Rebel Minister

By the time Jiang Jue was seven, the words he heard most to describe himself were "heaven's favored child," "born to the imperial family," and even "the one destined to be emperor."

But at seven, it all came to an end.

In the blink of an eye, a sea of blood swept through his life. On an otherwise ordinary day, every relative and friend in the house was gone but him.

Blood ran dry inside and outside the residence.

His tutor accompanied him home, but died protecting him.

He was transported along with all the corpses to a place called the Palace of the Dead, where he fought and clawed at ghosts to survive.

This place had no names, no origins, no family, friends, or teachers.

There was only one thing: his life.

But Jiang Jue remembered. It was all he could do: remember his name and the people in the residence who had died for reasons he could not understand.

*

At seventeen, Jiang Jue sat for the palace examination in a changed appearance. He wrote the final stroke, and when the results were announced, he had placed first, earning the title of top scholar. An envoy from the capital told him the court was short of talent and offered him a high-ranking post.

But just days later, his mother at home passed away, her life finally spent. He held her hand, donned mourning clothes, and declined the post. Moved by his sincerity, the emperor reserved the position for him and allowed him to take it up two years later.

At nineteen, Jiang Jue set out for the capital.

He had taken control of the Palace of the Dead, and he had a purpose of his own.

Nothing else mattered. He wanted to reopen the case of that baseless massacre and avenge his deep-seated hatred.

He walked alone, believing that this was all life had in store for him, that he would keep walking down this road into darkness.

But along the way, he came across a beautiful piece of jade that had lost its soul.

"The clan leader says my soul is here. Have you seen it?"

Jiang Jue pretended to ponder. "I might have."

Later, that shameless piece of jade latched onto him, and he could never get rid of it.

The seme's perspective

Who was he? Where was he born? Where was he going?

Before his master told him to go to the capital, Helian Jinyu had never given those questions much thought. He was missing a stretch of time, missing some memories.

It was as if he had been born to roam the grasslands and battlefields.

The poems and books from the Central Plains said that the Hu and Xiongnu were barbarians, not of their kind, warmongers who deserved to die, terrifying beings who devoured human flesh and drank blood.

Looking at those descriptions, Helian Jinyu felt they were no different from him.

Riding his horse, he asked his master why they had to win.

His master told him that those who lost had all died, leaving not even bones behind.

So winning meant living.

Helian Jinyu thought, then he would win.

So he asked again, why did he have to live?

His master gazed at the vast sky and said, "So that people can live."

People had to win so that people could live.

Helian Jinyu rode slowly along on his horse, thinking for a long time without figuring out who he should live for, or who needed him to live.

In the end, Helian Jinyu decided that winning wasn't all that important to him.

He lived freely, and no one needed him to stay alive.

Later, his master told him he was going to the capital first, and that Helian Jinyu had to follow him there. He absolutely had to come.

His orderly life was thrown into disarray. Bewildered, Helian Jinyu rode his horse to the capital.

There, he met a man full of schemes, every step weighed down with deliberation and calculation.

He had nothing, yet wanted everything.

Their stark differences brought Helian Jinyu and that man ever closer.

More and more people gathered around the man. Helian Jinyu stood at the very edge, watching him navigate the crowd, watching him flatter others, watching him still have nothing.

From a distance, the man looked back at him through the crowd.

*

Later, that man lay curled in his arms beneath a blanket, murmuring, "Helian... I need you."

Need.

He said he needed him.

Helian Jinyu said nothing. It was the first time anyone had ever told him they needed him.

Perhaps he needed the person in his arms, too.

Animals raised on the grasslands had always taken what they wanted by force.

For the first time, he felt helpless and lost, with nothing but the weapon at his waist.

More and more, he found everything surrounding that man an eyesore.

Including the three missing fragments of his soul.

A little reunion scene

When he saw Helian Jinyu again, Jiang Jue thought the man had changed so much he could hardly recognize him. It was no exaggeration to say he had been reborn.

He hardly dared believe it was him.

The imposing young general dismounted. He had grown much more mature, yet he still only dared use that fierce presence to ask for a brief embrace before they parted again.

His clothes still held a trace of warmth. A smile rippled through Jiang Jue's eyes: now he was sure, this was still the same person.

Helian Jinyu stood close. After their long separation, he asked him each question one word at a time.

"Jiang Jue, do you recognize these eyes?"

Jiang Jue knew what he was afraid of, so he looked into those eyes and answered solemnly.

"Of course. How could I forget?"

"Really? Then whose are they?"

"Helian Jinyu's."

"..." The one asking fell silent and drew a deep breath. His voice was a little strained.

"And what else?"

Jiang Jue shook his head.

"Nothing else. They're just Helian Jinyu's."

From beginning to end, it was always you.

Calculating, seemingly aloof, fox-like fallen imperial grandson shou x blank-slate, soul-fragmented, dog-like orphaned general seme

Both virgins, 1v1, happy ending

[This story has a touch of the supernatural, but not enough to qualify as fantasy, so it has been tagged as supernatural.]

Content warnings:

① The shou has a harem-protagonist quality.

② Although the shou has some harem-protagonist qualities, readers with extreme seme or shou preferences should stay away. Any angst is driven by the plot and may not be evenly distributed, but there is no relationship angst.

Please note:

① Updates every other day.

② Please don't make comparisons, start arguments, or offer mindless praise.

③ Feedback and suggestions are welcome, but please don't be malicious. Enjoy the story. (Bows.)

④ Characters' values do not equal the author's values. Everything comes from imagination.

Theme: Break free of shackles and seek your true self.