This Young Master’s persona has crumbled into pieces.
Translation Checker: jellypeaches
Editor: jellypeaches, Dobhsh
Meng Huan’s chin had been pinched and squeezed for the other man’s amusement for quite some time.
A light chill mixed with the steam evaporating from his shoulders, enhancing the atmosphere. This scene was like when a tyrant and his favored consort share a bath in a television series…Flower petals, a rose water bath, and two naked individuals face-to-face as they wash each other, before it was time to be sweet and intimate in the water.
Lin Bozhou’s gaze was unmoving, and through the steam, those hazy eyes stuck on Meng Huan swirled with ambiguity, making him a little dizzy…
Weren’t all these signs pointed to making love next?
Was the other man going to approach him for a kiss?
Accepting his fate, Meng Huan closed his eyes.
“Pft—”
A low chuckle entered his ears.
Lin Bozhou caressed his jaw with his clean fingertips. Given how large his hands were, he was easily able to grip Meng Huan’s sharp jaw. Smiling, he asked, “What are you thinking about?”
The young master standing before him, who had obediently lowered his eyelashes, looked as if he was waiting to be taken.
…So naive. Lin Bozhou narrowed his eyes as the events of the past few days came to mind. This was the same young son of an official who cursed him and raved furiously for days in the courtyard. A youth who was raised by Meng Xueming, a figure who was known to be upright and outstanding in court. It was no wonder his child was a prodigy at such a young age, with a high level of knowledge, an elegant and honorable character, and a good reputation in the capital, but looking at him now…
Lin Bozhou lowered his gaze.
Meng Huan, who found his touch ticklish, blinked.
How could this youth be so naive?
Just as Lin Bozhou tightened his grip, a low voice sounded outside the door, “Your Royal Highness, there’s a message from the palace.”
“Mm, good timing.” Lin Bozhou glanced at Meng Huan as he released his jaw. This was the moment he had been waiting for. “Enter.”
Meng Huan and Lin Bozhou were behind the folding screen, so they could only see vague shadows moving behind the silk gauze. The man stopped behind the screen and greeted very formally, “Your Royal Highness, passing on his Majesty’s words.”
When the outsider came in to discuss important matters, Meng Huan lowered his head and quietly played around on the water’s surface, pretending to be distracted and invisible.
Lin Bozhou raised his eyes and said, “Huan Huan, you listen as well.”
Meng Huan looked up at him in a daze. “What?”
“Later, this Regent will ask you something.”
The corners of Lin Bozhou’s lips were up in a slight, pleased smirk, hinting at his evil intentions. He placed his hands on the edge of the bath and leisurely closed his eyes.
Meng Huan pursed his lips and turned his attention towards the folding screen.
The messenger read out in a steady tone, “Imperial decree for our Royal Brother. Five days ago, the Minister of Rites, the Vice Minister of Works, and others jointly accused you of abuse of authority, corruption, and embezzlement of tax money. Such a false accusation is a disrespectful offense, provoking you and our brotherhood. We have ordered the Eastern Depot to cane and banish these sycophant officials and traitors to the army post. We would also like to request that you return to your office immediately instead of extending your sick leave and staying indoors. You must give careful consideration to the country as a whole and take up your post soon to cooperate with all the trusted ministers in preserving the dynasty and bringing peace to our minds. As ordered by the Emperor.”
After reciting the decree, the man became silent.
The whole room turned eerily quiet.
Lin Bozhou turned to Meng Huan and raised his eyebrows. “What did you understand?”
The young master in front of him, Meng Huan, sat in the water, expressionless.
Perhaps because the water had cooled, and with the addition of an evening breeze, Meng Huan’s complexion, which had previously warmed in the water, had paled considerably. After the decree was recited, it was even paler, so white that no trace of blood could be seen.
He was nervous.
Very good.
Lin Bozhou almost saw what he was looking for and asked with great interest, “What’s wrong?”
As the son of the Minister of Rites, even if he could play pretend, he could not go so far as to remain unaffected when hearing the news of his father’s banishment to the army.
Lin Bozhou lowered his gaze and tapped his fingers against the side of the bath.
Meng Huan’s eyes turned to him at last.
If Lin Bozhou had been born a few hundred years later, he would have seen a kind of panic and false composure in Meng Huan, similar to that of an unfortunate student who had zero clue as to what was happening in class and was suddenly asked a question by the teacher.
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.
There was a slight tremble and stutter in the youth’s voice. “Wh-what?”
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Was an imperial edict something that could be read out again?
There was a dead silence.
Lin Bozhou’s fingers, which had been tapping idly, came to a complete halt. He lowered his gaze and studied the other man in a pensive and gloomy manner.
The youth was obviously very nervous, given how firmly he was clutching his hair, fearing that he would get a scolding if he failed to answer. When he looked at Lin Bozhou with his sad eyes pitifully, it was particularly heartbreaking.
Lin Bozhou closed his eyes, feeling rather speechless.
…Oh well.
Perhaps his initial speculation was wrong.
Getting out of the water, he reached for the dry clothes hanging on the folding screen and draped them over his shoulders. Without a word, he strode out of the bath.
“…”
He’s leaving just like that?
Meng Huan was a little surprised.
According to the original plot, shouldn’t the Prince Regent be burning with desire at this moment, resisting the urge to immediately get down to business while deliberately teasing and humiliating the original host, like a cat playing with a rat it had caught?
Meng Huan, still in the water, froze for a while, dumbfounded. In the original story, the fight between the couple could be described as glorious. One would rather die than yield, with stubbornness engraved in his bones. The other one was a sociopath, who enjoyed people’s reactions to his crimes. The more the former struggled, the more excited the latter became, and the more excited the latter became, the more the former struggled. While reading in bed in the middle of the night, Meng Huan would let out an agitated scream from the unbearable tension and excitement bleeding from the pages.
At that time, the comment section was filled with [Woohoo~pants go flying~], and readers would be tripped by the sheer number of ‘panties that have dropped’ whenever they scrolled down the comment section.
But now, he and the Prince Regent had still not done anything, even with both their clothes and pants off.
Was this not a huge deviation from the plot?
—Of course, he was not saying that he was looking forward to being XXX himself.
He put on his clothes and pants and walked out of the bathroom intact. Feeling the night breeze on his face, a flash of realization entered his mind…
Lin Bozhou’s cold attitude couldn’t be because of his soft temper, right?
“……”
Generally speaking, sexual fetishes are quite powerful in stimulating one’s libido; otherwise, why would there be so many categories in the flower market, such as aloof shou, little cry baby shou, manly muscle shou, big tiddy shou, and so on?
Tags were just kinks. Readers prefer to see novels with tags that match their tastes, which is also an expression of kink.
Just terrific. He directly went out of character and changed the original’s tag from aloof shou to stupid shou.
“…” Swallowing his saliva, he apologized internally.
But if Lin Bozhou was not interested in him, did it not mean that he could avoid the love-hate relationship plot for this political intrigue novel and that he no longer had to worry about being XXX or being killed?
Meng Huan: Yes!!
Giving up is amazing; long live doing nothing!
His life in this new world as the god of letting it rot began today.
The night breeze felt refreshing on his face as he rode the cool breeze all the way back to his room at a brisk pace, as pleased as punch.
Entering the door, he touched the glossy wooden armchair with intricate flower engraving, the Jingdezhen porcelain that was exquisite as jade, the gracefully written regular script calligraphy, the wine cups made from jade, the Withered Dragon Chant Guqin, the silk gauze bed curtain and bedding, and the still-warm pastries on the table…
Looking up at the carved dragon and phoenix on the pillars, he sighed at how luxurious the Prince Regent’s compound was. Apart from the safety of his life in the future, this place was indeed perfectly suited for living.
A maid entered from the door. “Madam, the water for washing your face is ready.”
“Madam, the dinner is cold. Would you like the cook to make fresh servings?”
“Madam, here is the hot tea that this servant just poured.”
The maids are also so nice and gentle.
Meng Huan: ^v^
After eating his fill for dinner, Meng Huan fell back onto the soft mattress dazedly and scratched his head.
The faint scent of incense in the quilt made his mind wander, making his brain too lazy to think about his transmigration. He was an orphan in his original life in the modern world. Never having been part of a family, he grew up in the orphanage until he was eighteen, when he was admitted to a college and began to work part time while studying, all while having to bear the burden of tuition fees and living expenses.
He learned to draw and took all the commissions he could get. Drawing the character designs from this novel was what got him to read it; he never expected to transmigrate into the novel.
At that time, he had admired the luxurious and wealthy life of the royal family in the television dramas he watched—being able to eat and drink anything they wanted and having people handle all of their needs.
He never thought it would finally be his turn.
He had to admit, heaven has eyes.
As he was thinking of this, he fell asleep, only waking up when he remembered his duties as a concubine. He called for the maid, “Is there anything that I need to do?”
The maid answered, “His Royal Highness has no official wife, so Madam does not need to serve tea to guests. There is nothing that requires your attention.”
That easy?
Meng Huan blinked. “Then do I need to accompany and entertain His Royal Highness during mealtime or in the evening?”
“His Royal Highness does not like to be disturbed. If he wants to see Madam, he will send someone to inform you. There is no need for you to take the initiative; you can just wait in the courtyard.”
How sad, the maid thought to herself. Last night, with His Royal Highness storming off in dissatisfaction instead of entering the bridal room even after their shared bath, news that the marriage had not been consummated was spread to all corners of the compound. This handsome young Madam had pretty much been thrown into the ‘cold palace’. He probably lost the opportunity to ever be favored and would not be able to live a good life.
How nice, Meng Huan thought to himself. This was simply the start of a standard rich widow’s life.
If Lin Bozhou was not interested in him, he could not possibly be summoned, so he would not have to rack his brains thinking about how to please the man. And since the Prince Regent was so wealthy and had such a high status, he could fill his stomach just by breathing near him.
On the surface, Meng Huan looked thoughtful, seeming to be lost in thoughts.
Just as the maid was about to comfort him, Meng Huan asked in a deep voice, “As His Royal Highness’s Madam, how much money do I receive monthly?”
The maid: “…”
“According to the standard practice, since Madam is a concubine, it will be fifty silver taels a month.” The maid answered, incredulous.
What is going on? Don’t tell me that you do not plan to strive for favor at all?
Meng Huan counted with his fingers, scratched his head, and carefully calculated the exchange rate of a silver tael to yuan. One tael is equivalent to six hundred yuan, then fifty taels… He would be living on thirty thousand yuan per month.
Awesome, a monthly allowance of thirty thousand yuan—what a concept!
This monthly salary was set by the government, so in reality, he could receive more. With some small tricks, he might be able to take advantage of the Prince Regent’s name to make a big profit!
However, this was Meng Huan, who was already content and happy with thirty thousand a month and had no desire to make a big profit. Thinking about the silver taels he was about to get, an uncontrollable smile appeared on his face.
“Then what’s for breakfast?”
Meng Huan’s anticipatory eyes sent a shiver down the maid’s back.
Lin Bozhou was the sole male master in his compound. He had no wife, both of his parents were dead, and the few concubines given by the former emperor were kept in a vassal state, praying to Buddha and guarding tombs. Although Meng Huan was a concubine, he was the ‘female’ master with the highest authority in the compound.
So when it came to meals, he could eat the same as Lin Bozhou.
The maid foresaw that the little madam might go nuts from the things she was about to list. “A total of twelve courses: mutton stir fry, fried goose, pork stir fry with cabbage, steamed pork’s trotter, fried butterflied fish, braised pork, jasmine rice, bean soup, beef noodles, pearl barley porridge, tea, and porridge with pine nuts, water caltrop, and dates.”
“……”
Are you performing a list of different dish names?
Taking a deep breath, Meng Huan placed his hand on his chest.
He managed to suppress the surge of emotions.
Heaven isn’t blind; for this kind-hearted Young Master to be transmigrated into this novel is not so strange now.
He stood up and said, “Start serving the food.”
His face regained its brightness and life. “After breakfast, I will go to the treasury to get my thirty thousand yuan for this month.”
“…”
–
The compound’s treasury was in the east wing, several pavilions and courtyards away from where Meng Huan lived. When he ate his fill of breakfast and walked out of his courtyard, servants were already waiting outside with a palanquin.
“Madam, please.”
This compound was so big that one must travel in a palanquin.
When Meng Huan’s palanquin was lifted into the air, he sighed about the decadent life of this feudal dynasty. It was really…
Too wonderful.
He took out a silver tael and gave it to the servants carrying him. “Thank you for the hard work.”
“Madam is joking; this is these lowly ones’ duty.”
Alas, your way of thinking is not good.
Then he watched them accept the silver tael.
This…
Just as Meng Huan was about to start his lesson on societal behavior, he saw this and stopped.
The ride was rhythmically swaying the whole way, making him drowsy. As they passed a walled pavilion, a sound came from the pavilion behind the Bodhi tree.
It seemed that there was a group of people standing there. As they passed, Meng Huan took in the overlapping silhouettes.
Lin Bozhou lived even more extravagantly than he did. The tall figure sat in the pavilion with his eyes down, playing Weiqi with someone. There was a serving maid waving a fan behind him, a guest scholar moving game pieces for him, and a male servant holding an umbrella to block out sunlight. Not to mention a group of servants and attendants on standby outside the pavilion.
Meng Huan gawked. “…Go around.”
The servants below madly echoed the request to each other. Before they could take another path, an unpleasant voice came from behind them.
“Who is so bold as to not get off the palanquin and greet His Royal Highness?”
The servants put down the palanquin and knelt down one after another.
The ancient etiquette was extremely strict. Officials need to kowtow when greeting each other; they must avoid walking with their superiors; they aren’t allowed to put even a foot on the paths reserved for His Royal Highness, and so on. Transgressions were handled by disciplinary officials and could even be within the scope of the capital province’s evaluation, which involves the promotion and demotion of official positions.
After being a step late in running away, Meng Huan had to look up and face Lin Bozhou in the pavilion.
“…”
“Oh, it looks like his little Royal Consort is living very comfortably. It seems that you went right to enjoying the royal life.”
Shan Xing, who was in charge of moving game pieces for Lin Bozhou, clicked his tongue in wonder.
When they met last night, he was a stuttering youth with a pale face. Just one look from Lin Bozhou would make the youth shake like a leaf. It was truly pitiful.
But now, the youth was full of energy, and his beautiful face was rosy. Even his hair was neatly combed. It seemed that he was not the same disorderly man who went on a hunger strike and threw out verbal abuse a few days ago.
Not only Shan Xing, but even Lin Bozhou found this quite unexpected.
He held the jade piece between his bony knuckles, gently tapping it on the board, toying with it over and over again as he redirected his gaze.
“…”
Meng Huan’s scalp began to tingle.
He could feel Lin Bozhou’s cold gaze sweeping slowly from his skull to his toes, inspecting him from top to bottom, just like a wild beast about to devour a man, with the tip of his tongue brushing against his lips.
He was just waiting for the moment Meng Huan made a mistake, then he would take him into his mouth and tear him apart, chewing to the point that not even bones were left, and swallow him into his stomach.
Meng Huan took a deep breath against the heavy pressure he was under.
Then he bowed to salute, sounding very charming.
“This concubine greets husband.”
The author has something to say:
Huan Huan: I’ve mastered the secret art of getting rich, yay!
This translator has something to add:
Teo: Just a reminder, the author used vocab from ancient period and this translator used comparable English as translation, so what the readers read is way easier and simpler than what Meng Huan is hearing. Like for ‘banish’, it is using a specific word that is to banish (to an army post, as a punishment) [充軍]. Not something a person from the modern time will see or hear very often. I know precious Meng Huan is not the brightest but I doubt many of us could hold a conversation with people right out of Shakespeare.
Also, this translator is a virtual person, so I found this chart in the Evolution of Chinese Writing that depicts Chinese scripts. The ones that showed up in this novel are ‘semi-cursive script’ (the fourth column) and ‘regular script’ (the sixth/ last column).
For any readers who can’t see the title of the column, from left to right: Oracle Bone Script, Seal Script, Clerical Script, Semi-Cursive Script, Cursive Script, Regular Script (Traditional), Meaning.
Lol, shamelessly enjoying the pampered life. Always take advantage of the perks in hopeless situations XD
Thanks for the chapter!
Breakfast first! Pfft! Thanks for the update 🤣❤️
Huan Huan: I can get rich!
Lin Bozhou: You’ve attracted my attention:)
Huanhuan: lazes around and is content with his monthly salary
Lin Bozhou: falls in love
Loving the dynamic between these two rather than the typical dog blood relationship from the original novel XD
Lol got to enjoy it while you can 😂 ( thanks for the update)
Poor baby just want to be salted fish! Let him be!! o(≧□≦)o
Thank You for the chapter (´,,•ω•,,)♡
A completely apolitical non-threatening salted fish!!
❤️❤️❤️