One of the happiest moments for Xiao Jin after becoming Emperor was Xiao Shan's return from Yunnan.

 

When he was the Crown Prince, Xiao Jin had stood in the court, handling many affairs on behalf of the Emperor and reviewing numerous memorials. Naturally, he understood the power and loneliness that came with being a ruler.

 

However, it was only after he truly ascended to the throne that he realized just how profound the loneliness of an Emperor could be.

 

During his time as Crown Prince, there were ministers with whom he could speak candidly. Now, those same ministers faced him with reverence and fear, carefully weighing their words before speaking.

 

As ministers, they began to ponder his thoughts and test his intentions.

 

The initial support they had shown in making him Emperor had now transformed into efforts to maintain their own interests.

 

Xiao Jin did not find this loneliness unbearable. After all, sitting in the most exalted position required others' reverence and obedience, and it necessitated this solitude. To gain the greatest power, one must inevitably lose some of the joys and sorrows of being human.

 

Occasionally, in the stillness of the night, Xiao Jin would feel the air around him grow lonely. At such times, his thoughts would turn to Xiao Shan.

 

He imagined that if Xiao Shan were always by his side, during moments of distress, Xiao Shan would likely coax him into sharing a drink, breaking the palace's strict rules. Then, calling him 'second brother' each time he talked, Xiao Shan would speak his mind freely, bluntly criticizing some of the ministers.

 

Xiao Shan never liked to beat around the bush, even when offering comfort. Yet, whenever Xiao Jin reminisced about these things, his eyes would invariably fill with a sense of warmth and amusement.

 

In those years, the Retired Emperor was particularly fond of Xiao Shan's temperament. So, despite often gritting his teeth at Xiao Shan, the Retired Emperor actually favored him the most. Otherwise, Xiao Shan wouldn't have been able to smoothly obtain so many treasures from him.

 

Moreover, only Xiao Shan could speak such nonsensical words in front of the Retired Emperor without being punished. Even after the Retired Emperor abdicated in his favor, due to his mood, he specifically went to Yunnan to stay for a long time.

 

Xiao Shan had the talent to entertain the Retired Emperor in a way that kept him on his mind.

 

The world knew that he doted on his younger brother Xiao Shan immensely. After he became the Emperor, there were those who tried to imitate Xiao Shan's mannerisms and behavior, hoping to catch his eye through such means.

 

But imitation was just that—imitation. They had no idea what kind of person Xiao Shan truly was, and their attempts ended up being neither here nor there.

 

For such people, not only did they fail to catch Xiao Jin's eye, but Xiao Jin would also tell them to get lost as far as possible.

 

Fortunately, Xiao Shan was about to return from Yunnan soon.

 

Mentioning this made Xiao Jin wish he could personally go to Yunnan and drag Xiao Shan back. Xiao Shan had been away for several years, only sending letters and some local specialties to the capital occasionally. Meanwhile, he caused various disturbances in Yunnan, prompting officials not under the jurisdiction of the Prince of Yunnan's residence to constantly send memorials to the capital.

 

Some of these memorials subtly suggested that Xiao Shan's actions were too ostentatious and inappropriate, while others were more vehement, claiming that Xiao Shan intended to turn the Prince of Yunnan's residence into his own little kingdom, urging Xiao Jin to put a stop to it.

 

After all, a country can only have one Emperor. The emergence of a state within a state was an ominous sign and will inevitably lead to chaos in the future.

 

Every time Xiao Jin saw such memorials, he wished he could directly annotate with a red pen, questioning how Xiao Shan, who didn't even care to be Emperor, could possibly create a state within a state.

 

Of course, as an Emperor, Xiao Jin couldn't be so capricious in such matters.

 

To such people, he would ultimately respond with a single sentence: "The Prince of Yunnan and I are brothers." This effectively silenced them, as no minister would dare submit a memorial suggesting that brothers would turn against each other for the throne.

 

Even if they dared to think it, they wouldn't dare to say it. After all, no one in this world was looking for ways to court death so easily.

 

Xiao Jin never mentioned these memorials to Xiao Shan, but he knew that with Xiao Shan's intelligence, he must have been aware of them.

 

Xiao Shan's temperament remained unchanged, and his words and actions were the same as before. All these things were telling him that Xiao Shan was still the same Xiao Shan, and he, the Emperor, was still the same second brother from back then.

 

Sometimes, Xiao Jin would wonder if he was still the same second brother to Xiao Shan.

 

Sometimes he felt he was, and sometimes he felt he wasn't.

 

After becoming Emperor, he unconsciously changed a lot. Even Xiao Rong, who wasn't particularly sharp, didn't dare to speak casually in front of him.

 

Back then, he sent Xiao Rong to Yunnan to escort the retired Emperor and Xiao Shan back to the capital. The day before, Xiao Rong met with Xiao Yi. When he casually mentioned it, he could tell from Xiao Rong's unconcealable expression that Xiao Rong figured out that secret.

 

In the past, Xiao Rong would have loudly proclaimed it to the world and used that secret as leverage against him.

 

But that day, without a second thought, Xiao Rong outright declared that he didn't believe a word Xiao Yi said.

 

Even if everything Xiao Yi said was true, Xiao Rong's stance was clear: he didn't believe it, and that was that.

 

He wasn't someone who enjoyed being ruthless towards his brothers, so after Xiao Rong made his stance clear, he didn't pursue the matter further. However, Xiao Yi crossed his bottom line. As long as the Retired Emperor was still alive and well, he wouldn't act against this brother who became a part of another family. But as for the future, who could say for certain?

 

After Xiao Shan returned to the capital, some things remained unchanged, but some things had indeed changed.

 

Xiao Shan would call him "Imperial Brother" incessantly, which irritated him.

 

Fortunately, Xiao Shan was still Xiao Shan. After expressing his dissatisfaction, he quickly changed his address. "Second Brother" sounded much better than "Imperial Brother."

 

With Xiao Shan's return to the capital, Xiao Jin's mood improved significantly. Even when some court officials made mistakes, he no longer berated them harshly.

 

Xiao Jin thought that if life could continue like this, it would be quite acceptable. Each day, he would handle state affairs, listen to ministers argue over trivial matters, and then hear Xiao Shan speak, filling his heart with joy.

 

Xiao Shan said it well: being an Emperor was very stressful, as deciding others' fates happened in an instant, and even an Emperor, being human, could not avoid making mistakes. Xiao Jin found this statement very true, and often listening to Xiao Shan's straightforward words was quite relieving.

 

Days passed by like this, and Xiao Jin knew that eventually, Xiao Shan would return to Yunnan. As the Emperor, he was destined to sit on the throne alone, with no one to accompany him.

 

The duration of Xiao Shan's stay in the capital largely depended on the health of the Retired Emperor.

 

Although it felt somewhat rebellious to think this way, Xiao Jin was well aware that a significant reason for Xiao Shan's obedient return to the capital was the Retired Emperor's health.

 

Having both the Emperor and the Retired Emperor in the palace could generally lead to some issues. However, his father had not summoned any external ministers since returning to the palace, citing ill health.

 

In this realm, it was still Xiao Jin, the Emperor, who had the final say.

 

Xiao Shan remarked that the Retired Emperor handled the matter brilliantly. Since he was no longer the Emperor, the transfer of power was clear and thorough, thus avoiding many potential issues. His choice of words was quite novel but easy to understand, and Xiao Jin couldn't help but want to nod in agreement. However, mindful of his status, he glanced at Xiao Shan and said, "You're a grown man now, yet you still speak without restraint. If outsiders hear you, they'll surely report you."

 

Xiao Shan raised an eyebrow indifferently and replied, "Let them report me. I didn't just say this in front of you, Second Brother. I've already said it to Imperial Father. If Imperial Father didn't mind, what do they have to report? They won't win even if they try."

 

Xiao Jin chuckled softly at this. In the entire world, only Xiao Shan dared to speak like that in front of their father.

 

"Aren't you afraid of angering Imperial Father?" Xiao Jin said helplessly, though he was in a good mood. He thought to himself that those ministers always openly and secretly criticized him for trusting Xiao Shan too much. But they didn't see how Xiao Shan treated him on a daily basis.

 

Before any risks even emerged, Xiao Shan already made all the necessary preparations for him. If he didn't trust someone like that, should he trust those who only professed their loyalty with words and couldn't accomplish a single impressive task?

 

"Imperial Father has seen it all; how could he get angry?" Xiao Shan replied with a cheerful smile. He wasn't truly foolish; he knew to bring up such topics when Xiao Sheng was in a good mood.

 

Xiao Jin didn't say anything further. After Xiao Shan left the palace, he selected many fine items from his private treasury to send to Xiao Shan.

 

There was no need to constantly express gratitude; Xiao Jin was never stingy with the things Xiao Shan liked.

 

A few months passed in the blink of an eye. As summer turned to autumn and the weather gradually cooled, the Retired Emperor, Xiao Sheng, fell ill. Fortunately, it wasn't too serious in the end. However, the imperial physicians cautiously mentioned that given the Retired Emperor's advanced age, special care was needed during the transition from autumn to winter.

 

Xiao Jin understood the implication and paid even more attention to Xiao Sheng's health, hoping that Xiao Sheng would live a long life.

 

 

The author has something to say: I hesitated for a long time about writing Xiao Jin's side story, but I finally decided to do it. I couldn't finish it today, so I'll write the second part tomorrow.