“The Imperial Physician Candidate–er, Candidates have arrived!” Su Ao parted the doors just as Li Changyu turned and he watched three identical looking beta men come in.
Well, it was more accurate to say their faces were identical, as well as their clothes. The three of them were obviously triplets, but the differences were in their hairstyles. One had long, shining black hair, while the other was short and unkempt like he’d just gotten out of bed, and the third kept theirs in a bun so tight that it made Li Changyu get a headache just by looking at it. But this wasn’t the most peculiar thing of them all. It was the fact that they looked no older than thirteen that disturbed Li Changyu.
“Uhh…” Li Changyu stared at them as they filed together into a line facing him. Their blank, bored stares unsettled the battle-seasoned omega, which he didn’t know if he should appreciate.
“You are the ones chosen by Zhen’s Mother…in-law?”
“Yes,” they spoke in unison and their faces barely moved an inch.
Creepy! Li Changyu suppressed a shudder and cleared his throat. “Alright. Zhen welcomes you three. Will you be competing for the position?”
“His Majesty will–” one said.
“–take all of us–” said another.
“–or none at all,” finished the third.
“Uh…huh.” Li Changyu’s eyes lifted up to the ceiling and he quietly lamented to himself. Mother, I know you are angry with His Majesty, but this is just too much! He shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he asked, “Does Zhen’s Mother-in-law consider you worthy physicians? Zhen decreed for her to send the best.”
The creepy melody of their combined voices came again, “We are the best.”
Li Changyu opened his eyes, but the space in front of him where they were was now empty. Stiffening in alarm, his attention darted around until he found the trio in various spots of Jin Xiyan’s study. The one with bed-ridden hair was rifling through books, taking them off the shelf one by one before tossing them over a shoulder. The more straight-laced one was inspecting the papers on top of the desk, his brow lowered in a judgemental scowl. The last one stood by the window where the best light was and examined himself in what looked to be a pocket mirror hidden in a small shell.
“Wha–!!” Li Changyu couldn’t even finish his utterance. He rounded on the one disturbing Jin Xiyan’s bookshelves and grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him back to the center where he was before. He snapped his fingers at the others, “What do you think you are doing?! This is the Imperial Study!”
Tight-bun huffed and raised their nose to the air, “Hmph. It leaves one much to be desired.”
Indignant on Jin Xiyan’s behalf, he let out an actual growl. It was one thing for him to mess up the place, but a whole other thing for a set of juvenile betas to get their grubby hands on everything.
“What are your names?” he semi-demanded.
The one with the bun spoke first, as he had the other times, “Li Jiyu.”
“Li Zhenyu,” the middle one said with a big yawn.
The final one flipped their long glossy hair over one shoulder, “Li Huayu.”
“…”
The triplets blinked wordlessly back at him, “…”
What the what! Li Changyu dropped all pretense and raised his voice, “Why do you have the name Li?! And what is with the suspicious naming!?”
“We are–”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“–His Highnesses’–”
“–Cousins.”
Li Changyu’s hands clenched into tight fists at his side, “I think I know the Li Family, and you aren’t on any branch!”
“We are–”
“Li Wangshu’s–”
“Broth–”
“Enough!” He shouted. It was bad enough that they were probably following Li Wangshu’s example of Cousins but they also had the audacity to rhyme names with him! He stood to his full height and glared down at them. “Talk normally for the rest of this conversation, or leave. Got it?”
They remained quiet, watching him with that same unsettling stare. Sighing, Li Changyu continued.
“I’ll cut to the chase – I was poisoned, and my Physician could no longer be trusted because he wants to pin it on your…cousin,” his tone dripped with sarcasm and he shot them another glare for good measure before retrieving the small bundle on top of his desk. He held it out to them, and it was Li Jiyu who stepped forward to take it.
“This is the cup I was poisoned with. There’s a dusty remnant that looked familiar, but I want you three to confirm it. Oh, and,” Li Changyu fished for Qian Jing’s satchel. He had lifted it off her when he confronted Qin Yuze, but had forgotten it entirely until he saw her in the Phoenix Palace yard. He made sure to get it from Shen Pei prior to the meeting. He tossed the bag to one of the stray triplets. “Figure out what this is. It’s supposedly some sort of incense, but I think there’s something sinister in it. If you solve it, you’re hired.”
Li Huayu scrunched up his dignified nose. “You want us to work for free?”
“No work for free,” said Li Zhengyu, who sniffed at the satchel curiously.
“I’ll give you half of what your monthly salary would be now. Give me a satisfactory analysis, and you’ll get the rest.” Li Changyu crossed his arms over his chest. “I would say take your time, but I bet you’d like to be paid in full quickly, and I need answers soon. Got it?”
They shifted so they formed a small huddle amongst themselves, whispering to one another. After a few seconds, they turned back to him and three heads bobbed up and down, “En.”
With that, Li Changyu waved them off. “You leave first.”
They turned away, and Li Zhengyu loudly whispered to his identical brothers, “Madame Li said the Emperor spat fire and had horns.”
“I don’t see any horns, do you?” asked Li Huayu.
A vein twitched at Li Changyu’s temple as Li Jiyu answered. “Maybe it’s hidden…”
“Leave!” He yelled, thoroughly aggravated now. The triplets jumped in the air, startled, then hurried out the door. Li Changyu shut his eyes again and rubbed the back of his neck. Those three are already irritating enough. I don’t know whether to thank or scold Moth–A noise back at the entrance made him jerk his head back up, “I told you three to–!”
It was Jin Xiyan standing there now, his brows raised. Li Changyu flinched at first, having to do a double take before he remembered that, yes, it was his body in front of him. He straightened and waved casually at Jin Xiyan.
“Oh, you’re here finally. What took you so long?”
They planned a trip to Li Manor, as Li Changyu felt that it was necessary to pull his Father into the fold that was this big soul swap secret. Shen Pei agreed, and though Li Changyu hadn’t let Jin Xiyan in on the plan, he figured it would be best to spring it on him rather than let Jin Xiyan fuss.
“I had to pack the presents for your family,” Jin Xiyan gestured with a medium sized parcel in his arms just as Shen Pei walked in with a larger box in hers. Jin Xiyan’s nose scrunched up and he looked at Li Changyu oddly. “What in the heavens are you wearing?”
The familiar bit of dialogue made Li Changyu blink, the sense of deja vu feeling foreign as he was staring at his own face. Shaking his head to collect himself, he remembered what in fact he was wearing.
“What, you don’t like it?” asked Li Changyu while he motioned towards his clothes. He was dressed as a Northerner, complete with some nice furs that Shen Pei lent him. Li Changyu also went so far as to style his hair appropriately with a thick plaited braid on the sides of his head that met into a high tail fastened together with a simple leather strap. He was, however, pleased that Jin Xiyan was smart enough to wear something he would wear. It was a simple martial outfit, and his ponytail in the military issued hair crown.
Jin Xiyan bit their lip and his eyes scanned Li Changyu up and down again. Instead of voicing his opinion, he asked another question, “Is there a particular reason you dressed this way? Is it a Family tradition, or–”
“Ha!” Li Changyu barked a laugh and approached Shen Pei to take the box from her. “Hardly, though you would be surprised what my family wears in the privacy of our own home. No, Your Majesty, this is simply a disguise. Apparently when an Emperor wants to leave, he has to trick his eunuch and servants.”
It shouldn’t have needed this much planning for a simple trip, but Li Changyu had to go out of his way to create a disguise. He’d been scolded by officers and ministers alike when he said he planned for this little Family visit, so he pretended to dismiss the event altogether. It was surprising to learn that Jin Xiyan was also restricted from going outside just as much as he was both as an omega and an Empress. It seemed that they were in the same situation, but that the Emperor just had a much larger, albeit cozier, cage.
“Leave?” Jin Xiyan’s eyebrows rose even higher, “I thought your Family was coming to visit and we would receive them in the Great Hall?”
Li Changyu shook his head, “No, we are going there.”
Jin Xiyan looked nervous, but Li Changyu didn’t give him any room to be upset and brushed past him. Casually, over his shoulder, he tossed out a, “You coming, or what?”
“U-uh! Coming!”
—–
Streets were far more overwhelming than what Jin Xiyan remembered them being. Granted, he was a child back then, and a good portion of his past was hazy, but he had not stepped outside the Imperial City since becoming Emperor. There were the aromatic smells wafting from the food stalls, throngs of people bustling about, and the shouts of the market and passerbys. Even from the carriage, it was overwhelming, but Jin Xiyan would soon realize that nothing would beat the Li Manor.
No one paid them any mind as they approached the manor. Once they crossed the front gate, Jin Xiyan turned to Shen Pei to ask her to notify his In-Laws that they had come to call, but a shout interrupted him.
“BABY BROTHER!”
Li Changyu’s middle brother, Li Jiuxing, popped out of nowhere. In a green blur, Li Jiuxing crossed the distance in seconds and swept Jin Xiyan up into his arms. The wind was knocked out of him, like a large wrecking ball had slammed into him. Being in a smaller body, Jin Xiyan was easily lifted off his feet and squeezed by Li Jiuxing’s strong arms. The package for Li Julong was crushed between their chests, but thankfully it was soft robes and not something that would hurt Jin Xiyan’s ribs any more than they did now.
Jin Xiyan wheezed, but it was Shen Pei who spoke up for him, “You idiot, put him down!”
Shen Pei grabbed one of Li Jiuxing’s ears, and he yelped. He abruptly let go, dropping Jin Xiyan. He landed unsteadily and he fumbled to regain his footing, the package slipping from his hands. A large hand braced the small of his back and another caught the gift mid-air. He was quickly righted back up and the package was shoved back into his arms. Jin Xiyan stiffened under the touch as it grazed across his waist when it pulled back once he had his feet firmly planted. At the tell tale snort, Jin Xiyan jerked his head to look at Li Changyu, whose face was obscured by a veiled straw hat. It was him that helped, and Jin Xiyan could see his Wife’s smirk peeking out from under the hem of the gauzy white veil. An embarrassed flush stung Jin Xiyan’s cheeks and he clutched the package tightly to his chest in a feeble attempt to keep his pounding heart down.
“Can’t a man greet his baby Brother when he hasn’t seen him in ages?” whined Li Jiuxing. For a man so big, as he was the tallest Li, he sure acted like a kid. Shen Pei, of course, was taller than him. Jin Xiyan had to tilt his head back to look at the three of them.
Shen Pei huffed and let go of Li Jiuxing. His Brother-in-Law rubbed his ear but turned his attention back to Jin Xiyan.
“You look so skinny! Is that man refusing to feed you?” Li Jiuxing’s neck turned red and he examined Jin Xiyan up and down. “You must have lost seven pounds since I’ve seen you. Do you need me to go up to His Majesty and get you justice, baby Brother? We were all exonerated, I have no problem marching up to that court and showing that smelly Emperor that we have your back! I–”
“This subject thanks His Majesty for gracing our home,” called a smooth, gentle voice. Jin Xiyan turned to find an alpha with equally gentle, welcoming golden eyes. He was older than him, evidenced by the slight crows feet at the corner of his eyes. His jet black hair was held back in a ponytail that was similar to Li Changyu’s. He knelt and bowed to Li Changyu, “May His Majesty live long and prosper.”
Li Jiuxing stood at attention, his wide eyes transfixed on him as Li Changyu lifted the edge of the hat and exposed his face. His smirk was still there.
“You may rise. Zhen’s Wife told us that Brother-in-Law was previously injured. We are all family, so is there a need for formality?” Li Changyu slid his gaze over to Li Jiuxing and his smirk broadened. Li Changyu could make his voice smooth and tone polite, with a bit of mischief laced in. “Zhen is most curious to hear our other Brother-in-Law’s complaints. Zhen would appreciate a detailed list, in order to accurately make amends.”
“Y-Y-Your Majesty!” Li Jiuxing stammered. His eyes flew wildly between them all before shaking his head. “Um, please, this subject is just concerned for his youngest Brother. Surely you–”
“Shut it,” Shen Pei jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow. She slid herself in front of Li Jiuxing and dipped her head towards Li Changyu, but her eyes were looking at Jin Xiyan as she did. “Please excuse this one, Your Majesty. He was built with more brawn than brains.”
Li Changyu waved a dismissive hand and took the hat off his head fully. He shook out some of his hair and said, “It just shows how filial and serious the Li Brothers take Brotherhood. Zhen will forgive.”
Li Jiuxing clamped a hand on Jin Xiyan’s shoulder, making him flinch. Li Jiuxing lowered his head to whisper to him, but it was loud enough that everyone could absolutely hear. “I thought you were coming alone, baby Brother. You didn’t say you were bringing His Majesty in your letter. Mama’s gonna be pissed.”
Jin Xiyan swallowed a lump in his throat and he came up with a lame excuse on the spot; “Brother should know that Zh–I have been having trouble with my memory…perhaps it slipped my mind.”
That worried-and-angry face returned to Li Jiuxing’s features, but thankfully Shen Pei intervened once more.
“Hey, big guy, how about you help me bring these gifts to Madame Li and see how the meal is coming along.”
Li Jiuxing did a double take and his eyes sparkled brightly. He clasped his hands together under his chin like a child eagerly awaiting a gift. “Peipei, can we hold hands? Wait, why are you rushing? Wait for me!”
A tap on Jin Xiyan’s shoulders tore his attention away from the sight of Li Jiuxing, a brave and successful warrior, chasing after a tall woman like a stray puppy. He blinked up at Li Changyu, then nodded. Li Changyu fixed his gaze back to the eldest Li Brother, his jaw set.
“Zhen must speak to Father-in-Law about an emergency matter. We hope that Brother-in-Law can assist as well.”
Li Guangzhu looked between him and Li Changyu, his eyes calculating now. His slender brows pinched together as he nodded sternly. “Please follow me, Your Majesty. My Wife and Father are in the Jade Room.”
Li Changyu frowned as he followed Li Guangzhu, and Jin Xiyan had to walk quickly to match their steps. Li Changyu muttered under his breath, “Why are they in my quarters?”
Having heard this, Jin Xiyan cleared his throat and said, “Brother, why is Father waiting in my room?”
“Because of recent events…” Li Guangzhu glanced over his shoulder, casting a pointed look at Li Changyu, “Father has been…uneasy. He has been resting in your old rooms. There are also a lot of old baby things of yours in storage there, so Li Julong is looking through them.”
Jin Xiyan peeked at Li Changyu to see if he had any response to that, but his Wife was tight lipped. They walked the rest of the way in silence until they reached the Jade Room. It was a main room with a simple, smaller sized bed set low; the perfect size for an omega. There was a table with a few seats that faced a large window with a view out to the surrounding gardens and main building. There were two additional structures beside it that could only be accessed from inside, their doors situated at the far wall.
Seated on the bed with a few trinkets strewn across the crisp bedding was an omega that was very round with child. He had pale brown hair tied back in a braid, and bright green eyes that sparkled when they locked with Jin Xiyan’s. His round face lit up in a bright smile, one that was for the real Li Changyu. Jin Xiyan could only assume this was Li Julong, the one he was to give the dress he initially intended for Li Changyu.
Li Julong flung his arms around Jin Xiyan’s neck, pulling him in for a much less suffocating embrace. The belly prevented him from holding Jin Xiyan close, but the hug was warm and inviting. Li Julong pulled back, his smile still beaming.
“It has been too long since I’ve seen you, Changyu! I–”
Li Beidou cut off Li Julong by yanking Jin Xiyan by the shoulders and drawing him into a tight hug. He held Jin Xiyan’s head to his chest, cradling him close. Jin Xiyan could hear the rattle of Li Beidou’s shaky breath and the trembling beat of his heart.
Jin Xiyan had once thought that Li Changyu was a treasured Son, and it must have been true, for this was a hold a Father had for a precious child. This sort of embrace was foreign to Jin Xiyan, and it was all the more awkward because it was not for him. He felt like an imposter once again for taking all the love and affection that people had for Li Changyu.
Li Beidou did not release him altogether, but only shifted so he could look down at Jin Xiyan. The former General’s broad, rough hand smoothed out the stray hair away from his face. There was a watery quality to Li Beidou’s eyes, which were so much like Li Changyu’s. It had been quite some time since the poisoning, and the only Li to have seen Li Changyu was his Mother. It was natural that a Father would be this moved at seeing their child if they had suffered.
The Li Family…Jin Xiyan mentally sighed…really treasures Li Changyu…
“I hate to break up this little family reunion, but…” The moment was broken by Li Changyu’s sarcastic drawl and all turned to face him. Li Changyu stood with his arms crossed and a bemused grin on his face. “There’s some important business we have to tend to, and I think it’s best if everyone sits down.”
Haha! Li Changyu, copping a feel like an alpha husband, and then breaking up the hug fest like a jealous youngest child. Two chapters again! Woohoo!
Gracias por el capítulo (^^)
Espero que te guste
Our Empress has standards, okay!
Thanks for the chapter ❤️❤️
You are very welcome!! Thank you for reading <3
Hope the triplets are as smart as they believe.
Envious of Li family relationship. Love them all ❤️
Thankfully (or regretfully?) they are superior and so competent.
Ah~ this little reunion bought me to tears.. ಥ‿ಥ except tht they hugging the wrong person JAHSHJDKDBDKK- 🤣🤣
I hope you enjoyed that tiny bit of comedy.
Haha JCY is just jelly
Wow Coming back to this is making me nostalgic. This story doesn/t disappoint still. Wow What a packed drama for my homecoming!!😂😂😂
Nevertheless What a great chapter this was. Thank you Author nim For such a treat.