“Please be safe…”

Disclaimer: Inaccurate and fictional historical events.

"Ah… ever since it became manual mode, I didn't gain any points at all."

Sun Gui wanted to tear up helplessly as he stood on a cliff just at the border of the Northwest city. Surrounding him were some shadow guards assigned by Zheng Guozi.

He looked dejectedly at the system shop screen and reluctantly bought a rain-catching bottle. He felt dizzy just looking at the number of zeros of that item, biting his lips as he closed the shop.

Sun Gui informed Zheng Guozi that he would catch the rain from faraway. A sacrificial altar was set up at the camp, with a bonfire and several drums at the middle. Whispers spread throughout the camp at this event and clasped their hands together to pray for the rain to stop.

Zheng Guozi started the ritual when the rhythmic thumping of drums started. It was a majestic and holy atmosphere which made the people looking at the handsome man in reverence.

Sun Gui looked at the glass bottle in his hand that looked like a conical flask with a wood cork at its mouth. His hands easily removed the cork and pointed it to the sky, in the direction of the rain.

There were some doubts in the guards' eyes but from their training and loyalty, they could not voice their opinions. They just hid patiently to prevent dangers happening to their mistress.

Their doubts quickly dissipated as their eyes stared wide at the dark cloud started to form a pointy head and moved forward Sun Gui. Being vigilant, they moved closer to make sure that dark cloud would not attempt to harm Sun Gui.

As their views became clearer, it was evident to see the dark cloud was sucked straight inside that tiny glass bottle.

The dark cloud was disappearing at a steady rate and the rain began to thin out.

"W-Whoa! The Lord-The Lord did it!! The rainfall is lessening!!"

"Thank you heaven! Thank the Lord!!"

Cheers and cries rang in the camp, as well as some whispers.

"I heard that the dragon could move the earth and heaven… doesn't that mean the Lord is the dragon?"

"SHHH… don't say it too loud or you will be marked with treason! But what you said makes sense…"

"Like when the rescue of the emperor came, they couldn't do anything. Only when the Lord came that we were saved."

…

"Ha! They are calling me incompetent and raising my Imperial Uncle up the sky!"

Zheng Hong gritted his teeth as he looked at the report in his hand. He stood up and stomped forward a wall full of books in his study. Slightly bending down to the second row of the bookshelf, if two specific books were taken out, there appeared a very small mechanism.

Zheng Hong was too familiar with it and it was opened in no time. There was a "clack" sound and the unmoving shelf became a door.

Inside this secret chamber was a very dim candle light. Papers were carefully stacked one side of a wooden table. There were a few rare treasured hidden among those chests.

The most important thing was the letters inside. He quickly wrote up one and sent it secretly with a wicked smile.

———————————

"That despicable man!!"

After the Northwest started stabilizing, Sun Gui and Zheng Guozi finally returned back from those two difficult months. Not enjoying the peace for long, Wan Yingtai, who had been flying freely, sent a report of the barbarians' movements at the Northeast border.

Sun Gui pursed his lips and his gaze was furious. The emperor was too ambitious, putting his own people at risk for power!

He had always had some doubts regarding that Zheng Hong, especially the mysterious death of the original regent at the border. After meticulous digging, he found out the secret exchange between the emperor and the leader of the barbarians.

The regent was obviously assassinated! That was how power started returning back to the emperor. Sun Gui knew that the emperor was probably feeling threatened right now but he would never have thought that man would resort to this.

"This guy's greed is boundless. Forcing my husband to fight his war and stabbing him behind his back, ha! Just you wait!"

The secret report was burnt from the candle's light, reflecting the emerald eyes a fiery heat. Even if he was angry, there was actually not much he could do at the moment.

He could not follow Zheng Guozi to the border as a ger, so he could only recounted the events happening in the original plot to his beloved.

He wished he could just assassinate the emperor. But the plot had only slightly cracked, and if the son of heaven suddenly died, the plot may suddenly collapsed and countered his soul.

"My dear, your murder intent is leaking out." A tall man wearing a blue robe walked into the room. His steps were wide and fast so he came behind Sun Gui in no time.

"Dear husband, someone wants to part us, how can I not? This guy is an atrocious one, wants to harm one person by using the whole country." Sun Gui sighed and turned around to wrap his arms around the other man's waist. "How can I sleep now? I can only sleep peacefully with your presence."

"I'm sorry, I should have intercepted their communication." Zheng Guozi leaned down with one hand around the other's shoulder and one hand pressed the others head onto his chest.

"…Actually, this is a good chance. I will need to find proof of their communication and the matter of the throne would be solved." Sun Gui might have been worrying too much about his husband's livelihood that he almost forgot that treason was a big crime.

The warm hand patting his hand froze for a moment before he felt a sudden force lifting his chin up. The red plumb lips immediately got moist as it was licked and bitten by the tall man. As if venting his anger, Zheng Guozi dove his tongue right in Sun Gui's mouth and swept all the insides in a flurry.

Such an abrupt action made Sun Gui unprepared and he began to lose his breath. His hands started pounding on to the man's chest, signaling him to stop.

"W-what happened…ha…ha…" His face was flushed red as he tried to catch his breath. His eyes were hazy but also full of bewilderment.

"You can't act by yourself. I know you're capable but not when I won't be around." Zheng Guozi's tone was stern as if warning but his face was inexplicable soft and full of concerns. The hand patting the head landed on Sun Gui's cheek at some point and lovingly caressed it.

Sun Gui's heart trembled at that expression. His man was going to the battlefield soon, he needed to appease the man to give him a peace of mind before the battle. However, when the regent came back victorious, that emperor would surely eliminate all the evidence.

Sun Gui just smiled at Zheng Guozi and gave him a kiss on the lips. He could not lie to his husband at all so he was protesting with his silence.

"Honey… Please be safe." The always majestic regent could only bow down to his wife. When Sun Gui decided on something, it would be hard to change it.

"You be safe too. Especially the emperor's movements, you have to be cautious. Without you here…" He did not want to stay. Sun Gui's lashes trembled slightly as he thought of the world without this mysterious man. He would have never imagined himself to be that dependent on someone else after all those years.

They just hugged for a long time in the study until it was meal time.

Soon enough, the emperor sent the regent away to the Northeast border to fight off the invading enemies. There was no tearful goodbye between the two lovers, they were confidence at emerging successful.

5 months passed by, the cool breezy autumn soon became the freezing cold winter. The big magnificent courtyard was covered with the color white.

Even though there were plenty of servants, an indescribable loneliness emitted in that beautiful courtyard. A beauty was listlessly sitting at the window showing the front gate with yearning sunken eyes.