Part 2
Ying Dang’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He put away his short blade and held Ying Xi in both arms like a doll. The two of them continued deeper into the mansion.
Exiting the back courtyard led to the garden.
Ying Xi’s neck could not turn, so his field of vision was limited. Still, he could see the once neat and elegant gardens were now overrun by wild weeds.
The Yongning Prince Mansion, which he could only return to in his dreams, was now vastly different from his memories. Ying Xi found it hard to accept.
Prince Yong had been capturing Ying Xi’s reactions all along. Seeing the edges of Ying Xi’s eyes turn red, Prince Yong’s phoenix eyes brightened accordingly, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint, indiscernible smile.
Prince Yong excitedly rubbed his head against Ying Xi’s chest.
“Xiongzhang, look. This is what those people from Chang’an bestowed upon us.”
Ying Dang said: “I heard that on the day they massacred the Yongning Prince Mansion, our father and mother gave away all the family wealth and opened all the mansion gates, letting the servants flee for their lives.”
“The assassins surrounded the mansion.”
“Emperor Yuan Tai killed parents and snatched their children. Any witness had to die.”
“The servants couldn’t get out.”
“So it began with silencing them first.”
Ying Dang still hadn’t released Ying Xi’s xue points. He held Ying Xi tightly and bounced him up slightly.
It was as if many years ago, the older brother was holding his younger brother in the garden to look at flowers and water, telling story after story.
Only the roles were reversed, and the background had become desolate and eerie.
The younger brother’s palms were sweaty and trembling as he held his brother and moved to a screen wall, letting Ying Xi observe the gray-white surface. The scattered bloodstains outlined a human silhouette.
He pointed: “Brother, how do you think this happened?”
Ying Xi, of course, could not speak.
Ying Dang satisfactorily toyed with his brother’s lips: “Good Xiongzhang, you always liked to ponder these things when we were small. You always spoke to me; let your younger brother hand in a piece of homework.”
Ying Dang supported Ying Xi with one arm, while his other hand pointed at the bloodstains.
His long fingers traced them, his voice elegant.
“Look, it’s only six feet tall, with a slightly wide frame. It should be a woman, an elderly and plump one at that.”
“Among our old servants, only Mother’s wet nurse fits.”
“Why would she die pressed against the wall?”
“When the assassins surged into the mansion, the wet nurse, who saw Mother as her own, must have taken Father’s suggestion to disguise Mother as a maidservant and try to find a way out.”
“The assassins’ blades swung at the nurse. She protected Mother behind her.”
“Countless strikes sprayed hot blood, forming this human-shaped bloodstain.”
“Then the nurse died, and Mother could not escape her fate either.”
Ying Dang’s voice trembled. He held Ying Xi tightly to search for more blood traces.
It was as if he were taking his brother to see a lantern festival in their childhood. Ying Dang pointed at a section of broken wall where an ax lay on the ground.
Ying Dang’s voice was full of interest: “Brother, guess who died here?”
Ying Xi remained silent.
And so Prince Yong talked to himself: “I guess our carriage driver suddenly rushed out to give the assassin leader a fatal blow, but was dodged and disarmed. The heavy ax split his skull.”
“When we left, the driver had just become a father.”
“As for his child, I’m afraid they didn’t fare well either.”
Prince Yong spoke as he walked, yet he gave Ying Xi no opportunity to respond.
He seemed to prefer keeping Ying Xi in this easily controlled state rather than seeing him struggle or hearing him say more words of deception that would make him suffer.
His mental state had become increasingly delusional after seeing the scene of his parents’ murder with his own eyes.
He was easily triggered.
Ying Xi felt the brother holding him was tightly clutching their connected clothing.
The deep gray pupils in Ying Dang’s phoenix eyes would flicker at times and constrict at others, making Ying Xi feel that his brother was seeing many ghostly shadows that he could not.
“Brother, I see Father.”
Ying Xi’s heart trembled.
Ying Dang pointed his finger toward empty space. That was the Yongning Prince’s zither platform, but there was clearly nothing there.
The two approached the platform.
Their feet stepped on the fallen leaves accumulated over the years, making a soft, crunching sound.
The corners of Ying Dang’s mouth pulled back: “I see Father playing the zither there, surrounded by assassins. The leader told Father to kneel and thank the Emperor for his grace, saying our branch of the Imperial family had struck luck. But Father had long since taken poison. He mocked them, saying a gentleman can be killed but not humiliated.”
“Blood splattered the zither, which angered the assassins.”
“The assassins stabbed his remains over and over, and finally cut off his head.”
Suddenly, Ying Dang acted as if it were truly happening. He drew his short blade with his left hand, his steps stumbling as he slashed at the non-existent phantoms around them.
As he moved, Ying Xi’s vision swayed.
The edge of Ying Dang’s blade cut through the withered vines around the zither platform, shifting the shadows and making Ying Xi feel dizzy.
“Kill! Kill! Kill…”
The mess of vines hanging around the platform had long since been cut away by the blade.
Ying Dang spun in circles while holding Ying Xi, letting out a clear voice. Perhaps he was laughing.
But after laughing, he brought Ying Xi to the ground, pulling him up into a bowing position toward the zither platform, saying hoarsely: “Let us kowtow to Father.”
Ying Dang pulled Ying Xi up, manipulating him into a bowing posture.
Before Ying Xi was the zither platform; his body was not under his control.
Ying Dang excitedly lined up beside Ying Xi, the hair at his temples messy. He faced the empty stone table and stools:
“Father! Mother!”
“I brought Brother back. I finally brought him out of the Imperial Capital!”
“He won’t be the Emperor, nor will he be that dog-sh*t former Emperor’s foster son! He will never have anything to do with anyone in Chang’an ever again!!!”
“Do you see???”
Prince Yong trembled as he forced Ying Xi to bow twice.
For the third bow, Prince Yong turned Ying Xi around.
Then, Prince Yong and Ying Xi bowed to each other, face to face, their foreheads touching.
He cupped Ying Xi’s cheeks and reached out his hands:
“From now on, I will live with Brother. I’ll set up a cenotaph for you both, and we will be a family of four forever.”
“No one will ever separate us again.”
“No one, no more…”
“Ha, hahaha, haha—”
A long laugh echoed through the garden of the Yongning Prince Mansion.
Admittedly, Ying Xi should feel thunderous rage at Ying Dang for kidnapping him.
But that anger was mixed with a sourness that nearly made his chest explode.
How fate toys with people.
Countless misplaced misunderstandings could still not be explained to the other; they were at odds and refused to express themselves, leading to more and more mutual suspicion… His brother had been driven mad in both lives, and his relationship with his brother had been so twisted in both lives.
Ying Xi once again opened his lips, trying to activate his throat, but no sound came out.
If he truly were to fly away with Ying Dang and spend the rest of his life in seclusion in the mountains to compensate his brother for the distorted affection he once craved, Ying Xi hadn’t never thought about it.
Escaping Chang’an—even if the Xiongnu invaded in the future—if he were no longer the Emperor, he might not die. This wasn’t necessarily a bad way to break the deadlock.
But this went against Ying Xi’s belief in this life.
He would sit firmly on the nine-layered throne, manipulated by no one, whether the other was his brother or his enemy.
No one could stop the Emperor from unifying the mountains and rivers.
After being passively entangled with Prince Yong for these two days, the “Dating System” had already recovered some of its energy.
Ying Xi knocked on the “Sweet System” in his mind.
Tian Tong’s voice sounded tired and a bit clingy: “Bixia…”
“Zhen once heard you say that you could create a fake person that looks exactly like the original. The skin tone and feel are identical, though it cannot speak or move, but it won’t delay its use.”
Tian Tong suddenly became interested, sensing a key element and perking up: “If you’re talking about this, I’m not sleepy anymore. Guaranteed to be real and easy to use. The upgraded version can even be heated and expand/contract.”
“Dang’er has struck my xue points; it happens to be a good time to swap with a fake.”
Body heating, limbs expanding/contracting—acting as if struggling would make it harder for Dang’er to notice.
Ying Xi was resolute: “Zhen wants the upgraded version.”
Tian Tong’s voice was flirtatious: “Oh, you’re so naughty, Bixia. You haven’t even fallen in love yet, but you’re already thinking about this.”
Tian Tong rubbed its non-existent small hands: “Whose upgraded version is Bixia making? Prime Minister Su? Mr. Candle? The Little Wolf Dog? The Big Wolf Dog?”
“Zhen will be Zhen.”
Tian Tong was stunned: “Going for narcissism?”
It had just entered the zone, once again returning to its usual state of tricking the host into CP-pairing and falling in love, when a flash of cold sword light suddenly passed through its vision.
“—Bixia, watch out!!!”
Translator’s Note: The plot thickens! Ying Dang is taking Ying Xi through a “bowing ceremony” (拜堂), which in ancient China is the central part of a wedding—specifically the three bows (to Heaven/Earth, to Parents, and to each other). This shows the depth of his twisted obsession. Yongning Prince Mansion is their childhood home, and Jia Ruzhen is the man responsible for the massacre. Also, our Dating System (Tian Tong – Sweet Tub) is finally back and as cheeky as ever! Let’s see if the “fake body” plan works.
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