Imperial Weight Chapter 30
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 30
They had never discussed the topic of life, old age, illness, and death during their time in the mortal realm.
Xingyi frequently went to the battlefield. Even after marrying Little Phoenix, he went on two campaigns—once the day after their wedding, and another time when he took Little Phoenix on a trip to Jiangnan. Little Phoenix had made his life-protecting pearl into a necklace and given it to him, and Xingyi had worn it ever since.
Though Little Phoenix never said anything, Xingyi knew he was always afraid—terribly afraid. During peacetime, Little Phoenix would worry about Xingyi's daily journey back from the military camp, which required riding through high, steep cliffs and uneven roads. Even if he went to bed early at night, he would still wake up from time to time, run out to look, and when he was too exhausted to walk properly, he still refused to return to bed.
At first, Xingyi rushed home every day, thinking this would make Little Phoenix happy, but unexpectedly, Little Phoenix got upset about it. From then on, Xingyi made an agreement with Little Phoenix that he would take the military camp's carriage home instead. It was slower, but it didn't matter if it took a bit longer.
He told himself, and told Little Phoenix, "We have a long time together ahead of us. It doesn't matter if it takes a bit longer, right?"
After that, Little Phoenix felt much more at ease.
After they passed through that first year of being inseparable, not wanting to be apart for even a moment, Little Phoenix relaxed and even learned to go out and have fun on his own. Sometimes he would visit the City Lord's mansion and stay for a long time. Several times Xingyi came home to find no one there, and had to go to the City Lord's mansion to retrieve Little Phoenix, who was playing mahjong with the servants.
Sometimes that young military advisor surnamed Sang would also join in playing mahjong. When Xingyi arrived, he couldn't disturb their fun, so he would sit to the side with Xie Yuan, each watching their respective partners happily play mahjong. The two of them would sit there wordlessly. After finishing any serious discussion, they would go observe the game and occasionally offer advice.
Xingyi was clever, having grown up in the deep palace absorbing knowledge by osmosis, and deeply understood the strategies of leaf cards. Little Phoenix had good luck and could always draw particularly good tiles. In comparison, the young City Lord had little time to play growing up and had never been exposed to leaf cards, so his advice didn't amount to much, and the young military advisor's luck was just ordinary people's luck. With Xingyi and Little Phoenix working together, they won so much that the young military advisor across from them nearly lost his belt.
The young military advisor negotiated with them. "I've already lost all my wages, and the City Lord is a tightwad who won't give me a raise. How about every time I lose, I make you some snow skin mooncakes?"
Little Phoenix happily agreed, and at the same time promised that if he lost, he would give the young military advisor a storybook legend. To win one of the rare volumes from the series of illustrated books, the young military advisor spent three days studying leaf cards intensively. When he emerged, he could indeed match Little Phoenix's skill. He happily went to their mansion to claim the illustrated book and brought along a whole basket of snow skin mooncakes.
That basket of mooncakes made Little Phoenix gain a bit of weight, and from then on he clamored about losing weight, dancing for Xingyi every night in deep red gauze garments—performing the Whirling Dance of Hu, the Rainbow Feather Garment Dance, both innocent and seductive, with indescribable charm. This little fellow's methods of seduction were quite clumsy, but Xingyi happened to be susceptible to exactly this approach.
Having a lover, having friends, being in good health, living smoothly—the best happiness was nothing more than this.
Xingyi would often pinch Little Phoenix, regardless of place or time, pinching his arm or his cheek. Little Phoenix would often turn back to look at him, his eyes full of doubt. "What is it, Weijian?"
Xingyi wouldn't answer, just smile faintly.
Wondering if you're real.
Wanting to confirm whether this life truly existed. He had never dreamed of such a life before, and feared it was all an empty dream that would soon end.
Fortunately, it was real.
-------
After Xingyi coaxed Little Phoenix for quite a while, Little Phoenix finally stopped crying, though he was still hiccupping, his sobs earth-shaking.
While coaxing him, Xingyi collected Little Phoenix's tears in his hand. When Little Phoenix had calmed down a bit, he handed them over. "Don't cry anymore. Look, these are your phoenix tears. You said last time they're very valuable, so I picked them all up for you. Come, let me hug my little Yuan Yuan, okay?"
Little Phoenix looked at the phoenix tears in his hand, first stunned for a moment, then cried again. "I've, I've cried so much, and you still have the mind to pick up my tears thinking about selling them. You're not a good husband at all."
While crying, he flapped his little wings chaotically and burrowed into Xingyi's embrace, from his chest to his neck, rubbing against his cheek, as if begging to be held. He still remembered the second half of Xingyi's words.
Xingyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Tell me, aren't you terrible? Last time when I made you cry, I was focused on comforting you and didn't pick them up, so you cried even harder, saying not only did I make your million spirit stones vanish into thin air, I also didn't help you collect the phoenix tears to save money. This time I picked them up for you, and now you say I'm not considerate, not comforting you. Is there such an unreasonable little bad bird as you?"
Little Phoenix's crying lessened a bit. He secretly lifted his little bean eyes to peek at Xingyi, then continued whimpering, though by this point he was no longer righteous or confident.
Xingyi took out the magical wicker ball and threatened. "If you keep crying, you're going into solitary confinement."
Little Phoenix reluctantly stopped his wailing, looked down at the wicker ball, and disdainfully batted it with his little claw, then looked up at him pitifully. "I don't want to be confined, husband."
Xingyi sighed, made the wicker ball a bit smaller, then tossed it to Little Phoenix. "Then be good. Don't sing so early in the morning anymore, understand? Here, you can play with this."
Little Phoenix batted the small wicker ball around, then raised his head again, his little bean eyes watery. "Husband, I also want a bird climbing frame. May I have one?"
Xingyi thought for a moment. "Alright then."
With this wicker ball, Xingyi and Little Phoenix reached a temporary truce on the matter of waking up. Little Phoenix began to understand that the hour of Mao was too early. Every day after waking, he would first go out for a run, eat some lianshi fruits, then come back to wake Xingyi. When waking him, he no longer sang, but would carry in the cold air from outside and carefully, gently approach Xingyi's pillow, pressing his slightly cool belly against Xingyi's cheek. If he transformed into human form, he would nestle in Xingyi's embrace for a while, then gently reach out to find a book and lie on the bed reading. When the time was about right, he would push Xingyi, poke his forehead, and say: "Good morning, Weijian."
Xingyi was very satisfied.
However, the good times didn't last long. After just a few days, Little Phoenix discovered that Xingyi was increasingly developing a tendency to stay in bed—this person, relying on having a wicker ball magical artifact, used authoritarian suppression against his wake-up service, always clinging to him saying: "Sleep a bit more, just a bit more, keep me company, okay? You said I have seven opportunities to stay in bed each month." Simply taking a mile when given an inch.
Little Phoenix pointed out. "But this month, this is already your seventh time, Weijian."
Xingyi said, "That's not a problem."
As he spoke, he casually summoned the Star Disc to prove to Little Phoenix that a new month was about to begin—
Little Phoenix transformed into human form and tried hard to drag him up from the bed. "That won't do, Weijian! Yue Lao has been coming over every day lately, always asking me if he's getting wrinkles on his face, feeling like he's suddenly aged a lot. I think this is very bad. You can't do this, depriving others of their time just to avoid going to morning court. A person's youth and beauty are very important."
Xingyi said, "Oh, how important?"
Little Phoenix rested his chin on his hand, looking at him, a bit shy. "You, you like me so much, you must still be bewitched by my beauty."
Xingyi: "......"
Xingyi reasoned with him, "It won't be depriving anyone. I'm speeding up the Star Disc's rotation now, but I can slow it down later. When that time comes, the days will be very long, won't that be nice?"
Little Phoenix: "Mm......"
Xingyi appealed to his emotions. "When that time comes, I can sleep a bit more, you'll have more time to play, and I'll have more energy to keep you company. Wouldn't that be even better?"
Little Phoenix was drawn in by his reasoning, overlooking the key point that "you shouldn't casually change the Star Disc's speed just to stay in bed," and inevitably felt he had a point. The look in his eyes became wary. "Weijian, why do I feel like you're tricking me?"
Xingyi also rested his chin on his hand, looking at him. "Would a husband deceive his spouse?"
Little Phoenix hesitated. "No, probably not."
Xingyi reached out and pinched his cheek. "Exactly, so be good."
But after one night passed, Little Phoenix figured it out with his little brain—Xingyi had simply been teasing him and playing on his emotions. He was a bit angry, so he returned to the days of transforming into a little bird every morning and chirping to wake him up.
The next morning, Xingyi was awakened in a half-dreaming state by crisp chirping sounds. He reached toward the top of his head, planning to catch this round ball and give it a good squeeze, but Little Phoenix nimbly jumped away.
Xingyi reached out again by feel, touched a soft wingtip, but Little Phoenix rolled nimbly and dodged again.
Xingyi woke up completely and got up to catch the phoenix everywhere. Little Phoenix sang at the top of his voice while taunting, "You're a deceitful husband! You don't even reflect on your mistakes, you're not a good husband!"
Little Phoenix flapped his wings nimbly and flew outside. Xingyi casually threw on a robe and chased after him, threatening in a low voice, "You bad little bird, today I'm definitely going to catch you and give you a good squeeze—"
At the same time, he saw Little Phoenix suddenly turn back. The little round ball dove into his embrace, and upon landing transformed into human form, bumping into him and making him step back half a pace.
Falling softly into his embrace, like a spring breeze brushing past.
Clang—an immortal maid passing by in the corridor gaped in shock and dropped the water basin in her hands.
The immortal maid looked seriously in their direction, then bowed. "I apologize for disturbing you, Emperor, Phoenix Yuan Yuan. I'll leave right away."
Xingyi looked at the youth before him wearing only a gauze robe, then at the lone water basin in the corridor, and fell silent.
This scene was so familiar, yet he kept falling for it again and again.
Little Phoenix brought his face close, wrapping his arms around Xingyi's shoulders, very enthusiastic. "Come on, come on, squeeze me, squeeze me."
Xingyi looked at him, his eyes darkening, and said coldly, "You really think I don't dare to squeeze you?"
Little Phoenix said shyly, "No, come on, come on. Kiss me, look, isn't my mouth very soft? Isn't my waist also very soft?"
......
Xingyi felt this couldn't continue.
The next day, he officially put the magical wicker ball into use, confining Little Phoenix the very first moment he started singing.
Xingyi slept in to his heart's content, then opened the wicker ball and released Little Phoenix.
Little Phoenix had been pitifully confined for half a shichen. When he came out, he put his little wings on his hips—though his bird form had no hips—and formally declared war on Xingyi's violent suppression method. "Husband, direct and honest remonstrance is also part of the way of spouses. I won't give up just like this!"
Xingyi smiled faintly. "Fine, I'm waiting. Do you want to eat lianshi fruits today or dine with me? Breakfast includes cherry soup. I heard from the palace servants that you like it."
Little Phoenix's attention was immediately diverted. "Then I want to eat with you."
Not long after Little Phoenix learned to transform, the two of them reached a certain understanding: because Little Phoenix could only transform once a day, the difference between bird form and human form determined his entire day's meals. If he decided to become a little bird, the palace servants would prepare lianshi fruits and bird food; if he decided to become human, the palace servants would prepare an extra portion of food, the same as Xingyi's. From then on, what to eat became synonymous with what form Little Phoenix would take.
Hearing his answer, Xingyi got up and dressed himself, then turned back and patted the little round ball on the bed. "Then hurry and transform so you can get dressed and wash up. That thing won't taste good when it gets cold—it'll be sour."
Little Phoenix transformed back into human form with a "poof" and began putting on his clothes and shoes. Halfway through dressing, he suddenly remembered the topic Xingyi had interrupted. "Wait, Weijian, I haven't finished speaking. I won't give up. I'll persist in waking you up."
Xingyi saw he hadn't moved for a long time, so he reached out to button his clothes for him, answering faintly, "Mm."
Little Phoenix was a bit timid. He observed Xingyi's expression, his tone soft. "I'm doing this for your own good. Last time I heard from the golden-winged bird who heard from Phoenix Ming Zun who heard from Wuxin Ming Wang that you shouldn't sleep too long, because your power to suppress the Star Disc weakens at night, so the Star Disc's power naturally increases, and during the day you'll expend more cultivation. And if you keep not going to court, everyone will worry about you too."
"Worry about me for what? They'll just say 'Spring nights are too short, the sun rises high, from now on the emperor no longer attends morning court.'" Xingyi sighed, finished buttoning his clothes, then bent down to hold his waist and back, directly hoisting him up. "Stop talking, you little troublemaker. Let's go eat."
Little Phoenix flailed on his shoulder. "This is also bad for your health. If you get old and can't function anymore, I'll be very sad too."
"How could that be?"
Xingyi suddenly changed his grip, put him down, lifted him under the knees, and carried him horizontally in his arms.
Little Phoenix's eyes blinked as he looked at him.
Xingyi leaned close to his ear, as if speaking in confidence. "If I really can't function anymore, it'll be because your husband indulged too much in beauty... If I don't attend morning court every day, sooner or later I'll be thoroughly exhausted by you, dying from depletion. Little enchantress, you can't escape responsibility for this."
Little Phoenix's face turned red all at once.
Clearly the two of them hadn't done anything in this life yet, but Xingyi seemed to be becoming less and less proper.
Could it really be because he was a little enchantress?
But he was a phoenix, not an enchantress.
He muttered quietly:,"So I should distance myself from this even more! Wait, you're my husband, why should I distance myself... Should I distance myself or..." After thinking for a moment, he suddenly understood, his head drooping. "Weijian, you're tricking me again."
Xingyi pushed the nearly cold cherry soup on the table toward him, passing his hand over it to add warmth, making it nice and warm. He smiled. "Who told you to be so silly."
……
The next day, Xingyi realized something was wrong.
This little round bird still had some tricks up his sleeve.
After Little Phoenix woke up and transformed into a little bird, he began standing on Xingyi's head singing at the top of his voice. As soon as the chirping started, the magical wicker ball snapped shut around him with a "pop," and the crisp bird song came to an abrupt halt.
But at the same time, Xingyi heard a chorus of bird calls rise up all around him—
"Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp!"
"Cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep!"
And there was even a little snow wolf mixed in. "Awoo! Awoo awoo!"
As if he'd moved into the liveliest forest, with all creatures singing in response, full of vitality.
Xingyi: "......"
He got out of bed and pushed open the window to look. He discovered the courtyard outside was full of birds, with several silver wolves rolling around, tumbling in the snow and turning his courtyard completely upside down.
As soon as he appeared at the window, the little animals immediately fled, neat and orderly, disappearing completely in an instant.
Xingyi thought for a moment, opened the wicker ball and released Little Phoenix, only to see the little bird sleeping soundly.
After opening it, Xingyi looked at him for a moment. Little Phoenix secretly opened one little bean eye to peek, and upon seeing it was him, immediately chirped twice without shame, then said, "Husband, let me sleep. You woke me up."
Xingyi: "......"
He decided to stake out the situation.
However, Little Phoenix was very alert, and for two consecutive days didn't let him catch any evidence.
Xingyi was quite patient. That evening, he didn't do as before, waiting until morning to decide whether to cancel court. In front of Little Phoenix, he told the immortal maids and servants: "If I haven't gotten up tomorrow, don't wake me. I'm canceling court again."
Little Phoenix glared at him. He pretended not to see.
Late at night, Xingyi stayed awake. Finally, when it was almost the hour of Mao, he felt the little round ball by his pillow stir, then sneakily slip out of bed.
Xingyi slightly opened his eyes and saw Little Phoenix successfully fly up and smoothly slip out through the hole he'd previously left by the window.
Xingyi thought for a moment, preparing to get up and put on his robe, but after hesitating for a while, he stopped.
He looked at the hole through which Little Phoenix had left, tilted his head, then silently recited an incantation.
A moment later, a pitch-black, fluffy round ball landed safely on the bed. Except for its coloring, this round ball was identical to Little Phoenix—black from head to toe, with jet-black little bean eyes that emanated a solemn and stern light, along with a trace of coldness. If someone else encountered it, they would pay it no mind at first, but only when they found this pair of sharp little bean eyes among the pitch-black downy feathers would they feel solemn respect.
This black little round ball, with the bearing of a high-ranking deity descending for inspection, slipped out through the hole in the window.
While squeezing through this hole, Xingyi thought: "Mm, it's not that tight after all. It really is just because of the fluffiness."
