Rebirth As a Fatuous and Self-indulgent Ruler
chapter-54

Translator: Peggyan

Long Xiaoyuan came to meet the teenager because he thought that the teenager might hail from the modern world.

Thus, he only took Ying Feng inside, leaving the rest of Shadow Guardians who he wasn’t sure of their loyalty outside.

Ying Feng was the only one who heard the obscure conversation.

He didn’t want to deliberately hide anything from Shi Qingzhou, but there was something that he couldn’t let Shi Qingzhou know.

Should Long Xiaoyuan tell Shi Qingzhou that he only existed in a book?

This would be a huge blow and disrespect to Shi Qingzhou.

After all, Shi Qingzhou was a living person in this world.

In addition, as the emperor, Long Xiaoyuan couldn’t do everything he wanted.

Should Long Xiaoyuan tell Shi Qingzhou that it was a different person who treated him ill before? Should Long Xiaoyuan tell Shi Qingzhou that the real emperor died because he came to the world?

Should Long Xiaoyuan tell Shi Qingzhou that he knew the ending of the original emperor after reading that novel and thereby spared no efforts to develop a relationship with Shi Qingzhou?

Long Xiaoyuan would rather die than speak those things out.

Furthermore, deep down, Long Xiaoyuan believed that there were some hidden links between him and the original emperor.

Otherwise, how to explain why they looked so assembled?

Under those circumstances, he had so many things he couldn’t talk to Shi Qingzhou.

There were even secrets and spaces between couples, right?

This didn’t mean that he didn’t love Shi Qingzhou. Instead, it was an alternative embodiment of respect, wasn’t it?

Having talked to the teenager in the room for a long time, Long Xiaoyuan learned everything about him.

Aged 19 years old, that teenager was named Xu You.

The funny thing as, Xu You had come to this world for six years. At the age of 13, he came to the world with his soul trapped in a little beggar. Afterward, he was found and brought back by Fang Qiuhua, the owner of Sky Hermit Fort, the most mysterious fort in the martial arts circles.

Fang Qiuhua spotted his talents, took him in as a disciple, and teach him martial arts.

During the six years, he got very well with Fang Shuoyang, the young master of Sky Hermit Fort and the son of Fang Qiuhua.

They even became lovers, a secret they kept from Fang Qiuhua and Zhou Huan, the wife of Fang Qiuhua.

Traditional and orthodox, Fang Qiuhua and Zhou Huan wouldn’t accept the fact that their only son loved a man.

However, they might find something several months ago, so they found Zhou Yu’er, the niece of Zhou Huan, to try to make Fang Shuoyang like her.

Fang Shuoyang gave a cold shoulder to her, but Xu You still felt unhappy.

Thus, Fang Shuoyang confessed to Fang Qiuhua, which brought disasters to Xu You.

Fang Qiuhuan and Zhou Huan were so angry that Xu You was ostracized off the fort. Worse still, Zhou Huan wanted to maim Xu You. Zhou Yu’er was more vicious and even asked several other men to rape him.

Xu You was very vigilant and escaped successfully.

How about Fang Shuoyang? He had been locked up by Fang Qiuhua, so Xu You couldn’t see him.

Having only practiced martial arts for six years, Xu You wasn’t a good martial artist, but his lightness skill was quite strong.

The other aspects of his martial arts weren’t so good as his lightness skill.

After escaping the fort, he kept fleeing all the way.

Then, he ended up in the imperial city where he felt annoyed after being found.

However, he still felt glad that he met someone from the modern world.

After the conversation, Long Xiaoyuan knew that Xu You was a kind teenager who was brave in love.

He was 19 years old, so he was a teenager, technically, even if a 19-year-old person could be a father in this world.

“So that’s the ending between you and Fang Shuohua?”

Xu You said with his lips curled, “It depends how he will do! I can’t let his stubborn parents accept me. After all, I can’t help him carry on the family line…If he really loves me, he’ll figure ways out to handle his parents. If he makes a compromise, I don’t think he still deserves my love.”

Long Xiaoyuan liked Xu’s personality.

Then, he said with a laugh, “Yeah, you’re right. Though men can keep concubines here, as modern people, we can only accept the monogamy.”

“Point taken.” Xu You seriously nodded and added, “Love is one to one. Otherwise, it’s not love, isn’t it?”

“Yes! That’s right!” Long Xiaoyuan agreed with Xu You, for he thought so, too. That was also why he kept away from those imperial concubines after he fell in love with Shi Qingzhou.

People had small hearts. If you like a person, you’d be devoted yourself to him or her, so how could you like different people?

Such kind of love wasn’t called love anymore.

After a deeper conversation, the two all left good impressions on each other and started to address each other as brothers.

Elder than Xu You, Long Xiaoyuan directly called Xu You by his name and was called “elder brother” by Xu You.

“Well, elder brother, I still don’t know your identity in this world!”

“Alas!” Long Xiaoyuan said with a sigh, “Actually, I don’t want to hide anything from you, but I’m afraid my identity will only cause you trouble. But you’re already in trouble, so I spill it out. I’m the emperor of the world.”

Xu You got startled at first and then asked with his eyes wide open, “What? The emperor?”

Long Xiaoyuan said with a bitter smile, “Yeah.”

“Shit!” said Xu You. “Elder brother, you’re awesome!”

Long Xiaoyuan said shaking his head, “No, I’m not. My situation is actually complicated. When I first got here, the political situation was changeable, and I almost couldn’t be the emperor.”

What he said was the truth. If he hadn’t got a good relationship with his empress, he would have been a dead emperor!

“Oh…” Xu You said while stroking his chin, “It sounds like being the emperor isn’t a good thing.”

“Exactly right,” said Long Xiaoyuan with his lips curled. They then talked a little longer.

Having looked at the sky, Long Xiaoyuan said seriously, “I gotta go. My identity limits my freedom. How about you?”

Xu You blinked. “Keep running away.”

Long Xiaoyuan said with a smile, “Do you wanna hide in the imperial palace? Sky Hermit Fort can’t hurt you if you’re there. Though I have poor control over the martial arts circles, I own all the land under heaven, so some forces of the martial arts circles can’t fight against the imperial government.”

Xu You immediately brightened his eyes and then said with hesitations, “I haven’t been the imperial palace, but hearing what you said and seeing what showed on TV, I assume no one can enter the imperial palace at his will. If I go there, will I cause trouble for you?”

Long Xiaoyuan said with a smile, “It’s going to have some trouble, which is no big deal. After all, no one dares to oppose me.”

Xu You then thought of an important question. “Elder brother, by the way, you’re the emperor, and your concubines…”

Long Xiaoyuan said with a laugh while looking at Xu You who felt embarrassed, “I indeed have many concubines, but I only have one true lover, namely, my empress Shi Qingzhou. Oh, he’s male, too.”

Xu You abruptly widened his eyes. “Right…Shi Qingzhou is a man. The empress is a man…I heard of it but forget it if you don’t remind me…”

“Hahaha.” Long Xiaoyuan laughed. “He is at the border, not in the imperial palace. Do you know there are wars at the border?”

“Yes, I know that.” Xu You asked seriously, “Is it dangerous?”

“Alas…” Long Xiaoyuan sighed. “Fighting in a war is always dangerous, but Qingzhou is born a general, and his father is a general, too. What’s more, he likes battlefields. I don’t want him to leave, but I can’t imprison him, so he should get out for a while.”

Even so, he couldn’t help feeling gloomy.

“Elder brother, you don’t like him to leave? Why not tell him?” said Xu You involuntarily.

Long Xiaoyuan said while shaking his head, “It’s nothing to do with me liking it or not. We receive the same environmental education, so I’m honest with you. To the beloved one, don’t you have to accept what he likes? Isn’t it too selfish if you do things in the way you like? Besides, he’s just at the border and won’t be outside forever.”

“Sound reasonable…” murmured Xu You with a nod. He soon sighed at the thought of his troubles.

“All right.” Long Xiaoyuan couldn’t help but laugh and rubbed his head. “You can’t always keep running away. Go back with me for a while and wait for him to come to you.”

Xu You flatted his mouth and said, “I don’t know if he will or can come to me…”

Hearing this, Long Xiaoyuan said with a serious face, “As the young master, will he be imprisoned for good by his parents? If he wants you, he’ll come to you eventually. But if he doesn’t come, then it means he doesn’t deserve your love, like you said.”

Xu You smiled bitterly and said with a nod, “That’s right. If he makes a compromise to his parents to make me wronged, then he isn’t a good man.”

“Yes!” Long Xiaoyuan rubbed his head again.

“Alas, elder brother, I’m an adult, so don’t treat me as a kid!”

“19 is the age of barely going to college. Aren’t you a child?” Long Xiaoyuan smiled.

“I was 19 years old in the modern world, so I’m in my thirties here!”

“Haha.” Long Xiaoyuan said with a smile, “Okay, uncle.”

“No, I don’t want to be an uncle.” Xu You felt dissatisfied.

“See, you still refuse to admit you’re a child, huh? Forget it, let’s go. It’ll be bad if we go back late. But since you want to follow me back, I have something to tell you.”

“Sure.” Xu You said seriously, “Elder brother, I’m all ears.”

“Eh. We have to keep our past identities between us. Do you understand?”

“Of course,” said Xu You immediately. “It’s important and I’ve never told others…Elder brother, you can rest assured. I’m good at keeping secrets.”

“Okay, I believe you.” Long Xiaoyuan smiled. “Here are the things you should pay attention to in the imperial palace…”