Chapter 5: 5

Xiao Weiming was beaten by his brother and pitifully huddled in the corner of the wall, not daring to move, knowing that he was wrong.

As soon as Xiao Weixin came out, You Shu quickly found a place to hide. Anyone with a discerning mind would refrain from showing up in front of the protagonist at this time to avoid being used as a means to vent his anger at being woken up.

Xiao Weixin sat at the table coldly and took a moment to calm down. Then he looked at Xiao Weiming and scolded: “Are you an idiot? Didn’t I tell you to stay away from him?”

“I, I know… “Xiao Weiming looked at him aggrievedly and then continued: “But, but he humiliated you in front of me! How can I tolerate it?!”

Xiao Weixin kicked at him and spoke fiercely: “If he wants to humiliate, then just let him! We both know what Xia Huaizhang’s personality is like, so why bother responding to his words?”

“No.” Xiao Weiming stood up, wiping his tears, and said very stubbornly: “I won’t allow him to talk about you in that manner! How dare a disgusting thing like him have such delusions about you? I will definitely say all those foul curses to him a second time if I have to!”

He was filled with righteous indignation and refused to admit his mistake. Xiao Weixin looked at him for a long time before sighing and throwing the sword in his hand to the ground. Then he said in a deep voice: “Come here.”

Xiao Weiming walked forward a few steps, crying, and the previous arrogance disappeared: “Seventh Brother, what should I do?”

“Now you know it’s troublesome? “Xiao Weixin hated iron for not being steel1. “I will remember this matter and will definitely settle this account with Xia Huaizhang in the future. But I have repeatedly warned you that until that time comes you must be patient and think clearly about the consequences of any of your actions. Since you don’t have the ability to kill the enemy in one move, you can only continue to endure, no matter how many reasons you have for wanting to kill him. Do you understand?”

Xiao Weiming nodded incessantly but he still cried aggrievedly and said: “If Mother Consort was still here, how could we be subjected to such humiliation?”

Xiao Weiming’s mother is the Consort Shu2 among the four consorts3 and she and Xiao Weixin’s mother Consort Xian4 were like sisters. The two had similar temperaments and disliked the infighting and competition in the harem. Consort Shu’s status was a little higher than Consort Xian’s and at that time, she protected Consort Xian and Xiao Weixin from bullying. So hearing Xiao Weiming mentioning her now made Xiao Weixin feel a little upset as well.

You Shu hid in the grass, looking at the two brothers who were both silent, and couldn’t help but sigh. He could understand Xiao Weixin’s various ambitions very well. After all, which person wouldn’t want to fight back and resist after being oppressed by power for a long time?

This matter was not included in the book and You Shu didn’t know how Xiao Weixin would solve this matter. So, he could only wait and see what happened.

Xiao Weixin really has a headache. Now is the time when it is most important for him to keep a low profile but it is also impossible for him to abandon Xiao Weiming, even though he is a troublemaker.

So he could only ask Xiao Weiming to first explain the cause and effect of this matter.

“While I was eating, Xia Huaizhang and his lackeys were sitting in the box next door. At first, they were saying something about repairing the bridge and paying money to someone so I didn’t listen carefully and didn’t pay any attention to them. But the more they talked, the more vulgar they became. And later, Seventh Brother, they even compared you to those flower girls5 at the brothels and said all kinds of obscene things, so I just…”

Xiao Weixin calmly listened to his narration of what happened during lunch and unconsciously tapped the table with his uninjured hand, lost in thought: “You said…you heard something about the bridge repair?”

“Yes.” Xiao Weiming nodded hurriedly. “But I didn’t listen carefully, so it was probably unimportant.”

Xiao Weixin tried to restrain himself but in the end he still couldn’t hold back: “You pig-brained idiot! When it’s a time for you to listen carefully, you don’t pay any attention but if it’s this insignificant matter, you hold on to it without letting go!? Can’t you clearly distinguish the priorities!?”

Xiao Weiming was scolded for no reason and closed his mouth, feeling wronged.6

“Seventh Brother, why do you keep scolding me?”

You Shu knew about the bridge repair because it was a part of the plot of the novel. The previous year, a sudden flood in the south drowned tens of thousands of people and destroyed countless villages. At that time, the dog emperor was furious and had many people executed. Xiao Weixin also took advantage of this mass execution to push many of his own people to higher positions.

Later, the dog emperor allocated hundreds of thousands of silver taels for the purpose of building bridges and dams. This task was assigned to his most trusted grandfather, Prime Minister Xia, who naturally handed over this lucrative task7 to his only son Xia Huaizhang.

But people like Xia Huaizhang are extremely short-sighted and shallow. Let alone his old fox of a father, he is utterly inferior even when compared to Xiao Weishen. Being a lustful and greedy person, he naturally took advantage of this matter to unceremoniously misuse the funds. After embezzling one hundred thousand taels of silver for himself, the remaining money was distributed among his subordinates and lackeys, leaving a very small amount for the actual task.

The consequence of this was that the cost for building the bridges and repairing the dams was grossly insufficient and the resultant crudely constructed structures would inevitably be unable to withstand the next flood. Xiao Weixin seized this opportunity to secretly manipulate the situation to his benefit and his covert machinations caused the first rift between Xiao Weishen and his grandfather’s family. After all, the dog emperor treated his grandfather’s family so well, but they were still greedy and wanted to embezzle the funds for the bridge repairs. Isn’t this just not taking him seriously?

It turns out that the source of this plot lies here. A smart person like Xiao Weixin must be able to detect something through these few words and You Shu doesn’t have to worry about it.

Xiao Weixin scolded Xiao Weiming for causing trouble again and after a while, seeing that he was upset, sent him back. After sending him away, he sat alone at the table in the porch, deep in thought. He was dressed in white and had ink-black hair. Even though he was just sitting casually, he looks as beautiful as a painting8. You Shu couldn’t help praising the protagonist’s good looks again9.

He anticipated the moment when the heroine would finally appear. The two of them must look very pleasing and attractive when they stand together.

“Come here.” Xiao Weixin finally opened his mouth to call for someone.

Ying Wu quietly poked You Shu’s waist. He had always been afraid of the prince, so he asked him to deal with it. You Shu had no choice but to stand up and reply: “This subordinate is here.”

Xiao Weixin looked up and recognized him: “It’s you again?”

You Shu replied in a low voice: “What orders does the lord have?”

Originally, Xiao Weixin had a task to assign but after seeing You Shu, he felt it was not that urgent. For some reason, he kept noticing this little shadow guard today. Perhaps it was because the first encounter left a deep impression on him. He asked in a languid tone: “Are you also a shadow guard?”

“Yes.” You Shu replied while kneeling with his head bowed.

Xiao Weixin’s expression was indifferent, not revealing any emotions. He said coldly: “Raise your head.”

These words are just like the terrible dialogue of the overbearing CEO in novels….

You Shu raised his head obediently, and finally dared to look straight ahead.

This was the first time that Xiao Weixin looked directly at him in the sunlight. In the morning, the study was dark and he could only get a rough look. Now that he took a closer look in this brightness, he felt that this little shadow guard is really beautiful.

Few people know that His Royal Highness Xiao Weixin is actually a serious face control patient. None of the guards and personal maids around him were unattractive because he couldn’t tolerate ugly things appearing in his line of sight at all and seeing them would make him irritable.

“What’s your name?” Xiao Weixin drank his tea contentedly without moving his eyes away.

You Shu, who was unaware of the protagonist’s thoughts, replied obediently: “Replying to the prince, this subordinate’s code name is Ying San.”

“Ying San?” When he heard this name, Xiao Weixin immediately remembered him, “You are the Ying San who Xie Feiyuan has repeatedly recommended to this king as a candidate for his successor?”

Xie Feiyuan is the given name of Master Yingshou.

You Shu didn’t know that Master Yingshou had recommended him in front of Xiao Weixin and was stunned. After a while, he hurriedly replied: “This subordinate really doesn’t know about this matter.”

“Hmph.” Xiao Weixin snorted coldly, “The attitude is neither humble nor arrogant.”10

He remembered what he11 said to Xiao Weiming when he was woken up just now and felt that Ying San was a smart person. He likes smart people: “Since you are a talented person, work hard by this king’s side and you can have many benefits in the future, do you understand?”

There’s no need for you to say that ah12. I am already working hard……

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You Shu replied solemnly: “My lord can rest assured that this subordinate will definitely not disappoint the lord’s regard. This subordinate is willing to brave any danger13 for the lord and will forever be loyal and never betray the lord!”

One can’t help but wonder if this upright speech filled with loyalty and devotion made the protagonist feel touched.

Xiao Weixin was very satisfied and felt that his mood had improved. He waved his hand: “You can retreat. And call that dog Wang Chen for me! Is he sleeping or dead? Still not coming to serve!”

“Yes.” You Shu heard the order, turned around and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

Although they are all guards, the guards are also divided into levels. For example, Qi Han and Wang Chen are the personal bodyguards who have followed Xiao Weixin since he was a child and their importance is different from that of the shadow guards.

If one classifies them, then the two of them can be regarded as the officially employed staff of a public institution while their group of shadow guards are temporary workers who do all the dirty and hard work and are paid only half of the salary.

The lifelong dream of almost all of the shadow guards is to become an ordinary bodyguard so that they can at least live a righteous life in an upright manner. Due to this, Qi Han and Wang Chen are their idols.

And at the moment this idol of theirs is in a very sorry and disheveled state because he was scolded by the prince for waking up late.

Ying Wu watched his idol being criticized, feeling very distressed in his heart, and couldn’t help pinching You Shu’s arm.

You Shu turned his head to look at him speechlessly. What’s wrong with this guy? It’s not like they can rush out and beat up Xiao Weixin, so what’s the point of pinching him?

Today’s duty ended in a dull and uneventful way. The next duty may not be until several days later because he might be assigned some other tasks. The main reason for the existence of the Shadow Guard team, aside from protecting the prince, is to collect intelligence for the prince.

Information gathering is the most important.

It was getting late. Xiao Weixin, who was preparing for bed, suddenly sneezed a few times inadvertently. Hua Chun had just made the bed and was about to leave. When she heard this sound, she turned around and asked in a low voice: “Does the lord feel cold?”

“It’s not cold. Go out.” Xiao Weixin said impatiently.

Hua Chun was about to withdraw when she suddenly remembered something and said: “My lord, the side consort14… It will be her birthday in two days. Do you have any instructions?”

Speaking of Zhou cefei, Xiao Weixin frowned in disgust, “No matter what, Xiao Weishen was the one who sent her. It wouldn’t be appropriate to just ignore her.”

“Tomorrow, prepare some things to send her for her birthday and just say that this king specially chose them to gift her and that this king will visit her courtyard in a few days.”

Hua Chun acknowledged the order, turned around, closed the door and went out.

Xiao Weixin was the only one left in the room. He looked at the burning red candle on the table, his dark eyes not revealing any emotion.

Meanwhile, at 8 o’clock in the evening, Ying Jiu and Ying Liu arrived to take the posts of You Shu and Ying Wu. After the handover, the two of them returned to the dormitories to rest.

After taking a bath, You Shu habitually pulled out the iron box from under the bed and took out a notebook to record today’s diary.

The charcoal pen has nearly been used up again so he will have to find a new one tomorrow and sharpen it.

You Shu silently opened the notebook and started to write.

‘Sunny, X day of X year and X month’

‘Today was the brightest moment of my life because the prince finally noticed me for the first time and even said a lot of gentle words to me.’

‘He also encouraged me to work hard. I think he was implying that in the future, I would be promoted and get a raise.’

‘Life is so impermanent and any moment may suddenly be filled with surprise. I think that the other brothers15 would understand my excitement. ‘

‘I don’t know if my heroic appearance today has impressed him.’

After finishing writing, You Shu was relaxed and let out a long sigh of relief. He put away the notebook and the box and lay down on the bed, waving his hand to extinguish the candle.

Another night passes dreamlessly.

T/N: My dumbass managed to forget to translate chapter 5. Surprising because I have 15 chapters translated and I somehow managed to skip 5. Like what?? And then I went to edit that chapter and felt that something was wrong so lets just all be thankful that my sleep-deprived brain even managed to notice that something was off or you all would be completely confused by reading 6 after 4. I translated this in record time (6 hours) people when I usually take at least 10 hours. So some appreciation in the comments would be nice

Anyways, hopefully the new year has been great for you so far and will continue to be great.

1

恨铁不成钢 (Hèn tiě bùchéng gāng) is a Chinese idiom meaning “disappointed that iron does not turn into steel” which describes dissatisfaction with the expected person who is not up to date and does not make progress, and eagerly hopes that he will get better.

2

Beautiful Consort (淑妃: shū fēi). Also its a title, not her surname.

3

This four consort thing is basically a system of the imperial harem. The exact number of the consorts have varied over several dynasties. Basically they assist the empress in managing the harem. These four would have specific titles. The ones I have found most consistent are Noble Consort (guìfēi), Beautiful Consort (shū fēi), Virtuous Consort (dé fēi) and Talented Consort(xián fēi), in that ranking order.

4

Talented Consort (贤妃:xián fēi). Again, title not surname.

5

Flower Girl (花娘: Huā niáng ) is a euphemistic way of calling a prostitute and was also used for singers in ancient times because back then singers and entertainers were considered to be as lowly and shameful as the prostitutes.

6

My poor innocent confused lil bby lolol

7

肥差 (féi chāi) means a lucrative or cushy job. It basically refers to any task that can give a lot of benefits to the doer.

8

Chinese version of as pretty as a picture. Meaning very graceful, elegant, pleasing and attractive.

9

He is a complete fanboy smh but I can understand lol.

10

不卑不亢 (bùbēibùkàng) is a Chinese idiom which means “neither servile nor overbearing” and is used to describe a person’s attitude towards others with a decent attitude and proper proportion.

11

You Shu

12

Like the previous En, I felt it was better to add this in to express the slight doubt and wronged feeling in this sentence. But do tell me if you feel this interrupts the reading flow. If it does then I will remove it.

13

赴汤蹈火 (fùtāngdǎohuǒ) is a Chinese idiom meaning to give all the courage to something, to move forward without sparing any effort, and it is a metaphor to move forward bravely without avoiding difficulties and dangers.

14

侧妃 (cè fēi) is the concubine or consort of a prince who is below the rank of the official princess (wangfei) but above any other concubines.

15

the other shadow guards

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