ADENCPIFPM Chapter 3

It was already late at night by the time Chu Chen returned to the Prince’s Mansion.

As soon as he stepped through the gates, his personal attendant, Chongyang, rushed forward tremulously. He circled Chu Chen, only relaxing slightly after confirming that his master was uninjured.

In the State of Dachu, Imperial Princes left the palace to establish their own mansions at the age of sixteen. Chongyang had been with the original owner of this body since then.

The original owner was twenty this year, meaning Chongyang had served him for at least four years.

When he first transmigrated, Chu Chen had been extremely cautious, terrified that Chongyang would notice something was off. Fortunately, after several days, the attendant had continued to behave normally, and only then did Chu Chen finally put his mind at ease.

“The Crown Prince sent a physician to see Your Highness, saying he wanted to examine you. It scared me half to death,” Chongyang said as he led Chu Chen into the front hall. He helped him hang up his cloak, then handed him a hand warmer, adding, “If I’d known this would happen, I should have insisted on following you when the Fifth Prince asked me to step aside.”

“I just took a dip in the water; it’s no big deal,” Chu Chen said. “Have the physician come in.”

Chongyang waved to a servant, and a moment later, a man led the physician into the room.

“Does Your Highness feel a feverish heat all over your body?” the physician asked as he took Chu Chen’s pulse.

“Occasionally, but it’s not very pronounced,” Chu Chen replied.

As he spoke, he felt a faint heat rise again on his wrist. The physician noticed his expression and, after asking, gently rolled up his sleeve to reveal a patch of redness on his fair wrist.

“The heat Your Highness feels on your wrist is not from the drug,” the physician explained, taking an ointment from his medicine box. “It was caused by the person who rescued you. They must have been too forceful and accidentally injured you. Apply this ointment twice a day, morning and evening, and it should heal in three to five days.”

Chu Chen lifted his wrist and looked at it, marvelling in surprise.

‘This pleasure boat is truly a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers,’ he thought. ‘Not only is that young male entertainer skilled in martial arts, but his strength is also so immense.’

“Is the drug His Highness was poisoned with serious?” Chongyang asked anxiously from the side.

“Rest assured,” the physician reassured him. “The drug is of high quality, likely used by nobles to enhance pleasure. It won’t cause much harm to the body. His Highness will sleep it off, and the effects will be gone by tomorrow.”

The Fifth Prince was quite honourable, after all. He hadn’t used any crude aphrodisiacs on Chu Chen.

Even so, Chu Chen had a series of chaotic dreams that night. He dreamed he had become a guest playing hide-and-seek in the pleasure boat, catching his blindfolded saviour and doing all sorts of scandalous things. Fortunately, by the time he woke up the next morning, the drug’s effects had mostly worn off.

But whenever he thought of his saviour, Chu Chen couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.

Even if it had only happened in a dream, it still felt a bit like ‘repaying kindness with a grudge’…

“Chongyang, go to the pleasure boat and redeem someone for me,” Chu Chen said.

“Did Your Highness truly find someone to your liking last night?” Chongyang asked.

“Of course not,” Chu Chen hurriedly replied. “When I fell into the water, a blindfolded person saved me. I didn’t even have the chance to thank them. Go and ask around. The person knows martial arts, has a handsome face, and a tall, straight build—about half a head taller than me… Once you find him, redeem him.”

“And then bring him back to the mansion?” Chongyang asked.

“Uh…” Chu Chen thought for a moment before speaking. “Let him find his own way to make a living. If he truly has no other options, we can arrange a low-key job for him as a guard in the mansion. He knows martial arts and is strong; there will always be a use for him.”

Hearing this, Chongyang personally took the silver and went to the shores of Changning Lake.

After breakfast, Chu Chen tidied himself up, changed into slightly more formal attire, and headed for the Imperial Palace. In the State of Dachu, imperial princes—except for those attending court—were not required to report to the palace daily. Today was the Lantern Festival, and a palace banquet had been scheduled for the afternoon, so all the princes had to attend.

According to custom, before the banquet, each prince would first pay his respects to his mother. After all, mother and son would not be seated together at the banquet, leaving little opportunity to speak.

Although Chu Chen possessed the original owner’s memories, he still felt somewhat guilty. He had never entered the palace since transmigrating, and today would be his first time meeting the original owner’s mother. From those memories, he knew his mother was merely an ordinary concubine with little presence in the harem.

The Emperor seemed to hold this concubine in low regard, which meant the original owner, the Sixth Prince, also lacked any real standing. Surveying the entire imperial family, the Sixth Prince had no status, no reputation, and no talent. The only thing he could boast about was his good looks. Yet, his Imperial Mother was also stunningly beautiful, so why was she still out of favour?

Clearly, good looks were useless in the imperial family!

As Chu Chen entered the Imperial Palace, a figure approached him from a distance.

It was none other than the Fifth Prince, Chu Can, who had drugged Chu Chen the night before.

“Fifth Brother, what a coincidence,” Chu Chen said with a fake smile.

“What coincidence? I’ve been waiting for you here for nearly an hour,” the Fifth

Prince said, taking a small porcelain bottle from his robes and handing it to Chu Chen. With a bitter expression, he added, “Last night was all my fault. I never expected Third Brother to show up so suddenly. This is the antidote. If you’re still feeling unwell, take one.”

Chu Chen: …

‘This guy is a joke. He drugs me, waits for the effects to wear off, and then comes to deliver the antidote?’

“I drank that wine last night too,” the Fifth Prince said, his tone so earnest that Chu Chen almost believed him. “After I went back, I spent half the night with the concubines in my mansion. I recall Sixth Brother doesn’t even have anyone to serve him in his mansion, so you must have suffered last night.”

“Haha, I’m fine,” Chu Chen smiled.

‘I did commit an outrage against that benefactor in my dreams last night, but I’ve already sent someone to redeem him today. That should count as making amends…’

“Sixth Brother, you won’t blame me for what happened last night, will you?” the Fifth Prince asked cautiously.

“How could I? Fifth Brother, you treated me with such genuine affection. I’ve taken it all to heart,” Chu Chen replied with a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes.

Deeply moved, the Fifth Prince hugged Chu Chen for a long moment before finally letting go. “I knew you wouldn’t blame me. Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease.”

Chu Chen: …

‘He was being so obvious with his sarcasm, yet the other man still didn’t catch it?’

‘It must be hard for the Noble Consort, scheming so tirelessly to secure her son’s future.’

‘I wonder if this Fifth Prince is truly this naive, or if he’s just playing the pig to eat the tiger.’

Regardless, Chu Chen knew he had to keep his distance. Now that he had allied with the Crown Prince, he couldn’t get too close to the Fifth Prince.

After enduring the Fifth Prince’s performance, Chu Chen hurried to Mingyue Residence, the home of his original host’s mother, Consort Rong. Though secluded, the residence was impeccably kept by Consort Rong. The courtyard was filled with a variety of flowers and plants, and a refreshing floral fragrance greeted him the moment he stepped inside.

“The weather has turned cold. Why are you dressed so lightly?” Consort Rong frowned in reproach, sensing the chill emanating from Chu Chen.

“The walk was long,” Chu Chen explained. “I was afraid of sweating if I wore too much. Besides, the sun is out now, so I don’t feel the cold.”

Consort Rong said no more, guided him to a seat, and personally brewed him a cup of flower tea.

Looking at her, Chu Chen couldn’t help but think of his own mother. She had passed away early, but in his memories, she bore a striking resemblance to Consort Rong—both possessed this same serene and gentle aura. It was a pity that the original owner’s father, the Emperor, never learned to cherish a woman like this.

“For today’s palace banquet,” Consort Rong said, “your Imperial Father has arranged a variety of performances. I heard he even had the hostage prince from the Yao State perform the ‘xiao’ flute in public.”

‘Blow… what?’

Chu Chen spat out half his tea and coughed for a long while.

“Drink slowly, be careful not to scald yourself,” Consort Rong said, gently wiping his mouth before continuing, “I heard the hostage prince learned to play the ‘xiao’ with breathtaking skill in his homeland. They say even the wolf packs of the Northern Frontier would be drawn to his music. Later, the Yao State’s Imperial

Preceptor accused him of practising demonic arts, which is why he persuaded the

King of Yao to send him to Great Chu as a hostage.”

Chu Chen struggled to suppress his unwholesome associations with the word ‘blow’ and asked, “Then why would Imperial Father have him ‘blow’… that ‘xiao’ at today’s banquet? Isn’t he afraid it will attract a pack of wolves?”

“That’s just a rumour,” Consort Rong smiled. “Besides, where would wolves come from in the capital of Great Chu?”

“I heard this hostage keeps to himself and is hideously ugly. I never imagined he would actually play… that Xiao?” Chu Chen cleared his throat.

“The hostage’s appearance…” Consort Rong’s eyes softened unconsciously. “I saw him briefly the year he first arrived in Great Chu. That was six years ago. He’s two years younger than you, so he should be eighteen now.”

Chu Chen was stunned. ‘The hostage is so young? Only eighteen!’

‘That means he was only twelve when he first came to Great Chu.’

‘How pitiful.’

“Your father is making him perform at the palace banquet today simply because the previous diplomatic documents from the Yao State were too arrogant, which displeased him,” Consort Rong explained. “Humiliating the Yao State’s hostage like this is merely a way to vent his anger.”

Chu Chen thought to himself, ‘The Emperor is so petty. A ruler of a nation taking out his anger on a young man.’

“Why are you telling me all this today, Imperial Mother?” Chu Chen asked.

“I just happened to remember,” Consort Rong replied, smiling as she poured more tea for him. “At today’s banquet, the other princes will surely bully the hostage to curry favour with your father. I only hope you remember one thing: show mercy where possible.”

Chu Chen froze at her words, suddenly recalling the Crown Prince’s warning from the night before.

The Crown Prince had told him that he must avoid displeasing the Emperor at all costs. He wondered if that advice had anything to do with this.

‘And why is Consort Rong suddenly telling me this?’

He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a hidden meaning behind her words.

With the palace banquet about to begin, Chu Chen finished his tea and left Consort Rong’s quarters. Chongyang was waiting at the entrance, holding a cloak, but was surprised to see Chu Chen already wearing one.

“Her Majesty Consort Rong is indeed thoughtful. I was worrying for nothing,” Chongyang said, folding the cloak and handing it to an attendant.

“How did you get here so quickly?” Chu Chen asked. “Did you manage to redeem the man?”

Chongyang scratched his head. “When I arrived at Changning Lake, the pleasure boat you mentioned was already empty. Not only were the male attendants gone, but even the crew had vanished without a trace.”

Chu Chen stared, stunned. “They all left in a single night?”

“I asked around secretly, but no one knows where they went,” Chongyang replied. “They must have fled to avoid being implicated after you fell into the water last night.”

Chu Chen frowned, unconsciously rubbing his wrist. As he thought of the saviour whose face he had never seen, a pang of melancholy washed over him.