Chapter 8: Atmosphere Booster — “Flower Petal BGM, Zoom In, Character…”
The wind rustling through the hall blew through the Secret Archives’ main hall again, carrying a sharp whistling sound.
Ying Xi walked out of the main hall absentmindedly. He appeared to be seriously inspecting every storehouse, but in reality, he was killing time because he didn’t want to communicate with Zhu Zhao.
In his past life, the Xie father and son pacified the Qingniu Army rebellion, eliminating the large-scale warlords, and the northern rebel forces as a whole became disorganized.
However, the southern rebel leader, Li Yilong, was constantly expanding his power.
Li Yilong started as a commoner from the countryside. Theoretically, his network should have been thin and his information relatively blocked. But no one expected Li Yilong to have an extraordinary grasp of the situation, developing rapidly while taking advantage of the chaos in the north.
The court army later had to commit all its forces to suppress the southern rebellion.
Great Qin’s internal strife gave foreign enemies an opportunity, which emboldened the Xiongnu on the border to invade.
If Prince Yong opening the city gates was the final straw that led to the fall of the nation, then the ceaseless internal turmoil was the major cause that dragged Great Qin down.
In his past life, there were rumors that Zhu Zhao had been secretly funneling intelligence to the Jiangnan bandit leader Li Yilong.
Ying Xi had held reservations about this at the time. Without concrete evidence, he couldn’t condemn him.
But in this life, having stumbled into the inconspicuous Secret Archives by mistake, Ying Xi was now completely certain: Zhu Zhao was indeed problematic!
That straw bag He Xuan dreamed of having a capable person condescend to help him and make decisions for him. The Secret Archives Supervisor had absolutely no guard against Zhu Zhao.
It was even possible that no matter what materials Zhu Zhao wanted to consult, He Xuan would cooperate, believing Zhu Zhao must have profound reasons.
Thinking of this, Ying Xi smiled mockingly, recalling the rule that Secret Archives Directors were not allowed to leave the palace.
Some were trapped in the Imperial Palace for half their lives to keep secrets, while others came and went freely, transporting news for the enemy forces. The confidentiality system existed in name only!
Ying Xi couldn’t help but feel a chill in his teeth.
He didn’t know what materials Zhu Zhao had transported to Jiangnan so far.
Nor did he know what Zhu Zhao was after. He had no kin in Jiangnan; why would the dignified Imperial Tutor actively serve as a spy for someone else? Ying Xi couldn’t understand.
Ying Xi prepared to find an opportunity to secretly monitor Zhu Zhao.
If there was any strange movement, he would kill him.
The thought of killing circled in the teenage Emperor’s mind; he felt extreme revulsion toward behavior that was one way to his face and another behind his back.
Zhu Zhao was even worse than Prince Yong. If he was going to oppose him, he should do it thoroughly.
The Emperor continued to walk through the flat corridor between the various storehouses. He didn’t speak, strolling quietly.
The Emperor was always noble and distant, making it difficult for others to see through his thoughts. Ying Xi thought he had concealed his mind tightly.
However, a teacher was a teacher after all.
Zhu Zhao had observed Ying Xi since he was young. If he had something on his mind, the Emperor’s gaze would inadvertently shift to the bottom left.
Zhu Zhao caught that moment of anomaly in Ying Xi, confirming that the Emperor was currently unhappy. But Zhu Zhao didn’t know: why was Ying Xi angry?
Clearly, Ying Xi had never been a willful child.
He knew etiquette, was sensible, and was as bright as ice and snow. He wouldn’t easily give anyone the cold shoulder, let alone his teacher.
This peculiarity of the Emperor drew even more attention from the Imperial Tutor.
Zhu Zhao tried to break the ice, speaking to Ying Xi about the recent situation.
“A few days ago, this subject heard that Xie Qianli returned to the capital and had some unpleasantness with Your Majesty,” Zhu Zhao said.
He thought this was the root of Ying Xi’s vexation.
After all, the elite force controlled by the Xie clan was currently the court’s knife, but in the future, it might become a major threat to Ying Xi.
Xie Qianli was young, similar in age to the Emperor. It was common for youths to find each other disagreeable. Moreover, rumors were circulating in the city that the Emperor had caused the death of the previous Duke of Ying.
Zhu Zhao finished speaking, but didn’t receive Ying Xi’s affirmation.
Ying Xi answered smoothly, “I personally hosted a reception and promoted Young General Xie. When was there unpleasantness? How come I didn’t know?”
As Ying Xi’s experience grew, probing him became increasingly difficult.
Zhu Zhao’s heart skipped a beat. The previous sense of strangeness turned into a heavily tolling alarm bell.
He guiltily remembered his other identity—a spy for the uprising army lying dormant in Chang’an.
Zhu Zhao hurriedly reviewed all his recent experiences in his mind. He prided himself on doing things flawlessly so that no one would discover him, but he was guilty at heart after all.
Making conversation to avoid silence, he decided to probe once more.
“Young General Xie uses troops with the style of his father, and fights even more bravely. Your Majesty allowing Xie Qianli to inherit his father’s military position can both clarify the rumors in the city and allow the Xie family to continue their service. It is a good move,” Zhu Zhao praised.
Ying Xi deliberately replied, “I trust that Xie Qianli will definitely be able to beat the northern and southern rebels into flowing water (a crushing defeat).”
Zhu Zhao: “……”
A strong sense of depression rose in Zhu Zhao.
He thought the Emperor was hinting at him, yet the Emperor was calm and breezy. Not seeing him for a few days, the Emperor seemed much more mature, even if his face still retained its childishness.
Zhu Zhao took a deep breath.
Thinking of his original intention, the burden in Zhu Zhao’s heart lifted slightly. He sighed with melancholy, “The world is frequently at war. The court changes generals, and the northern and southern rebels are also making moves. The people are suffering, lives are devastated, and who knows when the civil war will end.”
Ying Xi said in his heart, Then you still don’t know that next year the Xiongnu will also fight their way into Chang’an City, and the tattered Great Qin won’t be able to stand up.
Reliving a life and knowing the ending, Ying Xi now harbored thoughts of infuriating others.
He deliberately said to Zhu Zhao again, “I can end it.”
Zhu Zhao was slightly stunned.
Then Ying Xi slowly raised the corners of his mouth, looking toward the direction where the sun had set. The golden-orange afterglow of the setting sun plated a layer of brilliant light and shadow on his body.
Ying Xi pointed to the west:
“When the sun sets, it will experience a period of darkness.”
“After surviving the long night, there will surely be new light.”
When Ying Xi finished these words, a strong current of heat suddenly surged in his heart.
Since his rebirth, the seed of wanting to restore the country and wipe away the shame, hidden by the teenage Emperor, was finally spurred to sprout by this setting sun.
For a time, Ying Xi had exiled himself.
Allowing himself to indulge, allowing himself to sleep in, allowing laziness, allowing himself to be cursed and criticized, and then laughing it off…
But he still could not allow the country to be destroyed and the people to die!
He wanted to change fate, even if the ending was still death.
Ying Xi lowered his arm and turned to face Zhu Zhao. The disgust and provocation toward the traitor, as well as the soaring ambition he wanted to release from his chest, made Ying Xi look up at Zhu Zhao and say, “Teacher, I want to lead Great Qin out of this long night.”
Zhu Zhao went from stunned to astonished.
Once, Zhu Zhao thought Ying Xi was an underage little Emperor dragging a court riddled with holes. In contrast, Li Yilong was in his prime, harbored great ambitions, and had many supporters; Li Yilong was more capable of ending these troubled times.
Now, though Ying Xi was at a disadvantage, he still revealed his ambition to him, his imperial posture fully displayed.
As if possessing a kind of charisma, making one believe every word the Emperor said was credible, Zhu Zhao’s stance wavered for a moment.
Zhu Zhao’s gaze flickered, his brows raised. Appreciation for Ying Xi began to radiate in his eyes, followed unknowingly by awe.
Why could imperial majesty and fragile beauty be concentrated in one person at the same time? And without contradiction?
The two were alone in the corridor between the storehouses.
Ying Xi was draped in the glow of the sunset. Zhu Zhao, as if possessed by a ghost, moved closer to Ying Xi.
The Imperial Tutor, of course, could not offend the Emperor.
Zhu Zhao actually didn’t move much; the tip of his boot only took half a step forward.
But the image presented before Ying Xi’s eyes changed into Zhu Zhao being very close to him—the magnified face was clear, the bridge of the nose straight, like a steep mountain peak pressing down, the pupils exactly like glazed glass.
The Imperial Tutor’s long eyelashes blinked, each one distinguishable.
The slowed-down motion of blinking made Ying Xi’s eyes widen, a wave of chill running through him.
Then, music inexplicably started playing around him. Next, the Imperial Tutor’s voice, rich enough to drip water, surrounded him everywhere.
“This humble subject wishes for His Majesty to get what he desires.”
“This humble subject wishes for His Majesty to get what he desires—”
“This humble subject wishes for His Majesty to get what he desires…”
What. Is. This.
Goosebumps instantly submerged Ying Xi.
No matter how steady Ying Xi’s mindset was, he couldn’t withstand it and retreated a few steps!
In front of him was a figure, behind him were steps. Standing exactly at the junction of the corridor and another storehouse, his heel hit the steps as he leaned back, and his body instantly lost balance.
Just as the feeling of panic completely seized him, Ying Xi let Zhu Zhao spread his arms to catch him by the waist.
Although he didn’t fall down, his heart was racing!
At this moment, heaven knows where magnolia petals flew from, actually drifting across the ring island to land in front of his forehead. Layers of falling petals shrouded him and the Imperial Tutor with the wind.
Ying Xi hurriedly pushed Zhu Zhao away and stood firm. The moment he pushed Zhu Zhao away, the illusion disappeared, and everything around them returned to normal.
The System must be playing tricks!
Ying Xi questioned the System in his mind about what it had done.
At this moment, Zhu Zhao looked down at his hands, his fingertips trembling slightly. He realized with astonishment that his hands still retained the warmth of the teenage Emperor’s body and the thin, resilient touch of his waist.
Zhu Zhao’s breathing became disordered. He hurriedly bowed down, asking Ying Xi for forgiveness: “This humble subject offended the Sacred Person; this humble subject deserves ten thousand deaths!”
Sweet Tub explained: “Flower Petal BGM, Zoom In, Character Close-up, Slow Motion Display—Your Majesty, this triggered the Atmosphere Booster function inherent in the Dating System~”
Atmosphere. Booster.
Another strange term was added.
Ying Xi quickly explained Zhu Zhao’s collusion with the enemy.
Sweet Tub was filled with righteous indignation, but within a snap of the fingers, its train of thought seemed to take many strange turns. It started spouting even weirder phrases like “Love-hate relationships are also ship-able,” “Opposing factions smell better and are more exciting,” and “Teacher-student age gap, let’s go go go.”
Ying Xi instantly felt speechless.
To avoid consuming brain power on more new terms, Ying Xi expressed briefly: “I am dissatisfied with the Imperial Tutor. Although I cannot punish Zhu Zhao for the time being, I do not want to be entangled with him. As for the Atmosphere Booster—do not boost.”
The System Assistant served the host. Even if it was highly intelligent enough to have independent thinking, Sweet Tub could only obey even if it wanted to ship them.
Sweet Tub said obediently, “Then I will modify the settings. Push less for this NPC.”
“Mn.”
Ying Xi’s dialogue with the System could not be transmitted to Zhu Zhao.
Zhu Zhao was still kneeling, but he clearly realized that the Emperor disliked him. The thought that the Emperor had discovered he was passing intelligence to the righteous army became even clearer.
Must leave the Secret Archives immediately!
Zhu Zhao thought. Otherwise, staying in a situation ripe for suspicion (like adjusting one’s hat under a plum tree) would only intensify the Emperor’s doubts.
Zhu Zhao kowtowed, taking the opportunity of having startled the Emperor to ask for permission to withdraw.
Ying Xi, of course, was going to grant it, because just now Ying Xi was indeed badly frightened. Whatever “Atmosphere Booster” that was, it boosted him until his goosebumps were still standing.
But the Dating System popped up at this moment, releasing the third novice mission—Share your most important secret with the Imperial Tutor (0/1).
Countdown started!
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