Edited by Yummers
Zhao Zheng’s illness suddenly worsened after he returned to the magistrate’s estate. Due to that, he did not appoint Constable Shi for the next few days. Now, Shi Tou could finally spend some quality time celebrating New Year’s with his partner. But he was still concerned about Zhao Zheng. He would bring toys over every day to make sure that Zhao Zheng wasn’t bored laying in bed sick all day long.
Sadly, Zhao Zheng would always get a headache whenever he saw him. Shi Tou had gone back and talked about it with Ah-Jiang several times, but all he’d get in return were a pair of the malicious ghost’s cold and aloft eyes.
It was unknown why Ah-Jiang disliked Zhao Zheng so much. Shi Tou could only rub the back of his head as he released a long sigh. Today was the Lantern Festival; he felt pitiful for Zhao Zheng as he couldn’t go by the river and view the lively holiday in person, so he went and asked for a Longevity Lantern for Prince Jin. The River Lord’s Temple was bustling at that time. He asked around and found out that Ah-Jiang had to leave his primordial spirit in the temple today as the River God. It was there to give the citizens his blessings, which meant he didn’t have the time to step aside to go celebrate with him.
Constable Shi took the red lotus lantern and went to the magistrate’s estate by himself. The gatekeeper was familiar with him since Official Zhang had already thought of him as an insider, no matter where he wanted to go in there, no one would stop him.
He went to the room that was located on the east side of the estate that Zhao Zheng temporarily stayed in and was just in time to see two servants being driven out by Zhao Zheng.
He saw the pair of servants in disheveled clothing with faces going from red to white, Constable Shi cleverly realized what it meant and averted his eyes. Those two servants of Zhao Zheng’s were good looking, and there were also wealthy members in the district who would give their sons young male servants to serve them in the bedroom. It wasn’t convenient for Zhao Zheng to bring female servants when he traveled, so having one or two male servants by his side to cool his fire wouldn’t be something out of the ordinary. Constable Shi was an honest person whose face would turn into a red persimmon just by stepping foot into the red-light district. Now with two servants that were driven out and him standing there, it really was the most awkward interaction.
“Lord Shi, please wait for a moment. I…will go ask for His Highness first.”
That servant wasn’t afraid of losing face, instead, he acted natural upon seeing Constable Shi. But to have to go back and see the prince’s cold face right after he’d been driven out, the expression on his face showed that he was obviously bothered.
Constable Shi spoke, “It’s fine. I’ll just go in and see, there’s no need to trouble you two.”
The two servants bit down onto their lips as neither of them dared to go in. Constable Shi could only knock before he entered.
“Didn’t I tell you guys to scram?! Don’t think that I didn’t know it was Shizun who ordered you two to keep an eye on me!” Zhao Zheng threw a cup over, it landed right next to Shi Tou’s foot.
Constable Shi quickly backed away. When he saw Zhao Zheng glancing over, he lowered his head and made a hand bow. “Your Highness.”
Zhao Zheng was stunned upon seeing him and his pale face changed colors as well. He felt a bit unsettled to have Shi Tou see this side of him, but then he thought about it from a different angle. Why should he be afraid of him? Why should someone as lowly as him make him this concerned? So instead of purposely acting all humble and modest, he spoke coldly on the bed, “What do you need?”
Shi Tou heard the hostile tone and knew he probably won’t be received very nicely for the rest of the day. He had only looked around the room once earlier, leading him to realize that everything from the eastern room that could be smashed had all been smashed by Zhao Zheng. Next to his feet were plates of food and a mortar that had been knocked over. He could guess that Zhao Zheng had not only been refusing to take his medicine, but he also hadn’t been eating properly.
“Tonight is the Lantern Festival, the harbor of Pu River is bustling with people right now. I wish for the prince’s body to get better so I went to the temple to ask for a lantern to give to Your Highness.”
Shi Tou raised the lotus flower lantern in his hand a bit. These types of lanterns were made by all the maidens in the district together. The An Ling girls all had diligently skilled hands that could craft tiny little lotus flower lanterns into cute and interesting designs. Even though they weren’t as detailed and gorgeous as the ones from the Capital, they had a unique style that was limited only to An Ling. You wouldn’t be able to find it anywhere else.
Zhao Zheng was originally still upset but when he turned his head to look at the vivid lantern in Constable Shi’s hand, he saw the tassel that carried one flower petal after another underneath the lotus flower. Seeing that it wasn’t too bad, he said, “You can bring it over here.”
Shi Tou knew the other still had the trait of being a child at heart. He smiled on the inside as he walked forward with two hands holding onto the bamboo stick, he raised the lantern up to the prince.
He looked at Zhao Zheng up close and saw that the other only had one layer of plain clothing on. Slight bits of blue and purple showed on his pale face. In mere days, his chin had sharpened up and his whole face seemed smaller than before. When given the lotus flower lantern, even though he was interested in it, he still held back and placed it on the side. He would only peek at it discreetly out the corner of his eyes, it was quite pitiful.
Constable Shi remembered how this was caused by Ah-Jiang so he felt even more guilty. He was used to being the eldest brother looking after everyone from Yamen, so even Prince Jin seemed like a little brother who needed some comforting right now. He tried to coax the other, “Your Highness, if you throw away all the medicines and don’t eat at all, how will your body get better?”
Zhao Zheng sneered upon hearing the words, “When was it your place to scold me?”
“Your Highness is right, I was wrong.”
Zhao Zheng let out a humph. Just as he was about to kick him out—out of his expectation—the head constable continued to speak, “If that’s so, then I shall punish myself by making a meal for Your Highness to get rid of your anger.”
Zhao Zheng was both shocked and uncertain, he didn’t know how to react. Shi Tou walked away fastly, disappearing from the room in the blink of an eye.
Constable Shi returned after half an hour as he carried a tray of food over to the bed. Zhao Zheng had his back leaned against the bed’s headboard as he looked at the bowl of rice porridge in front of him, the rest of the items were some plain commoner’s dishes. He originally had no appetite, but when he smelled the pleasant fragrance, then looked at the alluring visual again, he somehow remembered how he hadn’t eaten anything for an entire day and was immediately hooked.
Shi Tou helped set the utensils up for him, but didn’t leave. He just quietly waited as he stood on the side. He smiled discreetly upon seeing Zhao Zheng picking up the spoon.
Zhao Zheng was used to eating high-classed gourmet dishes—yet out of his expectations—these casual homemade dishes actually tasted better than those gourmet foods. He also brought the main chef of his estate out on this trip. It wasn’t that Shi Tou cooked better than him, it was just when Zhao Zheng subconsciously thought of how this meal was specially prepared for him, for some reason, his appetite was back. He ended up eating more than he normally would when he wasn’t ill.
Zhao Zheng’s mood brightened after he finished his meal. He asked Shi Tou how he learned to cook. As the common saying goes, a nobleman stays clear of the kitchen. Even when a chef returns back to their house, it’s the wife who cooks, so he’d never seen someone like Shi Tou before.
Constable Shi answered with a smile, “In the past, my Shiniang was always sick. Along with my Master being busy, it was always me who took care of her. There were also many shixiong and shidis of mine from Yamen who didn’t like what the chef made so they all made him assist with other things, while I got to train my cooking skills.”
“I don’t want to get on my own high horse but the pig trotters that I braise are a specialty of An Ling. Your Highness shouldn’t eat greasy foods like that for the time being, but once your body is in a better state, I’ll definitely braise a pot for Your Highness.”
Zhao Zheng felt a bit excited about his words as a servant came in with his bowl of medicine coincidentally. This time, he finally drank the bitter medicine obediently as Shi Tou fed him.
Seeing the color on his face becoming better, Constable Shi decided not to keep staying as a disturbance. He promised to visit again in two days, then he was escorted out by a servant.
Zhao Zheng’s eyes followed him all the way until the other’s wide back disappeared, and then suddenly, he felt the room’s atmosphere dullen. He sat up and ordered for a servant to hand him the lotus flower lantern that was on the table, he played with it a little aimlessly and clicked his tongue. “Sure knows how to get on my good side…” Yet, his face showed signs of joy.
Then, the servant walked up next to his bed. Zhao Zheng spoke lazily, “If you’ve finished cleaning, you’re dismissed. Don’t come and disturb me if there’s nothing else.”
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.
But the servant still didn’t leave, he stood there in a still manner. Zhao Zheng wasn’t one with a good temper to begin with. As he was about to turn his head and scold the other, his eyes unexpectedly met the other’s black ones and his whole body seemed to freeze. Then, a strong force of power lifted him up as he was harshly thrown off the bed.
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“How did you offend that evil ghost?” A half-man, half-woman voice came out of the servant’s mouth. Zhao Zheng recognized Yuzhen Shanren’s voice immediately. He quickly collected himself then kowtowed. “This disciple, this disciple doesn’t know…” He was a bit surprised, no wonder he got ill so strangely, some creature was trying to harm him!
The servant snickered. “If not for your Tiansha fate, that malicious ghost could’ve easily taken your life long ago!”
“Shizun’s right…” Zhao Zheng was completely obedient.
The one possessing the servant’s body right now was the current dynasty advisor, Yuzhen Shanren. When Yuzhen Shanren was welcomed to the palace twenty years ago, he was immediately interested in this prince who was neglected. The only reason why he took him in as a core disciple was because of his Tiansha Fate. At that time, his Shizun told him, “With such a fate, the Heavens will bless and protect you. If you become my disciple, I’ll make you the ruler of this world.”
He was both surprised and joyed back then. As the son of a cold concubine, to be able to have such an opportunity, he obviously chose to become Yuzhen Shanren’s disciple and trained vigorously. Everyone thought that the Emperor’s advisor was merely an oracle who told prophecies, however, only he knew that his Shizun was not any ordinary person. The longer he spent time with him, the more he realized how unpredictably powerful his Shizun was. Other than that, Yuzhen Shanren needed to drink the blood of both a boy and a girl every day. So even though Zhao Zheng had respect for him, fear also naturally grew within him.
Zhao Zheng returned to the Capital under his Shizun’s order when he reached age twenty. For the past few years, it was thanks to his Shizun’s secret protection that allowed him to see through everyone’s schemes, thus making the road to the throne easy and smooth for him. Even the old Lord Xiao’s death was caused by his Shizun’s curse. If he had only depended on those useless brothers of his, who knows how many more years the other could’ve lived for.
Zhao Zheng was extremely obedient to Yuzhen Shanren’s words. Even without needing his Shizun to question, he already started to talk about everything he’d encountered here. Then, when Zhang Chunxian was mentioned, Zhao Zheng spoke in anger, “That old man dared to shame me. I lowered my pride to ask him to come with me and yet, he was that foolish!”
So the reason why he had been in such a bad mood these days was because Official Zhang didn’t accept his imperial command to go back to the Capital. Official Zhang was already accustomed to the peaceful life, he told him that he wished to not be involved in the fight for the heir position again. “Prince Jin, please return to the Capital instead of dragging this out any longer.”
Yuzhen Shanren pondered over Zhao Zheng’s words, but it wasn’t over Zhang Chunxian’s situation. Out of nowhere, he quickly grabbed Zhao Zheng’s wrist to check his meridian. He pinched his fingers together as well and the color of his face suddenly changed. “Who else have you met?!”
Zhao Zheng was shocked by him but proceeded to think about it thoroughly, then started to talk about Constable Shi.
Unexpectedly, Yuzhen Shanren started to laugh loudly after hearing, it was almost a bit manic. Zhao Zheng felt a chill from his laughter, he didn’t even dare to let out a sound of him breathing.
Yuzhen Shanren turned his head to him and pointed. “My disciple, oh, my disciple. If there was a person with Tiansha Fate in the world like you, then there’s definitely another fate of life that can keep yours under control. And that is the person born with the fate of a Blessed Star, given full of blessings!”
Zhao Zheng was shocked upon hearing this, his face instantly turned ferocious. “Who is it?!”
Yuzhen Shanren snickered viciously. “Don’t be impatient, my disciple. Let your Master ask you, even though your mother was noble enough to be the Holy Lady who was allowed to lift the Timothy Palace’s light, do you know why she was punished by your father to stay in Cold Palace?”
Zhao Zheng was stunned. He had left the palace at a young age, and his mother passed away soon after his departure. If his Shizun had not mentioned it, he wouldn’t have known his mother was the Holy Lady of the Timothy Palace! He continued to listen to Yuzhen Shanren, who rambled on endlessly,”Timothy was a holy figure from the West. The former Emperor had advocated for Timothy, which led many aristocrats to believe in this God. The Holy Lady’s grandeur was unrivaled, matching the purity of jades. Such beauty should not be subjected to blasphemy, but the current Emperor was enthralled by her looks and forced himself upon her. The Holy Lady was soon impregnated, which led her to return to secular life. Soon, she gave birth to two princes. No one had realized that such events had angered the Timothy God of the West, and when the pair of princes came into the world, the Heavens were supposed to curse the world with a century of floods. The birth of twins was already a bad omen, but His Majesty pitied the Holy Lady, so he ordered a palace servant to kill one of the twins. That way, any word of this matter wouldn’t travel far, if at all. Who knew that when the Holy Lady returned to her palace and realized one of her sons were missing, she interrogated everyone, only to find out how the Emperor heartlessly harmed her son. Soon after, she lost her sanity, and the emperor could only give up on her and place her in the Cold Palace. Her downfall was akin to a fallen jade and withered flower.”
When Zhao Zheng finally found out the truth, he couldn’t get a word out. Then suddenly, the sorrow hit him and tears fell from his eyes like rain. Inside, he hated the current Tianzi even more. He swore that he would definitely replace the current emperor and become the ruler of this world!
Yet Yuzhen Shanren also said, “You actually shouldn’t be shedding tears for your brother. Did you know that if your brother was still alive, he would become the true dragon Tianzi in your place because of his Blessed Star Fate?!”
Zhao Zheng stared at his Shizun in alarm. He was quick at getting a hint so of course, he knew why his Shizun mentioned this. He remembered Constable Shi’s face that was extremely similar to his, plus the natural affection that he’d grown for the other. Suddenly, a scary thought popped up in his mind.
“It was your Master’s mistake, I inspected this matter again and apparently your brother did not pass away that year. After all, he has the protection of a Blessed Star. The old woman from the palace softened up and sent the prince out in secret. She paid a great amount to pass him onto another family. That family quickly left the Capital within one month but met bandits when they traveled through the mountain forest. Even though all of them died from cruel acts, nothing had happened to the child…”
At that point, there was nothing else that needed to be said.
But Zhao Zheng had a grieved expression as he shook his head blankly. “No…something must be wrong.”
Yuzhen Shanran laughed viciously and suddenly ran up to Zhao Zheng’s front. He lifted his wrist, he lifted up his sleeve with a whoosh sound. On his right arm, there was a dragon-shaped birthmark.
“If my disciple does not believe your Master, then you can go ahead and confirm it for yourself! On that constable’s arm, he definitely has the same birthmark as you!”
Yuzhen Shanren let out a loud and sharp laugh, then, blue smoke billowed out of the servant’s mouth. He bled from his seven apertures and instantly fell to the ground. With one last jolt, he died with his eyes wide open.
Zhao Zheng didn’t say anything as his face turned to the color of pale ashes.
Two days later, Constable Shi was called to be at the district’s biggest restaurant.
In the high-end private room, Zhao Zheng had already ordered a whole table of delicacies. He also ordered for someone to send a bottle of Dragon’s Serous Fluid wine from the Capital. He said that he wanted to properly thank Constable Shi for the care he had given him these past few days.
Shi Tou knew that Official Zhang would rather be an official with low-authorities in An Ling than anything else, he could guess that Zhao Zheng’s moody behavior also was most likely related to this topic. So he sat down without a question and drank with the other.
Even though Ah-Jiang told him to keep his distance from Zhao Zheng, Shi Tou didn’t think too much of it and just thought that Ah-Jiang was being jealous. Through the past few years, he had learned both the goods and bads of Ah-Jiang. The malicious ghost’s worst threat was his stingy trait, sometimes getting way out of hand
Before he could get to the bottom of his wine cup, the servant behind him would jump to refill it. But the new servant wasn’t too skilled, his hand trembled a bit and the wine spilled all over Constable Shi.
Zhao Zheng yelled coldly, “Where did this clumsy servant come from? Get him out of here!”
“No, please don’t. It’s nothing big, it’s fine.” Someone as soft-hearted as Constable Shi naturally tried to help the servant.
Zhao Zheng let out a sneer and looked at the servant trembling on the ground, he spoke coldly, “Take Lord Shi to get a change of clothes, quickly.”
Shi Tou knew that the prince was giving the servant a chance. If he refused, it would only do harm to the servant so he stood up and followed the servant inside.
After they’d gone in for a while, Zhao Zheng stood up and walked up to the curtain silently. He was naturally more skilled in martial arts than Constable Shi, so Shi Tou would not be able to feel his presence after he had hid his inner air.
He peeked through the little thin hole and saw Constable Shi’s bareback facing him.
With his heart thumped thunderously, he clenched his hands tightly in silence as he waited patiently.
Constable Shi turned to the side as his right arm faced straight towards him. On the bronze-toned arm was a thumb-sized flying dragon, it looked just like his!
Zhao Zheng bit down onto his teeth harshly and backed out quietly. Once he returned to the private room, he sat on his seat and fell into his thoughts for a while. Then, he snatched over the wine bottle as he chugged it, but unexpectedly, the zhenqi within his chest suddenly surged up. He tasted a sweet and fishy smell then spat out a mouthful of black blood!
The servants on the side were shocked but the prince put his hand up to stop them. He spoke with a gloomy face, “Tell Lord Shi that I have a sudden headache, I did not treat him properly today and wish for him to forgive me. Another day, I will treat him fairly again.”
After finishing, he immediately got up.
Zhao Zheng went back to the east room of the magistrate’s estate, he dismissed the servants and lit some agarwood. He placed a container of water in front of him and chanted, then continued with some chicken blood and swiped it across the water surface a few times. The water rippled intensely then, a picture slowly appeared within it.
“Shizun!” Zhao Zheng bowed in fear.
A figure appeared in the water, that person had a ghost mask on along with a black and white robe that belonged to the emperor’s advisor, currently meditating with crossed legs.
He asked, “Wasn’t your Master right?”
Zhao Zheng clenched his fists and closed his eyes in deep pain. “Shizun is brilliant.”
A chilly laugh rang out, then the half-man and half-woman voice spoke again, “You should know what to do.”
Zhao Zheng opened his eyes as if he had already made his final decision, he spoke coldly, “There is only one throne, no one can stop me. I will even kill the gods and buddhas if I have to…!” A cruel aura surrounded him and a murderous intent flashed within his eyes.
“Good!” Yuzhen Shanren laughed chillingly as he complimented, “This is the Master’s good disciple!”
“Shizun’s being too gracious.”
Zhao Zheng had extreme trust in the advisor so he shared his entire plan with him, but Yuzhen Shanren shook his head, “You won’t be able to kill him.”
“How can I not?!” He didn’t believe that dozens of assassins from the imperial palace wouldn’t be able to kill one mere constable.
Yuzhen Shanren looked around and spoke in a low voice, “These days, your Master has greeted the creatures from all around and found out that the Ghost Lord of the East is protecting that constable. Even if it was your Master carrying this out, I would only have a little chance. So there’s no question when it comes to you.”
Zhao Zheng didn’t think that Shi Tou would have such support behind him, he couldn’t help but be shocked. The Ghost Lords of North, East, South, and West were all the ghost kings of their respective region, no wonder as to why even his Shizun thought this would be difficult. Who was Shi Tou really? Even a ghost king’s on his side! Could he really be a Blessed Star and no one would be able to harm him? Why did he have to have the Tiansha Fate and go through so much suffering and efforts to accomplish his goal?!
Zhao Zheng’s face twisted little by little and he wasn’t aware of his forehead darkening as anger bore from his heart, blinding both of his eyes. But he didn’t realize the laughter and scheme hidden behind Yuzhen Shanren’s eyes either.
“Your Master has a plan, not only can it destroy his Blessed Star Fate, but it can also transfer all the blessings he has for the rest of his life onto you.”
“Seriously?!” Zhao Zheng raised his head.
“You just need to think of a way to take that constable back to the Capital and to the advisor’s estate, as for the rest, your Master will do it for you.”
Zhao Zheng had a surprised expression but was also worried about the Ghost Lord of the East, so he asked cautiously, “Does Shizun have a way to defeat that malicious ghost?”
Yuzhen Shanren replied, “Your Master has his own methods, all you have to do is bring that constable over.”
The figure within the water vanished after ripples appeared across the water surface.
Shi Tou wasn’t aware of the misfortune waiting to be bestowed on him. He found out that Zhao Zheng was going to return to the Capital in just a few days and was invited to have a meal with him before sending him off. On that day, Zhao Zheng had good wine and delicacies ready for Constable Shi.
Shi Tou did not come empty-handed either, he had prepared a box full of food with him. Once opened, the smell of delicious meat filled up the entire room.
“Your Highness, try my special dish!”
Zhao Zheng looked at one of the pig trotters within the bowl and picked it up with his chopsticks. Originally, he only wanted to take one bite then stop. But who knew that the moment he bit into it, it felt like the pig trotter had melted the moment it entered his mouth, it was a deliciousness that he’d never experienced before. After that, he wasn’t able to stop his chopstick from picking up more.
Shi Tou’er was thoughtful and had made extra for the prince’s servants and guards. The rest of them were put in the food box so that Zhao Zheng could heat it up and eat it on the journey back to the Capital.
“Lord Shi sure has good skills, who knows which lucky girl would get to have this blessing for the rest of her life.” The sweet mouthed servant complimented honestly as he received the food box. Lord Shi was nice to everyone so not even just all of the people in An Ling, even the servants liked him quite a bit. And to think about how Lord Shi looked so similar to the prince, yet their personalities were off by thousands of miles…
Shi Tou rubbed his nose and chuckled a little awkwardly. After all, he couldn’t say that just earlier, his partner had sent him off with a darkened ghost face. If it weren’t for the threat he made about a whole year worth of pig trotters, that malicious ghost probably would’ve gone as far to follow him here…
Zhao Zheng finished two bowls and then finally remembered his plan for the night. He ordered the food to be taken down in a bit of irritation. Then, he dismissed all the people in that room so that only he and Shi Tou were left.
Constable Shi knew that Zhao Zheng had something to say to him. He patiently sat there waiting quietly.
He watched as Zhao Zheng opened and closed his mouth. He had gotten a lot thinner in the past few days, combined with the sorrowful expression he was showing, it made it even easier for one to pity him. He looked at Shi Tou and suddenly let out a cold chuckle. Shi Tou was stunned for a bit as the other started to talk about the events of his childhood.
Zhao Zheng talked about his mother with Shi Tou. As he matured, he came to understand that the lady who used to outshine everyone else had lost her sanity. She was locked up in the Cold Palace and not permitted to even see the light of day. He had gone to visit her a few times, only to find her sitting in her room, hugging a wooden doll dressed in swaddling clothes. Zhao Zheng continued to talk about how he was neglected within the palace. Not only was his father cold to him, even the palace servants would also often step over his head. As for all of his half brothers, Zhao Zheng merely let out a cold snort and spoke with a voice of complete hatred, “They loved to force me to pretend as if I was an animal, bullying me however they wished!” His father knew about this treatment, yet never did anything to help him. He felt that he was wronged, the only thing he could do was go to the Cold Palace in secret to visit his mother. But his mother did not recognize him. All she would do is cry while holding onto the wooden doll.
Shi Tou saw the other’s eyes reddening as his shoulders quivered lightly. He thought about how Prince Jin was usually always stubborn, it was hard to imagine that he would have such a sorrowful past. So he felt even more pitiful towards him, he went up to him then enveloped him into a soft embrace.
Zhao Zheng was stunned. He knew that Shi Tou was someone who didn’t seem to be very bright on the surface, but underneath his looks, he was actually clever. About ninety percent of his words just now was true, it was so that Shi Tou wouldn’t be able to find any holes in his pity story. When he started to talk about his resentful past, he couldn’t help but spill the whole truth. He didn’t expect to be wrapped into a soft embrace. Zhao Zheng’s eyes heated up as he held onto Constable Shi tightly, he spoke with hatred in a dried voice, “I hate! I hate every single one of them!”
Shi Tou comforted him in a soft voice as Zhao Zheng slowly held back his tears. He collected himself before continuing, “But in the end, the Heavens did not treat me unfairly. Coincidentally, Yuzhen Shanren just came out of secluded cultivation and arrived at the palace to meet the Emperor. He took me in as a disciple and took me away from the bitter sea. I cultivated within the temple for fifteen years. Originally, I wished to take my mother out of the palace with me after I finished my studies. But I didn’t know that my mother had died from an illness after I left. Few more years passed and I received the title of Prince Jin. I was finally able to place a gravestone for my mother and pay my respects to her. Later, the old servant that’s been by my mother’s side informed me my mother had gotten an untreatable disease.”
Zhao Zheng then retold Shi Tou the things that his Shizun told him. When Shi Tou heard that the Holy Lady had gone insane from losing her beloved child, he felt a sharp pain from his chest for no reason. His mind blanked for a bit and the scene of a beautiful woman crying out to her beloved son’s name within the concubine’s quarter came into his head.
Zhao Zheng discreetly observed him and went on, “Actually, that brother of mine…isn’t dead.”
Shi Tou felt unsettled and continued listening to Zhao Zheng, the other said that the servant sent his brother out of the palace in secret but didn’t mention whose household she had sent him to.
When he finished, he rolled up his sleeve, exposing the dull-colored birthmark on his right arm. Shi Tou focused to see with the firelight, shock was written all across his face.
“She said, my brother was my twin and definitely has the same dragon birthmark. She said that once I step on the throne, I should go search for my brother. Have him burn three incense sticks in front of our mother’s gravestone so that she could rest in peace in the underworld.”
Shi Tou’s lips moved as his chest puffed up and down, his eyes were in uncertainty and lost as it looked elsewhere.
Zhao Zheng let out a long sigh as he finished speaking, “I’ve kept all this inside for many years and never told anyone else before. This was a rare chance of me getting to meet someone who can understand me. Brother Shi, I truly love and want to protect you as a brother of mine…” At that point, a tear fell down the corner of his eye. Yet, it wasn’t an act, but his real feelings.
Then, he waved his sleeve and told Brother Shi to leave.
Shi Tou walked away stiffly, when he pulled the door open, the night wind hit his face and he suddenly felt sad. In his twenty years of living, he had never tried to figure out his own past even though he was envious of other people who had a father and mother. When his Shiniang passed away that year, his Master couldn’t even take care of himself so he naturally ended up being neglected. Shi Tou’er had never resented anyone before and there was only a period of time around his teen years where he would dream of his father and mother coming to search for him.
But never would he have thought that he was a child of the imperial family!
Shi Tou took an unsteady step. He didn’t care for the identity of being a part of the imperial family, but this heart seemed to ache every time he thought about the mother that Zhao Zheng had mentioned. So his mother had loved him so deeply that she went insane for him, even to the point where she died in misery.
He covered his eyes and stopped before the door closed. He suddenly turned around. He grabbed onto Zhao Zheng’s arm with bloodshot eyes and rolled up his own sleeve right in front of him.
Zhao Zheng acted shocked as he saw the flying dragon birthmark that was now visible to the eye. He took a step back and almost stumbled to the ground.
Shi Tou looked at him hazily, all he could say at the end with a hoarse voice was, “Didi…”
Zhao Zhen couldn’t get a single word out even though he tried to, he stood up to hug Constable Shi and cried silently.
The two cried together next to each other, then Zhao Zheng said, “My brother, you can rest assured and come back to the Capital with me. When the right time comes, I will help you restore your position as a prince, and the world shall give you what you’ve always deserved.”
“Zhao Zheng, I didn’t wish for wealth or power when I proved our relationship. Truthfully, I just can’t stop thinking about our mother. I don’t wish for anything else but to visit our mother’s gravestone and apologize in person. I’ll return to An Ling after I have paid my filial piety, then we shall have no connection with each other at all.”
“Brother…!”
“Don’t try to persuade me any further, as your gege I am doing this for your own good. If some people come to know of the fact that I am still alive, it will only bring harm to you and no advantages. You’ve just recently steadied yourself in the Capital, that shouldn’t be changed because of me.”
As Zhao Zheng listened to his words, he couldn’t tell if they were genuine or not He observed Shi Tou’s eyes discreetly yet he only saw purity with no ounce of hesitation…would someone like this really cause him to lose the throne? No, Shizun’s prophecies had never been wrong. The world was full of danger and evil, he and Shi Tou have only known each for so long after all. Even though Shi Tou doesn’t want it now, who knows if he’ll regret it someday in the future. Shizun was the only person in the world that wouldn’t harm him!
He replied with his alternative intentions hidden, “Then we shall follow brother’s wish first. I will order for people to organize everything, then take you back to the Capital with me in three days.”
“Thank you for going through the trouble then, didi.”
Shi Tou smiled. He couldn’t help but glance back at Zhao Zheng a couple of times as he was leaving. So he still had family members that were blood-related to him in this world…how could he not feel reluctant to part with him?
The two said their goodbyes and Constable Shi hurried home before the sun could rise.
When he opened the door, he saw the man in white clothing standing in front of the window. Under the moonlight, a thick and chilly aura surrounded him.
“I won’t allow you to go.”
wow shi tou is gullible. though that’s to be expected since he have a happy childhood and grew up in a positive environment.
i’m just a bit disappointed that this turn into imperial politics. i just wanted to read a love story between an ordinary man and a supernatural entity. i suppose in that regard, the story has concluded upon their wedding.
time to look for other ordinary!human x non-human story then.
oh, thank you for translating up to now.
i have enjoyed reading it 😊
that’s awesome to hear~ the story does change a lot and fast since it’s so short lol. i do wish there was more time of seeing their relationship than just a few sentences saying that they’ve been together for XX years and then there’s suddenly all these conflicts coming out of nowhere. the imperial conflicts arc doesn’t last very long either, after that it’s the modern world arc with reincarnation if you’re interested <3 personally it’s my fav part of this short novel
oooh? that sounds interesting. i might just hang around a bit longer 😃
it sounds similar to a quick transmigration concept?
Same. Only wanted a simple magic story with mythical creatures because I finished a pretty long political novel. And these political problems are always about an insecure prince either killing off his brothers or some general.
has a happy ending?Because I feel like Shizun is not to be trusted.Obviously Shi Tou doesn’t want the throne. He wants to live a happy and peaceful life.A-Jiang don’t let him go to the capital.I have a feeling that if he leaves he will not return and A Jiang would be too sad to be able to destroy everything.
Thank You for translación .
yep, this has a happy ending! i would reply more to your comment but i don’t want to spoil LOL
Anyone who has to drink the blood of children is not to be trusted. I can already tell this is not going to end well… Shi Tou, listen to your wife!
aaaahhh ZZ how can you be so blind??? QAQ i’ll just know you wi regret it!! thank u for the chapter~
Aww i feel agnst and a fight coming up between the couple…why do i feel that there is something fishy….shi tou has never felt neglected/envy before he has always felt gratitude and love and wants to repay everyone with good deeds….but maybe i am overthinking….
Thanks for the chapter! ♥️
Yet another… painfully stupid main character. It can’t even be chalked up to naivety, when the imperial family is involved.