Disclaimer: This is edited MTL. Do forgive any grammar mistakes as they are my own and not the author’s. I may add some of my own words for clarity sake, but I will try not to change the meaning of the whole sentence. When the author uses 成语 / Cheng Yu, which is something like idiom-like phrases, I may just translate them in simple English if they are not very meaningful. Otherwise, I will add a translation note. An example would be ‘不三不四’, I would most likely translate it as ‘dubious’ depending on the context.

Relatively short chapter again, the original chapter had 2093 words.

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Tang Qi couldn’t hide forever, the person who personally came to invite him over, was actually the Crown Prince Manor’s steward.

Tang Qi smiled guiltily, the steward probably came over to settle scores with him?

Tang Qi: “Such a rare guest.”

The steward laughed: “Imperial Guard Tang, my family’s Crown Princess has been bored at home the entire day, why didn’t you come over to hang out with him?”

Tang Qi: “……Today…I was busy.”

How could the steward not know that the reason was because yesterday, Tang Qi brought their Crown Princess to a brothel, so he didn’t dare to go to the Crown Prince Manor today.

Steward: “Imperial Guard Tang, you have been good brothers with my family’s Lord for so many years, yet you brought our Crown Princess to a brothel, isn’t this…”

The steward stopped talking at an appropriate point, his eyes were smiling with lidded eyes. Originally, he looked amiable and benign, but in Tang Qi’s guilty eyes, this squinty eyed old fox, looked just like how Meng You looked when they were scheming against others.

The personality of the master really shapes the personality of their servants.

Tang Qi resigned himself to his fate: “If the Steward has anything he needs me to do, he can just directly say it.”

Steward: “This old servant has already said it, my family’s Crown Princess has been bored at home the whole day, may Imperial Guard Tang bring him out to accompany him.”

 “This old servant is scared that the Crown Princess is feeling sad from missing the Crown Prince, he hasn’t left his room since morning. Usually, he would eat two meals and a snack, yet today, he didn’t even drink a drop of water, this old servant is a little worried for him.”

Tang Qi thought of the day before, how unstoppable Yan Ke was when he entered the brothel, his spirit of how even if Meng You was there, he would still have gone in to let loose. He couldn’t imagine where the thought of ‘feeling sad from missing the Crown Prince’ came from.

Tang Qi: “Okay then…..”

The two of them returned to the Crown Prince Manor. The steward knocked on the door of Yan Ke’s room. Yan Ke opened a slight gap, reached out his hands to pull in Tang Qi who was standing behind the steward, and quickly closed the door.

The steward who was standing outside and facing the winds: “……”

Tang Qi who was facing Yan Ke inside and turning to stone: “……”

Yan Ke lowered his voice: “Tang Qi, help me out with a favour.”

Tang Qi glanced at the silhouette that had still not left through the closed window, and shouted sharply, “What can I do for the Crown Princess?”

Tang Qi spoke and kept his eyes on the door at the same time, he hoped that the steward outside would know that he wasn’t having any indecent relationship with the Crown Princess.

[T/N: It’s not appropriate for Tang Qi and the Crown Princess to be alone in a room without at least another servant around.]

Yan Ke used his hand to hit Tang Qi’s head: “Can’t you be quieter?”

Tang Qi: ”It’s not that…Crown Princess, we have no grievances or grudges against each other, why do you want to do this?”

Yan Ke: “Tie me up tightly, so tight that I can’t untie myself. After that, help me inform the steward that I’m not feeling well, and then tomorrow, come over to untie me.”

Tang Qi mentally collapsed.

Tie him up, and after tying him up, tell the steward that the Crown Princess is not feeling well?! He still wants to keep his life! Of all times to not feel well, only when he came, then he doesn’t feel well?!

Tang Qi: “I reject, I won’t do it! Goodbye, Crown Princess!”

Yan Ke: “If you’re a good friend, help me with this favour!”

Yan Ke saw that Tang Qi was really going to leave and quickly grabbed him.

In that moment when Yan Ke grabbed Tang Qi, Tang Qi felt like he was scalded by iron in the area that was touched. He was so scared that he clutched his hand, lowered himself back to the door and watched Yan Ke warily, his eyes gazed at Yan Ke pleadingly to spare him.

He had never suffered such losses before, even during his years of slavery under Meng You, he had never suffered such losses before.

[T/N: 吃亏 / Chi Kui is a hard term to translate, it means to suffer losses but it can also mean something like getting bullied or giving in or making a losing deal. He’s saying something like he never felt like he had been bullied so much (into doing something that may make him lose his life).]

Tang Qi was aggrieved: “Crown Princess, this is really not appropriate for me to do!”

Yan Ke: “Appropriate? What’s not appropriate about this? Hurry up, if not it will be too late.”

Tang Qi felt suffering in his heart: “Meng You is my good brother!”

Yan Ke: “It is precisely because you are his good brother, that you have to help him tie me up at home, you know?”

If not, after tonight, if Lao Zi can’t stop Yan Ke, your bro might turn as green as the grasslands.

[T/N: Turning green is related to the term wearing a green hat, which means being cuckolded.]

Tang Qi began crying: “Even though I once told Meng You to throw me into a manure pit and break off our relationship, but I was just saying it, I still want to be good brothers with Meng You.”

Yan Ke nodded his head and looked indifferently at Tang Qi: “And so?”

What did this have to do with Lao Zi? How would tying up Lao Zi affect the brotherhood between the both of you?

Tang Qi: “Do you see the silhouette at the door? Do you know what that is? That can be considered as Meng You’s eyes. You may think that Meng You won’t know anything since he isn’t around, he actually knows everything. Maybe the fact that both of us are currently alone in this closed room, he would even know it by tomorrow.”

Yan Ke threw the rope on the table at Tang Qi’s body: “Lao Zi is also not a woman, even if I was a woman, I also wouldn’t want you! Hurry up, be like a man.”

Tang Qi was at a loss of what to do, he even considered knocking himself unconscious by banging his head against the door.

Tang Qi: “Crown Princess, you can take it that I’m not like a man.”

Yan Ke roared out a sentence: “Can you hurry the fuck up, Lao Zi is about to lost control!!!”

Yan Ke felt the pain in his chest getting stronger, his consciousness was also wavering increasingly. His resolute thought of getting Tang Qi to tie him up was also gradually decreasing in steadiness.

Tang Qi saw Yan Ke’s eyes struggling to remain open and was slightly worried, he threw the rope away and walked over: “Crown Princess, are you alright? Do you need the steward from your manor to call an imperial physician over?”

Yan Ke staggered, and glared at Tang Qi with blame in his eyes: “Tang Qi, you’re such a great lord!”

[T/N: This translates weirdly but he seems to be saying something like Tang Qi is such a big lord that it is so difficult for him to do something.]

Afterwards, he slipped into unconsciousness.

Perhaps it’s not that his person slipped into unconsciousness, but only his soul, because Yan Ke woke up again.

After fainting, he was helped up by Tang Qi. When Yan Ke opened his eyes, his gaze lost its edginess, his body’s tenseness dissipated, and his disposition completely changed.

Yan Ke pushed Tang Qi aside and watched Tang Qi warily with unfamiliarity and disgust in his eyes.

Tang Qi didn’t want to suffer anymore grievances: “Crown Princess, it’s good that you are okay, then I will leave first.”

Tang Qi worked in the palace, his skill of gaging a person’s attitude has been trained to the point of perfection. Based on a person’s expression, he can clearly read their inner thoughts.

Yes, the Crown Princess hates him now.

For no other reason besides he didn’t tie him up.

Yan Ke lifted his hands and looked at the body that he had not used for a long time, and a dark smile spread throughout his face. Unfortunately, that smile was seen by Tang Qi. Tang Qi originally only saw it from his peripheral vision but based on his interactions with Yan Ke over the past few days, he felt that Yan Ke wouldn’t show this kind of expression. He couldn’t help but turn his head around and let his eyes zoom in to Yan Ke to take a good look at him.

Yan Ke hid his dark smile and walked towards Tang Qi.

Yan Ke: “Thank you for not tying me up just now, but, pardon me, I will need to make use of you once more.”

Yan Ke voice was soft and he had spoken right beside Tang Qi’s ears. Tang Qi felt that something was wrong, before he could call the steward outside to come in, he was knocked out by Yan Ke with an inkstone on the table.

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Author has something to say:

Does no one love me anymore? TAT