Three Steps: From Assassin to Empress - Chapter 66
Chapter 66
In the main hall, the Xuanjing Division guards, familiar with Ying Xiu from a previous mission, kneel and pledge their allegiance to him, calling him “master.” Ying Xiu, embarrassed by the title, tries to get them to call him an equal, a “colleague,” but the guards, who view him as the future Empress, refuse in panic.
The Emperor, unconcerned with the etiquette, explains to Ying Xiu that the guards will now follow his orders. What he doesn’t tell him is that the guards will also report everything Ying Xiu says and does back to him, and they are specifically tasked with watching over Ying Xiu’s friends to ensure no one tries to harm him.
Ying Xiu is touched by the Emperor’s gesture and, now feeling like a leader, immediately decides to improve the guards’ working conditions. He promises them better pay, free food from the imperial kitchen, and lodging, all things he had longed for when he was an assassin. The guards are overjoyed by the prospect of good food and comfortable living.
The Emperor, who never concerned himself with such trivial matters, is surprised by Ying Xiu’s thoughtfulness. He gently caresses Ying Xiu’s face, a habit he has developed. He then asks, “Why don’t you think about me?” Ying Xiu honestly replies that he is always thinking of him. The Emperor, suspicious by nature, questions who taught him to say such things. Ying Xiu replies that the Emperor himself did, turning the Emperor’s own words back on him, and asks what he should be thinking to make the Emperor believe him.
The Emperor, taken aback, tells him he doesn’t have to think about anything. Ying Xiu, in a moment of maturity, comforts the Emperor, telling him that he will be by his side no matter what. He then leaves to go out with his foster father, Guo An, completely forgetting that he was not allowed to leave the palace.
The Emperor, seeing him go, instructs the imperial guards to protect Ying Xiu, tacitly allowing him to leave. The head of the guards refers to Ying Xiu as “Empress,” a title that shocks the court staff but earns him a reward from the Emperor. This public approval causes a new trend to sweep the capital, where people openly praise the “male Empress.”
Ying Xiu, traveling in a carriage, overhears people discussing the “male Empress,” whom they describe as a beautiful celestial being. Intrigued, he gets out and goes into a teahouse to listen. He is disappointed when he doesn’t see the “great beauty” they are talking about and even more disappointed when the youths at the table ignore him. He eventually realizes they are talking about him. He is both humbled and amused, thinking that he is just “average pretty” and that Xie Zhou is the real “super great beauty.”
Ying Xiu then travels to his foster father’s new home. He sees a new plaque with the name “Yu Residence” and recognizes the Emperor’s handwriting. He is touched that the Emperor rebuilt his family’s old home for him. Guo An greets him warmly and tells him that the Emperor had a new house built for them.
The text then flashes back to a conversation between Guo An and the Emperor. The Emperor, sitting on his throne, formally addresses Guo An as “father-in-law” and shows him the severed heads of the assassins who had been hunting him for years. The Emperor assures Guo An that he is now safe and repeats his request for Guo An to rise. Guo An, visibly shaken, kneels and makes one request of the Emperor: if he ever tires of Ying Xiu, he should let Guo An take him and leave. The Emperor agrees.
Back in the present, Ying Xiu is concerned about Guo An’s momentary distraction. Guo An reassures him that he’s fine and distracts him by showing him the rebuilt house, which is a meticulous recreation of his family’s former home. Ying Xiu, walking through the modest house, feels a mix of sadness and relief, realizing that what stands before him is not his real home but a new one built for him by Xie Zhou.