With this thought in mind, the emperor still said: “I’ll send a generous gift too.”
He Chang’an laughed softly, his brow full of tenderness, though there was no real light in his eyes.
He didn’t know whether what he was doing was right or wrong. As for getting married, he himself didn’t mind—he only pitied the young lady, who would waste her whole life on him.
“By the way, the matter with Western Xia has been resolved too—how much longer until Your Majesty recovers?” Recovering himself, He Chang’an said with a smile: “We ought to celebrate properly at some point—this extortion was quite the success.”
Yuwen Jie thought it over: “A few more days, perhaps. Once the Western Xia envoys have all left, let’s find somewhere to have a proper celebratory drink.”
Hua Chun nodded—with a gain as massive as ten gold mines, not celebrating would be a disservice to her two days of top-notch acting!
“Jinghua can finally get some proper rest for a while.” He Chang’an glanced at her and said. “You should also spend some time with your esteemed wife—otherwise, if you lose the wager with His Majesty, you’ll have to wear women’s clothing.”
Hua Chun froze; the emperor froze too.
Only He Chang’an still remembered this wager. Both of them instantly felt a pang of guilt. The three of them were sworn brothers, yet two of them were keeping something from the third—however one looked at it, it felt like a betrayal of their sworn bond. Hua Chun opened her mouth, almost blurting out the truth on impulse.
But the emperor spoke first: “I suddenly find that wager rather pointless—why don’t we just call it off?”
Hm? He Chang’an turned back in surprise: “Call it off?”
“Mn, yes, let’s just call it off.” Hua Chun said as well. “Whether or not we have children really should depend on fate.”
The two people before him—one looking to the left, one looking to the right—neither daring to meet his eyes directly. He Chang’an raised an eyebrow; even someone slow to notice would sense something was off by now: “Are you two hiding something from me?”
“No.” Hua Chun and the emperor said in unison.
If he believed that, he’d be a fool, wouldn’t he? He Chang’an narrowed his eyes, reaching out to place a hand on Hua Chun’s shoulder: “Worthy Brother, since we’ve become sworn brothers, you ought to treat me like a real elder brother, shouldn’t you? Is there really something even a real elder brother can’t know?”
Hua Chun pursed her lips—well, this particular matter was indeed something not even Hua Jinghua’s own sisters knew.
“Second Brother, don’t overthink it.” She said. “It’s nothing. Let’s just go back and rest well, and wait to see the Western Xia envoys off, then call it a job well done.”
“Jinghua.” He Chang’an looked at her. “I truly consider you a brother. Please don’t betray that.”
Hearing this, the guilt in Hua Chun’s heart grew even heavier. She couldn’t help glancing at the emperor, seeking his opinion with her eyes.
Should they just tell him?
No! The emperor’s eyes were resolute, without the slightest hesitation, shaking his head.
Well then, Hua Chun could only smile at He Chang’an: “It’s nothing like that, Second Brother, don’t worry.”
Sighing softly, He Chang’an released him, and looked at the emperor: “Then this official will take his leave.”
The word “official” here clearly included Hua Jinghua as well. The emperor pressed his lips together, but still nodded, watching the two of them leave together.
“Does Second Brother want anything in particular?” Walking along the palace path, Hua Chun asked him: “It would help to have some reference.”
Something he wanted? He laughed softly: “What I want, I either already have, or no one could ever obtain it regardless.”
That made sense—as Marquis Gongyu, his standing in Great Liang was extremely high; if there was anything he wanted, he could simply ask the emperor for it directly.
So what should she give him, then? Bedroom items? Lacking in creativity. Gold and jewels? Vulgar!
While she racked her brain over this, she suddenly felt as though He Chang’an seemed to be staring at her. Hua Chun startled and turned to look, only to find he was merely staring at the flowers along the roadside near her.
Smiling awkwardly, Hua Chun withdrew her gaze and continued walking.
“I have a question I want to ask you.” He Chang’an said in a low voice. “If you fell for someone you could never be with, what would you do?”
Hua Chun was surprised: “Even someone like Second Brother can be troubled by matters of the heart?”
“I’m human too.” He Chang’an raised an eyebrow. “Everyone gets troubled by love.”
“True enough.” She nodded, looking at him a bit longer. “It’s probably because Second Brother seems so ethereal that I always feel like you see through everything, without any troubles at all.”
Thinking it over, regarding He Chang’an’s question, she rubbed her chin: “Well, since you clearly know you can’t be together, then slowly try to convince yourself to take those feelings back.”
“What if you can’t take them back?”
“If you can’t take them back, then distance yourself. If you can’t distance yourself, then try to fall for someone else instead.” Hua Chun said with a smile. “This method tends to work pretty well, but if your own nature is stubborn to begin with, this approach isn’t suitable—it’ll hurt both yourself and others.”
Hurt both himself and others? He Chang’an lowered his head, emotions churning inside him, though his expression outwardly remained calm and unbothered: “I see.”
Hua Chun studied him curiously for a moment, and a bad feeling suddenly crossed her mind: “Second Brother has fallen for someone he shouldn’t have?”
Pausing slightly, He Chang’an raised his eyes to look at the distant palace gate: “No.”
As if that were believable, given such a strange expression. Hua Chun stopped walking, and said very seriously: “If you truly have fallen for someone you can’t possibly be with, and both parties hold very prominent status, then Second Brother should still consider the bigger picture.”
His steps froze; He Chang’an stood rooted to the spot.
Had he been found out?
“In an ordinary family, it wouldn’t really matter if a man fell for another man—after all, that’s just how some people are born, and no one can control it.” She said, looking at the back of the person before her. “But being born into a prominent household, one must exercise restraint.”
His fingertips trembling slightly, He Chang’an, having lived over twenty years, for the first time felt unable to hold his head up, his face turning somewhat pale.
How shameful it truly was—he, who called himself “Second Brother,” had developed feelings he shouldn’t have for his own sworn brother, and had now been found out besides. What she was saying now struck like a whip, each word meant to wake him up, yet leaving him in unbearable pain.
Jinghua really was so rational, so composed—no wonder everyone praised him as such an excellent prime minister. There was no contempt in his tone, yet he was still trying to pull him back onto the right path. Most men, upon discovering another man had feelings for them, would surely find it disgusting.
Yet he showed none of that at all.
It really was because he genuinely considered him a brother that he cared enough to say this for his own good.
Taking a deep breath, He Chang’an turned his head to look at him, and laughed softly: “I understand everything you’re saying, so I’ll do as you say, and try my best to fall for someone else.”
His fine features paled slightly, his complexion looking utterly worn out, and seeing this, Hua Chun immediately felt a pang of sympathy. She walked two steps closer and said: “Second Brother, don’t be so upset. I know feelings are hard to let go of, but for the sake of the bigger picture, we really do have to try.”
“Mn, alright.”
“…Also, don’t just listen to me so obediently—it makes me feel really guilty.” Hua Chun’s eyebrows drooped into a figure-eight of distress. “Feelings are something that arise naturally in people—suppressing them by force is a kind of sin, no matter who does it. Actually… just go ahead and keep liking whoever you like. I won’t stop you.”
He Chang’an laughed helplessly: “If you don’t stop me, I might end up completely unable to control myself.”
“Ah, why would it turn out like this?” Hua Chun pursed her lips, her face full of worry. “I always thought Second Brother and His Majesty only had brotherly feelings for each other. I never expected your feelings for him to run this deep. I was the last one to join our sworn brotherhood, so I don’t know what happened before I came along, but if it’s known that you have feelings for His Majesty, it could become ammunition for others to attack you. If the Empress Dowager applies pressure, even His Majesty wouldn’t be able to save you, and you’d needlessly lose a right-hand man. Think of it this way—by suppressing your feelings, you can at least stay by his side. If you truly let it get out of control, you might find it hard to even see him again in the future.”
He Chang’an: “…”
“What did you say?” He reacted after a moment, looking down at the person before him: “Who do I like?”
“His Majesty, of course.” Hua Chun said, looking at him with a worried expression. “No need to pretend to forget so quickly. We need to face it head-on, and truly overcome it!”
Overcome what, exactly?! He Chang’an was torn between laughter and tears, pointing at himself: “If I stood next to the emperor, do you think we’d even make a suitable match?”