Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The next day, when Fu Ye woke up, he reached out to move the screen beside the bed and peeked over to the neighboring side, only to find Fu Huang’s bed already empty.

Qing Xi stood behind the screen holding a copper basin, tiptoeing over to say, "His Majesty returned to the palace at dawn."

Fu Ye let out an "Oh," then lay back down, lost in thought for a long while.

Whether Fu Huang was present or not, even the air seemed different.

Once the emperor left, security in the villa became even stricter. Coming and going was difficult, and even he wasn’t allowed to leave casually without reporting.

Fu Huang had his tyrannical moments.

But with the emperor gone, the villa was his to command.

From the royal consorts down to the palace maids, including the Gold-armored guards responsible for security, everyone could finally relax.

With the "Ice King" gone, it felt like spring had arrived.

Even the Empress Dowager’s health had improved.

It was so miraculous that he almost felt sorry for Fu Huang.

Since the Empress Dowager’s health had taken a turn for the better and the weather was gradually warming up, he spent most of his days wandering around the villa, only stopping by the Empress Dowager’s quarters for a short while each day.

No matter how large the villa was, strolling around it a few times became dull.

He decided to apply himself.

For now, the threat of the Red Lotus Society within the country had temporarily subsided, but the protagonist Huang Tianyi had declared himself emperor in the neighboring region, favored by Heaven and harboring ambitions to unify the realm. They still couldn’t afford to be careless. Now, while he hadn’t yet firmly established himself, Great Zhou should groom promising young commanders.

The current court was lifeless—it was time to bring in new talent!

His vision remained incomplete, but Xiao Ai had given him a list of loyal officials from the source material. Many of them were still serving in lower prefectures and counties. Li Dun, of course, was Fu Huang’s personal retinue, and among the rest, he only recognized Xie Liangbi.

The court needed more young officials like Xie Liangbi—honorable and devoted.

Xie Liangbi had also been in the villa a few days prior. Every time they crossed paths, he would approach and greet him courteously, who carried himself with both the valor of a military officer and the refinement of a scholar, putting people at ease.

Having such a minister around was a pleasure to behold!

But for several days in a row, he hadn’t caught a glimpse of Xie Liangbi.

Odd—before, they’d run into each other several times daily, yet now that he actually wanted to meet him, he couldn’t seem to find him.

There was also a man named Liu Jiahui, who was quite adept at amusing him and quite easy on the eyes, but he hadn’t seen him either.

And that handsome fellow with the surname Xiao.

So he asked the commander of the Gold-armored guards about the guard rotation.

The commander informed him that the absent guards had all followed the emperor back to the palace.

Tch, he really knew how to pick them.

Without pleasant scenery around, his enjoyment in the villa was halved.

He knew Fu Huang definitely didn’t want him dallying with men—he’d only wanted to enjoy the view a little, yet even that was denied!

The Dowager Empress had just recovered from a serious illness, having lost weight and appearing in low spirits. Due to the lingering spring chill outside, she had been staying in the heated pavilion without venturing out.

In the courtyard, peach and plum buds were turning pink, their points dotting the branches, looking almost like plum blossoms. To cheer her up, he picked a few branches and presented them to her.

Leaning against the soft couch, the Dowager Empress had regained her clarity of mind. Though still weakened by her recent illness, she spoke to Dowager Concubine Fang with unusual gentleness: "I never thought at my age, I would still enjoy the blessing of having my descendants pick flowers for me."

"Prince Huan is both benevolent and filial. Your Majesty’s blessings have only just begun!"

Dowager Concubine Fang and the other dowager concubines began piling on praise for Fu Ye, making him somewhat embarrassed.

The room buzzed with warmth and laughter, even livelier than the spring scenery outside.

The Dowager Empress began to think that perhaps not returning to the palace wasn’t such a bad idea.

Just as she was lost in thought, a court lady entered, clasping her hands respectfully. "Your Majesty, the Inner Official from Qingyuan Palace has arrived."

...

The Dowager Empress’s smile faded as she reclined coldly on the couch. The others in the chamber all stood up, and the atmosphere turned solemn.

The Frozen King's messenger could indeed be considered a minor Frozen King himself.

Soon, a familiar Inner Official from Qingyuan Palace entered, not daring to raise his head. After bowing to the Dowager Empress, he said softly, "This lowly servant brings a verbal message from His Majesty for Prince Huan."

Fu Ye moved to bow, but the Inner Official quickly added, "His Majesty said there is no need for formalities. Your Highness need only listen."

Straightening up, the Inner Official continued, "Knowing that Your Highness is enjoying yourself away from the palace, His Majesty originally had no wish to disturb you. However, His Majesty is suffering from a terrible headache and requests Your Highness’s immediate return."

Fu Ye: "..."

That sarcastic tone could only be Fu Huang's.

He wasn’t sure how others perceived it, but he himself felt somewhat awkward. The dowager concubines all pursed their lips, pretending not to hear. Fu Ye asked, "Has His Majesty’s headache recurred?"

The Inner Official hurriedly replied, "It has persisted for two days. Your Highness is urged to return swiftly."

Strangely enough, the palace doctors had been applying the acupuncture techniques Fu Ye had taught them, yet they seemed ineffective.

It appeared Fu Ye’s medical skills surpassed even those of the palace doctors.

Hearing this, Fu Ye immediately glanced at the Dowager Empress with concern. Her face was unreadable as she said, "Then you should return first. I am well cared for by the physicians here."

After bidding farewell, Fu Ye stepped out of Zheng Yang Palace and saw a stunningly lavish carriage parked in the courtyard.

The carriage was made of sandalwood, hung with silk and studded with pearls. Even the horses pulling it wore golden bells, looking regal.

!!!

A royal carriage come to life!

At the front stood twelve Black Armor Guards, while twelve Black Armor Guards stood at the rear—the former for splendor, the latter for security.

His Majesty had gone to great lengths!

Fu Ye hurried toward the carriage, with Shuang Fu and the others following excitedly. The emperor was never one for extravagance, so this lavish carriage was clearly custom-made for the prince!

Having been somewhat bored lately, Shuang Fu had gathered a few palace gossip booklets circulating among the palace staff—all about palace intrigues and highly entertaining. Fu Ye told them not to forget to bring these. There was also a box of local delicacies he had received from Dowager Concubine Fang, a specialty from her homeland. They were so delicious that each bite made him think of Fu Huang, and he had saved the rest, reluctant to finish them. The delicacies themselves weren’t extraordinary, but what mattered was his thoughtfulness for the emperor.

He was indeed a bit of a brown-noser, but even he had to applaud his own cleverness.

The Palace Attendants were busy packing the luggage when Qing Xi came over holding a brocade box.

Fu Ye: "What's this?"

As he spoke, he opened the box and froze.

Inside was a dark cloak.

He recognized it well—it was the very cloak he had given to the Lady of Chu on the day of the fire at Chonghua Temple.

The cloak was badly singed and torn, with obvious scorch marks. Now, it was folded too perfectly, eerily so.

Qing Xi said softly, "It was delivered by the nuns serving the Lady of Chu. They didn’t come in but entrusted it to Commander Zhou at the gate."

She refused to keep even one garment.

But upon reflection, it made sense that she wouldn’t.

Still, if Fu Huang knew, would he be heartbroken?

Or perhaps not—he might have gotten used to it by now.

Fu Ye muttered "Hmm," closed the box, and carried it onto the carriage himself. He didn’t plan to tell Fu Huang, but he thought it might hold some keepsake value, so he decided to keep it.

The interior of the carriage was even more luxurious—goose-feather cushions, silver-threaded lanterns, and a gilded bird-shaped incense burner, its feathers emitting smoke, lit with his favorite Snowy Azure blend. The pastries were exquisite, all his usual palace favorites.

See, the Emperor did have *some* heart.

Outside, the evening drumbeats echoed through the mountain mist. Hugging the box, he suddenly felt a deep sorrow.

Xiao Ai said, "Cheer up! I’ve got a surprise for you!"

"You scared me!"

Xiao Ai giggled. "The application was approved. Do you want to see now? I can let you dream your way into Fu Huang’s past, and I even got you bonus features—you might even see Lady Zhaoyang and Emperor Wuzong from back then."

Fu Ye: "!!"

He immediately closed his eyes. "Hurry!"

Xiao Ai laughed again. "I took a peek earlier. Seriously, Fu Huang used to be hot. His features haven’t changed much, so why does he look so *rough* now?"

Fu Ye: "He’s not *that* bad!"

"Well, compared to you? Tragic."

Their back-and-forth cheered him up. "Your standards are too high. Just hurry up—I want to see the handsome version."

Time to prep.

Xiao Ai said, "You’re such a softie. Fu Huang isn’t even as sad as you are."

"Cut the chatter."

Xiao Ai continued, "The fragments are randomly selected—could be any perspective, any moment. But I picked scenes from the 16th year of Tianyun, the peak year of Emperor Wuzong’s reign! Aren’t I thoughtful… And your heart’s already racing before it even starts?"

"Kinda pumped," Fu Ye admitted.

Xiao Ai chuckled again, her voice softening. "And… action! Full immersion mode—so real, it’s five-star worthy."

Xiao Ai used her hypnosis ability. He was out like a light.

The system's new feature was still buggy, so at first, he only dreamed of fragmented scenes.

But many figures were quite different from what he had imagined.

For instance, Emperor Wuzong turned out to be the pretty-boy type—tall and slender with delicate features, unlike the rough, bearded warrior-emperor he had envisioned.

What a damn womanizing scumbag.

Then there was Empress Dowager Zhang. In her old age, she was thin and resolute, but in her youth, she was undeniably beautiful, voluptuous yet regal, practically born to be empress.

Lady Zhaoyang was the most stunning, with her long hair cascading to the ground—knock-your-socks-off gorgeous.

There were also Consort Li, Consort Ning, and others from Emperor Wuzong's harem. The experience felt surreal. He had wandered these palace halls before, empty and desolate, but now they seemed suddenly filled—crowded with court ladies, radiant and peerless, dripping with wealth and charm.

He seemed to be standing among the crowd in the courtyard when suddenly, someone announced, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince arrives!"

Excited, he turned his head and saw the sixteen-year-old Fu Huang.

It was the most glorious period of Fu Huang's life, a time that even brought tears to Eunuch Qin's eyes when recalled. He watched as Fu Huang approached, surrounded by Inner Officials.

Fu Ye was utterly stunned.

At sixteen, Fu Huang wore apricot-colored silk robes befitting the Crown Prince, his collar pristine white—an unimaginable level of nobility and refinement, like spring's first golden light.

He didn’t know whose memory this version of Fu Huang belonged to, but the sight of him in this scene set his heart pounding and blood boiling.

Dazed, he watched as Fu Huang walked toward him, feeling the same electric thrill as the perspective’s owner. He could almost smell the fragrance on the Crown Prince’s robes—aloeswood. The palace attendants had once let him sample it when selecting scents. It was said that an inch of aloeswood was worth an inch of gold, a ridiculously expensive incense. He oozed nobility from every pore as he drew closer, embodying the phrase "born extraordinary, peerless from youth."

Mesmerized, he followed Fu Huang’s figure, watching as palace attendants swarmed around him. The air hummed with chatter, and the courtyard was heavy with mingled perfumes. Ahead stood several teenage princes—who they were, he didn’t know. It was said the Fu family had no ugly members, and now he saw it was true. Princes and princesses stood in clusters until someone called out, "Crown Prince!" Fu Huang turned to look.

Then he saw Fu Huang smile at him.

Fu Huang said something, but he couldn’t hear it—he was too transfixed by that smile on his face.

This was the so-called "jade tree of royalty" described in books, something not even a blizzard of petals could compare to.

It took him a while to snap out of it, yet he couldn’t reconcile this person before him with the Fu Huang he knew. It felt like meeting a familiar stranger.

Suddenly, his emotions surged as he recalled a hollow face with worry lines, bruise-like shadows under his eyes—like a tall pine tree on the verge of withering.

The Crown Prince was swept away by the crowd, leaving him standing alone in the courtyard.

The vivid experience gave him an unreal sensation, and that unreal sensation left him with a heartache that wouldn't fade.

Perhaps it was too much like a dream. Perhaps the aloeswood scent that once clung to Fu Huang had long been replaced by the reek of medicine. Or perhaps, like the charred cloak he held, he knew it could never be mended.

He sobbed his heart out in the dream.

"My Prince, My Prince." He heard someone calling him.

Startled awake, he saw Shuang Fu and Qing Xi gazing at him worriedly.

"What’s wrong, My Prince?"

Fu Ye shook his head and noticed his tears had fallen onto the brocade box in his arms.

"Only a dream," he said.

Xiao Ai murmured quietly, "They picked the moment when he was at his peak. I thought it would make you happy."

Fu Ye hadn't fully shaken off the dream. Dusk now enveloped them, as if only a moment had passed. The guards' horses clattered chaotically, and the mountain breeze swept across the fields. By the roadside, clusters of winter jasmine had already bloomed in abundance, like clouds of gold, a sea of gold.

Suddenly, Fu Ye seemed to recall something and called for the carriage to stop, then leaped down from it.

Shuang Fu, startled, stuck his head out of the carriage, holding the curtain aside, and asked, "Your Highness, what's the matter?"

The twenty mounted guards didn't know what he was doing and all turned their eyes toward him.

Fu Ye walked toward the patch of winter jasmine.

Qing Xi, however, realized he wanted to pick flowers and hastily hiked up his robe as he jumped down from the carriage.

But before Qing Xi could reach him, Fu Ye had already chosen and picked a winter jasmine sprig. Then, turning back to Qing Xi, he said, "Bring me that brocade box from the carriage."

Qing Xi was confused, but Shuang Fu had already handed the box over from the carriage. Fu Ye opened it, fell silent briefly, then discarded the scorched cloak inside.

Qing Xi exclaimed in surprise. "Your Highness, this is—"

"Just a ruined piece of clothing," Fu Ye said, looking down, before carefully placing the flower he had picked inside the box.

He had always been too hesitant, too sentimental—unwilling to let go of anything, believing everything held significance.

But what was the point of keeping a burned garment?

All this sentimentality was nothing more than a fantasy he had imposed upon it.

If something couldn't be mended, then it should be discarded.

Toss it all out, every bit.

Even if everything was emptied out, it didn’t matter—he would fill it up again for him.

Clutching the brocade box now filled with spring blossoms, he climbed back into the carriage. Under the cover of night, they passed through the city gates, traversed the imperial boulevard of the capital, and entered the ninefold palace walls—carrying tender feelings for the emperor and cradling the first light of spring in his hands.