“The Royal Consort is missing!”
Translation Checker: jellypeaches
Editor: jellypeaches, Miiya
Meng Huan felt as if a sharp object had given a vicious stab to his brain. When he closed his eyes in an attempt to relieve his discomfort, a word popped into his head—unlucky.
Extremely unlucky!
So, the person who kidnapped him was actually Echul?
Was there no way for him to escape the runaway wife plot?
As endless questions welled up inside, a tall and strong man paced beside Meng Huan, wondering, “Should we exchange Anur’s life with his or cut off his head and offer it to Anur’s grave?”
Echul waved the whip in his hand and calmly looked down at Meng Huan, saying, “The Han people never respect exchanging a life for another life. If we were to request an exchange of Anur’s life for his, they will ask who’s life will be traded for the life of the murdered restaurant owner.”
“Are we just going to stand and watch Anur die?” The middle-aged man bellowed.
Echul turned to him with a grim look, raised his hand and slapped the man with very quick movement, causing the man to take a few steps backwards from the impact.
He spoke in a cold and chilling voice, “You also deserve to die for making a fool of yourself in your drunken rage! I have one last thing I need to do before I leave the capital. If any of you ruin my plans by being reckless and impulsive again, I will not only cut off every one of your heads, but also your children’s heads once I return to Jianzhou.”
None of the other men dared to speak as they fell to their knees.
Looking at Echul, Meng Huan’s hair stood up. This person was not quite the same as Lin Bozhou. Lin Bozhou would also kill people, but he would never do it himself, instead, he would always get his subordinates to do the task, freeing his own hands from being stained with anyone’s blood.
Moreover, Lin Bozhou always had a reason for the person’s death. As long as the person does not offend him, they can communicate peacefully like gentlemen. However, this Echul had no sense of morality or justice; he kills at the first sign of anger, and the people of Jurchen originally had the habit of devouring raw meat and fowl. During disaster years, sometimes, they would even feast on humans!
A thin layer of sweat appeared on Meng Huan’s forehead as his palms turned cold.
He summoned up his courage and asked, “What do you want, money? How much?”
He pursed his lips and continued, “I can have my family give it to you.”
His hubby, Lin Bozhou, is rich, very rich!
You can have as much money, gold and silver, anything you ask for is possible.
Lin Bozhou would definitely settle it, in this, Meng Huan was confident.
…Of course, when you accept the money, it will be the day of your death. But he kept that to himself.
Echul’s gloomy gaze landed on his face as he asked instead, “You think your family can pay enough money? You can’t afford to give me what I want.”
He motioned to the man next to him. “Keep him tied up and carry him along.”
A heavy force struck Meng Huan from behind, forcing him to stand up straight and causing a tingling pain in his tied wrists behind him. Anger flashed through his lowered eyes, but he swallowed that rage as he behaved himself and followed after them.
–
Within the Imperial City.
Lin Bozhou first went to the Belvedere of Literary Profundity to meet with the cabinet ministers.
The cabinet ministers were all surprised. This was the first time Lin Bozhou had chosen to come to court during his illness since his promotion to the Prince Regent. They all stood up, and Minister Chen pulled out a chair for Lin Bozhou to sit down. “Your Royal Highness, your health is more important!”
“Let’s discuss how to use the money from the salt tax first.” Lin Bozhou’s benevolent voice rang across the room, “This Regent’s health is not a bother, there will always be time to recuperate. More importantly, the common people are in imminent danger.”
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.
Several ministers were quick to praise the benevolence and righteousness of Lin Bozhou.
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But at this time, the Emperor was absent!
—Proof that as soon as Lin Bozhou suffered from his eye illness, His Majesty would immediately skip class.
The atmosphere was tense because there was no way Lin Bozhou wouldn’t know this. His lips were slightly pursed, uttering not a single word.
One of the eunuchs knelt down and kowtowed, saying, “His Majesty stayed up very late reading last night and caught a cold. He was bedridden this morning and should still be resting right now.”
Pei Xiyi, the Supervisor of Ceremony, covered his lips with his fingers and coughed.
Lin Bozhou paused, not showing anything on his face. It was hard to tell whether he believed it or not. Standing up slowly, he announced, “Very well, then this Regent will check on His Majesty first.”
Lin Bozhou allowed Pei Xiyi help him onto the palanquin and they made their way towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation where the Xuanhe Emperor lived. Needless to say, someone must have informed the Emperor in advance, so as soon as he entered the gate, the Xuanhe Emperor coughed and said, “Royal Brother, why are you here? Your eyes are not well, you should be resting in your compound…”
The thirteen-year-old boy put a lot of force behind his coughs, coughing like he was terminally ill.
But the acting was also very fake.
Lin Bozhou got off of the palanquin and said calmly after paying his respects, “Your Majesty’s coughs sounded quite severe, the cold must be very serious. Go call for an imperial physician.”
The eunuch replied, “Understood.”
The Xuanhe Emperor showed a flustered expression and blurted, “Royal Brother, our cold has already been checked this morning. The imperial physician just left. Isn’t it too bothersome to summon another one again?”
“Your Majesty’s health is the foundation of this nation and requires the utmost care. So what if it’ll trouble them again? Having them come again is not a hindrance as it will bring peace of mind to this subject. Go and fetch an imperial physician.”
Every word out of Lin Bozhou’s mouth was for the sake of the Xuanhe Emperor, with a gentle tone and just the right amount of comfort. However, when the Xuanhe Emperor heard them, his hair stood up as a chill ran down his back. He knew that Lin Bozhou had seen through his lies.
Having been defeated, he could only call out as if he was seven, “Royal Brother…”
Lin Bozhou loosened his fingers slightly, but his expression remained solemn. He clearly wanted to discipline the Emperor, but his first sentence was, “Your Majesty, go into the hall first.”
He would not criticize the Xuanhe Emperor in front of everyone, as a ruler needs to have an imposing image and the people’s respect. The Emperor quickly helped Lin Bozhou into the hall and personally brought a chair for him to sit on.
The Xuanhe Emperor was somewhat puzzled. He did not have these doubts before Lin Bozhou took a wife, thinking that his Royal Brother always had such an oppressive and dignified aura around him, but when he heard that his Royal Brother had married, he could not resist wondering if he acted so cold and unsmiling towards his wife as well?
After a moment, Lin Bozhou spoke up, “Your Majesty should not lie.”
The Xuanhe Emperor said, “Royal Brother, we were wrong.”
“Your Majesty lied and escaped from duty. Although these officials turn a blind eye to it, they are well-aware. They will think in their hearts that Your Majesty is ignorant and weak, and will have the courage to challenge Your Majesty’s authority in the future.”
The Xuanhe Emperor lamented, “But Royal Brother, we really do not want to go to the cabinet, we want to rest.”
“Your Majesty is the Emperor, and should be self-motivated.”
“But…” The Xuanhe Emperor knew he was definitely not working as tirelessly as Lin Bozhou, but he still refused to yield, “Royal Brother, being the Emperor is so tiring.”
“Your Majesty should not say such things.”
The Xuanhe Emperor nodded as his expression eased again. “Right, we know we should have not said that, because we would like to be the Emperor, since fighting tooth and nail in the empire is much more delightful than on the game board.”
Moreover, he had everything as the Emperor, and everyone had to respect him.
He was not afraid of anyone except Lin Bozhou.
Lin Bozhou’s tone was deep and solemn, “Your Majesty, the empire is not a game board, nor are the common people game pieces.”
The Xuanhe Emperor chuckled awkwardly. “We know, we were joking. The common people are all our children.”
After saying that, the Xuanhe Emperor couldn’t help getting distracted.
…His Royal Brother was as insensitive as ever, so did the Royal Consort really like men like him?
He had met Meng Huan before, and he had heard that his Royal Brother snatched his wife off of the street. So, was Meng Huan forced by his Royal Brother?
Was he this domineering with his wife as well?
Wouldn’t Meng Huan hate him?
While the Xuanhe Emperor was lost in thought, Lin Bozhou changed the topic and said, “Regarding the two million silver taels that were previously received from the salt tax, how does Your Majesty think it should be spent?”
The Xuanhe Emperor’s eyes suddenly lit up. “We can give a million to the people! And keep the other one million for ourselves.”
He sounded pretty proud of himself.
A million to the people, this was a fair even split!
Was he not a ruler particularly considerate of the common people!
Lin Bozhou pursed his lips and said slowly, “Your Majesty, you may as well listen to the opinions of the cabinet ministers.”
“Oh.”
The Xuanhe Emperor knew that his Royal Brother disapproved of his suggestion, feeling like he had been splashed with cold water. He was unable to hold back his rage but also did not dare to scold Lin Bozhou, so he had to vent it elsewhere. “We really don’t understand. Don’t the people have farmland? Why must they keep incessantly asking for money? The same goes for the army, isn’t the reclaimed land self-sufficient? Why do they keep asking for money? What are those officials doing? Holding sinecures?! Instead of solving problems, they only know how to ask us for money?”
His words were only out of anger, without ever thinking about the reason.
A sharp pain that he could not contain arose in Lin Bozhou’s chest. Tightly closing his lips, he nodded and said, “This is a problem that Your Majesty will have to solve after taking the reigns yourself.”
The Xuanhe Emperor’s anger subsided as he looked at Lin Bozhou subconsciously, “Can the Royal Brother solve it?”
“Perhaps, but it will take a long time.” Lin Bozhou said, “And then, Your Majesty might be annoyed by this subject, and would have long stopped this subject from working.”
“Royal Brother, we will never get tired of you.” The Xuanhe Emperor said from the bottom of his heart, then looked at the other with anticipation. “But can we really not get one million of that fund to build a Weiqi palace?”
Lin Bozhou tightened his lips further.
His hands resting on the back of the chair were clenched, with blue veins appearing on the back of his hands.
The Xuanhe Emperor’s proposal was not well received.
The Xuanhe Emperor sighed and knew it was impossible.
After Lin Bozhou was promoted to the position of the Prince Regent, he never allowed the Xuanhe Emperor to suffer any grievances. He had everything he needed, but the Xuanhe Emperor always felt that one could never have enough good things, and he could never have enough of what he wanted.
The Xuanhe Emperor fell back onto his bed and swayed his legs. “Is it really an outrageous request to build a Weiqi palace? But we are the Emperor, if we cannot get a Weiqi palace when we want, life is going to be so dull.”
However, he did not know how many strong ships, powerful cannons, and armaments could be built or how many starving people in disaster areas could be fed using the one million taels that the Weiqi palace required.
There was no answer entering the Xuanhe Emperor’s ears.
Lin Bozhou clenched his teeth as all the blood in his body boiled. He was afraid that what came out of his mouth would be a harsh reprimand. If, and only if, the Xuanhe Emperor appeared in front of him displaying this kind of innocence and cruelty without the emperor’s status, he would have been kicked to the ground by him with brain damage.
Only thinking about what he wanted, but never contributing anything.
Lin Bozhou sat up in his chair, and after a while, his lips regained their color.
He stood up and spoke in a nonchalant tone, “In the next lecture, this subject will change some of Your Majesty’s teachers, and have them re-teach the lessons on benevolent governance and wise ruling.”
–
Lin Bozhou stood up, walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and returned to the cabinet.
They spent a long time negotiating how to use the funds. The annual income of the Zong Dynasty’s treasury was only twenty million taels, so this two million taels was one tenth of the annual income.
Lin Bozhou remembered the money that Senior Cui had been greedy for.
He was calm and patient, not in a hurry to irritate the man. Let Senior Cui be greedy, because he was towards the end of his life, so it wouldn’t be long before the funds would return to the national treasury.
After finally closing the discussions, the money was eventually distributed to the army and the people. As Lin Bozhou reached the entrance of the Imperial City and just as he was about to get into the carriage, there came a very anxious voice, “Your Royal Highness!”
It was Chen An.
He had always been calm, but the way he called out just now was out of extreme fear.
A flash of thought went through Lin Bozhou’s head as he turned his face sideways, saying coldly, “Speak.”
Chen An’s voice was like a porcelain bottle falling to the ground, shattering into pieces.
“The Royal Consort, the Royal Consort is missing!”
The author has something to say:
The Xuanhe Emperor: Royal Brother, we will never find you annoying.
Lin Bozhou: I find you annoying.
Okay! Charge to the next chapter!
–
Recently, I plan to write a car scene, so why not write a car scene once Huan Huan is back?
You know what, I will write one now, but I will definitely write one when he is back! Huan Huan will be sick! His Royal Highness heard that the body temperature inside would be hotter, hehehe.
Tonight, wait for my good news.
The translator has something to add:
Dobhsh’s note in chapter 55: *In author’s note* Altho, i think we should mention that it’s still an interesting part and technically, our baby didn’t runaway, he was kidnapped.
Teo: It will be fineeeeee
Chapter 55’s comment section: This is not a runaway plot, this is a kidnap plot!
Teo: (wipe sweat) It’s still technically the ‘runaway wife’ plot from the original story, and how Meng Huan get through it (I mean he has to or how else would the novel be 100+ chapters).
I just finished reading chapter 55 and then after clicking the notification button somehow chapter 56 was uploaded…what a blessing!!!!😂😂
Thanks for the chapter!!!
I guess Meng Huan and Lin Bozhou will have to suffer a little bit🙂
Thank you.
Oh boy
The emperor should’ve been the one that was kidnapped. Some hardship would be good for his character development.
+1
+2
+3
Echul is a dead man. And the emperor is not going to be any help any time soon 😑
Thank you! It’s going to be some action:D
The author’s note tho 😳 lin bozhou you’re a hooligan if you start driving car when wifey is sick hfhfjfkf
I HAVE THE CAR
A complete hooligan but also highly unlikely he would, feels out of character
Yeah, I also feel that it would be out of character for Lin Bozhou. Like, he is perfectly willing if he himself is injured or ill, or when HuanHuan got tipsy, but when HuanHuan is sick and is unlikely to enjoy it? Hard doubt on that. Unless it’s some kind of magical healing ride 😂
Thank You for the new chapter ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ)
A missing Huan Huan! I’m so excited to know how hubby will take action to find Wifey (also very excited for the reunion car scene ehem) 😌lighting candles for Echul 🕯🕯🕯
No wonder Lin Bozhou got angry when the emperor talked about others just taking money and not working, when the emperor is like the prime example of this 😭 I would be silent as heck in his place, especially when he just got caught skipping the moment he isn’t under tight supervision, and especially in front of Lin Bozhou who can’t even sleep the minimum daily recquired hours due to overwork. Man, the emperor should be thanking the stars, that Lin Bozhou doesn’t want to snatch the throne
Oh my goodness, I can’t imagine how in 13 years old if I would be owner of whole empire and all money I would manage a whole country…. I mean everything that I wanted back then it is reading yaoi manga and reading fantasy books 😅
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
So the runaway plot will be several, several chapters long 😰 Is that what you’re telling me?
In simple terms the emperor is a spoiled brat who was raised to have a God complex with mental issues ranging from extreme paranoia, trauma, anxiety etc and it’s also pretty much easy to fool, deceive and mislead him.