Translator: ChiFu
“Today, at the Imperial College, some people have an unpleasant way of talking, looking down on women when they themselves are obviously inferior. It’s so…tempting to beat them up, ah!”
After telling him what had transpired today, Wen Mingyu finally vented his desire to beat someone up. Mu Zhan immediately nodded. “Go ahead and beat them up. This one will make the arrangements now.”
It was almost like a bear parent spoiling their bear child.
Hearing this, Wen Mingyu was astonished. “… What?”
Mu Zhan reiterated it again and asked, “Are you going?”
Wen Mingyu nodded subconsciously as Mu Zhan led him outside. He was still a little blown out by the reaction—the emperor… was taking him to a fistfight?
The forbidden guards followed them incognito as ordinary guards. They also inquired in advance about the itinerary that those Imperials were taking.
It wasn’t overly heavy-handed. It only resembled a warning.
Wen Mingyu accompanied Mu Zhan as he crept into the shadows. As the Imperials were passing through the narrow path, Mu Zhan placed a pebble in Wen Mingyu’s hand. He then stood behind him, held his hand, and wrapped it firmly. Squeezing the pebble together with him, he found the right moment to hurl the pebble in one motion, hitting one of them squarely in the crook of the leg, which caused the man’s leg to become numb. He couldn’t control his balance and collapsed forward in a lurch, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“You kicked me?!” The young man climbed to his feet and turned to glare at the person closest to him. The other man denied it, and he didn’t believe it. He punched him in return. “Who else could it be if not you? A ghost? You think I’m a dunce? Ha?!”
Originally, these people were merely a clique of people who shared similar interests but had no emotional ties to one another. Once conflicts arose, the others would watch and fuel the flames. Ultimately, it all became a disorderly brawl.
At first, he wanted them to be beaten with a gunny sack, but then Wen Mingyu had a thought: What if they blamed Chu Sui for it? Since they had just had a conflict, whether they were certain of it or not didn’t stop them from venting their hostility towards her.
Hence, a covert strategy was adopted.
Mu Zhan scowled, believing it was too much like a child’s play to be of much use.
“You could just eliminate them.”
Wen Mingyu hastily shook his head. This was too severe.
Mu Zhan logically said, “If they dare to be presumptuous with this one’s judgement, they will have to pay the price.”
Wen Mingyu, however, reasoned, “Although they are at fault, their offense does not warrant execution. And they are not the only ones who harbor prejudices towards women; a handful of them being killed will not alter their views.”
Mu Zhan understood Wen Mingyu’s reasoning, but because he was a man in a position of power, he had a callous perspective on things. When the new bill was just introduced and was met with a lot of opposition, the most effective strategy was to make an example of the others, discourage them, and then gently and encouragingly demonstrate the advantages of the new bill so that they would gradually come to identify and accept it.
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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Naturally, Mu Zhan couldn’t just leave this alone. He advocated for allowing women to take part in imperial examinations, but he didn’t implement it or foster a supportive environment, which ultimately just drove the rare female students back home.
Mu Zhan gave the directive for someone to deliver a message to the headmaster reminding him that character was just as important as intellectual aptitude when evaluating students. Zhao Dequan politely mentioned the case of Chu Suli being bullied, and the headmaster quickly understood.
They were told to return home, cultivate their bodies, and retake the admission exam the following year. On the surface, everything seemed positive, but the reality was that they were expelled from the school. They were incensed, and the parents also reprimanded the headmaster for daring to go after them and making sure to get him in trouble, until they were ‘reminded’ that this was His Majesty’s wish. Not only did the parents instantly stop, but they also grounded their son, and the whole family hammered him once to stop talking crap outside.
These events would take place at a later date.
At this moment, Mu Zhan and Wen Mingyu were tossing pebbles together and letting them lose face. Watching the people fight in a ball, Mu Zhan looked down and said to the person in his arms, “Happy now?”
Wen Mingyu nodded unhesitantly, and thereafter, he felt slightly ashamed for having done something bad, thinking that it seemed unethical to be happy to see other people miserable. But when he thought of their foul, stinky faces this morning and then observed them beating each other up with bloody noses and swollen faces now, he couldn’t help but feel excited.
Mu Zhan’s handling of those few Imperials was partially for the bill, but how much of it was to take the heat off of Wen Mingyu and make him happy was something only he knew.
The corners of his mouth slightly curled up as he noticed Wen Mingyu’s gleeful face. He raised his hand to stroke his head.
“Go on, take a stroll.”
They were outside anyway. Wen Mingyu gave a nod. “Yes, then go and buy Your Majesty’s clothes.”
Mu Zhan paused, then continued walking.
The stores in the capital selling ready-to-wear clothes were naturally among the best, and the fashion was excellent. The disadvantage was probably that it didn’t fit as well as one that was tailor-made, but it could be readily adjusted to fit a person. And with a rich diversity of styles, it could be regarded as one of the resources for fashion in the capital.
Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan entered the store together.
Despite the fact that they both dressed up and were simply wearing common clothes, the exquisite and exorbitant textiles did not escape the eyes of the shopkeeper, who could tell right away that the two guests were of distinguished status. They quickly welcomed them and briefed them on the most recent arrivals.
Soon, Wen Mingyu was holding a catalogue with paintings of clothing patterns on it. The store’s limited space prevented them from displaying them all, so they allowed customers to browse them this way and bring in any items they fancied or have them delivered right to their homes.
Wen Mingyu gave it a curious look, and while looking, he passed the catalogue towards Mu Zhan and said, “Your… you also checked it out. Which one do you like?”
Mu Zhan’s eyes didn’t even glance at it; his focus was only on Wen Mingyu. “You’re giving me a gift; shouldn’t you be the one to decide?”
Thinking about it, Wen Mingyu realized he was right. So he looked down and considered his options carefully. Because the store was so dazzlingly diverse, it took some time to choose a few patterns that Wen Mingyu considered best. The shopkeeper then brought those patterns out himself, wanting to say that he would serve the distinguished guest by changing into them. The distinguished guest, however, was accompanied by a servant, so he didn’t need a helping hand at all.
When Mu Zhan went out wearing it, it was truly a sight to behold.
Despite the fact that it was ready-made clothes, the store was very diligent, and the tailoring was not too much worse than that in the palace. It accentuated Mu Zhan’s broad shoulders, long legs, and upright form. The basal-colored fabric was subdued and atmospheric. With a dark gold embroidery thread, they created a pattern of brocade clouds with a subtly flowing shine.
“Good-looking!”
Wen Mingyu’s eyes had a sparkle in them, and he was unable to look away. He unhesitantly praised him outright.
Mu Zhan’s impatience with changing clothes dissipated when he heard this. Next, he tried on a few more pieces. He looked good in every outfit, as though he were a clothes rack. Wen Mingyu immediately realized the damned charm of the dress-up game. He was completely divided when making a decision.
Mu Zhan did nothing except watch as he grew more tangled. The only indication of his mood was the shallow smile in his eyes. The fellow who was running errands for the shopkeeper to get things at the side looked on and couldn’t help but whisper his sentiments, “These brothers are so affectionate…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the shopkeeper elbowed him and motioned with his eyes for him to stop talking and leave. Really an ungrateful thing. They are no brothers and are clearly a pair. He’s driving away business with his nonsense. I’ll chop him if I have to.
The shopkeeper was so well spoken that he first praised Mu Zhan for how well he wore it before suggesting that they have similar models that would suit the young gentleman. Naturally, he was referring to Wen Mingyu.
Wen Mingyu was therefore persuaded to try one as well. The two of them emerge standing together, looking even more like a pair of jades.
He received numerous praises from the shopkeeper, who genuinely felt that way. Also because the two clothes were made of expensive fabric.
In the end, Wen Mingyu, who was unable to make a decision, repeatedly looked at Mu Zhan, gritted his teeth, and purchased all of the patterns Mu Zhan had tried on, including the one he had just tried on. The small, humble coffer clattered a lot of money at once. Although heartache was heartache, it was also worth spending.
It gave Wen Mingyu the impression that he was the domineering overlord who kept a small white face by his side.
Which one do you like? From here to there, wrap it all up for me.
Oddly cool, I have to say.
After shopping at the clothes store, on the way Wen Mingyu also bought a string of sugar-coated gourds, which he chewed and munched on. He didn’t buy one for Mu Zhan because he was aware that he disliked sweets.
But on the carriage, Mu Zhan kept staring at him, making him embarrassed to eat alone. After finishing one, he offered one over and asked, “Your Majesty, take one?”
Surprisingly, Mu Zhan did take a bite, but soon his brows creased, appearing as though it was so sweet and greasy that his teeth hurt.
Upon seeing this, Wen Mingyu couldn’t refrain from laughing. He, who was in a particularly good mood, squinted as he continued to eat.
His whole body felt sweet after consuming the sugar-coated gourds. His eyes arching, he said with a smile, “Your Majesty, I had a great day.”
Mu Zhan responded faintly, “Mm.”
He said, “It’s because of Your Majesty that I had a great day,” as he swung his leg, sending his foot bumping into the seat with a brittle thud. “Thank you.”
Mu Zhan was startled. His heartbeat was racing a bit erratically, and the hand at his side tensed slightly.
Wen Mingyu just wanted to express his feelings. He didn’t necessarily need to answer. After saying so, he licked his own lips, which still had the sweet and sour flavor of sugar-coated gourds. The tip of his tongue slid over and glistened the skin with glistening water.
Staring at him with calm and profound eyes, Mu Zhan slowly said, “How do you want to thank this one?”
Wen Mingyu tilted his head, a little perplexed.
“This one has thought of it for you.”
Before the words faded out of his mouth, Mu Zhan leaned over and pressed his hand on the back of his head. Lowering his head, he covered his lips emphatically.
The rich scent of alcohol pheromones blasted into his face, leaving his hands and feet limp. He was kissed so ferociously that he couldn’t stop wheezing.
By the time he stepped off of the carriage, he was still light-headed. He was reverie-inducing, with lips that were clearly red and slightly swollen.
It was plainly clear that he was the one who bought Mu Zhan’s clothes. How come he had to give a thank-you gift?
That’s not quite right, ahh!
On second consideration, after the overlord purchased something for the little beauty, the little beauty would usually initiate sending a sweet kiss… It seemed quite reasonable?
Wen Ming cocked his head.
He has to say that Mu Zhan’s lips were soft and felt so good to kiss.
If it weren’t for the fact that every time Mu Zhan kissed him with the appearance that he was about to devour him, he would even want to kiss him again.
ChiFu: Thank you for reading! please wait for the next chapter on Monday or Tuesday! Thank you to my kofi supporter who helped me reach the goal~ I will make it up to everyone!
You are welcome to tip me some kofi for real coffee to stay awake at night! ~
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for the update ❤️❤️❤️
Oh no, you should sleep well!!!
Thank you for your translation 💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟
Why don’t you kiss him? What’s stopping you Wen Zhichu? A little expression won’t do anything 🤨🤨
The unruly lil bunny is slowly tamed by the dragon (through kisses) 😚
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
Aww this chapter had a little bit of everything! Taking Wen Mingyu out to start a fight just cemented the feeling that they are two young boys getting in mischief together 😀. Shopping, sweets and a kiss are a fantastic way to end a chapter that started with Wen Mingyu pouting.
Yes! It was perfect!
Thank You for the new chapter ʚ♡⃛ɞ(ू•ᴗ•ू❁)