Chapter 163

Chapter 163

"The years when Emperor Lu was alive were actually not so difficult."

"The former crown prince wasn't incompetent either. My grandfather guarded the palace gates and told me that when the northern borders were attacked, no one in the court dared to go, but the crown prince volunteered for the frontier!"

"Hey, hey, hey, have you been to the outskirts of the capital? There's a garden there, I think it's called Song Garden. Inside it... tsk tsk tsk, it's like a paradise on earth."

"Speaking of which, a distant relative of mine was actually betrothed to the fourth princess of the palace. That princess, she was nothing like the haughty royalty raised within the palace walls."

“……”

Rong Tang and Lu Jiaxi went out for a meal, choosing a casual corner rather than a private room, and ordered a few dishes before sitting down.

Wine, wealth, and pleasures have always been ways to lower one's guard, a truth unchanged through time. A few drinks and morsels of food, and anything might be spoken.

Rong Tang listened to the whispers from more than one table nearby, his chopsticks idle.

Lu Jiaxi, with his head lowered and mood somber, asked in a muffled voice, "Young master, what in this world can truly be considered real?"

Once filled with hatred intense enough to wish to unearth the late Emperor's family from their graves, now his words showed much restraint, taking pride in the slightest connection.

The court hardly did anything; just several ministers and princes died in succession, and a shocking incident occurred on the Empress Dowager's funeral day. Then came the play "Decay," and rumors grew legs, spreading into every household.

Rong Tang lowered his gaze, pondered for a moment, and replied, "Oneself."

Lu Jiaxi, not understanding, looked up at him, his eyes filled with confusion.

Rong Tang picked up a piece of bass with his chopsticks, placed it in his mouth, and slightly frowned as he savored it.

The river fish in the plains area of the capital could not compare to the delicacy of those from the south.

Setting down his chopsticks, he said, "Eternity and truth are just constructs in the common understanding, without a defined reason. Your truth may well be another's falsehood, it's all a matter of perspective."

Lu Jiaxi blinked, and Rong Tang continued, "So, maintain what you believe to be true in your heart, what you are convinced of as real, without being swayed by the voices of the world."

In the bustling hall, waiters hurried about while diners chatted leisurely over their meals, discussing royal secrets as casually as any other gossip, quickly shifting the topic elsewhere.

Rong Tang collected his thoughts, settling for a simple meal. Seeing his companion across the table had finished eating, he casually inquired, "What has Huaijing been busy with lately?"

Lu Jiaxi paused briefly, taking a moment to respond. His eyes darted away as he answered in a measured tone, "Probably matters related to the Censorate. The Emperor has been in a foul mood lately, keeping the Censorate quite busy."

"Is that so?" Rong Tang responded nonchalantly with a smile, "Alright then."

The emperor frequently feigned illness, rumors abounded among the common folk, and ministers petitioned the emperor to appoint an heir.

Throughout history, such scenarios were common: a nation cannot be without a ruler, and in times of the emperor's ill health, it's prudent to designate a successor to avoid sudden crises and potential strife among princes vying for power.

But the current emperor on the throne was Sheng Xuyan.

He was someone who would clutch power at all costs, suspicious of every minister and son. Now, with ministers jointly petitioning to appoint an heir, he must be seething inside, wishing to execute all those who dared propose it.

Thus, the Censorate was indeed busy, silencing the ministers and investigating officials’ crimes.

They are the emperor's hawks and mouthpieces, their actions entirely at the behest of the emperor.

Lu Jiaxi's answer was somewhat honest but certainly not the precise information Rong Tang sought.

Yet, it was this evasion that convinced Rong Tang his suspicions were correct.

Su Huaijing and Sheng Chengli had reached some agreement. The current rumors in the capital not only paved the way for Su Huaijing’s future ascension but also offered Sheng Chengli certain conveniences.

Rong Tang felt uneasy. It was the fifteenth of July again, the Ghost Festival. The capital’s sky was filled with smoke, with incense and paper money swirling around. After burning paper offerings in the courtyard, Su Huaijing said he had matters to attend to and left for the study alone, while Rong Tang sat in the room waiting for the system.

Bathed in moonlight, the smoke from the mortal world almost covered the clouds above, and a glowing orb materialized before his eyes.

Rong Tang instinctively smiled, but noticed the usually lively system was listless this time, the little orb of light looking particularly dejected.

Rong Tang raised an eyebrow, reached out to touch it, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

The system responded, "Tangtang..."

"I'm here."

The system whispered, "It's almost the end."

Rong Tang was momentarily startled, realizing what it meant. His smile faded slightly, but his tone remained as calm as ever, "It's almost over."

Three lifetimes of entanglement were finally coming to an end.

The system was sullen, and Rong Tang didn't speak, just keeping it company. After a while, the little orb of light asked abruptly, "Tangtang, do you remember how long you've been here?"

Rong Tang was taken aback, gazing intently. The words "eleven years" almost slipped out, but as they reached his lips, a sudden clang of a bell echoed in his mind, coming from nowhere and everywhere. He fainted, the last image he saw being particles falling around the little orb of light on the octagonal table.

Each particle shimmered with a faint glow.

-

The world was a vast expanse of emptiness, with large, drifting clouds as far as the eye could see.

Rong Tang was dazed for a long time, hazily realizing he had seen this perspective before.

He had fallen into a nightmare, seen the great imperial city of Dayu, and was awakened by Su Huaijing, briefly blinded, with gentle reassurances telling him everything was fine, to be at peace in this life.

Now, he was somewhat unable to distinguish whether this was a dream or not.

Alone in the wilderness, his view suspended high, the sky boundless, the earth vast and empty.

It seemed like he was the only person in the world, having died in another realm and then transmigrated here.

He floated on clouds for a very long time, witnessing days and nights, the stars and moon in their celestial dance, life flourishing on earth, the passage of years circling endlessly. He watched from the highest layer of clouds, waiting for the predestined plot to unfold.

It's unclear when the boredom became too much. One day, as a cloud drifted beneath him, he tentatively reached out, plucking a small piece from the massive cloud layer.

Both the cloud and the wind stilled for a moment, and the one who acted seemed just as surprised by the ease of it, pausing for a second before clutching the cloud fluff and swiftly fleeing like a little thief!

After arriving here, he had long been devoid of sorrow and joy, merely an observer above the clouds, witnessing the rise and fall of glory and disgrace, the changing of dynasties. Suddenly, stealing a tiny piece from the massive cloud felt thrilling. His heart, which had been silent, started beating fiercely, pounding as Rong Tang fled to a place with no clouds or wind, opening his hands to gaze at the small tuft of cloud he held.

He said, "It's so boring here, let's play role-playing! You be the system!"

"After all, I'm a transmigrator, just like in those novels."

"I'm the host, and you're the system. I'll tell you where we are."

“……”

The deity above the clouds had stolen his own companion, and then for thousands of years, repeatedly narrated a book called "The Emperor's Conquest" to a wisp of cloud, confessing his fondness for the villain in the book.

He said he came here to prevent the initial war and mistakes that happened.

……

"Heh—!"

He was suddenly embraced, a scene once experienced replaying. Su Huaijing held him in his arms, gently patting him over and over: "It's okay now, Tangtang, I'm here, it's alright."

Rong Tang trembled involuntarily, eyes wide open, straining to see, but unable to discern anything clearly.

In the darkness, a few orbs of light glowed faintly, just like the scene he saw before losing consciousness.

His thoughts were tumultuous with doubt, yet instinctively calmed down in the midst of reassurance.

After a long while, like a person blinded for a long time, Rong Tang slowly blinked and raised his head to ask Shu Huaijing, his voice unusually hoarse, "What day is it today?"

-How long have I been unconscious?

Shu Huaijing replied, "July twentieth."

Rong Tang's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, swallowing subconsciously.

Five days. It had been a long time since he had fallen unconscious, and never for such a prolonged period, not to mention the bizarre scenes in this coma's dreams...

Shu Huaijing was much more emotionally stable than him. He wasn't frantic or overly anxious but asked softly, as if afraid to disturb something: "Tang Tang, what do people with deep obsessions dream about?"

For a moment, Rong Tang almost thought he was asking about his own dreams, but then he realized that wasn't the case.

Shu Huaijing asked and then answered himself: "I've heard that those with deep obsessions dream of their past lives, but why have I never seen mine?"

He sounded slightly puzzled: "Do I not have any obsessions?"

Rong Tang was stunned for a moment, then a chill ran through him as he understood.

Among the people he knew, only two had connections between this life and the last.

Qin Pengxun, Ke Hongxue.

The former met a tragic end, the latter separated by life and death.

Rong Tang originally thought Qin Pengxun would dream of his past life, a shortcut given by the mastermind to Sheng Chengli, but if explained with the word "obsession"...

Then it wasn't just these two people.

He suddenly remembered Wang Xiuyu of this lifetime, who so easily plotted a divorce.

Su Huaijing, holding him close, asked softly, "I always wanted to enter Tangtang's dreams, but I never dream. Why is that?"

In the deep quiet of the autumn night, Rong Tang harbored suspicions, but the potential answers only made him more upset, unable to speak them out loud.

-Because in every life, Su Huaijing's obsessions have been resolved. Even though he became unrecognizable, he indeed avenged everything. In the end, he was alone, with no worldly obsessions.

No desires, no hopes.

Therefore, there was no need to witness the past life in the next.

With a hoarse voice, Rong Tang asked in return, "What happened?"

He added, "During these days I was unconscious."

The room fell into a long silence before Su Huaijing finally spoke in a whisper, "An heir was appointed."

Rong Tang was startled, his eyes widening in disbelief, trying to discern Su Huaijing's expression in the darkness, and trying to understand this plot twist that had never happened before.

Su Huaijing said calmly, "The eighth prince was appointed as the crown prince."

The least likely person to become the crown prince, chosen by Sheng Xuyan; the most naive and doubted prince, becoming the heir to the throne.

This was a turn of events that hadn't been anticipated. Su Huaijing, neither in a hurry nor upset, just asked Rong Tang lightly, "Tangtang, what exactly did you come here for?"

He lowered his head and gently nuzzled Rong Tang's face, his soft hair brushing against his skin. Rong Tang couldn't find his voice for a long time, his throat tightening, unable to answer.

-To prevent the initial war and mistakes from happening.

Did he prevent them?

No.