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There was a note left for Shen Qingqiu on his desk, written in Emperor Yue’s handwriting with the seal of Cang Qiong Empire emblazoned on its front. Shen Qingqiu quickly read it and grumbled a little as he let the note fall back on top of the desk. It made no sound as it hit the wood, though the weight of its contents was like a piece of iron in Shen Qingqiu’s middle.

“Shizun?” said Luo Binghe, coming up to stand beside him. The pale green fabric of his imperial guard’s uniform shone in the morning sunlight, contrasting with the small, red demon mark on his forehead. “Is everything all right?”

Shen Qingqiu picked up his folding fan and flicked it open. Luo Binghe was only a few years younger than him, but Shen Qingqiu still had to look up to face him properly. “The delegation from Huan Hua is arriving today, and His Majesty has requested that I be there to greet them.”

He didn’t quite manage to hide the nervousness in his tone. Relations between Cang Qiong and Huan Hua had been strained for the past while. Asking Shen Qingqiu to be one of the people greeting the delegation was akin to putting a flashing, neon-red target on his back.

Luo Binghe’s eyes hardened. “Doesn’t Emperor Yue usually send one of his consorts to greet delegations?”

In spite of the sudden direness of Shen Qingqiu’s situation, his heart lightened at the thought that Luo Binghe cared enough about him to worry. He nodded and said, “His three consorts will be there, too. The people Huan Hua are sending must be important, if even Worthy Consort Liu has agreed to meet with them. You know how he is with diplomacy.”

Requesting Shen Qingqiu’s presence there was strange, since he was only Yue Qingyuan’s courtesan and not an official member of his imperial harem. Adding to that, he wasn’t even the person that Yue Qingyuan thought he was.

Shen Yuan transmigrated into this world and became ‘Shen Qingqiu’ a few months ago. It didn’t take him long to figure out that he was in the world of the last novel he read in his previous life, Proud Immortal Demon Way. The new Shen Qingqiu wasn’t all that bothered about suddenly finding himself as a character in a fictional world.

What he lamented over was that he transmigrated into the worst antagonist in the novel’s entire roster.

That didn’t mean that he was the final BOSS that the protagonist had to defeat to get his happy ending. No, Shen Qingqiu was just a cannon fodder villain who was meant to cause some trouble, and then die via execution. The original Shen Qingqiu had been so vitriolic that 99% of the imperial court hated him, and Shen Yuan still hadn’t managed to smooth out all the wrinkles in his horrible reputation. 

“I suppose I should get ready to go out,” said Shen Qingqiu, failing to hide the mournful tone in his voice. He had been looking forward to another quiet day in his palace with Luo Binghe, but that would have to be postponed until after the Huan Hua delegation was settled.

When Shen Qingqiu put down his fan and picked up a comb, Luo Binghe stepped forward with a soft smile.

“Allow this one to help Shizun with his hair,” he said. Shen Qingqiu readily handed the comb to him.

Once, Shen Qingqiu would have balked at getting Luo Binghe to do this sort of servant’s work for him. Luo Binghe was the protagonist of the novel, after all; he was only disguised as an imperial guard as part of the plot. But Luo Binghe always seemed so happy to do little things like this for Shen Qingqiu, so he permitted it.

Shen Qingqiu sat down in front of his mirror, and Luo Binghe carefully brushed out the tangles in his hair. Luo Binghe’s hands were those of a warrior’s, and Shen Qingqiu was well aware that he could crush almost anything with his strength, but he was always gentle whenever he did this. Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes, focusing on the feel of Luo Binghe fixing his hair in his usual style to ground himself.

Luo Binghe was actually the Crown Prince of the Demonic Empire, but he was disguised as an imperial guard to learn more about the Demonic Empire’s human allies. His experiences here were an important part of his character arc, as they influenced his decisions in the future, when he had to deal with the novel’s political plot developments.

And, as with most story arcs in Proud Immortal Demon Way, the Cang Qiong chapters also had a lengthy romance subplot. The love interest at this point in the novel was Qiu Haitang, the ward of King Lao Gongzhu of Huan Hua. She was introduced as Yue Qingyuan’s fiancée in an arranged marriage, and before falling in love with Luo Binghe, she had to deal with all the intrigue that came with being a part of the Emperor’s harem. 

Shen Qingqiu’s role as a character was to make Qiu Haitang’s life hell. The original Shen Qingqiu was so jealous of Qiu Haitang’s position that he did everything that was typical for a brainless, two-dimensional scum villain. He spread baseless rumours about her past, bribed her servants to give her rotten food, and even tried to poison her tea. That last action was the most poorly thought-out, since he did it in front of witnesses, including Luo Binghe. Trying to harm the protagonist’s love interest in front of him was a certain death wish! Predictably, the plot came to kill the original Shen Qingqiu in the end, and he was promptly forgotten in the next chapter when the protagonist moved on to another story arc.

The current Shen Qingqiu planned to do none of the drama-inducing things that the original did in the novel. He was going to employ the same strategy he had been using for the past few months: keep out of the imperial harem drama and stay the fuck away from any critical plot points. This way, Shen Qingqiu could escape the original’s fate of execution.

It was a simple yet foolproof plan!

It was only twice that Shen Qingqiu broke that rule to interfere in plot-related events. The first was when Worthy Consort Liu had a qi deviation that almost killed him, and Shen Qingqiu had stepped in at the last minute to save his life. The second was when Luo Binghe first arrived at the imperial court, about a week after Shen Yuan’s transmigration.

The first time Shen Qingqiu laid eyes on the protagonist was in the part of the imperial garden that was open to palace guests. Luo Binghe had been standing beside a pavilion by a small lake, and his green uniform almost blended into the background. That did nothing to hide his beauty, though. He made the rest of the garden look like a child’s watercolour painting, and Shen Qingqiu’s breath caught as he realised who he was. Who else could have an air about him like that, other than the protagonist?

It was a moment later that Shen Qingqiu realised he had been silently staring. He shook himself out of it and made to walk away when he heard what the person standing next to Luo Binghe was saying to him.

Luo Binghe was assigned to guard a visiting noble from Huan Hua, one of the novel’s minor characters. The only notable thing about this noble was that he had a deep prejudice against demons, especially those who had human and demon parents like Luo Binghe. Indeed, he was currently ranting at Luo Binghe about how armed demons shouldn’t be running around the imperial court, no matter that they went through the same training and testing as any other guard.

Luo Binghe’s expression was impassive, but the irises of his eyes and the demon mark on his forehead were starting to glow red. Shen Qingqiu’s grip on his fan tightened at the sight of that.

The penalty for a demon losing control of their powers in the imperial court was a considerable number of lashes. The Luo Binghe of the novel still bore the scars from that incident.

Apart from being the precedent to a boatload of angst in later chapters, this scene also held importance for Luo Binghe’s character development. As the Crown Prince of the Demonic Empire, nobody ever dared to insult Luo Binghe. There was Sha Hualing, a demonic princess who teased him a lot, and Mobei-jun, who always told him the blunt truth even when it hurt—but nobody outright mocked Luo Binghe or his demon heritage as the Huan Hua noble was doing now. This scene was the starting point of Luo Binghe’s self-doubt, which spiralled into him trying to merge the human and demon realms. It was an act that eventually led to him being crowned undisputed Emperor.

But this Luo Binghe was not yet the OP demon emperor from Chapter One-Thousand-Something of the novel. Right now, he was just a young man out of his element, being forced to listen to a stranger insult him and his parents. Shen Qingqiu was already moving towards him before his last two brain cells activated and told him this was an abysmally bad idea.

The Huan Hua noble was saying, “It’s bad enough that His Majesty is accepting demons to train as imperial guards, but to hire you, the product of a coupling between a human and a demon… It’s common knowledge that demons are cunning beasts who only care about themselves and their own gains. That a human was foolish enough to lie with one of them when they have no ability to love is unthinkable!”

The garden was mostly empty at this time, with only Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe and that noble here. The noble probably thought that he was free to spout whatever nonsense he wanted since there was nobody here ranked higher than him to punish him for it. But Shen Qingqiu didn’t need rank to deal with people like him.

Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat, giving the noble the proper greeting when he and Luo Binghe turned to him. Luo Binghe’s gaze bore into Shen Qingqiu with confusion, while the noble gave him an appraising look that seemed to crawl over Shen Qingqiu’s skin like insects.

Shen Qingqiu straightened from his bow with a proud bearing and kept his gaze locked on the noble’s. In a cold voice that was wholly incongruent with what was expected of a courtesan, he said, “I think that’s quite enough from you.”

The noble spluttered. “You—insolent servant! Don’t you know who I am?”

Shen Qingqiu knew his name and temper, and that was pretty much it. The novel’s minor antagonists were as forgettable as splotches of dirt on a wall.

He raised an eyebrow at the noble. “You are someone who mistakenly believes they have the right to look down on demons. Who are you to make such harsh judgements on demons and the humans who love them?”

Luo Binghe’s parents, Tianlang-jun and Su Xiyan, did not marry for political reasons. They had been madly in love while they were alive, and their relationship was supposed to be a contrast to the protagonist’s many endeavors into romance. No matter how many people fell for him and how many people he seduced, Luo Binghe never found someone to give his whole heart to and get their heart in return. Shen Qingqiu could understand why the author, Airplane Shooting Towards The Sky, wrote it like that. It was a way to let the novel fans have their own headcanons on who Luo Binghe’s endgame love interest was. A messy way of going about it, sure, but Airplane was a messy writer.

Still, it was sad that with all the romance-focused chapters in Proud Immortal Demon Way, Luo Binghe was never meant to find True Love with the capital letters.

With this thought like an anchor in his chest, Shen Qingqiu sneered at the noble from behind his fan. “Who says that demons are incapable of feeling love? Demons have hearts just as much as humans do. It may be true that some demons never fall in love, but that’s not uncommon for humans, too.”

The Huan Hua noble’s face twisted, but Shen Qingqiu just gave him his iciest glare, unfazed. The original’s face was perfectly sculpted for this sort of villainous showdown. It was kind of a waste that he wasn’t a more major antagonist with a bigger role, like pushing the protagonist into an abyss. But that would mean that Shen Qingqiu’s potential fate would be much worse than mere execution, so in a way he’s pretty glad he’s so insignificant.

The noble pointed an accusing finger at Shen Qingqiu and opened his mouth to shout something, but a hand shot out to catch his wrist. Shen Qingqiu’s eyes widened and he lowered his fan a little.

Luo Binghe’s grip around the noble’s wrist was so tight that his knuckles were white. The noble blanched and seemed to remember that he had just been insulting a demon, who had enough natural strength to squish his ribcage like it was a paper lantern. 

His gaze flicked between Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu. With a huff that betrayed his terror, he said, “Release me at once!”

Luo Binghe complied, and the noble turned away, leaving with an imperious flick of his sleeves. Shen Qingqiu let out a breath and went to stand in front of Luo Binghe.

This close, the effect of the protagonist halo seemed to intensify. The sunlight filtered through Luo Binghe’s eyelashes and made his eyes look like they were shining with starlight. His features were softened by what seemed like surprise; he was probably shocked that Shen Qingqiu wasn’t exactly the way his reputation portrayed him to be.

Don’t worry Luo Binghe, he thought, this Shen Qingqiu wouldn’t do anything to get in the way of your plot-determined destiny!

Unlike the original Shen Qingqiu, he wasn’t a raging ball of machiavellian jealousy. There was no chance he would actually antagonise Qiu Haitang or any of the protagonist’s love interests.

Luo Binghe said with a salute, “This one thanks Lord Shen.”

“I am not of the noble classes, so there’s no need to address me so formally.” Shen Qingqiu slowly fluttered his fan, taking in all the details of the protagonist. He couldn’t help it, okay? He had never met a protagonist before!

“Lord Shen deserves the utmost respect,” insisted Luo Binghe.

Shen Qingqiu should bid goodbye to the protagonist and leave. Getting involved with Luo Binghe wouldn’t amount to anything substantial, since the protagonist had little to do with the original Shen Qingqiu’s death. Yet there was a part of Shen Qingqiu that hesitated. He remembered reading about how Luo Binghe knew so little about human culture that he ended up making quite a few blunders in the novel’s first few chapters. That created conflict for the plot, but it had also evoked second-hand embarrassment in Shen Yuan while he was reading. He was sure that it must have been much worse for the one actually going through it. On top of that, Luo Binghe also had to deal with more prejudices, attacks, assassination attempts and so forth.

Maybe… Shen Qingqiu could help him out a little bit? Just to pave the way for the protagonist to reach greatness without losing too much face?

He put his fan down fully and tilted the corners of his lips up. “What do I call you?”

Luo Binghe swallowed. “This one’s name is Luo Binghe.”

Using the same name as the Crown Prince of the Demonic Empire… The fact that nobody in Cang Qiong figured out Luo Binghe’s true identity before the Big Reveal was such a plot hole that Shen Qingqiu had left a lengthy comment on the novel about that. 

“Luo Binghe.” The name flowed easily from Shen Qingqiu’s tongue. It was a familiar name that he had seen in writing so many times before, but this was the first time he actually said it aloud. “Would you like to be my personal guard?”

“Yes!” said Luo Binghe, almost before Shen Qingqiu even finished. When Shen Qingqiu’s eyes widened a little at the outburst, he took a step back and cleared his throat. “What this one means to say is that he would be honoured to serve Lord Shen.”

Huh. Shen Qingqiu had been prepared to list off arguments as to why it would be a good idea to accept a position guarding him rather than some other, more important person. Luo Binghe must be agreeing so readily because Shen Qingqiu was the first person to be nice towards him during his time in Cang Qiong.

“Good.” Shen Qingqiu gestured with his fan. “Come, I’ll show you where you can ask for a transfer in duties. Someone else can guard that Huan Hua noble.”

After that little incident, Luo Binghe became Shen Qingqiu’s personal guard. Since Shen Qingqiu didn’t want him to call him ‘Lord Shen,’ Luo Binghe took to calling him ‘Shizun.’ They weren’t officially master and disciple, but Shen Qingqiu allowed the moniker since he did see himself as Luo Binghe’s mentor, steering him away from any political blunders he might make in the future.

Now, Shen Qingqiu turned to give Luo Binghe a small, grateful smile when he finished with his hair, and Luo Binghe almost dropped the comb. For a stallion protagonist, he was really clumsy sometimes. It was kind of adorable.

He wouldn’t always be this innocent, though. One day he would depart from Cang Qiong for good, and his journey would change him from a white lotus to the all-powerful Demon Emperor who would conquer the two realms. Shen Qingqiu would never see him again, since the protagonist would be too busy ruling his empire and spending time with the characters in his imperial harem.

The thought of Luo Binghe having so many spouses made Shen Qingqiu’s lungs twist themselves into complicated knots. Instead of dwelling on that, he stood and made his way outside, Luo Binghe trailing behind him. 

Shen Qingqiu’s residence was the smallest palace in the furthest corner of Yue Qingyuan’s inner court. He had to walk the whole length of the imperial garden to reach the court’s main entrance where the Huan Hua delegation would be arriving. The sun painted the flowers of the garden in a myriad of pretty colours, but Shen Qingqiu didn’t pause to admire any of them.

With every step he took, the leftover pieces of ‘Shen Yuan’ fell away to make room for all the layers of his ‘Shen Qingqiu’ persona. He made his elegance into a weapon. He forged his reputation into a shield. The half-smile on his face was replaced by a cool look of derision, paired with narrowed eyes that seemed to be perpetually glaring. A glacial wall seemed to slam down around him, a warning to anybody who dared to come near him. Shen Qingqiu couldn’t afford to be too close to anyone, so he kept everyone in Cang Qiong at arm’s length.

Everyone but Luo Binghe, that is. Luo Binghe’s presence in Cang Qiong Empire was only temporary, so Shen Qingqiu didn’t need to worry about accidentally lighting the wick of a feud with him. Every time he built up his walls, he made sure that Luo Binghe was inside them, too. It was somewhat comforting, to have at least one person with whom he didn’t need to put on an act for.

Along the way, Shen Qingqiu passed by a few concubines and servants who didn’t even try to hide the disdain in their faces at the sight of him. Being a cultivator, Shen Qingqiu heard what they whispered about him, but he paid them no heed. They were just like NPCs that spouted the same few lines every time they were clicked on. Why should they bother him?

A sudden movement from Luo Binghe brought Shen Qingqiu out of his thoughts. They were only halfway across the imperial garden by now, but Luo Binghe was standing still, his arm outstretched in front of Shen Qingqiu. His hand was loosely closed around something. When he opened it, a pale pink blossom from one of the trees lining the path lay gently on his palm.

“The flower almost hit Shizun on the head,” Luo Binghe explained. Then, with a swift movement, he brushed a stray hair from Shen Qingqiu’s face and tucked the flower in his ear. “This one thinks that it would suit Shizun’s appearance today.”

Of course, Shen Qingqiu had to look his best when meeting important people from Huan Hua! He smiled at Luo Binghe from behind his fan. “Thank you, Binghe.”

The protagonist was really thoughtful. Shen Qingqiu was sure that when Luo Binghe finally got a meet-cute with one of his love interests, he would have no trouble seducing them.

Someone behind them gasped. Shen Qingqiu turned to see one of the palace servants openly gaping at the flower in his hair, but before Shen Qingqiu could ask what was wrong, another servant hurriedly pulled them away. He could only shrug and continue walking.

Past the large courtyard was the main entrance, and there was already a flock of courtiers waiting there. Shen Qingqiu half-expected to see Huan Hua’s carriages rattling on the path on their way inside already. Yue Qingyuan and his consorts weren’t here yet, though, and it was still rather early.

Shen Qingqiu sighed and stood at the very back of the gathered crowd. He thought that he would be able to stand here quietly and flee with Luo Binghe at the first opportunity, but then the three consorts and their retinues of servants and guards started to arrive.

Noble Consort Qi Qingqi, with her sharp eyes and equally sharp aura, was the first to catch sight of Shen Qingqiu. She cut a straight line through the courtyard to Shen Qingqiu, and the crown on her head glinted like the blade of a knife.

She said without preamble, “Emperor Yue told me you would be here. I thought you would wear something more severe.”

Qi Qingqi was the top-ranked consort in Yue Qingyuan’s harem. She was one of the people that the original Shen Qingqiu had targeted in his schemes, but the relationship between them seemed to be a bit more complicated than mere rivalry. It was alluded to several times in the novel that Shen Qingqiu had done some sort of favour for her. The current Shen Qingqiu still hadn’t found out what it was, since Qi Qingqi always rejected his invitations to tea and only deigned to interact with him when it was unavoidable. At least she wasn’t the type to have him murdered in his sleep.

“Noble Consort Qi.” Shen Qingqiu greeted her with a bow, and then he flicked his fan open as he straightened. “Is there something unsatisfactory about my outfit today?”

“Nothing’s wrong with it.” Qi Qingqi raised an eyebrow. “That’s my point.”

What, did she think that Shen Qingqiu would wear something scandalous and offend the Huan Hua emissaries? Or did she expect Shen Qingqiu to wear one of the robes that Yue Qingyuan gifted him and try to stake his claim on the Emperor’s affections?

The current Shen Qingqiu didn’t delude himself like the original one did. Yue Qingyuan’s heart would never belong to him, so there was no point in trying to stir up drama.

Luo Binghe, standing behind Shen Qingqiu, made a displeased noise that only he could hear. Shen Qingqiu looked up to find what caused that and saw that Worthy Consort Liu Qingge had arrived. The way he walked suggested that he was a seasoned warrior, which made sense since he was the son of Great General Liu who commanded most of Cang Qiong’s armies. He saw Shen Qingqiu and strode over to stand beside him and Qi Qingqi.

When Shen Qingqiu first transmigrated, he tended to avoid Liu Qingge, knowing that the original Shen Qingqiu had bullied him the most out of all the other characters. Shen Qingqiu had been too late to undo most of the things that had been done, but he had been able to save Liu Qingge from a qi deviation that had almost killed him. That seemed to make Liu Qingge forget all his past misdeeds, and they were sort-of maybe friends now.

Liu Qingge didn’t return Shen Qingqiu’s small smile, but the austerity in his eyes vanished as their gazes met. “You’re here.”

“His Majesty requested my presence,” said Shen Qingqiu, slowly fanning himself. Someone of Shen Qingqiu’s status couldn’t defy a direct order from the Emperor. “It is likely that he wishes for me to entertain the guests.”

Shen Qingqiu’s main job as Emperor Yue’s courtesan was to make an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere at banquets and other social events. With his extensive knowledge of classical literature, he could provide intellectually stimulating conversation, and he could both paint and play chess. Moreover, he was trained in poetry recitation, dancing and musical performance.

He also, supposedly, had skills when it came to sexual favours. Luckily, nobody was interested enough in the original goods to want to get into his bed.

Virtuous Consort Mu Qingfang was the last of the consorts to get to the entrance, and he saluted politely before joining in the conversation. “Shen-shixiong, I heard the news yesterday evening and was wondering if you were all right.”

There was genuine worry in Mu Qingfang’s voice. Shen Qingqiu’s starting relationship with him wasn’t as bad as it had been with Liu Qingge, but it was a neutral, distant sort of relationship like that between a doctor and a patient. Shen Qingqiu managed to score some points with Mu Qingfang when he helped him find some rare herbs for the medicines he worked on in his free time.

Shen Qingqiu thought back to Mu Qingfang’s question. He had to rack his brain for a bit before he remembered what had happened yesterday evening. One of Yue Qingyuan’s servants had come by and said that the Emperor would be unable to join Shen Qingqiu for dinner—again. Shen Qingqiu had never interacted with the man since he transmigrated; Yue Qingyuan seemed to be doing his utmost to avoid him. The original goods probably would have thrown a fit at that, but the current Shen Qingqiu didn’t feel anything in particular.

He hid his indifference with a flutter of his fan and a practiced smile. “His Majesty is a busy man. Of course this one is okay with him cancelling something as small as dinner plans.”

There was a crease between Mu Qingfang’s brows, and it only seemed to deepen when he glanced at the entrance where the Huan Hua delegation would arrive any minute now. “If shixiong says so.”

It always surprised Shen Qingqiu to hear the term ‘shixiong’ being used to refer to him. Mu Qingfang often used it, and occasionally so would Liu Qingge and Qi Qingqi. Shen Qingqiu supposed that they all went to school together with the original goods, and that theory fit with Shen Qingqiu’s considerably high cultivation level. He couldn’t fathom how a courtesan managed to do that, though. He wasn’t even sure courtesans were allowed to cultivate. The original Shen Qingqiu probably blackmailed someone to get a position as a student in whatever elite school the others went to.

“We can spar later,” Liu Qingge suggested.

Shen Qingqiu let out a quiet laugh. Over the past while, he had figured out that whenever Liu Qingge asked to spar with him, it was usually to distract him from something distressing. 

“Maybe another day, Worthy Consort Liu.” The slight regret in Shen Qingqiu’s voice wasn’t feigned. It was fun to accept Liu Qingge’s offers of sparring since Shen Qingqiu never participated in any night hunts, but he had to remember that Liu Qingge was an OP fighter who was leagues above Shen Qingqiu. “I’m still sore from last time.”

Liu Qingge blinked hard at his words before wrenching his gaze away, his face reddening. 

“Whenever you want,” he said, as if he wasn’t an imperial consort with a tightly-packed daily schedule.

Sometimes Liu Qingge acted really strangely. Shen Qingqiu supposed it was because when Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky was creating him, he discarded all of Liu Qingge’s socialising points in favour of fighting points.

Luo Binghe coughed; Shen Qingqiu made a mental note to bring him some tea once they were finished here.

Qi Qingqi looked exasperated. “The Huan Hua delegation should be here soon. Emperor Yue wants you to stand beside us, Shen Qingqiu.”

As they walked to their places at the front of the waiting crowd, Mu Qingfang said, “Perhaps this is a good sign for Shen-shixiong. It could mean that His Majesty wants to make him an official concubine.”

The polite smile on Shen Qingqiu’s face stiffened. Luo Binghe’s head snapped around to face Mu Qingfang so fast that Shen Qingqiu worried he might have pulled a muscle.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t quite know what upset him just now, but he still reached back and took hold of a piece of Luo Binghe’s sleeve between his finger and his thumb. He hoped that it would be enough of a warning. Right now, Luo Binghe wasn’t a crown prince, and he couldn’t speak out in front of the Emperor.

As for Shen Qingqiu, he had no reason to worry. Yue Qingyuan would certainly never want to marry him.

Qi Qingqi scoffed. She seemed to agree with Shen Qingqiu’s thoughts when she said, “I doubt it. If that was what Emperor Yue wanted, then he should have done so before today.”

Shen Qingqiu used his fan to hide the confusion on his face. “Why is today so important, Noble Consort Qi?”

Liu Qingge and Mu Qingfang both looked at Shen Qingqiu with surprise, while Qi Qingqi’s voice took on a hint of pity. “His Majesty didn’t tell you? She’s one of the people coming from Huan Hua today.”

“She?” Shen Qingqiu repeated. A feeling of dread began to settle in the pit of his stomach like he had just swallowed a block of ice.

Qi Qingqi was about to say something else, but then Yue Qingyuan and his entourage arrived. Everyone, including Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe, dropped into bows. Those in his path parted for him like water. Yue Qingyuan’s robes today were among his finest, and the crown atop his head was as grand Shen Qingqiu imagined Luo Binghe’s future crown to be. He had a handsome face, accentuated by a gentle smile, and yet Shen Qingqiu was certain that he would be terrifying when angered.

Yue Qingyuan’s eyes passed over the crowd in a steady line, only faltering when they reached Shen Qingqiu. His gaze lingered on Shen Qingqiu’s face as he walked closer, and there was something small and almost pained about his expression.

What the hell was that about? Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help the fear that spiked in him. Had he done something to offend the Emperor already? This was—technically—only their first meeting!

Shen Qingqiu’s view of the Emperor was suddenly blocked by Luo Binghe, who had taken a step forward. The Emperor passed them without incident and Shen Qingqiu breathed a sigh of relief.

“Shizun,” Luo Binghe said quietly.

“This master is fine, Binghe.” Shen Qingqiu shook his head and searched for something to say that wasn’t I’m terrified of the Emperor ordering my execution. “It’s just that I remembered how the rumours about me have escalated recently. Some people are saying I’m plotting something horrible to steal His Majesty’s affections, like cursing him.”

Luo Binghe raised his eyebrows. Even he could see how ridiculous the rumours were getting.

“Shizun wouldn’t do something like that,” Luo Binghe said firmly. “And if Shizun has to resort to stealing a place in His Majesty’s heart, then Emperor Yue doesn’t deserve him.”

Something twisted in Shen Qingqiu’s chest. “Binghe, you… You shouldn’t speak like that of the Emperor.”

A conflicted emotion guttered in Luo Binghe’s eyes, but he only nodded. He glanced between Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu before taking a step back. 

Shen Qingqiu felt somewhat guilty, though he was only trying to help Luo Binghe. When his identity was revealed, he would be able to talk shit about whoever he wanted, just not now!

The sound of carriages drawing near announced that the Huan Hua delegation was here. Shen Qingqiu took another breath and schooled his expression into something cold and cruel again; Luo Binghe watched him silently, still with that conflict in his gaze.

Yue Qingyuan and his consorts gave the proper greetings to the Huan Hua emissaries as they embarked from their carriages, while Shen Qingqiu tried to make himself as invisible as possible.

The last Huan Hua carriage had a different design than the others. There was a somewhat familiar family crest on the side of it, and Shen Qingqiu was still frowning at it when the carriage doors opened and out came the last person he wanted to see.

Qiu Haitang.

She was dressed every bit as regally as Qi Qingqi, perhaps even more so, and her walk was confident as she approached Yue Qingyuan. Shen Qingqiu could only stand frozen as Yue Qingyuan welcomed her to Cang Qiong as the future Empress. The erratic beating of his heart was almost enough to drown out the whispers of the servants behind him. It didn’t help that when Qiu Haitang’s gaze slid from Yue Qingyuan to Shen Qingqiu, the hatred that sparked in her eyes at the sight of him was probably enough to boil him alive on the spot.

Wait, hold on, Shen Qingqiu screeched on the inside. This isn’t part of the plot! Why is the love interest here so early?!

If the plot deviated too much from the canon events of the novel, then how could Shen Qingqiu be prepared?

As if to answer him, a cheerful, robotic voice like a Google Translate knockoff echoed in his mind. It was accompanied by a series of notification screens that blared in his vision like holographic pop-up advertisements. 

[Activation code: INCITING INCIDENT, the appearance of the rival character ‘Qiu Haitang.’]

[Please standby while the System activates.]

[Loading 50%... Loading 99%...]

Shen Qingqiu attempted to sort through the chaos exploding in his mind.

‘System’? This world had a System, like some sort of role-playing video game?

He was helpless to do anything but read the next notifications that were shoved into his face. As he did so, panic rose up in his chest, threatening to choke him as if he had just swallowed a gallon of bitter tea.

[System activation successful: Binding the user’s role to: Courtesan to Emperor Yue Qingyuan of Cang Qiong, ‘Shen Qingqiu.’ Weapon: Xiu Ya sword. Special ability: Thousand Leaves and Blossoms.]

[The System apologises for the delay and hopes that you have enjoyed the trial version of ‘Proud Immortal Demon Way.’]

[Due to your successful actions during the trial version, the novel events are now starting. Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations!]

[You will now be given an objective to be completed within the timeframe of the novel. Please note that failure to complete the objective will result in loss of all accumulated R-Points. This will result in your account being terminated permanently.]

[Your objective is: Help the protagonist find ‘True Love with the capital letters.’ The System wishes you the best of luck in your quest!]

Shen Qingqiu took a glance at Luo Binghe, who was looking back at him with wide, concerned eyes. Then he looked at Qiu Haitang, who was glaring hard enough to cut a hole in the air between her and Shen Qingqiu, completely ignoring the love of her life standing right next to him.

Shen Qingqiu’s internal screaming was loud enough to shake the System’s notification screens.

Chapter Text

[You have unlocked a new item: ‘Shen Jiu Memory Fragment.’]

[This item has special bonus content inside. Would you like to view it?]

[YES]

[Loading…]

[Loading…]

Shen Jiu’s movements were graceful and precise as he plucked a flowing series of notes on the guqin. The melody was sweet and crisp, like the cool breeze that comes just before the first snowfall. Yet, there was a hint of something else beneath it—something sharp and virulent that coiled around the notes like thorny vines. It seemed to be the only true thing beneath the practiced hollowness of the song, but most people would have missed it, taking Shen Jiu’s docile conduct at face value.

Sitting across from Shen Jiu was Yue Qingyuan. His face was unreadable as he took a quiet sip from his teacup, and the light from the fire pit behind him cast him in a soft, almost ethereal glow. He was as distant and unattainable as an Emperor should be. Meanwhile, Shen Jiu was a column of ice stuck in the ground, painted to be the perfect picture of a courtesan.

Both of them had become quite adept at keeping up this farce.

When the song finished, Shen Jiu placed his hand above the guqin strings and looked up. He didn’t meet Yue Qingyuan’s eyes and looked at the teacup in his hand instead. It was a part of Yue Qingyuan’s favourite tea set, and the green porcelain was imprinted with a subtle bamboo design. Shen Jiu wrenched his gaze away.

The table they were sitting at was in the main hall of Yue Qingyuan’s palace. Shen Jiu had memorised the layout of this palace to be prepared for any spies or assassins, so he was aware of exactly how long it would take for them to move from the main hall to the bedchambers.

“If His Majesty wishes,” he said, smothering the usual biting edge of his voice, “we can continue this somewhere more comfortable?”

Shen Jiu asked this same question every time Yue Qingyuan deigned to summon him. As always, Yue Qingyuan answered with a shake of his head. The relief that Shen Jiu felt at that was bitter on his tongue, though he had expected this. The only reason Shen Jiu was here at all was because Yue Qingyuan felt obligated to fulfill a childhood promise to him. He didn’t actually want Shen Jiu.

“Then, may this one have permission to speak freely?”

“Yes, of course.”

Shen Jiu took a breath. “This one was wondering how the incident with Minister Qi would be dealt with.”

Yue Qingyuan’s fingers tightened around the teacup, and his mouth shifted into what was supposed to be a reassuring smile. Shen Jiu suddenly wished that the tea was hot enough to burn that falseness off his face.

“Qingqiu needn’t worry about that,” said Yue Qingyuan, further heightening Shen Jiu’s irritation. “Minister Qi’s sudden death was… strange, but the matter has been taken care of. Nobody would suspect Qingqiu of doing it.”

Half-answers and dismissals, all conveyed with a diplomatic tone. This was how things were with Yue Qingyuan nowadays; he never confided in Shen Jiu enough to tell him the plain truth. Shen Jiu used to be the only person that Yue Qingyuan trusted enough to have his back, but that had been a long time ago. 

Still, Shen Jiu’s habits of trying to protect Yue Qingyuan never quite faded.

“Nevertheless,” he said, “some members of the court are still suspicious. This one suggests that in order to quell any disquiet, His Majesty could take Lady Qi Qingqi as his first proper spouse.”

Yue Qingyuan’s teacup fell out of his hands.

Shen Jiu watched as it shattered on the tabletop. His reflexes would have been fast enough to catch it, but it was somehow gratifying to see a real, concrete thing break between him and Yue Qingyuan.

He hated this tea set with the bamboo design, anyway. It brought back unwanted memories of the forests in the Qing Jing region.

“That—” Yue Qingyuan shook his head again. “Why is Qingqiu bringing this up now?”

Shen Jiu set the guqin aside and picked up his own teacup. “Every Emperor requires at least one spouse. People are beginning to talk about how His Majesty has none.”

That was putting it lightly. Rumours were flying all over the imperial court about Yue Qingyuan’s sorry state of affairs, and most of Yue Qingyuan’s advisers were convinced that this was all Shen Jiu’s fault somehow. They were already planning how to persuade Yue Qingyuan to dissolve Shen Jiu’s contract with him and wed someone they approved of. It was better that Shen Jiu proposed the idea of marriage himself, rather than wait until Yue Qingyuan decided to listen to his advisers. Keeping his fragile position in Yue Qingyuan’s court would become more difficult with a harem, but it wasn’t as if he had any other choice.

“It doesn’t have to be Lady Qi,” Shen Jiu continued, “though marrying her would fully solve the problem with Minister Qi. General Liu’s son is a good candidate, too. He won’t be able to provide His Majesty with heirs, but an alliance with the Liu family would be good for Cang Qiong’s military.”

“I cannot marry someone I don’t know,” Yue Qingyuan said, almost helplessly. “Someone… Someone I don’t love.”

“And who do you love, Your Majesty?”

Yue Qingyuan fell silent.

Shen Jiu looked down at his reflection in the liquid of his teacup. The unfeeling face of a stranger stared back at him, and he set the cup down. “You can learn to love them. It would be easy. Find things you admire about them and look for their qualities that complement yours. You don’t have to sleep with them every night if the thought of being intimate with them abhors you, just enough times that you wouldn’t be neglecting them.”

There was another long silence following that. It seemed to echo like the final notes of a song.

When Yue Qingyuan spoke again, his voice was so quiet that Shen Jiu barely caught it. As if Shen Jiu’s opinion mattered in this situation, he asked, “Is that what Qingqiu wants? For this Emperor to gain alliances through marriages?”

Ridiculous question. Ridiculous man.

Shen Jiu loved him so much that it hurt to breathe.

But Shen Jiu was a survivor, and he had come this far because he did what he needed to, rather than going after pointless desires like love. He had learned long ago that love corroded people just as much as hatred did.

Shen Jiu hated himself, but he loved Yue Qingyuan. So he had set the undesirable parts of himself ablaze, letting his past slip through his fingers like ashes. He had thought that doing this would be enough for Yue Qingyuan to look at him as if he were worth something again.

But all Shen Jiu had managed to do was burn away the rest of who he was, leaving nothing but remnants of the person he was before.

“Yes,” he said, finally meeting Yue Qingyuan’s eyes. They looked right through him. “Anything that would strengthen Cang Qiong would make me happy.”

The shattered pieces of the teacup still lay on the tabletop between them, like stab wounds in a festering corpse. Shen Jiu didn’t know how to fix this mess. He didn’t know if he even could. All he could do was to continue pulling on the threads that bound both him and Yue Qingyuan until they snapped.

Shen Jiu picked up his guqin again and put his fingers on the strings. This time, when he played, the music was devoid of any of his own emotions.

Shen Qingqiu had a moment of disorientation as the memory faded, and then his surroundings filtered back into his senses. The sound of Shen Jiu’s song was replaced by the rustling of the leaves in the branches above him. Instead of the light of a fire pit, there was now bright, afternoon sunlight. It glittered against the water of a fountain to his right. He was sitting at a table in the imperial garden, rather than in the main hall of Yue Qingyuan’s palace.

There was still a guqin laid out before him, however. Shen Qingqiu ran his finger over one of the strings. The lingering ache in the hollow of his chest, a leftover from the memory, was difficult to ignore.

When Shen Yuan first read the novel, he had despised the character of Shen Qingqiu and rooted for his death more than anyone else. Even after he transmigrated into this world, he held no fondness for that person. He had dismissed the original Shen Qingqiu as the death-deserving personification of jealousy, someone who only cared about himself—but the ‘new item’ that the System just gave him seemed to contradict that.

He supposed that he could uncover the characters’ backstories later, after the romance subplot currently going on was finished. The System gave him the task of setting up Luo Binghe and Qiu Haitang’s relationship, after all, not fixing Shen Jiu and Yue Qingyuan’s.

After the arrival of the Huan Hua delegation yesterday, Shen Qingqiu had said he was unwell and excused himself. Luo Binghe had looked concerned and offered to fetch an imperial physician, but Shen Qingqiu just gave him the rest of the day off and confined himself in his palace. He mostly wanted the time alone to interrogate the System and find out what exactly he was supposed to do.

The fact that the System activated simultaneously with Qiu Haitang’s arrival was no coincidence. It obviously meant that she was Luo Binghe’s endgame true love, and Shen Qingqiu had to do all he could to help her and Luo Binghe get together.

‘R-Points’ were how the System ranked how good he was at completing his mission in the novel. The System’s explanation for this had been vague, but the R apparently stood for relationship. Shen Qingqiu deduced that he would gain R-Points every time he helped to develop the relationship between Qiu Haitang and Luo Binghe. Hence, his role had been changed from a scum villain to Luo Binghe’s wingman.

After the System gave him that ‘R-Points tutorial,’ a long, narrow rectangle like a red HP bar on a video game screen appeared before Shen Qingqiu. It floated in the corner of his vision, and he didn’t really see it unless he focused on it. The System had stated that this bar was meant to show him his current R-Points value, and it was now a little under halfway. He didn’t know how the fuck that had happened since Luo Binghe and Qiu Haitang had barely interacted, but who was he to complain?

Since Shen Qingqiu couldn’t just keep lying low anymore, he also used the time yesterday to prepare all of his backup plans. These included alibis, escape routes, blackmail material and, if it came down to it, a method of faking his own death. He had gradually set those up during the months of his transmigration, on the off chance that everything would go wrong. He was well aware that even if he had been able to avoid all the harem drama, he wouldn’t always be able to avoid the novel’s plot. Qiu Haitang’s sudden appearance was proof.

The melody he had heard in the memory was still ringing in his mind. The way Shen Jiu had played the song stripped it of its core, but Shen Qingqiu still recognised a love song when he heard one. That could be useful.

He turned to Luo Binghe, who was standing behind his chair. “Binghe, this master would like to teach you a new song on the guqin.”

Luo Binghe’s eyes widened, and then his face broke into a bright smile. “This one left his guqin in Shizun’s palace and will go get it.”

“No need.” Shen Qingqiu gestured towards the chair across from him and settled his hands on the instrument. “Binghe can sit here and listen while this master plays the song, and then he can use my guqin to practice.”

Luo Binghe quickly sat down as Shen Qingqiu started to play the song. Shen Qingqiu didn’t feel any nervous hesitation, since this wasn’t the first time he had played this instrument in front of an audience. His playing was good enough that it was probably indistinguishable from that of the original Shen Qingqiu’s, too. He had practiced a lot during the first few weeks of his transmigration, when he was still figuring out how to impersonate a dead fictional character.

It had become less of a chore to practice the guqin when Luo Binghe started to be his personal guard. Having someone there to listen to him made the whole task feel less lonely.

The song Shen Qingqiu was playing now wasn’t overly complicated, but it still had a sweet melody. At first Shen Qingqiu just went through the motions of playing, but then he glanced up and met Luo Binghe’s eyes. There was admiration in the way he looked at Shen Qingqiu, along with something else that Shen Qingqiu couldn’t quite name.

If this was how Luo Binghe looked at Shen Qingqiu, then the way he would look at the person he truly loved must be stunning.

Shen Qingqiu wouldn’t be able to see him like that. Once Luo Binghe was finished with the Cang Qiong arc, he would return to being the Crown Prince of the Demonic Empire. He and Shen Qingqiu would part ways as good friends, and Shen Qingqiu would never again see Luo Binghe as open and relaxed as he was being now. His heart would be closed to all except his love interests.

Shen Qingqiu vaguely registered that there were now other people in this corner of the imperial garden, but he was too caught up in the feeling of the song that he didn’t acknowledge them. His mind was full of the little moments he had experienced with Luo Binghe throughout his time here, memories that he hadn’t realised he kept so near to his own heart.

There was the time Shen Qingqiu had fallen ill and Luo Binghe had made him congee for the first time, and it had been the most heavenly thing Shen Qingqiu had ever tasted. His favourite part of that morning, however, was the way Luo Binghe had stayed with him and cared for him. When Luo Binghe had gotten ill some time later, Shen Qingqiu had cancelled all his plans and cared for him until he recovered, too.

Then there was the time Shen Qingqiu had to entertain at a banquet for the first time. He had been sitting stiffly with the other courtesans, terrified of messing up but not letting any of his fear show on his face. Then he had seen Luo Binghe across the banquet hall, and although imperial guards were supposed to keep a taciturn face on duty, Luo Binghe had given Shen Qingqiu a smile that had made all of his nervousness vanish.

There were also those rare days when Shen Qingqiu was allowed to leave the imperial court. He and Luo Binghe tended to visit bookstores or places that sold the fans that Shen Qingqiu was so fond of, and whenever one of them would see something interesting, they would always call over the other. Then they would spend the rest of that afternoon and evening in Shen Qingqiu’s palace, often reading in a comfortable silence.

There were so many other good moments with Luo Binghe, and the thought of having to let them go brought back that ache in Shen Qingqiu’s chest. He didn’t want to lose Luo Binghe, but—

Luo Binghe was never his to lose. He had known this from the start.

The song finished, the last note ringing in the air like a whispered goodbye. Luo Binghe’s expression had shifted into something almost hopeful, and Shen Qingqiu didn’t know how to interpret that.

His fingers trembled slightly where they still hovered over the strings. It was then that he noticed the considerably large group of onlookers standing in a loose semi-circle around him and Luo Binghe. They were mostly guards, some from Cang Qiong and some from Huan Hua, and here and there were a few ministers and palace servants. All of them were completely silent as they looked upon Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe.

At the front of the small crowd stood Yue Qingyuan and Qiu Haitang. The Emperor’s face was carefully blank, while Qiu Haitang’s was contemplative.

Shen Qingqiu almost dropped the guqin in his haste to stand and bow, and Luo Binghe did the same. “Your Majesty. Lady Qiu.”

As they straightened, Qiu Haitang said, “His Majesty was accompanying me on a tour around the imperial court and I couldn’t help but hear your song. It was quite beautiful.”

“This one thanks Lady Qiu for her kind words,” said Shen Qingqiu, glancing sidewards at Luo Binghe. He was curious how the protagonist would react to finally being face-to-face with his predetermined true love. However, Luo Binghe’s attention was on Yue Qingyuan, who was looking back at him with a slight crease between his brows.

Shen Qingqiu recognised the signs of the protagonist drinking vinegar. He would have to find some way of getting Luo Binghe and Qiu Haitang some time to talk alone later, without Yue Qingyuan. But he needed to get a feel of the whole love triangle situation here before doing anything.

Shen Qingqiu gave Qiu Haitang a small, polite smile. “If Lady Qiu is amicable to the idea, she can sit here and rest for a while. This part of the imperial garden is usually quiet.”

Qiu Haitang made a thoughtful hum. “Yes, I would like that. A few years ago I sustained an injury in a terrible fire and cannot strain myself too much. I was the fortunate one, though—that fire killed the rest of my family, including my older brother.”

Yue Qingyuan seemed to flinch, but he was back to being a calm statue before Shen Qingqiu could examine that further. He sat in the chair Luo Binghe had just vacated while Qiu Haitang took Shen Qingqiu’s seat. There was still suspicion in the way she regarded Shen Qingqiu; she must have heard of his horrible reputation if the way she glared at him yesterday was anything to go by.

She waved towards the gathered people. “This part of the garden is too nice to be so crowded, wouldn’t you agree, Your Majesty?”

Yue Qingyuan seemed to try and read something in her gaze. To the others, he said, “You’re dismissed.”

Shen Qingqiu took hold of Luo Binghe’s sleeve, intending to pull the both of them away, but Yue Qingyuan raised a hand to stop them.

Qiu Haitang looked at Shen Qingqiu’s hand around the fabric of Luo Binghe’s sleeve before meeting his eyes. “Not you, Shen Qingqiu. I would like to speak to you a little longer.”

Shen Qingqiu dropped Luo Binghe’s arm as if it had suddenly caught fire. It had been foolish of him to take it. Of course the love interest wouldn’t take kindly to some other character being all touchy-feely with the protagonist!

Yue Qingyuan’s scrutiny of Luo Binghe seemed to heighten. Luo Binghe took a half-step closer to Shen Qingqiu, his lips flattening.

Shen Qingqiu could feel the tension in the air around them solidifying. He cleared his throat and said, “Does Lady Qiu wish to hear another song?”

Qiu Haitang tilted her head. “No, there’s no need to act as a courtesan around me for now. I don’t mind conversing on equal grounds with those beneath me.”

Yue Qingyuan’s hand, which was resting atop the table, twitched.

Qiu Haitang leaned forward slightly, a glint of inquisitiveness in her eyes. “But speaking of courtesans, I’ve never heard of one ever being given his own palace in the imperial court.”

Shen Qingqiu took out his fan and flicked it open. “It is uncommon, yes.”

This was something he had wondered about while reading the novel, too. Palaces in the inner court were only meant to be for the Emperor, his consorts and his children. The reason why Shen Qingqiu had his own palace there, albeit a tiny, secluded one, was something of a mystery.

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but peer at Yue Qingyuan. The Emperor’s back was as straight as if he were sitting on his throne rather than a normal outdoor chair. Rather than looking directly at any of the people around him, he studied the whorls in the bark of a nearby tree.

“You must be a considerably talented courtesan, Shen Qingqiu.” Qiu Haitang smiled when Shen Qingqiu turned back to her. “I’ve heard of your marvellous guqin playing, and I’m pleased to know that what they say about it is true. Indulge my curiosity. Do you play love songs with such vigour for all of the clients who visit you?”

The rhythm of Shen Qingqiu’s fan stuttered as he realised there was a misunderstanding here.

“Luo Binghe is not my client,” he said firmly. His voice came out colder than intended, but he didn’t want Qiu Haitang to think that he was the type of harem intrigue villain who would steal her man.

Qiu Haitang raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

Shen Qingqiu quickly added, “He is my personal guard, but I wanted to teach him this song on the guqin. That was the only reason I was playing that song.”

Luo Binghe went still beside him.

Qiu Haitang looked between Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe and Yue Qingyuan. A smile flickered on her face before it returned to its poised, diplomatic countenance. “In any case, I see that Shen Qingqiu is a valuable asset to this court. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Emperor Yue chose him as his next concubine.”

Shen Qingqiu quelled a sigh and raised his fan in front of the lower half of his face to hide it. Only Luo Binghe was close enough to see the displeased twist of his mouth.

Yue Qingyuan levelled a gaze at Qiu Haitang that she met head on. There seemed to be some silent conversation going on between the two, though the atmosphere between them wasn’t the kind typical for an engaged couple.

Then Yue Qingyuan cleared his throat and broke eye contact with Qiu Haitang. “It would be best if Lady Qiu and this Emperor would leave now.”

They stood, and Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe bowed again. Shen Qingqiu felt Yue Qingyuan’s gaze burning into the top of his head, but he didn’t straighten until he was sure that they were out of sight.

Luo Binghe stared after the direction Qiu Haitang and Yue Qingyuan had gone in. The wind blew and ruffled loose strands of hair in front of his face, framing his sharp focus.

Shen Qingqiu looked at his R-Points bar again. The red inside the bar had risen a little since he last saw it, so that was good.

He closed his fan. “Binghe, it’s getting cold outside, so let’s walk back to my palace.”

Luo Binghe’s eyes softened when he turned back to Shen Qingqiu. “As Shizun wishes.”

That evening, Shen Qingqiu’s plans for a quiet night in were interrupted when Gongyi Xiao came to his palace.

Luo Binghe let him into the main hall, where Shen Qingqiu was sitting on the couch with a cup of tea and a book. He set them both down and returned Gongyi Xiao’s greeting, noting the latter’s royal physician uniform. Huan Hua’s insignia was clearly marked on the front of it. Luo Binghe saw it too and frowned, moving to stand beside where Shen Qingqiu was sitting.

“Did Lady Qiu send you?” Shen Qingqiu kept his outward composure even as his mind ran through the possible reasons for this visit. Was this an assassin in disguise? A spy for Huan Hua? Both?

Gongyi Xiao nodded. “Lady Qiu heard about Master Shen’s ailment yesterday and grew quite concerned. She said that there is an event coming up soon and that she would like Master Shen to be well enough to perform.”

“Lady Qiu is very considerate. Are you her physician?”

Gongyi Xiao looked a tad embarrassed, and Luo Binghe crossed his arms with a mild air of impatience.

“This one is only the apprentice of King Lao’s royal physician. However, my Shizun gave clear instructions, so Master Shen is in capable hands. May I?” Gongyi Xiao gestured towards Shen Qingqiu’s wrist.

Shen Qingqiu let him take his pulse. When that was done, he asked, “What instructions were you given, exactly?”

“This one is supposed to give Master Shen the medicine that my Shizun brewed, according to Lady Qiu’s instructions.”

Shen Qingqiu put his guard up at that. Poisons hidden in what seemed like medicines were a common trope in Proud Immortal Demon Way. The System confirmed his suspicion when a new notification box popped up in front of him.

[New quest assigned: ‘Poison for the Pawn.’ Beware of the hidden toxin! Quest assigner: Gongyi Xiao. In order to proceed, please select one of the following choices:]

[Option A: Make Luo Binghe drink the medicine.]

[Option B: Refuse the medicine and send Gongyi Xiao away.]

[Option C: Accept the medicine and prepare an antidote against poisons.]

…Had the novel turned into one of those choose-your-story simulation games?

Option A was just mean, so Shen Qingqiu bypassed that. Option B wasn’t feasible, since he couldn’t turn down a blatant display of kindness from someone whose status was so much higher than his. Option C was probably fine. The poison wouldn’t be something immediately effective, as Qiu Haitang was too smart for that. Shen Qingqiu also had a secret weapon to counter poisons, so he wouldn’t die.

“I see,” he said to Gongyi Xiao, and then he nodded towards the table nearby. “You may prepare it for me, then.”

As Gongyi Xiao moved to the table, Luo Binghe leaned forward so that he was close enough to whisper in Shen Qingqiu’s ear. “Shizun, this one has a bad feeling about this.”

If the protagonist’s gut was telling him something was wrong, then that was proof that the medicine was something deadly. A slow-working poison, perhaps, timed to take effect at an inopportune moment.

Shen Qingqiu patted Luo Binghe’s arm. “It’s not possible to refuse such a gift from the future Empress. The rumours from my doing that would be used against me, and it wouldn’t be good for diplomatic relations. For the same reason, we can’t do anything to Gongyi Xiao now. However, even if this master gets poisoned, nothing unfortunate will happen.”

“Poison.” Luo Binghe straightened. “No. This one will go fetch an imperial physician, or Virtuous Consort Mu, someone who can check that medicine before—”

“They needn’t be troubled with this problem.” When Luo Binghe still looked like he wanted to protest, Shen Qingqiu smiled and said, “Trust me.”

The worry in Luo Binghe’s eyes floundered, and in the end he nodded.

Both Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe watched closely as Gongyi Xiao poured a pale liquid from a bottle into a small medicinal bowl. Luo Binghe looked like he was millimetres away from attacking Gongyi Xiao, but Shen Qingqiu didn’t suspect him of being one of the perpetrators. The poor guy was most likely cannon fodder being used by Huan Hua to target Shen Qingqiu.

This situation wasn’t unexpected. What was surprising was that it was Qiu Haitang who was making the first move. Out of all the love interests in the novel, she had been one of the most active in regards to harem intrigue, as she retaliated against all the original Shen Qingqiu’s attacks. However, now that Shen Qingqiu’s role had been changed from a villain to an ally, it was logical that her role had changed a little, too.

Luo Binghe’s face had that intense focus from earlier again. It seemed that his interest in Qiu Haitang had been piqued by this recent development.

Now Shen Qingqiu understood what was going on! The romance subplot had shifted into an ‘enemies to lovers’ type storyline. Luo Binghe would first mistrust Qiu Haitang since she was targeting his friend, but neither would be able to deny their attraction. Then they would get to know each other and their hate sex would turn into something more meaningful. Shen Qingqiu was just a pawn that the plot was using for this.

With that in mind, he didn’t hesitate to gulp down the medicine when Gongyi Xiao handed it to him. It was tasteless and had no scent; the poison was well-hidden.

Luo Binghe jerked forward as if to stop him. “Shizun!”

Shen Qingqiu handed back the medicine bowl to Gongyi Xiao. “Please convey my sincerest gratitude to Lady Qiu. I’ll send her a gift later in thanks.”

Gongyi Xiao bowed again, and Luo Binghe dutifully escorted him back out of the palace without a word. When he came back, though, he stalked towards Shen Qingqiu and stood close enough to put his hands on his shoulders.

Shen Qingqiu’s words fizzled out on his tongue. There were tears glimmering in Luo Binghe’s eyes, but that did nothing to deter from the feeling of resolve emanating from his entire being. His hands on Shen Qingqiu’s shoulders were warm even through the layers of clothing, and Shen Qingqiu was too distracted by that to stop Luo Binghe from biting his own lip.

Red drops of blood welled where the skin broke.

“Shizun, I can—”

Shen Qingqiu put a finger to Luo Binghe’s lips to silence him.

Heavenly Demon blood, the blood that flowed through the members of the Demonic Empire’s royal family, had a number of distinctive properties. When a Heavenly Demon fed their blood to someone, they would still be able to control that blood inside that other person. In this case, Luo Binghe would have the capability of using his blood to destroy any toxic substances in Shen Qingqiu’s body.

Shen Qingqiu wasn’t supposed to know that, though, as it was something that exposed Luo Binghe’s identity. Gongyi Xiao, or someone else from Huan Hua, could still be nearby. Shen Qingqiu had another method that wouldn’t risk the imperial court finding out who Luo Binghe was too early in the story.

He stepped back out of Luo Binghe’s reach. “This master will make something to counteract the effects of that ‘medicine’ and is in need of Binghe’s assistance. It’s best if we act quickly.”

At the back of the palace was the kitchen. This was where Shen Qingqiu headed towards now, Luo Binghe trailing after him. Luo Binghe’s panic was adorably obvious on his face even as he did what Shen Qingqiu asked and boiled some water on the stove. Meanwhile, Shen Qingqiu stood by the kitchen counter and laid one of his hands flat before him, palm up.

A pulse of green light went through the veins of Shen Qingqiu’s hand, shining like the northern lights were trapped beneath his skin. The light flowed out through his fingertips to wrap around his hand like a cloud of mist, and then it spread until the whole room was wreathed in glowing green fog. That fog swirled and then coalesced into a single spot on Shen Qingqiu’s palm, where something small and solid began to form.

Apart from cultivation and political intrigue, the world of Proud Immortal Demon Way had characters with unique magical abilities. Shen Qingqiu could conjure up plants and flowers out of thin air. It was a useful skill for a harem intrigue villain, since he would be able to produce rare ingredients for poisons and antidotes, and still remain undetected.

The thing that had started to form on his palm was shuddering into the shape of a single flower. Shen Qingqiu visualised it in his mind: petals that were the same colour as surgeon scrubs, harsh scent like a vat of menthol, and a pleasant enough shape like a hibiscus.

His concentration was almost broken when the System suddenly chirped:

[Special ability, ‘Thousand Leaves and Blossoms,’ activated!]

[Success rate: 100%.]

[Result: ‘Panacea Petals Bloom.’]

Can’t you give me some warning before you go about blaring things like that? Shen Qingqiu snapped at the System.

[Thank you for your valuable feedback. However, notification sounds are not yet available in System 1.0.]

Typical.

The Panacea Petals Bloom was used several times in the novel as a cure-all antidote for poisons. Shen Qingqiu had never used it himself, but he knew how it worked. He carefully plucked a certain number of petals from the flower he created and threw them into the pot of boiling water on the stove. It was kind of like making tea, except tea didn’t usually give off a tiny explosion. When the smoke cleared, so did the clouds of green light, and the antidote was finished.

Shen Qingqiu poured some of it into a cup and downed it in one go. It burned like a shot of alcohol down his throat. Almost immediately, coldness spread throughout his limbs, and then his body felt all too heavy. He blinked slowly as the System continued its chatter.

[WARNING. Taking the Panacea Petals Bloom may have several side effects, including but not limited to: drowsiness, shivering, fatigue, an incessant need to cuddle and the temporary depletion of one’s spiritual energy.]

One of those things was not like the others, but it didn’t matter. Shen Qingqiu’s mind felt a little fuzzy but he managed to click it back into place.

Luo Binghe hovered anxiously about him, his hands moving up and then down as if to cup Shen Qingqiu’s face but thinking better of it. “Shizun should lie down.”

[Please note that you should not lie down immediately after taking the Panacea Petals Bloom, as it can cause irritation.]

Shen Qingqiu shook his head and frowned when his vision blurred a little with the movement. “This master will sit on the couch again.”

He went back to where he had been seated before Gongyi Xiao came. The fire pit was still burning, but the flames had lessened, and Shen Qingqiu hissed in a breath at the drop in temperature.

Luo Binghe was there in an instant, draping a blanket over his shoulders. As he helped ease Shen Qingqiu into a more comfortable position, the System said:

[It is recommended that the user receives a steady stream of spiritual energy for at least 2 hours after taking Panacea Petals Bloom. This is to prevent the risk of qi deviation.]

Wait, hold on—qi deviation? Shen Qingqiu bolted upright, startling Luo Binghe. Why wasn’t something as drastic as that listed with the possible side effects!?

[The System is unable to answer this question at the moment.]

Shen Qingqiu mentally bemoaned having to deal with all of this, and then he turned to Luo Binghe. “This master has just remembered that he needs spiritual energy when taking an antidote like this. Could Binghe perhaps go to Worthy Consort Liu’s palace and ask him to come here?”

Liu Qingge was probably still awake. There was a tournament coming up soon that he was training for, but he probably wouldn’t mind helping Shen Qingqiu.

Luo Binghe’s face darkened at the mention of Liu Qingge, but he seemed to shake it off as he sat down beside Shen Qingqiu. “Shizun doesn’t need to go to that person. This one can help Shizun just fine.”

Shen Qingqiu raised an eyebrow. “All right. If Binghe wouldn’t mind the trouble, this master would be grateful for his help.”

He expected Luo Binghe to just hold his hand, but instead he found himself being gently manoeuvred into leaning his head on Luo Binghe’s shoulder. The spiritual energy that trickled through the places they touched was warm and steady. Luo Binghe was tense beneath him, though. Shen Qingqiu sighed and took his hand so he could interlock their fingers. This was closer than how they usually sat, but Shen Qingqiu was surprised to find that he didn’t mind.

“Binghe.” He squeezed Luo Binghe’s hand a little. The spiritual energy helped to clear his head, though he was still tired. “Calm yourself. Can’t you see that this master is okay?”

Luo Binghe looked at him with something akin to despair. “I just don’t understand why Lady Qiu would try to poison Shizun.”

Hm. Shen Qingqiu needed to find a way to explain the plot without giving away spoilers.

The light from the fire pit cast wavering shadows on the walls, and Shen Qingqiu watched them while he gathered his thoughts. He remembered how, in the memory he had seen earlier, the original Shen Qingqiu’s deference had worked in tandem with his distance. He also remembered how cold his voice had been when he said, You can learn to love them.

He looked up to meet Luo Binghe’s gaze and said, “There are many complicated factors when it comes to this marriage between Lady Qiu and Emperor Yue. The main one is that it would strengthen both Cang Qiong and Huan Hua, since they would be allied. However, Emperor Yue’s and Lady Qiu’s power would also have to be taken into consideration.”

Shen Qingqiu shifted so that his blanket was around Luo Binghe’s shoulders too. The shadows on the wall seemed to lengthen as the flames in the fire pit went down.

“Lady Qiu already has a great deal of her own political power, since she is in the topmost echelon of society. Moreover, she is backed by King Lao and his family. However, if she marries Emperor Yue now without some groundwork, the core of her power would become reliant on how she is favoured by His Majesty.”

The flames flickered and dimmed, the shadows growing until they washed the room in dark grey. The room became even colder as the fire started to die out, and Shen Qingqiu huddled a little closer to Luo Binghe.

“Sometimes people who are brought together in circumstances such as marrying for politics or convenience can fall for each other. Most times, though, forcing oneself to learn to love someone as if it’s an obligation wouldn’t work. Even an all-powerful person like Emperor Yue cannot make himself fall in love with someone he doesn’t want.”

The fire went out completely, only leaving behind embers that glowed faintly like stars.

Shen Qingqiu finished, “Lady Qiu knows this, and she is dealing with possible obstacles that would hinder her from reaching her goal. Once she has done so, she would be able to marry His Majesty without having to give up any of her own power.”

A frown marred Luo Binghe’s face, and Shen Qingqiu got the urge to smooth it away. “Why would Lady Qiu target Shizun, though? Emperor Yue has done nothing to show that Shizun would be an obstacle in her way.”

Shen Qingqiu could only shrug. What could he say, he was just being used as a plot device right now. “Lady Qiu has been put into a difficult position due to this engagement.”

Luo Binghe glowered. “This one can’t comprehend why someone would want to marry Emperor Yue.”

Shen Qingqiu’s lips twitched upwards, but he kept a cool expression. If Luo Binghe was this jealous over Yue Qingyuan already, imagine how he would be when he and Qiu Haitang were actually together! This slow-burn romance was really going at a snail’s pace, but at least it wasn’t at a standstill.

Luo Binghe asked suddenly, “Would Shizun ever want to marry Yue Qingyuan?”

Shen Qingqiu blinked at the use of the Emperor’s name. “Well, becoming his concubine would have some benefits, in terms of social mobility and economic security. But no, this master would rather not.”

Luo Binghe’s eyes widened. “Oh.”

“But what does Binghe think about Lady Qiu?” Shen Qingqiu tilted his head. “Would he agree that she would make a formidable Empress, because of her mind and beauty? It’s all right to like her, you know.”

Luo Binghe seemed to pout slightly at Shen Qingqiu’s tone. “This one is not attracted to every single smart and good-looking person he meets.”

“That’s good, I suppose.” Shen Qingqiu covered his mouth with a hand as he chuckled, and then it turned into a yawn. “If Binghe gives away his heart so easily, it might get broken.”

As the words left his mouth, he realised just how inaccurate they were. Of course Luo Binghe would never get his heart broken—he was the protagonist! There were literally hundreds of chapters’ worth of people falling for him!

Luo Binghe got a soft, almost yearning expression on his face. He moved his hand so that it rested over Shen Qingqiu’s, a warm weight that kept him from drifting away.

“This one is not worried that his heart will be broken,” he whispered into the few inches of air that separated them. “I know that the one I love would treat my heart with care, when I give it to them.”

The last few embers in the fire pit were reflected in Luo Binghe’s eyes, forming constellations in the black of his irises. Shen Qingqiu wondered if the person Luo Binghe loved would be able to see those patterns.

“But I won’t act on my feelings just yet,” Luo Binghe continued, a wistful tone hanging from his words. “I wish to tread softly, for fear of breaking what we have now.”

Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes, and his breathing became shaky for a moment before he managed to compose himself. There was an acute hollowness in his chest and he didn’t think it was from what he drank earlier. All at once the exhaustion from the past two days hit him.

Luo Binghe’s breath caressed Shen Qingqiu’s hair as he spoke. “That song earlier…”

“Mn.”

“Who was Shizun playing for?”

“…For Binghe, of course,” Shen Qingqiu murmured, sleepiness weighing down his voice. 

Luo Binghe made a sharp intake of breath. Shen Qingqiu let out a small grumbling noise and patted his arm to tell him not to move too much.

Just as his wakefulness slipped away from him, the System gave another notification.

[User update: you now have over 500 R-Points.]

[1000 R-Points will result in the protagonist deciding to ask for the love interest’s hand in marriage! You’re over halfway there, good luck!]

Chapter Text

The main banquet hall of the imperial court stood in all its splendour in the centre of the palace complex. The flight of steps leading up to the hall ended with an archway proclaiming its name, decorated with lanterns and curling vines of colourful blossoms, and directly across from the steps was a deep pond with lotus flowers floating atop it. A few smaller buildings were right across the pond, artfully placed so they didn’t block the sunlight. The faint sounds of a pipa and a dizi came from within the hall and mingled with soft singing voices. The other courtesans employed by the imperial court were practicing there at Qiu Haitang’s request, since there was a banquet held in her honour coming up soon.

Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe were standing by the pond near the banquet hall, and Shen Qingqiu was pretending to admire the way the sunlight hit the lotus blooms. In truth, he was waiting for Qiu Haitang to arrive. This place was supposed to be the setting for the first major turning point in her relationship with Luo Binghe.

It had been a week since the night of the attempted poisoning. Unlike Luo Binghe, Shen Qingqiu hadn’t been too worried about Qiu Haitang trying anything else against him for a while, as she wasn’t the type to recklessly put out a series of attacks. 

Shen Qingqiu had spent the past week carefully analysing court events to look for hints of upcoming plot points. He came to the conclusion that even though the love interest had appeared earlier than expected, everything else more or less followed the novel’s plot. The scene that would take place at the banquet hall was preceded by Qiu Haitang paying formal visits to each of the three imperial consorts, so when Shen Qingqiu heard that these visits had been scheduled for today, he began the first step in his plan to help Luo Binghe get together with his true love. 

When Qiu Haitang arrived, she swept right past Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe to ascend the steps to the banquet hall, followed by her guards. She glanced back, accidentally meeting Luo Binghe’s eyes across the distance separating them.

As soon as the protagonist and the love interest were both in the right setting, the sounds of music were replaced by screaming.

“Shizun!”

Luo Binghe unsheathed his sword Zheng Yang and stepped in front of Shen Qingqiu, just as a Black Moon Rhinoceros Python crashed through the archway of the banquet hall.

It released a harrowing bellow, and Shen Qingqiu took a brief moment to take in the details of the beast. He had more than a few bestiaries in his library, of course, but he had never encountered any of the beasts in them before. The Black Moon Rhinoceros Python was a gigantic rhino with rough, sturdy skin like armour. Its body was as black as ink with a curved horn like a white moon. Every time it roared, a python came hissing out of its mouth instead of a tongue. 

Shen Qingqiu summoned a burst of spiritual energy, and the leaves in the nearby trees snapped off to form a cutting whirlwind around the beast. The creature came thundering down the steps as Shen Qingqiu corralled it closer to the pond. Qiu Haitang lunged out of the way, undrawing her sword with a sharp swish, and her guards formed a protective circle around her. The beast charged past her, stones and dust flying upwards as its feet drummed the ground.

“Binghe!” Shen Qingqiu met Luo Binghe’s eyes, and then he released his control of the leaves.

Luo Binghe pounced on the beast the same time Qiu Haitang did.

This scene was supposed to be their first ‘battle couple’ moment. The Black Moon Rhinoceros Python was meant to be a part of a challenge in the tournament Cang Qiong would host soon, but it had escaped. In the novel, Luo Binghe and Qiu Haitang would fight the beast until it was almost defeated, but just as Luo Binghe was about to deliver the final blow, the beast would push Qiu Haitang into the deep waters of the pond. That triggered a classic ‘drowning damsel-in-distress’ scenario. Luo Binghe would jump into the water to get her out, and then there would be a slow-motion moment of them looking into each other’s eyes while leaves from the trees fell like rain around them.

Nothing helped along a romance better than life-or-death situations!

Shen Qingqiu leapt up onto a low rooftop of one of the nearby buildings. From there, he had a pretty good vantage point of the ensuing battle. He couldn’t join in himself since he didn’t have his sword Xiu Ya—and anyway, Shen Qingqiu wasn’t supposed to be present in this scene at all. He would just intrude.

The once-peaceful atmosphere outside the banquet hall was replaced by the clashing of swords and the deafening cries of the beast. Qiu Haitang’s guards also joined in the fray, but Luo Binghe and Qiu Haitang were the only cultivators here with enough strength to actually subdue the beast. Qiu Haitang’s spiritual energy was relatively weak compared to the other love interests, but it was still enough for her to face down a Black Moon Rhinoceros Python without getting killed. Luo Binghe, on the other hand, was holding back most of his immense power to not reveal his identity. But there was no mistaking that he was a formidable fighter. Both his irises and the demon mark on his forehead flared a bright scarlet with every hit he dealt the beast, and a powerful aura surrounded him, as expected of the protagonist.

Something inside Shen Qingqiu coiled into a tight knot at seeing Luo Binghe and Qiu Haitang fight together. Nerves generated by the plot, perhaps?

Other people started to arrive, many of them armed imperial guards. Luo Binghe hit the beast with a series of demonic energy assaults at the same time Qiu Haitang sliced off the beast’s white moon horn. There was a crunch like a crack of lightning and the beast howled. It rang painfully in Shen Qingqiu’s ears.

Then the Black Moon Rhinoceros Python surged forward, surprisingly agile for such a bulky creature, and crashed right into the building Shen Qingqiu was perched on.

What, what the—

The roof beneath Shen Qingqiu crumbled. He plummeted down through the falling rubble and into the water of the pond, its icy temperature slicing into his skin. The beast twisted in the air before smashing into the water, too. The impact knocked the air out of Shen Qingqiu’s lungs and pushed him deeper in the water. He moved to swim up, but then the long sleeve of his outer robe got caught on the jagged edges of the beast’s broken horn. That split second was enough time for both of them to sink further, and Shen Qingqiu’s breath was punched out of him a second time when the beast’s heavy weight pinned him to the rocky bottom of the pond. 

The water burned as he breathed it in. A collision of bubbles and tiny stones obscured his sight.

System! This isn’t supposed to be happening!

[The System is temporarily unavailable during the ‘Drowning Damsel-in-Distress’ cutscene.]

Shen Qingqiu cursed his luck. He knew he was little more than cannon fodder in this story, but wasn’t drowning him for the plot going too far? And why the hell was he the damsel in this situation?

The muffled noises of people diving into the water was followed by the beast’s body being lifted off of him. A pair of arms, strong and steady, grabbed hold of him and pulled him back up towards the surface.

Shen Qingqiu took gasping breaths, spitting out the foul-tasting water, as he was carefully but securely hauled into a sitting position on the grassy bank of the pond. Through his blurred vision, he saw the beast being surrounded by guards on the other side of the pond. They trapped it against the ground with chains of solid, glowing power.

A warm hand settled on his back and started to transfer a stream of spiritual energy.

Shen Qingqiu coughed once more and turned to the person beside him. “Binghe, what are you doing, you’re supposed to be helping Lady Qiu…”

His voice trailed off as he looked up, not into Luo Binghe’s eyes but Yue Qingyuan’s.

Yue Qingyuan knelt beside Shen Qingqiu, uncaring of the dirt that got onto his clothing or the pondwater that dripped from his hair and the rest of his body. He was close enough that Shen Qingqiu could both hear and feel his ragged breathing. There was a flash of terror in his eyes as he looked over Shen Qingqiu, and he stopped transferring spiritual energy long enough to pick up his outer robe from the ground beside them and drape it over Shen Qingqiu’s shoulders. He must have taken it off before jumping into the pond to save Shen Qingqiu.

Well. Shen Qingqiu might have fucked up this plot point.

He could do nothing but stare as the still-warm fabric of Yue Qingyuan’s outer robe settled over him. Yue Qingyuan’s gaze bore into him, the open fear trickling away until his expression was controlled and unreadable again. But there was a touch of worry as he looked at Shen Qingqiu.

The Cang Qiong arc of Proud Immortal Demon Way ended with a typical happy ever after: the main couple went to Luo Binghe’s palace in the demon realm while the villain, Shen Qingqiu, was sentenced to death. The scant paragraphs that described his demise were vague, and they never explicitly stated that it was Yue Qingyuan who ordered his death. Shen Qingqiu had just assumed it was. With the way Yue Qingyuan was looking at him now, though, he wasn’t so sure. That the original goods apparently had genuine feelings for Yue Qingyuan and had known him since childhood—something Shen Qingqiu only learned when he unlocked that memory fragment a while back—made him doubt it further.

Yue Qingyuan’s hand went to rest lightly on Shen Qingqiu’s wrist.

“Is Qingqiu all right?” he began, but then his gaze sharpened and he looked down at their hands. 

Shen Qingqiu’s spike of panic made him snatch his hand back, but it was too late. Yue Qingyuan’s hand had already come in direct contact with the damp skin at Shen Qingqiu’s wrist.

If Shen Qingqiu hadn’t fucked up before, he definitely did now!

While Shen Qingqiu could create plants and flowers out of nothing, Yue Qingyuan had empathic abilities. He could feel and sometimes influence other people’s emotions through physical contact. With that type of skill, it was impossible not to guess that the current Shen Qingqiu wasn’t the original goods. Even if his outward disguise as ‘Shen Qingqiu’ had very few holes, there was no masking what was inside his heart, which still belonged to Shen Yuan.

Amidst the chaos of his mind, the System booted to life.

[CRITICAL WARNING. User’s identity is in danger of being revealed.]

[Power Blocking Protocol automatically activated.]

[Standby…]

[‘Yue Qingyuan’ is now unable to feel the user’s emotions! Please proceed as normal, good luck!]

Yue Qingyuan froze as if he had seen a ghost. “Qingqiu…”

Shen Qingqiu went on doing what he did best in situations like this—he ignored the problem and pretended everything was absolutely fine and normal.

He inclined his head and said, “This one apologises for troubling His Majesty.”

The sound of Shen Qingqiu’s voice snapped Yue Qingyuan out of his shock. “There’s no need to apologise. Can Qingqiu stand?”

At Shen Qingqiu’s curt nod, Yue Qingyuan helped him stand up. As soon as he did, Luo Binghe’s voice called out, “Shizun!”

Luo Binghe was on the other side of the pond beside the Black Moon Rhinoceros Python, and he had to skirt the pond’s perimeter to get to Shen Qingqiu. The front of his uniform was stained with the beast’s dark blood, and he was as soaked as Yue Qingyuan. He must have been the one to pull the beast off Shen Qingqiu. When he passed by Qiu Haitang, he didn’t even glance at her, and she was equally unconcerned with him as she examined the fallen beast.

While Yue Qingyuan was surrounded by a sudden flurry of servants and guards, Luo Binghe went straight to Shen Qingqiu. He tucked a stray clump of hair behind Shen Qingqiu’s face with slightly trembling hands.

“Shizun.” The red of Luo Binghe’s eyes and demon mark faded as he saw that Shen Qingqiu was fine, just wet. “This one is sorry, he was too slow to stop the Black Moon Rhinoceros Python—”

“No, none of that,” Shen Qingqiu murmured. “Binghe did well.”

There was a small spatter of the beast’s blood on Luo Binghe’s cheek. Still a little rattled from the recent events, Shen Qingqiu reached up to wipe it away with his thumb. There were droplets of water caught in Luo Binghe’s hair that shone like crystals. Shen Qingqiu’s hand lingered on the side of Luo Binghe’s face for a moment, before it fell back down to clutch at the edge of the robe Yue Qingyuan had given him.

Luo Binghe shot a narrow-eyed look at the robe, but his face quickly returned to normal. “Would Shizun like to return to his palace now? This one can prepare a warm bath.”

Shen Qingqiu nodded, and Luo Binghe gave him a bright smile.

“Shall this one carry Shizun back, then?”

Shen Qingqiu’s face grew too hot all of a sudden. It felt strange with the cold water that still stuck to his skin and clothing. “This master can walk.”

“Luo Binghe.” 

Yue Qingyuan went to stand beside them. The worry that he had been coated in earlier was gone now, and the cold, distant demeanour was back. Someone had given him a new outer robe and fixed the headpiece in his hair, but the rest of him was still drenched from swimming in the pond.

The people around them were looking between Shen Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan, obviously shocked that the emperor would go to such trouble to help a mere courtesan. There would be gossip about this for weeks, maybe even months, and Shen Qingqiu lamented the loss of his quiet life.

Yue Qingyuan said to Luo Binghe, “Thank you for your assistance with the Black Moon Rhinoceros Python. Your efforts in re-capturing it deserve a reward.”

Luo Binghe bowed, hiding his tight-lipped smile that only Shen Qingqiu was close enough to see. “Being able to serve Shizun is reward enough for this one, Your Majesty.”

Something akin to suspicion flickered in Yue Qingyuan’s eyes. “Security of the tournament beasts will be improved. This emperor will ensure that no harm will befall Qingqiu like this again.”

“Yes, His Majesty’s protection of Shizun is very valuable.”

The tone he used was just on the verge of accusative, and a furrow appeared between Yue Qingyuan’s brows. It became as still as death between Luo Binghe and Yue Qingyuan. What was with this weird atmosphere?

…Could this be the unresolved sexual tension that sometimes occurred between the two rivals in a love triangle?!

If so, then sorry Yue Qingyuan, Luo Binghe was destined to win Qiu Haitang’s heart and leave you in the dust.

Shen Qingqiu coughed a little, and the sharp focus of both the protagonist and the emperor rounded on him.

“Is Shizun feeling unwell—”

“Qingqiu, do you need a physician—”

Shen Qingqiu shook his head. Honestly, with the way these two were acting, he might as well have been made of porcelain. “This one will retire to his palace now, if permitted. His Majesty is gracious to offer the services of an imperial physician but this one will be fine with just Binghe there.”

Something wavered in Yue Qingyuan’s eyes. “Of course.”

With that, Shen Qingqiu fled with as much grace as he could muster, Luo Binghe staying by his side.

Everything that happened in an imperial court had consequences, no matter how insignificant something seemed at first. It was like debris falling into a pond; some events were boulders dropping into the water with a violent splash, while others were leaves that touched the surface of the water and created long-lasting ripples.

One of the ripples caused by the Black Moon Rhinoceros Python incident was that King Lao Gongzhu of Huan Hua came for a visit.

Shen Qingqiu planned to avoid the guy, but then he was summoned to the imperial court’s library where Yue Qingyuan was meeting with Lao Gongzhu. Apparently he was curious about the emperor’s courtesan.

Shen Qingqiu paused at the library doors, taking a moment to settle his mask into place like usual.

Luo Binghe was a calming presence by his side, though there was a small frown marring his face. “The King of Huan Hua… He knew my mother.”

Su Xiyan was originally from Huan Hua, Shen Qingqiu remembered. “Does Binghe think King Lao Gongzhu will recognise him?”

“No.” Luo Binghe shook his head. “It’s been a long time since they saw each other.”

When he opened the doors, letting Shen Qingqiu pass over the threshold first, a book fell towards them from above. Unthinkingly, Shen Qingqiu caught it and looked up. Gongyi Xiao was standing atop one of the ladders set next to the wall shelves, his eyes wide and his arms full of a stack of books. It looked like he was in the process of returning them to the shelves.

Gongyi Xiao went down and briefly bowed as best he could with his cargo. “My sincerest apologies to Master Shen!”

“It’s fine.” Shen Qingqiu was about to put the book he caught on top of Gongyi Xiao’s stack, but then he saw that Gongyi Xiao’s arms were shaking. “Are you all right?”

Gongyi Xiao, despite the dark circles under his eyes and the sallow hue of his skin, gave him a genuine smile. “Master Shen needn’t worry. This one was simply careless.”

The poor guy was probably being overworked. He was a physician’s apprentice, but word had it that Lao Gongzhu was ordering him about like a personal servant. 

Shen Qingqiu put the book down on one of the nearby tables, and then took half of Gongyi Xiao’s stack and put that there, too. “Remember to take care of yourself. You are participating in the tournament, if I recall correctly?”

“Yes, Master Shen.” 

Shen Qingqiu nodded. “I’m sure you’ll do well.”

Gongyi Xiao flushed scarlet and bowed again.

As Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe walked away, Luo Binghe said, “Shizun, this one has also entered the tournament.”

Shen Qingqiu hummed. He had already bet a whole lot of spirit stones on Luo Binghe. “This master has no doubt that Binghe will win, of course.”

Luo Binghe had looked a little miffed before, but now he gave Shen Qingqiu a smile like sunlight dappling through trees.

They reached the part of the library where Yue Qingyuan and Lao Gongzhu were sitting at one of the reading tables. A few of Yue Qingyuan’s guards were positioned near them. The sunlight that passed through the window behind Lao Gongzhu brightened the room, but the air was tense as if with a thick fog. 

Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe gave the proper greetings, and when they rose from their bows, Shen Qingqiu examined the two people before him. Yue Qingyuan’s face was as rigid as ever, but a complicated emotion passed over it when he saw Shen Qingqiu. Lao Gongzhu was exactly how Shen Qingqiu imagined an old palace master would look like, and his attention, meanwhile, was on Luo Binghe behind him. There was an unsettling intensity in Lao Gongzhu’s eyes that made Shen Qingqiu instinctively position himself a little in front of Luo Binghe. He ended up standing almost right behind Yue Qingyuan’s chair, while Luo Binghe stood beside him like the other silent guards.

Thankfully, Lao Gongzhu stopped his weird analysis of Luo Binghe’s face. He said to Yue Qingyuan, while looking at Shen Qingqiu, “So this is your courtesan. Perhaps he is a little too frosty to be a great beauty, but he does seem to possess certain good qualities. A fine choice, I must say, Emperor Yue.”

Shen Qingqiu kept his face as aloof as possible, though he didn’t enjoy being appraised like a product handpicked by Yue Qingyuan for his guests’ entertainment. 

Luo Binghe bristled a little beside him. He reached behind Shen Qingqiu to brush the tips of his fingers against the back of Shen Qingqiu’s hand, probably thinking it would help comfort him somewhat.

It did.

“I see you have the hands of a guqin player, Shen Qingqiu, but do you have the voice of a poet?”

Shen Qingqiu said evenly, “If His Majesty wishes, this one can recite a few of Cang Qiong’s famous poems.”

Lao Gongzhu leaned back in his seat. He didn’t even bother to give a proper order, only making a cavalier wave in Shen Qingqiu’s direction. Shen Qingqiu recited some poetry he suspected that someone from Huan Hua wouldn’t be too familiar with, and when he was halfway through the third poem, Lao Gongzhu stopped him.

“Good enough.” Lao Gongzhu tilted his head, his eyes flicking from Shen Qingqiu to Luo Binghe and back again. “Does that guard of yours shadow you everywhere, even when you entertain Cang Qiong’s guests at night, when things are more intimate?”

Yue Qingyuan seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

Shen Qingqiu spoke before he could. “Binghe accompanies me to most places. Moreover, this one only entertains at public events and banquets, and only gives private entertainment with His Majesty Emperor Yue’s consent.”

Shen Qingqiu could tell that Lao Gongzhu was trying to do something, but he didn’t know what. Did he think Shen Qingqiu would be offended at the implication that he offered sexual favours to guests? Yue Qingyuan never ordered him to do that, and he likely never would, so Shen Qingqiu wasn’t bothered. His job as a courtesan didn’t officially include that sort of thing, anyway.

But Luo Binghe inched closer to him, releasing a short breath almost like a snarl.

Shen Qingqiu reached back so his hand was out of the others’ view and took Luo Binghe’s hand to give it a quick squeeze. The stiff muscles of Luo Binghe’s hand loosened.

Lao Gongzhu smiled. “So you only have a select clientele now? Some say that you used to work at a public pavilion and entertained any traveler who paid enough for your company.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

Shen Qingqiu sighed on the inside. Why did Lao Gongzhu have to bring up the original goods’ past? The current Shen Qingqiu’s knowledge of it was spotty at best. He had only unlocked one of Shen Jiu’s memory fragments, after all. The other things he knew were a mixture of what he read in the novel, which only contained hints of minor characters’ backstories, and information from rumours, most of which were vastly untrue.

Lao Gongzhu continued, “Some say that Wu Yanzi frequented that pavilion often, and that you were his favourite courtesan.”

Shen Qingqiu had heard the name ‘Wu Yanzi’ more than a few times, whispered with disgust and contempt. Wu Yanzi had been an infamously notorious criminal who manipulated, blackmailed and stole his way into riches. The original goods’ past ties with him were part of the reason why the imperial court had such a bad opinion of Shen Qingqiu.

“Pity that Wu Yanzi had you before Emperor Yue did.” Lao Gongzhu frowned thoughtfully. “It’s a tarnish to the Emperor’s good reputation that such a crook is affiliated with his lover.”

If Shen Qingqiu had been drinking tea, he would have spat it out at that remark. The thought of being Yue Qingyuan’s lover made him suppress a shudder. Things were already so awkward between them and having a closer relationship would only increase the awkwardness by the hundreds. Even Yue Qingyuan and Luo Binghe seemed weirded out by the idea. Yue Qingyuan’s face took on a guilt-tinged grimace, his stony veneer cracking for the smallest moment. Luo Binghe, on the other hand, clenched his jaw and moved to take Shen Qingqiu’s hand again.

Shen Qingqiu took out his fan with his other hand and flicked it open, hiding the lower part of his face with its painted leaf. “This one is not Emperor Yue’s lover. Emperor Yue has treated this one with a great deal of kindness, and this one is grateful for it, as it is more than what is deserved. However, this one would never dare to presume or wish for anything else, as it is a well-known fact that His Majesty’s affections lie elsewhere.”

There, that was a good reply, wasn’t it? It cleared up any misunderstanding about Shen Qingqiu’s standing in Yue Qingyuan’s heart, and it wouldn’t offend Lao Gongzhu by implying that Yue Qingyuan’s affections didn’t lie with Qiu Haitang, either. Qiu Haitang’s engagement to Yue Qingyuan was arranged for political reasons, but surely her father figure would want her fiancé to be more caring of her than of Shen Qingqiu. 

In the memory fragment Shen Qingqiu unlocked, Shen Jiu had thought that Yue Qingyuan saw him as an obligation to fulfill a childhood promise. The current Shen Qingqiu knew fuck all about what promise that was, but he was quite certain the whole obligation thing was true. Even if they had been friends as children, they had so clearly grown apart from each other. Yue Qingyuan had probably bought Shen Qingqiu’s contract just to rescue him from Wu Yanzi’s clutches. Shen Jiu might have had feelings for Yue Qingyuan, but it wasn’t as if Yue Qingyuan was required to take responsibility for his unrequited love.

Yet Yue Qingyuan flinched at Shen Qingqiu’s words now, and a haunted look flickered in his eyes, similar to how he had been when the System blocked his empathy earlier. Why was he so upset that Shen Qingqiu was giving Lao Gongzhu all the right answers?

Maybe he thought that Shen Qingqiu was only pretending to be polite and accommodating, the way a lot of harem villains did when facing another antagonist. It seemed a bit more in-character for Shen Qingqiu to lose it and do something drastic like snap at the King of Huan Hua.

At least Luo Binghe had faith in Shen Qingqiu’s skills at diplomacy. He even had a pleased upturn in the corners of his lips, though it vanished at Lao Gongzhu’s next words.

“I see. Well, this old king just assumed that since you were the lover of your first master, you would also enter such a relationship with Emperor Yue.”

The movements of Shen Qingqiu’s fan faltered. Whatever happened between the original Shen Qingqiu and his first master, it was far enough back in Shen Qingqiu’s history that it wasn’t even mentioned in the novel or the rumours.

Lao Gongzhu was unperturbed by Shen Qingqiu’s sudden stillness, and switched his focus back to Luo Binghe. Something dark sparked in his eyes. “This is the same guard you were teaching how to play the guqin, correct? If Emperor Yue isn’t amiable to the idea of you coming to entertain me, give your guard to me for the night.”

Luo Binghe stiffened at Shen Qingqiu’s side.

Shen Qingqiu realised at once what the looks Lao Gongzhu was giving Luo Binghe meant, and his shock mingled with his repulsion, enough so that he snapped, “No.”

Lao Gongzhu looked like Shen Qingqiu had just shoved a handful of something bitter into his mouth. He turned to Emperor Yue and said, “Is he always this rebellious?”

His tone was like someone commenting on a dog that barked too loudly, but Shen Qingqiu didn’t care about that, nor the fact that Lao Gongzhu succeeded in provoking him. How dare he feel entitled enough to even think of making Luo Binghe ‘entertain’ him like that—how dare he—

“In Huan Hua,” said Lao Gongzhu, “disobedient courtesans aren’t even sold to someone else. They are merely cast out to the streets to set an example, because if nobody obeyed their masters, the world would descend into chaos.”

Luo Binghe’s hand squeezed Shen Qingqiu’s, and whispered so that only Shen Qingqiu could hear, “Shizun, it’ll be okay, I won’t let him.”

Shen Qingqiu took a breath to calm himself, and then another. He squeezed back Luo Binghe’s hand with a sigh.

Of course everything would be okay; Luo Binghe had the protagonist halo to keep him safe. The rules of this world would make Lao Gongzhu leave him alone. Shen Qingqiu overreacted.

But now he had to deal with the consequences of what he just did, and losing his temper in front of someone as important as the King of Huan Hua was definitely like throwing a boulder into a pond.

A crease appeared between Yue Qingyuan’s brows. “Qingqiu has a need for his guard.”

“Nevermind about the guard. Emperor Yue, it’s not within my rights to tell you how to discipline your household, but please teach your courtesan to know his place.”

Yue Qingyuan’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and there was a shift in the air around him, as if he was preparing for a fight.

The System chose this moment to barge in.

[R-Points will be deducted from your account if ‘Yue Qingyuan’ does not punish ‘Shen Qingqiu.’]

What, why? This has nothing to do with the romance subplot!

[Points deductions occur when Political Checkpoints are not passed.]

Understanding washed over Shen Qingqiu like a wave of cold water, and he tugged his hand out of Luo Binghe’s grasp.

Lao Gongzhu didn’t actually want the alliance, and he was just looking for excuses to back out of his deal with Yue Qingyuan. That explained why he kept targeting Shen Qingqiu, who he thought was Yue Qingyuan’s lover. Huan Hua must have agreed to the alliance only because Cang Qiong’s power was growing and they didn’t want such an empire to be an enemy.

A headache began to form behind Shen Qingqiu’s eyes. This was an intrigue novel, so of course everyone went in circles rather than simplifying things like normal people.

Yue Qingyuan opened his mouth to reply to Lao Gongzhu, but before he could start an alliance-shattering argument, Shen Qingqiu put his hand on Yue Qingyuan’s shoulder. For the first time since he saved Shen Qingqiu from drowning, Yue Qingyuan met his eyes.

Shen Qingqiu tried to convey his thoughts: The wellbeing of Cang Qiong Empire rests on your shoulders, and we can’t lose Huan Hua as an ally, not so soon after obtaining peace with them. Appeasing King Lao Gongzhu would be the best strategy for now. You should know what choice to make, Your Majesty.

Yue Qingyuan took in a shaky breath, and his whole being seemed to steady again as he breathed out. In a voice that only held a touch of resignation, he said, “Guards, take Shen Qingqiu and bring him back to his palace. He is not to be allowed out until the tournament.”

So Shen Qingqiu would be in house arrest until just after Lao Gongzhu was scheduled to leave. That was fine by him, since the next important plot point was the tournament, anyway. 

Two of Yue Qingyuan’s guards flanked Shen Qingqiu. Luo Binghe moved forward as if to stop them, but Shen Qingqiu shook his head. Right now, Luo Binghe was a representative of Cang Qiong, and on top of that he was the Crown Prince of the Demonic Empire. Shen Qingqiu’s bruised pride wasn’t worth the trouble of causing further strain on diplomatic relations.

Luo Binghe stepped back, levelling a glare at the guard who was about to take Shen Qingqiu’s arm. The guard jumped a little and retracted their hand.

Yue Qingyuan had something akin to an apology in his face. Shen Qingqiu didn’t know how to read Yue Qingyuan when he looked at him like this, so he just bowed, keeping his eyes downcast as he was led out.

Walking away from Yue Qingyuan was starting to become a pattern.

Luo Binghe was quiet for the rest of the following afternoon. Shen Qingqiu let him be, remembering the times everything caught up to him and he needed some time alone to just think and breathe. He went about doing his normal daily routine, occasionally glancing over to check on Luo Binghe.

‘Brooding’ was the word Shen Qingqiu would use to describe Luo Binghe’s current condition. Right now, he was standing by the window, looking out at the imperial court with stormy eyes like a general assessing his battleground. Perhaps he was planning how to get closer to Qiu Haitang.

It was only when they were both seated and having dinner—cooked by Luo Binghe, delicious as always—that the silence was finally broken.

“Shizun,” began Luo Binghe, with an expression that seemed far too sombre for someone so handsome, “this one would like to apologise.”

Shen Qingqiu paused with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth. “What is Binghe sorry for?”

Luo Binghe’s hold on his chopsticks tightened, producing an audible click. He looked up at Shen Qingqiu and the sheer intensity of the emotion in his eyes made something flip inside Shen Qingqiu’s chest. “Ever since Shizun came into my life, this one’s wish has been to keep him from harm and make him happy.”

“Binghe has done exactly that.” Shen Qingqiu reached over the table to pat the back of Luo Binghe’s hand. “Doesn’t Binghe remember stopping that Black Moon Rhinoceros Python from crushing this master, and defending him from many a scheming noble?”

Avoiding all the harem intrigue was a lot easier with Luo Binghe as Shen Qingqiu’s personal guard. Apart from the protagonist halo, he was quite good at sensing when people had bad intentions towards Shen Qingqiu.

But Luo Binghe shook his head. “I haven’t protected Shizun when it was important, like from Lady Qiu’s poison or from Lao Gongzhu. And Shizun still doesn’t have his freedom.”

Behind Luo Binghe was a window, and the sky turning pink illuminated him from behind, casting his face in shadow. The darkness only accentuated the sorrow on his face, though, and Shen Qingqiu wanted to do something to wipe that expression away and bring back Luo Binghe’s smile. He smiled often when the two of them were together, like he enjoyed Shen Qingqiu’s company. It made Shen Qingqiu feel as if maybe he wasn’t just a background character in someone else’s story.

Luo Binghe made Shen Qingqiu feel like he mattered, in a world where no one even knew his true name.

“Binghe,” he said softly. “Binghe does so much more for this master than he realises. The poison and the house arrest are of little importance. Binghe has always been there for this master, and even if my life is limited to this court, Binghe’s presence has brought me great joy.”

He reached over the table again, and this time he took both of Luo Binghe’s hands in his. Luo Binghe took a shuddering breath and turned their hands so that Shen Qingqiu’s cool fingers were enveloped in his, still warm from cooking.

“And,” Shen Qingqiu continued, “I promise to be there for Binghe, too, for as long as he wants me to be by his side.”

A minor character like him wouldn’t always be able to keep up with the protagonist, but a promise was a promise. Shen Qingqiu intended to keep it to the best of his abilities.

“I always want Shizun beside me.” Luo Binghe applied a gentle pressure to Shen Qingqiu’s hands with his own. “Soon in the future, this one will be able to help Shizun better.”

Shen Qingqiu smiled and slowly extricated his hands. “Binghe needn’t rush things. Everything is meant to have a pace of its own.”

If the plot and the protagonist’s character development went by too quickly, then the novel would be too hackneyed to be any good!

They were interrupted by a noise outside, coming from the courtyard at the back of the palace. It sounded like something heavy being thrown over the courtyard walls. 

Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe exchanged a look. It was unlikely to be an assassin, but it might be some sort of magic explosive or maybe another escaped beast.

Luo Binghe had a hand on the hilt of Zheng Yang as he opened the palace’s back doors. The orange light was dimming to red as he and Shen Qingqiu stepped out, and there was a shadow in the corner of the courtyard, a person slumped on the ground beneath the haitang tree. 

Shen Qingqiu frowned, moving closer, and then his eyes widened and he ran to that person’s side, because it was—

“Emperor Yue.”

Yue Qingyuan blinked and looked up at Shen Qingqiu, but his eyes were unfocused, his pupils blown wide. Shen Qingqiu knelt by his side and took his hand to check his pulse. His skin was hot, almost feverish, but his pulse was slow and steady as if in a deep sleep. His robes were dishevelled, and there was an odd scent clinging to the fabric, one that Shen Qingqiu vaguely recognised when he breathed in.

He said to Luo Binghe, “Emperor Yue has been drugged with a sleeping incense.”

There were almost as many types of this incense as there were plants in Proud Immortal Demon Way, and more than a few of them fit Yue Qingyuan’s symptoms. In small doses, sleeping incense would knock even a powerful cultivator out for hours. Large doses tended to work like an aphrodisiac. Judging by how Yue Qingyuan seemed more dazed than sleepy or aroused, the dosage given to him was either incorrect, or he had recognised the incense in time and escaped before it took full effect.

“Does Shizun want this one to fetch an imperial physician?” said Luo Binghe. “Or people to bring Emperor Yue back to his own palace?”

Some hidden instinct inside Shen Qingqiu recoiled at having to ask others for help. He wasn’t sure who could be trusted; Yue Qingyuan had a lot of security, so it must have been someone close to him who did this. “It’s probably best not to involve anyone else. The emperor is in a vulnerable state, and he can stay here to be treated.”

It was late enough that most people would assume Yue Qingyuan had retired to his chambers, or that he was visiting one of the consorts or concubines. Nobody would disturb him here in Shen Qingqiu’s palace.

Luo Binghe nodded to Shen Qingqiu, and then he picked Yue Qingyuan up to carry him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Yue Qingyuan looked even more disoriented as they brought him indoors, and Shen Qingqiu steered Luo Binghe to the main bedchamber.

“Xiao Jiu,” Yue Qingyuan gasped out as Luo Binghe set him down on the bed.

Remembering that the original goods’ birth name was Shen Jiu, Shen Qingqiu sat on the edge of the bed and patted Yue Qingyuan’s arm. “Mn. Xiao Jiu is here, Your Majesty.”

Yue Qingyuan made a sharp intake of breath, while Luo Binghe went to get a bowl of water and a cloth. Shen Qingqiu put the damp cloth on Yue Qingyuan’s forehead, and then he moved to stand, intending to make another Panacea Petals Bloom concoction. That worked against drugged incense, too.

But Yue Qingyuan reached out and took hold of Shen Qingqiu’s wrist. It was a loose grip, not enough to really stop Shen Qingqiu from leaving, as if he was afraid to touch Shen Qingqiu lest he vanish like a figment of the imagination.

Shen Qingqiu sat back down, thinking it probably wasn’t a good idea to upset Yue Qingyuan in this state. “Binghe, do you remember the antidote we made against Lady Qiu’s poison? This master can make another Panacea Petals Bloom and Binghe can prepare it.”

The room was quickly awash with glowing green fog as Shen Qingqiu activated his Thousand Leaves and Blossoms Ability. Luo Binghe carefully took the created flower in his cupped palm when Shen Qingqiu held it out to him.

Luo Binghe walked to the door, but then he turned back when Shen Qingqiu didn’t move from his spot. “Shizun is staying here? With him?”

Shen Qingqiu took Yue Qingyuan’s pulse again and noticed it had sped up a little. “Someone must stay and look after His Majesty. We’ll be fine, Binghe.”

Luo Binghe looked reluctant, but he still rushed to the kitchen with only a glance back.

Shen Qingqiu sighed and looked back down at Yue Qingyuan. His eyes were a little less glassy but his breathing had quickened.

“You were probably drugged in your own palace…” murmured Shen Qingqiu, more to himself since Yue Qingyuan wasn’t coherent. “Why come here, of all places? Wouldn’t it be more convenient to go to Virtuous Consort Mu?”

“Xiao Jiu,” Yue Qingyuan repeated, almost like a sob.

Shit, did the incense have emotional side effects? Maybe Yue Qingyuan was particularly affected because of his empathic abilities? 

“It’s okay, Your Majesty, everything will be okay.” Shen Qingqiu heard the uncertainty in his voice and grimaced.

“Qingqiu, I didn’t dare to hope,” Yue Qingyuan whispered hoarsely. Well, at least the weird nickname was gone. “I thought that Qingqiu would never want to see me again after that argument.”

‘Argument’? Yue Qingyuan had an argument with the original Shen Qingqiu that led to him avoiding Shen Qingqiu for months?

That made a lot of sense, actually. It must have been a bad one, to explain Yue Qingyuan’s distance and guilt.

“But then Qingqiu talked to me again, and I didn’t feel any anger. Qingqiu, please…”

Yue Qingyuan’s fingers coiled further around Shen Qingqiu’s wrist. The movement shifted Shen Qingqiu’s sleeve further up his arm, exposing a long scar from an old dagger wound.

Yue Qingyuan’s eyes widened and cleared at the sight of that, and his thumb brushed along the raised white line. “Qingqiu, who hurt you?”

Shen Qingqiu pulled his hand back and put a blanket over Yue Qingyuan up to his chin, hoping that would get him to stop moving so much. “It was a long time ago, Your Majesty. Just someone with a grudge against me who finally decided to act. That person was sent away by His Majesty some time ago, so there’s no more cause to worry.”

When Shen Qingqiu had first transmigrated, one of the antagonists had tried to kill him. Luckily they had underestimated Shen Qingqiu’s ability to dodge, and Shen Qingqiu only got a minor injury from their dagger. The wound was shallow, but still left a scar, to Shen Qingqiu’s chagrin.

When he had asked Airplane why cultivation rarely removed scars in this world, the reply had been, But scars have so much angst potential, bro! Just think of all the scenes where the love interest would tenderly caress the protagonist’s scars…

Shen Qingqiu got the mental image of Qiu Haitang running her fingers down the various battle-won scars that littered Luo Binghe’s body. He shuddered and attempted to delete it.

Yue Qingyuan looked stricken. “Why didn’t Qingqiu tell me? Have I failed Qingqiu again?”

“Nothing like that,” Shen Qingqiu soothed. He adjusted the cloth on Yue Qingyuan’s forehead. “It was just… easier not to say anything.”

Yue Qingyuan let out a breathy mumble that sounded like an apology. Or maybe it was another sob.

In any case, Luo Binghe arrived with a cup of the Panacea Petals Bloom tea, and Shen Qingqiu coaxed Yue Qingyuan into drinking it. Yue Qingyuan’s eyes drooped as his breathing steadied, and his temperature slowly went back to normal. Shen Qingqiu took his hand and started to transfer spiritual energy. The System helpfully popped out a timer that showed him how long he had to do that for.

[1 hour 59 minutes remaining.]

[1 hour 58 minutes remaining.]

Less than five minutes in and Shen Qingqiu was already wishing it was over. How had Luo Binghe been able to do this for so long to Shen Qingqiu? It felt like giving Yue Qingyuan a smothering hug—somewhat fatiguing, and a little too close for comfort.

Luo Binghe knelt on the floor by Shen Qingqiu’s legs. “Please allow this one to take over giving spiritual energy.”

Shen Qingqiu raised an eyebrow. “Binghe wants to give his spiritual energy to Emperor Yue?”

Luo Binghe shook his head and smiled. “This one doesn’t want Shizun to tire himself.”

[In order to regain 100% health for ‘Yue Qingyuan,’ it is recommended that ‘Shen Qingqiu’ give him spiritual energy as he is the most compatible.]

Shen Qingqiu said, “His Majesty might be more comfortable with this master doing it.”

“Has Shizun done this with Emperor Yue before?”

Shen Qingqiu paused, then nodded. Yue Qingyuan and the original Shen Qingqiu had probably gotten into some scrapes together when they were younger, ones that required giving each other spiritual energy to heal. That might be why they were more compatible.

“It’s getting late. Does Binghe want to retire to his room to sleep for the night?”

Luo Binghe remained kneeling. “This one will stay.”

The timer continued to tick down, long enough that Shen Qingqiu began to worry that Luo Binghe’s muscles were getting stiff. He kept looking at the point of contact between Shen Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan as if watching the flow of spiritual energy.

Shen Qingqiu considered for a moment, guilt creeping up the back of his neck. He was the one who insisted on taking care of Yue Qingyuan without anyone else to help, and it was true that Luo Binghe should stay in case Yue Qingyuan needed something. Shen Qingqiu couldn’t go fetch anything himself without interrupting the spiritual energy transfer.

Shen Qingqiu got an idea and patted his lap. “Binghe can rest his head here.”

In the fading light, it looked like Luo Binghe’s cheeks got a pink tinge. “Shizun?”

“Binghe can sleep here for a bit. This master will rouse him later if necessary.” Shen Qingqiu then remembered that this position required Luo Binghe to keep kneeling on the floor. “On second thought, perhaps Binghe should get a chair from another room instead…”

“No, this is fine, Shizun!” 

Luo Binghe shuffled closer and put his head on Shen Qingqiu’s lap, his face turned towards the window. The last of the day’s sunlight lit up his features with a fiery radiance. When Shen Qingqiu lightly stroked his hair back away from his face, Luo Binghe closed his eyes with a contented sigh.

Shen Qingqiu marvelled at the fact that Luo Binghe felt comfortable enough with him to fall asleep like this. The sound of Luo Binghe’s soft breathing gave Shen Qingqiu a sense of solace, and he relaxed, too, releasing a quiet yawn.

The sky was dark by the time Yue Qingyuan’s meridians and temperature were back to their normal state. The only light in the room came from the rising moon outside the window, peeking in between the gaps of the nearby palaces.

“Binghe?” Shen Qingqiu whispered. His voice was odd in the tranquil atmosphere that hung over the room.

Luo Binghe opened his eyes and turned to look up at him with a soft expression, his eyes half-lidded and his mouth curled into a fond smile. “Shizun.”

Something stuttered inside of Shen Qingqiu at the sight of this sleepy Binghe. “We should let His Majesty be alone to sleep now.”

Shen Qingqiu let go of Yue Qingyuan’s hand and took the cloth from his forehead, leaving it beside the bowl of water on the nightstand. They left the room with quiet steps, but just as Luo Binghe was about to close the door behind them, he hesitated.

Shen Qingqiu paused on his way to his study. “What is it?”

Luo Binghe swallowed. “Shizun can sleep in my bed tonight, if he wants to. This one will sleep on the floor,” he added.

Shen Qingqiu thought of going into the side room and sinking into the small but soft bed where Luo Binghe’s scent clung to the sheets. Then the thought came, unbidden, of lying on that bed with Luo Binghe’s warm arms around him, holding him like after he was poisoned but closer this time, and Shen Qingqiu would be sleepy enough that he would allow himself to snuggle Luo Binghe back under the blanket they would share—

Warmth coloured Shen Qingqiu’s face. He must be really touch-starved if he was having those sorts of thoughts about Luo Binghe, just because he was the person Shen Qingqiu spent the most time with.

“Thank you, Binghe, but this master isn’t going to sleep.” Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat as his eyes flicked to the still-open bedchamber door. “Emperor Yue is still unwell, so this master will sit in his study in case he’s needed.”

Only a wall separated the study from the main bedchamber, so Shen Qingqiu would be able to hear if Yue Qingyuan woke up. Luo Binghe didn’t seem to want to sleep, either. He got a book to read while Shen Qingqiu took out paper, ink and a writing brush. Another one of Shang Qinghua’s letters had arrived from the Demonic Empire, and Shen Qingqiu might as well use the time to reply. There were other letters, too, and miscellaneous reports; a lot of Yue Qingyuan’s correspondence somehow fell into Shen Qingqiu’s hands before reaching the emperor.

The sky outside grew even darker as night fell deeper, and the only lights were the candles Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe used, one for each of them. After a few hours passed and Shen Qingqiu finished his entire stack of papers, there came the sound of Luo Binghe closing his book and blowing out his candle behind him. A moment later and Luo Binghe was leaning over Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder.

His eyes scanned the papers on the desk. “Shizun does a lot for Emperor Yue.”

His breath hit the edge of Shen Qingqiu’s collarbone, tickling like the brush of a feather. Shen Qingqiu shivered—strange reaction. “This master doesn’t do much with the letters, merely reading them and checking for hints of potential trouble. As for the reports, this master looks over them to note down suggestions for improvements and point out any errors. Here, for example, is the list of beasts acquired for the tournament…”

Luo Binghe listened to him explain with a rapt, serious expression. “Emperor Yue really trusts Shizun.”

It wasn’t quite a question, but Shen Qingqiu still nodded. “Not completely. Emperor Yue has known this master for a long time, but there are things that His Majesty keeps to himself.”

Like whatever happened to Minister Qi. Maybe Shen Qingqiu could do some digging to find that out.

He continued, “This master is just a placeholder for now. All of this work is meant to go to the Empress or consorts in the future.”

Luo Binghe’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Did the person that King Lao Gongzhu mention also use Shizun as a ‘placeholder’?”

He was talking about the first master that the original Shen Qingqiu apparently had. Shen Qingqiu racked his brain for any mention of this character in the novel but came up blank. “That person isn’t important.”

“…Would Shizun say that Yue Qingyuan is important?”

“Hm? Of course he is.” When Luo Binghe’s eyes widened, Shen Qingqiu added, “Binghe is important, too, the most important person to this master.”

Luo Binghe was looking at him as if he—well, Shen Qingqiu didn’t know what, but it made it difficult to think and speak. Luo Binghe had eyes that could see straight into him.

He turned away from Luo Binghe, walking over to the window and looking out. In the small courtyard, the haitang tree stood like a spectre in the moonlight, a few of its blossoms drifting down to the ground. That tree was the only permanent fixture in the palace that had been formed and grown by the original Shen Qingqiu’s plant abilities. Everything else that Shen Qingqiu owned had a sort of distance from him, a feeling that these things were only temporary belongings, but that tree was different. It was ironic that something so cherished had the same name as Qiu Haitang, the cause of the original Shen Qingqiu’s downfall.

Beyond the walls of the courtyard, Shen Qingqiu could see the consorts’ palaces in the distance. They were dark, their occupants in as deep a slumber as their emperor. Ordinarily, the lights in one of the palaces would still be lit despite the late hour, because of Yue Qingyuan’s nightly visits. There was something of a pattern in the way he favoured his spouses—Xian Zhu Palace this night, Bai Zhan Palace another night, Qian Cao Palace the next, then the concubines, lather, rinse, repeat. Shen Qingqiu supposed it was a way to balance the influence of the harem members, since there wasn’t a clear favourite among them. The pattern would be disrupted by Qiu Haitang, but it would return to normal when she and Luo Binghe rode off into the sunset together.

Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes for a second. The picture formed in his mind was of a bright, happy ending. He didn’t know why it cast such a shadow over his heart.

Luo Binghe went to stand beside Shen Qingqiu at the window, and the yellow light from Shen Qingqiu’s candle mingled with the moonlight shining on his face.

“Shizun does so much for Emperor Yue,” he repeated. His mouth set in a grim line when he followed the line of Shen Qingqiu’s gaze to the consorts’ palaces. “It’s not just the reports and letters that this one is thinking of. Shizun stays awake for Emperor Yue even after he has ignored Shizun for months. He saved Shizun from drowning, but he doesn’t do anything to quell the rumours about Shizun or defend Shizun from people like Lao Gongzhu. He’s never there for Shizun when Shizun is tired or hurting or lonely. He assigns Shizun the work of a consort without giving Shizun the title. He has the audacity to accept Shizun’s care and hard work and not acknowledging any of it, even bedding a different person every night without considering Shizun’s feelings—”

Luo Binghe’s mouth snapped shut, and he looked at Shen Qingqiu with a wince, as if he regretted bringing up Yue Qingyuan’s multiple love interests. That sort of thing would never have occurred to the Luo Binghe of the novel, who had a harem of hundreds. Then again, this AU that Shen Qingqiu transmigrated into seemed to have more genuine romances than in the novel. Mobei-jun and Shang Qinghua were married; Shen Qingqiu had attended their wedding. There were also happy polyamorous relationships, like the one between Sha Hualing, Liu Mingyan and Ning Yingying. And Luo Binghe would fall for Qiu Haitang, who was a lucky woman to have his earnest heart.

Shen Qingqiu smiled, but it was just the lower part of his face moving and it didn’t reach his eyes.

“It’s all right, Binghe. It’s not as if Emperor Yue doesn’t care. He didn’t need to give this master a home in his own court, but he did, and has provided many things that most could only dream of. This master is quite content where he is, so Binghe needn’t feel upset over things that cannot be controlled.”

Shen Qingqiu might be able to avoid getting executed, but he couldn’t do anything to change the fact that Luo Binghe was bound to his destiny. He was meant to leave Shen Qingqiu to become Emperor of the Demon Realm, while Shen Qingqiu…

He didn’t know what his future would be. As a minor character, his purpose was to help guide Luo Binghe through the plot. Nothing more.

“There are some things that are determined not by us, but by fate, and someone like me isn’t enough to change them,” he said quietly. “This master had already accepted a long time ago that there are people in his life who won’t stay.”

Luo Binghe looked hard at Shen Qingqiu’s face as if trying to find something in it. Shen Qingqiu kept his smile up, but he was getting the urge to face the window again or find his fan and hide behind it.

Before he could do either of those things, the candle he had been using to write with was blown out in a gust of wind. Their surroundings were plunged into darkness, and at the same time, Luo Binghe wrapped his arms around Shen Qingqiu in a delicate hug. 

Shen Qingqiu’s breath hitched, his words dropping right back down into his throat. Like this, he could feel all of Luo Binghe’s warmth, and the sound of their heartbeats mixed together.

Luo Binghe’s arms were secure around him, like a promise to keep him safe. “I’m sorry. I hurt Shizun.”

“Binghe could never hurt me.” Shen Qingqiu put his hands on Luo Binghe’s back, tentatively returning the hug.

“Shizun…” Luo Binghe let out a shaky exhale that went through Shen Qingqiu like a quiver. “Shizun doesn’t have to hide what he feels from me. This one understands how powerful the feelings of a first love can be, and knows that they are difficult to let go of, even if they cause pain. It’s all right. I will wait for Shizun, as long as he needs.”

Shen Qingqiu swallowed, not knowing what to make of that speech. He only grasped part of what Luo Binghe was saying, and his insides were still in disarray. So he just relaxed a little more into Luo Binghe’s embrace, the last dregs of his false smile falling from his face.

For some reason it was becoming a struggle to stay calm and steady, like he was a speck of firelight atop a candle wick—flickering out, but still making himself burn as other people expected him to, burning until every part of him ached with exhaustion and want.

Wisps of smoke curled from the blown-out candle on his desk. Shen Qingqiu raised a hand to catch them, but they drifted away from him, dancing through his fingers like ghosts.

All Shen Qingqiu could do was watch as they vanished into the cold, moonlit night.

Chapter Text

The room was silent apart from the slide of Shen Jiu’s writing brush. He had been working on various reports and correspondence the whole night, and now that it was almost morning, his joints were beginning to feel wooden from sitting for so long. He wasn’t at his usual desk in the palace study; he had moved a low table from another room to the floor of the bedchamber, just a few steps away from the bed.

The sole occupant of the bed was Yue Qingyuan. He was wrapped up in Shen Jiu’s sheets with his head on Shen Jiu’s pillow, and even asleep, he looked anything but satisfied to be there. There was a deep furrow between his eyebrows, and some vestiges of last night’s fever remained in his uneven breathing. His hands folded weakly around the edge of the bedspread.

Like this, in plain sleeping robes without his usual imperial regalia and cold, controlled expression, Yue Qingyuan looked so much younger.

This wasn’t the first time Yue Qingyuan had been in Shen Jiu’s bed. Before everything had happened to make them an emperor and a courtesan, sleeping in the same place had almost been second nature. If they had been the same two people as back then, Shen Jiu would have been right there beside Yue Qingyuan, soothing whatever spectres he was entangling with in his sleep.

Things were different now, of course. The disparity in their statuses made Shen Jiu keep a rigid distance from Emperor Yue, tainting his memories of the nights when Yue Qingyuan still held him like he cared.

Shen Jiu cut his gaze back to the letters on his desk. One of them was from some minor noble family, offering up a son for the imperial harem, and their greedy hopefulness clung to the letter like an acrid stench. Shen Jiu put that letter away to show Yue Qingyuan later, though he wished he could just hold it over a candle and watch it crumble.

Movement from the bed made him look in that direction again. Yue Qingyuan stirred, his eyes blinking blearily open, unfocused until they met Shen Jiu’s and widened.

“Qingqiu?” Yue Qingyuan’s voice stung with shock. He looked around, seeming more and more panicked at finding himself in Shen Jiu’s bedchamber.

A cultivator of Shen Jiu’s level didn’t always need to sleep. But he still felt too sleep-deprived to deal with this right now.

He stood and bowed, feeling a little ridiculous since Yue Qingyuan was still so disoriented. “His Majesty arrived at the palace’s doorstep last night in an unwell state. This one can only assume that His Majesty was afflicted with some sort of drug, but there’s no cause for alarm right now. This servant took every measure to ensure His Majesty’s recovery.”

He didn’t mention that he didn’t trust any of the imperial physicians enough to call them here, and Yue Qingyuan didn’t question it.

“Thank you, Qingqiu.” Yue Qingyuan swallowed, wincing as the movement likely hurt his sore throat. “Was that… all that happened?”

Shen Jiu got out his fan and flicked it open to hide the twist of his mouth. What, did Yue Qingyuan think Shen Jiu would take advantage of him in that state?

“Nothing else happened,” he confirmed.

“Good.” Yue Qingyuan sagged with relief. “That’s good.”

A heavy silence rolled over them both, and Shen Jiu raised his fan higher. He was acutely aware that his hair had gotten a little mussed from staying awake all night, and he was still wearing yesterday’s robes, wrinkled where he had sat on the fabric for hours.

“Would His Majesty like to call for his servants?” Surely someone was looking for the emperor.

Yue Qingyuan paled and shook his head. Shen Jiu frowned and moved closer, taking his wrist and checking his spiritual energy. It was fluctuating, and Shen Jiu cursed under his breath. It wasn’t often that Yue Qingyuan was ill, but when he was, it always seemed like he was on the verge of a grievous qi deviation.

Shen Jiu began to transfer a stream of his own spiritual energy to Yue Qingyuan. It took more effort now, since he had already given quite a bit of energy earlier.

“Emperor Yue should be in Qiong Ding Palace,” Shen Jiu said stiffly. 

“I feel safer with Qingqiu.” Yue Qingyuan’s voice was quiet, without any of the confidence he tried to exude when talking to officials or diplomats. He started to pull his wrist out of Shen Jiu’s grasp. “That’s enough now. Qingqiu can ask someone else to expend energy, there’s no need for him to tire himself—”

Before Yue Qingyuan could say or do anything else, Shen Jiu pinned him to the bed with a single swift movement. Yue Qingyuan took in a sharp breath, but Shen Jiu only continued to give Yue Qingyuan spiritual energy, his hair falling down one shoulder like a curtain. It blocked some of the brightening light of the window and cast lines of shadow on Yue Qingyuan’s face. Yue Qingyuan swallowed again, his hands falling slack where Shen Jiu held them against the pillow.

“This servant knows that Emperor Yue would prefer someone else,” Shen Jiu muttered, “but it will be over faster if he just bears with it for now.”

Yue Qingyuan opened his mouth, and then closed it again. There was something pained in his eyes as he seemed to categorise every detail of Shen Jiu’s face.

Who do you see when you look at me? Shen Jiu wanted to ask. Do you see the version of me that you keep in your memories, or do you see another person entirely?

When Yue Qingyuan’s meridians were stable again, Shen Jiu shoved himself off the bed, intending to go call for someone to help Yue Qingyuan back to his own palace. But Yue Qingyuan put a hand on his waist, stopping him. It wasn’t too intimate of a touch, but it still sent an odd feeling creeping into Shen Jiu’s chest as he looked down and saw that yes, that was Yue Qingyuan’s hand holding him. Yue Qingyuan himself looked surprised at his own action.

Shen Jiu sighed through his nose. He had administered Yue Qingyuan a healing tonic made from Panacea Petals Bloom, and one of the possible side effects of that was a need for physical closeness with somebody. 

Slowly, carefully, Shen Jiu lowered himself until he was lying beside Yue Qingyuan, above the covers but still close enough to feel the other man’s presence. He faced Yue Qingyuan and took one of his hands again, trickling more spiritual energy into it. Yue Qingyuan’s hand stayed where it was above his hip, but it was a hesitant touch, like Yue Qingyuan would bolt any moment.

He could probably sense everything that Shen Jiu was feeling right now. There was enough contact between them for Yue Qingyuan’s empathic ability to do that.

Shen Jiu smothered his emotions until he was as perfectly controlled on the inside as well as the outside.

“Shouldn’t Emperor Yue return to the imperial court now?” he said in a rough whisper.

“Not yet.” Yue Qingyuan’s voice was equally hushed. His fingers curled slightly around Shen Jiu’s, not enough to hold his hand properly, but enough that Shen Jiu felt the ghost of his touch.

Shen Jiu nodded once, allowing himself another look at Yue Qingyuan’s soft, unguarded face. Then he dutifully averted his gaze.

The sky outside was fading from a dark, inky blue to the violet of flower petals. Soon it would be pink and orange, and the red-tinted sunlight would burn away the memory of this night. Shen Jiu felt hollowed out, as if Yue Qingyuan had picked up his sword Xuan Su to carve out a piece of him—but there was still a part of him that didn’t want that sun to rise.

Not yet.

Shen Qingqiu was gently brought back to consciousness when a hand stroked his hair, and a softly familiar voice said, “Shizun?”

When Shen Qingqiu blinked awake, he saw that he was slumped over the bamboo couch in his study, and there was a drizzling of rain outside the window that brought a cool scent drifting into the room. Shen Qingqiu’s cheek was pillowed on his arm, and his hand was streaked with a few splotches of ink. Luo Binghe was kneeling in front of him, a look of concern on his face.

Shen Qingqiu looked down at his own hand, the one that had held Yue Qingyuan’s hand in the memory fragment. It seemed that last night’s events, with Yue Qingyuan showing up at Shen Qingqiu’s palace in need of healing, had happened at least once in the past. It also seemed that Yue Qingyuan and Shen Jiu had shared beds before.

Shen Qingqiu had thought that they were just childhood friends with an unlucky sprinkling of one-sided love, but the new memory fragment raised more questions about that. Had they been more involved? Probably not, or else he would have heard something about it by now. Maybe Shen Jiu was talking about how kids would have sleepovers? Shen Qingqiu couldn’t imagine anyone letting little Crown Prince Yue have a sleepover with little Shen Jiu, who had likely been the son of another courtesan. 

He wondered how the two of them had even met, and why Yue Qingyuan felt such guilt towards him now.

As for Shen Jiu, his genuine care for Yue Qingyuan was still a surprise for the current Shen Qingqiu. If Shen Jiu’s role in the story wasn’t that of a scumbag villain’s, then maybe something could have come from that. But as things were, Shen Jiu’s feelings for Yue Qingyuan had only served as fuel for his hatred towards the characters in the imperial harem. That had only led to him doing atrocious things throughout the novel to try and filch Yue Qingyuan’s favour from them. 

Shen Qingqiu could understand that, maybe, but he didn’t see the point in competing for something he had no right to in the first place.

He snapped to complete wakefulness when he realised, mortified, that his eyes were damp with unshed tears.

What kind of scenario was being pushed on him now? He wasn’t the sort to just burst into tears like one of Luo Binghe’s more melodramatic love interests!

Luo Binghe’s hand was still on Shen Qingqiu’s hair, and he moved it to gently cup the side of his face. “Was Shizun… crying?”

“Who’s crying?” Shen Qingqiu blinked away the moisture and said, “Never mind that, it was just an unpleasant dream. How is His Majesty? This master didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“Shizun wasn’t asleep for very long.” The tip of Luo Binghe’s thumb brushed against the delicate skin beneath Shen Qingqiu’s eye. It almost tickled, and Luo Binghe retreated his hand. “Emperor Yue is awake now. Virtuous Consort Mu is making him medicinal tea, and Concubine Shiwu is keeping him company.”

A few hours after Shen Qingqiu had administered the medicine to Yue Qingyuan last night, the System had given him a notification that the Panacea Petals Bloom had worked. Shen Qingqiu had then sent Luo Binghe to Qian Cao Palace to go get Mu Qingfang, since he had thought Yue Qingyuan still needed a proper doctor’s checkup. Unfortunately, Imperial Concubine Shiwu had seen Luo Binghe and had demanded to be taken to Yue Qingyuan as well.

So much for keeping this whole thing under wraps. At least it was only one concubine and not an entire army of imperial spouses flooding Shen Qingqiu’s palace. Although, it was too bad that it was Shiwu and not someone else, since Shiwu had been the one to give Shen Qingqiu the dagger scar on his arm. Luo Binghe didn’t know this, of course, or else he wouldn’t have let Shiwu be anywhere near Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Qingqiu sat up, looking down at the couch he was on and running his hand over its wooden material. “This master doesn’t recall moving from the desk to here.”

“Shizun fell asleep over his papers, and this one thought that he would be more comfortable where he could lie down.” Luo Binghe’s smile was a little bashful, but it disappeared when he glanced over in the direction of Shen Qingqiu’s bedchamber. “Shizun’s bed was occupied, so this one carried him to the couch instead.”

“Thank you, Binghe.” Shen Qingqiu moved to stand, smoothing down his hair and swiping at his eyes to get rid of any lingering wetness. “Perhaps we should go check on Emperor Yue now. This master forgot to mention to Virtuous Consort Mu that I was the one to give His Majesty spiritual energy last night, he might be a bit concerned about that—”

His voice tapered off into a choked noise when something warm and soft—one of Luo Binghe’s outer robes—settled around his shoulders. It was a black one with red accents, the style that Luo Binghe tended to wear when they were just at home and not out in the imperial court.

Luo Binghe adjusted the robe more securely around Shen Qingqiu and said, “This is so that the others don’t get a mistaken idea of how Shizun spent the night.”

In the scenes in the novel set in the Demonic Empire, Luo Binghe would sometimes put his outer robe around his love interest as a warning for other demons to back the hell off. That couldn’t be the case here, of course, so maybe Luo Binghe just thought that Shen Qingqiu would be cold since it was raining outside.

Such a sweet protagonist!

Mu Qingfang was in the hallway, standing to the side of the open bedchamber door and holding a tray with a tea set on it. He greeted Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe with a solemn nod, but he stepped a little in front of Shen Qingqiu before he could reach the bedchamber.

“Shen-shixiong,” he began, “perhaps now isn’t the best time…” 

Past Mu Qingfang’s shoulder was a clear view of the bed. Yue Qingyuan was sitting against the headboard, looking a lot less woozy than he had been last night, and Shiwu was seated on the edge of the bed, facing him. They were talking in low tones, and then Shiwu leaned forward and pressed his lips to Yue Qingyuan’s forehead.

Shen Qingqiu bristled.

It was just a forehead kiss, but still! That was Shen Qingqiu’s bed! If they wanted to do that sort of stuff, Qiong Ding Palace was just a short walk away!

Luo Binghe made a low, displeased noise and crossed his arms, stepping a little closer to Shen Qingqiu. Yue Qingyuan looked up then, his eyes widening at the little crowd just outside the door. He said something in a gently admonishing tone to Shiwu, who moved back towards the edge of the bed.

Shiwu’s ranking in the harem was pretty high now, since he had recently been promoted. His appearance reflected that. His robes were made of fine materials, not too unlike the fabric that the imperial consorts’ clothes were made of, and his headpiece had curls of gold with precious jewels embedded in them that resembled flowers. The headpiece was a gift from Yue Qingyuan; Shen Qingqiu remembered hearing some gossip about it a while ago. In fact, he remembered several instances when Yue Qingyuan would suddenly give Shiwu random presents like jewellery, books or fans. These past few months, Yue Qingyuan had also tended to spend his free afternoons with Shiwu in Qiong Ding Palace. 

Yue Qingyuan’s balanced nightly patterns ensured that it wasn’t obvious which spouse he preferred to spend his nights with. But when it came to who he had a soft spot for, there was no question that it was Imperial Concubine Shiwu.

That was why Shen Qingqiu had lied to Yue Qingyuan about who had given him the scar on his arm. If Shen Qingqiu had told the truth and said that the emperor’s most favoured concubine was the one who tried to stick a blade in him, he would only be accused of trying to weed out competition.

The current Shen Qingqiu did not want any involvement with the harem intrigue, no thank you. He had thought that since he didn’t scheme against the concubines like the original goods had, there would be less rivalry and drama. If anything, though, the machinations had only amplified without his interference. It was as if without a common enemy in Shen Jiu, Yue Qingyuan’s spouses felt free to launch a deathmatch—one that Shiwu was winning. 

Yue Qingyuan swallowed, staring at Shen Qingqiu. “Enter.”

Shen Qingqiu stepped inside, but he stayed near the doorway, feeling like an intruder in someone else’s home. Meanwhile, Mu Qingfang put the tea tray down on the bedside table and took Yue Qingyuan’s wrist to check his pulse. Shiwu’s lips thinned when Mu Qingfang touched the emperor, and he took Yue Qingyuan’s other hand to make soothing strokes down the back of it. He also tossed a quick, suspicious glare at Shen Qingqiu when Yue Qingyuan wasn’t looking.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t take it personally, chalking it up to their common status as minor villains. Despite the attempted stabbing, he didn’t see Shiwu as a threat. The dagger had barely grazed him, anyway, and Shiwu’s cultivation level was so low that he didn’t even carry a sword.

Well, neither did Shen Qingqiu most days, but that was because it was against court rules for a courtesan to be armed.

Shiwu said to Mu Qingfang, “How is His Majesty?”

“Emperor Yue will be back at full health after a few day’s rest, thanks to Shen-shixiong’s care.” Mu Qingfang carefully put Yue Qingyuan’s hand back down on the bedspread. “This consort has made a medicinal tea, but it’s only to help His Majesty regain his strength faster. The Panacea Petals Bloom tonic that Shen-shixiong used has already removed all the toxins from Emperor Yue’s system.”

“How did Shen Qingqiu get hold of a rare flower like Panacea Petals Bloom?”

Shen Qingqiu opened his fan with a twist of his wrist. “This one summoned it.”

Shiwu narrowed his eyes at him, while one of the System’s notification screens blinked into view.

[Please note that it would be OOC for ‘Shen Qingqiu’ to reveal too much of his special ability, ‘Thousand Leaves and Blossoms.’]

Shen Qingqiu inwardly muttered to the System, Am I supposed to keep it a secret? You didn’t say anything when I showed it to Binghe, am I going to lose points for that?

[The OOC parameters are based on the other characters’ views of ‘Shen Qingqiu.’ It was not OOC for the user to be honest with ‘Luo Binghe,’ as it fits with the user’s relationship with him. However, the System may choose to enact the Punishment Protocol if other characters suspect something due to OOC behaviour.]

Shen Qingqiu hid his grimace behind his fan.

Shiwu’s steely gaze was still on Shen Qingqiu. “Shen Qingqiu, why didn’t you inform the imperial physicians about His Majesty’s condition? Emperor Yue could have been gravely hurt because of your negligence.”

Yue Qingyuan had been speaking quietly with Mu Qingfang, but they both fell silent at that. 

“Shizun successfully healed Emperor Yue,” Luo Binghe began.

“Binghe,” Shen Qingqiu whispered. Then he turned back to Shiwu and Yue Qingyuan, attempting to keep a cool facade as he said, “This servant didn’t know who was involved in targeting His Majesty, and was therefore reluctant to send for the imperial physicians.”

“Shen Qingqiu should have sent for servants from Qiong Ding Palace, then.” Shiwu leaned back a little, keeping hold of Yue Qingyuan’s hand. “A courtesan cannot play the part of an imperial spouse and care for the emperor throughout the night.”

Shen Qingqiu hadn’t even considered that. The inner court had so many rules and restrictions and he had only been here a few months, how was he supposed to know everything? Still, he put away his fan and sank to his knees, trying his best to look remorseful. In this sort of situation, the original goods would probably want to throw a cup of scalding tea over Shiwu’s head, but the current Shen Qingqiu had to prioritise keeping his job instead.

He said, “This one overstepped his boundaries and will accept any punishment His Majesty deems fit.”

Shiwu looked smug, while Mu Qingfang and Luo Binghe both looked at Shen Qingqiu with wide eyes. 

Yue Qingyuan’s face was unreadable as he looked at Shen Qingqiu on the ground. “This emperor would like to speak with Qingqiu in private.”

Luo Binghe stepped forward as if to argue against that, but Shen Qingqiu shot out a hand and grabbed him by the hand. He didn’t look away from Yue Qingyuan, but he squeezed Luo Binghe’s fingers, hoping that would be enough to get him to stand down. Luo Binghe stood still for a moment, and then he took a step back, his fingers brushing against Shen Qingqiu’s as they let go. Shen Qingqiu listened to Luo Binghe’s footsteps as he walked out of the room, taking up a position just outside the door. Mu Qingfang and Shiwu also filed out with equal silence.

Yue Qingyuan’s eyes flickered from Luo Binghe to Luo Binghe’s outer robe on Shen Qingqiu’s shoulders. Then the door closed, and he and Shen Qingqiu were left alone in the room.

Yue Qingyuan sighed, and Shen Qingqiu braced himself, but then Yue Qingyuan plastered on a smile and said, “Shiwu spoke out of turn. Qingqiu will not be punished… Not again.”

Shen Qingqiu’s cheeks stiffened in his neutral expression. Yue Qingyuan was probably thinking that he was upset about the house arrest, and Shiwu’s recent comments would push him to retaliate in some way, so now Yue Qingyuan was trying to placate him.

“This one has no ill intent towards Imperial Concubine Shiwu, so His Majesty needn’t worry,” Shen Qingqiu said quickly.

Yue Qingyuan’s smile faltered. “Qingqiu doesn’t have to keep kneeling. Doesn’t he remember what I told him when he first came to court? Qingqiu doesn’t have to kneel to me when it is just the two of us.”

Shen Qingqiu stood, glad to see that his limbs were still graceful even as his brain was doing flips trying to deal with Yue Qingyuan. He took a look around the bedchamber, suddenly aware of the random clutter here and there. Luo Binghe usually kept the entire palace looking like something out of an interior design magazine, but with everything that happened last night, he hadn’t had any time for housekeeping. There were still books and scrolls left in odd places, a few out-of-place jars and containers on the vanity table, even some hand fans crowding the bedside table. Yue Qingyuan noticed him looking around, and Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat.

“This one knows that Emperor Yue would rather be elsewhere, but it was safest to care for His Majesty here.” He bowed again, before crossing his arms in front of him and running his thumb over the fabric of Luo Binghe’s outer robe. “This servant apologises.”

Yue Qingyuan jumped a little, as if the words had given him an ice burn. 

“This is not something that requires an apology. This emperor is… I am grateful for Qingqiu’s care.” There was, weirdly enough, something like despair in Yue Qingyuan’s voice. It accentuated the guilt seeping into his eyes. “I would also like to apologise to Qingqiu for the house arrest.”

His words brought Shen Qingqiu’s mind grinding to a halt. 

“His Majesty had no other choice.” The hesitance in Shen Qingqiu’s voice made it sound almost like a question. “Not punishing this servant would have negatively impacted the alliance. It was understandable that Emperor Yue would prioritise Cang Qiong’s relations with Huan Hua.”

He gave a reassuring smile, but that only seemed to make the guilt in Yue Qingyuan’s eyes deeper.

Yue Qingyuan gestured to Shen Qingqiu’s arm where the dagger scar was. “May I see Qingqiu’s wound again?”

Shen Qingqiu almost started to say that it was only a scar and no longer a wound, but then he just nodded. Correcting such a powerful character probably wasn’t the wisest course of action. He went to Yue Qingyuan’s bedside and pulled back his sleeve, angling his arm so that the raised white line on his skin was visible.

Yue Qingyuan inspected the scar without touching him, quiet and pensive again. Shen Qingqiu forced himself to remain motionless under the scrutiny, fearing that if he so much as breathed, he would flee. 

Finally, Yue Qingyuan spoke in a controlled, calm voice. “This emperor’s memories of last night are blurred, and I cannot remember who is responsible for this. Can Qingqiu tell me again?” 

Shen Qingqiu floundered. “Is His Majesty going to punish them?”

Yue Qingyuan’s eyes flared dangerously cold for the briefest second as he glanced at the robe still hanging from Shen Qingqiu’s shoulders. “Was it someone Qingqiu cares for? Is that why Qingqiu may be reluctant to reveal them?”

“No, Your Majesty.” Shen Qingqiu let his sleeve fall back down as he pulled his arm back. “May this one speak freely?”

“Of course.”

Shen Qingqiu clasped his hands behind his back. “The incident that caused this scar happened almost a year ago, and there’s no reason to be concerned about it now. Emperor Yue should focus on trying to find who gave him that sleeping incense.”

“I will send my best people to investigate what happened yesterday.” Yue Qingyuan looked grim. “If the one who hurt Qingqiu isn’t someone close to him, then… Is it someone close to me? Someone in the harem?”

Something must have shown in Shen Qingqiu’s face, because Yue Qingyuan seemed to realise something. He nodded and said, “Qingqiu doesn’t have to give this emperor a name if he doesn’t want to. But I promise I will fix this.”

Shen Qingqiu let out a mental curse. “His Majesty is very kind.”

That seemed to be the end of the conversation, and soon Yue Qingyuan called back Mu Qingfang and Shiwu so they could take him back to Qiong Ding Palace. Shen Qingqiu walked with them to the main entrance of the palace, and then he stood just inside the threshold, watching them as they walked away. The imperial court outside was tinged with a dismal gray, and it was raining harder than earlier. With Shiwu and Yue Qingyuan sharing an umbrella, though, it looked like they were just out for a pleasant morning stroll. When they turned a corner and disappeared from sight, Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath of the damp air and let it out slowly.

I promise I will fix this, Yue Qingyuan had said.

Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes briefly. The image of a shattered teacup flashed beneath his eyelids.

“…Shizun?”

Shen Qingqiu felt Luo Binghe walk up behind him, and then his arms came to wrap around Shen Qingqiu’s middle in a loose hold. Shen Qingqiu’s breath shuddered out of him, and he tentatively leaned back in the embrace, relaxing when Luo Binghe held him a little tighter. The image of that broken teacup faded away.

Neither Shen Qingqiu nor Luo Binghe said anything. They just watched quietly as the raindrops thundered down from the clouds, slashing through the imperial court like thousands of falling arrows.

One of the perks of reading all 6666 chapters of Proud Immortal Demon Way was that Shen Qingqiu knew all the secrets of Cang Qiong’s imperial court. That made it easy for him and Luo Binghe to sneak out of the palace precincts, despite Shen Qingqiu supposedly being stuck in house arrest.

“We should have done this sooner,” said Shen Qingqiu, stretching out his arms. “Think of all the times we could have gone out of the imperial court without requesting permission!”

They were walking in a crowded city street, and the rain that had been so relentless just a few weeks ago was now replaced by some clouds and minor sunshine. Shen Qingqiu took in the sights of the city—the market stalls, the river, the hanging lanterns—and felt lighter than he had been for some time. Luo Binghe also seemed glad to be free of the court, but something seemed to be up with his hand, which kept clenching and unclenching at his side. 

“Shizun, wouldn’t Ming Fan and the others find it strange that we haven’t shown ourselves in a while?”

Ming Fan was one of the new guards assigned to Shen Qingqiu’s palace. The security levels of the imperial court had been quietly raised after the incident with Yue Qingyuan and the sleeping incense, and more guards had been put on duty everywhere. Shen Qingqiu thought it was a bit of a waste of manpower, since all the excitement usually just happened in the centre of the court, where the main palaces and halls were. 

Currently, Ming Fan and the other guards thought that Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe were hanging out in Shen Qingqiu’s bedchamber. Luo Binghe had been reluctant to make them think they were there, but it was the one room in the palace they wouldn’t try to enter.

Shen Qingqiu huffed. “What happens when this master and Binghe is alone is our business, not theirs.”

Luo Binghe’s eyes widened, and then he seemed to make a decision. He reached forward and clasped Shen Qingqiu’s hand in his own, his warm palm sliding against Shen Qingqiu’s.

“So we don’t get separated,” he explained, when Shen Qingqiu looked at him with a silent question.

“Binghe won’t get lost even without this.” Shen Qingqiu didn’t let go of Luo Binghe’s hand, though.

There seemed to be some commotion in the next street, and they walked there to check it out. There was a procession of some sort going past, with imperial guards on horseback clustered around a fine carriage. Shen Qingqiu raised his eyebrows when he saw the occupants riding it.

He said, “It’s His Majesty and Imperial Concubine Shiwu.”

It wasn’t strange that Yue Qingyuan had one of his spouses with him now. Recently, Yue Qingyuan had been spending more time with each of his concubines, as if making up for the fact that there would soon be an empress who would have power over all of them. It would make sense that Yue Qingyuan would want to go on a date with his favourite concubine before he would get too busy planning his wedding to Qiu Haitang.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was strange, though. As it came nearer to where Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe were standing, Shen Qingqiu could see inside more clearly. Yue Qingyuan and Shiwu were sitting on opposite ends of the carriage, and they were talking, but it seemed more like an interrogation than a pleasant conversation. Yue Qingyuan’s face was blank and chilly as he seemed to ask questions, and Shiwu was oddly pale as he answered. 

Luo Binghe was frowning at Yue Qingyuan. It was the same look he had when he had seen Shiwu give Yue Qingyuan that forehead kiss a while back. He was probably thinking about how seeing them together might hurt Qiu Haitang, but Shen Qingqiu knew for certain that Qiu Haitang didn’t care about Yue Qingyuan’s relationships with his other spouses. At this point in the novel, she should already have a crush on Luo Binghe.

Shen Qingqiu took out his fan and tapped Luo Binghe on the arm with it. “Binghe seems deep in thought.”

Luo Binghe’s frown vanished as he looked away from Yue Qingyuan to Shen Qingqiu. “This one was wondering what the purpose of this outing was, since Emperor Yue doesn’t usually go out of court.”

“The news about His Majesty’s brief illness spread throughout the capital,” said Shen Qingqiu, opening his fan with a twist of his wrist. “His Majesty might have decided to show himself in public to reassure the people that he’s whole and hale again.”

“If they heard about Emperor Yue being unwell,” began Luo Binghe quietly, “do they also know that he was targeted with sleeping incense?”

Shen Qingqiu shook his head. “Only a few people were told about that.”

There could have been a lot of speculation about why Yue Qingyuan had suddenly gotten ill, but instead, people were more distracted by the current gossip about Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu. Specifically, the gossip about how they had slept together. The so-called evidence they used was that Yue Qingyuan had spent a whole night in Shen Qingqiu’s palace rather than visiting his harem. The rumours were only fuelled by the fact that Yue Qingyuan had jumped into the pond to save Shen Qingqiu not too long ago. Shen Qingqiu thought it was all fairly ridiculous, but there was nothing he could do other than lay low for a bit.

Shen Qingqiu raised his fan so he could talk with Luo Binghe behind it. “Binghe, perhaps we should go before—”

The carriage passed right in front of them. As if drawn by an invisible thread, Yue Qingyuan turned his head and locked eyes with Shen Qingqiu.

Ha. Fuck.

Shen Qingqiu’s jerked back a step, almost bumping into Luo Binghe just behind him. Yue Qingyuan’s eyes widened at seeing him, and then they shuttered until his face was blank again.

Yue Qingyuan gave something to one of the imperial guards walking beside the carriage and spoke in low tones. Whatever he said, it wasn’t audible over the steady clipping noises of the horses’ hooves and the voices of the townspeople. The guard nodded and stepped out of the procession as the carriage and the other guards passed him by. The gathered civilians began to disperse now that the spectacle was over, and then the guard approached Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe.

Shen Qingqiu considered legging it out of there. What was the punishment for breaking house arrest? Yue Qingyuan would be giving him more house arrest, maybe. Or a suspension of his allowance. Or even a flogging.

“Master Shen.” The guard held out the item that Yue Qingyuan had given him. It was a talisman. “His Majesty is relieving you of your duties for the rest of the day. A carriage will come pick you up at sunset, and this talisman will inform them of your location.”

Yue Qingyuan would be giving Shen Qingqiu some time off, evidently.

That was rather anticlimactic of him, but Shen Qingqiu wasn’t going to question it. Yue Qingyuan likely just wanted to avoid causing a scene.

Shen Qingqiu took the talisman coolly. “This one understands, thank you.”

He started to walk away with Luo Binghe, but the guard held up a hand, saying, “His Majesty wishes to speak with Master Shen’s guard.”

Shen Qingqiu’s surprise made him snap his eyes back to the guard, who gulped. Shen Qingqiu didn’t know why Yue Qingyuan would want to meet with Luo Binghe now; there wasn’t supposed to be a confrontation scene between the protagonist and his rival just yet. Maybe this was another deviation from the novel’s plot, or an extra scene that Airplane had deleted from his published drafts. 

In any case, Luo Binghe would be fine. His plot armour was thicker than Yue Qingyuan’s!

“If His Majesty orders it, then this one will obey.” Shen Qingqiu turned to Luo Binghe, pulling his hand free. “This master will see Binghe back at the imperial court.”

Luo Binghe’s arm moved a little, as if he wanted to take Shen Qingqu’s hand again but restrained himself. He nodded and said, “As Shizun says.”

Later, as Shen Qingqiu reached the centre of the city marketplace, a familiar, stoic face emerged from the crowd.

“Liu-shidi!” Shen Qingqiu waved at him, and the little frown on Liu Qingge’s face disappeared as he saw Shen Qingqiu. When he came closer, Shen Qingqiu said, “My apologies for not calling Worthy Consort Liu by his title just now, but I thought that it would draw less attention that way.”

“Mn.” Liu Qingge considered for a moment then said, “I don’t mind being called that.”

“I’ll remember that for next time.” Shen Qingqiu lowered his voice. “Have they found out who gave the drugged incense to His Majesty?”

Liu Qingge shook his head. “No. They found the incense burner used for it, though. The drug had Black Moon Rhinoceros Python blood as one of its ingredients.”

“That might help identify the culprit. If the blood came from one of the tournament beasts, then that could narrow it down to a list of specific people who had access to them.” Shen Qingqiu tapped his closed fan against his palm. “Still, that could be a lot of people.”

Shen Qingqiu spotted a stall selling bolts of fabric and glided towards it, and Liu Qingge followed after him. Shen Qingqiu had chosen less conspicuous robes today, simple green to go with his simple hairstyle, and he was pleased to note that Liu Qingge wasn’t garbed in the elaborate finery of an imperial consort. His face was unmistakable, however, and soon one of the people milling about the various stalls would recognise him.

“Liu-shidi, I appreciate the company, but now that I think about it—wouldn’t it be bad if you’re seen with me? I offended King Lao Gongzhu only recently, after all, and my house arrest isn’t supposed to end for another few days.”

If the Huan Hua delegation heard that Liu Qingge was here with Shen Qingqiu, they might misconstrue it as Liu Qingge deliberately disrespecting their king’s wishes. To top that, Huan Hua wasn’t too fond of demons, and the Liu family had significant ties to the Demonic Empire due to Liu Mingyan being Sha Hualing’s consort. It could be dangerous for the Liu family to do anything that might further alienate Huan Hua from them.

But Liu Qingge just made a noncommittal noise. “It’s fine. Emperor Yue was planning to end your house arrest early, anyway.”

Shen Qingqiu had been inspecting some black and red fabrics, but now he looked back at Liu Qingge. “Why would His Majesty do that?”

“He didn’t say.” Liu Qingge crossed his arms. “But he did mention wanting to give you a day away from court.”

“Ah.” Shen Qingqiu chuckled and waved his fan a little. “A day of freedom in exchange for weeks of isolation. Well, I’m still grateful.”

Liu Qingge frowned. “You felt isolated?”

“Not really, no. I had Binghe with me… I offered to let him have a vacation during my house arrest, but he said he wanted to stay.” A little smile played on Shen Qingqiu’s lips, and he raised his fan to hide it. “I made sure he went out of my palace every once in a while, though.” 

Shen Qingqiu had hoped that Luo Binghe would use those opportunities to romance Qiu Haitang. Luo Binghe had never mentioned her, but Shen Qingqiu supposed that they must have met up at least a few times, because his R-Points had continued to rise despite there being no major plot happenings.

“By the way, what brings Liu-shidi out of the imperial court?”

“Just passing by.” Liu Qingge took a decorated wooden box out of his sleeve and gave it to Shen Qingqiu. “This is for you, from Emperor Yue. He asked me to give it to you the next time I saw you.”

It must be some sort of thank-you gift for taking care of him, and Shen Qingqiu was only a little surprised to get it. Yue Qingyuan might have avoided him all this time but he did send little trinkets to Shen Qingqiu’s palace in addition to his allowance. It was like he was trying to bribe Shen Qingqiu to behave, even though Shen Qingqiu hadn’t even done anything towards the harem members since his transmigration.

When Shen Qingqiu opened the box, he found a golden bangle, simple but beautiful, with the insignia of Cang Qiong engraved on its surface. It reminded Shen Qingqiu of the collars that would be clasped around the pets of the harem members, signalling that those little animals were under the emperor’s protection.

“His Majesty is very generous, and this one is of course grateful for the present.” Shen Qingqiu closed the box with a definitive click. “Although, perhaps it would be better for His Majesty to give such things to Imperial Concubine Shiwu. He looked rather upset earlier in that carriage with His Majesty.”

Liu Qingge stared at him. Clouds passed over the sun, and a layer of shade slid over Liu Qingge’s face, making him contrast with the brightness of the marketplace behind him.

“It really doesn’t bother you,” said Liu Qingge, just loud enough for Shen Qingqiu to hear. “Not like before.”

“Ah, well…” Shen Qingqiu scrambled for something to say, shoving the gift box into his sleeve. “Liu-shidi doesn’t seem too troubled whenever His Majesty shows favour to his other spouses, right? So there’s no reason for me to be bothered by it.”

Liu Qingge shrugged. “I’m not in love with Emperor Yue.”

Shen Qingqiu lightly whacked him on the arm with his fan. “Worthy Consort Liu shouldn't say such things out in the open like that!”

Liu Qingge caught Shen Qingqiu’s fan between them. “You really have changed.”

Shen Qingqiu’s grip tightened around the handle of his fan, and then he slowly loosened it and let go, one finger at a time. “In a good way, I hope?”

“You seem happier.” Liu Qingge looked down at the fan in his hand. There was a certain intensity in his eyes, and he seemed to steel himself before looking back up. “Shen Qingqiu.”

He held out the fan to Shen Qingqiu, and Shen Qingqiu took it with some confusion. “Yes?”

“If you ever need anyone, anything,” said Liu Qingge, letting go of the fan, “you can count on me.”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes widened. He was lucky to have found a friend in Liu Qingge; at least there would be one person he could talk to once Luo Binghe left the imperial court. “Worthy Consort Liu has me, too.”

Liu Qingge turned bright red, pivoted and muttered something about going to buy something for his sister. Shen Qingqiu looked at him with a raised eyebrow before calling out that he would follow after a moment.

Then he turned back to the stall and bought some of the black and red fabric. The stall owner cheerily packed away his purchase for him, commenting that it was a fine choice before asking, “Could it be a gift for someone special, perhaps?”

Shen Qingqiu looked at the red fabric, its dye the same deep crimson as Luo Binghe’s demon mark.

“Yes,” he said. “It is.”

On his way back to his palace, Shen Qingqiu opted to take the longer route through the imperial gardens. This path wasn’t lined with flowers and fountains but with willow trees, their branches hanging low enough that their tips sweeped the grassy ground. There were so many that it was almost like Shen Qingqiu was in a forest. The sun had already set some time ago, and the sky was shifting from red and orange to the darker, calmer colours of dusk.

Shen Qingqiu looked in the direction of Qiong Ding Palace, wondering if Luo Binghe had returned yet or if Yue Qingyuan was still talking to him. He was about to change course and go to Qiong Ding Palace himself to see, but then he heard Yue Qingyuan’s voice speak from behind the trees.

“—that we both want to protect the same person.”

Shen Qingqiu padded quietly closer to one of the willow trees. The leaves formed a sort of tent around the tree trunk, and when Shen Qingqiu slipped inside it, the outside could only be seen through tiny gaps in the branches. Past the branches was a little clearing. Yue Qingyuan and Luo Binghe stood there, cast in grey shadows as the nightfall deepened. Yue Qingyuan had his back turned to the tree Shen Qingqiu was hiding in, while Luo Binghe stood respectfully before him, and neither of them saw Shen Qingqiu watching them.

“That person is important to both of us,” Yue Qingyuan went on. “But Luo Binghe is the one who is closer to them now, so this emperor must ask him—is that person happy here?”

Shen Qingqiu’s hand came to rest on the bark of the willow tree. It was rough beneath his skin, but he was so focused on the conversation going on that he barely noticed. With the way Yue Qingyuan was talking about ‘that person,’ Shen Qingqiu could guess that they were discussing Qiu Haitang. 

Luo Binghe stared straight at Yue Qingyuan, a challenge sharpening his gaze. For a moment, it seemed as if he would refuse to speak at all, but then he said, “This one cannot answer for that person.”

Yue Qingyuan's shoulders slumped a little at that, and Luo Binghe’s eyes hardened.

“May this one ask why Emperor Yue is asking about this now, when he has never seemed to care before?”

“This emperor does care.” Yue Qingyuan’s frown was evident in his tone. “But it wouldn’t be good for that person if this emperor showed too much of his feelings.”

Luo Binghe’s demon mark flared a simmering red, and his voice lowered into something more dangerous. “Forgive this one’s impertinence, but has Emperor Yue ever considered that distancing himself from that person only makes their situation worse?”

Yue Qingyuan stiffened. “Luo Binghe speaks as if they’re incapable of surviving danger.”

“That person is one of the strongest people this one has ever met,” said Luo Binghe. “That still doesn’t mean they must fight alone.”

Yue Qingyuan didn’t speak for a long time.

When he did, it was as if the words were thorns in his throat. “And Luo Binghe would stay by their side?”

“Yes,” said Luo Binghe, without hesitation, his eyes blazing scarlet.

Shen Qingqiu had to remember to keep breathing. For some reason, the sight of Luo Binghe all riled up for Qiu Haitang like this made something heavy settle into the pit of his stomach.

“This emperor never meant to make that person feel alone.” Yue Qingyuan swallowed, and the click of his throat seemed to echo against the willow trees. “I do what I can, but I am the sovereign ruler of Cang Qiong Empire, and rulers must make sacrifices.”

“This one is well aware of that.” Luo Binghe got a wry smile on his face, but it dropped as quickly as it had appeared. “However, the person that the ruler cares for shouldn’t be the one to pay the price.”

An icy breeze swept through the clearing, scraping the skin of Shen Qingqiu’s cheeks and rustling the grass around Yue Qingyuan’s and Luo Binghe’s feet.

Yue Qingyuan clasped his hands behind his back, and he gripped his wrist so tightly that his knuckles whitened. “This emperor has not been good enough at keeping his promises to that person, but is trying to make amends now.”

The willow branches surrounding the clearing trembled in the wind.

“For that reason,” Yue Qingyuan continued, in a voice like icicles, “Now that I know of the crime Imperial Concubine Shiwu has committed against that person, he will be sent to live in an estate far away from the capital. This emperor has had a bias towards Shiwu because he has a similar background to the person I care for… I shouldn’t have been so blind. They are nothing alike.”

Shen Qingqiu’s hand shot away from the willow tree so fast that he almost scratched off some of the bark. What crime had Shiwu committed against Qiu Haitang to justify him being banished from the court? It must have been something severe enough to make Yue Qingyuan’s fondness for him vanish.

“Qingqiu seems to trust Luo Binghe,” Yue Qingyuan said carefully. “This emperor wished to talk to Luo Binghe to see if that trust was merited.”

Luo Binghe’s eyes narrowed a little, like he was trying to figure Yue Qingyuan out, and then he took in a short breath. He glanced at the willow tree Shen Qingqiu was hiding in for the briefest second. Shen Qingqiu pressed his lips together, wondering if he had been detected, but Luo Binghe looked away before Yue Qingyuan could notice.

“Is Emperor Yue satisfied with his conclusions on this one’s reliability?”

“We shall see.” Yue Qingyuan moved to walk away. “Luo Binghe is dismissed. This emperor will be returning to Qiong Ding Palace.”

As Yue Qingyuan left the clearing, Shen Qingqiu ducked behind the tree trunk and put his back against it. The things he bought earlier had already been sent ahead to his palace, but he still had the box with the bangle. He took that out now, clutching it with enough force that the wood creaked.

Shen Qingqiu had thought he had managed to avoid the possibility of being executed in the future. He had even begun to doubt that Yue Qingyuan would want him dead at all.

Now, though…

He thought back to the coldness in Yue Qingyuan’s voice, and he felt an emotion he had never experienced before, not truly.

Fear.

Because if Yue Qingyuan was the sort of man who didn’t have a problem banishing his own concubine, he would have no qualms in sentencing his courtesan to death.

Shen Qingqiu was pretty sure he hadn’t done anything to warrant a beheading, but that didn’t guarantee his safety. One of the original goods’ past misdeeds could be brought to light and lead to his doom. He couldn’t rely on Yue Qingyuan’s feelings of obligation and guilt towards him, either. It might seem like Yue Qingyuan cared for him now, but Yue Qingyuan had also cared for Shiwu, and look where that landed him.

Shen Qingqiu tucked the box back in his sleeve without opening it. Just then, Luo Binghe parted the curtain of willow branches.

“Shizun.” Luo Binghe’s voice was infinitely softer when addressing him than when he was talking to Yue Qingyuan. “Forgive this one for not noticing Shizun here until just now.”

He walked to stand in front of Shen Qingqiu and take his hand, and his warmth was a shock against the chill of the air around them. 

“Shizun’s hand is cold.” Luo Binghe applied a gentle pressure to it, as if trying to transfer his body heat. “Is everything all right?”

Shen Qingqiu nodded. “This master was just surprised that His Majesty would send away Imperial Concubine Shiwu as easily as that.”

“He hurt Shizun.” Luo Binghe’s other hand traced the line of Shen Qingqiu’s scar on his forearm, his touch discernible even over Shen Qingqu’s sleeve. “That’s unforgivable.”

Shen Qingqiu raised his eyebrows. “How did Binghe figure out that it was Concubine Shiwu who did that?”

“He confessed about what he did earlier, and the first thing this one wanted to do after that was strike him down.” Luo Binghe’s demon mark was glowing a fiery red now, contrasting against the darkness behind him. “I only stopped myself because I wasn’t sure if Shizun would approve… Why didn’t Shizun tell me?”

Shen Qingqiu sighed, and his breath came out as a translucent cloud.

“Shiwu’s attempt on this master’s life happened before Binghe became a palace guard, so Binghe shouldn’t feel any responsibility for it,” he said. “This master would rather bury an event long past rather than make Binghe feel unnecessary guilt over it.”

Luo Binghe looked like he wanted to argue, but Shen Qingqiu only smiled and raised his free hand to hold the side of Luo Binghe’s head. Some of the cool air clung to Luo Binghe’s skin there, seeping into the ends of Shen Qingqiu’s fingers.

“Binghe shouldn’t go after Imperial Concubine Shiwu. If Binghe harms any one of His Majesty’s spouses, he will be removed from the court, and this master doesn’t want that.” Shen Qingqiu shrugged. “Imperial Concubine Shiwu won’t be a problem for much longer, so Binghe should let him be until then.”

“If that is what Shizun wants,” Luo Binghe murmured.

Shen Qingqiu moved his hand away from Luo Binghe’s face. “It’s unusual for a favoured concubine to receive such a harsh punishment, though… Emperor Yue could have just demoted him instead.”

Luo Binghe shook his head.

“He deserves much worse for what he did to Shizun.” Luo Binghe skimmed his thumb over Shen Qingqiu’s knuckles. It tickled, making Shen Qingqiu’s hand twitch. “Besides, Concubine Shiwu has already lost Emperor Yue. If Emperor Yue demoted him and let him stay here, he would only give Concubine Shiwu false hope that he still wanted him. In this situation, wouldn’t it be better to rip the blade out and let the wound heal, rather than leaving it to fester?”

Shen Qingqiu’s next words got caught on his tongue. The bitter wind diminished to a trickle, and the swaying of the willow branches slowed down. Slivers of the night sky became visible through the thin gaps in the branches, navy blue against the black shadows of the leaves, like threads pulled loose from a blanket. 

Shen Qingqiu thought of Shen Jiu, who had chosen to remain close to Yue Qingyuan even when doing so pierced a knife into his chest. When the wound began to bleed, rather than pull the blade out, Shen Jiu had only twisted it in deeper until its weight had turned him hollow.

“Binghe makes a good point,” he ended up saying. “But sometimes, one loves someone enough to want to stay with them, even at the risk of losing them.”

Conflict wavered in Luo Binghe’s expression. “Is that why Shizun stays in Emperor Yue’s court?”

Shen Qingqiu didn’t answer right away. It wasn’t like he had chosen to live in Cang Qiong’s imperial court, after all. Luo Binghe began to look a smidge panicked, and Shen Qingqiu patted his arm to try and comfort him, even though he didn’t know what Luo Binghe was so upset about.

“This master is here because he is required to,” said Shen Qingqiu. “I may be allowed out of court every now and then but I am always expected to return, Binghe knows that.”

Luo Binghe seemed to look for something in Shen Qingqiu’s gaze as he said, “Where would Shizun go, if he could leave for good?”

“The Demonic Empire.” Shen Qingqiu didn’t even need to think about it. Most of the novel had been set there, anyway, and he was especially interested in the demonic beasts that would freely roam the lands. “It would be nice to see Binghe’s hometown, if they wouldn’t mind a human being there.”

“Shizun,” Luo Binghe breathed, his voice softened by awe. “Of course Shizun would be welcome anywhere in the Demonic Empire.”

The lanterns of the imperial gardens had been lit some time ago, and some of their glow pierced through the willow branches, catching on Luo Binghe’s eyelashes as he tilted his head a bit.

“Does Shizun know, the winner of the upcoming tournament can request something from the emperor as a reward?”

It took Shen Qingqiu a moment to process the sudden turn in conversation. “This master is aware.”

A few strands of Shen Qingqiu’s hair had gotten tugged out of place, and Luo Binghe reached up to tuck them behind his ear. His fingertips brushed against the shell of Shen Qingqiu’s ear, his touch as light as a butterfly’s wing. 

“If this one wins,” he said, “and if Shizun is willing, this one would ask for the freedom of my special person.”

Shen Qingqiu nodded. What Luo Binghe said just now wasn’t entirely unexpected. In the novel, Luo Binghe had won the tournament and asked for Qiu Haitang’s engagement to be broken off. The request hadn’t been granted immediately, since without the engagement, Cang Qiong’s alliance with Huan Hua would be rendered null and void. But Yue Qingyuan had seen the love between the protagonist and Qiu Haitang, and so he had let them go.

Shen Qingqiu decided that he would be happy for Luo Binghe when that would happen. “If Binghe requests such a thing in front of everyone, it would seem like a declaration of courtship.”

Luo Binghe’s eyes widened, and he took both of Shen Qingqiu’s hands in his. “Does Shizun want that?” 

“This master wants what Binghe wants.”

“And—” Luo Binghe took a deep breath, and his voice became hushed. “What if this one says he would like to start courting now?”

The scintillating hope in Luo Binghe’s aura brought a smile stretching across Shen Qingqiu’s face, though it also made something sharp dig into his ribs. “This master has no objections. In fact, that would be wonderful, Binghe. I would advise going with demon courtship rituals, though. Human traditions would be too conspicuous here, and if other people find out about this courtship, there could be consequences.”

“This one understands.” Luo Binghe entangled their fingers together as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and the glimmer of joy radiating from him rivalled the brightness of the lanterns. “I will make sure to win the tournament.”

Something inside Shen Qingqiu stumbled at those earnest words. 

The wind was completely still now, and the air beneath the willow tree grew heavy, like the night sky was trying to cram itself through the spaces between the leaves. Shen Qingqiu’s face was doing something strange, like he was about to cry or laugh, so he took a half-step forward to hide his expression against Luo Binghe’s shoulder. Look at him, reacting so strongly just because the romance subplot was developing. Shen Qingqiu must be turning into a sap.

Luo Binghe went still for a moment, and then he turned his head a little, so that his cheek rested against Shen Qingqiu’s hair. He continued to hold Shen Qingqiu’s hands carefully—not like he was made of glass, but like he was made of something precious.

Shen Qingqiu wondered what would happen if he asked Luo Binghe to stay.

It was only a half-formed thought, and Shen Qingqiu stamped it out as soon as it appeared. There was no point in considering impossible things; the world they were in wouldn’t allow the protagonist to stay here. If Luo Binghe did remain, then the Demonic Empire would be left without an heir to the throne. Qiu Haitang would marry Yue Qingyuan, and be trapped in a loveless relationship. Luo Binghe might even grow to resent Shen Qingqiu for trapping him and Qiu Haitang here.

It didn’t seem likely that Luo Binghe could ever hate him, but feelings could change over time, like fruit left to rot. Shen Qingqiu would rather let Luo Binghe go than have to witness that. 

Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes and made himself take a deep breath through his nose, waiting for his face to go back to normal. Then he stepped back, slipping his hands away from Luo Binghe and into his sleeves. He turned away and walked towards a parting in the willow branches, saying, “We should go back to this master’s palace before it gets too late.”

Luo Binghe followed him back out onto the path. Out of the corner of Shen Qingqiu’s eye, he saw Luo Binghe’s hand reach for his, but Shen Qingqiu just buried his arms further in his sleeves. The corner of the gift box dug into the space between his thumb and forefinger. Luo Binghe’s hand dropped back down as they walked, and Shen Qingqiu felt a smidgen of guilt, but he didn’t think he could handle being too close to Luo Binghe right now. He had read enough harem novels to know what would happen if villain characters indulged their selfishness too much.

Even if the villains won, they never ended up happy.

Chapter Text

Shen Qingqiu should be doing more to help Luo Binghe get with Qiu Haitang. 

That thought occurred to him just as he sat down at his desk, which had a new stack of papers for him to work through. Helping the protagonist find happiness was a far more appealing task than slugging through all those court reports, but Shen Qingqiu wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do for Luo Binghe. His R-Points were rising, so it did seem like the romance subplot involving Qiu Haitang was developing steadily, even if she was still officially Yue Qingyuan’s fiancée. Luo Binghe must be bringing her courting gifts. Still, as Luo Binghe’s wingman, Shen Qingqiu should probably do something bigger to get the plot going.

He could poke around and lure new monsters for Luo Binghe to fight, and then Luo Binghe would be able to get some loot from them as more gifts for Qiu Haitang. The downside of that was that it would venture a little too far into ‘villain character’ territory, and Shen Qingqiu didn’t want to raise any more death flags… 

His thoughts were interrupted by a hand landing softly on his shoulder. Shen Qingqiu didn’t need to look to know who it was.

“Binghe,” he said, turning around with a small smile. “Welcome back. This master didn’t expect you to return so soon.”

Earlier, Luo Binghe had asked if he could take some time off to go outside of the imperial court. Shen Qingqiu had assumed that Luo Binghe was going on a date with Qiu Haitang. He had thought that he wouldn’t see Luo Binghe until the next morning, when the first rounds of the tournament would start.

“This one didn’t want to be away from Shizun for too long.” Luo Binghe returned the smile, and then he took Shen Qingqiu’s hand and brushed his thumb over the knuckles. “There’s a place I would like to show Shizun, if he’s not too busy.”

“I’ll always have time for Binghe.”

Shen Qingqiu said that while sliding his hand out of Luo Binghe’s grip as subtly as he could. Now that Luo Binghe and Qiu Haitang were courting, Shen Qingqiu should try to not be so close to Luo Binghe. Qiu Haitang might misunderstand some things.

After both of them put on warm cloaks, Luo Binghe led Shen Qingqiu out to the backyard of his palace. The world outside was cast in a shadowy blue, and the hush of sleep permeated the air of the imperial court. At this hour, Shen Qingqiu’s little palace was usually the only one with its lights still burning.

Luo Binghe seemed to want to take Shen Qingqiu’s hand again, but Shen Qingqiu quickly took out his hand fan and snapped it open, following Luo Binghe to the haitang tree. Behind the tree, stretched out against the bark like a splash of ink, was something that looked like a moving shadow. As they approached it, the shadow began to emanate pulses of demonic energy, and Shen Qingqiu realised what it was.

“A portal.” Shen Qingqiu lowered his fan. “Binghe, how…?”

“I absorbed power from the Xin Mo sword some time ago, and after I learned how to control it, I gained the ability to create portals.” Luo Binghe took a step towards the portal. “This portal leads to the place I mentioned to Shizun earlier. Shizun doesn’t have to worry! It’s completely safe.”

Shen Qingqiu smiled in reassurance, though it wasn’t the portal he was concerned about. Hearing that Luo Binghe found a way to control Xin Mo’s power was surprising, since that was something he had never managed to do in the novel.

Like Shen Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan, Luo Binghe had a special ability. Since he was the protagonist, he naturally had the most OP of all the unique skills in this world: the ability to absorb power from other beings or objects.

The legendary demonic sword Xin Mo was something that Luo Binghe could take power from. In the novel, however, he had never been able to control the power that he got from it. There had been plenty of fan theories about why that had happened, and the most popular ones connected Xin Mo’s instability to the protagonist’s lack of true love.

The current Luo Binghe didn’t seem to have any problems with wielding Xin Mo’s power. Shen Qingqiu watched him carefully as they approached the portal, but nothing worrying happened to Luo Binghe—no dark marks, no sudden bursts of demonic energy, nothing. Perhaps Luo Binghe was successful at managing Xin Mo’s power now because he was happier in this AU than in the canon novel.

That was a good sign for his endgame with Qiu Haitang.

The shadows of the portal swirled as Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe stepped into it. In the snap of a second, Shen Qingqiu’s little courtyard vanished and was replaced by a copse of trees situated by a lake. The low-hanging moon was reflected in its waters, and a small boat was moored near the trees, the lakewater sloshing a little against its wooden sides.

“This was where I went earlier.” Luo Binghe went to prepare the boat. “This lake is near the border between Cang Qiong and the Demonic Empire, and creatures from the demon realm sometimes find their way here. I know that Shizun can’t go to the Demonic Empire yet, so I wanted to show Shizun this.”

After they got on the boat, Luo Binghe used a talisman to float it towards the centre of the lake. The water rippled around the sides of the boat, cutting through its own reflection on the glassy surface of the water. 

When they got to the centre of the lake, Luo Binghe put a finger to his lips. Shen Qingqiu nodded and waited, curious to see what Luo Binghe was so eager to show him.

A moment later, something flickered in the corner of Shen Qingqiu’s vision. It flew steadily over the water towards them, and once it was close enough, Shen Qingqiu saw that it was a group of butterfly-like creatures. Each of them was about as large as his hand, and they had a distinct coiling pattern on their orange-and-yellow wings, like curls of a flame.

“Ember Moths,” Shen Qingqiu murmured. “They burn up when their wings are touched, because their primary food source is a type of flower that can create immense fires, when the petals are prepared a certain way.”

Luo Binghe nodded. “This one heard about some of those plants growing nearby, and went here earlier to check if the moths would come.”

One of the moths separated from the group and came closer to the boat. Shen Qingqiu held his breath and slowly raised his hand towards it, careful not to accidentally touch its wings. The moth hovered for a moment before alighting on his outstretched finger, its wings opening and closing as if greeting him.

“Beautiful,” Shen Qingqiu whispered, awed.

Luo Binghe watched him with soft eyes. “Yes.”

Both of them watched the moths for a long while after that, and then Shen Qingqiu got the feeling that Luo Binghe was waiting for something. When the moth on his hand flew away, Shen Qingqiu let out a quiet chuckle.

“It’s lovely here, Binghe. But this master thinks that the moths aren’t the only reason Binghe brought us here.”

Luo Binghe nodded. His smile was a little nervous, and his fingers were cold as he slowly grasped one of Shen Qingqiu’s hands. “This one doesn’t know where to start.”

Shen Qingqiu was too startled by Luo Binghe’s nervousness to take his hand back. 

“I’m here,” he said. “Binghe doesn’t have to be afraid to say what he wants.”

Luo Binghe took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. In a quiet voice, he said, “This one hasn’t been honest with Shizun about who he was.”

“What does Binghe mean?”

There was a tremor in Luo Binghe’s hand, so slight that Shen Qingqiu wouldn’t have noticed it if he wasn’t focusing so completely on Luo Binghe right now.

“This one told you that he was just a nameless demon from one of the border towns, but that wasn’t true. If I tell Shizun the truth about who I am, Shizun might not want to continue the courtship. But I know that this can’t continue if I don’t tell the truth.”

A few loose strands of Luo Binghe’s hair shivered in the breeze as he took another breath.

“Shizun,” he said quietly. “I’m the Crown Prince of the Demonic Empire.”

“Ah.” Shen Qingqiu nodded once. “I see.”

He didn’t know what else to say. He already knew who Luo Binghe was, of course, but it was way too early for his identity to be revealed now! And why tell Shen Qingqiu first? Had Qiu Haitang already been told about this?

“Is Shizun surprised?”

Shen Qingqiu coughed a little. “This is somewhat unexpected.”

Luo Binghe leaned forward a little, still clutching onto Shen Qingqiu’s hand. “I shouldn’t have deceived Shizun for so long. If Shizun would let me, I would make it up to him.”

“There's nothing to make up for.” Shen Qingqiu rummaged through his brain for some wise aphorism to say now. “Sometimes we are put in situations where we must keep the truth even from the people we trust the most. Binghe had to hide his identity for his own safety, and this master wouldn’t blame him for that. But why is Binghe here in Cang Qiong then, rather than his own empire?”

That was something Airplane had never explained in the novel, and most readers had just shrugged it off as yet another plot hole.

“Shizun.” Luo Binghe’s shoulders slumped as he relaxed. “This one was supposed to be enthroned months ago, but there were many who opposed a half-human emperor. There was even one demon who challenged me for the throne…”

At Shen Qingqiu’s alarmed look, Luo Binghe hurriedly continued, “They couldn’t defeat me, Shizun! Still, my advisors suggested that I spend some time away until things have settled. I wanted to learn more about the place where my mother came from, so I planned to spend just a little while in Cang Qiong and then travel to Huan Hua.”

Shen Qingqiu took a moment to process this. “If Binghe meant to go to Huan Hua, why would he spend all this time in Cang Qiong? He might have been able to meet certain people sooner if he hadn’t stayed.”

“This one chose to stay longer in Cang Qiong after meeting Shizun.” Luo Binghe smiled. “I don’t regret it. Shizun has taught me so much more than I could hope for.”

Shen Qingqiu doubted that a semi-villainous character like him had anything of worth to teach the protagonist, but he nodded anyway. “That’s good to hear. Still, Binghe would have to return to the Demonic Empire soon.”

“I would like Shizun to come with me when I do.” Luo Binghe brushed his thumb over the backs of Shen Qingqiu’s fingers. “But Shizun should know—there would be some who would protest against a human being so close to the Demonic Emperor, especially since I would only ever have one consort.”

Shen Qingqiu raised his eyebrows a little. So Luo Binghe was worried about Qiu Haitang once she would officially become his sole consort, and Shen Qingqiu’s wellbeing in the Demonic Empire was somehow tied to this. Perhaps Luo Binghe meant for him to tutor Qiu Haitang in how to be an emperor’s consort? Shen Qingqiu did technically have some experience in that. He marked some of the reports that went to Yue Qingyuan, he knew enough about the mechanics of this world to be passable at helping with political decisions, and his poker face was useful for talking to various diplomats and officials. As Qiu Haitang’s tutor, he would be in almost as much danger as she would be.

Something like happiness sparked in Shen Qingqiu’s chest. From what Luo Binghe was saying now, it didn’t seem like he was going to leave Cang Qiong without Shen Qingqiu.

But then Shen Qingqiu imagined seeing Luo Binghe and Qiu Haitang together, every day for the rest of his life. The happiness he felt fizzled out and turned into something rancid in his lungs.

Shen Qingqiu sighed inwardly. He really was meant to be a villain, wasn’t he? Why else would he feel so sour at the thought of the protagonist being with his true love? It was for the best that he had already started to keep a distance from Luo Binghe. It couldn’t be good for the protagonist to have a close relationship with someone like him.

Shen Qingqiu started to pull his hand away from Luo Binghe’s hold again, but then Luo Binghe said, “I want to give Shizun a life of peace—but a life beside the ruler of the Demonic Empire would be anything but peaceful.”

Luo Binghe’s lashes trembled as he closed his eyes. The moths behind him flickered like fireflies as their wings caught the moonlight, and their brightness only emphasised the stiff set of Luo Binghe’s shoulders. It was as if he thought Shen Qingqiu would just drop him after being told all of this.

Oh, fuck it. 

How was Shen Qingqiu supposed to distance himself from Luo Binghe when he looked like that? 

Even if he shouldn’t go with Luo Binghe to the Demonic Empire, he could still continue staying by Luo Binghe’s side, the same way he had been doing for months. He was allowed to do that, right? 

Shen Qingqiu squeezed Luo Binghe’s fingers. “There will no doubt be hardships along the line for Binghe and the person he chooses. But that person would definitely find it all worth it, if it meant being by Binghe’s side.”

“Shizun,” Luo Binghe said softly. When he opened his eyes, there was something hopeful in them, burning brighter than the wings of the Ember Moths.

Shen Qingqiu swallowed, willing the strange warmth in his cheeks to abate. “Ah, this master just remembered—the tournament begins tomorrow morning. Is Binghe okay with staying awake so late tonight?”

Luo Binghe slowly released Shen Qingqiu’s hands and smiled. “This one will be well-rested for tomorrow, so we can stay a little longer, Shizun.”

“All right.” Shen Qingqiu could still feel the lingering warmth of Luo Binghe’s touch on his skin. “Just a little longer, then. Until Binghe needs to leave.”

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A thunderstorm was coming. Shen Jiu put his hand on the sill of the open window and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He could almost taste the crackle of lightning in the air, holding its breath, waiting for the order to strike.

“Leave us.”

Qi Qingqi’s voice cut through the silence as Shen Jiu opened his eyes. There was the sound of footsteps as the servants obeyed Qi Qingqi’s command, and then Shen Jiu turned around to face her.

“I was surprised when Qi-shimei asked me to come here, given that we haven’t spoken in a long time.” He seated himself at the table across from Qi Qingqi and stretched his lips into a thin smile. “Am I meant to be a hostage?”

The last noble who had invited Shen Jiu to be their guest had wanted to use him as a bargaining chip against Yue Qingyuan. Shen Jiu had escaped, of course, but it had been a hassle to make sure the news of the incident never reached the imperial court. He wasn’t in the mood for a repeat performance of that.

Qi Qingqi scoffed. She looked exactly the same as she had years ago, but there was a certain glint in her eyes that made her look at least a decade older.

“If you thought that I wanted you as a hostage, why did you come?”

“It was just a passing thought.” Shen Jiu took out his fan and flicked it open. Qi Qingqi was smart enough not to pick a fight with someone who had nothing to lose, so she must need him for something else. “What does Qi-shimei really want?”

Qi Qingqi narrowed her eyes. “I’m sure you’ve heard of the allegations that have been put forward against Minister Qi.”

Shen Jiu gave a short nod. Minister Qi was one of the most influential officials in the imperial court, but recently, word had gotten out that the recent assassination attempt on Yue Qingyuan was Minister Qi’s doing. If it were anybody else, the situation could be handled somewhat quietly. However, Minister Qi was from a powerful noble family, and this situation had the potential to significantly strengthen the Qi family’s enemies.

“Minister Qi is innocent of those crimes.” Qi Qingqi’s voice was firm. “But enough proof has been planted to frame them that even appealing to the emperor would be futile.”

A suspicion about what Qi Qingqi wanted to do nagged at the back of Shen Jiu’s mind, but he still asked, “What does Qi-shimei plan to do, then?”

The glint in Qi Qingqi’s eyes seemed to sharpen, and from outside came a distant rumble of thunder.

“I’m going to fake Minister Qi’s death before any punishment can be decided,” she said, “and I would like your help in doing so.”

Shen Jiu’s fingers twitched around the handle of his fan. “That might stop the Qi family’s reputation from taking too heavy a blow, if Minister Qi’s enemies are suspected of murdering them. But doing this wouldn’t be easy.”

“No, it wouldn’t be,” Qi Qingqi agreed, and didn’t say anything else. She just looked at Shen Jiu and waited.

A flash of lightning brightened the sky outside for the briefest of moments, and in the same second, Yue Qingyuan’s face flashed in Shen Jius’ mind. The recent scandal involving Minister Qi wasn’t the only problem that Yue Qingyuan had to deal with at the moment; the alliance negotiations with Huan Hua were scheduled to start soon, and Yue Qingyuan’s lack of spouses would cause some issues later on. 

“Faking Minister Qi’s death wouldn’t be easy,” Shen Jiu repeated, “but it wouldn’t be impossible, either. My services would come at a price, of course.”

“Name it.”

“Emperor Yue may be selecting people for the imperial harem sometime in the future.” Shen Jiu slowly fluttered his fan. “In return for helping Minister Qi, I want Qi-shimei to accept the position of Noble Consort.”

A tiny furrow etched itself between Qi Qingqi’s brows. “Even if I become the Noble Consort, it wouldn’t be advantageous for you. I wouldn’t have His Majesty’s ear.”

“I wouldn’t expect so.” The rhythmic motions of Shen Jiu’s hand holding the fan didn’t stutter. “But if the negotiations between Cang Qiong and Huan Hua turn into an actual alliance in the future, Huan Hua might want to seal it with a marriage. Lao Gongzhu would never give up his daughter to Cang Qiong, so they would likely offer Qiu Haitang as a consort to Emperor Yue, since she’s Lao Gongzhu’s ward. But they may be deterred from doing that if Qi-shimei is already the Noble Consort.”

“You don’t want Qiu Haitang to be involved,” Qi Qingqi observed. “Are you trying to protect her?”

Shen Jiu pressed his lips into a thin line. “Qiu Haitang has never forgotten what happened between myself and her family. If she enters Cang Qiong’s imperial court, she would only use her influence against me.”

Something akin to understanding flickered in Qi Qingqi’s eyes. She was well aware that Shen Jiu had more than enough enemies in the imperial court, as things were. “You look like you’ve given this a lot of thought. Have you considered who else would be selected for the imperial harem?”

“I don’t have a say in the matter.” Shen Jiu curled his lips into a grim smile. “But Mu Qingfang, Liu Qingge and Shang Qinghua could be candidates for the other consort positions. As for the concubines… His Majesty can choose whoever he wants. His advisers are so desperate for imperial heirs that they wouldn’t try to dissuade him from anybody, as long as they’re not from Huan Hua or the Demonic Empire.”

Qi Qingqi’s gaze was unwavering. “So Qiu Haitang wouldn’t be able to become Emperor Yue’s consort or concubine. What if His Majesty chooses her as his empress, instead?”

“That’s impossible. Making her the empress would give Huan Hua too much power in Cang Qiong. His Majesty wouldn’t agree to that unless he was desperate to forge an alliance.”

Qi Qingqi glanced down at Shen Jiu’s fan. “He might want something enough to agree even to that.”

Shen Jiu remembered that this particular fan had a painted design of Qing Jing’s landscape on it. He shut the fan and placed it on the tabletop with a hard click. “It’s been years since Huan Hua claimed Qing Jing as part of their territory. His Majesty wouldn’t go to such trouble just to get that region back.”

Qi Qingqi looked dubious, but she let it go. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter, as if she knew she was treading on a dangerous topic. “Do you really think that His Majesty would go through with marrying other people, after he spent so long trying to find you?”

The sky outside seemed to grow darker, until the room was wreathed in a dark gray shadow. Some of the lamps had been lit, but their light did nothing to soften the glare of the next lightning strike, and the accompanying boom of thunder penetrated Shen Jiu’s skull. He felt like picking up his fan again, but instead, he curled his hand into fists atop his lap, where Qi Qingqi couldn’t see them.

“His Majesty wouldn’t have a problem taking spouses.” Shen Jiu’s nails dug into his palms, almost breaking skin. “Emperor Yue has always put the needs of Cang Qiong before anything else.”

The memory fragment vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, and Shen Qingqiu found himself standing in a grassy outdoor area dotted with various tents. The grey evening light was almost blinding in comparison to the cloudy darkness of the memory. The area was empty apart from Shen Qingqiu, but he could hear voices coming from the direction where the tournament was taking place; the first few rounds had finished some time ago, and the people who had attended were starting to scatter back to their respective living quarters.

Shen Qingqiu thought back to the memory fragment he got just now, trying to figure out where to place it on the timeline. He vaguely remembered Shen Jiu and Yue Qingyuan talking about a ‘Minister Qi’ in the first memory fragment he had unlocked. The two of them had spoken about Minister Qi as if that person had already died then—or seemingly died, at least. It looked like Shen Jiu had helped to fake their death. This new memory fragment must be from before all of that, when Yue Qingyuan had still been undecided about starting a harem. 

It seemed that Shen Jiu’s worst fears about the imperial harem came true, since Yue Qingyuan did end up choosing Qiu Haitang as the empress. It must have been Lao Gongzhu who added that condition to the alliance terms. Shen Qingqiu doubted that Yue Qingyuan agreed to it just because he wanted to get Qing Jing back, as Qi Qingqi had hinted at in the memory. Qing Jing was a small, unimportant region that Huan Hua took from Cang Qiong a few years ago, after a territorial skirmish. Sure, it had some nice bamboo forests that were evidently good places for cultivation, but the region didn’t have much strategic value. Yue Qingyuan must have agreed to making Qiu Haitang the empress for some other reason.

Shen Jiu might have been overly paranoid about Qiu Haitang using her position against him, though. Even if he had had a beef with her family, Qiu Haitang had only tried to scheme against the current Shen Qingqiu once, when she had sent Gongyi Xiao with poison disguised as a medicine. He wasn’t too worried about Qiu Haitang now, since she was probably too busy now being in love with Luo Binghe to care anymore about harem intrigue.

Still, Shen Qingqiu should worry about dealing with Yue Qingyuan some time in the future. There seemed to be a lot of baggage weighing him and Shen Jiu down. In the memory, Qi Qingqi had said something about Yue Qingyuan trying to ‘find’ the original Shen Qingqiu, and the current Shen Qingqiu wasn’t sure what she had meant by that. He knew that it was Yue Qingyuan who had brought Shen Jiu to the imperial court, and he also knew that they were childhood friends, but his knowledge of what went on in the years between those two things was mostly blank. 

Shen Qingqiu let out a sharp sigh. It seemed like with every new piece of Shen Jiu’s backstory that he unlocked, there came another set of unanswered questions.

In any case, he would have time to mull over all of this later. During one of the tournament fights that afternoon, Luo Binghe had gotten a mild injury, and Shen Qingqiu wanted to check on him.

Most of the tents clustered around him now were medical tents, set up in case any of the tournament participants got hurt. Shen Qingqiu entered one of the tents, calling out, “Binghe? Are you here?”

Luo Binghe was indeed sitting there, hastily wrapping a bandage around his arm. At the sound of Shen Qingqiu’s voice, he moved his arm behind his back and gave Shen Qingqiu a somewhat sheepish smile. “Shizun! This one will be out in just a moment.”

Shen Qingqiu frowned and went to stand in front of Luo Binghe, who angled himself to better hide his arm. “Binghe’s wound hasn’t healed yet? Let this master see.”

The injury must be worse than he had assumed, if Luo Binghe’s Heavenly Demon blood hadn’t already taken care of it.

Ordinarily, the protagonist’s plot armour would protect him from scrapes like this. But Luo Binghe might have been distracted by Qiu Haitang; it seemed like they were having some sort of lovers’ quarrel. Earlier, while Shen Qingqiu had been watching Luo Binghe compete in the tournament, he had glanced a few times at Qiu Haitang. She had been seated beside Yue Qingyuan and the imperial consorts, in what was arguably the spot with the best view of Luo Binghe’s battles. Shen Qingqiu had expected her to utilise that opportunity to subtly cheer for Luo Binghe, but instead of doing that, she had just looked pale and nervous. It was as if she didn’t have any faith in Luo Binghe’s chance of winning for her. No wonder he hadn’t been able to give the tournament his all!

Luo Binghe held out his arm to Shen Qingqiu with a slight grimace. The bandage he had been putting on earlier had slipped off almost completely, hanging loose from his elbow and exposing a gash on his bicep. “This one’s healing capabilities are just slow at the moment because taming Xin Mo took more energy than expected. The wound will heal in time for the next round of the tournament, so Shizun doesn’t have to concern himself.”

“Binghe is hurt. Of course this master is concerned.” It looked like Luo Binghe had already applied a salve to his wound, so Shen Qingqiu took the bandage and started to wrap it gently but firmly around his upper arm. “Even if the injury will be gone soon, it’s still causing Binghe pain now. Binghe shouldn’t dismiss it so easily.”

“It’s not that this one is dismissing it…”

A tinge of embarrassment crept into Luo Binghe’s voice. His cheeks were oddly pink, too, and they only got redder every time Shen Qingqiu’s hand accidentally brushed his bare skin. Maybe he was still flushed from all the fighting earlier.

“This one didn’t mean to hide his pain from Shizun,” Luo Binghe went on. “It’s just that demons are expected not to show any weakness to anyone.”

Shen Qingqiu paused in the midst of finishing up on the bandages. “Oh. Does Binghe wish for me to leave, then?”

Luo Binghe shook his head. “I always feel safe when I’m with Shizun.”

“All right.” Warmth bloomed in Shen Qingqiu’s chest at Luo Binghe’s words, but he decided to analyse that feeling later as he finished securing the bandages.

“Mobei-jun felt safe like this with Shang Qinghua,” said Luo Binghe. “At first, this one thought it was just because Consort Shang was too weak to do him serious harm. But Consort Shang can be weirdly dangerous at times, so it couldn’t be that. This one didn’t understand what Mobei-jun’s trust in Consort Shang meant until I met Shizun.”

Shen Qingqiu carefully let go of Luo Binghe’s arm once the bandages were done. “Is it so rare for demons to trust others in this way?”

“Maybe,” Luo Binghe murmured. “It’s more common for demons to handle things like this alone.”

Shen Qingqiu placed his hands on Luo Binghe’s shoulders. “Binghe isn’t alone anymore, and it wouldn’t be a sign of weakness to let this master help. If Binghe gets hurt again in the future, he can let me know, okay?”

“I will.” Luo Binghe put his hands on either side of Shen Qingqiu’s waist. “Thank you, Shizun.”

“No need for that, since it was no trouble.” The warmth in Shen Qingqiu’s chest was in his cheeks now. “Binghe did well in the tournament today. This master would even say that he was the best out of all the Cang Qiong participants.”

Luo Binghe grinned, and there was a playful glint in his eyes. “It’s all because of Shizun’s teachings.”

Shen Qingqiu sighed, but he couldn’t keep the corner of his mouth from twitching upwards. “This master only gave you some minor tips. Binghe should be thanking whoever taught him swordsmanship in the Demonic Empire.”

“Shizun is a far more elegant fighter than any of them, and this one is always glad to see him with Xiu Ya.” Luo Binghe’s hands around Shen Qingqiu’s waist were warm as he tugged him closer. “This one is also glad to see Shizun wearing his new robes.”

“Of course. They’re beautiful, and Binghe gave them to me, so I have to show them off.”

The robes, dyed in Shen Qingqiu’s preferred shade of green, were spun from the silk of a giant demonic spider that Luo Binghe had defeated recently. Usually people needed weeks to track that particular creature down, but Luo Binghe had only needed a day. The silk was indestructible, and the fine brocade on the fabric was designed to deflect most attacks. Luo Binghe must have hunted down the spider to make a courting gift for Qiu Haitang, and he had probably had enough silk left over to get Shen Qingqiu this set of robes, too.

“This one will bring more gifts for Shizun soon,” said Luo Binghe.

Shen Qingqiu raised his eyebrows. “Wouldn’t Binghe get too busy for that?”

Luo Binghe tilted his head, looking a little confused. “This one is never too busy for Shizun. And as part of the courtship, I have to show that I can provide for my mate.”

That sounded like a non sequitur, but Shen Qingqiu nodded anyway. What Luo Binghe was saying now vaguely resembled some of the courtship rituals that were featured in the novel. Airplane’s descriptions of them had been hopelessly inconsistent, though, so Shen Qingqiu hadn’t quite figured out which set of traditions Luo Binghe was going with.

Luo Binghe smiled and continued, “I also have to show that I’m willing to accept my mate’s family and friends. In order to do that, this one has to challenge one of them to a duel. This one considered challenging Shang Qinghua, but he’s in the Demonic Empire right now, and he would likely get Mobei-jun to fight in his place. Since this one has already battled with Mobei-jun dozens of times before, does Shizun have anybody else he would suggest instead?”

Shen Qingqiu ran through a list of novel characters in his mind. None of them seemed suitable, except… “Perhaps Worthy Consort Liu?”

As far as Shen Qingqiu knew, Qiu Haitang’s blood relatives had all passed away, and the novel had never mentioned her having any close friends. At least she and Liu Qingge were acquaintances. Anyway, it would surely impress her if Luo Binghe could defeat the famous Bai Zhan War God in a duel!

Luo Binghe’s smile grew wider; he must like the idea of battling with Liu Qingge. The two of them hadn’t been pitted against each other in the tournament, since Liu Qingge had only been allowed to participate in a few of the rounds. The officials in charge of the tournament didn’t want one of the imperial consorts to risk themselves too much, completely ignoring the fact that Liu Qingge was strong and skilled enough to decimate most of the competition.

“Worthy Consort Liu it is,” said Luo Binghe. “This one will talk to him about it soon.”

Just then, there was the sound of voices right outside the tent, and a few moments later, a palace guard entered. 

“Shen Qingqiu.” The guard stopped a few paces away from them. “Emperor Yue has ordered you to go to Qian Cao palace at once.”

“Did something happen?” Shen Qingqiu stepped back from Luo Binghe. He had no idea why he would suddenly need to go to Mu Qingfang’s palace. “Is everything okay with Virtuous Consort Mu?”

“The situation will be explained once Shen Qingqiu is there.” The guard’s gaze flicked to Luo Binghe. “His Majesty would like Shen Qingqiu to come alone, without his guard.”

“…Thank you for informing me.” Shen Qingqiu turned back to Luo Binghe. “This master is sure it’s nothing serious, and will see Binghe again later.”

Luo Binghe stood up and looked very much like he wanted to protest against Shen Qingqiu going, but Shen Qingqiu gave him a look. It must be hard for the protagonist to have to follow Yue Qingyuan’s orders, especially since Yue Qingyuan was his rival for Qiu Haitang’s affections, but it wasn’t as if anything could be done about it now. Luo Binghe had to keep a low profile until things were settled with Qiu Haitang.

Luo Binghe’s lips thinned, but he sat back down. Shen Qingqiu gave him an apologetic smile before following the guards out of the tent.

To Shen Qingqiu’s surprise, the guards led him not to the main hall of Qian Cao palace but to its side chamber. A bad feeling grew in Shen Qingqiu’s stomach as they entered it. Each of the consorts’ palaces had a side chamber, and those were meant to house lower-ranked concubines; this side chamber was where Imperial Concubine Shiwu used to live. There was no good reason for Yue Qingyuan to suddenly summon Shen Qingqiu here.

The guards left Shen Qingqiu alone in the bedroom of the side chamber. The bad feeling grew until it was like a rope twisted around his insides, and when he asked the System what was going on, it didn’t give him any useful answers.

He started lighting the lamps in the room, just to have something to do. As he lit the one by the window, he saw some servants carrying a palanquin to the entrance of Qian Cao palace’s courtyard, as if they were bringing the emperor here. That couldn’t be it, though—Yue Qingyuan wasn’t supposed to be with Mu Qingfang tonight, unless he had randomly decided to shuffle his nightly visitation pattern.

Or unless he was here to spend the night with Shen Qingqiu instead.

Shen Qingqiu hurried to extinguish the lamps he had just lit. Maybe if Yue Qingyuan thought he was already asleep, he would just leave him be! Besides, Shen Qingqiu was just jumping to conclusions. Yue Qingyuan wouldn’t just summon Shen Qingqiu here to serve him in bed without any warning, right? He wasn’t even interested in Shen Qingqiu that way!

Right?

Shen Qingqiu almost let out a screech when, a short while later, a servant came to the door and announced that the emperor was here. Shen Qingqiu froze in the middle of the room as Yue Qingyuan came in a second later, his face pale and drawn. A retinue of servants moved silently around him to relight the lamps, and once they were done, they quickly left and closed the doors behind them.

Yue Qingyuan began speaking before Shen Qingqiu could show him proper deference. “This emperor didn't mean to worry Qingqiu with his haste. Something urgent has happened, and the tournament has been put on hold… It would be best for Qingqiu to remain here while the matter is being handled.”

“The tournament has been put on hold?” Shen Qingqiu’s mind was still half in panic mode, and his voice sounded small. He scrambled to connect the dots. “Is it something to do with this servant?”

Yue Qingyuan didn’t give him a direct answer to his question. “Qian Cao palace has better security than Qingqiu’s residence. If Qingqiu is here, he would be safe.”

There was a beat of silence. Shen Qingqiu resisted the urge to start pacing back and forth.

“Your Majesty,” he said, “this servant would be more at risk if kept in the dark about the situation.”

At first, it seemed like Yue Qingyuan would refuse to tell him anything. But after another moment of tense silence, Yue Qingyuan sighed. “One of the tournament participants from Huan Hua collapsed during his fight. The physicians who are treating him found traces of poison in his system, and this type of poison has ingredients that are difficult to obtain without a special ability. Since Qingqiu can summon plants at will, and since he has bet a large amount of spirit stones on another opponent, Qingqiu is unfortunately a suspect.”

Shen Qingqiu’s face stiffened. He shoved his hand into his sleeve to take out his fan, flicking it open in front of him. “Does His Majesty think this servant is guilty?”

“No, of course not. I think that…” Yue Qingyuan swallowed. “Someone is trying to implicate Qingqiu.”

Shen Qingqiu made himself take a deep breath, and then another. This had never happened in the novel, though it wasn’t completely out of bounds with the rules of the story. The person trying to frame him was probably one of the minor antagonists in the imperial harem, since none of them had ever forgiven Shen Qingqiu for Shen Jiu’s past misdeeds. This was all just a routine part of the novel’s intrigue plot.

The problem was that it was someone from Huan Hua who was poisoned. Huan Hua could use this to pressure Cang Qiong into making concessions that improved their own power while putting Cang Qiong at a disadvantage. If they do, then the truce between the two nations would get unstable, and Qiu Haitang wouldn’t be able to leave Cang Qiong until all the problems were solved. That could take months!

The handle of Shen Qingqiu’s fan creaked as his grip tightened. Why was this happening now, when Luo Binghe was so close to achieving his happy ending?

His disquiet must have shown in his face, because Yue Qingyuan took a half-step forward and said, “Qingqiu, this emperor will defend you if Huan Hua calls for a trial.”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes widened. He appreciated the sentiment, but he doubted that a minor character like Yue Qingyuan would be able to do anything against the plot of the novel. Shen Qingqiu would have to figure something out himself.

“Defending this lowly servant would only lower His Majesty’s prestige in the eyes of Huan Hua. It would be more advantageous for His Majesty to distance himself from this one while the situation is being investigated.”

Yue Qingyuan looked stricken. “Before, I thought that acting indifferent towards Qingqiu would protect him, since people wouldn’t consider Qingqiu a viable target.”

His gaze went to Shen Qingqiu’s hand, and he seemed to wilt at seeing his bare wrist. Belatedly, Shen Qingqiu remembered that he had never worn the golden bangle that Yue Qingyuan had gifted him. He shook his sleeve so that his wrist was covered.

Yue Qingyuan averted his gaze and continued, “Recent events have made me realise that I’ve only been making things worse by keeping away from Qingqiu. I should have made my intentions clear from the start.”

“Forgive this servant for being slow, but what is His Majesty saying?”

Yue Qingyuan met Shen Qingqiu’s gaze, and there was such a deep, complex emotion in them that it took Shen Qingqiu aback.

“Every important decision I’ve ever made since I became the emperor has been for Qingqiu,” said Yue Qingyuan, his voice hushed. “Even the decision to pursue this alliance with Huan Hua.”

Shen Qingqiu kept up his poker face, but what Yue Qingyuan said just now made no sense to him. It wasn’t as if Shen Qingqiu would gain anything much from this alliance. In fact, the only things Cang Qiong really stood to gain from the agreements with Huan Hua were a few small territories from the edge of Huan Hua, like the Qing Jing region. Those wouldn’t benefit Shen Qingqiu, since he was still stuck in this imperial court.

And what did Yue Qingyuan mean by everything being for Shen Qingqiu? Shen Jiu might have been mollified to hear that, but to the current Shen Qingqiu, it just sounded like an ineffective way to rule an empire. None of those ‘important decisions’ that Yue Qingyuan had apparently made had helped Shen Jiu’s situation anyway.

Shen Jiu had still died alone, hated by most of the court, and then he had been replaced by Shen Yuan with nobody even seeing it.

Another silence stretched across the room. Shen Qingqiu took that as a sign that the conversation was over.

He cleared his throat. “Will His Majesty spend tonight with Virtuous Consort Mu, then?”

Yue Qingyuan sighed again and turned away a little, looking more tired than Shen Qingqiu had ever seen him. “Not tonight.”

All the blood drained from Shen Qingqiu’s face, but his voice was still perfectly controlled as he said, “Is His Majesty going to ask this one to serve him instead?”

Something akin to hurt flickered in Yue Qingyuan’s eyes. “This emperor would never order Qingqiu to do anything of the sort.”

Shen Qingqiu let out a breath. “This servant understands.”

“That’s good.” Yue Qingyuan nodded. “This emperor will take his leave now.” In a softer voice, he added, “Please get some rest, Qingqiu.”

As soon as Yue Qingyuan was out of the room, Shen Qingqiu snapped his hand fan closed and threw it onto the bed. Then he covered his face with his hands and let out a short, muffled scream.

There was a scrambling noise from the window. Shen Qingqiu only had a second to lower his hands before Luo Binghe tumbled into the room, landing in a crouch on the floor. “Shizun!”

Shen Qingqiu took in a sharp breath and went to help Luo Binghe stand. “What is Binghe doing here? He doesn’t have the authorization to enter a consort’s palace—if someone catches him here, he could be removed from the imperial court.”

“This one needed to see Shizun, to make sure that he was fine.” Luo Binghe surveyed the room with narrowed eyes, and then he checked over Shen Qingqiu. “The guards didn’t notice me. Is Shizun okay?”

Shen Qingqiu raised his eyebrows. “Well. Perhaps not entirely, but…”

Despite everything that had just been dumped on him, Shen Qingqiu felt lighter now that Luo Binghe was here. Maybe it was because of the protagonist halo.  

“There are some things that Binghe should know.”

Shen Qingqiu explained what Yue Qingyuan had told him as he went about the room, making sure the doors were shut tight and putting out most of the lights. By the time he was done, only one small lamp remained lit between the bed and the bamboo couch near it.

Luo Binghe had listened intently, and now he sat on the couch and said, “Shizun, I may have an idea of how to solve this.”

Shen Qingqiu perched on the edge of the bed and motioned for him to continue.

“This one understands that if Shizun is put to trial, and the trial doesn’t go in his favour, then Huan Hua might want to punish him.” Luo Binghe took a deep breath. “But if I claim my throne in the Demonic Empire and declare that Shizun is under my protection, Huan Hua wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

Shen Qingqiu picked up his hand fan again, though he didn’t open it. “Binghe is going away?”

Luo Binghe nodded. “This one doesn’t want to leave Shizun. It’s just that with all of this happening, and the tournament being cancelled, I don’t know another way to save my special person.”

Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes. So, this was really about Qiu Haitang. Of course the protagonist would find another way to save her, even with the plot going off the rails. That was great. 

He opened his eyes again and stood. A few sets of folded sleeping clothes had been laid out on the side table near the bed, and one of them was about Luo Binghe’s size, so Shen Qingqiu picked that up and held it out to him.

“The guards would be on high alert after today’s incident. Binghe should leave for the Demonic Empire in the morning, when it would be easier to sneak out in disguise. In the meantime, he needs a proper night’s sleep, so he can have enough energy for the journey.”

Luo Binghe took the clothes, and then he took Shen Qingqiu’s hand and gave it a brief squeeze.

While Luo Binghe went to the adjacent washroom, Shen Qingqiu pulled out the headpieces from his hair and quickly changed into another set of sleeping clothes. As he did so, something small fell out of one of the sleeves of his robes. It was a drawstring pouch made from the red and black fabric he had bought the other day, when he and Liu Qingge had been at the marketplace. Shen Qingqiu had meant to give it to Luo Binghe after the tournament, as a goodbye present.

When Luo Binghe returned a moment later, Shen Qingqiu hid the pouch in his sleeve. He was about to say that Luo Binghe should have the bed, but then Luo Binghe said, “Shizun can take the bed, and this one will sleep on the couch tonight.”

“Nonsense.” Shen Qingqiu frowned. “Binghe has been fighting in the tournament almost all day, and his arm hasn’t healed yet. He shouldn’t sleep on the couch.”

Luo Binghe shook his head. “Shizun has been through a lot today. This one wouldn’t take the bed from him.”

Shen Qingqiu could only shrug and acquiesce. He settled on the bed and under the blanket while Luo Binghe went to lie down on the couch. After a quiet moment, Luo Binghe turned his face towards Shen Qingqiu and smiled, and something warm unfurled in Shen Qingqiu’s chest.

He sat up, taking the drawstring pouch from his sleeve and holding it out to Luo Binghe. “Before Binghe goes to sleep, this master would like to give this to him.”

Luo Binghe’s eyes widened as he took the pouch carefully, cradling it in his palms like it was a baby bird. Pink dusted his cheeks, barely visible in the soft glow of the lamp. “Shizun, this is…”

Shen Qingqiu lay back down, though he still faced Binghe. “It’s just a qiankun bag that this master has filled with various plants and flowers. This master knows that there are many dangers in the Demonic Empire, even for someone with Binghe’s abilities, so this master summoned some things that might be useful.”

Over the course of the novel, there had been multiple times when Luo Binghe had needed some plant or other as medicine, either for himself or for one of his love interests. The quests to gain those items were usually difficult, since Airplane liked to max out the angst. Shen Qingqiu, on the other hand, didn’t want Luo Binghe to experience any unnecessary suffering. 

Luo Binghe held the pouch against his heart before placing it onto the nightstand. Then he reached over and took Shen Qingqiu’s hand. “This one isn’t worthy of Shizun’s kindness. Thank you.”

Shen Qingqiu patted his fingers on the back of Luo Binghe’s hand. “Who said anything about being worthy? Binghe doesn’t have to prove himself to get this master to care for him. Although, it should be said that Binghe is already worthy in all the ways that matter, so there.”

Luo Binghe’s breath stumbled, and then his hold on Shen Qingqiu’s hand went slack, his fingers moving towards Shen Qingqiu’s wrist. Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes, thinking that Luo Binghe would let his hand go and go to sleep, too.

His eyes flew open again when Luo Binghe’s lips brushed against his pulse point.

The entirety of Shen Qingqiu’s being honed in on that simple touch. It was soft, barely discernible, as fragile as a moth’s wing.

“Binghe,” said Shen Qingqiu, voice unsteady.

Luo Binghe’s eyes were shut. He pressed another soft kiss to the heel of his hand. The spot where his lips touched Shen Qingqiu’s skin burned, and Shen Qingqiu felt like he was flying too close to a flame—any further and he would melt in the light.

Luo Binghe opened his eyes then, looking at Shen Qingqiu’s face.

He let go and sat up, scrambling backwards on the couch. “Shizun, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, I should have—”

“Binghe.”

It took Shen Qingqiu a moment to gather himself, as if that tiny display of affection from Luo Binghe had been enough to shatter him. He shouldn’t read too much into it. Luo Binghe might just be feeling overwhelmed with everything going on, and his romantic-hero protagonist instincts had kicked in, and Shen Qingqiu just happened to be the only other character in the vicinity. Yes, that made sense.

Shen Qingqiu’s hand was still hanging in the air between them. His fingers twitched once, and then he stretched forward and caught Luo Binghe’s sleeve.

“The bed,” Shen Qingqiu began. Most of his mind was still in a confusing jumble, but this thought, at least, was clear. He moved back to make room on the bed. “The bamboo couch would be uncomfortable to sleep on, but the bed seems big enough for two people. I can take one side and Binghe can take the other.”

“Okay.” Luo Binghe swallowed. “Okay, Shizun.”

Luo Binghe slowly got under the blankets and faced Shen Qingqiu. Shen Qingqiu’s arm hovered for a moment longer before he decided to put it around Luo Binghe’s shoulders. His hand ended up in Luo Binghe’s hair; when his fingertips brushed against Luo Binghe’s nape, Luo Binghe shivered and breathed out what sounded like Shen Qingqiu’s name, and his arm curled around Shen Qingqiu’s waist.

They could deal with everything in the morning.

For now, Shen Qingqiu pulled the blankets higher and held Luo Binghe close.