SUMMARY
Xiao YuAn transmigrated into a novel as the homosexual young Emperor imprisoning the Male Lead of a Stallion Novel.
This is indeed miserable, and sad.
Because of this, Xiao YuAn began to work hard to survive.
But!
'To those cannon fodders, even if you want to treat the Male Lead bad, can you stop sending him to my bed?' Xiao YuAn thinks that there's nothing wrong in pampering the Male Lead, but that's just because he wants to bathe in the Protagonist halo!
Xiao YuAn: "Don't abuse the Male Lead ever again! You guys aren't afraid of death, but I want to live!"
A story that starts out with the Shou taking care of the Gong, and then, the Gong takes care of the Shou.
Chapter 1: This President is Really Normal.
Xiao YuAn was the President of a Company.
Probably because both his Father and Grandfather were Tyrannical Presidents themselves, his family had always wanted to make him into a Tyrannical President as well.
A Tyrannical President should be handsome and rich, evil and arrogant, someone that'll spoil his loved ones, and above all: he must be able to memorize by heart, the 300 quotes from the previous Presidents.
Unfortunately, Xiao YuAn could only be the first.
But that didn't matter at all. The Xiao Family firmly believed that they could turn Xiao YuAn into a man who is loved by all women and makes all men jealous. Someone that spreads powerful pheromones everywhere!
A Tyrannical! President!
The Xiao Family had two important Family Mottos.
There's nothing that can't be solved by money. If there is, then just double the price!
If you have money, you can do whatever you want!
Looking at these two awe-inspiring, passionate and shocking family mottos, everyone could understand why the Xiao Family wanted to make Xiao YuAn into a Tyrannical President.
However, Xiao YuAn himself, wasn't quite able to understand their reasons. He felt that the loyal dog, warm man type was good enough.
"
"
His family firmly believed that the only reason for him to think like that, was because he hadn't met his true love yet.
His true love must be someone who isn't rich or too beautiful, it's even better if she's from a small city, preferably a low-level employee of the Xiao Family Company. She can't be too pretty, but she must be 'kind'. She must have the goddess halo, someone that is compassionate and reasonable, even when facing her love rivals. She must not be too clever, and she absolutely can't refuse her male partner. And even when facing her love rivals, She Must! Not! Seek! Revenge! It's also better if she, from time to time, picks up a stray dog or a cat from the street. Just perfect!
That day, while getting off work, Xiao YuAn actually bumped into someone like that.
Literally. Bumped. Into. One!
It was all because this young woman, who was running through the Company's lobby, ran into him.
The young woman then fell to the ground, with tears flowing from her eyes. The flower vase in her hands also fell, shattering into pieces.
Xiao YuAn quickly helped her to get up: "I'm sorry, how much does this flower vase cost? I'll pay for it."
However, the young woman shook off his hand and angrily shouted at him: "Who wants your money! Do you rich people really believe that money can buy everything? You better apologize to me!"
? ? ?
'But I apologized to you', Xiao YuAn thought. 'And it was you who bumped into me.'
"I'm sorry." Xiao Yuan thought that the young woman might not have heard him, so he just repeated himself. In order to express his sincere apology, Xiao YuAn took out his wallet. "How much do I owe you?"
"Who wants your money!" The young woman knocked the wallet out of his hands, resulting in it falling on the ground.
AD
? ? ?
Wow, she's not like those women who are flirtatious and pretend to be humble on the outside, she's so unpretentious~
As a Tyrannical President, Xiao YuAn should've that thought.
However, Xiao YuAn only felt that there was something wrong with the young woman's brain. He picked up his wallet, and by following the idea that her stupidity might be contagious, he left as fast as he could.
After the Xiao Family heard about this, they thought that this type of woman might not be suitable for Xiao YuAn, so they arranged a party for him.
At the party, Xiao YuAn met a young rich Missy1.
The name of this young Missy was: Lin·MeiDieBingjingZiPoLiYeHuang·Ling
Xiao YuAn didn't want to meet her. He felt that a normal Chinese person wouldn't have such an inexplicable name.
But because his family had put a lot of pressure on him, he had no other choice than to go and talk to her.
Xiao YuAn's first thought when he saw Missy Lin·MeiDieBingjingZiPoLiYeHuang·Ling, was: 'What the fuck? There's people out there who are bold enough to dye their hair rainbow colors?'
In this era, when the 90's generation started to lose their hair and began balding at such a young age, this young woman's approach was truly painful! Too shocking! Too horrible!
This Miss Lin·MeiDieBingjingZiPoLiYeHuang·Ling is pure, clean, and high above2. She got a PhD at the age of 14, and is proficient in piano, chess and calligraphy. She has the mark of a red spider lily flower3 on her forehead, and when she laughs…
AD
Oh, it's a good thing that she doesn't have petals falling off her face when she smiles, otherwise, materialist thinkers would be crying on the toilet.
Faced with such a vivacious, beautiful and intelligent young woman, Xiao YuAn only said two words.
"Good bye."
The Xiao Family felt disheartened, and their chest hurts.
'You can't even like this type of woman. What type of woman do you like, Xiao YuAn?!'
Suddenly!
The Xiao Family realized something!
'Fuck, Xiao YuAn, he…'
'He! May! Be! Gay!'
…
Xiao YuAn originally wanted to say that he would like someone who is plain and normal, but since the entire Xiao Family had all come to such a decisive conclusion, Xiao YuAn was too lazy to argue with them.
Because he had never liked a woman nor a man.
AD
Maybe he really was gay.
Unsurprisingly, he actually met a Shou4.
Footnotes
大小姐 dà xiǎo jie; A woman from a wealthy family, who generally gives a polite and elegant image. Sometimes it's used in a sarcastic way to refer to a woman with a Princess complex.
高高在上 gāo gāo zài shàng; Chinese idiom, it used to refer to high status, but nowadays, it's used to describe someone who isn't in touch with reality / aloof and remote. From《诗经·周颂·敬之》"The Book of Songs".
彼岸花 bǐ àn huā; Lycoris radiata, or Red Spider Lily, looks like THIS.
受 shòu; Used as a slang word to refer to the Bottom on a relationship. Shou = Uke.
Chapter 2: This Plot is Really Weird.
A Tyrannical President just met a lovely and cute Shou…
His beauty makes women jealous. He has big watery eyes and bright lips. His character is naive and gentle. And he has a wicked female friend by his side.
He likes to cry, especially when the President forces himself onto him. He would cry 'no no no' while also not pushing back, and then he'll cry over the loss of his own virginity. But don't worry! Since he can somehow forgive the Tyrannical President afterwards!
'Ah, that's love. I guess.'
…
'No, this love is bullshit!'
Xiao YuAn yelled in his heart, 'I can go to the street and find a young woman who is a hundred times better than you! Someone that will not make trouble! And will not cry all the time!'
Faced with this kind of Shou, Xiao YuAn felt that even if he was gay, he might be scared straight.
The Xiao Family noticed this.
Wait, something isn't right. Why don't you even like the typical Tyrannical President's Shou?
Could it be!
AD
Holy shit?
Is Xiao YuAn a Shou himself?
Hiss1.
The Xiao Family felt depressed, corrupted, and like they were falling into tragedy. This was beyond the Family Motto.
But it doesn't matter, since he can't walk the road of the 'Tyrannical President', they can still solve it by sneakily transforming him into the Seductive Shou President.
For example, if he meets a Mafia Boss; a tyrannical, black-bellied2 gangster that emits S aura everywhere.
After leaving work that day, Xiao YuAn found that his car had been damaged, and then saw that a piece of paper was stuck on the door of the car, asking him to negotiate a compensation.
Xiao YuAn dialed the man's phone saying that it was okay and that there wasn't a need to compensate him.
The man sneered and said: "Do you even know who I am?"
Xiao YuAn: "…"
'I don't care who the fuck you are! How can you sound so arrogant after scratching someone else's car! Is it too difficult to just apologize?!'
'Wait, those words sound just like the quotes of a Tyrannical President!'
AD
Sensing that Xiao YuAn was silent, the man sneered and gave his name.
He turned out to be an actual Mafia Boss, the type that ignited fear by mentioning his name. He coolly asked Xiao YuAn to come, saying that no matter how much money he asked for, he could afford it.
Xiao YuAn thought, since he didn't have the potential of becoming a Tyrannical President himself, he might as well go and see what an actual Tyrannical Boss looks like.
So Xiao YuAn went to meet him.
However, Xiao YuAn soon realized that this guy was sick.
Because they didn't talk about the compensation at all. They didn't even talk much to begin with, when the Mafia Boss said that he wanted to imprison him.
Xiao YuAn said to him that he wasn't an M, and he wasn't interested in SM or BD.
The Mafia Boss said that it was okay; "I will transform your body with bondage play, imprisonment play, and many other kinky things. You will fall prey to lust every day and for the rest of your life, until you became my submissive. In the end, we'll finally fall in love. We'll try to kill each other and being together will become complicated, forever tangled into a sadistic abusive relationship!"
Hmmm…
It sounded inspirational, but Xiao YuAn still felt that this guy had a serious problem. After all, he doesn't suffer from Stockholm Syndrome.
This Tyrannical Boss was very bossy. Lifting up his chin and pinching his waist, saying things like he'll tie him up and force him into imprisonment.
Then, he was beaten up by Xiao YuAn.
AD
After all, Xiao YuAn had practiced self-defense ever since he was a child.
After the beating, Xiao YuAn felt even more melancholic. He felt at a loss with his role as a "Tyrannical President", and now his role as a "Seductive Shou President" went downhill as well.
'Forget it, love affairs are way too frustrating, but my business is excelling. It's better to just keep doing my work.'
So Xiao Yuan worked diligently, intending to be a positive figure of society, to embody the good traits expected of a Chinese young man3, an excellent member of his political Chinese party, and to serve the people for the rest of his life.
And then, he was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
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Footnotes
嘶 sī; Sound of the air being sucked between the teeth, indicating hesitation or thinking something over.
腹黑 fù hēi; Refers to people who are kind and gentle on the surface, but dark and evil on the inside / Slang for two-faced.
四好青年 sì hǎo qīng nián; The slogan "four good traits of youth" are: Strive to be a good youth who loves the motherland and has lofty ideals. Strive to be a good youth who studies diligently and pursues aspirations. Strive to be a good youth with good morals, unity and friendship. Strive to have a strong, healthy body.
Chapter 3: This Book is Really Toxic.
When Xiao YuAn got his medical examination results, his face darkened for a long time. Then he went back and read 233 Tyrannical Presidential novels, but he wasn't able to find a single story with a President being diagnosed with a terminal illness.
However, Xiao YuAn didn't care and instead developed a surprising hobby.
And that was.
Reading novels! Reading! Web! Novels!
He couldn't find his role in life, and couldn't cure his disease. So why don't use the last of his existence to read novels and comfort his soul.
But in the end, when Xiao YuAn wanted to find spiritual comfort from novels, the heavens had to slap him hard in the face again.
Xiao YuAn was reading a novel that was on the top ten of a certain online list.
There are thousands of masterpieces in this world, but Xiao YuAn just had to immerse himself into a novel in which he wanted to bury the author alive after he finished reading it.
This novel was way too toxic and cruel. The author fed the knives to the readers, as if they were flies molesting everyone; they couldn't be avoided, and they were like those big Spanish flies!
After reading, Xiao YuAn flipped through the comment section of the novel, and as expected, the readers kindly showed the author the lower limit of their cursing skills.
[A perfectly good historical novel got fucking turned into a stallion novel1! I'm aaarghhh!]
AD
[Author, come out. Aaaaahhh I promise I won't hit you! I'll just cut you with a blade!]
[The first half of the book was amazing, but then the second half arouses my desires to kill! This novel is stupid!]
In the comment section, the insults were original, but they weren't fun. There were some who were insulting the characters, and some others who were insulting the plot. True fans vs anti fans, it was truly chaotic. Everything and everyone was being insulted. In the end, most people didn't even know what they were insulting anymore.
Xiao YuAn saw an interesting long comment, the general content was like this: [As a fan of historical fiction, and as someone who once held this book close to my heart but now sees it as pure dirt, I feel I have something to say…
And I have a lot to say!
First, let's take a closer look at the name of this book: "The History of the Four Kingdoms".
Listen! You guys listen! What an orthodox name! How elegant! How meticulous! How awe-inspiring!
And this novel starts out very decent too! Let me briefly explain the story for those who haven't read it.
It tells the story of the Prince of the Southern Yan Kingdom, who was captured and taken prisoner to the Northern Kingdom. The Male Lead, who used to be a Prince, was tortured, humiliated and abused in the Northern Kingdom. But even then, he endured the humiliation and was able to escape from the Northern Kingdom.
However, the country in which he used to live, was already at war. The people suffered and the land was occupied by enemy countries. From then on, the Prince relied on his hatred and in his talent, summoning his subordinates, recruited troops, and defeated the Northern Kingdom in one fell swoop. He even killed the Young Emperor with his own hands. Afterwards, the Prince went further and further on his road of unifying the Four Kingdoms into one.
Friends! Look! Look at the rise and fall of this Country, look at the mountains and rivers that are breaking down. What an exciting novel this is!
However!
AD
Ever since the author finished writing the Male Lead defeating the Northern Kingdom, it seems as if they were high on drugs! His ego began to let go of the status quo! The Female Generals of the Western Shu Kingdom, the Erotic Prostitutes of the Southern Yan Kingdom, the Twelve Singers of the Eastern Wu Kingdom. The Male Lead was like a walking aphrodisiac, growing his harem while also fighting a war.
Growing! His! Harem! While! Also! Fighting! A! War!
Why haven't his subordinates killed him yet!
Wherever he went, the girls would climb onto him without asking for anything in return, it looked like an open invitation. And just like that, he unified the nation, out of thin air!
It's fine to write it as a stallion novel, even having ten girls a night is fine too. But writing an historical fictional book as a harem drama fiction is really too… Ah forget it!
But what the hell is a soul reanimation potion?
How come there is fantasy too?
What?
Although the Princess of the Northern Kingdom is the moonlight brightening the Male Lead's heart, and she's the reader's number one and only goddess, there's no denying that she's the Female Lead.
But! She is dead! She was killed by the author!
How many years has it been since she passed away!
She's not a cold corpse anymore! She's a rotten body!
AD
To hell with the soul reanimation potion!
Still, you self-centered prick!
Author, doesn't your conscience hurt?!
Does! It! Not! Hurt?!
And! Even when the Male Lead is described to have many lovers, why did you have to write a paragraph about him looking like he was in true love with her? It's so confusing!]
After seeing this comment, Xiao YuAn thought about it for a while, and then replied giving his own opinion.
[The Male Lead should've been in love with the Princess of the Northern Kingdom. But the Princess not only committed suicide because of him, she also didn't accept him until her death, which is why the Male Lead became like that later, right? If the Princess of the Northern Kingdom showed a hint of love for him, I think the Male Lead will only love her for the rest of his life.]
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Footnotes
种马小说 zhǒng mǎxiǎo shuō; A term used to describe novels with protagonists that have a special charm effect that attracts almost every women they met. Most of these kind of novels tend to be harem
Chapter 4: This Suicide is Really Apathetic.
Xiao YuAn's health began to deteriorate day by day, and he had no intention of relying on expensive treatments to continue his life. Xiao YuAn decided to anonymously donate his money to a hospital, and then put all of his remaining assets into a bank account.
After doing this, Xiao YuAn quietly left the hospital and went to a nursing home in the suburbs.
This was a very high-end nursing home, a place where even the middle-class families couldn't afford to enter. Making one wonder: Capitalism is really dark! Stained with the blood of the working class!
Xiao YuAn was familiar with this nursing home and easily found a rather luxurious room.
A young nurse walked out of the room and was slightly surprised when she saw Xiao YuAn: "Mr. Xiao?"
"Is he in a good mood today?" Xiao YuAn asked.
"He's alright."
"Really? That's good."
"Would you like to go in and see him, Mr. Xiao?"
"Yes, please tell others not to come in while I'm inside, even if they hear any noise."
"Understood." The nurse nodded and walked away silently.
AD
Xiao YuAn took a deep breath and took a look at his phone.
Well, the Company's affairs have been dealt with, and there's no problem with his suicide note.
Just as Xiao YuAn was about to put back his phone, a message suddenly popped up from the novel website.
Xiao YuAn thought it was a hate reply to the comment he sent that day. On a normal day, he wouldn't bother to look at it.
But today he felt different. Xiao YuAn then followed his curiosity and opened the comment section.
It wasn't a hate reply.
Not only it wasn't a hate reply, but also the person and the content of the reply made Xiao YuAn very surprised.
The message was sent by the author, and the content was a single sentence:
[Only you understand him.]
'I understand him?'
Xiao YuAn was confused. 'Who do I understand? Was it the Male Lead?'
After wondering what the author meant, Xiao YuAn put his phone away, pushed open the door, and entered the room.
AD
The room was bright and spacious, the long curtains swayed in front of the clear windows. In the middle of the room, a young man in a wheelchair was holding a cat's neck and pushing it into a goldfish tank.
He was emotionlessly looking at the cat who was struggling from drowning. He didn't even raise his head when he heard the sound of the door opening.
"What are you doing?" Xiao YuAn went to him and asked.
"The nurse said it likes fish, but the fish is in the water, so I'm helping it get it." The man's voice didn't fluctuate.
"Is that so…" Xiao YuAn murmured softly, "Oh by the way, I'm leaving."
The man suddenly trembled. He looked at Xiao YuAn and his hand went slack, loosening the strong grip on the cat's neck. At that moment, the cat hurriedly ran away. leaving the floor wet.
"For how long will you be gone?" The man asked.
"I will not be coming back." Xiao YuAn answered.
The man nodded and rolled his wheelchair to the coffee table. He reached for a cup and threw it hard at Xiao YuAn.
The cup accurately hit Xiao YuAn's forehead, the pain he felt accompanied the sound of the cup shattering on the ground.
Xiao YuAn was shocked by the sudden hit. Instinctively, he touched his forehead and some blood spreaded through his fingers, then falling down towards his eye.
"Do you still remember what you said to me on our mother's grave?" The young man asked.
"
"
"Yes, I do remember." Xiao YuAn took a breath and tried to relieve the pain coming from his head.
"What did you say!" The man suddenly shouted.
"I said that I would take care of you for her, for the rest of my life."
"There was more!"
"If I don't do it, I will die …"
"Then fucking die."
"I… I transferred all my assets to your bank account, you…"
"Fuck you! Go to hell!"
"For now on, you will have to take care of yourself, I'm sorry."
"Shut up! And die for me!"
"Alright." Xiao YuAn walked right to a window, opened it, and then jumped down from the fifth floor.
Chapter 5: This Transmigration is Really Tragic.
Xiao YuAn was dazed by the light gauze drapery and dazzling smoke that surrounded him. He slightly nodded his head and found himself covered with a slightly fragrant bedding quilt. On this bedding quilt was embroidered a majestic Golden Dragon, this Dragon was breathing flames, his sharp teeth and dancing claws1 made him look very much lifelike.
Xiao YuAn braced himself and sat up on the bed. Suddenly, long silk-like black hair fell down his shoulders like a waterfall.
'Huh?'
Xiao YuAn grabbed a few strands of hair and pulled hard.
'Ouch, it hurts.'
Xiao YuAn's mind began to think at a rapid speed, and then he felt extremely confused.
'Could this be a rebirth?'
Is Marx's coffin plate still sealed?
"Your Majesty, are you awake? This maidservant will help you change clothes." The door of the bedchamber was gently pushed open and a beautiful, young woman walked in. In her hands, she was holding a basin with water to help him wash his face. She was dressed in a plain cyan robe and her hair was tied up in a bun, decorated with a bronze ancient hairpin.
'Your Majesty?'
Xiao YuAn felt a little bit sad, it wasn't easy to be reborn to begin with and this setting turned out to be a realistic one. He wouldn't be able to experience the pleasure of a Cultivation World.
AD
Although Marx will cry on his grave, Newton can rest at ease.
"Are there any Monsters or Immortals, or anything of the sort in this world?" Xiao YuAn asked.
The young woman was stunned: "Your Majesty? Are you planning to go to the Temple to worship?
'Oh, so it's not a Fantasy setting either.'
Xiao YuAn showed an expression of disappointment.
"Your Majesty, the late Emperor has entered the Western Paradise2 for so many days now, don't be sad; you should be careful to not damage your body health." The maidservant, who was closely observing Xiao YuAn's movements, tried to comfort him with a gentle voice.
'Oh? So his soul is inside a new Emperor's body, that just recently inherited the throne?'
"Is there a mirror?" Xiao YuAn asked the maidservant.
The maidservant immediately brought a bronze mirror, bowed and knelt in front of the bed, handing it over to Xiao YuAn.
Xiao YuAn took the bronze mirror and studied his face features.
Ah, he's really good looking, clear and handsome. His eyebrows and eyes were well defined, his skin was very pale and beautiful, his lips were naturally red and his eyes were bright. This was the face of a young and beautiful teenager.
Xiao YuAn quietly sighed, and silently defined himself inside his heart.
'A young Emperor.'
'This kind of Monarch, either the Military power is not in his hand, and he ended up as his mother or uncle's puppet. Or he's a hot-minded youth, who doesn't know how to rule a Country, and is determined to spend his days in luxury and corruption.'
'Either way, I already know that this kind of road, at the beginning, is not an easy path to walk on.'
'However, rebirth is a strange opportunity, one that I got among a thousand people; even if I'm not the Protagonist, I won't be a simple cannon fodder that appears on one page!'
Xiao YuAn was suddenly in high spirits.
"What's your name?" Xiao YuAn asked the maidservant.
The maidservant was clearly confused for a brief moment, but she still replied in a respectful way regardless: "This maidservant's name is Hong Xiu."
"Hong…"
'Huh?'
'Wait a minute, this name, why does it sound so familiar?'
'Young Emperor? The late Emperor died?'
Xiao YuAn hesitated several times, but in the end, he managed to ask: "What has Princess Yongning been busy with lately?"
"Answering to His Majesty." Hong Xiu knelt on the ground and bowed her head. "This maidservant heard that the Princess has been learning to play the guqin recently."
Xiao YuAn, who just a moment ago was very satisfied with his current situation, after listening to what the maidservant said, flopped on the bed stiff as a corpse.
"Your Majesty? What happened, Your Majesty? Are you feeling sick? Your Majesty?" Hong Xiu was extremely shocked at his reaction, asking him in a flustered voice.
"Life grabbed me by the throat and then gave me a loud slap in the face."
"Ah?"
"I know that only true warriors would dare to face the painful reality of life, even if blood is dropped."
"Your…Your Majesty?"
"Now my fate is sealed. In this world where the human hearts are not the same as they used to be in ancient times3, and where everything they care about is materialistic desires, only this quilt has a little warmth left."
"Your Majesty! What's wrong? I'll summon the Imperial Physician right away!" Hong Xiu stumbled a few frightened steps and hurried to call someone for help, but Xiao YuAn quickly stopped her.
"Everything is fine, I was just running away from reality." Xiao YuAn waved his hand weakly.
Xiao YuAn has fully understood that he wasn't reborn at all.
He had transmigrated4 into a book.
AD
He got transmigrated into the stallion novel "The History of the Four Kingdoms" that he read before dying.
In the original book, Hong Xiu was the personal maidservant of the Young Emperor of the Northern Kingdom. Now, he's also that same Young Emperor that gets tortured alive at the hands of the Male Lead.
Xiao YuAn, in the midst of Hong Xiu's panicked questioning expression, rolled over on the bed facing the wall with a miserable look adorning his face.
'Ah, it would've been better to have the role of a cannon fodder after all. As a President at my prime of youth5, I wasn't even able to meet my soulmate when I suddenly got diagnosed with a terminal illness. This alone is enough to complain for a lifetime, but now I also had to transmigrate into such a complicated supporting role… Ah, my life is really miserable, and sorrowful.'
After finishing organizing his thoughts and feeling dispirited, Xiao YuAn got up and asked Hong Xiu, who was already feeling very disoriented: "Where's Yan HeQing?"
"Your Majesty, this maidservant…. is ignorant and doesn't know what His Majesty is asking about?" Hong Xiu was at a loss for words and fell to her knees to kowtow6.
Xiao YuAn quickly pulled her up: "It's the Male Lead, wait no, it's the captured Prince of the Southern Yan Kingdom, mmh? You still don't understand? I'm talking about the Prince that was captured alive by my father, oh right, by the late Emperor of the Northern Kingdom who conquered his Country."
Hong Xiu's face was still showing a very confused expression.
Xiao YuAn bowed his head and thought for a few seconds after finally saying: "The Prince that I want to take as a male concubine."
Hong Xiu suddenly realized: "Oh, this maidservant knows!"
Xiao Yuan: "…"
'So I just had to say that for you to finally understand?!'
AD
'Why do I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to being tortured to death?!'
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Footnotes
张牙舞爪 zhāng yá wǔ zhǎo; It's a Chinese idiom, used to describe a fierce and terrifying beast, with its mouth open and claws waving. It's also a metaphor for rampant fierceness.
西天 xī tiān; A Buddhist term that refers to the World of Paradise, the place where the soul goes after death, that is, the Underworld.
人心不古 rén xīn bù gǔ; It's a Chinese idiom, it refers to the social moral of the ancient times. Nowadays, people's hearts are treacherous and mean, not as generous as the ancients.
Transmigration is the movement of a soul into another body after death, and is related to reincarnation. Trans means "across," as in transport or transcontinental, and migration is the act of moving, like birds flying south. Transmigration used to just mean what it sounds like, as in: "Moving from one place to another". But later it took a deeper meaning: "A soul moving into another body after death". Various religions are associated with different types of transmigration.
风华正茂 fēng huá zhèng mào; Chinese idiom, describes the time in life when someone is young, charming and talented / Describes the vigorous and energetic spirit of youth.
磕头 kē tóu; A traditional ritual of respect towards a superior, involves kneeling on the ground and pressing your hands and forehead on the ground as well.
Chapter 6: You Can't Just Mess With The Male Lead!
He was very bold but not very astute1.
This was the impression that Xiao YuAn had of the late Emperor of the Northern Kingdom in the original book.
In the original book, the accomplishments of the late Emperor of the Northern Kingdom were probably all due to good luck. At that time, the Northern Kingdom had a good harvest year after year, the Country was rich and the common people were prosperous. Therefore, the late Emperor of the Northern Kingdom had the ambition of conquering the Southern Yan Kingdom.
It also coincided with the fact that the Southern Yan Kingdom had suffered from successive years of famine, and also, the Monarch of the Southern Yan had just passed away. This was a terrible amount of bad luck for them.
Because of this, the late Emperor of the Northern Kingdom took advantage of this rare weakness and invaded the Southern Yan Kingdom in one single stroke, capturing the last Prince alive, seized its property, and divided the land.
However.
The late Emperor, who was good at fighting and very brave in the battlefield, was also quite negligent in government affairs. After the war ended, he just clapped his ass and went back home!
He! Went! Back! Home!
Dage2, Armstrong traveled 380,000 kilometers to the moon and even he knew that he must leave behind a flag. So you just worked so hard fighting for this land, but you can't even be bothered to leave your flag behind?
Do you only know about the essence of how to bend a bow that can shoot down a big eagle3?
Later, the Southern Yan Kingdom was partly seized by the Eastern Wu Kingdom by setting the house on fire4. The remaining land was barely managed by the Uncle of the Male Lead.
After winning the war, the late Emperor of the Northern Kingdom lived day and night in leasuresy, absurdity and in obscenity; squandering the treasury obtained from the Southern Yan Kingdom. In the end, it wasn't a surprise for anybody when the Emperor drank himself to death.
The Crown Prince soon succeeded the throne, and this youthful Monarch who had grown up hearing about the late Emperor's immoral and ruthless way of ruling the Country, also became inept, a truly hopeless case.
It could be said that when the Northern Kingdom was destroyed by the Male Lead later on, in such a short period of time, it wasn't an event that occurred out of nothing. The root of this misfortune had already been deeply buried between the last two generations of Northern Kingdom's rulers.
…
Xiao YuAn hurriedly went to the dungeon inside the Imperial Palace, and when he entered through the iron gate, a dense rotting smell slapped him in the face.
The Jailer obviously didn't expect for the Emperor to come to such a place. Trembling with fear, he fell on his knees to kowtow, feeling how his heart was beating at a rapid speed.
"Your Majesty, you're the Golden Dragon's noble body, how can His Majesty enter such a filthy place? If there's anything His Majesty needs, he can just command Weichen5 to do it!" Xiao YuAn's Imperial Bodyguard shouted while kneeling on the ground.
"We're all pieces of meat formed by cells with 23 pairs of chromosomes, there's no need to differentiate yourself from me." Xiao YuAn said with a serious tone of voice to the Imperial Bodyguard.
Imperial Bodyguards: "Ah?"
"Knowledge is a good thing."
"What?"
"That's why we should fight against blind fate in favor of science."
"
"
"Huh?"
"Never mind, I was just teasing you." Xiao YuAn smiled at the bewildered-looking Jailer and stepped through the iron gate.
Three seconds later, Xiao YuAn covered his nose and jumped out.
It's so… the smell is way too unpleasant, he needs to slow down a bit.
Under the torture of the unpleasant smell, and by following the theory of survival of the fittest, Xiao YuAn gradually got used to the fishy smell, and entered again.
Inside the dungeon, there weren't many prisoners and the cells on both sides were empty. Xiao YuAn followed the Imperial Bodyguards through a dark tunnel, which led all the way to the deepest part of the dungeon, and then they stood in front of the door of an ordinary cell.
One of the Imperial Bodyguards took the key and opened the door. Immediately afterwards, he quickly laid a layer of clean straw on the ground, fearing that Xiao YuAn's boots would get dirty.
It's really good to have reliable people around him. Xiao YuAn couldn't help but look at this Imperial Bodyguard a few more times.
When he advanced forward, a strong bloody smell slapped him right in the face. The flickering candles inside the cell trembled due to the faint breeze brought in by Xiao YuAn's walking.
In a corner of the cell, sitting on the dirty ground, there was a man.
His white tunic had long been stained with blood and filth, resulting in the original color could no longer be seen. The thick iron chains were almost embedded in the wounds on his wrists and ankles, making it impossible for him to move a single bit. In the dark cell, Xiao YuAn could see that he was injured. There was blood and flesh out in the open and his long black hair was loose, covering his face, and hiding his facial features.
Even when the man heard some noise around him, he still didn't move.
AD
However, behind an opening in the thick curtain of black hair, a single eye could be seen.
Xiao YuAn looked at this eye; inside the pupil was a cold feeling, very indifferent, but absolutely determined.
There's people who live in the land of wealth and glory, but their eyes can't hide the fact that they're dead inside. Meanwhile, there's some people who, even in prison, the filth can't cover up their eyes that shine like stars, and that are strong and sharp like swords.
With a simple glance, Xiao YuAn understood that if he didn't kill him this day, the next day he would be the one being killed.
Without uttering a single word, Xiao YuAn suddenly pulled out a sword from the waist of an Imperial Bodyguard beside him, the sharp blade came out with a "clunk" sound; shocking everyone inside the cell. Because of this sudden action, the man sitting on the ground finally moved his body. However, because of the pain from his injuries, and with his eyebrows turning into a frown, he was only able to make very little movements.
He looked extremely miserable.
Xiao YuAn then thought to himself, the description of the Male Lead in the original book were just words after all. Right now, after seeing with his own eyes the tragic situation that the Male Lead was in, the only thing he wanted to say was…
'Author! You! Are! A! Big! Evil! Parent!'
'This is your own son! You're way too heartless!'
Xiao YuAn clenched the hilt of the sword, his heart was inexplicably swelling with a dense, painful emotion.
This emotion was called heartache.
Saying that you wanted to kill someone was very easy, and Xiao YuAn didn't even need to do it by himself. Right now he's the Emperor of the Northern Kingdom, the person in front of him was as weak as an insect, and he was surrounded by loyal servants; he just needed to snap his fingers and then there would be no more Yan HeQing in this world. However, Xiao YuAn in the end couldn't do it.
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'Never mind, I already know how the plot will develop anyways. If I don't follow the path of the Young Emperor towards his death, then maybe the Country won't be destroyed in the end.'
If he can't kill Yan HeQing, then he will have to observe how things will develop from now on; and while the male lead is still a captive of the Northern Kingdom, Xiao YuAn will make the effort to be extra nice to him, spoil him to the skies, and maybe he'll think of a good strategy. Finally, he will be able to make it to the end with a full body, right?
Xiao YuAn, who already died once, right now the only thing he wanted to do was to survive. With a sigh, he silently returned the sword to the Imperial Bodyguard.
However, Xiao YuAn didn't have the intention of leaving with empty hands.
In the original book the Male Lead's face was described as being stunningly beautiful, so blindingly handsome that it could be really hard to find another face like his in a lifetime. Xiao YuAn was curious enough to take a few steps ahead, kneel beside the man, and reach out to lift his disheveled hair.
As soon as Xiao YuAn extended his hand, Yan HeQing suddenly turned his head and bit Xiao YuAn's hand fiercely.
After getting bitten for no reason whatsoever, Xiao YuAn became speechless out of astonishment.
The man in front of him had no strength at all, and although the bit brought a little pain to Xiao YuAn, it wasn't strong enough to draw out blood.
Because of the position Xiao YuAn was in, the Jailer and the Imperial Bodyguards behind him could only see Xiao YuAn's back, so they weren't able to see him being bitten.
Xiao YuAn waited for a while, and when he found that Yan HeQing hadn't let him go yet, he said in a helpless voice: "Has your anger not been relieved yet?"
Xiao YuAn guessed that Yan HeQing was irritated from the killing intent of the hand that held the sword he borrowed a few minutes ago, so that's why he reacted the way he did.
"It hurts, you know?" Xiao YuAn murmured in a low and gentle voice. "Loosen up, the Imperial Bodyguards will get suspicious if I stay like this after such a long time."
AD
Yan HeQing was very confused by Xiao YuAn's good-natured attitude towards himself and froze in place, his mouth loosened open.
Xiao YuAn rubbed the tooth marks on the back of his hand and hid it on his sleeve. After standing up, he said to the Jailer and Imperial Bodyguards: "Release him from prison, and then send him to the Imperial Physician to get his wounds properly treated."
After giving his orders, Xiao YuAn turned around and walked out of the cell.
And after tossing and turning inside the Imperial Palace for a while, the day became a starry night when Xiao YuAn finally returned to the Imperial bedchamber.
When Hong Xiu saw that Xiao YuAn's body had stirred up a bloody smell from his trip to the Imperial dungeons, she quickly took him to take a bath.
Xiao YuAn used the bath as if it was a hot spring, soaking up with dizziness. After a while, Xiao YuAn vaguely heard that Hong Xiu asked him something, but because he was in a daze, he couldn't understand her at all.
Xiao YuAn didn't care about what she said to him, so he just casually "hmmmed" and soaked in the water for nearly an hour.
When Xiao YuAn finally finished his bath, Hong Xiu was carefully waiting for him to get dressed.
Xiao YuAn remembered that in the original book, Hong Xiu was very clever and smart, she knew how to read the Young Emperor's mood with just a glance and help him fulfil his deepest desires.
However, at the same time, she could also be a very ruthless woman. She was responsible for the discipline of the Young Emperor's male concubines. For these male lovers, Hong Xiu was never a merciless type of person. If she thought that someone didn't serve the Young Emperor well, it was very likely that she would punish them by lacerating their flesh.
Xiao YuAn looked at the tranquil young woman, who was helping him get dressed with a serious and concentrated face, and he couldn't help but feel like it was very difficult to place that description of her from the original book with her physical body.
'What was the ending of Hong Xiu in the original book?'
"
"
Xiao YuAn bowed his head in contemplation, but before he could remember something about it, Hong Xiu called out to him: "Your Majesty, it's time to go to bed."
"Um, alright." Xiao YuAn came back to his senses and put that question behind his head.
After walking back to the Imperial bedchamber, Hong Xiu didn't follow him in. Instead, she gently closed the door.
There wasn't a single candlelight inside the bedchamber, so Xiao YuAn waited for his eyes to get adapted to the darkness around him, and then groped for his bed with the help of the moonlight that fell in through the hollowed-out wooden window casket.
Inside the bedchamber it was very calm and quiet, the smoke from the burning incense curled up in the air, extremely silent.
However, what Xiao YuAn never expected, was that there was another person inside his bed.
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Footnotes
有勇无谋 yǒu yǒng wú móu; Chinese idiom, used to describe when someone does certain things or fights over something in a rush, with no strategy whatsoever, and just goes for it in reckless way.
大哥 dà gē; Eldest Brother / Big Brother, as a polite address for a man of about the same age as oneself.
弯弓射大雕 wān gōng shè dà diāo; From the poem《沁园春·雪》by (毛泽东 máo zé dōng) Mao Zedong [1893-1976]. Describes someone that is only good for Martial Arts and nothing else.
趁火打劫 chèn huǒ dǎ jié; Chinese idiom, it means to take advantage of a fire to rob someone. This is used as a metaphor to describe when someone takes advantage of someone's danger to seek personal gain / To profit from somebody's misfortune. From《西游记》(xī yóu jì) "Journey to the West", by (吴承恩 wú chéng ēn) Wu Cheng'en [1500-1582] from the Ming Dynasty [1368-1644].
微臣 wēi chén; This Small Official / Humble Servant / Modest word commonly used by Officials and Ministers in ancient times.
Chapter 7: You Can't Sleep With The Emperor.
In the Tyrannical President rule book, when you're faced with the embrace of a young woman, of course the Tyrannical President must hold her tightly, and with an evil smile say: "Beauty, you asked for this."
However, when Xiao YuAn, a former President, felt that someone got into his arms and started to undress him…
He!
He rolled over, and with a standard defense move, he grabbed the person's arm by the wrist and twisted it over, pressing down the person's head with his other hand, holding them down!
Holding them down!
Xiao YuAn's first reaction after restraining that person was….
'My path as a Tyrannical President is completely hopeless!'
That person, who was being held down by him, was also extremely stunned. With a trembling voice laced with hidden fear and tears, they said: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, could you be a little bit more gentle?"
'Huh, this voice was very soft, sweet and cute.'
'But it's a male's voice!'
Xiao YuAn quickly released him: "Sorry sorry sorry, you scared me, that's all."
AD
The young man slightly curled up: "This slave, this slave didn't mean it, Your Majesty. Please don't be angry."
Xiao Yuan touched his forehead.
Suddenly, he remembered two important things.
Firstly, this Young Emperor, he's a fucking cut sleeve1!
Secondly, while he was taking a bath earlier, Hong Xiu must have asked him if he needed someone to sleep with at night!
When the young man saw that Xiao YuAn had been silent for such a long time, he thought that Xiao YuAn was angry with him. Panicked, he took out a rope from beside the bedside and said: "Your Majesty, don't get angry, you can tie up this slave. Didn't His Majesty say that he wanted to whip this slave with a ruler last time? This servant has the ruler ready, Your Majesty?"
Xiao YuAn's head started to hurt even more.
'I already knew that the Young Emperor was a cut sleeve, however, I didn't know that he was an S2!'
'Not only that, he was also born with the beautiful body of a Shou, but his heart was the one of a Gong3! He really dared to challenge fate like that?! So thoughtful! So innovative!'
Xiao YuAn's strange attitude suddenly made the young man panic, he ripped off his own clothes, and then wrapped his hands and feet around Xiao YuAn's body, hugging him tight. His clothes fell down to his wrists, and his smooth chest and shoulders were all exposed. Then, the young man's voice trembled: "Your Majesty, this slave wants you so bad, please, give it to this slave."
Xiao YuAn held the young man's trembling hand and smiled slightly: "I won't give anything to you, I will definitely not allow it."
The young man became speechless out of astonishment, his panicked expression was somewhat broken and pale.
"
"
"Well then? Have you finally calmed down?" Xiao YuAn patted the young man's head as gently as an Elder Brother would, and then reached out his hand to help him fix his clothes.
The young man couldn't say anything, he was so scared by Xiao YuAn's unusual behavior, that he froze in place.
"Hong Xiu, Hong Xiu." Xiao YuAn called twice in a loud voice. Suddenly, a candlelight outside the Imperial bedchamber's door flickered, and Hong Xiu pushed the door open.
Hong Xiu quickly lit the candles around the bedchamber, illuminating everything around them. After that she knelt down in front of the bed, and with a respectul voice, she asked: "Your Majesty, what's wrong? Did this slave not serve you well?"
Xiao YuAn felt that the young man behind him suddenly shrunk, he was obviously shivering: "No, he's very good. I'm the one that lost interest. Take him back and don't forget to give him a reward."
Hong Xiu nodded and waited for Xiao YuAn to lie down again. Then she blew out all the candlelights, and led the young man away.
Surrounded by silence, Xiao YuAn closed his eyes, but then opened them again. He subconsciously reached out to take his phone beside the pillow, but after half-way stretching out his hand, he silently withdrew it.
Xiao Yuan had a problem.
When he sleeps, he must be surrounded by the sound of other people's breathing. In modern times, Xiao YuAn could use his phone to record and then play it when he needed it. However, the current situation made Xiao YuAn feel really helpless.
After unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep, Xiao YuAn sighed heavily. He sat up, rubbed his temples for a while, and then decided to go out for a walk.
The entrance to the Emperor's bedchamber was heavily guarded, so after Xiao YuAn pondered for a while, he finally decided to go out from the window.
The two Imperial Bodyguards on the night-watch were stunned when they saw that a man jumped out of the Emperor's bedchamber, rolled around on the grass, and then stabilized himself.
AD
The two Imperial Bodyguards drew out their swords and then pointed them at the strange man's neck
Xiao YuAn raised his head and looked straight at the two Imperial Bodyguards.
The swords in the Imperial Bodyguards hands clattered to the ground.
….
Xiao YuAn stood up and calmly removed the weeds from his head, then he patted the Imperial Bodyguards on their shoulders: "Comrades, you've worked hard. It turns out that the windows are also heavily guarded."
The Imperial Bodyguards felt their knees going soft, and quickly knelt on the ground.
Xiao YuAn helped one of them to get up and then asked: "Which road is less guarded?"
The Imperial Bodyguard, while shivering all over, pointed his finger towards a stone path in the south.
Xiao YuAn nodded with satisfaction, and with his hands behind his back, he was about to walk towards the stone path.
The Imperial Bodyguards quickly shouted out to him: "Your Majesty, the night is too dark, if you go alone…"
"I'm happy to be alone, like the fluttering colorful wings of a Phoenix4."
"But…"
AD
"I pity the cold food of Qingming5. Can you talk less?"
"But…"
"Just let the Dragon City Commander fly away6. If you say another word, I'll beat you up."
After seeing that the Imperial Bodyguards were really afraid to say another word, Xiao YuAn couldn't help but sigh with lament: "The 300 Tang poems, really are the crystallization of wisdom."
With those last words, Xiao YuAn hummed a small tune and left, leaving behind the two Imperial Bodyguards, who were at a loss for words: "What are the 300 Tang poems…"
The Imperial Bodyguard didn't deceive Xiao YuAn, the South side of the Imperial Palace was uninhabited. The moonlight was barely lost behind the clouds, and from time to time, it will spread a soft light, gently brushing on Xiao YuAn's body.
It was the beginning of winter in the Northern Kingdom, and the wind was particularly cold; so Xiao YuAn, who was dressed in thin clothing, felt that he couldn't bear it any longer. In the end, he decided to go back to his bedchamber. Just as he turned around to walk back from the same path, the dazzling sound of a guqin was suddenly heard.
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Footnotes
断袖 duàn xiù; The allusion to "cut sleeve" comes from the Western Han Dynasty [206 BC-8 AC]. Because Emperor Ai's sleeve was trapped under Dong Xiang's body, and because he couldn't bear to wake up his lover, he drew out his sword to cut off his own sleeve. Later on, it was often said that Emperor Ai had a thing for getting his sleeve cut everytime he was mentioned. Therefore, "cut sleeve" became a synonym for male homosexuality since then.
S = sadomasochism.
攻 gōng; Used as a slang term to describe the Top on a relationship. Gong = Seme.
身无彩凤双飞翼 shēn wú cǎi fèng shuāng fēi yì; From the poem《无题》by (李商隐 lǐ shāng yǐn) Li Shangyin [813-858] from the Tang Dynasty [618-907]. The poem is about the cut of nostalgia, the pain of longing, and the hate of not having the wings of a colorful phoenix, so you can fly over to your lover.
可怜寒食与清明 kě lián hán shí yù qīng míng; From the poem《初入秦川路逢寒食》by (李隆基 lǐ lōng jī) Li Longji, the seventh Tang Emperor, Emperor Xuanzong [685-762], who reigned from 712 to 756. The poem refers to the day before the Qingming Festival, where the food is served cold. The Qingming Festival takes place between mid and late Spring, it originates from ancestral beliefs and rituals of Spring rituals in ancient times. The two main themes of Qingming are: praying to the ancestors, and tomb-sweeping.
但使龙城飞将在 dàn shǐ lóng chéng fēi jiāng zài; From the poem《出塞》by (王昌龄 wáng chāng líng) Wang Changling [698-757] from the Tang Dynasty [618-907]. It mainly describes the story of the Qin [221-206 BC] and Han [206 BC – 220 AC] Dynasties attacking the Huns, showing the hardships of the expedition outside the fortress and the heroic ambition of guarding the frontier. The Dragon City was also a frontier fortress used in the Tang Dynasty [618-907 AC] to defend against foreign invasions
Chapter 8: You Can't Walk Through The Main Door.
That person wasn't sleeping at night, instead, they ran out to play the guqin. Either they have the same illness as himself, or they're the Male Lead, or Female Lead. Anyways, it didn't matter who they are, they're very likely to be an enigmatic character!
The sound of the guqin was endless, and as Xiao YuAn looked up at the star-filled sky, he followed the sound of the guqin while deep in thought.
The Male Lead, Yan HeQing, doesn't know how to play the guqin. So this must be the Female Lead, Princess Yongning?
Could it be that Yan HeQing, who's injured and might be unable to fall asleep due to the pain, felt too lonely so he came out for a walk, and accidentally met Princess Yongning while she was playing the guqin at night? And when their eyes meet each other, they decide to spend the rest of their lives together?
No, in the original book, the way these two meet doesn't happen like this.
Xiao YuAn was extremely curious, but when he saw that the Pavilion was close by, he accidentally stepped on a wooden branch, making a slight noise.
The sound of the guqin suddenly stopped, and Xiao YuAn, with an "oops" inside his mind, took a few steps over. Just then a man hurriedly came over, inevitably colluding with Xiao YuAn.
The man first shouted out a "who", and after seeing Xiao YuAn's face, he suddenly knelt down: "Your Majesty! Why are you here?"
Xiao YuAn took a closer look at him, and then he immersed himself deep in thought once again.
This person was neither Yan HeQing nor Princess Yongning. However, Xiao YuAn recognized him.
He was the reliable Imperial Bodyguard who has been guarding Xiao YuAn earlier today, and he was also the one that spread clean straw for him in the cell.
AD
"Were you the one playing the guqin?" Xiao YuAn asked.
"It wasn't me." The Imperial Bodyguard panicked: "I also heard the sound of the guqin and came looking for the source, but I couldn't see any suspicious figure."
The Imperial Bodyguard's voice trembled, his hands were clenched into fists, and his eyes were looking around.
Xiao YuAn knew that the Imperial Bodyguard was lying, however, he was too lazy to delve deeper into it. Compared to the mysterious sound of a guqin, Xiao YuAn was more curious about what character the Imperial Bodyguard was: "What's your name?"
Judging by the name, he will know if he's good or bad. After all, Xiao YuAn already knows the plot!
"My name? Your Majesty, didn't you know…" The Imperial Bodyguard looked confused and suspicious, but he stopped his words in time. He cleared his throat, and said: "Answering to His Majesty, this servant's surname is Yang, name LiuAn."
Xiao YuAn whispered: "Yang LiuAn…"
It was like a round pearl rolled down Xiao YuAn's throat, until finally, it reached his heart and pressed down hard on it. This sudden reaction made Xiao YuAn shiver.
Xiao YuAn could only remember a few of the cannon fodder characters from the original book, however, Yang LiuAn was a special one.
Because in the original book the Young Emperor was an homosexual, it wasn't rare that there were some girls with all kind of dirty fantansies about him; therefore, all sorts of ships were flying around the BL-zone. Xiao YuAn never navigated the BL-section, filled with these kinds of fans. However, later on, a fire related to Yang LiuAn burned at the bottom of the comment section.
Because Yang LiuAn died.
The Imperial Bodyguard was an upright and resolute man. He was one of the Young Emperor's few followers that couldn't be regarded as a villain by the readers. However, when the Young Emperor's tyranny aroused the common people's anger, he suffered from an assasination attempt one day he went out of the Imperial Palace to play. Yang LiuAn tried to protect his Ruler, but in the end, he miserably died under the sharp blade; his body was cut into pieces.
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Although Xiao YuAn didn't know whether the original plot would change because of himself or not, there was no doubt that Yang LiuAn's loyalty to the Young Emperor was beyond doubt.
Xiao YuAn looked at Yang LiuAn with a complicated mood, as he reached out to help him get up: "Don't kneel."
Yang LiuAn thanked his Monarch for his kindness, and as he stood up, he said: "Your Majesty, where were you going? Weichen will accompany you."
"I wasn't going anywhere, it's too cold already, let's go back." Xiao YuAn said.
Yang LiuAn was about to take off his coat without a second thought.
Xiao YuAn quickly stopped him: "It's just a short walk, I'll get warm after walking for a while."
Yang LiuAn was very hesitant, but he didn't insist. After a while, they arrived at the back of the Imperial bedchamber. Xiao YuAn suddenly remembered something, he facepalmed and then said to Yang LiuAn: "By the way, tomorrow, could you take me to where the Prince of the Southern Yan Kingdom is being treated?"
"I'll obey His Majesty's command." Yang LiuAn cupped his fists1.
Xiao YuAn nodded his head and then walked towards the window of the bedchamber. The two Imperial Bodyguards from before were still frozen in place, guarding. When they saw that Xiao YuAn came back, they were relieved.
"Comrades, you worked hard. Go get some rest." Xiao YuAn waved his sleeve and climbed into the window in front of the shocked Imperial Bodyguards.
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Footnotes
抱拳 bào quán; To cup one's fist in the other hand, as a sign of respect.
Chapter 9: You Can't Pretend To Sleep.
The next morning, Hong Xiu came to help Xiao YuAn wash and change clothes; only to find him sitting on the bed, stiff as wood, with tired eyes and heavy black circles under them.
"Your Majesty?" Hong Xiu was so scared by the shock that she almost dropped the pot of water in her hands.
Xiao YuAn suddenly came back to reality: "Huh?"
"What happened, Your Majesty? You couldn't sleep well?" Hong Xiu asked, very worried.
It wasn't just that Xiao YuAn hadn't slept well, he hadn't slept at all!
There was no way Xiao YuAn could fall asleep without the sound of breathing beside him.
Staying up all night was harmful to his body. Xiao YuAn rubbed his temples and got up to let Hong Xiu help him change his clothes.
Xiao YuAn was a person that was good at adjusting his mood. Staying up all night made his heart feel flustered, so he decided to find something to distract himself from anxiety.
For example, going to look at the Male Lead, and then the Female Lead, to feel what it's like to bathe in the Protagonist's halo.
Yan HeQing, the Male Lead, was getting his wounds treated by the Imperial Physician. After eating his breakfast, Xiao YuAn happily rushed towards the Imperial Physician.
It was just after dawn, so it was still very early in the morning, and in winter, the wind at this hour was extremely cold. Inside the Imperial Physician Hall, a very pleasant medicinal smell was in the air; and in the middle of the Hall under a row of cabinets filled with all kinds of medicine, was an old Physician wrapped in a thick robe, he was nodding and dozing.
AD
After hearing some noise, the old Imperial Physician raised his head. When he saw it was Xiao YuAn, he knelt down showing respect and shouted "Your Majesty!"
As soon as the old Physician knelt down, his old arms and legs began to creak, scaring Xiao YuAn so much that he quickly helped him up: "Where's the man that was sent from the prison yesterday?"
"Answering to His Majesty, he's resting in the inner room. He just took an anesthetic, so he must be sleeping right now." The old Physician replied.
"Take me to him."
The old Physician glanced at the group of Imperial Bodyguards and Maidservants following Xiao YuAn, and his face became embarrassed: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid that the inner room is too small for so many people to go in."
Xiao YuAn picked out Hong Xiu and Yang LiuAn: "I'll take these two with me."
The old Physician didn't dare to neglect anymore, and hurriedly led the three of them towards the inner room.
As expected, the inner room was really small, a single bed occupied almost the entire room. On the bed, there was a man sleeping on it, and Xiao YuAn, who was really hard to suppress his inner excitement, slowly walked over.
That man was the Male Lead himself, Yan HeQing, the one that can take ten girls in one single night. He either already got a new girl, or he was on his way to get her. He's the kind of man that always gets all the girls he wants, while also conquering the world! The Male! Lead!
However, when he looked at his face, Xiao YuAn froze in place.
The man in front of him was no longer the mess he was when he was in prison. His clothes were also changed into a clean set of clothes, his hands were wrapped with white cloth to stop the bleeding, and his whole body looked fresh and clean. But somehow, his face was covered with black charcoal, so it was completely impossible for him to see his original appearance.
Seeing the puzzled expression on Xiao YuAn's face, the old Physician hurriedly explained to him: "This thing on his face, it was something that this man said that he would rather die than wipe clean."
"
"
Xiao YuAn thought of something from the original book, and suddenly realized what this was about.
In the original book, the Young Emperor, just like Xiao YuAn did, released Yan HeQing from prison. Because Yan HeQing could guess the real intentions of the Young Emperor, he insisted on covering his face with black charcoal. One day, when the Young Emperor remembered about Yan HeQing, he got curious and went to see him. However, what he saw was a ghost-like face and became disgusted with him. In the end, he stopped asking for Yan HeQing from that point on.
Therefore, Yan HeQing escaped from the possibility of being forced into becoming a male concubine.
Hong Xiu, as clever as she was, after seeing the depressed expression on Xiao YuAn's face, asked: "Your Majesty, should I go get a basin of water and wash his face?"
"No need, it's fine like this." Xiao YuAn waved his hand.
'Anyway, I'm not in a hurry to see his face. I can always see what Yan HeQing's face looks like on another occasion.'
Although the man sleeping on the bed was slightly frowning, his breathing was long, steady and calm.
Xiao YuAn was very clear in the fact that perhaps, a year and a half later, this man who was peacefully sleeping in front of him, would certainly torture him to death. He couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with complicated emotions, and after having that thought, a sudden dissatisfaction arose inside his heart.
'Why is he able to sleep so soundly! When I couldn't sleep for the whole night!'
Xiao YuAn didn't care about this unequal treatment1. He didn't care about it at all, and yet, he still sighs regretfully, thinking that if there's no breathing sounds around him…
'Wait a minute, breathing sounds?'
Xiao YuAn took a look at the sleeping Yan HeQing, compared the size of the bed, and after nodding his face with satisfaction, he pushed Yan HeQing to the side of the bed, and then he laid down.
AD
He laid down!
The other three people present froze in place for a few seconds. The old Physician was so frightened, that he knelt down to Xiao YuAn: "Your Majesty?"
"Don't be so surprised, have you never seen anyone who's so sleepy that they drop to the floor to sleep?" Xiao YuAn was kind enough to appease the old Physician.
The old Physician's heart was roaring and shouting: 'I've never seen it! I've really never seen it!'
"Your Majesty, this… this… this?" Yang LiuAn was also at a loss for words.
Fortunately, the reasonable Hong Xiu was still present. She helped the old Physician to get up and said to Yang LiuAn: "Bodyguard Yang, His Majesty couldn't sleep well last night. Right now, he's feeling very sleepy so he wants to take a nap. You go out first and guard the inner room's door."
Xiao YuAn couldn't help but lament inside his mind: 'This maidservant is really worthy of being the Young Emperor's favorite! She understands him so well!'
Yang LiuAn looked at Xiao YuAn, saw him nodding his head, and then went out of the inner room to guard the door.
Hong Xiu and the old Physician remained behind, and while undressing and fixing the bedding for Xiao YuAn, she advised him: "Your Majesty, this bed is small and cramped. If you really want this person, then why don't you let someone bring him back to the Imperial bedchamber."
Xiao Yuan: "…"
'….. Girl! I was wrong about you after all, and I definitely took back what I said about you understanding everything about me! I'm just trying to sleep, please don't bring up the issue about a male concubine! He's the Male Lead. I'm afraid that I won't have enough flesh left behind after being cut into a human stick.'
Xiao YuAn was really tired, and he was tired because he was sleepy, so he simply didn't bother explaining to her. He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes. Finally falling asleep.
"
"
Hong Xiu probably didn't expect for Xiao YuAn to actually fall asleep. After feeling a little bit dumbfounded, she quickly wrapped the quilt around the both of them, and quietly left the room.
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Footnotes
不患寡而患不均 bù huàn guǎ ér huàn bù jūn; A Chinese idiom from the Anaclects by Confucious about wealth distribution. The meaning is: Whether someone has a state, they shouldn't worry about the lack of wealth, but only about the uneven distribution of wealth. Don't worry about the scarcity of people, but only beware of uneasiness in the territory. If the wealth is evenly distributed, there's no poverty. If the people live in harmony, they won't feel the scarcity of people. If there's peace in the territory, there's no danger of losing the state.
Chapter 10: You Can't Be Patient.
When Xiao YuAn finally woke up, he realized that it was already afternoon. He sat up and lazily stretched himself, rubbing his neck and looking to the side.
Yan HeQing's posture changed from lying on his back to lying on his side, with his hand under the pillow. Although his face was covered with black charcoal, Xiao YuAn could still faintly see the beauty of his facial features.
Xiao YuAn couldn't help but lament: 'The Male Lead looks so harmless when he sleeps!'
If it weren't because Xiao YuAn already knew the plot of the original book, he wouldn't believe that this person in front of him would later on conquer the Northern Kingdom in one fell swoop, washing the Imperial Palace with Royal blood.
Like if he was in a nightmare, Yan HeQing's hands suddenly clenched into fists, his brows deeply frowned, and his lips began to tremble.
Xiao YuAn quickly reached out and patted him: "Hey, is everything okay? Where's your Protagonist's halo? Where's your strength?"
This was serious. Xiao YuAn discovered that Yan HeQing was having a fever, his extremities were boiling hot.
"Water…" Yan HeQing murmured deliriously in a low voice.
Xiao YuAn got up in a hurry. After searching through the inner room, he found a porcelain pot and a small bowl. Xiao YuAn filled the small porcelain bowl with water and then carried it to the bedside. He reached out for Yan HeQing and asked him to lean on himself to feed him the water.
After hearing some noise, there was a soft knock coming from the door, it was the old Physician: "Your Majesty, it's time to change the patient's bandages and apply new medicine."
Xiao YuAn said: "Come in."
AD
The door of the inner room was gently pushed open, and when the old Physician saw the scene in front of him, he was so frightened that the medicine in his hands clattered to the ground.
Hong Xiu followed close behind and at a first glance, she became extremely anxious, taking a few steps over: "Your Majesty, how can you do this kind of labor, let this maidservant do it instead."
"Everything's fine, I've already done it." Xiao YuAn put down the porcelain bowl and helped Yan HeQing to lie back on bed, then he turned around and asked the old Physician: "He has a fever, what should be done?"
The old Physician was shaking as he knelt to the ground to pick up the fallen medicine. When he heard Xiao YuAn's questions, he quickly stood up: "Answering His Majesty, he'll be okay, the fever will soon subside. After that, the patient's condition will naturally get better."
"That's really good." Xiao YuAn nodded his head. "Then I'll trouble you to take good care of him."
The old Physician was terribly trembling with fear, as he nodded his head like a pestle.
Having slept for such a long time while also being beside the Male Lead made Xiao YuAn be in a very good mood, so he happily prepared to get back to the Imperial bedchamber.
Hong Xiu, who was extremely careful, asked Xiao YuAn in a low voice: "Your Majesty, when this man recovers, should this maidservant arrange him to go to Jing Yang Palace?"
The Jing Yang Palace was where the Young Emperor's male concubines lived, and Hong Xiu was in charge of it.
Xiao YuAn helplessly touched his forehead: "No, no, no, no."
'Girl, please quickly erase those dangerous ideas!'
Hong Xiu froze in place: "Then, where does His Majesty want him to go?"
AD
Xiao YuAn pounded his fingertips on his head with annoyance, wondering to himself as to where the Male Lead lived before meeting the Female Lead: "Send him to… to….Oh, right, let him go to the House of Internal Affairs."
"House of Internal Affair?!" Hong Xiu, who had always known how to control her emotions, couldn't help but blurt out her thoughts. After all, no matter how you looked at it, the Emperor clearly cared a lot about this man very much. However, instead of taking him as a male concubine, the Emperor decided to make him do chores like a normal slave. This was too strange.
"Mn-hmm, yes, the House of Internal Affairs. Eunuch Zhao is the one in charge of it, right?" Xiao YuAn asked.
"Answering to His Majesty, yes, he is." Hong Xiu recovered her composure and replied.
"Perfect, send him to the House of Internal Affairs." Xiao YuAn finished giving orders and then turned to look at Yan HeQing, who was still quietly sleeping.
'Yang HeQing, Eunuch Zhao is a great villain, and you may have to suffer for a little bit from now on; but all of this is for the sake of you meeting with Princess Yongning after all, so you will have to bear with it.'
