Qixue pursed his lips. In the past, he’d have seen it as supreme glory, but now his heart held only faint melancholy. He didn’t actually want to become the Cave Abyss God Spirit’s wife.
Luxiangqiu noticed his expression, her excitement fading as she asked worriedly: “Why aren’t you happy? Don’t you want to marry the Holy Monarch?”
“How could that be? I’m not unhappy.”
Qixue shook his head, not wanting to worry her. Besides, with Xuan Yang’s divine powers, he might be watching silently. He didn’t want to displease him: “I just feel unworthy of the Holy Monarch. He’s a god spirit; I’m just a little rabbit demon. Our statuses are too far apart.”
Luxiangqiu disagreed: “What nonsense! You’re so beautiful—others are unworthy of you. How could you be unworthy? Even if He’s a god spirit!”
She lowered her voice, muttering: “Secretly telling you, I think Xuan Yang is just so-so looking. He’s not as handsome as Helan Ji. Marrying him is his great fortune. If he weren’t a god spirit, I wouldn’t let you marry him!”
“How can you say that?”
Qixue hurriedly pinched her beak, looking around guiltily: “Don’t badmouth the Holy Monarch to others, or I fear for your life.”
Luxiangqiu patted his finger, signaling him to let go, and muttered softly: “I’m not that dumb. I won’t tell others—I’m just saying it to you…”
Qixue smiled helplessly: “Alright, alright. I won’t say I’m unworthy anymore. Happy now?”
“Mm-hmm, good.”
Luxiangqiu nodded vigorously, then added: “Since the Holy Monarch wants to marry you soon, hurry back. I’ll go with you, but…”
“But what?” Qixue asked.
“Have you thought about whether Helan Ji and the others might come to Dali Mountain to find you?”
Luxiangqiu said, “Helan Ji and the others love you so much—how could they let you go easily? Even if you successfully escaped, they would guess you were going home, and once they came to Dali Mountain, you’d never have peace! If they dared to fight the Holy Monarch for you, he might just…”
She raised her wings and made a throat-slitting gesture.
Qixue was stunned for a moment. He truly hadn’t considered this issue before, but now that Luxiangqiu brought it up, he realized the severity of the problem. If he left without erasing His Majesty and the others’ memories, they would definitely come to Dali Mountain to find him!
But then he thought about it—erasing memories wasn’t realistic. If Xie Shu and the others lost their memories of him, everything would return to the original point. Xie Shu and Ji Yuheng might end up together as in the original story, and Helan Ji would become the tyrant despised by all.
Seeing the troubled expression on his face, Luxiangqiu asked, “Do you not want Helan Ji and the others to find you? I actually have a solution.”
“You have a way?” Qixue’s eyes lit up. “Tell me quickly!”
“Fake death.”
Luxiangqiu said, “We can come up with a plan to make them believe you’re already dead. That way, they won’t come looking for you, though they’ll certainly be heartbroken. Helan Ji might even relapse into his old illness, and if it happens again, he really might not survive!”
“Fake death…” Qixue slowly repeated the two words. “It’s not impossible.”
He wasn’t too worried about Helan Ji’s health, though. He would ask the Holy Monarch to cure Helan Ji’s chronic condition, and with the Dual Cultivation Technique on top of that, Helan Ji would be far stronger than an ordinary person and wouldn’t fall seriously ill again.
The more Qixue thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He sincerely praised Luxiangqiu, “Xiangxiang, you’re a real genius!”
“R-Really?” Luxiangqiu felt inexplicably guilty for some reason. Why did it feel like she’d done something bad? “I’m already starting to feel sorry for Helan Ji and the others.”
Qixue sighed. “I really don’t have any other options.”
Even if it made them heartbroken and in pain, it was still better than them losing their lives. He didn’t want them provoking the Holy Monarch.
As for what method of faking death to use, Qixue didn’t have any ideas yet. Perhaps he should discuss it with the Holy Monarch. With his own power alone, it would be hard to fool Xie Shu’s eyes—only Xuan Yang could manage that.
After discussing these matters, Qixue returned to Helan Ji’s side. Helan Ji’s body had only just started recovering, yet he had already begun reviewing memorials. Most of them were handled by Ji Yuheng on his behalf, with only the most important ones passed to Helan Ji.
Speaking of Ji Yuheng, Qixue hadn’t seen him these past few days, even though Ji Yuheng came by every day. For some reason, they always just missed each other. Qixue was starting to suspect Ji Yuheng was deliberately avoiding him, but there was no reason for it. Could Yun Qi not want to see him?
Still, Qixue figured that if Ji Yuheng really wanted to see him, he could always make time, just like Wei Huai had been doing. These past few days, Wei Huai had been appearing and disappearing mysteriously in the palace, sneaking over for secret rendezvous while Helan Ji handled state affairs—it really felt like an affair.
Helan Ji set down the memorial in his hand and reached for the next one, but Qixue pressed his hand down and tossed the memorial aside, not allowing him to continue.
“Your Majesty, you should rest.”
Qixue draped himself over Helan Ji’s shoulders from behind, planting dense kisses on his ear. “Shall we go sit by the lake for a bit? Staying cooped up in the room all day isn’t good—it’s slowing your recovery.”
“As you wish.”
Helan Ji squeezed his hand and went to the back to change clothes. Unusually, he chose a robe in a slightly brighter sufang hue to make his complexion look better.
He also had Eunuch Xue apply a bit more rouge to his face. These past few days, he had been secretly powdering his face behind Qixue’s back, desperately trying not to look like a walking corpse. No matter what, he didn’t want to appear too unsightly in front of Qixue.
He returned to the main hall and walked up to Qixue, asking softly, “How do I look in this?”
Great Yong revered black above all else, and Helan Ji usually wore dark robes, rarely donning brighter colors. He wasn’t sure if Qixue would find it odd, and if Qixue didn’t like it, he would change immediately.
“You look especially handsome! Your Majesty looks so dashing in bright colors.”
Qixue’s eyes sparkled as he dashed off to change into a light sufang-colored dress. He affectionately linked arms with Helan Ji and rested his head on his shoulder. “I want to match colors with Your Majesty. That way, even if others don’t recognize us, they’ll know we’re a couple.”
Helan Ji revealed a faint smile and squeezed his hand. “Who in the palace wouldn’t recognize you and me?”
“No one in the palace, but there are people outside.”
As Qixue spoke, an idea suddenly struck him. “Your Majesty, how about we go play outside the palace sometime? Besides Cloud Moon Temple, we haven’t gone anywhere else outside together.”
Helan Ji paused and said, “I’m afraid it’s not safe outside the palace.”
“Oh, right…” Qixue saw Helan Ji hesitate and knew he was still shaken by his disappearance. He immediately changed his tune. “Then we won’t go. The Imperial Palace is so vast—we haven’t even explored every corner yet.”
Helan Ji was silent for a moment before suddenly saying, “If Yuan Yuan wishes, you can come with me to the Imperial Mausoleum to pay respects.”
“I was sent to the Imperial Mausoleum at six years old and lived there for several years. My mother consort and elder brother are both buried there. They must all wish to see you again.”
“I want to go, Your Majesty. Take me to meet them.”
Mentioning the Late Empress and the Crown Prince filled Qixue’s heart with nostalgia and sorrow. He should have visited them long ago. “I miss Her Majesty the Empress.”
Back then, he had slept by Helan Ji’s pillow every night, and the Late Empress would sing lullabies to soothe them to sleep.
She hadn’t sung just for Helan Ji, but for him too. Though he was only a rabbit, the Late Empress had doted on him as well. She would pat her little son gently, then pat him too, coaxing them both to sleep.
“Very well.”
Helan Ji agreed, and they boarded a palanquin to the lake.
The palace featured a vast lake called Falling Moon Lake, with a pavilion built in its center. When the breeze stirred the water’s surface, it was refreshingly cool without being too chilling for Helan Ji’s body—perfect for escaping the summer heat.
When they disembarked, Qixue noticed someone in the lakeside pavilion. The figure stood tall and straight like a pine or bamboo, elegantly handsome as he raised a flute to play a serene melody. Several water birds perched nearby, curiously lifting their heads to watch him.
Qixue instantly recognized the figure—it was Ji Yuheng.
He had time to play the flute but no time to visit him?
The moment Qixue spotted Ji Yuheng, irritation surged within him. Now he was certain: Ji Yuheng wasn’t too busy to see him—he was deliberately avoiding him. Why? Had just over a month apart made him change his heart?
Qixue huffed grumpily, hooked his arm through Helan Ji’s, and pulled him toward the pavilion.
“His Majesty arrives—the Noble Consort arrives—”
The palace servants cleared the path ahead. By the time Ji Yuheng heard the announcement, it was too late to avoid them. He could only kneel and pay his respects to Helan Ji and Qixue. “This son pays respects to Father Emperor and Mother Concubine.”
“Rise, Yun Qi.”
Helan Ji said, his tone still cool but as warm as it got for him.
During the time he had been ill, Ji Yuheng had managed court affairs impeccably, handling state matters with great order. There were still some shortcomings, but considering how short a time Ji Yuheng had dealt with politics, it was already remarkably impressive.
“Thank you, Father Emperor.”
As Ji Yuheng started to rise, a pearl-embroidered shoe lightly stepped on his hand.
His lashes trembled, complex emotions flashing in his eyes as they instantly reddened.
But with his head bowed, Qixue saw nothing. Seeing no reaction from him only made Qixue angrier—if Helan Ji weren’t there, he really would have kicked Ji Yuheng.
He said to Ji Yuheng in a sarcastic, passive-aggressive tone, “Your Highness the Crown Prince certainly has fine leisure. Your father’s illness hasn’t fully healed, yet you don’t go to visit him and instead come to the lake for music, feasting, and debauchery. Are you worthy of your father like this?”
