LNTSWJLY Chapter 60

Prince Ying’s actions were within Yu Zhi’s expectations.

In fact, just as Rong Yunchang remembered from her previous life, Prince Ying should have rebelled several months earlier. The Eighth Prince would also have benefited from that rebellion. While the Fourth Prince was busy suppressing the uprising, the Eighth Prince would have used the opportunity to scheme against him and cause him to lose a great deal.

After Yu Zhi came to this world, he had tried every way he could think of to delay the time of Prince Ying’s rebellion. Only after the Fourth and Eighth Princes were captured did Prince Ying finally stop holding back and attempt to take advantage of the chaos to raise his banner and launch a rebellion.

Of course, he could not openly say that he was rebelling.

He still needed to protect his reputation.

The Prince Yings of previous generations had made quite a few contributions to the empire, and the title had always carried a good reputation.

Officially, Prince Ying claimed that evil creatures of impure imperial blood had caused chaos within the court and forced the Retired Emperor to abdicate. He therefore intended to raise an army and march on the capital to cleanse the Emperor’s side.

Everyone in the realm knew that there was indeed something questionable about Ying Qingzhu’s identity. After all, throughout history, there had never been a princess who lived as one for more than a decade only to be declared a prince afterward.

Using this as an excuse to march on the capital did indeed make Ying Qingzhu the target of public criticism, drawing attacks from many sides.

Yet Ying Qingzhu was not the only one caught in an awkward position.

As the Heir of Prince Ying, Yu Zhi was now in an even more embarrassing situation.

He had originally been sent to Great Chu as a hostage. Now that Prince Ying had rebelled, Yu Zhi should have been the first person to be dealt with.

However, he and Ying Qingzhu had a relationship like this.

That left everyone at a loss as to how they should deal with him.

Some people who wanted to suppress Ying Qingzhu submitted memorials requesting that Yu Zhi be thrown into prison so that they could use him to threaten Prince Ying.

Everyone knew perfectly well that sincePrince Ying had dared to raise an army and rebel, he obviously did not care about Yu Zhi, his own son.

Even if Yu Zhi were killed right in front of Prince Ying, the man probably would not even blink.

The reason they were bringing Yu Zhi up now was simply twofold.

First, they wanted to test Ying Qingzhu.

Second, they wanted to use the matter to suppress him.

Among ruler and his ministers, there was always one stronger and one weaker. With a new Emperor ascending the throne, the ruler and his ministers would inevitably engage in a struggle for power.

And Yu Zhi was the chess piece caught in the middle.

Yu Zhi understood this perfectly well.

Yet he remained calmly in Zichen Hall, as though he was not worried about his situation in the slightest, not even concerned that the new Emperor might sacrifice him in exchange for peace at court.

Ying Qingzhu was different from ordinary imperial princes. He had no power base at court, nor did he have a maternal family or a wife’s family to support him. In this struggle, he had not the slightest advantage, and his position was extremely precarious.

Now that there was already an external threat, quite a few unstable elements were taking advantage of the chaos, intending to hollow out the authority of this new Emperor.¹

“Your Majesty, Prince Ying’s army of 100,000 has already reached Weicheng. This minister humbly ask Your Majesty to make a decision as soon as possible!”

Ying Qingzhu sat high above them, looking down at the people below.

As he looked over the assembled officials, a cold smile slowly appeared on his face. He casually tossed aside the memorial that man had submitted, and almost as if by accident, it struck the black gauze hat from the man’s head.

“Since Minister Feng is so concerned about Prince Ying’s army approaching, then I shall fulfill your desire to share My burden as your sovereign. Go and deliver My imperial decree to Prince Ying, and expose the truth of the rebel’s treason to all under Heaven.”

The court officials’ hearts tightened!

The man immediately fell to his knees in panic.

“Y-Your Majesty…”

What kind of assignment was it to deliver an imperial decree to Ying Wang?

That was a death sentence!

Ying Qingzhu smiled.

“Go, my loyal minister. I will remember how wholeheartedly you wished to serve your sovereign. When you return, I certainly will not treat you unfairly.”

The condition was that he had a life to return with.

“What do all of you think?” Ying Qingzhu swept his gaze over the officials below.

They all knelt and bowed in unison.

“Your Majesty is wise.”

No one dared mention the matter of dealing with Yu Zhi again.

After court was dismissed, Yu Zhi soon heard what had happened and could not help laughing.

“If you handle things like this, I’m afraid I won’t be able to escape being called a favored sycophant.”

Ying Qingzhu ate the breakfast he had not managed to finish before court and glanced at Yu Zhi.

“Do you care?”

Yu Zhi’s lips curved upward.

“Of course not.”

Ying Qingzhu finally relaxed. He reached out and fed Yu Zhi a piece of glutinous rice cake.

Yu Zhi said, “I’ve already eaten.”

“Have a little more.”

After the meal, the two of them went to the Imperial Study, where they handled memorials while discussing important matters.

“Who are you planning to send to deal with Prince Ying?” Yu Zhi asked aloud, though he already had a guess in his heart.

“Duke Zheng.”

Yu Zhi nodded as he spoke.

“He was an old friend of your mother’s, and he has been in contact with you for a long time. He is loyal to you, and his family is also a military household with troops under its command. He is indeed a good choice.”

This was also one of the reasons Ying Qingzhu had originally been confident about competing for the throne.

Hearing Yu Zhi’s approval, Ying Qingzhu was slightly pleased. A proud smile was just beginning to appear on his face when Yu Zhi continued:

“But he has already earned merit by helping you ascend the throne. Once Prince Ying is eliminated, there will be very few military commanders left in the imperial court who can truly hold their own. The Zheng family may inevitably become too powerful and monopolize the court. There is a danger that they could become a second Prince Ying.”

Ying Qingzhu frowned.

“He wouldn’t.”

Yu Zhi gave him a helpless smile.

“Your Majesty, how well do you really know him? In the past, most of your contact was through letters. I know that his secret support for you over these past few years means that he must have favored you and wished to see you succeed. But can you be certain that he has no desire for power? If there is a chance for him to rise even higher and make his family the dominant power at court, are you sure he won’t be tempted?”

Ying Qingzhu’s brows drew tighter and tighter. It was easy to tell that he disliked these words, even though they might very well be the truth.

Yu Zhi looked at him and let out a soft sigh.

“I know Your Majesty values relationships deeply. But Your Majesty, never test the human heart. It is not something that can withstand being tested. When you truly value someone, do not give them a reason or an opportunity to prove themselves to you.”

Ying Qingzhu looked at him. He really wanted to ask why Yu Zhi thought this way, and whether something had happened to him in the past.

But when the words reached the tip of his tongue, he swallowed them back.

The past was like smoke. What meaning was there in digging into it again? If it meant bringing up painful memories for the other person, then it would only make things worse.

“Since that is the case, do you have someone else in mind?”

Yu Zhi had been waiting for him to ask exactly that. Hearing the question, he gave a faint smile.

“Me.”

Before Ying Qingzhu could react, Yu Zhi stood up and cupped his hands in a formal salute.

“My father has rebelled. Your Majesty has not extended his guilt to me. Grateful for Your Majesty’s kindness, I am willing to put righteousness before family and personally lead the army to suppress the rebellion.”

“No!”

Ying Qingzhu slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet, glaring furiously at Yu Zhi as he shouted.

So this was what the man had been planning!

“With that battered body of yours, do you have a death wish?!”

Yu Zhi was helpless.

No matter how healthy he appeared to be in his daily life, in Ying Qingzhu’s mind, he was still that man whose body had been riddled with injuries and left in terrible condition.

In truth, after years of careful recuperation, his health had improved considerably. At least on the surface, he looked no different from an ordinary person.

But the damage he had suffered in his early years was not something that could easily be repaired, and the devastating injuries his body had endured could never be completely restored.

In other words, no matter how carefully he continued to recuperate, it was impossible for his body to become any stronger than it already was.

“Your Majesty, I ask that you grant me permission.”

Yu Zhi remained firm.

Seeing how stubborn he was, Ying Qingzhu took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. His voice turned cold.

“Do you know how sensitive your identity as the Heir of Prince Ying is? If I order you to lead troops today, perhaps tomorrow people outside will be saying that you deceived the new Emperor, led an army out of the capital, and joined forces with Prince Ying. When that happens, what will you do? Can you silence the entire world by yourself?”

Yu Zhi remained completely calm.

“As for what the truth is, once I return, the matter will naturally be settled.”

Ying Qingzhu thought to himself, What kind of settlement? If you are killed halfway there, those people with ulterior motives will simply pin the blame on you.

Yet Yu Zhi gave him a faint smile and reassured him.

“I know you trust me, and I trust you as well. Naturally, I will not fall for anyone’s attempts to drive a wedge between us. They say public opinion is a fearful thing, but when two people trust each other completely, even the words of others are nothing to fear.”

It was not that Yu Zhi did not know Ying Qingzhu had been in a bad mood lately. Nor was he unaware of what Ying Qingzhu was afraid of.

He was afraid that their identities would gradually drive them apart.

He was afraid that they would become unrecognizable to each other.

He was afraid that one day, they would go their separate ways.

Because of these fears, Ying Qingzhu had been restless and uneasy. At night, he often could not sleep, tossing and turning in bed.

Today, Yu Zhi was taking this opportunity to make his feelings clear and show Ying Qingzhu how firmly he trusted him.

No matter what the future held, there was no need to feel uneasy or afraid.

Because they would walk hand in hand through countless springs, summers, autumns, and winters, admiring the stars and moon and weathering the wind and rain along the way.

Ying Qingzhu looked at him.

His chest rose and fell unevenly. His fists clenched, then loosened; loosened, then clenched again.

After a long while, he finally suppressed the surge of emotion in his heart and barely managed to steady himself.

He cast aside the shell of the Emperor.

Then he reached out, wrapped his arms around Yu Zhi’s waist, buried his head in Yu Zhi’s chest, and closed his eyes, quietly breathing in his scent.

It was a faint mixture of medicinal fragrance and calming incense; the scent that accompanied him every night as he fell asleep.

It was so peaceful and comforting that it felt as though he had stepped into a beautiful, tranquil dream.

“But what about your safety? There are no eyes on weapons on the battlefield. I’m not at ease!”

He knew Yu Zhi was extremely skilled, but a battlefield was not a contest against a single opponent. It was an army of thousands upon thousands.

He was unwilling to take that risk.

Yu Zhi knew that Ying Qingzhu was not underestimating him.

When something happened to the person you cared about, no matter how thoroughly you prepared, it was impossible to feel completely at ease.

There was nothing Yu Zhi could do about that.

He could only hold him and gently reassure him.

“You can send people to protect me. Whenever I have some free time, I’ll write to you. Don’t worry. For your sake, I will make sure to protect myself.”

Ying Qingzhu was still unwilling.

But he knew that since Yu Zhi had said all this, he had already made up his mind.

If Ying Qingzhu insisted on opposing him, the two of them would only end up quarreling.

He really wanted to ask why.

Why did Yu Zhi have to do this?

Why did he insist on making Ying Qingzhu agree?

Why did he have to force him to accept it?

Yu Zhi, do you really think those matters in court could possibly be more important than you?

He really wanted to tell Yu Zhi that he did not care whether the ministers became so powerful that they threatened the throne. He did not care whether one family became too powerful and dominated the court. He did not care about any of it…

“Your Majesty, don’t forget what you promised me,” Yu Zhi reminded him at just the right moment.

Ying Qingzhu felt a tightness in his chest.

He had not forgotten.

He had said that he would obtain the throne and become a good Emperor.

After a long while, Ying Qingzhu’s heartbeat gradually settled. His reluctant, lingering voice finally reached Yu Zhi’s ears.

“You have to come back safely.”

They had not even parted yet, and he was already missing him.

……………… 

Three days later, Ying Qingzhu issued an imperial decree appointing Yu Zhi, who had decided to put righteousness before family, as commander-in-chief, with Duke Zheng as his deputy. They would lead a large army out of the capital to suppress the rebellion.

Standing atop the city wall, Ying Qingzhu gazed into the distance as he watched that familiar figure disappear into the crowd and leave with the army.

For a long time, he could not bring himself to look away.

His personal eunuch took a cloak and draped it over his shoulders.

“Your Majesty, please take care of your health. Young Master Yu… will also worry about whether Your Majesty is keeping well.”

Ying Qingzhu calmly said,

“Return to the palace.”

Marching with an army and waging war was no easy task, especially in this backward ancient era.

Long journeys left people physically and mentally exhausted, and the hardships along the road were considerable. Yu Zhi’s body had practically never suffered hardship before, so on this journey, he experienced all of it.

If Yu Zhi had not been good at adapting and concealing his difficulties, his already less-than-stellar reputation in the army would have fallen even further.

Yu Zhi had no intention of letting anyone think that he had come along merely to gain experience and claim military credit while contributing nothing himself.

He had originally intended to fight on the front lines personally. However, his body was not up to it, so he decided that he would focus on devising strategies and battle plans while letting others do the actual fighting and remaining in command at the main camp.

He was unwilling to let his pride cause him to break his promise to Ying Qingzhu.

He had to take good care of himself.

He did not immediately confront Prince Ying directly.

Prince Ying had occupied quite a bit of territory along the way, but Yu Zhi was not worried for the moment. Prince Ying had actually raised his troops rather hastily, and he was still unwilling to damage his reputation.

As a result, the people in those places and even the places themselves had not yet realized that they had changed masters.

He sent a unit of soldiers to Liyang to raid the Prince Ying’s ancestral residence. Without alerting the troops stationed there, they quietly took his family members away. By the time anyone discovered what had happened, they were already long gone.

Liyang descended into chaos as the entire city searched for them. When the news reached Prince Ying, his expression changed as well.

“What the hell are all those people doing?! They couldn’t even keep watch over them?!”

“Father, please calm down. I imagine that Emperor is simply too cunning and came up with a scheme like this. Father, the most urgent matter right now is not finding the younger brothers and sisters at home, but breaking into the capital first. The throne is what matters! The Emperor fears you, Father, so he will surely use the younger siblings to make demands. For now, they should still be in no danger.”

The person speaking was Prince Ying’s most valued son, and the younger full brother of Yu Zhi.

He had accompanied his father to the capital this time, and had therefore escaped the disaster.

Prince Ying felt somewhat relieved. At least he had brought one son with him. Otherwise, their entire family would have been wiped out in one stroke.

As for this Second Young Master, he was secretly delighted. He almost wished that the Emperor would really kill all those younger brothers and sisters.

If that happened, he would become his father’s only son, and the only son who could inherit his great undertaking.

At that moment, neither father nor son knew that several days later, they would see their own son and elder brother.

After learning that the imperial court had already dispatched an army, and that the person sent to suppress his rebellion was Yu Zhi, Prince Ying spent the entire night cursing that good-for-nothing son of his.

The official who had delivered the imperial decree declaring him a rebel had already been killed by him, but even that could not stop news of his rebellion from spreading throughout the country.

Prince Ying simply stopped pretending.

The capital had only 20,000 troops. Even if the forces from the various prefectures and provinces along the way were added, there were only 70,000 or 80,000 soldiers at most.

How could they possibly stand against his army of more than a 100,000?

And the commander was none other than his eldest son, that useless boy who had never applied himself to anything since childhood.

He did not believe Yu Zhi could possibly come up with any tricks.

However, when he found himself repeatedly hit by surprise attacks, with the opposing army advancing like a force of nature and breaking through everything in its path, Prince Ying realized that they were about to reach his main camp.

He did not even have time to regret his mistake.

He immediately tried to salvage the situation and launch a counterattack.

But it was already too late.

To end the fighting as quickly as possible, Yu Zhi followed the principle of capture the leader first. From the very beginning, he had already moved against PrinceYing’s descendants and family members. Now that he had no more concerns behind him, he could strike directly at Prince Ying.

Or perhaps not.

Rarely did Yu Zhi take the field himself.

This time, he personally stepped onto the battlefield. Holding a longbow, he drew the bowstring and nocked an arrow, then shot it from a distance toward a certain direction.

Amid the vast army, Yu Zhi’s arrow struck Prince Ying.

The arrow pierced Prince Ying in the chest. The army’s morale immediately collapsed, and before he could even escape, Yu Zhi and his men chased him down and surrounded him.

His second son had already been defeated before him and was now either dead or seriously wounded.

Seeing Yu Zhi draw closer and closer, Prince Ying could not help but try to tempt him with the promise of power.

“Yu Zhi, my son… Your military strategies are unpredictable, and you clearly have great talent. Why not join Father in conquering Chu? Once I ascend the throne, I will surely make you Crown Prince!”

A faint smile appeared on Yu Zhi’s pale face.

“Father truly thinks I’m that capable? That I’m actually useful?”

Prince Ying was delighted, thinking there was hope.

“Of course! My son, you take after your father! I simply overlooked you too much in the past.”

Yu Zhi did not even listen to what he said afterward. He merely smiled.

“That’s good, then.”

He then casually said to the people behind him,

“Do it.”

A flash of steel.

Blood gushed forth.

The smile had not even faded from Prince Ying’s face when his head had already fallen from his shoulders.

Prince Ying was dead.

The army’s morale completely collapsed, and the 100,000-strong army instantly scattered like loose sand. Yu Zhi and his men easily disarmed and captured them.

He did not order a massacre.

Of so many soldiers, the vast majority had genuinely been deceived by Prince Ying. They had believed they were marching to the capital to cleanse the Emperor’s side and suppress a rebellion, never realizing that they themselves were the rebels.

After four months, the campaign to suppress the rebellion finally came to an end, and Yu Zhi began his journey back to the capital.

When he had left the capital, it had still been late spring.

By the time he returned, the bitter heat of summer had already arrived.

Yu Zhi hurried along as quickly as he could. More than ten days later, he was finally about to reach the outskirts of the capital.

Yu Zhi did not want to meet anyone looking disheveled, so he took special care to tidy himself up, making himself look a little less haggard.

Even so, among a group of rough-looking soldiers, he still stood out particularly clearly.

However, he was still dissatisfied with his appearance.

He planned to go to the Prince Ying’s Residence first after returning to the capital, wash up properly, and only then enter the palace.

However, when Yu Zhi rode toward the city gate, he saw a man in blue standing on top of the city wall from far away.

They were clearly still a great distance apart. He could not make out the man’s features or hear his voice, yet he somehow had a strange, inexplicable feeling.

It was as though something deeply engraved in his soul was pulling him toward that person.

The horse’s hooves quickened.

The man in blue turned and walked down the stairs.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the entire world in a brilliant red, casting its glow over the two of them and making the scene breathtakingly beautiful.

The crowds bustled around them, people coming and going, yet they seemed to become nothing more than a backdrop, unable to disturb the two people gradually drawing closer to each other.

Yu Zhi, still on horseback, slowly smiled at the young man standing below.

In a gentle voice, he said,

“Trust me. I’m back.”

Ying Qingzhu froze for a moment.

The Yu Zhi before his eyes seemed to overlap with the figure he had seen a year ago.

That day, Ying Qingzhu had been upstairs while Yu Zhi stood below.

Today, Ying Qingzhu stood on the ground while Yu Zhi was on horseback.

Whether it was “Trust me, I’ll marry you,” or “Trust me, I’m back,” both words had been carved forever into his heart, becoming brilliant and unforgettable colors in his life.

But what he could never bear to forget was Yu Zhi himself.

The moment he saw the person he had been longing to see, the exhaustion from the long journey finally became impossible to suppress.

It surged through him all at once, breaking through the defenses Yu Zhi had been holding up.

His consciousness grew hazy, his body went weak, and the hand gripping the reins slowly lost its strength.

His body seemed to lose all support as he gradually slumped sideways from the horse.

Ying Qingzhu hurried forward and caught him.

Watching Yu Zhi close his eyes, he leaned close to his ear and spoke in a low voice.

“Let’s go home.”

Emperor Jing had endured many hardships in his youth. He had been raised as a girl, and only later had his true identity restored before he ascended the throne.

He accepted remonstrances with an open mind, diligently attended to state affairs, and cared for his people. After ruling for thirty years, he brought Great Chu to prosperity before eventually abdicating the throne to his heir.

Emperor Jing never took a consort and had no biological children. Historical records say that he favored men, and that he had a lover who lived in the inner palace for many years and died of illness in the thirteenth year of Emperor Jing’s reign.

Centuries later, when Emperor Jing’s tomb was opened, two sets of bones were found inside a single coffin.

They had shared a bed in life and shared a tomb in death.

………………

In the new world, Yu Zhi had only just regained consciousness when he felt someone crash into his arms.

He tried to push the person away, but the other person moved closer again.

Not only that, but both hands began wandering all over his body, making Yu Zhi feel a little annoyed and giving him a headache.

He opened his eyes and was just about to grab the wandering hands and push them away when he suddenly stopped.

A familiar scent reached his soul, making him forget what he was doing for a moment.

“Mm… mm-hm…”

“It’s so hot…”

The sweet-looking, adorable young man desperately snuggled closer into his arms.

Yu Zhi had not even received the plot or memories yet, so he was powerless to resist. After being abstinent for so long in the previous world, was his lover really this enthusiastic the moment they entered a new one?

Yu Zhi was both helpless and amused. But he could also tell that something was wrong with his lover.

For now, the most important thing was to deal with the problem affecting his body, so he took the man into the bathroom.

The bathroom door was locked from the inside. Every now and then, soft sobbing and whimpering could be heard from within. The voice was sweet and delicate, enough to make anyone’s heart itch with desire.

The next day, Yu Zhi woke up from the messy bed.

There was no one beside him.

He got up and drank a glass of water. Once he was completely awake, he received the plot and the memories.

He was instantly speechless.

The notification sound for a WeChat message rang.

Mom: 【Xiao Zhi, why didn’t you come home last night? Today is your brother-in-law’s first day coming to our house. Remember to come home for dinner so you can meet him and get acquainted.】

Yu Zhi: “…”

He thought to himself, Do I really need to meet him? I already spent the whole night sleeping with him.

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