The moment the servant mentioned “that important matter,” Mo Xi immediately understood.
Chonghua had an extremely shocking secret.
The number of people in the entire kingdom who knew of this matter probably did not exceed five.
And Xihe Lord was one of those people.
Braving the wind and snow, he arrived at Qichen Palace and followed the attendant deep into the inner chambers.
Inside the great hall, the charcoal fire burned fiercely.
Two small golden smoke-eating beasts lay beside the brazier, as usual, praising the Emperor’s greatness.
“May Your Majesty enjoy boundless fortune!”
“May Your Majesty live ten thousand years!”
All the servants and attendants had already been dismissed.
Only the Emperor remained, sitting alone beside the couch table, his face carrying an unusual pale bluish hue.
“Your Majesty.”
“Fireplace, you finally came.”
The Emperor spoke weakly.
“If you had come any later, I would have died.”
Mo Xi:
“…”
Although the Emperor’s words were exaggerated, this was indeed the most unspeakable secret of Chonghua—
The Emperor was ill.
As the ruler of an entire nation, His Majesty suffered from a severe cold disease.
This illness could not be cured.
Although it would not threaten his life immediately, depending on the patient’s constitution and lifespan, in as little as ten or twenty years, or at most thirty to fifty years, the patient would become bedridden and paralyzed.
In other words, no matter how carefully the Emperor maintained himself, once he reached his fifties, he was destined to become an invalid.
Mo Xi looked at the Emperor’s exhausted expression and sighed.
“Your Majesty, rest. I will transfer my fire spiritual energy to dispel the cold.”
The Emperor rarely showed such obvious fatigue.
He nodded and leaned against the soft pillow.
When the Cold Penetration illness acted up, the suffering was unbearable. Only fire-element cultivators could circulate their spiritual energy through his body and drive away the cold, allowing him to return to normal.
This was also why the Emperor sometimes called Mo Xi “Fireplace.”
The Emperor closed his eyes.
Mo Xi transferred his fire spiritual energy into him.
After a long while, the bluish-purple color of the Emperor’s lips finally slowly faded.
He still did not open his eyes.
Instead, he sighed.
“Fortunately, you are here. Otherwise, I would truly have suffered. Although Physician Lin also possesses a fire spiritual core, his spiritual power is far weaker than yours. He cannot help me overcome this crisis in such a short time.”
The little golden beasts beside the charcoal brazier continued shrieking:
“Boundless fortune!”
“May Your Majesty live as long as the southern mountains!”
The Emperor gave two weak snorts and sneered.
“What boundless fortune? What longevity? Nonsense.”
“In recent months, my cold illness has been occurring more and more frequently. I do not even know how long this body can continue to endure.”
“If my illness were exposed in court…”
He gave a mocking laugh.
“Heh. Those wolves and tigers would probably become restless. They would tear out my heart, strip my flesh, and devour me completely.”
At this point, he finally opened his eyes slightly and looked back at Mo Xi.
“If such a day comes, Xihe Lord, you would guard the palace gates for me, would you not?”
Mo Xi was not someone who liked beating around the bush.
He knew the Emperor was testing his loyalty, so he answered directly:
“The Oath of Heavenly Tribulation has already been established. What else could Your Majesty possibly doubt about me?”
The Emperor smiled.
“I was merely making conversation.”
But Mo Xi knew he was not merely chatting.
The Emperor’s position had not come easily.
He held suspicion toward everyone.
Back then, the Emperor’s birth mother had bribed physicians in order to conceal this secret.
However, when the previous Emperor was close to death, the matter was unexpectedly exposed again.
For the sake of Chonghua’s future, the former Emperor worried that if this son became disabled while ruling, the nation would face both internal and external threats. He had once considered abolishing the Crown Prince.
But the former Emperor had few children.
Aside from this son, he only had two daughters: Yanping and Mengze.
At the moment of his death, if he removed this Crown Prince, should he instead make one of his daughters the ruler?
It was simply absurd.
Among the twenty-eight nations of the Nine Provinces, there had never been a female monarch.
As for passing the throne from brother to brother, or adopting another descendant with the Murong surname, the former Emperor had also considered those possibilities.
It was said that he had even planned to test Murong Lian.
But before arrangements could be made, the former Emperor’s condition worsened, and he passed away soon afterward.
No one knew why the former Emperor suddenly wanted to abolish the Crown Prince before his death.
Most assumed it was because his illness had clouded his judgment.
The few people who knew the truth were all bound by the most terrifying secrecy curses, and from then on, the secret of the new Emperor’s Cold Penetration illness was buried deep within their hearts.
The warm current of fire spiritual energy flowed through his body, slowly driving away the suffering caused by the illness.
The Emperor rested with his eyes closed for a while longer.
Then suddenly he said:
“Speaking of which… Fireplace, Gu Mang has been staying at your residence for several days now. Have things been going smoothly?”
“Smoothly.”
The Emperor fell silent again.
After a long time, just as Mo Xi thought he would not continue the topic, he spoke again.
“Do you remember two years ago, when I sent you a letter asking your opinion on how Gu Mang should be punished?”
“You did not say much at that time.”
“But after you returned to the capital, I noticed your thoughts had already changed.”
Mo Xi said nothing.
He continued silently transferring cold-dispersing energy into the Emperor’s body.
The Emperor did not turn around to look at him.
Lying on the couch, he spoke casually.
“Fireplace, I know you are someone who values emotions.”
“When you had not seen him, all you remembered was how badly Gu Mang treated you.”
“But after truly seeing him again, you could not help remembering that he was once your brother and comrade.”
“Am I right?”
The water clock in the hall dripped softly.
After the cold energy dissipated, the Emperor’s body no longer felt uncomfortable.
He sighed.
“You are still suffering inside. I can see it.”
“…”
“You remember his sins, but you cannot forget his kindness.”
“You want him dead, but when you truly see blood spilled, your heart still aches.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Ah, that is only human nature.”
The Emperor spoke lazily.
“Actually, from the day you swore the Oath of Heavenly Tribulation to protect the Northern Army, I already understood.”
“You still valued your past bond with him.”
“That blade stabbed into your heart, but it could not carve those memories out of your flesh.”
“You cherish old loyalties. There is nothing wrong with that.”
The cold poison faded away.
The Emperor sat up from the couch.
He straightened his robes, and the usual arrogance returned to his brows.
After smoothing out the wrinkles on his clothes, he looked at Mo Xi.
“However, there is something I must tell you beforehand.”
Mo Xi remained silent for a moment.
“…Your Majesty need not say more. I have no feelings left for him.”
The Emperor laughed softly.
“If you truly had no feelings left for him, you would not have come to ask me for this person.”
He picked up the prayer beads placed on the rosewood table and slowly turned them in his hand.
“You once sacrificed ten years of your lifespan and a lifetime promise to preserve the remaining Northern Army.”
“You endured their hatred toward their former commander and became their ‘stepfather.’”
“And now you are protecting him again.”
“Is this hatred?”
“Do you think I am blind or foolish?”
“…”
The smile faded from the Emperor’s face.
“Forget everything else. What I want to remind you of is this.”
“Gu Mang committed treason. It is a crime deserving death.”
“The reason I have allowed him to live is not because of anyone’s face—not yours, nor anyone else’s.”
“It is because he still has value.”
As he spoke, he stared closely at Mo Xi’s expression.
“Gu Mang is a great criminal. His sins cannot be forgiven.”
“The people of Chonghua are all waiting for his head to fall.”
“One day, when I have exhausted his usefulness, or when he can no longer be controlled, I will issue an imperial decree to execute him.”
Mo Xi’s eyelashes moved slightly.
“When that day comes, I do not want to see you lose your judgment and stand beside Gu Mang.”
Mo Xi did not immediately agree as he usually would.
He remained silent.
The Emperor raised his brows slightly.
“If you have something in your heart, Xihe Lord, you may speak honestly.”
Mo Xi said:
“It is nothing.”
“Really?”
“His crimes are undeniable.”
The Emperor clicked his tongue.
“Why are you such a boring person?”
Although Xihe Lord had given him the answer he wanted, the Emperor instead looked dissatisfied.
“At least pretend to beg for mercy. Let me refuse you, then you beg again, I refuse again, you beg again, and finally I become furious.”
“That way, our court would at least be lively instead of dull and lifeless—”
“…”
Mo Xi paused.
Then he raised his eyes.
“Then I do have one request.”
“Ah, now that is more like it.”
Mo Xi said:
“I want to do it myself.”
The Emperor was startled.
“What?”
“When the day comes to execute Gu Mang, I want to personally carry it out.”
“…Let me think for a moment.”
The Emperor covered his forehead and muttered quietly:
“…Why is this different from what I expected?”
“Please grant my request, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor was speechless for a moment.
After sitting stiffly for a while, he leaned back against the chair and clapped his hands.
“Love and hatred intertwined, killing each other with affection. The two of you truly have interesting tastes.”
“…”
His light brown eyes slowly moved.
“But I am afraid you will not be able to do it.”
“Then when I truly cannot, I will leave the decision to Your Majesty.”
The Emperor stared at Mo Xi’s face for a while, as if trying to dig something out from his eyes.
But in the end, he found nothing.
He sighed.
“Xihe Lord, why make things so difficult for yourself?”
“Just one brother from your youth. You must watch him live, and you must watch him die.”
“You… you…”
Mo Xi said:
“In this lifetime, I only have this one brother.”
“All love and hatred have already been exhausted.”
“I have no obsession left.”
“This is my only request. I hope Your Majesty will grant it.”
The Emperor rotated his beads.
After closing his eyes and thinking for a moment, he suddenly smiled.
“I do not think so.”
“…”
“A gentleman’s word cannot be taken back. I am not someone who can be easily persuaded into agreeing.”
He opened his eyes and placed the beads aside.
“We will discuss this matter another day.”
Mo Xi seemed to have expected this answer.
He was not surprised.
“Very well.”
“…?”
The Emperor became slightly annoyed.
“You are not going to continue begging?”
“You beg, I refuse, you beg again, I refuse again, then I become furious. That way our court becomes lively—”
Mo Xi ignored his strange hobby.
He bowed.
“Your Majesty has fully recovered. It is late, and I will not disturb you further. Farewell.”
The Emperor’s mouth twitched.
“…Fine. Leave.”
“You are not fun at all.”
By the time Mo Xi returned to his residence, it was already deep night.
Most people in the mansion had gone to sleep.
Mo Xi walked through the halls, his expression unpleasant.
He felt that perhaps he and the Emperor were simply incompatible.
Whenever the two of them were alone together, the conversation always ended with both sides feeling irritated and unhappy.
His heart was filled with frustration.
With a dark expression, he kicked open the door to his bedroom.
He was preparing to wash up and sleep.
But the moment he looked up, he froze.
“Li Wei!”
A furious roar echoed throughout Xihe Manor.
Flowers trembled.
Fish sank beneath the water.
“Come here!!”
Li Wei, worried that his head might not survive the night, hurried over while forcing a flattering smile.
“Ah, my lord has returned! This servant was just feeding the horses in the stable earlier and arrived late. My lord is generous and forgiving, surely you will not blame this servant.”
Mo Xi turned around gloomily.
A pair of eyes sharp as blades swept coldly over Li Wei from head to toe before finally returning to his face.
He shifted aside, allowing Li Wei to clearly see the state of his room.
“Explain.”
Mo Xi’s expression was dark as he spoke coldly.
“I merely went to the Imperial Palace for a while. How did this happen?”
Li Wei stuck his head in for a look.
Wow.
What a sight.
The entire room… how should it be described?
Everyone knew that Mo Xi had severe obsessive-compulsive tendencies and a slight cleanliness obsession.
The place he lived in had always been immaculate.
Not only could things not be left lying around carelessly, even the folded corners of his bedding had to be perfectly aligned.
Yet now—
The tables and chairs were overturned.
The bed curtains were in complete disarray.
The pillow had fallen onto the floor.
The vase had been thrown onto the bed.
In short, it looked as if a little thief had broken in, rolled around, danced, and gone completely insane inside the room.
Li Wei tremblingly turned his head.
Seeing Mo Xi’s pale expression, the back of his neck instantly turned cold.
He stammered:
“I-I will investigate immediately.”
Mo Xi gritted his teeth.
“Go.”
Li Wei immediately fled.
Before long, not even the time it took to finish one cup of tea, he came rolling back again.
At that moment, Mo Xi was standing inside the room, staring blankly at his own bed.
When he saw Li Wei return, he turned his head and asked stiffly:
“Well?”
“An absolute genius.”
Li Wei wiped away the fine sweat on his forehead and muttered repeatedly:
“It is truly unbelievable.”
He swallowed.
His Adam’s apple moved up and down.
He tried several times to speak, but each time the words reached his mouth, he did not know how to explain.
Finally, before Mo Xi could lose his temper again, he slapped his thigh.
“Words are useless!”
“My lord, please come with me and see it yourself.”
“It is truly a work of genius!”
Mo Xi could not stand his exaggerated, drawn-out tone.
Thus, he followed him to the woodshed in the back courtyard.
If it could still be called a woodshed.
Mo Xi:
“…”
Li Wei continued sighing.
“Truly a genius.”
What appeared before them was a completely ordinary little house that had, overnight, been surrounded by more than ten Taihu stones.
Several of them looked strangely familiar to Mo Xi.
They seemed to have been moved from beside the fish pond.
On top of those stones were overturned tables and chairs of various sizes, collected from all over Xihe Manor.
Their four legs pointed toward the sky, making the entrance resemble a hedgehog covered in sharp spikes.
In such a short amount of time, someone had forcibly transformed the woodshed of Xihe Manor into an impregnable beast’s nest.
Anyone with toes could guess who created this masterpiece.
Li Wei’s eyes suddenly caught something.
He pointed at the thick quilt hanging over the entrance and exclaimed:
“Eh? Isn’t this the one from Lord Xihe’s bed…”
Yes.
Of course it was.
The snow silk quilt that Mo Xi folded especially neatly every morning after waking up.
And now—
It had become the warm curtain covering the entrance of some Black Wind Mountain bandit chief’s fortress!!!
Afraid that Mo Xi would become ill from anger, Li Wei quickly said:
“Oh my, my lord, this is actually a good thing.”
Mo Xi felt his vision darken.
He gritted his teeth.
“How is this good?”
“Think about it. Before this, Gu Mang always searched for places like rice jars and underground cellars to hide.”
“What does that show?”
“It shows that he was always preparing to escape.”
“He had no intention of following your orders, and you could not control him.”
“And now?”
“Now…” Li Wei cleared his throat and said seriously, “Gu Mang spent so much effort arranging a bedroom in Xihe Manor according to his own preferences.”
Mo Xi pressed his throbbing temple and interrupted him.
“…When exactly did you become blind?”
“Ah, right. It cannot really be called a bedroom.”
Li Wei looked at the Taihu stones that resembled a fortress.
After carefully considering his words, he found a more suitable description.
“A nest.”
“He built himself a nest.”
“Animals build nests, birds build dens, and humans establishing a home are all the same principle.”
“They intend to stay somewhere for a long time.”
Li Wei analyzed confidently.
“This shows that Gu Mang has already been tamed by your wise and magnificent self.”
“From now on, he understands his place as someone living under another’s roof.”
“You say east, he will not dare go west.”
“You say stop, even if his legs are broken, he will not dare continue wandering.”
While Li Wei continued his endless flattery, a rustling sound suddenly came from behind them.
The two turned around.
They happened to see Gu Mang entering the courtyard again, carrying a large pile of bedding he had somehow obtained.
Following beside his feet was a scruffy black dog.
It was clearly the same dog that had relied on him for survival back at Luomei Villa.
No one knew when the dog had escaped from Luomei Villa.
It had traveled thousands of miles searching for its owner and finally returned to Gu Mang’s side.
The three people and one dog unexpectedly met face to face.
The thief carrying stolen bedding froze in place.
Mo Xi also stood there.
“…”
After a moment of silence, Gu Mang suddenly unfolded the bedding and covered his own head with it.
Then he calmly asked:
“Can you still see me?”
Mo Xi:
“…What do you think?”
The person beneath the quilt shifted uneasily.
Then suddenly—
Tap tap tap—
He turned around and ran.
The black dog happily followed beside him, barking as it ran.
Seeing that the man and dog were about to disappear around the corner, Mo Xi was both furious and speechless.
He shouted:
“Come back!”
No response.
Gu Mang only ran faster.
Mo Xi coldly looked at Li Wei, who was enjoying the spectacle without any concern for the situation.
Through gritted teeth, he said:
“…You said if I tell him to go east, he absolutely would not go west. If I tell him to stop, he would never wander?”
Li Wei smiled awkwardly.
“Hehe, well…”
“After all, Gu Mang was once a beast standing at the peak of the divine altar.”
“Even if his mind is damaged, he still has some wild nature left.”
“But my lord, look—he is already willing to speak with you, is he not?”
Mo Xi’s response was to angrily shout:
“Speak with me?”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
“Go back and clean my room!”
Li Wei hurriedly answered:
“Yes!”
He stepped forward and reached for the bedding Gu Mang had hung on the Taihu stones.
Mo Xi stopped him.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking it away to wash it.”
Mo Xi nearly choked from anger.
“Gu Mang used that quilt as a curtain.”
“Do you think I would still want it?”
“Go to the storage room and bring a new one!”
Li Wei immediately obeyed.
He happily ran away.
Mo Xi remained standing there.
He looked at Li Wei’s retreating figure.
Then he looked toward where Gu Mang and the dog had disappeared.
Finally, he turned back toward the “dog nest” Gu Mang had left behind.
He raised his hand and rubbed his aching neck.
He felt that all the anger he would accumulate in this lifetime was probably going to be exhausted within these few days.
Damn it.
He might as well have stayed guarding the border.
If this continued, he might actually become a monk from sheer frustration.
However, Xihe Lord Mo Shuai was probably still too young.
He was someone who preferred things straightforward and disliked unnecessary talk.
His emotions—love, hatred, anger, affection—were all written plainly on his face.
But the imperial court was not like the military.
Here, loyalty and courage faded away like receding tides.
What rose against the current was scheming, manipulation, and deception.
The troubles after returning to the capital had only just begun.
Sure enough, after only a few days, another problem arrived.
Several old nobles who were usually timid as mice thought carefully.
Xihe Lord was busy with official matters.
He could not possibly watch over Gu Mang every day.
If that traitor was once again manipulated by people like Li Qingqian, or if he harbored hidden intentions, it would be far too dangerous.
Therefore, those old nobles jointly submitted a memorial requesting that Gu Mang be imprisoned in the Nether Prison again.
Mo Xi said coldly:
“When he was in the Nether Prison, did Li Qingqian not still find a way to help him escape?”
“That was because security was insufficient. If the guards are strengthened, then surely—”
“Surely what?”
The Emperor interrupted.
“I have already agreed to Xihe Lord’s request.”
“If I casually overturn my own decision, what kind of person would that make me?”
But those old men still refused to give up.
They blew their beards, glared angrily, and continued their tearful complaints.
The Emperor became annoyed.
“Fine, fine, fine! How troublesome.”
“Then let us compromise.”
“Xihe Lord, in a few days, take Gu Mang and have the slave mark placed on him.”
“This will prevent the criminal from escaping.”
“It will also give those people some peace of mind.”
Hearing “slave mark,” Mo Xi’s heart sank.
He raised his eyes toward the man seated on the throne.
The Emperor raised a brow.
“What?”
“Does Xihe Lord have something to say?”
“…No.”
Mo Xi answered in a low voice.
He closed his eyes briefly.
The so-called slave mark meant putting on the slave collar.
According to Chonghua’s rules, whether placing a collar on a slave or removing one, it required the Emperor’s approval and had to be performed by a craftsman.
Therefore, when Murong Lian secretly placed the collar on Gu Mang back then, he had actually violated regulations.
Later, when Gu Mang achieved great merit, the former Emperor issued an order removing his slave status.
The slave collar around his neck was naturally removed as well.
Murong Lian had even received a severe scolding from the former Emperor because of it.
That day, Mo Xi had accompanied Gu Mang to the craftsman to remove the collar.
He had sincerely felt happy for his senior brother.
He believed that someone like Gu Mang should be free for his entire life.
Back then, Mo Xi had never imagined that one day, he would take the identity of Gu Mang’s new master and once again lock onto his senior brother’s neck the slave collar that symbolized humiliation and possession.