Your Majesty, Why Are You Rebelling?

Chen You transmigrated into an ancient novel and diligently rebelled for three years, as the System instructed. After countless hardships, he finally arrived at the gates of Jinling.

Who could have guessed?

With the two armies facing each other, the elderly general shakily leaned on his warhorse, dropped to his knees, and cried, "Your Majesty, why are you rebelling?"

Chen You looked around in confusion. Who's the emperor?

M-me?

That year, during the spring imperial examinations, a corruption scandal broke out. The Embroidered Guard raided dozens of households in Jinling, staining half the sky red with blood.

Chen Village was far from the turmoil and unaffected. Only the village butcher went south to "visit relatives."

On his way back, the butcher brought a box of pastries from Zhi Wei Zhai.

As Chen You ate one, he kept catching a faint smell of blood. "Zhi Wei Zhai is in Jinling. It's so dangerous there. Why did you go out of your way to stop by?"

The butcher hid his hand in his sleeve, rubbing away the blood he hadn't quite wiped off. After a moment's silence, he said, "I went to slaughter a pig."

Chen You understood. Oh.

Another year, someone in the village got involved in a case. After several twists and turns, Chen You managed to appeal to the residence of the "Imperial Tutor to Three Dynasties." The ancient painting he sent over entered the estate today, and by tomorrow it had appeared on the kang in the home of the old tutor, who spent his days basking in the sun at the village entrance and teasing the yellow dog.

The old tutor carefully examined the painting in his courtyard. As he put it away, Chen You happened to glimpse the signature in one corner.

His eyes fixed on it. "A painting by Wu Daozi! That must be worth a fortune!"

The tutor's beard quivered. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow with his sleeve. "...It's just a forgery."

Chen You was disappointed. Ah.

...He'd wanted to have a look.

After the old general knelt before Chen You, he also knelt before the "frail beauty" beside him and said, "Greetings, Prince Wen."

A prince? Surname Wen?

Chen You froze on his horse, his eyes trembling.

There was only one Wen in the original novel.

The story's greatest villain, the heir to the Marquis of Anding, who had killed the new emperor with a smile and bathed the court in blood... Wen Shuyan.

The "beauty" Wen urged his horse forward and came up beside him, smiling as casually as ever.

"Your Majesty."

Ha, hahaha.

Don't call me that.

Your Majesty wants to die right now.

[Bonus scene]

The day after his coronation, the ministers were arguing fiercely over trivial matters. When they looked up again, they realized...

"Where's His Majesty?!"

The emperor was gone.

All that remained was a young eunuch with an unfamiliar face, staring back at them.

The ministers searched frantically for three days before finally finding Chen Village. Time had passed, but the village was still the same. Only the weeds beneath the locust tree by the courtyard gate had grown thick.

They begged desperately outside the gate, but Chen You refused to see them.

After a long while, he sent someone to ask, "Are you looking for the emperor, or Chen You?"

No one could answer.

Only Wen Shuyan laughed softly. He tapped a finger lightly against his white porcelain teacup and said, unhurriedly, "I'm looking for 'Si Gui.'"

Si Gui.

The courtesy name of Chen You, which Wen Shuyan had called out countless times the night before as they lay entwined together.

Creak.

The door swung open in a hurry.

The emperor appeared, looking a little flustered.

Theme: Sincere feelings hide behind lies.