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Meng You was leaving after having his say when he remembered something else, so he walked back yet again.

“Tang Qi was the one who taught me all of these. If you want to beat him up, just do it. I’ll get someone to bring you there later. Bring more men.”

“Even if you don’t bring anyone, find a brick and smash him hard on his head. He won’t dare to hit back.”

Yan Ke, “…”  

Once Meng You had really left for good, Yan Ke opened the door. He sighed. He had heard that Su Yu was still locked up by the Crown Prince in the underground prison. He guessed that the dude would be exploding with fury soon.

Yan Ke looked at the servant girl behind him and said, “Take me to Su Yu.”

The servant girl nodded her head and replied, “Your Highness, this way.”

Yan Ke was curious by her quick agreement. “I can go?”

The servant girl smiled. “Yes, Your Highness. The Crown Prince has instructed this slave to take you to wherever you wish to go.”

Yan Ke understood. “All right.”

At the entrance of the prison, Yan Ke told the servant girl to wait outside and went in alone.

After Yan Ke has entered, the servant girl behind him sent someone to inform Meng You.

The moment Yan Ke descended the stairs, he heard Su Yu’s voice howling weakly.

Su Yu, “Where’s Yan Ke?! I want to see Yan Ke!”

Su Yu was being locked up here. Whenever Meng You was in a bad mood, he would drag Su Yu out for a beating on the pretext that ‘I’ll let you go if you can defeat me.’

The outcomes were predictable.

Even so, Meng You did not dare to really do anything drastic to him. Su Yu still had his three meals, although the food was so bland that even boars would look down on it. In Su Yu’s view, this was Meng You’s challenge to him, as well as the insignificant State of Yue’s show of disrespect to the State of Chu!

On seeing Yan Ke, Su Yu’s gloomy expression did not ease off.

Su Yu gritted his teeth and said, “You’re willing to come now? What good is it to you if he despises the State of Chu and me?! Can’t you man up just a little?! Let me out!”

Yan Ke looked at Su Yu in his cell and sighed. It was a pity. If this was in modern times, he could broadcast the song “Tears behind Prison Bars”1 for Su Yu so that he could rock-and-roll in there.

Yan Ke said, “Don’t blame me. This Meng You is so st.u.r.dy and vigorous, tormenting me in bed every single day. I can’t come to you even if I want to!”

When Su Yu heard this, he utterly fell apart.

Pulling Yan Ke by the collar, he yanked Yan Ke towards him, his eyes scarlet. He said, “Yan Ke, have some d.a.m.n sense of shame!”

Yan Ke smiled. “The one with no sense of shame is you. Weren’t you guys the ones who made a scene and forced me here for a marriage alliance? What yarn are you spinning now? All right, get lost now!”

Yan Ke took the key from the guard and opened the cell door.

The fact that Imperial Consort Su could coax the Emperor into sending him here for a marriage alliance meant that she knew how to play her cards well. Plus, Su Yu was the only male member of the Su Clan. If something happened to him here, who knew how she would cajole the Emperor into deploying troops here.

So, no matter how much Yan Ke wanted to avenge the death and the humiliation suffered by the original host on that night, he had no choice but to take the key and release Su Yu.

Perhaps people from ancient times were accustomed to the destruction and displacement of their families caused by wars, but not him.

After letting Su Yu out, Yan Ke took advantage of Su Yu’s momentary inattention and, in a pre-emptive strike, grabbed the guard’s sword and placed it on Su Yu’s neck.

There was a chill on Su Yu’s neck. He took a step forward and could clearly feel the blade on his neck piercing through his skin.

Su Yu gave a wicked smile. “You—want to kill me?” 

Yan Ke’s eyes grew frosty. He said, “Listen, remember every single word I say! When you go back, keep your mouth in check. If I find out you and that good sister of yours have been feeding the Emperor nonsense to make him dispatch troops to the State of Yue, then I will disclose the truth about the death of the State of Chu’s Empress. to. the. whole. world.”

Yan Ke’s last few words were almost frostily uttered through clenched teeth. His eyes were icy. His frail and sickly body had yet to recover, and he could barely stand the dampness in prison.

Su Yu widened his eyes and did not react for a long time.

When he heard Yan Ke’s words, it was as if ice was spreading from the soles of his feet to all over his body. A blast of chill ran down his spine.

Su Yu demanded, “What else do you know?!”

Yan Ke gave a bitter laugh. “Unfortunately, I know all about it.”

Su Yu , “Then—?”

Why have you never mentioned it?

Yan Ke, “So, do you understand now how much he likes you?”

Yan Ke personally did not find this kind of love to be great: concealing the truth of his mother’s death; pretending to be in the dark in front of the murderer; and then, continuing to love him.

Su Yu had not recovered from the shocking blow that Yan Ke had dealt him, neither did he notice the aberration in Yan Ke’s words.

He looked dully at Yan Ke. He had always thought… this man was so stupid he knew nothing. Back then, when they went to school together, he was the one who did their a.s.signments for both of them.

From a very long time ago, he knew that Yan Ke liked him.

At that time, the Crown Prince Yan Ke was still favored and pampered, and the Empress was still alive. His sister told him that he should ingratiate himself with Yan Ke. Someday, he would be able to manipulate and exploit Yan Ke’s love for him.

Later on, he really did make use of it.

He got Yan Ke to send away the maidservants who were always attending to the Empress. Then, when the Empress was alone, Su Yu pushed her into the Imperial Flower Pond with his very own hands.

After the incident, Yan Ke wept and grieved, kneeling for half a month in Jiaofang Hall without getting up. Since then, he has won the reputation of being a filial son.

So… was that all just his concealment of the truth? His show of remorse towards his mother?

Yan Ke looked at the agony on Su Yu’s face. He should be feeling a sense of satisfaction of having taken his revenge. But all of a sudden, his face was wet.

Yan Ke thought it was a leak and looked up. At last, he touched his face with his hand. His movement came to a standstill.

He—was crying.

Crying??

“Zigui!”2 Su Yu looked at a crying Yan Ke and held him in his arms.

A guard of the Crown Prince’s residence beside them was preparing to step forward and separated the two engaged in such improper behavior. But when he looked back, he saw Meng You standing on the stairs.

The guards were stunned.

It’s over. The Crown Prince is going to start a bloodbath in prison.

Yan Ke felt nauseated and tried to push away Su Yu, but he could not control his limbs.

Yan Ke’s eyes suddenly widened; fear flashed in them.

He’s still around! It must be him! It’s definitely Yan Ke!

“Save—” Yan Ke’s had a pained expression on his face. This feeling was as if a ghost was crushing him in bed3; his brain was still awake, but his limbs could not move. His body was even enjoying Su Yu’s embrace.

Yan Ke! Wake the h.e.l.l up!

Su Yu was hugging Yan Ke in his arms, and Meng You was standing behind Yan Ke. Their positions meant that Su Yu could see Meng You. When Su Yu’s and Meng You’s eyes met, he lifted Yan Ke’s hair with his hand to his lips and gently kissed it.

He did it to provoke Meng You.

Meng You looked at Yan Ke. This man is really extraordinary dumb.

Yan Ke felt sick at that moment. He could not move his arms and legs, so he chomped down on Su Yu’s ear.

Yan Ke was p.i.s.sed to the point of disorientation by the original Yan Ke. He did not hold back when he bit Su Yu; it was as if he wanted to rip the entire ear off Su Yu.

“Argh!” Su Yu’s cries of pain reverberated through the cell.

Yan Ke spat the blood out from his mouth and said, “Do you know what this move is called? Lure the enemy in, catch him off guard when he’s touched, then bite the h.e.l.l out of him.”

Su Yu covered his ear, “…”

Meng You was stupefied; there was no knowing the state of mind he was in when he fearfully covered his ears too. “…”

Yan Ke’s was still unable to move his arms and legs, but that did not stop his verbal battle with Su Yu. “You listen well here. I am not one who can part without hard feelings. If you think I can laugh it off after you have hurt me, think again. That kind of thing does not exist in my book.”

“From now on, I hope you won’t have a better life than me, eat a fuller meal than me, nor don a warmer attire than me. I hope that everyone you have harmed before will return as your personal nightmares and haunt you in your sleep.”

Su Yu’s injury after being bitten by Yan Ke was pretty bad. Looking into Yan Ke’s eyes, he suddenly realized that the little b.u.g.g.e.r who had always been tagging along after him might really no longer like him.

Su Yu did not know what was wrong with himself. He had clearly made up his mind to send Yan Ke here. He had also hardened his heart and dragged him back every time Yan Ke tried to escape. He obviously should help Yan Ke gain Meng You’s trust.

He should not have provoked Meng You.

Yan Ke looked at Su Yu and let his tears run wild. The mocking smile on the corners of his lips made him feel like he was an uber maniac.

Suddenly, his body moved on its own toward the side. Yan Ke helplessly watched as his own hand picked up the sword he had cast aside earlier.

“No!” The way he behaved was definitely the same as the time the original host killed himself.

Compared to the original host who did not treasure his life, Yan Ke cherished his. If he could live to eighty years old, he would not even settle for seventy-nine years and three hundred and sixty-four days!

As a result, Yan Ke, who could not control his limbs, rammed his head against the prison door and pa.s.sed out.

Meng You, “…?”

Su Yu was about to move to Yan Ke when Meng You strode down and blocked his way. Meng You sighed and picked Yan Ke up from on the ground.

​​He disappeared into the dungeon after coldly leaving behind a word. “Throw him out!”

As he walked, Meng You stared at Yan Ke’s face; the old injuries on his face had only just healed, and now he had a new wound. He clicked his tongue twice and said helplessly, “Although I allowed you to fool around, I’ve repeatedly told you to do it behind closed doors, didn’t I? The way you are doing it now makes it seem as if I’m your illicit lover instead. Won’t I lose face?”

Having seen Yan Ke’s​ frequent​ ​mind games, Meng You finally understood the kind of ancestor4 he had married.

After watching the whole drama, Meng You​ had​ figured out the​ ​sadom.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.tic relationship between the two men​. Yan Ke liked Su Yu, but Su Yu despised Yan Ke and even killed the Empress of Chu. Yan Ke knew the truth, but did not reveal it for Su Yu’s sake??

Tsk, what a mess.

Meng You sent someone to call for the Imperial Physician.

It was only after the Imperial Physician diagnosed that it was nothing serious that he left.

He also ordered Yan Ke’s servants to keep their mouths shut. After all, this was a scandal of the State of Chu; he had no intention to listen and spread word of it around.

It was night when Yan Ke woke up. He laid in bed in a daze for a moment before he sat up. Taking a piece of paper and a brush, he set them down in front of him.

Yan Ke pinched the bridge of his nose and said, “I know you are still there, and it seems that you can still appear from time to time, right? Now, let’s have a good chat. I ask the questions, you answer, okay?”

Yan Ke’s head acted on its own accord and nodded.

Yan Ke covered his face. d.a.m.n, this is so absurd!

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Some Rights ReservedFootnotes 铁窗泪’ Tears behind Prison Bars’, a prison song by Chi Zhiqiang.​子归 Zigui is Yan Ke’s other name.鬼压床, literally ghost pressing down on someone in bed. It basically refers to sleep paralysis.小祖宗, literally little ancestor. A term used by parents or other adults when they complain or reproach a child for misbehavior.

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