The group moved to the Moonlit Palace, and Ye Zhizhou followed closely beside Duke Degui, his mind racing with thoughts about the plot. The position of the National Teacher in the Moonlit Kingdom was highly esteemed, said to have the ability to foresee the nation's fate and the power to determine the rightful heir to the throne. Of course, that was in the time of the old National Teacher. Over the generations, the National Teacher's authority had been significantly reduced, and the position had become more like a mascot. Despite that, this mascot had always enjoyed popular support, and emperors were careful not to offend them.
Each National Teacher was considered a divine appointment, marked by a bird-shaped birthmark on their buttocks...
Ye Zhizhou widened his eyes. A bird-shaped birthmark? What kind of bird? Could it be similar to the birthmark on his lover's body? Did this mean that his lover's identity might also be related to the National Teacher?
[Please remain calm, host.]
He snapped out of his thoughts, hastily reining in the inadvertently released mental energy, and smiled reassuringly at Duke Degui, who was glancing at him.
National Teachers served for life, and when one passed away, the next one was born. The newly born National Teacher would be brought to the Moonlit Palace for upbringing as soon as they were discovered, and after reaching the age of eighteen, they would undergo a formal ceremony to don the National Teacher's robe and meet the people. For many generations, the Moonlit Kingdom had followed this method of succession, except for one exception—Rong Guangyan.
The original plot had mentioned that the protagonist's National Teacher father had faked his death and disappeared after sending the protagonist to the Tian Shan Sect. In other words, in the eyes of the emperor and the people, the previous National Teacher had died, but in reality, the protagonist's father, the National Teacher, had remained missing until the end of the original plot.
The old National Teacher had passed away, but the new one had not been born for a long time. This raised suspicions with the emperor, and the people gradually became anxious. Fortunately, not long after, three-year-old Rong Guangyan was brought to the palace by his family. Initially, his birthmark had been too faint to be noticed, and with the previous National Teacher still alive, no one had thought much of it. However, now that the National Teacher had died, Rong Guangyan's birthmark suddenly became clear, and his family realized that the child's identity might be special, so they hurriedly brought him to the Moonlit Palace.
This reassured the emperor and the people, and Rong Guangyan was successfully kept in the Moonlit Palace. Due to this, the emperor considered Rong Guangyan unique and didn't follow the old tradition of waiting until he turned eighteen to appoint him as the National Teacher. Instead, as soon as they confirmed the authenticity of his birthmark, they held a grand ceremony and dressed him in the National Teacher's robe.
As Ye Zhizhou read this part of the plot, he couldn't help but furrow his brow. He began calculating the ages of the various characters in the plot. The protagonist was now eighteen years old, and the disappearance of his National Teacher father had occurred eleven years ago. Rong Guangyan had entered the Moonlit Palace at the age of three. So, did this mean that the protagonist had taken a fourteen-year-old boy as a concubine? Did the original protagonist actually have feelings for this young boy? What was wrong with the royal family—were they all into young boys? Wait, the original protagonist wasn't a royal daughter; he was a son, so it was a royal son having feelings for a young boy...
Unpleasant images that could not be shared with others popped into his mind. He shook his head and refocused on finding traces of this "Shaya" character in the original plot. The protagonist's father was the National Teacher from two generations ago, Rong Guangyan was the current National Teacher, so this "Shaya" should be from the previous generation. However, there was a three-year overlap between the death of the previous National Teacher and the birth of the current one. How did this "Shaya" come into play? Why was there no mention of "Shaya" in the original plot? What was the significance of these three years of overlap? Wasn't the next National Teacher supposed to be born only after the death of the previous one?
"Tongtian, did you create another plot hole?" Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but ask.
The small mirror lay quietly in his clothes, refusing to answer that question.
It seemed that even Tongtian didn't know what was going on with the plot. Ye Zhizhou sighed and rubbed his face. He glanced at the several nobles who were talking together, then at Duke Degui, who appeared deep in thought. He took a step closer and lowered his voice, asking, "Lord Degui, who is this 'Shaya'? Isn't the current National Teacher Rong Guangyan?" There was no mention of this 'Shaya' character in the original protagonist's memories, and faced with this situation of "everyone else knows but me," he was completely baffled.
"That's the twin brother of the National Teacher from two generations ago," Duke Degui replied, slowing down his pace and lowering his voice as well. "This is something known to the older courtiers... I'll explain it to you later; there are too many people here right now."
Ye Zhizhou nodded in understanding, his thoughts racing. So, the protagonist's father, who was the National Teacher from two generations ago, had a twin brother. Surprisingly, this fact had never been mentioned in the plot information he had received. It was a rather large plot hole.
The Moonlit Palace was located in the farthest corner of the imperial palace, occupying a vast area and separated from the surroundings by high walls, forming its own secluded world.
As Ye Zhizhou entered the outer gate along with the others, his thoughts turned slightly impure. The fact that the National Teacher lived in the palace explained why no one had discovered the affair between the emperor and the National Teacher from two generations ago. Considering the upbringing of all the National Teachers within the Moonlit Palace, he couldn't help but imagine what could happen in such an environment. This combination of location, people, and circumstances was simply asking for trouble.
It was only at this moment that the emperor snapped out of his reverie, realizing that Empress Leqing and several nobles were still following him. His expression darkened, and he halted, turning to scold, "National Teacher Shaya has just awakened and cannot withstand disturbance. Why did you all follow? Go back!"
The nobles were taken aback by the emperor's sternness, and Empress Leqing, showing her understanding of the situation, made a respectful bow, saying, "Then, we shall come to pay our respects to National Teacher Shaya on another day." She then took a few steps back and, with her attendants, made a swift exit.
Seeing this, Duke Degui quickly pulled Ye Zhizhou along and also approached to bid farewell. Ye Zhizhou had no choice but to suppress his curiosity and follow him as they left. When they reached the main gate of the outer courtyard, Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but look back and saw that the emperor's face had grown even darker, while the nobles were reluctantly bowing and taking their leave.
A white figure suddenly flashed by from the corner of his eye. He quickly turned his head to look, but there was nothing to be seen.
"Yan'er."
After being gently tapped on the head by Duke Degui's warning, Ye Zhizhou quickly turned his head and, imitating the others, respectfully lowered his head, a hint of puzzlement flickering in his eyes. That white figure from earlier felt somewhat familiar—was it just an illusion?
Back in the Delan Hall, Ye Zhizhou hurriedly stopped Duke Degui, who was about to return to his room, and couldn't resist asking for gossip, "Lord Degui, what's the story behind this National Teacher Shaya?"
"You're still thinking about that?" Duke Degui paused and, somewhat helplessly, let himself be pulled into a small hall by Ye Zhizhou. After dismissing the attendants, he began to explain, "National Teacher Shaya is the twin brother of the National Teacher from two generations ago. When they were brought to the Moonlit Palace as babies, their birthmarks were nearly identical, and the Moonlit Palace had never encountered such a situation before. So, after consulting with the emperor at the time, they decided to keep this matter a secret and wait until both of them turned eighteen before selecting the true National Teacher through a ceremony, as determined by the heavens."
"Selected by the heavens?" Ye Zhizhou couldn't help raising an eyebrow. Was this world really so mystical?
"It's actually just divination by drawing lots," Duke Degui replied, seemingly not putting much stock in divination. He continued, "In the end, just before the ceremony started, National Teacher Shaya suddenly collapsed without any warning, and he never woke up again. So, the position of National Teacher passed to Shaya, and they carried on."
"He collapsed?" Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but be surprised. "Wait, does that mean he's been unconscious all this time? After so many years, shouldn't he be a vegetable by now?"
"The imperial physicians couldn't find the cause of his collapse," Duke Degui shook his head, his brows slightly furrowed. "National Teacher Shaya collapsed without warning, and he never woke up. He only woke up once, fourteen years ago, and he left a message for the people of the Moonlit Palace."
Fourteen years ago? Wasn't that when Rong Guangyan was born? Ye Zhizhou's curiosity was piqued, and he leaned closer, asking, "What message did he leave?"
"He said, 'The time has come,'" Duke Degui replied, rubbing his teacup thoughtfully. "No one understood the meaning of that statement, not even the National Teacher Shaya at the time. What's even stranger is that, despite being in a coma for so many years, his appearance has remained unchanged from the time he fell unconscious. He hasn't aged a day."
"He hasn't aged at all?" Ye Zhizhou widened his eyes. "Is he some kind of Sleeping Beauty?"
Duke Degui nodded, his expression serious as he looked at Ye Zhizhou. "So, Yan'er, remember, never get involved with the people of the Moonlit Palace. If you can avoid them, do so. If you can't, then try to keep your distance. National Teacher Shaya is a bizarre creature who has been in a coma without aging, and yet the entire Moonlit Palace worships him as a miracle. They even considered him as a potential successor to the National Teacher before Rong Guangyan appeared... It's terrifying. Yan'er, I only hope that you can live a peaceful life and stay away from those frightening things. Do you understand?"
Ye Zhizhou quickly suppressed his wild thoughts and nodded obediently, promising, "I'll listen to you, Lord Degui. In the future, I'll stay far away from the people of the Moonlit Palace!" That is, as long as my lover is not one of them!
After bidding farewell to Duke Degui and returning to his room, he immediately tore off his obedient outer garments and pulled out the mirror, shaking it vigorously. "The plot is collapsing so quickly, how am I supposed to complete the mission? Tongtian, what's going on with these worlds of yours? Pull yourself together!"
[Please trust the system, host.]
He was speechless for a few seconds, then continued shaking the mirror. "How can I trust it? The fact that the protagonist's father had a mysterious twin brother wasn't even mentioned in the plot information. Should I believe that?"
[Detecting fluctuations in the soul flag... Soul flag fluctuations complete, no abnormalities.]
[Rong Guangyan's probability of falling in love with the protagonist has decreased to 0%. First soul flag removed, congratulations, host, please continue your efforts.]
[Yu Shuang, Ying Qiong, and their probability of falling in love with the protagonist has decreased to 50%. Please continue your efforts, host.]
[Xia Yanyun, Mu Yan, Liu Jun, Ruan Wanhe, and Ke Qi's probability of falling in love with the protagonist has decreased to 80%. Please continue your efforts, host.]
Ye Zhizhou's hand trembled, nearly dropping the small mirror. "I haven't done anything at all! I haven't even started my plan to remove the flags! What's wrong with these flags?!"
[The probability of Cold Night falling in love with the protagonist has decreased to 0%. Second soul flag removed, congratulations, host, please continue your efforts.]
Oh my god... He really hadn't done anything! He had only planned to remove half of the flags, and he hadn't even started taking action. What was going on with these flags?!
The tightly closed door suddenly swung open, and Duke Degui rushed in with an anxious expression. He stammered, "Yan'er, just now, your mother issued a decree, betrothing National Teacher Shaya to you, and she even sent a group of secret guards as part of the dowry. It seems she also wants to bestow a royal title upon you... Yan'er, what's going on? Why would your mother betroth the National Teacher to you? He's the National Teacher!"
Shock, astonishment, and thunderstruck disbelief!
Ye Zhizhou was dumbfounded and then exploded. Shaya was from his lover's father's generation, and the original protagonist was only seventeen years old! Wait a minute! The point was not this! The point was how could he marry a strange National Teacher who wasn't his lover!
"Father!" He quickly grabbed Duke Degui's sleeve and equally anxiously blurted out, "Where is the person who delivered the decree? Why wasn't I given the opportunity to decline the decree?" Why didn't they give him a chance to resist this arranged marriage? Forced marriages were unacceptable!
"That nanny who delivered the decree left as soon as she placed it," Duke Degui was in a state of panic, both anxious and fearful. "Yan'er, you must escape. Shaya has remained the same for all these years in his slumber; he must be some kind of monster. Hurry and run; the Empress intends to force you into this!"
Duke Degui's personal servant rushed over hastily, shouting as he ran, his voice distorted, "Your Grace! Many Moonlit Palace priests suddenly arrived outside, and they've surrounded the Delan Hall! There are also many guards. What should we do?"
Ye Zhizhou hurriedly supported the increasingly distraught Duke Degui, and his anxieties began to dissipate strangely. This style of forced marriage was so familiar... His gaze drifted over to the system prompt that was still hanging in the air, and he couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
No, it can't be... Could that Shaya be his lover...?