In the end, he never made it back.

When Rong Xuan woke up, he was lying on a soft bed, covered with silk blankets. Perhaps he had cried all his tears, and his blood had frozen cold. Now, he was surprisingly calm as he waited for Xiao Lu to arrive.

Xiao Lu didn’t keep him waiting long. Soon, he appeared, dressed in a simple black robe, walking step by step toward him in silence, with a look of guilt and pain in his eyes.

Rong Xuan looked at him, his voice hoarse, “Your Majesty, my family… they’re gone, aren’t they?”

Xiao Lu’s expression changed, and he looked at Rong Xuan with disbelief.

But Rong Xuan only smiled slightly. He might be innocent in some ways, but he was far from a fool. In fact, he was quite clever.

For someone whom his father had treated with such respect, and even his grandfather had spoken to politely, who else could it be but the emperor himself, the high and mighty Xiao Lu?

He had already guessed the truth but had chosen not to say anything.

Everyone always treated him like he didn’t understand anything, constantly trying to protect him, wanting him to live a carefree, simple life. So, he played along, living the joyful life they expected of him, not thinking about the complexities or getting involved in the things they didn’t want him to.

He wasn’t strong. In fact, he was very weak, unable even to protect himself. He couldn’t help his father or brother, nor did he have the strength to save the world… but at least he wouldn’t become a burden to them. He had been trying his best to live happily because that was the only thing he could do for his family.

But overnight, the great tree that had sheltered him collapsed, uprooting his entire world.

Everything he loved and held dear was gone.

Inside, he was filled with anger and despair. He could no longer pretend he didn’t know what had happened… He could no longer live a carefree, simple life.

Though Rong Xuan had never asked questions or left the house, it didn’t mean he knew nothing. He knew Xiao Lu was the emperor, knew about the General of the State’s ambitions, knew that his father had been assisting Xiao Lu, and that his grandfather had been committed to upholding justice and eliminating corruption.

The Rong family was loyal and righteous to the core.

He knew very well who wanted them dead.

Rong Xuan fixed his gaze on Xiao Lu, his eyes clear and resolute. He spoke, word by word, “Your Majesty, you will avenge my family, won’t you?”

Xiao Lu looked at him with sadness, slowly but firmly replying, “Yes.”

Just as he had always agreed to Rong Xuan’s requests before, this time, Xiao Lu agreed again.

Rong Xuan knew that even if he hadn’t asked, Xiao Lu would have done it. But he asked anyway, just to put his heart at ease.

Perhaps because of his calm demeanor, Xiao Lu told him everything that had happened.

Ten days ago, a disciple of Grand Preceptor Rong had been accused of corruption and murder. The General of the State had insisted on investigating the matter thoroughly, and eventually, the investigation led to Grand Preceptor Rong. The disciple betrayed his master, claiming that all of his actions had been directed by the Grand Preceptor. To prove his loyalty, the disciple wrote a lengthy confession in blood, accusing the Grand Preceptor of being the mastermind behind countless crimes, hiding a corrupt and vile nature behind a facade of righteousness.

Naturally, the Grand Preceptor denied such charges, but the General of the State argued that if he were truly innocent, he shouldn’t fear an investigation. Taking advantage of the situation, the General secretly had the Grand Preceptor arrested and thrown into prison.

Three days later, the Grand Preceptor “committed suicide out of guilt” in his cell.

Once the charges against the Grand Preceptor were confirmed, the General of the State didn’t stop there. He mercilessly moved to exterminate the entire Rong family, not only to remove a political opponent but also to send a warning to Xiao Lu, reminding him that he was still under the General’s control.

The General wanted Xiao Lu to know the price of defiance.

The General of the State wielded absolute power, and over the years, countless loyal and righteous officials had perished at his hands. This time, it was the Rong family’s turn.

When Xiao Lu received the news and rushed to the scene, he found only Rong Xuan, barely alive, in the snow.

Rong Xuan listened to all of this in silence.

He saw the sorrow in Xiao Lu’s eyes and heard him ask, in a hoarse voice, “Do you hate me?”

The Rong family had met their doom because they chose to stand by Xiao Lu.

Hate?

Rong Xuan hated everything—he hated the injustice of fate, the rise of treacherous villains… but he didn’t hate Xiao Lu. He knew that no one in the Rong family would have regretted their choice.

Not his father, not his brother…

They had chosen to stay that fateful night without any regrets.

So neither would he.

Rong Xuan looked at Xiao Lu earnestly and said, “Your Majesty, I don’t hate you.”

Because he knew Xiao Lu would never let his grandfather, father, and brother die in vain.

…

Rong Xuan was the only survivor of the Rong family. Due to his frail health and immobility, he had rarely left the house. Other than a few close family members, almost no one knew him. When the Rong family was wiped out, everyone assumed that he had perished that night as well.

Rong Xuan no longer wished for death. He accepted his role as a dead man in the eyes of others because, in the end, his father and brother had chosen to sacrifice themselves to save him. He couldn’t let them down.

He resented his own weakness and helplessness. He hated the unjust heavens that allowed villains to run rampant and wreak havoc.

He hoped Xiao Lu would succeed. Only then could the Rong family’s grievances be redressed.

Only then could he have his chance for revenge.

A month later, Xiao Lu came to see Rong Xuan again, telling him that everything was ready and that he would send him out of the capital. But Rong Xuan didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay and witness the downfall of his enemies with his own eyes.

For him, this was the only thing giving his life meaning.

He couldn’t just flee like a coward.

Seeing that Rong Xuan was determined to stay, Xiao Lu felt conflicted. His own position was still unstable, and he couldn’t leave the palace at will. He feared that he might not be able to protect Rong Xuan.

Rong Xuan was the last family member of his teacher and the Rong brothers. Xiao Lu couldn’t let anything happen to him; otherwise, how could he ever face the spirits of the Rong family?

After much thought, Xiao Lu proposed a solution—Rong Xuan would disguise himself as a male consort and enter the palace. This way, Rong Xuan would be close to him, and Xiao Lu could protect him. After all, the most dangerous place is often the safest. Who would suspect that his male consort was the last surviving member of the Rong family?

Xiao Lu felt guilty, thinking that Rong Xuan wouldn’t accept such a degrading proposal. Even if Rong Xuan resented him later, Xiao Lu was prepared to send him away.

But Rong Xuan agreed without hesitation.

The world believed Rong Xuan to be dead. Even entering the palace as a male consort wouldn’t bring shame to his family. Rather than live in hiding, he’d prefer to stay by Xiao Lu’s side, where he might even be able to help. At the very least, he’d be closer to his enemies.

Xiao Lu felt deeply ashamed, but Rong Xuan comforted him, saying that it was just a temporary measure and it didn’t matter.

And so, Rong Xuan entered the palace.

But the difficult path had only just begun.

…

In the palace, the Grand Empress Dowager held ultimate power, while the empress, her niece and the General’s daughter, was jealous and cruel. Though the other concubines didn’t dare offend the empress, they constantly fought among themselves behind the scenes.

After the Rong family’s destruction, Xiao Lu pretended to fall into despair. He feigned compliance before the Empress Dowager and lived in fear of the General of the State.

As an emperor without power, he indulged in pleasure, leading a hedonistic life. One day, he even brought a male consort into the palace, becoming even more ridiculous and laughable.

This actually put the Chen family at ease.

Although Xiao Lu had brought Rong Xuan into the palace as a male consort, he couldn’t visit him often. He had to maintain the charade of a loving marriage with the empress and appease the other concubines, pretending to be a lustful and foolish ruler. He even had to be extremely cautious in showing any concern for Rong Xuan.

Because if his true feelings were discovered, it would only bring disaster to Rong Xuan.

Xiao Lu had grown used to wearing a mask, revealing his true self only in front of Rong Xuan.

To everyone else, he was just a spineless, cowardly, lustful, and easily controlled puppet emperor.

Rong Xuan lived in a small, inconspicuous courtyard in the palace. It was quiet, far from the palace intrigue, but it felt like another prison. He had gone from one cage to another…

But looking up at the small patch of sky above him, Rong Xuan believed that one day he would leave this place, standing proudly before the world, proving that the Rong family was loyal and unjustly accused.

This belief kept him going.

Xiao Lu, bound by his circumstances, couldn’t visit often, and Rong Xuan understood. Though he couldn’t do much, he never caused trouble for Xiao Lu.

Xiao Lu treated him well enough, and Rong Xuan knew he couldn’t ask for more.

Though Xiao Lu didn’t come frequently, whenever he did, he would always bring books or small trinkets to entertain Rong Xuan, just like in the past…

Xiao Lu would talk about the outside world, occasionally sharing his worries. Rong Xuan would listen, play chess with him, offer advice, and speak gently, comforting him.

Aside from the fact that the Rong family was gone, it felt as though nothing had changed.

And so two months passed.

One day, two fierce servant women barged in without warning and dragged Rong Xuan in front of the empress.

The empress was dressed regally, her makeup flawless, her eyes sharp as a phoenix’s. But when she looked at Rong Xuan, her gaze was filled with disdain, as if she were looking at something filthy.

She had learned that Xiao Lu had brought a male consort into the palace, secretly keeping him and visiting him regularly, even preparing thoughtful little gifts. This filled the empress with jealousy and anger.

Though Xiao Lu seemed to respect and cherish her, always giving her expensive gifts, he never put in the effort to find interesting and thoughtful things for her like he did for that lowly male consort.

Women were always sensitive to such things.

Her status was high, even Xiao Lu had to bow to her father’s power and humble himself before her. But she knew that she had never truly won his heart.

This lowly male consort had something she didn’t.

The empress had originally intended to have Rong Xuan killed, but after seeing his frail and sickly appearance, she changed her mind. With his weak body, a little torture would probably kill him soon enough. If Rong Xuan died of illness, Xiao Lu wouldn’t even know that she had a hand in it, so he wouldn’t grow resentful toward her…

As the treasured daughter of the General of the State, born into a military family, she had always gotten everything she wanted. She couldn’t believe she couldn’t win a man’s heart.

And looking at the boy’s clear, pure eyes, she felt an inexplicable desire to see him in pain.

That day, she merely had Rong Xuan kneel on the cold ground for three hours before mercifully letting him go.

He was carried back to his courtyard.

When Rong Xuan opened his eyes, he thought to himself, At least I’m still alive. He hadn’t yet seen his enemies punished. He couldn’t die just yet… As for the coldness of the ground, it was nothing compared to that snowy night.

Xiao Lu was very busy and didn’t come until three days later.

There were many in the court who opposed the General’s control and were willing to support Xiao Lu. They had learned from the tragedy of Grand Preceptor Rong, becoming more cautious and discreet. Xiao Lu had many things to deal with—he had to play the role of a submissive emperor while secretly looking for opportunities to strike back.

He didn’t have time for romantic entanglements.

Though Rong Xuan wasn’t directly involved, he could glean some details from Xiao Lu’s occasional remarks.

Xiao Lu was enduring humiliation for the sake of a greater cause. He couldn’t openly oppose the empress, and telling him about his own suffering would only add to his guilt without accomplishing anything.

So when Xiao Lu came, Rong Xuan only apologized, saying that he had been feeling unwell recently and had caught a cold, so he couldn’t get up.

Xiao Lu didn’t suspect anything. As usual, he chatted with Rong Xuan and brought him a collection of chess manuals he had found. When he was about to leave, he seemed a little excited and said that the day they had been waiting for wasn’t far off.

With just that one sentence, Rong Xuan felt that everything he had endured had been worth it.

He would wait for that day.

No matter how difficult the process.

Perhaps the heavens had heard him and decided to test him. From that day on, every few days, the empress would summon him again.

The methods she used to torment him were endless, as if all her rage at not being able to win Xiao Lu’s heart was being vented on him. After all, he was just a lowly male consort—his death wouldn’t matter.

Rong Xuan’s body was covered in scars, though the empress made sure not to touch his face. He knew that she was hoping he would die, and there were several times when he thought he wouldn’t survive, but somehow, he always managed to pull through.

Sometimes, Rong Xuan would mock himself, thinking, Turns out I’m tougher than I thought. See, I’ve survived all this… Father, Brother, you didn’t need to be so careful with me. I wasn’t as fragile as you thought…

Even living as a lowly male consort, he could survive.

And he never mentioned any of this to Xiao Lu. When Xiao Lu expressed concern, Rong Xuan only smiled and said his health had always been like this, so there was no need to worry.

…

One day, Rong Xuan was summoned to the empress once again.

But this time, she didn’t order him to be tortured. Instead, his mouth was gagged, and he was forced to kneel behind a screen.

Through the screen, he vaguely heard Xiao Lu’s voice.

The empress had invited Xiao Lu to dinner, personally preparing a meal for him, lowering her pride. Xiao Lu acted pleasantly surprised and spoke to her with deep affection, thanking her for her efforts.

But then, the empress sighed and said, “I’ve heard that Your Majesty has recently taken a new male consort and dotes on him dearly. With a new lover, I’m afraid you’ve forgotten about me.”

Xiao Lu was silent for a moment, then laughed dismissively. “He’s just a lowly consort, a worthless thing meant for entertainment. How could the empress compare herself to such a thing? If you don’t like it, I won’t see him anymore.”

The empress still didn’t seem pleased.

Xiao Lu spent a long time coaxing her, and finally, she smiled. They appeared to be the picture of a loving couple.

The meal dragged on for quite some time.

By the time Xiao Lu left, the sky had already turned dark.

The empress walked behind the screen, looking down at Rong Xuan with a sneer, her expression full of scorn. “Did you hear what His Majesty said?”

Rong Xuan thought to himself, You’re really something. It turns out that no matter how clever or noble a woman is, jealousy makes them all the same.

Of course, he didn’t believe Xiao Lu’s words. Xiao Lu had only said those things to keep the empress from becoming suspicious and to protect him. Rong Xuan understood everything, but he couldn’t let the empress know that.

So he broke down, trembling and weeping, looking up at her in terror, as if he were utterly heartbroken.

The empress seemed satisfied and let him go.

Rong Xuan returned to his small courtyard and rubbed his numb legs, his expression suddenly turning serious.

He knew that everything Xiao Lu had said was false.

There was nothing for him to be jealous of.

But why, even knowing it was all a lie, did something in his heart ache ever so slightly as he watched that scene unfold?

Could it be that he… had fallen for Xiao Lu?

Was that why, even though he knew Xiao Lu didn’t love her, seeing him act affectionately toward another woman while he knelt helplessly by, made his chest feel tight and his breath come short?

After that day, Xiao Lu didn’t come for a long time.

He only had the eunuchs secretly send him rare medicinal herbs, instructing him to take care of his health. Rong Xuan accepted them all and brewed the medicine himself. He had to survive…

Winter passed, and spring arrived.

Spring turned into summer.

The summer nights were particularly stifling. One evening, as Rong Xuan lowered the curtains, preparing to sleep early, Xiao Lu suddenly pushed the door open and walked in.

Rong Xuan’s eyes lit up for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure, smiling as he greeted him. “Your Majesty, you’re here.”

Xiao Lu strode over to him, gazing at him intently. After a long moment, he apologized, “I’ve been too busy lately to visit…”

Rong Xuan smiled and said it didn’t matter.

He really didn’t mind.

But Xiao Lu seemed genuinely remorseful, as if he blamed himself for not being able to come sooner. He took out the gifts he had brought for Rong Xuan, including a carefully chosen collection of miscellaneous stories and Rong Xuan’s favorite freshly baked snacks…

Xiao Lu looked at Rong Xuan’s face and, with concern, asked, “You don’t look well lately. Have you been using the medicine I sent?”

Rong Xuan replied, “Your Majesty’s medicine is already precious. It’s my body that’s weak—no amount of medicine can change that.”

Xiao Lu’s expression grew troubled, but he didn’t say anything more. It was late, and Xiao Lu personally helped Rong Xuan into bed, carefully tucking him in. As he was about to leave, he seemed to finally make a decision. He looked at Rong Xuan with tenderness and sincerity, saying, “When all of this is over, we’ll be together, openly and proudly. How about that?”

For a moment, Rong Xuan’s heart skipped a beat.

He met Xiao Lu’s gaze, seeing the burning emotion in his eyes, and the seriousness with which he spoke those words.

This version of Xiao Lu was both familiar and strange.

Rong Xuan took a deep breath and asked, “Will all of this really be over soon?”

Xiao Lu answered, “Yes.”

So Rong Xuan smiled, his eyes clear as he looked at Xiao Lu, nodding slowly.

Xiao Lu’s promise brought light into his life. He had been waiting for so long, and now that day was finally coming… When everything was over, he would be free to leave, to travel the world with the one he loved.

This was the deepest, most secret longing in his heart, something he had never spoken aloud.

Hearing Rong Xuan’s response, Xiao Lu was overjoyed. He held him tightly and said, “I won’t let you down.”

Rong Xuan believed him completely.

Xiao Lu left once again.

Rong Xuan’s heart was calm and full. He was waiting for that day to come. Xiao Lu’s promise was like the dawn breaking after a long night of darkness. What he hadn’t expected was—

How quickly disaster would strike.

Early one morning, Rong Xuan was still asleep when he was rudely dragged from his bed and brought before the empress.

This had happened many times before, so Rong Xuan was used to it.

But today felt different.

The empress’s palace was eerily empty, the doors and windows shut tightly, incense swirling in the air. The empress was dressed in her full ceremonial robes, sitting quietly as she looked at Rong Xuan.

Rong Xuan could sense that something was wrong, but he didn’t ask. He only watched her in silence.

In the end, it was the empress who couldn’t hold back. She looked at him with curiosity and said, “Aren’t you afraid? Don’t you have any questions?”

Rong Xuan replied, “What’s the point of being afraid?”

The empress said, “You seem different from before.”

Rong Xuan replied, “So do you.”

The empress laughed, clapping her hands as if she had suddenly realized something. Her eyes, no longer full of contempt, were now filled with jealousy and admiration as she said, “So he really loves you, doesn’t he?”

The empress mocked herself, saying, “Xiao Lu has humbled himself before me, pretending to be devoted, all for you. I knew he must like you, but the two of you played your roles so well that even I hesitated. I really thought you were just a lowly consort… I underestimated you. But after tormenting the person he loves for so long, even if I die today, I won’t regret it.”

Rong Xuan’s heart sank.

The empress smiled and said, “You’ll stay here with me. If my father and aunt die today, I’ll burn this place to the ground. On the road to the underworld, you’ll keep me company. Xiao Lu will probably be jealous.”

The sun rose and fell.

By nightfall, the palace grew noisy.

Fifteen minutes later.

The empress’s trusted maid burst in, distraught, saying, “The Grand Empress Dowager is gone, the General is gone, Your Majesty, you must escape quickly! The shadow guards will ensure your safe departure!”

But the empress raised a hand to stop her maid. She stood, her ceremonial robes trailing on the ground, her face illuminated by the candlelight. Proud and regal, she lifted her chin and said, “Who said I’m running? If I’m going to die, I’ll die as his lawful empress.”

The empress walked up to Rong Xuan, smiling with the same arrogance as always. “You see, even in death, I’m still his empress. But you, no matter what, will always be just a male consort. I won’t give you the chance to be with him.”

What she couldn’t have, she wouldn’t allow anyone else to have.

This was her revenge against Xiao Lu.

Rong Xuan understood then—he was destined to die with the empress today.

He had finally seen his enemies punished. He should have died without regrets, for he had endured all of this just to witness this day.

Xiao Lu had avenged him.

By all rights, there should have been no lingering regrets.

But…

He would never live to see Xiao Lu’s promise fulfilled, never travel the world with the one he loved.

There was still a tinge of regret after all.

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