Lin Xueyo/Shen Yichen
Shen Yichen?
Who was that?
Lin Xueyo didn't know of such a person. She hadn't even heard such a name. Men were an unfamiliar subject for her, and the only one she had an interest in was the Emperor.
The Emperor who was currently in front of her.
Her heart pounded and filled her head with dizzying heat.
The Emperor! He was here! And he was looking at her! At him…at Shen Yichen.
The pieces fell into place one by one. Whoever this Shen Yichen was, he was very close to the Emperor. Close enough for the Emperor to barge into his bedroom and demand an explanation.
So, Lin Xueyo bowed even deeper, her fingertips tingling with excitement. "I, your humble servant, pay respects to Your Majesty," her masculine voice made her shiver. If she had any doubts about this being her reality, they evaporated into dust.
"Rise." The Emperor's command was clipped.
Lin Xueyo got to her feet, still keeping her head bowed.
"Lift your head, Shen Yichen. What has gotten into you?"
She obeyed. And the moment she did, she wished she could jump into a ditch.
Lin Xueyo had always known the Emperor was handsome. It was no secret to the empire. Everyone spoke in great volumes about the handsome tyrant Emperor who was the obsession of every unmarried noble lady. Very few had laid eyes on him physically, yet his tales were whispered in fear and reverent admiration.
It had always been Lin Xueyo's desire to see the Emperor up close. So close that she can see the colors his eyes are made up of. Nothing prepared her for seeing the man face to face.
"Oh my goodness what a beautiful creature…" the words were out of her lips before she could stop them.
She couldn't stop staring into his eyes. They were deep set, dark with hues of gold and dark green. He had thick brows and elegantly slanted eyes, she could even see the curve of his eyelashes. She wanted to trace his nose and run her fingertips over the sharp edge of his jaw. And his Adam's apple made her swallow, heat creeping up her cheeks steadily.
All of this happened in less than ten seconds. Yet to Lin Xueyo, it felt like an eternity. One she never wanted to end.
Then the Emperor laughed. "In addition to rotting away in bed, you've lost your mind!"
She jerked, reality slamming back into her. And along with it came shame. She immediately bowed, as deep as she could go. "Forgive me for my insolence, Your Majesty! I deserve to be punished!"
"Send for the doctor." The Emperor said, completely ignoring her. A guard immediately rushed out.
Lin Xueyo looked up, biting her lip in embarrassment and beating herself up for her blunder. Who calls the Emperor a beautiful creature! Oh dear heavens! He's going to punish her!
But instead of ordering the guards to seize her and lock her up, the Emperor walked over to the desk and sat.
Lin Xueyo gasped in horror. "Y-your majesty! You shouldn't–"
The Emperor tilted his head. "You dare give me orders?"
Damn it!
She shook her head wildly. "N-no! Of course not! I wouldn't dare, not in a million moons!"
The Emperor's eyes narrowed. He reclined into the chair, his long and powerful legs stretched out in front of him. Even though he was sitting in a drab chair, he exuded the aura of power and unquestionable authority. And he wasn't even in his imperial robes yet.
He tapped a long finger to his forehead, his eyes scanning Lin Xueyo–Shen Yichen– from top to bottom.
"You act like a shy maiden," the Emperor said.
Lin Xueyo's eyes widened. He's perceptive! But of course he is, he's the Emperor.
"I…" she stuttered, "it's the sickness. I…I have some issues with a few things." She cleared her throat and straightened her back, trying to act like the man she now looked like.
The Emperor raised a dark brow. "Indeed. Your brains must be fried from that illness."
"Illness?"
His eyes narrowed. "Fear not. The doctor will be here soon. Sit."
She instantly obeyed, sitting on the rock hard bed, her hands folded in her lap like a delicate maiden. The Emperor noticed this and frowned. Immediately, she jolted upright. She copied his pose and spread her legs, planting her hands on her knees. The pose was awkward, and if she as Lin Xueyo had been caught sitting with her legs spread, it would be catastrophic.
But one question plagued her mind. What did men even act like? She barely knew her brothers, and her father while he was the epitome of a strong man, he was mostly absent, so she never got to study him for long.
Another question gnawed harder on her heart; who was Shen Yichen?
Seeing as the Emperor was free to sit at his desk and speak to him with such informality, could Shen Yichen be an official?
Lin Xueyo racked her brain for an answer, memories too. But all she could remember were memories of her own life. None of this body she now inhabited.
This is going to be bad….
The Emperor continued to watch her without saying anything. His gaze felt like fire, and she wanted to blush and duck away.
No! That wasn't manly at all!
Yet, her girlish heart squealed at finally receiving the attention she wanted for so long. He's looking at me! He's looking at me!
The door opened and the royal physician, an elder with a thin white mustache that flowed down to his knees, walked in. He bowed to the Emperor first, then Lin Xueyo, before making his way over to the bed where she sat .
So many questions burned on the tip of her tongue but she bit them all down. The physician checked her vitals, shone a bright light in her eyes, and even read her meridians. When she thought it was over, the man would start all over again.
Minutes passed and when he was done, he turned to the Emperor. "Your Majesty…I'm unsure for how best to put this,"
"Speak."
The physician jumped in fright. "Master Shen appears to have some of his meridian paths blocked. The illness is more severe than we had anticipated."
"The cure?"
"I…I'm not sure. In all my years of practicing medicine I've never seen such a condition before,"
"Why what's wrong with me?" Lin Cueyo cut in. "What do you mean by illness? I just went to bed last night and woke up this morning."
That was a lie. But she wasn't about to recount the experience with the green pool and the silver eyed woman.
The physician turned to her with sordid gray eyes. "Master Shen, you have been unconscious for two weeks now."
"Two what?!" Lin Xueyo exploded, her eyes widening like saucers. "But I…"
"Continue." the Emperor spoke in a warning tone. Lin Xueyo fell silent, knowing that he wasn't speaking to her. Her face burned with embarrassment for speaking out of turn.
The physician cleared his throat and continued. "Otherwise, his health is in perfect condition."
"He can fight?"
The physician nodded.
The Emperor rose to his feet. "Excellent. Shen Yichen, meet me outside the twelfth gates in thirty minutes." He commanded, and with one last suspicious look he gave her, he left, flanked on both sides by his guards.
Lin Xueyo and the physician were left behind.
Her mind boggled. Two weeks? If that was true, then could it be that the real Shen Yichen was now in her own body? What if he came to the palace?
Oh my goodness!
Horror filled her chest cavity and she couldn't sit still anymore. She paced the floors, oblivious to the physician who was watching her closely. She was too lost in her thoughts.
That's it! I need to find that woman!
"Master Shen," the physician called softly.
Lin Xueyo turned to him. "Yes?"
The man looked like he had something to say but then decided against it. "Be careful out there. Your cultivation is weak, and you might get injured easily."
She nodded and stepped closer to him. "What exactly do I do out there that'll make me get injured?"
The man looked at her like she'd asked him if the sky split open. "You are the Emperor's most trusted soldier. Injuries are a daily event for you." With that, he packed up his equipment and left.
Soldier?!
Panic was all Lin Xueyo could feel.
She had never fought a single day in her life! She was a noble lady for crying out loud, she didn't even know how to lift anything heavier than a pair of gold bracelets!
The Emperor's command echoed in her head. Thirty minutes to get to the twelfth gate. Why? What were they going to do? Recalling that the Emperor had asked the physician if she could fight, that could only mean one thing.
Out of pure desperation, Lin Xueyo ran to the mirror and picked it up, staring at it, just to make sure that this nightmare was real.
And surely, the handsome and anguished face of Shen Yichen stared back at her.
"I need to find her. Now." She vowed out loud. The moment she left the gates, she would go for that cave and find that woman, then force her to undo whatever incantation she'd done.
Thirty minutes later, Lin Xueyo on horseback joined the Emperor outside the twelfth gates.
Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.