CH 13

After Empress Dowager Xia’s birthday, they were finally able to return home. Although Xiao Weixin’s face was still quite annoyed, his mood had clearly improved compared to earlier. After getting into the carriage, he closed his eyes to rest.

You Shu couldn’t discern his true emotions and felt rather worried.

As if aware of his thoughts, Xiao Weixin opened his eyes, looked over at him and spoke coldly: “Speak up if you have something to say. Has this king placed a seal on your mouth?”

As soon as You Shu heard these angry words, he knew that this person was in a terrible mood, and said cautiously: “This subordinate has nothing to say and was just worried about the prince.”

“Worried?” Xiao Weixin seemed to have heard some joke, and leaned back on the pillow with his arms crossed over his chest and looked at him with a half-smile: “What are you worried about?”

You Shu replied in a low voice: “This subordinate just thinks that the Empress Dowager went too far.”

Xiao Weixin snorted softly, “You are a mere shadow guard. What would you know?”

You Shu lowered his head, “Yes.”

It was quiet in the carriage for a while before Xiao Weixin spoke up, as if impatient: “Why aren’t you talking anymore?”

“This subordinate has nothing to say.” You Shu sighed in his heart. This deadly class disparity could cause his death so how would he dare to speak further.

Xiao Weixin stared at his face for a long time before suddenly saying: “Since we have already left the palace, remove that ugly mask of yours. It’s annoying to look at.”

You Shu obediently raised his hand and removed the mask, revealing his face again. At that moment, the carriage seemed to become brighter all of a sudden. Xiao Weixin leisurely examined his facial features and had to admit that this man was indeed born with an extremely handsome appearance and every part of him seemed to have been tailored to perfectly match all of his1 preferences.

“How long have you followed Xie Feiyuan?” Perhaps because there was no one else in the carriage, Xiao Weixin inexplicably started chatting with him.

You Shu didn’t dare to respond casually and replied cautiously: “Answering the prince, this subordinate started following Master Yingshou at the age of five and it has been fourteen years since then.”

“You are only nineteen years old?” Xiao Weixin was a little surprised, “No wonder Xie Feiyuan always calls you a genius.”

Compared to Xiao Weixin whose official age is twenty-three, You Shu is indeed younger.

After asking his age, Xiao Weixin stopped talking as if he had just asked casually.

“What’s that commotion outside?”

Halfway through the journey, Xiao Weixin heard something so You Shu opened the curtain and took a look outside.

A tall man wearing exotic clothes was arguing with someone in the middle of the main road, forcing the carriage to stop.

After seeing this, You Shu spoke: “My lord, there seem to be some people causing trouble and blocking the road. Should this subordinate drive them away?”

Xiao Weixin waved his hand, signaling him to resolve it quickly so You Shu lifted the curtain and got out.

He jumped out of the carriage and walked a few steps forward. The tall man was still arguing with the other people. He was speaking broken Mandarin and didn’t look like a native of the Central Plains.

“Which bold idiot has such daring to make such a racket here and block the way of my lord?!” You Shu said in a purposely low and deep voice, “Get out of the way immediately!”

At this moment, he suddenly felt like he had turned into a villainous lackey, speaking in the same imposing manner as that of those evil servants in TV serials.

In the carriage, Xiao Weixin couldn’t help raising his eyebrows. When it comes to being arrogant, this little shadow guard can truly be arrogant.

The tall man also turned his head and his eyes immediately fell on You Shu.

You Shu was also taken aback for a moment.

The man in front of him has an extremely exotic face, with high eyebrows, deep-set eyes and a straight nose and a certain unrestrained wildness about him, which is exclusive to people living beyond the Great Wall. His appearance is entirely different from that of a native of the Central Plains. Not only is his skin tone darker, but his clothes are also very strange and he is adorned from head to toe in various gold ornaments, seeming very luxurious.

However, the most unique part of his appearance are his eyes, one blue and the other amber. This combination makes him look rather bizarre and sinister while also giving him a charming and flirtatious appearance. It makes a person feel as if they will be sucked into his eyes if they stare into them long enough.

The man was also surprised when he looked at You Shu. He had never seen such a handsome person in the Central Plains.

However, You Shu can be said to have experienced the world and he quickly returned to his senses: “My prince has to go through this road. All of you should leave and clear the way at once.”

After hearing his words, the man from the Western Regions also recovered from his amazement and pretended to be confused and said, “I really want to leave as well but these people insisted that I owed them money and forcefully prevented me from leaving.”

The thugs who were pestering him scolded: “You barbarian! Even if the Heavenly Emperor eats at our restaurant without paying, we will definitely seek justice and payment, let alone you!”

“I really don’t have any money.” The man from the Western Regions spoke helplessly, “I live in the Proton Mansion on that street. Why don’t you go and ask the Emperor of the Central Plains for money instead?”

You Shu trembled slightly. This is the future King of Xirong?!!

No wonder he felt that something was off. Isn’t this pair of heterochromatic eyes exactly the same as the one described in the novel? How could he have forgotten such crucial information!

You Shu stepped forward and said to the thugs: “How much does he owe you? Our prince will pay it for him.”

When those thugs heard that someone was paying the money, they naturally became more amiable. You Shu calmly gave them two taels of silver, but inwardly scolded Na Sutu as a pig. How much did he eat for a single meal to cost this much money?

After sending those thugs away, he looked at Na Sutu coldly: “Since the matter has been resolved, please don’t get in the way again, young master.”

However, Na Sutu unexpectedly regarded him as his savior and grabbed his hand, asking earnestly, “May I know the beauty’s name?”

You Shu tried to tug his hand away but before he could speak, Xiao Weixin’s voice sounded from inside the carriage: “Still not getting in?”

“Yes.” You Shu shook him off, strode forward and jumped into the carriage.

The coachman drove forward again slowly. When passing by Na Sutu, Xiao Weixin slightly raised the curtain of the carriage to look out and the eyes of the two met.

Na Sutu looked at Xiao Weixin in surprise, eyes filled with interest and curiosity.

Xiao Weixin glanced at him expressionlessly and then let down the curtain indifferently, pretending not to see him.

“Remember to wear a mask when you go out with me from now on.” Xiao Weixin said coldly, “How ostentatious.”

You Shu had indeed forgotten about it just now so he nodded obediently: “Yes.”

Xiao Weixin recalled the scene just now, frowned and asked him: “Why did you pay him in my name?”

Obviously, it’s to do you a favor.

You Shu sighed. He knew the direction of the plot. Although Xiao Weixin didn’t have much contact with Na Sutu in the original novel, the Twelfth Prince is a very capable person. If they cooperated, he thinks that Xiao Weixin would no longer have to use so many roundabout methods to achieve his goals.

Of course, this is merely his own opinion and it doesn’t change the fact that he acted without authorization.

“This subordinate merely thought that the hostage prince doesn’t seem to be a bad person. It was better to act in the name of the prince because if the emperor finds out, he will reward you.” You Shu explained in a low voice. After all, as the one in charge of him2, the dog emperor is the one responsible for solving the troubles Na Sutu causes. Xiao Weishen’s problem was solved because Xiao Weixin paid the bill for him so he would naturally not say anything.

“Is that all?” Xiao Weixin looked at You Shu for a while with mild disbelief on his face.

You Shu gathered his courage and nodded calmly. Anyway, the paralyzed face he has carefully developed is enough to deal with this and prevent Xiao Weixin from seeing through him.

Not receiving his answer, Xiao Weixin huffed and turned his head away, not looking at him.

You Shu discovered that Xiao Weixin really liked to huff and scoff just like a….what was the word….

Tsundere?

Thinking about it, their prince is indeed a tsundere.

But he seems to be mad at him.

You Shu felt that he was very capable, and was actually someone who could make the protagonist angry because of him3.

After thinking about it, You Shu couldn’t help feeling a little proud and slightly puffed out his chest and straightened his back.

The carriage slowly drove into the palace. After it stopped, Xiao Weixin got out and walked inside. Hua Chun quickly trotted over to greet him and passed him a hand warmer. Meanwhile, You Shu, who had been forgotten, turned around and returned to the Shadow Guard Camp.

Xiao Weixin glanced back at him and saw a joyful skip in You Shu’s steps.

His eyes narrowed, even more unhappy.

The Shadow Guard Camp is located in the northwest corner of the palace. Although it looks like an ordinary courtyard, there are actually many secrets hidden inside. Their training area is in the East Wing and their dormitories are in the West Wing. The basement is used as an interrogation room. If an outsider enters, they will easily become confused and muddle-headed and end up getting lost because of the Qimen Dunjia technique4 deployed inside.

It was already evening and Ying Jiu and Ying Si were on duty. You Shu went to the cafeteria to have dinner. His handsome face was really useful sometimes. The head chef in the cafeteria liked him the most and specially left him the largest braised duck leg. After thanking them, You Shu sat down to eat alone.

When Xie Feiyuan arrived, You Shu was happily nibbling on the big duck leg. He walked over and sat down unceremoniously, “I heard you made the prince angry again?”

“Again?” You Shu chewed the duck meat, confused and looked at him: “When did I make the prince angry before?”

Xie Feiyuan rolled his eyes, “When indeed? You often beat the prince to the ground during your sparring sessions. Do you know that your other brothers are scared to death because of you?”

You Shu reflected on this for a while and then thought to himself that it was only because the prince himself ordered him not to hold back.

“Forget it.” Xie Feiyuan felt he had a headache [because of this], “I have a task for you. You will leave tomorrow.”

“Of course. What is it?” You Shu replied obediently.

Xie Feiyuan’s task was a business trip. There were many people in the north who were suffering due to the drought. Xiao Weijing was sending out a large amount of grain there. However, there were very few people to escort it so Xiao Weixin handed this matter over to Xie Feiyuan.

Xie Feiyuan attached great importance to this matter and, after much deliberation, he decided that You Shu was the most suitable person to take care of it.

“Don’t worry.” You Shu drank the rice porridge calmly, “Since this matter is very important to the prince, I will definitely complete it well.”

Xie Feiyuan nodded, “Out of all the children here, you are the only one who is sincerely loyal to the prince. I can rest assured having you succeed me in the future.”

He patted You Shu on the shoulder before getting up and leaving the cafeteria.

You Shu ate dinner alone and then took a cold bath in the bathhouse of the Shadow Guard Camp. Although taking a cold bath in winter is unimaginable for most people, it is normal for the shadow guards and it is also a kind of training.

By the time he finished his shower and returned to his room, it was already dark. You Shu went back to the room and closed the door and then lit the candles. Then, from under the bed, he pulled out the little diary that he hadn’t written in for a long time

‘Year X, month X, day X, cloudy. ‘

‘Today was my lucky day. Not only did I finally see the female lead whom I have always wanted to meet but I also met the second male lead….. Yes, let’s call him the second male lead. 

‘The female lead is indeed my goddess and she is as good as I always imagined. Although the plot was rather strange, such a small incident should not have any major impact.

‘And the prince finally said more than ten words to me today, which is a very memorable event.

‘Ah, my mentality is becoming more and more like that of an old father. Every day, I hope that the female lead will quickly fall in love with our prince. As a fan, I am very anxious.

‘Finally, I hope to be just as handsome tomorrow as I was today.’        

T/N: I was supposed to have posted this yesterday but after translating half, I got too lazy to do the rest sooo ahem. Anyways, we now have the characters’ ages, Na Sutu is here and another side character will be introduced within the next two chapters. Enjoy your day or evening, whichever it is! <3<3

You Shu’s appearance according to Xiao Weixin’s preferences.

Na Sutu

What’s a fan? This is a fan.

I tried guys. I really tried but I have no idea what this is. All I know is that it is an ancient Chinese technique based on mathematics and divination which is still used today. If anyone wants to research, you can just use this same term in English or 奇门遁甲.