Huo Wuji returned very quickly.
For the journey from Suzhou to Lin'an, a trip that shouldn’t have taken long, Huo Wuji urged his mount, and two days later, early in the morning, he hurried back.
It was clearly to return and hold someone accountable. For him to come back this quickly, it seemed that he hadn’t been seriously injured. And indeed, Huo Wuji had not been severely hurt.
The assassins sent by Huo Yuyan were only ten, and all the others were henchmen used by Huo Wuji to put on an impressive show. His injury was extremely superficial, more of a staged injury than a genuine one.
When he met Huo Yuyan again, his wounded arm was still ostentatiously bandaged. His left arm was wrapped in white bandages, hanging in front of his chest, giving the impression that he was gravely injured.
But when he approached Huo Yuyan, he walked with an alert stride, seeming like a triumphant conqueror despite his injury. He truly was a victor now.
Huo Yuyan had gone south without many of his close subordinates, and those who remained to guard the imperial city were all soldiers and cavalry of Huo Wuji. He couldn’t escape, had nowhere to hide, and for the last two days, he had been waiting in the imperial city, his face dark.
That day, when the palace gates closed and their gazes met, for the first time, both of them wore sincere expressions, unmasked and undisguised.
Huo Wuji gave a provocative smile, challenging the hateful look of Huo Yuyan.
"You planned everything from the beginning," growled Huo Yuyan.
At these words, Huo Wuji gave a smirk, standing there with his eyes lowered toward him. "What do you mean by 'planned from the beginning'?" he asked in return. "Big brother, I’ve known for a long time that you were complicit with Pang Shao in the plot that left me handicapped. I just wanted to give you a chance to repent."
The pupils of Huo Yuyan shrank abruptly. "You... What are you saying?" He paused, then looked at Huo Wuji with astonishment.
"Don’t pretend," Huo Wuji rubbed his forehead. "The letter you sent, Pang Shao kept it very well, and it ended up in my hands. I still recognize your handwriting; it's more sincere than your current expression."

Huo Yuyan stared at him for a long moment, then, little by little, regained his impassive expression. He remained silent for a while, and when he finally spoke again, his voice was slightly hoarse. “So what?”

Huo Wuji approached him and sat directly on the chair next to him, abruptly pulling his arm out of the cumbersome sling that had been bothering him. “So, after all the effort you’ve put in, why didn’t you align yourself with Pang Shao earlier?”

Huo Wuji leaned back against the chair, turning slightly toward him. “You’ve changed regimes but still involve yourself in the affairs of the old one. Huo Yuyan, are you finding it difficult to let go of him?”

Huo Yuyan stared at him intensely. Huo Wuji spoke so freely, as though all the years of his careful plotting were nothing more than wordplay. But Huo Yuyan had schemed so much, endured so many sleepless nights, and all of it was because of Huo Wuji.

Huo Wuji was the one upon whom all eyes were fixed, the one who had the right and the reason to act. Discussions in the court and on the streets revolved around the man who had conquered this kingdom.

People knew of his exploits, but they didn’t see the corpses he had left behind—not even the members of the Huo family who had either died or been gravely injured. In the end, only Huo Wuji remained, unscathed.

Huo Yuyan stared at him intensely for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “Huo Wuji, perhaps you should ask yourself why your father chose to leave the throne to my father after his death. Or better yet, you should ask why you didn’t die in the battle of Xunyang.”

Huo Wuji’s brows furrowed involuntarily at his words. “What do you mean?” he asked coldly.

He then saw Huo Yuyan’s pale face turn toward him with a chilling smile. “A great general should die for his country, not sit idly by waiting to receive high positions and wealth after his victories,”

Huo Yuyan continued. “Did your vanity make you believe your accomplishments spoke for themselves? The position my father and I hold—do you think it was freely given by you? Huo Wuji, your very existence, who does it reassure? Everything I did was for the stability of Daliang for centuries to come.”

Huo Wuji’s expression grew colder and colder. He had always disliked Huo Yuyan’s tendency to speak in half-truths since they were children, and now it seemed that all his so-called truths would be better left unsaid.

Huo Wuji asked, “Are you sick or something?” Without waiting for Huo Yuyan’s response, he continued, “According to you, I should kill myself just to ensure your peace of mind, is that it?” He laughed at himself as he spoke: “Freely given? Do you think I’m generous enough to offer you the throne? It wasn’t even something I wanted. I gave it to you, and now you’re afraid I’ll take it back?”

Before coming here, Huo Wuji had intended to ask Huo Yuyan what he thought about the matter. But now, after exchanging just a few words, he was beginning to feel annoyed and restless. It was no longer necessary. A duck speaking to a chicken is like playing the piano to a cow ( NT : in other words it is pointless). Words should be spoken to those who can understand them.

Thinking this, he stood up, adjusted his robe with a casual gesture, and replaced his bandaged arm into the sling hanging around his neck. "No matter what you think or do, in the end, it was you who ruined this throne for yourself," he remarked before turning to glance at Huo Yuyan one last time. "Only the dirty think everyone else is dirty."

*

Jiang Suizhou had long heard that Huo Wuji had returned. As soon as Huo Wuji was back at the palace, Jiang Suizhou quickly bid farewell to Lou Yue and left the military camp to head straight there.

Just as he passed through the palace gates, he ran into a dust-covered Huo Wuji. From a distance, Huo Wuji noticed Jiang Suizhou’s hurried expression, while Jiang Suizhou spotted the bandaged arm of Huo Wuji. The way it was wrapped suggested a serious injury.

Jiang Suizhou quickened his pace and approached swiftly to ask, "What happened? You hurt your arm? General Lou didn’t even mention it..."

He moved to check Huo Wuji’s injury, but the latter immediately stopped him, pulling him into an embrace and guiding him toward the palace. "It’s nothing—let’s talk inside," Huo Wuji said.

Once inside the palace, Huo Wuji quickly removed the bandage hanging over his arm and used it to wipe the sweat from Jiang Suizhou’s forehead. "Why are you in such a rush? It’s not like we wouldn’t have seen each other," Huo Wuji said. "It’s nothing, just a minor injury—only wrapped up to scare people."

Hearing this, Jiang Suizhou let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, it’s over," he said.

But Huo Wuji looked at him with discontent. "Why are you only thinking about that?" he asked.

At that moment, Jiang Suizhou was preoccupied with thoughts of Huo Yuyan and wanted to ask Huo Wuji for details. Hearing these words, he appeared a little puzzled. "What else should I be thinking about?"

Huo Wuji sighed. Then he leaned closer, moving near Jiang Suizhou. "You should be thinking about me," he murmured softly. "Have you thought about me these past few days?"

His warm breath brushed against Jiang Suizhou’s ear, and Jiang Suizhou felt his neck heat up. "...Think about you for what?" he said, lowering his head and stepping back. He continued, "Don’t say inappropriate things. I just wanted to ask you about Huo Yuyan..."

Huo Wuji interrupted him. "Huo Yuyan? What about him? You’re not thinking about me—you’re only thinking about Huo Yuyan?"

Jiang Suizhou sighed, "You’re so illogical…"

"Who wants to talk logic with you?" Huo Wuji shot him a sidelong glance, then, the next moment, lifted him up and carried him inside. "I haven’t seen you in days, and you don’t even think about me. It just shows how lazy I usually am," he said.

By the time Jiang Suizhou finally caught his breath, the sky outside had turned completely dark. Jiang Suizhou felt utterly exhausted, but Huo Wuji, lying next to him, looked content and satisfied. He wrapped an arm around Jiang Suizhou and lazily massaged his waist with one hand.

"When I came back earlier, I went to see Huo Yuyan," Huo Wuji murmured.

Jiang Suizhou’s eyes were half-closed; he was too tired to move. Hearing this, he mumbled an acknowledgment, signaling Huo Wuji to continue.

Huo Wuji paused for a moment, then sighed. "There’s not much to say," he replied. "That man is insane—not just physically, but mentally as well."

Hearing this, Jiang Suizhou raised his eyes to him. "What did he say?"

Huo Wuji frowned, as if he didn’t want to talk about it.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Suizhou smiled. "If you don’t want to tell me, I can guess. He must have accused you of being too powerful and monopolizing authority, while complaining about the injuries all over his body, right?"

Huo Wuji asked, "How do you know?"

Jiang Suizhou smiled faintly. "What other reason could there be?" After all, combining what Huo Yuyan had done to Huo Wuji with what had happened to him historically, Jiang Suizhou had already pieced together Huo Yuyan’s intentions.

Huo Wuji, upon hearing this, was silent for a moment. After a while, he sighed deeply. "...I don’t even know what he’s thinking. Is it really worth going to such lengths, plotting in every way imaginable, just to try to kill me?" After a pause, he added with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Does he think I’m that easy to eliminate?"

Jiang Suizhou couldn’t help but laugh. "What? After he’s gone through so much trouble crafting elaborate plans just to go against you, you still don’t feel flattered?" he asked.

Hearing this, Huo Wuji also laughed, then after a moment, he said, "Really, should I thank him then?"

Jiang Suizhou smiled, "Such a favor should be thanked seriously."

After joking for a while, Jiang Suizhou couldn't help but ask, "So now, what are you planning to do?"

Huo Wuji thought for a moment. "Now that Lin'an is well-organized, everything is under my control, whether it’s the local officials or the troops guarding Jiangnan," he remarked. "So, in a few days, I plan to return to Ye City."

Saying this, he lowered his head and looked at Jiang Suizhou seriously. "I want you to come with me," he said.

Jiang Suizhou looked up at him. He saw Huo Wuji’s penetrating gaze. "Huo Yuyan can no longer become emperor, and now there is no one to succeed my uncle. Even though, according to logic, it’s my turn to take the succession, I still want to ask you—do you want to become emperor?"

He moved closer to Jiang Suizhou, his eyes serious and determined, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "If it happens that I’m crowned emperor and become arrogant and abusive, then I’ll accept your criticism," he said. "You can kill or punish me as you wish."

At that moment, he paused and smiled softly. "But, it would be better if I became empress. Staying in the harem, I could finally rest and serve you every day. What do you think?"

--

The author has something to say:

Huo Wuji: You don’t understand what I want.
Huo Yuyan (mocking): Don’t you just want glory and wealth? You only covet my throne.
Huo Wuji: No, I want to be empress.
Huo Yuyan: ?

 

Translator : DarNan