Chapter 9: Word Games — “What a Move of Separating Tasks! Long Live His Majesty…”
The mission was released, and the Imperial Tutor couldn’t be chased away.
Ying Xi’s exquisite brow twitched, and the fingertips of the hand he had just extended tightened fiercely.
He and the Imperial Tutor remained in this stalemate of one standing and one kneeling in the storehouse corridor.
Meanwhile, the countdown on the System panel jumped frantically and rhythmically before his eyes, as if reminding Ying Xi to execute it quickly.
Ying Xi took a deep breath.
Sweet Tub comforted him in time: “Your Majesty, this mission is very simple. You just need to share an important secret with the Imperial Tutor to solve it.” In Sweet Tub’s view, this was the least brain-taxing of the novice missions Ying Xi had received.
The Dating System guided the host to have emotional exchanges with characters, and sharing secrets was a classic trope in TV shows, movies, or novels.
Sweet Tub: “You must have liked someone before, right?”
“Whether it was an open crush or a secret crush, as long as you reveal it to Zhu Zhao, the mission will automatically be judged as complete,” Sweet Tub said.
But this drew silence from Ying Xi.
Ying Xi answered, “I have never liked anyone.”
The host choked the pitiful System. Sweet Tub was dumbfounded.
“You’ve lived for nineteen years; having a favorable impression of someone, even a little bit, counts,” Sweet Tub reminded. “Man or woman counts.”
So, in a certain instant, a silhouette flashed through Ying Xi’s mind, but it was so fast he couldn’t catch it.
“No.”
Sweet Tub was completely speechless.
Novice missions to some extent represented the compatibility between the host and the System.
Ying Xi was selected by the System to be resurrected. If they weren’t compatible, Sweet Tub didn’t know—would Ying Xi die?
—The countdown numbers jumped, enlarged, and flashed!
Sweet Tub was anxious: “What is your most important secret???”
“Chang’an’s grain reserves, military defense layout, the Imperial City map, the distribution of hidden canals.”
What Ying Xi cared about had always been news concerning the national economy and the people’s livelihood, and all this information was stored in the Secret Archives.
And now, the System was essentially asking him to share them with Zhu Zhao, a spy with countless ties to the Jiangnan rebel army.
In that instant, Ying Xi was in a dilemma, Sweet Tub was stunned, and the countdown continued to tick.
The Imperial Tutor, who had bowed down to ask for forgiveness, hadn’t risen for a long time. Ying Xi had to make a decision immediately.
Fortunately, his personality allowed his brain to operate at high speed and remain calm the more tense the situation became.
Ying Xi glanced sideways and saw the number plate hanging on the door frame of the storehouse to the upper left of the corridor wall.
—Di Yi Ling Yi (Earth-Yi-01).
‘Earth’ represented Yongzhou, ’01’ symbolized Anding Commandery at the northern end, and Yongzhou was adjacent to Chang’an. So, this meant the materials for the Imperial Capital, Chang’an, were not far away.
Ying Xi hurriedly looked back toward the core of the Secret Archives.
Outside the corridor, dozens of zhang away, Ying Xi saw from a distance several guards patrolling the ‘Heaven’ section storehouses, which symbolized the Imperial City.
The guards only lingered around a few fixed storehouses, their long spears standing like a forest, eyeing everything covetously. The defense of this particular section of the Secret Archives was distinct from everywhere else.
Ying Xi’s thoughts connected, followed by a burst of secret delight—that straw bag He Xuan had actually rigorously protected the storehouses containing the Imperial Capital’s materials!
The ‘Heaven’ section was the forbidden area of the Secret Archives.
Ying Xi connected some details: why the Imperial Tutor had established contact with the distant Li Yilong rebel army instead of the closer Qingniu Army.
He couldn’t touch the intelligence of the capital region.
Mission Content: Share your most important secret with the Imperial Tutor (0/1)
Time Remaining: Eighty snaps of the fingers.
Seventy-nine, seventy-eight, seventy-seven…
Please complete as soon as possible!
Ying Xi helped the Imperial Tutor up without batting an eyelid, glanced at the countdown that was nearly bottoming out, and said to Zhu Zhao, “Teacher, let’s go. Call He Xuan and have him take us into that largest storehouse. I see it is heavily guarded and feel curious.”
Zhu Zhao looked up.
Following the direction Ying Xi indicated, he looked toward the storehouse the Emperor mentioned. Several buildings in the ‘Heaven’ section were majestic, with raised foundations built at the bottom of each storehouse.
A few solemn steps made the storehouse symbolizing Chang’an stand out from the crowd.
The storehouses in this area clustered around it like stars around the moon. The core building was located right in the center of the Secret Archives—Tian Jia Ling Yi (Heaven-A-01), storing the highest secrets of the Imperial City.
That was the place Zhu Zhao wanted to peek into but had never set foot in.
It was a forbidden zone that the coward He Xuan dared not enter for fear of bearing responsibility, and dared not let anyone else enter either.
Zhu Zhao was filled with panic!
Completely unaware of the reason for the Emperor’s decision, Zhu Zhao’s pupils constricted to their tightest.
Ying Xi smiled calmly and said, “Is Teacher curious?”
“Y-Y-Y-Your Majesty, this subject is here to await orders!” He Xuan was out of breath.
His face was pale, his legs flailing like wind-and-fire wheels. He Xuan was draped with strings of keys like chainmail.
From the first day his family arranged for him to be the Secret Archives Supervisor, He Xuan could guess that trouble would come from Tian Jia Ling Yi! This hot potato!
Imperial Palace secrets—traces of how many past court intrigues were all sealed inside.
Although he had absolutely no idea what specific shameful matters that couldn’t see the light of day were inside, because he feared death, He Xuan dared not enter and dared not look.
The Emperor wasn’t here for an impromptu inspection at all!
The Emperor was here to silence witnesses!!!
He Xuan was filled with terror, trembling as he unlocked the door. The guards pushed the door panels open, and dust filled the storehouse.
Dozens of night-luminescent pearls were extended into the storehouse on lamp poles to provide light. The light of the night pearls illuminated the dust, the tiny particles resembling scattered stars.
The radiance of the pearls was far less dazzling than the jade tablets and golden books inside the storehouse.
Golden books of past royal family members, imperial edicts of succession for past emperors, imperial edicts for empress conferments, golden chests sealing information on important royal members, and some imperial decrees issuing laws with huge impact were each displayed on dark sandalwood shelves.
Anyone seeing these, even without looking at the content, could feel the supreme authority of the royal family from their appearance alone.
“Uh, this…”
He Xuan stuttered as he introduced them to the Emperor, making things up on the spot: “This is a Golden Book. It is made of gold. Just like the Yellow Book is made of yellow paper, it records important content inside.”
The majestic feeling in the room instantly diminished, becoming comical. He Xuan’s goosebumps exploded, and he couldn’t continue making things up. He looked at Zhu Zhao, but Zhu Zhao dared not chime in to help.
Thanks to the glaring contrast of these royal materials, the Chang’an City blueprints, drainage blueprints, distribution of official residences and civilian houses… the practical intelligence was actually the most inconspicuous.
Ying Xi had no mind to listen to He Xuan’s drivel.
The information he cared about hadn’t been touched. He pulled out a few maps to look at; they were covered in a thick layer of dust.
Ying Xi felt slightly relieved but was choked by the dust smell in the air and coughed lightly.
“Cough, cough cough.” His body had become fragile from overwork. He frowned and put down the map, kicking up more falling dust, speckles of particles everywhere.
Ying Xi said angrily, “Cough… This storehouse—how long has it been since it was cleaned?”
As if seeing no chance of survival, He Xuan suddenly knocked his head against the ground.
“Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, forgive me! This humble subject never dares to look at any document inside!”
“This humble subject knows deeply that storehouses like Tian Jia Ling Yi are of utmost importance! When clerks inspect, fearing leakage of palace secrets, this humble subject took it upon himself to change the monthly inspection to an annual one, designating this place a forbidden zone that no one can approach. Therefore, the ‘Heaven’ section storehouses have had no one to clean them and are covered in dust everywhere.”
“This humble subject swears on his life that inspections of the other storehouses are proceeding as usual!”
He Xuan was practically scared out of his mind.
Whether killed for dereliction of duty or silenced for involvement with secrets, he didn’t want to die.
He Xuan began to speak incoherently:
“This humble subject considered the royal family, sharing Your Majesty’s worries in advance!”
“My father saved private money to reward his beloved concubine every month. Only my little sister saw it. Later, I knew, my brothers knew, and finally it reached my mother’s ears, and she flew into a rage—even family matters spread like wildfire, showing that the fewer people who know a secret, the better!”
He Xuan was already talking nonsense.
Mission Content: Share your most important secret with the Imperial Tutor (0/1)
Time Remaining: Forty-two snaps of the fingers, forty-one snaps of the fingers, forty snaps of the fingers…
Please complete as soon as possible!
A strong sense of absurdity and helplessness made Ying Xi hook his lips as he looked down at this playboy.
How could He Xuan know that because he was cowardly and lazy in administration, he had actually stumbled into strictly preserving Chang’an’s secrets? There were indeed people in the world who had dumb luck and a good life.
This smile of the teenage Emperor was completely misunderstood by He Xuan, who thought the Son of Heaven was smiling out of extreme anger.
He Xuan wept and begged:
“Your Majesty! Although this subject knows he is mediocre and incompetent, he still has principles. Even when Mister Zhu planned to enter the ‘Heaven’ section rooms to read, this subject treated everyone equally and did not agree!”
“Therefore, this subject and the Imperial Tutor didn’t see anything we shouldn’t have seen. We can testify for each other. Please let us go, Your Majesty…”
It was laughable that He Xuan still thought the Emperor was finding an opportunity to silence them because of past palace events.
He also thought that having old ties with Zhu Zhao, he wanted to save Zhu Zhao, yet he handed Zhu Zhao the sharpest death warrant.
Completely confirming Zhu Zhao’s identity as a spy in this life, Ying Xi slowly raised the corners of his mouth.
An invisible pressure descended. Ying Xi said indifferently, “Teacher always teaches me that tranquility yields transcendence. It seems Teacher himself is not tranquil.”
Mission Content: Share your most important secret with the Imperial Tutor (0/1)
Time Remaining: Twenty snaps of the fingers, nineteen snaps of the fingers, eighteen snaps of the fingers.
Please complete as soon as possible!
For a moment, Zhu Zhao thought Ying Xi was going to attack him on the spot.
Sweat seeped from Zhu Zhao’s forehead. He forcibly composed himself, pursed his lips, bit the bullet, and barely managed a smooth explanation: “Previously, this humble subject was explaining the ancestral system of the Ying clan to Your Majesty. There were some unclear key points. This subject dared not mislead Your Majesty, hence coming to the Secret Archives to search.”
Enduring a strong psychological test, Zhu Zhao swallowed his saliva, only to meet Ying Xi’s faint smile.
Mission Content: Share your most important secret with the Imperial Tutor (0/1)
Time Remaining: Ten snaps of the fingers, nine snaps of the fingers, eight snaps of the fingers.
Sweet Tub: “Your Majesty, time is running out!”
“Ha, hahaha…” Suddenly, Ying Xi’s clear laughter rang out in the storehouse. Everyone found it incredible; people didn’t know why the Emperor was laughing, and each felt panic in their hearts.
By this time, fine, dense sweat had seeped out of the center of Zhu Zhao’s brow, and he adjusted his breathing slowly and with difficulty.
Ying Xi leaned over and patted the kneeling He Xuan on the left shoulder.
He Xuan was dumbfounded.
He Xuan stared with widened eyes up at Ying Xi, thinking the Emperor was granting him a glimpse of the Holy Face before death.
He Xuan stared at the opening and closing of those lips in a trance.
The Son of Heaven said, “The royal family has no shameful secrets. Tian Jia Ling Yi is not a fierce flood or savage beast; you have complicated the situation.” This, of course, was a lie.
“I am indebted to Teacher’s careful guidance. My words and deeds, my conduct in society, are all taught unreservedly by Teacher. Without Teacher, there would be no Me.”
“I still remember when I first entered Chang’an, I was afraid the shadows cast by the magnolia trees on the window were like ghosts, and I couldn’t sleep peacefully every night.”
“Teacher said, if there is righteousness in the chest, evil spirits cannot invade; act without shame before one’s shadow, sleep without shame before one’s blankets, and look up and down without shame before heaven and earth. I keep this in mind at all times.”
The center of Zhu Zhao’s brow, where sweat seeped, trembled slightly.
His breath, which had just been regulated, became disordered again because of the Emperor’s words.
Ying Xi’s voice echoed repeatedly in Zhu Zhao’s mind, as if that phrase “without shame before heaven and earth” was everywhere.
—Without shame before heaven and earth.
A deep sense of depression rose in Zhu Zhao.
And Ying Xi said with even more trust, “Teacher came to the Secret Archives to impart correct knowledge to me. Supervisor He did not cooperate and instead blocked Teacher; it truly disappoints me.”
He Xuan was still kneeling, staring blankly, not understanding.
Zhu Zhao went from having a suspended heart to lowering his eyes halfway, his chest full of panic beginning to turn into shame.
He couldn’t distinguish whether this was the Emperor’s probe or genuine emotion.
He hadn’t expected that even after he had exposed strong suspiciousness, Ying Xi could still evaluate him highly.
This was the boy he had watched grow up, yet for the illusion of peace in the world, as the Imperial Tutor, he had betrayed the Emperor and defected to this boy’s enemy.
Seven snaps of the fingers, six snaps of the fingers, five snaps of the fingers…
The numbers jumped ceaselessly.
Ying Xi did not panic. He said even more solemnly, “Whatever Teacher wanted to borrow back then, borrow and read it now. I will make the decision for Teacher; the information in Tian Jia Ling Yi is completely open to Teacher.”
“I am willing to share all secrets with my Mentor.”
Four snaps of the fingers, three snaps of the fingers, two snaps of the fingers…
Zhu Zhao was secretly astonished!
Zhu Zhao was horrified.
Whether out of conscience or self-preservation, how could he dare accept this exception?
If he really dared to accept, should even a fraction of the storehouse information leak in the future, Ying Xi would definitely take his life immediately without suspecting anyone else!
Right at the tail end of the countdown, Zhu Zhao’s throat was choked. He kowtowed to thank the Emperor, desperately declining.
Zhu Zhao’s dry, husky voice echoed in Tian Jia Ling Yi, lingering for a long time.
Share your most important secret with the Imperial Tutor (1/1)
Mission Complete.
System Reward Settlement: Charm +500, Account Lock lifted, Level Up, all functions operating normally.
Ying Xi let out a small sigh of relief, then scoffed in secret. Thinking about verifying whether he could return to base from the ring island, he dispensed with the polite aftermath work, waving his hand to dismiss everyone.
He Xuan was confused from start to finish, but having not died, He Xuan didn’t ask for more. He hurriedly thanked the Emperor and then vanished.
Moments later, accompanied by flashing golden light, Ying Xi returned to the Weiyang Palace study.
The study was empty.
Ying Xi walked over and nestled into the dragon chair, yawning like a cat.
Sweet Tub popped up, asking with slight confusion, “Your Majesty, the Imperial Tutor didn’t look at the secret files at all. Why was the mission still counted as successful?”
Ying Xi closed his eyes to rest his mind. Without holding back, he revealed the word game he had just played.
“I have already shared it. Whether he dares to look lies with him. As long as I scare him so he doesn’t dare to look, the court secrets can be preserved.”
“…” Sweet Tub was silent, then suddenly screamed, “What a move of separating tasks! Long Live His Majesty!”
The scream made his ears ring. Ying Xi shook his head, physically and mentally exhausted.
Today was another day Sweet Tub worshipped its host.
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