However, forcing Yin Wuzhi to wear a dress seemed a bit too much.
Jiang Wu silently admired that endlessly charming face, saying nothing.
Yin Wuzhi, having not received a response after making a move, slowly felt a sense of embarrassment spread across his face. He lowered his gaze.
Was he going to run away again?
There really was no dealing with him.
Jiang Wu said, “Lie down.”
Yin Wuzhi, still feeling disgruntled, laid down beside him. He then heard Jiang Wu say, “Beloved Minister Yin, you really are good-looking.”
Jiang Wu peacefully closed his eyes. “But your skin is too thin.”
With a character like his, always running away at the first sign of difficulty, who knows how he’ll manage to seize the throne in the future?
Yin Wuzhi: “…”
Was that a complaint about him not being proactive enough?
He slowly turned onto his side, carefully extending his hand to pull down Jiang Wu’s collar. “Your Majesty, do you know that there are two small moles on your shoulder?”
Jiang Wu felt a chill on his shoulder, followed by a soft touch. Then he heard Yin Wuzhi say, “Right here.”
Jiang Wu, feeling sleepy, murmured, “Go to sleep.”
Ever since he became human again, he had developed a deep affection for sleep. Not long after speaking, he fell into a deep slumber.
That night, he had a dream.
In the dream, there was Ziyun Palace. In the side hall of Ziyun Palace, books filled the walls. Next to the books was a large desk, and not far from the desk was a bed.
With short arms and legs and a round face, he laid on that bed, seemingly enjoying some pleasant event in the dream, even smacking his lips softly.
A woman in a skirt with her hair tied up high entered the side hall.
The next day at noon, Yin Wuzhi was summoned to Wanjing Palace by the Great Empress Dowager. The palace was filled with flowers and plants, and since the weather was good, the palace maids had moved them all outside.
“Shizi Highness,” the Great Empress Dowager’s personal eunuch, Qin Chuan, greeted him with a smile as he approached. “You’ve arrived.”
“Greetings, Eunuch Qin,” Yin Wuzhi bowed, his eyes still lingering on the flowers and plants that had been moved outside. There were so many that they nearly filled the entire courtyard.
Following his gaze, Qin Chuan smiled and asked, “What’s this? Does the Shizi have an eye for that bamboo plant?”
“I was just reminded that His Majesty has a similar plant in his own hall.”
Qin Chuan chuckled, “That one was a gift from His Majesty to the Empress Dowager. There are two in total. The Great Empress Dowager heard this bamboo is rather special, blooming in spring and with a fragrance that relieves fatigue and clears the mind. She had His Majesty keep one as well, so that it could help prevent him from drowsing in the spring and delaying official duties.”
Yin Wuzhi smiled as well. “The bond between His Majesty and the Great Empress Dowager is truly deep.”
“Come along, the Great Empress Dowager is waiting to see you.”
The Great Empress Dowager met with him to inquire about Qiu Wuchen, and Yin Wuzhi avoided discussing the Crown Prince’s death, giving a brief account of Qiu Wuchen’s strange and erratic behavior instead.
The Great Empress Dowager looked regretful. “That child wasn’t always like this.”
“Yet His Majesty still insists on marrying her.”
“I will not allow it,” the Great Empress Dowager said, growing irritated at the mention. She told him, “Now that you’ve returned, you must advise His Majesty more often. I believe he still treats you differently than others.”
Yin Wuzhi nodded, “I will obey.”
“The imperial doctors say His Majesty’s illness is of the heart. You must take care of him with great attention.”
“Yes.”
“And Ah Gui, the dog that saved me the last time—since you are its master, you deserve credit as well. Is there any reward you would like?”
“This official lacks nothing,” Yin Wuzhi replied, but then something occurred to him. “May I ask what kind of poison was used on the Great Empress Dowager?”
Indeed, Ah Gui could detect poisons, but not all of them. Most of the ones he was familiar with came from the southern regions.
The Great Empress Dowager motioned, and Qin Chuan quickly brought over a box. She said calmly, “I won’t hide it from you. The poison was administered by Yao Ji, and this was found in her chambers. The imperial doctors confirmed it wasn’t lethal. She was just upset that I wouldn’t let her see His Majesty, so she hoped I’d sleep more and meddle less.”
Her straightforwardness made Yin Wuzhi’s heart skip a beat. But then he thought, this might be a secret of the palace, but in the Great Empress Dowager’s eyes, Yao Ji probably held no real status, which is why she disregarded her authority.
After examining it, Yin Wuzhi confirmed it wasn’t deadly, explaining why Yao Ji had only been confined for a few days before being released, with no further punishment.
He pondered, “Previously, Empress Dowager Wen mentioned that His Majesty’s heart ailment might have been triggered by a conversation with Empress Dowager Yao. However, that day, His Majesty dismissed everyone, including the covert guards, so there’s no way to find out what was said.”
“His Majesty is a filial child. Even if he suspected Yao Ji, he wouldn’t say it lightly.”
“His Majesty claims he doesn’t remember what was discussed with Empress Dowager Yao that day.”
The Great Empress Dowager frowned. “Impossible.”
“It could be selective memory loss,” Yin Wuzhi speculated. “But if that’s the case, why not allow Empress Dowager Yao to continue approaching His Majesty? If something truly important was said, she might bring it up again.”
The Great Empress Dowager’s expression grew complicated. “You don’t understand. Yao Ji…” She glanced to the side. Qin Chuan quickly exited and perched atop the roof, keeping watch.
Once they were alone, the Great Empress Dowager continued, “You are His Majesty’s closest confidant. You may well be the key to his recovery. I won’t hide this from you.”
An hour later, Yin Wuzhi left the Great Empress Dowager’s chambers. The sun was blazing, reflecting off the glazed roof tiles and creating a dazzling halo that made him press his hand to his eyes, dazed for a long time.
When he returned to Taiji Hall, Jiang Wu was lazily lounging under the eaves of the building. The pot of bamboo had been brought out again, looking no different from ordinary bamboo.
“His Majesty didn’t have a very good childhood.”
Jiang Wu closed his eyes, still lost in the recollections of last night’s dream.
That must have been a memory from his original body’s childhood.
A small child, with short arms and legs and a round face, slept soundly under a blanket. Perhaps it was because he was having a sweet dream, as he lightly smacked his lips.
Then a figure entered the side hall. She first lit a candle and gently placed it on the desk, then opened a book and used a paperweight to keep the pages down.
After that, she approached Jiang Wu’s bedside. Jiang Wu was gently shaken awake, and when he saw her, he softly called out, “Royal Mother.”
“Good boy.” A hand patted his head as the woman spoke softly, “It’s time to get up.”
“Mm…” He wrinkled his face, clutching the blanket and pulling it closer, his voice still soft and childish. “Wu Er wants to sleep a bit longer.”
“No more sleeping.” Yao Ji pulled the blanket away and scooped him out of bed, personally dressing him in clothes she fetched. “Royal Mother already opened the book for you. You can sleep after you finish reading.”
“But that won’t be until night time.” He grumbled softly, being carried over to the desk against his will.
“Be good. Royal Mother will comb your hair, and later, you’ll meet Father.”
Jiang Wu, still sleepy, rubbed his eyes and tried to lay down on the desk. “Royal Father likes Royal Mother so much. I can always see him… ah, it hurts.”
Yao Ji tugged on his hair to straighten his head, her voice still gentle. “He comes for Royal Mother, not for you. If you don’t study well, Royal Father won’t like you.”
“Royal Father already likes me.”
“He loves Royal Mother and tolerates you because of that, not because he genuinely likes you.”
Maybe it was because of the hair-pulling, but Jiang Wu, holding his scalp in pain, responded angrily, “I’m also Royal Father’s child. He doesn’t like me just because of Royal Mother.”
“If he truly liked you, he would give you the position of Crown Prince!”
“The Crown Prince is my brother, born from the Empress… Ow, it hurts…”
Yao Ji pinched his cheeks, asking, “Are you blaming Royal Mother for her lowly status? Jiang Wu, don’t forget, Royal Mother gave birth to you. I let you play until you were three, but now you’re older. Every day, I wake up early to study with you. Do you think I enjoy such a life?”
After a brief silence, the little boy reached out his tiny fingers to wipe the tears from the woman’s face. “Wu Er was wrong. Royal Mother, don’t cry. I’ll read right away.”
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. Jiang Wu looked up gloomily to see Yin Wuzhi squatting in front of him. In a warm voice, Yin Wuzhi asked, “Have you eaten?”
“Mm.”
“You need to eat well so you can grow strong and learn martial arts.” The voice from his dream spoke to him, “Then one day, you’ll become the emperor and ruler of the world, and only then can you live as you wish.”
“Training in martial arts hurts.”
“If you don’t suffer now, you’ll suffer later. If you don’t endure hardship now, you’ll endure it later. Royal Mother is only thinking of you.”
Yin Wuzhi knelt in front of him and gently took his hand.
“When His Majesty was young, he once came to me for help, saying Yao Ji had hit him. But I held a prejudice against Yao Ji, which extended to him as well. Your aunt, the former Empress, said the same. His Majesty came to her once, eyes red, asking to live with the Crown Prince.”
The Great Empress Dowager sighed softly, “None of us helped him. After all, Yao Ji was his birth mother, and Wu Er was more stubborn and unruly than other children. Which young prince would ask his mother’s rival for help? And your aunt never got along with Yao Ji, always suspecting it was a ploy.”
“The late Emperor didn’t intervene?”
He did intervene.
Jiang Wu recalled the chilling dream.
The little boy had rushed into his Royal father’s arms, crying that his Royal mother was mistreating him. Instead of receiving comfort, his Royal father scooped him up and playfully pinched his cheek. “You little rascal, you must have upset your Royal mother again. What is it, didn’t study well? Or slacked off in your martial arts?”
Jiang Wu truly hadn’t wanted to study or practice martial arts. What he considered mistreatment was merely a joke to the adults.
Back then, Yao Ji would just tug his hair, pinch his face, or scold him and make threats. The adults said that this was how commoners raised their children.
“After that, he stopped talking about it.” The Great Empress Dowager, growing weary, sat down by the window. “Until one day, he fell into the water saving King Xiang and lost consciousness. Your aunt hurriedly brought him back to Yongyue Pavilion. When they changed his clothes, they found many bruises on his body from severe beatings.”
Alarmed, she had immediately called for the Great Empress Dowager to come. She still remembered the day that child woke up. She held his hand and asked what had happened. But by then, Jiang Wu was no longer the same as in his childhood. He quietly withdrew his hand and softly said, “I fell while practicing martial arts.”
At that time, Jiang Wu was about ten years old. In the eyes of the ministers, he was the most outstanding of all the princes, the child most beloved by his elders. He was quiet, peaceful, obedient, and kind, excelling far beyond his peers in both classical studies and archery.
Yin Wuzhi said, “Harming a prince should be punishable by death.”
“Your aunt and I thought so too,” the Great Empress Dowager shook her head. “But the late Emperor believed that Yao Ji had her reasons. She came from a humble background, and clawing her way up required certain methods. Besides, Wu Er was her child. How could harming her own son be considered harm?”
Yin Wuzhi clenched his fists.
“The late Emperor silenced the matter, forbidding anyone from speaking of it again, saying he would handle it.” The Great Empress Dowager sighed once more. “After that, Yao Ji never laid a hand on His Majesty again.”
At first, everyone thought she had learned her lesson after being confined and beaten. But later, when the former Empress passed away and Empress Dowager Wen entered the palace as the new Empress, something happened. The late Emperor himself carried an unconscious Jiang Wu to her quarters and laid him down to sleep.
Yin Wuzhi stepped forward and asked urgently, “What did she do to His Majesty then?”
“The imperial physician discovered that many of the bleeding areas in His Majesty’s body were caused by needle pricks.” Needle pricks leave no visible traces.
Yin Wuzhi wondered what the late emperor was thinking—why hadn’t he killed that woman?
Empress Dowager Wen explained, “Not only did the late emperor not kill her, but on his deathbed, he made us swear not to trouble Yao Ji, because she had no power or influence. He was also afraid that His Majesty would grow to hate her and kill his own royal mother, so the late emperor repeatedly asked him if he could, after ascending the throne, refrain from pursuing his royal mother’s crimes.”
It was as if giving Jiang Wu the throne was merely a bribe, his true goal being to save Yao Ji’s life.
Jiang Wu agreed. He smiled reassuringly at his father, saying, “She will always be my royal mother.”
“The Emperor is a kind man. Not only did he forgive Yao Ji’s crimes, but he has been incredibly filial to me. He has also risked his life to save others, and would even charge into a burning building to save a commoner’s child. In his heart, others have always mattered more than himself.”
“Do you know why the ministers are so fond of His Majesty? And why I, too, am so concerned for him? Yin Wuzhi, the Emperor must recover. As long as he remains on the throne, he will always be a good emperor.”
Yin Wuzhi didn’t care whether Jiang Wu was a good emperor or not.
He pressed Jiang Wu’s hand against his own face. What he really wanted to know was: what was Jiang Wu thinking when he accepted the throne? Was he ever truly happy, knowing that it was rightfully his?
If he was happy, then what went through his mind when the late emperor asked him to pardon Yao Ji? Did he feel wronged, as if he was being told: This is the price you must pay for your empire?
The Great Empress Dowager went on to say that when Jiang Wu first ascended the throne, he was incredibly diligent, rising at dawn each day to review memorials. When not reviewing memorials, he studied military strategy and war tactics.
He was like a tireless machine, always working under everyone’s gaze.
In every respect, he appeared to be flawless, like a saint.
“Your Majesty, do you want to go outside?” Yin Wuzhi asked, tilting his head up. “Shall I take you outside for a bit?”
Jiang Wu: “No.”
He was too exhausted to move.
The dream he had last night left him feeling deeply drained, even though it was probably the original body’s experience, not his own. Still, he felt tired, emotionally tired.
In his long existence, wandering through the world for over a thousand years, he had never encountered anyone as exhausted by life as this person.
He saw Jiang Wu study for the sake of studying, practice martial arts for the sake of practice, and help others simply because they needed help. He saw him stay up late, burning candles while poring over letters, then pulling out wooden models to analyze the front-line battles.
Even though the front line wasn’t his responsibility, he insisted on getting involved.
Most importantly, he seemed to hear the thoughts in Jiang Wu’s heart: Exhaust yourself, drain yourself until there’s nothing left.
That way, he would owe no one anything.
If life must have meaning, then he would live for that meaning, even if it was imposed on him by others.
…What a miserable existence.
The Pessimist felt despair.
How could anyone live like this?
Wouldn’t it be better to simply resign oneself to hopelessness? To lie down and do nothing? What’s the point of all this effort—was it out of fear of dying or of immortality?
This original body was clearly nothing like the historical figure.
Jiang Wu began to ponder: was this all a vicious cycle? Did history change because someone disillusioned with life traveled back and altered it?
…So was all of history shaped by someone filled with despair?
The Pessimist slumped, dazed.
This burden was too great, too heavy. He refused to bear it.
Suddenly, his body felt weightless as he was lifted off the ground. Yin Wuzhi said, “That gift I wanted to give Your Majesty before—I didn’t get the chance, so let’s go see it today.”
“I don’t want to move.”
“You don’t have to.”
Yin Wuzhi noticed Jiang Wu’s head drooping again. At first, he wanted him to lift it on his own, but realizing he was too tired to respond, Yin Wuzhi crouched down, laid him across his lap, and rested his head on his shoulder. Then he carried him again, saying, “This should be more comfortable.”
The Pessimist thought it was fine to just let his head hang, at least he wouldn’t get a stiff neck.
Yin Wuzhi ordered a carriage to be prepared, and after placing him inside, left to fetch a large cloak. When he returned, the Pessimist was already slumped inside the carriage, twisted like melted wax, his black hair and eyes radiating an eerie lifelessness.
Qi Hanmiao peeked in, then quickly pulled his head back, muttering, “His Majesty looks even worse than before today.”
“Yes.” Yin Wuzhi entered, pulled the lifeless wax figure into his arms, adjusted his head to face him, and ordered the carriage to move. As they began their journey, he asked, “Is there anything His Majesty wants to do right now? I can do it for you.”
“I want to die.”
Yin Wuzhi: “…”
