originally yours. Besides, I can train on my own.”
Emperor Jingchang’s expression completely relaxed, and he laughed more openly. “No need, Zhen only has this little attachment left. Once it’s gone, Zhen will be reborn. The success or decline of Great Di after that has nothing to do with Zhen.”
Li Jinyu carefully observed and realized that Emperor Jingchang genuinely found inner peace. “Then I wish you a happy life in your next reincarnation, free from worries.”
Emperor Jingchang looked at him, the smile on his face slightly fading, and he let out a soft sigh. “Zhen is starting to feel a bit jealous of Huo Caiyu.”
Li Jinyu: “Huh?”
“It’s nothing. Zhen should be going,” Emperor Jingchang smiled, his expression easing up again. “If you don’t mind, Zhen will give you his body, throne, and name.”
Li Jinyu was a bit bewildered. “But… I haven’t decided whether I want to continue being the Emperor…”
“It’s alright, if you don’t want it, just let it go. There’s not much Zhen can offer you anyway,” Emperor Jingchang looked up at the imaginary sky, his smile becoming brighter. “This attachment will also fade away. Although Zhen may not have the right to say this, but—Great Di will be entrusted to you in the future.”
As the last sentence left his mouth, Emperor Jingchang’s smiling face gradually became transparent before Li Jinyu, eventually disappearing completely.
With the attachment gone, reincarnation began.
Li Jinyu stood still, stunned, and subconsciously tried to reach out and stop it, only to notice a faint purple glow surrounding his body.
Ziwei imperial aura.
Confirmed by the original owner of the body himself, Emperor Jingchang’s body, fortune, and destiny all merged into Li Jinyu.
A cute hamster shadow appeared behind Li Jinyu and merged into his body.
In that moment, Li Jinyu suddenly felt like he had returned from a dreamlike illusion to reality. His feet finally touched the ground, and the occasional feeling of detachment from the world completely vanished in an instant.
He had finally arrived in this world.
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