Emperor Zhaoyuan stood stunned for a moment before realizing what Huo Wujiu meant.
"...Give it?" Emperor Zhaoyuan repeated.
Huo Wujiu nodded confidently, appearing completely sure of himself.
"Yes," he replied simply.
"You..." Emperor Zhaoyuan almost stood up hastily, on the verge of choking. But Huo Wujiu, quick with his movements, helped him regain his breath before he could even cough.
"You can't act on a whim!" Emperor Zhaoyuan exclaimed anxiously.
"I am not acting on a whim," Huo Wujiu stated calmly.
Emperor Zhaoyuan looked at him suspiciously.
Huo Wujiu stopped supporting him and explained, "If I make a gift, it will be done legitimately. The person who accepts this gift will certainly be worthy of this great responsibility."
"Who is it?" asked Emperor Zhaoyuan.
Huo Wujiu remained silent.
Emperor Zhaoyuan began to worry.
"At least tell me who this person is?" he insisted.
Huo Wujiu looked at him calmly.
Emperor Zhaoyuan stared at him for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and sat up sharply.
"That person who came with you, Jiang from Nanjing... Jiang..."
"Jiang Suizhou," Huo Wujiu confirmed, nodding his head.
"You...!" Emperor Zhaoyuan was so upset that he almost lost his words.
He was furious, his eyes wide, while Huo Wujiu, standing there, seemed indifferent, as if he had already made a decision and was accepting the judgment of the other party.
Emperor Zhaoyuan knew better than anyone how stubborn Huo Wujiu was. Once he made up his mind, no one could change it. He was so angry that he remained speechless for a long moment before painfully saying, "You should know who he is!"

"I know," Huo Wujiu replied seriously, nodding his head.
"How will you explain this to the world?" Emperor Zhaoyuan asked, impatiently striking the side of the bed.
After a moment of silence, Huo Wujiu answered, "I am only skilled in warfare, as my uncle knows."
Emperor Zhaoyuan gasped, unable to find the words.
"I don't have the patience to deal with scholars, and I don't understand governance. My uncle knows this as well," Huo Wujiu continued.
"But..."
"Success is fleeting, but preserving merit is difficult," Huo Wujiu elaborated. "I understand this, and I know that if I make even a single mistake, my reputation will be ruined, leaving only dishonor behind."
Emperor Zhaoyuan wanted to contradict him, but he knew that what Huo Wujiu said was true. He opened his mouth, but it took him a long time to find his words, and he sighed deeply.
"It is Suizhou who wishes to take this responsibility for me," Huo Wujiu continued. "He is intelligent and has plans; he wants, more than I do, to see the world at peace. At first, he didn’t want this title, he simply stated that he wanted me to take it, and that he would help me."
Hearing this, Emperor Zhaoyuan looked up at him.
"But I want to give him this title," Huo Wujiu said. "The one respected by thousands of people should be him, the one praised by future generations should be him."
"And you?" asked Emperor Zhaoyuan.
"Me?" Huo Wujiu smiled slightly. "I will support him; I will watch over this world for him."
Emperor Zhaoyuan looked at him.
He had watched him grow, but he had never seen him from this perspective. Yet, he understood why Huo Wujiu could say such things.
With trembling eyes, Emperor Zhaoyuan gazed at him for a long time before speaking in a quivering voice, "You should know that, in this world, the least reliable thing is love."
He continued, "The throne, once given, cannot be taken back. But sincerity, that can be taken back at any time. You are now exchanging the throne for his sincerity, but how do you know that his sincerity will remain with you for the rest of your life?"

Huo Wujiu lowered his eyes. "I can't guarantee that," he said.
"Then..."
"But I can guarantee that my sincerity will remain with him for the rest of my life," Huo Wujiu declared.
Emperor Zhaoyuan looked at him in surprise. He saw Huo Wujiu raise his eyes to meet his, his gaze determined, his voice calm.
"I am not exchanging the throne for his sincerity. The throne is just an accessory to me. My whole being, my entire life, are in his hands. This throne has never been important to me. After all, if it belongs to me, it also belongs to him."
Emperor Zhaoyuan felt deeply sorrowful.
"Are you not afraid of regretting this one day?" he asked.
Upon hearing this, Huo Wujiu seemed to think of someone. He lowered his eyes, and a smile appeared on his face.
"For him, I will never have any regrets."
*
Emperor Zhaoyuan insisted on meeting Jiang Suizhou.
Huo Wujiu hesitated to agree, but under the emperor's repeated pressure, accompanied by Huo Shu's pleas, he had no choice but to agree to let him meet Jiang Suizhou.
Jiang Suizhou was also anxious when he learned about this. But he knew that since he had returned to Ye Cheng with Huo Wujiu, he could not avoid the meeting.
He agreed, and soon, a date was set with the palace.
Jiang Suizhou entered the palace for the banquet, nervous, but he did not expect the meeting to go surprisingly well.
Emperor Zhaoyuan did not treat him poorly, and despite his frail health, he welcomed him warmly. During the banquet, they discussed ordinary topics until the wine had been served three times, then the emperor officially brought up the subject.
"We have heard about Wujiu's intentions," Emperor Zhaoyuan said, setting his glass down and looking at Jiang Suizhou.
Jiang Suizhou, sitting upright, met his gaze.
"That is why, now, we want to know your intentions," the emperor continued.

Since his first encounter with Jiang Suizhou, Emperor Zhaoyuan had observed him discreetly. Unlike Huo Wujiu, who had been unruly since childhood, Jiang Suizhou had a solid education, instilled in him from a young age.
He did not seem to be hypocritical.
Emperor Zhaoyuan looked at him and asked slowly, "We know the relationship between you and Wujiu. If it is Wujiu who ascends the throne, we naturally have nothing to fear, but if it is you, how do you plan to balance the old regime and the harem?"
Jiang Suizhou smiled slightly upon hearing this.
"There is nothing to balance between the regime and the harem," he said, turning to Huo Wujiu.
"Throughout history, what king hasn't needed to use the harem to balance the regime?"
"If he truly uses the harem as a means to bind interests, then what he will cultivate is nothing more than noble families from the outside," Jiang Suizhou said softly. "Binding women in the harem and using their feelings toward the king as links—that is what is truly unstable. Moreover, I want to try moving the role of women out of the harem."
Emperor Zhaoyuan listened attentively, signaling him to continue.
"Take General Lou, for example. Though he has no sons, his daughter has brilliantly served in the army, serving the government. Miss Lou possesses a rare talent, and since she serves the state, General Lou is naturally more loyal. I believe these kinds of ties are surely more reliable than forced marriages."
Emperor Zhaoyuan pondered for a moment before saying, "What you imagine is bold and revolutionary."
"It is just experimentation and speculation," Jiang Suizhou replied.
"And have you thought about what it will be like a hundred years from now?" asked Emperor Zhaoyuan.
Jiang Suizhou answered, "The Huo family will certainly have young and excellent successors, no need to worry about me or General Huo."
Emperor Zhaoyuan looked at him for a moment, but Jiang Suizhou showed no fear, meeting his gaze frankly.
After a while, Emperor Zhaoyuan started laughing.
"This is the first time we've heard such things. Your former emperor really taught you insolence," he said.
Jiang Suizhou lowered his eyes, silently acknowledging it.

Emperor Zhaoyuan looked at him, then glanced at Huo Wujiu, who seemed hesitant to speak. He laughed for a moment before picking up the glass on the table.
"We are just asking," he said. "Anyway, we don't have long to live. What you do in the future will be up to you, won't it?"
*
When the banquet ended, it was already late into the night.
The palace had strict curfew rules, and the gates were already locked at this hour. Emperor Zhaoyuan had arranged accommodations for the two men. Huo Wujiu dismissed the other members of the palace and walked alone with Jiang Suizhou.
"What did your uncle mean exactly?" Jiang Suizhou asked.
Huo Wujiu squeezed his hand in his. "He meant that he's very satisfied with you."
"Oh really?" Jiang Suizhou didn't quite believe him.
"Of course, why would I lie to you?" Huo Wujiu glanced sideways. "Didn't you notice that all of my uncle's questions had a reason behind them?"
Jiang Suizhou was surprised. "What reason?"
Huo Wujiu stopped and turned toward him, smiling as he came closer. "He fears that you will be unfaithful," he joked. "All these questions were aimed at solidifying my position in the palace."
Jiang Suizhou laughed openly. "You're talking nonsense."
Huo Wujiu shook his head. "Who’s talking nonsense? On the contrary, it was you who answered seriously."
"Of course I had to answer seriously," Jiang Suizhou confirmed.
"I didn’t realize you had so many ideas about state affairs," Huo Wujiu asked, calmly leading the way as they took a stroll.
Jiang Suizhou smiled. "Rather rebellious, huh?"
Huo Wujiu nodded, then shook his head. "What rebellion?" he said. "When the time comes, what you say will be right, and those who don't listen will be the rebels."
Jiang Suizhou laughed. "It's not that simple."
His earlier words had been sincere, but he also knew that because he had an anticipatory understanding of the course of history, he knew what was right and what wasn't in this era. But he also understood that the course of history could not be forcibly changed; if he wanted to make this era more reasonable, he had to do it gradually.

Huo Wujiu made a slight pout. "It's not easy," he said. "But I have a part to play in it."

Jiang Suizhou looked up at him.

He saw Huo Wujiu take his hand and say, "I will protect this kingdom for you. Anyone who dares to rebel, I will handle it. If you want to do something, do it—whatever it is, I will maintain the peace for you."

He spoke with confidence, and Jiang Suizhou felt like laughing, but when he met Huo Wujiu’s eyes, his own eyes slightly misted over.

He looked at Huo Wujiu in silence.

Before, his love for this historical period had driven him to explore and protect it. Later, with Huo Wujiu’s appearance, he wanted Huo Wujiu to safely pass through this era, even if it meant deviating from the original historical trajectory.

He had never said these words to Huo Wujiu.

But Huo Wujiu had never doubted his choices.

"What’s wrong?" asked Huo Wujiu.

Jiang Suizhou simply replied, "Close your eyes."

Huo Wujiu obeyed. "Why?"

At that moment, a soft, cool, and tender kiss landed delicately on his lips.

"I will protect you," murmured Jiang Suizhou, pressing his lips against his.

Huo Wujiu was momentarily surprised, then he raised his hand to hold Jiang Suizhou's neck.

Before the kiss could deepen, their breaths mingled in a deep exhale.

"I will protect you too," he promised.

*

As for why he loved history, Jiang Suizhou had long forgotten. It had been too long.
He only remembered that, during his interminable youth, those obscure words had accompanied him through many difficult moments.

He closed the door behind him.
His hostile siblings, his indifferent father, his tearful mother, as well as the quarrels and schemes —none of that mattered to him anymore.
What mattered were the old memories captured in words. As for when this habit had started, he had long forgotten.
It was an afternoon. The sun was shining, a little too hot on his skin.
He had been pushed down the stairs by his half-siblings, and was not allowed to go back up.
None of the house servants dared to take care of him, so he limped alone to his father's empty study. His leg hurt terribly, but he dared not cry.
To distract himself from the pain, he picked up a book that had been placed upside down on the couch and opened it.
The book told the story of a man. This man had no mother since his childhood, but he was very powerful. Before he had even reached adulthood, he had overthrown an inept emperor to protect his family, then placed his loved ones on the throne.
Later, that emperor, seeking revenge, broke his legs, but he rose again and avenged his family, eventually unifying the kingdom.
No one helped him. After accomplishing all that, he returned alone to the place where he had grown up, as if he had never left, thus creating a new era of peace.
At the time, Jiang Suizhou could not read many words, and he had even failed to remember the name of this man.
But it was the first time he felt someone else's story to be so captivating and interesting that it made him forget the pain.
For the first time, through those cold and impersonal words, he felt the strength of another person.
It was from that moment on that Jiang Suizhou began to read, and to love history, simply because he remembered the wonderful feeling of that afternoon.
Yet, he still could not recall that the name of the book was The Biography of Huo Wujiu.

--- End of the main story ---

(NB: I will not translate the extras given that the novel has been recently licensed, sorry for this, guys)

Translator : DarNan