Huan Huan got drunk.
Translation Checker: jellypeaches
Editor: jellypeaches, Dobhsh
After damaging his eyes at a young age, Lin Bozhou had been taking medication for more than a decade. Probably due to his eye problems resurfacing from time to time, he had a complex attitude towards taking medicine.
Always feeling that his eyes couldn’t be cured, he felt that taking medicine was just like going through a formality.
Lin Bozhou said, weak from illness, “Leave it on the table.”
Holding his ground, You Jin insisted, “Your Royal Highness, this old servant is afraid that Your Royal Highness will pour the medicine into the flowerpot as soon as I leave.”
Lin Bozhou answered, “This Regent will drink it.”
“It must be now. Because of Your Royal Highness’s poor digestion, it must be taken before meals.”
No matter how high and powerful Lin Bozhou’s status was, You Jin had the final say on his basic needs.
Lin Bozhou turned his head, glanced at Meng Huan evenly, and said, as if with a hidden agenda, “This Regent is married. Why do you still treat this Regent like a child?”
“……”
Hearing this, Meng Huan, who had been sitting idly and watching the bickering between the two, suddenly felt the pressure settle on him.
Was this how masterful Lin Bozhou was with his words?
“Oh.” Meng Huan murmured.
Then he took the medicine bowl and brought it to Lin Bozhou, performing his duty as a wife. “Your Royal Highness, it is time to drink your medicine.”
When he said this, he couldn’t help thinking of that lame, overused meme.
“…”
Lin Bozhou also suddenly became quiet, no longer being as rebellious. He put his fingers on the side of the bowl. At the lightest touch, he said, “Hot.”
Meng Huan put his hand on the bottom of the bowl to feel the temperature. “It’s not hot.”
“…” Lin Bozhou raised his eyes and looked nonchalant. “It is hot.”
Maybe the man was more delicate.
Following the actions he had learned from TV dramas, he scooped up a spoonful of medicinal soup, pursed his lips and blew on it a number of times, then delivered it to Lin Bozhou, coaxing the man like a child, “It is not hot anymore; you can drink it now~”
He raised the tone of the last word, sounding very sticky and sweet.
“Huan Huan, this husband is very thankful.” Lin Bozhou smiled and lowered his head cooperatively.
He tightly wrinkled his brows from the bitter taste, but he drank it down anyway, as if it were sweet instead.
Seeing him be cooperative brought joy to Meng Huan as well. Thus, he carefully fed the man more medicine.
—It felt nice to care for someone once in a while.
He fed the man medicine one spoonful at a time, then switched it to one spoonful of congee at a time once he was done with the medicine. You Jin, who was watching from the side, couldn’t hold back his smile. He kept feeling like their Royal Highness was an asshole who liked to tease the Royal Consort.
Oh my, he is even showing his maiden’s heart.
After finally drinking the medicine and eating the congee, Lin Bozhou was half-lying on the bed. His complexion looked better with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.
It was time for Meng Huan to run. “Your Royal Highness, please have a good rest. I won’t disturb you.”
Lin Bozhou seemed reluctant to let him go, but suddenly he asked, “Isn’t the Zhenguan Marquis nearly here?”
You Jin bowed his head and replied, “Yes. He has delivered a greeting card and will be here soon.”
“They also reckoned that this Regent would be awake now.” Lin Bozhou turned his head sideways. “Someone come, dress this Regent.”
Meng Huan was a little stupefied and asked, “The Zhenguan Marquis?”
“The Young Lord from before that Huan Huan didn’t like.” Lin Bozhou replied while putting his hand through the sleeve of his everyday clothes. “His father will be here soon.”
Originally, Meng Huan had planned to return to the main palace. Hearing this, he thought of learning what was going to happen to Xu Ruolin, so he sat beside Lin Bozhou for a while. He didn’t wait long before Shan Xing hurried in. “Your Royal Highness, they are here. The Zhenguan Marquis came with a stretcher. The Young Lord Xu Ruolin was carried here on the stretcher to apologize since both his legs were broken as a punishment. They left him just outside in the front yard.”
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.
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Lin Bozhou looked calm as he regained his usual composure. Hearing this outcome, a smidgen of a smile appeared on his face. “As expected of the Zhenguan Marquis who once held military power. Very decisive, enough that this Regent can’t pursue the matter any more.”
“…”
Meng Huan suddenly understood.
Oh. The father did it to appease Lin Bozhou’s anger so as not to offend him.
The ruthlessness of the people in this political intrigue novel was true to its genre.
“Should the Zhenguan Marquis be allowed in?” Shan Xing asked.
Lin Bozhou gave an affirmative response before adding, “This Regent is not in a position to get out of bed, so have him come here.”
Hearing this, Meng Huan knew it was time for him to leave. He knew he shouldn’t be around Lin Bozhou when the man talks business, so he left unprompted.
Unexpectedly, behind him, Lin Bozhou called out and stopped him. “The Zhenguan Marquis is here to apologize, so why isn’t Huan Huan staying?”
Meng Huan actually felt that having one’s legs broken was enough and didn’t want to interact with this ruthless father who accepted matters at face value. “Having Xu Ruolin’s legs broken is enough of an apology. I don’t want to hear the rest.”
Having said that, Meng Huan walked out of the bedchamber.
His back was thin and frail, and his shadow dragged out very long.
After a quiet moment in the hall, Shan Xing spoke up. “The Royal Consort doesn’t seem to like ruthless people.”
Lin Bozhou tapped his finger on the edge of the bed and asked, “Is this Regent ruthless?”
Shan Xing, “…”
He was silent for a while. “Your Royal Highness, this humble one doesn’t dare to comment.”
Lin Bozhou sneered.
Then he closed his eyes. “Allow the Zhenguan Marquis in.”
–
A tall and burly, imposing middle-aged man with a sturdy physique hurried through the door of the hall.
When Meng Huan happened to pass the man, he checked the rushing figure and guessed that this was Xu Ruolin’s father.
Xu Ruolin was born to the Zhenguan Marquis’s most beloved madam, who was chronically frail and beautiful. Their son was as pretty and delicate as his mother, with an arrogant personality.
Meng Huan walked back and forth around the exterior several times before his urge finally got the best of him as he walked towards the stretcher Xu Ruolin was on.
He was lying on his stomach with several servants watching him. His legs lay limply on the stretcher, his hair was disheveled, and his upper body was propped up slightly, looking right at Meng Huan with his reddened eyes.
“Are you happy now?” He asked.
Meng Huan knew to face the other person’s hostility head-on. “So-so.”
Xu Ruolin sneered, “You better not be happy too soon. My father is a great general; he knows how to break my legs and knows how to heal them as well.”
Meng Huan sat down beside him and didn’t contribute to the conversation.
“If a person’s body is broken, it can heal back, but if a person loses their ambition, that person becomes a waste.” Xu Ruolin murmured to himself.
Meng Huan asked, “Are you implying that about me?”
“Yes!” Xu Ruolin said, “I thought you would become a righteous man when you entered the compound, but instead you have become a coward who fears death!”
Meng Huan turned and chided, “I have already refuted a double-standard bastard like you. It’s not the act of a gentleman to drug me, so your accusation against me doesn't have a leg to stand on.”
“Bah! Your claim can stand even less! You have somehow gone from a male concubine to a royal consort. Meng Huan, I don’t even know how many mouths you have flattering Lin Bozhou!” Xu Ruolin muttered, “You betrayed us.”
Meng Huan had not thought much of the other person’s accusations, but hearing the word ‘betrayed’ sent waves of emotion through him.
He was a little worried that he couldn’t fulfill the original shou’s ambition. After all, he had occupied this body, so it really was a type of betrayal for him to run against the original’s wishes.
Meng Huan thought for a moment. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Speak.”
“Why do you insist on killing Lin Bozhou?”
“Why do you think?” Xu Ruolin replied, as if he had repeated the same answer many times, “He has the Emperor in the palm of his hand, and the court is controlled by him alone. The officials are appointed and dismissed based entirely on his personal preferences. He has sole jurisdiction over the country’s finances, and money is distributed and used according to his ideas. He is a power-hungry man!”
Meng Huan was overwhelmed with emotions that he couldn’t explain.
He had read books before and knew what this was.
Power-hungry, dictatorial tyrant—these were all derogatory words referring to a bad person.
Lin Bozhou was a subject, yet his power was comparable to that of the Emperor and had also disrupted the relationship between a ruler and a subject.
Which was why so many people hurled insults at Lin Bozhou because he gathered too much fire upon himself.
Confused, Meng Huan couldn’t hold back from asking, “So the things he did, are they all bad?”
“Of course they are all bad. His authority overturned all levels of society. He can kill us at any time, and our necks are always on the chopping block. We are living in constant fear!”
Meng Huan frowned, feeling very uncomfortable.
He desperately pressed his knuckles against his temples.
Then he asked with caution, “The things he did, were they good or bad for the common people?”
Xu Ruolin was silent for a moment.
He looked at Meng Huan with a dismayed expression, as if looking at someone with a mental illness.
Then he said, “Why are we looking at the common people? We are working for the Emperor, so we need to look at him! If Lin Bozhou does not die one day, the Emperor will never come into his own! The Emperor has been deceived by him and cannot distinguish between loyal and traitorous ministers, but how can you not make the distinction either?”
“…”
Meng Huan frowned and showed a pained expression.
No, after attending school for so many years, Meng Huan only knew how to serve the people and thus could only judge Lin Bozhou from this perspective.
Xu Ruolin snorted, “You have been corrupted by life in this compound. Just look at how rich the Prince Regent is and how luxuriously he lives. He even took you to the hunting ground in person, so pampered.”
Speaking of the hunting ground, Meng Huan asked, “Why were you at the temple that day?”
It was so strange. They were at the Prince Regent’s private country estate, and the temple was not a place of interest. How did he just happen to run into Xu Ruolin that day?
Xu Ruolin huffed, “What do you think? To scope out a place for the assassination.” He admitted it happily and then stared into Meng Huan’s eyes. “I have never treated you as an outsider. If you tell Lin Bozhou about these manners, we will end in mutual destruction.”
Meng Huan mumbled, “…Understood.”
Xu Ruolin turned his head and looked the other way. “Do not be naive. Lin Bozhou was happy and rewarded you with being the Royal Consort for a couple days. But even so, he still has not brought your father back from Fengxiang County yet. What use is your fancy title?”
“…”
Meng Huan actually didn’t care much about this royal consort title, but after hearing Xu Ruolin’s words, he felt something in his heart.
Right, what was the foundation of his relationship with Lin Bozhou? Even now, he still had no idea.
Sitting while hugging his knees, Meng Huan looked around at the Regent’s compound, which didn’t belong to him.
He didn’t plan to stay here to bullshit with Xu Ruolin anymore, so he got up and patted his butt clean. As he walked away, a voice came from behind.
“As for you, if you can kill Lin Bozhou, then do it. If you can’t kill him, you should think about ways to protect yourself. If Lin Bozhou is overthrown, not a single life in this compound can be saved.”
“I’m telling you, Lin Bozhou must die.”
Meng Huan paused and turned back to the Young Lord.
Xu Ruolin continued, “The Emperor is thirteen years old and will be fourteen after the new year. So, it’s time for him to personally govern. The capital evaluation is at the beginning of next year. We plan to drag Lin Bozhou down in these six months no matter what.”
Meng Huan looked up with a puzzled expression. “Capital evaluation?”
Xu Ruolin showed a surprised look as his voice rose abruptly. “What happened to you in the Regent’s compound? Capital evaluation! The one that happens every six years! It involves the appointment and dismissal of all officials in the capital, and it is a great opportunity to bring down Lin Bozhou’s party! Have you forgotten?!”
“…” Meng Huan looked around to make sure no one under Lin Bozhou was present.
In front of him, Xu Ruolin was like a hippo with his mouth wide open, spitting and spouting garbage at him—
“You don’t even know this? How can you not know this? How do you not understand?”
Meng Huan’s ears hurt from all the shouting. He lowered his head and clenched his fingers.
He didn’t know jack shit about this!
…He was completely lost for words.
Could a normal eighteen-year-old college student know about this “capital evaluation”?
Besides, he usually reads novels without using his brain.
But he still felt ashamed nonetheless.
Xu Ruolin was tired from roaring and slammed his fist to the ground, murmuring to himself, “Lin Bozhou made my father break my legs. I have already thought of how to deal with his corpse.”
Meng Huan saw him gnashing his teeth.
“Once he is dragged off his horse, I will chop up his corpse, hang his head at the city gate, and feed his flesh to the dogs.” Fury filled Xu Ruolin’s eyes. “I hate him to death.”
Meng Huan shook his head and stood up.
He didn’t say what was on his mind.
—If he were to choose a victor between Lin Bozhou and Xu Ruolin, even if voting with his feet and not his brain, he would choose Lin Bozhou.
As for Xu Ruolin, best of luck.
–
Late at night, the cool breeze blew across the courtyard and scattered the shadows of flowers onto the stone table in the center.
There were many wine jars on the table, some knocked over and some upright.
Meng Huan was lying on the table. With his face flushed, he held a jar of wine in his hand. He was too drunk to open his eyes.
With nothing else to do this evening, he inexplicably began to ruminate on what Xu Ruolin had said.
Originally, when he transmigrated into this book, he thought not striving and protecting his lowly life would be enough. But now he was really worried about the turmoil in the imperial court. Lin Bozhou’s identity was changing, and the safety of his own life was changing with it.
Feeling melancholy, he felt that he couldn’t understand anything and didn’t know how to save himself, with even less of an idea of what to do next.
He drank another mouthful of wine.
—As the bitter wine entered his throat, he felt a slight ache in his heart.
As he drank, his forehead dropped onto the stone table. His eyelids were burning as he exhaled a soft breath.
Sniff, sniff, I want to go home.
Outside the pavilion, You Jin’s voice called out, “Royal Consort.”
Meng Huan looked in his direction in a daze. “Yes?”
“Why is the Royal Consort drinking here alone?” You Jin was puzzled.
As soon as he saw the eunuch, Meng Huan could guess that Lin Bozhou was summoning him.
Meng Huan asked, “Is His Royal Highness looking for me?”
You Jin nodded. “Yes, His Royal Highness has a headache and asked the Royal Consort for a chat and to stay the night.”
For the first time, Meng Huan shook his head. “I don’t wanna go.”
The young man’s lips curled down as he stayed stubborn. “I’m in a bad mood right now. I want my freedom. I don’t want to serve anyone today.”
“…”
The author has something to say:
QAQ Huan-bao will excel at things once he puts his mind to it!
Huan Huan is so honest!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING AWESOME!!!
So conflicted for huan huan QAQ others get to transmigrate and live life normally yet he was taken from a normal life to a life full of turmoils. Hopefully his relationship with lin bozhou and trust will improve
I really wonder if he’ll spill about not being the real Meng Huan! It’d make for an interesting scene!
That’d be interesting for sure! I actually want him to admit not being the real meng huan. Because lin bozhou fell for him, not the original shou
Meng Huan, it’s time to get your dad out of jail!
His father is not in jail he was demoted and have to leave the capital to a different place
Oh, thanks for clarifying! 😅
Does he want the dad back??? Awkward as not his real dad and might be another person who makes him guilty for not taking action?
Thanks for the chapter;)
Amazing as always:)
Well, Meng Huan IS living in the Regent’s compound, sees him every day, and knows things that the nobles don’t. For example, that the Emperor is not ready to rule on his own. I hope Meng Huan will think about the fever and the bloody knees and trust his own judgement about Lin Bozhou. Anyway, they’re both forgetting that the original Meng Huan tried to kill himself (and actually succeeded) which doesn’t show a great devotion to the idea of killing Lin Bozhou, does it 😜
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
Thank you for your translation 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
It appears that breaking Xu Ruolin’s legs was not, in fact, enough. The little shit is still arrogant and obviously hasn’t learned a thing.
Ugh so true. Eep breaking the legs of your child..m I couldn’t live in such a ruthless time.
That’s what I was saying!!! He needed his tongue ripped off, little nasty arrogant prick 🙄
Removing his little nasty arrogant prick would probably work better than breaking his legs 😆
Poor Huan Huan is going through a lot…stop making him think too much, Xu Ruolin >:I
Thanks for the chapter!
Xu Roulin is going to get his dad k*lled, not Lin Bozhou, him!! How can someone be so stupid?! How is he going to say all those traitorous words in the courtyard? Even if he doesn’t see anybody around, doesn’t he know that the walls have ears? 😒
Thank you for the update!
Thank You for the new chapter (｢`･ω･)｢❤️
I love how Meng Huan admits to reading novels without his brain. Haha, feels like me only following the romance and marginally with the heavy politics in the background. Though it’s well done in this novel, the reader feels like Meng Huan learning about what’s going on by the chapter
although im aware that his character setting is very simple modern student, as a chinese citizen, isn’t he aware that most of these people in position aren’t with clean hands either. I wouldn’t say that ml is a good person, atleast, in the normal standard he’s quite ruthless tho a good person in his own way (the bitch xu was silent when mc asked if ml affected the mass, which prolly means ml was only a thorn for them so they antagonizes him) court fight is a war of its own, if you don’t eat you’ll get eaten alive in turn
because of the narration, i have bad impressions of the ml as well but as the story goes aside from mc i like him more than any character here