AYM Chapter 109 (End)

The snow and ice had melted away in the capital, leaving the chill of early spring lingering in the air, but the legendary, mysterious imperial tomb was located in Jiangnan, where the climate was spring-like all year round.

 

Normally, an emperor could not travel easily. The temporary palaces along the way, whether requisitioned or newly built, would take at least half a year to prepare. Yet Li Xuanming, using the recent suppression of the rebel army as an excuse that extravagance was inappropriate, managed to travel down the Grand Canal to Jiangnan in just two months.

 

However, contrary to Yan Yihuan’s wishes, not only did he fail to enjoy a carefree life of eating and drinking, but he was also instead dressed in an official robe and ordered to accompany the emperor on his southern tour as the Grand Historian.

 

He knew that appointing an empress and bestowing titles upon concubines would not be easy, but couldn’t they at least dismiss him from this official position and let him enjoy a few days of leisure? Yan Yihuan had even begun to miss the days when he was injured.

 

“Yihuan, once you regain that lost soul, you no longer bear the fate of an empress, so you’ll no longer be able to win the hearts of the people and make them willingly accept you as their empress.” Aboard the grand imperial vessel, Li Xuanming gazed into the distance, where the mountains were already covered in fresh green, while the breeze blowing toward them was no longer bone-chillingly cold.

 

Clearly, they were not far from Jiangnan.

 

Yan Yihuan opened his half-closed eyes, straightened slightly, and listened attentively.

 

“Or perhaps, after your soul returns to its proper place, you yourself simply do not wish to…”

 

Why did he suddenly stop?

 

Yan Yihuan looked up at the emperor, only to see him smile faintly as he reached out and straightened Yan Yihuan’s official hat.

 

“Then you can remain the Grand Historian in the palace for the rest of your life.”

 

Yan Yihuan, who had still been worrying over the first half of his words, suddenly felt as though he could hardly breathe. This was something he had never even dared to imagine!

 

Yan Yihuan was just about to argue but suddenly stopped. In that instant, he seemed to understand the meaning hidden behind those “joking” words.

 

Li Xuanming had expected Yan Yihuan to immediately throw a fit and had even anticipated every change in his expression. What he had never expected was for him to fall into such a long silence.

 

The sudden quiet struck Li Xuanming’s heart like a heavy blow. His tightly pressed lips parted slightly, as though he wanted to say something to break the increasingly tense atmosphere, but the figure that suddenly crashed into his arms startled him into stumbling back a step.

 

“Yihuan?”

 

“I won’t.”

 

His arms wrapped tightly around him, holding him even tighter. Yan Yihuan buried his head against that all-too-familiar chest, listening to the strong yet somewhat hurried beat of his heart.

 

“I don’t know what finding that fragment of my soul will bring, but if it means being separated from Your Majesty, then I would rather not have it.”

 

Does not understand love.

 

Everyone said that about him, but why should he have to understand it? Why should he have to know what love was? He wanted to be with His Majesty, and His Majesty wanted the same. Wasn’t that enough?

 

“If it is because the people of the realm would oppose us, I don’t want to make things difficult for Your Majesty either.” Yan Yihuan gritted his teeth and made the biggest decision of his life. “Then I… then I’ll remain the Grand Historian for the rest of my life.”

 

The hand that had been about to caress the back of Yan Yihuan’s head suddenly stopped in midair. Li Xuanming’s pupils contracted ever so slightly, and even his breath caught in his throat, stifled so faintly it was almost imperceptible.

 

This was probably the most beautiful declaration of love he had ever heard in his life.

 

Li Xuanming did not even know how to respond. He only felt that the empty, suspended space in his heart had been filled in an instant, and every beat of his heart seemed to thrum heavily against his eardrums.

 

Such words might have made others laugh, yet to his ears, they were worth more than all the countless wonders in this world.

 

“Yihuan…” Li Xuanming murmured softly, as though calling his name, or perhaps sighing unconsciously. The moment Yan Yihuan looked up, Li Xuanming sealed his lips with a kiss.

 

—

 

Yan Yihuan had imagined countless times what this imperial tomb might look like, but he had always assumed it would be desolate and deserted, overgrown with weeds.

 

Yet after they crossed mountains and ridges and passed through dense forests, they never expected to find before them a scene of flowers in full bloom, with apricot blossoms showering like rain and pear blossoms filling the clouds. Someone had clearly been tending and maintaining the place all year round.

 

Yan Yihuan’s heart suddenly began pounding wildly. His excessive nervousness even left his face slightly pale. A man approached them, respectfully saluted the two of them, then nodded and smiled at Zhengyangzi, who was traveling with them.

 

“Esteemed guests, please follow me.”

 

The man was Duan Chengfeng, the tomb keeper of this generation.

 

“There are many mechanisms throughout the imperial tomb, so please be sure to stay close behind me.” Although Duan Chengfeng tried his utmost to remain calm, his slightly trembling voice still betrayed the excitement and nervousness he could barely contain.

 

More than four hundred years. That fragment of a soul enshrined within the tomb chamber had waited quietly, while the Duan family had waited as well, generation after generation.

 

The everlasting lamps along the tomb passage were lit one by one. Their dim yellow flames stood upright, barely illuminating the path immediately ahead. Further on, the passage remained dark and gloomy, seemingly without end.

 

The moment he stepped into the tomb passage, Yan Yihuan suddenly froze as though he had been struck. He stood dazed at the entrance. For some reason, an unprecedented sense of calm rose within his heart, yet mingled with that calm were an unmistakable sorrow and an inexplicable unease.

 

“Your Majesty…”

 

His hand was suddenly clasped within a familiar palm. The warmth that passed through it immediately dispelled the chill of the path ahead. Their eyes met, reflecting the warm yellow lamplight and each other’s faces, yet neither spoke.

 

At the end of the tomb passage lay “himself” from several hundred years ago. Both Yan Yihuan and Li Xuanming felt emotions too complicated to put into words.

 

A sudden searing heat made Yan Yihuan stop in his tracks. He opened the small brocade pouch that had always been hanging from him in astonishment, tipped out the little stone inside, and placed it in his palm.

 

The pitch-black stone had no life of its own, yet Yan Yihuan could clearly sense its restlessness. It was growing increasingly hot.

 

“It’s here.”

 

The heavy tomb door was opened, and the stale air that had been sealed away from the world for hundreds of years rushed toward them. The interior was pitch-black, dark, and cold, with only a faint, ghostly blue glow shimmering within. Through the dim light, they could vaguely make out the massive outline of a coffin.

 

Everyone was deeply shaken by the sight before them. The two people who had existed only in legends had spent these hundreds of years sharing the same coffin, remaining by each other’s side to this date.

 

And yet those two people were themselves.

 

Li Xuanming suddenly felt dazed. At that moment, all the turmoil and entanglements of the mortal world seemed as insubstantial as dust and smoke. It was as though he had just awakened from a great dream, leaving him with an inexplicable sense of melancholy.

 

The fragment of soul that had been taken away suddenly burst into dazzling radiance the moment Yan Yihuan stepped through the tomb door. The pale blue wisps of energy that had originally been swirling around it instantly intertwined like vines, winding toward him as though they had gained a soul of their own.

 

The hand that had been held tightly in his suddenly slipped free. Li Xuanming’s heart jolted. His hand rose instinctively, but when his fingertips brushed against the edge of Yan Yihuan’s robe, he slowly lowered it again.

 

The faint blue glow seemed like a pair of arms gently embracing Yan Yihuan, guiding him toward the center of the light.

 

His fingertips trembled as he gently and carefully touched the soul fragment. Yan Yihuan’s eyes suddenly widened, his heart pounding uncontrollably as countless scenes rushed impatiently into his mind.

 

Before his eyes were towering vermilion palace walls, glazed tiles that gleamed like gold, and countless court officials kneeling in worship, crying out, “Long live the Emperor!”

 

That tall figure dressed in bright yellow was clearly a stranger, yet his gaze lingered on him, unwilling to look away.

 

Before his eyes were also dark, damp prison cells, helplessness born of schemes, baseless slander, and the sorrow of never being accepted by the people of the world no matter what he did.

 

Yet his heart knew no fear. He moved forward without hesitation, accepting it all willingly.

 

In his ears rang the sounds of battle, his own cries of anguish, and the agony of his internal organs being shattered.

 

Yet he was awakened by one call after another. Before his eyes was this brilliant blue fragment of soul, which infused him with consciousness and soothed his pain.

 

Yan Yihuan did not know why tears had gathered in his eyes. Through his blurred vision, he seemed to see a slender figure standing before him, ethereal and hazy, as though it would scatter at the slightest touch.

 

“Wonderful.”

 

A cool, clear voice sighed, as though softly murmuring within his heart.

 

“In my next life, I will truly no longer have this incomplete body, nor will I have an identity despised by everyone.

 

“I can truly stand openly and honorably at his side, without any reservations.

 

“I’m sorry. I selfishly used this fragment of my soul.” A pale hand lifted the glowing fragment. “At last, it has been returned to its rightful owner.”

 

The figure gradually faded, and the instant Yan Yihuan reached out to receive it, it scattered like sparks blown away by the wind, vanishing bit by bit before his eyes.

 

At that very instant, Yan Yihuan abruptly raised his eyes. The confusion in them vanished in an instant, as though a crack had been opened in his heart and the shackles that had bound it tightly had shattered along with it.

 

Despite being in the dark, gloomy tomb, Yan Yihuan felt as if the world had suddenly opened up, and his mind became clear.

 

“Yihuan…?”

 

Someone behind him called softly. Yan Yihuan instinctively turned around. The moment he met that gaze, his heart tightened, making him frown slightly as he carefully savored the feeling.

 

That look fell into Li Xuanming’s eyes as well. His breath caught slightly, and his hands clenched abruptly within his sleeves.

 

It was a look he had never seen in Yan Yihuan’s eyes before.

 

A faint confusion, a faint sorrow, and more than anything else, a clarity that seemed to see through all the affairs of the world.

 

Could Zhengyangzi have been right? After retrieving this fragment of his soul, perhaps he would no longer be the person who, even without understanding anything, would instinctively rely on him.

 

Yan Yihuan would have his own choice, but Li Xuanming might not necessarily be part of it.

 

For a moment, Li Xuanming even felt the urge to take that fragment away from him. Yet he forcibly suppressed the thought, steadied his hurried breathing, and silently watched him.

 

Yan Yihuan looked at the fragment before him, which seemed almost impatient to return. It was as though the moment he was willing, it would immediately merge into his soul.

 

The small stone he had been clutching tightly burned against his palm, the heat stinging painfully, as though silently urging him onward.

 

But Yan Yihuan did not move. His eyes pierced through the darkness, fixed directly upon the person who had been looking at him all this time.

 

So, without realizing it, he had already been steeped in love, so deeply that it had seeped into his very bones.

 

It turned out he was not incapable of understanding love. He had simply been in love without knowing it.

 

If he chose to accept this fragment of his soul, he would no longer be as muddled and ignorant as before, but he would also no longer be the one destined to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor.

 

Then whom would he marry, and with whom would he spend the rest of his life?

 

At the thought of this, Yan Yihuan’s breathing tightened, almost suffocating.

 

Indeed, what did it matter if his mind was clear now? He was no longer the person from his previous life who carried the world in his heart. Why should he make himself suffer by worrying about it?

 

Besides, compared to having this fragment of his soul return, what he wanted even more was…

 

He opened his palm. Under the astonished gazes of the others, Yan Yihuan placed the glowing fragment upon the Soul-Locking Stone. The originally pitch-black stone gradually absorbed all of its radiance, eventually emitting a faint, ghostly glow of its own.

 

Yan Yihuan turned around and slowly approached the enormous coffin. He raised his head to look up at it, his heart filled with countless emotions that he was unable to find the words to express.

 

“This fragment has been with you for hundreds of years.” He murmured, “Then let it remain here. I…”

 

As he set down the Soul-Locking Stone, Yan Yihuan’s heart jolted. For a moment, he seemed to lose the clarity he had possessed just moments before, yet the feelings in his heart became increasingly distinct. He suddenly turned around, and the penetrating clarity of having seen through the ways of the world was no longer in his eyes.

 

As though he could not wait even a moment longer, Yan Yihuan threw himself into the arms of Li Xuanming, who was still standing there in shock, allowing him to immediately wrap his arms around him so tightly that he could barely breathe.

 

“I regret it!” Yan Yihuan said hurriedly. “I don’t want to be the Grand Historian for the rest of my life. I want to follow the will of Heaven.”

 

“It turns out I wasn’t incapable of love. I actually…”

 

“I understand.” Li Xuanming kissed his cool forehead. Only his slightly trembling voice betrayed the turmoil in his heart. “I understand everything.”

 

—

 

It had been several hundred years since the previous dynasty promulgated laws allowing people of the same sex to marry. Although the common people had long since grown accustomed to it, a male consort becoming empress was something unheard of.

 

Yet the continuous rain quietly stopped on the day of their wedding. Not only did the sun shine brightly, but auspicious clouds filled the sky as well. Many people swore that they had seen the white clouds transform into the shape of a phoenix soaring with outstretched wings, its entire body radiating rosy light. It was undoubtedly an omen of an age of peace and prosperity!

 

“As expected of a marriage ordained by Heaven!”

 

“But what about the imperial heir…”

 

“Isn’t there still that little prince left behind by the former Crown Prince? Even if His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, he cannot go against the will of Heaven.”

 

“That’s true. So the young master of the Yan family must be made Empress.”

 

Yet the man who was being hailed throughout the court and the realm as the greatest figure in history was still lying in bed as lunchtime approached, thoroughly enjoying this lazy stretch of time.

 

“How can you skip even breakfast?” Li Xuanming returned to the sleeping quarters after attending court and discussing state affairs. He pulled open the bed curtains that were still tightly drawn around the bed. “You’ve slept far past midmorning.”

 

“I can’t get up…” came the lazy voice from the bed. Li Xuanming suddenly felt his arm tighten as the person on the bed forcibly pulled him down and whispered into his ear,

 

“It’s all Your Majesty’s fault. Next time… next time, could you be a little gentler?”

 

Li Xuanming raised an eyebrow, but before he could answer, another wave of warm breath brushed against his ear.

 

“But… you don’t have to be too gentle either.”

 

–The End–

 

Author’s Note:

It’s finished! Thank you, my dears, for accompanying me all this time! I love you all so, so much aaahhhhh!

The memories of the previous life in the final chapter are from the contents of “Ying Bu Shi.” If you’re interested, feel free to go check it out.

As for the side couple, their story will be serialized separately in the extras, so they won’t appear in the main story anymore. You can choose whether or not you’d like to read it.

 

Translator’s Note: 

The main story is completed! There will be a total of 5 extras. Two of which will be the main couple, Yan Yihuan x Li Xuanming, about becoming a cat. The other three would be about the side couple, Ming Zhang x Han Zhen.