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nEditor: SimoB

n–Bang!!

nSome kind of pottery, like a teapot, crashed to the ground.

nThe first prince roared: “Who the ** does he think he is?! If it wasn’t for his father, I would’ve shown him what for ages ago!”

nThe eunuch’s voice followed: “Your Highness, Your Highness, please keep your voice down! If others heard you-”

n“What about it?! He’s just a minister! Would Father really forsake his eldest son because of the prime minister’s?! Who gave him the audacity to talk to me, a prince, this way? I flattered him a bit because of his father, but he actually thinks he’s someone important now! A mere reading companion dares to act out like this! When this prince ascends the throne-”

nYu Chennian was not at all not surprised that the first prince was like this in private.

nOf all his imperial brothers, the first prince had always been the most tyrannical. From his childhood to now, Yu Chennian had frequently been punished by him for no reason.

nThere was a rumour a while back that several palace maids seemed to have disappeared from his palace. Later, they were found covered in wounds in a dry well. The first prince’s mother, who was favored by the Emperor, was able to forcefully suppress the matter.

nYu Chennian was already surprised that he could wait until he got to his house before venting.

nWhen he saw that a furious Shi Qing intended to slam open the door, Yu Chennian grasped his hand and stopped him.

nIf this matter attracted more attention, Shi Qing, who was essentially making a big deal out of nothing, wouldn’t be looked upon favourably.

nEven if this came before the emperor, the first prince could just refuse to admit what he had done. How would he lose to a little master who has been coddled and spoiled rotten since childhood?

nThe eunuch in the room was still trying to placate the first prince: “Your Highness must bear with it for now. No matter how talented Little Master Shi might be, he will only be a minister at most in the future. Your Highness is the trueborn son of the dragon and the phoenix. It will all come around eventually.”

n“Yes, in the future, if there is a chance, this highness will repay his debts one by one. I don’t want his life. I’m going to leave him by my side to serve me. His features really are outstanding. Doesn’t he like to pretend to be noble? Let’s see how noble he can be when he’s pressed under me every night as my male pet.”

nYu Chennian’s pupils contracted sharply.

nHe had never been outside the palace in his entire life, and the emperor was not interested in men. Even if his elder brothers swung that way, they would not bother to share it with him.

nMale pets were mentioned in books, but the words didn’t mean anything to Yu Chennian until now.

nFor the first time, he actually heard the phrase spoken aloud.

nAnd it was used to describe Shi Qing.

nThe first prince was still daydreaming in an obscene tone: “Then, I will imprison him in the palace in chains and only allow him to wear clothes made of gauze.”

nYu Chennian’s heart gradually sped up as the first prince continued to speak.

nIt was as if he could see the scene right before his eyes.

nIf the haughty and proud Shi Qing was locked in the palace, he would certainly lose his temper.

nWould he furiously mewl and kick out with his soft and tender feet?

nOr would he actually be angry enough to strike?

nShi Qing soon gave Yu Chennian the answer.

nWhile Yu Chennian was sent into a trance by the first prince’s words, the little master angrily kicked the door open and stormed in: “You bastard!!!”

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nBefore the first prince and the eunuch could return to their senses, the delicate and angry youth scanned the room. Grabbing a round stool, he heaved it at the first prince.

n“You actually want to make this little master your male pet?!!”

nShi Qing roared as he delivered three vicious blows beneath the first prince’s belt.

nHe was so fast that the eunuch didn’t have time to respond. He could only watch as his master got smashed in the crotch several times.

n“Aahhhh!!!!!”

nThe first prince let out a high-pitched scream and quickly became occupied with covering the target, trying to avoid further injury. His voice was almost hoarse as he shouted, “What are you doing standing around?! Stop him, ah!”

n“Bah!!!”

nShi Qing brought the stool in for another blow. Seeing the eunuch coming up to stop him, he kicked him derisively: “Fuck off–”

n“Yu Chenhao!!! Stand up and face me like a man! I’m not stopping until I smash you into a pancake!”

nNow that the first prince knew Shi Qing had heard everything he had said, there was no need for him to keep up pretenses. The first prince shed the kind and understanding facade he had on before. He spat out curses while scurrying around like a rat: “I’m a prince! It’s a capital offense to hit a prince!”

nShi Qing didn’t listen to a word. He was brimming with arrogance.

n“More like a bastard prince!! I’m doing everyone a favour by ending a dirty pervert like you!”

n“Little Master, Little Master please calm down! Little Master-”

nThe eunuch tried to stop Shi Qing again, but he kicked him aside and bellowed at Yu Chennian: “Yu Chennian, what are you doing! I asked you to protect me! Why aren’t you stopping this damned servant!”

nYu Chennian moved over mechanically.

nLike a dog, the eunuch knew who his true masters were. He was afraid of Shi Qing, but the same couldn’t be said about Yu Chennian. When he saw that Yu Chennian was the one stopping him, the eunuch used his full strength. Unexpectedly, Yu Chennian was stronger than him and was able to restrain him forcefully.

nShi Qing was like an enraged berserker. The blows made the first prince’s entire body ache, and he was already weak from overindulging in women. He was actually completely unable to resist Shi Qing’s blows and was beaten up until others arrived at the door.

nWhen the other princes and the tutor arrived after hearing the commotion, they saw four disheveled people in the room.

nThe subdued eunuch and Yu Chennian however, were somewhat ignored by everyone.

nShi Qing was out of breath. He was panting while holding onto a table. Beside him was a round stool.

nThe first prince was curled up in a corner. There weren’t any injuries on his face, but it was obvious where he was hurt based on the position of his hands and the visible pain on his face.

nWhen he saw that others had arrived, the first prince immediately grabbed the eunuch who had moved to help him up: “Don’t bother with me! Hurry to the main palace and ask for Father to come!”

nThe eunuch looked around. When he saw that Shi Qing had no intentions of stopping him, he immediately ran out of the room.

nFeeling like his reinforcements were here, the first prince puffed up again. He struggled to stand using the wall for support. His face was full of hatred: “Shi Qing! You dared to beat up a prince so recklessly! No matter how much Father dotes on you, he won’t take your side this time! Just you wait!”

n“Fine! I’ll wait!” The little master was still as arrogant as ever. He glared fiercely at the first prince, as if he didn’t know how serious the consequences of his actions would be. The other princes watching were sweating in sympathy for him.

nThere was a reason why the first prince still had a good position in his father’s heart despite being so tyrannical.

nIt was because he had a talent for crying.

nIn front of his younger brothers, he was the high and mighty authoritarian.

nIn front of his father however, he was an extremely obedient eldest son.

nOtherwise, the incident from before with the dead palace maids would not have been shoved under the rug so easily.

n***

nThe emperor arrived very quickly.

nThe first prince, who was recuperating quietly, lit up when he heard the eunuch announce his father’s arrival.

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nHe hurried to stand with red-rimmed eyes and went to greet his father with a face filled with grievances: “Father…”

n“Your Majesty!!!”

nBefore he could go any further, a slender figure ran past him. He even shouted out louder, like he was even more aggrieved than the first prince.

nShi Qing, who had been chasing him all over the room with an overbearing demeanour just a moment ago, ran over to the emperor sobbing: “Shi Qing greets Your Majesty…”

nThe room full of princes were all at a loss at this scene.

nThey’ve never seen Shi Qing act like this before.

nThe little master was always rebellious and grumpy. He would lift his nose to the sky if he could.

nYu Chennian also stood to the side. He just witnessed the evil cat morph into a soft and pitiful little kitten.

nHis eyes darkened slightly but he continued to watch without saying a word.

nShi Qing crying was sorrowful yet endearing. His tears appeared especially pitiful as they flowed down his delicate face.

nThe emperor was taken aback by Shi Qing’s tear-stained face. He was told that Shi Qing was the one who hit the first prince? Why was Shi Qing the one crying so hard then?!

n“Get up, get up. What’s the matter? Your face is all blotchy from crying.”

n“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Shi Qing stood up immediately and wiped at his tears reluctantly.

nThe wounded first prince stepped forward at this moment: “This son salutes Father. Father, you have to find justice for-”

n“Your Majesty, you have to find justice for this one… Big brother has gone too far, wuwuwu…”

nThe first prince choked after being interrupted again. He stared at the aggrieved youth beside him incredulously: “I went too far?!”

nShi Qing’s face twisted into a look of fright. His eyes grew timid as he carefully retreated and hid himself behind the emperor.

n“I heard it with my own ears. Big brother said that I’m just the son of a minister and nothing more. He also said that when he is in power, he will- He will make me his male pet…”

nThe first prince clenched his teeth: “Father, don’t listen to his nonsense. How could I ever say such words? Clearly he was the one who rushed in and hit me for no reason. Look at my injuries…”

nThe little master’s face crumpled again. Big teardrops fell down his face like rain.

nHis soft and stickly voice held none of the arrogance from before: “Although this one isn’t as noble as the princes, I am a child of a courtier. I have always known the etiquette and manners expected of me since childhood. And I have always held a deep admiration for Your Majesty and been respectful towards the princes. My heart is wholly devoted towards Your Majesty, but His Highness actually compared me to a male pet! I could not stomach such a shameful disgrace, which is why I acted out.”

n“Don’t believe him Father! You know best what kind of a person your son is, right? I have always been gentle and tolerant!”

nShi Qing sniffled. His voice was sultry and timid: “If Your Highness doesn’t want to admit to what you said before, then answer me this! I have always been timid and weak since I was young due to being born prematurely. How would I dare to make trouble for Your Highness if I didn’t hear such words?”

nThe first prince was about to have a stroke.

nHe was timid?!!

nHe was weak since he was young?!!

nShi Qing seemed just fine and dandy when he was chasing him around the room with a stool!!!

nHis face spasmed again: “Father, I am your own flesh and blood!! Shi Qing is twisting the truth! We quarreled because he was using Ninth Brother like a servant. Everyday, Shi Qing makes him carry him up and down the steps. I had to say something, which led to what happened today. If you don’t believe me, just ask the palace attendants if Ninth Brother had been carrying him these past few days.”

nShi Qing did not look guilty at all as he sobbed: “Your Majesty, I have a good relationship with Ninth Big Brother. He was worried about my weak body, so he offered to carry me down the steps. Everyone in the Imperial Study knows this.”

n“Today- Today I saw Ninth Big Brother standing out in the snow for who knows how long. He was wet all over. This didn’t sit right with me, which is why I asked why His Highness wanted to punish him. His Highness was unhappy so he left by himself. Shi Qing wanted to go apologize to him with Ninth Big Brother, but- but when we arrived we heard those things! Wu…”

nThe little master couldn’t stop crying. He wiped his tears away vigorously and appeared very pitiful: “Your Majesty once said that the princes were like my big brothers. I regarded His Highness like an elder brother, but he thinks of me as just a plaything. Thinking back, he’s never been satisfied having a plaything like me as his reading companion.”

nShi Qing sniffled again: “I did hit His Highness today. I won’t ask His Majesty not to punish me, I just want to no longer be his reading companion. Otherwise, if I continued to be His Highness’ reading companion, I’m afraid that one day I will be really imprisoned in the palace by him and forced to be a plaything like he said!”

nThe emperor’s face changed colours several times throughout this explanation.

nHe believed Shi Qing’s words. After all, while the boy was young and had always admired himself, and even though he did have a temper, he would never start a fight against the first prince for no reason.

nAt the time, he had appointed Shi Qing as the first prince’s reading companion because he thought highly of this son and wanted to get him the support of the prime minister through the boy.

nHe also knew what kind of person his son was, he had just never cared. It was good enough that he was obedient in front of him. But now he had failed to live up to his expectations.

nHe had humiliated the prime minister’s only son so deeply, and he even wanted to further rub salt in the wound by calling him over as a judge. If Shi Qing was punished after being humiliated today, even he as the emperor would be hard pressed to explain things to the prime minister.

nThe emperor used to think that his eldest son had a temperament similar to his in his youth.

nBut now it seems that he was just a useless child.

nHe couldn’t even coax a small child like Shi Qing and ended up making a big fuss about nothing.

nThe first prince knew things weren’t going well for him when he saw the look on the emperor’s face. He panicked and quickly knelt:”Father! Father, this son really didn’t do it. Everyone saw Shi Qing humiliating Ninth Brother, ah! Father!”

nHis gestures became more erratic. When he waved his hands, he accidentally touched Shi Qing’s leg.

nThe little master immediately screamed and rushed into Yu Chennian’s arms as if he was hiding from a savage beast. He was shivering incessantly.

nUpon seeing this appearance, let alone the emperor, even the other princes who had seen his arrogance first hand believed that he was extremely scared.

nWith that look, they immediately opened their mouths.

n“Father, this son can testify that Shi Qing and Ninth Brother did go in and out together. But they have a good relationship unlike what Eldest Brother says.”

n“Yes Father, this son can testify as well. Shi Qing had a quarrel with Eldest Brother today because Eldest Brother punished Ninth Brother, making him stand in the snow for more than an hour.”

nThe emperor’s gaze towards his eldest son gradually froze over: “You seem to act like you are more than just their eldest brother. Even I have never made any of you stand in the snow for an hour.”

nThe first prince looked into his father’s eyes and felt cold all over. “Father, it really wasn’t like that. Shi Qing really was bullying Ninth Brother! He made Ninth Brother act like his servant, ah!”

nThe emperor glanced at Shi Qing, who was curled up in Yu Chennian’s arms. He grew more and more certain that this son of his was an idiot.

n“If you must tell lies, at least make sure they contain some semblance of sense. Fine. Since you’re this opposed to studying in the Imperial Study, I shall pick an auspicious day for you to move out of the palace and start your own family.”

nThe first prince froze.

nTo have him move out of the palace and start a family was equivalent to disqualifying him from becoming the crown prince.

n“Father!! Father!!! Please listen to this son’s explanation, father-”

n“Come, take His Highness back to rest. He is to be held under house arrest for the next few days.”

n“Father!!! Shi Qing really was bullying Ninth Brother ah!! Ask any of them! We’ve all seen it with our own eyes, ah!!”

n“Father-”

nThe first prince was taken away.

nThe emperor comforted Shi Qing, who was hiding in Yu Chennian’s arms. He said that it was his own negligence towards the education of his sons that caused this, so Shi Qing should continue to study at ease. His facial expression all but said ‘how can I have such a stupid son?’ as he returned to the main palace.

nThe other princes stepped out to send him off. Yu Chennian was left to comfort Shi Qing who was ‘inconsolable’.

nAs soon as the emperor left, the young man buried in Yu Chennian’s arms carefully peeked his head out and took a look around the room. Upon seeing that he was really gone, Shi Qing left Yu Chennian’s arms.

nHe rubbed his eyes and yawned.

nWhen he saw that Yu Chennian was still staring at him, Shi Qing raised his chin again and huffed. He was his usual coquettish self: “What are you looking at? Don’t think you’re special just because you helped me just now. You were just lucky. Since I said what I said in front of His Majesty today, I’ll cover for you in the future. But you still have to carry me every day, and you’ll come to my house every afternoon. You’ll have to eat the dishes I don’t like as well. And, um…”

nAfter thinking for a while, the young boy waved his hand dismissively: “I can’t think of anything off the top of my head, so it’ll be like this for now until I come up with more. I’m sleepy so I’m going back to the room to take a nap. When they come back, tell them that I was so tired from crying that I went back to rest, and then come find me.”

nWhen he finished, Yu Chennian was still staring at him silently. A few traces of anger appeared on Shi Qing’s flawlessly white face. He stretched his foot out and kicked Yu Chennian lightly: “What are you doing standing around? I’m talking to you!”

nYu Chennian: “Alright.”

nHe was still standing in the room after the satisfied little master had left.

nThe change in Shi Qing’s attitude was obvious.

nTowards people who were higher than him or those he needed to please, he was like a newborn kitten: coquettish and timid, aiming to please, pretending to be pitiful and weak.

nTowards people lower than him, he was arrogant, domineering and unreasonable. He forced others to pamper him and never allowed them to contradict him in any way.

nWhen Shi Qing needed to, he would lie in Yu Chennian arms and very naturally ask for his protection.

nYu Chennian suddenly had a thought.

nIf one day, he could gain power and sit on the throne.

nAt that time, would Shi Qing direct that coquettish look towards him?

nThe kitten he couldn’t touch before could be scooped up whenever he wanted in the future.

nThat moment of peace he could only ever experience when Shi Qing wanted to take a nap would be his forever.

nThe young man’s eyes darkened. His expression was no longer as dull as the princes always thought. Ambition gradually emerged in his eyes.

nHe lowered his head and looked at his hands. Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to ascend to the throne and sit on the dragon throne that represented the highest authority of all.

nAt that time, no matter how much the little master complained, these hands would never have to let go of that slender waist.

nDing! Yu Chennian’s animosity value: 88

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