I'm old.
My life as the Imperial Preceptor otherwise known as the Imperial Tutor had been nothing but bliss and enjoyment. I had wealth, women, and power as I have taught the current emperor since he was little.
However! Life has an end. I refuse to die. At the age of sixty, I started looking for ways to preserve and extend my life. And now, at the age of exactly one hundred, I have found the solution.
I found a secret art called "Soul Deliverance Manual". Simply put, it has a method to transfer my soul to a new body.
And as my luck has it, the current Crown Prince's son was about to be born.
After making his last preparations, Imperial Preceptor Feng Guowei walked out of his room.
The imperial palace consisted of three parts, the imperial chamber, the audience chamber, and the staff area. As the Imperial Preceptor, Feng Guowei's room was near the imperial chamber.
He walked through the imperial hall, enthusiastically greeted by the guards and maids. He nodded without showing emotion on his face. This was his persona as the respected Imperial Preceptor.
He soon stopped in front of the imperial chamber. The door stood a few meters above and there were two imperial mages flanking the sides. They smiled at Feng Guowei as they recognized him.
"Sir, the Crown Prince is with his consort who is about to give birth. Although the Emperor is old, he is still strong. Do you think the Crown Prince's son will be appointed as the next emperor?"
The mage on the right asked. His name was Li Zemin.
"Shh."
The mage on the left shushed with a frown. His name was Yuan Shen.
The duo were one of the best mages in the empire. They might not seem like it, but they boasted the ability to wash out a city if they wanted to.
"The Crown Prince is smart. He won't take the throne."
After saying those words, Feng Guowei stepped inside the imperial chamber. He didn't pay any attention to the two mages behind him. He was internally too excited to care.
The imperial chamber consisted of several rooms. The biggest one belonged to the emperor and the next biggest one belonged to contain all of his women.
And next in that order was the Crown Prince's room. It was still big by any standards.
Feng Guowei held the doorknob and paused. He took a deep breath and pushed it open.
"AGHHHH!!"
Screams assaulted his ears. The Crown Prince's wife had her legs sprawled apart on the spacious bed. Five women were in front of her guiding her with their words. All of their faces were in panic.
"Crown Prince."
Feng Guowei stopped behind a taut middle-aged man. He stared at his wife intently and failed to notice the person behind him.
"Crown Prince."
Feng Guowei lightly smacked his shoulder.
"O-oh!?"
Crown Prince Xie Tingfeng looked behind him in a rush. His eyes darted around before focusing on Feng Guowei.
"Preceptor!"
His face melted with joy. He was assumed to become the next emperor so Feng Guowei taught him a lot during his younger years. The relationship between the two was more than good.
Even with the political agendas surrounding them, they still managed to stay as close friends.
"Crown Prince, I have heard that an old man like me rubbing your wife's pregnant stomach will help her give birth."
"Really!?"
"Yes. I read it in an ancient book."
"Then, please, don't hesitate!"
The Crown Prince yielded with no hesitation nor doubt. Feng Guowei lived his life with honesty exactly for moments like this. When he needed to lie, everyone would believe him because he was always honest in the past.
Feng Guowei walked forward. He grabbed a spare chair and sat beside the bed.
The five women glanced at him but quickly focused on voicing out instructions to the consort. In this palace, everyone, young and old, respected the Imperial Preceptor Feng Guowei who was the eldest of them all.
Feng Guowei closed his eyes and recited the scripture written in the Soul Deliverance Manual. He murmured and no one heard the contents as they were drowned by the screaming consort and the five women and the various people watching in amazement.
"The soul is sacred but so is life. A life for a life, a body for a body, a destiny for a destiny. I shall take your place, baby boy. May your soul reincarnate in my place and may my soul take your body in your place."
As those words exited his mouth, runes appeared inside of Feng Guowei's head. These runes exuded auras of death and life. They transcended the normal magic mages used.
Feng Guowei was in no way proficient with magic, but he could still use it just like everyone else could.
As the magic activated, Feng Guowei felt his consciousness dim. He lost his senses and a bolt of electricity ran through his body.
His soul gathered in his head and the runes surrounded it before rushing through his hand and entering the womb.
. . .
On the day of the birth of the twins Xie Ying(Clever) and Xie Xiurong(Beautiful Glory), the Imperial Preceptor died of a heart attack. He was helping ease the Crown Princess Consort's birth when he died.
Everyone was surprised as he was still strong and never showed any weakness. It was the death of an honest and kind old man that earned the respect of all parties.
This day marked the start of the imperial change that will go down through history.
. . .
After giving birth to male and female twins, Crown Princess Consort Yan Zhilan was left alone with a maid. Her two babies were sleeping peacefully wrapped in blankets on her left and right side.
She gazed at them with loving eyes.
These two were small for babies which was why no one expected two of them to come out. Her stomach looked like the stomach of a woman pregnant with a single baby.
"Xie Ying, Xie Xiurong. Two beautiful names…"
Her eyes dulled, and she slowly fell asleep.
The twins peacefully slept beside her.
Xie Ying, the baby boy, opened his eyes a few minutes later. Those two curious eyes stared at the large mountains obstructing his view of his mother's face.
I succeeded.
Feng Guowei didn't expect to be born with a twin sister.
I'm glad my soul didn't enter the girl.
His relief didn't mean that he was biased against women. If he, a man, was born into a girl's body, then he would have all sorts of identity crises.
Xie Xiurong opened her eyes. Those two curious eyes were also obstructed by the other mountain.
I succeeded.
Feng Guowei didn't expect to be born as twins.
Why am I in the girl?
His face clouded with sourness. As a man, it was an odd feeling to suddenly be in a girl's body. He was glad he was not a teenager yet or the hormones would drive him crazy.
At this time, he had plenty of time to prepare.
The twins never imagined that the soul of Feng Guowei would be split and shared between them. They couldn't sense the other, and there was no way for them to know that the other was them without the ability to speak.
For now, I want to sleep.
For now, I want to sleep.
The twins closed their eyes as their newborn bodies yearned for rest in order to grow.