Chapter 8
This Young Master’s hubby is scary QAQ
Translation Checker: jellypeaches
Editor: jellypeaches, Dobhsh
Meng Huan jerked his head toward the young boy beside him.
Are you saying that this brat is the young emperor who was manipulated into being a waste by Lin Bozhou?
Contrary to Meng Huan’s shocked expression, the Xuanhe Emperor smugly raised his hand and said, “I do not blame you for not recognizing us. After all, we are known to be unconventional and love to come up with strange ideas; no need to be surprised.”
“……”
Was climbing a wall and not daring to jump down part of the strange idea you speak of? Flattening his lips, Meng Huan kept his thoughts to himself.
The young emperor stood proudly. “There is no need for you to kneel either, since you are the Royal Brother’s concubine, so you are also part of our family.”
Meng Huan, “…” Well okay
The Xuanhe Emperor continued imposingly in a pretentious manner. “At first, we thought of punishing you for bullying the emperor. But since you led us to the Royal Brother, your crime is forgiven.”
The kid put up a strong front, walking towards Lin Bozhou step by step. “Royal Brother, you closed your door to visitors and took so many days off from court. We really missed you, so we were left with no choice but to look for you in person.”
His voice was tinged with guilt since he had ventured out of the palace without permission. He glanced at the people kneeling and said, “You may all stand. It was us who insisted on riding ahead here, in our carriage. It has nothing to do with you.”
Unexpectedly, none of the kneeling cabinet ministers dared stand up from the ground.
In fact, they seemed to bow their heads even lower, cowering from Lin Bozhou’s cold and murderous gaze.
Yesterday, His Majesty cried in the throne room. After finishing his crying episode, he declared his desire to visit the Prince Regent. The court eunuchs and ministers all advised him against it. Who would have thought the emperor would actually change into a set of clothes for eunuchs and sneak out of the palace today along with a group of young eunuchs!?
What was he doing!? Some emperors only went out of the palace a few times in their lives, and there were usually hundreds of thousands of bodyguards accompanying the ruler, safeguarding against the slightest harm!
If the emperor ran into even the slightest problem outside the safety of the palace; if he died or was disabled, and the country’s core, the emperor, collapsed, it would be as if a storm blew through the imperial court; enough to change the political situation, shift official positions, and complicate the welfare and safety of countless people!
The Xuanhe Emperor knew what he had done was wrong and apologized, “Royal Brother, we know we were wrong.”
Lin Bozhou’s face was dark and gloomy as a stormy pressure surrounded him. His handsome face was covered with irritation and fury, and the oppressive, suffocating aura frightened the emperor.
When the Prince Regent heard that the emperor had gone out of the palace to visit the compound without authorization, he rushed out on his horse in search of the emperor. After sweating all over, he felt cold from the breeze.
But no matter how cold he was feeling, it was not as chilling as what he felt inside. The emperor was so naive and ignorant. He couldn’t see the big picture, nor did he adhere to his duty as a ruler. What use was he?
This was a slap in the faces of the court officials, who had all been educated in Confucian etiquette.
Lin Bozhou lowered his gaze as a chilling light spread within it. His expression was one of restrained calm. “Your Majesty is not wrong.”
This sentence was like a clap of thunder, making the Xuanhe Emperor’s eyes widen.
After a slight pause, Lin Bozhou continued slowly, “The ones who were wrong were the court eunuchs who suggested the idea to your Majesty, the royal guards who relaxed their vigilance, the palace guards who opened the palace gates, and the cabinet ministers who did not care enough to look after their ruler. Everything the Son of Heaven says is right; therefore, your Majesty is correct. The ones who are wrong are the treacherous staff who deliberately deceived and coerced you.”
He swept his eyes over the people kneeling on the ground, who were sweating and gulping desperately.
The words ‘treacherous staff’ made the Xuanhe Emperor look like he had been slapped. “This idea was all ours. It had nothing to do with them—”
With a flick of his sleeves, Lin Bozhou knelt down on his knees. “This humble subject is also in the wrong.”
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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Witnessing this type of tactic for the first time, Meng Huan realized that something was wrong and quietly stepped back to reduce his presence.
The Xuanhe Emperor was shocked. “Why is the Royal Brother kneeling? Get up right now!”
Lin Bozhou had the special privilege of not kneeling upon seeing the emperor. Only two people had ever received this privilege since the start of this dynasty, which showed the importance of Lin Bozhou in the emperor’s heart.
Apart from his position as the emperor, the Xuanhe Emperor was essentially a sensitive, delicate, and slightly fragile young boy.
At the age of seven, he ascended to the throne, with chaotic internal warfare occurring between the honest and the wicked in court. He couldn’t see through or overcome even a single person, surrounded by wolves. All the bowing and scraping individuals were vying for his power, all except for Lin Bozhou.
His Royal Brother… was genuine in helping him.
The Xuanhe Emperor had always treated Lin Bozhou as his only mental support and the person closest to him.
He would listen to the man and follow his words, seeking his advice even in the most trivial matters, and when Lin Bozhou was not standing beside him in court, he would be a trembling mess talking to all the civilian and military officers.
But now, Lin Bozhou remained kneeling on the ground regardless of how hard the emperor tried to get him to stand up, as if his knees were as heavy as iron. “Today, the count eunuchs serving your Majesty, the imperial guards on duty, and the palace guards at the gate post must be punished at the Criminal Investigation Service. To be beheaded and put on display for the public.”
The Xuanhe Emperor’s complexion turned deathly pale as his pupils dilated. “Royal Brother!”
His recent favorite young eunuch was among the list!
“This humble subject has been incapable of rectifying and supporting your Majesty, and thus your Majesty’s frivolity has not been corrected. To leave the palace without permission is to brew a disaster that could shake the country. This humble subject asks your Majesty to reprimand this humble subject with fifty strikes and expel this humble subject from the office.”
It was fine if Lin Bozhou were to scold him, but not only did Lin Bozhou not scold him; he even wanted to resign and receive punishment!?
The Xuanhe Emperor finally knew how furious his Royal Brother was now. He screamed and cried ruefully, “Royal Brother, we were wrong! It was our fault! Waaaah…”
The emperor wept bitterly, crying like a child.
Lin Bozhou kept kneeling down, looking calm with an inexplicable cold gloom in his eyes.
Although he was the one on the ground, his back ramrod straight, everyone knew who was in control.
Help…
Meng Huan finally understood how Lin Bozhou manipulated the emperor.
So scary.
For a child without a sense of security, the cruelest thing they could experience was abandonment!
Meng Huan could empathize with this feeling very well. He looked pale and felt like he was experiencing it himself. The Xuanhe Emperor had his arms around Lin Bozhou while tears ran down his face.
At the compound’s entrance, cries from the ministers could also be heard.
Someone saw through Lin Bozhou’s emotional manipulation and stood up, looking enraged. “How could Your Royal Highness deceive his Majesty this way—”
The Xuanhe Emperor turned towards the speaker and chided, “Hold your tongue! Who do you think you are? Drag this man away and execute him!”
The minister showed a pained look. “Your Majesty—”
In the past, Meng Huan could not understand the relationship between a ruler and his subjects during ancient times. The relationship between a ruler and his subjects was an ambiguously loving one, like one between a husband and wife, like one between a father and son. To become a well-known minister, one must be concerned about the emperor and uphold his reputation. The subject must persist without regret, even if the emperor misunderstands him. This was the definition of a royal subject.
“Silent! Shut up! All of you, hold your tongue! Royal Brother, don’t leave!” The Xuanhe Emperor waved the sleeves of his imperial robe. “It was he who put us up to it; he gave us the rotten idea! Royal Brother, go ahead and kill him!”
The court eunuch, “…”
As the Xuanhe Emperor frantically confessed his wrongdoing between his crying and fussing, Lin Bozhou finally eased his expression, raised his hand, and gently pressed on the Xuanhe Emperor’s shoulder. “Your Majesty, you must not forsake custom.”
This sentence proved that Lin Bozhou still viewed the emperor as a boy, thus proving that he was not leaving just yet.
“We understand.”
The Xuanhe Emperor hastened to duly kneel upright as his expression turned serious. However, that could not remove the redness in his eyes or stop the tears from falling.
After a long time, Lin Bozhou finally declared the end of this game with the emperor.
“All right, everything is fine now.”
He stood up, wiping away the blood on his fingers, and carefully straightened his scarlet imperial robe to perfection. Any outsider would think he was the true ruler.
Inadvertently, he turned his head and saw Meng Huan, who was hiding under the tree’s shade with a pale face and looking at him intensely.
“…”
Meng Huan was horrified. He grasped the tree branches with both hands, and his shoulders shrank slightly. Looking out at the scene, he did not dare to make a move. He was softly biting his bottom lip, and his eyes were blown slightly wide, with remnants of fear that had yet to dissipate.
Lin Bozhou stilled his fingers for a moment and looked away. This was when the Xuanhe Emperor requested tearfully, “Royal Brother, can a court eunuch be spared? He plays Weiqi very well. He’s our favorite little eunuch as of late.”
Lin Bozhou glanced at the young eunuch, who had kowtowed so heavily that blood had spilled on the ground.
“No.”
“Royal Brother, we really learned our lesson.”
Lin Bozhou looked solemn. “This humble subject already said that your Majesty is not wrong. Your Majesty’s power and authority are absolute; hence, Your Majesty cannot be wrong. Only those who try to gain it for themselves are the wrongdoers.”
The Xuanhe Emperor froze in place, not knowing for a moment whether what he did was wrong or not.
In his eyes, his Royal Brother was the smartest and most perfect person. In front of him, any thought of his would seem childish and foolish.
“Royal Brother…”
“It is not this humble subject’s place to interfere with how these people are dealt with. Oversight of the palace workforce should be handed over to the head eunuch, Supervisor of Ceremony.”
The Xuanhe Emperor looked slightly disappointed.
—The head eunuch was the Royal Brother’s man.
At this point, he knew that this young eunuch’s life could not be saved, so he sighed, “Fine. Royal Brother, since everything is fine, let’s go play Weiqi, yes?”
“According to the time, your Majesty should be studying instead of playing Weiqi.” Coldly, Lin Bozhou stated.
Dejection filled the Xuanhe Emperor’s face as he nodded. “Then we will be returning.” After taking a few steps, he remembered to ask, “Then when is the Royal Brother coming back to the court?”
“After the eye illness completely recovers.”
The Xuanhe Emperor’s eyes lit up as he smiled, showing his peace of mind. “All right.”
Once the emperor had left, the compound’s staff came out, carrying buckets of water to wash the blood off the ground.
Meng Huan released the branches and slowly lowered his head. The tension in his back disappeared as feeling returned to his weakened legs.
People’s expectations of a power-hungry, treacherous minister: cussing in court and having no regard for the emperor.
How a power-hungry, treacherous minister acts in reality: showing nothing but loyalty and courtesy to the emperor, but a single word causes the emperor to tremble in fear.
This was too scary. If he was really playing the part of Lin Bozhou’s opponent, there was no way he would have survived longer than one chapter.
Picking the route to obey the man proved to be the correct choice. Meng Huan was in a daze when a voice sounded ahead, “Come here.”
It was Lin Bozhou’s deep voice.
Knowing that the man was calling for him, Meng Huan stumbled over and unconsciously clenched his fingers nervously.
“Did you have breakfast?”
Meng Huan picked up the scent of blood on him and lowered his head. “Yes.”
It was baffling how the man could act as if nothing had happened just moments after he committed misdeeds.
“Good.” Lin Bozhou looked at the bloodstains on his robes. Feeling filthy, he frowned. “Come here and assist this Regent with a bath.”
After taking several steps, he realized the youth behind him kept his head down and moved too slowly to keep up with the pace, looking as if he had been overly frightened.
Lin Bozhou turned around. “Did that frighten you?”
Meng Huan clenched the hair over his shoulder, still saying nothing.
He remembered that the original host wanted to escape, no matter the cost. No matter how kind Lin Bozhou was toward him, Lin Bozhou failed to obtain the original host’s heart.
Why? Because Lin Bozhou was a dark, vicious man and people tend to gravitate towards the light, staying too close to the dark would only result in being swallowed by the darkness one day.
A vicious and cruel man who would kill whenever his feathers were ruffled. Would Meng Huan also lose his head one day from a simple oversight?
Just the thought of that brought down a sense of powerlessness so great that it sapped all the strength in Meng Huan’s body. He stared blankly at the man’s back and, for the first time, felt he was already being extremely courageous just by daring to stay beside the Regent.
Will he hurt me?
Even if I am good and obedient, will he still hurt me?
“Speak.”
Lin Bozhou pinched the youth’s jaw and raised his head up.
What greeted him was a pair of crystal-clear eyes, containing a hint of confusion. The youth’s watery eyes were like a lake rippling in a spring breeze on a clear day, completely different from his own chilling gaze, deep and unfathomable.
Meng Huan stumbled over his words before nodding, “Yes.”
He confirmed, sounding distracted.
“That frightened you.”
The youth with still reddened eyes echoed, “That frightened me.”
Under the sunlight, Lin Bozhou’s heart became calm as the murderous intent and rage in his blood cooled and settled. “You’re so frightened; what should be done?”
A cool breeze brushed past.
Meng Huan looked sideways at him and said, sounding as if choking on sobs, “Can you not hurt me?”
The author has something to say:
Lin Bozhou: A slight pang in the heart
OOF, I felt a pang in my heart too
Thanks for the chapter! 😘
Love this . Thank you for the update!❤️
Being good and cute, that’s how you can leave
Thank you for your translation 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚
OMG terrifying
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
The mc is a really cute onee🥺🥺
Yes, don’t hurt little bubu huanhuan pls 🥺
Thanks for the chapter!
That’s what is called a ‘great play’
Thank You for the new chapter ( ꈍᴗꈍ)❤️
It’s so weird for the young emperor to call himself “we”… I was ready for the Zhen here and there but… oh well…
Oooh precious 💞
WAAAAAAAAAÀAAAAAAAAAAAA
❤️❤️❤️