CH 19

The news that Na Sutu, the hostage prince from Xirong, is infatuated with Ling Wang Xiao Weixin spread like wildfire throughout the capital and even Xiao Weishen knew about it.

When he first heard the spies’ report, he was surprised but after thinking about it for some time, he felt it made sense. After all, Lao Qi’s extraordinary appearance is a universally acknowledged fact. That barbarian is inexperienced in the ways of the world so it isn’t surprising for him to be captivated with just a glance.

Although the topic is regarding his younger brother, Xiao Weishen knows no such concept as brotherhood, and even feels as if he is enjoying a show. That barbarian can’t actually do anything outrageous anyway so it was fine to just treat it as a joke to enliven his boring life.

At this moment, Empress Xia walked in. Xiao Weishen was playing around with a palace maid and didn’t stop even after seeing her, completely ignoring her and continuing to let the maid feed him fruit.

Despite such a humiliating treatment, Empress Xia’s expression did not show the slightest grievance. She just smiled lightly, stepped forward to take a fruit plate from another palace maid and moved closer, saying softly: “Your Majesty, I have something to say to you.”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Xiao Weishen pushed her aside impatiently and said coldly: “You don’t have to worry about Seventh Brother’s marriage.”

Empress Xia’s face turned pale and then she said in a low voice: “But Imperial Mother said…”

“No matter what Imperial Mother says, you don’t have to listen.” Xiao Weishen didn’t even look at her and treated her like air, waving impatiently: “If there is nothing else, leave.”

After saying that, he started flirting with the charming little maid again. Their actions became more and more indecent and gradually became so inappropriate that Empress Xia became extremely embarrassed and finally lost her calm, got up and walked out.

Her personal lady-in-waiting felt very angry and wronged on her behalf and secretly wiped her tears away while walking. Empress Xia walked back to her palace, thinking about Xiao Weixin.

With great difficulty, she had managed to raise Yinxiu so well to this age but just when her marriage was nearly settled, it was suddenly prohibited by the emperor. Seeing this, she couldn’t help feeling immense sadness in her heart. The person she hadn’t been able to get when she was young, she had originally thought that her younger sister would get him instead, but…

Empress Xia felt very upset and walked towards the Empress Dowager’s palace.

Meanwhile, Xiao Weixin, the center of her thoughts, didn’t know her thoughts at all and couldn’t even remember Empress Xia. Since it snowed, he has become a lot lazier and doesn’t practice his sabre as diligently as before. He doesn’t even step out of the courtyard, let alone the main gate. He is in either the study or the bedroom all day long and almost looks as if he is about to start hibernating.

You Shu never got a single good word from him again after being scolded that day. However, he also felt very wronged. Clearly, he had just wanted to do something good to help him so how did it end up with Na Sutu falling for him?

He didn’t even do anything. What the hell is wrong with that Na Sutu? They are both men so what kind of intentions does that guy have for him?

You Shu was very confused and pulled out the plot and went through it again. Obviously, the second male lead didn’t have any romantic subplot in the novel and didn’t seem to have any potential for being gay. Why did he suddenly become gay?

You Shu doesn’t discriminate against gays but when one of the persons involved is him, his mood naturally became quite strange. He couldn’t even understand why Na Sutu suddenly became attracted to him. Is it really just because he stopped to help him that day?

This seems to be the kind of trope that girls love reading about but it’s a bit strange to involve him and Na Sutu in it. How can two big men play out the plot of “the hero saves the beauty”?

You Shu pulled out the small bronze mirror he had secretly snatched from Ying Jiu and turned his head from side to side. Admittedly, he is indeed a one-in-a-million extremely handsome guy. Although this face is slightly less perfect than the one he had had in his previous life, it was still quite handsome and didn’t look feminine in any way. Why the hell did Na Sutu fall in love with him1?

According to the usual plot of Dianjia2 novels, even if the second male lead is grateful to him, shouldn’t he be pulling him to be sworn brothers together?

You Shu is puzzled every day.

This is because he doesn’t know that this is actually a Lujiang3 novel and it’s normal for love to blossom everywhere.

You Shu crossed his left leg over his right leg to think but couldn’t figure it out and then crossed his right leg over his left one to continue to think. In the end, he still couldn’t figure it out.

The New Year is less than ten days away and the shadow guards’ work load lessened greatly because the capital has basically entered the New Year state. Several merchants who had come from far away and were only passing through had already begun to return home. Due to this, the number of people present in the city immediately decreased a lot.

The Shadow Guard Camp has also become idle. After working hard for a whole year, everyone can take a break and relax in the last few days of the year. There is no need to worry about tasks or masters and they can gather together to have fun and joke around. The most satisfying part is that every year, at the end of the year, the prince would generously reward them all with twenty silver taels per person. With just this, they can eat, drink and enjoy themselves for a long time.

Most of You Shu’s money has been saved and he has never spent his salary indiscriminately in all these years. If the money he has saved up in his small treasury over several years is calculated, he can be considered quite wealthy.

But he is not arrogant due to this because his father once said that the foundation of a man’s life is responsibility and the best manifestation of this responsibility is to spend his money on his wife and those who are reluctant to spend money on their wives are not worthy of getting married. His father used to do the same thing. Apart from the money for buying cigarettes, all the family’s finances were in the hands of his mother throughout the years of their marriage. You Shu was influenced by his teachings and wanted to follow in his footsteps [after he got married].

If he manages to survive till the end [of the novel] and gets married, he will also hand over the small treasury to his wife so that she can buy whatever she likes and never feels inferior to anyone else.

Unknowingly, You Shu thoughts began to wander and he suddenly remembered that, in the novel, the protagonist had been a wife-loving character who had taken care of the female lead in every possible way. Although, in the early stages, he focused on working hard to accumulate power, he never let the female lead suffer any grievance. Thinking about it, the female lead seems to be very blessed.

He is really worthy of being my male god. The two of them are very alike in their treatment of their wives.

“Why are you standing there in a daze? Don’t you want to eat dinner?” Ying Si rushed towards the cafeteria and took the time to turn around and shout, “Today’s dish is pork shoulder!”

By the time he finished speaking, You Shu had already run ten steps ahead of him.

Let’s put the wife’s matters aside for now. Getting the largest pork shoulder is the highest dream in this life!

Compared with You Shu who has been living a relaxed and leisurely life these past few days, Xiao Weixin’s mood can only be described as “thoroughly terrible”. Although Na Sutu did not come to harass him again, his actions have already become well-known and now everyone outside knows that that barbarian is enamored with him. Even Xiao Weishen is enjoying this ridiculous joke.

Thinking of the culprit, Xiao Weixin became furious, “Call that bastard Ying San here for this king!”

Wang Chen went to do so, beaming. He had already said that that shadow guard was not at all worthy and, no matter what, he couldn’t be compared to him who has accompanied the prince since childhood. The prince got tired of him after merely a few days while he himself is still held in high esteem.

You Shu had only eaten half of his pork shoulder when he heard that the prince was looking for him. He felt extremely reluctant especially since he knew that he was probably going to get scolded again, but not going was out of the question. In the end, he could only put the half-eaten pork shoulder down and follow Wang Chen. As soon as he left, the other shadow guards started gossiping.

“I told you all that Lao San wouldn’t fall out of favor that easily. You losers had better pay up quickly!!” Ying Liu slapped the table arrogantly, “Since you were willing to bet, you should be willing to accept defeat!”

Ying Jiu rolled his eyes, raised his hand elegantly and stuffed a bamboo shoot into his mouth: “What defeat? Perhaps Lao San will get scolded again. What’s the hurry?”

“You guys know nothing!” Ying Ba, the fraud fortuneteller, began to chatter again, “I told you before that his Hong Luan star has begun to move. Just wait and see. Maybe he will become our half-master in the future2.”

But no one believed him. Even the martial idiot Ying Qi felt that it was unreliable. A person as precious and noble as their prince wouldn’t fall in love with Lao San. Although Lao San was indeed very handsome, the difference between their statuses was too great.

Sometimes, the class gap between people is similar to the gap between humans and dogs. If you want to rise to become the master, you must overturn this dynasty and begin a new one.

Ying Ba puckered his lips and rolled his eyes secretly.

You Shu, who had followed Wang Chen to leave, remained silent all the way. He usually refrained from talking and had a naturally cold face. Wang Chen turned around and glanced at him.

You Shu is dressed in black with his long hair tied into a high ponytail. His aura is as cold and sharp as that of a knife but there is a slight gentleness in his face, which seems incompatible with this world of ice and snow.

Looking at his handsome and picturesque face, Wang Chen suddenly understood.

After reaching the study, You Shu walked in by himself, prepared for another scolding. And Xiao Weixin actually did scold him. Although his education did not permit him to use any uncouth curses or swear words, You Shu’s face became rather dispirited as he knelt on the ground.

The novel didn’t seem to have mentioned that the protagonist was so temperamental…..

To be honest, Xiao Weixin didn’t quite understand why he was so angry. He knows that his current condition is far from good but, at this time of the year, it became very difficult for him to control his temper and he got annoyed easily.

In a sense, this rumor about Na Sutu liking him is actually beneficial to him. It will only make Xiao Weishen even more convinced that he is a talentless vase whose face is his only advantage and he will be even less vigilant of him. He is also obviously aware that the little shadow guard had only been following orders that day and had never taken the initiative to flirt with anyone but he couldn’t control his displeasure when he thought of the arrogant manner in which that barbarian Na Sutu had come to ask for him.

You Shu knew why he was so angry before the New Year. He sighed in his heart and said in a low and respectful voice: “Don’t worry, my lord. This subordinate has never harbored any thoughts of betrayal. No matter what the hostage prince says or does, this subordinate has not and will not waver in the slightest.”

“In this world, only the prince is worthy of this subordinate’s loyalty.”

Xiao Weixin was taken aback.

He had just wanted to vent his negative emotions but he hadn’t expected to hear these words from him and he hadn’t expected that hearing these words would miraculously soothe his restless emotions.

Xiao Weixin was silent for a long time before finally whispering: “Get up.”

You Shu stood up but still kept his head bowed, looking at the ground with a calm expression.

Xiao Weixin suddenly recalled that day when, from the study door, he had seen him smile at Xie Feiyuan, the afternoon sun shining behind him.

“Smile.” He looked directly at You Shu’s face. His voice was slightly hoarse and filled with an unclear emotion.

Puzzled, You Shu raised his head and looked at him confusedly for a while, trying to understand what he had just heard.

Smile?

Smile at what?

He was being scolded just a moment ago and now he is being asked to smile. Has the protagonist been so depressed in the years since his mother’s death that it disturbed his mental health?

He couldn’t disobey so he obediently raised the corners of his lips, revealing eight uniform teeth, looking remarkably alike to a server waiting for a client at the entrance of a bathhouse.

Xiao Weixin eyes twitched as he looked at this strange plastic smile and he couldn’t bear it: “Stop. Too ugly.”

It must be acknowledged that You Shu is extraordinarily good-tempered and doesn’t get angry very often. If it was another time traveler, whether the opponent was a prince or peasant, they would start scolding him immediately to let him know that there is a limit to people’s patience and tolerance.

But You Shu is not like this. He is a gentle and calm person who is different from others.

He is more than willing to accommodate4 the protagonist.

The author has something to say:

The prince’s EQ is too low. He doesn’t understand the reason for his feelings and he has no experience in romance. Give him some time. Deep down, he is also a wife-loving person~~~~

Our boi is so freaking confused oml

Dianjia novels are the kind that are targeted towards male readers with a male protagonist who focuses on leveling up and are found on Qidian, as far as I can tell. The other type is Jinjiang literature which is targeted mainly towards female readers with romance novels and BL novels.

Lujiang is what netizens call Jinjiang because its logo is green and Lu means green. And yep the author is basically breaking the fourth wall here lol.

Accomodate in the sense of spoiling, pampering and not minding the other person’s temper.