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nEditor: SimoB

nWhile awkwardly standing outside with the third prince, Yu Chennian speculated about what Shi Qing had in store for him today.

nSince Shi Qing forbade him from looking inside the lunchbox, it was natural to assume it didn’t contain anything good.

nIt’s probably just a few new toys to annoy people with. Based on Shi Qing’s sheltered attitude, the third prince would certainly not give him anything truly dangerous.

nYu Chennian’s eyes darkened. His heart was cold.

nBut what could he do even if he knew?

nThere were times where Shi Qing would deliberately prank him. He could clearly see the trap for what it was, but he would have no choice but to walk in anyway.

nIf you didn’t make a fool of yourself like these people hoped, you would only make things worse for yourself.

nA frightened scream from inside the room interrupted his thoughts.

nThe third prince recognized Shi Qing’s voice. He hurriedly turned and ran in.

nYu Chennian pondered over the choice for a moment before following behind slowly.

nIn the room, Shi Qing stood rigidly in his red cloak with a pale face. His inky eyes were rounded with fear as he stared at the small green snake slithering at his feet.

nThe other princes were cowering as far away as possible. There was a eunuch by his side, but he was afraid of disturbing the snake, so he did not dare to move either.

nThat pair of black eyes became watery when they saw the two men come in: “Save me third brother!”

n“Don’t come here, Your Highness!” Before the third prince could even move, the eunuch, who was trying to lead the green snake away, stopped him in a hurry: “This is the bamboo leaf green snake; it is highly poisonous!”

nAs soon as those words came out, the third prince immediately backed away, without any intention of stepping forward.

nHe was also confused. He asked his servant quietly: “What happened?! I told you to find an ordinary snake!”

n“Your Highness, we caught a snake that wasn’t poisonous. This one saw the black snake being put into the lunchbox with my own eyes.”

n“Wu……”

nThe little boy’s tears fell uncontrollably. He was afraid to move, but his tone was as arrogant as ever: “All of you! Hurry up and get this damned snake away from me!”

nTong, make this snake climb further up on me.

nThe System obediently manipulated the bamboo leaf green snake, prompting it to poke out its tongue and continue to climb up. It climbed all the way up to Shi Qing’s shoulder. The little snake’s green scales were very prominent against the vividly red coat.

nNow the little master seemed to be too scared to even breathe. He was no longer full of arrogance and started to sob quietly. His white and delicate face was full of fear.

nThe eunuch on the side hurried to warn the little master: “Don’t cry or talk, Little Master. If you don’t move, it won’t bite you.”

nTherefore, the little master, with tears on his face, did not dare to move an inch.

nBut he couldn’t stay still forever.

nThe first prince was well protected and so was able to stay quite calm. He said to the eunuchs: “Hurry up and think of a solution!”

nThe eunuchs had all entered the palace to serve when they were children. None of them knew how to catch snakes, ah.

nEven if they tried to throw a mousetrap or something, if Little Master Shi got bitten in the process, they wouldn’t be able to atone for their crimes even if they had a hundred heads to chop off.

nIt was a stalemate.

nShi Qing: Let the snake crawl onto my face.

nThe originally quiet and motionless bamboo leaf green snake slowly began to move. It crawled towards the youth’s delicate face.

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nThe people present became even more frantic.

nEspecially the third prince. He was the one who found this snake for Shi Qing. If Shi Qing died here, he wouldn’t be able to wash himself of the suspicion that would be placed on him.

nWait a minute!

nHe subconsciously glanced at Yu Chennian who was standing behind him. The stone in his heart slowly dropped.

nYu Chennian was here.

nShi Qing got into trouble in front of his desk. If everything went south, he could push the pot to Yu Chennian.

nIt had always been like this. The four brothers divided up everything good, but all the bad things were left for Yu Chennian.

nEven if Shi Qing did have an accident, no matter how angry his father was, he would not sacrifice a prince that had come of age.

nBut Yu Chennian was different. Their father had never loved him like a son.

nYu Chennian, who was very sensitive to the emotions of others, naturally hadn’t missed the malicious gleam in his third brother’s eyes.

nHe was not a fool. After a moment of thought, he had a rough idea of the third prince’s plan.

nYu Chennian’s heart sank.

nIf Shi Qing was killed by that poisonous snake today, he would definitely be implicated.

nNone of his brothers would sympathize with him. They were too busy looking out for themselves.

nIf he fell from grace, his mother would be even more saddened, and his second imperial sister&#k2026;

nHe could only go for broke.

nEither he and Shi Qing both live&#k2026;or they would die together.

nYu Chennian clenched his teeth and raised his head abruptly as he strode forward. He quickly, accurately and ruthlessly reached out and grabbed the bamboo leaf green snake under its head so that it could not open its mouth and ripped it off the youth’s red cloak.

nIn one smooth motion, he threw this green snake out the window.

nThe green snake trembled after hitting the ground and soon ceased to move.

n“Little Master!”

n“Shi Qing, are you ok? Come on, let’s get you up.”

nAs soon as the danger was taken care of, the princes, who had previously wanted to be anywhere else but here, surrounded them again.

nSome of them blabbered on with false concern. Others helped the little master up.

nThose that were left scolded the eunuchs: “What is wrong with all of you?! How could you let a venomous snake into the Imperial Study!?”

nThe eunuchs who had been sweeping the Imperial Study quickly knelt down to beg for mercy.

nNo one dared to say that there were no snakes in the Imperial Study unless someone brought them in. They just pleaded for their lives. Some of them even kowtowed too hard and knocked themselves out.

nLittle Master Shi slowly recovered. He refused to let others help him stand. Whoever dared to reach out to him was slapped away. Whether the other person was an eunuch or a prince didn’t matter; slaps for everyone.

nYu Chennian stood aside and watched the angry unweaned kitten sob and roar: “Go away!! Go away!!”

n“None of you tried to help me just now!! Now you’re worried about me?!”

nThe princes were all somewhat embarrassed. The eunuch beside the first prince quickly explained: “The little master had your back to the eldest highness just now, so you might have not seen it, but he tried to rush up to rescue you. It was us servants who stopped him.”

nAnother spoke up: “Yes, the little master shouldn’t misunderstand the fourth highness. If we didn’t stop him, how could the fourth highness abandon you? You are like a brother from the same mother to His Highness.”

nThe eunuchs serving the princes all knew that Little Master Shi was someone their masters had to please. They spoke on their behalf, trying to assuage the little master’s anger.

n“Your Highness is also worried about Little Master Shi’s safety. If His Highness disturbed the snake, it might have bitten the little master.”

n“The little master should get up soon. It’s too cold on the ground.”

nLittle Master Shi didn’t listen to a word. He furiously slapped away their outstretched hands: “Go away! Go away! I don’t want any of you!”

nThere were tears on his flawlessly white face. Since he was out of danger, he became spirited once again. “Where’s Yu Chennian? Call Yu Chennian over.”

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nHe was used to people hanging onto his every word, so much so that he didn’t care in the slightest that he was in the palace. Yu Chennian was still the emperor’s son, but Shi Qing called out his full name like he was a servant.

nThe four princes were all stunned. There was nothing good about the look in their eyes as they looked at Yu Chennian, who was standing far away.

nDid they just hand an opportunity to please Shi Qing over to this guy?

nNo matter how cold or piercing their gazes were, the smiles on their faces were filled with brotherly love.

nThe first prince was the eldest brother, and he was the first to stand out. His tone was kind: “Ninth Brother, were you scared? Shi Qing is calling you.”

nYu Chennian stepped forward in silence.

nThe older brothers’ icy glares bore into his back.

nIt seemed like they would eliminate this interloper in their midst without hesitation as soon as Shi Qing showed even the slightest hint of favour towards him.

nThe four princes were put at ease by the fact that, although Yu Chennian had acted earlier, he continued to be the stuffy and silent gourd from before.

nHe did not seize the opportunity to claim credit, nor did he coax the frightened youth in order to befriend him. He just stood in front of Shi Qing like he was made of wood.

nHe didn’t even squat down. Shi Qing who was still sitting on the ground had to look up at him.

nNo one had ever dared to give Shi Qing so much attitude before. He was used to everyone bending over backward for him.

nIt was like this man didn’t want to live anymore.

nThe princes, who were playing dead, threw the fact that he saved Shi Qing out of their minds. All that was left was anticipation for a good show.

nSure enough, Shi Qing, who had a very low tolerance for being wronged, got angry.

n“Why are you standing so tall?! Get down here!!”

nSo, the young man who was only 17 years old and hadn’t ever had a full meal yet still managed to be taller than his brothers, squatted down quietly so that he was at eye level with the boy.

nHe didn’t have any hopes that Shi Qing would thank him, just like he had no expectations that Shi Qing would regret his prank.

nSure enough, the first sentence of the youth’s mouth was critical: “What are you looking at? If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have almost been bitten by a snake!”

nThe other princes immediately relaxed.

nObviously, Shi Qing was too used to being arrogant to find fault in himself. The little master pushed all the blame onto Yu Chennian.

nShi Qing was still not done: “Don’t think everything is even just because you took that snake away. Would I have gone to get a snake if it wasn’t for you?! If I didn’t get this snake, would I have been frightened?!”

nThere was obviously nothing wrong with his logic.

nIt was just completely unreasonable and confusing cause and effect.

nBut the other princes turned a blind eye to the argument, and began to scold Yu Chennian together.

n“That’s right Ninth Brother! This is all your fault!”

n“Settle down Shi Qing, don’t be angry anymore. Get up quickly. Didn’t you say you liked that jade gourd of mine? I’ll have someone bring it to you in a moment to settle your nerves.”

nYu Chennian kept his original posture in silence. He watched the youth continue to throw a tantrum and refuse to get up while being doted upon by everyone.

nThe little boy was still wearing that red cape. The red fabric made his skin appear even more white and delicate. A pair of white hands carelessly pushed away the people who wanted to help him.

n“I’m staying right here! I want to talk to His Majesty!”

n“His Majesty asked me to come to the Imperial Study, and said that even if I was not a prince in name, I was at least half of one. What kind of prince gets treated like this?! If I was any more unlucky, then I would’ve died just now.”

nHe was willful and young. He had gotten whatever he wanted since his childhood so it wasn’t surprising to anyone that he made such a fuss at the moment.

nHowever, the third prince was tense all over.

nIf Shi Qing really caught the attention of his father, the fact that the bamboo leaf green snake came from him would be revealed.

nHe hurriedly pushed the silent Yu Chennian: “Ninth Brother, what are you doing? Hurry up and apologize to Shi Qing.”

nThe other princes concurred.

n“That’s right Ninth Brother. Say sorry to Shi Qing.”

n“You’re almost a grown man now, so how can you still be so dull? If it wasn’t for you, how could Shi Qing have been in so much danger?”

nHe had clearly done nothing wrong. The scene of the rescuer being accused by the ones who did nothing to help was enough for anyone to pity Yu Chennian.

nYu Chennian himself remained unaffected by the injustice. He has become used to this treatment a long time ago.

nThe tall ninth prince humbly bent his head down and apologized obediently: “Sorry. It was my fault.”

n“Is that all?”

nSeeing him bowed, the little boy who had been spoiled rotten turned his nose up even higher.

nHe snorted coldly, “All of you, get out of my way. I don’t want an eunuch to help me, I want him to carry me.”

nHe wanted a prince to do the job of an eunuch.

nThis was obviously intended to humiliate Yu Chennian.

nBut none of his brothers spoke on his behalf. They just stood by and sneered at him.

nThe little master grew unhappy when he saw that Yu Chennian wasn’t moving.

nHis foot stretched out to kick him: “What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and carry me to the back. I need to change after sitting on this dirty floor.”

nShi Qing had been pampered and nurtured since he was a child. He was carried everywhere by servants until he was five. It was like his feet had never touched the ground. Naturally, they were light and lacked any strength.

nIt was like a kitten hitting Yu Chennian’s calf with the little jellybean pads on its foot. It didn’t hurt at all, but it was a little itchy.

nYu Chennian was not very angry.

nHe has long since gotten used to the arrogance of others. To him, as long as they didn’t torture him or cut off his rations, he could take whatever verbal abuse they gave him.

nHe half-knelt in silence and obediently put his hands on Shi Qing’s waist.

nYu Chennian paused as soon as he made contact.

nBefore this, Shi Qing and other princes never wanted to have any physical contact with him.

nThey played tricks on him and deliberately teased him, but they all despised him as well.

nBesides that, his mother wasn’t his birth mother either, and he had grown too big anyways. Naturally he had never been able to act like a baby in his mother’s arms.

nNone of the people around him had sincere feelings towards him. Because he wasn’t favoured, they only had cold words and cruel actions to spare for him.

nTherefore, this was the first time he has been so close to someone since he was old enough to form memories.

nThe first thing he noticed was how soft Shi Qing was.

nHis body was soft and tender. It had been carefully cared for and pampered throughout his life.

nIn the palace, Yu Chennian once saw a litter of kittens that were born to a concubine’s cat. As Yu Chennian passed by, he noticed the litter of kittens that had been moved into the sun by a palace maid. The golden sunlight shone on their white fluffy fur and made them look like they were glowing from within.

nThey mewled softly, rolled over and crawled around in their comfortable nest. Maybe they knew that someone was taking care of them, but they called out frequently to attract attention.

nYu Chennian, who was still a child at the time, was captivated by the sight.

nThis was the first time he had ever seen such delicate and weak creatures.

nHe couldn’t help wonder what they would feel like if he could touch them.

nBut he stood there unmoving for half an hour, until the warm sun became blistering hot, until the palace maid took the nest of suntanned kittens back into the house. He never got the chance to touch them like he wanted to.

nAfter that, his adoptive mother became seriously ill. He was passed around between the eunuchs and the palace maids everyday. He also had to deal with his older brothers bullying him and the staff treating him coldly. He was too busy to think about the kittens again.

nNow, feeling the softness underneath his fingertips, Yu Chennian did something very out of character for him. He started to daydream.

nIs this what a kitten feels like?

nSoft, lovely, charming.

nThen, the Shi Qing who was being touched by him showed off his fierce claws and sharp teeth: “Stop standing around and carry me already!”

nYu Chennian lowered his eyes and hid his thoughts. He picked up the little master silently.

nThe more he held him in his arms, the more apparent the feeling became.

nShi Qing’s body was so soft that no words did it justice. It was like he had no bones. He was tender, delicate and very light.

nHe also seemed to be very proud to have a prince attend to him. Shi Qing raised his chin, his delicate face showing how he thought it was only natural for him to be treated this way.

n“I will let Yu Chennian serve me when I change my clothes inside. You guys don’t have to come.”

nEveryone in the room nodded with a smile.

nThey were acting like it was normal for a prince to serve his subjects.

nYu Chennian did not show any shame on his face either.

nHe just held the youth’s soft waist in his hands as he strode towards the inner chambers with big steps and his usual demeanour.

nThe Imperial Study had additional rooms in the back that were usually for the princes to change out of their ink-stained clothes. Occasionally, when they were tired, they could sleep in there for a while as well.

nThe princes all had their own rooms, including Yu Chennian. But although his room had the same layout as his brothers’, it barely had any clothes hanging inside.

nIt went without saying that Shi Qing also had his own room. Immediately upon entering the lavishly decorated room, it became apparent that a lot of time and money was spent on furnishings.

nThe ground was covered with fluffy carpets. A small censer was placed on the bed.

nEveryone in the Imperial Study knew that Shi Qing loved fragrances.

nIn the daytime, he asked the eunuchs to put the censer on the bed so that the fragrance of the incense would permeate the bedding.

nIt was a strange habit, but no one dared to accuse him of acting feminine.

nYu Chennian silently placed the youth in his arms on the bed.

nShi Qing stretched his legs out and kicked his feet. His voice was spoiled: “Take off my socks. I’m not changing my clothes anymore. I’m tired from just now and I want to sleep.”

nHe was asking a prince to take off his shoes and socks. Another humiliation.

nBut Yu Chennian remained unaffected.

nHe sat on the bed submissively and gently grasped the youth’s ankle.

nThe youth twitched and paused at his touch.

nShi Qing’s limbs were narrow, but there was a little bit more flesh on his ankle. But since it was so small, it led to the current scene.

nPinched in the palm of Yu Chennian’s hand, the ankle was small and delicate, with a little meat on it as well.

nYu Chennian slowly took off the little master’s shoes.

nShi Qing was only a teenager this year and had a slender build. Naturally, his shoes were not big.

nHis feet had never stepped on the ground outside. Even the steps of the Imperial Study were traversed in the arms of an eunuch. The Imperial Study was a place that the palace servants swept multiple times everyday. The soles of his shoes were not as dirty as the youth had implied before. They were actually very clean.

nIf the soles of the shoes were clean, the socks inside were flawless.

nYu Chennian held the young man’s ankle and turned to look at him.

nShi Qing saw him looking over and raised his chin pridefully. He kicked at the foot in Yu Chennian’s hand arrogantly: “What are you waiting for? Do you think I’m dirty or something?”

nHis expressions and words were irritating, but because of Shi Qing’s understandably arrogant nature and the softness in his hand, Yu Chennian’s heart was not angry.

nHe pulled off the white socks slowly.

nShi Qing thought he was moving too slowly. He raised a porcelain foot and kicked the young man’s body.

nThe foot was small and delicate and covered in tender meat. As such, the blow only made the look in Yu Chennian’s eyes darken.

nDing! Yu Chennian’s animosity value: 145

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nYu Chennian are you a masochist.

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