Part 2
Holding the fort at the rear, Su Xueyi reported two things.
The first was that the Barbarian King had, for the umpteenth time, requested to marry Princess Huachao.
The Barbarian King’s bad nature hadn’t changed; seeing that Ying Xi was away at war, he wanted to take advantage of the situation. If this matter weren’t handled well, any trouble the Barbarian King caused at the border would result in fighting on two fronts.
Why was he so obsessed with Huachao?
Huachao’s round almond eyes once again appeared vividly before Ying Xi. His sister didn’t want to marry, and her brother had promised to grant her wish.
Ying Xi leaned against the Dragon Chair: “Refuse him.”
Prince Yong’s brush moved like dragons and snakes as he wrote gigglingly: Marry your old mother.
The veins on Ying Xi’s forehead throbbed. He frowned and said: “Rewrite it!”
These words evoked Prince Yong’s memories of being taught calligraphy by his brother as a child. His heart felt warm; even while being scolded, his heart felt as if it were smeared with honey.
Prince Yong’s head pushed forward, almost rubbing into Ying Xi’s embrace: “He wants to marry my sister; I have to curse him. How could I possibly be polite?”
“The Barbarian King won’t see your memorial; it’s for Su Xueyi. If there’s any cursing to be done, it’ll be Su Xueyi doing it.”
“That’s too boring! All refined and literary—the Barbarian King won’t understand. If you ask me, just write this sentence.” Prince Yong shook the brush in his hand. “Just write this.”
Ying Xi laughed and pushed Prince Yong’s head away.
His brother used to only cause trouble. Now he was still causing trouble, but at least Dang’er had a few points of a sense of justice. An older brother’s requirements were never high; he could wait for him to progress step by step.
“Just say Huachao has gone to Longxing Temple to pray and won’t be back for three years. Forcing her to end her period of quiet cultivation will affect Great Qin’s national fortune.”
This was a reasonable delay.
As Ying Xi made the arrangement, Prince Yong’s figure stiffened for a moment. Not because of the decision, but because when his brother touched his hair, his fingertips brought a soft sensation that made his entire scalp feel tingly and numb.
Prince Yong dazed and finished writing.
[System Mission: Interact with any character to restore energy (55%/100%)]
“‘Your servant reports again: the Xiongnu Chanyu has gifted the Prince a Ferghana horse. The Prince was riding in the borderlands and nearly crossed the border.'”
Prince Yong sneered: “Such a trivial matter, and Su Xueyi reports it to Brother?”
He was about to write another curse.
Ying Xi, seeing how well-behaved his brother was, felt like giving him some guidance. He said to Prince Yong: “What does ‘gifted’ mean?”
“It means he gave it to him,” Prince Yong said.
“What is it called when I give you something?”
“Bestowed.”
Prince Yong reacted quickly. He was only paranoid, not an idiot. He immediately said sharply: “There’s a problem with the Chanyu’s status?”
“Chanyu Uwei is the Prince’s uncle. When he took over the tribe, he once promised the gods that he would return all power once the Prince reached adulthood,” Ying Xi answered.
Prince Yong didn’t have much interest in state affairs and just listened for the novelty. He said indifferently: “Then how does Brother say we should reply?”
[System Mission: Interact with any character to restore energy (75%/100%)]
Ying Xi: “Take out the most magnificent saddle from my storehouse and find a way to sell it to the Prince.”
Prince Yong naturally was dissatisfied as he wrote, secretly feeling jealous: “I don’t even have a great horse, yet Brother is even helping him complete the set…”
Ying Xi leaned on his hand and looked at him with a smile: “Then what have I bestowed upon you?”
“Money, houses, precious sabers.” This was how close relatives interacted; even if there were conflicts between brothers, once one side took a step closer, the other would immediately stick to them.
Prince Yong hugged Ying Xi’s arm, his face pressed against Ying Xi’s shoulder, saying affectionately: “Brother, the dog is too fierce. Give my saber back to me.”
[System Mission: Interact with any character to restore energy (85%/100%)]
His brother’s acting spoiled somewhat diluted the solemnity everywhere during the war.
But Ying Xi was unmoved. He tapped Prince Yong’s brow: “I have never bestowed a fast horse upon you because I don’t want you to have an accident while galloping. I confiscated your weapon because I’m afraid you’ll get hurt fighting with others. I am doing it for your own good.”
“That Xiongnu man, Uwei, has ill intentions; he wants to get his nephew killed. I’ll go add some fuel to the fire and watch them fight from the other side of the river.” Ying Xi concluded at the end: “Dang’er, when handling state affairs, you should see the micro in the macro.”
But how could Prince Yong still listen? In his mind, all that remained was the repeated phrase: I am doing it for your own good.
Prince Yong only felt that after circling around—having suspected and taken revenge on his brother for several years—his resentment had now dissolved and the clouds had cleared. The one who was best to him in this world was still his brother; there was no one else.
Prince Yong hugged Ying Xi’s arm a bit tighter. Under the guise of acting spoiled, he was actually taking liberties. Prince Yong secretly moved his hug from Ying Xi’s shoulder to his waist, his nose trembling slightly as he inhaled the sweet air between them.
He thought his brother didn’t know and even hoped his brother would silently permit it.
That hand of his was a bit restless; his fingertips hooked around Ying Xi’s slender waist, tightening inward. His brother’s waist was sensitive and ticklish; he would surely tremble. If his brother truly had feelings for him, the next logical step would be to lean toward him, and this matter would be a success. Prince Yong secretly held his breath in anticipation.
[System Mission: Interact with any character to restore energy (95%/100%)]
But what he received was Ying Xi’s serious face.
The Emperor said without moving: “Regarding Huachao’s marriage, I promised to let her decide. It is the same for you; if you have a suitable candidate for a Princess, I will respect your choice. Dang’er, did you hear me?”
The summer was warm.
“…” Prince Yong actually gave a violent shiver.
This was his brother reminding him once again that any relationship between them other than being brothers was impossible. Even though he had told his brother about his feelings countless times, both openly and secretly, the other party still loved him—but it didn’t stop him from not accepting it.
Ying Dang gritted his teeth, his arms were stiff, and sweat had already appeared on his brow!
Desire expanded; he didn’t know how many times in his heart he had wanted to bite through the blood-tie between them. His fingers curled inward fiercely as Prince Yong pinched his own palm until blood welled up!
He wanted to merge with the other’s flesh and blood. A younger brother is clearly the closest person in the world, yet he cannot do the most intimate things with his older brother.
Why???
Thoughts of self-destruction once again surfaced in Prince Yong’s mind. If he threatened with death, would there be any possibility of this love changing? Was he going to do that again?
The paranoid evil thoughts in Prince Yong’s mind were about to go to an extreme again, but they were forcefully stopped by the memory of those drops of blood flowing from Mr. Qiao in the hidden compartment. He now sacrificed to the old man’s memorial tablet every day; every time he bowed, the regret in his heart grew by one point.
Morality will give a person invisible shackles; he had vaguely been put in chains. Prince Yong loathed his current self!
Prince Yong still bit his lower lip and responded stiffly: “I don’t want to get married yet. Don’t shove people into my mansion; it’ll just restrain me.”
[System Mission: Interact with any character to restore energy (100%/100%)]
[Mission accomplished. Currently running normally; please maintain.]
[Reward obtained: Favorability of all targets +5. Please note: you have an important message waiting to be checked; please check it in time.]
Information flashed on the Dating System interface. Ying Xi observed it without emotion. He didn’t know what the important message was; just as he was about to click it, the study door swung open.
Click.
Lian Qing entered without being summoned, his face extremely frantic. He practically fell before Ying Xi:
“This… this subordinate deserves ten thousand deaths!”
“Front-line report: the eastern and western routes met at the gates of Xindu City. They have fought three battles and suffered three defeats. The enemy took no prisoners, and not a single soldier who charged the formation survived!”
Translator’s Note:
- General Crab (蟹将军): This is a play on words! The surname Xie (谢) and the word for “crab” (蟹) are homophones in Chinese (Xiè). Xie Qianli holding up his fingers to show he’s 22 looks like a crab’s pincers, making him “General Crab.”
- Make a Fool of Oneself (现眼): This term literally means to “show one’s eyes” in an embarrassing way, usually by making a scene or acting ridiculously in public.
- Fanglan Hall (芳兰殿): A location in the palace from their shared past. It adds a bit of “childhood friend” lore to the story.
- Bright Moon (明月): A common metaphor in Chinese literature for something high, pure, and unattainable. Xie calling Ying Xi his “bright moon” is very romantic and shows his deep adoration.
- Brother-con (兄控): A term from internet slang (derived from the Japanese kyodai-kon) referring to someone with a “brother complex.” It describes Prince Yong’s obsessive attachment perfectly.
- Croton Seeds (巴豆): A very potent traditional Chinese laxative. Putting it in someone’s food is a classic (and messy) prank.
- Kings, Dukes… (王侯将相宁有种乎): A famous historical quote from Chen Sheng and Wu Guang’s rebellion against the Qin Dynasty. It means “Are kings and nobles born to their status?” It highlights the rebels’ core belief in equality through force.
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