Chapter 84: The Romance Unfolds
Wei Wanlan ran across the golden screen of the Enlightened Ruler Development System that moved with him.
He dragged an icon as he ran, never breaking his stride.
Amidst the swaying palace lanterns of the Luoyang Imperial Villa, he ran so fast his vision began to blur. The warm, orange haze that shrouded the villa obstructed his view, making the place feel surreal and distinct from Chang’an.
He had just crossed the stone bridge to reach the Central Secretariat, and now he had to retrace his steps. Wei Wanlan’s feet pattered across the bridge’s surface.
His finger tapped on an item icon.
The icon flashed beneath his fingertip.
He remembered an item called the Memory Revealing Solution.
Developing solutions were something he, as a cosplayer who frequently dealt with photography, could understand. It was analogous to the earliest methods of developing photos: just drip the solution into water, soak the photographic paper, and an image would appear.
And so, Wei Wanlan deliberately picked up his pace.
He had to shake off Fu Jun and Xiao Ji, who were following him. He couldn’t let them know he had a system that could conjure things out of thin air.
When a dropper filled with the solution appeared in his palm, he didn’t hesitate, emptying its entire contents into the water below the stone bridge.
The still water rippled softly as the solution hit its surface, one concentric circle after another.
At the center of the ripples, a vortex unexpectedly began to form.
The vortex spun deeper and deeper, as if waiting to devour something.
As if summoned by it, Wei Wanlan found he could no longer hold onto the jade coronet. He tossed it into the water.
The coronet followed the arc of his throw and plunged into the depths.
It sank noticeably slower than it normally would.
A thought flickered through Wei Wanlan’s mind: I finally used the right item. He was a rather pitiful host, always being teased by the system, but… today had to be the day for this item, right?
The Memory Revealing Solution.
Wei Wanlan believed it could reveal the injustices and grievances experienced by the item’s owner. With this expectation, he stared intently at the water’s surface.
But the memories of Yuan Mingyue that appeared on the water were a continuous, lighthearted, and sequential series…
They didn’t show the day of the Yuan family’s capping ceremony that he had expected to see.
The figure that appeared on the water was that of a child.
A child with delicate and refined features.
The child was always following Yuan Mingyue, tugging at the corner of his robes, holding onto his sleeve, and loved to wave his little hands high in the air to show off his latest calligraphy work.
The images on the water developed slowly.
But that gave Wei Wanlan enough time to watch quietly and read the movements of their lips. He could generally understand what was being said.
It was Yuan Xizai.
He was calling out, “Brother.”
“Brother, has my calligraphy improved? I secretly copied yours.”
“Thank you, Brother, for praising me in front of Father. He’s finally letting me into the front courtyard.”
“Everyone says, ‘Brothers hunt tigers together, father and son fight on the battlefield.’ Let’s be the best of brothers forever.”
“Brother, everyone says you have a gift for studying at the Imperial Academy. I hope one day I’ll have the honor of watching you study there.”
“Who is this famous scholar? A friend of my brother’s? I am his inseparable younger brother. Can we get to know each other too?”
“…”
If he hadn’t already guessed the truth of the matter.
Just hearing those repeated calls of “Brother,” Wei Wanlan would never have interpreted the harmonious scene on the water as the illegitimate son, Yuan Xizai, secretly seizing the resources of the legitimate heir.
But perhaps the deceased Yuan Mingyue had never thought of it that way either.
Because the colors of the images floating on the water were bright. It must have been a very happy memory for Yuan Mingyue.
Then, the scene changed rapidly.
The little child had grown up, his face fair and beautiful, his posture elegant and graceful. Now, when he looked at Yuan Mingyue, there was a hint of something intriguing and inscrutable mixed in with his admiration.
This was the grown-up Yuan Xizai:
“Brother, the famous general is dead, the wise chancellor has retired, and the new emperor has ascended the throne. His Majesty has rejected Father’s memorials of advice several times. The Yuan family is in danger, and Father’s career is not looking good.”
“How can you say that all you seek is a clear conscience, and that honor and disgrace are up to fate?”
“We will surely be reduced to commoners, maybe even exiled—we should at least do everything humanly possible before we consider listening to that blasted fate.”
“The new emperor loves to travel. I am skilled at landscape painting. Trust me, I have a way. I will protect the Yuan family!”
The surface of the water suddenly trembled.
The image shattered and then re-formed.
It seemed a fierce conflict had occurred. Yuan Xizai clutched his face and staggered back dramatically, falling heavily to the ground.
“Brother!”
“You actually said that I covet wealth and glory, and that I will eventually face retribution, just like my mother who died in childbirth in the woodshed?”
“Ha, you, a legitimate son of a noble family, of course you don’t know how cold the woodshed is. But you’re wrong. I never even met my mother…”
And that was the first time a look of shame and guilt appeared on Yuan Xizai’s face, along with the vexation of being reprimanded by Yuan Mingyue.
A sharp edge appeared on his beautiful features.
Flames of anger and vengeance seemed to dance in his eyes.
That resentment was about to burn everything before him to ashes.
But in an instant, Yuan Xizai forcibly suppressed that edge.
He covered his face, cupped his hands in farewell, and left with a final sentence.
“I’m sorry, Brother. I’ve made you unhappy. When you are in charge of the Yuan family, you will surely have your own way of doing things. I shouldn’t have interfered. Please, prepare for your capping ceremony.”
The scene skipped over the ceremony.
It jumped directly to the events after.
Yuan Mingyue’s view was of the family’s ancestral hall.
He was kneeling before pale white candles, seemingly weak, the flames flickering.
Yuan Mingyue shifted his gaze and saw the door open. Behind it, Yuan Xizai appeared, holding a food box.
Yuan Mingyue seemed to feel remorse for their earlier argument.
Because he let Yuan Xizai sit down.
The image showed Yuan Mingyue’s hand, gently patting Yuan Xizai’s. Their two different hands were clasped tightly together.
And Yuan Xizai, too, showed the sympathy and affection of a younger brother for his elder, his eyes filled with tears.
He said:
“Brother.”
“I know you were framed. You didn’t assault the Grand Princess, because I saw it. I’m so ashamed that I can’t help but follow you. Even after we fight, I still want to make you happy. I’m your little shadow. I can testify for you. Please, tell the Three Judicial Offices that I am your witness…”
A joint trial by the three high courts.
The case was secretly interrogated in a pitch-black hall.
The final image that appeared was of Yuan Xizai’s face, half-covered in shadow, his expression deathly still. His mouth was moving, clearly enunciating, because it was the only thing that moved.
And all of Yuan Mingyue’s attention in the memory seemed to be fixed on Yuan Xizai’s moving red lips:
“He… he violated the Grand Princess and was discovered by the Prince Consort. He struck the Prince Consort in the Shanzhong acupoint, causing internal injuries. I saw it clearly. Please allow me to righteously disown my kin and, for the sake of our Yuan family, execute this lustful, beast-in-human-clothing!”
“…”
The image on the water froze on that final scene.
The once-vivid colors of the memory turned dark and gray.
The bright hues were stained by black and ash.
It was as if Yuan Mingyue, only in the last moments of his life, finally realized that his brotherly bond with his illegitimate sibling had been nothing but years of his own deception, and the other’s meticulous scheming.
The image vanished.
The water returned to its calm.
But Wei Wanlan was so enraged by the truth that he clenched his teeth until his jaw ached.
What was there not to understand?
Yuan Xizai was born into a noble family, but he was an outcast who didn’t fit in. Because he was so desperate to climb the ladder and had no resources of his own, he could only repeatedly cater to and flatter the powerful.
He framed Yuan Mingyue to get in with the Grand Princess;
He fawned over the late emperor to become a favored courtier;
And when the late emperor fell, unwilling to be executed as a sycophant by the Regent, he offered gold to curry favor with the Regent for his own glory…
The trajectory of his life was like climbing a staircase. He would step on one person to climb a level, then step on another to go higher still.
With the help of the Memory Revealing Solution, Wei Wanlan had a clear picture of Yuan Xizai’s life.
But even with the events laid out so neatly before him, there was still something he didn’t understand.
Given the Regent’s ability to judge character:
Even the traitor Qin Zhen, who had hidden his intentions so deeply, was played like a fiddle by him, ending up a clown.
How could Su Jingzhi have looked upon a smiling tiger like Yuan Xizai with favor?
A man as proud as Su Jingzhi, colluding with Yuan Xizai—it was almost impossible.
But if the Regent wasn’t Yuan Xizai’s backer, how could the letters and ledgers be explained?
And how was it that in the midst of the Great Wei’s anti-corruption storm, no one had been able to bring Yuan Xizai down?
—Could it be that even someone as domineering as the Regent had reasons he couldn’t refuse…
The Regent was also just playing along?
Eee!
Wei Wanlan’s little ears twitched violently.
Heh heh, if this is true, after I finish this case and help him take down Yuan Xizai, I’m going to laugh at him.
Yes, I’m going to laugh at him many, many times!
“Hahahahahahaha…”
Wei Wanlan couldn’t suppress the grin on his face.
“Why did you suddenly run up to the bridge and start laughing?”
“F-Fu Jun!?”
Wei Wanlan’s voice trembled.
At the highest point of the stone bridge.
The round moon shone brightly, and pink peach blossom petals danced in the air.
Wei Wanlan was startled by Fu Jun, the blood rushing to his head. You expert, can’t you make some noise when you approach me from now on? he thought. Appearing without a sound is terrifying!
He didn’t know if Fu Jun could see the images in the water.
Could Fu Jun see them?
If he could, would he find it strange that he could make images appear on the water? Would Fu Jun think he was a little monster?
Sob, sob, don’t think I’m a monster.
Can’t you just think of me as a little deity?
Please, great hero, I don’t want to be run through with a sword QAQ.
His mind in turmoil, Wei Wanlan lost his balance and nearly slipped on the smooth marble surface of the bridge. Fortunately, Fu Jun’s arm caught him around the waist, preventing him from tumbling headfirst into the water.
Panic filled his eyes, like a helpless little deer discovered by a hunter, searching for a place to hide but finding none.
“I was looking at the water!” Wei Wanlan blurted out nonsensically.
Fu Jun looked down, finding his beloved’s expression adorable, and fought back the urge to kiss his forehead.
—But what was so interesting about the water?
No.
It was very interesting.
Love me, love my dog.
Since Xiao Wan liked looking at the water, then the water was very interesting. Besides, watching the water with Xiao Wan wasn’t so bad. There was a layer of fallen flowers on the surface, and he could take advantage of the situation in more ways than one.
He secretly gave Xiao Wan’s waist a little squeeze. It was slender yet soft.
He spoke with perfect seriousness. “It is very beautiful.”
The result was a completely flushed little emperor, who buried his head in his hands, his little dragon claws tightly covering his face.
It’s over, Wei Wanlan thought. QAQ
Fu Jun can really see it!!!
He’s going to think I’m a little monster!!!
Terrified, Wei Wanlan covered his face and took another half-step back toward the edge of the bridge. He gripped the railing with both hands, trying to figure out how to explain to Fu Jun why shifting, illusory images were appearing in the water.
But he didn’t expect Fu Jun to follow him from behind.
The Regent’s brow twitched in a place he couldn’t see. He was genuinely afraid his little fool would fall into the water. Not caring about much else, he hastily wrapped his arms around Wei Wanlan.
“Don’t move.”
“Ooh…”
But this ended up with him holding Wei Wanlan in his arms.
The little fool was obedient and soft, the rims of his eyes a little moist. He opened and closed his mouth, wanting to say something but not daring to.
It left the Regent completely baffled.
Fu Jun frowned. “Are you this scared just from looking at the water? Is there something in the water you shouldn’t see?”
His words hit the nail right on the head.
It scared Wei Wanlan so much his palms loosened.
QAQ QAQ QAQ—
He can really see the illusions in the water!!!
A few mint leaves he had been clutching in his hand fell from his grasp as he shuddered, fluttering down into the water below the stone bridge.
For some reason, the green leaves stirred up vortices on the water’s surface. The peach blossom petals were swept into an irregular circle by the swirling water.
Feeling the little one in his arms tremble, the Regent tried to soothe his little fool’s emotions.
He thought that perhaps there were fish underneath causing the still water to swirl. It was a rare sight. So he said to Wei Wanlan:
“The water really is quite beautiful right now.”
The Memory Revealing Solution had activated.
The leaves had been dropped by Wei Wanlan.
Naturally, the solution was reading Wei Wanlan’s memories, the most profound image in the life of the Emperor of the Great Wei.
An image once again appeared on the water’s surface…
It was… the curtains of the dragon bed stirring, and on the bed were two figures, overlapping until they almost became one.
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