EHW Ch11

Pei Xin once again threw Gu Fangzhi onto the chair.

Gu Fangzhi said, “Much obliged, much obliged.”, all while his head drooped lower and lower until he ended up resting his arms on the table, looking about ready to fall asleep.

A man who could be knocked out cold after just a few sips of wine, and yet possessed such powerful sorcery.

It was truly laughable. Truly frustrating.

A deep color flickered in Pei Xin’s eyes. Suddenly, he took two steps forward, closing in on Gu Fangzhi.

His long, defined fingers reached toward Gu Fangzhi’s neck.

Then stopped halfway.

He hadn’t really meant to hurt or kill Gu Fangzhi.

Not that he didn’t want to, but that he couldn’t.

The man had collapsed before his very eyes, life or death uncertain, yet somehow had been able to unconsciously cast witchcraft to reverse time.

If he killed him, things would probably become even more complicated.
And if he angered him again… things might spiral into something even harder to control.

Until he found someone who could match Gu Fangzhi’s power, Pei Xin wouldn’t dare act rashly.

The real reason he stopped was that he feared he might not be able to control himself.

Pei Xin dropped his hand, scowled at Gu Fangzhi, and gave the man’s calf a not-too-hard kick, just to vent some of the irritation that had been building up inside him.

Gu Fangzhi groaned twice.

In the next instant, Pei Xin found himself standing at the door again.

Gu Fangzhi fell to the floor again.

Pei Xin: “……”

Face dark as thunder, he caught the troublesome man and tossed him back onto the chair, then turned to leave.

Yang Luhai asked, “Your Majesty, should we send Lord Gu back to the banquet?”

If Gu Fangzhi fell on the way, or if the servants hurt him while helping him, or if he simply felt unwell from the alcohol…

Pei Xin didn’t even want to imagine what kind of time-loop trap he’d get stuck in again.

“No need,” Pei Xin said coldly. “He’s worked hard today. Let him rest in the study.”

***

Gu Fangzhi was sleeping soundly, but soft rustling noises kept echoing in his ears.

He gradually woke up and opened his eyes.

Huh?

 Where was this place?

 Why did it look so much like Pei Xin’s study?

Gu Fangzhi blinked in confusion and sat up.

His memory stopped at Song Jingzhou mentioning that terrifying crocodile soup. After that, everything was a blur.

It was all that damned wine’s fault.

Strangely enough, while Gu Fangzhi’s alcohol tolerance wasn’t great back in modern times, he’d never gotten this drunk before.

He suspected ancient brewing methods were simply too different.

Checking his save files, he noticed that his original Slot 2 had been overwritten, not by him, but by the system’s auto-save.

The system had only ever auto-saved twice before, both times when he was about to die.

…So what exactly happened last night?

Driven by deadly curiosity, Gu Fangzhi saved a new file for the present moment and loaded last night’s save.

After settling Gu Fangzhi, Pei Xin returned to the banquet.

When he left the imperial study, Gu Fangzhi had been sleeping soundly, head resting on the pillow, breathing even.

He wouldn’t be waking anytime soon.

And if he didn’t wake, he couldn’t use witchcraft again.

Which meant Pei Xin wouldn’t be getting turned into some paper-thin puppet tonight.

His mood lifted for once, and his perpetually cold expression softened a little.

As the emperor, the focus of all attention, this shift didn’t go unnoticed.

Courtiers and foreign envoys began speculating about what had pleased the Dragon-faced ruler so much—

“Was it that man performing the sword dance? Who would’ve thought His Majesty favored such a brawny specimen…”

 “No, no, I believe it was that lady playing the zither over there…”

“But His Majesty keeps looking this way… Surely he hasn’t taken a liking to me, has he? Heaven help me, I’m far too old…”

Pei Xin took a sip of wine, only to be informed that people were now offering to “present” the bearded dancer, the pregnant lady, and the graying minister to him.

Pei Xin: “…………”

“Get. Out.”

Not beheading them was already mercy.

Aside from that small interruption, Pei Xin actually enjoyed the rest of the evening.

After the banquet, he rose amid the kneeling of his officials, took a pleasant stroll through the imperial garden, and then retired for the night.

Soaking in a medicinal bath, he finally lay down, planning to review a few memorials before sleep, but, unusually, drowsiness soon overcame him.

Half-asleep, Pei Xin thought of Gu Fangzhi.

That usually distant, unreadable man could actually look so embarrassingly disheveled when drunk.

Watching him make a fool of himself… was unexpectedly satisfying.

Pei Xin’s lips curved faintly before he drifted off.

Perhaps because he was in a good mood, it was the best sleep he’d had in ages, no nightmares, no screaming voices, no haunting echoes.

He even overslept for once, lying in bed longer than usual.

Then—

Everything went black, the world spun, and suddenly—

He was standing at the imperial study door again.

Before him swayed a dazed, tipsy Gu Fangzhi.

Pei Xin: “……”

He reached out, caught Gu Fangzhi, and threw him back onto the chair.

Gu Fangzhi grunted, and vanished the next second.

Pei Xin found himself lying back in bed.

Pei Xin: “…………”

Yesterday, Gu Fangzhi hadn’t used any witchcraft even when Pei Xin had been humiliated in front of everyone.

But now, early in the morning, Gu Fangzhi, what the hell are you doing again?

Pei Xin’s good mood instantly vanished by half.

***

Meanwhile, in the imperial study—

Gu Fangzhi had no idea he was currently trapped in a paradox.

Because he was drunk, he couldn’t remember what happened last night.

→ So he decided to check his save files.
→ Discovered an automatic save.
→ Realized he might’ve triggered a bad ending.
→ Became even more curious.
→ Loaded last night’s save.
→ His body in that save was still drunk.
→ Returned to the present time, still with no memory of what happened.

Gu Fangzhi felt the emptiness in his memory and was utterly bewildered.

With an inquisitive spirit, he once again loaded last night’s save file.

 

Lying on his bed with a sigh of relief, Pei Xin once more saw Gu Fangzhi tumbling toward him.

 

Enough. He said, enough.

 

How many more times would this repeat?

 

No wonder he hadn’t had nightmares last night, his nightmare had simply come to life.

 

Pei Xin caught Gu Fangzhi and shouted the man’s name in fury: “Gu Fangzhi!”

 

In the next instant, time reset to early morning.

 

But in the blink of an eye, Pei Xin was back again.

 

By now, he was so practiced he could catch Gu Fangzhi with his eyes closed.

 

A pitiful kind of mastery.

 

Returning to the present, Pei Xin got out of bed.

“Yang Luhai!”

 

“Summon Gu Fangzhi to see me, no.” Pei Xin corrected himself.

“Prepare the carriage. I’ll go to the Imperial Study. I’m going to see Gu Fangzhi.”

 

News spread quickly through the palace: the emperor had risen without even taking breakfast, heading straight to meet Gu Fangzhi.

 

Yang Luhai acknowledged with a quiet “yes,” though there was a faint smile in his eyes.

 

When Pei Xin came back from yet another throw-and-reset of Gu Fangzhi, he caught that smile and frowned.

“What are you laughing at?”

 

“Did this servant laugh?”

Yang Luhai touched his face and indeed, the corners of his lips were curved upward.

 

He looked up at the young emperor, but couldn’t read a single emotion from Pei Xin’s expression.

 

True, His Majesty looked a bit lifeless, lacking the vitality one would expect from a seventeen-year-old boy, but at least he seemed calm.

 

So Yang Luhai braved himself to say, “Your Majesty, this servant only thought… that Your Majesty seems quite fond of Lord Gu. Not only did you keep him in the palace overnight, but you’re visiting him so early this morning.”

 

Pei Xin, having just thrown Gu Fangzhi again, returned to hear that and thought: “……”

 

So this is how Dou E ended up wronged to death back then.

 

He tossed Gu Fangzhi one more time and couldn’t even be bothered to argue anymore.

He only muttered darkly, “Hurry up.”

 

He barely had time for a quick wash before the dragon carriage set off toward the Imperial Study.

 

On the way, Pei Xin threw Gu Fangzhi three more times.

 

In all his life, he’d never realized time could feel this long.

 

When they finally arrived, Pei Xin strode quickly inside.

 

Gu Fangzhi was washing up.

 

A servant had brought water; he was bent over the basin in only his inner robe.

 

His hair was still loose, dark and thick, cascading to his waist and for the first time, Pei Xin noticed it had a natural wave to it.

 

He hadn’t announced himself. So when Gu Fangzhi, mid-wash, heard the maid call out, “Long live His Majesty,” he turned around so abruptly that he hadn’t even wiped his face—and started to kneel.

 

Pei Xin instinctively reached out and caught him.

 

Gu Fangzhi, caught by the waist and pressed against Pei Xin’s chest: “?”

 

Seeing the puzzled look on Gu Fangzhi’s face, Pei Xin helplessly closed his eyes.

 

The only one amused was Yang Luhai behind them, whispering to another eunuch,

“See? I told you His Majesty and Lord Gu are close!”

 

Pei Xin: “……”

 

He released Gu Fangzhi, who stepped back at once.

 

By now Pei Xin had developed a psychological trauma about Gu Fangzhi kneeling.

“Dispense with the formalities,” he said quickly.

 

As he spoke, Pei Xin caught a faint fragrance of osmanthus from his robes—the scent of Gu Fangzhi’s incense.

 

When he looked up again, droplets of water still clung to Gu Fangzhi’s temple, tracing down his cheek in clear, shimmering lines.

 

A wicked man, but unfairly beautiful.

 

Gu Fangzhi blinked in confusion. “Your Majesty?”

 

Pei Xin had come in a rush, his only goal was to stop Gu Fangzhi from rewinding again.

 

Faced with the question, Pei Xin hesitated for a rare moment, then made up an excuse:

“I have something to ask, Teacher.”

 

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

 

He laughed softly.

 

He was the type who could barely follow a game walkthrough or a movie plot—remembering any storyline was an achievement, let alone serving as an imperial adviser.

 

Still, he braced himself.

“Your Majesty, please ask.”

 

Pei Xin waved for the servants to leave.

 

Leaning casually against the desk, he said, “Half a month ago, the border army recruited a militia from Peng City. You’re well-informed, Teacher—you should have heard of this.”

 

“Ah… yes, yes…”

 

“Perhaps the people of Peng City have a bad nature. In this force, even the wet nurses and young children are thieves and bandits, unruly and disobedient.”

 

“Mhm… yes, yes…”

 

“The army has occupied Peng City but can’t control its citizens. Riots, hunger strikes, assaults, theft, arson. If you so much as scold them, they’ll bide their time for days just to torch a granary or fling animal dung at people.”

 

“They care nothing for life or death, as long as it amuses them.”

 

Pei Xin asked, “Does Teacher have any method to discipline them?”

 

Gu Fangzhi looked up toward the ceiling.

 

At first, Pei Xin thought he was deep in thought, and waited patiently.

 

But a full cup of tea’s time passed, and Gu Fangzhi hadn’t moved a muscle.

 

Growing impatient, Pei Xin frowned. “Teacher?”

 

Still motionless.

 

Pei Xin waved a hand before his eyes.

 

The truth was, after hearing the question, Gu Fangzhi had already decided on a plan, he’d come up with the perfect answer, then rewind to right after Pei Xin’s question.

 

That way, when he spoke, his brilliance would surely leave Pei Xin in awe.

 

Since he’d be rewinding anyway, this current timeline was basically a throwaway save.

 

So there was no need to be too formal about his words or behavior.

 

Gu Fangzhi brushed Pei Xin’s hand aside and said, “Oh, don’t rush me, I’m thinking.”

 

Pei Xin: “?”

 

He shot to his feet, face stormy. “Insolence!”

 

Speaking to the emperor without honorifics!

 

Not referring to himself with proper humility!

 

Insolence!

 

Using a flippant tone!

 

Insolence!!

 

Touching the emperor’s hand!

 

Utter insolence!!!