The Weight of a Dragon Robe

As Bai Lingmiao walked out of the imperial kitchen carrying her food box, Chun Xiaoman let out a soft sigh. She truly couldn’t understand why Miaomiao was so fond of Senior Brother Li.

But soon, her mood lifted again. As long as Miaomiao and Senior Brother Li were alright, nothing else mattered. Right now, she just hoped the two of them could finally live a good life together.

Miaomiao was fine. Senior Brother Li was still alive. Gao Zhijian had become Emperor. Everything was finally looking up. The stone that had been hanging in her heart for so long had finally fallen, and her thoughts even felt a little lighter.

“Bird’s nest porridge… what does it actually taste like?” Chun Xiaoman looked at the leftover porridge in the pot, scooped some up with a wooden spoon, and put it in her mouth. “It’s not even that good. Doesn’t taste like anything.”

Just as she said that, she saw someone appear at the entrance to the imperial kitchen. It was Gao Zhijian, and he was alone.

When Gao Zhijian, dressed in his dragon robe, walked up to her and completely blocked the light, Chun Xiaoman felt a momentary flutter of panic in her heart. But she quickly steadied herself and reached out, tugging casually at his robe.

“This is a nice outfit. It suits you well. What’s it made of?”

“Gold. And cloth.”

“Gold can actually be worn?” Chun Xiaoman asked, looking at it with genuine curiosity.

“Xiaoman… do you want one? I can give it to you.”

Hearing this, Chun Xiaoman shook her head without hesitation. “Forget it. Wearing gold would be way too heavy.”

“Xiao… Xiao… Xiaoman.” Gao Zhijian seemed to revert back to his old stutter. His expression was incredibly complicated as he looked at the girl covered in black hair before him.

All along this journey, he didn’t know when he had started to notice her, why he had fallen for this woman covered in black hair, in a way he couldn’t forget no matter how hard he tried.

Gao Zhijian’s heart was in turmoil. His large, calloused hands clenched tightly into fists.

Suddenly, Gao Zhijian opened his arms and pulled Chun Xiaoman into a tight embrace. “The eunuch and the Imperial Preceptor… they’re both pushing me to choose an Empress. To have sons. You were the first person I thought of. But…”

His voice choked and trembled. His arms held her tighter.

“…but I can’t. If you became Empress, our children… when they grew up, they would kill each other. They’d kill until only one was left. At that time… how heartbroken would you be? I don’t want to make you heartbroken. Because I like you! I don’t want you to suffer.”

Through his choked sobs, Chun Xiaoman struggled to pull free from his embrace. “Did you think I was just talking to hear myself talk? I’ve already told you clearly! I can live just fine without marrying a man in this lifetime!”

“Just because you’re the Emperor now doesn’t make you any different! What I, Chun Xiaoman, say is set in stone! I will never change it!”

“If you keep this up, don’t blame me for even ending our brother-and-sister bond!” With that, Chun Xiaoman stormed out of the imperial kitchen, her face full of indignation.

But the moment she stepped outside, her expression instantly collapsed. She leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down to the ground, and buried her head in her knees, looking utterly dejected.

After a moment, she stood up again, her eyes red-rimmed. She took a deep breath and ran off in the direction Bai Lingmiao had gone.

This entire scene was watched by three people hiding behind a pillar in a pavilion in the distance. Zhao Wu could barely contain his joy as he said to the Gouwa beside him, “Hey, if Xiaoman doesn’t even want to be Empress… do you think she might be into me?”

“Huh?” Gouwa looked at him with a face like he had just eaten a fly. “How does that even connect?”

“What do you mean, it doesn’t connect?”

Lu Xiucai, who was standing nearby with his arms crossed, cut in. “Yeah, that’s right, it connects. You should go and propose to Xiaoman right now. On your wedding day, I’ll lead your horse for you.”

Hearing this, Zhao Wu opened his mouth but said nothing else.

Just then, Gao Zhijian also walked out of the imperial kitchen. He first glanced at Chun Xiaoman’s retreating figure, then turned and walked toward the pavilion where Gouwa and the others were hiding.

“Shh! The idiot is coming this way! Quick! Quick, pretend you’re doing something! We can’t let him know we were secretly following him!”

When Gao Zhijian reached them, he saw the three of them squatting in a circle, staring intently at a pile of dead leaves on the ground. “What… are you doing?”

“Ah—ahem! Well, your palace is so big, we thought we’d look around a bit. We ended up getting lost.”

Gao Zhijian nodded. “I’ll find… a eunuch to show you… around.”

“You can go anywhere… and stay anywhere you like. It’s just that… there are some places in the palace… where it’s not convenient for you to go.”

As soon as he said this, a gloomy-looking young eunuch floated down from one of the pavilion’s pillars, landing silently. He knelt and kowtowed to Gao Zhijian. “Your Majesty, this servant is here.”

It was clear that he had heard every word the three of them had been saying.

“Ah—hahaha, then we’ll be troubling this eunuch,” Gouwa said with an awkward laugh. He walked over to the eunuch, slung an arm around his neck, and started leading him away.

Once they were a few steps away, Gouwa pulled out some loose silver and, despite the eunuch’s polite refusals, shoved it into his robe.

After the three of them had gone, Gao Zhijian’s demeanor instantly fell. He sat down on the steps of the pavilion, his eyes vacant, staring at the neat stone bricks on the ground.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he spoke again, his voice hollow. “Just… do as you said. Pick an Empress. Then tell the Ministry of Revenue to start… selecting imperial concubines.”

He was now the Emperor of Great Liang. The only Emperor. To protect Great Liang, he had to take consorts and have sons as quickly as possible. The faster, the better. The more, the better.

He couldn’t marry Xiaoman. In truth, he didn’t want to marry any of them. But his marriage was no longer just his own business. It concerned the Dragon Vein of Great Liang. And the Dragon Vein, in turn, affected all the people under heaven.

“Yes, your old servant obeys the decree.” The Imperial Preceptor of Great Liang, who had been standing beside Gao Zhijian without anyone noticing when he arrived, bowed to him, then turned and left.

As he turned, he collided with the Chief Astrologer, who was dressed in a red robe. The two nodded to each other in silence and passed by.

“Your Majesty.” The Chief Astrologer, whose build was even taller than Gao Zhijian’s, slowly sat down beside him.

“As a sovereign, you should set your mind on matters of state. Especially after the last Heavenly Calamity, the people of the Six Circuits of Great Liang have only just gotten through it. I have cast a divination, and next year will likely be difficult as well. You should begin attending the morning court and familiarize yourself with it again.”

Gao Zhijian raised his calloused hands and rubbed his face vigorously before standing back up. “I understand.”

“Xuanpin… am I really… cured? That Dice… can it really not control me anymore?”

In his view, matters like the morning court could wait. This was the most important thing. If he could turn into someone else at any moment, that would be far too terrifying.

Every time he remembered that the Zuowandao had used him to command the military and others to kill each other, a wave of intense fear washed over him.

The Chief Astrologer thought for a moment. He neither nodded nor shook his head. “This matter… I’m afraid you will have to ask Li Huowang. He was the one who got rid of the Dice that day. Whether the Dice is alive or dead now… I cannot say.”