EHW Ch32

That night, the “True Dragon Emperor” Pei Xin, freshly bathed, lay wearily on the dragon bed.

He hadn’t summoned Gu Fangzhi to keep watch.

There were two reasons.

First, Gu Fangzhi’s younger brother was still ill. Since Pei Xin intended to draw Gu Fangzhi closer, he should occasionally grant him small favors, like more time with family.

Second, Pei Xin wanted to test whether he could fall asleep on his own.

He still distrusted Gu Fangzhi… yet couldn’t help but trust him.

Whenever Gu Fangzhi was present, Pei Xin often grew so irritated he nearly saw stars,
but undeniably, his sleep became steadier.

Guardedness and dependence blended uneasily in his heart, leaving him quietly frustrated.

After lying there for a while, he still wasn’t sleepy.

He realized how laughable it was to think, an hour ago, that his sleep had improved.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he decided to read.

Just as he rose, something caught his eye.

The eunuch on duty tonight wasn’t Yang Luhai, and the small couch in the outer chamber was empty.

By the pillow lay a neatly folded blue robe.

Gu Fangzhi’s robe, the one he’d left here last time.

Pei Xin frowned and stepped closer.

The robe wasn’t flashy, but neither was it plain: soft, smooth fabric that shimmered faintly under lamplight, a simple silver cloud pattern stitched at the collar.

It wasn’t luxurious, but elegant, just like the man who wore it.

Pei Xin picked it up and held it before him.

The osmanthus scent had faded, mingled now with the soapwort fragrance of the laundry hall.

The fabric brushed his nose, tickling slightly.

Pei Xin: “……”

Wait a minute.

‘Is he so tired he’s gone stupid? Why is he smelling Gu Fangzhi’s clothes?’

He scowled, face twisting in disgust, and tossed the robe back onto the couch as though it were a burning coal.

****

The next day marked the Beginning of Winter.

A time when life withdraws and the world rests.

In the late emperor’s day, this meant a family banquet.

But Pei Xin had neither empress nor children, only a few princely cousins, so he replaced it with a small palace feast, inviting the royal kin, senior ministers… and the ever-annoying flatterer, Gu Fangzhi.

The banquet was held in the imperial garden.

The air smelled damp from last night’s rain; lanterns hung among the bamboo, their light swaying gently in the wind.

The Right Chancellor smiled.

“The dancing bamboo shadows, so tranquil and refined. A scene of pure elegance.”

Grand Tutor Sun added, “Unostentatious yet dignified, truly fitting for sovereign and guests alike.”

General Qin Xuan nodded.

“Indeed.”

Gu Fangzhi chimed in, deadpan:

“I see nothing but cold wind whistling, north wind biting, freezing us all.”

Pei Xin: “…………”

 ‘What’s wrong with this man?’

‘Now he decides to be poetic?’

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Pei Xin’s vision darkened for an instant, Gu Fangzhi had clearly rewound time again.

Then he heard, perfectly serious:

“Bamboo, for its resilience, lanterns, for their brightness and harmony. They represent His Majesty’s hopes for us all! We shall not fail His Majesty’s grace!”

Pei Xin: “……”

Too late, he’d already rolled his eyes.

Since Pei Xin disliked noise, no music or dance had been arranged; the meal passed quietly.

When it ended, the officials rose to offer thanks and farewell.

Pei Xin gestured for them to skip the formalities and ordered the attendants to distribute rewards.

Gu Fangzhi’s gift was a jade ruyi scepter.

He turned it in his hands, then looked up as Pei Xin’s figure receded into the distance.

Ah-Qi later told him that Gu Huaiyu had finished his business at the shop and would return soon.

Gu Yunchuan planned a welcome banquet that would coincide with the seasonal celebration, lively and warm.

When Gu Fangzhi passed by the Gu residence earlier, it had been bustling with light and laughter.

Recalling that scene and then glancing at Pei Xin’s solitary, slender back, he felt a twinge of something he couldn’t name.

He pocketed the jade ruyi and jogged two steps forward, only two, before laziness won out and he reloaded time to just after the banquet ended.

Pei Xin, already far away, suddenly found the Right Chancellor’s face popping up before him.

“……”

Expressionless, he looked around.

Impressive. Instant teleportation.

He was already used to Gu Fangzhi’s little sorceries, even half-amused by them now.

Finding himself back in the garden, he didn’t even bother glaring; he simply turned to walk again.

But Gu Fangzhi strode quickly toward him.

“Your Majesty.”

So Gu Fangzhi wanted something from him? How convenient.

When Gu Fangzhi drew near, Pei Xin raised a brow.

“What is it, Teacher?”

“This minister was wondering…” Gu Fangzhi hesitated, embarrassed. “If Your Majesty has no business tonight, would you care to dine at my humble home?”

Pei Xin blinked, startled. His eyes widened slightly.

Gu Fangzhi, flustered by the silence, lifted a hand to rub his cheek.

Pei Xin, seeing the wide sleeve move, completely misread the gesture.
He reached out, pressed down on Gu Fangzhi’s right hand through the sleeve, and said coolly:

“I’ll go.”

At his side, Yang Luhai smiled with relief.

Pei Xin frowned.

“What are you laughing at?”

Before the eunuch could answer, Gu Fangzhi cut in brightly, 

“Eunuch Yang is laughing because, ‘Our young master’s finally made a friend! He hasn’t smiled like that in ages! I’ve never seen him care so much for any man before! You’re the first to bring him home! Now tell me, how much silver to make you leave him alone?!’”

Pei Xin: “……?”

‘What the hell? Was that supposed to be a spell incantation?’

Gu Fangzhi instantly reloaded, silent as a chicken this time.

Yang Luhai rubbed his face, still smiling.

“Did I laugh, Your Majesty? I was merely thinking to prepare everything for Your Majesty’s outing.”

Pei Xin’s decision to leave the palace came so suddenly that the attendants burst into motion at once, some running ahead to inform the Gu household, others gathering the emperor’s usual personal effects.

Yang Luhai pulled Gu Fangzhi aside, fussing over him nonstop:

“Meals and clothing needn’t trouble Lord Gu, but about the room — under no circumstances prepare a freshly cleaned one! It must, must be a room someone has lived in before, a guest room or an old bedchamber.”

Gu Fangzhi, curious, saved a quick mental “checkpoint” and asked,

“Why so?”

Yang Luhai explained,

“New rooms tend to hide… things.”

Hide things?

Ah, he understood.
Pei Xin wanted a room with clear signs of habitation, so he could be sure there were no traps, hidden passages, or concealed mechanisms.

Gu Fangzhi nodded in sudden realization, then re-loaded to just before he’d asked, smiling knowingly instead:

“This humble official already knows.”

Yang Luhai beamed.

“Lord Gu truly sets one’s mind at ease.”

Ahead of them, Pei Xin, who had heard everything, rolled his eyes freely now that Gu Fangzhi couldn’t see him.

Gu Fangzhi, what a sly, self-important trickster. If civil-service exams existed for men like him, Pei Xin couldn’t imagine the chaos he’d cause in the examination hall.

Still… the man’s use of that witchcraft of his was, admittedly, clever.

***

When other officials learned that Pei Xin was visiting the Gu residence, their eyes bulged like eggs.

“Gu Fangzhi really knows how to please His Majesty!”

Someone turned to General Qin Xuan.

“General Qin, what do you make of this?”

Qin Xuan: “……”

‘He’s going to meet the family already?’

The progress… was rather fast.

And that mark around Gu Fangzhi’s neck—

Too much. Qin Xuan didn’t even want to picture it. 

He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“With my eyes, apparently.”

If possible, he’d rather not look at all.

The questioner blinked.

“…?”

Unexpectedly, young General Qin had a sense of humor.

For this trip, Pei Xin went in semi-disguise, an emperor on a private visit.

He changed into clothing that wasn’t too fine, rode in a modest sedan chair, and accompanied Gu Fangzhi toward the Gu estate.

They shared the same carriage.

In the narrow cabin, Gu Fangzhi could smell the faint medicinal bitterness clinging to Pei Xin, and as he leaned on his hand to watch the passing streets, he started to feel that maybe this invitation had been… impulsive.

Inviting the emperor home, it was like dragging the head teacher to a class reunion.

Still, Gu Yunchuan and Gu Huaiyu surely wouldn’t mind.

If they did mind, he’d gift them some golden melon seeds.

If they still minded, he’d give them more.

After all, he could always earn extra by keeping the emperor company for a few more nights.

Pei Xin noticed the faint smile on Gu Fangzhi’s lips and the sparkle in his eyes. Curious, he nudged Gu Fangzhi’s knee with his own.

“What are you thinking about, Teacher?”

Gu Fangzhi, still lost in thought, answered honestly,

“I was thinking about Your Majesty’s golden melon seeds.”

The first half of that sentence made Pei Xin blink.

The last half made him seethe.

Realizing his mistake, Gu Fangzhi hurriedly re-loaded and corrected himself:

“I was thinking about how I might better serve this great realm.”

Pei Xin: “……”

‘What an actor.’

He pressed a hand to his cheek, feeling a sudden, unexplainable sourness.

When the carriage arrived at the Gu residence, although Pei Xin had instructed that there be no pomp, Gu Yunchuan, Gu Huaiyu, Manman, and the entire household staff were already waiting at the gate.

Pei Xin raised a hand.

“Rise.”

An emperor visiting someone’s home was an event of monumental importance, in any world, in any story.

Gu Fangzhi, terrified of making mistakes, saved a checkpoint at every step.

“Teacher,” Pei Xin said, “you’ve stepped on my robe.”

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

Well, saving every step didn’t stop him from stepping on the emperor.

He opened the “game menu,” ready to reload.

A cold gust knifed through his collar, making him shiver.

That slight tremor nudged his finger off the second save slot and onto the first.

The world went black and when Pei Xin blinked again, he was no longer outside the Gu estate.

He was sitting at his desk in the palace’s traveling residence.

Far away, an envoy from the Western Tribes sighed and turned to leave the room.

Pei Xin: “?”

Pei Xin: “……?????”

Wait— wait just a minute!

It was just a stepped-on robe! How had he jumped back an entire month?!

His mouth twitched violently. Then he heard Gu Fangzhi’s voice to his right:

“Ah, wrong one, wrong one.”

The next instant, the bright palace vanished.

Cold wind brushed his face again — and he was back at the Gu gates.

Pei Xin shut his eyes, inhaled deeply through his nose, and exhaled soundlessly.

“…………”

Sometimes, Pei Xin thought, he really was rather lucky.

He tried to think positively, cheerfully, even:

His real father may be dead, but his “living” father clearly has a lifespan longer than the mountains.