Arc 3: Chapter 22, 23
The spring hunting event was not restricted by many serious rules. It’s function was more like a sacrificial ceremony where they sacrificed all of the prey they hunted at the end to pray for blessings and avoid disasters.
During the years that Lin Yuan had been in this world, he had attended a few past spring hunting events.
Apart from the necessary social affairs like accompanying the emperor and empress dowager, Lin Yuan’s daily activities were to play, eat barbecue, and sleep.
Now, Lin Yuan was excited to go play.
Jiang Qian stared at his energetic little prince and thought to himself that Lin Yuan was still the simple and lively young teenager he used to be.
He pulled the man into his arms and rubbed the other’s slightly swollen lips with his cool fingertips: “Does the prince’s waist and legs not hurt anymore? I remember someone was saying they had leg and back pain a quarter of an hour ago.”
Lin Yuan shifted his torso right and left. It still hurt a little, but it was at a level where the pain could be ignored. It was more important to go play: “It’s fine, I won’t ride a horse. I’ll just walk around.”
He wrapped his arms around Jiang Qian’s neck and first kissed the man’s chin, and then gently scratched the other’s Adam’s apple. The goal was to fuss around: “Jiang Qian, let’s go play. I want to go play. Husband, let’s go, husband, husband……”
His voice was stretched out, obedient and soft, sweeter than honey.
Jiang Qian squeezed his coquettish little prince and his expression softened: “You want to go out that much?”
Lin Yuan en-en’ed and nodded: “Really, really want to~”
Jiang Qian’s eyes were full of smiles and he pecked the tip of Lin Yuan’s nose: “Okay, then I’ll go walk around with the prince.”
Once Lin Yuan got Jiang Qian’s approval, he was so happy he wanted to cheer: “Jiang Qian, you’re so good~ I like like like like you the most~”
But when Jiang Qian heard the word ‘good’, his eyes couldn’t help but sink a little. If he was the person he was before meeting Lin Yuan, he might have deserved that word. But now, he was no longer a good person. He had long ceased to be a good person.
The night Jiang Qian was appointed as the second-ranked admiral, he had a nightmare.
He dreamt that his father, Jiang Heng, was standing in the Jiang mansion’s study, as elegant and gentle as he remembered.
Jiang Qian felt his heart leap in happiness when he saw his father again. He wanted to call out ‘father’, but then Jiang Heng showed a look of suspicion, as if he didn’t recognize him.
Jiang Qian heard his father, who raised him and taught him how to read and write, ask him: “Who are you?”
Jiang Qian was stunned into silence. He was about to explain when Jiang Heng turned into his mother, the person who loved him the most.
His mother looked at him as if he were a stranger and asked: “Who are you?”
Then his two elder brother’s appeared, who used to play and care for him. They asked one after the other: “Who are you?”
Jiang Qian woke up in fear and his body was drenched in cold sweat.
The dream was so simple, but it made Jiang Qian feel fear that dug into his bone marrow, as if everything about him was slowly disappearing.
He quickly got up from the bed and rushed towards the mirror.
Looking at the increasingly pale and gloomy self in the mirror, Jiang Qian felt as if he was looking at someone he no longer recognized.
The man in the mirror was like a dark and evil spirit wearing a layer of human skin. There was no scholarly trace left.
Jiang Qian knew in his heart how he came to this point. He didn’t dare look back, because he knew what he would see.
The accumulation of death and corpses that he stepped over, the lives he used to survive until this day.
Jiang Qian no longer wanted to see himself, he was too afraid to confront himself. He broke the mirror with a punch and the sound woke Lin Yuan up from his sleep.
That night, he was like a lonely ghost, no place to go and no place to return to. His hands were bleeding, and he curled up in Lin Yuan’s arms, fragile and pitiful. He greedily absorbed the warmth and vitality of the young man and asked him to call his name over and over again.
Lin Yuan kissed Jiang Qian gently and let the other indulge in his hold. He accepted everything about Jiang Qian unquestionably, his past, future, life, or death.
He said Jiang Qian’s name repeatedly and let Jiang Qian know over and over again that he was still Jiang Qian.
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The two of them left their tent hand in hand and completely ignored all of the strange looks of the people around him.
In fact, the first year they went to the spring hunting event together, those people were not as polite and used wanton words to attack Jiang Qian behind their backs.
“Heh, really worthy of being the liuyuan, even capable at serving men. Fellows, do you think Jiang liuyuan is skilled or those prostitutes are skilled?”
“Of course Jiang liuyuan must be more skilled. Those prostitutes who’ve been working since young are far worse.”
“Why do you say so?”
“Think about it ah, those prostitutes are just some fun for the guests. Once the guests are done, they’ll forget them. Which prostitute can be like Jiang liuyaun, who was even brought to the royal palace and even favored in front of the public? Jiang liuyuan’s means of serving people must be extraordinary.”
“A person like Jiang liuyuan is rarely seen in this world. He must be the first liuyuan in history to have such a character, this one really respects him hahaha!”
When Lin Yuan heard these remarks, he was so infuriated he could practically spit out fire. But he couldn’t stop everyone’s mouths, so after that, he didn’t go out at all and stayed in the tent all of the time and played with his husband.
Jiang Qian had to coax him for a long time before he calmed down.
Over the next year, Jiang Qian had stopped doing secret work and started to work for the emperor in public view. That made many people not dare to criticize him anymore.
The northern zhenfusi where Jiang Qian worked specialized in investigating cases for the emperor.
At the start, the emperor already had the idea of reinstating the northern zhenfusi, but there was no one reliable to hold the position. He also didn’t completely trust Jiang Qian, so he first let Jiang Qian do secret work to test him.
As time went on, the emperor was very satisfied. He gradually delegated more and more power to Jiang Qian. And Jiang Qian grasped every opportunity to take over the northern zhenfusi in order to elevate his own status to match the person he liked.
After Jiang Qian was appointed as a second-ranked admiral, many nobles and officials in the capital were waiting to watch the following drama.
The rest of the public believed that now Jiang Qian had climbed up to an important position in court, he was sure to be unwilling to be tied with a man. They wanted to see how Jiang Qian would break off his cutsleeve relationship now that he no longer needed to hide behind the little prince. Maybe he would even retaliate against the little prince with his newly achieved position.
So during this spring hunting trip, everyone was surprised to see Jiang Qian sitting in Prince Chu’s carriage. It had already been two months, why hadn’t Jiang Qian made any moves? Could it be that… Jiang Qian didn’t want revenge on the little prince?”
Impossible, those people put themselves in his shoes, imagining they were forced to be under a man in troubled times, they would definitely take revenge once they had power in order to relive the hatred in their hearts.
They waited and waited… and waited to see the little prince and Jiang Qian walk out hand in hand.
They are pretending, definitely pretending! It must be because the little prince was deeply favored by the emperor so Jiang Qian couldn’t do anything to him.
As Lin Yuan walked, he felt as if everyone was looking at him strangely. He couldn’t explain what it was, but it seemed they were pitying him.
He shook Jiang Qian’s hand gently and whispered: “Jiang Qian, Jiang Qian, I feel like everyone is looking at me weirdly? Did I do something?”
Jiang Qian could guess what those people were thinking. His eyes swept over indifferently and said: “Ignore them. They’re just a group of self-righteous hypocrites.”
Lin Yuan listened to Jiang Qian and nodded quickly. He continued being soft and sticky towards Jiang Qian: “En, I’ll ignore them!”
After wandering outside for a while, the sun started setting and the sky darkened a little. Lin Yuan still didn’t want to go back for the time being, so he sat down with Jiang Qian on the grass and snuggled into the other’s arms to watch the sunset.
Jiang Qian hadn’t relaxed like this for a long time. He quietly tilted his head up and looked at the sky.
The sun set over the west mountains like a splash of gold that streaked across the sky. It glowed brilliantly against the darkening sky, like a beautiful picture.
Jiang Qian stared at the sunset, and gold and red clouds filled his amber eyes like blooming flowers. A refreshing gust blew past, lifting the edges of their robes.
He listened to the sound of the wind and his own breathing. He smelled the fragrance of the grass and soil, fresh and vibrant.
Jiang Qian looked down at Lin Yuan in his arms. The young man’s eyelashes fluttered like the clouds above, and his handsome features that were illuminated by the remaining sunlight formed a dream-like beauty.
【Di! Congrats host, the villain’s blackening value has decreased to 52%.】
Ever since Jiang Qian’s blackening value dropped to 60%, the speed of decrease slowed down and it only fell by one percentage every time.
But Lin Yuan wasn’t in a hurry. The task this time still had 20 or 30 years left until Jiang Qian committed suicide in the original plot.
The last time the system prompt sounded was two months ago, so Lin Yuan became very happy at this moment. He looked up at Jiang Qian excitedly and found that Jiang Qian was already staring at him quietly. The other’s eyes were dark and stagnant.
He unconsciously reached out and touched Jiang Qian’s face. He tilted his head and he asked a little confused: “Jiang Qiang, what’s wrong?”
Jiang Qian rubbed against Lin Yuan’s hand and kissed his palm. His voice was light, as if it was going to disappear along with the wind: “Nothing. Sui Sui looks good, so I like to look at you.”
Lin Yuan was praised by his favorite person and he blushed and his heartbeat accelerated. He leaned closer to Jiang Qian and whispered in the other’s ear: “Husband is the best looking one……”
“No one can compare to you, no one……”
Jiang Qian thought he was cold-hearted and cruel, but in front of Lin Yuan, he only had words of love and care. He always softened because of Lin Yuan’s hugs and kisses.
He hesitated for a moment before gently patting Lin Yuan’s back. His voice was a little hoarse and low, and he said suggestively: “Sui Sui, sit up.”
Lin Yuan was a little shocked and quickly looked to their left and right. They were about one kilometer away from the camp, and they could still faintly see some people in the distance.
Moreover, the imperial guards as well as Lin Xia and Prince Chu mansion’s guards were all within a hundred meters.
Lin Yuan flushed bright red and shook his head like a drum and said shyly: “No….. Lin Xia…… and the others…… will see……”
Jiang Qian nibbled Lin Yuan’s ear and whispered: “Don’t worry, I won’t go that far. I just want to touch you.”
Lin Yuan’s eyes had already started tearing up. His whole body was boneless in Jiang Qian’s arms and he said hesitantly: “Then…… you can only touch…… you…… promise……”
Jiang Qian smiled lightly: “En, I promise.”
Lin Yuan got Jiang Qian’s assurance and slowly sat down on Jiang Qian’s lap. He buried his face into the crook of Jiang Qian’s neck and didn’t dare look up. He was like a vine that was completely dependent on Jiang Qian’s support.
Ironically, to Jiang Qian, Lin Yuan was the source of his life and nourishment. Jiang Qian depended on Lin Yuan to live like a normal person.
Under the cover of their wide cloaks, Jiang Qian’s slender and cool fingers sneaked into their robes.
When night fell, Lin Yuan’s face was damp and the corners of his eyes were red. In the end, he couldn’t even stand up and Jiang Qian carried him back.
Lin Yuan wasn’t sure if he had made any loud noises in the process, but he thought that all of the guards knew material arts and probably had better hearing than normal people, it’s possible that they heard something.
But,Lin Yuan could only accept it. Anyways, his relationship with Jiang Qian was well known. What’s wrong with a couple being intimate with each other?
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The next day, the hunting officially began.
Lin Yuan sat on the bed and yawned lazily. Jiang Qian changed into his clothes and helped Lin Yuan into a robe that matched his.
Lin Yuan obediently let himself get moved around. While Jiang Qian tied his belt, he quickly leaned over and kissed Jiang Qian and smiled: “Thank you, husband~”
He smiled brightly and the small dimples on his cheeks deepened, tempting people to poke them.
Jiang Qian was instantly hooked. He poked the little dimple and kissed him back: “Prince, you’re welcome.”
After breakfast, Jiang Qian and Lin Yuan walked over to the hunting platform side by side. This was the first time they appeared together at a formal event, and all of the eyes of the ministers and nobles glanced at them with different expressions.
Emperor Liang sat at the top of the hunting platform, surrounded by guards, and watched on as the hunting proceeded.
When they entered the forest, Jiang Qian found a relatively secluded area to teach Lin Yuan how to shoot arrows.
Lin Yuan was not weak, but he had only ever learned calligraphy and painting, so he never learned how to use a bow and arrow.
However Lin Yuan was someone who easily got addicted to learning something new and also had a lot of fun while doing it. The imperial guards, whom all the officials wanted to avoid, became helpers who caught pheasants and rabbits to put in front of the little prince to let him practice shooting arrows.
Lin Yuan shot arrows until his arm hurt, but he still didn’t want to go back. He looked at Jiang Qian with round eyes and asked: “Jiang Qian, let’s walk around a little more, okay?”
Jiang Qian pinched Lin Yuan’s cheek with a small smile: “No. You said that you’d only play outside for an hour.”
Lin Yuan sulked and wanted to act cute but Jiang Qian covered his mouth and whispered into his ear: “If Sui Sui is disobedient, then I’ll also be disobedient. Tonight, I won’t hold back and play a lot with Sui Sui.”
If Jiang Qian really didn’t hold back, then Lin Yuan probably wouldn’t be able to get up for the next few days.
Lin Yuan chomped on the other’s finger in a huff, but he bit very lightly and even kissed the place he bit afterwards: “Ok, I know. Go back, go back.”
Jiang Qian walked Lin Yuan back to his tent, and then said he had something to do and left.
Lin Yuan guessed from the plot what Jiang Qian was going to do. In the plot, Jiang Qian took advantage of the spring hunt to make the emperor abolish the son of Prince Yanping’s position and exiled him to the border.
In the plot, the son of Prince Yanping also hated Jiang Qian to the core. After Jiang Qian gained the emperor’s trust, how could he sit still as the Jiang Qian who he once trampled over became a powerful official that even his father had to salute to? But the son of Yanping wasn’t a fool. He used the fact that Jiang Qian had offended many people and found someone who hated Jiang Qian to the bone to deal with Jiang Qian.
If his plan was successful and Jiang Qian died, then he would be ecstatic.
If his plan didn’t work, then he would have a scapegoat and no one would tie this matter to him.
But the son of Yanping didn't know that this scapegoat was someone arranged by Jiang Qian.
At the time of the supposed assassination, Jiang Qian was meeting the fifth prince in the forest. The fifth prince admired Jiang Qian’s talent and wanted to chat with him. The assassin injured the fifth prince instead, and the emperor was furious. He ordered Jiang Qian to investigate the matter thoroughly, and naturally Jiang Qian brought out the son of Prince Yanping.
The emperor charged the son of Prince Yanping with attempted murder of a court official and injuring a royal prince, and abolished him of his status.
In the end, the exiled man was not the actual son of Prince Yanping. Jiang Qian secretly changed the person and locked the son of Prince Yanping in the imperial prison and tortured him for five years before the son of Prince Yanping couldn’t hold on anymore.
Now, Lin Yuan was so worried that he had no appetite for lunch. Although Jiang Qian succeeded in his revenge in the plot, he had to sacrifice his flesh and bone, and clawed out a path of blood, a road with no return.
Before long, the news of an assassination came. A guard who was usually beside Jiang Qian came over and reported: “The lord has ordered this subordinate to report to the little prince that the emperor has let the lord investigate the assassin, so the lord can’t return for the time being and hopes the little prince can forgive him.”
Lin Yuan nodded calmly on the surface and let the guard go back to his position. But as soon as the guard left, he ran into the inner tent, lay on the couch, and exhaled a sigh of relief with a thumping heart.
“521, my husband is about to scare me to death.”
He was afraid that the assassin would accidentally hurt Jiang Qian, but fortunately he was fine.
521 quickly comforted him: “Senior, everything’s okay, everything's okay~”
Lin Yuan shut his eyes and said: “I’m really scared. He killed the son of Yanping for his revenge-- I won’t say anything because this era is like this and I can’t change anything. But I’m scared that if he continues like this it will only be more painful for him.”
If revenge could make Jiang Qian feel more at peace, then Lin Yuan wouldn’t be so worried. But he was scared that killing and revenge would pull Jiang Qian deeper into the abyss.
When the matter about the assassin came to light, as expected, the son of Prince Yanping was stripped of his status and exiled to the north.
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In the imperial prison, it was bloody and dark. The candles contributed an eerie glow and made the dried blood seem more ominous.
The son of Prince Yanping woke up. He shook his head and looked around, and found that sitting in front of him was Jiang Qian, dressed in the crimson court robe.
Jiang Qian’s skin was snow-white, and his face was beautiful and gloomy. The corners of his lips were pulled up like a bloodthirsty ghost.