Chapter 47

47 THE SONG OF THE BIRDS

It had been a few days since Bai Chen had transmigrated into this world, and apart from attending the court meeting yesterday, he indeed had nothing to do in this strange empire.

When he had just received a mission from Bai Lang a few days ago, saying that he would be the Prince of the Dong Lang Empire, he had a high expectation that his schedule would be filled with court meetings and visiting commoners or something, just like how the Princes in historical dramas usually did.

But no. Reality betrayed his expectation after he stayed in this strange world for a few days. He was completely wrong because he didn’t even have a fixed schedule in this world. He could even sleep all day without anyone complaining, and maybe he could even leave his palace for days without anyone looking.

It was quite sad because Bai Chen used to have a family that cared so much for him. They would ask what he was doing, and if he wanted to leave the house, he would have to ask permission so they wouldn’t worry about him.

It was very different from the situation in this world where he had no one to care for him. In a way, he regretted his decision to accept the mission because he felt lonely in this world.

‘I confidently told Bai Lang that I could always find new family and friends in this world, but nobody cares about me here. I have no one in this new life.’

Bai Chen didn’t have any friends in his previous life because many people thought he was a weirdo, but he had family there which took away the loneliness in his heart.

In this world, he did have a father and a brother, but that was only a status. The two men paid no attention to him at all, and even one of them blatantly insulted him by saying that he had nothing to do and that he could play around all day.

Perhaps that was the truth that came from Crown Prince Bai Renshu, but Bai Chen still felt uncomfortable when he heard it. For some reason, he could sense that there was another meaning behind the older Prince’s expression of ‘playing around.’

.....

“I came here to borrow the keys to Wenxue’s pavilion, Your Highness,” Bai Chen managed to utter a reply even if he was quite offended by the Crown Prince’s insult.

Even if he felt very miserable living alone in this world, he still had a mission to complete, and he couldn’t just back down because he had promised Bai Lang that he would take on the mission in this world.

Bai Chen didn’t know what was so special about his words, but his direct statement was enough to make the Crown Prince turn his body and directly face him. Now, Bai Chen could get a better look at the older Prince.

While attending yesterday’s court meeting, he couldn’t picture the Crown Prince’s face clearly because the man was standing beside him during the meeting. Instead, he could only see the side profile of the man yesterday.

It was different from today when he could see the face up close. Now Bai Chen was like a turtle that wanted to hide its head inside its shell when he saw the man’s face with nothing hindering his vision.

Bai Renshu had such sharp facial features, and even his jaw was as sharp as a breccia stone that had not undergone the process of erosion. His blue eyes were narrow and piercing, and above them were a pair of eyebrows similar to the Angry Birds he used to see in his previous life. Even the white-haired man’s lips seemed to form an eternally positive curve.

The name of the curve was indeed ‘positive,’ but that did not mean the shape produced by the pair of lips was pleasing to the eye. Instead of giving a positive vibe, the shape of the lips like that looked like it was frowning all the time, and it made anyone who saw it feel uncomfortable.

“You want to borrow the keys to Wenxue Pavilion?” The Crown Prince asked in surprise. “You still remember that His Majesty kept all the books from Guangcai Hall in the pavilion, right? The pavilion is full of books now, so you can’t do your sinful activities there.”

Fortunately, Bai Chen had heard the information about it from Ma Qiao, so he didn’t seem confused after hearing the Crown Prince’s questions. The questions related to the renovation of the Guangcai Pavilion did not surprise him, but his attention was focused on something else the white-haired Crown Prince had just said.

Yes, he was taken aback by the Crown Prince’s last sentence about ‘sinful activities.’ He remembered when Ma Qiao told him that Wenxue Pavilion used to be a study room in his palace before the Emperor decided to use it as a temporary storage room, so he was confused when he heard the phrase ‘sinful activity.’

‘Is reading a book a sinful activity here? Or could it be that the real Bai Chen of this world kept adult magazines in Wenxue Pavilion so that this Crown Prince thought that I wanted to read those magazines again now?’ Bai Chen wondered in his heart. ‘But wait. In this world, there may not be adult magazines. Maybe it’s just some kind of lewd painting inside Wenxue Pavilion?’

“What do you mean by ‘sinful activities,’ Your Highness?” Bai Chen decided to ask the taller man when he wasn’t sure about the meaning of the phrase.

The question was clear and to the point, but instead of directly answering his question, the Crown Prince suddenly took a few steps forward that closed the distance between them before using his right hand to cup Bai Chen’s jaw.

Bai Chen was alarmed, but he couldn’t move away because the Crown Prince’s grip on his jaw was too strong.

“You are indeed beautiful, but sometimes, you can be so dense, my dear brother.”

The older Prince whispered right in his face just like how Zhu Ge did the same to him yesterday, but for some reason, he didn’t like it when the white-haired man’s breath grazed his face.

‘He reeks of alcohol, and I’m sure he drank a lot last night,’ Bai Chen thought to himself as he tried to break free from the Crown Prince’s grip.

Bai Chen’s mind could get dirty at times, but he wasn’t a fan of alcohol. He was an adult, and one or two times he had drunk alcohol when his father suddenly brought home beer or wine, but he was not an alcohol addict. He didn’t like the smell, and besides, he also knew that his body couldn’t tolerate alcohol.

He didn’t know if the real Bai Chen of this world was the same as him, but he still openly showed his displeasure as he grabbed the Crown Prince’s hand to free himself from it.

Seeing how bold his actions were, the Crown Prince suddenly burst into laughter. “I don’t pay much attention to you, but I think this is the first time I’ve seen you angry, little brother,” he said as he straightened himself.

Bai Chen was no longer surprised when he heard that statement. He was certain that the relationship between the Crown Prince and the real Bai Chen in this world was not good, so the two men might treat each other like the plague.

“But, seriously,” the Crown Prince spoke again. “The Wenxue Pavilion is full of books, and all of them are important to the empire. You can’t dirty them with your disgusting semen even if the pavilion is technically yours.”

The Crown Prince was still cold to him, but Bai Chen finally understood the meaning behind the phrase ‘sinful activities.’ He had almost forgotten that the real Bai Chen in this world was a bad guy who even played with male prostitutes, so he shouldn’t have been surprised when he heard the Crown Prince’s statement.

“You don’t have to worry, Your Highness,” Bai Chen replied coldly. “Even if I like to play around, I still know where to do it. I still have Jing Pavilion to do the activity, so I don’t need to do it in Wenxue Pavilion.”

Successfully pretending to be the real Bai Chen in this world, Bai Chen secretly praised himself for his acting skills.

“Oh?” The Crown Prince responded. “But I heard some birds sing such a catchy song after they came out of your palace, little brother. Do you want to hear the song?”

Bai Chen frowned, but for some reason, he got a bad feeling when he saw the Crown Prince smirking at him.

? “White robes pile on the floor, smooth skin as white as flour.

Either it is on the table, or maybe it is lying on the marble.

Slender legs spread wide, and the hare slips between them and becomes the guide.

But don’t forget to close the door, or the birds will see how the shaft enters the back door.” ?