The seventh prince then took an old craftsman to face Emperor Yan. Emperor Yan didn't ask much, he bestowed rewards and then dismissed them. In the next morning court, the Emperor of Yan issued an imperial edict that bestowed the title of King to seventh prince Yan Mingli. The Emperor never had a crown prince, nor had he ever given the title of a king to any of his sons. Today the seventh prince was the first to be declared as one. Everyone had their own thoughts; some guessed this was seventh prince's rise to the top, while others felt this was how the Emperor will restrain him, and his chance at the throne is gone.

Yan Mingli read the edict on the table with a gloomy face. His hands clenched and unclenched, then clenched again. His mood was evidently terrible.

His trusted eunuch leaned closer and reported in a low voice, "That person is making a ruckus. He said he thought of a new idea that will definitely help Your Highness earn money and that he also designed a device that will greatly improve farm irrigation."

"Oh?" Yan Mingli's mouth corners pulled up, his eyes had a slight cold glint. "He has quite a lot of innovations.. But who knows if other people will present these items of his to Father the very next day!"

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Originally he approached An Chengjie in order to hold the stain of Zhen Guo household in his hands so he can revive the issue in the future. An Chengjie unexpectedly really had some skills; he had dedicated quite a lot of formulas and blueprints, some time ago he had even made that amazing thing called explosives, but Yan Mingli didn't expect this meat pie that fell from the heaven will be poisoned!

His eunuch poured a cup of tea for him and carefully advised, "Your Highness needn't feel troubled over someone insignificant, this is a matter of keeping the useful ones and killing useless ones. Presently Your Highness is the first to be named king and after moving out of the palace into your kingly residence you will not need to walk on eggshells as now."

Yan Mingli touched the cup and contemplated without saying anything. The meat pie was really too enticing, he didn't want to let it go... Like this, he carefully thought of a countermeasure.

The seventh prince's "offerings" continued to be presented; an instrument for irrigation, military defence equipment, a way of increasing crop output, recommending a foreign land's seed. There was even an advanced army drill system. The court officials' reactions changed from the initial shock to subsequent apathy, the other princes' gaze at the seventh prince became more and more strange while the seventh prince expression turned worse and worse each time. However, the emperor of Yan still appeared to value the seventh prince and bestowed him rewards after rewards. He even handpicked two of his own concubines to reward him, it was said these imperial ladies were picked with the help of empress dowager.

The system prompts repeatedly popped out until finally, two days before the autumn hunt, Yan Mingli and protagonist's love probability dropped down to 50%. Ye Zhizhou switched off the screen then looked towards the desk where Yan Mingyong was playing chess by himself. He felt complex. Originally, Ye Zhizhou thought his lover was so small in this world and he's also bratty and stubborn, so he certainly needed to take good care of him. He didn't think he was being very naive, how could a child of the emperor be that simple? He only needed to mention his plan for the other boy to accomplish this much.

As the research results were repeatedly made public in the morning court, the seventh prince eventually didn't have any trust left in An Chengjie. He immediately told people to close off the small villa outside the capital and dispatched people to watch him. An Chengjie was recently absorbed in finishing one work after another, so he didn't notice this change around him at all. His mind was immersed in a beautiful dream where he helped the seventh prince to reach the top and became a man above men himself, after that, he would ruthlessly torture the entire Zhen Guo household.

"Chuan Yue? Heh." An Chengjie turned over the drawings made by the craftsmen according to his vision and laughed sinisterly, "So what if we both transmigrated. You've already fallen to hell, and me, I'm destined to rise above thousands of people!"

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

A black shadow flashed past a corner outside and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Midnight, in a secret prison.

Yan Mingyong fiddled with the delicate little dart in his hand with an indifferent expression. "He definitely believed it?"

"This subordinate witnessed it with his own eyes."

"Withdraw, let them continue watching."

"Yes!"

The Zijin guard left and Yan Mingyong put down the dart. He smiled at the person affixed to the wall by a torture device, "Still not talking?"

The fair and delicaate-looking man moved despite looking near his death. He remained silent.

"Didn't expect you to have the backbone."

Yan Mingyong got up and slowly walked inside, "You must not know yet. Your precious darling was titled as king, it's quite impressive. His Majesty also picked several good wives for him and is just waiting for a good date to get him married."

The delicate man finally reacted. He looked up to Yan Mingyong with a fierce-looking bloodied face, he struggled wildly, howling a hoarse desperate cry.

"Can't accept it? Does it pain you?" Yan Mingyong didn't mind his hateful eyes one bit. He turned back to sit on the chair and continued, "To think the son of the stately minister of justice would become like this for a man who's only been using him. You're so pitiful. Do you know that besides you my seventh brother has quite a number of 'confidants' just like you at hand? I heard that among them a young man called Han Wen was especially favoured. Han Wen.... he's your friend, right?"

The delicate man's eyes bulged out. His chest fluctuated violently and his throat let out a painful sob. Slowly, tears slid down from his wide open eyes.

"Will you talk?" Yan Mingyong picked up the darts again, turning it in his hands leisurely.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

A quarter of an hour later the fair and delicate man finally calmed down. He took a deep breath and expressionlessly said, "I'll tell you everything you want to know... but I have a condition. You have to tell me the names of Mingli's other 'confidants'."

Yan Mingyong nodded, but, glancing at the time, got up and dropped the dart.

"De'an, question him." After saying that, he walked out. He had wasted too much time, he had to go back to accompany Le'er in bed.

Coming out of the secret prison that was disguised as a rock garden, he was in the middle of pulling up the hood of his cloak when a familiar voice, only with sinister tone, came from above the hill.

"So you're so sleepy during the day because you 'played' around at night?"

Yan Mingyong went stiff at this accusation He turned and looked up to the man sitting on a rock with his lips pursed, "Le'er."

Ye Zhizhou jumped down the rockery, cracking his knuckles and sneering, "Even drugging me on purpose, hm? You better give me a good explanation, otherwise...." His eyes swept across his lower body and he made a cutting gesture.

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Yan Mingyong couldn't help clamping his thighs together.

Early morning of the day before the autumn hunt, the minister of justice abruptly presented a self-incriminating document full of guilt, declaring that he had deliberately misjudged cases over the past few years. The emperor was angered, he ordered the many guilty officials mentioned in the document to be killed. For now, the court officials perceived themselves to be in danger and each one of them cowered with tails tucked between their legs. The princes who had moved on their own recently turned well-behaved from this fright, they only hoped no one in their own factions would be implicated.

After the morning court, Yan Mingli flung anything that can be thrown in his study. He then urgently sent a letter to the son of the minister of justice.

He'd never thought the person who never refused him would turn down his request to meet, unlike before, and would even leave the capital with his family for health reasons. That evening, the minister of justice committed suicide in the royal prison.

This finally raised the alarm bell in Yan Mingli. From the moment he obtained An Chengjie's explosives, everything had spiralled out of control. Now even the family that had been his biggest supporter betrayed him!

Someone must be messing with him in the dark. Who could it be?

He sat down and considered all from the first prince and the empress to the palace maids in the fifth prince's palace, but couldn't come up with anything. Finally, he set his eyes on An Chengjie. Everything went wrong after he came in contact with that man. Moreover, those inventions submitted to the emperor soon after... It wasn't clear who did it behind his back but there's definitely something with An Chengjie!

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With a chest full of anger, he donned a disguise and left the palace for the small villa outside of the capital.

An Chengjie greeted him happily with a small dagger-like object in hand, he excitedly spoke, "Your Highness, you came just in time for my new design. It's a concealed weapon, works wonderfully paired with doctor Feng's developed poison! Please look, this is the half-finished product."

"Oh? A concealed weapon?" Yan Mingli feigned a smile and took the half-finished product in his hand, he examined it with narrowed eyes, "It's been coated with poison?"

An Chengjie didn't suspect him so he nodded and said, "It's only coated with a little poison. It won't kill a person but it's enough to make their arms and legs lose strength. Your Highness, please be careful, you mustn't touch the surface at all."

"Of course I'll be careful." Yan Mingli hand raised, he patted him on the shoulders then he abruptly leaned forward and stabbed him hard in the stomach. Then, he steadied An Chengjie's body and smiled to him, "This sort of concealed weapon can't be presented to Imperial Father. It's useless so you can use it."

His wide eyes stared incredulously at the dagger in his stomach. His hands wrapped around the cut, he staggered back, his expression distorted as he looked at this man who exuded nobility and grace. "Your Highness, why would you.... like this...."

The smile on Yan Mingli's face disappeared. He fished out a handkerchief, wiped his hands and sneered at him, "I, Yan Mingli, had never had any patience for people who betray me. Guards, take him to the prison! Tell the doctors to keep him alive, this king still has questions for him."

Betray? What does Yan Mingli mean?

His wound really hurt. In his swaying line of sight, he could see several shadows approaching. He struggled but the spreading poison made him powerless. In the end he gave up; he lost his consciousness with heart full of questions, unable to accept what had happened.

[Probability of Yan Mingli falling in love with the protagonist dropped to 20%, may the host persist in his efforts]

Ye Zhizhou turned off the screen and continued to leisurely flip the book. He completely ignored Yan Mingyong who fixedly stared at him.

"Le'er." Yan Mingyong called out pitifully, his face had a pleading look of someone being wronged.

This appearance would definitely evoke tender pity in people. Unfortunately, Ye Zhizhou who knew of his true nature had long grown immune to it, his eyelids didn't even lift up.

Since the night in the rock garden, Ye Zhizhou had started a one-sided cold war. No matter how Yan Mingyong coaxed, it wasn't any good. Of course, from Ye Zhizhou's perspective him changing the topic was not coaxing but more like adding fuel to the fire!

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Yan Mingyong pursed up his lips. Looks like acting pitiful is useless. He bowed his head and went silent for a moment, then suddenly rose and closed all the doors tightly. He walked back to Ye Zhizhou and took away his book.

Ye Zhihou who had been secretly watching his actions raised his brows and looked up to him without a word.

Yan Mingyong set aside the book and his hands started to undo his own belt.

Hm? What is he doing? He was very puzzled, but remembering they were still in the middle of a cold war, he pressed down the urge to ask.

The black belt slid to the ground, the gold crown binding his hair followed. His wide sleeves slid down smoothly exposing the plump healthy arms it covered, outlined by the warm glow of the afternoon sun. His slender fingers reached for his belt and slowly pulled on it.

Fuck! What are you doing, you brat!

Translator: Padam | Editor: Divetus

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[1] Wo Cao, 臥槽, same pinyin as 我操.