Zhuang Dongqing wanted to sleep.

But he just couldn’t, not at all.

When he first woke up, he was still a bit dazed, but as he lay back down, the scenes from his dream became more vivid and detailed the longer he stayed there.

No, no, no, it wasn’t a dream.

It was all… real!

Ugh.

He was joking about having dreamt it, but he really did see it in his dream!

In C’s dream!

Or at least, what he thought was C’s dream!

Oh heavens!

Zhuang Dongqing pulled the blanket over his head, his entire face turning bright red.

As he recalled what happened today, he desperately wanted to find a hole to hide in.

As his memories came flooding back, the details of that night kept filling his mind—hot breaths, low whispers, and that cold touch of the 南红 (Nán hóng) on his body, all felt so real that it made him feel like he was building a dream castle with his toes.

How could this happen?

What happened to the friend that his third brother was supposed to introduce him to?

What happened to the handsome guy he was supposed to hit it off with?

How did it suddenly turn into the Dingxi King?!

Zhuang Dongqing felt bitter; no wonder he woke up the next day feeling sore all over.

He thought it was just because the original body had drunk too much, ugh, he was so naive and foolish!

This was no beautiful dream that matched his preferences; it was clearly a horror story!

The Dingxi King must have recognized him.

Thinking again about his impressive speech in that dream, Zhuang Dongqing buried his face in the blanket.

So embarrassing, so embarrassing, so embarrassing!

Help!

When Zhuang Dongqing finally crawled out from under the blanket, his face was as red as if it were on fire, gasping for air.

Sleeping? Not a chance!

He simply wrapped himself in the blanket and sat up, turning into a little mound on the bed.

He felt dazed, like his CPU had overheated!

Oh heavens, why did he have to remember? Wouldn’t it have been better to just treat it as a dream forever?

How did his brain even remember…

Failed to reboot, he collapsed back into the blanket…

After going a bit crazy twice, he finally calmed down.

Thinking back on the meeting today, he hadn’t noticed it during the day, but now that he thought about it, Zhuang Dongqing suddenly realized that throughout the whole time, Cen Yan’s gaze was almost entirely focused on him, and he hardly spoke… the other party was sizing him up. The whole time.

A chill ran down his spine, and he felt inexplicably fearful.

He… didn’t say anything wrong, did he?

He shouldn’t have.

They were all just trivial conversations, nothing related to politics, so it shouldn’t matter if he thought wrong.

Then, why did Cen Yan look for him?

Did he want him to take responsibility?

Hmm, it didn’t seem like that was the case today.

Then he… of course, he wouldn’t dare to think that way.

The only foreign prince in this dynasty, the first ruthless figure in the entire text, he must be tired of living to provoke the other party.

To know that, not long ago, during the bloody storm in the capital, all three ministers who died were, without exception, personally executed by Cen Yan!

So, so…

Let’s just pretend this never happened, just… get a free ride?

Gulp. Zhuang Dongqing swallowed hard.

Oh right.

Since neither side seemed to have any intention of pursuing it, could it be treated as if it never happened?

Then, it must be and definitely can be!

Just like that!

The trouble caused by Qingqing has nothing to do with him, Zhuang Dongqing!

Having made up his mind, Zhuang Dongqing felt a bit relieved.

Sleepiness washed over him.

Rubbing his eyes, he lay down, feeling a bit fuzzy and thinking he must have forgotten something, but he was too tired, so whatever it was could wait until tomorrow.

Muttering to himself, Zhuang Dongqing closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

*

Fortunately, this sleep was relatively peaceful.

Unfortunately, when he got up the next day, the blood in his brain had cleared a bit.

Zhuang Dongqing not only remembered what happened between him and Cen Yan at Guangyue Terrace, but his mind also sorted out the plot related to “Qing Shiye.”

*

Qing Shiye made his first effective appearance, and the story was already halfway through.

At that time, the crown prince had been deposed, and the competition for the throne among the adult princes was intensifying, with several younger princes also coming of age, making the struggle for succession even messier.

The male lead went south to provide disaster relief but got stuck there, losing contact with the capital.

As everyone was at a loss, Qing Shiye volunteered to lead people and supplies south, resolving the male lead’s urgent situation while also devising strategies to hold the corrupt officials accountable, dealing with a large group of cunning bureaucrats, and helping the male lead accomplish a beautiful task.

After that, Qing Shiye appeared more frequently among the retainers.

But most of the time, it was just a side note.

There was very little personal description of him; all Zhuang Dongqing could remember was that he looked pale and gloomy, was in poor health, and had a child with him. The child was also not in good shape, having been on medicine for years, and the medicine wasn’t cheap. All of it was provided by the royal residence, including ginseng and deer antler, and he had even been gossiped about by other retainers in the early days.

Later, he became a meat shield, blocking knives and bullets, with little description, and he was injured for a long time.

After that, the plot involving Li Yang and the Dingxi King unfolded.

By this point, Qing Shiye had clearly become the brains of the team, starting to think about winning over Cen Yan, but after failing to do so, he intended to eliminate him. However, they were evenly matched and couldn’t get rid of each other.

They had a few exciting rounds of confrontation, and the male lead was about to give up when Qing Shiye revealed his trump card.

—The child was his.

—The child was the Dingxi King’s.

—He had blocked the forbidden medicine for the male lead in the early years, and after a brief affair with the Dingxi King, the child was conceived.

Perhaps they had developed feelings through love and hate, and the child was clever and adorable, so the male lead ultimately managed to win over the Dingxi King, and Qing Shiye’s family was exonerated, taking on the role of the male king’s consort as the son of a noble family.

Men. Giving birth.

In this story, it’s… not strange.

This story has a fantasy tag, with a bizarre world where southern border witch women and thousand-year-old sacred beasts exist.

But,

Qing Shiye, forbidden medicine, giving birth, Dingxi King.

These four keywords stacked together made Zhuang Dongqing feel numb.

Thinking back to that night, Cen Yan’s behavior was unusually urgent; he was burning hot all over, and only by getting close to him could he feel a bit of coolness…

Blocking the forbidden medicine for the male lead in the early years.

In the early years…

His trembling hand slowly pressed against his lower abdomen.

Gulp. Zhuang Dongqing swallowed again.

His eyes were vacant.

He stared blankly.

Numb, completely numb.

With his other hand, he checked his own breath, hmm, still alive.

It perfectly matched a saying about Mr. Lu Xun:

Some people are alive, but they are already dead.

*

Zhuang Dongqing changed his usual behavior and lay in bed all day.

For lunch, he had no appetite.

For dinner, he still had no appetite.

But with Liu Fu’s encouragement, Zhuang Dongqing finally got up.

There was no other reason; his thoughts had opened up.

Since the original body was going to change identities, then in the case of the deposed crown prince’s examination fraud, the Zhuang family must be involved, so who knows which will come first, the raid or the child?

Thinking this way, Zhuang Dongqing couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

The cards he had were already rotten beyond repair,

What could be worse than this?!

He had to eat.

He hadn’t had a good day since he came here; even as a ghost, he couldn’t starve to death, stubborn!

*

Cen Yan finished his shift and handed the reins to the waiting Liu Qi, casually asking, “Did anyone come today?”

Liu Qi replied, “Two scholars delivered invitations…”

Seeing Cen Yan’s brow furrow in impatience, Liu Qi knew he wasn’t interested in that, so he changed his words, “Young Master Zhuang hasn’t come.”

Cen Yan frowned.

Once they entered the mansion, he asked again, “What day is it?”

Liu Qi replied, “It’s been seven or eight days since the Spring Banquet.”

Cen Yan fell silent.

Liu Qi followed cautiously, observing with his eyes.

After that day, Cen Yan hadn’t gone out for two days, and coincidentally, that Young Master Zhuang also claimed to be ill and stopped attending.

The Sixth Prince was there every day, but it was unclear whether he was attending the banquet or looking for someone.

The information gathered at the banquet was only a rough idea, and after returning to the mansion, Liu Qi had people investigate Young Master Zhuang’s situation in detail, reporting everything from his past behavior, poetry, and articles to his circumstances in the Zhuang residence.

Cen Yan looked it over and felt the same as Liu Qi: the person in the information didn’t seem like the one they had met.

Liu Qi wanted to investigate further, but Cen Yan stopped him.

“What’s the rush? If he has something to seek, he will definitely come again. Just wait; there’s no need to throw our own ranks into disarray.”

So they waited, and today came.

Strangely, the person didn’t come.

Cen Yan was always clear about things; could it be that there really was no one behind this? Just a coincidence?

Liu Qi didn’t quite believe it.

Cen Yan asked, “Have the examiners for this year’s Spring Examination been decided?”

Liu Qi replied, “There’s still one main and one deputy examiner vacant; the Emperor hasn’t made up his mind yet.”

Cen Yan thought for a moment and said, “Then let’s wait a few more days.”

Two days later, the imperial decree summoned Cen Yan to the palace to accompany the Emperor. After a game of chess, the Emperor personally appointed the last main and deputy examiners for the Spring Examination, and the decree allowed Cen Yan to leave the palace first.

Before the palace gates closed, the Emperor finally let Cen Yan go.

Upon returning to the mansion, the news had already spread throughout the capital.

That day, before Cen Yan could ask, he ran into Liu Qi, who shook his head first.

The person still hadn’t come.

Cen Yan stood at the door for a while, watching the sunset, the glow spreading across the sky, painting him in shades of red.

“The person won’t come.”

Cen Yan said calmly.

It was actually a good thing, but for some reason, he couldn’t quite feel happy about it; it just felt bland.

“It’s going to change again.”

The orange sun was about to set.

But combined with today’s imperial decree, Liu Qi didn’t think Cen Yan was just talking about the weather.

Cen Yan exhaled lightly, feeling no fear, only annoyance.

“Please allow me to go out for some fresh air.”

As these words fell, the golden crow sank in the west, the afterglow dimmed, and shadows completely swallowed Cen Yan and his group.

*

The next day, under the watchful eyes of the officials in the court, the Dingxi King requested permission to handle a case.

This case was complicated; one side was a royal relative, and the other was a noble family’s matriarch. It had been under investigation in the Dali Temple for some time without a result, and then the matriarch committed suicide, causing a stir and drawing public outrage, almost directly criticizing the royal family. The Emperor had to ask about it every day.

Unexpectedly, Cen Yan stepped forward to take it on.

The officials thought it over and realized there was no better candidate for the case than the Dingxi King.

They didn’t even know how many officials he had personally executed; a royal relative couldn’t shake the Dingxi King’s position in the Emperor’s heart.

However, with the Spring Examination approaching, was the Dingxi King really willing to leave the capital?

Wasn’t the main and deputy examiners recommended by the Dingxi King?

But no matter how the officials thought, there was indeed no one more suitable than Cen Yan to preside over the case, so the Emperor granted permission on the spot.

After court, Cen Yan took his people and left the capital that same day.

*

Zhuang Mansion.

Zhuang Dongqing had been busy preparing for the Spring Examination lately.

He was actually worried, but as a son born out of wedlock, he really had no say in the Zhuang family, so he could only take it one step at a time.

Aside from feeling down for a day at the beginning, Zhuang Dongqing later thought it through and felt that maybe he wasn’t that unlucky after all.

Just that once, he later even had a fever; this situation might not necessarily lead to a child, right?

What if?

Holding onto this glimmer of hope, Zhuang Dongqing had been living relatively peacefully until one day, after finishing copying and reciting the scriptures, Liu Fu called him for dinner, and Zhuang Dongqing eagerly ladled himself a bowl of chicken soup.

Since the Spring Examination was coming, the Zhuang patriarch had high hopes for him, and their meals had improved a bit during this time.

Not much, but at least he could see some meat.

After taking a sip, Zhuang Dongqing’s expression suddenly changed.

By the time Liu Fu caught up with him, he had already run to the side and vomited the soup clean.

“Young Master, are you alright?”

Zhuang Dongqing’s face was pale.

Not giving up, he tried to eat a few more bites of chicken, but then he vomited again.

Once he calmed down, Zhuang Dongqing closed his eyes and said hoarsely, “Liu Fu, find a doctor privately.”