Chapter 102
Murong Qiufeng froze for a moment, his attention diverted, easing his earlier awkwardness. He was curious and asked, “What do you mean?”
Shangguan Ye, with one arm around his waist and the other playing with the strands of his hair, rested his chin gently on Murong Qiufeng’s shoulder. After a while, he spoke slowly, “Actually, the late emperor left two imperial decrees, and the content of both was the same.”
Murong Qiufeng furrowed his brows slightly, his heart tightening. It seemed this was about the imperial family’s hidden history.
“Those decrees were succession decrees, one with my name and the other with the emperor’s.”
“What?” Murong Qiufeng turned his head in shock, forgetting their current position, and his cheek brushed against Shangguan Ye’s slightly dry lips. He stiffened immediately, then jerked his head away, as if jolted by electricity.
Shangguan Ye chuckled softly, taking advantage of the moment to kiss his cheek lightly. He teased, “Are you that surprised?”
Murong Qiufeng’s face turned red, and he instinctively frowned and asked, “Did the late emperor really want to make you emperor?”
“No, he didn’t want me to be emperor. Those decrees were just a way to bind me as a bargaining chip.”
“How so?”
“I spent three years at the border, achieving great feats. I was young, so I became highly respected both in the military and in the court. It happened to be the most intense period of the power struggle for the throne. The late emperor had planned a coup to eliminate rivals, but I disrupted his plans. I even added fuel to the fire, and in the end, it escalated uncontrollably. Within a year, there were three palace coups, and about ten princes lost their lives, along with many royal relatives, consorts, and princesses, all buried in the power struggle. The palace was filled with smoke.”
“Later, after the late emperor quelled the chaos, he summoned me back and presented that prepared abdication decree, one that would make me emperor. He knew that I had no desire to rule, so he used it as leverage.”
“Why wouldn’t you want to be emperor? After all the struggles, wouldn’t becoming emperor give you control over everything?”
“Heh, my struggle for power was never for the throne. I didn’t want to be emperor. On the contrary, I despised that position. Becoming emperor isn’t as glamorous as it seems. It’s just another cage. But at that time, I wasn’t powerful enough to fight against that old fox. He gave me two choices: I could become the next emperor, safeguarding the country’s borders, or I could become the Duke of Beicheng and help stabilize the kingdom. As long as the country’s internal and external threats were resolved, I could leave.”
“So, you chose the second option, to assist the emperor, but how could there be no internal or external threats forever? Wouldn’t that mean you’d have to stay there forever?”
“It’s different. While internal and external threats won’t disappear forever, they won’t be constant either. Besides, I’m only responsible for the big picture. I don’t concern myself with the small things. And, I enjoy the feeling of freedom on the battlefield.”
“Does the emperor know this?”
“He knows. When the late emperor was dying, he left us two seals by his bedside, one for succession and one for military command. If I chose the throne, I would lose two-thirds of the military power. If I chose military power, I could only be a duke, not emperor. He made us swear to never covet each other’s domain, and that if either of us did, the other had the right to take it. He also left a secret decree that we could only open twenty years later, concerning things we both cared about.”
Murong Qiufeng froze for a while before shaking his head and laughing softly.
Shangguan Ye, curious, asked, “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, just thinking… the late emperor truly was clever. This way, he ensured you two were balanced against each other. It would make the emperor resent you but unable to act against you, while you, knowing that if you gave up military power, the emperor wouldn’t spare you, so you’re bound by this power struggle. As for the secret… people are curious by nature. The more mysterious something is, the more they want to uncover it. The late emperor, in his final days, made sure you couldn’t resist this curiosity.”
Shangguan Ye snorted coldly. “An old fox indeed.” Though he resented the late emperor and felt bitterness, he had to admit that the late emperor was a wise ruler, arranging everything meticulously so that even in death, his plans couldn’t be avoided.
“Do you still hate him?” After a moment of silence, Murong Qiufeng hesitated, then asked quietly.
He asked this, worried about reopening old wounds for Shangguan Ye, but also concerned that Shangguan Ye might still live in hatred. He didn’t want him to ruin his own life because of this, nor to hurt innocent people.
Shangguan Ye paused, then raised his hand to pinch Murong Qiufeng’s chin. His voice lowered as he whispered in his ear, “I don’t hate him anymore, because… my future holds more important things to do.” He then teasingly nibbled on his ear.
Murong Qiufeng inhaled sharply, instinctively covering his ear and turning his head away, while pushing against Shangguan Ye. “Shangguan Ye, enough.”
Just as Murong Qiufeng turned his head, Shangguan Ye switched hands to support his back, leaning in to kiss his lips.
Murong Qiufeng, startled, kept dodging, but before he could get away, a voice came from outside, “Young Master, Lord.”
Murong Qiufeng froze, immediately glaring at Shangguan Ye. “Let go!”
Shangguan Ye chuckled softly, but finally relented, letting him go at Murong Qiufeng’s fierce glare.
“Come in.”
Yuxiang entered with a tray. Upon seeing the odd atmosphere, with Lord Shangguan Ye smiling while Murong Qiufeng had a flushed face, she couldn’t help but smile secretly. It seemed Lord Shangguan Ye had been teasing Murong Qiufeng again. It looked like the young master would soon be completely taken.
“Masters, please don’t quarrel. It’s chilly tonight. Drink some warm porridge before continuing your affectionate exchange.”
Murong Qiufeng’s face turned even redder. He noticed Yuxiang’s teasing tone and glared at Shangguan Ye, giving him an annoyed look.
Shangguan Ye didn’t mind at all, even chuckling as he admired how cute Murong Qiufeng looked in his embarrassed state.
Since Murong Qiufeng had come into his life, Shangguan Ye had become more lively. Yuxiang no longer held back and even dared to joke around.
However, Shangguan Ye didn’t always get his way. For instance, that night, when they were about to sleep, Murong Qiufeng kicked him out of the room, refusing to share a bed. Now, Shangguan Ye no longer held back and acted even more freely.
The next morning, Yuxiang came early to remove the stitches.
Shangguan Ye didn’t attend the morning court, waiting for Murong Qiufeng to have his stitches taken out.
“Heh, the healing is even better than I expected. It looks like you won’t need any medicine. The scar will disappear soon. I’m really curious what kind of magical herbs you’ve been using. Not only are you resistant to poison, but your healing ability is so strong.”
Murong Qiufeng touched his neck and smiled gently. “My senior always sends me all kinds of rare herbs. I don’t know exactly what they are, but I do know they work wonders.”
Shangguan Ye narrowed his eyes and looked at Yuxiang.
Yuxiang twitched her lips, realizing her compliment had missed its mark, and quickly changed the subject. “Ah, yes, actually I have quite a few myself…”
Before she could finish, someone outside announced, “The empress is here.”
