EHW Ch58

After that nap, Gu Fangzhi felt much better.

It was just that his head ached a little when he woke up, maybe from being scared by Pei Xin the night before.

Pei Xin was already awake, sitting at the desk writing something. When he heard the rustle of bedclothes, he glanced back and said, “Snowball, don’t bite people’s hair.”

Snowball let go with a soft whine.

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

“How amazing. My head doesn’t hurt anymore,” he said. “Your Majesty’s medical skills are incredible.”

Pei Xin: “……”

After Gu Fangzhi finished washing up, Pei Xin was still writing.

Gu Fangzhi, wiping the water from his face, leaned over curiously.

“What is Your Majesty writing?”

Pei Xin tilted slightly to the side so he could see the paper on the desk.

“I was thinking,” he said, “if Teacher is willing, we could use Teacher’s time-reversal magic for many things.”

“For example?”

“For example, to test the loyalty of officials, to locate all mineral deposits, to uncover the secrets of enemy nations…”

Good heavens.

Pei Xin was basically planning to play a cheat-code version of the game.

Gu Fangzhi rubbed his chin, mulling it over. “It could be done, but- ”

Pei Xin looked at him. “Hm?”

“It’s just that in this world, even if one seeks perfection, nothing can ever be flawless,” said Gu Fangzhi.
“If Your Majesty makes a wrong decision, this minister would gladly help you redo it. But if everything is redone endlessly, life will lose its flavor… Your Majesty is still young, you should experience more of the world’s many sides, so as not to waste your time.”

Pei Xin seemed surprised by that answer.

He fell silent for a moment; the sharpness in his expression softened gradually.

He smiled. “Teacher’s words make sense.”

Then he flipped the sheet of paper over and, quite suddenly, poked Gu Fangzhi’s waist with the end of his brush.

“When you get serious, you really do seem like a teacher.”

“Little- ”

Gu Fangzhi started to laugh. The word ‘kid’ almost slipped out by reflex, but Pei Xin’s raised eyebrows stopped him.

He quickly changed tack, bowing slightly. “This humble subject is unworthy, but deeply honored by Your Majesty’s praise.”

Pei Xin: “…………”

Not worth scolding.

After morning court, Gu Fangzhi went to the Ministry of Rites with Song Jingzhou.

He hadn’t worked in a while, so he felt a little rusty.

And the Ministry was chaos, preparing for New Year, for the sacrificial rites, and for Gu Yunchuan’s military commendation ceremony.

Amid the frenzy, mistakes were inevitable.

When Gu Fangzhi wrote a single wrong character and saw the ugly correction marks on the page, his composure cracked.

He reloaded the save from that morning, right after breakfast with Pei Xin.

At that moment, Pei Xin was discussing matters with the Right Chancellor.

Pei Xin glanced at the chancellor, who smiled politely, and the next second, everything went black.

When he opened his eyes again, the chancellor had turned into Snowball,
its ears twitching as it sneakily licked the inkstone.

Pei Xin: “?”

Ah. He really loved his life now, so many surprises every day.

Footsteps came from the doorway. Gu Fangzhi entered.

“Your Majesty, is now convenient? This minister needs to reload!”

Pei Xin, his heart as still as dead water, asked, “For what reason?”

Gu Fangzhi said solemnly, “I made… a minor mistake at work.”

“What kind of mistake? Fell asleep?”

“How could that be?” Gu Fangzhi protested. “A small clerical error.”

“Oh,” said Pei Xin. “So you wrote the wrong word.”

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

Oof.

This must be how someone feels when people find out their secret hobby is crossdressing.

He flushed. “May I, Your Majesty?”

“You may-” said Pei Xin. “But in exchange, within one shichen (two hours), you’ll help me rewind too.”

“Eh? Does Your Majesty need something?”

Pei Xin: “I’ll be meeting a minister later, I plan to test him.”

Gu Fangzhi understood immediately. He patted his chest.
“Leave it to me, Your Majesty.”

Their eyes met midair, both wearing sly, foxlike smiles.

The next instant, darkness fell before Pei Xin’s eyes.

Gu Fangzhi and Snowball vanished.

The Right Chancellor sat once more across from him.

Honestly, after getting used to the sight of that man and dog pair, both unhinged but pleasant to look at, seeing the Chancellor again felt… disappointing.

Pei Xin sighed, resting his head on his hand.

The Chancellor: “……?”

“Your Majesty,” he asked nervously, “does this minister’s face cause you distress?”

Pei Xin knowing about his save-loading had been completely unplanned, but after two days of adjustment, Gu Fangzhi had gotten somewhat used to it.

It was simple enough: he just had to warn Pei Xin before reloading, and as long as the timing wasn’t, say, while Pei Xin was bathing, the emperor usually didn’t mind.

Of course, part of why he adapted so quickly was that he was far too busy to think about it.

As year’s end approached, the Six Ministries feared the New Year more than pigs feared slaughter.

Everyone was buried in work; Gu Fangzhi had even spent two nights sleeping on the floor at the Ministry.

On the third day, a rest day, He Rang split the staff into two shifts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

At least they didn’t have to stay up past midnight anymore.

Gu Fangzhi was on the afternoon shift, and by the time he returned home, it was already dusk.

Street vendors were selling Western sweets; remembering how Manman liked them, he asked Ah-Qi to buy some as gifts for his brothers.

After dinner, he played string games with Manman for a while.

Exhausted, he decided to rest early.

But the moment he opened his bedroom door, he paused.

He sniffed, and caught a faint trace of that bitter medicinal scent unique to Pei Xin.

Then, from the darkness, came Pei Xin’s voice:
“Teacher.”

Gu Fangzhi was so startled that his legs moved on instinct, he stumbled back a step, tripped over the threshold, and fell backward,

【Congratulations, player has reached BE ending, “No Sleeping Allowed in This Study.”】

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

He reloaded a save, pretending nothing had happened, and greeted Pei Xin with a calm smile.
“Your Majesty.”

Seeing him act so nonchalant made Pei Xin’s teeth itch.

Gu Fangzhi stepped forward and lit the candle on the table.

“What brings Your Majesty here?”

Pei Xin turned to look at him.

Although they had technically seen each other earlier that day, at morning court, and again when Gu Fangzhi had asked to reload, they hadn’t had a proper conversation.

The late emperor had once said: You need not keep anyone in your eyes or your heart.

But if he could occasionally think of his late father, then why couldn’t he long for his living one too?

Knowing that Gu Fangzhi had been busy and hadn’t seen his family for days, Pei Xin hadn’t wanted to trouble him, yet somehow, almost instinctively, he ended up here.

He just wanted to see Gu Fangzhi’s face again, to talk to him, quietly, without haste.

Of course, that wasn’t something he could say aloud.

So he put on a straight face and said, “I came in disguise to make a private visit.”

Gu Fangzhi, unsuspecting, replied, “Your Majesty came here alone? You traveled this far by yourself? Wow, that’s impressive.”

Pei Xin: “……”

Was this man trying to treat him like a three-year-old child?

Pei Xin sighed. “Yang Luhai came with me.”

Gu Fangzhi nodded. “Ah. Has Your Majesty eaten yet?”

Before Pei Xin could answer, there was a knock at the door.

Ah-Qi’s voice came from outside:

“Second Master, I’ve brought the freshly washed court robes.”

A hand suddenly pressed down on the back of Gu Fangzhi’s hand. Pei Xin shook his head, signaling him not to reveal he was there.

But in that brief moment, Ah-Qi’s muffled voice followed: “Huh? Second Master already asleep?”

The door creaked open.

Gu Fangzhi hurried forward to block the view.
“I… I’m awake!”

Ah-Qi nearly jumped out of his skin. “Second Master, what’s wrong? Why so startled?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Gu Fangzhi could still see Pei Xin’s silhouette at the table.

He had no idea why he was suddenly so nervous.

He reached out and took the clothes from Ah-Qi’s hands.
“Thank you, I’ll take them.”

“And this too,” Ah-Qi said, pulling out a small square wooden box from his sleeve.

“Second Master, you forgot the milk candies you bought.”

“Ah, yes, thank you.”

Maybe Gu Fangzhi’s behavior seemed strange, but Ah-Qi didn’t press further. He left, bewildered.

Watching his retreating figure, Gu Fangzhi finally exhaled.

Turning back, he said, “Your Majesty should’ve sent word ahead of time.”

Pei Xin stepped closer, picking up the candy box.

He opened it, popped one candy into his mouth, and said casually, “I came to talk with Teacher.”

Gu Fangzhi froze.

He wasn’t the sharpest man alive, but he wasn’t dense either, he was, after all, handsome, clever, charming, and composed, cough, perhaps slightly off-topic.

He’d never been in love, but that didn’t mean he was completely oblivious.

The way Pei Xin looked at him, the way he spoke, the warmth in his tone,
none of it was how one treated “just anyone.”

And there were those kisses, the two in the carriage, and the soft one that had brushed his cheek just a few days ago.

Pei Xin might be someone Gu Fangzhi liked to tease as a “kid,” but he was definitely not a child.

That kiss could only mean one thing.

Gu Fangzhi’s heart skipped twice.

He looked at Pei Xin.

Pei Xin had already returned to the table, flipping idly through a storybook Gu Fangzhi had been reading earlier.

Gu Fangzhi took a deep breath and, after hesitating, finally asked,
“…Your Majesty, do you… like me?”

His voice was small.

Pei Xin, oblivious, kept flipping the pages.

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

Alright, maybe he hadn’t heard.

Probably for the best, no matter how Pei Xin answered, it would only be awkward.

Clearing his throat, Gu Fangzhi changed the subject, raising his voice slightly.
“Will Your Majesty be staying the night?”

Pei Xin looked up. “Mn. Yes.”

The small couch Pei Xin had used during his previous visit was still there.

Gu Fangzhi had been lazy lately, tossing his clothes and bedding on it; Ah-Qi would just take them to wash later.

Sometimes, when napping, Gu Fangzhi even lay there himself.

He quickly tidied it up, folding the clothes and putting them away.

While he busied himself, Pei Xin remained seated, back straight, fully absorbed in reading.

“This is the most popular story among commoners right now,” Gu Fangzhi said, amused.

“Four men, five women, one wolf, one snake, all fighting over one man.”

“It’s good,” Pei Xin replied. “But there’s only one page left.”

Gu Fangzhi chuckled helplessly.

So much for “coming to talk.”

The emperor was completely engrossed in a romance novel instead.

Oh well. He could just reload straight to the part where the bed was already made, that way, they’d both get more sleep.

Smart. Truly, Lord Gu possessed great wisdom.

Just as he was thinking that, he heard a soft click.

He looked up to see Pei Xin closing the book and setting it back on the table.

“Your Majesty finished, ”

Before he could finish asking, Pei Xin interrupted him.

“Was it that hard to notice?”

“Huh?” Gu Fangzhi blinked.

Pei Xin’s sharp eyes locked onto him, brighter than usual, carrying the fearlessness of youth.

He asked softly, “Was it that hard to notice that I like Teacher?”

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Merry Christmas. Double Update for everyone