“Teacher?” Qi Mingxuan couldn’t remain calm this time, and looked at He Yuan in shock.
“I’ve said it before, you’re my student, you’ve grown up by my side since childhood, how could I not understand you,” He Yuan put down the cup in his hand. “Besides, your attitude towards Zi Shu is clearly different from your attitude towards others.”
He Yuan originally didn’t know that the person was Li Shu. He had always thought that what happened that day was an accident and it wasn’t until these past few days that he gradually sensed something was wrong.
As he said, he knew his disciple Qi Mingxuan quite well. His disciple was cold-hearted and indifferent, not caring about anything and even less so about the people in the court. Li Shu was the legitimate son of Left Prime Minister Li Cheng. Even if he had the identity of his disciple, normally, Qi Mingxuan shouldn’t have treated him like this.
Maybe Qi Mingxuan was favoring Li Shu, but it wouldn’t be as protective and considerate as he had seen.
He didn’t think much at first, until he accidentally saw the two of them getting along that night and suddenly realized something was wrong. The atmosphere between his two disciples was unusual, it was not like the atmosphere between senior and junior brothers.
Moreover, he noticed a small detail. When they were alone, Qi Mingxuan never referred to himself as “I” in front of Li Shu. When he interacted with Li Shu, he put himself on an equal platform with Li Shu.
*I think the formal “I”.
In Qi Mingxuan’s eyes, he was not the sovereign, and Li Shu was not a subject.
But his little disciple always adhered to the etiquette between sovereign and subject, and has never exceeded the rules in the slightest.
“What the teacher said is true. The person I like is indeed Zi Shu.” Being seen through by his teacher, Qi Mingxuan decided not to hide it anymore. He had planned to tell his teacher about it at some point, and although the situation arose suddenly, it was still a good opportunity for honesty.
“Have you made up your mind? You are now brothers!” Despite having some suspicions, hearing his disciple admit it himself still left He Yuan momentarily blank, and he couldn’t help but ask.
“I know, Teacher,” Qi Mingxuan said firmly. “But I still can’t let go. I can’t imagine Zi Shu holding hands with another woman. I would go crazy with jealousy.”
“You… What do you want me to say? And what about Zi Shu? Does Zi Shu know your feelings? What are you planning to do next?” He Yuan was worried about his little disciple. From Qi Mingxuan’s current attitude, it was almost impossible for him to let go.
“Zi Shu knows,” Qi Mingxuan said with a faint smile in his tone. “I told him, no, he had already figured it out.”
After all, during that time, he would always be around Li Shu whenever he had the chance. Given Li Shu’s intelligence, it was not surprising that he noticed something. He was now grateful that during that time, his mind was clear, and he only clung to Li Shu without doing anything irreparable.
Although he really wanted to do something, he had to use all his strength to control himself and not do anything wrong. After all, he was experiencing the taste of love for the first time.
During that time, he was insanely jealous of everyone around the young man. He really wanted to lock him up where only he could see him, isolate the young man from the outside world, and make the young man completely his, physically and emotionally.
It was really a paranoid and extreme idea. If he did that, he would definitely lose the young man, just like in that dream he had once, he desperately followed the figure of the young man in the misty whiteness, but he could never catch up. He could only watch as the figure faded more and more, gradually disappearing into the void.
When he woke up from the dream, his heart was still pounding. The feeling of having his heart ripped out was so vivid. After that dream, he cut off all the bad thoughts in his heart. Even if Li Shu never agreed to be with him, he wouldn’t do anything against Li Shu’s will and force him to leave.
Now it seemed that his choice at the time was right. Li Shu didn’t agree to be with him, but he didn’t dislike his approach either, and there was even a faint tendency of being moved by him.
This was already very satisfying for him. As long as Li Shu didn’t leave his side, he could wait forever.
“Don’t worry, Teacher, I won’t force Zi Shu. If he doesn’t want to, I promise not to do anything to him,” Qi Mingxuan swore solemnly.
“What do you mean? Do you really not need his response?” He Yuan emphasized. “Your Majesty, do you know, the human heart will never be content. You may think it’s good to maintain the status quo now, but time will magnify the desires in your heart, slowly, you will no longer be satisfied with this. You will want more, and then, who will control the beast in your heart?”
Qi Mingxuan fell silent.
“Forget about all this, let me give you the simplest example: if one day, Li Shu falls in love with a woman and wants to marry her, what will you do? Will you let go and bless them? Or will you intervene and break up this marriage?”
He Yuan stared at Qi Mingxuan, as if his gaze could penetrate his heart.
Of course, he would break up the marriage. There was no need to think too much about this question. Qi Mingxuan frowned and said firmly, “That day will never come!”
He would not force Li Shu to agree to be with him, but he would also not allow Li Shu to have deep feelings for someone else. The situation that the teacher mentioned would never happen. He would not allow such a situation to happen.
“You see, you can’t even accept the possibility of such a future. How can you be certain that in the future you won’t hurt Zi Shu?”
Qi Mingxuan fell into silent contemplation. He was initially confident, but after hearing his teacher’s analysis, he wasn’t as certain about the future events.
He knew He Yuan’s words made sense. These were things he subconsciously avoided thinking about, not because he hadn’t considered them, but because he couldn’t accept them. The mere thought was unbearable, let alone the actual occurrence of such events in the future.
“Teacher, I… I don’t want to let go,” Qi Mingxuan lowered his eyes, showing a rare hint of despair. He was like a puppy abandoned by its owner, no longer with his usual decisive demeanor.
‘Indeed, the word ‘love’ is the most troublesome thing in the world,’ He Yuan sighed, thinking to himself, ‘His good disciple is now in such a state, isn’t it troublesome?’
“So, Your Majesty, if you want to maintain a long-term relationship with Li Shu, you must keep that beast in your heart locked away, otherwise, in the end, it won’t just be Li Shu who gets hurt, but also yourself.”
“Teacher?” Qi Mingxuan widened his eyes in disbelief. ‘What did Teacher mean by saying that? Was he not opposed to it?’
“What? Does Your Majesty think that I, as your teacher, would intervene and break up the lovebirds?” He Yuan’s tone carried a hint of teasing.
He understood Qi Mingxuan. It was precisely because he understood that he couldn’t intervene and become an obstacle in their relationship. Qi Mingxuan had experienced many hardships since childhood that it was very difficult for him to trust people, let alone open his heart completely to another person.
The appearance of Li Shu was already a miracle within miracles.
He could see from his disciple’s eyes that he was devoted to Li Shu with all his heart, loving both humbly and extravagantly. He was just pouring cold water now to prepare Qi Mingxuan for the worst-case scenario, so that he could make decisions early and not make hasty and regrettable decisions in panic.
“Zi Shu is indeed my disciple. Do you think I would oppose you two being together because of this relationship?”
Seeing Qi Mingxuan’s expression, He Yuan knew he had guessed right. No wonder Qi Mingxuan had said he would bring someone to see him but then there was no news later. Although Li Shu’s father was their sworn enemy, Qi Mingxuan would never back down because of this kind of family background issue.
So, the only possible reason left was Li Shu’s other identity. What was Li Shu’s other identity?
He was his little disciple. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, respecting teachers and valuing morals was crucial. In the eyes of outsiders, his fellow disciples would be like biological brothers. Qi Mingxuan falling in love with his junior brother was considered deviant.
By not bringing the person in front of him, he was probably afraid that he would not be able to accept it. He Yuan sighed deeply. He knew Qi Mingxuan had a great deal of respect for him as his teacher, and after understanding the truth, he couldn’t help but find it somewhat amusing:
“Is your teacher really such a pedantic person in Your Majesty’s heart? You don’t need to worry about Zi Shu being my disciple. Strictly speaking, Zi Shu cannot be called my disciple according to the strict rules of etiquette.”
The Great Zhou Dynasty had extremely strict rules for apprenticeship ceremonies. Li Shu’s apprenticeship ceremony was actually simplified a lot. If it weren’t for his close friend’s strong recommendation, he wouldn’t have taken another disciple. Taking in Li Shu was at his close friend’s earnest request, he begged him to help this child. He said he would only teach for a few months, and if he wasn’t satisfied, he could choose not to teach him. He wouldn’t force it.
At that time, he decided to just see Li Shu. After meeting the person, He Yuan knew why his friend had begged him. After testing him, he made an exception and accepted the person as his disciple, performed a simple apprenticeship ceremony, and the two addressed each other as master and disciple.
Li Shu was calm and could focus on learning. He originally took him as a disciple at his friend’s request but the more he interacted with him, the more satisfied he was with this disciple, and the more dedicated he was to teaching him. Half a year passed quickly, as if it had only been a blink of an eye, and it was time to part.
“I’m telling you all this just to let you think carefully about how to proceed in the future. You must not act impulsively and do something you will regret for the rest of your life. I can see that Zi Shu is not completely indifferent to you, otherwise he wouldn’t tolerate your little actions.”
It was as if Zi Shu had some worries in his heart and didn’t want to let his feelings go. If his senior disciple wanted to completely catch Li Shu, he could only use his true heart.
Power, fame, and fortune, he couldn’t see any desire for these things in Li Shu’s eyes. Those eyes were always as calm as water and he was indifferent when looking at everyone. Only in front of his disciple Qi Mingxuan did they seem to contain something else.
He was getting older and didn’t want to get involved in the affairs of these young people. Everyone had their own path to walk, and if he intervened once, could he intervene for a lifetime?
Hearing his teacher say that Li Shu wasn’t completely indifferent to him, a faint smile appeared in Qi Mingxuan’s eyes, as if stars had been mixed into his eyes, glittering and sparkling. He knew the young man’s restraint and concerns, but it didn’t matter. He had a lifetime to prove himself, and he believed he could win Li Shu over.
The next day, Qi Mingxuan kept Li Shu back and told him about this matter. After hearing it, Li Shu said softly, “I didn’t expect that the teacher would not object.”
“Neither did I,” Qi Mingxuan held Li Shu’s hand and chuckled softly. “The teacher is a very important person to me. When he asked me if you were the one I loved, for a moment, I thought of a dozen explanations in my mind, but none of them were used.”
Since discovering that Li Shu would tolerate some of his little actions, Qi Mingxuan liked to come to get closer to him from time to time, putting his arm around his shoulders, holding his hand, or gently playing with his slender and delicate hands, but he wouldn’t go any further.
These little actions didn’t cross Li Shu’s bottom line, so Li Shu went along with them. Whenever this happened, Qi Mingxuan’s eyes would overflow with satisfaction, and when Li Shu saw it, he couldn’t help but smile back.
Just like now. He felt that his hand was surrounded by a pair of warm palms, and his fingers were being carefully kneaded. He used his free hand to brush the strands of hair from his temples and said, “Teacher is a very reasonable person.”
“Yes, much better than those old ministers in the court who only know how to rely on their old age,” he couldn’t help but complain at this moment, showing how much he disliked some people in the court.
“Hasn’t Your Majesty already freed up his hands to deal with those people? No matter how troublesome they are, they won’t trouble Your Majesty for long. After this purge, will Your Majesty have enough people to fill the vacant positions in the court?”
Speaking of this, Qi Mingxuan felt a bit of a headache. Many of the officials involved in the incident back then had already returned to their hometowns. Even so, after the great purge, there would still be many vacant positions in the court. He had a group of candidates in his hands to temporarily fill these positions, but it was far from enough.
Both the local government and the court lacked manpower, and he had to appoint officials in both places. Although he had recruited a group of talents in recent years, they were far from enough for the entire Great Zhou.
Shaking his head, he couldn’t help but sound gloomy, “Not enough, far from enough. That’s also the reason why I haven’t taken action.”
Moving so many officials at once could easily destabilize the court. He wanted to avenge the Mu family, but he wasn’t crazy enough to bury the entire Great Zhou with them.
“Your Majesty, do you remember the officials who were selected through the imperial examination in recent years? Very few of these people stayed in the capital, most of them were ostracized and sent to the local areas. Previously, the late emperor used a group of officials from humble backgrounds, but this was only a very small part. If Your Majesty truly finds no one suitable, you can promote these people.”
Li Shu slowly expressed his thoughts. The more Qi Mingxuan listened, the brighter his eyes became. Yes, those people had been looked down upon by the aristocratic officials due to their backgrounds. Moreover, most of them had shallow foundations but after years of experience in the local areas, they would surely be familiar with handling local affairs, thus easily solving the problem of vacancies for local officials.
“Zi Shu is truly my lucky star!” Qi Mingxuan couldn’t help it, he suddenly turned around and hugged Li Shu, kissing him on the cheek.
This was the first time Qi Mingxuan had done something outrageous. Li Shu looked at the man whose eyes were filled with joy and he couldn’t bring himself to reprimand him.
Forget it, let him be happy for a while.
Behind Li Shu’s back, Qi Mingxuan narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of cunning flashing in them.
Qi Mingxuan acted swiftly, and immediately wrote a decree to be taken to Yu Rongxiu. So, in addition to disaster relief and combating corrupt officials, Yu Rongxiu had another task: to select suitable new officials wherever he went.
With no worries, Qi Mingxuan suddenly began to tighten the net, catching those who had thought they were temporarily safe off guard.
The first thing he dealt with was the Mu family case from more than ten years ago. Qi Mingxuan had been lying in wait for many years, with evidence and materials in hand. It wasn’t too difficult to settle this matter.
When the time came, some people still harbored a last glimmer of hope, thinking that Qi Mingxuan had just ascended to the throne and couldn’t possibly shake the deeply rooted aristocratic families all at once.
“He’s still too young after all. His position isn’t even stable yet, but he wants to move those people. Isn’t he afraid of biting off more than he can chew?” someone mocked.
“He really think that being emperor means you can do whatever you want? Even the late emperor didn’t dare to target our families. This little brat, hmph!” The disdain was evident.
Sorry, being emperor really does mean you can do whatever you want. Qi Mingxuan showed them with his actions what it means to crush with strength.
The situation changed dramatically. Qi Mingxuan directly imprisoned the mastermind from ten years ago, leaving those families no time to react. When they reacted and wanted to resist and save themselves, they found that the power they had secretly nurtured had long been hollowed out, leaving only a thin shell.
Only then did they finally feel fear in their hearts. They suddenly realized that Qi Mingxuan wasn’t a fledgling bird but a lion, an eagle soaring in the sky! Unfortunately, it was too late for them to know now, they only regretted that they had mistaken a tiger for a cat in the first place.
The truth of the incident eighteen years ago was finally revealed, causing an uproar nationwide. More than a hundred members of the Mu family and one hundred thousand heroic souls who had endured the infamy for eighteen years finally ushered in a new dawn at this moment.
The Mu family, a name that had been buried in the dust, was picked up, cleaned off, and reappeared before the world.
This great purge not only affected the former dynasty but also the harem. The case of Concubine Mu from back then was also reviewed, and Qi Mingxuan didn’t spare any of the concubines or palace maids involved in the case of the Concubine Mu.
On that day, the weather was fine, with clear skies and no clouds in sight. Li Shu accompanied Qi Mingxuan, who had changed out of his dragon robe, to the execution ground. They stood among the crowd like countless ordinary people who came to watch. The crowd was bustling, and Qi Mingxuan encircled Li Shu, protecting him from being jostled by the surging crowd.
The sun was blazing at noon, but no one left. Their faces were mixed with excitement and fear as they stared ahead. There were a dozen or so people kneeling in front, wearing prisoner’s clothes. Their hair was disheveled, and their heads bowed, their expressions unclear.
—These were the “big shots” they usually couldn’t get close to, but now they were kneeling in disgrace under the executioner’s blade, how could it not be exciting?
“Let’s go.” Qi Mingxuan put his arm around Li Shu’s shoulder, turned around, and left the noise behind.
Qi Mingxuan walked calmly and easily, as if he had set down a heavy burden. He turned his head and smiled at the concerned young man.
The masterminds of the Mu family case had been executed, except for Li Cheng.
Li Cheng was detained alone in the dungeon, and no one was allowed to visit him. Who would have thought that this man, who had been prime minister of the Great Zhou for nearly twenty years, was not a native of the Great Zhou, but a spy sent by the Western Xiqiong
Following the clues in the booklet provided by Li Xinuo, Qi Mingxuan discovered a shocking secret. He pondered with his head down, wondering whether he should tell Li Shu about this matter.
“Li Cheng” was not a member of the Li family at all. More than twenty years ago, he killed the real Li Cheng who was going to the capital to take the imperial examination, and stole the identity of “Li Cheng”. It’s unclear how he managed to do it. For so many years, no one had discovered anything unusual. If it weren’t for that book, everyone in the world would still be in the dark.
Incidentally, he naturally learned that Li Xinuo was not the biological daughter of the Left Prime Minister. Thinking about Li Shu’s childhood experiences, he assumed that Li Shu was not Li Cheng’s biological child either, but the reality was quite the opposite, Li Shu was indeed Li Cheng’s son.
Upon discovering this, his first instinct was to silence everyone. If this secret were to be exposed, Li Shu would have no place to stand in Great Zhou.
“Li Cheng” was a deep-rooted hidden stake buried by foreign forces in Great Zhou. If they were to dig deeper into this, they would definitely uncover many useful things. However, Qi Mingxuan hesitated. He even considered whether to pretend not to know about this matter.
If he continued to investigate, “Li Cheng’s” true identity wouldn’t be hidden for long. One could imagine what treatment Li Shu would receive when the truth came out.
His identity as the son of a spy from Xiqiong would accompany him for life. His official career would also be ruined. If he wanted to stay in Great Zhou, he could only live in hiding. How could he bear to do that?
He kept this matter tightly concealed, and even lied to Li Shu for the first time when asked about progress. He knew that if Li Shu found out about this, he would surely choose to continue investigating. Li Shu was always like this, never considering himself and only thinking about the welfare of the people.
If Li Shu knew Qi Mingxuan’s thoughts, he would surely laugh at him for thinking too much. He wasn’t that noble. He and humans were not even the same race. His actions were simply a matter of indifference to others’ opinions. He would do this just because he didn’t care.
[Host, the male protagonist lied to you!] 1314 looked indignant. They hadn’t even been together yet, and he was already lying. What would happen when they were really together?
[I know.] Li Shu closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. [By hiding it, it only means that continuing to investigate Li Cheng’s matter will affect me, so he said that there’s been no progress.]
When Qi Mingxuan said this, he didn’t dare to meet his gaze. Thinking of the mysterious force that had quietly lurked in the Left Minister’s Mansion for many years, Li Shu had some suspicions.
Li Cheng’s identity may be very problematic.
Opening his eyes, he stood up and walked to the person who was carefully reviewing the memorials, looking down at him over a thick stack of documents.
Qi Mingxuan raised his eyes, puzzled. “Zi Shu?”
“Your Majesty was lying just now, wasn’t he?” Li Shu said slowly.
‘He figured it out?!’ Qi Mingxuan’s body trembled. Suppressing the panic in his heart, he pretended to be calm. “What is Zi Shu talking about?”
“You can’t fool me, Qi Mingxuan,” Li Shu pointed to his own eyes. “Here, everything can see through lies.”
The eyes of the nine-tailed fox clan could indeed see through people’s hearts, but he said this to coax him. Qi Mingxuan was too stiff when he lied, and he could easily tell.
This was the first time Li Shu had called Qi Mingxuan by his name. Qi Mingxuan was dazed and shocked, barely managing to maintain a calm expression on his face.
“Zi Shu, I didn’t lie to you, really, how could I lie to you? I just…” ‘I just didn’t want you to know about that matter, I will handle everything, I will never let you bear the stigma of being the son of a spy from Xiqiong!’
Qi Mingxuan tried to explain incoherently, but the more flustered he became, the less he could explain. His usual composure seemed to have vanished at this moment, and he couldn’t even think of a suitable reason.
“Zi Shu, I really didn’t lie to you about anything. Can you wait a little longer for me…” Wait until I handle Li Cheng’s identity issue, then I will tell you everything, without hiding anything.
Li Shu interrupted him. “There has been progress in Li Cheng’s matter, hasn’t there? You’re not telling me because—Li Cheng has a different identity?”
!!!
He really knew! No, he couldn’t tell Li Shu now. Calming his mind, Qi Mingxuan tried to speak in a steady voice. “Zi Shu, this matter is not yet settled. Please wait for me to investigate thoroughly before saying anything.”
Li Shu shook his head. “Your Majesty, no matter what, he is still my father. I think, there are some things I have the right to know, right?”
Yes, no matter what, that person was still Zi Shu’s father. He couldn’t hide it from Li Shu forever. Qi Mingxuan’s mind was caught in a dilemma.
Should he continue to conceal it?
