Chapter 39
Chapter 39: I Never Expected You to Be This Kind of Emperor!
Gu Nan Xi sat with her face blank, hands neatly placed on her knees, spine straight as a poplar.
The young sovereign, who had just relaxed, found himself sitting up straight again without realizing it. The palace servants inside the hall were equally tense, as if the air itself demanded silence.
The quiet pressed down until it felt hard to breathe.
In their hearts, the servants marveled: Madam Marquis Yong Chang’s authority was no less than the Empress Dowager’s. She only had to sit there for no one to dare act out.
And that dignified Gu Nan Xi, at this very moment, wanted nothing more than to dig a hole in the floor and vanish into it.
Not long ago, at Dragon-Martial Grand General Li Ao Tian’s gate, she’d been bold and fearless, full of swagger.
She never imagined Li Ao Tian and the original owner had no relationship at all.
When Li Ao Tian asked, “What is worth remembering?” he had been truly curious—not coy, not teasing, not pretending.
If it were Gu Nan Xi being dragged into a mess like that, unable to shake off a shameless clinger, she would’ve swung a whip ages ago.
Li Ao Tian’s temper was genuinely good. Thank you for not killing me, she thought.
Her skin prickled with embarrassment so sharp it hurt.
“Madam Marquis Yong Chang?” the young sovereign blurted. Then, as if the second name slipped out by accident, “Sister Nan Xi?”
He couldn’t bear the suffocating atmosphere anymore. With a wave, he dismissed the palace servants.
Gu Nan Xi turned her head mechanically and blinked at him.
The young sovereign swallowed, then spoke first, as if afraid silence might swallow him whole. “Are you angry with me? Last time, when I confined you, I had no choice. Capital looks like flowers and brocade on the surface, but underneath it’s oil over a roaring fire.”
His brows drew tight, a deep line carved between them. “The trend of luxury and competition has been rising. Men and women alike pile on gold and silver and ignore the bans. Women chase towering hairstyles—buns nearly half a body tall, stuffed with hairpins.”
He lifted a hand, exasperated. “Just taking those ornaments off takes half an hour. I don’t even know how those slender necks hold up that much weight.”
Gu Nan Xi thought of Noble Consort Tong, glittering like a walking jewelry rack, and finally understood where his resentment came from.
The young sovereign drank a gulp of tea, then dragged himself back to the point. “Thanks to your cooperation, we stopped the trend of lavish burials in Capital. The Empress Dowager often mentions you and says you’re a very clever woman. To be honest, I didn’t used to think so.”
His tone was earnest, almost blunt. “You used to do things rigidly and care too much about rules. Even with me, you never showed mercy.”
He leaned forward, eyes brightening. “But these days I finally understand. You truly have depth. In the past, the children held you back—your heart was trapped in the inner household. Now the children are grown, and you’re like a pearl brushed clean of dust, shining again.”
Gu Nan Xi stared at the young sovereign’s glowing enthusiasm and couldn’t help wondering if he was praising her sincerely or mocking her with a sharper blade.
He mistook her gaze as approval and grew even more excited. “When you asked to be confined, I thought it was simply because you’d broken etiquette. I didn’t dare think deeper.”
“Later, when you made a scene at Song Shan Academy, I finally dared to be sure—Sister, you’re Zhuge Liang among women, my right-hand minister!”
Gu Nan Xi almost choked.
“Just now,” he continued, practically vibrating, “the Director of the Imperial Academy came to plead with me. He said Yan Fu Song, an Imperial Academy student, was seized by the Kai Feng Prefectural Office on the charge of trafficking women. Only then did I realize how badly I’d underestimated you!”
Gu Nan Xi was completely lost.
Deep meaning?
She had no deep meaning. She just wanted to vent her anger—and if possible, dig a small pit for Grand Tutor Tong while she was at it.
As for Yan Fu Song… she simply didn’t want the mess to delay her sleep.
The young sovereign kept going, building his own legend around her. “You hid it far too well! It’s all Marquis Yong Chang’s fault—he left your pearl covered in dust. If I’d known you were this talented, I would’ve thrown a tantrum and rolled on the ground before I let you marry into Marquis Yong Chang’s household!”
He sprang to his feet, eyes blazing with conviction. “You must have seen what I want. I want to reform the Imperial Academy!”
He began pacing as if the hall itself were too small for his frustration. “Tai Zu followed the system of Former Dynasty and established the Imperial Academy. Under it are Guo Zi College, Imperial Academy, Guang Wen Hall, Four Gates College, Law College, Martial College, and more—meant to train talent for our dynasty.”
“The Imperial Academy is enormous. It costs a fortune every year. Yet in less than a hundred years, the faction within the Imperial Academy has grown like a tumor—squeezing out other disciplines and turning into an academic clique!”
His voice sharpened, edged with anger. “These Imperial Academy students—how are they protégés of the Son of Heaven? They’re…” He swallowed the rest, exhaustion flashing across his face. “For that reason, the Late Emperor poured effort into fostering private schools to counterbalance them. But who would’ve thought that in just ten years, Song Shan Academy would collude with the Imperial Academy?”
He stopped and turned toward Gu Nan Xi, eyes burning with anger and hope. “I’ve wanted to change this situation for so long, but I couldn’t find a place to start. Sister. My good Sister.”
“They say the eldest sister is like a mother. I thought… I thought you didn’t like me.”
At the corners of his eyes, moisture glimmered. “I misunderstood you. When I was at my hardest, you finally stepped in.”
“You even risked your reputation and Xuan Ming’s future to give me a chance to punish Song Shan Academy! And you struck two birds with one stone—using a merchant girl to drag an Imperial Academy student into the mud, so you could strike the Imperial Academy as well!”
Before Gu Nan Xi could breathe, he seized her hand. His voice broke. “You… you’ve done so much for me. I never knew. In your heart, you truly treated me as a brother!”
His hands were hot—too hot—like burning tongs, heat running from her palm straight into her chest.
Gu Nan Xi’s skin prickled. That cursed sixth sense screamed danger.
“I didn’t—” she began.
He cut her off at once, eyes shining with absolute conviction. “I know. You did treat me as a brother! Other than family, who would do this much for me?”
He looked at her with a wordless expression that seemed to say, [Sister, no need to explain. Everything is understood.]
Gu Nan Xi went numb.
How much had the author left out of the original book?
She had read it so many times and never knew the emperor was this kind of emperor.
Sure enough, her sixth sense was never wrong.
With reddened eyes, the young sovereign dropped into a crouch before her, looking up like a puppy begging Master for help. His voice turned soft, clingy, desperate.
“Sister, you’re the only one I can rely on with all my heart. In court, Grand Tutor Tong covers the sky with one hand. I ignored the objections and scolded Song Shan Academy, and I’ve already drawn his suspicion.”
He swallowed, then pleaded, “Sister, you have a way, don’t you? Please. Leave this matter to you.”