3 Taken to the Department of Cautious Punishments

Clang!

The door of the Han Zhang Hall was suddenly pushed open, and a group of guards dressed in dark uniforms filed in one after another. The one leading them swiftly drew the soft sword hanging at his waist and shouted, “Your humble servant is late in coming to protect Your Majesty! Please forgive my... transgression?”

The lead guard fixed his gaze and saw that beneath His Majesty lay the male favorite, with His Majesty pinching the man’s ear and leaning in closely—their lips almost touching.

The guard’s sharp eyes caught the red marks on the man’s jaw and beside his lips, as well as his hands bound tightly with golden chains, firmly restrained by His Majesty.

Their close proximity and whispered breaths created a decidedly intimate atmosphere.

This scene... no matter how you looked at it, did not resemble an assassination at all!

Silence. Silence prevailed in Han Zhang Hall today.

The guard stumbled, his left foot catching his right, and with a clang, he knelt on the ground, his voice trembling until it cracked, “Your humble servant deserves death ten thousand times over!”

Qin Duo also stared at the flustered guard and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Suddenly disturbed, Qin Xuanxiao abruptly raised himself up, loosening the golden chains and standing. He glanced with a complicated expression at Qin Duo, who lay quietly on the floor, head tilted to watch the doorway, then slowly exhaled.

“Get out,” Qin Xuanxiao ordered.

Qin Duo was still eyeing the guards at the door but couldn’t tell which department they belonged to. Hearing Qin Xuanxiao’s words, he turned his head, cocked it, and pointed at himself, “Me?”

“Not you,” Qin Xuanxiao’s voice grew cold. “Qing Xuan, take the dark-clad guards and leave.”

Qing Xuan broke into a cold sweat, hastily rising and retreating while keeping his head bowed, not daring to glance back. “Yes, Your Majesty. At once.”

With a soft sound, the door of Han Zhang Hall was closed.

Qin Duo stood up, rubbing his aching wrist and walked behind Qin Xuanxiao. “Why are you so harsh on him? He doesn’t even know what’s going on.”

Qin Xuanxiao didn’t turn around but glanced sideways at Qin Duo, who was calmly stretching his neck and wrists as if he were at home in the imperial palace.

Hearing this, Qin Xuanxiao felt an inexplicable irritation and his voice deepened, “Have I ever shown you any favor, Wen Qing? Watch your tone.”

“Uh,” Qin Duo was a bit surprised, glancing at Qin Xuanxiao.

This child’s mood was so unpredictable.

Oh—Qin Duo belatedly remembered that now he was no more than a subject, perhaps not even that, merely an amusing male favorite. To openly criticize before the emperor was something this young ruler couldn’t tolerate.

He always forgot he had switched roles. How annoying.

So Qin Duo respectfully bowed and said sincerely, “I overstepped my bounds, Your Majesty.”

Clink, clink.

Qin Duo straightened up.

Clink, clink.

Qin Duo: “...”

The chains were quite noisy today.

As Qin Duo moved, the golden chains jingled clearly. Frowning, he looked at the red gauze and gold chains draped over him. The entire ensemble felt utterly inappropriate, so he reached to untie the chains wrapped around him.

Reaching his thigh, the chains were tangled strangely. Qin Duo tried to slip the chain around from behind but overestimated his body's agility and stumbled, failing to steady himself.

Losing balance, Qin Duo fell forward, but at the last moment, he grabbed hold of something—like fabric, yet somewhat stiff.

Clang! He pulled Qin Xuanxiao down with him, using the emperor as a cushion, sprawling atop him. Qin Xuanxiao’s waist sash was torn open, his inner robes disheveled, revealing a finely sculpted chest.

The red gauze covering Qin Duo’s body also fell over Qin Xuanxiao’s face.

Qin Xuanxiao brushed the gauze away in exasperation, gritting his teeth, “Wen... Qing... He!”

Qin Duo realized his hand was still pressed against Qin Xuanxiao’s chest, as if he were the one making advances. His vision darkened.

The crime of disrespecting the emperor somehow fell upon him.

Heaven above.

Apparently, I still haven’t fully adapted to this new body.

Ha, ha, ha.

Qin Duo laughed nervously and reached to retrieve the torn waist sash, tying it properly around Qin Xuanxiao’s waist again, then patted him reassuringly. Standing, he politely extended his hand with a smile, “May your humble servant assist Your Majesty to rise?”

The red gauze fluttered again, contrasting with Qin Duo’s snow-white skin.

Qin Xuanxiao’s face darkened. Coldly, he said, “Gou Hongyang, bring Wen Qing’s original clothing here!”

The eunuch at the door sensed trouble and nervously handed over the court robes belonging to Wen Qing.

Qin Duo glanced at the clothing and then at his wrists and ankles shackled with golden cuffs. Without hesitation, he reached out to Qin Xuanxiao, “Your Majesty, could you release me? It’s quite inconvenient to change clothes like this.”

Qin Xuanxiao pressed his brow in frustration, “Gou Hongyang, unlock him.”

The eunuch grimaced but quickly produced an exquisitely crafted golden key and clicked open the cuffs on Qin Duo’s wrists and ankles.

“Thank you,” Qin Duo rubbed his wrists and naturally nodded at Gou Hongyang.

This man must be the chief eunuch of the inner court.

Gou Hongyang thought to himself, “No trouble, only misery,” and instinctively prepared to bow and take his leave, but halfway through, he realized something was off. He had bowed to the wrong person.

Sneaking a glance, he saw the official from the Censorate whom their emperor had dragged into the palace this morning, announcing he would be the male favorite. The official was now examining the court robes and casually moved behind a screen.

That posture and bearing were imposing—Gou Hongyang felt this junior official’s aura was more emperor-like than his own master, and he unconsciously obeyed his orders.

Of course, saying this aloud would cost him his head, so Gou Hongyang broke into a cold sweat and silently approached Qin Xuanxiao, awaiting the emperor’s command.

Qin Xuanxiao seemed somewhat vexed and said to Gou Hongyang, “Go and tell Qing Xuan to come in.”

Gou Hongyang left, and soon Qin Duo changed into the new clothing and emerged from behind the screen.

Qin Xuanxiao turned and suddenly found it hard to recognize the man before him.

The tailored vermilion robes fit perfectly beneath a sheer scarlet outer robe, cinched at the waist with a red and white jade belt. Moving gracefully, there was an undeniable nobility radiating from within.

Qin Duo found the crown cumbersome and simply held it in his hand, brushing back his hair to reveal a smooth forehead, starry eyes, and sword-like eyebrows that angled sharply into the strands of black hair falling by his temples.

Qin Xuanxiao stared and momentarily lost himself.

It was as if his heart stirred the blood to boil.

At this moment, Gou Hongyang whispered outside the door, “Your Majesty, Lord Qing Xuan has arrived.”

“Let him in.”

The guard captain who had just stumbled entered respectfully, head lowered, exceedingly obedient. “Your Majesty.”

Qing Xuan wore a tight black uniform of the guards, with a soft sword at his waist. From collar to waist ran a teal, palm-width strip embroidered with honeysuckle cloud patterns.

Qin Duo recalled the earlier flood of guards, all wearing such standardized attire.

During his previous reign, the palace guards were simply called the Imperial Guard. Was this a new title or a new position?

Just then, Qin Xuanxiao gave a command.

“Qing Xuan, drag Wen Qing to the Department of Punishments.”

Qin Duo: “?”

Where?

Qing Xuan looked blank. “Department of Punishments? For what?”

Qin Xuanxiao took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to split Qing Xuan’s head open to see if there was any brain inside. “Detain him. I will personally interrogate him.”

“Your Majesty, Lord Qing Xuan may not know the charge,” Gou Hongyang tactfully reminded from the side.

“Attempted regicide,” Qin Xuanxiao said coldly.

“Death penalty.”

Qin Duo: “......”

“Yes!” Upon receiving the order, Qing Xuan immediately moved, grabbing Qin Duo by the collar and dragging him out.

Qin Duo’s martial awareness was still conscious but his body couldn’t respond. He could only watch helplessly as Qing Xuan dragged him out of the hall. The red gauze and chains he had just removed fell clattering all the way from beside Qin Xuanxiao to outside Han Zhang Hall.

Once outside the hall, feeling uncomfortable, Qin Duo finally spoke, “Qing Xuan, let’s talk this over. Let go, I’m not running.”

Having received the emperor’s order, Qing Xuan was neither ridiculous nor confused; he just kept a straight face and said, “Your Majesty commands; I only carry out orders.”

Qin Duo: “Is there a difference? You just lead the way. I’ll follow you and we’ll get there faster.”

Such stubborn single-mindedness.

Qing Xuan stopped and sized up Qin Duo from head to toe. Thinking of the intimate scene between this man and His Majesty inside Han Zhang Hall, he released his grip on Qin Duo’s collar.

His not-so-bright mind suddenly dawned on him.

So this was how His Majesty and his lover played! No wonder if there really had been assassins, by the time they barged in, Qing Xuan probably would have already severed their heads.

Qin Duo stared blankly as Qing Xuan released him, standing dazed.

He reached out and patted the young man’s shoulder. “Let’s go. You lead.”

Qing Xuan reflexively replied loudly, “At once!”

...Wait, maybe he obeyed the wrong person.

Qin Duo closed his eyes: silly child.

Qing Xuan said no more and walked silently ahead.

It was probably autumn. The distant sunset glowed crimson, stretching the sky long and slender, just like the palace he once knew, almost unchanged. Maple trees on both sides of the palace path faintly blushed in red and yellow, blending with the red palace walls—a breathtaking sight that made Qin Duo feel as if he were still walking through the twelfth year of Anping in the Great Wei.

Suddenly, Qin Duo asked, “Qing Xuan, do you know Qin Duo?”

Qing Xuan abruptly stopped, turned, and growled like a fierce dog ready to strike, “How dare you address the Holy Emperor by name!”

Huh?

Holy Emperor?

Qin Duo was stunned, his lips twitching with an uncontrollable smile.

Knowing his soul had traveled to such a real future, Qin Duo vaguely understood that the original him—the emperor—must have died in the twelfth year of Anping.

After a lifetime of toil, he never saw the peaceful and prosperous era of the world he longed for. No matter how cheerful and open his expression was, a faint sadness lingered in his heart.

He couldn’t let go of Great Wei. He always felt the child he carefully nurtured—named “the world”—had yet to grow up, and he had left without witnessing its true independence.

Such lingering regret.

But hearing such a lofty title from the future suddenly brought him peace.

Holy!

Qin Duo’s heart stirred with emotion. At least his past life had some fulfillment.

Curious, he asked Qing Xuan again, “Then what is the posthumous title of the Holy Emperor?”

Qing Xuan suddenly narrowed his eyes, drew the soft sword at his waist, and pointed the blade at Qin Duo’s throat. “You don’t even know the Holy Emperor’s posthumous title... Are you a spy from the Northern Frontier?!”