Chapter 0309 The Content of That Heavenly Decree: Returning to the Cycle of Dreams at Forty

When Xie Chengze returned to Cheng Huan Palace, he spotted Xie Jinyu in the courtyard and hurried over with quick steps, beaming as he asked, “What brings you here, Jinyu? Have you finished reviewing the memorials this early?”

Xie Jinyu noticed his flushed cheeks and caught a faint scent of wine lingering around him, causing a slight frown to form. “You’ve been drinking?”

“Just a tiny bit~” Xie Chengze quickly untied the small wine flask from his waist and offered it proudly. “I brought some for you too~”

Xie Jinyu’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly as he reached out to take the flask. He summoned a palace attendant and instructed, “Fetch the imperial physician.”

“That’s really not necessary.” Xie Chengze flinched at the mention of the physician. “I truly only had a little.”

“Drinking will interfere with the medicine’s efficacy,” Xie Jinyu disagreed, then coaxed gently, “I won’t let the physician add more medicine—just have your pulse checked.”

“Alright then~” Xie Chengze turned and settled into a wooden chair. While waiting for the physician, he rested his hands on his knees, gazing down at his feet and swaying his toes lightly. “Jinyu…”

Xie Jinyu lifted his eyes to him. “Hmm?”

“If Second Brother were to leave someday—and I don’t mean running away from home, I mean passing away,” Xie Chengze looked up with a faint smile, “would you promise to listen to Shen Yuan and be a good emperor?”

Xie Jinyu lowered his gaze, emotions swirling indistinctly in his eyes. “Second Brother, did you sneak into the Directorate of Celestial Observation and see something you shouldn’t have?”

Xie Chengze’s eyes darted away guiltily. “What forbidden things? Second Brother didn’t do that.”

Then he quickly caught on. “Wait… Are there things in the Directorate of Celestial Observation that shouldn’t be seen?”

If Xie Jinyu asked that, had he seen the Heavenly Decree himself?

Xie Jinyu slowly raised his eyelids, studying Xie Chengze’s expression in silence for a long moment before finally saying, “It’s nothing.”

“Second Brother must live well, and live long.” The sleeves beneath his dragon robe tightened slightly as Xie Jinyu curled his lips into a cruel smile. “If Second Brother passes away before turning forty, I will slaughter Shen Yuan’s entire family.”

Xie Chengze’s eyes widened in shock.

Why kill Shen Yuan’s whole family when you could just kill Shen Yuan?

What did Shen Yuan’s family ever do wrong?

“Did Second Brother hear me?”Xie Jinyu rose and knelt before Xie Chengze’s chair, wrapping his arms around his waist and burying his head against him, his voice low.” “If Shen Yuan comes to discuss state affairs with you, drive him away.”

“…” Xie Chengze thought to himself, It seems Xie Jinyu really did see the Heavenly Decree.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have set his expectations so low, merely hoping he would live to forty.

He had seen the final Heavenly Decree clearly:

Beneath Cheng Huan Palace, Chengze is born,

A auspicious star descends with brilliant hues.

Wisdom enlightens all, yet life is shorn,

At forty, returns to dreams he’ll never lose.

The prophecy stated he would only live to forty.

Xie Chengze calculated—perhaps that was exactly the time he would wake from a coma after the doctors’ rescue.

He only had twenty years left to accompany them.

Twenty years…

Xie Chengze stroked Xie Jinyu’s head in his lap, feeling a wave of sorrow: It seems he wouldn’t be able to marry and have children here.

It would be too unfair to any woman he might wed.

After the imperial physician arrived and saw Xie Jinyu nestled against Xie Chengze, he dared not take another glance. Trembling, he took the pulse and said, “The Imperial Advisor is in good health. He simply must avoid overexertion, maintain a light diet, and occasionally having a few sips of wine is harmless.”

Only then did Xie Jinyu feel relieved and waved his hand to dismiss the physician.

Since the memorials had not yet been reviewed, he returned to the Imperial Study first, without asking Xie Chengze to accompany him. He was worried that if Xie Chengze stayed in the study, he would grow bored and couldn’t resist reading the memorials, only to start worrying and overexerting himself again.

After Xie Jinyu left, Xie Chengze began preparing Xie Shoujun’s birthday gifts.

Ten birthday gifts were a piece of cake for Xie Chengze. Being a man himself, he naturally understood what men would like. Thus, he spent his days holed up in the Ministry of Works, following Old Gu around and asking him to help prepare the gifts.

Old Gu was thoroughly annoyed. “Go ask Su Qinghe to do it.”

“He’s been busy going to the Hanlin Academy to attend lectures and has no time,” Xie Chengze muttered. “Otherwise, why would I come to you? With your poor eyesight, I’m afraid you’ll mess it up.”

Old Gu: ???

Who are you calling poor eyesight?

Easily provoked, Old Gu started huffing and puffing as he worked on the birthday gifts for Xie Chengze.

Meanwhile, Xie Chengze spent his days tinkering with something in the furnace, occasionally bringing back shells, plants, and other materials from outside the palace. He would grind, filter, and fire them. When asked what he was doing, he would just shake his head, looking mysterious.

Until one day.

Xie Chengze handed him a completely transparent glass piece.

Old Gu’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“What is this?!”

“Glass,” Xie Chengze said proudly. “To be precise, it’s a pair of eyeglasses for nearsightedness.”

He had noticed Old Gu’s nearsightedness and, since making an astronomical telescope also required lenses, he gathered materials and managed to create a pair of eyeglasses.

Of course, he had no idea what the prescription of these somewhat crude eyeglasses was.

Old Gu held the lens in his hand, unable to put it down. He tried looking at distant objects and felt a bit dizzy. Only when he held it at a certain distance did things become clearer.

“I don’t know how to adjust the prescription,” Xie Chengze said, only responsible for creating the problem, not solving it. “You’ll have to figure out the rest yourself, Old Gu.”

“Oh, and of course, you have to finish my birthday gifts first.”

“No problem.” Old Gu, now immensely interested in the eyeglasses, agreed immediately. He then gathered the officials of the Ministry of Works to study the potential uses of glass.

Xie Chengze dusted off his hands and left.

The prophecy was quite accurate. To drive the industrial development of Jian’an, he would inevitably have to rack his brains, and mental exertion was far more exhausting than physical labor. It was easy to become weakened, and naturally, one’s lifespan would shorten as a result.

If he were to stay up all night and neglect a regular diet…

In this ancient era without advanced hospitals, it would be all too common to fall ill and pass away before reaching the age of forty.

So…

After learning of the prophecy, Xie Chengze decided to merely set things in motion and let others explore and research on their own. He would offer “guidance” when appropriate. Of course, it absolutely wasn’t because his own knowledge was shallow and he didn’t know the specific research methods—ahem, ahem.

This way, he should be able to live a few more years.

And so, the days quietly slipped by.

In the end, Xie Jinyu still dispatched Xie Shoujun to negotiate with the Turks. When the negotiations failed, the two armies briefly clashed. Ultimately, a final blast of gunpowder intimidated the enemy into obediently ceding territory and releasing prisoners.

But Xie Shoujun was not satisfied with this. Seemingly dedicated to expanding Jian’an’s territory and attempting to bury Xie Jinyu under piles of administrative reports from newly acquired regions, he led his fresh recruits and officers on a reckless “tour” across Turkic lands.

The consecutive victory reports infuriated Xie Jinyu to the point where veins bulged at his temples, and he erupted in furious shouts within the Golden Luan Hall.

The ministers wondered why the Emperor was so displeased when this was clearly favorable news.

It was only after Xie Chengze sent a letter that Xie Shoujun finally settled down, regrouping his forces and returning to Jingcheng.

During this period, the Imperial Academy also commenced its new term.