Prince Jin gripped Qiu Yutong’s shoulder and said softly, “What this prince said just now were all true. Even though you were born in a brothel and are unable to bear children… But as long as you find that object, you’ve obtained great merit and this prince would never treat you unfairly.”
Qiu Yutong brushed away his hand without batting an eyelid and smiled, “Really?”
It’s a pity that the real Young Master Xue Rong had already died.
“Xue Rong, do you… still hate this prince? Hate this prince for gifting you to Lu Xiao?”
“… Let’s not mention that.” Qiu Yutong was getting goosebumps and quickly switched topics, “Regarding that object, I don’t have any leads as of this moment. Does Your Highness have any new clues?”
Prince Jin sighed, “This prince knows, it is a black piece of shell from a spiritual tortoise. Apart from this, there is nothing else. Immortal Cultivator Tu said that this spiritual tortoise’s shell has been left behind in Daning Palace for quite a few years. Lu Xiao had grown up in Daning Palace and maybe knows some secret of the heavenly family* that no one else knows. So this prince let you get close to him and see if you can get any information.”
[T/N: This just means the royal family, since royals are seen as beings from heaven. Even the emperor is commonly referred to as the “Son of Heaven”.]
Qiu Yutong looked down, his heart full of suspicion.
He had even thought that the object the Beihai sword sect had taken great pains to find would be a rare heaven-grade treasure, unexpectedly, it was just a piece of spiritual tortoise’s shell? In the cultivation world, even if it was a thousand-year spiritual tortoiseshell, it was still a common medicinal ingredient; it couldn’t be counted as a rare treasure.
Seeing hin hesitating to speak, Prince Jin seemed to misunderstand something, his face freezing over, “Xue Rong, you better not get some benefits elsewhere and fall for that Lu Xiao. Do you know exactly what kind of person he is?”
“Why don’t Your Highness say, what kind of person is Lu Xiao?” Qu Yutong came back to himself and said lightly.
“Everyone under the heavens says that Lu Xiao is an extremely wise man, besides his diligence in politics, he is also extremely restrained in desires… Besides being merciless, and preferring to appoint ruthless officials, he basically doesn’t have any large drawback.” Prince Jin smiled coldly, “This prince also once thought that this nephew of mine was invulnerable, until…”
“Until?”
“Until five years ago, the previous emperor was holding a birthday feast in Yunxi Palace. That day, the birthday feast lasted until very late, this prince drank a bit too much. I was heading to the side room behind the palace, wanting to rest. Who knew that I would actually see Lu Xiao doing…”
Qiu Yutong frowned, “What was Lu Xiao doing?”
“The specifics involve the shameful secrets of the heavenly family so this prince will not go into detail. In short, that night, this prince finally knew the vile thoughts in the mind of that nephew.” Prince Jin smiled mysteriously. “You don’t need to know the unnecessary things. Your temper is simple, if you know too much, you might leave a trace in front of him. Lu Xiao, this youngster, has many terrible intentions.”
Qiu Yutong looked at the other party, his heart filled with doubt.
Looking at Prince Jin, it it didn’t seem like he was lying. Five years ago, the previous emperor’s birthday feast… Qiu Yutong carefully thought back, yes, he had been there too.
That day was the previous emperor’s sixtieth birthday feast and the entire Daning Palace was decorated with lanterns and banners, majestic and brilliant, extremely lively. The huge royal feast in Yunxi Palace had persisted for an entire day and night, with liquor flowing like water and beauties like clouds.
During that feast, was Qiu Yutong’s first time drinking Daning Palace’s speciality, Autumn Dew*. Feeling that this wine was light and sweet, he couldn’t help but drink a few more cups. Unexpectedly, even though this Autumn Dew tasted light, it had strong aftereffects. He didn’t cycle his spiritual energy to dissipate the alcoholic effects and actually carelessly became drunk.
[T/N: I translated this as Qiulubai previously, finally managed to get an English name!.]
After waking up, he was already lying on the bed inside his room in Prince Yan’s manor. He had been changed into clean snow-white inner robes, feeling fresh and cool.
Lu Xiao was sitting by the bed, his face a little distracted. What he was thinking about was unknown.
Qiu Yutong was still a little dizzy and said in a daze, “Xiao-er?”
Lu Xiao shook slightly before finally regaining clarity and hoarsely saying, “Shizun.”
“En,” Qiu Yutong closed his eyes again before reaching out and allowing Lu Xiao to help him up.
After Lu Xiao supported him up, he then sat back obediently, eyes down, not looking at him.
Qiu Yutong felt something and blinked. He looked down before realising that his hair was messy and the snow-white inner robes were loose, revealing a large expanse of his clavicle. It was extremely improper, no wonder Lu Xiao looked so awkward.
He quickly gathered his collar together and gave a light cough, forcefully maintaining his dignity as a teacher, “Last night I… was I drunk?”
Lu Xiao evaded his eyes like he couldn’t look at him. “Shizun drank two cups too much, I… So I retired early and sent Shizun back to the manor.”
Lu Xiao was always calm and unperturbed. Seeing his completely uncharacteristic mumbling, he couldn’t help but feel suspicious and probed with a question, “I… I didn’t do anything right?”
Lu Xiao’s face obviously tightened, “No.”
“That’s good,” Qiu Yutong was reassured. Third Shixiong said that when he (QYT) was drunk, he liked to hug people and act crazy, As expected, he (TS) was lying.
……
Qiu Yutong carefully thought back to the circumstances then. Lu Xiao’s attitude that morning was indeed slightly strange.
Don’t tell him that during the birthday feast, after he got drunk, Lu Xiao sneakily ran off to do something and was seen by Prince Jin?
But, whatever Lu Xiao did, he would never hide it from him (QYT)… What exactly did Prince Jin see?
“Xue Rong, do you understand this prince’s meaning? Don’t fall for Lu Xiao, this is for your own good.”
Prince Jin’s voice drew Qiu Yutong from his memories.
Prince Jin sighed and said, “Lu Xiao this person, his character is cold, unkind and merciless. The previous emperor’s suicide by hanging was basically forced by him, that was his blood-related father… And Imperial Consort Jiang, after Lu Xiao’s lowly maidservant mother died, Imperial Consort Jiang was kind enough to adopt him, but he actually bit the hand that fed him, poisoning Imperial Consort Jiang to go crazy and imprisoned her in Bailu courtyard.’
He stared at Qiu Yutong and enunciated each word clearly, “This kind of person, if you hope for something, you probably wouldn’t know how you died.”
Qiu Yutong didn’t want to argue with him about the grudges of the heavenly family and said, “The sky is getting bright, Your Highness should leave.”
“Xue Rong, you must remember, do not delay this prince’s matter.”
“I know, it’s just a black piece of tortoiseshell, right? I’ll do my utmost to find it.” Qiu Yutong inwardly said, he definitely wanted to look at exactly what kind of thing this was to make Beihai sword sect scramble after it like a treasure.
“It’s good that you know.” Prince Jin nodded, then took out a dark green medicinal pellet the size of his thumb from his waist. “This is the antidote for this winter, you should take it.”
After Qiu Yutong took the antidote, he sniffed it lightly before swallowing it.
Prince Jin sighed softly, “Xue Rong, when Immortal Cultivator Tu forced this prince to take the Ice Jade Bloodworm gu, you snatched and swallowed it down. This prince is very grateful; your feelings, this prince will remember. Sending you to Lu Xiao is really because there is no other choice, please do not blame this prince.’
Qiu Yutong was slightly stunned.
This Ice Jade Bloodworm was actually voluntarily taken by Xue Rong in place of Prince Jin? While Prince Jin actually turned around and sent him to Lu Xiao?
He looked down and said lightly, “Xue Rong will not blame you.”
Even though Xue Rong was blind*, he actually liked you so much… Thus I will send you down to accompany him, I think he will not blame you.
[T/N: Not literally, it means to have bad taste since he liked Prince Jin.]
Since he had taken over this body, then this will mean his karma is clean.
“This Prince knows that you’re the most sensible,” Prince Jin happily coaxed him for a while. Only after seeing that the sky was gradually becoming brighter, did he reluctantly leave. Before he left, he even tenderly and affectionately caressed Qiu Yutong’s face causing him to feel extremely disgusted.
After sending Prince Jin off, Qiu Yutong collapsed onto the bed, his mood complicated.
Prince Jin and Xue Rong’s messy affairs, he didn’t really mind. In any case, he had already had a fixed idea to send Prince Jin down to accompany Xue Rong.
It’s just that, in these few years, Neihai sword sect’s influence was great and they had great ambition. Putting in so much effort, the item they want to find should be very important.
What exactly was that spiritual tortoise’s tortoiseshell?
Qiu Yutong was somewhat vexed. He had previously only focused on training the sword, paying no attention to the affairs of the world. After going down the mountain, he had experienced the mortal world for a full ten years. Regarding the cultivation world’s affairs, he was a stranger to them, unlike Zhangmen-Shixiong who was widely read and knowledgeable, and also unlike Third Shixiong who was well-informed; at this moment, he was simply at a loss.
Ai, if he knew earlier, he should’ve listened to Zhangmen-shixiong’s words, and read more books from the library.
Forget it, first don’t care about what exactly was that piece of tortoiseshell, find it first.
Prince Jin said that the tortoiseshell had been left behind in Daning Palace for many years, let him make discreet inquiries about it from Lu Xiao… Eh, previously in Jingxin Palace, he had only spoken two words to Lu Xiao before he was almost cut in two by Night Rain, and then he was chased to the Cold Palace.
What exactly did Prince Jin think that Lu Xiao would just tell him things without holding back…
Luckily Night Rain’s sword energy still recognised him. If it were the real Xue Rong, even if he wasn’t frozen to death by poison, Night Rain would have caused his blood to have splashed five feet.
It was better not to hope for anything on Lu Xiao’s side he could only rely on himself. But Daning Palace was so huge, how could he find it…
As Qiu Yutong was thinking, he unconsciously fell asleep in a daze.
……
The next day was a cloudy day.
Qiu Yutong was idle with nothing to do, casually broke off a piece of twig, practising his martial arts in the courtyard.
Xia Xizi moved a small stove over and was sitting to the side. He didn’t understand such profound sword art, he only knew to randomly cheer energetically from the side. What “Awe, awesome!”, “Do, do it again!” Listening to that, Qiu Yutong inwardly felt that it was laughable.
Did this eunuch think he was selling his skills?
“Oh, what are you acting?”
Qiu Yutong inwardly rolled his eyes. This again.
Liu Bitao walked slowly into the courtyard, with his hands behind his back, he walked one round around Qiu Yutong and smiled, “Young Master Xue Rong, where did you learn your fancy impractical sword skills? Did you learn this from your brothel*? After learning this, can you sell for a good price?”
[T/N: The term used here is 勾栏院, which means brothel courtyard, or Goulan courtyard. I’m unsure if that’s an actual place or are they just referring to the brothel…]
Looks like this Young Master Liu finally heard or Xue Rong’s origins and quickly came by to quarrel.
Qiu Yutong was too lazy to bother with him, continuing with his practice, minding his own business.
“How do people from the brothel serve guests? I heard that there are many methods? You’ve probably learned them well, to be able to stay in Jingxin Palace for so long…”
Liu Bitao mocked and ridiculed for a long time, but Qiu Yutong had no reaction.
“Tch, are you an idiot?” Liu Bitao lost interest and, rolling his eyes, lifted his legs and headed towards the house.
Just as Xiao Xizi wanted to stop him, Qiu Yutong said, “Let him go.” Anyway, the house was impoverished, completely empty.
Not long after, Liu Bitao sudden ran out noisily, lifting the item in his hand high up, so happy his face was red.
“What is this? You have a lot of guts!”
Qiu Yutong looked at the item in his hand and was at a slight loss. “What is that?”
Liu Bitao stuffed the scented bag in his nose, “You still refuse to admit it? This scented bag has an embroidered four-clawed golden dragon on it, only a prince of the first rank* can use it! I remember that you were a tribute from Prince Jin, you two… hehe.”
[T/N: In chinese hierarchy, princes are divided into ranks. Prince Jin is a Qinwang, which is the highest rank (first rank).]
Qiu Yutong immediately understood and couldn’t help but curse up a torrent of abuse in his heart. It’s fine if that damned Prince Jin came through the window in the middle of the night, he even left his scented bag in his bedroom!”
Of course, he didn’t care about such trifling matters, but in the harem, it would be very inconvenient.
Liu Bitao proudly said, “I’m going to report to His Majesty now, see how you’re going to be arrogant!”
Qiu Yutong was too lazy to argue with this rotten chile. The twig in his hand flashed slightly and picked up the silk brocade bag and accurately flung it into the stove at the side.
Iu Bitao was completely stunned. “You, you…”
Qiu Yutong didn’t even turn around before turning to the house. “If you want it, then reach into the stove yourself and get it.”
Xiao Xizi quickly fanned the stove crazily and the small flame quickly intensified, engulfing the scented bag in a few moments.
“You people! Despicable! Shameless!” Liu Bitao was so angry, his face grew red, stomping around in the courtyard.
