He is going to find Ji Xiao Yue to cry to.
Wei Lian lowered his eyes at this annotation. His long eyelashes covered the calm sea in his eyes.
“Wei Lian, Wei Lian!”
A hand waved in front of him.
He came back to his senses, and the book in his hands was snatched away during his moment of distraction.
“What’s so good about this book? You are not even listening to us.” Ji Yue quickly tossed the book away. “You’re not allowed to read it.”
Wei Lian raised his head. “What did you say?”
“…” Ji Yue repeated, “We just said that envoys from the country of Chu will arrive tomorrow.”
Wei Lian took it in. “Oh.”
What did that have to do with him?
Seeing that the youth was indifferent to the news, Ji Yue dropped the topic. Presumably, the country of Chu did not hold a place in Wei Lian’s heart. Wei Lian was already a meticulous virtue to his home country by attending to his duty as the hostage prince, what else should he be concerned about?
“The other five envoys will be in Qin soon. You will arrange their stay in the Qin palace.” Ji Yue said.
Wei Lian lacked any interest. “So troublesome.”
“Lazy fox.” Ji Yue tapped on his forehead. “You have the Luan Seal now, so you have to do the work as well.”
Wei Lian gazed up with a trace of hope in his eyes. “Can I not do them?”
Ji Yue stressed cooly, “No, You, can’t.”
Wei Lian dejectedly leaned back.
_
The Sunglow Hall.
“Aslan! Aslan!” Myrna ran in from outside, causing pleasant jingle sounds from the silver bells decorated all over her body.
She had completely forgotten her misery from this morning. “I met a person during my outing today! He is very good-looking!”
Aslan immediately warned, “This is not the place for you to fool around.”
Generally, any man Myran praised as good-looking would eventually turn up in her bed.
With a place like the palace, how the heck would he know if Myrna took interest in a noble or a eunuch.
“Alas, that’s not the main point. The point is, I think he is the one who stole my revival pill.” Myrna said firmly, “I did some snooping. He is a hostage prince sent by the country of Chu. He has to be the King of Qin’s male pet then—” As soon as she turned around, she found that Aslan was looking at her like a fool.
“Do you have a fever?” Aslan crossed his arms. “Since he is favored by the King of Qin, how could he appear outside of the palace last night?”
“I have doubted my discovery as well, but his voice and figure are too alike. My intuition can’t be wrong!” The more Myrna thought about it, the more she found this fishy. She felt that Wei Lian was connected to the man in green from last night. Her intuition had always been accurate, and she believed it did not fall to her this time.
“Do you have any evidence?”
“…No.”
“Don’t assume without evidence.” Aslan cautioned, “You can’t touch the King of Qin’s people.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Zsgcj megifv tfg ilqr jcv vlv cba gfyexf, yea lcrlvf, rtf kjr vfjv rfa bc nfgloslcu tfg lcaelalbc.
“Yt, atja’r gluta.” Zsgcj revvfcis gfwfwyfgfv rbwfatlcu. “Lf jirb abiv wf cba ab kfjg atf mbibg qegqif, rjslcu tbk atf Blcu bo Hlc vlrilxfv atlr mbibg. Qts vlv tf afii wf atlr? Qjr la bea bo xlcvcfrr?”
She got caught up in tangled thoughts. “Was I wrong about him? But he is really similar to the man from last night…”
“…Then go change your clothes.” Aslan closed his eyes to keep the last of his patience.
_
On the eighteenth day of the first month, the envoys from the country of Chu had arrived in Qin.
“Young Master, where should the envoys from the country of Chu be arranged?” The female minister bowed and asked.
Wei Lian sat in front of the window and admired the freshly bloomed flowers on the branches, replying off-handedly, “To the Fleeting Hall.”
“In addition, arrange the country of Yan to the Moon Gazing Tower, the country of Lu to the Jade Dragon Pavilion, the country of Chen to the Sandalwood Pavilion, and the country of Xia to the Submerged Fortress. Don’t bother with me on this in the future.” Wei Lian arranged all the countries at one time without much extra effort.
The female minister was nearly drench in her cold sweat after listening to this arrangement. “Will the young master not reconsider?”
In the last two centuries, there have been many wars within the seven countries. Among them, the feud between the country of Lu and the country of Chen was infamous, the country of Yan launched an attack on the country of Xia in the past, and there had been many disagreements between the country of Liang and the country of Chen.
As for the country of Chu, they had always been the country of Qin’s enemy, having to share the Central Plain.
The Jade Dragon Pavilion is adjacent to the Sandalwood Pavilion, and across stands the Sunglow Hall. The Submerged Fortress was located behind the Moon Gazing Tower.
Was the young master not afraid of conflicts arising from this arrangement?
“No need to reconsider. The arrangement is final.” Wei Lian turned his head.
Conflicts? It would be even better if they started throwing punches.
This would be his entertainment for this gathering.
“…Understood. This subject will arrange this.”
“Wait a moment.”
The female minister stopped and was hopeful. “Did the young master change his mind?”
Wei Lian asked, “Who is coming from the country of Chu?”
Was he finally showing a tad concern for his home country?
The female minister replied, “According to the messenger, the country of Chu’s main representatives are Young Master Yan and the military officer in charge of the military affairs.”
Wei Lian paused. “I see. You are dismissed.”
“Understood.”
The female minister dismissed herself. Wei Lian sat alone in his palace for a while before getting up, announcing, “Let’s go to the Fleeting Hall and have a look.”
_
The Fleeting Hall.
“What kind of place is it? It is so small. Can a person even live here?” A handsome youth dressed in a fine outfit scowled at the indoor furnishings in disgust. “Is this how the hospitality the country of Qin treated their guests with?”
Another man with a resolute and stunning face said in a deep voice, “Ninth Prince, we are not guests in the country of Qin. Please cease your ill temperament.”
Young Master Yan’s mother is Consort Yan, who pampered him greatly and consistently for a decade. Therefore, he was very spoiled beyond belief. The country of Chu was his playground, where he could cause disturbance without hindrance. Hard to tell what kind of pillow talk Consort Yan had whispered to sway the King of Chu in making Young Master Yan as the country of Chu’s representative.
This annual tribute could have amazing results if done correctly, vice versa, it would be a disaster if done badly. Consort Yan wanted her son to win glory, but she didn’t consider if her son actually had the ability to get the job done. If everything went smoothly, Young Master Yan would take all the credit despite contributing nothing. If something went wrong, it would be the accompanying military officer who would take the blame.
Qiao Hongfei’s mood soured the more he thought about it. In a country where the ruler is heaven and his sons are earth, but neither of them could handle major events. Was there any hope for his country?
Among the King of Chu’s many sons, the Seventh Prince was the most sensible one…but it was a pity. Qiao Hongfei couldn’t help signing at the thought of the handsome young master.
If only the Seventh Prince was actually Consort Yan’s biological child, he would never have become a hostage to the country of Qin.
Especially with the recent news, he had heard that the Seventh Prince was reduced to nothing but a pet to King of Qin…the divine figure in his head was disgrace and disrespected by others, even the onlookers could not bear to watch it, what was more, the young master is his wife’s younger brother, and the source of her concern.
Thinking about the Seventh Prince’s situation as well as witnessing the arrogant and domineering Ninth Prince, Qiao Hongfei could only feel a burst of muffled gloom inside.
Suddenly, a clear and pleasant voice sounded, like a spring breeze, blowing away the gloom inside of Qiao Hongfei.
“Lord Qian, long time no see.”
A youth in white suddenly entered the room leisurely, it was as if the moment he stepped into the room, everything was turned brighter.
He brought radiance everywhere he goes.
Qiao Hongfei stayed stupefied for a long time before greeting, “Se-Seventh Prince.”
He cupped his fist and bow.
Wei Lian waved his hand. “There is no need for Lord Qiao to be so polite.”
This modest and polite attitude was night and day from Wei Yan’s bossy manner all throughout the way.
Qiao Hongfei inspected Wei Lian carefully. He didn’t notice it immediately, but he found that the youth was graceful, with better complexion, and more astonishingly beautiful. Not the same haggard and thin figure in his imagination.
It was obvious that the youth was livelier than his days in the country of Chu.
Did the King of Qin really treat him that well?
“How has the young master been?” Qiao Hongfei asked with a rasping voice.
“Everything is fine.” Wei Lian gently replied, “What is of my sister? Is she doing well?”
It had been five years since the seventeen-year-old Wei Xiang married Qiao Hongfei. The reason why Qiao Hongfei was familiar with Wei Lian was that on the eve of Wei Xiang’s marriage, the fourteen-year-old Wei Lian broke into the Qiao Family’s house at night, placed the edge of his dagger against the military officer’s neck and warned in a low vice, “If you treat my sister badly, I’ll slice your throat with this dagger.”
That was when Qiao Hongfei learned that the most concealed person in the palace was Young Master Lian.
Since then, Qiao Hongfei really cherished Wei Xiang in every way and took in no concubine.
“The young miss is fine, only thing is that she misses the young master very much.” Qiao Hongfei shared.
Wei Xiang and Wei Lian were childhood playmates. Before Wei Lian was six, the second daughter, Wei Xiang, was his best friend. However, after Wei Lian was adopted by Country Yan, he gained a new identity, and Wei Xiang became only acquaintances with him, interacting with nodding.
Even if they were in the same royal family, their mothers’ identities were different as well as the unequal status of being different genders. Wei Lian did not care for these, but Wei Xiang did as someone who knew the restriction from her teaching.
Even so, Wei Lian was still Wei Xiang’s most cherished younger brother.
The same younger brother who she built a snowman and flew paper kites with when she was a child.
When Wei Lian went to the country of Qin, the one who was the most concerned was not the King of Chu, nor Consort Yan, Wei Yan even less so.
It was Wei Xiang.
Before Qiao Hongfei left on this trip, Wei Xiang even cried into his arms. She sobbed, “The day this wife got married, A-Lian wished me a united marriage between me and you, with mutual respect, many children and a worry-free life. Now I’m living well, he is living in the country of Qin. I don’t know how many difficulties and hardships he had suffered. Would the husband be so kind as to check on him on this journey to the country of Qin, check to see if he is doing well? If so, please return me with great news. I will be relieved. If not…” When saying this point, she became incoherent from the intensity of her tears. Qiao Hongfei was bolted into comforting his beloved wife in his arms.
It was rare to have such pure feelings among the royal family.
After hearing this, Wei Lian felt warmth inside. Before he could reply, he heard Wei Yan’s eccentric voice, “My royal brother, it had been so long, and instead of asking after father, mother, and me, your brother. You paid regards to a subordinate. It turned out we are inferior to him in brother’s heart.”
Raising his eyebrows, he continued as well as increasing the maliciousness in his words, “I heard that my older brother has become the King of Qin’s bed pet. How was it? How does it feel to be in his bed? Did the King of Qin bring brother pleasure?”
There were no secrets among the seven lands, as it was nothing surprising to have planted spies from other countries. Even if the King of Qin had the least amount of saboteurs, there were some that were deliberately left alive by Ji Yue for the purpose of passing false news.
It was also later that Wei Lian had learned on his first day at the Hall of Mental Cultivation Hall, where he was pressured by Li Fuquan, how Li Fuquan received thirty lashes afterward, while the others were put to death. It turned out Ji Yue didn’t do it for him, it was because those people were foreign spies, and Ji Yue seized the opportunity to remove them for good.
No wonder the one man who got his tongue cut off shouted ‘Tyrant! The country of Qin will perish with you’. Ji Yue was called cruel only because he had launched a war against the six countries. In the country of Qin, he was the people’s beloved ruler.
How could someone from the country of Qin bad mouth the King of Qin, as well as cursing the country of Qin to perish with its ruler.
Ji Yue really…would not kill innocent people outside the battlefield.
Because on the battlefield, no one is innocent.
_
Wei Yan’s words were very insulting, but Wei Lian did not react to them, while Qiao Hongfei was fuming with rage, as if smoke could come out of his ears.
If the Seventh Prince hadn’t endured humiliation and shouldered heavy burdens, how would this Ninth Prince live his sheltered life of joy and peace in the Chu palace!
A son of royalty who did not respect his elder brother and had used such vulgar language. He was like mud, vastly different compared to the noble and benevolent Seventh Prince, who was like the cloud, where filth couldn’t touch.
Wei Lian showed a shallow smile. “Decent, better than your ‘snap of a finger’ thought.”
Wei Yan was extravagant and debaucherous. He had touched a woman at the age of thirteen, since then, mingled with different women the following two years. Because of his inadequate capability, a rumor started to circulate that ‘he was done with a snap of a finger’, which other brothers had used to tease Wei Yan for ages.
It had also become a lifelong disgrace for Wei Yan.
“You!” Wei Yan snapped in anger, then he sneered, “You are all talk now. Even if this young master is just that, I’m not the one who is being humiliated under a man’s crotch. Does it hurt? I wonder how much pain older brother’s lower body is having to serve someone daily.”
Qiao Hongfei immediately voiced out, “Ninth Prince, watch your tongue.”
Wei Yan scolded, “You spoke out of turn, subject!”
Qiao Hongfei tightened his fists, restraining himself from conducting physical offense.
Wei Lian remained calm, as if he was watching a clown performing.
His ninth brother had been spoiled since he was a child. When Consort Yan finally gave birth to her own child, it was natural for her to pamper him in the palm of her hand. Wei Yan befriended a gang of hooligans, now in the group, he was a scoundrel with fancy pants. He conducted with no royal etiquette at all, instead, picked up one hundred and twenty percent of manners from the ruffians.
As the older one, Wei Lian warned Wei Yan not to get close to those vile people. However, Wei Yan was narrow-minded and selfish. He viewed Wei Lian as a parasite who stole his mother, so he stole everything from Wei Lian, as well as belittle Wei Lian whenever he was the slightest discontented. Straight out saying Wei Lian was a son of a bitch and would steal his mother because he was unwanted.
Consort Yan’s feelings for Wei Lian were genuine, but she remained firm on her son’s side even after those insults.
As this kept repeating, Wei Lian began to pay less attention to the mother and son.
Their kinship was formed from mutual benefit in the first place, and no one was indebted to anyone.
He didn’t owe them.
Back when he was living in the country of Chu, Wei Lian did not bicker with Wei Yan for Consort Yan. Now in the country of Qin, if Wei Yan insisted on being rude, he would teach Wei Yan on how to be a better person.
But he didn’t want to do it himself.
He has a husband now, hmph.
He is going to find Ji Xiao Yue to cry to.
Thank You for the chapter ｡✰✧(♡´❍`♡)✧✰｡
That humph is very cute🤭🤭