ADENCPIFPM Chapter 9

Inside the bathing chamber, Mutou’s face was cold as he toyed with a slender needle in his hand.

The man kneeling at his feet looked ready to face death.

“Tao Qing, what did Mother tell you when she sent you to Great Chu?” Mutou asked.

“She told this subordinate to obey Young Master’s every command, even if it meant death,” Tao Qing replied.

“When did I ever order you to strike at Chu Chen?” Mutou asked.

“This subordinate… this subordinate could not stand by and watch Young Master be… by him…” Tao Qing’s eyes reddened again as he spoke.

“Heh.” Mutou chuckled softly, but his tone remained utterly cold. “You have repeatedly disregarded my orders. If not for Mother’s sake, I would not have kept you alive until today.”

Hearing this, Tao Qing hastily kowtowed. “This subordinate swears on his life that he will never touch a single hair on Chu Chen’s head again. Young Master, you are in desperate need of capable men right now. Tao Qing is the only person in the

Capital City you can trust. Please, Young Master, give Tao Qing one more chance.”

“This is the last time. If you offend me again, you know the consequences,” Mutou said, stowing the slender needle.

“Thank you, Young Master. Tao Qing will never dare to fail you again,” Tao Qing said, kowtowing.

“After today, Chu Chen will definitely send someone to investigate my identity. I don’t want him to find out so soon, lest he arouse the Emperor of Great Chu’s suspicion. Go find ‘him’ and tell him about this; he will know what to do.” Mutou paused before adding, “Also, find an antidote for me as soon as possible.”

“What antidote?” Tao Qing asked, startled. “Young Master, have you been poisoned?”

“The Emperor of Great Chu feared I would bully his son, so he gave me some medicine,” Mutou said.

Mutou didn’t need to explain the medicine’s effects; Tao Qing should have been able to guess.

That bastard Emperor of Great Chu not only humiliated the hostage of the Yao State but even resorted to such methods. He was truly shameless to the utmost!

Mutou guessed correctly. Once Chu Chen calmed down, he ordered Chongyang to investigate Mutou’s identity.

He finally realised that he had been too careless with Mutou from the very beginning. Because Mutou was a person bestowed by the Emperor, he had taken it for granted that the man’s background wouldn’t be too complicated. But now, it seemed he had been completely mistaken.

For a moment today, Mutou had seemed so strange that it frightened him.

But on reflection, he realised he had perhaps never known the man at all.

The mute with the slow wit he had taken Mutou for… never existed.

“Your Highness, Mutou was sent from the palace. If you wish to investigate, you can only start there,” Chongyang reminded him. “But we have no one we can use in the palace. If you want to look into this, you might need to find someone to help.”

Chu Chen fell silent for a moment, then suddenly remembered someone.

“Any news of Third Brother these past few days?” Chu Chen asked.

“Your Highness, have you forgotten? The Crown Prince has arranged to meet you tomorrow evening at the tavern by Changning Lake,” Chongyang said.

The reminder brought it all back to him. “Very well. I will meet Third Brother tomorrow. By the way, assign the most skilled martial artists in the mansion to me. Have them protect my safety at all times.”

“Your Highness, what is wrong?” Chongyang asked, completely bewildered.

“Don’t worry about that. Just do as I say,” Chu Chen commanded.

Hearing this, Chongyang withdrew.

A moment later, footsteps echoed. Chu Chen thought Chongyang had returned, but when he turned, he saw Mutou standing behind him. He had expected Mutou to flee with his lover, never imagining he would suddenly appear. Startled, Chu Chen stumbled back two steps, bumped into the table behind him, and lost his balance, falling backwards.

Mutou stepped forward, caught him by the waist, and pinned him against the edge of the table.

Chu Chen, already on guard, drew a dagger and pressed it against Mutou’s throat, his face flushed with rage.

“We can part ways amicably. This Prince has never mistreated you,” Chu Chen glared at Mutou warily. “If you no longer wish to stay in the Prince’s Mansion, just take your lover and leave… You were forced upon me by our Imperial Father. If I had known your heart was elsewhere, I would never have wanted to touch you!”

“Your Highness…” Mutou tried to speak, but Chu Chen pressed the dagger closer.

“Step back. Stay away from me.”

The dagger in Chu Chen’s hand held no real threat for Mutou; his bloodshot eyes were far more persuasive. Met with a gaze filled with disappointment and fury, Mutou’s resolve crumbled, and he stumbled back several steps.

“What happened today… it was my fault,” Mutou began.

“You don’t need to explain or apologise,” Chu Chen said. “If you remember how I’ve provided for you all this time, never once neglecting you, then take your lover and leave the Prince’s Mansion today. I will not make things difficult for you, so please, do not make things difficult for me.”

“He is not—” Mutou took a step forward.

“Don’t come any closer!” Chu Chen brandished the dagger. “I know you all know martial arts. I am no match for you. But a person should still have a conscience. I believe I have never treated you poorly, so I ask you to show mercy and not push things to the absolute limit.”

Chu Chen was truly enraged now, clutching the dagger like a cornered, bristling hedgehog.

His anger was a tangled mess—was it more fury, or more disappointment? Or perhaps it was a cocktail of emotions he himself couldn’t yet identify.

“Eunuch Yao came to see you today, didn’t he? Is that why you sent me to the bathhouse?” Mutou asked.

“Yes,” Chu Chen replied. “He said that if I’m dissatisfied with you, he’ll send you to Fifth Brother.”

At the thought of this, Chu Chen had felt a flicker of worry, imagining the hardships Mutou would endure in the Fifth Prince’s mansion. Now, he found it laughable that he’d even spared a moment’s concern for the man…

“I won’t leave,” Mutou said. “I’ll stay here in the Prince’s Mansion and continue as your male plaything.”

“Why?” Chu Chen frowned, his voice cold. “Surely you haven’t fallen for me?”

Mutou raised an eyebrow but didn’t answer.

Chu Chen didn’t need an answer to know it wasn’t the one he’d just guessed…

By now, Chu Chen had seen the truth. He knew Mutou was skilled and clearly had a powerful background. For such a man to bide his time as a mere plaything, he must either be after something or, like Chu Chen himself, have some leverage or weakness held over him by the Emperor.

“To please His Majesty,” Mutou said.

Chu Chen stiffened, realising he had guessed correctly.

Mutou insisted on staying at the Prince’s Mansion, and Chu Chen didn’t dare force him to leave. First, he was no match for Mutou and didn’t want to make an enemy of him. Second, if Mutou actually left, explaining it to the Emperor would be a difficult task.

Since that was the case, it was better to let him stay until he figured out the man’s true identity.

After all, the Prince’s Mansion had plenty of rice to spare.

The next morning, Chu Chen woke up early to get ready and called for Chongyang, planning to head out.

He had arranged to meet the Crown Prince in the evening, but he was afraid Mutou would follow him everywhere again, so he wanted to go out and hide for a while.

To his surprise, as soon as he stepped into the carriage, he saw Mutou sitting inside, dressed impeccably and waiting for him.

“Why are you here?” Chu Chen asked warily.

“Today is the Second Day of the Second Lunar Month. The Imperial Academy is hosting a poetry gathering by Changning Lake, and the Ministry of War has arranged a dragon boat race. In such a lively setting, wouldn’t it be strange if Your Highness appeared without anyone to keep him company?” Mutou said.

Chu Chen froze in surprise. “How did you know?”

“Relieving Your Highness of his worries is my duty, so naturally, I must consider all the details thoroughly,” Mutou replied with a faint smile.

Mutou was already strikingly handsome, and today, dressed in a wide-sleeved robe with a jade pendant dangling from his waist, he exuded an even more extraordinary aura. He offered Chu Chen a faint smile. Chu Chen stared for a long moment before finally snapping back to his senses, thinking to himself that if this man truly were a fool, how wonderful it would be to keep him by his side as a pleasing sight.

A pity, then. He had far too many schemes and was not honest in the least!

Chu Chen had not wanted him to tag along, yet he hadn’t dared to refuse him outright. He could only sit in the carriage and fume with frustration all the way there.

It was only upon arriving at Changning Lake that Chu Chen felt relieved that Mutou had come with him.

The lakeside was crowded with scholars and young talents. Since the poetry gathering was hosted by the Imperial Academy, these students all wore the Academy’s uniform scholar robes. Aside from them, the wealthy dandies who had come to join the festivities were each seen with a woman on each arm. If anyone was seen alone, they would be pulled and tugged at by others trying to get close.

“The war is still raging at the front, yet this poetry gathering and dragon boat race seem completely unaffected, bustling with life,” Chu Chen grumbled as he walked along the shores of Changning Lake. “I can excuse the dandies, but how can these scholars show no concern for the fate of their country?”

Mutou spoke, “The war is critical, and the people are anxious. All the more reason we must not show any sign of despair. Whether the Northern Frontier’s campaign ends in victory or defeat, the people of the Capital City will be the last to be affected. But if the hearts of the people here falter, it will directly impact the morale of the troops at the front.”

Chu Chen shot Mutou a glance and retorted, “If the people’s hearts are steady, will the armies of the Yao State and Cangsui spontaneously combust?”

Seeing that Chu Chen was ready to snap at him the moment he opened his mouth, Mutou stopped arguing and quietly followed by his side.

“Move aside, move aside!” A few young nobles rushed past them, jostling Chu Chen so hard he nearly lost his footing.

Mutou reached out, grabbed Chu Chen’s wrist, and pulled him protectively to his side, his gaze fixed on the corridor nearby.

Chu Chen shook off his hand and walked straight to the corridor with the crowd. He saw it was plastered with poems. The verses were all relevant to the current situation—either satirising Cangsui and the Yao State or praising Great Chu’s inevitable victory. Some were even quite literary.

However, Chu Chen soon spotted a poem in an obscure corner. It satirised the imperial princes, suggesting they were oblivious to the nation’s hatred and familial grievances… Chu Chen, already seething with anger, couldn’t help but sneer, “So, writing a few poems is all it takes to understand national hatred? Why don’t the Crown Prince and his brothers just come and copy poems tomorrow?”

“Are you implying, sir, that I am unjustly accusing someone?” The scholar who had written the poem stepped forward. “I heard that at the Lantern Festival Palace

Banquet, the hostage from the Yao State openly defied Heavenly Might. Yet, an Imperial Prince actually pleaded for him, securing a pardon for his grave impertinence. With the war at a critical stage, all of Great Chu should be united in purpose. How could a mere Imperial Prince show such a lack of shared indignation? I found this intolerable. What is wrong with writing this poem?”

“The one who pleaded for the Yao State hostage was the Sixth Prince, wasn’t he?” another scholar chimed in. “The Sixth Prince has always been useless in state affairs. He’s nothing more than a decorative vase kept in the deep palace. How could he possibly understand national hatred?”

Hearing this, Chu Chen spoke up loudly. “When two nations go to war, they fight with real swords and spears. If we vent our anger on a pitiful hostage, won’t people laugh at us when word gets out? His Highness the Sixth Prince’s plea for mercy precisely demonstrates the magnanimity of our Great Chu.”

“His Highness the Sixth Prince is truly kind-hearted,” Mutou chimed in. “Perhaps the future friendship between the Yao and Chu states will depend entirely on his benevolence today.”

Chu Chen shot Mutou a glare and snapped, “Our Great Chu’s army is formidable and awe-inspiring. Why should we seek friendship with a barbarian state? What does the Yao State even count for!”

His words struck a chord with the other scholars, who quickly joined in his agreement.

Mutou raised an eyebrow, his expression turning extremely complicated…

Someone remarked, “I heard His Highness also had the Siyue Pavilion musicians play the suona beside the hostage for seven days and seven nights. He’s probably gone deaf by now. His Highness’s tactic not only preserved our dynasty’s Heavenly Might but also tormented that hostage without respite. It was truly a brilliant move.”

A hint of smugness finally appeared on Chu Chen’s face, and his mood finally improved.

Beside him, Mutou subconsciously pinched his own ears, his face a picture of utter despair…

Mutou really thought he could keep a straight face until Chu Chen reminded everyone about the seven days and seven nights of suona. 😂

Bro is standing there like, “Please, can we not talk about that?”

Anyway, buy your translator a coffee ☕😂 I need one too after this chapter.