What was I Thinking when I Ditch the Second Male Protagonist Chapter 149

Chapter 149

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Xie Duo stared into his eyes, looking pained, not responding.

Han Jiao felt dejected. "Do you still want to give someone else a bracelet like this?"

Xie Duo looked at him and said softly, "I've imagined over and over again in my heart how I want to spend the rest of my life. I have so many things I want to do, so many places to go. In every daydream, you're by my side, just you, no one else at all."

Han Jiao now found it difficult to understand long speeches. He gazed at Xie Duo, suddenly seeming to comprehend. He stood up, reached out, and hooked his arms around Xie Duo's neck. "Will you stay with me forever?"

"I will," Xie Duo replied with a determined look. "You have to stay with me too. The villagers say that wearing this bracelet means we'll grow old together. Han Xiaobai, even if there's only one strand of hair left, you can't leave me."

Han Jiao happily agreed, leaned on Xie Duo's shoulder, and relaxed.

Suddenly, the force holding Xie Duo's neck released, and the person in his arms rapidly descended. Xie Duo panicked and quickly grabbed his lower back, preventing Han Jiao from falling unconscious directly.

Han Jiao's unconsciousness grew longer. Xie Duo refused to send him back home. He also stopped attending the morning court, using Father Emperor's death as a reason for excessive mourning, allowing his sixth brother to handle the court affairs.

In just three days, Xie Duo met more than twenty Daoist. He wasn't sure if the eunuch had instructed them beforehand, but all of them unanimously told Xie Duo that Han Jiao could live to be a hundred, and his consciousness would soon recover.

However, these comforting words didn't ease his mind at all.

Xie Duo had another detailed conversation with the Daoist fortune-teller.

"Does the Ziwei star in this verdict refer to me? What about Father Emperor? He's also an Emperor, and for thousands of years, this land has always had rulers. The Ziwei star has never hidden, so how can it be a prophecy?"

The Daoist stroked his beard. "Your Majesty, you know part of it but not all. Indeed, rulers who govern the people have never been in short supply throughout history. However, Emperors with the Ziwei star descending to the mortal realm are exceedingly rare, occurring only once in about a thousand years. Their statecraft and far-sightedness surpass those of ordinary Emperors."

Xie Duo stared coldly at him. "I sincerely seek your guidance. If you try to deceive me with flattery and sweet words, you'd be deceiving your monarch."

The Daoist quickly stood up, bowing, and said, "Your Majesty, a monk who tells lies will damage his cultivation. Deceiving ordinary people may cause a slight loss of cultivation, which I can afford. However, if one deceives the Ziwei star, it will lead to a shortened lifespan. That is why I did not dare to claim that I could help the Wenqu star eliminate his calamity."

Xie Duo fixed his gaze on the Daoist, then spoke softly after a moment, "I don't possess the kind of statecraft you mentioned, and my interests have never been in this direction from childhood. If there is indeed such a thing as the Ziwei star, how could it be me?"

"Your Majesty, one's aspirations and preferences are not set in stone. They are influenced by the guidance of your close ones and friends during your upbringing. If fate determined our character and interests, then there would be no celestial gods banished to the mortal realm for violating divine laws, would there?"

Xie Duo contemplated for a moment and asked in a deep voice, "So, if I were to renounce the throne, the prophecy would not come true?"

The Daoist hastily explained, "No, Your Majesty! Heaven's will cannot be controlled. If you attempted to change your fate by giving up the throne, the consequences might be even more severe for the Wenqu star."

"Do you expect me to watch him never wake up?" Xie Duo abruptly stood up, his fear no longer concealed in his eyes. "You have to help me. You must help me!"

The Daoist wore a helpless expression.

"Why is he in conflict with me?" Xie Duo couldn't believe it. "Did we have some kind of past feud? Then why did I fall in love with him? What exactly is Heaven's will? Was I born just to suffer its whims?"

The Daoist shook his head. "If there were karmic debts from a past life, this life might be a chance for mutual support. As for the reasons for the conflict, there are many. The calamity that has befallen Wenqu is likely due to a voluntary sacrifice, which altered the course of Ziwei's path, leading to this backlash."

Xie Duo frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

The Daoist stroked his beard and guessed, "When Ziwei descends, it must go through a trial. If Your Majesty has been blessed with good fortune in this lifetime, it's possible that the previous life's Wenqu used his life to offset the debt with Ziwei."

Xie Duo's pupils contracted, his mind suddenly echoing with a resounding realization.

He remembered the night they first made love, the way the little child prodigy had looked at him, as if waiting for him for a lifetime.

"Han Xiaobai, did you figure out that I liked you a long time ago?"

"I figured it out earlier than Your Highness. I just kept it in my heart all this time, until the second time Your Highness saved me. That's when I made up my mind to be with Your Highness for two lifetimes."

......

"Why two lifetimes?"

"Your Highness didn't ask me why I said that at the time?"

......

"I simply wanted Master Liu to voluntarily resign from his position to prevent any dispute with Prince Yan."

"Whether you believe it or not, I did all of this for you!"

...

"In the past, I didn't want you to have conflicts with Prince Yan primarily out of concern that it might bring trouble to you. But you always thought I favored your brother."

"But fate played a trick on me. Heaven made me fall in love with you. I tried to hide from it before, but I couldn't resist my own heart. Xie Duo, whether you're high above or in the depths, I can only follow you because I can't live without you."

......

The words the little child prodigy had said in the past cut into Xie Duo's heart like a sharp blade. An indescribable pain assaulted him. He staggered back a few steps, and sat back down in the chair.

"Yes," he stared blankly at the ground, speaking in a hoarse voice, "He pulled me out from the abyss, but what does this have to do with Heaven's will? Did Heaven do anything other than play tricks on us? Why should his life be used as payment?"

Seeing the young Emperor's lifeless face, the Daoist hurriedly approached, offering words of comfort. "Heaven's will is neither good nor evil, and it has no intention of deceiving Your Majesty. The world's karma is in our own hands."

A moment of eerie silence.

Xie Duo slowly raised his eyes and looked at the Daoist. "I don't want him to pay for my fate. If I were to die before him, would he have a safe life?"

The Daoist respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, as I mentioned earlier, mortals can only shape their own destinies. They cannot control Heaven's will. If you were to harm yourself in an attempt to alter Wenqu's fate, it would likely backfire."

"Then why can Han Jiao change my destiny?"

The Daoist nodded. "It's a coincidence. Perhaps he had accumulated enough merits over several lifetimes to alter his own life path. However, such changes may not necessarily affect your destiny. But if his changes do impact your life, he will have to provide corresponding compensation. Moreover, as the Ziwei star descendent, any change in your fate will inevitably affect the destiny of the people, and these variables will diminish the lifespan and wisdom of the one who offers the sacrifice."

Xie Duo became increasingly confused as he listened. "Is there a way to change my destiny's impact on him? Do my merits suffice? Last year, I prevented the Tatar invasion, saving at least half the lives of the capital's people. Is that enough?"

The Daoist shook his head. "Merits lie in the heart, not in quantity. Such situations can only be left to fate."

"Left to fate? He's nearly dying!" Xie Duo stood up again, pacing anxiously. "Wenqu fades, Ziwei takes its place. The verdict is as such, why can't I break this fate by abdicating the throne?"

The Daoist turned to face him. "Your Majesty, if you willingly abdicate the throne, it indeed can alter this fate. But if it's done forcibly to escape it, Wenqu will surely face a great calamity."

Xie Duo suddenly halted, turned around, and looked at the Daoist in disbelief. After a long pause, he spoke in astonishment, "Master, why didn't you say this earlier?"

The number one cuju master of Great Chu had never desired to become an emperor in this lifetime.

That evening, Prince Yan was urgently summoned to the imperial palace. Without any formal declaration, the Emperor handed him a scroll.

Prince Yan accepted the scroll in bewilderment. As he unrolled it and read, he was left completely stunned.

He looked up at his ninth brother and, in a dazed manner, said, "A'Duo, you are the emperor of Great Chu now. You can't indulge in childish games like before."

Xie Duo patted his sixth brother's shoulder. "No, you are the Emperor of Great Chu now. I am the retired Emperor. From now on, you'll have to bear more responsibility for the affairs of the state."

Prince Yan sternly warned, "If you keep fooling around, I'll summon Mother Empress and Third Brother to give you a taste of ear-twisting and plate-clearing together."

"Sixth Brother, I'm serious," Xie Duo said, shaking Prince Yan's shoulder with gravity. "For now, you'll continue handling the affairs as you did before until all the political factions within the court are under control. Then we can make a public announcement."

Prince Yan narrowed his eyes menacingly. "A few days of paperwork drove you crazy, didn't it? At seventeen, you want to be the retired Emperor? Are you trying to be remembered as the laziest Emperor in history?"

Xie Duo was displeased. "Why is it considered lazy? My ambitions lie elsewhere, as you know. Besides, I'll have plenty of opportunities to protect the nation and defeat enemies. Isn't it good for both of us to pursue our interests? In fact, I had planned to abdicate in a couple of years, but now, with Han Jiao's life hanging by a thread, you can't refuse."

"Hanging by a thread?" Prince Yan was taken aback. "What happened to Master Xiaobai? Didn't the Imperial Physician say he had a normal pulse and would recover soon?"

Xie Duo relayed the Daoist's words to Prince Yan exactly as they were.

These bewildering words furrowed Prince Yan's brow deeply. "Could this Daoist be a partisan sent to persuade you to abdicate?"

"Right now, whether true or not, I can only believe," Xie Duo said solemnly. He looked at his brother intently. "Han Jiao's life is at stake, and I can't take that gamble."

Prince Yan's thoughts were in disarray. "But this is such a significant matter..."

"I will abdicate sooner or later," Xie Duo reiterated. "Major events will occur sooner or later. Big Brother, when Father Emperor tried to sow discord between us, it was thanks to Han Jiao's strong intervention that I didn't make a grave mistake. You wouldn't want to stand by and watch him lose his life, would you?"

"Of course, I don't want to see anything happen to Master Xiaobai!" Prince Yan was perplexed. "...Accepting this decree can save him?"

"Yes," Xie Duo explained with excitement, "I've clarified everything. As long as I willingly abdicate the throne to someone who voluntarily accepts it, it'll break Han Jiao's fate."

Prince Yan scratched his head in confusion. He lowered his eyes to examine the decree once again, and still felt something was amiss. "Are you trying to take advantage of me? How did you suddenly become the retired Emperor? It doesn't make sense in terms of seniority, does it?"

"First, accept the appointment."

Urged by his ninth brother, Prince Yan reluctantly agreed. Without time for in-depth discussions, he saw his younger brother rush into the bedchamber.

Han Jiao was sleeping soundly, and Xie Duo patiently waited by his bedside all night. It was only in the early morning of the next day that he gently woke him up.

However, Han Jiao still couldn't remember Xie Duo's name.

The Daoist advised Xie Duo to be patient.

How could he possibly remain patient?

Prince Yan was also deeply concerned about Han Jiao's condition. He decided to bring the paperwork into the ninth brother's chambers to review, keeping him company while they watched over Master Xiaobai.

Han Jiao started to slip into round-the-clock unconsciousness. Xie Duo became increasingly silent.

In an effort to divert his attention, Prince Yan frequently brought documents to ask for Xie Duo's advice. At first, Xie Duo responded with impatience. After three days and with Han Jiao still unresponsive, Xie Duo lost interest in state affairs.

Prince Yan wasn't good at comforting people. After some thought, he resorted to a constant monologue, using the documents to provoke his ninth brother's attention.

However, in the spacious outer hall, only the ceaseless soliloquy of Prince Yan could be heard.

Xie Duo, sitting with his head down in a circular chair, could barely hear his own breath.

"I have discussed this issue in the memorials before, haven't I, Your Highness?" A clear voice suddenly echoed from the inner chamber.

Startled, both Xie Duo and Prince Yan turned to see a young court official in white attire. He walked into their line of sight with a smile, reminiscent of their time in the study.

"I've already explored it in my memorials. If we truly wish to achieve effective oversight and control in this industry, power must be decentralized to the populace. There should be fair competition, stringent restrictions on governmental authority, and only a fraction of taxes collected. This would eliminate opportunities for corruption, and it would also encourage citizens to serve the nation more actively."

"Master Xiaobai!" Prince Yan suddenly stood up. "You... you've finally awakened?"

Han Jiao smiled faintly and made a courteous gesture. "I apologize for causing Your Highness to worry."

Prince Yan let out a long sigh of relief, patting his chest. "I'm fine, but look at my Ninth Brother. You really scared him!"

Han Jiao's long lashes trembled slightly, his gaze shifting as he looked towards the silent young man beside him.

Xie Duo maintained an expressionless look while he approached, slowly standing up and walking closer.

Han Jiao's clenched fists beneath his long sleeves suddenly tightened, his eyes raised to meet Xie Duo's. He controlled his emotions, taking two steps back.

Xie Duo gazed at him attentively, a patient smile on his face. He took two more steps, as if afraid of frightening the little child prodigy away.

Han Jiao also smiled, not taking his eyes off this stinky little brother, but his eyes welled up with tears. He spoke softly, "Xie Duo, don't you dare hug me, or I'll cry. Your brother is still there."

Xie Duo chuckled, revealing a pair of small, mischievous tiger teeth. "Just wait and see." He turned and walked over to his sixth brother.

"What are you doing?" Prince Yan looked perplexed as his ninth brother approached. He reached out his sinful hand, grabbing the back of his chair—

A scraping sound, and Prince Yan's chair was turned, facing the wall behind him.

Seated in the chair, Prince Yan was forcibly turned to face the wall, unable to see the graceful figure of Master Xiaobai behind him.

Wickedly, his ninth brother turned and walked towards Master Xiaobai. Prince Yan, curious, attempted to turn as well, but suddenly heard a muffled "thump," followed by the suppressed sobbing of Master Xiaobai...

Prince Yan blinked in confusion. To avoid embarrassment, he could only use his ears to discern the activities behind him.

Then, he seemed to hear sounds of sucking and heavy breathing...

"What are you two doing?" Prince Yan's eyes widened in shock, unable bring himself to turn around. He anxiously stared at the wall and demanded, "A'Duo? What are you doing to Master Xiaobai? Don't get carried away!"

The sucking sounds grew more intense...

In the main hall, the eunuchs suddenly heard Prince Yan's horrified shout, "Don't get carried away!!!!!!!"

[End]

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