EHW Ch19

Pei Xin decided to treat Gu Fangzhi’s words as nothing more than nonsense.

He knew that sooner or later the man would just rewind time again, so he simply closed his eyes in silent despair.

Inside, he felt no emotion at all,  perhaps because this damned sorcerer had already worn his patience down to a stagnant puddle.

But then Gu Fangzhi didn’t cast his spell.

Pei Xin: “?”

That made even less sense.

Surely he wasn’t serious about that “fight everyone, conquer the world” speech?

Pei Xin opened his eyes, frowning in confusion.

Gu Fangzhi was watching him too, his expression complicated, a mix of resignation, amusement, and faint regret.

What was that supposed to mean?

Usually it was others trying to read his face; Pei Xin rarely bothered to study anyone else’s.

But Gu Fangzhi, though usually composed and polite, sometimes revealed genuine emotion like now, making him unexpectedly vivid.

Just as Pei Xin was quietly observing, Gu Fangzhi suddenly smiled at him.

Not the mild, courteous smile he wore by habit, but one that was bright and open,  and for some reason it gave Pei Xin a terrible sense of foreboding.

Gu Fangzhi said apologetically, “Sorry about this.”

The next moment, Pei Xin heard that all-too-familiar voice again:

“A gentleman follows the Way, walks the Middle Path; withdraws from the world, unrecognized yet unrepentant…”

Pei Xin: “…………”

Gu Fangzhi sighed beside him, sounding helpless.

A mistake.

He’d been thinking too much about the protagonist and forgot to save.

Truly, his “cultivation heart” had wavered.

Well, there was no helping it. As dull as the lesson was, it was better than leaving Pei Xin with memories of his brain-fried rambling. He’d rather sit through the lecture again, and take the chance to think carefully about how to answer Pei Xin’s question next time.

Unfortunately, that meant misery for the poor tutor.

The man had always been terrified of Pei Xin. He’d heard all the rumors: that the emperor was a ruthless tyrant who killed without blinking.

Every tutoring session took every ounce of courage he had.

Still, over the past few days, he’d realized that while Pei Xin’s face was always cold, he wasn’t cruel.

He was quick-witted and learned fast, truly, having such a student was a blessing.

The thought made the teacher smile in relief, until he looked up and met Pei Xin’s glare, sharp as a drawn blade.

Why… why was His Majesty glaring at him like that? As if he meant to tear him apart in the next second?!

Panicking, the tutor glanced desperately at Gu Fangzhi for help,  but Gu Fangzhi was spacing out, not even noticing.

The poor man was on the verge of tears as he forced himself to keep lecturing, voice trembling more with every line.

He clutched his scrolls as if they were his last defense, terrified Pei Xin would suddenly fly into a rage and rip him to shreds.

Fortunately, Pei Xin was brooding and Gu Fangzhi was lost in thought, so neither paid him any mind.

Because of his fear, the tutor slowed down, dragging out the lesson. Just as he reached the final line, Yang Luhai’s voice called from outside:

“Your Majesty… the envoy from Xihu urgently requests an audience.”

Pei Xin’s head shot up.

Finally.

“Summon him, now. Immediately,” he said.

Forget the envoy, even if Yang Luhai announced that a cat outside was about to give birth, Pei Xin would gladly go deliver the kittens himself, so long as it meant escaping this nightmare of ‘A gentleman follows the Way…’

…On second thought, helping Yang Luhai give birth might be a step too far.

While they waited for the envoy, the tutor hurriedly packed up his scrolls.

Pei Xin glanced at Gu Fangzhi, who was standing motionless, and decided to take the initiative this time, to make things play out differently.

“Teacher, you must be tired,” Pei Xin said. “Go back and rest early.”

Gu Fangzhi immediately replied, “Your Majesty has not rested; how could this minister dare?
I wish to remain by Your Majesty’s side, to share your burdens, offer counsel, and assist in every way!”

Pei Xin: “…………”

Did he really think Pei Xin had forgotten the cheerful tone he’d used last time when he was about to leave?

Shameless. Utterly shameless.

Pei Xin’s expression hardened as he began to dismiss him. “Teacher should still- ”

But halfway through, he noticed Gu Fangzhi’s sleeve move slightly.

Gu Fangzhi’s spell gestures were small, just a subtle motion of the fingers; if Pei Xin weren’t so alert, he might have missed it.

Instantly, dread surged through him. Anything was better than another round of ‘A gentleman follows the Way.’

“should still stay,” Pei Xin said hastily, changing his words mid-sentence.

“Stay here and listen to what the Xihu envoy has to say.”

Gu Fangzhi’s eyes lit up.

He lowered his hand, canceling the spell, and leaned closer, lowering his voice mysteriously.
“Your Majesty.”

“What?”

Gu Fangzhi bent nearer, speaking in a secretive whisper. “I already know why the envoy from Xihu has come.”

Pei Xin: “……?”

Of course you do, you literally heard it all before. Now you’re pretending to be some all-knowing strategist?

Pei Xin nearly laughed in exasperation but played along. “And why is that?”

Gu Fangzhi said solemnly, “To borrow troops.”

Then, realizing how plain that sounded, he reloaded the moment and repeated it in an airy, dramatic tone:

“–To borrow troops. ”

Pei Xin: “……”

Just when he thought Gu Fangzhi couldn’t get any stranger, the man somehow managed to outdo himself.

Truly… impressive.

The two were standing very close.

When Gu Fangzhi spoke, his voice brushed lightly against Pei Xin’s ear, leaving him uncomfortably aware of the warmth between them.

He turned the white jade ring on his finger, but before he could reply, the Xihu envoy entered the inner hall.

The conversation that followed was nearly identical to the previous one, but this time, since Gu Fangzhi already knew what to expect, he added a few extra questions about Li Hao.

Unfortunately, the envoy didn’t know much more nothing of real value could be pried out of him.

Once the envoy had taken his leave, Pei Xin glanced toward Gu Fangzhi.

He debated whether to ask again for Gu’s opinion, but hesitated, afraid that doing so would somehow trigger another rewind back to tonight’s “lesson.”

Another two rounds of that, and he feared he’d start counting how many beard hairs the poor tutor had.

While Pei Xin was still deciding, Gu Fangzhi spoke first.  “Your Majesty, regarding the matter of lending troops—I have a few thoughts.”

What thoughts? Pei Xin thought sourly. Attack north, then south, then east and west in turn?

His brow twitched twice, but he said nothing, waiting for Gu Fangzhi to continue.

Gu said, “It’s vital to find out why Li Hao insists on attacking Xihu in the first place.”

Pei Xin turned to look at him.

He couldn’t understand why Gu Fangzhi would say such a thing.

The borders were always rife with conflict, what else could it be about? Revenge, territory, grain— the usual things men fought for: survival and wealth.

He was already well aware of Xihu’s situation.

The spark had been a skirmish, two patrols meeting on a narrow road, words exchanged, tempers flaring.

The Xihu cavalry, hot-blooded as ever, struck first, killing two enemy soldiers.

But Gu Fangzhi shook his head.

“Has Your Majesty forgotten whose army Li Hao commands? The Faith of All Living Beings.
The Xihu cavalry are famed for their valor, but few know how depleted they’ve become after years of war.  The Faith has long harbored ambitions to establish a new emperor. This campaign against Xihu is just their excuse, a show of power to intimidate the realm.”

Pei Xin frowned. “And how does the teacher know all this?”

How?  From the main storyline, of course. He’d just burned through a dozen brain cells remembering it.

Fortunately, Gu Fangzhi had anticipated this question and already prepared an excuse.

“I heard it from my elder brother during a casual talk,” he said, “and added some speculation of my own. It may not be entirely accurate.”

The words ‘may not be accurate’ were added very reluctantly.

In truth, he wanted Pei Xin to believe him completely, to start being wary of Li Hao right away.

But Pei Xin heard something else in that phrasing.

When it came to warfare, Gu Yunchuan was no less skilled than Pei Xin or Qin Xuan.

The late emperor had merely been wary of him. After Gu Yunchuan lost his right arm, the emperor used that as an excuse to relieve him of command.

Hearing Gu Fangzhi mention his brother now, Pei Xin thought of one phrase: “whispering by the emperor’s ear.”

So that was it, this trickster had been circling around all this time, trying to get Gu Yunchuan reinstated?

It wasn’t necessarily a bad idea, actually.

If Gu Yunchuan held power again, he would still be under Pei Xin’s command.

And if Gu Fangzhi still cared about his brother, he’d be less likely to make reckless moves.

They could serve as checks against one another.

Pei Xin drummed his fingers lightly on the table.
He asked bluntly, “You wish for Gu Yunchuan to return to the battlefield?”

Gu Fangzhi’s eyes flew wide open. He stared at Pei Xin in disbelief.

“My brother…” — he gestured with his right hand — “like this…”

 “…already like this…”

 “…Your Majesty still wants him…” 

 “…to go fight?!” 

Pei Xin: “……”

Oh, great.

Now he was being accused of bullying the disabled.

For a moment, Pei Xin’s vision went black, not because of magic this time, but from sheer frustration.

Through clenched teeth, he said, “It was merely a question. The final decision depends on Gu Yunchuan himself.”

Only then did Gu Fangzhi finally retract his accusatory stare.

They discussed Xihu a while longer.

Well—“discussed.”

Gu Fangzhi’s real stance was simple: let someone else make the decision.

The most violent “war” he’d ever experienced was fighting for a one-cent red envelope in a group chat during New Year’s.
To him, war was something out of news reports, novels, or games—something he could empathize with, but never truly grasp.

He couldn’t decide anything.
But he did something else instead,  he solemnly opened the game’s main menu and saved over Save File #1 with the current time.

After that, he told Pei Xin, “Everything shall be at Your Majesty’s discretion. I will give my full support. And if anything goes wrong—”

Pei Xin looked at him. “Then what?”

Gu Fangzhi said firmly, “There won’t be any mistakes! This minister will never let Your Majesty make a decision you’ll regret!”

Pei Xin’s mind worked quickly. It only took a second for him to realize what Gu Fangzhi was hinting at.

He hid his reaction and nodded slightly.

They spoke a little longer before Gu Fangzhi excused himself.

He had been standing for so long that his legs had gone numb—and earlier that day, he’d strained his inner thigh while riding. The moment he took a step, pain and pins-and-needles hit all at once.

Gu Fangzhi: “Aah—ow—hiss—!”

Pei Xin: “?”

In the next instant, the “wild man” transformed back into a refined beauty. Gu Fangzhi composed himself and said calmly, “Your Majesty should rest early. This minister takes his leave.”

Pei Xin: “……”

He nodded, watching as Gu Fangzhi hobbled out, step by careful step. When the man’s figure finally disappeared from view, Pei Xin couldn’t help but smile faintly.

Gu Fangzhi might be eccentric, but at times, he was surprisingly entertaining.

“Yang Luhai,” Pei Xin called. “Send Gu Fangzhi a bottle of Qiongqing Balm.”