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Arc 3: Chapter 1 t/n tw: slavery/torture

Lin Yuan left the world and sat on a sofa in the system space absentmindedly, and 521 sat next to him. They sighed simultaneously.

“Sigh……”

“Sigh……”

   【Host, congrats on completing the task. The task level was B. Completion score was A. Rewarded 2000 points.】

   【After finishing the task, the host remained in the world for 72 years. Deducting 1440 points. 1420 points remain.】

The 860 points in the first world, added to the points from this world, did not even sum up to the amount of points awarded for completing one task. 

When 521 saw the number, it covered its head with its small wings and wallowed in nonexistent heartache.

“Wuuu, Senior, falling in love costs so many points. 521 will never fall in love in the future, 521 wants to be number one!”

Lin Yuan rubbed 521 and comforted him: “Well, although… falling in love takes a lot of time, but I still completed the task in time.”

521 was numb. The time in the two worlds summed up to 134 years, and it was especially afraid of one possibility. The Senior wouldn’t meet his husband again right?

It perched on Lin Yuan’s shoulder and asked nervously: “Senior, in the next world, the mission target wouldn’t be your husband right?”

Lin Yuan’s eyes flickered in response and he couldn’t help pressing down on his heart. An indescribably sense of suffocation expanded through his chest: “I don’t know……”

He looked at the glowing stars surrounding the system space. His eyes were out of focus, as if he was looking far into the distance, at something out of reach. 

“I… I want to be with him, but…but I don’t want him to live so painfully.”

Lin Yuan was silent with his thoughts for a while. Then he held 521 in his hand and rubbed its fluffy body: “Let’s go to the next world. Don’t you want to be number one?”

521 instantly threw the thought of the Senior’s husband to the back of his mind and hopped happily: “Ok~”

⋅ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅ ˚ ₊ ‧ 

The Daliang Dynasty, in the imperial city of Jinling. 

Prince Chu’s Mansion. 

The place where the little prince lived was as quiet as ever. 

A green clothed maid that served the little prince stepped into the study carrying a sandalwood tray with tea and pastries that the little prince had requested. 

The maid was about to place the tray down when the little prince stood up from behind the desk with eyes red from anxiety and rushed outside. 

“Prepare the carriage! To Prince Yanping’s Mansion!”

The maid hurriedly followed outside. She could only glimpse a shadow of the little prince’s blue clothes and was puzzled in her heart. 

Usually, the little prince was obsessed with calligraphy and painting, even the invitations to various banquets were thrown aside. He was always reluctant to go out, so what was going on today?

The servants quickly prepared a carriage and parked in front of the vermillion main entrance of the mansion. The last time the carriage was used was ten days ago when the little prince entered the palace to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager during the national ceremony. 

Lin Yuan entered the carriage and shouted with urgency: “Hurry! I want to go to Prince Yanping’s Mansion!”

“Yes, prince.”

Sitting in the luxurious carriage, Lin Yuan’s heart was going crazy. Although he didn’t know if the mission target this time was his husband, but…… Jiang Qian’s life was too miserable. 

Jiang Qian was the son of Jiang Heng, the former cabinet minister, and the third son of the Jiang family.

Jiang Qian was a man of talents from a young age. At the age of 18, he achieved first place in the county exam, the prefectural exam, rural exam, general exam, palace exam, and imperial exam. And he became the first person to achieve first place in all six exams. t/n these are all exams that ancient scholars had to take, can learn more here (have to google translate the page)

A stunning figure like him should have had a successful future. Following his father, he should have become a famous and virtuous official. But a year ago, an assistant in the cabinet wrote a letter to accuse Jiang Heng of treason and presented evidence.

The case was a serious matter. The emperor ordered his brother, Prince Qi, to be a judge alongside the three departments: Ministry of Justice, Dali Temple, and the imperial censor. After three months, the evidence was conclusive. 

The emperor was furious and declared that the Jiang family would be beheaded in public. But because Jiang Qian was the model of all scholars in the empire and because Tutor Fu and other court officials pleaded for him, the emperor was lenient and spared his life. 

However, the emperor did not actually let Jiang Qian go free. He demoted the other’s status to slavery, who was finally bought by the son of Prince Yanping. 

This hedonistic son of Prince Yanping was vengeful. Because Jiang Quan had overshadowed him since he was child, both in terms of appearance and achievements, the son of Prince Yanping had long been hostile to Jiang Qian. Now that the Jiang family was ruined and Jiang Qian was reduced to slavery, he came for revenge.

After Jiang Qian came to the Yanping mansion, he was tortured severely. He suffered to the point of mentally breaking down, losing his own identity, and turning into a walking corpse. The son of Prince Yanping watched as Jiang Qian had his arm broken. When the other didn’t scream in pain, he lost interest and left the other behind him.

Jiang Qian had indeed mentally collapsed. A proud son of heaven was reduced to a lowly slave and tortured. Jian Qian, who had always been the best among his peers, was naturally arrogant and prideful. But the physical pain and humiliation had broken him, and he couldn’t accept who he had become. 

But the hatred of the Jiang family burdened him. Even if he was forced to kneel down on the ground like a dog, he couldn’t kneel forever. He had to stand up to avenge his parents and all of the Jiang family. 

Jiang Qian began to scheme while acting dormant. During the spring hunting event, three years after the destruction of the Jiang family, the son of Prince Yanping took him along.

Amidst the activity, Jiang Qian escaped and ran to where the emperor’s harem was staying and pleaded the empress for help. 

The queen knew of him. She had wanted to berate this wild man but she didn’t want to scare the rest of the concubines. Jiang Qian then revealed that he had already been castrated and did not count as a man. 

Many concubines had heard of Jiang Qian’s excellence in the past, and many people were tempted to marry their daughters to him, but who expected that now he was living worse than a dog. The queen couldn’t bear his grievance, and led him to see the emperor. 

When he met the emperor, Jiang Qian kowtowed and groveled. He no longer retained his youthful spirit, and only begged the emperor to grant him death. 

This matter caused a big disturbance, and Tutor Fu and other officials hurried over and listened to Jiang Qian describe his experience in the past years. They saw how Jiang Qian was determined to die, and once again pleaded for him. 

The emperor deliberated for a moment, and then finally decided to let Jiang Qian serve himself as a servant. 

Afterwards, Jiang Qian gained power step by step. The emperor saw his value and used him as a sword, and Jiang Qian began his revenge. 

In decades time, Jiang Qian killed countless people. He was covered in blood like a resentful ghost, and destroyed the Daliang Dynasty and thrust the world into chaos. 

Finally, Jiang Qian achieved his revenge and committed suicide inside the abandoned house of the Jiang family. 

When Lin Yuan received the plot after arriving in the world, he was speechless. Jiang Qian was too miserable. 

At this time, Jiang Qian had been tortured for half a year in Prince Yanping manion’s. He probably didn’t even resemble a whole person now, Lin Yuan had to get him out as soon as possible. 

⋅ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅

Tens of days ago, in Prince Yanping Manion.

The son of Prince of Yanping sat on a chair, held a porcelain tea cup, and tasted the tea leisurely. 

In front of him, a bodyguard was clutching a whip dipped in salt water and beating a skinny man. 

Two other bodyguards grabbed the man’s arms and restrained him, preventing him from struggling. With every fall of the whip, the man trembled in pain. Another bodyguard asked roughly: “Who are you?”

The man’s face was stained with blood and his body was covered with dirt and dried blood. His eyes were dull and empty, like ashes. His cracked lips slowly moved and his voice was miniscule.

“Jiang Qian……”

The bodyguard slapped the man violently across the face and shouted: “Hit again!”

Another whip. The bodyguard asked again: “Who are you?”

“Jiang…… Jiang Qian……”

“Hit again!”

“Hit again!”

“Hit again!”

After dozens of whippings, the man fainted. The bodyguard did not stop the torture, instead, he ordered someone to wake him up with salt water.

The man’s bloody wounds were drenched in salt water and a bone-eating pain wrenched through his body. The man was in so much pain he wanted to die, but he couldn’t.

They coldly let the man roll across the ground like a worm. After some time, the two guards grabbed his arms and picked him up from the guard. The bodyguard patted the unconscious man and said guided: “You are a slave in Prince Yanping’s mansion. A lowly and despicable slave. Just a dog, understand?”

The man slightly knitted his eyebrows and wanted to open his eyes, but he had no strength left. 

The bodyguard asked again: “Who are you?”

The man’s answer was the same as before, but slower and more trance-like.

“Jiang…Jiang…Jiang……Qian……” He spit blood again. 

“Hit again!”

The previous scene was replayed, he was whipped and the bodyguard asked him the same question. 

The man was tortured for too long, and also hurt for too long. The pride in his body was broken, and the spirit of the scholar was trampled on the ground. From the respect of thousands to worthlessness, he had fallen into a muddy abyss. 

The Jiang family was destroyed and he was a slave. Why was he still alive? Why couldn’t he die?

Why didn’t these people let him go? Why didn’t they just kill him?

Please, anyone is fine, come and kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!

Let him die! Let him die! Let him die! Let him die! Let him die! Let him die! Let him die! Let him die! Let him die! Let him die!

When they heard his pleas, they just sneered and mocked him, but he was still alive.

He couldn’t die……

Why couldn’t he just die?

Jiang Qian felt that nothing mattered anymore. Anyway, this kind of torture will just repeat in the future. He was no longer the champion who saw Chang’an’s flowery road, that happy and beautiful past no longer existed. He was just a slave, a slave, a slave, a slave, a slave, a slave……

Jiang Qian’s consciousness was completely shattered, and his whole person broke down.

“...Slave……”

He was a slave.

When the son of Prince Yanping heard this word, he cackled loudly: “Yes! You are a slave! This one’s dog! From now on, you will sleep in the doghouse, eat dog food, and act as my good dog!”

t/n oof yea, this is a dark start...this son of yanping better watch his back,（ꐦಠ益ಠ）oh how i wish i could 🔪 fictional characters sometimes

t/n just kidding~ violence is not good oh~ 🗡(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)🔪

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