Translated by: Sahloknir
The Gentlemanly Young Master Who Slew People Like Flies.
It was already morning when he woke up again.
Last night, Wei Lian faked his fainting spell. The Chang Emperor of Qin was so perceptive, that he was afraid that any further acting would reveal a flaw, so he simply fainted and was carried all the way back to bed.
They slept together on the same bed, each covered with their own quilt. At first he was wary and kept vigilant, but his fever was not a lie, and as he was physically and mentally exhausted, he gradually fell asleep.
Then, as soon as he woke up, he came face to face with the Qin Emperor.
…To be honest, it's quite a scary sight so early in the morning.
The Qin Emperor was a very handsome man, with impeccable features. His eyelashes were extremely long and distinctly fanned out. The bridge of his nose was high, and his lips were light and thin, with just the right shape.
After Wei Lian had stared for a while, Ji Yue awoke, revealing a pair of stunning eyes.
His voice carried a husky timbre from having just awoken in the early morning, but his slightly upturned phoenix eyes were clear and bright. "Is our appearance to your liking?"
Wei Lian jerked in surprise.
Then he reacted, as he immediately lifted the quilt and knelt down on the other side of the bed and bent his head, his voice tinged with a hint of nervousness, "Qin Emperor."
Ji Yue lazily propped himself up, with his inky hair slipping over his shoulder, his appearance was very seductive.
He gazed at the young man kneeling in front of him with interest, "It looks like you’re really awake this time."
Wei Lian spoke quietly. "Last night, did Wei Lian…commit any transgressions?"
Not at all. Yesterday, all he did was hold his sleeve and refuse to let go, hugged him and called him ‘mother’, and wiped his tears all over him.
No one had ever dared to treat him like this in eight hundred years!
Instead of answering directly, Ji Yue said teasingly, "No offence has been taken, IJi Yue is being informal here and using 'I' instead of 'we'. was greatly pleased and you have served me well."
The young man's sober look was so serious, so different from the dazed and cute look he had last night. Ji Yue couldn't help but give way to the wicked impulse, wanting to see how he would blush when he teased him.
As expected, a look of bewilderment did appear on Wei Lian's flushed face.
...Served?
Ji Yue smiled slightly, "You were very sick last night, so you probably don't remember. I was lucky to have you…right here on the imperial bed."
Wei Lian, "..."
Tsk. If he hadn't remembered exactly what happened last night, he would have believed it.
The Qin Emperor’s ability to tell lies without blinking was truly first class.
If the Qin Emperor could act, then so could Wei Lian.
He quickly revealed a shocked look, his cheeks slightly flushed again, and a little bewilderment surfaced in his expression.
"Shy?" Ji Yue suddenly leaned over and bullied him, his hair brushing Wei Lian’s face with a slight tickle.
Wei Lian raised his eyes abruptly, panic in his gaze and he opened his mouth to speak, "You…"
But the Qin Emperor caught his chin.
Ji Yue's long phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinised Wei Lian’s face and sighed in admiration, "What a beauty."
"A beauty like you was born to be in the harem, to be pampered under men. The Chu Emperor has really treated a bright pearl like a fish eye, allowing you to languish in his palace for so many years. If we were him, we would have tasted you long ago." The humiliating words came out of Ji Yue's mouth in a frivolous manner, every word of which was full of insults and slurs.
He felt that Ji Yue had a point, and he was indeed a beauty. He harboured no doubt on this score.
As for the words that followed, he didn't give them a second thought.
It was no secret in the seven empires that the Chu Emperor was a lecher—even snatching the wives of his subjects, forcing them into his harem and then discarding them like a forgotten toy. The late Emperor had a lady who was supposed to take the title of ‘Consort Dowager’, but the Chu Emperor committed a heinous sin, taking his father’s concubine as his own.
It was not uncommon for brothers or friends to give each other concubines. It was also common practice for some princes and ministers to play with male pets and then give them to others when they were tired of them. The Chu Emperor once received a male favourite from a minister, and after being pampered, he found out that the man was the brother of a concubine in the harem. That both brother and sister had serviced the Emperor, quickly became an anecdote in the royal household.
The relationships within the Chu Empire’s Royal Court were complicated and often bizarre. Wei Lian had watched the inner workings of the Court with a cold eye for many years. He had seen it all, but had never uttered a word.
He had hardly ever seen his so-called father, and had always taken care to keep his face hidden. Otherwise, with the beastly nature of the Chu Emperor, it was not known whether he would have laid hands on his own son.
Funnily enough, it was only when he was about to leave for the Qin Empire that the Chu Emperor actually granted him a proper audience. When he saw how beautiful Wei Lian was, a look of obvious regret and lust crossed his face.
Contempt flashed in Wei Lian's eyes.
With such an idiot for an emperor, it was only natural that the Chu Empire would fall to the Qin.
* * *
The Qin Emperor wanted to insult him with his words, but he did not know that Wei Lian's skin was already as thick as a wall, and his heart did not stir as he listened—he even wanted to laugh a little.
However, he still acted as if he had a thin skin, pretending to restrain his non-existent annoyance and shame, "Qin Emperor—”
"Now that you have entered Qin lands, you are no longer Lian Gongzi of the Chu Empire, but Wei Shijun in the Royal Court of my Qin Empire." Ji Yue stroked his cheek, "Remember your place. What should you call me?"
Wei Lian’s voice was hesitant and slightly bitter, “...Your Majesty.”
Wei Lian's voice was halting. "...Your Majesty."
Ji Yue removed his hand, "Very good."
Wei Lian lowered his head. "Wei Lian..."
"That's not what you should be calling yourself."
Wei Lian froze.
Addressing himself? What should he call himself?
According to the rules of the Qin Royal Court, the Empress and the four FeiNoble Consort and three Consorts called themselves ‘consorts’, whereas the concubines used ‘maidservant or servant girl’.
Serving the Emperor as ‘Shijun’ was a status equivalent to that of a concubine's.
But he was a man.
Is it necessary to call oneself a servant girl?
A Gongzi with royal blood in his veins, reduced to being a slave?
Wei's Lian’s long, dark eyelashes were lowered and he looked a little vulnerable.
He suppressed the flash of concealed danger beneath his lashes.
No matter what, he refused to use such a contemptible form of address.
Wei Lian had a bottom line. Yes, he was willing to seduce the Qin Emperor, because he wanted to live a good life and therefore would submit to lying under a man. He would also be on the receiving end of pleasure. So all in all he wouldn’t suffer any losses.
But he was unwilling to do so as a slave.
Moreover, if he really obeyed the Qin Emperor in every way, the man would probably lose interest in him very quickly.
Wei Lian paused for a moment of deliberation and said respectfully, "This subject will bear it in mind."
* * *
He called himself using the same self-address as a minister.
“Oh?” Ji Yue uttered in surprise, I thought you were usually less interesting than last night. I was mistaken."
"Wei Shijun, you are a very interesting man." It was uncertain if Ji Yue was being sarcastic or giving a compliment, "You have great courage."
Wei Lian said in a gentle voice, “Your Majesty is overly flattering.”
Ji Yue gave a noncommittal smile, not bothered by the change to Wei Lian’s title.
He arose from the imperial bed and spread his arms out, "Change our clothes for us."
It was time for the Qin Emperor to attend Court.
Wei Lian got out of bed in silence. He was already in good physical shape, so after a night's rest he was fine.
Wei Lian silently got out of bed. He had a good physical constitution. After a night's rest, he was faring better now.
While he was slender, his height was on par with that of the Qin Emperor’s, so he meekly lowered his gaze and avoided eye contact.
The court robes were heavy, and therefore Wei Lian’s movements were clumsy, so he inevitably bumped the other person a little.
"Never served anyone before?" Ji Yue raised an eyebrow.
Wei Lian shook his head slightly, "No, I haven't."
He was the royal son of a kingdom, and even at the height of his humiliation, no one had dared to order him to change their clothes.
Those outwardly bold, psychologically twisted eunuchs were cowardly at heart, so even if they dared to trample him into the mud, they did not dare to casually order him around.
As he looked down to fasten the sash, the Qin Emperor suddenly grasped his hand. "Wei Lang'Lang' is an official title for a minister in imperial times, but can be used affectionately, like darling or my love. Usually used when addressing a husband or partner. has such beautiful hands."
The words ‘Wei Lang’ almost gave Wei Lian goosebumps.
When Wei Lian tried to pull his hand back, the Emperor gently stroked his palm and then asked, "But why are there calluses?"
Wei Lian paused then said softly, “Although this subject has the title of ‘Gongzi’ I didn’t have a good life in the Chu Empire’s Royal Court. When I was a child, I used to work for the eunuchs in the palace in exchange for food and silver. These calluses were created from the hard work at that time."
He was telling half-truths.
He did have a hard time, even worse than he stated.
He had done the most menial work for the eunuch and therefore his skin was no more delicate than the average nobleman's son.
As a child, his palms were so tender that the skin often tore and dripped with blood, but he could only endure it. Those who were as lowly as mud took pleasure in humiliating a royal son, forcing him to call himself a servant and to lower his head and kneel in submission.
Once upon a time, Wei Lian had crawled in abject humiliation, just for a mouthful of rice.
Just to survive.
Only in the darkest of days and greatest of dangers can the strongest and toughest heart be refined.
Later…those hands wielded a sword.
That sword was stained with blood, killing all those who had insulted him in the past.
Those people died so quietly that no one suspected he had done it.
The world said that the Qin Emperor was a tyrannical and ruthless leader, who hid daggers in his smile and killed without blinking an eye.
But no one had heard of the virtuous Lian Gongzi, a youth as gentle as jade—
Who also killed people like flies.
I cannot stress enough how much I love this dynamic of cunning x more cunning ahaha this is so fun!
Really like the story and enjoy great translation.
Truly said. it’s hard to distinguish I and bold I while reading. Maybe it better to use original gu/we form or kind of phrase like ‘this Emperor‘ instead bolded I. Even european royal ‘we. our’ is better. imho.
And Dear Translator, please don’t use/translate character 刀 as knife instead sword, blade, not all 刀are knives of all sort,
That Chu emperor is so damn disgusting Dx Okay, the whole “here, let me gift you a human plaything” practice is disgusting.
Thx for the ch (ㅅ˘ㅂ˘)