Guessed Well-Don't Guess Again Next Time

When she said this, Yan Shuzhu's eyes were practically shining.

She seemed to think she had guessed the truth.

"You did it on purpose, didn't you? You didn't want to overshadow your brother, so you wanted him to rise above the crowd. That's why you deliberately ruined yourself, right?!"

"..."

Guessed well—don't guess again next time!

Sorry, but the old Ye Liuyun really had been that useless.

Si Nan, standing to the side, seemed to have accepted that explanation as well. The way he looked at Ye Liuyun had turned admiring.

For the sake of giving his brother a brilliant future, he had deliberately destroyed his own life.

How admirable!

"Ahem! Let's just say that's how it was!"

He couldn't possibly explain every last detail, could he? Since she liked filling in the blanks herself, then she could keep doing so.

"I knew it!"

Yan Shuzhu smiled happily.

As for how the original Ye Liufeng had died, Yan Shuzhu guessed that he must have offended someone and been killed.

And the reason Ye Liuyun had assumed his brother's identity and entered the Brocade Guard was also to investigate the truth behind his brother's death.

It had to be said—

Ye Liuyun had not offered a single explanation, yet Yan Shuzhu had already played out an entire grand drama in her mind.

"As long as you are willing to help me, I can let you continue working as a Brocade Guard under the identity of Ye Liuyun, openly and legitimately. You will never need to hide your true identity again. And whatever you want to do—

"As long as it is within my power, I can help you!"

Yan Shuzhu sincerely believed that Ye Liuyun was a talent, so she genuinely wanted to recruit him.

At first, Ye Liuyun had refused.

But she was offering far too much.

"How should I help you?"

Ye Liuyun smiled, and Yan Shuzhu smiled as well upon hearing his answer.

Before long, Yan Shuzhu left.

Judging by the beaming smile on her face, she was clearly in an excellent mood.

She did not immediately ask Ye Liuyun to do anything. According to Yan Shuzhu, she would return and think it over first, then resolve Ye Liuyun's identity issue before anything else.

Ye Liuyun had no objections.

He merely watched Yan Shuzhu leave.

Only after the surroundings had fallen quiet did he turn his gaze toward Si Nan beside him.

Shi Sheng might have been a little slow to react, but Si Nan was a smart man. Through their conversation just now, he had likely already realized that this was Ye Liuyun, not Ye Liufeng.

The instant Ye Liuyun looked over—

Si Nan understood what he meant. Without hesitation, he immediately knelt before Ye Liuyun and clasped his fists.

"I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse, my lord!"

Si Nan was not stupid. Setting everything else aside, the usual rewards he received while following Ye Liuyun were already who knew how many times greater than before.

Moreover, judging from the current situation, following Ye Liuyun clearly offered a brighter future.

As for this Ye Liufeng fellow—sorry, they were not familiar.

"???"

Shi Sheng, standing nearby, looked at Si Nan with question marks all over his face.

He seemed unable to understand why Si Nan had suddenly begun declaring his loyalty. Had something happened?

Though confused—

After standing there dazed for a moment, Shi Sheng knelt as well.

"I, Shi Sheng, am also willing to serve you, my lord."

Though he did not know why they had to pledge loyalty at this moment, working under Ye Liuyun truly made Shi Sheng feel at ease.

A man would die for one who understood him.

To Shi Sheng, Ye Liuyun was precisely that sort of person.

"Alright, alright!"

Ye Liuyun smiled and waved his hand.

"It is enough that you understand this in your hearts. Everything will remain as it was before. I'll head back first."

Taking this opportunity to switch back to his original identity was not bad either.

At first, he had simply had no choice. But now that he had the ability, there was no need to worry about anything anymore.

"Phew!"

Only after Ye Liuyun left did Si Nan slowly let out a breath of foul air. Good thing he had reacted quickly.

Shi Sheng, who had risen alongside Si Nan, saw the look on his face and leaned closer curiously.

"Tell me, what exactly happened just now?"

"..."

Sometimes, being simple-minded was a good thing. Knowing nothing was its own kind of happiness.

After glancing at Shi Sheng, Si Nan explained helplessly.

"From now on, when you address my lord, you can no longer call him Ye Liufeng. You must call him Ye Liuyun."

"Ye Liuyun? What does that mean?"

Sometimes, I really wanted to report this to the authorities.

But since they would be working together in the future, Si Nan still patiently began explaining.

Night fell.

After leaving, Guan Bao hurried back to Lord Eunuch and recounted everything that had just happened, from beginning to end.

Within the imperial palace stood an extravagantly luxurious residence. This was Lord Eunuch's dwelling.

Eunuchs had no descendants and no desires in that regard, so most eunuchs were exceedingly greedy for wealth—or obsessed with power.

The position of Lord Eunuch was essentially the highest station an eunuch could attain.

Thus, he regarded wealth with particular importance.

As Guan Bao reported, Lord Eunuch was playing with the agate jade his subordinate had just presented, unable to put it down.

Only after Guan Bao had finished speaking—

Did Lord Eunuch gently place the agate jade into a brocade box.

"It seems our Little Emperor is not one willing to remain ordinary either. She actually wants to recruit the Brocade Guard!"

In Lord Eunuch's eyes, Little Emperor Yan Shuzhu protecting a Brocade Guard so fiercely was nothing more than an attempt to recruit him.

To use him to seize control of the Brocade Guard.

She was clearly just a puppet pushed forward to serve as emperor for a few short years, yet she wanted to defy her fate. How laughable.

"Godfather, should I go?"

Guan Bao cautiously raised a hand as he spoke softly, making a throat-slitting gesture.

He meant to ask whether he should quietly dispose of Ye Liuyun.

It was clear that Guan Bao was extremely confident in his own strength. He did not believe silently dealing with Ye Liuyun would be any trouble at all.

"No need!"

Lord Eunuch waved his hand indifferently.

"Even if she is a puppet, she is still the emperor in the end."

Lord Eunuch was loyal to Great Qian.

Yet the one he was loyal to was not Yan Shuzhu, but Yan Shuzhu's imperial father. In Lord Eunuch's view, that man was the true master of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"Master has only been in seclusion for a few years. It will likely still take some time before he emerges. During that time, this old servant cannot allow any turmoil to arise in Great Qian. Otherwise, when Master emerges, would he not think us incompetent?"

"So, there is no need to do anything. Since the Little Emperor wants to protect that Brocade Guard, let her protect him. Since she wants to control the Brocade Guard, let her do it. It will conveniently waste some of her time."

"After all, once Master emerges from seclusion, this Great Qian court will still belong to Master."

His tone was utterly casual.

As though so long as no trouble arose in Great Qian, nothing else mattered.