Yin Wuzhi had become more attentive than before. Every time Jiang Wu was coaxed into a nap, he would sleep for at least an hour.
When he woke, he always felt refreshed, his clothes neatly back in place.
When Jiang Wu awoke from his nap, he called out, “Yin Wuzhi.”
“You’re awake, Wu Er,” Empress Dowager Wen’s voice came. She pulled aside the curtain and said, “Ah Zhi had military matters to attend to, so he had to leave.”
Surprised by how abruptly Yin Wuzhi left, Jiang Wu asked, “Have him stay at the palace tonight.”
“Wu Er,” Empress Dowager Wen hesitated before smiling gently, “You must understand, Yin Wuzhi is the sole heir of King Dingnan. If he stays in the palace too often, people will start to talk. You should let him be.”
Jiang Wu didn’t believe Yin Wuzhi would care about such gossip.
“I want to see him,” he said.
A cup was placed heavily on the table. Empress Dowager Wen turned around, her face full of worry, before saying, “He’s been busy with state affairs, and he might have to leave the capital for a while. It’s better for you to take this time to rest. Tomorrow, I’m hosting a banquet in the imperial garden for the noble ladies. If you have time, you should attend.”
Empress Dowager Wen added, “Your Grandmother believes it’s time for you to choose an empress.”
Jiang Wu, not being foolish, turned his head toward his grandmother at the table and asked, “When does Yin Wuzhi leave?”
“Urgent business, he’s already gone.”
“Where did he go?”
“To carry out his duties.”
What duties could he not tell the emperor about?
Jiang Wu simply replied, “Oh.”
Empress Dowager Wen and the Great Empress Dowager exchanged relieved glances. His grief had dulled his curiosity. His grandmother came over and stroked his head, saying, “Rest well. When he returns, we’ll talk.”
“Mm.”
“Make sure to get up and move around more,” his grandmother said, before adding, “Anyway, all I ask is that you choose an empress soon and give me a great-grandchild.”
Jiang Wu closed his eyes, disinterested in conversation. His grandmother muttered something before leaving, assisted by Empress Dowager Wen.
Once they were gone, Jiang Wu opened his eyes again.
That night, a plain carriage left the palace gates. Qi Hanmiao, driving the carriage, nervously asked, “Your Majesty, is this really okay?”
“It’s fine.”
“But what if the Great Empress Dowager finds out…”
“I will protect you.”
Qi Hanmiao was moved and said, “It’s not that the Great Empress Dowager dislikes the shizi, but his behavior recently truly frightened her. I’m sure it’s because he cares so much for Your Majesty that he was distressed.”
At the gates of King Dingnan’s residence, Qi Hanmiao knocked, and the gatekeeper, surprised to see him, opened the doors immediately after seeing the calm figure in the wheelchair. The gatekeeper quickly went to inform King Dingnan.
“He dares to come?” Dingnan Wangfei was furious, “Tell him Yin Shu isn’t here and send him away!”
“The Emperor himself has come,” King Dingnan said, his expression complicated as he reached for his robe. However, his wife shot him a sharp glare, and his foot, halfway into his shoe, quickly withdrew. Sitting cross-legged back on the bed, he waved for the steward to attend to the guest and said, “Why are you so angry?”
“What’s wrong with you lately? How can you side with the young Emperor? Do you even remember why our son has turned out like this? Do you think he’s someone who can just be summoned and dismissed at will?”
“Well, didn’t His Majesty immediately summon Ah Zhi back when he woke up recently?”
“And what about their respective statuses? Does the Emperor not understand? Did you see what Ah Zhi was wearing when he returned today? How could he treat someone with such disrespect?”
King Dingnan sighed. “Still, we can’t just ignore him. He is the Emperor, after all.”
Chang Yuxiu remained silent.
King Dingnan glanced at the large black dog lying at the door. Its shiny black eyes met his, and as he moved his fingers to gesture in a certain direction, the dog immediately stood up.
“Woof.”
Chang Yuxiu froze, then snapped, “Don’t you dare!”
“Woof, woof.” The black dog wagged its tail, barking loudly, “Woof woof woof woof woof!”
“Quiet down!” Dingnan Wangfei shouted, furious as she grabbed a shoe. The dog, quick on its feet, darted out the door, disappearing into the corridors. Enraged, she shouted after it, “If you dare call him, I’ll chop you into pieces and make dumplings!”
“Woof woof woof, woof woof woof, woof woof woof woof woof!”
A chorus of barking eventually roused Yin Wuzhi.
He laid there staring at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up on the bed.
He casually draped a red robe over his shoulders, walking barefoot to the door. The black dog soon returned with his shoes in its mouth, wagging its tail furiously and hopping around him.
Slipping on his shoes, Yin Wuzhi followed the dog outside.
The residence was vast, with deep courtyards and layers of archways.
Every few steps along the paths, stone lamps had been lit. The summer breeze caused the flames to flicker, casting shadows. His steps echoed softly, the hem of his red robe swaying before his shoes. Holding a lantern, Yin Wuzhi leisurely made his way through the lit pathways, following the black dog past winding corridors until they arrived at the front hall.
Inside, lamps illuminated the room. The figure in the wheelchair drooped listlessly, eyelids heavy with sleep.
“Woof,” barked Ah Gui.
Jiang Wu opened his eyes sluggishly.
He sat in the hall while Yin Wuzhi stood behind the archway, their eyes meeting from a distance.
Jiang Wu’s reaction was delayed, and belatedly, he called out, “Yin Wuzhi.”
Yin Wuzhi came to his senses and stepped out from behind the archway, asking, “Why did Your Majesty come?”
“Hug.”
Yin Wuzhi put down the lantern and adjusted the red robe draped over his shoulders before walking over. He gently lifted Jiang Wu into his arms. Jiang Wu, weary, raised his hand and wrapped it around Yin Wuzhi’s neck, rubbing his cheek against his shoulder. “Tired.”
“Did Your Majesty come all this way just to sleep with me?”
Carrying him back the way they came, the light illuminated Yin Wuzhi’s face, his eyes reflecting a soft glow.
“I have something to say.”
“What is it?”
“A lot.”
“Don’t worry, say it after you wake up.”
Yin Wuzhi’s room was tidy, but the bed was a bit firm. After placing Jiang Wu down, he walked over to extinguish the candle.
“Want lit,” Jiang Wu said.
Yin Wuzhi obediently relit the candle and returned to the bed, lying beside him and pulling him into his arms.
Though Jiang Wu had been tired, now that he saw Yin Wuzhi, he was suddenly wide awake.
Jiang Wu had always been too lazy to ask questions. Even though Yin Wuzhi had changed, he knew this was still the same Yin Wuzhi from before. But after waking up that afternoon to find Yin Wuzhi gone, he suddenly realized he couldn’t afford to remain lazy.
He wanted to clear things up with him.
“Why did you leave the palace without telling me?”
“Busy with official duties, so…”
“Lying.”
Yin Wuzhi pressed his forehead against Jiang Wu’s. “Then what do you think it was?”
“Grandmother kicked you out.”
Yin Wuzhi fell silent.
Before Jiang Wu came, he had already sent Qi Hanmiao to find out the details and learned what had happened after he lost consciousness.
He said, “That day in the tree hollow, you said you wanted to hear a story, but I was too tired to tell one.”
“It’s fine if you didn’t tell it.”
“But I want to tell it.”
“I’m listening.”
Jiang Wu blinked uncomfortably, and Yin Wuzhi’s thumb brushed his lashes, wiping away the culprit causing his drowsiness.
Jiang Wu nestled into his arms and began, “I’m a ghost. But before, I don’t think I was a ghost.”
He tried to simplify the story but found that simplifying it took even more effort, so he spoke more casually. “Anyway, I wasn’t sure what I was at first, because I had no senses. Then I figured I might be a ghost.”
“I drifted and drifted until I ended up at a place called Wudao Mountain.”
“There was a stone figure there, kneeling before a cliff. The cliff was steep and high, so no one could ever see the front of the figure—only its back.”
“I wanted to know what it looked like, so I floated in front to take a look.”
It was the height of autumn, and Wudao Mountain was crowded with tourists. The treetops were visible from the cliff’s edge, and many people stood behind the stone figure, waiting to take pictures.
Taking advantage of his ghostly form, Jiang Wu easily passed through the crowd and floated up in front of the stone figure.
It was at that moment his world spun, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself transported thousands of years into the future, occupying the body of Jiang Wu—the emperor notorious in history as a tyrant.
“I know that in history, you killed Jiang Wu. So, I wanted to force you to kill me, to make you follow the path I thought you should take.”
Even though he wasn’t simplifying on purpose, Jiang Wu’s inherent laziness showed in his monotone retelling, devoid of emotion—just pure information.
“But gradually, I realized the real Jiang Wu wasn’t quite the same as history described. And I started dreaming—dreams where I saw you and him getting along well. I don’t understand. You say you love me, but is it because I’m in his body, and you’re attached to this body? Or do you truly love the lazy, shameless me?”
He lifted his eyelashes, meeting Yin Wuzhi’s gaze. “Especially since you’ve now remembered, haven’t you? You’ve remembered how your emperor died. You’ve remembered whether you did crazy things like Qiu Wuchen. That’s why you don’t kiss me anymore. The Yin Wuzhi who loved me is gone, and now you’re just fixated on this body, aren’t you?”
Yin Wuzhi’s eyes flickered.
Tears welled up in Jiang Wu’s eyes.
“The Yin Wuzhi who loved me for no reason is gone.” He asked, “Isn’t that right?”
“No.” Yin Wuzhi leaned in to kiss him.
Jiang Wu’s body, as always, yielded to his touch, but he said, “No kissing.”
Yin Wuzhi stopped, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he whispered, “Your Majesty.”
“Yeye.”
“Ancestor.”
Yin Wuzhi pressed his forehead against Jiang Wu’s and struggled to ask, “Are you… jealous?”
“I don’t know.” Jiang Wu answered sullenly, “My chest hurts.”
He had been complaining about chest pain for some time now.
Yin Wuzhi suddenly trembled, unable to control his rapid breathing. His expression twisted with anguish as he gripped Jiang Wu’s wrist, fighting the overwhelming urge to kiss him.
“Don’t touch me.”
Yin Wuzhi laid on top of Jiang Wu, his eyes trembling, throat swallowing. His gaze lingered over Jiang Wu’s nose, cheeks, ears, and neck, as if he was yearning but holding himself back.
Like a starving beast in the forest, restless and restrained, the edges of his eyes flushed red.
“Your Majesty…”
“Not Your Majesty.”
“Ancestor.”
Jiang Wu’s tear-streaked face looked as soft as ever, but his eyes held a hint of grievance. “You want to kiss me.”
“I do.”
Yin Wuzhi’s sharp nose brushed against Jiang Wu’s cheek, then his neck, then he lifted Jiang Wu’s wrist and pressed his nose against his palm. His voice was hoarse with desire. “Let me kiss you.”
“Your Majesty, let me kiss you.”
