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nEditor: yummers

nAt the palace gate, Shi Qing leaned against Yu Chennian as he yawned. He looked on with a bored expression as Young Master Chen, who was screaming as he was being hit with the board, finally stopped crying. He limped down from the bench with cold sweat on his forehead.

nThe little master had been patiently waiting for his punishment to finish. When he got up, he ran over happily and acted overly sympathetic.

n“Are you okay, Young Master Chen? You seemed to be making quite a bit of noise earlier. Tut tut tut. Just say something if it was too much for you. We were just making a casual bet. I wouldn’t have forced you if you didn’t want to.”

nYoung Master Chen wanted to spit the blood in his mouth onto Shi Qing’s face.

nAt this point, he was just rubbing salt on the wound.

nWhat kind of person was this?!

nBut he forced a smile onto his face that was covered with old sweat from the beating. “It’s all good.”

n“Good!”

nShi Qing immediately applauded him with great admiration as he shook his head. He made a casual comment to Yu Chennian who was following him. “Look how manly Young Master Chen is. 20 hits with a board is nothing to him.”

n“If I have another chance to bet with him, we won’t bet a measly 20. We’ll bet 50 hits! I can’t wait!”

nYoung Master Chen, “…”

nHis mind automatically translated his words into, ‘The next time I catch you in the act, it won’t just be 20 hits, it’ll be 50.’

nHe already felt like he was dying after 20. If he really suffered 50 hits, he was probably better off just dying right here.

nShi Qing was still running his mouth. “Young Master Chen, although you and I were only betting, I still want to remind you that subjects need to behave a certain way. If they step out of line, even an emperor as benevolent as our won’t stop at just corporal punishment.”

nAs he said this, he glanced meaningfully at the cold sweat pouring out of Young Master Chen’s forehead. A charming smile lit up his cherubic face, just like an innocent little master who had been sheltered his entire life.

n“So the next time you and I are chatting, Young Master Chen’s opinions should be closer to my own.”

nYoung Master Chen, “…”

nHe didn’t want to get closer.

nWas there a way he could avoid getting closer?

nHe just wanted to be a handsome man indulging in luxuries all day with a princess and countless concubines waiting at home, alright!

nThe little master expressed his condolences.

nHis delicate lips opened and closed. The expression on his face was very soft, but his words were dripping with bloodlust.

n“I’ll cut off your hands and feet before removing your head.”

nYoung Master Chen, “…”

nHe gave in shamefully.

n“Yes, yes, Shi Qing. You are right…”

nBeneath Shi Qing’s friendly gaze, he hobbled slowly towards the palace gate as he was supported by the palace servants.

nAfter he left, the radiantly smiling little master immediately showed his displeasure. He hopped back to the top of the steps and rubbed the sole of his shoes repeatedly against the floor.

nWhen Yu Chennian returned to his side, he heard the little master’s grumble with prejudice. “I really gave him face. I even personally stood in the snow to watch him getting beat. Now, my boots are covered with snow.”

nThe young man stood on the topmost step. He offered his back to Shi Qing. His voice was soft because of how quiet it was. “I’ll carry you back.”

n“Good.”

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nThe little master didn’t show the slightest hint of courtesy as he climbed onto his back. A pair of delicate hands wrapped around Yu Chennian’s neck as his head obediently dropped onto his shoulder.

nIt wasn’t snowing right now, so Yu Chennian carried him on his back just like that. With steady steps, he headed towards the direction of the Imperial Study.

nShi Qing’s mouth never stopped moving along the way.

nThe little master was very arrogant. He was even muttering while being carried. “Did you have a good look at how Young Master Chen ended up today? You have to be good to me in the future, or you’ll get hit with the board too.”

nYu Chennian, “Okay.”

n“But you’re pretty good for someone like yourself. I’ve been carried by so many people, but you’re the most comfortable of them all. As long as you follow me well, I won’t treat you badly. Don’t I give you that ginseng soup every day?”

nThe young man outright ignored the fact that the soup was given to him only because Shi Qing didn’t like it.

n“Okay.”

n“Just remember that I’ve been good to you, and remember to repay me later.”

n“Okay.”

n“But there’s no hurry. When you leave the palace, I have plenty of time to take you out to play. You’re locked in the palace all day, so you don’t know about all the fun things outside, but I do. I’ve been playing around the capital since I was a child.”

n“Okay.”

nThe little master became unhappy. His round eyes narrowed slightly as he patted Yu Chennian’s head. He grumbled, “Are you messing with me? Why are your replies the same no matter what I say? ”

nYu Chennian, “No.”

nHe carried the little boy on his back; his hands encircled firmly from behind.

nThe young man didn’t say it, but he was thinking.

nHe wasn’t messing around.

nEvery one of his answers were sincere.

n***

nThe war at the border was becoming more and more pressing. The officials of the court were quarreling once again.

nSome civil servants felt that they needed to fight, while others were staunchly against violence.

nThe military officers were united on this front. Fight! We must fight! If we don’t, then we would be dishonouring our nation!

nThey could argue all they wanted, but the emperor’s decisions were the only ones that mattered.

nIn fact, the emperor wanted to calm things down. After all, a winter war would be a costly expense. His treasury was already suffering. It was likely there would be nothing left at all after this war.

nWhy did the kingdom acknowledged by the heavens have to contend with these barbarian countries?

nAlthough his own princesses were already married off—he could adopt the daughters of his ministers in name, and then secure peace with a marriage.

nUnfortunately, before the emperor could share his idea, a minister on the same wavelength as him spoke first.

nThen, he was cut, drawn, and quartered by the others; all led by the prime minister.

nHow can you be such a fool—

nGiving them a princess?! Why don’t we give them your uncle instead!!

nWe’ve lost three cities already!! Three!!

nDo fools like you even know what that means?! A kingdom of heaven is being terrorized by a small country filled with barbarians!

nYou actually want to please them in exchange for peace! Are you a citizen of this country or theirs?! They killed our people and occupied our cities. If you give them a princess, they’ll take that as encouragement!

nJust wow. The winter this year was especially rough. Their crops and livestock have all died, so they came to raid our cities, kill our citizens, and live off our stores.

nWhat about next year! The next next year! And the year after that?!

nYou gigantic fool—

nHave you ever used your brain for even a second!

nPeople don’t necessarily have to reciprocate your kindness. Maybe you still think that the officials in our country are all good-for-nothings like you. They will only grow more aggressive in the future!

nThe emperor coughed and swallowed what he had wanted to say.

nBut there were still doubts remaining in his heart.

nHe was the emperor ordained by the heavens. Surely the Hu people wouldn’t dare to go too far. They would retreat after receiving the princess, right?

nThe official obviously had the same thoughts as him. He defended himself and explained more.

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nThen, he was intimidated into silence by the prime minister again.

nIf there’s no food at home, does that mean I can go to someone else’s house to eat and live there? What’s more, instead of getting angry, the man offered to marry his daughter to my son. Why would I withdraw now!!

nThose people are humiliating us in front of our doorstep, and instead of stopping them we’re only encouraging them! Anyone who thinks this way can only be described as the king of all fools!

nIdiot!

nMentally incompetent!

nI’m too tired to insult you anymore!

nHurry up and roll any dumb ideas like this out of your mind. Don’t let them affect your normal colleagues.

nEspecially His Majesty. Oh wait. His Majesty is wise and powerful. How could he be influenced by your foolish words.

nAfter scolding him, the prime minister gestured and looked up at the emperor.

nYour Majesty, you agree, don’t you?

nEmperor, …Yep. That’s exactly what I was thinking…..?

nThe prime minister stood back contentedly and gave a look to the official who just came out with the idea of sending a princess.

nYes, the official was one of his men.

nPrime Minister Shi was able to sit in this position not only because of his familial background.

nHe understood the kind of person the emperor was. When he got the news, he knew that the emperor would consider a peaceful resolution first.

nThe problem was that this matter really couldn’t be solved that way. If they appease them this time, the Hu people would become a recurrent thorn at their side. Should they send a princess over every year?

nAdditionally, there were many small countries around the border. If they didn’t retaliate against the Hu people, the others would see this as a sign of weakness and join in the next time.

nThen the losses they suffer would be even worse.

nAfter the prime minister’s passionate rebuke of the official, the ministers who were quarrelling with each other stopped discussing whether to go to war. Instead, they quarreled with each other about who should step on the battlefield and suppress the barbarian country.

nGenerally, this was a matter best left to the military generals, so the prime minister didn’t interfere.

nHe stood quietly and watched the others argue.

nThe generals didn’t know who to send either. Since the Hu people’s Second Prince was leading the invasion, they proposed that sending a prince to lead their side would offer more assurance to the frightened civilians.

nAfter all, the princes weren’t young anymore.

nThe ninth prince—who had the most potential—was now seventeen.

nThe princes were now of a reasonable age to enter the courts to discuss politics, cultivate their ability to deal with affairs, and help share the burdens of the emperor.

nBut the emperor of this generation had different ideas.

nHe wasn’t a very good emperor, but he fancied himself one.

nHe was worried that his sons would become too powerful as they attended court, and would gain the ability to overthrow him.

nAlthough they were father and sons, he was still an emperor above all else.

nThe emperor could freely admit that the infighting amongst these princes with powerful maternal backing frightened him.

nThus, if possible, he wanted to avoid sending a prince to war.

nThe princes were all raised within the palace. They were all treated like gold and jade. They have no ability to fight. Rather than saying that they were going to fight, it was more apt to say that they were going to be mascots.

nIf they got any funny ideas after he handed over military power and their maternal family lended them a hand, his reign as emperor would be finished.

nIt wasn’t worth it. It really wasn’t.

nTherefore, when someone proposed to let the ninth prince go to war, the dull eyes of the emperor who was silently playing dead lit up.

nSomeone immediately issued a retort below.

nNo. The ninth prince can’t go.

nHe was only seventeen years old with no experience in leading soldiers. His adoptive mother was the deposed empress, so his maternal family was powerless as well. If he goes to the army, the soldiers would not accept him.

nThen he would really just be a mascot!

nOpposition arrived swiftly.

nSending a prince to war was a symbolic gesture. No one actually expected them to step foot onto the battlefield. It was just to demonstrate the imperial family’s dedication to the cause.

nIt didn’t matter if he lacked backing from his maternal family. Although his mother was a deposed empress, he was still His Majesty’s trueborn son!

nPrime Minister Shi aloofly looked on as the two groups of people furiously debated this. Then he glanced up. The emperor was obviously moved.

nCome on. He could see this routine from a mile away.

nWho is this? I have to push the ninth prince to the battlefield.

nThe person yelling about how he was definitely opposed to sending a green-eared child like the ninth prince to the battlefield seemed like he was against the idea on the surface. In actuality, every one of his words were carefully chosen to incite His Majesty to choose the ninth prince. His features seemed familiar as well.

nPrime Minister Shi remained standing with a serious face where he was, but his mind was far away digging through his memories.

nAfter a bit of work, he finally remembered.

nIsn’t this the little military officer who was helped by the father of the deposed empress 25 years ago?

nOh……

nIt seems that he was letting the ninth prince take care of this embarrassing situation.

nI see.

nPrime Minister Shi, who understood his intentions, didn’t intend to interfere.

nHis task was to stop the emperor from killing himself. He didn’t care what the princes did as long as they didn’t harm civilians.

nThe battle within the court ended for the day.

nFinally, the emperor issued his decree. The ninth prince would go to war.

nWhen the news reached the Imperial Study, the other princes looked at Yu Chennian, eyes filled with schadenfreude.

nThat was a live battlefield!

nSwords had no eyes. The enemy didn’t care if you were a prince or not.

nNo, that wasn’t right. They would.

nThey would specifically target Yu Chennian precisely because he was a prince.

nIf Yu Chennian were to lose an arm, a leg, or an eye on the battlefield, he would become even more rejected by their father.

nThe other princes all had their own thoughts. They only secretly made eye contact with each other. No one told Yu Chennian the horrible fate that awaited him.

nLet him find out for himself, hehehe.

nHowever, Yu Chennian was actually aware long before they were.

nDuring the afternoon rest time, when the young master was nestled comfortably in his arms, he yawned for a while, and poked his muscles as usual to get some exercise in before he took a nap. The young man broke the news to him.

nThe expression on Shi Qing’s face was suddenly stunned.

n“The border?”

n“Yes.”

nYu Chennian boldly circled the person in his arms. He rarely initiated contact like this. His hand stroked the youth’s back again and again. “Father has sent down his decree. I will be leaving soon.”

nThe little master was shocked into silence for a long time.

nHe was obviously frightened by the news.

nYu Chennian pitied him. As he thought, he was only a teenager, and one that had been spoiled rotten at that. Even if he had a few little tricks up his sleeves, fighting a war was something foreign to Shi Qing.

nAfter a long time, the delicate and soft little master asked quietly, “Can you not go?”

nHe seldom showed such a soft look towards Yu Chennian, let alone words so close to a plea for him to stay.

nThe young man nearly disregarded all of his careful planning to nod and agree.

nBut he had to go.

nIf not, the dynamics of his relationship with Shi Qing would never change.

nIf he didn’t go, he would never be able to fill the palace with peony ice sculptures for Shi Qing.

nIf he didn’t go, he would never be the kind of person Shi Qing thought he could become in this lifetime.

nYu Chennian refused the little master for the second time. “I must go.”

nShi Qing’s face immediately showed his displeasure.

nHe got up in a huff and stretched out his tender hand to push at Yu Chennian angrily. His delicate voice was full of unhappiness. “Suit yourself. If you want to go so much then go! Go ah!”

n“Do you think I can’t bear you leaving?! I’m just afraid that there’s no one to warm my feet in winter! And those eunuchs suck at carrying people! Don’t touch my stomach! Get your hands off me!”

nThe young man obediently took back his hand.

nHe fixed his eyes steadily on Shi Qing. His expression was filled with an obscure darkness that the little master couldn’t understand. “I will come back. I will bring everything you like back to you when I return.”

n“I don’t like anything!”

nShi Qing was like a little kitten who had been robbed of food. He mewled furiously with all his might.

nHe tried to leave the bed, but the cold air that assaulted him as soon as he lifted the covers made the little master lay back down with an unwilling huff.

n“This is my room! You go out!”

nYu Chennian followed his wishes and left.

nThe little master in the room seemed to become even more upset. There was a thump as if he had thrown a pillow at the door.

nThe next few days, he intensified the way he ordered Yu Chennian around. As if he was trying to make up for the time that he would be away.

nThe other princes were happy to watch.

nYu Chennian’s heart was not as calm as he outwardly appeared.

nShi Qing’s reaction to his departure was so extreme. Could it be that he also……

nAs long as the young man thought about this possibility, he felt like he could continue down this road, no matter how hard or dangerous it might be.

nNo matter how opposed the little master was to his departure, the day when Yu Chennian was to set off from the capital arrived.

nShi Qing didn’t go to see him off.

nThe young man rode on his horse and left the gate of the city. He looked back at the capital that he had never left before. He wondered whether his little master was still sitting in his room sulking.

nWhen he turned around again, the young man hid his tenderness, leaving only the aloof edge of one that was about to face the battlefield.

nHe will come back.

nHe will bring back military honours and political power, presenting it all at Shi Qing’s feet.

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