My Devil Emperor
The Summer Triangle

Tonight the moon and stars shine brightly. Yuan was sitting on the swing with his head turned up. Admire the beauty that lies in the night sky.

"What are you doing here?" The voice made Yuan turn his head.

He smiled and said, "You're here too? Brother, come. The moon and the stars look so beautiful from here." Yuan shifted to give her a place.

The swing was large enough that it was possible for two people to swing together.

ZiXuan looked at him, smiled faintly and sat down next to the girl.

"Very beautiful" she murmured as she looked back at the vast sky sprinkled with stars.

Zi Xuan followed Yuan's gaze then nodded and said, "Do you understand astronomy?"

"Astronomy? I just know it's a branch of science that studies celestial bodies to determine climate and direction. How, I don't know."

"Look! Notice the three brightest stars among others" ZiXuan said, pointing at the three stars he was referring to. "If you notice, the three stars form a triangular pattern. A collection of stars from different constellations. Vega of the constellation Lyra, Deneb of the constellation Cygnus, and Altair of the constellation Aquila, all three are known as summer triangles."

Yuan frowned and before long his eyes beamed, "That's the story of Zhinu and Niulang, right?" He said enthusiastically. He had just realized that the Qixi Festival or Chinese Valentine Day would be celebrated at the end of the season. Hey, he's not an astronomy student and he's never been around to find out more about the solar system. All he knows is the names of the planets, the theory of the formation of the earth and other common things. Why is time so fast! It feels like just yesterday spring arrived, now it is in the middle of the month in summer.

"really. This is the story of Zhinu or Vega star, the weaver girl who is the daughter of the Goddess of Heaven and Niulang or Altair star a cowherd who loves each other but cannot be together. They were married and had two children, but the Heavenly Goddess who was the mother of Zhinu did not approve of it. He brought back Zhinu to the sky, throwing hairpins between them which then became a silver river or a galaxy of the Milky Way to separate the two. But seeing the sincere love between Niulang and Zhinu, his heart softened so that on the 7th night of the 7th lunar month each year, the two could meet again even for just one day. At the meeting, there was heavy rain. A swarm of magpies that saw it touched, then they marched to form a bridge so as to reunite the separated lovers."

"That's a deeply touching eternal love story. I always liked to hear the story even though I knew it. Brother, you have the talent of being a storyteller!"

"I would be more interesting if I told our son later," ZiXuan said with a blink of an eye.

Yuan threw out his slightly flushed face. He looked back at the sky with a serious look. "But how can I tell which three stars are?" tanyanya slow.

ZiXuan who heard him was dumbfounded. "So you don't know which pattern?"

Yuan grimaced in shame. "Anu, there are too many stars up there. And the brightest there are also more than three, "the reason.

"What about now?" A blue light came out of his fingers.

"It—" Yuan choked. The beam flew towards the three points of the star, making the triangle pattern clearly visible now.

"Brother, you... Are you a fairy?"

ZiXuan chuckled. "You can think of it that way. It's night, get some rest. Tomorrow we have to go back to the capital."

***

Just like before, ZiXuan and Yuan had already returned to the imperial palace in two days.

They had just arrived and stepped inside to head to their respective residences.

"Brother Xuan!" That shrill voice made ZiXuan and Yuan stop. They looked at him at the same time and saw a young girl running towards him.

Zi Xuan dodged. He retreated the move to make the woman even hit Yuan's body.

"Brother!" he said he sounded spoiled with smudging lips. He immediately withdrew himself from Yuan.

"What are you doing?" asked ZiXuan coldly. He seemed uncomfortable with the girl in front of him.

"visited you! I came with my mother."

Yuan simply stared at the two different types of humans in silence. Shortly after, a middle-aged woman appeared.

"Is she the Princess YanLi who deceived the empire? It looks ordinary."

"Yin'er! Watch what you say! His Majesty the Emperor and the Empress please forgive his words. He's too much for us to pamper." his mother warned.

Ying'er pursed her lips in annoyance. "Mother, I'll say according to the facts! Brother Xuan is still very well able to forgive him!"

"Miss Ying, it's best not to say things that can provoke you again. If my wife is angry, I can't help you either. She was already the darling of the Queen Mother and the Empress Dowager. She's also an Empress, you're under her, can you?" Although ZiXuan said it casually and a little jokingly, it was clear that he was defending Yuan and indirectly saying that he was giving full rights to Yuan as the Empress in general.

"Ah, Empress, forgive Ying'er's disrespect. She was young," said the woman looking down in fear, also forcing Ying'er to bow down.

Yuan smiled faintly. "No problem. But who are you?" tanyakanya.

"Include, the servant is the wife of Qiu Lang's minister, Leiya. She is our second daughter, Qiu Ying."

"They still have a blood relation with the imperial family," whispered ZiXuan who saw the confusion on the girl's pretty face.

"Faraway relatives?"

"Hm."

His red lips returned a smile. "It's nice to meet Auntie. We'll rest first, if there's time, Auntie come to have tea with me."

"Thank you for the kindness of Her Majesty the Empress, the servant will come if there is time."

Yuan nodded and walked back with ZiXuan following his steps.

"Brothers, the people in your palace, everything is weird!"

ZiXuan laughed softly. "Not everything. It's just a few."

"That Miss Ying, is it because there is still a blood relation with the empire so you are disinclined to her?" asked Yuan to know.

"Yes, you could say so. At least they would be safe as long as they did not make a fatal mistake. Moreover, his family had served the empire a long time ago."

"Oh. By the way, is Miss Ying your childhood friend?"

"Why do you want to know? feel like a love rival, huh?"

Yuan glanced at him sharply. "Brother, can I slap you?" said annoyed.

"Why don't you just slap me with your lips?" goda.

Yuan grunting. "Here you go, I don't want to talk to you anymore!" he walked while walking fast.

"He wasn't my childhood friend. But we've known him since childhood. Other than with my brothers and Brother Li Wei, I didn't like to play as a child, so I don't have many friends."

Yuan slowed his pace and turned his head. "You have a brother?" tanyanya interested.

ZiXuan nodded and said, "Yes, but they died when I was little." His voice sounded a little soft. "If you want to know, just ask your mother-in-law" he continued walking ahead of Yuan.

It seems like the boy's childhood wasn't so much fun. But on one side, Yuan felt like he had seen the other side of ZiXuan. From the outside, he looked cold-blooded and cruel. If you know him well enough, he looks like a man you can't take seriously. But it seems that nature is only shown to Yuan. Maybe because they are partners.

"I didn't misjudge! Everyone in the imperial palace is indeed strange!"

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